About Me

Today's my birthday. It's 2:28 p.m. and I've spent the day thus far waiting for the power company to come and take away our old fridge. They said between 8 & 12....

I called at 12 & they told me for sure between 11 & 3.......

There's been no showering or getting ready for the day, because I've had to make a hasty departure from the shower to greet delivery/service people in the past, and it's not a pretty sight.

Enough about me......



But, one more thing about me.

I'm a blog stalker. I lurk. I'm not ashamed to admit it.

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite blogs that I stalk visit on a regular basis. It's my gift to you.....on my birthday.

#1) This Is Why You're Fat

A daily visit to this site & I don't feel so bad about the Häagen-Dazs bar I ate for breakfast.


#2) Vintage Glam Weddings



Oh, if I could do it all over again.........

Maybe we'll renew our vows.


#3) Awkward Family Photos

Always good for a laugh Ü


#4) Portes Et Fenetres

Almost as good as being there in person.

Almost.

back to school!

Teachers

Yesterday we braved the masses and attended the school open house. The kids were super excited to meet their teachers. Kensie has Mrs. Owens this year. She thinks Mrs. Owens is totally nice and fun. She got to pick her desk and was excited to see some names around her that she recognized. I was excited that she has a kid named Thor in her class.



Lincoln got to meet his preschool teacher, Mrs. Chris. He is excited to go to the same school as Kensie, and can't wait to ride the bus. We get to meet with Mrs. Chris one-on-one next week before school starts which will be good for Lincoln.

I think this will be a great school year!

School Year's Eve

We held our annual Back To School Celebration {this year also called School Year's Eve} a day early this year because Kensie & I attended a mother/daughter dinner for Achievement Day the night before school.


The kids had fun helping me decorate, but kept trying to sneak peeks at their goodie bags and the new family theme.

Kensie requested thai food for dinner, and we were happy to oblige! We had yummy cookies for dessert, and the kids opened their bags {filled with Pirate Booty, school supplies, stickers, and a noise maker}.

Then it was time to unveil the new family theme for the year....

....and Par-tay!

check up

This picture is so Jackson. He's always got a bruise somewhere!




Jackson FINALLY had his 2 year check up this month.

Here are his stats:

Height: 34 inches {50th percentile}

Weight: 29 pounds {60th percentile}

He is such a good kid! He's definitely the comedian of the family. He's always pulling funny faces and doing & saying silly things to make us laugh.

He's always quick to give hugs and kisses, and say sorry after he's done something wrong. And he still loves to cuddle!!!

He LOVES to talk and has no volume control {thus we spend most of Sacrament Meeting in the foyer}.

Timpanogos Falls

After leaving the cabin we packed up a lunch and headed to the other side of Mt. Timpanogos for our hike. We decided to hike to the first falls on the trail {which was about a mile each way}. It was perfect for our family.

The scenery was breathtaking and we had fun splashing through the streams and discovering bee hives and animal burrows.



The kids were so excited when we reached the waterfall! We climbed out on the rocks and ate our sandwiches while the spray from the waterfall cooled us all off.

It's definitely a hike we'll be doing often.

cabin fun part deux

This week we decided to join the masses and try out the new craze called a "stay-cation". Maybe you've heard of it. {i've done it my whole life}.

Anyway, we went back up to the cabin. We spent the afternoon rafting with my parents. Matt and the kids did some fishing {nothing was caught, probably because Jackson and Lincoln were throwing rocks and whatever else they could find in to the water the whole time} and Kensie was a natural!

We ate a delicious hot dog dinner, mom and dad left, and we watched Twilight while outside it thundered and rained. Perfect! We had to leave the next morning because my uncle & fam were coming up for the rest of the week, so we packed up, did some more fishing, and decided to go on a hike {more on that later}.

I just ♥ the cabin. I have such fond memories {family reunions, mysterious (or not so mysterious) large underwear, secret hikes, spying from the attic on people in the bathroom, the Christensen's Weird Al routines.....the list could go on and on}. I'm glad my kids will be able to make their own memories there, and we live so close that I'm hoping there will be a lot of them!

Albion Basin

Last week we took a drive with my parents up to Albion Basin, which I'm convinced is the most beautiful place on earth. The flowers were in full bloom and it was breathtaking.


My dad & I hiked with the kids up to Cecret Lake. Lincoln & Jackson were not thrilled to be hiking up a mountain {we did a lot of carrying!} but we did meet a marmot who distracted them for awhile! He was very friendly. The hike back down was much more enjoyable, and the kids had a great time with Grandpa!

Park City

the view from our window

The day after we returned from Arizona the kids and I headed up to Park City for the week with my family. I had just enough time to wash all our clothes and re-pack! We stayed at the Marriott Summit Watch on Main Street, and had a great view of the lift and the arts festival.

Mom and Dad had a ton of fun things planned, and we were never bored! We did lots of swimming, made crafts with grandma, went on walks, visited the Shoe Tree {and added grandpa's shoes to the bunch}, and had fun at the Maze making sun catchers, funky hats, necklaces, and finger paintings.

We also went to the farmer's market, got some yummy melon, and saw an old friend from Thailand who gave Kensie 2 skirts and me and awesome ring from her shop!


We walked to the park and spent the day digging, swinging, climbing, somersaulting, and having squirt gun fights. Grandpa also taught Kensie how to throw a wicked spiral, and we had our own little football team with Lincoln as the center. Daddy would have been proud!

Danny and Leah came up Wednesday night {after Danny finished taking the bar exam!} and we all spent Thursday having a TON of fun at Park City Mountain Resort.

Grandma and Leah kept the little ones busy on the kiddie rides.....

