SUMMER PART III (I KNOW YOU'RE THINKING HOW MANY PARTS COULD THERE BE?)

 Probably my favorite vacation is camping.  I love San Diego and all but camping is soooo much more relaxing for me.  I know there is dirt but since it's unavoidable I don't have to worry about the boys getting dirty or messing up the house with it.  They can't break anything, really.  We generally camp far enough away from others that they boys can be boys without bothering anyone else.  I don't have to clean really... it's just so much nicer than being in a hotel somewhere and worrying about the boys calling someone on the phone or breaking the tv or an arm jumping from bed to bed, their fave hotel past-time, or bothering the guests below, above or next to us.  You get the idea I'm sure.  We planned to go camping on Memorial weekend but since there is a well deserved fire restriction we had to postpone to the next weekend.    Anyway up to Payson we went.  Our good friends came up for dinner and to hang but couldn't stay, still fun and glad they came and brought the BIGGEST marshmellows ever known to man for s'mores.  Karla and Greg came with the coolest little trailer ever!  If you ever want to laugh out loud, ask Karla for the picture of Greg with the giant marshmellow oozing out of his mouth, classic!

R has decided to try his hand at fly fishing so this trip was his virgin effort.  He only lost 2 flies and caught 0 fish but in his defense we had to leave to come home for church right when the fish were starting to bite.This was also AJ's first ever fishing expedition and as you can see, he was ready!  So excited to go!

On Saturday Grandpa Dan and Mary came up for the day and to go fishing with us, thank goodness because even though we just wanted them to come and spend some time with us, Grandpa Dan was awesome with helping the boys, all of them, with their fishing poles.

Caleb has decided to try fly fishing also.  He and Jake and R took a class at Cabelas the week before we went to start learning the basics.

Jake and Caleb wisely decided to each get a different pole and share so that they could do both traditional and fly fishing.  Such smart boys!

Levi fished also but somehow the only pic I got of him was his bum trying to peak out while he was raiding the tackle box, at least I think that's what he was doing.  It's always hard to come home but at the same time, it's nice to sleep in a bed again and take a hot shower.  I'm so thankful for the time our family and friends took to come and share our weekend with us.  We are super excited to go again in a month or so, after our schedules calm down so if you're game...  we love to have friends go with us!

SUMMER FUN PART II

We have the most awesomest friends.  That is one of the few things, well pretty much the only thing, I miss about ID is the awesome people there.  Still we also have AWESOME friends here and after the splashpad we had some friends over the next day for bbq and cards.  It also happened to be a great friends b-day so we celebrated that too.  They brought some yummy cupcakes with patriotic frosting, being that it was Memorial day weekend after all, and as you can see all the kids enjoyed them to the fullest. 

We had a variety of red white and blue faces afterward.  Such a great time.  I count myself blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life!

SUMMER FUN (FROM THE BEGINNING, SORT OF)

One of the great things about the summer here is having all my kids home to do fun stuff with.  Another great thing is having good friends who are equally fun and adventurous so we get to go on lots of outings.  R is fond of saying that I am glutton for punishment because I choose to take all the kids out on outings rather than spend the summer in the house.  What he is only starting to understand is that 4 boys in the house, bored all summer are infinitely more difficult to handle than 4 boys out in public entertained.  So that being said when my good friend Darice suggested a playdate at the splashpad with not just ours but lots of our other friends we were of course going!  The weather was awesome and I'm certain that I speak for all of us when I say a good time was had by all.Caleb spent most of his time shooting people, his fave target was  of course me.

There is even a playground close by so they could pick their fave place to play or just go to warm up for a few minutes.

AJ and Levi loved the "rainbow tunnel" and I have to admit, it was my fave way to cool off during the day also.

There's J with his signature indignant glare, that is really not serious at all but usually precedes a punch for teasing him.  What a great day despite the sunburn I got for not wearing enough sunscreen on my shoulders and AJ's goofy one on his shoulders where I also didn't get enough sunscreen.

PROTECTED BY THE LORD'S HANDS AGAIN

Sooo... yesterday AJ and I went for a ride, sort of.  We didn't get far because Buddy was limping, just sore from having recently been trimmed.  Anyhow we went back pretty well immediately and all was fine until AJ went to get off.  He swung over to get off, hung down like usual and dropped down but this time his momentum took him backwards and to his bum, under tiger.  Tiger and Buddy didn't spook or anything but Tiger put his foot down on AJ's hand.  I tried to get him to lift his foot, which he did but he put it down on AJ's tummy.  Now I'm in full panic mode and so is Tiger because he felt him under him and immediately picked his foot up but didn't know where to put it back down so he sort of stumbled/stutter stepped to get away and off of AJ who is screaming "OWEY!!!" over and over again.

 As soon as Tiger moved off him I dropped the reins and scooped AJ up and ran to the truck with him, leaving both horses standing there by themselves.  All AJ would say was Owey and when I asked if it hurt on inside or outside he screamed inside so I ran back to the horses and pulled the saddles off and left them laying there and put both horses in the pasture and ran back to the truck.  So fast forward a couple of minutes, R and I decide to drive him in as he has stopped crying rather than call an ambulance.  They got us right into a bed at the hospital thankfully and after a little bit the tests got started.  The poor little guy had to get an IV, which he hated but he acted like a champ and held still and didn't have to be restrained and didn't even cry!!  After most of the tests were done he started complaining that he was thirsty, of course he couldn't  have anything to eat or drink so we were trying to keep him distracted  and entertained.  They gave him a puzzle for being so awesome with the IV but that only worked for so long.

