Grandma's Birthday

Happy Birthday Mama! We love you1 You are wonderful! Have a great year!

Celebrating with the Rope Swing. Hmmmm isn't that how Hunter broke his arm two years ago?

...and finally we got to celebrate Grandma's Birthday with her! We celebrated by going to the swimming pool! Then we ladies took her to lunch and the kids stayed home and had a pizza party. We went home and pigged out on cake and the kids went swimming a second time. I stayed home and packed for the long trip home and gave my mom the gift of cleaning for her special day.

It was a crazy trip packed with probably too many wonderful things! After suffering a horrible migraine on Sunday, I think it will take me at least a week to recover! But, of course, it was worth it, and I'm sure we'll do it all again next year!

Valais and Face Painting

After the Temple open house, we raced back to Kamas to pick up James, Alex, and Hannah, who had finally arrived, and quickly headed to Heber for Valais' free dinner. We thought it would be a good idea to meed David and Connie at their Heber house for some free grub until we saw the size of the line! We panicked a little knowing we had to be back in Kamas in an hour for the Derby {the entire reason for the trip to Kamas}. We sent the kids to the face painting line and the adults got in the food line. An hour and a half later, with full tummies and very cute kids, we rushed back over the mountain to Kamas and the derby.

We arrived 30 min late for the derby, which was fine, because how much of that can you really stand anyway? It was fun watching Connie's face during the derby. She watched wide-eyed and I could see her wondering what kind of people were entertained by this nonsense anyway!

After the fireworks, we headed back to the Heber house for a few hours of shut eye before we all had to rush our various ways to our various responsibilities in church. Connie had to teach RS, I had to help my mom with her RS lesson, and James had to drive back to ID to teach SS and Primary!

Phew, What a day!!!

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

We didn't think we were cramming enough into our weekend, so we thought we'd add a trip to the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple. We got tickets to the open house online at LDS.org and were able to take a tour through that beautiful new temple. If you are in the area, I highly recommend a visit. If you haven't been in an LDS temple before, now is your opportunity. It is the most amazingly beautiful and peaceful experience. I'm not sure how long the open house will last but you can find out online. It is set in the Oquirrh mountains behind West Jordan, Utah. The landscape and view are breathtaking. My brother and I decided that we are for sure moving our families to the adjacent neighborhood when our homes are paid off in 8 years. It is an amazing community.

We met our friends the Atkissons there and enjoyed their company until Connie took TWO cell phone calls! I was mortally embarrassed! She was almost kicked out by the temple bouncers, but I'm sure the Lord will forgive her some day.

Home Town Parade

There isn't much I love more than a good old home town parade! When we drove through town at 1:00 the streets were already lined up with chairs, old couches, truck beds, and any other contraption you can rest your tush on, for the parade at 7:00 pm!



Since Grandma Shirley lives on Main street, she has a bird's eye view of the parade! We all line up our chairs right in front of the drive way and have a mini family Reunion right there on the streets of Kamas! It's great! It has got to be the best part of summer for me! I really missed it all of those years we lived away.



This parade is famous for throwing out a lot of candy, particularly salt water taffy (probably from the Great Salt Lake itself). This year was no different, and the children filled their recycled grocery bags half way full of it. I was surprised then, to see how many people threw out Otter Popsicles! We were dodging them left and right and some of them were melted and split open on impact showering us with sticky, staining liquid! Normally you feel pretty special if you are able to be one of the few to snag the cool treats, but at that parade, we were feeling lucky if we didn't get smacked by one!



Poor Hunter came to me crying that he had been hit on the head by hard candy twice! It's getting to be dangerous business watching the parade! It's also dangerous when the kids run out into the road to pick up a piece of candy, not realizing that the world's largest tires are rolling toward them! Or maybe prancing ponies are prancing toward them leaving steaming soft beds for the candy to land into!



Whatever happens during the parade, it is sure fire entertainment for the entire family!

I can't wait for next year!




The world's tiniest ponies! They fit in the palm of your hand! It just so happens that my Brother, Josh, put his hand up right in front of my shot, but it worked!

Connor and his dangerous parade treats. My advice: Never wear WHITE pants to the parade! (See that way cool monster truck in the background?)
Josh and the kids were at the parade. It was so much fun spending time with him. It would have only been more fun if Susanna wasn't partying with her sisters in RI! Sweet Phebe. Emily was so proud of braiding her hair!

Hunter and Connor are very intense about their weapons! These were their cousins marshmallow guns. Check out their serious expressions! Later on they each bought light lazer swords at the Derby.

Ahhhhh, Heaven!This is the sort of stuff you might see in the Kamas Parade!

