Lion King

At the beginning of the summer Payton heard an advertisement for Lion King being performed in San Jose.  It was then she started begging for us to go.  Which led to Lincoln begging.  Which then led to Austin begging.

In true Kimberly fashion, I procrastinated buying the tickets until the week before the last weekend.  Guh!  I think the internet actually laughed at me when I entered that I was looking for 5 seats all together.  It turned out that there was only one show with seats all together and the seats were EXPENSIVE.  Dave and I decided to go ahead and get the tickets.

The seats were awesome!  We had 2nd row seats, when the giraffes bent forward they were right in front of us and when the animals walked down the aisles we were right there!  The kids LOVED the show.  I am so glad we were able to go and spend that time together as a family.  It was great!

Iowa's welcome...

Coming from an area in a record drought, imagine my surprise waking up in the middle of the night to the biggest thunder and lightning storm that I had seen and heard in a long time.  Then to further my surprise imagine coming down in the morning to find out that the basement had flooded and had over 12 inches of water in it.  Yikes!

It was quite fun getting to watch my dad and Uncle Richard work together to get the pump set up to pump the water out of the basement.

Once they turned the power to the house back on, I hurried to get in the shower and get ready so that we could get to the family reunion.  Well, the first thing I noticed is that the water pressure in the shower was REALLY low.  I figured maybe it was normal because the house is older and that is just how it was.  Well, as soon as I got the soap in my hair I heard the water start to sputter and then all of a sudden the water turned brown and then stopped.  Uh oh...

Called for Dad who was already on the way out to check the well so all I could do was wait.  With dripping wet hair.  With shampoo in it.  Haha!  After about 5 to 10 minutes my grandmother came back and told me to give up on the shower as it didn't look like they were going to get the water back on, at least right then.  "Hmmm, hey grandma do you have any water bottles?"  Yep, rinsed the soap out with bottled water that felt like it came straight from the fridge.  It was invigorating!

Turns out the pump to the well had become water logged.  So glad it was working again by the time it came to giving the kids baths after the reunion, they were filthy.

The reunion was fun.  It was at a park, which was nice because the kids could run around and play.  There were lots and lots of people I didn't know and lots and lots of people I hadn't seen in a really long time.  It was so nice to see and visit with all my dad's brothers and sisters (except Aunt Betty, who wasn't able to make it.)

Mom, Dad, Aunt Chantel, Uncle Richard, Grandma, Uncle Dean, Aunt Karen, Aunt Mary, and Uncle Kenneth.

  
Nice to see our cousins too!  I had fun getting to know them and their families again.  Talked to my cousin's wife about healthy eating for quite a while.  Very interesting!

My Grandma, her children, and their children, and their children...  Haha!

Cousins!  I wish I could find a picture of us all standing together when we were little.  It would be funny to see how old we are all getting.

Jennifer, Jeremy, Paul, Melanie, Tammy, Austin, and me.

Sunday

I love Skype!  When Dave is away traveling for work, I like that we can still see him and keep in touch.  The kids love talking to him even though they do get a little crazy.  OK a lot crazy.

 

 Had a wonderful dinner over at Ralph and Michelle's.  Pulled pork and mashed potatoes.  Yummy!  And after dinner at the request of our littlest we went on a walk over to see the chickens, bunnies, and turtles.  The boys love going for walks and being outside, unfortunately, Payton is not as big a fan and refused to come.  Oh well.

I love that we get to see so many animals, we almost always see deer.  The kids love it and are getting really good at spotting other animals too.

Meeting Andrew

Auntie Ashley has been dating a boy named Andrew since October.  Today we finally got to meet him and let me just say that all my kids are big fans.  Haha!  Payton read every book she could find to him, Lincoln showed him his different tricks, and Austin brought him a bunch of toys.

After dinner we took a stroll to visit the chickens.  Look!  There is Hunger the chicken.

 

On our way to the pond we got a close up of some deer.  So fun!  And so surprising considering the loudness of the wagon we were pulling. :O)

When we got back to the house and were getting in the car to leave both Payton and Lincoln asked when they were going to see Andrew again.  Haha!  It was nice getting to meet you Andrew!

Gilroy Gardens with the Cousins

What a fun day we had today.  The plan was to pick Payton up from school and meet up with Great Grandma, Grandma, Caeden, and Maddix at Gilroy Gardens,  And that is exactly what we did!

The kids were so funny as we first entered the park.  They each had a map of the park and were trying to decide what rides they wanted to go on and map out how to get there.  We started off doing the usual rides, the carousel, the strawberries, and then on to the spinning cups and fishies. 

