Summer - Week 9

I needed a bit of time to recuperate after our vacation, so the first week or two back I didn't leave the house much. But last week, I made a small comeback and ventured out for a bit.

First, the kids and I went to see the Smurfs! The Smurfs hold a very special place in my heart, as my ALL TIME FAVORITE CARTOON, so I was thrilled to go. I have been waiting an entire year to see it. And, I LOVED IT. So did the kids. La, La, La, La, La, La, Sing A Happy Song.

While waiting for the movie to start I did a little Book of Mormon reading to keep myself on track for the 30 day challenge. I am currently 7 days ahead! Woot-woot!

 

We also tie-dyed shirts, which was all sorts of fun. Megan, Sadie and I chose the bulls-eye pattern.

While Eric and Jackson chose the swirl.

It was a very eye-pleasing, albeit messy, colorful project.

I love all of them, but am especially happy for Jackson who was worried a tie-dyed shirt would be too girly. His came out all shades of green, which he determined was masculine enough to wear in public.

As I mentioned in my 12 X 12 we also went bowling at the Silver Nugget, which is equal parts interesting and scary. But most importantly, CHEAP!

Other Things To Note:

We all went swimming. Even Eric, who I don't think has been swimming with us at all this summer. Well, except for once when we were on vacation.

I managed to outfit the kids in school clothes, and purchase the ridiculously long list of school supplies. Now I am broke.

And, that's about it. All in all a pretty productive and fun week.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

While in Utah we attended a Ogden Raptors minor league baseball game with my Dad.

It was hot! But not Las Vegas hot, so we survived. Drinks and snow cones helped. We also got lots of free stuff, like these fans to cool us off.

It wasn't packed, so Sade and Jackson spent some time trying out lots of different seats.

And then the inevitable happened. We were sitting there, enjoying the game, when  Megan got hit smack dag in the face with a foul ball! And I am talking about a line-drive ball directly into her cheek. Luckily not her cheek bone, or I am sure it would have been broken. And I say it was inevitable, because if Megan is ANYWHERE near a ball, she will get hit with it. She inherited it from me.

The ball she was hit with:

Although there was quite a bit of crying (rightly so), Megs was a trooper and recovered fairly quickly. I took her out of the stands after it happened, but when we returned everyone sitting around us gave her a round of applause. And....she got to keep the ball.

The people sitting in front of us happened to see who the hitter of the dreaded ball was, and told us it was player #5. So after the game, Megan went down to the front of our section, and as he ran by, she yelled at him, and told him he his ball had hit her. He ended up signing it for her:

And then, he gave her his bat!

It was pretty cool. I think by the end of the night she may have even been happy that she was hit. I was just happy we didn't have to take a trip to the emergency room, since the kids were without insurance during the month of July! Close call.

12 X 12 - August 2011

Sade and I started the day off by making muffins. Sade has more cooking experience (and probably skills)  than both Megan and Jackson combined. She loves it.

Jackson walked on furniture while we cooked.

While Megan made miniature clothing out of the fabric she received at activity days.

For lunch the kids had hot dogs. I hate hot dogs so much that I seriously almost threw up while cooking them. The smell! Bleh..........

After lunch we ran some errands. First we went to Kohl's for school shoes.

I had to venture into the adult section for Megan this year. It was A LOT more expensive!

Then we went to the bank.

If  you ever are behind me in drive-thru at the bank, consider yourself lucky. Because......I always have my deposit slip completely filled out and ready to go. Unlike every person I am always behind, who is never prepared! It is a bit of a pet peeve of mine.

On the way home I spotted my very favorite flowers in Nevada. I love when they are in bloom.

It's a bit strange that I love them so, given my distaste for the color orange, but it can't be helped.

When we arrived back home, it was reading time.

It seems as if I have spent the majority of the month of August reading. In this picture I am reading out loud to the kids, "The Fairy-Tale Detectives", which is our August book club selection. But I have also been reading the Book Of Mormon in 30 days, along with the book, "The Wonder Spot", that I am mildly obsessed with.

Jackson is often acting all sorts of crazy while we read.

Soon after reading, we went bowling with some friends.

It was enjoyable.

That night I took my boyfriend out to dinner, since he had a rare Friday night break from soccer season.

We went to The Cannery (mainly because I had a coupon, and it is close). But also because they have coconut cream pie, which I love.

It is the very first thing I get whenever we go, since one time I waited until the end of the meal and they ran out!

24th Of July - 2011

The vacation saga continues..........

The 24th of July is my favorite holiday. Or it was when we lived in Utah. Now that we are Nevadans, I am not so enamored. It is too dang hot here. So I was thrilled to be in Utah this year for the holiday. We started out by visiting Grandpa Marty and his dogs.

Sadie is an extreme dog lover. It is unfortunate she lives with me who is committed to being pet free.

We had lunch together, and then Grandpa Marty took the kids to Wal-Mart to choose presents for their birthdays. Since Sades birthday is in January, she was able to choose gifts because she learned how to swim underwater.

While growing up we always spent the 24th of July in Clifton, Idaho, where my mom grew up and where my Grandma still lives. When I was younger, it was a MAJOR small town celebration. Now, not so much.

The kids and I with my mom and Grandma.

I can't tell you the number of times I walked up and down this road as a child:

Although the festivities have somewhat diminished over the years, they still had a big dutch oven dinner, and a few games for the kids. There was also a big talent show (that went on for hours) before the fireworks.

The kids fished for toys:

And did some jumping:

Then when night fell, the FIREWORKS started:

The fireworks were awesome. Just like when I was a kid. In the above picture I would like you to notice something that you will never see at our celebration in Las Vegas. We are all wearing jackets! It was sublime. It was also sublime seeing quite a few of my cousins, aunts and uncles that I don't often get to see. On the way home my cousin Damion and I stopped to buy some lottery tickets, since Powerball was over $100 million! We combined our money and agreed to split our winnings. My tickets yielded $0. But Damion won $7. I have yet to see my half! You just can't trust anyone anymore. :)