We just got back from a great vacation out to California and we have a ton of pictures. The slide-shows give a good overview of the fun events. Dexter got to celebrate his birthday in the magic kingdom and he had an awesome time. Lucy got to meet her favorite princesses face to face which proved to be too much for her to take. Hazel was loving life and although she spent a lot of time in the stroller she had a great time too. We also went to Legoland and it was a great time. The new pirate section of the park was wonderful, but the Aquarium was a bit of a let down. I must say that even Monterey Bay Aquarium was a let down for me so Legoland shouldn't feel so bad about it. I do however like how they designed it for kids by creating tunnels into the inside of the aquarium that they can then pop up in the middle of. That was pretty cool. We also got to go to my old stomping grounds in San Clemente CA. It was the first time the kids had gone to a beach with "waves" and they had a blast. Lucy liked it until one knocked her over, then she wouldn't go near the water. :) Funny, but events like that will keep people from venturing into the waves for the rest of their lives. Hopefully she will get over it when she gets to the beach again.
One of the best things we enjoyed was seeing the family and getting all the kids together. They had a blast and we quickly found out that this batch of kids is a motley crew for sure. One is like a little wrestler and will take on anyone. Unfortunately that means you ALWAYS have to keep your guard up or he may clobber you when you least expect it. It was real great to see all the friends and family and I really wish we all lived closer. Enough talk, lets see some pictures!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Happy B-Day
As you can see Hazel turned 1. Hurray! We all hoped we'd see the cake fly and we were not let down one bit. Rainbow made a rainbow heart cake for Hazel and cupcakes for the rest of the clan. Yummy! :) Hazel went crazy and the pictures tell the tale pretty accurately this time. The video is still in the camera because I just got my computer back together today... hence the post. Our next big thing will be a quick trip to Disneyland. Can't wait for that. Dexter just started soccer and we got him all ready to go but the rain canceled his first game this week. :( He was upset.
Hazel also started attempting to take steps. She had been standing for a week or so but has had no real interest in trying to walk around. She just stands up, looks around and then drops back down to go where she needs to go. It reminds me of those prairie dog-ish animals that you see on Discovery Channel. Well I was out mowing the lawn and my wife pops her head out all excited... of course I missed it. Today though the rumor was verified as I sat on the cozy chair and watched as she stood up, looked around and then stomped a few paces like she was trying to put out a fire or something, and then came crashing down on her tush. Exciting.
Friday, April 17, 2009
More Easter Pictures
I really don't have much to say but I do have some cute pictures to share. I've been letting Rich do all my blogging lately so I really should change the name. It's not so much Rainbow's Place anymore. Oh well. This blog really is about the Grandparents, so as long as it gets done, I am okay with whoever posts.
Easter was easy and great. The kids loved their baskets. They all got hats, sunglasses, flip-flops and those things that will be essential for out trip to California next month.
In upcoming news; Hazel will be ONE next Friday! I can't believe how time flies. She is growing up so fast and she has such a cute little personality. I love watching my kids grow up. Dexter will also be starting soccer on April 25th. Rich is planning on dragging out the video camera for that so look forward to video of the chaos that is 3/4 years running around on a soccer field with no idea of what they should be doing.
I hope you enjoy the pictures. They are from Easter and then a few of the adorable little dress-up outfit my Mom got Hazel for her birthday.
Easter was easy and great. The kids loved their baskets. They all got hats, sunglasses, flip-flops and those things that will be essential for out trip to California next month.
In upcoming news; Hazel will be ONE next Friday! I can't believe how time flies. She is growing up so fast and she has such a cute little personality. I love watching my kids grow up. Dexter will also be starting soccer on April 25th. Rich is planning on dragging out the video camera for that so look forward to video of the chaos that is 3/4 years running around on a soccer field with no idea of what they should be doing.
I hope you enjoy the pictures. They are from Easter and then a few of the adorable little dress-up outfit my Mom got Hazel for her birthday.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
What a week.
This week was fun for me. I was recovering from the most horrifying surgery known to men, and even though pain was not a problem, I got to milk it for a little extra down time. I’d like to say a big thanks to the wife for letting me take advantage of the situation and her hospitality. Her silent service to me during this time will surely be recorded in Heaven as yet another reason she deserves a Celestial glory.
