Back to life?!

I can't believe the kids are all back in school! Depression has set in for mom. Hopefully I'll pull myself together before summer starts again! The boys are now leaving at the crack of dawn on the same bus, and little one goes a bit later. Football is in full-force, and soccer games start next week. Rachael informed me she only wants to dance this year, but tennis lessons are on the horizon for sure. I am MOST HAPPY to have my camera back! I've been taking pictures of everything, except for our recent basement flooding. I didn't capture that moment on film. Good luck to everyone getting back into the swing of things!

Loser Blogger award

Okay, so I deserve the "loser blogger award". I haven't updated in sometime. Mainly because we have been having too much fun, and I haven't had time to sit down and update. But also because my dearest husband left my camera battery plugged into the charger in his hotel in Peru. So, I don't even have pictures of all our summer adventures to share. Just trust us, we have been a very "happenin' " family! I did retrieve a photo from Blake's cell phone to try to spice up the blog a bit. I took his picture on top of a mountain on one of our Park City mountain bike rides. We spent the week at the Marriott there and had an awesome time. Blake spent June in Lake Powell with the boys, then too Peru for ten days, and to youth conference. I think I saw him maybe three days. July has been much better. We are ready to have Ethan stop his gallivanting for awhile and join us as a family also! Happiness is always having all of us together and enjoying nice summer nights. That's maybe happened twice. But hey, we have August right?

The Hunger Games

We are off to a crazy summer!  I must tell all my thousands and thousands readers about a great book I read.  It's called "The Hunger Games", by Suzanne Collins.  I recommend it for EVERYONE!  I loved it, and I am sure my fourteen and eleven year old will love it also.  You must hurry and read it because the second book is coming out this fall!  Let me know what you think!

A Few of My Favorite Things

I have some great things I need to write about.  The most exciting is the new mountain bike my greatest hubby got me for Mothers Day.  He surprised me big time.  It was a great day, and I LOVE the mountain bike.  Especially since my knee has been giving me fits.  Do any of you want to take a ride sometime?  I definitely need some partners.  Blake and I have gone once and we had a great time together.  I think he thinks I a bit whimpy because coming down the hills scares me to death.  I had to get off and walk my bike.  It was fun just to spend some time together doing something we both like to do.  Another really great thing that I have loved this month is the website audible.com.  A friend told me about this site and has been urging me to give it a try.  I downloaded the most awesome book called The Hunger Games.  I highly recommend this book.  I am so glad I downloaded it because my son can also listen to it while he mows lawns this summer.  So go download a book.  It will get you through yard work, housework, taxi driving, soccer games, and lacrosse.  It's great!  Ethan tells me I look really hip with earphones in all day.  I told him that just maybe I was really listening to the newest songs just as they hit I-tunes.  He rolls his eyes....  Lastly, a great buy.  Who can give this up?  I love these new capris that I bought at Walmart.  They were 8.00.  They are so comfy.  I love them.  So there you have it.  Some great things you may enjoy!  Let me know about the mountain biking!!  

I'm Gorgeous Inside

I had to take a picture of this.  I was carpooling and my son saw this house with the sign that reads, "I'm Gorgeous Inside".  He was laughing at the proclaimed statement because it is clearly a dive.  But it got my wheels turning.  Do I ever claim to be gorgeous on the inside, when really I am not?   Outwardly speaking, I always feel like I am much more gorgeous on the inside.  My knees hurt, my face is wrinkly, but I still feel my same old self on the inside.  Spiritually though, I wonder if I convince myself that I am gorgeous on the inside, in yet do nothing to keep it up.  Will the Lord laugh just as my son did, and say clearly you are a dive?  I sure hope not!  

The Last Hoorah

These pictures were taken on April 4th, 2009.  Beaver Mountain stayed open one more week.  We have had such a fun season of skiing this year.  Rachael is now old enough to get on the lift by herself.  She just cruises along with the rest of us.  Pretty soon she will be way past skiing with her mom!  It is so much fun to go up as a family and spend time together.  I love this picture of my brother with my cutest little niece.  Riding up on the lift with my teenage son, watching Supe ski the rails.  It is a mothers delight to see her children and hubby happy.  Blake and I met skiing, and I still LOVE to watch him ski.  He is an incredible skier.  Even getting stitches and all this year from a fall.  You would think at almost 40, he would tame it down a little bit!  It snowed all day this final season ender.  I drove to our cabin in the worst snowstorm I have ever driven in.  We have been very blessed with a wonderful winter.  And now it's time for SPRING!! 

April Fools!

April Fools has got to be one of my favorite holidays.  Is it a holiday?  Maybe that's why I like it.  No presents, no baking required.  Just good ol' fashioned fun.   I started my day at 4:30 am.  I went running downstairs, unplugged Ethan's alarm clock, and told him it was 6:55, and he was going to miss the bus.  He jumped out of bed, hopped in the shower, got dressed, and came running up to a sign saying "April Fools".  I then decided to do my annual "Crisco on the doorknobs."  The kids fall for that one every time.  I got back into bed and told Blake that Aggie had just thrown up all over in the garage, and it didn't look like she was breathing.  He jumped out of bed, and went into the kitchen only to see the same sign.  I was awake, so I decided to put saran wrap on the toilets.  That's always a fun one.  Supe falls for that one every year also.  Kind of messy, but worth it.   The kids all ate blue cold cereal, and sluggishly went to school.  

I always try to get my brother and sister-in-law.  They are so gullible bless their hearts.  Jill had asked me to pick up Jacey from preschool.  I called her with the "dead battery"  excuse.  She hurried and called her friend to go pick up Jacey.  Not to mention, she didn't seem too stressed about me being stranded with a dead battery!  I had already picked up her daughter and had Jacey call her saying "April Fools".   Well, I better run.  I have to go short-sheet the kids' beds before they get home from young men.  Not to mention the raisin I put in their toothpaste tube.  Can't wait for that one.  Happy April Everyone!!