Gone Beachin'

Don't forget to check out this post. (Go ahead, go back and click on the link.) It is fun and worth while. Really. Amber and Kim already did it. You can too!

Also my extremely crafty and thoughtful friend is having a sale on her softies and dolls. Check out her esty shop here. She is very creative and loves to do special orders. She is having a BOGO sale till July 31st! Happy Shopping!

Here is my latest addition from Trevlyn: If you know my house, this bunny is perfect for me!

One more thing...
If you are looking for something funny, like fake engagement pictures check out this. Don't forget to click on the link, too! I guess this is what you do for fun, nowadays. Boy, am I old.

I'll be back soon. Look here for last year's trip.

Water Balloon Party

On Wednesday, some friends helped me fill up 100(might be an exaggeration) water balloons for Thursday pack meeting. GREAT FUN!

These kids were tortured because these balloons were for Pack Meeting - not for them. (Ok. I hear it now. Everyone say - Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwl.) But they did sneak in a little water fight with some one these water bombs.

We were able to fill up the balloons really fast with this handy, dandy 4 nozzle contraption. My friend Laura and her hubbie made this for personal use, but they let the cubscouts borrow it for day camp. IT IS AWESOME - and it make a great water gun, too!

The rest of the story - Pack meeting was good. The water fight was the highlight, so all the prep work paid off. THANKS helpers!

Happy Pioneer Day!

Since my recent trek experience, I wanted to share with you my love of my ancestors. I had relatives on my mom's and my dad's side that traveled across the plains of the United States to find place to worship freely. I am glad I live in this country and that my ancestors did what they did for themselves and for their posterity. What some of your may not know, is that if you lived in Idaho or Utah - today would be a holiday and you/your spouse would NOT have to work. Crazy, but true!

More swimming videos...

Red Headed Monkey's lastest trick

He can do this trick better in person and can actually hold the head stand for much longer than seen here. I still wanted to give you a taste of what my monkey can do. He is a handful and will love being a kindergartner in 18 days.

Dancing Sweetie

May the FORCE be with you

I stopped the video right before Oldest said, "Good luck."

I think he wants you to try the power of the FORCE.

last Friday - swimming with friends

Sweetie is a cutie. Above Sweetie is with friend named "A". She is going to be a big sister soon. She loves little kids.
Oldest is an awesome swimmer and loves to help with the younger kids.
RHM's blister popped and he has learned his lesson. Can you tell he is wearing his swim shirt?
We had a few friends over and thought you might enjoy the pictures and videos.


Sweetie likes to scare us, but you can tell she loves the water.

Describe Yourself in 10 words

Passionate

Energetic

Meddlesome

Sensitive

Compassionate

Hiker

Wife

Mother

Friend

Mormon

Now it is your turn. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO! Go on and try it. Just keep it positive - no one wants to know you are a whiner. Don't describe me - describe yourself.

The other day on "The View", someone said,

"No one would want to be described in 10 words."

Well, I would.

I used to watch that show, "Starting Over" and loved it. It could be the psych major in me, but I love seeing people work at their lives and improving themselves. Plus I love shows that make you think (some may argue this point, but I don't care). I often wondered what my story would look like on TV. What would my life be summed up and boiled down to look like to others? I think this blog answered that question for me.

I used to think my life was pretty mundane and boring.

I mean - I am just a mom!

(Don't worry I don't believe that.)

Having the blog as a visual has really helped me gain confidence in my life, my job, and my goals in life. I know that what I do makes a difference, even if the only thing I do is read my kid a story that day. THAT IS AMAZING! (so have you started a blog yet? they are great!)

So I wanted to encourage you to post how you would be described in 10 words or less. There is no guidelines or restrictions in how you do it. It could be 10 separate words like I did, or it could be a sentence.

Go to town and gain some confidence!

YOU ARE A GREAT PERSON!

Terms of endearment

So in our family, my Dad's side, we show our love by sharing our most private moments.

Sounds strange, but it works for us.

Famous poop story (I am the star, of coarse) No Pictures Necessary.

I was a baby (what kind of story did you think this would be?) and my Grandma was watching me while at church. She wore a gorgeous knit suit. Oh, did I mention that it was cream color? Well, it was and you can guess the rest of the story. I won't be Paul Harvey and tell you what you already know. That dress suit was never worn again. The funny part I imagine was my Grandma running out of the chapel trying to hold everything. Ah! Good times.



