Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The Hanging of El Bandito

Before Dreamer, his dad and Scott (brother-in-law) came up to Bear Lake on Saturday, the rest of us got to do some fun stuff. On Friday night we went to Pickleville Playhouse to see the play, 'The Hanging of El Bandito'. It was a very funny melodramatic comedy that we all enjoyed immensely, regardless of our ages. It was very, very funny and the time went very quickly.

Confidence had a seat at the far right of her row and stood up for much of the show. Because of the angle of the seats, she wasn't in anyone's way.

Vivacious and Dynamite, mezmerized.

Christine and Megan.

Joanne and Christine.

4-Wheeling, Fishing and S'Mores

The kids had so much fun on the 4-wheelers. They begged and begged to be taken on ride after ride. They were lucky that Dreamer, Grandpa, Aunt Christine and Uncle Scott were all willing to take them on rides so they could go out again and again. Confidence was big enough to ride on her own this time, but Vivacious and Dynamite had to be driven by grown-ups. Of course, they did get to drive the riding lawn mower with Grandpa, which was just as fun for them.Nick, riding one of the 4-wheelers.

Harv & Joanne on the 4-Wheelers.

Grandpa & the kids on the 4-wheeler.

Dynamite, driving the riding lawn mower!

Vivacious, driving the riding lawn mower.

Grandpa, Confidence, Nick (cousin), Dynamite and Vivacious.


Dreamer took Vivacious, Dynamite and Confidence fishing.

Fishing at Tony Grove (between Logan and Bear Lake).

Cutesome and I.

Dreamer's parents, Harv & Joanne.

Vivacious, Dreamer, Cutesome, Nick (cousin), Dynamite and Confidence.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Family Vacation to Bear Lake

I just thought I'd post a few of my first pictures of our trip to Bear Lake. We're staying at a lodge that's a few minutes' drive from the lake. There are a total of 14 bedrooms - far more than our family needs. We're here with my in-laws and my sister and her husband and 2 kids. My mother-in-law manages this and many other lodges for the owner (who is serving a mission right now) and we were able to come stay here because it wasn't booked this week! Yippee!!! We love it up here and are having a blast. As I type this I'm also watching one of my top 5 movies of all time, 'You've Got Mail', on a giant TV with the sound of the little stream that runs through the property coming in from the screened doors. The kids are playing happily and it is just SO relaxing! It helps that my sister offered to keep Avery at home with her so I don't have a baby to take care of - now that's a vacation!

My kids' cousin, Nick.

Dynamite

Nick and Confidence

Cousin Megan and Vivacious

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Something To Think About

I just thought I'd mention (in case anyone ever looks at this) that just because a person reads another person's blog, it does not mean he/she knows that person. Some use their blog as a place to rant and rave, some to post pictures and document life, others to give people their great ideas and others like to communicate information and express opinions. Of the blogs I read, few people write their innermost feelings and everyday life stuff. I believe that without actually spending time with the person, they can't be known entirely.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Miscellaneous Pics

Aren't they the cutest?

Cutesome and I.

My only blue-eyed baby! I have always LOVED brown eyes, but something about having blue on my beautiful baby makes me love blue eyes as well!

Everyone should have a big sister that adores them like Confidence does Cutesome.

Why would you use 2 bowls when 1 giant one works just fine?

While cousin Kenlee was staying with us last weekend we did "Satin Hands, Satin Lips, Facials and Manicures. Clockwise from boy: Dynamite, Emma (cousin), Confidence, Kenlee, Vivacious.

Cutesome learning how to use his walker.

Boy do I love having kids that love to cook! Note to self: continue teaching kids how to do stuff I don't like do.

Few Things Are Cuter Than a Baby In the Bath

Isn't he adorable??? (There's only a short amount of time that one can take pictures of n@ked babies and post them online without getting into trouble!)
I guess he's ready to get out now.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Some Videos to Enjoy


Vivacious reciting "The Man That Wants A Garden Fair", with an intro by Dynamite!


