Happy Due Date Quincy!

This past Thursday, October 25 was Quincy's due date. Cali was worried about how her feelings would react to that day, so we kept her busy!  First we went to Scheels - a new sports store here in Sandy - and rode the ferris wheel!!

 Mo, Oak and Lou before the ride.

 Oak and Lou first on the ride.

 N and Ash were too small to ride the ferris wheel so GG stayed on the ground with them.

 

 This pic is to show how freakin' high this thing is!  That window is above the 3rd floor of the building and if you look out the window, we are as tall as the mountains!!  Whenever we would get to this point on the ride I started giggling like a crazy person, just so I wouldn't scream!  I was riding with Mo and I didn't want to scare her, especially since she was loving it.  Loving it so much she wouldn't sit still!!  She rocked our car constantly!  But I survived.

 Lou and Oak sticking their tongues out at us.

 GG, N and Ashlyn on the ground.

 Mo and me.

 We were so close to heaven that when we were at the top we waved at Mac and Quincy and said our hellos.

 We had to take a pic by the bear!  I love bears!!!  If you would have taken a picture 2 minutes before this it would have looked like I was feeling the bear up.  I had to see how soft his fur was! 

 Yes!  They really are driving!





 It's just not a real jeep.  I put Oak in front of the tire so you could see the size of this vehicle!

 

After Scheels we went to lunch.  TJ met us there in between school and work.

 

Ash loves lemonade! 

 

 

And N loves Chick- Fil -A's sauce! 

 

Then we went to Zurcher's and got balloons - did you know there is a helium shortage?  We almost didn't get any balloons.  But luckily, they had enough for us!

 

 

 

 

 

Party hats, balloons and snow!  We know how to throw a party!

 

Up, up, up....

 



...and all but the pink one went away!

Happy due date Quincy!  I sure am glad I know Mac is helping you get through this hard day. 

 

We love you guys!!

Some pics



N got a haircut!!  The mullet is gone!  She looks so beautiful.  I will take more pics over the next few days to show it off.

 

 

And here's a few more pics of my Gracie Goo. OK a lot of pics of her!  She's sure finding her way into our hearts and family!  She sleeps in our room on her doggy bed and doesn't get out of bed until anywhere from 8 - 10 in the morning!  She's not a morning person!

 We found out she will be 6 in February!  That's old for a dane, but even if we only have her for a year, that's a year for us and hopefully a happy year for her.  We are her 2nd rescue - the people that just abandoned her this time had rescued her.  I don't get it!  But she's here now and happy - and so are we!!

Al and Grace

 

 What's wrong with this picture? 

 

Nothing until you see why she isn't on her bed!  Moose still rules the house, even with a dog 5x his size.  They get along great! No swats or fights at all!!  One time Grace tried to play with Moose and Moose just looked at her like, "Are you kidding me?"

 

Lady Grace!

 



Mo and Grace

N follows Grace everywhere!  And it's cute to see Grace 'tiptoe' around the kids.  She hasn't stepped on a kid once - not even by accident!

 

She goes EVERYWHERE with me.  We kinda like each other!  If she doesn't know where I am she freaks out a bit.  So I have found myself talking out loud throughout the house so she can find me!

 We went camping over Conference weekend and took Grace with us.  We actually only had her for a few days at this point.  Here she is hanging out with my niece B.  B is on HER dane's doggy bed.

 And look at this deer wearing hunter orange.  Wait!  That's Grace!  We didn't want anyone mistaking her for wild animals!

 

Is that enough pics of Grace for you?

 

OK.  What about a video!!  Moose is hiding in the box and Grace can't figure out why he's there.  I love her voice!!

 There's a story behind this picture; my dad wanted to sit in the hammock and relax a bit.  He just didn't center himself well enough.  We all watched him as he slowly but surely tipped backwards until he was on his head.  Then he looked over at us and said (in an old lady voice), "Help!"  Obviously, I was such a caring daughter I had to take a picture before we helped him, and I will admit I laughed till I cried for about half an hour.  It wasn't so much the slow motion falling as much as it was the weak-sauce "help" he managed to yelp. (That's Colby's dog Dex coming over to investigate)

 

And I love this picture of my Brutus tree - so named because Brutus ate it in half last summer and it survived.  This time of year is so beautiful to me and makes me grateful for all the beauty that surrounds us.  Happy Autumn everyone!



Meet Grace

This is my new love muffin.  Her name is Grace.  (She is a Great Dane)

I have been dog hungry for a few months now and have been trolling KSL's classifieds to find the perfect dog.  Grace is it!  Her first family abandoned her alone in their backyard when they moved and luckily her neighbor noticed and rescued her.  She was skinny, but obviously has been taken care of previous to this (she has been fixed, has had her rabies shots, has a chip...).  The neighbor called a friend who rescues Danes and between the two of them they took good care of her and agreed to let us be her new family.  She is beautiful and as mellow as can be!

I know this sounds crazy, but I love dogs; I love how they look at you with those soulful eyes like they are trying to tell you how much they love you with just a glance.  I love how excited they get when they see you.  I love how much they love life, and friends and family.  I love how they smell.  Yes, I really do love the smell of a dog.  It's earthy, natural. It's comforting to me. 

So Grace is our newest family member.  I already love her so much!  I think we will be great friends!

Liberty Park date

All us girls (except TJ) met at Liberty Park for some laughs and giggles.  They have a great playground there, as well as a water area that I didn't get any pics of.  But we had a great time!!!

 

 

 

All the big kids doing head / hand stands....

 

 Ash and N can't be outdone!

 

 

 

Thanks, girls, for a fun Friday!



Ooey, Slimy But oh, so Good!

I will admit, I am a Pinterest junkie.  I enjoy pinning all these wonderful things that I can do with the kids, or around the house or yard, and I thought I would share one of the things we did that I got off of Pinterest that the kids absolutely LOVE!  (I know a lot of adults that love it, too!)

 

 

In the craft section of Wal-Mart I bought some packages of water beads;  they are tiny granules that expand in water after about 6 hours of soaking.  The original idea is to put them in vases to keep flowers moist without adding water too often, while adding some color to the vase.  Now don't be thinking of the glass beads; that's what most people think when I talk about this.  There is nothing 'glassy' about these except the final look.

 

We got a plastic container and put water in it.  As you can see, Moose is checking it out.

 

 We added 3 small packages and 1 large package of beads to the water.  (Note - when I do this again I won't mix them all together until they are at their full size.  I had some clear, yellow, orange and red beads and the end result was orange.  It's not a bad thing, but I want to try it with the beads their actual colors, not all one color.)  (Another note - the color does bleed a bit onto clothes and hands so if you don't want that, just get the clear beads.)

 This is the beads at their original size......

 

This is the size they ended up!

 

Yes, they look like marbles and everyone we have shown them to have said that, but once your hands are in them, you know the difference.  They feel wet, almost slimy.  N loves to sit in them and kick them out (they bounce fantastically!) and watch the older girls chase them to put them back in the container.  You either love the feel, or hate it!  You should get some and see if you are a lover or a hater, then let me know!  Have fun!!