Favorite FIVE of the Week!

This week was all about SURVIVAL! Steve and I had a grueling summer class that we needed to take and it required us to sit in a classroom everyday for 6-7 hours (minus Tuesday that we took off for Conner's birthday-don't think we got out of the homework assignments though)! I'm gonna have to chat with that principal of mine and ask him about all these classes and trainings I've been having to participate in this summer! MAN! Talk about a ton of work! Actually, Steve had to take this one too, so I'm sure there was nothing that could have been done! It better be worth it though! Thank heavens we are done! Here are some of the highlights from our week that made it all bearable:

5- Family, Friends and BOOKS! Thanks to all of our awesome family members and friends who were willing to let our boys hang out with them this week while Steve and I had our noses to the books. Our kids had a blast swimming, riding bikes, playing video games and basically hanging out with all of you! Thanks for showing them such a great time! Also, can I just mention that my husband is a genius! He set up the best "Summer Book Program" for our boys. It has been coming in especially handy with me being on the computer so much, typing papers for my classes (Steve only had to take the one class, I have two). The kids just "hang out" behind me reading books and checking them off their lists while I slave away. Steve challenged the boys to read 50 books this summer. Lewis actually wanted to do 100 so we typed up his list with 100 books on it, but a lot of them are chapter books, so we'll see. He is totally motivated to do it though, I wouldn't be surprised if he actually makes it there. Anyway, this was so easy to set up and our boys love it. We just went around the house and let the boys choose any books they wanted to and put them in a tote. We typed up the list and as they finish a book, they have Steve or me sign it off. They put their finished books in another tote and the goal is to fill it up each week. We have emptied it a couple of times already and they are reading through their books pretty steadily. It's been especially great since Steve and I have had to do so much reading of our own lately! I guess it's like they say, the family that reads together. . .



4- Conner's Baseball Party! Seriously. My boys have the most AWESOME baseball coach EVER! He arranged for the team to walk on to the field with the Roadrunner's (our local baseball team) during their game Monday night as part of their season finale party! They had a cute little awards ceremony at Coach Todd's house first (where Conner received a trophy and the award for "fastest runner") and then met at the field to line up with the pros! Conner (#11) walked on with his buddy Hayden and the center field guy #29. It was darling to watch and the kids had a blast! They spent the rest of the night running around the stadium, chasing Reggy the Roadrunner and driving him completely batty I'm sure! I'm not sure if the Roadrunners won the game (we left around the fourth inning -umm, homework!) but it was an absolute GREAT time! Also, come July 4th, we get to do it all over again for Lewis! WOO HOO! Coach Todd Rocks!

3- Father and Son Home Run Challenge! During the baseball game, Lewis and Steve were chosen to do the "Father and Son Home Run Challenge" which was essentially, Lewis hitting the ball off of the T and then wherever it landed, Steve hat to hit from that point and try to knock it out of the field. I think they both did a fine job. It really did look as though it might go over the wall, only about two feet short actually. What would they have won if it did? Apparently, a signed baseball from the team. Instead, we got two free passes to the cheap seats next time we're up for a game of baseball! Maybe my men will get a chance to redeem themselves!

2- Lewis' first Pack Meeting. I am proud of "Lew Dog" for making it to Bobcat rank so quickly! He learned all his stuff this week with Steve and was ready for his award by Thursday night. The pack meeting was fun (minus all the kooky cheers and salutes they made us do) and we all got to take home a raffle prize! Woo Hoo! So far, Scouts has been great for Lewis and he is excited to work on his goals every day!

1- Craw Fish Boil Part 2- Steve had been wanting to take the boys crawdad fishing for awhile. Finally he just dropped everything and loaded the boys up and headed out to the lake yesterday. They were gone for a few hours and as soon as they got home they started boiling the poor things up! Steve ate them all, Conner was actually more scared of them cooked then when they were alive! Maybe he was afraid Steve would make him eat them! No chance! Steve ate them all and surprisingly enough, he is still alive! From the looks of the pictures, I guess they had a good time!

Bonus Fave:
Click HERE to see the "So You Think You can Dance" Dance of the Week!

Happy Birthday to Conner!

