Oh that...

3I'm on vacation...again...in California. Be jealous.

But I'm blogging this from home a few days before we leave and having it published today {how techie of me, I've never done that before and hope it actually works.}

But I can't let my THREE year anniversary of this blog go by without paying homage.

Here's my very first post.

When I started this blog it was ONLY for my parents. We had lived away our entire married lives and I felt like they were missing out on my kids' growing up. Then I shared it with a few of my friends. Then a few more. You know how it goes. I have a few regular commenters {love you guys so much} and a lot of non commenters but readers {love you guys too}. I love when I get an email from a non commenter about something on the blog. It makes me happy.

I also feel like I have been able to really maintain some relationships that I would not otherwise have if it weren't for the blog. Friends in CT, friends in WA, now friends in AZ, a few long lost HS and college friends, cousins who I haven't been in touch with for years. It is a blessing in a lot of ways.

My mom mentioned that I don't blog as much as I used to. It is true. I am busier. I don't do as many craft or home improvement (sob) projects but I am hoping to be better this fall. Fall always makes me want to be productive and crafty.

Since I didn't do a giveaway for my 500th post, I'll do one here. Sorry, nothing crafty or original. I'll pick 3 people to send a small gift card to 3 of my favorite places. So comment away. I'll pick next Monday!

Happy Birthday Blog! I don't see you going anywhere anytime soon!

Oh yes we did

July 10: Cow appreciation day at Chick-fil-A. Free meal if you dress up like a cow.

We did it.

We're classy like that.

Actually, it was really, really fun. And it kept the kids busy for a couple hours while they threw together their costumes {a minor feat with 8 kids of varying ages}.

Here's our small herd outside the restaurant.

My dad was the cowboy and all the kids walked into the restaurant holding the rope. It was a hoot and we got a lot of attention! The manager even took a picture of us to send to the corporate offices.

Will we do it again next year?

Absolutely!

We're classy {and cheap} like that.

Fishing

We had SO much fun in Colorado! I took almost 600 pictures (eek) so it will take me awhile to wade through them all. We spent one day fishing in the mountains and had a fabulous time. It was probably my favorite thing we did during the two weeks we were there. I took 150 pictures that day alone. Here's a few of my favorites:

Allen teaches the kids how to bait hooks:


Teaching how to cast:

The first catch:



Addie was SO enthralled by the fish we caught and kept in the bucket. It was seriously hilarious watching her watch them:

She was in rare form:

End of the day:We ended up catching 5 fish in about an hour. All the kids got a chance to cast and use the nets to get the fish. It was such a great time. They all tried the fish that we caught and grilled up at home that night. No one but the adults really liked it but I was proud that they all had a taste. I'm not a huge trout fan but it was really good that fresh!

More posts to come!

4th of July

We had a fun and busy 4th yesterday. We started with an early morning pancake breakfast and bike parade at the church. The kids had fun decorating their bikes and riding them around with the gazillion other little kids in our primary. For the record, there are TWO primary presidencies in our new ward. One for junior, one for senior. Something like 300 kids total. It is nuts. We met a lot of people at the breakfast and the ward is extremely friendly {YAY!}.

The kids at the church {we had lost half our decorations by this point}:

Al had to work for a couple hours but went while the girls were napping. We had been invited to a BBQ but Addie wasn't feeling well so we skipped it and ran to dinner at Red Robin after she woke up. We made these yummy red, white and blue parfaits for dessert:

When we went out to start our fireworks, this is what greeted us:It was the brightest, most beautiful rainbow I've ever seen. Of course the picture does it no justice. Our house is the one in the right corner that you can see a bit of. When it finally got dark, we headed down to Al's office where we had a perfect view of both the big firework shows that are put on here in Albuquerque. The kids LOVED it - especially Miss Addie - she was totally entranced! We got home late which made for a difficult time at church this morning but it was worth it!

I saw so many fun patriotic ideas online this year but only got around to doing these flag brownies with the kids. They were way cuter online but we had a grand time making them so that's all that really matters.

I'm so very grateful for this free country we live in. I recently read a book about Martha Washington and it was a humbling and eye opening book about the sacrifices our founding fathers made so we could have the freedoms we enjoy today!

I'm off to Colorado with my kids in the morning for a couple weeks! Hope you had a safe and fun 4th!