Moab Giants

Since we were heading up to Utah Valley to attend cousin Emma's baptism and to drop Curtis off with his parents, we decided to make a small vacation out of it. We left home as early as we could so we could get to Moab right when Moab Giants Museum opened. We wanted to be able to walk around and see all the replicas without getting heatstroke. Even at 10 am it was really hot. 

This museum is very new, having just opened in the last year. We watched it being built and when we saw the large replica dinosaurs out on the grounds, we knew it was something we were eventually going to spend the money to go to. 

Fortunately for us, they have a 'locals discount' that allowed our whole family to get in for under $40. For a family our size, that's a real bargain. (last year it cost us about $120 to get into the aquarium in SLC) We did the Dinosaur Walk first thing, then went back and watched the movie and went into the actual museum part. Then we went into the gift shop and bought some souvenirs. I was surprised that even their gift shop prices were not extreme, it seemed quite reasonable to me. They also have a cafe, which looked like it had good food, but we didn't go into it. Maybe next time.

Here are some fun photos of our adventures:

The gang just inside the gates, ready to go...

The whole thing revolves around dinosaur tracks and how they formed and created. 

Every different replica has a placard to explain what type of track it is and gives an example of the type/species of dinosaur that would make that kind of track.

Sadie channeling her inner 'raptor' 

Just the right height for a 'smooch'!

I was blown away by the size of this one...

I absolutely can't imagine being near a live creature this size. The ground would've literally shook with each step...

And can you imagine the size of it's 'cow-pies'?

Had to do a little cheer stunting to be able to reach the tip of its tail...

They had a few places set up for fossil digging. There were misting stations for the waiting and watching parents. It was a very welcome thing.

The salt cedar was in bloom....I love the color and feathery nature of its blooms.

Had to do a little rodeoing on the Triceratops. I loved that there were some replicas that were open for touching and climbing on for photo opps. That made it a lot more fun.

Charlie going for his 8 seconds...

Soren trying to stay on his wild mount...

James wasn't too sure about being in the 'hot' seat.

It really was hot and was hurting his legs...

Sadie was pretty comfortable on hers...

Hannah was multi-tasking...yoga and rodeo at the same time...

I've seen large skeleton exhibits before but to be able to see a fully fleshed replica was incredible. I'm so glad they are extinct. I would hate to have run into any one of them...herbivore or carnivore.

This was the final replica, the piece de resistance....The T-Rex

Can you just imagine that thing chasing you?

I loved how they put it in a perfect place for a great photo. 

I thought the kids did a great job 'running' away.

Sadie seems to know something Cambria does not!

Soren and I were in trouble....he was catching up with us fast...

They had a playground and some other fun things to climb around on....

Sadie trying desperately to save Hannah

Charlie doesn't look too scared for being in a T-Rex's mouth...

Looks like he got Sadie, too.

Soren trying to escape

They had some really cool exhibits inside the museum. This one was really fun for the kids. It had a couple of games that were projected onto the floor, one was Tic Tac Toe, and the other was a track recognition and trail game.  It had some other interactive things, like you stand near an exhibit and act like you're trying to catch little dinosaurs as they run past. The other people can stand by a monitor and see you on screen as you try to catch the little CG dinosaurs. 

Hannah and Soren playing Tic Tac Toe

James doing one of the other activities

They also have a short 3D movie about the creation and evolution of the earth. Of course, it is depicted from an evolutionist viewpoint. But the 3D graphics were cool and don't we look cool in our sweet shades?
(We often talk about creation and evolution. I don't know what processes Heavenly Father used to create and shape this earth, nor how long it took, and it could very well have happened exactly like the scientists think. But we always emphasize that the earth was created by Heavenly Father for a purpose and that was for his children, who we are.)

My crew waiting for the movie to start

The glasses were a bit large for James' head....

I would not include this picture but James wanted to take a picture of me so I thought I would put it on this post. I think he did all right, even though he so wonderfully captured my extra chins. ;)

this is a much better angle

They also had this cool swing in the playground. All of my kids who tried it declared that we need to put on in the backyard, or in their bedroom!

