Folsom Lake

So this Sunday we decided to go see Folsom lake. It's only about a half hour drive from our house. We haven't gone before because the lake was so low that it didn't seem interesting enough. Especially for Ron. But this year after all the rainstorms we had in the spring months the lake filled up to capacity. We decided it might be a little more fun now that there is some water to play in. The kids loved it. They had a blast. We found a spot that had a place to rent inner tubes and life jackets since we forgot to bring our own. Ron planned the trip. To his credit though we didn't know what to expect because we hadn't been there before. They even had a chair for me to sit on. It was really nice, they had sectioned off and area just for swimming and no boats were allowed to cross the buoy's. The wonderful thing was that Jaxen actually played more in the water than in the dirt. I don't mind him playing in the dirt, but he's always been warry of the water. He would put his feet in once but then the rest of the time he spent in the dirt with no interest in the water. This time however, He seemed to really enjoy the water. He would run his sand truck from the beach into the water and back. He would jump around and splash. He even went on the tube with daddy and loved it! We are really proud of him! It really was a great day! We came home took a nap and then played Beattles rockband. Kaeryn and Tristan sang and Jaxen was the crazy drummer. All in all a really enjoyable trip! One that we might do again if we get the chance.

Happy 11th Birthday Kaeryn!

This year Kaeryn turned 11. She was very excited and happy. Kaeryn had originally wanted Ron's homade cheezecake, but a few days before her birthday she asked me if I would make her a cake. I was very excited. I saw the ladybug pan and thought that it was really cute. Kaeryn loved it! She had asked for happy cake. It's where you get a white or yellow cake mix and separate it into bowls and then color each one a different color and then randomly drop the colors into a pan. It's very fun and colorful and happy, hence the name happy cake. Kaeryn was also very excited for her presents especially for her camera. She has wanted one for a long time. It was a great birthday for her. Happy birthday Kaeryn! We love you!!!!!!

2010 World Cup!

We love the world cup at our house. It's very excitng. This year was a bit sureal for me though. Last world cup Jaxen was only a couple weeks old. I remember watching the final between Italy and France. Ron was holding Jaxen and we were talking about how the next time the world cup would be around Jaxen would be 4 years old and neither of us could believe it or even imagine it and now here we are watching it with a four year old Jaxen. I can't believe how time goes by. I had to get a pic of Ron and Jaxen watching the world cup together. Spain vs. The Netherlands. Spain won! This is a great memory!

Happy 4th of July!!!!!

This year we celebrated the 4th at home. We bought our own fireworks and joined our next door neighbors, the Greens, and had our own show. It was alot of fun! As tradition we had sparklers. The kids loved them. This year was the first year that Jaxen wasn't afraid of the fireworks. He was brave enough to play with his own sparklers. He wanted to do it over and over again. It was really fun to watch. Tristan helped a few times to light the fireworks. He was very excited about that. Other neighbors had some fireworks that lit up the sky over our street. It really was an enjoyable night. Happy fourth everyone!!!!!

Summer Trip continued

We made a visit to the Hogle Zoo. It was fun. I'm very glad we went. Ron hadn't been there in years and when I told him that they had made renovations and changed it alot he agreed to go. He was pleasantly surprised. The exhibits were great. We love to see all the animals. There was a bird show and an elephant show. The elephant show was so much fun. They have a baby elephant that they are teaching some tricks. So adorable! The kids loved seeing her play around. She would roll around in the mud and run into the outside area and run back in to the enclosure and then back out to the outside area again. It was so fun to watch. It was a wonderful day at the zoo!

We also went to a museum of natural history. The kids loved seeing the dinosaurs. Jaxen was so amazed at the size of some of them. Rons mom and dad came with us and they loved it as well. There were supposed to be gnomes hidden in some of the displays but we didn't find any. Of course we weren't totally focusing on that with the kids running around, but it was fun to try. after the museum we went to see Toy Story 3. Wonderful movie!!!! It really was great. We laughed and cried. The ending Ron's mom and dad, Ron and I were all crying. But it was still a great time.

We were also able to go and see one of Erika's horse shows. This was so fun for me. I loved being around all the horses. Erika did really well. She had a 1st place win and two 3rd place wins. I am so proud of her. After the show Erika let Kaeryn and Tristan get on her horse for a minute. It was getting late so she just led them around the parking lot. But they were happy to have a chance to ride. Such a fun memory!

On our last day there we drove up to Heber for some ice cream from Granny's. It's another place ron and I used to go back in the day. We had a bet going also. Ron said the best shakes came from Stan's, I said the best shake's came from Granny's. So we let the kids be the judges. While both places were tasty, Granny's won! I love winning our bets! It was a fun drive though. I love going through provo canyon. On our way back through the canyon we stopped at Canyon Glen to get our mountain fix. I love the Utah mountains! They are so beautiful. The kids enjoyed throwing rocks into the river, we loved the peace that was there. A great ending to a great trip! We boarded the train that night to go home. It was a wonderful Trip. We had so much fun and made so many memories. It really was a great adventure.

