Way Behind!

Well, it's been a month and a half since I've posted so I have a lot to catch up on. My blog header is still from Halloween and my music is summer time songs. But until I am ready for Christmas I'm not going to worry about it. Each of these paragraphs deserves it's own post but I am going to keep this short and sweet. Hopefully, I won't get so far behind again!

We went to Lubbock, Texas for Thanksgiving and spent it with Jimmy's sister's family. We had a great time and enjoyed seeing their new house and touring around Lubbock.

I am going to be 19 weeks along in a couple days. This pregnancy has been great so far. No throwing up or nausea which has been great. I go in for my big ultra sound next week so we are hoping to know for sure what we are having. I had one last week at my Dr. apt. and he thought it looked like a girl but his machine isn't great so he said wasn't sure. I am thinking it's a girl now though and having fun thinking of girl names. I am feeling the baby move all around now and Jimmy said he felt it kicking last night.

Sophie turned 3 yesterday. She is so much fun! We had a party for her on Sunday since I had Enrichment last night. She was so excited about her cupcakes and presents. This is the first year she's really gotten it. She's been singing happy birthday all month and talking about a cake. Here are some of the cute things she has been doing- she loves to sing I am A Child of God, she loves playing My Little Ponies and playing with Kali, she LOVES all sorts of fruit, she blows her nose great, she loves to go on the four wheeler with her dad (she had to go with him when he was plowing driveways yesterday even though it was freezing out), she is always so happy when she wakes up and is so excited to see me, and she learned how to smile for the camera, she is very smart (count, colors, shapes, recognizes some letters and numbers) I am so grateful she is my little daughter.

Halloween Weekend

For Halloween this year we had a house full. Aaron & Camile and their girls, Ken & Gina, Brigham and Emma, Steph & Bryant, and Mom & Dad all came to celebrate, eat and go trick-or-treating. We started out with some yummy soups, cornbread and witches brew. After our tummies were full we got the kids ready for trick-or-treating. Sophie was going to be a giraffe until she saw Carly's pretty pink witches costume. She started bawling and wanted Carly's hat (no nap played into the costume envy tantrum). So I scrambled to find some of Kali's old dress up costumes and Sophie was happy being a princess with a pointed hat. Conner was an injured soccer player and Kali was a cheerleader that fell off the top of a pyramid. Ellie and Sophie lasted about 20 minutes outside (it was raining lightly). The rest of them stayed out about an hour. We had some pumpkin cake and played Apples to Apples for awhile and then it was time to hit the hay. (we had a temple sealing appointment at 7 am)

Above- Camile, Mom & I before dinner Below- Sophie and Ellie after Sophie calmed down and was happy with her costume

On Saturday, I had a neat experience with my family. My Grandma Johnson who passed away last year was a convert and wasn't sealed to her parents. So yesterday, we went to the temple and my parents knelt across the alter proxy for my dad's grandparents and I knelt in for my Grandma. I know my Grandma was celebrating and I am so glad I got to play a roll in such a wonderful ordinance.

Then we went to my nephew Brigham's Super Bowl game. It was at Pleasant Grove H.S. and his team won. It was a close, exciting game! Conner had his first indoor soccer game. They lost by a point but he made a goal and had a good time. He was excited there was so much family there to watch.

8's Tag

My friend LaNea tagged me this week and it was a fun one to do!

8 Favorite TV shows

1. Oprah
2. Good Things Utah
3. Prison Break
4. Lost
5. The Office
6. Biggest Loser
7. So You Think You Can Dance
8. American Idol

8 Things I did yesterday
1. Went to the Scarecrow Festival
2. planted Spring bulbs
3. Helped Jimmy clean the garage
4. started putting away clean laundry (didn't finish)
5. took a shower
7. watched Penelope with Conner & Kali
8. Shared a chicken salad with Jimmy from Cafe Rio

8 Favorite places to eat
1. Cafe Rio
2. Rumbi Grill
3. Wingers
4. Olive Garden
5. Kneaders
6. Paradise Bakery & Cafe
7. Dions (in New Mexico)
8. Zuppas

8 things I'm looking forward to

1. Sophie being potty trained all the way- she's getting real close! yeah!!

2. Going out with Kara and Laura on Wed. (friends that go way back with me!)

3. Going to the Bahamas with Jimmy in April (Champions Circle from Jimmy's work)

4. Having a new addition to the family in May (yep- you read that right)

5. not being so tired in a couple week (that'll be the start of my 2nd trimester- I always start feeling better by then)

