Christmas

Christmas was fun. Favorite present: Abu Garcia Jigging combo. Too bad Fish Lake is probably frozen. When I asked Evin what would happen if I accidentally let go of the rod. He concluded "You'll be going in there after it" Maybe I'll keep using his for a while, the water is freezing in August.D

Frogs for Christmas!

Santa delivered two frogs who are still without names. One is a firebelly toad, the other is a tree frog. Went to the pet store to get some crickets, they were sold out. Brought a firebelly toad home. The two firebelly's have made friends and the tree frog prefers to hug the glass. Now we have three nameless frogs. Cash is considering Batman, Robin and Ironman. Evin suggested to change their names everyday!

Blogging

I'm thinking about moving my blog over to www.StGeorgeGrapevine.com maybe I will be better about posting more often. I will have to figure out how to keep all my prior posts. I'm hoping my friends and family will join me. We had a lot of fun in Salt Lake City. We first visited with Eliza and her family, got to see their new huge house. Cash had fun playing with the kids. We went to Jungle Jim's (definitely recommend if you have little kids) and Ikea (also highly recommend letting them "play" for an hour while you shop if they are potty trained and over 37"). Went to the movies, saw "2012" excellent but tense movie. We also went to McDonald's in Lehi, they had a new play area and everything seemed to play music, the toddlers area was nice for the little one's so they didn't get trampled on by the big kids. We met Roger Stubbs, his wife and their twins. The place was crazy busy but we got to visit, it was great to see everyone and their families. Then we travelled to Camille's. We went bowling with some other friends from high school, Aaron Grandy and Jessica Grandy Mills and their families. We had a few hiccups but finally got to let the kids bowl. Cash is much better on the wii but only because he gets to practice more. I only got to bowl once and the holes were too small for my fingers so of course it was a horrible throw! We had a lot of fun and ended up eating dinner at Tres Hombres, the food was great but I couldn't finish it (unusual for me, we were raised to finish all the food on our plate and not waste anything). Cash thought he saw Santa Claus so he convinced me we needed to go and find him. After scouring the restaurant I found a person that had worn a red hat and jacket. He didn't have white hair and wasn't over 35! I explained to him what my son had told me and we had a good laugh! Our kids were crazy at the restaurant but we all had a great time. Cash got to play in the snow, he found out the hard way that the snow was not very deep. He ended up with some dirt in his mouth instead of just snow, yep he did! He loves to eat snow, never thought I would have to say "We don't eat snow off the ground of the parking lot, it's not clean snow" it looked good to him (in his defense it was fresh).We left while it was snowing in SLC and then we brought the cold weather home with us. I'll post pictures later, Cash is demanding breakfast!Later.D

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I don't know anyone that's not busy right now but I'm feeling the holiday crunch. I know I will make it because I always do but my head won't stop spinning. Cash and I are going to Salt Lake City, UT today. I thought I would try to post my pictures that I've been talking about. We had a great Thanksgiving, it's always nice to relax and spend time with family. I never thought I would spend Thanksgiving in Vegas more than once but I'm reminded each year that the Vegas we normally see being tourists isn't all there is. We didn't even get on the strip, we staying in a neighborhood just like we have in ST. George. Cash had the perfect combo, kids and a pool. He also had fun seeing the fish and playing golf at Bass Pro Shops. Thanks to Mike and Tracy for hosting this event. Cash was thankful for Swimming, Mom & Dad, Spagetti, Woody and Monkey this year according to his Thankful Turkey picture he made at preschool. I am very grateful for all the joy that Cash and Evin bring into my life. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Happy Holidays!D

Last Day!

It's the last day of Soccer! I'm happy to have my Saturdays back to normal. The boys have been so much fun to watch. They have all had their moments. Coach Lisa does so well with them, it helps that one of her boys is on the team and has just as much energy as the other boys. I got some great deals on Coats at Old Navy last Thursday. I was going to go back for more stuff on Friday but my friend Brenda found out that the 50% off coats ended on Thursday. We had a 30% off on top of that so the coats were 80% off coming out to $13-18 a piece for the kids and $20-25 for adults. I still haven't posted pictures but I'm going to. I've been busy with a new website I'm launching plus doing Appraisals. There is truly not enough hours in the day to get everything done. I'm hoping next year will be more organized, on my part that is. I've been getting up early for a whole week and it helps to get stuff done. Talk later.D

What can you post in 7 minutes.

