Labor Day in Utah, Star Student & Poor Lonely Choncho

Ever since I can remember my parents have hosted the Neider Family Reunion at their house almost every year. It is usually around the 4th of July, but this year it was the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. When my mom told me the date, I knew we wouldn't be able to sacrifice any school absences to attend. On Friday morning of Labor Day weekend, Rob woke up and said, "Why don't we just make a quick trip to Utah for the weekend?". My first response was, "You're nuts! A 10 1/2 hour drive each way for a weekend trip???" After first questioning the sanity of his suggestion, I quickly agreed that it would be fun and I was on board. We hadn't surprised our kids with a trip to Utah for a while since they have gotten smarter. I knew it would take me a couple hours to get ready, so I sent the kids off to school with them not knowing we were going anywhere. (I was also hoping if I checked them out at noon, we would only get a half day absence instead of a full day:) The girls knew our friends were going to Lake Powell for the weekend, and since our girls have never been there, we told them we were going to Lake Powell and that it was on the way to Utah. It worked beautifully until about Fillmore (about 2 hours away from my parents) when Alyssa asked me if she could play with my iphone. As she was playing, my sister sent me a text message asking when we were going to be arriving. All you iphone users know that when you get a message from someone, above the new message is all of the past messages that you have exchanged with the sender. Alyssa read off all of the messages to Brooklyn...including the one that I wrote to my sister saying, "My kids have no idea we are coming to Utah...they think we are going to Lake Powell." Luckily Ashley was asleep so we could still have one surprise. We also hadn't told my parents or grandparents that we would be in town for the reunion. We stayed at my sisters house that night when we got in town and Ashley was so funny because after we had been there about 15 minutes, we started talking about surprising my parents at their house in the morning. Ashley piped into the conversation and said, "We're going to Utah tomorrow???" My sister only lives about 15 minutes from my parent's house, so apparently Ash isn't as quick as I though she was:) I guess that makes for great surprises:) When we got up to my parent's house Saturday morning, my parents were both gone. We all hid down in the backyard and surprised my mom when she went into the backyard frantically looking for my niece that she thought was lost (thanks for the trick Natalie:) I will say that my mom screamed like a little girl when she saw all of us! My dad's cousin, Cory, has an awesome band that played for us Saturday night.

My niece, Amber, is quite the dancer! She had to ditch the Princess Belle dress so that she could show us all of her SEXY moves:)
The lead singer of the band decided she needed to teach us all how to dance...Some of us Clarks are extreme introverts!!! I always think my dad is, until we do something like this. He was just like the other Neiders out there on the dance floor:)
Ashley is another grandchild that knows how to dance:)
The kids doing their own routine

Brooklyn decided she would look better sitting on the chair most of the time:)

Kinzie teaching Hunter how to dance

Rob and my brother Ryan took Cooper and Hunter out on Ryan's rhino one morning. Hunter had so much fun just being a boy...That isn't always easy in our house:(

These boys thought they were so cool with their helmets on:)

Buddies

Cooper is all boy throwing the stick in the lake.

Rob and Hunter...Both are dreaming of owning their own rhino:)

I'm glad Hunter can raise his arms in a rhino, because he would NEVER do this on a roller coaster:)

A couple of weeks before we arrived, my sister-in-law Stephanie had their 3rd baby. His name is Colton and he is so beautiful and so sweet! Yes Ryan, I called your son beautiful:)

Ashley was star student this month.

Hunter's new favorite toy is my iphone. He loves to play games on it...I'm not quite sure why he likes to play it sitting under the bar stool, but here he is:)

Hunter staring over the fence into the park behind us. I don't know if he was watching all of the cool boys playing football, or maybe he was checking out the girls??? He is getting better at entertaining himself since all three girls are in school all day.

Happy Birthday to Me!

For my birthday this year we decided to go to a local resort for the weekend before my birthday. We went to the Squaw Peak Hilton where they have a great water park complete with a lazy river and water slide. Hunter wasn't quite tall enough for the water slides, however, the girls had a blast...Rob and I only lasted a few times. Alyssa and Ashley could have spent all day on the slide:)
The girls playing under the waterfall

The hotel was having a Hawaiian themed weekend with a luau and fun games for the kids. They each got to take a turn at pineapple bowling using coconuts to knock over the pineapples. Ashley threw hers so hard the coconut broke in half.

