Dum, Dum, Da Dum

My brother Danny got hitched yesterday! It was such a wonderful day. We all just LOVE Leah. The kids are excited to have her as an aunt now! She and Danny are a perfect match. They got married in the Salt Lake Temple at 10:20 a.m. Customary photos were taken on the Temple grounds, followed by a lovely luncheon at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. We dined on salmon and chicken parmesan & enjoyed singing by Danny's choir friends and an impromptu number by my dad's uncle Gene {at one point during the number his dentures fell out! It was so classic and made the song even better!}. The theme of the luncheon was Tradition. All the siblings said a few words & I bestowed upon Danny and Leah two choice bathrobes from Savers for them to wear in our traditional Nativity Pageant on Christmas Eve.

After the luncheon we were off to Grandma May's, with just enough time to have some treats and change our clothes for the reception. The reception was held at the Lion House. It was beautiful! Kensie was so excited to wear her special dress and amazing rose wreath! I must say, the kids looked pretty darn cute!!

I can't believe we're all married! It's about time :)

Back To School

We started a new tradition this year- the Back to School Celebration! The night before school starts the kids get to pick their favorite dinner & open their Schultute (a paper cone filled with school supplies and treats).

The Schultutes

We also unveiled the family theme for the year:

A Crown For Her......

A Fruit Punch Mustache for Him!

Some Yummy Cookies! Want the recipe? Click the pic!

First Day Of School!!!

I can't believe Kensie's a second grader!! Her teacher this year is Mrs. Bezzant. We've heard good things about her, so it should be a great year! Kensie was so excited last night that she couldn't sleep. She came downstairs around 9:30 to tell us she'd tried everything but just couldn't go to sleep! I think she finally went to bed around 10:00. THEN she woke up around 3 a.m.! She was just so excited {and a little worried that she would sleep in and miss the bus. She starts school earlier this year & we have to be at the bus stop at 7:20!}.

Happy Joke Day!

No kidding.....today is National "Tell A Joke" Day! In honor of my brother, who LOVES to tell stupid jokes, I give you a few gems:

Three women, a blonde, a brunette and a redhead competed in the Breast Stroke division of an English Channel swim competition. The brunette came in first and the redhead was a close second. Much later, the blonde finally reached the shore, completely exhausted and near the point of drowning. After being warmed with blankets and coffee, she muttered, "I don't want to sound like a sore loser, but I think those other two girls used their arms."

Knock Knock.
Who’s there?
Moo.
Moo who?
Well, make up your mind. Are you a cow or an owl?!!

What do you call cheese that isn’t yours?
Nacho Cheese!

You might be a redneck if the jack-o lantern on your porch has more teeth than you do.

If there is H2O on the inside of a fire hydrant, what is on the outside?
K9P.


Leave me a joke....I'm always up for a good laugh!

The Buzz

So, I'm pretty sure that every bee in the neighborhood {maybe even the state} lives in my yard. This is the first year that I've noticed this, either because we didn't have a "real" yard in the past & therefore didn't spend much time outside OR bees like new grass. Whatever the reason, I am not pleased. I HATE BEES. Growing up I rarely wore shoes all summer and played outside ALL the time, and consequently stepped on {and was stung by} my fair share of bees in the grass. I'm convinced that the word spread to bees everywhere about me and my murderous feet & since then all bees are out to get me. They follow me everywhere because of this {or maybe it's just that I smell so good....I do tend to put on Japanese Cherry Blossom lotion before going outside}. Anyway, I'm hoping the bees will move on soon so that I can enjoy the yard without running around screaming {giving my neighbors yet another reason to think I'm crazy}. I haven't stepped on a bee in quite a while. Doesn't that count for anything?

Here I Am

My lack-luster blogging as of late is due to these recent events:


NUMBER ONE

TOP SOIL. We spent an entire Saturday (8 a.m. to 9 p.m.) spreading out top soil. My job was shoveling the massive pile of dirt into the wheelbarrow. Matt shoveled and dumped, and my dad raked and graded. NOT the most fun thing to do in 100 degree weather, but we got it done!



It took my arms and back a week to recover. Just in time for......



NUMBER TWO

SOD. We spent the next Saturday laying sod. Just me and Matt {with a little "help " from the kids}. Once again, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Another day from H-E-double hockey sticks. Luckily it was overcast for most of the day, which made it bearable. We're so glad to have it done!! The hard stuff is over.

NUMBER THREE

The Oly's. I am LOVING the Olympics this year. Can't get enough. My ultra-competitive nature comes out in full force no matter what event I'm watching {as it does when Utah plays BYU in anything}. I think I'm rubbing off on the kids. After every USA race, routine, meet, and even point scored Kensie and Lincoln lead the family in a rousing chant of USA! USA! It's fun :) I've got the DVR set to record syncronized swimming, trampoline, and rhythmic gymnastics {why those are on in the middle of the night I can't understand}.

This has been my favorite moment {so far}. Click on the picture if you somehow missed it {what kind of American are you?!}.

If Money Grew On Trees.....

So, my birthday's coming up. If I were "rolling in the dough" {like, say, Madonna, Bill Gates, or some of the people in my neighborhood} these things would definitely be on my birthday list:

SOME CLASSES HERE:

TICKETS TO THIS:

A SUMMER OF THIS:

ANY ONE OF THESE:

A DAY OF THIS:

AN EVENING HERE:

THESE:

THIS:
One can always dream, right?!

I'm Published

I finally got one year of my blog into book form! I'm really pleased with how it came out. Blurb's a winner in my book {if you will}. Fellow CBJ's- we should make a cookbook!!

AZ

Our Arizona trip was a blast, as usual! We drove, which went surprisingly well {save for a few episodes of car sickness which prompted the purchase of Dramamine for the ride home}. The kids were great. No fighting, no crying, no pull overs for emergency potty breaks! We spent most of the week swimming, playing with cousins, watching movies and playing games. I discovered the goodness of Sonic cream slushes...mmmmm. On Friday we drove up to Matt's parents cabin in Snowflake. It was so much fun! We had a great time exploring the 40 acres of property on the 4-wheeler. Matt was the master at discovering ancient artifacts. He found several arrowheads, which made me jealous so I had to search until I found one myself! We also found a bunch of pottery, which was cool. The kids loved "helping" uncle Curt build a cool fort in the trees which was dubbed "Arrowhead Fortress". Jackson wandered around picking up rocks and the odd stink bug. He was in heaven! It was great to spend time with the whole family.

While in Arizona, Matt's mom set up family pictures, which was great. We have never had a family picture, so I was excited. They turned out wonderfully, especially the ones of the kids.

Vay-Kay

We just returned from a
fabulous week in Arizona.

There was much:

car riding,

swimming pooling,

Sonic "happy hour"ing,

game playing,

puzzling,

movie watching,

cousin playing,

cabining,

arrow head finding,

4-wheeling,

and relaxing!

Some of the highlights for the kids were being able to watch movies in their bedroom at night {Lincoln wanted to watch "Bye Bye Birdie" every night!}, Kensie learning that the tooth fairy can find you anywhere....even Arizona!, and playing with their cousins. It was a great vacation! Pics to come!!

Let's Make A Memory

Want to play?

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.