Utah Mom Blog & Mommy Blogger | Life Elevated Mom

The big pumpkin season kick-off

April 18, 2012 by Amber

Pumpkin season is upon us.

At least that’s what I think is happening with the Poltergeist-esque light seeping through Jamie’s grow room closet.

For the better part of winter, Jamie mopes around the house longingly gazing at his empty pumpkin patch. Around the beginning of April, he starts to come to life again, starting with the pumpkin grower’s spring kick-off event a couple of weeks ago.

I don’t ask what goes on there. I don’t need to know.

Now, there’s a lift in his step and a glow in his eyes.

Saturday–Pumpkin Man forwards me an email. A reporter from HGTV Gardening wants to interview him about growing giant pumpkins.

Because the dude needs a bigger platform to talk about them.

Sunday–He took a pocket full of pumpkin seeds to church and returned home with nothing.

I equated their distribution to blasphemy.

Monday–He gave his annual Family Home Evening lesson about “faith is like a pumpkin seed.” He and the kids planted their pumpkin (I had a meeting so missed the ceremony).

I later learned he had them assemble the mixture by digging into earthworm castings to get some quality poop to add to their pot.

Take that, City Kids.

Tuesday–He went to the Colorado Rockies game with his pumpkin buddies. Allegedly, baseball was watched but I don’t believe it.

Not when there are pumpkins to be discussed.

Today–Jamie will plant his pumpkins. Don’t ask me what genetics he is using. Don’t ask me what you should be putting in your soil to get started.

All these (and much more, I’m sure) will be at DenverPumpkins.com or on Facebook this season.

Signed,
The Pumpkin Widow

Filed Under: Humor, pumpkins

Life: According to Instagram

April 17, 2012 by Amber

Sometimes life is best followed by a glorious little app called Instagram. I’m woefully behind on life so here are our happenings before big Spring Break in Utah:

Hadley competed in her second Destination Imagination tournament whereupon she performed the riveting role of a mouse.

Suffice it to say, she was seriously bummed to snag up that role before she realized she could have had the role of a lifetime: a cat.

Speaking of which, our amateur photographers have been taking lots of pictures of Fat Kitty in his element….

….Whining and longing to go outside.

They also documented Fat Kitty’s love story. A new family moved onto our street and they brought Austin the cat with them. It was Fat Kitty’s first kiss ever.
Even Bode who shuns any signs of flirtation admitted he couldn’t turn away from the burgeoning romance.

Imagine their disappointment when they realized Austin was, in fact, a dude.

We’ve been spending a lot of time at the skate park and playground with our neighborhood besties.

A hint of many glorious evenings to come this summer.

Hadley and I are training for her first 5K, The Color Run. First item of business was shopping for running shoes and second was her first run.

She’ll be passing me in no time.

Every day when Hadley comes home from school, she holes herself up in her room to create something amazing.

This is what happened to my office chair during one of her many sessions.

One Saturday, we were Junior Naturalists at the Lookout Nature Center.

Or rather, the kids were. Jamie and I are more in the “senior” camp.

As for me, I’ve been keeping busy. One day, I appeared on Denver’s top news station, 9News, showcasing various baby shower items.

I miraculously survived without stuttering too much.

And through my almost-daily adventures, I’ve seen winter slowly seep into spring. From this hike up Matthews Winters in my Yaktrax….

to Confluence Park.

To a very steep hike up Apex Park to my new favorite overlook of the city.

To mountain biking Standley Lake.

To more mountain biking.

Only in Boulder would a trail with the name Community Ditch be so beautiful.

Some people call March Denver’s “shoulder’s season.”

If that’s the case, I can’t wait to see what our regular season will bring.

Filed Under: 9News, biking, Bode, Colorado, Hadley, hiking

What could have been a big-time mothering fail at Park City Mountain Resort

April 13, 2012 by Amber

I never intended to write a week’s worth of posts about our vacation to Utah but when it’s just that good, I want to relive every last minute of it.

Plus, my memory sucks and that’s the reason why I have a blog so I can remember it all.

Our first day at Park City Mountain Resort was icy and, if we’re being honest here, pretty miserable. But the latter part of the week, the snow softened and though it was heavy and wet, it was so much more fun. Couple that with balmy temperatures (50+ degrees, really?) and I fell in love with spring skiing.

With the exception that we were too lazy to discard some of our clothing layers so were dripping in sweat by the end of the day.

Sorry for that visual.

On our final day, Jamie and I had the best time together. Neither of us are experts at moguls but we found a bumps run, Powder Keg, that was fun to navigate because of the heavier, slower snow.

We raced down at the end of the day to ski with both kids. Bode had an amazing transformation (see yesterday’s post) and we also ran into Haddie’s Signature 5 class.
And I became that psycho mom who was snapping pictures each time she turned.
I mean, don’t you just want to pinch those cheeks that are buried somewhere underneath that helmet, those goggles and hair?

