Nighty-Night!

OK, Brigam is still one that likes a good bedtime story - when that time comes around.

Apparently Tyler is over the stage of "Green Eggs and Ham" and me trying to get though it quicker by skipping pages - he ALWAYS called me out on that little trick.

Brigam is way over the "Green Eggs and Ham" stage too. Now he wants me to read to him from this book:

No, I am not kidding. This stuff could put me to sleep, but it just makes him want to grab a hammer and "fix" something. If I refuse to read it, he just peruses it himself. He likes the pictures in it. How's that for "interesting?"

Brigam's Birthday Party

Well, the big day has come and gone. My baby baby is now 7 years old. He had a great party time (due in no small part to Mykalyn (future party planner) and my BFF and her crew). The cake was (can I say) HUGE and got lots of giggles and a huge hug from the Birthday Boy to his mama the cake decorator.

We played pin the tool on the tool box and the blind fold was somewhat rudimentary, but worked none the less.

Mykie put together a treasure hunt to look for their goodie bags. In the goodie bags was yummies, a wood project, safety glasses and a hammer. Yes, I did say a hammer. Some moms were probably not too thrilled that I gave their 7 year old a hammer but

1) they needed it for the project. Could you imagine eight 7 year olds using 1 hammer to make a squirrel feeder or a land racer. Seriously! AND

2) my kid knows how to use a hammer (maybe not WHEN to use a hammer, but how to use one.)

So my apologies after the fact that the take home fun prize was a hammer. They loved the wood crafts they got to make.


I had a plan for an obstacle course that involved wrenches, fixing a bike tire, hammering nails, nuts and bolts, etc., but we ran out of time.

Present time was next.

Josh is explaining the finer points of crossbow action!

Present time is always a hit!

Then came the cake and slushies! Mykie, Rachel, Courtney and Gabby (the only girl that was at Brig's party) made the best slushies and the kids all wanted a second serving.
All in all, it was a great time for the kids. I think that Brigam had so much fun. I only have a few years left of "theme" parties for Brigam. Mykie is having a slight theme party for hers in October, but after that I am sure that it is "just pizza, a movie and 10 girls to sleep over please mom!" My theme b-day cakes will be a thing of the past - hope you got a slice from history!

MY BABY IS BACK!

Just this past Saturday, July 5th, 2008 a beautiful boy joined our family once again. I have been longing for his presence in our family for sometime now and was thrilled when at (approx.) 3:00PM he drove up in a little white GEO and presented himself for hugs and kisses from his mama.

Yes, I did say drive, I guess that the above photo is a little dated. Here's a more current one:

Tyler was gone for 13 LONG days on a visit to Los Angeles, California with his friends Jon and Carlin.

("Boys! Stop playing with that! Someones going to get hurt!")

They saw a lot of sights while they were there including the Stars Walk of Fame (where they saw Chuck Norris' star), a taping of an episode of Ten Years Younger (Tyler kept waiting for them to ask him for his guess on her age. I am glad I wasn't there for that! I'm sure she would have cried with his guess), Rodeo Drive, The Hollywood Bowl, the beach and palm trees etc, etc. He even took a great pic of a palm tree from his perspective.

He did take quite a few photos, but some of them are a bit blurry. I guess I forgot to tell him to hold his breath before he pushes the button.

The reason for the trip was because his friend Jon used to live there and wanted to go visit friends and family so it was just the boys that went down. Jon just joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on the Saturday before the Monday they left.

You'd think as a parent I'd be a little freaked out with the lack of responsible adults that were going to be around, but I wasn't. I really felt that this would be a great experience for him and that he would be safe while he was away. Besides from Tyler's point of view, sometimes he and the boys were the most responsible adults around.

They even went to church on Sunday which is pretty amazing when you think that not one other person they were visiting with were LDS, but I didn't expect anything less from him.

