Mini Break - Zion National Park

A few weeks ago I gave Ash an ultimatum that included me getting some warm sun on my skin.  This winter has been a doozy and to say me & the kids are ready for spring is an understatement.  Ash had a work meeting in Southern Utah so we rode down with him and got in a little weekend break as well at Zion National Park.

We haven't stayed in a hotel since Harper was very little and let me tell you, this time around was challenging to say the least.  I was pretty sure at one point that the lodge was going to kick us out (there were people staying on both sides of our room and above us....) after the second time Harper was throwing a tantrum at 5am or after Helena scream puking at 6:30 am (she wasn't sick, just...yeah...throwing up.) :)  Anyway, we perservered and Saturday night had some margaritas with dinner and all was well with the world.  Ha! 

Zion is such a great place.  We explored some new hiking trails and threw many rocks in rivers.  And experienced 70 degree temperatures for the first time in many months.  Yay!

Helena & red rocks & river.

Attempt at a family photo...H2 REFUSED to sit with us.  Which was par for the course.

View from Observation Point Trail.  Such a great sunny day.

View out of Riverside Walk by entrance to Zion Narrows at dusk.

Zion Canyon - Observation Trail.

Ash peering over into Zion Canyon at the peak of the trail.

A highlight of the trip:  Brownie in the middle creme brulee at Bit & Spur Restaurant in Springdale, UT.  Our entire dinner was amazing.  Highly recommend this place.

Riverside Walk near Zion Narrows.

Harper in a more decent moment....picking up rocks & drawing in the sand.  Really I just threw this in so ya'll don't think I left him on the trip.

We can throw rocks for days!!!

- Emily :)

Monster Truck 'Bally'

We attended our first Monster Truck Rally on Friday night.  It was a reward for Harper related to potty training (yes, we potty trained him over Thanksgiving break...whooppee!).  He's had some unsavory issues at school surrounding the relative newness of the situation and we're hopeful this week's developments (& reward!) have set him straight. :)

Anyway, I did not want to go to this event.  Harper saw it advertised on TV and BEGGED to go.  I tried unsuccessfully to get Ash to take the kids by himself.  I tried unsuccessfully to get Helena to not want to go so I could stay home with her.  No dice.  So, off we all went 7:30 p.m. (usually the kids' bedtime) on a Friday to the Monster Truck 'Bally' (as Harper referred to it).

I have to say that I learned a lot about the monster truck world.  Like, I had no idea it was actually a sport with rules and tournaments and such.  I just thought they drove around and did tricks and smashed things.  Harper loved it and was kind of serious about it between clapping fits.

We had a lot of fun.  I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  At one point Ash & Helena were ready to leave (she was falling asleep in the chair) and I was all "What?  We can't go now!?!" 

Some tips on attending a monster truck event:

1.  Maybe consider buying the more expensive seats.  And even the cheap seats aren't really all that cheap.  I'll just say the 'company' in the cheap seats was maybe more interesting than it needed to be.  Although not outside of the realm of the expected.  I did see someone puke.

2. I was glad we were in the upper deck, however, because it's so noisy and there is dust and exhaust fumes aplenty.  Pick your poison, I guess.  I wanted to shower when I got home.  I think Harper might have been scared if we were super close.

3. Take really good ear protection.  And make sure your husband packs some for you, too.

4.  Don't leave early.  The best part is at the end.

-Emily :)

Hey! My blog still works!

Sorry guys!  I can't explain why I took such a long break -- lots of excuses -- but hopefully I can get back on the wagon.  To make it less overwhelming for me, we're all just going to have to deal with the 'gap' in events from October until now.  OK friends?  Great. :)  For some reason if I don't feel like my blog is a correct chronological retelling of events I feel like a loser.  But I'm working on it...

So to get back to 'theme' here's some recent, cute pics of the kiddos (link below).  Enjoy!  (Hope this works!)

-Emily :)

P.S. - Thanks to all of you who registered formal complaints about the lack of blogging.  :)  I apprecaite knowing you're 'there'!!

