#11

a ripstick G,

a green dragon helmet,

a trip to the skate park,

a ice cream cake,

a happy birthday boy!

1 down 263 to go....

Have you seen that commercial of the little girl getting ready to get on the bus for her first day of school, she's of course nervous and sad, then her mom hands her a card, when the little girl opens to read the card on the bus, a whole bunch of beautiful butterflies fly out the bus window and of course it makes the little girl smile and happy and then she's ready to face her first day of school.....well, Spencer and I saw that commercial together a few weeks ago, and me trying to be the funny one that I am, I said "oh that's precious, I'm going to do that for you Spencer," knowing that he, being a boy would think that is a dumb girlie thing, but instead he said, "mom, I need that cuz I'm kind-of nervous for 5th grade!!!!!!!

So, thinking what I could do for him, I knew we had two problems;

#1- he doesn't ride a bus to school

and

#2- how was I going to get magic butterflies to fly out of a card and out a bus window so beautifully?

Well, I did the next best thing.....

I drew a butterfly on each of there hands this morning, and it seemed to work, they were pretty excited for school!

You know how I feel about 'school' and the tight schedules that it brings with it,

I have a hard time even saying the 'word',...... I'm still in denial!

I love the lazy days of summer....

I did feel a scents of relief when Candice and Caitlyn drove themselves to school,

there just might be light at the end of the tunnel,

maybe....... just maybe this year will be a little easier!

(I think I'm really going to go all out and have choc-chip cookies for them when they get home!)

One day...

In just one day, while in Utah, the week before last, all within a few short hours, 

 we drove past

8 temples

and then on the very next day we drove past 

# 9

to a Texan, or any other L.D.S. non- Utahn,

that is a pretty amazing,

breathtaking,

humbling,

tear provoking,

heart swelling, 

and a thought processing experience!

Our Utah adventure 2009

(Steve driving to and from Utah)

How can I try to tell about our Utah adventure without posting a million pictures.....

I can't!

Driving to Utah is always emotional for me on many different levels, it's always fun going home to see family and letting your kids see there cousins that they haven't seen forever, and to let them bond and make new memories, it always so fun to see the beauty of Utah, where I grew up and lived some of my married life , we have alot of history there, where going up to the most beauty cemetery in all the world, Eastlawn Cemetery, is at the base of the mountains, well, really it is on the mountain, it's so peaceful and breathtaking to go up there and spend some good quality time, I have 9 family members up there and I love to go and spend time with respect for my loved ones and just to feel that much closer to them, especially Landon and Steve.

But the drive to Utah always gets me, for you see, my big brother Steve drove that many, many times, almost too many to count, when Kurt and I moved out here to Texas it was Steve who came and got me and the kids to drive us here, while Kurt followed a day later in the moving van, and just before he passed away, he lefted my home and drove that rode again for the last time. So, as I am traveling on the road, my thought have alot of time to think, and I always think of Steve and the fun memories that he left us to remember him by. I always feel closer to him while traveling to and from Utah.

It's good to have Caitlyn home again, one of the reasons we drove to Utah, among other things, to pick up our daughter who had been there with cousins and family for the past month.

It's weird how the dimension of a family changes when one person is gone, huh.

We missed her, she adds a sweetness to our home.

Right when she got back, she got the flu...welcome home anyway!

My dad, bought us three girls new Mac computers, it's been sooo fun to play on this thing, does anyone have a Mac out there, I'd love some help, I need to take a class to really learn what this can do, the little bit I do know about it is amazing!

thanks Dad, We love you!

(look at me trying to be all non-challant.)

Dave, does this picture ring a bell?

(there's a family story behind that picture!)

this was the picture I took right before I left my son at the restaurant! yep, you heard right....left, as in drove away!