I know the trip was great for him and that he learned a lot. He called me each and every day, just as I requested. At one point I asked him if he was having fun. He told me that he was, but that it would be more fun with family. Yes, he was talking about our family! He even told Mykie twice on the phone that he loved her and she danced around the house for an hour afterwards both times singing the song of brotherly love.

I am glad that he had this experience. It only adds to the experiences he'll need as a missionary. That's only about 1 1/2 years away you know. But I am soooooooo glad that my baby is back!

*Note - this is my second blog for the day. I sometimes have so much to say! Look down to the next one for a insight to Mt. St. Helens.

Are We There Yet?

In one of my past posts, I mentioned that Mike and Jeremy took no small hike to

Mt. St. Helen's.

I should have given it much more attention because Mike has casually mentioned twice that they took some GREAT pics up there and had I posted them on my blog yet? I don't even think Mike reads my blog on a regular basis, but he must think the masses do and that it would be cool for he and Jeremy to go down in history as "Kings of the mountain". So I will do this for him and Jeremy and for the simple fact that I am just so dang proud of both of them.

Jeremy not only completed the 6 hour climb up the thing, but he was also carrying a pretty big pack on his back. Not one of those dinky school sized ones. I'm telling you it was large and in-charge. This is impressive to me because the boy doesn't even tip the scales at 100 lbs yet. He actually can look Ethiopian if he sucks in his stomach just a little bit, but I have noticed lately that his biceps and triceps have got great definition on them. I tell him that I have greatly defined biceps and triceps too, but they are just hiding under a layer of delicious Oreos.

When those two wonderful boys reached the top, this is what they saw:

This one is a picture of Mt. Rainer in the distance.

The next one is a shot of Spirit Lake.

This was Jeremy's reaction to finally reaching the top of that difficult climb:
I am just so impressed that they both worked so hard and were so greatly rewarded with a feast for the eyes. I am sure that they will remember this one FOREVER!

Just a note, out of 26 people 18 boys and 2 awesome girls made it to the top. No, not one of those gals were me, but I do have to give props to Linda and Ali McCullough. All I can say is , "You go, girls!"

I told Mike that climbing Mt. St. Helen's would be something I'd like to try next year. He said he had the same thought. It might be much different for him next year encouraging me on the climb. I am sure that I will turn right back into my childish behavior and ask for 6 hours straight, "Are we there yet?" Hopefully by next year, Mike and I will both be physically up to the task! Me with some weight and endurance training and Mike with some patience training in answering the same question again and again!