The adults sit and watch the children hoping that they don't get trampled! Me, my brother, Josh, My Aunt Linda, Aunt Julie...
I have the most amazing photo of myself and Grandma Shirley in a similar pose that I will post if I can find it, so I had to snap this shot when I saw Emily sitting with her Great Grandma!

Devil's Slide

Each year on the 24th of July, we head to Kamas for Fiesta Days. It is a great celebration of our pioneer heritage, and the town goes all out.

Each time we drive to Utah, we drive through Weber Canyon and pass the Devil's Slide. It is such an awesome sight, and since we were fewer in numbers due to taking two cars down, I decided to stop with the kids for a photo and a better look.

Devil's Slide is an unusual geological formation located in northern Utah's Weber Canyon, near the community of Croydon in Morgan County, Utah, USA. The slide consists of two parallel limestone strata that have been tilted to lie vertical, protruding 40 feet (12 m) out of the mountainside. Intervening layers have eroded more quickly, forming a channel some 25 feet (7.6 m) wide running hundreds of feet down the mountain.

Good Bye Sarena

It's rough being 11. It's even harder when you move away from all of your friends, then all of your friends start moving away from you!

Emily made a really good friend--Sarena. She was the perfect friend; mild mannered, similar interests, loved to take Emily shopping, and conveniently located 4 houses down the block. I'd even say they were kindred spirits.

It was no surprise then how sad Emily was when she found out they were moving. She went over to Sarena's house and startled Sarena's mother with tears and sobs of sadness. Thankfully Sarena is only moving 30 minutes away! They'll still be able to see each other occasionally.

We decided to throw Sarena a going away party.

It was great until one girl started feeling left out, another girl was feeling desperately abandoned, and the others were trying to make sure no one was feeling left out or abandoned. The boys, on the other hand, were playing great together, in their own world, not even having a clue that there was a problem. I love 11 year old boys so much more than 11 year old girls.

Since Sarena moved away, we have seen her more than we did when she lived here! Hopefully this will continue.

Yet another of Emily's friends has become a pen pal. It is good that Emily makes friends so easily!

Heart Breaker

Emily phoned, while I was sitting on the beach at Rigby Lake with S. Buska, to explain (in tears) that she had broken my spoon holder. Although it was a Pampered Chef spoon holder, it was given to me, so I wasn't too concerned. I explained to Emily, that it was okay and that she was more important to me than an old spoon holder anyway {while giving a sideways glance to S. Buska to show what kind of patient and loving mommy I am}!

I got off the phone and shook my head.

The next day, Emily was on the patio cleaning up the mess from her party when we all heard a loud and lingering smash, tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, waaaaaaaa! I didn't even want to go look. She came in with tears in her eyes with her bottom lip pouting out. "I broke the table..." she wailed. I sighed and stomped after her. James was in the background shouting "It's okay Emily we love you more than the table."

I cringed, then walked more softly.

I felt deflated when I saw the enormous pile of glass shards on the patio. This was a job that an 11 year old should probably not attempt to clean up. Especially bare footed as she was.

I looked her in the eye and said "What will you break next?" (not my most shining moment)

She plainly stated "probably some body's heart."

After guffawing, I laughed. It was a great moment. Then we cleaned up the glass together.

Later on I realized that it was all my fault anyway. I was looking at my list of things that break here on my blog and realized that we hadn't broken anything for a while. I jinxed us!

Scrappy Camp 09

Scrappy Camp 09 is happening over at sunnyexpressionscards.blogspot.com!!

I am doing 3 really fun classes that will keep you entertained all day long! So if you are in the SE ID area, head to the Rigby City library for a sign up sheet, or email me! I'd love to see you there!

Connor is Growing Up!

It has been a summer full of change for my youngest babies. The boys both learned to ride two wheelers (without training wheels) finally! Hunter has been reading like a pro, and Connor just got his first loose tooth! He also got his Kindergarten immunizations today.

Connor "closely" watching Hunter Potter read.

One of Connor's badges of courage. It's a good thing they have such cool band aids!

Yesterday in church Connor leaned over and asked me if he would be six when he lost his first tooth. I told him that he probably would (thinking that his birthday is only 3 months away and there was no sign of wiggle). I nudged his tiny white bottom teeth just to check, and Oh My! They gave way just the teeniest bit!

Then today when my VTs were visiting, he came to me with tears of horror on his face! "MY TOOTH IS WIGGLY!" He cried. I told him that it was okay and that he had been waiting for that to happen for a LONG time! He said that he was sad because he had bitten a lego and it loosened the tooth and was sore. He went over and plopped next to My VT and told her he had been waiting a long time for his dolla' (dollar). Then Hunter piped up and said that one time the tooth fairy forgot to come until he went to eat breakfast and then went back and then she had been there. Lana told Hunter that her son gave up on the whole pillow thing and just left the tooth sitting on the kitchen table. It was much more effective that way! I was laughing!

