Wild Meowzers

Really, Truly, Without a Doubt, Never a Dull Moment

2012-03-06T14:01:00.002-07:00

He keeps me on my toes so much that my calf muscles should be as big as a house by now!

He doesn't stop to take a break, he barely slows down to eat.

Just try to contain him... No really, someone come to my house and try!

Warm{ish} Enough to Play Outside

2012-03-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

We have NO complaints about the wind, temperature, or weather this year at all. Mildest winter we've experience in Rock Springs. No days with temps below zero, it's just weird and wonderful all at the same time....Must be global warming, or something?

Zumba With Lindsey Taylor

2012-03-06T13:57:00.002-07:00

If you check my Facebook page, you might think the ONLY thing I do is Zumba...not true, there are a lot of other really dorky things that take over my life too. We had Zumba-Diva-Extrodionaire Lindsey Taylor in Rock Springs for a Master Class. She's a great instructor with great music and a real talent for teaching. I learned a lot from her class and had a great time with my friends!

Here's Andrea explaining to me the ins and outs of music selection via her iPad. Thank you Andrea!

And a delightful picture of me and Johanna. Johanna, cannot look ugly if she tries, but she tried really hard in this one!

Valentine's Day Bling!

2012-03-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot to post a picture of this very expensive super huge diamond that I got for Valentine's Day this year...

Oh wait, that didn't happen, this is just a picture of the "Ring Bling" that Cali and I made for her class and Carter's class. They were so fun to make.

One pipe cleaner cut in half, four little drops of hot glue on the bottom of an upside down Hershey's Kiss. Make some "prongs" out of he ends of the pipe cleaners and bend the ends, press the left over pipe cleaner into an "O" shape, wrap a tiny piece of pipe cleaner around the base of the "diamond"/point of the Hershey's Kiss.

The kids in both classes loved them! Carter gave all his extras to Miss Seeley, of course!

The King of Road Trips

2012-02-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

For all the excitement and craziness that Caleb brings to our family, I have to say, he is the BEST travelling baby. Scratch that, the best travelling child I have. We do not mess around when it comes to road trips and day trips. We get in the car, we go. Sometimes getting to Castle Dale takes us 7 hours. Sometimes he and I can make it to Salt Lake and back before the kids get home from school. If he falls asleep in his car seat, I have been know to leave him there. I have also been known to unstrap the car seat from the car and carry it like a giant baby carrier {without the handle} so as not to disturb his naps.

The car is the one place where he is easily contained!

Feeding the Horses

2012-02-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

My parent's neighbor keeps a few farm animals around for fun. Sometimes there are sheep, sometimes there are horses. The kids love to feed whatever animal is available during our visits to Castle Dale. Since there weren't anymore apples on the apple tree, my mom stocked the boys up with carrots for the horses.

For every bite he gave the horse, Caleb also took a bite of the carrot. After the 25.5 cupcakes he ate earlier that day, the carrots probably did him some good...even if they were covered in horse slobber.

The older Carter gets, the more he develops my fear of all things animal. As a little boy he would put his hand/head in a horses mouth. As a grown up 6 year old, he now awkwardly pants their nose.

Caleb has no fear, and pitched a giant fit when the carrots were gone.

Carter, on the other hand, was a little jumpy. I would like to encourage him to face his fears and embrace animals, but I would have to do it as I run away from the animals myself.

My Sister is About to POP!

2012-02-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

On February 11th my mom, my sisters, and our friends threw Bethany a giant baby shower. Oh wait, who am I kidding, I only made the invitations and showed up. My mom, Bethany and sisters made all the food and decorations. It was a really fun afternoon, and fun to see old friends from the C. Dale. Here are a few of the highlights...

My sister Dory, me, and Bethany. First off, I just love being the "giant" one. Second, should someone who is 36 wks pregnant be this small. I just really wanted her to get huge and fat and make us roll her around.

The food was so good. We focused on the "Bethany is going to POP" theme, and served tons of "pop" related deserts...cake pops, pop corn... you get the idea!

The mastermind behind the fun and games, my lovely mother.

Bethany had to open so many presents, our friends and family were so generous! It took a while to get through all the wonderful gifts, as you can see, Bethany's sister in law in the background was super bored.

Dory and mom. My mom is always trying to keep her eyes open for photos.

At the end of the shower the boys showed up, they had been with Brandt to his in-law's farm, they quickly devoured the yummy treats!

Adventures in Dental Work

2012-02-23T12:42:00.002-07:00

Almost two years ago Cali was riding her bike down the driveway {the day before her birthday} and really ate it, bad! She knocked a good chunk of two permanent teeth right out. Our dentist patched it up with some white filling, and for the most part, we forget about it. Until she bumps it after 10pm on a Friday night, with our dentist out of town, and us planning to go to Bethany's baby shower first thing Saturday morning....We had to improvise.

Christian laid her on the bed with her head hanging upside down, and glued the piece of filling right back on with some super glue. It stayed on the whole weekend until we were able to get it fixed by a real dentist. As a joke, Cali took this picture of her self and set it as the wallpaper on my phone. I really love her snaggley little face!

Assume the Position

2012-02-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

It starts so young...

Ice Skating

2012-02-09T22:59:00.000-07:00

I used to be a pretty mean ice skater. Our neighborhood friends and I spent hours and hours skating on purposely flooded and frozen fields in Castle Dale Utah. Good times. Great times.

On one no-school day I took all three kids on an ice skating adventure at the rec center ice arena. Indoor ice is so smooth and doesn't even have any frozen leaves or cat tails to trip you up.

Cali is getting pretty good, and I really should put her in some lessons...next year. It was Carter's first time, and he was as brave as the nervous little fella' could be. He stayed close to me and close to the wall. Caleb was nuts and walked around on the skates like they were regular shoes. His coordination abilities are really just strange. When it was time to leave the ice he pitched a giant fit.

Just a tip...containing a flailing two-year old with razor sharp blades on his feet, whilst wearing skates yourself...not good. I didn't think this one through. I pictured smiling children as I wowed them with my moves. It went much better in my head.

As if we weren't cold enough from our falls and fun in the ice arena, we went and got frozen yogurt afterward! And this is how Caleb spent the rest of his afternoon...

Collaboration

2012-02-08T22:50:00.000-07:00

Maybe they'll be architects? Perhaps civil engineers? Maybe construction managers? Who really knows? Only time will tell... What I do know is that in these pictures they aren't fighting, and that's good enough for me right now...

Yes Caleb, Even When You Close Your Eyes...I Can Still See You

2012-02-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

This kid is famous for hiding and then closing his eyes. He is still under the mistaken impression that if he can't see me, I can't see him. Wrong! I watch this kid like a hawk. Too much silence or not enough noise, and I am on this kid like white on rice. On one such occasion I found him here {see above photo}, just sitting nicely with his stuffed animals...

Right, there's nothing wrong with a little boy and his plush toys...

Unless said toys are on a shelf in a closet...

And said child uses them as a jumping off point...

Bedtime is for Sleeping?

2012-02-06T22:39:00.003-07:00

Our bedtime routines around here are a little out of whack. Cali recently went through an I'm-scared-as-soon-as-the-sun-goes-down (which is bad when it's dark at about 5:30pm) phase. I hope it was a phase, and I hope it doesn't come back anytime soon. Cali is also prone to bouts of sleep walking and reciting entire nonsensical lectures in the wee hours of the morning. Caleb, my worst sleeping child by far, still finds it necessary to get up at least once a night. Sometimes I just watch Carter sleep and give thanks that 1/3 of my children sleep.

Between the two of these strange sleepers, I have endless bedtime and nighttime horror stories. Most of which involve a semi-awake me yelling at a semi-awake child. You can see that this situation isn't healthy for anyone. Since Christian spends 75% of his life in hotel rooms, he misses out on so much of the night-time excitement. Although I have called to fill him in {read: cry and complain} to him about the lack of sleeping around this house.

After one particularly fun night where I ended up with about 20 toes in my lower back, I found this letter on my bed. I'm not going to say it solved all of our sleep deprivation problems, but for that day it did make it bearable...sweet, almost.

Only in Castle Dale {and the Wilds of Africa}

2012-01-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

Castle Dale Utah has a population of about 1,800 people...and five zebras.

The Best Day of the Year

2012-01-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

You can never complain about a day on the San Rafael desert with no wind, short sleeves, and jackets; especially when it's January 2nd. The weather has been unseasonably warm. Is it it weird, yes. Do we complain, no! We take advantage of it, and do things that are not normally done in January!

My dad took us on an adventure south of I-70 in Emery County to find a famous, yet hidden, signature of Butch Cassidy. Apparently he smeared it on the rock with axel grease, so it has preserved the sandstone from rain and weather. Some of the signature is now disapearing, so we went to check it out before it's totally gone. We also tried to take a cute family picture on some cool rocks, it turned out about as well as the rest of our family photos. Although very fitting that I'm trying not to go over the edge with Caleb, it's kind of a metaphor for my life right now.

Since we were already in the vicinity of the Musn't Touch It Sand Dunes we decided to stop and let the kids run around. It was really the most unbelievable day, there have been colder days in May. The kids took their shoes off, rolled their pants up, and ran around like crazy on the "beach".

I hiked about half way up with Caleb, until he wanted me to carry him the rest of the way. Carrying a large child up hill in sand is less fun than it sounds. Apparently running up a steep sand dune is really fun when you weigh less than 50 lbs...Just ask Cali she sprinted up and down several times.

Caleb filled up all his clothes and bodily cracks with pounds and pounds of delightful sand!

Carter raced Brandt to the top, and Brandt showed Carter how to run down as fast as your legs can take you. Even these cute little legs needed a tiny rest.

Our faithful tour guides, my mom and dad. Our trips to the desert have been much more productive and less scary since GPS was invented. My dad is a pro GPSer and doesn't go anywhere without it. Some day I might fill my readers in about the maps and handwritten direction that led our adventures as kids. Suffice it to say our 1990 Suburban saw more that it's fair share of incidents on the desert.

I still can't get over what a wonderful day we had, and how a little bit of nice weather created one of my fondest memories yet!

A Totally Normal and Completely Responsible Family Activity

2012-01-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

The only thing better than putting up the Christmas tree, is burning down the Christmas tree. Starting small fires in your back yard is just one of the many things you can do in the country. My dad poured gas and lighter fluid and possibly other flamable liquids on the tree, the Brandt shot Roman Candles at it. They were really hoping for a large farewell-to-Christmas explosion, but it only kind of caught fire at the base. Still hoping for something really spectacular to happen, my dad lit some matches to help it along. In never did explode, but watching {from a distance} grown men trying to blow up a tree is pretty entertaining.

Of course, Caleb had to learn the joys of blowing stuff up...it starts at such a young age. Here's a few generations of pyrotechnic maniacs.

And, as a side note, I have to throw in the story of when my sister Jayna {as a kid} sneaked downstairs and lit a match in the basement of our house. As a punishment, my mom made Jayna light an entire box of matches. The punishment back"fired" and may have contributed to Jayna's intense love of all things fire.

A really proud moment for a father.

And if shooting a flaming Christmas tree and teaching a two year old how to properly hold a Roman Candle wasn't enough fun for one day. Brandt delighted us all with his Navy Seals. Apparently there are fireworks that blow up underwater causing water to spray high into the air. Like I said, a totally normal and completely responsible family activity!

Family Resemblance

2012-01-20T23:25:00.000-07:00

I've never been told that I look like my mom. For the better part of my life, people who knew me as a kid, would say "you're all Peacock". Meaning, I think, that it was easy to tell which side of my family I looked most like. If you have your own kids and you look at them everyday, it's hard to tell who they look like, right? For the most part, we all just look like...well, I guess like ourselves.

It's also interesting that all of my siblings barely resemble each other. You know those families where all the kids look a lot a like?{I think Christian and I produced three of those} Well, ours is not one of those. According to lifelong comments made by wise observers my sister Jayna looks "Christiansen" which means that she takes after my mother's grandmother. My sister Bethany has a signature crooked smile that was nearly identical to that of my dad's dad. According to Peacock legend, when my grandpa Peacock saw Bethany as a baby he exclaimed, "Oh No! She looks just like me." My brother Brandt looks and walks and acts a lot like my mom's dad, our Grandpa Cook. So much so, that we've been known to call him "Old Man Brandt". We obviously never knew my grandpa as young man. Finally, my youngest sister Dory may look the most like my mom, but there are things about her that are "all Peacock" too.

