I love the Fourth of July!!

Independence Day is easily one of my favorite holidays. I have celebrated our great nation at the Stadium of Fire in Provo, at Lagoon on a roller coaster with fireworks going off, on a float as Delta City Miss Liberty, on the banks of the Mississippi River and at a Demolition Derby in Logan, Ohio. I love the red, white and blue, the fireworks and the food. But, my favorite place to be on the Fourth is with my family at the ranch, which has been our little family tradition since Albert was little. This year, the weather was perfect and the company was great. We had the best time.

The day started before the sun came up. My sister-in-law Misty and I took some of our kids and left the ranch at 5:00 a.m. to watch crazy small town people blow up an anvil over and over. Actually, our friend Rachelle, who cuts our hair, has told us about this event in Taylor for years. Her husband's family have been the chief anvil blower uppers (I don't know what else to call them) on the Fourth of July for four generations. We totally surprised her by showing up and it was really fun. Here is Misty, who got a chance to actually light the anvil off the ground. I crack up every time I watch this. That is me laughing in the background when the thing went off. They even have a band playing on a float that follows the anvil all over town. Hog loved it so much that we might be adding this as a tradition every year. So funny!! Thanks for being goofy with me, Mist!!

Our friend, Rachelle. Her husband, the anvil blower upper, is next to her in the flag shirt.

Hog, the boy who loves watching things blow up.

We got back to the ranch before anyone else was up so I took the opportunity to go for a run--6.75 miles of hill after hill. I loved every minute of it!

In the past few years, the crowd at the ranch has been small but this year a good part of Tim's family was there and we had a relaxing day riding the quads and Rangers, eating and sleeping. We were a little lazy and missed the parade in Heber, but that was okay.

We have a favorite spot to watch the fireworks in Heber. The crowds were large this year and even though we got there around 5:30 p.m. we had a little trouble parking. It all worked out though and no one got arrested. (There was a police officer with an orange flag who I think wanted to get his cuffs out really bad, but he didn't do it. ha!!) This is my favorite part of our Fourth of July celebration. While we waited for 9:00 to roll around, we ate hot dogs and cookies, watched the kids hike rocks and then yell down at us so they could wave, played a little catch with the softball (one of my favorite pasttimes) and just hung out. It was pure heaven in my book. I wouldn't change this for anything and luckily, Tim agrees.

Our kids were all decked out for the occasion. We made tie dye shirts for the boys and star applique shirts for the girls. See, I love red, white and blue.

In addition to her star shirt, Cupcake also had the cutest shoes, which I made with a pair of red clearance shoes from Old Navy and homemade bows, which matched the bow in her hair. I so wish they would fit her again next year!!!

Hog gets a little taste of pop rocks from his cousin.

We LOVED having Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Don join us. Especially since Aunt Marilyn remembered to bring all the stuff we forgot.

Glow stick fun.

Twin cousins who love to be together.

Bring on the fireworks!!!

I LOVE the fireworks. My sisters-in-law like to make fun of me because I "woohoo" at everything during the display but I can't help it. I love a good fireworks show. I always have and I always will and I will always show my enthusiasm. WOOHOO for the United States of America!!!!

Hog's a Coug (and his father wishes he was)!

Tim likes to take the kids on business trips with him when he can. The last trip was Hog's turn to spend a little one on one time with Dad. They made a quick trip to Utah and spent a little time at BYU.

Tim and I met in Provo in a BYU singles ward and Provo holds great memories for us. It's nostalgia city when we go back. However, Tim has never been much of a BYU lover and has always made fun of my alma mater. His family is steeped in BYU tradition with both of his parents attending. All of his siblings are graduates of BYU and all of the spouses of his siblings graduated from and/or attended BYU. He is the only one who was never a Cougar. I tell him he is just bitter because they wouldn't let him in.

So, imagine my surprise when he e-mailed these pictures to me during his trip.

Here is Hog posing with the famous "Y" in the background. Had I been there, we would have been on the mountain sitting on the "Y" posing for this picture, but the long range shot was just fine for Tim. Look closely and you will see that Hog is proudly wearing his very own BYU hat, purchased by his father a few minutes before in the bookstore. Hog also got a t-shirt to match the hat. WHAT? Is my husband coming over to the blue side after all these years?