Soren 

Isn't he dressed well for Moab? A black T-shirt and dark gray sweatpants???

Hannah

Cambria and Hannah

James

We had a blast at this attraction and I'm glad we took the time and shelled out the money to visit. It was well worth all that we spent! I hope we'll be able to go again when they get their 5D aquarium opened up. #MoabGiants

Hannah gets Braces

We finally got things in order to get started on braces for Hannah. It's been a long 5 years to get to this point. The day after James was born Curtis took her in to a dental appt to have a baby tooth extracted. When she came home, I looked at the tooth she had and it was not a baby tooth. It was a permanent bicuspid. Oh, I was livid. I marched myself right down there and asked them what in the world had happened. They tried to placate me and tell me it was a baby tooth, which made me even more MAD!  I told them to not lie to me, that I had worked as a dental assistant and I KNEW a permanent tooth when I saw one. 

The dentist finally explained that after looking at her mouth he came to the conclusion that she would not have enough room for all her adult teeth and was looking at orthodontia anyway, so he removed that tooth to allow space for the others to come in. I accepted that and life went on…

However, as the years went by, it became apparent that she would have had room for that tooth and now had too much space in her teeth and we had to figure out how to correct that. We got ortho consultations and were going to get started last fall but then we had car trouble in Idaho and that pushed off getting her started until this spring. We chose to go to an orthodontist who is from Utah County but comes to Moab monthly, since it's likely she'll still be in braces when she leaves for college. I imagine she might end up along the Wasatch front for school so she can still be seen in their offices there. That's my best guess and hope.

Anyway, March 18 was the big day! She, Cambria and I drove to Moab to get her brackets on. It didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would since everything is just bonded on these days and they don't use the ones that go around the teeth anymore. Afterwards she took some Advil and we stopped at the frozen yogurt place for a treat before heading home. 

She's going to have a little more sparkle in her smile for the next 18 months. 

See the marks on her lips from the retractors? looks a bit like baseball seams. LOL

She's pretty excited about having straight teeth with no gaps. She hasn't had them adjusted yet! Wonder if she'll be so excited about it then. ;)

Curtis and I get away

Last weekend, before Spring Break, Curtis and I had planned to take Ford, Shiala and Kami up to Orem to pick up their car that was up there being repaired. So on Friday evening we picked them up and headed north. We had not even gotten to Moab when Ford got a message from the mechanic that said they weren't able to have it ready for pick up yet, due to some problems with parts. So......

The crew in the back seat! Poor Kami was almost asleep at this point. 

The sunset, unfiltered, in Moab from the parking lot of the restaurant.

We stopped in Moab and decided to eat while we figured out what to do next. We had some yummy food at The Branding Iron and made arrangements for Cambria to drive to Wilson Arch to meet us and take them back to Monticello. Curtis and I had already reserved our hotel rooms so we decided to take the weekend and go anyway.

Shiala trying to decide what to order...so many yummy choices :)

Cute girl!

We got to Provo late and just enjoyed our weekend. We had no plans, Curtis just said I could do what I wanted and he would tag along, since I usually don't get to browse/shop when all the kids are in tow. I dragged him through Tai Pan Trading Co, where I found an awesome aqua blue cupcake stand and some fake lemons to put on it in my gray, aqua and yellow kitchen! I then also dragged him through Hobby Lobby and to the Wood Connection where I purchased a couple of items to paint.

On Saturday, we drove up to Riverton area to meet up with Jordan, Lindsey and Emerson who had come down to see Lindsey's sister's new baby. We met them at The Olive Garden and had a yummy dinner. It was very busy. Everywhere was busy. I'm thankful to be out of that rat race!

Emerson was having a good time poking at this little computer thing on the table...

On Sunday we went to Church with Nicole's family and spent the day with them. They are always so good to let us spend time with them. On Monday, we did a bit of Sam's Club shopping and then headed home. We stopped at Zupas in Spanish Fork for lunch before heading into the canyon. I was able to get my favorite salad and sandwich and chocolate-dipped strawberry! I love the Nuts About Berries salad and the Turkey Artichoke sandwich. Yummmm. Curtis was generous enough to also give me his strawberry. ;)

De-lish!