Summer Trip

This summer for our family trip we decided to go to Utah to visit with family. We boarded the train on June 23rd and arrived on the 24th. It's about a 17 hour ride. The kids love it. They were so excited to be riding the train. The train stops in provo at around 5:30ish in the morning so we spent most of the day resting, recovering from the long ride. That night Ron really wanted to take the kids to Seven Peaks water park. We went just for the last part of the day. The kids loved the wave pool, Kaeryn tried the rope swing, Ron and Jaxen went in the lazy river. I thought for sure that the kids would go on one of the waterslides, but they were as happy as can be in the wave pool. Jaxen was having a hard time at first but eventually he relaxed and started enjoying the water instead of being afraid of it. We were only there for a short time but they had alot of fun and I really enjoyed watching them and trying to get photos( they wouldn't hold still). Maybe next time we're there i'll feel better and will join them in the water.

The next night we met with my family. We had arranged with my mom and dad to have a sleep over party for Kaeryn with her cousins as an early birthday party. We did have pizza and then we went to see Koralee, Mckenna and Claire in their play about Cinderella. It was so cute. I loved it! Since moving out of state I have never been able to see any of my nieces and nephews perform in their various activities. The play was so adorable. Ron took the boys out on a daddy/sons date while I went with Kaeryn to the play. Ron took the boys to see a movie at the movies 8. After the movie and the play Ron and the boys came back to my mom and dads place and we along with all the girls had cake and ice cream. We stayed to visit for awhile. The girls were putting on their dress up shows. We left Kaeryn there for the sleep over and Ron and I and the boys went back to Ron's mom and dad's house( that is where we were staying). Kaeryn stayed most of the next day there, they went to bridal veil falls and played in the water. We took the boys out to dinner at
Los Hermanos. It's a mexican resturant that Ron and I used to go to all the time back in our high school days. We then met Kaeryn and went to visit and play games with Nate and family and jeremiah. It was alot of fun. It's always so good to be with friends.

Happy 4th Birthday Jaxen!

June 7th was Jaxen's fourth birthday. Wow! I can't believe he's 4 already. It feels like it goes by so fast yet I remember thinking when he was born that it felt so distant. Looking back at his baby pictures they now seem so long ago when really they weren't. It's interesting to me how time affects us in different ways.

We had alot of fun on Jaxen's birthday. It was sort of a multiple theme day. He still loves cars and trucks but now that we give him an allowance he generally spends that on cars so Ron and I wanted to steer away from the cars and trucks theme and do other things instead. He loves toystory and got his buzz for christmas, so for his birthday we got him a woody doll. He was really excited when he opened it. He wanted to run to find his buzz so he could play with them together. We've also been playing the new Pokemon games and having alot of fun with them. Jaxen likes to watch us play the games. We all started collecting the cards and Ron and the kids have some of the action figures. Jaxen really wanted some of his own so we got him his own pack of cards and some action figures and a stuffed animal pokemon. We also got him a buzz lightyear bubble gun and some sidewalk chalk playsets and the game whack a mole. everytime he would see that in the store or on tv he would start shouting how much he wanted that game. He was thrilled when he saw it.. Kaeryn and Tristan decided they wanted to get him a gift together this year. They choose a toy story spiral race track to give him and he was so excited. His big gift this year was a sand and water table. He was over joyed when he saw this. He loves to digg around in the dirt. He has a spot in the back yard where all his dumptrucks and loaders and shovels are. He calls it his field. Now he has actual sand to use in his field. It was so fun to watch him open his gifts this year. He would start with a gasp and then say " I just love this!" He kept saying thank you daddy, thank you mama. He was having a blast. For his cake this year he decided on chocolate and strawberry. So I made my first double layer cake. So far Jaxen and Ron are the only ones I still make cakes for. Kaeryn and Tristan have been asking for Rons homade cheesecake. So I still get to decorate cakes for Jaxen and Ron. I'm no professional cake decorator at all but I have fun trying. I thought his buzz lightyear landing on an alien planet looked pretty cool and more importantly Jaxen loved it! This year he was finally able to blow out the candles on his cake without help.

It was cute, the night before i baked the cakes so they would be cooled down the next day for me to decorate. I caught Jaxen climbing up the counters to look at the cakes. I told him he couldn't have any cake yet. He told me " i'm not eating it i'm just checking the flavors." Ron and I had a good laugh at that one.

It was a fun filled day of playing, swimming, homade pizza, yummy cake, movies. It was a busy day, but we were all so happy.

Happy Happy Happy Birthday Jaxen. We all love you so much!!!!!!!!