Yow!

You know how your kids go through weirdo phases and you keep meaning to take a picture and then forget and they have grown out of it? Grown out of it's quirky and endearing silliness? And you kick yourself for not getting a picture of them wearing their favorite shirt for the umpteenth day in a row or falling asleep in strange positions or their fascinations with passing crazy fads?

Well, this time, I remembered. Back before we went on a big break from eating out, Steve had taken the girls to Chick-fil-A and while we usually trade the toy/book/CD for ice cream (who wouldn't - ice cream instead of clutter - I am so there) this time they kept the plastic toy cows. Toy cows that came with stickers to decorate and dress the cow. Umkay... We had 3 kids so 3 cows. I am pretty sure one made it to the trash can before the night even ended.

But Kate immediately became attached to said cow. Except Kate isn't our talker, let's just say that. So the cow became "Yow." Yow went everywhere with her for over a month. Sleep. Eat. Play. Car. Zac's house. Everywhere. If we didn't have Yow we were in big trouble and we frequently had desperate searches for cow, er, Yow.

Sleeping with Yow... (and Barney and Puppy and Baby and...you get the idea)

Feeding Yow chicken nuggets and bananas...

Going out on the town with Yow...(and "dap-dap" = backpack)

Right now I couldn't tell you where Yow is. But I will forever be grateful I remembered to get a few pics of Yow before this cute little phase ended.

The bathoom is (pretty much) done! But the Kitchen isn't.

It's Done!!! ('cept for the faucet, shower curtain, personality...that sort of thing...)

We all LOVE LOVE LOVE how the bathroom came out. Took a few weeks off and on to get it all done but was worth it.

Our kids/guest/hall bathroom before shots

In Progress...

Read more about the whole process HERE at Tuesdays with Molly!

Ski Trip

When your blog is hopelessly behind, why not start with something that reminds of a cooler time, say, a ski trip?

Thanks, nice skiing guy, but this picture is a little blurry...

I used to ski. A lot. I learned as a teenager in Oregon and then living in Provo I skied some more. I thought my skiing days were over when I married a non-skier and moved to Arizona 10 years ago and figured I needed to be wealthy to take ski vacations out of state. I had always wanted to ski with my kids and this year, I decided to give it a shot. Arizona Snowbowl in Flagstaff, about 3 hours north of us, was a great place to start. I planned a little getaway during spring break and my girls didn't know until Sunday afternoon that we would leave the next morning. I booked a hotel and enrolled them in ski school. Sure, it was the end of the season, spring conditions, but that made the weather more tolerable for the first timers.

The snow bunnies excited to get going

I was nervous about it being just me and two non skiers - that is why I decided to do ski school for them. Just a half day lesson would be enough to get them started and accustomed to basic techniques and learn how to get on and off a lift.

Lindsay's small group lesson turned into a private lesson and she had the best time and really took to it like a fish to water. You couldn't wipe the grins off her face. She learned all about pizza (snowplow wedge) and french fries (parallel) and "skis to the trees."



Caroline was having a harder time. First, her class was a little bigger than Lindsay's lucky private lesson. Second, the instructor changed part way thru and the second guy was not terribly patient with the 5-6 year olds. She said he was mean. :( But she was brave and kept going and going. I never did get a picture of her in class.

While they took their lessons I went by myself to ski the upper bowl. I was a bit nervous - it had been over 10 years since I had been on a black diamond! I rode the lift with a guy from Phoenix who travels a lot to ski and he reassured me that a black diamond at Snowbowl was like a blue in Utah. The view from the top was pretty.

Our first day was a gorgeous sunny day. Look at that happy girl - she loved every second of it.

Back at our hotel we swam in the pool and had a slumber party eating rainbow Twizzlers.

Day 2 was a little more chilly. We had to bust out the beanies. Caroline was a trooper and ready to try again. She was frustrated that she wasn't doing so well but I was proud of her for trying and trying again. As we were on the lift, we looked down at the snowboard classes and I said "I could have enrolled you in snowboard school - but you would spent ALL your time on your booty."

Navigating the lodge stairs in ski boots is definitely a skill that requires a little work.

OK, maybe I am too much of a party mom. Day 2 lunch in the lodge cafe. At home my kids eat broccoli, drink their milk, eat fish, and have fruit as snacks. So when the lodge has options like nachos and fries and cheddar cheese Ruffles and sprite, who am I to say no?

I spent a lot of time with Caroline on the beginning beginner hill and Lindsay rode the lift herself with us and on the advanced beginner hill. After a while I was able to get Caroline to the top of the advanced beginner hill and got a little video of them on the trail off the lift that bypasses the "upper bowl" and drops you off at a more tolerable spot on the hill. Not the greatest but a time I actually remembered to shoot one.

Don't be alarmed - this is just how we finished our day on the mountain. Caroline bit it hard and I think that crashing on her face didn't help. She cried, saying "I am all done skiing!" and stood up, took her skis off, and started walking to the lodge. We had made quick friends during our two day trip with the locker attendant he thought Caroline should go visit the ski patrol office to get checked out. She was fine. Just tired. And done skiing.

I am so proud of my little big girls for trying something new. I am excited to take them again next winter/spring. Lindsay is super excited to go again. Caroline says she is "kind of" excited. I think the second time around will be a lot better for her.

