Merry Christmas 2009

Christmas was great this year; the boys loved it, which always makes it great for us. We spent the day building Legos, playing with the toy kitchen and learning how to play Wyatt's new Nintendo DS. Here are a few pictures from the day.

On a more embarassing note, we were choosen to be someone's receipient of a Secret Santa mission.  On Christmas Eve, someone doorbell ditched us and left a plethera of presents and food on our porch.  We were somewhat embarassed because we felt like we were not deserving of it all.  We definitely didn't "need" any of it, but at the same time we were appreciative of their thoughtfulness.  I called my mom and asked her if she thought we were poor!  We definitley don't want to be sending out that message, since we are far from it. We recieved numerous toys for the boys, oranges, apple cider, and gifts for both JR and I.  It is proof that what goes around comes around; we had been able to help a family in need of Christmas earlier that day!

Kash participated in the Little Learner's Preschool Christmas program.  You can tell that he wasn't exactly thrilled to be a part of it, although he did quietly sing the songs.  The hand actions were definitley not going to be done by him....he left that to his classmates.

The county fair

Another year and the county fair is in full swing! We love the Wasatch County Fair....the carnival, the demolition derby, the rodeo, and the parade. It is fun to see the boys get so excited about participating in all the activities.

This year we went to the Demolition Derby with Marily and her husband Kim. The boys loved the smash and crash of the cars. We had great seats that got us close to the action. The one downfall....they tried to have too many heats and other "events" like the herby derby figure 8 and the truck demolition that it lasted a little too long for the boys. We left at 11:15 and it still wasn't close to being over!

We also went with Will Duke's family to the carnival. The boys loved riding the rides. They particularly like the giant Fun Slide. Wyatt is getting braver every year and is almost willing to try any ride he is tall enough to ride. It helps when he has a friend he can go with. Kash is a little too short to ride some of the rides, but he still likes all the "kiddie rides". Liam Duke is a little older than Wyatt and Riley Duke is a little older than Kash, which makes it nice that they both have someone to ride the rides with.

We also finished swimming lessons this week. It was recommended that Wyatt repeat this level again because he still gets so nervous going under water and floating. He will get it eventually. He had a fun week with Liam in his class along with McKay Young and Maddie Bangerter, who are in daycare with him.

California!

Once again, we make our usual April (spring) trip to California. This time was a little different. Shauna flew out to Utah so she could drive with me back to Santa Cruz. We took the truck so we could haul back a bunch of things from the attic. The drive was great! Shauna and I had a good time talking, singing, and trading drive time. The boys were wonderful and didn't complain at all about the 14 hour journey. Once there, we had fun going to the wharf, going to a jump house center, visiting the parks, and hanging out with their cousins. JR arrived later in the week and upon his arrival we went to Discovery Kingdome (what used to be Marine World Africa-USA). I hadn't been there in years! The boys absolutely loved the mix of animals and rides. JR was like a kid in the candy store when driving the race cars. We had a terrific day. Unfortunately, the next day begin a series of rain storms and the truck broke down. We had to drive to Watsonville to the chevy dealer to get it fixed. It was a major pain, but we were able to leave on time and we were grateful it didn't break down in the middle of the desert! Overall the trip was really fun!

Even Moms can do it!

The spectators....Bob took a break from working to watch, Marily and Kim were visiting for the weekend and JR was waiting for his turn!

Trampolines make for a great wrestling mat!

Mom showing off her kung fu moves!

Wyatt trying to see how high he can bounce mom!

We finally gave in...after months of Wyatt asking for a trampoline, we caved and bought him one. Another great purchase from Wal Mart. Of course, JR and I would only buy one that had the enclosure. It was a small adventure....running around Salt Lake to try and find the best deal. We didn't get home until after 11:00 Friday night, spent Saturday morning setting it up!

Sportsmen's Expo- an annual event

Kash was used for the demonstration....pretty funny!


The kids were learning about the importance of life jackets...this boat really "rocked"!



A giant dinosaur footprint caught Kash's attention




Hhhmmm....a career option for Wyatt when he's older?




We went to the Sportsmen's Expo in Salt Lake City. We have gone to this event every year (except for when we lived in Idaho). It is a big trade show for the vendors of outdoor sporting products, huntin and fishing trips, and lots of activities for the kids. The boys had a ball! JR loves wandering around looking at the latest stuff. We hardly ever buy anything when we go, but it makes for a good day.

Happy New Year's!

What a fun day! Grandma "Marge" and Kim came down to visit and brought their snowmobiles. The boys had a blast riding on the sled pulled behind the snowmobiles. The dogs got their exercise chasing us around. They were pooped! It was so fun to ride around the field, there was even a small (I mean really small!) jump that I mastered! The boys loved spending the day with Grandma and Kim, especially in the snow too! There are plans to take the snowmobiles out to strawberry soon, I'll keep you posted!