high school regret

I enjoyed high school, for the most  part.  I do have some regrets though.  #1 I wish I had only dated boys my age.  I think I would have had more fun then and life would have turned out different.
I struggled with math and I wish I would have taken the time to  really figure it out, I thought I couldn't but in college found out I could so that realization early would have been good.

15 things I love about my husband

1. he is a heroic fixer of things.  He fixes leaky sinks, plugged toilets, stopped cars, virusy computers,  etc.  I don't know how to fix most things, I am not sure he does either but he looks it up and figures it out.
2. he is a great soccer coach
3. he is so smart
4. he is not afraid to ask people who know more about something than him for advice
5. he is a diligent in his calling
6. he loves to read
7. he loves science fiction
8. he is coordinated
9. he is helpful
10. he is friendly
11. he is a caring leader and always looks out for people
12. he is a good provider
13. he is calm in an emergency
14. he is generous
15. he makes our yard beautiful

a favorite childhood memory with my siblings

the hands down winner is going camping at El Capitan State Beach.  We went every summer with our whole family and also several other families and it was too much fun.  I loved everything about it and considered it the best week of the year.  We had free rein to run around as we pleased, we went to the beach, the camp store to buy ice cream, and walking around the camp ground.  We played in the water, tanned, snipe hunted, went for moon light walks and daylight swims.  It was awesomer than awesome.  Thanks mom and dad for taking us every year!

a tag by my adorable sister Ange so I will do it :)

30 Day Blog: "Why, Oh Why?"

1- A favorite childhood memory with your siblings.
2- 15 things you adore about your spouse.
3- A regret you have from/about high school.
4- Your favorite person to be around.
5- Your most dreaded house chore.
6- Create your life soundtrack.
7- A deceased person you admire.
8- The best advice your dad ever gave you.
9- Your biggest fear.
10- Your favorite winter activity.
11- Something you feel you've improved in yourself and you're proud of.
12- A simple pleasure in life you could never live without.
13- Your favorite outfit that makes you feel good.
14- A favorite amusement park you've been to.
15- A pet peeve you could kill over.
16- Your most prized material possession.
17- The best quality your mother passed on to you.
18- Your favorite part of the Christmas holiday.
19- Your top 10 bucket list items.
20- Music you never get tired of no matter how much it's played.
21- Your idea of the perfect retirement.
22- The vacation of your dreams.
23- Your most exciting sports experience to date.
24- Your favorite summer activity.
25- Your most peaceful place to be.
26- Your favorite childhood game.
27- The most romantic movie & song of all time.
28- Your favorite scenic picture.
29- Your go-to pick-me-up.
30- A quality you admire/consider a strength in yourself.

look forward to the answers of these exciting questions...coming up

Sunday Sundae

Lucy and Maggie

making Sundaes

Yumm!!

Our house has really felt quiet lately.  It's surprising with 5 (and a half, Sierra is sometimes here :) )of us left but each person adds so much.  We are shifting our dynamic.

After church on Sunday Lucy went to Maggies and Daniel came here.  She is a little chatter box so it was really quiet with her gone.  The boys shot nerf guns and built legos and I didn't hear a peep from them.  Han took a nap, I fell asleep on the couch and I don't know what R did but he was quiet about it.  Sierra has been gone for a long weekend to OceanCity with some friends.

Pete came over to home teach us.  We enjoy him a lot.  He's funny and always has a lesson.

After he left we went to the McCombs for dinner and then we all headed over to the church for Jackie Oakes baptism.

We ended the day back at Laura's with an Ice Cream Sunday party.  There were 7 families and tons of ice cream!  Everyone had a blast.

the story of a birthday

Once upon a time on a summer night not so long ago a baby boy was born.  He was small and cute and his parents thought he was the best baby ever.

Time passed and the baby grew into a boy.  The best boy ever.

Now the boy is 9.

It's been a delight to raise him so far.  He is a joy to his father and me.  Bright and sweet and funny and kind. 

Many weeks ago we had a little discussion about his birthday.  It went something like this:
Mom can I have a party.
Sure
On my birthday
We'll see
Okay

Then a couple weeks ago:
 I was at the bus stop and Debbie said, Oh I am sorry John can't come to Ethan's party we're going to be out of town.
Hmmm.  When is the party?
On the 25th.  John brought home a really cute hand made invitation with soccer balls on it and all the info and to please RSVP.

So, he planned his party.  :) 

And I was okay with that. 

