Varvel Family

Deja Vu

2012-02-14T09:18:00.005-07:00

This all seems so familiar. Didn't we just do this? On Sunday evening, Sawyer got another kidney stone. We were watching a movie when it started, but he said it wasn't nearly as bad as the last one he had. We finished the movie, and he was doing pretty good. He thought he'd just be able to suffer through this one at home. He took a pain pill that was left over from the last time, and went up to bed. Katie and Lisa came over to bring him treats. We were all up in his room chatting with him, when he started getting worse and worse. He told Bailey to get him a bucket, and his face got really pale. The girls left, he took another pain pill, and settled in on the couch for a long night. At 1:00 in the morning he came in our room and said he needed to go to the hospital. He couldn't stop throwing up, and he couldn't stand the pain any longer. He was sickly white (just like last time). It didn't take very long before they got meds in him, because they knew what it was from the last time. Once the pain was under control, and the test were done, we were sent home. We were back in bed by 4:00. They told Sawyer that he picked the wrong parents, because the stones are hereditary, and there is nothing they can do about them. It has me really nervous that he had 2 so close together. I hope this isn't going to be a regular occurrence for the poor guy. He stayed home from school on Monday to rest up and hope it passed. We kept him pretty drugged up, so he wasn't in anymore pain. He left for school this morning, so hopefully he'll do fine, and this will be behind us.

I got kind of bored at the hospital, so while Mark played Angry Birds, I took pictures :)!

Sweethearts

2012-02-14T08:38:00.015-07:00

Sweethearts is a girl's choice dance, and Sawyer got asked by Lisa Hiecke. She's a dArLiNg foreign exchange student, from Germany, that lives in our neighborhood. She asked him by getting his seminary teacher involved. During seminary, the teacher asked all the boys to stand up. He would say a statement, and the boys would sit down if it didn't apply to them. More and more boys sat down, until Sawyer was the only one standing. The teacher handed him this note, and a bowl of gold fish!

The note

Her name was written on the rocks at the bottom of the fish bowl.

Sawyer enlisted Zakk and Sam to help him answer her. They painted Y E S on themselves, and rang her doorbell at midnight. When she answered, they were standing out in front of her house, in the snow, freezing their butts off. She thought it was pretty funny.

Sawyer, Zakk, and Sam ready to go answer Lisa.

Here's a picture she took of them freezing!

They had a great time the night of the dance. When the boys got picked up, they went down to the river and had their pictures taken. Then they met for dinner at a clubhouse, where Texas Roadhouse catered the meal. Dessert was at Katie's house, and then it was off for a night of fun and dancing.

Sawyer and Lisa

Here are the pictures by the river:

Lisa and Sawyer

Of course they had to be goofy.

The beautiful girls

The handsome guys

The whole group

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

2012-02-11T08:56:00.005-07:00

Bailey performed in her last Falls Valley Talent Show last night. She played Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, with Mark on base, and Seth on guitar. They did awesome! I was so proud of Bailey.....this was the first time she has performed standing up, she didn't have to use music, and this was the most confident she's ever been in a performance! I loved it! I especially loved her outfit. Hello 80's flashback! I think I had that same outfit in 5th grade.

Meet the band: Mark, Bailey, and Seth

On stage

I don't care if it is Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah at an elementary school talent show, he's still a hot rock star ;)!

Click below to watch the video:

BHS Choir Clinic

2012-02-08T13:03:00.003-07:00

Bailey, Annie, and Marlee spent a Saturday at the BHS Bel Cantos Choir Clinic. They divided up into groups and the high school students taught them singing techniques. Then on Monday night, they got to perform the two songs they learned during the Bonneville Choir Concert. The girls were so cute, and did a great job. We know a lot of the high school kids in the choir, so it was a fun show to watch.

Bailey, Annie, and Mars

Progressive Dinner

2012-02-08T12:45:00.008-07:00

We organized a progressive dinner with a group of friends. We had tons of fun, and ate WAY too much yummy food! We all met at the Harris' house for delicious appetizers. Michelle and Kinie set us up with sushi, mini chimichangas, and egg rolls. Our next stop was the Beck's house. Becky made a tasty potato soup. We were already full by this point, but we kept going. The main dish was at my house. Me and Lesa did pulled pork burritos. Our final stop was the Perk's house for dessert. Misty made the best mint brownies I've ever had! I want to do it again, but maybe with just appetizers and desserts. Otherwise it's hard to pace yourself, and you get full by the second house :)! The pictures in this post make me laugh. I have very few of people (because they kept complaining when I tried to take them), so I settled on pictures of food :)!

Triple shrimp roll

Egg rolls

Mini chimis

Mark, Jason, Brian, Misty

Pulled pork burritos

The girls

Thanks gang for such a fun night!

Happy Birthday Mark!

2012-01-28T16:42:00.005-07:00

Mark celebrated his birthday this month! It was a pretty low key celebration. When he got home from work he got his presents. We got him a guitar stand, a music stand, a guitar strap, a video game, and some workout clothes.

We waited for the weekend, and then went to the Snakebite for his birthday lunch. Later that night I made him some yummy chocolate chip cookie dough egg rolls for his birthday treat.

Happy birthday Mark!

USU Running Clinic

2012-01-15T13:40:00.002-07:00

Sawyer had an awesome opportunity to go with some of his teammates to Logan, for a Utah State University Running Clinic. The USU Coach, and a couple USU record holding athletes taught the clinic. They learned about agilities, and some good workouts for strength, core, and hips. When the teaching was over, they had lunch (and Aggie ice cream), and headed home. He's really glad he went, and he learned a lot.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T13:05:00.003-07:00

We had a pretty low key New Year's celebration this year. We got invited to a couple different gatherings, but just stayed home by ourselves instead. Sawyer decided to go to a party with his friends, and we didn't want to leave Bailey all alone. We told her she could pick a game to play, a movie to watch, and somewhere to go get a treat. Sawyer left for his party while we were in the middle of our game. I think he was having second thoughts about going, because we have always spent New Years together. The roads were REALLY icy that night, and I was worried there might be drunk drivers out right about the time he'd be driving home (yes, I'm paranoid). So, Mark dropped him off at his party. We got a call about an hour and a half later that he wanted to come home and hang out with us. I was pretty glad he did....except for the fact that he kicked all our butts in Harry Potter Scene It. Even though we didn't do anything elaborate like we sometimes do, it was nice to have us all together to ring in the New Year :)! It's also nice to know that our kids still like to hang out with us.

HAPPY 2012 EVERYONE!

A New Face for a New Year!

2012-01-03T12:48:00.007-07:00

Sawyer didn't shave at all over the Christmas break. He grew a caterpillar under his nose, and a porcupine beard. I kept telling him to shave, but he refused. We went to the Stake New Years Activity for the youth on Saturday. All the girls kept telling him to shave too. Since it was Brittany's birthday, he finally agreed that she could shave his face for her birthday present :)! THANK YOU BRITTANY for having a birthday at the perfect time! The girls were almost as excited as me! A new face, for a new year!

Emily and Lisa had the honor of applying the shaving cream.

Brittany went to work! I think they were all grossed out by the whole process, but she stuck it out, and actually did a really good job!

I was cracking up at the whole process. Sawyer was a great sport! He even let them cut his sideburns up to his ears (he was working on a chin strap).

The new and improved face!!! It's funny that it took a group of girls a few minutes to convince him to do what I had been begging him to do for a long time :)! I guess I know who to call when I need him to be persuaded next time :)!

Merry Christmas

2012-01-01T10:51:00.017-07:00

Christmas Eve

We had a great and traditional Christmas Eve! We did all the things we usually do. I was thinking that now that the kids are older, they wouldn't want to do some of our usual activities. I was wrong about that! They both like to stick to tradition, and that makes me happy :)!

Our Christmas Eve story was, One Silent Night, this year. It was longer than the picture books we usually get, so we all took turns reading it.

We made chocolate and butterscotch chip cookies for Santa, and of course Bailey had to leave carrots.

Everyone opened a present. They all got new pjs.

We went out right before bed to throw our Reindeer Dust. It makes me sad to think we only have one more year of Sawyer's Reindeer Dust "posing" left before he leaves home! The pictures won't quite be the same without him.

Christmas

The kids actually let us sleep in a whole hour this year. They didn't come get us until 5:30 in the morning! We opened presents, had sticky buns for breakfast, and then headed to church.

Santa came!

Christmas morning

Sawyer got a gas card from Santa! That should last him a few months.

Santa left Bailey a phone! She was pretty dang excited about that!

Bailey got the boys Angry Bird hats :)!

Even the dogs got spoiled! They both got giant bones, and lots of treats and toys.

Reeses loves getting presents. She would get all excited about something, and then come lay down and watch us open stuff while she waited for her next present.

I tunes cards!

We hid this present behind the tree and saved it for the end. They got an Xbox 360 with Kinect. Sawyer got a Halo game, and Bailey got Dance Central.

Sawyer had a great Christmas. Some of his highlights were The Xbox, a ski club membership with passes to Kelly Canyon, a big gas card, I tunes cards, movies, books, clothes, etc...

Bailey was a happy girl! Some of her highlights were the Xbox, phone, tons of books, movies, boots, 3 church outfits, running stuff, etc...

We are grateful that we are blessed to provide material things for our kids, but we are MORE grateful that they understand the true meaning of Christmas, and the reason we celebrate. I loved that Christmas fell on a Sunday this year. After we opened presents, we went to church and were able to focus on the Savior. Bailey preformed with the choir for the Christmas program, and it was awesome. It was a very Christ centered program that really brought the true meaning of Christmas to everyone there.

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Fun!

2011-12-20T10:47:00.017-07:00

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are filled with so much fun!

Puzzles
We always work on a puzzle between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year we did one of the Grand Canyon, since we took a family vacation there over spring break. Bailey did most of this one herself. Once she gets going, it's like a major addiction for her. She gets mad when we send her to bed :)!

The Grand Canyon puzzle was only 500 pieces, instead of the 1000 pieces we usually do. The kids didn't like that, so we had to do another one.

We LOVE our puzzle tradition!

Elk Creek Apartment Performance
Bailey got to perform with a few other guitar players at the Elk Creek Apartments. She played for people in their 'golden' years. It was a really cool experience for her. She loves old people. There was a sweet little lady sitting right across from us. She would clap and sing along with the upbeat songs, and then get emotional and cry during some of them. I'm grateful that Bailey is willing to use her talent to bless people's lives.

Decorating the Tree
After we decorated the tree, I wanted a cute picture of the kids in front of it. They were full of it that night, and refused to be even a little normal in the pictures. So, I decided to post these anyways, so everybody can see how nerdy they are :)!

Another one of our traditions, is that the kids get a new ornament to go on the tree each year. Something that represents them. I ordered them both 'running' ornaments this year. Bailey's said, "I know I run like a girl. Try to keep up." Sawyer's said, "My sport is your sports punishment." I LOVED them!

