A Few More Pictures of Our Fun Glanbia Summer Party

How we all felt by the end of the day.




The kids loved riding in the back of this mini big-rig!


Does anyone want this hat? It's for sale - cheap! :)


Todd jumping off the diving board.


Triumphant return from the quest for quarters.



Jack eats his cotton candy with his whole face!




Kate jumping in the pool.

Party Day

Somehow we managed to go to three different parties yesterday (wow, I'm glad that doesn't happen very often). First, our neighbor boy had his 9th birthday party. His dad always develops some sort of scavenger hunt/amazing race for the boys. This year he had them solve riddles that had associated GPS coordinates. The boys input the coordinates in these little handheld GPS units and were then directed to locations all over town. They solved 24 riddles and walked about 40 blocks in all. Todd was the GPS man for his group, so he is now convinced we need GPS! I have to admit it looked pretty fun. Maybe we'll take up geocacheing :).

Next, Kate had a pizza party celebrating a fun t-ball season. Her coaches got each of the girls pink baseball trophies. She was thrilled -- and felt very grown up going to her own party without a big brother with her!

The final party of the three was the long awaited, eagerly anticipated, Glanbia Summer Extravaganza (that's what we call it, anyway!). This has got to be one of the best company parties on record. They rent a large park adjacent to a swimming pool (which is also rented for the company), then have a huge catered meal (burgers, etc. and yummy trout on the grill). Each employee gets a free shirt and is entered into drawings for everything from gift certificates to tents to a Wii. One of the grand prizes was a travel package that contained a portable dvd player, a bunch of other cool stuff and (you guessed it!) a GPS system!! Todd was really hoping for that, but no luck. We did win a nice outdoor awning with mosquito net, though.

Glanbia hires a company out of Utah that brings giant inflatable rides, a climbing wall, free snow cone/cotton candy, miniature train, miniature semi, face painting, and fun games, contests, and Bingo that continue throughout the day. Kate and Todd put on giant boxing gloves and went three rounds on each other. It was rather entertaining since Kate could barely lift them off the ground. Todd let her get a few good jabs in! Jack fell in love with the train, and spent most of the day either riding it or begging to ride it again. He would squeal and cheer as the train approached, but once he was aboard and settled he was all business. You couldn't even get him to look at you because he was so focused on steering the train correctly. They truly had something for everyone at every age. It was wonderful watching them have such a great time.

At one point during the day they cleared the swimming pool and threw over $300 in quarters in for the kids to dive for. Kate jumped in and immediate came up crying that she didn't want to do it. I told her she didn't have to, but she did have to stop crying. Next thing I know she's handing me $4.25 in quarters and beaming to beat the band!!! Todd, having no such trepidation, dove right in (literally) and I didn't see him for quite a while. About 15 minutes passed and he swam over to me with his hands empty. I thought, "Oh boy - he didn't get any quarters, I hope he's not too disappointed." Then I noticed the back of his swim trunks hanging down, showing a little more cheek than is decent. He had the biggest grin on his face as he opened the velcro pocket in his trunks and started loading me down with handfuls of quarters. In all he had scavenged $18.75 -- that is a lot of quarters in case you were wondering!!! He making big plans for his windfall and I think we might have a next-generation treasure hunter on our hands!

When you work in Human Resources you don't really get to enjoy the party the same way other employees do, so Brad spent a good portion of the day helping out behind the scenes. We arrived early so he could help with the setup, and we were some of the last to leave since he was on garbage/cleanup detail. Needless to say, we were all exhausted by the time we piled into the car. After some tears and whining that indicated that we had, indeed, had way too much fun, the car ride home was blessedly quiet. It's such a fun party and day -- but I'm glad it only happens once a year -- I couldn't take much more than that!

Why I Have Kids!

I just had to jot this down before I forgot it because it tickled my funny bone! I asked Kate to gather up all the swimsuits, towels, sunscreen, goggles, etc. for the Glanbia Summer Party today. She came up with the sunscreen bottle, which I promptly realized it was almost empty, so I asked her to go get the other bottle just in case. She exclaimed, "But Mom, it's not the fatal kind!" (I think she meant that it wasn't the aerosol kind that you don't have to rub in -- I LOVE that sunscreen.) I started laughing so hard and explained to her confused little face that fatal means something that kills you. She started laughing and said "I said something like that??? Man, I'm glad I didn't say that on LIVE TV!" What a card! I've been laughing about that one all morning. And that's one of the reasons I have kids -- free entertainment!

