Glad we're on a Health Savings Plan!

We switched to a Health Savings Plan back in spring. On our old insurance our premiums each month were going up to over $1,000 so we switched but it means that now we pay everything out of pocket until we reach our $5,000 deductible. Normally this would work out fine for us and not be a big deal, normally we are a pretty healthy family, normally...I guess there is nothing normal about us!
This summer has been a summer of unexpected doctor visits and today we add another to the list! When we were at my grandmas cleaning up Wynnie was headed inside when she fell and sliced her hand on the screen door. The cut was pretty deep and on the crease of her hand so I knew it would have a hard time healing on its own...so it was off to the doctors office and 3 stitches (and 3 lolly pops--one for each stitch) later Wynnie was back to having a smile on her face!

While we were at the doctors office Wynnie was having a hard time. She doesn't like to be in pain and she doesn't like needles (she gets that from her dad.) I was stroking her hair and trying to calm her down when they were putting in the stitches and we had this conversation:

Me: Wynnie I am so proud of you! You are being so brave!

Wynnie: I'm not brave at all, Mom...I'm crying

Me: Even brave people cry sometimes

Wynnie: Yeah, but I'm crying A LOT!

Me: Sometimes even brave people cry A LOT! (Like when they get the doctors bill for stitches!)

Clean up, Clean up!!!

We went to my grandmas to help clean up and organzie the house (before they put it up for sale.) We found some old wrapping paper and crayons and this kept the kids busy! They had fun drawing out on the back patio (which helped keep them out of the house so we could clean!)

It's Official...

This tu-tu is the new FAV at our house! I think I have a picture of all the kids wearing it! The boys came over to pick us up today and Preston wanted to dance around in it. Then Bruce wanted to put it on! (I'm sure their dad is SOOO glad they have girl cousins to play with!) They do look cute...maybe they have a future career in the ballet?

Our sleeping baby!

I LOVE sleeping baby pictures...they look so cute and peaceful! The last few days I've walked into the living room and found Esther fast asleep. She doesn't look very comfortable (at least not to me!) The first time she was curled up into a little ball and her face was all smashed into the rug and the second time she was asleep in her exer-saucer but she was totally asleep. It's amazing to me how kids can sleep anywhere. I have a picture of me as a kid sleeping standing up leaning against the couch (I have the same type of picture of Hannah!) I guess kids just need their rest. I need to be a better mom and put Essie down for her naps (in her crib) so she doesn't just fall asleep anywhere!

Hannah's First day of school!

Hannah started the first grade today! I can't believe she is getting so big! She has grown up so much in the last little while! We have her on the list to get into the charter school in our area but so far they don't have any openings so at the end of school last year she tested and got accepted into the Accelerated Learning Academy. It is in a new school (about 10 min away) so we will have to drive her ( a big change from just walking her around the corner!) She was excited to start her new school but also a little sad she said she will miss Dee (mostly I think she will miss Mrs. Taylor...so will I...but I think she will do well and have a good time at the new school!)

We watched Preston tonight. The girls always have so much fun playing with him. Wynnie tells me all the time we need to have a brother, but since we haven't been able to make that happen I'm glad they have so many boy cousins to play with!

Sunday Best!

Today after church Wynnie came home and "dressed" up. She went dancing around the house like this for most of the day...the girls can really make me smile!

I Believe I can FLY!

And with a great sister and brother-in-law it actually happened (in a controlled sort of way!) Yesterday Mechelle and Aaron took some of our friends (Paul and Jessie) to the I Fly for Paul's birthday (there is an on-going "top that" for their birthdays between them and the last one was a FAB Neil Diamond birthday so Mech and Aaron decided the only way to top it was to go sky diving--for pretend--but real.) Anyway, they know I have always wanted to go but couldn't afford it so they told me to just come and "watch" them and then they ended up making me go...I'm glad they did...I feel bad about the money--I will pay you back...some day :) but it was SOOOO much fun! The kids all came and watched and now Hannah and Wynnie want to go, and the crazy thing is they really could (if we had the cash) anyone 3 or older can do it!

