Summer Adventures

I am so slacking in the photo department, but we are having a blast with the summer bucket list.  Even though there are still quite a few left, we mark off the ones we have done as well as what date we did them.  There are even a few the kids have contributed, like a wacky sandwich contest, park days, and balloon ping pong.  I'm so glad we have a list to choose activities we can do each day, and friends we can do it with.  Anything fun on your bucket lists?

Summer Bucket List

I love the ideas on pinterest!!  I have created a Bucket List that is probably too long, but I can't wait!  Here are my ideas:

[ ] Pool

[ ] Bowling

[ ] Movie Theatre

[ ] PJ party

[ ] Crafty Play-date

[ ] Backyard Water fun

[ ] Hike

[ ] Zoo

[ ] Library

[ ] Obstacle Course

[ ] Walk to Aggie ice cream

[ ] Bike Ride

[ ] park rating continued

[ ] Make Popsicles

[ ] Pet store trip

[ ] Pet groomer field trip

[ ] Teddy bear Picnic

[ ] Game night

[ ] Piñata

[ ] Feed ducks

[ ] Tie-Dye T-Shirts

[ ] Make sidewalk chalk and decorate!

[ ] Photo Shoot

[ ] Bean Bag Toss

[ ] Go for a Drive

[ ] Hopscotch

[ ] Dance party

[ ] Kids plan dinner

[ ] Cousins play

[ ] Kids’ theatre

[ ] Kids Art Museum

[ ] Dollar Store

[ ] Pen Pal notes

[ ] Pull Taffy

[ ] BBQ with friends

[ ] Mini golf

[ ] Sprinklers & Pinaqua

[ ] Visit Grandparents

[ ] Treats for neighbors

[ ] Cereal Necklace

[ ] Sleep in Tent

[ ] Boys and girls night out

[ ] Build with tools

[ ] Pillow fight

[ ] Food Tour

[ ] Dress ups

[ ] Service project

[ ] Bug hunt

[ ] Garden dinner

[ ] Bear Lake

[ ] Lake Powell

[ ] Nature walk and craft

[ ] Kids choice planting garden

[ ] Outside story time

[ ] Sail boats @ Central Park

[ ] Nature Center

[ ] Star Gazing

[ ] Painting

[ ] Bubbles

[ ] Paper Airplanes

[ ] Forts

[ ] Drive-in Movie

[ ] Makeovers

[ ] Visit Cemetery

[ ] Angry bird Lego’s

[ ] Puppet show

[ ] Museum

[ ] Authors Luncheon – write a book to share for lunch

[ ] Dance party

[ ] Macaroni necklaces

[ ] Bird Feeders

[ ] Play dough

[ ] Family soccer game

[ ] Cool whip fight

[ ] Water balloons

[ ] Catch

[ ] mud pie restaurant

[ ] Jump rope

[ ] Journals

[ ] mini Olympics

[ ] Tin can stilts

[ ] kids parade

[ ] Yard safari

[ ] String telephones

[ ] Make instruments

[ ] Homemade ice cream

[ ] Flashlight tag and night games

[ ] Lemonade stand

[ ] Garage sales – have or go

[ ] Go to a free concert

[ ] Scavenger hunt

[ ] Car wash

[ ] Roast hot dogs up the canyon

[ ] Relay race

[ ] Magnifying glass exploring

[ ] Science day

[ ] Career day field trips

[ ] Cardboard Crafts

[ ] Slime/goop

my only requirement is that we get our chores done before we do the fun stuff.  Hopefully this will be so fun, they won't complain!!  We will see...

Our new abode

I have been wanting to do this since we moved in so those of you who can't visit could get an idea of where we live now.  I had a few helpers to model in most of the room shots.  All I can say is that this is a big house!

This is the computer room...and the homework room.  Right off the main entrance.  We do "power hour" right after school here. 

 This is the downstairs "great room"  As you can see we have it filled with toys already.  There is also a kitchenette right behind the camera.

 Here is Tina's room.  She has added personality to the cork board behind the door.

 Braden's room is right beside Tina's downstairs.

 This is the bathroom downstairs with a shower.

 Here are the cabinets in the downstairs bathroom.

 This is an awesome food pantry downstairs

 This is the magnormous heater.  If you couldn't tell already, it's an old house, and the bills reflect that!

 Brooklyn and Cole share this room upstairs.  They each have their own closet:)

 This is the "great room" upstairs, and believe me it really is great - our kids call it the off-limits room, but they don't follow their own rules:)

 Here is the front.  You'd never guess from the front at how big it really is.

 This is the backyard complete with a tire swing and drinking fountain.  I love all the mature trees and the covered patio!!

 Here is Dave's "man-cave"  His dad is jealous:)

 Here is the drinking fountain...crazy huh?  Dave wants to fill it with Mountain Dew ha ha.

