Midway, Utah - MGW 2011

This year our "Moms Gone Wild" trip took us to Midway, Utah. Our good friend Lori is pregnant and due in the next month or so and therefor we did not want to venture too far away from home. I had never been to Midway and was just excited to get a break from everyday life and spend some much needed time with my favorite friends. We rented a beautiful condo at the Zermatt Resort and therefor had access to all the hotel amenities.We arrived at the condo Thursday late afternoon where we had a couple of drinks and spent some time catching up with our out of town friends. Brandi flew in from Oklahoma and Alison flew in from her new home in Texas. We went to dinner at a fantastic Mexican restaurant called Tarahumara that had the largest salsa bar EVER!! Then we headed to the local grocery store so we could grab dinner for the following night as well as other necessities. Friday morning I woke up and went for a little walk before heading to the fitness center at the Zermatt Hotel. While walking and talking on the phone with Steve and the boys I saw a group of deer right in front of me. I stopped and watched them as they stopped and watched me before gracefully running off. While running on the treadmill I noticed a fenced area in the back of the Zermatt that was home to some goats. The longer I ran I noticed that some of the goats were not in the pin and shortly after asking the trainer if they were supposed to be running free I got to watch a couple of men dressed in Swedish costumes 'herd' the goats back in to the pin and fix the fence.

Around lunch time Sarah, Angi, Jessenia and I headed to Rocky Mountain Outfitters to go on our scheduled horse back ride. I thought I would be a lot more nervous than I was since the last time I was on a horse, some 25 years ago, I was bucked off twice in one day. Thankfully our pre-ride cocktail seemed to be just right in calming my nerves. :)

My horses name was Apples and as soon as I saw her I knew she was the one for me, she was by far the prettiest of the bunch. At first she tried to push her limits with me by stopping ever so often to snack but I soon learned I was going to have to be stern with her. She did let me take her jogging a couple of times even though I'm not so sure our guide approved. It was so much fun and was an experience I won't soon forget.

We headed back to our condo at the Zermatt where we watched some quality t.v. - Jersey Shore before it was time to get dinner ready and get ourselves ready for a night out on the big town of Heber. We ended up at The Other End Bar & Grille where we were treated with live music from the band Whiskey Dick.

Not exactly our type of crowd or music but we knew that with a couple of drinks and 9 good friends we were bound to enjoy ourselves. My only regret from the night was buying a hat that says Whiskey Dick on it and has the silhouette of a naked girl from the mudflaps on it. Something I most likely won't be wearing when I go to pick Lucas up from school. ;)' We really loved when the band went and took a smoke break every other song so that we could play good music on the jukebox and get our groove on.

Saturday morning Jessenia and Sarah joined me in the gym where we tried to sweat out some of the liquor that was consumed the night before. If that didn't do it then the sauna afterwards did. We all took it easy most of the day and even managed to catch a couple more episodes of the Jersey Shore. Angi and I did venture off at one point to the gift shops to try and find souvenirs to take home to the kiddos. We happened upon some natural pools on the Zermatt property before heading across the street to the Homestead to roam around and check out their natural pool.

After roaming a while we called the house to see if anyone else wanted to wander into town since we had been unsuccessful in our search for gifts and we also needed a ride. Luckily Jessenia was going stir crazy so she picked us up and we stopped off at a cute little coffee shop, Fill-er-Up, for a cup o' Joe before hitting some of the local shops.

Still unsuccessful in finding gifts we went in search for another tavern in Heber we had heard about and found out that they were having karaoke that night at 9 o'clock. We hit Wal Mart for a few things we needed for dinner and I got the boys each a toy to take home. Not very original but they loved their new Bayblades.

After a yummy dinner of pasta salads we once again began the task of primping before hitting the Timp Tavern. We had lots of fun with karaoke and just might make that a moms trip tradition.

Sunday we were all up early and ready to get home to our families. For those of us in the Salt Lake Valley, it was a short little trip and for the other two girls we are so thankful that they go through all the headaches of flying to be with us on this weekend. Love all these ladies and don't know what I'd do without them.

Landon Goes to Preschool

Landon was a little hesitant about starting preschool last month. He kept asking me if I was going to stay with him while he was in school. :( He was so excited to go shopping for new school clothes, shoes and especially his new big boy back pack but I don't think he really realized that going to school did not include mom.

When I dropped him off he started to cry as I walked him to the front door and then I went home and carried my phone around for the next couple of hours waiting for his teacher to call me to tell me to come and get him. Fortunately that never happened but he was very excited to see me. His teacher said he did not cry very long and started to warm up to everyone after the first hour or so. Whew. Now when I drop him off at school I look forward to going running and getting a shower with no interruptions.

After his first day at school Landon and I went on a special date for pizza and he told me all about how nice his teacher Ms. Nicole was. He was not too thrilled about going to school the following Monday and told me that if I left him there he was not going to talk, which he does occasionally and it drives me nuts. Luckily when I picked him up Monday he said he did talk to Ms. Nicole. Occasionally he still has a bad day and cries at school but for the most part he is adjusting well and so am I. He has not cried when I drop him off since the first day of school but towards the end of class he says he cries cause he misses me. I miss him too as well as Lucas but I have learned that no matter how much I wish against it, they keep getting older.

