Camping at Tanners Flat

 

 

 

 

I love camping with the kids even if I don't sleep well because my toes are so cold. It was a cold night but the kids slept great and we went on many mini hikes along the creek. The creek was running super high though because of all the rain and snow we got this last winter and spring. We picked the best night to camp...it's been raining for the last two weeks, took a night off, and it is supposed to rain again today or tomorrow. We got lucky. It was a beautiful campground and the kids had a great time. They loved making smores and eating mini cereals right out of the box for breakfast. What could be better? We didn't have any major casualties although I think almost every kid fell in the water at some point. Just their feet got wet, we wouldn't let them too close to the creek because all it would take was one little misstep. We had lots of fun!

End of Spring...beginning of summer!

If only the weather would cooperate. It has been a cool and rainy spring which is great for the water bill since I don't have to turn on the sprinklers but really bad for my Vitamin D intake. We just haven't had enough sun. There hasn't been a good day to go to the pool since Memorial Weekend and I didn't even make it to the pool then. My tan at this point consists of a line on the back of my calves from Field Day at the elementary school. I look like I have a pair of socks pulled up. I feel like I have been living in the Northwest with all the rain. Hurry up sun and come out! I want to go swimming...although I may have to hit up a tanning booth before I go to even out my lines. My kids now think of me the way I thought of my parents- how embarrassing and uncool!

Darren's One Year Anniversary- We miss you!

I can't believe a year has already gone by since I got the horrible call that Darren had been hit while riding his motorcycle and died. We miss you and think about you all the time. Brown chicken, brown cow!! Love you, bro!

Air Force Week

This was the coolest thing ever to see. The Air Force chose 3 cities in the US to do Air Force Week and Salt Lake City was one of those chosen. It was so amazing to watch. Most of us didn't know what was going on and so we thought these fighter jets were escorting a plane and maybe something serious was going on. They circled the whole valley for hours, getting really low, and it was super loud. So cool. I think the purpose of it is to get people excited about the Air Force. Which worked at our house. Jackson now wants to join the Air Force and be a fighter pilot.

These clouds have been our typical weather this spring. Gorgeous morning, lots of sunshine and then the storms move in for the afternoon.

Field Day

This is Mariah doing the wheelbarrow race. Some kids found it easier just to drag their wheelbarrow to the finish line.

I love Field Day at the Elementary school! It is something the kids all look forward to and we had a perfect day for it. The sun was out although we had to cut the day about 20 early because one of the afternoon spring storms came in and we had a quick downpour and winds. I was in charge of the relay races and so I got pictures of each of the kids participating in an event. My throat hurt by the end of the day from yelling at the kids, cheering them on, and repeating the directions over and over because no one would listen! The sixth graders were the worst. They can't stop talking. It was a fun day and I am so happy it is summer and the kids are out of school. We are going to have lots of fun!!

Jackson doing the hula hoop relay. That was a hoot to watch.

Jalyn was a good hopper even with a ball being held between the knees.

Cute first grader Shane doing the potato races. For some of the first graders- the bags were almost as big as them. It was the first time many of them had ever done this and it was HILARIOUS to watch.

Mariah's Camp Rock Production

Mariah joined a little after school production company that would meet once a week and work on singing, dancing, and acting. They put on their final production during the last week of school and I was way impressed. Only about 35 kids participated in the program and they did a great job. They put on a production called Camp Rock which was a cross between the Jonas Brothers and High School musical. Mariah played a camp counselor and much to my shock- she sang a few SOLOS during the show! What??? She did great. I love that she is outgoing and brave enough to get up in front of a crowd. She is such a fun girl. She expressed a little anxiety about performing in front of her peers at school but I think that fear quickly went away.

This is Mariah and her friend Heather. They were the only kids in the group that were older than third grade!

Emma, Heather, and Mariah

Jackson's World Celebration

The sixth grader's at our school do a World Celebration every year and this year it was Jackson's turn to participate. This is him performing in "Ramadan". He was also the sound tech guy throughout the whole show. That meant that he stood off to the side and pushed the play button on the CD player when it was time for the next song to play. He did a great job and it was actually really cute to watch.

Spitting!

