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!

Midway Family Getaway!

For one of our Family Gifts to the kids, we surprised them with a little Stay-cation up in Midway, Utah the day after Christmas. Midway is located up by Park City. 

 We love getting away as a family and some of our most memorable vacations we have taken have been Stay-Cations. A month prior to going to Midway, I had found a great deal on Groupon.com for a Family getaway for four. The deal included a two night stay at the Zermatt Inn in Midway and it included passes to swim in the Homestead Crater (a geothermal spring hidden within a 55 foot tall beehive-shaped limestone rock). 

  The Crater formed when melting snow on the Wasatch Mountains seeped deep within the earth. Two miles below the surface, the earth’s interior heated the water. As it percolated upward, it picked up minerals, which were then deposited on the surface -- eventually forming the volcano-shaped limestone deposit called The Homestead Crater.

 So On Thursday we headed up to Midway for our Getaway. We arrived in Midway around 5, got checked in and then headed to dinner. After dinner we went back to the room to play games and watch movies.

On Friday Morning, we woke up and after a big breakfast in the cafe at the Inn, we took the kids to Solider Hollow to tube down their big snow hills. None of us had ever been to Solider Hollow before,  but I had heard how fun it was from some friends who take their kids every year and wanted to give it a try. 

We had a blast tubing with the kids. Karmindy was too small to ride down the hills by herself so she went down with either Mark and I. I don't think she left her tube the entire time we were there (2 hours). She had either Mark or I pull her around. Silly Girl. Besides sledding down the hills, the kids loved being pulled up the hill by the big tow ropes. It was nice to not have to walk back after sledding down the hills each time.

We had a blast tubing with each other and enjoying each other's company!

After sledding we went back to our room, got dressed in our Swimming Suits and headed to the Homestead Crater, which was located across the street from where we were lodging. The crater was like nothing I had ever seen.When you walk through, you head through a cave like space which opens up into the crater. The crater was very warm and the air inside the crater was very humid. After getting life jackets on, we made our way to the Crater to swim. It was a really neat place to swim. It was tinier than I thought it would be but was fun. It kind of had an eery feeling inside because it was so small and hot. The kids had fun swimming and so did I. Although, it did take Kaleb some time to warm up to being inside such a tiny area. There were quite a few people swimming while we were there and it made the small space even smaller. I don't like small, tight spaces too so I was a little nervous. It was a really neat experience to go inside the crater and swim. There were also divers while we were there that would dive down to the bottom of the crater. It was interesting to hear about the history of the crater. Apparently, Miners back in the 1800's would go and swim in the crater to relax their sore muscles. Also, divers have fond many cool antiques, guns and other interesting artifacts in the bottom of the crater. 

I am so glad we were able to take the kids up to Midway and enjoy some of the amazing scenery and fun activities that Utah has to offer. I love living in such an amazing area/State that has so much fun history to learn about.

We can't wait to go back next year and go tubing as a family and maybe swim again in the Crater.

Stay-cation Park City, Utah 2013

 Since we are on a year-round school schedule it cuts our Summer Vacationing time in half. Luckily, we are on A track so we get a longer summer compared to most kids. We get six weeks while some only get 4! Having a shortened summer break really cuts down on what you are able to do in those 6 short weeks! I really try to jam pack our Summer Vacations with the kids with a ton of fun outings and activities. Mark and I decided that between swimming lessons and all that we had planned this summer we would try doing a stay-cation. We decided it would be fun to take the kids to Park City which is less than an hour away from our home. I did some research prior to our vacation and we decided on staying at the Marriott Mountain Side Resort. It is a beautiful Mountain Resort and it is close to the Alpine Slides and Coaster. In fact, the Alpine Slides and Coaster are right on the property! So we could leave our roon and with a short walk out of the Hotel we were at the Alpine Slides and Coaster all ready to play! We thought this to be the perfect set up. 

I was able to book a villa for our  family. It was one bedroom villa that had a large Living Room with sleeper sofa for the kids, Kitchen, Laundry Room and a Large Bathroom with a tub the size of a Jacuzzi!  No joke, our whole family could have fit in the tub! It was the perfect little set up for our family. It was plenty of room for us and having our own spaces made it nice. We left on a Sunday afternoon and came home on a Tuesday afternoon. So it was a quick trip but we jam packed in all that we could. 

