Shootin' Prairie Dogs

Well, I am back. I took a little break from life for a bit. Well, not my whole life, but my blogging life. So, I will start back with our Memorial Day weekends.

Trent took the older kids up to Wyoming to shoot prairie dogs. The kids love this trip. Mostly because they love looking at the rodents they disintegrated.

Here is the crew before they left. Oakley was a last minute addition to the trip.
And the trip wouldn't have been the same with out her. She decided to put a whole case of Tic Tacs in her mouth. She is so cute.

And Aiden found a new way to listen to the movie.

The boys climbed a very tall tree. When I first watched the video I was a little nervous....and surprised that Andrew was higher than Aiden.

Aiden found a resting place at the rest stop.

The kids would sit in Grandpa's truck to get away from the wind and eat their hearts out.

Andrew loved chasing the cows.

And at the end of the trip they were all worn out.

Mission Accomplished.

I feel bad there are no pictures of them actually shooting guns, or with Trent, or with Grandpa Brad, but when you are trying to make sure 3 kids are handling the guns with safety there really isn't time to take a picture.

Thanks to Grandpa Brad for organizing and taking them all on a trip, they had a great time. And thanks to Trent for going with the kids, vacations aren't really vacations when you are taking care of kids.

Dinosaur Park

We went to the Dinosaur Park yesterday for Oakley's last day of preschool (boo!). It was actually really fun and the kids were really good. I even enjoyed myself.

First up we ate some lunch.

Then we walked around and met all the dinosaurs.

And found some really crazy creatures.

The kids even got to ride some of them.

Then we found some dinos that were still alive.

and Oliver was too scared so we stayed away and cuddled. He was actually scared for most of the time, hence the reason he is missing from some pics.

And a sad farewell to Mrs. Eggett. Oakley will be moving onward and upward to Kindergarten next year. But Paige and Morgan have one more year with her and they can't wait.

I, on the other hand, don't know what I am going to do all summer without Mrs. Eggett. May be time for some therapy....or medication.

Andrew and Trent's 'Favorite' Shirt

Andrew has a certain shirt that he will pick every time it is hanging in his closet. And most the time it is hanging there. We have two of them and Aiden never picks to wear it, so Andrew gets double usage out of his favorite shirt.

And it really isn't Trent's favorite. He actually hates. Why do you ask? I have no idea and neither does he. He just knows he can't wait for summer so he can retire this shirt for good. And when I say retire I mean to Oliver's closet. So Trent and Andrew will still get to say hello to it every once in a while when Oliver wears it next Winter.

And since it is cold and rainy again Andrew is wearing the shirt today. Trent was loving it.

However, Andrew is ready for this rain to be done. He prays every night for it to stop raining.

Ogden Marathon

Trent ran the Ogden marathon yesterday, so we decided to head up to see him finish. Last year I said I would never take the kids again, but I thought I would give it another try.

Here are the boys trying to catch sight of some runners.

Don't the girls look so excited to be there? Ya, every one was so happy.

One difference from last year-I had Brooke there to help control The Hoard.

We got there a little early and the race started late, so we had to wait a while for Trent to approach.

So, we waited.

and waited.

and waited.

And then I remembered why I said I would never bring the kids again. They didn't stop whining, crying, fighting the whole time.

And then Trent appeared.

And he didn't seem like his usual spry self while finishing.

But finish he did, with a great time of 2.53.20 and 12th place.

We went to find Trent in the runners area. And we waited and waited there. By now I was getting pretty angry and maybe even cursing Trent for taking his time in the refreshment area. Then I got a call that he was actually in the med tent. Nice. I am such a good wife.

After I found him in the tent and the medical staff nursed him back to health we found Brooke and the kids.

Trent does love when all of us are there to watch, so even though I said this year was definitely the last, I am sure the kids and I will both be going next year.

Good job Trent and I am glad you didn't die while I was cursing you.

Water for Elephants

We had an impromptu girls night on Monday. We went and saw Water for Elephants. I had just bought the book last week and read it in two days. I loved every second of it.

The reason I loved every second of it was because for one, it is just a good, original book, but second because of Christoph Waltz. He was cast as August and I love him.

You may ask why this made me like the book more? Well, this actor is awesome and I was first introduced to him when he play Colonel Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds. He could be very charming and the next instant pure evil. Which, as I was reading the book could picture him perfectly as August, the charming, but evil animal trainer.

