Candy Hunt

This weekend was our family's annual Candy Hunt at my grandparent's house. It is something that the children (both the young and young at heart) really look forward to. In addition to candy, which is hidden all around the yard, there is money to be found! And every year no matter how long or hard we all search, grandpa will find dollars wrapped around a couple of tree branches the next year when he is out working in the yard. As for me, in all the years I have participated in this activity, I have only found one or two dollars. Grandpa hides them pretty well.

What would a family get-together be without family pictures? I do declare! This is my family (L to R)...my older sister Terra, me, my dad and mom, and my younger sister, Rochelle.

Here I am explaining to them how when you stand on your back leg, putting one leg forward, it makes you look slimmer in photos. I'm always ready with helpful advice!


Oh and who is this cute bunch? Same family, with the hubbies added. David, Erik and Ed.
And what happened when those daughters married those three young men? THIS!
Jenna, Richard, Andrew, Tayler, Nathan, Jordon (he's not in the photo though:)), Ian, Isaac and Nicole. What a cute little group of kiddos!
Now on to the candy hunt... The kids, and some adults- yes, I caught you Melissa!- out gathering candy and searching for the hidden money.
Nicole found a shiny dollar coin! Good job Nicole! (She found a grand total of $5 that day!)
Ooooh! Here's a sneaky spot. See how well those dollars blend right in to those trees?
Overall, the kids had a great time, came home with a bag full of candy and the grand total for our family that day? $11! Way to go kids! As for me? I got all of these photos- and they are priceless!

Hope your weekend was just as fun!

Summertime!

Summer time is finally here so enjoy your sunny weekend! See you next week my friends!

He wants to marry her

but he doesn't know her name....

The other night after putting Ian to bed, I walked past his room and he was sitting at his table writing something. I asked him what he was doing and he showed me this letter. It says, "I like you that I don't know, will you marry me, by Ian."

"Wow" I said. "What do you think?" he asked. "Who is the lucky girl?" I asked him. "She's a twin and she's pretty." he said. "What's her name?" I asked. "I don't know." he said.


He took the paper back and said, "I forgot to do something." and then he was busy writing away again. When he was finished, he handed the paper back to me. On the back of the letter, he had drawn the 'pretty twin' and himself holding hands with little hearts floating around their heads. Along with, "I luv you" .
"Is it good?" he asked? "Very good." I said. Then I tucked him in and kissed his little forehead. He got watery eyes and said in a quivery voice, "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too." I said. But then I explained to him that it would be a very long time until he got married and moved away. He nodded his head a few times as though he understood what I was saying. I never know if he really does. :)

Today he gave the little girl his letter. I asked him what she said when he gave it to her. He said that she didn't want to say anything. "She just read it and then ran away." He didn't seem to mind. I guess he wasn't expecting an answer today.

I'm glad. I'm not ready to give my boy away just yet.

Getting my crafty on!

This was a gift that I gave to Erik for Father's Day. It was so fun to make and sooo easy too! I thought I would share it with you!

Take photos of your kiddos, print them out to whatever size you want (I printed mine out on plain ol' card stock) , cut the pictures out and then paint the photo with black acrylic paint, then mount and frame them (mine are in a 11 x 14 size frame). And there you go!

I told you it was so easy! Too easy in fact. :)

Dreaming of a perfect world...

in a perfect world, I would look out in my backyard and see flowers instead of weeds...

in a perfect world, the just mopped floor, would stay shiny and clean for more than fifteen minutes...

in a perfect world, we would never run out of milk...

in a perfect world, morning walks with your friend would burn twice the calories than when you just walk on the treadmill by yourself (come on! all the talking has to add up to some serious calorie burning, right?)...

in a perfect world, mom's and dad's would not have to say goodbye to their sweet babies. Never, never, never...

in a perfect world, dust just wouldn't exist!...

in a perfect world, all my mail would be letters from friends instead of bills from strangers...


but if it were a perfect world,
I wouldn't enjoy my flowers as much,
wouldn't appreciate the fact that Nicole mopped the floor for me,
wouldn't have had to do a milk run and therefore would not have been able to let a gentleman go ahead of me in line so he could hurry back to work (he was on his lunch break and was buying a bouquet of flowers for heaven sakes!),
I might not have to walk in the mornings as often- missing out on 'talk therapy',
there wouldn't be funerals to remind you of how precious life is and reminders to hug your children a little longer,
there would be no reason to pick up a picture and reminisce while you dust it,
and you just wouldn't appreciate the letters from friends you get in the mail as much (thank you Tiff!).

This morning, I may have started my day dreaming of a perfect world, but as the day goes on, I am grateful for the imperfect world that I get to be a part of.