A New and Improved Poop story - (Starring Sweetie)

She is 16 months and I think she is ready to be potty trained. I mean I don't know what else to think when she takes off her diaper and leaves a surprise for us in front of the couch upstairs in my bedroom. What makes a little kid take off her diaper to go poop? I think she is advanced! (not really, I have too many kids to actually think this) Potty training here we come! (yea, right!) Needless to say, next time you come over just don't notice the extremely white spot in the carpet. I cleaned that spot 15 times. Now the rest of my carpet looks dirty.

Lesson from story - always, ALWAYS make your girl wear bloomers under her dress! That way it makes it harder to take off the diaper.

NOW...
It is your turn. Tell me a famous family poop story. Too bad I won't let you leave comments anonymously. Hee hee.

To the tune of "There is Sunshine in my Soul Today"

I probably shouldn't blog this, but I will anyway. Whenever I wonder if I should blog about something, I ask myself, would Trevlyn post this? She would not, but I am not as good as Trevlyn.

There was anger in my house this morn'

It made me rather sad

Boys were calling names; then I heard a slap!

Please tell me, Can't they get along?

Oh there anger, then repentance

These boys need to learn to be nice.

"I am sorry." Then a big hug.

Now we're smiling, hurry off to church.

My husband is gone most Sunday mornings with meetings. I miss him. The kids try to push every button and today they did. I can't believe how upset I can get right before church. It ruined the spirit of church for me. I felt un-prepared to listen and partake of the lessons. Thank goodness I still have a 1 year old to roam the halls with. Hee hee. I guess that isn't funny, but it kind of is.

5 more Sundays till Sweetie is in NURSERY! YIPPEE!

(Back flips, cart wheels, etc.)

I am not a Diamondback fan...

but I am a huge sports fan!

Let me clarify. I love watching any game LIVE! Hockey is my favorite in person, but love football, basketball, and baseball, too. Baseball on TV is a yawn. I just can't sit still that long. I need the organ doing cheers(da-da, da-da-da da - CHARGE!), the music playing in the background (We will Rock you), and the awesome announcer (that play by play announcer on the TV sounds just like Travis, so most of the time Travis watches the game on mute. He always said he would be a great play by play announcer.). Anyway my point is, that this isn't a regular occurrence, but we go to 1 -5 games every season. We try to take the kids, too. They like it.

So tonight, I took Princess to a Diamondback game thanks to a friend who gave us tickets (THANK-YOU). It was a great girl's night out. Just mom and daughter. We had nachos and a hot dog, and to top off the night - cotton candy. YUM! Only at a ball game, but there it seems to fit.

WHAT DO YOU EAT WHEN AT A GAME?

Ok. So here is what happened at the game. MOB MENTALITY. She was exposed to the F-bomb, a few fights (between Dodger fans and Diamondback fans - if I have to hear "BEAT L.A." one more time...), and how not to go with the mob. Example - a fight broke out behind us and the next section over. EVERYONE STOOD UP AND TRIED TO STARE. Princess stood on the bleacher and tried to find the fight in the crowd (we could never see it, but we knew it was there). I told her to sit down and watch the game. Don't get caught up in what the mob is doing. Do what we came here to do - watch the game! We watched what we could through the crowd standing and then things settled down. She didn't understand what I was saying, but I told her later, " You made a good choice tonight. You did what we came here to do and didn't let the Dodger fans ruin our fun! That crowd of Diamondback fans wanted to kill the Dodgers, but we just wanted to have a great time. AND WE DID!"

I hope she learned the lesson to live in the world, but not of the world. Meaning - we can still keep our morals even at a ball game.

I was trying to be deep, but I doubt she got it. She is only 9 years old. Then we went on and talked about bat boys and their butts. Girls RULE!

My Brave Boys

This is Oldest getting ready for his first camp out with the Scouts

(don't mind the dishes in the background, Princess took this picture - I would have picked a cleaner camera angle - YES I am vain).

He isn't a cub scout anymore. He came home from Boy Scouts this week and started packing - ALL BY HIMSELF! I guess if you are motivated, you can do anything without being hounded by your mother. Have fun on your camp out!

This is Red Headed Monkey/ Monster (take your pick depending on the day). He is learning a hard lesson this week. On Wednesday he went swimming without his swim shirt and without enough sunscreen. He said his friend Tom helped him put on sunscreen. I kept asking him if he needed more. By the time I noticed the sunburn coming, I decided I wanted him to learn the lesson the hard way. A little tough love never killed anyone, right? Well...the next night 24 hours later, I found this on his shoulder. A Blister. Mom guilt has set in.