That's when super dad, R, got into full swing.  He had him laughing out loud with the test tubes and begging for more.  He found that this way worked best, the glass end was slippery and they kept falling out which made for some laughs but the rubber end had some grip power and AJ loved it,

  So much so that he decided to try it himself.  Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your perspective, his nostrils aren't big enough and they wouldn't go in.  I have to admit I was a bit concerned that we were teaching him something we would regret but I recalled that while in Idaho AJ had stuck a lego man head up his nose and came running to me to get it out.  We reminisced about that and AJ remembered how that had hurt, so I'm confident, or at least hopeful that he won't do it again.  The funniest part was when a nurse walked by and saw R with the tubes in his nose and asked if there were any urine in them with a very disgusted  and concerned look on her face.  R was pretty embarrassed and after that would only put them in after lots of begging and a thorough look to make sure the coast was clear.

Thankfully, and miraculously, AJ escaped the day with only a small scrape on his tummy and the top of his thigh.   I know the Lord was protecting him.  I'm so grateful that he is ok and that Tiger isn't stupid or mean spirited or anything other than who he is and that Buddy is who he is and didn't even bat an eye during all the screaming and hubbub.  R said to me as we were leaving, "you know how lucky we are right?"  "Yes, I know. "  And I do.  I know that the Lord protected him and answers prayers, even or especially the ones uttered in a panic.  I know that if Tiger was stupid or mean spirited he could have put all his weight down and killed my baby and I'm grateful he isn't and didn't.  I said before he was an awesome horse, I'll say it again and I'm so grateful to know how blessed I am that the Lord really is aware and does care about each and every one of us individually.  He isn't some vague concept.  He is real.  He is our  Father in Heaven and just like any other father he cares and he is involved in our lives in a real way and I am thankful for that and for the knowledge of that.

SO BLESSED

I count myself blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful friends.  Last night while playing cards after dinner with some longtime, notice I didn't say old, friends another incredible friend called.  Let me next say that everything is fine but this friend needed help giving a blessing.  Superstar R immediately stood up and ran out the door, another blessing I'm grateful for is an awesome hubby, the rest of us worried about my friend.  I didn't mention anything to the kids but apparently when R left he said something in explanation to them because this morning my friend called to reassure me that all was well and to thank me for my sweet Caleb calling her to tell her that we were praying for her.  I had no idea he called and started to cry to think what a sweet boy he is.  I am so grateful for all of my boys, they are all so caring and I am so grateful to have them in my life to teach me everyday, sometimes it's to remind me how inadequate I am but never the less, I'm thankful for the love they exude and the sweet spirit they bring into our family.  I can't imagine how empty my life would be without any one of them and am grateful to fall into bed exhausted every night because of them.

WILDLIFE WORLD ZOO

Yesterday was scout day at the zoo and my awesome friend Zoila called to tell me and forward me the flier that you had to have to get in free.  Scouts in their uniform got in free, R and I thought about wearing ours but opted out since neither of us is currently  serving and that wouldn't be honest.   We hadn't been since they added the aquarium and it was cool, and that could have a double meaning since we started out later than we planned and we looked at the outside animals first, it was getting a tad warm so the air conditioned aquarium was awesome!  We got to pet starfish which didn't feel like I thought it would, not hard but not soft or squishy either, somewhere in between, also got to pet horseshoe crab and a sea urchin and some stingray.  Very cool!

The thing I love most about this zoo is that you are so close to the animals.    you could literally reach out and pet so many of them like the jaguars sleeping over our heads or the zebra eating RIGHT there.  The ostrich that I thought for sure R was going to be pecked by because he was so close and the Rhea's he was taking pics of that kept fluffing his feathers.

You can't leave before you go into the petting zoo!  This little fellow wouldn't stop climbing all over R.  They had lots of babies this year.  The white tigers have been moved outside, they had a baby llama in the petting zoo, some baby mountain lions, baby zebra, the baby giraffes weren't so little anymore but looked little next to their parents, and many more!

I love going to this zoo, it's ridiculously expensive so we only go anymore on coupons or free days but it's always worth it!

BACK IN THE NEW OLD GROOVE

Well since we've moved back lots has happened and I haven't had time to blog about it, so here is a quick update that probably won't be so quick.  I think it was the week after we got here that was Easter.  Just like old times we went to Mary's for Easter dinner.  As always great food and great times with family and just like usual Mary sent us home with leftovers.  Then she called us to invite us for dinner the following Sunday since Kimberly and Rob et. al were in CA for Easter so that we could reunite with more family.  Again great conversation, great food, tired kids and delish leftovers.  In between dinners we've had lots of riding,  shopping for and buying a commuter car for R, dinner with a great friend from ID, more riding, job hunting and interviews for me. An adventure with a couch, long story, yard sale finds and So that gets us quickly up to yesterday.  We got up early to ride but didn't.  Sold our truck and met some nice people, went to the wildlife zoo which never gets old and constitutes a whole different post, went to a benefit bbq for officer's Tirado and Paz who were ambushed in Phoenix last week and finally capped the day with a stake bbq in Tartesso.  What a great day.  Today is Mother's day and we were served breakfast, a real breakfast, duing Sunday School, had a great lesson in RS, got some great gifts from the kids and this after tulips from the Superstar hubby.  So all in all, an awesome weekend and a great reminder of just how blessed I am.