Hmmm, what to have for dinner. . .

Lets go to the canyon and have hot dogs! That was Mike's idea and I have to admit when things are sprung on me like that I have to think about it for a minute.
I'm thinking, "Ok, its already 6pm, we'd have to go to the store to get hot dogs, it takes a few minutes to get up there, then the kids would want to play, and they need tubs tonight, etc. . . " Then I loosened up and decided that its not that big of a deal if they don't get to bed right on time and this could be a fun memory. So we went up the canyon and ate some hot dogs. The girls were roller blading and Aaron was on his big wheel. They played in the freezing water at the bottom of the water falls and had a great time.
Sometimes I have to remind myself that they will only be this age for a very short time.

Abby's First Day

Monday was Abby's first day of Kindergarten. She was so excited and nervous to go! They have the Kindergartners go straight into the classroom, so I didn't get the classic "line up" shot. But this is her right before she went into her room. She was so happy!

There was a girl who wore the exact same outfit as Abby on the first day. You would think it would be terrible, but it has made them the best of friends. They sit by each other and play at recess everyday now. I'm so glad she has a friend she looks forward to seeing.

Everyday after school she seems a little more and more tired. Today, before school, she asked me if it was the weekend yet. I think having school everyday takes a little getting used to. I keep asking her what they did at school and she'll say "We played with Play-dough and puzzles" or "I can't really explain it." I'm sure (or hoping) they do more than that. :)

My two sweet girls off to school.

Box Elder County Fair

We went to the Box Elder County Fair. It was a genuine country-bumpkin fair! Lots of live-stock and 4H group kids leading their sheep/pigs/cows around and trying to sell them at the auction. We visited the auction. It was amazing how fast that guy could talk! I kept looking for people who were doing the bidding and I couldn't see any. I guess they were pretty subtle or something.
I thought this ol' cowboy was cute. I had to take his picture.
Taking a rest from the heat and getting some good fair food. I really do love fair food! We had good food and delicious scones (we call them "elephant ears" in WA). It was a fun small fair. They had only 8 or 10 vendor booths (my favorite part!) and a few rides and games that were totally expensive. It would have cost $20 just to ride the ferris wheel. The kids got to choose 1 ride and 1 game. The guy at the game was nice. He let Aaron stand really close to the pins so he was sure to knock them down and he let him take home this HUGE stuffed dog! Nice! The girls also got a dog, not quite as big. It was fun, but I don't know if it will be worth the 2 hour drive to go again next year.

Feeding the Ducks

Today we decided to pay Grandma and Grandpa Gygi a visit. We picked them up and swung by Arby's then went to a park nearby. We sat at a nice shaded picnic table while the kids fed the ducks.
The ducks were hungry! They were swarming the kids! Aaron started throwing bread past the ducks (I guess they were really geese) and saying "go away ducks, go away!" We all had a great time and value our time with G&G Gygi.

Anna's First Day

Yesterday was Anna's first day of 3rd grade! It was a huge improvement from last year when she felt so a lone being the "new girl". This time she knew people and was happy to see them. Her teacher is the "funnest" and the "nicest"! We are happy because she is happy. I can't believe this means she is half way done with Elementary school. Time goes too fast. . .


Abby will start Kindergarten next Monday, they do evaluations for them the first week.

Then and Now

The picture on the left was taken 11 yrs ago when we were dating. So, when we went back to Stewart Falls on Saturday we tried to "re-take" the picture. We didn't get the pose just right, but it's pretty close. The one from when we are dating cracks me up because Mike's legs are so skinny you can't see them behind mine. It looks like I'm carrying him on my back. Kind of funny.

Stewart Falls

We decided to hike up to Stewart Falls on Saturday. We started at Sundance and took the chairlift up to the top, then hiked down a mile and a half to the falls. We could have continued hiking down, taking us back to the Sundance parking lot, but we hiked back up the way we came so we could ride the chairlift down (the funnest part!).

I have to say this 1.5 mile hike was WAY easier than the one to Timpanogos Caves. I could do this one again tomorrow. The trail was so scenic and pretty. I loved it!

There was this giant log along the trail that provided some good entertainment, as well as a nice place to rest for a minute. Aaron fell asleep on the way back. I'm still trying to figure out how he could fall asleep on a hike!And last but not least, I love this picture of Abby's choice for socks with her shoes. They didn't match a thing, not her shirt, shorts, or shoes. Silly girl! :)

They're HEEEERE

The picture is not very good, but our butterflies have finally arrived. Abby got this butterfly "cage" thing and we ordered the caterpillars. It was so fun to see the caterpillars turn into chrysalides! We missed the butterflies coming out of the chrysalides, each time it happened at night or the second we weren't looking. It was fun to see the whole process. I would recommend this to anyone. We'll enjoy them for a few more days then let them go.

not so cute kid

Mike and I went to a movie and when we got back we saw this. . .Aaron had taken the scissors to the girl's curtains. He is not as cute as he was the other day! j/k (kind of) ;)

cute kids

* While we were picking veggies from the garden, Aaron picked Anna and I some Morning Glory flowers (I mean weeds) from the yard. Anna put hers behind her ear and Aaron wanted to do the same, but Anna convinced him that "boys put flowers in their shirt pockets."
She dressed him up in "handsome clothes" so he would put the flower in his pocket. She told him if he was handsome, Mom would take his picture and put it on her blog. (Probably true) They had fun for at least 20 mins getting dressed up, she even brushed his hair.

*Abby had her Kindergarten well check and shots today. I wish I could say she was brave, but...we had lots of tears. She cracks me up, though. One Sunday we were fasting as a family (optional for the young ones, of coarse) and in the morning she told Mike "Anyway, I'm fasting, but I'm not fasting chocolate milk." lol :) I guess Abby likes this little boy in our ward. Anna told me that Abby liked him, and Abby said "NO! I don't like him! I just like how he looks and his face and his hair." Oh, OK.

*Little Miss Anna is wishing, wishing, wishing she were older! She stuffed her tank top, put lipstick on, and sat on a phone book at the kitchen table (so she would look taller). Abby asked her if she was trying to be a mom and Anna said, "No, I just want to be 18." She wants so badly to be older, and acts older. She was talking to the younger kids like she was their mom, then she turned to me and said "Sorry, I'm kind of taking over your job, Mom." I told her I can totally handle being the mom and to enjoy being a kid as long as she can because once you are an adult, you're an adult forever.

our harvest

Our garden/experiment has been so fun! I am surprised every time I see something has grown. Unfortunately, the raspberries have all died, but some other things have survived our inexperience. We picked a few carrots, cherry tomatoes, green beans, one strawberry, some lettuce and 5 corn cobs today. I'm not sure how to tell when the corn is ready, so we just picked them hoping they were done.

The pumpkins are out of control and taking over the garden. The vines are wrapping themselves around other plants and getting into places they are not supposed to be. It will be fun to have pumpkins in the fall, but for now they are a pain.

We are going to have a yummy salad with all of this tonight. I think it tastes better just knowing you grew it. This is our first garden and every little thing is exciting, I'm sure next year the novelty will have grown off. For now I am REALLY enjoying it.