Milestones

We've had quite a few milestones in the last week. Let's see . . .

1. 7th Wedding Anniversary.
It has officially been 7 years! Not a very important or round number, but I sure am glad to have Christopher for my best friend. We celebrated by . . . hanging out at Costco and getting some ice cream with the kids. We were scheduled to have family pictures taken, but it rained for the first time in weeks. Boo. We're goin' on a date on Saturday though, so don't worry.

2. We ran out of saran wrap.
What, you don't think that's a milestone? Well, it's actually very related to the first bullet point. We bought this box of saran wrap when we got back from our honeymoon, believe it or not. Best $20 I ever spent. When we realized that it was the never-ending roll, I started using it for everything I could. And then, the day after our anniversary, it finally ran out. And I just stared at it in shock.



3. Christopher finished the deck.
I really should have a picture of this, but I forgot to take one. I don't think a picture could do the amount of work it took justice anyway. He has been working tirelessly on our back deck lately. The two story deck has been so unstable that, according to neighbors, no one has used it in over a decade. But Christopher rebuild nearly the whole thing and put Trex down, and it is fabulous! We already have the grill up there, and it is great to be able to hand the meat out the kitchen window rather than send Christopher out the front door and around to the backyard.

4. Tyler finished summer school.
This was actually last week. It was a busy six weeks for me, taking him back and forth to school and going on all the outings, but it was wonderful for him. We have applied to get him into the regular school year, but we'll just have to wait and see how things go there.



5. Kaitlyn is potty training.
I have been putting this off for about six months, but it was really TIME. She has been taking off her diapers when they were too messy and getting herself new ones, and she has been able to go in the potty when I take her just fine since January. But I kept putting it off because I didn't have time to get the entire job done, and didn't want to be halfway there and make a big mess. But with Tyler not in school for a few weeks here, and no other things on my schedule, I am out of excuses. We just came up to the cabin to take care of it, since that way we can be outside all day (it's cooler up here, and there is more for the kids to do). No messes to clean up = relaxed mommy. And so far things have been good. My favorite was the way she looked at me when she had her first mess. It was just this face of pure confusion. As in, "every other time I went, nothing bad has happened, but why on earth are my legs wet now?" She had a lot of accidents the first night we got here, but then the next day she would start, realize the problem, run to the potty and finish there. Today is our second full day, and she hasn't had an accident yet! I'm sure we aren't done with accidents, but we are doing great. Eventually I will have to wean her off of her "frog potty" and onto regular flushing ones, but for now it is great to have it right there while the kids play outside, and not have her running in the house.

Jon Schmidt and more cabin pics

So, story time. When I first came to Utah, I dated a guy my Freshman year who liked Jon Schmidt. In fact, he and his sister used to race to see who could play Waterfalls the fastest. I think I will consider myself amazing if I ever get through that piece.

Well, he asked me to Homecoming and picked one particular location because they were going to have Jon Schmidt play. But when we got there, we found that he was only playing on one of the nights. We picked the wrong one. So my date sat at the piano and played Jon Schmidt songs in consolation (he was a bit sad about it). I think some people actually thought he was the guy.

So I have always wanted to see Jon Schmidt! And lo and behold, Jon came to play for our stake's Youth Conference. I had no actual reason to be there, but my husband did . . . and told me I could come. Yeah!




The rest of my life is just spent going back and forth to the cabin. There is something about taking pictures of hummingbirds that I love. I guess it is a challenge in many ways- but also rather accessible since the birds love our feeder. I just set up my tripod and wait for them to come into my trap.




Tyler, on the other hand, loves digging in the sandbox. And wearing the bucket on his head.





We all love going out for a ride though!




Especially Kaitlyn, who thinks she can drive.

More summer school

This little summer program has been a lot of fun. I was hoping to learn more "tricks of the trade" to help Tyler at home, but I think one thing I learned is that just having activities to involve him in is one of the best things I can do. You know, getting out of the house or just off our routine and seeing the world around us. I am really sad this is our last week!

Well, let's see, we have a trip to a farm up in Sandy. That was one hot day, but the kids had fun. Tyler liked feeding the ducks a lot.



We explored a treehouse,





climbed on some bales of hay,



rode on a "horse",



and rode on a wagon ride.



Then came the big activity - horseback riding! There is a great program in our area that specializes in horseback riding for kiddos with disabilities of all kinds. They have found it can be really calming and therapudic for them, and they did a wonderful job with our little group.



Tyler might not have been as impressed as I would have hoped, but he did like it and did a fairly good job picking up the commands.



While everyone else had their turn, he enjoyed playing with these little cars off to the side . . . with his helmet on. If you took it off for him, the quickly put it back on. I love that he actually made the tow truck tow that other car. That kid knows his vehicles!



