I spent a long day traveling to pick up the kids in Texas (including a 7 hour layover in DFW) but I would have spent twice as long if necessary. It was fun watching Shelby and Trey's expressions as they came up the escalator into the ticketing area. They were both looking for me and trying to figure out where to go at the same time. Once Trey finally spotted me his face lit up and he shouted "Daddy!!"and ran over to give me a hug. Shelby saw him take off towards me and she followed suit. And finally Lizi, always the straggler, came up and made sure I saw her too. On the flight home, the kids all slept, though it was hard to get Lizi to finally doze off. They also slept for about 1.5 hours during the car ride home. We finally made it home at 3:45am.
Quote of the day: As we were passing the Excalibur Hotel in Vegas, which is one of the kids favorites because it looks so much like a princess castle I think, Shelby said, "That hotel is so beautiful. I'm going to call it Diamond Sparkle." (Diamond Sparkle is her name for all of her favorite dolls, horses, etc and from what she has told me, originates from "My Little Pony.")
March 9
After going to bed at 4:00am, when I heard the kids all up and playing at 7:15am, I couldn't believe it. It must have been like Christmas morning for them with all of their Utah toys, or something, because I was hoping for about another 4 hours of sleep. Gracie Nielsen and Jenna were playing with Shelby, getting dolls dressed for her and Lizi was nearby playing with the doll house. Trey was in his bed, pretending that he wanted to sleep longer. We all came back into my room where I got them in the "daddy trap" where I catch them with my legs and they struggle to escape, laughing the whole time. After that, Gracie, Jenna, Trey, Shelby and I played UNO while Lizi sat by me and watched. Liz made us pancakes, eggs and hash browns for breakfast and the kids ate while I took a shower. Trey and Shelby then played foosball while Lizi played with her Polly Pockets. Liz then joined in on the foosball games and played Shelby while Trey kept score. I then played foosball with Trey while Shelby played the piano. Then I went to the piano too and Shelby taught me how to play her song. Trey and I then raced cars around the house while Shelby and Lizi played with Polly Pockets. We then went outside where it was still a little cold and overcast from the storm that came in the day before. Our plan was to work in the garden and get some tomato seeds started inside but the kids saw a bunch of new digging tools that Liz found for them at a garage sale so they spent time digging down to the water in the sand box while I gardened. Shelby came over and helped me pick some asparagus. We went inside to warm up and have lunch, which was mac and cheese, chicken fingers, and tater tots. After lunch I gave Shelby and Lizi their birthday presents (tangled dolls) which I kept in Utah for when they came out and gave Trey some Disney socks. Jenna told the kids that I could jump over the couch and our bed so the kids wanted to see me do it. It was fun to see and hear Trey's reaction when I jumped over the bed. Then we loaded up and went to Walmart to grab a few things and came home and watched an episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Lizi, Shelby and I then played with the new Rapunzel dolls while Trey played Pole Position and Mrs Pac Man. Then I went in to join Trey and played the video games with him while the girls kept playing with their dolls. Then Jenna, Trey Shelby, Lizi and I played hide-and-go seek for a little bit. We all then went into Trey and Shelby's room and played with the farm animals and ocean animals. We then planted the tomato and cucumber seeds inside into the dirt that I had put in planters earlier in the day. Shelby and Lizi played with their dolls while Trey played with his cars, pretending that they were going to Disneyland. I then warmed up some of our lunch leftovers for the kids for dinner, gave them baths, read scriptures, tucked Trey and Lizi in bed. Shelby stayed up to play Settlers of Catan with Liz, Jenna and I.
Quote of the day: Lizi - "If you cut your hair it will grow like Rapunzel...FOR REAL!...my mom said."
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| playing in the sand box |
March 10
Shelby came in about 7:30 to my room and crawled into bed with me. I got up and started getting ready for Church about 8:30. By the time I was done taking my shower, all the kids were up and playing in the living room with their cars and dolls. I got cereal ready for them and got them dressed and Liz did their hair. The kids did really good at church. When we got home, played UNO and had lunch - pizza, which is what Shelby and Lizi wanted for their "birthday dinner" which is what we celebrated today. After lunch, the kids helped me unload the dishwasher and then Shelby Trey and I played foosball. Shelby and Lizi got dressed up in princess dresses and Trey played with his remote control Mater. Then, all dressed up, Shelby asked me to dance with her. So I danced with her, Trey, Lizi and Jenna. Then Shelby, Jenna, and I went outside to look at the garden. After picking a little asparagus, Trey came out and Shelby and Trey decided they wanted to ride bikes. We started riding bikes and it wasn't long until Lizi came out too. I started teaching Lizi how to ride bikes without training wheels. We rode bikes for about an hour and then I had to go help someone move. While I was gone, the kids watched a church movie and then colored pictures for me. I got home and we had dinner which was mashed potatoes, corn, chicken, salad and roles. After dinner we had cake and ice cream. After dinner we raced cars down a ramp. We had a lot of fun. Shelby's car, which was Lightning McQueen, won. After we were finished, we cleaned up the toys and got ready for bed. Shelby stayed up to play Settlers with us and she ended up winning the game!
