Family Fun

Sweet Dreams brought to you by Hasbro

2009-08-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, by now, most of you know of or have witnessed first hand Adam's extreme love of Transformers. You may not know of Adam's sleepwalking habits. (now you do!) This happened last night and I thought it was really funny. Around midnight I heard Adam calling me, and usually that means he is going to be up and walking around if I don't make sure he stays in bed. When I went in his room, he said "Hi Mom, did you know that Blackout's propellers fold back so that you can transform him?" He then started mumbling about how to fully transform him and then he laid his head on the pillow and rolled over. It was really funny, but I couldn't laugh or it would really wake him up. What a funny kid.

America's Got Talent (Or Melanie doesn't really need to do anything productive with her time)

2009-08-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

I never got on the American Idol bandwagon or the dancing shows, but I am hooked on America's Got Talent! Right now they are narrowing down the finalists and they are all amazing. It's crazy to see how talented people are. Plus, all the cracks at "The Hoff" are funny. At work, we just did an art festival and my entry...oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Yes, that was the best I could do, but they are mighty tasty! These are the ones where Melissa, Michelle, Matt and I would make a batch, and it generally wouldn't even get to the baking stage because we would eat the dough first. My kids love the dough as well, and it's good that I can bring in all the extras for my agents at work to help me get rid of these. If not, I'd be eating 4 dozen cookies on my own and I could! haha!

It's about time!

2009-07-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know, I know, I'm the definition of slacker. Or...maybe I just wanted to memorialize the King of Pop by having everyone see the one movie Michael Jackson was in as a tribute. You make the call. Quite a bit has happened over the last few months. Let me try to sum it up as quickly as possible.
May: My sweet Grandpa Soulier passed away. I miss him a lot. He was such an amazing man and I am so proud that he was my Grandpa. We spoke at the funeral which was very difficult, but we made it. Matt was nearby just in case one of the girls went down. Mark was given one of Grandpa's blazers which fit him perfectly. The kids were excited to finish up the school year. Adam had a great part in his school cowboy program. He even sang a solo! I have a copy of it for anyone who would like to see it. The video is a little shaky because I was crying the whole time- it was darling! We also bit the bullet and had a new furnace and central air unit installed. Bye, bye swamp cooler! I think this was the best decision we've made and we're really enjoying it on the 100+ days! My only problem- why did we wait so long???
June: Our first camping trip of the season to Little Mill in American Fork Canyon. It was really windy and we even took Rudy along with us. He was quite worried about all the blowing smoke but loved it. The kids had a great time fishing at Tibble Fork. Adam got a new fishing pole and Ashley had so much fun, we'll end up getting her one as well.
July: Our downstairs bathroom addition is moving along. Mark and his friend worked on the plumbing, and now it's just about ready to have the sheetrock and then tile done. It's a big project and we've got another bathroom so we're not moving as quickly as the other ones we've done in the past. We also went to Lagoon with my parents last week. It was so much fun! Mark and Ashley love all the scary rides so I usually stay behind with Adam. In another year or two, he'll really want to go on all the rides. I was surprised that he wouldn't go on Colussus, but his favorite ride was the Jetstar- aka the whiplash ride (or the drool ride- don't ask...). After talking mom into realizing the Rocket wouldn't hurt her ribs, her and Ashley rode it, and then she found us later on to ride it with Ashley again! I'm sure Ashley thought she had the coolest grandma to be riding along with her on all those rides that I wouldn't even go on! :) It was really hot that day, but it was such a good time. No long lines and lots of fun with the family. It couldn't get any better than that. At the beginning of the month, we went camping to Lodgepole Campground right at Daniel's Summit. Mark and I were commenting that it was probably the best camping that we've had so far. It was perfect. I can't wait to go again. Speaking of camping again- we'll be going to Whiting Campground this weekend.
I think that's about the highlights in a nutshell. I'll try to update my blog more often. I'm sure I'll have a lot of updates with Ashley starting high school next month!! Ahhh!!!!

Ease on down the road

2009-03-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Last night, we saw Ashley in the musical "The Wiz" at Eastmont. For those of you that aren't a child of the 70's, or a fan of Michael Jackson when he had a nose, the Wiz is a creepy Motown version of the Wizard of Oz. I can gladly say the play was much better than the movie. Ashley was cast as a slave and an Emerald City person. The Emerald City cast all had to wear green dresses. Ashley, apparently, got to wear someone's 80's prom dress just minus the lace. It was so funny!!! Ashley said it was a horrible dress, and she wasn't kidding!!! The other highlight of the play was when they showed a large painted picture of the Wiz on one of the backdrops. I guess Bob Ross is the Wiz. And over here we'll paint some happy little munchkins, and over here a happy little scarecrow. It was hilarious. The night was great- Ashley really had a lot of fun rehearsing and now she's excited that the performances are finally here. There will be shows tonight and Monday night if you want a chance to see some motown magic. :)

Happy Birthday Adam!

