Tag: 2012

Union Station

Photos from the Ogden Union Station
Big E watches the train go by.

 

Mountain Mom, little g and Big E working on the railroad.

 

Big E’s favorite playground

The goal of this blog is to do outdoor activities with my children, however with a coughing baby and 25 degree weather the idea of going outside yesterday was too cold, even for my adventurous side.  Instead we went with Grandma to the Ogden Union Station.  Outside there are big engines to look at and climb on, but watch out for slippery snow up top.

Inside there was a large open waiting area, a small train display and caboose to climb on outside of the museum.  In the museum we played with handheld trains, on the handcart and on the caboose.  Big E’s favorite part by far was chasing the electric trains that run through the panorama describing the connecting of the transcontinental railroad, especially since he got to push the button to make it go.

As is always the case, tears came at some point on the trip.  In the gift shop there was a tiny train engine that suddenly became the object of Big E’s deepest desires.  Whining, crying, and on the ground pouting commenced.  Luckily Grandma was there to remove him from the feet of other museum goers; with little g in the pack it’s hard to lift an almost 3 year old.  I tried bribery, comfort, ignoring and physical removal from the situation but as is often the case distraction was the only real cure for his tears.  I thought the incident was over but later Big E brought it up again.

During lunch Big E suddenly said “The pee is coming! The pee is coming!”  At home we’ve been practicing going pee on the potty and since this was the first time he has instigated the potty training I jumped at the chance to practice.  We rushed to the bathroom and then back to our table.  After lunch was over E went potty again and then announced “Now I get the train!”  His joy was almost tangible, so much so that I could not refuse.  We bought him the tiny overpriced train and he has not let go of it since.

An Advegetable!

Destination: Bridal Veil Falls
Location: Provo Canyon
Time: 9:50 am
Temperature: 29 degrees

Today I took the tots on an adventure, or as Big E likes to say “An advegetable!” We went to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon for a mini hike on their paved but snow covered trail. I arrived to find construction cones blocking part of the entrance and the parking lot blocked off and covered in snow as well. I should have taken this as an omen that perhaps today was not the best day for an advegetable but I was excited to try it anyway.

With little g strapped in my moby and Big E bundled beside me we set off down the trail. Big E set the pace and it took us 20 minutes to walk there playing fast/slow and pointing out the river and pine trees. I was so proud of him walking like a champ with no complaining the whole way there. Not to worry, the complaining came later.

Big E’s first task once we got to the falls was to throw rocks into the water, trying to break the ice. He started climbing up the side of the falls on his own with no parental guidance or assistance. Luckily he didn’t get too high before I figured out he was just looking for more rocks to throw in.

After what seemed like 30 seconds little g started crying and Big E asked for a snack. Thus began our demise. We walked maybe 10 feet further down the path to a covered picnic table and sat down for a snack with little g screaming the whole time. My legs and fingers were starting to get cold even though I was wearing gloves, so I can only imagine how Big E and little g were doing. We sat down for some Joe’s Os and Animal Crackers, Big E took off his mittens and I tried nursing little g. Note for the future: pack snacks that are edible without removing mittens and feed the baby before embarkation. Big E started crying that his hands were cold, little g was just fussy and I was out of patience. We scrapped snack time.

The walk back to the car was cold, loud and stressful. Luckily little g fell asleep on the walk back and Big E finally consented to putting his hands in his pockets since he refused to put his mittens back on.

Was the excursion worth the pain? Yes…ish. Back at home Mountain Dad asked Big E about the adventure and he excitedly said “We saw a waterfaller!” Obviously the cold hands had been forgotten and he enjoyed himself. Little g slept soundly all afternoon too.

Happy Birthday to Me!



For my birthday yesterday my husband and I (along with his brother and family) took the kids to Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville, UT. The photo on this website http://www.crystalhotsprings.net/ is slightly deceiving; it doesn’t look quite that nice in the middle of January, but it was still fun.

Crystal hot springs is a series of pools built around naturally occurring hot springs. The temperature of the water ranged from 70 to 108 degrees depending on which pool you went to. Big E, my two year old, ran pell mell between the 96 degree pool and the 70 degree pool. All I can say is that 70 degrees is not that warm when your body is accustomed to 96. E didn’t mind though, he was all about jumping in the freezing water polar bear style. Thank goodness for life jackets.
Little g on the other hand didn’t know what to think. Most of the time she just slept in her car seat but for the short time she was swimming with us there was definitely some crying. Overall she did great just gliding around being held by mom or dad but when she first got in the pool she let out a wild woman scream that would seem like we were torturing her. And according to some fellow pool goers we were.
Two women approached me to warn me about the mineral content of the pools, which is the highest in the US and possibly the world. Lithium is especially high here, which is a main ingredient in antidepressants. Many people come to these pools for that purpose, a natural mood lifter. However the effect of these mineral pools on small children is unknown. Being properly concerned I took little g out, rinsed off and put her in her car seat for a nap. However, Big E was not to be stopped so if there are lasting effects from this mineral soak I will let you know. I’m not too worried since he was jumping in the freezing water pool and running around the deck for the majority of the time anyway.
For me Crystal Hot Springs was a fun excursion with my family. I wanted to go there specifically because it’s warm and my kids could swim outside in January. However, others apparently felt I was encroaching on their healing bath. As one older gentlemen left the pool he mumbled under his breath, “Doesn’t anyone have jobs? What are they teaching these kids, that they should just play all the time?” Uh, yeah. Kids should play, that’s their job.
At one point when cousin E slipped and bonked her head, another pool goer, who thought mom reacted too slowly yelled, “Are you just going to watch her drown? That’s the second time she’s done that!” Cousin E was crying, mom was comforting her and a few minutes later all was well, except for the awkward feeling in the air. Why do people feel the need to comment on other people’s parenting? They shouldn’t judge the mother of an independent 18 month old because she’s letting her daughter explore with mom was 10 feet away.
Overall we enjoyed the trip, enjoyed the warmth and enjoyed each others company. I encourage any other mountain moms and pops to take their kids there and enjoy the pools and summertime waterslide. Just use common sense and ignore others’ rude comments.
Bonuse: my skin feels extra soft today, thanks mineral bath! 🙂