Spring Break in Zions

At the last minute we decided to take a little family trip down to Zions National Park for Spring Break. We contemplated renting a camper trailer and camping down there, but (thankfully) changed our minds and ended up at this nice lodge. The Cable Mountain Lodge is right outside the entrance to the park. We had a little suite that had a sofa sleeper, murphy bed, and a master bedroom so there was plenty of room for the 7 of us. We brought down a portable crib for Laina, but she didn't actually sleep very much in it. She ended up in our bed every night, so that tells you how much sleep I got! There was a little kitchen in the suite, so we were able to make our own breakfast and lunch. There was a heated pool and the kiddies even went for a swim. I would highly recommend this place to anyone.

We left on Saturday and ended up driving through a blizzard! I can't believe all the snow, hail, and slush. We saw quite a few cars which had slide off the road and even one that had flipped onto it's roof. Crazy stuff! We stopped in Cedar City for dinner and upon walking in we see my cousin Stasie and her husband Brent. They moved to Cedar City this past year. It was so fun to see them and to be able to chat with them for a few minutes. We also ran into some people we know, the Blanchard family, from home who were going down to Zions too. Such a small world.

On Sunday we watched the Music and the Spoken word before we took a bike ride into the park. The Parus trail is the only trail you can ride bikes on in the park. It starts at the bottom of the park and goes up to Canyon Junction. I hauled Aria and Laina up in the bike carrier. They had a lot of fun and Laina even got a nap on the way back down. Our only hiccup was when Hunter took a nose dive on the pavement. He was able to get back on his bike, but he sure bruised up his knees. Good thing he was wearing a helmet!

The weather was beautiful on Monday, perfect for hiking. We loaded up some lunch and headed for the shuttle. We did the Weeping Rock hike and the River Walk up to the Narrows. Both trails were paved so we were able to push Laina in the stroller. Here is Weeping Rock.

When we got to the Narrows we saw all of these rock towers on the river bank. The kids wanted to try doing some of their own. Michela wasn't satisfied with any old tower, she attempted one in the river. Aria and Laina were worn out so we headed back to the Lodge. The kids went swimming in the pool while Laina and I took it easy in our room. That night we went to the Giant Screen theater and watched "Rango". One word to describe this movie, "weird". This was definitely not a kid movie. I didn't hear one laugh out of the them the entire time. I must admit the animation was pretty cool though. All of the characters are animals, but after a while you start to forget that they are animals, they seem so life like and their movements and facial expressions are so human.

Tuesday we packed Laina in the backpack and headed up the trail for the Emerald Pools. It was so beautiful. Everywhere you look these incredible red rock cliffs loom over you. Aria and I had fun chatting as we walked up to the first pool. Once getting there Aria announced she had to go potty. There are no bathrooms on the trail and nowhere to go off trail. So I strapped on the backpack and hiked down the trail with Aria to go find the bathrooms back at the Zion Lodge. Mike took the older kids up to the middle and upper pools. I really wanted to see these, but I guess I'll just have to wait until the next time. Here are some pictures that Michela took.

After lunch Mike took Michela, Hunter and Chase to do the Canyon Overlook hike. This is one I really wanted to do, but alas it is not one I wanted to take Aria on. There would be too many places for her to fall. After Mike told me about the hike I am glad I wasn't there with them. I have no problem with heights but I tend to freak out a bit when I see my children next to any kind of drop off. I made them take the camera with them so I could see the pictures. Gorgeous views!

We had lots of fun and ate some yummy food. We tried out the Zions Pizza and Noodle Company, Casa de Amigos, and the Flying Monkey's. We also made a few purchases at the Springdale Candy Company and ate some famous Bumble Berry Pie. Springdale is such a quiet and quaint little town. I loved riding the shuttle to get wherever we wanted to go. I can't wait to go back there again in a few years when the kids are a little bit older. Maybe then I'll get to do some of the harder hikes with the kids.

Hunter is 10!!!

Hunter can now say he has lived an entire decade. Makes him sound old, huh? I can still remember the day he was born. He was such a sweet and mellow baby, always happy and smiley. It's funny how his personality hasn't changed all that much. He is still our most mellow child, very sweet and sensitive, and usually sporting a big grin.

This morning he opened his present from Grandma Hunt.

The new Ninjago Legos are his latest obsession.

Last night we went over to Grandpa and Grandma Staker's house for dinner. He devoured a huge piece of chocolate cake and received a piggy bank for his present. Now he has a place to stash his allowance.

Ten things about Hunter on his Tenth Birthday:

1. He has the Bushiest Head of Hair on this side of the Mississippi.

2. His Favorite Food is Pizza and has recently gone back to enjoying Hawaiian pizza.

3. He is one of the Pickiest Eaters I know, even worse than I was as a child.

4. He Loves to Play Golf with his Dad.

5. He can be a Bit on the Forgetful side.

6. He is an Avid Reader like his Momma.

7. He Loves Playing Video Games.

8. He is so Sweet with Laina and Aria.

9. He recently got Braces.

10. He is Obsessed with Legos and is currently downstairs putting together his present from Grandma.

We love Hunter so much and are so thankful for him in our lives and family. He is such a sweetheart and such a kind soul. I love his silly grin and enjoy watching him when he gets some great idea. He is destined for great things. Happy Birthday Buddy Boy!

