June 7
The first day actually started on the 6th for me with a red-eye flight to Dallas to get the kids. I was able to scrounge up just short of 2 hours of sleep on the plane which would have to hold me over for the day. Traffic was horrible for the kids so their mom just barely got them to the airport on time. We checked our bags, hurried through security, and speed walked all the way to our gate where they were already boarding our plane, and just so happened to call our boarding section just as we got in ears range of the PA system.
Trey sat in the aisle across from me, Lizi by the window and Shelby next to me. The first thing Trey did was to pull the "map" (the information card) out of the seat back in front of him and study the Spirit Airlines travel route map, figuring out where we were, where we were going, where Disneyland is, and a couple of other points of interest. Trey, Shelby and I played UNO while Lizi watched for about 45 minutes. Then Trey and Lizi colored while Shelby and I played "Go Fish." Shelby colored as well after we were done playing. They then read some Disney books that I brought with me. Lizi and Trey tried to sleep for a few minutes to no avail.
Once we located our checked bag and got to our car, we headed on our way, briefly stopping by McDonalds for a quick lunch. We made it home at about 3:40pm. The first thing the kids did when they got home was inspect their rooms, as they normally do. After they looked around for a bit, they wanted to open their birthday presents (instead of sending them to Texas, I mail them a card with as many dollars as years old they are, and keep the presents here for when they come out in the summer). After presents, Trey, Jenna, and I went outside and Trey and Jenna played on the teeter-totter. Then Trey tried his skill as a trapeze artist by holing my hand as he walked across a fallen tree branch from a few weeks ago.
Shelby and Lizi stayed inside to open presents but soon followed us outside and walked along the fallen branch and played on the Teeter-totter as well. Trey and Jenna went inside to play foosball.
We all came in because it was over 100 degrees outside today and I showed Lizi where all of her clothes were (Liz unpacked them all while we were outside playing). Shelby, Lizi, and I rode bikes for a short time - still trying to teach Lizi to ride without training wheels. Then Shelby decided that she wanted to ride down to the Arscott's to say hi to CaroLee. Little did I know that she had ulterior motives as when after we had said hello, Shelby proceeded to ask her if we could go swimming that afternoon.
While we were at the Arscott's and riding bikes, Jenna, Trey, and Lizi were inside playing on the Wii. Shelby and I came in and I played baseball on the Wii with Trey while Shelby and Lizi played with the doll house.
Before we went over to the Arscott's to swim, Liz made us some chicken enchiladas. We swam for about an hour and then came home and wound down to get ready for bed. Trey opened his baseball cards he got for his birthday, Lizi created a very unique regimented play rotation, and Shelby played with her polly pockets. We then started our bedtime routine which, as always, includes brushing teeth, reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, and following our prayers up with "Karate Chop!" (A massage line we form by Karate chopping eachother's back).
Quote of the day: As our airplane was landing at the Las Vegas airport Lizi asks:
Lizi: "Are we landing at the airport?"
Me: Yep!
Lizi in a lighthearted disappointed tone: "Why?"
Me with a slight chuckle: "Well, where did you want us to land?"
Lizi: Las Vegas!
June 8
By the time my alarm went off to get up to get ready for church, Shelby, Trey, and Lizi were already up and had been playing for who knows how long in Trey's room. Toys were everywhere - from Disney princesses, to Star Wars, to cars. The kids got dressed, Liz, made pancakes for breakfast, and then we went off to church.
When we got home, we did an Easter egg hunt (since the kids are in Texas every Easter, I do a hunt for them when they come out in the summer). After the hunt Lizi and Shelby played with the kitchen set while Trey hit golf balls outside. After we played outside, we went in and watched Star Wars episode 2. In the middle of Star Wars, the kids had a webchat with their mom. After Star Wars we ate wok chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and rolls for dinner.
After dinner we went back outside and Trey and I threw the football around with Shelby and Jenna. Trey then wanted to hit some more golf balls so Trey and Jenna hit balls while Lizi, Shelby, and I threw the football around. Then Trey and I played basketball while Shelby and Lizi played with the kitchen set outside.
Trey then wanted to ride bikes so a first he and I rode bikes for awhile by ourselves but we were soon joined by Jenna, Shelby, and Lizi. The kids like to do "follow the leader" on their bikes so we did that for a while. Then Lizi wanted to practice riding her bike without training wheels and she did really good. Trey also tried riding Shelby's bike a little bit, which he did even though it's a little to big for him.
We came in from riding bikes and got ready for bed. Before we read our scriptures, I read the kids "The Giving Tree," a story that my mom used to read my as a child, and we talked about it's moral. After the story, we finished our normal bed time routine and went to bed.
Quote of the day - Trey: "Everything is made out of a shape. Our head is made out of an oval. And our ears are made out of...(long pause)...blood.
June 9
The kids were up by 6:30 and Trey came jumping in my bed at 7:15. Trey asked if he could go outside and hit golf balls and Shelby said she wanted to as well so we all went outside, along with Lizi who played in the sandbox. After hitting a few balls Shelby went to the sandbox to play with Lizi and then they both played with the kitchen playhouse.
Trey wanted to play the Wii so he went inside while Shelby, Lizi, and rode bikes. Lizi did so good riding without training wheels. She is so close to being able to do it! Shebly and Lizi went inside to watch Trey and Shelby took a turn playing thr Wii also. We then ate cereal - the kids wanted cherrios and fruit loops mixed.
After we ate, Trey wanted to go on a hike so we all went on our hike down to the river along with Jenna. The river was low and the bottom was all sand which made walking nice, but the horse flies were out in full force! We spent about 2 hours in the river and went to get a snow cone afterward.
When we got home we had chicken nuggets, tater tots, and watermelon for lunch. After lunch, Trey wanted to play soccer which is Jenna's favorite sport so the two of them went out to play and then Shelby wanted to play too. So Trey was the goalie, and Jenna played against he and Shelby. It was fun to watch them all interact and play with each other. Lizi played in the kitchen while they played soccer.
After soccer, Trey wanted to watch Star Wars episode 3, which they have never seen. I had told them that we could watch it but that I would fast forward through the bad parts. After the movie, Liz, Jenna, Shelby, Trey and I went outside to play kickball. Lizi came and played with us for a little bit too. Then Shelby, Trey, Jenna and I rode bikes while Lizi played in the sand box. Trey also got out his remote control Mater that he got for Christmas a couple of years ago.
After playing outside we came in and had baths and cheesy noodles and hamburger helper for dinner. I played the piano with Shelby, who learned a little bit of the peanuts cartoon song. Then Shelby, Trey and I played foosball while Lizi was looking at home videos on Liz's phone. Then it was time for bed, although Trey has been having trouble with a cough that he's had since he's been here.
Quote of the day - While on our hike, Trey was in the lead, followed by Jenna and Shelby together, and then Lizi and I in back. While Shelby and Jenna were hiking, Shelby said to Jenna, "I like how we're acting like sisters now and not step-sisters."
June 10
My day started much earlier than normal as Trey was up coughing. He was coughing so much that he threw up. He couldn't stop coughing, and it made me remember a time when I was about Trey's age when I was coughing in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep so my mom came in my room and played cards with me for what seemed to be all night. So I did the same thing. At about 1:30am I went in and played UNO in Trey's bed for about an hour and a half until I could see that we both really needed to try to go to sleep.
Even with little sleep, Trey came in our room to wake me up to play Star Wars with him at about 7:15. We started getting everything set up and eventually Lizi and then Shelby woke up and came to join us. Trey had been wanting to play the marble ramp game but we couldn't find the marbles until late yesterday, so after we set all the Star Wars characters up ready for battle, he decided that he wanted to play the marble game so we all went to the living room and set up the track and raced marbles. We then all went outside and played in the sandbox, with the tricycles, Trey hit golf balls, and we played with bubbles.
