Cub Scout Regatta

The Cub Scout Regatta was combined with a ward "Corn and Tomato Dinner". The boys did a great job on their boats. They were upset when trophies were not handed out like at the soapbox derby. So today, we went to the dollar store and got them each a small trophy. Just don't tell Justin he didn't win. He is as competitive as his dad.

Fun at the Fair

Our stake had a fair this summer. David played his Guitar in the talent show. He was also placed 2nd in the ugly tie contest. The boys entered some pictures in the art displays and got their faces painted.

Potty Training

Potty Training starts today. Good luck Eli. He has peed in the potty once this morning and pooped in his undies once. He really loves the "Once upon a potty" video, just like his brothers did.

Dentist Visit

All 5 boys had their 6 month dentist check up this morning. It is great to hear the dentist say "We don't get many families in here with no cavities", all 5 boys have "perfect teeth". We can boast over nine years of cavity free boys. I wish David and I could say the same.

New years resolution (sort of)

After months of trying to start and then stopping exercise, I went to deep water aerobics with my friend last night. When I got home, I told David again that I feel better when I get out and exercise, and that I was going to go every Tuesday with my friend. And on Thursday, they have a 6pm class that I want to go to as a couple. It is so much easier to go when you have a friend to meet and can't just say "I'm too tired, I don't feel like going tonight". I am re-stating my New Years resolution to loose weight and get in shape. After almost 11 years of marriage, 5 boys, and many pounds packed on, I am going to "lose it" if I don't lose it.

Summer School

The boys are on their last week of summer school. They were able to go to the Clark Planeterium and Boondocks, which they loved. They also were given Swimming lessons from Clearfield Aquatic Center. Justin, Ben and Adam can now all swim well. They are excited about enjoying the rest of their summer, which will include trips to Lowes almost weekly for one thing or another that has been falling apart around our house and yard.

Family fun

On Saturday, David and I took the boys and the dogs on a hike up Waterfall Canyon. The mist from the waterfall was freezing. Ben was almost soaked from just running around in the mist. The trail was rocky and hard to climb. We struggled to get up, but we all made it. Even the dogs were worn out by the top. Adam, Ben and Scott all slipped or tripped on the rocks at least twice. This last picture is the first of two bridges we walk over going back down the trail. Sunday, we took a drive out to Antelope Island. The bugs were like black clouds on the side of the road. We saw antelope, buffalo, jackrabbits and all types of birds. David and I even saw a coyote in the grass right off the beach. The picture of David with the buffalo was out the van window. The buffalo was less than 20 feet away from our van. It was laying down when we first drove up, but as we were getting the camera, he started rocking. We thought he was trying to get the bugs off, but then he rolled to his feet and stood up, keeping his head to the side, not actually looking at us. The top of his shoulders came to the top of our van.

Mothers Day

Mothers day was exciting. I wound up going to the ER with Elijah, because he had been playing outside without shoes with his brothers and got something inbedded in his right heel. He didn't cry when it happened and he wasn't limping, so we didn't realize it was there until we gave him his bath Sunday morning. David tried to dig it out but it was too deep. I took him in and they took X-rays and couldn't see anything. So they numbed him with a shot. He did not like that and we were not ready for him to jerk so strongly. He pulled out the needle and the Dr. had to stick him again. They dug out a white shard out that we couldn't figure out what it was. Then I talked to my mom and she thought it might be a sliver of the new vinyl fence we put up. The guy cut the rails down to size right on the grass and there was still tiny pieces on the grass. He is ok now. He has a bandaged foot that we need to keep clean and dry for a week or so. Then I hurried home to get ready for church because Adam was giving a talk in Sacrament. He did great!!! He went up by himself and gave a 4 minute or so talk by himself. It turned into a great mothers day.

