Tubing at Soldier Hollow

The kids have had such an enjoyable time while being "off track" (school break due to year round school). It's been a long relaxing month. However, I think all of us are ready to get back into a routine. For one last hurrah before the kids returned back to school, Mark and I decided to take the kids to Midway, Utah (about 45 minutes from Riverton) and go tubing at the Soldier Hollow Resort before they return back to school on Monday. We went last year and spent a few days in Midway and loved it. However, this year we decided to forgo the over nighter and just travel up to the mountains for the afternoon. I found a great deal on Groupon dot Com and saved us some money on tickets. We had a great time enjoying the tubing slopes and each others company. The snow was pretty sparse this year at the resort and they had snow machines running. With little snow and man power, we were only able to go tubing down the hillside about 6 times over a two hour time period. Last year, we were  able to go quite a few more times. Soldier Hollow typically has two pulley systems pulling you up the hill but this year they only had one. Regardless, we had a great time and the kids requested we go again next year and make it a family tradition. I love seeing the kids have fun and I really enjoy spending time as a family.

Easter Weekend

For the past several years we have gone down to Southern Utah to celebrate the Easter weekend with our Families. This year we decided to go down on Thursday and we stayed with my sister Kamberee and her hubby Tyler and their son Karev for the weekend. I am always so grateful to her opening her home up to us and letting us stay. We always look forward to going down to Southern Utah in the spring because the weather is always warmer than it is up here in Northern Utah and it is so nice to be able to get away from it all and have some much needed family time.We didn't do too much on Thursday after we arrived but visit and catch up with Kam and Tyler and Karev.

 On Friday morning, we headed down to Grandpa & Grandma Frisbey's house in Santa Clara, Utah. When we arrived, Bob and Laurie had hidden some eggs around their yard and in their house for the kids to look for. They had hidden pink and purple eggs for Karmindy and green and blue eggs for Kaleb. The kids had a great time searching for the eggs. They both got ten eggs with $1 in each egg. They were pretty thrilled with their money eggs. After the kids had their egg hunt, Bob and Laurie let the kids color some eggs. The kids had fun spending time with their Grandma and Grandpa Frisbey.

 After the egg hunts and coloring eggs, we headed to eat lunch at the Pasta Factory on the Blvd. in St. George. Mark and I sure miss the Pasta Factory and their yummy pastas, raspberry lemonade and their yummy bread sticks. We always look forward to visiting southern Utah to get a taste of our roots! We met Rex and Misty and R.J. there for lunch. It was nice to see Mark's brother and spend some time with him and his family and Bob and Laurie.

On Saturday Morning, we took it easy, slept in and then got up and got ready for the day. After getting cleaned up for the day we headed to Grandpa and Grandma DeMille's house in Hurricane. We had a yummy picnic with my parents, and siblings. We missed having Tiffany, Ryan and Kenley there. They are in Hawaii because Ryan is stationed there with the Army for work.

After the picnic, we all headed outside to ride shoot balloons out of Grandpa's grape vines. Kaleb brought his airsoft guns and Dad got out his BB and pellet gun for all the kids to shoot. After shooting we went for four wheeler rides, scooter rides (Uncle Karson's scooter), and Uncle Karson's girl friend, Brittany's go kart. The kids all had fun, and even the big kids enjoyed themselves!

After having fun shooting, four wheeler rides, scooter rides and go kart rides, Grandpa and Grandma had their tradtional egg hunt. The kids always look forward to my parents egg hunt and look forward to trying to find the Golden Eggs. My mom hid 2 gold eggs this year and one Silver. Kaleb, like every year, was stressing about getting the golden egg (because the golden ones have money in them.) I had to reassure him that it would be fine. He was happy when he found the 2 golden eggs. I was proud of him because he gave one to Karmindy to have. He was so thoughtful! I am very proud of  Kaleb and the awesome big brother he is to his little sister.

