The New Trax Train

The new trax train just went into operation last week. For a few days it was free to ride. I thought it would be a great idea to take the kids by myself. Ride to the gateway and ride back. On the way there I thought it was great. Then we ended up at the gateway for way too long. Departure time was 12:00. We ran into free ice cream day at Gateway. Shopped 2 stores and then walked back to the station. By the time we got home it 5:00. So that was probably the first and the last time that I take the kids on the train. 1st problem it takes so much longer. 2nd problem Ronan cried the whole way home because he wanted to get out and walk. 3rd problem my girls got so hyper on the way home and boy do I feel bad for the guys by us. Anyway so take it from me. Don't ride very far if you are going to give it a try with your kids. Also pack treats, games, whatever it takes to keep your kids quiet. Overall though for commuters I think it will be great. Big comfortable seats and it is a smooth ride. It takes a lot longer than driving unless it is during rush hour. So I have come to a conclusion trax is for the commuter not for the mom taking her kids on a field trip.

How much fun should a girl have?

Skiing at Snowbird with my friend Shannon

Waiting for a class at BYU Womens Conference. Emily, Liza, Hailey, Crystal, Shannon, Me

Rachel and Kim

So most of my posts are kid oriented. But lets talk about what has been going on with me lately. As a mom most people feel like they dont get out enough time to do their own thing. Lately I have been on the other side of that. Maybe I have been having too much fun I keep thinking. But it is so great. What can a girl do. If asked to choose between play and work 99.999% of the time I choose fun. So when given that invite to do something exciting guess what I choose. Here is a list of the things I that have been going on with me the last few months that havent made the blog. While I am at it let me give some thanks to my mom and husbnad who babysat for me.



1. Park city with my friends Marci and Mandy. We stayed in Midway and shopped. It was some great retail therapy good thing I could only stay Friday because their was such good sales at the outlets. Sorry I have no pictures to prove but I do have the clothes.


2. Skiing at Snowbird - Dave had some free passes that I just had to use up. So how could I not take advantage of that. It snowed so heavy all day that you could only see 5 feet in front of your face. A little scary for two girls who hadnt been skiing in a few years. We had no idea which lift to ride on so we jumped in the biggest tram up the mountain. After I few minutes we realize that everyone is wearing helmets and the tram is going highter and highter up to the very top of the mountain. When we get to the top we notice that all the runs are black diamonds except for one. We will be ok we thought just follow the obvious signs as the ski patrol told us. Within 10 seconds we are totally lost and remember cant see 5 feet in front of our faces. We see the only other human on a really steep hill. Where are we we ask. Oh a black diamond named Regulator Johnson. The powder came in handy because it made it easier to go down. The friendly skiier took pity on us and had him follow him down. The rest of the day we stayed on the lower half of the mountain. It was excilirating to do something out of the norm.

3. Lots of Real Salt Lake soccer games. I am fully taking advantage of the free tickets to the Real games. Each game we take different friends and have free dinner and enjoy really good games. The team is playing really well this year. Even thought they don't always win the games are really intense and so fun.

4. Softball season has started. I am playing on a coed team with some of the people from last year and a bunch of new players that are all really good. The big difference between this year and last is that we are in the rec league instead of competitive. Last year we won 2 games all against the same team. This year we hope to do much better. We have won 1 game and lost the other. It is just fun to get out and play a sport that I love.

5. This last weekend I went to BYU Womens Conference with a group of girls from my ward. Thursday and Friday we went to classes. Then stayed in hotel in Provo Thursday night. I really enjoyed some spiritual rejuvenation and girl talk. Since I have 3 kids and teach sunbeams I haven't had much on the enlightening side of things lately. We had the funnest group of girls some of which I didn't know well before we went.

Leah at 4 and 9 months

1- Look at this picture. Oh what a funny girl she is. The things she says are just downright hilarious. She is confident and definitely can hold her own. Her primary teacher was worried because the naughty boy next to her kept poking her. Leah just turned to him and poked him back. Then folded her arms and looked straight ahead.

