Catch of the Day

There's a reason I'm exhausted by the end of the day.

I'm Tired

I'm tired. I want to blog but I also want to sleep.

Last night I was so tired, I fell asleep with my head on my folded arms on the table in the middle of a game of Dreidel. Joshua had to finish the game for me.

Then tonight we were watching A Christmas Story and I fell asleep and missed the whole end of the movie- the family's Christmas, the presents, the turkey, everything.

 

Yesterday before the sleepy game of Dreidel, we ate latkes and challah bread again.

I love making new traditions for our family. We've been doing latkes and dreidel for quite a while now. It's been fun to add challah to the tradition.

5th of July

The morning after the 4th of July celebrations, we sent the older two boys off to Young Men Camp.

Bye, boys.

Yes, I cried as I drove home.

I made a trip to the library, came home, sat on the couch and...

 

Eventually I got up and got some stuff done. Not as much as I would have liked but some.

 

I managed to make Hawaiian haystacks for dinner that night since the 5th of July was National Hawaii Day.

While we were eating dinner, Jeremy in a whiny voice said, "Please can it be the fifth? I really want it to be the fifth." I looked at the kids' confused faces and said, "He's pleading the fifth." Ohhhh.

4th of July

Around here the 4th of July usually becomes a big weekend event, with fairs and activities lasting for several days, fireworks displays on multiple nights. Sunday is skipped and lots happens Saturday and Monday, this year Independence Day falling on a Monday.

This year on Saturday the 2nd, Jeremy and I got up in the wee hours of the morning to look for common poorwills which we heard again but didn't see. 

We were so tired after that, especially Jeremy who drove the kids past Balloon Glow the night before (unfortunately it was just flames because there was too much wind to inflate the balloons) because I couldn't stay awake then he spent most of the rest of the night building a balloon sculpture for a balloon delivery in the morning. I drove him to that because I got more sleep than he did. I was tired later, though. I went back and forth that whole Saturday sleeping and reading Jeremy's novel with just a little bit of fireworks watching that night. So tired.

Monday the 4th we certainly celebrated. Everyone in the family participated in celebrations one way or another that day. Some of us went to all the activities we did, some went to just some. So here's what we did:

We drove by Balloon Fest (again because of the weather/wind, the hot air balloons couldn't lift off the ground and they just had a few inflated).

We explored the Pioneer Village in Provo by North Park. I have driven by that place so many times but have never actually gone so after driving by the hot air balloons, I checked their 4th of July hours and we fit it in our schedule. 

There was a scavenger hunt the kids were able to do there and learn a bit about pioneer history. I learned things, too. I never realized that the Mormon crickets that destroyed so many of the pioneers' crops weren't actually crickets but a type of hard shelled katydid. And those things were huge. Fortunately a miracle happened and gulls came down and ate the "crickets" and saved the crops. And that's why the California gull is the state bird of Utah. I did know that part.

We were also able to play- games, music (on a hammer dulcimer), and "chores." Jet was so happy to play in the water, he kept running back there after we had moved on.

I shared a little family history with my children (besides coming from pioneer heritage and sharing one of the pioneer stories they'd already heard. This was my personal history). My grandpa did woodworking and he built stilts for us like these when we were younger. I remember walking around on them a lot. Good memories.

 

Later that day some of us walked to Scera Park where they had the Colonial Heritage Festival. We weren't able to stay long but we were able to learn a few things and the kids got to do some weaving.

We walked home again and some of us immediately hopped in the van again to go to the Scera Theatre to watch "Cries of Freedom," a musical put on for the Freedom Festival about different people throughout history who fought for freedom in different ways. It was nice to support some friends who worked with and were in the show and it was really neat.

We got some pics with the flags by the Scera and headed home again.

We ended the night with sparklers and watching fireworks.

It was a long day but worth it.

Too Tired to Finish

I started a blog post but got tired and couldn't finish it. So here is a nice picture of one of our evening skies.

There. Blogged.

Midnight Philosophy

Midnight Philosophy: That time around around midnight when you're so tired that everything is funny to you.

 

When I was younger, something like reading the phone book could set you off laughing. That's midnight philosophy.

It can happen at other times, too, sometimes even 9 o'clock at night. You just have to be that tired.

Fall Break- Definitions

October 16 was National Dictionary Day. Throughout the afternoon, certain words came up in conversation that we looked up in the dictionary so we could give a general definition to those who wanted to know. Here are some of them:

juxtaposition- having things next to each other so you can see/experience the contrast

posterity- descendants of someone

irate- angry

delirious- "Wild with excitement, enthusiasm, etc." 

Jr.: Wild with Etcetera! 

Everybody: Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.

The kids also had fun with blocks and the blocks box.

That night, Jeremy and Jr. Jr. went out owling. While they were gone, I sent Jr. and Lucky to bed. I was so tired that Nichole took Jet while I slept on the couch. She watched a movie and later Jr. came out and took Jet and got him to sleep. When Jeremy and Jr. Jr. got home, Nichole had gone to bed so Jeremy told Jr. he could watch a movie Nichole had already seen. Jet and I both woke up while he was watching the movie so I took Jet and watched the rest of the movie with Jr.

Mommy Bear's Day Off

Lucky has a couple of Care Bears. He named them Baby Bear and Mommy Bear. I'm not sure what their real names are. I learned of yet another new holiday. Care Bears Share Your Care Day is September 9. That is also National Teddy Bear Day. Soooooo easy to combine the two. But how easy is it to combine a third. Wonderful Weirdos Day is that same day. Now for this family, pretty much anything we do celebrates Wonderful Weirdos Day.
So I'll let you know how the Care Bear teddy bears shared the care of the wonderful weirdos. Phew. Try saying that out loud (and I don't mean "that." I mean that sentence. I told you we were wonderful weirdos).

Baby Bear helped out at home and Mommy Bear took a day off (just like I did when Jet and I went up Nebo Loop). She took a ride up Alpine Loop and Cascade Springs and just like on my day off, she shared the care of Jet while he was awake (and a bit while he was asleep- note the teddy bear blanket).

Thanks, Mommy Bear. And thanks, Lucky, for letting us use Mommy Bear and Baby Bear in this way, kind of like when Jr.'s dragon helped us for Appreciate a Dragon Day back in 2013.

Here's Baby Bear helping at home.

Here's Mommy Bear on her day off (with a bit of Jet thrown in).

Tibble Fork Reservoir

Various pull offs and overlooks

Deer Creek Overlook

Cascade Springs

Up close with the Fall colors 

 

Quick stop at Bridal Veil Falls on the way home

 

It was a good but exhausting day. Lucky wanted to make sure he got a picture of the bears in bed at the end of the day.

Bonus: Pictures of me juggling in those various places.