Train table

Our kids have a lot of toys. So much that we can't have them all in the toy room at the same time. We cycle their toys every once in a while. This time around the kids asked to bring the train table back out. The boys were extremely excited. As soon as I gave them the go ahead, they had at it. 

Owen ran upstairs when they were done. They had made a track all by themselves and they couldn't have been more proud. They continued to drive the trains and cars up and down the rest of the day.

Lip gloss

One of the surprised in Gabbi's emoji purse was a pick lip gloss. While the older kids were at school William came across it and decided to put some on. He did such a great job...don't ya think.

That stuff is crazy. Even after washing it off, it still seemed like it was still there. It was a stubborn lip gloss.

New fish

After the play date, the one remaining fish didn't survive. I cleaned out the tank and brought it upstairs to be in the kitchen to avoid another accident.

Since we had to move the tank we decided to re-due it. We replaced the rocks for pebbles. It looked nicer and they are a lot easier to clean. Sadly I think I'm done with fish. We've lost 7 fish already and we have no idea why.

Since we re-did the tank we might as well put some fish in it. We took the kids to the pet store and looked for fish that we might be able to keep alive. We went with gold fish that can live in colder waters. We won't have to use the heater anymore which is what we thought was the problem. They each picked a fish and headed home.

When we got home we put the fish in their new home. Hopefully they will last longer then the first set.

BIG mess

I love that our kids have friends that they can play with, but when it come to the clean-up...it's not my favorite. 

After a play date this is what I came down stairs to. It was like a hurricane came through. The worst of all being the fish tank. Owen had made a wand at a field trip and the top, which was made out of marshmallow clay, had dissolved in the water.

The toy room wasn't as bad, but there were still a ton of toys out.

Once the friends left the boys and I did our best to clean up the mess as quickly as possible before having to go pick up Gabbi from school.

Open house

24 hours came and went really fast and it was time for her open house. We hurried and ate dinner, cleaned it up, and got ready for her guests to arrive.

As her guests came Gabbi was happy to sit down and be the center of attention. The first gift she opened was from Grandma Annie. She gave her a beaded bracelet set and a jewelry box that she could decorate. She looked at me and said that she no longer had to keep her earrings in my jewelry box anymore and smiled.

She then opened a skip it and some treats from Jana and Scott.

Afterwards she opened one from Megan. She also got her a bracelet set. This one being a glow in the dark one. She said she couldn't wait to have a bracelet party.

The next one she opened she was to happy to see that she got some nail polish and a really cute shirt from Christina and Brandon's family.

After all the gifts it was finally time for cake. We brought out the cake and everyone sang Happy Birthday. She excitedly blew out the candle and then headed in the kitchen to help me to slice it up and hand it out.

After all was said and done we cleaned up and the kids got ready for bed. Right before we laid them down we heard a knock on the door and Gabbi had one more guest. It was Melissa and her daughter. She was happy to see another friend come and wish her a happy birthday. She found an emoji purse stuffed with treats and a BFF necklace. 

She had an awesome day and a great time at her party.

Birthday cake

The celebrations kept coming. It was now time to get ready for her open house. She asked for a Lego cake. She wanted something fun with Lego's on it.  It wasn't as fun as she was hoping, I made it slightly simple, but then she got to put her Lego girls on it. I let her pick out what she wanted and she did just that. She she even helped me decide when to place them. She said she was happy with the end result, so I was happy with it.

Now that it was done, all she had to do was wait.

Birthday dinner

Since her birthday was on a Sunday we couldn't do our tradition of going out to dinner on her actually birthday. She didn't mind though, she was glad we had another reason to celebrate her big day.

Gabbi decided that she wanted hamburgers again even though we had them for Sunday's family dinner. She had her pick of anywhere and she chose to go to Burger King. I'm pretty sure she did it for the play place, but it was her choice. The boys were happy about her choice as well. They all ate so fast. They were done in a blink of an eye and were off playing.

Still can't believe she's 9.