Today we went to an aquarium, and it was a very crowded place. But Tyler enjoyed checking out all the fish, running through the tunnels, and laughed for quite a while when the sting ray tried to come up the side of the tank at him.

A pile of random pictures

I tried to think of a title that gathered all of this together, but . . . yup. This is as good as it gets.

First off, last weekend I went to the cabin to amuse myself while Christopher hiked Timp overnight with his scouts. I figured that since it was so warm outside, I would dig out the old pool that I never use and let the kids play.

I forgot it was three feet in diameter. Poor kids. Also, the hose water in the mountains is especially cold. But they seemed to like wading in it.



Notice the murky water. Kaitlyn decided to dump a bucket of sand in there. I guess she decided it needed a more beachy feel, eh?

I also tried out a new slip n slide. Tyler loved this thing, but Kaitlyn wanted nothing to do with it. She would tell me "Tyler's turn!", "Mommy's turn!", but if I said "Ka-ken's turn?" she would say "NO!" (Ka-ken, by the way, is what she calls herself.)




I have also been having fun taking pictures at the cabin. I love it!





The Buzztones performed for PG's Concert in the Park series again, which is always great.



It is a free concert on Sunday nights, and everyone just sets up lawn chairs and blankets to come and listen.



Christopher even had a solo!



Afterward, Daddy had Tyler carry his trombone case around, which was hilarious to watch. But he was very serious about his new job.



Of course, we also need to check out what is inside, too.



The next week, Tyler's school group went to try out miniature golfing. The task was a bit tricky for the little man, but he got into the idea of getting the ball into the hole just fine. Usually he pushed the ball around in a granny shot motion, but the idea was there.



They are a fun group!



And then for July 4th weekend we were hosting parties up at the cabin. When we first invited Christopher's family up for Saturday lunch, it looked like no one would come. But we ended up having about 25-30 people there! I would have pictures, but . . . I was playing hostess. And same thing on Monday. We had some friends from Christopher's work come to play, and I don't have too many pictures of that either. But I had to find the camera for this.



Kaitlyn was already dirty from the sandbox, but we went back to watch Daddy go around the dirt bike track and she fell flat on her face. And every time I saw her after that I burst out laughing at how dirty she was!



I love our hummingbird feeder! Interestingly enough, I have discovered that we get more birds with sugar water than we do with humingbird food from the store. But we sure get a lot of these guys.




Mostly, I love just sitting on the hammock and staring at the trees above me.



But Daddy likes building a fire. And roasting hot dogs.



Yum.

Bad pictures, good weekend

Well, this hasn't been a good weekend on the camera. I either forgot to bring it with me, had things on the wrong setting, or left my flash behind when I really needed it. This all resulted with me feeling like I spent too much time taking pictures, and now having nothing to show for it.

Sigh.

Anyway, a word about what we have been up to. The day after we got back from St. Thomas was the day that Tyler started at his new school. On Mondays and Wednesdays we have "Community Outings" group where a parent goes with the child and the teachers to different activities in the valley. So far we have gone bowling, walked up to Bridal Veil Falls for some splash time, and yesterday was the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving point. It has been a great little group! There are only four little kiddos with four parents and two teachers, and Tyler has really enjoyed it all so far. Here we are at the Dinosaur Museum with Sean and Arlen (his classmates), and his teacher Sabre. I can't believe I didn't bring my flash to an indoor, dimly lit museum . . .



Anyway, I had never been to the Museum before, but it was pretty good. They had a lot of sensory things for toddlers to do, which is good for me. There were puzzles to sort, and dinosaurs to build, and more than one place to play in the sand.



And of course, dinosaur skeletons of some T-Rexes ganging up on other dinosaurs.



So far, I am loving this new school! Taking him to Provo and back each day is a lot of driving, but I am trying to make the best of it by combining errands and gym trips with it. And if it helps, it is worth it.

Anyway, last weekend, Christopher ran his first relay race. That thing was huge! Each team had 12 people, and there were 1000 teams. Chris was on a team my aunt and uncle put together, and it wasn't a particularly competitive team. One of their members was 78 years old, for example. But Christopher still had a great time. He got to meet Sione, from the Biggest Loser, at the starting line. The overnight part wasn't as fun- he ran one of his legs of the race at 2am or so - but it was still a good trip. I would post pictures of his team, but . . . yeah, bad camera weekend.



And last week was Strawberry Days in our little town. We didn't participate too much this year- just a trip to the boutique one afternoon or so. But we love going to the rodeo. It is kinda the only "country" thing I do or see every year! Thankfully this year we got some front row seats so the kids could stretch their legs a bit. Kaitlyn really liked flattening herself to the fence so she could see the "horseys" up close.

So yeah- that's life right now! It is good to be back in the groove of things after all of our trips.

