We had a great 4th of July...my extended family gets together at my parents and we have a big sleepover outside- filled with activities and food! We swim, ride horses, make crafts, play horseshoes, golf, eat, laugh and of course - fireworks for the kids. Here are some of my gorgeous cousins...all of whom are SINGLE, except my sister who is in the middle.Ruby attempting to ride a horse like a pro. My cousin Jace was so nice to lead each kid and adult (those who were scared to do it alone) around the field. He was doing it for a good 2 hours.
The horse got the 'shivers' and shook for a second which scared her to death...
So this is the end result of her infamous ride. Poor thing.

It's also tradition to run the 5k the next morning in Henefer. We always run and usually win some nice drawing prizes. The prizes were lame and few and far between this year. But Marty, Jared, Ingrid and I all placed in the top 3 in our individual age groups...pretty cool. There were only about 130-150 runners but still - we were happy to get medals!
Here is all of the family that got up and ran in the race...pretty awesome.
We went to a Jon Schmidt concert in Sandy (Marty's Mom bought us tickets for our birthdays)... I had (GOT) to take Ruby because Marty had (GOT) to be at our ward camp-out-which happened to be on the same night (at my grandparents property).
Ryan(Marty's brother) and Becca were able to come with us...The concert was EXCELLENT...especially because it was outdoors.

THE LAKE!!!

ON the road again, I just can't wait to get on the road again...We had such a great time at Lake Almanor...I made these little dresses for my nieces and Ruby. They looked so cute on them.

The cabin we stay in is in a perfect location, right on the beach and right by the park where they hold outdoor live concerts every Sunday. This is my nephew Anthony.


Liam did not LOVE the water, but he tolerated it and I think he may have enjoyed it once he was in and moving.
Ruby on the other hand was a little FISH this year. It made it so fun that she always wanted to be in the water swimming.
Rube's and uncle Dave...he is so good to play with her and will always build a sand castle with her.
This dog, Lucas, was a hit. He is about as big as a stick of butter, okay maybe a wee bit bigger but not much. Dave brought him back from Peru and we tried to Americanize it as much as possible. He was an attention getter anywhere we went.
Liam taking his first RIDE> Oh yeah.

Here is the crew. Of course we are missing Marty's other brother and his family, but that is all of us.
This entertained Liam whenever we needed him entertained...(during dinner prep and such)- can you guess what it is?
AHHHH. I don't know how it happened but he is OBSESSED with Elmo.?! I'm not going to start buying him Elmo t-shirts and stuff- but maybe a book and stuffed Elmo or a couple Elmo movies would do. I knew this would happen one day.
We thought we were making great time to leave early on Saturday morning for our 10 hour drive home and then hit THIS! We sat in traffic for 1 and 1/2 hours!!!! We'd only been driving for one hour when we stopped...talk about frustrating. I guess it was a really bad wreck though and involved at least one fatality. The kids did pretty good considering.

WOW...June

June is crazy for many reasons! The main 4 are these...our Anniversary, Marty's Birthday, Father's Day and then Mindy's Birthday! Seriously WHAT were we thinking getting married in June... I mean we are only half way thru the month and I feel exhausted. Could be a little to do with pregnancy too? HA. To make it really great though-my sis-in law (Brett's wife) came to town from Ohio with their NEW 3 month old baby Emri! So we of course had a girls night with all the sis's . Here we are having a big BOW-making fest. Then we all went out to the Pizza Factory! I love you Jam... so glad you came out.!
Ruby had a 'Dance Review' in Morgan. It was her first experience in a dance class and she really liked it. It was so fun to watch her that night and she did so great!
We ran in the 'Gerald Anderson Memorial' 5K. A high school reunion basically. It was fun to see so many people. They have a big turn-out and it's cool to see the support for a cause like that. We got really nice t-shirts too.
For the 7 year anniversary we stayed in Salt Lake and went to PF Changs for dinner. It was so delicious! We got the Changs for Two...you get a soup cup each, one appetizer to share, an entree each and a mini-dessert each-for 39.95. I love the egg drop soup. We got lettuce wraps for the appetizer-sooo good. I ordered the almond/cashew chicken and Marty got the orange-peel shrimp. We ate it all up. PIGS we are. (But there was no fridge in the hotel so why let it waste if ya can't take it home.?) I LOVED the shrimp, will definitely get that next time. The mini-dessert was a perfect size for a sweet dollop at the end. We walked to and from the restaurant - it was just so relaxing to not be on a schedule. We had a really great time!
Marty's 33rd birthday! I love this dear man. And he is sooo easy to please! The least picky person (about most things) I've met. We surprised him at lunch and took him out. Made his favorite dinner that night. Lasagna. Then after his bishopric meetings...I let the kids stay up and we surprised him again with gifts and a cake. Chocolate -Cherry Cake...his favorite combination of flavor.
Well 1/2 way done with June.! Not that I want to 'get through it'! I love summer! It is definitely a busy month though. Speaking of busy months...December will be a bit harry this year. My due date is Dec. 24th! I mean really- who plans that- NO ONE! And I am feeling like a balloon already. I was showing at like 8 weeks... no joke. A friend even asked me (out of the blue) if I was pregnant. I guess I was warned that you show sooner with each kid, but no one SAT me down and drew diagrams! sheesh... Here's to a flat stomach ever again!!!

The DO's and DON'Ts ....

Of Cruising...(in my opinion)...
We went on our first cruise a couple of weeks ago and it was a NICE, RELAXING, time-away, esp. so because we had no kids! So...

DO go on a trip without children once in a while. We did miss our kids near the end, but this time together -without interruptions or distractions -was really needed and therapeutic. We saw other couples on board with strollers and crying babies and thought -wow, so glad that's not us. Thanks to our family who watched our little ones!

