August Summed Up

We had a very busy August.



At the end of July at our family birthday party we crowned ourselves a queen. This is T.T., Brook's step-son. T.T. asked Brook to paint a motorcycle on is forehead, Brook is a very good artist but I don't think this is a motorcycle. It's a good thing T.T. has a good sense of humor. The next day he had to go to church with the outline of the crown because he got too much sun the day before.



In the spirit of competition the boys decided to see who could eat half a pie first. Brook needed to take his skirt off, he was too scared to get his new shirt dirty so he came in dead last. I think he may have tied with his sister Lowell.



Big D put forth a good effort but came up short. I just hope he keeps it all down because I don't want to clean it up.



Next we had a watermelon seed spitting contest.



Yes Bud has horns, he also had a great spit.



As you can tell from the angle of the camera Big D is aiming his spit at me. It was a good strategy because he almost won. The guy aiming at his mother-in-law took the prize though, can you blame him.



The next weekend our whole family traveled to Bear Lake for a family reunion with Papa Guy and Grandma Honey. The kids enjoyed some smores.



Believe it or not this is how the kids road down to the water. They loved this four wheeler.



Big D never turned anyone for a ride he just gave them one rule: they had to catch him first.



We went back down to the water after dinner. We were die hards for fun. Auntie Ann was done with water volleyball so she got to watch the nieces and nephews.



We played volleyball until we couldn't see the ball anymore. Next year we vowed to bring a glow in the dark ball.



I don't think the kidies had as much fun as the adults, they were freezing and headed back to camp without us.



Poor Kinnzi probably wants to turn us into to PETA for making her put up with that much sand. She hated it! But I think she hated the water even more. Papa Guy would throw frisbees in the water for his dog Dottie (a Polmeranian the same size as Kinnzi) and Kinnzi would run as fast as she could, right to the edge of the water and then stop. I think she may suffer from princess syndrome.



Grandma Honey sewed all these cool pirate hats for the kids. Honey is truly a pirate at heart.



When the kids go out to her house to stay they don't have to brush their hair because pirates don't do that. The kids love it.



After Bear Lake we got together at Brook and Andy's for a BBQ/water party. I often has to ask who the biggest kid at the party is.



It certainly isn't this beauty. This is the newest member of our family, Rae Rae. She did qualify for the cutest one at the party.



It seemes like every time these guys get together it turns into a competition.



I think the only thing they were really competing for is who is the biggest goof, and they all tied.



After the BBQ we went to another family reunion, not in the same day. Here is my dad with all of his siblings. From left to right: Papa Guy, Becky, Jeff, Lynette, and Mike. What a handsome family! The only one missing was the youngest brother, Rob.



We did 4H for the first time this summer. Beaner and Bud made pillow cases and stitched their names on them, I had to hurry and throw one together for Bear because he was feeling left out. Bug sewed PJ bottoms and I sewed her the top. She got to model it in the county fair. She got a blue ribbon on it so now she gets to model her outfit at the state fair next month. She was nervous but she did great.



After all that hard work we needed some relaxing time so we went boating. This was Bud's first time jumping off the boat since the rafting incident in Montana. I was so proud of him. He wanted to show us that he could do a cannonball.



The girls are turning into little show offs.



Beaner was trying to get her little friend, Hailey, to losen up a bit. One second she'd say she was having fun and the next she'd have a huge scrowl on her face. Some times it's hard for people to realize that if they fall off the tube they are just landing in the water, the soft water. Beaner is usually my timid one but I think she stood up before Bug did.



The kids figured out what to do with all those boxes after I unpacked. They made an apartment building. Beaner is on the top, then its Bug, both boys are in the next, and in the bottom is Kinnzi.



Thank goodness the first day of school. Now maybe I can have a breather.

I'm Back Baby

Sorry I took so long off. I was a bit down after the house debacle and I didn't think anyone would want to read about me feeling sorry for myself.

I'm feeling better now thanks to a lot of loving people showing me that 1. I have a great life just the way it is, and 2. I was acting like a spoiled rotten brat who didn't get my way, you know who you are, YOU KNOW.

I really haven't been up to much this month. My family went to Bear Lake with all my brother's, my sister's and Papa Guy and Grandma Honey. We had a great time swimming, playing volleyball, and four wheeling in the sand. The guys had to have a wheelie contest on the four wheelers, none of them broke anything so I'm happy.

