A Special Treat

Forgive me, Kara, for jumping the gun on this one but I am so excited I have to share!! I had the pleasure of meeting Kara a few months back at a graduation party and it turned out that not only is she very talented, I look forward to a life long friendship with her. She has been feverishly working on twin size quilts for the boys bunk beds and she sent me a picture of her progress today. All I can say is WOW!! These are going to be gorgeous in the boys' room. I will be sure to post pics of the real deal once they are completely finished, but until the enjoy!

Thanks again, Kara. You are the BEST!!

Check out Kara's work at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6121045

Fun at the Fair

After seeing REO Speedwagon on Saturday night, we returned to the fairgrounds on Sunday with the boys to tour the buildings and ride rides. I was excited to visit the craft building where we found that our local cake baker, Cassie's Custom Cakes, had won first place in all three categories. A first for her in a long time. For those of you who have attended one of the Riggio birthday parties, you have enjoyed her cake creations and, might I add, been fascinated with not only her masterpiece but terrific cake! I just had to take a picture of this one. YES, this IS a cake!



After exiting the craft building we ran smack dab into the CHP exhibit. My heart still races when I see a black and white as they remind me of my grandfather. The boys quickly posed for a few pics which is always fun. Maybe one of these two handsome little guys will follow in papa's footsteps one day. Until then, I will just enjoy the excitement that comes when they see police cars or fire trucks.



Hey look mommy! It's the lizard from TV! I guess Geico has served it's purpose in appealing to ALL age groups with their advertising. The boys couldn't wait to get a picture with this green guy.



After touring a few more buildings, and picking up a very cute pair of squeaky sandals for Matthew, it was on to the rides. YAY! Although the boys enjoyed themselves, Jim, Matthew, and I sweated in the sweltering heat and couln't wait to get back into an air conditioned building. I'm telling you, next year we are doing the ride thing in the evening despite the lines.

The first ride up was the two seater motorcyles. I'm pretty sure this is the exact same ride that they had when I was a kid - and I mean the exact one! Poor Joshua has outgrown this one so Dominic had to go it alone.



We opted to save the $20 on a ride bracelet for Matthew and assign him to a spectator position for the afternoon. He didn't seem to mind. He enjoyed running around in the hay and being soaked by the water bottle. Here is a pic of he and Jim watching the boys on a ride. Can't you tell that this little guy absolutely LOVES his big brothers? Look at that smile!!



....and I just couldn't resist this one! Sweaty head, red cheeks, and a big, fat "OHH" to boot!



This is the ride that peaked Matthews interest. Joshua and Dominic have enjoyed this ride especially for the past few years. For one day, these two were best friends.



The ride operator was kind enough to let them ride this one two times before we finally pried them off of it. I'm sure when I was a kid I could go around in circles time, after time, after time, but just looking at them circling the track made me sick!



Of course they had to ride the dragon roller coaster too. The ride operators were so nice! They would pause the rides and let me on the platforms to take pictures of the boys. How nice is that?

We finally had to take a break from the heat and walked into the agriculture and children's art building where we found a barn full of new chicks. The boys were all mesmerized with them and stuck their little fingers through the holes in an attempt to pet them. I think all they got was pecked, but they didn't seem to care.

We even found a huge coloring poster for the boys to add to. All three got involved and Matthew scribbled with multiple colors. I even joined in the fun and helped Joshua color a baby chick.





We grabbed some Albertson's fried chicken and some fruit and plopped ourselves at the watering hole for a late lunch. The boys were filthy and opted to jump around in the fountain to clean their toes off. I'm not sure that this was permitted, but since no one said anything, what the heck?





......and who can leave the fair without some pig racing? They were so cute!



Although the boys fair visit concluded after a few hours, I returned in the evening for the Tim McGraw concert with my friend Stephanie. We had a blast, and enjoyed the much cooler weather. Tim put on a great show and even paused for a moment to throw a guy out! We both kept our fingers crossed that we would find a way to get back stage, but when Tim jumped in his bus and sped off within minutes of the show ending, our hopes were diminished. Oh well, we had fun either way.

The two of us returned on Monday night as well to attend the Lady Antebellum concert! Thanks, Tom, for the tickets to both events AND entry passes. I can now officially say I am all faired out!

