Cheer Camp

Sierra is off to Cheer Camp at the University of Utah for four days. She has been a tornado around the house practicing, packing, preparing. Since she is the co-captain I have to help with a lot of things as well. We made decorations for the doors, good luck gifts, secret sister gifts, and we are going to do hair updos for everyone tomorrow morning. She is so excited. Hope they do well- they have worked really hard preparing for this. Go Bobcats! This is their new uniform. They are so cute!

Taylorsville Dayzz

Today Sierra was in the annual T-ville Dayzz parade. They were in their new uniforms and they looked awesome! Of course it was about 100 degrees and we were melting on the side of the road- so we were worried about the girls having heat exhaustion. But they were fine. We hollered for all the kids we knew and loved all the hot rods.

After the parade, they have a big oldies car show. They always have a tire burn-out right after the parade. So we headed over there. The fire department is there hosing down the pavement and the crowd. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of smoke. If you have never been to one- the hot rods lock up the front tires and just let the back wheels spin and spin. It's kinda weird, but we love it.

Then we were so exhausted we came home for naps and air conditioning. We went back about 7:00 after things had cooled down. There is a giant festival with rides for the kids, shopping, food, concerts,and fireworks. So we did the whole thing. The kids got face painting and air brush tattoos, & rode all the rides. Sierra was off with her friends and her new boyfriend Hunter. They had a lot of different bands but the last one was a Neil Diamond impersonator- he looked and sounded just like him- it was wild. He sang the America song when the fireworks started. We all met up after the fireworks to head home. It was a lot of fun for everyone!

Swimming and Sundaes

Today I took the kids and a couple of their friends swimming at my Grama Dodies pool. Mom came and joined us as well. It was Skyler's first time (my nephew) swimming with us. He didn't cry at all- in fact he LOVED it. It was so fun. The kids all had floaties and noodles. We were there forever. Grama didn't swim but she hung out by the pool chatting with her neighbors. We all got a bit of sun. Justice and Montana both have a few new freckles. Gotta love that.

We went to Arctic Circle after and had icecream. What a fun afternoon. We came home and everyone laid down for a nap. Now that's my kind of fun!

Hog Fever!

Guess who else went and bought a bike! That's right. My dad couldn't resist. I guess we will be bike buddies now! He deserves it!

Las Vegas Pics Part 2

Las Vegas Pics Part 1

Las Vegas

We're back! And we are loving the weather here! It is so stinkin hot in Vegas. We had covered parking- and we would come out and get in the car and burn our legs on the seats- that's how hot it was. About 110 or hotter everyday.

Sierra and her team did an awesome job. The awards didn't come their way and they felt bad for a minute- but they know they worked hard and did their best. The California teams just blew us away. They will have to watch out for us next year- we will be knocking their socks off!

We tried to squeeze in as much fun as we could. There just is never enought time. We went swimming a couple times, dragged the strip and did our sight seeing, went to Fremont Street and did some shopping, bowling in our hotel (so fun!), and saw the Bellagio inside and out (wow! totally amazing!) as well as the fountain show there. We ate out for every meal- but didn't have anything that was too memorable. Justice and Grama Dodie wouldn't eat much so they were cheap dates. Gas was outrageous $4.23 a gallon was the cheapest, $4.89/gal. was the most . We spent as much on gas as we did on the hotel. Our hotel was nice but we decided Sam's Town is still our favorite hotel. But, it was on the wrong side of town for where we needed to be this year. We stayed at the Orleans. It's a nice hotel, but the machines stink. Not even Grama had any luck. And she is ALWAYS lucky in Vegas.

The pics didn't turn out great. Our digital camera is dying. Hopefully we can get a new one soon. But I figured some crappy pics are better than none at all.

All in all we had a great time! But we are soooo glad to be back in the beautiful Utah weather!

Las Vegas Baby

So this week is going to be weird. Eric is off to Las Vegas for a business trip from Sunday-Wednesday. Then we (the kids & I + grama laura + grama dodie?) leave for Las Vegas from Wednesday through Sunday. So we won't see each other for a whole week- even though we are traveling to the same city. Of course his trip is first class the whole way. He got picked up from the airport in a limo, put up in the Bellagio, shmoozing with the big wigs. Our trip will be 10 hours cramped in the car, then spent in a high school gymnasium for Sierra's National Dance Competition. We are still excited. We will squeeze in as much fun as we can. Today while I was slaving on laundry and dishes- I got this pic from my honey.
Not cool!! But that will be us in a couple of days. Viva Lost Wages!!

Father's Day

I can't express enough how much I love my husband and dad. It means so much to me that they have become great friends. They are alike in a lot of respects. When I hear my husband call my dad "dad" it makes me smile inside. My dad has been a great example to me- a real hero. I am so proud of all that he has done in his life and what a great person he is.

Eric is one of a kind. He is never to tired to play with the kids. He does all that crazy dad stuff - the belly tickling, holding justice upside down so he can walk on the ceiling, singing with the dog, teasing the girls about their boyfriends, making pancakes on the weekend, fixing all that stuff around the house, fixing the cars- he is amazing. We are so lucky to have him in our lives!

Blondie & Pixie

Sierra has been wanting to go REALLY Blonde for a while. So today we did the deed. It's hard to tell in this pic, but it is really platinum. She loves it and it looks great!! Also yesterday we had to repair Montana's self chop job. She cut it real short above the ears- so we had to take it short to make it look decent. It turned out so cute!!