Conner's birthday was yesterday and boy was it a DAY! I've decided there is one good thing about having the boys' birthdays so close together, that is, the chance for us as parents to redeem ourselves if the first party doesn't turn out quite as planned (scroll down to the post that I did 9 days ago). Usually, Conner likes to do the SAME party that his brother did (so it can be equal I guess) with the small change of the theme. For example, two years ago, Lewis had a party at our house complete with water balloons, slip and slide and two or three homemade games. His theme was Star Wars! 8 days later, we reenacted the same party with all the same games and activities, only with the Scooby Doo theme. This is how we've always done it (minus last year when we had a Disneyland party for both of them). So, when last week's party turned out to be so exhausting and crazy, I was dreading Conner's big day. Luckily my husband is a genius and enlightened me to the fact that we don't have to reenact the same party every time! He suggested a bowling party and Conner was ALL over it! It turned out to be the most low stress, fun, and easy going party imaginable! The kids had such a good time and the people at Dixie Bowl were so accommodating and really went all out for my boy! It turned out to be a really fun day. Here are some highlights (just move the cursor across each picture to view the whole thing and read the caption)! The only thing that could have made it more perfect is if I could have found a way to make my baby shrink backwards a few years instead of turn SIX!!! If anyone ever figures out a way to do that, let me know. Until then, H.B. Conner Boy!

Take Me Back Tuesday

Ahhhh! The good ol' days when both boys were young enough to appreciate a good old fashioned "family" party minus the "friends", invitations, party bags, gift requests and general-all the way around-hoopla. Take me back to this party, staged at grandma's house, with a few cousins and a cake for both boys to share! This was the year Lewis turned three and Conner turned one. I remember how scared Conner was of the candle and how uninterested he was in his presents (so totally opposite of today)! I remember how cute and grown up Lewis seemed in that cowboy hat given to him by Aunt Kristin, but compared to now he still had plenty of "baby" left in him! Oh this seems like so long ago! Yeah, if I had to choose one birthday to go back to, this would be a good pick. It was fun, low maintenance and low stress! I mean both boys having ONE party, talk about killing two birds with one stone. How smart were we as parents, to take advantage of that?! I wonder if I could talk them into sharing their birthday party again? I doubt Conner would go for it. Well, ya never know. Maybe one year he'll surprise me!

The Little Things

It's the little things that make life so great isn't it!?! I have been slacking on my blogging lately (I am completely immersed in an online class right now) and I have not been keeping track of my favorite things of the week. So, thinking back today and looking through my camera for pictures, I realized, the things I am most grateful for lately are the little things. The little things that I am able to squeeze into (or out of) the craziness of life. Whoever said teachers get the summer off has never been a teacher! Yea, you don't have the classroom full of kids to TEACH, but you can't stop being a teacher! I have already been to curriculum mapping, reading conference, an online class, and tomorrow I am starting another class! Not to mention summer school that I promised some friends I would do and then, by the time that is over, I will get to go set up my classroom and prepare for the new school year! YEP, I better start appreciating the little things! The things that have been making this summer so sweet! With so much going on this month, it would be easy to get caught up in the big things and forget that it's really the little things that make life worth living. Here's my list of little things so far this summer:

Relaxing with Steve on one of our "away" trips.

Seeing Conner walk around the house with this t-shirt on (it says kiss me). Umm, he wrote it himself with an orange highlighter! Oh, and he did it while looking in the mirror so it is completely reversed! LOVE IT!

Lewis willingly offering to help put away groceries and clean out the fridge.

Hearing the boys giggle through the door as they try to go to sleep.

Staying in a NICE hotel with all the little extras!

 

Conner snuggling up to me during a movie and covering us with a blanket. He is such a cuddle bug! Hope he never outgrows it!

Having friends to "hang" with at any given moment!

Knowing my boys have good friends too!

 

The new fish bowl for our fish, Finny Von Finnegan! He races around that thing like nobody's business, and it looks good on our console table.

Knowing that Grandpa is out of the hospital and on the mend!

 

Catching up with old friends while Steve took the boys to the fathers and sons camp out.

Seeing Lewis so excited to be in scouts!

Recently hearing Conner say, "Mom, I will make a good big brother."

 

Finding little things like this around the house, proof that I have a funny little boy in my life!

Seeing the kids home safe and sound after being away from us for an entire week!

Listening to Lewis read behind me as I wrote a paper for my class. I love that he wanted to be with me!