I'm sorry our plan to help Ford and Shiala out didn't work out, but I'm glad we were still able to go and enjoy our weekend. I love that my hubby is also my bestest friend and there is no one in the world I would rather spend time with than him. I'm thankful that after many long years of little kids in the house, I now have some old enough to take care of everyone and we can sneak away once in a while.

Be careful what you wish for!

Wednesday, July 29, started out like any other day. Shiala and I were out and on our way back home we saw some cows on the road near our driveway. I saw Allie's truck there and knew they were her calves. We drove into our driveway and went up to see if we could help her get them back in the fence. She said she had called her mom and dad and was waiting for them to come help. We helped her keep them from wandering further. A cat came out of the bushes from the Forest Service workers' living area. The cat came up to the calves and decided it really liked one of them but hissed at the other one. we kept trying to shoo it away but it was very persistent. After Jim and Karla came up and got the calves moving back down the hill to the gate, the cat followed Shiala and I to my house. I kept trying to get rid of it, but it would NOT go away. In fact, it chased off my cats and took over the place like it owned it. I was at a loss as to what to do. At one point, I picked it up and chucked it but it came back.
Sadie came out and she said to me, "Mom, I think it's pregnant." and all of a sudden a light went off in my head. I had seen some fluid leaking from it's hind end and I had thought to myself what a fat cat it was.  Then I felt really bad, realizing that it was not only pregnant, but in labor. I quickly rounded up a cardboard box and an old towel and put it on the porch in the shade. She climbed in and lay there as we watched the contractions ripple through her sides.
By 5 pm she had given birth to 3 little clones of herself. All of them were mostly black with white on their faces and paws. She was an excellent mother, and I doubt this was her first delivery. She knew exactly what to do and never made a peep.
I was not too thrilled with the thought of having to find four cats homes. That is so hard for me, always wondering if they went to a good home or were abused. But I could not turn her and her kittens out. Our own cats would have killed the kittens, so the garage became the nursery for this new little family. The mother cat was so very attentive and loving. I fed her eggs and gave her lots of fresh air and time outside. We kept them in the garage until the middle of September.

look at that sweet little face

about one week old

eyes are open now and they are exploring their home

mama cat

because they are all the same color it's sure hard to see all the babies and make sure she's not lying on them.

James and his buddy

he liked playing with them while everyone else was at school

getting bigger

There are so many places to play and hide in our messy garage, they really liked the Washoe game

gotcha!

The kitten on the top is Fluffernutter, the only one we kept. 

The day after these pictures were taken we were down to one kitten. Charles came home from school and went to the garage to play with the kittens. He came running back in and said that the kittens were dead. I thought surely he was mistaken, but he was not. Two of the kittens had just curled up next to each other and died. They looked like they just fell asleep. I wracked my brain trying to figure out what they might have gotten into. I had had a box of various cans of stuff in there and there was some bug spray. I don't know if they licked it or if it was something else. I moved that box into a room where the last kitten could not get to it. I cried every time I thought about those poor babies. I had moved them into the garage to protect them and it hadn't worked, and in fact, might have been the cause of their deaths. I did take solace in the fact that I had two less kittens to find homes for. A month or so later, the mama cat just took off one day and has not come back. So we came out of the deal with one little female cat. We have tried to find another home for her but no one has been interested. She is a beautiful little longhaired cat and is a good mouser so I guess she's meant to be ours.

The moral of this story is to be careful what you wish for. It was not more than a week or ten days before the mama cat showed up that I had thought to myself that I wished all our cats weren't sterilized, as I thought it would be good for the boys to have a kitten experience. Curtis told me I had wasted my wishes and should have wished for a million $,$$$,$$$!

We are actually down to three cats because Orange Julius took off this summer and we have not seen him since. He probably picked the wrong tom to fight with. Callie was chased off by the mama cat and her own MamaLou. I hope she found a more hospitable home.