Checking in.

We are not very motivated lately to blog and too lazy to download pics these days. We took a family vacation to Thermopolis Wyoming a couple of weeks back and had a great time. It is a wonderful state Wyoming, one of my favorites, it still has a little of the Wild West in it as you drive down its empty highways and byways. It's got wildlife, history, scenery and friendly people. I don't understand why it has less than a million people in it.
Anyway onto our trip first night at the Best Western we got to sit in the hot tub that was fed with actual geothermally heated water. The rooms were great and the Bighorn river ran right in front of the hotel and there was a nice little river walk down to the swinging bridge that was constructed by the Wyoming National Guard. This is a girlie thing to say but that evening was awesome because the day was up into the mid 90's and in the evening you could smell lilac bushes but it added to the pleasantness of the evening and the surroundings.
The kids had a blast at the hotel or the newtel as they like to call it. Jumping on the beds splashing in the bath tub to their hearts content and pigging out on Trix yogurt at the complimentary breakfast in the morning. The water park was crazy they had at least twenty school buses lined up outside and the whole park was loaded with elementary and junior high school kids from all over the state. By lunch I needed a break so we had our picnic on the lawn outside the park. My kids begged me to go again so I did and at one point shortly after we re-entered we were the only ones there. To go from have over 400 people packed in there to being the only ones was a very strange Twilight Zone/Disney commercial feeling/moment. Unfortunately we damaged our memory card so until we can recover the pictures I can't show you any of the sights. It is late and I am going to bed but I will post the remainder of our trip tomorrow night or within the week.

Another enjoyable weekend with the kids

Picture #1 is Cori who found a "really good rock with a good chair" as she put it. This is on the West side of the island that we don't see from the valley. Off in the distance you can see the snowcapped Oqueer mountains and Tooele valley.
Picture #2 is on the causway on the way out to the way cool state park. By the way it is called Antelope island, not in any way to be confused with Cantelope Island.
Picture #3 Is of McClain Finley and Ali the three monkeyteers. Girls are always happy to have someone take their picture and they even try to smile. I wish I could say the same
for Isaiah.
Picture #4 is the four girls with the
Ogden Layton Wasatch mountains in
background.
Picture #5 is of Finley and McClain
two loving sisters in their childhood lets
hope they stay best friends in the years
to come.

Here are the last couple of pictures I wanted to share. There were so many people there it was amazing. The one with Tara sitting is the wifes final resting place I think. If you look close you can see all the precious stone that was inlaid all that done by hand by only a few skilled laborers. Wish I got a picture of the whole room it was bigger than a sacrament hall.

Well I guess you can only post five pictures per post. Well every time I see the picture of the Taj Mahal I think of Anne of Green Gables when her friend Katherine was wishing she had seen it before her life was over. Some of these buildings are enormous I can't imagine them being built in one lifetime with relatively primitive tools and methods. The red sandstone building is called the red fort. The leader at the time was put there in exile by his son I think. Someone correct me I don't have time to look it up. The man who built the Taj was deposed by his son but his son respected the construction of the Taj and let it continue I think. Probably making that up.

I was cleaning and organizing the last week. I was looking for a place for all the unused backpacks and duffle bags that we have and in one of the pockets I found two undeveloped disposable cameras. I took them to get developed and we got some more pictures of our trip to India. I know I raved and raved about Goa and India in some previous posts but you have to appreciate the beach with zero people on it. I feel like we went far enough away for once to literally get away from it all. It was like nothing in our old life or western world could get to us while we were there it was a true vacation.

Cori doesn't disappoint us for long... Got another fun shot of her falling asleep. This is after we got home from the Blue and Gold Banquet. As we were unloading the boxes and leftovers and things, she was playing around happily until she konked out over the arm of the couch.


Cameron already posted one of the pictures I took of our two silly girls. Grandma Esplin gave them matching pajamas for Christmas, but this was the first time they wore them at the same time. They were both really excited about matching. It was really funny. They took turns tackling each other screaming, "We match!"

These are my favorite times. I love it when they fall asleep in my arms! The moments become so much fewer and far between. They can't grow up! Anyone know how to freeze time?

Our trip to Antelope Island/Our girls get along sometimes

We took a trip to Antelope Island a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to share some of the pictures we took. The ones with Ali laying down on a rock were funny because two summers ago when we were climbing around on those rocks she found some girl soaking up some sun so I was surprised she remembered. There are a lot of cavities in the rocks to hide in there too. Isaiah wouldn't stay still for a picture so I only got one at a distance. The picture of Ali and Cori in there pajamas is about the best I have seen them get along. Church was a nightmare today at least sacrament screaming Cori teasing Isaiah laughing when the whole congregation was staring at us because we were the visual aid for the subject of the talk "Reverence" freaking embarrassing. Anyway we had two dinner invites fall through in the same day. We were sad we felt like outcast/losers nobody wants to hang out with us. But we played pictionary with our kids after and we had a good time together at least. Maybe I will write another entry and drop it into the digital abyss in another week who knows. See you all next time.

valentine girl

No time for a lot of writing... But here's a picture of Cori on valentines day. Cutie girl. We'll upload some more pictures and do an update soon. It will be called... Horrible Days of our Van's life...

Found: Pictures of sleeping beauty.

PS, I checked my email and it looks like I sent myself some of the pics before my phone died. This got me going back through some old albums, which led to finding quite a few sleeping beauty pictures... so here's the show. Sorry the quality on some is not so great, they were probably the ones taken with my old phone.

This is so like Cori. Won't admit she's tired. Don't even mention the word nap. It's only happens at time like this, when she is happily entertaining herself, with a sock on her arm. She sits on the top step, and suddenly is out like a light. I have found her curled up on a rug by the front door. Naked next to her crib. In the closet of a friend's room. Between the couch and the fireplace. Wrapped in a blanket at her aunts house, in a room we never go in, you name it- she's probably fallen asleep there. Her terms, her locations.

Cuddling up with Ali always seems to help.
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Or with a baby doll
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Sandwiched between Dad and Ali.
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I found a few of her when she was really little, and couldn't resist.
She always has just stopped, dropped, and slept.

Ali again
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Ya have to love the fall-asleep-in-the-highchair pictures...
Especially when cuddled up with a towel.
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On top of the counter, Mom's recipe book for a pillow, fruit loops in hand.
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What? Actually in her bed/crib?
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We were all tired in New York, but she had the luxury of being carried around by Daddy.
He sat her down to put his coat on, and she still stayed asleep, sitting up on a bench.
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Naked, by the side of her crib.
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The couch is her very favorite place to fall asleep. She get's mad when anyone else is on "her" couch.
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It's more fun to take a bath with swimming suit on in the summer.
Then it's like swimming. Until you fall asleep.
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In the corner of Isaiah and Ali's room, with her Care Bears & co.
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This was at my friend Meleesa's house. I think she was babysitting her,
and she fell asleep in her son, Jaden's closet. It took them quite a while
to find her once she went missing.
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Here's an older one of her falling asleep on the top stair, after she lined up her toys on the banister rail.
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Here's the one on the rug by the front door. I forgot it was also the middle of a construction zone. We were in the process of ripping up carpet and putting in wood. (Don't tell anyone, we're still "in the middle" of that project.)
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Here she is between a couch and our fireplace. I kind of woke her up taking pictures, just enough for her to adjust and fall back asleep.