Summer is a great time to explore new places as a family! We checked out the Provo Court building which was full of beautiful marble columns.
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1/4/2020 0 Comments Home for ChristmasLook at these sweethearts who just woke up for the most magical day of the year! We really missed being with my side of the family for Christmas. I enjoyed being in the comfort of home and basking in the warm glow of our live Christmas tree as we filled the stockings, though. Did I mention I love that tree?... It snowed in the night so it was also a white Christmas and perfectly picturesque! The kids are growing so fast and their favorite things seem to change constantly, but we totally won with presents this year. I call it the LEGO effect, because as soon as they opened it all they wanted to do was play LEGOs (including Daddy). Our Spider-Man obsessed toddler and preschooler got a figurine from Santa, and our big girl (who still believes) got a cook book and stuffed dragon she asked Santa for. They were so excited for their stockings, too!
12/2/2019 0 Comments Christmas Time is Here!We got our Christmas tree!! I am in love. It touches the ceiling and lights up the house with its beauty. I think it’s the same species as last year (Black Balsam) from the same farm in Elk Ridge (Peterson Trees). Jer says we should keep the tree up as long as it lasts, and I agree! We’ve enjoyed lots of family time and Christmas traditions this month—quite a lot to catch up on! Check it out below.
12/2/2019 0 Comments DIY Little Passports: El SalvadorHola from our latest stop on the World Explorers Club! We’re towards the end of the year on our journey, and have come to the “Land of Volcanoes” in El Salvador! Sadly it wasn’t even labeled on our illustrated wall map! My husband actually spent two years there on a mission, so it was really cool for him to sit down with our Explorer and get her excited about this tiny bit mighty country in Central America when she opened her package.
11/18/2019 0 Comments Batman Potty Party!We’ve had a potty for 2 years hoping our now 4-year-old son would just use it one day when he was ready, but he was showing signs of readiness so I needed to learn how to teach him. I borrowed a Potty Kit for Boys from the library with books that came with a baby doll, mini potty, bottle, and the book “Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day: Proven Secrets of the Potty Pro” by Teri Crane. I got 3 other potty training books and prayed for success since I really did only have one full day to to dedicate entirely to potty train. A ton of effort but... It worked for us!
11/8/2019 0 Comments Mama RetreatMy sister is pregnant with her second child, and super excited to be having a girl! She recently earned her degree after many hours of online study and a busy internship, and completed a stressful move with packing, cleaning, and moving everything only a week before we took this photo. As far as she knew there wouldn’t be a baby shower, though it sounded like she really wanted one. After some sister-to-sister talks, we realized she had most of the things she needed—she was just burned out. In lieu of a baby shower, my other little sister and I did a Mama Retreat for her at my place! We took care of transportation, food, and activities so my sister didn’t have to worry about anything except enjoying herself. Her husband even got on board to help watch their kiddo so she could get away!
11/1/2019 0 Comments A Happy Doctor Who-lloweenIt’s a Timey-Wimey-Wibbly-Wobbly Halloween this year in our Doctor Who family costumes! For fans of the BBC show, we dressed from left to right as Robin Hood, the Impossible Astronaut, the TARDIS in human form, the Last Centurion (Rory), and the Eleventh Doctor. Check it out because... Bow ties are cool!!!
10/21/2019 0 Comments Dinosaur National MonumentWe are the dinosaurs, marching marching; we are the dinosaurs whaddya think of that! Fall Break is family time, and what better way to make our little aspiring paleontologist’s day than an all-day road trip to the National Dinosaur Monument in Vernon? There’s a wall of fossils to check out as well as a hike where you can spot fossilized shells and bone, petroglyphs, and some of the most beautiful desert rocks with striations and flora. We had L’s big dinosaur book, her pink stuffy she’s named “Dina”, a little notebook, dinosaur toys/stickers/coloring pages, and the iPad. Plus the boys were dressed warmly in their Dinosaur outfits! Next road trip we will pack more snacks because these Dino-kids get hungry in traffic! It was a long drive for us, but it cost $$ to enter the monument which we weren’t about to turn back at that point for—so we went all the way and purchased a National Parks Membership to do Zion next summer!
10/12/2019 0 Comments Meet Me at the Pumpkin PatchThis cute little pumpkin patch is right in our price range and perfect for our family. It has fun corn activities for the kids, and pumpkins of all varieties. We know we’ve had a great time when we arrive home and our shoes are a lot dirtier than we remembered, and we find corn kernels in everything for a few days.
10/1/2019 0 Comments Marriage: Ten YearWe’ve made it to our 10 year anniversary! To celebrate us, we took some much needed rest/relaxation, booked our favorite B&B, and ate at our favorite sushi restaurant. Now I’m looking at photographs of us over the years, remembering all the things we’ve been through together because I’m a sentimental type. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in this marriage is that if it isn’t constantly nurtured and strengthened, it is very fragile and susceptible. Here are some things that have worked for us.
9/22/2019 0 Comments TrainsEvery morning when I wake up for the past month I feel a little hand on my face and the sweet little voice attached to the hand says, “Mom, trains! Trains!” He looks at them all day, plays in slow motion, and does all the sound effects—much like Big Brother played with cars at that age. Trains are also their favorite subjects in books! Their favorite titles at the moment are the Shine-a-light Inside Trains book we have, and The Little Engine that Could.
9/12/2019 0 Comments Back to School 2019It’s such an exciting time for the kids when school starts up again! We went to Open House to meet their teachers and get all excited for the upcoming school year. My third grader will be learning multiplication! My preschooler is in his second year of speech therapy with the same teachers and bus drivers (and a lot of the same classmates), so he’s comfortable.
8/19/2019 0 Comments Lily’s 8th Birthday Zoo TripHappy birthday to my not so little girl! My giggly baby is now a giggly mini-adult with dancing shoes and the curiosity of a scientist. My imaginative artist who still loves animals... She is growing like a weed! We love her so much and wanted to do something special as a family to celebrate her birthday. Hogle Zoo last time was so much fun, we came back! This time we brought $$ and were in a mood to spend it on everything to make the birthday girl feel special, hahaha! Well, within reason—a special food, a special encounter, and all the zoo’s paid attractions, plus a souvenir from the gift shop. Totally different experience, as you can see below!
This kiddo turned 8 years old! She is gorgeous inside and out, thoughtful beyond her years, a caring friend to have adventures with, and loves God with all her heart. She decided to be baptized, which happened to be the day after her actual birthday so we had an all-day event including her baptism, luncheon, and a water activity!
7/23/2019 0 Comments Utah’s Hogle ZooOur summer would not be complete for our family without a trip to our local zoo! It was our animal-loving 2 year old W’s first time, and our first visit in years so there were some changes at the zoo since we last visited—all good things! I love that there’s more shaded areas and fans, upgraded enclosures with more space or better viewing for animals, more creatures to visit, and lots of fun art and exhibits to look for. They removed the grassy area where we used to picnic, but also added more shaded chairs and tables for the eateries. The zoo is generally a “kid place” but Jer and I had so much fun, too!
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AuthorI'm Kat - designer, code monkey, teacher's wife, and maker of home. This blog is my personal and creative outlet chronicling the special moments of our family. Archives
January 2020
CategoriesAll Adventures Decorating Kids Little Passports Party Personal Projects Teachers Why I Believe |