Backpacking Trip and Museum

Yesterday, Lily left for a little backpacking trip with some of the young women in our neighborhood. They went up to Desolation Lake and spent the night. They were on their way back home early at 10am and she was home before lunch and in time to join us at Thanksgiving Point.

Yesterday when she was all suited up and ready to go, I thought she made a pretty cute little hiker.

And before they left, and after a short walk down the street to our neighbor's house, she was already starting to shed her layers.

It was nice weather for them and Lily said there were gorgeous wild flowers everywhere. After she got home, she cleaned up and then I got the kids out of the house by taking them to Thanksgiving Point for the first time this summer. 

I'm glad we went, and I'm grateful Lily was there to help me. We were all together a few times, like when they were playing the projected video game with their feet - 

But most of the time they were scattered, so it was very helpful to have Lily there with her phone. I went up and helped Sophi sign up for a Canopy tour. I told the kids they could go, but they had to pay for it themselves. For Sophi, it was worth  She paid for it by herself. Natalie would have done it too, but she didn't have secure footwear so she wasn't able to. Her canopy tour time was a 1:30. Peter and I stayed and waited with her until her time. They took some photos in a photo both that was out of order... so I stuck in my hand holding my phone in selfie mode and got these treasures ~

That's it! You get four pictures. Oh, you want to do it again? ok...

I was able to look down onto the first floor. Lily is still doing good watching the kids. Daniel has made himself a chair and footrest. 

Sophi's tour has started, have fun Sophi! 

Sophi's tour would be 45 minutes, which would be a good time for us to head home. We needed to leave by 2:30 so that Lily could be home in time to go to her clarinet lesson. I went downstairs to relieve Lily and watch the kids play. They had been busy making a home. They had bed, tables, chairs, and Natalie made a sofa, coffee table, big screen tv and remote! You are very creative Nataloo

I climbed around in the jungle with Peter and we went down a slide a few times (it was not a very comfortable ride). Natalie and Peter about to make a crash landing!

The kids scattered, but it is helpful that it's such an open space, so I was able to usually find them even if I wasn't right with them. From where I was in the jungle gym, I could see Daniel below - who has just come off the slide - 

Lily on her phone making art.

Sophi above us in the canopy. Owen was somewhere, Lily saw him. Ok, that's all of us. 

When Sophi was done, we gathered the kids and headed home. And were able to avoid that darn gift shop right at the entrance that has candy and toys to tempt the kids. We met Corey and he took Lily to her lesson and we headed home for a short break before taking Sophi to soccer practice. She usually has it on Mondays and Thursdays, but she had it today instead because she went to the practice with the United team that she'll be playing with in the tournament next weekend. I like the Butler fields much better for practice, because the playground is shaded from the sun. Midvalley Elementary's playground kinda stinks in that regard - it's like in a parking lot surrounded by nothing. Peter seemed happy here.

He went round and round on the slide.

Natalie and her brothers made up some game on this circular coaster thing. They each had 5 lives, and if they touch the ground they die and lose a life.

Peter and I enjoyed the double swing. 

I'm doing good. I've had my arm wrapped up in a bandage yesterday and today cause I had a fall on my bike yesterday morning at Corner Canyon. I started at the Coyote Trail Head, took Clark's trail up to Peak View, then down Rush to come back to the Coyote Trail Head. I fell on Rush when the bike got a little stuck in a divot in the path and I went over the handlebars. I felt like I was in baseball sliding into home base, but with my arm instead of my feet. I got a real good scratch all up my inner right arm. Luckily I had gloves on, so that saved my hands. My legs were fine too cause I was wearing pants, but darn it I was wearing a short sleeved shirt, and as I slid across the dirt it ripped my underarm. It hurt and I gave it a good scrubbing when I got home. Ouch. My first biking injury. I hope I don't have any more!

One last picture from tonight - Peter during prayer. 

I need to sneekily take a video of him when he says the prayer, cause it is freaking adorable.

He is adorable, we love Peter!

Dance Party

Our niece Rhyan came over today and is sleeping over. I believe she was the person behind the dance party that we had tonight. Lily was her accomplice and DJ.

Complete with white mascara... I didn't know that was a thing, but I guess Lily thought it looked punk rocker -ish

They hung up Christmas lights in the front room and Lily made her DJ turntable out of a Coscto lettuce box. Very creative, she painted records on there and was working the scratching effect very convincingly.

I found it quite hilarious.

Everyone channeling their inner Hibbert by dancing to MJ

I tried to teach them the Bad dance, from what I could remember from 30+ years ago in my teenage years when my sisters and I tried to learn it from Jerusha's Michael Jackson Magazine. 

It was fun to watch everyone feel the groove and dance.