Jamie skied with Bode and Hadley and was dying to take me to Powder Monkey, one of Park City Mountain Resort’s ultra-cool Adventure Alley “Snowbugs”–trails designed just for kids. The problem was it was it was at the very top of the mountain and would have taken us a few chairlifts to get there. The resort closed in 45 minutes and there was a very real possibility we’d get stranded somewhere.

This is me we’re talking about.

So, we instead rode to the top of Bonanza lift and did another Snowbug trail. We were having a great time together and were hurriedly making our way down the mountain…and then I took a wrong turn. Instead of staying on Homerun (a nice, easy green), I led us to the point of no return. This intersection had three trails: Silver Queen (a double blue advanced intermediate), Crescent and Silver Skis (both black diamond, expert terrain).

Haddie is a solid intermediate skier but as I looked down at Silver Queen’s steep, bumpy terrain a feeling of dread came over me. I didn’t let her in on my trepidation and explained our predicament.

“OK, let’s do it!” she fearlessly said.

“Really?”

I don’t know why I was surprised since we didn’t have any other options, other than being carried down on ski patrol’s stretcher.

And so she gunned it down that mountain, never complaining and even squealing with glee.This was her last run of the 2011/12 ski season.

And makes me think she’s going to blow 2012/13 out of the water.

Or rather, snow.

Filed Under: Family travel, Hadley, Humor, skiing, Utah

Family + Skiing = Epic Utah Adventure

April 10, 2012 by Amber

Since we only had seven days to spend in Utah (four of which in Park City), this trip was only about two things: family and skiing.

First there were our darling twin nieces whom the kids adored and they loved right back.Hadley and Bode were bad influences and introduced them to the dirt pile behind Grandma’s house.

I later said to their mom Tammy (who is very lovely and proper) that she could send her kids to me for a week and I could teach them how to hike and get dirty and she could teach my kids how to be more cultured and refined.

I was only kinda joking.

We had a lovely visit with Jamie’s Grandpa Smith at his Uncle Dennis’ house.
Four generations together = happiness. I wish my kiddos were able to meet my wonderful grandparents.

We spent four nights in Park City at, hands down, the nicest condo I’ve EVER stayed in: Silver Star. We requested a three-bedroom so Jamie’s parents joined us on Thursday and Friday night.

There was a lot of chilling.
At least that’s what I think Jamie is doing.

Until Tammy, Uncle Jer and the twins came on Friday. In case you haven’t been around two-year-old twins, rest is pretty much non-existent but they sure are cute.

We had our own hot tub on our deck so that became a nightly ritual.

As did eating a lot of great food and watching General Conference together Saturday morning.

We loved being able to spend quality time with Jamie’s family. The twins, Ada and Berkley, have grown leaps and bounds since we saw them last summer. They are not identical but don’t tell that to Bode. When I asked him which was which, he exasperatingly said, “I don’t know. They’re twins.”

Like anyone should be able to tell them apart.

Filed Under: Bode, Family, Hadley, Humor, Utah

The Easter Walk, Wabbits & the Ham

April 9, 2012 by Amber

Did Easter completely sneak up on us this year? Perhaps it was because we were out of town for Spring Break and by the time we returned, we only had one week before the holiday. I deemed this not enough time to drag out our Easter decorations so our house was sadly bunny-less.

Wabbit-hater Elmer Fudd Jamie said it was our best Easter ever.

We weren’t in town for any of our community Easter egg hunts but we still had a grand old time that started with a fun “egging” in our neighborhood. On Thursday, we discovered an empty Easter egg basket on our doorstep with a cute poem to find 12 candy-filled eggs hidden on our lawn. We were then to return the favor to another neighbor and keep the chain going.

So that night after dark, we covertly planted the eggs, rang the doorbell and RAN.
Basically, it’s the coolest egging ever.

Trust me, my car was egged in high school (by a boy who allegedly had a crush on me) while I was still in it. This is a much better alternative.

On Easter morning, the kids got a haul of candy, craft supplies (Hadley), goodies for Mario Party 9 (Bode) and strawberry cream cheese crepes for breakfast.

Then there were the requisite pictures in our Sunday best. Usually our photo shoot is the most painful part of the day but all I took were these four photos because 1) they were darn cute and 2) I’ve given up the hope that Bode will ever smile normally in pictures.
And Easter dinner? Uncle Chris smoked a ham all day long (with apricot-honey sauce), and we devoured funeral potatoes, homemade Challah bread, strawberry salad and the kids’ cake batter truffles.

Is this where I make a bad joke about Jamie being a “ham?”

