The Living Planet Aquarium

A few weeks ago, I took the boys to The Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy. I have been wanting to go for awhile and finally did over the Christmas break. I wasn't really that impressed. I don't know what I was expecting. It's not like Utah is next to an ocean and they can't exactly have anything close to Sea World in this kind of weather. I feel like they could have done better though. Well, I guess in all fairness the kids had a blast and that's all that matters. Even if it cost the same as getting into the zoo and the zoo is way cooler!

We made the journey with Laura, Peyton, and Bailey.

Landen does this pose when he needs to go to the bathroom although he will never admit it!

Tanner loved the fish! Ok, not really. He didn't care much, but he did great hanging out in his stroller.

Here's Gage scoping out the Sting Ray. I can't believe he touched one!

Bailey and Tanner. Aren't they cute?

It didn't take long at all for the boys to start touching things. Gross! I didn't dare.

Gage was a lot more daring than Landen. He kept wanting to go back and touch the sea creatures.

It wouldn't be an outing with my boys without an attempt at a family picture!

Merry Christmas 2008!!!

Our family had a great Christmas and it started at my parent's house on Christmas Eve. We celebrated with the entire Zampedri clan until about 6pm. Then my parents, siblings, and I exchanged gifts later that night. This year we had the webcam going so my sister Brandy and her family could join in.

My dad gave my mom a new wedding ring. She so deserved! It is really pretty.

Landen got a race car game of course.

Gage was extremely excited about his Popup 360 Haunted House.




My parents surprised me with a webcam of my own. Now I can see and chat with Brandy and her kids. Just what Mike wanted!

Tanner had a rough go Christmas Eve. Mike took him to the after hours clinic around midnight and we found out his ear infection was still there (we had finished the antibiotic two days previously).

When we got home, we had to sprinkle the reindeer food so they would know where to land.

Gage couldn't resist snacking on one of the cookies left for Santa.

The kids slept in until 8:30 except Tanner was up by 7am. Poor kid. Cami came over to watch the madness unfold.

I totally surprised Mike with a GPS navigation system. We both have problems with directions.

I got the rollerblades I asked for. I decided I needed to pick up a new form of exercise to give my knee a break from running. I love them! I was rollerblading all morning in our kitchen.

Next, we were off to spend the rest of Christmas morning at Mike's parent's home. Here are all the cute grandkids minus Ellie.

You couldn't tell Tanner wasn't feeling well by the way he acted Christmas morning. He could have cared less about opening presents. He just kept climbing on all of the presents and jumping off.

Gage received Martian Matter and we have been making aliens ever since.

Gage and Landen both got their Knuffle Bunnies.

I love the day after Christmas. It's when you can actually play with everything because you are done visiting all the relatives. Here are the boys testing out their sleds.

I am sure Tanner would love his Jungle Playset if Landen would ever let him play with it.

Gage got this castle as a surprise. I tried to do things different for Gage this year by getting him noncraft toys to broaden his horizons a little bit. He absolutely loves this castle. He is so into haunted houses and this has trap doors and secret passages.

Tanner is a little overwhelmed by his gifts. He has really enjoyed this Balltivity toy.

So the boys (not Tanner) also got the Nintendo DS. I was a little nervous about getting Landen one because he didn't ask for it. But someone said it probably wouldn't be long before Landen would be interested and it is nice having two in case the parents want to join in. Well, I'm glad we have two. Mike and I have had a lot of fun playing Super Mario Brothers taking us back to the early 90s. Landen also got Mariokart which couldn't be more perfect for him.

We are so grateful for the wonderful Christmas we have been able to have. Mike is in the middle of having 2 weeks off for the holidays and it has been nice to have him around. We have truly been blessed and we are thankful for our health and each other.

The Big Guy Has Surgery

Today my dad had his shoulder operated on. This post is mainly for my sister Brandy so she can see how great my dad is doing. Maybe it's the nurse coming out in me, but I was so worried about him today. Everything turned out great and we braved the weather/roads and went up to South Ogden to visit him. He had his rotator cuff fixed and apparently it must be a pretty painful surgery. They sent him home with a machine that gives the surgical site a continuous and demand dose of numbing medicine.

I brought my parents dinner, but my mom was trying to make sure my dad started off eating slowly. Check out some pics below and I will explain.

Here's my dad with his great setup. He's got his ice machine going and his ted hose on. His arm has to be in that sling for 6 weeks! Thank heavens he found some comfy Notre Dame pants to look cool in. I'm sure he will be wearing them a lot.