Ben's Baptism

Ben was baptized April 9th at 10:00am. This is the only picture we have of that special day. It was a hectic morning and I ran out of the house without my camera. My parents took this picture before I made it to the church. I couldn't take any more because I had arrived 5 minutes late and another little girl was also getting baptized and they were waiting on me. They had tried to start already before I arrived and held off to wait for me. But other than being late for my own sons' baptism and not getting a lot of pictures, the day was very exciting. Ben looked so grown up. I love him so much.

Finally Spring

We finally had some nice spring weather today and the boys got out to play. Eli would stay out from Breakfast to Bedtime if he could.

It's great to be 8!!

Ben is now 8 years old. He had a great party with his friends on Friday. He will be baptized on Saturday. It is so amazing to me, how fast they are growing up.

Scout creation

This is Justin's Genius Kit Creation for the Genius Night at the Blue & Gold Banquet for scouting. It is a sailboat race heading for rapids. They were given a bag of odds and ends and told to creation something using nothing but the bag contents and tape and glue and crayons or markers. Scott, Eli and I helped out coloring the water. I think it turned out very awesome!! One boat is made out of Styrofoam, one is wood and one is popsicle sticks. The rapids and the sails are made out of plastic bags. The little people are made out of little sticks and twist ties. The rocks in front are also cut up styrofoam.

Winter's back

After we got our fence out and the stump out on Saturday, we spent the rest of the night watching netflix with the boys because we where to exhausted to do anything else. Sunday, we woke up to the surprise of 6 inches of snow covering the piles of fence we didn't have time to take to the dump. What was suppose to be a small storm, turned into a pretty big winter storm. This morning, I went out to uncover the boards. My dad brought his trailer and two of our neighbors came over and we got the rest of the wood up. Of course today is a holiday, so dump is closed. But my dad was nice enough to take the wood in his trailer and said he would dump it tomorrow. All we have to do now is take out three more posts and clear away the snow so the installers can come put in our new vinyl posts. Then a week later they will come and put the rest of the fence up. We are going to do cement about 6 inches wide under the fence, mostly because in the back, our yard is 4-5 inches higher then the neighbors yard, which we found out when we took out the rotted boards that were buried a few inches down. So, we need a small retaining wall. FUN FUN FUN. Our baby is now out of a crib. Sad day, but happy too. We took down the crib Sunday night and Eli slept in a toddler bed for the first time. He did really well. It helped that he didn't take a nap, so he was exhausted. When he laid down with his pillow pet, it took all of 5 minutes to dose off. This morning, he did his usual morning call "MAAA, MAAAAAA" and I had to call "Come to Momma, you can get up" and then he realized that he could just get out and come to me himself, he was very excited about that.

Pain in the .....

We are finally replacing our old, rotting wooden fence with a new white vinyl fence. But before they come to install it next week, we needed to tear down and haul away the old fence and rip out a stump that was on the side of the yard, just a few inches from the sidewalk. The people that put up the wooden fence had it installed 4 feet from the sidewalk!! We are going to add 3 1/2 feet to our yard. While the boys and I knocked down the old fence, David took the first load to the dump and rented the tractor to dig out the stump. We got the fence down in 4 hours and after digging for 2 hours the stump finally came out. We still have to haul some old fence wood away and clean up the dirt and mud from digging up the stump and the fence posts, but dirty and sore, we have quit for the day.

Basketball pics

2011

I can't believe it is February already. January went by so fast. The boys are having fun in Basketball. We got Justin's pictures, but Ben and Adam were sick with strep throat when they handed back the pictures for their team. I hope to get them tomorrow at practice. The boys got their report cards for the 2nd term and they all did really good, so David and I took them to Chuck E Cheese on Saturday. The food sucks, but the boys love playing there and they give tokens for grades. Scott is loving preschool and is getting better with recognizing his ABC's. He caught on to the sounds first, so he is trying to associate the sound with the letter now. Elijah is getting bigger and talking more. He will be 2 at he end of April. David is still working for the glass company and, although things are stressful at work, he is trying hard to let it go before coming home to us. I am looking forward to our wards Valentine party. They are doing "A night in the Orient" with a Dinner and Dancing. Getting out together more than once a month is hard.