Partaking in yummy food prepared by loved ones who actually know how to cook with LOVE!

Watching (and re watching) clips like this from "So You Think You Can Dance"

Finding pictures like this on my camera!

Yep! Summer has been good to me so far. I just need to focus on these little things and not worry so much about the drudgeries of the inevitable! Time goes by too fast!

Eight is Great!

Sometimes the best plans don't produce the best results. I think it is safe to say that this particular birthday fits that description. So much planning and care went into this little party. I'm always afraid that the actual party might not live up to this boy's dreams and expectations. He is such a party planner and every year I go through this. I kind of jot down little notes inside my head when I hear him mention something about his upcoming party. Like the other day, he mentioned that he wanted to try breakfast in bed. We have the pancake tradition for birthdays, but we've never done breakfast in bed for them before, but I thought, why not? Well, at around 6:30 this morning I heard the door of the boys' room open. I pictured Lewis peeking out to see if we were awake yet, waiting to start his big day. I tried to shrug it off, but I couldn't go back to sleep knowing he was waiting in his bed for breakfast! So I got myself up and made the Krusteaz, just add water, version of pancakes and tried to do the breakfast tray up special. Then I woke up Steve and told him to get the video camera ready. He did and then we opened Lewis' door and began singing Happy Birthday. To my surprise, Lewis was COMPLETELY and UTTERLY asleep! He kind of acted excited when he saw the food, but he wasn't totally waiting for it like I thought (I'm thinkin' it must have been Conner who opened the door fifteen minutes prior). Anyway, he was super cute, but really sleepy. I felt HORRIBLE for waking him up. He said he was just really tired from not getting much sleep in the night. When we asked him why, he said he was too excited for his birthday. Geesh! So, I took my tray and said it would be waiting for him when he was ready. He snuggled back into bed and Conner, dad and I left the room. He popped out about a minute later and said he was ready, but the whole rest of the day, he seemed really tired. Strike one for me!

The next strike occurred at the "friend" party we threw for Lewis at the park. If I would have known a week ago that it was going to be so dang windy today, I would NOT have planned this park party. It was OUT of CONTROL windy. Couldn't even light the candles on the cake windy! Picture table cloths, plastic cups and cake blowing everywhere-NON stop! Of course, the kids didn't seem to mind, but I was completely worn out by the time the party ended. That wind just really sucked the life out of me! Well, that and the blasted 105 degree heat! So, I guess strike two for me (or the wind?).

The last strike came when I didn't follow through with my plans to take Lewis to Texas Road House for his birthday dinner. I don't know why I told him we would do that? He mentioned it a few days ago and it sounded GREAT at the time. But, I also hadn't paid for all the party goods yet. This was supposed to be a small, low key affair. Life is expensive however. All the little details add up to be so much! I couldn't pour one more dollar into this birthday by the time dinner came. I know, I am AWFUL!!!! Strike three, I'm OUT! Of course, Lewis is the sweetest, most appreciative little boy EVER! He didn't complain at all when I said we'd have to postpone the "going out to dinner" plans. He suggested fish sticks instead! How great is he? I sure love this kid!

Of course, there are some great things that did go right on this birthday. Here is a list of those so this birthday doesn't go down in history as the biggest flop ever!

Lewis, Your 8 THE GREAT Birthday List

1. All but one of your pals made it to your party.:)
2. You got TWO new boxes of Pokemon cards!
3. You had a blast running around the water park with your friends.
4. Brother Johansen (your CTR 5 teacher) called you AGAIN on this birthday! How awesome is he?
5. You had water fights with your dad and brother for hours tonight using all your new water guns and balloons!
6. You started thinking about the kind of dog you might want to get someday!
7. Grandma Peterson sent you a great E- Card!
8. You turned 8 and you're ready to be baptized!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEWIS!!!!

