Our favorite hike with some favorite visitors!

We love to hike up to the Salmon River and had so much fun taking our visitors there!  We ate a yummy picnic lunch and donuts from our favorite bakery, Joe's.  Here are some highlights!

Crystal and Tage are SO MUCH FUN to have around!  They just made my whole WEEK!

We saw tons of HUGE fish jumping in the river!  It was so much fun to look for them and then jump three feet high when they popped up out of the water! I think Crystal and I had more fun with this than the kids!

Give kids a stick and some sand and they are happy for hours!  (Except when you are Molly and your brother hits you with the stick!)

Happy Birthday to ALL of my favorites!

This post is backwards, it goes from the end of the day to the beginning......bear with my computer illiteracy!  Happy Birthday to all of my sweet children!

M and M got a sandbox full of trucks and toys for their birthday.  

The back-hoe cake for Max

The cupcake cake for Molly (her request was only that it be PINK)

And, the scripture cake for O (disclaimer from Mom...what the H^@#?  Who asks for a scripture cake for their birthday? Just my big eight year old and I made a mess of it, but when she saw it she exclaimed "MOM!  It's just what I wanted!"

She LOVES Webkinz.  They were the hit of the birthday!

Washington Park for a picnic, because the zoo was out of control busy!

French toast with candles.......

Crazy as it sounds, and as terrible as my planning is, all three of my lovely children were born on the same day.  The trick for me now is to make their birthdays as unique and separate as possible, while still being celebrated in a 24 hour period!  I think we succeeded this year!  They all seemed happy from start to finish.  Here are some pictures of the festivities!

The mouths of babes.....

Jon was taking Olivia to school yesterday when she looked out the window and said,

"What the hell is that?" to something she saw on the side of the road.

Jon, taken back, said, "What did you say???"

To which she replied, "Nothing."

Later last night, O and her dad were watching Planet Earth when again she said, "What the hell is that?"  That's when Jon called me into the room.  He looked at Olivia and told her to tell me what she just said.  She looked afraid.  He said it was fine, she wouldn't get in trouble.  So, she repeated it.  Trying not to laugh, I said, "Where did you hear that?"  (thinking, please don't say me, please don't say me).  She wouldn't fess up, she just said she didn't know.  We explained to her that she could say "What the heck" but that hell is a swear word, and we should not use it.  

We cannot stop laughing about this......are we terrible???

First Day of Second Grade!

I can't believe my baby is in the second great!  She was so excited to go to school this morning, and couldn't wait to "surprise" me with what she was going to wear!  I was surprised, for sure, with the random combination, but she looked adorable and didn't stop smiling all morning!  The first thing Molly said to her this morning when she woke up was, "I miss you, Ya-Ya!"  It was so sweet.  She took the words right out of my mouth!  It was a great summer, and we will truly miss our Ya-Ya! (that's what M and M call Olivia!)

I go potty! Get M and Ms!

She's finally doing it, folks!

She's been dry for a full week!  Even through naptime!  Yay!

Salmon River Expedition

This has been our favorite day trip of the summer.  We have done it twice, now.  We had Uncle Mark in town last week, so we took him along.  We take a short hike up the trail, where we found a sandy swimming hole to play in.  It's beautiful with just the right amount of adventure!

Uncle Mark and Max "Peace Out!"

Family Trip to Bend

So now I see what all the fuss is about.  We took a two day trip to Bend at the end of last week, and had a BLAST!  It will definitely be the first of many times we tag along with Jon on a business trip.  Plus, he has so many hotel points that we get upgraded to a suite most of the time!  I guess that is the bright side of being married to a traveling salesman.

Here's Olivia doing the backstroke at the hotel pool.  She is a seriously good swimmer.  She's always been a little fish, but now she is doing the real strokes.  Impressive!

Molly took the plunge with the water wings and felt very proud of herself for being so brave.

And, then there was Max.  This is where he stayed the entire time.  He's a woos like his daddy about cold water!

