What a week I'm going to have!

I know it's the middle of the week but from her till next Weds I don't think I'm going to get a moments peace. 1st off, London's B-day party is Saturday, so gotta shop and do final prep on that. Then Sun, Mon, Tues I have to show my sister all over town so she doesn't get lost while she's her watching my kids. Then amongst all of this I have to prep for mine and Jared's upcoming trip to Guatemala, we leave next Weds and won't be back for 2 weeks. So more shopping, packing and freaking out there. Oh! And we have to buy a B-day present for a friend of London's before I leave because the party's while we're gone.

In all honesty I'm not freaking out just yet (I think Jared is a bit though). We've traveled so dang much that we never really pack till the night before anyway. But I do have to have it all ready before then, so we don't have to do any midnight runs to the store the night before.

Wish me luck, any suggestions would be great!

Crazy Animals

So I never know quite what to do with the tops of my celery stalks. Jared told me to give them to Oreo. She LOVED them. Sniffed at them for a second then down them in a minute flat. So cute. So if you have any veggie leftovers send them my way, my fat little rabbit would just love to get fatter.
Peanut and Charlie, see a resemblance? Jared thinks Charlie needs a little playmate, I told him that's what Oreo's for. I don't need any more animals in my zoo thanks.

Hard Day Today

Our summer is always full of camp outs, hot dogs and a whole lot of bruises. Phoenix got 2 dandy ones today.

1st one (not pictured). We were making cookies and he decided to walk around on the chair he was standing on and slipped off. Caught himself, but ended up scrapping the inside of his leg against the chair. That bruise is about 3 inches long and an inch wide.

2nd Bruise (pictured). As he stepped into the bathtub his foot slipped to the side. Again caught himself but a bit too late. Whacked his head on the side of the tub. Swelled up, quick as that. I called down to Jared that we needed ANOTHER icepack because Phoenix was growing a horn. The kids got a kick out of that, Phoenix included. Calmed him down some.

New Clothes

It seems like all my kids go through growth spurts at the same time. Aspen seems to get a new wardrobe every other month and new shoes every month.

This week it was Phoenix and Sicily's turn. So we pulled out the old boxes of hand-me-downs and searched through for some "new" clothes. They both ended up with some new shoes, and Sicily tried her darnedest to wear every pare of Phoenix's old underwear she could get on. I think she eventually had 4 on each leg.

Not too happy when we took them off of her either. :)

Whaaaaaat?

This shot is for our cousin Jacob and Aunt Marlene. I am seeing a rather close resemblance to our cousin here. And so you know this was only 1 of about 20 shots, this is what you get when the boys play with the camera.

Wait! It's Empty

So I know every kid out there loves to get into the Tupperware drawer, but London took this shot of Sicily and I thought it was just too cute. She tried for a good 5 mins to get a drink out of this very empty water bottle. Funny kid!

Funny Scriptures

Every night we have family scripture study. We each only read 1 verse, and those like Phoenix who can't read just repeat what we say. After our trip to UT we lost where we were at so we just guessed. Tonight, thanks to Phoenix, we discovered we'd already read this part.

Best scripture for a 4 year old to read, 2 Nephi 25:9. He read this at Jared's parents house and we got a huge kick out of it then too. The word Iniquities is repeated twice. Phoenix has a tough time with this word.

1st attempt: anicklees
2nd attempt: inercules (rhymes with Hercules).

He just can not say that word. So funny. Keeps the Spirit strong when you talking about such serious things. :)

Aspen's Taking Lessons

She's doing such a great job and just loves that she can now brag about being able to play the piano. It's hard work for any kid out there, and takes LOTS of practice but it is a talent too many kids DON'T possess, but I want it for mine.

Oh No, She's a Girl !

Well, she's officially a girl. She walked around the front room for a good 30 mins just jabbering away on the phone. Notice how she says goodbye to me and not the person she's talking to, who was nobody by the way. She also has the Credit Card machine mastered, cracked up the cashier the other day.