But hands down, my favorite part of the day was our new Easter tradition: the Easter Walk. Based on the bookby Deborah Pace Rowley (which I need to buy), this “Treasure Hunt for the real meaning of Easter” is a beautiful way for kids to discover the symbolism of Christ’s resurrection in our every day world with six clues and accompanying scriptures.

(The boys reading the clue.)

Clue 1: Mark 15:17 – Something pointed and sharp to represent the crown of thorns.

Clue 2: John 19:17-18 – Something made of wood to represent the cross.

Clue 3: Luke 23:46 – Something dead to represent the Savior’s death.

Clue 4: Luke 23: 44-45, 3 Nephi 8:23 – Something dark to represent the darkness in Jerusalem and in America.

Clue 5: Mark 15:46 – Something hard and round to represent the stone placed in front of the tomb.

Clue 6: Matthew 28:5-6 – Something alive to represent that Jesus Christ is alive again.

Our family went to Majestic View Park and the views (and entire experience) were, indeed majestic.

One of my new favorite pictures:
The kids enjoyed themselves but I especially loved doing the Easter Walk with the Young Women. Usually giggly and chatty (they are teenagers), I loved watching them reflectively stroll around the beautiful grove behind our church.
When we came back together, they shared what they had collected and I was astounded and humbled at just how insightful and good they are, and what a privilege it is for me to teach and be taught by them each week.

Basically, this was one of my favorite Easters ever.

Even without the wabbits.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, holidays, LDS Tagged With: Easter

Don’t worry, just be happy!!!

April 6, 2012 by Amber

I’m frequently asked about my happy outlook on life. Though a lot of what we encounter is really tough (like our 2011), I’m a firm believer in the following principles:

1) Gratitude

Some of the least grateful people I know are also the unhappiest. This is true of both my single and married friends. I was 30 when I married Jamie, which is an Old Maid in Mormon Years. I didn’t care. Though I wasn’t making a ton of money, I was passionate about what I was doing. I had a full life, fantastic career, traveled extensively and dated a lot. Carpe diem!

On the other hand, I had dear friends who were thoroughly depressed their plans to marry and have kids had not worked out at that point. But they didn’t do anything about it and instead chose to mope around and not put themselves in situations where they were developing their passions and therefore themselves.

There’s nothing attractive about someone who’s not doing anything with their life. And guess what:

Lesson learned: Don’t feel sorry for yourself.

2) Action

Take that gratitude and run with it.

I’m a firm believer we are all given talents that are unique to us. Something I am ardent about instilling in my kids: do not wait for life to happen to you. I want them to be confident in their skills, able to accept defeat and actively live their lives without ever saying, “I’ll be happy when….”

Learn to be happy NOW and:

3) Resist envy and comparing yourself to others.

I’m giving a talk in church next weekend and I came across this awesome quote from Elder Jeffrey Holland at last weekend’s General Conference:

There are going to be times in our lives when someone else gets an unexpected blessings or receives some special recognition. May I plead with us not to be hurt — and certainly not to feel envious — when good fortune comes to another. We are not diminished when someone else is added upon. We are not in a race against each other to see who is the wealthiest or the most talented or the most beautiful or even the most blessed.

4). Which leads me to…religion. I’ve always been very forthcoming about my religious affiliation and I laugh in the face of most of the self-help gurus because so many “life coaches” don’t have a clue. The best way to connect with yourself is through God in a deep, meaningful way. Whether or not they know it, people need to believe in something. If you don’t have answers, actively seek them out. This one is too important to procrastinate. P.S. Go here for an inspiring 1-minute Easter video about Christ’s final hours.

4) Repeat after me: I am amazing. A friend who has struggled with debilitating depression told me part of her therapy has been to completely change the way she thinks. When a negative, self-loathing thought comes to her mind (i.e. “You’re so stupid for not being able to do that”), she is to stop and completely change her mind pattern.

I’m so proud of her progress in realizing her true potential and how valuable she really is.

My parting thought is this HILARIOUS video that I swear could be my offspring.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg]

And don’t you ever forget it.

Filed Under: Humor, LDS

Gorgoza Park’s Rain, Tubing and Miniature Snowmobiles, Oh My!

April 5, 2012 by Amber

One of the highlights of our visits to Park City is Gorgoza Park’s flood-lit, lift-serviced tubing hill. Though prices aren’t cheap (a two-hour adult ticket is $22), I guarantee it is among the most fun thrill-seeking families can ever have.

Our visit did not start well. Prior to departure, Bode’s ski jacket was MIA and I feared we’d left it at ski school. When Jamie uncovered it hiding in the back bedroom, we were then faced with a new obstacle: it started raining. At a ski resort. You know, where is is supposed to snow.

We comforted ourselves by saying that mean it was likely snowing at the higher elevations (which it didn’t) and went on our merry way.

