Utah trip part 2

On Wednesday we drove up to Rigby Idaho to visit my brother and his family.  They just built a house up there and it was good to see where they lived and see their new house.  It was very nice and I was jealous of her beautiful kitchen and finished basement with lots of storage space.

We played mostly at the house, the boys love to play on Richard's old Play Station 2, the Star Wars game and Smuggler's Run are their favorites.  The girls took great naps and we went to a park when they woke up.  We had a great stir-fry dinner then we loaded up and drove back to Smithfield.  It took us a little over 2 hours.  It was good that the girls napped well in the afternoon so they didn't sleep in the van.  They went right to sleep when we put them down around 9:00.

 The older kids, the bad thing about this picture is that some of the kids got fiber-glass slivers in their legs when they got off. :(

 The younger kids, Doug is still young :)

Thanks for the great time Datwyler's, it's nice to know where you live now. 

Utah Trip part 1

We left for Utah at 8:30 in the morning on Sunday June 1.  We made good time stopping twice and arriving in Smithfield at 4:30 (8 hour drive).  The very first thing that happened, before I had even left the van, was that Kaylee tripped and scraped up her knees.  They were bleeding pretty good, not the best start of a vacation.  Both of the girls tripped repeatedly on mom's driveway while we were there - we figured running in sandals on the bumpy asphalt was not a good idea.  They did better in their shoes. 

Mom had a great dinner for us ready, which the kids didn't eat very well because they had had so many snacks in the car.  But Doug and I enjoyed it, thanks mom.

The funny thing about this trip was that the kids discovered some 'old technology'.  They found this old race car toy that the screen scrolls as you move the car back and forth to dodge obstacles.  Then you wind it up and do it again.

 They also found the old move projector thing that shows a Bugs Bunny cartoon as your turn the handle.  They played with these a lot and thought they were pretty cool.

 The girls played 'ring around the rosies.'

Monday morning we went for a walk up the canyon by mom's house.  Jenna wanted to be held a lot, but it was a good walk.  We made it to a stream crossing and everyone threw in some rocks.

 Mom and I went shopping in the afternoon.  It was great to spend some time with her and I don't get to go shopping without kids very often.  I found two cute shirts and two shorts.  We also found some treasures at the D.I.  

Tuesday morning we went to Willow Park and we saw a Police Officer there on a segway.  The kids thought that was cool and he gave them some bracelets.  

 The new thing this trip was feeding the reindeer.  We also fed the ducks and the girls liked the tortoise.

 Everyone went up the big slide, even the girls.

 After the park we stopped at the BSA real quick to get Damon his Wolf things, then we drove to a splash park in North Logan.  I didn't put the girls in their swimsuits because I didn't think they would want to get wet, but they did.  This is my cute new outfit:

 In the afternoon Doug and I got to spend some time together.  We went up on campus at USU and walked around.  So many things have changed.  We went the art museum there and listened to these wooden shoes play us a song.  I have to say I was expecting a little bit more, it would have been cooler if it was a song we recognized.

Of course we had to end with some Aggie ice cream.  I walked around the Food Science building where I had most of my final classes and had fun remembering my school days.  Thanks for the great date Doug. 

We had grilled chicken for dinner and the boys roasted marshmallows on the grill afterwards.

After we put the kids to bed Doug and I went and saw Divergent at the movies.  It started at 9:30 so we didn't get out until midnight, but it was fun to see a movie together.  It was a good show, but violent.  There were some young boys there and I don't think it was appropriate for them. 

I don't think we could have fit much more fun in in two days. :)

Bike rides

So this summer I wanted to get the boys on their bikes more, so I made a chart and for every 10 miles we bike we earn a reward (Slurpee, trip to the zoo, dollar store toy etc. ) Which are probably things we would do anyway, but this way they earn them.  We biked our 10th mile yesterday, so now we get to go get a Slurpee. 

At the end of May we went on a bike ride with another family.  The two boys are the same age as Damon and Tyler and there is a girls Chris's age.  We drove out to Longmont to try some different bike paths.  It was a bit of adventure since some of the paths are still closed due to the flooding from last year.  But we finally got everything ready to go and we biked for about  a mile and a half  then had lunch at an elementary school.  The boys thought it was cool that it was the same layout as their school.  The younger kids were getting tired but they made it back slowly.  That was the longest Chris has ever gone, he was a trooper.  The girls were about asleep in the trailer.  It was a fun ride, a bit hot - no shade- but a good trip.  The bummer was that we discovered the next day that Damon left his bike helmet and brand new sun glasses at the park where we started.  We drove back to look, but of course they were gone (the trip out and back took 1 1/2 hours).  So we told Damon that he will have to help pay for new ones with money and chores.  Hopefully it will be a learning experience for him.  

