Festival of Trees 2012

Utah has a tradition called The Festival Trees and Ryan decided that it would be fun to take the kids on Thursday night.  I am not sure if other states have similar festivals but in Utah people decorate and donate Christmas trees, Christmas wreaths, quilts, and Christmas crafts.  Then the Festival sells them and all the money raised goes to benefit the Primary Children's Medical Center.  This year the festival had over 700 trees plus all the other stuff I mentioned.  It was really neat just to see all these amazing trees piled into one room.  Below is a picture of the kids standing in front of one of their favorite trees which was inspired by the movie "Despicable Me."

 What the kids were most excited for was the Kids Corner where there were all sorts of activities and crafts.  Sera could hardly wait for her turn on the bubble machine.  She kept popping the bubbles before I could get a picture of her actually in the bubble.

 Luckily, Gabe was a little more unsure of what to do and I was able to get a picture of him inside the bubble.

 The next thing we did was make sand necklaces.  Sera made a really neat rainbow pattern in her bottle.

 Gabe did mostly blue sand with a little yellow and red.   Once the bottles were filled with sand, a long ribbon was tied on it so they could wear them as necklaces.

 This is Sera trying to find the best prize possible at the Giving Tree.

 The one thing Gabe really wanted to do was to climb in this little phone booth and called the elves at the North Pole.  He was so excited that he got to talk to an elf.

 And of course, we had to stop and say hello to Santa.  Sera asked for a Furby and Gabe asked for stickers and candy.  Yes...stickers and candy. 

 And here is a big tree that was set up just outside the big room full of trees.  When Gabe first saw this tree his mouth fell open and he said, "Wow...I can't believe it."  

Even though my feet were sore after walking on concrete floors for 3 hours, it was a fun night.  I wish we could have spent more time looking at all the trees but I am glad that the kids had fun.  I cannot wait until next year!  Much love to you all!

He's Coming To Town In Style

Today we took the kids over to the Valley Fair Mall because Santa Claus was coming to town and arriving in a helicopter of all things.  Ryan and I thought it would be a fun way to kick off our holiday season with the kids.  It was really cold sitting on the curb waiting for Santa but it was worth it when we heard the sounds of the helicopter approaching.  

Everyone stood up and kids started screaming and clapping.  Gabe was just a little confused about why everyone was so excited.

 But then the Big Guy himself stepped out and he got the biggest grin on his face and yelled, "HI SANTA!"  Sera was laughing and clapping.  I will admit that, for some reason, I got a little choked up watching my kids light up with joy.  I love seeing their little faces so excited.

 Of course we had to go over and say hi!  Both kids ran towards Santa and I was worried that when Gabe got closer he would get nervous and start to cry like he has every other year.

 But instead he gave Santa a big hug.

 After we said hello to Santa, Ryan asked the helicopter pilot if we could take a picture next to the helicopter and he was nice and said yes.  He even asked if the kids wanted to see inside the helicopter where he sits to fly it.  And of course, they both said yes.

 So he opened it up and showed them both all the dials and buttons.  Gabe was fascinated and really wanted to start pushing things.  

 After that Ryan decided it would be a fun treat for the kids to pick out a cupcake at The Sweet Tooth Fairy.

Sera picked out the Double Fudge cupcake and Gabe got the Fairy Fetti cupcake.

 We then hurried home because they really wanted to eat them but I said they couldn't in the car.  It was TORTURE having to wait the 5 minute drive home.

It was such a fun way to start getting ready for Christmas.  I have always loved Christmas but now that I have kids, I love it for a whole new reason.  I love getting to experience Christmas through their eyes.  I love how innocent and amazed they are.  I love seeing them be excited for all wonderful things.
I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and are just as excited for the rest of the holidays as we are!  Much love to you all!