Last video - We like to Move it move it ~

Go Peter!

And then they made plans to end the evening with a romantic song for just Corey and I, so Rhyan cleared out all the kids and played "So This is Love" from Cinderella. We played along and tried to dance fancy.

So that was our fun tonight. Other than that it was a normal Monday: We talked to our missionaries - Ethan is doing good after his first few days in the Dominican Republic. It's good to see he has a smile on his face.

We went to violin - I let Natalie use my phone there and she always takes funny photos of herself. After violin we went to Sophi's soccer practice. They had a big scrimmage and she's going to join another team for a soccer tournament next weekend, cause they need a few more players. She drank a little too much water and made herself feel sick. Sitting in front of the wet fan. She wants us to get one of those for our family.

Life is good. 

Peter Loves Spiderman

After a busy weekend and after a fun vacation and long drive home, it was nice to have a quiet Sunday. I was sitting with Peter today and he was being sweet and lovely. 

You're sweet, aren't you Peter?

We were looking at all the characters on the lego box - from a present that I got for him a few weeks ago for no reason other than that he likes Spiderman. 

I bought those on May 20th. As we sat on the couch, I recorded a few little voice clips of him talking and sent them to the Wride Nation on messenger for Mel and Ethan and Joseph and Hyrum to listen to. I loved hearing his little voice say "Ka-ka-Merica Motorcycle! Irn Man, Pi-man!"

He is just a beautiful little boy.

I've been collecting pictures of Peter for several weeks, that document his Spiderman obsession. Well, first he was a loyal Lightening McQueen fan, but then he got on a real Spiderman kick in May and June. One day he decided he loved this Spiderman shirt and that he did not want to wear anything else but this Spiderman shirt. Here's a picture from May 18th. 

That night, I forcibly took his precious shirt away and washed it, with the promise that it would be ready for him to wear by morning, but he didn't care. I got a different shirt that had Spiderman on it, but it wasn't good enough. He wanted his Spiderman shirt, and he wanted it now, and he went to bed very sad that night. 

He kinda cried himself to sleep over it.

Sometimes I'm able to let him wear it and I can keep it clean from food spills on the front by having him wear his jacket over it. That worked for a while. Here he is wearing the Spiderman shirt below his jacket in this picture from April 23rd. 

Peter's pronunciation of Spiderman is more like "Pieh Man". He can also sing the Spiderman theme song "Spins a web, any size! Catches thieves just like flies! Look out, here comes the Spiderman." But it sounds like this "Pin-weh! Any sigh, cat tee ju-lih flies, look out, heh com Pihman!"

On May 20th I went by Target at the thrift store to try and find more Spiderman apparel. At Target I overpaid for new stuff, then I went by Kid to Kid and got some good second hand clothes. 

Peter excited about his new Duplo Spiderman toys. 

We got out the Spiderman figure right away. 

Daniel and Peter wore their new clothes and pjs and played with their new toys that night. 

Hey Spider-boys! Say Cheese...

Then these are the last pictures in my collection - Peter with the Spiderman mask on - so cute! These are from May 26th. 

And he was trying to hold out his fingers to shoot the web - 

Almost got it! 

No, that's not right! Then he started getting frustrated. No one is going to take me seriously if I can't shoot a web!! 

It's tough being a toddler Spiderman 

Then we laughed at his cuteness as he sulked... which made his mask fall down his face.

So the Spiderman infatuation lasted for almost a good two months. Then when July came around, he decided he likes cars again. Cute little face - pics from July 2nd - 

Now he's ok with any superhero shirt. Sometimes it's Batman...

Other times it's Incredibles or Superman. Those are the super heroes from our current collection of toddler t-shirts. And he now likes Cars toys and movies again. That night, July 2, was a Friday and date night. When we came back from our date, Peter greeted us, crying and heartbroken that his sisters had turned off Cars 2. (He watches Cars 2 all the time). He was looking at me, wondering why they won't let him watch Cars 2 again "Mom! Why! McMissile! Why!"

Pretty adorable. Peter is just cute, we think its cute when he likes stuff, when he's sad cause he can't get what he wants. He is really sweet and does a good job being the baby of the family. He is playing the roll very well. 

So there's my Peter loves Spiderman tangent. Back to today - July 11th. We watched the last episode of the Chosen Season 2 tonight. I really loved it. I love The Chosen so much. The kids also watched Family Man with Corey, and we finished off birthday cake and ice cream from Natalie's special day yesterday, and I was able to blog about our trip to Lake Tahoe. We had a little family meeting- Joseph and Hyrum were able to join in. 

It's so great being able to talk to Melodie and Ethan each week too. We love talking to them It great that we are able to have the kids together, even if it's just virtually. Technology is a real blessing. That's all for today -