Tulips

Tulips are my very favorite flower. I wish they were around a little longer than just the spring. So Saturday we went with Grandpa Gary and Uncle Rob to the tulip festival.

They are such sweet girls. I wish they would act like this all the time.

Since we were camping Easter Sunday My girls wore their dresses to church this Sunday.

I have an embroidery machine and have had the idea for this dress for several years and finally decided to make them. There is a third dress in yellow for my niece Zoe.

Easter dresses are a big deal for me. I remember my Mom making my sister and I matching dresses every year. My mom is a fabulous seamstress and I will never be as good as her. I still have a few of the matching dresses she made for my sister and I. I'm so glad that I have these sweet little girls to sew for. I hope they remember their dresses and know how much fun I have making things for them.

Lots of pictures from Zion

Jon's family has spent Easter in Zion National Park for the last 25 years. We haven't been able to go every year but we decided to go this year.


We Started off the week with a trip into St. George to visit Jon's little brother Jared. We were only able to spend a short time with him, but it was to great to see him.


When we got back we just explored the campground a bit.

We started the next day with a trip to Weeping Rock.

I love my Carly.

These girls love their Papa.

Next we headed up to Emerald Pools.

The girls really had fun climbing all over the place.

The middle pools.

My little models.

Brianna was obsessed with catching a lizard. She even made a little lizard habitat out of a strawberry carton so he would have some place to live. Sadly (or luckily depending on who you talk to) this was as close as we got to capturing a lizard.

Checkerboard Mesa.

Grandma and Grandpa and their girls.

Jon's favorite way to take a picture.

Even though we were camping we still had to dye eggs.

That smile is very deceiving.

For the most part the weather was perfect, not to cold not to hot. Saturday it did rain but the good thing about the rain is that it makes for some beautiful pictures.

Easter in Zion

The Easter Bunny found us in Zion.

He always hides their gifts and then leaves a trail of eggs leading up to them. It was a little hard for him to do in the limited space of the motor home, but he did it.

He brought lots of candy, a necklace and some other little things.

He also brought each of the girls a Barbie.

They also got a little horse and kitty in a purse, not for Easter but just because they are spoiled.

Easter morning We hiked the Temple of Sinawava trail.

They are so funny posing for pictures.

Carly hitched a ride on Daddy's back.

The trail takes you all along the Virgin river.

We walked to this absolutely beautiful waterfall. It was one of the most beautiful spots I've ever seen. So of course my batteries died. I'll have to wait for Jon's dad to get those pictures.

Carly was pretty wiped out by the the hike and fell asleep on Daddy's shoulders.

After a little rest we decided to barrow Grandma and Grandpa's Jeep and take a ride up to the tunnel. We took the windows off and the girls love the wind in their hair.

The girls had such a great time.

We got out and explored a bit.

We decided to get out and see a trail. We didn't really plan of doing another hike but we just kept on going. I was rather nervous on this particular trail. There were lots of big drop offs and at one point a pretty scary looking bridge.

They all thought it was pretty funny that I was so scared of the bridge.

We end up on the top of this large mountain right at sunset. It was a great way to end our vacation.

Vacation?

I sit here writing this post from a lawn chair sitting in the middle of Zion National Park. (Wireless cards are great!) So You should all be jealous of me, right? Vacations are a lot of work! I spent the first part of the week running errands and doing laundry and trying to get all 4 of us packed. Jon was supposed to get home from work early so we could get an early start but of course didn't so we pulled into the campground around 11 at night. Luckily Jon's parents had gotten there earlier that day and so camp (I call a 40ft motor home camp) was already set up. Carly of course didn't want to sleep where we wanted to her to sleep and so she slept with Jon on a good sized bed and I slept on a couch about a foot too short for me. Today we wanted to get an early start on our hike but instead had two seperate meltdowns and had to fight Carly to wear socks, then so that she would leave her blankie in the motor home. We finally did get to our hike. We hiked to Weeping rock, only a half mile but straight up. Then we headed to Emerald pools. We managed to get to the middle pool and then headed down.When we got back to camp Jon promptly fell asleep on the floor and I took the girls down to the river where Brianna caught a frog. (she didn't want to kiss it to find out if it would turn into a prince.) So now I told Jon he owes me for the nap he got and I didn't. And to boot, I can't breath because my allergies are so bad. But honestly I really do love spending time with my girls. We didn't go on many vacations when I was little and I want my girls to get to see the things I didn't get to. Hopefully the rest of the weekend will be better. No more meltdowns and hopefully I will get so sleep a little tonight. We are headed up to the tunnel we are going to take the top off the Jeep and go for a ride. It ought to be fun. I hope you all are getting to to something fun this weekend, and that the Easter Bunny brings you something good. (even to those of you who think he is stupid)
I post plenty of pics when we get back.

Aebleskivers

What is Aebleskivers? They are Danish pancakes, and they are Yummy!
It is our Tradition to have them on Easter, but since we won't be seeing my Dad on Easter we decided to have them a week early.

You cook them in a special pan.

My Dad is much better at turning them and not mangling them than I am.

You break the ball open and put a little butter and powdered sugar on them.

They are fabulous! I think Brianna ate about 10 of them.

My first loose tooth

This is my first tooth that I lost. I'm the last one in my class to have lost a tooth.

Luckily my new teeth have already started growing in.
I will loose another tooth any day now.


I put the tooth in my box that Grandma Phyllis gave me.
The Tooth fairy gave me a dollar coin.

Post by Brianna

Metalica Anyone?

Carly is a little dancing fool. She spends several hours a day dancing, and she will dance to anything. Case in point Carly dancing to Metalica.

I really like her choice of dress.

Now we have Carly dancing to a little MoTab

Best of all is Carly at Dance class. She loves to get a little bit funky

Carly is just too darn cute!

Horse Crazy

I honestly don't know where it comes from, but my little Biranna is as horse crazy as they get. Sometimes I think she got sent to the wrong family and she should really be living on a farm somewhere. She has been taking riding lessons since last summer. We took a break when it was really cold, but she is back at it and loving every second.

She takes her lessons at The Stable Place http://http://www.thestableplaceslc.com/. I really love her teacher Jayme, and even though I'm extremely uncomfortable around them, I'm even coming to love the horses.

Part of Bri's lesson each week is to help groom the horse. She is even learning how to pick out hooves.

Most of the horses at The Stable Place have been rescued and I love knowing that we are helping make the lives of these horses a little bit better.

This is Bri on Buck trotting.

Brianna and her teacher Jayme.

Weekends with the Queen

One of my favorite things to do is read. For many years I didn't read at all, then one day my Mother in law gave me a book to read and I think I had my head buried in a book for about two years straight. My favorite books to read are romance novels the cheesier and steamier the better. Now I know that the world, and Utah especially, has gone crazy for Twilight, but I have absolutely no desire in the world to read that book. I know it's weird, but it holds absolutely no appeal to me. I don't really get why grown women are so crazy for this book. Maybe it is because my loyalties lye with another. The Queen of Romance Nora Roberts. Nora has written 150+ books and I have read and own most of them. I've had the opportunity to meet her twice, the first was in NYC in 2001 and then in 2003 I traveled cross country to meet her again. Because of her I became friends with a really great group of ladies.

Me and Nora 2003 outside of Turn the Page bookstore in MD ( I can't believe I wore my hair like that)


My and the ladies of The Wreck Room.

So this weekend (and the next 3) as all of you Twilight-ers wait in anticipation of the video release. I will be cozying up on my couch and torturing Jon by making him watch the first of 4 Lifetime movies based on Nora's books. First up Northern Lights.