Quote of the day: Shelby - "My tooth is allergic to cold stuff."
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| Racing Cars |
March 11
Shelby crawled into bed this morning at 7:15 and I got up to take a shower about an hour later. When I finished, Shelby and I went to check on Trey and Lizi who were playing in their room - Lizi in her bed and Trey on the floor with cars. They had actually filled Alley's giant crayon full of cars, polly pockets, and anything else that would fit in there. Trey then decided that he wanted to go "fishing" so he had me tie a little stuffed shamu animal to the end of a tie on the bottom bunk of the bunk bed and Trey was up on the top bunk pulling him up. Then he'd send the line back down empty and I would scramble to find something else to put on there to send up - ranging from a stuffed crab, stuffed turtle, stuffed Goofy, to more funny things like his Mac Truck from the movie Cars and a baby stroller. After having a lot of fun fishing, we decided that we better get something to eat so we had cereal for breakfast. After breakfast we went outside to play. Jenna, Trey and I played baseball, and even Shelby came over to play a little. While we were playing baseball, Shelby and Lizi played in the clubhouse for a while. We then all loaded up and Liz, Alley, Jenna, Shelby, Trey, Lizi, and I went to the Church to play basketball, volleyball, frisbee, and we even did some magic carpet rides on a blanket we brought with us. After playing in the church, we went to the field behind the church and played kickball. After kickball, Trey, Jenna and I went outside to water plants while Shelby and Lizi read books in Shelby's bunk bed. After that it was lunch time and we had chicken noodle soup and a chicken/broccoli rice casserole. Shelby, Lizi, Jenna and I wrestled around after lunch while Trey fed Chewy and played with Smokey. We then decided to go on our hike down to the river. We went down a different way and had fun skipping rocks and watching logs float down the river once we got there. The kids did really good as always with the hike. We got back and Trey and I played golf in the back yard. Shelby and Lizi were playing dress up inside. Shelby and Lizi came out to see us and we ended up playing with the play kitchen set they have. First they "made me dinner" and then I helped them organize their kitchen. We came in just before dinner time and the kids had baths. Then we at dinner which was chicken nuggets, fries, cantaloupe, and corn on the cob. After dinner we did Family Home Evening and played UNO. Then I tucked Trey and Lizi into bed and Shelby stayed up to play settlers with us.
Quote of the day: Trey - "Daddy, I love you like pants!
Me: "Like pants?!? Why like pants??"
Trey: "Cuz you're so cozy."
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| Fishing |
March 12
I woke up to Shelby climbing into bed with me this morning at 7:30. I got up at 8:30 and went to get ready for the day while every one else was still sleeping. When I finished, all the kids were in bed with Liz just laughing and happy to see me. Liz made everyone pancakes for breakfast. After pancakes, Jenna, Trey, and I raced cars down a cardboard box ramp again while Shelby and Lizi played with their Disney polly pocket princesses. The kids played with cars and princesses while Liz gave me a haircut. Occasionally one of the kids would wander over or shoot me an enquiring look, followed by a smile while they watched my hair fall to the ground. After the haircut, we went to play outside. Shelby played in the sand box while Trey and Lizi played on the swings. We went over and wrote Thomas' (our cat that died) name on his makeshift headstone. Thomas was the kids favorite cat. We then all went to the sand box and designed Disneyland by using different shaped buckets and tools. Shelby, Trey, Jenna, and I rode our bikes to see "small one" - a donkey in the neighborhood that resembles the donkey on the Disney Christmas cartoon. Liz and Lizi met us there in the car. We came home and Trey went in to lay down while the rest of us went outside to water and fertilize the garden. Then it was time for lunch. We had turkey pot pie. After lunch it was time for me to go to work. When I left, Jenna and the kids were all out playing in the sandbox. They then all loaded up in the car to take Lindsay to Toquerville and go to Walmart. When they got home, they gave Chewy a haircut and then Buggy and Cody came over. Everyone went out to the sandbox and played, then Jenna and Trey played Tic-tac-toe, while Alley painted Lizi's toe nails. Shelby and Buggy went down to the clubhouse and were followed by Smokey, our cat. The kids all came inside and Shelby picked out 101 Dalmatians to watch. Trey rode his bike while Lizi, Shelby, and Buggy played in the sand box. The kids had pizza for dinner. Shelby then practiced her spelling words and Trey practiced his sight words. Shelby and Buggy played horsies while Trey and Lizi had baths. Then Tamara, Buggy's mom, brought over a bounce house and the kids jumped for a while. Shelby then went in to have a bath and Trey and Lizi played with the doll house in the living room. When Shelby got out of the bath, she played the piano with Liz and then Trey and Shelby were tucked in and Shelby stayed up and played Settlers with Liz and Jenna. When I got home, Shelby had waited up for me so I crawled into bed and we talked for a little bit about her day.
