Wild, Wonderful Magical Mayhem



Picture of the Day

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Our glorious month with Sven & Hyuna and the boys went by much too quickly. Everything on our to-do list didn't get crossed off  but we certainly made a mighty effort in our final hours.

Thursday, July 14th

The morning was a bit cooler than usual so we ventured to the El Paso Zoo.

Hyuna can make snacks look like art!



Ready for adventure



This beautiful Golden Eagle was found near Las Cruces, a victim of a gunshot. She was magnificient!

Sunny the Sea Lion was born after we moved to El Paso - our kids first met him as a young pup!



Seth was excited to see this rare horse from Mongolia



Needless to say, there was a lot of monkeying around



The meerkat family was especially cute!



"Can you hear me now?"



Same time, same place next year.....



Like father like sons. The boys had just as much fun smashing pennies as their dad did when he was a kid!



That evening we went to Western Playland! What would YOU do to go to Western Playland?

Favorite rides: the blue roller coaster, the blue flying birds, the Tsunami (can you say, "I'm soaked!"?", and the Merry-Go-Round. We should not have finished the night on the Himalaya and the Round-Up.  'Nuff said.

Friday, July 15th
The last day riding with Miss Kimber :(

She had a special surprise at the end of the lesson:

The boys got to give Joe a bath! Joe should have been born a Lab Retriever - he and Jack would have been the best of friends. Joe loves to play in water, and he loves getting baths.

 

And when they were all finished scrubbing him and rinsing him off he went out into the arena....

and rolled and rolled and rolled in the dirt!

Saturday, July 16th

No, no, no, no, no - this day we do not want to come.

Bright and early - wait a minute, it wasn't bright for hours - we headed to the airport. We were early enough to beat the crowd, and lickety-split we were checked in. Thank goodness I didn't have to say goodbye right then because I was flying with them to LA.

We arrived in LA about 7:30am - hungry! Seth and Alex were excited about having pancakes from McDonalds. Gabe wanted a cheeseburger, but since they were only serving breakfast he was skippingly happy about having sushi instead!

Coloring, painting, riding escalators,a rousing game of Chutes & Ladders

and another round of sushi for Gabe 

filled up the majority of the 6 hours before their 12-hour flight to Seoul. Oh, how I wanted to get on that plane with the bunch of them. They looked so big walking through the security line, carrying their back packs and waving good-bye. But really, I just think my watery vision was magnifying them. They better not get any bigger before I see them again....

Maxed Out

For the past 7 years I have been driving a 1992 Maxima. I don't feel right saying it's "my" car but I have been happily racking up the miles regardless. Right now it registers 192,696 miles. It was Sven's car before he and Hyuna were married, and was purchased from the stereotypical "little old man who only drove to church" original owner. Even though it was 7 years old it only had about 14,000 miles on it when purchased, and was in great condition. I've already written one post about it, which is interesting because I don't think I'm that sentimental about cars. I guess I'm sentimental about the memories associated with cars though.

So this car makes me think of all the happiness when Sven and Hyuna married and drove it off on their honeymoon, and then drove it back to finish school in Provo. It went with them to Korea, where Seth was born. It was used to introduce Keven and me to many exquisite places when we went there to meet our new grandson, Seth. They brought it back with them to Rochester, NY, where I went to meet another new little grandson, Gabe, and was also introduced to some wonderful new places while there: upstate New York (Palmyra, the Sacred Grove and Niagara Falls) on one trip and Vermont (Lake Champlain, The Vermont Bear Company, Ben & Jerry's, and Sharon, VT, Joseph Smith's birthplace) on another. Lots of miles sitting in the backseat of the Maxima with my two sweet little grandsons keeping me company. When the family headed back to Korea they decided to leave the car with us and I've been zipping around in it since.

