Halloween 2011

This year Kaitlyn was able to enjoy Halloween a little more. I was able to get tickets for Breakfast with a Witch at Gardner Village. At first she was a little cautious as the witches made their way around the breakfast tables, but by the end she was enjoying every minute of the "Silly Witches". After breakfast I took her around to see all the witches in the village. We made Halloween cookies which she carefully helped to decorate and even donned her chef hat and apron for the occasion. Carving pumpkins didn't happen this year. We bought pumpkins with the intention of carving them but by Sunday night, I decided I wasn't in the mood to clean out pumpkin goo. So we left our unscathed pumpkins on our dark porch. I say dark because I was able to talk Ed into joining us for Trunker Treat at Grandpa and Grandma's House. As usual she ended up with more candy then she needed but hey what kid doesn't on Halloween!

Road Trip!!

Ah Alas another post, and this one with pictures! We decided to take a quick road trip to Pagosa Springs Colorado, just east of Durango. The weather and the leaves were both georgous this time of year. We purchased a timeshare just over a year ago and finally decided to try it out. This was our condo for the 4 nights we stayed. Not to shabby! It was nice not having to go out to eat every night. We took our own groceries and just cooked at "home". It came complete with a hot tub, (sorry, no pics of that). Kaitlyn was anxious to the "hot" bathtub as she called it. We left early in the morning and had a small bout of car sickness just before we hit the summit in Spanish Fork Canyon. Watching a movie in a winding canyon while it's still dark out is not a good combination for a 3 year old.

We arrived in Pagosa Springs about 1:00 and decided to check out the town. Definately a tourist town. Pagosa Springs means "healing waters". Down town Pagosa has many mineral hot springs. The most popular ones we found were right next to the river. There a many mineral formations from the springs and the not so pleasant smell of rotten eggs drifts heavily through the mountain air

The next day was spent riding the rails on the Cumbres Toltec Narrow Gauge Railroad. We had to take a short trip into New Mexico then back into Colorado to get to where we boarded the train. It started out in the desert but quickly climbed into the mountains where the Quakies were at their peak of color. The train stopped in Osier where the railroad has basically built a glorified mess hall for the passengers with a catered lunch. Roast turkey and all the fixins'!
These were just a few of the several hundred pictures I took of all the scenery.

BEAUTIFUL!!

We headed back west to spend a day in Mesa Verde National Park. I remember visiting here many years ago as a kid. Unfortunately the weather was not as pleasant then as it was this time. My mom refused to let us go out in the rain when we visited the first time so she made us these oh so fashionable rain ponchos out of black garbage bags. Lovely!! We called ourselves the bag ladies.

I have to admit, the first time we visited I was a little bored. I could have cared less about people that built houses in the side of cliffs and lived there. Now that I am a little older and hopefully wiser I look at these same cliff dwellings in awe and think, "People really lived like this!" It is amazing the skill levels they possed back in 7 and 800 A.D. to be able to build something like this. Amazing!!

This particular dwelling was know as Sun Temple. It was never completed by the ancient indians, yet you look at their architecture and they even had ancient "rain gutters"
So, I have to share a funny story about these dwellings. When we were telling Kaitlyn about them she kept asking where the indians were now. I tried to explain that they had all died a long time ago and didn't live in them anymore. On the way back to the car, she asked me, "Mom, when you and Dad were indians, where did you live? I looked at her and then at Ed at which point he replied, "I lived in Idaho." I quickly followed up with "I lived with grandma and grandpa." To which she then questioned "Grandma and Grandpa are indians too?!"
This was the last dwelling we went to. This one we were able to walk down to and walk around. While we were walking, Kaitlyn made the comment that she didn't think the indians would like us going in their house! This dwelling was called Spruce Tree House. I believe this is the one I have a picture of me sporting my fashion savvy "rain" poncho!
On our way home we made a stop at New Paper Rock to see the Petroglyphs and then on to Hole N' the Rock. Call me dumb but I didn't know there was actually a house built back in there. I just thought it was the store. The people that originally lived there are buried towards the back of the property and as I was snapping pictures, a tourist came wandering back then turned to ask me, "So is there really a hole in the rock" Apparently he didn't quite grasp the concept. He was looking for an obvious hole. Sorry to disappoint ya there buddy!

Are you serious?!