Hi everyone, I have exactly 7 minutes before Cash comes bounding in the door and demands my attention. So here goes. We have had lots of fun lately. We went camping during the deer hunt with the Pitcher family. They are fun to be with. I will post pictures later (too many valuable minutes lost resizing and uploading). If anyone knows the Pitcher family like we do this may seem normal. They bring everything camping, this time they brought the wasps (hint: old trailer parked for a long time is a good home for wasps) to the campsite but they also brought the wasp killer spray. They are very prepared for whatever ails you during camping. Sadly, Cash got bit on the hand by the wasp but luckily thanks to the Pitchers we had every possible healing agent available for use. We enjoy their company, even though no-one got a deer we all had a good time. Cash especially enjoyed his friend Sadie's company and their little kid 4-wheeler rides. We've had a few soccer games the past few Saturdays, the team is undefeated! We carved some pumpkins last night, while in the middle of the last one we got a call from the Pitchers, they invited us to go to Pirate Island Pizza with them. Cash loves this place, he says he likes the pizza but I think he just likes to pick a prize out from the tokens he earned playing games. Last weekend I was able to attend Autumn Pitchers baptism, it was great to see all the family there and to attend the special event. Well my time is up, I tried to make good use of it (yes Evin, today I blogged!) I'll post pictures later (maybe).D

Once a month!

So I've turned into a once a month blogger (and I only have one child and a part time job, kudos to my friends that have more kids and full time jobs). It seems there is always something else that needs to be taken care of. Maybe I'm making excuses. Oh well. We have been enjoying the cooler weather. We took a drive up to Kolob Reservoir today and followed the road all the way to Cedar City. We were actually trying to meet up with Evin's sister but we took too long getting up there, by the time we reached the area they had left. We did get to see her in Cedar City. It was windy here this morning but it was really really windy in Cedar City today. Cash is having one of those "don't tell me what to do" days today. Cash has been busy with soccer, he enjoys it but it takes some coaxing to get him out on the field. I'm just glad he's not the only one on the field who acts like we are torturing him. He loves it when he can get over the fact that a bunch of people are watching him. I'm refusing to be one of those mothers who is out on the field dragging their kid in front of the ball only to have their feet accidentally kick the ball. I need to take some pictures of such parents. I've attached a few other cute pictures, the last one is actually a practice but I thought the picture was cute. The second picture he was playing on the wall and ran towards us, somehow we snapped the picture when he had both feet off the ground. The third picture is funny because all the kids in the picture have their tongues out, three year olds have to concentrate really hard and I guess it helps to have their tongue hanging out. I don't really remember what happened to September but here we are in October! Cash is really excited for Halloween and we've already been browsing for things to put on his Christmas List. I just hope he doesn't remember all the things he asked to put on his list whenever we said he couldn't have it right now but we'd put it on his list for Christmas. Somehow I've got to explain that he can't have all the toys, we have to leave some on the shelves for the other kids! Cash came home from preschool and told me about the song he learned about the old lady who swallowed a fly. I forgot to teach him this song, he loves to sing it with me. He thinks of the next thing she swallows and depending on where we are she has swallowed grass, rocks, signs and lots of other things. He has a love/hate relationship with preschool right now. He hates to go there, he doesn't want me to "abandon" him but when I pick him up he's so excited to show me what he made or learned that day and says he had fun. His teacher, Daisy lets me know he is fine after I leave. I'm glad she can handle him and it helps that I've known her for a while. Well I had better go and finish some other stuff, I'll try to get another blog in before this month's over!D

I can't think of a title!

We have had some fun days lately. Marli and Dylan came to play a few days ago, I didn't get any pictures but they had lots of fun. Cash got to meet his preschool teacher the other day and will be starting next week. Cash also had his first soccer practice last night. It was really fun to watch five 3yr old's playing. I was quite surprised how well they did, although they didn't know quite how to get the ball from each other and then to the goal. We'll see how the first game goes in a couple of weeks. Cash started out as his usual shy self but got more relaxed as they played games. I'll have to post a picture of his attire, it's pretty cute. I had my birthday last week, we ate dinner at the Olive Garden and went to the movies, my pick! I'm pretty sure Evin won't let that happen again since I picked a chick flick (of course) Cash gave me some flowers that Marie (our babysitter/ friend/renter) helped him pick. I also posted a picture of Cash, the wannabe cowboy. I think he has a slinky in the other pocket. I'm not sure what's he'll do with it but anything in this boys hands can become a weapon. Well that's all I can think of for now.D