Family birthday dinner

The big day finally came and she was so excited. Not only was it her birthday dinner but they actually landed on the same day.

She woke up and got ready for church happily, knowing she was going to have an awesome day. At church all her friends wished her a happy birthday and she was on cloud 9 with all the attention.

When we got home she couldn't wait for everyone to get there. She asked Ben and I to make hamburgers for dinner and strawberry shortcake for dessert. She was jumping on and off the walls till it was time to start.

After dinner she begged to open presents, we made her wait just a little while longer. She came up every 10 minutes or so asking if we were going to finally get started. To put us and everyone else out of their misery to hear her begging, we finally let her open her presents. 

She first started with a card from her cousins. They all had colored her a picture. She said she would hang them on her wall when all was said and done.

Next she opened the gift from Ben and I. We got her the Lego Horse Vet Trailer set. She was a little disappointed that it wasn't the Horse Stable, but she was still excited to be able to put it together.

Then she opened the gift from Mom and Dad and was really happy to see that she did get the Horse Stable after all.

Then last but not least she opened the gifts from Jenny's family and Jeff's family, they went in on a few different sets for the puppy ones that she already had. She was on Lego lala land.

When she was done she went around the room and gave everyone hugs and said thank you. When she was done we all went into the kitchen for dessert. She was so happy when they all sang to her. It was a great ending to a perfect day.

April Sagez get together

After getting home early from Lagoon we hung at home till it was time to leave for our next activity; the April Sagez get together.

This time around Grandma Sagez planned it all. She planned the meal and hosted it at her house. She was so excited for all of us to gather at her place. When we got there the kids were excited to see their cousins and ran off to play with them. We stood around, visited, and watched for a little bit. 

When everyone got there the kids were surprised by an Easter egg hunt that Grandma Deann put together. The kids were given bags and told to wait on the porch till they were given the go ahead. You could tell they were animals chomping on the bits. They couldn't wait. Once they were given the go ahead, they ran like crazy. They each got to find 6 regular eggs and one giant egg with their name on it. As icing on the cake Grandma and Grandpa also through candy all over the yard as pretty much a free for all. They all had a blast.

When the hunt was over we all went inside for dinner. Grandma made a Thanksgiving dinner and we all brought some sides to go with it. We were all impressed by how Grandma did it all and were happy to make it happen. Even the kids loved the meal, they all ate it up.

After we were done eating we sat and visited for a while, sadly not very long. Some of us had to get going, but before everyone dispersed, some had presents for Gabbi. They weren't able to make it to her party, but wanted to make sure she knew she was still loved.

She was happy and excited to rip open her gifts and to find a weaving kit and a few My Life accessories. She wanted desperately to open them, but it was time to help clean and head out.

Lagoon

They have been open since the end of March, but this was our first offical visit to Lagoon. It was a special day too. We went for Gabbi's birthday and they were all excited to be going.

When we first got there we of course had to go get our pictures taken for our season passports. I was surprised how quickly  it went. It was a lot more organized then last year as well which is why it went so quickly. Once we were done we headed inside the park.

We first headed into kiddie land. The first ride that all of the kids could agree on was the Jumping Dragon. As much as the kids love that ride, it is starting to get to me. I can stand going forward like the Merry-Go-Round, but when they start to go backwards, that's when I'm ready to get off. It's a good thing its one ride that they don't ask to go on again and again.

Sadly though they didn't get their spinning fix and had to go ride the Tipsey Tea Cups. Luckily Gabbi isn't strong enough to get it really going. She tries her hardest though.

After the Tea Cups we tried to get the kids to go on the Odysea, but that was a  no go. We then took them over to Bulgy the Whale. We thought that they had gotten rid of it because they put two new rides where it used to be. They just moved it else where in kiddie land. It even got a new paint job. The kids were excited to see that it was new and improved and even more so that there was no line.

