Road Trip to Utah

I love a reason to travel and so when I found out Ryan was getting married in Utah, all I could think about was, Road Trip!!  Spencer was not able to take off more than a couple of days so I opted to drive with the kids early so we could spend some time with my parents in Utah.  I invited Caylin & Megan to go with us to which they were very excited.  The first day we drove as far as Meridian, ID and spent the night with our friends, the Cluff's.  It was so much fun to see them and their two little girls they have had since moving away.  The following day, Sunday, we arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.

Each day we spent in Utah was a blast!  We went to a kids waterpark called, Cowabunga Bay.  After leaving the waterpark we had to track down my absolute favorite ice cream joint in the world called, Iceberg.  I think the girls were pleasantly surprised when they got to experience Iceberg shakes.  Other activities include; spending time with my sister, Brittany; a visit to Wheeler Farm; a family BBQ; swimming at the community rec center; movie nights; a picnic in the Canyon; and of course all of the fun events involving Ryan's wedding.  As much fun as all of these activities were, I must say that two of the highlights of the trip include; Spending time with my brother Cory who happened to coincide his visit with mine; and going on a special daddy-daughter date.  My Dad and I went through a live session in the Salt Lake Temple together, a first for me.  That was a special thing to do with just him.  Spencer flew into SLC on Thursday afternoon and then he drove us home on Sunday.  This road trip was so much fun, I really was bummed when it ended! 

Ryan & Ashlynn's Wedding

When Ryan and Ashlynn announced that they were getting married I don't think there was a person around who wasn't thrilled!  Ryan has always been a man of good character, who knows how to make excellent decisions, and I am so grateful for the example he has been for my boys.  His wedding was going to be an exciting event.  Ryan and Ashlynn decided to get married in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple in South Jordan, Utah.  My Dad lives in West Jordan so the location couldn't have been more perfect.  The ceremony itself was wonderful.  What a neat experience it is to be so far from home yet surrounded by the people you love.  That is a Temple sealing for ya!  The reception was held later that evening in a beautiful reception hall in Gardner's Village.  Everything was done with class and the newlyweds couldn't have looked happier. 

Cameron showing off his one arm push-ups in front of the ladies.



Austin's Baptism

Turning 8 in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a big deal.  We believe that at 8 years old a child is very capable of making wise choices and is therefore responsible for their actions.  They are also old enough to understand what it means to be baptized and who Jesus Christ is.  When a child turns this magical age they have the choice to be baptized and confirmed a member of the church.  We are so proud of Austin who chose to be baptized and take upon him the name of Jesus Christ and always follow him!  This was a very special day and I hope he will always remember it.  Two talks were given at his baptism.  Ryan spoke on baptism itself, and Grandma Waite spoke about the Holy Ghost.  Grandma Waite gave Austin a compass as a reminder that when we have the companionship of the Holy Ghost we will never veer off course, or get lost.  To this day he keeps the compass in his scriptures.  Austin was baptized and confirmed by his Father.

Nehalem Bay Camping Trip

Family camping trips are always fun, and we were especially looking forward to this one because Ryan was bringing his new fiance with him.  And not only were we graced with Ashlynn's presence, but our nephew, Travis, came too.  Everyone loves Nehalem Bay because it offers surf on one side of the park and a crab filled river on the other.  Fun for everyone!  The guys were successful in their crabbing and Spencer had a fabulous idea to create a Mongolian Grill type dinner, which was so good!      

Children's Museum Field Trip

Preschool is so much fun! Here we are at the traditional end of the year field trip to the Children's Museum. Every kid's wish, every parents worst nightmare. Okay maybe that's just me! I personally find it stressful, but we wouldn't miss it for the world.

Memorial Weekend

We spent our Memorial Weekend this year in Spokane, WA visiting Spencer's brother and his family. Uncle Dan's house is always so much fun! They boys get to reunite with their cousins and have crazy fun. The highlights of our trip are:

Watching the boys shoot a pellet gun out of the kitchen window at the annoying starlings in the yard.

Spending the afternoon at the YMCA pool and having a blast.

Laughing at these three crazy kids playing with bubbles in Aunt Artie's tub.

And the most entertaining moment for me was standing back and watching Spencer and Dan compete against each other on the Wii fishing game. They were pretty into it.

Series Completed

Today I finished reading the Harry Potter series for the first time! Yes, I know I am a little behind the times, like 10 years, but I did it...whoo hoo! Reading, and finishing, a series is a big accomplishment for me. It all started about 10 months ago when I decided to give the books a try. I honestly didn't think I would be into them but I was captivated right from the start. I was also motivated to finish the series because I didn't know how it ended. Back when Deathly Hallows came out, I wasn't into the whole "Harry Potter frenzy" so nothing people shared stuck with me. So in the end I can honestly say that I loved the series! I loved the story! And in my opinion J.K. Rowling is the most creative and entertaining writer I have ever read. 5 stars from me.

Caught in the Act

This is a boy who was caught in the act! Luckily, he was caught by Grandma who was tickled more by his mischievous deed then anything else. I really can't blame him though, Peppermint Patties are one of my all time favorites too :) For just a tad bit of history, Andrew tries to pull this little chair in front of Grandma's pantry and help himself. He had never gotten away with it, until this day.

A Cousin ... A Best Friend!

Oh how my boys LOVE their cousins!! They are truly their best friends! Growing up I wasn't as fortunate as my boys are to have cousins around to play with and really get to know. But not my boys, they really lucked out. Not only are their cousins fun to be with, but they are some of the best role models around. They truly look up to and admire each one of them.

A Friendly Competition

Fundraising, fundraising, fundraising ... can I just say I'm not a fan of fundraising! I desperately hate asking people for money, in fact I cringe every time I even hear the word. Well Austin has almost reached the age of Cub Scouts and I am so excited for him. He is fortunate enough to enter the Scouting program right before their week long day camp. To help with the cost of day camp the Scouts put together a dessert silent auction last night and Austin was invited to participate.

I really didn't know what to make for the auction. I wanted people to feel that the dessert they were buying was worth the money they spent on it, so I decided to make a Turtle Cheesecake and an Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. Both which were pretty to look at.Spencer on the other hand laughed at me and said why don't you just make a cake from the box? My pride got the better of me and I told him no, I needed to make something better than that. He just laughed again and told me that he was going to make his own cakes from the box. I totally underestimated his ability to pull it off so I went ahead (my pride getting the better of me again) and made a little bet with him. I told him that I just knew I'd earn more money with my two desserts than he would with his and if I was right he would have to give me a really nice back rub. The bet was on.

Well needless to say, Spencer won. Like I said earlier I totally underestimated him! He is such a creative and talented person and totally pulled off two completely cool cakes. One was a lemon cake decorated with gummy butterflies. The other a chocolate cake that he tactfully mangled and frosted then strategically placed gummy army men as if they were in a battle against each other. It was really cool! So in the end I lost the bet by $4. The good news is we helped raise a lot of money for the Cub Scouts and it was actually a really enjoyable fundraiser ... and I am humble enough to admit defeat.