Trip to St. George / Las Vegas / Mesquite

Last week was Spring Break, and we've been planning for a few months to take a trip. Sunny Southern Utah was calling to us, so we left Monday for St. George, then stayed in Las Vegas Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, went to Mesquite on Friday and headed home Saturday. Corbin, Nikki and kids were also vacationing in Mesquite (we stayed with them in Nikki's parents condo on Friday) and we were able to meet up a few times.

We had a lot of fun! Of course Las Vegas has a lot of junk, but we focused on kid-friendly attractions - there sure are a lot of family things in Vegas! And it made us all grateful to live in UTAH where smoking is not allowed in any public building and gambling is illegal. It's kind of nice living in "sheltered" Utah!

So here's a quick run-down of all the fun we had (mainly for journaling-sake, but in case you care too)!

MONDAY
* Left home around noon and got to St. George around 6:00 (with a few stops in-between).
* Had dinner at Cafe Rio, one of our favorite restaurants. I heard Utah's governor proclaimed that day as Cafe Rio Day - and the St. George location was the first one!
* Makenna and I browsed at the Outlet Shops while Quentin, Kiera and Kasidee hung out in our hotel room.


TUESDAY
* Had breakfast at the hotel.
* Met Corbin, Nikki and kids at the St. George Temple.
* Toured Brigham Young's winter home.
* Checked out an inactive volcano and in-the-ground cave (Nikki and I and a few of the kids hung out at a park while Quentin, Corbin, Kiera and Marina went exploring a little more.
* Headed to Las Vegas and got our hotel room in the Excalibur.

ST. GEORGE TEMPLE...

VOLCANO...

CHECKING OUT A CACTUS...

EXPLORING OUTSIDE THE CAVE...




WEDNESDAY
* Quentin and the girls swam in the hotel pool while I basked in the warm sun!
* Got roped into a Timeshare presentation - but it wasn't worthless. The girls thought the "bus limo" ride was awesome, we got lunch, got some "insider" advice on what to do in Vegas, and a no-pressure tour of some condos. Oh, and we got free tickets to the aquarium, worth about 56 bucks. Score!
* Went to M&M's World.
* Walked "The Strip" - saw the Luxor pyramid, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, rode the huge Coca-Cola bottle elevator, etc).
* Saw the Fountains at Bellagio. How cool is that?!

EXCALIBUR HOTEL...

M&M's WORLD...

FOUNTAINS AT BELLAGIO...



THURSDAY
* Toured the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory.
* Went to M&M's World again - Makenna decided on a stuffed M&M character for her souvenir.
* Met Corbin, Nikki and kids at the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay.
* Checked out a free "Lion King" exhibit (pretty lame, actually).
* Hung out in our hotel room for some much-needed R&R.
* Went to Freemont Street for their 8:00 "show." Got there at 8:05 and missed the whole thing.
* Saw the volcano at the Mirage and the Bellagio Fountains again from the car.

CACTUS GARDEN NEAR ETHEL M. CHOCOLATE FACTORY...

SCOOTERING ON THE STRIP...

KIERA (BLURRY-SORRY!) IN FRONT OF A TANK OF JELLYFISH...

FREEMONT STREET...



FRIDAY
* Quentin, Kiera and Makenna swam in the hotel pool while Kasidee and I packed up.
* Checked out of Excalibur Hotel.
* Went to Hoover Dam.
* Got to Mesquite, had pizza, and the kids and dads swam in the condo pool.

HOOVER DAM...


DADS AND KIDS...



SATURDAY
* Packed up, cleaned up, and left around noon.
* Stopped at Cove Fort for almost an hour.
* Got home by 7:00 - unloaded car, vacuumed and washed van, had dinner, baths and bed. Whew!

COVE FORT (VERY WINDY!)



Now...we just need to rest up from our vacation! :)

Happy Easter!

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. It's a wonderful time to remember what our Savior has done for us. I am reminded of the quote from Martin Luther: "Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in spring-time."

A week before Easter, we took the girls to Temple Square to get some pics of them in their Easter dresses....








Our Easter day was fun and relaxing. We enjoyed watching Conference, visiting Quentin's grandma in her new home, and being with the Johnson family at Kerry and Joey's cottage - where we had dinner and the kids got to run around the gated/locked storage unit yard and have a gigantic Easter egg hunt!

SOMETHING FROM THE EASTER BUNNY....


WITH GREAT-GRANDMA STEPHENS....


AT THE JOHNSON EASTER PARTY....

Let There Be Light!

