2 Utah Originals That You Can't Live A Summer Without!

Since the summer is quickly coming to an end, the past few weeks have been spent on the 2 activities that have to be "done" if you're to say that you are a true Utah native!!!
1. Seven Peaks Water Resort
2. Lagoon Amusement Park
Now, if you'd like to dispute this...think of how many memories that you have of these places and realize that there is no way that you can shelter you kids from having some of their own!
TRUUUUUUE! VERY TRUUUUUUE!
From concerns expressed in some previous posts, you may know of my "lack of control" fears that I have at pool/water places so it was calming when we were able to make Seven Peaks a family affair.

Katie and Jenny laying out...does this surprise you?!? :) and yes...we are sweating to death!
John-Charles still loves to go on the big slides which made it a perfect job for him to coordinate taking my two who were "over" the little kid slides. This is pretty much a picture of how the afternoon went down...Carter pulling him as he was convincing Kindra to come along!
Seven Peaks was an adventure! My sis-in-law has a summer pass to Seven Peaks and thought that it would be easy to keep an eye on the kids as they played in the "kid area". She wanted me to buy a pass too! No way in hell would I subject myself to that torture!!! My kids are too big for me to contain! All they wanted to do was to go on the slides that I of course can't get to :( so unless I am willing to pay someone to tag along with them, it's a no go :) Fine...I will admit that I'm not too upset about this one! hehehe

My Dad has been with OC Tanner for 27 years so it's safe to say that I have some great "Company Lagoon Day" memories!

It was always the most anticipated event and I never understood why our parents were not as excited as us kids were until I became a parent myself, placed in the same situation. Heat and waiting in lines are never a good combo!

I put on my happy good attitude face and off we went for our big Lagoon Day adventure...
Again this became a family affair which made it even that much more hilarious!

Carter waiting in the oldest ride ever at Lagoon..."Dracula's Castle". Kindra was so upset because there had been a haunted horse and "horses aren't haunted"!
After the first year that we had taken Kindra to Lagoon, every time that we smelled the "smell of Lagoon" she would say "Mom, it smells like Lagoon" which made me snicker every time. Surprising how smart that kids can be and of what they can put together, huh?!?
Everyone knows that I love my Dad, but I love him even more after activities like this. He was such the trooper and helped me out sooooo much by going on the rides with the kids!

...so here's another memory...when we lived in Toronto, there was the best amusement park named "Canada's Wonderland". It was awesome and along the same lines as like a Busch Gardens...WAY BETTER than a Disneyland though (or a Lagoon!?!) They had the best ride named "The Bat" that was our favorite. Every year my Dad would play the "shoot the basketball" game and win us a basketball without fail.

One year as we stopped to play, my little sister Lyssa, didn't realize that we had and just kept on walking. My Mom immediately noticed since one of her matching clothes children was missing and the panic began. Remember...this is a huge, ginormous theme park so the overwhelming fear set in. It still brings tears to my eyes as I think about that moment. I was 11 yrs old and understood that my 5 yr old sister was missing and what the possibilities were. I kept the rest of my siblings by a bench and began yelling, screaming, crying. "Lyssa!...Lyssa!...Lyssa!" I've never prayed for something so hard...for my sister to be found. They shut down the park and began the search. To remember what my thoughts were, I can only imagine what my parents were feeling! It seemed like forever but 35 minutes later I saw my Dad walking back towards us clinging on to my sister! My Mom came back and we sat for a moment and cried as a family. Blessings unfortunately are recognized in the worst ways. Needless to say, we did not get a basketball that year...I love you, Lyssa!

...you can not go over to the "Pioneer Country" and not have one of the famous ice cream cones! When I was a child, in the town square, every hour they would have a "wild west gun show" going on that we would love to go and watch. They don't do it anymore boooooooo!!!
Our most favorite rides at Lagoon are the "Log Ride" and the "River Raft Adventure". The only thing that sucks is the wetness that you must go through for the rest of the day after you get soaked...but we always give in! It's just what you do at Lagoon :)

...yes...Natalie did not...did not want to get her hair wet so she threw her own child out to block the water and it worked...Abbi got soaked and Natalie did not! :)
...me and my family...not so much...we got soaked...COMPLETELY SOAKED!!!

...they thought that they were so tricky and hilarious!


Here we are...one sopping wet happy family. Not really because Carter can not stand to have wet clothes on and I can not stand having to sit on a wet butt that will not get dry n the air!

With that being the way that we felt...we decided that it was time to go home :)

Fun activities, Seven Peaks and Lagoon, and I'm glad that we did them but I am soooo relieved that I don't have to worry about these places for a whole other year! hehehe just being honest...