By this time it was mid morning and we had been having so much fun, we forgot about breakfast. So we went inside and ate some cereal. After breakfast we watched Dumbo, then played kickball (Trey wanted to be on Mrs Liz's team) and then came inside to play foosball. Trey started feeling bad so he read a couple of books on the couch while Shelby and I played the peanuts cartoon song on one piano, while Lizi played on the other piano. It was so cute, she would sing the words to "Let it go" from the movie Frozen while randomly playing notes on the piano. Trey went outside and went I went out to see what he was doing, he was just sitting in the ground petting Smokey. Lizi asked Jenna if she would ride bikes with her and they started to get ready while I headed off to work. Shelby and Trey joined them in riding bikes. Then they came in and watched Planes, and went back outside and played on the slip and slide. Shelby didn't want to come inside because she was having so much fun. Finally she came in and they worked on Father's Day gifts. Then Lizi played with the melty beads, Shelby played the piano, and Jenna and Trey played the Wii. Trey then played with his cars and Star Wars toys, Shelby wrote in her diary, and Lizi wrote on a paper. They then went onwhat was supposed to be a short walk to the end of the street, but ended up being a walk to the intermediate School which has a track and field. They had bike races and completely wore themselves out! Trey walked Chewy on the way home, until Chewy got so tired that he jumped in the stroller and rode the rest of the way. After the park they came home and did the bedtime routine and went to bed.
Quote of the Day - While we were outside playing with bubbles and just after Lizi gave her bubbles to Shelby, the following conversation took place: Liz: "Lizi, do you want me to get you a bubblewand?" Lizi: "No, it's ok...I like to share because then I get blessings."
June 11
Shelby came in in the middle of the night to sleep with me because she had some bad dreams of Peter and the Wolf. We ended up waking up about 7:15 and Shelby, Trey and Jenna went to the sandbox to get it ready to build Disneyland while Lizi and I pulled weeds in the garden. After a few minutes, Trey wanted to hit some golf balls.
We then went in to eat cereal for breakfast and watch The Emperor's New Groove. After the movie, Trey asked if I would play foosball with him and Shelby came to play on my team. Then Trey and I went outside to play catch with the baseball. The other kids came out also and watched and played with the kitchen area. They also started putting buckets under the pipe that water comes out from the air conditioning to catch water. We then all played Frisbee and then went inside and had Mac and Cheese for lunch.
After lunch, we rode bikes to get the mail, came home and Lizi got on the piano and started playing one of her songs. Trey, Jenna and I went in my bed room and played Pac-man and Pole Position. Shebly and Lizi colored in the kitchen.
After Liz got home from taking Judi to get her 4 month immunizations, She, myself, Jenna, Trey and Shelby all went outside to play kick ball. Boys against girls. Before we played, Trey and Lizi got hungry again and ate a sandwich.
After a close game which the boys won 12-11, we came in and Jenna, Shelby, and Lizi made bracelets. Trey and I looked at Disneyland stuff on the computer. We then went outside to build Disneyland and got the entrance started. We then came in and got our swimsuits on so we could head over to the Arscotts to go swimming. Lizi did so good swimming without her floaties that I don't think that she'll need them again! After swimming Liz and I had a meeting with the Stake Presidency since Liz was called to be the 1st counselor in the Stake Primary. The kids ate dinner and watched a Jake and the Neverland Pirates while we were gone.
When we got home, Jenna, Shelby, Trey, Lizi, and I went outside to pull weeds. Lizi had been asking all day when we were going to pull weeds because I told her we would later. After pulling weeds, we came in and I gave them some Easter baskets for their hard work. We then started our bedtime routine and went to bed.
Quote of the Day - While driving home from the airport after getting into Vegas with the kids I asked them, "Does anyone know what state we are in?" Shelby was trying to remember what State Las Vegas was in while Trey and Lizi were staying quiet. Finally after Shelby was unable to remember the state, Lizi excitedly responds, "Disneyland?"
June 12
Lizi and I were the first ones up so we played with her little princess castle that she got for Easter. Trey woke up soon after and played with his Easter stuff too. The three of us went outside to build Disneyland and were soon joined by Shelby and Jenna. After working on the Disneyland railroad and Main Street USA, we went in and ate cereal for breakfast. The kids had the normal cheerios and fruit loops.
After breakfast, Trey determined that he wanted to play kickball and made the teams me, Shelby, and him against Liz and Jenna. He called a "team huddle" outside so we could practice a little before the big game. After we practiced we played our game and Liz and Jenna scored 6 runs in the bottom of the third inning to win 16-15.
After kickball we watched the Little Mermaid II and then Shelby and I played the piano together while Jenna, Lizi, and Trey went out to build Disneyland. After we played the piano, Shelby and I went out to help. We all came in and played ward fish except Lizi, who watched. After playing cards we ate lunch which was grilled cheese and tomato soup.
Before I knew it after lunch Trey and Lizi ran out to play on the teeter-totter while Shelby took another link off of our Disneyland chain. We then all went outside to build Disneyland again and Trey, Shelby, and Lizi also played with the water that comes out of the pipe from the AC.
We then came in and watched Johnny Appleseed before we all went out and planted our own apple trees in a pot. They each picked a spot in the yard where they wanted to put their apple tree so it would grow. After planting our trees, we came in and played ward fish again, and Disney Sceneit.
The kids then started eating their big chocolate Easter bunny. We then sat in a circle on the floor and did a foot massage circle.
Lizi and Trey went outside to play on the swings and Shelby played with Smokey. After playing outside for a while, Trey wanted to come in and play Wii Sports so all the kids came in and watched him play. After Trey played, Shelby had a turn playing Dance. We then got our swim suits on and went swimming over at the Arscotts.
Lizi swam the whole day without her floaties and swam all the way from the shallow end to the deep end. She also did really good diving for dive sticks. Trey had a fun time playing with Jenna, each trying to blow water on each other by filling up noodles with water and blowing it out. Shelby and Lizi pretended that they were mermaids.
We came home and had pasta roni and potatoes and corn for dinner and then did our bedtime routine and went to bed.
Quote of the day - While tucking Trey into bed he said, "You're the best Dad that I know."
June 13
I had to get up early and be to work by 7. Liz got up with me and went into the kitchen to work on a Father's Day present. About 7 o'clock Trey came in and asked Liz to help him with the Wii. As Liz was helping him, Shelby came in and they both played a dance game. Lizi finally woke up and watched them play. Shelby and Jenna started working on Father's Day gifts and then Trey and Lizi came over and did as well.
Jenna and Lizi went outside to build Disneyland while Shelby and Trey were getting water from the AC for Disneyland. After working outside for a while, they came in for breakfast and Liz gave the letters I wrote for the kids to them. After breakfast, everyone went back outside and built Disneyland and played with the water some more.
They then came in and watched Star Wars Episode 5. Trey had Liz get all of his Star Wars toys out so he could play with them during the movie. After the movie, everyone went outside and built a fort on the porch out of chairs, cushions, and even an umbrella. After building the fort outside, Shelby and Lizi came in and played with lego blocks while Trey read books in his bunk bed. Trey ate a little more of his Easter bunny too. Shelby and Trey then played the Wii and then they all went outside to ride bikes to wait for me to get home. As I pulled in the driveway, they were all so excited to see me! Trey crashed on his bike and got hurt a little bit, but was ok. After I got changed, I helped Lizi ride her bike with out training wheels again. She peddled a few times before falling over.
After riding bikes, we went swimming at the Arscotts. Gracie Nielsen came with us. Again, Lizi didn't use her floaties and was so pleased to show sister Arscott how she could swim and dive for her diving sticks. After swimming we came home and the kids and I went to the back yard and picked and ate apricots. We also picked 3 zucchini and a few raspberries. After gardening, we had Pizza for dinner and then cleaned up all the toys. After everything was all clean, we went back outside and played volleyball. We came back in and did our bedtime routine. I've been having the kids each read a page in the scriptures to me hoping that it will help them keep their reading skills over the summer. Shelby is a really good reader! And Trey is pretty good too. When I went to tuck the kids in bed, I read Harry the Horse with Lizi in bed (the same book I used to read with Shelby and Trey) to help her with her reading. She did really good!
Quote of the day - while swimming at the Arscotts, Lizi: Let's have a race to the other end of the pool. But you can't go too fast cuz that's cheating."
