San Antonio

The kids had so much fun in San Antonio. They got to swim and play in the water to their little hearts content. Barrett even held on to a noodle and kicked himself all over the pool. That was pretty cool, since he has not done that before. Plus I think that Oma and Grandpa had fun spending time with the kids as well. I think it’s good for them to have little people around. We even had a great time at Schlitterbahn! Ben had a great idea to go visit the water park and it was a winner for everyone. I do not have any pictures there, mostly because I did not want to leave my camera at the table without me. The park we went to in New Braunfels is great because they use water from the Comal River to keep the rides going. Which is great, because then you do not have to be in the chlorine all day. They do have chlorine in parts of the park, mostly where the kid’s play, since you never know with kids, but it is not so bad. Isabelle and Bear really liked the kid area, and had so much fun playing on the different kiddy attractions. We did take them down a short tube ride and they loved it. It was perfect the park had tubes that the kids could sit in and not fall through the bottom. What a great plan. Overall our weekend was great fun and we hope to visit San Antonio again. Maybe next time we’ll visit Sea World.

Why do you have to travel??

I’m pretty sure that who ever scheduled Ben’s trip to Ohio this past week does not have small children who have not seen their father for weeks. Things are a little crazy with two kids and one very bossy, older sister pushing her brother around. Oh well, life goes on; at least they play well together usually.

Scottish Games

One of the other fun things that we have done since we returned to Texas was to go to the Scottish Games Festival. Isabelle had fun listening to the music and visiting all the Clan tents to get a special stamp from each one. I think Bear really enjoyed the ice cream. Ben wanted to watch more of the games but there were not too many going on while we were there. We did get to watch the Hay Bale Toss. It is always so amazing to me that these men and complete such amazing tasks. One of my favorite is the pole toss. They are so big and heavy, I am always impressed when they can toss them and turn them at the same time to see who can get the furthest distance. So cool! I still like the Ren fest the best but I have to wait until October to do that. Man it was HOT!!

Where's the Pool?

Swimming, swimming, swimming. I think that is all Isabelle really wants to do. Everyday she asks to go swimming, which is great, since she has recently gotten over her fear of the water and is a wild swimming woman. She is all over the pool when we go and even started to jump into the pool over the weekend. She is getting so brown. Bear still likes to play on the steps or go out with Mom and Dad or float in a “raft.” He was very brave the first day and told us all to watch as he jumped into the pool. Needless to say someone was right there to catch him as he went in. Then later he fell in and is not so sure about jumping in any more. Probably because his previous floaty flips him onto his tummy instead of his back. But they are too cute in the pool. Watching the kids swim has actually made Ben start to think about finding a house with a pool. This weekend we are going down to visit my parents who happen to have a pool and go to a water park. Ben is really excited.

Americas Dependency Part 2

Each time the price of oil per barrel increases the price at the pump goes up accordingly. Early last week, the price fell to about $126 per barrel but did you see the price at the pump go down, NO! Even if the price per barrel were to drop dramatically it will take even longer for the price of gas at the pump to fall as well. Not only does it not help that the dollar is at its weakest point almost since its inception, what a great policy, in order to see change in the worth of the dollar the current administration needs to make some new decisions. Do you think things will change with a new regime? Alas I digress.

Recently there has been talk of a bill going through Congress to suspend the federal gas tax during the summer months. Now this bill is still in discussion the last time I checked, but here is the real kicker. The suspension was supposed to begin Memorial Day weekend and go through till Labor Day. They are a little behind and should really get things in gear and make a decision. With that said I think Congress should not suspend the federal gas tax during the summer months. In the end with no idea who will pay the tax it will just hurt our nation. If the money is to come out of the construction budget then what will happen to the roads that are in need of repair. I shop at a grocery store that will give you a discount on gas based on the amount of money that you spend, while it is nice to have that discount, they do adjust the price at the pump to be more than at other filling stations; who would control the oil companies from doing the same thing? After all it has been preposed that the Oil Companies pitch in from their deep pockets and pay the tax during the time off. I do not see how a three month break will really affect the bottom line of many American’s budgets, with no gas tax. It might do enough to set the country back as a whole but I do not feel it will get more people out there driving and traveling.