On Sunday afternoon, we arrived at the resort, checked in, unpacked and then headed out to explore the facilities. We were able to find all that we had planned to do on Monday. We also found out that it is the perfect resort for families. They offer activities all day long for their guests at an additional fee. Ex: river rafting, horseback riding, arts and crafts, movie afternoons and nights, chocolate tastings. Think excursions on a Cruise. You name it, they probably offer it! We loved this and look forward to coming back in future years with the kids.

After we checked out the what resort had to offer, we headed back to our room to make dinner. It was nice because we brought dinner to make in our kitchen. We made chicken spaghetti for dinner with garlic bread and broccoli and then made gigantic chocolate chip cookies for dessert. The kids were in heaven and it was nice to be able to save a little money and cook in our room!

After dinner, we had a movie night. We ate our cookies and popped popcorn and drank soda. We had so much fun!

On Monday morning we got up and headed to arts and crafts. They were painting with water colors. So we let the kids get involved. Kaleb and Karmindy had so much fun!

After water-coloring, we headed to the game room where we played pool with the kids. The kids never have played before and it was so fun to watch them try and hit the billiards balls with their sticks.

 After pool we headed outside to ride the Alpine Coaster and Alpine Slides. The kids LOVED it!! Too bad each ride costs our family a whopping $60 bucks for each ride! I remember coming to these exact Alpine Slides for a year book camp I went to in High School and if my memory serves me right, there were around $5 bucks to ride then. Jeez. Gauging your customers much?  We decided that we were paying for the experience and we were making memories, so that softened the blow!

It was amazing how hot it was on this day in Park City because we were looking forward to escaping the heat from Riverton. I guess Mother Nature was not a force to be reckoned with and had other plans for us. We decided that we were glad we only spent what we did on the rides because it was bloody HOT!!

 After we rode the rides, we headed to get some burgers, fries and shakes for lunch and take it back to our villa to cool off. After lunch and watching TV for a bit, we headed down to the pool. The pool was wonderful and we enjoyed spending some time there. We found out that there are BBQ grills located around the pool so we look forward to taking advantage of them next year! We also found out that they have dutch ovens that you can use free of charge. You just have to pick them up, fill them with your own items and then bring them back down to the pool area and they will dutch oven your food for you so you can have time to play with your family. I think it's a pretty sweet set up they have at this place.

After pool time, we headed back to the room to go and clean up and head out to dinner. We found a delicious Mexican Restaurant with in just a short walk from our villa. It was called the Baja Cantina. They had the best Chile Rejeno's and this sweet and salty drink. Think 7- up that has been doctored up with salt around the edges of the cup. I know it sounds gross but it was really quit refreshing and no it wasn't alcoholic!  After dinner, we found out there was a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory just across the street so we picked up an chocolate covered apple for Mark and I to share and the kids got ice cream. We headed back to our room and spent the rest of the evening in doors vegging out to cable. We don't have cable so we enjoy watching it when we go on vaca!

Our little Stay-cation was the perfect getaway and the kids are already asking if we can go back and make it a yearly tradition. I think we just might and are already planning on next Summer's Getaway. I think next year we will just stay a few more days!

Love the beautiful view from our villa!

Bear Lake: Beach Time

 One of my kids favorite things to do, besides being out on the Boat is head to the beach and look for Sea Shells and play on the Playground that is located on the Beach at the Resort we stay at. Truly what kids doesn't love digging in the dirt and sliding down slides and swinging? Another fun feature that you don't find on to many playgrounds anymore is the fun Merry Go Round they have. My kids could sit on this and let all the other kids at the resort push them. I can't watch because it makes me sit to think about going around and around in circles but they can't get enough of it! Here are a few memory making photographs of our time on the Beach.

Bear Lake 2012

For the past two years, we have looked forward to heading to Bear Lake to join Mark's Uncle Gordon Frisbey and his family for a Family Reunion with the Frisbey side (Christine & Casey Gunderson/Dave & Roxanne Ball). It has been so fun to get to know Mark's side of the family better, especially since he didn't attend this family reunion much while growing up.

