Cirque du Soleil

Teag and I bought tickets to the new Cirque du Soleil show, Varekai, a couple of months ago, and finally got to see the performance last night!

We had high hopes, and were not disappointed, though both of us were worried when the show started out with some weird, goat/bird guy grunting like he was slow in the head.

Please excuse the poor quality of the photos. While they do allow you to take pictures, they don't allow flashes due to the safety of their performers. This made it impossible to get any shots that involved movement. Hopefully you can get an idea at least.

It was a spectacular show, with live vocals, band, and amazing aerial work. Teag and I were both completely engrossed whenever any of the flying took place. There were a few drawbacks whenever the goat/bird guy came out, and another weird set with a man in a powder blue tuxedo, but overall the show was stunning. Our favorite part was at the end, when they had men swinging on large pendulums, and flying up and over each other, trading places, and sliding down large sheets, all while intense bass played to the rhythm of a heart beat.

A fantastic show, and a fun night out with Teag. Can't ask for better than that!

Dream Team

Earlier in the school year, Maisie was chosen to be part of the "Dream Team" for Ballet West's I Can Do program. She went to two hour practices every Saturday for months, learning dancing styles from around the globe. A few weeks ago, Maisie got to perform those dances, along with kids from many other schools in the district.

The kids worked really hard, and Maisie had all the steps memorized. Her only complaint was the fact that she had to do all three of her dances in a row, so there wasn't much time to catch her breath. The younger kids really enjoyed seeing her perform, and clapped enthusiastically after every song.

We're proud of Maisie and all her hard work, and dedication to the team. Way to go, Mais!

Fickle Spring

We've had the craziest weather this Spring. We've had both extremes, with crazy-for-the-time-of-year highs. Teag took advantage of one of these kinds of days to pour some cement in areas that have needed it for years. Areas that mostly fill with weeds throughout the course of the summer. In one of those areas, right next to our garage, we decided to make a lasting impression.

The kids were fairly ambivalent about sticking their hands in wet concrete, but they were very excited to see the finished result.

Finn, in particular, every time he sees it shouts, "There's my hand!" Kind of a fun thing to look at as we walk to the car every day.

Just a few short days later, we had this:

Practically the largest snow storm we've had all year, in April. The youngest two were especially grateful for this unexpected last chance to play in the snow.

As unusual as this weather has been, it's rather fun to see the yo yo-ing from day to day, though it does make the wardrobe situation a little difficult. Yeah kids, I know you were wearing shorts yesterday, but today you need your winter coat. Welcome to Utah.

Easter!

We had a fun Easter this year, especially now that Finn is really old enough to know how to hunt for stuff. Plus we did the hunt itself inside Kev and Meg's newly grassed backyard, and they have more space and a lot of cool places to hide things. First off though, the eggs had to be decorated. No Pysanky this time, as Easter fell on conference weekend, and there just wasn't enough time to do that between sessions. They still managed to come up with a lot of cool stuff to do though, especially using rubber bands.

Uncle Kevy helped Finn out with one, and he was especially proud of the resulting egg.

After a tasty dinner, we had the kids line up in anticipation of releasing them. We have to let the little kids go first, so they'll get a fair shake, and it just about kills the older ones to wait.

Finn's no dummy, and he figured out the gist of the whole exercise pretty quickly. We actually had to back him off so he didn't take too many treats.

Danyn and Rory found their baskets fairly quickly, but Maisie met a bit of a snag.

It makes her crazy how we hide her basket out of reach every year :). After the hunt, the kids enjoyed a few of their spoils.

Then Uncle Kevy got out his swings for the giant tree they have in their backyard. I love this next picture of Rory.

Finn was excited when his turn rolled around.

It sucks how many leaves that tree drops, but it's definitely a fun one for stuff like this. Kevin calls it "Tree Beard".

It was a fun, if rushed, Easter. The priesthood session starting at six made for a rather short gathering, but we had some good fun, good food, and tasty treats. Best of all, we got to listen to some absolutely inspired talks by the leaders of our church, which for whatever reason, really seemed to resonate with both Teag and I. It was a great weekend.

Spring Break to St. George!

We had such a great time in St. George last year, we decided to go again this year with just our family. I managed to find a really nice house for rent, and we took off all the necessary time and then made the trek down the Monday of Spring Break. The trip down was uneventful, and we had enough time that day to go check out the St. George Temple.

We had planned to hear a bit more about the history of the temple, but after being cooped up in a car for five plus hours, Finn was having none of that. We felt it best to take ourselves out to the temple grounds and look around. It is a really beautiful temple, pristine white against the red rock. Rory really liked the story of the temple president, whose wife gave birth to a daughter they named "Templina".

The next day we drove into Snow Canyon.

The kids loved the petrified dunes that we explored last year, so in addition to revisiting them, we also checked out some lava tubes.

We also went on what was called the "Butterfly Trail", which may or may not be named for this particular rock fall.

That whole area had some pretty spectacular formations.

Then it was back up to the dunes. Rory wasn't feeling overly well at this point, so Teag trekked up to get the car while we checked out the view for awhile.

Finn took a snooze on the dunes.

Within minutes of arriving back at the house, Rory barfed, which explains why she wasn't feeling well. Needless to say that sort of put a crimp in some of our plans. She took a monster nap that afternoon, and seemed to be feeling better, so we decided to go to the splash pad next to the tabernacle.

It was really a cool place, and the temperature was perfect. I'm not sure which part they liked more, the splash pad, or the fountain.

After about an hour, Finn and Rory got  chilly as the sun was going down, and bundled up in their towels.

All the kids really loved being there, so I'm glad we went. Rory was mellow, but seemed well and even ate a little dinner that night. The next day she said she felt a little bit sick, so we decided to forgo Zion's and went instead to the Children's Museum. This again, was a really cool place, full of really fun, interactive things.

Rory Milking a Cow

Finn the Fighter Pilot

Maisie Testing Out Her Mechanic Skills

It had rooms decorated like a farm, a grocery store, the White House, an airport, a castle, a stage, an old mine, and even a Frozen themed room.

Rory waited helplessly in the tower for Knight Finny to rescue her.

There were even some science experiment-type rooms, with music, art, and these really cool bubble and wind machines. Finn would make this giant bubble, and then blow on it.

Rory liked the tornado simulation.

Despite the illness and some inconveniences that cropped up at our rental (no wifi, closed pool), we had a really great time together, and enjoyed another fun-filled Spring Break vacation.