Camping

We went camping last weekend with Quentin's brother Corbin and his family, and his brother Dallin. We ended up having lots of fun but there were a few things that really "tested" us. On our way up to Big Cottonwood Canyon, our van overheated. It just totally died and we had to pull over for a few minutes. We realized that our poor old van can't pull a tent trailer and run the a/c at the same time. So to cool things off a bit, we drove the rest of the way up with the heater on and the windows rolled down. At least we made it!

Corbin got to the site about an hour before we did and got the very last spot. Out of about 100 spots. We were able to all share the spot, so that was pretty lucky.

But then as Quentin was cranking up the top of the tent trailer, he got it up maybe a foot and then it just fell. The dumb cable that makes the top go all the way up broke, leaving our tent trailer unusable. Great - now what? I felt so frustrated, and I just wanted to go home and cry. But we emptied out the stuff we had put in the trailer and Quentin and Corbin ran the trailer back home (thank goodness we were only about an hour away from home!) Then he picked up a new tent for 88 bucks at Walmart. We set it up and were good to go. I felt a lot better then. The tent was nice, but man - we realized how much we really love our little tent trailer! We sure missed the comforts and safety of it!

I think after that (besides a few scrapes, mosquito bites, small bike crashes, and some stinging nettle on Makenna's fingers) things were okay. We had a fun time and made some good memories - and we can't wait to go again next year!


RIDING BIKES

GEOCACHING

HIKE BY DONUT FALLS

"FREE WOOD FOR SALE"

Swimming Lessons

The girls took swimming lessons this summer - this was Kasidee's first year! They all loved it and did really well. They hated to see it end!

KIERA



MAKENNA



KASIDEE



THREE BATHING BEAUTIES!

Sprinkle

The girls love to swim and splash, but for some reason I am still trying to figure out, I am not a big fan of going to public pools. However, with 8 swimming lessons, a daddy-daughter date to the Rec Center, a couple days of sprinklers and kiddie pools at our house and a few days of sprinklers at friends' houses, I think the girls got enough water time this summer. At least for the time being!

Makenna's Gymnastics Class

This summer, in addition to swimming classes, the girls each got to pick a summer rec class they wanted to take. Makenna chose gymnastics. It was held at Flip's in Bountiful and she was so happy to have a few of her friends in the class too. It was an hour each week for 5 weeks. She had so much fun and wants to do it again next year - and Kiera wants to join her!

Catch Up

I feel like I either haven't HAD the time or TAKEN the time to blog lately. So here I am playing catchup again. Here's what this last week held for us:

* We bought a trampoline! We never really thought we would get one, since 2 sets of cousins have trampolines. But the girls love jumping on their trampolines so much that we decided it would be worthwhile to get our own. After searching a few places, we noticed that we could either get a really high quality one for like $900 or a cheap one for about $250. It might not be as good of quality, but it seems okay and it works for us. And the best thing? We didn't pay 250 bucks. We paid 15 cents. Yep, 15 cents for a brand-new in-the-box trampoline at Walmart. Quentin got a bonus gift card from his work and we ended up paying 15 cents. Not bad, eh?

HERE ARE OUR CRAZY GIRLS JUMPING IN THE DARK - LOOKS LIKE A CAGE!


* The girls started swimming lessons. Kasidee was a little hesitant at first - till we got there. All 3 girls are LOVING it! (I'll have to post pictures later - we've still got one week left.)

* The girls had their dentist appointment. Poor Makenna had a cavity, and the doc wants to do an expander retainer for Kiera for her crossbite (hardly noticeable.) We're still trying to decide about that.

* Makenna had her second-to-last gymnastics class. She's having so much fun!

* Had several playdates with friends and cousins.

* Quentin, my mom and I went to "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" at the Centerpoint Legacy Theater in Centerville. Have I told you before how much I love live theater? ;)

* Went to Lagoon for the girls' cousins Stake Lagoon Day (we all decided to just do the free entrance - we walked around Pioneer Village, got ice cream, and played in the fountains.)




* The girls had a "Late Night" with friends - movie, popcorn, snacks, lots of giggles.

* Took a ride on a little train at the S&S Railroad in Farmington


* Kiera, Makenna and I went to a baby shower; Kasidee and Quentin had a Daddy-Daughter date while we were gone.

Can I just say I hate that school is only 2 weeks away? Where has summer gone? I am already missing my girls. I love having them home with me and they have generally gotten along pretty well this summer. They are all at ages where they play so well together and

Week in Review

So I guess I've been a little too busy to take the time to blog. But here's what last week looked like. Just trying to squeeze in lots of fun before school starts!

* Met Mom and Grandma for lunch
* Cleaned out our garage (that deserves a separate post - coming soon)
* Lemonade stand - twice

* Played with friends
* Picnic dinner at the park
* Dinner at cousin's house
* Spent the day in Salt Lake with my mom - had lunch at Spaghetti Factory, browsed at Pottery Barn Kids and Whole Foods in Trolley Square, had dessert at City Cakes.