Uncle Gordon has been very gracious to let us stay with his family in their condo and our kids absolutely love going to Bear Lake to see their Cousins and to See Uncle Gordon & Wanda. We usually leave on a Friday afternoon right after Kaleb gets out of School and we stay until Monday. This year the kids were a lot more brave and really enjoyed riding the hydroslides and the tube with their cousins: Chandler, Sawyer and Savannah Ball.

On Saturday we spent the whole day out on the Lake and then that night we had a cookout. 

On Sunday, we decided we didn't want to really to take the kids "Boating" on Sunday. So we drove into town and rented a Surrey and took the kids for a nice bike ride. It was so fun and HOT!! After our bike ride we got Snow Cones to cool off at a local Snow Cone Shack and the kids loved it! That afternoon we went to have a cookout at Uncle Mike and Aunt Jan's Cabin that they built there in Garden City Area.

We are so thankful for the opportunity that we have had the past two summers to join Uncle Gordon and his family and make such fun Memories!

Goodbye Florida!

On Friday, we woke up and took it easy. We had really worn the kids out the previous days so we decided to just enjoy some down time. Our hotel inside was just ok on the inside but the outside was amazing. There were several pools to lounge by and a miniature golf course and a playground that we took advantage of in the evenings.

After Breakfast on Friday morning, we packed our belongings for our flight for that afternoon and then got dressed in our Swimsuits and headed for the pools. The weather was pretty chilly on this day and unfortunately the pool heaters weren't working really well. We spent most of our time laying out and sitting in the jacuzzi. Mark did take the kids in the pool for a little bit but it was really too cold to be in it for too long. The kids both loved the slides and going down them. 

While we were swimming, Kaleb gave us a pretty good scare. While we were sitting by the pool the kids asked Mark if they could go down the slides. Mark told them that they could but he needed to be with them so he could help catch them. Kaleb tends to hear what he wants to hear at times and took off for the slides. He has no fear at times and thinks he is an amazing swimmer (even though he is only on level 1). We warned him to wait and he didn't listen. Before we knew it, he had slid down the slide and had landed in the water. He started to swim to the side but wasn't getting anywhere. He totally went under. For both Mark and I, time stood still and we just froze. Luckily, Mark's lifeguard skills took over and he dashed after Kaleb. He was able to get to him ok and pull him out but Kaleb was probably under the water for almost a minute. It truly scared us and I am pretty sure it scared Kaleb. After we got him out and let him sit by the pool for awhile, he turned to us both and said, "What took you so long?!" I could've lost it on him right there! Needless to say we will be taking more swimming lessons this summer!

After that little incident, we decided we had had enough lounging by the pool. We went back to our rooms and got ready for the day. After checking out we headed back to the pool area for lunch and dined on coconut shrimp and Pina Coladas! After lunch, we headed to the airport and headed home. We really enjoyed our Florida trip as a family and are looking forward to going again when the kids get a little older!

DISNEY WORLD: ANIMAL KINGDOM

On Thursday, we headed to the Animal Kindgom. We got an early start but the park seemed a little more busy on this day. We hopped on the little tram and made it to the park in record time. We were truly amazed at how efficient Disney hauls people in and out of the park. They have it down to a science! I guess you have to be that way with as many visitors they get each day! 

When we got to the park we headed to the back of the park and got a fast past to the jungle cruise and then headed to do some of the other rides while we waited.  

 One of the first things we did was check out the Bugs Life 3D movie. It is one of my favorites and I was so excited for the kids to see it. Both of the kids got a little "creeped" out by all the bugs. They especially didn't like the part where it feels like there are bugs climbing around under you or behind you. Here are my cute little bugs wearing their 3D bug glasses.

 One new feature at the Animal Kingdom is their Everest Ride. In the picture below you can see the kids standing in front of "Everest." There is a huge Roller coaster that goes in and out of the mountain. Mark decided to brave the ride and go on it. I have learned that I can't tolerate roller coasters anymore. To be honest, after Mark got off the ride he looked a little pale. He said it was a fun ride minus the part where you go backwards in the dark and do an upside down loop! YIKES! I was so glad I didn't go on it.