The water was beautiful this year. It seems like every year we have storms that roll in at the same time every day but this year it was perfect.

I understand that the next weekend was pretty bad with wind and rain, sorry about that Ann, Lowell and Rae.

Today is the last day for that cash for clunkers scam. I tried to find a car for my sister, to help her get through college, to no avail. We had $7300 to put down on a $19,000 car and the lowest we could get the price was $15,000. I'm not the best at math but that doesn't add up or subtract to me, how about you? I was proud of Ann, I knew she wanted the car but she walked away. I wish I could have helped her find a good deal.

When I was in my pissed off mood I decided to paint my front room, bad idea. I still really liked my sage green walls with hand painted cream stripes. Now it is all primer white and I don't know what to do. I thought about bright red, you know to reflect my anger, but I didn't think my shabby chic furniture would go well.

Plus the whole reason I decided to paint the room is because an appraiser told me my house had too much personality. I don't think red gets away from that.

HELP! I don't know what color to paint the room. My house is totally destroyed right now. I have boxes that still need to be unpacked and all my front room furniture in the middle of the floor and scattered in other rooms.

My Home teachers came over last night and we all had to huddle in our quiet room to visit. Boy did it get hot in there on top of really stinky (the paint fumes).

My poor husband starts school this week and the one thing he asked me to do is get the quiet room, which is our version of a den, organized so he has a place to study.

He's been such a great guy through this whole debacle. He knows how bad I wanted the house and when we pulled out, and I melted, he stepped up and loved me even when I wasn't very lovable. I sure have a great guy!!!

I guess what I want to accomplish in this blog is to let everyone know that I am okay and I will try to do better on my blogging if for nothing else than for me to focus on something.

Thank you to all my fans, I've always wanted to say that. Thank you for being here for me and I will do my best to be there for you.

No House

Big D and I have decided to pull out on purchasing a new house. We feel it just isn't the right move for our family at this time.

Wow, that all sounds very sterile.

We've been going back and forth on this house for a couple months now. I kept thinking if I just gave Big D time to process then he'd come around, I was wrong. We started fighting, which we never do, and finally I talked Big D into getting blessings to see if that would help.

Lowell gave me one and Brook gave Big D one, by the way that was Brooks first time EVER giving a blessing and he did awesome.

In my blessing I was told to listen to my husbands council as he uses his priesthood to harken unto the Lord. In other words I was told to shut up sit down and quit interferring.

The next night we walked over to the ice cream parlor for some fresh air. I told Big D I was going to give him until the count of ten to make a decision and we were sticking with it.

The count of ten lasted ten minutes. I asked him for his decision and he said he didn't want to do it, and so we're not.

A house is sooooo not worth fighting over in my book. I love having a peaceful happy home and if we move into a home where we are always fighting then it's not going to be very peaceful and happy.

I'm not going to say that I'm not dissappointed, I am. I love the house and now I have to stare at it every day.

I guess I was just ready for a new adventure. I saw this house as a blank canvas just begging me to splash a little Tiffany all over it.

I'm very proud of Big D for making a tough decision. That's one of the reasons I love him soooo much, his ability to do what is right even when it's not the most popular with his wife. What a great guy I married!

I Still Got It

I think I've run out of things to write about. It's funny because I've never been more busy in my entire life, yet nothing to say. I think think has been my worst month for blogging by far. I know I shouldn't be too worried about it because no one really reads my blog anyway.

But am I really writing it for everyone else or am I writing it for me?

Wow, that all sounded a bit whinny didn't it?

Last night I turned off my 5 a.m. alarm. I figured I didn't need to get up that early to go to the gym because Big D has the day off; I can just go in when I get up. Well, I think my dog knew I would never go to the gym if I had that mind set so she decided she needed to go potty at 5:10 a.m.

Since I was up...

Of course I wasn't in the mood to be at the gym so I told myself if I run 2 miles I can leave. As I was leaving, after my 2, I ran into some guys that were leaving the same time. One guy asked me how much weight I've lost since coming, I shrugged him off by saying 'I don't know'. He said he could tell I've lost some weight and I was looking good.

First off I know he full of crap because that was the cheesiest line I've ever heard, but it felt good.

I don't know which feels better, knowing someone has been noticing that I'm even at the gym or having someone hit on me after having 5 babies?

