The Zoo

Another off track adventure. This one was the zoo. Carter, Miles and I went with my friend Karen and three of her boys. The weather was so nice that everyone else in Utah decided to go to the zoo as well. We tried to convince the boys that we should go to the This is the Place park but they weren't too excited about that. We decided to brave the crowds and it was actually ok.
Cater, Miles and Jacob in front of the big elephant. Riley was afraid to get that close.

Riley and Carter showing me their best crocodile faces.

Me and my boys. I love those kiddos. They are both at such a fun age and have both been really good lately. It makes things so much more fun and enjoyable.

Carter likes to follow the map as we go places. I am now convinced he is memorizing all the locations. He is like a little GPS. There are many times when Quinn and I have been amazed at his internal compass.


And of course we had to ride the train. It is the shortest little ride and my kids have done it so many times but it is still a requirement for them when we go to the zoo. Someday they will grow out of it so I am always a sucker for the train ride. Riley, Carter, Miles and Jacob.

Clean Teeth

Miles and Carter like to show us their clean teeth after they have brushed them. Or maybe they are trying to prove that they did brush them. Who knows. One evening Carter wanted me to take a picture of his clean teeth and this was the result. I tried taking several pictures and believe it or not this was the best one.

The picture of Miles is not nearly as scary. I hope they never have mugshots because Carter's is one that we would laugh at if it were on the news.

Spring Break!

We decided we wanted to do something for Spring break this year. For years we have talked about taking them to Arches by Moab. I have only been to Moab twice and both times it was during spring break time. The weather was around 70 degrees both times so we figured this would be a perfect time to go. However, it being spring (some may call it a transitional period) Mother Nature decided it wasn't going to be like summer and it would be more like winter. Blah. This is what we left from.

My brother Seth his wife Sarah and their kids Tate and Grace came as well. Since the weather wasn't looking too promising on Thursday we decided to stop at a museum in Price to give us something to do. It turned out to be a pretty good little museum.
We hiked around a little on Thursday. However it was very cold and very windy. My ears were frozen and it was killing my head. For the next stop I put Quinn's hoodie on as well and covered my ears. At least that helped my head a little bit.



I thought this picture was so cute. Miles pointing something out to Carter.
The family by either North or South window arch.

Sarah and I looking so cute all bundled up. Yet not bundled enough.

I told Quinn as soon as rain started falling I was out of there. It was already windy. Sometime during the hike Quinn said, well we don't have to leave yet. Why you ask? Because it was not raining. It was snowing and I had said nothing about snow. We did leave after that hike though. Carter kept saying he needed to go back to the hotel so he could take a hot shower.

Friday's weather looked a lot better. It was still kind of chilly but not as windy. The sun was out and it looked beautiful. I would have preferred it to be just a tad warmer but other than that it was really nice. Miles and Carter are ready for day two.

Carter and I on our way up to Delicate Arch. Carter kept calling it Utah's Arch. Then Miles would have to correct him and say - there is no such thing as the Utah Arch. Then I would tell him to let it go. Carter can call it that if he wants.

Miles and Carter found some cool holes to climb into. Miles is working his poses.

Delicate Arch! We made it. The view is beautiful and very intimidating. It is slanted and you just feel as though you could just fall and go rolling away. See our little family under the Arch?

This is the one picture we have of all of us and it turned out well.

Rubber Duckie came along as well, obviously. As we got to Delicate Arch we saw a girl that had a freaky looking doll that she does the same thing with. She has a blog and in our short conversation we forgot to ask what her blog was. I'm sure that had the potential to be awesome/scary/funny or so many other things.

Miles found/discovered this arch on our way to Delicate Arch. He thought it was pretty cool to stand on it.
Quinn and Miles walking to Broken Arch.

The fam at Broken Arch.

The boys in a little crevice by Broken Arch.

Sand Dune Arch. As we got closer we could here people chanting kids names. We got around the corner and there was this huge group of people just hanging out. They had everything you need for the beach. Shovels and buckets and all sorts of toys. Then the kids were going up to the top and running down and jumping in the sand. Miles wanted to join in so we sent him in line. When he was up they asked his name and started chanting - Miles! Miles! He jumped quite a few times. We did finally get Carter to try it and then he didn't want to leave.

Quinn and Miles at Double Arch.

Quinn wanted to delete this picture but I thought it was funny. It looks like he is ready to be in a magazine. Maybe this is where Miles gets his posing.

Turret Arch. This was one of the very first spots we visited the first day and Carter wanted to visit it one more time. I was so pooped and didn't know if I could make it to the last Arch, but I really wanted to be there with the boys.

Spring Pictures

In the Fall for school pictures you have to fill out a paper and send your money and get everything squared away. In the Spring they take pictures and send home a huge packet and say either send it back or you will have to pay for all of it. So, I usually scan a picture and send it back.

I am always amazed at how big they look in pictures. As soon as I get school pictures back I have to do a double take at my kid and ask myself when they got so big?

My kitty cat

I am not what you would call a cat person. I don't really like cats. I don't really dislike cats either. They just really have never had much of a purpose to me. Plus I have always felt they were such indifferent pets. They could care less about you. So when this scrawny black cat showed up last summer at our house and the boys loved her I decided we could keep her. As long as she stayed outside. I don't like cats in the house. Then she went and had kittens before we could get her fixed. Since the kittens were born at the beginning of November she had to come in with them. We got rid of the last kittens on Christmas Eve. Now we just needed to get her fixed so we could kick her back out of the house. We finally had her fixed about a month ago and she was ready to be booted out of the house.

However, a funny thing happened. I kind of fell in love with my kitty cat. I have called her a manipulative cat since we found her. She tricked us into taking care of her. She tricked her way into moving into our house. And now she has tricked me into liking to have her around. Blast that cat.

How did this happen? I couldn't figure it out at first. Then I realized that she loves me the best. The boys always ask why she won't come sit with them but she sits with me. She follows me all around the house. She sits outside the bathroom and waits for me. Quinn tells me how she will come running looking for me when I get home yet she has been hiding/napping somewhere while they were home. I have never had a pet that loved me the best. Like I said, she is a manipulative cat. She loves to come sit on my lap while I am on the computer. She sits and purrs. How can you not like that?
I crashed one day on the bed and this is where she ended up. I could have a collection of pictures of me lying somewhere and the cat on me.

I still want to have her go outside. For one main reason. I don't like litter boxes. But if she can be a good kitty in our house without a litter box she may be welcome.