New Favorite Site

Now that I spend almost all my free time figuring out how I can use my Silhouette for any and everything, I have found the most awesome site. http://www.dafont.com/ I can find any kind of cute, FREE, font and use it in my machine. I think I will need a external hard drive to hold all of the ones I want.

There goes three hours of perfectly good time, wasted. But, it was so fun!

Cookie Party

The girls hosted their annual cookie party with their friends. We had grown by a few friends and needed to move to the empty dining room. Amanda loaned me her folding tables and some plastic chairs. It was a tight fit, but it worked out well.Madison helped Jensyn decorate hers.I think.Then they moved on to colored sugar. I think it is their favorite. They ask for a color and I make it. They think I am magic.Carly intent, as always.She is very proud of her masterpieces.
Leighton would't stay still long enough for anyone to take a picture of her.

Butterfly Museum

Leighton's first grade went on their first field trip to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, more popularly known as the Butterfly Museum. They have an entire house of butterflies. Miss Potts gave me the best kids in Leighton's entire class. That is Angie on the left and Adaliz on the right. Jensyn got to come along because Carly had a field trip to Historic Oakwood the same day. She wanted Grandma Young to go with her.

About ten steps into the museum I walked past a little girl who looked just like Adaliz but had on a different colored shirt. I then found out that she is a identical triplet and that they have a sister who is also in the first grade and looks exactly like them. I got a small sampling of how annoying it is when EVERYONE comes up to you and asks if she is a twin or says that they've just seen her over there. I will never again make a comment to a mother of multiples. I just started stopping people mid-sentence and saying 'Yes, she is an identical triplet and they have a sister who looks just like them.'

The girls loved the train ride. Even Jensyn loved the train. She even participated in the required screaming through the tunnel.

We headed off to the dinosaur walk and found the excavation site.

The girls got to dig for fossils.

I look over and Jensyn is just posing like this watching the kids.She was cracking me up.
I took about 20 of these pictures.

We had lunch and it was time to go home. I really like to drive to the field trips so that my kids can stay longer if they want. Of course Leighton wanted to. Another mom had come with me and wanted to stay too.

We headed off to see the animals. This bear was so funny. If you called him he would come to the fence, but as soon as you would pull out your camera he would turn his back on you and walk away. Apparently he doesn't care for paparazzi.

We headed back to the playground and Jensyn enjoyed having the sandbox all to herself.

Dalton and Leighton got to play all the loud instruments with no one waiting for their turn.

Jensyn even got to play too.

CRaZy HaiR DaY!

It is Spirit Week, once again, at the girls' school. They have had Pajama Day, Crazy Backward Clothes Day and now it is Crazy Hair Day. Carly requested a mohawk. I had Britain get us some hair cement, but after 45 minutes, half a tube of cement, lots of small ponytails and a blow dryer, I still couldn't get her hair to stay up. So, I improvised with this....Then we striped it purple and pink.A view of the top.And one more shot to really get the true effect.On to Leighton. She just wanted spots and spiders.
I sprayed pink all over and then spotted with purple. The spiders are put in with bobby pins. We added the orange bug and the purple bat for good measure.

And if you think I got off easy with her. Just spray color and viola, she is done. This is what she looks like when she comes downstairs in the morning.

I had to get this mess combed and straight.

Looking back, maybe I should have used the hair cement, blow dryer and 45 minutes on her instead!

King's Dominion

We decided to take the girls to their first amusement park. We found a deal at King's Dominion and the whole family got in for $100.00. BARGAIN!! We had looked online and found that they had quite a few rides that both Leighton and Carly could ride and even more for just Carly. It took about 2 1/2 hours to get there and the girls were so excited when we arrived. It was not crowded at all and we never waited in long lines. I took Jensyn and went to the little kid area and Dee took the big girls and went to find some rides to ride.

Jensyn loved the Jeeps and rode them three times in a row. Carly loved the airplanes. I even took Jensyn on this ride, she loved it. I got a little nervous as it got higher and higher.