Run Wild!

Another in our family running adventures - Run Wild at the Phoenix Zoo back at the end of March. A 5k for mommy and a "Kid's k" for the kiddos. A 5k is only 3 miles so a run on the shorter side for me but the girls have been bit by running bug so an event like this is great for everyone. It was early, yes, but after we were able to spend the morning at the zoo and saw tons of animals up close - early mornings are when they are at their most visible. A super fun day for all of us!

Pinning the race bib on a sleepy participant.

Gosh, I look so serious. Just putting in ear buds, that is all.

Two little runners getting ready for their "Kid's k" race.

If they have sunglasses on, they are the Simpson Girls!

And finishing the race - I stayed about 15 feet behind the girls so they could cross the finish by themselves. They loved the table of snacks for the runners - fruit and muffins and stuff.

Off to see animals - running the race meant early admission to the zoo and early mornings are the best time to see animals!

GREAT views of the lions...and I don't have a camera with telephoto lens! (yet...)

Rhinos...

Orangutans...

Turns out we were there to celebrate Dutchess' 50th birthday - the oldest Orangutan in captivity in the US. Lindsay fell in love with Orangutans during this visit and decided this would be the topic of her upcoming animal report - her big research report for the end of 3rd grade.

I don't know about these critters. This must have been when Caroline was sprinting from exhibit to exhibit - I don't think she wanted the race to be over.

Isn't the monkey walk-thru a cool exhibit?

After we went to the YUM-O Joe's Farm Grill. Tasty as always.

We ate outside under the citrus trees and it was lovely. The place was packed though - they were celebrating "Diners Drive-Ins and Dives" - the Food Network show that featured Joe's, and were featuring recipes that were shown on the show. I love the BBQ chicken pizza - tons of fresh basil, so good.

Anyway, we don't get a lot of days like this, where we can just play on a saturday, so this was definitely one to remember. Because soon our Saturdays would be spent digging up and fixing our sprinkler and drip irrigation system. Yea us.

Utah - BYU

Disclaimer - I whole slew of my pictures are being held hostage in Steve's laptop so for now, our vacation pictures will be out of order. Like you care. But just so you know I am not bonkers...

After we said goodbye to the Southern Simpson's on Tuesday morning, following the wedding festivities and family fun, we decided to spend the day in Provo. First we had a pit stop to University Mall. Caroline desperately wanted to go to Claire's at the mall and buy a fingerless glove to wear on one hand. Strange? Have you met Caroline? She found a turquoise blue fishnet number that fit the bill perfectly. Now that THAT is done...

We went to BYU to spend the rest of the day. We brought our bikes and rode around campus a bit. You technically are supposed to ride to campus and park your bike but it was spring term and so little people were on campus so we could ride around a lot.

We ate at the Cougareat. Daddy read the Daily Universe. I marveled at the cost of the food. Can students really afford to eat there??

We all got new BYU shirts at the bookstore. (And candy from the candy counter, of course.) It took us SO long to pick out 5 t-shirts! And what is a trip to the BYU bookstore without running into someone you know? Steve was watching a family shop for t-shirts like us and kept saying to me "I swear that is Allison so and so" and after about 30 minutes he asked and sure enough, it was Allison. Someone from the stake where he grew up in South Carolina. Small world!

The campus was SO green and Kate loves to wear her panda bear bike helmet.

In the Math Building where Steve spent a lot of time back in the day, we found this model of "Po" from Kung Fu Panda. Turns out a BYU student was the lead designer of Po in the CGI animation for the movie. Lindsay loves math, loved the (snoozefest) math building, and did her best Kung Fu pose for me.

While Lindsay was posing with the panda, I spied this precious moment. I don't know what they were doing or talking about but I appreciate catching these tender moments between sisters.

Steve pointed out that he may have chosen a better shirt to wear at BYU...maybe not a UNC Tarheels shirt!

Riding across campus...

Cute cruisers with cuter girlies

We went to the Bean Life Science Museum. Steve had never been there. For reals? Never seen the stuffed lions and zebras and cases of bugs and taxidermy?

How often can you get this close to ROAR with a lion?

In this case is a mosaic of a butterfly. Made entirely of butterflies. I asked Caroline to do her best butterfly impression. (Since I knew I had that awesome pose of Lindsay as Po.)
Please note Caroline's awesome fingerless turquoise blue fishnet glove on her right hand...and one of her favorite t-shirts - a kitty named Spike.

We finished the night with dinner at Wallaby's in Lindon. A place we used to love before we moved away. Big hunks of pulled pork, their own BBQ sauces, slices of grannie sycamore bread, garlic mashed potatoes, and green salad just the way Steve likes it - nothing fancy. And Kate sacked out.

Then it was off to cousin Cheri's house in Highland. We were able to reconnect with several members of Steve's extended family at a BBQ on Memorial Day. We were trying to work out where we would stay after we all checked out of the vacation rental we had with all the Simpson's. (That is how we roll - we rarely have firm plans when we travel.) When Cheri heard me mention we were waiting on an email about a cabin rental she insisted we stay with her and her husband Chuck, and daughter Mallory, and pug Ziggy. They made us all feel right at home and we were able to use their home as our base as we would head out for daily adventures of biking and hiking and playing. And Kate and Ziggy were head over heels for each other.