So Pretty

They were having a wonderful sale on Roses this weekend. I just couldn't help myself, and the smell so nice too, which makes them even better.

2 of my good friends just had their Birthdays this weekend so I also got them some pretty roses. One of the husbands came up to me at church the next day and said, "Suzy! Roses?!? What are you doing to me?" So funny.

Picking up Litter

London turns 9 in only 2 weeks, so we are moving as fast as we can to pass off all his Wolf Merritt Badge stuff before his Birthday. One of the final things was talk with your family about how to save the planet, be more green and just take care of the environment. That went over really well with some excellent examples out of our National Geographic magazines. London was really interested in it and the kids actually sat still and listened to a Family Home Evening lesson for once.

So as our "activity" for the night we each took a plastic sack and went up and down our street and collected litter. As we started out London said we probably wouldn't find that much because our neighborhood is so nice and clean. Needless to say, even in a nice neighborhood people still litter.

BLAH!!!

Sunday Bike Rides

Most families go for a nice little bike ride around the block for a good Sunday activity. But not at our house.

Sicily got her first taste of the motorcycle, and she is in Heaven. Jared took her around the neighborhood a few times and she loved it. When they got back and it was London's turn next she threw a royal FIT because she wanted to go again. This whole sharing thing is not her thing. Needless to say, she did get a second ride, but not until AFTER Jared got back with London.

In a New Bed

After all the millions of places Sicily slept in the month of June we figured she was ready for her new bed. She LOVES her new bed. And the best thing is she doesn't get out of it, she can, but she doesn't. Such a good kid.

AC Problems

When we got home from our vacation we found that our upstairs AC Unit would not cool below 85. The bedrooms are all upstairs so this proved to be a huge problem, especially in the boys and Sicily's rooms which happen to be right over the garage. Their rooms never got much below 90. Ceiling fans can only do so much.

So I got out the phone book and got someone over here ASAP. They looked at the unit out back and up in the attic, then informed us it was completely broken and needed to be replaced. $7,000!!!! Oh, my word!!

Needless to say I was complaining about this to a friend and she gave me their AC guys number. He came out the following day. Sweetest old man ever, gave me the best news of my life. "These units are really good, old, but solid. They're just a bit low on freon, and there's a slight leak in this copper tubing so I'll replace that too." So he filled up the freon, fixed tubing and it now works like a charm. $250!!!! Thanks you Mr. Heath for saving me $6750.

I'm so grateful there are honest people out there. Don't use John Moore, they'll take you for a ride. Always get a 2nd opinion.

I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home

Jared went to Columbus, Ohio just over night. I think on our big long vacation Sicily really got used to having her Daddy around 24 hours a day. She was SOOOOO excited to have him back home. She wouldn't let him put her down, and just squeezed him as tight as those little arms and legs can squeeze.

New Nighties

When we went to visit Nana Walker she really wanted to make the girls some new dresses. Now Nana makes the most beautiful dresses in the world, she made all my kids blessing outfits (tuxes for the boys) and has since made amazing things for Aspen and Sicily. But sad to say at this point my girls are stock piled with dresses.

So we came up with an alternative. They picked out their own fabric and patterns, and Nana, in all her awesomeness, did the rest.

Dancing King

We always had Phoenix pegged as a quarterback, but tonight all of Jared's hopes and dreams just blew away.

A Baton Twirler!?!?! I don't think he's ever even seen one of those. He must just be a natural.

In his defense that's actually an arrow, I think he was practicing his karate.

They're still Alive!!

But man are they dirty. Charlie had so much mud caked between his toes it's a wonder he could walk. Apparently there's been a little bit of rain here while we've been away.

We missed all our little animals so much.

Even the ones we don't feed on purpose.

First things First

A nice cold bottle of juice on an Air Conditioned floor, what could be better than that in a Houston summer.