Lord's Hand in July 2009

7/30/09~ And we're off. We are leaving for Bear Lake this morning. We are just waiting for my brother Itch's kids so they can ride in the RV with us. It's a good thing we had to wait for them or the kids would've had Big D talked into leaving last night and it wasn't helping when my sisters called and said they were already there. Sometimes, I tell you what, sometimes.

7/29/09~ Trying to get ready for Bear Lake; I didn't get out of bed until about 11 a.m. and then after my shower at 3 p.m. I got back into be for another hour. It a productive day if you ask me. My kids are the ones to blame for it all. They jumped on me in bed this morning so what else could I do? I had to wrestle with them like and angry bear trying to fight for its berries by the river. And then after I got out of the shower Bug was laying on my bed waiting for me so we could "talk". Of course, that turned into a repeat of the morning conflict once all the kids realized I was back in bed. No, it was more like 'on' bed.

7/28/09~ We had our first person come and look at the house. I don't think she was too interested which is a bit of a blow. I think my house if fabulous and I think everyone should feel the same. It's been a bit of a humbling day.

7/27/09~ I made it to the gym today. I think in the past month I've been two maybe three times. We've been running around all summer and it's reeking havoc on my workout routine. It's funny how fast you lose it if you don't use it. I am wore out and I didn't even do anything that strenuous. I hope I get back into it quickly, I can't afford to just nap every day all day after I go to the gym. I have decided to take this semester off from school to help get everyone settled after the move. I don't know exactly when the actual move is going to take place. If I had my way we'd do it before school started but I'm afraid it will happen right when everyone goes back. I didn't think it was fair to make everyone move and then be distracted with school. Someone needs to help everyone unpack. Plus, it's a bit more important that Big D can focus on his schooling. He's almost done. If every thing goes according to plan, which it never does, he should be done next year. YEAH!

7/26/09~ Big D's niece Annie came into town. I haven't seen her in forever. She looks so much like her dad. I wish she knew how beautiful she is. We had a nice family dinner over at my in-laws. That is the best Sunday to me: church, good dinner and good conversation. Papa Ray likes to rub it in that he is retired now and he doesn't have to get up and go to work the next day like everyone else. Grandma Ellen has until the end of August before she gets to retire and I think she's a bit nervous. Papa is a mover, he doesn't sit still. Just in the week since he's been retired they've repainted their house, started filling out papers to go on a mission, and took Kathy to a tri-atholon. Grandma says she's looking forward to going to work tomorrow so she can sit down and rest for a minute.

7/25/09~ My Aunt Patty's family is in charge of the family reunion this year. They did a carnival theme which had to take a ton of time to get organized. They had a cotton candy machine, snow cone machine, face painting and tons of games. The kids, big and small, all had fun. Brook helped out with the face painting on his kids. TT wanted a motorcycle on his forehead so Brook painted him a crown. It was so hot that he got a sunburn in the shape of the crown, it was hilarious to everyone but TT. Next year my Aunt Colleen's family is in charge and they announced we are going to play Survivor. I think that's a great idea for a theme I can't wait.

7/24/09~ We are having a camp out in our backyard. My mom's family reunion is tomorrow so family from out of town need a place to stay. We started doing it a couple years ago just because I didn't have enough room in my house to accommodate everyone and now it has turned into a sensation. We start a fire in our fire pit and roast hot dogs and marshmallows, and of course end up stinking like fire the rest of the night. All the kids roll all over each other through out the night on the trampoline, it's great fun. This year we didn't have as many people but just as much fun.

7/23/09~ Our dryer gave up the ghost. We've known it was coming for awhile now and like everything else it waited until the best possible time to die. I have been trying to do our laundry from Boston and camping, we are talking mountains. So now I've hauled it all over to my in-laws, which I'm pretty sure they are excited about, and I get to sit over there all day until my Mount Everest is clean. I'm thinking about throwing half the cloths away just to save some time and torture. I mean come on who needs that many cloths?

7/22/09~ We've started cleaning and packing. We've decided to try our hand at renting our house out. If it all works out then in about eight years when our current home is paid off we can either sell it and pay our new house off or we can take the rental $$$ and use it to pay our new house payment. That is if we survive renters for that long. We figure if we just don't like renting we'll put it on the market and sell it. Hopefully we can at least wait until the market goes back up so we can get top dollar out of our home. That is the plan today anyway.

