Island Park in June

In June, we went camping in Island Park. It was our first chance to take out the new trailer. And it was awesome! It was still pretty chilly and rained almost every day, usually in the evening or just small storms. We went with my mom and dad and sister, Amanda. My brother came up a couple of days later.

We went in to Yellowstone Park and headed toward Old Faithful. We made the usual stops on the way there.

We had a great time shopping in West Yellowstone. The kids had fun spending their money. We pleased everyone with Indian Dolls, t-shirts, jackets, and FUDGE!!

Scott drove in to Yellowstone again with the 3 girls. Zach and I were tired of driving and just hung out w/ grandma Terrilee and watched movies in the trailer. They had a great time in the park. Kyrie snapped this photo of her dad:

Just kidding. This old buffalo was hanging around Mammoth. They took the upper loop over to the canyon falls and had this picture taken:

They were very late coming home because of Yellostone traffic:I didn't believe them until I saw the pictures. Crazy buffalo don't know the traffic laws!

On Saturday, we took the kids to a fishing event sponsored by various associations in Island Park. They had hotdogs and free fishing for the kids. Here's Scott helping Halle and Whitney:

Zach and Colton chilled and checked out girls. There weren't many...fish or girls.

Halle was very excited to get a hot dog!

Here's Scott with the girls again.

Grandpa John took time out of his own fishing schedule to watch the grandkids. He would've liked it better if there weren't so many people.

Payton takes this fishing thing very seriously.

We also headed to another Island Park favorite, Big Springs. Here's Whitney trying to catch fish with her braids. :)

This muskrat was swimming around under the bridge. I've never seen one there before and he was fun to watch.

Boy, did Johnny Sack ever know how to pick a beautiful place to build!



We also drove up to Virginia City, Montana. It's a fun little mining town. They have cute little shops and it's fun to explore the history; especially since great-great grandpa Michael lived there.

We had a really fun time. We made some fun dutch oven recipes that I will share later. Can't wait to go camping again.

Whitney Sarah

Team Jacob!

9th Ward Comics

Yellow Polka Dot Bikini--- Part 2

So, this is pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen. This bikini is even more adorable with an adorable baby in it! I love ya, baby. I hope you've recovered from your sleep-over with Halle and me.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

ODE TO CASEY

Casey, oh Casey, what can I say.
Whenever I see you, it makes my day.
You make me laugh, sometimes when it shouldn't.
But a life lived without you? We really couldn't!
You play with our kids and you take care of cows.
You fix all mom's problems, you even fix plows.
You're a really hard worker but you still have fun
Especially on a little boat holding your gun!
So, now, I'm almost done with this rhyme.
It's getting late, gee look at the time.
But I wanted to say, before taking a nap
That the best thing about you, IS FOOD IN YOUR LAP!!!!!

Halle's Hair

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

Thank you, Grandma Terrilee for the cute haircut. Halle has wanted her hair short for about 6 months now. The last few weeks, she fights me when I try to comb it. So, when she asked for short hair, I thought it was a great idea. She has an adorable A-line cut. I will post pictures of the back later.

Food for Thought

Watermelon
Succulent, Juicy
Dripping, Devouring, Spitting
Delicacy of the gods.
Luscious!

New 5th Wheel Trailer

So, we unexpectedly found a 5th wheel trailer and BOUGHT IT!!! It was a bank repossession and was a REALLY, REALLY great deal. Does anyone want to buy my old trailer?

Children's Garden

Happy Easter

SeUsSiCaL, Jr. at Pony

Come see Seussical, Jr. at Pony Express
April 9, 10, and 11
at 6:30 p.m.
tickets are $2 for students
and $4 for everyone else

It is going to be a great show. I can't wait. I love and appreciate all of you who have helped in any way!!!

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

I went to Old Navy yesterday with my sister and found this little bikini. Well, neither of us have babies, so we bought it for our niece Brooklyn. We also got a little yellow sun hat. She will be soooo cute in it. I can't wait for pictures of her.

Confused and Sorta Happy

I know, another American Idol post. I couldn't resist this one. If you didn't see last nights show, you will appreciate this. Adam Lambert is one of my top 3 picks. But, last night----oh, last night. I had to rewind and watch it 3 times. Kara, the new judge, said it was "strange" but it left her "confused and sorta happy." I have to agree. This ain't no Johnny Cash. I think Johnny Cash would roll over in his grave. But I was laughing so hard at this that I was also confused and happy!!!

Idol Wild Card

I really like this format for picking the top 12. I think they really eliminated some of the weakest singers that might have snuck through with America's vote (you remember Chicken Little and Sanjaya?). That said, what were the judges thinking? Tatiana- are you kidding? I don't get it. maybe they're just messing with her, you're out, you're in, you're out, you're back in. Whatever.

Honestly, I don't remember most of these people. So, I think I'll pick:
Anoop 'Dog' Desai

and the local girl, Megan Corkey.

I think the 3rd person will be a girl because there are so many boys already. I don't really remember the other girls, except Tatiana. And I wouldn't be surprised if they put her through anyway.