2009-02-28T18:29:00.000-08:00

Adam turned 9 on February 17th. He had a lot of fun and got lots of great toys that have kept him very busy. Some of the highlights from his loot this year are Baukugan toys (I guess they are all the rage with boys his age) a King Arthur Viking ship and a huge Bionicle set. Adam is so good at putting things together. He will sit still for hours reading instruction sets on how to create the masterpieces. I am so impressed with his patience! Hmmm....I wonder where he got that skill from. :) Mark sits and smiles as he watches him work on those- too proud of him to speak. (I had to throw in a little Shel Silverstein reference in there.) If I ever tell him to take a little break, he tells me "No mommy, I'm not giving up!" I admire his determination, but it's off to bed at some point. Another great gift was a book from Melissa- The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He has been loving it! Any time I can get Adam interested in a book or something other than a video game is good news! It's a really funny book and he's looking forward to finishing it so he can start on the other ones in the series. Thanks to everyone for helping to make Adam's bday such a great one!

They need a warning label on those things....

2009-02-28T18:19:00.000-08:00

For Adam’s 9th birthday party, we invited a couple of his friends to celebrate at Nickelcade. They had a blast! It was like a mini-Vegas casino the way the boys were dropping nickels in two at a time. The best thing about the party was the fact that I didn’t have to clean up after it, and the boys didn’t gang up on Ashley and torment her. She really appreciated that little bit. At the party, each kid got a bag of goodies. In the bag was a cute little mini-stapler. Adam wanted to play with it when we got home. I guess Adam was having a hard time loading it, because a few minutes later I hear him crying. When I ran to see what happened, I noticed a little staple sticking out of his thumb. It was a little funny, and luckily he was fine so we bandaged him up and off we went. Or so I thought… A couple minutes later I see Mark staring at this thumb. This time, the mini-staple went all the way in with both prongs. Ashley and I, being really caring and all, laughed and laughed and laughed. I have to say it was probably the funniest thing I saw that day especially since we just saw that happen to Adam minutes before. So, make sure your tetanus shots are updated before playing with mini staplers. And, bring lots of nickels to Nickelcade.

Jazz hands!

2009-02-28T18:17:00.001-08:00

For Adam’s birthday, one of his gifts that he really, really wanted was a new kitten. We weren’t sure about dealing with a new kitty, but we agreed to a 10 month old cat. She’s cute, but not too young. Adam named her Jazz. It was only fitting since Potter and Rudy are named after movie characters. If you don’t know where Jazz came from, it’s not his love of Utah’s basketball team, or even some good soul music, but after Jazz in Transformers. Hey, it’s better than the other name he chose…Susan. Huh???

Wipeout!!

2009-02-04T12:23:00.001-08:00

Wipeout!!! Okay, our family is definitely not into sports or the SuperBowl so this Sunday we watched a marathon of Wipeout. We laughed so hard!!! I woke up the next morning and my abs were hurting- does this qualify as an ab workout? Heck yes it does! If you haven’t seen it, check out an episode one day. The commentary is hilarious. Plus, there’s nothing better in the world than hearing my kids laugh.

Wii are having too much fun

2009-01-16T09:47:00.000-08:00

Our family is now officially a group of Wii junkies. It is so much fun! We have wasted so many hours of our lives to this addictive game. It’s sad that I’m such a better Wii bowler than I am in real life. Ashley is amazing at Guitar Hero. It’s my goal to pass off more songs than here, so I’m working at it. Adam has successfully won just about every tournament in Mario Kart. It’s amazing to see how my skill he has! My only skill on that game is falling off on every corner. Mark is really good at that as well. Plus the golf game- dang, I’m not a good golfer in real life, and my Wii golf is just as bad. I also just got my Wii Fit in. I love it! I actually look forward to getting some activity in my day. It helps me keep track of my weight as well- so that’s a good thing after all that candy. One downfall is our dog, Rudy. He loves the Wii as much as we do. Any time we go downstairs, he runs in front of the TV to watch us play. It’s hilarious.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-16T09:11:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay....I'm really a slacker. I've been pretty busy lately, and to be honest, our computer room is always freezing so I can't bring myself to hang out in the Arctic Tundra very often. Today is my day off so I thought I'd better add some posts.

