2nd visit to the Temple Open House

Please excuse my brother's face pulling. It was the first time in 2 years he had the chance to hang out with his family, and he is a goof ball.

Now, what did the temple look like again?

Old Fashioned Games

The children (with parental assistance) made rockets from paper, faom, and styrofoam that were shot down the hill using pvc pipe and an air commpressor. benjamin had more fun chasing his rocket than he did making it. Way to run!

On the way up the hill, we stopped for the children to get their faces painted. Bekah got a heart and Benjamin wanted a firework.

Recognize this game? Joseph Smith played it as a child.

It's called stick pull.

Michael let Benjamin win at least once. He was trying so hard!

...and finally, the sack race!

At one of the Monday night activities we attended at the Gardens, the children learned about old-fashioned games. You know, the kind of games that don't involve computers, TV, or other electronics. Just good, clean, people powered fun.

The Best $65 Investment of the Summer

After months of searchin KSL.com for a inexpensive or free swingset. At the end of July I finally was able to get one here locally and it has been a major blessing. The kids love to go outside now that we have a "park" in our backyard more than they have ever before. I am glad that our kids are njoying palying outside as much as they are. It is fabulous!

Returned Missionary

My brother, David, has been home for almost 2 months now and I finally downloaded the pictures from my camera. It was great to have my family here for a week so that we could attend the "end of the mission" activities together. We were able to attend a temple session with all of the leaving missionaries, attend their final testimony meeting, and "pick up" my brother from his mission (we drove him about 30 minutes from his mission office to our house outside of his mission). It was a lot of fun to share his mission experiences with him and expose our children to missionaries and their experiences. Thanks for going on a mission and sharing your experience with us! We love you "Uncle:" David!

Today was a Good Day

I'll celebrate while I can. Benjamin actually listened today, and as a result Bekah listened better too. We had a peaceful lunch with much cooperation and little talking. I was even able to get to the gym because the children took their regular naps. And, to top the day off the children and I went swimming before going out to dinner as a family and read stories before bedtime. It was a very good day after a long week of fights and short naps or no naps. I hope the rest of this week is just as nice.

Laugh Your Guts Out

My cousin had this website posted on her blog. I don't know what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn't expecting to laugh so hard that my sides ached. I will warn you that some of the pictures are questionable at best, but most of the pictures and comments are so funny that it is hard not to laugh. Check out peopleofwalmart.com.

"America's Got Talent" Bummer

After watching "America's Got Talent" all season (via hulu.com) I was totally bummed out tonight to see that Kevin Skinner beat out everyone, especially Barbara Padilla! He has a good heart but he lacks talent unless he sings a Garth Brooks song. I can't believe he won the whole thing! I swear, I am never going to watch that show again! (At least until next summer anyway >(.)

Good News Minute

Since I haven't been to Relief Society for awhile now (Stake Conference & Nursery), I'll share my good news here instead.

• I am finally over my fatigue disease, and don't have feel the constant need to go to sleep. We think it was just a major disruption in my hormones.
• We are almost current on all of our medical bills that occurred through my surgeries and trying to get my health back where it needed to be and Benjamin's stitches (he has a nice 2.5 cm scar that he is very proud of). It's been a long year of catching up on too many years of the bare minimum because of poor or no health insurance.
• I was released from my therapist.
• My whole house was cleaned in one day last week.
• Benjamin is in gymnastics and loves it!
• I was able to put in another 6 or so feet of flower beds and hope to have them finished by the end of the month.
• I am not pregnant, or losing my mind, regardless of the symptoms my birth control was causing every month. Waking up every morning nauseous (amont other things) with nothing to show for it? Miserable! But not anymore.
• I have yet to die from frustration due to the construction disrupting travel in every direction from my home, but have had to remember to add an extra 15 minutes to everywhere I want to go.
• I survived 4 days without my husband while he was in Pennsylvania, and now he is home! (That was last week.)
• Bekah actually used the potty yesterday, even though she refuses to do so today. She is very independent.
• Our children have a swing set that they spend hours playing on in the backyard.
• Story time has begun again at our local library. Yeah for things to do that get me out of the house and entertain my children!
• All of my favorite TV shows are starting this week or next week, so I will have something new to watch.
• Bekah helped me put the groceries away and Michael helped bring them in from the car.

Okay, so that took more than a minute, but since I didn't have to divide the time between myself and anyone else

Hooked on Science Fiction

I have recently become hooked on science fiction shows. Stargate Atlantis, Eureka, and Warehouse 13 to name a few. I like that they have a more "reality" feel instead of being totally out there. Each show ties back to present day Earth no matter how silly some of the things that happen are. The interesting perspective is that science can be dangerous, especially when a "scientific discovery" is used in the "real" world before it has been fully tested. They also touch on the need for faith. Faith that an experiment will work, faith that a mission can be completed, and faith that what they are doing or working on is for the good of everyone. These shows also discuss the need for trust to make teamwork successful. When trust is lacking, the "team" doesn't find success as swiftly as when they work together. I find it interesting for all the arguments that science is at odds with religion that even science fiction incorporates a lot of aspects of religion among the scientist and law officer characters.

M.I.A.

So I've been M.I.A. for about a month now. Today is my birthday. Last month Michael had a birthday. Six weeks ago my brother was released from his mission. And somewhere in there were a vareity of sick days, doctor visits, play dates, and running around. So my goal now is to get back to the daily posting, right after I download the pictures from my camera that is where exactly?

Accidents Happen

Benjamin had his first official accident that required a doctor's visit. After lunch he was skating around the kitchen in his socks a little too fast, lost his balance, and slid into a chair. He yelped in pain and since he has a tendency to be overdramatic I didn't rush to his side until Michael exclaimed, "He's bleeding!" Upon further inspection, it was determined that Benjamin had split his chin open and would need stitches. Thus, we ended up spending almost two hours at the instacare facility to have four stitches put in his chin.

Playing Basketball

Patriotic Cookies

I have to admit that making frosting is not one of my best talents. I just can't seem to get the right taste and thickness consistency. However, I am good at coming up with alternative ways to be creative with cookies, and that is how we ended up with patriotic colored cookies in the shapes of dogs and dinosaurs.

4th of July

For the 4th of July we joined Michael's co-workers for a barbecue and fireworks. There was good food, good company, and good entertainment.

I do Mommy's Hair

I have found that the easiest way to do Bekah's hair is to sit her down in front of the mirror and have her watch what I am doing. That way she has something straight in front of her to focus on. She likes watching me so much that one morning she asked if she could do Mommy's hair and since I hadn't done my hair yet I let her. If you look closely at the pictures you can tell that Bekah is watching herself in the mirror as she is combing my hair. Her unique personality is a wonder to watch develop.

Little Painters

We have a couple of aspiring artists at our house. One is four and the other is two. Can you guess who they are? I'll give you one more hint . . . .

They even have their own "smocks" to paint in. Aren't they cute?!?