Eastview Ward Christmas Party
Mark was in charge of our ward Christmas party this year. It was a VERY stressful time for him. He had just been called into the bishopric, plus he still had his other calling until Stake Conference. Things were really busy for him at work, and there was just the usual "stuff" that Christmas brings. Although it stressed him out, he still did a great job. We had a party centered around service. We had a canned food drive for the food bank, which ended up being a huge success. We had a humanitarian drive for the Haven, and ended up with over 300 items to donate. We also had an Angel Tree. Our ward is so awesome. The members adopted over 50 names, and provided Christmas for them.

After the brunch, we had a short program. Mark recruited Bailey to play and sing at the last minute. She's getting a lot more comfortable on stage, and is actually enjoying performing now. We weren't sure that would ever happen! She played a couple songs, and did a great job.

The kids got to write letters to Santa. On the bottom was a place for them to write a Christmas wish for someone else. We wanted them to feel the spirit of service too. Santa came to collect their letters, and he read the kids a Christmas story about service. I love our ward!

Falls Valley Christmas Program
This was Bailey's last year to preform in the Falls Valley Christmas Program. It seems crazy that our whole elementary school experience is almost over. Falls Valley has been a huge part of our lives for the past 11 years! I'm glad Bailey's making the most of her last year there.

Hannah, Bailey, and Annie

Bailey and Annie

Favorite Things Party
Each year I do a Christmas party with my friends in the Sandcreek Ward. I always look forward to it, because now that I'm not in the same ward as them, I don't see them as much as I used to. This year we changed it up a little, and did a 'Favorite Things' party. It was so much fun! Each lady brought a small gift for everyone, that represented their favorite things. Everyones gifts were so fun and creative.

Here is all of our favorite things.

Amy read us a poem as part of her favorite thing. We laughed so hard! I had to put it on here. It's long, but totally worth the read.

See Mother, Funny Funny Mother
See Mother. See Mother laugh. Mother is happy.
Mother is happy about Christmas.
Mother has many plans. Mother has many plans for Christmas.
Mother is organized. Mother smiles all the time.
Funny, funny Mother.
See Mother. See Mother smile. Mother is happy.
The shopping is all done. See the children watch TV.
Watch, children watch.
See the children change their minds.
See them ask for different toys.
Look, look, Mother is not smiling.
Funny, funny Mother.

See Mother. See Mother sew.
Mother will make dresses.
Mother will make robes.
Mother will make shirts.

See Mother put the zipper in wrong.
See Mother sew the dress on the wrong side.
See Mother cut the skirt too short.
See Mother put the material away until January.
Look. Look. See Mother take a tranquilizer.
Funny, funny Mother.

See Mother. See Mother buy raisins and nuts.
See Mother buy candied pineapple and powdered sugar.
See Mother buy flour, and dates, and pecans, and brown sugar, and bananas, and spices, and vanilla.
Look. Look. Mother is mixing everything together.
See the children press out cookies.
See the flour on their elbows.
See the cookies burn. See the cake fall.
See the children pull taffy. See mother pull her hair.
See mother clean the kitchen with the garden hose.
Funny, funny Mother.

See Mother. See Mother wrap presents. See Mother look for the end on the scotch tape roll. See Mother bite her finger nails. See Mother go.
See Mother go to the store 12 times in one hour.
Go Mother go. See Mother go faster. Run Mother run.
See Mother trim the tree.
See Mother have a party.
See Mother make popcorn.
See Mother wash the walls.
See Mother scrub the rug.
See Mother tear up the organized plan.
See Mother forget gift for Uncle Harold.
See Mother get hives.
Go Mother go. See the far away look in Mother's eyes.
Mother has become disorganized. Mother has become disoriented.
Funny, funny Mother.

It is finally Christmas morning. See the happy family.
See Father smile. Father is happy.
Smile Father smile.
Father loves fruit cake.
Father loves Christmas pudding.
Father loves all the new neckties.
Look, look. See the happy children. See the children's toys.
Santa was very good to the children.
The children will remember this Christmas.

See Mother. Mother is slumped in a chair.
Mother is crying uncontrollably.
Mother does not look well.
Mother has ugly dark circles under her blood shot eyes.
Everyone helps mother to her bed.
See Mother sleep quietly under heavy sedation.
See Mother smile.
Funny, funny Mother.

Christmas Guitar Recital
Bailey had her Christmas Guitar Recital. She played Sweet Mary Cries. She did a great job. I filmed all of her performances, but I didn't post them, because she did all the same songs as the Festival of Trees, and I posted all of those recordings.

Bailey and Seth

Sadie Hawkins

2011-12-20T10:22:00.011-07:00

Sawyer got asked to Sadie's by Kendra Smith. She moved his car in the parking lot of school, filled it up with balloons and streamers, saran wrapped it shut, and left him little cupcakes asking him to the dance.

He answered back by doing the same thing to her locker. He filled it with balloons and streamers, left brownies inside with his answer, and saran wrapped it shut.

They had a really fun group. They had dinner and played games, and then went to the dance.

The theme was 'A Night in Dream Land.'

Bucket List

2011-12-20T09:46:00.005-07:00

Mark and I had a 'Bucket List' date. We wrote down all the things we want to do, places we want to go, things we want to accomplish or learn, and put them in our bucket.

Here are just a few of the things on our 'Bucket List.'

Tricia:
Whale watching
Tour the Oregon Coast (in the works)
Alaskan Cruise
Ride the top 10 roller coasters
I want to learn about and do my family history (working on it)
Visit Niagara Falls
Attend a session of General Conference
Take an African Safari Tour
Learn to cross country ski
Visit the Redwood Forrest
Take a family vacation to New York City (Sawyer's senior trip)
Finish a 100 mile bike ride
Tour the church history sites
See my kids get married in the Temple
Take my grand kids to Disneyland

Mark:
Pan for gold
Finish our basement
He wants a music room
Hike from rim to rim of the Grand Canyon
Visit all 50 states
Become an actor
Attend a BYU football game as a family
See a Broadway show
Fly in a fighter plane
Write and publish a book
Attend the Olympics
Own his own business
Visit Washington DC
Learn to read music and play bass (lessons start in January)
Ride a steamboat down the Mississippi
Perform (on guitar and bass) with Sawyer and Bailey

What's on YOUR bucket list?

Thanksgiving Week!

2011-11-28T08:16:00.007-07:00

The kids had a week off of school for Thanksgiving this year! We spent Thanksgiving day with the Temples. We had a yummy dinner, and played games.

Sawyer and Carson played video games :)!

Kassie

Here's all the cute kids! Caleb (Jeremiah and Kassie's nephew), Carson, Landon, Bailey, Grayson, and Sawyer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

That night Mark and I went to a couple stores to shop. Since when did Black Friday start on Thursday!?! We entered, and promptly excited WalMart. It was crazy even for my standards! We got a few really good deals at a less crazy store, then came home and shopped on line. That is more Mark's style. I, however, like to be part of the excitement! Bailey is a girl after my own heart, and she likes to be in the middle of the madness too! So, me and her went to a few stores on Friday. She wanted to stay out all day and go everywhere, but we were in the midst of a very important Harry Potter marathon, so we had to get back for that :)!

On Friday night, Mark and I went to dinner with Keith and Jenni, and then went to the White Christmas play at the Colonial Theater. It was really fun! On Saturday night we went to a surprise dinner to celebrate our good friend Brian being cancer free! So many fun times! The week went by WAY too fast! Now we are anxiously awaiting the Christmas break!

Baptisms

2011-11-28T08:04:00.003-07:00

Since Bailey is 12 now, she can do baptisms at the Temple. She's been so excited about that! Our ward is scheduled to do baptisms in December, but Marlee will be on vacation during that time. We really wanted their first time to be together, so we went for our own early morning session. Sawyer brought Katie, and we met the Whiteheads there. Bailey loved it, and said that she wants to get up early and do them once a month. I love my kiddos, and I love their awesome friends!

Katie, Payton, Mason, Sawyer, Marlee, Bailey

The Standards

2011-11-28T07:46:00.005-07:00

Mark and I took Bailey and Annie to the Standards concert. They are a group of 5 brothers from Twin Falls. They use very little (if any) music in most of their songs. They do everything by voice. They came to Falls Valley and did an assembly for the kids, with a drug free message. I was teaching that day, and I thought they were great. We decided the big concert would be fun...and it was! The group now lives in Nashville, and they are changing their name to Spencer's Own. They have a song out on country radio called Idaho Love. I hope we hear more of them in the future.

The girls waiting in line to get in.

The one in the middle front is our friend's brother in law. He was Bailey's favorite.

About half way through the concert, Bailey and Annie decided to hang out in front of the stage (instead of in our seats). They worked their way all the way to the front. They got lots of high fives from the group, and thought that was pretty cool!

We bought their Christmas CD, so after the concert, the girls got all five of them to sign it. It was a super fun night!

Ugly Sweater Party

2011-11-28T07:34:00.005-07:00

SueAnn and Lesa organized an Ugly Sweater Party. It was hilarious! We all met at Hong Kong, had dinner, and modeled our fantastic sweaters!

Lesa and Becky's were two of my favorites!

Megan, Kinnie and SueAnn. SueAnn actually sewed a sheep to the back of hers!

Becky won this fabulous prize for having the ugliest sweater! She had my vote :)!

The whole group!

Festival of Trees

2011-11-17T08:42:00.008-07:00

Bailey performed six songs at the Festival of Trees this year. This was the most songs she's ever performed at one time. It was nerve racking for her, but she did amazing! Mark played bass with her on some of the songs. They worked really hard on them, and did a great job! The songs they performed were:

Jingle Bell Rock
When Christmas Comes to Town
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
Where are you Christmas
Silent Night
Sweet Mary Cries

All ready to go!

Mark and Bailey

Sound check

Performing

Bailey and Marlee found time to see Santa after the performance :)!

I LOVE these two little munchkins!

Bonneville Cross Country

2011-11-08T10:18:00.015-07:00

Sawyer had a great cross country season! He made some huge improvements this year, and dropped his times a lot!

The team kicked off the season with the Mud Run. The Bonneville team fights for last place, which they accomplished again this year. They also pulled off another year of being awarded the 'muddiest team.'

The Mud Run

The real season began with a challenging course in Pocatello. There were some big hills, and it was a wake up call to the ones who didn't practice much over the summer.
Pocatello Invite : 22:02

The next race was the Digger Invite. This is one of Sawyer's favorite courses. He ran a great race, and ended up with a career PR! The whole team did great!
Digger Invite: 20:10 (PR)

A prayer before the race at the Digger Invite.

Digger Invite

Next was the Tiger/Grizz. This is one of the biggest races in Idaho, and it's on a tough course.
Tiger/Grizz: 20:47

Tiger/Grizz

The meet at Rigby Lake was AWESOME! It was fun to watch, because we could see the runners the whole time. Sawyer ran a perfect race. It ended up paying off, because he got his best time by a long ways!
Rigby: 19:16 (PR)

Rigby Lake

The varsity boys and girls took a special trip to Boise to run in the Bob Firman Invitational. Sawyer worked really hard to secure a spot, and was able to go. It was a HUGE meet. The boys weren't used to running with that many people. It was a really cool course (the same one as the state meet).
Bob Firman: 20:30

Finishing at Bob Firman.

