Last Day

Life has been crazy around here the past few weeks. We've had all the typical end-of-the-year programs, graduations, recitals, field trips, etc. And on top of all that Relief Society has been completely insane the last couple of weeks. We've had one BIG funeral, 3 babies born, 2 other deaths, and a bunch of other stuff I won't bore you with. I don't have a compassionate service leader right now, so I've been running around like a crazy woman. In all the chaos, blogging and e-mails have kinda been put on the back burner. I guess I'll just jump in where we are now and maybe do a catch up post or two later next week.


Today was the last day of school. Yes, "summer" vacation is officially upon us. Somehow it doesn't feel like summer though. It was a chilly 41 degrees when I dropped Dallin off at school for his last day. Yesterday was his field day. I sent him to school in his winter coat...not exactly my idea of summer.


Yesterday was Gracie's last day of preschool. We've been sending our kids there for 3 years now. I was pretty excited when I wrote out the last big check earlier this month. It had me dreaming of all the ways I could spend that extra money every month. But then I started feeling a little sentimental when I picked her up for the last time yesterday. It's hard to believe that we are "done" with this stage of life. Next year both kids will be in elementary school. When they were babies, it seemed like this day would never come. It felt like I would spend eternity feeding, wiping, bouncing, rocking, and changing diapers of fussy (but adorable) babies - and all of this on little to no sleep.

OK, I think that's enough sentimental talk for one day.

So anyway, I wanted to have a fun afternoon with the kids today to celebrate the last day of school. We planned to go swimming and out for pizza with some friends. The kids started fighting, whining, and complaining the moment I picked Dallin up for school. We had total and complete meltdown when both pairs of swimming goggles turned up missing. One kid was in time out for the better part of the afternoon, and the other one was hysterical because they were missing out on the swimming.

When emotions had calmed and tempers were finally under control we set out to get some new goggles. Two stores later we bought 2 pairs and raced back to the car thinking that we could still make it to the pool. One pair of goggles didn't fit which led to more tears and tantrums. We traded the goggles for a new pair, but I was DONE! Instead of going to the pool, I drove straight home. (Call me crazy, but I really didn't think I should reward this kind of behavior.)

I have a feeling I'm in big trouble if the first couple of hours of summer vacation are any indication of what's in store the next couple of months.

Bye Bye Training Wheels!

Dallin has never had an interest in riding his bike before. He always said he'd rather ride his scooter....or "maybe next year." We took his training wheels off a couple weekends ago, but we didn't have much luck getting him to ride. Today after school he asked me to help him practice. I think he was inspired by Hunter. (Either that or the circus rig really had an effect on him. LOL!) I helped him for a minute or two, then he hopped on his bike and basically took off riding on his own.

I knew Adam would be more excited that Dallin was. He lives to bike and I think it was killing him that his kid had no interest in it whatsoever. He left work a little early and told Dallin we were going out to dinner to celebrate. Next stop was the bike shop to get Dallin a new helmet just like dad's.

We went on a family bike ride after dinner and he was riding like an old pro. Now if we could just get Gracie riding...I have a feeling it's going to be a while.

The Circus is in Town!

This is what our family bike ride looked like on Saturday.

Adam thought it was a good-looking rig. I told him it reminded me of a circus act.

When we started out on the bike ride, I was a good 100 yards behind the "rig" - partly because I was laughing so hard that I could barely pedal, and partly because I didn't want to be seen with the "rig." LOL! I know Adam doesn't mind, but personally I really don't enjoy calling attention to myself. And let's be honest, a "rig" like this isn't exactly subtle. I mean how could you NOT notice something like this cruising down the street?

I'm afraid our poor neighbors had no idea that they were moving in next to the 3-ring circus. I'm sure all the responsible adults just cringed when they saw us ride by. Some of them probably even started making plans to put their homes up for sale. Ha Ha!

But by Monday evening every kid in the neighborhood was waiting in line and begging for a turn on the circus bike. Another dad on the street even helped Adam attach a 2nd trailer to the rig so that it could accomodate a couple more passengers.

They went round and round, over jumps, through fields, and even through the sprinklers. The kids were raising their hands and screaming like they were riding a roller coaster.