Monday we had a lady bug over for dinner and the kids gave it a piece of lettuce and an orange rind to eat. The lady bug must have been thankful because it sat there right on the table and munched on the lettuce. The kids were mesmerized by our little guest all through dinner and when we were done we got to say goodbye and let it back out in the garden to find its friends.
Tuesday Dexter climbed under the music table and was practicing his skills as a mechanic with Lucy standing by to pass him his tools. Those are the first two pictures in the “Fun at the Table” album. I love the imagination that kids have.
Family Date this week was to the movie theater to see “Monsters vs. Aliens”. Lucy and Dexter climbed into the seats with their little boxes of popcorn and drinks and sat ready for the show like two old pros. Hazel got her first movie experience while awake and was laughing and clapping throughout the movie. Mommy and I had more fun watching them than the movie. The kids had a blast and were very well behaved so we decided to tempt fate and go to dinner. We headed out to a place we heard about on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” called the Blue Plate Diner. It reminded me of the Harbor House, which by the way I really miss, or that awesome Flames diner chain in NorCal. The kids gobbled up the food and we headed home.
Saturday we got up and went to the Easter Egg Hunt at the local Rec Center. I gotta tell ya… parents can really ruin an event for kids. Dexter and Lucy were in the 3 and under field which parents got to go in with the kids. The parents were not supposed to help pick up the candy for the kids, but these parents didn’t abide by the rules. Kids were almost getting trampled, and not a single piece of candy was let by for the littler and slower kids, like Lucy. It pissed me off. Dexter being the awesome speedster that he is, bolted out in front and filled his bag to the top, while dodging the parents that would have run him right over had he not kept his wits about him. I am thankful that he made it through unscathed because once the siren sounded the start of the hunt I immediately lost him in the mad crowd while I was trying to help Lucy. Now here is the kicker… Lucy maybe had 2 pieces of candy when the whole thing was said and done. Dexter came over after he finds us and takes two or three big handfuls of his candy and puts it in Lucy’s basket, effectively making the two baskets equal. I am tearing up right now as I write about this moment. I am so proud of my little boy for his love and consideration of his little sister. What an awesome example of tenderness and kindness that I think every parent on that field, including myself, could learn from. Sometimes kids do things because the parents tell them to, and sometimes they do them because they are being guided by the Spirit. This was one of those moments where I could see the light of Christ in my son and it hit me hard. The spirit of Easter should be in tune with the Spirit of Christ. I am glad that my son was able to fill me with that Spirit this day.
We then decided to brave the worsening weather and head out to some farm out in Murray that was having a festival. When we arrived it started raining which wasn’t too fun for the kids, but we decided to brave it anyway. The kids got to jump in the bouncy house then we went to get pictures taken. Lucy wanted to see the princess, but was scared of her up close. Dexter wanted to see the Star Wars geeks and ended up swacking one with the fake light saber. Some Jedi he was… he was actually kinda mad at Dexter for it. After that we got some cotton candy and walked around. They had some animals walking around and the kids had a lot of fun scaring the crud out of the poor ducks and geese while they chased them around mercilessly. We then went into the reptile show and that was well worth the 2 bucks to get in. The guy that was doing it had the kids super excited and he had some amazing animals. My favorite was the huge tortoise. Dexter and Lucy liked the small turtle. We then went to lunch at Red Robin and then home for naps.
It was a busy day that ended with the kids baking cookies and leaving a not for the Easter Bunny. The note in case you can’t read it in the picture said:
Dear Easter Bunny,
Thank you for our brother Jesus and his sacrifice for us. We love Him and we love Easter! Hope you enjoy these yummy cookies we made.
Love,
Lucy, Hazel & Dexter
To which the Easter Bunny has replied:
Thank you children! I loved the cookies. I left you some treats for later. Keep being good boys and girls and obey your parents. I love you!
E.B.
I had to put the shameless plug for them to obey us. I just hope they listen to the Easter Bunny.
Monday we had a lady bug over for dinner and the kids gave it a piece of lettuce and an orange rind to eat. The lady bug must have been thankful because it sat there right on the table and munched on the lettuce. The kids were mesmerized by our little guest all through dinner and when we were done we got to say goodbye and let it back out in the garden to find its friends.