The Madison Invite was not Sawyer's favorite. He was actually running a pretty good race until the last half mile. He got a side ache, and it slowed his down a lot. His time was okay, but he was disappointed, knowing it could have been a lot better. It's strange, because Sawyer and Bailey had their best two races on the same courses, and both of them struggled the most at the Madison meet.
Madison Invite: 20:23

American Falls was the best meet of the season! The whole team did AWESOME! Sawyer ran his best race ever! It was pouring rain and freezing, but he still pulled off a HUGE PR!
American Falls: 18:49 (PR)

Wet, cold, and happy at American Falls!

City/County is a fun meet, because they get to go against the other local teams that they don't always get to run with. Sawyer has never been a very gutsy runner. He's always pretty reserved, so he shocked us by going out in the front of the pack at this meet. It was fun for us to see a little more aggressive side of him.
City/County: 20:10

City/County

City/County

Districts was the last race of the season for the boys team. Tyler was the only one who qualified for the State Meet. He ran an AWESOME race! Sawyer ran a good race too. He knocked 18 seconds off of his time from this same course from earlier in the season.
Districts: 20:29

Great finish to a great season Sawyer!

Sawyer lettered for his third year in a row!

Bailey got her certificate from RMMS!

I'm so proud of both of them! Cross Country is a hard sport. They were both very dedicated, and added a lot to their teams. Good job Sawyer and Bailey! I can't wait until next year!

The AMAZING Birthday Race!

2011-11-05T14:18:00.027-06:00

Happy 12th Birthday Bailey!

Bailey and her best friend, Marlee, have their birthdays one day apart. We surprised them this year with a "together" birthday bash! We sent them on THE AMAZING BIRTHDAY RACE! At 12:30 on Friday, each girl got a clue doorbell ditched to their house.

The first clue said:
You're turning twelve, and Marlee is too!
Go to Hitt Road, she's waiting to PARTY with you!

The girls had no idea what was going on! They both showed up at Hitt Road with the same clues. They had to search around until they found the next clue.

Clue 2 said:
At twelve years old, it's all about STYLE!
We thought new shirts might make you smile!

It's not that easy, you need the right store.
Bailey loves hers 'cause they write her name on the door.

Marlee, on your turn you might like to know,
Your store smells good and keeps the lights down low.

Bailey went to Maurice's and picked out a really cute red sweater. Marlee went to Hollister to pick out her top.

Here's her name on the dressing room door in Maurice's.

We had the workers give them them clue number 3 when we were checking out of Hollister.

Clue 3 said:
Your shirts are great, but think how they'd be,
If you found the perfect accessory!
There's a store at the mall with just the right thing,
to give your new outfit a little more BLING!

They went to Claire's, and they both picked out bracelets to go with their new shirts. The cashier at Claire's gave them their next clue.

Clue 4 said:
Bailey likes them SALTY, Marlee likes them SWEET!
Guess where you're going for your refueling TREAT?

This took them to Pretzel Time. That's their favorite treat place at the mall.

Clue 5 said:
After that shopping, you need to relax.
How 'bout a facial and an eyebrow wax?
But where, oh where would the perfect place be?
We were thinking a certain academy!

This took them to Austin Kade Academy!

This was Bailey's first time ever getting her eyebrows done. Then they had facials! They LOVED them! The girls doing them were so great! At one point, Bailey even dozed off! As much as they wanted it to, nothing can last forever!

Clue 6 said:
Wake up girls! The relaxing is done!
But your next adventure will be TONS OF FUN!
our next stop will knock off your socks.
How do you feel about climbing up rocks?
It could be scary 'cause you'll be so high,
But you're BRAVE and you're BOLD, so let's reach for the sky!

This clue sent them rock climbing at the climbing gym! Bailey would get frustrated, but she never gave up. Both girls made it to the top of all the walls they climbed. Now Bailey is dying to go back!

Marlee climbed the walls so fast!

Bailey at the very top!

Clue 7 said:
After that climbing, I bet you want dinner!
Hold on to your britches, 'cause we picked a WINNER!
The place is named after one of the states.
you'll love it so much you'll both clean your plates.

We thought this one would be easy for them, but it took them awhile to figure out that dinner was at Texas Roadhouse. After we ate, the workers gathered around and sang happy birthday to them. They brought over cowboy hats for the girls to wear, and Marlee even had to climb up on a saddle! Marlee thought it was great, and Bailey was horrified! So funny! We had them convinced that the hunt ended with dinner. But, on the way out, the hostess handed them clue number 8!

Clue 8 said:
Now that dinner is done, and your tummies are full,
it's time to head out, and learn something cool.
Jenni's your teacher, and MAKE-UP'S the game.
Pay close attention, or you're gonna look lame.

We met my friend, Jenni Hughes, for a make-up class. We gave them each a bag of make-up, and Jenni taught them how to put it on. Her mom also made really cute make-up bags for each girl, with their initials on the front. Bailey has been so excited to turn twelve so she could finally wear make-up, so this was one of the highlights of her day!

Jenni helping Bailey do her eyes.

Here's the finished works of art! I think they look beautiful, and WAY TO OLD!

When they were done with the make-up class, Jenni gave them their final clue. I wish I would have been filming, because it got quite a reaction!

Clue 9 said:
Turning TWELVE is a big stepping stone.
Aren't you glad you didn't spend it alone?
There's one more thing, and it's out of sight!
Just wait 'til you see where you're SPENDING THE NIGHT!

There was a hotel key in the envelope with the clue, and they were freaking out! Jumping up and down, squealing and screaming!
Mark had checked us in during the day, so all their stuff was already waiting in the room when we got there. They were so excited!

Here they are at the Hilton Garden Inn on the river.
It didn't take them long until they were in their swimsuits and down at the pool!

Marlee

Bailey

I love this picture! They are in the hot tub with the Temple behind them.
They swam until the pool closed, and then headed back up to the room. Mark had delivered a little surprise, and there was Cold Stone ice cream waiting in the room for them. Then they watched a movie and zonked out before it was even over. The first thing they did the next morning, was put their suits back on, and head back to the pool. They swam until they were pruned, and we had to check out. We ended their little adventure with breakfast at Smitty's. They had so much fun celebrating their birthdays together!

When we got them home, they had another surprise waiting for them. The Beehives had come over and decorated their rooms! It was so cute!

The front of Bailey's door said:
We are so excited for you to be in Beehives! We are seeing spots!

When she went in, her whole room was decorated! There were streamers, balloons, little messages, hugs & kisses, and spots everywhere! So cute! What a fun welcome into Young Womens!

Happy Birthday Bailey Rae! We love you a TON!

Spooktacular Happenings!

2011-11-01T11:51:00.046-06:00

Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween so much! We pretty much party all month long! Mark reminded me that we only have one more Halloween with Sawyer at home, and I'm having such a hard time with that. Every time I think about it, I want to cry! How can my family party "Halloween style" with one of us missing?!? Especially the one that provides all the great faces for our pictures? Next year will just have to be the best ever! But until then, I'll try not to think about it.

Dr. Slaughter's House of Terror
I love haunted houses! Mark, not so much! I still drag him (and anyone else who will go with me) to Dr. Slaughter's every year. This year Mark and I went with the Hughes for a date night. Sawyer went there with Rina, Sam, and Christie for a date night too. I took Bailey and Marlee and waited in the parking lot while they went through with a group of friends. So fun!

Getting ready to go in-and they're not even scared.

Beck's Halloween Party
We love the Beck's annual Halloween party! We don't get to see our friends from our old ward as much as we'd like to anymore, so we look forward to this party every year. It's a great way to catch up with everyone, and get some great laughs.

Lisa and Justin Powell
(Justin went as his son Andrew! So funny, because it's a perfect match!)

Andy and Alisha Trane

Becky and Byron Beck

Amy and Brooks Taylor

Doug and SueAnn Jex

Lesa and Brian Martinson
They always have the BEST costumes! I seriously cracked up this year. The whole night I couldn't even look at Brian without busting out in giggles!

Michelle and Jason Harris

Us!

Brian and Misty Perks

Falls Valley Fun
Falls Valley always does fun stuff for Halloween. Bailey dressed up for the parade. All the 6th graders got to watch, Watcher in the Woods. It was a little scary and creepy, so she loved it. That night was the annual Falls Valley Carnival. This year it was extra special. It's like a right of passage that the 6th graders get to do the spook alley for the carnival. Bailey and Neesha were zombies that escorted people through.

A pirate by day...

A zombie by night.

Playing games at the carnival after their shift at the spook alley.
Annie, Marlee, Bailey, Sydnie.

Withes Night Out
Heather organized a Witches Night Out for the ladies this year. It was so much fun! We had dinner at Fridays, and then went and hung out in some grave yards. Yep, that's right- about 13 grown women driving around late at night trying to get into cemeteries. It was quite funny! At one point Hayley Hendricks was behind a tree, in the pitch black cemetery, with a creepy mask on waiting to scare some of the ladies. oh how I needed my camera at that moment.

The witches: Moira, Nicole, Lindsay, Esther, Heather, Tricia, Marie, Tamra, Kelly, Lani, Suzanne, Hayley, Megan

Halloween Night!
Ahoy there Matey!
Halloween night was finally here! This was the first year Bailey didn't trick or treat. I was worried that she would get bored, but she had a great time handing out candy.

Sawyer was fine with being a pirate, as long as he could have a parrot. That's Parley up there on his shoulder :)!

And this will be the face I miss when Sawyer is gone :)!

Oreo

Reeses

Sawyer had a Halloween party. His friends are so awesome, and so much fun! This is a goofy bunch of kids! They ate treats and played silly games while Bailey handed out candy.

Ethan, Emily, Brianna, Lisa, Dani, Sam, Conner, Katie, Tyler, Brittany, Rae, Zakk, Sawyer, and Cheyanna

When we ran out of candy, and Sawyer's party was in full swing, me and Bailey went to Dr. Slaughter's for one final scare. We're used to being in a group, so it was freaky with just the two of us. The clowns trapped us in the clown room for a long time. Bailey had 3 freaky clowns about an inch from her face for so long. That room gets her every time!

Here we are being scared at Dr. Slaughters!

It was a great month of Halloween fun! I already can't wait until next year!

Tidbits From the Month

2011-10-22T14:46:00.011-06:00

We kicked off October with a relaxing weekend of General Conference. We did a Saturday morning Conference breakfast with the youth, and then watched the first session together. I LOVE these kids! I get discouraged sometimes with how the world is going, but it only takes a few minutes with these awesome kids to lift my spirits. If they are our future, then we are in great hands!

Some of my favorites from Conference:
Dieter F. Uchtdorf- The Lord uses a different scale than the world to measure the worth of souls.
Elaine S. Dalton- (to fathers) How do you raise a girl? By loving her mother! Love and honor your wife, so your daughter will never settle for less.
Your EXAMPLE as her father speaks louder than your words.
Jose Alonso- You don't need a planning meeting to serve. Just look, and take action.
Carl Cook- Look up!
Most of what we worry about is not of eternal significance.