Christmas this year was great! We have been having so much fun with all the great gifts we received. Some of the highlights are the Wii (I'll post more on that one later) and Adam opening his gift from Santa - it was a King Arthur Castle that he loves! He also had the greatest reaction to a new set of golf clubs that he got from Papa Garber. He can't wait for the weather to get better so he can spend some time with Papa hitting some golf balls. He occasionally takes out each club and just practice swings, and makes sure they are clean. It's so cute! Ashley got a lot of really nice Breyer horses, too. I'm sure they'll be shown in this year's horse show if there is one. One gift I got wasn't such a gift at all... about 10 pounds from all the great food this time of year! I guess I'll be trying to work it off for a while. Was it worth it? Yep...that fudge I made was great! haha

Who's Got Holiday Spirit?

2008-12-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

More pearls of widsom from Adam....
Lately, on our way to and from school we have been counting houses that have decorations on their house. We've gotten up to about 300 so far (some houses are counted twice) so we decided to stop counting and just enjoy the lights. Adam is always so thoughtful of other people. When I commented that our house looks like it has more Christmas Spirit than most of the houses Adam said "Maybe that's their idea of Christmas spirit. They all don't have to look like ours." We talked a little more about it and then he commented, "The houses with decorations have Christmas Spirit, but any houses that don't have decorations are DEVIL SPIRIT!". So funny. Seriously, that kid keeps us laughing. And yes....I will teach him about the different traditions for other religions....

My Quirks. AKA...I'm a mess...

2008-12-01T19:33:00.001-08:00

Here are the rules:

* Link the person who tagged you.
* Mention rules on your blog.
* Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
* Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
* Leave a comment to let them know

My Quirks (I was tagged from Tina's Blog):

1- I do not go barefoot ANYWHERE. Seriously, I'd shower with socks if I could. I hate the feeling of dry feet on cement and carpet. Ewww...
2- I'm a slacker with my blog. I don't do anything for a month and then I swarm it with numerous posts.
3- I don't like to watch sad movies unless I'm at home alone, with a roll of papertowels. Seriously, I'm a mess when I cry. Dang Steel Magnolias, and even kids movies make me sob.
4- I don't like anything other than fruit in my Jell-o. Soggy nuts and other unholy ingredients mixed in make me gag. I barely like Jell-O because let's face it, pudding has more calories which means that's my favorite.
5- I do not like sitting in the middle of a movie theater. It's always near the end of the row. You never know when I'll get the call to save the world and need to make a speedy exit. Or that the huge Diet Coke has finally caught up with me. I hate crowds. I hardly ever go to the movies on opening weekend (unless it's Twilight!) and the thought of going to a concert makes me cringe. (Aside from the Monkees because the middle aged folks didn't get too rowdy) I'm a home body and like my space.
6- I love to sing outloud even though I'm a horrible singer. Just ask my kids, they wish I would stop. I probaby look like an idiot singing along in my car when I'm by myself. Not only am I not a great singer, but I constantly get the words wrong. Oh well, it makes me smile. :)

The Fabulous Five (things about me)

2008-12-01T19:06:00.000-08:00

5 things I was doing five years ago.
1- Getting REALLY excited to move back to Utah!!! (12/8 will be 5 years)
2- Getting nervous to join the full-time working class again
3- Excited to be near family and friends
4- Happy to have had the opportunity to stay home with the kids for a couple years
5- SOOO Excited to move back!!! I had to list that twice.

5 things on my to do list.
1- update my blog (done- for now at least)
2- clean out my hotmail inbox (yikes, I have a lot in there...)
3- put up Christmas ornaments
4- set up meetings at work (procrastination is not good)
5- Christmas shopping. I don't want to be near the malls around Christmas.

5 snacks I like
1- Microwave popcorn with Junior mints. Yum- you have me hooked, Tina!
2- Toast with honey
3- bagels and cream cheese
4- oranges
5- all of the above with a nice frosty Diet Coke.

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire
1- Travel
2- Pay off all my debt!
3- Retire
4- Go to school
5- Help out others who are in need.

5 Places I have lived
1- Sandy
2- Midvale
3- Magna
4- Van Nuys, CA
5- Santa Clarita, CA

5 Jobs I have had
1- Trolley Stop - I had a great ice cream arm. And old people always order Pralines and Cream. Every time....
2- Lechters/Famous Brands Housewares
3- OC Tanner
4- Robinsons May
5- 1-800 CONTACTS

Tag to whoever hasn't done this already. I'm probably the last since I'm such a slacker.

Patriot Pride

2008-11-26T17:15:00.000-08:00

Today Ashley won the Patriot of the Month award at Eastmont Middle School! She didn't have any idea that she would be getting the award so it was a great surprise. She didn't see that Grandma Arents and I were sitting in the front row until after she was called up in front of the entire school. It was really hard to keep it a secret. She is so involved in school that it's surprising it took this long for her to win this! But, better late than never! So far, she has always had a 4.0 GPA in school and she makes the schoolwork look easy. Great job, Ashley!!!

