Busy Week!

Whew, this was one busy crazy week!  

Monday:

I don't even remember what happened on Monday.

Tuesday:

Gavin's Birthday Party

A snow storm hit us Tuesday, actually 2 snow storms hit us.  It was also the day that we had planned Gavin's birthday party with friends.  He wanted to go to "Kangaroo Zoo" in Pleasant Grove.  Easy cheesy, thought mama.  Drive a bunch a 7 year olds to a giant play place.  Then the snow storms hit.  We had a foot of new snow on the the ground by 11:00 in the morning.  I started thinking that maybe today wasn't the best day to drive others peoples kids around.  So I planned an impromptu 'pirate' party just in case the snow didn't let up.  Well by the time the party started the neighborhood roads were barely passible, but the main roads were just fine.  So we headed to the jumping zoo.

Moey on the 3 story high slide

There were about 15 different inflatable jumpy slidey fun house toys for the kids to play on.  They had much fun. (Note, Gavin still didn't get his two front teeth for his birthday.)

Halle on a bouncy snail.

We returned home to presents and pizza and colorful cupcakes.  5 7-year-olds have a lot of combined energy!

Wednesday

First Den Meeting

I got to hold my first Bear Cub Scout Den Meeting this week (by my self, (stupid needy client at work.))

We did more magic tricks.

After scouts we had a mad rush to start and complete two science fair projects that were due the next day.

Gavin tested Density, first by testing which was heavier, oil, water and corn syrup.  Then he tested several different small items to see if they would float or sink in the density concoction.

Moey wanted to see what she could add to bubble solution to see if you could make bubbles last longer.  She tried sugar, salt, pepper, corn syrup, maple syrup, and extra water.

The results were fairly predictable, pepper and sugar didn't help so much.  The syrups helps some.  But the results that we were not expecting is that SALT added to the bubble solution make the bubbles last exponentially longer!  The bubble lasted an average of 16 seconds, the longest salt solution bubble lasted more than 4 minute.

They didn't even mark the salt on this graph, because the salt points made all the other points look basically the same.

After the fun experiment part, we spent the rest of the long night working on journals and poster boards.

Yeah for procrastinators.

Thursday

Crazy hair day!

It is also Red Ribbon Week.  The kids got to dress funny each day this week.  I am just realizing that I didn't get any pictures of  "Career Day"  Moey dressed as a Zoo Keeper and Gavin Dress as a Scientist (think Bill Nye.)

Moey had  the great idea of using paper cups to give her self voluminous ponytails.

Halle's hair is always crazy

Gavin got a faux hawk.

Thursday night was the open house for the science fair.  Gavin has Gymnastics on Thursday, so he didn't come with us.

Friday

Go visit family

Don't go anywhere because the car is back in the shop.

We had to replace the front deferential in my car a couple of weeks ago.  It cost a pretty penny.  So when the 'service 4 wheel drive' light came on again, we rushed the car back to the shop, leaving me car less.  Here's the hitch.  The car shop closes at 3:00 on Fridays, and is closed on Saturdays. So if I wanted my car back before Monday, I had to figure out how to get it myself.  

So Cooper got his first stroller ride! Fortunately, the car shop is only one mile away from our house.  We only got stuck in the snow a few time. ;)

Whew, what a week!  Time for some snuggle for me!

Brother Snuggles

Ethan is pretty much the best big brother ever.  And he is pretty much the best son ever.  And not to mention, he is pretty much the best teenager ever (even if he is taller than me.)

I often dump the baby on him.  When I need to clean something, or cook something, or help someone with their homework.  Sometime I have to run to the store, and he gets to watch all the kids. 

(Side note, I bought an awesome infant car seat, it has the highest safety rating, it has some cool features  that I love.  I searched for a LONG time to find just the right carseat.  And the stupid thing doesn't fit on a shopping cart.  If I go grocery shopping with Cooper and the carseat, he has to go in the basket, which doesn't leave much room for groceries - like good luck fitting a gallon of milk in the big basket with the carseat.  I digress, every time I go grocery shopping, Ethan gets to watch Cooper.)

Basically, Ethan gets stuck with Cooper A LOT.  So I am always a little surprised when he will pick up Cooper just to snuggle.  Ethan finds snuggle time, just about everyday.

 Aw, so sweet.

Hey, what have you got there? A camera?

Curse you Perry the Platypus!

Mom vs. Dad

When mom is alone with baby,

When dad is alone with baby.

 (thats a diaper on his head)

Sundays with Sam

"Hey Sam, look, I am way taller than you now."

"No you are not, Coop. my head is higher than yours, so I am taller."

"But Sam. my legs are like twice as long as yours.  That make me taller."

"Fine your legs might be my head but...   WET WILLY!"

"Ew, Sam, Gross!"

"Hey Sam, wanna hear a joke?"

"Sure"

"Knock, Knock."

"Who's there?"

"Mutton"

"Mutton Who?"

"You'er getting Mutton for Christmas!"

"Mmm, nom, nom, Mutton."

"Whats the matter Sam?"

"If you had teeth you would eat me!"

 "No Sam, I will never eat you.  You are my best bud."

"Love you too, man."