7/21/09~ Brook, Andy, Lowell, Big D and I all went to the temple. Rae was going to go but I think it was just too soon to leave the baby, maybe next time we missed her. I love hanging out with my family, we are hilarious. I think I laughed the entire way to and from the temple and believe me I needed it. I never remembered buying a house being so stressful. It was nice to get away from the real world, meditate and laugh.

7/20/09~ Our offer was accepted, YEAH! Now I have three months to sell my home, oh crap. That is a lot of work in not very much time. Plus, we start school in a month, oh crap. I am going to sit out a semester to get every thing settled but I still have to worry about Big D and his schooling. He isn't going to be any help once school starts, not that I blame him. I have to make this transition as smooth as possible for him so he can focus on his classes. I don't think I realized what I was getting myself into. They say that moving is stressful on a marriage, I guess we're about to find out first hand.

7/19/09~ We put an offer on the house across the street. It's funny how not excited I feel when reality creeps in. I've been so excited to get every thing moving, we've been working on this since about April or May. This whole time its really just been a dream, but now it feels more real and I have to ask myself, "Is this the best thing for my family?" I know I've wanted the house for years, but that doesn't mean my family has wanted it. At what point am I being selfish?

7/18/09~ We went boating, again. Apparently when you let your kids celebrate their birthdays for an entire week, the hubby thinks he gets too also. I almost snapped my ankle when we were bringing the boat in. We were coming into the dock and going a bit faster than I thought. I put my foot out to stop the boat before it hit the dock and it folded and popped. Now I'm limping like an eighty-year-old. It's a good thing in happened at the end of our day.

7/17/09~ Happy Birthday Big D!!! Big D has been working funky hours all week. He ended up getting all his hours in in four days and was able to take today off. He went golfing and boating, I hope he feels just how special he is to all of us.

7/16/09~ We had our Primary activity today. We did a little bike parade down to a ward members house where we proceeded to play games and dig for gold (rocks painted gold). I think we picked the hottest day of the week to do this parade, but I think all the kids had fun and no one passed out for heat exhaustion so we're good. I'm so glad it's all over with, one less thing to worry about especially when all I want to do is focus on the house.

7/15/09~ We have been doing 4H all week and I am really enjoying it. I do feel a bit guilty because I am suppose to be helping teach to sew, but I don't have a clue, so I am more like one of the students. I am really having fun learning how to sew though. I sewed a pair of PJ bottoms all by myself, yeah for me. Bug was a little ticked when she walked in and saw that I had them all done. She thought I sewed hers and now she had nothing to sew, but I didn't.

7/14/09~ Big D has been working nights this week. I forgot how hard that is on the family and him. Yesterday he was gone from 9 a.m. to about 4 a.m. Poor Bear kept asking when daddy was going to be home. I'm sooooo glad he doesn't have to do this all the time.

7/13/09~ The kids started 4H today. They are all excited to sew their pillow cases, Bug gets to sew PJ's and model them at the fair. I am just hoping to be able to pick up some sewing tips, I'm clueless. I went to the gym for the first time in about a month, it's amazing how fast you get sent back to square one, it wiped me out for the rest of the day. I think some of it was that it was my first official day to relax after all that traveling and my body screamed, "STOP".

7/12/09~ My first Sunday back, it's nice to know they haven't fired me from Primary Secretary yet. It was my turn for Sharing Time and the lady who was suppose to conduct didn't show up so I did that too. I feel like I have to pay a penance for being gone the last three weeks. It sure is nice to be home again, I think I've said that before.

7/11/09~ We went boating today, YEAH! It's only our second time all summer to go boating and I think Big D is more excited than anyone. He invited Brook and Andy to go with us but they needed to clean Andy's house out for the new renters moving in so Big D volunteered all of us to go help clean so they could go boating with us. First off, isn't he such a sweet guy, and second, I sure love him and his child-like excitement. Poor Bud, he's still a bit traumatized about the rafting incident. He had a hard time relaxing and enjoying the trip. The first chance he got to get out of the boat he jumped, if I remember right that's what got him in this state to begin with. He'll get over it, we just have to be patient and keep taking him out on boats.

7/10/09~ Man we come home and hit the ground running. We have a ward party tonight, that I have to help with. Plus, we are getting together over at my mom's house to weed her garden, it's more like a jungle. It's nice to be missed though, I've had almost every one of my siblings call and tell me how glad they are that I'm finally home for a bit. I have to be honest I'm pretty happy to be home too. I am a creature of habit and I love routine, until I'm bored of it, but until then I love it and I love being missed.

