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.