Who needs Disneyland when Adam's around?

And the Winner Is....

Picture #1!

Thanks everyone for e-mailing and posting feedback here on the pictures! I tallied up all the votes and #1 was the hands-down favorite. #4 and #5 tied for 2nd.

I guess I misunderstood the rules though. I thought the employee told me you could either submit photos electronically OR with an 8x10 print. I assumed that I could just send a pic in via e-mail. As I was filling out the entry form this morning, I noticed it said an 8x10 print AND an electronic copy. Yes, it was an AND, not an OR. I was also surprised to find out that submitting "electronically" didn't include e-mail. No, they wanted the photo burned to a CD. Nothing's ever as quick and simple as I think it's going to be.

I didn't have time to go to Costco today, which is where I usually print my pics, so I thought I would try out the one hour photo at the new Walgreens in town. Let's just say that wasn't the best move I've ever made! Either the colors and lighting on my laptop are WAAAAAAY off, or the photo processing was. The whole photo was really dark and Gracie's skin was bright orange. Dallin looked at the print after school and said with a bit of disgust, "Well, it looks like we're not winning this contest, are we mom?" I pretended to be hurt by that comment, but I was secretly laughing on the inside. I'm sure he's right!

Dark, orangey print or not, I still submitted the picture. I decided it would be good for Dallin to see me lose. LOL! He had a hard time when he wasn't a top winner in the Reflections Contest at school. He got an Honorable Mention, but he was still devastated that he didn't "win." I tried telling him that it didn't matter to me whether he won or not, I thought he was a winner just for trying. So this this photo contest seemed like the perfect opportunity to put my money where my mouth is and show him that I'm OK with not winning too.

The pictures are supposed to be judged by the visitors at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens for the next month or so. The winners will be notified by mail on July 1st. I'm not holding my breath. LOL!


But still...

Ticket to tulip festival - $10.00

CD - $1.00

8x10 photo - $2.50

Priority Mail Delivery - $4.60

Teaching your kid that winning isn't everything - "PRICELESS!"

May Flowers

So if April showers bring May flowers, what does a May snowstorm bring?

Yes, we woke up to more snow on the ground this morning. I've about given up on my daffodils and tulips this Spring. They just don't stand a chance with the weather we've been having.

Last week, Adam and Dallin went on a little guys only trip to Moab. We took Sophie home on Thursday night, so Friday I wanted to take Gracie out for a little one-on-one time. She's a big flower fan, so we decided to hit the tulip festival. We also did a little window shopping, and had dinner at Cafe Rio. (I'm so glad she loves the salad there as much as I do!)

Warning: LOTS OF PHOTOS AHEAD!

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Thanksgiving Point is having a photography contest from the tulip festival. The winner of each division gets an annual pass to Thanksgiving Point, so I was thinking that I might submit a photo in the amateur adult division. I know it's a long shot, but I figure it can't hurt to try - right?

So I need your help deciding - which picture (if any) should I submit? (You can click on the pictures to see them a little bit larger.) I'm leaning towards #s 2-5, but I really just can't make up my mind. I'd love to have some feedback! (Tomorrow, May 2, is the deadline to submit photos.)

Food Critic

The kids love to play restaurant. I think the object of the game is to get the other person laughing as hard as possible. This is how it usually goes:

The "customer" sits at the kitchen table and places an order for some outrageous food.

The "servant" (aka waiter or waitress) rounds up some random household item and delivers it on a plate to the customer.

The customer pretends to eat the food.

They both giggle...and laugh...and laugh...and laugh...

Then the game starts over and the silliness escalates.


But last night the restaurant game took a new turn. Gracie, the "servant" decided to make and serve real chocolate milk. Dallin took a big gulp and called out, "I'll rate this a 9.6!" Next he wanted me to cut up some strawberries for a snack, which also earned a 9.6 rating. He announced that Gracie and I will be having a "cook-off" tomorrow to break the tie.

He had me laughing pretty hard, but I'm thinking it won't be so funny at the dinner table. I can just imagine him saying, "I'll rate this meal a 2.3!"

Did You Know?

