What a week!

For some reason things seem to happen in large bunches at times. That was our experience the week of Halloween. It was all wonderful stuff though! It started out with a piano recital for Kylie and Maddie on Monday. Costumes needed to be done for that- check. They played well and looked cute! On wednesday Tanner was awarded his Eagle Scout. It was a nice night. We tried to keep it simple and focused on the boys and I think it was perfect. We are proud of his accomplishment and now I can say good bye to the scout store and sewing on patches. (which I found out I had done wrong as you can see in the picture-oh well) Friday was all the school celebrations for Halloween. I love that costume parade, the kids are so dang cute! Saturday was Maddie's baptism. It wasn't till the afternoon so after that it was pretty much eat dinner and say good bye to everyone so we can all go trick or treating. The baptism was wonderful and Maddie was so excited. She looked beautiful in her white dress- so grown up! We hit our neighborhood and came home with plenty of sugar to last for the next year. Unfortunately it will be gone in a week or two. Tanner was too old to trick or treat this year (sigh) but Maddie and Kenzie were full of energy the whole night and Kylie still went with her friends. I was just ready to collapse that night!

Three generations of Eagles

Cruisin' with the Fam

We got a fun treat for our Fall Break this year. We went on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera with my mom's side of the family. There were 15 of us all together and it was a blast! The ship was beautiful, we had gorgeous weather when we were in ports, and spending time with everyone was the best. When we got home I asked the kids their favorite part and they had a hard time picking one thing. One fun thing was that we were upgraded to a 2 bedroom suite with a living room and balcony. We felt like we were living the life and every night they would bring in chocolate covered strawberries. Wow so spoiled!!

Our first port was Puerto Vallarta and I had arranged a jungle zip line tour. What an amazing ride! We were so glad we did that. Kenzie could not come with us because she was too little but was happy to stay on the ship with Grandma. At the end of the tour they had a little petting zoo and you could get in the cage with monkeys! Maddie was a little freaked out but we survived.

Next we were in Mazatlan. We were unprepared for the barrage of people trying to sell you something CONSTANTLY. It was amazing. Even Kenzie got good at saying "no thank you" every 10 seconds. We went to a resort and hung out at their beach and hotel. Very nice and relaxing (except for the salesmen). The ocean was the absolute perfect temperature so we spent some time in the waves.

Our final stop was Cabo San Lucas and it was our favorite. It is beautiful. Paul, Tanner, and I did parasailing and it was awesome! After that we met up with everyone else at a gorgeous resort on the beach. Lots less people bugging us there, but the girls did get their hair braided. We did not want to leave our perfect spot but the ship was sailing so off we went back to LA. After spending one more night at Rod and Rona's it was back to reality. We were just glad to find all was well at our house after being gone for so long. I think Simba missed us.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I went out and bought this book the day it came out and finished it the next day. I never do this kind of thing but I really could not wait to read this sequel and it did not disappoint! It is an exciting ride, though also quite violent. But it's hard not to be when the whole premise of these books is a society that puts kids in a match to the death. But there is really so much more to these books. There is the main character growing and learning about herself, her mixed feelings for the 2 guys in her life, a rebellion in it's infancy, and it is all interesting. I like that Katniss is a strong, smart girl but also acts like a teenager at times. Although you can't blame her for having grown up a lot quicker, with everything she has gone through in her life so far. A good read!

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Recap

Well obviously I haven't been too good at blogging during the summer. Everything seems to change during the summer and my resolve at actually getting anything done was quickly quelled with the demands of having 4 kids in the house every day. We had a great summer that went by so fast it's hard to believe the kids are back in school. So here's a quick recap of the happenings of our summer....

Swim team- Maddie and Kylie both spent lots of time in the pool. Kenzie also took lessons for all of July and was swimming all by herself by the end of the summer.

Family Reunion- Paul's side of the family had a reunion in Idaho and we saw the sights of Yellowstone. Good times and no major injuries so it was a raging success.


Paul's races- We pulled an all-nighter for the Wasatch Back Relay. I tagged along as a van driver so got the experience first hand (without the sore muscles). We also trekked back up to Idaho in July for the Spudman triathlon.


Tanner's sports- Tanner had a busy summer keeping up with his teams. As a freshman the high school teams kick it up a notch so he had basketball workouts and camp, football weight training and two-a-days, and basseball practices and games. He also decided to learn golf with his friends in the morning. Guess who was the taxi? This is the trophy from the State tournament.


California- Because of the state win, we had an impromptu trip to So Cal for the regional tournament. The team didn't play so hot against the heavy hitters from CA but we made it into a fun family trip and went to visit my family. The kids were a little distraught that we stayed about 10 minutes from Disney and didn't make it there but the beach was a good alternative.

Camps- Kylie got to go to Girl's camp for the first time with all her friends and Tanner had a week with the boys too at High Adventure.