All he wanted to do was play soccer. 

So we did.  For four hours.

 We also had some burgers and chips and watermelon and beans.

 He got some great presents.

 We played Ninja and the boys got very very wet with the hose and cups and water guns.

At the end we built a fire and the boys made smores.  Then they played more soccer in the dark until their parents dragged them home wet and sticky and happy.

The End

Y update

 Jenna is doing great.  I have been able to talk with her about every other day and she is always having fun fun fun!  She passed her first test and was thrilled.  She said she had to study for 8 hours and still she was worried. 

She's gone hiking a few times, had an encounter with a snake where she, in what I would consider a normal reflex jumped away and ran up the hill in the opposite direction, while her room mate Rachel (who she loves loves loves) jumped into the bushes after it and came out holding it.  It was three feet long and yellow. 

She's made lots of friends and is so happy and excited to be there.  I am hoping she will blog so she can tell her own stories...

but until then I will share little bits here and there and pirate pictures as I see fit :)

Today was the last day of cub camp.  It was family day.  We got to see a historic weapons demonstration that was really interesting and funny.  These two guys were awesome.  They had a presentations by the SWAT team and pizza and awards.  Ethan got the best camper award for his den.  We got to bring home all the things he made and he had a badge full of beads.

After we went and got goggles for all and some groceries then met Johnna and Cristianna at the pool for some water fun.  We had a great time chatting and watching R swim a mile.

Hannah made Caribbean, pineapple steak for dinner and then she had her first ever baby-sitting job while R and I went to see "The Green Lantern".  We both liked it & she did a good job.

found this saved as a draft from last week.  Zach and Sierra at their climbing afternoon.

Tate in "time out" in front of Brother Brigham and her mom and aunt.

oh my gravy!!

after a pleasant dinner on the deck R made us go on a family bike ride.  We went to the wharf and back and up that hill was ha-ar-dd!  I had to stop and breathe more than once but I did not walk a single step.

For a bribe R said that anyone who didn't walk could stop at Crazy Larry's for a scoop of ice cream.  We all earned it but I only had a child's size because I didn't want to waste the pedaling.

We had a company rich day.  This morning Jeffrey and Ellie came over and we ended up inviting them to stay for lunch and swimming.  The kids had a great time playing together.  We also invited the McCombs, Laura had to take Josh to the doctor but Joseph and Maggie came.  I spent my time at the pool counting 6 heads, especially the little three ones.  However it was great fun for the kids and I didn't mind even when it rained. 

When Laura came to pick up her kids she stayed to visit for a while and that was really fun too :)  She also brought me a loaf of chocolate chocolate chip bread and lemon bread with nuts.  Ironically I made two loaves of banana bread and two of zucchini orange today so we have lots of sweet bread.

obstacle course

First day of Summer!

Today was my turn to go to cub camp and be a cub walker.  It was a great day.  The weather was nice, not too hot.  The boys had lots of great activities to do.  They shot bows and arrows and bb guns.  They had a great obstacle course and they had several crafts to make.  They had a cub wash and a fire truck came after lunch and hosed them down.  They did skits and jousting and played games.  The theme this year is medieval times and Bub got to draw the castle on his dens flag.

E had an awesome day.  He was the highest shooter at the bb gun range with 49 out of 50 points.  He also won the obstacle course and was a good scout all day.

Me and Tate

Bonus: It was so fun to spend time with my family while we were in Utah.  This little cutie and her momma and sweet M and Greg are all coming out east in 11 days! Can't wait :)

scenes from the day

I came home to find three little kids glad to see me, not very much laundry and everything in order (thanks Nana and Abba!!)  Our gardens, both in the ground and in the planters are doing great.  I think we may start to harvest tomatoes as early as tomorrow.

Tonight for FHE we went on a family bike ride to McKays to buy some ice so we could make some awesome strawberry ice cream.  We hand cranked for awhile and then switched to the motor.  While it churned for us we had our lesson on the deck and then ate the world's best strawberry ice cream.  Even Millie helped :)  And she got to lick up everything that spilled on the deck.

R took E to cub scout day camp.  It was raining in the morning but they had a good time.  The theme is Medieval Times.   Here he is with some of the other Bears at target practice.

This picture is from when I was gone but they rode the same way today.  Lots of fun, we went about 4 miles and only one of us complained (and it wasn't even me)

J is doing well so far in school.  She had her first class this morning, Algebra.  She said she went in and it was huge, 80 students.  She sat down by a guy who was an RM from West Africa.  She told me he was cute and then she said "and now we're engaged!!"  Funny girl :)  LOL.  I have a feeling she will have a great time.

