I Love You, For Sentimental Reasons. . .

Last week we went to Seven Peaks, a local water park, twice.  On one day I took just the two little ones while Emma & Macey were in school but on Saturday we took the whole family.

There are two Seven Peaks to choose from: one close in Salt Lake County and the other a little further away in Provo.

I always choose the one in Provo.  When I graduated from high school, I had just a few days to report to BYU and start college with a few summer courses.  The day before I moved into Snow Hall (which has since been torn down, to let you know how old I am ;) my best friend and I went to Seven Peaks. 

It was such a wonderful time.  I had such great hopes and plans for my life while at BYU.  I think I thought that I would pull into the parking lot of Snow Hall and there would be a nice boy walking by (so not rational -- I was on the very edge of campus) and he would see me struggle with my boxes and help me move in and we would get married four months later.

It didn't happen, but it would make a great book.

I love being at Seven Peaks.  I can tap into those excited and hopeful feelings and tell my kids how Mommy went there a long, long time ago. 

And I love how it wipes my kids out.  They are second generation fans!

School is Cool! Well, Now It Is

This year we were in Idaho when we heard rumblings on Facebook that the school lists had been posted.  I heard from a friend which class Emma was in.  But we did not know what would happen to Macey.  So when we got back Sunday afternoon Garry went to the school, four days before school started, to find her class list.

When I saw it, my stomach dropped.  She was in a class without a single best friend.  I emailed her teacher and expressed my concern.  Macey gets anxious about things: rain storms, Monopoly games, episodes of Sophia the First.  I knew that this was not going to go well.

But we talked about it.  About making friends in a new class and maybe even better friends!  Off to school she went.  I prayed and prayed that she would have a good first day of Second Grade.  But then I got the phone call.

Macey had thrown up.  She needed to come home.

I met with the Assistant Principal as well as the Principal and explained my anger that she was transferred into a class without a single good friend.  They consulted the school counselor, and she agreed with me, and we were able to transfer Macey into a class with her friends.

The second day of school was so much better!  School was cool!

Overwhelmed? Yes, I Hear You

Before Molly's big dance recital, she had a chance to get her picture taken with her class.  Molly's class started off small and then grew and grEW and GREW!  Eventually they had to split the actual class, but they all danced together and had their picture taken together.  I love Molly's teacher, Miss Kara, in this picture.  You can tell she is a little overwhelmed.  And yes, I hear that.  At least after the photo shoot she was able to send them all home!

I Was "Pic of The Day". . .I Think

My cousin, Scott, has a great blog that he maintains daily at http://scottywattydoodlealltheday.blogspot.com/. 

In each he will also share a "Pic Of The Day".  I have often teased that I wanted to be immortalized as a "Pic Of The Day" and promised severe cuteness at the family reunion so we would HAVE to be picked. 

Sadly by the time we caught up with him at the reunion, we were looking pretty ragged.  But, due to his fabulous photo skills you cannot really tell that we had not seen a shower in 24 hours or that Emma had an ear infection or that Braden had gotten smores all over his shirt.  (His shirt, by the way, was simply classic Gymboree Cuteness.  It said "Happy Camper".  Love it.  Could there be a better shirt for a family reunion?)

Thanks for including us, Scott.

The Essence of Me & Mine

I used to be a great blogger.  I would whip out a post a day, usually, sometimes (gasp!) missing a day or two.  But then we had our fourth child.  And posting things on Facebook was so much simpler than writing an entire blog.

But, I regret that my blog has turned into more of a photo album than a true collection of stories about me & mine.  I am losing out.

So I will try to stop and write the funny things down.  And throw in a photo here and there.  And try to capture the essence of our wonderful little family.

What Do You Mean "As Well"?

The other day tragedy struck as I realized a favorite pair of shorts had a hole in them.  Sadness!  It is not easy for me to find shorts that are long enough and comfortable enough to wear.  How was I going to replace these when the fashion lately seems to be very short shorts?