June 14
I got up at 8:15 and went into the kids room and found Trey playing with his baseball cards with Lizi watching. Shelby was still asleep. Lizi then asked me if I would do a princess puzzle with her so Shelby, Lizi and I did a princess puzzle. After the puzzle, we had cereal for breakfast and then went outside to play in the sandbox. While we were playing in the sandbox, the kids decided that they wanted to ride bikes, so we went out front and rode bikes before I came in to get ready for the day.
I put a Jake and the Neverland Pirates on for the kids while I got ready. We then went outside and picked apricots and played kickball before coming in to have some macaroni and cheese for lunch.
After lunch we played Sorry! and then I had to go to work. After I went to work, the kids had a webchat with their mom and then painted their nails. Trey and Shelby then had a water fight with the hose. Matthew Arscott came over and he and Trey played on the Wii, Jenna and Shelby went out to ride bikes and Lizi played in the sandbox.
The girls then played in the fort outside and Matthew did some magic tricks for them. Matthew left and Jenna, Shelby, and Trey played on the Wii and then Trey and Shelby rode bikes. All the kids then helped clean up the back porch, had baths, ate dinner, watched a Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and went to bed.
Quote of the Day - Trey, who's fish is an Algae Eater: "I don't have to worry about my fish dying...There's plenty of Algae."
June 15
The day to go to Disneyland is finally here! No one had any trouble waking up today! All the kids got their church clothes on and once ready, we did puzzles and checkers for a little bit until it was time to go to church. At church, Liz got released from her primary calling and called to the Stake Primary presidency. Buggy and Tamara are in town and Tamara asked if we would take buggy home after church for a little bit so Buggy came home with us and the kids showed her the garden. Trey watered the apple trees, the rest of the garden, and himself. Tamara came to pick up Buggy and then the kids got their Father's Day presents for me to open. Liz did such a great job on the presents. She made a book for me and also a cute Mickey Mouse shaped book that the kids wrote in. After presents, we had lunch, packed the car and got on our way at 2:35. We hit really bad traffic on the way there and what is typically a 6 hour drive turned into an 8 hour adventure. On the way it was hilarious to watch Lizi put on her singlasses and perform to "One Thing" and "You don't know you're beautiful" by One Direction. We finally got there, got unloaded and Alley, Jenna, Shelby, Trey, Lizi, and I went to pick up our tickets. Lizi and I got Donald Duck, Trey and Lindsay got Snow White, Shelby and Liz got a car and Alley and Jenna got Mater. We went back to the hotel and went to bed, knowing we'd be up early the next morning!
Quote of the Day - Trey: "Daddy, when is kid's day?" Me: "What's kid's day?" Trey: "It's when we celebrate kids."
June 16-June 19
Disneyland
Quotes: Lizi: "We can watch the fireworks while they bloom."
Me: "Shelby, are you a good driver?"
Shelby: "I'm a sorta good driver. I just need more licenses."
Alley (on splash mountain): "I was going to make a face but I got scared."
Trey: "Now what do we do, Shelby? Wait? Like we're sick birds?"
June 20
Everyone slept in after being so exhausted from Disneyland! We finally got up, had breakfast, packed the car and headed to Huntington Beach at about 11:15. The very first thing the kids did was got the boogie boards and went to the water. Trey had a big one and Shelby and Lizi had small boards. After they had done that for a while, they got dried off and looked for shells. We then built trenches and ponds with walls around them to try to let the water in. We had so much fun, but by the time I realized what time it was, I knew we would hit traffic on the way home. I had planned on leaving at 2:00 but we didn't actually get out of there until 4:10. Again we hit traffic and didn't get home until 2am Utah time - almost 9 hours of driving.
Quote of the Day - Shelby: "I can see 10 miles away!"
Me: "How do you know it's 10?"
Shelby: "Well, maybe it's 5...or 1...No, it's 2. It's 2."
June 21
The kids slept in until about 11:00 when Trey got up first. Lizi soon followed and I put on a Jake and the Neverland Pirates while I unpacked the car. Shelby finally got up and we all went outside to pick fruit and vegetables from our garden. Trey then hosed down the boogie boards to get all the sand off of them.
I had to leave to go to work and Trey came outside to wave goodbye to me. Shelby wasn't feeling good so she went in to her bed to lay down. Trey played the piano for a little bit while Lizi played with her polly pockets. Trey and Lizi then watched a movie and then Trey played the Wii and Lizi played with her polly pockets.
The kids read letters from their mom and Shelby wrote one back while Trey and Lizi played outside. Shelby got up and She, Trey, Jenna, Gracie, and Bella rode bikes to the mail. Lizi got hungry so she ate some chicken nuggets.
Trey kept begging Liz to go swimming at the Arscotts house so they all went over to go swimming. After swimming they had baths and ate dinner. They then read some books and had some quiet time before they went to bed. Because Shelby took such a long nap, she wasn't tired and wanted to wait up for me to get home from work. And so when I got home, she was waiting in her bed, reading books.
Quote of the day - Trey, who usually is the first one out of bed in the morning, often by 7:00, looked at his new Mickey Mouse watch that he got at Disneyland first thing when he woke up. Trey: "Daddy, I think my watch is broken." Me: "Why do you say that?" Trey: "Because the red arm (small hand) is on the 11 and the blue arm (big hand) is on the 2 so it's like 11:10." Me: "No, your watch isn't broken, that's what time it really is."
June 22
Lizi hopped in bed with us in the middle of the night because she had a bad dream. We got up and got our church clothes on before having cereal for breakfast. After breakfast, we went to church where Lizi got a brownie in class and shared half of it with Shelby. After church, we got changed into our play clothes and Trey and I played catch. We had Pizza for lunch and then watched Alice in Wonderland and played inside wrestling around and throwing the kids up in the air. Trey wanted to play catch again and even Lizi came outside and asked if she could play. She has always been very hesitant to do anything sports wise so it was a shock to me that she asked to play catch. She actually has a great throwing motion. Trey and I also threw the baseball around a little as well.
They then had a webchat with their mom. After the webchat, Lizi colored and Trey exercised with the small weights. We then went out side to play slip and slide kickball where you had to slide down the slip and slide to get to home plate. The kids had so much fun that we played 3 games. Shelby and Lizi went inside to play dress up and Trey stayed outside and kept playing with the slip and slide. I stayed out with him and weeded in the garden. I watched a short video - The Three Caballeros - with Trey while Jenna, Shelby, and Lizi all colored. Trey and I also put our new Disneyland pins on our lanyards. Shelby then went outside and went I went out to see what she was doing, there she was sitting on the ground with Smokey in her lap. Trey then came outside with Lizi not far behind and they asked if they could play catch again. So we brought out the mitts and Jenna came to play with us also. We came in and we all watched the Three Caballeros Video - they loved the song on the car ride home from Disneyland, especially where Donald Duck sings.
We then read the Peek-a-boo Bugs Book, read scriptures and went to bed.
Quote of the Day - As she was coloring pictures for me...Lizi: "You'll like it! You might even cry when you see these, Daddy."
June 23
I had to go into work this morning at 8:00 so I let the kids have a late night last night so I could spend more time with them and they could sleep in while I went to work. But Trey and Lizi asked me to wake them up to say good bye when I went to work this morning. So I went in there at 7:30 and successfully woke up Trey and told him bye, but I couldn't get Lizi to budge! Trey went back to sleep and they all slept until about 9:00. Trey got up first and had some cereal. Liz had to go to a meeting at 9:30 so Alley and Jenna watched them. They watched a couple Jake and the Neverland Pirates and then went outside and played in the clubhouse.
When Liz got home the kids came inside and Trey and Jenna played on the Sims while Shelby and Lizi colored. They then got changed into their play clothes and Liz did their hair. They had Macaroni and Cheese for lunch and then all went with Liz into St George to run some errands. While they were there, they stopped by Dick's to see me at work at 3:15. They putted on the putting green for about 15 minutes. After work at 4:00, I met them at the pet store and we picked out some fish.
When we got home we played catch and then I went to the clubhouse with Trey and we sat on some chairs in the shade of the tree. I then planted an avocado seed with Jenna and Trey while Shelby and Lizi played in the sandbox. Everyone then went down to the clubhouse for a short time and sat on the rocks and on chairs.
