There were several moments the days prior to Pearl's birthday that I honestly didn't we'd both make it to the big day. Seriously. One of us wasn't going to live to see birthday number 4 with all the whining, crying, tantrum throwing, sassiness that has seemed to ensue our house lately.
Miraculously or by divine intervention, we both made it.
Pearl is now 4. Wow, where has the time gone? If my baby is four, that makes me, well old.
I knew she was going to be super excited when she woke up so I made sure we had her presents sitting on the dining room table. She was very happy to see three presents just for her. Even if I did re-gift the bags and tissue paper from Cole's party... but who cares, right? Jeff managed to distract her with the "outdoor grocery store" (Bountiful Baskets pick up) so Cole and I could wake up without help from one very excited four-year-old. But as soon as they were back, the begging started. We gave in and let her open just one present. You'll notice she hadn't even combed her crazy bed hair yet. She just so happened to pick the one with the new shoes. She was very excited!
I felt a little guilty for not planning a huge party. Pearl was under the assumption that she was getting a grand party like Cole did for his first birthday. Or a Rapunzel party with all her friends from school. All day, in between the normal Saturday chores, Pearl kept asking when she could open her presents, when we were having her Rapunzel cake, when her party was going to start. I guess our free ride of enjoying slackerhood with our parenting is over. Four-year-olds get what birthdays are all about.
Luckily, Jeff's parents were coming down to celebrate with us. While Cole and I picked up the Rapunzel cake Pearl had picked out, Jeff and his parents took Pearl to see "Born Wild" at the IMAX theater at the Gateway. Once Cole and I got downtown, we headed to the fountains. Pearl had been begging us to take her swimming for her birthday so we figured the fountains were a good compromise.
The kids had a blast. I wasn't sure what Cole was going to think of all the water spraying up in his face but he loved it! He ran around like a mad man, laughing, yelling, squealing, smiling, and getting absolutely soaked in the process.
I honestly figured Pearl would whimp out on the fountains like she has every year prior. So I hadn't thought to pack her a spare pair of clothes. Silly me. Pearl had even more fun than Cole!
I was so busy trying to keep Cole from getting sprayed in the face or up his diaper that I only saw flashes of a very wet Pearl streak by. But once her pants started to fall off and everyone could see a white bubble butt running around the fountains, it was easier to spot her. It was embarrassing but hilarious! I'm sure everyone watching found it hysterical or appalling that I was screaming at my kid to pull her pants up as she ran by.
I must have been distracted by a nearly half-naked daughter and son who was getting awfully brave with the water because before I knew it, my attempt to keep Cole from getting squirted right in the eye backfired on me. I ended up keeping Cole safe, but in the process sacrificed my own dry clothing (and hair and makeup) in the process. This also just so happened to be just seconds after I had sent Jeff down to Old Navy to buy Pearl some dry clothes. Apparently I should have also told him to buy me some new clothes because my entire left side was soaked. Jeff always picks out super cute clothes for Pearl... too bad Old Navy was out of all panties! Trying to explain to her why she was going commando was an interesting conversation.
After getting the kids dried off and stuffed full of goldfish crackers, we headed to the Pizza Factory for dinner. Pearl's choice of course. Then the real celebration began.
Presents. Lots of presents. Spending money, jewelry, clothes, new Rapunzel and Hello Kitty panties (someday Pearl will be horribly embarrassed with this gift but she was pumped to get them), and books from us and Grandpa and Grandma. 
And if the new bike wasn't enough already, a beautiful pink afghan from David and Vickie. 
Cole was quick to remember what you do with presents. After shredding all the tissue paper, he grabbed one of the bags and played peek-a-boo with us. 
If that wasn't enough excitement, up next was the long-awaited Rapunzel cake! Pearl was so excited to finally see the cake she had picked out. Someone please tell me I'm not the only slacker mom who doesn't make a homemade birthday cake? 
It took Pearl exactly four breaths to blow out her candles. One candle at a time (and a small huff from mom to finish them off). 
Pearl wasn't nearly as excited about getting to use the "You Are Special" plate as Jeff and I were. She was more interested in making sure I mutilated the cake just so she could have Rapunzel's face. Oh and that she got a big scoop of Aggie Blue Mint ice cream. And eating the cake and ice cream. She didn't touch it. I think the excitement from the day had taken it's toll.
