A walk down memory lane....

My youngest sister just left the nest and started her life at BYU. John was able to take a couple of days off work so I took off with my parents to show her the ropes before she was left all alone. The last time she was at BYU was when she visited me at my Riviera apartment. I don't know that she has ever been up on campus.

It was so fun to be down there again. Especially with out kids, made me feel more like a student again and less like a mom...although I'm sure my tummy was a quick giveaway to any onlookers. I haven't walked around campus (other than the Bean Museum and the Wilk) in years...and I loved it! I have nothing but fond memories of that place. I was jealous that I didn't get to stay! I remember my first few weeks as a freshman very well. And while there were a few tears shed on my part, and I was scared out of my mind, it was the beginning of the most amazing four years. I always seemed to have great roommates, girls that I still keep in touch with today. And I had more fun then than I ever have, maybe I need to try to be that fun again...although that might just make me look like a crazy lady. I would love it if I could jump back in time and live the life of a college student again for a week or two, wouldn't that be nice!

I got home late last night and was thrown right back into mommydom. I came home to a puking Ainsley and a worn out husband from dealing with puking Ainsley. So my night was full of illness, baths, and cleaning, and I'm pretty sure I'm pretty sure my day will be full of the same today. At least I got a short break from reality...I needed it!

Day Trip Baby!

Our day trip to McCall finally happened.

It all started months ago when I was talking to a friend trying to get good day trip ideas for our family during spring break. That was when the trip was first mentioned. We decided to go with a group of friends and a date was set in June....and then John got stuck in trial, and the day got pushed to July.....and then one of the girls going with us got put on bed rest.......and then the date got pushed to August.....and on Saturday the long awaited trip finally happened......and it was worth the wait!

We made the 2 hour drive up to McCall on Saturday morning and immediately staked out a spot on the beach and the kids immediately got to playing. I couldn't believe how entertained they were. There were 6 kids that played independently in the sand or swam in the lake, perfectly content and happy for HOURS. We dragged them off the beach after about 4 hours of playing, I'm sure they would have played longer if we had let them. I loved how well they played for that long. I wish I could find something that entertained them like that every day.

Owen was the first to plunge in the lake for a swim. I loved it when he was swimming around in about 2-3 feet of water and yelling back to us so proudly, "I swimmin!!!"

That afternoon/evening we ventured off the beach to hit some shops. We went to this cool rock shop where Ains and I found awesome pendants that we just need to find chains for now, and Owen found 2 rocks that he loved. We went to the pancake house and ate way too much food...massive cinnamon rolls and pancakes etc. The kids must have been starved because they even ate a ton!

There ended up being several people we knew in McCall on Saturday. The reason we set it for that day was because the friend of mine that planned the day's husband (how's that for an explanation) plays in a little ward band and they were playing at an after party for the MS bike ride that took place that day. So there were other friends from our ward that showed up later that day, even John's brother's family was there. So we got to see lots of different people. Which made it kind of fun.

That evening we went to see the band play for a bit, let the kids play on some toys, we decided it was time to head out due to Ainsley's injuries and tired kids. We made a trip to ice cream alley, ate our treats and then climbed back in the car and made the drive home.

It was a really fun day! We've decided that McCall is a perfect day trip...a trip we will be making again for sure.

Rodeo

Tuesday I dragged my family out for a night at the rodeo. It was a first for all of them, believe it or not. I remember loving the rodeo when I was growing up. I think the Burley Fair and Rodeo will always hold a special place in my heart. It was always the week before school started. All of the food booths were run by different wards and stakes in the area. I always thought I looked cool too because I got to wear one of my new school outfits on the night we went to the rodeo and then afterward we would get elephant ears with the best honey butter ever and corn on the cob that was dripping with butter. I always loved the clowns and loved it when the clown in the barrel got thrown up in the air by the bulls...for some reason the bulls chasing the clowns was my favorite part...is that weird? It was awesome!

So, for quite a while now I've wanted to take my family to the rodeo. But not a big fancy indoor rodeo, a po-dunk, bleacher, outdoor rodeo. We ended up at the Caldwell night rodeo, and I don't know about the rest of my family but I had a lot of fun. We went on opening night, so not the best action, and a lot of qualifying, but we still got our fair share of excitement. I even saw something I've never seen before...a horse lost it's footing while bucking and fell down with the cowboy on it. The horse hopped up and the rider stayed on the whole time! Pretty impressive riding if you ask me!
The bull riding is still my favorite, although for some reason I love the barrel racing too. The bulls didn't attack the clowns like I like to see...maybe next year. Ains and Owen liked the clowns though. I was surprised they got several of his jokes, only probably on a different level than the rest of us.

For my lover of all things sweet, I think the cotton candy was the hit of the night. Although the snowcone was probably a close second.

