Thank Goodness for Thankgiving Point!

Grandma Ardy took the Wee Wallaces to Thanksgiving Point for another Fun Day on the Farm. Joel and MeMe tagged along, but Papa Dave did more manly stuff. He went to Cabelas.

A quick apology for the zillion pictures...it was so much fun to have my siblings around, that we got some great goofy (blackmail type) shots.

If anyone is interested, you can buy baby chicks and turkey for $4. They don't guarantee the "gender" of the animal. Which really got me thinking how they could tell in the first place?

My mini-milkmaid.

This is the best they could do...honestly.

Check out the beard on this Bad Billy Goat Gruff. I wonder why they don't trim that off when they shear the rest of his coat? Anyone out there have some animal husbandry info? If not, I'll just google.

Such a cute picture of the lovely ladies!

Like I said, good blackmail. Right? Joel is such a blast to have around.

Gavin is quite the mule whisperer. He fed this little guy a dollar's worth of animal feed. And his hand was covered with drool. Awesome. Every little boy's dream come true.

Too bad Lizzy wasn't there!

Laynie and Gavin decided to take a carriage ride rather than ride the ponies. Whatever.

At least we all got to go together. The horse that pulled our carriage was named Annie. She's fourteen-years-old. Gavin was very interested in her age for some reason.

And then we had a MAJOR meltdown. Like the worst public meltdown in the history of Laynie.

Which is why we thought this sign was particularly funny...and appropriate.

Have I mentioned how much fun it is to have Joel and MeMe around? Did I also mention that they do just about anything to get a laugh?

As I was saying...

...they are both so mature for their ages.

I think the kids' favorite activity of the day was crawling through the tunnels at the vegetable growing exhibit. And I got a picture of Gavin's face with a smile. Miracles never cease.

Laynie was still a little miffed and wouldn't give me her cheesy grin. I had to settle for snapping photos when she didn't realize what I was doing.

Souvenirs, huh? Well, I guess that's a nice way to put it.

Hello Mr. Bean

Jen, McCall and their kiddos joined as at the Bean Museum on BYU's campus. Sadly, this is the only picture I took. No one was being very cooperative.

After the reptile show (which no one was all that interested in), we went to the BYU Creamery on ninth. My brother Joel met us there and was entertained by eight children under age 10.

The best part of the whole day was when the old lady at the table behind us walked to another table (with only three children at it, by the way) and complimented the mother on her excellent parenting skills. We all had a good laugh at our own expense. Awesome.

Snowbird in the Sunshine

Snowbird Resort is incredible...even without any snow. The mountains were verdant and lush. My kids love spending time outside, gathering pine cones, chasing ground squirrels, and swimming in the pool.

Oh...and of course, being dangled dangerously over the pond. Joel was trying to convince Laynie that she could catch a fish with her bare hands. Good luck with that.

And then of course there was the Alpine Slide. Laynie is fearless. She screamed, "Wee!" the whole time. When she ran out of air, she took a deep breath and continued shrieking. Aunt MeMe took her down a couple of times, and she's a much faster driver than I am. If that's possible.

Gavin was a little less...enthusiastic...about the Alpine Slide. If I knew how to work my mom's computer, I would crop the pic a little closer so you could see the terror on his face.

And speaking of terror, my fear of heights kicked in on the tram. I was so nervous that I sent Laynie up with my dad. I was afraid she'd fall out, and trusted her safety to my father's burly arms. She had a blast, while I shivered. You can see her bows peeking up over Papa's shoulders.

Draper Days with the kids!

Lizzy and Travis are awesome! They saved seats along the Draper Parade route for us. Travis got something small stuck to him that wouldn't let him go...that something was Laynie.

Liz had a similar problem with Gavin!

Travis didn't get to sit down. Laynie decided to be the "big girl" in his chair.

Gav loved picking up the candy. I took him a few minutes to figure out the concept that people were throwing candy at him and that it was actually okay to pick it up. That whole "don't take candy from strangers" thing doesn't apply to parades.

Here they are with their mouths full. "MMMM!" said Laynie, "This stuff is good!"

If You Teach a Child To Fish...

The next generation of Vallett (or in this case Wallace) Fisherman is born! My Dad and Uncle Joel took Gavin up American Fork canyon for an awesome fishing trip.

Gav followed all the "rules." He stayed on the path, stayed out of the water and stayed with Uncle Joel and Papa. We should have added one more rule: Don't throw rocks in the water.

The fishing was great...the catching, on the other hand, was not so good. Joel snagged one monster five-incher as they were cleaning up their gear.

Gav is thrilled that we will probably go fishing again this weekend.

The Animals at Gardner Village

Gardner Village is one of our favorite places to visit while we're at GArdy's house (that's how Laynie has shortened Grandma Ardy's name). It's only $2 to get into the petting zoo, and $3 for a pony ride. Worth every penny!

Laynie said the pig was "pokey." Honestly, it was really bristly. I can't imagine using their bristles to comb my hair like the pioneers did. YUCK!!

Usually MeMe accompanies us on our outings, but she had to work. We are so glad that Liz was able to come along. She has quite a bond with my kids. Laynie sometimes calls her Mom!

As with any goat, we had to stop them from eating Gavin's clothes. He really didn't mind.

Wheeler Farm 2010

Not really sure where Gavin was in this picture. He was probably boycotting the photo shoot...but seriously, aren't we a cute family!

Laynie's mooing at one of the calves. I love her super pursed lips.

At least there weren't any major melt downs getting Gav off the tractor this year. I'm not sure what the bribe was, but it must have been good.

I know they looked like caged animals, but this is actually the "tree house" on the Wheeler Farm property. Liz was the only adult small enough (and brave enough) to climb up.

Lots of fun with the family!