Tag: 4th folder, 4th picture

2008-10-15T19:52:00.001-07:00

New Tag! Go to your 4th picture folder, and download your 4th picture.

My picture was of our cute dog Rudy. Weird, because he was in my folder labeled Yellowstone. Tag: Tina, Janessa, Melissa, Michelle

Santa and the Candidates

2008-10-15T19:33:00.001-07:00

Okay, I have to post this- Today while Mark and I were watching the presidential debate (same old stuff said, different day) Adam announced that he was voting for Barack Obama. Honestly, I am not pushing my political views on my children, he decided this at school from a weekly reader. Here was the conversation that followed:

Adam: "I'm voting for Barack Obama not the other guy."
Mel: "Why did you decide to vote for him?"
Adam: "Because he looks nice."
Mel: "That's a nice reason, but you should vote for someone with the same beliefs as you have to help you decide."
Adam: "Like believing in Santa Claus?" (Imagine this being said with a huge grin)
Mel-trying not to laugh: "Yes, like believing in Santa Claus. Obama believes in Santa Claus."
Adam: "Then I'm voting for him!"

It was too funny not to share.

Cat Bowling

2008-10-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

Try your hand at Cat Bowling! This is seriously the funniest thing I have seen!
http://www.brandextract.com/catbowling/

Tag You're It!

2008-10-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

Copy and respond in one word answers.
Here are the questions:
1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Where is your significant other? Couch
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? fabulous
5. Your father? amazing
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? work
8. Your dream/goal? healthy
9. The room you're in? office
10. Your hobby? reading
11. Your fear? snakes
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? 130
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? confrontational
15. One of your wish-list items? mattress
16. Where you grew up? Hood
17. The last thing you did? blog
18. What are you wearing? nothing (haha- just kidding)
19. Your TV? loved
20. Your pet? crazy
21. Your computer? slow
22. Your mood? frustrated
23. Missing someone? yep
24. Your car? peppy
25. Something you're not wearing? contacts
26. Favorite store? WorldMarket
27. Your summer? quick
28. Love someone? Yes
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When is the last time you laughed? tonight
31. Last time you cried? Friday

You're it: Anyone, who, hasn't, responded, already, to, this, lately.

Ashley's Horse Show

2008-10-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

Ashley's pride and joy is her amazing Breyer Horse collection. She entered the Pioneer Classic horse show this year because she had so much fun last year. We spent the day in Provo with a group of other horse lovers and they judged the models. She won so many ribbons that day, and one of her horses even won Best In Class! It was fun spending the day together and whispering "Go Utes" every time we heard an update on the BYU game. She's already planning on going next year if they have another show!

Hiking to the ends of the Earth

2008-10-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm behind as usual. A few weeks ago on a beautiful Saturday afternoon I decided to get a little activity. I suggested the hike at the S-Curve in Big Cottonwood Canyon. I've seen parents with their toddlers walking to their cars, so I figured it must be an easy hike. WRONG! Don't be fooled, those parents were probably just making their children pay for misbehaving in some way and time out wasn't cutting it. I see that the hike is about 2 miles. I don't stop to think that it's basically uphill! We still go on against my better judgment. I'm stopping every now and then and thinking I really should have brought my inhaler and more water, but I'm determined. I won't give up! If a Hobbit can do it, so can I. After over an hour of hiking and listening to Adam saying "are we there yet?" I ask someone coming down if we are almost there. I'm very discouraged to hear "You're not even 1/4 of the way." Jerk. Mark and Ashley probably could have gone on, but I was done. We decided to turn around and the downhill hike was much more pleasant. One of these days I might go back, but for now, I've learned my lesson. Stay nice and cozy on the couch enjoying your day off with a bag of Hershey's kisses. But, I guess that's why I should hike....what a vicious cycle. At least it was a gorgeous view that day!

Happy Birthday Melissa!