We fed the ducks at the awesome Drake Park where we went on a long walk on the many paths that make up Bend.

Here are the cuties on the wood plank bridge that totally freaked Molly out.  She must think she's little enough to fall through the cracks!

See you soon, Bend!

All by myself.......

This is so weird.  I am all by myself.  Jon took the kiddos to his sister's house until tomorrow night.  He asked if I'd like a little break and I hope I didn't light up too much at that prospect. Any who, he got the drift and loaded them up today for another 4 1/2 hour car drive (poor kids, have spent way too much time in the car these past few weeks!).  Good luck to him.  He will be blessed for his selfless act.

As for me, I straightened up the house (of course, I couldn't relax in the chaos that was my house after a typical Sunday morning), and have been curled up reading my book ever since.  Olivia suggested that I use my time to "clean the whole house really good," but, I think I'll resist.  After all, they will just be back to wreck it tomorrow.  And, hopefully, my mind will be calmer and my body more rested when they get back.  

So, I'm off to my mommy vacation.........I will post more pictures of our recent trip to Bend and the Salmon River when the fam gets back with my camera!

Something that made me go hmmmmmmm.......

I overheard my husband talking to my nephew Jake who just returned from a mission in February about dating and what he's looking for in a girl/wife.  Jake was explaining how he wasn't super into the "Utah-girl" look (most of you know what I am talking about!) and prefers a down to earth "plain" (his word, not mine) girl with a fun personality.  Jon proceeded to empathize, telling him that he never liked the  super-cute girls either.......that's when my ears perked and I interrupted the conversation with an "excuse me????"

I guess Jon prefers the ugly girl that is loyal to only him...

Should I be offended???

Whirlwind!

We took a whirlwind trip to Utah last week to make a last-ditch effort to see family before we become a family of six and are sequestered in our home for the next two years!  We saw lots of friends, and family and had lots of fun, despite the ridiculous heat!  Of course, I was lame and forgot to take my camera most places, so I am kicking myself now, but here are some fun shots of what we did.......

Grandma and Papa got two new kitties, so Max had lots of fun crawling into their house with them and talking to them in a little tiny baby voice, like they were his own kids!  We are still unable to explain why he picked one of them up and tossed it over the two story deck.  Maybe he wanted to prove that cats really DO always land on their feet, and luckily, the kitty was ok and did not die of internal injuries as I worried it would!

Slip and slide at the farm!

He was MOSTLY very soft with his little kitty friends!

Olivia and Papa went for a ride!

Danny and Molly played with the choo-choo train. It was so fun to have Jake and Dan over and to get caught up after so long!  

Max and Jake (and a super blurry picture, sorry!)

Uncle Glenn took the kids on a tractor ride. Although I didn't exactly capture the mood, they were ALL super excited and LOVED every minute of it!  We had an awesome time at Glenn and Shirline's house.  They always make us feel so loved and welcome.  

All the grandkids on my side of the family (besides the one in my tummy).

We were able to spend a very happy 66th birthday with Papa.  Olivia and him are great buddies!

We also got to go swimming with Erin and Brooks (it absolutely KILLS me that neither of us took our cameras!), to the park with Kristen, Bella, and Moses, and to the pool with my mom, my little sister and her kiddos.   We had a way too quick lunch with Crystal and Jaide at the Bountiful Temple.  Additionally, we had a BBQ where we saw lots of Jon's family and Grandma Maxine and Grandpa Alva, and we got to spend a really fun night with Tera at her new BEAUTIFUL twin home, watching the Olympics and eating treats.  All in all it was tons of fun and worth the VERY long van ride home.........Thanks to all who welcomed us!  See you all soon!

Jen and the no good, very bad day!

OK, we all have them, right?  Those days that suck from the get-go.  Today was one of them for me, and I thought I'd share.  It will either depress you all or make you grateful that your day was not so bad after all.  Either way,  you will definitely thank me for not sharing pictures on this post!

