Where a kid can be a kid...

Summer fun! Missing our double cousins!

Iron County Fair 2014

 Food, rodeo, rides... it never disappoints! We love our Labor Day tradition!!!

Copy Cat

I miss her.

Disneyland or Bust!!!

 What happens when your best friend, closest cousin, and neighbor (well she was for at least for 9 months) tells you that all she wants for her birthday is to go to Disneyland without kids??  Well naturally I woke up at 3:30 in the morning, picked her up and drove to Cali for the day. 

By the time we got there, we realized that both of our phones were almost dead. So we only snapped a few photos.... here they are!

Tram ride from the parking lot to the park... this was possibly going to be the only photo we took b/c of our lack of charging. We saw all the moms and dads rushing around trying to collapse their strollers, stuff their diaper bags, backpacks and kids on board. We giggled the whole time feeling 3% guilty, 97% elated! We had one small sling sack that held our phones and a little cash.

 We walked onto EVERY RIDE. By 1pm we had ridden EVERY SINGLE RIDE. It was nothing short of a miracle :) Thanks Walt for watching out for us!

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WHOLE TRIP: When leaving the park we wanted to take a photo of us jumping in front of this giant pumpkin. We were all ready to jump off the 6 inch curb when the employee stopped us and said she couldn't take the photo if we jumped. She said it was against the rules. We tried to talk her into it, but she couldn't break the rules... even for the birthday girl. The picture above is Liz trying not to scream (something we'd both never forget) at the unwilling employee.

I finally convinced her to smile for one :)

Can you see the pumpkin in the background??? Can you?? As we started exiting the park we figured if we got kicked out for taking a jumping photo there would be no loss... we were on our way out anyway. So I asked a random stranger to capture this beauty. She took 9 rapid fire shots and this gem was sandwiched in the middle. This photo sums up our whole relationship. AMAZING! 32 never looked so awesome. And 32 feels like 22 when you have a Liz Martin by your side.

I bawled 2 days later when we packed up her U-Haul and she moved to AZ with her cute family. I knew from the beginning of her time here in Vegas that it wouldn't last long. I could see Arizona in her near future. I always made the most of the time we spent together... which was just long enough for my kids to become best friends with their second cousins. Now we are not only bonded by OUR friendship, but by our 6 kids friendships too!

My Little Lincoln

My little Lincoln is growing up. This summer he shot his first deer with his bow and arrow, as well as an antelope (400 yards away) with his rifle. Jefferson was beyond sad when they "ran out of tags". The boys spent every weekend for 7 weeks in southern Utah waiting for the right shot... and Lincoln finally got it... twice :)

Best Church Calling

 This is a little glimpse of what my weeks are filled with. I love serving the youth in my ward. They are so fun and filled with energy!!! It is awesome watching them grow and learn!!! They teach me much more than I teach them.

My phone is filled with their "selfies". I told them if they take... I just might post it!

Bowling. Firesides. Devotionals. Ski trips. Slurpee days. Rollerskating. Beauty refinement :) Drive in movies. Dance competitions. These are the best group of kids EVER! Its like I have adopted 20 teenagers. Plus I have an amazing pool of kids to hire as babysitters!