Getting "Ready" For Utah

Let's see... It's been so crazy around here with swim lessons, trips to the pool, play dates, etc. that I can't even remember what happened from one day to the next.  So sad!

{The content of this post represents 20-24 June!!  As I got everything written for up to the 26th... I realized that it was just going to be MUCH TOO LONG and so... I'm cutting it in half... yes, there ARE that many pictures!  I'll have to do a post just for the 25th and 26th!  Those were some FUN days!!}

Monday I think we spent just here at home, with the exception of swim lessons.  I think, but... like I said, I can't remember very well.  Ha!  But I did finally take some more pictures of what we've done in the girls' room.  There are only a couple of things left... like pillow recovering for the bench, some pictures, and a butterfly hangy-thingy... (I don't have a better word, sorry!)  Enjoy!

Hmmm... Ella still in pj's... unmade bed... sigh.  Oh, well!  You've seen the pillows before!

Believe it or not I actually made these little topiary things!  I bought some flowers that even came with silk butterflies on them, so they are stuck in there, too.  (Not sure if you can see them, but... they are there!)  And the rocks were originally white, but I didn't like them, and neither did Lexi, so we tried to dye them green... because we couldn't find ANY green ones at ANY store that week, but they only took blue out of the color...??  Oh, well!  Lexi loves blue, too!

Their new "project" display center!  I just painted a couple of boards, had Damian help me hang them, and then stuck some clothespins on them!  Viola!

More of Lexi's collections.  Her necklaces and medals are hanging on the left, and her magnetic board with the 8 collection jars that are FULL of random stuff!

Notice she still has her basket of FABRIC there in the corner!  Cute girl!  So glad she collects things.  (Most of the time...)  It makes her fun and interesting... and it gives her LOTS of character!

An overall view from the doorway!  I really do have the hardest time STILL with the simple, but elegant decorating.  But... in my favor here... what's simple about girls??  ;o)

Tuesday was a full day of fun and play!  We started out having to go to a different pool for swim lessons because someone had thrown up in ours the night before, so they close it and clean it... and then we scurried home to meet Colleen and SAmberie!  They decided that they would like to come and pick fresh blueberries at the Temecula Berry Co.  Yay!  They are so yummy... expensive, but very worth it.  The adventure gets the kids out of the house and into the fresh air, plus they are working for a purpose... and there is usually no fighting involved... well... until picture time on the tractor.

Mmmmmm... not too many things better than fresh blueberries that you have picked yourself!

Off we go!

Amberie took longer to fill her bucket than Lexi.  Now... that says something!  Haha!  She was VERY particular about the berries that made it in!

Sam, Braeden, and Lexi

Wow!  That's big!

Lexi is my only one that likes them fresh off the bush!  The others will eat them in smoothies, frozen, and Braeden loves blueberry pancakes, but Lexi just loves them!

Sam and Ella

Show me your bucket, Aunt Colleen!!

This one eats them like candy!

BLUEberries, BLUE bucket, and BLUE eyes!

Ella aka. Big Berry Thief!

Ella "helping" Aunt Colleen!  Really, though, she's a berry thief.  She went around asking if she could have some "big ones" out of everyone's buckets!

Sam and Amberie showing their pick of the crop!

Lexi and I looking for just the perfect berries!  She wasn't quite as picky as Amberie... but close!

Farmer is NOT one of the things that I think Braeden could pull off when he "grows up."

SAmberie and the kids!

Braeden... not looking at the camera, as usual!  Colleen and I took a turn taking pix with the kids!

Do not attempt this at home.  This is likely the most UNSAFE way to ride on a tractor!  {Lexi and Braeden}

Good thing it will be a while before this one gets her license!  She's SCARY!  {Ella-Bella}

The kids wanted to play Guitar Hero, so they did that for a while, and even Colleen and I played a song and didn't get booed off stage!!  :o)

We ate at Panera Bread for the second time in a less than a week... (because that's what Braeden and Sam really wanted... well, and the rest of us love it, too, but Braeden really wanted "Kanarra Bread!"  Haha!  I think he was busy playing the video game, and thinking about heading to Utah... and it just came out that way!!)

Then after they left... which was around 2:30 so they didn't hit super bad traffic, we headed out to the pool... again... with friends.  This time we went to Shani and Destini's community pool (since ours was closed, remember) and Theresa came with her kids, and Teryn brought James and Ryan.  I have to say... that pool was not only PACKED, but was also really NASTY.  Really.  Ick... And then we used some of our fresh blueberries for waffles and had breakfast for dinner!  And then played Guitar Hero again.  I tell you... this is why I don't very often let them play the Wii.  They get HOOKED, but in all fairness, they can take a break every once in a while!  They still get in plenty of outdoor playtime and exercise!

