Aloha!

We had an amazing trip to Hawaii before Thanksgiving. Here we are at our gorgeous hotel--they actually had sand shipped in from Australia and blasted away the natural coastline to make their own beach! It was the perfect beach for kids--calm water, gorgeous sand.

This was another of our favorite beaches--great snorkeling!

Savannah and Josh loved the snorkle gear! (swimming around with their faces in the water, not so much!)

This was my favorite stop on the whole trip--Hanalei Bay on the island of Kauai. It was absolutely breathtaking.

We discovered Landon LOVES cheetos on this trip. We also discovered he's not so big on sharing. (okay, so we already knew that).

Savannah and Josh all dressed up for church. Landon and I missed church, since he vomited all night Saturday into Sunday. Definitely NOT the highlight of my trip, but he was such a sweetheart, I just felt so bad for him.

The kids had a great time with their "surfboard."

Okay, let me explain this one. There are chickens roaming free all over Kauai. I mean everywhere. Not just a couple of chickens. (There was a hurricane back in the early nineties, in which they were released, and have continued to multiply since). Anyway, Grandpa Clair told the kids that in order to chase chickens, you need to run at them with your hands in your pockets. They took it hook, line, and sinker. For the remainder of the trip, they tried chasing the poor chickens. If one of them would forget proper hand placement, the other one was quick to remind them. I know I shouldn't have let them chase the poor chickens, but really, how could I stop them when I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe??


Look! They even got Landon in on the "chicken chasing" as they called it.

We had such a great time! I'd never been to Hawaii before, and it was amazing. I wish it didn't take seven hours of flight time, plus layover time in the LA airport to get there, but it was worth it! Here's a slideshow for those of you (ahem, Karlee) who'd like to see more photos!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

New Cooking Blog

Hey Y'all! I love cooking, and I especially love new recipes (but most of all, I love eating!). My sister Katie started a recipe blog for us to collaborate on. Check it out at http://www.cooklikecrazy.blogspot.com/. And if anyone is interested in joining in as an author, just let one of us know.

Good-bye Bear

Our much-loved family pet, Bear, died Sunday. I gave Bear to Barry as a college-graduation gift nearly ten years ago. (wow, we're getting old!) Although I was doubtful when Barry chose the most rambunctious, ankle-biting pup of the litter, he couldn't have chosen a better dog. Bear was an awesome bird-hunter with Barry, and a great running companion for me. And he was incredible with our kids. All three babies said "Bear" as one of their very first words, and he was so great with them. He never once snapped at any of them, no matter how they pulled his fur or stuck their hands in his mouth (Landon).

He got into a lot of trouble over the years, usually with other animals (who knew there were so many racoons, porcupines, and skunks on the hill where I run??) You'd think after getting sprayed by a skunk, or stuck by a porcupine he would have learned to stay away. Nope. Instead I think his thought process was "hey, there's a skunk/porcupine I HATE THEM--I think I'll go get a little closer."

Good-bye, Bear. We miss you so much already.

Salmon Run

Even though we live in land-locked Cache Valley, every fall we have the opportunity to see a Salmon run. Porcupine Reservoir is home to Kokanee Salmon, and it's become a family tradition for us to take a picnic and go check it out. It's a gorgeous time of year, and the fish really are beautiful. It's one of my favorite traditions! The kids had a great time this year.

Savannah made her own fishing pole--salmon is one of her very favorite foods, and she was dead-set on catching some for dinner.

Landon pulled his shoes and socks off within 30 seconds of our arrival. He dug his little toes in the sand, and especially the mud. Notice him looking right at me while burying his foot in the mud--Yep, I had just told him not to.

Oh, okay mom. I won't stick my foot in the mud. How about my head instead?

Notice the lovely stripe of mud down his head. Bath, anyone?

Josh wasn't so sure about the water--he started shivering the first step in.

The day wouldn't be complete without Savannah striking a couple of poses. At least she'll look at the camera, unlike a certain one year old who steadfastly refuses to look whenever he senses a camera is near.

It just doesn't get any better than this.

The Honey Harvest

For those of you that don't know, Barry is now a beekeeper. He got his first colony of honey bees last year, and he is absolutely enamored with the whole endeavor. Through trial and error, and hours of reading about the ins and outs of honey bees, he learned a lot last year, and expanded to two colonies this year. We harvested the honey the end of August. I've given him a pretty hard time about the "bee experiement" but I must admit that harvesting the honey turned out to be really interesting. For about an hour, that is. Then it got pretty boring, and really sticky. For those of you not familiar with honey harvesting (and I'm assuming that's all of you) here is how it works. We bought a honey extractor, into which you put three frames of honey. You then turn a crank and it spins the frames around fast enough to pull out all of the honey. The honey accumulates in the drum and slowly drips through the spout at the bottom. Barry double strained it, then poured it into quart jars. It was really pretty golden honey, much lighter than last year. From what I've gathered, the color and taste of the honey is dependent on the types of plants the bees pollinate, so it varies from year to year, even in the same location. We got about eighteen quarts of honey, so that is one item we can check off our food storage list!

The next progression in this set of shots is missing, since I had to drop the camera and go de-honey Landon. He put the frame of honey on his head. Maybe a buzz cut wouldn't be such a bad idea--lately he sticks everything in his hair--jam, pizza, you name it.

Look out preschool, here he comes!

Josh started preschool this year, and he loves it! He is surprisingly serious about it. He is an absolute perfectionist on his homework, and counts down the days until preschool days. I love it when I get to drive the preschool carpool, he and his buddies are so fun to listen to! He's getting really grown up, and I, of course, have a love/hate response to that. But I'm so proud of him. He is really excited because tomorrow is his "VIP" day and I get to go to class with him.

