Happy Birthday Marc!

You are best husband and Dad anyone could ask for - I love you :*

Cabin Pics

The Cabin - Part 1

We went to the cabin a couple of weeks ago and I have been meaning to post about it for a while. I think I just needed some recovery time! We had a great time getting together with everyone, but there is really only one word that can describe the trip - HOT. It just wouldn't cool down! Marc took this picture of our rear-view mirror in Boise just before we headed into the mountains.

I actually enjoy road trips. Marc always thinks I'm crazy because I can sit quietly and do nothing for hours. I like watching the scenery change from the city, to the country, to the desert, to the mountains. I always like to look at the little farm houses with tidy lawns and big green trees in the front yards, but are surrounded with fields of grain as far as you can see. They look so out of place! Maybe one day I'll make Marc stop so I can take a picture of my favorite one.

On Sunday, we went to church in Stanley, Idaho. Behind the pulpit was a huge window that showcased the Sawtooth Mountains - it made it hard to concentrate on what the speakers were saying.

The guys left for their annual hike on Monday and left the women to fend for themselves with the kids. Lynne did a great job of getting together projects for the kids to do. Marc took our camera with him on his hike, so I don't have any pictures of the fun things we did. If you want to head over to Paige's site, you can see some pictures there. Luckily, they returned on Wednesday afternoon, just in time to celebrate Anna's birthday!

I wore a bandanna for pretty much the entire trip for a couple of reasons; 1: it kept my hair clean(er), 2: it kept my head from getting sunburned, and 3: my Dad forced me to wear one every time we went camping when I was little and now it just doesn't feel right without it. I decided to pass the tradition along and make Lila wear one for a little while.


We went over to a lake to go swimming and have a picnic one day. It was a blast - even with the altercation with the campground host. Eric caught a frog and the kids were thrilled Marc, Eric and Todd all got into the water with the kids.

Chloe loved to be outside. I had to watch her VERY closely though - anything she could get into her mouth went there. Ants, leaves, dirt, twigs, you name it, she probably ate it.

The hot springs were a highlight (as always). I'm so glad the cousins had a chance to hang out and get to know each other better. Thanks again to everyone for making it a great trip!

Why I Shop at Midnight (of course)

I had one of the worst shopping experiences of my life a couple of days ago. It confirmed the reason why I prefer to shop at midnight without my kids or distractions. We desperately needed TP after Lila and her friends flushed my last 2 rolls down the toilet in one day. Everyone knows you can't go to Walmart for one thing, so I filled my cart with the mandatory $70 worth of items and went to check out. After waiting in line for 30 minutes and (of course) after the checker had finished scanning the last item in my cart, I realized I didn't have my wallet. I remembered there was a checkbook in the truck and I begged the checker to let me pay with a check without ID. She told me she would accept the check as long as the check didn't say it required ID on the front. So I packed the girls back into the cart. Lila screamed at the top of her lungs because she couldn't take her new Lip Smackers lip gloss with her. I ran out to the truck as fast as I could since everyone was waiting, grabbed the checkbook and ran back into the store. The checker ran my check and (of course) the computer stopped the check saying that it required ID. So I had no choice but to go home and get my wallet. The checker told me she would save my order on a receipt she printed and all I would have to do is pay when I got back. I fought the scream fest from Lila when she had to put the Lip Smacker back into the bag...again. I hurried home, grabbed my wallet and went right back to the store. I'm sure the greeter gave me a double take as a rushed past him for the 3rd time in an hour or so. Everyone shot me dirty looks as I cut in line to pay for the full cart still sitting next to the checker. When she scanned the receipt, the computer stated (of course) that the order had been deleted. The checker looked at me with sad little eyes and said we would have to start over again. By this point, I'm positive sweat was pouring down my face and my hair was sticking straight up on top of my head. Then (of course) the checker told me that I had to get back in line because I couldn't cut in front of all those people still giving me dirty looks. I almost curled up into a ball on the floor. But I didn't and I went to the back of the line. 35 minutes later, I was the proud owner of toilet paper. I used it to wipe my tears away :) But I'll never forget my wallet again!

Turkey and Rice? yuk

Best 4th of July Yet

We had a great day today! We started the day off by going to the parade in Provo. Thankfully, Todd stayed up all night long and saved us a great spot on University Ave - on a couch he bought at DI for $15.



My favorite part of the morning was watching the guy across the street play the Star Spangled Banner from his rooftop. He got a standing ovation from the crowd.



Lila loved the parade, especially the "princesses". (if Miss Santaquin and Miss Payson count as princesses!)







After the parade, we went to lunch at Jason's Deli with my mom, my bro, Ed and Todd. Chloe made a new best friend after Ryan gave her an empty ice cream cone to chew on.



After lunch, we went to Wal-Mart and bought a kiddie pool to play in. Chloe didn't like the cold water much, but Lila and the neighboorhood girls sure had fun in it! We brought over the next door neighbors slip-and-slide and played in the sun for a couple of hours.

We did fireworks after the sun went down with Mom, Ryan, Joe, Helen,
Warrik and the Murdoch's.









It was about 10:30 by the time we finished and Lila was getting a little loopy. Here she is with her new goggles on and a cane!



Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone had a great day too.

Sunday Activity

Last Sunday we got cabin fever and decided to go up the canyon to Bridal Veil Falls for a walk. Lila jumped right into the cold water at the bottom of the falls (without fear) and climbed onto a rock. It was too COLD for me, even in the 90 degree weather, but it sure was beautiful!

My Incredibly Talented Husband

Marc is a morning person....I am not. I woke on Saturday morning to music playing in the garage and the sound of a saw cutting wood. Marc had gone to Home Depot, bought wood and created a new shelf in my garage before I had even thought about getting out of bed! Wow. I love the extra storage space - and I love you honey!

BBQ Time!

Summer is in full swing and we have been to enough BBQ's to prove it! We had a great time on Friday night at a "non-company sponsored department party" for Marc's work. It was a lot of fun! There were 17 kids there and they kept each other busy! Mark Lay's house was the perfect set up for everyone to visit and for the kids to play.