Then yet again, we had to go to another spinning ride. We walked over to the Dragonfly and the kids waited in line. I went around to get a good spot to take their pictures, but maybe I shouldn't have. The next thing I know William and Owen are pouting. They got out of line and when they came back Ben wouldn't let them get back in line with Gabbi. William then decided "fine, I won't ride" and Owen reluctantly got in the back of the line. The temperaments of children drive me crazy.

Once all the temper tantrums were over, we continued our day and headed over to the Scamper. The one ride that they can ride over and over and not get sick of it. That's exactly what we did, they did.

We finally were able to pull them off and walked over to the Merry-Go-Round. Finally a ride that we all enjoy. Even though we are no longer kids, its nice to be able to act like a kid every once in a while.

After so many kiddie rides Gabbi was begging to ride some more exciting ones. Her and Ben headed to more adult rides while the boys and I stayed in Kiddie land. 

Their first ride was the Wild Mouse. They waited in line forever. Gabbi of course said it was worth the wait. I'm not sure Ben felt the same.

When they were done they walked over to get a drink and Gabbi wanted to check our some of the animals before headed back to join us, so they hopped on the train to check the rest of them out. 

While they were enjoying their time, the boys and I had some of our own. We first stopped at the Sky Fighter. I think the boys only like this ride because of the space guns they get to shot while riding. Every time they came around the bend they both tried to shoot me. Hopefully I shouldn't be worried by that.

They obviously didn't get their flying fix and headed to ride the Helicopter next. The only bad part about this ride was the boys fighting over which one to ride in. It doesn't matter how many times we rides rides, the kids still don't understand that they don't always get to pick which cart they are in.

Our next ride was the Red Barron. Again they fought over red and white. Once they were on the ride they fought over who got to control the plane; whether to go up or down. I was getting sick of this and just crossing my fingers that Ben would be here soon.

I had finally had enough and decided to spoil William a little bit. I'm pretty sure I did it just to make him mad, but I was done with him thinking that everything gets to go his way. William and I went and got in line at the Baby Boats. Owen of course was furious and walked off. At least I could still see him.

While William and I were waiting for his turn on the boats, Owen decided to help himself to a ride. I wasn't very happy about it, but I wasn't going to pull William out of line just to yell at my son for walking off. At least he didn't look very happy. He knew that he was in trouble and wasn't enjoying his last ride of freedom.

Ben and Gabbi finally joined us again and I was done. We then started walking to the the entrance gates to leave. Maybe next time they won't be fighting over the dumbest things and we could stay longer.

Date Night at the Symphony

That night Ben and I had date night. We were able to get some symphony tickets at a great price. We only had to pay taxes on the tickets. It was awesome. We both couldn't wait.

We dropped the kids off at Mom and Dad's and we headed to Salt Lake. We decided to eat in Salt Lake so we would have plenty of time once we got there. Traffic is always a worry when you head into Salt Lake, but luckily traffic wasn't too bad. We decided to do fast food anyways because we still weren't sure where we were going or where parking would be available. We didn't want to be late. If I had known the hardest part was finding parking, I would have suggested parking and then walking someplace to get a bite to eat then walking to the symphony hall. We ended up speed walking to make sure we go to our seat before the show started.

We made it with only 5 minutes to spare. Both of us were very excited for the show to start. It was "Night with the Spy". They were playing songs from Spy movies like 007, Mission Impossible, Pink Panther, North bu Northwest, and Austin Powers. Some of the songs even had a vocalist. It was such a great show. I wish they would have sold a CD from the nights performance. I would have purchased it in a heartbeat. It was a great performance. Both of us loved it.

With the end of the show, we headed back to the van and headed home to pick up the kids.

Gabbi's fun run

When I first heard about the fun run and the actual scheduled event, I was happy that I would get to cheer on the kids as they participated. With a second look at the schedule I realized that I would only be able to attend one, Owen's. Gabbi's was scheduled during the Kindergarten field trip.

Gabbi was sad that I wasn't able to go watch her so I asked her teacher if she wouldn't mind snapping a few photos on her phone for me.