In other happenings

While I was at orientation with Jenna Dani took Sierra back to UVU and they got her class schedule and also signed a lease on her apartment.  She is excited too and will be moving up next month.  Her apartment is nice and close to campus.  I think it will work out great.

I am so happy that the girls will have each other and also their grandparents and aunts so close.

Today we had a baby shower for Em and little Jakob.  He got lots of cute gifts and it was fun to see some friends from the Lancaster days.

After that we went to J's dorm and then we all went to the movies.  We saw Soul Surfer, which was really good and then we went to "the Chocolate" which is a very nice dessert bar.

Dorm room

 It's been a busy couple of days.  Yesterday Jenna and I both had orientation.  I think it's really nice that they have orientation for parents.  They had lots of workshops for us to go to, one on financial aide and scholarships, one on how to support your student. They had a parent lunch and a convocation and musical extravaganza in the evening.  The students had activities of their own although we got to meet together for some of them.

Also in the middle of all that we got to  move her into her dorm.  It took us a lot of trips but between me and Jen and Dani we got her all unpacked and settled in.  She is really excited.  Friday night after we left they had a dance and she is getting to know lots of people already.

Here she is showing me her desk...and her closet.  

Her roommate is named Rachel and Jenna said she's really nice.

Dani and Tate came and met us when it was time to move in the dorm, which was so fun.  After we went to the cannon center for dinner (where J will be eating for the next 9 months) and I was impressed with the food and the variety of things they had.  

This is so exciting!!!

Tomorrow she will meet her ward and then on Monday she starts classes.  Go Jenna!!

utah

What a fun day.  This morning we went to UVU and meet with Sierra's councilor.  I was glad I went with her because there was a bit of confusion about what would transfer and how much time she had left.  In the end she was able to transfer all her classes since she had an associates degree and will be able to get her BA in two years. 

Then we went to watch Tatum's swimming lesson.  She did really well, blew some bubbles and kicked her feet.  She's a little fish :)

After swimming we went to Zuppas! yeah!! and then we were ready to shop shop shop.  We had  to get all Jenna's dorm stuff, she got everything in turquoise and orange, which is fun and cheerful. 

When we got that finished we looked at apartments for Sierra.  She now has it narrowed down to two. 

We got a lot done.

This evening Dani is off to book club and Greg is working so the girls and I have little Tate.  She went to bed very nicely.

Tomorrow is Jenna's orientation and Sierra will go back and get her class schedule and choose her apartment. We need to get Jenna's books and get her moved in and Sierra is going rock climbing with Zach.

It's been busy but productive.  Oh also this evening Dani put feather extensions in the girls hair.

I can't believe we I am leaving them here and they are all grown up.

J is ready.  She will need winter stuff but is good to go for now.  Sierra is ready to go after tomorrow except we need to get her microsoft office bundle for her mac and when she comes here in August she will need towels and a few odds and ends to finish stocking her apartment.

Made it!

Day 3

ugh...this is getting tedious.  We  are in Wyoming, just got to enjoy the worst gas station ever.  We were not even sure it was open so abandoned did it look.  All it needed was a tumbleweed rolling by and Clint Eastwood standing in front of the pump with his six shooter.  

It's windy and we have been driving long.We are to the point of cracking up over the dumbest stuff and even Jenna can not sleep.

sore butts, and sick of car food.

Day 2

Another fun day on the road.  We drove by the world's largest truck stop, and through the "one horse town" of Dexter Iowa.  We saw lots of fields and cows and a few towns.

Jenna did most of the sleeping and Sierra and I split the driving.  We stopped only when we needed gas and once to eat dinner.  Still it was hours and hours in the car!

Just before we got to our stopping place for the night we drove through a huge lightning storm, which was kind of beautiful until it started to rain and hail.  Then it was kind of scary.  Finally the storm stopped and now we are enjoying a lovely night in Grand Island Nebraska. 

We have 11 hours left to drive tomorrow.

day 1

We got a late start and then had a huge delay at the pharmacy.  There was an issue with my prescription, the one I have been taking for 20 years, literally.  We waited and took our blood pressure on the machine and read all the magazines that CVS had and finally were on the road. 

The trip went smoothly.  Sierra did most of the driving, Jenna did most of the sleeping. 