Happy Birthday Damon

 Damon turned 9 years old on May 30th.  I didn't quite get to blogging about it before we left on our Cache Valley trip.  Damon had a great day.  He opened presents in the morning.  He was very excited about his new Skylanders figure: Ninjini.  He also got some Lego sets: AT-AT Walker, a Mixel, a mini Tie Interceptor, and a Ninjago Cole and Jay one.  He also got some clothes, a chess set, and a TMNT figure Metal Head.  These were from us and both sets of grandparents.

 Damon was good to let Tyler build a set.

 Tyler's first game of chess.  I was trying to feed the girls and keep an eye on their game so I could make sure they were playing the right rules.  It got kind of crazy :)

This year we have taken the boys out to dinner instead of having a party. Damon chose to go to the local Chinese place.  I have to say that it was better than McDonald's :)  It was fun to spend some time with just Damon.  

We had cake and ice cream after dinner.  Damon has gotten back into Harry Potter, so he got a Nimbus 2000 cake.

 Damon stayed up late to finish his set.  It was 1,065 pieces!  He did a great job and did it all by himself, except the first 10 steps which he let Tyler do.

Damon is such a good boy.  I love it when he gets creative and thinks up pretend games to play with Tyler and Chris.  He is good to play with his sisters too.  He has more patience with them than I do.  Damon has done really well in school this year and is very smart.  He is a good reader and does well in math.  He is more of a home body and would just love to stay home and build Legos all day.  He is getting taller and just more grown up over all.  I can't believe my first born is 9!

Damon's Wolf

Damon earned his Wolf merit badge this week.  The pack meeting was at a nearby reservoir and we had smores afterwards.  I had Tyler take a picture, then I accidentally deleted it, whoops.  But I will take a picture when I get his badge on his shirt.  He also earned two arrow points, a gold and a silver.  We are so proud of Damon and all the hard work he did to earn these merit badges.  Scouting takes on a whole new meaning when you have one of your sons going through the program.  

I have to put a picture of the girls up :)  I had them wear their Dr. Suess shirts, it was pretty fun and I got lots of looks when we walked to school that day.  

Tyler's First Kata

This is Tyler's first kata.  He's in the front with the white belt if you couldn't tell. :)

Breaking Boards

Sensei Luke breaking 6 boards with pencils in between to space them out.

Karate

 Tyler started karate in the spring.  He joined in the middle of the semester, but caught on quickly and did really well.  I have to say that I was the proud parent at his awards ceremony.  They have the kids perform some of the things they have learned.  Tyler did his blocks, kicks, and punches well and he even demonstrated some upper cuts independently. The sensei counts these off in Japanese, so that was fun to hear.  In this style of karate they learn what are called katas.  I am very new to karate so this was something I hadn't heard of before.  They are a routine of sorts to help them learn different skills.  Tyler learned the first kata and was invited to perform it with the older class.  Tyler earned his yellow belt actually skipping a belt from his white one.  Sensei Luke also broke boards as a demonstration, so that was pretty cool as well.

 upper cuts

 Sensei Luke with Tyler's new yellow belt.

Karate seems like a great fit for Tyler.  He enjoys it and has done really well so far.  I'm excited to watch him learn more and improve.

Last Week of School

The school here does a Field Day, where they do a lot of different games outside and the parents  can come and watch.  I was only able to stop in for a bit, but it looked like Damon and Tyler had a lot of fun.  They do some water games too, and the Fire Department comes and sprays the kids who want to get really wet.  

 Damon's good friend Dalton.

Pizza delivery relay race.

Tyler's good friend Jacob.

Blind-folded squirt gun game? 

On the last day of school they have a picnic where the families can come and eat too.  I fed the girls at home and then Chris wanted to eat, so we all ate at home before we went over to the school.  But it ended up being a lot easier that way.  

Tyler's 1st grade teacher: Mrs. Zamudio.  She was great for Tyler and really had a good year.  

Damon's teacher Mrs. Hamblin.  She really had a positive influence on Damon for helping him realize that you have to work hard to get what you want. 

 Dalton again.

 Chris wanted a picture of course.

 Damon's other good friend Ethan (both of these friends go to other churches and it has been good for Damon to be able to talk about our church and learn more about theirs.)

 Jacob again (Ethan's brother)

 Going home, the girls were pretty tired at this point and Jenna really wanted to get out of the stroller.  I don't put them in it much anymore, only when I don't want to chase them everywhere.

 It's been a great year.  Now hopefully we can have a fun summer.  I have some fun things planned.  I'm hoping to do some Hogwarts Summer School activities, lots of bike rides, trips to the park, and reading.