Ainsley's favorite part of the night was the rodeo queen. I told her about the queen before and how they got to wear a crown on their hat. That was all she could talk about, and every time the "royalty" made a ride around the arena she was paying close attention and asking all sorts of questions. After the rodeo the rodeo queen was signing autographs so we stopped and got one. Owen wanted one too, he must have thought she was pretty. I laughed when Ains was saying to me in awe, "Can you believe we met a real queen!?"

So all in all, not quite as good as the Burley rodeo, but still a lot of fun! Owen even woke up the next morning and said, "benember when we went to the rodeo?" All excited like it had happened months ago. And he asked if he could ride horses when he grew up...which might be a better opttion than a cat fighting vampire!

Word of Wisdom

A while ago I found Ains hunched over my nightstand and assumed she was scribbling on the Ensign, but later when I picked up the article again, I realized really she was just demonstrating her keen knowledge of the word of wisdom. I'm not sure who she learned it from, but I think she's got it!

Can we say productive???

I've been so incredibly lazy lately and for some reason last week I felt the need to get a few things done. I started going through the kids rooms and cleaning out drawers and closets to see what we needed to get for the upcoming school year. There were a few tears involved (mostly mine) but their clothes have been sorted. Now I just need to go through toys and rearrange closets so that we can fit another person in this house. Unfortunately there is still a pile in my room of clothes that need to be put away or sent to DI, but that's a job for another day.


To continue in my productiveness I then went out shopping for all the items that I had written down that I felt we needed before school started. I must admit I did awesome. I should have taken a picture, but I didn't, so I'll make a list for you, even though you probably don't care. I got Ains 2 pairs of pants, 2 shirts, and underwear, John 2 pairs of dress pants, 2 dress shirts, and dress socks, me 2 maternity shirts, Owen 2 pairs of sweats, one pair of jeans, 1 T-shirt, a pair of shoes, and a little toy for $120. I shopped a lot of end of year sales last year so we didn't need too much, but I knew the longer I waited the crazier things would get so the time was now. And now we are ready for the fall!


The following day I started my canning. It was a little annoying this year because I had several things that needed canned, but small quantities of each. In 2 days I canned green beans (I only got 7 jars, but they were leftover from my garden and I didn't want them to go to waste) I bottled a batch of apricot jam because I was given apricots and I'm pretty sure there's a rule somewhere that states that if you are given free fruit, even just a little bit, you have to make it into something.


I also bottled something called chili sauce that my Grandma Welch used to make (it was a sauce that was really good on meat and to put in tomato based soups). I made a deal with my mom that I would make a big batch of chili sauce and split it with her if she would make a big batch of salsa and split it with me. The chili sauce would have been good, except that a certain someone (who will remain nameless syd) wrote the recipe down wrong and I added an insane amount of vinegar. So now we have a sort of hamburger relish. Luckily it only made 16 jars, so we don't have a ton of it. But I will admit that I was brought to tears as I was sitting on the couch with my back aching so bad I couldn't stand up from all the work I had done that day realizing that my work was all for naught. At least I don't have to bottle salsa now! Just some freezer jam and tomato sauce and I'm done preserving for the year!


The next day (I know...you all thought I was done!) I made 4 loaves of wheat bread and 8 loaves of zucchini bread. I still need to get a batch of white bread done and I need to do something with the 4 cups of shredded zucchini sitting in my fridge. I just needed to get some of my produce off my hands. I figured that if I was going to go to the trouble to grow it, I was going to use it. Now I can rest for a while and wait for more of my tomatoes to ripen, peppers to grow, and zucchini to sprout.

And by "rest" I mean start doing the Christmas shopping that I feel has to be done before I give birth, and shop for new bedroom furniture for Ainsley's room (I currently have NOWHERE to put baby clothes), and get the kids ready for Halloween...although I'm not planning on it, I guess there is a chance that this baby might come on time, but I'm planning on November 8th.

Owen is 3!

Owen's birthday might have been a bust, had he been any older. As luck would have it, 3 year olds aren't that picky...and so the day was a success.

For some reason this August has been particularly cold, so Owen wore his coat and slippers for the morning of his birthday. After eating his requested Cream of Wheat for breakfast, it was time to figure out his day since the rain was hindering our planned outing. Originally we were going to take Owen on a little day trip to the mountains for his birthday. That plan got scrapped. Then we decided that we would just take him fishing that morning with his new fishing pole. Fishing in the rain didn't sound that fun, so we held out, hoping that the afternoon would be better. John took him to get balloons and such that morning, and that alone made the morning a hit.
By mid afternoon things had dried out a bit and it wasn't too hot, so we let him open up his new pole (which is the same one his grandma gave him last year, but he ruined it) and headed out to a pond to try some fishing.

Owen was perfectly content although it was clear as soon as we got there that there wouldn't be any fish caught that day. There was a rubber fish on the end of his pole and so Owen caught something every time. He would cast his line in and then say, "I got somping!" "I caught one!"

Although all there really was to catch was moss. John got some good moss for us!

There were a ton of ducks in the pond too...feeding the ducks entertained the kids for a long time!