2 - She is obsessed with playing with friends. Playing whenever possible with various neighbors. Thankfully they all live within a few doors and run back and forth to each others houses. This one is of her pretending to be married to her friend Connor. Don't worry Logan she still wants to marry you in the temple. Actually her and Eva got in a fight today because Eva thought she should marry Logan.

3- She is so affectionate and loving. To everyone including her family and friends. She takes care of Ronan and is best friends with Eva. I am the recipient of many random declarations of love throughout the day. "Mom you are the best mom ever." This has become a problem with wanting kiss her boyfriends. She told my neighbor Kim, " my mom wont let me kiss boys, but I cant help it I just love them so much."

4 - Leah has a real imagination. You can turn to Leah and say "tell us a story" and she immediately goes into "Once upon a time...." These stories of hers' get really detailed and it's funny to see her mix fact and fiction. She was telling me the other day about Tir-Na-Nog the land of eternal youth in Ireland. She knows that there is a white horse by that name that runs around Ireland picking kids up and taking them to a place where they never get old. She loves to tell Knock-Knock jokes and can charm you into agreeing with her on most things. When she constructs an argument for something she is quite convincing and has a point that is hard to ignore.

Garreth, by Davy

It's 2:09 in the morning as I write this. I couldn't sleep. My mind was being recalled to happier days when my older brother and I shared so many memories, so many adventures and so many ways of styling his mullet. In response to your comments about my emotional and heartfelt declaration to Rachel, I wish to explore my own feelings to you, Garreth my brother. These photos will lead me as I reminisce on your many qualities. Here you are at St.Mungos hospital. Yes, that same hospital from the Harry Potter books. It was a glorious day. The nurses let you go outside for your 10 minutes of sunlight. Do you remember Garreth? It had been so long since they had last let you out. They were still struggling with your last "episode" when you tore of your clothes, ran excitedly around the other "sick"kids and spit on everything that was the color blue. They had just replaced your old glasses with these new, state-of-the-art ones your wearing. They were worried that you would use these new one's as a magnifying weapon like you had against the young Murphy girl in bed 7 of ward 19. She never really did recover from the burns.
Ah yes, your headshot for your modeling portfolio. I remember taking this for you. Your hair, always your best feature you know, was not cooperating that day. It may have been that your precious blue brush had been snapped in half and tossed in the dumpster outside of A&W. Oh, that's right, you went in after it and still used it...I digress. I know how much it hurt you when "Phillips all Man" modeling agency never got back to you.
Here you are after killing Fergal O' Hagan in that knife fight outside of Killarney. He had it coming.
Here you are after final being accepted by "Phillips all Man."It was your big break. This photo, which graced the pages of "Big Bikes, Big Men" from their fall 2006 edition, is what really got you to where you are today. Just look at you cheek position and color! Your smile, tight and strong only serves to compliment your soft, Ray Liotta like eyes.
And finally, your winning routine on the rings when you participated in the 2007 Special Olympics in Sweden. The capstone of an illustrious career and example. I love you Garreth.

Rachel, by Davy

Maybe it's because I'm sitting here listening to the soundtrack to "Once" and feeling very romantic or that we just tied our home opener against Chicago and I'm feeling very introspective..., but I wanted to take a moment and talk to you Rachel. We talk everyday on everyday topics, but I don't often get a chance to declare to the world (and this blog is viewed by the world you know) that you are not only the love of my life and that when your minds made up, there's no point trying to change it....ooh Glen Hansard, you know man, you know. Go get the album to "Once" and you'll know what I'm saying.

Anyway, so you know Rachel. You know what you mean to me and our family. You are the glue that keeps it together. So before I grab you as you sit on the couch right behind me and kiss your passionately and longingly let me tell you why you still and always will make my heart flutter...curse you Glen Hansard!

You can make any experience easy. Here you are 10 minutes before Leah popped out and changed everything. Not the best photo, but I think it captures the fact that you and I had no clue what we were doing. I think about this time of our lives often. So much more simple and so much more empty. Bringing our unbelievable children into this world has given us common purpose and reason. Thank you.