We also had our first snow of the season at the beginning of October! We were so worried that we were skipping fall all together. But, after a few days, the snow melted, the weather warmed back up, and fall returned.

Bailey kept to her tradition of making a snowman with the first snow of the season. This one was cute, but didn't last too long.

Our friends asked if Bailey would take care of their dog while they were out of town. The keypad for their garage door ended up being out of batteries. The only way Bailey could get to the dog was through the dog door! I thought it was HILARIOUS! The dog loves her, and gets excited to see her. Princess would either try to come out the door while Bailey was going in, or else would lick her face when she was half way through. I stood outside the fence laughing my head off, and taking a few pictures of course :)! I'm such a great mom!

Good thing she's a tiny thing!

I also celebrated my 38th birthday at the beginning of October. I hate getting older, but I do love my birthdays :)! Mark always sends me around the house on a scavenger hunt to find my presents. It's become such a fun tradition. This year I found lots of my favorite candy, a Temple bracelet I've been wanting, a gift card to Banes and Noble (my favorite thing EVER), and a really nice straightening iron. I get pretty spoiled every year! I also spent the day in the pouring rain at the kids cross country meet. It was great, because both kids ran their best races of the season! Happy birthday to me! I couldn't have asked for a better present!
But that's not all! Bailey's best friend Marlee is an AMAZING cake decorator. Bailey had her make me a birthday cake, and they surprised me with it. I LOVED it! Almost to pretty to eat!

So cute!

Marlee with her masterpiece!

Who Wants to go on a WALK?

2011-10-22T13:40:00.006-06:00

My dogs makes me happy! Sometimes I wish everyone was as easy to please as them. There's a few things about Reeses and Oreo that I want to remember, so I thought I'd better get them in our blog. The first is how much they LOVE to go for walks! We try to walk them everyday, and it never gets old for them. I LOVE to take them too! They are so funny, and it makes me happy to see how excited they get. They know the word WALK, so we have to spell it, or make sure we don't say it until we are ready to go. Otherwise, we have two, very large, spazzes running laps around the house.

Watch the videos below, and you'll see how much they love their walks. And keep in mind that they aren't allowed on the carpet, or up the stairs!

Another thing they LOVE is car rides! They know that means they get to walk somewhere fun (like the sand dunes, the hills, the river, a park, etc...). Maybe it's even a trip to Pet Smart, or a cross country meet.

Sometimes I just roll my eyes and wonder what it would be like the be in their heads for a few minutes. Like the day that Reeses apparently forget how to sleep in her bed!

Our trampoline broke, so now the dogs can get up on it. They think this is the coolest new toy EVER! Bailey can't even use it now without two, hairy friends up there with her.

A lot of people don't like animals and don't understand how people can get so attached to them. I LOVE my dogs, and consider them a huge part of our family. They make me cringe, and laugh on a daily basis. Just like with kids, we take the good and the bad together, and we love it all :)!

Out with a BANG!

2011-10-06T18:55:00.011-06:00

Since the middle school cross country season is officially over, some of the runners decided they wanted to do a half marathon. They wanted to go out with a bang! Bailey, Regan, and Courtney set out in the cold rain this morning to tackle 13 miles! These girls are AWESOME! Regan's mom had a route all mapped out for them. I drove the car and stopped every mile or so, just to keep and eye on them, and give them water. They kept their spirits up the whole time...even during the last mile, when it started snowing on them. They were soaked to the bone, and numb, but they finished! I am amazed at how strong Bailey's body has become in the past year. Two summers ago, her half marathon was a struggle for her, and today it didn't even phase her. These girls are such an inspiration, and I am so proud of all three of them!

Getting ready to start!

This was around mile 7. They were being goofy, and having a great time.

It was snowing on them at this point. They only had about 800 yards to go!

Here's the finish line we made for them. We had toilet paper all ready for them to run through, but it was WAY to wet. So Regan's little brothers and sisters tied scarves together and held them across the road.

There they come!

They did it! 13 miles! Way to go girls!

RMMS Cross Country

2011-10-06T14:25:00.019-06:00

Even though Bailey is only in 6th grade, she was able to run cross country with the Rocky Mountain Middle School team. She had an amazing season! She made a lot of new friends, loved practicing with the team, and did awesome at the meets!

She kicked off the season with the Mud Run at Sandy Downs. It was the first meet of her life, and she won! It was so exciting!

The Mud Run

Her first 'real' meet was in Pocatello. It didn't take us long to realize that she definitely has a competitive spirit in her!
Pocatello Invite: 3rd place
Pocatello

The Digger Invite was her first experience with a really big meet. She is a great starter! She gets out hard and runs at the top of the pack, no matter how many runners are in the race.
Digger Invite: 13th place

Digger Invite

The Tiger/Grizz Invite is one of the biggest cross country meets in Idaho. Her race had 138 girls in it.
Tiger/Grizz: 19th place

Tiger/Grizz. I love this picture, because you can see Sawyer cheering for her.

The Rigby meet was one of her best races! She is Rocky Mountain's number two runner, but she had an awesome race, and ended up being their top finisher. She was also running with a leg injury from kickball at school. She was in tears at the end, but she gutted it out and did great!
Rigby: 7th place

Here's the RMMS cross country girls!

She had one of her best races again at Blackfoot.
Blackfoot: 3rd place

Blackfoot

Regan and Bailey showing off their medals.

The Madison Invite was not her favorite race. She was disappointed in how she ran. She got a side ache during the last loop, and that slowed her down a little bit. She still ran really good, but she missed a medal by 2 places, so she was a little disappointed.
Madison Invite: 12th place

Madison

Her last race of the season was in American Falls. It was cold and rainy! She did AWESOME! It was such a great end to the season. Her and her teammate, Regan, took first and second!

American Falls: 2nd place

Bailey and Emma

She did great on the big hill!

Running to the finish line at the last race of the season!

I am so proud of how she ran. She was dedicated beyond what any of us expected. She pushed hard at every practice and meet. She ate good the whole season, and she did everything her coached asked or suggested. She was listed on Athletic.net as the number one 6th grader in the upper snake river valley. She has a bright running future ahead of her. It's something she truly LOVES to do, and I'm glad, because we LOVE to watch her. I can't wait until next season, when she is an official middle school athlete :)!

Here's a video of parts of her last meet. She is in the white shirt, at the top right of the screen at the start.

And the Crowd Goes WILD.....

2011-10-01T12:53:00.010-06:00

Falls Valley decided to hold student body elections this year. 4th, 5th, and 6th graders could participate. 4th graders could run for secretary, 5th graders could run for vice president, and 6th graders could run for president. Bailey decided to give it a try. Any students who wanted to participate had to write an essay stating why they wanted to be on the student council, and how they could help the school. The teachers from the 3rd grade and under would read the essays and pick three candidates from each grade to campaign for the 3 offices. The essays were assigned a number, so the teachers would not know who wrote them. Bailey wrote her essay with the theme, "Lead by Example." Her essay was picked!

Now the campaigning could begin! She selected Marlee to be her campaign manager, and went to work! We made posters to hang up around the school, printed between 30-50 badges per day to hand out at lunch and recess, made cute shirts for her and Marlee to wear, and worked on a speech to be given on voting day. It was a ton of work, but also a really good learning experience for her. All of her hard work paid off, because she was voted Falls Valley's Student Body President!

We placed this poster right where all the kids stand in line for lunch. That way, the whole school would see it every day.

The shirts were a big hit!

We hung this cute poster in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade big room.

We hung this poster in the lunch room right by the door all the kids go out when they go to recess. All the students saw this one every day too.
They kids could only put up three posters, which was fine by us, cause they were a lot of work!

Marlee

On Friday all the candidates gave speeches, and the voting took place right after. All the kids did a great job!
Bailey had to leave school early, because she had a race that day. She wasn't there when they announced the winners, but her teacher let Marlee call us, and give us the results. It was all pretty exciting!
I'm really proud of Bailey. Not because she won, but because she kept a positive attitude and perspective the whole time. She made sure she campaigned for herself, and not against the other girls.

Bailey's Speech!

Off to School!

2011-08-30T12:57:00.008-06:00

There are things I like, and things I don't like about school getting started back up. I LOVE having my kids home during the summer. I love hanging out with Bailey all day. She's been my shadow all summer, and she's always a huge helper. I love that they can stay up late hanging out with friends, and playing night games. I love that we can go on vacation and take trips. We never seem to get it all crammed in, and then before you know it, they are heading back to school. I do like getting a routine back, and that 'new start' feeling that the beginning of a school year brings. I love that school starting means the cross country season is upon us. I love how excited they get. You get the picture...mixed emotions!

Bailey's first day of 6th grade. Her last year of elementary school....it's sad and exciting all at the same time.

Good luck Bailey! I hope your 6th grade year is all you hope it will be!

I'm really having a hard time with the fact that he's now a Junior in high school! Wasn't I just that age? When I realize this is the year he will be taking ACT test, and really thinking about college, it gives me anxiety. How can he only have 2 years left?!?

When it's time to take Sawyer's pictures, I always have to say, "Let me get a few good ones, and THEN you can be goofy."

Good luck Sawyer! Have fun, and make the most of it!

DARE Summer Challenge

2011-08-25T08:33:00.004-06:00

Bailey completed the DARE Summer Challenge! The DARE kids are challenged to either walk/run 100 miles over the summer, or bike 300 miles. Bailey did both! The walk/run challenge was no problem, but we were gone a lot, so the biking was a little harder. She had to do some long rides, and be very dedicated to make up for the times we were gone on vacation. That even meant riding through awful wind on several of the days. They had a big awards ceremony for the kids who completed the challenge. Bailey was excited to get a trophy!

The kids in the district who completed the challenge!

Bailey with her big trophy!

Bailey with Deputy Miller.

Way to go Bailey! We are VERY impressed and proud of your hard work and dedication!

Backyard CampOut!

2011-08-25T07:59:00.009-06:00

Bailey had been wanting to do a backyard campout all summer long. Our schedules have been a bit crazy, so it didn't get fit in until the week before school started. Bailey, Marlee, and Shaneesha had their own little end of summer bash! They stayed up most of the night playing games and eating candy in the tent. They even got up and did a crazy song and dance around the tent at the stroke of midnight. I slept on the couch with the window open, so I could make sure they were safe. I kept waking up to burst of giggles. I love these girls! What topped off the night and made it perfect, was that Bailey finally got her 6th grade teacher assignment delivered. All three of them are in the same class!

Bailey and Mars setting up the tent.

Shaneesha, Marlee, and Bailey

They made smores, and roasted starburst around the fire pit.

What a great way to end the summer!

Got Mud?

2011-08-22T14:44:00.022-06:00

The Mud Run is one of my favorite meets of the year! This year was extra fun, because Bailey got to run it too. Even though she is only in 6th grade, she's going to run with Rocky Mountain Middle School for the cross country season. I'd say she started off the season well....SHE WON! It was so exciting! And Sawyer's team got last, which is what they try to get every year :)! They also won muddiest team for the 2nd year in a row.