As I get older, I think that I look more like my mom. Maybe it's because as a mother I've adopted some of her signature phrases. Or, maybe it's because I recognize the looks she gave me on my own face now. Maybe it's time, maybe it's experience, or maybe it's just an optical illusion? Whatever the case may be I think I am starting to resemble her more.

The Costume Room

2012-01-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of perks to growing up with a father as a theater teacher, unlimited access to a costume room is just one of them.

Obviously some kids don't find the use {misuse and overuse} of funny, scary, or silly masks as great as the rest of us do. Sorry Carter, I hope you are not scarred for life. It was not really Brandt's butt, it was just a butt mask.

Nothing Like a Good Book

2012-01-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

Cali and Carter love a good book and a good story. As a Christmas gift, my parents chose a book for each of them. These pictures tell a story of their own. It goes something like this...

Carter: Hey Cali, check out my book about Sharks.
Cali: Cool, what happens when you turn the page?

Cali: Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Grandpa Neal: Check it out, every time you turn the page you see more of the sharks' guts.
Carter: Very interesting.

Christian: What does a lamb say, Caleb?
Caleb: {picks nose}

Grandpa Neal: These are some of my favorite poems.
Cali: They are my favorite now too.

A Pollastro Family Christmas Quiz

2012-01-17T22:48:00.000-07:00

Question 1: Which of these two children were excited about recieving numerous {and very cute} outfits?

Question 2: Which one of these three people would win an unwrapping contest?

Question 3: Was Christian able to get his head out of this helment without the use of Crisco or the jaws of life? Follow up question, is his head large or is the helment small?

Question 4: Should any responsible adult ever, under any circumstances, give Caleb a wooden bat?

Follow up to Question 4, what if he is dressed like Tu Pac, then is the bat appropriate?

Question 5: How many times did Cali actually make contact with the bat or pinata?

Question 6: Which one of his family members did this kid get the killer-teeth-clench from?

Question 7: Is one of these kids much taller and pinker than the rest?

Question 8: What effect does putting pinata cones on your head have on your brain?

You can submit your answers in the comment section. I will review your answers and send you your final grade!

Christmas Pictures

2012-01-17T22:21:00.003-07:00

We tried on several occasions to take a "family Christmas picture" this year, but...well...you know how it goes. Here are the best ones. Yes, you read that correctly, I said best...

Cali chose to be photographed doing a Christmas queen wave. She just needs a float and a parade!

I should know better than to tell my kids to "stand up straight" right before a picture. Wait, don't I have three kids? Where is the littlest one?

Oh, that's right, he's over on the couch throwing a crazy temper tantrum. I've heard that someday the crazy fit throwing stops. I hope that urban legend is true, because I would really like to look back at these pictures and chuckle about how cute his fits were.

We tried the photo shoot again, post-church clothes and post-nap time.

The best of the best!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2011 aka the Christmas of Electronics

2012-01-11T21:38:00.002-07:00

Caleb and his Innotab. Thank you Santa, wherever you are!

Cali and her iPod touch.

Carter and his DS.

Santa is either a genius, or he's taken the first step in creating touch screen dependent children. Either way, I now have tool for managing Caleb in public, leverage for doing homework, and Carter's room has never been cleaner. Everyone wins!

...It was Christmas Eve Night...

2011-12-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

Not really the way you want to spend Christmas Eve... I think Cali's face says it all, and that there is a rare picture of the empty barf bowl, for most of the night she was filling it up every 20 minutes. I made her a deal that if she didn't throw up for 30 consecutive minutes, then she could sip some Powerade. It was a proud moment and huge relief for us all when she made it 31 minutes! It was a violent stomach bug that ravaged our house for the holidays. Cali's bout with it was just a warning of things to come for the rest of us!

Carter and I tried to carry on some Christmas Eve traditions by preparing the Reindeer some food. Christian kept Caleb entertained far away from the Cali volcano in an attempt to avoid getting the bug too {spoiler alert: it didn't work}

First you stir up some dry oatmeal in a shallow dish.

Then you sprinkle some glitter {it helps them fly}. Did I say "some" glitter? Sorry, I meant LOTS of glitter!

The Best of Times

2011-12-26T12:56:00.000-07:00


It would take it's own blog to compile all the adventures that I had with these girls in 2011. It really was the best of times. The insane laughing, the trampoline jumping, the double park days, the rec center, the weird cry face, and the awkward bathroom breaks whilst running in the hills...just to name a few. We had to say good bye to Jesika {second from the left} and the whole Nacey family in December. They moved to North Carolina where Josh is pursuing his dream of joining he Army's Special Forces, and Jesika is living her dream of being an Army wife. Which, by the way, is a great show on Lifetime that I could never talk her into watching. I miss my dear friend everyday, my kids miss her kids and we've had many talks about where and how and why they had to leave. Carter is still hoping to be reunited with Presley, his first love/sleepover buddy {hey, they were five and it was totally cute}. Thank goodness for texting and phones and facebook and the wonderful means that we have to stay connected. I already got all my weird crying and even weirder cry face out of the way weeks ago. So, I think it's safe to say a big thanks to the Nacey family for welcoming us to Rock Springs and instantly befriending us. My life would never have been as complete or wonderful without your friendship!

Cali Christmas

2011-12-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

It was a crazy holiday season for us this year. I was very naive to think that taking care of a baby was the "busy" part of raising kids. Or in other words, when my kids were babies I thought I was sooooo busy. No one ever mentioned {or I didn't figure it out} that the older kids get, the more of their own life they acquire.

Cali has been so excited this year to be involved in the school choir. This choir does not mess around. There are before school practices {thanks to my friend Apryl for driving Cali to every single one of them} several times a week. The kids bring home music to practice, there are parts to memorize, and CD's to listen to.

The music director and her assistant do a great job with the kids. For their Christmas performance the kids were divided into different sections...deer, bear, villagers...etc. Each section practiced on specific days of the week, and when they came together they all knew their parts so well they sang in several part harmony. It was really good.

During the performance Carter started playing video games on Christian's phone, when I told him to pay attention he told me, "I can't, the December song makes me cry. When they performed it for the school, I couldn't get the tears out of my eyes." I asked him if the song made him sad, he said, "no, it touches my heart." It was pretty touching!

This is also the fateful holiday season that most parents dread. Almost as uncomfortable as the s.e.x. talk, the s.a.n.t.a. talk is a close second. Since Cali's been in the know about the s.e.x for over a year {thank you little girl who explained where all her mom's piercings were...and why}I knew that Santa would be close behind.

One day she said to me...seemingly out of nowhere, "Mom, if there are really flying reindeer, this is something that I've got to know about. Because if they are real, why aren't they in the zoo or in places where we can see and study them?" Can you really argue with this type of logic? I think not.

I talked to her about the spirit of Christmas and about the true meaning of Christmas and how Santa is a symbol of giving. Then I made her promise never to tell another soul. She promised.She was cool with it, In fact, I think she likes being "in" on the secret. The other day I heard her say to Carter. "Carter how much food do you think reindeer need to eat to be able to fly all night?" Carter shrugged his shoulders...Cali continued "A lot, right mom?!" Right Cali!

This is also the season of lazy mother dinners. On several occasions we've ended up eating fast food for dinner. So far their metabolism seems just fine with eating fries at 8pm. And, I might mention, the above picture was taken at a cute little friend's birthday dinner. So, there are other mothers out there that struggle with dinner time during busy holiday events. Happy Birthday Sophie!

Finally, Cali and her primary class sang a cute Christmas song in church on December 18th. Since they all got baptized this year, we had them wear their baptism dresses. A couple other mothers helped arrange the practices and I played the piano for them. It was very sweet to see them all dressed up in their white again. Thanks to Emily for carrying her trusty camera everywhere...even to church, If it weren't for her I would far fewer pictures of my kids.

Our Pre-Christmas-Minus-the-Kids Vacation

2011-12-15T22:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you want to create special holiday memories with your children, and sometimes after being husband-less for several weeks, you want to create special holiday memories without your children. I think Christian could see I was on the edge...not of glory like Lady Ga Ga....but the literal edge of my sanity. Maybe it was all the hints I dropped about checking myself into UNI. Whatever it was... It worked!

While Christian was working in Utah a couple weeks ago, and I was finishing up my final papers for school, he said to me "what are you doing the 9th and 10th of December". I checked my calendar and told him that I was free. He said that he had something planned. He sure did...

He arranged for grandma Vicki to watch the kids, she arrived on Thursday night, and we left first thing Friday morning for Salt Lake. Christian had to have a lunch date and finish up some work related business, so he dropped my off with my sissy. Bethany and I hit up her hair stylist for some "hair-doing" lessons, then Granato's for lunch, and we met Christian at the Utah Utes store later that day.

Here we are, surrounded by our favorite team paraphernalia, right after we got our hair did! I think I've finally decided to give up the wavy hair fight, for a season, and try this curlier look. I'm giving my flat iron a break for a while.

Of course, Bethany had to try some cute baby clothes on her baby.

After we said good bye to Bethany...apparently some people have to go back to work... Christian and I checked into our hotel. He kept telling me that he got a room better than the Anniversary Inn, we laughed and joked because we thought our stay at the Anniversary Inn was a little lame for the price.

Then we drove right up to the Grand America, no joke. I have the slippers to prove it! For the sake of all my readers, this is the ONLY picture you will see from the inside of our room!

The Grand America, is just that....Grand. You could spend whole days inside and never come out into the real world. Some reasons for the five star rating...in my humble non-sophisticated opinion.

1. There is a door man that opens your car door when you arrive. Christian may or may not have almost slammed his hand in the door. We are obviously not that high class.
2. There is a cute little dude from the Ukraine that takes your bag to your room, and makes awkward small talk with you all the way to the 15th floor.
3. There is a free cookie and gelato cart that is available all hours of the day and night.
4. People call you Mrs. and Mr. and you have to look around to see what "old" people they are talking to.
5. They charge you $10 extra dollars just for getting on their treadmills.

There are some fun activities at the hotel, even if you are not a guest. There is a Christmas treasure hunt that we participated in. You walk through the main level of the hotel looking for clue in the fancy window decorations. It was really fun, I almost wished my kids were there...almost.

We also got to check out this gingerbread house. Yes, made by the chef at the Grand America. Christian is pretty tall, and he could have lived comfortably in this thing. All gingerbread, 30,000 gumballs, and the windows that look like glass are sheets of crystallized sugar. It smelled so good!

A nice family with kids, who actually had an excuse to get pumped up about gingerbread houses offered to take our picture. We were obviously way more excited about it than their kids!

Finally, the bakery and toy store in the Grand America are worth a visit. The tree outside the store was decorated with balloons. Something I might try someday when my kids are at a less of a choking hazard age. The robot and dragon are displays in the store, and the monster is one of the main windows of the store. It was amazing. You could spend hours and your life's savings in that place. We managed to purchase a few books for the kids...we didn't forget about them entirely.

We got up at a reasonable hour on Saturday morning and ate breakfast at the Village Inn on 4th South for old time's sake, and then hit the shopping trail. More Costco, the outlets at Park City, and then home again.Grandma Vicki looked a little tired when we got back, but we were so grateful for her willingness to come and wrestle the kids for a couple of days. She left me a voice mail later that night that said something like..."Cammie, I told you that I cleaned your whole house, but we missed a few things. We didn't get the showers done and we only swept the floors...not mopped them -pause------pause- your one little helper was too much of a helper to get much done. Now I see why it's so hard for you to get things done."

I've been back to reality for a couple of days now, and it's not so bad.

Some Randomness

2011-12-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of random cell phone pictures, and stories just as random.

Carter's school pictures were a little bit less than cute. So, on the designated retake day, I dressed in up in a handsome shirt and sent the appropriate form along with the original pictures to school with him. When he came home that day I found this note in his folder.

When I asked him why he didn't go with the other kids to do retakes he said that he forgot. I told him that there was no way he could have forgot, because he was wearing his handsome-button-up shirt. To which he replied, I took off my shirt and put it in my book bag. I asked him when he took of his handsome-button-up shirt...he said, as soon as I got to school. At least he was honest...