We sure had a great weekend with both sides of our family. It was nice to spend time with all of our brothers and sisters and our parents. I feel very blessed to come from such a great family like mine. I truly look forward to seeing them now that we are all older and have our own families. It makes the time so worthwhile and precious!
On Sunday morning, we all woke up and the kids raced downstairs to see what the Easter Bunny left them. Kaleb, Karmindy and Karev were so excited to see that the EB had came! They were happy with their treasures!

I am so grateful for my own little family. I am truly grateful for the knowledge that we can be an eternal family and I am grateful we can have an eternal family because of Jesus Christ, and his sacrifice and atonement for us! We had such a great weekend! Happy Easter!

Museum Of Natural Curiosity

We had the opportunity this week to head down to Thanksgiving Point in Lehi and check out the new Museum of Natural Curiosity as a family. Mark was able to get tickets to go to the Museum through work since Adobe has connections with Thanksgiving Point. We were excited to go and check out the Museum before it opened to the public. We had a fun evening spending time with one another and checking out all the that Museum had to offer. The kids loved the different learning areas and enjoyed trying all the exhibits. I think their favorite exhibit was Kidopolis. Kidopolis was a  mini city and the kids could do interactive activities throughout the city. After we checked out the Museum we headed to dinner at Chick-Fil-A, a family favorite. I sure love spending time with our little crew!

Odekirk Cousins

Two years ago, while helping out with Kaleb's 1st grade field day, I started talking to another mom who was also there volunteering for her daughter. I came to find out that Her name was Amber Odekirk. Amber's daughter, Lina and Kaleb were in the same 1st grade class. It was amazing how our conversation flowed and we had so much in common. As our conversation continued, we talked about where we grew up. I mentioned I was from Hurricane and she grew up in South Jordan/Riverton. Amber mentioned she had family in Southern Utah and then brought up that her maiden name was DeMille. I told her my maiden name was DeMille as well and that I grew up in Southern Utah. Long Story short, we figured out that both of our grandpas were brothers and our Dad's were 1st cousins, making us 2nd cousins. Seriously, what are the odds? We laughed and laughed that we were family and marveled at how much we had in common and were amazed how our paths had crossed. Fast forward 2 years and we still have stayed in touch and get our kids together from time to time.

While my kids were off track and Amber's girls were on Spring Break we decided to meet up for lunch at Amber's new home in Saratoga Springs.After lunch, we headed to a nearby park to let the kids play, while we caught up and talked. I love and cherish the time I get to spend with my cousin. I am so thankful for this unique opportunity to get to know my extended family better.

Crafting with My Chicky!

Karmindy and I had a slow Saturday afternoon one weekend while the boys were out running errands. While the boys were off shopping, I asked Karmindy if she would like to make some crafts with me. She said she wanted to and was so excited and couldn't wait to get started. I told her she could paint her own craft and she was so excited to make a "big girl" craft with me to display along with all the other crafts I have showcased around the house for Spring time. I really loved spending time with my little girl and Karmindy seemed to enjoy our crafting time with me as well. I look forward to many more years of spending time with my little girl and doing more fun activities like this. I love having a little girl. Karmindy is such a joy in my life and I am so proud to be her momma. 

A few weeks prior to our little Mom/Daughter crafting session, I made this LUCKY sign to display on my mantle in my living room for St. Patricks Day. I really love crafting and decorating my house with the creations I make.

Thanksgiving 2013

Our Thanksgiving this year was pretty low key. We have been staying home for the past few years and spend time as our own little family. Mark and I made the decision to do this a couple of years ago. It is always nice to go Southern Utah for a visit with our families but it started getting too stressful and our vacation/Thanksgiving was never enjoyable running everywhere trying to please everyone. Since staying home and not feeling like we have to drive to Kingdom come, we have enjoyed our Thanksgiving Holiday so much more. The kids also enjoy it. This year, Mark and I cooked a yummy meal of Turkey Breasts, stuffed mushrooms, jello salads, green beans with onions and bacon, candied yam casserole, rolls and pies. It was nice to take it easy and enjoy each others company. We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV and then spent the afternoon eating and watching movies and playing games. The kids helped set the table at dinner time and we used our fancy dishes. Kaleb and Karmindy love when we pull out the goblets and our Thanksgiving plates. The day after Thanksgiving, we took the kids to see a movie. I didn't get any pictures all weekend except of Karmindy cooking pudding with me for one of our Banana Cream pies. I am so Thankful for all of my many blessings! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hogle Zoo Time!

