Swimming

Del Mar Fair

The summer would not be complete with a trip to the fair...

We met up with my parents, and my brother and his family, and feasted on yummy food, fun rides, animals, and tons of nostalgia..

First, the animals..



then, the rides...







and finally, the food..

Summer is here!!

                                                         (picture courtesy of Shauna-na)



The kids are free!! (and so am I for that matter)

Summer is here!!

We celebrated right after school at our dear friends, the Reeds.  Shauna made this awesome sandcastle cake, with candy rocks that the kiddos loved, it was pretty delish too!!

I am so looking forward to do nothing days, and no schedules.  The beach, the pool, and the park will be keeping us entertained.

First on the list, Del Mar Fair later today!! Woo Hoo!!

Last Pack Meeting

Thursday night we had our last pack meeting for the school year (we take the summer off!) and enjoyed a bbq and some surf lessons for our activity. 

June gloom finally said her goodbyes and we were treated to a beautiful sunny warm evening with warm water for the boys.

Happy Father's Day!!

I have an awesome Dad, a fabulous Father in law and to top it all off my husband is amazing! I'm the luckiest wife in the world to have a Dad as great as Dave for my kiddos!

Happy Fathers Day to all you Dads!

G*ld Star

Usually I post about what the kiddos have done, or things we have done as a family.  Very rarely, do I get to give a huge congratulations to my rockstar of a husband.

So, here ya go...

Today Dave received a huge award from Micros*ft, the G*ld St@r Award.  This is an award that you must be nominated for, and is really a big big deal.  It also comes with a sizable cash reward, which is even more awesome.

But, my favorite, favorite part is..

That others have recognized how dedicated he is, and how he truly is such a hard worker.  We have comforted ourselves many times with just the knowledge that he has put forth his best effort, and that no one can challenge is amazing integrity or work ethic. 

Sometimes it's nice just knowing that others do notice.

Way to go babe, you totally earned this!!

Preschool Graduation

(forgive me for posting my memory pages, but I'm getting caught up on that as well as blogging, so it's a win win!!)

Memorial Day Trip - Part 5 (the end!)

After lunch and a nap we got ourselves back in the car and headed north to the dairy farm.  The kiddos learned about the new high tech milking machine, the methane gas area, and saw all the stages of a baby cow.  The littlest ones were a bit skiddish, but the kids were able to feed some of the older calves...




That evening, we packed up our stuff, and by mid morning the next day, we had bid farewell to our lovely hosts, and were on our way back to California.

I am so grateful that my kids (and myself) are exposed to a more rural, simple kind of life.  Thank you Ephraim, we'll see you at Christmas time, when you're covered in white!!

Memorial Day Trip - Part Four

On our last full day Ephraim we first went out to visit Dave's uncles' Turkey Farm.  He had just received in 20,000 turkey chicks, and evidently they were still in their "cute phase".  The boys had fun playing in the "brooder" with all the chicks, but Natalie was beside herself with glee.  She must have picked up each and every chick, sometimes two at a time.  She would even offer them to the rest of us, that little girl was in heaven!!

Memorial Day Trip - Part 3

Sunday evening we were joined by Dave's sister, Robin, Steve and the girls.  Along with Doug, Amy and crew, Andy & Jennie and family, and Gordon & Marcia.  We all made our way up the mountain to Lake Hill for some fishing.












The boys caught some fish, had fun running through the woods with cousins, while Natalie and her little girl cousins were busy playing in grandpa's truck.  The rest of us sat around the campfire, talked and enjoyed the sunset.

Memorial Day Trip - Part 2

Saturday morning we enjoyed the start of the Scandanavian Festival with a parade.  



We met the cousins at the home of a guy that Dave's brother Andy worked for in college.  He welcomed our entire crew in along with half the neighborhood, and had pancakes, sausage and donuts ready for all.  The kindness and welcoming of small towns continues to impress me.  The kids collected the thrown candy from the parade, and afterwards we made our way to the festival.



We walked down the street, and checked out the booths, the kids each made a small purchase, and then "Willie" the clown made balloon animals and hats for the kiddos (except Daniel, he was too cool for that).  We feasted on cotton candy, funnell cake, and Texas twisters, before finishing up at the co-op and taking a look at all the quilts.







That afternoon Gordon & Marcia were hosts were for a small reunion from a line of descendants from Gordon's side.  After the count was tallied, we found out there were over 100 people in attendance.  We talked laughed, and even enjoyed a little game of "I Spy"....

Memorial Day Trip - Part 1

What a fun eventful Memorial Day Weekend!!

The kids were out of school on Friday, as well as Monday and Tuesday, which made for a delightful 5 day weekend.  We took an extra day (on top of the 5!!), and left Wednesday afternoon to start our trek. 

We drove seperate cars (as Dave was driving up a truck for his brother Andy) and made it to Mesquite that first night.  We arrived with all the kids sleeping, and were even able to carry them in, put them to bed, and have them stay asleep.  The first time this has ever happened in over 10 years of travelling with kids!!

Thursday afternoon we arrived in Ephraim to take a small breather before packing up again and heading north to enjoy a graduation bbq for my neice Jennifer.  Congrats Jenn!! I can't believe that when Dave and I started dating you were just a tiny baby, my how time flies!! 

We stayed the night with Doug & Amy (thanks again guys!) and the girls played dress-up, while the boys enjoyed some lego time.







We were able to visit with our dear friends the Reeves on Friday, and enjoy a little Cafe Rio before heading back to Grandma & Grandpa's in Ephraim...

Patience

"Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means ACTIVE waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can –
working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with
fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed.
Patience ...is not simply enduring; it is ENDURING WELL!"

~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2010 LDS General Conference

Tea Party

Yesteday, Natalie had a play date with her little friend Ella.

Of course no play-date would be complete without a very cute tea party. (thanks Shauna for the pics)