Day Trip: Utah Olympic Park

Last month we journeyed to Park City to see some snow and part of a ski jump competition that was taking place at the Utah Olympic Park. 

Cara sliding down the hill in her snowsuit. Click to see the video.

We enjoyed our snow day together.

Arches NP: 1 of 2

Last September we went to Arches National Park with Rob's parents and his sister and her family. We had a really wonderful time! Give my kids the choice between Disneyland and camping in a national park and they'd have to think about it.

(Side note: As I went through our pictures I realized we don't have any of Rob on our first day. We need to be more mindful of taking turns with the camera.)

We drove down to Moab and met for lunch before heading into the park. After learning all about the park's geology at the visitor's center and on the way to the campground we had a couple of stops.

The first was Wall Street. So awesome. We played in the area for a while.

Rob's parents bought the kids water bottles that also spray. They were a huge hit the whole weekend.

Next stop was Balancing Rock.

There were lots of cairns built all around (for display not use) and we added to the bunch.

We got to our campsite, Devil's Garden group site, which is easily the best campsite in the park (or central Utah). It was huge and private and beautiful. On two sides are huge red rock outcroppings and behind us was open land.

After it got dark we took a night walk and explored with our flashlights.

The next morning kids climbed and climbed and climbed.

It's hard to tell but where the kids are walking is high above our campground. Note the tops of the trees at the bottom of the picture.

I also climbed up and did some yoga in the morning sunshine.

After this we were off to do some hiking and river rafting. To be continued...

Madeleine's Randomness

Here's what she has been up to lately.

A couple months ago she finished her very first chapter book all on her own. Have you read these Junie B. Jones books? I love them. So funny.

She has started a new hobby...writing music! Rob is so excited for this. She will jot down her lyrics and then ask Rob to record her. It's precious but the thing is...all her songs are so depressing! It's funny because she is the opposite of depressed in real life. Click on the black boxes below to hear her singing them. Believe me, you'll want to.

After she bathes we usually put her hair up in a bun. She says it makes her look like Mulan.

She started ice skating lessons and loves them. Well, to be honest she loved the first two lessons. After that she said she had learned everything she needed to and didn't feel like she needed to finish her 6-week session. Too bad, she's finishing it anyway. Click on the pic or here to see the video.

She beat everyone at bowling on Christmas Eve.

She is a bright star in our family. We love Madeleine!

Nate's 9th Birthday

Hi There!

Late last year Nate had another birthday (can’t believe it). He really wanted a scooter so we grabbed him one and he really loves it. Nate chose to take a car load of friends to classic skating for his party. Nate and his friends had a blast; they scootered, laser tagged, blast zoned, ate some really gross pizza, and had a great time.

A few days later we got together with family and Nate’s cousins. It was cold outside so we had everyone over to the church with their scooters, bouncy balls, and a pile of plastic cups. Check out this video that I made of the festivities. Fast forward to the end if you just want to see all the kids fly through the stacked cups in slow motion. Link in case you can’t see the video.

So what is Nate up to these days? Nate is participating in the knowledge bowl at school. Nate has spent a lot of time on this. In the fall his group met once per week after school. This year he has been meeting with his group twice per week and will be for the next several weeks. This is a considerable amount of effort for a 8–9 year old and we are incredibly proud of him.

Nate is learning to snowboard this year. We hit the sledding hill to get started. Lately, I’ve taken him up to the Bird. Once we just rode the magic carpet and last time we hit the bunny hill for a few runs. Nate is improving quickly. I think after the next time he’ll be turning both ways like a champ. Here’s to his continued success.

Other things he’s got going on? He recently wrote an essay (for school) about what it means to be a good friend. One of the first things he suggested is that a good friend should be able to play a lot. In that spirit Nate is huge on his play time. Lego, scooter, minecraft, nova, science, and space. This kid loves to have fun. And we love him so much.

A Few Things You May Not Know About Me (But Maybe You Do)

Following the precedence of a fellow blogger, here's a list of a few things you may not know about me (but maybe you do).

1- The book genre that I tend to read most are historical memoirs, specifically 1890s-1960s. I also like to read about wars and geography and pretty much anything non-fiction, really. I've never read anything sci-fi or religious fiction and I've only read one young adult (other than classics). I have read the entire standard works including the bible dictionary.

2- I get neck and head and face aches almost every day from my slightly protruding neck, underdeveloped lower jaw, and large overbite.

3- I get bored. So bored. So much. But I'm very finicky with how I want to cure my boredom, just anything won't do. The activity has to pass a very strict and lengthy vetting process.

4- I don't understand why people pay to run (5ks, marathons). I'm not sure why running for free isn't as cool as paying to run. Rob has tried to explain it to me but I just can't wrap my brain around the idea.

5- While I'm on the subject, I don't understand why yoga studios and yoga clothes cost so darn much. I can bend just as well in my $3 rec center class as the $12 studio class. I can bend just as well in my $15 leggings vs $80 leggings. Besides, isn't all the exclusivity against the very core of the yoga philosophy?

6- I have a savory & sweet palate. I love me some meat and potatoes. I love me some treats. I have a much harder time with fruit (so tart!) and vegetables (so bitter!). I've gotten much more well-rounded as I've gotten older but it's taken time and practice.

7- When I go to sleep I have to have my covers up over my shoulders but they cannot touch my neck. If they do I feel like I'm being strangled.

8- I'm entirely unhappy with the amount of travel I've done. It's very unsatisfactory. As soon as I go back to work all my paychecks will go toward funding my dream adventures.

9- Before having kids I relished and was good at focusing on one thing for a very long time. Now, I'm so used to constant interruption, that even when no one is bothering me I find myself having to stop and take frequent breaks from whatever I'm doing.

10- I'm really, really bad at drawing. I should take a class.

11- I have an amazing memory. There are a few random exceptions where I forget something I was going to say or do but I remember so many very specific details of my entire life. I remember a few things from when I was two years old and pretty much everything ever since. I get my recall memory from my dad who also remembers back to when he was 2 and from my Grandma Allred who swears she can remember back to when she was 6 weeks old.


Well, that's all folks. I'd love to learn more random things about you!!