The Cog Railway

As you can see I have a lot of catching up to do. Better late than never right? In October we were lucky to have Grandma and Grandpa come for a visit. Six years ago we gave my dad a "coupon" for a ride on the Cog Railway as a Christmas present. For some reason we've never been able to make the trip to Pike's Peak either because of weather, pregnancy, new baby, etc. This year we were not going to miss it. It was the perfect time of year to make the trip. It was a beautiful day and the leaves were gorgeous. The Cog Railway was great, but Dave and I decided that next time we go to the top of Pike's Peak it will be by foot. Anyone for a hike?

When we got home Dave and I hopped in the car and headed to Breckenridge for the weekend, leaving the kids with Grandma and Grandpa. The next day they took the kids to the fire station and the park for some fun activities. Dallin got to dress up like a fireman for an obstacle course, escape from a burning building and even sit in a helicopter. The kids had a great time. We just wish we had Grandma and Grandpa here more often.

Dave and I had planned to ride our bikes over Vail Pass. When we arrived in Breckenridge we realized that we had not prepared ourselves for the cold. Still we decided to go for it, layering on whatever warm clothing we had. We unloaded our bikes, put on our helmets and Dave pumped up his tire with a bit of air....... and when he took off the pump the stem broke and his tire went flat! So much for riding Vail Pass. We ended up finding a great place to hike instead and after a little outlet shopping and a nice dinner we decided to head home.

Red Rock Canyon

We LOVE Red Rock Canyon! It is our favorite place to go on a saturday afternoon. It has awesome mountain bike trails, great hikes for the family, and is breathtakingly gorgeous. It's hard to believe it has only been available to the public for 2 years! Dallin would have prefered to go to Bear Creek Nature Center so he could point out the poison ivy (he went there for a field trip) but quickly discovered that Red Rock was like an Indian Jones adventure! It was a fun place to take Grandma and Grandpa and we got some great pictures (if only we had planned our outfits to match...)

Chad and Des

It's been a while... but still wanted to add that we enjoyed a quick, but fun visit from Chad and Des passing through on their move from D.C. Des just finished her Physician's Assistant program and Chad transferred to a new law school. We loved spending time with them and are excited to have them back in the west.

I've been Tagged!

This one's for you Kim...Finally!

1) Put rules on your blog

2) Answer the six "8" items

3) Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving them and comment

8 Favorite TV shows

1. Ugly Betty
2. Eli Stone
3. American Idol
4. Dancing with the Stars
5. Scrubs
6. Friends
7. Seinfield
8. Divine Design (if we are somewhere with cable)
   

8 things I did yesterday

1. Went to the gym
2. Let Dave go dirt biking
3. Watched Dallin play with his friends
4. Cleaned the garage
5. 3 boxes to Good Will
6. Enjoyed a beautiful fall day!
7. Purchased my 1st Christmas present!
8. Spent some quiet time with Dave
   

8 things I Look forward to

1. Holidays!
2. More beautiful weather (at least I'm hopeful!)
3. When Dave gets home at night
4. Loves from my kids
5. Seeing friends and family
6. Finally getting organized
7. Hearing a favorite song on the radio
8. Reading a great book
   

8 favorite restaurants/foods ( I don't think I've even been to 8 restaurants this year)

1. Cafe Rio
2. Chick Fil-A
3. Papa Murphys
4. Kirin
5. Aggie Blue Mint Chip ice cream
6. Fresh berries
7. Allison's yummy popcorn
8. Fresh Salsa with anything

8 things on my wish list

1. More organized
2. More patient with my kids
3. More time with Dave
4. A clean house (maybe I should wish for a maid!)
5. size 6 again
6. Close enough to see my family more often
7. Paid off house
8. An up to date scrapbook

people to tag

1. Andi
2. Jamie
3. Katrina

The Balloon Festival

We've probably talked about going to the balloon festival for the 6 years we've lived here, but somehow it always seems too early to get up! This year we decided to go for it! We woke up at about 5:30, got the kids out of bed and headed down to Memorial Park. It was amazing to watch how they blew up these giant hot air balloons. We bumped into some friends while we were there, so Dallin couldn't have been happier, and Dawson was unusually content (probably sleepy) in his stroller. Later that day Dallin got invited to Logan and Gracie's to play on the water slide. He said he had the best day in the whole world!

Splash Mash Dash!

It's old news now, but still worthy of a post. Last month a group of friends and I did the Splash, Mash Dash sprint triathlon. This was the second year for a few of us, and we had some new friends join us. I loved it, and surpised myself by improving my time by 17 minutes! Cindy(who couldn't participate this year after having foot surgery) and Christina, as well as my family came up to cheer us on. Cindy even had candy lays for all the finishers! Looking forward to next year!

Meowy

For his birthday, Dallin got some money from Grandma and Grandpa. He's been having a difficult time sleeping after a bad dream ealier in the month and we thought a trip to the Build-A-Bear Workshop might be just the thing. As soon as he walked into the store he knew just which furry friend was right for him. He is definitely a cat lover!
When we had to choose a name for the birth certificate I made a few suggestions and he picked "Tiger." Once we were at home he started calling the kitty "Meowy." He told me "mom, his last name is Meowy." So that's how Tiger Meowy (now only known as Meowy) got his name. He is well loved by both boys.