They also bowled two games at the Wilk. Apparently, Tim did not spend enough time in this bowling alley during his Provo years because Hog legitimately beat him both games!!!

And no trip to Provo by a member of our family would be complete without a visit to The Brick Oven, which Grandpa likes to refer to as "Heaps of Pizza" or something like that. They even brought home some extra 2 liters of root beer, which is also a small and simple tradition of ours.

They had a lot of fun and Hog is still proudly wearing his hat everyday and the shirt as often as I launder it. I laugh and realize that the tradition will live on. Tim just shakes his head.

Happy Father's Day

Here is my shout out to THE DADS in my life:

MY DAD

This picture was taken in December 2005 after my Grandma's funeral. My uncle snapped this pic when we weren't looking and this is one of my favorites. The picture at the top is Dad and I riding when I was 14 or 15.

I am grateful that my dad taught me how to work hard to reach my dreams. That is what he has always done. One of my best memories of growing up is the summer when I was 14 and my dad and I worked together to brake a horse. He didn't know much about horses but had always wanted them so he did tons of research and just went for it. He bought me a pair of red ropers and we shoveled manure together, trained a colt and talked a lot. The next summer, we decided to try our hand at training me to be a barrel racer. One day we were out riding with our old neighbor Pete. I was riding Pete's spirited horse, Sunny. Sunny got spooked and starting bucking hard. I was holding on for dear life and I can still hear my dad yelling, "Ride 'em, Darla, ride 'em. " After seven or eight bucks, I was on the ground and Pete was off chasing Sunny back home. My dad was so proud of me for hanging on and that is what he has taught me: to follow my dreams, work hard and ride it out when it gets hard!!! Oh, and my goofiness comes from him, too. (And in case you are wondering, I tucked my red ropers away after that summer and I never did become a barrel racer, but I had fun trying.)

MY FATHER-IN-LAW

This picture was taken at Disneyland in January 2008. I love how Tim's dad is a kid at heart and there is no one more fun to be with at an amusement park than D-man. As a kid, he was actually at Disneyland on the day it opened, which I think is the coolest thing!!! The day after Tim and I got engaged we went to Sea World with his whole family. We were sitting in the stands waiting for a show to start and no one could find Dad. I will never forget looking down a seeing him walking to his seat eating the biggest cotton candy I have ever seen. He was oblivious to the fact that everyone was looking for him and was just enjoying himself and his cotton candy. I still crack up when I think about that scene. I couldn't ask for a better father-in-law and a better example to my husband on how to be a loving father.

THE FATHER OF MY CHILDREN

I didn't blog about Mother's Day but I will say that I spent most of the day thinking of how lucky I am to be a parent with Tim. As a dad he is the perfect balance of making sure the kids are "towing the line" and learning discipline but also showing them tons of love. He loves to be with them, especially one-on-one. Tim believes in being involved and I never feel alone in my parenting duties. He is always there to swoop in and take over when I am at the brink. I am so grateful for the way he makes up for all of my deficiencies as a parent. It sounds cliche, I know, but he really is my best friend and there is no one I would rather be on this parenting journey with.

10 Things That Happened to Me This Week...

1. I got to dig through my green trash barrel full of leaves and grass (and other things that stink) after I had the bright idea to have Hog get in the barrel and jump up and down so we could fit more leaves. (Don't let your kid do this while wearing flip flops.)
2. After I prepared my famous gourmet meal of sloppy joes (made with Manwich) that included no buns I got to hear Cupcake declare..."That was deeeeeeeeelicious."
3. I ran eight miles without stopping and loved every minute of it. I now know what a runner's high means.
4. I unlocked a new song after belting out a few High School Musical tunes on Wii Sing-It.
5. I grocery shopped by myself.
6. I got to sit at a swim meet for three hours and watch my daughter be her outgoing, social self and swim her heart out for some much loved ribbons.
7. I woke up this morning with the great feeling that I already prepared my Primary lesson.
8. I attempted to mow the lawn, but found out that all those body pump classes have not given me enough strength to pull the cord and actually get the lawn mower started.
9. I scored bigtime with some smokin' deals at Goodwill.
10. I watched my husband working and felt really grateful he gets to make money doing something he loves and enjoys.