Also, in the name of all things random. I ran into Thurl Bailey at the Life Time Fitness on 106 S in Sandy. I was walking down the hall on my way to a Zumba training, and almost ran right into him. How many other Zumba instructors stopped to say hi to a Jazz basketball legend. How many other Zumba instructors knew who he was. The answer, one....and she thought he was Clyde Drexler.

Go Greased Lightning

2011-12-13T22:21:00.000-07:00

My dad always puts on a big high school musical the weekend before Thanksgiving, and although we didn't make it to the actual performance, he left his set up long enough for the kids to play on it after Thanksgiving. As you can see, this year he did the musical Grease. We wished that we could have made it to see this production, but Cali delighted us with a few musical numbers of her own.

The kids played in the cars for hours. They all took turns driving...and posing.

Grandpa Neal pushed them around so they could "drive" all over the stage. My kids could argue that their grandpa is cooler than yours!

Turkey Burn

2011-12-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

The Saturday after Thanksgiving Bethany and I organized a Turkey Burn Cardio Party Extravaganza for the citizens of Emery County. The money we raised at the event went to the MS Society of Utah. It was fun to teach a class with my sister. She did Hip Hop Hustle and I did Zumba, and there were more than a few calories burned...for sure.

We worked hard, brought great music, tons of energy, and lots of fun cardio moves. The particpants said that they really liked it, and we are hoping to make it an annual tradition. Thanks to all of our friends, family, and new friends for coming out and supporting a cause that we feel so passionately about.

Our pre-workout picture. Or, in other words, our pre-pouring-gallons of sweat picture. When we were looking through our cameras after the event Bethany said -and I quote her directly-, "My marshmallow is way better than yours."

The warm-up...

Our great class participants that stuck with us for two hours...yes, two hours of cardio!

Our new friend and fellow Zumba instructor in the Castle Dale area, Sami. She brought a lot of fun to the class, and worked hard too!

My mom, and sister. The official money taker and photographer!

Thanksgiving Memories

2011-12-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

Before we get any closer to Christmas, I thought I'd blog a little about our Thanksgiving and giving thanks...in general.

It's more than obvious that we all have a lot to be thankful for. Even when things are crazy or plans are changed or times get harder than are comfortable, there is always something to be thankful for.

My Grandpa Cook died at the end of October 2006, a month later my grandma was faced with her first holiday as a widow. My grandpa had actually been sick for the five years leading up to his death, so in some ways she'd been alone for years. However, this year she was really physically alone.

Somehow I talked her into letting me and Christian pick her up and drive her to Castle Dale to watch a play that my dad was directing and eat Thanksgiving dinner. She was not easily convinced to leave her house, but she did it, and I am so glad that she did. It's one of my most favorite Thanksgiving memories of all time.

The following year we tried to talk her into doing it again. She declined and told me something that I will never ever forget. She said that she was too tired to travel and although celebrating Thanksgiving is fun and important {and here's the kicker} "Living in America, everyday is Thanksgiving". Think about it. I've been thinking about it for the past few years, and I believe it. I also believe that it's possible to live with that much gratitude in our hearts.

So here are some thankful moments from our Thanksgiving 2011.

Pre-turkey coma naps. This poor child had not even tasted the turkey prior to this serious nap. We let him sleep through dinner, so I was able to eat with two hands!

The kids table, and two kids that totally feed themselves!

The real table. Do not mess with Pollastro's and their dinner tables, they are serious!

Wii boxing...

Real boxing!

Loves!

I'm the King of the World

2011-12-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

One More Party

2011-11-28T22:50:00.001-07:00

On Friday, November 18th Carter had some friends over for a little birthday party. Of course, we had to play Angry Birds. I constructed this Angry Birds game out of all the left-over boxes I could find and two of my dining room chairs. The kids took turns throwing the stuffed birds at the boxes, and knocking over the pigs. It was a success!

Cali and her friend Kenady set up the boxes in different configurations after each kids' turn. My friend Emily and I taunted the kids and secretly laughed at our son's throwing abilities. It was just as fun to watch as it was to play.

The kids also got to make their own personal pizza. They came up with some very delicious creations and were more than ready to scarf them down after all the Angry Bird throwing. Carter was a little down in this picture. Somehow during the Angry Bird game he injured his "hip". He was fine by the time presents came around, but it's pretty weird to hear a six year old say, "my hip hurts". That's usually my line!

Some cowboy donuts, some presents, and a few more pictures, and this birthday was officially wrapped up. Carter had a great time with his friends, and we are so thankful to be surrounded by great kids with great parents!

You Only Turn Six Once

2011-11-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

"Mom, It is my dream to have my birthday every day. Or, at least the first day of every month" -Carter Pollastro six years old

Carter loves to play Angry Birds on the phone, but really wanted to play. angry. birds. As in, throw birds around the house and knock things down. His dream came true when he got a whole gang of Angry Birds for his birthday.

Eating his birthday dinner at Broadway Burger out of a cardboard car, another dream come true!

Getting his own Captain America, yes, a dream come true.

Getting clothes for a birthday gift... Not excatly his idea of a dream gift. He looks kind of happy here because he was told if he didn't quit crying about the clothes and say thanks to his grandma, he wouldn't have another birthday...ever.

A Lot of Anger Followed By A Lot of Coolness

2011-11-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

Carter wanted an Angry Bird birthday, so for his school birthday treats I made angry birds sugar cookies {thank you Pinterest, you never let me down}. For a few short moments I was the coolest mother, ever!

Carter and his friend Chandler carefully handed out one angry cookie to each student in the class, while I sat back and basked in my ultra-cool-mother status.

Shouts of joy and excitement could be heard all around the classroom. Squeeky kindergarten voices shouted, "Carter, these are the best cookies ever", "Carter, I love your birthday cookies", "Carter, can I have another one", "Carter, your mom is so much cooler than my mom", so maybe I made the last one up, but you get the general idea.

Carter was so proud of his cookies and his birthday hat, he was king for a day.

With all the joy and adulation I forgot about this cute little angry piggy, he helped himself to several cookies and made himself right at home among the kindergarteners.

{side note} In the background of this Caleb picture you will see bean bags piled up in the left hand corner. You will also notice that these bean bags have no covers on them, and that their covers are laying on top of the bags. When we attended Carter's parent teacher conference Caleb fell and hit his head on the cubbies {pictured in the right side of this photo} and bled all over the bean bags. Thankfully the covers are washable and head injuries heal.

Brothers, A Visit, and More Birthday

2011-11-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

My parents always try to come out to Rock Springs in between Caleb and Carter's birthdays, so this year they came for a visit the first weekend of November. My dad had been planning this trip for months, and considers coming to our house a good vacation. I can think of better and more relaxing vacations, but to each his own.

Tyler dropped Bethany off in Rock Springs on his way to S. Dakota, so we had a really fun family filled weekend. We attended a ward chili cook off fundraiser, participated in the Sage Elementary Turkey Trot (which, due to weather problems turned into me teaching Zumba at the school), and did a lot of hanging out and chatting. Of course, there were presents!

Having their birthdays so close together is fun, but they are both a little young to understand why they both don't get presents on both birthdays. Caleb's is first, so Carter "helps" him with his gifts. Then the next week Caleb has a mental breakdown when the presents aren't for him anymore...

We finally cut the Spider Man cake, and ate it all gone in a matter of a few hours.

The sight of small children diving into cake is always funny to me, and quite frankly, encouraged. This cake was so good, we totally forgot about the amount of Caleb slobber we were consuming.

Happy Birthday!

Caleb's Birthday

2011-11-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

Some things you should know about Caleb, the two year old:

1. He does not do ANYTHING that is not his idea, unless it is suggested to him by his dad or Jesika Nacey or Johana Hansen (I need some sister wives!)
2. He can pull off his own diaper and dispose of it all by himself.
3. He can say his prayers they go something like this "my daddy, my mommy, my mommy, my mommy, my daddy, Carter, Cali, my mommy, my mommy, my mommy, my food....ANENNNNNNNNNNN"
4. He can open any door and unlock deadbolts.
5. He has mastered the word "NO!" and is working on his version of "yes" which is a fast head nod while he says, "K".
6. He totally thinks that if he closes his eyes, we can't see him.
7. Not a day goes by that he doesn't try to escape and run down the road.
8. Most afternoons he either chooses to wear pants or a shirt, not usually both together.
9. He talks all the time, and we have many wonderful conversations. A lot of them start with the phrase, "I waaaaaaant...."
10. He is very curious and can often be heard saying "doindare" Which is Caleb for "What are you doing there?"

He was so happy to get his own Buzz for his birthday. He's been playing with Carter's for months, now they can play together without fighting (theoretically).

When Christian and I were talking about which of Caleb's friends to invite to his birthday party, we realized that he'd scratched or pushed most of the kids his age. So, we invited our friends instead! Here is Caleb with his real mother. Whenever we see Johana he immediately tries to jump into her arms while saying..."Mama mama". It's strange and cute, and we've all just accepted that he may be Peruvian in his heart.

Johana took this picture of us, just in case there was any future confusion.

He's a very sharing child, and offered to share his frosting-less cupcakes with anyone in sight. He really just wanted a new cupcake and more frosting. I think he ate the tops off of at least five that night.

Caleb loves Spider Man (Pidernam), and since I am still in contention for mother of the year, I made this cake for him. I think it really put me over the top. We didn't cut it that night, we devoured the cupcakes instead. Lots and lots of cupcakes!

I wish I had some more pictures of our fabulous friends who made Caleb's second birthday so special and fun. I need a personal photographers, like the Kennedy's had, to follow me around and document my life. It's hard to party, and take pictures of it!

Halloween (Still Have the Candy to Prove it)

2011-11-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

What do Spiderman, a girl pirate, and Thor all have in common? Not much...really.

Spiderman wanted to run around the neighborhood unattended, and when trick or treaters didn't come to our door fast enough, he ran down he road to try to give out candy. The girl pirate tried to act brave, but ended up crying well into the night (after her friends left of course) as she recalled in great detail all the scary things she'd ever seen in her whole life. Thor hung with the hard core trick or treaters until his basket was "full enough" (his words, not mine). Then he took his entire costume off, only to put it on again and leave with a friend who came to our door. That friend's mom ended up walking him home after about three blocks.

I'm not sure if Halloween is the holiday for us. Caleb was too young to avoid running rampant in the streets, Cali was too aware of her own mortality, and Carter was too bio-polar in his approach. Still, we managed to make the most of our Halloween, and we still have candy to prove it!

We started off by visiting some class Halloween parties, then the ward Trunk or Treat, and then the older kids took a few laps around the neighborhood.

Caleb and I stopped by Carter's class to deliver some food we made, mummy dogs and witch hats. Caleb had to wear his costume, of course, and he fit right in with all of the little superheros.

We stopped by Cali's classroom too. Compared to the kindergarteners, the older kids were having a very sophisticated Halloween party complete with dancing. They stopped long enough to pause for this picture.

When it started getting cold, these beauties jumped inside the trunk just long enough to get warm. They hit the mean streets of our neighborhood and finished the night off strong.

The Perfect Caramel Apple

2011-11-04T06:13:00.005-06:00

It is our goal every year to dip the perfect carmel apple, and we're getting pretty good.

The perfect apple, the right temp for the caramel, the precise dipping tecnique; it's all very professional. We fulfil very specfic jobs when it comes to this persuit.

Cali, head dipper.
Carter, caramel quality monitor.
Caleb, apple taster.
Christian, CEO of operations.
Me, official photographer.

I think I'm the only one that needs to be fired...these pictures are pretty awful. I found out later that my camera had been set to a 5 megapixel setting. So even though these pictures were taken in 2011, they look like they are from 2005 {so retro!}.

This was Caleb's first year as a dipper, he needed a little assistance, but he's a fast learner.

The only thing better than dipping them is eating them. We did both!

Zumba Extravaganza

2011-11-02T16:06:00.000-06:00

On October 22, after many months of planning, the Rock Springs FamilyRecreation Center hosted a huge Zumba event featuring Camilo Jimenez. If youdon't know who he is, that's OK, suffice it to say he's a pretty big deal inthe Zumba world. He hangs out with Beto {the owner/creator of Zumba} and hasbeen featured at several national events.