Tuesday Dexter climbed under the music table and was practicing his skills as a mechanic with Lucy standing by to pass him his tools. Those are the first two pictures in the “Fun at the Table” album. I love the imagination that kids have.
Family Date this week was to the movie theater to see “Monsters vs. Aliens”. Lucy and Dexter climbed into the seats with their little boxes of popcorn and drinks and sat ready for the show like two old pros. Hazel got her first movie experience while awake and was laughing and clapping throughout the movie. Mommy and I had more fun watching them than the movie. The kids had a blast and were very well behaved so we decided to tempt fate and go to dinner. We headed out to a place we heard about on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” called the Blue Plate Diner. It reminded me of the Harbor House, which by the way I really miss, or that awesome Flames diner chain in NorCal. The kids gobbled up the food and we headed home.
Saturday we got up and went to the Easter Egg Hunt at the local Rec Center. I gotta tell ya… parents can really ruin an event for kids. Dexter and Lucy were in the 3 and under field which parents got to go in with the kids. The parents were not supposed to help pick up the candy for the kids, but these parents didn’t abide by the rules. Kids were almost getting trampled, and not a single piece of candy was let by for the littler and slower kids, like Lucy. It pissed me off. Dexter being the awesome speedster that he is, bolted out in front and filled his bag to the top, while dodging the parents that would have run him right over had he not kept his wits about him. I am thankful that he made it through unscathed because once the siren sounded the start of the hunt I immediately lost him in the mad crowd while I was trying to help Lucy. Now here is the kicker… Lucy maybe had 2 pieces of candy when the whole thing was said and done. Dexter came over after he finds us and takes two or three big handfuls of his candy and puts it in Lucy’s basket, effectively making the two baskets equal. I am tearing up right now as I write about this moment. I am so proud of my little boy for his love and consideration of his little sister. What an awesome example of tenderness and kindness that I think every parent on that field, including myself, could learn from. Sometimes kids do things because the parents tell them to, and sometimes they do them because they are being guided by the Spirit. This was one of those moments where I could see the light of Christ in my son and it hit me hard. The spirit of Easter should be in tune with the Spirit of Christ. I am glad that my son was able to fill me with that Spirit this day.
We then decided to brave the worsening weather and head out to some farm out in Murray that was having a festival. When we arrived it started raining which wasn’t too fun for the kids, but we decided to brave it anyway. The kids got to jump in the bouncy house then we went to get pictures taken. Lucy wanted to see the princess, but was scared of her up close. Dexter wanted to see the Star Wars geeks and ended up swacking one with the fake light saber. Some Jedi he was… he was actually kinda mad at Dexter for it. After that we got some cotton candy and walked around. They had some animals walking around and the kids had a lot of fun scaring the crud out of the poor ducks and geese while they chased them around mercilessly. We then went into the reptile show and that was well worth the 2 bucks to get in. The guy that was doing it had the kids super excited and he had some amazing animals. My favorite was the huge tortoise. Dexter and Lucy liked the small turtle. We then went to lunch at Red Robin and then home for naps.
It was a busy day that ended with the kids baking cookies and leaving a not for the Easter Bunny. The note in case you can’t read it in the picture said:
Dear Easter Bunny,
Thank you for our brother Jesus and his sacrifice for us. We love Him and we love Easter! Hope you enjoy these yummy cookies we made.
Love,
Lucy, Hazel & Dexter
To which the Easter Bunny has replied:
Thank you children! I loved the cookies. I left you some treats for later. Keep being good boys and girls and obey your parents. I love you!
E.B.
I had to put the shameless plug for them to obey us. I just hope they listen to the Easter Bunny.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Early Easter Fun
First off, I hate this flu season. Our kids have been sick soooo much and I am tired of sick kids. Dexter just got another ear infection, some throat problem that isn't strep, but has white bumps, and is beginning to get conjunctivitis. I feel like we have used more antibiotics in this house this year than I have personally in my whole life. I am sick myself again and once I get over this I am sure allergies will be kinking in. Happy happy joy hoy!