20 Questions For Father's Day

Dad (According to Lewis):
1. What is something your dad always says to you? I Love You.
2. What makes your dad happy? When he teases me.
3. What makes your dad sad? When I’m bad.
4. How does your dad make you laugh? He tickles me.
5. What was your dad like as a child? I don’t know-he liked root beer.
6. How old is your dad? He is 33.
7. How tall is your dad? I need to measure him to answer that. . .
8. What is his favorite thing to do? Tease.
9. What does your dad do when you're not around? Gets bored, goes to the mall.
10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for? Having a lot of money!
11. What is your dad really good at? Teasing.
12. What is your dad not very good at? Numb chucks.
13. What does your dad do for his job? Principal.
14. What is your dad's favorite food? Pizza.
15. What makes you proud of your dad? That he’s such a good dad.
16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be? Timmy’s Dad on Fairly Odd Parents.
17. What do you and your dad do together? Go on bike rides.
18. How are you and your dad the same? We both have blue eyes.
19. How are you and your dad different? He has black hair and I have blonde.
20. How do you know your dad loves you? He teases me.

Dad (According to Conner):
1. What is something your dad always says to you? Tells me to say my prayers.
2. What makes your dad happy? Presents.
3. What makes your dad sad? When Lewis and me are on vacation.
4. How does your dad make you laugh? He chases me.
5. What was your dad like as a child? A crazy kid.
6. How old is your dad? 33 years old.
7. How tall is your dad? Really tall.
8. What is his favorite thing to do? Stay with me and Lewis.
9. What does your dad do when you're not around? Cries.
10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for? Tickling.
11. What is your dad really good at? Hugging.
12. What is your dad not very good at? Blowing up balloons.
13. What does your dad do for his job? He’s the principal.
14. What is your dad's favorite food? Carrots.
15. What makes you proud of your dad? When he buys me treats.
16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be? Tom (from Tom & Jerry)
17. What do you and your dad do together? Play baseball.
18. How are you and your dad the same? We both play baseball.
19. How are you and your dad different? He’s big, I’m little.
20. How do you know your dad loves you? Because he likes to play with me.

This post is dedicated to the best dad we know! He's the one who plays with us, reads to us, tickles us and motivates us to be better people. We love it when he makes breakfast with us, teases us about Pokemon characters and makes our names out of cucumber slices. We know he loves us because he tells us each and every day! So Steve (AKA Dad), we hope you know we think you're great! Have a Happy Father's Day!

What's Your Flavor?

It wouldn't be summer without a few stops at the Sno Shack every now and then. When Steve was little, his favorite was "Tiger's Blood" (which is a mix of all the red flavors). I, of course, loved Bubblegum! Now that we are full fledged adults, we still love the shack, but our tastes have changed a little. My approach is usually to ask the person working the counter for his/her suggestion. They usually know about the best mixes and I have never been let down by one of their recommendations. This time, the girl told me about Strawberry & Mango. It was just what I was in the mood for. Steve ordered the Flavor of the Month called "Hawaiian Harvest", a mix of Passion Fruit, Guava and Kiwi. He wasn't as impressed with this one. Lewis ordered the "Superman" a mix of Cotton Candy and Strawberry and Conner stuck to the ol' standby-Root Beer! He is still enjoying his as he sits next to me while I type this out. He actually just got hit in the face with a baseball (that darn dad couldn't seem to get it into his mitt) and the Sno Shack is relieving some of the pain. Luckily, just a little blood and no loose teeth. Luckily he had the Sno Shack to immediately sooth the pain! See, Sno Shacks aren't just fun, they serve a purpose too! What's your flavor?

Mom = Mango & Strawberry :)

Lewis = Superman! :)

Conner = Root Beer :)

Dad = Hawaiian Harvest :( (Tiger's Blood is still his fave)!

Our Boys

Our boys have been away from us for almost a full week and I'm feelin' it! They went to Fish Lake with Grandma Peterson on Saturday because Steve and I had to travel to Scottsdale for a reading conference. We got back yesterday but our boys won't be back until tomorrow. From the looks of this picture Sunnie just sent me, I reckon Conner is feelin' it too. He is so funny, he won't let Steve or me talk to him on the phone when we are away from him. He's always been funny about that. Lewis on the other hand is great to chat with on the phone. He asks cute questions like, 'how are you doing?' and 'whatcha been up to?' From our conversations, I know both boys are having the time of their lives, but I'd like to think maybe they miss us just as much as we miss them. Can't wait until Friday gets here with our boys!

Our Favorite Five!

We spent the first part of our week finishing up our first road trip of the summer. We had a great time. We probably would have stretched it out longer if Steve didn't need to be back at the school by Wednesday, but it was good to be home when we finally got here. Life continues to be busy, even during our "downtime" of summer, but the busy-ness is different. Like Steve's dad always says, 'the "rest" is in the change'. That is definitely our motto for this summer! Busy, but fun! Here are some of our favorites for this week.

