Wednesday, October 27, 2010

My daughter is a GOOFBALL!

I don't remember my boys being this goofy.  Peyton is always doing silly things.  She is now 18 months hold and I think she has gotten a boost of hormones.  She isn't a baby anymore and tends to need drama in everything she does. 

Pey ♥'s to play in my jewelry.  One day I found her trying till she got completely frustrated and began crying to attach my earrings to her ears.  She would not give up and was getting more and more upset so I found a solution.  I clipped her barrettes onto her ears.  Oh, she was happy as a lark!  I think she would have slept in them if I would have allowed it. 


I always said that I wanted my daughter to be old enough to choose for herself to have her ears pierced.  I think this is a definite choice!  We will have to schedule a day to go to the Mall and have it done for real.


I have learned not to leave her with pudding unattended.  She made the biggest mess...



Whenever there is an empty box, no matter how small, Pey loves to climb into it and will sit scrunched in it forever.  She climbed into my office garbage can with papers and all. 


She pulls the funniest faces... my favorite is the fishy face.


She is definitely the BIGGEST dog lover in our family.  She loves her 4 legged friends.





I you Goofball Girl!


The City of Rocks

We embarked on another adventure conference weekend.  There were 6 families in all 12 adults and 12 children.  Final destination - City of Rocks near Almo, Idaho.  Planning the trip was easy but getting there was a different story.

A kink was put in the plans when Ryan HAD to attend the USU vs. BYU game which was taking place the day I planned to leave for our family get-a-way.  Me, being stubborn, was not about to back down in what I wanted to do.  Even when Ryan purchased his $32 dollar tick to attend, what I thought, a game that would only end in disappointment, I still held strong and said I would pull the trailer myself and he could meet me there the next day.

So the talked up day came and I was stuck to my word.  Even though the thought of pulling a trailer myself with my little kids started to freak me out I felt that I needed to prove myself! 

We got loaded up and were on our way. My friend Kristi was my co-pilot since her husband would be driving up with Ryan the next morning.  Everything was going smoothly - I hadn't run anyone off the road, and we were able to keep up with the caravan.  The hills we had to climb were tough and I truly embraced the "slower traffic keep right" signs as I channeled my inner tugboat reciting, "I think I can, I think I can.".

I was blessed to be traveling with some great people.  Derrik Page looked after us and checked our tires as we left the freeway and descended to the dirt road leading to our final destination.  All was still good.

10 miles from our camp I hear over the walkie talkie that my left tire looked low.    We stopped to check and sure enough it was on its way out.  AHHH  The men folk decided we could take it easy and surely make it to camp.  Luckily there was a spare on the back of the trailer so it would be an easy fix. 

We were able to camp in the equestrian loop enabling all of us to be close together.  Camp was set up quickly and we headed to the local (and only) restaurant for a cooked meal.  Our group took up half of the establishment.  The atmosphere was fun and the home cooking was delish!

The next morning I found out a second tire had gone flat on the trailer!  Good thing Ryan would be there soon.  I am thankful that we got to camp safely and for answered prayers.


the whole group - Kekauoha family: Robert, Eli, Noah, Isla Mae (Aubrey photographer); Nielsen family: Colby, Kristi, Nikelle; Grange family; Page family:Derrik and Reese (Jamie photographer); Burgon family: RP, Emily, Naomi, Anders; Green family: Mandi, Ryan, Stockton, Ethan and Peyton

Saturday was a fun filled day.  We explored the rocks and enjoyed a group hike.  I got to rock climb and repel for the 1st time and I loved it.  The men attended the Priesthood session at a local church and then met up with the rest of us at the Hot Springs for swimming and soaking.  The campfire was enjoyed with talking and smores.  It was a really fun trip with great company!


I wanted to get up to the arch.  Even though it doesn't seem a difficult climb, the rocks are deceiving.  We had to climb up the back side to get there.  Ethan and Stockton even dared the climb but it was a little scary coming back down.


We took a lot of time playing on this wall.  The kids were able to do some climbing and we took lots of pictures.


Peyton had fun digging and being out of the backpack carrier.

This is Witch Rock.  It was fun seeing pictures in the rock formations

A cute pic of friends...  Stock and Nikelle.

Ethan the champion hiker!



The caves and holes were favorites.


Ryan couldn't do much climbing but he still had fun playing.
I have always wanted to Rock Climb and Repel.  RP and Emily were so nice to bring their gear and set up a climb. 
Me, Starting out.

The Group waits patiently.

At the TOP!

Peyton entertained herself making snow angels in the dirt.

Repelling down.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Endless Shrimp

It has become a family tradition to, as Dad put it, make our pilgrimage to Layton, our closest Red Lobster, to feast on Shrimp.

 #1 Dad and myself included LOVE all you can eat, #2 shrimp scampi, #3 coconut shrimp, #4 cheddar bay biscuits, and to round out the top 5 - #5 it is a blast seeing who can go ANOTHER ROUND.

Dad, Mom and Melanie getting their fill.


garlic grilled shrimp


shrimp tails - yes, I ate all those shrimp!


Nick was the first to back out.  I think after eating this last shrimp he headed to the car.


Landon and Kiley, our one non-shrimp eater.

 We emptied the plates and asked for more.


Nick asking for the car keys... It was his birthday and the plan was to surprise him with dessert.  We had to ask for a to-go box and sing to him in the car.


My favorite combination - Shrimp Scampi and Coconut Shrimp bites... delish!

At the end of the night someone had ordered coconut shrimp and wouldn't claim them.  I got stuck with it.  Luckily our awesome waitresses boxed up all the ones we couldn't eat for us to take home.



I love my shrimp!



One of our way awesome waitresses... she didn't want her picture taken though.


We compared our receipts to find out WHO truly ate the most... I think I won.