 This is a little closet in the garage for camping and bike stuff

 The garage...

 Our master bedroom.  Enjoy the fushia carpets.

 Dave said this toilet looks like it was made for an elf!  And you gotta love the color.  It matches the bathtub and sink.  Definately a different era.

 This is the kids bathroom.  We have to shower here.

 This is the master bath.

 This is the laundry room right off the kitchen.  It was downstairs with the furnace room, but I asked if we could move it upstairs.  The landlords are very accomodating!

 This is the kitchen.  If you look really closely, you can see a knob on the drawer under the sink.  That is how to turn on the garbage disposal.

 The dining room...

 I love the glass knick knack shelf with mug holders.

And here is another shot of the kitchen. 

Well, there you go, hopefully you get the idea:)  We really enjoy living here and are glad to be back by family.  It's a little surreal at how blessed we have been.  But we do miss all our friends in Colorado!!  That was a fun adventure:)

Random Things

I am a little scatterbrained today, but it's been so long again. I can tell I don't have good access to a camera!! Here are some of the pictures from the past 2 months.

 Dave's birthday cake.  We tried to make a football field:)

 Tina's science fair project...which bubble wand produces the most bubbles?

 Braden's science fair project...which paper airplane flies the farthest? "glidey or pointy?"

 little cole playing games!

 Tina's photo shoot with cousin Sydnee

 Sydnee

Brooklyn's pose, ha ha.

Braden has celebrated his 7th birthday.  We did a Lego theme and invited 2 friends.  All the pictures are on Dave's iphone.  I have to figure out how I can download them onto the computer, and I'm sure it's not hard!  Just inconvenient:)  We have also gotten a little more settled, and I am wanting to document our new house we are staying in.  It really is amazing to think we went from 1000sq ft to this place!   

I am super excited to be starting piano lessons from Louise Carroll this month!!  I haven't had lessons myself since I was 17!  This is going to be good for my self esteem as far as being a teacher myself.  I also am in a search for a preschool mom group to start or join. I am missing my Durango groups, and I may have to actually take the initiative to get one going here for my sanity:)  I am planning on going back to school in the Fall of 2013 for my master's degree in School Counseling.  So the first step is taking the MAT, which I am studying for right now.  I am excited to go back.  I love learning.

Dave-suprise suprise- is starting to read books!  The only book he has read in the 11 1/2 years of marriage was Harry Potter #4.  Now his friends at work introduced him to Vince Flynn books and he has read 3 in 2 months.  It's weird to have the roles reversed, usually I am the one stuck in a book:)  He is really enjoying his job and the people he works for and with. 

Tina has joined Tavoci with Sydnee and really loves it.  They are learning some modern, musical, and funny songs.  She will have a concert in May.  She is also taking piano lessons from Joanna, which is amazing.  I am super excited to see her continue to progress.

Braden has lost 3 teeth in 2 weeks, which has kept the tooth fairy busy.  She brings "golden dollars" and there was one tooth that got thrown away, but she still remembered.  He found a note that said, "the tooth fairy never forgets a lost tooth!"  He was so excited.  This week, I am going to try and enroll him into baseball for the summer.

Brooklyn has Kindergarten registration this week!  I can't believe my Brookie baby is going to be in school in the fall.  CRAZY!  She has learned how to write her name, and is writing it on everything!  I am so proud of her because she has an extremely long name:)  We do a little preschool time everyday after lunch, now that we have left our amazing co-op in Durango.

Cole had a well check and *gasp* he is underweight.  We are hoping he will gain 2 lbs in the next 3 months to get on the charts!!  The Dr. told us to try Carnation instant breakfast, which I think is a great idea.  I'm getting some today.

Well, there's the general update from us.  Sorry, hopefully I can be a little more on the ball.  I think I have been in defense mode with all these moves and trying to settle in.  I'm sure it will get there, but wow, it's taken quite awhile to feel adjusted??  If you have tips, I'd love to hear them!

Best year ever 2012!!