Butterfly Dress for Aria

I made this dress for Aria back in December, but I forgot to take pictures of it. She was wearing it on Sunday for church so I took her out in the backyard and did a quick little photo shoot.

In October or November I stumbled across a sew-along for this Oliver + S pattern called the jump rope dress.

I fell in love with the pattern, but not the $15.00 price tag. I had bought the cutest butterfly corduroy fabric the year before but never ended up using it. I knew it would be perfect for a little dress like this.

So instead of buying the pattern I looked through some of my old children's patterns for something similar. I found this McCall's pattern that I had bought back when Michela was little but never used. I probably had bought it during one of those pattern sales and gotten it for a few dollars. I had to drop the waist, change the sleeves, add belt loops, a sash, and cute rounded pockets. I ended up with a fantastic little dress. Aria especially loves it's twirling properties.

I love that I didn't have to spend so much on a pattern, that I got to use up some of my fabric and pattern stash, and that I got to use some of my skills from my pattern making classes in college. And the smile on her face definitely makes me happiest of all.

She's on the Move!

Laina has started doing a little army crawl scoot maneuver. She is into everything now. We got a little video of her the other night. I love her reactions to the balloon. It's not going to be long now before she is crawling! She is already venturing out onto the tile so I'd better go see if we gave away our gates or not.

Party Time!

I never knew how loud a bunch of 11 and 12 year old girls could be! I found out last Friday night when we had 16 of Michela's friends over for her 12th birthday party. Now I know why my brother's were always telling me and my sister to be quiet. :) I'm also glad I told Mike to take the boys and go somewhere else for a few hours, he wouldn't have been able to take it.

It was so much fun having them all here. I loved watching Michela interact with all her friends.

They had so much fun being silly and hanging out together. She had invited friends from the neighborhood and friends from her school. I was worried at first that they would separate into two groups but they all got along so well! They played duck, duck, goose, Mafia, Ghosts in the Graveyard, and I taught them how to play Murder.

They feasted on pizza, fruit, strawberry lemonade, and ice cream cookie sandwiches.

Michela opened tons of presents and got so many cute gifts.

Candy, books, lots of art supplies (Heaven for Michela), and her new favorite t-shirt and sunglasses.

I was calling her J. Lo. all night.

They ended the evening with a showing of "How to Train Your Dragon" downstairs in the theater. They were like sardines all squished on the couches and beanbags, but they loved it.

I loved hearing all the laughter and giggling. I also loved watching the girls being so sweet with Aria and Laina. Isabelle, Heather, and Miranda were usually toting around one of them.

Aria was a bit shy of all the girls at first, but pretty soon she was right in the middle of everything. I came outside while they were playing Ghosts in the Graveyard and saw Isabelle running past with Aria in her arms. So sweet of them to include her.

As the girls were picked up by their parents at the end of the party they each got to pick out a party favor bag. Inside each one was a flower hair clip that Michela and I had made.

They turned out so cute and were super easy to make.

On Sunday I saw a lot of the flowers clipped into the girls' hair at church. It looked like a beautiful spring garden.

Michela even custom made one for herself to match her outfit on Friday.

All the parents kept saying how brave we were for having all those girls over, but it turned out to be such a stress free party and the best time having all those wonderful girls in our home. I'm so glad Michela has such great friends in her life.

New Shirt for Michela

We saw a cute shirt at Old Navy that Michela liked but when she tried it on we realized the fabric was pretty thin.

She had liked the yellow, but when we ordered this jacket with the cute bright pink buttons, I thought I would make a pink version of the shirt. I used another t-shirt she had for a reference and a t-shirt pattern I had purchased a few years ago for a starting point on my pattern. My favorite part was doing the ruffles and flowers. It turned out better than I had imagined it! The best part is that Michela loves it and is so happy to wear it.

Lounging

Laina is loving her adventures in baby food. She has had Bananas, Applesauce, Squash, Mangos, and just recently Sweet Potatoes. The making of the baby food has been going great as well. If I had known how easy it was, I would have been doing this all along!

The other day I had just finished feeding Laina her breakfast and I went to go rinse the bowl out and get something to clean her face. When I came back I found her lounging in her highchair.

She just looked so relaxed and unconcerned, it cracked me up. She can't stand wearing bibs and rips them off several times during her feeding sessions.

She's also been doing this tongue curl thing lately.

Here I think she was trying to lick up the last of her banana oatmeal from her face. She doesn't like to waste this meal, it's her favorite.

The Big 12!

Michela had her 12th birthday on Monday, can you believe it?! When did my little girl grow up? Instead of a birth-day celebration she is having more like a birth-week celebration. On Sunday we had the whole Staker clan over for dinner and some birthday cake. Michela is not so much a cake fan, but she loves ice cream.