So, no pictures to go with this post, just a story from work that will leave you asking, "Are you serious?" For those of you who didn't know, I have a degree in Automotive Technology. Lamens terms, Auto Mechanic. I work at a shop in Lehi fixing cars for a living. Yes, I love my job. Anyway, we had a customer come in for a state safety inspection on his Cushman Scooter. Now I will warn you this customer is a bit weird. He wears a french barret. He is older with long greasy salt and pepper hair and over weight. Not a pretty man by any means. Anyway it was a bit hot that day and apparently he needed a drink of water. We happen to have a water cooler in our office but happened to be out of cups. He proceeded to come into the shop and ask if I had any cups laying around. I politely told him, "Sorry, I don't." He then asked for an empty oil bottle. I thought that was kind of strange. He found one and proceeded to tell me he was so thirsty he was going to rinse it out and use that to get a drink. By now another customer that was in the shop had heard the conversation and was looking at me like, is this guy for real? The customer proceeded to go over to a water tap that we have inside the shop and give the bottle a quick rinse out, then went into the office to fill his container of choice with the cold water from the water cooler because apparently the water from the tap wasn't good enough for his oil bottle. He placed the plastic transmission fluid bottle to his mouth and DRANK from the bottle. You read correctly drank!! I think my eyes were as big a silver dollars as I watched this bonehead swig down the entire bottle. He then screwed the cap back on and tucked it under his arm as if he was going to take it home like a souvenier cup from your favorite restaraunt. By now his safety inspection was done and it was time to pay for our services. He reached for his wallet then commented on how he should have washed his hands before he handed me his sweaty money. I thought to myself, "Really, you just drank from an oil bottle and you are concerned with your hands being dirty?!" The icing on the cake was when he went out, climbed on his scooter and lit a cigarette. I thought as he was driving away, I'll be reading his obituary within the next couple of days. Dead from transmission oil poisoning! Just when you think you've seen it all, someone surprises you and drinks from an oil bottle. So next time you need a drink, think of how lucky you are to be drinking from a glass and not a used oil bottle!

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo

Kaitlyn has been anticipating this birthday for several months now. She new that after Grandpa's birthday it would be her's and she would finally be able to have her Cinderella birthday party. She wore her fancy princess dress all day including to the nail salon to have her first manicure. She LOVED it! She had a hard time picking just 1 color for her nails. Later we had friends and family over for pizza and cake and ice cream. The party was complete when Cinderella's Carriage arrived for a special birthday ride. Hey, your only 3 once!

From Kaitlyn's Birthday

From Kaitlyn's Birthday

From Kaitlyn's Birthday

From Kaitlyn's Birthday

From Kaitlyn's Birthday

From Kaitlyn's Birthday

From Kaitlyn's Birthday

From Kaitlyn's Birthday

From Kaitlyn's Birthday

From Kaitlyn's Birthday

From Kaitlyn's Birthday

Starvation

Mother Nature has finally decided to participate in this season we call Summer and we were able to take our first camping(RVing) trip of the season. We made our annual trip to Starvation Reservoir to spend a few days relaxing and fishing. Kaitlyn was anxious to go for a boat ride so she could wear her new princess life jacket. She was even able to buckle it, but when it came to unbuckling, Mom had to help out a little. She was so excited to catch fish and to my surprise, wanted to hold everything she caught and throw back what we didn't keep. I couldn't believe it, I won't even touch the fish! We had a great time and hope to make a few more trips out before the Summer sun fades.

***NOW OPEN***

ANNOUNCING THE GRAND OPENING OF SALON KAITLYN!

HOURS OF BUSINESS:

M-F 8:00 AM TO 12:00

CLOSED IN THE AFTERNOON FOR NAP TIME.

NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED

ALL CLIENTS WILL BE TREATED TO A CARTOON OF THEIR CHOICE FOR THEIR VIEWING PLEASURE DURING THEIR VISIT.

STYLE PREFERENCES ARE WELCOME BUT NOT USUALLY ACKNOWLEDGED!

IN LIEU OF PAYMENT AND TIPS, PLEASE BRING CANDY!

They say all kids cut their hair and one point or another. Thankfully, I can say it wasn't to the scalp!
She wanted to know if it would turn brown? (Thank-you Tangled)

Holding the damages!

Thanks to our fabulous stylist and aunt, she was able to save the day!

One little monkey jumping on the bed!

Thankfully, she didn't fall off and bump her head.

