Mom of the Year Award

Yep. I let Sloane wear this outfit out to dinner at a relatively nice restaurant. Dora jammies, sparkle shoes and the no hairdo-do. Sometimes it's just not worth the fight. And you can see by her facial expression that she was ready to go to blows.

Mother's Day

 

I can't believe how quickly the summer has flown by - or how long it's been since I've updated the blog. Back to the Shame Cave! Let's flash back to Mother's Day. We had a nice relaxing weekend. Sort of. One thing about being the mom and having moms is that Mother's Day ends up involving a whole lot of running around trying to fit a lot of celebrating in one day. We are so lucky that we get to spend so much time with our parents. Let's face it...Scott and I both have INCREDIBLE mothers.

We went to a place called Color Me Mine to paint some pottery for the moms in our life who can be a little hard to buy for. Tagg managed to splatter a whole bunch of paint on his face.

On Saturday, we went hiking with Aunt Tiff. Bells Canyon was a little harder hike than we were expecting for the little ones but they toughed it out, hiking straight up the hill for about a mile and a half in the heat of the day till we got to this lovely little lake. The trail head for this hike is literally 10 minutes from our house so we're looking forward to lots more time in the mountains. There are such treasures hidden so close to where we live, it's almost criminal not to take advantage of the great outdoors.

On Sunday, we had brunch with Mom and Dad, then played in the sprinklers all day and then headed to Scott's parents for dinner. Sloane was FILTHY after playing in the yard. I love the dirt in the crease of her neck. It might not be much of a badge for me as a "good mom" but I think kids should get dirty and have fun. We did get the kids cleaned up and presentable before heading off to dinner.

Sloane's version of getting dressed for dinner included a nice updo...with plastic spoons, aka "Dinglehoppers." She may have been watching too much Little Mermaid lately.

Best part of the day for me? These two. They are my joy. And watching them play and share and laugh together is the best present I could ever ask for. Knowing that they are the real gift makes every day Mothers Day.

California, Here We Come!

In April (yes, that is how behind I am on the blog...getting back to stories from APRIL!), we went to California to check out Disneyland and spend some time at the beach. Mom and dad had a nice condo in Newport Beach so we all jammed in two bedrooms and got cozy for a few days. Mom and dad even gave up their first rights to an actual bed and took the sofa sleeper in the front room. Poor things.

The trip was almost aborted before we even got going. When I picked Tagg up from school he had a temperature of 103! We tried two different Instacares and the lines were hours long which would have meant we missed our flight, so we drugged him up with some Tylenol and got on the plane anyway. Yep, I'm "that" mom. But he was so devastated when he thought he was going to miss going to Disneyland that I was willing to risk it. Judge all you want. You can't be sick as a dog and miss Mickey Mouse. That's just not right.

Tagg at Newport Beach.

After a long brunch at our favorite haunt - Mutt Lynch's - with Nat and Alek,
we hit the beach. Tagg was a little camera shy, or maybe he just
wanted to chase waves not do cheesy pix with mom.

Marc, Becky, Harper & Carter...cutest little family!

Me and Tagg running from the waves. Usually when we are in Newport,
I'm running for a surfboard medal. This was definitely more fun.

When we got to the room, Becky had made the girls these cute matching dresses.
Sloane also nicked Harper's "high heels" and they were princesses for the rest of the night.

Aunt Tiff and Sloane in the sandbox.

Papa teaching Tagg the art of the short game.

We had dinner with Uncle Cam and Aunt Janene and cousin Steve and his wife Sharon and one of their sons (how did those kids get to be college kids?! They were Tagg's age last time I saw them!) at Disney Town, or whatever that shopping/dining area is right outside of Disney. The balloon hats were a hit!

Sloane had Minnie Mouse ears. I'm not sure that's exactly how you're supposed to wear them,
but of course she bit one of the balloons and was down a mouse ear, so this seemed like a good compromise.

Even Nana and Papa got in on the balloon hat party.

Cousin Steve busting out the unicorn balloon hat. Gotta love it.

The girls got to celebrate their birthdays at a breakfast with Minnie Mouse.
They were in heaven! Chocolate cake before 8 am? Huge hit!

Me and Tiff with the kids, hoping for a good, easy day at the Magic Kingdom.

Tagg has apparently not been informed that he's about to enter the "happiest place on earth." Smile, kid!!!

Tagg and Sloane getting ready for a day of adventure and magic. Or lots of potty breaks, crying,
overpriced junk food and long lines. I mean...MAGIC!

Tagg met his first stormtroopers. I think he was in awe.

My little guy in Jedi training. He really couldn't be any cuter.

Jedi Master Tagg.

Tagg and Aunt Tiff in line for Star Tours. Loved it!

My Minnie Mouse Princess. She still wears that hat around the house at any opportunity.

We got to meet Flik from A Bug's Life. I kind of wished it was the actual Dave Foley because I love him, but Sloane seemed to prefer the ant. Tagg, still trying to battle his fever, was crashed out in a stroller so he missed the whole thing. Who naps at Disneyland for 3 hours?! Poor little guy.

