BYU Duck Pond

One of Tara's favorite restaurants is Brick Oven so for her last day with us we went down there and got take out so we could have a more relaxed meal with the kids. Have you ever noticed though that kids don't eat much at picnics? Oh well, we had tons of yummy left overs and the kids all had fun feeding the ducks and walking around campus.

Nathan is such a great cousin, all week he made sure Ethan was okay and would walk by him when he strayed. Greg and I even visited the memorable bench where we first held hands my junior year (2000). So many memories at the Y, it is always fun to go back and remember.

Ethan and Annie

What do you get with two 2 year-olds? A lot of fun but a lot of fights. We were constantly hearing, "Mine" all week. Despite their need to have everything and their lack of speaking skills, these two did have some good moments. They did love taking pictures together and then each wanting to see the picture after it was taken (can you believe the technology that our kids are growing up with). Hopefully they will grow closer over the years and continue to be pen pals as they will probably never live close to each other.

Tia Tara and Big E

My little sister Tara and her little Ethan came to visit this last week. We had lots of fun with them and it was good to be together after not seeing them for nearly a year. We played with toys, made trains, did puppet shows and just goofed off. My children have always loved their Tia Tara (Aunt in Spanish) and Annie warmed up to her right away. I enjoyed having an extra hand around the house and an adult to talk to all day. They will be missed!
This is Tortilla Espana. Both Tara and I did Study Abroad in Spain and so we decided to try this recipe of one of our favorite meals. It turned out really good and we all devoured it.

Water Park Fun

Greg's company took us to 7 Peaks this year and it was so much fun. I grew up on the swim team, every summer since I was about 6, and I love being in the water. Out here I have still not gotten used to swimming indoors with the hot pools and the moist air that goes with it. I could have stayed in the wave pool the entire 4+ hours that we were there, it felt so good. Nathan went on as many slides as he could pull us on while Ryan went on one, with the promised snow cone afterwards. The best part was that my sister watched Annie so that could really spend time with the boys and not have three kids to worry about in the water. If it wasn't so far, or so expensive, and I guess if I didn't have three kids with me at all times, I would go back as often as possible.

Discovery Gardens

This is one of my new favorite places. We all had such a wonderful time here and I can't wait to go back. The water fountain alone is amazing and perfect for little kids and mommies alike. Annie and I had a blast walking around and getting our feet wet while the boys stomped around and went to the mazes and back again. It is all so close the boys were even able to stray a little and it felt so safe.

The boys dancing next to the awesome ark. Nathan and Brayden with Noah.


Annie and the turtle. She really thought is was alive. All of us in the Bear cave, the boys scared her in here and she didn't want to get too close.

Annie and Hattie petting a bronze rabbit. I am not sure why the boys wanted to do push ups, but they were really cute doing them and counting even.

My little monkey have a blast!

No Picnicking in Gardens

This was a sign that we never did see, but were informed by a segway riding lady that this is the rule. I have to admit that I assumed we shouldn't eat in there, but both Greg and I looked really hard and didn't see anything. Oh well, we were done with our picnic before she got there and I didn't have to do dishes when we got home.


We had a fun night showing Greg the beautiful gardens. The flowers looked and smelled amazing and the kids had fun being able to run around. I just needed to get out of the house-the evenings get so stressful and crazy sometimes. The gardens are HUGE so the boys were exhausted near the end, but I kept them going with the idea of ice cream on the brain. It was a fun night and nice to do something different.

Camping Trip

What an adventure. This week we headed down South for a four day camping trip with my grandma and some of my cousins. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. The kids thrived being outside everyday in the dirt, though the heat got a bit overwhelming at the end.
My friend Tomie let us borrow her raft for the trip and it was probably one of the highlights for everyone. The one oar she had broke on the first run, but luckily our campsite had some to borrow. I went out a couple of times. My cousin's daughter Lauren paddled me around, it was nice and relaxing. Greg and the other dad's kept carting kids in and out of the little cove we camped by. They were great sports.

Annabelle wasn't too sure about the water, and especially the rocks under her toes, but she kept coming back to the water. Mostly she loved throwing the rocks into the water, to the ducks. I thought the water felt great for my feet, but I was unwilling to submerge.

Boys and mud, a great combination. These boys had a blast together all week. Soccer, T-ball, rafting, eating, they were always together. Here they all got really, really muddy. Nathan was having fun until he slipped and got extra dirty. After this they all got baths and it was tricky to keep them from the mud afterwards.

We made it to the Mormon Miracle Pageant one day. We all went there for dinner (I love scones from places like this) and then the dads took the little kids home while the moms stayed late into the night. It was a great show, even though I was nodding (it was dark and late!) through the whole thing.

