I am in TROUBLE!!!

I know that I still need to finish journaling on our vacation. We have been busy this past week. I also need to wish Kaydra Happy Birthday. I will blog on both of these but for now I thought you should all share in my pain as you watch my BARELY 6 month old baby IN ACTION!!! WHAT WILL I DO???!!!

MGM and The Rainforest Cafe

On Friday we went to MGM. There weren't as many rides there as we thought there would be but it was still fun. The kids liked the Tower of Terror. This was one of my favorite rides when we went to Disneyworld when I was in high school. I remember it the most of anything we did that vacation. It was a brand new ride at that time and they didn't have one in Disneyland at that time so it was pretty cool that we got to go on it. Anyway, the kids seemed to like it. It was a warmer day and so it was hot and the park is smaller and seemed much more crowded then even the Magic Kingdom. We left early as we had planned to go to the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. We had reservations for 4:30 so we could eat and then go back to the park if we wanted. The food at the cafe was good. It is a pretty cool restaurant. The animals move and the lights flicker off and on like you are in the rain forest during a thunderstorm. The kids seemed to like it.

We then had a chance to walk around the shops of Downtown Disney. It was like a HUGE Disney souvenir mall. Every store had something Disney in it. The kids liked looking at everything and it gave them a chance to pick out a souvenir. Kanyon got stuff to dress up like a pirate. His package included an eye patch, gun that shoots rubber darts, sword, and hook.Pretty cute and an easy Halloween costume if I can talk him into it. Kaydra got a pretty Mickey necklace and a castle ring. I went to the caramel apple shop and got me and Leonard a huge caramel apple that was dipped in milk chocolate, then in crushed M&M's, then drizzled with white chocolate. We ate it that night after the kids went to bed. It was SO yummy! I would have gotten another one the next day if the shop had been closer!

There were statues of the princesses there so Kaydra finally got a picture with Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. It's not quite the same but she was happy. It was a long day but ended very well. A day can't be bad when it ends with an apple like that!

Beach Day #3

Okay, back to vacation reporting. Last Thursday was another day of staying on the beach. These were my favorite days because we could come and go as we pleased and stay as long or as little as we wanted. The hotel was only a short walk from the beautiful sandy beach. The waves seemed smaller this day then they had any other day we were there. The kids still had a great time using the boogie boards. We were afraid that it would rain a lot this day but it actually turned out pretty great.

Leonard and the boys discovered how to find were the crabs and other creepy crawlies were under the sand and they would try to dig them up. They mostly found these weird crab/beetle looking things but Leonard managed to dig up a few crabs. This is a picture of one of them.

Dan and the kids with help from some of the older boys created this big pyramid sand castle with a moat that slowly filled as the tide came in. They thought it funny to put Leonard's crab right next to the pyramid and watch it bury inside as though it lived there. If you look really close you can see a small black hole in the back of the pyramid on the corner closest to Kaydra - this was where the crab crawled in - creating a "door".

Markell manage to catch her first fish ever with the help of Josh - her friend who came with us on the trip.

Scott and Traci had Markell take some stunning pictures of them on the beach that night. You can go to Traci's blog to see some of them. They are such a cute couple and we were glad she was with us on the trip.

One time I was out in the waves with Miranda and then I came back to the beach and sat next to Paul in a chair right at the edge of the water. He was digging a hole with his foot. Pretty boring if you asked me. We discussed the purpose of the hole. Soon, for some reason the other men felt compelled to help him dig the hole. They, unlike me, did not ask the purpose of this task. It was amazing to me that they would just sit there and dig without any real reason. They were surprised to learn that Paul's purpose for digging the hole (which they were helping) was so that there would be a big hole that someone would fall into as the tide came in. Paul said to there surprised reactions, "Why else would you dig a hole?" What I wonder, is why were they all so attracted to simply digging in the first place? I will never understand the male gender.

That night we had a delicious steak dinner prepared by Dad. He had ordered some Omaha Steaks that were delivered to the hotel and we were able to enjoy them that night. It was delish!

Josh, Leonard, and Jake went fishing again that night. Jana said she tried to go watch but was attacked by mosquitoes again and decided it wasn't worth it. Stinking mosquitoes anyway!

