San Fransico

. . . Here we come!!!!

A and I are heading there for 10 days, without the kids, to travel, explore, see, do, eat and experience the great city of San Francisco all in the name of celebrating 11 years together (can you believe it!)

Pictures, updates and all the 411 will be posted once we come back. Until then, just know that we will be having fun, whopping it up as two adults (again, WITHOUT the kids) can do in a city with so much to offer - Napa Valley, visiting with old friends, fine dining. Can you tell I am excited!

Of course A and K will be missed, but they are in great hands! Thank CeeCee and D for taking on our girls. We did end up splitting them up so A wouldn't miss out on any school. For A it is going to be a super continuous sleep over at her BFF's house. What's not to like about that. And K is with cousins and toys - she will be in heaven! Especially since CeeCee is as good as I am about rewarding for potting training advances. I swear she runs to the potty, goes a little bit, just to get a treat and then two seconds later has to go again! Cute, a little frustrating, especially when you are trying to get things done, but she is getting it and I can't really complain.

But enough about that for now - there is major packing to do! TTFN

KSL Clip on ATV Safety

Just in case the video link I tried to add in above doesn't work, you can see the story on ksl's web site or just copy and paste the following address into your browser: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=5260188&autostart=y

I just wanted to share with you a recent clip featuring my favorite people in the world, who even though our New Years Day didn't come off exactly as we had planned, are still with us to tell thier story.

We contacted KSL to run this story in the hopes that if anyone else is considering purchasing this type of recreational vehicle for thier kids, they will be informed as to potential problems with these mini ATVs. Especially since they are being marked for use by younger children and the dangers presented are beyond the control of what normal safety and parental instruction can plan for.

One point of clarification on the story - Avery's helmet was NOT knocked off during the crash through the garage door. It was the one thing that functioned as it was intended to and was the one thing that prevented her from serious injury. She still had back and neck pain from the ordeal, but as I said before, it could have been a lot worse.

NEVER LET YOUR CHILDREN RIDE ANY ATV WITHOUT A SAFETY HELMET, EVEN FOR A SECOND!!

Also, as a response to Rory (Dealer's) final comment about how "customers just don't listen" if you seriously believe that any additional amount of listening or checking out the 4-wheeler before and during use would have prevented the throttle assembly on a BRAND NEW bike to come completely apart after only 30 minutes of riding, thereby causing the bike to take off at top speeds and not respond to the safety kill switch or the remote kill switch being marketed as a parental safety feature, then you sir have a very fine view on the power of wishful thinking.

Your brand of "thinking" would have really come in handy as I was willing an out of control bike to stop so that my child didn't crash through a steel garage door.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

If I was more with it, these pictures would have been posted on the actual days they were taken. Given the amount of activities we were able to throw in during the last to week, prepare yourself for a longer post.

Here are the girls decorating the Christmas Tree! Not sure where the super model poses are coming from, but what can I say! My girls know how to work a room!!

Here are the girls after A's 1st grade Christmas Program. She did an awesome job by the way and K was her biggest cheerleader again, yelling out in the middle of the program - Go Avery!!! Guess she thought it was appropriate. A and I just laughed.

Here is the best picture of the girls on Christmas Morning! It pretty much sums up their morning. Also, a huge thanks to Uncle B for celebrating with us and sharing in our morning of wrapping paper craziness and fun!

Also, If I was more with it, then I would have pictures of the girls crashing at 10:15 pm and 10:45 pm on New Years Eve. A tried her very hardest to make it to mid night, but finally sucummed to the sleepy time pressure. I ended up putting K to bed because she was so tired she had started hitting everyone and throwing the biggest fits over nothing, so hers was more of a forced retreat. My kids so take after me when it comes to not getting enough sleep. Grumy McGrump Grumps all the way.

Here are the girls at the Downtown Christmas Lights in Ogden. Not as cold as last year, but not exactly warm either! You would think I would be used to a Utah winter, but nope, I don't think I ever will get used to them. Luckily, we won't be here forever!!

The only thing missing are pictures from a trip to the North pole this year that never actually got to happen. B-N-K-K - you guys know how much we missed not getting to do our annual tradition with you guys! Still feeling a bit blue over that, if you couldn't tell!

All in all though they had a great Christmas and New Years. A woke up to a 4-wheeler on New Years Day (Aaron has been wanting to get her one for a while) and she spent the better part of the after noon riding around the neighborhood on it. Her BF M came over as well and all I can say is that 2 little blond headed 6 year olds on a pink camo 4 wheeler is about as cute as it gets.

Of course that was the FUN part - the not so fun part was when A started the 4wheeler up and the throttle on the 4 wheeler somehow turning wide open (turns out it wasn't put together correctly - can you say understatement of the year) and A taking off with increasing speed, heading up the street around the corner into our cul-de-sac and finally crashing through (yep she ended up INSIDE the garage which had previously been closed) the neighbors garage door at about 35 miles an hour.
If a master card commercial was created for this situation it would go as follows. Helmet - $50 Replacing cost for neighbors garage door - $1500, one lucky little girl who walked away without a scratch due to wearing her helmet - Priceless!!
Oh and the 4 wheeler has gone back to the dealer and I for one could care less if they fix it/ replace it / or not. We got so lucky this time I don't even want to think about the possibility of another accident with a not so favorable outcome - huge shudder!!

So in the end a very Happy Holiday with a little craziness and a minor heart attack. I don't think Aaron breathed right for the rest of the day after that little incident. But all is back to normal. School starts back up next week for A and me. and so another year begins . . .XOXOX to all our loved ones near and far!!