Our kids loved sleeping in the tent. We were going to bring the portable crib for Annie, but there just wasn't any room in the car. We were a little worried about Annie sleeping, but she did great in a sleeping bag. I was proud of my kids and how well the behaved. I am definitely happy to be home now. It took awhile to clean everything up, and I still am not done, but I am looking forward to my bed tonight.

Happy Father's Day!

I have been so blessed in my life when it comes to the term father. I have a wonderful father who has always been there for me. I have always looked up to my dad and admired him for all of his hard work and sacrifice for our family. He wanted us to have all that he could give, even if it meant selling things like a little sailboat so that I could have a college computer. Since I have left home our relationship hasn't dwindled, it has in fact strengthened. I love being able to call and talk to my dad about important things, or just a little "hello, how are you doing?"

My Gregory is also a wonderful example of a Father. He does so much for our family to allow me to stay home and be with our three crazy kids, something that I wouldn't trade for anything. Our children love their dad-something that says so much for who he is. They love to give him hugs when he comes home and loves when it is Daddy's turn to tell the bedtime story. Greg is so helpful around the house and always is willing to let me have a night out. He is so good at everything that he does, which is sometimes a bit frustrating since I am a little competitive.

I love my Daddy and the Daddy of my children. I am so thankful for all the time and effort they give to their families. I wouldn't be who I am today if it were not for my dad and I wouldn't make it through life now without my Greg. Thanks and Happy Father's Day!
Annabelle is asleep but here are some thoughts from the boys:
Nathan: I love daddy because he makes good food and he plays games that I like.
Ryan: I want daddy to hug me every day. I love him.

Shoes! Shoes! Shoes!

I am having a shoe party! It is actually my sister-in-laws party but I told her I had a bunch of friends that might want to come. I won't post her address so if you want to know it leave a comment and I will get back to you (it is in the same city as I live in though). It will be Monday (I know, tough night but come after FHE) the 16th from 7-8:30pm. I love their shoes and they are very reasonably priced and very cute and colorful. Their website it www.4theloveofshoes.com. Let me know if you want to come.

Cub Scout Day Camp

A fun part of my calling in the primary is that I get to help out with the Cub Scouts. I can't wait until Nathan and Ryan get to take part in this wonderful program. I have learned so much about it and all the fun the boys get to do. Last week was Day Camp and since some of our leaders were unable to come, I got to step in and "teach" 100s of boys how to make a dream catcher (it was my first time as well). This is a picture of Kendra, our Webelos leader. I have had lots of fun helping with her den and admire her dedication to her calling. As you may notice I am wearing a very stylish shirt. I didn't REALLY need to buy one, but I wanted to. I am hoping that some day I will be a den mother and really be able to use my shirt (more than once a month). I think it is quite trendy, though the patches were a pain to sew on. One thing for sure, I will never try to teach 8-10 year old boys how to make a dream catcher ever again.

Recycling Hurts

School is out and there were a lot of art projects and papers that have been piling up in the boys room. I knew we weren't going to keep them all but I had been putting it off telling the boys that. I was finally ready to go through it all with them and pick out some favorites to keep. It was a huge process and it is so nice to be done. Ryan had a really hard time throwing things away but as Nathan told me, "I am brave mom, huh?" We took pictures of all of the big projects so when they are 25 and if they really care to show them to their future wife, I will be able to pull up all of the pictures.

We Survived!

All last week Greg was at a developer conference in Orlando. I wasn't sure how it would be for me at home, but the week flew by. I think it helped a lot that it was also the start of summer vacation and we didn't HAVE to be any where in the morning. The kids definitely missed their Daddy, especially at bedtime, but we all got along well and had a great start to the summer. All week long they wanted to make Greg a sign, we finally got around to it on Friday and they all loved coloring in the letters. Greg said when the shuttle pulled up all the other passengers were really impressed with our kids handiwork. They were in bed but Greg and I had a nice reunion and the kids were all over him in the morning. Not that I want Greg to go on lots of trips in the future, but I was proud of myself that I was able to handle it all without going crazy. I think it is my turn now.

