On The Road Again

Last week was the annual "priesthood" campout for our ward...a time when all the boys and men gather in the woods to eat food they don't get fed at home, light fires and play games that only make sense if you possess the male gene. Because HB and I don't like hot dogs, fires, boy games, bugs, or sleeping outside (and we weren't invited!), we decided to hit the road again for an adventure of our own. This time, we headed south.

Carrie and Todd were gracious enough to invite us on their weekend jaunt to Las Vegas where 1 fabulous sister, 1 adorable niece, 1 creative birthday boy nephew, 1 hard workin' brother-in-law, and 1 cupcake delicious baby were having a birthday party/baby blessing. HB and I don't care for campouts but we are all over a party!!! I'd say we were experts...

We left on Friday and drove to Todd's parent's home where we were graciously welcomed and ushered into our sleeping quarters complete with cozy, soft bed and chocolates on the pillow. HB is a nightmare to sleep with...she talks and thrashes...but the accomodations and company were spectacular. I was even served a big, lovely sausage with eggs, orange juice, and amish bread for breakfast. I will definitely be making another reservation there soon!!

Saturday morning we headed to Vegas where we spent a good portion of the day loving on all these wonderful people who live there. That afternoon, we sent the grown ups off for pedicures and the kids and I headed off to Roberts Craft store in search of "robot" making materiasl. We stocked up on stickers, paint, pom-pom balls, glitter pipe cleaners and other robot-esque items. We then headed home to start making our diaper box robots. Now here comes the real adventure...

I consider myself a fairly competent adult. I have been the oldest child of 7, posses a degree in elementary education and a graduate degree in administration. I have taught school, primary, and managed to keep 3 children alive. So I boldly took our boxes and bowls of paint out onto the back patio and the 5 year old, 4 year old, and 2 year old began painting their boxes in shades of green, pink and orange. While we were painting, my husband called to ask me a quick question. I literally stepped right inside the sliding glass door to look something up on the computer...I was 2 feet away...my attention was diverted for maybe 60 seconds...and when I looked back outside, chaos had come to play. They weren't just finger painting, they were body rolling in the paint. It was in their hair, on their clothes, on their underwear, and all over their skin. It was plastered and baking to the white stucco patio in the hot Vegas sun. It was on the ground, sides, and railings. There were tiny pink footprints from the door into the bathroom. The sink was covered, the wall, the door knobs. I'm  not kidding when I say it was not a second longer than 60 seconds. It was unreal!

It was the biggest mess I've ever seen made...especially in 60 little seconds.

I panicked...after gathering some photo documentation, I grabbed the first child and dropped them into the king size bathtub in the master bathroom. I gave a firm, "Don't you move from here!" and ran back to grab child number 2 then 3. The water was flowing freely and greenly in the bathtub. They were giggling and laughing and I was muttering words under my breath that I didn't know I knew. I scrubbed and scrubbed and to my horror, the green paint was not washing off my niece and nephew. All I could think about was the baby blessing scheduled to take place the next day...with all the relatives and in-laws and extended family...and my sister's children were stained green. Little "Wicked" anyone?

I called my sister at one point to try and tell her what had happened but I was laughing so hard I couldn't talk. They had little green hands and feet...and there was pink paint in their hair. My sisters rushed home and Carrie saved the day by managing to get all that paint off the back patio. Hurray for sisters!!! It was such a memorable event. I completely lost control with 3 little kids and 3 jars of paint. We kept finding paint in the strangest places the rest of the day.

But the kids cranked out some amazing robot costumes...

And later that night there was Cafe Rio, a trip to Target, and children who were TOTALLY fake sleeping to try and convince the adults that sleeping in the same room was a good idea.

This is what was really going on in that room...

Lots of giggling...just the way a cousin sleepover should be.

The next morning there were 2 birthday boys fake sleeping waiting for breakfast in bed and presents. (I didn't appreciate until now how much fake sleeping we did on this trip!)

Cubby and Todd share the same birthday! It was a day of celebrations...and robots. Cubby had chosen robots as his birthday theme...and we made sure they were everywhere.

This was my favorite birthday moment...I think Boo was still a wee bit tired. She just there as wrapping paper flew all around her.

Can you believe I'm related to people that can whip together a cake like this???

I was in charge of hanging the robot garland.

Babs came with her festive bow...

and then when the party was really raging, she pulled out her bull hat?!

Oh how I love these babies!!

HB and I fell in love all over again...MR was amazing. Absolutely amazing!

There is nothing in the world that I love more than being a wife, mother, sister, aunt, & daughter. Thank you to all the people in my life who give me the opportunity to fill these roles. It is pure joy!

Zombies, Grizzly Bears, and Hamburgers of Unusual Size

Just when you think you have had all the summer happy a person could possibly hope for, more summer happy comes knocking at the door. And when summer happy knocks, I answer.

First came the 4th of July...with a lovely hometown parade, watermelon, homemade rootbeer, and darling kids. Nothing like it. One of my favorite holidays because I can just sit back and be entertained. Perfect.