I guess it is my turn to learn a lesson. Tough love on a 4 year old, probably isn't necessary.

I love my brave boys.

Spinach and Wedges (not directly related)

Spinach first -



So I had spinach pizza for lunch.

Then I talked to 3 adult women in person before my husband came home and told me I had something between my front two teeth. Thanks Amy, Laura, and Tawnya! Thanks a lot.
NOW - on to what I really wanted to blog about today. Wedges. I happened upon a story (I don't believe in coincidence) about a boy who placed a wedge in a tree when he was young. That wedge was left there and the tree eventually grew around the wedge. By the time the boy went to remove the wedge it was stuck there. The boy thought it would be ok because the tree had already healed itself around the wedge. One day after a storm the boy/ now a man, woke up to discover that the tree had split in thirds right where the wedge was left. Time did not heal all wounds and that wedge actually lead to the destruction of the tree. Why do I tell you this story? Mostly because it moved me. I had a lot of experiences with the Stake Play and most recently with the Trek. I have had opportunities to grow and to be tested. I would NOT say that I was successful in how I responded to these tests, but I would say that I learned.
My favorite quote out of this article goes like this,
"Blame keeps wounds open. Only forgiveness heals."

"Where do hidden wedges originate? Some come from unresolved disputes which lead to ill feelings, followed by remorse and regret. Others find their beginnings in disappointment, jealousies, arguments, and imagined hurts. We must solve them - lay them to rest and not leave them to canker, fester, and ultimately destroy."


To read the whole article go here.

I paused here for a minute to consider what I want to tell you.

I have re-read this blog a few times and wonder if I should NOT post it only because I don't want you to think that anything bad happened in my life. I have had a few struggles recently. Reading this story about wedges in people's lives hit home and made me think.

Here is another great quote from the article when talking about two men, "...the father accepted the apology, and the two embraced in a spirit of understanding. No hidden wedge was left to cause further feelings of anger. Love and acceptance prevailed."

That is what I pray for all of us.

Parasite cancels swim team for the week...

I guess there is a parasite in the water in Phoenix pools, but not in the drinking water. Anyway, the kids had swim team practice and their meets cancelled this week. Princess was sad. She was looking forward to competing this Wednesday at the synchro swim meet. Oh well. Only one more week of swimming. We can make it.

So we came home and swam in our pool. I guess if anyone gets diarrhea, we know that there is a parasite in our pool, too. I hope not but let's be honest. Sweetie is only 16 months and ...
Well, I won't go there.

Enjoy the swimming videos. This is for the Grandma's out there.

Concise review for my mom...

Travis' parents had fun watching the kids while I was on the trek.

Their flight was 3 hours delayed and they got in town Monday morning at 3 AM! CRAZY WEATHER! Thanks for coming. The kids already miss you.

Overall, how did you feel at the end? (Mom question)

• I felt tired and glad it was over. (My response)

Was it what you expected?

• No and yes. The plan, the schedule, the activities were what I hoped for and MORE! The part about being in a leadership role - SUCKED! No details needed. Don't get me wrong, I would still do it all again. I love being a part of this trek in any form. I just love being around something this big. I feel blessed to have helped in anyway.

Or was it better?

• The part that was better than I hoped for was the Woman's Pull. It really was hard and the girls succeeded doing it, which made it ROCK! I must admit that didn't think some of the girls could do it, but they did. Only 2 girls opted out for medical reasons. There was a girl with chronic fatigue, a girl with a rolled ankle, and several girls that worried me about making it up - BUT THEY ALL DID IT!

I was so excited this morning that you had posted trek info.

• I am glad.

Did you miss the kids like you thought you would?

• To be honest I didn't have time to miss the kids till I was in bed in my tent every night. And then I fell asleep pretty fast.

One of my favorites...

O.K. Please don't make fun of how I look. This was taken on day 4 after having no shower. I look horrible, but I love this picture. Everyone, meet Stephanie.

This is one of the girls I got to help up the mountain during the woman's pull. She ROCKED! We had many conversations about not giving up and about how 9 out of 10 trekker said their feet were numb (they really were). One of our talks went like this...

"All of my preparation was for nothing! I walked on an inclined treadmill for 4 miles everyday and look at me now - I can't do this!"

"Yes you can! Say it with me, YES YOU CAN!"

"yes I can." said sheepishly.

"Think about what you would be like if you had chosen not o prepare. Think about how you are doing it and not quitting. Some girls didn't even try to do this woman's pull and you are doing it!"

"Yea. But I am not pulling the handcart."

