Just for fun

I just wanted to add these photos on because I like them. Last week after church I took my babes outside to snap a quick photo of them before they got all messy....

Now this is a rare sight anymore. It used to be that Adam and I would joke around that Maverick was a dog in a cats body. He used to love to go for car rides, play hide and seek and he also played fetch with a bouncy ball or "flying saucer" (toy from the kids bucket at work). Then we had Grace and the poor guy didn't get so much attention, nor did he feel like showing off. Well the other night I found one of the balls left behind from the b-day party and decided to give it a try. And what do ya know, he fetched it! Of course he is quirky, if it is somewhere that I can see it or close enough for me to get up and get it, he won't bring it back, I have to make it challenging for him. Silly kitty! Anyway, here he is bringing back the ball. I hope y'all can see it OK.

Birds Eye-View

Yesterday was Grace's actual birth day so we decided to go out and do something fun with the family. Her choices were to go to the zoo, swimming or feed the birds. She chose to feed the birds at Tracy Aviary. This year they had Sun Conures that we could go in and feed pieces of apple to. We all had such a great time. The birds were beautiful and Grace and Kaleb weren't a bit afraid.

After that adventure we watched a bird show and spent some time observing some of the other birds in the park. Kaleb started throwing one of his lovely tantrums, so the rest of us sat down to have a snack and he continued to scream a bit away from us. At one point a family of ducks crossed by him, Grace tried to get him excited about it but he refused. There was also a peacock that crept closer and closer to him hoping for a handout of food, clearly not bothered by the screaming. And the best was when a mother walked over and asked if he was lost! The dad pointed out that we were the parents and we all joked sarcastically about the fact that their kids must always behave perfect in public. (Ha Ha) It always helps when other parents express their sincere empathy to the situation.
Finally, he decided that wasn't fun anymore and joined us for snacks. The peacock continued to circle and eyeball us, but we had nothing to offer. When we were finished Grace hurried us out of the Bird area into the park (Liberty Park for those of you who don't know where the aviary is) so that she could go play in the water. They have the funnest little water exhibit there, well two really, but we went to the one called Seven Canyon fountain. It's an awesome outline of the canyons like the Cottonwoods and Emigration etc. Built with rock, cement and AstroTurf, it is a great place for the kids to splash, jump, and let loose in the water.
We all had a great time, the weather was perfect and the kids were beat when we got home! I love playing with my family and there are so many great things to do here in Salt Lake. Next we want to try out Heritage Park.

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged, a while ago really but I never do these so I thought I would this time. It's actually two different tags combined.
Favorite Ice Cream: Cookies and Cream, Oreo kind is best
Favorite Childhood Memory: Playing in my grandpa Carlson's garden and orchard with my cousins. Pretending we were princesses being kidnapped and then saved by our prince. We also played Care Bears back there and hid from Mr. Coldheart.
Fave Color: I love red. Bright and happy colors.
Birthday: April 6Th
Heels or flip flops: Flip flops for sure!!
My dream car would be: I've always wanted a Beamer
Top 3 Stores: Anywhere I can find good deals.
One person I'd love to meet who is alive: President Monson
How many kids would you LOVE to have....you know if you actually had to say it? I'm happy with the two I've got
Second Job (not first or current): I worked the holiday season at JCPenney's.
Favorite Teacher: Fifth grade Health teacher, Mr. Hennick
Something people would be shocked to know about me: Ummm.....??
And then tell us how you met your honey: I met him at an Institute activity at Salt Lake Community College in January 2001. He was laying on the floor while the rest of us were cleaning up from the activity, I gave him a hard time about it and we chatted for a bit. Then I saw him again at another activity. This time he got my # but never called. Sooo, when he asked me to dance at the next activity, I was hesitant and he explained he had been out of town. Any who... in April we finally started dating and have been inseparable since! We will be married 7 years in September.
What are you most afraid of: My family members dying before me
What is the most recent movie that you have seen: The new Indiana Jones
Place of birth: LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah
Favorite food: Italian
Natural color: Dirty Blonde
Ever been a Neat Freak: Yep about some things.
Love someone so much it made you cry: Yes
Been in a car accident: Yes a couple times
Croutons or bacon bits: Croutons
Favorite day of the week: The days Adam is home
Favorite Flower: That's a hard one, I love so many!!
Favorite sport to watch: Basketball
Favorite drink: Chocolate Ovaltine
Warner Brothers/Disney: Disney!
Ever been on a ship: Yes, for our honeymoon, during September 11Th!
What do you do when you are bored: Read friends blogs/play on Internet, read a book, watch TV, RELAX
Bedtime: Depends on the night. Usually around eleven or so.
How many pets do you have: Three. One dog, Kismet and two cats, Maverick and Elmo
Which came first, the chicken or the egg: Hmmm, I'm thinking chicken. Adam and Eve came before baby, right?
How many kids do you have: 2 lovely babies, Grace and Kaleb

Birthday Party Success!

Yesterday we had an awesome Jurassic size birthday party for our kids! (Grace decided she wanted dinosaurs, not princesses, easy enough) Grace was so excited we were finally having the party. We've been talking about it so long that I think she thought it was never coming. While we were decorating, she kept repeating every few minutes, "The party is today?!" Yep, after much preparation the fun day finally arrived.
We began with pizza, mmmmm.... (in the photo we have counsin Tommy, Kaleb, cousins Noah and Lilly, and Grace)
And then there was a dinosaur hunt....

My sister Kiersti found a REAL dinosaur egg! (Ok, so it was a hatched bird shell that fell to the ground, but the kids were impressed.)
I got creative with all the left over cardboard and things from finishing the basement and made a few decorations :) It was fun, and Grace just loves this giant dino, she always wants to pet it and even named him "Birthday Jingle" Yup that's a name.


















Then there was a triceritops pinata, filled with bubbles, bouncy balls and yes, lots of candy!

There were lots of fun things for the kids but I think the best were the kazoos!! It was so funny listening to them all going around buzzin' these things in random tunes.

Of course there was cake... I had a great time planning and making these. They always look better in your head, but I was happy with the outcome. Here's Kaleb's Jurassic Scene
Make a wish....

And Grace got a green dinosaur. (I suggested purple, but she wanted green)

Hmmm, I think they really enjoyed the cake!!









What a fun day, but it is nice to be done :) Parties are a lot of work sometimes but well worth it!! I am so proud of my babies, I can't believe that they are two and four already! They are so much fun I wish I could just show everyone how wonderful they are! I love them so much. And they love me too, that is the best part of all.

T-Ball and Temper Tantrums

Not much has been happening around here. Well nothing really worth writing about. We have been busy as ever working on little house projects, I've been working at the dental office 2 days a week for the last couple weeks. And I've also been cleaning apartments and home for my grandparents, which is a great help for all of us. Yesterday I was out creating birthday decor with some of our left over boxes from the basement. Adam was pitching soft ball to Grace, she has been very into that lately, and he decided to also recycle some of the odds and ends to make a T-ball stand for her. Just a piece of PVC pipe, cardboard and duct tape... whaala!



We've been very excited about how well she hits it when we throw it to her. She has to get used to the t-ball a little. He made a smaller one for Kaleb too.
Speaking of Kaleb, he has been showing off some of his anger again these days. It is so random, a fit will come out of no where! I know a lot of it is just that he is frustrated about not being able to communicate better, but the other part is just his temper :)
So here are some pics of him throwing a tantrum because Grace wouldn't get off daddy, but she was there first so I didn't care. She was also willing to share but he wanted nothing to do with that either.

It's funny really, the fits he throws. He's such a good boy, but then he has his moments. Don't we all? I sure do! :)