Summerfest 2011

One of the things I love most about living in Utah is the summertime festivals. Each town as their own festival celebrating something different...Swiss Days, Strawberry Days, Onion Days, Steel Days, Pioneer Days, etc. Well, in the town I grew up in, it's Summerfest. It's just like all the other festivals...there's a trashy little carnival, art & food booths, a parade and fireworks. I've looked forward to this festival each year for as long as I can remember. So, each year, we head down to parents' house for this fun family tradition. Since it falls on a Saturday each year, I usually have to work. But, I decided to take it off this year so I could spend the entire day with the family.

We took the kids to the carnival early in the afternoon. I forgot to take the camera with me, so I tried to take pictures with my blackberry, but they all turned out blurry. The kids had a blast...as always. They rode on the cars, the swings, a little mini roller coaster, etc. The weather was perfect. Temperatures were in the 70s and the sun was shining...a far cry from last year when it was 50 degrees & raining.

After the carnival, we headed back to my parents house where the kids played in the kiddie pool for awhile...


After swimming, we made panini's for dinner & then headed over to the parade...


The kids had a blast begging each float for candy...

Vivvie slept through 90% of the parade...even the cannons couldn't wake her up. I guess when you have three wild & crazy brothers, you learn how to be a deep sleeper...

Kristin did what she does best & took self-portraits of herself...

Eventually, Viv woke up toward the end of the parade & loved watching the floats, marching bands & dance groups pass by her...

Later that night, we walked over to the park that is near my parents' house where we could get a good view of the fireworks display. I thought Viv would be scared to death, but she just sat there mesmerized by the bright colors & loud booms. Seriously, nothing fazes that girl.

It was a fun day! I love Summerfest! It's a great way to kick off summer each year! --Lindsay

So...I'm Kind of a Big Deal (Insert Sarcasm Font Here)

See this...


Yes, that's my name. I was interviewed for this newspaper story...

It was about the crazy weather we've had this year & how our mountains are still covered in snow in the middle of June.

Why is that so cool you ask?

Well, because the story was in this newspaper...

On the FRONT PAGE!!!

Wow! Never in a million years did I think I'd ever see my name on the front page of the NEW YORK TIMES!

Here's how it all happened...

The other afternoon, I was at work. Our receptionist walked into the newsroom & came over to my desk. She said, "Um Lindsay. There's a phone call for you."

I thought it was weird that she had walked back to my desk instead of just calling me to tell me I had a phone call. I thought it must be one of our slightly-obsessed viewers that call from time-to-time wanting to talk to us about anything & everything they can think of.

"Okay," I said. "Who is it? A crazy viewer?"

"Um, no." She replied. "It's a reporter with New York Times."

"What?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," She replied. "She wants to interview one of our Meteorologists about why we've received so much snow this year. Do you have time to talk to her?"

"The New York Times?" I repeated. "You're asking me if I have time to talk to The NEW YORK TIMES?!?"

"Yep." She said with a smile.

"Okay," I said. "Transfer her back."

Next thing I know, I'm being interviewed by the New York Times for a story that ends up being published on page A1!!

Now, granted, the only reason I was interviewed was because I just happened to be the meteorologist working at the time, and I'm only in 2 paragraphs of the story, but still...how many people can say they've seen their name on the front page of the NYTimes?

If you want to read the entire article, the link to it is right here.

So, as you can see, I'm kind of a big deal. Haha! --Lindsay

Seussical the Musical

Earlier this week, a friend of mine offered me three tickets to see "Seussical the Musical" at Hale Center Theater. I was so happy! I've always heard great things about this show and I was so excited to go see it. We decided to make it into a Mommy-Son date. I took Connor & Aiden with me to go see it...

They both LOVE Dr. Seuss books, so I thought it would be a fun night out for all of us! Here's our attempt at a family picture before the show started...

Well, a few minutes before the show was going to start, I told the boys that if they had to go to the bathroom or get a drink, they needed to do it now because they wouldn't be able to go during the play. They both told me they were fine. Uh huh...right! I should have known better.

Five minutes into the show, Aiden leans over to me and says, "Mom! I'm really thirsty. I need a drink."

"Aiden," I replied. "I told you that you should have gotten a drink before the play started. You can't go out right now. You'll have to wait until intermission!"

"What's intermission?" he asked.

"Intermission is the break in the middle of the play. You'll have to wait until then to get a drink."

"So, when is that going to happen? Like in 5 minutes?" he asked.

