Youth Conference

Ella is the biggest (and possibly only) reader of this blog and is a little disappointed that it has been abandoned.  She has also been gently reminding me lately that most of our family now lives out of state (jerks!) and they may not know what is going on.  So, after much prodding, I am finally sitting down to do a blog post.  Let's hope I am a little better about documenting all that goes on here.

This summer has been crazy.  It almost feels like we have been gone just as much as we have been home - youth conference, scout camp, Arizona, cabin, upcoming girls camp and a trip to Colorado.  So I thought I would start at the beginning and work my way through it all.

In June, Zach, Grant and I went with the ward up to USU for girls camp.  The weekend started off great with lunch a Maddox.  Our first stop once we got to USU was the ropes course.  It was brutally hot.  And windy.  With lots of hot wind blowing hot sand into your hot, sweaty face.  But the games and zipline were fun.  Climbing that scary, steep rock wall to get to the zipline - not so fun.  It looks a little scary but I can honestly say it was terrifying.  But all three of us did it. 

That night, we had dinner and then Megan McKenna and I took Z, G, Dustin, Boston, and Mikey swimming and to get ice cream.  The next day, we went on a hike.  Most of the kids did not make it and turned around a mile in.  But Grant and Zach were troopers and I was proud of them.  They would have made it all the way if we had had water (which the leaders left in the car) and no blisters (Zach's heel was covered in them).  So we turned around about 3 miles in. 

That night there was a dinner and dance.  Zach is a pro at dances since his school forces him to dance every Monday afternoon.  But this was Grant's first and I'm sure we would have rather been anywhere else.  Thank goodness the cutest girl in the ward (thanks Maddie!) talked him into a dance and it broke the ice.  I think all in all, they had a good time.

I loved spending the weekend with my boys.  I'm glad they had such a good time and I'm grateful for these other boys they roomed with.  They are great kids. 

So what did Cory and Ella do?  They spent a daddy/daughter weekend filling their tummies.  There was Pizzaria Limone, USwirl and mini-golf at Boondocks. 

Merry Christmas

Summer 2011 - Bear Lake

Bear Lake in August + Family equals . . .




2 wave runners and 1 boat, big fish, wake boards, paddle board, wipe outs on the tube, sandcastles, seagulls chasing the boat, miniature golf, raspberry shakes, paddle ball high scores, first ones on the beach daily, magic trail mix bars

Sick Days

past two months - five people

sore throat cough runny nose congested head fever body aches amoxicillan augmenten tamiflu albuterol breathing machines chills more aches cough drops two bottles of tylenol cold and flu

we miss summer

Christmas Greetings

Thanksgiving

Our first Thanksgiving dinner at home with just the 5 of us. It was actually really great and we may have caught the "stay home" fever for future Thanksgivings. C was very nervous about my first attempt at a Turkey but as anyone knows, anything can taste delicious doused in that much butter.

The "Thankful Pig" that we stuffed full of notes about our favorite things about each other. We read the notes after dinner. A great tradition.

All Hollows Eve

Halloween started early this year at our house. I had surgery the first week of September. Days before my surgery, Grant confessed that he had two big concerns:
1. I wouldn't feel good enough to decorate for Halloween after my surgery, and
2. That I would die and Cory would marry a monster that ate him.

So Grant and I kindly asked C not to marry a monster if I die, and we pulled out the Halloween decorations on September 1.

On Halloween day, we were greeted by...
Little Red Riding Hood
A member of the S.W.A.T Team
and
"Joe" the Chuck-E-Cheese employee, complete with mullet and 64 oz mug of who knows what.

Once Halloween was over (actually, almost to the very second it was over), the witches were replaced with Turkeys and the pumpkins were thrown off the roof. Because . . . well, why not?

First Lake Trip of the Year

The first lake trip of the summer is usually accompanied by some hiccups.
Highlights of our trip:

The BAD

Lost power to one waverunner in the middle of the lake - had to be towed in by strangers.

Lost power to second waverunner in the middle of the lake - had to be towed in by brother of previous strangers.

Had to beg strangers to tow the waverunners back to the docks.

One waverunner was difficult to tow and kept tipping and turning - found out plugs had been left out and waverunner was full of water.

I couldn't figure out how to deflate the tube so the I shoved it into the car smashing the kids.

My attempt of backing the trailer down the ramp to reload dead waverunner.

The GOOD

Dinner at Maxwells - Best pizza in the world

Being outside with family