...while Dad, Danny and I rode the zip line. Super fun, and not long enough!! Then we took Kensie and Lincoln on the Alpine Coaster, which quickly became the favorite ride of the day! Think Wild Mouse through the forest. Our last ride of the day was at dusk, and Kensie said "Mom, I feel like we're in Twilight"! Ha!! It did feel a bit like we were on Edward's back running through the forest....

Next came the Alpine Slide, which seemed weak after the coaster ride. Jackson and I got to the bottom to find Danny and Kensie behind us- bruised, burned, and bloodied! They hit a turn wrong and fell off. Danny, being the good uncle that he is, saved Kensie from the worst of it, though she did have a fat, bloody lip and several scrapes and burns.

We took a trip to the first aid station and they got fixed up. Kensie was scared, but at the end of the day decided to ride it again with Grandpa and conquered her fear!



We also had fun riding the {super slow} lift and doing some mini golfing. Jackson bypassed the whole hitting the ball thing and opted to just drop his ball in the hole.

One of the last things we did was the Legacy Launcher. Danny went first, and impressed us with his jumping skills {or lack of}! He did do a flip, though. Next up were Kensie and Lincoln. Kensie got so high, and tried to do a flip but was too scared. Lincoln was having fun jumping away. I told him to do a back flip and without hesitation he did one! He was a pro and did them over and over, which made Kensie mad!! He was so proud of himself.

A lift ride up the mountain by our place rounded out the perfect day {as well as dinner at Good Thymes bistro. So good!}.

Thanks for a wonderful time!!!

Until Next Season

I'll miss the Hot Tamale Train.

I'll miss the comments about botox & "handling your big woman" that only live television can provide.

I'll miss Tasty Oreo and his fan-friggin'-tastic remarks and happy (and sad) dances.

I'll miss the 5.2 second solos choreographed to Imogen Heap.

I'll miss Nap'n Tab, and Sonya's mohawk.

I'll miss Lil' C and his over the top, stay up all night thinking of, write on your hand so you don't forget comments that are always amazing and true.

I'll miss MIA! Oh, how I love you, Mia. You bring me back to my college dancing days. How I wish I could have worked with you {though I did work with some fab choreographers}.

I'll miss Cat and all her loveliness.





Until September 2nd......

{excuse me while I spend the rest of the day watching my dance videos....and crying}

John Hughes

Thank you, thank you!

I don't know how I would have survived my teenage years without you {well, your movies anyway}!

John Hughes
1950-2009

Baby Thomas

On July 24th {while we were still in Arizona} our new nephew/cousin Thomas was born {even though I specifically told them to wait until we got back}! The kids were so excited to meet their first cousin on the Young side of the family. He must be a pretty special boy because he gets fireworks on his birthday every year!

Just look at that face! Cutest ever!! He slept while we were there, and despite Spencer's efforts he would not wake up. The kids are still begging to see his eyes. They were all so quiet and soft with him. They wanted to hold him forever. It's fun to see Spencer and Andrea as a mommy & daddy! They're doing a great job.

Also while in Arizona we learned that the kids will have another cousin to hold in February! Congrats, Danny & Leah!!

Arizona

We took our annual road trip to Arizona on July 18th. The kids did really well in the car, despite the fact that we had to squish into the Pathfinder {thanks to shoddy work by Jiffy Lube on the Durango. We didn't have time to fix it, and thus took the smaller car}.

We had such a great time with Matt's family! The kids had a blast playing with their cousins, and we had fun relaxing, chatting and playing games.
Of course we did a TON of swimming, and with Matt's "one week a year" swimming lesson Lincoln learned to swim by himself. It was so funny to watch his little bum up in the air! He and cousin Ty became quite the little fish, and were swimming all over. Poor Jake couldn't join in the fun due to his big blue cast, and he was sad. Jackson wanted to be like the big boys and kept taking his floaties off. He had a few near drowning moments, and I can now see how a kid could drown in a pool full of people.



{sorry for the blurry video. faulty camera.}

We also watched a bunch of movies, most of which were not as good as I thought they would be {Mamma Mia, Knowing, Bride Wars} and a few that I really liked {Seven Pounds, Igor}.

After 5 days in Gilbert we headed to Snowflake for some cabin fun! Grandpa had 2 new ATV's and they were definitely the hit of the trip! The kids could not get enough of them, and neither could I! I don't know why, but driving around on those things is totally relaxing to me.

One of the favorite places to ride was the wash. We saw coyote dens, rabbits, and even a really cool looking snake that let us "play" with it for awhile!

We also discovered the water tower and the black mesa on this trip. It was such a great view up on the black mesa, and the lava rock was strangely pretty. It was a bumpy drive up there, and not that easy while holding on to Jackson with one arm and driving with the other! Kensie became quite the driver and drove all the way up without letting Alayna help {I'm sure Alayna was praying the whole way up!}.


We spent time looking for more arrowheads {which we never found} and pottery {which we did find}, hanging out around the campfire & roasting hot dogs, collecting rocks, watching movies, and eating yummy food {mmmmm, roast in the pit!}. Jackson was never without a bag of chips :)



We were totally spoiled, of course, and can't wait to go back!!

Let's Play Catch Up

And so begins the plethora of vacation posts.....

Let's begin with a trip to the cabin. We've taken two day trips to the cabin & got to test out the new raft, which the kids loved. Kensie was a natural paddler {until she decided she was done, jumped out, and headed for shore leaving me to paddle myself- the people who were fishing LOVED it when I ran into their fishing lines}. Lincoln and Jackson were ready to jump overboard a few times, too. Good times!

Grandpa also made the kids a tee pee, which they had fun eating their lunch in. We love going to the cabin, and look forward to more trips soon!