Quote of the day - (While playing house) Shelby: "I know how to make orange juice. I've made it before."
Me: "Oh yeah? How do you make it?"
Shelby: "Well....you need pepper, I think....and water....oh yeah, and some orange juice."
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| Building Disneyland in the sandbox |
March 13
I woke up to Trey crawling into bed with me about 7:15. After about 30 minutes, he decided that he wanted to go play. About 15 minutes later I awoke to Shelby crawling into the bed. At 8:20 I decided I better go take a shower and get ready for the day. The kids love watching me put my contacts in, so Shelby watched me today. Trey, Shelby, Jenna and I played UNO while Lizi played in her room and then we all at cereal for breakfast. After breakfast, we all played foosball and then watched Star Wars (episode 4). After the movie we had spaghetti and grilled cheese for lunch. Right after lunch, the kids were dancing around in the living room and Shelby got a splinter in her foot. She was scared to have it taken out so she decided to come play with everyone and after just a few minutes forgot all about it. We all went out side to the sandbox to rebuild "Disneyland" since it had been destroyed the day before. We had so much fun building Sleeping Beauty's Castle, the Main Street Shops, the Disneyland Railroad, the Matterhorn and the Tiki Room among other things. The kids all said they were hot so we got them in their swimsuits and turned on the sprinklers. While the sprinklers were on, Tamara and Buggy came over and we made volcanoes erupt with baking soda and vinegar. After that, the kids played in a bounce house that Tamara brought over. After an hour of fun in the bounce house, Buggy went home and the kids came inside and played Dalmatians (pretended to be dogs). Then we had macaroni and cheese for dinner and went to play at the park while Jenna had soccer practice. When we got home, it was quickly closing in on the kids bedtime so we got them in their pajamas and did our night time routine with them. Shelby also practiced her piano, which she is doing really good at. After Trey and Lizi went to bed, we played a game of settlers with Shelby, and even though she didn't win the game, she ended up with more points than me!
Quote of the day while playing foosball and getting beat by Jenna and Shelby - Trey: "We've gotta pick up the paste!" (pick up the pace)
Me: "Pick up the paste?"
Trey: "Yeah, that's what my teacher says."
March 14
I woke up and just as I was going to check on the kids, Shelby walked in the bedroom. We went to the living room and talked for a little while and then went in to play with Trey and Lizi who we could hear in their room. Trey said he was hungry so we went in the kitchen and had cereal for breakfast. After breakfast, I put on a Jake and the Neverland Pirates while got ready for the day. After the show was over, we went outside and played in the sand box and then Trey, Shelby, Liz, Jenna and I had bike races down the street while Lizi played with the doll house. When we were done with our races, we went to the back yard and pulled weeds and tilled the garden. The kids did so good at pulling weeds and Shelby counted about 130 weeds that she pulled. I was tilling up the garden area and morning glory roots were everywhere. After the kids were tired of weeding in their area, they came over with me and helped pick the morning glory roots out of the tilled area. While we were gardening, Liz, Alley, and Jenna painted the swing set. We then went in and had chicken enchiladas and quesedilla's for lunch. I had to go to work after lunch so the kids played hide and go seek with Liz and Jenna. After hide and go seek, Jenna played doggies with the kids outside. Then Lindsay started working on the Disneyland chain and then Shelby and Jenna went over to help her. Trey was out playing in the sand box and Lizi was playing with the doll house. Then Lizi went outside and she and Trey bonked heads while swinging on the swings. Then they had a webchat with their mom. After the webchat, they ran some errands, went to the St George temple, and came and saw me at work on my lunch break. We went to petsmart to get another fish for all the kids since theirs had died. The kids got home and they went through their bedtime routine and went to bed.
