Kayaking

We saw some kids kayaking at Bear Lake and it looked like so much fun that Grandma and Grandpa went out and bought 5 kayaks for next time. They brought them up and we took them for a test drive at a nearby lake. So much fun!

Brave

We kicked off the weekend by taking the kids to see the new movie "Brave" and out for some Hawaiian BBQ. Yum! Looking forward to more family fun this holiday week.

East Canyon

On Saturday, we wanted to get Ellie (who's prone to asthma) out of the 100 degree smoke filled valley from the Saratoga Springs fire and try our hand at cray-fishing again. We headed to our nearest reservoir at East Canyon. We didn't find any crayfish, but the cool water, fresh air and picnic were worth the drive.

When we got home, Janey and I got to see "The Sound of Music" play at Hale Center Theatre for our mommy daughter date. Fun!

The Little Mermaid

Steve and I took the girls to see the Ballet "The Little Mermaid" at the Capital Theater. Ellie decided to journal about it. These are her words (and spelling.) :)

"One day my mom and dad took me and Janey to see the little mermaid. So we got dressed and went. We drove and drove and we finally got ther.

We watit and watit then it startid. The begining was spetakoler (spectacular)!"

I can't wait until she writes and illustrates the rest of the outing!

Young Womens' Broadcast and City Creek

Whitney and Analese got tickets to the Young Womens' General Conference downtown. It was Analese's first time attending an event at the Conference Center and they both enjoyed the messages of the conference.

Steve and I drove them downtown and spent the evening at the new City Creek Center, the gorgeous new outdoor mall and city center across from temple square. We took the girls over after the conference and we were treated to an out door concert by Eclipse, a vocal group we really enjoy. We look forward to taking the whole family downtown on trax to show them City Creek.

Brian Regan

Steve and I were so excited to give the older kids in our family Brian Regan tickets for Christmas. We gave some to ourselves too, of course. The day of the concert finally came, and it was as funny as we'd hoped it would be! We've all been working so hard lately and it was really fun to sit back at laugh non-stop. Walking over to Abravenel Hall for the performace we encountered a smashed ice sculture in a hotel drive way. We kicked chunks of it all the way to the concert and then all the way back when it was done. Just the kind of random thing our family would do to make an evening more memorable.

UMNH

Uncle Tai and Aunt Kersten gave us tickets to the new Utah Museum of Natural History for Christmas. MLK day turned out to be the perfect day to go use them. Its a beautiful museum where you can learn about everything from earthquakes to Indians, dinosaurs to gem stones. The outside of the building was as amazing as the inside and it made for a fun family outing. Thanks for the gift!

First Ski of the Season

The first snow of the season, mean breaking out the cross-country skis around here. Ellie and Janey traded off for at least 4 hours Saturday afternoon, first in the back yard and then at the park. Should be a great ski season.

Issue 173 Sheep Dog Championship by Whitney

Every year Soldier Hollow host a sheepdog trial competition. Specially invited world-class sheep dog herders from across the globe attend as they compete against each other to win medals and advance to the National Border Collie Association's World Championship. This year we attended and watched several pairs go at it. Racing against a twenty-four minute timer the handlers remain stationary as he or she directs their canine counterpart with whistles, directing them across the hillside. They must first retrieve two separate herds of sheep, directing them between two posts. Then the full herd is maneuvered across the hill and through two separate gates to finish in a marked circle. Then the handler, using a shepherds crook without actually coming in contact with the sheep, works with the collie to separate out five of the sheep that are wearing red collars. This is much harder than it sounds due to the herding behavior that keep the sheep almost inseparable. Assuming the timer hasn't already expired, the pair then direct the five collared sheep into a small pen on the other side of the hill, while preventing them from rejoining the remaining herd of thirteen standing by. Without the gate touching any of the sheep, the door is closed by the lucky shepard and the crowd cheers. The judges tally their scores while the exhausted and overheated collie plunges into the provided tub of water.
Along with the omnipresent bagpipers, camera crews filming a documentary entitled "Away to me" added to the atmosphere as the giraffe necked camera swiveled around to keep up with the contestants. Other exhibitors including the Salt Lake counties' K9 unit also presented classes and demonstrations. It was a fun-filled day of enjoyment that I would recommend to everyone.

My Baby is 6?!?

Ellie wanted to ice skate for her birthday, so we took off for the rink after dinner. We took turns escorting her around the ice and towards the end she could manage all by herself. Grandma came to watch, which made Ellie so excited to wave and pose for pictures. Happy Birthday Ellie!

Cookies and Doughnut Falls

Blogger is refusing to load the rest of our photos of our hike this weekend to doughnut falls. I'm going to cry "uncle" and post them next week.

Foam Finger Ellie

Ellie and Dad had the opportunity to go to a soccer game for our home team, and past MLS Champions, Real Salt Lake. We made it a date and had a hamburger before heading to the game. The one thing that Elie said she wanted at the game was a foam finger (?). I don't know how she knew about foam fingers, but she described it to me in detail before we even got there. Wouldn't you know it, the first booth we approached outside the stadium was giving away red foam fingers! The game was a lot of fun with a decisive 3:1 win over Houston Dynamo. Best of all was to be with Ellie, give her a ride on my shoulders back to the car after the game, and enjoy her fun personality.