My Birthday

I had Strep Throat for my birthday! Chris and the kids went to Rexburg while I chilled at home. Chick and Dianne took me out for my birthday dinner to Jeremiahs--I had been on my antibiotics for 24 hours by that point. It was a lonely birthday...but my family spoiled me in the morning with lots of presents.

Weber County Fair Aug. 11-14, 2010

We haven't missed a county fair since we have had kids. We always spend a couple hours enjoying all that the fair has to offer. We love visiting the animals, especially this year. Tanah and Grace, our nieces, entered their lambs through the 4H club. (They did last year, but we didn't see them by their sheep.) This year they both won 1st places in the testing division. It was fun to see them there and hang out with their family. Allie and Cooper loved the pigs. Maggie wouldn't pose for me.

The giant sand castle was amazing! The other side of it had 2 knights jousting, but I forgot to take the picture. Overall, the fair was fun and we ended the evening with Chick and Dianne at Javiers. It was an enjoyable Saturday.

More Lava Hot Springs

I love family get-togethers--Davidsons and Hislops alike!! This Davidson trip was a lot of fun. I am glad we are so close to our families and our children have so much fun with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Here are some of our fun family pictures.

Chesterfield, Idaho

I had read about this Pioneer ghost town called Chesterfield, not far from Lava, so we decided to go. We're glad we did. The kids thought it was awesome. The general store had items you could have bought in 1900. The man who runs the place, is a decendant of the people who settled Chesterfield and he and his wife do the tours and run the restoration project. It was fun exploring this Mormon pioneer settlement.

My Sleeping Beauties

We had originally said we were going to camp instead of getting a room, but Chris wanted to sleep, so we got a room. Maggie still wanted to tent it, so we set up her tent between Kevin, Denise, and Jeff's families' tents. She also had a tent mate, Makayla. They had fun having their sleepover. Allie and Cooper slept in our room and boy did they sleep. They played so hard during the day, nothing could disturb them.

The Ranch Inn in Lava Hot Springs

We went to Lava Hot Springs August 8-10 for the Davidson Family trip. My mom found this "lovely" motel which Lucy lovingly nick-named "The Bates Motel." It was such a groovy, eclectic place. We had 3 beds in our room all with different bedspreads, sheets, towels, throw rugs, chairs, tables--nothing matched. From the mouth of our 5 year old, Allie, "This place is a DUMP!" (There were also some very interesting looking people around, so we gave the "buddy system" speech to the kids.) It was such a fun dump though. We did enjoy our three days there. The campground behind it was beautiful with the Portneuf river right behind the camp. Petting zoo, volleyball, tetherball, cattails galore, & dock on the river added to all of our familyfun. The place is even for sale--I think we should buy it and use it as our vacation mecca!

Ouch!

Today we went to book club at the Riverdale Splashpad. Maggie brought a friend, Cassidy, that ended up staying all day with her. They had so much fun together. They wore their swimsuits all day and the bad mother didn't reapply sunscreen. Whoops! Maggie has been in pain tonight. She now has some beautiful stripes.

A night at the Raptors Game

We have many traditions for our summers--one being a Raptors game. We got there during the third inning, but it was low stress and we had a wonderful evening.

As we were about to enter the stadium, we decided to stop at a little store right on the corner called Shaver's mart. They were selling sodas 3/$1.00. We also bought candy and 2 grab bags--All for $3.50. The kids had a great time exploring their grab bags. Cooper's was the best. He came away with a Sam Adams beer bottle opener, a press-on tattoo for adults, a wooden clock with First Presbyterian Church inscribed and about 10 other things. It was a great deal for 50 cents. The girls had fun with theirs too--but not as memorable as Cooper's.

The weather and the game were great and the kids got to hang out with Oggie a bit. It was a fantastic family outing.

My Mom is 70

I can't believe my mom turned 70 today. We had a family dinner last night and then today, just the "big" girls went to lunch at Javier's. It was a fun lunch date with Mom, Stacy, Kelli, Denise, Lisa, Sam, and Aunt Vivi. I sure do love my mom and all that she has done for our family and my family. She is a wonderful mom, mother-in-law, and grandma. I could write 70 reasons why I love my mom, but I'll just write a few.

1. She loves my dad
2. She loves her children and children in-laws
3. She loves her grandchildren
4. She loves to swim and can float like a buoy
5. She loves chocolate
6. She used to make fudge and then hide it in the freezer in different packages so her kids wouldn't eat it all
7. She loves to travel
8. She loves the gospel
9. She loves to read
10. She is a good people person--even though she forgets names and faces
11. She is a great cook--even though she has forgotten that she can
12. She is a great journalist--even though she doesn't write. She takes pictures. If you forgot your camera to a family event, never fear, Mother is here! She would make a great paparazzi.
13. She is a great salesman
14. She can get her way--anywhere
15. She is a great dieter. She always keeps her weight off--especially with the "ice cream for lunch diet"
16. She taught us to clean
17. She is always there to help and listen
18. Even though she isn't very artistic, she could delegate to those who could do it for her
19. Mom and Dad raised very creative and get-it-done kids
20. She is a Republican--very right wing I might add
21. She loves to be informed with the news--very up on current events
22. She is a very hard worker
23. She stays up so late. If you need to talk at 1 a.m., she is usually up.
24. Mom and Dad were very stalwart in reading the scriptures, saying family prayers, and having FHE while we were growing up--they still do the scripture and prayer thing
25. She is a great example
26. She has a strong testimony of our Savior

Thank you mom for being a wonderful mother to me.