6. Getting my hair done on Wed. (weaved & cut- maybe short- I haven't decided yet)

7. sometime this week my neighbor is waxing my eyebrows (it's badly needed)

8. relaxing after the kids are in bed & having some popcorn with Jimmy (have to be sure the kids are asleep though or they come down when they smell the popcorn)

8 things I love about this Fall-

1. Going for drives up the canyon & seeing the beautiful colors of the trees

2. Hot chocolate by the fire with fuzzy socks on my feet

3. having yummy soup again (it's hard to have hot soup in the summer)

4. baking bread and eating it fresh out of the oven

5. the holiday smells (pumpkin pie, apple cider, Cinnamon, wassail, apple pie)

6. Halloween & Thanksgiving

7. being with family & making new memories

8. decorating for Fall (I love fall colors)

8 things on my wish list

1. Take the kids on a Disney Cruise

2. Conner and Kali never fight anymore

3. make good parental choices (not mess my kids up)

4. be more organized with time & possessions

5. to just think about things and they would get done (yeah right!)

6. for me, my family & friends to be safe & healthy

7. to not gain too much weight during pregnancy (it's so easy to do)

8. to have a healthy baby

8 people I tag:

Camile, Ashley, Sheree, Lacey, Jessica, Karlenn, Nicole & Anjie

Belated Birthday Party

With soccer, scouts, my Freaky Friday Enrichment activity and a huge Utah book report we finally manged to get around to Conner's 10th birthday party. We went to the Classic Fun Center in Sandy to skate. We ordered pizza when we got there and Conner and his two friends he brought went off to skate. Camile, Aaron, Carly & Ellie came, along with Gina and Emma (and her cousin Gracie). Steph and Braint came too. I brought some colored hairspray and my face painting stuff- the boys weren't interested but the girls were excited to get butterflies and princess faces. My camera ran out of batteries so I have no pictures of Conner and his friends just the girls.
Emma and Sophie's butterfly faces (Sophie has a mouthful of pizza) Carly with her princess face.

Now I need to brag about Conner for a minute. Conner sure is a joy to have around. I hear from his scout leader, primary teacher and school teacher what a nice kid he is. They tell me he listens well and is such a good example and calming influence on the other kids. That sure is nice to hear. He is such a great brother- when he's not fighting with Kali they are great playmates. I told them last night if they wanted to rent Rollerblades they were going to have to use their own money. Kali started throwing a fit that she didn't have any money (she spent it all at the book fair) and Conner came over and told me he had enough that Kali could borrow some. He loves to be with Sophie. After Christmas 2004, he told me for Christmas next year he wanted a new baby in our family. (Sophie was born Dec. 2005!) He has been such a help with Sophie and it gives me a glimpse of what a great dad he is going to be. He also likes to cuddle with me- especially in the mornings and at night. I need to take advantage of that while it lasts. He is also very driven- he excels at whatever he puts his mind to. He's been on a competitive soccer team for the past couple years and it sure is fun to watch him. He's fast and great with his feet! He is a wonderful son and I feel so blessed to be his mom.

Birthday Girl

My birthday was last Wed. The years keep flying by- I can't belive how fast they come and go. I think getting old is all a state of mind though. I was remembering when I was a new mom and ladies that were my age I would think of as "older". So funny!

Here's a couple scrapbook pages I made last night that I scanned. Jimmy took me to lunch at Rumbi Grill and then Steph & Briant came over and babysat while we went to the Olive Garden for dinner. I was spoiled on my birthday! It was a great day!

Turkey Porcupines

We just had Turkey Porcupines for dinner. We had them about a month ago too and this was the half we didn't eat. I froze it for a night like tonight. (I didn't feel like cooking) When I cook I like to double the recipe and then freeze half. It's no harder to do a double batch and then it saves me so much time! So here's the recipe....

Turkey Porcupines

1 lb. ground turkey

1/2 c. rice (I use the Organic Harvest Medley from Costco- brown, wild & red rice)

1/4 t. pepper

1/2 t. celery salt

2 T. chopped green peppers

1 T. grated onion

1 clove minced garlic

4 cups tomato juice or V-8 (I used half fresh tomatoes pureed in my blender and V-8 juice)

6 whole cloves of garlic

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. sugar

Mix together turkey, rice, salt pepper, celery salt, green pepper, onion, and garlic. Form into 18 small balls. (I use a small/medium cookie/ice cream scoop- makes it so easy) Mix tomato juice and the rest of the ingredients in large skillet. Add meatballs. Cover and simmer 1.5 hours (less if using white rice) or until rice is done. Turn meatballs halfway through if not covered by sauce.

