Scout-o-Rama

So by now you all know we are big-time scouters in our family and we have been looking forward to May 5, 2012 since last October. That's right, it was the Scout-o-Rama! Sport, Scout, Curly, and my sweetie have been hard at work on pinewood derby cars for the last two weeks, but I'll let him tell you that story tomorrow.

In March, Sport walked the neighborhood for hours until he sold 53 $5 tickets to the Scout-o-Rama...and that's a real bargain for those of us who attended. We showed up around 9:30 and after checking in the cars, we started browsing through the booths. They had so many things to do! Here's Curly and Sport in a footrace around the cones. We raced cars, built boats, played with Legos, made bracelets and stamped leather. We planted seeds, played carnival games, excelled at "whack-a-scout" (use your imagination, it's just what you think), and wrote letters to the veterans.

Sport earned his Geography belt loop and a bunch of arrow points. He also spent an hour in the booth helping with the pinewood derby so he could get a percentage of his ticket sales back to support his scout activities.

While I was supporting him in the booth, Bossy and the Drama Queen took all the little kids and got in line for the most awesome activity in the building. Yeah, it was even cooler than the climbing wall. It was a huge contraption with bungee cords and four trampolines and the kids were so excited to ride. I thought they were a little nuts, but it wasn't me standing in line, so I didn't care.

My sweetie and I wandered around looking for Pack Meeting ideas and then we picked up Sport and headed to the trampoline area. Management nicely allowed him to slip in line with his siblings since he had been working in the BSA booth. And it's a good thing. They had closed down the line by then. Average wait time: 2 hours. Yeah, Bossy and the Drama Queen stood in line that entire time with all the kids, mine and hers except for Sport. If you are counting, that's six kids under the age of 9. At some point the Dog Walker joined them too.

It was nearly time for the Scout-o-Rama to be over by the time they finally got to the front of the line. I thought they were crazy when they decided to strap up Baby Doll, but the guys said if she could walk, she could ride. Curly was so excited he could hardly jump, so one of the workers bounced him up until he was sailing 20 feet above us.

So excited...

The Dog Walker was totally silly and he screamed like a little girl as he was hoisted up. Baby Doll was fine at 10 feet, but much higher and she was afraid so they lowered her back down.

When they finally got out of the harnesses, Curly came running to us with his shoes. "That was so AWESOME!" he yelled. I've never seen him so excited. "Was it worth waiting in line?" I asked. Remember, that line took nearly 2 hours. "YES!" That grin didn't leave his face for the rest of the afternoon.

Strapping up...

As we were walking back across the parking lot, we saw a guy who had just tipped his little cart full of booth stuff. The kids were quick to help him pick things up and carry them to his car. Scouts teaches them so many things...and I love watching them "Do A Good Turn Daily."

Curly loved flying!

That's my Baby Doll.

Our Mini Vacation part 2

After we got out of the pool, we headed upstairs. About an hour later we all met in our room jammied and ready for bed. The kids polished off the last of the pizza and we read our scriptures and had family prayer together. It had been a long day and even though the bed was hard as a rock and totally uncomfortable, I curled up with Baby Doll and fell asleep before 11:00.

We got up early Saturday and had breakfast, cleaned the rooms, and checked out before 10:00. I didn't know how long it would take to get to Manila through the mountainous roads, so we wanted to allow plenty of time. The Tupperware party wasn't until 1:00, but I couldn't chance being late. It was a good thing we left early, because we rolled into town just before noon.

It took us about 5 minutes to see pretty much everything. We headed back to what was obviously the center of town and bought gas so we could use the restrooms, then we drove to the park. It was right next to the elementary school and across the street from the high school. It was also about half a block from the Tupperware party location.

It was a little chilly, but we tugged on jackets, and unloaded our picnic lunch. While we were eating, we noticed a group congregating  near the elementary. There were only about 12 people, but it was making my sweetie a little nervous. Then Bossy noticed the neat rows of round white laundry baskets...I guess even in Manila you can order a Bountiful Basket!

We relaxed after that and the kids enjoyed the playground. I changed my clothes in the van and then my sweetie dropped me off at the party site. My cute host was as nice in person as she was on the phone and her party was awesome! It didn't cover my expenses, but it made a pretty good dent in them. She even gave me a Scentsy warmer and a scent to go with it (that's what she sells...) as a gift for coming all that way!

The party ended about 3:00 and we hit the road shortly afterward. Rather than go back the way we came, we headed into Wyoming. The drive was quicker and we got to see different scenery. We only stopped once at a Maverik for ice cream sandwiches and gas.

We got home just before 7:00 and in time to wave to the Drama Queen as she took off for work. She and Teach treated me to a clean house and 16 dozen boiled eggs ready for dye. They even cooked supper! We spent the rest of the evening coloring eggs and getting ready for Easter.Sunday.

All in all it was an awesome weekend, full of family, fun, and fossils...and a little bit of Tupperware...

San Francisco

Ghiraidelli Chocolate Factory

We haven't really been on that many vacations during our married life. It wasn't until Bossy was in middle school that we actually took our first real one where we did all the planning, scheduling, you know.  Sometime I'll tell you about that one, but today I want to tell you about our first out-of-state trip.