We had some nice chats and some quick stops.  One gas stop took 4 minutes.  A record I believe, normally we can't even get all the kids out of the car in 4 minutes!

For lunch we stopped for ice cream :)  Then landed in Ohio around 7 30.  Uncle Brian took us out to dinner where I had the most delicious dessert ever (the baked bananas with pineapple/coconut ice cream)  Yummm!

When we got back to the house I was ready for bed, the girls were ready to play.  In a manner very reminiscent of when they were small they woke me up every 13 minutes needing something. 

Finally I went to bed and now we are hitting the road again.  Day 2 here we come!

Boys

After the bike rodeo and the swim party and a whole day playing in the sun this boy still had the time and energy to chase frogs and fireflies in the moonlight.

beach party

 We got home from the bike rodeo and had about an hour to put away some groceries and then we headed over to our annual beginning of summer beach party.  It was super fun.  We had several boats and canoes and wake boards and a sea-doo and a dock to jump off of. 

 The kids played for hours and the weather was perfect.  I rode on the back of a jet ski for the first time ever.  It was fun :)  Lu also rode on one, she loved it.  She was such a little trouper and swam without tiring the whole afternoon.  Han took off with the other girls the second we got there and I didn't see her again :)  Big and Little were having fun at the soccer party.

Around 5pm they arrived to have dinner with us, and so did a huge storm.  The sky turned black and before long it was pouring.  Kristin and I ran over to put away the canoes and a huge tree fell down next to us.  It was torrential. 

Still at the end of the day I would call it a huge success.  The kids had a great time, everyone had enough to eat, Robert and Spencer grilled for us and did an awesome job, no one drowned and all the canoes got put away :)

By the time we got home around 6ish the storm had passed and R did some yard work.

I was talking with one of the young women who came over for a chat and Lu fell asleep on the couch, she was beat...too much fun!

Sierra and Hannah just left to go out to dinner and the house is quiet.  It was a good good day.

bike rodeo

 This morning was the cub scout bike rodeo.  It was a lot of fun.  They had obstacle courses, bike fix it stations, and lots of fun stuff for the boys to do. 

Lu brought her little pink bike and kept up with the boys really well.  She had a great time.

E didn't want me to take his picture.  Silly boy.

It was hot and fun.

Now E and R are off to a soccer team boating party and the girls and I are going to the YW/YM beach party.  Busy day!

What shall I pack?

Jen spent the day "packing".  By the end of her packing she was wearing more things than were in her suitcase.  I guess it's hard to decide what to take and what to leave behind.  We are leaving on Monday...I can't believe it. 

This week most of her friends went to senior week in Ocean City.  She didn't go but she and Ashley did drive up and spend one day with everyone.  J and Casey went parasailing.  She said it was awesome!  I am glad I didn't know until after she was done. 

Ballet

Emily and her mom invited Lu to go to the ballet with them tonight.  The two girls have been looking forward to it all week.  They both decided to wear pink dresses.  The ballet was about a fairy world and they LOVED it.  Now Lu wants to take ballet :)

1978

wow! I haven't seen this picture in for-evah!  Nice head gear huh?  I wore it 24/7 for a couple years. 

So this is me, age 10.  My friend Kathryn, also 10.  Alec 8.  In the wagon Michael and Chrissy both 3...or maybe it's 77 and we are all a year younger than I said.  Vintage anyway.

athletes

These guys want to run/swim/ride a triathlon.  They have started swimming laps and riding.  We need to find a kid friendly one.  Worst case scenarios they are having fun "training"

lucky 13

Today is our anniversary.  13 years, mostly good:)  We celebrated with a date to Outback, it was very romantic R spent the whole time on the phone with co-workers talking about rudder cycles, sweet talker that he is.  He also got me a pandora bracelet which I have been wanting.

After school today we went swimming.  Loving the pool!

Champions!!

 Soccer is over for the season.  Today was the championship.  This morning we had our first game.  It was very exciting, very tense and both teams played great.  We won 3-1.

Lu liked the game a lot because she got to visit with Nana the whole time :)

After the game the men went to visit F-35 and watch it take off and land.  The rest of us went to Target and Red Robin, yumm.

We hit the pool and E went to John's b-day party then we went back for round 2.

At the end of the first half it was 1-1.  Then in the 2nd half green scored, then us.  It ended in a tie, which required a kick off.  Talk about pressure!  In the end we won and the boys were thrilled!!  It was a good season.