Walter Kronkite in Training

After our last two ball games tonight (can I just have a moment to quietly celebrate that?) the kids spent quite a while in the pool, so we ate dinner very late which meant the kids are going to bed very late (the domino effect strikes again). Kate has zonked out, and Todd is on his way to dreamland, but Jack is still WIDE awake. Brad and I returned from brushing our teeth in the bathroom to find him absolutely engrossed in the 10:00 news! He hasn't moved a muscle in over 25 minutes and seems genuinely enthralled! Occasionally he looks up and babbles about something completely unintelligible for a few seconds and then gets right back to the headlines. What a goofball!

Rupert 4th of July Festivities

As many of you know, Rupert has a full week of fun 4th of July festivities to enjoy. Beginning this Monday and continuing through the end of the week, the town square will be awash with entertainment and food booths galore. Each night there are free concerts and Monday is the big fireworks extravaganza. There is also PBA Bullriding and a carnival at the fairgrounds. Monday night's concert will be The Parrotheads (a Jimmy Buffet cover band), Wednesday night is some country singer that was on the Nashville circuit last year, and Thursday night is the big Patriotic Program. You may have noticed that I left out Tuesday night. That's because that night is reserved for local talent. This year our family has been asked to provide a 1/2 hour of entertainment from 8:00-8:30 pm. We're working hard to get a program together that will be entertaining (fingers crossed). The kids are going to sing some of the music they're preparing for music camp (Kate will sing "Everybody Wants To Be A Cat" and "Zipadeedoodah", Todd will sing "I Won't Grow Up" (with backups from Kate), and "It's Possible" (from Seussical), then they will sing "Fifty Nifty United States", "Solla Sollew" with me, and the family will sing "America", I will be singing a few on my own including "Someone Like You" (from Jekyll and Hyde), "Popular" (from Wicked), "Over the Rainbow", and "I'm Afraid This Must Be Love" (with Brad). We're still kicking around a few other ideas, so if anyone has a great suggestion I'm all ears. Anyway, if you're over Rupert-way next week you better stop by and enjoy a little slice of Americana. This week is one of my favorite parts of living in Rupert. It feels like stepping onto the set of Pleasantville.

Manners

Monday I was feeling totally bummed out and grouchy, so by Tuesday when the mood hadn't lifted I decided to take action and get out of the house! A change of scenery was just what the doctor ordered! After a music practice (I'm getting an aria ready to perform at music camp) and golf lessons for the kids, we left for Twin Falls. We did a little shopping, then picked Brad up for a lunch date. His boss had given us a $50 gift card to a new restaurant/convention center in Twin called Canyon Crest. It is built right on the rim of the canyon and has an absolutely stunning view of the canyon floor, the golf course, and Perrine Bridge (one of the only bridges in the U.S. where it is still legal to base jump). Of course, I forgot my camera, so you'll just have to use your imagination (or google it)!

It's a nice restaurant so I literally BEGGED the kids to be on their best behavior while we ate. My request was met with a whole lot of eye rolling and "we know, Mom"'s! We got to dine al fresco on the terrace so there was a lot to see and explore while we waited for our food. This kids got adventurous and walked down to a lookout point where you are literally hanging out over the canyon floor. I couldn't bring myself to get any further than about 2 steps out before the vertigo hit and I sprinted for safe ground! Todd was pretty trepidatious as well, but slowly made his way to the railing at the edge so he could look down. Kate had no such fear, and thoroughly enjoyed the spectacular view of the waterfall, etc.

Thanks to some great entertainment provided by Mother Nature the pre-meal wait flew by and soon our meals were on the table. Todd decided to order the cheeseburger (big shocker) but was a little embarrassed about it, and asked if it was okay to do that or if it would offend people because it's too much like fast food. We chuckled and assured him that if it's offered on the menu, no one would be offended by his ordering it. Kate went for the barbecued baby back ribs, I had shrimp alfredo, and Brad had a steak. Yummy! The kids tried so hard to use their manners! They wiped their hands and mouths continually and kept asking us if it was rude to do this, or rude to do that. At one point Kate was trying so hard to put her glass down carefully that she spilled it's contents all over the table. She was absolutely heart-broken, and I felt so awful for putting so much pressure on her. Luckily, we cleaned it up quickly and her tears evaporated with the mess. Todd informed us that he was using this experience as practice for when he goes on job interviews. He quizzed Brad about the kind of food he should order and how to eat it. He was so serious about the whole thing it just made me smile. His favorite new tip from Dad was to be sure to pass the salt and pepper together even if the person requesting them has only asked for one or the other. I'm sure he'll share this little gem with all of you in time! You know Todd, he's always a fount of information. Jack was a little less enthusiastic about using his manners and insisted on sitting on Daddy's lap for the duration of the meal. Eating steak one-handed is not always easy, but possible, as we learned yesterday. In all, we had a wonderful time and thanks to our gift card it only cost $11.00! Thanks for the great Christmas present Shawn!

