Father/Son Ski Day

We had planned on going skiing last Wednesday but sicknesses kept us off the slopes. Noah was the most bummed and we decided to get him out as soon as we could. Tee dropped him off to the shop and off we went for an afternoon at Alta. They have a great ski for free program on 1 lift after 3pm. The ski shop has a special rental price of $7 after 3pm as well so it doesn't break the bank. Last year we started using the "puppy leash". A 30' piece of rock climbing webbing is looped around his chest so I can control his speed. He can turn (sort of) and off we go. I thin it is a great way to start. It gives him confidence, he has a great time and he can work on his balance as well. We need to start weening him off it but for now it is a fun way to spend 1 1/2 hours. We got about 5-6 runs in before the lift closed. A number of wipe outs were had, some even resulting in skis flying in every direction. Noah thought it was a pretty funny that a ski hit him in the head. On the last run, he made it all the way down without a single crash. He even went over 3 jumps. Yes, that's "go over" not "go off of". It was a great day and Noah wants to make it a Monday tradition every week.

Late November

November has flown by. Dave got to take a group to Southern California on a dive trip. For more details read his dive shop blog at diveutahslogbook.blogspot.com. Yes I keep 2 blogs,can you believe it?

London had another birthday (funny how they keep happening). Her biggest gift was going to get her ears pierced. Summer was covering her ears in preparation for the yelling but London was very brave. (Her fear of shots is legendary.)

Thanksgiving was a blast. First Noah got sick last Saturday. That lead to Summer getting sick during the wee hours of Monday morning. Tee and Dave felt like they were getting it later on Monday. London thought so too but I think that was just to get out of school early. Turns out it hit Dave fully in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. That lead to Tee and London really getting it that night. Needless to say we really weren't in the mood to cook or eat anything on Thursday. We did go see a movie that afternoon but that was it. Thanksgiving dinner was postponed to Saturday and it was much better received that night.

Election Day

For better or worse we have had another Election Day come and go. Naturally Tee and I don't agree on many of the issues though we both are glad we could get out and vote. The part that gets old for me is the bitter campaigning and how much fear is used by both sides to try and get you to vote. It's not so much that you are voting for an issue as much as what will happen if you don't. Between the presidential election and the California Prop. 8, we heard some much garbage that I got really fed up by it.

With that in mind, here are what the kids wanted to vote for. London is voting for Family Fun, Summer is voting for Summer Fun and Noah is casting his vote for Indy.

GAP had a deal where Tee had to make a shirt to show what she wanted to vote for. She made the Family Fun shirt. She got a few extras and the kids got to make one and show it off election day. Naturally my question is-what is Indy's stand on gay marriage?

Getting Ready for Halloween

Two weeks ago we went up to Snowbird with Mindy and Ryan to ride the tram. Every year this time, they give free tram rides with a canned food donation. Last year it was snowing when we went. A little nicer this year.

We left the kids and went down to Vegas for the annual scuba trade show. We were way busier then we had planned. We brought our bikes but never got out for a ride. We spend 1 night on the strip to watch the Bellagio fountains. That is by far our favorite spot.

We have just a few days to get all the Halloween traditions in. We started with the Pumpkin Patch trip this evening. We go to a nursery that puts up a bunch of fun things this time of year. They have a few cut outs for the kids to stand behind, a few ghosts and skeletons and a small hay maze. Last year they added a pirate ship (the Black Pearl) and this year they added a few life size pirates (which are for sale at almost $2000 each).

Now here is the hard part. You see I love the idea of strolling through the pumpkin patch to find and buy the perfect pumpkin. I have fond memories of going on a Sunday drive as a child and going to some rural farm and buying our pumpkins there. The only problem is this place is a rip-off!! They want $5 for the really small decorative pumpkins and it goes up from there. We need one pumpkin each plus a few extras for school projects, like I'm going to spend $40 on pumpkins!! So off we speed to good old Walmart where they were $2 each regardless of size. I guess I am a sell out. I feel so cheap.

September and Early October

So the computer issues continued including losing all our pictures from the last year or so. Yes, we have now learned to back up. Anyway, here are a few things from the last few weeks.

London took a sewing class with some friends from school and made these lovely items. She made 2 skirts, a handbag, a pillowcase and a dress and small pillow for her doll.

Noah started his last year of preschool. He came home in the first week with a picture of his body which had to be hung in the kitchen for all to see.