Mr. Eric Spoiled Rotten Pants

Back when we bought our home Eric sold his beloved motorcycle to give us a down payment. Well he has been obsessing about getting a new one for a while. After not having one for ten years, I figure I have to bend a little on this- even though it scares the crap out of me. He found a beautiful bike for a good price so he bought it. Hopefully this will save us some money on gas. Plus he has a gigantic grin when he gets on!! That's the big payoff!

How many days til school starts?

Don't get me wrong...I love my kids. But they are driving me crazy. We are only 5 days into summer break and they are bouncing off the walls. If I let them play with their friends, I end up with at least 6-8 kids in the house and they all want to be fed and entertained and make a mess. If I let them go to their friend's houses- it takes an army to get them to come home for lunch or their lessons. So to encourage family FUN I have been putting together a list of FREE or cheap activities to do in Salt Lake to help you other moms who may be in the same boat as me. Gas is sky high so I limit the far away stuff to once a week.

1. Go to the park

a. Picnic

b. Play Frisbee

c. Relay Races

d. Climb Trees

e. Roll down the hills

f. Fly a kite

g. Playground

2. Ride Bikes

3. Draw on the sidewalk with chalk

4. Run through the sprinklers

5. Water the grass with a watering can (this is my personal favorite- it takes a long time!)

6. Bug watching or hunting (lift the rocks- they are not hard to find)

7. Draw Pictures

a. Trace their body parts (feet, arms, hands, profile, leg) tape together and hang on their door

b. Make homemade books

c. Still Life (fruit in a bowl,flowers, toy)

8. Board Games (we call them "bored" games)

9. Roller skate around the neighborhood

10. Karaoke

For more ideas go to:

http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/calendar/salt-lake-city-ut-usa/2008/06/05

They have a great list of all kids of stuff.

Happy Summer.

I've been tagged

I've been tagged!
(Tagged by Misty)
One Word Tag

1. Where is your cell phone?. . . . . . . . . . . . pocket
2. Your significant other? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . workaholic
3. Your hair color? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .brunette
4. Your mother? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . amazing
5. Your father? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cop
6. Your favorite thing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sleep
7. Your dream last night? . . . . . . . . . . . . .trains
8. Your favorite drink? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Diet Pepsi
9. Your dream/goal? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stability
10. The room you're in? . . . . . . . . .. . . . . Office
11. Your hobby? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Internet
12. Your fear? . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Failure
13. Where do you want to be in six years? . . . . . . Home
14. Where were you last night? . . . . . . . . . . .Mom's
15. What you're not? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Skinny
16. Muffins? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . Blueberry
17. One of your wish list items? . . . . . . . . . . .Carpet
18. Where you grew up? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SLC
19. The last thing you did? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Walk
20. What are you wearing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Black
21. Your tv?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flatscreen
22. Your pets? . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Obnoxious
23. Your computer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Demanding
24. Your life? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Blessed
25. Your mood? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annoyed (7 kids are here right now..ugh)
26. Missing someone? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No
27. Your car? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Durango
28. Something your not wearing? . . . . . . . . . .shoes
29. Favorite store? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dollar
30. Your summer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Busy
31. Like someone? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Love!
32. Your favorite color? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Turquoise
33. When was the last time you laughed?. . . . yesterday
34. Last time you cried? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .yesterday
35. Who will do this? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amber
I now tag: Cindy, Laura, Niki, Amber... No tag backs!

Sierra's 14th Bday Party!

Date Night

Last night we sent the little ones to my moms, Sierra was with her dad, and we were off for a fun date night. We went to see "Zohan". It is so funny- so wrong- and definitely NOT FOR KIDS, but hilarious. We are still laughing about it today. This morning Eric woke me up for a yummy breakfast. He had set up the patio table with a lace table cloth, napkins, and china. Wow, that was a surprise- and it was such a nice morning. We had a great time! We love our kids- but it's nice to have some peace and quiet once in a while so we can remember why we fell in love.

Today is Sierra's birthday! She is 14 today. Her dad always braves the big friends party- he is crazy like that, so we let him. They had a swimming/sleepover party with 10 girls. Yikes. He is still recovering. We are having a family party at my moms today. Her favorite meal, decorations, cupcakes and ice cream, and of course presents. I will update tomorrow with some pics of the shindig and the birthday girl.

First Day of Summer Vacation

Oh boy! The first day of summer vacation came and went. The kids are already bored and fighting. I will need to make a schedule for sure. We were just lazy and kind of did nothing today- except dress up the dog. It was pretty funny- we all were laughing- but as you can see, she did not appreciate it at all. She's a good dog. Happy Summer!

Eric & Rudy Guiliani

(Eric was lucky enough to meet the former Mayor at their Japan Conference. He had to wait quite a while before the photo finally arrived.)

Well it has finally arrived. I don't think I need to say anything else.

PINK

Montana came out of her room covered in my pink blush stick. A little goes a long ways, and they used A LOT! She was all shiny like a pink robot. Last night she put it all over her brother. Needless to say- it took some good scrubbing to get it off. And of course the make-up is now all gone. Ugh!

The New Patio

64 retaining wall blocks, $120
3000 lbs gravel, $130
2000 lbs sand, $115
800 bricks, $FREE
3 days blood sweat and tears, $FREE
1 beautiful outdoor space, $PRICELESS

Thanks Babe for all your hard work! We love it!

New Patio Pix