National Parks: Mesa Verde

In January, Sophie and Aaron went on a trip to Arizona for Sophie's state report.  They were visiting quite a few national parks, so Aaron decided to buy the national park pass.  Thus began a year of national park visits.  

Our first destination was Mesa Verde.  We went over spring break.  We stayed at a really nice hotel in Durango that had two levels, three bedrooms, and a kitchenette.  It also had a swimming pool and sauna.  I believe we spent every evening in the pool area.  

Our first day we went to Mesa Verde.  We hiked to the cliff dwellings and looked around a bit.  Then Aaron, Hannah, Maggie, and Caleb went on a guided tour of some cliff dwellings that you had to scale several ladders to get to.  Sophie, Katrina and I stayed in the car and had a sing-a-long and watched Frozen.  

Cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde.

Sophie takes a picture.  

Katrina and Caleb at the cave dwellings.

The next day was a little warmer, and we went to Four Corners and Hovenweep.  We had a lot of fun at Four Corners picking out souvenirs.  Everyone got one.  The best one was an arrow that we watched a Navajo guy make.  The girls got jewelry and Caleb got a tomahawk.

Look Ma, I'm in four states at one time.  

 Our next stop was Hovenweep.  It's a canyon of cliff dwellings that is a little newer than Mesa Verde.  It was interesting that such a little canyon had so many settlements.   We also saw a rabbit in the bushes.  Katrina and I were able to get quite close because we were so quiet.

Maggie photo bombs Sophie.  I believe that is the "Nixon."  

Hmm, maybe it's time to go home.  

This was a fun short trip.  It was nice to go some where warm, but sad to drive home and have it get colder as we went.  Four Corners wins as the most expensive souvenir stop.

You say it's your birthday

Caleb turned 8 this year just before Thanksgiving and got baptised just after Thanksgiving.  It was an exciting time for all of us.  He really wanted to have a friend party this year.  He decided on a Mr. and Mrs. Bunny Detectives Extraordinare birthday party.  Luckily, he thought of this as we were shopping for Easter decorations, so we were able to get some awesome bunny themed things for the party, which we had on the Saturday before his birthday.

Caleb investigating his cupcakes.  They were carrot cake with orange cream cheese frosting.

The party invitation was in code and invited everyone to help us solve the mystery of the missing pinata.  We played "What's That Lump?" and looked for the pinata.  Caleb wanted a fox pinata, because the foxes are the bad guys in the book.  Maggie even made a fox-finder like Mr. Bunny's that she used to help find the pinata.  I looked online and found this super cute DIY pinata.  Thanks to my dad who made the form (and saved me $15), I think it turned out really cute.

Lia taking a turn with the fox pinata.  Everybody got a turn, and it was warm enough to do it outside.  Perfect.

The next Saturday was Caleb's baptism.  It was a little stressful having it just a few days after Thanksgiving, but it turned out good.  Caleb was totally excited.  He has a gigantic grin in all of his pictures.

Caleb and his dad right before the big moment.  

The baptism was wonderful. The primary president had everyone write their congratulations or a baptism memory to Caleb.  He got some really neat messages.  It was so fun to have so many caring friends and family there.  Everyone came to our house afterwards.  Caleb's favorite food is chicken pot pie.  We had it on his birthday, and I made 3 9x13's for all the people who were coming to our house after the baptism.  We actually had one left over, which we ate that next week.  My girls are still not ready to eat chicken pot pie.  

My kids also get their first set of scriptures and start fasting when they turn 8.  Caleb was so excited to buy  his scriptures and take them to church.  He was not however excited to start fasting.  He was pretty sure he was going to die.  It was particularly bad because he didn't go to church that day, so it was a long day.  We went out to dinner the night before to celebrate Caleb's baptism.  Caleb choose McDonald's, and after he had finished eating, he said he didn't feel very good.  He then proceeded to throw-up.  He felt better the next day, but I didn't let him go to church, because I didn't want to spread that around.  

I'm proud of him for making the decision to be baptised. I love what a fun and friendly boy he is.  

Happiness is a Christmas Card

This summer we did quite a few things that made us happy.

Caleb got to go to scout day camp for the first time this year.  The Cub Master noticed that the day camp was open to 7 year olds and, since I was going anyway, invited Caleb to go with us.  He loved it.  Especially the obstacle courses.