Alyssa tried really hard to knock them all down:)

Hunter ditched his water wings on the first day of our trip. Rob and I were amazed to see that he can actually swim without them. He has turned in to quite the fish now...He jumps off of the waterfall in our pool and can swim to the side without any help. It is such a relief each time one of my kids has learned to swim on their own!!!

Brooklyn managed to avoid the camera most of the weekend...We finally got a picture of her laying out:)

Alyssa and Hunter spent about an hour breaking part of a coconut into tiny pieces to use as "moisturizer". They even brought some back to the hotel and added it to all of the shampoo and lotion bottles...I'm glad I brought my own!!!

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with my birthday, but I'm posting it anyway:) My girls love to play school and it actually comes in handy sometimes. This is Alyssa going over Ashley's sight words with her. Hopefully Choncho will learn them too:)

On the day of my birthday, I went to lunch with some of my friends. When I came home, Rob had decorated the house with streamers and balloons...Isn't that so sweet?!!!

He also ordered this cute cake for me. Thanks for the great birthday Rob!!!

Best Anniversary Ever!!!

Rob and I have now been married 13 amazing years! This year Rob had to leave the country on a late night flight the day of our anniversary. Because of this, Rob and I celebrated our anniversary the day before. The kids wanted to surprise us with a "romantic" evening before Rob left town. They started planning early in the morning and kept all the details mum, except that we were going to have a romantic dinner on the patio...complete with dessert. They set up on the patio in the backyard and closed all the blinds so we couldn't see what they were doing.

This is the sign that they made...complete with a stand and balloons. I love the way Alyssa spelled anniversary:)

The girls got our card table out of our garage and set up this "romantic" table for us to eat dinner on. They even brought out my ipod with speakers and had the song "Everything I do, I do it for You" playing for us. I especially liked the shoe box lids they used to put the silverware in:)
This was the card they made for us

Here is Rob and I eating our dinner. Brooklyn kept peeking through the blinds trying to get a picture of us kissing...Sorry Brooklyn, we did it while you weren't looking:)

The girls were terrific servers for us. Rob and I were almost in tears it was so adorable!

Alyssa made this for Rob as a present. She also bought us a box of Nerds to share along with a card she bought at Trader Joes. We had gone to Target earlier in the day to get a few things. Alyssa stood in line after us with her money and told me she was going to buy herself some candy. This is quite common because Alyssa has a sweet tooth...Candy is one of the few things she will actually spend her money on:) She is so sneaky, we had no idea those Nerds were actually for us...Thanks Lulu!!!

Alyssa ended our evening by doing a "show". She danced and did some tumbling for all of us:) The only thing as good as being married to Rob for the past 13 years, is having 4 wonderful kids to go along with it:)

Okay...Okay...Here is the Picture of Rob

There was a little confusion on which way he was supposed to point his toes...up, or down...:) Down was what he chose:)

First Day of School & FHE at the Lake

All three of my girls started school yesterday and since Ashley is now in 1st grade, they are all in school ALL day:( I'm one of those moms that dread sending my kids to school! I love having them home all the time and Hunter misses having three playmates...Even when they do make him play Barbies:( The only bright side to Hunter being alone, is now hopefully I can reverse the damage that was done over the summer with him being dressed up like a girl and having his toe nails painted...YIKES! He was so sad to have the girls leave yesterday. As we were loading up their backpacks with snacks and their lunch boxes, Hunter kept saying, "Me...unch. Me....nack. Me...school." (Yes, he does speak on occasion:) He ran around the house carrying a bag of chips and a bag of cookies. Ashley said our family prayer before leaving for school and she said, "Bless Choncho not to miss us today and not to cry...and bless that I won't miss Choncho..." It was very cute! Luckily, all went well, and aside from a lot of tears (from me), the girls all had a great day first day!
Hunter with his "nacks"
Ashley and her BFF Hannah

