Pioneer Day

So when we went to church with my mom before Pioneer Day the kids saw a blurb in the bulletin about a Pioneer Day picnic. They got all excited and really wanted to go. The day of the picnic my mom made the observation that in the announcement there was no mention of the need to bring a side or dessert. First red flag. Well, it was supposed to start at 6pm. We got there about 5:55. I jokingly told my parents that I should drive around the block a few times since we were early. When we pulled into the parking lot, we were not alone like I thought we would be. The sheltered picnic spot was almost full already with hungry people. Red flag number two. It was hot that day. Super hot. We waited until about 6:30 for the opening prayer. Then we noticed the food table with it's lack of food. Red flag number 3. Then the line started and we were almost to the back of 600 people. Red flag number 4. We didn't wait for any more red flags, we were headed to SONIC!!!! Yummy slushies and good company. We found out later that the people in charge planned for 250 people and ran out of food right away. YIKES! P.S. I am not blaming anyone! I feel for the people in charge, and I'm glad it wasn't me. Here's some fun pics of the night as well as some from Dairy Queen the night before when we had Miss R with us. Oh, and minus Princess who was at a sleepover with her aunt.

Tribute

While we were in Boise, my dear sweet Grandma passed away. I am grateful that I was able to see her and say my goodbyes in person. She suffered for so long and I am glad that she no longer suffers, yet she is missed. When I think of my grandma I think of ice cold pink lemonade, cookies (especially at Christmas time, yum!), her beautiful clothes that she made herself, the best coasters in the world, and love. Thank you for raising my Dad to be such an amazing guy and for being my Grandma, I love you!

Best Pictures Ever!

Since Princess LOVES to give makeovers, my Dad bought her some MaryKay makeup at the auction. A couple of days later we had my niece, Miss R, over for a sleepover. Her and Honey Bunch got into the makeup. They didn't need any help, they did it all by themselves. LOVE IT!

Look Who's Cooking

My Dad enlisted the help of Princess to make some Rhubarb Crisp. They were adorable! Unfortunately, (or fortunately for my Dad) the kids didn't care for it. Oh well, it made for some awesome pictures. ;-)

Fourth of July

Here's the crew in their4th of July shirts. Gotta love the one Doctor picked for Megaman! (Mischief is my business and business is Good!)

We started out early with a pancake breakfast hosted by Mr. & Mrs. Officer. Yummy pancakes and waffles and good times.



After breakfast we headed out to buy fireworks. It was new territory for me as Doctor always picks out the fireworks. Since he was in Indy, I was on my own. I think I did alright. The guy talked me into buying a box of "Sliders", which I had never heard of. I should have bought several more though, cause they were awesome! You slide your foot over them and they spark. Much more fun than pop-its. Anywho....we headed to a BBQ at another of Doctor's sister's house and then lit off fireworks after. Thanks for the fun, guys!

First Full Day

On our first full day in Idaho, we went to see Cars 2, with Doctor's family. Here are some cute pics of the kids at the theater.

That evening we did family pictures with my family. They were done by Hawkley Photography. Candice is a fantastic photographer, thanks!!! I have put several of the pics on the blog already, here are several more.




Then to cap off the night, Dude caught his first lizard of the season.

On The Way

We headed out to Idaho the last week in June. The kids were awesome! They were the best little travelers. Poor Doctor was super sick, though, which made for a miserable ride. We stayed in Denver the first night and he woke me up with a note that said he might need to go to the E.R. Yikes! Doctor NEVER admits when he's sick or goes to the doctor, let alone the E.R. I knew he was bad at that point. He still was determined to drive to Moab on the way to SLC, though. Crazy guy! We obliged and after arriving in Salt Lake he got some antibiotics and started the mending process. We weren't able to hike to the delicate arches, but we did get some pictures from a lookout point. The drive was gorgeous, and even though I didn't admit it at the time, I'm glad we took the scenic route.

Catching Up

Back in June I was able to take several of Dude's cub scout troop to a day camp in Nauvoo, IL. The boys were all super behaved and we had a great time. After we got back home, Dude said, "Thanks for hosting this in our car, mom! It was just like a sleepover only in our car and not at night!"
Here's some pics of the pie eating contest.

Before we went to Idaho, the girls and I (and then later, Megaman) had a spa day. We did pedicures, manicures, massages, and facials. When we were done, Honey Bunch asked if we could do it everyday.

My Little Garden

And by little, I do mean little. I planted chives and peppers this year. For the first time, we could actually eat what I grew. Unfortunately, I didn't plan well because we were out of town for the five weeks. Oh well. I did enjoy some chives on my baked potato before leaving, and they were superb.

Of course.....

Since my husband is out of town we, of course, had a medical emergency. It all started on Thursday when I took the kids to swimming lessons. My kids all have different times so we are at the pool from 9-11. It works out great, though, because several of the cousins and an aunt take lessons at the same pool. The kids all play while they wait for their turn. Dude played around with his cousin and uncle until his turn. When he was swimming he kept coming up gasping for air. His teacher said that he kept panicking in the pool, which is unusual. Other than that he seemed fine. After his lesson we got in the car and began the 25 minute drive to my mom's house. When we got home I asked Dude to take the towels downstairs to the laundry. I tossed him the towels and he got angry and yelled at me that I was rude. Then he got a funny look on his face and started talking like his tongue was frozen. His words all slurred together and he was struggling with each word. He has been known to talk with a lisp on purpose, so I assumed he was being goofy and told him to talk normal. He started to cry and told me he couldn't. My mom had to run to the post office so she offered to take Dude. On the way he told her that his hand kept folding in and he couldn't move it. He also mentioned that he did a somersault at swimming lessons and hit his head. She had him tell me when they got back. I'm not sure why, but I asked him when his birthday was and he got a panicked look on his face and started sobbing. I then asked him what his name was and he started screaming. I tried to get a hold of Doctor, but couldn't reach him. I went to the E.R. and when the nurse asked Dude who I was, he just stared at me with no recollection. My brother, father-in-law, and brother-in-law came to the hospital and gave Dude a blessing. (Thanks guys!) The CT scan results came back normal, phew. And the best part of the CT scan is that it showed Dude's skull is all bone now, so that is a huge relief! Anyways....after a few hours it was determined that Dude had a concussion. They were preparing to release him but I was concerned because he still didn't know who he (or anyone for that matter) was. Just as we were getting ready to go he threw up, lied on the bed, then bolted upright. He got a big grin on his face and then pointed at me and told me my name. Then he pointed at his grandpa and told him his name. It was a great moment! He was miserable for the next day and a half, and then was back to his normal self. Only now he promises to tell me when he hits his head from now on!