Birthdays- Kenzie turned 5 and had a princess party with a bouncy house in our backyard and lots of cute little girls. Kylie turned the big 12 while we were in CA and we took a trip to the mall to get her ears pierced. She also got a party with her friends this year and we took them to Jump on it, a big trampoline place.

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I have a hard time reviewing this book or even deciding how many stars to give it. At the beginning I was frustrated but kept reading hoping for more, and by the end I was really drawn in. What frustrated me was the switching back and forth between time periods and points in his life. I had to read a whole page in to a chapter before I could say for sure is he a child, teenager, grown man. His writing is also so descriptive and a little too sappy at points I was thinking- get on with it already!

The story is a sentimental kind of Nicholas Sparks genre about a man hiding from his past and how a little girl who needs a new heart brings him back to himself. The characters really grew on me and I did care about them in the end. I also liked how, though not a religious book, he was not afraid to talk about the faith and hope that the characters held. I think anyone that is in such a situation would have to find something to believe in and hang on to that.


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Don't call him Super or crazy

Paul somehow decided that it would be a good idea to sign up for a 50 mile trail run/race. As the day of the race grew closer he was questioning his sanity but was commited. It turned out to be a great day for it- not too hot or cold and most of the snow had melted off the trails. He started at 5 am and ran/hiked for 11 and 1/2 hours. To most of us this does sound crazy but for the 250 people that do this race (many of them for years) they love it and come in at the finish line looking surprisingly happy. We missed Paul coming in because he finished in less time then he thought. I should have known he would overestimate but being the first time doing this race it was hard to know. Dang I was bummed we missed him though. By the time we got there he was recovering nicely and eating popsicles! He looked good and was walking well. The next day he said he actually felt better then he does after marathons. I don't understand it but I'm not a runner so I just say "Go Paul", just please don't think you need to do 100 miles.

With the Lamoreauxs. They have done it 4 years now! Good job guys!

Crawling out of bed and wondering if I should have stayed

Our summer has started out with a bang! The kids got out of school and I promptly got knock down slammed in bed with some kind of yuckiness. I have not been that sick for quite awhile. Tanner kept saying I had swine flu but I'm doubtful. Whatever it was, it was no fun. Paul and kids really stepped it up and kept things running. You know it's bad when after 2 days I am actually excited to be able to stand up and do dishes! So as I'm getting me feet back under me, Kylie gets tripped up and breaks 2 toes on her left foot. So it's off to the hospital with her for x-rays and I am actually noticing the face mask signs, contemplating if I need to wear one. (I decided my cough was not warranting the embarrasment of a mask) Also Kenzie is feverish and whiny. Geesh!
Then my head starts spinning with all the sports schedules that Tanner starts throwing at me. Now that he is a freshmen every sport at the high school decides they need to train during the summer. So there is basketball in the mornings, football in the afternoons, and then the practices/games of the 2 baseball teams he is playing on (which is the actual season we are in). He has also decided to try golf with his friends at the local course a few mornings a week. I'm trying to remember what week he is doing football tournaments, basketball camps and baseball tournaments. My calendar is my best friend! Maybe that bed is looking more and more appealing.

It must be May

Kylie and her cute teacher

Preschool Graduate

May is usually a crazy month and as it winds up it seems to accelerate. With the end of the school year comes lots of programs, assemblies, and parties to add to the regular schedule of games and activities. Lots of fun! One week at the end of May we had a talent show, 2 graduations, and 8 baseball/softball games. Kenzie graduated from preschool and Kylie graduated from 6th grade into junior high. A couple of milestones reached.

Are you Lost?

Paul and I watched the finale of Lost last night and if you haven't been watching that show- I'm sorry but you are missing out! It is so good! It is one of the only shows that we always record and have watched every season. There was a major cliff hanger to end the season and it won't start again till next January- painful! You never really know where they are going with it but it is always exciting. Next year is the end of the whole thing and it will be so interesting to see how they wrap it up. A good one to rent the seasons on DVD and catch up. You have until January...

The infirmary

We have had an adventure this week. Kenzie got her tonsils out last Friday and has been recovering ever since. I think she is finally about done being miserable. The first couple days she was really doing great so we thought it was going to be a cakewalk, but I guess she had a delayed reaction to the pain. She probably would have been ok but she wouldn't take any pain meds and it started hurting her. She also wasn't eating much of anything so she also had zero energy. She has been a real trooper though. She's definitely eaten her share of ice cream this week. I just love her squeeky little voice. The doctor called it a Mickey Mouse voice. I think it is only temporary but it is cute.
The Before shot. Getting ready to go back. She was not scared at all. Made my life easier to send her off without any drama.


The After shot. She was afraid of throwing up (she never did) so she fell asleep with her face in the puke bowl. When she woke up she wasn't complaining about her throat but the IV. The nurse was nice and took it out fast. They let her keep her "Fluffy" thru the whole surgery so she had some comfort.


Going home. She was excited about the wheel chair ride. The nurses were so nice. We were at the hospital about 6 hours, and she slept most of it. It will be intersesting to see what memories she has of this when she gets older.