What a STUD!

Yesterday we had the opportunity to head to the lake again....WE LOVE IT!
My dad was able to come with us this time. Now my dad being a "little" older comes from the days of 2 water skiis and if you were really good, the cool thing to do was slolom??? (not sure how to spell that) He decided he wanted to see what this "wakeboarding" thing was all about. He stepped on the boat and let us all know that he still had it and was going to try it out! Yes I was a little nervous for him. After all he isn't a young buck anymore! But wow! Here my dad is 62 years old, two complete knee replacements and on his second try he was up and running!Dad, you definately earned bragging rights!!! You are a stud! You moved that wakeboard like you had done it a million times before! You are awesome! Thanks for spending the day with us - your the best!
Rick picked up a pair of wake skiis....these are about 3 to 4 feet long and about 12 inches wide...they looked so funny, but he did awesome! I guess once you get really good on them, you can do really cool tricks....he looked great - moving across those wakes like a pro! Let's see those back flips next time honey!

What a Trooper!

So Cody had an appointment with the dentist to get a "few" cavities filled. He had his first visit yesterday and was such a brave little guy! He did great! He got to have the fun "pig nose" which had a yummy smell to it. He didn't even know he got a shot and hardly moved the whole time the dentist was working on him. After he was done he looked at me and said his cheek felt big and asked if he looked funny. The only way I could convince him that he looked absolutely normal was to take him into the bathroom so he could see himself in the mirror. His face was a bit numb for a good part of the day and he only bit his cheek a couple of times. He was lucky though and I made him his favorite shake and he got to have dinner at chili's with his favorite dessert: The Molten Chocolate Cake!
We went back today to finish the job....I had to bring my camera this time because he looked so cute! Yesterday he had a pink nose because it was bubble gum flavor. Today he decided to try the orange nose with an orange flavor! He acted like a pro...he got in the chair, put on his sunglasses and watched Spongebob on the tv in the ceiling!Cody you are such a brave little guy! I'm so proud of you!
He is pretty excited he doesn't have to go back for atleast 6 months....only for a cleaning! Yeah!

Girls Camp!

What was I doing for the past week???? I was at our church girls camp! We took 26 of the girls in our ward to Red Rock Canyon in Oklahoma. What a beautiful place! We were surrounded by trees and "Red Rocks" of course! It took us about 4 1/2 hours to get there, but it was worth it. We stayed in cute little A frame cabins with bunkbeds...or atleast the girls did....the leaders roughed it in tents on cots. We got rain just about everyday, but also got the hot sun as well. It was nice because it cooled down in the evening. a
We took the girls on a hike and saw the most beautiful flowers along the way. My favorite part of the hike was when we stopped and sat on the rocks and just listened to the sounds around us. It was awesome!
Our ward color was orange, so we came up with the theme "You can do it, He will help." We copied the home depot logo a bit, but we definately embraced the orange and ran with it! The first night there we did our skit! Even the leaders had a part! There was a lot of fun and yes, even a little work for the girls to do. Every day they had a different "camp caper." From kitchen duty to scrubbing the bathroom...they loved it!



I am so glad I have the opportunity to go to girls camp. Eventhough I get absolutely no sleep, I learn so much from the girls...they are so awesome and are spiritual giants! I love going and spending the time with Jordan.
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Lucky for me, one of my good buddies, Nissa Lynn was there with her ward also. We had fun seeing each other throughout the day. Camp was great! My favorite part was the last night at testimony meeting! That is what makes it all worth it. I grow closer to the girls and learn a lot about myself as well. I loved hearing Jordan bear her testimony. There is just something about sitting outside - out among the trees and feeling the spirit! I loved it!



TIME FOR RELAXING AT THE LAKE!!!
So after being gone for a week - I needed some bonding time with the fam! My uncle recently moved here and lucky for us he has a boat! My cousins who I haven't seen in almost 10 years are here visiting also. It was great to see them! We love being on the water and cruising around. We went out and bought the three little kids new life jackets. It was so cute...they came home from the store wearing them, they wore them in the car on the way to the lake, and wore them again on the way home. I'm glad they like them!
Cody was as happy as could be just riding in the boat. Rick and I forced him a little to ride in the tube. He won't admit it, but once he was on the tube he secretly liked it. How could he not??? We were going a nice pace at a whopping 5 mph!

The tube was huge and had a nice hole in the middle for Cody to stand in...I was sure to keep my weight in the back, so we wouldn't tip....
Jordan decided she wanted to try wakeboarding. This was her first time trying it, and she did awesome!!! Getting up was no problem for her! She even rode out and over the wake! I am so proud of her for being willing to try it and working so hard. She didn't want to come in....she just kept trying and getting up over and over again! I'm sure she will master it in no time! Great job, babe!

Once Chase watched, he decided he wanted to try it. We got him all strapped up in the boots and lifted him into the water..AND....he changed his mind. I think since the board was so heavy he got a little nervous and thought he was going to sink...he decided he would maybe try next time.