It was then time to start helping with dinner so Shelby, Trey, Lizi and I shucked corn and then we had dinner. After dinner, Trey and Shelby went out to play on the swing set and lizi stayed in to color. We all then went back outside to play catch. Lizi is really good at throwing and Trey has spurts where he is really good at catching and then spurts where he struggles. When we were done playing catch, the kids decided that they wanted to read scriptures out side because it was so nice. We then came in and I tucked Trey and Lizi in bed and let Shelby stay up a little longer because Gracie and Emily were over and I want her to feel like she has friends here. I told her to check the time and be in bed by 9:40 but to check with me before she went into bed. She came in to check with me at 9:39. What a good kid!
Quote of the Day - (more of a conversation with Shelby while sitting on the back porch) Me: "So what does it feel like coming out here? Does it feel like home or a little strange?" Shelby: "Perfect."
June 24
Shelby was the first one up to come find me. Trey joined us soon thereafter and he wanted to play UNO so Trey and I played UNO while Shelby watched. After UNO, we went outside and Trey and Shelby were joined by Smokey in the clubhouse. Lizi was still sleeping, but woke up as we came in to eat cereal for breakfast. We then watched Simba's Pride after which Shelby and Trey went back into the clubhouse and Lizi petted Smokey.
It was then time for me to go to work. After I went to work, Liz went down into the clubhouse with the kids. They then came inside and watched a Jake and the Neverland Pirates. All the kids went into St George and went to the St George Children's Museum which they loved! Then they went to the splash pad across the street. They then came to see me at work and putted on the putting green for a few minutes before going home. When they got back to Hurricane, they got a snow cone and then went to Walmart before coming home to eat mac and cheese for dinner and going to bed.
Quote of the Day - With all the running around the kids did today they got back to the house really late and still needed to have dinner, have baths, and get ready for bed. They are usually in bed by 8:00 but tonight they were saying their prayers at 10:00. Liz realized what time it was and tried to hurry the kids up. When Trey saw that it was 10:00 he turned to Liz and said in a joking tone and with a smile on his face, "Yeah, Mrs Liz, Daddy's going to fire you."
June 25
Trey came in to lay beside me in the morning. We quickly got up and, with Shelby, went to play in the clubhouse. We then rode bikes and came in to eat some cereal for breakfast. Shelby then went back outside to play in the clubhouse while Trey listened to Disney music on the computer. Trey and Lizi then went outside to play on the teeter-totter.
By this time, Liz just had about everything packed for our campout so I loaded the car and we got on our way. It has become an annual tradition to go camping at Navajo Lake which is past Cedar City at an elevation of about 9200 feet. We were able to get the same campsite that we had last year, campsite #12. It felt so cool there, especially compared to the 100 degree temperatures in Hurricane. We got there, set up our tent, got unpacked and went fishing.
We didn't even get a bite, but the kids had a great time casting the line in. We came back to camp empty handed and had chicken, rolls, and carrots for dinner. After dinner we had a campfire and roasted marshmallows, made smores and had hot chocolate. Then we went into our tent and played 4 hands of UNO - Jenna won 2 and Shelby won 2. Then it was off to sleep.
Quote of the Day - Trey: "Daddy, can I ride bikes?" Me: "Sure!" Trey: "But Mrs Liz's car is invading our space." (It was parked in the driveway).
June 26
After a rough night of Lizi and Trey needing to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and then Trey waking up later saying that he was uncomfortable, we woke up about 7:30 and had some bacon, hashbrowns, and pancakes for breakfast. After breakfast and clean up, we hopped in our van and drove 2.5 hours to Calf Creek, located in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, where we hiked the 6 mile round trip hike to the Lower Falls. Trey and Shelby set a very fast pace and it was all I could do on the way back to keep up with them as I had Judi in a carrying pack.
Once we got back to camp, the kids wanted to go fishing again so while Liz cooked dinner and Lizi gathered firewood, Jenna, Trey, Shelby and I went out to try to catch an elusive fish. Once again we had no luck. We came back to camp and had grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup for dinner and then I made dutch oven peach cobbler for dessert. We also told the never ending story, where someone says a sentence and then the person sitting next to them has to add on to the story, and so on. We then sat around the camp fire and had hot chocolate before heading into our tent and going to sleep.
Quote of the Day - Trey who had been on "ant patrol" squishing as many ants as he could when he had his sandals on, changed his shoes so he could go hiking. Once he resumed his ant patrol, he said this: "These shoes aren't very ant squishable."
June 27
Last night we got sprinkled on for a little while. Enough so that the tent was very moist and the humidity made the temperature feel even colder than it was. We got up about 7:15 and Liz made pancakes for everyone. Trey, Jenna, Shelby, and I went fishing again to see if we would have any more luck in the morning. We saw a ton of fish - they were jumping right next to where we would cast our line, but still no luck.
Liz had a lot of our camp all ready taken down by the time we got back to camp and we packed the rest of our stuff up and left.
As soon as we got home, I filled up 2 of our bath tubs and put kids in them and Shelby hopped in the shower. We then had lunch and then watched Ernest Goes to Camp. After the movie we all went outside to ride bikes. Lizi did such a great job of teaching herself how to ride! Shelby and Trey went in to play on the Wii but Lizi stayed outside and kept practicing on her bike.
We then went inside and Lizi played on the piano while Trey, Shelby, and I played foosball. The kids then had a 20 minute webchat with their mom. Lizi wanted to ride bikes again and show Liz how good she could ride so we all went back outside to ride bikes. We then went swimming over at the Arscotts. We had fun playing colors and throwing the rockets back and forth. After we swam, we came home and I played Candy Land with Trey and Jenna while Lizi and Shelby played polly pockets. We then had mac and cheese, hot dogs, and peaches for dinner. After dinner we realized that the pillow cases still hadn't been washed from the campout so we watched Frozen while the pillowcases were washed. After Frozen we did our bedtime routine and went to bed.
Quote of the Day - Trey: "I wish they had cars where you push a button and a kitchen pops out. Me: "Well, they do have cars with kitchen's, they're called RV's" Trey: "How much do they cost to buy?" Me: "Well they can be about $60,000." Trey: "If you ever get one, I'll help you buy it. I've got coins."
June 28
Shelby slept on the couch in the living room because Jenna fell asleep watching Frozen last night and Shelby wanted to sleep in the same room as her. Everyone slept in later than normal and woke up about the same time. When they woke up, they all wanted to ride bikes so we all went out to ride. Lizi's little bike had a flat tire so she tried a bigger bike and did pretty good with it. We then went to the back yard to look at the garden. Lizi loves to check to see if anything is growing. We then came in and had cereal for breakfast and Trey wanted to watch Star Wars Episode 4. So we watched Star Wars until it was time for lunch. We ate lunch and then I had to go to work. After I left for work, the kids finished their Star Wars movie and then they all loaded up and went to Cottonwood park in Colorado City.
Their favorite things at the park were the slide and the tire swing. And Shelby got to do a horse ride that one of the former Polygamist guys had there. They played at the park for about 3 hours and came back home and had dinner. After dinner they went through their bedtime routine and went to bed.
Quote of the Day - Lizi: (after I told her I would let them watch one Classic Disney Cartoon before they went to bed "Thanks for helping me make everything magical."
June 29
I went in at about 8:00 to wake the kids up for church. We got ready, ate cereal, and headed off to church. For the second week in a row Trey and Shelby both said that they wanted to walk to their primary class by them self. Also Shelby walked home with Jenna and Gracie today. We got home from church and went to the Arscott's for lunch. After lunch we came home and rode bikes and then watched some Donald duck and chip and dale cartoons. The kids then had a 30 minute webchat with their mom. Lizi then went out side to check the garden. She excitedly came in and told me that she found 2 strawberries that are almost ready to pick. She also found a zucchini that was ready to be picked.
Trey and Lizi then went outside to play in the sandbox where Lizi accidently bonked Trey on the head with his shovel. Shelby played with her polly pockets. We then went outside to play slip-n-slide kickball and after 3 games we came inside and had pancakes and scrambled eggs for dinner.
I then read the Troll who Lived in the Lake with the kids and read books with them in bed. Lizi is doing so good reading new words in some reading books I have. Tonight Shelby and Jenna are having a good time as I type this reading riddles in their room.
