Jump & Bounce

Last night we checked out the new West Jordan Jump & Bounce.  This facility isn't just for kids to go play in.  Anyone, young and old, are allowed to go on any of the inflatables.  The kids had a lot of fun.  Bryan and I did as well, but our energy just didn't last nearly as long as the kids.  It was a great workout for us and a great thing to do since it snowed, again...... and we are all getting tired of being cooped up in the house.  They had several inflatables with lots of climbing, sliding, falling, jumping, and diving going on.

 

 

Bryan, then Daniel, diving into one of the inflatables.  This entrance was particularly high off the ground and getting a running start and diving into it was the best way for Daniel to get into this thing.

 

New Ride........again!

We did it again.  We traded in the Explorer sport trac for a regular explorer.  The truck was a fun vehicle to have, but when it came down to having a vehicle that works for a mother's routine, it wasn't there.  So we went shopping and found an explorer that we really liked.  It has the enclosed back, along with a third rear seat, making it possible to transport two more people than the truck.  This will come handy on mutual nights and when we want to bring parents with us somewhere.  Plus is has a few other perks, like 4-wheel drive, moon roof, heated seats, and DVD player (which the kids are so excited about.  They have to wait for that long vacation drive to check that one out.) 

Before: 

 

After:

Megan's turn to Cook

This week we were delighted to have Megan's cuisine of Mac & Cheese.  I'm glad she picked something easy.  I thought that Megan would be easier to work with, but she was harder.  She kept jumping ahead of me instead of doing things in the order that they needed to be done.  All in all, she had a good time and can't wait for her next turn.  She even mentioned later that night that she wanted to learn to be a better cook.

 

 

Learning to Cook

I decided that the kids are probably old enough that I should start teaching them how to cook.  Yesterday when I presented it to them, of course, they were both very excited.   Each Monday, I will work with one of them in helping them prepare a meal of their choosing.  They have to tell me what they want to cook by Sunday so that when I go to the store on Monday, I can be sure to have everything they need.  Today was Daniel's turn.  He was so excited to do this, that this morning, before he'd had breakfast, he asked when we needed to start making dinner.  So after waiting many hours, he was finally able to begin cooking dinner.

 

 

 The final product!!

Daniel did a very good job of making dinner.  He commented that it tasted just as good as mine.  He even got a "yummy" from Megan.  Megan has never given me anything more than a turned up nose to this meal.  So that was quite a compliment for Daniel.

Bryan asked Daniel if he read the directions all by himself.  Daniel said that he did, except for one word.....worcestershire (with his hands about shoulder width apart was how he described how big the word was that he didn't know).

I also made a comment to Bryan that once the kids get a decent handle on cooking, what was I going to do with myself since I wouldn't have to cook every meal?  I didn't think about that when I decided to teach them how to cook.  Bryan said I should ask my mom what she did when she was in the same situation.  I joked saying that I think she picked up her book and read.  Mom, what did you do?

Great job Daniel!! 

Next week's cuisine will be by Megan. 

Time to Cruise!

We just got back from our cruise to Cabo San Lucas.  This was our first time crusin'.  What a blast.  If you've never been on a cruise...what are you waiting for?  For 5 days we were on a boat out in the middle of the ocean.  There was food galore, entertainment, and relaxation.  Who couldn't use a bit of pampering of doing nothing for yourself?  Although, to be honest, I'm done with being waited on.  It was nice for a few days, but I'm ready to be back to normal.  As I sit here typing this post, I'm rocking just a bit as if I'm still on the boat......long lasting memories?  I wonder how long it will take for the ground to stop moving.

Well.....on to our adventure.

We left Saturday night about 9:30 p.m. and began our 12 hour drive to San Diego.  First off, we left earlier than we had planned.  We didn't know what else to do and the excitement was too much.  So we left.  We forgot to take into account the time change.  So we arrived in San Diego at about 7:00 a.m.  This was about 8 hours before our boat would leave.  So we decided to drive around a bit and look at our boat.

We were able to get on the boat around noon.  We still had about 4 hours before sailing.  But here are some of the views while in port.

 

And now, we are finally out to sea watching the sunset on our first night.

The next morning, after a nice 2 mile run and a big breakfast, we sat on deck and did some relaxing.

 

The following night, dinner was cruise elegant.  We got all duded up and went to dinner at their elegant steakhouse.  I had the cheesecake for dessert.  I expected to get a piece of cheesecake, not the whole cake.  Check out how big my 'piece' is.

No..I did not eat the entire thing. For as big as it was, it wasn't a sinker. It was delicious.

The next morning, we arrived in Cabo San Lucas.

There is no place for the boat to dock. So we stayed out a ways and had the tenders come and get us to take us to land.

We signed up for an excursion called 'Cabo by land and sea.' The excursion began with us on a Catamaran. It took us to Lands end.

 This rock was covered in sea lions.

 

After the Catamaran, we boarded buses and they took us to different areas.

Our first stop was at a little restaurant that overlooked the bay.  We enjoyed a refreshing drink.

 

 

We then headed toward the downtown San Jose Mexico. This town has been around for a very long time.  It was founded in 1730. We visited the church and the town hall.  The town hall used to be a school, jail, and is now the town hall. We also enjoyed lunch in the town square.

 

 

 

 

Then we headed to Cacti Mundo. There are over 40,000 different kinds of cacti in this garden.

 

 

 

 

 

The last stop on our tour was at a glass blowing factory.  We were able to watch them create a pitcher.

 

 

 

 

This last picture was a demonstration as to how hot the glass still was.  They lit a bit of newspaper on fire just by touching the paper to the glass.

We had access 24/7 to the ice cream. This was probably Bryan's 15th or so ice cream cone.

Bryan participated in one of the Karaoke sessions offered.

 

The next day, we went tendered back out to Cabo and did an excursion called 'Santa Maria and Chileno Bay snorkel exhibition.'  Again we were taken out to Land's End, but since we were in a smaller boat, we were able to go right up to the sea lion rock.

 

 

The above photo was taken just at the bottom of Land's End.  A sea lion was just enjoying sun on this rock. In the picture below, you can see a tunnel/window through the rock.  The picture was taken with us sitting in the Pacific Ocean.  On the other side of the tunnel/window is the Sea of Cortes. 

While we were on our way to the bays to snorkel in, we were able to see some whales.  There were at least three in this area, maybe more.

 

Here are some of the views from under the water.

 

 

 

 

 

After this day in Cabo, we began to sail home.  We had beautiful sunsets every night.  Nice weather, sunshine, blue skies.....

We came home to a nice cold welcome to the inversion.  When we picked up the kids we told them to pack their bags because we were going to move to San Diego.  Daniel quickly replied with an okay.  It's very tempting.