While I was checking out other items that Congress is working on all consumers should be happy to know that there is a bill currently on the floor to RAISE the gas tax up to 40 cents per gallon, over the next five years. So why not let the people have a quick three month reprieve of not paying the taxes knowing full well that a bill could later be passed to raise said tax even higher. Add that to the increased cost of gas at the pump and we just might have a crisis on our hands.

Background information: A bipartisan commission created under the 2005 highway law released a report recommending an increase of up to 40 cents per gallon in the federal gasoline tax. The commission recommended almost doubling the federal gasoline tax over the next five years, boosting it in increments of 5 cents to 8 cents per year. (National Write your Congressman website).

The Lone Star State

We are closing in on our last days in Utah. We are sad to leave behind the great friend we have made and know that each of you will be missed. We are excited to start a new chapter in our lives in Texas again as well as be close to family once more. With that said I just want to tell everyone that we had a great time during our stay in Utah and we hope that you will keep in contact with us over the years. Everyone is more than welcome to visit us in the Lone Star State, I recommend the months of April and October. All the others are fine too and we would love to have each of you come for a little vacation. To all my girls from MOM’s Club, I don’t know what I would have done without you. I’m pretty sure I would have been lost and confused if I had not joined. It was a great experience and I can only hope to find more people like you, but those who will never be able to replace you. To Missy and Jory, I was so happy to be close to you guys as you started your lives together and was able to be close by when your girls were born. Thank you so much for being such wonderful friends. You know our door and hearts are always open. Thanks so much to everyone who made our Utah home a good one.

Americas Dependency: Part 1

Last week the price of oil was up to $135 per barrel. Not a good prospect for the impending holiday weekend. Car travel is down across the nation as travelers resign themselves to use more public transportation and give up the American dream of their own automobile. Since the first car was made by Ford and the advent of the mass production line was invented Americans have always seen the automobile as a status symbol and a must have item. Now don’t get me wrong, not everyone has or uses a car but millions of people do everyday. The question is when and where will increased gas prices start to hit your bottom line? Will you notice that you have less disposable income; will your errands be completed closer to home? Or will you not go on a vacation this year because the cost of doing so is becoming increasingly more expensive. Who do you go to seek help in reducing our oil dependency and search out for alternative uses to run our cars and heat our homes? Is the government or private enterprise the right direction to help our energy needs to improve our way of life and decrease the amount we spend at the pump?

I think that many everyday Americans do not realize how much they are yet spending at the pump each time they fill up, sure you might complain that you had to spend a little bit more, but what changes are you making to adjust for the increase in the price of fuel? Have you noticed other items increasing that you spend your money on as well? While the price of fuel continues to increase, so will the end products that consumers have to purchase on a daily or weekly basis. Food, clothing and general necessities all across the board continue to go up in price partly due to the cost of shipping goods and how far those goods have to travel before they reach your local store.

It’s just business and business’s are out their to make money, as stated by on Exxon Mobile rep at the shareholder’s meeting held this week, in Dallas, Texas. Exxon is not a charity and should not be thought of as such and they should have every right to make a buck or a billion plus. Right? But to what cost to the end consumer, when will people stand up and say enough, is enough.

Water Fun

Memorial Day fun in the clouds. That does not sound right but alas the weather in Utah has been very unreliable. No spring, oh well. We can move to Texas and move right into summer. Well the weather did not stop the kids from playing in the water. We went to a pool party where they played in the pool until they were told to get out for the hundredth time and then were splashed after their other clothes had dried enough to bring them home without any issues. They had lots of fun playing with the water and their friend Gia. It was a good time all around.

Camping Out??

I have found one more way that the human race is not as intelligent as we previously thought. People were camping out by the Chick-fil-a that is about to open. Upon opening the first one hundred people will receive one free chicken sandwich per week for a year. I’m pretty sure that is not enough reason to camp out in the rain, after all it’s just a chicken sandwich.

John Deer Dress

I was at the fabric store yesterday, to pick up some presmocked fabric for Isabelle when I saw the most adorable stuff ever. And to top it all off, it had to have been the easiest dress to make ever. I think it took all of five minutes. Isabelle just loved it and she looks so cute. (Where does she get her smile from? I think it is from Ben's side of the family).

