finally a photo of me & this is what I get.

I was going through E's photos from the trip. I didn't even realize he had taken this...can you tell. It was taken while we were camping in Moab. I must have been checking my email....and, obviously chewing on my lip. K was exhausted from all of the traveling. Isn't he sweet! Notice how white the front of my leg is...you should have seen the backs...nice & crispy. E *made* me buy a skirt & a t-shirt the following day. pfft. I can't believe that he *made* me go shopping. I lead a rough life! :)







This photo cracks me up. The kids are on their bunk in the trailer...they are watching tv, (J has allergies & he is always licking when he sniffs...maybe he's trying to catch any drips that maybe there...who knows when it comes to this boy). Yes, we "roughed it". Internet access, cable, laundry facilities, shower in the trailer AND in a public restroom, swimming pool. It really is the only way to camp with kids and a baby. Prior to having children, we made fun of people that camped in trailers. We used to pull off next to a stream & set up camp...or hike in. Maybe in a few years...I'm ok with trailer camping. For now.

Best friends

M & J truly are best friends. It makes my heart melt & my eyes swell when I see these two together. They started playing with their shadows on this fence & M made a heart for her brother.

Miss M

My beautiful girl. She made a big step on our vacation. She made it TWO weeks without her pink cowgirl boots. I found this hat, (in Moab), so that she would have something "cowgirl-ish" to wear on our trip. Well, that's what I told her anyhow. It was actually for sun protection. :)

Quote of the Day

"Once I could put my tongue up my nose...it was a one time show."
~Moriah Nielsen

Canyonlands

Canyonland pictographs






Look closely & you can see the road that we were on.... It doesn't look scary in the photo, but TRUST ME!

I was impressed with the Canyons. E was not. He saw the canyons & the testosterone kicked in. "She...do you want to go off-roading?". Sure. I don't mind off-roading. So, we get to the start of the "trail" & I say, "um...this isn't what I signed up for...you said 'off-roading'...not 'off-cliffing". He was taking our family straight down a cliff with some intense switchbacks. He had to make 3 point turns at some of the switchbacks. Keep in mind...I used to rock climb & repel. I'm not afraid of heights. That all changes when all three of your babies are in the vehicle & you've been driving down a cliff for 2hrs. It doesn't look as intense in these photos...but E admitted later that he had to keep his eyes on the hood of his truck & the road in front of him so that he stayed calm. The kids & I were SO HAPPY to reach the bottom. When we did...we were greeted by the beauty of the Colorado river. We continued on our way & stopped at some petroglyphs. I enjoy seeing a part of our past today. I was dismayed to see the vandalism tho.... Next to the petroglyphs were marks of "JimBob was here" or "Susie loves Johnny". Seriously people?
I could go on & on about how great this entire trip was! We got to see our great friends & their kiddos. All of the kids played so well together. Summer & I got facials. Oh! WOW! I was a little nervous because I have such sensitive skin. Everything was heavenly! The spa is called Journeys End http://www.journeysendspa.com/ . I left with a bag full of goodies for my hair & skin. I think that I found a new addiction! They carry Bumble & Bumble products. Yay! This was a nice treat after my "near death experience". hehe.
Art & Summer also took us to a yummy BBQ restaurant called GoodWood. GoodWood was good. Well, it was actually great! E & I are both usually good at knowing our limits when it comes to food. We both left feeling like we had just eaten Thanksgiving dinner. It was so yummy tho!
It was so good to spend time with my family. We camped in our new trailer. Played games after swimming in the camp pool. Not having an itenerary was nice. No where to be. No phones ringing....
We also got a puppy on the way home...He will get his own post later tho...photos & all!

I wish that Thank You was enough

for the sacrifices that our Veterans & their families have made for us! We were amazed at how patriotic Utah is! Summer, (our gracious hostess) had told us that they are VERY patriotic, but it was great to see all of the flags. We lost count at 54, (in the Lehi area). I took so many flag photos...but this one is one of my favorites. Old Glory standing tall....

Beautiful Creation

Devils Garden.














This walk was worth the blistering sunburn...luckily, I remembered to re-lather the sunscreen on the kids...no burns for them. :)

In the midst of the sandstone were beautiful signs of life.












This was the view from our campsite

Just a silly shot through the window while traveling....
We're back from our wonderful vacation! We had a fabulous time! Of course, I have TONS of photos...so I will post in several different blogs. I just went through some of the photos from the beautiful scenery. We were all constantly in awe of Gods beautiful creation. E & I loved that the kids never tired of the changing scenery. We were also impressed at how well they traveled! We had a couple of 9hr days & K would tire of his carseat by the end of the day. The big kids were seated on either side of him & they would start acting silly & make him giggle. The most impressive of our scenery were the Wasatch Mountains (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasatch_Range) & (of course) Arches National Park in Moab. Moab was a fun little town. E & I love FOOD! For us, vacation is totally about the food. We found a wonderful brewery called Eddie McStiff's. Who could pass up dining at a place with a name like that? http://www.eddiemcstiffs.com/ The kids favorite part was the house magician, Rick. Rick was a definate bonus to the great food & brews. He kept us all entertained while we waited for the great grub. Over a course of three different visits (yes, it's that good), we tried several different dishes. All being delish! I don't drink very often, but when I do, I prefer a good, dark brew. No froo froo drinks or wine for me. So, I decided that I couldn't resist a beer called Captain Bastard's Oatmeal Stout. Yum! It was dark & smooth. I tried the Polygamy Porter a few nights later. Not as great. Probably because it's a bit lighter & more of an Ale. I would have taken a photo of the beers if I had my camera with me. Between the great food & the magician, M kept asking to eat at "Stiffies". Anyhow, here are a few photos of the scenery...I'll have to include the Canyonlands photos in another post...that's a story in itself...AND I lived to tell about it! Notice the photo of the "neighborhood". That's actually the view as we're driving into the town of Eagle Mountain. It seemed so random to us that we were driving along & all of a sudden we come upon a town. As Summer said, "Very 'Leave it to Beaverish'". It totally is!