Utah - Day 5

Our final day in Utah proved to be the busiest yet! We started off the day with a trip to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. My niece, Ella, had dance class in the morning so we opted to take a "Riggio Family" only trip. I must admit that the drive to the zoo was an adventurous one. After missing our exit, we took the long way around only to find a traffic collision which put us on residential side roads to make it there. We arrived to a parking lot full of people and weather that was less than desirable for a day outside, but, oh well! Our local zoo membership provided us with half off entry which is always a treat.

Our first stop was the train. Although it was a fun one for the boys, I have no clue how we were actually supposed to take in the sights of the animals given that we were travelling at 30 MPH past their cages. Whatever....the boys enjoyed themselves and, well, Jim and I just enjoyed the peace and quiet if only for a few minutes.

We quickly made the rounds and made a special stop for the Elephant encounter and the bird show. The birds mesmerized all of us, especially the Sea Eagle - what a huge bird he was! Jim event got to participate in the show as he held his arm out for the Raven to land on. Of course that did cost him a $5 donation, but it was certainly worth it. We also saw the newest member of the Hogle zoo, a baby Snow Leopard. The boys enjoyed the quick trip and we only wish we had had more time to spend there but we had a packed day to get on to.

Joshua, Matthew, and Jim enjoying the train ride

The Sea Eagle - look how big he is!

And who could miss the black bear rummaging through trash for a fish?

We made it back to my sister's house just in time for her and I to get some sister time in. We had an appointment at a local salon for a pedicure and "Glitter Toes." Both of us enjoyed the quiet time together and the conversation. I only wish we had had more time together but with 5 kids between us that is difficult to do.

And then it was on to the Museum of Ancient History aka the Dinosaur Museum. Matthew stayed home with Jim while my sister and I took the older kids to run around this fun place. Joshua, Ella, and Dominic were kind enough to pose for multiple pictures while Owen spent most of the trip in a time out. Poor little guy - he just couldn't seem to contain his excitement. Owen is proof that a nap is an absolute must!

Ella and Joshua enjoying the sand and water table exhibit

Combined, they weighed as much as a small dinosaur

SHARK!! - I love this picture because I have pictures of Joshua and Dominic with this same creature from when they were babies. Someday it will be fun to look back!

Ella uncovers dinosaur artifacts

as does Dominic

....and Joshua

And the finale of the evening were the fireworks we purchased earlier in the day. I'm not sure which Festival American Fork was celebrating, but I really didn't care when we drove by a fully stocked firework stand. Since they are illegal in Paso Robles, we just at any chance to blow up fieworks! The boys were so excited and Matthew clapped through the entire show.

We are already looking forward to our next visit to Utah and to the upcoming visit from my sister and her family for Thanksgiving. How lucky we are that our kids are more than just cousins, they are best friends. Thanks again for a fun week, Pattie. We love and miss you!

REO Speedwagon Still Rocks the House

The Mid State Fair always promises fantastic entertainment and this year they did not let us down. Last night Jim, my mom, and I found ourselves front row at the REO Speedwagon and Styx concert. (Okay, so it wasn't the very front row, rather, the front row of the media section but it was still very close). How lucky I am to have Tom Keffury from KJUG (and one of the head honchos at the fair) on my speed dial. Not only did he hook us up with the great seats, he gave us an opportunity to visit the post-show party and meet the band - WOW!! Needless to say my mom was completely stoked and took photos with all the band members. I enjoyed rocking out to the old tunes and sang along to nearly every one. I must admit, however, that I couldn't recall most of the songs from Styx and Jim found that rather funny. I had to remind him that I am a product of the 70's which put me a bit after their time. Either way both bands sounded great and we all enjoyed this "blast from the past" experience.

The girls rocking out - Mom, Trish Raye, and me

Mom with lead guitarist Dave Amato

Mom with drummer Bryan Hitt


Mom with lead vocalist/guitarist Kevin Cronin

........and Jim and I with Kevin

Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

Tuesday welcomed a trip to the Bingham Canyon Copper Mine. What a cool place! This is the only Copper Mine in the United States and what a sight it was. The trucks were ginormous and it was neat to see them at work. The boys especially enjoyed posing with the truck tire!

Inside the visitor’s center were interactive displays and examples of items made using the copper from the mine. There was also a video that told about the mining process and how once they have completed mining, the mountain would be restored to its original condition.

and one last photo of Dominic in his new jammies - Tony Hawk of course