I made her a chocolate chip cookie dough/extreme moose tracks ice cream cake with an oreo crust. And to top it all off, Grandma Peggy had made her delicious hot fudge sauce. You can't get much more decadent than that! Michela could drink this stuff for breakfast.

On Monday the kids didn't have school so we let them sleep in. I attempted to make her birthday pancakes.

My 12 was a bit wonky, Mike is much better at this, but I did my best. Michela loved the effort. She got to open her present from Grandma Hunt at breakfast. Grandma made her a card with pictures of Michela on it from when she was little.

It was pretty darn cute. Grandma gave her colored paper, stencils, and a gift card to Borders.

After lunch we piled into the car and drove over to Borders to spend her present. She ended up with four books, a candy bar, and a little left over for another day. On the way home we stopped off at Jamba Juice for some yummy smoothies. For dinner we went and got sandwiches at Quiznos. Michela loves their steak sammies.

After a treat of leftover ice cream cake and oreos Michela got down to the business of opening presents from the family. We had ordered some stuff from Old Navy a couple of weeks ago and Michela has been asking when it would get here. I kept telling her to be patient and it would probably be here soon. It actually came last week and I hid it so I could surprise her with the clothes she picked and some other stuff I chose for her. The biggest surprise were the shoes she had loved but had sold out before we placed our order. Luckily on the day I finally got around to ordering the shoes magically appeared in the size we were looking for. I also am working on a shirt for her, but I wasn't quite finished yet. I'll post pictures on it's creation another day.

Now I just need to help her get ready for her party on Friday. We are having about 18 girls come over for pizza, ice cream cookie sandwiches, games, and a movie. I told Mike to take the boys and go do something together far from the giggling and squealing girls. I think he will gladly take me up on the offer. :)

12 Fun Facts about Michela on her 12th Birthday:

1. Her favorite color is Lime Green.

2. She hates Math.

3. She loves the movie "Despicable Me" and we often quote it to each other. Her favorite song is "Crocodile Rock" from "Gnomeo and Juliet".

4. She spends way too much time in front of the new computer taking her pictures in Photo Booth.

5. She LOVES Chocolate.

6. She tested out of Keyboarding Class for Seventh Grade. She is overjoyed and can now fit Art into her schedule!

7. She would much rather play with Peanut than do her Chores.

8. She loves watching Wipe Out and The Amazing Race.

9. She weighs 76 lbs. and is 4 ft. 8.5 inches. While looking at her growth charts at the doctor's office she said, "So I am taller than 15% of the girls my age? Great. (with much sarcasm)"

10. She is constantly Creating; drawing, painting, sewing, crafting, ...

11. Her favorite thing to say is "That's boring."

12. Even though she is starting to show some interest in fashion, her favorite outfit is still basketball shorts and a t-shirt.

I love Michela so much and am so glad she was my first baby. She adds so much life to our family and keeps us on our toes. I love that she is becoming a responsible, vibrant, and beautiful young woman. Happy Birthday Sweetie Pie!

Little White Dress

A couple of years ago I bought this white shirt at a Cabi clearance sale. It was when the poet style white shirts were in. I didn't really wear it until I got pregnant again and then it was a cute maternity shirt for a few months. After having Laina I went through my clothes and weeded a bunch of stuff out. This shirt was one of them, but I kept taking it out of the bag, because I just knew I could do something with it.

About a month ago I was going through my refashion pile and "Light bulb" I was totally able to see a cute little dress for Laina. I loved all the pleats on the front of the shirt and wanted to make the most of them. I drew up a pattern and cut out the main part of the dress. I cut little puffed sleeves, used the cuffs and the original collar. I had to cut the collar in the back, cut some off and seam it back together. I also had to cut the original buttonhole off of the cuffs and put a new one on. Here's a cute picture of Laina during a break from her little photo session. She was so cute hanging onto the windowsill. She even got brave and dropped one hand so she could look at Mommy. Here are the cutest pictures from the photo shoot. Gosh, you've got to love that smile and those chubby cheeks! It was so much fun coming up with this cute little creation. It helps that she would look cute no matter what she wears. Chalk this one up as a success!

Tarzana

Laina is getting to be so active. She is constantly rolling around on the floor and trying to get at everything. She likes sitting in her swing and has started getting a little crazy in it. About a month ago she started leaning forward and then back in the swing which would get it swinging like crazy. She loved it! She would squeal with delight as it swung back and forth with ever increasing speed and height. She is also starting to play the dropping game. I give her toys to play with in the swing and she promptly tosses them to the floor and waits for someone to pick them up and give them back to her. She especially loves doing this with her brothers and sisters because they pick them up over and over again.

The other day I had put her in the swing so I could make some lunch for Aria and I. I wasn't watching but I heard the swing stop. When I looked up I saw her with a hand on the side bar. She then pulled herself over and grabbed the bar with both hands. What in the world was she doing?! She pulled herself as close to the bar as she could and tried to get her mouth on it. When she realized she couldn't do it she became frustrated, let go, and then started munching on the little toys on her tray. Some teeth must be coming in soon because she gnaws on everything in sight! She also has taken up growling. I'm going to have to keep an eye on her, she is becoming such a wild thing!