November 2013

In early November Rachel had a great idea for a family night - bowling! We have been a few times before and each time is a little more fun for the kids. Playing the arcade games is a treat for them too, almost as much fun as bowling.

Rachel and Carson graduated to their blue belts in mid-November. We are very proud of them! 

We celebrated with Chinese food!

Thanksgiving day started with a 5K road race and a couple of victory pies!

This year we tried a chestnut stuffing. Rachel and Carson were great helpers and cut all the chestnuts. 

The day after Thanksgiving we did some ice skating at the local rink.

Disneyland

In mid-October we were lucky enough to take a trip to that magical kingdom, Disneyland. We had a wonderful time and the weather was perfect.

Astro Blasters ride, one of our favorites!

One of Carson's favorite activities is the Jedi Training Center where children are picked at random to come up on stage and receive some Jedi training (i.e. light saber instruction). This year Carson was picked as one of the padawans and he was thrilled to don the padawan robe, learn how to use a light saber, and even battle Darth Vader. He is now a certified Jedi - dark side beware!

Carson holds his Jedi Training Certificate high in the air.

Rachel at the wheel on the Autopia ride.

The Iron Man exhibit.

3D glasses needed for the Star Tours ride (which we did 6 times).

Our first night in Disneyland we had an early celebration of Rachel's birthday at Goofy's Kitchen, a delicious buffet restaurant where we met many different characters. Rachel collected autographs from each character she met. Despite their cumbersome outfits, all can sign their names amazingly well.

En route home from Disneyland we stopped to stretch our legs at a beautiful area called Cedar Pocket, on the Virgin River in the northwest corner of Arizona. The kids love to play in the sand and throw rocks in the river and its a nice break from the driving.

One Saturday in October John saw some people filming a movie in our town and when he walked over to ask them about it he found out that they were looking for kids in costumes to be extras in the movie. Carson could not be bothered but Rachel was excited to put on her costume and be in a movie. It turned out to be more waiting around then filming but she was a good sport about it and ended up being filmed in several scenes. The film is not due out until next summer and it will be called "My Dog Zeus".

Young movie stars meeting with the director (Rachel in blue dress).

Rachel's being filmed while saying her line.

The trick-or-treat scene.

I wanted to share something Carson brought home from school recently. They are learning about the ancient Egyptian pyramids in first grade and their task at school was to pretend that they are a pharaoh and draw three things they would want to bring with them to the after life. Carson's pictures are below and he described them to me. The first picture is Rexie, his favorite stuffed animal (a T-Rex) that he takes to bed every night. The second picture is, "a trophy full of money". When I asked him who the third picture was he said, "you". It was one of those moments when my heart was just full and the tears started flowing, one of those treasured moments of being a Mom. 

Utah State Fair 2013

Our annual trip to the Utah State Fair is becoming a tradition that we look forward to each year. We started with the "Little Hands on the Farm" exhibit which the kids love. We stuck to inside activities at the fair this year since it rained for most of the afternoon. Fortunately the weather cleared up in time for the evening rodeo!

There is a science exhibit for kids with all kinds of interesting things to try. They particularly liked making large bubbles and playing with the bernoulli blower.

We had a small dusting of snow one afternoon in September. It started as hail and eventually turned to snow! The kids were so excited to see snow again they bundled up and ran outside to play. Within a couple hours the sun was back out and it all melted away.

The kids earned their Tiger Patch in karate in September. In order to earn the patch they had to pass the Tiger test which was 2 hours of strenuous activity. What they learned is that tigers never give up.

August 2013

Before heading back to Utah our last stop in New England was Boston. Rachel learned a little about the American Revolution and Paul Revere in first grade so we wanted her to see Paul Revere's home and the Old North Church.

Our first night in Boston we stopped at the Fire Museum on our way down to Faneuil Hall to eat dinner. The kids had fun trying on the fireman gear and were thrilled to take home their own red plastic fireman hats.

The next day we walked through the Boston Common and stopped at the playground before taking the Freedom Trail over to the North End. Boston is a beautiful city now that the Big Dig is finally behind them. Its amazing to see all the green grass and open space that was once the Central Artery going through the city! The increase in tourism is a testament to the new beauty of Boston.

Benjamin Franklin - born in Boston!

Paul Revere with the Old North Church behind him.

Rachel had her first piano recital in August. She played about half a dozen pieces and did a wonderful job. She is getting to be quite a pianist!

The first day of school! Summer sure flew by...