Austin was so funny.  He wanted to go on the fishie ride but as soon as it started he got a very concerned/fearful expression on his face and screamed for me the whole ride.  Then 5 minutes later when Payton and Caeden decided that they wanted to go on it he HAD to go on it again.  And again once the ride started he panicked.  At least toward the end of the ride he seemed to loosen up and halfway enjoy himself.  It is so hard being the little guy with a bunch of big kids.

Toward the end of the day Caeden, Maddix, and Lincoln decided they wanted to ride the rattlesnack rollercoaster.  As it turns out they were all tall enough to ride on the ride but not tall enough to ride alone.  So Auntie Kimberly got to ride the roller coaster three times in a row.  I would ride with one as the other two stood at the gate and as the ride ended I would switch kiddos until all had a chance to ride.  Each were so different in their reactions to the ride.  I have to say I was most impressed with Lincoln as he has always preferred the tamer rides.  He was very nervous at the beginning but by the end of the ride was asking to go again.  Yessss!  Maybe one of my children will end up riding roller coasters with me afterall.  :o)

Besides the rides, Gilroy Gardens has these magical areas with water.  So nice on hot days.  The first area we went to was just a little splash pad that had water shooting up through the ground, a good warm up to the bigger water area.  The kids played here for a little while then started asking about the bigger water area.

The bigger water area  was a lot more water.  At the splash pad it is fairly easy to avoid getting wet if you really don't want to.  In the bigger area, forget it.  I tried to help Austin with one of the water guns and ended up getting beamed in the chest with what felt like a stream of water from a fire hose.  So glad I was not wearing a white shirt.  Haha!

A little later when I was trying to take a picture of one of the kids I accidentally got too close to the water geyser area.  Happy to say that my phone stayed dry and again so glad I wasn't wearing a white shirt.  :o)

I am so glad we were able to go.  The kids had so much fun and I love watching them just enjoy themselves.  Happy day!

Pizzas and Bracelets

Caeden and Maddix flew into town with their daddy yesterday and Grandma brought them over to visit today.

My mom had the fun idea of making mini pizzas for lunch.  The kids LOVED it.  They got to smoosh their own dough and put the toppings they wanted on it.  I was surprised when Maddix chose to only put marinara sauce on his pizzas, what about the cheese isn't it the best part?  Haha!

After eating lunch we ran to pick up Payton from school.  Having Caeden and Maddix with us was a surprise.  It was so cute to watch them all run up to each other and give big hugs.  Payton was so excited that she HAD to go and introduce them to her teacher.  It made my mom cry.  Hehe!

When we got home, Payton was excited to show Caeden how to make a bracelet on her Rainbow Loom.  I think Caeden enjoyed learning how to make the first one but her interest faded as they did a second and a third.  Haha! 

I think Payton just likes to create things.  Give her pretty much anything and she will make something with it.

To Utah

And we are off Utah!  I am so glad the kids take after Dave and not me when it comes to flying because I am a nervous wreck.

The kids were so excited to see their cousins.  Not entirely sure how Lincoln ended up with a hose but he and Grace and a great time with it for quite a while and came in the house soaked.

Austin LOVES William, he is so sweet with him.  It is adorable!  In this picture he was singing to him.  Cute!

Valentine's Day

Valentine Hair!  Got the idea from Pinterest, and after seeing a friend of mine doing it with her girls hair I gave it a try.  Payton was very excited to have "heart hair".

Dave and I decided that we would make Valentine's Day a family affair and play Valentine Minute to Win It.  I have to admit that I didn't think we were going to pull it off.  I went to four different stores Valentine's Day morning before finding any of the candy I needed for the games.  Who knew everything would be gone already.  I am so glad that Ralph and Michelle were able to make it, we had so much fun!

Here are some shots of the games.

Heart a Stack - Stack candy hearts as high as you can in a minute.

Puff Ball Race - Blow a puff ball from one side of the room to the other in a minute.

Candy Corn Stand Up - See how many candy corns you can stand on end in a minute.

Candy Heart Relay - Using a spoon carry hearts from one cup to another on opposite sides of the room.  How many hearts can you move in a minute.

Valentine Mummy - Who can do the most wrapping in a minute. 

Can I just say that we loved how Austin participated in every game.  He is so cute and a Ralph was a perfect teammate.

Marshmallow Toss - How many Marshmallows can you toss into a bowl on the other side of the table, which turned into how many marshmallows can you toss into Daddy's mouth from across the table.

I love the joy in the kid's faces in these pictures.  Awesome!

They had to see how many marshmallows they could fit into their mouths...

You can't have all this fun without treats!  Yes, those are the Oreo Cookie Truffles.  Dave was so  nice to share with all of us.  :o)

What a fun night!

Casa De Fruta

Neither Payton or Lincoln had school today so we planned to meet Great Grandma Vella and Amma Sandy at Casa De Fruta for lunch.  We have met there before and the kids had a lot of fun playing and exploring the area, so we thought why not do it again.

