Radio Disney Days

Today we journeyed to Salt Lake to visit Radio Disney Days at the Gallivan Center. Yesterday, when I told Amber that we would go after she went to bed and woke up, she ran upstairs and laid out her Belle dress, her black shoes, her rose purse, and her fancy white gloves. Then, she found Karli's Aurora dress, the fancy plastic shoes that go with it, the Aurora crown, and a pink purse to match. Moments later, she came back downstairs and proudly announced, "Mom, I have everything all situated for tomorrow!" I had to check it out and I was thoroughly impressed when I saw the array of dresses and accessories.

Finally, Tuesday morning arrived and after much ado regarding whose crown matched which dress, and a generous donation of a "Cinderella tiara" from Grandma Shelley, we were on the road. We had a great time listening to the bluegrass band play one of my favorites, "Orange Blossom Special", and the kids loved the instrument petting zoo. Amber played a trumpet and managed a squeak, but Karli couldn't muster enough air to play anything on that horn. She opted for a tiny violin and it was adorable to see them try out some little instruments. Then, we waited in line for 30 minutes in 100-degree weather for a ride on the Copper Mountain Express. Rex loved the bell on the train, so I thought he'd be excited to go for a ride on it. To my chagrin, though, he threw a massive fit upon being seated. Amber and Karli climbed right in and had a delightful tour of the plaza.

After the kids each earned a cute but annoying train whistle, I had reached my temperature threshold and dragged them all into the bank for some refreshing air conditioning and some cash for the parking attendant. To my delight, the bank validated my parking slip and we made it to the car just in time to see the sweetest, loudest, black Lamborghini I've ever seen. The guy driving it sat idling, waiting for me to finish the process of buckling all three kids and collapsing the stroller, heaving it into the trunk, and making sure I hadn't left one of the many requisite sundries behind, but soon realized I would be a while and drove off with a loud zoom.

Despite the whining voices the whole way home, it was a fun excursion that we plan to do again in September when it won't be so hot.

Happy Birthday(s) to Me!

In true Clark fashion, I've spent the last three days celebrating my birthday and it's been grand! Friday, Adam and I went to the George Strait concert and on Saturday, we packed up and headed for Raging Waters in Salt Lake. Each year, my mom's and my students perform there, so we get discounted tickets. It was the perfect way to spend the 100-degree-plus day.

Amber was the star of her class during the performance. She recently moved from the Tiny team to the Mini team (she looses interest if she's not being pushed), and I was worried that she wouldn't be able to pull her weight on a team of girls who are much older than her. To my delight, though, she was the only one who remembered the routine and she smiled like a super star the whole time. It was darling! I'm mad that I completely forgot to take my video camera to the park because her attitude and pizazz were priceless. The best part was the beginning of the routine, where the girls were supposed to mouth the words, "Oh, you're so funky and hot!" along with the music. Amber yelled it out, but it came out sounding like "Oh, you're so f%#@ing hot!" Too funny!

I was sure the kids would be crazy about all the cool kiddie pools and slides, but all three of the kids doffed the usual sposts and spent all their time in the wave pool. Amber was really brave and rode on her own tube, and Karli sat on my mom's lap in the tube to catch a few big ones. Rex loved to run right into the waves and let them knock him over. Despite the gross-ness of a public swimming establishment, I had a great time and Adam even got to save a life (Kinzie passed out and he saved the day...the lifeguards were so inept) and ride the H2O Coaster.

After a stop at McDonald's and some short naps, we loaded the kids up and drove to Draper Park for the concert and fireworks to celebrate Draper Days. Adam and I went before we had kids and it was great fun, so we couldn't wait to revisit the event. We had to take turns chasing Rex everywhere, but the girls got some cool glow sticks and loved the music. My favorite part of the night was the finale of the fireworks set to the 1812 Overture, which is better known as "the song from V for Vendetta". If you've seen that movie, you'll know what I mean. It's the perfect firework soundtrack. We headed for home and the kids and I went to bed. Adam had to stay up all night to study; it was so nice of him to spend the day with us and sacrifice his sleep to prepare for the cursed test (only nine more days!).

Today I woke up and showered right off the bat, since Sunday mornings are always madness at our house and I'm lucky to make it in if I hesitate at all. Then, the kids and I made waffles with the ingredients Leslie picked up (thank you!) the night before. I doused mine with strawberry jam and wolfed it down in time to head to the church to copy the bulletins. When I dropped off my kids at my parent's house to beg for 20 minutes of babysitting (Adam had gone to bed only one hour before this all occurred, so I felt too bad to wake him up), my mom said, "Oh, Marianne (my little sis) is planning to get your kids ready for you this morning. Just bring their clothes over and she'll take care of it." Score! I was thrilled, so I ran to the library, did my copying and folding, and strolled home for a nice, peaceful get-ready session. I got to use my awesome new flat iron that Adam bought for me, and I had time to do my makeup (eyeshadow and everything...that rarely happens!), find my cute shoes and earrings, and pack a well-stocked diaper bag for Rex. It was fabulous. By the way, the girls looked darling and even got a bath. That was awesome, Marianne!

After church, my parents and Leslie cooked a delicious meal of grilled chicken, teriyaki steak, and pot latch salmon, fruit salad with lemon dressing, creamed peas and potatoes, and lemon cake for dessert--all of my favorites. The food and company were wonderful and I appreciate every one's effort to handle the toddlers in my parents' house. Now, I'm spending my evening blogging and scrapbooking. This has been a marvelous (three) day(s)!

A Delightful Concert in the Middle of Nowhere

Have you ever been to the USANA Ampitheater? If you haven't and you plan to go sometime soon, beware. It's past Kearns, which is in the 60000 West area in the Salt Lake Valley. I didn't even know there were streets out that far west, but apparently, someone thought it was brilliant to build a huge concert venue in the middle of nowhere with terrible, one-laned street access. Nice.

After two hours of sitting in a stifling hot car in a pair of my sister's very-hot-but-very-sexy Hudson jeans, I was ready to call off the whole show for which I'd been so excited for the past 48 hours. Fortunately, though, Adam kept his cool and even shared some with me and we made it to the venue just in time. Once we found our seats, which were remarkably good, the sun disappeared behind the mountain and we reveled in the cool evening air. As long as I'm complaining about the venue (which turned out to be not-so-bad in the end), may I add that after charging $4 per 20-ounce bottle of soda, the staff there had the audacity to place a tip jar right in our faces? Are you kidding me? Okay...enough ranting and on to the George!

Julianne Hough was the opening act and she was so much better than I expected her to be. I love her on "Dancing with the Stars" but was suspicious of her crossover into music. I hate it when the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Demi Lovato think that just because they're good at one thing, they're good at everything. After a few numbers, though, I was convinced that Hough really does have some pipes. Her stage presence was obviously fabulous, and she is just so tiny and cute. I even think I'd buy a few of her songs.

Blake Shelton was next on stage and he played a fairly good set. He is a true hick, I guess, and that kind of turned me off, but he played several songs I like and it was a good way to pass the time.

Only nine more days of these in my life...poor Adam can't get a break from studying for the Bar Exam!

George Strait entered the stage in the most non-dramatic fashion ever, but once all eleven of his band members were playing, the music was wonderful. He really is a charming gent, and it was fun to hear songs from every decade of his career. His fiddle player is my hero...he looks like he's 90 years old, but he could really smoke!

Adam and I both noticed how fantastic it was to be kid-free (thanks, Leslie!)...especially from one 14-month-old little boy who loves to run away and climb on everything. We had a grand evening and finished it all off with a dip in the hot tub (not a skinny one, but it was fun nonetheless). What a delightful night!