Dinosaurs, Sharks and Robots...Oh my!

Chandler has been really into dinosaurs lately (and as a result, so has Preston). The other day Chandler told me he wants to be a paleontologist. When he first said it, I thought he had said Perinatologist and I couldn't for the life of me, figure out how he knew what that was (and obviously, why he wanted to be one!). We eventually sorted that all out. The kids even chose to forgo our annual trip to the model Train show at Thanksgiving Point in favor of another trip to the Dinosaur museum.
Preston, of course, made a weapon out of the brush he was supposed to be using for excavation.
Preston and Jared in from of a Dinosaur foot. What a good sport Jared is!
All three Hemmert boys in front of a replica of a shark. We had an impossible time trying to get a picture of Preston. He was so fascinated with everything there is to see that he couldn't be bothered to look at the camera. Bottom line, if you have never been to the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point and you have kids, you MUST check it out soon. It's great. We also saw an IMAX movie about dinosaurs there. The kids were a little scared at some parts, but it was great overall. I will never get over watching my boys with their 3D glasses on reaching out to touch what is on the screen. They're so young, they haven't figured out that it only looks like you can touch it.
On a totally unrelated note, you know we're in the dead of winter when Chandler resorts to making himself into a robot just to entertain himself. Yes, that's a strainer on his head and yes, it was his idea. Snow, snow go away; Chandler wants to ride his bike! (I know rhyming's not my strong suit).

Superhero follow up...

So today my boys ventured down into the scariness which is our unfinished, VERY unorganized basement. For some reason, they like it down there. I guess chaos is drawn to chaos. Anyway, they found their life jackets that they use to go swimming and insisted I put them on because they made them have big muscles. I was cracking up. Preston's is even one of those one-piece spandexy things with built in floation pieces, so it was perfect for making muscles. Chandler took his shirt off and wore his orange, toddler life jacket around. So outside is 10 degree weather and inside are my SUPER BUFF boys! I wish I had taken a picture!

My little Superheroes

The other night I noticed both boys requested PJs with superheroes on them, so I decided it was time for a photo shoot. I love the look on Preston's face! Warning: he will shoot you if you get too close!
And this post could not be complete without a picture of my original Superhero, Jared. He was making seductive faces long before he knew what he was doing.
The superheroes as they appear most days. This was at Chuck E. Cheese's where we were celebrating my nephew, Connor's 4th birthday!

Hawaii

We will be on our way to Hawaii (the big island) next month. Jared is getting excited for more crab creature fun.

A definite Girls Night Out! Who's in?

(PAUSE THE MUSIC PLAYER ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT FIRST!)

Jared-a redo

After giving me permission for his picture on the "pot," Jared reconsidered and didn't want it on here. So if you saw it, consider yourself lucky. I think he just wanted me to say MORE good things about him. The purpose of this (and the original) post was to honor Jared on his 33rd birthday. He may have a little less hair, but is like a fine wine and just gets better with age.

Since this is the second time around, it will not be as good or thoughtful. That's just the nature of it. I apologize for that, Jared. Jared is a very good father. He is both of the boys' favorite most of the time. He is an excellent dentist and loves to learn more about dentistry and keep up with all the new procedures and technologies. He is very adventurous and loves the outdoors. He is a master skier and mountain biker, although his health has severely limited him in recent years.

Jared has endured a lot with his health and has, for the most part :), done so with grace and patience. Last but not least, Jared is very good looking too! We love you, Jared!

Southern Utah for New Years

We spent New Year's in St. George this year. We decided to bunk in with everyone at Los Palmos instead of staying at my family's condo so that we wouldn't have to make the 10 minute "commute" multiple times per day.

We took a day trip to Zions National park while there. Believe it or not, I had never been to Zions before. It was in the 20s and 30s and so was not crowded at all. Since we didn't really plan ahead clothing-wise, we just drove through the park and walked around a little. Next time, I'm sure we'll do more hiking. This picture is our best attempt at a family picture using the timer on our camera. If you look closely, you can even see Chandler's head poking out.

Chandler appointed himself to the position of family navigator. He kept telling us what number we had to go to on the map. He is also wearing a fanny pack that he wanted more than anything else in the gift shop. We had to tie it around him to get it to fit.

Chandler and Preston on a very high rock. One false move, and we would have been making an ER run.

Joyce (with lots of help from Julie) made a wonderful, authentic Swiss cheese fondue for New Year's Eve dinner. We'd like to make it a tradition, but we're not sure if the cooks are up for it.

Our niece, Hayley, sampling the chocolate fountain that we had for dessert on New Year's Eve.

The older of the boy cousins in St. George. I tried to get a picture with all of them looking at the camera, and sadly, the best I could do had poor Mark covered up with Preston.

Chandler playing the Hansen's Wii. He was very good at bowling (and even beating his much older cousin, Mara) right from the beginning. If we can find one, maybe Santa will bring one for Christmas next year.

Chandler showing victory at bowling on the Wii. We had a great time down there. It was a nice break from the snow and cold. I almost forgot that one of my favorite parts was coming across some polygamists in the Van Heusen outlet store. I have recently read 2 different books about polygamy, and was anxious to have a sighting. Before the sighting, I kept asking to go to Kmart so we could look for some (that's where we have always seen them in the past), but got lucky at the outlets. I know, I'm very weird.