"Do you think every pioneer was healthy the whole way? Don't you think some people had to take a break and just walk and then jump back in? YOU CAN DO THIS! Now let's go walk beside your family and encourage them. You are still a part of this family and this woman's pull. You can be their to help your family."

It went on and on like this up the hill. Every time her family would stop and take a break, Stephanie would encourage her family and then keep trekkin' up the hill. She needed to keep moving to stay up with them. She had a hard time physically, but mentally through the hardest part of the trek - she did it! I was proud of her. There were many stories like hers up the mountain that day.

Another story that I won't forget, involved a girl I knew. She didn't do the Woman's Pull, but on Friday when she came to the Life Skill Game that I managed we had a moment. She wanted to opt out, again. She was scared of getting in the middle and having her family support her. The goal of this game was to have only one person touch the wood "A" frame and everyone else could only touch the ropes, then they had to move the "A" frame across the grass from flag marker to flag marker. This girl was willing to participate on the ropes, but didn't want to be the one touching the wooden "A" frame in the middle. She told me this when she walked up.

"I don't want to be in the middle."

"Why are you opting out already?"

"I am scared."

"Don't you trust you family? Do you have faith that they will support you?"

Now keep in mind, the family hasn't even gotten all of the way there yet. There were stragglers and she was already making a choice to opt out.

"I trust my family."

"Ok, good. Then let's shake on it. Give me you hand and tell me that you will get in the middle and be supported by your family. Tell me, YES, I WILL DO THIS ACTIVITY."

She wouldn't shake.

So I try again, "Do you trust me? Would I make you do anything that was unsafe? Do you think that I would hurt you? Ok. Then shake my hand."

She did.

When it was her turn - she got up and complained. She said things like, I am scared. So I told her family to support her and make her feel of their love for her. Comfort her in her time of need. Then she said she didn't want to do this, but she still stayed up. I told her sometimes we have to do hard things in life. I asked her if there was anything she had to do in life that she didn't like. She said school. I explained that school wasn't fun but it makes you a better person. Sometimes we have to get outside our comfort zone to grow in life. I promised her that this activity would make her a better person.

I honestly don't know if she got it. I don't even know if she thought we had a moment, but I felt like we did. I will always look at this girl and want the best for her - even if it means pushing her outside her comfort zone.

Trek Talk - the inside scoop

So, I left off on Tuesday saying that I was off trekkin'. Well the trek didn't start till Wednesday at 5 am, but Tuesday we had the SHAKEDOWN and my in-laws came in town to take care of the kids while I went of the trek (THANK-YOU). My job on this trek was to carry out the activities that the committee I was on planned. I didn't do much of the work - it was a true team effort. So that is the perspective that I am coming from.

Tuesday

Shakedown - all the youth had the sleeping bags and buckets emptied out and gone through before it was loaded on a bus. The only hiccup that night was a mom needing to talk to someone about changing the Ma/Pa list. All she really needed was some comfort about how her son would be taken care of on the trek.

Wednesday -

• devotional
  
• load buses - head for staging area - 2 hours - or more, lots of cars and buses got lost
  
• announce families - Ma/Pa's did a cheer - very entertaining and then each family was announced. SO COOL.
  

At this point, the families got together in a circle with their buckets and played the name game and did an activity called the orange roll. These were activities that our committee trained them to do. They were meant to "bond" the families and bring them out of their comfort zone from the beginning.

• load hand carts, start trekking - by company - that part took forever trying to get each handcart in the right order. YUCK! (We had the 19 families organized in 5 companies with one of the Pa's named as the company captain. Great idea. The carring out was difficult.)


• trek 2.5 hours till first bathroom stop


• trek to the next activity - Lost Sheep
  
  

I got a ride ahead of the group and hid the sheep bags that I made with the help of friends. Each family when they got to that spot was to pick a "Shepherd" to go find their lost sheep in the wilderness. Each family had a surprise in the sheep bag of jerky, which was the only snack they got this day till the got to camp. Then each family was to take a bathroom break and "process" who might be a "lost sheep" in their life.

At this point the only feed back that I got from this activity was that the Ma and Pa's just wanted to get going and not take another stop so soon after the first stop. I don't really know how the actual point of the activity came across. Oh well.

• trekked some more - one more bathroom break, then 1st night camp - total 10 miles on the first day - not bad. Not too hard either.
  

