I'm ready for bed

*yawn*

Today was a fun, full day!

Half of my family is already sleeping and have been for the last hour and a half, and it's only 8:00!

I have been excited for today for a whole month, but haven't been able to tell anyone about it really...but now I can! It all relates back to the wonderful stories the boys wrote back in March that they entered into the PBS Kids Write contest. Last month I was called and notified that they had both placed in their grade levels and there was going to be an award ceremony in May, but I was asked not to tell the kids...it was to be a surprise. So I tried really hard! I told Scott, of course, because he is the other half 0f me, so that wasn't like I was really telling someone else. But I did tell a couple of people... I just couldn't keep it to myself! I was way too excited!

Today was the ceremony up at a fun place in Utah called Thanksgiving Point. To try and make our random trip there seem more likely, and to not raise the kids' suspicions, we planned a day out for us. We started by going out early this morning and having them make a free craft at Lowe's - I love these free wood working activities that they and Home Depot have a couple times each month. Today was our first time going to Lowe's and we found out that they give a patch when you complete your project, so Owen was in heaven since he had earned a patch just like Garrett has been in scouts!

After they made a catapult at Lowe's, we went up to thanksgiving Point for the Sheep and Lamb Festival. We brought our friend Wendi up with us, and Aunt Mel came down with some of the kids' cousins to have fun at the festival as well. We got to make wool soap, wool hacky sacks, and twisted wool bracelets. We saw some sheep dogs demonstrating their herding skills and the kids got to have a free pony ride (or two or three!).

Cowboy Johnny was in heaven taking his pony rides!
Johnny was giving me his tell tale cowboy wink!
And we got to watch a man sheer a sheep and learn all about it. I thought I had seen this done before when I was a kid, but I don't remember the awkward positions the poor sheep had to be put in to be sheered. But today this poor ewe was so sad looking! And to top it off, she was pregnant! You're already running out of room in your body just being pregnant, but then to be contorted...man, I really felt for her!

The kids got to feel the freshly sheered wool, the lanolin that was on the sheep's skin, and the sheep herself. Emmy didn't really want anything to do with her up close - he loved looking at the animals from a distance, but up close was a whole different thing. They are bigger than he is and that makes them scary.

At noon we all met Grandma and Grandpa out in the parking lot for a fun picnic, then we headed into the big red barn for the PBS award ceremony. Inside the kids got to make bookmarks, play with magnetic sand, learn about wool, make a wheat seed necklace and a kalidoscope, and other funstuff. Out of 300+ entries from all over Utah, Garrett won 4th for his grade, and Owen placed 1st! They both got a bag full of books and goodies, and Owen's story was sent to Nashville to compete for Nationals. Each winner got an autographed book from a published children's author and had their picture taken with them.

After the awards there was a fun magic show that the kids really loved. He had them laughing, clapping, and one point they were on stage helping and he got them to eat some (clean) toilet paper! At the end of his act he incorporated a kangaroo into one of his tricks! How can you go wrong when you add live animals to your act! (Isn't she cute? Her name is Loxy and she is only 11 months old...so she's not potty trained yet and still in diapers!)

To top it off, Wendi bought a couple of chicks and a duckling at the Farm Town, so on the ride home each of the kids got to hold one. Owen was so thrilled to get to cuddle with a little chick!And Emmy was thrilled to sit next to him cuddling the chirping critter!It was the perfect ending to a full, but fun day!