FIVE- Mount Rushmore! It took five different strangers to be able to get this picture of our family in front of the mountain. One guy tried THREE times but kept cutting off the presidents! I didn't think that with the technology of today's camera that taking a picture would still be so hard for people! Luckily, we finally got this one, the best of the bunch. The boys were at the perfect age for this kind of experience, hiking the "Presidents Trail" and learning about Mount Rushmore. I didn't realize how much the boys were paying attention until they were given the "Junior Ranger" booklet to fill out as they walked around the museum. They had to answer little questions about Mount Rushmore and how it was carved and facts about the presidents. Lewis was so cute. He said, 'Mom, I am so good at social studies. I will be able to be a junior ranger for sure!' and then he got right to work on his little booklet. When we handed the booklet back to the ranger to retrieve the "junior ranger badge" for the boys, the ranger asked Lewis which president on Mount Rushmore was his favorite. I thought he would say George or Abe because they are the most famous, but he surprised me when he said Theodore Roosevelt. I asked him later why he chose that president and he said, 'because he had such a hard life when he was young and he worked really hard to become great.' Wow! What great insight! This was a great experience for our boys! I will post more pictures from the trip as soon as I have more than a millisecond to be on this computer. Until then, here is our best family pic of the day.



FOUR: Sunnie and Quincy are back! Sunnie is one of Steve's seven sisters. She and her husband Quincy have been in Colorado for a few years and we have missed them. We used to be roomates with them for awhile (remember that Sunnie) and she used to be my favorite hairstylist. But, then they moved and we've only been able to see them at reunions and weddings etc. It will be so great to get together more often now. It was fun to spend time with them up at Grandma's during our road trip this week. Little Quincy and the boys played for awhile and we got to visit with Sunnie and hold baby Amy a little. Yep. It is good to have them back!





THREE: Baseball Fever! One of the movies we watched on our little road trip was The Sandlot. This was one of my favorite movies during high school. I saw it at the dollar theatre at least three times with different friends and laughed my head off everytime. One of my favorite things about being a mom is being able to watch some of these oldy but goody movies with my kids and see their reaction! We have watched The Princess Bride and What About Bob and a few others with the kids and it is a riot! Well, needless to say, the boys LOVED The Sandlot! So much so that they are completely obsessed with baseball now! It is so cute! They get up every morning and get dressed (one day they even put on their baseball uniforms) and they head outside to play ball! They rope Steve into taking them over to the nearby school field to pitch for them in the evenings and they play for hours upon hours! They put a bunch of baseballs, mits and a bat into a WALMART SACK and ride their bikes over to the field! It is hilarious to watch them try to get it all together, but they are so determined! Luckily, the weather around here has been EXTREMELY mild and awesome too so they haven't had the heat to rain on their parade. They even talked Carter, our neighbor's grandson, into playing over at the field with them one day. He went right along with it and seemed to be having as much fun as Lewis and Conner! Anyway, I am grateful to the movie, The Sandlot, for teaching my boys that summer is all about going outside and getting dirty! I love that they are "into" baseball right now and I hope the baseball fever doesn't end anytime too soon.



Maybe I should invest in a little baseball bag for them so they don't have to use the Walmart sack!


TWO: Digital Scrapbooking! I had a "scanning" party at my house on Thursday night. A lady from the Heritage Makers company scanned all my old photos (from childhood, my wedding, ancestors etc.) and then showed us how to use the program to make tons of different digital creations! I am so stoked! I tried learning about photoshop a while back and I don't have the money or time right now to devote to that realm of digital scrapbooking, but this is SUPER easy and it will be a good way for me to get my foot in the door with digital. Plus, this company has a ton of extra bonus features that I had no idea! Anyway, here is a link to the website. Anyone who has been thinking about going digital should check it out. I was skeptical at first, but I am really sold now. Can't wait to start on some of my projects!
http://www.heritagemakers.com/



ONE: The Angela Johnson Sculpture Exhibit. WOW! Have you been to the Angela Johnson sculpture exhibit yet? It is in the temple visitor center until June 28th. DO NOT MISS IT! It is absolutely AMAZING! This woman started sculpting ten years ago just on a whim. She was a Soprano Opera singer for a long time and then just decided one day that she wanted to try something different. She had never taken a sculpting class before in her life, but felt inspired to buy some clay. She realized she has a natural talent and began creating unbeleivable sculptures. She has some of her creations on display right now and they will only be in three temple visitors centers total. I can't remember which ones. I recommend you call in advance and find out when Sister Parry will be there. She was our guide and did such an incredible job! I truly learned so much about the life of Christ and how it relates to my life through this exhibit. I went with some friends, but I am planning to take Steve and the boys to see it too. Definitely mark your calendars and head over there! AWESOME!!!!