And there you have it. A birthday fit for a spunky four-year-old that I wouldn't trade for the world.
I'm sure the few blog followers are getting sick of my Bear Lake weekend posts. I know come Day 3 and 4 up there I was getting sick of the place at times too. Not that I want to sound like the weekend was an entire flop, it wasn't. It was fun. Just a bit cramped and cold at times.
One thing for sure about this trip though, memories were definitely made with the bad weather. Jeff was right.
On day 3 we woke up to this. The first (and hopefully last) time I will ever experience this at Bear Lake.
As Pearl said, "We got snowed in!"
Yes, yes we did. Good thing we had claimed the cozy deluxe room in the shed to keep us dry and warm. I just so happened to poke my head out the door in the wee hours of the morning when I saw all this fluffy, wet, white stuff covering the ground. I had wanted to make sure any excess carbon monoxide got aired out before we all died from using a space heater that had to have been from the 70s. It worked great except for the fact that it didn't shut off or have a temperature gauge on it. I wasn't that worried about using it until my dad happened to mention that my grandpa insisted whoever slept in there needed to have the windows cracked because my dad made the room too air tight. And if you know me, I'm easily swayed into complete paranoia about any safety hazard.
Back to the snow. SNOW PEOPLE! IN MAY! AT THE BEACH!
We still got up, well us early/normal time risers, and made breakfast outside. It reminded me of the time my mom and dad took my brother Jesse and I to Yellowstone one fall. I have no idea how old I was, just tiny, maybe in kindergarten or 1st grade? It was a long time ago. Back in the days when a kid could ride the entire way there in the cabin of a truck, without a seat belt! I remember sliding the truck's back door so I could chat with my mom and dad and playing on the bed in the back. When we got to Yellowstone, all it did was snow on us. It was a huge, early snowstorm. Since we just had that trailer thing you put in the bed of your truck for shelter, we had to eat outside in the snow. I remember sitting at the picnic table freezing and trying to eat our stew as fast as I could so it didn't get cold, as the snowflakes were falling in it. And there were bison roaming the campsites everywhere! My mom said I couldn't go outside unless my dad said it was ok because they were right next to every one's trailers. But we did see a bear eating a kill across a river, loads of wildlife, and I remember getting a straw that when you blew it, it sounded like an elk call at the Old Faithful Lodge. My mom says they were so poor that we literally made it home with 10 cents to spare and a lot of prayers that we didn't run out of food or gas. Good times. Good times. And yes, loads of memories just like Jeff told me.... "that's what memories are made of... bad weather."
Once the snow melted, I took my mom on a 4 wheeler ride up past all the fancy cabins to the water tower. She really wanted to go for a ride and since there wasn't enough beach to ride on, I figured the road wouldn't be too muddy or washed out to go to the water tower. It was fun to do something with just my mom. Plus she goes more my 4 wheeling speed. 
With no hope of sunshine, what does one do to keep entertained? Well, you break out Phase 10.
And watch a marathon of movies. Luckily the little girls let us watch several different ones instead of Tarzan over and over again. Choices were limited with a VCR. Jeff jokes that we pack up pert-near our entire house, drive two + hours just to watch movies all weekend. 
And color. The giant coloring pages were supposed to be for Pearl and Ruby but were quickly taken over by the adult children. Well, minus Jeff and myself. We were too busy trying to keep Cole entertained, happy, and on a somewhat normal routine. My sister was the ring-leader of the all night color fest. And I had no idea that my brothers were that good at coloring, let alone cared anything about which Disney Princess was hottest. Jesse was quite torn between Belle (the sexy nerd) and Aurora (the bodacious blond). The ever exotic Jasmine was also a high contender for hottest Disney Princess. 
Cole took some awesome naps while we were there. 
It doesn't quite make up for getting up in the middle of the night STILL, at one year of age though! I took full advantage of one of his three hour nap on the last day were were there. It was divine. The taco bed isn't horrid if you don't have to share with anyone! The only reason I got up from my drool covered pillow was because Jeff came in and told me my grandparents were there. They are so cute. Anytime someone goes up to the property, they mosey on over to check on them. They like to make sure we're having a good time. And now that we have 4 wheelers, I think my grandpa comes up to take a ride on one of them. They're sort of like mini-tractors for him. My grandma even told him to buy one last year! It makes it easier for them to get down to the beach and putter around the yard. 