7/9/09~ Our last day, YEAH! I am so excited to go home and have a rest from all my vacations, well at least for two weeks. Big D and Brook took everyone down to the gravel pits to ride four wheelers and 50's while I volunteered to stay behind and start packing up camp. It is so nice to have some piece and quiet for a bit. I don't even mind that I have to work while I enjoy it.

7/8/09~ My brother, Brook, and his family joined us in Island Park. It's a good thing he decided to come up or we would have had to go home, Ann has to get home for work. So Ann took Brook's truck home and Brook will ride home with us in the RV. We took a wet ride out to Big Springs. I say wet because it rained on us on the way there and was scorching hot on the way back. But the clouds did wait until we were to Big Springs and all huddled in the restrooms before they opened up and decided to dump on us. It was rather comical, half of us trying to stay dry and the other half rotating through the potty.

7/7/09~ We took a four wheeler ride over to Uncle Tim's new cabin and had lunch. His wife, Julie, is an administrator at a culinary school, she is an awesome cook. I was a bit disappointed when we got there and found out we were having hot dogs, really!?! Big D took me back to this place he found for me to take pictures when we were up there for Christmas. I wanted to take some pictures of it in the summer, it's not as pretty in the summer.

7/6/09~ We went rafting again, this time down the Henry's Fork. It is a very slow shallow river and Bud needs to get back in the boat before total phobia of water sets in. I felt bad because Bud could not relax and enjoy the ride. Every time he saw anything sticking out of the water he had to make sure everyone knew about it. He did get out of the boat a couple times and help push or pull in some of the more shallow parts. I think his adventurous side is coming back.

7/5/09~ We left Montana and headed to Island Park for our family reunion. I love being in the middle of natures goodness. It is so refreshing to be in such raw surroundings, as long as I have my RV with a working shower and toilet, good times.

7/4/09~ Today we went to the pond by our friends house. We took Kinnzi with us and she did great in the raft, it's a good thing we didn't take her floating down the river yesterday she wouldn't baled too. Just like at the water park we got blown out of the pond and had to hurry to load the rafts, and the kids, before they blew away. The fireworks were uneventful, no kids got burned this year, yeah! Actually it's kind of a bad thing being uneventful, now I don't have any funny stories to share.

7/3/09~ We floated the Madison River today. We had ten kids and five adults. We managed to cram everyone into five rafts & tubes. It was a bit nerve racking to have some of the little ones in boats by themselves so we tied four of the five together in a long train. About half way down the river there is a huge pylon sticking out of the water from an old bridge, you know where this is going don't you? We wrapped around the pylon and Bug yelled, "Bale". Needless to say, Bud chose that moment to start listening to his sister and jumped over board. The river is only knee deep through out most the river, but fast moving. In the spot Bud chose to bale it was only ankle deep and he raked his knees on the rocks. He was freaked out the rest of the ride down the river. I think he layed on my chest most of it. Bug got a stern talking too after that one. Auntie Ann slipped on some rocks as we were pulling out and really cracked her knee pretty hard. It's all swollen and leaking fluids, gross. We call her hop along now.

7/2/09~ We took the kids to the same water park we went to last year. I think it is so awesome that it's free. We so need something like this back home. It wasn't too crowded that it was annoying. We did have to pack up and run to the cars because a thunderstorm blew in, that's Montana. Bug tried to have a water fight, which only worked until I got in the water. I guess it was her way of getting me to enjoy the fun too, the little stinker. I found a sewing machine for my mom. It wasn't as nice as the one I found for her in Boston but it will do. My mom has always wanted one of those antique sewing machines that don't take electricity. I don't know their technical name. I found one for her in Boston for $185 in mint condition. It was going to cost us between $300 and $500 to ship it home, so that was a no go. In Montana I found one close to the same condition for $325 and I talked them down to $290. I think she'll like it.

7/1/09~ We left for Montana today, YEAH! Our first trip in our Yukon, still a little nervous about the wheels. My sister Ann is traveling with us, she hasn't traveled with us since before her mission. We have estimated our travel time to be three movies long. I think the kids will survive, lets hope the dog does as well. Kinnzi is super excited to be going with us this time.

Update on the House

We made an offer and it was accepted. We've been approved for financing. We are in the process of trying to rent out our house.

Why are we insane enough to rent?

