Ten for Tuesday 7.27.10

This blog has become a bit of a travelogue, but we've been so busy this past month that this is about all I can do! Life never slows down, does it? Honestly, just writing this post makes me tired!

1. We hit Lagoon a couple of times and really had a lot of fun. Reed's side of the family came along, and it was great to have their company. It was especially a lot more fun for Blake to have his little cousins to ride the rides with since Michael and Ty wanted to spend their time with Dad on the bigger rides. Ty is fearless. His favorite ride is Wiked. The scarier the better! Blake and Michael, not so much! We decided to try and take a photo with all of us while there was someone else around to take the picture. Of course, the boys had no intention of cooperating. Even my sweet little Blake has been corrupted. Until last week he was always willing to give a nice big smile for the camera, but now he wants to do crazy faces like his brothers.

Blake and cousin Jimmy.

On our way out of the park the boys asked if they could run through the fountain. I said yes, and I'm so glad I did. It was my favorite part of the day. It was so fun to see their little faces light up when they were given permission to run through the water in their clothes. They froze the whole way home, but it was worth it.

2. Baby blessing! We blessed Ethan on the 4th of July. It was a really hectic weekend, and a complete miracle that I made it to the church on time, but it was a really nice day. We are so lucky to have so many family members close by who were able to come and spend the day with us. Ethan, of course was just as sweet as can be, and Reed gave him a beautiful blessing.

3. In not-so-happy news, Ty broke his shoulder. He had a pretty big fall off Michael's bike. He got scraped up, but luckily he was wearing his helmet. They can't set the shoulder bone, so he's got to just wear a sling and let it heal. Poor kid. This means no swimming lessons this summer, not to mention trampolines, bikes, scooters, etc. Hopefully he'll be able to play soccer in the fall, but we're not sure if he'll be ready for that. He's been a real trooper, and hasn't let his handicap slow him down. Although he readily reminds me of his injury every morning when it's time to do jobs! This kid is tough as nails, and I have a feeling it won't be his last broken bone.

4. I was hoping to have family pictures taken the weekend that Ty broke his shoulder, along with Blake's 3-year-old picture, and pictures of the baby in his blessing outfit. Ty was all banged up so I had to nix that idea. But, the baby was on the verge of not fitting into his blessing outfit, so I took Ethan and Blake in anyway. I wish I had just stayed home. Ethan was not happy to be woken up for pictures, and he did not cooperate, and Blake threw the biggest fit I've ever seen. Ever. We did not get a single picture of him, and we had to leave the store immediately because he was so hysterical. What a pain! I was not happy.

5. Okay, back to happy. . . My little brother Ryan just left on his mission. He's headed to Texas!

Notice how they boys smiled so nicely for this family picture the night before Ryan left?

6. Last weekend we went to the ward campout and had a lot of fun, but I forgot my camera. The baby slept like a champ, and I ate about 17 s'mores, so it was a big success!

7. After camping we turned around and headed out to Bear Lake for a family reunion. My grandpa rented a huge house and we crammed in 30-40 people. It was awesome. Seriously. We had a great time. Lots of family, lots of fun, lots of awesome food!

We spent a couple of days at the beach and played on wave runners one day, and rented a boat the next. I'll spare you the pictures of my cousins, siblings, aunts and uncles on the beach. It would only depress you. Honestly, these are some serious beach bodies! Models and athletes. Ugh! Not that I'm jealous or anything!

I'm not as daring as I used to be. . . and I was never terribly daring to begin with. But, ever since I was injured in a car accident a few years back, I am just so scared of being hurt! Anyway, I rode the wave runner with Reed, and was scared to death. To death. Ty sat in the front, Reed in the middle, and I was in the back. I thought we were going to take an easy-going ride because Ty was with us---oh no. Reed is incapable of something that slow. Ty sat in front screaming with pleasure, and I sat in back screaming in terror, and Reed laughed the whole time! It kind of freaked me out. Anyway, I had a lot more fun the next day with the boat. We rode tubes, and I got to water ski for the first time in a few years. Not for long, but long enough to be sore the next day.

Blake was in sand heaven. Ahhh. I love the beach! I could have sat on the beach and watched him play in the sand for at least another week. . .

It was a little bit cold!

Poor Michael was sick. He had had a stiff neck for about a week, and headaches for a couple of days. Then the cold symptoms came on. My aunts were all freaking out that he might have meningitis, which of course freaked me out. So, we found a place out by the lake to take him, and the doctor said, No, he's not going to die. . . but, he has a major sinus infection. Whew! He got an antibiotic shot and two oral antibiotics, and was back to his happy self the next morning.

He's wearing his favorite shirt in this picture. It's a soccer shirt that is probably 3 years old, and it's completely filthy. There is no getting this shirt clean. And, he wears it all. the. time. Love it! What a boy!

This little guy was the main attraction. Everyone wanted a turn to hold him, which was so nice, because I was able to have a bit of a break. He came down with his first cold, and wasn't super happy about it, but we love him anyway!

My sister Alison is addicted to her gym pass, and is very distressed that I don't get my heart rate up every day---or ever is more like it! Anyway, she insisted that we go on a bike ride. I'm so glad she did. The ride was just gorgeous, and really refreshing. The only problem was that our house was at the top of a really big hill, and I seriously doubted my ability to make it back! It's been probably 6 years since I've ridden a bike, and I am super out of shape. Honestly, I thought I was going to die. But, I am happy to say that I made it up the hill, and only had to stop once to catch my breath! Miracle! Now, I'm not going to pretend that this was anything close to what my Saints-to-Sinners girlfriends, or my LOTOJA training Dad can do. . . but, pretty much the only physical activity I've had in the last year and a half was giving birth two months ago, so I'm proud of myself. Baby steps, right?

Vacationing isn't quite what it used to be. Somehow kids add a whole new dimension. It's so fun taking them to new and exciting places, but it's a whole lot of work! Vacations with kids are just not terribly relaxing. Reed and I really love to play games, but don't have as much time to do that now that we've got kids to keep track of. So, I was glad we got in at least one good game of scum before we had to head home. Anyway, we had a great time at Bear Lake, and I totally want to do it again next year.

8. As we were unloading the car from Bear Lake an appraiser called and asked if he could stop by in a couple of hours. Seriously? Seriously! Fine. Whatever. We decided to refinance again. We're getting a really good rate, and it should shave almost a year off our mortgage. Sweet! It was a little depressing to see that our home is worth slightly less than what it was worth before we finished the basement, but whatever.

9. On Saturday we went down to help my sister Alison and her husband Zach pack up and move. They left for Texas and we're really sad. I know he'll do great in dental school, and we wish them the best of luck with this next phase of life.

10. My little sister Dana just got engaged! Wahoo! Congratulations! On Sunday our family had dinner with Tanner's family. What a fun idea. After dinner Tanner announced we would be playing Two Truths and a Lie. Seriously? Seriously. It was actually a really fun way to get to know each other. I had them convinced that I once had hiccups for two days. My dad had them convinced he had an arrest history and that my mom had eaten a scorpion. Michael and Ty loved this game. This is what Ty said: "I broke my arm. I broke my shoulder. I broke my thumb." So funny! I learned never to travel anywhere with Tanner's family. Those people have a serious accident history. Boating accidents, airplane accidents, golf club accidents. . . Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and we're very excited for Dana and Tanner.

11. Okay, one more. . . Potty training is cruel and unusual punishment. The End.