Southern California, how we love you!

We spent the first third of February in California - and we loved it! Shorts, sun, fun loved ones and beach. What could be better.
We spent 4 days at Disneyland, riding the best rides over and over. Kate got to meet princesses and Graham somehow survived the experience. We told him he was going to do "Wees"

The kids are such coaster fans that we rode those the most, but we did our share of Indiana Jones, Pirates, Tower of Terror, and all the rest. We even saw the Aladdin show. It was warm enough that the Splash Mountain ride was refreshing - beautiful days!

Then, we went to Knott's Berry Farm. And, there were literally no people there! It was crazy to just walk on to any ride we wanted and have it sitting there waiting for passengers. It was so fun. It was also fun to experience it all with Nicole, Andy and the girls. They were good sports, and even helped Graham get a nap he much needed.

We had two beach days - and it was so beautiful. We loved the waves, the sand, and exploring Santa Monica Pier.

We enjoyed our time with the Halls and the Kanes while we were in California. It was so neat to feel like we had a home away from home. We were well cared for and great conversations.

What a fun vacation. Now we are back to cold, snow and school. As we were driving through snow storms on the way back, it was tempting to return. But, we have returned and the we are back into the swing of things. Never a dull moment!

January Begins 2012

My first project of the year was to get Audrey and Carson's bedrooms updated. It was fun to paint furniture and a shelf, buy frames, make art work and lampshades. It all looks so much better now. It is sooo rewarding to redo rooms in the house. I am pretty addicted when I get started and I hardly slept or ate because I was so excited to get it done.

The science fair was fun. The girls did an experiment with a water rocket. Audrey and her friend Tierra did a great job!

January was also the spelling bee. We were in charge of the spelling bee this year, and so it was a lot of work putting it on. It was very rewarding to see the kids practice so hard for the bees. There were two - one for the lower grades, one for the higher. We had a child in each so we had a neutral moderator and judges. Anyway - THEY BOTH WON their bees!!! We have two champion spellers now. What an amazing event. We were a little surprised, but very happy for them. Here they are as they prepare to spell their hearts out.

Graham, well, yesterday he was a rock star - and here are his moves. What a little nut!

We're off to Disneyland in a few more days. I can't wait! It should be so much fun!

Merry Christmas, 2011!

Well, it was a fun December - parties, santa and presents. We are grateful to be able to fill our lives with 4 kids who are so excited for Christmas. We had so many countdowns, service charts, secret santas, and more planned by our kids during the season. It was fun to share their excitement. Chad always does a daddy date and takes each kid Christmas shopping and to do a fun activity. It is one of our highlights to see what they buy for each other. It is all so cute.

Anyway, we have enjoyed a little winter swimming, a trip to the new Natural History Museum of Utah, Kate's dance day, class parties, and fun family parties.

Christmas was pretty magical. Santa was able to fulfill most of the kids wishes, and that was really fun! Anyway, it is hard to believe that another year is drawing to a close. I am just really grateful for this time I have to be a mom to these wonderful kids!

Gnarly November

Well, November has been great. We had several noteworthy events, but mostly just good family fun. We have been using our new passes at Trafalga - fun for a couple of hours on a Saturday!

Carson has earned his yellow belt! He started in August, and has been pretty dedicated to practicing. We are proud of his progress. He now gets to be in the same class as his friend, yea!

We had a fun family adventure - Layton Surf-n-Swim with the whole Iverson clan. Weeze and family we love you!

We also went to the new children's exhibit at the church history museum with the Halls. That turned out to be more adventure than we bargained for. Graham got lost - and their were about 20 people searching for him. We looked for over 10 minutes (no idea exactly how long, it seemed like an eternity). No sign. I was starting to get pretty scared. Finally, someone followed a prompting to look on the elevator. Sure enough, he was locked inside with the doors closed. What an elevator ride, we were all so relieved!

Thanksgiving was wonderful. We hosted my sister's family and the Iverson parents. Here are the kids enjoying their turkey dinner! We had a wonderful day - very low key and good company.

Now it is Christmas time!

The Warm Sun and Blue Skies of October

We went to several parks in October. We loved the fall weather, the bright sun, and the general peaceful feeling everywhere. Fall is so beautiful! We had several days off of school, and we made the most of the Indian summer we have been having. There are three park finds in this picture: West Jordan City Park (amazing toys!), Memory Grove in downtown SLC - it was like a nature hike in the middle of the city, and Scera park in Orem with Jen's son Joshua. What a great way to spend the fall.



In a creative burst, we thought of the idea of doing the "domino effect" with books. We built several designs, but our favorite one was this spiral design. It worked perfectly, spiraling around into the center when we started the effect. It also kept several active boys amused! Just what we needed during one nap for Graham.




