Tannerite Vs. Computer

What we did last Saturday.

So Cute, They're Scary!

The kids had fun celebrating Halloween this year. Most of the kids had figured out their costume a month ahead of time. Annika made a fine little Asian girl, Sawyer was sure he wanted to be an army guy and Sophie was easy she wanted to be Cinderella. Stockton wanted to be Napoleon Dynamite, but we had a hard time finding a costume that wasn't too big for him. Finally, he decided to be a Mexican cowboy, unique and hilarious! We celebrated by carving pumpkins with Joe, Brittany and Luke, (Earl was out of town on business.) On Saturday, we went to a family party in Alpine and then the kids went out to trick-or-treat.

Finally, A Successful Camping Trip

Our family does not have the best luck when it comes to camping trips. Earl thinks we should backpack in, to the furthest reaches of the forest, where there is little to no chance of encountering another human being. I, on the other hand, would prefer a very nice enclosed camping trailer (or cabin) where all of our supplies are organized and ready to go. I would love to keep my children somewhat clean, be able to feed them easily, take care of their restroom needs and have them sleep comfortably through the night, in their own bed. After nearly 15 years of marriage, we are now compromising when it comes to camping.
No, we do not try and make 4 children backpack into the forest and FIND a camp. Nor do we have a fancy trailer, we have a nice family size tent. We do not eat Dinty Moore beef stew cold out of a can, nor do we have a solar-powered blender. We cook over the open fire. Our kids kind of have their own side of the tent with camp pads and sleeping bags. I have a nice air mattress and insist on bringing my pillow from home. We try to find nice camp spots without lots of people around. I think we are making progress.
Our latest camp out was pretty successful. We all had fun and there were only a couple of mishaps. The kids begged to stay longer, but 48 hours without a shower is about my limit.

Father's Day Festivities

My kids have the best Dad in the world. He plays with them, teaches them new things, provides for them, takes them out for treats nad is just FUN to be around. This year we celebrated Father's Day in Alpine with Earl's side of the family. We had lunch outside and enjoyed Utah in the summer.

Stockton Plays for the Twins

Baseball season is wrapping up for Stockton, this week is the last couple games of the city tournament. He was drafted by the Twins this year, it was an adjustment for him because most of his team lives on the other side of Pleasant Grove. He's had to make some new friends and he had a new coach. He can't seem to get enough of the game though. This year he is playing first base. He also is first hitter in the batting order. The team can count on him to get a hit, then he loves to steal. His goal in each game is to have no errors, he really concentrates on doing his best!

School's Out, Now the Fun Begins!

We had a very exciting first week of summer. Mom, Dad, Mandy and her family all came to see us for Memorial Day weekend. We went to The Living Planet Aquarium and the Hogle Zoo. My kids love both of these places, so to get to do both in one week was extra special. Plus their cousins were there to make it extra fun.
The highlight of our trip to the zoo was the Tiger Birthday Party! Apparently the 3 baby tigers were celebrating their 1st birthday, so we were able to see them eat their "cake" and sing to them. It was pretty exciting! Their cakes were made out of ground meat and each one had a nice rat on top!
The kids really liked petting the rays at the aquarium, except Sophie. She wanted nothing to do with those slimy rays, her favorite thing was driving the pretend boat. The penguins were also loved by all.

The Dance Festival

The kids' school, Manila Elementary, always concludes the school year with a dance festival. This year it was preceded by a family picnic. So I got to each lunch with each of the kids and then attend the festival. Earl was out of town, so unfortunately he missed lunch and the dance moves. Annika refused to look at me, while I was taking pictures, and Stockton was too busy trying to look cool to look at me, so the pictures aren't that great. I can always count on Sawyer to pose for me, until he gets older and cooler like the other two :)