When Gabbi got home, she was excited to show me her T-shirt and tell me how she actually ran more then the 35 laps. She ran over 50. She said she had a great time too.

I asked her teacher about the photos and she said she took some, sadly none of them had Gabbi in them : (. I wasn't to happy about that. At least Gabbi was happy that she got to participate and that she did a great job exceeding her lap goals.

Treehouse

Friday was the day of the fun run for the rest of the school and a field trip for the Kindergartners. 

I didn't realize that I had volunteered to go on the field trip and felt bad when I had to tell Gabbi I couldn't watch her and cheer her on while she ran. When I dropped her off, I told her good luck and then headed to drop William off with Nana so I could meet the bus at the Treehouse Museum. 

I got there at least 15 minutes before they did. That surprised me considering I had to drop William off. When they did get there, the kids ran off the bus so excited to explore the Museum.

When we got inside they had everyone head into their stage area to give them some instructions. We were told that we would be separated into 3 groups and do some rotations before being released to play in the Museum.

Our group headed to the Craft room. The kids were making their own magic wands out of sticks and marshmallow clay. They picked a marker and colored their clay. Once they got the color they wanted they molded it on top of the stick. Once they got the shape they wanted, they placed it in a box tray to dry. When all the kids were done, we headed to the next rotation.

Our next rotation was back to the stage and where they had the kids sat down to hear about the Play they were about to be a part of.

The worker in charge told the kids they were going to be in a play that had a king, a princess, and many towns people that all had a role in the play. The king was looking for a suitor for his daughter. The first one who could make his daughter laugh won the hand of the fair princess.

The worker asked for volunteers to fill all the roles needed. Owen volunteered and was made to be a brother. They dressed him in his costume and waited to find out what he was supposed to do. 

When it was time he went on stage and acted out what the storyteller was saying. He did a pretty good job and was having fun with it. The grin on his face proved that. He was even more excited when he got to go up on stage a second time for an even bigger part. My little actor.

When the play was over, we headed to our third and final rotation; the story time rotation. Here they got to hear fairy tales that they may or may not have ever heard before. Not to mention that some stories have different versions depending on where your at. This the kids found pretty interesting. The only bad part was the mic the story teller had wasn't working very well and you couldn't hear everything he was saying. Sadly at this point the kids just wanted to go play. 

When we were done with story time they were given the go ahead to go play. The teachers encourages us parent volunteers to keep track of all the kids we were in charge of. That made me laugh. This is the worst place for that. None of them wanted to do the same thing. I tried my best, but not 5 minutes went by when they were all off on their own or with another classmate not in our group. As long as I could see them every 5 to 10 minutes or so, I didn't care. They had a worker on the door, so they couldn't leave without being noticed. Luckily when it was time to go, all three that I was in charge of was there and accounted for.

When given the go ahead, Owen went to the train section. He could have stayed there forever if I had let him. He loves those table. I wish he'd play with ours like that.

It took me a while, but I finally pulled him away from the train tables and we wandered around the Museum. We stopped in the music room, the toy room, and at the Dinosaur exhibit. In each area he had fun exploring and see what each room had to offer. None of which peeked his interest as the train table.

We then ventured to the top floor and found ourselves in the medieval era. They had all sorts of things you would find in times of kings. One of which was Excalibur. Owen pulled and pulled, but it never budged. He was bummed. We then spotted the giant Chess game and decided to play.

I told him how to play and the different moves each piece could make. He did pretty good catching on. I of course made it easy for him, I'm just glad he was having fun.

Half way through our game it was time to go. Luckily the three kids I was in charge with were all in the medieval room and I grabbed them all and headed back down to the stage room. The workers thanked us for coming to play and then released us to head to the bus. The kids ran to the bus excited to get back on. That was half of the fun from a field trip. I told Owen I'd meet him at school once I had picked up William and said goodbye.

I don't know why I volunteered for this one. Honestly I don't remember signed up for this one. I think I was on a generic list to help out if needed. I wish I hadn't. This one was a crazy one to keep track of the kids.