BYU Gymnastics

On Friday night we went to the BYU v. Utah Gymnastics meet in the Marriott Center. Ava loves gymnastics and Tess is beginning to love it too and they really enjoyed the "show." Luke has a friend in photography who's also a gymnast and she got us some $1.00 tickets for the girls. Luke and I already had all-sports passes. Anyway, it was fun to watch the uneven bars, that was probably our favorite event.

Ava met Cosmo and gave him a high five. Tess did not like Cosmo at all. She screamed and held on to me as tight as possible.

Tess and I before the meet starts.

These tents were set up for the basketball game on Saturday. Some students had been camping out since Tuesday. There were power cords and stuff running into each tent and most of the guys inside were playing x-box or on their computers. It was so funny to see this little tent community. This is just one side of the Marriott center, but there were a lot more tents than these.

Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum

Ava and Tess love to go to the Dinosaur Museum. We got a membership to Thanksgiving Point this year and we've been loving it! Normally to go to the Museum would cost $10.00 for adults and $8.00 for kids, but I can friends and family in for half price. So if anyone would like to come with me one of these days it would be super fun! I can also get tickets for the 3 different Imax shows at Thanksgiving Point for only $5.00 each! I haven't been to a show yet, I'm planning to take the girls to the Underwater Ocean show sometime next week. There's also a dinosaur show and a rainforest show.

There's all kinds of exhibits and things for kids to do and play with.

The T-Rex room.

This is one of Ava's favorite rooms to play in. The big stream with sand inside is supposed to teach them about erosion and how rivers are formed. It's really neat and the kids love to play with the little plastic dinosaurs and get dirty. Best of all I don't have to clean it up!

Catch Up Pictures

Tess, just after coming out of the bathroom. She really didn't cry much while she was stuck in the bathroom. Read the bathroom story below to find out the details.

Pictures of the hair Ava cut. It was off the front right side, so I put her hair in a little side pony tail to camoflauge the damage.

Oil Change

This morning was awful and I was dreading the rest of the day. At noon I packed up the girls and took them to get the oil changed, something I absolutely dislike. Anyway, I had a coupon for a new place I'd never been, Grease Monkey, and I decided to try it out. Well, the experience was wonderful! Totally turned my bad day around. They were so quick and the waiting room was so clean and kid friendly. There was a popcorn machine, soda fountain and hot chocolate maker all available for us completely free! Ava colored pictures and ate popcorn while Tess ran around in circles. It felt like we were there only 15 minutes and they were done. I had a coupon for $7.00 off and the total price came to $29.88. I also got a certificate for a free car wash! When I went into my car it had been totally vacummed out and there was a flower inside along with two mints. What a surprise! The service was amazing and I actually can't wait till my next oil change!

Stuck in the Bathroom

Tess is stuck in the bathroom again. She goes inside and shuts the door. Then she opens up the drawer which makes it impossible for anyone else to get in the bathroom, as the drawer blocks the door from being opened. The first time it happened she was stuck for ten minutes until she figured it out. This time she's been stuck for fifteen and counting. I guess eventually she'll learn.

About 5 minutes after the original post:

All's well, Tess is out.

Hair Cut

Things got pretty quiet and I knew something was up. Soon I found Ava with scissors, never a good thing, and she had cut her own hair. Luckily its not too crazy like super short bangs, or a big chunk. It doesn't look great, but I just paid to have her hair cut 2 days ago and I'm not going to pay again to have it fixed. So she'll just look weird for the next couple of months. She's in time out right now crying. Oh the joy.

Here's the scene: Tess is taking a nap and I'm laying in my bed, hoping to take a nap too. Ava is in the living room on the couch watching a movie. After a few minutes I hear Ava bounce into my room to the sound of jingling coins. I ask, "Ava, do you have my money?" No, she replies. Then I ask, "Well what's that sound then?" Ava thinks for a minute then confidently states, "a moose." I couldn't help but laugh a little bit, but I replied, "Ava, did you get money out of my wallet?" Finally, she owns up to her crime and admits that she took my change. Anyway, the story ends that I made her put the money back. But this is a warning to all, watch out for Ava, she's a bit of a pick-pocket!

Olympics Start Today!

I can't help but feel so much excitement that the Olympics start today in my native country Canada! Some may laugh, but I can't deny that I feel a certain amount of Canadian pride. Anyway, I thought I'd post to encourage everyone to watch the opening ceremonies tonight. I've been to Vancouver and it's a beautiful city and I can't wait to see who will be performing and what aspects of Canadian culture will be highlighted.

Now, to combine my Canadian pride with a religious sentiment, I thought I would share some of the beautiful lyrics to the little known fourth verse of the Canadian National Anthem:

Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,

Hold our Dominion in thy loving care;

Help us to find, O God, in thee

A lasting, rich reward,

As waiting for the better Day,

We ever stand on guard.

God keep our land glorious and free!

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

I love this last verse and final chorus. Even though I no longer live in Canada I still apply these lyrics to my life. My personal dominion is my home and that is where I now stand guard. Every day I pray and ask Heavenly Father to protect my family and loved ones, while at the same time I work to make my home a place where we enjoy the blessings of a "better day." I will always stand on guard for my home and family to protect them from any corruption in the world or temptation of the adversary. I know that true freedom in this life comes from living the commandments of God.

www.eshakti.com

Kristy gave me the website to this awesome clothing designer online. You can customize the clothes to include different neck lines, sleeve lengths, and dress lengths too! So smart! I signed up to be on their email list and I was immediately emailed a $15 gift card. Can't wait to use it!

The Joys of being a mother

Hi everyone, Luke here. I thought this video was funny and wanted to share it with you. I'm sure that Jen feels this way sometimes with the girls and I'd be willing to bet that most mothers out there can relate.

Assignment #4

I helped Luke last night complete Assignment #4 for his History of Photography class. It's a very interesting class and he loves it. He had to write a paper explaining and defending why Ansel Adam's picture of the Tetons and the Snake River epitomizes the American West. It was a fun assignment to help with!

I got this idea off of Michelle's blog. (Thanks Michelle, I love to check out your blog because you always keep it updated!)

One Little Monkey Jumping on the Bed!

Luke and I got a new bedspread, which is very exciting for us as it's our first one ever! The bedding we had before was a hand-me-down and now we have something new with some color and pattern! Ava of course loves it because she loves anything new. She also loves jumping on the bed and I let her because I have fun jumping on the bed with her!

These are copies/scans of some pictures of Grandpa and Grandma Harman that Alice Abrams drew. Alice is Luke's cousin and the oldest great-grandchild. I scanned them into my computer and did some adjustments. The pictures look way better in real life. Alice is a really talented artist. Anyway, I thought I'd post them on the blog in honor of Grandma Harman's birthday last weekend. We love her and miss her so much!