This year started with a BANG!!  We moved back to Utah.  Dave got a job at Utah State University and we found out 3 days before Christmas that we were going to move on Jan 1st.  Thanks to some quick thinking in-laws, a very organized husband, cardboard recycling places, and an awesome ward, we got all packed up and moved out.  I hate to say that we lost all our Christmas pictures...I'm just sick.  But we are very happy here and barely starting to settle in. 
We actually live in my grandparents ward and I just got called as the CTR 7 teacher.  I'm looking forward to my first class on Sunday.  Dave is loving his job, schedule, family time, and being back in Logan.  I am enjoying the fact that now he is helping me do dishes...nevermind that his dad is using that to determine if he gets to go fishing on his days off:) 
Tina is picking up where she left off.  She now is involved with TaVaci - a children's singing group with her cousin Sydnee, orchestra at school, and piano lessons with my sister Joanna (that starts today!)  Braden has made friends and actually had some playdates!  It makes my heart happy to see that he has friends again.  He still struggles at keeping quiet in school - he must be used to our noisy-ness at home.  And we are going to sign him up to play baseball in the summer.  Brooklyn has a couple of friends also and we are enjoying the neighborhood setting, where spontaneous playdates abound.  I am also trying to initiate "mommy pre-school" since she starts Kindergarten in the fall.  Cole has made it through nursery last week for the first time since we moved in.  He has some great teachers, and enjoys being my little shadow. 
For Christmas, I got a new flute.  I have been able to play it at a funeral service already, and will soon perform in church thanks to my grandma:)  I'm excited to have an excuse to practice.  Dave got a few car things for Christmas, and has been hard at work fixing his car.  It is well used, and he just put in a new engine mount.  I told him he will be an expert by the time he finishes with this "project." Next on his list is the trunk - it has a rope in the back, because it won't open from the outside. 
Tina got some American Girl stuff - and a jewelry box that I am jealous of:), Braden got some baseball things and wii games, Brooklyn got a new bike, and Cole got a motorized scooter.  He has been riding around in our spacious house.
Speaking of house, we feel so blessed to be living in a 6 bedroom over 2300 sq. foot spacious older home.  The home we came from was 1000 sq. feet, so it's a little different.  We still don't have all the furniture we would like to fill the space, but I'm sure it will come:)  It sure has been an adventure, and I have to say having Dave enjoy his work has made a huge difference in the feeling of our family.  I am so grateful for all the answers to our prayers.  It's nice to feel settled into something more stable.  Sorry for the novel, and no pictures, but hopefully they will come soon!  I just thought I better catch up.

Giving Thanks

 I'm thankful that we were able to find a good deal on this Jetta - and it gets great gas mileage!

 I'm grateful that we were able to find someone to purchase this truck.  I know Dave will miss it, but we won't miss the $80 fill ups

 I am grateful that we were able to attend the "turkey trot" performance.  Tina's in the orchestra.

 And Braden sang the "turkey trot song" composed by his first grade class

 I'm grateful for MOPS (mothers of preschoolers), a group that I attend twice a month to make crafts, socialize, and learn with.  Here's some photo blocks we made.  I'm also so grateful for such wonderful kids.  They really enrich my life more than I ever could have imagined.


I'm just sick because I downloaded some pictures and now I can't find them, but they are of my parents, and brother and sister who visited us for Thanksgiving.  I am so grateful that they were able to come and celebrate the holiday with us.  It was so nice to see them.  It made me want to move back to UT so bad.  I guess if I locate the pictures I can post them later...

This year we made a grateful box and (tried) to write something we are grateful for every day. 
Dave: Bargains

Mel: 1. Good friends - they help me survive, vent, teach, listen, serve and love.  I couldn't make it without them.  I constantly hope that I am as good a friend to everyone who is a friend to me. 2. Prayer - I love knowing I can have a path of communication to God.  It's always available any place, time, situation.  I am grateful to know that God listens and answers our prayers according to our faith.  I need to work on my faith:) 3. My family - they love me no matter what.  I feel so blessed with great examples to follow and wonderful teachable children.  And it is all possible with a loving, hard-working amazing husband.  I love the support group feel it brings.  This brings me the greatest joy on earth. 4. Choices - It's nice to know we have control over certain things in our life, like our attitude, our reactions, forks int he road, whether to go fast or slow, what words to say or actions to take.

Tina: I am grateful for food, my family, the world, heaven, all the members of all churches, and the world.  I am also grateful for my friend, these things mean a lot to me. I am grateful for the sun, the moon, the stars, the sunsets, the mountains, also, the sky and clouds and snow, rain, hail, and the night sky.

Braden: dad come home, day to night, my house, his friends, Orlando, eating dinner together

Brooklyn: Daddy coming home, coloring, playing with Cole,

Cole: going to work with Dad, ball-balls, eyes, and other doodles.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too!!

Halloween Fun

Cole was Aaron's Lucky Dog

Tina was a candy corn - I used this tutorial for a pillowcase dress with a table cloth:)  Brooklyn was Cinderella - recycled costume from Tina and Braden was a zombie complete with a spiderweb.

Dave as usual as Fred Flinstone - I was a party pooper because I spent all my time doing the kids costumes.

Trunk or Treat

The school dress up parade

Braden gave a wonderful presentation on what he wanted to be when he grew up - an inventor...everyone wanted his "fun machine." He already has many customers!!

Today it snowed!!  Too bad some kids are sick, but I had to try out this pattern for some cute newsboy hats for the kids.  I had to join this site, but it's free and I'm excited to have access to some fun patterns.

The girls had to show us their snow dog and snow baby.  Aren't they cute?