Off to DC

I am getting ready to board my flight to DC. Just going on a quick business trip. Sam asked me if it was time for my field trip to Washington NBC. It is hard to leave those cute boys behind. Even if it is only for a few days.

We live here!

We spent a wonderful Saturday morning hiking Tubbs hill in Coeur d'Alene. This is about 7 miles from our house. It has been a while since I have been there, and it helped me remember why we love this place. I wish I had a tape recorder to capture all of the things Jack and Sam said. Jack packed 3 plastic bags (because I wouldn't let him have 5) in his pocket in case, "you know we find some bugs or a scorpion that we want to look at and enjoy for a while before we put them back..." He didn't find cool bugs or a scorpion, but he is pretty sure he found some dinosaur teeth or maybe they are just rocks, some petrified wood (also maybe a rock), an arrow head (probably just another rock), and a fossil (yep, you guessed it another rock). Sam won the contest of hilarity when he crouched down and gasped. Then he said, "Mom look what I found. It is a leaf!" or later when he got all serious, held out his hand, and said, "well, this is a rock." How about when he said, those are not dogs mom, they are "wolf pups". My favorite is when he told Tyler and me that we were super heroes because we saved him and Jack from falling. He also exclaimed that the last time he had been there was when I was in his tummy. (the kid hears everything!) They also loved exploring caves (or cracks in rocks, but there might have been a bear - maybe... or a squirrel, but probably just a rock). Some how I got to carry all of the dinosaur teeth, fossils, arrow head, and HEAVY rocks back to the car in my back pack. One baggy was used to keep a tiny buttercup flower - that ended up in my back pack too. Logan loved riding in the Kelty pack, and was apparently very comfortable.

We were not ready to head back home, so we decided to have a yummy lunch at Dockside. We turned our head for a minute to get Logan settled in his high chair, and when we turned around, this is what we found. Luckily, Tyler and I had snagged a piece of bread for ourselves already.

Jack spent his time waiting for our lunch sketching a picture of the lake. He was very serious about it. A good thing, since there was no more bread!

The family consensus is that we need to hike a lot more often. Jack has requested a weekly trip to Tubbs hill.

Congrats to Sonora!!!

I am so excited for my brother Steve (and family). His restaurant, The Sonora Grill, has been voted best Mexican restaurant in Utah. Check out the article here. Congratulations Steve!

Now any of you reading this blog that are anywhere near Ogden Utah you need to go eat at Sonora grill. (The drive from SLC is worth it!) You no longer need to take my word for it.

It is hard to recommend a dish since they are all so yummy. My favorite is the Achiote Salmon. The guacamole is amazing, and if you just need a taco - check out Taco Tuesdays! Seriously guys even if Steve did not own this restaurant it would still be my favorite.

You can see how beautiful it is on the website. It is a fun place for a grown up date, but also very kid friendly. Jack craves it all of the time. Jack is also very excited for Steve's success. He told me that this is what I should write on the blog. (It sounds even better if you picture Jack talking in a deep "grown up" voice and standing on his tip toes to show how tall Steve really is.) "Hi, my name is Uncle Steve Ballard. I have the best Mexican restaurant in Utah and the world. You should eat there."

Also, if you are looking for a great place to have a party or business meeting Sonora does a great job. I hosted a work meeting there and it is still the talk of the office. They have a fantastic meeting room with all the hook ups for presentations. He has even done weddings and high school reunions.

Here are some pictures of our family having a yummy dinner! P.S. we don't always wear matching clothes. We went to dinner after having family pictures done.

The cousins demonstrating that the tortilla chips are bigger than their heads!

The girlies. Layla showing that the salsa is so delicious, that you cannot stop eating - even for pictures!


Gretchen is a HAPPY girl when she is at Sonora! She likes drinking her soda as much as she likes drinking the salsa (I'm not kidding).

Milestones

It has been a big month for the boys. Here are some pictures of a few of their milestones.

#1 Jack's tooth finally fell out. He had been sure that it would fall out every day for a few months. Before I even had a chance to post this picture, he lost the exact tooth on the opposite side. The tooth fairy has been busy at our house.

#2 "Where's Logan?" I say this about 100 times a day. The kid loves to hide under beds, in drawers, etc. On this night he had pulled out his toy box and climbed right in to play. We watched him play like this for almost 1/2 hour.
#3 I couldn't stand Logan's baby mullet or the long hair growing over his ears any longer, so we took Logan in for his first haircut with Jenna at the Hair Zoo. She is awesome and all of my boys love to get their hair cut at her shop. Here are some before, during, and after shots. The after shot is not very good, but his hair looks so cute. He looks like a little man now. Our baby times are flying by as we get closer and closer to Logan's first birthday.

He's a Keeper!

You can buy happiness, sometimes...

This little boy was having a bad day. He didn't know why and neither did I. While at Target, I wandered past a stuffed Yoda. The very same Yoda I searched for but never found for Christmas. The Yoda that slipped away and has bothered me ever since. I drove Sam in his shopping cart with his sad eyes and his sniffy nose to an aisle all by ourselves and showed him something special that I was going to buy him. He was so excited. He hugged and kissed Yoda and plopped him next to him in the front of the cart. He did not let go all night long and he never stopped smiling. After his bath he insisted on wearing his Star Wars - Clone Wars p.j.s and carried around his Star Wars blanket. I asked him if I could take a picture, and he was thrilled to comply. Now that is a happy kid. Total cost $19.99. So worth it!

Penske + Boys = Happy

Our first week back in our old ward was an exciting one for Jack. The primary announced an activity where the kids were to make a car out of a card board box. They would bring the car to the church on Saturday and watch a movie. It was just like a drive in movie. Jack was THRILLED with this idea. He came home from church and spent several hours making these plans for a Penske truck just like the one we used to move up here. When I saw his plans, I had to laugh. In this way, Jack is just like me! I also sketch my plans before I start any of my projects. We both also enjoy lists and charts. It is fun to watch him pick up some of my tendencies. Here is a picture of the plans. My favorite part is the supply list ("ordinary box", yellow spray paint)
These plans hung on the fridge for a few weeks, then last weekend we constructed our master piece. I quickly took control of Jack's project with a few sketches of my own. I informed him that he better get used to his crazy mother taking over things. I mean, he will soon be a cubscout and if you think he gets to earn all of those things on his own, you are crazy. His poor face fell, and I told him I was just kidding (kind of). We actually worked together and he was very open to my suggestions as long as I followed the "plans". We were a little crunched for time, so it was not very extravagant. Jack loved it!!! We made it a double seater, so I did not have to make another car with Sam. Here are some pictures.

While Jack and I were building the car, Sam and Logan enjoyed an empty box that we had used for "parts".
The boys had a lot of fun at the activity. They had popcorn and watched a movie. When I arrived to pick them up, Jack had begged for some tape and was in another room "making some repairs". He also informed me that EVERYONE asked if they could climb in the back (of course it opened up), but he did not let them, because it would break the truck. An ordinary box sure can make a little boy happy.