Six Months Old and the First Day of School

I hope this video works. I have been trying for a few days to get a good video of Miranda laughing because it is so funny!She is growing so fast and I wanted to make sure that I caught this on video. I hope you can see it. She had her six month check up on Monday and she is growing great! Everything looked really good according to the doctor. She is sitting very well for a six month old he said. The past two days she has started commando crawling all over the floor. She is still pretty slow but it is only a matter of time! It's fun to see her grow up but I wish it would slow down just a little! She is now 16 lbs 2 oz and 28 inches long. The doctor says her growth looks great and right on track. She is mostly a happy baby as long as she gets what she wants. My biggest mistake with Miranda so far is that somehow she has developed a taste for sleeping in bed with us. For those that know us -- this has always been on our NEVER DO THIS WITH YOUR CHILD list. I am not really sure how it happened. She started growing out of the bassinet and it seemed easier to just let her sleep with me than to put her in her room as Leonard is gone at night working so much so I had this huge bed all to myself. I know that I need to break the habit soon but I too have started enjoying it! Usually she falls asleep laying next to me and then I carry her to her crib. She usually wakes up around 2:00 am and I have to feed her. She will then wake up at 6:00 if I leave her in her crib or she will sleep the rest of the night if I take her back to bed with me. Most nights it just seems easier to take her back to bed. We'll see how long it lasts. I am definitely better about putting her in her crib when Len is home to share my bed. She is just SO CUTE!! and I hate to see her cry! :( especially when I know that she will stop crying immediately if she just lays down next to me! I am wrapped around her finger - I know!

Today was Kaydra's first day of school. She is now in second grade and has Mrs. Holm for her teacher. She had a good day and was glad to see some kids she recognized from last year. Her two good friends are in another class but she seems like everything will be just fine. I can't believe I have a second grader. I remember being in second grade and it doesn't seem like that long ago. Weird. Kanyon was pretty lonely at home today. As we walked home after dropping Kaydra off for her first day he said - "So, what are we going to do today?" His preschool doesn't start until after Labor Day so we will have a long week and a half! "I'm bored" is his favorite expression right now although sometimes he gets it wrong and says, "I'm boring". Too cute!

The Magic Kingdom

This was the part of the vacation that Leonard did not look forward to -- going to the theme parks. The kids were really excited though.

This is before the day started. Everyone is well rested and waiting to get started!

We planned ahead and bought them all Disney shirts to wear to the park on this day. Kaydra and Kalli matched and Kanyon and Terek matched and Miranda and Riley matched.

Miranda wondering how long she has to wait before we start going!

I didn't take any pictures with all the kids in their outfits and I don't even have a picture of Riley in her outfit but I know that Jake and Jana took one of Miranda and Riley together so maybe I will post one later if I get a copy of it. We had a good time and so did the kids. We took advantage of the fast passes and also the "rider switch" passes so that we rarely had to wait in the LONG lines. It was good with all the kids.

Kaydra, Kalli, Terek, and Kanyon with Buzz Lightyear

Kaydra was disappointed that the only "character" we got to meet was Buzz Lightyear. The lines for the princesses were very long. We did walk through the castle and she was happy with that. Kanyon's favorite ride was Space Mountain. He loved the idea that we were on a rocket blasting through space. I thought he would be scared but he loved it and was able to go twice. We were there from park opening at 9:00 am until after the fireworks show which ended about 10:30 pm. On the way back to the car it started DUMPING rain. In fact, it started while we were on the monorail back to our car. So after carrying around ponchos all day and not using them we used them for the 5 minute walk to the car after we got off the monorail. Even though we didn't use them very long, I was SO glad we had them because the rain was SO HARD! The parking lot was flooded before we even got to the car and it had only been raining for about 5 minutes when we got there! They get a different kind of rain in Florida! We appreciated the overcast day as it made the heat more bearable and all in all we had a really good day. One the kids are still talking about one week later.

