Spring into Utah

For Spring Break and Easter, we headed up north to Utah. I picked up my sis in St. George and we were on our way in a car full of 6 children, 2 moms, 6 duffle bags, 8 easter baskets and "supplies", bags full of snacks, water bottles, DVD's, video games, books, and iPods. After a few bathroom breaks, stopping for lunch and gas, and making a few returns at some stores, we finally arrived at Grandma and Grandpa Holt's to drop off the Quarnberg Family and continue up to Grandma and Grandpa Stuart's.

We spent Sunday relaxing and listening to General Conference. When it was over, everyone came over for dinner and an Easter Egg Hunt. The boys (Tyler, Nate, Clark, John, Zach, and Jake) had to find their Easter treasure by reading and figuring out clues hidden inside eggs all over the fields behind Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was so cute to see Grandma and Grandpa riding the four-wheeler around and hiding the eggs. The girls (Alyssa, Katelyn, Jayne, and McKell) had to find their treasure the same way but in the front and back yards of the house. Carlee and Owen searched the backyard for their eggs with Carlee looking for pink, and Owen looking for blue. Actually Owen wanted the pink eggs but he settled for putting blue eggs in Carlee's pink basket. The youngest ones, Megan and Eli, just enjoyed watching the kids run around.

After finding their treasure, the kids just played for hours outside. The weather was perfect and they just enjoyed each other. It was a wonderful day.

Monday we headed into Ogden for a trip to the Treehouse Museum, lunch at the Pizza Factory, and some playing at FatCats. The kids had a great time at the museum pretending and imagining. Carlee and Owen loved riding the stuffed horses, Kate, Jayne, Alyssa, and McKell loved running around the treehouse and playing with the paper dolls. Clark enjoyed being President Stuart and answering trivia about the United States, and Jake enjoyed playing the musical instruments. We even heard a story about Peter Cottontail and did the bunny hop.

We ate some yummy pizza, salads, and breadsticks at the Pizza Factory and then the plan was bowling at FatCats. The kids wanted to play some video games first so they each got 4 tokens to spend and off they went. Clark and Nate decided to pool their tokens together and play one game to win a bunch of tickets. Little did they know, but they hit the jackpot winning 2, 946 tickets. They couldn't believe it! Clark was so excited. It was even more than his jackpot win at Malibu in Texas a year ago. He and Nate each picked out a lava lamp and then they got their sisters bracelets and Jake picked out a prize. Because we had to wait so long for the tickets to come out and to pick prizes, we bailed on the bowling but the kids didn't mind a bit. Hooray for the Jackpot!

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Tuesday was spent running errands up in Logan and playing outside. When the rest of the cousins got out of school, we ended up going bowling with the boys competing against the girls. The kids did really well and some even scored over 100. Way to go!

Wednesday morning was spent riding horses and taking a drive in the princess carriage. Katelyn is always excited to go to Utah because she gets to ride Grandpa's horses every day. I'm so proud of her courage to ride by herself and listen to Grandpa's teachings. She has no fear when it comes to the horses and does a great job helping take care of them and guiding them around the corral. Jake, Carlee and Clark rode as well and did a great job, but Katelyn is definitely our cowgirl. Clark gets allergies pretty badly so he doesn't spend too much time around them but he did take a quick ride on Tuesday morning.

After lunch we headed down to Grandma and Grandpa Holt's to spend the rest of the week. On the way, I visited with a dear friend that I used to work with. We had a great visit and got caught up on our lives from the last 10 years. I love that when I see good friends, it seems time hasn't even passed (although there are some little people running around that weren't there before). It was so fun to see her and I'm grateful that we get to keep in touch. When we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's, everyone was there so we just ordered pizza and played.


Thursday morning we ran some shopping errands and then I got to go to dinner with another dear friend from high school. We enjoyed catching up over Olive Garden and then did a little Easter shopping. It has been 15 years since I saw her and I love that she hasn't changed a bit. She is still the same sweetheart with the same laugh and we got to share stories about our husbands, kids, and our careers as mothers. I love having good friends.