Indiana Jones

At last the movie gods have decided to make yet another Indiana Jones movie. I am so excited; I think that for a lot of people in my generation this is almost like a cult classic. Now don’t get me wrong this movie will reach out to hundreds of thousands of people of all ages, I can hardly wait. But I guess I will have to until Ben come home again. Maybe we’ll be able to see it together at the drive thru. The question is are you ready for the next installment of Indiana Jones? In theaters nation wide on Friday, May 23, 2008.

I fell asleep where. . .

You know you have had a hard day, when you fall asleep on the stairs. I thought that Bear was going to make his way down the stairs to us but instead he stopped at the top to take a rest and ended up asleep. Isabelle was nice enough to yell down at us that he fell asleep and could we please get Bear off the stairs.

Summer Fun??

Ah the joys of warmer weather and just being a kid. While Ben was home this weekend we got a lot of stuff completed. Of course one of the tasks was to make sure all the sprinklers were working. We had to replace a couple of the heads but managed to get it all to work fairly well. The front set stays on the whole time, no telling why. While the sprinklers were being fixed Isabelle and Barrett enjoyed the water party. Isabelle was a little braver about running in the water, and Bear was just not sure about the sprayand tried to hit the water with the bat. Either way, they both had fun and cooled off on a rather warm day. Even Ben said the water felt good.

Animals Everywhere

After Isabelle’s performance and around lunch time, we made our way down to one the kid’s favorite places to go, The Farm, at Thanksgiving Point. They truly enjoy looking at the animals, and petting the few they feel brave enough to approach, and spending time with their friends. It’s always nice when they can play well with others without causing any harm, which of course is not what happened, but fortunately nobody was hurt badly, just more shaken up than anything, sorry Anjie. But injuries not included the kids had lots of fun, and Bear was so excited to ride the ponies. Once he caught sight of them, he really had a one track mind, and kept trying to drag us over there. Too Cute!

Spring Show

It is every parents pride and joy to see their child perform in front of family, friends and other parents. Twice a year Isabelle’s school does a nice little performance for the parents so that we know they are doing more than just learning. It was so much fun to see all the kids and hear their little voices sing as they entertained up for fifteen (15) minutes. Some of the kids are shy, while others are very boisterous. Isabelle ironically is somewhere in between. I know when she is at home, she sings her little heart out, but when she is in a group up in front of people, she is a little more quite. I think my favorite part was when they did a rendition of the Where the Wild Things Are, the kids “acted” out the parts of the wild things. At one point they all walked in a circle, and in true Isabelle fashion she moved the entire circle to the middle. It’s amazing how kids will move when they are attached to one another. It was a lot of fun, and I was sad that Ben missed it live and in person, but he’ll get a chance to watch it on video.

Dinner Conversation

This is a conversation that Isabelle and I just had, as she sits on the arm rest of the couch looking at me while I read:

Mom: "Are you going to eat dinner or what?

Isabelle: "Or What!"

Mom: laughs hesterically, becuase of the three year old response.

This is kid too smart for her own good. But she keeps me going everyday and is a never ending suprise at what she says and does.

Do you like to stand in your food while you eat?

Thinking Spot

This is Isabelle’s new retreat. She likes to come to this spot in the yard to think about world peace, famine, and how to stop people from fighting. No not really, she just likes to come here and pick flowers. You would think that with all the flower picking going on, there were be no more flowers, but no they keep coming back. I’m not really sure if it is a weed or an actual plant that is meant to be there. I just though that the picture was cute so I wanted to share.

Happy Earth Day 2008

Did you remember that today is earth day? If you did what did you do to help out our planet? Did you walk to one or more of your destinations today? Did you teach the kids about earth day and do a fun activity? How can you incorporate earth day into your everyday lives, if you do not already do so?

To celebrate Earth Day I talked to kids about what Earth Day is and had them help me come up with an activity that we could do together that was fun and easy. Since our yard has quite a few trees I thought we could make some simple bird feeders. I happened to have some empty toilet paper rolls lying around so I picked them up along with some peanut butter, and yard and we made bird feeders. The kids had fun spreading the peanut butter on the rolls and then rolling the roll through some bird seed. After that I ran some yard down the middle and we hung them on a tree. We can watch the birds eat from the kitchen window. They had tons of fun doing this simple activity and even got a tasty treat themselves.