Quote of the day - After getting an "algae eater" fish at the fish store -
Trey: "My fish is an allergy fish."
Shelby: "Allergy fish?"
Trey: "Yes, he eats lots of allergies."
March 15
I woke up to Shelby crawling into bed with me. We got up at chatted a little in the living room and then decided to watch a Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Before long, Lizi and Trey came out of their room to watch it too. I went to get ready for the day and then Liz made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. After breakfast, Trey took a link off of the Disneyland chain and Trey and Lizi went outside to play in the sand box while Jenna, Gracie, Shelby and I did a princess puzzle. Then Shelby and I went to look at pictures to see what princesses Shelby had met at Disneyland last year. We then went outside and all the kids played in the sandbox and kitchen while I tilled up the garden area with a shovel. After a few minutes, the kids all came over and helped in the garden. They would pick out all the morning glory roots that were brought to the surface as I tilled up the ground and would also get excited to see the many worms in the soil too. Trey made a little home for them in the garden area. Then Shelby and Lizi wanted to play "doggie" with me where they pretend to be dogs and I take them for a walk around the yard. After that, Trey and I played catch and then he wanted to bat as well. He threw and hit the ball really good today. After playing outside, we came in and had hoagie sandwiches for lunch. Buggie came over to play and we all went out side - Trey and Lizi to the swings and Shelby, Buggie, and I to the clubhouse. Then we all rode bikes for a while. Since Shelby's bike has a flat tire, she rode one of Jenna's big bikes and did really good on it. Lizi also wanted me to teach her how to ride a bike without training wheels. After that, Buggie went home and I put on a Jake and the Neverland Pirates for the kids while Jenna and I got an Easter egg hunt ready for the kids. Lizi wanted her nails painted so Jenna painted them all. Trey bowled inside while Shelby fixed my hair by brushing it and putting hairbands in it. After that we all went outside and finished painting the swing set by having the kids put their hand prints on the poles. Then the kids played on the sings and Trey wanted to play golf. So Jenna, Trey, Shelby, and I all hit golf balls. The kids then played in the kitchen play set outside and "made dinner" for Jenna and I. We came in and had a real dinner of mac and cheese and chicken nuggets and then hurried off to watch Alley's play, "The 12 Dancing Princesses." The play ended late so we came home and quickly did our bedtime routine and I tucked Trey and Lizi into bed. Shelby stayed up to play settlers with Liz, Jenna, and I.
Quote of the day:
Shelby: "I wish there was never a tomorrow."
Liz: "Why?"
Shelby: "So I could stay here with you."
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| Daddy's helpers! |
March 16
I woke up one final time on this kids visit to Shelby climbing into bed about 8:15. We got up and I put a Jake and the Neverland Pirates on for her while I went to go get ready for the day. When I was finished and came back out to the living room, Trey and Lizi had joined Shelby and they were all watching the show intently. After the show, we ate cereal for breakfast. Then I had the kids pack their carry-on bags with the toys they wanted to bring back to Texas. Liz had packed their main suitcase the night before. After they got all packed up, we had about an hour left before we had to leave for the airport. So we went out side and played around the newly painted swing set and rode bikes. Then Trey wanted to play Pac-man and pole position so he and Jenna came in to play that while I stayed outside with Shelby and Lizi. They went over to the garden area where we had spent about an hour the day before tilling and pulling weeds, and they once again started pulling weeds because they knew it would make me happy. After that, it was time to go so we loaded into the car and started on the 2.5 hour drive to the Las Vegas Airport. In the car, Liz read books to the kids and they drew pictures for eachother - the cutest being the ones that Lizi drew for Jenna and the ones Jenna drew for Lizi. When we got to the airport, Shelby was really clingy and really didn't want to leave me. Trey and Lizi were sad too, but I think Trey was excited to get back to all his Texas toys too. :-) It was such a fun visit! I'm already counting down the days until they come out in June!
Quote of the day - Trey: "I like to count. I know how to count to 50,000!....Well, maybe I don't.
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| Checking out their hand prints on the swing set |
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