Friday was my sister Jenn's birthday. We decided to surprise her at the elementary school where she teaches 2nd grade. All of her nieces and nephews wore a balloon around their wrists and we paraded into her classroom singing Happy Birthday! She was surprised and her students loved it. It was fun. Then we hung out at Cath's house. We played some rock band and reminisced about our childhood.

That evening, we colored Easter eggs. This year, Carlee was a little more involved since last year she kept trying to drink the dye, throw the eggs, and pull on the tablecloth with everything on it. We had to push her high chair back away from the table and just let her gnaw on an egg. This year she was very interested and wanted to "do it myself". She still tried to tug on the tablecloth but only to check the eggs for the color shades she wanted. Clark was the last one decorating his eggs to perfection. We had the entire kitchen cleaned up and put away and he was still putting on the finishing touches. I wonder where that perfectionism comes from?

Saturday morning we headed out to the movie, Hannah Montana. Carlee stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa and took a nap and I took the other 3 along with Kyle and Jenn. It was a cute movie and I'm a little embarrassed to say that both Katelyn and I got teary-eyed during the show. I'm ridiculous, I know, but it just pulled on those heartstrings and the music just got me going. It was a great family movie though and a lot of fun. We went back and prepared for our Easter BBQ--burgers, hot dogs, Dad's Delicious Cowboy Beans, strawberry spinah salad, grape salad, and oven roasted potatoes with strawberry shortcake for dessert.

When dinner was over, the kids did their Easter Egg Hunt in the basement. Uncle Geoff hid the eggs really well and since the basement is unfinished and there is a lot of storage down there, it took the kids a long time to sift through boxes, old mattresses, and the cupboards of old furniture. They each got 10 eggs and in each egg was a little prize, and a quarter, or a paper that they could turn into Grandpa for a prize. Grandpa was running a mini store as he exchanged prizes for paper and other prizes they already had. The kids were happy and ready for bed scolding us to get to bed early so that the Easter bunny could hide their colored eggs.

Sunday morning was beautiful and the kids woke up excited to search for their eggs and baskets. Clark had left a note the night before for the Easter bunny to hide his basket and his eggs (marked CJS, CS, and Clark Stuart) in really hard spots and that is exactly what the bunny did. Carlee's basket was the only one sitting on the couch. Each of the kids found their baskets and after going through them, raced around the house on their egg hunt. After a delicious breakfast, everyone got ready and the car got re-packed for the drive home with 2 moms, 6 kids, 8 full Easter baskets, 6 duffle bags, snacks, water, DVDs, books, video games, and iPods.

On the way home, we discussed our Savior and his wonderful sacrifice for us. We are so grateful to have the gospel and the amazing blessings it brings us. I am thankful for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the opportunity that I have to live with Him again in heaven with my family. Thank you to all of my family for hosting our crew this week and making it so fun. It was a wonderful Spring Break but now the break is over and it's back to school and reality.

Castaway Cub Scout Day Camp

Ahoy, mateys! Clark enjoyed his first Cub Scout Day Camp and had the best time. Each day my scurvy pirate was so excited to go and learn some new things. Every night he came home stinky, dirty, and completely happy. Aarrgg! He was full of information about all that he did. The theme was pirates (obviously) and each den was named after a pirate ship. His den was called, "Liberty". They wore pirate T-shirts, hats, eye patches, and neckerchiefs with a pirate slide. He enjoyed hanging with his mates, Caleb, Isaac, Mitchell, Sterling, and Anders. He also loved taunting his rival pirate shipmates, Carter, Jared, and Jacob. Luckily they got to fight each other during the games and the losers were threatened to walk the plank! Avast, my pirate survived the events of day camp and never made it to Davy Jones' locker. Phew!

Here are some of the activities and things he passed off:
*Archery
*Slingshot
*Bicycle Course
*Cooking--Pirate Pie
*Egg Drop--His egg did survive
*BB Gun Shoot
*Woodshop--Punched leather and made a toolbox
*Crafts--Painted a trinket box
*Kickball
*Flag Football
*Crab Soccer

Totally Radical, Dude!