* Fireworks in our driveway
* Final "Summer Reading Program" show at the library
* Learned magic tricks
* Played at the park

* Slept in tent trailer overnight (in our driveway!)
* Bought a trampoline - after using some gift cards we had, we ended up paying 15 cents for it!
* Quentin took the girls swimming at the Rec Center and gave me several hours of peace and quiet, home alone!
* Had cousins over for dinner

What To Do With Zucchini

So...we planted 4 zucchini plants but only 2 grew. And out of those 2 plants, we are getting LOTS of zucchini. I've made 3 dozen zucchini bread "cupcakes," 1 zucchini bread loaf, put some in fajitas, put some in soup, and made an Italian zucchini/tomato/kidney bean casserole. And we still have 5 sitting on our counter, plus more waiting to be picked.

Besides giving them away, which we will, does anyone have any recipe ideas for this great veggie?

Bike to DQ

I realize a lot of my posts are about things that probably no one else really cares about. But blogging is kind of like journaling to me, and I like to have a record of some of the fun things we do, even if it makes for boring reading to everyone else!! (So...sorry!)

Anyway, last night the 5 of us rode our bikes over to Dairy Queen for some treats. It was a perfect-sized bike ride (1 1/2 miles each way) and it was nice to have a fun stop before we headed back home. It is something the girls say they want to do lots more times before summer ends!

Soccer Camp

Our neighbor invited some of the neighborhood kids (and a few of his nieces and nephews) to do a “Soccer Camp” with him over at the elementary school this week - Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The girls were sooo excited to be able to go, and they were even more excited afterward! They all love to play soccer and it was fun to have an excuse to play and learn drills.

KIERA AND MAKENNA'S CLASS

KASIDEE'S CLASS

EVERYBODY WITH "COACH CHAD"

Skyline Drive

Yesterday evening we went for a "Sunday Drive." We headed up toward the "B" in Bountiful and went along Skyline Drive. Sooo nice! We were surprised to find patches of snow - in July! But it was a beautiful drive, and we took a little walk by some cabins. Ahhhh....

New Toy

So...Quentin came home from work the other day and saw our neighbor Scott mowing his lawn. Scott has a nice, new, professional riding lawn mower - but that day he was using a push mower instead. Quentin chatted with him a bit and asked him why he wasn't using his riding mower. Scott told him that he decided he needed a bit more exercise. Then all of a sudden Scott said, "Hey! I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but I want to give you my old riding lawn mower. It's not the one I usually use, but one that I have in my shop that I haven't used in years. Would you want it?"

WHA?! Um...are you kidding? Quentin has often said that he doesn't mind mowing the lawn because it's good exercise. But every time he does it I feel bad. He's dripping with sweat and it takes him a LONG time - almost 2 hours to do the front and back, and that's without weed-eating. I guess that's because our yard is almost 1/2 acre and mostly grass. But lately Quentin has been eyeing our neighbors who have riding lawn mowers, saying how nice it would be if we could find a used riding mower for cheap.

And then our neighbor offers one to us. Of course Quentin was so excited - he said, "Well, yes - I'd love it! How much are you asking?" And the neighbor just wanted to give it to us. For free. How incredibly nice is that? (Maybe he was just trying to give us a hint that we need to mow our lawn more often!) Anyway, Quentin tried it out and loves it. Even the girls love going for rides on it! Anyway, check out our new toy (this is before Quentin and the girls gave it a "bath"):

Bella

Kiera's friend Ashley went out of town for a few days and asked us to take care of her bunny Bella. The girls were so excited! We didn't have to do much - just give her carrots, celery, water, hay and rabbit pellets. We were able to take her out of her cage a couple of times and let her hop around in her pen in the backyard. It was fun. I almost thought it would be fun to get a bunny someday - until the girls tried to cuddle with it and it kept jumping out of their arms. Bunnies are weird that way - they aren't big on cuddling. Maybe we just need to adopt a pet every once in awhile!

Salt Lake

At least once every summer, we have a tradition of "Kicking Around in Salt Lake." It's something we all look forward to, and last Thursday was our first time this year. Since Quentin's office is right next to the fountains at Gateway, we met him for lunch - we had sandwiches in the shade next to the fountains. Then of course the girls wanted to play in the fountains. They played / laid on the warm bricks for about an hour. Then we went to the Salt Lake library and got oodles of books (my dad has a Salt Lake library card and lets us borrow it!)