DO go with someone else though. Particularly someone you enjoy being with and talking to. We went with Marty's sister and her husband-who live in California and we don't get to see them often. I 'm so glad they came. It made the trip more exciting and fun. At dinner each night we sat together, just the four of us, and had a GREAT time. I looked around at other 'couples' (just 2 people) and they just looked bored and ran out of things to talk and laugh about.
DON'T order wine unless you realize it's going to be an 'extra' charge on your bill...ALL drinks are NOT included. (Russ posed for this picture actually to be funny. He knew 'his' drink each night would cost him (but it can really add up fast.))
DON'T go on a Mexican cruise when there is a pending swine-flu pandemic. We only stopped at ONE port in Catalina Island. I was 'grateful' we didn't stop in Mexico (Ensenada) but it made for 2 whole days on a ship.
DON'T sign up for an 'onshore excursion' (thru the cruise line) unless you know it is impossible to do on your own when you get off the boat. We went kayaking, which was AWESOME, but we paid a hundred dollars to do it. When we got off the boat we realized we could rent our own kayaks for 40 bucks for the same amount of time! Yes, it was nice to have a guide tell us the history of the Island and paddle around with us, and we got a really yummy cookie/snack halfway through. But in the end I would have rather paid less than 1/2 the price and made my own experience.
DO dress up for the dinners. We always sat in the restaurant for dinner each night and it was really nice. There is one night where you can dress really formal. We didn't go all out but still wore a dress. The other nights I wish I'd have brought nicer shirts to wear to dinner instead of a bunch of T-shirts.
DO keep covered. It's nice to lay out in the sun and relax/read, but I've learned the hard way about protecting my skin. A little sun is nice but too many people got fried on board. I wish I could go back in time and chill out about being so tan. Believe me 3 surgeries and melanoma cancerous moles later...I am an advocate about being careful in the sun.
DO try the slide - just once. We did but the boys were too chicken. It was ICE cold sea water! Not what I was expecting.
DO bond as much as you can with your hubby. It's a special time to be without little ones.
DON'T get 'accidentally' pregnant weeks before the cruise. It doesn't make for the most comfortable of times on ship. AND the food doesn't have quite the glorified affect as everyone tells you it does with the underlying 'yuckies' lurking. Seriously sometimes when I think about the food on board I want to puke and it's not because of the food; it's the fun of pregnancy.

Yeah - big surprise for us but we are, of course, excited.

MADRE DIANE

TE AMAMOS!!! (WE LOVE YOU)

BECAUSE YOU ARE SO SPECIAL WE WANTED TO TELL YOU IN 20 WAYS-WHY IT'S SO EASY TO LOVE YOU...

1. YOU ARE SO VERY PRETTY IN PINK! 2. You are SUCH A GOOD COOK! You make incredible dishes from scratch! You are such a healthy chef too and always trying new recipes and fun foods when we are around. I LOVE it! Even a simple breakfast at the lake is always some egg/omelet creation and sooo yummy.3. I am amazed at your strength! You have had QUITE the life and so many experiences and trials no one can even imagine. You found the gospel and raised such an incredible family and have such a stalwart testimony.

4. You have an AMAZING talent of knitting. I am so fortunate to be a receiver of your work. I LOVE to dress my kids in these hand-made treasures. It is such a special thing to me. Here is the latest, BTW, you wanted to see Liam in his sweater...so cute.

5. You are so good with your grandkids...they love you. Ruby loves when you let her cook with you and not fuss about the mess or the time it takes to do it. Liam loves your snuggles and book-time you give him.6. You have always loved me and accepted me from the beginning. Yes, you are true to your word and will speak your mind or opinion about things. And I have learned to really appreciate that and cherish the relationship I have with you. I tell people how close I am with you and they are amazed (most in-laws are scary)- the fact that I can go potty while your in the bathroom says alot. ?

7. You gave me Marty...He is such a devoted father and husband and his testimony is REAL and deep and I KNOW it stems from you. You were and are such a good example.

8. I love that you read and read and love to read new books all the time. You have kind of a corky taste for books and sometimes movies. But I love your 'different' taste, it expands mine.

9. I love when you get laughing so hard that you cry. Your so fun to be around and your kids can really get you going.!

10. I really appreciate all you do for me and our family. Your always so thoughtful to send cards and holiday packages and it shows how much you really care and think about us. I've been so blessed to marry into such a fun-loving, loud, Californian family. And you are at it's head. You are such a delight and I love you so much...Please know this and never forget. Happy Mothers day, Mom. Love, Mindy


Ten things I love about my Mom (by Marty)

1. I love it when my mom cooks! She always adds a little something to make it fun and delicious.

2. I love how my mom can be spontanious. She comes up with little ideas or little gifts out of nowhere and just for fun.

3. I love talking to my mom. I can talk to her about most anything and she will always listen.

4. I love my mom's unique taste in clothing and decoration. It's fun and spunky. I think she needs to move to Oregon.

5. I love my Mom's smile!

6. I love my Mom's positive outlook on life. Life has not been easy but she continues to smile and enjoys each day for what it is.

7. I love my mom's bluntness. It's not hard to guess what she's thinking and you always know where you stand with her.

8. I love it when my mom gets laughing so hard that she doesn't make a sound and just shakes. It makes me laugh.

9. I love my Mom as a Grandma. She is the best Grandma a kid could have. She makes life fun and unpredictible. Ruby loves spending time with her Grandma Diane.

10. Most of all, I love my Mom's testimony. It has always been a strong example in my life. I don't know where I would be without it. Thanks Mom.