Getaway

Seth and I decided to take a few days and sneak down to St. George by ourselves. Yes, you read that right. I did say by ourselves. St. George isn’t at the top of my list in the scorching month of August, but my dad has a nice place down that way and he is up in Alaska right now so we had it to ourselves. We haven’t been away from the kiddos (overnight) by ourselves in two or more years. It is a hard thing to do with six kids. I hate burdening anyone by requesting them to babysit and even more so I am not a fan of leaving my kids for more than an evening. However, Seth’s Mom and sisters seemed up for the task so we took advantage of our free accommodations, packed our clothes and our bikes and headed out. Thanks to Seth’s audio book it felt like we got there in an instant.

The weather was plenty warm but it didn’t really phase us. I figure once the temp is above 90 degrees I prefer indoor activities anyway. We went to the outlets malls, attended a session at the St. George temple, went to the movie theater and watched Inception, ate, went on golf cart rides, ate some more, took a few walks in the evening (even stumbled upon a King Snake) and best of all hung out together and relaxed. Of course there was no sleeping in for us. Seth was up bright and early and woke me up at 6:00 am on Saturday and we went on a 25 mile bike ride around St. George. It took us a while to find a nice trail but once we did, it was beautiful. Surprisingly it didn’t get too hot until around 10:00 am and we were back by then.

That pretty much wore me out for the day but we snuck home after the temple and before the movie so I could get a short snooze. We also ran into a few “celebrities” at Cafe Rio later that afternoon. I didn’t recognize nor have I heard of any of them, but Seth did. He pulled one of the guys up on his Iphone to confirm. It was Sal Masekela (X-game host), Justin Lyons (movie producer) and Frankie (some model/writer). Right after he pointed them out some girl came over and got her picture taken with them. I laughed. I wouldn’t have even known who it was if Seth didn’t point them out. I must be getting old.

We really had a great time. As much as I love and adore and missed my kids, it was nice to let things go and just have fun with my sweety. We were able to talk to each other without having to wait for the kids to go to bed. We goofed around and just acted silly. We bought goodies that lasted the entire weekend instead of being seen, snatched and eaten in a mere few seconds. We went to bed early and even got to sleep in late (well one day anyway). It was just really nice and very much needed for both of us. It certainly helps that I really love being with Seth. I am not sure I could ever get sick of hanging out with that guy (I know….gag,gag,gag).

Of course the hard part was coming home and getting back into the swing of things around here. I quickly forget how much work goes into running and semi-organized household for eight people. Of course most days I love it and I am already back into the routine, but it did take a little adjusting.

Thanks to everyone that helped entertain our six little ones. We appreciated the break are grateful we have someone to help us out with the kids that we love and trust. Also thanks to my dad and Kathy for letting us borrow their home for the weekend.


Reverting back to our teenage years by playing dress-up in the store. Yikes!


Neilsen’s Frozen Custard – yum!


Seth out on our scenic bike ride.


In front of the temple


Muah! Love you babe!

Ellie – 8 months

My little Ellie Bell is finally growing! I can see squeeze a little chub on her thighs and she is getting a little fat crease in her wrists. I love it! She is such a great baby. She sleeps wonderfully and unless she is hungry or poopy she is happy.

She started sitting at about 7 months and has enjoyed that independence (so have I). She has four teeth and is working on a bunch more. She grins from ear to ear when she sees her momma (which I quite love!). She loves her brothers and sisters but especially loves her second mommy, Katelyn. There are mornings when I wake up and Katelyn has changed her, dressed her (fit with a bow and yummy smelling lotion), and fed her a bottle. It really is so sweet and helpful too.

Ellie isn’t crawling yet. She is up on all fours but just sits there for a few seconds and plops back down. I am guessing she being scooting around very shortly. I sure do love her!

Family Staycation

This summer has been jam-packed full of stuff, but we haven’t had much time to get out on a real vacation. We planned to head to Washington to spend a week with my best friend from high school but due to a few snags in our plans that has been postponed. The kids were bummed so we sat down as a family and planned a “family staycation”. We picked something fun to do every day and the kids had a ball. As a matter of fact, by the end of the week they were so exhausted they just fell into their beds and then on Sunday EVERYONE took a long nap!

We picked inexpensive activities that basically involved having fun and being together as a family. A few items have been postponed due to stormy weather that week, but we still had fun.