Then we checked out a bakery that I've been hearing a lot about - City Cakes. It's not only a dang-good bakery, but a vegan one as well! Now, it's not that I'm necessarily against eggs or butter or milk in bakery products (and I'll still eat them!) but I've always been intrigued that yummy things can still be made without those things (and with other natural ingredients.) Whenever I bake, which is rare, I try to "veganize" the recipes. But it can be hard/expensive to do everything totally vegan. Anyway, the girls and I were excited to try this bakery. I had a to-die-for Lemon Blueberry Scone. Oh yum. And the girls had (which I tried too!) a chocolate-dipped peanut butter cookie, a snickerdoodle, and a ginger softie. Oh yum. I don't know why I didn't get any pictures! But I'm sure we'll be going back there sooooon!

After our yummy treat, we went to Sunflower Market then stopped by Mom's house to say hi to her and Grandma. The girls kept telling me, "This is the best day ever!"

Summer Fun

We had a free day on Saturday, so we went to Sub Zero (yum) and the car wash (a fun one, with the brushes and stuff) and ran a few errands. We didn't return home until the late afternoon, and we told the girls we would fill up the kiddie pool and turn on the sprinklers. Yipee! But as soon as the pool was filled, black clouds filled the sky. It started thundering/lightning and raining. Dang. We had also planned on going for a bike ride later that evening, but that was off too.

It seemed like a long wait till Monday evening when we were finally able to do our bike ride. We used our "hitch bike trailer" that Mom gave us for Christmas, loaded up the bikes, and headed over to the Lagoon Trail (Farmington Creek Trail.) I LOVE riding bikes, and I LOVE Lagoon Trail. Simply heaven.



And today (Tuesday) the girls finally were able to play in their pool and the sprinklers. Ahhh, Summer!

Food for Thought

I saw this on a display at the Exploratorium in San Francisco and had to share:

"Switching from beef and dairy to vegetarian meals just one day a week saves as much carbon pollution as driving 1160 fewer miles a year. One small change can make a big difference."

And can you imagine the impact that could be made with a vegan lifestyle? I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I've been vegetarian (and vegan-ish) for about 24 years. At that time, a vegetarian diet was most often considered weird or unhealthy or full of deprivation. But I have been thrilled to see a gradual shift in thinking and acceptance. Not only is a vegetarian lifestyle now generally accepted and appreciated, it is becoming revered as one of the healthiest diets one can have. Vegetarian meals are usually very flavorful, colorful, filling, and delish - and with the awesome benefit of being a more peaceful way of living. Kinder to animals; gentler on the earth. Living and eating with awareness and compassion.

I'm just sayin'! :)

Oobleck

I had never even heard of Oobleck until a few months ago when I was on the internet, searching for something for preschool. Up popped a recipe for Oobleck and it got me curious. I wrote it down, thinking it would be a fun thing to do this summer. So then when we went to San Francisco, the Exploratorium had an exhibit on this Oobleck stuff. So cool, and we couldn't wait to try it when we got home.

So today we tried it. You just have to try it to understand it. I guess Oobleck was named after a Dr. Suess book where a gooey substance (called Oobleck) covered the whole town. Oobleck is known as a non-Newtonian substance, meaning that it has liquid properties and solid properties as well. It's strange - it pours like a liquid but when you exert pressure on it (stirring, poking, rolling, etc.) it feels more like a solid. It's weird. And Kiera, our science nut, couldn't get enough of it!

So...here's the recipe in case you're interested:

1 cup water
1 1/2 to 2 cups cornstarch
Food coloring (optional)
Mix with hands, wait about 10 minutes, then pour onto a counter or table and have fun!

Funny

We went to the park yesterday evening. Kasidee took my hand, led me over to the playground and said, "I want to show you something. I used to can't do this but now I can."

Fourth

The Fourth of July weekend was a fun, busy one as always. Let's see...we did the Children's Bike Parade (see previous post), Kiera went to the Centerville parade with a friend, we had a BBQ at Corbin and Nikki's house, watched fireworks at Eaglewood Golf Course, saw Cars 2, had dinner with Mom and Grandma, and watched fireworks at Corbin and Nikki's neighbor's house. Whew.

I love the evening lighting and tried to get a few shots before the golf course fireworks show started - but the kids were so fast and wouldn't slow down for me to get the shots I wanted. But oh well. Check it out anyway:



Makenna catching "fairies"

Haircut

Can you believe Kasidee is almost 4 years old and we've never cut her hair? Her hair just grew out pretty and didn't seem to have awkward phases. I loved that she had a little curl at the nape of her neck that just got longer and longer as her hair grew out. Well, she's been wanting her hair cut (and she even did her own trim about a month ago - erg!) so we decided it was time. Quentin, of course, wanted to be the first one to trim her hair so he did. So cute!

BEFORE - with her Rapunzel hair (her hair's a little lumpy on the side!)

HALFWAY THERE (I cried when I saw her cute curl!)

AFTER - So cute!

Bike Parade

To kick of the weekend-long 4th of July celebration, we took the girls to the Centerville City Children's Bike Parade last night. They love washing and decorating their bikes in preparation. We joined tons of people in a 5-ish block parade and finished with popsicles in the shade. Ahhh, summer!