Caleb's silly face picture is the only one that turned out.  That should make him happy.

 Katrina and her cousin Lia have decided that they are "sister-cousins."  They have even made up a song about it.  It's all about how much they love each other and like playing together.  New verses get added when they forget the old ones.  It's a great song really.

Sister-Cousins with leis for the luau BBQ we had.

Aaron and I got to go on a trip to Hawaii at the end of the summer.  He had a job to do there and I tagged along.  We rode on a catamaran at sunset and saw turtles on the beach.  Happiness is spending time with your best friend.  (Being in Hawaii doesn't hurt either.)

OMG that's a giant sea turtle on the beach!  Wait, look there's more!

We saw 8 or 9 sea turtles who had come up on shore to rest. 

One came out of the water right in front of us.

The girls have been wanting to go to Hawaii for quite some time.  Imagine their excitement when Aaron had another job there, and they got to go to.  They loved going to the beach and playing in the warm water.  

Maggie, Sophie and Hannah on their way to the beach in a tropical paradise.

 They got to go to the Dole plantation and the Polynesian Cultural Center.  They had a lot of fun there learning about Polynesian cultures and sampling the poi. (Poi's really gross.-Hannah)

Aaron and the girls with people from Fiji.  Sophie's holding the chiefs whacking stick.  

Hannah went to Oakcrest for a week in the summer and her favorite part was archery, so now she wants a bow and arrow for Christmas.  Let's hope she doesn't shoot her eye out.

Aaron and I ran in two events this summer.  First, my Dad turned 65 this year and wanted to run/bike 65 miles from where he was born in Panguitch through Bryce Canyon to where his parents lived in Tropic.  It was an amazing run.  Aaron and I ran a leg with him from the rim down into the canyon and back up.  

Dad an I on the trail.
 We were heading up and pausing for pictures and to catch our breath.

The other race we ran in was the Porter Rockwell 10k.   It was a nice race near our house which I wanted to run so I could get a t-shirt with a picture of Porter Rockwell on it and a belt buckle, which was the medal you got if you won.  The t-shirt had the picture on it, but I figured the belt buckle was just a dream.  No one was more surprised than me, when I placed 3rd in my age group and got a belt buckle.

The Proclamation on the Family says "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."   We wish you all this happiness this Christmas season and in the new year.

Love, 
The Abbotts

Short Lived Enthusiasms

We have had some fun short lived enthusiasms around here lately.  Besides waiting impatiently for summer, it's what's been taking up all of our time.

First, the girls got out our roller skates a little while ago and were roller skating up and down the driveway.  This was great for the younger ones, but we didn't have any skates for Hannah.  She researched vintage skates online and wanted to buy some so she could join in the fun.  I found some like she wanted for sale at Big 5.  The next day, money clutched in her hand, we bought them.  Maggie got some too, for her birthday.  Then the next day I went to DI and found some adjustable skates for Caleb.  I was so excited to find what he wanted and in his size.  Aaron has now expressed interest in roller blades.  We've been to the park several times to roller skate.  Hannah has told me that she will be skating to school next year.

Then, I got an email from a home school group about a vintage sewing class.  As we are volunteering again this year at This is the Place, and I have visions of making clothes for it,  I was pretty excited about it and talked my mom into going with me.  We learned about day caps--a fashion apparently worn in the 1820's and 30's by everyone as a hat/hair covering and fashion accessory.  By the 1850's (pioneer time), it was less widely worn, but still an important fashion.  Especially, if you happen to be dressing up as a pioneer and would ruin the impression with modern hair.  Anyway, we learned a lot about fashions of the time period and a really cool sewing technique.  Now we just have to find the time to actually make the caps.  I would probably have more time for it, if I spent less time reading the sewing class blog about reenacting.   (Did you know that this year is the 150th anniversary of Gettysburg?)

On an interesting side note, we went today to the Golden Spike National Monument.  It is the 144th anniversary of the driving of the golden spike, and they had a reenactment--costumes, golden and silver spikes, and steam locomotives.  My mom and I spent the whole time, with our very limited knowledge, critiquing the women's clothes for their period accuracy.  Good times.