What I love about this car:

• It ALWAYS starts! It is a warm-weather vehicle. It frequently won't start if there is rain (which happened a lot in NY and Korea). Many years ago (b.c. cell phones) we had a vehicle that left me stranded with little kids in awkward places - the middle of intersections, for instance.  I once told Keven that I didn't care what I drove as long as it would always start, and that remains true today.
• It has a classic, kind of retro look. Doesn't look a day over 10, though.
• Gets better mileage than you would guess - about 20 mph on the freeway. OK, I know that's not so good for the newer cars, but I think it's terrific for a 20-year old!
• Has great oomph. I like that in a car when I'm next to something sporty waiting at a red light. I beat 'em just about every time.
• Lots of room in the trunk. I load up all the office supplies at Sam's several times a month. People are amazed that I can get it all in there.
• The seats are really comfortable. Sometimes when I pull in the driveway after a long day I am just so doggone tired. I recline the seat and listen to the music a little while and actually doze off. I could take regular naps there (except during the summer, of course).

The things that might drive other people nuts but don't bother me:

• The radio is pretty lousy. Actually sometimes that bothers me.
• The electrical system is shot, as in you have to manually lock and unlock each door every single time. We had to have the alarm system disconnected because it would go off for no reason. Actually we had to have it disconnected twice because it had 2 different systems!
• The release for the trunk doesn't work so you have to manually unlock the trunk too.
• The rear window brake light died and went to heaven, but it's physical remains just kind of melted and warped into a funny mass. I have cleverly covered it with a scarf (which has faded and needs to be replaced).

The only real complaint: the air conditioning is LOUSY. By the end of summer last year I wasn't willing to go through another summer without drastic improvement, but we were pretty sure the car would be replaced before this summer so we didn't do anything. And somehow, I did get through this summer - maybe it wasn't as hot as last year.

So all this about a car. I don't know why, really. I had to leave it at the shop today for what is hopefully a minor repair. I don't think we'll invest too much in fixing anything though, so if it's major I guess we'll be hunting for a new car. I just need something reliable. With a good air conditioner. And a decent radio. That's all.

#11 in 2011

A completely lovely albeit short trip to meet Avery Joy allowed this grandma the opportunity to hug and snuggle and cuddle with this newest bundle of joy. Ayrel and Ben proved in her first few hours and days that they are going to be fantastic parents. She's a lucky little lady. We are ever so lucky to have her join our family!

Best seat in the house!

Grounded for Life

Two beauties have joined our family. The concensus is that they need to be locked in a tower in the middle of the forest for at least 25 years....


Jill Paige - May 4
Parents: Brei & Kelly




  



Avery Joy - July 5
Parents: Ayrel & Ben

Had they switched days - Jill being born on May 5th and Avery being born on July 4th - we would have a Cinco de Mayo baby and a 4th of July baby! Maybe it's a good thing I'm not in charge of these things....

 

Compliments of Jack

Picture of the Day

Picture of the Day

Bull's Eye and Leap Frog were the games of the day. Eva and Clarissa joined the boys in the arena, which makes things livelier.

When the lessons are over, the saddles and tack put away, and the horses groomed and given their treats, Gabe is content to sit and reflect.

Seth loves to feed and water and socialize with the horses and cute girls.

This picture is for Avery Joy

After waiting for things to cool down (another 105º day), we loaded the dogs into the back of the truck and headed to the river for a walk.

Hyuna is such a kind mommy, packing Alex on the way back

 Root beer floats were a perfect ending for the day!

Tia Sonja

  Picture of the Day

Aunt Sonja arrived late last night but was ready for an early start to the day. After a bike ride and breakfast we all headed over to the barn for Gabe and Seth's riding lessons.

Gabe is on his way to becoming a Real Rider*! During a game of tag with Miss Kimber and Seth he was in a trot and making a turn. In slow motion he slid from the center of his saddle to the side....and then onto the ground. Rio was wonderful and made sure he didn't step on Gabe. It was a bit traumatic but Gabe remounted and finished his lesson. His arm and elbow were tender for the rest of the day but he was quite the trooper.

Miss Kimber put Alex on Rio for a little ride. He did so well she's going to give him 10-minute lessons at the end of his brothers' lessons!


And then she had a surprise for us:

Brand new kittens she rescued!

*Real Riders' Club: after you have fallen off a horse 3 times you get a t-shirt and official membership in the Real Riders' Club.

Today was the day to satisfy Seth's never-ending quest to go to Chuck E. Cheese.

Hyuna prepared this beautiful platter of fruit while I pulled myself together for Elizabeth Coon's wedding reception. Everyone was dazzled and didn't want to touch it, but by the end of the evening there wasn't a berry left!

Beware of berry talented women

Cute newlyweds Liz & Michael!