Our way super cool backyard!

Our backyard remodel is one more step to being finished. Greg completed our play tower and it turned out amazing. He actually finished it a while ago, but the rock climbing holds were on back order for most of the summer. The kids have had so much fun playing on it. Enoch and Gavin love the zip line and Kate will go down the slide all afternoon (as long as someone will help her up). Great job, Greg! and thanks for such an incredible yard!
Our fruit trees are looking good. We will have enough peaches and plums to eat and more than enough apples to eat, juice and make into caramel apple butter. YUM!

Our Week in Review

Is it getting dark yet?
Enoch is obsessed with time; the time of day and how the earth revolves and rotates around the sun and causes days and seasons. He is constantly asking if it is getting dark yet, meaning where is the earth in relation to the sun. He understands the science behind it fairly well, but has no concept of time passing. He will ask what day it is and then 2 hours later will ask if it is still Thursday. It's driving me a bit nuts (as Enoch would say). He is quite impatient for time to hurry up (because he misses Christmas and wants it to come again).
This week he was "so bored" because it was only Thursday and he wanted it to be his birthday by dinner time. The one sure way to cure boredom on a long afternoon is popcorn. Enoch and Kate snarfed up their kettle corn and we forgot about time (for a little while).

How tired are you?
This week Kate and I were laying on the floor stringing together a jumbo button necklace. Kate loves the game and loves the noise the necklace makes when she jingles it.
Enoch was also on the floor with us, using me as his jungle gym. Gavin was at the kitchen table doing his vocab homework. I remember Kate making a racket with her necklace and screaming, Enoch climbing on me and yelling at Kate, "You can't scream with your binky in your mouth!" and Gavin asking me about a word definition. I closed my eyes for a split second. The next thing I know Gavin is standing over me laughing and Kate and Enoch are in her room playing pizza and cookies. According to Gavin, we had a conversation that went like this:

Gavin: Is the allergy medicine I take chewable or do I have to swallow it?
Mom: What is the word again?
Gavin: Mom, chewable or do I have to swallow it?
Mom: Use the word in a sentence.
Gavin: Mom, are you awake?
Mom: (finally opening my eyes) Where did everyone go?

Apparently I need more sleep if I'm that zonked out in the middle of all that noise!

Say Again?
Kate is expanding her vocabulary every day. Her new word is more of a abbreviation: Buh. This is an all-in-one word that includes binky, blanket, and Bunny - all necessary for Kate's happiness. She is never without her blankie and Bunny, although Mom is trying very hard to only let her have her binky in her crib. It's still a work in progress.

We Like Cake

Our number one summer treat this year? Chocolate Zucchini Cake. Since my family won't eat squash any other way, I have been making a lot of cake.

I usually have a lot of help:
We have made it unto bundt cake, sheet cake, regular cake and cupcakes. It's great any way you make it. I blend my squash instead of shredding it (my family doesn't do chunks).
Gavin is convinced that if he eats enough it counts as a veggie serving.

Sleeping on the Tramp (Sorta)

Enoch has waited all summer to sleep on the trampoline. He asked constantly. We finally consented, knowing that summer will be over soon and the warm weather will be gone.
We hauled the sleeping bags outside and got everything laid out and ready to go. Greg and I had already decided to let the kids fall asleep outside and then move them into their beds. We didn't even make it that far. Kate would not stay laying down. She was up and down, up and down, up and down, etc. She was having a great time and it didn't bother me too much until she jumped on my head. That ended her night outside.
Enoch was good to stay in his sleeping bag and listen to Greg reading Huggly and look at the stars. He wandered inside about 9:30 pm because the crickets were, "driving him nuts!!!!"
Gavin joined us for a little while and had more fun with the camera than anything else. (I laughed and laughed when I downloaded the pictures and saw this.)
I got Enoch and Kate settled and then got ready for bed. I then had to go out and wake up Greg and bring him inside. It was a beautiful night and the stars were fantastic. Maybe next time we'll plan on just looking at the stars.

Fist Day of School! First Day of School!

"First day of school! First day of school! Come on, Mom, it's the first day of school!" This is how I was woken up on Thursday by Greg (channeling his inner Nemo). Of course, I'm usually up, finished exercising, showered and ready to go by 7am, but I was recovering from a stomach bug and feeling a bit iffy still. I really wanted to tell Greg to go away, but I did need to get up and send Gavin off.
Luckily, Gavin did it all himself. We were running a few minutes behind (can't you tell from the exasperated look on Gavin's face). He is quite excited for the upcoming year. His teacher is Mrs. Ahlstrom, who was named the Utah Teacher of Year last year. She seems incredible and I'm so glad he can be in her class at Sego Lily Elementary. Her focus is science, which is Gavin's favorite subject. I think it will be a great year for him. We'll keep you posted on his adventures.

