Wilder Family Vacation Day's 2 & 3 8/05-8/06

Day 1 proved to be way too much fun so no one wanted to get out of bed on Day 2. Thus we got a late start out of Vegas and there was a bad crash in the Gorge so we got to Cedar City for lunch later then we had planned. After lunch we went and visited some friends and then headed to our final destination of Provo/Orem. When we got there the kids were tired and crabby (and so was this mommy) so we got some dinner and then went back to the motel and put them to bed!
Day 3 we headed to John's mom's house to find everyone at work or school so we took the boys to go get their school supplies. We decided on Target as we both like it and since ours here in Porterville is under construction we only have Wal*Mart. Anyway Dumb mom and dad forgot the Chuck E Cheese is right across the street. Once the boys saw it, it was all we heard about while in Target. John's brother got in touch with us and he and his wife and little boy Brigham said they would join us there for lunch. The rest of the family slowly trickled in as they got off work or school. The kids were so excited to see their cousin and had a lot of fun. After we were done there we headed back to our motel where the kids went swimming, and then to the park for dinner. Another fun filled LONG day!

Wilder Family Vacation Day 1 8/04

We got up at 4am and hit the road by 5am. We drove as far as Las Vegas better known as "Lost Wages!" Nevada for our first day. We spent the night at Circus Circus Hotel where the kids had a blast. We watched a circus show, played video games in the arcade where we earned lots of tickets and won some neat prizes, drove down the strip to M&M World, and had a wonderful time there. We had dinner on the strip and got to ride in the largest Coke Bottle Elevator and stand in front of the Statue of Liberty. It was a very fun and long day and they still were not done. The big boys then went with John to the adventure dome where they rode two rides.

Happy Birthday Grandma Sanders!

My parents were very generous in allowing us to borrow their van to go on our trip to Utah. My mom came over the weekend before we left to bring us the van so the kids had a Small Birthday Party waiting for her. They picked out the cake and candles and then of course had to blow them out for her too, but it was still alot of fun.

How Much Can You Pack in One Suitcase??

Great Grandma let us borrow this suitcase to pack all four kids clothes in one bag to save on space. Anyway as you can see, it is pretty good sized.

Big enough to hold two kids, two travel pillows, and three reams of paper!

Father/Son's Outing

John, Vincent, Addison, & Nicholas went on a Father's/Son's outing with some friends of ours from church. He has been our home teacher for the last several months and their oldest son Gavrie takes piano lessons from me. We were happy for his advancement as he was placed in the bishopric last Sunday but sad as he will no longer be our home teacher. After John and I both talked about missing him as our home teacher we knew that it did not mean that we could not do things together as families and friends. Theb and John took the boys up into the mountains today where they hiked, got dirty, went fishing, added some more dirt, went exploring, and added even more dirt. They did not catch anything fishing but had a great time and they have been telling me all about it since they got home. They told me that the next time they go up they are going to spend the night! I am so happy for their fun adventure and so happy to see them so excited about their day. I am glad they look forward to camping as my idea of camping is Motel 6. They have asked several times how many more days until they go back to sleep in a tent this time. They're also crossing their fingers that they can catch a shark next time. Forget the fish, they want to go straight for the shark.

Fun Pictures

My kids were riding my vacuum like a horse the other day and it was a lot of fun watching them. Including Eliza trying to mimick her brothers in saying "Ride Um Cowboy!" She has the Yee Haw Down great. And yes, I know Addison is half naked. This is normal in our house with him. Clothes are an option in his opinion and when it is 105* outside, I wish I could get away with it too.

Saying Goodbye Why Is It Hard???

My kids have been playing with the Hoffman Kids since we moved here to Porterville. They moved in two weeks before us and Danny was our first home teacher here and he and John were in the Sunday School Presidency together. We started play dates right away and the rest is history. The first three pictures were taken at one of our very first play dates. Where is Payton and Nicholas you ask. They were newborns! The Hoffmans moved this last weekend, and I learned this morning that Addison is still not getting it. Because of our trip to Paso Robles the kids were gone from home one day short of two weeks. By the time we got back to Porterville, Thomas, Elizabeth and Payton had already left to go stay with their grandma. Addison asked me this morning if Lizzie was all done moving yet. I told him that they had moved their things up yesterday but I was sure they were still unpacking. I asked him why and he said, "I was hoping they were done moving so Lizzie and I could play today." I told him it would be awhile before he and Lizzie got to play again for him to say, "It has already been long! How much longer!"
These kids have shared playdates, birthday parties, Christmas Parties, BBQ's over the last four years and since Addison and Elizabeth were 13 and 15 months old when we started getting together that is all they can remember. We are so Happy for them and for Danny's Advancement, but very sad to see them go. Thank Goodness it is only three hours away!