Mormon Pioneers Needed Pirate Ships

This weekend Ryan and I took the kids up to This is the Place Park for an event called "Little Haunts."  The park passes out candy and has all sorts of Halloween-themed activities for kids.  Our kids were just excited that they got to wear their costumes.  And I guess maybe I should explain their costumes.  Sera is Athena the Greek Goddess.  Gabe is The Doctor from a British T.V. show called Doctor Who.  Yes, my kids are geeks and I LOVE IT!

 Here they are posing for me even though they just wanted to run and collect all the candy they could.

Going on a pony ride.  Who doesn't love ponies?

 Weirdest thing we saw?  A pirate ship.  Because it is widely known that Mormon pioneers were also excellent pirates.

 I was panning for gold...didn't strike it rich.

And here is Gabe just hanging out.  

It was really a fun event and we were there for almost 3 hours.  Again we didn't give ourselves near enough time and didn't get to do everything that was there.  Next time we will know better. 

This week is the BIG night...HALLOWEEN!  

Gabe and Sera are both ready to go and cannot wait to trick-or-treat until they drop.

Much love to you all!

Give Me Liberty

A couple weekends ago we spent the first decent Saturday we’ve had this year at Liberty Park. The kids played at the playground and ran up and down the many sidewalks. Ryan and I tried to keep up with them and also enjoyed watching the groups of people who were beating each other with foam swords. (Side note: Ryan spent a lot of time trying to explain to me why these people aren’t as bad as the people who play D&D. WASTE OF HIS TIME!)

We also took a loaf stale bread down to the pond and fed the ducks and geese. Well, we tried to feed them but the seagulls kept swooping in and eating the bread before the ducks could get to it. Dumb state bird.

After the park we went to dinner and Gabe had a great time sitting next to Becca and eating oranges. Becca teaches the kids such lovely things!

I have been having a really difficult time recently in my personal life and I find that I often get wrapped up in my emotions and forget the focus on the important things-mainly my family. I need to remember days like this and be happy. I need to remember that it gets better. So I hope you will all forgive me if I haven’t been keeping up on my posts. I am making the commitment to myself to try to blog more because it helps me remember all the reasons I have to smile. Much love to you all!

Practice Run

My sister Becca is really just a giant kid herself and so when she suggested that the kids do a pre-Easter egg hunt after dinner on Sunday, I wasn't really surprised. She and I loaded up with plastic eggs and headed to the back yard to hide the goods.

The kids were excited to get hunting and yes, there was some arguing about who was first in line. But once we said "GO!" they were off and having fun.

Sera was really good about not taking all the easy eggs because she wanted Gabe to have fun too. I thought it was sweet that she was so aware of her brother.
But she made sure that she got her eggs too and she was really good at finding them. Even the ones that I thought would be really hard, she found easily. She is one smart cookie!
And yes, it may appear that Grandpa Chad has just taken a basket of candy from Gabe but I promise that is not what is going on! Barney (The Bonehead Beagle) was sticking his snout in the basket and feasting on Gabe's candy. Grandpa Chad was only rescuing Gabe's goods.

It was a fun reminder of all the good times that are coming in a couple weeks. Except it will be more fun because there will be more eggs, more candy, and another set of Grandparents! Much love to you all!

Craft-tastic!...& The Kids

I wanted to post my wonderful creation because I never craft. I never craft because usually when I do, my projects turn out crappy. But I am really pleased with the way this one came out. It is a weekly organizer that you hang on your wall. It is a picture frame and you use dry erase markers to write down your week. I made this one for my sister for her birthday because she gets some sort of sick thrill from being organized...FREAK!
And since I know many of you ONLY stop by to see my kids, here is a picture for you! Much love to you all!

Clearly They're Not Golfers

Took the kids bowling last night in Ogden and Sera decided she would teach Gabe how to bowl. In the end Gabe ended beating Sera's score but come on...HE HAD BUMPERS!

