Summer Camp Out Fun

The kids have been desiring to go camping for some time now.  Since Roger isn't a big camper and time is hard to come by, we did the next best thing.  We had a camp-out in our own back yard.  Tyler and Jocelyn came over to help make it more official (and fun of course).

The boy scouts set up the tent, and they did a mighty fine job.  Then they searched out sticks to carve to use for marshmellow roasting.  The girls played on the tramp and swings and eventually entertained themselves with wildpuff flowers (like glorified dandilions although I don't know their name.)

It was an idealic and perfect summer evening.

Eventually we built a fire in our make-shift cookie tray fire pit and roasted marshmellows until everyone had full tummies and sticky hands.

The kids slept well in the tent and I slept okay with Alyssa on the deck.  I can handle these type of camp-outs with running water, flushable toilets and every other ammenity at our fingertips.  I can imagine this won't be our last camp-out of the summer.

Brianna's Birthday Bashes

Brianna has had a great month for fun.  Two of her good friends had birthdays and hosted wonderful parties.  The first party was for Jocelyn and was a My Little Pony themed party.  There was wonderful craft making, pin the tail on the pony, a treasure hunt, a pony pinata and of course an amazing cake.  Brianna always loves parties hosted by Megan, they always live up to her expectations.

The second party was for the "other" Brianna.  This one was held at Kangaroo Zoo.  This place is a "zoo" of all kinds of blow ups and slides.  The perfect place to release a lot of energy.  Brianna's face was bright red when all was said an done from running constantly.  There was a nice party room where the kids enjoyed pizza and cupcakes.

Brianna is so fortunate to have such wonderful friends.  Thanks to their party success, Brianna is already planning a huge bash for her birthday.  I just hope I can make it live up to the standards that have been set.  :)

Snow Day and Spritz

Well we had a substantial amount of snow fall today. So naturally we pulled out the snow clothes, bundled all up and headed out to play with our friends.

Jocelyn and Tyler came over and for the next 2 1/2 hours the fun didn't stop.

The boys enjoyed building structures and then destroying them. The girls explored every part of the yard and surrounding areas.

The kids endurance for the cold is amazing. I would never last that long but it didn't seem to faze them. Only the upcoming darkness and dinner approach caused them to call it quits.

When I asked Brianna what she was doing she said "brooming". I guess that is more fun and easy than actually shoveling.

The girls stayed inside from the cold and made the traditional Spritz cookies. They are one of daddy's favorite Christmas treats and traditions. I inherited the recipe from his mom our first Christmas as a married couple. We make them every year without fail. It was the perfect day for baking.

Geocaching

We had another fun day of geocaching with some of our favorite friends. With the help of Tyler and Jocelyn we were successful in finding 6 geocaches that were located from here to Highland.

We have become quite good at seeking out the hiding places and it is always a thrill to find out what kinds of treasures are in the box.

We decide to put our hunting skills to the ultimate test and try and find a micro cache that is located somewhere on the bridge over the Jordan River at Inlet Park. Unfortunately, we had no luck, this one left us stumped. We definitely need to go back there when we have more time.

Princesses

Princess Party

Brianna decided that for her fifth birthday she would like a Princess Party. It just so happened that Legacy Center was having a special Princess Party that same week, so we decided that it might be nice if someone else did all the work and we could just go and enjoy it. So we did.

Brianna invited Brianna Wheeler, Jocelyn Millington and Danielle Webster to attend the magical event. Each girl was dressed to the nines complete with make-up and jewelery. They all looked beautiful.

The party was fabulous. They got to meet real live princesses (the Lehi Royalty) and were taught how to properly walk down a red carpet and greet all their constituents along with a royal curtsy at the end.

They were dolled up more with face paint and then whisked off to a tea party. They listened to princess stories, played princess games and even made their own wand. It all ended with a beautiful ball where they were taught all the dances of the various princesses. I think the dancing was the girls' favorite part as they had the opportunity to twirl their ball gowns while the crowd looked on and cheered.

They were treated with princess favors along the way and enjoyed a pink frosted cupcake and a balloon as they walked out the door. I think all the girls enjoyed it and Brianna thought it was such a neat birthday party.

We returned back to our house for presents and cake. Brianna received wonderful art supplies and princess flip-flops and accessories. She was in Heaven.