Still Going Strong

Mardee and I are both congratulating ourselves on being brave enough to take three very busy boys to Lagoon this week. There were no injuries (to children, rides, or employees), very few tears, and only one lost child (who shall remain nameless) who was only lost for about 30 minutes.



Ben and Nate were good little buddies and went on almost all the rides together. Christopher rode quite a few by himself, but skipped out on any rides with "drops," including the log ride. What he really enjoys are the carnival-type games, where you win really cheap and unattractive prizes (that's this mom's opinion, anyway) for an absurd amount of money.

I thought that, having not been to Lagoon in over 10 years, it would have changed dramatically like everything else in Utah, but it seemed exactly the same, except the service seems to have worsened and there are more big rides around the perimeter of the park. Although I am a Disney fan when it comes to amusement parks, Lagoon does hold a certain charm all its own.

A Picnic and a Pool

Before we came to Utah, there was much talk about how we'd go to the pool all the time, like we do when we're in Texas, and yet we've been here almost two weeks and haven't even gone once. When the kids realized this, they were all, like, "No way. We have to go to the pool."

In Texas, the neighborhood pool is just a block from our house, and it's free, so we really do go there all the time. In Texas at the moment, however, there is major rain and flooding, so probably not much swimming is happening there anyway -- at least not outdoors. The Provo pool is quite a bargain at three bucks per person, and offers a giant kids' play area, a bigger pool with varying depths, and two big waterslides. It doesn't open until one in the afternoon, though, which is a big bummer for moms with five year-olds who still nap. But Nate did take a good nap after the pool, and was all ready for his picnic with Oma later.

We have decided that Rock Canyon Park is our favorite play and picnic place. It offers an amazing view of the mountains to the east, the valley to the west, a big playground, picnic tables, a water tank that is perfect for the boys to throw rocks at, and big hills for everyone to run and roll up and down.Conveniently, there was a giant young men/young women's group (just one ward, by the way, pictured above. In Texas, it would have taken at least three of our youth groups to get to their size) who were having their weekly activity there: ice blocking. I can't even find ice blocks for sale in Texas, so I was pretty excited to see this thing going on that I used to enjoy. And one kid was very gracious and shared his block with Christopher, who wiped out quite nicely, but had fun anyway.

Slidin'

I have this list of activities I want to do, places I want to go, and people I want to see while the boys and I are here in Utah. I could list all those activities, places, and people here, but that would really take away the element of surprise, wouldn't it?


One activity on the list was to take the boys on the Alpine Slide in Park City. I have great memories of riding the slide when I was little, and I was surprised to see how much the area has grown and changed since I was there last. Park City Mountain also has an Alpine roller coaster, horses, a merry-go-round and other rides, and the whole area is under construction, so there will be even more activities there soon.

Both boys were quite nervous on the chairlift, even though it was moving very slowly and smoothly; it was the height that got to them. However, after they rode the slide, they were amenable to riding up again to go down again.


If you know Nate at all, you will probably not be surprised to hear that he yelled things like this all the way down the slide: "I want to go faster!" and "I want to go again and again and again!" and "I'm never ever slowing down!!" Christopher moved down the slide pretty quickly, but much more quietly.

I should mention as well that the weather here has been, in my opinion, phenomenal. The locals are complaining about the heat, but 95 here feels like maybe ... 80 ... in Texas. And in Texas, it's been raining in a most unseasonal and record-setting fashion, so we're actually quite glad to be missing the wetness that results in mosquitos and mugginess.

This Morning at Oma's

Christopher had so much fun at Frank's last night that he really slept in this morning. He is sleeping in my old room, and that gorgeous quilt was made by my grandmother. It coordinates well with the Pokemon pillow, don't you think?


Nate and Charlie and I also slept in today, but not quite as late as Ro.

Yesterday, Oma taught Nate how to make french toast, so he made his own this morning. He cracks the egg, pours in a little cream, adds a little sugar, mixes it up, and dunks the bread. I heat up the pan, he sprays it, then carefully places the french toast in the pan with a spatula. He flips it, removes it himself, and I cut it up. He's a really good little chef!

Zippin'

Frank has this thing in his backyard that is irresistable: a zipline. My boys always have so much fun on it that it's tough to get them to leave his house. Christopher and Nate are already plotting how to install one in our own yard. Although they usually just have handles to hang on, Frank has rigged his with a ball so that the little kids can sit and ride, too.

Here's Nate on the zipline: please notice his gigantic smile.

Nanny-Ty's

Nancy and Ty had an evening appointment last night, so my boys and I drove to their house, where we met Oma (who brought a delicious CPK dinner) and we had the distinct privilege of hanging out with Elliott and Harper.

Nate was in heaven after already playing with Ben the day before, and he was thrilled to be with Elliott at his house. They are very different kids, but nearly always get along very well.

I am now calling Harper "Hopper." She hops everywhere like a little kangaroo, except when she's snuggling in Oma's lap, or settled in on the couch watching her latest favorite movie: "Cinderella."
Nancy & Ty's yard is gorgeous, and they have worked so hard on it that it's hard to imagine they are leaving all that hard work and moving, but moving they are. In fact, their house is under contract, and they have a contract on another one in Salt Lake that we'll see on Saturday.

Still more pictures from our night at my sister's house:

Giving Thanks at the Point

This morning, we met up with Mardee, Ben, and Jocelyn at Thanksgiving Point. They have a really fun place called the Children's Discovery Gardens that was perfect place for our busy boys and easygoing Jocey. There wasn't anything to break, throw, or otherwise destroy, and no other children were harmed in the creation of our family fun morning.