Todd Gets Down and 'Derby'!

This morning was the much anticipated Pinewood Derby! Todd had big plans for his car, but his follow-through left a little to be desired, consequently we were still putting the finishing touches on it this morning at 9:00 (the Derby was at 10!). He designed a pretty unique looking car which he named "The Flaming Flyer". It raced well, he won 7 of his races and ended up in about 5th place. He was just thrilled that he didn't come in LAST! Apparently his memories of last year's dismal performance have not faded. We're glad that he was happy. It's always a good opportunity to teach sportsmanship (whether you're the winner or the loser). We had to get after him a little because when he won a race where he was pitted against his best friend, Tate, he pulled his car off the track and exclaimed loudly, "YESSSSS, I smoked him!". Brad and I looked at each other and then both hissed at him to be nice! Sheesh, whose kid is that, anyway? Apparently he has not mastered the art of the graceful winner, thankfully, though, he did concede victory very graciously! You win some, you lose some!

Grandma Comes To Visit

Both Kate and Todd played baseball tonight in adjacent ball fields at the same time, so Grandma Rose came to cheer them on. They both played well and were excited to show off! Todd spied Grandma and hit an in-field pop fly home run (aided by a whole slew of errors by the other team)! He was ecstatic that he got to show off his sweet skills to Gram. Kate used her "fast feet" to motor around the bases, and Jack busied himself with losing my IPod (which was later returned to me - thank goodness!), playing in the dirt, and taking his hat on and off. It was a big night. After the game, Todd had a quick team picture and then we came home where Grandma let the kids show off some more for her in the pool. Thank you for the sacrifice in time and gas to come for a visit, Mom! We loved having you!

Murphy's Law

I forgot to relate a funny happening from the last week that has continued to make me laugh each time I've thought of it! This past Christmas Day Brad lost his wedding ring and we absolutely tore the house apart (several times) over the past 5 months looking for it. Finally, I just decided to get him a replacement for Father's Day as a surprise. Todd went ring shopping with me and we found one we really liked so we bought it, brought it home, and hid it. The next morning as Brad was getting dressed for his company's golf scramble, he pulled out a shirt that he hasn't worn in a LONG time (probably since last year's scramble!). Well, what do you know, his real wedding ring flew off the shelf and landed on the floor! He was so excited, and as he was leaving for work he woke me up to show me his good fortune. Todd was already awake and upstairs so he witnessed the whole thing. All I could say was "Oh my goodness, I CAN'T believe you actually found it! I'm SO HAPPY for you!" Todd was horrified, he just turned his back on Brad and gave me the funniest sick face (sort of like what you look like when a bug flies in your mouth and you realize you just swallowed it -- EEEEWWW!). It was all I could do to keep from cracking up. Once Brad left we had a good laugh, returned the replacement ring, and started over on the Father's Day shopping. Brad ended up with the slightly more practical -- but less romantic -- leaf blower (although the older I get, the more romantic useful gifts like leaf blowers have become). Anyway, we debated about whether we should tell him or not, and finally decided that he would probably get a good laugh out of it. He did, but felt kind of bad about it too. My reaction is just that I should have bought a replacement ring as a New Year's present and he would have had his real ring back 5 months ago! Murphy's Law strikes again!! : )

Daddy Dogpile

Happy Father's Day to all you wonderful fathers out there. We are particularly thankful for the father at our house today. After driving 5 hours to get us home after a great weekend in Wellington, he still had the energy and patience to play with the kids and let them employ all their best 'wrestle mania' moves on him. He is a gem! Over the years he has saved us thousands upon thousands of dollars with his amazing handyman, super fix-it abilities. If I had a superpower, that is the one I would want! He is the best and I love him so much. I couldn't ask for a more kind, patient, talented, spiritual eternal companion.

Also, happy Father's Day Dad Rose. I wish we could have seen you this weekend, but it was wonderful spending a day with you a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for all you do for us. We love you.

