A Relaxing Family Vacation!

(on the balcony overlooking the swimming pools and lazy river)

Most of our summer vacations consist of setting up camp, cooking food over a camp stove, scrubbing dish after dish by hand, taking showers on as few quarters as possible (you know what this means if you camp), and then cleaning up camp. You do get a few relaxing moments in there, but it is a lot of work! I grew up thinking of camping as vacation, but as an adult I'm coming to realize there are other, more relaxing ways to vacation. Obviously, I've taken some nice cruises with Kirk, but I'd say this week was the first time I had a "relaxing" family vacation!

We spent time with the family in the Lazy River- being nothing but LAZY!!! I'm not sure how many hundreds of times we went around and around, which is just grand!

These two eventually were swimming around without floaties, so Janell and I were so proud (maybe just a tad bit nervous too :)! We are hoping this converts over to the real pool this summer.

The Kids loved the 1 foot little kiddie pool with their cousins (Hudson not so much, but he warmed up a little more each time)

This one prefers to be on land. Believe it or not this is his happy cheese face.


These two figured out some naughty stuff by the end of the trip, including some table dancing skills. Lauren (my niece) learned to say cheese this week after hearing Hudson say it every time I pulled out the camera.

Finally, we were able to celebrate Grandma Salmon's birthday. With some mad poetry writing skills from Darin she found her gifts in some creative places including the Murphy bed, cooking pot, and empty granola bar box.

Thanks to Darin and Janell for the invitation to join you on your family vacation. We had a great time. I'm not writing off camping completely because its such a great family tradition, but I think we will be adding a few "relaxing" vacations in every couple years.

Half way to 2 and look what I can do!

Hudson learned to climb up onto the top bunk this week!He was very proud of himself as you can tell. No longer can we throw all the delicate non-Hudson toys up there and into "the safety zone." Guess we need to get a new home for Bruin's guitar and many other delicate items.

That is Capri trying to sneak into the picture like always.

Luckily the ladder can be removed for times we are not prepared to be there to make sure he's not climbing. That makes me relieved. I can't believe how big my boy is getting... 18 months. Half way to 2!

Hudson definitely keeps us on our toes. Currently he doesn't play with toys much at home. Primarily he loves.... turning of mom & dad's bathtub, climbing up on the toilets and turning on the faucets, dumping/throwing toys around, hitting Capri (because she will just sit there and let him do it), eating lots of crackers, stealing crayons/pens and finding the nearest surface to draw on, and all kinds of other naughty stuff. Its hard to believe that we can still love this kid! He does love the outdoors, and loves doggies! Anytime he hears a dog barking he just stops, listens, then points to the direction that he hears it coming from and says, "da-ee" then he growls (which is my personal favorite).

He brings so much joy into my life, and gives me lots of exercise which is a plus too. Happy 1/2 birthday my little HOODIE!

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Capri's first dance recital was yesterday. The theme was "Big Top Circus." Her group was the Dog Act tapping to "Who Let the Dogs Out?" They were also the Flying Trapeze act doing ballet to the "Wedding March." Their teacher was so cute dressed up as the Ring Master. Of course, I think my daughter is the cutest of all, with my niece Julia coming in at almost a tie ;)

It was so fun watching her do her think up there- especially in her darling costumes. She had so much support: 3 sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and most of her cousins were there supporting her and Julia of course. I just had a smile on my face the whole time watching her.

I think her group was the hit of the night. They had everyone laughing as they wagged their little tails. I wish I had a picture of them all standing up sideways so their tails were showing- so cute!

Good Job Capri! I love you so much and am so proud of you. I look forward to seeing you try out many more activities to find which one you like the best.

Teacher Appreciation

In our ward at church we just had our 16th Annual Teacher Appreciation. It was so fun for both of the kids to have their teachers there. It is a great opportunity for us to share our beliefs with the teachers in a special way. The children all sang Scripture Power and I am a Child of God to their teachers. Then each teacher received a special certificate along with a picture and a note from their student.

Capri is with her dance teacher Mrs. Annie (I don't know why the pic is so blurry!). Bruin and his friend Frankie invited their Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Toth. I am so grateful for good teachers who teach and love my children.