Here's Mardee with little 15-month old Jocelyn, who has all her front teeth and four back molars already. Can you believe how big and cute she is? She is so mellow and fun and entertaining and adorable.

It was hard to get Nate and Ben to slow down long enough to even take their picture. They had so much fun playing on the giant Noah's Ark, finding their way through the hedge maze, and visiting the lighthouse, grizzly bear, and caterpillar.

Christopher said that he thinks he was a little old for the children's garden, but generally, he had a fun time. Mardee was very patient as she listened to him explain all about his current favorite video game, MapleStory. It was great to spend time with Mard & cousins; we always have so much fun with them and are glad we'll be in Utah for a while so we'll get to see them often!

And here are even more pictures from our morning:

Smart Cookies

We are discovering that Happy Valley is a very kid-friendly place, with many parks, playgrounds, and activities for the boys. Today, we decided to try another park: Kiwanis Park, where I spent many high school hours just hanging out. There was a great playground there, too, and I'm still not over the shock and awe of the mountains just being right there all the time.


You might be surprised to learn that Provo also has a lot of restaurants that are just flippin' good. We have had tacos and quesadillas at Cafe Rio and El Azteca, and they were both excellent.


Kathy recommended the Smart Cookie Company, which is just south of BYU, and their cookies and ice cream are fantastic (plus, they had a Love Sac where the kids could crash after their workout at the playground).


At Smart Cookie, you select your cookies from their many offerings, then choose an ice cream filling, and they whip up an ice cream cookie sandwich for you on the spot. None of us could finish ours because they were gigantic, but they were certainly tasty.

Happy Father's Day

Our family enjoyed a quiet, fun Father's Day here in Utah with Matt before he headed back to Texas Monday morning. The kids were excited to give him his gifts, because they had worked hard to help choose them.

Matt received an iTunes gift card, an assortment of his favorite skin care products, an oldie but good CD (Underworld) that Matt and I listened to in our early dating years (now 20 years ago), a wallet (Hartmann, his favorite), and a Legend of Zelda t-shirt that Christopher personally selected.

We had a take-out dinner on Oma's deck, courtesy of The Happy Sumo, and then visited one of our favorite places here in Provo: Rock Canyon Park.

We ran the boys and the dog up and down hills several times, and Nate learned how to roll down hills (it took him a while to get the hang of it).

Before Nate went to bed last night, he gave Matt a long hug and said, "I can call you anytime I want, right?" Of course he can. And this morning, as soon as Christopher woke up, he said, "I think I'm going to send Dad an e-mail." Technology is a beautiful thing and we're glad it will help us stay in touch with Matt this summer!

On the Road Again!

Tomorrow morning, we are headed back to Utah for the remainder of our summer vacation! Matt is driving us out and will spend a few days there, then he'll fly home to work and travel as usual while we party with family and friends in the Beehive State. We'll miss Matt, but he'll be out to visit several times and will drive us home in August.

Matt is also taking charge of Emme and her five ... kittens! Emme was gone for about a month, and after we found her, we discovered that she was much rounder than when she disappeared. These kittens will be ready for loving homes in about four to six weeks, so place your order now!

As Bob Barker says ... please help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered.

Utah, We Love Thee

It's been a few weeks since the boys and I spent a week in Utah, and as usual, we were very busy the whole time we were there and have tons of pictures to share. Here are some of the high and low points of the trip:

• Enjoying a picnic at Liberty Park with Nancy, Ty, Elliott, and Harper. If you don't think Utah has much diversity going on, check out this park on a Sunday afternoon.

• Bowling in Provo. No smoking. No cussing. Only wholesome family bowling types at the Happy Valley Lanes.
  
• Kathy and David's enchilada dinner. Hands down the best chicken enchiladas I've ever had.

• Chuck-a-Rama. Nate visited the green Jell-O (with whipped cream) several times, and Christopher ate way too many scones with honey butter.
• Brighton Canyon with James & Mardee. We enjoyed a great meal at Silver Fork, and saw a moose and several deer up close and personal.

• Sundance. Nate really wanted to climb to the "very top" of the mountain, but he had to be content with the canyon. Both boys thought Bridal Veil Falls was beautiful.

• Oma's house. The boys feed the bluejays on the deck every morning and love to explore her backyard, which is also often visited by deer and lots of critters.
• Elliott's dog bite. Obviously a low point. I was babysitting when it happened, and Nate set the dog free to bite Elliott. Will the Stoddards let the Merrills babysit again? We'll see.
• Cousins. Elliott was equally fond of Christoper and Nate, and the three of them spent lots of quality time together.

• Shopping at the dollar store with Papa and Mana. The boys love to do this: each of them gets $20.00 from Papa, and they go crazy getting whatever they want. Please note: not all of the dollar store purchases made it home.

If you'd like to see all the pictures from our trip, click on the Flickr badge on the right for a slideshow. We enjoyed our summer time in Utah so much that we're headed back next week!

The boys and I have decided to spend the rest of our summer surrounded by family and the mountains in Utah. Matt will keep traveling and stay in Texas, but will be out to visit several times. We look forward to seeing everyone and have already made lots of plans!

The Graduate

Christopher has officially graduated from elementary school! Here in Keller, kids move on to intermediate school for fifth and sixth grade, so next year, he will start at Trinity Meadows with 1,000 other kids. He is really excited about it because at that school, all the kids who are in the gifted and talented program will be in two classes, and he loves being around those kids who share many of his interests.

Here he is receiving his "diploma" and his certificates of achievement, including honors for his excellent grades:
And on the last day of school, with his wonderful teacher, Mr. Castleberry (it was a medieval themed end-of-year party):

Of course, we have to include a picture of Christopher with his very best buddy, Adam. They have already spent a lot of time together this summer!