Well, there you have. It snowed. It was wet and cold. We stayed inside almost the entire weekend. But that's what memories are made of I guess.
Jeff and I took advantage of two things today. A small part in the clouds... well not really but they were less gloomy looking. And a babysitter (thanks Jesse, Emily, and Ruby).
So we started up the 4 wheelers and headed up the trail. It's a good thing we went when we did because the rest of the weekend was miserable weather wise. Our only problem, well mostly my problem, was I'm not equipped with cold weather riding gear. I managed to scrounge up a pair of thin, cotton gloves in the old trailer and put a somewhat thicker pair of gloves over them in the hope I didn't loose a finger to frostbite. But I don't own any boots and didn't pack a coat. Had we been stranded up at the top, I'd have frozen to death!
We saw a wild turkey perched on a rock. Last year when Jeff took Pearl up the trail, they saw a whole flock of them and it's all she talked about for weeks. I almost didn't believe her... wild turkeys? Well, now I know for sure there are in fact wild turkeys in Utah. We also saw some deer but we weren't close enough to get a good picture.
The trail was one muddy mess. All the water we've had this year has left it in ruins in parts. The ruts in some spots were huge. At one point, as I turned the bend and saw what was ahead of me, watching carefully to see how Jeff maneuvered his way through the ruts, I said to myself, I'm going to die! I'm sure Jeff will tell you I am an overly paranoid, scared chicken and that the trail wasn't that bad and that the more dangerous it is the more fun we will have. Well, I am an old lady now with two kids to worry about! Pre-kids I would have just jumped on the back of Jeff's 4 wheeler and hung on for dear life... without a helmet! But now, as I watched my husband speed off (knowing full well I was holding him back from how fast he really wanted to go), the only thing I could envision was seeing him roll the 4 wheeler, ride off a cliff, die, or get a traumatic brain injury and be a vegetable. Overly paranoid? Probably.
The ride was fun. We don't get to go together very often with two little kids so it felt like a real date. Jeff even asked me if I wanted to make out on the water tower when we got to the top of the trail. But we're old geezers and frankly, I was too dang cold for making out!
Today was our day to cook dinner. Usually my mom brings a ridiculous amount of food and spends all weekend feeding her adult children and then cleaning up after them. It's really not fair so this time around my mom and I suggested to everyone that we divide up the meals. Each family was responsible for buying all the food, cooking it, and then cleaning up (ok, so my mom still did most of the clean up) for 2-3 meals. Any snacks, drinks, or extras you wanted you brought yourself. It worked out great! We didn't have nearly the amount of leftover food as we usually did, we got to try new things and upgrades to Bear Lake meal favorites (the Chipotle Mayo is a must for wraps... thanks Emily), it helped with costs, and it was actually kind of fun to do some meal planning. Did I just fun and meal planning in the same sentence?
Jeff suggested for our dinner meal, we make Southwest Egg Rolls. I had prepped everything the night before we left and figured it would be lickety-split to make up there. It was for the most part. I didn't really think about where I was going to bake 20 egg rolls once I finally got the huge pot of filling warm. But between me in the trailer with the oven and Jeff outside on the grill, we finally managed to get dinner on the table... late. I think everyone really liked them. Even Miss Ruby ate them. I thought they were tasty... awesome grilled!
My Dad was approaching what is known in my family as "ugly hour" when I said dinner was finally ready. 
The only problem with dinner was trying to eat it before it got cold. It was freezing outside!!! Seriously, no kid should ever have to wear a coat, hat, and mittens at Bear Lake. Cole hated wearing those mittens! He would scream and squeal because he couldn't pick anything up. I finally gave in to the idea that his hands would turn into popsicles and yanked them off. He was much happier. 
For dessert, Jeff bought everyone a milkshake. The nice thing about bad weather at Bear Lake is it cuts down on your milkshake wait time substantially. It was also sort of our way of having a birthday cake for Pearl. She had told us she wanted to have a birthday party at Bear Lake. 
I think my mom's face in this picture is hilarious! She was fighting with my dad over his hot fudge milkshake! Neither one of them wanted to share. 