Monday we went to the AF swimming pool and then out to Maggie Moo’s for ice-cream. Keep in mind that we very rarely go out to ice-cream due to the inflated price of a kid’s ice-cream cone but thanks to City Deals I got a ton a of coupons for half price to use this week. My kids were thrilled.

On Tuesday, we packed up lunches and spent the day at Vivian Park up Provo Canyon. Seth met us there for lunch and we hung out, played in the water, rode scooters and played on the playground. There was a nice breeze and it made for a really fun day.


The kids playing in the creek.


Seth, Drew, & Ellie relaxing on the blanket

On Wednesday, we planned to go to Trafalga (aka Liberty Land and another smokin’ deal I got on City Deals) but were rained out so instead went to the new McDonald’s that just opened and played there and had a late lunch/early dinner. We don’t go to McDonalds very often since I don’t love the food but this new one was really nice and I may even consider going back sometime! After McD’s we stopped by Kohler’s and picked up a movie from Redbox and got some treats. Seth popped popcorn and we watched Tooth Fairy together.

On Thursday we planned to go head to Trafalga again but weather was still iffy. We mostly hung out without any plans until the evening. There was a free kid’s night for the Highland Days and we went over there and each of the kids ran in a short race, painted their faces, and played carnival type games. All participants received free Frosty’s, a free game of bowling and a free Webkinz. It was pretty awesome considering it didn’t cost a dime! We finished off the night playing birdie ball with Great Grandpa Cryer.


KK, Drew, & Meg after they got their faces painted

On Friday, Seth took the day off and we hiked Steward Falls (approximately 4 miles round trip). It felt longer than I remember it being but perhaps it was because Seth was carrying Drew on his back and I was carrying Ellie. Plus it was pretty hot outside. When we got to the falls Seth bet Jacob $50 that he wouldn’t stand under the waterfall for 5 minutes. Jacob was hesitant but went and did it anyway. He didn’t quite get directly under it as Seth had requested so his reward was chopped in half, but he still made $25. Seth is lucky Jacob didn’t get hypothermia standing under that cold water.


Just starting out!


Ellie and me


Claire wearing her gold medal. She was insistent it would help her make it to the falls…and I guess it did!


Jacob earning his keep.

After the hike we went further into the Canyon to Tibble Fork Reservoir. We had brought along a raft and a BBQ so we hung out on the lake and ate dinner. My kids were a little skeptical about the muddy water but really enjoyed riding in the raft.


KK and Jake paddling on Tibble Fork Reservoir

Saturday we went to the Highland parade because Jacob was riding in a float for baseball all-stars. Then we goofed around most the day until the weather cooled down and then headed down to listen to the bands and watch the fireworks.


Jacob on his float…all of our kids were running to him for treats!


Drew wearing his “super saver” mask he got in the parade!

Overall, I think the kids had a really great time. We were thanked multiple times about how much fun they had. It just goes to show that you don’t have to spend a ton of money to have a lot of fun. We have postponed Trafalga and bowling until sometime this week or as long as the weather permits.

Swim Team

A couple years ago I noticed Megan had a really nice swim stroke and I suggested she give swim team a try. She wasn’t really excited about the idea and I wasn’t going to force her so I just let it go. This year however I was a little more persistent and convinced her to give it a chance. She absolutely loved it!

She became quite the swimmer. It look her a couple meets to get the hang of butterfly and breaststoke (the judges are pretty strict and she was disqualified a couple times). Her best stroke was backstroke, but she did very well in freestyle and butterfly. She even attempted the IM a few times, which is quite the distance for a 7 year old!

At the end of the season all swimmers are either placed in the bronze, silver or gold meet depending on their times throughout the season. Megan qualified for the gold meet championships and got to race against all the best swimmers in the county. She got a personal best on all of her times and placed very well (4th in backstroke, 5th in butterfly, 8th in freestyle, and 1st in the freestyle relay).

She had a great swim season and we are so proud of her for stepping out of her comfort zone and trying something new. It really paid off and has built her confidence tremendously. Plus, I think she may have convinced Jake and KK to try it next year with her. Way to go Meg!


Meg in the bull pen getting ready for her event


Meg doing backstroke…she is the closest one you can see. She ended up winning the heat.