We've had Gracie's friend Sophie staying with us while her parents are on a cruise. She's been enlightening us with all kinds of useful information while she's been here. Most of her little nuggets of wisdom begin with, "Did you know..." Here are a few of the little gems we've learned from her the past couple of days:

1. Did you know that my dad makes the BEST breadsticks? (Spoken after her first and only bite of the breadsticks I made for dinner.)

2. Did you know that your mom eats garbage Gracie? (Said after she watched me put black beans on a whole wheat tortilla. LOL!)

3. Did you know my Grandpa with 8 toes only has 8 toes because bugs got into his feet?....(long pause)....but I don't know what kind of bugs.

There have been others, but that's probably good for now.

I've actually learned a thing or two myself while Sophie has been staying with us. For example:

1. Did you know that two little girls can change clothes more than half a dozen times before lunchtime? Together they can also make a mess - not just twice as big, but about 9 times larger - than either one of them is capable of making on their own.

2. Did you know some kids are afraid to sleep in the basement? (Mine aren't, so this is new to me.)

3. Did you know that there might be spiders in the basement? And did you know that there are spiders outside? (Since there are most certainly spiders outside, you should never ever go outside to play!)

4. Did you know that little girls are drama queens?

5. Did you know that it is exhausting to tuck two preschoolers into bed approximately 47 times in one night?

6. Did you know that when exhaustion sets in, all your best parenting techniques go out the window? (I learned this one while spending a couple nights on the upstairs couch, while Adam slept in the basement. The two girls were sound asleep on our bed when I came to this realization.)

7. Did you know that finding such a good friend for your kid is pretty rare? These girls just adore each other! They're going on day 6 of being together around the clock and not only are they still friends, they're still acting like they can't get enough of each other.


We're all learning a lot this week!

She Cracks Me Up!

This is Rose.

This was Rose a couple of weeks ago.


Gracie had her in a wooden box. She frequently puts toys in purses, buckets, bowls, baskets, etc. so I really wasn't alarmed...until this conversation...


Gracie: "Mom, look at Rose."

Me: "Oh that's cute honey." (I was a little distracted at the moment.)

Gracie: "You better get cooking - LOTS of food!"

Me: "Why's that?"

Gracie: "Because Rose died, and we're having a funeral!"


Um. OK! (I seriously laughed so hard.) There's probably another child out there somewhere who loves playing "funeral" with his or her stuffed animals. That child's parent is probably a mortician or something. Ha Ha Ha!

Can you tell that she has been a front row spectator at Relief Society events for most of her life?

Goodbye Spring Break - Hello Spring

It's back to school today after a week of Spring Break. It was cold and snowy all week last week, so it didn't really feel like much of a Spring Break. But wouldn't you know it - it's nice and sunny today, now that the kids are back in school. Go figure! Ha Ha!

We had a sleepover at Grandma's house last week. The kids got to visit Grandma and Grandpa and play with cousin Kylee. I got to escape the ringing phone and housework, which was nice. And I even read a novel while I was there. Ahhhh!

We had talked about going to the zoo over Spring Break, but the weather wasn't really cooperating. So, I took the kids to do a couple of indoor activities instead. We went to Kangaroo Zoo - a place with inflatable slides, trampolines, and bounce houses. The kids had a blast slipping, sliding, jumping, and acting like wild animals.







At one point I was worried when I couldn't see Gracie anywhere. Dallin finally found her inside the inflatable castle. She was lying on the middle divider between two slides "taking a rest." Crazy girl!



We spent about 5 hours there, but the kids still weren't ready to leave. I bought a 10-punch card, so we'll probably go again soon.

We also managed a trip to the indoor pool. Adam joined us for that one and took us to dinner afterwards.



Snow and sickness aside, it was still nice to take a break from our normal routine for a few days.

Rockin' and Rollin'

The kids went yesterday to record a couple of songs in a recording studio for their Grandma 'Gumry. She's a Kindergarten teacher and she's written songs for each of the letters and sounds in the alphabet. She called Sunday and asked the kids to come and sing the "nnnnn" song and the "ch-ch-ch-choo" song for her. They are both big American Idol fans, so they were so excited to go record some songs - like Carrie Underwood. LOL!