I freeze half of this recipe. My kids love to eat this with a piece of toast and it goes great with a tossed salad.

First Indoor Workout

Since the kids have went back to school, Sophie and I have been going on walks (sometimes jogging) every morning and then we stop by the park and I let her play for awhile. I usually go with one of my neighbors and then there are other neighbors at the park when we get there. It's so fun to visit and the kids have a blast playing. It feels so good to be in the sunlight and breathe the fresh air.

Well, over the weekend it snowed! It all melted but this morning their was frost on the ground. It's too cold to take Sophie out when it's like this. So today I went down to the basement to work out on my Elliptical. Jimmy was down there for part of the time on the treadmill and we watched Ellen together. I put on a show for Sophie on the main floor and left the basement door opened so she could come down if she wanted to. She was only upstairs for about 10 minutes by herself before she came down and started playing with her train set and then she stole my water bottle.

After my workout I came upstairs and on the entry closet door she had done some artwork with purple marker! She was only alone for 10 minutes!! Ahhhh! I am going to miss having her strapped in a stroller while I workout. I may have to get up early to do my workouts before she's awake- I've been so spoiled! But it is supposed to warm up this week so we may get to go outside to workout and do our park dates a few more times. Can't it stay warm for just a couple months longer?? I love the mild fall weather- I wish it would just stick around!

Spooky Haunted Halloween House

This was a fun project to do with my daughter, Kali (8 years old). We took an Fisher Price Sweet Street House that no longer gets played with much. (we have a ton of them!) This one I actually found at D.I. for $1.50. You can find them there quite often or at garage sales too. You could use any old doll house but the more details on it the better. I took Krylon Fusion for Plastic (black) spray paint and painted two coats inside and out. After that dried, Kali painted some Popsicle sticks that I had cut with black acrylic paint. Then she wrote KEEP OUT, NO TRESPASSING, DO NOT ENTER, BEWARE with a silver metallic sharpie. She also put little dots in each of the corners to represent nails. We then put glued two of the boards across each window. I drew a jack-o-lantern face with a black sharpie on a candy pumpkin and then glued it by the front door. We got some small LED battery candles (at Walmart) and put two on the bottom floor and one on the top floor. We then put a piece of yellow tissue paper on each level. The lights are fun because they flicker like a real fireplace is burning inside. After we are done with Halloween I think I will put it back with the Sweet Streets for the girls to play with. It would be fun to have a haunted house with their make believe play. Since my kids are going to play with them I decided not to put floral moss on the top with a glue gun but I think that would make it look even more spooky. (The pictures aren't great of this- it was hard to get the lighting right to show the glowing windows and the details but you can still get the idea)

Halloween Candy Jar

This is a jar that I like to fill up for different holidays with seasonal candy. I got mine at TiaPan Trading but I've seen them at Roberts also. I always put the candy that I am not tempted by on the top so I won't eat it. (sometimes the kids are a problem but if I threaten good enough they will stay out) I've even thought about spraying the candy with varnish so that it will last year to year and telling the kids that now the candy is poisonous! I filled this one up with candy corn at the bottom, then I put a 3/4th empty paper towel roll in. I do this so I won't have to use as much candy since it's just for decoration. If you were to have a party and then let guests take little jars or bags of candy home I would not put in the roll. Then I layered the candy. These are the amounts and what I got. Two bags of Hersey's wrapped candy bars, two bags Halloween M&M's, two bags of yellow, orange, & white salt water taffy, three bags of candy corn. (there were so many cute candy to choose from- so you could make this look totally different) After I layer the candy and make sure the paper towel roll isn't showing as I go, I put on the lid, and tie a double knot out of two different ribbon (with wire edges). On Halloween you could empty the jar and pass out the wrapped candy and save the unwrapped candy year to year. I don't know how the M&M's keep their color but candy corns and laffy taffy harden and keep great. (just make sure guests don't try to sneak a piece and break a tooth) You could also wait until after Halloween when the Halloween candy goes on clearance and then just let it harden for next year.)

Carmel Apple Day

Ever since I can remember, October 9th has been Carmel apple day in my family. We actually celebrated (don't know if that's the right word) over conference weekend. My parents were in town and it's always best if my mom's around to make the Carmel apples and to tell the story that goes along with it.