Once we were done with that we collected trash from the yard. Being right across the street from Waste Management means we have random paper products flying into our yard on a pretty regular basis. I must say though it could be a lot worse. They do a pretty good job to “contain” the waste. I think that the plant that is close to us is a recycling plant for paper products. You can check out their web site for more information on the ways that Waste Management is going green. We read on the side of one truck that they fuel the trucks with trash. Pretty exciting, since I’m sure the cost of operation has dramatically increased with the recent rise in the price of oil.

Remember to think about the earth everyday, whether that means, recycling, using less water when you shower, or using an alternative means of travel. So far we only have one planet earth and we really need to start taking better care if we want the plant to be around for our grandchildren.

Oma's Visit

We just had a wonderful visit with Oma. The kids had so much fun visiting, playing, and talking with Oma, that I was sure they would not want to see her go. Oma came in on Thursday and surprised Isabelle by being in the car when we came to pick her up from school; she was so excited to see Oma. The kids had fun, waking up Oma up early in the morning to play and lasting all day long. We went to the scrapbook expo all together, while that was more for me and Oma, the kids did really well and both feel asleep, while we walked around. We even went to the zoo for Ariana’s birthday and checked out all the animals, with our friends. They had so much fun making signs and sounds and talking about the animals that they saw. Bear really liked the penguins, we happened to walk by right when they were feeding them, which he thought was great. Of course it was a beautiful day and the zoo became to get very crowed, which does not mean anything really, since it is not that big. Overall we had a wonderful time with Oma and the kids.

Honorable Mention

Here are the results of the photography contest. I recieved and Honorable Mention for "Looking at Ducks." The girls came throuhg in fabulous fashion to help one of my pictures become recognized. I had so much fun taking pictures and using my camera for something other than the usual everyday stuff, that I can hardly wait to go and just take some more. I feel that for my first offical contest I did pretty good. Next time will be better and even more fun. Now if I can just learn how to use my camera to the fullest extent. And I might need to get some photo softwear to change and edit my pictures. We'll see how that all goes, but for now I think will just keep shooting and looking for the best avalible shot.

Thank you to all my friends and family who voted for their favorite picture. Your help was much needed. Until next time.

What Mountians?

There is a storm coming into town today and look what the wind is stirring up for us. We no longer have a view of the mountains; there is so much “stuff” in the air. Of course we spent quality time out in our lovely air today while we were at the park, trying not to blow away. This “spring” weather here has been crazy!

Photo Contest

West Jordan, the city were we live, is having a photography contest, and I want your help. I am going to post ten of my favorite pictures that I took for it and I want you to vote on the ones that you like the best, you can vote for more than one. The top three will win. I can submit up to three pictures. Be honest and if you do not think any of them are good be sure to keep it to yourself, I'm just kidding I really want to know what you think. You only have one day to vote since I need to get them developed soon.

Big Green Spring Clean

Every year you hear about people all over the place doing their “spring cleaning.” As the days slowly start to draw nearer to spring I want to know if you will be participating in the annual ritual of a Spring Clean. Now I do not normally do this because I tend to find it a little tedious. Last year I did “spring clean” and finally finished I think in October. Now why did it take so long you ask? Well mostly because I really was not sure what to do and well there was just so much to do. I wanted to make sure the house was extra clean for when family and friends came over for the holidays so I set about cleaning. Window blinds, fan blades, the non-carpeted part of the stairs and the base boards. There were other parts of the house I tried to clean, like the crayon on the walls, except for the basement; I figure I can clean that when we move out. The basement is really a free for all in the art on the walls department. While I do try to discourage the coloring on the walls, I find that I do not really harp on them to not color down in the basement. Mostly just upstairs where more people would see it. I think I even took the magic eraser to the tile grout in a few choice places.

Now this year I think I will actually try to spring clean, but possible try to get it done in the spring instead of early fall. We have so many boxes in the garage that I think we might just need to have a yard sale. Why keep moving the stuff around if you do not see it at every stop. Now I will say that some of the stuff is in boxes because we just do not have the room to put it all away. Another sad fact that leads me to think that maybe, just maybe we have accumulated too much crap. Now the idea here is to be more green and clean with products that will not harm the environment, but where should I start? I’m pretty sure that I should drop the magic eraser and opt for a different type of product. The only bad thing about that is they work so well on the crayon. My current cleaner is supposed to be environmentally friendly, such as biodegradable, but I’m not sure how well I trust it.