A couple of weekends ago, we all travelled back in time for a totally awesome 80's party hosted by Jared and Geneva Chugg. I went with a bodacious babe, Amber, since our dudes were out of town. We played a game that Jared designed like Jeopardy where we listened to clips of theme songs from television shows and had to name the show correctly. It was so much fun as we were reminiscing about the good T.V. shows that we used to watch and our 80's crushes. We also were depressed that good family T.V. shows aren't available now and we can't watch one T.V. show with our children!!

Two rad babes, Kristen and Amber

After the T.V. game, we rocked out with some karaoke. DJ Emily hit the microphone first and had everyone up there singing at one point or another. Some favorites were:

Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" sung by the men

Bangles "Walk Like An Egyptian" sung by the women and Darin

B-52's "Love Shack" sung by all

Phil Collins "Against All Odds" sung by Geneva especially for Jared

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John "Summer Lovin'" sung by Jason and Melinda Taylor

and some Michael Jackson moves to "Beat It" by Darin Allred

DJ Emily Thornton and Geneva's serenade to Jared

"Ghostbusters" Melissa, Kristen, and Amber

(with audience participation)

Darin and his "Egyptian-walking" women

Four dudes "Livin' on a Prayer"

Casey Thornton, Kirk Walker, Darin Allred, Jason Taylor

Emily, Melinda, Jen, Melissa, Geneva, Amber, Kristen, Whitney

Casey, Kirk, Jason, Drew, Darin, Jared

Totally Awesome Party, Chuggs! Thank you so much for your work and effort. We had such a great time.

Let's Go To The Drive-In!

My favorite things about a Drive-In Movie . . .

--Cheaper priced movie tickets

--Double Feature

--Can bring a blanket and pillow

--Snuggling

--Cheaper snacks/treats--We get to bring in our own!

--Wearing pajamas

--Falling asleep

--Front row spaces

--Running around outside before the movie starts

--Carlee can entertain herself by pretending to drive and climbing over the seats

--Not bothering anybody else

--Can put your feet up and lean back

--Don't have to whisper

--Piling in with friends (Oldhams, Reeses (some), and Carters)

--Stress free (unless you need to protect yourself against the "bad guys")

Moms Gone Wild

Yes, it's true. Moms really can go a little wild . . . at least with good food, good conversation, good activities, and good friends. A few friends from Texas flew in to spend the weekend with the Vegas girls. It was so much fun and a nice weekend break, just the girls.

Friday was a great day in that we went to the temple that afternoon and then headed down to the Strip for the evening. (I know, it should have been the other way around, but here in Vegas, we do things backwards) The Texas ladies had flown in on Thursday so I met them Friday at the temple after getting the kids and other "mom" responsibilities all situated. We then headed down to the Strip for dinner and a show, Le Reve. We parked at the Bellagio and the plan was to check some things out and head to dinner near the Wynn Hotel, where the show was.

As we were walking in, our cute pregnant friend, Wynette, realized that she had locked her keys in the car. (We blame it on her pregnancy hormones making her forgetful, but come to find out, she's done this a few times before ;0) Luckily, she realized it early enough so we scoped out the Bellagio while waiting for the locksmith. Due to crazy Nascar traffic, Melissa was a little late getting downtown and we had to hang around there anyway for the locksmith so we had a change of plans and ate at the Bellagio Buffet instead. The food was fantastic so the change was well worth it. The best part was the desserts. We got 1-2 of every kind and everybody took a bite and passed them around. I'm sure we looked ridiculous voting, rating, and passing our desserts around the table but we sure couldn't have done that with an individual plate. Yummy!

Deanna, Emily, Gaylyn, Marquessa, Melissa, Kristen

(Wynette is behind the camera)

We then saw Le Reve, a cirque de soleil show in water. It was a fantastic show with a lot of acrobatics, divers, dancing, and music.

My cute friend, Marquessa

Saturday morning, Melissa and I drove out to Wynette's to spend the day and night. We made a St. Patrick's Day craft, talked, ate a yummy lunch, and talked some more. We were planning on seeing a movie in the early evening so we had some afternoon time to fill in.

For a girls' weekend,

most women go to a spa for massages or mani-pedi's,

but we . . . play in the dirt!