So here's a short version of the story. When my mom was 13 her dad got in a serious car accident and was in a coma for 6 weeks. On the day my grandma finally prayed that Heavenly Father's will be done, my grandpa passed away. My mom's uncle came to the Jr. High and when my mom heard her name called over the intercom to come to the office, she knew her dad had died. She had an older sister at the school with her and then they went to the Elementary School to pick up some more of her siblings. They were all in the car crying on their way home and her uncle pulled over at a gas station, went in and came out with a Carmel apple for each of them. (this was a real treat that they never normal got) No one could cry while they were eating so they all sat in the car and ate their apples. My mom says that she was thinking that was the end for them. How could she go on without her dad. But just like that Carmel apple- there were still "sweet" things in store for her family.

About a year later, my grandma (who had 6 kids) got married to my Grandpa Henderson. They had two more kids. He's been a wonderful grandpa to me. As you can imagine it wasn't an easy transition for my mom, a teenager, at the time to have her mom marry someone else. But now she loves my grandpa like a father and is thankful for him coming into their lives.

So every October 9th (or close to) we remember my Grandpa Martin LaFollette and how my mom, my grandma, and my aunts and uncle made it through that hard time. I love to hear my Mom tell this story and bear her testimony. I am thankful that she is passing down her legacy to me and my children.

Here we are listening to my mom tell the story. The kids listened so well and the Spirit could be felt.

Tangled Teeth

Yesterday I went to the dentist and had my routine 6 month cleaning. Ahhhhh, my teeth feel so clean. Usually, I don't mind getting my teeth cleaned but the hygienist yesterday was not as gentle as all the others I've had in the past. So it wasn't as enjoyable. My favorite part is when she squirts the high pressure little stream of water in my mouth- I wish that part would last longer.

Speaking of teeth, I was talking to my sister Camile last week about my reoccurring nightmares I have about my teeth. I get them about every 3 months and never go longer than 6 months without getting one. They are all different but they all have something to do with something bad happening to my teeth. I just had one last week and in it I had one giant buck tooth in the front of my mouth. It was like my two front teeth combined and doubled in size. Sometimes my teeth will all fall out in them and other times they will just be crazy crooked and discolored. My teeth are one thing about me that I have liked ever since I got my braces off in 10th grade. No matter what my weight is or how my hair looks; I like my teeth. So I think I have a fear of losing the one thing that I can count on to enjoy when I look in the mirror. I am grateful for my parents forking out the money to fix my teeth when I was younger. I'm glad I have a permanent retainer so that hopefully my teeth will stay straight and my nightmares will never come true. Kali started her Orthondonic treatments a couple months ago. She has a lot of crowding in her mouth and some cross bite issues. She has a bridge-type thing in her mouth that goes over the top of her mouth and I put a little key in it every night and click it forward. It's widening her teeth and then she'll get braces on her front teeth for a few months to straighten them. Then when she's a teenager she'll get the full set of braces. We were so excited when we found out that my orthodontist's son lives here in Utah and is an orthodontist too. (Dr. Tim Elison) So we didn't even have to shop around to make a decision about who to take our kids to. Dr. Elison puts on the permanent retainers so teeth stay in place and it's nice to have a familiar friendly face taking care of Kali.

Splish Splash- Sophie didn't get many baths!

Sophie loves to take baths. She even likes to wash her hair now. A couple months ago she would cry the whole time I washed her hair but now she reminds me "wash hair" whenever she's getting close to being done with her baths. She says she's Marlin, Nemo or Dory from Finding Nemo as she floats on her back to get her hair wet.

This got me thinking of how different bath time was for Conner (1st born) and Sophie (3rd born) when they were infants. The first bath we gave Conner was orchestrated by Jimmy, my mom & I. My mom taught us to heat the oven to warm & we'd set Conner's towel, jammies, onesie, & diaper all on on the open oven door to warm while Conner got his bath. Needless to say it didn't take Conner long to enjoy his bath time and snugly warm towel as he was getting out. I contrast that with Sophie's first bath. I know they bathe babies at the hospital to get them all clean but after that first bath- I don't think we bathed Sophie for a month. I would clean her off with wipes and do sponge baths with a washcloth to get all her baby fat rolls clean. She always smelled good so I didn't feel like I was neglecting her. I felt like baths were a two person job when the baby is so small, slippery and frantically crying. Since Jimmy was at work all day, and the kids had homework and reading, and there was always dinner and church meetings- our nights were full. Plus when we finally did give her a bath she hated it. So I think the for the first nine months Sophie got less than 9 baths. I know that must sound awful but in my defence, back in Pioneer days or in Medieval times baths just didn't happen very often. Once Sophie started enjoying baths, when she could sit up in the tub by herself, she loved them and takes them all the time. (daily usually) Kali liked (and still likes) getting in with her sometimes.

