Lava Tubes in Flag

In hopes of coping with my insane week, I gladly took Dave's invitation to bring the girls up for his last day in Flag. We swam in the pool, watched cartoons on the hotel TV, and ate at Outback. What more could you ask for? Well, the two mile two hour hike in the 30* lava tubes didn't hurt either. Beth is asking if we can come back tomorrow. Next time she gets to carry Sophia.

"V" for "VOTAW"!!!! This is us at the end of the tube. I can't believe we made it. It was much more like rock climbing than hiking. The $12 head lamps from Walmart were TOTALLY worth it.

Kate really really wanted a picture of her "bloody" fingers (her red head light made them look this way). So we don't have any pics in the cave of her looking up. Cutie.

Dave leaves. All heck breaks loose...

So, Dave decided to stay employed and leave us for a week. I can't blame him. I would rather have been in Flagstaff this week too.

In the course of the 5 days we missed him: (1.) I lost Sophia. A neighbor called the police when a cute, but young, little person rang her doorbell. Sophia told me later that she had been going to see Brenna (a little baby of a friend of mine). Nice. (2.) Sophia allowed Ernie the $200 parakeet to fly into the wide world yonder. He has not returned. My dad worried that he won't know how to eat. He has probably been eaten. So I'm not worried. (3.) Sophia killed Taco Bell the everlasting beta fish; (I may have also had a hand in it). She dumped a bunch of herbal pregnancy supplements into his bowl (note: I am NOT pregnant). In my frantic state to get him in fresh water, I filled his bowl with hot water. Then after putting him in the hot water and realizing my mistake, dumped out hot water and filled the bowl with cold water. While trying to not pour him down the drain. Somewhere amidst the supplement, hot water, and rapid water change, he stopped moving. Now every time Sophia wants to use the toilet, she says, "Fishy in poo poo?". Note to self, do not flush the fish in front of the 2 year old again.

Dave has to go out of town for 2 weeks in September. I ask myself - how can one prepare for this?

First Day of school

We had a lovely back to school dinner and fashion show the night before Beth began school. Kate decorated for us by taking the contents of my craft box and hanging it about the living room.... She's cute!

Beth began two weeks ago. She's riding her bike to school!!! The dust has finally settled, and she officially loves it. Yesterday she informed us that she was going to grow up to be a basketball player. I can see it in the future...

Kate is returning to Miss Becky's. She is thrilled. I only got a pic of her at the end of the first day - so you get the general idea!

Sophia and I are enjoying the rest of the days together!

Wild Thing

Here's to the Wild Child in us all - mostly in my two blondies! Beth saves us from madness most days. Heaven sent me a good one to be first in our family!

Hiking (dragging) Up Timp

So as the family activity coodinator, I thought how much fun I would have hiking to Timp Caves in July. I made a plan and got tickets. Little did I know how easy that part of it was. All I can say is thank heavens for Uncle Danny who was carrying someone at all times. I LOVED it. As did Beth - she didn't look back. But, Kate would say over and over for days - "Mom, I HATE caves. I don't ever want to see another cave - okay?". She was a trooper, but the whole hike was a motivational talk by me and my mom for her benefit. Sophia enjoyed the princess carry. It's like she forgot she had legs for a few hours. Next time we're bringing Dave!

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

My girls loved this open house. Beth kept asking to come back. Don't they look beautiful! It was so good for my girls to see what I do when I go there.

Sophia and her wisdom

At risk of seeming obscene. Sophia found this "nursing coverup" and began using it. I have never owned one or used one. She seems to come innately with knowledge about babies and nursing...oh, and the cell phone.

The Reason I Didn't Sue Murray Park

Kate loved the waterslide. Until some darling little girl decided to stop in the middle of it. The attendant didn't see the stop, so she sent Kate down. I was holding an asleep Sophie, so all I saw was my bleeding daughter coming out of the water. Well, she didn't lose an eye. And David just threatened to not let me go to Utah anymore. So I guess we'll let it pass this once.

More cousins ....

Everybody needs a baby. Thank goodness my sisters are having them;)

Cousins...

The girls had fun with their St. George cousins - D thought that Katie was the real deal Elmo. He kept loving on her. It didn't phase him when the costume changed to the next person - he just kept on loving.

Summer crafting

The girls came up with lots of fun Summer projects, but this was one of their favorites... Tie Dye!!! They all found gloves except me!

Summer!!!!

We finally got back from Victoria BC (without wishing we were already home), and then hit PInteop. Nice of my parents to buy a vacation home for us all to enjoy! This week was girls camp prep and now we are headed to CA for a week of beach time. The girls keep asking if there will be a hot tub. Too bad Hawaii has them so spoiled. We will have to suffer through the sand and sun without one. :) I hope my girls enjoy this traveling. I think this summer will be more time at home than usual. I think I will enjoy that though...