Back in Texas

You know your home when the Bulls horns are wider than Dad is tall. So good to be back....
and so good to not be in the car. We had a wonderful trip, so many amazing adventures and memories and we're glad to be home.

Seesaw Rest Stop

Every kid loves a Seesaw.

And ever little girl HATES to get off her first seesaw ride.

Searching for Dandelions

Dandelions this big are hard to come by, and even harder to blow. I had to help Aspen to get her wish. I think London was wishing we'd find a place to get rid of his blue lipstick (blue push pop actually). :)

Buffalo

Random fake buffalo on the hill. We didn't make it through Yellowstone to see the buffalo in the wild but we did see quite a few buffalo farms, not to mention the random elk farms we also saw. I wonder if tame buffalo and elk taste any different than wild ones. Anyone know?

Rain, Rain go Away

Traveling on Sundays always brings adventure. Every rest stop we stopped at it was either sprinkling or pouring. And it was not warm Houston rain either, it was cold, cold, cold. And when you're not sure where all the coats are, the littlest ones are the only ones who get to be warm.
But with cold wet rain there is sometimes beauty. You can't see it all here but this is actually a triple rainbow. And since we missed church this Sunday we had a wonderful lesson on Noah's Ark and learned about the importance of rainbows. And Yes, Dad, I also taught them the scientific reason of why we can see rainbows, but only because my too smart kids asked.

Lincoln Highway

We started our trip with a Huge statue of Sam Houston and ended our trip with a Huge head of Abraham Lincoln. No idea which state we were in at this point, but it was a cool statue all the same.

Heading Home

Once you get South of Utah and Colorado everything is pretty flat. Therefore you get a lot of wind, and then you find a TON of wind farms. The kids tried and tried to count how many windmill were on each farm, they'd all come up with a different # every time.

4th of July

This home is actually in my parents neighborhood. They're always decorated so cute for every holiday. I just love the red, white and blue flowers, so good for the 4th.
2 Aspens in 1 house at the same party. This is Ryan's Wife's niece, not sure how else to word that.

Very eventful day the 4th is. 1st Colt's baby blessing, then fireworks and top the day off with FINALLY LOSING THAT 2ND FRONT TOOTH!!! Yeah for Aspen. She was getting a drink of water and the cup knocked her tooth out. "All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth."

Gotta have those Sparklers. We had some good ones and some bad ones. These were the bad ones. So we used our true Pyro techniques and just burned them in bunches and tried not to burn ourselves in the process.

They never had these kind of "Flowers" when I was a kid.

These fireworks are called snakes. We had about 100. So we put them together in groups of 20 or so and burnt them as a pack. They start out the size of a vitamin C pill then turn into this. I'd really like to meet the guy who invented these, they've always been a favorite of mine.

Blessing Little Colt

This cute little bugger is currently the youngest member of the Walker Family. He's such a cutie, and such a little sweetheart. Colt was lucky enough to be blessed on the 4th of July! So happy for him and for his family, and so happy we could be there for it.

Grandpas and Adopted Grandpas that were invited to stand in the circle.

West Bountiful Park

My Dad helped design this park. My family helped plant that big ol' tree. This park has so many memories for me, from playing baseball when I was 10 to late night dates in High School. So fun to add more memories to this park.

My Aspen the dare devil. I think she was trying to go over the top.
Last but not least, the West Bountiful Park Hill. This Hill is famous! It's been here for over 30 years! That's an awfully long time. Things to do on this hill: Roll down (of course), snow sled, snowboard, ski, ice blocking, Easter egg races (which usually end in seagulls having a feast), and more and more. This is the best part of the park. Forget the swings and slides, it's all about the hill.

Water Wheels

Back to Aunt Amy's house. She took us down the road to see the Water Wheels. When she explained them I thought they'd be kind of cheesy. But these things are set along the creak every 50 ft or so, they're an irrigation system. They require no power and helps the farmers to irrigate their land. Pretty inventive if you ask me.