2008-09-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

Melissa, you had such a cute idea for Matt's birthday that I'm going to steal it and spotlight you!
Here are 10 things that make me smile when I think of you.....
1- "Fly Bys" now known more commonly as stalking. The good old days of cruising in the Astro Van by our favorite boy's houses.
2- Walker's Runs. Their tater babies were the best! Fateful Walker's runs where either brakes failed requiring the "Flintstone's" maneuveur, or the crash which awarded you seatbelt safety girl. Sorry about your nose!
3- Your amazing ability to write. One particular article about the Eastmont basketball team sticks out in my mind. Also, "Ode to the feather on the wing of a flightless bird". Coming up with the title of the poem was easy, the rest, we just gave up on because why mess with perfection?
4- "Please take me downstairs" We were playing Barbies and my Barbie was saying that. Before I knew it- BAM- Melissa had pulled me down so my Barbie was downstairs in an instant along with me. So funny!!!
5- Trips downtown to visit you at the U. I do remember one interesting movie choice you took Tina and me to. Yep, once the staircase scene came up and we heard the unzipping- we were out of there! Plus, you lived in a dorm at the Sill Center with shoes nailed to the wall. Crazy. But it was close to the Pie where the guy with super bad BO worked.
6- Your pink pepto bismol room. What were you thinking? I really can't complain because once you moved out and I moved in, I bought another pink bedspread and kept the pink love going.
7- Playing pet store on Sundays with the big green foam mats in the upstairs hallway. You were just talking about this the other day!
8- The upside-down-flying-saucer-cake-with-peppermint-frosting. It truly was an inspiration which could never be duplicated. This could also include our military size batches of mashed potatoes which turned into a huge food fight. We were mopping the ceiling afterwards. It was great!
9- All the fun things you do with the kids- Ashley and Adam have so much fun with you! Especially taking them to Yellowstone- that was so generous of you and they have great memories from it.
10- I'm so proud of all that you've accomplished. You are an awesome (yes, we're from the 80's) sister and I have so much fun with you. I love you!

She Works Hard For the Money

2008-09-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's official! Ashley has entered the working world. And where else would a Garber decendant end up? Why, Jordan School District, of course! She is a sweeper at Willow Canyon Elementary and she's loving it. They have liked her so much that they want her to be full time instead of just a sub. Now she can save up for her horses and other fun stuff after putting money away in savings of course- she has college coming up in a little over 3 years- crazy!!!!

These are a few of my favorite things....

2008-09-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

FALL!!! I love it for the cool crisp mornings, the changing leaves, the fact that I won't pass out from heat exhaustion (ouch- I don't recommend that!) the trips to Gardner Village and especially the PUMPKIN!!!!! I am such a sucker for a good pumpkin flavored or scented anything!! These are my favorites:

1- Pumpkin Spice Hershey's kisses

2- Pumpkin Spice Latte from 7-11

3- Pumpkin Fudge from Sweet Aftons in Gardner Village

4- Pumpkin Pie

5- Pumpkin Spice CandleBreeze scent

6- Pumpkin pie mix topped with cool whip- use graham crackers as dippers.

YUM!!!!! Seriously, if you haven't tried any of these, you need to, and especially the Hershey's kisses. Ashley and I probably would have finished the entire bag on the way home from Target but we had to save some for Mark. He got a couple by the time we got home. If you aren't a fan of pumpkin flavors, that's okay. You're entitled to your own opinion....weirdo.

Happy 13th Anniversary!

2008-09-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

Nothing says happy 13th anniversary, Honey, like the grinding of tile saws and a couple of days without a working shower. After discovering a mold problem in our main bathroom (I have a nose like a bloodhound, I could smell it just walking into the house!) we decided we had to replace the tile around the bathtub. Without much ventilation in the bathroom, and my asthma, it was pretty necessary. Not to mention the disco 70's yellow tile that surrounded the shower. Oh yeah... After MANY trips to Home Depot to decide, and about an hour just deciding on the grout color, we made our final purchases. We took down the old tile, and even the old sheetrock. There was definitely no going back at that point. Mark, the amazing handyman that he is, fixed the plumbing and did 99.9% of the manual labor. The .1% was me sweeping all the dust into the garbage cans, and handing him tools. It was like an operation room: "Phillips screwdriver"...handing over "torch"...handing over. As much as I dislike giving anything that produces a flame to Mark, it was necessary for the plumbing. The tiling was a lot slower than we figured, but in the end, it looks amazing! I included pictures, but it's really hard to get a good shot that shows how great it looks in a tiny bathroom. We got new shower doors, and new fixtures so basically our bathroom in entirely new at this point. Well, that is, until we tile the floors....maybe we'll tackle that one next week.

And more camping.....

2008-09-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

Since we got our camper in July, we have been to five different campsites. We are trying to get away again this weekend. Thank goodness the camper has a heater! The camgrounds have all had some great features, and some not so great features:

Redman

Pro: Beautiful Pine Trees and flush toilets!

Cons: Idiots who don't know how to park IN a parking spot and not in the middle of the one lane road. (there really wasn't much wrong with this spot!)

Whiting

Pro: Not so stinky pit toilets!

Con: pit toilets....and not a lot of shade

Payson Lakes

Pro: The lake is great for canoeing or just reading while the family works up a sweat

Con: stinky toilets and random tornados in the middle of the night

Hope Campground

Pro: Great shady spot

Cons: steep drive to get to the campground, and pit toilets

Spruces

Pro: Flush toilets and beautiful views

Cons: Rascally squirrels that won't stay in the trap.