After milkshakes, Pearl got to open her birthday present from Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Kurtis. She got these super cute mice dollhouse toys... Fisher Price Hideaway Hollow or something like that? I thought they were way cute and was probably more excited about them than Pearl. Although Ruby was pretty pumped about them too. It was just too bad Pearl didn't share in Ruby's enthusiasm.... she wanted nothing to do with sharing her new toys. After a few threats, we finally convinced Pearl to let Ruby play with them too. The only problem with these things was getting asked 50 bazillion (I am not exaggerating) times, "What's her name?" "Tina! Her name is TINA!!!" (or Priscilla or Maddy... but they both remember Baby Max's name).
While I was picking up our milkshakes, Jeff took Pearl and Cole to the KOA. He was on a mission to find a second light saber so Cole could have his own to play with. He loves the one we got Pearl last year and goes around the house daily, wielding that light saber, jabbing you in the face, stomach, neck, leg, and then slashing at the T.V. and any other random object. It must be a boy thing. They managed to find Cole a light saber and Pearl this hideous, freaky looking mermaid with wings Barbie doll thing. It was bad. Really, really bad.... you can tell from Jeff's facial expression exactly what he thought of it!
After dinner, presents, and milkshakes we just sort of hung out together until it was time for our kids to go to bed. The rest of my silly siblings stayed up until the wee hours of the morning doing who knows what. I was actually grateful to have two little excuses to say good night at a reasonable hour. 
I felt a little guilty for not planning a huge party. Pearl was under the assumption that she was getting a grand party like Cole did for his first birthday. Or a Rapunzel party with all her friends from school. All day, in between the normal Saturday chores, Pearl kept asking when she could open her presents, when we were having her Rapunzel cake, when her party was going to start. I guess our free ride of enjoying slackerhood with our parenting is over. Four-year-olds get what birthdays are all about.
The kids had a blast. I wasn't sure what Cole was going to think of all the water spraying up in his face but he loved it! He ran around like a mad man, laughing, yelling, squealing, smiling, and getting absolutely soaked in the process.
I honestly figured Pearl would whimp out on the fountains like she has every year prior. So I hadn't thought to pack her a spare pair of clothes. Silly me. Pearl had even more fun than Cole!
I was so busy trying to keep Cole from getting sprayed in the face or up his diaper that I only saw flashes of a very wet Pearl streak by. But once her pants started to fall off and everyone could see a white bubble butt running around the fountains, it was easier to spot her. It was embarrassing but hilarious! I'm sure everyone watching found it hysterical or appalling that I was screaming at my kid to pull her pants up as she ran by.
I must have been distracted by a nearly half-naked daughter and son who was getting awfully brave with the water because before I knew it, my attempt to keep Cole from getting squirted right in the eye backfired on me. I ended up keeping Cole safe, but in the process sacrificed my own dry clothing (and hair and makeup) in the process. This also just so happened to be just seconds after I had sent Jeff down to Old Navy to buy Pearl some dry clothes. Apparently I should have also told him to buy me some new clothes because my entire left side was soaked. Jeff always picks out super cute clothes for Pearl... too bad Old Navy was out of all panties! Trying to explain to her why she was going commando was an interesting conversation.
After getting the kids dried off and stuffed full of goldfish crackers, we headed to the Pizza Factory for dinner. Pearl's choice of course. Then the real celebration began.
And if the new bike wasn't enough already, a beautiful pink afghan from David and Vickie. 
Cole was quick to remember what you do with presents. After shredding all the tissue paper, he grabbed one of the bags and played peek-a-boo with us. 
If that wasn't enough excitement, up next was the long-awaited Rapunzel cake! Pearl was so excited to finally see the cake she had picked out. Someone please tell me I'm not the only slacker mom who doesn't make a homemade birthday cake? 
It took Pearl exactly four breaths to blow out her candles. One candle at a time (and a small huff from mom to finish them off). 
Pearl wasn't nearly as excited about getting to use the "You Are Special" plate as Jeff and I were. She was more interested in making sure I mutilated the cake just so she could have Rapunzel's face. Oh and that she got a big scoop of Aggie Blue Mint ice cream. And eating the cake and ice cream. She didn't touch it. I think the excitement from the day had taken it's toll.
And there you have it. A birthday fit for a spunky four-year-old that I wouldn't trade for the world.