Later on, I took Connor on a "mommy and son date." Connor finally had an appointment to get his vaccinations for kindergarten. After going through the torture and turmoil of waiting and fretting over the date with the older four, I decided not to mention where we were going until I absolutely had to.

As we were sitting in the dr's office, Connor began to get suspicious.

"Are we at an appointment?" He asked me.

"Yes." I tell him.

"Is it for me?" He asks again.

"Yes." I tell him.

"Why do I have an appointment?" I can see the wheels turning in his little brain.

I want him to figure it out himself. He knows.

"Why do you think you need an appointment?"

"For my shots?" He seems pretty casual even though the realization must be horrifying to him.

"Do you get dolla's for shots?" Oh he got me there!

"Of course you do! For being brave!"

Then the coaching and soothing begin. UNTIL we hear screaming from the back room! Connor got a little uneasy, and mom mode kicked in and I began distracting him like a pro!

Connor did really well! He gasped at the initial poke, but didn't cry a tear! I'm really proud of him.

We left and went directly to Dairy Queen for a chocolate Dilly Bar!

It's really exciting seeing the changes in these little boys, but what I wouldn't give to keep them little just a bit longer. I know I'll miss these times so much. I'm glad I know that now. My heart lurched when I heard James say, "I'll miss that little smile."

The end (until the pain of the shots later on).

Eager Reader

Hunter has been discovering the joys of reading this summer. He started with Pokemon, then moved to Magic Tree House, and is now reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! It has been fun catching him reading in his top bunk, on the couch, on top of his stuffed animals, everywhere. I was worried that he was a little young for Harry Potter, but he is doing really well for an almost 8 year old and comprehending most of what he is reading.



Alex was nine when he first got into Harry Potter. He had a Harry Potter Birthday party including a Chess Cake! This year, Hunter wants to have a Harry Potter party. We've come full circle! At least I've been there before, and know exactly what to do for the party!

Alex's 9th birthday cake.
My little bookworm!

He uses his wand as his bookmark. Now if I can just find all of that old Harry Potter stuff!

It's amazing how influential this book has been for Hunter. The other day he said "Mom, guess what! Magic is REAL!" I think he was reading the part when Harry had just discovered magic. I had to let him down easy. No Hunter, magic is not real..... He was okay with that.

But then dowel wands started popping up all over the house. Now the little boys are calling out curses to each other all day long. My visiting teachers even got a couple of killing curses hurled their way! My personal favorite is spelliarmicus! They make up the funniest words. Connor just goes along as though he totally knows what's going on.

Hunter has just entered a new world full of reading adventure! I can't wait to see where his reading will take him next!

July 5, 2009 Matching dresses

While we were shopping, Susanna found this adorable dress. It was so cute that all four of us girls decided to try it on. It was like the traveling pants, we all looked great in it. Since it was on sale, we each got one!

Connor got mad when James asked him to move aside and not be in the picture with us.

He was still mad when we headed out for church!

We couldn't even get him to get back into a photo with us.

July 4, 2009 Fourth of July

After shopping and eating ice cream and a yummy dinner at Josh and Susannah's house, we headed back home. We went directly to the fireworks field in Menan in our shorts and t shirts. We just about froze. Thankfully we still had the towels and camp chairs in the van! The kids entertained themselves feeding the horse the the pasture next to the field.

July 3-4, 2009

Phebe was so cut as she opened her presents. She is like the tiniest princess. What a cutie! She loved all of her presents and carried them in a beach bucket or wore them the entire time.

After the party, we put the little kids to bed and played an awesome game (which I won, of course, but I'm not gloating)Squint until midnight and then the adults went to a midnight movie; Transformers 2. It ended up being a very late night and we were all ornery the next day!

Phebe in her cape and crown from her favorite Aunt Sunny!

Awwww, a princess cake! Wow, Josh and I have something in common; we both decorate princess birthday cakes! Way to go Josh!

We spent less than $20 on fireworks, and it was worth it seeing my little brother act like a kid in a candy shop! He was more excited than the kids and that's saying a lot because they were VERY excited shrieking and screaming after each one!The next day I was dying for some creamery ice cream, so Josh and Susanna took us to Charlies. It was quite enjoyable!

Connor and you guessed it: bubble gum.

Hannah, caramel cup, and Emily, cookie dough.

Hunter and cookie dough.

James acting very grouchy eating his sundae.

Me? with what else? vanilla, of course. dipped in chocolate! It was the messiest cone I have ever eaten!

Everyone in front of the juke box.