We took Audrey and Carson to a football game - and it was once again beautiful weather and a great day to watch the BYU cougars. It was also nice to get a win. They have been a little sparse this season.

And - got to love Halloween. Our kids have been on a sugar high for days. They had parties and parades all day, trick-or-treating at dad's office, and then the main event that night. It is amazing how quickly Graham picked up on how to score candy. The kids were so excited, and it is fun to do Halloween with them! Graham was a football player, Kate a fairy, Carson a mummy and Audrey a rock star.

One of my favorite everyday good times as a mom includes our hiking and exploring this fall in the perfect fall weather.

Big Sun and Fun in September

Wow - it's been all sun for weeks. It has been wonderful. That made every fun activity even more enjoyable. We have had Audrey's birthday party, school events, and fun fall outings.

Kate started Kindergarten this fall - what a crazy change for all of us! She LOVES Kindergarten! She has so many friends already in her class - and she has made more. She is leaning so much - and sweet to everyone. Everyday she wants to play with one of her friends after school.

The biggest event of the month was Kate's broken arm . . . She fell off of the monkey bars at recess - and got a brake in her elbow. We found out it needed to be pinned - so we spent the afternoon at the primary children's surgical center doing anesthesia and bone setting/pinning. She is so sweet. Even though she has been in pain off and on through this process - she always has a good attitude. She will get the cast off in two more weeks!

Audrey is now 10 years old!!! She is getting so independent and wonderful. I really have appreciated her increased helpfulness and good attitude. She is a pleasure to be around. She changed to a new school, and was really worried about the "mean" teacher she was assigned there. Instead, she has really thrived and done well in school and with friends. We are all grateful to the easy transition. Her birthday party was the LOUDEST one yet. That was a learning - older is also louder!

Carson and Chad did an epic hike up to the outlaw cabin. It is found along the trail to the top of lone peak, and is about 5 1/2 miles straight up the mountain. They started hiking at 6 am, in the dark. They reached the cabin around 10 am. They didn't return until about 2 pm. Along the way they saw a dead deer tied to a tree, cool views and sunrises, and an awesome old tree. The best part was the cabin and the baby skis they found inside. Good work, boys!

We have had fun doing family activities, football games, soccer games, school events like the jog-a-thon and egg drop, and watching Carson exhibit his new Karate skills. Fall always feels so wonderful - the sun is warming and bright, the air is a little cooler, the colors are vibrant, there is a sense of contentment in the air. What a wonderful world.

Lazy Days of Summer

It has been the easy slow days of summer! And I actually have ENJOYED taking it all a little slower than usual. We have gone places and played when I had time, but there have been plenty of days of being home all day - playing with friends, and kids busy creating projects and fun. This is more like the summers I remember. Here, Carson is swinging on a rope swing we found in the Dimple Dell. What a fun surprise! A little adventure close to home.


It was $2 Tuesday at Thanksgiving Point again - and of course, we couldn't stay away. We love the flower gardens - and everyone always wants to stay longer than we can. We were sad that the lighthouse was gone. We loved the children's gardens, as always. It is so fun to feed the fish and play by the water fountains. What a neat get-away.

We got the library city pass this month and enjoyed the Art museum, Red Butte Gardens and Discovery Gateway (we can't wait for the Natural History Museum to reopen in their new building!). After playing for literally hours in the giant dominoes at the Discovery Gateway, we hit the fountains as well. It is so fun to have the weather hot enough to enjoy the refreshing water.


We visited Red Butte Gardens just as a very wet thunderstorm arrived. We hid under cover for about an hour while the rain just poured in sheets. The kids still had fun performing on "stage" and marveling at the water pouring off the roof. After the rainstorm ended, we were pretty much the only people in the gardens for our entire stay. Even the workers had cleared out during the storm. We played and played until Graham was too tired to go on and needed a nap. Very good day.


The kids all ran a race this August - we joined the Lindon Days Festival for their 5K and kids race. Audrey and Carson ran the kids race. They both finished the full 3.1 miles!!! Very cool to see them accomplish something hard! Kate ran the kids race, which was a 1K. She did amazing - I couldn't hardly keep up for a lot of the start, and she kept going when she got tired. The big surprise was that she got a blue ribbon for finishing first in her age division (5 and 6 year old girls). That was a very fun reward for her.

One of our favorite things, and according to Audrey, a sign summer is about to end: The Sandy Balloon Festival. We ate doughnuts and watched balloons fill and launch. While waiting for the launching, we sat and read books, one of my favorite things to do with the kids. It was a great morning, and a good send off to summer!