A Wedding

For the last two years we have had our friend Aaron living with us off and on. He was working with DH and didn't have a place to live. My sweet hubby offered for him to come live with us. At first I thought it was very weird that some single guy would want to come live with a family and not with guys his age. Plus I barely even knew him. But, it turned out working very well. The kids love him and he is a really good friend. He was fun to have around and he became like part of the family. We will miss having him around all the time.

He has been dating Lauren for a little over 2 years and they were just married about a week ago. Their wedding and reception was very pretty. It was all outside and the grounds were beautiful. They both looked happy and I hope that they will be for a long time. The kids had a blast dancing and running around and of course eating cake.

It was very strange going to a wedding that wasn't a temple wedding. It almost didn't feel real. The kids had a hard time understanding why they weren't going to the temple. So, we did the best we could to explain to them how people are able to go to the temple and the importance of being worthy. I know that they have plans to be sealed as soon as they can and I pray that they will be able to achieve that goal. Our temple marriage is a daily comfort to me. Knowing that I will be with my hubby for eternity is an extremely comforting feeling. I couldn't ask for a greater blessing than eternal families and I hope they will be able to receive those same blessings and promises

More 24th Activities

In the good ole' city that I live in, the 24th of July is a big deal. We celebrate for like a week. Last Saturday was the children's parade. Our ward picked a Hawaiian theme. Lucky for me, my little sis used to live in Hawaii and my kids had darling outfits to wear. After the parade they had fun activites at the park. The kids got tatoos, played in a bounce house, made crafts, went fishing, and of course had greasy carnival food.

Sunday evening there was a concert at the park. The neighbors walked down with us, and we enjoyed some nice music and ate yummy popsicles!

Then, on Tuesday after the parade, and after I figured out what to do with our lovely little chicken, we walked down to the carnival. We had lunch with some friends and then went to ride some rides. Those rides are so spendy and not that great. But, the kids had fun and I guess that is what matters!

In the evening we were invited to have a BBQ with some friends. The kids swam while we cooked, then we all ate, then the kids swam again.

After all the eating we did our own fireworks. The kids loved being that close to the fireworks and doing their own.

Then, we walked down to the cemetary to watch the "real" fireworks. They are actually done at the rodeo but we found a perfect spot at the cemetary to sit on the grass and watch. By then the kids were exhausted. I think T is the only one who stayed awake for the whole show. It was a very busy, fun-filled day and everyone had a wonderful time!

A Chicken at a Parade

On Tuesday we went to the parade in the morning for the 24th of July celebrations. The kids were lined up on the side of the street so they could pick up candy. They always end up with tons of candy and little flyers. This year however, we ended up with a few other items. M got a cute t-shirt and a back pack which was totally fine. T got a chicken. Yes, that's right a CHICKEN! Some guy threw a chicken out of his car, and of course my son has to be the one to run out there and pick it up. So, now we have a chicken living in our garage. What I'm supposed to do with it, I'm not sure. For now T is loving it. He first named it Nacho, but then changed it to Cruiser because he cruises around the yard. The neighbor gave him a cage, and he makes sure that Cruiser has plenty of water and food. Last night he asked for a blanket to cover her with and then plugged in a night light so that she wouldn't get scared. I know it would break his heart if we got rid of her, so we'll see what happens.

Idaho, Day 3 cont.

After lunch we headed out for Yellowstone. It is huge. We spent a long time there and enjoyed every minute of it. There is so much to do and we didn't even cover half of the park. We got to see buffalo, waterfalls, deer, geysers, Old Faithful, buffalo, bald eagles, and did I mention buffalo?

Buffalo Central!

There were so many buffalo here. We got a ton of pictures. I was surprised at how close we got to some of them. I think they must be used to people because we saw some next to a campsite. A few even crossed the road right in front of our car. I got a little nervous because we were just a few feet away from them.

One of the many beautiful waterfalls that you can see as you drive through the park! Aren't they gorgeous!?!

Excelsior Geyser Crater

We also saw some geysers. You could see the steam coming off the top of the water, and you could feel the heat just from standing by it. Some of the geysers had a rather unpleasant smell to them. At one point one of the geysers erupted and went off for over 40 hours. We walked around a huge one. The water was a very beautiful blue. I read in one of the pamphlets how dangerous the geysers were because of their temperature. We couldn't even walk directly on the ground because there could be some areas that appeared to be solid surface, but that would actually break if you stepped on it, and you could fall in the water and be burned. So, we had to be very careful around those areas.