I expressed my despair to my sister who told me, "Yeah, I'm wearing a hole into my favorite pair of shorts where my fat thighs rub together as well."

As well?  What do you mean, "As well?"  I said nothing about the location of said hole.  What's this "as well" crap?

Regrettably, the hole is developing right where my fat thighs rub together.  Older sisters are so obnoxious.

Knight Family Reunion!

This year we had the big Knight Family reunion which included all members of the George Richard Knight family -- my great grandfather.

So we put Max into Doggy Day Care (Camp Bow Wow ;) and off we went to Idaho!  We stopped by my parent's home, and the kids helped my Dad mow the lawn.

We then went up to our cabin in Island Park and walked to the reservoir.  Garry got the kids all walking sticks and taught Emma how to skip rocks in the water.

Off we go to the cabin!  They had a great time looking around but bedtime was harsh!  It was hot and Braden was in an unfamiliar location.  Garry said when he went to sleep around 10 it was too hot.  When he woke up around 3 it was too cold.  Somewhere in that time frame it was just right -- too bad he was asleep and missed it!

The next morning we took the kids to Victor, Idaho where we went on a guided trail ride.  It was the first time the girls have been on a horse that was not led in a circle ;)  They did great!  We went on some crazy terrain for over an hour and a half and they were perfect.  I, on the other hand, dropped my cell phone and so the whole ride had to halt for a few minutes.  I felt really stupid about my rookie mistake, especially since I was not the rookie!

 After the trail ride, we met up with my family for lunch and then set up camp at the Teton Canyon campground.  It was beautiful!  And quiet.  And REMOTE.  It was down a dirt road four miles.  Garry bought a new tent for the occasion but somehow we did not get a picture.

After we set up camp, we headed to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  The kids went on the Alpine Slide.  Molly went with Garry and yahooo'd all the way down.

Emma got stuck behind a slow girl and complained LOUDLY at the end of the ride and so the whole extended family, 10 riders, got to go again for free.  Uncle Brett was very proud of Emma in that moment.

The next day was the official reunion and my Dad was able to spend a good amount of time with his cousins and brother.  We manage to stay in touch with our Knight cousins pretty well throughout the year and so there were not any "Gasp!  It's SO GOOD to see you" moments.  Facebook has kind of ruined that.  There were threats to not tag photos after a long evening camping ;)  I guess that's what happens when Facebook and family reunions collide!

We went back to Idaho Falls and had our traditional trip to Reed's Dairy and then off to play in the hotel pool.  It was a great trip!

Let's Go To Hawaii!

For our 10th Anniversary, Garry & I decided to head off to Hawaii!  Okay, Garry decided.  I was really cheering for Cabo because I have not been there, but I was overruled.  Garry's Dad was great and provided us with a week at the Marriott Vacation Club: Ko Olina.  We just had to fly ourselves out there and find someone to watch the kids.

We are in love with Ko Olina.  They had private lagoons and pools and . . .sigh.  It was heaven.

While there we stayed very busy.  We went on a lot of hikes around the island.  We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Temple.  We visited a Budhist temple on the north shore and also stopped in to BYU Hawaii.  We also spent an evening in Waikiki.  But I still got a lot of pool time in.

Garry spent a morning snorkeling.  Since the current was so strong, there were two rescues made from our part of the beach in just a little over 60 minutes.  So I kept my feet firmly and safely in the sand.

I love how Hawaii is still warm in the evening.  The sun goes down but the temperatures only fall 10 degrees -- not 40 like Utah!  I also loved being back in the humidity.  I did not have to do my hair for an entire week.

While we enjoyed the time away, we did miss the kids.  Six days is a long time to be away when they are so little.  I am grateful my niece came and stayed with them.  Staying with family in their own house made all the difference for my little kids.  We want to go back SOON but we will bring them with us.  I know they would have loved everything.