Then on Monday, Gracie got sick. She's been sniffling and coughing like crazy. I gave her some cough medicine before we left yesterday. Then on the way down the canyon she was getting cranky with Dallin. She told him she needed some "peace and quiet" for a minute. (And I thought I was the only one who ever felt that way. He He!) It turned out she was saying a prayer that her cough would go away and that she would be able to sing her best. Awwww.

The poor thing was trying so hard, but she just couldn't control that pesky hacking cough. She squeaked out one verse of the "nnnnn" song, but she sounded miserable. Hopefully the music man can work his magic and get a decent song out of what he had to work with. I took Gracie out of the room while Dallin and Grandma recorded the other song. Dallin came out of there on cloud nine. He said it "felt so good to do 2 songs in a row!" He also commented that he realized that he is actually a pretty good singer. Ha Ha. Gotta love it!

I left my camera in the car, but luckily grandma took a couple pics for us. (I didn't have time to scrap them yet, but Dani's pop rock tag album was perfect for now.)





We had a nice Conference weekend. The kids were relatively well-behaved and I actually heard a lot more of the talks than I normally get to. I loved so many, but if I had to pick my favorite, it would have to be Elder Ballard's talk on mothers. I can't wait to get that one in print!

Sickness and snow aside, we've been enjoying our Spring Break so far. It's been so nice to not have to run a million directions every day! We have plans to do some fun things the rest of the week. I guess I'd better get moving and making some more memories with the kids.

This Face

OK. Tell the truth. Does this look like the face of a bully to you?


I never thought so, but apparently I don't know - I'm just his mother.

This face was called in to the principal's office last week after a parent reported that her child had been bullied.

Really?

Yes. Really!

Dallin had mentioned in passing that someone at school (let's call him "Tom") didn't like him. He said that Tom and his friends kept trying to "attack" him -his word, not mine. He was so pleased with himself because when Tom's friends were about to "attack" him, he distracted them by showing them his super flexible thumb joint. (Way to use your noggin buddy!)

His point in telling me the story was to relay how advantageous it is to have a super flexible thumb joint. But that's not what I heard. Maybe it was the way he kept using the word "attack" that raised the red flag, but something in my gut didn't feel right. I didn't want to be one of those overprotective, meddling moms. I think it's important for kids to learn to work things out, so I let it drop for the time being. But I didn't forget about it. I would be sure to ask how things went with "Tom" after school the next day.

Are you with me so far?

Now let's fast forward to the next morning. I just happened to be volunteering at the school that day. I was out in the hall working with one of the kids when the principal walked by. He smiled and said "hi" and thanked me for being there to help. When he left the classroom, he took Dallin and 5 or 6 other kids with him. They all seemed very calm and laid back. There was no indication that this was anything out of the ordinary.

A while later Dallin came back to the classroom alone. He gave me his best please-don't-be-mad-at-me look and said, "The principal let me go since I wasn't even there when the trouble happened." Trouble? What trouble? Who said anything about trouble? I never even saw it coming.

As it turned out, the principal had received a call from "Tom's" mom accusing Dallin and his friends of being bullies. I was surprised by this development since that's not the story I heard the day before. Not even close. I know that there are 2 sides to this story, but I'm not fully convinced that I know either one of them.

That night before bed, Dallin and I had a nice looooooong talk; a talk I never imagined I'd be having with him. I know he's not perfect. I mean after all he is a boy, but still...he's my sweet, scrawny, non-aggressive, tenderhearted, little boy. (As I'm typing these qualities, it hit me that they are all rather intimidating. I'm sure first graders all over the world are shaking in their shoes right now. LOL!)

So anyway, while we were having "the talk", I asked Dallin what lessons he had learned from this experience? He said that he felt "sick inside his stomach and in his heart" when he thought he was going to be in trouble at the principal's office. Hopefully that sick feeling will be enough to keep him from going back anytime soon. I guess that's not such a bad lesson to learn.

And as for me, I've learned that I didn't read the fine print when I signed up for this motherhood thing. Clearly I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I'm sure I sprouted a few new grey hairs this past week. It didn't help that I've been so sick. It also didn't help that I had to speak in church last Sunday for our ward conference. The theme for the conference was "Teach Your Children" - and the principal was one of the stake visitors attending our ward. How's that for irony? Or shall I say humiliation? Ha! Ha! Now I'm just looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend watching General Conference. I've got my pen and notebook ready to go. With any luck there will be a couple good talks on parenting. Heaven knows I need all the help I can get.