Wow. I forgot about this one. After nearly 8 years and 3 1/2 months, you still amaze me that if I say something like "Rach, jump on that horse" that you'll do it. I think I take advantage of this unique gift of yours more than I should. You make me so comfortable and that is my love language. You speak it fluently.

Dude, you can surf! Remember on our honeymoon in Hawaii and I tried to boogie board with you and the waves took me out instead of in and I screamed like a 7 year old little girl in terror. You were just paddling away like it was nothing. Your so bleedin talented. The kids take after you in this matter. They are much more adventurous than I am. They are just like you.

Dude, you sell houses! After teaching for a couple of years, bearing 3 kids and keeping our house "in order" you start your own little business. Unbelievable...I am overwhelmed and can't keep up. Being impressed by you is too trivial of words. You are freaking amazing. Thank you for sticking around with this ole' lump...is it the free Soccer tickets?

Are you really here or am I dreaming?...curse you again Glen Hansard. You are so beautiful. I am the luckiest guy around. You know that's true after your first visit to where I grew up. I was destined for knackerdom, but you saved me. I always wonder why you chose me. Maybe it was a little luck and we're allowed that sometimes. I love you...

For you people listening in on this, go get the soundtrack to "Once" and maybe you'll sit down and write.

Ronan Turns 1

I cannot believe that my little baby has turned one. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. He is into everything, always happy, and very adventurous. He even ate his birthday cake differently from the girls. They were worried about the cake and barely touched it at first. Ronan picked the whole piece up in his hand and started to gobble it down. He kept looking at Dave and I with our cameras and saying, "cheeeese." A new word, he surprises us every day with new things he can do.

Easter

Here are my beautiful kids in their Easter outfits this morning. I didn't get as good of shots as I would have liked to because well we have 9:00 church, need I say more.

California Trip

Dave and I just got back Saturday night from a quick 3 day California trip. Thanks to my parents who watched the 3 kids for us. I about cried when we got off the plane in SLC and I felt the cold air. It was beautiful weather 70's. My top 4 highlights of the trip.
1. Top highlight of the trip had to be the beach. The weather was perfect, the sun on my white arms, sand in my toes. We rented beach cruisers and rode along Newport beach. I thought I think I am meant to live in one of these million dollar beach houses and do this every morning.
2. Wicked - I dont enjoy many things more than a Broadway show. I was amazed and on the edge of my seat. Dave looked over... you really love this sort of things don't you. Yahh I said. He really liked it too.
3. Buying a star map from some bum on Hollywood Blvd. It said these addresses may be where stars lived at one time or they could live there or maybe they will be moving there. We could barely follow the stupid thing but enjoyed driving around some really ritzy beautiful homes.
4. Superman ride at 6 Flags. We were standing in line for 20 minutes just to buy tickets to Disneyland. What are we doing we thought. We went to 6 Flags instead. My very favorite ride shot you from 0-100 in 6 secs. We went straight up to find Superman looking at us. And then flew back down backwards. It was amazing I was shaking when we got off. What fun.

St. Patricks Day

On Sunday the girls got to dress in their Irish outfits or I-lish as Eva says it. Dave and I bought these while I was pregnant with Leah and we were on vacation to Ireland. I get excited for them to wear these every year. On Monday the girls got all dressed up for preschool and playgroup. Sorry again to their teachers who had to deal with the 1$ feather Boas completely falling apart all love their houses. That night we had some friends come over for an Irish meal and my attempt at making everyone sing Irish drinking songs. Everyone left shortly after I made them start to sing. Note to self other people don't enjoy making complete fools of themselves singing songs that they don't know.

Eva Turns 3

Eva turned three on the 4th of March. The poor thing got the fever type of flu for 5 days including her birthday. We still had her party anyway. You can see how sick she was in the pictures. Her only request for her birthday is that she got to ride horses. We went the next Saturday when she was feeling better.