Kisses for the ant.

After HOURS dealing with one or more mad, tired, crying, cranky kids, we finally found solace by the river run.

Oh yeah, that's right...FOUR kids asleep all at the same time! We were pretty impressed with ourselves. That was the best 12 minutes of the whole trip. Just kidding!

Papa and Sloane on the car ride. We never made it to the new Cars ride which looked awesome. Only Tagg was tall enough to ride it and the lines were insane both days we were there.

Cousin Steve came to help wrangle the little critters so he got to take Harper on the drive.

Poor little guy. He had a blast but just couldn't stay awake for the whole day. While he napped on my lap, I saw 5 showings of the Jedi training. That should last me the rest of my life. Until next time we go.

We asked mom what she wanted to do...Matterhorn. So the girls did some coasterin'. Pretty cool!

The Dumbo ride was pretty amazing. Such a blast from the past. The kids loved being able to control the ride.

Sloane with her bubble gun, ready for the Pixar Parade. It was really cool, and in California Adventureland which meant the grown ups got to have adult beverages while we watched the parade. That was a huge bonus!

After riding the Little Mermaid ride 3 times, Sloane decided to brush her hair with a fork while at dinner.

After Disney day one, this was the result. Crashed.

Times 2.

Tagg, Sloane and I braved the airport all by ourselves on the way home and we actually did okay, except for one potty incident and one freak out over a bag of red vines. I'm excited to do it again in a few years when (A) Scott can come, (B) both kids are old enough to go on most of the rides, (C) I actually research what we want to do with the Fast Passes and such. I realized that I was woefully unprepared for two Disney Days. I would also like to hit Seaworld and spend more time at the beach.

A big thanks to Becky for coordinating everything and getting discount passes, to mom and dad for sharing their condo with us and suffering through the worst bed in the house, to Aunt Tiff for being the "dad" for the weekend, to Steve for carrying Sloane around even when she peed on him and not minding when Tagg's call of nature erased a full 25 minute wait in line for Star Tours and still smiling, and to all the kids for being pretty darn awesome.
.

Karate Kid

Tagg started taking karate classes this week. Apparently some kids at his new school are all about karate so he' s been talking about it a lot. Plus he's been a little more aggressive and volatile since we moved and started new pre-K so we thought we'd give it a shot. First class, he watched 90% from the sidelines. But he started "yes ma'am-ing" me, and was very interested in upping his Listening Score and cleaning his room, which they talk about in class. Second class? Took him a few minutes to warm up and then...he was rocking Flying Sidekicks. Holy crap!

 

Tagg is now enamored with karate. We go twice a week and he loves getting his stripes, learning his kicks, and working on his sensai "guiding principles" which are all really impressive. It's early to tell but after just 4 classes, I think karate/martial arts is an amazing thing for kids. As long as he doesn't start crescent kicking me in the face...

Color Fest

April 20: "This week Hindus around the world celebrated Holi, the Festival of Colors. Holi is a popular springtime celebration observed on the last full moon of the lunar month. Participants traditionally throw bright, vibrant powders at friends and strangers alike as they celebrate the arrival of spring, commemorate Krishna's pranks, and allow each other a momentary freedom -- a chance to drop their inhibitions and simply play and dance."

Surprisingly, Spanish Fork, Utah has one of the country's larger color festival with 10's of thousands of attendees. I had no idea what this was until my sister in law, Becky, suggested we all go. In a rented school bus. With 40 or so of her friends. With a dance party and mimosas. Sounded like a fun Saturday, so Tiff and I loaded up the kids in our white shirts and headed out for a color-full day. And it definitely lived up to the hype!

The kids digging into their first bags of "color."
You can still see some white on their clothes.

Sloane and her best friend/cousin, Harper.
They were so stoked that they could throw
colored 'dirt' at people - even their parents - and not get in trouble. Hey-day!

Tagg-man. We thought the sunglasses would protect his eyes.
But they just made him look cool. And I have no idea how he could see anything.

Aunt Becky, the instigator.

Color kids on a rock.

About an hour in, you can barely recognize Tagg and Sloane.
They could hardly hold still for pictures....more colors!

Sloane...beautiful even when painted!

Me and Aunt Tiff...more colorful than usual.

Tossing color is thirsty work.

The Krishna temple...all the haze is from the colors being thrown. Super cool!

The kids posing for a picture using Harper's favorite 'cheese' face.
Yep, we're covered in paint from head to toe AND making faces!

My handsome Tagg-man. He's even cuter in color.

Color sisters.

Aunt Becky just drenched Tagg in pink powder.
Paybacks for him popping her in the face with purple. A tie, perhaps?

The color up close.

By the end of the day, the little girls looked, and felt, like zombies. Just a little creepy!

Who are these girls?!

The bus ride home. Filthy, Happy. And all asleep before we got to Provo.

Best day ever! If you ever have a chance to do this, you should. It was a blast.