Weber State CMT Tailgate and Football Game

This fall has been crazy with Matt doing work, school, and teaching so its always nice when we get to a relaxing laid back weekend that still has fun things planned. This was one of those weekends. Saturday was the Weber State CMT program tail gate and to top it all off we got tickets to sit in the suite. Matt went up early to get the grill going and make sure everything was in place. The girls and I came up once they got up from their naps. We decided to forgo the hot dogs and wait to eat in the suite. So we decided while we were waiting for the game to start to play in the bounce houses...sorry no pictures I was to busy jumping around having lots of fun with my girls. Then we headed up the the suite. We got our stuff stiuated and went back out to fill up our plate and our bellies. They always have good food and awesome treats. Not to mention the snacks they add throughout the game and the prizes they have to keep the kids entertained. They have the actual suite which is inside and has a tv so you can stay inside and watch or they have seats outside with an overhead heater and thats where we spent most of our time. The girls seemed to have a good time dancing and cheering and I just enjoyed all of us being together and having a good time.

They also gave the girls balloons which they loved we tied Gracies initally to he foot and then she could hold it since she had already lost a couple of them. The look on her face was priceless as if she had been betrade by the balloon when it floated away. I love these spunky girls and the fun they are.

Payson Temple....A Special Day

The past coupl eof weeks there has been anticipation and excitement at Wadman waiting for the day when Moroni was raised to the top of the Payson Temple. This day finally cam last Thursday. They pretty much shut down the office and whomever wanted to go went down to be part of the amazing event with the company. Here is Matt with Moroni before he was lifted to the top of the temple.

The Wadman Team has waited for this for a long time. The company president as well as other family members that are part of the ompany got to ride in the crane as they lifted Moroni to his final resting place a top the temple. Matt said they had tried to keep it quiet so there wouldn't be problems with traffic and people. But he said when they arrived the streets around the temple were filled with people who also had been anticipating this day.

Matt said it was amazing as they raised Moroni t up the crowd started to sing hymns. He said there was such a special spirit there that day. And it was that day that he said he gained a stronger testimony that temples are houses of God even before they are dedicated.

Fire Station Field Trip-Preschool Express

Although we have been to the fire station before the girls were still pretty excited about going again. This time we went to the South Ogden station. Can't you see the anticipation in hallie's sweet face. They let them crawl through the ambulance and fire truck.

After they showed them all the equipment the firefighters put on their gear and we got to time them how fast they could get dressed and to the truck....they were very fast! Hallie was a little unsure about sittin gup next to them. So we just stood in the back and listened.

But after a few minutes she decided it wasn't that scary and took a seat in between her 2 buddies that are in our ward and go to preschool with her. The one on the left in Andy Francis and on the right Rosten Wood. She really likes both of them and they have become good friends.

They also covered fire safety and what to do in a fire. Hallie's favorite part was the stop, drop, and roll. Shortly after our fieldtrip we were sitting in sacrament meeting and a lady was talking about the the burning with in. In all seriousness Hallie turned to me and said, "Do you think she stopped, dropped, and rolled so she could stop burning." Matt and I couldn't help but laugh.

After they were done Hallie wanted a picture on the front of the firetruck....of coarse that meant Gracie was included as well. They wanted to do a smiling then a silly face but they seemed to have a hard time coordinating when to smile and when to do silly....oh how I love these girls and the way they love each other.

We had a great fiedtrip to the fire station and Im actually thrilled to see that Hallie is taking it all in and learning a lot. I have loved this preschool and the awesome educational activities they have given the kids.

Dining Table---Possibly the biggest project of my life

I have been wanting a new kitchen table for quite a while but since I don't have a dedicated table space it wasn't really a priority. While looking on the classifieds one day I found this table with 6 chairs and I knew I had to have it. The seller was asking 140 but the chairs and the table aren't a matching set. I offered 75 and crossed my fingers I was #2 in line and 2 weeks later the seller contacted me after the initial buyer backed out...I was thrilled to say the least but had no idea where to begin, all of the furniture I have redone I have painted so I did a bunch of research and decided it was a ready or not scenario. This is a before picture...I almost forgot and had already taken the legs off.

I decided to use stripper(nothing fancy just ordinary stripper)...let me tell you I think it was more work than it was worth. I burned my skin a couple of times and was worried the girls might accidentally touch the wood, ect so for the rest of the project I just decided to do more sanding.

 But nevertheless here is the pieces after they were stripped

 Most of the research I did suggested using a 120 grit then finishing with a 220 before staining. I wasn't impressed with the 120 at all so I ran to the store and got some 80...that seemed to do the trick and made process a little quicker. Although don't get me wrong it still took a long time.