It's been a gruelling 3 weeks. Quentin has worked on the electrical for the preschool/theater room every single chance he got. He worked 16 hours on Saturdays and most weeknights after work for about 4 hours. Whew. But it's done - finally!! He ran into quite a few "snafoos" (I have no idea where he got that word) and had to improvise on a few things. He ran 350 feet of wire, and now we have 8 recessed lights, 6 outlets, lines and boxes for 7 sconces, and lines and boxes for the projector, subwoofer, speakers and theater system. Yippee!

Quentin had to turn the power off a couple of times yesterday. The last time was around 8:00 and it was off for a couple of hours. The girls thought it was an adventure, since it was starting to get dark around that time. We got out our lanterns and lit some candles. Kiera said, "It's like Christmas and we're poor!" And Kasidee kept singing "Happy Birthday" to herself over and over. But the girls and I had fun playing My Little Pony and reading stories by candlelight. They were all asleep by the time Quentin got done, but they were so excited to see the new lighting in the room this morning. It's starting to look like a real room rather than a shop/storage room! Next up: Mounting the speakers before we sheetrock around them, and putting in insulation on 1 1/2 walls. It's coming along, slowly but surely!

Tooth Fairy

So...the Tooth Fairy came last night. After going out for ice cream to celebrate and then getting ready for bed, Makenna got a little wishy-washy. She wanted the Tooth Fairy to visit, but she also didn't want to give away her tooth. So she wrote a little note that read, "I want to keep my tooth please." She put her tooth in the little tooth box Granny gave us and put it beside her pillow - not under it. Oh, and she left her water bottle lid off in case the Tooth Fairy wanted to take a swim. When Kiera woke up this morning (Makenna was still asleep), she came in to my room and said, "Mommy, the Tooth Fairy didn't come. I didn't see anything by the box." I found out later that Kiera had placed 5 of her pennies by the box because she was afraid Makenna would be so sad that the Tooth Fairy didn't leave anything. Little did she know that there was a silver dollar under Makenna's pillow! How lucky is that?! Makenna got to keep her tooth AND got a silver dollar! She must be a pretty special girl!

April Fool's!

I don't really like April Fool's Day. I feel like I'm on guard all day, and I'm always at a loss on how I can "get" people. Sometimes I can think of something good, like telling Mom last year that we decided to cancel our trip to Disneyland because we couldn't afford it, or the year I was expecting Kiera and we told our family just weeks before the due date that the doctor had made a mistake and found out it was a boy (after the nursery was finished and the pink clothes were bought). But mostly it's a rather dumb "holiday." I think, anyway.

But today was kind of fun. My mom dropped by with an "April Fool's Gift," some straws she found that are about 2 feet long! The girls have had a blast with them all day! See??


Then this afternoon while I was putting groceries away and the girls were playing in the playroom, they all ran upstairs yelling, "Makenna lost her tooth!" I knew what was going on and said, "Ha - I gotcha. April Fool's, right?" But guess what - her tooth really did come out! She bit into a cookie and it came right out - she thought her cookie had a seed in it! So...it's Makenna's first "Lost Tooth." I can't believe how big she's getting! And isn't her new smile so cute? (She had to change her clothes before she'd let me take her picture - she said she needed to look different because she had a different smile!)


This evening we were able to get Quentin really good, thanks to Kiera's idea. Quentin has been ordering things for the "Theater Room" and we've been receiving quite a few packages lately. One came today and Kiera had the idea of emptying the box, filling it up with toilet paper and paper towel rolls, then re-taping it. Quentin was totally shocked - and we all laughed for a long time!

Day Off!

The girls and I had an unexpected "day off" today! I was planning on going on a field trip with Kiera's class this morning. My mom (who is soooo incredibly nice to watch Makenna and Kasidee every Wednesday afternoon while I teach preschool) offered to come early and stay with Kasidee while I went. But about 30 minutes before school started, I found out that the field trip was cancelled due to "inclement weather." I called my mom but she was already halfway to our house. So guess what I decided to do? I asked the girls if they would like to stay home from school and take Granny out to breakfast!! I emphasized that school is important and that we can't just take a day off any old time just because we feel like it. But I felt okay about letting them stay home - I think they have only been home sick maybe one day this whole school year. And I remember my mom used to let me take a "Just Because" day off sometimes. And that made lots of fun memories! So it ended up being a fun day after all! (Oh, and thanks Mom for always going with the flow and going with our crazy whims!)

Birthday Day

It's been a "Birthday Day" today. Kasidee's little friend Helena turned 2 today and she invited a couple of friends over for a cupcake. Kasidee was SO excited - she could hardly wait!