A Birthday and a Half

My Kate is 18 months old! I can't believe it. She has been such an absolute joy in my life. I love her immensely with the kind of mother-love you just can't put into words. Sometimes I will wake up in the middle of the night and miss her. I know, crazy. But, I really can't get enough of Kate. (Greg is now wondering why he is the one who gets up with her. Don't let him tell you differently - he is crazy about her too!)

Some of our favorite things and stories about KATE:

*When she is excited, she raises both fists above her head, pumps her arms and yells "yeah!".
*She loves to pray. She folds her arms, listens and then claps when the prayer is over.
*She is an animal lover. She is fascinated by animals of all sizes, but especially furry ones. Kate also is obsessed with stuffed animals.
*Kate is my bookworm. She brings me books constantly. Her favorites right now: Go Dog Go!, pop-up books and Huggly books.
*She has become an artist lately. She colors, stamps, and her favorite is watercolors.
*She has finally learned how to say No. Up until now, she would nod her head and agree to everything. She isn't a very talkative child, but she communicates very effectively. She signs a lot of words and is learning new words everyday. She is a quiet girl, but we all know when she is mad.
*She has to have her chocolate milk before bed. Her favorite foods are yogurt, grapes, bananas, macaroni and cheese, string cheese and anything chocolate. She has a huge sweet tooth.
*She could spend hours in her backyard swing. She also enjoys the slide, sand table and riding in the wagon.
*Her favorite body part is her elbow. She loves to be quizzed on body part locations.
*She will run to Greg with her hands in the air waiting to be tickled under her arms.
*Her brothers love to play with her. Gavin pushes her around in Enoch's big truck, takes her for 'boat rides' on his water bed and has tea parties with her. Enoch and Kate play tag and Legos together.
*She loves Nursery. I'm having a harder time with her going to Nursery than she is. She didn't cry at all. A few weeks ago, she knocked on the Nursery door wanting to go in. Then, she laid down in front of the door and stuck her fingers under the door. She really wanted to get in. All of the children in her class call her the baby because she is so small. They bring her toys, hold her hand during rotations and pat her head. She is having a great time.
*Today she called 911. It was quite embarrassing to have to explain to the operator who called back that it was my toddler who called and that everything was fine at our home. She loves to play with the phone and push the buttons.
*She loves to jump on the trampoline and in her crib.
*She pouts when she is told no. She puts on her pouty face, buries her face in her hands and then waits to make sure you see her. It only takes her a few seconds before she raises her head with a gigantic smile and laugh.

She is such an incredible girl. I love her so much!

A ZOOper Time

Our family earned a trip to the zoo from our Fowler house cup a few months ago and we decided we'd better get there before the summer was over. We had a great time (despite the sporadic rainstorms) and it was a great way to end the summer.


Our favorites:

Greg had fun watching the cheetah. The cheetah was quite frisky running back and forth and pouncing on a large rock and chasing it around.
(Tresa) I have always loved giraffes. A few months ago a baby giraffe was born at Hogle Zoo. He is adorable. It was so great to see baby and mom interact. I also loved seeing the kid's enjoy themselves.

Gavin's favorite animal was the bashful buffalo we saw on the train ride. Funny, I know. He also liked the elephant.

Enoch had a great time on the train (surprise!). He also loved playing at the playground. He would sit in the giant egg and yell, "I love pie!". Then he would laugh and laugh at the echo. Everyone at the playground kept looking around to see who was yelling. Silly kid. He also enjoyed the lizards, snakes and bears.

Kate loved the bears. She is fascinated with bears. A few weeks ago at the Bean Museum, she gravitated toward the huge grizzly bears and would make cooing noises and gently pet their fur. She was also captivated by the Provest's Squirrel. He would jump around his cage and her eyes followed his every move. She would squeal and laugh when he got close to the glass.

We had a 'wild' time at the zoo and can't wait to go back!

I Like Your Hair

Yellow Pine 2009

One of our family's favorite traditions is to camp at Yellow Pine (near Dushesne). We have sorely neglected this tradition for awhile, but we were determined to go this year. Our family had a wonderful time.


