Baseball Game

Landon had one of the best nights of his four year old life last night. Jerry took him to a Dixie Roadrunners game. Jerry was given box seats right behind the catcher by one of his subcontractors. He took Landon and they had the best time. Landon's friend took him to the bull pen and got him a REAL ball. Jerry took the ball to Rick Berry who my Dad knows (he runs the team) and he took it to the locker room to have all the guys sign it. Landon got to give five to all the players and stand on the pitcher's mound. Of course Jerry said he took the perfect stance and practiced pitching (Jerry has dreams of Landon supporting us as a left handed pitcher in the majors) just like his Dad had taught him. Way to go Landon!

Accident

So Monday night was just a horrible night. Lauren woke up around 1:30am and wanted to sleep by us. We tried to tell her to go upstairs but she gets so crazy we just decided to make a bed by our bed. I went to the closet to get a blanket down and Jerry went to the kitchen to get a drink for her. He heard me scream and came back to find me looking in the mirror with my lip bleeding and my tooth knocked out well actually one of my front teeth was broken in half. Not a pretty picture. So Jerry's construction belt was on the top shelf and his construction angle came down and broke my tooth. We are so grateful it wasn't worse but just a crazy accident. I was so light headed and nauseous. I don't do well in any sort of medical situation. I wasn't crying just not feeling so well. I took some Motrin and Jerry gave me a blessing. He felt so bad. He tried to help with Avery when she woke up but she was not having it. I got her back to sleep and then Landon woke up because he had a little "askident (accident aka he wet the bed). I looked at the clock at 4:30am and realized sleep was not happening. Jerry had called the dentist the next morning before I even got up and he happen to be out of town but called me and I went in this morning at 8 am. He is going to put a crown on so I have a temporary now which has really improved my looks. I thought about posting a pic but I just don't know if I can handle the social shame......emotionally I may not be ready.

Grandparents

We had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa and it was great. We love having them here. The kids go CRAZY when they are here and love all the personal time and attention they get. My parents came on Monday night. We went to Jerry's softball game that night and it was great to be able to watch a little of the game because they were there to help me with the kids. My Mom brought peas and carrots from her garden and the kids loved eating them. On Tuesday I helped my Dad look at places they are thinking of renting this winter. We are hoping it will work out to have them here. My Mom and I braved Costco with the kids and opted to to Wal-mart late at night when they were in bed. She is still at the stage where their crazy antics are "cute" and maintains it was fun to take them. They are great they just have so much energy she does agree we can accomplish more in a faster time frame when we are on our own. On Wednesday night we went to "The Sound of Music" at Tuachan. I was so impressed and we all really enjoyed it. Landon came with us and did really well. My Dad tried to get him to meet the cast after but he just kept saying "No, thank you!" The next day Jerry was home from work so we went to the pool and swam. We had a really good time. Jerry cooked for us while my Mom and I ran errands. We always have fun shopping together. Then the boys went to the baseball game and we put the kids to bed and worked on my Mom's wedding album we are putting together for her 50th anniversary. We had a really good week and Jerry was home for the weekend so that always makes life fun. It is so much more fun to have someone else here to enjoy the kids. Our new exciting thing is to make rice krispie treats. I haven't ever made them with my poor, neglected kids. They are now professional rice krispie makers. I really have the best kids, husband and parents. I am so lucky.

Friends

We had our friends Eric and Heather Cathey stop by on Saturday. It was so fun to see them. They are friends from Oceanside, CA. They have three little boys and Landon had a great time playing basketball with them. Jerry and I both went to the gym. Jerry is really liking the spin class. He is getting a workout for sure. We have been preparing for my parents to come today. They will be here most of the week looking for a place to possibly come and stay this winter...Yeah! We are hoping it works out for them. We would love to have them here. I taught a lesson yesterday about obedience. We have the Mia Maids combine with us and Sister Parkinson came and shared some insights as well. I really felt the spirit and I hope the girls did too. I thought about my own girls and how badly I want them to understand who they are and their divine potential. I am so grateful for our children. Another highlight of the weekend was my phone call to my friend Gena in Australia. She is a friend from California. I was finally able to get a phone card to work and talk to her. She had just come home from the hospital after having a new baby girl eight weeks early. She has a boy who is almost five years old and has had two still born babies but hopefully her little girl will be OK. She will be in the hospital for at least 8 weeks. Gena has so much faith and is a great example to me. She has endured many trials in her life. I am so grateful I was able to connect with her. She is a wonderful person.