The Alterations

As much as I am dying to post some pictures of Jenny in her wedding dress, I won't. I've been warned!
Her dress is stunning and she looks absolutely gorgeous!
Yesterday was the day for her to get some alterations done so Kindra, my Mom, Jenny, and I headed down for the event.
I looked over at Kindra and had a premonition of her breaking an ankle as she was putting on some "purple" heels! That's all that we need with this one...honestly!

Our New Summer Project...

Thanks to my parents, who just purchased a new freezer, we have a new summer project that we are working on. One that can be done on the deck and out of the sun. I know that I am a "sun" freak but there are those days when it's nice to be cool and in the shade!

We have not yet decided what we are going to turn our creation into...a car, an airplane, a fort, or a boat...but we'll just worry about getting it painted first!

Memory Wednesday---When Was Your Best Birthday?

There are a lot of birthday's that I can say were awesome but there are 2 birthday's that stand out the most.

The first one would be the year that I turned 16. I could not wait to drive and to turn 16! Since my birthday is not until May 30, that put a damper on my sophomore year of school especially since all of my friends were a grade or two older so I literally was THE LAST ONE to drive!
The morning of my birthday, this was what I woke up to. A 1971 Ford LTD. I was so excited!!! The color was called "Whale Baby Blue" so you can only imagine what this looked like coming down the road. The above picture is not one of my car...mine was a 4 door and looked way better than this!
The best part was that you could fit like 12 people in it at one time and boy did I ever. The best "cruising" car. The best "road trip'ing" car. The best "make-out" hehehe car. When you're 16...anything is awesome to drive no matter how ugly or banged up it is!

The second one would be my 6th birthday because for my friend birthday party, my Mom made the best thing ever for us to eat! Peanut Butter and Banana Pizza that we put together and cooked ourselves. I remember how excited that I was to eat it and how excited that my Mom was to have come up with it!

Oh...what I would give to have those innocent and simple birthday's back. It goes by just way too quick!

The OCTanner Hook-Up!

My poor TV broke this past weekend and I have been dying without one! I will fully admit to be one of those who can not fall asleep without the whisperings of the TV.
So what did I do???
I put in a phone call to Nedra who is in charge of the OCT Discount Store which carries everything and anything possible!
So when other's in my family are getting their wedding ring's from the Dad discount hook-up, I am getting a new flat screen TV from the discount store hook-up!
I know. Pathetic some may say.
What else can I say except that I will once again admit that I am a night TV watcher and that I am so happy to have my night world back in order. I even resorted back to pulling up hulu.com on my laptop just so I could watch a few episodes of "Arrested Development"!
Again, I know. Pathetic some may say.
But come on...look how laaaaaaaaaa that it is :)
I am so happy with it!

The Living Planet Aquarium Outing...

We'd wanted to take the kids up to The Living Planet Aquarium so we decided to head up there for our Monday night activity. The kids found some exhibits that interested them and that they had some fun with. Here they are trying to catch the fish as they swam around but that was impossible!!!
To be honest...I would have to give it a thumbs down! I just didn't think it was worth the $30 that we spent and that overall, the exhibits were not really anything spectacular. It's really quite sad though because I feel like they are really "trying" but they can only do so much without the proper funding.

Their favorite spot was a boat that you could pretend to drive on that had different video images up on the screen. Carter pretended to crash of course and got a kick out of being called "Captain Carter".


I'm glad that we finally went and I'm glad that the kids had fun which they actually did. Just because their Mom who is usually interested and involved in activities like this, was bored out of her mind, does not necessarily mean that they did not have fun because they did. It's an exhibit that is directed way more to kids than it is to both kids and adults so as long as they were laughing...than that's what counts...right?!?

Just Some Of The Thoughts That Are In My Head...

The other night, as I was talking with my family and laughing hysterically, I realized just how many memories are stored in my brain but that have been "temporarily forgotten".

Though at times I curse my family and wish them to be as far from me as possible, they really are my favorite people to be around! We have all become best-friends which is something that makes our parents extremely proud. We were raised to know that the family should be the most important thing in our lives. We grew up seeing the difference between a family that was close versus a family that was not with our own parents immediate families being our example. The love, the joy, the communication, the honesty, and the devotion within the close family made it something that we knew we'd want later as we grew to have our own families.

I have come to recognize that our family actually does do "a lot together" more than most other families do. Now whether this is good/bad or right/wrong I don't know or really care but I love that it is what we do!

There is nothing better than a night full of family reminiscing and being our obnoxious selves. I can always expect to laugh my ace off when they're around! I love that we all just "get" each other because that is a rare thing to find. Believe me...I know! Luckily for the current or soon to be in-laws, they've been accepted into the "club" but that's not always the case! My first choice in hubby's was not so fortunate. My family "liked" him but he just did not get, or care to get, our jokes, quotes, love for movies, memories, etc.etc.

