Brady had a Birthday (shout horray!)

Brady turned seven (seven!) last Saturday and boy, was he excited! He got a plasma car, football cards, an art kit and of course...

lots of legos (some things never change.)

We went to see Toy Story 3 as a family and then had friends over for a BBQ.

(On a side note...we all loved Toy Story 3 but I found myself balling towards the end. I'm sure it was the combination of my baby turning 7 that day, plus remembering my cute little Kenzie watching the first Toy Story over and over and over and now she only has 3 more years until she leaves home. Oh Pixar, you really know how to pull on a mother's heartstrings!)

Yesterday Brady had twelve (twelve!) of his friends over for a party. It was really fun but completely exhausting. They chased each other with water guns, jumped on the trampoline, threw water balloons and played a few water games.

The slip-n-slide was also a big hit.

Happy Birthday Bud, we sure love you but hate to see you growing up so fast!

We Survived!

Back from Trek and almost done recovering (pedicure later today will just about do it!) It was such an amazing experience. I will admit that I was not the most enthusiastic Trekker when I first decided to go. All I could see was the hard work to get ready and the physical challenge of doing it. Believe me, it was all worth it. Seeing how much fun the kids had, plus how they worked together to meet every obstacle; I loved it. Mark and I had a great family of 8 kids who pulled that handcart so fast we could hardly keep up! We really enjoyed spending time with the other adults who went, as well as getting to know all the kids better. Definitely a bonding experience for our two wards.

If you ever get the chance to do a Pioneer Trek....do it! You really get to experience just a glimpse of what it was like to cross the plains. I can't imagine how those women did it, walking all day and then having to feed and care for their families at night. After our first day I was so exhausted I felt like I couldn't take another step. Thank goodness we had wonderful cooks doing our meals. There were moments when the spirit really let me feel the emotional trials those women went through, especially when all the men and boys left for the Mormon Battalion and when we had to leave two children behind who had "died". Absolutely heartbreaking...I don't think I could have gone on. The unwavering faith that pushed them forward is such an inspiration and I hope to never forget the lessons I have learned.

I'll hopefully post some pictures later because I'm sure you'll want to see us in all our pioneer glory!

For Some Must Push and Some Must Pull...

Wish us luck as Mark, McKenzie, Mallory and I head off for our Pioneer Handcart Trek tomorrow. We're going about an hour away in Oregon and will be back late Wednesday night. It has been a ton of work to get everything ready, but I'm sure it will be worth it. I figure if our ancestors could survive for three months (some in the snow!) we can handle three days, right?

Let's hope so!

The Official Start of Summer

These girls are ready for summer…and so am I! Tomorrow is the last official day of school, although Kenzie and Mall pretty much finished up today. At our house summer vacation means…
No More:
*waking up early
*packing school lunches
*nagging about homework
*worrying about missing assignments and forgotten PE clothes
*making kids go to bed even though the sun is still shining

Lots of:
*staying in pajamas
*playing in the yard
*trips to the library
*treats at Sonic, Maverik and the shaved ice hut
*working in the garden
*riding bikes in the neighborhood
*day trips
*swimming
*having friends over
*eating outside on the patio
*dollar movies
*building forts

Unfortunately it also means no more quiet time for Mom and lots of watching T.V., playing video games and saying “There’s nothing to do!”

I’m ready, summer, bring it on.

Shoshone Falls

After our tour of the dairy we drove in to Twin Falls and visited beautiful Shoshone Falls.

Only five more weeks until we get to meet Baby Grant!

Dallin and Mallory had fun rolling down the hill at the park by the falls

(FYI Moyes Boys and Girls, this park is where we had our family reunion way back in 1991, the last time I was here.)

A beautiful ending to a great day!

Dairy Pictures