What is that smell?

I have two girls in diapers, and so at times there is a horrible smell floating around. I will ask "Who needs a diaper change?" and Austin and Nyah, who are 7 & 8 and well past diaper days, will automatically say "Not me!" Thanks guys! I would have never guessed that smell isn't coming from you! They make me laugh every time!!

Family Hike

We went on a family hike this weekend. We had a great time, though there was lots of whining, complaining, crying, and foot dragging at the end, and Kurt went ahead to get the car and pick us all up.

It was a little chilly when we first started out, and we forgot to bring jackets, so the little's inisted on bringing their blankets. They were so gross by the time we got home they went straight into the washer. Here Olivia has her "blankie" tied around her waist. Stopping for a snack.

Checking out the stream.

Trying to get everyone looking at the camera at the same time was impossible.

The hike is also meant for horses and we saw lots of them, much to the delight of the kids.

Austin found a new hat.

I love the changing leaves of Fall!! Lots of beautiful colors!

Jolie had the royal treatment most of the way. Kurt and I ended up taking turns carrying blankets and girls.

On the road to and from our hike we passed an animal rescue farm, and we saw this GIANT cow. He's in the middle of the picture, and he's at least a foot taller than the horses around him. Cute girls from this morning's walk to the park

Jordan River Walk

We visited the Jordan River walk not far from our house again yesterday.

The last time we were here (beginning of June) the walkway was flooded, and we didn't go to the other side. Here is Olivia on the walkway:

Here is a June picture to compare:

Austin and Nyah wanted to "touch" the water.
Because we were able to go to the other side, we got to cross another bridge and play Pooh Sticks.

Beautiful day!

The only time I could get them to look at the camera!

On our way back to the park we watched a couple hawks fighting with a 3rd hawk. Must have been a territory issue. of course I wasn't fast enough to get some pictures of the action, but here are a couple of the birds.

And because I didn't have any recent videos of Austin the other day I made sure to get one while we were out.

We ended our walk at the playground - swings are a kid's favorite thing!

I love our dog, but

It gets tiresome finding chewed up toys, especially when the doll ends up looking like it is vomiting fluff. Nyah wants me to fix it. I don't think that is going to happen.

Video Day

I could watch her running all day long- her little legs moving as fast as she can, hands high to keep her balance. Adorable!!

Nyah riding her scooter on the curb - still fearless!

Kurt and the kids found a miniature bowling set, which inspired Kurt to build this mini-bowling alley. They are all having a great time.

I love the sagging diaper!!

Olivia's new trick and how she scares her Mom.

In case you thought we spend all our time smelling the roses I've included one of Olivia's tantrums. And what is my crime? Putting "blankie" in the washer before the CDC arrives.

Coming Home

The trip home was uneventful, unless you count crying, tantrums, and frazzled nerves. We stayed with Kurt's sister Elaine, and were able to see two of Kurt's aunts, Karalyn and Kyle, who are extra grandma's to our kids, and we met Elaine's boyfriend, Nathan.

Jolie, Karalyn, Nyah, Olivia, Kyle, & Austin

Elaine, Jolie, Karalyn, Austin, Olivia, Kyle, Nyah, Kelsey, & Kurt

We stopped in Cedar City to have lunch with Jesse, but sadly Justin had to work, and I didn't take any pictures. And then we finally made it home, safe, sound, and all in one piece. HOORAY! And just this morning we have been talking about our next trip, so I guess it wasn't too traumatic!

Legoland!

Legoland was a lot of fun. It doesn't have a lot of big rollercoasters, because it is geared for the younger crowd (2-12 I think). Austin could go on all the rides by himself, Nyah had to have an adult riding with her on the bigger rides, Olivia could go on some of the tamer rides, and Jolie only on a couple. They did have playgrounds in each section for toddlers and babies.

The fabulous thing is that the park wasn't busy at all. When we got on line we were able to get right on the ride or just wait for the next ride. So we were able to go on them several times before moving on to the next ride. It was so much fun.

The stinky thing was that Kurt got a really bad headache, and ended up not riding the rides, and hanging out with the little girls, and I'm sure you can imagine that wasn't too much fun. But because there weren't any crowds to fight we were still able to almost everything and get out of there to get him some relief.

Can we go on this ride? What about that ride? Is it time to go on a ride? Did you see that? I want to do that one! What about this? Do they look like they are about to burst with excitement? They were bouncing all over the place!! Taking a boat ride - this is one of the rides everyone could go on.

More playgrounds!?!

Karla & Nyah- they peddled their car fast enough to catch up with Olivia & I, who were slower with only one peddler. Austin was ahead of us and much to fast to get a picture of.

Helicopter ride - Olivia and I did this one a couple times while the older two were doing a racing ride, and then they came over to do this one too.

This is what Jolie was doing while we were flying

To the rescue of fair maidens and princes in distress There is a huge section called Miniland which are real places built out of legos, like Pier 49 in San Francisco, New York City, and lots more.

Meeting a real live Bionicle!!

Darth Vadar never had a chance against these Jedi.

This was probably the biggest ride in the park and it had this one big drop and a couple smaller drops. I like how I'm brave enough to put my hands in the air after we've reached the bottom.

This was a really neat ride, but also a little technical. Nyah could go on the ride, but she had to wear a special padded vest to fit in the chair, and because of her size could only do level one. She was super disappointed to not get to go upside down.

Austin was able to ride at level 2, and it was a bit more exciting. Just watching the people doing level 5 made me feel a little queasy.

Another great day on our vacation!

Joe's Crab Shack & Oceanside Pier

One evening we were lucky enough to have Kurt's mom Karla come to our hotel to watch the kids. We went to eat at Joe's Crab Shack (delicious crab), watch a beautiful sunset, and walk along the beach holding hands (we don't get to hold each other's hands very much!).

The following morning we went to the Oceanside Pier.

(See- Kurt was holding Jolie's hand most of the time)

Watching a surf contest

The kids had a lot of fun chasing after birds and watching the fisherman.

Grandma & her grandkids!

Birch Aquarium

The Birch Aquarium is part of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and this is the place I was the most excited to go to.

We arrived at the perfect time to watch the sharks getting some breakfast. I was hoping they would be putting live fish in, but it was still fun to watch.

Stuck in a shark tank

Snack time for JawsThis was a neat exhibit!! Called the "Wonders of Water" water ran from the side closest to the bottom of the picture to the end with the baskets, and the kids could change the flow of the water with the yellow or blue discs put into slots of different sizes. There were also little boats to float from one end to the other. We played here for a long time and decided we want one for our house!

Lots of tanks inside - jellyfish, octupus, eels, 100's of different fish! We ended up stuck behind a tour bus group which was annoying until I realized Austin and Nyah were actually listening to the guide talk about the last few exhibits.

Another favorite part was called "The Art of Deception." The tanks would seem empty until you could find the camoflauged fish and frogs hiding- usually in plain sight. The tide pools - the kids were able to touch starfish, sea cucumbers, anemones, sea urchins, west coast lobsters (they don't have claws like east coast ones), and ask the staff questions. We played here for a long time too.

There were also plenty of plastic versions in a shaded area for the younger two to play with.

Playing in the fountains out front.

We had a great time!!