Chase had a great time on the tube with my cousin Austin! They didn't go too fast, but did get a little air every now and then. Chase's favorite part was probably swimming in the lake and throwing the football with Austin!

Paige was a little timid to get on the tube. (She had a bad experience last summer. She was drug under water as the tube fell forward.) We assured her that wouldn't happen and put Rick on with her, so there was weight in the back. She was all about a leisure ride and not wanting to catch much air. Of course, Rick wasn't going to let her get away with that!

We had a great time! Thanks Ron for taking us out. It was much needed family time!

Fathers Day!

Yesterday being Fathers Day, I wanted to give a shout out to the great "fathers" out there. The kids had fun making home made cards for Rick, but we HAD to buy the card that sang when he opened it. Rick, thanks for being a great dad to our children. I appreciate the time you spend with them and example you are.



This would be us and our "put on a happy face" picture!



This is how things really are at our house!
We celebrated Fathers Day with my dad Saturday, so I made a yummy chocolate mousse cake... I haven't made it for years... Chase has decided this is his most favorite cake ever.... looks like I will be making it more often.
Dad, thanks for being a great dad...you have always been there when I needed you. You have been a great example to me in all areas of your life. I love you and will always appreciate your never ending love and support!

Summer Fun!

Yesterday we spent the day at mom and dads house. We had a blast spending most of the day in the pool and visiting with my cousin Davey. He is getting married soon and will be living here! We are so excited to have him so close! One of the kids favorite things to do in the summer is to get snowies or ice's (or whatever you call them). The kids decided they wanted to introduce Davey to the "best" flavor that exists! PICKLE JUICE! He loved it can't you tell? We all think it is absolutely disgusting, but you just haven't lived until you have tried it. Actually, Chase is probably the only one that can even stand it!So the summer has officially began since we all had an "Ice Wizard!" As far as spending the day in the pool, Cody decided that yesterday was the day he would swim. What a little fish...no more floaties, hanging on everyone, or using a noodle! He is an official swimmer! He jumps off the edge, dives for sticks, and swims the length of the pool. We knew it was for real when he walked over to the diving board and jumped in. (maybe Jordan bribing him with $5.00 helped) but he did it over and over again! Great job buddy!












Mr. Try anything, never give up until it is perfect - Chase did a backdive for the first time....he was awesome! Jordan decided she needed to try, since her little brother was doing it! But doing it off the side was daring enough for her. Eventhough it wasn't off the diving board, it was good!
And the major excitement for the day was finding the frog in the skimmer! Paige named him "Jeremiah" and all the kids took turns holding him and playing with him. They begged and begged for us to bring him home, but I assured them, he would be much happier outside at Grandma and Grandpas house. We walked him back to the pond behind mom and dads house and let him go. This frog is actually one of the smaller frogs that found it's way into mom and dads pool. I assured them we would see other frogs, as they seem to make their way into the pool quite often.

Not fixed yet!

Well, the computer is not fixed yet, but hopefully soon! We finally found out we need a new motherboard....I'm not exactly sure what that means, but it is not good! Next week I am off to girls camp for the week, and hope it will be fixed when I return. (hint hint) We are spending the day today at my moms house having fun swimming and celebrating fathers day early with my dad. The past week of no school has been great! Sleeping in, swimming, trying to organize things in the house, and yes - more swimming. Hopefully I will beable to post pictures soon!

It's Officially Summer!

School is finally out!!!!! YEAH! We ended last Thursday and I love it! No homework, hopefully less running around, and time to enjoy! Since Thursday, the kids have been swimming just about everyday! (And completely sunburned!) Hopefully this will teach them to wear sunscreen from here on out. They are definately living it up. I don't think I have had them all home at once since school has been out. They have been at parties and sleepovers every night! I am seeing signs of complete exhaustion starting. I'm pretty sure this week will be recover time!
It has been awhile since my last post....mainly due to the fact that my home computer is currently not in use. AHHHHH! It's driving me crazy! Yes it just stopped working. Really I don't know what to do without my computer. Is that sad? I am using Rick's laptop, but it just isn't the same. I've pretty much told Rick, I don't care what he has to do or what it cost's - just fix it!!!!
Other than going crazy without my computer.....the last week of school was full of fun and games for the little kids. Kickball tournaments, "Rumble in the Jungle", board games, and fun, fun, fun. For Jordan, it wasn't so much fun - she had finals! We haven't received report cards yet, but are waiting axiously.
I also got the bug to finally faux my kitchen. I have been wanting to do it ever since we moved in, so the other day, I decided that was the day! What was I thinking??? It was fun in the beginning, then I was in a big mess, had a ton to do, realized that probably wasn't the best time to start a project like that - But continued on! Now, I love it!!! I'm so glad I did it! I'll post pictures soon! That pretty much sums up what we are up to...Hopefully my next post will be to let you know my computer is fixed!