This is Splash Mountain. On the ride from front to back and right to left: Jana and Jake, Dan and Kalli, Kaydra and Grandpa Fuller, Kanyon and Leonard

Beach Day #2

On Tuesday we again stayed at the hotel to play at the beach. Miranda found it quite relaxing to lay on the beach and fall asleep. She was quite fussy and wouldn't go to sleep until I took her in the ocean. I think she was too hot. Once I cooled her off she layed right down and fell asleep. She is so cute all curled up and sleeping. She has taken to sleeping on her right side -- this is how she sleeps almost all the time now. On her right side with a blanket (or towel in this case) right up against her face. The day before we visited Ron Jon's Surf Shop and we picked up a few boogie boards. It wasn't long before all the kids had figured out how they worked.

KanyonKaydra

Kalli

The waves were perfect for them to learn on but again, not really big enough to satisfy the big people. We all had fun on them though and it was nice not to get plummeted by any really monstrous waves.

Terek

We went to the beach in the morning for a few hours and then we went inside to an animal show that the hotel put on. "Jungle Jim" came and showed us some snakes and alligators. It ended up being a little boring but the kids really liked the animals. After the show we went up to the apartment for lunch and then headed back to the beach for the afternoon. That evening we tried to put the kids to bed early so they would be well rested for the Magic Kingdom the next day. Leonard and some of my brothers and sister went to the pier to go fishing. They caught a few fish (I think three) and had a good time. They were only there for about an hour and a half but seemed to enjoy themselves. All in all it was a restful, fun, relaxing day.

Beach Day #1

Last Monday we woke up to a beautiful day. It was hot on the ocean but there were scattered clouds throughout the day so it kept the sun from shining on us continually. The water felt great! We started the day by attending a "Welcome meeting" at the hotel. Courtney and I went to learn about all the activities that they would offer that week. We ended up not going to very many of them because we had so much to do but it was good information. After the welcome meeting we took the kids to meet the "Children's Coordinator". Every day they had a supervised children's activity where we could drop off any children over 4 to the playroom and they would do a game or craft with them for about 30 minutes. The first day they all made bags that they could put all their stuff in for the rest of the week. The kids used them to collect shells and other things at the beach. After the activity we headed down to the ocean. The waves on this beach weren't very big this week. This was good for our little kids but kinda disappointing for the big people. The kids LOVED the water though. They were able to swim out past where the waves were breaking in their life jackets and still touch the bottom. We had a good time out there. The water felt good - it was just the right temperature. That day mom, me and Courtney went grocery shopping and stocked the apartments with snacks and other food. We had pizza for dinner that night and then we all got ready for our exciting kayak adventure.



I read about this in a magazine that I got and thought it would be fun for all of us to do when we got there. You can read the description about what was supposed to happen here. A short description of what we expected is that "bioluminescent creatures are so abundant that any disturbance such as a boat, a fish, or even a hand passing through the water can produce a shimmering light show. In bioluminescence, electrons are excited by a very efficient chemical reaction that generates no heat at all, hence the name cold light." I guess that I should have read the article closer because it specifically says we are going to MOSQUITO LAGOON!!! The point of the trip is that because of the bioluminescent phenomenon, you can see all the marine life that lives below the water because their movement causes light to shine around them. We were excited for the trip.

This is a picture of the launch site.

It started off on the wrong foot because we went to the address of the kayak company and not the launch site as we were instructed to do -- long story. So we ended up at the owner's house and not at the canal. This made us about 15 minutes late. They held up the tour for us, which was very nice. As we got there, there were about 20 other people also waiting for us to show up. We then had to sign waivers, get life jackets, paddles, glow sticks, whistles, and kayaks. This made many other people have to wait on us for quite awhile -- a little embarassing. As we stepped out of the car, the mosquitos started biting. We had a very small bottle of bug spray for all fourteen of us. Thankfully we had left the babies home with mom and Courtney. I am so glad that they weren't there getting eaten alive. We emptied the bottle of bug spray and climbed in our kayaks. The bugs continued to bite throughout our entire ride. We paddled down a canal and around into a lagoon. We then stayed there for about 30-40 minutes watching the fish jump and swim around us. It was pretty cool but hard to ignore the biting bugs. About halfway around to the lagoon my dad and Kalli's kayak was lifted out of the water by a manatee! They nearly tipped over but managed to stay afloat. It was pretty exciting. We then paddled back to our car. It was much harder paddling up the canal but somehow we all made it. By the end of the trip, nearly everyone was saying that it was cool - just too many bugs. Except the kids. They still say that the worst part of the trip was the kayak ride with all the bugs!