Seven Months Old

Our little Avery is seven months old. She is a pure delight. We took her to the doctor yesterday and she is doing great. She weighs 15 pounds and needs to put on a little weight so he said to give her solids three times a day. We have found through experience that she absolutely does not like peas. She gags and refuses to eat them. She is rolling over both ways and is sitting up. She is a happy baby. She usually just falls to sleep on her own with her piggy, blanket and her baby Tad playing music. She loves her exersaucer and her bouncy seat. She also likes to watch Baby Einstein. Her older brother and sister really like to make her laugh. She just started grunting to get your attention. She loves personal attention and sometimes she even likes to be rocked and sung to by Mom. We love her!

Anniversary

Today was a very special anniversary for Jerry. He was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ten years ago today in Hong Kong. He was introduced to the church by his best friend, Dave Fisher. He has had an amazing journey and there have been so many who have helped him along the way. He said a very moving prayer of gratitude tonight for all the Lord has blessed him with these past ten years. We are so grateful for the decision he made and where we are today because of his faith in the Lord. He cooked an amazing dinner. That is one of the talents he has fully developed since becoming a member of the church. He watches the cooking channel and gets ideas and then gets the recipes online. I am so lucky! We have three beautiful children who we are so happy to have in our home. They keep us laughing and learning each day.

Vacation

We enjoyed a few days of just us at my parents and had a nice vacation. Jerry worked really hard to help my parents clean up from the reunion. My mom and I were able to go shopping and get some covers for her chairs in the kitchen she had been wanting. We had a bonfire which the kids loved and they cooked marshmallows. Jerry and I went to a session at the Rexburg temple which was a highlight of the trip. I decided all the people I actually know in Rexburg are temple workers. It was so fun to see so many friendly faces. We also stopped at BYU-I and visited with a few of Jerry's professors. He had such a good experience there. Landon had an opportunity to ride in a dump truck and actually dump dirt on my parents property. They fed the horses which was a daily ritual our whole time there. We drove home on Wednesday and were lucky enough to meet up with Uncle Landon and Aunt Dana. They are an amazing couple and we love spending time with them. My parents were very generous and provided a wonderful vacation for us. We are looking forward to next summer!

Open House

Thanks to Lindsay, Anne and the rest of the family we put together a suprise open house from my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. It is actually not until the 23rd of August but since we were together we decided to throw a party. They have so many people who love and respect them and most of them were able to attend. We are grateful we were able to honor them on this special occasion.

Happy Fourth of July

We had a really fun day. We started with a fun run at Rigby Lake. Then Kevin and most of the guys at the party ended up in the river moving a big tree that was blocking the waterfall. This was one of my Mom's wishes. It is so fun to watch everyone floating the river behind my parents. They really have a beautiful setting and property. We had a bonfire, a dance performance by the girls and lots of good company. We didn't end up going to the fireworks because we were busily preparing for the open house the next day but a few families went to the show in Idaho Falls. It was a good day for reflection and to be grateful for the freedoms we have. We are so grateful for Joe Cason and his willingness to serve his country. We love him and pray for his safety each day. It was great to be together with family.

Yellowstone

Our family reunion started today with a trip to Yellowstone National Park. Landon has been looking forward to this for months since he checked out a documentary from the library about it. He and Grandpa found a Yellowstone flag and watched the Yellowstone IMAX movie several times before we even went. We went with Dave and part of his family, Kevin and Linds, Rod, Shelby, Nate and Mom and Dad. Nate was kidnapped (convinced with force) at the last minute and we are so glad he came. We stopped at Big Springs on the way up to feed the fish. Britton did a front flip into the water while Kevin was "supervising" him. Lindsay was thrilled because he had no extra clothes. They hung them out the window to let them dry as we drove on the dusty roads. We ate lunch there and then headed into the park. We saw buffalo, elk, waterfalls and of course Old Faithful. Landon was thrilled! The real fun of the trip began when Dave decided to take a shortcut to get us home. As we started the drive Jerry commented on how much fun my family was, at the end he was using all his willpower not to ram into the back of Dave's suburban...even with Primary music playing (used to try and calm everyone in the vehicle) he was feeling like this was a reasonable option. We were on a windy, dusty four wheeler road for 45 miles which translated into 2 hours. The irony was we were not on a four wheeler...we were in our Equinox. It all ended at Big J's with dinner and a group decision to still plan trips together but to never follow Dave again. Dave always makes things exciting!

Suprise

We had an awesome suprise last night when Jerry showed up a day early. He told me he would be here on Wednesday morning and when he called my Tuesday evening he said he was in Cedar City but he was in SLC. He went into work at 4am so he could leave by 1pm to get here. I have not quit smiling since he got here. Especially when I am away from him I realize how much he does for me and the kids. He is an awesome husband and father. Grandpa cooked a dutch oven meal last night and Jerry got to be here to sample it. There was a bit of drama because Grandma took off and went to get her hair permed instead of staying for the meal but I think it has all washed under the bridge....hopefully. The river is beautiful and we are all enjoying the nice weather and amazing scenery. We love being here especially since it is over 100 degrees at home right now.