Here's more pictures of us at the dinosaur museum. Em loved digging in the sand for dinosaur bones and she loved to see the brontosauras and the T-rex skeletons. They have some great displays and a lot of fun stuff for the kids to do.

Dinosaur Museum

Jason told me we were going to do something fun as a family on Sat. We've been wanting to take Em to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. We had a great time!

Em loves dinosaurs and we thought she would like it and she did!! Also, it's a great place to take kids. Museum's can be a litte overwhelming and boring to kids but this one has a ton of interactive and hands on things to keep them interested. They have a giant dinosaur that has velcro legs and spikes, a sandpit with wet sand to dig for plastic dinosaurs and a giant dry sand pit to practice your paleontologist skills and uncover some big dinosaur bones. They also have a lot of hands on fossils, petrified wood and other exibits. It was a fun family activity. I love doing stuff like this in the winter when it's so cold. Its always nice getting out and spending good time with your family too!

We went and picked out our Christmas tree today at a tree farm. We went there last year and thought it was fun so we decided to try it again this year. We finally decided a pine tree with some character!! Some of the trees they have are soooo huge, like our last year's tree. It took up half the living room. We tried to pick one that wasn't quite so full this time! They give you a handsaw and let you cut your own tree down. Em was so excited to help cut the tree down. Then we strapped it to the top of the truck and headed home!! Now we just have to find the stand and get it in here!

It's a......

Well, we had our ultra sound today. It was awesome looking at all the pictures. It's amazing that you can see and hear the heartbeat, see the spinal cord, internal organs, little fingers and toes and the brain. It really amazes me that they can capture that much detail on the screen!! We brought Em with us and she thought the black areas were the babies long hair, ha ha. So she was convinced it was a girl, well, she's right!! Another girl is coming our way. Jas is going to be so out numbered!! He really thought it was a girl, for weeks now he's been telling me it's a girl!! We are excited. At least I have some practice with a girl!!! Not to mention all the girl toys and pink things we have that can be passed down to the baby!! Em's really glad she's getting a sister. She wasn't so big on the idea of a brother!! So now the real fun begins, picking a name we all agree on!!!

Jas and Em made me a birthay cake complete with the black over the hill tombstone candle!!!! Mom had all of us over for my birthday dinner.

We had mom's birthday dinner at Christy's house. Sep. birthdays are the best!! ha ha

Lagoon

We all went to Lagoon for my mom's work Lagoon day. It was fun! Even though I couldn't ride everything it was so fun watching the kids go on all the rides. It was their first time at an amusement park! They had so much fun and they were so brave. It was cute watching the 3 oldest ones cram into rides together!!

Trevor, Em and Kev on the kid rides! We all had so much fun!!! Em is still talking about "magoon" and wants to know when we are going back!!

Antelope Island

We finally went to Antelope Island. It's been on my list of places to go for a while!! I've lived here my entire life and I've never been!!! We went out there a few weeks ago just for the day and explored. We went to the visitor center, then drove around to the different beaches to check things out. We went down to the ranch and looked around. They had some old barns, equipment, and some pioneer era houses to look at. Em and Jas tried their hand at roping some stationary animals!!! Trust me, that is a lot harder then it looks!!!

Here is Em near the ranch with a view of the Wasatch mountains in the background. That was my favorite part, the view! At one overlook you could see the Wasatch, Oquirrh, and Stansbury Mountain ranges in the distance. It's strange to be on the island looking east at the mountains. I'm so used to being near the mountains looking at the island in the distance. We definately want to go back and do some hiking, but not in June when those dang biting gnats were out!!! And we think it would be fun to camp there, but not in the heat of the summer, there's not much shade there!! We saw buffalo, a fox, a pronghorn antelope and some birds. I love an adventure and it is nice to get out and see something new! It's nice to go for the day too, a lot less packing is involved!! You felt like you were in kind of a remote place but yet it's not that far to get there!!

Building and growing a garden

Jason built us a box garden and Em helped him! I've been wanting to grow a garden for a couple of years but with Jas being gone and with all the remodeling we've had going on we haven't been able to even think about a garden. This year we decided to do a raised box garden, hoping the dogs would stay out of it!! Also, I wanted something more manageable. The last time we did a garden it was huge and I would spend hours weeding it. Who has time for that!!! I can barely keep up as it is!!! Plus the soil was really rocky and crappy. Now we have good soil and good drainage. So, hopefully it will provide us with some yummy vegies!! I even did squash, even though I don't love it, Em does!! Most of it is growing well!! So I'm excited. And the best part is all 3 of us did it together and we haven't seen one weed so far!!!