BUSY BOOK

My favorite book of the week...maybe it will remain through the summer months with 3 kids to entertain all day.
So, I was on a date with Kirk a couple weeks ago and picked up this book at Borders just to see if there were any quick ideas I could get to help keep Hudson busy (since this kid hardly plays with toys...he likes mommy/daddy type stuff that he can break, ruin, make a mess with, etc..) I read a couple of fun ideas and decided I really wanted to get the book, but I didn't want to pay the $10 for it, so I looked online and bought both the toddler book and Preschoolers book used for about $12- and that is including shipping!!!
All the activities so far have kept the kids interest very well, and they are all using things we already have in our home-which is even better!
Day one we used an old shoebox, poked a hole in the side and tied a string to it. Hudson pulled his different things in their throughout the day. Capri wanted one too, she used it for her baby doll- and even tied it to the back of her bike to give the baby a ride.
Day 2 the older 2 sharpened pencils for nearly 45 minutes! I would have never thought of having them do that, but they loved it! Just a bowl, pencil sharpener and tons of pencils! Don't think I'll have to worry about sharpening a pencil for a while :)
I also made Hudson a new bath toy out of an empty milk carton, and he played with it in the bath forever!
Day 3 homemade bean bags. Something I never thought of, but it was easy, and I had everything I needed already in my home. The kids were thrilled to choose their own fabric, and have been making up different games to play together. Right now they are on the top bunk trying to drop the bean bags into bowls.

I'm looking forward to trying more of these activities this summer. Some I'm excited about are easy kitchen cooking, mud painting, and stained glass crayons. Cheers to a summer full of fun.

Open House

I don't know who was more excited, Bruin or Capri. We went as a family to see Bruin's classroom, and he was so excited to show us all (especially Capri) everything that he had made and things that he likes to do in class. He read her some of the class "big books."

He showed Daddy that he wants to be a police officer too. This is what it read.

"When I grow up I want to be a police officer. First I arest people. Next I can put peple in my car. Last I will put them in jayl. I like being a policeman."

Its funny to see what he thinks being a policeman is all about. I will be working on persuading him toward a different profession over the next 13+ years.
Bruin showing us his pumpkin plant that is now planted in one of our pots on the patio. Not sure how its gonna do there, but we are giving it a try anyways.

We are so proud of Bruin for how hard he has worked this year. He has become a very good reader and writer, and has made lots of friends. We love you, and know you will continue to be a good example to your younger siblings. Capri, you are going to do great in kindergarten next year. I am so proud that you are so excited to learn just like your big brother.

METAMORPHISIS

The kids each got a tiny caterpillar, and made them their own little "home."

Took them home, and tried to keep them out of this boy's hands. We did find him once or twice on the run with a caterpillar in tote. Checked on them everyday! Until they saw a chrysalis! Hooray!!! Hudson didn't kill it!
Then finally they turned into beautiful butterflies!!

Don't worry- the red is just the extra dye, not blood.

Then we got to let them fly away into freedom. Well, lets say Capri's made it into freedom. Bruin's flew for about 5 seconds and was swapped by a hungry bird- thank goodness he didn't see it :)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

This is a bit late, but it is because we were so busy celebrating :) Kirk just turned 29 last week. I felt so bad that he had to work on his birthday. The kids only got to see him for like an hour or so before he had to leave for work, so we opted for a special trip out to see him. I packed up the kids with their little hands full of surprises for their daddy. We met up at Del Taco for a quick visit. The kids all wanted to sit by him, which I definitely didn't object to. Usually I have kids crawling all over me, so it was nice to have a bench seat all to myself.

They had each painted him a picture, made him a card, and picked out something small at the store for him. My heart melted when Bruin surprised him with a coupon for a free burger at In and Out- an award he had received because he led the school in the pledge of allegiance. Kirk couldn't stay long before the city needed him, but I am so glad we made the trip. Afterward he led us to a park that the kids just loved (a new park is always a fun park). Happy Birthday to a wonderful husband, father, son, priesthood holder, and police officer. We love you!
I did take him out on friday night for a better celebration, and thanks to our family for helping with the kids so we could stay out late, and wake up whenever we pleased. Such a nice feeling!