St. Thomas

I'll try to keep the travel log short this time, but it is always hard. Too much fun, too many pictures.

Anyway, after spending a couple of days at the cabin, we dropped the kids off at Grandma's on the way home, packed for a couple of hours, and then went to the airport. I've never been to the Carribean before, but the water is just as beautiful as everyone said it was!



Our hotel was beautiful too. The funny thing is, they had a very pretty infinity pool, but I never actually touched that water. The beach was a lot more fun.



But of course, before we arrived at the hotel we had to get our rental car. St. Thomas is in the American Virgin Islands, but for reasons no one figured out they drive on the left side of the road. With cars designed for the right side of the road. But our favorite was the little sticker on the dashboard.



Never thought I would be TOLD to use my horn frequently. Don't mind if we do.

It is an interesting island. I get the feeling that tourism and fishing are the only incomes they have, and while the real estate is expensive and goods are expensive, the people don't have much. But there were a lot of boats. So many, in fact, that they had to be stored vertically.



Christopher much preferred the little sailboats at our hotel. He was seriously in love with the little catamarans, and went out every chance he got while we were there. But he doesn't do things half way: he studied every tutorial and youtube video he could find before he went out.



As I said, great resort. This was the view from our balcony.



Our group did a lot of activities while we were there. One of them was taking a boat ride out to some snorkeling spots in the British Virgin Islands. Beautiful water - and really fun friends.







The next night we went to a "Carnival Night" at a local restaurant. It was a bit hokey, but loads of fun (and great food). We noticed they had this set up left over from a wedding photo shoot earlier, so we took advantage.



So pretty.



Anyway, on to the party. This lady on stilts had a lot of fun dancing with a few of our guys.



And Kyle and Kristi even competed in a dance competition. They were awesome!



As their prize, they got a hat with a beach ball and some rum. Good thing none of us drink rum.



The fire guy was pretty cool.



But dancing with everybody was more fun.



Another day we went on a "ecotour", where they took us kayaking and snorkeling and hiking. Our guide, Jesse, was awesome. Not only was his dry sense of humor fun, but he really was excited by the wildlife we saw. And when my sandals completely DIED (mysteriously, one sandal broke into pieces about a half an hour before the other one) he actually gave me his shoes and went barefoot on the rocks! Talk about service.



Nice, sweetheart. Nice. Here I was, thinking "smile for the camera" meant keep paddling . . .



I found this crab when we were getting in our canoes. Creepy looking, huh?



And what trip would be complete without Christopher looking goofy? He got up here and asked "do I look like the Little Mermaid?" Yes, honey, unfortunately you do.



Back to the cool fish.



Hi turtle!



That afternoon, they had a regatta at the resort. That's "sailing race" for us land people. Christopher signed up right away, and eventually we had three boats of two DigiCert guys each, and then three other boats to compete against.



There they go!



Christopher and Ben got second place in the first two runs, and were hoping that the last run would cinch it. But then, two boats down from them, Travis hopped in his boat after a nice push off . . . and his teammate Paul shoved the rudder as he tried to hop in. That shoved them into the next boat, which stopped Chris in his tracks, and before you knew it, Travis and Paul were sideways in front of my husband's boat. Blocking three boats from leaving.



My husband's competitive side was angry for a mintue or two, until he couldn't stop laughing about it.

Another feature of our week was the nearest town, called Red Hook. It was about 500 yards long in total, with mainly restaurants and a ferry to St. John. But smack in the middle was a construction nightmare. The locals told us it had been under construction for two years. Yikes.



On our last full day, Christopher and I drove up to the North side of the island to see Magen's Bay. We had heard that it was National Geographic's favorite spot on the island, and it sure didn't dissapoint. It seemed like more of a locals spot than a tourist spot. But it was the best beach we had ever seen. The water was so clean that you could see every detail of the sand floor when you had waded out 50 feet, just like a pool. No seaweek, no junk on the ocean floor. And it was huge! This is just one half of the island. (Replace random guy with a bikini girl and this would have been a much better shot . . .)




Now, the first thing we saw when we got to the beach was a ripple in the water. Dolphins! I just wished I had my long range zoom lens on. We weren't sure if that was normal or not, but then the lifeguard next to us said "Did you see that!" Nope, not normal.





We also had fun driving around and seeing the true culture of the island. And finding awesome views. If you look close, you can see a sea plane taking off.



And last but not least, one of the people traveling with us is a professional photographer, and was nice enough to take shots for everyone. (Oooh, random plug. Check out Niki Martins photography if you like her work. She's great.)





It was a WONDERFUL trip, but after being basically out of town for three weeks I was sure ready to be home with my kids again. Not to mention done flying, after seeing the Delta safety video eight times in three weeks. If only home included a gorgeous beach somewhere . . .