Click on any picture to enlarge it

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Day 182: On Top of the World (Again)

June 30
We went back up to Snowbird this afternoon to ride the Mountain Flyer, which was closed last time.  The view up there is so pretty.

Day 181: How She Rolls

June 29
I think Ellie has the most fun of any of us when we go bowling.

Day 180: Game Time

June 28
The girls and I are spending a few days with my parents until Chris flies in.  My mom bought this game, Pictureka, for the girls to enjoy, but of course she had to enjoy it with them.

Day 179: At the Dentist

June 27
After discovering that it would cost $350 for each of the girls to visit our dentist in Portland, we opted to visit Chris's old dentist here in Salt Lake for 1/3 the cost.  Today began a series of dental visits, since it turns out that each girl needs some work done.  What a way to spend our vacation.

Day 178: Pit Stop

June 26
Who doesn't dance at truck stops?

Day 177: You Get a Line & I'll Get a Pole

June 25
We went to the little town of Veyo for some crawdad fishing.  All it took was a stick, some string, and a piece of bacon, and each of the girls pulled in crawdad after crawdad.  We haven't had so much fun in a long time.

Day 176: St. George Temple

June 24
We beat the heat this afternoon with a trip to the St. George temple visitor's center.

Day 175: Ice Cream Goatee

June 23
After a hike in Zion National Park, a huge scoop of cookies & cream ice cream was just what Ellie needed.

Day 174: How Hot is It?

June 22
When the thermometer reached over 105 degrees, Vicki and Grandpa decided to try cooking an egg on the driveway.  It didn't quite work out, but it was a worthy effort.

Day 173: Escape

June 21
We arrived in St. George today to temperatures over 100 degrees.  The girls played outside for a little while before I discovered Vicki and Lexi escaping the heat by escaping into other worlds.  Scenes like this one make this book-a-holic mama very happy.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Day 172: On Top of the World

June 20
We spent the day today with cousins at Snowbird Resort.  The kids had a blast with the bungee trampolines, alpine slide, and bounce house, but a highlight for me was riding the tram to the top of the mountain.  The view was absolutely stunning.

Day 171: Ready to Go!

June 19
5:30 in the morning at PDX.  We get to fly to Utah this year!

Day 170: There Goes My Diet

June 18
My friend Rachel treated me to lunch this afternoon at Bistro 23.  This BLT with a fried egg was amazing.

Day 169: Fun With the Neighbors

June 17
Lately we have been getting together on a semi-regular basis with several neighborhood families for dinner and games.  We were excited to finally have nice enough weather for the kids to all play outside while the grownups chatted and played games inside.  Here, the kids are "cleaning up" their dinner dishes.

Day 168: Showcase

June 16
Vicki played in a mini-recital at her teacher's home today.  Despite being so nervous she was nearly sick, she did pretty well.  (And we learned an important lesson about practicing.)

Day 167: Kindergarten Work

June 15
Ellie brought home a file full of schoolwork from the year.  These are two of my favorites.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Day 166: Waiting Their Turn

June 14
Dress rehearsal for their recital on Saturday.

We're not allowed to record the actual performance, because they have it recorded professionally and sell the DVDs, but we can record the dress rehearsals, so here you go (mostly for the grandmas, of course).  Both girls are in the front row, Ellie on the far left and Lexi third from the left (they switch to the back and right at the end):

Day 165: Gorgeous, Dahling

June 13
The elementary school is being remodeled this summer and the teachers have to have their rooms completely emptied by tomorrow.  Lexi and Vicki went to help the counselor pack up and clean, and they came home with all kinds of fancy stuff.

Day 164: Teacher Gifts

June 12
This was our Shrinky Dinks project from the other day: bracelets for the girls' teachers.  I got the idea from Jen on Epbot, who in turn got the idea here.  As soon as I saw it I knew it would make a great teacher gift.  It may not be the classiest of jewelry (although the ones the older girls made turned out a lot more classy, and this one was apropos for a kindergarten teacher, so it's all good), but it's handmade with love, and better than another coffee mug or scented candle, right?  I want to have the girls make one for me!

Day 163: Another Field Trip

June 11
Ellie and friends at Peninsula Park's rose garden.  I had never been there before, but it's beautiful!

Day 162: Shrinky Dinks!

June 10
These things are so much fun!

Day 161: More Geocaching

June 9
We're definitely becoming addicted to this adventure!  We found this Travel Bug (the thing in Lexi's hands) in a cache near our house.

Day 160: Graduation Girl

June 8
She's pretty excited to be a first grader now.

Day 159: Honor

June 7
Vicki was selected to join the National Junior Honor Society.  She's learning that hard work pays off!

Day 158: Parade Day

June 6
Vicki and Ellie walked with their Girl Scout troops in the Junior Rose Festival Parade.  Vicki has done it every year since she was a first grader, so Ellie was thrilled to finally have her chance.

Day 157: My Dancers

June 5
Today was the talent show at the elementary school.  Lexi and Ellie and three of their friends performed the routine they'll be doing in their dance recital in a few weeks.  I was fortunate enough to be able to attend both the morning and the evening performances.  It's so much fun that the kids get to show off a little for their friends.

Day 156: Band Concert

June 4
It's a horrible picture, I know, but it's all I have.  Vicki's band had their end-of-year concert tonight.  It's really unfortunate that the music program isn't what it used to be, but I'm really grateful that she's had the opportunity to be a part of band.  She's excited to continue playing the flute next year!

Day 155: Bracelet

June 3
I don't often wear a lot of jewelry, but today I felt like putting on a bracelet.  My best friend Pamela gave me this one way back when I was pregnant with Vicki.  It's one of my favorites.

Day 154: Laundry Room

June 2
We spent the day redesigning our laundry room.  I love it!

Day 153: Happy Camper

June 1
After working HARD for 13 months, we managed to raise enough to send the 6th graders to Outdoor School for four days and three nights.  Vicki had the time of her life!

Day 152: New Toys

May 31
It's actually a little sad how excited we all are about these things.

Day 151: Everybody Loves Parfait!

May 30
Vicki is at Outdoor School and Chris is in California, so Lexi, Ellie and I splurged and went to Wendy's for dinner.

Day 150: Walking Field Trip

May 29
I joined Lexi's class on a field trip to OMSI today.  Instead of loading up buses, we walked from the school to the MAX station, then rode MAX downtown and walked across the bridge to OMSI.  I took this picture as we walked back along the Eastbank Esplanade.  I love Portland.