Case in point....I just got off the phone with my sister and we were talking about something in which she replied "I've just made a huge mistake". Now some people would take that as her simple reply but I took it for what she meant it to be...a quote from the funniest secret sitcom ever...Arrested Development. We had a good laugh about the certain episode that the quote had come from and moved on. Hilarious to some but annoying to others and to those others, I'll just simply throw out a huge head shake and simply "roll" away :)

Because of the other night's conversation, it made me want to start writing some of these memories down. Every one's views are different and we all have our own take on the situation so it's nice to have them jotted down so that they won't ever be forgotten.

I had a great childhood with great parents who made sure that we were always doing the most that we possibly could. They always made sure that they were included and involved with all that we were doing.

Every year within our church group, there was a lip sync that we did. It had become quite the competition between a few of the families and we were constantly trying to out-do each other. I will never forget the year that my Mom found some random song called "Big Big Booger Picking On Me"? Where she found it and whether I got the name exactly right, I don't know but it was perfect. We headed down to my Dad's back warehouse that he had at his company and began our project. We traced, colored, cut, and assembled a huge leg/foot/shoes. As we lip synced, my parents hid behind the "stumps" and kicked us throughout the song. We got a good cheer and we even took 1st place that year. So much fun! It is one of those random memories that reinforce the fact that my parents where really "in it" and were as involved as they possibly could be.

I have always been very athletic and this love began when we moved to Toronto. They have a great school system and athletic program there and they get you started as early as they can. Football is not as big there but hockey, cross country, track and field, basketball, lacrosse, and soccer are the sports to be involved in. I began running, participating in high jump, and playing basketball once I realized that these programs were offered. I found my love for running and participated in cross county, long distances, and long distance relays. Without fail, my Dad was there cheering me on and right there to congratulate me as I crossed the finish line. That is where and why the #2 became my lucky number. In all of my single races I finished second always right behind Becky Lafroy who attended a different school. I remember being so proud when they did the assembly at school to announce who the winners had been. I loved hearing my name called out and my plaque being put up.

My favorite place that we had our running meets at was a park named Loweville Park and it was about 20 minutes away from our home in Burlington. Growing up we would also go there as a family and it is somewhere that I have very fond and vivid memories of. The last time I visited Toronto, I made sure to go there and to walk a little down memory lane.

I realize that I may be rambling a bit but I am allowing myself to write as I think. Like I said in the beginning of this post, there are many memories that I have. Memories that have been stored away in my mind, waiting to be retrieved or to be told. I've decided that I want my children to really know who their mom is and of where it is that she came from.

So sorry for those who have been bored...until next time.....

Which Disney Princess Are You?

You are headstrong and feisty. You also have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive, you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

I love doing these little quizzes because I always want to see how correct they really end up being. I would have to agree that I can be feisty at times and full of romantic dreams so I will acknowledge that this one's right on! :)

If you want to take this quiz just jump on over to my favorites and click on Stephanie Valdez's name and you'll find it!

Thanks Steph for the amusement....

Just Another Night With The Terry's!

Need I say more?!? Here we have John-Charles pulling another one of his vamp shots!
Last night was a blast hanging with the family and I was laughing so hard! (we miss you j & l)
We had a dinner over at my Grandparent's home and the conversation was a little too intense for our them. I think that half...most of the time, they just sat, smiled, and pretended to care.
Here are a few of the classic highlights....

*no go for gnocchi
*the song "the final countdown"
*transsexualism and what it really means
*fireworks and the idiotic things that some people do with them
*macgyver, mr belvedere, perfect strangers, full house, pee wee's playhouse
* the movie "dances with wolves"
*john-charles and his singing proposal
* bad car tires
*driving to Emery to watch Jake play football
*john-charles and katie planting the a.d.d. conversation seeds
* the dancing song of the movie "footloose"
*the movie "dark night"
*quoting the tv show "arrested development"
*the movie "the kingdom"
*the actor jason bateman or justine bateman or mom constantly saying the wrong name?
*mom's pronunciation of "tour" or "ter"
*katie being dropped or launched or thrown
*buttercupping and when/where you do it?!?
*ring tones

Honestly... :)

I Feel A Whole Lot Better...

Last night I was able to go to dinner with some friends which was a very needed thing to do.

Lately I have been feeling like the grouchy mean Mom who is always getting after her kids for this or for that. Don't get me wrong...we still have our fun but I don't feel like myself all of the time. I am not a miserable person and don't want my kids to look back and think of me as always being mad or unhappy or not having fun. I sound like the most clueless person but I've never been a Mom before and sometimes I feel overwhelmed at the thought that I am 100% responsible for the way things turn out!! I'm still trying to figure out that perfect balance.

"It's their age...7 and 5...is just that age when they are testing you and they are just doing normal things and you are their Mom who's job is to teach right from wrong. You can be their friend too but that's not your primary job. Don't be so hard on yourself. You are just feeling the normal ways to feel!" was basically said in response to my "is this the normal way to feel?" question.

