Not your average classical violin...

Shea started the violin about 10 months ago and we are enjoying her new found talent. We hope she continues for a long time. It has brought out my violin from 25 years ago and spurred my interest, as well as broadened my love of the violin. For instance, there is the fantastically talented, "hip hop violinst", Miri Ben-Ari. But my favorite is crazy fun violinist, Alex Depue (click on "FAVORITE WEBSITES" to the right) to name some of the more renowned....I never would of imagined the possibilities on a classical instrument.

Six Flags

Each year, the elementary school offers a reading incentive. Read for 6 hours and recieve a pass to 6 Flags amusement park. All three children accomplished this so we knew we would be going to 6 Flags sometime this summer. We were thankful to only have 3 tickets to buy and then we found some coupons to further help finance our day of fun. We took the money we saved and put it toward fast passes. Then the fun began. I hadn't rode a rollercoaster since before Rett was born. (gasp) I was either pregnant, nursing, or watching wee ones. So this was a big day for me as well as Asa and Ivy who had never gone. It was EXTREMELY hot and quite busy. We were thankful for the fast pass especially when the rain sent many home. I finally got to ride the beloved Superman and It's my favorite. It locks you in then turns 90degrees, and the entire ride you're belly down. I got into it trying to put my hands out like Supergirl only to have the full effect diminished because of restraints. What made the ride for me was seeing the bottom of the shoes of the people in front of us because they were "flying" also. In addition, at the beginning of the ride, you 'fly' up stairs just as if you were truly flying. It was so COOL! It made feel like I was still young at heart. Oh and we got to get pictures with Wonderwoman, Batman, and Green Lightning. It was Great! I look forward to returning, but hope to go when it's cooler next time.

Riding Thomas the Train

Asa intimidated by superheroes

Ode to Bea & Sue

Today we had a fun family day. With summer winding down (next week is our last week before school starts), we decided to play hard. My day started with a 5k, followed by a day on the lake, then off to a pioneer celebration at the stake center. It was all fun and games until I arrived home. I had recieved a voicemail from sister-in-law asking me to call her. When I did, she had bad news. In our hustle and bustle, we hadn't checked Bea (BarBQ)& Sue (General Tsu) our two Rhode Island Red Chickens, but my niece, Laura, had when they stopped by. My sister-in-law told me that Laura ran up to see the chickens. When she returned, she told her mom they were dead and there was a hole in the fence. After getting the children to bed, Rusty and I took a flashlight and went up to the coop. We immediately saw the hole (approximately 6 inches) in the gate. We didn't notice anything because this time of night, the chickens are in their house. When we looked in the house, I saw quite a few feathers, then chicken legs. I walked around the house to get a better view and saw the carcass of one of my beautiful, sweet hens. We looked around the coop and noticed some rocks were moved and then I noticed, just inside the gate between the hole and where the moved rocks were, the second carcass. My heart sank. I'm trying to think to the Spring, when I'll start over. Rusty said, to lighten my mood, that "we were supposed to get to eat them" (hence their names). Then we started planning for our next chicken herd. I like raising them from chicks because they are so darn cute and they get used to us handling them. Kinda' like a pet. On the way back to the house, Rusty did comment how he was bummed they were gone because he liked them. "They were beautiful" he said. I replied "Looks like we found something we can agree on." Rusty is a hard sell when it comes to animals...

July 4th

This month is going way too fast. I feel as though this is our true last week of summer because next we will be 'gearing' up to go back to school. This month began with our annual 4th of July celebration at the Lake. Nearly every year, we spend it on the lake and finish the evening with fireworks. This year was no exception. We had more family on the lake this year because of the Hamilton reunion and we had a great time! I'm always impressed with how much fun we can cram into a small space of time. We boated, lounged, ate, slung water balloons, ate, watched fireworkes, ate, auctioned, rode the restored go cart, 4 wheelin'.... All within' a 48 hour period.

Hamilton Reunion 2008 at Lake Arrowhead
Uncle Randy recreating memories on the restored go cart
Slinging Waterballoons per Big Al, Rusty, & Danny
King of the Mountain ~ Tubing Style ~ Steven, Jared on top of Grant, & Rett

20 YR Reunion

Recreating our Senior picture less 2/3rds

I just returned from one of the most memorable trips...my 20 year class reunion. I know. I know. You can't believe I'm THAT old. Anywho...we had the best time! At least I did. Rusty said it was a crime how much fun I was having. Rusty was such a good sport and continues to make friends with those from my former life. He commented how blessed I was to have been raised with so many great people! Yes I am! This past weekend was also the annual town celebration bringing home so many. That just added to the wonderfulness of it all because I ran into family, YW president, former teachers, etc....My cup is running over big time!