How, do you ask, does a Zumba celebrity find his way to Rock Springs? Wehave a secret Latina connection by the name of Johana. It is my personal opinionthat everyone needs a really hot Latina or Latin friend. Johana attened one ofhis classes in Salt Lake, asked him if he'd come to RS, and the rest washistory {a very long history of politics and money and preparation and newaudio speakers...but that's a very boring blog post}.

I wrote a radio ad for the event and had the opportunity to go to the radiostation and voice the commercial. I learned two things, (1) it's reallyenjoyable to write something fun and not academic, and (2) my voice soundsridiculous on the radio. Does anyone like hearing their own voice? Since the adstarted with the phrase, "When was the last time you got sweaty with a hotColombian?" There were a few complaints. But, complaints lead to curiosityand curiosity leads to interest and interest leads to ticket sales. So, I thinkI did my job. We had over 150 people in attendance.

One of those people was my very own sissy. Yes, she came from SLC to get herZumba on with Camilo. Well, that and I promsied to load her truck up with babystuff. Either way, it's always fun to sweat it out with a hot pregnant cutielike this one.

The night was a little stressful. I nearly strangled a hot Colombian when hevery chill-like and swaggar-y told me he thought he had to be on stage at 6pminstead of 5pm. The faster I tried to move him, the cooler and chill-er he got.Things worked out, we were able to stall our 150 person crowd with some giveaways and give Camilo time to get dressed and do his hair. He made it up to melater by inviting me on stage to dance with him. Correction, he said..."Ineed three girls on stage with me..." I took that as a personalinvitation. Then I wowed him with my moves!

All in all it was worth the stress and effort and work. It was a greatopportunity for our small community to do something different, I got a littletaste of event planning, and we all went home sweaty and happy.

This is Nice, Just Two Brothers...

2011-10-26T23:49:00.000-06:00

A couple years ago while I was up to my eyeballs in pregnancy, Carter started saying a certain phrase. It goes like this. "This is nice, just two {fill in the blank with friends, brothers, sisters, etc.}sharing a {fill in the blank with something they are sharing}. It all started when I would run to Utah for my doctor appointments. Sometimes just he and I would go, sometimes we would take Cali, but most of the time we met up with Bethany at Jason's Deli to eat before we headed back.

The first time he said it, he said it to Bethany. "This is nice, just two friends sharing a soda". We've used this Carter-ism consistently since then.

This is nice, just two brothers sharing a date to the swimming pool.

This is nice, just two brothers sharing their Halloween costumes

Changes

2011-10-25T23:39:00.002-06:00

Changes around here change from day to day, sometimes hour to hour. Our most recent change came when Caleb decided that he was going to potty train himself. Yes, all by himself...He wants no help from anyone. He would rather be in charge of all bathroom goings on {for everyone}, then have me help him.

It sounds like a fairy tale, right? A 1.95 year old boy potty trains himself. This could be a national headline. However, it's not as great as it sounds. You see, he takes his diaper off at the first sign of any moisture...ANY. Then he discards the diaper, sometimes in the garbage sometimes he tries to flush it and it's contents down the toilet. This is an exhausting process...for me.

When it gets too quiet around here, I know that he's in the bathroom going potty...Or doing something potty related. So, I carpe diem(ed) and bought some underpants and a potty chair and we are going to follow his lead and hope that it leads us to a diaper free two year old. Stay tuned... this is exciting stuff!

Another major milestone for me and for Caleb was the dismantling and passing on of the baby furniture {and all other baby items for that matter} to my adorable pregnant sister. On Saturday she and Tyler came out to pick up their new baby gear. She isn't due until March 10th. but this girl is a super-nester...for real!

I tried to muster up some tears and get really emotional about this phase of my life passing by, but I just couldn't do it. I thought about all the nights I had laid tiny {and not so tiny} babies into this very crib. I tried to explain to Caleb that he was going to be having his last night in a crib. I thought about the day we put it together for the very first time. I thought of all the times we took it down, just to put it up a few years later. No tears. They wouldn't come out, I tried.

Instead, I felt a deep sense of gratitude at the opportunity given to me to have three healthy babies. It has been an adventure like nothing I could have ever imagined. It is special to me that my sister gets to enjoy the same crib we've loved for 8 + years. When I see her lay her tiny baby in his crib I will think of the big kids that used to be that small.

Not Quite...But, Kind Of...

2011-10-13T13:39:00.000-06:00

One night Cali and Carter watched a few episodes of a Hoarders marithon with me. Was it totally kid appropriate, probably not. Was it terribly sad, for sure. Did it scare my kids into cleaning their rooms, you better believe it. Not only their own rooms, but other rooms around the house too. It's an anti-Hoarding miracle.

Today as Carter passed Caleb's bedroom on his way to the bathroom he paused--turned his head--and yelled down the hall, "Well, mom, it looks like Caleb's room is a hoard again." The best part of this story is that there were two blankets, three toys, and stack of clean diapers on the floor. This is what Carter calls a hoard.

Do my kids have an interesting percpetion of what a hoard actually is, obviously. Are they vigilant in making sure our house doesn't turn into a "hoard", oh yeah. Are they scarred for life, most likely. But at least they will be scarred in a house that they cleaned, right?

Disclaimer: I have never won a parent of the year award and do not endorse 90% of my parenting methods.

There He Goes

2011-10-13T13:21:00.003-06:00

Carter's been working on learning how to ride a bike for a couple of months. And by "working" I mean staring at his bike in the garage. He's been riding a scooter with ease for years, and preferred being able to jump on the scooter and zip around instead of learning how to ride a bike. He got a cool new bike right after school started as a reward for doing his chores all summer. He wasn't that interested until he saw...A neighbor kid a whole year younger take off and ride like a pro. It was the inspiration he needed to jump on that bike.

He told me that he would try it three times, and if he didn't get it on the third try he was going to stop. Lucky for him, and for me, he got it on the second try. We're still working on the art of stopping, and he hasn't seemed to notice speeding cars yet, so we have some more work to do.

I Throw My Hands Up in the Air Sometimes

2011-10-06T22:47:00.001-06:00

Especially when I shatter {by whole minutes!} my previous best 5K time at one of my favorite places in the world.

Thanks to my sister Bethany for the action shot here. I really really wanted to get that girl in the gray shirt just about to cross the finish line. I was hot on her tail for most of the race, passed her a few times, and almost got her at the end. The feeling must have been mutual because at the end of the race we felt it necessary to hug. Don't know why...Never met...But we pushed the guts out of each other that day.

Of course, Swoop was there to greet all of the race finishers. Funny story, when we were in college at the U Christian was playing basketball with the guy who was {at the time} Swoop. During some sort scramble for the ball Christian's elbow ended up on Swoop's head {no, he wasn't in his mascot suit at the time...I thought the same thing}, and Swoop {I'm sure he had a real name} bit down on his tongue nigh unto biting it off. From then on {and to this day} we call Swoop, Thwoop. Because that's how you'd say it if you had a problem with your tongue. Go ahead try it... {if you haven't already!}

More Than Once...That's For Sure

2011-10-02T22:42:00.001-06:00

How many times have you and your sister appeared together in the same shirt? Well, for me and my sister, the answer is...more than once. It's not as awkward now that we live 200+ miles away from each other, but when we worked together it happened, well...more than once.

I guess we must have impeccable taste. That, or we have similar taste and can patiently wait for the $36.00 shirt to hit the clearance rack for $8.00. I'm just glad I'm NOT the pregnant one in this wardrobe match.

It's Still Warm...And We Are Not Complaining

2011-09-29T23:56:00.000-06:00

The first time I ever visited Rock Springs, Wyoming was on September 11, 2008. There was a huge rainstorm, but not normal rain, blowing freezing rain. I was totally unprepared for the grayish sky and the crazy wind. I must have just caught RS on a bad day, but first impressions are hard to let go of.

If I would have visited Rock Springs, Wyoming for the first time on any day in September 2011, I would have fallen in love with the lovely fall weather. We have had a mild fall with days in the 70's and nights cool enough to leave the windows open. We've had plenty of days in the park and beautiful clear skies.

Of course, nothing gold can stay {Thank you Robert Frost}, but if it could I would choose right now.

Hurrry!

2011-09-28T23:46:00.000-06:00

Besides the word "no", and the phrase "please stop", Caleb hears the word "HURRY" a lot. He is not at all motivated by the word, but I persist in saying, yelling, and screaming it constantly.

So, one day I stopped. Literally. Stopped saying it and stopped doing it. We ended up here. On the island between the rec center parking lot and the sidewalk playing Buzz and Buzz {Woody} for about 20 minutes. He was totally satisfied, and after his break from hurrying, he happily got in the car.

Now if I could just find a way to be 20-30 minutes early to EVERYTHING we could do this all the time. Instead, I think we'll just take a few more hurry breaks.

Cali and My Phone

2011-09-27T23:32:00.002-06:00

Cali has a small obsession with my phone. Well, any cell phone, really. She is pretty sure that she really really really {a lot more really's} needs one of her own. I see the benefits of her having one, but I also know that a person can make it through grade school, jr. high, high school, college, and childbirth without one. So, currently it's a back-burner issue for me.

However, my stalling out the cell phone issue doesn't stop her from getting her grubby little mitts on mine any chance she gets. A recent conversation went something like this:

Me: Cali can you sit in the car while I run into the store?
Cali: Yes, but you have to leave me your phone.
Me: Ok, but don't call anyone...please.
Cali: What if someone comes to steal me?
Me: Ok, in that case call 911.

Upon returning from a 8.53 minute sprint in and out of the store.

Cali: No one tried to steal me, and I didn't call anyone.
Me: That's a relief {on both accounts}.

Days later while trying to take a couple pictures with my phone I found at least 20 of these beauties...

Maybe it's not a phone she needs, maybe it's a camera?

Where Have I Been? Where Have You Been?

2011-09-27T23:19:00.000-06:00

So, it's not very often that my blog goes nearly 2 weeks without an update. I know that with Facebook and other socially-networky things that blogging is becoming retro. Not as retro as actually getting out a pen and paper and your fancy scrapbook scissors, but retro in technology terms. Speaking of retro technology, I had to explain to my hairstylist what a floppy disk was at my last appointment.

Technology moves almost as fast as my kids and our life. In two weeks there were a couple flag football games, a lot of swimming lessons, some husband/dad-less nights while Christian worked in Casper, WY {which btw, he really liked the area}, my knocked up sister and her 14ish week old fetus visited us {I cannot get enough of either!}, we attended several Stake Conference meetings where Elder Richard G. Scott was the speaker, the Schwan Man came, we hit up some parks with our friends, Christian went to Laramie for some football, we survived another primary program, I completed at least ten school assignments, and the house may or may not have been vacuumed. All in two weeks...

Also, I just have to say, whoever thought that cramming 16 weeks of course material into an 8 week course was either a tyrant or a saint. I will let you know which one in about two weeks.

Which Side?

2011-09-14T16:35:00.000-06:00

I am not a huge Star Wars fan, in fact I've never seen any of them without falling asleep {gasp}. I know. I know. I'm missing out. I've heard it all, from Christian and the kids. Cali and Carter know all of the characters and all the intricate plot point, all of which are totally lost on me.

However, when I saw this shirt on sale at Herbergers for $1.99, I knew Caleb had to have it. I'm pretty sure it's a lego Luke Skywalker {see, I'm getting better}, and I know he's a Jedi {double points for me}. However, I think that Caleb's use of the Lightsabers {Booyah! I know what the weapons are called} leans more toward the dark side...

So Far, So Good

2011-09-12T16:25:00.001-06:00

We made it through our first full week of school! Cali loves her class, her teacher, her friends, and her new routine. She has a lot of homework, but is getting really good at working on it and managing her time better.

The earlier bedtimes and the crazy evenings haven't quite caught on yet, but I'm sure with a little practice, they will.

Carter had a few moments of hesitation the days before school started, but he's doing much better now. He loves school lunch and riding the bus. He refuses to wear any of the "handsome" school clothes we bought for school, and insists on wearing a barage of Mario, Luigi, and Mater shirts.

