Harley Davidson, Tie Fork, CEU Prehistoric Museum

TB was in Albuquerque, so we gathered up Grandma Faucheux for a big adventure. We had breakfast at Marley's Sliders in Lindon.

We stopped at Tie Fork in Spanish Fork Canyon and it's our new favorite. We'll stop there every time! It's a train-themed rest stop with a huge model train and picnic tables. The real train went by on the hill just above us and it was perfect.

We went to the Prehistoric Museum (Death Elevated!) and got a personal tour from DinoMan himself, John Bird. He's a preparator at the museum. Grandma Faucheux volunteered at the museum when we lived in Price. She invented the children's area and made a robe out of rabbit skins. 

Ha Ha! I thought that was the CEU Museum, but it looks like the zoo. Just imagine with me...

We walked around the corner to check out the city offices and the library which are in a buiding built by WPA. We drove around town to see our old house, the high school and the college. Mom told me that the lot for our beautiful old/new house cost $9000. I am shocked.

Let Her Dance

We love dance class with Miss Kim. It's the highlight of the week. Jovie says, "I'm obsessed with ballerinas." It's true. She is learning to be a really expressive dancer. I put a bun in her hair for dance class this morning and it changed her life.

Isaac practicing miming with a little dinosaur!

We did curly hair this afternoon!

 She says she's Shirley Temple. She needs an agent.

Have you read Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl? It's great. Have you seen the movie starring George Clooney and Meryl Streep? It's awesome. Have you heard the soundtrack? It's inspiring. http://youtu.be/eTmgXy_qOWQ

Art Show at the zoo

 The art show at the zoo was especially impressive this year. The kids like the flamingo quilt.

Someone made a tiny little snowman.

 
 
We had a fun dinner with friends visiting from Boston. That's Sidney, Jovie, Ella and Ikey. Sidney and Ikey's birthdays are a week apart.

Kiddie interrogations

Jovie: You're Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Isaac: No, I'm Isaac right now.
Jovie: At no time are you going to be Fantastic Mr. Fox?

Jovie was surprising Isaac with a wind-up train we'd just picked out. I told her to give it to him and say, "We got you a gift." She handed it to him and said, "Make a wish, babycakes!"

I was getting Isaac dressed for bed and he said, "I'm so glad we have these jammies. Without them our world would seem incomplete."

I came downstairs in a Southern Utah University sweatshirt and Ikey gave me the following unsolicited fashion feedback, "I don't like that shirt. It looks too puffy. You don't look like my mom."

Ikey: Where are you dad?
Todd was lying on the couch, so he stuck his hand up and waved over the top.
Ikey: That's not anyone. It's just pieces of guy spread all over.

This is a video of the weird stuff the kids do after brushing their teeth: http://youtu.be/n9cMnHWoPRY

Valentine's Party

We had a Valentine's Party at Grandma and Grandpa's house with lots of sandwiches and jello, but not all the people because we have some real sickos in our family right now and they were hoarding their germs at their own homes.

Ice Skating

 We're about to make it an annual tradition! Skating at the Gallivan Center is pretty fun with the music and lights and all. Ikey makes weird faces in every picture.

Ikey and Todd skating: http://youtu.be/DWeNWwsp3u4

 

Mom and Jovie make weird faces in every other picture.

Of course, we ate at Cinegrill after skating. You just have to.

President's Weekend Skiing

We braved the President's Day crowds to take the kids for a few runs at Alta. This was the first time I've skied with Ikey and he's really good. I thought for sure that he was going to crash a bunch of times, but he just made turns and didn't crash. Jovie got the hang of the tow rope really quickly and did a couple of runs with her skis between mine.

Todd and Ikey ski the bunny hill. http://youtu.be/7ycjHPZDqWI

Todd and Jovie traverse on the towrope. http://youtu.be/zefmYHxCiCU

Happy Valentine's Day Skiing

The boy can ski! TB and Ikey headed up to Alta on a beautiful Valentine's Day to find out that Ikey really can ski.

http://youtu.be/c_aOESUj49o
http://youtu.be/UPZ78H3jQPY

The kids and I made Valentine's cards with the Wans and Preeces in the morning. We made a delicious dinner of mashed potatoes and pork chops with cherry-pomegranate-jalapeno sauce and bacon green beans with brownies ala mode and raspberries for dessert. Jovie pretended like we were at a restaurant.