Wow. What a day!

I spent the morning trying to make sure that I have all orders placed so that they are direct shipped, or ready to go before I leave for vacation...we're STILL fighting colds, (everybody except me), so I took the boys to the doctors this afternoon. They had back to back appts, but they couldn't be seen by the same doctor...whatever...J had 2 strep cultures...both negative, but the PA wanted to be sure because his throat looks funky. She thinks that his allergies are just really bad. So, she revamped his allergy meds. He is all chapped around his lips & keeps licking it (DRIVING ME NUTSO). She said that is turning into a bacterial infection. So, one would think that she would prescribe antibiotics. Nope. She suggested putting an antifungal on it & put diaper rash ointment over that. Did I mention that it's right above his lip & he keeps licking it already? She said that it "shouldn't hurt him". Hmmm. I think that I will try the my leftover Newmans Ointment. She did say that although the drainage is not running out, but down the back of his throat...he needs a nasal spray. So, I asked how she expected me to give him a nasal spray. Has she ever given a (just turned) 4yo nasal spray? (she is actually the only person in this office of a gazillion docs that we have never seen). "no, but just have him blow his nose & then stick it in his nostril & point it toward the outside". Ya...I have a hard enough time getting him to let me help his blow his nose. I am so glad that we will be spending the next two weeks in a dryer climate. So, we leave J's appt 10min before K's appt & go out to the waiting area to wait. I actually had the thought, "oh, maybe they will get us in early...". Hello! You're in a doctors office...you're not going to get in early! I am holding K. He is DONE being held & wants to crawl around, (his new found mobility is driving me nuts. the woes of being #3. we were so excited for #1 & #2 to learn to crawl...I'm not ready for K to be big yet). Sorry, I am NOT going to let you crawl around on the nasty doc office floor. Nice lady sits down next to me & thinks that because he is crying he must need something to chew on & hands him a magazine. Thanks for trying, but...Um, I don't let my kids chew on random crap at the doc office (or anywhere for that matter). So, I put the magazine back on the table & K starts screaming. Ya...I'm pretty much the bad guy cuz I won't let him eat a magazine. I call E (he has a raging sinus infec & really should be at home in bed), to let him know that I won't be able to pick M up because it's already 3pm & K hasn't been seen. His truck is being serviced for our trip, so he had to walk, (from his office), to the doc office. He picked J up & went to M's school. So, it's just K & I. We wait in the waiting area for another 30 min & then we're called back. We wait another 30 min in the room. At least they have the handy papers on the tables...that's pretty cool when you're almost 9mo. So, K ripped up about 2 miles of paper. I didn't care at that point. I am hot flashing & he is wanting to nurse, (but was too distracted by the paper). Finally, the docs wife, (nurse Kathy) comes in to help entertain. I LOVE our family docs, (well, our usual 2 docs anyhow)...I don't care for spending 3hrs in their office. So, it turns out that K has bronchitis. I just thought that he had a bit of a croupy cough & wanted it checked before we left. He is so good natured that he never acts "bothered" by anything. Poor little man. I came home & left all three with E & went back to get the RX's. So, since I am at Fred Meyer...I decide that since it's been a crummy day...I might as well bite the bullet & look at swimsuits for our trip. They had TONS of swimsuits, but really two to choose from. The suits for 18yo bodies. Or the suits for 60yo+. Well, I've had 3 kids...I'm not wearing a string bikini. On the other hand...I don't really want a suit with a skirt. After digging through the racks...I find a modest tankini & found some matching board shorts to go over the bottoms. I am NOT going to try it on in the dressing room...if I am going to start crying...I want to be in the privacy of my own home. Anyhow, I am home now...K is sleeping...J is "trying" not to lick around his mouth. M is wondering why we're fussing over the boys & not her. :) I tried on the swimsuit & got M's approval. You know that you can trust an almost 6yo. They do NOT lie! Now that I have typed all of that out...I realize that my day really could have been worse.... I hadn't anticipated spending 3+ hrs at the docs office.... I will be playing catch up tomorrow. Oh, well...WE GET TO SEE ART, SUMMER & the KIDLETS NEXT WEEK! I'm so excited that I could cry...well, maybe I just feel like crying because I'm tired & hormonal. Thanks for letting me have a "poor me" blog. I'll probably end up deleting this. :)

Vacation!

We aren't leaving for another week, but I wanted to give everybody a heads up. I will be out of the studio from May 9-27th. If your orders are due to come in while I am gone, I will have them shipped directly to you. I will call you or email you to give you a heads up.