I wanted to take the kids to see the ocean. I had been there once as a child and it was something I wanted to share with them. California is obviously the closest for us, but we couldn't really afford Disneyland, so we decided to head for San Francisco. My sister had recently been there and she gave it glowing reports. It was the summer of 2004 and from the pictures you can see that Sport was the baby and Scout wasn't born yet.

While I was busy making reservations, I ran across City Passes for the first time. They saved us SOO much money! But even more importantly, they helped us plan our trip. We got these 4-star hotels in Burlingame which is just a short drive from San Francisco. I'm pretty sure our room rate was $46 per room per night. I loved that hotel! It was beautiful and clean and new. I brought home all the extra shampoo bottles and every time I wanted to remember that trip, I would sneak one out of the drawer and use it.

My first glimpse of the bay was absolutely breathtaking. We didn't know where we were going and we were traveling by this wall of rocks. I told my sweetie to pull over and I would quickly scale this wall (I was much younger then...) and I thought we might be able to see the bay in the distance. Wrong! When I got to the top, the bay was right there! I could have stuck my foot in it. I had the kids carefully climb the wall to see what I saw and we were all mesmerized by the sight. Thankfully no one fell in.

One of the things the kids were most excited about was the cruise we took around the bay. We had never really spent much time in boats, so it was a whole new world for us. We took my MIL with us. She was sweet and patient with the kids (although she has refused every vacation since!) and I think she had a little fun anyway.  The Pier itself was awesome even though we didn't shop much. We loved the underwater aquarium and the seals sunning themselves.

I have always been a little terrified of tons of water, so the bridges were scary to me. Not because I'm not a good swimmer, but because I didn't know how I could possibly save all these kids if we were to suddenly plunge into a large body of water and how would I choose? But I digress...

My sweetie wanted to drive on the bridges. The Golden Gate Bridge was fine, but then we got on the San Francisco/Oakland Bay bridge. It was rush hour and we were stuck there for quite some time. After nearly an hour, my very autistic Dog Walker announced that he had to go to the bathroom. He was bouncing around in his seat, doing the potty dance until we finally got off the bridge. We stopped at the first gas station and wouldn't you know it, it was closed! The poor kid, I don't know how he held it for so long.

Ghiradelli Square, the cable cars, the Golden Gate bridge, everything was so new and exciting! The favorite place though, was the Exploratorium. I think the kids could have spent a week in there looking and touching and playing...oh yeah, and learning. We loved San Francisco so much we planned a second trip back there the next year. Some of the magic was gone, but it was still a fun trip. And I got more memories and more shampoo bottles...

The Awesome Sleeping Beauty Production

Princess as Carbosse (or Maleficent if you are a Disney fan)

This was the weekend we had been looking forward to for the last three months... South Pointe Ballet's Production of Sleeping Beauty. Auditions were in November, the cast was chosen in December, and weekend rehearsals started shortly afterward.

If you remember from last year, they put on Swan Lake and Sport pretty much stole the show with his antics. He was NOT invited to participate this year...

So their opening night was Friday and we attended that show with the Girl Scout troop and all the kids. We spent the majority of the time chasing kids around. It's amazing how difficult it is for 11-year-old girls to stay in their seats!

Prima Donna on the left as an angry minion

Baby Doll was so excited to see the kids on stage she would just randomly squeal! When Princess came on stage, Baby Doll yelled out her name loudly enough that Princess actually heard her. Thankfully, it was a family-friendly show and nobody got too angry with us.

Crafty on the left as a Garland Dancer

So when Saturday rolled around, my sweetie and I left the little kids with Teach and we headed off to see the show by ourselves. And we brought his new camera with the awesome lens. So enjoy these fun pics! Wish you could have all been there in person. This proud mama loves watching her kids dance!

Dog Walker (in blue) as a young prince wooing Aurora.

Crafty's second role as a cat (left)

Princess handing Aurora the spindle.

Oooo, I've seen that look before...and she wasn't dressed in black!

More Dog Walker...he's a pro!

Prima Donna (second from left) as a Vine Dancer

The Dog Walker in the Hunting Party - flanked by cute girls.

Princess

RedBox Game Review

A couple of weeks ago we were invited to review the game rentals at the RedBox Kiosk. Since we were already fans of renting movies from RedBox, we jumped right in. Smiley360 provided us with 5 free game rental codes and told us to have at it.

My sweetie took Sport with him and the two of them chose a couple of wii games, Go Vacation and Wipeouts 2. Normally at my house we only use the wii to play Just Dance, so the kids were quite surprised when I allowed them to rent actual games.

It took them a couple of hours to really learn how to play, but after that they had an amazingly great time. Not a gamer, I was blogging and keeping my eye on them through the office door. The girls slowly made their way to bed, a couple at a time, but the boys just kept at it. I finally kicked them off and sent them to bed just before 2:00 AM. I think they would have played all night if I would have let them.

Of course this is what I got in the morning!

