Good Friends

We went to St. George with some friends and had a blast.

This is just outside of the temple.

Ramona Quimby

Introducing: M as Ramona Quimby

My name is Ramona, I'm only eight.

It isn't my turn, but I just couldn't wait.

I tried to bring Beezus but she was in tears,

so I came without her, do you like my new ears?

It just seems to Henry and Ribsy and me,

that tossing out books is so silly you see.

Cause books make us laugh, make us think, make us feel

things that are special and things that are real.

APX Party

My sis Ange invited the kids and I to go to her works summer kickoff party on Saturday. It was a blalst. It was by far the best work party I've ever been to. When we first got there everyone got a new shirt and we entered our names in for drawings.

There were a ton of bounce houses, slides, and mazes for the kids to play on. It was catered, and the food was so YUMMY! BBQ is not my favorite, but this was good food! There were also scones and snow cones. You could have as much as you wanted. I think each of the kids had at least 2 or 3 snow cones.

There were a ton of drawings for prizes. M won a hat. I won skullcandy, which I guess is supposedly some really good expensive headphones. I'd never heard of them before, shows how much I know. I probably won't use them, so I guess I'll try and sell them. Ange won some luggage worth like $300. It really was a great party.

They had a cash cage where you stand in one of those boxes and cash blows all around and you have 30 seconds to catch as much as you can. Well, all of my kiddos got to go in there. They thought that was the best ever. Combined they "caught" $98.00!!

We stayed for a long time and just hung out. The kids had a blast winning prizes, playing, and eating. It was a great way to spend a Saturday while DH worked.

Ange is such a good Auntie going down the slide with J!!

This was the only picture I got of S. The rest of the time he was out running and playing. I could barely get him to hold sort of still for this one picture.

Cub Scout

S finally got to go to Scouts!

He's been waiting and waiting for this day, and had a great time.

Hope of America

T got to be part of a huge performance at BYU. It was called "Hope of America". The kids sang some great songs. There were also some dances and a slide show. He had a great time performing. Some of the songs they learned in sign language. It was a nice tribute to America!

(T is in the middle section, fourth red row up, in case anyone was wondering!)

"It's Like in the 70's"

J has been coming home from school almost every day asking if she can get out the slip-n-slide. I keep telling her that it's not warm enough yet. She doesn't agree. Finally the other day she asked and I said no again. She then said "It's like in the 70's!" So, I finally gave in. They had a great time, although they didn't last very long. Crazy girls!

Look Who's 8!

Yesterday my little Cinco de Mayo baby turned 8. How the heck did time go by so quickly? This guy has been waiting to be 8 so that he could be baptized. We had a short little celebration because yesterday was super CRAZY, but we will redeem ourselves. He was happy to get his presents: scriptures with name embossed, scripture bag, scout shirt, scout book, and "wolf" slide. He was thrilled with his gifts and was smiling all day long.

S is my little trouble maker. He drives me absolutely crazy, but I love him SO much. He's got a great smile and the most tender heart. So, when he goes through his little crazy-naughty moments it's so hard to be mad at him. He puts on that little charm and gives me a big smile and then it's so hard to stay mad.

Happy Birthday Bubba!

I Totally Wish We Were Still Doing This!

Get ready...

...and jump!

We love swimming!

Sun, anyone?

Zions National Park

While we were in St. George we decided to drive in to Zions National Park. None of us had been there before so we decided it was a perfect time to go. It was a little cooler that day, which was perfect for hiking. It is absolutely beautiful there. We hiked around for a couple hours and enjoyed all the beauty around us. The kids did pretty well with all the hiking. J only had to be carried a few times. Luckily she is a little light weight!

We did a hike called Emerald Pools.

This is a view looking up from where we hiked.

A moment where the boys are actually getting along.

Cool waterfall.






I think this rock was called the "pulpit".

Hiking with friends!

Flying over St. George

Maybe an hour after we got to St. George, J asked us if we wanted to go for a ride in his helicopter. Um, yes of course! It was a blast. The kids loved it. We got to fly over a volcano, which S thought was pretty cool. It's amazing how easily those things take off and land.

