Life is good

Our Thanksgiving Day was filled with delicious fried turkey, 

home-smoked ham, all the trimmings, 

and chocolate cake.  

The food filled my tummy.

But what I cherished the most was the warm feeling in my heart brought by being 

surrounded by wonderful family and friends.  

The love filled my soul.

I hadn't felt that satisfied in a very long time.  

Life is good.

Beautiful babies

Here are the latest pics of my brood.

I think they are so beautiful!

(Couldn't decide which one to choose for Grant.)

Having a little fun....

A pony party

Karina turned 7 this year and she partied it up with ponies and friends!

We played games, ate cake, held a scavenger hunt, and had good times.

Her birthday came during an extremely busy time for our family and it was a challenge to get everything coordinated for her party.

But the boys filled in the gaps for me as they helped the girls with the games, wrapped and set up Karina's gifts, and organized the scavenger hunt.  They were life savers!

Dallin put together the entire scavenger hunt.  He made all the clues and set them out with Kyle's help.  He did an amazing job!  It was such a relief to me to have his help.

The prize at the the end of the scavenger hunt was Karina's new doll house from her grandma and grandpa.  It was still in the box when the party started and so Dallin and Kyle locked themselves in my room and put together the entire house for Karina.  It was perfect.  

Once again, my boys to the rescue!

The party was a team effort and a great success.

Happy birthday, Bucket!

Dallin airplane ride

Dallin rode in an airplane this summer as part of the Young Eagles Program.  It was a great opportunity for him to experience something new and different.  He had a great instructor who showed him how to do a pre-flight inspection and then took him up in the sky.  He flew right over our house and even got to fly the plane himself for a bit.  It was a great experience for him and he really enjoyed it.

Our friend, Sally

Our friend, Sally, turned 99 years old in July.

99 and spunky.

99 and kickin'.

99 and fiercely independent.

99 and full of life.

99 and knows how to party.

99 and still living on her own.

99 and known and loved by all in our little town.

99 and unashamed of the gospel.

99 and looking forward to 105.

Thank you for sharing your special day with us.

We love you, Sally!

Trunk o' kids

Look closely.  

Can you see what I'm hauling in the trunk of my car?

Kids!

A new house!

We bought a new house.

Yay!

We are so excited and happy for this tremendous blessing in our lives.

I'm still pinching myself to make sure it's real.

Guess what?  It's real!

This is our view from the balcony at the back of the house.  

Gorgeous.

The short story is that life got busy, building a house got overwhelming (and expensive!), and this house came available at just the right time.  So, we decided to switch gears and go for it.  

It has been quite a journey to get here.

But we are happy.

4th of July.... and beyond

Uncle Brandon came to visit a few days before the 4th of July.  One hot day we went to the river, but Brandon was the only one brave enough to jump in.

We decided to seek a more kid-friendly water hole and found it at Eagle Creek.  

The water was a bit swift, but fun.

We headed to Redding, CA to celebrate the 4th of July.  I didn't get any pics of the kids playing with their cousins in the pool, but that's where they lived for the weekend.  

Pool + cousins = Epic fun.

Jason had his 20th high school reunion in Mt. Shasta that weekend.  He had fun reuniting with old friends and learning about their lives.  I enjoyed it too!

We brought an extra kid home with us from California--my nephew Austin!  We had fun playing with him all week and having him be a part of our family.  

The Priesthood and the Temple

In our church, when young men turn twelve years old, they are interviewed by the bishop, and if found worthy to do so, they are given the priesthood (click link to read more about the priesthood).  Such was the case with Dallin and on June 8, 2014 he was given the priesthood by his father.  It was a sweet, tender moment in a room filled with those who love Dallin and our family.  It is a major stepping stone to his growth in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Dallin is such a sensitive, spiritually strong young man who will serve well in his priesthood duties.  I'm very excited to see him grow in confidence and strength.

Another privilege that comes with turning twelve years old is the ability to enter the temple (click link).  This week, Mariah and Dallin were able to go together.  What a sweet thing it is to know that my children are learning and growing together!  When they came home, Dallin told me he loved his experience and is excited to return.  What awesome kids I have!

Rockin' out

Riding with Uncle Brandon is way more fun that riding with Mom.

After all, he rolls his windows down, blasts Iron Maiden, and flashes hand signs along the way.

See ya, Mom.  We're riding with Uncle Brandon!

Various--ness

Various photos of various things:

Grant got to volunteer at the Oregon Food Bank with his class.  He packaged one pound bags of food bars and he did it with SPEED!

 My mom and I went to the BYU University Singers concert in Portland for Mother's Day.  We ate tasty Lebanese food and listened to heavenly choral music.  It was a perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day!

The end of the school year brings concerts.  Here's Grant in the center actually behaving himself.

The kids sang Beatles songs, which was very endearing.

The picture below is of Dallin performing in the band (top center).

He rocked the drums and even played the snare and cymbal together in one song.

Watch out, Uncle Chad!  Your competition is coming!

Me with Kyle and Karina on the year-end zoo field trip.

Cavin'

We went exploring a couple of weekends ago at Ape Cave on Mt. St. Helens in Washington.  We've been there before several times, but it has been a few years and the kids had forgotten our past adventures in the caves.  I remember carrying a baby on my hip during one trip.  On another trip we went completely unprepared with lightweight clothing, open-toed shoes, and wimpy flashlights.  This time we were better prepared, expect for Karina who wore lightweight slipper-type shoes.  She never complained once, however, and trekked through the cave faster than I could keep up.

There are two parts of Ape Cave.  The lower portion is a more open, easier walk; the upper portion has many obstacles, some rather difficult, and is not for the faint-of-heart.  We decided to be brave and try the upper portion.  It was a good hike to get to the upper entrance, which kept us warm inside the cave, before we descended below the earth.  

There were many, many rock piles to scramble over--some had holes that would swallow up my children.  They didn't seem to mind.  There were wide paths and narrow paths, high points and low points.  There were even two drop off sections--one we slid down like a slide, the other had a rope to repel down.  I definitely felt apprehensive about the rappelling, but turning around wasn't an option, so down I went.  

It was an adventure and rather fun!  I was impressed by the stamina my kids had.  It wasn't an easy hike and was actually quite long, but they were entertained by the challenge of it.  I guess the next time I need them to clean their rooms, I'll try to make it a "cave" experience.

Graduation #1 and #2

The end of the school year brought two graduations in our family--

Mariah - 8th grade

Dallin - 6th grade

It was a celebration!

It was a lot of fun seeing both of these kids of ours end a chapter in their lives and prepare for the next.  I can hardly believe I'll be the mom of a high schooler and that I'll have children in all three of the school district's student buildings.  It's a lot to keep track of!

Mariah was awarded Student of the Year in Science.  

Smartypants!

Dallin finished the year strong and got to spend a week at Outdoor School with his classmates.  

He will be a great junior high student!