I love the whole idea of RedBox. At my house, most of the movies get scratched and ruined anyway, so watching them once and returning them works for me. As for games, we only use them as a treat, so being able to just plunk down a couple of bucks and then never have to worry about them makes sense . Besides, the kids tire of them so easily. Once they beat the game, they don’t usually want to play it again anyway.

Hey, I hope you all have a happy, healthy, safe new year! Thanks for being my blogging friends.

The Final Wrapup 2011

Joining with some of my blogging friends to wrap up the last three months of 2011...hard to believe it's almost over. So much has happened this year! For the first three months, click here. Second three months, click here, third three months, click here. Last three months, don't click, you are already here!

My Silly Sweetie

We had an amazing October! We shared several stories about Halloweens past including a vintage Cheetah costume worn by all of our kids down to Scout that was originally made for my sweetie. I told you about my first real job and my first speeding ticket. And don't forget the amazing light show put on by the Dog Walker. We also attended my sweetie's 30th high school reunion! The drive down was a little crazy... The Dog Walker was featured in a huge article in the Deseret News' Mormon Times section. But my favorite post was the one about my grateful little Curly and his sweet prayer .

Baby Doll surrounded by Halloween candy.

November was filled with home repairs and an impromptu kitchen remodel after Princess cracked my ceramic cooktop.

New Countertops, yay!

Remember that my sweetie thought that meant we needed new countertops too? We had a bunch of birthdays, Bossy turned 27, Dog Walker turned 18, Scout turned 6, and Taco turned 7. And our Thanksgiving was an amazing time filled with family and fun. Bossy's birth story stretched into three days and the Dog Walker did a guest blog on his Disneyland trip with the Marching Band. Sport's football team won the state championship! But my favorite post was about my silly Dog Walker and a trip to the swimming pool...you just have to read this one.

Fall, leaves, fall!

December was busy and crazy and full of family activities and fun. The girls did an amazing job in the Dance Recital. Scout had her very first visit from the tooth fairy. We shared tons of Christmas memories and traditions.

The Dog Walker put up another awesome light display and our extended family love the annual Christmas party. Christmas Eve meant Christmas jammies, and Christmas day was filled with happiness and love. My favorite post had little to do with Christmas, in fact it was a camping story that couldn't be told until Christmas was over.

This wrap up has been so fun! I love looking back over the stories from the past year. It makes me remember why I started this blog in the first place, to record the crazy happy fleeting moments. It makes me sad that I didn't start years ago. Thanks for sticking with us in 2011. Excited for 2012...Happy New Year!

Three Months and Counting...

April was filled with stories about Easter and Justin Bieber. I'm pretty sure the two are totally unrelated, but my sweetie told the Dog Walker that he couldn't speak the name of Justin Bieber in our house so suddenly he became JB. The Dog Walker tends to become obsessed with things and JB happened to be the latest one. This three-part story started with the Dog Walker bringing home a poster and what ultimately happened to it.

Bossy graduated from the university and the Dog Walker played in a music festival. I also told the story of my first boyfriend and how he broke up with me after I nearly crashed his beloved car. So hard to choose a favorite, but the JB ones were so fun!


May brought a bunch of Mom stories and an interview with the local newspaper, The Salt Lake Tribune. We also wrote a bunch of stories about ripped pants and my personal favorite, when Scout announced that Curly didn't have to wear pants because he was the king. We still use that phrase if anyone is running around in their underwear so it has become a new tradition. The final posts of May included near drownings including when my sweet Princess actually drowned and a series of miracles brought her back to us. And my last post was a bittersweet experience with my grandma who passed away in September.



June brought about the craziness of summer and the beginning of the summer list. I wrote about dads and grandpas. We had three birthdays and some fun camping memories. My favorite post was about the Prima Donna and her "tangled web." You'll just have to read that one. I can't do it justice without the pictures.


This is so much fun, just looking back over our year and remembering all the crazy things we did. Thanks to all those fabulous ladies who suggested a review!

(Sarah A. Miller | The Salt Lake Tribune)

Thanksgiving Means Family

Part of our Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving because it’s all about family for me. Remember I told you we do a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving dinner first? Prima Donna was our Peppermint Patty in her balloon turkey hat that the Drama Queen made for her. She did a lousy job with the scene so we had to send her back upstairs so she could have a do-over. The second time was much more convincing…

My sweetie made some AMAZING rolls and I’m saving the recipe for you for Friday’s Food for Thought. I really enjoyed watching him teach the Gym Rat how to make them. The Gym Rat is still trying to catch a wife and he figures becoming a good cook might help. I spent about six hours making pies on Wednesday night after Scout’s birthday party. But they were worth it! So yummy!

We had a little trauma. Scout got sick and slept through Thanksgiving dinner. It appeared that she had an infection. I tried to take her to the Instacare, but they were closed for the holiday. She was terribly afraid of the emergency room so I just gave her some antibiotics I had left over from last time (I know…wrong answer) and got her into the doctor when the holiday was over. She is feeling much better now.

I love the togetherness of the day. The kids played games and just hung out. Dog Walker couldn’t go to the gym so he bench-pressed Baby Doll.

I guess they were all full and content, because there were lots of moments like these.

And my sweet little Curly who is always full of gratitude said, “I’m grateful for my family.” AMEN!