Quote of the Day - After a BIG dinner Shelby came and gave me a gentle hug. Shelby: "I'm not squeezing you tight cuz I might barf."
June 30
I had to go to work today at 7:00am. Before I left at 6:30 I went in to check on the kids. Trey must has sensed or heard me coming because he was half asleep but laying up in his bed looking at me as I came in. He got a big smile on his face and then I told him that I would see him after work.
Jenna and Shelby were the first two up so they could get ready for activity days. They went to the store with Lisa Nielsen to get supplies for activity days and Trey played pac-man and lizi played polly pockets.
Shelby, Lizi, Jenna, Liz, and Judi all went outside to play. Then Trey and Lizi had cereal for breakfast while Shelby and Jenna went to Gracie's house. They all came outside to ride bikes and Shelby decided that she didn't want to go to activity days. After riding bikes, they came in and Alley helped them set up their tents. Trey then played the Wii and Shelby and Lizi read books and played with their dolls.
They then had lunch and Trey, Shelby, and Liz went out to ride bikes while Lizi played with Smokey. It was about time for me to come home from work and the kids wanted to hide in their tent and surprise me so they told Liz to pretend that she didn't know where they were. I came home and found them in their hiding spot (their tents) and then Trey and I went outside to play catch and we all pulled weeds. Then I took the kids to get a snow cone but Lizi wanted to save her money so she didn't get one.
After snow cones, we went swimming at the Arscotts. The kids love to play the game colors in the pool and also Trey likes to throw the rocket back and forth. Lizi likes to dive for diving sticks now that she has become a really good swimmer.
When we got home, we watched a few Disney cartoons, had dinner, and then did our bedtime routine. The kids all decided that they wanted to sleep in their tents in the living room so that's where they are right now, reading books with the camping lanterns on in their tents. I'm going to go check on them!
Quote of the Day - Shelby: "It (dinner) tastes better than paper with scorpions in it."
July 1
Trey was the first one up this morning and he came in to lay down with me. We got up and went outside to play catch. We then came in to eat some cereal and as we were eating, Shelby and Lizi woke up and came to eat with us. Trey then wanted to play Candyland so when we were done eating Trey, Shelby, Jenna, and I played Candyland. Trey won both games. After the games we watched The Sword in the Stone.
When the movie was over We went into the clubhouse and put up humming bird feeders. Trey and Shelby then played on the teeter-totter and Lizi pulled weeds. Trey then played on the Wii, Shelby went into her tent to read her scriptures and Lizi kept pulling weeds. We then all had lunch and then Trey got back on the Wii and Lizi and Shelby watched. Shelby decorated some flip flops that she bought the day before while she watched.
It was then time for me to go to work. Liz took all the kids to a park in Washington where they met up with our neighbors, the Wrights. Trey had a great time floating his flip-flops down the river. They also loved playing in the stream and trying to catch fish. After the park, Liz took the kids to get ice cream. Lizi didn't want any but said that she wanted candy when she got home instead.
When they got home the kids had baths and dinner. After dinner, Trey played with his farm animals and Lizi and Shelby played with the doll house. They then did their bedtime routine and went to sleep again in their tents.
Quote of the Day - Shelby: "I've only been in Jenna's old house twice. And one time I saw Lindsay's room. It was really, really messy. It was like a volcano of clothes."
July 2
After sleeping in their tents again, Trey and Shelby were up before I got up and Trey was playing with farm animals and Shelby was playing with her princesses when I got out to the living room. As soon as Lizi heard me she got out of her tent and asked if I wanted to play catch with her. While we went outside to play catch, Trey stayed inside and ate cereal and Shelby came outside and rode bikes. Lizi throws the ball really good for a 5 year old! Trey then wanted to play catch so we did. We then came in to eat cereal and then played Candyland. I rode bikes with Shelby and Trey while Lizi played in the sand box.
We then came in and watched the Incredibles. After the movie, we set up all of Trey's Car's sets and Shelby, Trey, and I played with them while Lizi was next to us playing with farm animals. Trey, Shelby and I then went out to ride bikes to the mail while Lizi played in the sandbox. After the bike rides we came in and had a chicken and rice casserole for lunch.
Trey then played the Wii and Shelby and Lizi gave me foot and shoulder massages. Lizi said that this was "be kind to daddy day" where they would do anything I asked and get me anything I asked. Lizi then asked me to play catch and Shelby got on the Wii and Trey watched.
We then went over to go swimming at the Arscotts. We played colors, did Galapagos turtle rides, and threw the rocket back and forth. When we got home from the Arscotts, we played outside. It was overcast and cool with the wind blowing pretty hard. We all played Frisbee in the wind. Lizi got hit in the face with the Frisbee so she stopped playing and Trey, Shelby, and I got a record of throwing and catching the Frisbee 11 times in a row without dropping it. We then checked the garden and found 4 zucchini and Trey got a splinter in his foot. Then it started to rain so the kids ran down to the clubhouse first and then got their buckets under the rain gutters to catch water.
We came in and had leftovers and fruit for dinner - Lizi gobbles down Cantaloupe like it's gong out of style - then we watched a few Disney cartoons, went through our bedtime routine and went to bed.
Quote of the Day - Trey: My Star Wars pajamas fit me like a puzzle."
July 3
Liz had a dentist appointment this morning so I was watching Judi in bed when Shelby came in. The 3 of us just sat in bed and Shelby and I talked. The three of us then went outside and sat in some chairs on the back porch. Trey came out side and he and Shelby rode bikes while Lizi was still asleep. Shelby and Trey then came in to eat cereal and Lizi went outside to pull weeds (I give the kids 50 cents for a full bucket). Shelby then went out and pulled weeds as well and Trey helped bring the garbage cans out to the street.
We then went to the Fiesta Fun Center where we played miniature golf, rode the bumper boats, and played games inside. The kids had a ton of fun! After Fiesta Fun, I took everybody to get a snow cone and then we came home and had chicken fingers and French fries for lunch. After lunch we were invited to the Arscotts for swimming. Matthew swam with us and we all had a fun time playing colors. The kids also loved swimming in the inflatable inner tubes.
After swimming the kids had a webchat with their mom. After the webchat, we watched Aristocats and had pizza for dinner. After dinner we did our bedtime routine and I let the kids watch one classic Disney cartoon before bed.
Quote of the Day - Lizi: "If you wanted, we could go to Disneyland again today."
July 4
I told the kids last night that we would have to wake up early this morning so we could make it to the 4th of July Parade. Trey woke up early and got ready quickly. I went in and woke Lizi and Shelby up and we made it just on time to the parade. It was fun watching how excited the kids were to get candy that people in the parade would throw to them. Last year they were so much more timid and other kids would run in front of them and get the candy. But not this year! They were having a blast getting as much candy as they could.
After the parade, the game booths opened and the kids had fun especially at the dunking booth and the bounce houses. They also did football tosses and Soccer kicks. They each also participated in running races. Shelby won both of the races she was in and the local newspaper photographer took her picture and told her that she would end up in the paper. We had so much fun!
We came home and watched the movie Up and then had sandwiches for lunch. After lunch we went outside to check the garden and to play catch. Then the kids all wanted to pull weeds to earn money. Shelby filled 3 buckets, Trey 2, and Lizi 1. After pulling weeds we went over to the Arscotts to swim and to eat dinner. The wind started blowing like crazy so we all got out and went home. When we got home, we played Disney Scene It and then watched a few classic Disney cartoons. After we watched some cartoons, Shelby said to me, "you know what I miss doing? Playing catch with the football." It kind of caught me off guard but I was happy to hear that she wanted to do it. So Shelby, Trey, Jenna, Lizi, and I went outside to play catch. Trey, Shelby, and Lizi also played a little ladder ball.
After playing outside for a little while, it was time to go watch the fireworks. So we drove to Stout Park and met the Arscotts there to watch the fireworks. After the fireworks, we came home, did our bedtime routine of Scriptures, prayers and karate chop followed by Sumo, and went to bed.
Quote of the Day - Lizi:"I'm giving 2 of my monies (2 penies) to Mrs Liz."
Me: "Why are you doing that?"