Lucas once again started his fall soccer season and has so far enjoyed five soccer games and multiple practices with excellent weather. I was asked to coach again this season and fortunately for me they found enough volunteers and Lucas ended up with an exceptional coach and team. He likes to brag that they are still undefeated, even though they officially don't keep score for his age division.

Landon tends to get a little restless at the games on Saturday and so I think I will look in to getting him into Karate or something this winter so that he will have his own "thing". Lucas wants to play basketball so we will see how that pans out. I don't mind as long as he is not playing two sports at the same time, then it just becomes too much for......me. (haha and him as well.)

Last month Landon also learned to ride his bike without any training wheels!! Steve had taken them off to put the chain back on Landon's bike and he said he did not want training wheels anymore. Steve started pushing him in the grass on his bike then let go and Landon just kept on riding. It was amazing. The next day he was riding on the sidewalk. Then the next day he was riding around the block but still needed a little push to get going. The next day he did not need help getting going but would only go in a straight line. Then the next day he was going around the corner without stopping. The day after that we rode our bikes all the way to Quail Hollow to pick up Lucas and he didn't need any help at all!

Look at him go!!!

Labor Day Vacation

We spent Labor Day weekend in southern Utah in a little town called Washington (Lucas kept calling it Washington DC) with our good friends the Armstrong's. We rented a 4 bedroom house with plenty of space for the two families for the 4 nights. The kids were so excited to get to spend the whole weekend with their friends and so was mom.

The first night we grilled chicken on the barbecue and enjoyed hanging out in the spacious back yard. The four older kids loved playing on the trampoline and riding their bikes on the sidewalk that circled the entire back yard. Baby Isabel would have been content to sit in the baby swing all night. Saturday morning Steve and Matt woke up early and went bike riding while Sarah and I hung out around the house with the kids. I did manage to take the four older kids on a little bike ride around the neighborhood.

Saturday afternoon we all headed to Hurricane, Utah to take part in Peach Days and had intended to go to the rodeo. We had some yummy carnival food for dinner and let the kids choose a couple of rides to go on.

It was a very hot evening but we all managed to enjoy ourselves, even though we never did find the rodeo grounds.

Sunday we woke up and drove to Zion National Park, a place the McCormack family had never been. We had to park at the entrance to the park and take a shuttle bus through the National Park which was fun because we got to ride with Sarah, Matt, Sean, Gracie and Isabel. We decided to get off the bus to do a short little hike to Lower Emerald Pool. Landon started to complain at one point that his legs were tired but once I had him start looking for lizards he seemed to forget about his legs AND we found a lizard.

We also tried to find tarantulas along the trail but lucky for this spider hating momma, we did not see any. :) Needless to say we did make it to the top of the trail where the kids were rewarded with a snack and a beautiful view of a waterfall that we walked behind.

A very friendly squirrel we happened to see along our hike, he seemed to be quit comfortable around people.

After our bus tour of Zion National Park we headed down the canyon to a great little restaurant for a late lunch and then it was back on the road to head to our weekend home where the dads could get ready to go on a night ride. On the way back I had Steve stop along the side of the road so that I could get some souvenir rocks to take home with me. I took my camera along the road so that the passersby would just think I was taking pictures not taking rocks. Is that against the law?? I hope not because I collect rocks wherever I go.Monday morning the boys woke up and went biking again while Sarah and I stayed at home with the kids. I took Lucas and Sean for a bike ride along a trail that ran by our house while Sarah stayed with the littler ones. When Steve and Matt got back Sarah and I took Isabel and we went into St.George to try and find a place that was open on Labor Day so we could get pedicures. Meanwhile the dads took the other kids to the swimming pool. Monday night we made tacos for dinner and hung around the house until the Armstrong family left for a play and the McCormack family stayed home with Isabel and played.

I love this picture where Landon is helping Gracie (his girlfriend) put on her helmet so she could ride his bike. Tuesday morning we woke up and started the sad process of packing and getting ready to head back to Sandy. We had a great weekend with fabulous friends and look forward to seeing where Matt and Steve's biking weekend lands us next year.

Back to School

It is hard to believe that my little boy is in first grade!!

As much as I hate to see the summer come to an end, I love all the excitement of "Back to School". New clothes, new shoes, new books - I love it. Lucas was not too excited about starting school but I know he was happy to see all his friends. His favorite part of the day is.....you guessed it Recess. I was nervous about Lucas eating lunch at school and he learned after the first couple of days that he needed to eat faster. Each evening we go over the lunch menu for the next day and Lucas decides if he wants school lunch or wants to bring his own.

Now that Lucas goes to school all day it is hard to schedule playdates during the week. Once he gets home from school, has his snack, and does his homework it is then time for dinner. He does get out early on Fridays so that is when he usually gets to play with his friends.

As much as I miss Lucas while he is at school, it is sort of nice having some one on one time with Landon. I still can't help but feel a little guilty when we go do fun things, knowing that Lucas is sitting in a desk at school.

Landon and Gracie enjoy a special date at Smash Burger.