On the Road Again

While the older kids watched DVD's and played video games, Sicily munched her way through those Goldfish. She never ate meals, due to the fact that the only way we could keep her happy was to give her snacks.

And if you've ever been in a gas station bathroom you'll know they're none too clean. So, Sicily typically got her bum changed in the car. She is definitely the most flexible kid I know.

Time for a Picnic

After riding the Ferry back from Jetty Island, where we played on the beach, we had a lovely picnic by the Marina. No playground equipment meant Dad had to get inventive. We also fed a few seagull (15 or so at one point), and just enjoyed the weather.
Coolest boat on the water today. I wonder if I'd get sick on a sail boat, they seem to just glide through the water.

Beach Time

Just a regular day at the beach, though Washington beaches are a bit colder than most. I've said it before, kids just don't feel temperature. London like usual, looking for animals and enjoying a swim. Aspen, also like usual, dove straight in before the rest of us had our sandals off.

Sicily was none too happy with that cold water. Jared tried and tried to help her get her feet wet. It's amazing how babies can just turn into tiny little balls when they want too.

Also, as usual, Phoenix. Zoom in on that face. He was NOT happy about all that slimy seaweed. The tide was VERY low today.
But Sarah sure enjoyed it. The girls all made a mountain of seaweed then Sarah decided to wear it all in to show Mom. Apparently it's as warm as a coat, or so she said. Yuck!

Day at the Dock

We've lived close to and visited many beaches and marinas but that Mountainous background is just astoundingly beautiful. So lucky to have family that lives in such gorgeous places.
While on the dock we watched fisherman and Lobster fishers. There was this cute little leopard seal watching the fisherman too. I didn't see them catch much, but I'm guessing that little seal did.

As many as I could catch in one frame. Too many to count. :)

Benefits of a Forest

Guys landlord built the coolest tree house. So big in fact, they set up a tent for the kids to sleep in last night. Phoenix was completely put out because I wouldn't let him sleep out there. Mostly because he gets up every night to use the bathroom and I had NO desire to climb 12 ft in the air in my PJ's to get him down. But the older ones had fun. All except Sarah that is, she's the oldest (12) and got stuck "babysitting" all the boys. :)
I always enjoy walking to the park to play. But the walk to Guy's park is actually a 1/4 mile hike through the most beautiful, sweet smelling forest. Then there's the park itself, excellent. I even tried out this swing, super fun!

More and More Cousins

I'm not sure my kids could keep them all straight. This is my brother Guys family. He lives in Washington just North of Seattle. It was such a short visit with him but so much fun.

Aspen and Hannah, we LOVE having cousins close to our same age.

Grandma James & Aunt Sherri

I had the pleasure of meeting Jared's Mom's Mom in Washington this vacation. She's a wonderful lady. And after 10 years of marriage, it's about time I got to meet her.

We also got to spend the night at Uncle Dan and Aunt Sherrie's home (she's Jared's Mom's sister). They have a beautiful view from their front porch of both Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens. Cute little carved black bears all over their house and excellent Burgers made by Uncle Dan (he's a chief). All in all another wonderful visit with family.

Mt. St. Helens

So sad we didn't make it all the way to the peak. The kids had fun at the Visitor Center watching the video of it blowing up. People actually had over a months warning that it was going to happen, I'd always been under the impression that it just exploded. Dumb idiots they still had to rescue, you'd think they'd have realized they were on a VOLCANO, I mean, come on!

When I was a kid we went to visit my Uncle Cordell. On their mantle they had a vase marked, "Aunt Helen." I said, "I never knew we had an Aunt Helen." They proceeded to make me feel all guilty that I didn't know my ancestors. Long story short, it was actually ashes from Mt. St. Helen. Dang them! I super wanted some ashes though so I could pull the same joke, but alas, kids have little legs and the hike would have been just a bit too much. There's still plenty up there though apparently, so I'll get some next time.

They say volcanic ash makes things really grow. Check out those clover. We really searched for a 4 leaf, that BIG would've been EXTRA lucky!