A few of the highlights:
Staying up late and visiting until some of us were snoring

Seeing really good friends I've lost contact with and now they're on my Christmas list

Getting together with the poopmobile gang (ALL 6 of us ~ less Kristi...we missed you)

Seeing my best friend from preschool. She drove down just for this. Thanks Nic'

Going to Joseph and, not only seeing but coincidently, sitting RIGHT next to family



Rusty solving the mystery of the secret baker that would anonymously leave fresh baked goods on his counter when he was a missionary...we think

Laughing. Laughing. Laughing.

There were so many more memories, but too many to list. Once again, my Father in Heaven has blessed me so richly.

"Poopmobile" (aka "taxi" aka my dark brown '79 Pontiac Sunbird) Buddies/Partners in Crime/Click/Friends to the bitter end!
My Homecoming Date ~ Evan Larson
Nicolle & I BF since 4 yrs. old
Fast forward 33 Years. I went to Kindergarten with these gals! Can you believe that?!

Memory Lane Tag (taken from Renee)

Memory Lane...the tag that gets everyone involved. Be a good sport and play along. Here are the directions: As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Tears of ...hysterics & emotion.

A 3-year-old tells all from his mother’s restroom stall By Shannon Popkin

My little guy, Cade, is quite a talker. He loves to communicate and does it
quite well. He talks to people constantly, whether we’re in the library, the
grocery store or at a drive-thru window. People often comment on how clearly
he speaks for a just-turned-3-year-old. And you never have to ask him to
turn up the volume. It’s always fully cranked. There’ve been several
embarrassing times that I’ve wished the meaning of his words would have been
masked by a not-so-audible voice, but never have I wished this more than
last week at Costco.

Halfway, through our shopping trip, nature called, so I took Cade with me
into the restroom.

If you’d been one of the ladies in the restroom that evening, this is what
you would have heard coming from the second to the last stall: ’Mommy, are
you gonna go potty?
Oh! Why are you putting toiwet paper on the potty, Mommy?
Oh! You gonna sit down on da toiwet paper now?
Mommy, what are you doing?
Mommy, are you gonna go stinkies on the potty?’
At this point I started mentally counting how many women had been in the
bathroom when I walked in. Several stalls were full ... 4? 5? Maybe we could
wait until they all left before I had to make my debut out of this stall and
reveal my identity.

Cade continued:
’Mommy, you ARE going stinkies aren’t you?
Oh, dats a good girl, Mommy!
Are you gonna get some candy for going stinkies on the potty? Let me see
doze stinkies, Mommy!
Oh .. Mommy! I’m trying to see In dere.
Oh! I see dem. Dat is a very good girl, Mommy. You are gonna get some candy!’
I heard a few faint chuckles coming from the stalls on either s ide of me.

Where is a screaming new born when you need her?
Good grief. This was really getting embarrassing. I was definitely waiting a
long time before exiting. Trying to divert him, I said, ’Why don’t you look
in Mommy’s purse and see if you can find some candy. We’ll both have some!’
’No, I’m trying to see doze more stinkies.


Oh! Mommy!’
He started to gag at this point.

’Uh - oh, Mommy. I fink I’m gonna frow up.

Mommy, doze stinkies are making me frow up!!
Dat is so gross!!’
As the gags became louder, so did the chuckles outside my stall. I quickly
flushed the toilet in hopes of changing the subject. I began to reason with
myself: OK. There are four other toilets. If I count four flushes, I can be
reasonably assured that those who overheard this embarrassing monologue will
be long gone.

’Mommy! Would you get off the potty, now? I want you to be done going
stinkies! Get up! Get up!’ He grunted as he tried to pull me off. Now I
could hear full-blown laughter. I bent down to count the feet outside my
door.

’Oh, are you wookin g under dere, Mommy?
You wooking under da door?
What were you wooking at?
Mommy? You wooking at the wady’s feet?’
More laughter. I stood inside the locked door and tried to assess the
situation. ’Mommy, it’s time to wash our hands, now. We have to go out now,
Mommy.’ He started pounding on the door. ’Mommy, don’t you want to wash your
hands? I want to go out!!’ I saw that my ’wait ’em out’ plan was unraveling.
I sheepishly opened the door, and found standing outside my stall, twenty to
thirty ladies crowded around the stall, all smiling and starting to applaud.

My first thought was complete embarrassment, then I thought, ’Where’s the
fine print on the ’motherhood contract’ where I signed away every bit of my
dignity and privacy?’ But as my little boy gave me a big, cheeky grin while
he rubbed bubbly soap between his chubby little hands, I thought, I’d sign
it all away again, just to be known as Mommy to this little fellow.