"No," I said back. "It will be in about 1 hour."

"One hour?!?" he gasped. "I can't wait an hour! I'm dying of thirst. What if I don't make it?"

Can you say DRAMA QUEEN?!? I told him I was sure he could survive one hour without a drink & to quiet down and watch the play.

He gave me a pouty look and started sulking in his chair.

About five minutes later, Aiden leaned over to me again & whispered, "Is it the middle yet?"

"NO, it's not the middle yet," I replied. "They are in the middle of a song...of course it's not the middle yet!"

This charade went on every 5 minutes for the entire first half of the play. Even Connor started getting annoyed with him & told him several times to stop whining.

Finally, we hit intermission. I bought the boys a drink, some sour patch kids & tic tacs from the concession stand. That appeased Aiden for the remainder of the play & the second half was actually quite enjoyable...now that I wasn't hearing "Is it the middle? Is it the middle? Is it the middle?" every few minutes.

At the end of the play, I asked Aiden what he thought about it. He said it was "kind of boring." BORING?!? There were people dressed in crazy costumes doing all sorts of wacky tricks & dances in an imaginary Seussland and you were bored?!? What a kid! I think he was just a little too young for it. Maybe in a few years.

Connor & I, on the other hand, both really liked it. Although, Connor did make the comment that he thought there was too much singing in it. Uh...hello...it's called a MUSICAL for a reason. Sigh...

Our favorite character was the guy who played the Cat in the Hat. He was awesome! And, we even got lucky enough to snag a picture with him after the show...

So, that was our Mommy-Son date to Seussical. Remind me never to take a five-year-old to a play EVER again. --Lindsay

School's Out For the Summer!

Well, the kiddos have officially finished another year of school! Aiden actually got out the Friday before Memorial Day, but Connor didn't finish up until this last Friday. They both had great years & learned so much! Here's Aiden with his teacher, Mrs. York...


She has been a great teacher & has really pushed Aiden along in his reading. He was supposed to have one reading day each week (a reading day is the day they read to the teacher to pass off their book & get a new one), but Mrs. York tried to do two reading days a week for Aiden because she could see how quickly he was picking it up & she felt she needed to challenge him more. Well, it worked! Aiden is now reading at a 1st grade level...and he's not even in Kindergarten yet! Way to go buddy! I just hope you're not bored next year. The picture above was actually taken before the last day of school, so we had a picture of Mrs. York looking normal. Here's what Mrs. York looked like on the official last day...

The last day of school at Learning Dynamics is always Circus Day, so all the teachers are dressed up as clowns. But, you HAVE to take a picture on the last day...even if your teacher is dressed a little strange. :) As you can see, we decided to give the teachers flowers again this year. It's easy & who doesn't love a big ol' bouquet of flowers? Thanks Mrs. York for a great year...and for putting up with Aiden's WILD personality!

Connor's last day was this past Friday! His teacher this year was Mrs. Murdoch & she was GREAT...

Mrs. Murdoch has been such a fabulous teacher! I can not believe how much Connor has learned & grown from being in her class! He is turning into quite the mathematician. He absolutely LOVES math & is great at it! Mrs. Murdoch told me on several occasions how impressed she was with Connor's ability to grasp math concepts. He just gets it...instantly. Mrs. Murdoch also really helped Connor with his reading fluency. Connor has always been a really good reader. If you gave him a word...any word...he could always sound it out. But, he's never been a very fast reader. In fact, halfway through the school year, he was barely meeting the 2nd grade benchmark for fluency. So, Mrs. Murdoch started working on it with him. And, she gave us some tools to help him at home. Well, I am so proud to report that Connor is now reading VERY fluently! It probably didn't hurt that a few months ago Connor decided to hold a special fast in order to ask for his Heavenly Father's help with his reading fluency. I have no doubt that Heavenly Father helped him! Connor's fluency improved so quickly! At the end of January, he was only reading about 75 words a minute (barely benchmark for 2nd grade). But, just a few months later, he was reading at almost DOUBLE that speed! That doesn't just happen. I'd say Heavenly Father had a hand in that, wouldn't you?

So, a big thank you to Mrs. Murdoch for all the help & special attention she gave Connor this year! It has been one of his best school years yet & given him a great foundation for 3rd grade!