Some of our favorites were:

Nature Trail
Enoch and Kate especially loved walking around the paved trail and reading the signs along the way. It is a beautiful, extensive trail that winds through the Ponderosa pines and Quakies with streams and bridges throughout the trail. Enoch was determined to find some bear tracks (thankfully, he didn't) and everyone took their turn smelling the trees (Ponderosa pines smell like vanilla).


Geocaching
Yahoo! We found it! Our family loves to geocache and it is even better when you find the cache you are searching for. We followed the trail up the mountain and then a bit off-trail to find the small, blue box hiding in the upended roots of a tree (Greg and Kate spotted it first). We left some fishing flys and Enoch took a kitty Pez dispenser.


Playing with Toys & Games
What is camping without some family games? The favorite was Settlers, but we also played Scrabble Slam, Pit and Boochie Ball. Enoch and Kate enjoyed blowing bubbles and splatting their water balloons. The glow sticks were a huge hit every night. Kate loved her necklace and bracelet. The big boys threw they glow sticks in the fire to see what would happen.


Food
We fixed some yummy food while camping. Every morning for breakfast we had pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage. For lunches we had BLT's, grilled cheeses sandwiches, fruit and chips. Dinners were the best. We had taco salad, tin foil dinners with grilled corn on the cob, and dutch oven calzones. And, of course, lots of snacks. The chocolate topped treats were the first to disappear. Apparently, the squirrels liked them as much as we did.

S'mores
Anyone for gourmet s'mores? We branched out with our s'mores and they were so delicious. We had graham crackers, chocolate marshmallows, strawberry marshmallows, regular marshmallows, chocolate bars, Reeses's pb cups and bananas. We created the banana split s'more - graham cracker, chocolate bar, strawberry marshmallow and banana slices. It was amazing. I think my favorite was the chocolate-dipped strawberry s'more - graham cracker, strawberry marshmallow and chocolate bar. WOW!


Fishing
Our kids had never been fishing before and desperately wanted to go. Lucky for me and Greg, they have uncles and an aunt who like to fish. Nobody caught anything, but I think they had a good time.


Gavin
Gavin loved to play games with everyone. He also spent a fair amount of time playing with the fire - gathering wood, poking sticks at it and learning how to build the best fire from Uncle Jarom. (Sorry, Gavin, I can't get any more picture to load. I'll try again later!)


Enoch
Enoch told me his favorite part was everything about camping. He absolutely loved everything we did. He rode his scooter all over the campground. He alternating between sleeping the trailer and tent and slept fairly well.


Kate
Kate was constantly pointing at her stroller and signing more, more, more! She loved going for walks around the campground and nature trail. I kept wishing Grandpa Randall were there to push her around. They would have had so much fun together. The only time she would nap was in her stroller. On Friday, she took a header off the picnic table and landed on her forehead. She had a giant bump and I think she was in shock for a bit. She snapped out of it and we were constantly pulling her off of the table. She had so much fun and was completely filthy by the end of the week.


While we had so much fun, we had some not so favorites things as well.

Getting There
After buying food, organizing food and packing food I was ready to stay home. It took a lot of work to get ready to go, but I was determined to push through the frustration. Once we got on the road, I was feeling better. Better, that is until we reached the dirt road Google Maps directed us to take. We knew this wasn't the way we had gone before, but we weren't sure how else to get there, so we took the road thinking it was only unpaved for a few miles before turning off onto a paved road. After 20 miles and 2 hours later on the glorified ATV trail, it ended! Stopped, finished, ended. Are you kidding me?! We could see on the GPS that we were three miles from our campground, but we couldn't get there! Absolute Frustration! It was like a surreal, bad dream. We turned around in a small meadow and headed back to civilization. We finally got there six hours after starting out (it should have taken us three). We were happy and relieved to arrive at Yellow Pine.

Coming Home
We thought we already had our driving adventures and that the ride home would be smooth sailing. A bit after leaving the campground, Greg noticed the battery indicator was very low and dropping quickly. We made it to Heber before the battery quit. We charged it up with the batteries from the trailer and it held that charge for 3 minutes. We pulled over into a Les Schwab parking lot and the boys went in search of a battery. Being a Sunday in Heber, not a store was open. Finally, we called Grandpa Dee and he rescued us with a new battery and followed us home. It only took us 5 hours to get home, so I guess that was improvement. Greg replaced the alternator today and we are hoping we can return the trailer to Fairview without anymore more problems.

Aside from the coming and going, our family had a wonderful time and maybe in a few years I'll have the energy to go back again!