After a few hundred pictures, they were ready to get away from me and on to their new adventures. I tried to give Carter a hug {it was even a subtle side hug} to which he responded, "Mom, please don't ever squeeze me like that at school ever again." That's when I knew it was time to exit the premises.

Got Grass?

2011-09-10T11:43:00.000-06:00

We finally do, and some trees too! It's been a long time coming and a lot of hard work, but our yard is finally in the completion stages.

A New School Year

2011-09-10T11:39:00.001-06:00

Cali and Carter had a great time at their elementary open house. Carter loved this cute puppy marking his bookbag hanger and cubby. He also really liked the goldfish and this puppet stage in the classroom.

Cali liked her very sophisticated classroom, she is in 3rd grade afterall, complete with a cursive writing guide. She's been trying to write in cursive for years now!

We are all looking forward to a very fun school year. Here's a picture of Cali and Carter NOT fighting!

Mad Lilly Pad Skills

2011-09-10T11:32:00.000-06:00

Mouse on the House

2011-09-09T08:55:00.001-06:00

One crazy day while I was trying to load the car, get Caleb down for a nap, and blow dry my hair; Cali and Carter discovered a mouse crawling up the screen on the outside of the window. After much screaming {Carter}, crying {Cali}, and running in excited circles {Caleb}. I was able to rid our house of this menace.

I grabbed a shovel, and flipped it off the window high into the hair....hoping that upon landing it would, well...die. But it didn't, and it ran straight back to the window well. I had no choice. I smashed it with the shovel. It was a strange experience. Although I have killed bugs and spiders, this marked the first time I've ever killed a mammal.

I tried to explain the oddity of watching an animal die at your own hand to my brother in law, Tyler {avid hunter}, to which he replied; "it felt good, right!" I wouldn't go that far, but you know what they say. Mother's will kill other animals to protect their babies, even mice...I guess!

The Pity/Kindness of Strangers

2011-09-08T23:31:00.000-06:00

During an exceptionally gruelling trip to the the Walmart {with three kids} on Friday morning to pick up the rest of our school supplies, a very kind stranger gave me these roses. She was paying for her items in front of me, and could see my obvious state of disarray. She asked me a few small-talk questions, and after her purchase she turned around and handed me these flowers saying, "These are for you, I hope you have a much better day."

I was touched by her kindness and thoughtfulness. She obviously bought the flowers for someone else, but gave them to me instead. I was also slightly embarrassed that my lack of control and level of stress was so obvious it warranted a gift.

One Hundred Fourty Four Thousand Two Hundred Minutes. How do You Measure, Measure a Summer?

2011-09-07T23:16:00.003-06:00

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in otter pops? In inches, in miles, in laughter, in sunburns?

Thanks to the musical Rent for inspiring my blog tonight. Seasons of Love is my favorite song from the musical, you can see/listen to it here, then the title and intro of this post will make much more sense! Plus you will have a great song to add to your playlist!

We had a wonderful season of love; we saw people we haven't seen in ages, went places we'd never been before, and did a lot of getting to know the people we love. Without getting too sentimental about our wonderful summer I think I will sum it up with these pictures.

Our summer went this fast... {literally a blur}

Our summer was this fantastic... {Carter approves}

Our summer was this silly...{laughed everyday}

Our summer was this relaxing...{I will look fondly upon the warm days for months to come}

Cousin Larry

2011-08-30T13:34:00.001-06:00

Please tell me you remember the 80's sitcom hit, Perfect Strangers. Something about Balki calling Larry, "cousin Larry" all the time really makes me laugh. Although not all cousins are as funny as Larry and Balki, my kids have some pretty cute cousins.

Here's Carter and Cali holding their newest cousin, Cade Anthony Pollastro. He was born shortly after Carson and Nykelle moved to Illinois. Nykelle flew to Utah for some business and brought this cute little bundle with her. We were so excited to see him and meet him for the first time. He seems really thrilled too!

Caleb took this picture of his finger and his cousin Parker. Apparently Parker will pose for the camera regardless of the photographer's skill level or height.

This is a weird picture to go with my "cousin" themed blog post. This can only mean one thing. There is a tiny little cousin swimming around behind these very fit abs. Yes, my sissy Bethany is knocked up, we are so excited to finally have a Peacock {technically Gilson} cousin in our family.

Until we see our far away cousins again, and until my sissy delivers us a brand new cousin. This picture of Larry and Balki will keep me laughing. Maybe Bethany would consider naming her baby, Larry? It could happen...

Wild {Horse} Weekend

2011-08-28T17:46:00.005-06:00

Last March I went to Las Vegas to hang out with my very best friend Nicole for her birthday. When my birthday came along this year, I knew we had to have a reunion...Rock Springs style.

She flew into SLC on Thursday afternoon and we quickly hit the mean streets of Salt Lake. After a stop at the biggest and best Taco Time in world history {think State St. and 800 S} and 400 lbs. of taffy from Taffy Town, we made the 2.5 hour drive to Wyoming.

The rest of our weekend was spent doing a lot of NOTHING! My kids were in Utah, hers were far behind in Vegas, and we did pretty much whatever we wanted to. And by that I mean, we totally jumped in the car and went to the store without it taking a half hour.

We hit up some of Rock Spring's finest establishments: The Rock Springs Family Recreation Center {bike/body class}, Studio J, The Brew Pub, That Yogurt Place, The Kum and Go, The lovely town of Green River and it's wonderful hills, Escape Day Spa, and of course....The White Mountain Mall.

Did I mention we squeezed a 10K race in there, well...we did! The Wild Horse 10K. We didn't see any wild horses, but we did try to run as fast as one. All in all, it was a great weekend. Las Vegas in March is the perfect break from the long cold Wyoming winters, and Rock Springs in August, is a great cool down from the heat of Vegas. I can see this being a yearly thing...

And just in case you wanted a little background/blast from the past. Here we are at the place we met, the Student Services Building at the University of Utah. So much work and so much fun! This picture was taken May 2001.

And a little more recently, the summer of 2008 when we met up at Jordan Landing for dinner and a splash in the fountain.

Some Thoughts about “Life”

2011-08-25T22:46:00.003-06:00

I am currently enrolled in a Visual Literacy class for my master's degree. As part of my course work I am required to submit a weekly journal entry about how visual imagery has affected me during the week. Since the class is in its first week, I am sure I will have more academic based journal entries, but our professor encouraged us to start our first entry with a visual image that impacted us. Here is mine…

Cammie Pollastro

ITEC 5320-040

Visual Literacy

Journal Entry: Week 1

On August 13, 2011 around noon, my cousin Laney slipped while hiking and fell 400 feet to her death. She was 20 years old, on the verge of her adult life, full of promise and possibility, and in deep love with her boyfriend who was hiking with her at the time of her fall. As you can imagine, this event has deeply impacted our family and her friends.

I was privileged to attend her funeral a week ago today, and was humbled by the strength of her parents and siblings. It is my observation that we learn a lot about life through death. This observation had a visual representation, her funeral program

When I picked up the funeral program, this picture and the word "Life" jumped off the page at me. A beautiful smiling girl pretending to playfully ride a way-to-small scooter, this picture could be the definition of the word. If I hadn't known better, or if someone would have handed me this visual image out of context, I would assume that this image was associated with a party…not a funeral. Could someone demonstrating that much "life" be dead? Did this visual image bring a smile to my face and make me feel more comforted about the situation, or did it make me sadder that she would never ride that tiny scooter again? Did the vibrant colors remind me of her personality and make me feel happy that I had known her for 20 years, or did they mock the fact that she would never again in this life be full of color?

I studied this funeral program for at least an hour between the viewing and funeral services. I've looked at it several times this week, and I will save it {both hard copy and digitally} forever. The conclusion I've reached, or the answer to the questions posed is, yes. Yes, the image brought a smile to my face. Yes, I felt horribly sad that she would never ride that tiny scooter again. Yes, the colors reminded m of her personality and I felt happy to have known her. And, yes, the colors seemed to mock the lack of color found in death. Just a few images produced all of those emotions within me.

There are a lot of ways that we can remember people when they are gone, both those who have passed on and those who we are separated from by distance or emotion. Because of the thoughtful, careful, and possibly prayerful selection of this arrangement of visual imagery; this is how I will remember Laney.

Laney Lynn

2011-08-23T14:02:00.004-06:00

These pictures were taken per Laney's request at Brandt's wedding reception this past June. She was relentless with the camera and captured every moment of her life in some form.

At the time, I thought it was a little irritating that she insisted on taking so many pictures. I remember her saying, "Ok, now I need one with Christian too...now, just Cammie...Where did Bethany go? We need her in this one too."

You will never regret the pictures you took, only the ones you failed to take.

"My Mom Loves Me More Than Your Mom"

2011-08-23T13:42:00.001-06:00

On August 9th Cali {pictured about forth from the left} and I got to participate in an Activity Days Mother Daughter BBQ. It was hosted by the Activity Days leaders in our church and was very fun and delicious.

After the mothers and daughters finished eating and chatting, the leaders asked the mother's to take their daughter to a quiet spot in the the house or yard to share a heartfelt letter written by the mother. I worked really hard on my letter to Cali, complete with tender thoughts and a funny picture of us while on our trip to Seattle. After having not seen her for over a week, I felt that I had really been able to think and feel a lot about how much I love her and how I could share that love with her.

When it was time to share I looked everywhere for Cali. Mother's and daughters were sitting under shade trees sharing beautiful thoughts with each other, and I was still looking for my daughter. I asked several of the girls if they had seen her, they said she was with another girl downstairs. I ran downstairs and told her that it was time to do a special activity, she was a little bugged that her play time was over, but reluctantly came with me.

By the time we found a quiet place, sat down, opened the letter, and shared it's contents; most of the other girls were already done and were back to playing. I could see that Cali wanted to join them so I finished up, gave her a hug, and gave her the letter. As she ran off to meet up with her friends I heard another girl say to her, "My mom loves me more than your mom." To which Cali scoffed, "yeah, right..."

So maybe some of what I wrote to her and said to her did sink in!

California Dreamin' {August 5-August 8}

2011-08-23T13:25:00.004-06:00

You may recall from a post I posted earlier this month that Cali and Carter went on a trip to California with Grandma Vicki and Grandpa Carl. They went to Stockton, CA to drop Brittany off at graduate school. Traveling across the west desert and into Nevada with two kids isn't really my idea of a good time, but grandparents have the ability to make things fun.

Cali and Carter enjoyed eating at McDonalds {I think they acquired the entire Smurf collection} and playing at the McDonalds playland, the one pictured above is in Nevada.

They also had some excitement when the UHaul they were pulling had not one, but two flat tires outside of Reno, NV. They were very helpful in flagging down some help with their dry erase marker boards.

Every time we've ever gone on vacation Cali always says that her favorite part of the trip is sleeping in a hotel. They are both very easy to please, and loved staying in all the hotels and swimming in all the pools along the way.

We all had a little adjustment period getting used to one another again. Cali and Carter soon realized that the mother is never as nice as the grandmother, and Caleb was surprised to have little people all up in is business again after his stint as an only child!

Disclaimer...

2011-08-15T22:04:00.002-06:00

No pregnant women were induced into labor, no alcohol was involved, no bones were broken, no one peed their pants {too much} during the taking of these pictures.

The Jenson's Visit the Country

2011-08-15T22:02:00.002-06:00

Last week my friend Nikki and her kids made the road trip from SLC to visit us in Rock Springs. We showed them how cool Rock Springs is by taking them to the museum, the splash park, century park, and eating Dickey's BBQ.

She and I spent many hours catching up, chatting, laughing, and Zumba-ing. Our kids spent many hours playing and entertaining themselves outside in the "desert".

This is as close as Nikki would get to grabbing onto these nipples, it still makes a pretty funny picture.

Kai and Kaila are the same ages and Cali and Carter. Cali had a great time painting nails with Kaila and Carter loved taking turns with Kai and his DS.

Our post Zumba workout pictures!

Rap Meets Handicraft

2011-08-09T18:18:00.002-06:00

I saw this on my friend Tatum's Pinterest board, and couldn't help posting it. I really don't think DMX ever envisioned that his rap lyrics would end up as a cross stitch project. But alas, they have, and I LOVE it! Plus, it's true...and hilarious!