2 Year Celebration!

Last night Ryan's mom Linda sent me some pictures of Ryan as a toddler and some of Sera. I was blown away by Ryan's picture! I can hardly believe that the pictures are of my dark-haired husband. So after giving it some thought and getting a picture from my mom I decided to post a blog with pictures of all 4 members of our family when we were about 2-years-old. It is amazing to me how much Gabe looks like his Daddy. Hope you all enjoy these as much as I do.

Ryan at 2-years-old. His kids look so much like him!

Me at about 2-years-old. To me, I still look the same!

Sera at 2-years-old. She had such adorable chubby cheeks.

Gabe at 2-years-old. Such a big boy with such an adorable smile.

Much love to you all!

Happy 10 Year Birthday Sera!

Dear Sera,

Last week on January 5 you turned 10-years-old. I cannot believe it. Double digits! I think your Dad is still trying to wrap his mind around it.

We spent the evening eating terrible Chinese food and playing at Nicklecaid. It was fun to be able to spend a birthday with you since you have the tendency to be out-of-state a lot. We miss getting to share those special moments with you when you are gone Sera. I want you to know how much it means to your Dad and me when we can be there for you. I know that sometimes it gets confusing for you because of what you are told but some day when you read this I hope you believe me when I say, we love being in your life as much as we can!
I have known you since you were 3-years-old. I remember the first night I met you. Interestingly enough, you wanted Chinese food then too. We sat on the floor of your Dad’s apartment in Sugarhouse and ate sweet and sour chicken and fried rice. After that we played with your blocks. You kept handing me different blocks telling me that they were various types of food and then insisting I eat them. When ever I did as you asked you would laugh and clap your hands. I wish it was still that easy to make you laugh!

Over the past 7 years I have grown to love you just like you were mine. I need you to know that. I love you Sera Bear! You bring so much sunshine into my life. You make me smile when you tell jokes, even when those jokes don’t make much sense. You amaze me with how creative you can be.

I also want you to know that your Daddy is so very proud of whom you are. He is always remarking about how smart and clever you are. It makes him nearly explode with pride when he sees you reading at such a high level. He loves asking you about what you are doing at school even though I know sometimes you get bored talking about it. I think your Dad would call you every single day if he thought it wouldn’t drive you crazy. You are not always a big fan of talking on the phone.

You have an excellent memory which is something that will help you a lot in later life. You can recall things I said a year ago and it amazes me every time you do it. You like to play jokes or pranks on people, which is fine. But when it comes having a joke played on you, you are not such a big fan. Like when we told you Becca got bit by a tiger at the zoo-you were so worried about her leg and were trying to be so careful around Becca so she didn’t get hurt. But when you found out that we were teasing you, you were not so happy and decided to sit in the bathroom by yourself for a little bit. Even now every time we have you for the weekend you ask if we can play a joke on Becca to get even. And I trust that some day you are going to get your revenge on Becca even though the whole thing was really my idea.

You give excellent snuggles. Both your Dad and I love it when you want to snuggle up next to us on the couch or sit on our lap. You love to play games with the family and are very good at it. Some of the games we play are made for older kids but you are so smart that you always pick up the rules so quickly and can keep up.

And of course, you love to be the star of the show. You love the attention people give you and eat it up when all eyes are on you. You love to sing and dance. You love to make people laugh. I think that you are destined to be some sort of entertainer.

You are an incredible big sister. For me Sera, this is such a blessing. You love to help your brother. You will read to him if he asks. You play with him. You get him a drink he if needs help. You go into his room in the morning and crawl into his bed with him so that the two of you can play. Gabe looks up to you Sera and always asks if he can come see you. He loves you with all his heart and you are one of his favorite people. I know as you grow older you may not always want to play with you baby brother but for now, I am glad that you love him so much and will play with him.

You are an amazing, compassionate, tender-hearted, brave, and smart young woman Sera. Sometimes I don’t give you enough credit for how grown up you really are. But I hope that through everything that you have been through in your 10 years, you have always known just how much your Daddy and I love you.