Then Makenna's friend Samantha had a birthday party at Kangaroo Zoo this afternoon. And lucky Kasidee got to join them. It's been a party day! Hopefully with all that jumping, they'll go to bed early tonight!

For You, Aimee

Okay Aimee, this is for you...since you tagged me BY NAME. I've done something like this before, but normally I would probably just ignore it. But I like the fact that it is a snapshot of my life AT THIS MOMENT. Maybe someday I'll look back and it will bring back memories - not of the moments with the "posed" pictures but the moments that just happen. The rules for this tag are: no cleaning up whatsoever - just go take the picture asked.

So Picture #1 - FAVORITE SHOES
I am not one of those women who love shoes and have a million different pairs of them. Since we take our shoes off when we are home, I am most comfy without shoes on. But if I have to wear them, I want something simple and something that can slip on and off easily. That's why I love sandals in the summer. But since it's snowing today, I took a picture of these. I call them my "clogs." They were actually on clearance at Walmart - and they're mens. (Don't tell anyone!) I love 'em because they're durable, simple, and (I think) chic!!


#2 KITCHEN SINK
I spend quite a bit of time here, so I'm glad I have a pretty view of the trees and backyard and swingset (which you can't see in the picture because it's snowing!)


#3 FAVORITE ROOM
What happens if you have, like, 7 favorite rooms? I like my kitchen because it's where everything happens. I like my family room because it's where we all hang out. I like the playroom because it's just so fun. I like my downstairs bathroom because we worked hard remodeling it and I like how it turned out. I like the living room because of the beautiful view of the mountain. I like the scrapbooking room because it's "my" room. I like the girls' rooms because they're theirs and there's just a sweet feeling when you go in them (especially if they're clean). And I like my room and bathroom because it's where I feel safe at night. Okay, so that's, like 10 rooms. Well, I love every room in my whole house. But if I had to pick a favorite "spot," it would be the reading bench in Kiera and Makenna's room. It's where the 4 of us cuddle up each night and read stories and it's where I read MY books while they're falling asleep. Ahhhh....


#4 WHAT ARE THE KIDS DOING RIGHT NOW?
After a couple of hours playing "Tinkerbell" together, I guess the girls got tired of each other. They're all doing their own thing at the moment:
Kiera is writing or drawing in her little notebook:


Makenna is playing in the water (of course). Apparently plastic butterflies like to swim!


Kasidee is playing "chi-chin" (or how she says "kitchen") She loves, loves, loves the kitchen set Santa brought.


#5 SELF PORTRAIT
This technically isn't a self portrait since Makenna took the picture. She even told me how to pose.


#6 YOUR BATHROOM
Can't see my shower or my jetted tub. But they're there. And my closet too.


#7 YOUR CLOSET
I'm still trying to decide if I want a door or a curtain on this closet. And see Kasidee's clothes hanging up on the right side? It's because Kiera and Makenna's clothes are in the closet in Kasidee's room because they don't have a closet in their room. So her clothes are in our closet. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? Wait till they get to be teenagers and then Quentin will have to build them each their own closet!


#8 YOUR FRIDGE
Let's see...we've got milk, strawberry milk, and soymilk. Salad, blackberries, hummus, string cheese, wheat berries, almonds, leftover burritos, apples, carrots, celery, green peppers.... Oh, and some of the not-so-healthy stuff: root beer, chocolate syrup and fry sauce.


#9 YOUR LAUNDRY ROOM
It looks clean because all the dirty laundry is in the basket in the bottom cupboard. Today is one of my twice-weekly laundry days and I still haven't touched it. Yet. I'm too busy blogging!


So...who to tag? Well, I'd say anyone who would like to take a few minutes and document the "NOW" in your life. Come on, it's fun!

Field Trip

This morning I got to join Makenna for her "big" class field trip to Fresh Market in Centerville. I had volunteered to go but then the teacher discovered there were too many moms that volunteered so she just picked 6 to go and sent a letter home. Makenna said, "I hope they need you to go - because I need to you to go!" Oh, how sweet! So it was a good thing I was "picked!"

So we walked to the bus stop, took the maybe 3 minute bus ride on the UTA (not school!) bus, then walked to the grocery store. There, they got to sample cheese at the deli, look at the birthday cakes, get an apple from the produce manager, talk to the butcher (Makenna's least favorite part), and go in the back and see the walk-in freezer and walk-in fridge where the milk is stored. Then they each got to pretend to be a cashier and scan something. Then they got a balloon and a sack full of snacks. Then we walked back to the bus stop and rode back to school.