Mom's Day 2011

Mom's Day 2011

Easter 2011

Our Easter weekend was filled with hunts, candy and fun. We started with the annual Easter Egg Hunt at grandma and grandpa's. It's hard to believe my sisters and I attended this same annual festivity when we were younger. (that was just last year, right?) After the scavenge was over, Kaitlyn proclaimed she won! What, I'm not sure. Then it was home to color our own Easter Eggs. We watched The Ten Commandments, it's just not Easter if you don't watch Moses part the Red Sea! The next morning we dawned our COATS (are we sure it's the end of April?) to hunt for more eggs. The Easter Bunny found some awesome jumbo eggs at Hobby Lobby to fill this year. They were a definate hit! Kaitlyn got way to much candy, which I tried to control the consumption of (which was a complete failure). We had a delicious turkey dinner then watched Tangled before collapsing from our sugar overdose.

HaPpY EaStEr!!

I wanna go for a motorcycle ride!

It was her first ride on the motorcycle and it was just around the block

but it certainly won't be her last. We just need to find a helmet that fits a little better.

Pickle Relish?!

While most children are busy stuffing their cheeks with jelly beans, chocolate bunnies and pink marshmellow peeps,

Mine chooses to eat PICKLE RELISH.

According to Kaitlyn, "It nummy in my tummy!"

"Am I pretty now?"

Well, as the saying goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." and yes, but you were much prettier before my make-up bag attacked you!! Hopefully I have a few more years before I will have to tell you, "wash your face, you have on to much make-up!!"

Midway Ice Castles

We made a trip to Midway to check out the Ice Castles we've heard so much about on T.V. Needless to say they didn't disappoint. We got there a little before the gates opened and walked around the perimeter. I was already impressed with what I saw. The outside didn't even hold a candle to what the inside looked like. Amazing what a little water and freezing temps can do. Every morning there is a crew that goes around and "tills up" the frozen ground so you can somewhat walk around without taking a nose dive. It leaves behind all of these frozen looking rocks of various sizes. Kaitlyn kept picking them up and asking me what they were,

Christmas 2010

Christmas this year seemed to come to quickly. I'm not sure if it was because I had been staring at it since October at work, or if it was because I wasn't home much to enjoy it. We did however find time to do a few things before Santa's sleigh took flight. We made our annual pilgrimage to Temple Square to see the lights and took Kaitlyn on her first carriage ride. Personally I think she enjoyed the carriage ride more than the lights. She stood on the seat the entire time watching the horse pull us around the streets of downtown SLC. The lights were pretty but have seemed prettier in the past. Maybe it was the lack of snow on the ground. Kaitlyn received her annual letter from Santa at the North Pole (Alaska) and was excited to learn she was on his good list. She visited Santa several times this year and each time the answer was the same. "What do you want for Christmas?" to which she would reply "2 babies." Santa was kind and granted her wish. We built a snowman and snowlady with the snow that fell just days before Christmas. Ed told me to come and help him. I told him I hadn't built a snowman since I was in grade school. Needless to say he looked at me like I had 10 heads!! We made cookies, visited family, elfed ourselves in a dance (Kaitlyn likes to watch that over and over) and went on several car rides to look for Christmas lights. We had a great time but are somewhat relieved it is over for another year!

Gone Fishin'

Ed has been taking Kaitlyn down to the Jordan River fishing on the days I am at work. He was telling me how he hooks the fish, then Kaitlyn will reel them in. The other night after I got home she informed me that she had caught 2 fish! I knew I needed to get some pics of this, so on my next day off we headed down to the river. It started slow and I thought for sure we would get skunked. I should have known better, very seldom does my other half come home without at least a bite, and this day was no different. In the 30 minutes we were there, they caught over a dozen fish. From catfish to Crappie and Kaitlyn reeled every one of them in. She even blessed a few with a good luck kiss!

It's the Roaming Gnome!!

I struggled to find a Halloween costume this year. I don't know what the deal is with manufacturers that insist on making skimpy little costumes for toddlers. It really ruffles my feathers. I finally found a garden gnome costume and with some pink tights and a bit of rouge on the cheeks, she was ready to go!! We took her to a pumpkin patch that you could pick your own pumpkins at. I was a little hesitant at first to let her try and cut the stem her self for fear she might lop off a finger, but she managed fine and we left with all 10 digits still attached. We headed to grandpa and grandma's for Halloween trunker treat. I was a little scheptical that it might be cancelled since it had drizzled and poured all day, but as the witching hour approached the clouds lifted and the candy free for all began. Thankfully we finished up just as a hail storm hit.