This is the 411, Big D was having a hard time going from a home that would be paid off in about eight years to a home that would take us thrity years to pay off. He understands that a bit more space would be nice but the $$$ was driving him crazy, which I don't blame him.

We researched all our avenues: sell our home on our own, get a realtor, rent the home, burn it to the ground (not really). We've found in our research that if we rented out our house until it is paid off then we can sell it, hopefully the market will be good or at least better than it is now. We take the money from selling our house and pay off our new one. We'd be out of debt in about ten years.

Or we could not sell the house when it was paid off and just use the rent to make our house payment at the new house. Big D really likes the idea of being out of debt, which I don't blame him.

We have talked to a lot of people about renting, some who are renting now and some who rented in the past. They all have different points of view but one thing they all agreed on is it is hard to be a landlord. One friend told us, "Renting is hard, if it were easy everyone would do it." But he also said that if we can stick it out it can prove to be lucrative, of course he has five rentals and I don't think we'll ever go that far.

A wise man once told me that 'life is what happens to you when you're making other plans'. We have made our plans and hope it works out, but if not we are along for the ride. Let's just hope we don't end up loosing everything including our lunch.

Choices Choices Choices

I am very blessed to live in a home that I love, in an area that I love, and in a Ward that I love. I knew from the first moment that I saw this house that we were going to buy it and make it our home.



We've lived here for nine and a half years and every year the landscape gets more mature and the house gets more personality.



It is picturesque in all seasons and many have commented that our house is the cutest on the street. Even though that is only the opinion of some, I tend to agree. However, I feel like I live on the best street in the whole town and I've never had any desire to move, until...



the house across the street became available. I have been staring at this house since the day I moved in. I told Big D that if it ever came available I would like to check into getting it. Of course he didn't take me seriously until a few months ago when the little old lady who was living there went to live in an assisted living home.



I have made a pros and cons list of purchasing the home and the pros win, but I feel like I'm being selfish for wanting a house just across the street. It is a little bigger than mine and the lot it sits on is twice as big as mine. My family could grow in it and we wouldn't have to walk all over each other. We can have family functions inside and out where as at my house now we can only do out.

It's a really bad time to sell but a great time to buy. I don't think there has ever been a good time for both has there? I would like to say I don't think I'd have a hard time selling my house but I really don't know. It's in the price range that is still selling $110k - $115k. It's a nice starter home but it is old and there are some things that need updating.

The other house is even worse off than ours. It is so out dated that it needs a new furnace, new electrical, and new windows. We probably won't be able to afford those until years down the road, that doesn't make Big D very happy.

Big D's parents are leaving on a mission in a couple months and we've talked before about selling our house and moving into theirs while they're gone and building our own. I think that is what Big D wants to do but I've never wanted to live in a new house. I love the character and charm that comes with an old house. I would hate living in a house that is exactly like everyone elses house. A new house to me feels like a big box. If you want to add character like crown molding, coved ceilings and doorways that all costs so much that it's not economical in new construction when you're trying to save money.

I don't know what is going to happen yet. We will have to make a lot of sacrifices if we move and I don't know if Big D is willing and I don't want to feel like I'm forcing him because I want it so bad. If we don't move I will be disappointed but I still love my house and I am perfectly happy to continue upgrading this one. If it is meant to be it will happen and if not we will move on.

Trauma on the Madison River

We took the kids rafting. The river was shallow probably up to my knees but it was quick. We thought it would be a good idea to attempt to have an adventure with ten kids and five adults. An adventure is definitely what we had.



The kids were a bit bored as we were blowing up the rafts so they took a hike. Beaner and Kaiden made it all the way to the top of the hill. Where is Bud? He and Kaiden are never separated.



Oh there he is, lost in the grass lands. Are we having fun yet?



We put in the rafts and set sail. There is Cindy, Ann, and two-month-old Logan, check.



Big D and I have Livie and Bear, check.



Here is Bud, Aubrey, Kaiden and Beaner, check.



Oh, there is Whitley and Bug, check. But where is Chad and Nater?



Is that them about a 1/2 mile behind us? Yep, that's them.



You wouldn't know it, but this is where our adventure went wrong. We finally got everyone together and tied the boats, except Chad's because he's still way behind us but don't worry he catches up with us real quick.