Thursday

• Ma/Pa meeting - review goals and rules for the Mormon Battalion/ Woman's pull
  

MANY MEN talked to me on the first day about the woman's pull. Our pull was on a mountain and was HARD. The men I talked to were worried and kept talking about safety precautions for the girls. They were worried. I wasn't, but I hadn't seen the mountain. I had a strong belief that they could do it - IT WAS SO MUCH HARDER THAN I THOUGHT! We will get to that later.

• devotional
  
• pack up camp and get ready for woman's pull
  
• about a mile into the trek the boys/men on the trek were called to the Mormon Battalion
  
  

A Stake leader dressed up and read a letter calling each male to the U.S. army to help fight in the Mexican War. Then another leader read a letter from Brigham Young encouraging each man to sign up. The men would be paid for their service and this money would help their families make it to the Salt Lake Valley. These boys then went and signed up for the army with a quill.

The girls then got a pep talk before they started pulling the carts up the mountain without the boys and without their Pa. They were told, "You can do hard things!" This is an amazing theme that I knew - but my testimony of girls doing hard things was strengthened through this activity.

• Woman's pull - lasted twice as long as I thought it would, but it was worth it. They did it by company and the pull was about a mile long (or should I say high). I love to hike and my friends call me goat girl, but this handcart thing made this mountain three times as hard. SO HARD.
  

This is where I was able to work with and help certain girls that were having troubles. Some girls that were riding in the medical car on Wednesday, were going to try the Women's Pull. I thought they were crazy, but other leaders had more faith in them. I wanted these girls not to interrupt the "Pull" with their medical problems. I wanted these girls driven to the top of the hill, but AMAZINGLY these girls DID IT!

THiS IS THE PART OF THE TREK THAT EVERYONE WILL REMEMBER. Honest. It was amazing. I can't believe how hard this pull was. Each girl made it. The boys were asked to walk along silently like they weren't there. It was precious to see these boys and their reaction to the YW (young woman). The boys moved rocks, offered water, and offered prayers. One Pa was on the side of the rocky road, praying with his head down for his family and all of the girls. That Pa touched me.
KEY PHRASES FROM THE PULL THAT I WILL TAKE WITH ME FOREVER -

1. You can do hard things
   
2. You can do anything together.
   
3. You are not alone.
   
   

• After the woman's pull, at the top of the hill the YW and YM were talked to separately about what they just went through. It was amazing.
  

Each of the 5 companies went up with 30 minute intervals. I stayed on the mountain and helped each company up the mountain. The mountain was 3 main hills and the hardest, longest hill was last. It was so difficult and I don't think I was much help with the 3 company that went up. I had to ask for help 1/2 way up. It was hard for me to quit, but I was so other whelmed. My muscles were shaking. The Woman's Pull did it's purpose. It broke them down (boys and girls) only to build them up again.
I did go back down the 2nd hill to help the last 2 companies up the mountain. It was an amazing experience. I worked really hard. And seeing those girls work really hard, made me break down.

• Trekked 4 more miles to "Salt Lake" (want to get here by 1pm, got here by 4 pm). We adjusted the schedule and allowed them to simply set up camp and get ready for dinner.


• Fireside happened after dinner. AWESOME SPEAKER from our committee. Powerful messages about wilderness experiences that happen in our lives and how we can over come them with the help of our Savior. AMAZING. BTW - it was raining.
  

Friday - last full day

• Ma/Pa meeting - stayed in camp all day today and played life skill games


• devotional
  
• Life Skill Games - played as families, 30 minutes of game and 10 minutes of reflection. The Ma/Pa were supposed to not interfere during the game and only allow converse about the process to play that particular game in the reflection time.


• Lunch - solo time - each youth ate their lunch alone and read a letter (came Pony Express)from their parents and wrote a letter to themselves that will be mailed to them in 6 months. They were to make promises to themselves or goals that they were going to do from this trek.


• More life skill games - so cool - I will to write about these more later.
  
  
• Dance - square dance and modern dance


• Dinner - Stake cooked for families while dancing, families washed their dishes afterwards


• Testimony meeting


• Cat-Eye trail - Done with glow sticks and no compasses, to represent that God will give you light, line upon line, precept upon precept


• FLOUR THROW - the youth were given a 4 oz bag of flour to hike with to represent the amount of food that the Willie handcart company had for each day - SCARY! Anyway... the flour was then take out of the bag and thrown into a big fire as a fun release at the end of the trek BTW - it started raining after all of our event were done.

Saturday

• pack up/ breakfast/ clean up
  
• devotional


• trek 1.5 miles to the staging area where buses will pick them up


• Play pioneer games - youth committee - archery, stick pull, roping, make a bracelet, make and nail ring, etc.