It was so much fun! The scenery was beautiful. J and S had never flown before, so they were very excited to go, actually we were all excited. We got to do some pretty amazing things last weekend. Fun times!!

A pretty view from the helicopter.

Flying over St. George

My crazy hubby!

The kiddos all buckled up and ready for take-off!

St. George Dream House

So, DH got in touch with an old mission buddy through Facebook. Thank-you Facebook! DH told Jeremy that we were going to be in St. George for our girls competiton and that he would love to visit and get reaquainted. J then asked where we were staying and DH told him we had reservations at a hotel. J said that we should just cancel our reservations and stay in his company house. When we asked how much, he told us nothing. It was crazy. It seemed almost too good to be true. When we got there I knew the house was going to be nice, but I had no idea. It was beautiful. DH and I were like little kids on Christmas morning. We had to check out every room and take lots and lots of pictures. We were there for 5 days, and it sure was had to come back home and back to reality. We really got spoiled while we there. The fridge and cupboards were stocked with drinks and snacks, we went out to dinner, we got to ride in a helicopter, the kids got new swim toys. It was fabulous! Thank-you SO much Jeremy!

The front of the house.

Another view of the house.

The view from the backyard.

Cute little animals at the bottom of the pool!

The pool, which we spent hours and hours in!

The skylight in the bathroom.

One of the bedrooms.

The bedroom where the girls slept.

The family room.

The dining room with a very cool waterfall in the back.

The kitchen.

I LOVE this kitchen.

Living Room

The office, where you could go on and pick music and play it through the entire house.

Master Closet with a washer and dryer in it. Fabulous!

Master Bathroom Tub

Master Bathroom Shower with 14 shower heads.

It was a cool shower.

Master Bedroom with the most comfy mattress. I've got to get one!

Definitely a drem house. This vacation goes at the top of the list as one of our favorites!

M&M Factory

The kids at the M&M Factory in Las Vegas!

I Love This Guy

When we were in Cali., my FIL had some clothes out for DH to try on and have if he wanted. This particular pair of pants were hilarious on him. They are bright blue, stretchy jeans! He added one of his dads' shirts, his fishing glasses, pushed out his gut and striked a pose. We were cracking up. This is how it usually is with my hubby. He is always making people laugh.

Natalia's Blessing

Natalia's blessing was so nice. My brother Alec was able to bless her, and did a wonderful job. She looked beautiful in her dress. This is the same dress that my sisters' and I all wore on our blessing days. My girls wore it too and some of Txmommy's girls did. I was so glad that we were able to go and share this special day with Em and Natalia!

11

I can't believe I have an eleven year old. CRAZY! T turned 11 last Saturday (the 7th). He is growing up right underneath my nose. He really is a good boy. He's smart, even though he is a big procrastinator and hates homework. He is a great helper and adores his dad. I am so glad that he is part of our family, what would we do without him?

T loves babies and little kids. He always has. When M was born he was only 16 months old, but he held her and loved her and was super gentle with her. That has been the case ever since. He loves to hold babies and is happy to sit there and hold a baby for a long time. And, kids love him. It's very cute. Here he is with his newest cousin Natalia!

My birthday boy, with a sports cake, of course!

T just finished a season of basketball. He loves sports, just like his dad. He had a really awesome season and was the highest scorer at each game!

T recieved his "Arrow of Light" award. He worked so hard for this, and was so excited to get this award. This is the highest award a boy scout can receive. Now, he's on to 11 year old scouts.

Love you T!

"Happy Birthday, Mom!"

This morning I was taking a shower, and was interrupted by my kiddos and hubby singing "Happy Birthday" to me. They were also carrying a plate of breakfast for me. Apparently last night the girls had planned to make breakfast for me this morning. When the boys heard the noise in the kitchen they got up to join in on the fun. It was the cutest thing ever. They were so excited to give it to me, and I loved it. It was probably one of the best surprises ever. My breakfast was complete with toast with butter and jelly on it, oranges, a pickle, and some gummy worms. What a great breakfast! I know you're jealous! I've got some great kiddos!