Scout Falls Hike in American Fork Canyon

My Favorite time of year approaching...

For some odd reason we played football with our soccer ball..

Is it wrong for me to want to put Luke in football at age 5? Don't answer that...

Zoo trip

Sorry, Jen. This is the only photo of our zoo trip that will download...(stupid freakin computer). So I am tagging this photo "monkeys in their cage" when it is really "kids in the land rover waiting to get to the zoo to see the monkeys in their cage".

Maddie YW Medallion Video

Found this and didn't know if I had already put it on my blog.. so here you are!

Swimming & S'mores for FHE

Love making new friends (especially ones with heated pools). The Burgett family invited us over for FHE and we had a great time with their family. I think the kids swam for 3 hours straight. Then it was fajitas and s'mores... couldn't get any better!

YMAD "One Day" Event

 

Had a great time with our girls on Saturday. Made some money for a good cause, laughed, sang, ate, rocked it out with Fictionist!

Super cute

Shut the front door!

Alternative post titles:

a. Karma

b. Why are Todd's toenails painted "jade"?

c. Which is more pathetic, my dog or my foot?

Oh yeah! That is not my husband's foot--it is mine!! I get to wear this lovely contraption for 3 weeks. Even at night! Yippee! What a wonderful tan line I will have for my upcoming Hawaii trip. Stupid achilles heel...

"Up" house in Herriman Parade of Homes

Super cute, dontcha think?

My kids want to know when we will be moving in.

July 4th, 2011

These exploding tanks were the favorite..

I tried to take a picture of a firework and the temple.

This is the result.

Love this country and love that we have the freedom to light horrendously loud and dangerous fireworks right in our neighborhoods. It was a thrill to be in my own backyard and have a 360 degree view of fireworks exploding all around me.

Seriously, the best holiday EVER!

Day 3 of Neola 2011

Sabbath day is a day of rest, thank heavens. Love my family and I loved this Sunday afternoon spent with them. Had a yummy dinner that was NOT chicken related and spent a couple of hours in the canyon letting kids run wild. Laughed and talked as we roasted huge marshmallows over the fire. Drove to Grandma's house as it got dark, happy and content. Another day when Neola did not disappoint.

Day 2 of Neola

July 2nd, 2011

7:30 a.m.- Wake up. Quickly gather children and mother and hustle to the car.

7:45 a.m.- take picture of my mothers feet. see below. I gathered her too quickly and it flustered her. Half of her was ready for chores and the other half for a church meeting.

8:00 a.m.- Arrive at Rodeo grounds for the KIDS ONE MILE FUN RUN.

8:05 a.m.- Get roped into standing on the course so the kids won't get lost.

8:10 a.m.- Race starts (at least for most.. there is a terrible pile-up right at the beginning of the race which takes out an early favorite, my niece Anna)

8:20 a.m.- I see my children struggling to keep up with the other racers. Luke keeps losing his flip flop. He probably ran 2 miles because he would run, lose his shoe, have to run back to get it, then turn around and start running again. When he was near me, I instructed him to just take off his shoes and I would carry them. This is the way REAL country kids run anyway (do as the locals do..).

NO SHOES!

Sadie is struggling. She reaches me and says in her cutest whiniest voice,

"mom, i so tiyed. my yegs huwt so bad. i tan't do it anymow. howd you."

TRANSLATION: Mom, i am tired. my legs hurt so bad. i can't do it anymore. hold you.

I ended up walking with her the rest of the way. It was great because i counted it as actual exercise.

8:30 a.m. All kids get their green participation ribbon and bottle of bubbles and I snap a cute picture (so annoying! this particular picture will not load.. don't know why.. if anyone knows why some of my pictures will load and others won't, i would love for you to educate me...)

8:40 a.m.- Arrive at our parade location. Scout out a decent spot. Finally find it and get ourselves settled. Sit for a few minutes.

8:42 a.m.- Decide we need drinks. And by drinks, I do mean a diet coke. So we mosey on down to the country store which happens to be a mere 100 yards from our parade location. We purchase not only a diet coke, but some donuts, doritos, gatorade and some stale popcorn. I know it was still breakfast time. But this is how we roll...

8:50 a.m.- Arrive back at our prime parade location. Sit down. Eat doritos and donuts.

8:53 a.m.- Dumb woman parks car and sets up her stuff right in our viewing point. I am elected to ask her to move so we can see. The rationale is that I am from the city, and city folk are just expected to be meaner than country folk. They sent me to do the dirty work. And dirty work I did.

8:55 a.m.- Woman moves her car. All is well in Areola again.

9:05 a.m.- Kids getting antsy. "We want candy!!" is their cry.

9:06 a.m.- Star-spangled banner and the parade is ON like DONKEY KONG. Bands play, candy flies through the air, old people on floats wave to us, cheerleaders cheer, little ponies pull wagons and then..

9:10 a.m.- Parade over.

OK.. so it didn't get over at 9:10, but is sure seemed like the shortest parade ever.

10:00 a.m. Patriotic Program at the LDS chapel which just happens to be right across from our prime spot on the parade route. Patriotic program is a hit, EXCEPT that this year there was no invocation or benediction, which I took notice of. I said something to my sister-in-law who informed me that I was not the only one to notice and that it was merely an oversight. That kind of mistake can get you into a whole bunch of trouble in a place like Neola.. I am sure there will be a prayer next year at the Patriotic program.

11:15 a.m.- Go to Grandma's farm and check on the kitty and try to find the bunny. Bunny had escaped the box and had been hiding under the big pine tree. No sign of bunny. Kitty doing fine. Eat a bit of lunch--leftover chicken-- and then head over to our Rasmussen reunion.

1:30 p.m.- Arrive at reunion. Realize I know almost no one. Makes me sad. Kids have fun running around and stabbing each other with the swords that one of my distant cousins made for the kids. Chat with some of my long lost cousins. Hugs to some of my uncles and aunts. Reminisce.

3:00 p.m.- Decide to go swimming in Grandma's pool. OK, not her pool, her pond.

3:30 p.m.- Arrive at pond. Kids swim and play and skip rocks. Grandma and Grandpa show up with cookies and water. We enjoy the beautiful day.

I know that this looks like the Amazon or some other yucky body of water that they show on River Monsters. But it is not the Amazon. It is the POND and it is wet, and cool and that is all that matters.

P.S. I never get in it. How sick...

I believe this bathing beauty is doing a little thing called urinating. Did I mention we are Rednecks?

6:00 p.m.- Eat dinner. Leftover chicken... yummy. Chat on the lawn. Pet the horses. Check on the kitty. Try to find bunny..

Sometime later that evening- Head to my sister's house. Chat until super late. Lovely day with my crazy family..