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The boys just began their 7th and 8th grade years on Monday, August 31st. We are so thrilled they are in a new charter school called Early Light Academy. We love the focus on collaborative learning and customizing the curriculum based about the children's level of knowledge. I know the kids will both strive in this type of environment. They encourage free thinking and discussion. It engages the kids and provides a hands on learning. I am also excited about the parent involvement required at the school. The school is fostering a community and in order for it to run successfully it requires teachers, students, and parents to all be involved. It will be fabulous for both Brian and I to really take an active role in the boys education rather than just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Another aspect we enjoy is the uniform and dress code policy. It made school shopping so easy and allows school to be about learning rather than the latest fashion trends. The boys actually love their uniforms and look so handsome heading off to school each day.
We are just starting into our second week but already can see how much the boys are enjoying the school.
Big Birthday Bash 2009!
I only took a few pictures... but I don't know where they are located. I will post a link when Brian is able to locate them. :-(
On August 29th we celebrated Josh and Xander's birthdays with a big joint birthday bash. Because the park pavillion worked out so well we decided to reserve it again this year. I loved having the playground and the fishing pond to keep the little and older kids entertained. It makes for easy hosting and clean up too. Plenty of seating and space for everyone.
The night before I prepared the majority of the food. Made 48 "ghetto cupcakes" as I so lovingly referred to them. (ghetto because I tried to frost them all pretty but just wound up making a big old mess) Chopping up fruit. Making mass quantities of pasta salad and preparing the chicken and pork for the next day. Brian was preparing for a business trip and was up until 2 am building a website. Mark actually came over and played Starcraft with the boys until 2 am. So I had plenty of company while cooking.
The party was so much fun. The boys loved having all their cousins there to hang out with. They even fed the ducks with all the little kids. It was very laid back this year and I spent a lot more time visiting then I did last year.
The boys received wonderful gifts as usual. Thanks to everyone who always spoils them rotten! We are excited to have several new games to play.
On August 29th we celebrated Josh and Xander's birthdays with a big joint birthday bash. Because the park pavillion worked out so well we decided to reserve it again this year. I loved having the playground and the fishing pond to keep the little and older kids entertained. It makes for easy hosting and clean up too. Plenty of seating and space for everyone.
The night before I prepared the majority of the food. Made 48 "ghetto cupcakes" as I so lovingly referred to them. (ghetto because I tried to frost them all pretty but just wound up making a big old mess) Chopping up fruit. Making mass quantities of pasta salad and preparing the chicken and pork for the next day. Brian was preparing for a business trip and was up until 2 am building a website. Mark actually came over and played Starcraft with the boys until 2 am. So I had plenty of company while cooking.
The party was so much fun. The boys loved having all their cousins there to hang out with. They even fed the ducks with all the little kids. It was very laid back this year and I spent a lot more time visiting then I did last year.
The boys received wonderful gifts as usual. Thanks to everyone who always spoils them rotten! We are excited to have several new games to play.
Xander turns 12!
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Our funny man!Our baby turned 12 on August 26th, 2009. Where has the time gone? We woke him up at midnight to sing him happy birthday and give him his present. He spent the whole day play his new Wii game. We celebrated with his normal requests of homemade mac n cheese and chocolate cake with chocolate chips.
We had a big birthday celebration later with our extended family.
Viva Las Vegas Part 200...
Warning... super long... kinda boring post. But the video I made is kinda cute. So you can watch it first and read on if you want.
Okay... so we haven't really gone to Vegas 200 times. But we sure do love to get out there a few times a year.
We hadn't really gone anywhere this summer because of baseball, work, my knee and just life in general. So we planned a quick weekend to Vegas. This time Mark and Molly were able to come along on the adventure. We have never been on a trip with them other then just camping a few times.
On Thursday the 20th of August we got a kind of late start and met up with Mark and Molly in St. George. Then headed out for the short drive into Vegas. There is something magical about driving into Vegas at night. You can't really beat the ethereal glow you can see MILES before you even come near the city. As is customary we blasted "Viva Las Vegas" as we rounded the last bend before you can see the whole city stretched out before us.