For Mark's mom's birthday this year, she requested that everyone get together at the Hogle Zoo to celebrate her birthday. It was a lovely fall day and we all got away with wearing light jackets and sweaters. It was so fun to be able to spend time with Mark's brothers and sister and his parents. My kids had a blast going around to the different exhibits and checking out all the animals. Their favorites are the Elephants, Polar Bears, and the Giraffes. Karmindy loves her some "Bagiraffes" as she refers to them. Our kids enjoyed seeing their aunties and uncles and also enjoyed playing with their little cousins.

Fall-Time Fun!

I truly love the Fall! Growing up in Southern Utah we didn't have the four seasons, so when we moved to Northern Utah it was a nice surprise to be able to enjoy each of the season! Another thing that I have enjoyed is being on A Track. The kids get several breaks throughout the year from school and their first break falls in October. I truly enjoy having them home with me! I really try to make their time off count. I enjoy spoiling my kiddos while they are off track and love surprising them with New Halloween Shirts to wear and field trips to some fun venues across the valley. Our favorite places to visit each year are Gardner Village to enjoy the witch displays and also Thanksgiving Points, Corn Belly's Pumpkin Festival. 

The first day that the kids were home, I surprised them with a new Halloween Shirt. The kids loved their shirts this year. I also was able to find some Halloween Cereal to eat and they LOVED  having their own boxes of cereal that they could call their own and not have to share with each other. 

The kids love helping me decorate the house for the Holidays. This year we went all out and DECORATED the fireplace mantle. It gave our Living Room a fun and spooky atmosphere that we enjoyed all month long.

 They love visiting the PUMPKIN PATCH and picking out their pumpkins and carving them.

DECORATING SUGAR COOKIES-(Kaleb loves to decorate them and not eat them. Silly Boy!) I didn't get Kaleb in the picture because he had left to go and play at a friends house.

We were able to get a pass to CORN BELLY'S at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi. The kids and I went several times with friends (Nicole, Brandon and McKenna Rowe) and then we had Mark come with us one evening after work! The kids sure enjoy all the games, tractor rides and they even liked the Haunted House they had this year. Its so fun to take the kids places and enjoy time with them and make memories with them.

Back 2 School Party

I decided I wanted to throw a cute little back to school party for my kids to help them get excited for the new school year. I found a few free cute and simple printables on Pinterest that I printed out and then went to work making a family dinner a little bit more memorable for my sweet little chicklets. I didn't do anything extravagant for dinner. I made Knock off P.F. Chang's Turkey lettuce wraps, had Strawberry milk for the kids to drink and some veggies. For dessert, I made the kids some cinnamon rolls. Typically Kaleb doesn't get to gaga for desserts but I do know that he enjoys cinnamon rolls, so I made them for him. Karmindy loves all things sweet so she was easy to please. For their little favors, I made them little snack bags filled with chocolate-covered pretzels for an afternoon snack. Kaleb and Karmindy had a fun time at our Back to School little dinner party. It was a fun tradition to start with our family! I hope the kids have a great year. After dinner, it is also a tradition to have Mark give the kids gave priesthood blessings/father's blessings. Mark does a wonderful job with giving the kids blessings, and I am so grateful to have a worthy priesthood holder in my home. Mark blessed the kids that they would do well in school this year, blessed them to make friends and be good friends, and to choose the right. I am so grateful that Kaleb and Karmindy have such a good daddy! We love you Kaleb and Karmindy and are so proud of you both!