So although Sophie didn't get the bath time that Conner enjoyed when he was an infant, she does enjoy other things that Conner and Kali didn't get. She gets two twenty minute reading times a day with mom. (once at nap time & at bedtime) She gets to go on a stroll in the stroller daily and then usually a stop at the park. Beside not getting many baths and not having a scrapbook of her own, she is definitely not over looked in our family. Conner and Kali both adore her and she has her daddy wrapped around her finger. One example of that would be just the other morning, I was getting ready to take Sophie for our morning walk/jog and Jimmy was working from home. I asked him if he wanted to come and he said he needed to get some stuff done. While I was getting my water ready Sophie went in his office and in her small, high voice she said to Jimmy, "go walk with me, daddy." The next thing I knew Jimmy was dressed in his shorts & running shoes and ready to workout with me. He has the hardest time saying no to her and she loves spending time with him. I always tell Jimmy that she knows how bad her daddy wanted her here on Earth- he even signed a golf & basketball contract in desperation. (that's a another whole post though)

Toilet Paper Pumpkin Trio

A few years ago, my mom got 3 cute little pumpkins from one of her students. I thought they were so cute and my mom told me they were just fabric around toilet paper rolls and a paper towel roll. In case anyone is interested in making an inexpensive fall decoration, I'll tell you how I did it. I set off to find some cute orange fabric- I choose some with a bit of a pattern but not anything too busy. I got 1/3 a yard each for the two toilet paper rolls & a 1/2 yard for the tall one. Then I just gathered & rolled stuffing the middle as I went. I used my hot glue in the middle of the tubes to keep the fabric in place as I went. Then I rolled up a brown lunch sack (rolling it uneven so it made somewhat of a cone spiral shape) and stuck it in the middle with a couple fall leaves. And wa-la 3 cute fall pumpkins ready to display! I already had the rolls of toilet paper and paper towel so this project cost me $6.35. (two of the fabric rolls were $7 & $8 a yard so this could be done for less if you could get less expensive fabric. Make sure you really like the fabric though because that really makes it cute, in my opinion) I am keeping mine but it would be an easy gift to give for a fall birthday, teacher gift, or Visiting Teaching gift.

UFO (unidentified floating object)

Last night, Jimmy was pouring a glass of milk to eat with his pumpkin bar. The gallon of milk was getting close to being gone and that's when he spotted it. A paper towel had been stuffed inside the milk carton. This isn't Sophie first offence of putting something inside the milk. I don't know how she does it with out anyone seeing her. Last week, as I was pouring the last of the milk a little sticker came out. So now I am off to the store to get some more milk- but that didn't stop me from giving the kids some napkin milk with their cereal this morning.

Going on a "Train"-chugga, chugga, choo, choo!

Yesterday Jimmy had a gold tournament so instead of sitting around all day we decided to have an adventure. After Conner's soccer game we went to Sandy to catch Trax. Before we could go though we stopped by Target and got some food for a picnic. Bananas (that was Sophie's pick), raspberries (my pick), Chicken salad and some pita's to stuff it in, and some Oreos (Conner & Kali's pick). After unloading at the station, I realized I needed cash (no debit cards- what??) so we had to pile back in the car and head to the nearest ATM machine. After getting our tickets- we were off. At each stop, Sophie would say, "more, more!" She wanted to "train" to keep going. We got off at temple square and walked to the temple grounds. We found a nice big shade tree with a beautiful view of the temple to stop and have our picnic under. After we ate we went to the visitors center that has the big Christas. The kids thought that was so neat. Sophie went right up to it and just stood there looking up at it. By the time, I found my phone to take a picture- the moment was gone. It was so sweet though while it lasted.

Then we went to a presentation of the Proclamation to the Family. It was great for kids because we moved from room to room so the kids attention was kept at each station. Sophie had a hard time in the nursery room though because she saw toys she wanted to play with. They have a glass barrier so you can't touch anything and Sophie was frustrated about that.