Whether what they said was true or not...it made me feel a whole lot better so THANKS! That's exactly what I needed to hear! :)

I Just COULD NOT Resist...

It's that time again! The 24th of July, Utah's State Pioneer Day, is another day for our family to use as an excuse for us to get together. This day we head down to my Uncle Sterling's for some food, family, and to subject our bodies to the infamous mountain water slide adventure!
Last year I went down for the first time post accident with my sister Jenny and had a blast. Even though I was a little nervous at first, once I made it to the bottom, I was so glad that I had done it!
My kids could not wait to get their stomachs fed and their swimming suits on so that they could get up to the top! (Jenny....this year he made it even higher and a little bit longer at the bottom!).....aaaaand they're off!



....Kindra was so funny...She would go back and forth from being brave and then being a little scared. Sometimes she would latch on to whoever was right there to take her down! There is my little brother Michael taking up Colin and Abbi. Colin would watch the kids expressions to know if he should go alone or go with someone. It was pretty comical watching them at the bottom!

I had taken my swimsuit with the plan on going down again this year but as I was watching them had changed my mind. "What a pain and it's muddy and grassy and instead I can just sit here and relax". That was before my other brothers arrived and once they got there the excitement came rushing back! I couldn't resist and that adventurous side once again came out! Amazing Race...Amazing Race...Amazing Race, my favorite show, the chant came into my mind! How could I just sit there?!? Impossible! hehehe

...Ashley making sure that John-Charles did not slip since it was getting pretty muddy...

...Carter was having so much fun!...

...again! again!...

...Ashley and Kindra... (see how muddy it was!!! I just had to ignore that otherwise I would have been vomiting!!!)

...Michael's turn...

...Carter head first and backwards...
...Kindra not so sure about what it is that we were sliding and sitting in! ignore...ignore...ignore!
This is when the "head first stomach runs" began....which also became known as "girls gone wild" since one of us could have possibly given our entire family a slight peep show :) hehehe

...Ashley...
...Me :) ... As we were heading up, John-Charles turned the dare giving from him giving one to me. "Go down on your stomach. You can do it...I DARE YOU!"
I know...I know...this picture is not one of my best but it was so much fun!

My Dad was dying at the bottom when he saw what I was doing! It cracks me up because my Dad was always the taunter when we were growing up. He gets so nervous now when he watches us being crazy and it actually makes us want be even crazier just to watch his reactions!
Kindra came running over and gave me a big hug and a kiss. "Oh Mom, what a great job! I am so proud of you! You didn't give up!"...and then she scurried off. I had a good laugh because she had just recited to me the exact same words that I say to them whenever they are working hard at achieving something. She is my little tape recorder and I love her for it.

As a Mom, I sometimes feel like I am doing a job 24/7 that does not give me back any physical thing to show for it, which is what I have been use to, but I am reminded that it's the little things like this that are the rewards. Even though I KNOW this, I can FORGET it so it's nice when the reminders do happen!

Every child has their "place" or their "job" within the family unit and this is Kindra's. She is very loving, always sweet and positive yet very feisty and strong willed, very competitive, has a great imagination, and is always concerned and worried about how her Mom is doing, is holding up.

She is the ying to Carter's yang! :) I love you...both of you...very much! Ok...back to the good stuff :)

...Jake and Colin...

This was the worst part! The grass that was on your body and the grass that managed to find it's way into every known crevice or unknown crevice of your body! I wish I was lying but I am sadly not!
Jake, Natalie, Colin, and Abbi...the family train :)
"Oh Grandma Jensen...I am so tired! Can I sit on your lap for some relaxing?" Yes...this is what my little melodramatic child really said. My Grandma just ate it up! (it was actually really cute!)
We were exhausted after our long day so it was nice that night to stay home and do our own firework show. Trevor and his parents came down to our house which was nice. That way I could have them showered and their pajamas on so they could just jump into bed...again...selfish mother acting on my part :)

The kids decided that their favorite firework is the one that shoots up into the sky the parachuting guy that you have to watch for and then try to catch. As a kid, those were some of our favorites too. I also remembered/realized that as I was growing up, we did fireworks up until we moved to Canada, then if we were here visiting, and then not until we moved back. They didn't really do fireworks there for you to buy or to even go to an event and watch them. It's interesting the different traditions that different countries have or even that different families have. Hmmmmm just a thought that I had as we were winding down the day.Another fun 24th of July though by the end of it, I was exhausted and ready for my kids to go to bed! Like all children, when they get excited about something, their energy levels increase and they can just go...go...go and Mom just can't...can't...can't!

We missed the Zimmermans, like always, and we missed Aunt Jenny, who is up with Stewart in Co. "Is Aunt Jenny coming?" Carter kept asking. "I am still helping Stewart when they get home right?" hehehe yeeeeep