I'm a jerk.

So, when I blogged about our summer trip to Utah, even though I didn't tell about ALL we did (I'm sure because there was so much to tell, it would have crashed a server somewhere), I thought for sure I'd at least gotten pictures of everyone...Turns out, I *didn't*. Not only that, but I neglected to show one of my favorite people in the world: my niece Brinley! So...this post is dedicated to one of the cutest, sweetest, smartest, funnest girls west of the Mississippi...

Now...in my defense, probably part of the reason I didn't post a pic, was because I only had 4 pictures of her; and part of the reason I only had 4 pictures of her was because I didn't see her much on the trip; and part of the reason I didn't see her much on the trip was because from the second we arrived, THESE TWO were joined at the hip the *entire* time:
Two peas in a pod, I tell you! None of that "we-haven't-seen-each-other-in-over-a-year-let's-be-shy" stuff... just how it should be with cousins...

Brin comes from a whole family of good-lookin' people: Brin- if your mother comes after me for posting a picture of her without permission, I'm holding you responsible ;) And I am sorry, but that little Marissa (Rissy) is a doll--love the posing...work it, girl...


These girls played NON-stop. I'm not sure exactly what they were doing the whole time, but I'm pretty sure some of it included talking about boys...probably about how gross they are and how they don't even think they're cute AT ALL...and about how they're not even *thinking* about having a boyfriend until they're *at least* 21...but I'm just guessing.

I did get to take these three to this fantastic museum in Vernal. I'd seen it a thousand times, but honestly, from the outside it just doesn't look like much, so I'd never gone in. Big mistake. Some of the coolest artifacts and antiques from as early as the 1800s (maybe earlier...can't remember).

They have a scavenger hunt inside where you search for various items throughout the museum...but here was one of my favorite things:

An old apothecary cabinet. You'd think with all of those drugs they would have been able to keep people alive for longer in those days....maybe they were "recreational"?? That said, my lesson learned when touring through a building with fragile, century old displays....leave lou-lou at home with grandma. Need I say more?

My kids are so lucky to have such awesome cousins- and I'm so lucky to have such incredible Neices and nephew (and Ava- that includes you, Little Miss)!

Matt and Nate- I didn't have any pics of you on the post either....but I'm 99.99999999999999999999% sure you couldn't care less...love you anyway :)

Tag---you're it....

I'm a visual gal and had fun taking this personality quiz... So your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take the quiz and post your results...

Summer is gone....

So apparently my kids weren't the only ones taking a summer vacation- I realized my last post was after school let out...and to be honest, it's a bit difficult getting back into the blogging swing of things... So after looking through 2 months worth of photos, I've decided it wasn't worth the hiatus.
Here are the top things I've learned this summer:

(1) My favorite little boy is this one:

Especially when he comes in from the backyard and gives me these:

And especially, especially when he does a formal bow and then gets down on one knee to hand them to me.... be still, my heart...

(2) 4 days is not long enough to spend here:



eating these:

listening to this:

and seeing her:


(3) 10 days is not long enough to spend with these people:





especially when it took 24 hours driving in a minivan with 4 kids (+ a Beboo and an Audi to help out...THANK YOU!) But it was worth every second, cent, potty break, and meltdown....and we'd do it all over again next week if we could. So...can we, Pat?

(4) I think I could live here:

with them:

and be perfectly content- especially when my brother Rico makes delicious salmon for us to eat.

(5) When you start to look like the wrong end of a dog, it's time for a drastic haircut. 'Nuff said.

(6) It's kind of sad when your Last turns 1:


(7) I still need magic erasers in my life:


(8) Summer vacation isn't nearly long enough. Do-over, please?

summer is here......

But this week, the weather has been more Spring-like, with storm fronts like this moving in and out. This was off our back deck this afternoon and while we didn't have any tornadoes, there were watches and warnings all around us. I have this love-hate relationships with twisters...I'd *love* to see one up close, but not actually have it anywhere nearby. Figure that one out.