 Here is our sanding progress

  And here is the final process after many hours of sanding

I decided to use a pre-stain to ensure that the stain would adhere more evenly(I didn't want all my hard work to get ruined by the stain absorbing unevenly) Here is the what it looked like after I applied the pre-stain. It was very easy to use and the results were well  worth it.

 Now Im starting to see the finished product come together. Here it is after the stain coat. I used the Rustoleum Kona stain and I was very impressed with the results. It has a rustic look to it which couldn't be more perfect for what we wanted.

 Now to the polyurethane we ultimately decided to have it professionally polyurethaned. With all the wear and tear that this table will get in the many years to come we think it will be well worth it. So while the table was being finshed Matt and I finshed the chairs with a simple classic black leather. I had found som every cute printed leather but decided it looked pretty trendy and I don't want to redo them in a couple years.

Over all we are really pleased with the result although I can't wait til I have a bigger space so I can use all the chairs and the leaves. I can already see dinners around this table and Im pretty excited about it.

Krispy Kreme Cousin Time & Shopping

Nic called last week and wanted to see if we wanted to take the girls to Krispy Kreme for sort of a field trip. I thought the girls would love that so we set a date and off we went. Gracie is obsessed with Kinley when she is around and wants to hold her, kiss her, talk to her, or just plain be around her. I think its pretty cute and it makes me wonder what she will be like as a big sister one day...pretty involved I would assume. Here she is trying to hold her.

The kids thought the conveyor at the donut shop was great. First there was the donut elevator, then the slide, bath, flip, I think the frosting waterfall was the favorite.

Hallie had 2 donuts one sample glazed and another sprinkled which she loved

She even shared with Rigs and Gracie

And once again Gracie tried to hold Kinley but luckily Kinley loves Gracie too

My sweet girls...I love days with them and our adventures

After we went to do some shopping both at the DI, Kohls, and Hobby Lobby. The kids were really good. Shared their snacks and read stories. Im so glad we are close enough to my sisters to spend time with them and the kids cousins. I remeber spending time with my cousins and we still to this day have great relationships.

The Gluten Free Expo and Build a Bear

Saturday was the annual Gluten Free Expo. This has become a yearly event and I really look forward to seeing what they have newly come up with and the new products that make my life more interesting and more "normal." Hallie really enjoyed going last years so she was eager to join me again. Matt and I decided he would keep Grace and it would be like a Hallie/Mommy date day. Its always fun to have some one on one time with the girls especially now that Matt is gone so much so it is usually the 3 of us girls. Hallie was so excited on the way down to eat treats...as they have tons of samples and I told her she could try whatever she wanted. They had a lot of new exhibits and more big names are producing g.f. products. I was so excited when Kimber said she would join me at the expo...no because she wanted to go...but because she wanted to spend time with me. I just love how thoughtful and caring she is. By the time we were half way through Kimber, Hallie, and I were all stuff. Luke was covered in cookie and looked like he was enjoying ever minute. Im sure Hallie's favorite part was the bounce houses they had at the end. We all took turns going down the slide and bouncing. Kimber even took Luke once...he didn't really like it.

These are the pictures Hallie took of us...not to bad for a 4 year old. I love this siter of mine and the swwet thoughtful heart she has.

Hallie got this chicken hat at the expo and thought it was so funny so I took a picture of her in it then she proceeded to take some self portraits.

Speaking of how thoughtful Kimber is she brought Hallie a pink frosted doughnut. Hallie has been talking about it for days now...it must have been pretty tasty

Just as we were getting ready to head for home Matt's mom called to see if she could take Hallie to Build a Bear for her birthday I asked Hallie what she wanted to go so we went to meet up with her. Hallie quickly picked a kitty and didn't change her mind. She had named her Tangled before she was even stuffed.

This is Hallie rubbing and kissing the heart that went into her kitty. She also picked a bubblegum scent that went inside as well.

Making her wish

Then she had to take kitty to have a bath and get brushed.

This is her and grandma after her kitty was all groomed

Then they had to find her an outfit. Hallie had seen a tangled dress as we walked in the door and from that point I knew it was only a matter of time before she would pick out that dress.

Hallie also picked out a crown and some Repunzel hair for her kitty

Then grandma helped Hallie finish her birth certificate

Then the Tangled kitty became her

Then we wandered around until we found an ice cream shop and we got Hallie some ice cream. She was thrilled when they told her they had bubblegum and that is what she had.

After ice cream we walked pretty quickly to the car it was cooling off  quick. We drove grandma back to her car and headed for home ourselves. I love taking the girls places I get so many compliments on how cute they are...its nice to know it isn't just me who thinks they are cute. On the way into the ice cream shop there were some boys in their 20s who stopped me and asked if Hallie belonged to me I of coarse said yes. They proceeded to tell me she was the most adorable thing I have ever seen. Hallie politely said thank you and headed for the ice cream counter. What a fun day filled with family time.