To celebrate the end of school, my friend & neighbor, Kelly (a.k.a. Superwoman), had a great idea for the last day of school! She decided that all the moms should meet the kids, as they were walking home from school, at the front of the neighborhood with popsicles to celebrate the start of summer. Not only did she come up with & organize the whole event, but she went to Smiths Marketplace & bought out ALL THEIR POPSICLES for the event. Yes, she literally cleaned out the store!!! We had three or four coolers full of popsicles! It was so fun & the kids were so surprised. I hope it becomes an annual tradition...except I hope next year, Kelly lets some of us help her with the popsicle purchase. I love my neighborhood! I live around some SERIOUSLY awesome people & I love every single one of them...

Here's Connor & one of his best friends, Hayden. These boys were pretty much inseparable this past year! They get along great & have so much fun together...

So, there you go...a great school year has come to an end! Now, it's on to Summer '11! Here's to hoping it's a fun-filled one! --Lindsay

Memorial Day 2011

Memorial Day Weekend was pretty low-key for us this year. We (and half our neighborhood...thank you neighbors) put sod in our backyard on Saturday. It looks beautiful & I'm so excited to finally have grass! I'll have to do a post on it soon.

Then, on Sunday night, Connor & Aiden had a sleepover at Nana & Poppy's house.

On Monday, Mike & I slept in and enjoyed only having 2 kids for a little bit. Seriously, what did I do with all my time when I only had 2 kids? I remember thinking I was so busy, but now when I only have 2 kids, I feel like life is so easy! The weather was cold & rainy that day...like it has been this entire spring...so we planned some indoor activities for the day.

At lunchtime, we met Nana & Poppy & the big boys at McDonalds (boys' choice) for lunch...


After lunch, I had to go into work, so Nana said she would babysit Vivvie while Mike & Poppy took the boys to see this movie...

The kiddos LOVED it! In fact, they told me later that night that they thought it was better than the first one...which is really saying something since they love the first one & watch it all the time.

So, that was Memorial Day. Not too exciting, but what else can you do when it's 50 degrees & raining outside. --Lindsay

Dear Vivvie #3

Dear Vivvie,

Hey girlie girl! You are now over 3-months-old & getting cuter by the day! I can't believe it's been three months already. I have loved every second of it!! You are getting bigger & chunkier and are finally fitting into your 3-month clothes. That makes me really excited because your 3-month wardrobe is so cute...and extensive. Oh boy is it ever extensive! I got so many 3-6 month outfits at your baby showers & they are all such cute summer outfits. You are going to be one heck of a stylish baby...


Probably the biggest development this month is that you are rolling over ALL THE TIME! You've actually been rolling over since you were just a few weeks old...mainly because you would hold your head up super high & then the weight of your head would pull you over. But, now you roll over on purpose. If you get bored of being on your back, you roll over to your tummy. Once that gets old, it's back to your back. I don't think any of your brothers rolled over this early. In fact, I remember really having to work on some of your brothers to get them to roll. So, basically, you are superbaby!

In fact, you even roll over in your sleep. I always put you to sleep on your back. But, every time, without fail, you will roll to either your side or your tummy & snooze away. I always debate whether I should flip you back over, because of the SIDS risk, but you seem so happy & content that I can't bring myself to do it. You definitely sleep better on your tummy than your back. Most nights, you sleep from 9 or 10 pm until 5 or 6 am. A few times, you've even slept all the way until 7. Yay!!!

I must say that over the past month, you have really mellowed out. Truth is, you used to be kind of a diva. Sorry, but it's true. And, don't get me wrong, you still have a few diva moments from time to time. But lately, for the most part, you just seem content to sit & watch what's going on around you. The fact that you can roll over definitely helps too, I think.

Another new development is that you can put your own binky in your mouth, as long as it's already in your hand. If you drop it out of your hand, there's no way you can get it back in. But, if it's in your hand, 7 times out of 10, you can get it back in your mouth. Again with the superbaby thing.

You also love to stand up. No, you don't really stand up, but if someone supports you under your arms, you put weight on your legs & just stand there. It makes you so happy too! As soon as you put weight on your legs, you get this huge grin on your face. I can almost hear you thinking, "Look at me! I can stand up just like you big people!"

One thing we're still waiting on is to hear you giggle. Sometimes you get so excited that I think you're going to bust out laughing, but it hasn't happened yet. Hopefully, sometime this next month. But, you make up for the lack of laughs with your infectious grin. I can't tell you how many times I catch you grinning from ear-to-ear...sometimes about nothing at all. It makes me laugh!

Your brothers are so in love with you & are always trying to make you smile. They play patty cake with you & sing you songs like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." You love it. You just sit there smiling at them as they sing & make funny faces at you. I love it!