Since we decided not to go camping for his birthday, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's fire pit to roast hot dogs for dinner. Unfortunately it wasn't warm enough to swim...but that meant it was cool enough for a fire!

After dinner we had some ice cream cake complete with Mickey Mouse frisbee. (Cookie dough crust, vanilla ice cream, and magic shell topping...pretty yummy, if I do say so myself!) Am I a genius or what?

Owen got tons of cool toys and was hilarious to watch open presents. He was so excited about each one. I think he got through his presents in record time. It was like watching a mad man, but a super happy mad man.

John wanted to get Owen his first remote control car and it was a hit...I'm sure there will be many hours of remote control fun during the upcoming year!

I asked Owen what his favorite part of his birthday was...the answer....presents and cake. I love that little kids are so easy to please. I need to remember that, I tend to get carried away and want to plan big activities.

Owen got a new shirt and tie for his birthday. It cracks me up that he loves wearing a tie and belt to church. So here he is looking all snazzy with his sister before church!

Graduation

I'm too cheap and lazy to get my kids in structured swimming lessons so I paid Syd to teach Ains how to swim. And she did a great job. When they started Ains was a horribly awkward swimmer. After only about 6 lessons she could jump off the diving board and swim to the side, tread water, blow air out her nose under water, jump in the water and then come up floating on her back, and swim a version of freestyle the entire lentth of the pool...I should have gotten video of that. I was amazed at how much Ains learned, one on one lessons are the way to go. I still make her carry around a noodle or something while swimming in the deep end while there are a lot of kids around, she still gets tired fast, but she really does well.

For their final lesson Syd went all out. They reviewed what they had learned. Played a game where Ains had to dive down and pick up starbursts with her teeth (they did this mostly in the shallow end) and then Syd printed up a certificate for her and they had a little ceremony where Ains was presented with her certificate and a bag of tootsie rolls. It was really cute! Thanks Syd!

FYI: The certificate reads

Certificate of Completion

This certificate certifies that

Ainsley Dinger

Has successfully completed the requirements to pass swim lessons and be a full-time swimmer without the assistance of water wings or any other type of flotation device according to the standards set by Welch's Water World swim lessons.

Signed

Sydney Welch (Instructor) Cary B. Welch (C.E.O. of Welch's Water World)

Some ramblings.....

Ains had went on vacation this last weekend and left her family behind. I was a little nervous to send her out on her own, but in the end left the decision up to her. So, on Friday evening she ventured off for Salt Lake to spend the weekend with the Dinger side of the family. Dan and Paige were kind enough to offer her a ride, and we didn't see her again until LATE Monday night. From what I have been told, there was only one bout of home sickness, a little naughtyness at church, tons of playing, a trip to BYU and some swimming. I'm pretty sure she had a fabulous time.

Owen, on the other hand, did not have such a wonderful weekend. He lost his built in entertainer. The poor guy just can't seem to come up with things to do on his own. I guess he's been spoiled with an older sister who's imagination is out of this world. What will we do when school starts??? I just might go crazy!

Owen has also officially reached the point that has made me worry that he might not live to see his 5th birthday. The kid seems to be turning into a disaster...and I haven't been dealing with it so well (I'll blame it on the pregnancy, although I'm sure I would feel the same way if I wasn't pregnant). Our days are filled with whining, screaming (that's one I just don't tolerate), and various disasters. It's just one thing after another with this kid. One of yesterday's big disasters was the tube of go-gurt that was squirted ALL OVER the kitchen while I was cleaning the bathrooms. Not a surface was left unsplattered. Owen has been banned from go-gurt for the time being. I was also told that he had been in trouble in nursery on Sunday (I'm going to have to talk to the nursery leaders to get some details...they didn't tell me anything when I picked him up and I can't seem to get answers from anyone, so now I'm just worried it was really bad). I'm seriously ready to pull my hair out. Apparently we won't be ending at the terrible two's, we're just gearing up for the disaterous and miserable three's. Someone please help me!!!

Also, it's HOT!!!! I'm not kidding! I'm a living sauna. I rarely feel cool and I swear I'm having hot flashes. I just sit and sweat continually all day. It's great. I love it. I really can't wait to give birth. Haven't I already been pregnant for like a year? How can I possibly have 12 weeks left?????

( Don't I just look miserable?)

When I grow up...

Owen has been saying for a while now that when he grows up he wants to be a "vafire" (vampire). Yesterday he had an encounter with a kitty that had scared him in the past. There weren't tears shed this time. But as we were driving home Owen was excitedly telling us then when he grows up he'll be a "vafire" get big boy tennis shoes, run really fast, get a gun, and some bullets, and fight the kitty. And run really fast. He kept repeating different parts over and over and I couldn't help but laugh. He got a little scary when he said he would shoot the kitty...John and I tried to explain that he didn't need to shoot the kitty, that wouldn't be nice, he could just chase the kitty to scare it away.

I don't know whether to be glad that Owen had a moment of empowerment over the kitty, or worried that his life's ambition is to be a vampire who wears big boy tennis shoes and fights kittys.