The shower was SO worth it!

Aaron found the perfect cure for boredom while I was in the shower. A little baby powder makes the perfect landscape for dinosaurs.

I've got to give him points for creativity.

State Cakes

Jason's 5th grade class made cakes to represent the states they have been studying this year. Jason's cake

Emma's cake

Hanna's Nevada cake

Other cool cakes:

Virginia

Ohio

Montana

Utah

Tennessee

Florida

Hawaii

These cakes were so creative. Good Job everyone!

Lagoon Ride Quest 2010

In a crazy attempt to get the most out of my Lagoon Pass, I have set a goal to go on every ride at Lagoon (that I am not to tall for, of course)

The ones in blue are the ones I have already done

Terror ride
Bat
Boomerang
Carousel
Centennial screamer
Cliffhanger
Colossus
Dinosaur drop
Dracula’s castle
Dragonfly
Flying aces
Hydro luge
Jet star
Jumping dragon
Kontiki
Tidal wave
Ladybug bop
Log flume
Musik express
Odysea
Paratrooper
Puff the dragon
Rattlesnake rapids
Rock-o-plane
Rocket
Roller coaster
Samurai
Sky ride
Space scrambler
Spider
Tilt a whirl
Turn of the century
Wicked (yikes!)
Wild kingdom train
Wild mouse

sPrInG BrEaK 2010

This year we went to Las Vegas (again). We always seem to end up in Vegas for spring break because it is warm and close. I have some doubts about the wisdom of mixing children and Las Vegas. We tried really hard to stay away from all things "seedy" and we did a pretty good job but still...there were a few ewww moments. I am also questioning the wisdom of traveling with a two year old. We stayed in a timeshare hotel with a kitchenette so we didn't have to take mr-can't-stay-at-the-table-for-more-than-two-minutes to restaurants. But even with all my planning he was still difficult. I would like to just mention to the people who design museums/aquariums that making us exit through the gift shop is cruel and a recipe for DISASTER! Holy temper tantrum batman.

Here are a few highlights:
THe Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay

The new bridge being built over Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam

The Cheesecake Factory

Greek Statues (for all the Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief fans)

Man made waterfalls

indoor enchanted forests

The Ballagio Fountains at night

sweet anticipation

Last week I did something I haven't done in a long time. I took two rolls of film to the store to be developed. It took a week to get them back, can you believe it - in a digital age a week to see pictures is forever. To add to the suspense, I had no idea what was on one of the rolls. The other roll was from an under water camera Jason got for his birthday two years ago. I know! As I was waiting to get the pictures back I felt the stirrings of something I haven't felt in a long time. ANTICIPATION. I think it was the reason I used to love to take pictures- you didn't know what would turn out. Do you remember taking two or three of the same shot because you couldn't tell if someone was smiling or not, and double prints, I can't tell you how many doubles I have sitting in a box in the basement. So I got the pictures back and they were Easter Pictures. Jason's Easter pictures from when he was two years old. (How did that make it through the move? I packed an undeveloped roll of film...really!)

Another sweet anticipation that I miss is getting letters. Real letters in the mail. I love e-mail and I see the benefits of texting but nothing beats a a cute card, or that little unexpected surprise in the mail box, or when you write to someone and you start waiting to hear back from them and even though you know it is too soon, you start watching the mailbox anyway. It is good to have something, some little thing to look forward to.

words of wisdom!!!!

Black-outs and freeze-outs

One night last week we were watching TV, dinner was in the oven, Kayla was practicing the piano and then, there was darkness. Complete and utter darkness. The power was out. Boy do I take electricity for granted. I learned a few things that night.

1. you should keep matches WITH the candles.
2. we watch a lot of TV.
3. two year olds do not understand why they cannot watch TV
4. dinner by candlelight is fun.
5. there are a whole lot of things you cannot do when you don't have power.
6. washing dishes in the dark is not effective.
7. the novelty of doing things by flashlight gets old fast.
8. it is nice to go to bed early
9. it is not nice when the power comes back on around midnight and all the lights and TV turn on too.

Then there was the COLDNESS. Boy oh boy, do I take having a warm house for granted. On Monday night, our house was really cold. I kept checking the doors and windows to see if one of the kids had opened them. Sometime, in the middle of the night, we figured out that the furnace wasn't working. By morning, the house was 57 degrees, not freezing, I know but way to cold. This is what I learned from not having heat:
1. I don't like to be cold
2. furnaces are expensive
3. tax returns come in handy

So if I have learned anything from this it is that I am grateful for all the modern conveniences and I am so grateful that I am not a pioneer woman and I have a few things I need to do to get prepared for a "real" emergency.