After school we headed to the lake with our friends. Normally the front of the boat would be a pretty safe place for all of these kids (and Sarah) to be sitting. Not the case last night...These kids had to dodge flying objects twice. The first time was a flying sandwich...That's right, a sandwich. Sam pushed Derek into the lake while he was eating his sandwich, but no worries...Derek managed to throw his sandwich to keep it from suffering from the same fate that he did by falling into the lake:) I don't know if he just wanted so badly to finish the last inch of it, or if he was afraid the fish might choke on the turkey and lettuce...Who knows:)??? The second flying object was the tow rope that Rob was using to wake board. He let go of it during an unsuccessful wake boarding attempt and it flung all the way the the front of the boat and hit Alyssa's leg:(

Besides driving for a little while, this is what Hunter spent most of his time doing. Just hanging out.

Last night everyone took their turn wake boarding (except Brooklyn and Hunter). Brooklyn had regrets the whole drive home for not giving it a shot. Sam went first and showed us all how it was done.

Alyssa went next and she tried...and tried...and tried. She finally got up for a minute...

but, quickly crashed:(

Derek went next and made it looks so easy...

Since I was able to get up on water skis last time, I decided to give it a try. On the 3rd attempt, I did it. I was up for quite a while and even crossed the wake...I didn't realize I was as scared as I look in this picture:)

Rob actually followed me, but I have been warned not to post the awesome picture I have of him wake boarding:)...So, Hannah gets the next picture. She was up for a second, but didn't like crashing:(

Ashley was the biggest surprise of all. Derek got in the water with her to help her get situated and keep her in the right position. He stayed in the water with her because we all assumed she would crash and burn like the other girls. She got up on her 2nd try and kept going...and going...and going. She even managed to stay on while Rob turned around to go back to Derek. It was so funny because she sat in this position the entire time...She never stood up:) In Sam's words, "That was AWESOME!"

Disneyland & Newport Beach

For our last big vacation before school starts, we spent last week in California at Disneyland and Newport Beach. This is the kids and I on the parking lot shuttle on our first day at Disneyland. Every night when we would take this shuttle back to our car, Rob and I had to laugh. On the way into Disneyland EVERYONE is smiling...at night on the way out, NOBODY is smiling. Most the kids are half asleep and the parents all looked exhausted. Our kids did really well this time and we stayed each night until about 11:30 pm. It was so much fun!!!It doesn't matter how many times our kids go on the Haunted Mansion ride, they are still scared. Brooklyn and Hunter most of all:) Brooklyn is always on the verge of tears before the ride even starts:) The second time we went on this ride, Hunter pretended like he was asleep as soon as we got in line. He was so convincing, I really thought he was asleep. He had his eyes softly closed and his head on Rob's shoulder throughout the entire ride. As soon as we were done, Hunter perked up smiling and said, "Done!" That's one way to not get scared in the Haunted Mansion:)

Ashley, Brooklyn, and Alyssa waiting for their mozzarella sticks...YUM!
I don't even know how Rob managed to take pictures of the fireworks because we never actually stop to watch them. This is the best time to ride all of the rides in Adventureland...Really short lines!

Hunter all ready to go to Disneyland with his Mickey Mouse ears and his Lightning McQueen shirt. "Ca-chow"!

Rob held up our Small World boat so that he could get a picture of us:) I love this ride!

We had a yummy dinner at ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney. It was soooo nice to be in an well air-conditioned restaurant!

The kids all really thought they had a driver's license for the day! Alyssa still has her driver's license in her wallet:)
Autopia was one of Hunter's favorite rides. He drove the first half of the track until it got too crazy...then I took over. I don't even think he could see over the steering wheel, but he had a blast!

Brooklyn was nice enough to let Ashley steer while Brooklyn controlled the gas...She is such a nice big sister!!!

