Wednesday, June 9, 2010

The work crew is getting started. One takes the upper level, one takes the lower level and passes the items to the upper...it's a fabulous show for the mom. I kind of like aunt Misty's idea of moving glasses, plates and bowls to a low cupboard so that we don't have to do an assembly line, but this is fun to watch, so I'm torn. :)


Dad has been working in Vegas so every once and a while we load up and go stay at a place where we can hang out with him intermittently. It's fun and relaxing.










A couple of months ago Kaden was nervous around water. He didn't love to venture anywhere except shin deep depth. Then a friend told me about swimming lessons for small people. It was only 8 days for 15 minute sessions. I cannot tell you how this has changed Kaden's swimming life. He is a total fish now. That's 2 hours, and now he thinks he's a dolphin! Well worth it. I don't feel like he's going to die and he doesn't either. We both love it.






We visited Mac, Steph and Bug...oh a couple months ago. We have hardly any pictures except I had a bunch of this park that we played at while Mac and Steph were at work. I want to make this metal swing in the picture below. You press on the foot part of it and it rocks gently, it was awesome!



















So I got this funny t-shirt online because I loved it. If you can't tell what it is, it's a dinosaur skeleton with a jacket...it's hilarious to me, I don't know why. I took it to Alethea or Steph because both of them are half my size and I knew they would enjoy it. Well, as soon as I announced it was for them, Sadie decided it actually suited her quite well. Here she is seen on our "barefoot" hike flaunting it as a wonderful addition to the well-known dinosaur region of Western Colorado. While we were on this hike, a loud motorcycle went up the road on the opposite side of the canyon. Sadie asked what the noise was and I told her it was a motorcycle. She thought for a minute and then said, "It's loud, like fishy crackers." It took me a minute, but yes, fishy crackers are quite loud in your head.


There is something magical about hiking. Look at these faces. They are kind of tired, kind of refreshed, kind of silly, perfectly happy faces.














This is Kaden in Mac's "green toad," I believe he called it. We had so much fun visiting. Thank you Mac and Steph, Alethea and Bug!


















There is a song, "I'm so glad when daddy comes home," yes, this is a picture for that song, the first one is Sadie perched on the window sill watching for dad, and the second one is Kaden doing the same thing on the back of a chair....just waiting so they can jump to the front door, hide in the hanging jackets, and leap onto him as he comes through the door.















Then after he comes through the door, they present their demands. Read a book, wrestle, play star wars, and let them climb all over him. It's a rewarding calling. :)







I don't know about anyone reading this, but we are loving the summer time!








And Sadie is loving her fashion sense lately. I can't take credit for any of it...she is her own representation of her closet. The more colors and patterns the better. Every day is a new adventure and she's often seen in one thing at 8am, another by 9:30am, and this continues until bed when mother spoils the fun and demands pajamas.



This is for all the mothers out there. When it's not the best of weather outside to play in, or you have a bunch of grouchos, try shaving cream on the table. It's hours of bliss and entertainment and well worth the cleanup time.












I've spent the last few weeks developing my little seedlings for the long hard southern Utah summer ahead. I planted them...142 plants to be exact in little peat moss trays. I loved them, watered them, was hardening them by taking them outside to acclimatize to the harsh sun etc. Well on 06-09-10, devastation hit. I put the little babies outside and went about business as usual. I was called into town at 11:43 am and returned around 1:17 pm. During that time a wind picked. It's (the wind's) nasty little hand, reached down and picked up one tray of babies and inverted it on the second set of babies. This was the image after hours of surgery trying to restore the plants to their proper trays. Oh well, guess I'll plant seeds. Such is the life of a garden.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

This is one of my favorite stages...yes, it does pose plausible threats against your living structure, but it's so wonderful for hours of entertainment. Sadie is washing things like a maniac. I find sinks running for hours on end in several rooms simultaneously! Today she busted out her tea kit and was using her toothbrush to meticulously clean every part of it, pouring and re-pouring from dish to dish. Fantastic! We've decided to remove most clothing to protect from multiple changes...Sadie is depressed about this because she LOVES changing clothes.