Hogle Zoo

My mom, sister Kamberee and nephew Karev came up for a visit. My mom doesn't make it up to Northern Utah much so it was nice to have both her and my sister come up for a visit. They arrived late Tuesday July 23rd. On Pioneer Day, we decided to take the kids to the Hogle Zoo. I have been wanted to take the kids to the zoo this summer and the summer has gone so fast I was afraid we weren't going to make it. Right now at the zoo they have some very neat Lego displays around the park. They have a huge Lego Polar Bear, turtles, monkeys and many more displays made completely out of Lego's. Both Kaleb and Karmindy are huge fans of legos and I knew they would have a blast seeing life-sized Lego animals! The polar bear was our favorite animal made out of Lego's!

Kaleb, Karmindy and Karev had a great time looking at all the animals and had to get their picture taken next to all of the animal statues!

While we were at the zoo we had to make several stops. The elephants are always a favorite and my kids always love sitting on the life-sized elephant and trying to avoid getting sprayed by water by the motion activated elephant's trunk. This time they opted to just sit in the safety of the elephants trunk for a picture. 

Karmindy also loves going to see the "BaGiraffes" as she calls them. It is so cute when she calls them "BaGiraffes. I haven't the heart to correct her yet. She was so excited to see not one giraffe but TWO out and about when we rounded the corner to the Giraffe house. We even saw the cute baby Giraffe that has grown since we were there last!

It was a pretty hot day at the zoo and so we sought refuge in the shade quite a bit. We ate at the Rocky Shores for lunch and then after lunch saw a few more animals, took a ride on the carousel and then headed home. It was a fun day but was so miserable in the heat. The kids had fun and really enjoyed themselves.

That night after we got home we all took a nap and then had dinner at lit off fireworks to celebrate the 24th of July (Pioneer Day). I am so glad my sister, mom and nephew could come up for a few days and spend time with us. I love them so much and miss seeing them since we live 300+ miles away from each other. Even though we are so far from each other I always cherish the time we do get to spend together. 

Days of '47 Parade Float Preview

It has been a couple of years since I have taken my kids to the Day's of '47 Pioneer Day Parade Float Preview. The Parade Float Preview is  an event where all the floats that are entered into the Day's of '47 parade are brought to the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy, Utah. The event gives families a chance to see the Pioneer Day Floats up close and personal. It is always fun to see how much hard work and creativity that goes into these floats. I am always inspired and in awe how intricate these floats are! It also allows families to see the floats without actually going to the parade. The Day's of  '47 Parade is a big deal here in Utah because it is a Parade that celebrates Utah's history and the pioneers who settled this great state. The parade is always well attended and families usually camp out several days in advance to get a good viewing spot for the parade. 

The past few years, I have forgotten about the Float Preview. I blame it on getting ready for the new school (year round) which starts the day after Pioneer Day. This year, I remembered about the preview and me and Kaleb and Karmindy decided to go and check it out. The kids had a wonderful time seeing the floats, voting for their favorite floats, getting Balloon animals made (Karmindy- teddy bear holding a heart, and Kaleb a parrot) and their faces painted. Hopefully life won't be too crazy next year and I won't forget and we can continue this fun family outing!

Turbo

We decided that we wanted to do one last hurrah as a family before the kids started school, so Mark and I decided to take the kids to one last Summer Movie. We have seen several movies this summer: Monsters University and Despicable Me 2. Our family loves to go and see movies together. The kids had been begging to go see Turbo and so Mark and I caved. We decided to take the kids for Monday Night Family Night. We had a lot of fun together and the kids loved the movie. Mark and I got bored with it half way through. It was a cute movie but Mark and I really zoned out towards the end. It was a little long with not a lot of content in it and it was super "cheesy." We decided that Monster's University and Despicable Me 2 were our favorite Summer (Kids) Block buster hits! However, going to the movies was a fun way to enjoy each other's company before we head into the business of the school year!

