First snow 2012

Lizzie experienced her first real snow while we were in Utah just before Christmas.  It snowed and snowed a LOT.  W was in heaven.  He couldn't get outside soon enough!  Thankfully Maria left her snow clothes in Utah, so W was quickly outfitted -- though it was a little feminine.  He quickly made his way to the backyard and started on his snowman.  

Lizzie, on the other hand, was super excited to go outside, test out the snow, discover that it was really cold, and make her way back inside.  She was OK watching it all through the window.  Maybe next year?  

"It's good, Mom!"

The snowman in his glory.  

Poor snowman toppled over after W showed it some love.  

Moment at Temple Square with W

We ventured to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights, displays, and get in the Christmas spirit.  We weren't the only ones with this idea.  Thousands and thousands and thousands of others poured into Temple Square that evening, too.  It was shocking to see the masses of people.  Despite being hungry and tired from a long day, the kids were troopers.  We saw the lights and headed over to the Christus and nativity.  The line at the Christus was nightmarishly long.  So was opted for the nativity.  I took W down to the front so he could see.  It was a special moment I never want to forget.  It. Was. Magical.

We watched as the different parts of the nativity were lighted:  the creche, the wisemen, the shepherds.  W was quick to point out which group was which and what they were doing.  At one point he whispered in complete awe, "This is amazing!"  Then a few minutes later, "Wow!  Wow!  Wow!"  It was sweet, and genuine, and pure innocence at the grandeur of what he was watching.  It was like the spirit of Christ and Christmas came to life for him.  We were surrounded by hundreds of people and it was like no one was there.  Thank you, W, for showing me how sweet and simple and magnificent Christmas really is.  

Chickens in December

I can't even express how happy it makes me to see my children run in wide open spaces, get their hands dirty, use their hands and feel pride in their work.  These chickens in the "field" do all of that.  

Quick trip to Utah

Lizzie and I made a quick trip to Utah just before Thanksgiving.  It was fun to travel with little busy body.  She is the cutest little girl I know.  She had lots of fun pushing the iPad button over and over and over again, as well as making funny faces in Photobooth.  Cheap thrills, right?

Flying with little people is always a little tricky.  But our flights to/from Utah were so much more manageable because we always managed to sit by someone so nice and so helpful.  It's always such a relief when the person sitting next to you doesn't hate kids.  And the people we sat next to on all four flights would have done anything for Lizzie.  They were so kind.  So patient.  So sweet.  

We flew into the Wasatch valley right at dusk.  It was breathtaking.  Gosh I miss this place.  We flew over the mountains into Provo, then up the Wasatch front into Salt Lake.  I couldn't take my eyes off those beautiful snow-capped mountains on the east and that burning orange and pink sun to the west. This view never, never gets old.   

Our flights were delayed, but our ride home was not deterred.  My mom brought down my grandma and niece Maria and sister Liz to be our welcoming committee.  It was so fun to have them all there when we arrived.  We drove into SLC and stopped at City Creek and Macy's to see my sister Liz's candy ornament display.  

It was even better than I imagined.  Amazing!  

Rough picture, but gosh I miss these people.  We sisters -- and mom -- will move heaven and earth for each other.  I'm so lucky to have you.  

Bear Lake cousin time

I don't think I'm the only one who would say one of the highlights of the reinstated Waterfall family trip to Bear Lake was having all of the little cousins spend every waking hour together.  These kids haven't all been together in way too long, yet they pick up right where they left off, as if they were together the week before.  

Cousin soup

Pinata, oh yes we did.  

Sleepover and a movie (which they handled surprisingly well).

Lake time

On the boat with Megan and sweet little Malan.  She looked like a turtle in her hat and life jacket.  There were several Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle references that trip.  

Proof!

Bear Lake 2012

{drive up Logan Canyon, reminiscing about driving up in Gma/pa's camper}

Long, long ago...when I was a little girl, the Waterfall family drove up to Bear Lake each summer for a few days of non-stop swimming, playing, boating, eating and family togetherness in close quarters.  Now that the extended Waterfall fam has grown exponentially, my immediate family made our own Waterfall Bear Lake trip.  It was perfectly amazing fun for a whole week.

{View of Bear Lake from the canyon}

{LaBeau's}  

We ate here several (read:  way too many!) times and it never disappointed.  The raspberry-oreo shake was off the charts.  Those fries.  The fry sauce.  Heaven!

Over the course of the week, we rented a boat, wave runners, got kicked out of every beach around (gah!), played hippie cricket, watched the Olympics (every night!), ate outside, had a pinata, took family pictures, went to LaBeau's (a lot), stayed up too late, did Insanity in the basement with the kiddies, made crafts, made dinners, had fun.  

The kids were amazing.  The accommodations were immaculate.  The time with my family couldn't have been better.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a fun trip.  Let's do it again soon!

Pioneer Day parade

Oh how I love the 24th of July.  Pioneer Day probably trumps the Fourth of July in my book.  I love this Utah holiday.  I love the parade.  I love the rodeo.  I love it all.  