Just the Two of Us

2011-08-06T12:15:00.001-06:00

Last Sunday night when Christian left to work in Utah, he took Cali and Carter with him. Christian did his work thing all week while Cali and Carter spent time in Castle Dale with my parents, and in Price with Christian's parents. Christian came home from working in Utah, but Cali and Carter continued their adventure to California with Christian's parents who are moving his sister to Stockton to attend graduate school.

Needless to say, I've had a lot of Caleb time. The first day was a little rough, with no Cali and Carter to entertain him, Caleb was a little lost. Around day three we settled into our new routine, just the two of us.

I would like to dedicate this blog post/song to my youngest, and temporary only child Caleb, as only Dr. Evil and Mini Me can! Click the link.
Just the Two of Us

Just a Really Great Saturday

2011-08-01T14:42:00.001-06:00

It started off with a fun 5K race through beautiful Rock Springs, Wyoming. I wish I could have enjoyed it more, but coming off a 4 day battle with strep throat really kicked my trash. At one point a 12 year old boy passed me, and I was glad because his shoes were too big and they were making a very annoying noise as they hit the pavement...that's how great my race went!

The greatest part was getting to hang out and run with these friends, Renee and Amanda. Above is our before-the-race picture. Below is the after-the-race picture. I love a smiling red face!

While we were racing, Cali tended Amanda's two girls. Granted, they were at our house, and Christian was home; but Cali really wanted a chance to prove her babysitting skills. Turns out, she's a pretty great babysitter. Give her another year or two, and I think she will officially be on the market! Amanda took her with her girls to the parade, she felt so grown up and special.

After the running/parade/showering/napping section of our day we took a quick trip to Salt Lake. My friend Roz, her husband Jake and their two kids, Cade and Daphne were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. It was such a great experience and I feel so honored that she would share this experience with us. Christian and I hung around to talk with her after the ceremony, but forgot to snap some pictures. You'll have to take my word for it, words can't describe the happiness and peace of this event.

Of course, like a true sister-friend Bethany tended my kids while Christian and I were in the temple. She engaged my kids in full blown cinnamon roll making from scratch. She has a lot of ambition and Job like patience. I was grateful, because with all the running, and driving, and emotional joyful crying, I was pretty hungry!

So... We went off to Red Robin to eat some dinner before we headed home. There we met Christian's sister Brittany who is leaving this weekend for grad school in California. We would have liked to chat with her more, but Christian and I have to take turns wrestling Caleb in public places. So we each got to talk to her in shifts.

We finished off our night by taking this picture before we went our separate ways. I think it's a Pollastro family classic. Here's my take on what's going on in this picture:
Christian: Handsome and easy-going {like usual}

Brittany: Model quality hair and smile {like usual}

Cali: Vamping for the camera in a semi-gangta' pose {like usual}

Carter: Holding his prized Luigi that he won on the first try from the claw machine at the
restaurant {not usual}

Caleb: Picking his nose {like usual}

Cammie: Awkwardly trying to look cool {like usual}

*There is a possibility that I will have pictures of Roz and her cute family; and my kids and their cinnamon rolls in the near future.

What Do You Think?

2011-08-01T14:34:00.001-06:00

A smaller cowboy, or a bigger hat?

Bella Ballerina and Birthday Loot

2011-08-01T14:30:00.001-06:00

Cali finished her birthday/baptism weekend with a whole bunch of presents from family and friends. Here are a few of the cute outfits she got from the Pollastro's, and some of the games and books. Christian and I gave her the stylin' Bella Ballerina Sketchers that she's sporting on her feet. They are the cutest shoes, but the real draw is that they have a rotating ball on the the ball of the foot. So at any given moment you can raise up on the ball of your foot and spin like a ballerina....Pretty clever, those people at Sketchers are always thinking.

Promptly after opening the shoes and trying them on she had to try them out on a hard surface. She ran upstairs to get her Bella Ballerina on, and mid-spin she totally biffed it. She twirled and spazzed in such a way that her finger got caught under the fridge...Yes, you read that right, her finger got caught under the fridge. How? You ask. That is a question that I can't answer, but I am thinking that giving a slightly uncoordinated child shoes that require a lot of balance may not have been my best idea ever. If nothing else the are very cute shoes!

Our Signature Poses

2011-07-30T07:00:00.001-06:00

Look on my side bar, think back in your mind, or reflect on our previous family pictures and you will find that there are a few things they all have in common. {1} One {of two} well posed parent, {2} One pretty girl trying to glam it up for the camera, {3} One handsome boy sporting a very toothy (either giggling or clenched) grin, {4} One very strong parent....wrestling a larger than life toddler. Check it out...Scroll back through our life, you'll see. This is our signature pose.

...a little better...Caleb is still in pain but the rest of us are hanging in there...

...ok, thank you Brandt for making some random bird noises...that actually helped. Caleb went from crying to hysterics within a few seconds.

...now's our chance, Caleb is acting sweet and coy, but the bird noises were just too hilarious for the other two...goofy grins all around!

...that's more like it, wait...really? Closed eyes and furrowed brows from our more stable picture takers? After all that? Seriously.

Invites

2011-07-29T14:26:00.001-06:00

I tried to get a few of these invitations sent out for Cali's baptism. I also thought about posting them BEFORE she was actually baptized. But, with so much going on the last few weeks, I didn't get as many sent as I'd liked....AND I didn't get it posted before the date.

The next couple posts are dedicated to this great event. Thanks to everyone who was able to make the trek to Rock Springs!

Cali's Baptism

2011-07-27T13:54:00.002-06:00

July 23rd was a special day for Cali, she was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a very exciting weekend for us, lots of family, lots of fun, and lots of food. We had several tender moments with our sweet Cali reflecting on the past eight years.

I snapped this picture in the dressing room right before I helped her dry off. I think her crazy smile and her drippy face is so precious. I want her to stay this precious and innocent forever, I know she won't, but I am glad I have a picture of it.

Here's a collage of our wonderful supportive family members who able to share Cali's day with her. Top Row: Grandpa Neal and Grandma Gwen, Brandt and Alexis, Tyler and Bethany, Melissa, Parker, Brock, and Devin. Bottom Row: Dory, Brittany, Grandpa Carl and Grandma Vicki.

I also have to say a big thank you to my friends who helped me so much too. I was running around like a crazy mother and forgot to get a picture of these wonderful ladies, but their help was very much appreciated.

Here's Cali in her "fancy woman" dress. This girl has always been a very fancy girl. When we started talking about her baptism dress she had a lot of ideas of how she wanted it to look. She drew me a few sketches of what she wanted it to look like, I found a few patterns that were acceptable to her, and this is what we came up with! It turned out very pretty, with only a few minor glitches {one being the zipper and the other being the fact that the material is very slippery, and not as sturdy as I had hoped}.

Cali is very grateful {and so am I} that she has a lot of supportive and kind friends.

It was a great day. I still can't believe that she is THAT old, and I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around how old that makes me. I am just very grateful to have a such a great girl, and I know my life would not be complete without her...fanciness and all!

Two Friends

2011-07-27T13:48:00.001-06:00

Cali and Abby on Cali's baptism day {July 23, 2011}

Cali and Abby on Abby's baptism day {April 10, 2010}

What a difference a year and a few months makes!

Birthday Party

2011-07-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

We had a fun, simple, and low key birthday party for Cali this year. With all the fun and festivities going on, I didn't want to overwhelm her {or me}. So we met some friends at the rec center splash park. We took advantage of the huge lawn and played some relay games that involved the kids dressing up in ridiculous clothes, running, and passing the clothes to the next person. Since one team was short a person, I joined in on the fun. The kids came up with creative ways to put the clothes on, and ways to help each other. It was really fun/funny.

Cali insisted on having Cowboy Donuts for her birthday instead of cake. Easy enough! After the games and the donuts, the kids splashed around in the splash park and munched on Chex mix. To wrap it up we sang, and opened presents. One of the best and easiest parties ever! Cali had such a great time, and was so glad that her friends were able to help her celebrate her birthday.

A Special Birthday Gift

2011-07-25T16:01:00.001-06:00

My mom and dad gave Cali a blanket that my mom has been working on for several weeks. She incorporated Cali's favorite colors {blue and turquoise} and her favorite color {purple}. She also worked in alternating rows of white to remind Cali of her special birthday and her baptism.

There are eight colored rows and eight white rows, and numerous other patterns to follow within the intricate design. Cali took a few moments to spot some of the more prominent ones.

Of all the patterns that we have to recognize and follow in our life, it's important to remember that the pattern we should always follow is that of our Savior Jesus Christ. This blanket will be a reminder to Cali to always follow the pattern that Jesus has set for us, it will also always remind her of her grandma who spent so much time making her such a special gift.

Cali put the blanket on her bed that very night!

Birthday Eve

2011-07-25T15:53:00.001-06:00

I snapped a couple pictures on the eve of Cali's 8th birthday. I want to remember these three this way; all bathed up, in their p.j.'s, all ready for bed, sitting nicely on the couch. It's just so sweet.

Cali is a good big sister and always tries to take care of Caleb, even though she is often times rewarded by him punching her. We're working on it.

Caleb, not camera shy at all, has now learned how to hold still and say "cheeeeeeeese".

Christian also enjoys a funny photo op from time to time!

Girl's Camp 2011

2011-07-25T15:44:00.001-06:00

It took months and months of preparation, sewing, certifying, music mixing, planning, and packing; but we finally made it to Girl's Camp. The girls in our ward were really outstanding. I left Monday morning and hung out with the 4th year girls on their 8 mile hike. We stayed at the Legault's cabin, and had a great time getting to know girls and leaders from other wards.

I got up early Tuesday morning to try my running skills out at 9000 feet. Let's just say, the air is very thin up there, and it was uphill all the way back. It was a good learning experience for me!

Speaking of the Legault's, they stole the show with some skits on Tuesday night. People really let their comedic juices start to flow when the are in the woods and sleep deprived.

Here's a few pictures of the girls in our ward performing their skit. They did a music medley about peer pressure and the differences between good influences and bad. It was really good.

All in all it was a good learning experience for me. I must say, the preparation was far more intense than the actual camping. Once I got there, it was really quite enjoyable. I wish I had some more pictures of me and the other leaders, specifically my new best friend Melinda. If ever I thought about complaining, I just looked at her 8 month pregnant belly. She was a truly an inspiration to me of what a leader can and should be.

Welcome to 31

2011-07-17T10:54:00.001-06:00

I just finished my first full week of being 31. So far. So good. It actually feels a lot like 30, which felt a lot like 25, which was really similar to 21, which was nearly indistinguishable from 18, which was pretty much like a sweet 16. Bottom line, aside from the obvious changes in my skin's elasticity, I don't feel a whole lot different than I did 15 years ago.

I have been blessed with good health, a great family, and a pretty awesome life. Each of my kids took a minute to welcome me to 31 {see collage}. Carter and Cali both welcomed me with a hug and a smile; Caleb by eating a good chunk of my birthday pie.

Ok...ok...So, Caleb didn't eat ALL the pie, I took care of most of it! Christian and I enjoyed a nice dinner at Fiesta Guadalajara on Saturday night where the service was so so slow. When we take the kids out to dinner, slow service is my worst nightmare. However, when Christian and I go to dinner, I LOVE some slow service. It makes me feel like I don't have anywhere else to be. Plus, after a couple basket of chips and salsa, you're not even THAT hungry anymore. It was great.

Some time between midnight on the 9th and midnight on the 10th my inbox was flooded with a ton of Facebook posts, I was able to respond to each one, but would like to thank everyone again for their thoughtfulness and kind remarks. I got some nice gifts from my family and friends, enjoyed a birthday dinner with some of my best girl friends, and now I am ready to face the adventures and challenges of another year. Here's to AT LEAST 31 more!

Bad News For Rock Springs

2011-07-17T10:30:00.002-06:00

According to a recent GQ Magazine survey, Salt Lake City is the 8th worst dressed city in the country. Surprisingly, even worse than Provo, Utah {#15}. There are some obvious cities on the list; Seattle, Santa Fe, The Jersey Shore, Las Vegas. However, there are some shockers too; Austin, Miami, Manhattan {#5}, and Los Angeles {#2}. Boston was crowned with the #1 worst dressed city in the US {must be all the Red Socks gear!}.