OK enaough of the bad- lets talk good. That's why you're here anyway right. Today we had a great primary activity for Dexter at the Church building to celebrate Easter. The lesson taught by sister Dunn to our kids was absolutley wonderful and I couldn't help but smile watching the kids get closer and closer to her as she was teaching. I got the camera out and tried to snap some pictures, but 90 percent turned out blurry. I still don't know how to increase the shutter speed on my DSLR to get those shots to be clear and sharp. Sorry. If the slideshow below isn't working go here.
We all got to play outside today as well. Dexter and his buddy Jimmy raced around in the street on their bikes while the babies crawled around in the yard and ate dirt. Dexter said to my wife today that she should work too. When she asked who would watch him during the day he said "How about Gummy! She is a real good babysitter." He never forgets. I love him sooooo much. Anyway my wife got a new gardening hat and the kids did a little photo shoot with it on. Here you go.
If the slideshow below isn't working go here.
OK enaough of the bad- lets talk good. That's why you're here anyway right. Today we had a great primary activity for Dexter at the Church building to celebrate Easter. The lesson taught by sister Dunn to our kids was absolutley wonderful and I couldn't help but smile watching the kids get closer and closer to her as she was teaching. I got the camera out and tried to snap some pictures, but 90 percent turned out blurry. I still don't know how to increase the shutter speed on my DSLR to get those shots to be clear and sharp. Sorry. If the slideshow below isn't working go here.
We all got to play outside today as well. Dexter and his buddy Jimmy raced around in the street on their bikes while the babies crawled around in the yard and ate dirt. Dexter said to my wife today that she should work too. When she asked who would watch him during the day he said "How about Gummy! She is a real good babysitter." He never forgets. I love him sooooo much. Anyway my wife got a new gardening hat and the kids did a little photo shoot with it on. Here you go.
If the slideshow below isn't working go here.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The sun brings fun
Wow, what a great weekend. It was such a beautiful weekend and we had some real nice weather out here in Utah. The kids were chomping at the bit to get outside so we decided to spend a few hours on Saturday doing some family gardening. I have been trying to irradicate the tulips in our front planter but it seems that every year a new bunch pop-up so my goal was to seek and destroy. Dexter became the worm hunter and was hunting around finding all different sizes of worms. He finally found one that met his criteria and decided to keep it as a pet. So we got out a 
jar and put the worm in the jar. Dexter then wanted to give the worm something to play with so he put in a golf wiffle-ball for the worm to crawl through. When his worm was all cozy in his new jar he turned to my wife and said,"I want to see him every day when I wake up." So now his pet worm is waiting for his little wake up call every day. True to his word he got up this morning and went to greet his worm. What a great little boy.
Lucy was looking at all the works that Dexter was digging up and singing to them. The song she made up was real cute and went something like,"you are so cute, you are such a nice worm." It was super cute.
After a few minutes of gardening Dexters fri
end came screaming by on his bike so Dexter wanted to join him. That turned the focus from gardening to riding. We got out the bikes and away they went.
We also did haircuts this weekend and both Dexter and Lucy got a turn with the clippers on dear old dads mop. They were suprisingly gentle and we all had a good time with it.
jar and put the worm in the jar. Dexter then wanted to give the worm something to play with so he put in a golf wiffle-ball for the worm to crawl through. When his worm was all cozy in his new jar he turned to my wife and said,"I want to see him every day when I wake up." So now his pet worm is waiting for his little wake up call every day. True to his word he got up this morning and went to greet his worm. What a great little boy.Lucy was looking at all the works that Dexter was digging up and singing to them. The song she made up was real cute and went something like,"you are so cute, you are such a nice worm." It was super cute.
After a few minutes of gardening Dexters fri
end came screaming by on his bike so Dexter wanted to join him. That turned the focus from gardening to riding. We got out the bikes and away they went.We also did haircuts this weekend and both Dexter and Lucy got a turn with the clippers on dear old dads mop. They were suprisingly gentle and we all had a good time with it.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The Baby Speaks!
That's right! Just a few minutes ago I heard clear as day a little baby voice say "UP!" Of course, I ran over to her and picked her up and repeated (as well as signed) "up?" And she got a big smile on her face and said "UP!" Yeah!!!! She has said it a few times since but I am afraid she will be mute when Rich gets home from his meeting. He is going to be so surprised. Of course she has said mama and dada, but still it is exciting news for me! She is such a fun baby. Hope you all are having a good weekend.
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