+ cool kid +

cute huh?

:: Utah Olympic Park ::

This past weekend we finally made it out to Park City to look at the Olympic Park from the Winter Olympic Games that Salt Lake City hosted in 2002. We took one of Danny's workmates who was visiting from Toowoomba & made an afternoon of it.

There were some aerial skier's practicing which was lots of fun to watch. Sorry about the blurry video quality... not sure what happened there.

The boys loved playing on this replica bobsled!

Some of the toys made for the games. 

Medals

Looking around...

Some of the Opening Ceremony props. They were amazing up close.

Interactive sking game downstairs.

This is why we will be snow snobs for the rest of our lives. Utah powder on the right, most other places on the left. Snowboarding just won't be the same anywhere else I don't think...

:: positive discipline ::

I have been working through some parenting shifts & picked out some random books from the library last week to browse. I wanted to share one of the gems that I found in case you were interested.

Positive Discipline A - Z by Nelson, Lott & Glenn shares some great ideas around parenting in a "kind but firm" way that is still respectful & focused on teaching life skills to your kids. They offer lots of real life examples, a planning ahead to prevent future problems section, life skills children can learn & parenting pointers for many different situations that parents are confronted with as their children grow. They address the differences in age for most topics as well which can be very helpful. 

Some of their resources are also available as an E-download if you are interested. 

I hope that you find it as helpful as I have!

:: my 2 sweet sons ::

I love these photos I took the other afternoon

At 20 months old Kael is turning into a cheeky, music & dancing loving boy who loves a cuddle & a story with his mama. He also loves copying anything & everything his big brother does, even if that includes climbing trees & riding bikes much too big for him. He is a bright spark who is sure of what he wants. He can also pull some very funny faces!

Jamin is a fast growing 3 & 3/4 year old. He has a soft, kind & loving heart and seems to want to outdo himself each day in how many times he can say 'i love you' & pick flowers for his mama. He delights in a family cuddle & loves playing hide & seek from Daddy when he hears him come home in the afternoon. He is the friendliest little boy, making new friends everywhere we go. Who could resist him?

They grow so very fast, don't they?

:: bear lake ::

Last weekend we ventured out of Salt Lake City to Bear Lake in the best camping conditions so far. It was warm, say 21'c, Kael was only mildly sick, our caravan was fixed and our destination was only 2 hours away. Of course the drive took more like 3 hours but it was so beautiful we hardly noticed. Here's our weekend in pictures. 

Jamin & Danny at the lookout

We went out for a ride in the afternoon, planning on heading to the lake, only to find that it had flooded the few beaches with the snow melt. So what did we do? Stopped for some famous Bear Lake Rasberry Shakes of course!

The gorgeous cherry blossom trees out the back of the Shake Shop were a lovely place to stop & relax.

Back at the campgrounds the boys & Danny went swimming. Kael loved it and now tries to take his shirt off any time he nears a body of water.

Swimming together

The next morning we set off for ride up to the Marina where we paddled in the vastly inferior 'beach' which was very cold with the snow melt from the mountains surrounding the lake.

Throwing sticks, skimming rocks - all the usual stuff when it comes to little boys & water.  And yes, there is still a fair bit of snow on the mountains.

Back at camp we packed up & hightailed it back to a gorgeous national park that we saw on the way in. We got the bikes out again & went for a very short-lived ride before Kael had a meltdown of epic proportions & we aborted for lunch & a sleep. This is where Jamin's "flowers for mummy" video was taken. 

Our spectacular lunch spot... 

... where we relaxed for a few hours. 

All in all, a very beautiful weekend full of great memories to take home with us. 

:: flowers 4 mummy ::

Most days I get flowers given to me by my sweet boy Jamin & Kael is starting to catch onto the idea too.

This weekend while we were away, we saw wild yellow flowers everywhere. It must be a start of spring thing over here... So Jamin has gone into flower picking overload for me, which I still melt from each & every single time.

On Sunday we stopped & went for a ride through some national forest on our way home from Bear Lake. Danny took this video which is just about the sweetest thing I've ever seen... although I admit I may be a little biased.

:: some old friends ::

Photo courtesy of Linda Moes - Oregan, U.S.A.

I have been feeling a little, no a lot, homesick in the last month or so. But I have gathered some very loved & cherished old friends around me to fill up the quieter hours of the day.

Can you guess who or what...?

Books.

Yes, books are my old cherished friends who warm my life up, even as I read the stories for the fourth, sixth & for some, the twelfth time. 

So are you interested to know which books I turn to when life is feeling a little grey & lonely?

Here's the list.

The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich

The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer

The Belgariad & Mallorean Series by David Eddings

Can you share some of your favourite books to read over & over again?
They may just help these last few months over here pass a little faster...