Hike to Buffalo Point

Last weekend was the first that Snow has had off in 6 weeks, plus the weather was great so we tried hard to take advantage. After Saylor's soccer game( see previous post) we grabbed some smoothies and headed out for a family hike on antelope island. It would be a gross exaggeration if I told you that this was the most scenic spot I have ever encountered, but it was fun. At least it would have been fun if it weren't for the No See Ums. Yeah, we didn't know what they were either, but believe me we learned. They are some bizarre biting gnat that were thriving out there on the Great Salt Lake. At first I thought I was crazy because my scalp was stinging and itching like crazy--but all we could see were these annoying little gnats swarming us, and gnats are harmless right? WRONG! Lets just say that we learned first-hand about the enhanced interrogation techniques used at Gitmo involving insects, and had I been privy to any government secrets I would have been singing songbird to stop the madness. This is gross, but each time a tried to scratch my scalp to ease my discomfort I came away with bugs under my nails! The only person not bothered by the little buggers was Saylor. She had the best time ever, and was loving climbing the huge boulders. I guess if soccer doesn't work out, she might have a future in rock climbing, she was surprisingly fearless. Sadly we never made it to the end of Buffalo Point--we just couldn't take it. I guess we will have to do a little more research before our next family outing. I have reluctantly included (for those of you who have been pestering me for it) a picture of me: fat belly, fat face, fat bootie and all. This may be more gross to some of you that the bugs under my nails! Oh well, only 5 weeks to go.

Farewell White Sharks

Last Saturday was the final game of Saylor's tiny tot soccer season. This introduction to team sports proved to be a little rocky for Saylor. She spent the Fall wanting to play on the playground instead of on the field, and the first half of the Spring crying because her games were now scheduled during nap time. The last two games, however, were a bit more encouraging...She actually asked if it was her turn to "go in" and she ran after the ball with the other kiddies when she was on the field. She still wasn't aggressive enough to touch the ball unless she was kicking it in from out of bounds, but at least we saw some progress. Her excellent coach had his wife take some nice team photos. Sadly, picture day also happened to be the day that we were running super late and I couldn't find her matching pink soccer shorts, and I didn't have time to do her hair, but I still think she makes an adorable athlete.
On the final game the coaches held back all the other kids and let Saylor take the ball down the field and score a goal. I have never seen her so proud of herself! She ran straight off the field and gave Snow and I high-fives and hugs. After the game all of the kids got a medal (which Saylor is still wearing everywhere including church), and Saylor is convinced she got it because she scored a goal. It was really fun to see this side of her and we can't wait for next season to start.

The best $40 we ever spent

We bought Saylor a tiny bike for her 2nd birthday(feel free to check earlier posts if you are dying to see a picture of it) and she never played with it. Since the weather has been pleasant she has been playing outside with some neighbor girls who have bikes and she finally figured out how to pedal. In fact she even got invited to go on a bike ride with some friends and she had a really hard time keeping up with the other kids with her scrawny baby bike. We decided that it was time to break down and get her something more age-appropriate and boy are we glad we did. When I first showed Saylor pictures online of the bike I planned to order (a $40 huffy sea star from Walmart) she was not impressed. Her exact reply was "but mom it doesn't have any ponies or care bears on it." When I told her the choices were this bike or no bike (because I refused to spend twice as much on a bike with Dora on it), she quickly decided she really liked it after all. Snow put it together and here are pictures of its maiden voyage. Since this joyous day she has spent literally hours on it each day. She LOVES it and I love that she would rather ride her bike than watch Dragon Tales. For once in our parenting career Snow and I chose a toy she actually played with for more that 5 minutes. Wahoo! It is the little victories in life right?!

Saylor Said

So lately my daughter has been killing me with her funny comments.

Yesterday she asked Snow to play "mommy and kid" with her. Saylor was going to be the mommy and Snow the kid. She says "OK I am the mommy I am going to clean the kitchen." I said "Is that what Mommies do, clean the kitchen?" she said "Yes, and Daddies check the computer."

Last night we were for FHE we were talking about The promises you make when you get baptized like stand as a witness of God at all times and I explained that meant always being a good example. I reminded her of a time when she told a friend not to say a "naughty" word. She said "Ok mom I promise to tell everyone not to say oh my gosh, stupid, or butt!" I was laughing so hard.

I had a few more to share but I am running out of time--maybe later.

Easter

Nothing was more fun for my crafty three-year-old than doing a little Easter egg dying:

We didn't actually hunt any of these eggs, but Saylor loved eating them. I would peel them and she would take them whole, dip them in salt, and nosh away. My sister Shi got a pink chick from her roomie and Saylor thought it was the neatest thing ever!

The Easter bunny left Saylor some clues to help her find her Easter basket. In the end she tracked it down to its hiding place in the babie's crib:

Here she is all dolled up for Easter Sunday:

And egg hunting at Grandma's:

Don't worry, we also had a lot of talks and a special FHE about the real reason we celebrate Easter.

Gardening

I am so excited for nice weather that I don't even mind doing yard work! Evidently Saylor agrees.

Cookies

One of my friends gave me a new sugar cookie recipe and I couldn't wait to try it out. Saylor is always game for something sweet, so here are some pics of my right-hand baking woman frosting the finished product.
Yes she is licking the sprinkles off the plate:Someone has to check to make sure they aren't poisonous!

Kite Flying

We have had some windy days lately and we decided to go do a little family kite flying. Saylor thought it was great for about 10-minutes, but we don't have one of those sweet kites that does tricks, so watching it fly around got a little dull after a while. We capped off out outing with a little cold stone--now that's what I'm talking about!

Big Girl Bed--Sort Of

Since we have a new addition coming in less than two months we thought we had better get Saylor out of the crib and into a real bed. We ended up deciding to start out with a twin mattress on the floor so miss rolly-polly could get used to sleeping without bars to keep her in bed. You have never seen a child so delighted with something so simple. She Loves feeling like a big-girl and I love that when she needs a drink or to potty in the night she can get it herself. Here is a picture of the first big night:Here is what she looked like thirty minute later: