Solar Eclipse and Back to School

During the last two weeks before summer break ended, I really wanted to fill our time with fun and memorable activities.  We went to Thanksgiving Point several times, which was so nice.  At the Museum of Natural Curiosity, the girls' favorite part is Kidopolis.  In that section of the Museum, there is a little child-sized town that includes things like a veterinarian's office, a bank, a theater, a puppet house, a gym, a library, etc.  Kidopolis provides so many opportunities for children to use their imaginations.

Here the girls are pretending to be pterodactyls on stage.

Another section of the Museum that they are enjoying these days is the room that teaches them about how the body works.  There is a ball pit there with red balls that are supposed to represent red blood cells.  Interspersed throughout are just a few white loofahs, and they represent the white blood cells.  Of course, the real highlight is simply playing in the ball pit.

Playing in the red blood cells

On another day we went to Farm Country.

Sitting on a wagon wheel bench

Reagan riding a pony

Kirsten riding a pony

Reagan with a sheep  (It's not real, fyi)

One evening we went with Daddy to dinner at Denny's--always a family favorite.  When we go we often take a picture with some breakfast food or other while Daddy pays for the meal.

The girls with an egg cooked sunny side up.

 The day that Madelyn turned five months old she woke up with a cold.  Poor baby.  She is so easy-going though that it's not really that stressful for her to be sick.  We just stayed home, so that she could rest, and in a couple of days she was all better.

Sweet Madelyn is 5 months old!

One Monday evening we went to Ashton Gardens at Thanksgiving Point for a family night activity.  There were a couple of activities to learn about the science behind a solar eclipse, and since Matt and I really wanted to see the eclipse, we thought it might be a good idea to inform the kiddos about what we were actually going to be seeing, so that they could be more excited about it.

Here are some alien pictures they drew.

Here they are learning about how the moon crosses in front of the sun during an eclipse.

Later that week the Springville Museum of Art held a Western Celebration to introduce their new Western art exhibit.  There was live music, food, horse rides, cowboy poetry, art projects, and of course, art.  These girls have ridden horses more times this summer than I have in my entire life.  I almost felt a little jealous!

Reagan riding a horse.

Kirsten riding a horse.

Petting a cow

Sitting next to a tissue paper fire while listening to cowboy poetry.

Kirsten, Reagan, and Gracie

The next day we went to Farm Country again with my Dad.  That was fun!  The girls love their Grampa so much, and naturally I do, too.  We decided not to do the pony ride that time since the line was ridiculously long and they had ridden a horse the night before.  We waited for 20 minutes, and the line didn't move at all.  Boo!

Petting a guanaco, which is not a llama, just so you know

Reagan in a gardening shed window

 A new Smith's grocery store has opened up here in Springville, and it is fantastic.  The girls came with me one Saturday, and they got to push child-sized carts while I pushed Madelyn in the stroller.  They were so happy to be my little helpers!

With their shopping carts

We went to Ashton Gardens to explore the gardens last Tuesday.  It was so amazingly beautiful, and I was grateful that we had a little cold front come through that day, so that it wasn't in the 90s.

In front of a little creek

A beautiful vista

 One of the gardens was a sculpture garden with sculptures from Christ's life.  As we walked among the sculptures, we all felt the Holy Spirit testifying of Christ's life, ministry, Atonement, death, and resurrection.  The girls were allowed to sit on the laps of the sculptures, which they really enjoyed, and I think it helped bring the sculptures to life for them.

Reagan sitting on Christ's lap.

Kirsten sitting on Christ's lap

Women at the well

 The statue of Christ with these hens and their chicks was my favorite.  I've always loved the scripture where Christ says that He will gather us like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and the gentle, caring expression on Christ's face in this sculpture touched my heart.  I know he cares for each of us with a deep, abiding love, and I felt that love while looking at these hens with their chicks.

Another sculpture that touched me was when Christ raised Lazarus from the dead.  I'm glad Kirsten took this picture because I was so impressed by the perspective.  Usually when I see renditions of this miracle, it is from outside of the tomb, but in this sculpture, we see the event from Lazarus' perspective.  We are in the tomb with him, and when Christ comes to Lazarus, he is also coming to the viewer of the sculpture.  I felt the Holy Spirit testify that just as Christ called Lazarus from the dead, He will resurrect me someday, and in the mean time, He is constantly inviting me to lay aside the shackles of spiritual death by repenting and following Him.

Ashton Gardens also has some spectacular human-made waterfalls.

 On Wednesday we went to the Museum of Natural Curiosity with our friends Brett, Alana, and Lizzie.  Thursday evening we went swimming with my Dad, and then on Friday we went to the Kangaroo Zoo, which is a bounce house in Pleasant Grove.  The girls somehow still had energy and jumped for over two hours.  I love how they make friends with other children everywhere they go.  They are so friendly, and it's so nice that they never worry that other children might think they are weird to try to make friends.  It's amazing to see them walk up to someone and say, "Do you want to be my friend?"  I was often too shy to do that as a child.

At the bounce house

That afternoon Madelyn participated in a study on BYU campus for the Psychology Department.  One of the professors is researching how genetics influence a baby's visual attention span.  She watched some images on a computer screen while I filled out an extensive questionnaire about my diet and Matt's diet during and after the pregnancy.  How may drinks of water have you had during the last 30 days?  Blah!  Who can answer that?  Anyway, the research assistant who administered the test was really impressed that Madelyn didn't cry at all while watching the images.  She said that she usually had to start over three or four times.  Well, I wouldn't be surprised if they find that Madelyn has a good visual attention span.  After all, she is related to Matt and me, and we can both pay attention with the best of them.

On Saturday morning, we went to Costco and filled up on samples.  Then we went to Brett's birthday party, and the girls played in the water.  They had tons of fun, but we were exhausted from all of the fun.  I mean exhausted.  At this point I was starting to think that I never wanted to leave the house again.  There is apparently such a thing as too much fun.

Fortunately, we had a relaxing Sunday.  We went to Church, lounged around the house all afternoon, and had dinner at my parents'.

Then on Monday morning we woke up at 3 and got ready to go to Rexburg to watch the Solar Eclipse.  A month before I had told Matt that I really wanted to see the solar eclipse, but as we got closer to the actual date, I got more and more nervous.  Everyone was telling me about the traffic and how awful it was going to be.  A couple of times I told Matt that I was nervous about going, but thankfully he reminded me that I really wanted to see the eclipse.  So we went.  The drive up was easy.  There was almost no traffic.  We got to Rexburg around 8:30, and there were plenty of places to park on the BYU-Idaho campus.  We ate breakfast, and then we went outside just in time to watch the eclipse begin.

For an hour and fifteen minutes we watched it progress.  It slowly got darker, colder, and stiller.  I was fascinated by the slow changes in the sky, but nothing I'd heard or seen prepared me for the moment of the total eclipse.  During that last second before totality, the shadows danced on the ground like a magic spell was being cast on the earth.  Taking off the eclipse glasses and looking directly at the moon-covered sun was a breath-taking two minutes for me.  Everything was nearly dark.  We could see Venus and Mars.  Then as totality ended two and half minutes later, the shadows danced across the earth again, and the light returned.  The eclipse was magical.  I feel like I will remember it for the rest of my life.

Then we got back in the car to drive home.  It took us about 12 hours, and that was everybody's least favorite part of the trip.  Yet, we were all in awe from what we had seen.  God's creations are spectacular and life-giving.

Kirsten put her eclipse glasses on Madelyn while we were waiting.  So cute.

Waiting for totality

It's getting darker!

Reagan found a tree with at least a dozen ladybugs, and the girls were wild about it!

Our family waiting for totality

It took us about four hours to drive from Rexburg to Idaho Falls, which is, let's face it, ridiculous.  So, we got out of the car at Idaho Falls to eat, stretch our legs, and for Matt to get a little sleep.  We thought the traffic might clear out a little if we stayed, but it didn't.  Too bad.

The falls in Idaho Falls with the temple in the background.  Beautiful.

 It took another five hours to drive to Pocatello, and then we got home at 1:30 in the morning.  I was so worried about Kirsten starting school with so little sleep the night before.  They didn't even have a half day!  But I prayed that Christ would carry her exhaustion, so that she could enjoy her first day of school, and He did.  She was energetic and happy!

Before leaving for school

Reagan, Madelyn, and I stayed home and took it easy, and later that morning Daddy left to go to St. Louis for work.  I can't believe my little baby Kirsten is in 1st grade.  All summer I've been worrying about her being there for a full day of school.  It is a big change for us, and I know I'll miss her.  But it feels right in my heart.  She has her best friend from Kindergarten in her class, and her best friend from Church is in her class, too.  She is so happy and keeps saying she can't wait to go to school tomorrow.  I am happy that she is happy.

Reagan building with blocks.

Madelyn sucking her toes.

Summer Fun and Summer Sickness

I haven't written for awhile because there doesn't seem to be much of an overarching narrative to the last month and a half.  We've done some fun activities, and we've had to cancel other fun activities because we've been sick.  This summer Kirsten and Reagan have both had pink eye twice.  Matt has gotten pink eye once, and he developed a secondary sinus infection.  Then he got another cold when the girls had their second round of pink eye.  I got a horrible cold during the second round of pink eye that developed into bronchitis, and when I was almost better from the bronchitis, I got a 24 hour stomach bug.  That really lowered my morale.  On the bright side, Madelyn only got a little congested.

I think poor Reagan has had it the worst of all though.  The second time Reagan got pink eye, she developed a secondary ear infection.  The ear infection didn't respond to the first antibiotic the doctor prescribed.  So, a week later when she had green pus coming out of her ear, I took her back to the doctor, and he prescribed another antibiotic.  Two days later she still wasn't feeling better.  So, we went back to the doctor's office, and while we were there, her hand started swelling.  Then the doctor noticed that her knees and ankles were swelling.  Apparently, she was having an allergic reaction to the second antibiotic.  As such, we stopped giving her that antibiotic, gave her some Zyrtec, and used antibiotic ear drops.  Today we went for a follow-up appointment, and even though she's not complaining of ear pain right now, it seems that it's still infected.  So, I guess it's off to the ENT.  Poor girl!  Keep her in your prayers, please.

Despite being sick, we have managed to have some fun this summer.  Right after Art City Days, we went to a Unicorn Party at the Orem Mall with the girls' friend Gracie.  They all dressed up in fancy dresses and got to ride real unicorns!  Well, they weren't actually real unicorns, but they wanted them to be real so bad that they convinced themselves that the ponies with horns attached to their heads were unicorns.

Kirsten, Gracie, and Reagan

Reagan on her unicorn

Kirsten on her unicorn--note the rainbow-colored mane

That same week Kirsten and Reagan participated in a Farm Camp put on by Harward Farms, which is a local operating farm in Springville.  They learned about where their food comes from, gardening, animals, bugs, and much more.  They even got to ride a horse, and on bug day each girl got to bring home a jar of lady bugs.  They loved Farm Camp and can't wait to do it again next year.  One afternoon Reagan told me she felt like she was living in a dream because she got to do so much fun stuff at Farm Camp.  What a sweet and enthusiastic thing to say!

Reagan and Kirsten with a pig

Matt and I got to go on Parent Day

Kirsten in the tractor

Reagan in the tractor

In the bed of a neat truck

 We didn't make it to a lot of library story times this summer, which was unusual for us, but we did make it to two or three of them.

Posing with statues at the library

Eating a cookie they decorated

 Madelyn's head has started to get a little flat, and since I really don't want her to need a helmet, we've been upping her tummy time by A LOT.  She hasn't been crazy about that, but I guess she'd be even less crazy about having a helmet or having a flat head.  So, I try to make it as painless as possible.  A friend of mine suggested showing her Baby Einstein videos while she does tummy time, and while the educational veracity of Baby Einstein videos has been debunked, I do have to admit that they do help her not cry during tummy time.  Now she is more comfortable on her tummy, and I don't even need to play the videos anymore.  I'm pleased with that.

Three girls doing tummy time

 One week Reagan participated in a Tiny Tots Sports Camp with her friend Gracie.  Can you believe it?  Kirsten is too old to be a tiny tot anymore.  She handled being on the sidelines well, and Reagan flourished as she learned more about sports and didn't have to compare herself with her older sister. Reagan was particularly pleased that she could bounce and catch a ball, and she loved hula hooping.  She definitely has the hips for it.

Reagan and Gracie with their medals on the last day

 My friend Alyssa, Gracie's mom, invited our family to join them for a family barbecue.  The girls all had fun playing in the water together, and Matt and I enjoyed talking to other adults.

I snapped this picture of Kirsten relaxing in their hammock

Madelyn turned four months old

Reagan held the microphone up to Madelyn's mouth to amplify her cries--lovely

During the first two weeks of July, Kirsten and Reagan had swim lessons.  Unfortunately, Reagan had to miss a couple of lessons because she got pink eye, and I couldn't take them the first week because I was so sick.  Thankfully, my mom was willing to take them, and she even did free swim with them a couple of times.  The second week I was feeling considerably better.  So, I was able to take them and cough on the sidelines.  On the last day I was well enough to do free swim with them.  Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that all that swimming after having a nasty cold was the cause of Reagan's ear infection from hell.  But on the bright side, they LOVED their swim lessons.  Seriously, I've never seen them enjoy themselves that much in the water, and they already loved swimming.

One Friday evening we went to the Pioneer Village in Provo.  It's such a fascinating place to visit.  The Sons of the Utah Pioneers have collected several original pioneer cabins from Utah Valley and restored them.  They are filled with authentic pioneer furnishings, and they even have a working blacksmith shop.  Incidentally, the man who showed us around the Pioneer Village on this particular trip is Warren Jeffs' half-brother.  Our guide, whose name I can't remember, took his step-father's last name because he didn't want to be associated with the polygamist sect after he and his mother left.  He was such a sweet, old man and wanted to be sure that we understood that while he had ten children, they were all with the same wife.

Wearing bonnets

One Saturday morning while Matt was helping with an Elders' Quorum service project, the girls and I went up to Bridal Veil Falls.  They loved Bridal Veil Falls.  We waded in the freezing cold water, explored in the forest, and ate a picnic lunch.

Playing at the bottom of the falls

We even saw an ice cream truck and got some ice cream.  It sure was yummy!  They kept saying that it was a dream come true to actually see an ice cream truck in real life.

Eating ice cream

Reagan and Madelyn

Another evening we went to the Mapleton City Park, and while we were there, some performers were practicing a Disney medley on the gazebo stage.  Before they started, someone in the group said that they were celebrating someone's birthday that evening.  So, for the first several songs, Matt and I thought the performance was some sort of elaborate birthday party.  Finally, it occurred to us that they were practicing for a Pioneer Day performance and had just mentioned a cast member's birthday at the beginning of the practice.  The girls never got it out of their heads that it was birthday party, and they would like Matt and I to perform for them on their next birthday.

Madelyn went in the baby swing for the first time.  She was very stoic.

That Friday we went to Farm Country.  Jennie and her kids came, and so did Megan and her kids.  I was happy that Matt could come, too, even though it was a work day.

Kirsten with a cow statue

Reagan on her pony

Kirsten on her pony

Last week my Uncle Bill came to town, and we got to visit with him the evening that he was staying with my parents.  It was good to see him.  I haven't seen him since the summer after my mission.

Madelyn used the Johnny Jumper for the first time and loved it.

On Pioneer Day our family participated in the Temple to Temple 5K in Provo.  We were so proud of our girls.  They finished in about 53 minutes.  For a good portion of the way, we let Reagan set the pace.  At one point she ran a half mile in about six and a half minutes.  Matt had been intending to take Kirsten ahead to push her a little bit because traditionally Reagan drags her feet, which is age appropriate for a four year old, but every time Matt and Kirsten would start going, Reagan would run too.  She didn't want to be left behind.

At the finish line

That evening we went bowling in Payson.  To motivate them to run during the 5K, we told them they would get a special treat for pushing themselves, and they unanimously chose to go bowling.  They were tired, and unbeknownst to us Reagan still had her ear infection.  However, despite being physically exhausted, they really seemed to enjoy themselves.

In an attempt to keep Madelyn off the back of her head, so that it will round out, we bought her this Bumbo seat, and she really likes it.  Isn't she adorable?

Enjoying the Bumbo seat

Reagan with Porter

Kirsten and Reagan messing around

On Saturday we went to the End of Summer Reading Party at the library.  I've always thought they should have the summer reading program last a little bit longer since school doesn't start for three more weeks, but oh, well.  We've read some really fun books this summer.  I've been so impressed by the girls' attention span.  Aside from countless story books, we've read several chapter books, including Charlotte's Web, The Hundred Dresses, The Magic Finger, The Twits, Catwings, and The BFG.  Right now we are reading Martin's Mice.

Reagan designed a BFG balloon

Kirsten made an owl

Since we had to cancel our second session of swim lessons to let Reagan's ear heal, I decided to buy a family membership to Thanksgiving Point for the year.  So, this Monday we went with my parents to The Museum of Ancient Life.  We saw lots of neat dinosaurs, and the girls got to do lots of hands-on activities.  I'm excited to have the membership, and I've got it on my calendar to go to the other venues several times this week and next week.  I really want to make the most of the next couple of weeks and enjoy the last few weeks of summer before school starts.

Playing with dinos in the sand

The girls loved this lizard

Kirsten took this picture of Madelyn

Yesterday evening Madelyn tried her first bit of baby food.  After tasting the food for the first time, she laughed out loud.  I obviously can't read her thoughts, but she seemed to be incredulous that she was getting to eat just like the rest of us!  It was cute.