Naya singing away....

Anaya had a couple songs stuck in her head today.... and she sang them over and over and over again (she's still singing them...) Just so everyone knows... she gets her good voice from me and her knowledge of the lyrics from Rik.



I can't believe we are almost into August! The summer is going so fast! We are doing Kayden's eagle project on Wednesday... then just have to do the paperwork and we are done! Rik and Kayden are hiking Mount Bora this weekend. It was a good Sunday (everyone knows that means I got a nap... and we didn't lose any primary kids at church today).

Pictures from the blessing

Laura uploaded some pictures from the baby blessing.... so I stole them... Isn't Kawiti's baby cute?

Liam, Anaya and McKay at the park in Smithfield

The whole family!

Laura has more pictures here. (Thanks Laura!)

Malia's camp pictures

I was looking through the pictures that Malia took at camp..... and most are very silly of her friends.... but here are a few that had her in them:





Malia had a lot of fun! She's really liking the whole "Young Woman" thing.

We went to Smithfield yesterday to watch Kawiti bless his baby. We hadn't seen his baby yet, and he is really cute! I didn't get any pictures though....rats! It was nice to see everyone though, and the food was yummy!! We have one more family baby blessing get-together, then I think we might be done for a little while!

Well I only have like 32 pictures to upload....

Sheesh, when I get this far behind I don't even know where to start..... So far July has been a lot of fun! Lots and lots of family time, and lots of time in the car. First we went to Lagoon with my mom and dad, and brother and sisters. Nathan made it back from Iraq safe and sound, and he and his family drove to Idaho (the long way... for their whole trip they drove through 15 states and Canada.... with 4 kids 1st grade and under.... they should get a medal or something!). My sisters and their families came as well. Lagoon was so fun this year. The kids are getting older, and aren't quite so much work. (This was from my persective.... if you were to ask my mom about Lagoona Beach.... she would totally tell you a different story!) Anaya loved the Lady Bug and Dinasaur Drop rides (a kiddie version of The Rocket....). McKay said his favorite was the bumper cars! The older kids all liked the new ride Wicked. We went to Lagoon right on the 4th... so there were fireworks that night at Lagoon. The crowds were great, the weather was awesome, and kids had a blast! We were going to stop in Soda for Rik's reunion, but got going late from the hotel and missed it...



The following week we went to Canada to the temple to watch my grandma and her kids (my dad being one of them) and husband (Nathan was the proxy for my grandpa) get sealed. We also got to go through a session with her. The Cardston temple is really pretty. It looks really different than some of the other temples I have been in..... If temples could be male or female... this one would definately be male. I guess I should start at the beginning of the trip though. We left on Thursday of last week... after looking all night for my birth certificate... which never did show up! I was a little worried that they wouldn't let me back into the USA without it (Rik let me know that it was nice knowing me....). I took anything else I could find to help prove my citizenship, hopped in the van, and hoped for the best. Then we went to leave and the van was totally dead.... so we had to jump it to get it going, then we hopped in the van and really hoped for the best. We made it there and back just fine, and had minimal problems at the border... phew! We stayed at the Days Inn in Lethbridge. The rooms were a little small, but we didn't spend much time in them, because the hotel had a pool with a waterslide. So the kids swam every chance they got.





My kids were more than a little attached to Melanie's baby Mason. I think if we could have come up with a way to smuggle him into our car and take him home, the kids would have been over the moon!! That would have been fun to explain at the border! Here's Malia and Mason:



Here's some pictures at the temple:






And here are the cousins after the sealing:


We left on Saturday afternoon (after some more shopping for Canadian junk food). We made it as far as Great Falls, Montana. We stayed overnight there, and got up and went to the water park there. It was a nice park! And the price was nice as well! The worst part was trying to drag Rik and the kids away when we had to get back on the road! The park had a Flow Rider so you could body board.... my older kids (Rik included) loved going on it. Rik is ready to build one in the back yard I think....