With that in mind how will you or will you do any spring cleaning? What would be your target cleaning locations, or do you just plan to be more organized and open those last few boxes that you have not touched since you moved in?

Stranger Danger

At our MOM’s Club meeting today we had a Detective of one of the wives come in and talk to the kids about stranger danger. It was great, the kids had fun, they got to hold some of his safer tools and even turn the sirens on in the car. I was not sure how much information Isabelle retained in her little brain but she did a great job. We get back in the car to go home and she starts talking about what we discussed and how important it is to stay away from strangers. I was amazing because she kept moving around the room and playing, so it did not seem like she was really paying very close attention. She never ceases to amaze me! Bear really liked the car, and wanted to spend some quality time up front playing with and pushing the buttons.

The Dreaded Car Cart

I have never really felt like a Utah mom before until today. I have always used a regular shopping cart when getting groceries because I think Isabelle is old enough to walk and why would I want to attempt to navigate one of those big bulking car carts around the store. Well I gave in the other day and it did make shopping a little easier, Bear was not trying to steal all the food from in the cart to see what he could eat. And Isabelle was not climbing on the cart every five minutes because she did not want to walk at that particual point. After going to the store on Monday for some reason I really felt like a Utah Mom. Maybe it was because school was out still for “Spring Break” or maybe it was the time I went. I’m pretty sure that I am going to either change my shopping day or be sure to get just the regular cart. I would hate for people to get the wrong impression. I can not even fully express in words the "feeling" but it was there, oh well hopefully not again.

Happy Easter

I hope that everyone had a really good Easter holiday. We enjoyed going to church, I know amazing, right. Both Ben and I got to stay in the room through most of mass, which in it self is pretty unusual. Bear did really well, he played with the little boy in front of him, which did not do well for the little boy but hey. We were pleased. Isabelle did great; she sat very well and was very proud of her dress.



Then we joined Missy and Jory at their house for a little Egg Hunt. Isabelle definitely had the advantage on that one. Maybe one day she can hunt eggs with her cousins and then she will not be so domineering. At least they had fun. Bear had to check out all his eggs before moving on to the next one. And was not really a big fan of the hard boiled eggs, I’m sure he thought they should have something special inside. Overall it was a pretty good day, the kids had fun and so did we.

Girls Night Out

An impromptu night out with the girls is always fun. And last night was that. After a long day filled with all sorts of excitement, I received a call from a friend saying hey lets go out. So I said ok, lets. And so the evening began. After rounding up another party member we headed out to the local Irish Pub for some drinks, food and chatting. It was fabulous to go out with out having to worry about the kids, and just have some fun. I think we all agreed that we will have to do that a little more often. Most of the husbands were home playing the games, except for Ben, he was probably flipping between CNN and ESPN, I did not ask. I did remember to bring him home something to eat, which he’ll have to enjoy today since he was asleep. I just wanted to say thanks for the invite, it was great, and we will have to do this again soon, and be sure to invite more girlfriends.

A Sleeping Bear

Bear must have been very tired today. He screamed all through Target, after I told him he was not going to get a coco, milk or juice. I said you can get some on Friday. Well that completely set him off. And of course I pick the one cart where the seat belt does not work so I’m left with a screaming child who is trying to climb out. Fortunately I did not have much to pick up, just something for Girl Scouts today and a few shorts to round out Bear’s summer wardrobe. I picked up said items quickly and left. You would think that by now Bear would have stopped crying, well just for a few seconds while we checked out and then it started all over again. He had a Target bag in his lap which I took away to put in the car and there he went again. The continual cries for “Dada, Dada,” even though Daddy is at work and cannot come to the rescue. What a mean Mommy. So we get home and he is still crying, walking into the house, lying on the floor, still crying. I take a shower, (since I was just at the gym) and he is still crying. Finally while I am changing my clothes he stops. I figure he fell asleep but where was the mystery. Until I walked downstairs I was not sure where he was, and there he is laid out on the tile floor sound asleep. Now why couldn’t he of made his way up the stairs to lye down on his bed? Or at least made his way over to the carpet in the dining room? Nobody will know, but at least the crying has stopped. Until I pick him to go get Isabelle from school, one can only hope it won’t start again.