All I can say is, if SLC made the top 10...bad news for Rock Springs.

Love

2011-07-15T20:16:00.000-06:00

The Fourth

2011-07-14T20:12:00.001-06:00

I would love to post some pictures of my kids in matching 4th of July outfits, but this is as festive as we get. We spent our 4th of July hanging out with each other and doing a lot of nothing. It felt pretty good. I did go for a four mile run {get it...four miles on the fourth}.

Later that afternoon we did make it out the door to watch Cars 2. Cali and Carter loved it, I couldn't quite follow the plot. It may have had something to do with chasing Caleb around the movie theater, DVD's are a much better choice for us {me and Caleb} at this stage in our life together.

After getting his workout at the movie theater Caleb went to bed before dark. We didn't want to miss the Rock Springs firework extravaganza, so instead of going to the golf course, we watched it from our front porch. Not a bad view at all. As a bonus, our neighbors put on a show that would rival any professional firework's display!

98 Degrees {not just a 90's boy band}

2011-07-10T11:34:00.004-06:00

On Saturday July 2nd we made the trip to the zoo. It was a scorching 98 degrees, which to some is a cool breeze, not us Wyoming people. Rock Springs rarely gets above 90 degrees in the summer, and we wear our jackets year round. Despite the heat, the kids had a great time.

We started out our trip with a Caleb pitching a fit in the parking lot, and climbing out of his stroller. We also ended up parking farther away than Bethany's apartment, so we should have probably just walked from her house. None the less, we carried on, we don't let heat...ornery kids...1 or1/2 mile parking lot walks deter us from our goals.

The dinosaurs were very lifelike and pretty scary. Carter even said, "MOM! Protect Caleb". The dinosaur/live animal combination was a little confusing to Carter. When he saw the elephants he said, "Mom, are these real or robots?"

We were missing the infant gorilla in this photo op!

Caleb loved the zoo, he walked for nearly two hours, and then finally gave up and voluntarily got in the stroller.

And her a montage of our wonderful day!

Spontaneous Splashing

2011-07-10T11:24:00.001-06:00

For part of the 4th of July weekend the kids and I ventured to Salt Lake. Caleb had a Dr.'s appointment, and so did my Honda {which turned into a bit of fiasco}, so we decided to spend Friday and Saturday with Bethany. Christian was off hiking and adventuring with the young men from our ward, so we decided to have some adventures of our own.

We did a little shopping at the Gateway and the kids couldn't resist a splash in the Olympic splash fountain. We quickly found out that the stone was very slippery, at least five kids biffed it big time. I spent most of the time on the sidelines yelling, "don't run!" in an attempt to prevent all three C's from cracking their skulls.

Caleb was in crazy splash heaven. We didn't plan to stop at the fountain, or to get wet for that matter, but kids don't care. Fully clothed splashing is just as good!

Carter stripped the shirt and showed off his chest and guns, he was the smart one, at least he had a dry shirt to put on afterward. Cali's a lot too old to strip down in public, so that approach wouldn't have worked for her, but should've thought to take Caleb's shirt off. He was soaked and pretty freazin' cold.

All of the kids in the area crowded around the misters. Every time the mist started, all the kids ran to stand on or near them {this is where the slipping and head cracking first started}

And this is how we left the Gateway that evening. Pretty wet, a little bit cold, and very happy!

It Has Come to This

2011-07-04T07:00:00.000-06:00

As a responsible adult, I make certain assumptions. One such assumption is that an almost 8 year old and a 5.65 year old can pick up their own toys and messes, the first time they are asked to do so. After a lot of pleading, some asking, and equal parts yelling, I have resorted to employing the use of a chore chart. After trying out a few different designs and ideas, I found these clip art pictures that illustrate the daily and weekly chores now required of my two older children.

I thought that I would share them, in case there is anyone else out there who wonders whey their throat hurts at the end of the day...and then realizes it's from yelling. So far {day 4ish} the chore chart has brought a lot of peace and a sense of responsibility to our house. Of course there is a reward, if they don't miss a chore for a month there could possibly be a couple of bikes in their futures...We'll see.

Cali & Carter: Brush teeth, rinse sink, and wipe down the bathroom counters

Carter: Pick up the toys in the living room, and help Caleb pick up his room.

Cali: Vacuum the family room. Carter: Vacuum the stairs

Cali and Carter: Put laundry away neatly

Cali: Put the clean dishes away

Cali & Carter: Straighten up your bedroom everyday

Cali & Carter: One daily bonus chore, mom's choice

Cali & Carter: Make your bed every morning

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2011-07-03T11:23:00.002-06:00

This past Thursday Cali and Carter finished up their final summer camp. Cali has attended "Reading Rocks" for the past two years, but this was Carter's first time. They read a ton of wonderful children stories, and then participated in crafts and activities that matched the stories in the books.

I'm not sure what book the animal faces went with {Cali came home with a dog one}, I just know that we have all been fighting over who gets to wear the monkey face. I'm not sure Carter quite got the idea of putting your own face through the hole, as he drew the full monkey face on what would be it's forehead. Also, he decorated the ears...one with a smile face and one with a frown face. Either way, it's still hilarious, and has provided our entire family with hours of fun!

Our Family, So Far...

2011-07-01T07:00:00.001-06:00

These are just a few of the picture taken at Brandt's wedding. Bethany handed her camera off to one of Brandt's friends and he took these for us. The wedding photographer did a great job of capturing the magnificence of this day, and I am in the process of ordering some prints. Anyway, for now I thought I'd post a few of our family...so far.

It kind of looks like Caleb and Christian are going to make a dash out of this picture, as I stand by and try to smile and watch out of the corner of my eye. What would a family picture be without a few out-takes?

Although Caleb is clearly unhappy, this one is actually a little better. So here we are in order from left to right. Christian Pollastro holding Caleb Pollastro, Cammie Peacock Pollastro and Cali Pollastro, Neal Peacock, Carter Pollastro, Gwen Peacock, Brandt Peacock, Alexis Swasey Peacock, Bethany Peacock Gilson, Tyler Gilson, Jayna Peacock Miller, Mike Miller, and Dory Peacock.

There are still babies to be had {not by me, but my siblings have a lot of breeding potential}, and Dory to be married. I can't wait to see what this picture looks like in another 12 years. Oh wait, that would make Cali 20, Carter 18, and Caleb 14...Never mind, I take it back, I can wait.

Can you even imagine the torment and drama that Brandt has had to endure all these years. What would you do with this pack of sisters on your case all the time. Alexis, you can thank us later!

Another Fun 5K

2011-06-30T07:00:00.001-06:00

My friends and I ran the Flaming Gorge 5K last Saturday. It was so much fun to run with these girls. So much so, we're going to do it again! I was pleasantly surprised to find out earlier this year that I can run 3.25 miles without stopping and without dying of boredom. I ran track in high school but stuck to the sprinting races. I tried to run cross country as a senior, but never got the hang of it.

As an adult, I think I've developed some endurance and patience that I didn't have as a teenager. Although running just for the sake of running isn't overly fun for me, I've learned a lot as I've tried to improve. Mainly, it's more fun to run a race with friends!

I tried to keep up with Jesika {orange shirt}, but it was no use. This girl can seriously run! I felt pretty good when I could still see her ponytail, but once it vanished, I knew she was long gone. Emily {purple shirt} rocked this run out on the first day of being 28, after a long night of birthday partying! And Amanda {purple tank} ran her first 5K in years!

We were kinda sore, a little sweaty, and super happy to have finished!

Chillin' and Cherry Hillin'

2011-06-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday we made a run to Layton to meet our friends at Cherry Hill. Christian was working in SLC all week, and we originally had plans to stay with him for the night, and then head to the water park... But, as it goes, plans change. So instead we got up early on Thursday and arrived just in time to start our pre-weekend party.

Jesika and her kids come every year and love this place, now I know why! This is a perfect place for young kids to have a great time. the rides aren't scary {unless you ask Carter} and there are plenty of kid friendly water features. Not to mention, you can bring your own cooler and find a nice shady spot to relax in while you wait for your food to digest.

I didn't get any pictures of these kids in action, I was too busy having fun in the water to get my camera out. But, I did get a few during our snack breaks. I really like the ones of Caleb. Unfortuatley he pulled his swim cap off before I could get a picture of it, but I think he looks like a young Michael Phelps. He also may have taken in as many calories as Michael Phelps as well...Swimming makes us hungry!

Carter was forced {by his evil wicked mother} to try the Double Dragon slide. I was just sure if he tried it, he'd like it. I was wrong. He hated it even more, and may have some serious psychological damage to deal with in the future. Other than that, he had a great time in the lazy river and the pool!

I think Cali's face in the first picture pretty much says it all. She worked Cherry Hill over! She, Kenady, and Presley didn't stop except to eat and occasionally go to the bathroom. It was so fun to see those girls having so much fun and excersicing a little bit of independence too. We let them go on a couple of rides alone, and they thought they were pretty cool. Truth be told, I thought they were pretty cool too.

It's sad that we lived in the SL valley for 10 years and never once ventured to this cute little water park. Well, better late than never, I'm sure we'll revist Cherry Hill again. Carter HAS to try that Double Dragon again!

About Three Weeks Ago

2011-06-28T22:55:00.002-06:00

Three weeks ago my little brother was still a swingin' bachelor living the high life. Ok, not really, he was counting down the days to his wedding and has been living happily ever after in the "Wild Wood" trailer with his lovely wife ever since.

The day before his wedding we took the kids to the Castle Dale swimming pool and then hung around with family, as picture above. I love the picture of me and my dad, you can't see it very well but his shirt says, "I don't know if you know this but...I'm kind of a big deal around here". If you've been to Castle Dale, you know this is true. Cali and Carter also decided to engage in one of the Peacock family traditions of climbing up the back of the house. Don't know why it's so cool, but it is. Cali also had to stop climbing just long enough to pose with her new aunt, Alexis.

Their wedding ceremony in the Manti Temple was beautiful and special and all those things you would expect from a wedding. Watching the two of them look at each other brought some tears to our {mine and Bethany's} eyes. Our crying was cut a little short when one of our many uncles passed out mid-ceremony. He felt terrible, and quickly collected himself and the wedding proceeded!

After the wedding my parents hosted a lunch where we had some time to visit with our relatives. Brandt's friends gave some heart felt and funny toasts, and Brandt sang to Alexis. The highlight for me was when Bethany, uninvited and unannounced gave the best tribute a sister could give to our one and only brother. She does not mess around when the microphone is in her hands! Yes, Tyler Gilson, I saw you tear up a little too.

The collage of pictures above are just a few of my favorites from this part of the day. For the first 12 years of his life Brandt had no brothers at all, but Christian has served as his honorary brother for the last 12 years. These two have had a lot of adventures and good times together. Also, love the picture of my husband and all my brothers. My sisters married the two best guys ever, there's a lot of pressure for my sister Dory. Finally a cute one of Brandt and Alexis during the lunch. I know they were anxious to get out of there, and....well,..

I think Bethany snapped this one of Christian and me at the temple. It's nothing too great, but really illustrates our relationship. Me, trying to drag him off like I know where I'm going... And him, looking at me like he's not going anywhere. I think this would be a perfect picture for a 50th wedding anniversary invite.

We tried to get a few snap shots of our little family. The professional photographer {who was amazing, but the way!} got some really good ones. I think I like this first one best. It really shows off my core strength and the control I have over my upper body.

This one is pretty good too!

We don't mess around when it comes to weddings. After a day at the temple, a wonderful lunch, a million pictures, we still had a whole night of partying ahead of us! The reception was in a beautiful outdoor location in Castle Dale, and once my kids went home with Grandma Vicki and Grandpa Carl, the party really started!

I still can't believe my baby brother is all grown up. It's bitter sweet. I am excited to see what new adventures are in store for him, and so happy to have another sister!

Baseball and Boy Stuff

2011-06-28T07:00:00.001-06:00

When Christian found out that the Yankees were playing in Chicago this year, he immediately started hatching plans to watch a few games. When he realized that they were playing three games in Chicago over Father's Day weekend, it was a done deal.