Yellowstone Lake.

I was reading about this and it said that it is 430 feet deep. Now, that is deep!

Yellowstone was amazing, and I'm so glad we got to spend so much time there. The kids loved exploring and hiking around all the different areas. We let them each pick a souvenier from the gift shop. When we went to check out I had to laugh because the girls both ended up with sunglasses, the boys each got a necklace, and DH and I both picked out shirts. What a wonderful day!

Old Faithful

Idaho, Day 3

Our third day of vacation was packed with activities. We started off the day by going to the fish hatchery and Warm River to go feed fish. We got little food pellets and threw them into the water. The fish would all rush to where we threw the food. The kids thought that was so cool and we fed the fish for quite some time. There were some pretty big fish there.

Then we went to Mesa Falls, which is where DH and I got engaged. It has changed quite a bit since the last time we were there. When we got engaged we hiked down to the bottom of the falls. That is where he proposed. Now, they have that entire area fenced off so that you can't even go down to the bottom. The falls are huge and very beautiful. It is so peaceful there. There was a beatiful rainbow there too, which was very cool. It was actually a double rainbow which is very rare, but the second rainbow didn't show up in the picture. Darn! We had fun showing the kids the spot where we got engaged and they all giggled at us. When we finished looking at the falls we went to the little museum/gift shop that they now have there. They had skins of different animals that you could hold and try to guess what they were. They also showed the different sizes of paw prints and teeth of different animals. It was a hands-on area, so that was neat for the kids to actually be able to hold the skins and feel what they were like.

Idaho, Day 2

Monday morning we had to run a few errands before our vacation fun started. I had to go buy all new garments because Sat. night I realized that I didn't pack ANY. I was so mad at myself. How could I forget that? So, we went and I got all new ones. Then we went to Wal-Mart to buy food for the week.

After all that fun, we went to BYU Idaho and walked around campus. We ate lunch at the Nordic Landing. The kids thought it was very cool to get to eat like a college kid. Then, we walked around and saw all the new buildings that have been built since we went there. They have a beautiful garden area, that we enjoyed walking around. It was so pretty there, and we took lots of pictures.

Then, we headed back to the summer house to get ready to go swimming. We went to a place called Green Canyon. It is a natural hot spring. The people who own the land built a swimming pool, and they have the water pumped in. The pool is at a constant 98 degrees and is open year round. DH and I used to go there all the time. They have a hot tub that is even hotter. I can only stay in there for a couple of minutes before I start roasting. The kids had fun swimming and doing flips off the diving board. After we were done swimming we roasted hot dogs and had a picnic dinner. It was a great day, and the kids were beat.

M is 8 and Idaho, Day 1

Last Saturday we went out to lunch for M's birthday. We always let the kids pick where they want to go for their birthday. Since her birthday was Sunday, we decided to celebrate on Saturday instead. She chose to go to a Chinese restaurant. Chinese food is one of the family favorites.


Right after lunch we headed for Idaho for our vacation. We stayed at the family's summer house. My FIL and his wife were also staying there. It is the same house that my FIL grew up in. It's out in the country where it is nice and quiet. The house is teeny with only one small bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. There is no cable, satellite, computer, washer, dryer, heating, air conditioning, or many of the other conveniences that we enjoy every day. However, it was very nice. The kids came up with lots of fun things to play and to keep themselves occupied with. It was so nice to be able to spend quality family time without worldy interruptions.


Sunday we hung out around the house and celebrated M's birthday. I can hardly believe she is 8 years old. She is so excited to be baptized. We got her some scriptures with her name engraved on them and a journal. She also got a High School Musical shirt! She loves that show, and all the kids are eagerly awaiting the arrival of High School Musical 2!