I remembered seeing remnants of an old bridge as we were driving and I casually said, "Wouldn't it be funny if we sandwiched ourselves around the pylon?". The answer to that question is NO. We wrapped around the pylon and Bug starts yelling, "Bale, Bale". So Bud decided that now was the time to start listening to his sister and he jumped ship. At this point the water is only ankle deep but it's still fast. Bud racked his knees on the rocks but he wasn't strong enough to fight the currant to get back into the boat. Big D is at the pylon trying to untangle us so we can continue on our way and now he has to save a life that is being sucked under a raft. The terror in Bud's eyes was heart breaking. Big D picked him up and put him on my lap where he stayed cuddled in the arms of safety until we stopped at the halfway point for lunch.

We didn't think he was traumatized too bad until we took him rafting a few days later in Island Park. He couldn't relax and enjoy himself. He felt like he needed to personally tell everyone every time something was sticking out of the water. Hopefully someday he will be able to enjoy the water again.



Here we are at the halfway point eating lunch. Bud got a bit chilly after being in the water so Auntie Ann hooked him up. Needless to say more than half the kids refused to get back in the boat and continue our journey. That's okay, some of us did and it was a lot more peaceful without all the drama.

Water Park

I gotta get me one of these, I mean for my home town that is. This water park in Bozeman is free. The kids love it as well as the BIG kids.



This is true friendship for you. We tried to get Big D to rub in on Chad's back for him but they both refused.



Beaner and Aubrey were like two peas in a pod. They have very similar personalities too. Both are a bit on the dramatic side and a bit introverted. I think it was good for Beaner to be around someone who was the same personality type she is, it was like holding up a mirror. Here they are waiting for buckets of water to fall on them, how fun.



Livie and Bear were the cutest, they paled around every where. Livie is a live wire she just goes and goes. I think a couple times Bear tried to hide from her to know avail, and boy did I hear about it. Livie is a chatterbox and every time Bear did something she didn't like she could come up to me and say, "Your darling did..." She never called him by his name. One day we were heading some where and Bear was trying to get away from her for a minute. He tried to ride in the other car and was told no because they didn't have a car seat for him. He screamed at the top of his lungs as he was being carried back to our car. I don't think Livie even knew why he was screaming she just kept talking and of course they were laughing and chatting after Bear settled down.



This is the famous mushroom waterfall. Big D loved this one! The girls thought it would be funny to have a water fight, but it was lost on everyone because they were already wet, that is when they focused on me. I was dry so I could take pictures but that meant nothing to them they thought it was more important to get me wet than document their escapades. I eventually went under the mushroom waterfall just so they'd leave me alone, little stinkers.



Here is proof that Auntie Ann really went on vacation with us. She used to go on all our family vacations and help me with the kids, that was back when I just had Bug. Then Ann went on her mission and she's never come with us again, until now. This is her first summer off from school, she's going into nursing and she's taken summer school since returning from her mission. I'm so glad she took the summer off.

I did not get any pictures of Bud at the water park. He and Kaiden were too quick for me and then I got unwillingly wet. I will catch them tomorrow.

Family Birthday Party

In between Boston and Montana we had our annual family birthday party. This year Jay and Ape were in charge and they did a fantastic job. We had a fireman theme, we love themes in our family.



We went to the firehouse and got to play on an old fire truck, the kids were in heaven.



Then the kids took turns dressing up in the gear and running an obstical course. The kids were in heaven.



First they had to carry this heavy hose about five yards.



They dropped the hose and went inside this trailer and had to pull a twenty pound weight to the window.



After they got the weight the window they had to climb out and down a ladder. What fire fighting experience is complete without a ladder climb.



They ran over and had to hit this log as hard as they could until it cleared the other two logs.



For the grand finale they ran over grabbed the firehose and had to spray a toy house until they closed the door and shutters with the water. By the end of the evening the house was full of kids getting soaked.



The big kids couldn't stand watching all the little kids have all the fun so they played dress up too. Stand back ladies, he's all mine.



The guys wanted to see if they could make it as fire fighters. Let's just say some can and others, not so much.



The guys kept getting stuck on the window because they had to carry the hose out the window. Jay said they usually dive out the window, if it's not too high.



Instead of having to hit the log the guys decided they had to jump over the logs three times.



Can you tell who the real fire fighter is? I think it's almost every little boys dream to grow up and be a fireman, well, I think we added some more boys to that list, and quite possibly some girls.



The only little firefighter we were missing was Beaner, and she wanted to be a princess instead of a firefighter,



so we let her. Isn't it funny that they are sisters and soooo different. I actually love it that they are developing their own sense of style and fun.