For right now, my top 3 picks to win the whole thing are:
Danny Gokey- Love Him!
Lil Rounds
Adam Lambert (I don't like his black nails, though)

Idoling

Here are my top 3 picks from tonight:


Jorge Nunez

Scott MacIntyre

Lil Rounds

Teacher Insanity Day at Pony

I know it's a little long, but it's worth it! The annual Faculty Variety Show at Pony Express is possibly my favorite day of the year, and this year did not disappoint! Highlights: Michael P. cheering in those red shorts, Rex and Mark singing 'Respect', Miss Christensen as Miss Martinez, Kristy Tyson doing a pivot turn, Doug playing guitar and of course, 1000 out of control students! This year's theme was Pony Express Live- so all of the acts had to be performed live on stage. It was SO MUCH FUN!! This is one reason I Love My Job. :) Thanks, Jason, for the pictures.

LOL

Thank you, Kim, for posting this. I hope you don't mind that I stole it! Enjoy, ladies.
Check out 9th ward comics.

Idol Picks

If I got to choose someone to go on to the finals, I would pick:

Danny Gokey

He teaches music, need I say more. He just has an incredible voice. He is my favorite so far this season. He gave such a great rendition of 'Hero.' Love him!

I also liked Alexis and Brent. They did a great job. I was kind of surprised at how terrible most of them did. It had a lot to do with song choice, like the judges said. Tonight, Zach told me I was turning into Simon. Kyrie informed him that I've always been Simon. I do agree with Simon most of the time. Season 8 is off to a fun start.

Dress For Recession

Halle, a 3 year old fasion designer, has come up with the ultimate new fashion statement for these tough economic times. "It is a brilliant idea," boasts her mother. "I can go to the store for groceries and come home with free clothing as well." Until all the stores start charging for these 'little white dresses' that is. Think of it, if you shop at Smith's you'll have a little 'tan' dress, too!! GENIUS. If you would like Halle to custom fit your new dress, please contact her.

What the critics are saying:
"A must-have for any recession season."

"Great use of materials and texture."
"Anyone who's anyone will soon have this dress!"

How the heck did she win?

I've watched my fair share of beauty pageants in my time (thanks to cousin Shauna). But I've never seen a winner quite like this one. My girls and I watched the Miss America Pageant on Saturday night. Natalie had mentioned she voted for Miss Indiana on line, so we kept an eye out for her. I liked her, too. Until she opened her mouth, that is. I couldn't believe how absolutely awful her talent was!! So, how did she win? Maybe they went by this old scoring system from the 1920s:

In the 1920s, pageant judges used a literal breakdown of female features in calculating who should be the next Miss America. The young woman who was closest in adding up to 100 points would win. From head to foot, these categories were:

Construction of Head: 15 points
Eyes: 10
Hair: 5
Nose: 5
Mouth: 5
Facial Expression: 10
Torso: 10
Legs: 10
Arms: 10
Hands: 10
Grace of Bearing: 10

Except, I take of points for the eyes- there were times in this song her eyes creeped me out. I also take off a couple of points for hands and arms for her very corny hand gestures. Lucky for her, there is no score for voice!

Draper Temple Open House

Yesterday was such a fun day. My mom and dad stayed Friday night and brought Brittley and Carson with them. We made sharpie tie dye shirts. Carson said, "That was kind of a fun sleepover, Aunt Cindi." I replied, "You'll have to come back during the summer and stay with me." "OK, just call me and let me know," he said- did I mention he's 4.

We met up with Kate, Diana, and Amanda and their families and friends at Goodwood Barbeque in Draper. Yummy, Yummy!! Everything was so delicious. Zach finished his whole plate of ribs and fries. Scott had a half of a chicken! I loved my pulled pork sandwich. I can't wait to go back.

We followed the map on our tickets to the church house where we were to watch a video and board a bus to the temple. Luckily we were early because we lost mom and dad and Kate! They went to the wrong church. I was on the phone trying to figure out where they were and it took a few minutes to realize we were in 2 different places. We did finally all make it there and watched our video. Halle and Carson were very excited to ride a bus. After that bus ride, I'm not so sure I could find my way back to the temple.

One of the ladies at the temple told us they are taking 1300 people through the temple every hour! They expect to take over a million people through. If you haven't got your tickets yet, you should. It was great. I loved taking my kids so they could see what the temple is like. Here are some of our favorites (the pictures came from KSL.com- you are not allowed to take pictures in the temple) :


The sealing rooms are beautiful. We found out that the carpets are brought in plain and they hire artists to 'carve' the sculpture into it.

The murals in the ordinance rooms are so amazing. I could have spent an hour in there just looking at the details.

My kids loved the baptismal font. They couldn't figure out how those oxen got in there.

The bride's room is so beatiful, as always. The chandeleir reminded me of a snowflake, it is so ornate. I also loved the painting on the ceiling.



The Celestial room was breath-taking. The ceiling is so high. WOW! The stained glass windows throughout the whole temple are just incredible.

I'm so grateful for the temples. I'm also grateful that the church gives this opportunity to the public to come and share in this experience. Oh, and before I forget- YOU GET COOKIES AT THE END!!! That was Whitney's favorite part.

Who's Your Hero?

I found these really awesome Book of Mormon Hero posters on the blog of my sister's friend's cousin-really. :) I thought they were so awesome that I wanted to share them. I would have already ordered, but I can't decide if I want to pick and choose or just get the whole set. The first poster is $10 and each one after is only $5.

http://www.realheroposters.com/

Zach really wants the Heleman poster for his room- what better hero? I love the Samuel poster. There are 12 all together. The Daughters in the Wilderness is also pretty amazing- I think I'm gonna have to get them all!!!