Scout Camp & Girls Afternoon Out!

Kaleb had his first Scout day camp. He ended up missing the Friday because we headed to Mark's Adobe Kid Day at work. However, Mark volunteered to be one of the drivers/chaperone's and he and Kaleb headed up to the Scout Camp early Saturday morning. I wish that I had remembered to take a picture of Kaleb. He looked so cute in his Scout uniform. Kaleb said he had a blast participating in their "Super Hero" themed Day. The boys shot BB guns, made paper masks, and did several Scout activities. Kaleb had a blast and a highlight of his Camp was going to the scout store where he bought a rubber band gun, a magic trick game, bomb bags, and several other little trinkets. I am so grateful for the scouting program in our ward and so thankful for all the skills it is teaching my son! Kaleb has learned so much since he has been attending (January) and it is fun to see the development and growth in him. He is truly learning to be loyal, thrifty, brave, and a great citizen. I am so proud of him, he is such a good boy and I am glad to be his mom.

While Kaleb and Dad where at Scout Camp, I took advantage of the time I had with Karmindy and we spent the morning making Chocolate Chip Pancakes (Karmindy's favorite). We did a little cleaning and then headed to go get pedicures at our favorite Nail Salon. After getting our nails done, we headed to McDonalds for a late lunch. After lunch, we came home and watched a movie together until the boys came home. It was so nice to spend time with my little girl and enjoy each other's company. I am so proud of my kids and love them so much!

Adobe's Kid Day!

Two Months Ago, Mark made a job change and quit working as a programmer for the LDS church here in Riverton and got a job as a programmer for Adobe. Adobe is located in Lehi, Utah. It is a very modern building that was built just for Adobe and sits and the base of the hill by Cabella's. 

Its always  funny how things work out, because Mark interviewed with Adobe in November 2012 but after his interview, the recruiter told Mark that they would essentially close the books for the end of the year and reevaluate the position he was interviewing for at the first of the year 2013.  Mark said he did well in his interviews and was told by the recruiter (that was representing Mark), that Mark was "the guy for the job." and to just wait to hear back at the end of the first of the year. The new year was under way, and several months went by. Mark contacted the recruiter several times over this period of time to see if he had heard anything back from them. In the end, the recruiter always had little to tell him. To make a  Long story short, we didn't think he would get a job there and Mark was pretty bummed about it. Mark continued to work for the church and was getting a little burned out with the politics there and the department he was in. He decided he would contact the recruiter one more time and low and behold, a different job had opened up. Mark applied for the job, interviewed with several departments and was hired on. We are grateful for his new job because after he started working for Adobe, he learned through a fellow co worker at the church that his department was dissolved. We are grateful for this blessing and are grateful for someone "upstairs" looking out for us. Mark has only worked for Adobe for 2.5 months now but he has thoroughly enjoyed the past few months. Every new job is an adjustment, but Mark has loved his work at this new company.

Several weeks ago, Mark came home and told me that Adobe would be hosting a "Kid Day." The employees that worked at Adobe were encouraged to bring their kids to work and participate in several activities that they had going on. The kids and myself got shirts and official Adobe badges to wear. The kids now wear their badges every time we go and visit dad. They feel so official!

 He also said they would have face painting, photo booth photos, The Leonardo Exhibits, balloon making, characters drawn, and obstacle courses for the kids. Adobe had all these events going on when we arrived for kids day. They even provided lunch for the kids and parents.

Our kids had a blast! There were over 600 hundred kids who participated and that isn't even counting all of the adults that were there! It was a lot of people in that big building!!

We had a fun time spending the day together as a family. One of the highlights of the afternoon was getting our picture taken in the photo booth! It was so fun. It was fun to see what Kaleb and Karmindy picked out of the prop bucket to wear in the picture! I love how what they wore reflects their personalities!

I am so thankful for Mark and for the job he has to support our family. We feel so blessed to have a job in these hard economic times!