The kiddos are on summer break officially... I adopted another blogger's summertime strategy of laying some ground rules... ie: no friends until after 11- until then, we get our "stuff" done...jobs, school work, breakfast, etc. So far, so good.

The other day they had been getting along, but the rain was keeping them indoors and for some reason, they like to gravitate towards my room when they're bored. (Okay- that "some reason" happens to be a large TV). So after the 3rd episode of Tom and Jerry, I told them to go find something to do, Or Else....
So they did:

It's their mascot. I can't remember what they named him. her? it?


Dallin with his teacher Ms. C-
And Ms. C's assistant Mrs. S.

Natty and Mrs. V.


Since children, getting to take in cultural events is a rare treat, but a good friend and I were able to go see The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater when they were touring in Louisville. They said not to take pictures in the auditorium. But we did. Of ourselves. We figured that didn't count. Yep. Rebels.


And about the show: AWESOME. Period. Here's a brief glimpse from a past performance:
I'd go see that show again and again. Loved. It.

4 of my favorite people in the world....

not sure who I'm talking about???
Try looking here....

Thanks so much, Denisha...you're the best :)

do you remember when......

it was embarrassing to have undergarments showing? instead of having bra straps proudly on display and it be completely "acceptable".

or when cartoons were actually FUNNY? instead of just varying degrees of crude/disrespect?

or childrens' books were actual works of literature? instead of just varying degrees of crude/disrespect (and may I add- seriously dumbed-down vocabulary and pitiful story lines)? Case in Point:

(and many others just as rotten).

Times are a'changing, my friends.

But here's what got me thinking about all of this:

Last week I went to the library and checked out Wind in the Willows as a read-to-the-kids book. I remembered it had something to do with a Mole and a Toad, but I had forgotten, or probably never even realized, exactly how WONDERFUL it is.

You know, I've read books that I thoroughly enjoyed before...you know the type: they're so good and have such an addictive story that the whole house could look like an F5 tore through, you feed your children nothing but cold cereal for 3 days, and if you're feeling really generous to those around, you might even take a shower and brush your teeth....all because you can't wait to finish the book.

But this is in a whole other league. I never want this book to end....this is the type where I want my house to be spotless (or at least *clean*), windows open with a fresh breeze blowing in (or at least have the a/c cranked up so high that it feels like a breeze is blowing in), kiddos asleep in their beds, and me in my p.j.s, curled up in bed with my favorite drink (cranberry juice/7-up mix...).... Because then I'm not just plowing through the book to see what happens next....instead, I'm able to get lost in the book. I can actually *enjoy* and soak in the prose...I can reread passages like this as often or as slowly as I like:

"The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated. By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spell-bound by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea."

*sigh*.....

I'm a bookworm as it is. But books that have such amazing prose and imagery and fantastic characters just deserve a blog post.

Now tell me *your* favorite books.....please :)

All Pyrex is not created equal....

Any guesses on how much fun I had cleaning up this disaster:

Here's a hint: none. zero.

But- I did succeed in doing it without getting any slivers or drawing blood, so for that, I am grateful.

In other news, Brooklyn been doing some new tricks:

(I'm glad we have a baby gate)...

Then she did this:

well- lou lou left the milk on the floor, but B figured out how to pour it out.

Tim had a pretty long traveling stint for work this month, so we took the time to head out to my parents for a weekend- this was our movie night watching Bedtime Stories...
lou-lou and Papa @ 8:30 p.m:


lou lou @ 8:45 p.m:


Dallin's soccer season is in full force....and I don't mean to brag, but....my boy can PLAY....

(the tongue out helps him kick harder...)
He wrote a poem about soccer in Kindergarten. They spell phonetically, so you'll get the gist, but here it is:
"soccer is osom
we kik the ball weth our feet
you run like a ras car
you Hav fon evry satrday
you get musls like my pope" (pronounced: Poppy (which is what he calls Tim occasionally...not sure why...))

and natty, among other things that I can't document with pictures, has been entertaining The Younger One...