Father's Day Weekend

We just spent a wonderful weekend in Wellington with Dad Wilson! Thanks for your wonderful hospitality, Dad. We all thoroughly enjoyed our stay. I overheard Todd and Kate talking in the playroom where they were raving about how cool Grandpa Wilson is and how awesome his house is! Todd even tried to talk us in to staying an extra day, which would have gladly done if only we didn't have work to come back to. Maybe next time! While in Wellington we had a great visit, went out for a Father's Day dinner, then took a tour of Price where Brad showed the kids all his old haunts. They LOVE to hear all his crazy stories about his youth, so it's fun for them to see the places where some of these "infamous" events took place! We capped off Saturday evening with a visit to a really neat new-ish dinosaur park in Price where we enjoyed watching the kids play and burn off some energy before bedtime. We enjoyed spending Sunday morning with Dad and attending church together before heading home. Can't wait for our next visit.

Ask Me How This Is Fun???

We have some very winter-weary children. It has been an extraordinarily long, cold spring, so when I opened the pool to clean it, all three were in their suits and in the water in 60 seconds flat! There was nothing I could say to deter them in the least. It didn't matter that it was 67 degrees (no lie!), that the water still looked like pea soup, or that there were leaves floating all over in it. Yuck! I'm sure it's somewhat cleaner than the canal, but honestly, you couldn't have paid me to step foot in that thing. Ah ... youth!

Todd's Baseball Game

Todd had a baseball game tonight so I thought I'd better share some of his highlights in the interest of fairness. It did seem a little weird that my first posting about my son was about dance and the first post about my daughter was about baseball. :) Go figure! Anyhoo, Todd had a great game tonight. He hit a single and a double. He was so happy!

Brad's Little Adventure

Yesterday we had an interesting experience. If you'll remember,Brad had his appendix out a couple of months ago. When the pathology came back they discovered that he had some polyps in it, which apparently is quite rare. Because of this, his doctor was concerned that he may have polyps in his colon or intestines, so he got to have the wonderful experience of a colonoscopy - yeehaw! They put him completely out for the procedure just in case they needed to remove any polyps once they got in there, so that part of it wasn't too bad, since he was completely comatose for it. However, the 24 hours leading up to the test were pretty hair-raising. That poor guy, I felt so bad for him -- let's just say that they want your colon and intestines squeaky clean before they go in there for a look around, so they give you some pretty intense medication that 'greases the wheels' (so to speak!). Not a fun experience. Thankfully, though, he passed the test with flying colors, no indication of anything remotely polyp related, so we are grateful and immensely relieved. Brad's back to normal and feeling especially thankful that he probably won't have to go through this particular ordeal for another 10-15 years! Hooray!

Jack on Track

Jack-Jack, our caboose, is such a little angel. He wants to do EVERYTHING the big kids do -- including rollerblade (yikes!). Kate and Todd are usually willing to play along and try to help him. They're pretty patient with his little caveman-like demands -- uh ugh ooh um ay oo (I want to do it, too). We call it Jack-anese, but you need the gift of the interpretation of tongues to understand it, so don't feel bad if it's all Greek to you!

Cool as a Cucumber!

Todd is enjoying a little break from weekly rehearsals now that he's had his dance recital. (That's him down on one knee.) He is in a group called "Show Stoppers" where they sing and dance (it's musical theater training). I LOVE his teacher. She is kind, but no-nonsense. The kids really have learned some fun things this year. This picture is of Todd and his best bud Tate, they are pretty proud of the cool duds (their costumes for "Rock 'n Roll is Here To Stay"). His team consists of 5 boys and 5 girls. They also danced and sang to "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"! I'm not sure how long he'll continue to humor me and do this, but in the meantime....really, really cute stuff!

Fast Feet

Kate is playing T-ball this year. She looks so adorable in her hot pink shirt and hand-me-down baseball pants from big bro Todd! It has been unseasonably COLD here in Rupert. We've only had a few days in the 70s, mostly temps have hovered in the 50s and 60s, so we've frozen our booties off watching baseball and t-ball the last couple of weeks. It has been worth it, though. Kate's one tough cookie and has had a great time! We call her "Fast Feet" because she's such a fast little runner on those short legs of hers! She's lots of fun to watch. Todd was the official photographer at the game last night, so here are a few pics for you to enjoy.

All Aboard The Blogger Express!

Alright, so I'm feeling a little pressure to conform since all my siblings are now blogging. I guess I'm the dinosaur of the group (it's a little intimidating to get up and running), but I think I've got it under control. It is kind of a fun and easy way to share little snippets of the day with pictures, etc. without being stressed about writing every little thing down. Hopefully I will be better at keeping everyone updated now that I have this "easy" tool! The Wilson Family is officially on-board the Blogger Express!