Hooray For Joseph!

Joseph earned his ABC Crown at preschool!

In order to get this he had to be able to recognize and name all of the lowercase letters and tell what their sounds are. When the teacher thinks they can do this then she sends them to the preschool directors office and they have to pass them off to her. Way to go Joseph!

Memorial Day

Our Memorial day was filled with visiting loved ones who had passed, and enjoying the beauty of nature.

We took a trip to Cedar City with Ryan's parents and started our day off right by going to Ron's favorite store, Walmart, (I should have taken a picture) to buy flowers.


The Cedar City Cemetery was our first official stop. This was a special stop for us and the kids because Tamra's sister and parents are buried there. Joseph and Grandpa McArthur had a special bond before he passed and Joseph still calls him his best buddy.

After we finished cleaning and decorating the graves we headed up Cedar Canyon on our way to Orderville. Tamra informed Ron (the driver) that she wanted to take pictures of stuff so she could try to get one in her company calender next year. So if she saw a "Money Shot" she would let him know and he was to pull over immediately. Since we were stopping anyway I decided to grab a few "Money Shots" of my own. By the end of the day Ron was so tired of back seat driving that I think he parked in the stickers on purpose. (We did get some good pictures)

The weather was starting to turn, but we were hoping to maybe hike the Bristle cone pine trail. Unfortunately when we got up there it was covered in snow and snow was still falling from the sky. So we headed on our way (after Tamra got a couple of Money Shots). By the time we got to duck creek the snow had stopped for a few minutes and we decided this would be a good place for the kids to get out. They had fun throwing the pine cones in the water and Joe kept saying what a fun hike we were on, even though we could still see the road.

Our next stop was pretty cool it is called Hidden Lake. When Ron was eight his church building had been torn down and the new building was not finished yet, so he was baptized in Hidden Lake.

Ron Grew up in Orderville and both of his parents are buried there. The Cemetery was really neat because they had put flag poles by all of the War Veteran's headstones. I don't think that Joseph realized that he had been named after Ron's dad, because he wasn't sure what to think of seeing his name on a headstone. Especially since he knew that meant you were dead. But after we explained it to him he was OK. This was a smaller cemetery and a very old one. It was neat to see headstones of pioneers. Some were so worn you could barley read them and you could tell that a lot of the older ones were homemade.

We stopped for lunch at a Cafe at Mt Carmel Junction, and then headed into Zion. Where we went on the Overlook Hike. It wasn't very long but you walked on the edge of some pretty steep cliffs. They had put up some nice railings so it wasn't too dangerous for the kids. On the way up Grandpa pointed out an Indian Paint Brush flower to Joe. Joe turned to Grandpa and said "this isn't a hike it's an adventure!" It was a pretty hike all the way up and I got quite a few Money Shots on it.

Emily loves the out doors and the whole trip she kept suggesting that someone should take her camping. She had also brought her camera and was having fun getting money shots. Josh enjoyed the hike but he was carried 90% of the time. More for safety reasons than anything else.



We ended our day with a stop at the Toquerville Cemetery to put some flowers on Ron's Brother Grave.


It was a nice day and we all had a good time, but the next morning it wasn't hard to see that the boys were ready to go home. After breakfast they got comfortable in the car and waited for someone to drive them home.

Money Shots

Cedar Canyon

Navajo Lake

Duck Creek 1

Duck Creek 2

Long Valley


Orderville


Zion 1

Zion 2

Zion 3

I know that I am an amateur photographer with an amateur camera, but let me know which one of the above shots is your favorite.

We all know this is the best money shot.

Day Out With Thomas

Josh has been so obsessed with Thomas that we decided to take him to "Day Out With Thomas" in Heber. We had taken Joe two years ago and he had a great time then so we thought Josh would love it. As we were walking to the gate Josh spotted Thomas and was happy and excited to see him, but as soon as we entered the train station he turned into a little black rain cloud. Our train did not leave for a little bit so we started exploring the other activities.

