Some Summer Happenings....

This summer has been a crazy one and I can't believe it's winding down. Summer always goes WAY too fast and each year I swear it goes faster. I'm not ready for the kiddies to go back to school....not even close. We've worked hard, played hard, and wish we could continue.

Josh attended boys camp up in Jackson and did some awesome white water rafting and absolutely loved it. He was a little nervous about it before he left but afterwards said it was the best time he has ever had going down a river. They had some serious rapids with the water being high. Of course he didn't even touch the camera I sent with him so again no pictures to document his fun. We missed him and worried about him while he was gone. Nick kept asking "when is Josh going to be home?" My thoughts exactly.

Abi attended girls camp for the first time this year and had a great time. They went up to Heber Valley which, in my opinion, isn't really "roughing it." But she had a great time and I missed her terribly. It was really hard to send her off and realize how grown up she is getting.

Abi also attended Retreat for Girls (similar to EFY but just for girls) at USU. They stayed in the new dorms which were really nice and she had a fabulous time. I snuck up there a couple of times to bring her treats which kept my homesickness for her to a manageable level. It was a great experience for her and her friend, Rissa. They are already planning for next year. Do you recognize this celebrity?? Abi watched her on American Idol so it was pretty cool she got to meet her.

In June, I had a great birthday and turned 46 this year. I know right? I look amazing......well I've always been one to shun my age but this year someone told me a little secret. Just add 10 years on to your real age and people will be amazed at how awesome you look. I kinda actually thought that was pretty clever so now I just tell people I'm 46. ;) I had a great day on my birthday. It started out with faux pancakes (made from eggs) with berries and whip cream which were yumm-o (thank u sweetheart) followed by a day of shopping and fun. My friends planned a little surprise lunch a few days later which was very fun. I met Russel for lunch, little did I know what would be waiting at the restaurant for me. Apparently I was the star of the lunch hour..... WHAT??!?!? A picture will have to do the explaining on this one. I have the greatest friends. I also had a wonderful lunch a few weeks later with mom and sis with a little shopping mixed it. It was great. Everyone took great care of me and made it not so painful to be another year older.

Meili also got her tubes put in her ears in July. She was so brave and we were so proud of her. As the doctor came to get her, I wasn't sure how she would react. Once you get to this big red line, the parents can't go passed it and the doctor just takes the patient. As we approached the line, the doc asked if she wanted him to hold her or the nurse, she just kinda stared at him like what?? So I asked her again and she didn't respond. So he decided he would just take her. She didn't even fuss a bit. We gave her a kiss, sucked our tears back into our heads and watched her go down the long hallway. She wasn't happy coming out of anesthesia but they brought her right to me and I was able to rock her for awhile until she calmed down. She did great and was up and running shortly after. It seems she is hearing a little clearer now and seems to be helping with her speech. She is such a little trooper. The really hard part was being at Grandma's that weekend for the 4th of July and not being able to swim. It just about killed her little spirit to see all the kids swimming. She is a little fish and LOVES to be in the water so it was hard. But we made it through the weekend and have made sure to go to grandma's plenty so she can get her swimming in.

Fourth Of July.....

In July we took our little trip to AZ and it was great. We didn't take very many pictures at all....maybe because it was so stinkin' hot. Although we lucked out and actually hit it during a cold streak....I think the hottest it got was 108 that week. I know that seems hot and believe me it was but really 115 is about the temperature when you feel like your face is frying off so for the most part 108 and below is manageable. We swam everyday but could only handle about 1 hour before we decided to go back inside. We did TONS of shopping. We had a little routine. We'd get up, ride bikes a little, play around until 12:00, go swimming for an hour, come back eat lunch, put Meili down for a nap, girls go shopping, boys play Wii. Everyone was happy doing what they loved. And I got most of the school shopping done. It was great, we had the pick of everything because no one in their right mind was shopping for long pants, etc. Russel and Josh flew in Thursday night and played golf a couple times at the Superstition Golf Course (PGA rated or something) and they did really well and were very proud since it is a pro course.

Finally this time to Mesa we were able to meet up with sweet Jessica. She is an amazing missionary and everyone loves her. It was great to see her sweet smile and give her a hug. Meili just went running up to her and gave her a hug. The only other time she had met Jess was at her farewell.....but that's just Jess for you. You meet her once and immediately you love her.

We also were able to spend some time with Brennan and attend his mission farewell. He is an amazing young man and we are so proud of him and his decision to serve the Lord. He did a great job at his meeting and it was fun to spend the day with him. During the week he arranged for a bunch of kids to attend the midnight showing of Harry Potter and Abi and Makenna went and had so much fun.

It was a great week and we really enjoyed it and decided we might come every summer....the heat wasn't so bad. :) The nights were beautiful and we really enjoyed ourselves. We were able to eat at some of our favorite places like Joe's, Tia Rosa's and a new fav of mine, BJ's. Sadly.....and I mean SADLY, no Crackers this time. I was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease. We were actually happy to see this diagnosis. As I did more and more research, I realized that this celiac stuff could actually be the cause for everything that I have been dealing with the last four years. Now of course we are hopeful that is the case, it may not be, it may just be one more cherry on the top of my sundae of problems but we are praying this is the answer for me. Apparently the intestines have to be damaged to a certain extent before the test will show up positive. Right now while my body is healing, I still have to avoid other things like sugar, lactose, etc. because I can't break it down but hopefully over the next couple of years things will heal and get back to normal. So anyway I'm very sad I can't eat at Crackers anymore. But Joe's is AMAZING. I love them even more now. They have an entire menu telling you exactly what you can and can't eat......and JACKPOT their BBQ sauce is totally gluten free. Oh happy day when I found that out. We basically drink the stuff at our house. We buy it by the gallon and transport it home. And then we found a new great place call BJ's and I actually had PIZZA....gluten free pizza....and it was so YUM!!!

We made it home and continued doing all the things summer entails, swimming, picking fresh veggies from the garden, golfing, riding bikes, friends, weeding, enjoying the summer nights, sewing, bear lake, boating with friends, and enjoying every minute we could.