My parents were kind enough to brave the rain with me and the kids.  We headed down to Washington Blvd. for the big parade.  I'm pretty sure this was W's first parade.  He wasn't sure quite what to do at first.  But he got the hang of waving at anything and anyone that moves, which was usually rewarded with a piece of candy.  He catches on quick.  

My parents were really up for anything while we were there.  I can't thank them enough.  Whatever we had going on that day or wanted to do, they were up for it.  It makes me so happy to see my kids spend time with and get to know their grandparents.  I feel so lucky and so thankful that my parents are willing to do that.  Big thumbs up for MaMom and Poppy.

Life at home: week 2

Life at home in Utah:  week 2

I had just put Lizzie down for a nap, then went searching for W to do the same.  I couldn't find him anyway.  I couldn't find my dad, either.  Then I looked in my room and...there they were!  Both asleep. My dad with his sandals on.  W with his daddy's socks on.  Based on W's body, I think he was coerced into staying in bed, but it obviously worked.  They both got a good nap.  

I left L alone for about two minutes in the kitchen one morning while I ran upstairs to look for a phone number.  When I came back, she was covered head to toe in Hershey's chocolate milk mix.  In one hand she held the almost empty container.  The other hand was fisted into her mouth, turned nearly black by the wet, sugary cocoa that she was sucking off.  When I came around the other side of the kitchen counter, the entire floor was covered with the chocolate powder.  This girl...busy!

Picnic and feeding the ducks at Beus Pond.  W really liked throwing the bread at the ducks.  L preferred to eat the bread herself.  My sister Liz was a champ for the two weeks we were there.  She was up for anything and everything.  It was so, so fun to have her around to love on my kids, help me keep them busy, keep me motivated to exercise, swim and just spend time with us.  We love aunt Liz!

W needed a haircut in the worst way, particularly before aunt Laura's wedding in a couple of weeks.  I bribed him to sit for a haircut by offering to get him a special treat of his choice.  Well, we were turned away by a 45 minute wait at the Great Clips.  So to kill the time, I told him we could get his special treat ahead of time. What did he want?  I figured ice cream or a piece of candy.  No, no.  He quickly responded that he wanted a soda.  That was it.  So we walked across the parking lot to the McD's.  I treated myself to a DC.  W was treat to a (watered down) root beer.  It was really a win-win for everybody.  When it was finally his turn in the barber's chair (hardly a barber), he sat so still and talked her ear off.  Sweetest boy.  

Chickens

My dad came home with 40-some chicks this past winter.  Those 40 chicks turned into almost as many egg-producing chickens.  The chicks were originally sort of incubated in a small pen in the pool house over the winter.  Now they reside in the former playhouse and shed out in the back of my parents' field.  It's quite the production my dad has going.  The chickens laid their first eggs while we were in Utah.  At first it was just three or four eggs each day.  By the time we left, it was seven or eight or ten!  Today, they lay about 20 eggs per day!  

Each day we were in Utah, Winston would head out to the field with my dad or mom.  They would unlock the coop, make sure the chickens had adequate water, spread some more food, give them any scrap foods we had brought from the house, then look for any eggs.  It took only a day or two and Winston became an egg-collecting natural.  He knew the routine so well that when Dave joined us in Utah about two weeks later, W took Dave out the to coop on his own and showed his daddy how it was done.  When the job in the coop was done, W would carefully bring the "fragile" eggs back to the house, wash them, and put them in the fridge.  

It made Winston so proud to have a job each day and complete it with ease.  He always looked forward to this little bit of time he would have with either or both of my parents.  W really took ownership over his little job.I was so proud to see him thrive doing real work and see the satisfaction he got out of it.  

These pictures remind me of when I had my pet chicken named Blueberry (where did I get that name?!).  

Farmers' market

I'd heard the Ogden Farmers' Market had really stepped it up, so I anxiously awaited the first Saturday in Ogden to check it out.  I was not disappointed.  Neither were W and L.  It just so happened to be "Farm Equipment Saturday," so several enormous tractors and farm-like machines highlighted 25th Street.  I couldn't get over how big these machines were.  W liked climbing around in them.  He and L loved the balloons and cow-shaped fans that were part of the day.  I scored some cute little earrings, as well as locally grown beets and a homemade cinnamon roll.  Saturday morning success!

Life at home: week 1

Stopped by the neighborhood fire station after a morning walk.  W met Dan the fireman, who let W sit in the driver's seat, showed him around the fire engine, and showed him some of the tools.  W is always a sucker for a fire engine.  

Headlamps are a necessity.  

Poppy Scott's tractor is just as much a tool for work as it is for fun.  W would ride that thing all day if he could.

Picking raspberries with MaMom.  

I went to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert with my parents and Waterfall grandparents.  It was a great concert with beautiful, beautiful music.  I forget just how magnificent the Conference Center is, and yet how the Spirit can still feel like it's bursting in such a big place.  It was so fun to be there with them.  Side note:  We all snuggled into my Civic to drive down to the Conference Center (why?).  My grandparents were amazed at the MPG monitors and light features on the car.  The whole way down and back was filled with, "So how many miles per gallon now?  Oh, the light's turning green, so we must be doing well."  They were amazed and I was amused.