Staheli Farm

Tuesday I took the babies on Nathan's class trip to Staheli Farm. At Staheli Farm they raise beef cattle. When Sophia went on this field trip, 2 years ago, she was full of comments for her classmates (she's as passionate as her parents about being a vegetarian). But not the buddy, he's kind and gentle and doesn't wanna stir up trouble. Luckily, Staheli Farm is a family-owned operation and at this farm they treat their animals well. However, I really wanted to liberate this sweet cow. I fell for him and spent some time petting his nose. Rachel loved being with the animals and running around. Children are so natural around animals (when they are raised with them). I'm grateful to be raising my kiddos with access to so many animals. Since we left the city (5 years ago) our family has grown closer and we are pleased to be living with so much open space and the knowledge than life can and should be simple and safe.

Salt Lake City

First stop, Liberty Park

Then Spaghetti Factory and a stroll thru Trolley Square

On Saturday we dropped Bishop off at City Pet Club for the night and headed to Litza's Pizza for lunch.

After pizza we went to Hogle Zoo.

After the Zoo we spent some time at Temple Square

We left SLC Sunday morning after we picked up Bishop. Instead of the normal route home we took Hwy 89. We stopped in Manti to see the Temple. We enjoyed a very unhealthy convenience store lunch picnic style on the grass near the majestic Temple.

Gym Germs

There aren't any cute pictures to post from last week. We were all sick. One by one we got the crazy sore-throat-huge tonsils-body-aching sickness. We didn't go anywhere or talk to anyone. I'm pretty sure we picked up these germs from the gym.
The best time for me to go to the gym is at 9:30 am. This is so I can wake up at a descent time (not 5:00 like before) and get Sophia and Emma June off to school. I take Nathan and Rachel to the gym childcare and I'm able to spend a

good 1 1/2 hours working out. I guess I could go to the 6:00 spin class and avoid taking the kids to the childcare, but it's just so hard for me to wake up. Pathetic, I know.

But, we survived, just in time for our planned trip to Salt Lake. I had a scheduled Dr's appt on Friday in Draper and thought it'd be fun to take the whole fam and go to the zoo over the weekend. Unfortunately, David got our sickness too on Thursday. He promised me that what he had was way worse than what I had (sure). But, he's a trooper and went along with us and had a good attitude. We're all better now :)

Kite Festival

I took the kids and a friend to the Kite Festival on Saturday. The weather was amazing! We met up with some friends and ate snow cones on the grass and jumped in jump houses. We turned in our reading logs and got our free kites. After the festival we took our friend home then picked up Gigi and went to Dennys for dinner.

Emily Rigby Meet Emily Rigby

This is my dear friend Emily Rigby. I adore her for countless reasons.

She taught me to can corn.

Emily Rigby is a traditional girl who cans corn and fruit, makes applesauce and her own maple syrup. She has a great story about riding her bike thru the Logan snow, while pregnant, to find her husband, who was working on the dairy farm to tell him about something that had happened. I forgot the whole point to that story, I just love the image of a very pregnant girl riding a bike in the snow in her pjs. When Emily and Brian first got married he gave her a pig as a gift (if I can remember correctly). Emily Rigby can do the worm better than ANYONE!!
She is also famous, to me, for coining the phrase about her children, "pecking her like chickens." It wasn't until I had chickens that I could truly appreciate the
accuracy of that statement.
The most important thing about Emily Rigby is her love for people. She has the ability to make everyone around her feel important and special. She has a pure, unconditional love for people and it's contagious. Like the time when she had all her kids in the car and she gave a homeless man a ride across town. Apparently he smelled so bad that all four kids in the backseat had to plug their nose.

Naming a chick after Emily Rigby is the least I could do.