So we went to the movie and we may or may not have been the only ones in the theater.

I enjoyed the flick, the popcorn, and the company. It was a fun night.

My mom, me, and Kim.

I think I may have to have a Water for Elephants party when it comes out on dvd. Anyone interested?

Rain or Shine

And apparently it is not going to shine any time soon.

But I have to get ready for Bear Lake and The Wasatch Back races.

So run I did.

I couldn't feel my hands by the end, but I got her done.

And I always feel better if I get a run in.

Plus, it is not going to stop raining until next Thursday, so I guess I better get used to it.

The kids thought my hair was pretty funny being "flat" and all. And they had to touch every single part of me that was wet. And lets face it, every single part of me was wet.

Here's to runnin' in the rain.

Girls Night

While the boys were camping it up, us girls had a little girls night ourselves. We hit up Pei Wei for dinner and watched Tangled (of course) while devouring our grub.

For dessert we made some cake batter,
and then ate that batter.

It was delish.

(Jill, wish you could have been there to have some. She is my batter eating buddy.)

We finished Tangled, Paige and Morgan went to bed, then Oakley and I watched The Sandlot.

It was a good night.

Father & Sons

The boys went camping over the weekend. They had a good time, even though it was not in the ideal camping location.

The boys had marshmallows for dinner, while Trent consumed a delicious tinfoil dinner.


They went jeeping and hiking.

And exploring.

That pretty much sums up the overnighter. They were home by 10:00 the next morning. Although it was short, the boys loved camping with their dad. And we can't wait until we all can go enjoy the great outdoors.

Trent is 34

Trent's birthday was on Sunday. It was a low key weekend and very nice. Since we had 3 parties the week before we decided not to do too much....acutally nothing. But then I was feeling guilty, so spur of the moment on Sunday we invited people over for dessert.

We had ice cream, toppings, and home made oatmeal cookies (which are one of Trent's faves). Thanks to all that could make it and supporting Trent on his big day.

And Happy Birthday Trent, you are amazing and we love you!

Kindergarten Here She Comes

Oakley had her appt with the Dr. this week to 'get ready' for Kindergarten. She is so excited to be ready for school, just not for the shot part.

And you know what? She did amazing with the shots. She didn't shed one tear or anything. She just sat there quietly and let them poke her. She is awesome.
She got a good review from the Dr and she is growing, just not rapidly. Here are her stats:

* Weight: 31 lbs in the 2 percentile
*Height: 37.75 " in the 0 percentile

The Dr. asked her if she was the smallest one in the class and the answer is most definitely. Everyone is a good head taller than her. But she is the cutest little midget I know.
We love our Oaks here at The Hoard.

Kindergarten at the Zoo (Again)

Has anyone else had issues with Blogger lately? It deleted this post and another one I had been working one. Weird. So, just ignore this post because I am just redoing it so I have it in my blog book of life.

The boys had a field trip to the zoo and the girls and I decided to crash the party and come along too. The boys were so excited and had been looking forward to this for days. They were even ready an hour early, asking every 5 minutes if it was time to go.

Why is it the favorite things are not even the real animals?
But you can't deny the baby elephant as being the cutest and one of the all time favorites.

And what is a zoo trip without the ritual of measuring yourself. Don't you think Oakley did a great job taking my pic?

The boys were nice to let us girls tag along. We all had a grand old time.

And we will be zooing it up all summer. We bought a pass to occupy our time since school is coming to an end.

Coke Party

We had a Coke party last night. And when I say Coke I mean the drink, not the drug. You see, Kimmy went without her beloved Coke for Lent and then extended it to her birthday. So, what better way to celebrate her birthday, and the end of a successful Lent, than a Coke themed Birthday party?

Of course the drink of choice was Coke.
Once again we had a delicious spread, london broil, chicken, potato skins, hot rolls, the best pasta salad, fruit, chips, veggies, and cake. Its no wonder I can't lose weight.

We even had balloons. What 28 year doesn't want balloons on their birthday?

Cake time.

Love the pic with Kim and her mom. And the Bakers love to sing really loud and then push the Birthdayee in the cake. We thought Kimmy ended up looking like Hitler, hence the picture in the bottom right.

And here is the main reason for the party. Kim's first Coke in 60 days. I think it is suffice to say it was thirst quenching and very satisfying.

In the end it was another fantastic party. And I have to say my Coke tasted really good too.