Here's the girls! They had fun watching (and trying on the equipment!) Hannah was pretending she was "flying!"

Here we are getting ready...making sure we have all the important safety equipment (basically shoes that won't fly off and hit us in the head, helmets (in case one of our shoes does fly off), and ear plugs (because it was LOUD!)

Here we are...all decked out...ready to fly! (Mechelle told me to look scared...that's why I look like a dork)

Here we are receiving our final instructions ("Remember you all signed the waiver...if you die it's not our fault!")

Here's Paul:

Here's Jessie:

Here's Aaron:

Here's Mechelle:

Here I am:

OK, so if you look close the wind does some pretty funny things to your face...it was REALLY strong...I mean, it has to be able to lift us off the ground...but despite my lips and cheeks flapping around I couldn't keep a smile off my face! It was SO much fun!

This is what your hair will look like after your done...I guess if your like me...nobody elses hair did this but my advice would still be to wear a bandanna so your not combing knots out of your hair for the next two days!

THANKS AGAIN MECHELLE AND AARON!!!!

Your checks in the mail :)

Lagoon

Yesterday we went to Lagoon...and it was a blast! I worried because our (meaning Jeremy and I's) last experience there (yes, it was pre-kids...it's been THAT long...almost 8 years!) was the total opposite of "a blast"...whatever that is! I'll give you the short version of what happened 8 years ago so you know what I have in my mind as the "lagoon experience." I found out Jeremy has some form of motion sickness...I discovered this after we went on our first ride of the day... which also turned out to be our last! He got really sick and the complaining/whining started (I find a lot of similarities between him and our oldest!) This was driving me crazy...you have to know I am a roller coaster girl...I LOVE them...the faster and higher the better! So, I wanted to take full advantage of this day of fun and GO ON MORE THAN ONE RIDE but alas it wasn't to be so I took off my fun hat and put on my sympathetic wife hat and told Jeremy we could go home since he wasn't feeling well. And I guess this would have been a great idea if we (meaning Jeremy :) ) hadn't lost the keys on that one ride we went on! We spent the remainder of our day going from one end of the park to the other to check the lost and founds in search of our keys. So from then on Lagoon=NO FUN! and we have just stayed away!

I've been hearing about their new kids rides and it had been long enough that I was ready to give it another shot and I'm glad I did because we ALL (yes, even Jeremy) had a great time! I think Jeremy may have had as much, if not more, fun than the kids!

We went with the Thomas' and we met the Thompson's later that night (they are lucky enough to have season passes so they came down to hang with us for a couple of hours!)

We started the day out at Lagoon-a-beach. It was fun but we didn't get to spend too much time there...we wanted to get to the rides!

The kids had a great time on all the "kid" rides...We grown ups had fun too since we can ride the rides with the kids now!

Hannah was actually tall enough to go on the "Big" rides! She was a great sport. She went on the rides once and then we went back to the kiddie land. If you ask her Wicked is now her favorite ride...OK she didn't like at all...it was a "I did it once and now I never have to do it again" thing!

We found out Wynnie hates all rides that have anything to do with water. She wanted to go on the log ride so we spent over an hour in line (no joking, besides Wicked I think it was the longest line I stood in) and then when we were about ready to get on the ride she started crying and said she didn't want to go. We had just spent forever in line and there was no where else for Wynnie to go (Jeremy was on a bench somewhere taking a nap and I wasn't about to leave her by herself while Hannah and I went on the ride) so I was a mean mom and I made her go--kicking and screaming! I figured she would calm down once she got on the ride and saw how totally NOT scary it was, but I would be wrong. She continued to cry and scream the entire ride! She did the same thing later when we were in line for OdySea only this time there was someone I could leave her with (which meant I got to ride with my sweet nephew Evrett..."Aunt Minnie can I ride with you?" + "Aunt Minnie can I steer the car = Aunt Minnie ALL WET!! But how could I tell him no...he's such a cutie! And it really wouldn't have been too bad but it was 10:30 pm so there was no sun to dry me off...I spent the rest of the night wet!) Anyway, Wynnie then told us she didn't like the water so we will make sure we avoid the water rides when we are with Wynnie from now on (at least until she outgrows her fear of them!) She did however, go on the Bat (which was the only "Big" roller coaster she was tall enough to ride) and she loved it---so I think I have a future partner for all my roller coasting adventures...as soon as she grows a couple of inches or I can find her some platform shoes!