So it was time to kidnap Joe...so we headed south to Zion national park and explored the red rock. We climbed and walked and played and had a great time. Are cheeks are rosy and healthy looking.








One of the best things about a good hard day is the delirium that sets in on your brain in the afternoon. Kaden felt the effects and didn't even have time to uncross his legs.



Sadie and Kaden sometimes read to each other. Usually something light :)


Disaster strikes. 1.5 years of growing and we had reached a healthy 2 inches and 6 leaves of this little Jade plant. Thursday I was buzzing around and didn't notice Sadie...demolition demon. We lost 3 good strong leaves--only 1 year of growth and unforeseen consequences. Plants are tough though right? She'll pull through won't she? I had been growing this plant for some time before it had it's first spurt of 2 little thick, glossy leaves. We can only hope for the best, I hope Sadie enjoyed herself!






Monday, February 15, 2010

Cleaning

Here's a recipe for a cleaning solution that's people friendly and easy to make: 2 c. water, 3 Tbs. vinegar, 1 Tbs. borax soap (find in the laundry isle), 1 Tbs. dish soap, few drops essential oil scent (I like grapefruit oil). I can't remember where I read it, but if you need an abrasive cleaner you just add baking soda. I just mix it in a spray bottle and use it for just about all my cleaning surfaces. I've used it for a while now and really like it. It kills bacterias including salmonella and is comparitively very cheap to your regular cleaners.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

A new family moved into our front yard, and the Kaden fell in love with them right off!

One in particular was Kyson's height and Kaden loved him especially well. (Oh ya, I just realized you are seeing Kaden in a lavender snow suit...yes, that was aunt Misty's when she was his age...I tried not to tease him too much :) I keep it a secret that it's taboo so I don't have to buy him one :)




Sadie was jealous however, she didn't like the new neighbors until they were all settled in, then she laughed and pointed at them every time we came in the driveway. I should note here that I've never had 5 snowmen lined up together. I should have photographed them every day because they melted simultaneously, duh, but they all arched their backs and bent exactly the same, so by the end of the week we had 5 snowmen (different heights) arching backwards. It was hilarious looking.
This is the last time we saw Kyson alive...
(we thought the thumbs up was a good thing, guess not)



Or was it this time...







And this is the last time we saw Joe alive.

It was a rough weekend.




So, we spent the weekend in Salt Lake partying. The boys evaded most of the dinosaurs at the museum, including the ones in the 3-D movie that came pretty close. It's quite a fun place with all sorts of activities to do, including digs for plaster bones, playing in the water and sand, and making dinosaurs out of stuffed parts that stick together.


Michael Jordan has been tutoring Kyson in his free time, and it has paid off! Kyson made a shot at his game, and the best part of it was the dancing and arm raising he did all the way down the court afterward. He "totally faked him out and he didn't even know {he} was getting faked out."



I don't know if I'm in a time warp or what, but Kyson getting game clothes on is strange. I feel like I'm still little. I'm beginning to see why parents want to yell at games too. It's a funny reflex.















Susan's hill is perfect for sledding (for a 4 and 2 year old). Easy to climb, steady slope. One time when I was little Abbie and I went sledding behind the house. We got on top of what I now know was a 4 foot "cliff." I laid on my belly, head first on the sled. She gave me a nudge and it was quick and painless. I opened my eyes to find myself in a snow globe...no sign of sky. It's a funny memory to me.



Does anyone know how I can see how my post is going to look before I post it? Why are all my words squished on the published post but the preview doesn't show that? Is it my background or something?