Cutesome learning to eat (crackers) and trying to do "raspberries".


Confidence's backstroke. I made her repeat level 4 from last year to perfect her strokes before moving on to level 5. She hopes to join the rec center swim team this year.


Dynamite rock climbing at the rec center.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Help! Something Must Be Done!

I have been having pain my right arm for about 6 weeks. After about a month I went to a family practice doctor, who diagnosed it as Tennis Elbow, a form of Tendinitis. He said I should continue to wear the brace I had bought a couple days before and use an anti-inflammatory every morning and night. Within 2 to 3 weeks the pain should go away or we could do cortisone injections. I wore my brace, even though it was really ugly. It did seem to help that particular part of my arm feel better, but higher up on my arm started hurting instead. When I stopped wearing the brace it seemed to be improving, so I didn't put it back on after a week and a half of wearing it.

Now, however, my shoulder (same arm) is in considerable pain most of the time, especially when I use it (even just picking up the diaper bag or brushing my hair is painful) and when I lay on my side to sleep. In addition, I have been having sporadic pain in my elbow and lower forearm as well. The pain I had that the doctor said was Tennis Elbow is almost completely gone. And here's the weirdest part - my other shoulder has been hurting now too. Explain that!

I think not using it would help, but that really isn't an option. I have a 9-month old baby and a bunch of other responsibilities and can't seem to stop myself from using it to clean my house. I need to see a doctor again, but having the kids all home for summer break makes it even harder to do stuff like that. Any ideas for home remedies? Do you know of any doctor that might be particularly good at figuring out what I should do? I'm open to suggestions.

More (can you believe it) Baseball Pictures!

The rain poured during Vivacious' final baseball game. Although the game was tied twice, making it extra extra long, she endured to the end and played her little heart out. The season has been long and she is ready for it to be over, but she enjoyed the attention she got at her last game. Her fan club at her final game included mom, dad, brothers and sister, both grandpas, Aunt Jenn and Uncle Fred and 3 cousins. Her fans all endured to the end despite being rain-drenched.
The kids huddling under Vivacious' umbrella in the dugout.

Soaking wet and chilled to the bone. When we left home for the ball park the sun was shining and we didn't think to bring so much as a long-sleeved shirt for her. Poor girl!

After much carrying and jiggling through Dynamite's game at 5:30 and Vivacious' game at 7:00, Cutesome finally gave in and fell asleep around 8:00. My sister held him under a tree for cover from the rain. He couldn't stay asleep until the game ended at nearly 9:00, though, so he cried for the last 10 or 15 minutes and she drove him around in the van to help calm him down. I couldn't have made it through 3 1/2 hours of baseball with that fussy baby without her help!

Dreamer helps out when they need an extra dad.

There was half an hour between when Dynamite's game ended and Vivacious' game began. Dynamite and I gathered all our stuff (huge blanket, the girls' library books, the diaper bag, the baby, his bat and glove and treats from his game) and headed to the opposite end of the field to catch a portion of my nephew's baseball game. The girls headed over there earlier and didn't take their things and Dreamer wasn't back from work yet, so he wasn't around to help. (Have I mentioned that I am having severe arm pain and using my right arm in any way hurts terribly?) I just want you to get a picture in your head of how pathetic I must have looked and how desperate I felt.

Somewhere between the two baseball diamonds I lost my car keys. After retracing my steps and calling my sister to see if she would stop at home on the way and pick up the spare key (just in case), we checked the snack bar, where someone had turned them in! Whew! Before then, however, I was comforted by the sight of my dad walking up because I knew that if anyone could find something little that was lost in the grass in a giant park it would be my dad. Luckily for all of us we didn't have to comb the park. Anyway, it was a long, long night, especially for Cutesome and I.

Some New Pictures




Dynamite and the bird feeder he made with Grandma J.

Isn't this so cute? I was trying to keep him happy outside long enough to get a little bit of yard work done.