Bailey and Emma before their race started.

The first time through the mud.

Bailey was toward the front of the pack when they went through the mud the first time, and she did great up the sand hill and across the sand ridges. When she came off the hill, she was in 3rd place. I was freaking out! I asked her if she knew that she was in 3rd place, and she nodded yes. She had that look in her eyes that she gets, and I knew she was going to go for it.

The second time through the mud, she moved into 2nd place, and I knew she was going to win it!

Coming into the finish line. She won by at least 30 seconds!

She ran her little heart out! I am so proud of her! She won her first middle school race, and she isn't even in middle school yet!

Emma got 4th place, and she's a 6th grader too! These two are going to be quite a team.

Happy to be done!

The whole Rocky Mountain girl's team.

Showering off.

Here's Bonneville's team before their races started.

Seriously the funniest picture EVER! Man I love this guy!

Going up the sand hill. They secured last place at this point, so they were all happy :)!

The traditional jump off the hay bail!

Sawyer and Reynold.

They were swimming and back stroking through the mud. I love that the whole team stays together.

Wow!

This was their last time through the mud. They were running in slow motion to the finish line.

Sam dragging Sawyer across the finish line.

All done!

The boys won a mud pie for getting 'muddiest team!'

Now that the fun meet is over, we are ready for the real meets to start. It's gonna be a great season!

'Sew' Cute!

2011-08-22T11:59:00.004-06:00

Bailey finished her summer sewing class. I think her last project was the cutest! She made a scripture bag.

Thanks Esther! She learned a lot, and had a TON of fun!

Smore Date

2011-08-22T10:44:00.005-06:00

Me and Mark have had some really fun dates as part of our 'Date of the Month' club. But, I must admit that our smores date was not one of them. We were supposed to make smores in the backyard, and then go for a moonlit walk. Mark was in a big hurry, because he wanted to watch 24 (he has a man crush on Jack Bauer). So, we didn't even wait for it to get dark, we only had about 10 minutes worth of fire wood, and we skipped the walk all together. Oh, and since I'm complaining, I didn't realize my marshmallow had caught on fire, and I grabbed it and burnt my finger pretty bad. Do you feel bad for me yet?
It wasn't all bad...we did invite our furry friends, and they had a great time eating marshmallows :)!

I had some yummy marshmallows! I stuffed Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and Rolos in them, and then roasted them. It makes a delicious, gooey mess! Yum!

She was so excited to be on our date with us!

Haha, what a dork!

BC-XC Camp 2011

2011-08-22T08:37:00.011-06:00

Building Champions Cross Country Camp
Sawyer attended Brett Hill's BC-XC Camp again this summer. It is an awesome, 3 day running camp. He had a blast, and learned a ton!

Day 1- They got set up, went on a run, had a meeting with the Utah State coach, and got to know the other campers.

Day 2- They went on a trail run, and attended several clinics (nutrition, shoes, the science of running, and goal setting). Then they divided into 4 teams, and it was time for The Amazing Race!

Ready for the Amazing Race!

They ran to a lake, and had to get their whole team across using one small raft. If they got their butts wet, they had to start over. Once they were across, they had to run to a stream and find 4 gold rocks. Next, they had to put a puzzle together.

At the 4th station, they had to run into the woods and find a tepee. Once they found it, they had to take it apart, carry the logs out of the woods, and rebuild it. Next, they ran to a rope swing. The whole team had to swing across and land in a certain area. If anyone landed outside of the area, the whole team had to start over. Next, they ran to a big barrel and some buckets. The kids had to run the buckets to the stream, fill them up, carry them back, and dump them in the barrel. They had to do this until the barrel was full. The last station was hard! They had to get a team partner, and piggy back each other up a steep hill. Sawyer piggy backed a girl almost all the way to the top, and then he couldn't go any farther. His legs wouldn't work anymore. So, the girl had to take him the last 10 meters or so. They crested the hill with her carrying him, so it looked like she hauled him they whole way up the hill. Pretty funny!

Sawyer's Amazing Race team at the finish line!
Day 3- Conquest Peak!

On the last day, the runners have to conquer Conquest Peak! They run a 2 mile run, and climb 700 feet!

Sawyer running up Conquest Peak.

Once everyone makes it to the top, they get tee-shirts, and a take a group photo around the sign.
Such a great camp!

Washington Road Trip

2011-08-09T17:07:00.051-06:00

We took a road trip to Washington for our last bit of summer fun before school starts again. We did so many things, and had tons of fun! Get ready for a picture overload!

I love road trips, but I must admit that I have to stop a lot to use the rest room. At one point on the beginning of the trip, I had to pee REALLY bad. We were kind of in between towns. I got to the point where I told Mark he had to find a bathroom fast, because I had to go really bad. I didn't even care if it was a scary, run down gas station bathroom. He pulled off into a small town, and this is the only gas station there was! What are the chances!?! We thought it was pretty dang funny!

This was literally all there was to the gas station!

On our way to Seattle, we stopped at Snoqualmie Falls. I had seen pictures of it on the Internet, and it was even more grand in real life!

Snoqualmie Falls

We spent our first day in Seattle. It is such a fun, family friendly city. We crammed so much in, and I still wish we would have had another day there.

Our first stop was Alki Beach. We walked along the beach, while Bailey gathered "treasures."

The beautiful Seattle skyline from the beach.

Our next stop was the Freemont Troll, under the Aurora Bridge. Sawyer saw it in his Ripley's Believe it or Not book, so he wanted to find it.

Freemont Troll

Next we went to the Ballard Locks. I remembered going there years ago with my dad, before Sawyer was even born. The Locks are like an elevator for boats. They go from salt water to fresh water (or the reverse). The boats drive into a canal area, and tie up to the side. Then the water level either raises or lowers (depending on what way you are going). Once they are level with the other side, the gate is opened, and they can drive out. It's pretty cool to watch. They also have a Salmon ladder there, with an underwater viewing area.

The Locks

Then it was time for the Space Needle! We took the elevator to the top for a spectacular view of the city, and the water.

Space needle

The kids were looking for our car through the telescope. They found it!

After the Space Needle, we headed to the water front shops, and Pike's Market. We could have spent an entire day here. We aren't used to the hustle bustle of a big city, and that's exactly how it was. It seemed like there was someone playing the guitar on every street corner, and there were people on every inch of the street. It was fun for a visit, but I sure wouldn't want to live with that every day.

We stopped at Ivar's for some fish and chips. I think the seagulls got most of the chips :)!

Sawyer and Bailey made lots of loud, obnoxious friends!

The kids got drawings done of themselves. The guy was super funny, and did a great job.

At the market, we bought chocolate pasta. It sounded so strange, so we had to get a bag. It came with a recipe, so we tried it after we got home. You cook the chocolate pasta, put ice cream, raspberry sauce, and whip cream on it. It was really strange! Sawyer didn't love it...he couldn't get past the texture. Bailey loved it, and ate hers in about 10 seconds. Not something you get to try everyday, that's for sure!

After our long, eventful day in Seattle, we took the ferry across the water to the Olympic Peninsula.

The ferry ride

The next day, we met up with my dad, and headed to the Dungeness Spit.

We had to take a short walk through the woods to get to the Spit. The woods are what I loved most about the area. The beaches in CA that I grew up by were surrounded by big cities. Everything here was surrounded by the forest. It's awesome to walk through the thick trees, and be at the edge of the water.

Bailey, Mark, my dad, and Sawyer on the Spit.

The Spit is a five mile long, narrow beach, covered in drift wood, that has water on both sides of it. There is a lighthouse at the end of it.

There were some really cool pieces of drift wood. We could even look across the water and see Canada. And just for the record, I got a great picture of Bailey spitting on the Spit! I thought maybe it was a little too gross to post on here :)!

This is the lighthouse at the end of the Spit. We took this picture with our camera, through the telescope.

Later in the day, my dad and Kathy took us sight seeing around the area where they live. We went to Fort Flagler, which is an old military fort that was built to watch for Japanese subs during World War II. We also went beach combing at Marrowstone Point. I think my kids could walk along the beaches for hours without getting bored.

Fort Flagler

The next day we took a long drive to the Cape Flattery Lighthouse. I'm sure the lighthouse was beautiful, but all we saw was fog!

Even though we didn't get to see the lighthouse, the walk out to the viewpoint was awesome! It was foggy, and eerie looking in the woods.

The foggy coastline looked so cool. We could look down at coves all along the way. We saw lots of starfish stuck to the rocks.

My dad, Sawyer, and Bailey

This is our beautiful view of the lighthouse! There was also a rock right out in the water that the seals hang out on. We couldn't see that either. I loved the fog, but I wish it would have cleared out for just a few minutes. We would spend time each morning straightening Bailey's hair, and within 10 minutes of being in the damp air, it would start turning into a big, frizzy mess. It would get bigger and crazier as the day went on.

We spent some time each day touring the Twilight sites. We went to Port Angeles, Forks, and La Push. The area is exactly how I pictured it when I read the books.

In Port Angeles, we saw the movie theater, the dress shop, the book store, the alley where Edward saves Bella, and the Italian restaurant where they ate.

There was a Twilight shop there too. One of the workers was a James look alike. I had the hardest time not laughing! He was a nice guy, but I think he took his job a little too serious. He even had fangs!

In Forks, they have all the stops mapped out for people. We went to the Cullen's house, Bella's house, the police station (to see Charlie's car), the hospital (to see Dr. Cullen's parking spot), Forks High School, and Forks Outfitters (where Bella worked). It was so funny, because every place we stopped had other people there taking pictures too.

Bailey with Bella's truck.

Sawyer thought we were so stupid! He kept rolling his eyes at us, and he wouldn't get in any of the pictures. At one point, he was even walking on the opposite side of the road as us :)! My dad took this picture of him, so I told him I was going to post it on my blog, and say that he was just hurrying off ahead, so he could make it to the Dazzled By Twilight store before all of us :)!

This is the treaty line as we entered La Push.

Bailey sitting on some drift wood at First Beach.

Twilight fan or not, this beach was gorgeous! The kids stayed by the water for about an hour, and wouldn't come up to the car.

Jacob Black's house. This is exactly how I pictured it when I read the books!

I LOVED the forests! When I looked into them, I could totally understand how she came up with the warewolf idea.

They filmed most of the movie in Oregon. On our way out, we drove past a lot of the movie sites, but we didn't stop. We only stopped at the High School from the movie.

We said goodbye to my dad and Kathy at First Beach, and headed out to our next adventure. We stopped at Ruby Beach on the way out. It was so pretty! From this short drive along the WA coast, I've decided that we need to do the Oregon Coast drive next year.

Ruby Beach

The next day was VERY dissapointing. We went to Mount St. Helens. Bailey had learned about it at school, and she was so excited to see it. In fact, we were originally going to take this trip over spring break, but the sites at Mount St. Helens would have still been closed for the season. So, we changed it just for this day. And all we got to see was FOG! We even waited around for a couple hours, thinking maybe it would clear off, but it only got worse as the day went on. So sad!