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Why is the beach such a fascinating place? This is in Florida, at aunt Liz's house. We had a few rainy days, but also a couple of extraordinary days on the beach, it was so pleasant. I think this would be my favorite time of year in Florida. Not too hot, but very nice.
This is George and Kaden, snuggling while Abbie and I are frolicking in the ocean. It was fabulous.
Here's Sadie posing. This day at the beach was so nice for me...we stopped at a fruit stand on the way and bought some honey tubes (they look like pixie sticks), I think they had lime in them maybe, I can't remember exactly. Well, we traipsed around this parking lot for a minute while eating our honey tubes, then we walked down a board walk which led to the beach and it was shrouded in a thick green tree of some kind. Then we danced around in the sand and the kids jumped tiny waves until they were frozen through their 3cm bones. Then George and Liz wrapped the kids in sweatshirts while Abbie and I played in the ocean for quite a bit longer. After the initial shock, it was quite warm swimming, we loved it and could have played for hours!
On one of our rainy days we decided to go miniature golfing. The people at the front desk laughed at us and only charged us a couple bucks for the group. We weren't sure what that meant, but thought we might as well. We discovered several branches and added obstacles on the greens, as well as the problem with fishing for your ball after you made a hole. Sometimes your ball would hydroplane before slowly floating down into the hole...it was awesome. All of our jackets were completely saturated, it was a great game.




George also treated us to some helicopter time. The buttons were so amazing Kaden and Sadie (as well as the adults) could hardly stand it.






The kids are here at the airport while George and I are checking on weather for a possible flight.


Thank you uncle George! What a fun trip I got to go on. We floated all over the area and only did a few dives, 360's, etc. Hahaha, it was very fun!




Remember I like everything in reverse order, so this is Abbie and Sadie on the flight from West Virginia to Florida. I can't believe I had Abbie and Liz take the little lady. I had a layover and so they took her as the lap child since they had a direct flight and Kaden and I faced our flight together. They said she did great, it's risky business though! :) They said how awesome I was to have done flights by myself, I basked in their praise...so amazing, so great, so wonderful.

So, here we are in the West Virginia part of our trip. Sadie is a pyromaniac, which is fine, except we have to have her on surveillance at all times now. Chris and Abbie located some sparklers and so we lit a candle in the driveway and we all went to town. It was very fun!


With Chris, we always have to fit in a fishing trip of some kind, so we drove to a nearby lake, bundled up, and caught nothing. It was beautiful though. West Virginia is a rolling, steep rolling, hilled area with a lot of trees. I bet the summers are so green there.



Kaden definitely has the fishing itch. I think I've told you about how the boys practiced casting in the yard all summer. It was a fabulous excursion that was a bit short for half of us because the cold is a little too much :)



Mama Louisa has been brushing up on her violin skills while back in the back woods. This is Jake, teaching her in his studio. I never new this about my mother, but she has the ability to listen to a song several times and then play it. We were a bit of a bad influence while we were there so she never really got to get out her violin, yet we attended her practice session and she played it as if she had been playing it...mother!



Going out on the town.










Mom and dad were missing their Christmas tree, so we located a bolt of material my mom had acquired from somewhere and then cut one out. It was amazing to say the least. Abbie and Liz also made a tied wreath with the same material so the apartment had several festive touches.










So the Lewis family shares quite a few great things. One is their love for food, the second is their love for spending time together, and the third is their love for helping. I feel bad for people who feel burdened by company, for me, it's a complete party. Everyone pitches in on the cooking, the playing, the cleaning, and the life that happens regardless of what is going on. They are a wonderful group to hang out with and I encourage them to come any time!

This is capture the flag Lewis style. We are either getting old, are totally violent, or maybe and most likely, we are just awkward and clumsy, I don't know. We sustained several injuries from this activity, although it was one of our favorites.
Although I don't have a photo, one of the most highly attended and most frequent games was hide and seek. As funny as it is, my ground floor is about 1100 square feet, maybe, if I'm being generous. There were about 12 of us, so that gives each person about 91 square feet of hiding room. It was hilarious. Sometimes we played it with the lights out, sometimes people would be hiding in the most awkward places, and Abbie even sustained a black eye by squishing in a place too tightly. Almost always it was an obvious spot for 89% of those playing, but it was the best game. It's somewhat addicting too...try it...try it!!!

This is called the stroller derby. Mac runs as fast as he can with a small body barely fastened in the seat with a belt that is decaying exponentially and has been re-sewn multiple times. Here, Kaden is laughing hysterically, and amazingly, this game never reached a disaster!


Walks together are a time to get out and blow the stink off. It feels great, it changes up the mood, it let's us breath something other than each other's...well, smells. I love this group! Everyone adds to the flavors of our family. I'm so grateful to each of them for adding to my life!