So now (at least for us) Lagoon = FUN!!!

(Jeremy was even talking about getting season passes next year!)

Thanksgiving Point $2 Tuesday!

Today we headed down to Lehi for $2 Tuesday--the things we will do to save a buck! When we got there we decided to check out the Dinosaur Museum first...the line was crazy long...we should have turned and run...but we didn't...we stood in line and went in with all the other crazy $2 Tuesday people! We were "going to" come back later with the Thompsons (yes I said going to--I'll get to that part of the story later...it is still a source of heart ache in my house...can you hear the girls crying?) Anyway, since we intended to come back we kind of did the hurried version-we saw everything but there was a million (no exaggeration...ok a little exaggeration...but not much) other people there trying to see everything so we hurried. Once we were safely outside and could breathe without a million other people sucking up our oxygen we decided to go check out the gardens and I'm glad we did! For one thing there was A LOT more space and A LOT fewer people and for another thing they are GORGEOUS! I mean it they are totally beautiful (and totally worth a lot more than $2 to see-although I'm glad it was just $2 so we could afford to go see it!)



They have the Children's garden which is really cool. When you first walk in they have a big Noah's ark that shoots out water and the kids get wet. We unfortunately didn't have swimsuits for the kids, but we let them get wet anyway! Then as you walk through the children's garden they have water that shoots up at you and caves that you can go explore and a caterpillar play set...the kids had a great time!



After we played for a while we said goodbye to Aaron (he had to go home for bishopric meeting) , Esther (he took Esther to my mom because we didn't have enough seats without his car) and (unknowingly) the keys to the van which were in my diaper bag which Aaron took with him! UGH! I know, but we didn't know we were stranded at the time so we were having a great time in the Gardens--they were absolutely beautiful! Side note: when my back yard is finished I want it to look like them...we will need a lot more space AND a lot more money :) When Jeremy came down to rescue us after we realized our mishap with the keys he told me "I think this might be what heaven is like: a bunch of people walking around talking and having a good time in a beautiful place." I think he might be right. It definitely felt like we were in another world!

While we were in the Gardens Holly called and told us they were almost there so we headed to the parking lot to go meet them at the museum (it is a couple of miles away from the Gardens) that is when we realized we didn't have the keys! Long story short: we made some calls, Jeremy and Aaron headed down to rescue us and we headed back into the gardens since there was no way we were making it to the museum without a car! All in all we had a fun day (and secretly I'm kind-of glad we sent the keys with Aaron because then Jeremy was able to enjoy the gardens with us!) If you get the chance to go you should...you might even want to make the chance to go...definitely worth seeing!

OK, so I took like a million pictures (once again a little exaggeration, but not much--seriously I took hundreds of pictures) so you get a slide show. The first will be of the dinosaur museum (crazy crowded) and the second of the gardens (peaceful relaxation)

Happy Birthday Bruce!

3 Years Old!! (not 2..I get it..now--I helped Mech with the invites and on the first batch I put 2 Years...Oops!)

Bruce loves all things train so he had a train party. We rode the Jupiter Express around downtown (the kids loved it!) then went back to Mech and Aaron's for cake and ice cream! It was a great birthday!

Pretty Princess Party!

Jaden and Amare came over to play today. The girls wasted no time--they headed up to the play room, put on the princess clothes and threw themselves a princess party! They put the music on and danced and danced! It was real cute!