Peachy Pig Farm

This last Thursday, we took a little field trip with our preschool group to a pig farm. Ironically, the pigs were my least favorite part. Anyway, the lesson this past week was on gardening. So as part of our tour of the farm, we were suppose to see the apple orchard. I'm not sure why but they did not show us that part. But the kids didn't care! I know for Grace, the highlight was swinging on the tire swing! She also got to pick out a pumpkin, look at kittens and baby chicks, and feed chickens, turkeys, ducks and horses!

Here are the girls of the group

The group, minus Hailey, substitute in Evy!

My new motto

So Grace has started saying things that I thought I would not hear for another few years. The other day she asked if she could chew some gum. The last time she had some, she swallowed it. So I was very reluctant to give her any more. So I told her I would think about it. She then told me that she 'promised' that she would not swallow it this time. And she continued to tell me 'I promise mom, I will not swallow the gum.' I then decided to trust her and let her have a piece. She kept her word.
That same day she told me that she had something in her belly, and that it was a baby. She was pregnant. Like I said, I wasn't expecting to hear those words for another few years!
Another time I went out for a run, taking the kids in the jogging stroller. Grace likes to take her shoes off, whenever possible. Well, she took off her flip flops and one of them must have fallen out because it was no where to be seen when we got home. I was ready for a bit of a tantrum, some crying, some whining. When I told her it was gone, all she said was, 'Well, I guess I have to hop.' Ever since then, I have tried to make that my new motto in life.
One last story. Today Andy called to talk to Grace. After I handed the phone to her, she started walking away. She told Andy to hold on, then tell me while holding up a finger, 'Give me a minute, I'll be right back' and proceeded to go around the corner to talk to Andy.

Naps

This subject has been on my mind for awhile. My kids are at the stage where Grace takes one in the afternoon, while Clark takes two. On days that I don't have to be anywhere, it seems that my day centers around them. Once Clark wakes up, Grace goes down. Then once Grace wakes up, Clark is ready to go down again.
When Grace was younger she would only sleep an hour at a time. So bed time was never a problem, she was always tired (at least that's what I recall). But now there's Clark who sleeps 2 to 3 hours at a time (please don't think I'm complaining about this). And I am not one to wake up a sleeping baby. So lately, when bed time rolls around, he is not sleepy and doesn't crash until 10pm.
This last Thursday, however, was what I would call a perfect nap day. We were at the library when Clark fell asleep. He woke up 30 minutes later. So when it came time for Grace's nap, he was tired. Yeah! I actually had some time to myself. I pretty much took a nap as well. So by the evening, I felt great! And then I put Clark down at 8:30pm. To some that may still seem late, but I was relieved. I actually had a couple of hours to myself, before calling it a night.
So now he is taking his second nap. It is 4:30pm. You better believe I'm going in there in a few minutes banging some pots to see if he happens to wake up. I want my nights back!

FIRSTS

Our family experienced a lot of 'firsts' this past week. One was Grace starting preschool. I know she's only 3, but I thought she would be able to handle one day a week for 2 hours. And then the other day we go on a little field trip that relates to whatever the lesson was for that week. So the first lesson was on counting. She didn't seem too interested in numbers, until we went on our field trip. The kids went on a little hunt for numbers. Since then she has been noticing numbers and counting every chance she can get. I would say this first week was a success!

No, I wasn't the one to get my first haircut, I was just their to lend my support and hold his head still.

And the biggest first of the week goes to...

And it only took 10 and a 1/2 months to master. Now my life will never be the same!

Quick Trip

So you may have noticed I just added a couple of new posts. With our recent trip to Utah, it was the easiest way for me to organize everything and try not to put it into one large post. To kick things off, my dad (the only one in my family who was in town), was the lucky one to pick us up at the airport. He wanted to take Grace to an indoor amusement park (very small scale, just Grace's size) called Jungle Jim's. What a hit! We were there for a couple of hours. She did not want to leave! I think the funniest part was when she wanted to keep riding the roller coaster, by herself! So the employee let her ride, even when everyone else got off the ride. Thanks Dad!

While in Utah, I tried to squeeze in some time to see old friends. Sadly, this is the only picture I took of the evening. But it was fun to see Jack, Kate and Grace play together again! It was like we've never left. Thanks to Josh and Annie for letting us crash Lucy's b-day party! Your house is gorgeous!

And of course the highlight of the trip was seeing family! Being away certainly makes you appreciate them a whole lot more! I love my family (and by family I refer to mine and Andy's)! The two weeks spent there was wonderful and flew by way too quick. So the following posts are just short glimpses into our quick trip to Utah. Enjoy!

Snowbird

Every year I look forward to spending time up at Snowbird. Andy's parents have a timeshare, the first week of August. Although it is a ski resort, it is beautiful up in the mountains this time of year! And it is a great escape from the heat! Since being married to Andy, I have not missed a year, and this year was not going to be an exception. So since we were going to be coming to Utah for Clint's wedding, I wanted to come a week early and enjoy Snowbird once again. But because of the wedding and my family's trip to Bear Lake, we cut our stay there a bit short. I hope I never have to do that again!

One of my favorite things to do at Snowbird is hiking! But silly me forgot to pack the snuggly for Clark, so instead we took a short hike to the lookout point. It's a gorgeous view of the Salt Lake valley. The girls stopped for a quick picture along the way.

Grammy wanted to take the girls down the alpine slide with her, one at a time, of course! When I asked Grace if she went super fast, she responded 'no', 'super slow'! She is quite the little daredevil! But I know she really enjoyed herself anyway!

I just love the look on Clark's face in this one.

I just had to include this picture taken by Maggie. Thanks Maggie!

And here are a bunch of honorable mention photos.

Bear Lake

So the end of the first week the kids and I were in Utah, my family went to Bear Lake. And I think we picked the perfect weekend: Raspberry Days. The only difference was there were more people and plenty of local venders selling their stuff. So it made for some good shopping at Bear Lake. And it was just fun to play at the beach and on the boat. Here is cousin Trey helping Clark out with his binky. Thanks Trey!

Grace had her first experience riding a water banana. I love the look on her face in this picture (which is why I chose it)!

One of Clark's favorite foods is bananas. If you're not too careful, he'll bite off more than he can chew and swallow. My uncle Matt was in town, so he came with us that weekend. He seemed to really enjoy spending time with Clark. And by the look of it, Clark enjoyed his company (or food).

This picture is of my parents with all their grandkids. This one was probably the best one of all that were taken. They should have taken the picture early on in our little trip, instead of the very end when everyone is tired and ready to go home!

And a proud grandpa! I wanted to post a picture of my dad water skiing, since I was so proud of how well he did. But I didn't want to embarrass him. So I thought this was a bit better.

Here are some more pictures that captured a bit more of what we did while at the lake!