Our Boys at the Beach!

The boys enjoyed a little more freedom on this trip than they ever have before. With lots of teenage cousins around and a lot of adults around the boys were pretty free to explore the beach and have tons of fun. I was ever mindful of the dangers of the ocean, but let them have free run of the beach. They dug lots of holes, got burried in the sand, flew kites, jumped off the dunes, and got their toes a little bit wet and very, very cold! You don't go to the Oregon Coast to go in the water!

Us at the Beach

We celebrated 9 years of wedded bliss this month!

Our Family on the Oregon Coast

The Oregon Coast is my most favorite place in the whole world. I love it! We headed back this summer to celebrate my parent's 50th Wedding Anniversary. These photos were taken in front of the Twin Rocks near Rockaway, Oregon.

How could I forget about our big trip? 1st stop: Boise

Here we are with Grandma Pamela and cousin Abbey at the water park outside Boise, Idaho. We had a super fun day riding the slides, playing in the warm wave pool, and splashing in the kids' zone. The only downer...sunburns! I am all about the sunscreen but we are all out a little too long. The kids were only the tiniest bit pink, but my poor shoulders were fried. Dustin's back was pretty red, too. I've learned my lesson, again.

Lookin' Good!

While we were vacationing earlier this month (which I can't believe I forgot to post about...more coming soon) Dustin dropped his truck off to be painted. He was so excited to see the results last

week. It looks really great. I am hoping that we are nearing completion on this project, but with toys like these you just never know!

Henry's Baptism Interview

Wednesday July 21st was not only our 9th Anniversary, but Henry's baptism interview with Bishop Harris as well. He was so excited to talk with the Bishop, and a little nervous, too. He did a great job during his interview. We are so happy that he's chosen to be baptized.

More from Kelsey's Photo Shoot

Kelsey's Photo Shoot

Our neighbor is trying to start a photography business and asked if she could take some photos of the girls to build her portfolio. She even offered to do them for free if she could use them on her website. We went over to her house today, just Kelsely and I, and these are my favorite shots of the day. The Photographer, Melisa, loaned us the tu-tu and headband. Kelsey was a great, and I mean, great model. We took over 200 photos in less than an hour. I think they are just lovely, but then the photographer sure had a lot to work with!

Since I haven't commented on the weather in a while...

It's the 6th of JULY and it's 49F and raining outside. Ew, Yuck! The only positive thing I see in this is that I will be staying indoors and getting ready for our move instead of playing outside. Pre-Inspection on our current house is set for 1pm this afternoon. It's one step closer to getting us the heck outta here! Yahoo!

Happy Birthday, Henry!

Henry turned 8 years old yesterday. Wow! All day long we teased his about "turning 6" or "finally being 7". It was pretty fun. He is so excited to be 8, and everything that comes with it.
His baptism is set for July 24th and he'll start Cub Scouts in Mississippi. He was excited to open his uniform yesterday. He was a little disappointed that a lot of things were closed because of the holiday on Sunday, but decided on swimming and pizza for his activity. We also got to watch 2 movies and he was off the hook for helping with any moving chores. We are so happy to have Henry in our family and to be heading back to his birthplace for the next 4 to 8 years!

Happy 4th of July!

We shared our 4th of July with a few families from Church at our friends' the Pedersens. We had a great time eating and talking and just goofing off. We played HORSE, Duck-Duck-Goose, and, of course, Potato Sack Races. I just love those. I think the photo of Dustin and I racing is hillarious! We also let off a ton of fireworks. We are so blessed to live in this great country and enjoy all of the freedoms and opportunities available to us. I hope we all live up to those opportunities and make the most of everyday.

Another Cute One of Kelsey

Kelsey is 9 months old now! Where has the time gone? She is a little mover and shaker...always into something. She's still cruising the furniture but she can move easily from the table to the couch and back. She's even let go completely a few times and stood on her own. She's very attached to mom, which to me is more annoying than endearing but she's getting better about letting Dad handle things. She's even slept through the night 2 times this week which makes a total of 2 times in her life. I am hoping this is a new habit. I would love to sleep through the night on a regular basis again. Now, if I can just keep the other three out of my room we'll be on a roll!

Good-Bye Alexa!

Alexa is one of my Young Women at Church. She is off to spend time with her cousins in Washington so she asked us to stop by on her last night in town. She is a very funny, very talented actress. I am truly going to miss her spunk and energy! What a great gal!

Party Time with the Great Falls Voyagers

The boys' end of season party was hosted by the Great Falls Voyagers. We were invited to a pre-game BBQ and then all the teams went out on the field for the national anthem and the throwing out of the first pitch. It was a great night and the kids loved being out on the field with the players. Our boys are growing up sooooo fast!

Jenna wasn't the only colorful thing we saw on the way home...

We saw one of the best rainbows ever, too!

It was a complete bow stretching all the way across Montana's Big Sky. For a little while it was a double which was just spectacular.

"Whenever I hear the song of a bird, or look at the blue, blue sky...Whenever I feel the rain on my face, or the wind as it rushes by...Whenever I touch a velvet rose or walk by a lilac tree...I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for me."

It Was Bound to Happen Sometime

As we were driving home from SLC last week Jenna kept telling me her hands were getting messy with the markers. I knew she had the markers and I knew she had a little bit on her hands so I kept saying, "It's OK, Jenna, it'll wash off."I had no idea she was coloring all over herself. This was our first experience with the "Hey, let's see what happens when I color all over myself" incident. I thought it was pretty funny, but I controlled myself and tried to wipe it off with baby wipes. It wasn't going anywhere! These were some new Crayola Changeables and they are not washable...at least not until she had a good soak in the tub! Good thing we didn't need to stop anywhere before home!