This trip we actually stayed on the strip. The Sahara had sent us a free room for 2 night and I cannot pass up freebies. So our 3 night stay only cost 50 dollars. Everyone knows how budget conscious Brian and I are so it was perfect. Definitely not the newest or nicest hotel on the strip. But it was relatively clean, free of bugs, and as Brian puts it "had a bed and shower". So it fit our needs well. Plus... it's VEGAS how much time do you spend in your room?
The first night we got in late. All the guys (Josh and Xander included since they are getting to be pretty manly in their old age) unpacked the 2 cars. Brought it coolers, suitcases, laptops... you know, the necessities. I was wiped out so Brian went down and played for a few minutes before bed.
Friday was our first real day there. We woke up and ate breakfast in our room. Not room service but all the goodies we brought from home. Eating breakfast and lunch with food we bring from home opens up our budget to have so much more fun. Mark and Molly did the same and I think they noticed a good amount of savings too. We headed down to the pool and spent the entire morning in the pool or poolside (even Brian... yes he was in a pool). For being an older hotel the pool area and pool itself were really great. And Friday was a record hot day so the pool was really the place to be. The boys had underwater breath holding contests with Mark. I am pretty sure Mark is most proud that he beat them both.
Lunch was back in our rooms then we got ready for the day. All of us, including Mark and Molly, loaded into the PT Cruiser and headed out to see what kind of adventure we could find for the day. Our favorite place to find discount tickets in Vegas is Tix4Tonight. Once again, they didn't fail us. We were able to get tickets to the Knights of the Roundtable dinner show at the Excalibur. I was thrilled when Mark and Molly said they wanted to go see that show too. We hadn't wanted to bring it up thinking they might not be into it. But they both seemed to have fond memories of going there as children.
Off to the arcade at the Excalibur. I think all the boys, Mark and Brian are counted as boys, had a blast at the arcade. I even slipped in a little air hockey and whooped on Xander. Josh was the big winner and score hundreds of tickets! Mark won Xander a Panda in the crane machine after we had all tried and failed miserably. Unfortunately, we had all left and Mark had no one to celebrate his big win with. However, he is the crane master and did show off his skills many times. Josh even got in on the crane action and won a panda. Xander saved most of his spending money and bought a magic trick. He is our budget master! Little did we know that just across the street the NewYork NewYork houses the best arcade I have seen in Vegas. We will be frequenting that from now on. Because it was THAT good.
The show and dinner were great. Eating with your hands is always fun and takes you back to childhood memories. Well maybe not for me because I don't like to have dirty hands. Xander's expressions and sound effects during the show were priceless. He was truly mesmerized by the entire things. I hope he never loses that sense of wonder. Josh really loved the action and the fight scenes. And Xander had a mystery to figure out during dinner. Someone had kidnapped his new panda and was holding it for ransom. They were sending him pictures and money demands. Thankfully the panda was returned safely.
That night all us over 21ers played a little. None of us won. But it was a lot of fun. I think Mark even took a roll at the craps table for the first time ever. For the most part we all stuck to blackjack. I know that Brian is in heaven playing blackjack with his brother. He has talked about doing that for years and has just had the first opportunity over the summer.
Saturday morning brought more of the same... breakfast... swimming... Brian forgetting to take his iPhone out of his swimsuit before dipping in the pool. Oh wait! That last part was NOT the same. Yup... Brian sent his iPhone to a watery grave. But being an ever prepared boyscout he had his old phone packed with him. So at least he wasn't without communication completely. I have to say I was really impressed with how well he treated the situation. He did not let it adversely affect the fun time we were having.
That afternoon Mark and Molly headed over to visit some friends they have in Vegas. Our little family headed over to the MGM to check out the lions. The boys really loved seeing them that close. Plus they had BABY lions. Josh took so many pictures of them. Then we headed over to M&M World and braved all the CRAZY tourists. Because of course we aren't crazy tourists.
Then that night.... BELLAGIO BUFFET BABY! It makes all the bowls of cereal and PBnJ's worth it when you get to experience a meal like that. Mark and Molly had raved about the buffet from a previous trip they had been on. I have to admit I was a little skeptical. But they were right. It was amazing. Ostrich, duck, elk, sushi, kobe beef, crab, and some of the best shrimp I have ever eaten. And that is just to name a few of the things.
Well since we were already there we of course checked out the fountain show at the Bellagio. I really prefer the show at night with the lights and the glow of the Paris Eiffel Tower right across the street. It is probably one of my favorite parts of Vegas on each of trips.
