Playing in Island Park

Last weekend we took our girls camping in Island Park with my parents and sister's girls. On the way to the campground, we stopped as Mesa Falls. Both girls love waterfalls, so it was a lot of fun watching them enjoy the falls I grew up loving. You're not "allowed" to go down to the river anymore, but the views from the railings were great, too.

Ashlyn was quite the trooper on all the stairs and Emma was the same goofball as ever. After hiking back up the stairs, Ashlyn almost figured out the drinking fountain.

After meeting up at the campground and setting up our tent, we went to Big Springs by Mack's Inn. The mosquitoes were horrific, but the girls had so much fun feeding the huge fish, seagulls, and yes a muskrat. Emma and Ashlyn also loved splashing their feet in the water. I'll have to get pictures from my dad's camera.


That night was actually a success. Emma slept in her tent inside our tent and slept all night. Ashlyn started out in her portacrib and ended up between me and Nick, but she slept very well. Nick and I lost some of our blankets to Ashie, so we got a bit cold and didn't sleep as well as the girls, but all in all, it was a successful trip.

The next morning Nick and I went on a beautiful hike. I've grown up around and in those mountains, but I have never seen wildflowers like there are this year. The rain has been a huge bonus to the undergrowth. Our pictures just don't do justice. Everywhere we looked there were multiple colors and types of flowers. I loved it. I love hiking with Nick. I can't wait until the girls are old enough to hike with us. My amazing sister Kerri and my parents helped watch our girls while we were gone. Next time I'm taking her with me.

What Do You Do in the Summer Time?

Half Marathon

Just under a year ago my friend Monica asked if I would run a half marathon with her. At that time I balked at the question, but ever since then the idea has been teasing me. Long story short, I signed up to run Pocatello's half marathon on September 5th. I'm a complete mixture of nervous and excited. It's 13.1 miles, so I have a lot of work to do in the next 8 1/2 weeks, but I know it will be a huge accomplishment. I would love it if anyone else might be interested in joining me. Click here for more information on the Pocatello Marathon. Wish me luck. I can guarantee that there are going to be days when I'll need it.

Happy 4th!

We had a pretty good weekend. We started out by driving to Wyoming to Nick's parents' house. Nick and I were planning on backpacking for three days, but we got rained out. Instead we left Friday morning for the Uinta mountains. We were able to get a good 8-mile hike in and stay out of the rain. The hike couldn't have been better except for a million mosquitoes. The ground was literally carpeted with tiny wildflowers, and the scenery was perfect. I love spending that kind of time with Nick.

The next day, the 4th, we took the girls to the parade. This was the first year I bought them flag shirts, and they loved them!
Seeing the fireworks was so fun. Grandpa Charles gave Emma her ear protection! She's always hated loud noises. Don't you just love the outfit.
We were lucky enough to have "Uncle" Kade with us. Everything is more fun with Kade around.
Too bad Emma was such a cheese head. This is one of the most decent pictures we have had of the four of us for ages.
Before actually going to the fireworks, we went 4-wheeling on the desert. I had never been and had so much fun. There's been so much rain that the desert was actually muddy. We were all rather splattered with mud by the time we were done. Unfortunately, we forgot the camera.

The cactus were blooming this weekend. I had no idea they were so beautiful, so we had to run back out to the desert Sunday morning before church to take pictures. Here are a few of my favorite.

For some reason, this one doesn't want to cooperate and turn the right way, but it's the best picture we got.

Locked Out

This morning we all went outside to see dad off and water the lawn. Ashlyn started crying as soon as Nick walked towards the car, but we decided the lawn still needed water.

While I pulled the hose out, Emma pulled the door closed. A few minutes later Emma started dancing around, so she ran for the bathroom only to find that the front door was locked! My keys were inside on their hook and Nick was long gone. Ashlyn was still mad, so I did what I could. I rummaged through our recycling can, found a juice lid,

climbed on the garbage can (note the caved-in lid), and used the juice lid to pry out the screen. I'm very grateful and rather nervous that I was able to break into my house so quickly. Here's one for frozen concentrate juice lids.

Zoo!

My sister Alisa is here visiting from Alabama (hurray), so we got together with my other sister Kerri and our mom and took all the kids to the Idaho Falls Zoo. It was one HOT day, but we all had fun. The kids loved it. We took the group picture at the end of the trip, so the kids were rather tired. We also played at a huge playground nearby and then took everyone to Fazoli's for dinner. It was crazy and fun. I love family time.


Talk about putting your head in the lion's mouth!
Ashy had to join in, too.
Emma loved brushing the goats.
Oh, you may be wondering why Ashlyn hasn't been appearing in many photos lately. This photo shows off her lovely wounded forehead. Unfortunately, she does this to herself. Whenever she throws a tantrum, they're horrible, and she scratches her face, legs, or tummy. She's been doing this for a few months now. Our pediatrician says to just ignore it. Ignoring it does actually help her stop faster, but we HATE seeing our beautiful, sweet little girl bear such horrible marks of her temper. I just hope the scars she's already sporting will fade as she grows. Hopefully time will also curb the self-wounding.

Young Women Trip

I had the amazing opportunity to spend the last two days with my amazing young women. We left bright and early Friday morning and drove to the Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake. We have been working on making quilts for the last several months and were able to donate ten twin-sized quilts. Each of the seven girls that went put a lot of work into those quilts. Most of them had never sewn or tied quilts before this. At the Humanitarian Center we took a touching tour that demonstrated how inspired the humanitarian organization of the church is. I was awed by how far $5 can go, and how generous and loving people are all over the world. Then we packaged hygiene and school kits, opened and sorted 4,000 pairs of children's sleepers, and finished 4 hours of service by tying two more quilts. Whew!


After that we took the girls to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. I loved walking through with my girls. I love them so much and I look forward to seeing them go to the temple themselves some day. I love the spirit in the temple, and I know the girls felt it. It was beautiful.


Our next stop was the Mayan for dinner. Most of the girls had never been there, so it was a special treat. The cliff divers were really good and had everyone in awe.


That night we went swimming at our hotel. We played chicken and shark. We even got the bishop in for a couple rounds of shark, but I learned the hard way not to be the last of the pack swimming across the pool. The bishop accidentally gave me a pretty good kick to the jaw. The swelling is almost all gone. But we played hard and it payed off. The girls were all in bed and asleep by midnight.

The next morning we went to the Heritage Museum by the This Is the Place monument. The girls got to see first hand what life was like in the early pioneer days. They got to work in a woodshop, visit a tin man, beat a rag rug, card wool, dress in old-fashioned clothes, and play pioneer children games. We really had a good time. It was such a great opportunity to feel the spirit over and over and to get to know our girls. I can honestly say that they're my friends. I love each one of them.


When I got home, Nick surprised me with roses on the table, a clean house, happy kids in the tub, and a smile. He's such a great man. I can't imagine my life any different than it is today. Nick is the best husband and father. Today's been rather stressful on him. He was sustained and set apart as our ward's new Elder's Quorum President. When we told his mom, she asked if he was excited. While excited isn't the word that comes to mind, there's no doubt he'll do the best he can to fulfill the calling. I'm so proud of him. I love him. I am so grateful for him. What more can I say. Thank you Nick for being so good to me and the girls. Happy Father's Day!