Here is a link to her website, but ya gotta see these up close and in person!
Angela Johnson Sculptures

'Take Me Back' Tuesday!

I love the idea of "Flashback Friday" but I already have the "Fave Five" that I do at the end of each week. So, "Take Me Back Tuesday" will accomplish the goal for me (which is jotting down some memories from days passed) yet, I can do it toward the beginning of the week instead of at the end. It was easy to decide what I wanted to talk about today. Just a little while ago, I got a call from my neighbor, Cindy Cheney. She called to remind me that Lewis is indeed turning eight this month (I guess I didn't need this reminder) and will be joining Cub Scouts (she will be his new leader)! Ughhhh! I knew this would happen, but I kept putting it to the back of mind. I don't want my Little Lewis to keep growing up and THIS, Cub Scouts, is just another indication that he is no longer a little boy. Nope, he is indeed turning into a BIG, independent, Cub Scout! Oh how I long for those days when it was just Lewis and me, chilling at home, running little errands, exploring the world together. I loved being the one to help him discover all the new and exciting things about life. I loved being his EVERYTHING, even if it was just for a short time. He has been turning into this big kid for the past little while. His baby skin is no longer soft and delicate, but callused, tough and often dirty! His sweet, tiny, baby teeth are all but gone, replaced with huge, yellowish ones that I'm not as in love with (yet)! And his sweet little baby voice, no longer high pitched and mumbled, has been taken over by a booming, BIG BOY voice that spouts off historical trivia and mathematical facts on a daily basis. WHERE IS MY INNOCENT LITTLE BABY? Oh how I would love to go back for just one day and hold his chunky little baby hand as we walk together along our little neighborhood street, stopping to chase his shadow and pick up every twig, leaf and bug in sight! How I would love to get one more slobbery sweet kiss from his little baby mouth and feel him nestled up against me as I read him his bedtime story. Man, this whole motherhood thing kind of bites! I had no idea it would be so hard to watch my kids grow up and become PEOPLE! Just take me back, for one day! I sure miss my Little Lew!


Lewis at an age when his drink is almost as big as he is. How precious are those chubby hands and legs? And that slobbery shirt collar? Wouldn't be possible if it weren't for all those baby teeth making their appearance! Oh, I'd give anything to have slobbery shirt collars to deal with again!


Lewis with his new big wheel on his 2nd birthday! SECOND birthday-NOT EIGHTH!!!! Where did the time go?

Our Five for This Week!

Five: Memorial Day Sleepover at Grandma's
Our boys are pretty lucky to have a grandma that BEGS to spend time with them! She is always offering to take her grandkids for overnighters, play dates, outings and small trips! Anything at all, she is up for ALL of it. Steve and I are pretty grateful to her for always being so willing to do this. She offered to have Lewis and Conner sleepover at the Bloomington house on Sunday, "Memorial Day Eve." Steve and I didn't realize it at first, but we totally needed that little break away from the kids. We watched movies that night and SLEPT IN Monday morning! It was heaven compared to our crazy week before. We even had uninterrupted time to get our house spic and span from top to bottom. Even though our boys are older now and generally helpful about household chores, it was just so nice to be able to get it all done so quickly and efficiently and to know the kids were at Grandma's having the time of their lives! We had the housework done and started on some projects before they came home that afternoon. It was so nice. Thanks Grandma for showing our boys such a great time and for allowing us that time to ourselves to "detox" from the leftover "school craziness".