August

August always seems to be a busy month for us. We had our 12th Anniversary last weekend, we took a drive to Zion National Park (taking advantage of the free entry weekend!) and played around up there for a while. Then we had dinner at Samurai 21, which Cash calls "The Soup Place". They have miso soup and he loves it. I didn't tell him it's fermented soybean broth with tofu and seaweed, I'm sure that would open too many questions in a 3yr old's mind. I really like the soup too, the sushi is also really good. We had Todd and Brenda's kids over one evening a week or two ago. Cash always enjoys when any kids come to play, they had fun splashing around in the pool. We also went to the Washington County Fair and watched the Demolition Derby, Cash enjoyed hanging out with friends and watching the cars crash. At the end he told us it looked like a movie and we tried to explain it was real. Most of the time we are explaining how things aren't real so I could see how it would be confusing, I just hope he didn't get any brilliant ideas. They also had a truck derby which was pretty cool. I didn't take any pictures, the weather was actually bearable. I forgot they did fireworks, Cash enjoyed this part a lot.

Fun pictures

The first pictures are from an afternoon we spent in Pine Valley. We found a little area by the stream and went exploring. The last picture is when Evin took Cash to the Dollar Store and he picked out his goodies. Evin came back from the store which is only about 5 minutes from our house and Cash had fallen asleep. His swim goggles were all fogged up and Evin couldn't resist capturing the moment.

Fishlake Trip

We went to Fishlake last weekend, we were a few weeks early for our annual trip but we were ready to get out of the heat for a few days. We loaded up the truck, camper and boat (well Evin did this part and mostly by himself). I had the task of bringing enough food and clothes. I always seem to pack too much food but you never know how hungry you'll be. This had to be the first trip I dared to take Ice cream with us. Everything tastes better when you are camping and it is much easier when you have a fridge/freezer and your own bathroom. The campgrounds were pretty full, we found out there was a square dancing thing going on at the lodge. Every evening we would see people emerge from their tent in their attire. Evin thought the people camped next to us were polygamists, I laughed so hard when we found out they were just dressing up to go dancing. The weather was nice, the fishing was great and this trip we didn't have any boat mishaps. I caught a few fish, Evin caught a "whopper" as Cash likes to call them. We didn't keep the big ones but we had a pretty good dinner that night. Cash caught a perch all by himself and reeled in a few for Evin.

Boy meets wall!

I always wondered about those huge holes/dents you see in the drywall when wandering through a house and how it got there, turns out there's usually a kid in the house. Our sweet Cash did a head dive on the stairs, accidentally of course! The um, wall stopped his fall. The end result, a huge strawberry on his forehead and another patch to fix in the drywall. We figured he'd have a huge goose egg on his head but apparently the wall was weaker than him. This stopped him in his tracks for a good 20 minutes and then he was up and running around, probably wondering how he could reinact that one for his friends next time they come over. He really likes to retell stories and lately he's been telling us about his dreams. well I'm going to keep this short, things have been busy but not anything really interesting to tell. We have been to the lake a few times, the water is the perfect temp. The other pictures are what happens when you leave a dad and son alone with access to eyeliner. The first time Evin did it, Cash looked in the mirror and cried, we think it scared him. The next time he asked for Evin to put his "face" on. I think he looks a circus Ringleader.

Where did June go?

Well I've been a little distracted lately. We've had lots of family staying at our house. We had a good 4th of July weekend, we spent one day at the lake and had lots of fun. We also celebrated our Nephew Colton's 10th birthday last weekend. Right now Evin's brother and sister in law are staying with us, they just moved here from Oregon. Evin's sister and our niece and nephew are also visiting from Nevada. Evin's dad was also here visiting from California. We've had a good time with everyone. Cash enjoyed the fireworks this year, he really likes the loud bangs. I've been working off and on, this week has been busy for me. I've slowed down on my coupon shopping mostly due to lack of time and energy. Also there hasn't been anything worth fighting over, since almost everyone is in on the coupon shopping the items are usually gone if you don't get to the store early enough on the first day or right after they have restocked. The other reason is my pantry is stocked enough that I can just watch for the extremely good sales. We planted a garden this year and I have forgotten to water it a few times. I've had good luck so far with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and a few strawberries. Cash has enjoyed sampling and picking the ripe ones. We got him a kiddie pool which he has been playing with, I usually don't like to sit out there unless the backyard has shade. Well not much for now, hope everyone is doing well. There is a picture of Evin's brother, dad, Evin and Cash. I also forgot to mention we took a picture of Cash sleeping under our bed, we looked for him everywhere except where he was, he went to hide and fell asleep. Right now he'll try to avoid his bed because sleep is a bad thing!D

