New House

The good new is that we finally moved into our new house, and I am proud to admit it is 99% put away and organized.  The house is more space than we need , however it is a possible buy out so I thought it would be great not to have to move again, and we couldn't beat the location.  It is right between the payson and Sandy offices. 

 

The house comes with a lot of extras. Extra rooms, extra space, an extra kitchen and even extra kids. apparently the whole neighborhood lives at this house.  Everyday there are kids knocking on the door to see if we can play. Its nice that there are built in friends here and my kids don't have to go looking for them.  Its also nice that I can keep an eye on everything they are doing.  We did have to put up a sign that say "The stringhams can't play until this sign is removed"

because one day I came out of my room in the morning and found 7 kids that weren't mine playing in the house.  Another extra is pets. All the neighbors have pets so the kids get their fill and don't ask for one of their own. My favorite extra is land.  This house is on a half acre so there is a great backyard!!!  You know me I love a great back yard. 

The bad new is with all this moving I broke my hand.  With all the moving of  boxes and heavy lifting and me trying to do it all myself. (I know its a flaw of mine) I created a few stress fractures. 

It all started with me smashing my hand while trying to carry a box a little too heavy for me, then me ignoring the pain and continuing to use it.  After a week of it not getting any better I finally went into urgent care where I was x-rayed and told the good news.  Now I have to go see the orthopedic specialist to make sure I didn't do any permanent damage.  Hopefully I get to stick with the brace and don't need a cast.  the Dr. instructed me to stop using my hand, but I am finding that almost impossible to do.

foam day

 Foam Day was a fun new adventure.  In the city of  Lehi they have what it known as foam day.  Its free!!  And I am all about free.  Something the city puts on they have these special guns that just shoot out tons of foam.  They had an area roped off so they could build up the foam so that it went over my head.  They did have and area for the little ones so they wouldn't get trampled in the blinding foam. When there seemed to be enough foam they let us all in and just play in the foam till our hearts content.  The foam gun continually added to the foam pile.
It was interesting to see the kids reactions.  They either loved it or hated it.  My kids all loved it.  One of my nephews on the other hand seemed terrified, even when his dad was holding him. 
When you were all done with the foam they had fire trucks with their ladders elevated and hoses spraying down like a giant shower. ( The hoses were not anywhere near full power.  It was more like a really thick mist.)
They also had free watermelon and other arts and craft type booths.  It was all so much fun to swim in the foam.  I will defiantly be going again.

Splash pad

 

To beat the summer heat my sister Amy and I headed off to one of Utahs splash pads.  Basically interactive water playground.  The water was cold but the sun was hot so eveything evened out. The setting was really pretty. I didn't realize how much I missed the mountains until I have them right in my backyard. They really are beautiful. Its hard to see their size in the picture but they are quite impressive.

Back to the splash pad.  The great thing about this one is that its connected to a park with a great playground filled with all kinds of spinnies. (things that spin)  Peter just loved this green bucket spinner.  He didn't want to let anyone else have a turn.

Little Mermaid

while we were in St. george my sisters, mom, dad and I went to the little mermaid at Tuachaun theater.  Can I just say amazing.  The story was basically the little Mermaid with a twist but the great thing was the set.  Its background was BEAUTIFUL. The stage is outdoor. The red mountains towered over us it was really quite amazing.  It all started with a little waterfall coming off the mountain that grew as the music swelled.  The water overflowed out of its little pond/pool and spilled onto the stage, covering the entire stage in a sheet of water.  Quite a way to start a show.  One ingenious thing was how the actors "swam"  Every one was wearing Heelys so they just glided across the stage as graceful as if they were really in the water. Another awsome thing was the sheet of water they had falling down from the rafters and they projected pictures on the water.  For instance when Eric was tossed overboard and sinking in the ocean he was suspended in a harness and they projected fish on the wall of water which made him look like he was really sinking. Pretty Cool.

Family Reunion

 

So we had a family reunion in St. George. YAY !!!

I was so excited to see family and have fun. Just what I needed to help deal with the stress of trying to move.  Although. . .  It was schedule right in the middle of the move.  Not ideal for scheduling but whatever I was still good to go.  We all headed out to this big house with a pool right on a golf course that my  parents rented. It was a great space for our WHOLE crew. (I have 7 bros & sis who each have kids.)

We tried to have a theme for each day, tried being the operative word.  There was just so much to do, and so many cousins to play with, and swimming to do.  Some successful days were mermaid day, and pirate day. We had octopus and seaweed for lunch. (hotdogs and raman noodles colored green) A treasure hunt was  a must for pirate day which was done with flashlights to make it soooo much better. Out of 20 grandkids only 6 are girls. With all those boys flashlights are a MUST.
My favorite part was the lake.  We went to sand Hollow.  It was kind of like a mini Lake Powell which we used to go to every year.  As I was crusing on the wave runner with the wind in my hair the spray on my face and the beautiful red rocks and sand all around It felt like those Lake Powell days all over again. We all had a great time driving boats, jumping off rocks, playing volleyball, swimming, and basking in the sunshine

Grandpa also brought the 4-wheelers but it was too hot to ride.  Everyone had a great time and it didn't seem enough so we had to spend one more day at the lake.  This time Scott couldn't go with us :(  He had to fly back to California to work.

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Good bye house

Good bye house.  We have had some great times in you.  Lots of fun parties, and then good naps afterwards. Such a great yard to spend the day in playing kickball and teaching my children how to share  and play catch.  It was really fun to paint you with colors and pictures that made my children happy.  You were a wonderful place to call home, where children learned the value of work, the enjoyment of cooking and the safety of HOME.  We will miss you house. May your new family enjoy you as we did.

Good bye Beach

The beach has been such therapy for me and my kids.We visited it for the last time and it was sorely needed. Whenever I am too stressed out we head to the beach. There is just something about the warmth of the sun, the grit of the sand, the brush of wind, and the sound of the waves that is just so calming. It may also have to do with the fact that its cheap (free), my kids love it and
don't need much involvment on my part so I can actually relax.
I will miss you beach. Who else is going to wash all my stress away by just being there?
So fare the well my beloved beach. I hope to come visit you.