Dallin's 5th Birthday

I can't belive my little boy is 5 years old! I always tell him I don't want him to grow up, that I just want him to stay my little boy. His response is always "But mom, don't you want me to be healthy?" Ok, ok, go ahead and grow up, but just not so fast!! Dallin has always been my little sweetie. Don't let his tough side fool you, he's a mommy's boy, and he loves to snuggle, talk and spend time with me. I couldn't love anyone more than I love my Dallin.

His actual birthday was celebrated with our dear friends the Smiths. Every year they have a BBQ at there house for Dallin's birthday, but they had a lot going on this week, so we had them over for an indoor bbq thanks to some afternoon showers. By the way, the cupcakes I made were so yummy I'm surprised I didn't gain 10 lbs! I guess the berries helped to offset the calories!

For Dallin's birthday party we had a summer time fun party. Dallin helped me watercolor the invitations. Inside was a deflated balloon with the party details writen on it. The kids just had to blow up the balloon to find out the details. There were 10 boys and 3 girls at the party so we had a lot of fun and a lot of energy!

The kids decorated visors, and then had a picnic lunch of hot dogs, chips fruit and leomonade in some cute blue and green sports bottles I found. We played some fun water games and relays like fireman's brigade and waterballon stomp on the trampoline. We opened presents, had yummy ice cream cupcakes, and then kids got bubble wands to run around with at the end of the party.

I'm trying not to be sad about the fact that it was too chaotic to remember to take pictures of all the cute little details I wanted to post, so I'll just say that Dallin and all the kids had a very fun time and I guess that's what matters most.

Family Vacation- Utah

This post is long overdue so I'll keep it short and simple. We had a great time in Utah visiting friends and family. We got to see Kevin and Ashley's house, eat Cafe Rio, and had a quick visit with my friend Jessa. We also got to see some of Dave's cousin's we haven't seen in several years. It was fun to see Marcie's adorable twin boys, and Dallin is still talking about his new (2nd) cousin Colton and wondering when we get to see him again. One of the highlights of the trip was staying at Kim and Kenny's house. Dallin loved their kids, and we loved hanging out with the parents. (actually we loved their kids too and wish we had remembered to take a picture.)

We spent a few days in Logan with my family including my parents, Greg and Kevin's families, and my cousins Wendy and Robyn. I hadn't seen my cousin Wendy in 5 years so it was fun to catch up and see her cute little family. I also got to see my cousins Brian and Michael. We visited a living farm where the kids got to learn how they used to do laundry, make butter, feed the pigs, even milk a cow if they wanted. It was neat to hear Grandma G. talk about how they did things on the Farm when she was growing up. It wouldn't be a family reunion without relay races and the money game! Grandma even brought out the old banana boats for some yummy banana spits. Dallin and Dawson had a great time with their cousins Olivia, Grant and Spencer.



Though time was short we made it up to Tony Grove for a hike around the lake with Grandpa, make a few trips to the Aggie creamery for some Aggie Blue Mint Chip, and last but not least, we got to watch the fireworks at USU. Dallin came with us to share in the tradition and loved every minute of it!



When I asked Dallin if he wanted to go to the fireworks with us he pointed at Olivia and said in his tough boy voice, "I'm doing whatever she's doing." I said, "She's going to bed." He quickly replied, "I'm doing whatever you're doing!"

Family Vacation- Idaho

We love the fact that Logan Does their fireworks on the 3rd of July every year. This allowed us to Celebrate 4th of July with both families. We woke up early on the 4th and headed to Burley for the parade. Dallin had a blast with his cousins at the parade. They were constantly handing out candy, otterpops, waterbottles and coupons. Dallin headed over to the curb for free giveaways at every chance he got. The kid must have been given about 4 or 5 otterpops along with lots of other stuff! That night we went to Scott and Melissa's for more fun and fireworks.

Grandma had the kids decked out in red, white and blue for the holiday. The triplets were happy, healthy and adorable and Dawson couldn't keep his hands off them! Cobe and Jesse spent the week at Grandma and Grandpa's with us which made it extra special for us.

One of the highlights of the trip was taking out the old go-cart that Dave and his Grandpa had built. It had definitely seen better days, but I don't think the kids noticed. I don't know who had more fun Dave or the kids!

Major Damage!

Dallin's bike's name is Major Damage. He loves this bike, but we have had a tough time with training wheels falling off numerous times during every singlebike rides. Last month I decided that the training wheels were doing more damage than good and they had to go. We took Dallin to a nice flat park to teach him to ride his bike without training wheels. By the end of the evening he was getting to be quite independent and very determined. We took him out the next night and he was cruising! From then on, he has been loving riding his bike and doing awesome! Dallin loves to ride his bike to the bank or ride around and around the park. I love it because I don't have to deal with fixing the training wheels (or pushing the bike and stroller home) and I have to run to keep up with him.