Celebrating Pioneer Day!

Last week was one celebration, special occasion, or other fun event after another! Here are some of the highlights: Swimming with the Cox cousins at Grandma's house
Jumping off a make-shift diving board.

Slip and Slide!!

Playing kick ball with the cousins

Last week of swimming lessons

Eating at a "real" restaurant TWICE. Once after Jer and I went to the Ogden temple with my brother Steve, and other family members. The next day, we went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House. Of course, it was the visits to the temple and not the dining that were the REALLY special occasion.

It was a wonderful week and each activity, in a different way, reminded us about the faith of our forebearers and the sacrifices they made that have blessed our lives, and renewed our dedication to pass on a heritage of faith and obedience to our posterity.

Let's Party!!

I spent the last week in Oklahoma celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Usborne Books and More at our National Convention. It was amazing!! Some of the highlights (in no particular order):

1. Being whisked away from the airport in a limo. Here are me, Bobbi, and up-up-upline supervisor Deb Casey in the limo.

2. Enjoying a delicious steak dinner and a live, outdoor presentation of one of my all-time favorite musicals Oklahoma! as a reward for making the President's Club.

3. JIM TRELEASE!!! Have you read the Read Aloud Handbook? It is amazing and will make you a better parent. He signed my copy.

4. Not having to think about, prepare, or clean up meals and having my bed made everyday.

5. The Hawaii Celebration luncheon, team parties, late night "Name Game" sessions, and being with my wonderful friends (some that I only see 1-2 times each year).

6. Flying First Class from Atlanta to Salt Lake. Let's just say... I could get used to that! I did pretty much deserve it after Delta kept ruining my day and I spent 12 hours in airports due to their incompetence. They screwed up my flight from Rome too. Let's just say we aren't impressed with Delta at our house. First Class though... was great!

7. It is always fun to be recognized for your efforts. The awards I received were: Supervisor of the Year Honorable Mention, #3 Central Group Recruiting, #4 Group Promotions, #4 Personal Recruiting, #11 Central Group Sales, and #15 Home Show Sales.

8. Coming home to my family. The kids had cleaned up the house (in their way) and Katie had laid out my pjs and the stuff in the picture below.

What great kids!! Now back to reality...

Ultrasound Results...

And he's coming sometime by Thanksgiving!

What's More American?

The Fourth of July was a busy day at the end of a VERY busy week that ended a month of ball games, choir practices, cheer camp, surgery, booths, and overall busy-ness.

But it was a GREAT day. We spent most of the day in Manti at the park and the kids got to spend time with both their Cox and Cragun cousins. The day ended with a patriotic program at the stadium where Matthew and Katie (and their cousins Spencer and Cameron) performed a few songs with the Children's Choir.

Here are the kids and their cousins making rockets to shoot high in the air (with help from Grandma and parents of course).

Katie with her fourth of July hair waiting in line to shoot her rocket.

Ashton and Spencer discussing their rockets while waiting their turn.

Jer and Ashton waiting for the egg toss to start. Their partners were Matthew and Grandma Cox. Matthew and Jer did really well.

The kids with their cousin Jayme. They enjoyed the playground just as much as the planned activities (especially the little ones).

"What's more American than... Rock and Roll...

"... and mighty Superman!"

"I am! I am! I am!"

During the program, we watched the Boy Scouts and National Guard retire an old, huge flag. It was a wonderful ceremony. Today, Katie said, "When they were burning that flag last night I started to cry. I don't know why." What a great day to celebrate our country's birth!

Owwweeeee....

Will tripped and fell into my mom's ping pong table and cut his eye pretty bad. After he calmed down he said, "Take a picture of my blood." It actually looks worse now because in addition to the cut he has a black eye.

This is just a random picture, but too cute not to post. I came out of my bedroom and found Katie and Will in their room enjoying books. I had just added a new bookshelf and de-junked our books so they found many "new" treasures. Will made himself a little bed where Katie could read book after book to him.

Let's Hear it for the Templars... M.H.S!

Last week Katie and her cousins Ashley and Alex participated in Little Girl Cheer Camp. They enjoyed learning dances, playing active games, learning cheers and rhymes, and doing girly stuff. The performance is always so cute... the little girls do the cutest squeals and "eagles" at the end of each cheer. One day, while I was there waiting I thought about how when I was in high school no one knew what a Templar was (except people who went to Manti High School). We were constantly explaining to kids from other schools who the Knights Templar were. Now, thanks to National Treasure and the Da Vinci code Templars are well known and kind of cool. Just thought that was interesting...

In other sports related news, I am THRILLED to announce the end of the baseball and t-ball season. It was fun (kind of), but I am very relieved to have my Monday and Wednesday evenings back (as well as the hour I spent each Monday and Wednesday hunting down mitts and various pieces of uniforms).

Here is Matthew with his team, the Yankees, after their last game. They were all great kids and had WONDERFUL coaches.

Something I will miss... snow cones.

p.s. Matthew and Katie also had choir practice on Monday and Wednesday mornings and that ended this week too! And I thought summertime wouldn't be so busy.

Fun at the Pool

Okay, no one is looking at me. It is so hard to get a good picture when everyone is having so much fun!

Stuck!!

Jer picked up some gravel to make himself a little driveway for his farm car and save our regular driveway and garage from his stinky mud. Well, they gave him more than he ordered and the first time he drove onto it he SUNK. He and Levi spent an hour or two digging him out the next morning.