Today I had an "aha moment" about why I just love kids. Everything is new to them and so exciting. They are thrilled about such little things. One kid exclaimed as we were walking to the bus stop, "Woah! Look how little our school looks!" And you should have heard the squeals when they could spot the bus coming down the street. So sweet and simple!

Oh, and I have to tell something about Makenna. As we were walking back to the bus stop to go back to school, Makenna's friend Ellie came up to me and said, "Makenna is such a good friend. She gave me her balloon!" Each kid had received a balloon, so I asked Makenna why she gave Ellie the balloon. Makenna said, "Ellie's balloon went up in the sky. I didn't want her to be sad, so I gave her my balloon." So sweet! Another mom overheard and ran back and got Makenna a balloon. I just wish I could bottle up this sweetness and innocence and pure excitement!

MAKENNA'S REACTION WHEN THE BUS STARTED GOING

CUTE FRIENDS

PRETENDING TO BE A CASHIER

THE WHOLE GANG

WAITING FOR THE BUS TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL

Book Worm!

I've mentioned before how much Kiera loves to read. But I just can't tell you how much that means to me as her parent! Quentin has never really liked reading and has wished that he had that love, that desire, to delve into a good book. I love, love, love to read and am overjoyed that Kiera loves it as well. Friday she brought home a book from school - "Wayside School is Falling Down," a book about crazy things that happen at a crazy school. She sat and read, and read, and read. Even when we left in the evening to run a few errands, she read in the car. And by the end of the night, she had read the ENTIRE 180-page chapter book. And she was so sad it was over, she began reading it over again the next day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day has been a big deal at our house this year. A few days ago, Kiera came home from school, distraught, because her teacher said leprechauns are not real - they're like fables or fairytales. Kiera asked us what we thought. Oh, to be little again and have that imagination and hope! But we wanted to be cautious and truthful - we said that leprechauns are Irish and there are real Irish people (this spurred Kiera to do a bunch of research on Ireland, where it's located, what the flag looks like, what the people look like, Irish names, etc. etc.) Quentin also mentioned that leprechauns aren't usually seen, but that doesn't mean they're real or not real. I think that satisfied her a little.

Yesterday was a preparation day for St. Patrick's Day. At school Kiera and her friend Ashley made a "Leprechaun House" at the base of a tree. It was made out of leaves and twigs. Yesterday afternoon the girls' cousins came over and made St. Patrick's designs with perler beads. And after dinner, the girls' friends Chloe and Sophie came over and made their perler bead designs as well and contributed them to the "shrine" (for lack of a better word) they made for the leprechauns. Kiera had drawn pictures and wrote letters to the leprechauns that might visit in the night. In her letter, she asked if the house she and Ashley made could be their real house, she asked what their names are and she asked if they could come and play sometime. Oh, and she wrote, "And tell [my teacher] that you are real."

So imagine our surprise when, this morning, the marshmallows they left out for the leprechauns were half-eaten and scattered on the floor along with some "magic glitter." (Apparently leprechauns can be pretty messy!) They had answered Kiera's letter, saying their names were Patrick and Megan and they thanked them for the treats. They also left a picture of their house and left green stones with a thumbprint sticker on them under each of the girls' pillows. Wow! The leprechauns must think these girls are pretty sweet!

WHAT THE GIRLS LEFT FOR THE LEPRECHAUNS TO FIND

TREASURES FOR THE LEPRECHAUNS

WHERE THE LEPRECHAUNS LIVE

SHAMROCK WAFFLES FOR BREAKFAST!

ALL IN GREEN!

Chickpea Curry

I have a new obsession. Chickpea Curry. Seriously. I've tried different versions of this Indian staple but have found that most are overpoweringly (is that a word?) SPICY! I was in the mood to try a new recipe last week and stumbled upon this one. I made it...and fell in love! And I can't stop craving it - I think I'll have to make another batch SOON!

I decided to post this recipe so all future generations can know this was one of my favorites! I just added a simple green salad and some crusty bread. Mmmm.... Let me know if any of you try it!

4 large (Costco-sized!) potatoes, cubed
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons curry powder (or more, depending on your taste)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons cumin (or more - seriously, can you ever have too much cumin? Mmmm)
2 teaspoons salt
2 (10.75 oz.) cans condensed tomato soup
1 cup milk (or soymilk!)
2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, rinsed and drained

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat; simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir in curry powder, ginger, cumin and salt. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring.
3. Pour in soup, milk, chickpeas and corn. Stir in potatoes. Simmer till heated through.