The Saratoga Splash was a blast. It gets better every year. Cole and Macie love the inflatables but after an hour and a half even they were too hot and too tired!

Note: the girl in the bottom photo is not me (too bad, I do love giraffe print halters!)

Fun on the Farm

Last week we went to Vernal for a few days. We stayed with Justin's Grandpa and Grandma Southam on their farm. And yes, it is a real farm with cows and everything! Cole and Macie played in the dirt and ran around exploring everything. Grandpa Southam has some really cool old tractors that he has restored and Justin took Cole and Macie on rides and even let them steer! Grandpa Southam took Cole and Macie on a contraption fondly referred to as the "Magic Carpet." It is a piece of plastic and some old carpet on top that Grandpa attached to the 4 wheeler with a rope. Cole and Macie hopped right on and off they went through the field! Who knew riding on plastic and old carpet could be so thrilling, it's a whole new world (he he!).

One highlight was holding one of the teeny tiny new kittens that Justin found burrowed in the hay in the shed. He wrapped it up in a towel and the kids just couldn't get enough of it. They were soooo cute with the little kitten who barely made a peep and just looked at them in bewilderment. It is hard not to bring home a little kitten like that, but thankfully our cat Twizzler is a reminder that they grow up and it's not the same!



Another highlight is that Cole got to drive the 4 wheeler all by himself in the field. Yes he is 6, not 16, but he is a very capable 6 , so says his mother! He drove mostly straight then Justin would yell "turn" when it was time to turn. He also got to pull Justin and Macie on the Magic Carpet. When he finished his feet barley touched the ground (which is probably ok since there was cow poop everywhere!).

Cole, Macie, Jason and Kelly (sorry Amber if I spelled her name wrong!) had a great time making a muddy mess in the "mud box" which is like a sand box but with mud, obviously. They got the hose out and made islands and rivers and a GIANT mess. What fun! Macie loved the little red wagon (which she sometimes called "dragon," close enough right?!) Cole caught some bugs including a tiny little green grasshopper. I tried to be excited but I do not like grasshoppers, thank goodness this was just a little one!

While we were in Vernal Cole, Macie and I stopped to visit a friend of ours that we have known since we were newlyweds. Jon and Laurie Stearmer were married about the same time we were and we met while we lived at the Cottonwood Apartments soooo long ago! We have kept in touch over the years and they now live in Vernal. We had such a fun visit. Laurie made cupcakes for the kids (they have two, Rebecca and Ryan) and a YUMMY salad for the moms. Cole had a great time playing with Rebecca who he says kept "scaring" at him (that is how he says staring). He said he might be in love with her but that she wasn't in love with him, she just thought he was funny. They evidently talked about their feelings for each other. Should I be worried?

We also went to the Field House and Dinosaur Park (or something like that, I guess I can't remember the official name). That was very fun too. We saw a short movie and looked at dinosaur bones (which we got to dig up too), fossils and arrow heads. It was a great rainy day activity!

What a Fun Vacation!

We finally took our kids to Disneyland! Justin and I were starting to feel negligent, after all Cole is 6 years old and hadn't been to Disneyland, EVER!! It's the shocking truth :) Justin and I went when we were both very young. Justin's memories needed to be replaced with fun, accurate ones because he remembered things like a clock, sitting under a tree eating an apple, the log ride and his parents forcing him to take a picture with Mary Poppins who had been out in the sun too long. Talk about the “happiest place on earth!”

We went to Disneyland for 5 glorious days, one with record breaking hot temperatures. The kids were ecstatic about everything they saw. They were great sports about waiting in lines and walking for what seemed like 14 miles a day. Cole was so brave and went on almost every single ride. Cole's favorite rides were California Screamin, Buzz Lightyear, Star Tours and Pirates of the Caribbean. Macie's were the rocket ships, Autopia and Winnie the Pooh.

We went to the Huntington Beach one afternoon and had a great time looking for shells and being chased by the waves. It was cool and windy but that didn't seem to put a damper on the outing!

Cole and Macie loved sharing a bed in the hotel, and loved staying at the hotel. When we left Macie kept saying she wanted to go back to the hotel. Not Disneyland! We could have saved a lot of money if we'd known the hotel would be the highlight!!

I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty!!

New Version of Pick Up Sticks.....

Or maybe voodoo??!!?!?

More Parties -- We're Total Party Animals!

Cole needed a little rest to gear up for his next party (note: Optimus Prime is standing guard!)

Cole's friends came to our house for a party on Saturday and we all had a blast!! We had pizza, cupcakes, games and a treasure hunt! Everyone was so cute (the boys probably don't like being called cute, but they totally were!) and we had a WILD, wonderful time!!

Then on Sunday we had our family party and had another WILD time!! We only do "wild" around here evidently. It was fun to have Grandma and Grandpa Dean, aunts, uncles and cousins come over to celebrate.

Cole is 6!!

I feel like I should say "April Fools" because there's no way he can be 6! That is extremely old sounding. Alas, it is true, this is not an April Fools joke.

Cole had a very fun birthday that started very early in the morning. The kid keeps waking up earlier and earlier for big events (it's killing me!!). He woke up to a few birthday presents from the family, like the missile launcher that you see Justin playing with (I wonder who picked that out?!?!) and a fancy "fuzzy" notebook from Macie. He had fun playing before school and the fun just kept going. Cole got to wear a birthday hat in school and his class sang a very fun version of Happy Birthday to him (involving some actions that Cole really likes). Then he got to pass out a little goodie that he brought for his classmates which is totally exciting of course. Mrs. Willson even drew a birthday cake on his math assignment when he completed it! What could be better?!?! We finished off the first round of birthday celebrations with dinner at Bajio. You may remember that Cole was the grand prize winner and won 52 free meals last October. Well today we finished off the last of the 52. We LOVE Bajio!!!

There will be more to come after his party with his friends on Saturday and our family get together Sunday. I'm sure you are all on the edge of your seat biting your nails!!