Albert's First Book Club

Albert hosted her very first book club!! She wanted a way to stay in touch with her friends over the summer. We talked about it and came up with the idea of starting a book club. The week before school got out she passed out invitations to all the girls at school and to some friends from the neighborhood. Albert decided the book would be Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock, which I think was the perfect book. (Thanks to my friend, Robin, for the recommendation.)

For some reason, I never read Nancy Drew growing up, but I loved reading this book as much as Albert did!!

On the night of the book club Albert wore her best Nancy Drew outfit complete with a headband. For dessert she served rice krispie treats, cupcake pops (which she helped me make using directions from Bakerella and we also served at Cupcake's birthday), chocolate, Skittles and chocolate covered pretzels. Several of the guests brought treats to share as well.

I wasn't sure how the book discussion was going to go, but I decided to write down questions, which we put in a bowl and the girls took turns pulling out questions, reading them and giving their answer. I thought it was going to be hard to get them to discuss their thoughts on the book, but it was the complete opposite. I was blown away with the insights a group of nine year olds came up with. They were amazing and they spent a lot more time discussing the book than I expected.

We also played several games along the theme of the book which included a version of "Don't Eat Pete" which Albert changed to "Don't Eat Nancy." Before the party, Albert wrote down the names of several characters from the book on note cards. Each girl taped a card with a character's name on their back and they had to ask questions of the other girls to figure out who their character was. They played this several times. At the end they played "Thief in the Night" (which was really "Murder in the Dark" but I didn't want to call it that.)

Book club was an excellent opportunity for Albert to practice her planning and hostess skills. She did a great job and we both felt like the evening was a great success. I cannot even express how grateful I am that my daughter has good friends with good parents at both school and in the neighborhood. My only regret is that I forgot to take a group picture of them!!! The good news is, they voted on a new book to read...

I'll get a picture next time.

A Cupcake Birthday

Cupcake turned TWO a few days ago and we celebrated with lots of presents and of course, CUPCAKES! She was more than a little excited about having a birthday and she is still talking about all the presents she opened.

Here she is modeling the adorable apron Aunt Christin made for her. (Thanks, C!)

Next she opened the tutu that Albert made for her and added it to her birthday attire ensemble.

Blow out the candles on those cupcakes!!!!

Cupcake enjoyed chocolate cupcakes, vanilla ice cream and homemade cupcake pops made by me and Albert. The ice cream was her favorite. Yummy!!!

Here are some of my favorite pics of her from the past year.

July 2008 at the Ranch

Labor Day 2008 at the Ranch

October 2008

Halloween 2008

Christmas Morning 2008

January 2009 at Kids Rockstars Race

Valentine's Day 2009 at our cousins' V-day party

March 2009 with "Kitty"

May 2009 feeding a horse on the farm field trip

HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY, CUPCAKE!!!!

We've been busy!

The culminating events of the extracurricular activities have kept us crazy busy in the last month. I am telling you that May is the new December as far as stuff to go to and places to be is concerned. This post is mostly for grandparents near and far who love to see their grandchildren accomplishing things...but if you're curious, too, read on.

Hog finished his first basketball season, graduated from Let's Play Music by composing and performing his very own piano piece entitled "NBC" (I have it on video but blogger wouldn't let me upload...I am e-mailing it to the grandma's though.) and is now officially moving on to second grade.

LPM Graduate!

Goodbye First Grade. Yeah!!!

Snausage graduated from preschool for the second time (we are so proud!) and is gearing up to go to school everyday next year. He also had a fun season playing soccer. His favorite game of the year was played completely in the rain. He had the best attitude.

Snausage will miss Ms. Nicole!!!

Farm Fieldtrip

A horrible soccer picture, but people, it's all I got. He does look enthusiastic, though.

Albert, our little over-achieving child, played the piano beautifully at her recital, took first place in the poetry recitation contest and the creative writing contest at school, participated in her very first dance recital (LOVED having Aunt Misty as her teacher!), and finished the school year with an "O" in handwriting, something she has been striving for for two years!