We stood in line for the log flume and when we got up to ride, Jensyn was too small. Dee took the big girls and then I took them back to ride again.
The merry-go-round is always a crowd-pleaser.

Even when you can go on some of the bigger rides.

I took Leighton on a big kid ride that spun around in a circle and then that circle spun around. Kind of like The Scrambler at Lagoon, but this one went up into the air, too. This expression is just how excited she was to go. As soon as it was up in the air, I thought she would get scared. She didn't. She lifted up her arms into the air and starting screaming.

Dee had Carly and Jensyn waiting for us to enjoy our ride.

I took Carly on the old wooden roller coaster. She loved it! and I realized that I am old and fat.
Dee and Carly went off to ride the big rides and the little girls and I hung out in the kid section.

Their version of the swings.

Jensyn showing Leighton just how the Jeeps work. Hold on and smile.

Then we found them.....THE BUMPER CARS!

We went on these at least 15 times. They never got sick of them. Carly and Dee came back from their rides and Carly had to take a turn.

Dee took Carly on one of the BIG roller coasters. It spun and twisted and went upside down and under the water, etc. She nearly lost her glasses on the first turn and near the end was in tears. As they waited for the car in front of them to unload, Carly berated Dee for taking her on the ride. She said, 'I do NOT like this ride. I am not going on it again. I do NOT like this ride. It is yucky! I am telling Mom.' The man in front of her, turned around and said, 'I don't like this ride either!' She loved the rest of the rides and Dee said that maybe next time he should work her up to it, instead of just starting with the worst one.

Carly and Leighton got to really drive. They did a great job.

Yes, I know that Leighton is driving on the wrong side of the road.

Carly only nearly crashed into another little girl.

Yes, Carly is doing it too.

Dee and the big girls left again to ride the bigger rides and Jensyn and I stayed in the kid section. By this time, there was no one around and she could ride as many times as she liked, in any color of car.

This was her absolute favorite. It was a mini Tidal Wave. She rode it no less than ten times. I was starting to get seasick, when Dee called and said it was time to go home.

We all had a fabulous time and look forward to our next visit. We would do at least one thing differently. As much fun as Jensyn had, having her there made it so the big girls couldn't go on as many rides. For some rides they each needed an adult and I couldn't very well leave her sitting on a bench. So, unless she grows three feet this year, she will be staying at Grandma's. And unless I lose some weight, so will I.

The Zoo

No trip to Utah would be complete without a trip to Hogle Zoo. It is still my favorite zoo. The kids waiting patiently to get in.

And in case you were wondering, Yes my sister dressed her boys in bright orange because she is a freak like me and is deathly afraid of someone taking her kids. What can I say, it runs in the family. Leighton loved the merry-go-round.
So, did Jensyn. Can you see the glee in her face. She didn't want to get off when the ride ended.

I must interrupt this post for a short story. Carly has a thing for mirrors. If she can see her reflection or shadow she will look only at it. She has even been known to look at herself in other people's sunglasses. She will usually continue her conversation, but visually you have disappeared.

OK back to the zoo.

Carly was having the hardest time getting on her ostrich. I didn't get it, she always got on her horse so easily. I was pushing from the bottom and she still couldn't get on. I finally went around to the other side to pull her over when I noticed this...

You guessed it, she was too busy looking at herself to actually try to get on! Then she spent the entire ride watching herself go around and around. She was in pure heaven!

Jensyn loved all the animals but seemed to like the meerkats the best. She didn't want to leave this window.

No trip to the zoo is complete without measuring up to the gorillas. My nephew kept saying he was the 'adult female' long after we had left the gorillas. We started to get some weird looks.

On the ride home, the girls were marveling at how close the mountains were. I thought some of you not from Utah might enjoy the pictures, too. And yes , Mom, I took the pictures while I was driving. But, I did it without looking which is why I took 15 and only got three decent ones.