Tee and Dave raced in Lotoja again. Our cousins Alan and Jon rode the whole thing (210 miles) while we took part in a relay and only did 105 miles. We were excited to drop about 20 minutes off our time plus they let us start earlier so we finished in daylight.

Predawn group picture with Jon and Alan.

Getting ready for the last 20 mile stretch.

The Tetons are getting closer!!

Tee crossing the finish line!!

Dave and the kids and Uncle Ryan did an overnight with the ward up above Heber. The kids enjoyed running around with friends all night long.

Dave went with some friends down to Zions National Park at the first of October to do a little canyoneering. They left one car at the base of the canyon in the park and then drove outside the park near the top of Mystery Canyon. They hiked in about 2 miles then started descending into Mystery. After about 1000 feet, it turns into a slot canyon with some scrambling and 10 repels ranging from 30 feet to 130 feet. The second to last repel drops you into a large pool that you have to swim out of. The last repel drops you over a waterfall into the Narrows of the Virgin River in Zion's. That is always the best because you have a crowd watching you repel down 130 wondering where you came from. Dave didn't take any pictures of the last 2 because he forgot to take the camera out of his pocket before landing in the pool. They hiked down to the shuttle bus and took that back to the waiting car at the bottom. This was the second year that they did this.

The view looking into Mystery Canyon.

One of the shorter repels.

It gets a little narrow and wet towards the end.

London had to do a project involving collecting and categorizing leaves. We went up along the Alpine Loop and found some nice ones but were about 1 week late for the peak colors. It was nice to look up at Mt. Timp which had a little snow on it from the days before.

And lastly Noah lost another tooth. Here is a funny story. We received a book called, "Dad Are you the Tooth Fairy." The kids found it and had a few questions. Naturally I told them of course I'm not the tooth fairy, where are my wings? Where would they get the idea that I'm the tooth fairy.

August

Noah's birthday started us off this month. He got quite the haul this year as Indiana Jones has started to replace pirates. Noah and Summer have both gotten very good at swimming this year and Noah got a body board to play with when we go to the Sperry pool.




We took a long Sunday drive to scope out a new bike ride. We talked with some friends about going all the way around the Oquirrah Mountains and we wanted to check it out first. Along the way we stopped at the Great Salt Lake and got our feet wet. It was salty. Actually it was on the nasty side. I guess we can scratch that off the list of places to visit.





We were excited to check out the Tour of Utah. This was a 5 day bike race that brought in some of the top US pro teams included a few guys who rode in the Tour de France. We went out on the second day and watched them climb Big Mountain (near East Canyon). We had our cowbell and cheered on the racers.







We missed 2 days of the race as we went to Bear Lake for the shop's annual Treasure Hunt/BBQ. The kids had a blast but the wind blew so hard at night that our tent was pressed against our faces.


The next morning after we got home, we went out to Tooele to see the final day of racing, a time trial.



It was pretty boring plus hard to know who was in the lead. We were rooting for a Utah native who was 30 seconds behind the leader and he caught him for the overall win.






Dave took off for a few days with some friends at the end of the month. They went up to Banff, Alberta, Canada for some golf and the Stobbe Invitational, their yearly competition. He didn't come in first but didn't come in last either. 7 guys in an RV for 5 days. You'll have to ask him for stories.



The end of the month brought the first day of school for London and Summer. London is in 3rd grade and Summer is in 1st. Noah will start in September.





The first day of school also brought some excitement at the south end of the valley. The mountain was on fire!! It was a few miles from us but sure looked impressive.

July

As soon as we got back from the Bahamas, the Smith family gathered up in Ogden for Bub and Di's blessing of Broc. It was nice to have the whole family together and we were able to get an updated family picture. (There are a lot more kids in this one!!)








We have tried to stay active this summer and one afternoon went for a hike/picnic up at Alta. The road to Secret Lake was still closed so we hiked up a bit and had a picnic dinner. The kids loved playing in some patches of snow, though it grossed Tee out since it was "old, nasty snow."





We have been losing teeth left and right. Summer has lost a few and looks like a jack-o-lantern. Even Noah got in the act and lost his first tooth.

Tee got to spend a week at Girl's Camp and Dave enjoyed playing Mr.Mom. We went to Silver Lake near Brighton one day for a hike/picnic. They have a really interesting visitor's center there. The kids enjoyed playing with the binoculars and playing "Pick the Poop". I will leave that one to your imagination.

Tee and I will often go out for short bike ride and leave the kids on their own for an hour or 2. This is what happens when the girls decide to play beauty parlor.