Pet Shop Monster

One day Katelyn and I were playing with the littlest pet shops. We were having an LPS America competition. We were down to the final 5 when Ridge woke up and came in. He played around for awhile as Lady Ladybug won the competition. She won a new house. Ridge started playing with the pet shops and Katelyn started getting frustrated. I reminded her that we have to make his game part of our game. Just then I had to leave to help Kyleigh. When I came back Katelyn was pretend crying. She had all the pet shops huddled up around Lady Ladybug. I asked her what was going on and she said all the pet shops were sad because they knew the monster (Ridge) was going to ruin Lady Ladybug's new house. Ridge had wandered away so we decided maybe if all the pet shops lined up around the house maybe Ridge the Monster would be distracted enough to leave Lady Ladybug's house unscathed. We lined all the pet shops up. When Ridge came in he was so excited to see the destruction potential. Our plan worked.....

but only for a minute.

How old is Kyleigh?

This was the sign I found on the door of the girls' room the other day. If she had spelled disturb correctly you might think she was a teenager.

Rusty's 33rd Birthday

We all had a great day for Rusty's birthday. He wanted to go on a hike so we headed up to Kokee and hiked the berry flat loop. It's about a 3 mile loop. For awhile Kyleigh was playing Indian girl and we were the mean indians. She was running ahead of us so we wouldn't capture her. Then Katelyn wanted to lead the hike and they started fighting over the leader position. I told Russ to come up with a place where Kyleigh could take over as leader again. In staying with the indian theme he told them they would switch at "the big stump, on it's side, against the crooked sky." There is a huge stump in the trail with jagged edges on the top. Kyleigh kept asking "when" over and over again. So we made up actions to go with, "the big stump, on it's side, against the crooked sky." We thought we were hilarious. She rolled her eyes like a teenager but we kept doing it everytime she asked. It turned into a super fun game. Every stump we saw they asked if this was "the big stump, on it's side, against the crooked sky." We finally got to it and they were so excited. It was perfect climbing for our monkey kids.

After our hike we went back to the grassy field and had a bar-b-que. We ate shrimp and chicken shishkabobs, potatoe salad, grilled tandori bread and corn. We did a dutch oven apple crisp for desert. Mike and Holly had other obligations during the day but made it up in time for desert.

I gave Russ some wood chip biscuits for his smoker and a kit that makes any table into a ping pong table. The girls gave him a chalk ball that they worked on for hours. They grind chalk on the concrete, mix it with water, and reshape it into a ball.

It was a great day for the birthday boy and everyone else.

Kyleigh's Recitals

I forgot to post pictures of Kyleigh's dance and piano recitals from December. It was her first piano recital. She was second on the program, but the mom of the boy who was supposed to go first was running late so they asked her to go first. Her song was "We wish you a Merry Christmas." She practiced her song diligently for over a month. She was so nervous. She hadn't ever been to a piano recital, much less performed in one. She started her song and lost her place. Then did the same thing again. I was sitting up front video taping her and could see she was really frustrated and upset. She held it together so well and started a third time. She played the whole song perfectly and smiled when she finished. Several of the other piano players also started their songs over so she didn't feel bad by the end of the recital.

Dance recitals are old hat now. I love the December dance recital because it is so low key. As always she did a great job. It is so fun to watch her discover and develop her talents.

Our "Jakers"

May 31, 2002 - January 13, 2011

And the end shall come, and the heaven and the earth shall pass away, and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth. For all the old things shall pass away, and all things shall become new, even the heaven and the earth, and all the fulness therof, both men and beasts, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea.

D&C 29:23-24

We love you Jakers.

The Cutest!

Katelyn and Naiya are the cutest. I'm so glad they have each other.

Good-bye Giles Family

The Giles family has officially left the island and we miss them like crazy. They requested one last hike and hot dog roast at Kokee for their last Saturday. We all made it up to Kokee but the weather did not cooperate. It was FREEZING (freezing is relative). We built a fire, then decided we were too cold to stay and went to Polihale to have our dinner on the warm beach. It's nice to have that option. The evening was perfect and we had a great barbeque. We also got some good pictures.

Bottom line: We think they should turn the barge around, unpack all of their stuff, and pretend they never left.