Category: Life

Waterfall Canyon

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I had been wanting to hike Waterfall Canyon in Ogden for a long time. Finally, I decided that on Saturday we would go. The weather was nice, and it should be early enough in the season that it wouldn’t be too crowded. But then Joe had to work a little bit, I had a baby shower to go to, and knowing that the kids would make it slow, we couldn’t find a good time to go. I decided just to go without Joe.

The boys and I embarked. I knew if we were going to make it we would have to take it slow. Although I was imagining slow walking, the boys were more interested in just getting distracted. Like playing in the sand.

sand

After awhile Mr. C had no interest in moving forward: throwing rocks was far more interesting. I put him in the carrier. We soon broke off the larger path and headed up the canyon where it was more rocky. PB shot off, and I only saw him periodically until we got to the falls. Climbing over the rocks was very fun for him, and he ended up being a great hiker.

made-it

We made it to the falls, and it took us less time than I expected.

lunch

The start of the way back was the hardest: it was steep and rocky and both boys were slipping and freaking out. I had to carry Mr. C again, and then we did much better. It was a lot of fun, and I would do it again, although it is nice to have Joe around to carry the toddler. (We just like him too.) But I think me and PB could hike anything.

Someone Had a Birthday

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happy

I love this kid. He just keeps getting cuter the older he gets. And now he’s two!

birthday

We enjoyed a visit to the train museum/mode train festival in Ogden too. Mr. C loved it. He managed to derail a train too, after falling down on top of it.
ride

Apperance

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My appearance has been something I have been thinking about for a while. I stumbled across this website (which I explored but did not purchase anything). I had Curly Girl suggested to me and subsequently went out and bought and read it. I looked at two other books on clothes, and spent a lot of time pondering what I wore and how I looked.

Part of me was enthralled that I could actually study how to look good. I was a nerd in high school, and I was never quite comfortable with how I looked. To re-study fashion/style was a lot of fun, thinking about how I could actually look great if I wanted to.

But after a few weeks of thinking about it, I realized that I liked how I look. While studying style, I started to want to fix something that just wasn’t broken. I like my clothes, my hair, my make-up and ultimately had no desire to change them all.

I’m not even close to fashionable. But I also do not go around in my pajamas. I strike a nice medium: I do go around in clothes that I don’t mind dirt and spit on (as a homemaker and avid gardener, I get a lot of both). But I still feel cute and not frumpy in what I wear.

I will never fit in with my looks. Being a gawky 6’1″, with short curly hair ensures that. But I’m learning it is better to be true to myself and what I like than trying please other people.

outfit

Preschool Master List

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I read a lot of kid activity blogs and other preschool related things…I decided to bring a lot of what I read and pull it together in a large category list. Here it is. Feel free to comment if you want any elaborations.

Sensory

  • dough like
  • water/liquid
  • dry goods
  • texture materials
  • smelling
  • tasting
  • hearing

Build

  • blocks, tower
  • legos
  • tracks

Fine Motor:

  • re-fill and empty
  • cutting
  • snaps/buttons
  • string
  • sewing

Gross Motor:

  • sports
  • exercise
  • movement

Matching and Categorizing

  • colors
  • shapes
  • puzzles
  • size
  • location

Art

  • collage (contact paper)
  • markers
  • crayons
  • watercolor
  • tempura paint
  • chalk
  • glue and paper
  • photography
  • cutting/paper folding
  • sculpting/constructing

Language

  • read-to
  • identify to read
  • writing letters
  • spelling words
  • constructing stories

Imaginative

  • small worlds
  • dress-up
  • mimic/pretent

Music

  • listen
  • create
  • dance

Math:

  • recognize numbers
  • count
  • arithmetic

Social Studies:

  • follow directions
  • interact with others
  • games
  • geography
  • history

Practical Life:

  • time
  • care of self
  • care of environment

Science

  • experiments
  • cooking
  • botany
  • zoology

Family Pictures

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Apparently my Family is not photogenic. I wanted a new family picture for my wall so I had my sister take some pictures…We didn’t spend a whole lot of time trying, because all of us were done pretty quickly. Observe.

This one is just a little awkward.
awkward

It’s not getting any better.
not better

Some were just a bit painful.
painful

Or devoid of real happiness.
okay

Say cheese!
cheese

Someone likes funny faces
one lip
tounge

Hey, this one actually looks great!
hey

Come on, a teeny smile?
now

Okay, that’s not really what I want.
pose

And that isn’t a smile PB
grimace

You guys just want to stop don’t you.
please stop

I still love my boys even if we can’t get a decent picture.
ummm

boys

Funny Kids

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I found C outside sitting at the top of the hill on a sled. There hasn’t been snow there for quite some time.

mrc (2)

Although an early spring is nice, I also wouldn’t mind some more time to sled. The kids have been riding tricycles down the hill instead.

We were looking at the calender, and I told PB it was President’s Day. He then tried to correct me, “Present’s Day was yesterday.” We had a birthday party for Grandma the day before.

We were watching a Piano Guys video. PB ask, “Who sang the song.”
I said, “The Piano Guys.”
PB said, “No, who sings the song with the words.” He meant the original song the Piano Guys were remixing. I didn’t know. He said, “It’s One Republic.” He was right. My kid knows music better than me.

mrc (1)

Vacation Across the Desert

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After a year of work, my husband finally got a vacation. We took a short trip out west to visit our twin siblings. (We are both twins: my twin sister is in Nevada, Joe’s twin brother recently moved near Sacramento.) It was a short and fun vacation.

But not without mishaps. We ran out of gas 25 miles east of Wendover. It was a combined effort of stupidity. After a short, tense wait, we found a tow guy and payed $20 per gallon of gas. I was hope that would be all, but it was not to be. Our tire went flat on the way to Sacramento. Luckily it didn’t happen until after the snowstorm, and our spare made it the rest of the way. We did have to buy a new tire to replace a two week old tire. Turns out the hazard insurance was well worth it, though at the time it didn’t seem like we would be keeping the car long enough.

I’m still not done. At Denny’s, I was enjoying my meal, but the food apparently hated me and prevented me from inhaling. After a few moments, I realized that I would rather breathe normally, and Joe successfully rescued me. I was fine, although a bit embarrassed.

Because sitting around talking, playing games and shooting Nerf guns gets a little old, we also went adventuring. First stop was the Discovery Museum in Reno. It was one of my favorite museums I’ve been to, there was lots to keep everyone entertained including brain puzzles that had me stumped. In Sacramento we went to the Zoo and Fairytale land, which were both fun.

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We had a great time. The warm weather in Sacramento made me realize how nice spring is. We had left our home in a snowstorm: but when we got back there was next to no snow. It feels like spring. And I realized I’m not quite ready for spring. I still want to sled and snowshoe and peruse seed catalogs.

Peace Outside

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I don’t quite get using winter as an excuse to stay inside. Sure winter is cold, so you can’t just throw the door open and go outside in bare feet and whatever you happen to be wearing. And sometimes it takes awhile to get boots/jackets/mittens and whatever else everybody needs on and get out the door. We also never quite stay outside as long as when it is warmer either. But ultimately I love playing outside in the winter just as much as any other season. We go outside nearly everyday. And we don’t limit our excursions: this week we’ve gone sledding, played at a park, gone disc golfing, splashed in puddles, played basketball, shoveled snow.

In winter, the ground is covered in snow. Plants are bare or have lost all their color, there isn’t tons of people out and about. Winter is peace and rest. I would hate to stay inside and miss the sweet calm and solitude I feel when I got outside.