From there we went to the church history museum. We walked around and learned about the early members of the church. Conner and Kali both liked the bunk beds from the ships. The kids climbed in and they said it wasn't very comfy. The pillows were flat and on the top bunks one of the ladies pointed out the rats that were common on the ships. There was also a hand cart that the kids each tried to pull. It was such a neat place. If Sophie wasn't with us- we could have spent a long time looking at more of the displays. They have a whole children's area with the theme "I Am a Child of God". They had a great time going from station to station. We'll have to do something like that again soon. When we first got to Temple Square Conner said "This is such a fun day- it feels like it's some one's birthday or something."

It took us a little longer to get home than it should have. We got on the University line to go home instead of the Sandy one. So after a couple stops we got off and waited for 20 minutes for another train, and then we had to get off downtown and wait for another Sandy one. It added about 45 minutes on to our trip home. Sophie was ready to throw herself on to the tracks by the time we were done waiting. She missed her nap so she wasn't in the best of mood anyway. All in all though, we made some great memories and learned some new things about church history.

Taking Care of Daddy

Yesterday Jimmy was working in his office and Sophie came in for a quick visit. She looked down at his feet and saw a two toe size hole in his black sock. She pointed at it and said "Luuke, luuke" (look, look!) Then she disappeared and came back about ten minutes later with a clean black replacement sock.

Jimmy told me this story a few hours after it happened and the pieces suddenly came together. Earlier in the day, I walked into the front room and the contents of the laundry basket I had sitting there was spread all over the room. Usually Sophie doesn't touch the laundry baskets but she had a mission and she worked hard to find her daddy a sock that matched and didn't have a hole.

She is at such a fun age right now. The end of last week I started potty training her and she looks so adorable in her little panties. She has Dora and My Little Pony ones. You other mom's know what I'm talking about when I say how cute our little ones bums look when they first start wearing underwear. She's only had one "bad" accident and those panties got tossed and she quickly got a bath. Other than that she seems to be getting the hang of it. She has a little sticker chart and she loves to put the stickers on once she goes.

We've been going on walks every morning and she is doing so well at being content while we go. She used last about 10 minutes before she wanted out but now she's letting me get in a good workout without any complaints. Now that the weather is cooling off we are stopping at the park after and playing for awhile. (anyone in the neighborhood who wants to come- we get to the park about 10:30, the one across from the school)

Enjoying the Warm Weather- while it lasts!

Last week, I met my friends Kara and Laura from High School and we hit a couple classes at BYU education week. It was so fun and I learned some new things. We went to a Marriage Class (What Happily Married Couples Actually Do) and The Art of Contentment. Kara is pregnant with her second baby, a boy this time and Laura just had her 4th! It is so fun to hang out with these girls that have known me since elementary school and Jr. High. We always have a great time and I'm glad our hubby's watch the kids so we can get away for an evening once and awhile. We'll have to do it again next year!

Over the weekend we went camping and boating at Pine View (up Ogden Canyon). It was so pretty and the weather was great! Our friends, the Hansens, that we went with just got a 5th Wheel and it is so nice. We were camping in style. Although tents are fun- so are beds and a bathroom. Pine View is the first lake we have been to this summer that has a nice sandy beach. So the kids loved digging and playing in the sand. Besides having some car trouble (with our brand new car) we had a great time. (the cars in shop and I have a rental without a DVD player- how will I get by....)

Yesterday for FHE we met at the Legacy Center Swimming pool for Carly and Steph's birthdays. We swam, had pizza and opened some presents. Carly is turning 4 soon and she didn't know what to do with herself getting so many things. It was so cute! At the end of the pool party the wind picked up and has been blowing ever since. Is the nice weather coming to an end?

Kali's first digital scrapbook page

Now that Kali is 8 she is in Activity Days. For an upcoming stake activity she was supposed to have something to display. So I taught her the basics with Memory Mixer and this is what we came up with. She had fun putting it together and I bet it won't be long before she will want to do it some more.

Lagoon & School Started!