And finally, some enthusiasms I am less enthusiastic about, My Little Pony and Skylanders.  I'm not sure who introduced Katrina to it, but she started watching My Little Pony.  Now all my kids are spending inordinate amounts of time glued to the TV learning about friendship from the ponies.  I have to say that it is not my favorite show.  I don't think there's any harm in it, but I really dislike most of the ponies, the plots are predicable, and the dialogue makes me want to gag.  But, they are loving it.

Caleb is the one whose enthusiasm is the Skylanders video game.  His cousins got the game for Christmas, and he has become enamored of it.  He's got a game piece that he can play with on their game, but it's not nearly enough.  He's made out a Christmas list with only Skylanders on it.  "Now Santa will have to get me the game."  Then he found out that McDonald's was going to feature Skylanders toys in their Happy Meals.  He and his Grandma set out on a quest to get all of the toys from the series.  Amazingly, with help from various family members, they got all of them except Furno.  Will it stop there?  Here's hoping; 'cause Santa is pretty sure that he's not getting Skylanders for Christmas.

What's next?  Who knows--disco dancing, beading, skateboards?  There's never a dull moment.

Three day Birthday

So today I'll be blogging for Mom, because she's too tired to do it herself. But this is my three part birthday celebration. The first day was actually on my birthday, when I got my family gifts and we had brownies.

Just dance ABBA
(foreshadowing)

The second day was a week and a day after my original birthday when the Smalleys 

came over and we had a dance off. There was prizes, it was fun.

Everyone dancing. . .  Allison we got you

right side of the room

final round

This is where the ABBA foreshadowing comes in, for our final round of dancing we danced to "Dancing Queen."  Andrew, Tim, Maggie and I danced in the final round.  Maggie won.

this was the only good pic of opening presents

Sabrina playing "what's that lump?"

now Tim

This the past summer we got a book called Mr. & Mrs. Bunny Detectives Extraordinaire. (You have all better have read it by the family reunion or you will get looks!)  It's about these two rabbits who become detectives and help a ten year old girl, Madeline, find her parents. It is really funny and Mr. Bunny is hysterical. So when Mr. and Mrs. Bunny had their children they played "What's That Lump?" The children would hide under blankets, and Mr. and Mrs. Bunny would hit them with a Nerf bat saying "in loud theatrical tones, "What's that lump!" The Smalleys read the book too, and as a result I received the "What's That Lump Un-official Game Set" for my birthday.  It's awesome.

Day three we celebrated my grandma's and my own birthday. We had a red velvet cake (which I refrained from turning into an armadillo.)

it's so pretty!!!

Black Arm Bands

Our ward has moved to the 9am time.  We straggled into church today, amazingly on time, and found a seat.  My Mom came over to ask us if anything was wrong.  Apparently a number of the kids had sad and teary-eyed faces.   "No," I said, "we just had to get up this morning."

Friends

I was reminded tonight of three friends.  After dinner, I turned on the First Presidency's Christmas Message and started to paper mache a large letter "A" that I am making for my living room.  I was reminded, as I was up to my elbows in goop, of the time my friend Janice and I, with our kids, made Nemo pinatas.  I love the memory of working with Janice on that project and the fun mess it was.  It's hard to believe that those sweet little girls who worked so hard on the pinatas are teenagers now.  Then, as I was listening to President Monson's talk, I thought of my kid's second Grandma, our neighbor from Kaysville, Caroll.  She was always so willing to help and so kind and sweet with the kids.  We really miss her.  Finally, I had to give haircuts to Caleb and Aaron and Katrina, who had cut her own hair.  (Grrrr!)  As I was cutting, I was reminded of the many times I watched my companion, Annette Beyer, cut our fellow missionaries' hair.  Without her skill and knowledge as an example, I would not have been able to cut Aaron's hair.  I was also reminded of my first Christmas with Annette in Germany, too.  We got out our Advent's Kranz for the first time in many years.  We put it on the table and ate dinner with our first candle lit.   It's been a long time now, but I still remember buying my first Advent's Kranz with Annette and lighting it in our apartment to celebrate the coming of Christmas.  All three of these wonderful friends have influenced me for good.  I am glad  that Heavenly Father has blessed me so richly with their love and friendship.