Most Interesting

I am a big fan of the Dos Equis beer commercials. They are totally unique and some of the most clever satire around. Today I came across a new spin on the Most Interesting Man in the World. I give you the Most Interesting Mormon in the World....

 

 Since one video can't be enough...

 

Back to School

We had to celebrate the first day of school twice this year.  Now that Kennedy is in 1st grade she made her full day school debut on the 23rd, while Alex didn't begin his "Pre-K" journey until the 29th.  It was so fun to see the kids excited about going back to school.  Both Alex and Dede have talked about school all summer long and the first day back didn't disappoint.

 

Kennedy was excited about a few things for 1st grade. I think tops on her list as been the chance to eat school lunch. She also loves having more recess and the chance to see her friends again. Kennedy was super excited to go to the new and improved Oakwood Elementary as well. We're not sure what she thinks about the full day schedule, but Dede seems to be enjoying things so far.

Alex was a big question mark for school this year. We knew how well he did in Miss Fidge's class, but we worried about the transition to a new school, without any friends. Truthfully, it hasn't hurt him a bit. Alex loves going to Spring Lane this year in his special Pre - K class. He feels like he has his own school and his own class, which is just great with us.

Just a little lift

A few weeks ago we noticed that Kai was waking each morning with discharge coming from his left eye. No big deal we thought, maybe he is allergic to something. I know I have been sneezing a lot lately.

Then last weekend, while we were out camping, his eye got worse. It was swollen and basically shut for much of the day. Kai was pawing at his eye and you could tell he was miserable. I assumed he had "pink eye", due to the amount of mucus coming from his eye.

Tara took Kai to the vet on Tuesday and the diagnosis was shocking. Kai has a problem with his eyelid rolling back towards his eye and causing the irritation. There were no drops, no ointments that would solve the problem - this would require surgery. The vet gave us a lot of medical terms dealing with Kai's surgery, but it basically comes down to the fact that my dog needed an eye lift. Can you believe it? Our family pet needs cosmetic surgery.

  Friday Kai had the procedure and now he is recovering for a week. He looks a little funny, with the fur around his eyes being shaved and he is forced to wear the "Cone of Shame". Everything looks good though. Kai seems to be dealing with the collar fine and his eyes both look a lot better. Who would have guessed the only person in our family to need a little nip or tuck would be our dog. I'm sure he'll be the envy of the other canines in the neighborhood!

Parade of Friends

Over the past few weeks I've been really lucky to have three of my best friends visit Utah.  First, Bryan came to our house.  We spent the night discussing home improvement projects, the decline of politics in America, and the joys of family life.  It's been a while since Bryan and I have gotten together, but I'm amazed how much he and I share in common.

Jeff and Jenny stopped by a week later.  They were in from Virginia and they looked great.  Jeff has lost over 70 pounds this year and he is doing awesome.  Our kids played throughout the night and Jeff and I snuck in a quick game of Monopoly to celebrate his visit.  Being a gracious host I left Medium Sized Jeff win both games.

Chappo was the final friend to grace our home in August.  He was in town from the ABQ for a family wedding and he dropped by after the ceremony.  Just like old times we grabbed a shake from Iceberg and talked the night away.  Even though we talk a ton, it was still great to see my buddy and hang out for a few hours.

Good friends are hard to come by and I've been blessed in my life to know some great guys.  They have been so important to me and it's amazing how close we still are - even after 20 years and a ton of miles between us.  Thanks for stopping by guys, my house is always open for a FOF.....

Sage Advice

During our lunch meeting at work today I opened my fortune cookie  to find....

How many of you play the "in bed" game with your fortune cookies? I can't tell you how important this advice is for someone with little kids...

Bear Lake with a Twist

As long as I've been around the Houtz family,  Bear Lake has been a staple.  We've had a couple years off, but for 15 years I could count on a trip to Laketown for a weekend on the lake.  This year we did something very different.  Tara and I set up a trip to the Ideal Beach Resort for a family reunion,  with my family.  I know,  I know - we had a rough ending to our Yellowstone trip a few years ago and I said it would be my last family trip.  What can I say?  I guess time heals old issues.

I was a little nervous how things would go this time.  We rented a condo, but it wasn't very big and I knew we'd be a little close for comfort.  We just needed to move a couple beds around and have a big family sleepover.  Much to my surprise (and delight) the trip went great.  The kids all had a fun time playing in the water (we rented a big water cycle that kept people entertained), the adults were all able to relax on the beach, and we managed to survive sharing the bathrooms.  It was a fun weekend and great to see my family just enjoy one another.  I guess you could say we made a family memory.

Take a look at a few of the best pics from the trip....

It's What Fun Is

Our summer of fun continued yesterday as we packed up the kids and headed to Lagoon.  It's KUTV's annual 2 for 1 days at the park and we joined my sister's family and my dad (and several thousand of our closest friends)  for an evening of rides and thrills.

Since Alex and Dylan aren't tall enough yet for the big coasters, they spent the day in Kiddieland.  I don't know if you've been in this part of Lagoon lately, but there are some pretty fun rides.   The new BomBora coaster was a ton of fun.  Dylan couldn't get enough as he screamed "Again, again" each time the ride came to a close.  Other fun rides included the Jumping Dragon, the Dinosaur Drop, Rattlesnakes Rapids, Tidal Wave, and the old standby - the Wild Animal Kingdom Train.

Kennedy was ready for a day of big fun.  She went on all the major coasters and was a complete trooper.  Even though I could tell how scared she was of Wicked, she perserved and we had a great time.  Some of her favorite rides included Samurai, the Rocket, Colossus, and the Jet Star 2.

Tara and I split our time between the big and small rides and I think we could all say we enjoyed out time at Lagoon.  We ended the day exhausted as we did our last few rides together.  All in all a great day of fun at the happiest place in Utah.

Fathers/Kids Overnighter

We just got back from our annual Fathers/Kids Overnighter and it was a complete success.  The campout has had some ups and downs in past years, but this time there was no whining, no injuries, and - best of all - no vomit!  Alex and Dede had a great time playing with all their friends and running around the campsite.  I had fun hanging out with the other dads from the neighborhood and being "manly".

I felt bad this year that we didn't bring D, but the camp was along the river in American Fork Canyon and it was flowing way too fast to have the fearless Mr. D with us.  I can't even tell you how nervous I was with little kids next to that raging water.  Next year we'll let Dylan make his debut.

Kennedy was the star of the trip for all the little girls (and a few of the boys).  She broke out her nail polish and everyone had an Instant Makeover.  It was something to see all those little pink fingernails.  Even Kurt Larsen got a little manicure for a fun summer look.

Alex and I played a ton with the rocks and the river.  He loved climbing the big rock at the edge of camp. It was a small adventure, but he couldn't get enough.  It was lots of fun seeing him have a ball in the great outdoors.

Our trip was short, but very sweet.  I love the Fathers/Kids Campout each year.  It is a great way to connect with the kids outside and to give Tara a bit of a break.  Kudos to the other guys in the area who put this fun trip together.

No Autographs - Please

Kennedy and Alex are officially runways models.  They made their debut on the catwalk earlier today for Alicia's segment on Good Things Utah.  The show was highlighting "Looking Good in Denim" fashions and both the kids were very interested in being part of the show.

I was surprised how well Alex did.  He is normally pretty shy when encountering a new situation, but he hit his marks, kept his cool, and performed like a champ.  Kennedy was totally in her element.  I think that girl would be on TV everyday if she could be.  

It was a lot of fun to see the kids strut their stuff and I hope they'll always take advantage of opportunities to try new things.  Especially if I can watch them on the Tube.