So, to start with, I slept very little last night, so I woke up a little cranky.  Then breakfast, although the norm, was annoying. 

Max, "I want the green bowl."

Molly, "No, I want the green bowl."  

Me, "You can both have green bowls!" I shout.  Stuff like that.  

Then, I get ready for the day, do a load of laundry.  Take a shower with two head playing peek-a-boo with the shower curtain.  Try to solve everyone's problems while I pack a picnic lunch, get kids dressed, change stinky diapers, etc, etc.  We all get into the car to go to Olivia's swim lesson and guess what?  The van is DEAD.  Jon cleaned it the night before and apparently left the lights on and ta-da!  I am in stress mode.  I try to call a friend to get Olivia for her lesson. No answer.  I try half of my ward members who might be in the neighborhood with cables.  No answer.  I call and sort-of half chew out my husband for his carelessness (which was totally unnecessary, since he wasn't really TRYING to sabatoge me).  I get the kids out of the 90 degree car to wait by the phone to see if anyone will rescue me.

Finally it happens, a nice guy in our ward comes by and jumps my van.  Yay!  It starts.  We decide to go swimming anyways, since the lunch is packed.  

The swim park is fun, all is well. I am totally overheating by 2 o'clock so I give the 10 minute warning, to which I get plenty of whining.  I decide to get M and M all changed and ready to go, and then the downhill part starts again......

Molly has pooped in her swim diaper.  Not the disposable kind, I have gone green with my swim diapers and do the cloth now, and I DO NOT recommend them.  They are not worth the earth they save.  I want to puke at this point.  I have to pull the one size too small diaper down her legs as the poop drags down her legs as well.  What am I supposed to do?  This is not the part of motherhood I signed up for!  I have THREE (3) wet wipes.  It's kind of a strategy session at this point, what do I do with the three?  And thank goodness, I did have a large plastic bag for the used goods.  I decide to wipe her up with the three wipes, and then I take her to the bathroom to clean the swim diaper in the toilet and her in the sink.  SO GROSS.  I barely come out of this with my lunch still in my BIG tummy. 

OK, Max's turn.  Uh-oh, Max pooped in his swim diaper too!  Yippee-skippy, I get to do it all again.  Oh, but guess what?  No more wipes.  Crap!  Literally.......so I take him in the bathroom and use paper towels all the while lecturing him on going poo-poo on the potty.  He is solemnly nodding in agreement.  "OK, Mommy.......I do......"  I am bending over to wash out his diaper in the toilet when my glasses fall off my head into the %(@$.........."what the H?" I want to say, but I didn't, not out loud anyways, I mean there was someone in the stall next to us who already heard me at my not so nicest mommy moment.

So, I fished out my glasses, and we got the hay out of there before I started to swear or cry.  We came home and had quiet time.  I recovered.  I took a shower and soaked EVERYTHING in bleach.  

And, to end on a good note, my evening has been much better.  Jon brought me home a HUGE dark chocolate candy bar from Trader Joe's AND a box of truffles (as if I am not fat enough). This was all BEFORE he knew how bad my day was.......so sweet.....I saved that story for AFTER dinner (aren't I thoughtful?).  I am heading up to eat it all now to try to induce a chocolate coma.  

Night games

The other night I put M and M to bed, and then went to read with Olivia and get her all settled. When Olivia was all tucked in, and I was passing by the twins' room, I heard talking, and I stopped to listen.  Here is how it all played out (keep in mind that they are laying in their individual cribs in the DARK):

Max:  "one.....two.......three.......five.....six.......seven.......eight.........nine.....ten......weddy or not, hew I tum!"

Molly: giggling........

Max:  "I find you, Monny!!!"

Molly: lots more giggling

Max: "play again?"

Molly: "yeah!"

Max:  "one....two....three......five.......six.......seven........"

And so on........

Night games.  Hide and seek.  Without even leaving their beds!