Here's the big guy eating some butterscotch pudding. He ended up eating 4 butterscotch and 2 chocolate puddings. He probably would have ate all eight that my mom had but Gage and Landen each had one. My mom kept telling him to slow down. He kept threatening her that if she didn't get what he wanted he would get up and get it himself! After the pudding, he tried to eat some of the french dip I brought up. My mom took it away and made him some chicken noodle soup instead.

After all that food, he was tired!

Right after his nap, my dad was back in action! He ate a bowl of lime sherbet. Then, my sister Cami made brownies and he insisted that he have one more bowl of sherpet topped with the brownies! Gross! As of right now, he has yet to throw up.

Techno Gage

We have nicknamed my Dad "Techno Tom" because he thinks he is soooo technologically savvy. Whether he wants to or not, he has to become technologically smart because his job forces him to be. I just wanted him to know that Gage is going to give him a run for his money. Yesterday, Gage came up to me and said, "Mommy, we should take a picture of Tanner in the Santa hat and upload it to your blog." Where in the world did Gage learn the word "upload." Anyway, I took pictures of all 3 boys in the Santa hat. Some more willingly than others.

Hogle Zoo Lights

Last Friday night, I took Gage and Landen to see the Zoo Lights. Tanner wasn't feeling very well (turned out he had an ear infection) so Mike stayed home with him. I went along with the Hoovers and my parents and Cami met us down there. When we first arrived, I asked a worker if there were any attractions open. He said it would be really rare if we were able to see any animals. Upon hearing this, Gage was upset and moody until as we walked we noticed there were quite a few animals out in the cold. We were able to see the monkeys, the tigers, and a few other things. We made it over to Gage's favorite attraction, the reptile exhibit, just as they were closing the doors. I thought Gage was going to cry right then and there. He could see people coming out and they weren't letting us in. Gage held strong and a churro put him back in a good mood. My camera battery died so I wasn't able to get any pics, but Laura took some for me. I just can't figure out how to make them bigger.

Treehouse Museum

Last week I was a chaperone for Gage's field trip to the Ogden Treehouse Museum. I was so glad that I was able to go. Gage was so excited that I was going. I only hope him thinking I'm "cool" lasts a long time.

I was assigned a total of 4 kids to chaperone over (keep track of) including Gage. Our color was orange and we named ourselves the Tigers. Aren't I a cool chaperone already? I just named them for fun. We rode the bus to Ogden and then were divided into 3 groups. We went to three different stations and then the kids were able to do some free play at the museum.

I was so glad I brought my camera. I remember hating getting pictures taken of me growing up. Not Gage. He's definitely not camera shy.

The first station included learning about kings, queens, and knights. Gage was selected to demonstrate the king attire. While walking to the next station, a girl came up to Gage and told him he looked nice in his Knight clothes. Gage kinda ignored her, but I thought it was sweet.

The next station consisted of making Scepters. At this point, Gage looked over at me and said, "I'm so glad you're here mommy." Then the girl chimed in and said she was too.

At the final station, the kids put on a play. The worker in the picture narrated the story and would tell the kids what to say. Gage wasn't able to participate in the play at first since he had been chosen earlier to be the knight at the first station. However, none of the kids would really play along with the worker and would just giggle or shake their heads no when asked to repeat something. It got so bad that the main character, Drummond the Fool, ran off the stage. The teacher asked Gage if he would step in and play the part. I am really not being biased here, but Gage stole the show. He repeated everything the worker said and even added a few lines of his own. The crowd was roaring in laughter. Gage ended up winning the princess' heart and they were married.

After the stations, the kids were left to have free play. Well, there was no keeping track of my tigers. I had no clue where they were. Luckily, we all made it back on the bus. It was such a fun day. I am so thankful I get the opportunity to have these experiences with my kids.

Zampedri Christmas Party

Over a week ago, (I know I'm a little behind) we had the annual Zampedri Christmas Party. It's always held on Sunday morning and we have brunch. I love breakfast food! This year it started at 11 am and was over by 11:05. Just kidding. The Zampedris don't mess around though. They usually show up way early and finish by the time we make it there. I don't know why we are always late. It might have to do with getting 3 kids out the door. Good thing they are boys who don't need a lot of getting ready. Anyway for the record, we were on time.

We always do an adult gift exchange by playing the white elephant game, but with good gifts. I made out with a cute cosmetic travel purse and Mike got a travel neck pillow. Ooh, maybe that means a vacation is in our future! Then, the kids exchanged gifts. This year Santa made a surprise visit to hand out the gifts.

Tanner of course absolutely loved Santa!

Landen was being all scared/shy towards Santa until I told him he had a present for him.