We got home about 9:30 Sunday night... My mom and I still had to get in our weekend clean at the office.... that kind of felt like torture!

I put some more pictures on my Bebo page. I noticed that the pictures of the kids in the hotel swimming pool didn't turn out all that great, and I don't know how this happened.... but I didn't get a single picture of my grandma with me or my kids.... We might have to run right back up there for some more pictures! As soon as I find my birth certificate!

Malia left for girls camp Monday and Rik started his new job today (Tuesday). So we jumped right back into the real world. McKay was saying how fun Canada was (the whole trip was Canada to him) and we asked him if he wanted to move there (just teasing him). He thought about it and then said that he would miss August (our next door neighbor) too much. So I guess we'll stay. Fun couple of weeks though!

I read the 4th Ranger's Apprentice to Rik on the way to Canada... and loved it even the second time! Good series of books! I finished the first Fablehaven today. I enjoyed it as well. I think I'll try to start the 2nd one... but only if I can get the garage cleaned out tomorrow! Counting down to August 2nd!!!

Oh, since I had so many pictures to upload, I posted them all smaller. But you can click on them if you want to see them bigger.

Ranger's Apprentice

I just finished reading the 4th book of the Ranger's Apprentice series, and I'm still all keyed up from reading it, so I'm having a hard time falling asleep. And since no one is awake for me to tell how much I loved the books....I hate that.... I thought I would write it down. I loved all four books, but really liked the 1st and 2nd, and the 4th book is awesome! That last book had my heart racing at parts, laughing out loud at some of the humor, and tearing up by the end.... nothing better than that. Kayden is in the 2nd book and Rik is reading the 3rd book.... and by "reading" I mean right now he gripping the book, but his eyes are shut and the lights are out (must be some kind of "Ranger Skill" to read with your eyes shut....) Apparently all the yard work he and Kayden did today made him kind of tired.

Speaking of Rik though, and the Ranger books... Saturday night at about 12:30am, he was up working on stuff for church and I was down stairs getting some laundry done, and I heard the doorbell ring several times... I knew it had to be some really bored teens playing pranks, but I heard Rik's chair back up and the back screen door open, and yep, I knew he was going to run them down.... A little while later he ran back home (in his bare feet....) and he started telling me what happened by saying, "Well, first I used my "Stealth Ranger Skills" so they wouldn't see me. And I followed them through the neighborhood, watching them ring more door bells, hoping that they would end up at their house. Then they saw me, and my "quick as lightening Ranger legs" kicked in and I was after them....." You get the idea of the super hero story I was hearing from Rik. He ended up running them right to their house... so he rang their doorbell, and had a little talk with their parents. I guess Rik was a little keyed up from reading the books as well.

I have to tell you though, I am SOOOOO far behind on my laundry now.... totally worth it, but I can not start another book until I catch up, and that might not be for a couple weeks.... So please, don't recommend any books to me... and definitely not any series of books, as I have to read every book in the series all in one sitting. I did manage to make dinner for everyone today though... which is unusual when I'm way into a book.... it was take and bake pizza from Albertson's.... So I could read while I was making it....phew!

Just in case anyone is wondering, I have already loaned out the 1st book (true sign of a good book), but she's a fast reader and I should have it back soon..... should anyone else need to have mountains and mountains of unwashed laundry, give me a call next week, and you can borrow it. Night!

Fun weekend for the girls.... and Kayden too

Taisha and Malia spent last Wednesday through Saturday in Soda Springs. While they were there, they performed for the Relay for Life walkers. The girls loved it (especially the pre-performance make-overs thanks to Alana). Kayden went to Youth Conference, and also got to enjoy a couple days without Malia and Taisha to torment him.


Just a quick update on the basement: Both bedrooms are sheet rocked, and we picked up mud, tape and corners today so things can get really messy! It looks so different with the sheet rock up.

We are going to Lagoon on the 4th and coming home on the 5th by way of Soda Springs for Rik's 20 year class reunion (sheesh.... I'm like married to some old guy....)