Lizi: "Because she cooks dinner and helps us get dressed."
July 5
We got to bed late last night so I slept in. The sound of the back door opening and closing woke me up. When I went outside to see who it was, I saw Trey playing in the sand box. I went out and sat by him. We talked and he found some ants so I sprayed them. We went inside and I put on a Jake and the Neverland Pirates while I got ready for the day. After I got ready and went back to the living room, Shelby was out there with Trey watching it as well. We went to eat cereal and Lizi woke up and ate with us.
After breakfast, we watched another Jake together and then we all played Disney's Scene It with Jenna and Liz. Lizi then played with Trey's Car's set, Trey went outside to pull weeds and Shelby played with her prince and princesses. We then had lunch and it was time for me to go to work. All the kids wanted to say goodbye to be so they got on their bikes and went out front and waved goodbye.
Trey and Shelby came in and Trey played the Wii while Shelby watched. Lizi stayed outside to play. They then all picked up all their toys and watched Bambi. After the movie, Trey played with his dart gun, Lizi with the farm toys, and Shelby with cars.
They then all went outside to ride bikes and play on the teeter-totter. They then came in for dinner and had baths and went to bed.
Quote of the Day - Trey: "Lizi's wearing me out."
July 6
Trey came in my bed room this morning and hopped into bed with me about 20 minutes before my alarm was to go off to get up. We got up, woke the girls up, and all got ready for church. After church, Shelby, Trey, Jenna, and I walked home. We got home and had pizza for lunch and then Trey, Jenna, and I putted. Shelby and Lizi played with princesses and cars. We then all watched Cars 2 before the kids had a webchat with their mom. After the webchat, Shelby and Trey went outside to play on the swings and Lizi stayed in to color. We then all went outside to play kickball.
When we came in, Trey and Lizi played the Wii and Shelby and I played with cars. The kids then wanted to go outside and ride bikes and as we did, the Wright kids came outside to play also. First Clohee came out who is in Trey's primary class but who is Shelby's friend and the three of them and me rode bikes around for a while. Tanner also was riding bikes around the cul-de-sac. Soon, Lainie, RJ, and Luke were outside with us as well and Trey and RJ played cops and robbers with Clohee and Shelby. Then all the kids decided that they wanted to play fugitive. The kids had so much fun playing with the Wrights. I'm happy that they are able to make some friends out here now that Buggie has moved away.
After playing outside, we came in and watched one classic Disney cartoon before our bedtime routine and going to bed.
Quote of the Day - Shelby: "Trey! Don't kick your beloved Daddy!"
July 7
Shelby came in our bedroom in the middle of the night because she had a bad dream. Then this morning after Trey woke up, he came in our room also and laid down next to me - more to wake me up than to go to sleep. The three of us went outside and played with trucks in the sandbox.
We came inside and ate some cereal with Lizi, who had just got out of bed and then watched Star Wars Episode 1. In the middle of the movie, Lizi went outside to play in the sandbox.
After the movie, Shelby started playing the piano and Lizi started writing letters to the Disney Princesses. We then had Lunch (Pizza, Mac & Cheese, and spaghetti) and Shelby and Jenna wrote letters to the Princesses and main characters.
Lizi then went outside to play with cars, Trey and Jenna played with the chimes and Shelby kept working on her letter. It was then time for me to go to work. Shelby got on her bike to ride down to the end of the side walk on our house and Lizi ran after her waving bye to me and telling me to have a fun day. After I left, Khloee Wright came over and the kids played with the playdough machine for almost 2 hours. They then played foosball, played the piano, and ran around the house chasing each other with lightsabers.
They then all went over to Chloee's house to swim and then came home and rode bikes for a while. After riding bikes they came in and had dinner, watched a Jake and the Neverland Pirates and then went back outside for a little while to play some more. Jenna and Lizi made mud pies and Shelby and Trey pitched the wiffle ball to each other. They then came in, did their bed time routine, and went to bed.
Quote of the Day - Trey: It's a good thing we didn't go that way. It says, 'Road Work Ahead,' and that means traffic."
July 8
Trey woke up first and came into my bed to lay down with me. Soon we headed outside to play in the sand box. Then Trey wanted to play baseball so I pitched to him and he did really good batting. We then came in and ate cereal and by this time, Shelby and Lizi were just getting out of bed. After breakfast I put on a Jake and the Neverland Pirates and a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so I could get ready for the day.
Lizi then went outside to play in the kitchen, Shelby did mazes and colored, and Trey did a couple of work book pages. After doing his workbook, Trey went outside to help Lizi clean the play kitchen. The kids then set up a little picnic table on the lawn and I brought them out some snacks to eat. After eating, Trey and Shelby played on the swings.
Trey and Lizi then came in and played with playdoh and Shelby practiced the piano and then played with the playdoh too. Shelby kept playing with the playdoh while Lizi went out to pull 3 buckets of weeds and Trey and I played baseball again and hit golf balls.
We then came in and I made lunch for the kids and we watched 101 Dalmatians. After the movie, we went to play in the sandbox and wait for Grandpa Hubert to arrive. When he got here we came inside a just a little bit. I noticed that Trey was missing and when I looked outside, there he was hitting golf balls. It was a really cute sight how he wanted Hubert to be proud of him. We went out and all watched Trey hit golf balls. Trey then wanted to bat so I pitched to him and Grandpa Hubert fielded.
We then went in and had soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. After dinner we went back outside and played slip-n-slide kickball. Grandpa Hubert pitched and even ran the bases a little. It was a fun day. We then came in and did our bedtime routine and went to bed.
Quote of the Day - During Shelby's blessing on our lunch...Shelby: "Please bless that when Grandpa Hubert get's here we can be excited but not over excited."
July 9
Trey woke up first and he, Jenna, Lizi and I went outside. Jenna and Lizi were practicing kickball together while Trey showed me a bunch of ants in the sandbox that he wanted me to spray. Shelby soon joined us and we all practiced kickball. After playing outside for a bit we came in to eat cereal and while the kids were eating, Liz did their hair.
We then got ready for Zion National Park and headed on our way. We decided on the Emerald Pools hike. The kids all did really good with the hike even though it was really hot!
Grandpa Hubert was waiting for us when we got home and first the kids played with the Thomas the Train train set and with the blocks. We then went outside and played kickball and baseball until dinner was ready. We had lasagna for dinner. After dinner, Jenna went outside with the kids and started building Disneyland. Grandpa Hubert and I went out side and I helped them while Grandpa Hubert sat on the lawn with Judi. The kids then all started playing soccer, or their version of it, at least. It was fun watching them. When Lizi didn't want to play anymore, I started being the goalie for Trey.
After having fun playing soccer, we brought the kids in and gave them baths and Grandpa Hubert left. After baths, we watched a few classic Disney cartoons and then did our bedtime routine and went to bed.
Quote of the Day - Shelby. After talking with her about resurrection and what happens after we die Shelby was talking about what she would like to do as a ghost (I don't think she quite understands the concept yet). She said, "I wish I could sit on the hood of a car and say 'Woo Hoo!!' and no one could see me."
July 10
Trey and Lizi woke up first and went out to the sandbox to play. I went out and sat in a chair to watch. I got the clippers and went out front to trim some plants and Lizi pulled a bucket of weeds. I then started fixing some sprayers on the drip line and Trey and Shelby took advantage of the sprinklers being on and started playing in them. They got soaked - especially Shelby - so they got changed and we came in and ate breakfast. After breakfast, the kids watched Jenna on the Wii.
We then went outside and played Ultimate Frisbee. It was so much fun! Grandpa Hubert got there at that time and played with us for a little bit. We then played kickball. Grandpa Hubert would "ghost run" for us when we had to kick. We had a fun time and the weather was perfect! It was overcast all day and sprinkled on and off.
We came in and the kids played with the Thomas the Train set and then played the Wii. Liz made lunch for us and after lunch we went swimming at the Arscotts. Lizi was so proud of herself showing grandpa Hubert how she could swim underwater, without her floaties, and dive for diving sticks. She even got some in the deep end. After swimming we went home, got changed, and rode bikes. Grandpa Hubert got on a bike and rode it too on what he said was the first time in about 60 years! Lizi was also very proud to show him how she can ride her bike now. Trey, Shelby, and I rode our bikes to check the mail.