Christian and Carter left on Wednesday {June 15th} to spend the night in Salt Lake and be ready for their flight on Thursday morning. After spending most of Thursday in airports they arrived at their hotel and got settled in for a weekend full of baseball, sons, fathers, and brothers.

On Friday they met up with the rest of their party. Carl flew from SLC with them, Dustin came from Texas, and Carson drove up from Marion. According to Carter, the Cubs won and some old man robbed me of a ball. C.C. Sabathia threw a ball in Carter's direction during batting practice, and an old man reached over his shoulder and stole it. Very traumatizing for a five year old. He later asked Christian if he could wear all green and hide in the ivy in the outfield and wait for another ball... good plan, but sadly not feasible.

Here are a couple of handsome Yankee fans {Roz, I know you will gag when you see the words "handsome" and "Yankees" in the same sentence}.

All Yankee fans with one Cubs fan thrown in there. Luckily for their brotherly bond, the Cubs won on Friday and the Yankees won on Saturday.

The highlight of the trip, and of Carter's young life, was when Carter was picked to go down on the field during batting practice and stand near the team. While waiting to get into the field early on Saturday morning, the person in charge of choosing the kids saw Carter patiently waiting and gave him a field pass. Christian was so jealous!

Carter was a little nervous without his dad with him, but they allowed the parents to sit in the row of seats behind the kids. Carter got very close to some very famous Yankees, but with all the Cubs fans {and being a little nervous}, he didn't push his way to the front. He did, however, get Joe Girardi former player and current manager to sign a ball for him.

You can see the Yankees stretching out just feet away from one of their biggest little fans.

There's his ball. He was very proud, and had a great time. It was fun for Christian to spend time with his dad and son and brothers. When he got home he said, "I can't wait until I can take Caleb too." Me too...

A River, A Lot of Suckers, and a Dramatic Grande Finale

2011-06-27T20:38:00.001-06:00

While Christian and Carter were gone to Chicago, my friends and I got together to walk the Green River Parkway. It's a paved trail with beautiful views of the river and little parks along the way. We didn't make it very far because the parkway was roped off due to high water. The kids played and the adults talked. Caleb remained contained for the entirety of the excursion due in large part to 15 dum dum suckers. A little sugar goes a long way for this kid.

There are some cute swings along the way too. A couple of them were closer to the water and nearly submerged, but this one was far enough away for the kids to swing and stay dry. While Kenady, Cali, and Presley swung; Teag taught Caleb the art of throwing rocks into a river. From the confinement of the stroller, he actually got pretty good!

Our day was going along just swimmingly until Cali fell into the Green River flat on her bum. She jumped up and in dramatic Cali fashion pitched a giant fit about her legs "stinging". I told her to calm down, the water was just cold...she was just a little embarrassed or scared...and she was acting a bit like a baby. She persisted in scream, jumping, and grabbing her bottom. As any good mother would {once I quit laughing at the randomness of the fit} I pulled her pants down to check out what all the fuss was about. Her legs were covered in white hives. I then felt pretty bad about laughing. I washed her off, stripped her down, got a corn dog from Arctic Circle, and after the 20 minute car ride full of crying and a shower....she lived.

They Looked Better Two Weeks Ago

2011-06-18T16:28:00.001-06:00

One of the many summer camps that Cali is participating in this summer {along with introduction to acting, vacation bible school, and reading camp} is floral design camp. She went last summer for the first time, and it was on the top of her list for this summer too. She made so many beautiful arrangements, and learned so much about how to care for floral arrangements. As you can see, after several weeks, her arrangements are looking a little rough. It has been so nice to have so many different and beautiful flowers in our house, but I think today is the day that we say good bye to them.

...And That Was Heaven

2011-06-18T16:19:00.002-06:00

My brother attended a wedding for a friend several months ago where one of the father's in the wedding party proposed a toast. Throughout the toast he included the words, "and that was heaven" several times after describing certain touching events that he and his child had participated in over the years. After hearing Brandt's rendition of the wedding toast several times, we've incorporated the phrase into our everyday vocabulary.

At least once a day I, or one of my siblings, will use the phrase, "and that was heaven". We think it's pretty funny, even if no one else does. However, sometimes the phrase becomes less trite and more meaningful.

For example, the other day when I gave Caleb a graham cracker, a dump truck, two large cups, and a hose. Just ask Caleb, he'll tell you, "that was heaven".

eShakti

2011-06-17T20:14:00.006-06:00

My very stylish friend Natalie devoted one of her vlogs {video blog} on 100percentcottam to an online store called eShakti. I watched the vlog and was impressed by her dress {she was wearing it in the video} and her excitement.

eShakti.com is an online store devoted to beautiful, affordable, and {my favorite} customizable clothing and dresses. Have you ever seen a dress you love, but it's too short...the story of my life! Have you ever seen a dress you love, but it has no sleeves...also a very reoccurring theme in my shopping life. If you have these same issues, you need to check out this website. You provide them with your measurements, sleeve and length modifications, and you get your perfect dress.

After looking around for a black dress {with no success} for my brother's wedding, I figured it was a good time to try something new. I picked a dress {pictured above}, I entered my sizes, added a cap sleeve, and a knee length, changed the color to black and I had my perfect dress in 10 days. They guarantee to ship your order within 3 business days, and provide a full money back return policy...even if the order was a custom size. You can't go wrong.

If you have an occasion {or no reason at all} to shop for a pretty dress, blouse, or skirt I recommend you try eShakti. Right now if you enter the promo code JUNPRV you get an additional 15% off your order.

The picture posted above is the same picture I saw on the website. The pictures beloware my custom version of that dress. I received so many generous and thoughtful compliments about the dress, I knew I had to share! Happy shopping!!

{the dress came with a black sash, but I added the red belt via Down East Basics to add some color and to go with the theme of the wedding. The shoes are Steve Madden, and although very cute, I was done with them after the formal picture taking.}

Adventures in Spray Tanning

2011-06-15T14:03:00.002-06:00

In an attempt to look glowing and golden in my black dress for my brother's wedding, I decided it was time to venture into the world of spray tanning.

Wait, back up... In my 20's I spent my fair share of time in tanning beds. In fact, I even talked Christian into participating in the warm goodness that is tanning. However, as I've gotten older {and wiser} I've tried to steer clear of the potential melanoma causing rays.

The last few years spray tanning has come a long way. No longer the streaking orange mess that it once was, rather, a fairly cheap, temporary, and safe way to look tan without the cancer side effects. I know several girls who own their own spray tanner and air brush themselves to perfection on a regular basis. So I thought...why not?

With the wedding festivities commencing on Friday, I figured that Wednesday would be a good day for a spray. I stripped down to my underwear and sports bra and had a total stranger {but a very nice one at that} airbrush me to a golden tan. She gave me some advice; (1) you will feel sticky, (2) you should not shower for 6-10 hours, (3) when you do shower a lot of the tan will wash off, but a lot will stay, (4) don't do dishes or let water run down your hands onto your arms, (5) if you have any dark spots, try a salt scrub or lemon juice to remove the dark color.

I felt pretty confident that I would be looking hot by morning. Shortly after my tanning session Christian and I loaded up the car and kids and drove to Price. Christian had to work in Utah, and we had to be there for the wedding, so we all went together a day early. She was right... I was sticky. A four hour car ride gave my tan a good long time to sink in.

When I woke up in the morning I was shocked to see how truly dark I really was. I remembered advice #3 and figured that most of it would wash off. I went running, so did my tan. By the time I got back my clothes were orange and my neck was striped like a zebra. Time to get in the shower. Yep, a lot of it washed off. I was relived, and excited, and hot! Then I looked at my hands...

For whatever reason the water seemed to have no effect on the darkness of my hands. Then I remembered advice # 5 about the salt scrub and the lemon juice. Ok, I thought, I will have to work on my hands a little. No big deal. Right. Then I turned them over and realized, my palms were the same color.

Let me tell you somethings that do not work on Pocahontas-style-spray-tan-hands. (1) salt scrub, (2) lemon juice, (3) swimming in a chlorinated pool for hours. Now let me tell you something that does work. Bleach. Straight up Clorox {with a little water}. At the suggestion of my sister Dory I participated in 15 minute intensive bleach soak. Guess what, it worked... It was just shy of peeling off my flesh, but it worked.

One more shower... a lot of lotion.... and my hands were back to almost-normal. Will I be spray tanned again? I don't know. But if I do, I'll wear gloves!

The Pictures...

2011-06-15T14:01:00.000-06:00

These are the pictures from my "Finally" post. For some reason they went missing after I posted them.

It's Like Pulling Teeth

2011-06-15T07:00:00.002-06:00

Between Brandt's wedding and his reception. Or in Carter's world....between playing for hours with his grandma and cousins and being forced to wear church clothes not on a Sunday. His wiggly tooth came out. While he was taking a pre wedding reception bath, I asked him if I could try to pull it out. I literally touch it with a tissue, and it fell right out. No pain. No pulling. No screaming. Well, that is until afterward and he tasted the blood in his mouth. Then the hysterics began.

I gave Christian the tooth so he could see how small and cute and tiny it was. Big mistake. Giant fingers meet tiny slippery tooth, let's just say by the time Carter got out of the bath the tooth fairy had already left him two dollars and a note on the counter. Carter was thrilled. He was so excited that the tooth fairy had found him at grandma Vicki's house, and that he didn't have to wait until the night to get his money.

All the excitement prompted Cali to ask several valid questions like, "why did the tooth fairy write that note on the notepad that I'd been coloring on all day...I know it's grandma Vicki's notepad because it has the same crease in the corner...."

Finally!

2011-06-14T15:00:00.000-06:00

We really weren't sure if it would come... We thought that maybe it had passed us by... We were hesitant to put our winter coats away... But I think it's safe to say that summer is FINALLY here.

I know that there is the potential that it may snow again in Rock Springs before the 4th of July, but for now, we are declaring the official start to summer. What better way to kick off some fun summer adventures than a trip to the Castle Dale pool!

Last Thursday afternoon we spent a few hours basking in the warm desert sun. There was still some traditional Castle Dale style wind, but we came from Rock Springs so we considered it a breeze. Bethany, Cali, Carter, Caleb, me, my dad, and our friend Rebecca from Scotland along with her baby Ezmae splashed it up for a few hours. Cali got brave and jumped off the diving board a bunch of times. Carter kept busy on the slides and water features. And Caleb tried to swim away into the deep end so many times we had to take turns reeling him in.

It was a fun afternoon and good way to get our summer started. We hope to make a couple more trips to this pool before the summer is over!

A Fond Farewell

2011-06-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

When we moved to Rock Springs in December 2008, Christian's younger brother Carson and his wife Nykelle were already living here. They moved to Rock Springs in May of 2008 after Carson graduated from college, and had just moved into to a new house they built in Green River by the time we arrived. Carson helped Christian with the construction and completion of our basement, and Christian helped Carson with his yard and deck building projects. We saw them occasionally, and mostly at family functions, but we didn't make the 20 mile treck to Green River very often.

Last October they sold their home and moved to a town house in Rock Springs. They were in our ward, and Nykelle started working out at the rec center with me. We had a great time together.

As children, your parents make sure that you get along with your siblings....believe me, I do it to my kids all the time. However, as adults, your interactions with your siblings are what you make of them. I've learned some very important lessons and truths as I, as the oldest of five {Christian is too}, have seen my childhood sibling relationships develop into adult life-long friendships.

On May 4th Carson, {a very pregnant} Nykelle, and their cute little daughter Mia moved to Illinois. It was hard to see them go, but I am glad we had the last few months together to get to know them better and spend time with them. My kids are going to miss Mia a lot. I think Mia will be missing them too.

We put Caleb and Mia on the couch together to take a few pictures and the both rolled over for a big fat kiss. I'm glad I had my camera ready, because I couldn't have made them pose any better if I had tried.

These two little friends are only six months apart. Mia was born in May 2009 and Caleb in November 2009. Of all the Pollastro cousins, these two are the closest in age, so it's been fun to watch them grown together.

Here's a funny picture I found of the two of them from February 2010 Mia was 9 months old and crawling around, Caleb was three months old and kind of looking like a 9 month old.