Deanna and Melissa, Kristen and Marquessa, Gaylyn and Emily

We decided at the last minute to jump on some four-wheelers and go trail riding for a few hours. It was so much fun. We were all screaming and whooping and hollering. (Well, actually, Deanna was the only one screaming. The rest of us were laughing) We had such a good time and felt like brave teenagers again with no cares at all.

Wynette--"slowly" riding upright to protect that baby

Melissa--still looking glamorous even on a quad

Deanna and Gaylyn--The crazy driver and just the crazy ;)

Emily--just looking so hot

This one's for you, babe!

When we were done, we loaded up and headed to Mesquite for the chick flick, Confessions of a Shop-a-holic. It was a really cute show that I have to admit thought looked a little dumb but it was great and I really enjoyed it.

When we got back home, we continued working on our shamrocks and started our fondue dinner. The food was fabulous and lasted into the late night. We then snuggled up on the couches and talked and talked until the wee hours of the morning. Melissa and I then headed back home early Sunday morning to get back to reality and do the true "Mom" thing. It was so much fun sharing stories and experiences and getting to know each other better. What a wonderful weekend with even better memories! Thank you, dear friends, for making the time to be a part of my life.

Blue and Gold Banquet

Clark had his Blue and Gold Banquet at the end of February. The theme was the United States and the boys had to make a cake depicting that theme. Clark chose to make a Texas Sheet Cake and then frosted the outline of Texas on the top. His cake won the prize for "The Tough Guy Cake". We ate all-American food--hamburgers, chips, and soda. Awards were given out and a couple of the scouts did a rifle performance for us. It was a fun night.

Jumpin' Jacks and Jills

The kids were out on track break for 2 weeks but due to Clark's play rehearsals we had to stick around home. We did get invited for Sunday dinner at my sister's so we headed up there for dinner, Monday shopping and playing, and last minute fun on Tuesday morning before heading home for dance and basketball that evening. Steph and I had fun at home decor stores and all of us had fun at Jumpin' Jacks, building forts, and watching movies.

St. George has become quite the fun little getaway when we need a change of scenery. Plus, the extra bonus of a sister, bro-in-law, and cute little cousins. Thanks, Steph and Jim, for inviting us up!

Under the Big Top

Jake's preschool held a circus last week that was so much fun. There were lions jumping through rings of fire, elephants all walking on the tight rope, acrobats, and weight lifters. There were even some arcade games such as a fish pond, face painting, tattoo parlor, ring toss, grab the duck, and cotton candy. Clark and Kate were on track break so they even got to visit the circus and help with the games. It was such a fun afternoon under the big top.

The ferocious lion jumping through a ring of fire.

Jake and Siobahn--Cute lions!

Tightrope-walking elephant

What a weight lifter! He can lift 1000 lbs. with one hand!

Acrobatics and Juggling with Kalleigh

Just being a circus performer. What a cutie!

Grandma's Barber Shop

Unfortunately for me, I did not inherit a "haircutting" gene. I tried to cut Clark's hair several years ago when he was about 2 or 3 and I just butchered the whole thing so I've never tried again. I can trim with scissors but I can't use the electric clippers.

Fortunately for me, however, Joe did get that gene from his mom. He does an excellent job on our boys and even does a great job on his own. (Although during his latest haircut, he got a little too excited and shaved the whole thing off, using baldness as an excuse) So since my boys were looking a little scruffy, I asked my mother-in-law to cut their hair.

Clark enjoys getting a haircut because he likes to style it and make it spikey. Those little prickly hairs always tickle his neck though and he really starts to wiggle at the end.

Jake likes getting his hair cut too, until the clippers turn on. Then his tears also turn on, and the wailing, crying, wiggling, and screaming. He even hunches over as far as he can so his shoulders will cover his head. I thought he only acted like that for Joe but it was not to be. As soon as Grandma turned on the clippers, Jake's hysteria turned on as well. She has a lot more patience than my husband so there was a lot more smiling and giggling and a lot less yelling during this haircut.

Don't they look handsome? Maybe I can get their yearly pictures done now. Thanks, Grandma!!