We were soaked to the core but had our most fun adventure ever. Usually the chutes are icy (read: suicidally fast) but allegedly the rain slowed them down considerably.

I didn’t notice–I was still thoroughly freaked out.

The kids were ecstatic to also try out Gorgoza Park’s miniature snowmobiles for the first time. The oval course is designed for kiddos ages 5-12 and it’s a mere $10 for 10 laps.

Is it just me or do they look hardcore?

Though they ended up tearing around that course at top speeds (which, thanks to the “governor” device the resort installed, they only went a maximum of 10 mph), it was pretty darn hilarious when they started out. I knew there would be hiccups. Though we live in a neighborhood where every other kid has a motorized four-wheeler, we’ve purposely kept our toys human-powered.

Which meant my kiddos looked pretty darn inept the first few laps.

I’d post the video but I shot it sideways.

(Insert apple doesn’t fall far from the tree comment).

Filed Under: Family travel, Humor, Utah

How you know your husband really gets you

April 5, 2012 by Amber

I repinned this stellar pin on Pinterest and told The Husband:

“I’d dress like this every day if I could.”

After a long pause, he finally said:

“I’ll get you some goggles.”

Filed Under: Humor, Jamie

Grandma Johnson: The High-Flying Adventurer

April 4, 2012 by Amber

If there’s one thing Park City Mountain Resort does well, it’s their off-mountain activities. You don’t need to be a skier to have a blast at Gorgoza Park (their tubing and snowmobiling hill) and PCMR’s base area.

We’re longtime fans of the alpine coaster and we were excited about a new addition this year: the Golden Eagle Zip Line.

Well, all of us except for Hadley who has had a pretty severe aversion to zip lines after doing the KEEN Adventure Race in Vail last summer.

We started out on the alpine coaster. Last year, I blogged about my frustration about being caught behind a slowpoke. Jamie was the one who unleashed on the perpetrator.

This year, it was my turn to go after a woman who not only slowed down but completely stopped every few feet on the tracks (which is not allowed). It took her 20 minutes to get down a run that should have taken a minute, completely shutting down the entire alpine coaster and leaving us stranded at the top. Her actions were not only frustrating but extremely dangerous as Jamie and Bode could have rammed into her going 30 mph.

Lesson learned: you don’t want to mess with us as it pertains to the alpine coaster.

Do you know someone else you don’t want to mess with? Jamie’s mom. She teamed up with Hadley to careen down the alpine slide full-throttle without braking even once.
She probably lived in fear Jamie and I would go off on her if she did otherwise.

But then she and Hadley took the first run on the Flying Eagle Zip Line. As far as zip lines go, this one is pretty tame (as opposed to the world’s steepest I did last summer). However, it’s a perfect introduction for kids and is more like a really fast chairlift with some thrills along the way.

I don’t know too many grandmas who would willingly do something like this but it’s a memory Hadley will always cherish.
The boys had a swell time, too.
Tip: cover your ears like Bode did because the noise at the end is almost deafening.

Or maybe it was just the sound of three Johnson girls screaming with glee.

Filed Under: Family travel, Humor, travel, Utah

Spring Skiing Park City Mountain Resort

April 3, 2012 by Amber

Spring skiing is a gamble. When we were at Park City Mountain Resort two years ago for Spring Break, we had the best conditions ever–over 30 inches of fresh powder with a 110-inch base.

For the non-skiers of the world, this is the equivalent of giving Jamie a free pass to spend the entire day in his pumpkin patch.

The 2011-2012 season has been a completely different story. Many ski resorts have had their worst snow conditions in 30 years and PCMR was no exception. Though the mountain is still covered in snow (though patchy in places), the surrounding areas are completely devoid of it.

It’s surreal to be on a ski vacation without a lot of white stuff.

There are advantages and disadvantages to this. Though the snow wasn’t the greatest, we still had one of our favorite vacations ever. It also afforded us to the opportunity to have some adventures off the slopes. On Wednesday, Jamie and I played hookey after we dropped the kids off in ski school and hiked to the Park City Hill Summit where a bold “PC” is scribbled across it.

Allegedly. We overshot it completely so never actually saw the symbol.

Our first day skiing at PCMR confirmed what I have long suspected: I absolutely suck at skiing icy conditions. (This is a generous observation).

But then a funny thing happened: it rained. I thought this was be the worst thing that could happen but I was wrong. The moisture actually softened up the snow so our final couple of days were soft, slushy and FUN. I fell in love with spring skiing for the first time.

Though don’t get me wrong: I’d take 30 inches of fresh pow ANYDAY over slush.

Next year?

Tomorrow: Stay tuned for why Jamie’s mom is a pretty darn cool high-flying, adventurous Grandma!!!

Filed Under: Family travel, Humor, skiing, Utah