When we got back we went outside and Trey and I played baseball and then everyone came out and we did boys against girls in soccer. The image that sticks in my mind the most is how stinking cute Lizi was playing goalie with her arms outstretched, hands open, shuffling side to side between the goal posts! After soccer, we came in and had dinner.
When dinner was over we went back outside and built more of Disneyland. Lizi was in charge of building the tea cups and loved being called the "expert." Trey was in charge of building Dumbo. Grandpa Hubert decided that he better get back to the hotel at this time so the kids all gave him hugs and waved goodbye. Trey ran up the sidewalk to the end of our property waving to him. It was cute to see.
We played a little more in the sandbox then came in and washed off our feet and legs. The kids then helped Jenna decorate a Hot Chocolate sign that they'll use to sell hot chocolate in the winter. We then watched a couple classic Disney cartoons, read scriptures, said prayers, did karate chop, and went to bed. It was fun to see Jenna and Shelby talking in their bedroom tonight after I tucked them in.
Quote of the Day - While reading scriptures, Liz asked the kids, "What are some things God wants you to do?" Lizi replied, "He wants you to not marry another man when you're already married to a man." Trey said, "To not drink drugs and go to the temple."
July 11
I had to be to work at 7:00am. Lizi really wanted me to wake her up before I left to say goodbye. So I told her and Trey bye and they, half asleep, said bye to me. Trey woke up first about 9:00 and sat out in a chair by the sandbox and emptied water off the swings. Shelby got up and joined Trey on the chairs. They decided that they would chase the birds away from our grapes.
Lizi got up too and they had a webchat with their mom and ate pancakes. Trey wanted to watch a Star Wars movie and chose episode 6. Shelby started out playing with cars and lizi was playing with toys in her bedroom before they both joined Trey watching Star Wars.
They then stopped the movie so they could go do a lemonade stand. So Alley, Jenna, Bella, Shelby, Trey, and Lizi went out and sold lemonade for about 1.5 hours and made $15.50. After selling lemonade (which, by the way, the kids didn't want to stop doing) they went to the splash pad and had pizza. I met them there after getting off from work and we all went to get snow cones.
We came home and finished the Star Wars movie and then I went outside to play baseball with Trey. Shelby came to be our catcher and Lizi played in the sandbox. I then made dinner for the kids and I had Trey set up his tent outside because they wanted to camp out. Trey and Lizi wanted to camp in the pit and Shelby wanted to be on the grass. Shelby and Trey then went to play fugitive with the neighbor kids while Lizi played in the sandbox but after waiting for the neighbor kids to be ready they finally came home and we got them situated in their tents. Jenna started out the night in Shelby's tent but got a little scared so she came in. And right now at 12:00 Shelby, Trey, and Lizi are all asleep in their tent.
Quote of the Day - Trey: "Can someone please pass the organical (original) syrup?"
July 12
The kids started the last night in the tent and came inside to their beds this morning around 5:30. Lizi came in first followed closely by Shelby and Trey. Trey was the first to get up around 8:40 and since Liz had some meetings to go to, he, Judi, and I went outside and put the tents away. We then came inside and Trey laid on the couch while I fed Judi. I then tried to put Judi down for a nap which she fought valiantly for an hour. Trey waited patiently and when Judi finally went to sleep, I turned on the Disney Chanel for him to watch while I got ready for the day.
When I went back out to the living room, Shelby and Lizi were both up watching with Trey. We went to the kitchen and had some cereal. After we ate breakfast, we went outside and practiced kickball and then came inside and watched Robinhood.
After Robinhood we ate lunch and then headed outside for a quick kickball game. I then had to go to work so Liz packed everyone up and they went to the Washington Rec Center. They had a lot of fun climbing the rock wall - and Shelby made it all the way to the top - swimming, playing basketball, and running on the track.
After the Rec Center they went to Walmart and Lizi and Shelby got flip-flops. Then they came home, had baths, and Alley did their bedtime routine with them.
Quote of the Day - Lizi during her prayer when Liz was on a walk: "Please bless us that we can be happy when Mrs Liz gets back but not too happy that we get out of bed."
July 13
We woke up and got dressed in our church clothes. We then ate cereal and went to church. It was hard knowing that this was the last time for about 5 months that I would be going to church with them. After church we got home and Trey played with his Thomas the Train set and Lizi and Shelby played with cars.
Trey and Jenna then helped get lunch ready by using the fruit shaper to make shapes with the watermelon. Lizi and I divided up the money that the kids made from the lemonade stand and Shelby kept playing in the living room with the Thomas the Train set. We then had chicken fingers and tater tots for lunch.
After lunch, all the kids played with the Thomas the Train set again and then I went outside with Lizi and pitched baseballs to her. She hit really good for one of her first times hitting. I think she's really athletic. I then got Shelby and Lizi their pins from Disneyland and we put them on their lanyards. All the kids then went back outside and played on the teeter-totter and then I played baseball again with Trey and Lizi.
We then came in and watched Brave, then went back outside where I pitched again to Lizi and Trey. We then all had a water gun fight which was a lot of fun. After we were soaked, we played two games of kickball before heading in for dinner. After dinner the kids went to play on the swings, then came inside and got their pj's on. We then watched a couple of classic Disney cartoons, did our bedtime routine and went to bed.
Quote of the Day - Shelby was playing with Judi and Judi kept pulling her hair.
Shelby: "I bet when Judi grows up she will be a police officer."
Lizi: "Why's that?"
Shelby: "Because she arrests everyone in the house with her scratching powers."
July 14
Trey was up first, as usual, and we went out to check the garden. Just as we were heading outside, Lizi woke up and wanted to come out with us - she LOVES checking the garden. We came back in and I went in to check on Shelby who was still in bed. I told her that we were going to go swimming soon and that we needed to eat before we went so she got up and came to eat cereal.
After cereal, we went to the Arscotts to swim. We had a fun time, as always, and played colors, tried to swim as far as we could underwater without taking a breath, and other fun things.
After swimming, we came home and rode bikes to check the mail. We came home and opened the mail, then had lunch, and watched The Princess and the Frog movie. After the movie, Trey went outside to play with his water guns and Lizi and Shelby played in the living room with the Thomas the Train set. I then showed them pictures of when they were little kids which they loved to see. We then went outside and the kids played on the swings and I pitched the baseball to them.
After playing outside for a while we came in and Shelby laid on the couch while Lizi and Trey played with the Thomas the Train set. I also had Sportscenter on TV so they could watch some sports. After cooling down inside for a little while, we practiced kickball and baseball outside. It was so much fun! First, I would pitch the baseball to Trey while Shelby would pitch the kickball to Lizi. Then after a while we would switch. I had Trey pitch a couple to me and the kids had a fun time watching how far the ball went. All the kids did so good at hitting! Especially Lizi and Trey! Trey hit 5 balls over the house and Lizi really gives it a swing! After practicing, Liz and the older girls came home from St George so we played a kickball game and then had a water gun fight. Alley and Jenna wanted to do a campout again tonight in the back yard so they went out to set up the tent and Trey went out to help.
We then came in for dinner, and then went back out to start a fire in the pit and to roast marshmallows. The kids then went to the tent where we could hear them all giggling and laughing until about 11:00. Trey decided to come inside because it's "not comfy" sleeping on the ground. They are now all asleep.
Quote of the Day - Trey: "Please bless us that we won't have to go to the bathroom because that would just be a waste of time." (part of his prayer for breakfast)
July 15
The girls woke up much earlier than I thought they would. When they came in Trey, who was sleeping on the couch, woke up and we all went outside to play in the sand box. After playing in the sand box, we rode bikes and then came in to eat cereal.
While we were eating cereal, some kids that Lindsay babysits came over and we played baseball outside. Trey and Dillon then came inside and played with his football helmets, while Shelby played in the clubhouse with the girls and Lizi had a tickle fight with me. Lizi and Trey then had a Lightsaber fight while Shelby played with the girls in Trey's room.