This is 4 year old Wyatt learning to be a man and spit on the sidewalk. He was going crazy with it and probably spit himself dry. It isn't cute when an adult man does it but there is something about a 4 year old doing it that is just so stinkin' cute.

Fifth Grade

Fifth grade has been a fun year for Mariah. She seems to have grown up overnight and I love hanging out with her. She is responsible, fun, and a social butterfly. These are some of our BFF's from her class. They are a great group of girls and I am happy for Mariah that she has found such good friends.

Lagoon 2008

I finally downloaded pictures that had been on my iphone for a while. I found these cute pictures of Shane, Jalyn, and cousin Korbin at Lagoon from this last summer. The kids had a blast and it was a really fun day.

Shane and Korbin were holding hands while they were standing in line. It was cute to see the little buddies staying together and safe while patiently waiting for their turn on the ride.

Mariah's recital

Mariah had a school orchestra recital tonight where everyone played solos. This is Mariah doing her performance of Paganini Theme. She did a fabulous job. Jalyn is the one doing the video so you may just want to close your eyes and listen. If you get nauseous, don't say I didn't warn you. There also was a judge there and at the end of the recital there were awards given out. My Mariah received Winner in Advanced Orchestra Division! Yay, Mariah! She has been playing for two years and really has an ear for music. I am so proud of her.

Me on a motorcycle!

I love riding motorcycles and I want one real bad! Since Darren died in a motorcycle accident last summer, it hasn't been a real desire for any of us to get back on a bike. However, this weekend, being in California, Don rolled out his bike and let me get on. It was so fun. We miss you Darren!

Girl's Night Out

I miss my Texas friends! Juli Downs came down from Burley, Tammy Cook came out from Texas, and Andrea Alexander is my new friend from Texas that I didn't know before. We all went out Saturday night while the men went to the Priesthood Session. It was so nice to have a night out and we laughed and laughed! That is what I miss. Those late night talk sessions while watching the Bachelor or hanging out at Baskin Robbins telling secrets that do not go beyond that room! Good friends, good times!

Temple Square

The Cook's and Downs' came to Salt Lake for General Conference and we all met on Temple Square. We had a great time together and enjoyed touring the area. I actually got my kids to sit together for a picture and look like they enjoy each other. Jackson got to go to the Priesthood session and Mariah and I went to the Sunday morning session.

Winter Fun!

Spring just can't decide if it wants to come or not- here are the kids enjoying a day out with Dad.

I don't cut hair but Jackson was looking pretty raggedy and he was getting ready to turn 12 and be ordained a deacon so I thought I would give it a shot. As you can see, he hated it. In the end it didn't look so bad but Jackson said it was the worst haircut he had ever had. I guess that is the end of my hairstylist career!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I finally downloaded the pictures from my camera and this is what I found! The kids got all decked out in green for St. Patrick's Day and did some jigs for us! Mariah wanted to really make sure she didn't get pinched and so put on as much green as she could. They had a fun day!

With great sadness, Ralph Benjamin Bytheway passed away this week. He was 85. This is Matt's grandpa and a wonderful man. I met Grandpa when Matt and I were freshmen at BYU and Matt would bring different girls up to his Grandparent's house on the weekends to hang out in Salt Lake City. I got to be one of those girls and loved his grandparents from the start. Grandpa loved to be outside. He had the most amazing garden and when they moved to Leeds, he added chickens. My kids loved visiting Great Grandpa's chickens and feeding them when they could. We will all miss him very much but we are grateful for the time that we had him and the memories that we have of him now. Rest in peace, Grandpa, and we will see you soon!

My friend Lauri was in town this week and we had a great time. Now I am behind in my school work and studies, sleep deprived, and worn out from giggling so much. We don't get to hang out nearly enough. I hear she is coming back next month too so I better get ahead on my school work!

Girl's Night Out!

I had the best date Thursday night with Megin. She got two tickets from her husband for Valentine's Day to Rascal Flatts and he didn't want to go. So I got to be the lucky friend. It was GREAT! He not only got her tickets, he got her good tickets. We sat on the floor only 7 rows from the stage. The stage came out onto the floor too so when they walked up the sides, they were only three people away from us. We didn't rush up and grab any of their hands, but I did encourage Megin to have the main singer rub her pregnant belly. It didn't happen. Oh well. So thank you Megin. You are a great date.