Deals, Travel, and Family Life

8th Annual Block Party

July 28, 2009 · 1 Comment

We held our annual neighborhood block party. Thanks to our hosts who have a beautiful yard and many people who helped with activities, food, tables, grills, and more we had a great time! Activities included BBQing, food, fire truck and firefighter visit, scavenger hunt, fishing pond, sandbox, baby pool, relay races, pudding fight, slip ‘n slide tug o’ war, cookie walk, rip sticks, and more!

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Liberty Park-Playground and Splash Pad

July 23, 2009 · 1 Comment

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Above: Cousin/Nephew Caleb

Below: Jackson

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Below: Jackson and Savannah in back

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Below: Savannah in pink suit

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Bridal Veil Falls

July 19, 2009 · 1 Comment

A large group of us took our kids to play at the base of Bridal Veil Falls-once the moms adjusted to the idea that there was no grassy knoll to sit on by the base of the falls, we had a good time. The water was very cold, but my kids loved it, we stayed longer then anyone else in the group.

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Round-Up Week (June)

July 14, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I love our city’s Rodeo and Round-Up Week–I attend as many events as possible including all the parades and the rodeo! Jason was in Venezuela and missed the festivities. We did the family picnic in the park, family BBQ in the park, All-Horse Parade, rodeo, float parade and carnival style day at the park with food, rides, games, crafts etc. The kids loved all the candy from the float parade and Jackson loved the motor cross performance at the rodeo. He was screaming, oohing and ahhing and generally freaking out. Despite an unexpected medical emergency that sent us to Primary Children’s and Jason being gone on my birthday-it was a great week!

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Midsommar/Midsummer

July 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Each year the Swedish Heritage Society celebrates many Swedish holidays including Midsommar/Midsummer. We headed up to the International Peace Gardens even though it was a stormy day. Savannah made a wreath from branches and flowers. We decorated the maypole with foliage and flowers, Jason helped raise the maypole. Even though it was raining we danced around the maypole singing traditional Swedish songs. After, we enjoyed a Viking’s feast with some very yummy Swedish foods-meatballs, sauce, potatoes, salads, all kinds of desserts like apple tarts with warm vanilla sauce and princess torte. It was a fun time and we look forward to the event every year. Jason’s great grandparents immigrated to the United States from Sweden, and Jackson’s middle name is Alexander–his Swedish ancestor. Danielle has some Scandinavian heritage also that originates in Denmark. And most people know we are slightly obsessed with Sweden since Jason served an LDS volunteer mission in Sweden and we also lived there for a year many moons ago. Here are some photos of the event:

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Catch up Post

June 29, 2009 · 3 Comments

Let’s see if I can do a quick review and start posting again…

Jackson finished up a season of spring soccer.

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Father/Son Camp out

Planted flowers in memory of our baby boy

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Semi-Private Swimming Lessons for the kids (highly recommended)

Plant vegetable garden (which needs some serious attention right now)

Jackson’s end of year gymnastics performance

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Jackson graduated from preschool…again.

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Savannah had the annual dance festival at her school and officially is advanced to 2nd grade!

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My dad had what he calls ‘an episode’ and spent his birthday in the hospital, and after two long surgeries he is home with a 6-8 week recovery. My mom is being a great nurse to him.

Kicked off summer with a trip to the Museum of Natural History which is free the first Monday of each month-they have a great exhibit on frogs right now that the kids loved. I had to drag them out of the museum-my memory card was corrupted, so I don’t have any photos. But we’ll always have our memories!

I organized a neighborhood T-Ball team-18 kids, two teams, 3 practices, 3 games, bought our own equipment, parents coached, charged $5 a kid to cover equipment. I think it went pretty good. (I used to have a policy of not posting other peoples’ kids on my blog, but that went out the window, so if you want your kids’ face blurred out send me an e-mail.) Here’s a group photo minus 5 kids. I thought it was a pretty good idea with these economic times, and who needs another ill fitting t-shirt from the city to play ball?

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A friend started a summer field trip group, and every week we do a different fun activity/excursion with our kids. One activity was the Family Day at the Museum of Art-they had an ‘I Spy Exhibit’ Other then the assemble your own bubble wand station it was great. My friend Jessica and I just about strangled the person who organized that station..I won’t explain but it was a parent’s worst nightmare and put a scowl on many kids faces! The Walter Wick photographs were amazing. I had no idea what went into creating his photographs and the twists and turns hidden in the photos.

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Where is my husband you ask? That is a good question-he could be sitting in class for 8 hours, or at his desk for 9 hours, in another meeting about Serbia; perhaps he is in Moscow Russia or Caracas, Venezuela. Oh wait, his MBA group called an extra study session this week, so he must be there. Or could be  at an Elder’s Quorum meeting. Sometimes I see a mound in the bed next to me so he must have come home. Most Sundays I do wake up to the smell of cooking bacon and homemade buttermilk pancakes though!

So, there you have it, catch up to about mid-June; at least the stuff I am willing to expose to the world…

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1,500 Prisoners in the Philippines-Thriller

June 28, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Check out this Youtube video! 1,500 Prisoners in the Philippines recreate Michael Jackson’s Thriller video.

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25% off MAC Cosmetics Online!

June 17, 2009 · 1 Comment

I have a smokin’ deal for you, hurry tomorrow’s the last day!

25% off everything* on-line at a www.maccosmetics.com
Use OFFER code SUMO

*Viva Glam products excluded

Valid June 16-18

Also, any orders over $60 get free shipping. This is a great time to get that brush you have always wanted to splurge on or some new summer colors! I just placed my order, have fun shopping.

M510

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A Camp in Salt Lake City

June 10, 2009 · 2 Comments

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I went to the A Camp concert in Salt Lake the other night. It was at a venue we had never been to and it was surprisingly small. The size of my front living room actually. We walked down an alley and entered among a wooden fence and a shack made of corrugated tin and particle board. The stage was about a foot off the ground and so we could have reached out and touched the band. Nina, Niclas and Nathan make up A Camp plus two other musicians along for the tour. To say that my husband is a ‘fan of Nina’ is putting it lightly. I think he downplayed his excitement on my behalf. After the show we got to chat with them a couple minutes, get autographs (see above) and snap some photos. Her eye makeup was pretty amazing, and I am slightly embarrassed by my lack of eye makeup and silly grin, but I had to post the picture of me with them. (Niclas is missing from the pic, he was major sick, later he came out and we were able to get his signature, he did perform of course.) All for 10 bucks, I mean honestly that’s the way a concert should be, not an $80+ ticket in a giant arena. (Photos: Above autographed set list from the show, below no flash allowed photos from the show)

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Free Lettuce Wraps at P.F. Chang’s

May 22, 2009 · 3 Comments

When I started this blog I was going to post lots of deals, I have quickly left my mission statement behind and did what I said I would never do…blog only about my kids! So, here’s back to the basics-a great deal that my cousin, Alicia told me about:

If you visit the P.F. Chang’s web site and click on the Briny Baird link to the right of the screen you can get a coupon for free lettuce wraps with the purchase of an entree now through June 14. You simply enter your email address and they send it to almost immediately to your e-mail. Enjoy! 

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