Kaleb and I also braved another ride called the River Rapids. It was cold because it had rained the night before so it was super chilly. Kaleb ended up not getting wet but I got drenched. It was fun to go on a ride with just the two of us and have some bonding time. 

The kids seemed to like Animal Kingdom but begged us continually to head back to Magic Kingdom. That was by far their favorite park. I think the most memorable part of going to Animal Kingdom was riding the Jungle Cruise ride. It is like going on an African Safari in the Savanna. Like I mentioned before it had rained the night before and so the animals were out and were very active. We had been told to go on this ride either early in the morning or late afternoon because that is when the animals were most active. We must have timed it right because we saw Giraffe's, crocs, elephants, rhinos, ostriches, Boars, Muskrats, and Flamingos. 

We were able to see most of these up close. We also got to see a lion which was sleeping among some rock formations. We really enjoyed taking this ride and having a Safari Adventure as a family. I can only imagine what a real Safari would be like. Maybe one day we will get to experience one but for now this was an amazing opportunity to experience. My favorite part along with the animals was seeing the scenery. All of the plants, trees and grasses that they have their are the kinds you would see in Africa. It was really, really beautiful.

Another Favorite of our family was seeing the large tree that is located at the beginning of the park. It is really quite neat to see all of the animals carved into the trunk of the tree.

The kids enjoyed the Animal Kingdom but I think the Magic Kingdom was by far their favorite park that we visited!!

DISNEY WORLD: THE MAGIC KINGDOM

On Tuesday and Wednesday of our trip, we took the kids to the Magic Kingdom. This by far was the kids favorite thing that we did/saw while in Florida. We really could've spent all 5 days here because the kids loved it sooo much- we wish that we would've known this before we bought park hopper passes-you live and learn!

Going to Florida in January proved to be a wonderful time to visit WDW. The crowds were relatively non-existent and the lines were short. Surprisingly we were able to see almost everything the first day! After doing some research for our trip, I learned that when you arrive you get on the train and ride it to the lands at the back of the park and visit them and then move forward to the front of the park. The kids loved riding the train!

 This ended up being Good Advice and The kids LOVED riding the train each morning!Also, during those two days at the Magic Kingdom the kids were able to go on all the rides that they wanted and we even went back to their favorites.

We were also able to see 16 characters in those two days!!

The Princesses!

Classic Characters!

Our Sparkly and Winged Friends!

Pixar Characters!

I don't know if this is a record but we were thinking it might of been because the lines were so short!! The kids absolutely adored meeting the characters and it was really so magical for them. Karmindy was really funny to watch because she would approach the character we were seeing and give them hugs and kisses. Karmindy isn't usually this friendly with other people, including strangers!! It was really cute to watch her meet Tinkerbell, Jessie, Buzz, and Woody- all her favorites. She also was really into meeting Aurora and Belle. When she went up to meet Belle, she must have loved her dress because she kept patting and touching the chest portion of Belle's dress- it had sparkles all over it. Poor Belle truly got  more than she bargained for!! Kaleb also loved meeting the characters but was a little more shy-which surprised me. He was always hesitant to go up and talk to the princesses. I think he might of had a crush on them, especially Tink whom he wouldn't even go say Hello to! :)

The kids loved going on all the rides. Kaleb's favorite ride was Splash Mountain and Karmindy's was It's a Small World- we think she liked all the dolls. Mark and I went on some rides we never had gone on. Having been to Disneyland and Disney World several times, you would think that we would've gone on everything. We liked seeing the Country Bear Jamboree, flying on the magic carpets, and going on the Peter Pan ride for the first time. Our favorite rides are still Pirates of Caribbean,  The Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain-classics.

The kids tried their hand at trying to pull the sword from the stone. They couldn't budge it! :(

The kids were troopers and both days we stayed until around 8pm. We walked everywhere and really wore the kids out. On the second day we got smart and rented a stroller so the kids could switch off resting. The second day they faired much better!! We would stop several hours after lunch and get treats. The kids loved their mickey ice cream bars.

One night we stayed to see the Electric Parade which we all loved, we also timed it right and got front row seats!

We had such a Magical time at the Magic Kingdom and can't wait to take the kids back again soon! What wonderful memories we made!