This is a lake that formed from the erruption. We were still low enough at this point, that we could see some stuff...just not the mountain.

Here is where we stood for a couple of hours, just hoping to catch a glimpse. You can see behind Bailey how think the fog was! It's so frustrating to know that it was RIGHT THERE, and we couldn't see anything but white!

We had a LONG drive home from Portland on our last day. We took a 30 mile scenic byway along the Columbia River Gorge. We stopped at about 6 waterfalls along the way.

Latourell Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

This is Multinomah Falls. It was so big, it was hard to get a picture of all of it. And the sun was in the wrong place, so my picture doesn't do it justice.

We made one last stop in Boise on the way home. Sawyer loves to watch Ghost Adventures, and Ghost Hunters. One of the shows featured the Idaho State Penitentiary. It's a very old haunted prison. I wish we would have made it there early enough for a tour. It was still kind of creepy seeing it at night. We are going to go back and take a tour sometime.

I was hoping that when I loaded this picture onto the computer, that I would at least see eyes, or a creepy face in one of the windows :)!

And that ended our wonderful road trip to Washington!

Pine Basin

2011-08-09T16:43:00.008-06:00

Bailey spent a week at Pine Basin Summer Camp this year. This was her second and final year of going. She had tons of fun with Marlee! They did all the same, fun things as last year.

Cute campers!

If you look closely, you can see the red flag they posted at the top of the hill.

Doing skits and songs at parent's night.

Bailey and Marlee in their cabin.

Outside the cabin.

They spent a day in Jackson Hole. They watched a shoot out, and saw the play Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. They also had lots of time to shop. We were cracking up, because Bailey bought me a loaf of bread at Great Harvest, and Marlee bought some jam for her mom. Of all the shops in Jackson Hole to spend money, we thought it was hilarious that they went to Great Harvest. Cute little girlies!

Run-Bike-Swim

2011-07-25T11:02:00.014-06:00

Bailey loves a challenge! She wanted something to work towards this summer, so she decided to do a triathlon. She worked hard all summer to get ready for it. She would swim laps at the pool, with all the old people, a couple times a week. She biked everyday, and tried to run a couple times a week. She competed in the Pocatello Triathlon this past Saturday. All her hard work paid off, and she did an amazing job!

She had to be up at 4:30 am to make it there on time. It was still a little dark outside when we set up her stuff.

The run was 3.1 miles. This was her weakest area, as far as her training went, but it ended up being her strongest leg in the race. She kicked butt!

Finishing the run.

Getting ready to start the bike leg.

It was a 12 mile bike leg. This was the hardest part for her. She got really frustrated, because she lost a lot of ground here. She was on my 17 year old mountain bike. Everyone would go whizzing by her on really fast racing bikes, and not even seem like they were working hard. All the ground she earned in the running, she lost in this section. We didn't want to buy her a nice bike for 1 race, but now we realize that if she is going to do more, she'll have to have one.

It was a 500 yard swim. She did awesome in the pool. She's a really strong swimmer.

Crossing the finish line!

She was happy to be done!

The medals were really cool!

Her finishing time was 1:36:53. She was the youngest athlete to compete. The next youngest was 17 years old. We were VERY proud of her! I can't wait to hear what she decides to try next summer!

Girl's Camp

2011-07-25T10:47:00.005-06:00

I spent 3 days at Pasa-La-Coma for Girl's Camp. The theme this year was BOOT Camp (Building Our Own Testimonies). These young women were challenged physically, mentally and emotionally at camp this year. Every single one of them stepped up and did AMAZING! I love these girls to death. It didn't matter what was dished out to them, they were not going to be defeated. They rallied around each other and took care of each other, like I've never seen a group of girls do before. I'm so proud of every single one of them.

The sunrise hike was awesome!

Eastview Ward Young Women

Chuckars!

2011-07-25T10:45:00.002-06:00

Sawyer, Bailey, Katie, Marlee, Shaneesha

Sk8r GuRl!

2011-07-18T09:45:00.004-06:00

Bailey has been babysitting a lot this summer. She has saved a lot of money, and decided to buy a long board. I think that's so funny! She shopped around, and finally found the one she really wanted. I must admit, she is pretty cute skating around the neighborhood :)! She has already had one pretty hard fall, and I'm sure there will be more to come. She is very determined though, so I'm sure she'll have it all figured out in no time.

Nature Date

2011-07-18T09:25:00.008-06:00

Mark and I are still doing dates from our 'Date of the Month' club. We have been so busy this summer, that I have fallen 2 dates behind! We did have our 'Nature Date' this Saturday though. We went to Ashton for lunch. We call it the huckleberry milkshake place, since we don't know the actual name of it. It used to be the drugstore, and now it's converted into a little restaurant. They have yummy sandwiches and pizza. We took a detour drive to Cave Falls, because Mark had never been there before. It's a beautiful waterfall. It doesn't drop very far, but it goes all the way across the river. We also realized that there are some hikes up in that area that we want to try.

Cave Falls

There is a cave beside the falls, but there had been a rock slide, so you can't get to it now. Bummer!

After Cave Falls, we headed to Mesa Falls. We stopped along the way to feed the fish.

Feeding the fish.

This is Lower Mesa Falls. I love this whole area! It is so beautiful!

Upper Mesa Falls.

We did a hike from the Upper Falls down to the Lower Falls and back. Other than the bugs, and giant horse flies attacking us, it was a great time.

Sewing!

2011-07-13T18:33:00.004-06:00

Bailey is taking a summer sewing class from my friend Esther. She's made two really cute projects so far.

Here is her pillow that matches her bedroom.

She also made this bumble bee puppet for her babysitting kit.

I'm so glad she's learning how to sew. Maybe she can teach me someday :)!

Bailey n Marlee

2011-07-13T18:03:00.021-06:00

Bailey has been working really hard this summer on some goals. First, she decided that she was going to do a triathlon. Her race is in less than 2 weeks, and she's trained really hard. She has also been working on the DARE 300 mile bike challenge, and the 100 mile walk/run challenge. Most kids pick one or the other, but she wanted to do both. We've been gone a lot this summer, so that cuts into a lot of her biking opportunities. So, when she is here to bike, she has to go pretty far. Her minimum is 6 miles a day, and she usually goes a lot farther. I wanted to do something fun for her, since she's been working so hard. I took her, and her best friend Marlee out for a photo shoot. I got a bit carried away, and took 184 pictures! I deleted the bad ones, and that brought it down to 110! What can I say? I was working with two pretty cute girls :)!

This is one of my favorites!

I love this one too!

The girls love this one.

I wanted to show how different the girls are, yet they are the best of friends.

This picture was all their idea, and I think it turned out so cute! I love it!

I could have posted just as many with all the goofy faces they made too! I should have, but I already felt like it was picture overload.

Craters of the Moon

2011-07-13T17:13:00.009-06:00

We finally had a Saturday with nothing going on, so we decided to do a 12 mile hike at Craters of the Moon. After driving an hour and a half to get there, we found out the road leading to the trail head was closed for construction. We were so bummed! Sawyer doesn't like hiking as much as the rest of us do, so he stayed home. Since we didn't do the hike, I totally wish he would have come. We toured Craters of the Moon, and had a great time in the caves and lava tubes.

Mark and Bailey at the top of Inferno Cone. This is one of the bigger cones that the lava poured out of. It was quite a steep walk to get up it. On the way back down Bailey decided to run. Once she started, she couldn't stop herself. It was dang funny to watch.

Dewdrop Cave was the first one we explored. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but we found out if goes back pretty far.

Bailey in Dewdrop Cave.

This is the other side of the cave. It went down pretty far, and was really cold inside. You couldn't see anything without a flashlight.

We went through a lava tube called Indian Tunnel. The tunnels formed from lava flowing through, and the outside layer cooling and hardening first. The rest of the lava eventually flows out of it, and you are left with huge tubes. We walked in one side of this one, and came out the other. It was pretty cool.

This is the hole we climbed out to get out of Indian Tunnel. I think she looks like a prairie dog :)!
We also went to Boy Scout Cave, but that one is a little scary, so we didn't go very far into it. We thought we were just going to be hiking, so we were in shorts, and didn't have very good flashlights with us. In Boy Scout Cave, you actually have to get on your belly and slither through a lot of it. It's cold and pitch black....uh, no thanks! The last one we went to was Beauty Cave. That one was big and dark. Very cool though!

Even though we didn't get to do our hike, we still had tons of fun. It's a fascinating place.

Hey Batter Batter!

2011-07-13T17:00:00.006-06:00

Summertime means Chuckars games! We love grabbing friends, and headin' to the ball park. Usually Grammy and Papa are the only ones who pay any attention to the game. The rest of us are usually just clowning around. At this game, Dani was teaching Bailey and Marlee how to pick up on boys-much to their embarrassment and humiliation! The rest of the time was spent making faces at the camera :)! The Chuckars won too, so that was just a bonus!

Clearly, if the face making would have been a contest, Sawyer would have won! We can't wait for more games!

Let Freedom Ring....and a kidney stone!

2011-07-05T12:03:00.008-06:00

Happy 4th of July!

We started our day out with the parade! Even though the parade itself is pretty lame, it's so fun to be there. There is nothing like a small town parade that the whole city shows up for. It kind of makes me sad that me kids are too big to run for the candy though. Now, if I could just convince Mark that he is too big...

Later in the day, we did our traditional BBQ with Grammy and Papa!

Here is Bailey doing what she does best :)!

Sawyer was trying to pull a face every time I took a picture. So, I got a goofy smile from him. But, at least it was a smile. That was the last one he showed for the rest of the holiday.

He spent the rest of the 4th in the ER with a kidney stone. Right after he ate, he went inside with bad stomach pain. He sent Bailey out to get us. I thought he probably had a gas bubble, but when I got him to open the bathroom door, I knew it was something else. He was white as a ghost and all clammy. He said it was like a really bad cramp on his lower right side. I thought for sure he had appendicitis. We took him to the ER, and they did a blood and urine sample. He had a 3-4 mm kidney stone. I had a stone in 8th grade, and Mark gets them all the time, so we both felt so bad for him. Even after morphine and anti nausea meds, he was still throwing up and in a lot of pain. They came in and gave him more morphine, and that finally took the edge off. It's so hard watching your kid go through so much pain, and not being able to do a single thing about it. They did a CT scan, and knew they wouldn't be able to have the radiologist read it until the next day. So,they wished him luck, and sent us on our way with pain pills. He slept all night, but when he woke up the pain started again. That's where we are now, just hoping for it to go through quickly.

Once we found out what was wrong with Sawyer, it was just a waiting game in the hospital. So I told Mark to take Bailey, Grammy and Papa down to the fireworks.

They said the show was great. Mark even sent video clips of it to me on my phone. Their seats were right across the river from where they shoot them off. The wind was blowing, so they had ash and debris falling on them the whole time. The people in front of them had a big piece land on there blanket that was still burning. They had to put water on it. Crazy! I guess that's part of the fun of being so close.

