Dinosaur Day

We've been celebrating Dinosaur Day on May 15 for many years. You know I like dinosaurs. According to Google, a more well known Dinosaur Day is June 1, so... we get to celebrate both now. I'm not complaining.

This year on May 15, though, while dropping Jet off at school, he let me know that he didn't want it to be Dinosaur Day (he used to be more into dinosaurs), he wanted it to be Leprechaun Day. I explained to him that Leprechaun Day was two days before that. Sorry we didn't do anything to celebrate that day (May 13). He made it clear that he preferred leprechauns to dinosaurs and I let him know I preferred dinosaurs to leprechauns and it's fine that we prefer different things. He let the teachers/aides know that leprechauns were green and he liked leprechauns. It really is okay for us to like different things.

After dropping him off, Nichole and I went for a walk to Bridal Veil Falls. We took binoculars and cameras so it ended up being a lot longer walk than it usually is. 

Earlier that week, I either walked by myself or Nichole and I walked to the falls, got our selfies, and walked back. Every time I thought, I should really bring camera and binoculars. So many yellow warblers and other birds but mostly yellow warblers. When I told Jeremy the time before this, I really need to bring camera and binoculars, he commented, I thought you were already planning to. Yeah, but I finally did on Dinosaur Day.

Nichole and I listened to Weird Al Yankovic's "Jurassic Park" on the drive there then got to try out my new selfie stick tripod at the falls. Note my shirt.

On the walk back, we saw lots of birds. Some posed for us and we even spotted a nest with a bird who kept flying away then coming back to it. I'm pretty sure it was a Warbling Vireo.

I love birds.

This Song Sparrow posed for us so nicely. It even sang for us.

 

You know that part in the first Jurassic Park movie where the power's been off at the compound so two of the characters are eating melting ice cream while having a discussion. Nichole and I continued to celebrate Dinosaur Day by eating ice cream later on.

That night, Jet wore dinosaur pajamas.

While we're talking about holidays, "On the 15th of May, in the Jungle of Nool..." we discussed watching Horton Hears a Who but remembered that our DVD of it doesn't work the best. Sigh.

We celebrated National Pizza Party Day. I made dough, Nichole rolled it out, Jr. put the toppings on. Teamwork for International Day of Families.

It was also National Chocolate Chip Day so I ate some chocolate chips throughout the day.

Celebrating lots of holidays is fun!   

Screen Free Week 2026

Last week was Screen Free Week. Let's talk about highlights from the week.

Monday through Friday, I went for daily walks to Bridal Veil Falls, including on a day when it was raining. I just took an umbrella.

 

I listened through several audiobooks.

One day I walked beyond Bridal Veil Falls and walked along the Provo River Parkway for a bit. I kept having to dodge little inchworms hanging from their silken threads. I tried to get some pictures using my hand as a backdrop (without touching them) but I couldn't get it to focus on the creatures.

Finally I gave up and started walking back. After a bit I looked down at my sleeve and saw a little inchworm sitting there. I was able to get pictures and a video of it (because my sleeve was a good backdrop) before I picked up a stick to encourage it off of me.

I found another one that I also got off. When I got back to the van, I took off my vest and brushed myself off but I didn't have any more of those little caterpillars on me. That was fun. 

 

May the Fourth, I took a couple kids to the library with me. We said Hi to Libby the Librantula (twice) and picked up some books.

There was a display in the children's section for Star Wars Day, so I picked up a book to read with Jet later.

We ate "sand"wich people at home. 

I wished my friend a Happy Star Wars Day and she let me know they were watching one of the movies.

We didn't watch a movie because it was Screen Free Week but we played a card game that night for Family Home Evening.

May the Sixth was No Diet Day so I told everyone to "Fend For Yourself" for dinner. 

 

May the Seventh was National Tourism Day so we ate Greek Pitas.

I wore my slug shirt I wore on our Pacific Northwest trip a couple years ago. Jet carried around Timothy, the banana slug we got from Mount Rainier on that trip. Jet and I both wore brown shirts and black pants that day.

May the Eighth was No Sock Day. I wore my socks some of the time but took them off other times.

It was also Fintastic Friday. We had Sharkleberry Fin Koolaid and Jeremy brought us home gummy sharks.

That night, I introduced another person to the movie, Seeking Persephone. It's a monthly tradition. This person, however, has read a lot of books by Sarah M. Eden so she is very familiar with the book this movie is based on as well as the series (and a related series).

I know it was Screen Free Week, but this movie watching was postponed from when we were going to watch it in April (I got to watch it with my in-laws). The kids were okay with it because they got to watch a movie during Screen Free Week and eat cucumber sandwiches and drink herbal tea.  

 

Other things from Screen Free Week:

Snuggles

Jet  showing that he learned "Skidamarink A Dink A Dink" at school

Jr. Jr. letting Jet play with the train he built at school (how cool is that)

 

Jeremy finally getting a haircut

Roses blooming 

I'll blog about Saturday and Sunday later. Those days were big deals. 

May Greetings

May is always busy busy busy so I was glad to start the month off on May 1st (May Day) with a quick jaunt to Bridal Veil Falls before tackling my To Do list.

If I'm being honest, I did have visit Bridal Veil Falls on my To Do list for that day. Check. 

I Love Nature!

"What a difference a day makes. 24 little hours." 

These two pictures were taken from the same spot 24 hours apart- no editing, just how my phone camera captured it. The differences are amazing. Don't you just love nature? 

These were on my walk to Bridal Veil Falls from Bridal Veil Park. As I was walking back from Bridal Veil Falls the first day, I noticed the temperature dropping and thought to myself, I need to make sure to find my gloves and ear warmer. So even though there is blue sky in the second day picture, it was about 10 degrees colder (I asked my phone to tell me the temperature as I was headed out of the canyon both days). I'm glad I found my gloves and ear warmer before I left home that morning. My fingers were so numb anytime I took my gloves off to use my phone.

Nature's cool, man. 

 

Bonus: Go to my blog post, "October Farewell" and based on this post, guess which pictures I took which of these two days.

October Farewell

I didn't go to Bridal Veil Falls as much as I sometimes do this Summer, so I went for walks there a few times in October. My final farewell was a quick stop at the viewpoint after the elementary school parade because you know, Halloween was busy.

Farewell, Bridal Veil Falls. See you in the Spring after the avalanche danger is past.