Emily was not sure that she wanted to be there, but when she spotted the petting zoo she changed her tune and had a fun time.



Josh wanted nothing to do with the animals.

we took him into the tent were they had train sets and puzzles that the kids could play with. Josh was kind of happy about that, but he did not think the other kids should be touching his trains so if another kid got near him he would snap at them.

Joseph was having fun in that tent putting together the puzzles, but Josh was being too angry so we had to leave after a while so the other children there could enjoy playing.

It was getting close to our train ride time so we headed over to the line. Close by there were people making balloon animals. Joseph got a butterfly and Emily got a monkey. I had them make Josh a monkey also. He took it but he tried to act like he did not like it.

Finally it was time to board the train. Joesph and Emily were really into the day now and I was hoping that getting on the train would change Josh's mood back to excited or at least happy. But he was mad because we were getting on the wrong train. Josh wanted to get on the train that was heading through Provo Canyon.

Emily and Joe sat with Grandma and Grandpa. Josh didn't want to so he sat with mom and dad. (He did not want to sit there either.) The train began to go and Josh was grumbling the whole time. Emily and Joe saw some pretty neat things on their side like a car cut in half......they are guessing by a train.

The way Thomas works is they take the train out on the tracks for 10 minutes and then the train stops and then goes the opposite direction back into the station. After the train stopped and then started heading back Josh had settled down and was starting to enjoy the ride...a little.



All the kids seemed to be happy for a minute, and I thought we were having fun.

As soon as the train stopped at the station Joe yelled out " Hurry, lets get off before it starts going again."

When we got off Josh started being moody again. We decided that maybe we just were not doing things the way he wanted so we let him guide the group for a minute. He headed straight for the other train. We let him look at it and touch it and then it was time for it to leave. I think the most exciting part of Josh's day was waving goodbye to the Heber Creeper.

Due to Josh's mood we decided not to try to wait in line to get a picture with Thomas so we tried to just grab a couple from the side.




We also got a picture with the groups favorite poster. (Josh was not in the mood for pictures)

As we headed to the car Josh was really happy because he got to do what I think he wanted to do in the beginning....Walk on the old train tracks.

Now that we are home I am happy to say that I think all of the kids had a fun time, including Josh. Josh has spent the rest of the day playing with his trains.

Artists at work

After two days of rain I didn't think the boys could handle another day of being cooped up in the house so we went to the Discovery Museum. They had two workshops while we were there and both involved paint. Joe loved the marble painting one.

He titled his piece "Fireworks"

Both of the boys loved the workshop on feet. There were rollers and stamps they could use to paint tracks and animal feet.

But the best part was when they got to stick their own feet in the paint.

So much for mom's white shirt......at least it was an old one.

10 Years Off My Life

• My friend Laura has a great post on her blog about being a mother. I love this post because it reminds me that everyone has triumphs and failures when it comes to being a parent, and in the end the love and blessings that you receive from you children make it all worth it.
  
  My father in-law has told me before that your children can take 10 years off your life with some of the things they do. I think I lost a year or two yesterday..............
  
  It was about 4:30pm, Josh was finally napping in the guest room downstairs, Joseph was busy playing in the backyard and Emily was working on her autobiography for school. I had finished cleaning and had about 20 minutes before I needed to start dinner so I decided I would go lye down for a couple of minutes. (Big Mistake)
  
  After about 5 minutes Joe and Emily both come running into my room.
  
  Mom! Mom! Josh just went through the back gate into the front yard and ran up the street and around the corner!
  
  Of course my mother instincts immediately kicked in and I slipped my shoes on and ran out the front door. I told Emily to go around the block one way and Joe and I headed the other thinking we would meet in the middle and one of us would have Josh. I got three houses away when my brain kicked in.
  
  
• Josh NEVER wakes up happy from his nap.
• He is always groggy and crying.
• I know I didn't fall asleep and I know I did not hear crying.
• If he did go through the back gate He would have had to cross in front of the sliding glass door in my bedroom and I would have seen and heard him.
• He has to still be asleep in the basement.
• But Emily and Joe said they saw him and Emily was hysterical.
• I need to check the guestroom.
  
  So I turned to Joe and said "I think Josh is asleep downstairs still. Did you look for him there?"
  
  Joe: He is not in the house mom he ran around the corner!
  
  Still my heart was telling me to go check the house. Emily was already heading around the block so I ran back to the house and sure enough there was Josh asleep just where I had left him. Emily was still going around the block so I decided I better go meet her so she does not become more panicked. I figure she should be most of the way around by now.
  
  So I headed around the block. When I turned the corner I did not see Emily. I started to think maybe she had run into ward members on the next street and was talking to them. She has a few friends that live on the block. So we quickly walk the next stretch and turn the corner only to find no Emily.
  
  At this point I have no idea where she could have gone. So I continue running the block heading back towards our house when I come across a neighbor looking for Josh. I explained what happened and he told me which way Emily had headed. (it was not at all the direction I had told her to go.)
  
  Since Joe can yell louder than I can I told him to start yelling Emily's name. After a couple of yells I hear Emily yelling back but I still don't know where she is. We keep running and finally see Emily around another corner. She starts heading back to us and another ward member pulls up in their car. They also had been helping Emily look for Josh.
  
  Happy to have all of my children back I explained to Emily when I say run around the block that is what I mean not wander across streets and in places where I would not know she went.
  
  On the walk back home I asked Joe and Emily why they would tell me they saw Josh go in the front and run around the corner when he obviously did not.
  
  Emily: That is what Joe told me.
  
  Me: Joe Why did you tell us that if you did not really see it?
  
  Joe: I wanted to play with Josh, but I could not find him. So I thought he probably went out to the front.
  

Spring Program

Joseph's class had their Spring Program yesterday. It was really cute. They had a cowboy theme and Joseph did a great job singing and was really good at all of the actions. The program lasted about 30 minutes so I am not going to post the whole thing, but......... here is one of the songs.

Joseph loves going to preschool and loves his teachers.
Miss Sarah and Miss Diane

They are doing a really great job!!

Our new "friend" Zoe

This morning I met some friends at the park for play group. The kids were having a good time, but it began to rain a little so we decided it would be best to just continue the playing at my house. We all packed up and headed to the cars. When we got to the parking lot there was a dog wandering around. It was basically leaving us alone. We wondered if it was a nice dog and commented on how pretty it was, but just kept going to our cars.


I headed to my car and unlocked the drivers side door. I opened it up and then turned to get Josh. (I was standing right by the door and only turned for 1 second)
When I turned back around the big pretty dog was in my car. I was a little startled because I did not think it was even near my car. I stepped away from the door and tried to call it out of the car. Not knowing if the dog was nice or not I was not about to stick my hand in there. Instead of coming out of the car it just moved to the back seat and sat between the boys car seats. It was barley sprinkling but I think it was trying to get out of the rain.


I opened up all of the car doors and continued to try to get the dog out. My friend Shelby had a bologna sandwich so she tried offering it the bologna. The dog was not interested. It just stayed in the car panting and drooling.

At this point I decided to risk my hand and try to read the dogs tags. I let the dog sniff my hand until I felt it was safe to pet it. I began petting it and telling it I was going to look at the tags. (which meant sticking my hand right under his mouth.) The dog was very friendly and had no problem letting me see the tags. In fact during the whole experience the dog was very calm and friendly. It did not even bark once. The dogs name was Zoe and it only lived a few blocks away.

I called the owner but they did not answer their phone and their voice mail was full. By then a few more people had come over to try to help get the dog out. Both of them did not have children with them and were willing to drive the dog home. The problem was that Zoe liked my car and was not getting out.