So...apparently I'm a girl that likes to be pampered. What a difference a little invention called the flapper valve can make.

The not-so-little detour to Payson Lakes

2008-08-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went camping to Payson Lakes. There was a fire outside of the entrance to Payson Canyon that started on Friday afternoon. We decided to try for it on Saturday afternoon because we heard that the campground was not in the line of fire. Unfortunately, they closed the Payson Canyon so we had to enter from the Nephi side. This added about a 1+ hour detour. The bonus was the beautiful drive through Nebo Loop. Normally we wouldn't have a reason to drive that far out there, so it was nice to say we've done it now. I almost want to drive down there again just to see all the fall colors. Almost.....the tank of gas was a little extreme pulling a camper and canoe. Once we finally arrived (about 4:00pm) we set up camp and went down to the lake. Mark and the kids paddled around the lake for about an hour while I started reading Breaking Dawn. I didn't have a chance to start it yet from buying it at the midnight release party. Well, technically we bagged the idea of standing in line at Barnes and Noble and drove over to Walmart to buy it for cheaper and without lines. :) If Melissa and I had only known this sooner! Haha.... That night I tried Dutch Oven cooking. The peach cobbler turned out really good! Almost as good as Dad's! During the night, we started getting huge wind gusts so at about 2:30 in the morning, Mark and I had to take down the camper's awning. Again, on the positive side, after securing the awning, we were able to enjoy the beautiful stars. They were amazing! The next morning, we went down to the lake again to walk around and then for more canoeing (Mark and the kids) and reading (me!). It was a lot of fun! The canyon wasn't open when we were leaving so we made sure to stop on the long detour again for some pictures of Mt. Nebo. The highest point in the Wasatch Mountain range. We were at about 9000 feet when we took the picture, so it might not look as impressive as it really is. Now to start another work week....

I Can't Wait!

2008-07-31T20:51:00.001-07:00

Mark and I went with Shane and Heather (they are having a baby in two weeks- congrats!) to see The Dark Knight. I loved Batman Begins and this was just as good. It was non-stop action throughout the entire movie. It was almost 3 hours longs but well worth it. I'm going to have nightmares about the Joker for weeks. Creepy! Next in line for movies I can't wait for are Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Nov 21) and Twilight (Dec 12)!

Harry Potter: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi215810329/

Twilight: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1188823321/

Boys will be boys....

2008-07-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

In June while Ashley was at Rough Camp, Adam got to go to Cub Country. He had so much fun up there especially at the trading post. Each day, he took up a little money to buy something he wanted. The first day, he came home with a whip. The second day, he came home with a pocketknife. Is this some kind of Webelos Militia they are forming? They are going to take over the world and use their Pinewood Derby cars (with pennies taped to them for weight at the front) to deliver their messages of taking over the world. It was really funny because I was joking with Mark that he would come home with some type of weapon and he ended up with two1 He practiced the whip for about a week after he bought it. He would put out an empty can and see if he could whip it- whip it good. Where's a picture of DEVO when you need it? Watch out Indiana Jones, you have some competition! Between both of my daredevil kids, I'm surprised I haven't spent more time in an emergency room. (knock on wood....)

Tibble Spork

2008-07-31T20:12:00.000-07:00

Hi- on Tuesday night we all went canoeing at Tibble Fork with my parents and Matt's family. We stopped off for some KFC, and of course, the sporks were an added bonus. Not to mention the moist towelettes. The temperature at the lake was so great- it was so nice to be in the 70's instead of the constant high 90's and 100's that we've been at lately. I'm ready for fall! We took turns paddling around the lake and Adam tried a little fishing. He caught a fish with Mark and my dad while they were in the canoe. Nice job!! Ashley had a lot of fun in the canoe and spending time with her cute cousins. They all liked wading through the murky water. It's amazing the magnetizing effect water has on kids regardless of what type, of how gross the water is. haha....

tag- you're it

2008-07-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

Melissa just tagged me so I guess I'm it. Here it goes. Post these rules on your blog. Answer these 15 questions about yourself on your blog. Tag five people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Here it is:

JOYS:
1- My family
2- losing weight- even .2 is a loss!!
3- My husband who can work miracles in our home. Honey, are you ready to re-do a bathroom yet? :)

FEARS:
1- Something happening to my kids.
2- Snakes, Bears, Sharks
3- Tornados and Earthquakes and Volcanos. Okay, so basically any major disaster.

GOALS:
1- Finally get to my goal weight.
2- Try to be better about exercise.
3- Get more organized. Things are stacking up lately around the house.

OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS:
1-Reading - usually anything will do, but I love mystery fiction types.
2- TV - I love Last Comic Standing and can't wait for the new season of House and Heros to start up again. Oh, and WipeOut is seriously the funniest thing out there right now.
3- The Olympics. I'll say it right now, I'm sure I will be glued to the TV watching whatever sport they are doing that day. And I cry everytime they come out for the opening and closing ceremonies. And when they are on the stand listening to their national anthem...basically, I'm a wreck for a few weeks. I have so much pride for people who have so much talent, determination and coordination. I can barely walk up the stairs without tripping. haha

RANDOM SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT ME:
1- I am a closet Country Music lover. Okay, not that obssessed, but ever since Ashley has decided to go to the dark side (music-wise) I've found that there are some really good ones out there. Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw... I'll end the list there.
2-I can carry on a conversation with movie quotes. It won't win me the nobel peace prize, but it does help with conversations with Tina and Melissa. :)
3- Like Melissa, I had to take the BYU Correspondence in P.E. and also English. I learned about the Ultimate Bowling from Melissa and also went to the seedy Midvale alley to try to pick up a few spares. Not so good, but I finished it. Bowling is like golf where you want the lowest number, right? I had to go down to BYU to take my English test and while I was slaving away trying to remember i before e except after c, my dad was taking Tina to the BYU creamery for a shake. What did I get? A passing grade, but I would have preffered the creamy goodness of a shake.

Tag: You, you, you, you and you. Basically anyone who hasn't done one already. :)

Fun stuff!

2008-07-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

I thought this looked fun from Kiley's blog, so I'm stealing the idea!
Here are the directions:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave a comment about you on my comments.

Our Maiden Voyage

2008-07-19T14:21:00.001-07:00

We just got back from our first real camping trip with our new pop-up trailer. Our sleepover in the driveway last weekend really doesn't officially count. After hunting for a couple of months for a small trailer that would fit on the side of our house, but would also be comfortable for the four of us, we finally found one that we loved. It's a Rockwood 1980 model. No, no, it does not come with neon colors, a Duran Duran record or a copy of a John Hughes
movie on Beta, 1980 is just their model number. Oh, the 80's... good times, but I digress... the camper has everything we need. It even has a fridge and a furnace. It will be really nice on some 2 night trips. I grew up camping with my family and had so many great memories. My favorite campgrounds are The Spruces and Payson Lakes. Our campout was so much fun! My mom and dad went up to the Spruces campground on Thursday and lucked out with a great site. We weren't able to go up until Friday so it was nice to have a spot already set up. We played a lot of fun games, had some great food (dutch oven peach cobbler!) and especially enjoyed the outdoors. I think Adam enjoyed nature a little too much. He created a little trap to catch a chipmunk. After a lot of trial and error, he ended up tying a string to a stick so that he could pull it away and trap a chipmunk. His persistence paid off, but luckily the little critter was able to escape after a minute or two of us laughing and wondering who was going to let it out of the box. Hmm, who wants rabies? haha. Either way, that was the most still I've seen Adam in weeks! He was so focused on getting a new pet, but we ended up doing the catch-and-release method of catching chipmunks. Either way, the chipmunks will now be scheduling appointments with their doctors for some good cholesterol medications from all the Pringles and scrambled eggs they ate. We can't wait until our next trip! If we don't answer the phone on the weekends, it's because we're enjoying another adventure.

Here's my sign....

2008-07-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, I realized I didn't mention one of my most embarassing moments that happened when we were at Wheeler Farm. I am willing to share to help someone else from making the same fateful mistake that I did. Call it community service if you will.
Picture this....the farm is full of new springtime animals. We were drawn to the baby calf that was very loudly mooing over and over and over. Mark and the kids were standing next to me by the fence, until I decided to turn and moo at the top of my lungs at Mark. Ummm, yeah, Mark had apparently mooved (sorry, bad one) and some man and his son were standing next to me instead. There was that akward moment where I just stood there with a deer-in-the-headlights look before I turned and walked away. It was the walk of shame, and of course, we ran into him about 6 more times that day. It's nice that I'm here to provide such entertainment for my family. It definitely should count towards community service.
That's almost as good as the time I ran over a deposit tube-thingy at the bank. Did you know those little suckers are strong? Well, they held up to the weight of a Dodge Shadow. :)

Yellowstone- Lucky kids!!!

2008-07-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

This June my sister, Melissa, took the kids on a trip to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. They had so much fun!!! The first night they stayed in Jackson and then the next morning they went on a scenic river trip. The next couple of days were spent in Yellowstone looking at all the beautiful sights. They were amazed at Old Faithful and how quiet it was when it exploded. What an awesome sight! They loved looking for all the wildlife and especially the side trip on the way home to BearWorld. They loved how close the bears got right to the cars. Remember...your car is your cage! Luckily no bear maulings or gorings by buffalo on this trip. They had so much fun! Each time we ask them what their favorite part of the trip was, they think about it for a minute and just answer "Everything!". Thanks, Melissa, for taking them on this wonderful trip! The kids love the outdoors, so this was such an exciting trip for them. With the kids away, we got to enjoy a couple of free nights that we filled with dinners out (5 Guys Burgers and Fries is a lot like In-n-Out!) and we also saw The Hulk which I would highly recommend.