I can't remember how old I was when I stopped believing in Santa, but I know it wasn't 6! The second Santa entered the room Gage stated, "That's a fake beard." Gage was clear across the room! How could he tell? I said it wasn't and he kept insisting that it was. He played along though. I have to be so careful with him. I know he still believes in Santa, but I never let Gage see Santa at the mall or other places like that. Gage asked last year how come Santa was everywhere we went.

Gotta love Grandma Liz! What a good sport! She definitely holds the family together.

Knee Surgery #3

Well, I had my 3rd and hopefully final knee surgery last Friday. I don't think I or Mike for that matter can handle another one. We arrived at TOSH around 11:30 am. My surgery probably started around 1pm and we were out of PACU by 3:00 pm. This was definitely the fastest surgery I have had. I am glad that I have had these experiences because it makes me see the patients I take care of in a different light. I always think it is so weird being strapped to the operating table and the anesthesiologist talking you through the medicine and then all of a sudden you are gone. This time, he apparently wasn't fast enough because I was awake as the OR staff wrapped my arms real tight like I was in the psych ward. I asked if they were afraid of me hitting them and they said they didn't want me helping out the doc during surgery.

The surgeon told Mike he cut off two pieces of something and that should hopefully do the trick. As I was waking up from the anesthetic, the nurse asked me if I wanted 1 or 2 percocet. I have previously had Lortab and hated it so I was thrilled to be given percocet. I immediately said 2 not wanting to be in pain. I paid for it the rest of the night. I was so nauseous. I threw up pizza and a dairy queen blizzard.

Today, I was able to take my bandages off. It doesn't look too bad. Just 3 scope incisions. I always hate how fast your thigh muscle disappears when you don't use it. My legs look so different. I have my post op check on Wednesday and then we'll go from there.

Mike has been awesome, as usual. I really don't give him enough credit. He takes care of the kids and babies me. I love it. Thanks honey!

Landen's 4 year old Stats

Landen went to his 4 year check up last Thursday. I was anxious to see how much he has grown. I feel like he has gotten bigger in the last year. Mike wanted to take him which is unusual so I let him since I didn't think Landen would be getting any shots. I was wrong. For some reason, my doctor has started giving out the kindergarten shots when they turn 4! I felt so bad I wasn't there for Landen. Mike said he received 4 shots and that Landen was so tough which is a big surprise. I think Landen pours it on thick for his mommy. Mike said that Landen only said ow after the first one and that was it. I'm so proud of him!

Landen's Stats:
Weight 33 lbs 30th percentile
Height 38.7 inches 30th percentile

He has gained 4 lbs since last year and has grown 3 inches! I cannot believe it. The doctor said that from what Mike told him Landen is ahead of the game intellectually. I always have known that Gage was smart, but we had the time to work with Gage. I really haven't worked with Landen much but he just picks things up so easily. His preschool teacher told me the other day that Landen has the mind of an elephant because he remembers things so good. Landen has started to learn to read right along with Gage. He has been simply overhearing me work with Gage and then he chimes right in. I'm so proud of him! Love ya buddy!

Lights at Temple Square

Last Wednesday, Mike had the great idea of going and seeing the lights at Temple Square. He wanted to fit a few things in before my knee surgery. We hadn't been since Gage was maybe 1 year old. The kids loved seeing where mommy and daddy got married. The lights were beautiful. It always amazes me how many lights they actually put up.

Gage and Landen were off running the second we got out of the car. Gage instantly spotted the temple while Landen was mesmerized by all of the cars flying by on the streets of Salt Lake.

I obviously need a new camera if this is the way it takes pictures!

Tanner was so happy to be let out of his stroller. I could never get a good face shot because he was running all over!

Santa's Store

On Monday, Gage brought home some papers about a project the 5th graders were doing. They were running a store and had invited the kindergartners to pick people to buy Christmas presents for. They sent home a list of gifts with prices. I had to fill out a form detailing how much money to let Gage spend and who to buy for. I told Gage he could buy for Landen and Tanner and he had a total of $4 to spend. There was a large list of gifts with prices ranging from $0.25 to $10. We talked about getting a ball for Tanner and a car for Landen. We discussed a few other items just in case those gifts were gone. I also went into detail about how this was a lesson in giving to others. Not in buying gifts for ourselves. Gage loves to collect little trinkets and such so I told him that he couldn't buy anything for himself because Landen and Tanner would get him a Christmas gift later. This was the time for Gage to buy a gift for them.

I felt confident that Gage would listen to my instructions and I sent a $10 bill because I didn't have anything else. I also wrote a note saying I only wanted Gage to spend $4 and to just give him back the change.