Havasupai was cancelled due to the pig flu, so we had to come up with an alternative. Victoria Canada hit the spot. Here is a pic of Dave and I in BC. It was beautiful - rainy, cold, and super fun. One of my favorites was a restaurant named Mole (full of "shrubs"), and then our new friend Christopher - the Canadian Army guy who was making up for a being a hot head by writing parking tickets. Not only did he give us a pass on the parking ticket, he introduced us to our two new favorite Canadian phrases - "Shrub" (a pothead), and "Eat the poop" (get the hard job done so you can move on). We literally stood in the street talking to him for over an hour. We always meet the most interesting people when we travel. That is why it is always so much fun!!!!

Today Beth graduated from Kindergarten. I loved her songs, but seriously, certificates and pictures, people? IT's KINDERGARTEN!!!!! Dave was so disappointed that he missed it. I told him to not worry - we will only have a dozen more graduations - and those will only get us through HS!

Last Week Kate graduated form preschool. This one included caps and gowns. I wish I could make fun of that one, but Becky Blanchard is so wonderful, I can't! :) Kate is growing too fast.

here's to the Garmin GPS in Los Angeles! We made it there, and we made it home. And no one was killed in the process. I don't know how people live in LA and don't have a GPS. Without Dave, I would have been lost. Thank goodness Britt came along to cheer the kids while I mapped out our destinations.

Happy Birthday, Grammy! We had fun and we're STILL wearing our dresses. (yeah they kind of stink now) :)

The Zoo... Two weeks ago

Some pics from our recent trip to the zoo. My cousin's little boy, Gage, came with. He is an energetic little kid - and the only time he rested was while he slept for 20 minutes in the stroller during this shot... :) My girls loved the time with him. Here is a host of us giving him cheetos. Sorry, Ash. :) Our favorite event for all of us was seeing the jaguar that they found in southern arizona desert caught in a rancher's trap. The girls are all still talking about him. Soph had a lot to say about him too...

Vday Shirts

Thanks for the shirts and jewelry Grammy! You made our day!

Beth is 6!!!

Valentines was a great day filled with terrifying reality - Beth has turned 6. That is two years away from getting baptized! She is SO old (don't tell me what that means about me and Dave). We celebrated with Dutch Babies and strawberries for breakfast (what else?), and a hot dog roast at the park for lunch. The park was a great move, I must admit. i loved not cleaning up my house after. Then later on in the evening Dave decided to go get Beth her free dozen from Krispy Kreme. The perfect end to a fun birthday.
Here are some pics.

This is Beth and the guitar cake Dave and I made her. She loved it.

This is Kate bringing Beth out to open her birthday present - a new bike. She looked like a circus clown on her old shorter one. Here is Beth and some of the kids at the party waiting for their turn to eat.

It wouldn't be a party without Red Rover!

And finally, the family at Krispy Kreme! (This is Kate's favorite outfit. It doesn't matter what I think - obviously).

Happy Birthday to my favorite little Valentine!

From Kate: Mom, remember that we can't get to heaven because of the grail? The what? The grail. Beth, tell Mom - Heavenly Father put a grail over our heads so we can't be there. Yeah - remember Mom? So we forget?

The Plan of Salvation according to a 4 year old. It includes a grail over our heads to keep us out - and help us to forget.

Votaws in the Spring

Why do I always feel like time on the computer is completely inefficient way to accomplish ANYTHING. I have always loved writing, but something about typing takes the passion right out of it. Dave would completely disagree.

Beth had to get glasses last week. The Dr told us that she has a "lazy eye". Not what you want to hear about your oldest beautiful girl. But it isn't what one might think hearing that name. She just has one eye that doesn't "read" to the brain because her sight is so different in the two eyes. This being said, she got her glasses and loves them because now she can SEE - I feel like an awful mom for not taking her in sooner. So if the glasses don't "turn on" the eye in a month, she'll get to be patched on her good eye. We're glad we caught it.

On the morning we went to pick up her glasses, she asked to have her hair cut. I refuse to be part of some mother controlling power struggle (although I would love to have been). So I cut it. Although I am TOTALLY sad, she looks beuatiful. And I must say, quite a but older. :)

Finally, (every time I close I think of my HS English teacher Mr. Vogt - who taught us how to wrap up a thought. I wonder where he is) we put in our garden. It will look nice once some of the seeds grow. I love this time in AZ. Beautiful!

We had some friends over last night and enjoyed Dave's masterful BBQ. That man is amazing in front of a grill. When I was growing up, eating chicken off the BBQ was always a charcoal like experience. But Dave makes it all so perfectly tasty! I think it must have something to do with patience. Something my gene pool runs inordinately short on. And Dave has in mass abundance. All in all it was a fun night - right up until the wall shelf almost fell on our friends' heads. Good way to end an evening. Dave has always hated that shelf there. I hate I told you so's...