God Bless America!

Stadium of Fire!

2011-07-05T11:12:00.014-06:00

We went down to Utah for the Stadium of Fire. The show was awesome! We got to BYU a couple hours before the show started, so we decided to take the kids on a tour of campus. It has changed a ton since me and Mark were there. It was fun telling them all of our college stories.

Bailey and Sawyer with the cougar outside the stadium.

The kids in front of Brad's truck!

Waiting for the show to start.

When we were walking around campus, we told Sawyer about having him in the Field House with us a couple times a week when he was a baby. Me and Mark would switch him off between us while we had class. The football team always walked by where we were. Chad Lewis was so nice, and would always stop and talk to Sawyer. He had a baby about the same age. We told Sawyer he had gone on to play pro ball, and even had a Super Bowl ring. When we got to the show, Chad ended up being the host. It was pretty cool.

They had a lot of cool stuff before the concerts and fireworks. People parachuted into the stadium. One of them was flying the American flag. They had a fly over from the jets from Hill Air Force Base. Lots of dancers and singing, and a big talent contest.

David Archuletta sang the National Anthem at the Stadium of Fire when he was 12 years old. They had a clip of him singing the first line of it up on the big screen from back then. Then all of a sudden it was really him there singing the rest of it. It was super cool! His concert was great, like always. He did a great tribute to the soldiers that had just returned from overseas. We wished he could have performed for longer.

Then it was time for Brad Paisley. He was awesome!

When he sang the Fishing Song, he had big ugly fish swimming around on the big screen. It was pretty funny!

He is an amazing guitar player. That's why Sawyer was so excited to see him. He didn't disappoint.
When Brad was finished, the fireworks started. They were great! It was a perfect night, and we totally want to go again. I hope they have someone good performing next year.

Father's Day

2011-07-05T11:04:00.006-06:00

We surprised Mark with a base guitar for Father's Day! He was pretty excited! He's been practicing a ton. It's gonna be awesome, because now we have a band. Bailey will play rhythm and do most of the singing. Sawyer will play lead, and Mark will play base.

Happy Father's Day Mark!

Shrimp Boil

2011-07-05T10:44:00.004-06:00

We had our 2nd annual shrimp boil with the Hughes family. It is so yummy and fun! All the food gets boiled together with the seasoning bag. There is corn, potatoes, onions, sausage, and shrimp. Then it all gets dumped across the table. You squirt butter, spicy mustard, and cocktail sauce on the table in front of your spot and go to it. No utensils allowed.

Here's the grub!

Here are the grub eaters!

Bailey and Emersyn on the tramp. I love these two girls!

Lake Powell: Knee Deep in the Water Somewhere

2011-06-27T20:36:00.043-06:00

Scott and Amber organized an amazing Varvel family reunion trip to Lake Powell. It was something our family would have never experienced without their help, and we are extremely grateful for them. We spent seven full days in paradise!

Here are some of the cousins on top of the houseboat. We were on our way to West Canyon, to find the perfect spot to spend the week.
Brooklyn, Bela, Sydnie, Chloe, and Bailey

This is the Starry Night, our home for the week.

This is a view from up the hill. I truly believe we may have had the most beautiful little cove in all of Lake Powell.

The three oldest cousins, excited to get in the water.
Clayton, Noah, and Sawyer

Sydnie and Bailey excited to get in too!

The three oldest girl cousins, posing in front of a picture perfect backdrop.
Brooklyn, Sydnie, and Bailey

Grammy and Papa

The kids had so much fun on the boat. They all went down the slide a gazillion times, and they LOVED jumping off the top and side of the boat. Okay, maybe not just the kids....most of the adults took their fair share of slide rides and jumps too!
Noah, Sawyer, and Clayton

Sydnie, Brooklyn, and Bailey jumping off the boat.

Our family LOVES to hike. We went on some really great hiking adventures. The first one we went on was to the saddle. I was lucky enough to go on this hike twice. Bailey didn't go the first time, so I took her the next day.
Sawyer, Tricia, and Mark.

Here is all ten cousins! This trip is the first time they have all been together. We were all together years ago, when Grammy and Papa moved to Idaho, but there were a few that weren't even born yet.
Clayton, Noah, Sawyer, Bailey, Nathan, Sydnie, Bela, Chloe, Cali, Brooklyn

We had to do some climbing and scrambling on most of the hikes. That made for some fun adventures for all of us. Some of the places made me nervous to have little kids on, but they all did great.

Here I am climbing between rocks to get up a canyon.

This was the coolest hike! Mark is standing in the middle of the canyon we were coming up.

Here is the whole group on a hike.

Sydnie, Brooklyn, Bailey, Bela, Chloe, Cali, Nathan, Clayton and Noah.

Amber made a giant movie screen, so we had a movie night on the top of the boat. It was AWESOME! We watched Tangled.

Sawyer kicking back during movie night.

I got up early one morning to take a picture of the kid's sleeping arrangements. They all lined up on the top of the boat to sleep. I thought it was so cute!

We had a talent show on one of the nights. Our theme for the trip was Knee Deep in the Water Somewhere by the Zac Brown Band. Sawyer learned how to play it on the guitar, and all the kids sang it. It was so cute! We had some great talents...Nathan sang, Amber told a hilarious poem, Clayton told Chuck Norris jokes, Amber and Brooklyn sang, Sydnie and Bela danced, Scott told an awesome story, and my family did a ridiculous and humiliating Spanish song from way back in our high school days. We dressed in serapes and sombreros and sang De Colores.

On one of the days, we went to a really cool place called Dangling Rope. It's a store, ice cream shop, and gas station that floats on the lake. We all got ice cream, and the kids got souvenirs.

There were massive amounts of fish in the water at Dangling Rope. If anyone threw food in the water, it was a disgusting frenzy. I've never seen that many fish piled on top of each other before!

Here's our crew at Dangling Rope (minus Grammy and Papa, who were back at camp holding down the fort).

This is our whole Starry Night crew: Grammy, Papa, Scott, Amber Clayton, Brooklyn, Nathan, Chloe, Kim, Noah, Sydnie, Cali, Bella, Mark, Tricia, Sawyer and Bailey.

We had four kayaks there, so we tried to take a little kayaking adventure each day. Here is Mark with Gregory Butte behind him.

Here I am on the way back from Fish Bath Rock. Our group named it that because it was a huge rock wall that shaded the water. Kim found it while she was kayaking. We went there to take baths and swim. The fish were swimming so close, that a couple people reached down and touched them.

Adventures in Scott's boat were some of our favorite times. Mark and Sawyer LOVED wake surfing, and Bailey LOVED wake boarding. I just loved hanging out in the boat.

Sawyer did really good wake surfing.

Bailey and Sydnie in the tube.

Sawyer and Noah in the tube. They had two pretty funny wipe outs.

When Bailey first tried wake boarding, she got excited because she could stay up for 8 seconds. By the end, she could stay up for over 3 minutes, and she finally learned how to go over the wake on her last run. She LOVED it!

Scott would take us out exploring or sight seeing in the boat. He would find a good spot, and everyone would jump in and swim. Here are the four boys in a cool spot we found.
Clayton, Sawyer, Nathan, Noah

Here are all six girls. They kept saying to take their picture, because the were "Knee Deep in the Water Somewhere."

On the last night there, Bailey and Sydnie stayed up all night so they could watch a sunrise at Lake Powell. Here she is on the edge of the boat just as the sun is peaking over the mountains.

It was so awesome that our whole family got to be together, and even more awesome that we got to do it in one of the most beautiful places on earth!

Anniversary Staycation

2011-06-14T07:44:00.010-06:00

Mark and I celebrated our 18 year anniversary on May 8th. We've had so much going on, that we had to postpone our celebration until this past weekend. As part of our Date of the Month Club, we had a weekend 'Staycation' in Idaho Falls. We had a yummy dinner at Stockmans. We stayed at Destinations Inn in the Egypt room. The room wasn't as good as Morocco, but still really cool.

On Saturday we went to the Bodies Exhibit at the Museum of Idaho. I thought it was fascinating, and I learned a lot!

Some of the things I learned:

I had NO IDEA how big the liver is. I thought it would be a small organ, about the size of the kidneys, but it is a lot bigger.

The uterus is so small, that I am now baffled by how a baby can grow in it! Even pictures and drawings make it look a lot bigger than it actually starts out to be.

I saw the little tube that leads from the kidneys to the bladder. Now I TOTALLY understand why a kidney stone causes so much pain. Poor Mark!

There is NO WAY we came from a big bang, or evolved from another species! We were definitely created by a Heavenly Father who knew exactly what he was doing!

Flooding

2011-05-31T16:37:00.009-06:00

We drove down to the river to look at the flooding. I hope the water doesn't get much higher than this. It's already over the bank and the walking path. There is so much water, that the falls are hardly even falls anymore. It's crazy to stand there and watch the water go over the falls. There is so much power behind it!

With all the natural disasters that are happening all over the world right now, I feel very lucky that this is all our little town is having to deal with. Let's just pray it stays that way.

SUMMER!

2011-05-31T16:28:00.002-06:00

It's finally summer! I was just as excited as the kids were to be out of school. It's always nice to have a change in the routine. Bailey finished off her 5th grade year with a Perfect Attendance Award, and Honor Roll. Good job Bailey!

It's hard for me to grasp that Bailey is now in her last year of elementary school! That seems so crazy! What's even more crazy is that Sawyer is a Junior! I'm not liking the fact that he only has 2 more years of high school. That can't be possible! I wish time would slow down a little...or maybe a lot!

Spring Guitar Recital

2011-05-22T16:35:00.004-06:00

Sawyer and Bailey did a great job at their spring guitar recital. Good job brave little kiddos :)!

All set to perform.

"Home"

"Turn on the Radio"

Flippin' Awesome!

2011-05-21T17:09:00.004-06:00

Yay! After hour upon hour of practice, she can finally do a flip on the tramp! Way to go Bailey :)!

Bonneville Commencement

2011-05-16T09:39:00.012-06:00

Sawyer went to Commencement with Brittany Thornock. They had a great time!

Day Date

For their day date, they went rock climbing at the Climbing Gym, and then went for a treat at Cocoa Bean.

Sawyer and Brittany

Sawyer, Brittany, and Cheyanna (Sam was there too, but he was taking the picture).

The Dance

It was so fun watching him get ready. He looked so grown up and handsome! Sawyer, Brittany, Sam, and Cheyanna went to dinner at Applebees, and then headed to The Loft for the dance.

What a handsome guy!

They both looked so good, and they matched perfectly!

This is my favorite picture. They practiced their pose before they came over :)!

Sawyer is totally enjoying the fact that he can drive and date. To be honest, it's been fun for us too. He has such a great group of friends, that this time in his life should be a blast for him.