Next, a Zombie party came to the door. Well, I know better than to be defiant and nasty with a zombie. My sister-in-law, whom we shall call "Queen of the Party", never fails to astound me with her birthday bashes. They are creative, they are fun, and there is ALWAYS a cake that defies description. This year was no exception...

If you have never played the game "Plants Vs. Zombies" where you fight darling zombies with garden vegetables, then you have absolutely missed out...and this cake will make no sense to you.

It was clever AND delicious.

I'm afraid to say there were zombie casualities...nothing is spared in making sure the nieces and nephews are properly entertained.

Where are those garden vegetables when you need them?

So after the zombie games...

the uncles took turns blasting the children with water shot from an authentic World War II fire blaster thingamajig...

and then the candles on the cake were lit with a blow torch. Just your plain, old, ordinary birthday party.

It was a splendid week of cousins, family, and fun. There was hiking...

A little bit of bobsledding...

And a very slow ride down the alpine slide in Park City due to 3 boys who weren't big enough and/or were afraid to push the lever all the way down and created a traffic jam the likes of which I have never seen. It was hilarious and tragic and on my sweet son's second ride down, they actually had to send someone to go find him on the track because they were afraid he was either stuck or had been eaten by a grizzly bear. Nope. He was just puttin' along enjoying the scenery and doing just what the sign told him to do at every turn...BRAKE. And when he brakes, he comes to a full and complete stop. Bless his little heart. Before he would even go down the slide, he read the entire board with all the rules in little print and then proceeded to question the teenage attendant on all the points that were not clear...like what happens if you are going down the slide and there is a moose on the track?

Last weekend, our very kind friends loaned us the keys to their little piece of paradise in Island Park and we spent a delightful weekend in Idaho/Wyoming/Montana. It was peaceful, beautiful, and only one little person threw up one time.

I absolutely insisted that my family stop and explore the Farnsworth TV and Pioneer Museum in Rigby, Idaho. It was everything I hoped for and more. It was small, quaint, fascinating, and filled with  interesting little tidbits and gossip from all the surrounding towns. It used to be a hotel that they converted to a museum by putting glass on the wall where the fronts of the rooms used to be and giving all the local towns a room to deck out to their hearts content.

I really did love everything about it...the 2 senior citizen ladies running the show who had lived in Rigby all their lives, the doilies and buggies, the artifacts that represent a piece of so many lives in so many different eras of history...but these 2 were my favorite...

Creepy mannequin man in his underwear offering a bath to my children...one of my innocent children stood and looked at this scene and then announced, "I don't get it. What is this supposed to be?" I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. So we moved on to the next exhibit...

Woman in electric chair...or woman getting her hair permed...or Medusa. She provided several minutes of intense giggling.

Next was a stop in Rexburg, ID...home of Ricks College for us old folks...home of BYU-Idaho for the upcoming generations. The Rexburg temple was beautiful and the city is HUGE compared to what was there several years ago. Chris and I could not get over how much the city had grown...it was unbelievable. Now YOU wouldn't look at this little town and believe it had grown much, but trust me. It is a sprawling metropolis compared to the Wendys, Arctic Circle, and Dominoes Pizza that once dominated the town. It was fun to drive around and visit the ole' "stomping" grounds. I feel quite confident that our children were just as fascinataed as I was when my parents drove me around their college town and told us all the stories of days gone by. The glazed eyes and slack jaws told me they were hanging on every word. No fear...after a brief stay, it was off to Ashby for burgers bigger than my daughter's head...

Lots of cows were harmed in the making of this hamburger but no children were harmed in its consumption.

Big Judd's Restaurant

We spent a fantastic day in Yellowstone...the kids were amazing. They hiked and hiked and hiked and never complained...very much. We saw some amazing things and I was once again in awe of the Lord's artistry and majesty. It never fails to take my breath away.

We watched a young grizzly bear frolic and play in a big, green meadow. It was beautiful!!!

We saw bison, a moose, elk, and an osprey. It was a red letter day for wildlife in Yellowstone! It truly was so magical and beautiful. I never appreciate how starved my soul is for nature until I'm standing at the side of the most frightening, majestic waterfall I have ever seen or watching a bear play in the grass or listening to the bubbling of the earth. It was soothing and wonderful!

A huge thank you to dear friends who loaned us their piece of paradise to borrow and savor. We loved it...I still have my eye on the lamp in the front room.

No fear...we didn't actually let them have the keys. Although it didn't seem to bother them one bit that the things weren't actually moving.

On our way home, we stopped off in Chris' home town to attend his 25th class reunion picnic. We ate sandwiches, took a tour of his high school, and took some souvenir pictures.

As we were leaving town, we pulled over on the side of the road and watched the Blue Angels that were performing at a local air show. It was magnificent!!! I actually get all teary eyed and emotional watching these planes fly. I can't explain it...it is seriously so amazing and beautiful to me. I loved it.

And so summer happy just keeps filling my inner teacup with happy. I'm so grateful for family, friends, and loved ones that just keep filling my life with so much more than I deserve. I am blessed...and deeply grateful.

So may I suggest that if summer happy comes knocking at your door...don't hesitate. Just jump in the car and go have yourselves an adventure with people you love! You won't regret it.