We hadn't been to the pirate show at Treasure Island for a very long time. And after this trip I don't think we will be going back. It is no longer a pirate show... it is sexy sirens in barely there clothes singing and dancing. Just not the same... and pretty much entirely LAME!
Brian and Mark were the only one's awake enough to play after our long day out. I think Molly and I both were just going to lay down for a "minute" and just slept through the night.
The next day we had to head over to China town and pick up the required pork buns. It isn't a trip to Vegas without pork buns. I was smart this time and called the night before and reserved some for us all! YAY! We wandered through all the little shops and looked at all the fun nick nacks.
I almost forgot... We went to the Vegas sign. Us and about 50 Harley dudes
And I think we created a new Vegas tradition courtesy of Mark and Molly... Hot n Juicy Crawfish. It is in China town right down the road for casa la pork bun. M n M had seen a show on the Travel Channel that featured this restaurant. It was great fun. Plastic bibs and table clothes. Pounds of shrimp and crawfish. Xander tested out the EXTRA hot sauce. He wanted to be like the people in pictures on the wall. Not a place for a first date... but a place for lots of family fun and memories.
We all drank so much water while eating spicy sea creatures we only made it about 15 minutes out of Vegas before we all had to pee.
Yup... ending this post on the note of pee.
Okay... so we haven't really gone to Vegas 200 times. But we sure do love to get out there a few times a year.
We hadn't really gone anywhere this summer because of baseball, work, my knee and just life in general. So we planned a quick weekend to Vegas. This time Mark and Molly were able to come along on the adventure. We have never been on a trip with them other then just camping a few times.
On Thursday the 20th of August we got a kind of late start and met up with Mark and Molly in St. George. Then headed out for the short drive into Vegas. There is something magical about driving into Vegas at night. You can't really beat the ethereal glow you can see MILES before you even come near the city. As is customary we blasted "Viva Las Vegas" as we rounded the last bend before you can see the whole city stretched out before us.
This trip we actually stayed on the strip. The Sahara had sent us a free room for 2 night and I cannot pass up freebies. So our 3 night stay only cost 50 dollars. Everyone knows how budget conscious Brian and I are so it was perfect. Definitely not the newest or nicest hotel on the strip. But it was relatively clean, free of bugs, and as Brian puts it "had a bed and shower". So it fit our needs well. Plus... it's VEGAS how much time do you spend in your room?
The first night we got in late. All the guys (Josh and Xander included since they are getting to be pretty manly in their old age) unpacked the 2 cars. Brought it coolers, suitcases, laptops... you know, the necessities. I was wiped out so Brian went down and played for a few minutes before bed.
Friday was our first real day there. We woke up and ate breakfast in our room. Not room service but all the goodies we brought from home. Eating breakfast and lunch with food we bring from home opens up our budget to have so much more fun. Mark and Molly did the same and I think they noticed a good amount of savings too. We headed down to the pool and spent the entire morning in the pool or poolside (even Brian... yes he was in a pool). For being an older hotel the pool area and pool itself were really great. And Friday was a record hot day so the pool was really the place to be. The boys had underwater breath holding contests with Mark. I am pretty sure Mark is most proud that he beat them both.
Lunch was back in our rooms then we got ready for the day. All of us, including Mark and Molly, loaded into the PT Cruiser and headed out to see what kind of adventure we could find for the day. Our favorite place to find discount tickets in Vegas is Tix4Tonight. Once again, they didn't fail us. We were able to get tickets to the Knights of the Roundtable dinner show at the Excalibur. I was thrilled when Mark and Molly said they wanted to go see that show too. We hadn't wanted to bring it up thinking they might not be into it. But they both seemed to have fond memories of going there as children.
Off to the arcade at the Excalibur. I think all the boys, Mark and Brian are counted as boys, had a blast at the arcade. I even slipped in a little air hockey and whooped on Xander. Josh was the big winner and score hundreds of tickets! Mark won Xander a Panda in the crane machine after we had all tried and failed miserably. Unfortunately, we had all left and Mark had no one to celebrate his big win with. However, he is the crane master and did show off his skills many times. Josh even got in on the crane action and won a panda. Xander saved most of his spending money and bought a magic trick. He is our budget master! Little did we know that just across the street the NewYork NewYork houses the best arcade I have seen in Vegas. We will be frequenting that from now on. Because it was THAT good.