Rob was the lucky one to be the passenger in Alyssa's car this time (I was in it last time...WHIP-LASH!!!) Apparently she did better this time...no complaints from Rob:)

While Rob and the girls went on Splash Mountain, Hunter and I rode Winnie the Pooh over and over and over again. There was no line, so we just stayed on and went around and around. After 4 times, we got off and grabbed a treat at the candy store and did a little people-watching...well, I did...Hunter just stared at Winnie the Pooh as if he hadn't had enough:)

On Friday we ate at Joe's Crab Shack before we headed to Disneyland. The kids were fascinated by the employees dancing around the restaurant.

It is rare to have Rob and I both in a picture...It is nice to have kids old enough to take pictures:)

We spent all day Friday at California Adventures. Hunter was so excited to get his picture taken with Sully!

Another photo-op...Brooklyn is even covering her mouth pretending to be scared:)

This was the highlight of our trip from Hunter...LIGHTNING MCQUEEN:)

While the girls and I went on the Jellyfish Drop, Hunter polished off a bag of cotton candy.

The kids with their bug glasses on ready for the Bug's Life 3-D. This was the first time Hunter actually kept his glasses on the whole time...He loved it!

I love the little caterpillar ride!

Hunter carrying on his tradition of burying his cars in the sand. He wanted this yellow bus from the surf shop because it had a peace sign on it. Are anyone's kids obsessed with peace signs right now, or is it just mine? I took the kids shopping at Fashion Island Mall in Newport, and every time we passed a shirt with a peace sign, Hunter and Ash would point and yell, "Peace!"

The waves were so big at Newport Beach, the kids spent a lot of their time digging in the sand. I've never seen the lifeguards have to run into the water so many times to save someone from drowning.

Alyssa throwing a football to Rob

Since we were about the only ones at our hotel with children, we had the pool all to ourselves:)

The Hyatt that we stayed at had a glass elevator on the outside of the building. My kids were scared by this almost as much as the Tower of Terror:) Yet, every time we took the elevator, this is the one they wanted to go on.

I am sooooooo sad that school is starting in a week and a half:( Now I'm going to have to start keeping track of absences again:(

Alyssa's Baptism and Boating with Friends

Last weekend Alyssa made the decision to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are so proud of her for being such a good example to her little sister and brother. She looked so beautiful in her baptism dress!Alyssa was the first baptism this day and when it came time to go to the font for the baptism, a lot of the water had drained out. The drain was broken and it was emptying quickly. There wasn't enough water for Rob to stand as he baptized her, so he had to kneel:)
Afterwards, all of our family members in attendance came over to our house for lunch. It was a very special day for our sweet little Lulu!
Yesterday some friends of ours took us boating at Saguaro Lake. We had a blast! They have this tube that all of the kids could ride on (and Rob), and it never once tipped over...Very cool! Doesn't Rob look like a giant surrounded by all of those tiny kids?!!! I think he is having the most fun of all:) Hunter didn't like it very much...He only lasted a few minutes. He didn't leave my lap for most of the day.

The kids had a lot more fun after Rob and Hunter got off the raft. Derek couldn't drive fast enough for them:)...especially Sam!

Grace didn't want anything to do with the raft, but she sure loved driving the boat!

This is the closest anyone came to being dumped off the tube. Unfortunately the boat hit a bump at the same time, so this is the best picture we got of Alyssa's feet flying up in the air. Sam fell off right as the boat stopped...He says it was intentional:)

Studly Sam showed us all how to water ski

Alyssa was the only one of my kids that volunteered to learn. After her lesson from Derek, she gave it a shot. She was struggling with getting her skis facing the boat with the tips out of the water. A few minutes later she yelled, "Apparently this isn't working!!!" She finally got her skis straight and got up for a second or two:)

Right before she crashed:)...Look at that smile!

Rob was great at water skiing! He is still a little bent out of shape that he never got his water skiing merit badge because he couldn't slalom. I wonder if he could still get it???

I have NEVER been able to get up on water skis. I tried and tried as a kid and was never successful. Derek promised me he would be able to get me up and he did. I didn't stay up for very long, but I was definitely up:) Lucky for me, all of the pictures Rob took were blurry. He must not have been able to keep the camera steady out of excitement seeing me water ski:)