We enjoyed a nice lunch with only a few little outbursts from the kids.  It is definitely difficult finding a "healthy" option when going out to eat.  A few of us in our family have started a Healthy Habits Challenge.  It is a 10 week challenge that taps into several areas to help us be healthier, one area being our diet.  Have no fear, I did find something!  :o)

After lunch we headed out to play.  Poor Austin made it 5 minutes before he fell backwards of the last step of the train and hit his head on the pavement.  I look forward to the day when we can go on an outing with out someone getting hurt.

In addition, The fever he had that I thought was related to teething has turned out not to be.  Tonight it was 103.8.  My poor little guy.

The kids remembered from the last time we were here, the Casa De Sweets and had asked if we could stop there on our way home.  I agreed that they could each pick one treat.  Payton chose some Hello Kitty Candies and Lincoln chose a monkey stuffy.  Of course, I did have to talk him down from the $35 dollar tiger but hey, he made a healthy choice.  :o)

Smoothies

We have been spoiled while here in Utah.  Preston makes the best smoothies ever.  So much better than Jamba Juice.  And I am not the only fan.  Haha!  I caught this little man taking smoothie cups out of the garbage looking for just a little bit more.

Payton and Baby William

Payton just loves babies and was so excited to meet her new cousin William.  So cute!

Guitar Lessons

The boys are so cute with little William.  Lincoln and Austin are so gentle with him, it is so sweet.

Lincoln has taken a liking to Preston's guitar.  And Preston was nice enough to let him hold it and try to play it.

Baby William

Finally got to meet Baby Will.  He is so cute and such a sweet little baby.  I am having so fun helping to take care of him and Jen and the boys are having so much fun playing with their cousins.

Birthday Shooting

This year Steven and I did a little joint birthday celebrating and went to Sporting Clays. 

I haven't shot my gun since I was pregnant with Payton.  Needless to say I was a little rusty. ;O)

Good times!  Happy Birthday to Steven and to me!

Grandma Vella's 80th Birthday Party

Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go!

Today is Grandma Vella's 80th Birthday.  We have been planning a very special day for her and was excited for the day to finally be here.

First off, we decided to switch Austin to a forward facing seat.  He has been protesting for a while and thought, "why not?"  He loved it.  You could see in his face how excited he was to be facing forward like his big brother and sister.  He even got a milkshake on the way.  Lucky!

The church that my grandmother goes to, was gracious enough to let us have the party in their building.  Good thing too because our alternative plan was to have the party in my grandmother's backyard and it ended up being 100 degrees outside.  Yikes!  So grateful for fans and air conditioning.  :o)

We prepared a luncheon the included a green salad, fruit salad, bread, and a pasta bar that included four different kinds of sauce.  So yummy, if I do say so myself.  We also had a dessert bar provided by my ever so talented sister, Jen.  Everything looked and tasted great!

We invited many of my grandmother's close friends but also had lots of family come.  It was so nice to see everyone.  We hadn't seen some of our family in many years.

After the luncheon was over and all cleaned up we headed over to my grandmother's house for the "after party".  Grandma had purchased an inflatable pool for the kids to play in and the rest of us spent the time catching up with each other.  Payton and Lincoln were so excited to see their cousins Caeden and Maddix, who were able to come back from Colorado for the celebration.  Dave took advantage of all my grandmother's fruit trees and picked grapes and peaches.  Yummers!

Since we had so many of our family together, we took advantage and snapped a few group photos.  So awesome!

My mom's brother, Ron, was able to come out.  Which was so awesome!  I know my mom and grandma were especially excited to see him.

 

 

We also took advantage of the pretty scenery and tried to get a few cute family shots.  Believe it or not this was the only picture without someone making a silly face.  Haha!  Gotta love those kiddos!

 

 



Ashley's Birthday Party

Today was Ashley's 19th Birthday!  We joined the celebration at the club pool where the kids swam with Auntie Ashley and her friends.  They had a blast swimming. 

Ralph barbecued the best hot dogs ever, then again I could have just been really hungry.  Haha!  Anyway, we enjoyed our meal on the deck at the pool.  So nice!

Ashley had wanted to do a repeat of Payton's outdoor movie party.  Fortunately she decided that during Payton's party so we were able to keep all the decorations.  :o)  While Dave was getting the movie all set up Ashley opened her presents.  I was super excited to give her ours because I had made her a teal maxi skirt and was hoping she would love it.  She seemed super excited when she opened it so I hope she did. 

During the movie there was freshly popped popcorn, nachos, candy, and sodas.  The kids wanted to stay and watch the movie so bad but I didn't figure Count of Monte Cristo was an appropriate movie for them so I had to drag them and their sad faces home.  I know, I know, I am a mean mommy, but we had to get up early the next day for Grandma Vella's Birthday Party.