Silver Lake

2008-07-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite (and free- see a pattern here?) places to visit is Silver Lake at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Within a few minutes, we are in the canyon. This trip, we brought up sandwiches and walked around the lake. There is still snow in some parts which means surprise snowball fights and the overwhelming urge for Adam and Ashley to climb all over it, regardless of the mud. Adam was on the hunt for little fish to take home. He actually found a few guppies, but they didn't survive in his tank once we got home. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place. The spectactular mountains we have here were one of the main things we missed when we lived in CA. That would be second to missing family and friends, of course! :)

Wheeler Farm- Free Entertainment!

2008-07-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

With the out of control gas prices it's a hard to find something for the family to do that costs less than the gas it takes to drive out there. Luckily, we live within walking distance to Wheeler Farm. We have spent so many hours over there. It's pretty sad, really. Although the signs say do not feed the animals, we routinely bring along carrots for Ashley's favorite- the horses. The big Clydesdale is amazing to stand next to. It makes you feel so small. I'm a little nervous around the big animals, but Ashley is right at home with them. They also have cute donkeys, sheep, pigs, and the occasional chicken that is running around. Yeah, Mark grabbed one and carried it over to the kids so they could pet it. One day we will be banned from the farm. I took a cute picture of the kids on a nice rustic wagon only to find out after the picture that it was filled with pig MANURE!!! I'm such a good mom, aren't I? Anything for a picture. It's fun to go in the springtime with all the new animals. There was a cute baby goat that was only a few days old. There are also some pretty demon geese and ducks there. On a trip with the kids and my nephew, Casey, we were swarmed by the geese. I was literally carrying Casey in one hand, and alternating throwing bread to distract them and trying to run them down with a stroller. Good times, but we made it out alive. Oh by the way, if anyone from Wheeler Farm or PETA corners me about the "alleged" animal feeding or duck incident, I'm denying it.

Ashley's baptism

2008-07-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

This year Ashley decided it was the right time to get baptized. She was baptized and confirmed on May 24th by her Grandpa Garber. There were so many people that came, we were moved from the Relief Society room to the chapel. It was such a beautiful day and great to see what a wonderful network of family and friends that are always here to support us. We are so lucky! Thanks again to everyone that shared this day with Ashley!

Our New Kitchen!

2008-07-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

In March, we took on the huge project of updating our kitchen. Thanks to IKEA's online kitchen designer, and a whole lot of muscle from Mark we finished the project in record time! In three days, the old cabinets were out, and the new ones were in. Adam and Ashley had fun with the demo of the old cabinets, and Adam helped Mark put together the new cabinets. It was then another week for the finishing touches like countertops, knob pulls, and installing the new floor. I still sit in the kitchen just staring at my beautiful new room. I'm so lucky that Mark is such a handy guy. If not, we'd be without a kitchen for months. I'm not a huge fan of cooking, but I definitely love my kitchen. I still even have a few cabinets that don't even have anything in them- there is so much space now. Yay!!!

Christmas in Georgia 2007

2008-07-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

This Christmas, we had the opportunity to travel with Mark's parents and visit his sister, Michelle and her husband Derek in Woodstock, GA. We got to see our darling new nephew, Dylan, for the first time! We had a blast on our visit. We were able to do some sightseeing and visited a lot of great places. The Georgia Aquarium was amazing! I would recommend this to anyone who is headed out to Atlanta. We also toured the Coca-Cola museum. Our favorite part was the taste-tests with drinks from around the world. If you ever visit Italy, stay away from a drink called Beverly- it was the worst! Needless to say, we were all on a caffeine high that night. :) We also visitied the The Wild Animal Park in Pine Mountain, GA where animals come right up to the van to get fed. Adam was a little nervous at first with the big Texas longhorns but he warmed up quickly. Ashley had animal slobber all over her arm. Gross! Mark was also petting a bear. I was afraid he would come home without an arm, but I forget- he is Dr. Doolittle and the animals all love him. We also made an overnight trip to visit my Aunt Christy and Uncle Randall in Booneville, MS. It was so nice to see them and Kirk's family- it has been years since my last visit. Of course, no trip to Tupelo would be complete without the visit to Elvis's home. The entire Christmas trip seemed to fly by so quickly, but it was nice being with family and having a fun time being tourists since we had never been to Georgia before.

Welcome

2008-04-08T16:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Arents family blog!