Four: Brother's Day Fun!
Per request of the boys, we spent Tuesday immersed in the wonderful world of brotherly LOVE! To celebrate our new found holiday, we went to Adventure Pizza and spent a small fortune on food and video games. I thoroughly enjoyed watching these two brothers help each other earn tickets and take turns with the games. I was a little saddened by how little they needed MY help to do anything. They are so big! They can work those coin machines and video games like pros! Steve and I just sat back and enjoyed the show. We commented (as we do often) how grateful we are for the two of them and how glad we are that they have each other. They really are best of friends. Also, on this day, the boys somehow weasled their way out of all their usual household chores! (I think they were thinking back to Mother's Day when Steve took over all my jobs.)They would turn down any request I made of them to put away their clothes or toys or take out the garbage! So cute to hear them say, "Nope, not today Mom. It's Brother's Day!" Indeed, it WAS Brother's Day-and boy, we really had to LIVE IT UP!
Three: A Successful Baseball Season Ends!
Both boys had a great experience this year with baseball. Being able to have the same coach was an added bonus. Lewis played on the 7-8 year-old team with one of the coach's sons and Conner played on the 5-6 year-old team with the coach's other son. So, their practices were always back to back and their games on the same night. It was such a convenient thing for us commuters. But, that was just an added bonus. The biggest perk for both the boys and the parents is the great coach. He truly loves what he does and it shows. These boys LOVE baseball and on top of that, they are good at it! Coach Todd did wonders for my boys. We are so grateful to him for all his dedication to the Angels!

Two: Spontaneous Trip to Wyoming!
Okay, this will make Laura in particular so proud! I am actually being super duper spontaneous this weekend! In fact, right now I am typing this post from one of the rooms at the Presidential View Resort in South Dakota! We had NO clue we'd be here until this morning when we decided to come! We started off with plans to go my sister's baby's blessing in Casper Wyoming and while we were driving, we just decided we might as well make a small vay-cay out of it! So, we are set to see Mt. Rushmore tomorrow morning and I am stoked! But, more on that later. Right now I want to document something amazing and special that happened to our family yesterday on the way to Casper. Steve likes to listen to books on CD as we drive and on this trip, we borrowed his dad's copy of the April 2008 conference talks. Steve really liked the music from the Priesthood session talks so we put in that CD and listened to the music and the talks as we drove. One particular talk was given by Elder McMullin (I think) and he was talking about service for one another and shared some stories about the pioneers and the rescue at Martin's Cove. Both Steve and I have heard stories about this experience many times in our lives and I am always blown away by the things that I've heard. This talk brought back all those memories and feelings of gratitude that I have for our pioneers who paved the way for us to have the gospel in our lives today. Well, only minutes after this talk on the CD ended, what did we come across on the left hand side of the road? A sign that said "Martin's Cove, straight ahead." It was so amazing to see the actual place after we had just been reminded about it by that wonderful speaker. We parked in the visitor center parking and tagged along with a crowd of teenagers who had just pulled up in a tourist bus. We spent some time walking through the exhibits and listening to the missionaries tell about the property.
The boys enjoyed the exhibits and the movie, but their favorite part was exploring the grounds and pushing each other in some of the hand carts. I really enjoyed walking around and reading the accounts of these early pioneers and their major struggles.
To read of the actual stories written by these faithful pioneers is just breathtaking. It really puts it all into perspective. I loved walking around and listening to these young high school graduates talking amongst themselves about this place. When we were looking at the exhibit that tells of the rescue of the Willie Handcart Company (the story of the scouts who were sent to help take the women and children across the freezing river) I heard a boy say this, "These kids were as old as WE are! They gave their lives to save others." Wow! They really did. How many eighteen year-olds would be willing to do that today? The boy went on to say, "No WAY is this time that WE live in harder than it was back then." I was so grateful my boys were listening to these kinds of conversations. Especially after we had just spent hours in the car listening to them squack and argue about this and that and hearing Conner complain that he didn't have enough "treats"! Man are we spoiled rotten. Yes, it was a great way to pause and reflect on what really matters most and to be grateful for what our founding fathers did for us. What FAITH they must have had to WALK all that way in order to remain true to their beliefs. How amazing. I was completely inspired after this SPONTANEOUS trip to Martin's Cove.











One: Meeting Baby Grant!
It was a LONG drive, but SOOOO worth it! The whole time, Steve and I kept saying, we get to hold that new baby when we get there! And, he did not dissapoint! He was cute as can be and I got lots of pictures of him! Definitely THE highlight of our week!