Albert and Aunt Misty

On to fourth grade.

Cupcake's extra-curricular activities have included, dumping several cups of sugar all over the kitchen and smearing half a tube of foundation all over her body...in a one hour period. Since she can't crawl out of bed anymore, she has also mastered the art of taking off her diaper and proudly declares, "I did it by myself." Her greatest accomplish lately seems to be that she has put it in stone for her parents that she is the youngest child in this family!

Sugar and snot...Yummy!!!!!

Oh, and this is what Tim does with the camera while we are attending all these functions!

Wow, you made it to the end of this very long post. In the words of Cupcake, "Good job." I am resolving to put "stuff" on here more often. Tim tells me I have been slacking, that people really do read this blog and that he likes to read what is going on in our family, so I even have some goals to revamp "Small and Simple Things" a little this summer. Come back.

Is this my hairstyle?

I saw this on a blog I lurk on. Give it a try and see what hairstyle you are. I think my result is kind of funny.

You Are Pigtails

You are fun loving, sweet, and cute. You radiate happiness and pure joy. Your idea of style is wearing the things you love most. And you love colorful, happy things. At your best, you are optimistic and open hearted. You find the good in everything. At your worst, you refuse to grow up. You are very prone to daydreaming and fantasizing.

What Hairstyle Are You?

Miss Independent

I am a mom who values independence in her children. It starts from day one of their lives when I put them to sleep in the crib. None of our kids ever slept in a bassinet or in our room. They always started out in the crib in their own bedroom. They learned to soothe themselves to sleep because in my quest to raise independent children I never rocked them to sleep. I rocked them to read books or sing songs but never to go to sleep. There is no doubt that I enjoy watching my kids learn to do things on their own.

However, my desire to teach my children independence was reigned in a few nights ago. Tuesday night I finally got the kids to bed and settled down on the couch for a much needed break. Fifteen minutes later, Cupcake came walking in to the family room and proudly announced, "I did it all by myself." What she "did" was crawl out of her crib. She had never done that before and I guess she wanted me to rejoice in her independence with her. Tim and I spent the next hour in the pattern of putting her back in her crib only to have her get out again two minutes later. Somehow, we finally got her to stay and go to sleep. As we were going to bed that night, I told Tim that life as we have known it just ended.

At one o'clock in the morning, we both awoke to a loud thud across the hall and then looked up to see our little 23 month old princess by our bedside. Even in the middle of the night she wanted to exert her new found freedom. We reluctantly put her in bed with us knowing the pattern would just be repeated and had a lovely night with our little girl sleeping horizontally between us rolling back and forth and kicking. UGH!

When morning came, Tim and I promptly got on line and ordered the Cozy Crib Tent. Apparently, we are foregoing the independence thing on this one. I am not ready for the four hour afternoon naps to end and Tim and I are both ready for a good nights sleep again. Independence lost out on this one but sleep will be gained by all parties involved.

Cupcake and The Princess Tent

Butterfly Central

A few weeks ago, we got to see the amazing process of a small caterpillar growing, moving into a cocoon, and emerging as a butterfly. Snasauge brought four caterpillars home from preschool and one evening all six of us were actually home together getting ready for dinner and we all gathered around and watched a butterfly leave his cocoon. It was total excitement around here. Even Tim and I were amazed by this process. One of our caterpillars died before he reached his cocoon and two of them came out of the cocoon with "special needs" (i.e. bent wings). We had them in Mason jars and I think they didn't have enough room to "spread their wings" and pump the blood once they came out. I truly felt bad about that.

Ms. Nicole, Snausage's preschool teacher, had to go out of town for the weekend and she let us "babysit" all of her cocoons while she was gone. In the span of two days, we got to watch 15 more butterflies enter the world. (I have to admit that I was a bit surprised and a little grossed out by how much blood came with the butterflies. The butterfly home was kind of disgusting by the end of the weekend.)

Sunday afternoon we let four of the butterflies go. Snausage took the rest back to preschool and released them with his class. Every butterfly we see outside now is one of "our" butterflies. We are so glad we got to see this fantastic process first hand.