M was born in Rexburg, Idaho on July 8, 1999 at 2:30 p.m. She weighed 8lbs. even, and was 19 inches long. She seemed so tiny compared to her brother who weighed over 91bs when he was born. We were so excited to have M become part of our family. After T was born, DH was ready to have another baby right away. I needed a little more time. We didn't wait long though. I got pregnant with M when T was only 7 months old. I had a pretty easy pregnancy which I was sooo grateful for since I was chasing around a very active little baby at the time. I did have some contractions about 11 weeks from my due date and had to go to the ER to be monitored. Luckily it wasn't anything major. I was a little dehydrated and that had started my contractions. But, we got them stopped and the rest of my pregnancy went well!



I actually was induced with M because my doctor was going out of town, and I didn't want anyone else to deliver my baby. My labor wasn't too bad though. I was only in labor for 5 hours. The doctor said that I probably would have had her on my own anyways. She was such a wonderful addition to our family. T fell in love with her right away. He looked so big compared to her, even though he was only 16 months old himself.


M brings such a sweet spirit to our family. She is very giving and loving. She is always writing notes to us and leaving them on the bed, or on the counter, or slipping them into our hands. She is also very sensitive, she can cry at the drop of a hat. If you look at her the wrong way, she'll cry. But, she's also sensitive to the needs of others and does her best to help other people as often as she can. She has grown to be such a wonderful girl and I am grateful every day that she is part of our family!

Good Mail

When we got home from our vacation, I was greeted with 2 wonderful pieces of good mail. Then, yesterday I got two more things!! Tori sent me some darling cards, which always come in handy. Chel sent me some Pop Rocks with a card that said, "You Rock!". I got a Mary Engelbreit notepad, sticky notes, and card from Toni. And, Marcia sent me the softest pair of socks. I can't wait until I get to wear them!

Thanks girls!

Sleepy Heads

T has always been soo good with babies. He has always loved holding them. We have been watching this cute little guy since February. The kids absolutely adore him. I was in the kitchen the other day and T was holding him. Then next thing I knew, it was all quiet. I went into my room to check on things, and this is what I found. They were both out like a light. It was so precious!

Go Tusks!

This was the first year that S played T-ball. I think he really enjoyed playing, and we really enjoyed watching. Boys at this age seem to have a hard time staying focused on the actual game. It was hilarious to watch.

Sometimes S would do really well and pay attention, but other times he was distracted. You could catch him on the field sitting down (kind of like the kid in the picture), playing with friends, or putting his glove on his head. He did really like hitting the ball and running the bases. He LOVED sliding. I think his overall experience was a good one.

GO TUSKS!!

Father and Son

DH and T were playing catch at the park. It was so cute, I had to get a picture!! I'm so grateful for a hubby who will play with his kids. They love him so much!

Bubbles

We went to the park for a picnic for our June family birthday party. Grandma D. brought a blow up pool and some homemade bubble solution. They made huge bubbles out of various objects like a hula hoop, string, a plastic bottle, a strainer, straws and other such stuff. The kids had a great time making giant bubbles. It was a loads of fun!

We also played on the playground, the boys played catch, and we played a fun game called Sheepherder's Golf. The weather was perfect and it was a great day to be out.

Ward Campout

Last weekend was our ward campout up at Bennion Creek. We had a blast!!! It was so nice to get away and just enjoy each others' comany and not have to worry about interruptions. About 5 minutes after getting there, S was soaking wet from head to toe even though we warned him NOT to get wet. I guess it was expected. Then he laid down on by the barbeque pit to dry off. Luckily we had extra clothes. But, by the time we left which wasn't even a whole 24 hours later he had managed to get all of his clothes wet, and we had 3 outfits. Oh, well.

The girls had fun singing and entertaining. Here is their new song:

Don't make me snap my fingers in a Z formation,

Head rotation,

Is that too much information.

Everyone got a good laugh out of them and they enjoyed being the center of attention.

We had good food to eat, took walks, roasted marshmellows for smores, went fishing, got wet, talked, laughed, and had a great time!!!

Glamorous!!

My sister is going to beauty school and asked if she could take the girls and give them manicures and pedicures. Oh yeah, and by the way, could she also dye their hair pink?!

The girls had a great time and came home with huge smiles. Their hair was PINK! I wish I would have gotten a picture of it right away because now some of the color has faded. But, it still looks darling!