On Friday, we took the kids to Lagoon and met our friends the Fishers there. The kids went on all the rides and Jimmy and I took turns being with Sophie and taking her around. She loved the train ride to see the animals, the Merry-Go-Round, the Dragon roller-coaster, and the Lazy River. Conner and Kali loved going on the big rides. Wicked was Conner's favorite and Kali really like the Wild Mouse. She was laughing the whole time- probably because I was screaming. There weren't long lines and it wasn't too hot of a day. At night it got windy so we left earlier than we would have. The best part was just hanging out as a family and watching the kids have a great time. (Liked the rides too)

The school year started today. The summer went by so fast. Conner started 4th grade and Kali is in 3rd. I can't believe they are getting so old. Sophie is not sure what to do with it so quiet around here. We'll miss them when they are gone during the day. I am looking forward to organizing and getting things ready for fall. I am ready for things to cool down- and start cooking again. (I love cooking in the Fall)

11 Years Already!!

Last Fri. was Jimmy and I's 11th Anniversary! It goes by faster every year. This year, we went to Anniversary Inn for a night and stayed in the Wild West Themed room. It was a lot of fun. On the way, we stopped at Spoon Me. We are hooked. It is natural yogurt that Steph has been telling me about for several months. Well, we finally stopped by to see what the fuss was about. It is so yummy. I got natural & Asie Berry swirl with fresh mango and rasberries on top. On Friday we went to Park City. We stayed at the Sky Lodge. Jimmy's work team won a competition and got some money to use for something fun. Jimmy's boss put together a fun weekend at Park City and it just happened to fall on our Anniversary. We went on the Alpine Slide, Coaster and zip line. It was a rush- love to get my adrenline pumping! That night we went to a BBQ place. On Saturday morning, we went on a hike and then went swimming and hot tubbing back at the Lodge. Later that afternoon, we went to the outlet mall and spent the rest of our spending money on some stuff for the kids. Not only did we have a great time but we didn't have to spend our own money to do it. Good job, Jimmy, doing so well at your job. I am looking forward to more fun adventures on the company!

A big thanks to Steph, Ken & Gina, and Aaron & Camile for watching our kids! Steph stayed with the kids on Thurs. night, Ken & Gina took them Friday and Aaron & Camile came and stayed at our house Saturday and then we came home on Sunday morning.

Cruisin' Alaska

In July, I went on a cruise with some of my family. My grandpa worked on a tugboat when my dad was little in Alaska. So my cousin, Lisa, organized a cruise for everyone who could participate to spend time with my grandpa seeing that part of the country. I roomed with Steph, my younger Sis. Here are some of the highlights I want to remember along with some pictures.



-two stepping with my Grandpa at 50's & 60's night, he is in his 80's but that doesn't slow him down. He is such a wonderful man- I love him for how well her took care of my grandma before she died (for many years). I can see how she fell for him all those years ago- I had a little flash of the young man he was when he swept her off her feet on the dance floor all those years ago. He told me they danced so well together they had their own steps and it was hard to dance with anyone else after her.



-the billy-bob teeth that Steph & I both brought (without consulting about it even). We made quite a few people smile.



-Dancing with Steph at the dance class- I was the man. We learned the swing- different swinging than I did at Ricks but still fun. My parents we so cute- dancing like they were love sick teenagers.



-Any Man of Mine by Shannia Twain (Karaokee with Steph) We don't remember anything about My Boyfriend's Back!



-The last day at sea sharing memories about Grandma & Grandpa and Grandpa telling us "If what I did was a sacrifice all those years ago, it was all worth it"



-Photo shoots with Steph- Arnold, the Mummy, the round window sill



-working out while watching the Ocean and the Alaskan scenery



-dinner every night at 6 and all the yummy food (great company too- I sat with Ken (my bro) and Gina & their kids, my parents & Steph- Grandpa sat with us one night too)



-the great detoxifying massage (good thing you got some of those knots worked on Steph- that many toxins are harmful, I could sell you a bottle of seaweed something for $100 to help)



-praying so hard that Brigham (my 9 year old nephew) would be found safe, our prayers were answered



-Emma (7 year old niece) having a girls night with Steph & I in our room, we got tons of room service! So fun!!



-The lumberjack show (one of the lumber jacks tried to take Steph home with him after our picture with them, can't blame him though! She's a catch!



-hanging out with my cousin Lisa (we're a month apart)



-getting to know my cousin Mark better



-late night Mexican buffet with Mom & Steph



-Another midnight buffet (Gala)- fancy one though



-lots of sugar free desserts that were very tasty!!



-hot tubbing with Steph, Grandpa, Mom, Blake, Brandon & Emma in the not so hot hot tub



-egg white veggie omelet & fresh fruit for breakfast everyday (at least I started the days off right- a workout and then a healthy breakfast. It always went downhill from there)



-the friendly staff that went the extra mile (I was away from Jimmy and the kids for 8 days and so excited to see them, these workers go months without seeing their families. So sad!!)



-Dad & his Multan chocolate cake every night and finishing off what others couldn't



-towel animals



-the pass along pillow on the airplane



-knowing my kids were doing great with their daddy!