We felt them the rest of the week. I counted 14 bites on the hairline around my face alone! The back of my arms were also covered from shoulder to elbow. There were many other bites scattered over arms, hands, legs, and feet. Kaydra and Leonard didn't get too many but Kanyon ended up with too many to count all over his legs! We coated on the calamine lotion for the next three days and even gave them some benadryl at night to help them sleep. The first night Kanyon woke up two different times because of itching - that's when I bought the benadryl.

So most everyone spent the rest of the vacation trying not to itch! We were very glad to climb into bed that night.

Home Sweet Home

For those of you wondering, we made it back from our vacation today. We had a great time but we are SO glad to be back home. This week I plan to post daily updates reflecting what we did the previous week so that by the end of next week there will be a complete update of our vacation. We will see how it goes because school starts this week also, so we have a busy schedule for the week.

The vacation started last Sunday. The day before, on Saturday we packed and got ready for the trip. The kids were so excited. Kanyon said that he was most excited for the plane ride. We also managed to go out and pick huckleberries -- yum! Then, on Sunday we woke up and loaded up the car. We met Jake and his family and Courtney and her family and then we all traveled together to Salt Lake. We stopped and had lunch before we got to the airport (saving money). We parked our cars at the Park N Jet and took the shuttle to the airport.

I hate the airport. Everything is always crazy when you travel with kids. The only time I remember it not being crazy in the airport was when I went to Korea with Michelle. There were some crazy moments then too; but nothing like trying to get through security with six adults, four kids, and two infants -- plus all their stuff! Everything always feels better once we get through security. We somehow managed to make it on to the plane and to our surprise, the flight (4 1/2 hours) went pretty smoothly. All the kids traveled very well. We were pleased to find that each seat had a small television and we were able to pick up satellite television so we were able to watch the Olympics most of the way there.

We got to the Orlando Airport just after 11:00 pm Orlando time. This actually worked out really well because it was only 9:00 our time and the airport was fairly empty so there was not too much chaos to navigate. We made it to the rental car desk and to our minivan. Mom and Dad were already there to meet us and help us with all our stuff and children and get us to our hotel. Thank goodness. It was good to see them walk up! Minivans are so nice. They have so much room. Leonard doesn't like them -- but they do have a lot of room!

The big shock to all was of course the humidity. Even though we expected it, you don't realize what an impact it has on the temperature until you are in it. When we stepped outside for the first time Kaydra said, "Why is it so hot in here?" We were under an overhanging roof so it appeared that we were still inside. I said -- "This is how Florida feels!"

We then had about an hour drive to our hotel room that we would call home for the next week. We were pleased with the hotel, you can see more pictures here if you want. The service was "okay" but they always seemed to be annoyed with our requests. Len and I had a room with a king size bed and a master bath with a jetted tub. It had a huge walk in closet that was big enough for the crib. If only Miranda would sleep through the night! We had a balcony with a beach view (sort of). You had to lean over the railing and look to the right and then you could see the ocean! Courtney and Dan/Jake and Jana's room had an ocean view balcony. There was another room in our little apartment with two twin beds that Kaydra and Kalli slept on for the week and Kanyon crashed on the pull-out sofa. We were quite comfortable in our little apartment. It had a full kitchen and a little washer and dryer so we could do laundry. It even had a dishwasher. This is MY type of vacation!

That night we all went right to bed. We were excited to finally be there and we were tired from our long journey. Miranda traveled better than I thought. She had some rough moments but for the most part did quite well. She also happened to be teething for the past two weeks. She now has two teeth to show for all her troubles. I am just glad that they are finally both through! She is six months today. Tomorrow she has her check-up so we will see how she is growing. I am not looking forward to the shots though! More to come about our vacation tomorrow!

Len's Birthday and our Anniversary

Leonard's birthday was on July 29. Our 10 year anniversary is TODAY! We decided to celebrate them together this year. I can't believe that we had been married for 10 years. It doesn't seem like that long at all. It's weird, I feel like I just turned around and discovered that I now have three kids! I feel so blessed.