Moab!

First stop was the Helper Mining and Railroad Museum.

Next stop was Balance Rock Eatery on Helper Main Street. Jovie was shivering from her rootbeer float.

We've never been to Moab when it was snowing. It was pretty!

Jovie said, "This is the first time you ever carried me on a hike." It's the first time in a year that I've carried her. I am the mean mom that always makes her hike, but she was a real sicko on this trip. She had a fever and threw up lots of times. She wanted to sit in the hot tub twice a day, but that seemed like trouble for a fever, so she swam in the bathtub three times.

 The boys went to a rock shop and bought a little amythest necklace for the lady. She LOVES it.

On to the weird world of Hole N the Rock.

Puppies and a sicko

The puppies have a drink of water first thing in the morning.

 

Isaac browses the Brio railroad catalogs after enjoying some breakfast.

 

Jovie takes some time out on the couch with a little illness that turned her into the cuddliest thing ever.

Ikey's studying letters and making weird faces.

Wonder why our mirrors have finger prints and our children have multiple personalities? Watch this:

http://youtu.be/n9cMnHWoPRY

Fifth and Final Ski Lesson

I've been a little obsessed with mountaineering stories, so I always have an Everest or K2 book open and we all watched the Discovery Channel documentary series about climbing Everest. Ikey was inspired to climb the dirty pile of snow at the edge of the parking lot and summited its 20 foot peak. Hands up for a summit photo!

We can't wait to ski with him because his teacher says that he knows how to stop and turn and rode down from the chairlift in control the whole time.

Little Mermaid

We went to Woods Cross High School's production of Little Mermaid with Helene, Brynn and Hailey. It was really impressive with professional sets, really complicated lighting and special effects, great costumes, flying Ariel, and the best high school singing I've ever heard. Jovie made it through the two hour show with great theater etiquette. Jovie was inspired.
She wore Ariel pjs last night.
This morning she told me, "I comb my hair with a fork."
When we were brushing her teeth tonight, she pointed to the sink and said, "Does this thing spray out sea water?"

Here, Jovie sings "Part of That World" http://youtu.be/4wW2OkqxTp0

Say What?

Jovie: Do I look beautiful today?
Todd: You look beautiful everyday!
Jovie: But not today?

Jovie: I'm Olivia. Ian! Ian! Where are you?



Isaac: I'm not Ian. You're the only pig in town.






We've been working on a lot of Pre-School skills like syllables and opposites. Ikey asks: What's the opposite of fish? Answer: Shark! What's the opposite of Miles? Answer: Benny! (They're brothers. They're not really that opposite.)
 

New quotes

Jovie to Todd: You're kind of handsome with your eyes closed. With your eyes open, you're lots of handsome.

Jovie: Mom, spell chair. Now spell it in Navajo.

Panama Canal and Harmonica

Grandma Rainey and Ross are going on a cruise through the Panama Canal, so we watched a movie about the canal and played a little harmonica.

 Ross gave Ikey some instruction on playing "Jingle Bells" on the harmonica: http://youtu.be/rWDdKvij9Fc

Fourth Ski Lesson

The weather was really beautiful for Isaac's penultimate ski lesson. On the cabriolet ride down to the parking lot he said, "Mom, there's a rule about the gondola: No singing."
I said, "Who told you that rule?"
Isaac said, "Kenny said there's a rule of no singing on the gondola. That made me sad because he said I couldn't even doot quietly." Dooting is how Isaac sings a melody without any words.
He said, "It isn't fair."
I said, "Is it the same rule for Charlotte?"
Ikey said, "Charlotte doesn't even know how to doot." 
Later in the day, he told Grandma Rainey that the rules for the gondola are: No standing. No smoking. No singing.

Todd said that Kenny is killing Isaac's enthusiasm. I reminded him how many times we've asked Isaac to turn the volume down when singing or dooting in the car. Even Jovie has told him to stop singing. I don't hold it against Kenny.

Natural History Museum of Utah

We went to the museum with friends Karin, AJ and Tommy. We were an active bunch with one each of 5-, 4-, 3-, and 2-year-olds. A ticket-taker who seemed like she was too young and unforgiving to have her own kids told ours, "Knock it off. I already told you once!" She might have been a little near-sighted too because she had already told some other kids to knock it off. Not our angels.