I decided I would just drive Zoe home and hopefully she would get out when she saw her house. I transferred the car seats to Shelby's van so the boys could ride with her. as soon as I took Joe's car seat out Zoe laid down and made herself comfortable.
Josh did not like the idea of going in someone elses car so I decided to let him ride with me. I know that might have been a bad decision, but like I said Zoe was calm and very friendly towards me so I figured it would be OK. She did not even move when I put Josh in his seat.

Josh cried at first but by the time we got to Zoe's house Josh thought having a dog ride in the car was pretty great. Zoe was very content the whole ride home. She sat up to look out the window and almost looked like she was smiling because she had gotten away with her trick.
I could tell Zoe recognized her house, but she still did not want to get out. The owner was not home, but I found a neighbor at home. He helped me get her out.

This whole experience was pretty funny, and now thinking about it, I probably would have been OK just reaching in and pulling Zoe out. But the other three adults were not going to risk their hands why should I?

Party! Party! Party!

This last weekend was lots of fun. We had one party after another. It started on Thursday with A mother/daughter dinner with Emily. It was nice to get to spend an evening focusing on her. With two busy brothers it does not happen as much as it should........Thank you to her Activity Day Leaders for putting it all together. During the evening they had the girls say something that they like about their mothers. Emily said that she thinks I am a great scrapbooker and that she likes to scrapbook with me. I love scrapbooking with Emily. She is such a nice girl and always tries to help me around the house. I am so grateful to have a daughter like her.

Grandma and Grandpa Lay arrived that night and the party's continued. I was excited for them to come. My mom has been battling cancer and has not been well enough to travel for a while. She is still really tired but was able to make it to the important events. It was also a good visit for Joseph.....My Grandma Lay passed away at the beginning of April and ever since then when I would talk about my mom Joseph would say "Your mom died." I had him talk to her on the phone a few times but he was not convinced that she was alive until he saw her this weekend.

We spent the next two days celebrating my brother Jon's Graduation from the U of U. (the reason for my parents visit) Congratulations Jon!

In between the graduation festivities we hung around the house playing games. The kids had a great time playing Wii with Grandpa and it was fun to see that I can still beat my dad at Big Brain Academy. Even when he tries to set the game up in his favor.


We ended our Party Weekend with a Quatro De Mayo Party (named that because we had it on the 4th instead of the 5th) In San Diego Cinco De Mayo is a big holiday so we would usually get together with some friends for Mexican food. I have been wanting to have a Cinco de Mayo party since we moved but it has not ever worked out. So even though we already had a party filled weekend I continued with my Party.

We had Grandma & Grandpa Bolander, Kevin & Alisa and Jon & Jenny over for a Mexican meal, a Pinata and ended the night playing Guitar Hero on the Wii (not really part of the holiday but thanks for bringing it Jon). We also introduced Ryan's Family to the game Mexican Horse Races. If you don't know what that is you didn't go to scout camp enough. (or have brothers who went)

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Also Congratulations to my brother-in-law, Gavin on his Graduation from the U of U!

Red Butte Plant Sale

Going to the Red Butte Plant sale is something I look forward to every May. Ryan's Dad gives us all memberships to the garden for Christmas and this is one of the perks. It is fun to see some of the plants that I can't grow in my shaded front yard, and find a few that will.




They have everything laid out in a way that if you need a plant that grows well in the shade you just go to that section. I also appreciate the many volunteers who know a lot more about what will grow in my yard than I do.

This year I got vegetables for my garden. I have had great success in the past with the tomatoes and peppers. I think that they are so well grown at Red Butte that I can't mess them up too bad. I love having a vegetable garden in the summer. It is one of the things I miss when the snow is on the ground.

Every year at the sale we have tried to find Lamb's Ear. They have a patch growing at Red Butte so we have always been surprised that they didn't have it at the sale. This is Emily's favorite plant and this year we found it.
While the kids were walking around with Grandma they found a butterfly (moth) on one of the plants. Joseph was so excited and wanted to buy the plant just because it had the butterfly on it. (I think Grandpa bought it for his yard.)

Now it is time to get busy planting. Let's hope for good weather.