The show and dinner were great. Eating with your hands is always fun and takes you back to childhood memories. Well maybe not for me because I don't like to have dirty hands. Xander's expressions and sound effects during the show were priceless. He was truly mesmerized by the entire things. I hope he never loses that sense of wonder. Josh really loved the action and the fight scenes. And Xander had a mystery to figure out during dinner. Someone had kidnapped his new panda and was holding it for ransom. They were sending him pictures and money demands. Thankfully the panda was returned safely.
That night all us over 21ers played a little. None of us won. But it was a lot of fun. I think Mark even took a roll at the craps table for the first time ever. For the most part we all stuck to blackjack. I know that Brian is in heaven playing blackjack with his brother. He has talked about doing that for years and has just had the first opportunity over the summer.
Saturday morning brought more of the same... breakfast... swimming... Brian forgetting to take his iPhone out of his swimsuit before dipping in the pool. Oh wait! That last part was NOT the same. Yup... Brian sent his iPhone to a watery grave. But being an ever prepared boyscout he had his old phone packed with him. So at least he wasn't without communication completely. I have to say I was really impressed with how well he treated the situation. He did not let it adversely affect the fun time we were having.
That afternoon Mark and Molly headed over to visit some friends they have in Vegas. Our little family headed over to the MGM to check out the lions. The boys really loved seeing them that close. Plus they had BABY lions. Josh took so many pictures of them. Then we headed over to M&M World and braved all the CRAZY tourists. Because of course we aren't crazy tourists.
Then that night.... BELLAGIO BUFFET BABY! It makes all the bowls of cereal and PBnJ's worth it when you get to experience a meal like that. Mark and Molly had raved about the buffet from a previous trip they had been on. I have to admit I was a little skeptical. But they were right. It was amazing. Ostrich, duck, elk, sushi, kobe beef, crab, and some of the best shrimp I have ever eaten. And that is just to name a few of the things.
Well since we were already there we of course checked out the fountain show at the Bellagio. I really prefer the show at night with the lights and the glow of the Paris Eiffel Tower right across the street. It is probably one of my favorite parts of Vegas on each of trips.
We hadn't been to the pirate show at Treasure Island for a very long time. And after this trip I don't think we will be going back. It is no longer a pirate show... it is sexy sirens in barely there clothes singing and dancing. Just not the same... and pretty much entirely LAME!
Brian and Mark were the only one's awake enough to play after our long day out. I think Molly and I both were just going to lay down for a "minute" and just slept through the night.
The next day we had to head over to China town and pick up the required pork buns. It isn't a trip to Vegas without pork buns. I was smart this time and called the night before and reserved some for us all! YAY! We wandered through all the little shops and looked at all the fun nick nacks.
I almost forgot... We went to the Vegas sign. Us and about 50 Harley dudes
And I think we created a new Vegas tradition courtesy of Mark and Molly... Hot n Juicy Crawfish. It is in China town right down the road for casa la pork bun. M n M had seen a show on the Travel Channel that featured this restaurant. It was great fun. Plastic bibs and table clothes. Pounds of shrimp and crawfish. Xander tested out the EXTRA hot sauce. He wanted to be like the people in pictures on the wall. Not a place for a first date... but a place for lots of family fun and memories.
We all drank so much water while eating spicy sea creatures we only made it about 15 minutes out of Vegas before we all had to pee.
Yup... ending this post on the note of pee.
Racing and Derbys
On July 31st were were able to go see some sort of stock car racing (hey, at least I know they are called stock cars) out the the Miller Motor Speedway. We had never been there before and were all excited to go. The race was really fun and we had a decent view of the track. It is difficult to watch races on road courses so we probably won't go back. But it was a fun experience.After the race we headed over to the Tooele County Fairgrounds for the demolition derby. We got awesome seats at the top of the stand so we could see all the action. I did not get funnel cake and am still traumatized from that. They had so many heats and it was one of the longest derby's we have been to in a long while. Plus... fireworks afterwards. You really cannot beat that!
We were all starving after the Derby so we hit up Del Taco for a midnight taco run. The kids thought it was so fun to go through a drive through this late. I couldn't help thinking we were just preparing them for many teenage years to come.
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