Cape Cod Vacation

We recently ventured to Cape Cod for our first family vacation. The kids had so much fun exploring many new things. We decided that 'vacation rules' apply which means that nearly anything goes and ice cream is the order of the day.

This was the kids first trip to the beach and they loved to explore in the sand and collect things in their buckets. We found a little beachcomber shack which Carson liked to play in.






Here are the kids practicing their 'yoga moves' at the house.


Carson dropped from a helicopter - fortunately Daddy was there to catch him.



We made a visit to Provincetown where we found pizza and ice cream for lunch. Carson always amazes us with his ability to get more ice cream on him than in him.





Our contribution to artwork in Provincetown.



We rented bikes one day and headed down the bike trail with the kids in tow. The motion was enough to rock Carson to sleep after just a short time. We stopped for lunch and once again Carson was covered from head to toe with ice cream.








The kids torturing each other in the shopping cart at Super-Stop-N-Shop.






Since there is no bathtub at Pine Lodge the kids had to learn to deal with showers for our vacation. Here is Rachel in all her shower get-up: swimming goggles, shower cap, and lollipop. Anything to make the shower more tolerable.



Carson stealing strawberries from Grandad's cereal. And more amazingly, Grandad letting him.


Grandad attempts to disassemble the little oven with an assistant. Carson is mesmerized by the tools.


Carson and Daddy headed to the beach.

Park and Zoo

We are enjoying wonderful weather here and trying to take full advantage of it. The kids love to go to parks and there are plenty of them within a short drive. We have our own names for each park (i.e. "Shady park", "Firetruck park", etc.) so the kids can take part in deciding where we go. Below are pictures of "Sandy park", so named because it has a sandy bottom vs. wood-chipped bottom, which makes it fun for digging and sandcastles. Sandy park also has fun dinosaurs which swing back and forth, lots of fun to ride.











Last weekend we took the kids to Salt Lake City's Hogle Zoo. The highlights were the zoo train and the merry-go-round. And oh yeah, we saw some animals too. When I asked Rachel which animal was her favorite her response was, "The merry-go-round!". Carson loved it too and screamed in protest each time we had to get off.

Nammy Turns 70!

Last month we celebrated Nammy's 70th birthday, a great excuse for a family gathering. Since the week prior was cold and snowy, we were all thrilled to see sunshine and wanted to soak it in as much as possible. So Nammy's birthday celebration turned out to be a picnic lunch on the deck! We even had cake and balloons on the deck - the kids enjoyed letting the balloons go and watching as they flew way up into the sky.







Rachel enjoys kicking the soccer ball with Nammy and Mommy. Good kick Pumpkin!

Nammy tries to convince the kids that picking weeds is fun!

Uncle Pete ("Oh-Me") takes the last bit of snow in the yard and throws it into the air, giving Rachel a brief spring snow shower. Carson watches in delight and tries his best to imitate.

"Oh Me" throws the ball up in the air while Daddy holds the kids on the deck railing. How fun for them to reach out and grab the ball!

Carson Turns Two

Carson reached the ripe old age of 2 last week, hard to believe its been two years since his birth! He loved his ice cream cake, especially the M&M's on top of the cake, which he finished off just after blowing out the candles. He had fun opening his presents - some in California during our trip, and some back home in Utah. Even though he probably doesn't understand the concept of a birthday yet, he definitely knew it was his special day and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Rachel loved sharing his cake and helping him open his presents. She even had one present of her own to open, much to her delight.

Trip to California

In March we took a trip to California to visit John's family. The warm weather was a welcome change from our snow-covered yard in Utah. The kids loved playing at "Bama's House", as Carson called it. They picked all the berries from Grandma's bushes (sorry Grandma) and had lots of fun digging in her garden beds (fortunately she hadn't done her spring planting yet).







Grandma took us to a great park during our visit which the kids just loved. Rachel had fun on the horses and Carson loved the swings. We even had a chance to feed some ducks!







One day we ventured out to Chuck E. Cheese's. Carson loved the rides and Rachel loved the pizza and cotton candy. Carson's favorite was the bulldozer, what a thrill for him to ride his very own bulldozer! Rachel loved the driving machine, but we are glad her driver's license is a long way off - she needs a little practice.







Here are the kids in the airport on the way home. We found a great backpack/leash to keep track of Carson (he loves to wander) and Rachel got to hold Carson's leash a few times. Carson loved to look at all the airplanes as we walked through the airport.

Wintertime Fun

Although this has been a fairly mild winter in comparison to last year, we still have had our share of snow and cold weather. We've been playing inside more, and bundling up well when we go outside. Last weekend we made some yummy chocolate cupcakes using coconut flour, our new favorite flour which we try to use when cooking (much healthier). Carson loves chocolate and was delighted to lick the spatula, and Rachel dived right into the bowl to lick up what was left.





Rachel enjoys dressing up and walking her pretend doggy around the house. And Carson loves to try on Rachel's boots and use his lawn mower. He is always carrying a handful of things wherever he goes, usually his tools and his stuffed animals (his word is 'namal').



The kids enjoy playing outside, Rachel especially since she can now put on her own snowpants, boots and mittens. She is finally at the age where she will keep her mittens on. Carson takes his off at every opportunity, despite the cold temperatures. Rachel loves to build snow castles and made some great ones yesterday, complete with a leaf on top!










Carson loves to use his pretend snow-blower outside, just like Daddy! You can see that Carson enjoys his 'binky'. We swore we would never be the kind of parents to give it to our children all the time, just for sleeptime only. But Carson has won that battle through some persistent and very loud screaming. We have decided that peace in the house is important too. And most parents I've talked to say that by age 4 they can be weaned from it in a week or two. I would love to hear comments about your experiences and advice with pacifiers.