By then it was time for lunch so I made mac and cheese and then Trey wanted to show Dillon the clubhouse while Shelby played with the girls more in Trey's room. Lizi and Trey then went outside to pull weeds and right before I left for work, Trey wanted me to pitch some more baseballs to him.
I then left for work and Trey and Lizi rode their bikes on the sidewalk to the end of our sidewalk to wave goodbye.
Lizi and Shelby played with dolls and Trey played with blocks. The kids then watched the Return of Jafar. Liz then packed up all the kids and went to the Sand Hollow Aquatic Center. Lizi went off the low dive for the first time ever and Shelby and Trey did as well. They also had fun on the slides and on the frog pads.
After swimming they came home, had dinner, and did their bedtime routines.
Quote of the Day - While saying bedtime prayers, Lizi said, "and please help us to get excited when Daddy comes home but not too excited because it's bedtime."
July 16
Lizi came into our bed last night because she had a bad dream. I went out to check on the kids and Trey was awake in bed and Shelby heard me and came into Trey's room. Lizi, who usually sleeps in longer than the rest of the kids stayed in bed until I went back into my room and told her that we were going outside to ply baseball (she LOVES baseball). So the 4 of us went out side and I threw batting practice to the kids. We then came in, ate cereal, and got our swim suits on to swim at the Arscotts. We had fun playing colors, practicing Olympic kick turns, and seeing how far we could swim underwater. Shelby can swim one length of the pool and back a little bit - about as far as Jenna can swim right now.
We came home from swimming and watched Song of the South and had lunch. We then went to the baseball fields and played baseball. All the kids wanted to try to play a real game so it was Lizi and Jenna against Trey and Shelby. I was the all-time pitcher and helped both teams. We had a lot of fun. We also played a game of kickball and threw the Frisbee around too.
After the ball fields we stopped to get a snow cone. As we were eating our snow cones, the wind really started blowing and it looked like we were going to get a ton of rain! So we hurried home and got ready to catch the rain in buckets and fill the kids lady bug toy since they love doing that. It rained a little but never poured like we hoped. But we stayed outside and the kids had a squirt-gun fight while I checked the garden.
Once it was clear that we weren't going to get the rain that we hoped for, we practiced our batting again outside. We then went to the sandbox and built Disneyland and just played in the sandbox. We then came inside and had Pizza for dinner and the kids put all their pins on the pin boards that Liz made for them.
I then had them clean their rooms and then we looked at old pictures that I had, mostly of my mom and grandparents and some of the kids mom and me. Then we watched Disney cartoons and read scriptures and did our bedtime routine. I laid down in Trey's bed tonight with him.
Quote of the Day - When talking about a hike I want to take the kids on tomorrow, Shelby said: "What if we saw a deer along the way? That would be awkward."
July 17
Trey came into the bedroom in the morning to see if I was up. I got up with him and we went out to the sandbox. Then Lizi came out and both she and Trey played in the sandbox. After some time, they came in and by this time Shelby was up and all the kids looked at their pin boards.
Shelby, Trey, Jenna, and I then got ready to go on a hike to Kanarra Creek. The kids had a lot of fun hiking over a pipe, hiking through the river, up ladders, and through pretty close rock walls.
While we were on our hike, Lizi played outside building the Tea Cups at Disneyland, reading books, playing with melty beads, and she watched Lady and the Tramp 2. Then she went to lunch with Liz and Lindsay.
When we got back from our hike, we watched The Emperor's New Groove and then rode bikes. Lizi did so good riding her bike again! Trey, Shelby, and I played basketball a little. I taught both of them how to shoot properly and they both did it pretty well.
We then came inside and read our scriptures since we were going to be back late and then Trey asked me to play Foosball with him and he beat me while I was playing on "medium" level. After playing Foosball, we got ready to go to The Little Mermaid play at Tuacahn. The play didn't get over until 11:30 so we got home and went right to bed. Shelby asked me to cuddle with her so I climbed in her bed with her until she fell asleep.
Quote of the Day - Trey: "Daddy, I'm a little bit warm blooded.
Me: "Why's that?"
Trey: "Oh, I don't know...just a little bit. Shelby's all the way warm blooded.
July 18
Trey was first up. I heard him coming into my room so I got up right when I heard him come in and we went outside for a quick second and sat and enjoyed the cooler temperatures of the morning. We then came inside and played chutes and ladders. I then put a Jake and the Neverland Pirates on for him while I got ready for the day.
Not long after I got back out to the living room, Lizi got up and the three of us went outside to play baseball (I pitch the ball to them and they hit it). After a while, Lizi went in to color and Trey stayed outside to play baseball more.
Trey and I finally came inside and Shelby was just getting up. Liz made us all pancakes. Jenna helped all the kids find pictures on the internet that they could color and Shelby started coloring hers while Lizi and I played catch. Then Trey, Lizi, and I watched the British Open golf Tournament and Shelby played on the piano.
We then went outside with their bouncy balls and tried to bounce them as high as we could. I added another fun element to it by turning on the sprinklers. Trey loved chasing after his ball as he bounced it off the back porch and onto the lawn with the sprinklers going.
We then came in for some lunch from Dairy Queen. After lunch we went to Stout Park. Trey had asked me for the past couple of days if we could go there so despite the 100 degree heat and no shade, we went there. After the park we went to the baseball fields and had a baseball game - Jenna and Lizi against Trey and Shelby with me as the all-time pitcher. It ended up tied 0-0 so we did a homerun contest to see how far everyone could hit it. Jenna hit it 47 yards and Trey just barely over 48 yards. We then went to get a snow cone.
After snow cones, we went swimming at the Arscotts. Lizi played colors with us today for the first time. She actually got tired at one point and was struggling to stay above the water and Liz jumped in the pool to make sure she was ok. We came home and had baths, and then watched some Disney cartoons. We then had chicken enchiladas and cucumbers and squash and zucchini from our garden for dinner. After dinner we watched more Disney cartoons, read scriptures and packed. When Lizi got into bed tonight she asked me to tell her a funny story. When Trey and Shelby heard me telling them a funny story they each wanted one too. So before they went to bed, I told them each a funny story.
Quote of the Day - While picking our playing pieces for Chutes and Ladders... Trey: "You're going to be a girl?!?"
Me: "Yeah."
Trey: "Yeah, girls are prettier."
July 19
I woke the kids up at 6:30 and they got dressed and ate breakfast. As I was doing some last minute packing for them, I walked into Trey's room as he was talking to his room (or toys), saying something like, "Well, I'm going to miss you. I'll see you in a few months." It was really cute. We got on the road about 7:40, dropped off my car at Dick's Sporting Goods since I had to work right after I got back, and we drove the rest of the way to the airport. We got there right before their mom's plane landed and I checked everybody in as we waited for their mom to get there. It was fun to hear how excited the kids were to tell their mom about the things they did and the fun they had. It is getting easier for them to leave me now which is a little hard, but I understand. Shelby hugged me tight a few times. I miss the kids so much already!
Summary of the summer:
It was far to short, as it always is! I can't believe how fast the 6 weeks went. It has definitely been the fastest 6 weeks of my life. I am so proud of all of my kids! In this past 6 weeks, Lizi learned how to swim, ride her bike, throw, catch, and hit a baseball, and play kickball. She has really taken an interest in sports. I hope her talents are able to be developed in Texas too. She loved checking the garden every day and pulling weeds to make money (50 cents per bucket she filled up). Trey has been such a good brother to his sisters. He's a bit of a tease sometimes and can get a little pouty when he loses games or doesn't get his way, but he is such a fun kid! I LOVE how he always wanted to practice hitting the baseball. He hit 6 balls over the house. When he first got to Utah, he also hit a lot of golf balls. HE also has really taken an interest in sports. Trey also has started to read very good. He also has started memorizing or more remembering what land all the rides are in at Disneyland. Shelby is the most tenderhearted and caring of all the kids. I did notice, for the first time, a very competitive streak, where she would even stretch the truth. She really bonded with Jenna I thought. Like the other kids, she also showed an interest in sports. We had a lot of fun playing the Peanuts song on the piano too. She came to Utah knowing a little bit of it and I taught her more of it and we played it together. Trey and Shelby both - and even Lizi to a lesser extent - really loved hiking.