They love having their pink hair and think they are so glamorous. I did however get several dirty looks at church. Like I was some horrible mother for letting my girls have pink hair. Okay first of all, it will wash out in like a week or two. It's summer. And it's fun. So, does that make me a fun mom or a horrible-I-can't-believe-she-let-her-girls-do-that mom? Hopefully, a fun one!!

The Bridge

I love this story! I used it in my talk I gave during Sacrament last week, it's called "The Bridge".

There was once a big turntable bridge which spanned a large river. During most of the day the bridge sat with it’s length running up and down the river paralleled with the banks, allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides of the bridge. But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river allowing a train to cross it.

A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed. One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come, he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight, and caught sight of the trains lights. He stepped to the control and waited until the train was within a prescribed distance when he was to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position for the train to cross, and moved the lever to lock the bridge into position. But, to his horror, he found the locking control didn’t work. If the bridge was not securely in position it would wobble back and forth at the ends when the train came onto it, causing the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a passenger train with many people aboard.

He left the bridge turned across the river, and hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a lever which he could hold to operate the lock manually. He would have to hold the lever back firmly as the train crossed. He could hear the rumble of the train now, and he took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives depended on this man’s strength.

When coming across the bridge form the direction of his control shack, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. "Daddy, where are you?" His four year old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child, "Run! Run!" But the train was too close, the tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. The man almost left his lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him home to safety. But he realized that he could not get back to the lever. Either the people on the train or his little son must die.

He took a moment to make his decision. The train sped safely and swiftly on its way, and no one aboard there was even aware of the tin y broken body thrown mercilessly into the river by the on-rushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of a sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the locking lever long after the train had passed. They didn’t see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked to tell his wife how he had sacrificed their son.

Now if you can comprehend the emotions which went through this man’s hear, you can begin to understand the feelings of our Father in Heaven when he sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when His Son died? How does He feel when we speed along through life without giving a thought to what was done for us through Jesus?

When was the last time you thanked Him for the sacrifice of His Son?

A Late Father's Day

I realized that I never posted about father's day, so here we go, just a little late. We had a very nice, relaxing father's day. We of course went to church, where I had to speak. I think it went pretty well. I always get so nervous, but I had several people tell me I did a good job, so I guess it must not have been too horrible.

When DH came home, we sent him on a scavenger hunt to find his presents. It was a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed following him around. I feel so blessed to have DH as a husband and a father to my children. He's awesome.

Then, of course I can't talk about father's day, without talking about my own dad. How lucky I feel to have such a wonderful dad. He's been a hero of mine for a long time. My dad is patient, kind, understanding, spiritual, intelligent, has a good sense of humor, and my list could go on and on. He raised me in the gospel with good standards and for that I am forever in his debt. Not only was he an amazing father, but he is an amazing Papa. My kids adore him, as do all the other grandkids. S loves to play dinosaurs with him and has been one of his biggest fans since he was about one. We lived with my parents for about a year and S got attached to his Papa. Then, when we moved my dad thought that S would move on, but boy was he wrong. He talks about his Papa almost daily. He wants him to come to his birthday parties, or to play with him, or just to be with him. We are sad that he lives sooo far away. It's no surprise that S and all the other kids want to be with him, he is a wonderful person. I'd love to be with him all the time too!

So, sorry for the late post, but to those wonderful men in my life:

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

S was playing happily in the bath the other day, while DH and I were in our bedroom talking. We heard the normal splashing and playing, and then we heard, "I am a genius!". Well, I had to see what that was all about. When I went in, I found him back in his clothes and completely wet. I asked him what he was doing, he then told me that I didn't have to wash his clothes I only had to dry them, because he washed them while he was in them. This was why we heard the genius comment. I just laughed and rolled my eyes. This kid is something else.

Spanish Fork River Park

We found this cute new park just up the canyon and have enjoyed going there for dinner. It's only about 10 minutes away so we can go up there for a quick dinner and some fun. On Monday, we got some KFC and picked up Grandma and headed out. We had a great time. We ate dinner and then went for a walk. Grandma taught the kids how to make necklaces and bracelets out of indian grass. They thought that was so cool.

The kids played on the playground for a while. T and M played some horseshoes with their dad. Then, we roasted marshmellows and made smores. It was a great night. T had a great time helping his dad start the fire. He is really starting to enjoy different things now. It's so fun to watch him grow and to get excited about new things.