The Taj Mahal on Wheels....

In 2008 we decided we would look into getting a pop-up tent and start camping. Katie was 2 1/2 and Maggie was about 7mos old. We found a nice little rig on KSL Classifieds and decided to get it. This is us then....

About 2 years ago, we started thinking that our little rig wouldn't last us much longer as the kids got bigger. Jeff had to sleep diagonally on one bed, the girls were on the other, and I made out the table into a bed and slept there. One day, on our way home from Smith and Edwards (one of our favorite hangouts) we stopped by Ray Citte RV and there we saw it...

 The Rig of Dreams....

The Taj Mahal on Wheels....

The Rockwood 2318G!

It had all the options we wanted plus a bunch we didn't know we wanted! And the sticker price proved it. It was just a bit out of our price range then. But we started looking at rigs and for the next two years we surfed every RV maker and looked at pop-up tent specs. If it had the right bed size, it was too long to store in our garage. If it was short enough to store in our garage, it had small beds and not all the options we wanted. So we kept coming back to our "Rig of Dreams" and made the goal to upgrade for our 10th wedding anniversary (at the end of March).

The other day Jeff happened to be surfing the RV dealers and found that Travel Village here in town, had one one the lot- cool! And that is was on SALE for the up-coming RV show- really cool! And basically, we felt it was a deal that could not be passed up!

Jeff picked it up Wednesday afternoon and we spent Saturday cleaning out our small rig, loading our new rig, and taking lots of pictures. My parents and Jeff's parents came by to admire our new set-up. We already have camping sites reserved for early June and cannot wait to get out there and get camping!

Back side view- pop out kitchen table area-

Inside the door looking to the right- King bed, sink, stove, with a small fridge under stove-

Inside the door, opposite stove- No longer will I have to make the night time walks to the pit toilets- YAY!-

Across from the door- large kitchen table and looking left is a Queen bed-

Another view of stove/sink/fridge-

The proud owners-

We have exciting news!

KATIE IS ON TWO WHEELS!!!

I am so VERY proud of her! Last spring I bought I small bike off KSLclassifieds.com but I didn't really do much with it last summer. The bike did come with training wheels, but I took them off as I wanted her to learn how to balance. Fast forward to two weekends ago, and since it was 50 degrees outside, I said "Katie, get your shoes and jacket and meet me outside". We pumped up the tires, adjusted the seat, and reviewed some fundamentals. Oh she was resistant. She cried and cried. Wanted to go inside. I kept insisting that she stick it out. The tears slowed down and she finally started to be able to go short distances on her own after I got her a running start. I started screaming and jumping up and down. Katie started crying again. I said "Why the tears? you were riding!" Katie says "I'm crying tears of joy Mom". Awww.
The next weekend, we go out for another session. This time she's got it! We practice getting started by herself (as the leaning over to hang onto her bike was doing a number on my back) and trying to keep her balance. She is getting better everyday. Yesterday, I took her to the church parking lot and let her go. She was FABULOUS!! Every lap around the lot Katie got better and better at starting on her own, and using her hand brake to stop.
I am SO VERY PROUD of her. She has done amazing. And the cute thing is that riding her bike so well has given her extra confidence- especially when she hears of other kids in school who don't know how to ride yet.
CONGRATULATIONS KATIE!!!

Donuts!

I could go on and on about how I woke up at 6am, and mixed up some dough, and kneaded it, and rolled it out, etc. All in order to create these beautiful donuts this morning.....

BUT----
I didn't! I found a recipe to make donuts using a can of Pillsbury Grands biscuits (of all things)! If you google biscuit dough donuts it will give you several variations on a theme. But basically I used my electric skillet, turned it on to 350 degrees, filled it up with oil (about an inch), and once the holes are cut out of the biscuit you throw it in your pan and cook 1-2 minutes on each side. Once you take them out of the oil you drain them on some paper towels- top with glaze or toss them in a ziploc bag with a cinnamon/sugar mix (which is what we did). They were SO good!!! And EASY!!!
Katie, Maggie, and Jeff all gave their thumbs up!

And We're Back!

I took a little blog break, but that doesn't mean we've been sitting around! Katie got an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas and has really enjoyed baking treats for us. Here are some Red Velvet cupcakes she made, complete with frosting and sprinkles! She also got a cookbook of Easy Bake recipes and we have been making treats out of that. Much more economical than buying the mixes made for the Easy Bake Ovens...

The first week of January, Maggie started dance class. The same dance class Katie was in two years ago (geez, has it really been two years?!). Maggie LOVES to dance and is thrilled to be in a class. She looks forward to class day every week!

The girls also started back to swim classes at Murray Park Center. They LOVE swimming class. They may never be the next Esther Williams, but as long as they get comfortable and can navigate the water (unlike their mother) then I am happy!

I have been cleaning up my Craft Palace and practicing my free motion quilting. I made Maggie a couple of dolly quilts with some leftovers I had kicking around. 

So long, 2011!

We have had a wonderful year. We did not take a big trip this year, but took the girls to a couple of National Parks. They enjoyed completing the Jr Ranger requirements and receiving their badges. Katie started Kindergarten and is thriving! Maggie and Katie love to do things together and are great friends. We have had some great camping trips and welcomed a new puppy into our family. From our house to yours, we wish you a Wonderful, Healthy, and Happy 2012!

Fun with Geodes!

One of the gifts Katie got from Santa, was a "break your own geode" kit. This box has about 12 small geodes that you can crack. Jeff picked up some goggles for them and a rock hammer, and today they went to town and cracked about 6 of them. Katie was so excited! Then we all took turns with the magnifying glass to get a good close up view of the crystals on the inside. Santa also brought her a great book all about Rocks and Minerals and we have been learning some new things while reading that.

Christmas Day, 2011

Began at 4:45am. Katie came into our room and asked if Santa had shown yet. Um, kiddo, it's the middle of the night, go back to bed. She willingly did so, but you could hear here tinkering around in there. About an hour later, seeing as how we couldn't sleep either by this time, we decide to see if the girls wanted to check out the Santa loot. I went in to wake Maggie, and asked her if we should go see if Santa came. She says to me (still half asleep) "no I don't think he did". Then my question actually got through, at which point she jumps up and says "IT'S CHRISTMAS!". We collected the cameras, and then let them come down and tear into it. They were very thrilled with everything they got.

Then my mom and dad came over, as well as Jamie, Matt, Ella, and Eva. The girls were excited to see their cousins and exchange present details. After they left, we got ourselves in order to host a party for Jeff's side of the family. Christmas Day dinner was very low key, we got a couple of trays from Winco and I made a cranberry salad, and then our cookies that we decorated Friday evening. It's a very relaxed party and it was good seeing everyone.

Once our guests left, we went up to Jeff's parents house for more gifts and fun. They are always very generous and the girls both make out like bandits. One thing Jeff's mom does that I really LOVE is every year she makes a book about each of her grandkids. That is gift enough for me! Here is a shot of several of the books she has made, with the newest book having pink along the borders.

Once we finally got home those two kids got ready for bed quickly and essentially passed out! We had a wonderful Christmas Day.