Today, Mike picked Gage up from school. Mike told me that Gage came up to Mike holding two wrapped items in his hands and frantically said, "Daddy, do you have your cell phone? I need to call mommy right away!" Gage called me and immediately said, "Mommy, we have to go to the store to get Landen a present." I asked why. Gage replied, "Because I bought a ball for Tanner and a car for Landen. Then the boy asked me if I wanted to buy myself something and I didn't have enough money. You told them I could only spend $4. So I had to return Landen's car in order to buy the Scooby Doo bank I wanted. So now we need to go to the dollar store and get something for Landen."

I about died laughing. I can just picture Gage being totally unsure of what to do at the store. I can see him holding the two gifts and then having the boy ask him if he wanted anything for himself. Gage hadn't even thought buying something for him was an option until the 5th grader mentioned it. Gage wasn't going to let this opportunity slide by. I wonder who came up with the idea of "returning" an item in order to get what Gage wanted so he could stay within his budget. So much for learning the lesson of giving to others.

Much To Be Thankful For

I know I'm a little late getting my Thanksgiving post out there, but I had to write how extremely thankful I am. I have so much to be grateful for especially during these present times. I have such a wonderful family. It is really hard to work were I do especially during the holidays and I am so grateful for how healthy we are. I am thankful for how stable mine and Mike's jobs are. I have terrific parents and in-laws as well.

There, now that the mushy stuff is over I will quickly recap my busy Thanksgiving weekend. Thanksgiving morning started out as every Thanksgiving morning has pretty much since Mike and I have dated. I remain sleeping in my bed while Mike meets his brothers, cousins, and friends for their annual Turkey Bowl. I am always so glad when the game is over because Mike talks about the wondrous event for weeks leading up to it. It is hours on the phone with people making sure they are committed to attending and figuring out how to evenly split up the teams. For the first few years, the big game was played outside rain or shine starting at 7am sharp. The last year or so they have been able to play it at an indoor soccer place. I think they are all getting old and appreciate the warm comfort of having the place indoors.

I have always wanted to go and watch the great game, but have never made it out of bed. One of Mike's cousin's wives took the pics seen below.

Mike's team won. For some reason, I want to say that Mike's team usually wins every year. He swears he doesn't stack the teams.

Afterwards I spent the morning browsing the ads. I am sorry, but I am a sucker for a bargain. Then, in the afternoon we went and had Thanksgiving dinner with the Whiting side of the family (Mike's mom's side). My parents love to go out of town every Thanksgiving. My dad gets stir crazy I think so we had celebrated ours a few Sundays ago.

The next morning I was one of the crazy idiots getting up at 4:30 am to go shopping. I get a rush when I get a good deal. I went with my friend Heidi and her husband and we started off at Walmart. Never again will I go to Walmart. Too crazy! Then we hit a few other stores and made it home around noon. Boy was I tired! What's funny is I actually bought most of my stuff off of Amazon the day before for the same or better deals then what was advertised. Amazon has no shipping and no sales tax!

Friday afternoon, we hung out with one of Mike's old mission companions and his family. They have moved all over the United States, but come back to Utah every year to visit their families. We don't get to hang out very often, but when we do it seems like old times. Thanks for making the trip to our house Jeb and Becca! We had a lot of fun!

Saturday we put up the Christmas decorations. I hate to say it but I was kinda dreading it. Gage and Landen love putting up the decorations and I hate having to rearrange everything once they are done. And not to mention Tanner! He is into everything as it is. Last year after Christmas, I bought a small tree thinking Gage and Landen could decorate that this year and make it their own using odd ornaments I had and the ones they had made. However, all they wanted to do was keep taking my decorations for their tree. Tanner just kept chucking ornaments at the tree like he was playing baseball. I was exhausted by the time we were done and I didn't even put all my decorations out.

I wanted a picture of each of the kids decorating the tree. My camera is slow so I had to make them pose. Gage immediately said, "I will only do it if you promise not to move my ornament when you're done taking the picture." Unfortunately, I couldn't make that promise. He posed for me anyway.

Landen is my child that is full of questions. He kept asking if putting up the tree meant that Santa was coming the next day. I can't wait until my kids get the concept of time.

This is Mike and Tanner looking for the ornament he just threw at the tree. I have given him one ornament that he can play with and I have to say he actually has been better then I thought. Sometimes, he knocks a few down when he goes searching for his bulb.

Here are the kids posing by their tree. Don't you just love their matching pjs? $4 at Walmart the day after Thanksgiving. I even got Tanner's for that price. I couldn't wait until Christmas to let them have them.