Happy Birthday Sera Bear! I love you always and forever!

Love,
Rach

Not So Scary Santa

Tonight we went to the Layton Hills Mall on our way home from picking up Sera for the weekend. Sera saw a sign that said Santa was visiting and asked if we could go see him. Both the kids were well-behaved while we stopped into a store so Ryan and I agreed that we could go say hello. Gabe did really good this time and didn't scream or cry. This is the best picture they were able to get because Gabe kept getting distracted. He looks a little dazed but at least he is kind of facing the camera. Sera looks great as always and has the cutest smile. When Santa asked Gabe what he wanted he said "Firetruck!" It was fun to see both the kids so excited.
Much love to you all!

It's Dino-mite! Get it? DINO!

The weather in Utah sucks. Right now it is cold and wet and well, it sucks! What do you do with 2 kids on a Saturday that is indoors and doesn't involve T.V.? Luckily people much smarter that I already tackled this problem and built the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point.

I have never been because it is in Utah County and there are few things I would go there for. Although I do have to say I have been following a blog done by a friend of mine called Utah Valley Foodie and it does entice me to leave my bubble of the Salt Lake Valley for some good eats, but that is beside the point.

The drive wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and the offer a 25% Military Discount which was nice. At first I wasn't sure but they had me at "you can save money!"

The kids actually loved this place almost more than cake. I am thinking in a death match cake would still win.
And yes, even I had fun. Sera and I created this lake/island/dam thing at the erosion exhibit which she named "Lake Ridge Back" because it looked like a ridge back dinosaur...??? I didn't see a dino called a Ridge Back but whatever. It was fun getting to spend some time with just Sera and I being creative and having so much fun.
My Family and some creepy looking fish.
Eeep! Scary shark!
Ryan and Sera were busy trying to uncover the bones while Gabe ran around them in a circle saying "I have 2 brushes! I have 2 brushes!" He was SUPER helpful!
And here we all are together in the sand. On a side note, I think that I brought back about a gallon of sand in my shoes and Sera kept remarking about all the various places she also had sand. Souvenirs for all!
So on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being painfully boring and 10 being Disneyland I would give this place an 8.5 for kids. If you haven't been and you have little ones, give the Museum of Ancient Life a shot and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Much love to you all!

Halloween 2011

Halloween was really busy this year! I feel like it just flew by and I hardly had a chance to breathe! It was fun though and I would do it all over again...in a year or so.

I told you all about our "adventure at the corn maze" where Sera had the crap scared out of her in a corn maze. Well I finally got my camera back from my sister and found these pictures that we took at one of those cutouts. My camera died halfway through so I missed some but I did get a few classics!

I am Frankenstein and was trying to make a scary face and I was successful just not in the way I intended to be. I look crazy and a little constipated. Becca...what are you doing? Not scary! FAIL!
Sera is putting her face up and Gabe just couldn't help himself! He wanted to give his big sister a kiss. It was really cute.
On Monday Oct. 31st Gabe's daycare had their annual Halloween parade. Ryan and I always make an effort to go because it is fun to walk around with all the kids and see everyone in costume.
But as you may be able to guess, Gabe was getting tired and so we ended up carrying him on our shoulders which was a pretty good workout.
Here is the whole group and as you can see, trying to get all these kids to sit and smile was similar to herding cats. It was still really cute!
Later that night we were lucky enough to be able to take both Gabe and Sera trick-or-treating. And even better? Linda was able to come down!!! I love it when Ryan's parents can here for special events. And Linda is always such a good sport and up for anything. I loved having our whole family together for Halloween this year. We miss a lot of Halloweens with Sera because of situations that are beyond our control so we cherish the times we do get.

Halloween 2011 flew by and I feel like I am not even doing it justice with this blog. But it was fun and I hope memorable for everyone. Much love to you all!