• LARGE group photo


• Lunch - SUBWAY, snacks.


• Load buses, drive home - raining started right after the buses left.

Trek Pictures

Close up of hand cart.

Ronda, my friend, got to ride a horse after Bart got off. We had 4 - 5 people on horseback. Most of those people were called Trail Bosses. They were the ones that had authority and told us what to do. The trail boss told us when to take breaks and when to get moving. Ronda was actually the trek historian and wrote down and ton of great stories. She just happens to love horses, too!
We had sand babies on the trek. We never buried them because we didn't want to simulate or allow an opportunity for fake feelings to arise. These babies were supposed to teach about loss out on the pioneer trail, but they really just taught kids that babies are a burden. That is a lesson too!

I do want to tell one story about the babies, but you will have to ask me privately. Too sacred to share in a blog.

This is the triangle or "A" frame game that I helped with during the Life Skill Games. There were 8 games total and each game had a point or a life lesson to learn about. It was another highlight of the trek.

This is a picture of people from my ward. They are all family. One cousin, one mother, and 2 kids. They all were on the trek and in different families. They had a great time. Each one of these people are great leaders.

This is another gross picture of me. I wish I would have taken and picture of me on day 1. I had cute outfit on and everything. Oh well.

The above picture is my "Ma and Pa" on the trek. I was really busy doing stake stuff and getting activity prepared, but if I every had a moment I would go and be with this family. They are the best and I love them. They are also the in-laws of my babysitter that got married in March. XOXOXO

Stick pull - this teenage boy threw this strong cop over his head. It was quite a site. I couldn't believe it. Then the cop wanted a rematch and the cop won the next 2.

The long train of handcarts. These are the people hiking to the staging area to get picked up to go home on day 4.
Hailey and her family almost to the end. She looks so happy and she should be. She did great! She had about 4 blisters and never complained. She is a trooper.

Gone Trekkin'

See ya at the end of the week!

How Can I Be? - Song of Book of Mormon Heroes

My friend emailed me this song and ask how to find an MP3 version to download. I haven't found a way to download it yet, but I love the song enough to share. Enjoy the rest of you Sabbath day.

Start a BLOG my friends

So I have some friends who are getting ready to move or have recently moved. Those friends, (hi, Kathy and Susanne) need to start a blog to keep in touch. Look at this! Our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even encourages it!

For all of my friends that already have a blog, here is a link to the guidelines that the Church recently came out with. Cool, huh.

One other little tid bit for the day - I took the L-O-N-G-E-S-T shower ever today. I think I am preparing for the trek and the lack of showers that will happen next week. Can you clean your body extra good in preparation for future lack of showers? I doubt it, but I am going to try.

Food and Friends

After being inspired by my friend Trevlyn, I made a raspberry trifle. I added a few blueberries to make it fit the holiday.

We had lots of great desserts. What kind of 4th of July would it be if Denise didn't make her flag cake. I LOVE THIS CAKE, but hate to make it. Mine never looks cute. Trifles - you just throw stuff in a bowl.

NEW FRIENDS:

We had some fun getting to know new people in our ward.

Father and Son bonding. I think Oldest was trying to dunk him. Travis was getting ready to chew him out, but the picture actual look pleasant. Funny, huh? I guess you really can't judge a photo. Does it say 1,000 words?
THIS IS THE PICTURES OF BRET GETTING PULLED IN THE POOL.
His daughter helped me, but Bret changed things up and decided to take off his shoes, empty his pockets, and jump in himself. TOO FUNNY. He is the life of the party.
Princess trying to dunk Bret.

Mike and Wild Child

Amy - Wild Child's Mom

Overview of the pool.

BOYS playing water games with their Dads.

FUNNY SHOT:

BELLY SHOT

Which one is having a baby and which two are NOT? Hmm. Let me think.

Pregnant friend's husband and youngest son (at least he is the youngest for the next 4 weeks).

Pregnant friend's oldest. Cute girl, huh? love her.

Sweetie and Pregnant friends - relating.
Anthem friend playing with the boys. I love her smile. SO PRETTY.

Anthem friend's #2 of 3 son. He is RHM's friends.
Cute little family. LOVE THEM. They are moving at the end of the month to be near family. Hmm. That is 4 families in 2 months. Do you sense a common denominator?

Cutie Pie in her adorable outfit.

Jacob sick after eating too much. The boys just kept asking him to come back in the pool. He plays games with the kids, so they all love him.