ABC Tagged

Taunya tagged me - It made me think!
A--Attached or Single? Very attached. I'm a very lucky girl!
B--Best Friend? My BFF girlfriend - Pam
C-- Cake or Pie? Cake! Chocolate with cream cheese frosting. It is especially tasty if I wasn't the one who made it and someone made it just for me!
D-- Day of Choice? Friday - Yes, the weekend and no "be here by this time and do this". Love that day! Besides, Mike gets every Friday off. That totally extends every one of our weekends to a 3 day weekend!
E-- Essential Item? My home to have others gather to.
F--Favorite Color? I love blue, but pink sneaks in there when I am feeling especially girly and lime green when I am a little spunky.
G-- Gummy Bears or Worms? Hello - don't chewing on those make your fillings fall out? I guess it would be Gummy Bears, but only the red ones.
H-- Hometown? Sandy, Utah where I was a proud Beetdigger at the OLD Jordan High School. If you don't know the reason for the mascot, you don't know your history.
I-- Indulgence(s)? Pillsbury Peanut Butter Cup Refrigerated Dough Cookies. It's really too bad that they are like a gazillion calories a piece. Makes my kick boxing not really pay off. You know what I mean?
J-- January or July? July because that's when my baby was born. But then my second was born in January. Where to go with this one? I guess July because of the way more relaxed schedule.
K-- Kids? Absolutely. I would suggest having kids to JUST about everyone! I have Four Fantastic ones that make me laugh and that I am happy to be with. I love to come home to them and love to be out in public with them. They are great!
L-- Life is Incomplete Without? My Family, The Gospel, My Friends, (I totally had to chose these same ones that Taunya chose, I'm not copying, it's just that great minds think alike!) but I'm going to add Laughter to the list as well. Sometimes belly laughter is the only daily ab routine that I get! You should have some every day.
M-- Marriage Date? June 10, 1989
N-- Number of siblings? Two - One older brother and one younger brother. Contrary to popular opinion, I was not spoiled. WAS NOT! WAS NOT! WAS NOT!
O-- Oranges or Apples? Um - which ever one is in season. I guess you can get pretty good apples anytime, so I'd have to say oranges since they have a "season" for the good tasting ones. But how do you know if it's a good one or not? Maybe an ultrasound?
P-- Phobias or fears? Don't laugh (Oh yeah, you'd better laugh. You might not have done your abs yet today!), but it's LOOSE TEETH! I have nightmares about my teeth falling out. Do not chase me around the house wiggling your squeaky, bloody tooth my way. I will NOT put up with it! I will lock myself in my room until you have pulled it out yourself. My poor children. I am surprised that they have been able to handle the teeth thing themselves all these years.
Q-- Quotes? Live well, Laugh often, Love much!
R-- Reason to Smile? Because I have a great life! This world is crazy scary and you'd think we'd all be gloom and doom, but I am not. I have hope in a completely brighter future than just today, tomorrow or even 10 years from now. My relationship with my Father in Heaven and gospel gives me this hope. Having the loving support of my family who also love God and our Savior is a big bonus! I love my life and am grateful every morning to have another shot at making my life as good as it can be for me and others.
S-- Season? I do love them all. I guess I just don't mind change. I love Summer for lazy days when your kids can just be kids. Fall because of the beautiful changing leaves and (of course) football, Winter because of the snow and snowmen with carrot noses and a cup of cocoa, Spring because it is a refreshing change from the cold and all these beautiful flowers come out to greet the sun.
T-- Tag 5 People? Jana, Ashley, Misty, Jan and Jennifer H
U-- Unknown Fact? I would rather install a light fixture, clear a clogged sink, repair a saw or basically be the home handy(wo)man than wait for Mike to have time to do it. I am not very patient and I do the jobs pretty well unless I need some MUSCLE to do the job, then I am forced to wait for my very own AMERICAN GLADIATOR to help me out.
V-- Very Favorite Store? Although I shop way too much at Wally World (it's hard to beat their prices on the basics)- I do love Target because of their original items. I like Dress Barn for clothing for myself. That's what this is about, right? Me, me, me!
W-- Worst Habit? Not eating healthy. I am totally with Taunya on this one. It is the bane of my existence!
X-- Xray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound. I think it's a miracle every time they do this. The fact that they can see inside of you and know what to do next without cutting you open to check it out themselves - THIS is very cool.
Y-- Your Favorite Food? Grilled Chicken
Z-- Zodiac? Libra

America the Beautiful

Happy Fourth Of July!

I love this day! I love to watch the fireworks and hear the booms. It reminds me of every other 4th of July that I have attended in the past. I've got a great story about Tyler's fourth 4th of July, but I will wait until I need a blackmail story against him to share that one with you!

Anyway - I thought you'd want to know that Independence Day commemorates the formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. However, it was not declared a legal holiday until 1941.

Uncle Sam wasn't adopted as a national symbol until 1961 (even though the name was first popularized during the war of 1812.)

These little FACTOIDS of info came directly from the employee newsletter included in my paycheck this week (I need to give credit where credit is due). And I know that sometime in your life you will be asked one or both of these questions in a "4th of July Trivia Game" and I have just given you the answers to make you look like you know absolutely EVERYTHING! You can thank me later!

Now - go out there and enjoy the 4th and the freedom that our forefathers fought for and our current soldiers fight for us to have! Don't forget to give thanks for their sacrifices and thank God for this wonderful country!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA - the best country in the world!