Mormon Trail Center

It was a rainy Saturday and we decided to visit the Mormon Trail Center.

It is located right next to the Winter's Quarters Temple and cemetery.

The Visitor's Center was fun and very interactive. A great place to visit with your family. It helped me appreciate even more the sacrifices of the pioneers.

There is a nice statue of a family pulling a handcart right in front of the center.

 They have pioneer clothing you can dress up in.

 Little Bird wants something to eat.

 Little Bird looks cute in her little bonnet and skirt.

Lizard insisted we all participate. The only thing that fit her dad was a hat.

 Lizard ran into a friend from school and together they "loaded" a wagon and tried pushing a handcart. The handcart was easy to push along the carpet, but when rocks were placed under the wheels in was much more difficult. They had to really work together.

Little Bird was having fun running in the rain.

First Day of School

I reached a special milestone as a parent yesterday...I embarrassed my daughter. So much so that her first words to me when I picked her up for school were, "I was so embarrassed with you following me around and taking pictures of me." I have arrived.

Just look ahead. If you don't make eye contact she might go away and leave you unharmed.

 You don't gather outside the classroom at this school. Because it is indoors you drop your child off in the front and they are led to the classroom by their teacher. There she goes.

Henry Doorly Zoo

 This was our first trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo. It's a very family friendly place and the kids really enjoyed it.

 I don't know why, but I love these things.

 Little Bird liked the aquarium at the zoo.

 Lizard came to the zoo prepared to see all the animals no matter how far away they might be.

 

 These animals were really gross. They would rub their rears on the glass, smearing their poop, and then take turns smelling it.

The petting zoo was a big hit with the girls. Lizard enjoyed using the brushes they provided to groom the goats.

 So sweet.

We made another trip to the zoo without daddy and Little Bird found an air vent. She loves the feeling of the wind blowing through her hair.

Mommy's Little Helper

This is a cute apron we bought for Lizard on a trip to Japan. I'm glad Valerie has the chance to use it too. I love aprons!!

Little Bird is excited to cook with her mom in the kitchen. That smile says it all.

Little Bird also likes to help empty the dishwasher. She especially enjoys emptying out the silverware. She even puts it in the drawer for me.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

In an older post there are pictures of Little Bird and the Lizard playing in their new pool. 

Here are a couple of images from the packaging of that pool:

Apparently the target market for this pool are six or seven year old boys who have a desire to be a chick magnet. I'm assuming from the photo the message is: Get this pool and your son will be transformed into the most popular and best looking kid in the neighborhood.
Forget about the fact that your neighbor down the street has a real pool with a slide and a waterfall.

Possible testimonial from this guy:

"The Swimline pool was the best thing that ever happened to me. It changed my life. Before getting the pool I was teased a lot by the neighborhood kids, but after my mom brought home the Swimline I became the most popular kid on the block. Everyone wanted to come to my house and play. If you have a child who is bullied and could use a boost in self esteem I highly recommend the Swimline. As you can see, it worked for me."

Thrift Store Shopping - Not What it Used to Be

I used to shop at thrift stores all the time in High School and College until the market changed and it seemed that the prices of new items on clearance were the same as thrift store prices. I think what happened is thrift store shopping became cool so they started to charge more. Case in point, here is a new skirt someone donated to Goodwill that they purchased on clearance for $3.97 and Goodwill has marked it $5.49. You think they could have at least taken off the Old Navy price tag first. Oops!

A Trip to Scheels

How many sporting goods stores do you know of that have a Ferris Wheel?!! There is a place called Scheels that has just that and here are some cell pics of the Lizard and her dad trying it out...she wanted to go by herself.

I wish I had more pictures of the store itself because it is something. From hunting, to fishing, to running and cycling. They have it all.

It's Still Hot

So I know this scene looks familiar, but it really is too hot to do much else and Little Bird IS wearing a different suit and there IS a new pool. (The other one was Lizard's old pool and it got a hole in it.)

Little Bird is a big fan of food and after polishing off some watermelon and a half of a sandwich she stole Lizard's sandwich and started devouring it too. If you're eating she wants in on the action and will not leave you alone until you share with her.

Lizard's Birthday

 Lizard's party wasn't as creative as years past (you know how I love a theme), but I just didn't have time to do more. Hopefully last's years party makes up for it. :)

Her "friends" were all invited...even the snake on top of the present. Some of them got dressed up and wore necklaces and earrings.

Lizard loves dinosaurs and was excited to get a toy one from one of her friends and a grabber thing...not sure what you call them...from mom and dad.

The candles say Happy Birthday, but the P and part of the Y broke off in Happy so it looks a little funny. I made an ice cream cake with a chocolate cake base, a layer of caramel, vanilla ice cream with brownie chunks, and chocolate ganache.Yum!

Lizard picked this hat out herself. Doesn't she look tough? The tail matches her hair pretty well.

Little Bird Potter

Little Bird's Dad took this photo with his camera. (That is why it looks so clear.) Lizard just finished reading the last Harry Potter book and Little Bird decided to dress up for the occasion. These glasses used to have weird eye lenses in them, but they fell out so now they look like Potter glasses.