I didn't realize until we were home and my cell phone rang...the voice on the other end said;

"Mom you left me at the restaurant!"

in my defence I will say, I have a big family, and when we get together we have to take many cars to get anywhere, this was our first night there and everyone was excited... and when all the cousins are together they like to ride together, but the problem was coming home, Spencer was in the bathroom at the restaurant and everyone switched cars again, and, and, I know....I know....

I asked him it I had scarred him for life and he said "no"! whoo...

poor kid, it wasn't his best 10 days, if you ask him, he'll tell you that first he ate that hot Chinese stuff, which is so stinkin' hot, that it burns your eyeballs out of there eye sockets, then he got left at the restaurant, then he got his hand slammed in the car door on the way home from Seven Peaks, then he bought one of his favorite PS2 games at a truck stop to play in the car on the way home, when he opened up the game, the disc wasn't in there and the cashier couldn't find it anywhere behind the counter, so he got his money back, but he's such a great kid he'll tell you all that with a little twinkle in his eye, he did have fun!

just a few people I love...

(and grass.....I love Utah grass, you will only understand that if you live in Texas.)

hanging' with cousins and eating, and eating and eating...

the exact moment Caitlyn finally talked grandma into letting her drive her car!

Is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen, a doggie diaper with two cute little dog legs hanging out?

Kurt and I feel like we have a baby again!

eating the freshest fruit and veggies in town!

Spencer and Kurt got to do some bike riding, and bike riding in Utah is about the best thing ever because there is beauty all around, on Sunday morning my dad drove them up Provo Canyon in the old red truck past Bridal Veil Falls and they biked there way back down on the bike trail, what a fun memory that won't quickly be forgotten!

nothing funner than buying matching dresses with your cousin!

(and then of course...being posers!)

the drive home was long.......

(thank goodness Sadie loves riding in the car, she just hung out and took turn sleeping on everyone, did I mention that we kind-of like her? alot!)

...but Beautiful!!!

Why do vacations always fly by way too fast???

This is only half our fun, I didn't even tell you about on the way out to Utah, our first night in Albaturkey (that's what we call it) we walked through the old town and had so much fun,

( something fun to do if you ever get a chance,) and Seven Peaks, sparklers, getting new hair-do, the weather, pumpkin-chocolate chip cookies, checking out Logan as a possible place to live, playing in the rain, processing with Jenae, having the best massage of my life and how Caitlyn got to met 5 new boys......a story that only she can tell!

yes, time went by so fast that I didn't even get a chance to visit with all my brothers and sister or extended family or friends!

sorry.

Utah or Bust...

We are finally home!

that was the longest two day drive home...

but, we did have fun, and of course we'll post more details later,

and I'll be posting on my new Mac,

yep a Mac!

Seven Peaks Ready...In 3 easy steps!

Step 1- Pick out your favorite swimsuit material from

Spandex World Inc. Step 2- call your amazing Visiting Teacher whose name is

Kinzie...

Step 3- Proudly sport a new modest swimsuit in your favorite color,
just in time to go to Seven Peaks Waterpark in Utah with your family!!!

(thanks Kinzie)

I love Sundays

I love the quiet and stillness of them,

I love that the rest of the world is quiet too,

(at least for a few hours in the morning before they start there hustle and bustle.)

I love that I can forget everything and just focus on my family.

family time is the best,

we love watching old home movies of the kids, they love watching themselves,

and laughing, and oh boy, there is lots to laugh about!

I loooove watching my kids when they were little,

it brings back such sweet memories...

What is your fun family favorite Sunday activity?

happy blogiversary ...

It's been one year already,

and looking back it's been a good year,

with 134 post we've tried to documented about our family,

and what we've been doing through out the year,

it's always fun to look back and reminise and see how we've grown,

and it's always fun for a good laugh!

so many journal worthy things that I've blogged about,

this is the best journal I've ever had!

so quick and easy and colorful and expressive and I love when you can tell a story through a photo and right at my fingertips and, and, and.....

Here's to another good year of blogging!