You are kind of becoming the "neighborhood baby." All the little neighbor kids like to come over and play with you, especially the little girls. Many of them would maul you to death if I let them.

And, I am happy to report that life is getting easier day-by-day. A few months ago, I felt so overwhelmed with four kids. Now, it's just becoming normal life. I think it's helped that you have mellowed out a bit over the past month. I'm actually able to get a few things done around the house now & you're just happy to sit and chat with me while I work.

So, happy three-month birthday baby girl (a tad belated...okay, several weeks belated). We love you sooooooooooooooo much! --Momma

Father & Sons Campout (That Happened Almost a Month Ago)

Wow! I am a complete slacker! I only blogged once in May!! What is wrong with me?!? I'll tell you what's wrong with me. I have been held hostage by Tony Horton and his wretched P90X workouts. That's what has been wrong with me!

Mike & I got the hair-brained idea to start doing P90X together after Vivvie was born & I feel like it's taken over my life. We only do it 3 nights a week, but then I work another 2 nights each week, & that only leaves 2 other nights each week...which usually get filled up with other crap that needs to be done, since I've been held hostage by ridiculous workouts like Plyometrics, Yoga X & Ab Ribber all those other evenings.

Don't get me wrong, as much as I hate the workouts (and often say some not-so-lady-like words to Tony through the TV screen), I am loving the results! I am within 5 lbs. of my pre-pregnancy weight, my abs are slowly coming back & I'm getting some sweet guns (and can now do 8 pull ups all by myself...thank you very much). And, Mike...well, let's just say that one of my co-workers saw him the other day & told me that he looked like he could "bust some skulls." Yep, the guy is starting to get pretty darn ripped!

But, Tony & I are sadly...taking a break from each other...shall we say. Remember how I told you, when I was pregnant with Viv, that I developed Varicose Veins? Well, I'm currently having the procedures done to get rid of them. Yay for getting rid of my 80-year-old-looking legs!!! My first little surgery was this past Friday (can you say PAINFUL? OUCH!!!!) and my next will be a week from this Friday. Since you're not supposed to do anything strenuous for several weeks after the surgeries are done, I now have 3 open evenings a week for the next month or so...which I'm planning on using to get caught up on the blog. Sorry Tony, you'll only be able to yell at Mike for the next little while. Darn it!

Okay, that was a long introduction & explanation on my lack of blogging. Now, onto the story of the Father & Sons Campout...

At the beginning of May, our ward held its annual Father-Sons Campout. Not only did Mike & the boys go, but they dragged Mike's dad & my dad, (who you all know as Poppy) along with them.

They got to the campsite early Friday evening and ate dinner. Then, the boys proceeded to throw rocks, sticks, grass, and anything else they could find into the nearby river...


Then they set up camp...


And made themselves right at home...

Then they apparently decided to take some random pictures. Connor decided to put on his tough-guy face...

Aiden decided to show of his "huge guns" and Cohen, surprisingly, sat there in a semi-normal position...

As the sun set, everyone started gathering around the fire...because it was FREEZING outside. Seriously, whoever decided to plan a campout in Utah for the beginning of May, apparently didn't ask the opinion of their local meteorologist. Crazies! They're lucky they weren't camping out in 3 feet of snow...

Later that night, they made smores & sang songs around the campfire. I guess, at about 9:30, Aiden decided he was tired and said he wanted to go to bed. Poppy offered to go lay down by him in the tent while he fell asleep. Well, I guess Aiden wasn't all that tired, because he proceeded to talk to Poppy about anything and everything he could think of for the next 2 hours straight! Poor Poppy! ;)

All the other boys joined them for bed at around 11:30. That's when Cohen decided to freak out and decide that he wanted to go home and see his Mommy! Ahhhh...love my mama's boy! Luckily, everyone was able to quickly calm him down & he fell asleep shortly after that.

Once everyone finally fell asleep, they all slept really good for the rest of the night. The next morning, they ate breakfast, packed up, came home & brought all their gross smoke-filled clothes into my nice girly-smelling house. Sigh...

While the boys were off being manly men in the wilderness, Vivvie & I had our first Mommy-Daughter Date ever. We went out to dinner at Paradise Bakery with some other moms & daughters from the neighborhood. It was so much fun! Viv slept the whole time, so I'm not sure how much she enjoyed it...but I had a great time!

So, there you go...the first of many catch-up posts to come! Now that Tony & I are "taking a break." --Lindsay