We celebrated by going to dinner. We had prime rib at a restaurant called Stockman's. It was delish! We then stopped by the family softball game to feed Miranda. Thanks to Paul, Debie, Dad and anyone else who helped to watch my kids. My mom took Kaydra to a concert and Kanyon had a "special day with Grandpa" which he had been looking forward to for quite some time.

That night, Markell stayed with all the kids (yes, even the baby) and we stayed in a hotel in town. It was such a great "date" night. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen.

This morning I said happy anniversary to Len as he came home from work. He said, "Ten years and we have never really had a fight." This is actually pretty true. We definitely have disagreements and some things we call "discussions" but we haven't really had a fight. I love that I have never felt like our marriage might end. I have complete trust in my husband and I know that he trusts me as well. This is a great blessing to us. I love the family that we have created. I love that he loves our children and that he loves to spend time with them. I love the differences that we each bring to our family. Len and I are very different. We didn't realize how different we were until after we were married.

I am a city girl. I like camping but would prefer to stay at a posh hotel. I love shopping. I love baking. I love to go to amusement parks and the county fair. I like city sponsored events (such as Art on the Green, or the Snake River Roaring Youth Jam).

Len is a country boy. He loves camping and hates spending money on hotels. He doesn't like shopping unless he has a specific thing that he needs or unless it involves spending money on hunting gear. He loves hunting and fishing. He hates amusement parks or anyplace where a lot of people might be (like city sponsored events). He loves hiking or just looking around outside in the woods.

We are pretty different but I really love those differences.

Here are some things my husband has taught me:

• Camping with Len is fun because he has all the equipment you need, he never forgets anything, he can cook REALLY well outside, and he knows just how to make everything perfect (like handing me a warm drink just as I step outside the tent).


• You don't need to call someone every time something breaks down. Chances are that if you take a look at it you will be able to figure out what is wrong with it. (It helps that he is pretty handy)


• There are thousands of animals on the drive to almost anywhere. I think before I met Len that I had maybe seen half a dozen animals on the side of the road as we were driving in my whole life. I now know that there are MANY more out there!


• I love prime rib. I never really tried it before we met - now it's one of our favorites


• He is a great husband/father. I had hoped this would be true before we met but now I know that it is. He knows just when I need extra help around the house. He is not afraid to do housework. He knows how to use the dishwasher, washing machine, and the vacuum all at the same time! He is also not afraid to be by himself with the kids. I can almost always find time to get away for a couple hours if I need or want to.


• My kids adore him.


• Len makes friends very easily and many people consider him a good friend.


• Len loves his parents and brother and sister. Of all the people he can choose to spend time with, he loves to spend time with his family the most.


• Len is the hardest worker I have ever met. If a job needs done, it will happen.


• Leonard loves me - I know I am tough to live with sometimes, but he never wavers.

I am so grateful for the 10 years that we have spent together and I hope for many more decades to come. I love you!

Twin Falls Temple

Here are all the kids. What a beautiful place.

Well, it's been awhile since I updated the blog and a lot has happened. I just put Miranda down for a nap so I thought I would start updating and see how far I get. On Monday we went to the Twin Falls Temple Open House. We were able to meet up with the Stephan family so we had a great time with cousins. The temple was beautiful. It was fun to finally see the inside of something we had watched being built. The kids enjoyed the tour as well and if you get a chance I would encourage everyone to try to make a stop there. The open house ends near the end of August (I think the 24 or so). While we lived in Twin Falls we were there while they were starting the build. In fact, they had all the primary children put their name on a rock and they put them all in the corner stone of the temple. The kids were glad to see it. It has definately changed the skyline of Twin Falls. You can see the temple from the freeway and it is very prominent in your view as you cross the Perrine Bridge into Twin Falls. We had a crazy car ride but a good day once we got there.

This is the Stephan Family

After the open house tour we went to a nearby lake and let the kids swim and play on the playground. We also enjoyed some pizza courtesy of the Stephans for Len's birthday. Thank you again to the Stephans! We were glad to be able to meet there. By the end of the day we sorta wished we were staying longer so that we could visit more but we headed back home. Sorry to all our friends in Twin Falls. We wished we had more time to see all of you. We planned on getting there much earlier in the morning but ended up having several errands to run before we could get out of town so this really limited our time. We hope you all are doing well and that you all have a chance to go to the temple!

Here we are. I don't know what my girls are doing!