A Very Long Day

Did you know you could cram a lot of fun into one day?? Well, you can. Especially if you start around 4:30 am. BEWARE: Long day= lots of pictures.

First, my sisters and I ran the top of Utah half marathon. It was a lot of fun. But guess what? It was also very scary because you know what? I did not have thirteen MORE miles in me. Nope, no way. I am really doubting my ability to finish the full marathon in a couple of weeks. Since Kate and Karlee were already in Cache Valley, we had planned to go over to Bear Lake after the race. So, we went to Grandma Johnson's in Logan and took a quick shower before heading over the mountain.
Savannah is still in that 'strike a pose' phase. She is going to look back on these years and be soo grateful! I'm just glad that at least one child will allow her picture to be taken.

See, in every photo of Landon he's got this dazed and confused look. That's because we have to sneak up on him. If he has any inkling that we're taking his picture, he'll studiously ignore us.

And Josh, well Josh will do anything if the price is right. He hates his picture taken, but he loves, loves, loves rewards. And hey, I'm not above bribery.

Sand. Yum, yum. It must taste similar to garden dirt and sandbox sand at home, two more of Landon's favorites. He was actually the discriminating eater of the toddlers on the trip, though. Annie definitely took home the prize for the sand-eating contest.
Just one more of Savannah--like I said, she's just so easy to photograph right now! We had a great time at the beach, building sand castles and riding jet skis. And then, since no trip to Bear Lake is complete until you've been to La Beau's, we stopped for a burger and fries on the way back to Logan. And then, since we were so close, we went to one of my all-time favorite places, Tony Grove.

There's our cover girl again.

And no, the kids hadn't gotten enough of the water back at the Lake, they decided to take a dip in Tony Grove Lake as well. And really, is Bear Lake any warmer than a glacial lake??

Grandma and Grandpa had the privilege of riding home in the Myers' van since Jake and Karlee both had other plans. (can you imagine anything better than this??) The kids are always thrilled for company, especially when the company plays games and brings treats.

So after starting out at 4:30 am, we finally got home around 8:30. After herding exhausted children into bed, unloading all of our gear plus half the sand at Bear Lake, Barry and I collapsed on the couch. He then tried to cajole me into finding a sitter and going out to dinner. Umm-no. Way too much effort!

First Day of School

Rae started first grade this year. She was a little nervous and a lot excited! I just love fall, and I guess it's the geek in me, I always loved starting a new school year. I love the autumn colors, the cooler weather, and the beautiful "september skies." It is tough having her gone all day, because she's just so much fun to have around, and we all miss her! I just can't understand those moms that count down until school starts--I've been dreading it. (but don't tell her--she's nervous enough, so I have to put on a brave face!) I know I'm biased, but she looked absolutely beautiful the first day of school!

Princess Tea Party

Rae decided to host a princess tea party last sunday. She worked all day and got everything organized. Unfortunately for her, there were no princesses available, so she had to make do with us!

Now if this photo doesn't scream "blackmail" I don't know what does. Doesn't Uncle Jake make a lovely Princess??

Notice the lovely hats, and everyone is using proper princess etiquette!

Camping at the Ranch

We went on a little mini-camp at Dad's Ranch over the weekend. The kids absolutely love it out there. And really, what's not to love? Dirt, dirt, dirt, and more dirt to play in! Add in plenty of good camping food (translation: junk food and soda pop) and you have the recipe for a good time.

No topples off the table for Manny on this trip! We learned our lesson on our last camping trip.

Manny and I headed for home around 8:00--we're not overnight tent-campers yet! Barry and the kids decided to go for a walk up to the old house, and while they were gone a storm blew in. Barry tried to hurry back to get the tent staked down, but guess what? Hurry is not yet in Mitt's vocabulary. Much weeping and wailing ensued as Mitt tried to make it through the Safflower field. They didn't make it in time, and instead watched as the wind picked up the tent, and carried it into the middle of yet another Safflower field. The good news was, it finally stopped. The bad news? The reason it came to a stop was because the pole snapped and the tent collapsed onto itself. I must say, Barry is a much tougher camper than me-- he and the kids slept in the cab of the truck all night! The kids came home ecstatic, eager to share their exciting adventure! They even toughed out some pretty impressive thunder and lightening.

Canyon Country

We had a wedding reception to go to in Moab, so we decided to make a little vacation out of it. We haven't spent much time in that part of the state, so it was a lot of fun to explore the beautiful area and especially Arches National Park. However, given the choice, I would definitely not choose mid-July for a repeat visit--it was incredibly hot. (Lucky us, we arrived on the hottest day of the year so far!)


By the time we reached the second hike of the day, it became clear it would be the last hike of the day. I seriously doubted Mitt would make it back to the van. He must have inherited my extreme dislike of hot weather--he was actually near tears he was so hot. Rae, on the other hand, has decided she loves hiking.

Ahhh shade. The kids (and me!) would have hung out all day under the arches in the shade. Plus, the huge rocks made for some great climbing.



Manny loved playing in the sand on the banks of the Colorado River. Mostly, he loved participating in any activity that got him out of the van!
No, the boys didn't dig this hole. But they sure had fun playing in it. And earned themselves a second bath for that day!

Remember when I thought my children would never play with guns? I lost that battle. Mitt's souvenir fetish carried over from Yellowstone, so after scouring the Moab shops for just the right toy, he settled on this gun. Needless to say, we woke up the next morning and went and purchased a second gun for Manny.