**Actual conversation**

In other new, It's my birthday.  I had a great day, sluffing church (Dry council Sunday!) (but no seriously. Germs)

I was spoiled with presents, good food, and time with family.  Mother Nature even gave me a couple of minutes of blue sky and sunshine. She also blew all the gunk out of the valley.  We could see clear down to Payson!

Tibble Fork Reprieve

Today we journeyed up the canyon to Tibble Fork Reservoir to see if we could escape some of the bad air that is clogging the valley.  Maybe if we are lucky we could even see the sun.  But we didn't hold much hope of seeing the sun today as the clouds are pretty high, higher than Tibble Fork.

Also, we wanted to see if Tibble Fork had frozen over like Utah Lake has this year.

Before we even got to the canyon, the kids start with the: "So how long are we going to be here?"  "How long are we staying" "What time will we be home?"

Because going home to do chores is so much more fun than an adventure. (I'm not sure these are my children some days.)

We made it up the winding road to Tibble Fork.  No sunshine, but the lake is half frozen over.  There are couple of ice fishermen on the ice, and other people just goofing off. 

Dave and the kids head down to the ice.  I get to sit in the car with Cooper.  Even if he had been awake, he was still staying in the car.  And I, forgetting that we were going on an adventure, only wore my slip on shoes that would have fallen off in the snow.  :(

To get down to the ice, first they had to the giant dirty snow piles made by the snow plows. Then down the slippery and steep path. 

 Dave loves panorama shots.  The bendy rail kinda drives me crazy, but this is the best shot to see the whole picture.  (click on it, it will get bigger.) Dirty snow piles, bendy rail path down to the lake, ice in the middle of the lake, water on the ends where the inlets are.

The kids were a bit anxious to go out on the ice at first.  (Good, smart, cautious kids.)

But if dad can go on the ice, so can they.

They are looking at a blue sled that is under the ice.

Dave said it was a bit eerie walking on the ice.  Because the ice would crack and groan as you walked on it.  Note ice crack in picture above.

The kids had a lot of fun running an slipping and playing on the ice.  They didn't want to come back to the car. (Duh, adventures are awesome like that.)

Although I didn't get to play on the slippery ice, I did get to enjoy the quite peace of nature, and the fresh pine scented air.  I sometime for get how much being out of the city and in the beauty of the wilderness (or somewhat wilderness) recharges my batteries.  I could feel something at my very core come back to life with each breath I took of fresh air.  Maybe it has something to do with the cabin fever that come with a newborn, but I think it is more to do with being out in the wild.  

Must do more camping!

Warming trend

We finally reached temperatures above freezing yesterday!  It was almost balmy!

Well except for the FREEZING RAIN!  Everything was covered in ice. Black ice on the roads, ice on all the sidewalks, and driveways, and even the snow on the lawn.  Walking out side was pretty ridiculous.

Gavin's Birthday

Happy Birthday to my amazing, dangerous, flexible, strong, sweet, funny, handsome, smart, crazy, adventurous, sensitive, speedy, and amazing 7 year old.

We asked Gav what he wanted for his birthday, he said he wanted his two front teeth, and a car of some sort.  He also wanted a party with friends instead of a big present.  And he wanted chocolate or maybe white cake, with lots of colors for the frosting.  

"Oh, you want a rainbow cake?' I said

"NO! not a rainbow cake."He emphatically replied.

Not a rainbow cake, just one with lots of colors.

We decorated with lots of streamers and balloons.

Pinterest said you could color your own ceramics with sharpies, and them bake the ink on FOREVER!

(Pinterest lied a little)

We colored the plate, we baked it.  Half of the colors came off when I washed it with soap.  The other half came of when I put it in the dishwasher.  :(

Gavin requested french toast for breakfast.  We woke up early so we could all have breakfast together, something that hash't happened since Ethan started Jr. High.

It was maybe a little too early for Gavin, but we was still in good spirits.

For dinner we when to Pizza Pie Cafe because they have 2 of Gavin's "favorite things rolled into one, pizza and dessert!"

We had second desserts, because there was cake at home.

Dave bought me a bundt for Christmas, this is my second ever bundt cake.  I think that bundt cakes are my new favorite.  We opted for only blue and green frosting.  This cake is special, because there is a surprise inside.  

 Any guesses what the surprise is?

Presents?

Squirrels? 

Presents, hmm, no but that could be fun next time.

Squirrels, really???

SURPRISE!!

 IT'S A RAINBOW!

See, I had you all tricked with the 'colorful' blue and green frosting.  If you ask for a colorful cake for your birthday then you get a colorful cake.  And if you ask for not a rainbow cake, then sometimes you still get a rainbow cake.

We finished the evening playing Gavin's current favorite game - Apples to Apples. 

We have an unspoken-pseudo-family-Rule when we play Apples to Apples; the red 'shark' card is the trump card.  Because sharks fit just about everything, they are scary, crazy, intense, speedy, snappy, distinguished, friendly, weird, etc etc.  Pirate are the second place trump card, mostly because they are awesome.

Happy Birthday Gav!!  Thank you for 7 beautiful, wonderful, crazy, fun, exciting, joyful, dramatic, hilarious, awesome years!