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a55314e4449354d44453d0d0a&blogview=true

Cake and Songs

I think with both of my kids my favorite thing is when they start to sing.  This is Harper singing "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" from school.  This song is a standard for Utah kids.  Helena and Harper both know it, although Harper has the words a little off.  I enjoy his improvising. :)

(Real Lyrics):
I looked out the window, and what did I see?
Popcorn popping on the apricot tree!
Spring had brought me such a nice surprise,
Blossoms popping right before my eyes.
I could take an armful and make a treat,
A popcorn ball that would smell so sweet.
It wasn’t really so, but it seemed to be
Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.

Birthday Season

The past couple of weeks we celebrated Ash's & Helena's birthdays.  Ash had a bit of a subdued celebration as he had a project due the week before and the week after.  But, we still had cake and chicken marsala (his favorite).

Helena had a great day on Thursday, her actual birthday.  She took yogurt tubes to school for birthday snack and then we repeated a lot of the celebration from last year with a trip to Jump & Bounce and then off to a dinner of hamburgers and french fries.

We opened presents and ate the tinkerbell cake. :)



Opening her giant unicorn from Grandpa Ash & Grandma Maggie (can you tell she liked it?!?)

Showing off her tinkerbell crown and basket for her bike.

My pride & joy - nut/dairy/egg/gluten free chocolate cake. :)

Everyone liked it!!

On Saturday, she had a party at the Little Gym with her friends.  We had a fun group of kids who ran around and had a blast.  :)  That part wore us all out.  I believe I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30!

Showing off on the balance beam...

I'm 5!!! (And I couldn't stop eating long enough to pose for this picture!)

Happy Birthday Helena!  You're the coolest little girl we know - love you!!

- Emily :)

Dinner Snippet

Tonight at dinner we decided to battle with H about eating something other than bread, cheese & meat. 

Anyway, tonight Ash was trying to get her to take one little bite and H was being monumentally stubborn.  At one point Ash pointed out a consequence for her behavior followed by, "Just try me, Helena."

Helena replied, "But Dad! I'm not going to eat a bite of you too!!"  Crazy parents!

-Emily :)

P.S. - The verdict on the lentil was that it wasn't 'too bad' and 'tasted like a bean.'

Sorry about that....

Whoa! Almost 2 months of not blogging.  So sorry!  (I hear echos...).  So in order to feel 'caught up' on my blogging you're going to get the last 2 months in pictures.  We've been busy with some traveling, a new school year, Ash working a ton (fingers crossed on the two projects he hears back on this week!).  And now we're gearing up for Helena's 5th birthday and a few family visitors in October.

So, a recap:  We met up with my brother Evan & his girlfriend Kailey and two other friends as well as our good friends Erin & Todd & Alex & John in Moab, UT for a long weekend in August.  We visited Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park and had a grand old time.

Family pic in front of Mesa Arch - Canyonlands.

Helena & Kailey

Picnic!

Alex, Helena & Harper - don't everyone look all at once!

Double Arch - Arches National Park

 I also went on a girls trip to Santa Fe with Aimeeliz and Erin.  We had a lot of fun eating, drinking, shopping and horseback riding.

Oh, and wine tasting.... yummy!

Erin & Aimee leading the way to the sunset on horseback! 



Our rancher / guide - Russ "the buffest cowboy in the west!" He was awesome and smelled like whiskey.

Ash went to Detroit over Labor Day to his step sister Susanna's wedding.  We were sad the rest of us had to miss it.  Looked like such a beautiful and happy day.

Maggie, Ash Allen, Ash & Grandma Claudene

My mom visited us as well, and we took a little trip to the Uinta Mountains here in Utah.  Hiked to Wall Lake...beautiful!

Helena & Harper - first day of new school year.  Helena in her last year of preschool and Harper in the 2 year old class. :)

Helena was stoked to get her face painted at the farmer's market.

Harper taking a break from throwing things in the pond / climbing on the landscaping at the farmer's market.

- Emily :)