Family Trip

Instead of our original plan of going to Disneyland we decided to take a simpler trip and head to St George for a 3 day weekend for some camping, hiking and playing. We headed down on a Thursday night so we would have 3 days of fun. We did a lot of fun stuff with the kids, like went to a Pirate Island restaurant where it is all decorated like a pirate ship and has sound effects. There are also games and things for the kids. They really liked it. We also went to Build a Bear and let the kids each make a bear. They really had fun stuffing them and dressing them and they wont let go of them now. That night my Mom watched the kids while Budd and I were able to go out for a nice break. Saturday was the day for hiking and camping and it started out windy, rainy and chilly. We ended up just hanging out and resting a bunch and then decided to head out to our camp site to check it out. It was in Snow Canyon State Park near St George. It is so beautiful with tons of red rock. We decided to brave the weather and set up camp. Then we took off for a hike. The kids loved it and were able to actually hike pretty far, at least a mile or more with no complaining. They loved exploring the little caves and playing on the rocks. We had a great fire that night and then the kids were so excited to sleep in the tent. Brinlee didn't make a sound all night, but Spencer got cold and had to get in our sleeping bag. It was a little chilly, but not too bad. Budd and I stayed up later enjoying the fire and the amazing stars. It was beautiful. When Brinlee woke up in the morning, the first thing she said was "I love it, I love it!" I asked her what she was talking about and she said, "camping and hiking" with a huge smile on her face. Hearing those words makes any vacation a success. We had a nice fire in the morning and then took down camp and went and played in the sand dunes. The kids really loved jumping in the sand and running down the hills. We drove home that afternoon and finished the fun book on tape that Budd and I had been listening to. It makes the drive go by so much quicker. It was a really fun trip.

Happy 5th Birthday Brinlee

I can hardly believe that Brinlee is 5. She is so happy about it and has been talking about it since she turned 4. She had a really fun little party with her friends. She planned the whole thing. First they all painted little ceramic ponies since, of course, she had to have an art project. Then we moved onto a picnic in the front room on a blanket, with little sandwiches, and all kinds of other finger food. She loves to do that. Then instead of cake, each friend got a cupcake to decorate on their own. We had pink frosting of course and all kinds of sweet goodies for on top. There is nothing better than a lot of sugar to make a great party, right? They all loved it and Brinlee had a blast. She had a wonderful day. We are so grateful to have Brinlee. She is such a wonderful and darling little girl. She brings so much happiness into our lives.

Easter

What a fun Easter. The kids had fun doing many Easter egg hunts and eating way too much candy. Spencer especially has a real sweet tooth. Most of my side of the family all got together at our house for dying eggs, an egg hunt, lunch and hanging out. It was great to all be together. The kids loved playing marbles with Grandpa and we did Brinlee's hair in rag curls Saturday night so that it was so cute and curly for Sunday. The kid looked so nice dressed up for Easter Sunday. Budd directed 2 great numbers for the choir on Sunday and they were beautiful. Then while directing the closing hymn for sacrament meeting he got lightheaded and almost fell over. He somehow managed to keep directing, and just stopped singing and held onto the music stand for support and made it through. That was a close one.

Art Camps

I just updated my Discovery Art Academy website with my times and dates for my Art camps this summer. If any of you might be interested or have a friend that might be interested please let me know so I can get you on my list. It should be lots of fun. Just click on the button on my side panel to see my website or visit www.discoveryartacademy.com.

Trip to Provo

A couple weeks ago we went down to Provo to pick up a few things from my Grandma Weight. She is moving to St George so she was cleaning out her Provo home and giving away some stuff. We were able to get a lot of great stuff, like a couch for the basement, twin beds for the kids, a desk, a table and much more. We got a whole trailer load. Thank you so much Grandma.
We were also able to see my Uncle Joe (my Mom's brother) since he was there helping. We don't see him very often so it was a treat for us. So we got a picture with him and the kids. On our way home we stopped by to see Jeffers (my brother), Britny and Emberlyn. Jeffers had just arrived home from drill. He is in the National Guard. The kids thought is was so cool to see an Army guy. They even tried on his vest. Spencer thought it was cool but as you can see Brinlee didn't like it very much.

Learning Aesops Fables

Brinlee has been learning about Aesop's Fables in her preschool and after learning them they acted them out. She was an Ant in "The Ant and Grasshopper" and she was the tortoise in "Tortoise and the Hare" It was so cute and fun to watch them act it out. Here are a few pictures of the event.

Disney On Ice

In March I took the kids to Disney on Ice with my friend Mary and her kids. We had a really fun time as we watched, Lion King, Lelo and Stitch, Little Mermaid, and Peter Pan. The kids just loved watching them skate around and do tricks. Spencer especially loved the pirates and the huge crocodile that came out and ate captian Hook, while Brinlee's favorite was Ariel and the Little Mermaid of course. Everything was great except Spencer throwing a huge fit when it was over because I would not buy him one of the $20 Peter Pan swords. He screamed most the way home and then finally wore out . I felt bad about it, but I knew that the sword would be broken in a few days and was not worth buying. We are on a roll, since last year at Disney on Ice Brinlee broke down crying after because she didn't want it to be over. So now I have to decide if I want to brave it again next year and hope for the best. But they sure had fun while they were watching the show. In the end, all the headache is worth it to watch their faces light up as they see their favorite characters dancing on the ice.