Whoa Nellie!

75 words

Speedtest

It's been years since I've taken a type test. I don't know what my top speed was back in the days, but it was still fun to see where I am now. I've always thought it would be fun to top 100 wpm. I'm clearly a long ways from that now.

Try it. It's kinda fun!

Out like a LION!

We woke up to new snow again this past weekend. Yesterday Dallin looked out the window on the way to school and after seeing MORE new snow said, "In like a lion, out like a lion. That's not right!" I couldn't agree more. We're ready for spring anytime Mother Nature wants to stop playing her cruel jokes on us.

Yesterday Gracie's class went on a field trip to the fire station.



I knew she Gracie was tall for her age, but I was cracking up when my friend Karen pointed out that she was towering over all the other kids. She can thank her dad for that!



Stand back - she's got the hose!





I've been battling sickness for a week now. Chills, headache, ear aches, and the worst sore throat I've had in over a decade. I haven't felt good all week, so I finally broke down and went in to see the Dr. today. The good news is that it wasn't strep...the bad news is that it just has to run it's course. The 800 mg of Ibuprofen isn't even touching the pain and there's no relief in sight. I've tried decongestants, cough drops, Chloraseptic, hot baths, etc., but nothing is helping to relieve the pain.

Any suggestions? I'm to the point that I'll try anything - well almost anything.

Safe and Sound!

Dallin's school was evacuated yesterday. The school district received a bomb threat - a phone call saying that a bomb would go off at a certain time. The caller didn't say which school was the target, so as a precaution, all the schools in the district were evacuated. Bomb-sniffing dogs swept the schools, but didn't find anything. It turns out it was all a prank.

Now I'm not one to dwell on the what-might-have-beens. Nobody was hurt. There was no bomb. Nothing happened yesterday that is going to scar any of those kids for life. But today I've still been thinking...

I've been thinking about Dallin's first day of Kindergarten and that that sick feeling I had in my stomach as he walked through the doors of the school building. Somehow over time that feeling went away and I don't even think twice when he rushes through those same doors. I've always trusted the school, the teachers, and the administration to watch out for him. And so far they've done that. I have no complaints.

But after the events that took place yesterday, I've been thinking that something like this could happen here. Bad things could happen in this small town that are out of my hands. I guess it shouldn't take a bomb threat for me to come to this realization, but I've always felt so safe here. Apparently I've been too naive.

It was so nice to give Dallin a hug and bring him back home again. I guess the bottom line is that it really does feel good when we're all home at the end of the day - safe and sound! Now will someone please remind me that I said that the next time the kids are fighting or running around acting like maniacs? Please? Because I guarantee I'll forget all about it the next time they're acting like this:

Easter Recap

Sundays are usually a madhouse around here. It was so nice to take a break yesterday and actually enjoy our "day of rest" for a change.



The Easter festivities began last weekend at Grandma & Grandpa 'Drickson's egg hunt. Then Grandma 'Gumry had her egg hunt on Saturday. The kids had both had parties at school during the week, so by the time the Easter Bunny hit our house the last thing they needed was another boatload of candy. Of course, that's exactly what they got. I've decided I'm going to send the big bunny my dental bill for all the cavities he's so generously provided. He he he.

Since our church wasn't until Sunday afternoon, we had plenty of time for a little egg decorating in the morning. We decorated some at Grandma's on Saturday, but the kids wouldn't let me forget that I had promised we could do some at home...and a promise is a promise you know.

Dallin went to work with his big box of crayons, carefully planning what each egg would look like beforehand. He even drew lines showing where one color would end and the next would begin.



Gracie was all about the stickers. She had to dye each egg to perfectly coordinate with the color of the chosen sticker.



Something about Dallin's two front teeth and the bunny's lack of those same teeth made me smile when I saw this picture. (You may have to click on the picture for the full effect.)