I am becoming brave, trying new things!!! I don't know what I've been eating or what's in the water but I've been trying some new things. I know, I know, it's not that big of a deal but I'm the kind of person that sticks to the things I like and am comfortable with for a very long time. I've always had certain "favorites" and they don't seem to change, and I'm fine with that. Chocolate ice cream will always be my favorite, my fav color is always been purple, I've never liked shoes, I like certain styles in decorating and clothing even if they aren't the most popular (like those plaid shirts from the 80ies that are finally coming back in style). But lately, I've been trying some new things. I ordered some shoes online. They are nothing like I have ever worn, I probably won't be able to walk very well in them, and they are super high. Nothing like me. Then I cut my hair. I've had the same "do" forever. It's not the biggest change ever but it's a lot shorter then I've had it since 5th grade. The only reason it was so short then was because of all the medication I was on for my ears so my hair would never grow. I like it so far, still not sure what to do with it, but as long as I can pull it back I'm happy, and it will still go in the ponytail. Also, the dogs have never been allowed in the house but since Penny had 4 puppies I have to let her in the kitchen a lot to feed the rolly poly little fur balls. Also, I had to teach a lesson at church, to the adults!!! That was a first for me. I was trying really hard not to be too nervous and just go with the flow. I feel it went well. Chalk up another new thing for me!!!

Filling in the last foundation hole

-We filled the whole back of the truck up, by hand, with the remaining foundation dirt and unloaded it into the last hole we have!! So now, most of the dirt is gone and we just have 2 feet left to fill in and then we can start putting things back together on this end of the yard! Em was loving every minute of playing in the hole and digging in the dirt!!

Aunt Sherry's visit

-We always have so much fun when Aunt Sherry comes to visit! My mom had us over to dinner one night, so did Christy and we just get to spend a lot of time as a family and catch up!!! It doesn't matter if you live out of state, you can still be close to someone. When Aunt Sherry comes we get to really talk to her and find out what's happening down in sunny CA with our family. She always takes time to ask us about our lives and is very good at listening! I really enjoy our time spent together when she comes!

-Dad, Aunt Sherry and Grandma

Easter dinner

My parents always have us over for Easter dinner. I thought this was a cute picture of my parents and all their grandkis! There's Trevor, Lucy, Lainey, Emily, and Kevin!! Getting all of them in a picture is a little challenging at this point!!

My parents have us over for dinner, do an Easter egg hunt with the kids in the backyard, and we decorated Easter eggs. I know it's a lot of work for my mom but we all enjoy it. The kids have a blast.

backyard

Emily's favorite thing to do in the world is probably swing on the swingset!! She can be pushed for at least a half an hour straight without complaining!!!! The grass that this swing set is on is newly planted, it used to be the dirt mountain we had from doing the foundation. Behind these two you can see the unfinished garage!!

Me and Em, right after I got home from work one night. We have some gorgeous tulips. We have red, yellow, orange and a few pink ones!! Since Jason's mom was from Holland we planted a bunch of them when we moved in. They remind us of Lidy and spring!! Behind us is a section of the yard we've been working on. We have another small dirt hill, which is mostly gone now. I'm making it into a raised flower bed. To the left in this picture behind us is our "grave". We have had it covered with huge boards so no kids fall in. We got all the boards moved and filled up the truck with dirt (from the foundation dirt on the side of our house) and filled in most of the hole, there's about 2 feet left!! So we are making progress around here! At least the tulips give us a nice backdrop to our projects!!

-Jas and Em with our dogs, Penny and Ranger. Penny is the black and brown one and Ranger is all black.

-Em loves to help mow our jungle! We've been getting so much rain it's hard to keep up on keeping the grass short! It sure looks nice and green this spring.

family pics at Em's party

-My mom and Em playing with her new polly pockets

-me (in a rare picture) and Em

Christy, Lucy, Becky

-Kev, Teri, Trev, Em, Craig, Hope and Lainey


-Trying to get a picture with my parents, grandma and all the grandkids is quite challenging at this point!! Usually you can get one or two of the 5 to actually look at you!!! And usually one or more is trying to escape or crying!!! I'm glad we celebrate birthdays in our family. We don't go over the top but birthdays have always been a big deal in our family and we always get together for presents, cake and ice cream and a few pictures!!! I think it's cool that the kids have a great-grandma that is so involved in their lives. Not many kids can say that! Not many 32 year olds can say they have a grandma that attends so many family functions!!

Em's family birthday party

-Jason and my mom hanging out.
-Jason helping with Em's cake. She wanted a Cars cake (again, she had that for her 3rd birthday, but I'm not sure she remembers that). I can't believe Em is 5!! It seems like such a milestone. It doesn't seem possible that she's already going to go to school this year. It's amazing how much she's learned in 5 years!! Life to me is separated by before Em and after Em!!! They are totally different parts of my life. I am so grateful to be a mom and it's so fun. I really enjoy having my little side kick around!!

-Kev, Christy, Jason, Em and Trev