Inspiration and Tiny Pockets

I truly feel blessed that the Lord tries to prompt me in every day little happenings to make my life easier. In the cases where I listen and follow His counsel, I am blessed. Then there are times like today when I ignore the prompting and suffer the consequences. I went to Costco today since I thought I should get the food stocked up again for Greg's return and as soon as I got out of the car I put my keys in my pocket. I distinctly remember having the thought, "You better push those in further, they are going to fall out." Well, I had my three kids and was wanting to just get done (you know, hurry, hurry, hurry), so I ignored it and headed off for the store. We made it through fine and got lots of yummy samples. Unfortunately it wasn't until I was all the way by my car that I realized there was no lump in my pocket. We headed back in and asked a bunch of red vested people if they had any returned keys. It took about 10 minutes to locate and we were finally on our way out again.
You may think that was the end of the story, but no, I had also put my debit card in my pocket (no prompting here, the Lord probably assumed I wouldn't listen anyway). I had put all the groceries in the car and was about to back out when a cart helper stopped right next to my car and bent over. Here is where the prompting came, "She just picked something up and it is yours." Sure enough she had my card. Why do pants have such tiny pockets? I don't know but I do love these pants, so I just need to pay attention to those promptings and put my keys in my purse-zipped up tight.

Picky! Picky! Picky!

Yes, you are counting correctly, I had seven kids today for lunch. I honestly don't mind the extra kids, I like my house to be filled with laughter and playing (when they start whining and fighting that is when I send them outside). However, I have decided that I am blessed when it comes to my children and their eating habits. I can't say that they eat everything I place in front of them, but they know that they better eat enough of it so they won't be hungry because I will not be giving them anything else (am I mean or what?). I thought feeding these 7 kids would be simple, a bunch of meat and cheese sandwiches. Oh but no...one wants mayo no mustard, one only wants meat and bread, another just wants a piece of meat, and still another doesn't really like my mayo-it is really miracle whip. When my Nathan starts to tell me he wants his sandwich a certain way I just laugh and say, "Nope, you aren't allowed to pick." Don't get me wrong, I don't mind feeding the kids, just next time I will forgo the sandwich idea and stick with dino nuggets and ketchup.
p.s. The bird is still alive. The kids found it today and I wish it would just disappear. The poor thing

Birds of a Feather Stick Together

Yesterday I was mowing the lawn right up against the house when I hit a bird. Why it was on the ground to start I have no idea (I am hoping that it was already hurt), but it was and feathers went flying. Almost immediately there was a lot of chirping and 3 other birds flew over to where the injured baby robin was. As you can see one was even on the lawn mower. I was pretty disgusted with myself, but there was no one to help me. Greg was in airplane over the U.S. and my dad who is normally home, wasn't. I really didn't know what to do so I kept mowing. Every time I passed the spot the other birds flew by, sometimes really close and I thought they were going to attack me.
Before I went to bed I checked on it and it was still alive. I prayed that it would be gone in the morning. No such luck though. I found it hopping around this morning, looking really pathetic and again with other birds flying nearby. Luckily my neighbor was walking by and she is a lot braver then me. We got a shovel and she started to pick it up to move it in the shade when like before the birds started flying above. It was a little scary but she managed to relocate the bird-we just couldn't kill a baby bird that was trying to survive with its mother watching nearby. I feel pretty awful but I have no idea what I could have done to save it. However, it was neat to see that even birds care about each other.

Fast and Fun Vacation to the North

We have just returned home from our mini 2 day trip up to Logan and Idaho. We initially headed up there for Greg's sister's baby's blessing (is that right grammar?) and decided to have a little fun while we were up there. First off we detoured to Logan and had a big family picnic at an awesome park. It was really shady with fun playgrounds and it even had a zoo that was practically free (donations requested, but not required). The kids had a lot of fun playing on the playgrounds, throwing Frisbees and Uncle Devin brought a REALLY big ball that was a lot of fun, too.
Becca and Dave were excited to have family come up to see their new little girl Aliya (she is adorable). We were hoping to stay on to Monday but Greg is heading to Florida tomorrow morning so we had to head back. We had told the boys we were going to go to Bear World so we decided we couldn't drive all the way up there without trying it out. The kids had a blast. They wanted to take pictures of every animal they saw, even squirrels. It was crazy to be so close to the bears, and other animals, but of course especially the bears. After the little drive we went to the petting zoo and Annie was in heaven. She wanted to feed and pet EVERY animal. She was NOT afraid of them (good thing we couldn't get too close to the bears). They even had some baby deer that had been born yesterday!

Despite the 8 hours of driving it was a lot of fun. The kids got pretty restless in the car, despite our attempts with I Spy, the ABC game and of course lots of movies. The last bit of the trip was only bearable because I read books to them-not my favorite thing to do in the car (it is hard and uncomfortable to hold a book and read it sideways) but it kept the kids SO quiet. It was a lot of fun to see family and the wildlife of Bear World. The kids are already asking to go again, they even compared it to Disneyland (no comparison for me, but I am not 4 anymore).