Memorial Weekend

We just got back from our trip to Bishop, CA. The weekend there is celebrated at "Mule Days"/Memorial Weekend. They have Mule shows, concert, parade and lots of people. At the parade there was a 20 mule team pulling some huge wagons. We had a fun weekend visiting with Evin's family, I'm posting some pictures of Cash with his cousins and the mules. We got to spend some time with Grandpa Wayne, who cracked some jokes with us. He is in a nursing home in Bishop and seems to be doing good. The first picture is Cash and his new favorite pastime. He likes to have a picnic in the house, lately he's been putting his fireman hat on and playing fireman. Cash is very imaginative, he's always thinking of something to do. Well not much else to report.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! Cash and I had a fun weekend together, we swam, we splashed, we played games but most of all we spent some quality time together. Evin is out of town and he got to spend Mother's Day with his mom. Most days I find it hard to switch out of mom mode. I'm sure Evin's noticed, sometimes I answer or react to him in the same way I speak to Cash. I guess it just happens when you are always in the presence of a child. I had a pretty good Mother's Day, it was nice relaxing Sunday.  I just wish Monday's didn't come so fast. On a positive note, our roads are finally getting paved.  They are really moving dirt around outside. Even better the city let us off the hook on paying for part of it. The bid came in lower than the grant so they have it covered.  It's a good thing I didn't really start any serious spring cleaning because there is more dirt covering everything now. I guess I will just have to postpone it, darn! Oh, for anyone that comes to my house in the next little while please ignore the dirty blinds and windows. Well I had better get my bookwork done so I can get my last night of sleep sprawled out in the middle of the bed before Evin's comes back and reclaims his part. I think I'm the only one who enjoys an empty bed to sleep in, oh by the way,Evin, I'm really looking forward to you coming home, I'm just keeping your side, um, warm, Love ya! Talk later.D

The Weekend

It's sunday and the weekend went really fast as usual. Camille and Gordon are here with their kids Carson and Carly.  Cash has had so much fun, we all have had a lot of laughs, I'm sure he'll cry when they leave which makes me feel bad for him being an only child at this time in his life but then again he doesn't know how good he has it, he doesn't have to share his stuff.  I'm pretty sure he's spoiled in that way.  He doesn't have anyone to blame things on so he blames it on Marli's little brother Dylan and he's not even at our house that much. I know who did it! Well I'm officially going back to work tomorrow, it will be part time and I will be building my appraisal business to the point where I can actually say I'm earning a living at it. Cash will have a sitter for 4 hrs a day. I hope he can have fun with her. He'll be starting preschool and soccer in September which should keep him busy. Evin is going to SanFrancisco next weekend for a metal shaping class. I hope he learns a lot and meets some good contacts. He's also going to see his mom for Mothers Day, she is excited to see him. I'm actually looking forward to spending some time with Cash as I teach him how to treat me on Mother's Day. He's so full of hugs and kisses everyday I'm sure I'll be showered with those. Well I had better go, Cash wants to play Wii and everyone is awake. Bye for now.D

Cash pics

These pics were taken at our favorite water park downtown on main street. It's a manmade waterfall/creek with a concrete base and sandstone rocks. The kids love it. Cash bruised himself again, this time it was while we were cleaning the truck camper after our camping trip. Cash fell from the dining couch and hit on a lip which holds the kitchen table when it's converted into a bed. I guess his shirt slipped up and he bumped on each rib as he crashed onto the floor! I wish I had taken a better picture and on the day it happened. It looked so sore, it's a lot better now. I just had to prep the nurse at the doctors last week to make sure she didn't think I was abusing him. She'd never met me before and I'm sure she had some doubts. Another funny story, Cash has been telling us his throat hurts because he heard Evin say it a few weeks back. I asked him where his throat was and he pointed to his belly, we all started laughing including him. He knew he was caught. His favorite phrase ending is "right now". I guess I've overused this one on him so since he's been using it on me. Gymnastics has been a blast for him, I'm not sure if it's giving him more ideas for when he's at home. He's been doing some crazy stunts and climbing on taller things to see if he can jump off them and land on his feet. Well that's all for now. Talk later.D