Easter Eggs

It’s that time a year again when we gather round a pot of boiling water to ready the die for Easter eggs. Fortunately a friend here in Salt Lake opens her doors to several families to come over and die our eggs together. It is so much more fun for the kids and mom’s alike. Bear was much more into egg dying this year than last. He really had fun dropping the egg in and pulling it out. Isabelle did much better this year and used a multiple range of colors. Last year I think most of our eggs were blue and turned turquoise later. It’s always nice to visit with friends and do projects together.

Baylor!

Baylor’s Women Basketball team has also made it to the playoffs as a number three (3) seed in their division. While they have a better record then the men’s team, they just do not seem to receive the same notoriety as men. Maybe they will go all the way again to win the NCAA Championship game. That would make two championships in a single decade. Go Bears!!

Happy St. Paddy's Day

On Saturday we watched the looooongest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the history of parades. But the kids loved it, or at least Isabelle did. Bear was not up to top form and even fell asleep. I’m not sure what Isabelle liked the most but let me tell you there were a lot of Irish Dance groups for kids. I could hardly believe it. And I think they all wore wigs. I mean really how every girl could have had that tightly curled hair that bounced so well, there is just no other way. Plus it looked like all of the churches that have schools had a float. Unfortunately our church did not, but I guess that is because we have not started school yet. Although I think it would have been good advertisement, but nobody asked me. There were even a good amount of animals in the parade, Irish Wolfhounds, horses, and bloodhounds. My favorite part was the group set up as the Wyoming state line of the Idaho state line, and their counter parts, beer bottles that are “real.” All the beer imported into Utah has a lower percentage of alcohol than all other states.

Go Baylor

Today is an exciting day for all Baylor Alumni and students. It was announced this afternoon that the Baylor Men’s Basketball team will be going to the playoffs. A feat that has not been accomplished since 1988, go Bears! There are six teams from the Big XII that made it into the playoffs; others include Texas, A&M, and Kansas. We will be excitedly awaiting the playoff games this year, as Ben’s school, University of Texas at Arlington, also made the playoffs and will be playing Memphis. So tune in this week as the first round of playoffs begin. Baylor will be playing Purdue.

Golf Light Savings Time . . . duh

Welcome to Golf Light Savings time. We knew it was coming but soon discovered that we were not ready for it. I woke up this morning at “8:00 am” or so I thought. I fed the kids breakfast and figured that we still had a little time left before we had to start getting ready for Church. So I thought I would check e-mail and see what was going on in the world. As I was sending a note out to some friends, I discovered that the clock read 9:47 am, how could this be I just woke up there was no way that I spent that much time eating. Then it hit me, GLST has come. Even Ben forgot all about it, when he asked me what we were going to do today. Which is funny since he even put a note about it in his paygram at work. Oh well I like to look at that I got an extra hour of sleep, and in my world that is pretty big, since my kids get up pretty early. So I hope that you made it through the first day of GLST without any problems like us.

Thank You

Thanks Auntie Penny for all the great clothes. I am so happy to get some new clothes for the spring, because otherwise I would have been naked. Not really, I’m sure Mom would have eventually gotten around buying some clothes for me. Anyway, I really love everything, and even wore one of my new outfits today. Mom said it was ok, since we did not have anywhere to go; it’s still kind of cold outside. I can’t wait to come to your house to go swimming, it will be great.

How Safe are Safety Scissors?

Last Thursday Isabelle was downstairs working on a project and the next thing I know she is crying. As I further investigate the issue, she is spewing blood all over the place. At first I could not tell if her hand was cut or if her face was cut. It turns out she tried to do something around her mouth and cut her lip. Once I got her washed off and calmed down, I phoned the doctors office to have them take a look and to make sure we would not need stitches. Now I know you are probably thinking this could have been prevented if I was there. But at some point kids have to work by themselves, while you get something else done.

We get to the doctors office and they take a look, no need to stitches. Fortunately the lip heals very quickly, you can almost not even tell that something happened. As I am talking with the doctor she makes mention of another “safety scissor” incident where a boy cut his finger tip. He was playing with Mom’s scissors, so Mom switches them out and he still ends up being cut with some sort of scissors. So that begs my question of how safe are safety scissors?