Teryn trying her hardest to get James and Ryan to swim to her.  She spent a lot of money on lessons last year, but they are still scared spitless of the water.  Boo.

Tristin jumping right past his mom WITHOUT floaties!

Good thing someone was there to catch him!  Shani and Destini's mom, Jonna.

We're just going to start calling her Gilly!

Ella jumping for Braeden!  Love the legs!

Ella is holding onto Alyssa and trying to swim with her face in the water at the same time.  ??

Braeden and Tristin... woo-hoooooo!

This is their attempt to all jump at the same time...  {Braeden was off running around with Carter and Porter somewhere... their Aunt also lives here and they were at the same pool at the same time... visiting... just like us!  What are the chances??  :o)}  LtoR:  Alyssa, Lexi, Ella, Shani, Destini, and Tristin

Um... FAIL!  They can't enter any synchronized competition!

We ended our last day of swim lessons with a bang, I would say!  Wouldn't you??
 

Wednesday the kids headed to a Stake Primary activity in the morning.  Our kids got recognized because they had read the 4 gospels in the New Testament!  They were telling "The Stories of Jesus."  I heard it was a great activity.  I couldn't go because I had piano, but... such is life!  Then Braeden headed to Carter's for a while, Lexi went over to Carly & Ella's (twins from her school class), and Ella and I met Danielle and her kids at our pool (since it was now SUPER clean!) and played for a while.  And in between all the running around I was doing every bit of laundry in the house so that we could pack for UT...  :o)

Then I made lasagna for dinner, because originally I had asked Damian to get the ricotta cheese for that so I could make that for his Father's Day dinner... until he changed his mind about the menu, but didn't take the ricotta out of his cart when purchasing things!  It had to be used!  And Lexi had 2 helpings!!  Big ones!!  Yay for children that eat REAL food!

Damian stayed up LITERALLY all night to finish his presentation (yes, another one) for the academic conference they have every Thursday.  He's crazy.  I can't do that anymore... I don't know how he can.  But, he said it went okay and that no one had anything really good or bad to say about it.  He did mention that there were a few things that he would have changed, but that it was a result of editing at 4:30 a.m.  (Ya think??)

And though I got up early on Thursday to pack and get ready, it just didn't get done so fast.  EVERY TIME I go to Utah it never fails that I'm surfing the crimson tide.  Boo.  And I was in pain that morning and was just DRAGGING.  So... instead of leaving around 11 when I had planned to do so, it wasn't until... um... 2.  BUT... it took us a little less than 7 1/2 hrs. to get here.  That was with 2 stops, and never going over 80 mph.  :o)

Friday came much too fast, but it came nonetheless!  We got a late start to the day, but managed to get in to the hospital to say hi to Gma Pam's friends (co-workers) before they all left for the day!  Haha!  It wasn't really that late, but... kind of!  My kids have the best time there in the records room turning the handles to get the shelves to move.  (Best explained by a picture... )  They run up and down and hide here and there... it's so fun for them.  Cracks me up.

Then... Lexi had been invited to go with Caroline over to the Manti Mormon Miracle Pageant, but had declined the offer that morning.  None of my kids wanted to go anywhere that would require them sitting in the car for another 5 hours of the day.  BUT... then on our way into town Caroline called to talk to Lexi and convinced her to go.  {It wasn't hard.  ;o)}  But at that point she didn't have a jacket or anything.  So... we gave her a blanket, she asked Caroline to borrow a jacket, we gave her a little bit of money for dinner, and dropped her off at Gail's.  She had a great time!  But didn't stay awake for the whole show... and couldn't really see it... but had fun anyway!

Thanks to Gma Linda and Gail who took this and sent it to me!  Love it!

Braeden and Ella were distraught as usual that they couldn't go, so we tried to do something fun for them.  Gma took them to the park for a while, we grabbed some dinner, and headed back in to Cedar to catch a showing of Cars 2!  Such a fun movie.  Yes, political... I don't want to hear about that, but they did a good job on an animation of James Bond... basically!  Ella... well I paid $6 for her to sleep through most of it.  Isn't that fantastic, but Braeden was GLUED TO THE SCREEN!  He loved it! 

We had to get Ella and Braeden something to eat afterward, because they were hungry...??  So we stopped at Taco Time.  Crisp Meat Burritos are just the best thing ever, aren't they??  :o)