Meg and her pal Leisel after taking 1st in the freestyle relay


Meg with her county plaque, ribbons, and all-star swim trophy

Claire’s first ride

Several weeks ago, I had taken a few turns with Claire holding on to her seat as she tried to get the hang of riding her bike. We didn’t quite get it, but she was determined. One night, the kids came in after dinner screaming that Claire could ride a two-wheeler. We went outside and found Claire riding on her own. Apparently, she got sick of waiting for my instructions, or didn’t need them anyway.

Date night ride

We hired an older babysitter who could handle all six kids (yes, we even left Ellie) so we could go on a bike ride up Provo canyon and then go out to dinner.

The ride started out about as poorly as I could imagine. Manina was already a little unsure of a 22 mile ride with a lot of climbing. We started out from my workplace, and before we’d traveled six inches, Manina fell over while clipped into the bike. Apparently, she was in one of her biggest gears and just couldn’t get her bike moving. At least she didn’t get hurt (like last time).

I’ve done South Fork several times before, but it was Manina’s first real climb. We weren’t exactly setting any records getting to the top, but we made it. It’s over 1300 ft of climbing, then turning around and cruising back home. As you’ll see in the pictures below, it’s a beautiful ride.

After we rode back down, we took advantage of the locker room facilities at my work to get showered and cleaned up before heading out to dinner. I had a new restaurant that I wanted Manina to try.

As fun as the bike ride was, the highlight of the night may have been Cafe Paesan. It’s a new restaurant from the same people who created Cafe Rio (one of our all-time favorites). Well Cafe Paesan did not disappoint. It’s the same concept as Cafe Rio, but with Italian food, and it is delicious. Plus, it is much more open and spacious than Cafe Rio, but with the same cleanliness, prices, and fresh ingredients. It’ll be big.

I ordered the Siena spicy chicken pizza, and Manina had a balsamic grilled chicken salad with creamy pesto dressing, plus a mixed berry tiramisu for dessert. I had promised that she’d like the food, and I was right. Manina said it may have even been better than the Cafe Rio salad — and that’s saying something.

Silver Lake Flat

Sunday afternoon after naps Seth got this idea that we should drive up AF Canyon and have a little cookout by Silver Lake Flat reservoir. Everyone was excited so we packed up real quick and headed out. Seth conveniently forgot to tell me we would be 4×4’ing up the mountain on a dirt road with straight drop-off cliffs of a hundred feet (with no railing), and even crossing through a creek or two. Lets just say I was really uncomfortable and did my best to stare out his side of the window instead of mine since I bordered the cliff.

We made it safely to the reservoir and lit up our little grill and had hot dogs, chips and watermelon (that’s about all we had available at such short notice). It was already late when we left so the sun was starting to go down. It’s significantly cooler in the mountains, and once the sun went down it turned cold real quick. We brought along stuff to make homemade ice-cream, and doing so made us all even colder! It was fun though and everyone shook their bags till they had vanilla ice-cream.

It was a fun little outing. It is hard to believe I didn’t even know it was there, and so close to our home!


Throwing rocks in Silver Lake


Hot dogs and watermelon for dinner


Making cold ice-cream in the cold

Cowabunga Bay

We went to Cowabunga Bay yesterday with Rachel, Spencer and their kids to celebrate Lucy’s birthday. It is certainly not a cheap little adventure, but the kids sure had a great time. We got there just before 11:00 am and didn’t leave until dinner time. There weren’t a ton of slides, but they were all very kid-friendly – nothing too scary. Overall the kids give it a thumbs up for a “once-a-summer” outing!


Having a ball at Cowabunga Bay!


Jacob, Drew & Katelyn in the lazy river


Claire & Megan staying drying off.


Seth & Ellie came too, but Ellie preferred her car seat to the water.


Not so sure Drew loved the life jackets they provided!


Claire went down all the slides they allowed her to go down and she even went by herself. She was pretty brave!

Chocolate mustaches

As we were enjoying some chocolate-covered treats, one of the girls got some chocolate around her mouth. Megan and Katelyn were already a bit silly and hyper, and so this was hilarious.

Then, they start to smear chocolate all over their faces. Then one of them says, “Hey, you look like a boy.” Then one of them gets an idea and runs off to get dressed up. The other one follows. Then they’re talking like boys. To do this, they drop to their best baritone and say, “Yo.”

“Yo,” the other one replies.

They walk with an exaggerated strut around the neighborhood. Throwing rocks. Chewing on toothpicks. Saying “yo” to each other. Strutting. The things boys do. I wonder what they’ll do when this shows up on their wedding reception slide show?