The finished works of art. Look at all those pretty colors. I hope Adam appreciates it since he is the only one around here who will actually eat them. Bon apetite!

Happy Easter!

This will be a quick post. I just wanted to say:



My morning meetings were cancelled, so I got to stay home and spend time with my family before church today. I could get used to that! We were even early for our church meetings. That never happens!

I have some photos to post tomorrow, but for now I'm off to spend some more time with the fam.

I Was SOOOO Mad!

Earlier today, I was so mad! I really was. And it was over something so silly. Then I saw Gracie's book sitting in a basket in the kitchen and it made me smile.

I felt just like the little critter in the book. He wanted to run away from home, but then his friends invite him to go play ball. He decides that maybe he'll run away tomorrow...if he's still mad.

So I put on some of my favorite Sunday music, snuggled the kids, and read stories to Gracie. Then I decided to stay up late and scrapbook. While I was at it, I decided to give the old a blog a makeover. I'm feeling MUCH better now. Maybe, just maybe I won't run away after all. At least not today.

Adam bought me a laptop for Christmas, but it has taken me a while to get it up and running so I could scrap on it. I still have a couple things to work out, but it looks like I'm back in business. These are the first pages I've scrapped since November or December.

Gina at Digital Design Essentials sent me her newest kit this morning and this is what I did with it:



Then I did this one:


This was the parent observation day in karate class. The kids got to break boards for the first time while we were watching. Dallin broke his on his first try. Shocking, I know.

It's now the middle of the night. I should really be sleeping since it looks like tomorrow is going to be another crazy day. I've got to get some eggs early tomorrow morning. Gracie needs hard boiled eggs for school and when I went to boil some, I discovered we had a single egg in the carton. Yay! It's also my morning to go to help in Dallin's class. He was home from church sick today, but I'm crossing my fingers that he'll be better tomorrow. We just received "the letter" from his school about his attendance record since we took him out for a whole week to go to Disneyland. What kind of a parent am I anyway?

Yup, I really needed that "scrap therapy" tonight.

Back to Life....Back to Reality!

We returned earlier this week from a 9-day vacation to Southern California and Disneyland. We had a blast, but now it's back to reality...laundry, grocery shopping, dinners, bills, homework, Relief Society, etc.

I came home to a few too many messages on the answering machine. DH just laughed when he saw how many there were and said, "Have fun with that. They're all for you!" Nice!

Then early this morning a sweet lady from church lost her husband, so now I'm busy planning a funeral luncheon for her family of 150. I love her dearly and I'm happy to help her and her family, but funerals always have a way of turning my life upside down.

Dallin finished almost all his make-up work from missing 5 days of school. He's working on a book about his trip to California, but he needs me to print some pictures before he can finish. I'll post some of them here and give a little update on our trip when I get them done. I've gotta get this funeral luncheon under control first.

It looks like I'll need another vacation soon to recover from the week I'm having. The to-do list just keeps getting longer and longer.

The weather in CA was unusually warm for this time of year...mid 80's a couple of days and upper 70's the others. That gorgeous sunshine made it that much more difficult to come home to our frigid 30 degree weather.

I took these pics before we left. This is the kind of weather we're enjoying back home. (Insert rolling eyes here.)

The snow is taller than our trampoline and almost as tall as the top of the slide on the kids' swingset. I was already wishing for Spring, but that warm California sunshine has made these freezing temps feel even colder than they did before we left.

Well, I guess I better get back to that growing to-do list.

As they say on the Winnie the Pooh ride, "Ta ta for now!"

Annual Update - LOL!

My friend Hollie called me this morning. She's known me longer than any other friend on the planet. While we were talking, she mentioned that she had run across this sad little blog that has been neglected for nearly a year now. (Poor thing!) I guess I've already proven that I'll never be a consistent blogger. Hollie suggested that I could at least add some current pictures of the kids - maybe even on a monthly basis. I think I can handle that....maybe. Now I've been thinking all day about how ironic it is that I titled this blog "a day at a time" - "a year at a time" would have certainly been more fitting.

I've been thinking all week about the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley and reminiscing about all the ways he touched my life. He was the prophet when I left home and moved away to go to college, got married, had babies, was called to be RS Pres, etc. I've relied on his counsel and guidance for nearly all of my "adult" lifetime. At age 97, I knew he wouldn't be around much longer, but I was still surprised to hear of his passing.

