July 1 - July 31, 2009

July 31, 2009On a visit to our local science center, the hunkster hubby tried out the ... hmm... what do you call this thing? The vomit inducer? Well, he tried it and got quite the ab workout, too! Brave, brave man.

July 30, 2009TJ impresses me with her determination to learn the piano. I have been lax in teaching her, so she decided this week to sit down and learn the accompaniment for "A Child's Prayer". In just a day she has learned to play the entire first page!

July 29, 2009Few things rejuvenate my spirit like a night out with ladies like these. Good food, lots of laughs, and good, wholesome discussion. Loved it. Thanks for the girls night out!

July 28, 2009We're very exciting breakfast people. These are the regulars, except the special K is usually mini wheats. Yep. Ball of fun type people, we are. BUT the kids like, and we like. Nothing like starting out the day with some great cold cereal.

July 27. 2009TJ has become quite the big helper! She loves to do what I'm doing, be where I am, say what I say. I know this will change, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts!

July 26, 2009Bayboo's pneumonia lasted for a long time. She just wasn't her bubbly, fun loving self. She fell asleep at the kitchen table from sheer exhaustion. That's what a Sunday relaxing at home can do to ya!

July 25, 2009The stake pioneer picnic! An annual tradition, and our first time going. Fun games, delicious food, and great company (oh, and can't forget the phenomenal fireworks!) made for a memorable Saturday.

July 24, 2009I spent the afternoon sewing up some bonnets and little aprons so our girls would have something remotely pioneery to wear to the pioneer picnic. And I'm glad I spent the time making them so my girls could wear them for .05 seconds, then take them off for good. *sigh* At least I got a picture or two.

July 23, 2009
Mmmmm.... swiss chard. A favorite of mine growing up, and now a favorite around our place. Boiled just slightly then soaked in vinegar. Yum!

July 22, 2009
I have spent more than a few hours on this laptop writing about our summer trip. My blog is also my journal so I like to spend time writing down the details so I won't forget them! I'm so glad to have those memories recorded, though. Even if my fingers are aching from typing!

July 21, 2009
Yep. Addicted. It's a fun and simple game that teaches kids (and who am I kidding... ME) about how you reap what you sew. You can't buy anything in this game until you've worked to earn money. You can't harvest unless you've planted, and you get to feel satisfaction as you see your farm grow! Fun stuff.


July 20, 2009
Some bounty from our garden. While our pea plants have been producing huge amounts of snow peas, we all eat them as fast as they grow!

July 19, 2009
Our drive home - met with much construction. We were so excited to see our house and sleep in our beds!

July 18, 2009
The GIFT GAME. We each choose a number, then when our number is called we get to choose to unwrap a gift from the HUGE pile of wrapped gifts in the center, OR steal a gift from someone else who has already opened one. In the end, we each end up with a gift. This year was SO funny. It's always lots of laughs when the 20 something nephew ends up with fuzzy slippers, or a purse :)

July 17, 2009Congrats to my sister, Dori-Ann, and her new husband Garth on their beautiful wedding! So glad I was asked to photograph it.

July 16, 2009
A fun day spent at the water park in Kelowna, BC. Besides Bayboo getting sick later in the day, it was a wet and wild good time!

July 15, 2009
We spent the day enjoying the wind in our faces, swimming, waterskiing, knee boarding, and tubing on my dad's boat out on Kalamalka lake. It was a blast!!

July 14, 2009
When I was younger, we would vacation in the Okanagan valley (Penticton) every summer, and I had a little friend there ('Z') and we would do this exact thing - use our towels like wings and play "butterfly". It's fun to see my daughter doing the same thing and having such a great time.

July 13, 2009
Wouldn't it be lovely to have the skill to build a house like this? That's what my hubby's cousin did. It was a gorgeous place!

July 12, 2009
We stayed over night with Hubby's cousin, Mark, who lives right on the lake and though it was getting late, we still were treated to a fun ride on their MONSTER of a boat. We're talking 13 people on this thing. It was so fun.

July 11, 2009
Okay, I can't express how fast and terrifying this boat is. I mean, can you SEE how little BOAT is between me and that freezing cold water?? But fun? OH YEAH!

July 10, 2009
While staying with the B family on vacation, the kids had a blast jumping on the trampoline (memo to me: buy one for next year!) until it became dark enough for the fireworks!

July 9, 2009
Getting up close and personal with a cheetah and Hogle zoo in Salt Lake City, UT. Should I have been nervous that there was only that chainlink fence in between me and this beauty?

July 8, 2009
The view from the 26th floor of the Church Administration Building in Salt Lake City Utah.

July 7, 2009
Cuddling with a buffalo on Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake! Good thing we chose a buffalo to cuddle and not one of the thousands of humungous spiders that surrounded the Information center!

July 6, 2009
We were treated to a surprise invite from one of hubby's childhood friends, Banyan. The food and the company were great. It helped that they also have 4 daughters - all the same ages as ours!

July 5, 2009

A beautiful sabbath day spent walking around Temple Square. No better way to spend a Sunday.

July 4, 2009One of my favorite days from our trip - visiting the Thanksgiving Gardens in Lehi, UT. Breathtakingly beautiful and serene. I loved it!

July 3, 2009One of the HUGE perks (for me) of staying at our hotel was the freshly baked cookies for the guests every day. My favorite were these milk chocolate chunk cookies. Oh drool!

July 2, 2009Busy day our first day in Utah! We did the Welfare Square and Humanitarian Center tours, followed by an afternoon at "This Is The Place Heritage Park", and finally an evening at the Conference Center for a Tabernacle choir rehearsal and a tour of the building. Phew!

July 1, 2009
This is what you do when your laptop screen has a terrible glare and you want to watch a movie. Not attractive, but it works!