One bit of my weekend

This weekend a few members of our family attended the Utah Hemophilia Foundation's Blood Run. It is a great event, one that our family looks forward to participating in each year. Erik and I were volunteers while Nicole and her friend Mallery ran the 5k.

Here they are before the race.....
And here they are right after.....still smiling (I'm impressed!) They ran it in 27 minutes! Way to go girls!

Erik brought up the tail end of the runners, following on his four-wheeler. He was EXHAUSTED after the race! But he still managed to give me a smile and a thumbs up. :)
It was a great event (freezing cold though!) for a great cause- and a fun way to start our weekend.

Oh What Do You Do In The Summer-time?

I'm sitting on the front porch listening to the crickets chirping, the birds singing and the high school marching band practicing their patriotic songs for the upcoming parades. Three of my favorite sounds!

They all mean that summer really is just around the corner. And you all know how I feel about summer. I love summer with all my heart.

And talking about summer, I have been trying to come up with some fun activities that I can do with my kids. It seems like the past couple of summers came and went too fast and although we spent some time together as a family- it just wasn't nearly enough for me. Part of this had to do with me being in school...busy, busy, busy. But this year, there is no school for any of us!

So I've been reading lots of blogs, snagging some ideas that I think will be lots of fun, and I thought I would share some of them with you.

First though, my sister has inspired me to read a book out loud with my children this summer. My most favorite memories of elementary school are of listening to a book being read a loud and I can't think of a more enjoyable thing to do with my kids than to grab a blanket, find a spot of shade and read to them. I think the book we are going to read is The Princess Bride. I think that one will hold their attention nicely and will be one that we can spend several weeks reading together. If you have boys, here is a great website to get a list of books your boys will love to read.

Ok, now on to the ideas from others blogs.

Kool-aid playdough (it's edible!). My boys (and I won't be surprised if Nicole joins in) will love this one. And I think I will too. Get the recipe here.

Make your own slushies. This one I can see us doing over and over again. I think I will even bring this idea up to girls camp for those afternoons that are hotter than hot. (I'm so glad our campsite has a fridge and a freezer! So great!) Get the recipe here.

What is a summer without a craft project or two? This blog has lots of fun summer craft ideas you can do with your kids. This is one we will be doing for sure.

This is just the start of my list- I still have 22 more days until summer officially starts at our house. I know there is going to be a bake sale, some swimming, a visit to a cookie factory, sleeping out in a tent in the back yard, roasting marshmallows in our fire pit, a hike or two, a visit to a lake, lots of popsicles and ice cream- to name a few more. And to make sure that we don't forget all the things that we want to do- I will be making one of these- too cute!

What fun summer plans do you have this year? Please share!

Wedding

With Mt. Shasta as a backdrop, Lizz (Erik's sister) and Glen made it official this past Sunday.

Isaac and Ian said their favorite part of the wedding was "skipping rocks on the lake". Wonder what part of the ceremony that was? :)

The happy couple.
Congratulations Lizz and Glen!

Family

After an unforeseen change in plans, I ended up staying in town this weekend instead of in California attending my sister-in-law's wedding. I was sad that I was not be able to go to the wedding, but because of it, I was able to attend a family reunion for my mother's side of the family.

My great-grandparents were hard working farmers. I adored them. I loved their calloused hands, their simple way of life, their plainly decorated home, their genuine smiles. They have both been gone for many years, but this weekend we celebrated their lives as we, their posterity, renewed our connections with each other.

As I wandered from table to table looking at the faces of these relatives, listening to their chatter and seeing their smiles, I relished in the fact that I am blessed to be a part of their family tree. They are good people. They are kind and funny. In each of them I can see little things that remind me of the ones who started it all- Lecta and Theron.

I could see my Grandma Lecta's smile on the face of one of her sons. I could see Grandpa Theron's eyes on another son's face. And those same traits that I loved have been passed down from generation to generation.

It was good for my heart to be among them for just a little while this weekend. Through their smiles and hugs, I could feel my great-grandparents very close by.

I am grateful for families this weekend. For the one I spent time with today. For the ones who are in California celebrating a long awaited marriage.

No family is perfect- but I'm grateful to be part of a family none-the-less. It's something that will be mine for eternity. It will be nice to leave the messiness of life behind us one day and enjoy one last great family reunion. But for now, I'm grateful that I get to share the messy moments of life with those I love most.

In the end- family is all we have. And today, I am grateful for mine.

**My only regret is that my camera is with Erik at the wedding- the only pictures I have are in my own memory.

I think I have it figured out. Time has sped up, but the seasons have not. That is why today- JUNE 1st! (can it really be June already?)- feels like early Spring. This is seriously crazy.

Happy June 1st to you all!