MAD Half Marathon

2011-05-16T09:21:00.004-06:00

Tamra, Kassie and I ran the MAD Half Marathon over the weekend. It was early in the season for a long race in Idaho, so most of my training was on a treadmill. But, I did a lot better than I thought I would. We don't have times because the course was messed up, so we really ended up running 15 miles. That was a mental shocker, when I was told I was at 13 miles, and then the finish line didn't show up for another couple miles. Oh well, I guess now I know I'm in good enough shape to run 15 miles :)!

Kassie, Tricia, Tamra

Moses and Kaylee Kinikini from the Biggest Loser were there. They ran the 5K. We love them! Bailey got to meet Kaylee.

Here is Moses waving as he finished the 5K. They both looked great!

Now the big question is, do I train for a full marathon to do at the end of summer, or do I keep working on halfs, but try to drop my time? I've been thinking about it for awhile, and I can't decide!

Bonneville Track

2011-05-16T08:45:00.007-06:00

Sawyer had an AWESOME track season. He made a big change from last year, and decided to run mid distance, instead of sprinting. It was a great choice!

We endured typical Idaho track weather....rain, wind, and freezing cold.

Sawyer and Zakk at the Blackfoot meet. It rained the whole time!

Bonneville runners getting ready to run the mile or 800m.

This is the Bonneville meet. This is the meet where Sawyer figured out how to run the 800m. He dropped 10 seconds off his time. We knew at this point, that his switch was a good choice. It just took him a race or two to figure it out.

Sawyer finishing the 800m.

Being goofy in the bleachers!

This was at Districts. The weather was finally good, and Sawyer had an amazing race! He ended the season with his best time. He dropped his 800m time by another 5 seconds. I wish the season was a little bit longer, because he's really starting to dig deep and run great races. I can't wait til next year.

800m.....2:19.2

1600m.....5:50

Great job Sawyer!

Sawyer's First Date!

2011-05-16T08:22:00.011-06:00

Sawyer went on his first date the day after he tuned 16!

This is Dani Stott, a.k.a Squani! We love her! She was Sawyer's first date.

Dani just moved, so Sawyer had never been to her new house. She gave him directions, and he set off to pick her up. He drove past her house, and her family was out in the front yard. They waved to him, but apparently he didn't see them. She ran inside to get her stuff. When she looked out the window, she saw Sawyer going up to the neighbors door! She was DYING of laughter! Sawyer rang the doorbell and heard dogs barking. He knew Dani was afraid of dogs, so he realized he was at the wrong house. He was gonna run, but a lady answered. He asked if she knew where the Stotts lived. Sawyer said she was just house sitting, and didn't speak very good English. He drove past Dani's house again, and was walking up to the other neighbor's door. Meanwhile Dani is watching all of this out her window and laughing her guts out. She let him off the hook before he got to the door, and told him to turn around. So funny!

They came to our house with Sam and Katie, and had a hot dog roast in the backyard.

And as you can see, Sawyer was really worried about impressing the ladies on his first date :)!

Then the four of them took a walk down the canal road.

Bailey took pictures of them on the tramp.

Sawyer, Dani, Katie, Sam

Then they made s'mores.

Just for the record, they were taking these pictures on their own....I didn't go on their date with them :)! Katie did roast me a marshmallow though :)!

HaPpY 16tH BiRthDaY SaWyEr!!!

2011-05-13T13:05:00.009-06:00

I can't believe he's 16 years old! That seems impossible! Well, ready or not, it's happened, and he's pretty excited about it :)!

He had a great birthday. Once everyone was home that afternoon, the celebration started.

We left him a little present on the counter.

Wow, there were keys in the box. At this point he's kind of speechless. Could it be what he thinks? There's a glimmer of hope, but at this point, he's not quite sure. We told him he had to find what they went to.

A CAR!!!

Needless to say, he was pretty excited! When he got in, he found a few more surprises on the seat. He got an ice scrapper (that's a must when you live in Idaho), some car fresheners (that's a must when you're a smelly, teenage boy), car wash passes, and a gas card!

He got a coupon book from Bailey with 16 coupons in it. My personal favorite is the SHUT UP coupon. Whenever she's being annoying, he can present her with a SHUT UP coupon, and she has to be quiet. Where can I get myself some of those? She cracks me up! There are lots of other fun things too, like TASTY TREAT, FOOT RUB, CLEAN THE INSIDE OF HIS CAR, etc.

He is one happy kid! Being 16 is the BEST. Add a car, and a date for the next day, and life becomes pretty perfect! Happy birthday Sawyer! We love you! Drive safe!

Mother's Day

2011-05-12T07:53:00.000-06:00

Once again, I got SPOILED for Mother's Day!

Bailey takes a monthly craft class, and in the class they made these really cute mother's day treats. So cute!

She also made this really cute purse album at the class. I love them!
Me and my cute kiddos!

After church, I was sent on a scavenger hunt to find some presents. I got a case for my cricut, that I LOVE! I also got a cricut cartridge and Design studio. I'm pretty excited for life to calm down, so I can use them.

It was also mine and Mark's 18 year anniversary! We didn't do much to celebrate yet, but we do have an anniversary trip coming up.

Mrs. Powells Performance

2011-05-12T07:46:00.000-06:00

Bailey performed at Mrs. Powell's. This was her first time doing multiple songs. Her songs were, Turn on the Radio, American Honey, Fireflies, and Stuck Like Glue. She did a great job. They have an open mic from Thur. through Sat. night, so we are planning on her doing it again a couple times this summer.

'Picture Perfect Around Town'

2011-05-09T13:31:00.028-06:00

On Saturday, Mark and I did a 'Picture Perfect Around Town' date. This was part of our Date of the Month Club. I left out an invitation, telling him to write down 5 places or things that come to his mind when he thinks of Idaho Falls. Then he had to pick 5 props to bring along. I did the same thing. Then we went around to our 10 places and posed each other with the props we brought. It was hilarious! I laughed so hard! Good thing he's such a good sport, because some of mine were just classic.

This was the invitation.

Mark's 5 places were:

1. The Indian

2. Water Tower

3. War Memorial

4. The dock along the river by Snake River Landing

5. Tautphus Park

My places were:

1. Where the Red Fern Grows Statue

2. Temple

3. The Falls

4. Reed's Dairy

5. Sandy Downs

This is me at the Indian. I was wearing a bike helmet, a prison scarf, and holding a hatchet.

I cracked up that he picked the water tower. Who would think of that? Only an engineer :)!

Here we are at the dock. The wind was blowing pretty good. We wanted a picture of us together, and this was the best we could do. Actually, the next one is better :)!

This is more like us :)!

At Tautphus Park, I had to ride a giant horse down a slide. He was going to make me do an ollie on the horse at the skate park, but we couldn't find parking anywhere close. I guess I got off pretty easy.

Don't worry, I wasn't nearly as nice!

The author of Where the Red Fern Grows is from Idaho Falls, so of course I had to get his picture with the statue.

The Temple

Here he is at the falls. I had him pose for a normal picture, but don't worry, I wasn't done :)!

At the Falls, he had to pogo stick through the geese. I was laughing so hard, I could hardly take the picture. It is so funny watching a grown man pogo stick through a flock of geese :)!

We saw the cows at Reed's Dairy.....

Then had some yummy ice cream.

We made two stops at Sandy Downs. I had him ride a sled down the sand hill, wearing goggles. You never can be too careful in the wind :)!

This last one was the BEST picture of the whole day. I'm still laughing about it!

He had to be a jockey at the Sandy Downs race track. So funny!

Roadshow: Back to the Bible

2011-05-09T13:22:00.004-06:00

The Lincoln Stake did a Roadshow. There was a 'time machine' theme. Our ward did Back to the Bible. Nancy Brown was our director, and she did a great job. The play turned out so cute! Sawyer played the main boy, Brandon, who travels back in time to the Bible days. He was hilarious, and did a great job! I love to watch him act. I wish he had more time in his schedule to do it more often like he used to.

I love all these kids! They all did such a great job!

So STINKIN' Cute!

2011-05-04T12:49:00.016-06:00

Sawyer turns 16 two days before Commencement. He decided to ask his friend Brittany to the dance. I was worried that a formal dance would be a lot of pressure for a first date, but she's a cute, fun girl. They will have a great time. This is how he asked:

He left this on her bed with a rose!

Then at school on Tuesday, he got called out of class and down to the office. He was given a large roll of toilet paper. This is how she answered him:

I love this!

He waited til he got home to unravel it. She wrote yes in all kinds of different languages along the roll. She wrote funny messages along the way too.

Too "STINKIN'"cute!

I love that he will be dating now. He's friends with so many great girls. It should be a fun time in his life. I hope the dance goes great!

Driggs Retreat!

2011-05-04T12:19:00.007-06:00

I spent a wonderful weekend in Driggs, scrapbooking in a cute cabin, with some really fun ladies. I had so much fun, and got so much accomplished. I finished 13 pages, 14 cards, a recipe binder, and a ton of cleaning cards for a project I'm working on. Sometimes a weekend get-a-way is exactly what I need. I had just went to the Red Lion overnighter to scrapbook not too long ago, but I REALLY needed another one :)! I've been so stressed out lately, and it was nice to leave everything behind. I even loved the drive up and back. Just me in the car jammin' out to whatever music I wanted. I saw a huge moose in the river on the way up too.

This is the cabin we stayed in. I ran a few times while I was there. Driggs is a beautiful place, set right at the base of the Teton Mountains. It was a fun place to run.

Me and Jenni

This is my friend Karen. She's the one who put the whole thing on. She did such a great job, and I already can't wait to go to another one.

Here's my recipe binder that I have been wanting to get done for a long time!

Now I'm all ready to tackle reality again. Bring it on!

Easter!

2011-04-25T08:36:00.011-06:00

Happy Easter!

We had a great day (except for the fact that Bailey woke us up at the crack of dawn). The kids rushed through their baskets before we went to church. To their dismay, we made them wait until after church to hunt for eggs. The rest of our day was very relaxing. We took the dogs on a walk, watched a movie, and ate way to much candy.

Sawyer and Bailey with their Easter baskets.

She got lots of face masks to use with her friends. Now she won't need to mash up random fruit I have in my kitchen :)!

Sawyer will be 16 in a couple weeks, so he got 4 giant eggs filled with 4 different dates. The dates were:
1. A movie with Cocoa Bean cupcakes.
2. Rock climbing with Jamba Juice.
3. Phazer tag and pizza.
4. Golfing the short course, and Coldstone ice cream.

Watch out ladies, cause he's armed and ready :)!

Bailey got 2 books she has been waiting to be released, and lots of fun stuff to do her nails.

Although Easter baskets and egg hunts are fun, it's nice to go to church and be reminded of the true reason we celebrate Easter. We are thankful for Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice he made for all of us. We are blessed that he overcame death, so that we will be able to live again with our families.

Going Private

2011-04-21T09:00:00.003-06:00

I've been considering making our blog private for a long time. Now, the time has come. I mostly use it as a journal, but I enjoy having our friends and family follow our journey. I know it makes it a little harder to check, but I hope everyone will continue to follow our lives. Please leave a comment with your e-mail address, so I can send you an invitation. Thanks everyone, and happy blogging :)!