-my great sister Camile for watching the kids one day and my neighbors that helped out when Jimmy went out on appointments

Here are some pictures of our adventure- let me know if this is too much of a pain to view them this way. It's a lot faster than the blogger upload

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27640&l=dd07a&id=691978396

We had a special day!

On Saturday, Kali was baptised by her dad. We had lots of family that came to show their love and support. Jimmy's parents came from Oregon, my parents came from Idaho, 2 of Jimmy's sister's and their families came from Texas and Oregon. My 2 sisters and brother and his family all came too. Our neighbors, the Burt's also came (they aren't moving anymore- YEAH!!) Kali looked so pretty in her white dress and when she changed into the jumpsuit to get baptised she looked so clean and pure. Jimmy got choked up a bit as he said the baptismal prayer. The spirit was really strong and it was so neat watching Kali come out of the waters. We quickly changed her back into her dress and came out for the confirmation of the Gift of the Holy Ghost. In the prayer Jimmy blessed her to be a leader, to learn and study the gospel, to do as she has been taught by those who love her, and to have high standards when choosing a mate to take her to the temple. It was a very nice blessing.

We went to the park and had a brunch. There was lots of fresh fruit, yogurt, muffins, juice and breakfast casserole. There was a fun game of football played and the younger kids were entertained at the park. It was a nice day and at the end of it I was tired!

On Sunday we had great meetings at church- I've been out of town for a few weeks so it was nice to be back in our ward again. Jimmy, Jay and I all bore our testimonies and I hope our kids felt the spirit. They don't seem like they are paying attention but I think they do listen when they hear our voices over the sound system.

I went on an Alaskan Cruise with some of my family and once I get some pictures from it (Ken & Steph had the cameras) I'll post some details.

Here are some pictures from Saturday
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27419&l=8f640&id=691978396

(we signed up for facebook this weekend so if you have a facebook account let's be friends ;)

Camping in Wyoming

Last Tues. we left for Idaho Falls and slept at my parents house. In the morning we all loaded on the RV my parents rented for the weekend and split our luggage between that and my parents suburban. My sister, Camile and her husband, Aaron and their two girls were there along with my brother Ken, and his wife, Gina, and their four kids, and my younger sister, Steph. We all took turns riding between the suburban and the RV to go to a family reunion in Wyoming. My grandma's brothers and sisters and all their posterity do this every Fourth of July weekend. We go to a 4-H camp and have the whole thing to ourselves. (there are lots of us though) These are some of the highlights and activities we did...

-almost tipped the RV over when it got stuck in the mud and started to slip (our prayers were answered though and we got there safe)

-had lots of great food (chili twice in a row though- not the best for close quarter sleeping)

-slept 15 in the RV (you have to be really creative to do this- we had two-three kids on the big dash board every night, and several on the floor)

-sing along by the campfire

-stick horse rodeo (the kids made stick horses, we all got bandannas and cowboy hats and got in teams to compete in fun activities)

-a bumpy, dirt rode ride for 5+ hours to do some daytime activities, 13 people in my parents suburban on the way back to camp

-a short hike to a cave and then going inside it (Sophie was on a backpack on Jimmy's back and she kept whispering in his ear, "shhh, quiet daddy" because it was so dark)

-fishing (and getting eaten by mosquitoes)

-family pictures on the 3rd day camping without any showers (does that seem strange or is it just me? They actually might turn out pretty good though- our hair all has a REALLY healthy shine)

-square dancing at the lodge

-many trips to the outhouse

-driving 20 miles to a gorgeous lookout so Jimmy could check his blackberry for work

-the Beef Jerky guy with the restroom sign

-enjoying the beautiful mountains and all the wildflowers and trees

-walks in the morning

-smores

-eating lunch at Hunting Camp (that's where we used to have our reunions)

-my cousin, Nathan, reported on his mission that he just got back from and bore his testimony

-shooting (Conner & Jimmy did that one)

-bb gun shooting with Grandpa (Conner)

-football (Conner & Jimmy again)

-4 wheeler rides (just Kali)

-breakfasts of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, orange juice and hot cocoa every morning (we didn't go hungry that's for sure)

We all had a great time. It was so nice to see my cousins that I remember spending time with at the same reunion for years and years as I was growing up. It's so crazy to see us all with kids now! The kids loved being up there and it was so fun to all ride together in the RV. These are the kind of memories that stick with you!