Bear Lake 08

I guess it's time I post about Bear Lake. We went over Labor Day, so it's been a couple of weeks, but better late than never.

Bear Lake was a day shorter than last year and we felt it. It was quick but fun trip. We got there late afternoon Friday, so as soon as we could we headed to the beach to hang out with the kids for a couple of hours. Most of the adults just hung out and chatted while the kids played in the water and made sand castles and got dirty. The water was beautiful and we had a nice evening out there.


Saturday was our only full day at Bear Lake that we knew would be nice since it was supposed to storm the rest of the weekend. So we packed it in. The day included:


Kennedy playing in the water-she's a fish. She even joined us for our water volleyball game.


Jared even joined us on the beach for a couple hours. The U of U football game was on later, so that didn't last too long.


Alex almost getting wet. He felt better hanging out on the beach....


playing with the bats and balls.


Later, we did a pinata with the kids. Do you like how Kennedy's PJ's match the pinata?



I love the look on Kennedy's face-such determination. Unfortunately the pinata got the best of the kids and we finally had to give them a little help.

Saturday also included a quick trip to the swimming pool, the playground, kid races, arts and crafts, the in-law vs out-law softball game (and yes, we won...again-we are now 3-0, but who is keeping track...), a volleyball game and late night card games after the kids went to bed. Whew!

Sunday was a nice day, more relaxing. We slept in a little and went to the late church in Garden City. After church, we went for walks, played on the playground and played a little Wii. And, of course, Bear Lake wouldn't be Bear Lake without the Bear Hunt song with Aunt Char!


The forecasted storm hit around 4 pm and it was a good one. Anyone who has seen a storm at Bear Lake knows they are always fun to watch. The water actually gets warmer (or at least it feels warmer) when it storms, so later that evening, all the older kids went out to play in the waves. They loved it and it brought back memories of when I used to do that as a kid. We loved Bear Lake storms. Anyway, the next morning, the weather was even worse, so we all packed up and headed home early.


We had a great time at Bear Lake. Thanks, Mom and Dad for a great trip!

So Long Summer

With all the trips now over, reunions have said good-bye, days are getting shorter, I guess it's time to say "so long summer."

I won't hide the fact that summer isn't my favorite time of the year. It's by far my busy season at work. Being a teacher trainer, when they're not at work - you are. Over the summer I spent time traveling around the state, and even went to Texas as part of my job over the past few months. I know, I know - here goes Jared complaining that he has to travel to conferences, staying in hotels and eating in restaurants. Too bad for him. Still, I had 4 straight weeks where I only got to see my family for a few hours a week. With little kids, this gets old - fast.

This summer the temperature was as hot as ever. The Trib said that Utah keeps getting warmer when looking at the number of days over 90 degrees for the year. I know I certainly felt the heat this year. Most of you will agree that a sweaty, hairy man is something no one want to see. It's been wonderful to have temps in the 70's and 80's for the past week.

I'm so excited to see the kids grow and develop with the new things they're in this Fall. Kennedy is loving pre-school and Alex is in Kindermusik for the first time. It's fun to watch them learn new things and develop their own personalities. Alex may not be very verbal, but he rocks at using his hands and feet. Maybe he'll be on a world tour someday...

Summer 08' won't stand out beyond the same old things, but it's been a good time to visit family, see old friends, and explore new places.

Hmmm, Huh, Ehhh

Even though he's been saying more lately, Alex is a man of few words. For a while the only word he said with any regularity was "go". Then he went through the typical "mommy" and "daddy" talk. Now, he's settled into a familiar pattern of 3 similar sounds - "hmmm", "huh", or "ehhh". Let's break it down:

"Hmmm" is what Alex says when he's refuting something said to him. He uses this sound to express that he heard you, but doesn't really care about what you said.

"Huh" is Alex's response to any question that is asked of him. It doesn't matter what the request or query - he only responds with a quick "huh".

"Ehhh" is the newest member of Alex's grunt trilogy. You'll hear this little guy when Alex is teasing you. The person in our family who gets this response most often has to be Dede. I don't think Kennedy can say anything to Alex without getting "ehhh" back at her. It absolutely drives her crazy! He also uses "ehhh" when playing around with me. Alex will put his face in mine and give me an "ehhh".

There you have it, the Alex dictionary - Hmmm!

Kennedy's First Day of Preschool

I can't believe my little girl is starting preschool today. Kennedy is very excited to go. She met her teachers last week and already thinks they are great. I was very proud of her today as she went to her school, found her name, walked in class and waved bye to Alex and me. That was it. No tears, not even a look back for mom. She was ready and excited to get going.


I think Kennedy will love preschool and it will be good for her. She loves to learn new things and I think it will be great for her to make new friends and not be the queen of the roost like she thinks she is at home.

Of course I had to take a couple of "first day of school" pics for the blog. I love how Kennedy thinks she has to pose for pictures now. At least she will let us take them. A couple of months ago she wouldn't even look at the camera. We will take what we can get.

Too Close for Comfort

I am a huge advocate of public transportation. If I can, I ride it every day to and from work. I love the fact that we can get cars off the road and people where they need to be. Still, an interesting effect takes place the last of week of August each year. The bus gets inundated with 18 year old virgins - no not that kind of novice, I'm talking about Bus Virgins.

Bus Virgins are people who don't know how to get on and off the bus. I know it doesn't sound that hard, but it is for a 1st timer. Virgins don't know when to show their pass, so they spend 30 seconds digging it out of their wallet - while everyone sits around and waits. Bus Virgins almost refuse to sit down next to anyone else, afraid they might catch something.

All of these factors lead to one result - slow, crowded buses. I can't wait until the semester is a few weeks old and, one by one, the Virgins either figure it out or find another way to campus. Either way I just hope we can start talking about safe bus travel in high schools or simply preach abstinence.