A little getaway

I'm not usually so spontaneous, but I decided to book a little vacation to Bear Lake over spring break. My family vacationed there most every summer after my parents bought a boat. I remember spending the week of the 4th of July there and watching the fireworks over the lake. Dh and I both went to USU, which is just on the other side of the canyon, so I spent some time there in college as well. I've never been there this time of year, so I wasn't sure what to expect. We came in from Wyoming to save a little driving time. When we came around the bend and saw the lake, I couldn't believe how blue it was.

It looks nice and sunny - but the weather was COLD! There was a bike trail next to our condo. On our 2nd day there, we took a nice long ride to the end of the lake. The kids were going nuts in the bike trailer. They thought we were at the ocean. LOL! Dallin took off full speed ahead - running as fast as he could to get to the water. I love this little happy dance.

He went right in the freezing water - shoes and all.

Gracie was more hesitant. She was grumpy because she was so cold. (We told her it would be cold, but she insisted on wearing her skirt and bare legs. I thought it was the perfect chance for a little love and logic parenting.) She stuck 1 foot in and rushed back to the bike trailer ASAP where it was warmer.

It was a long, cold, windy ride back to the condo. I was pretty pleased with myself that I made it the whole way without stopping. Dh is a big biker, but I left him in my dust several times. OK - so he was the one pulling the bike trailer, but still he's in way better shape than I am. He quizzed me later why I was pushing it so hard. Just when he thought we were going at a good speed, I would speed up. I decided to fill him in on my secret....all I had to do was picture myself in a swimsuit - that's all the motivation I needed.

Later in the trip he mentioned something about our "little" bike ride. LITTLE? What? He was sure it was only a mile or 2. My burning thighs were convinced he was wrong. I insisted that he clock the route in the car - "just for fun" and it turns out it was over 9 miles.

Anyway, I was so glad our condo had a fireplace. We warmed up with hot chocolate and chicken noodle soup before heading to the pool and hot tub. We couldn't have timed it more perfectly. We had the pool all to ourselves for most of the afternoon.

Here's a picture I snapped just outside our unit. The pool house is up higher on the hill, so it had a great view of the lake.

The little town was pretty much shut down since it's the off-season there. On Friday night we did find a cute little pizza place that was open for dinner. Other than that, I was glad I had packed enough food for our meals.

We decided to go the long way home, so we could stop in Logan. Dallin was born there and DH and I lived there for several years, so we decided to take the kids on the grand tour.

First stop.....First Dam Park to feed the ducks....

...and the seagulls...LOL! Dallin was trying so hard to keep the food away from the seagulls. He was feeling bad that they kept snatching it away from the poor ducks.

Next stop....the USU campus. Followed by a driveby of our first apartment, the Logan Temple, and a trip to the 25 cent carwash.

Then lunch at my favorite restaurant of all times, El Toro Viejo . YUM! They seriously have the BEST enchiladas EVER!!! I sometimes crave them so bad that I'm tempted to drive to Logan just to satisfy the craving. This place was a favorite college hang-out and it was also the first place DH and I ever went to dinner when we were dating.

We knew the kids weren't going to survive the long ride home without burning off some energy first, so our next stop was to the Willow Park Zoo. The kids wanted to play on the playground first.

We finally tore them away from the park and convinced them to go look at the animals. They were pretty impressed by the bobcat, and Dallin was so excited to see a "real turkey" LOL! He told me that he's always wanted to see a turkey...and a bald eagle. Well it turned out to be his lucky day...we saw 2 bald eagles. I don't remember seeing them before.

We had to make 1 final stop on our way out of town....to see our first house. It's where we lived when Dallin was born. The people who bought it from us took great care of it. They added a new fence and some nice trees and flowers. I was so sad to see that they had sold it to someone else since the last time I was there. The new owners have really trashed it already. There was a big trailer parked in front - next to the driveway, but still - right in the front yard. UGH! I couldn't even bring myself to take a picture of it.

The kids have already started begging to go back and do it all over again. We may have just started a new spring break tradition.