Welcome Home!

We have had so much fun adjusting to life back in the glorious state of Utah! How could we ever live anywhere else? The weather, outdoor activities, and beauty are unbeatable. My mom and the girls and I took the Razor out for an adventure up Black Smith Canyon and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Tuesday we went to Bear Lake with my mom and MY Aunt Lee, and the girl's Aunt Kylee and Uncle Brody. We loved seeing them again and just spending time together on such a beautiful lake.

Lydia tries with all her might to copy everything Emma does. Good thing Emma is such a good kid or else this could be bad news for me.

Wednesday we met Sara and the boys at the Logan pool again for another great day in the sun. Ummmm, can you tell my girls are comfortable in front of the camera?

Thursday was a grrrreat day! Well, it started off not so great when Emma got stung by a few wasps. Then she called Ryan and begged him to come home. Little did she know we were on our way to the airport to get him as she made that call. Our friends the Ferrins gave us a buddy pass and Ryan was able to zip home instead of possibly extending for a few more weeks. So at the airport I told Emma we were going to pick up Annie and asked her to get out of the car and throw something away for me. She was so surprised when she saw Ryan and both the girls are thrilled to have him home, as is he.

The next day Ryan and Emma had a good three hour adventure. They are such good friends and it warms my heart to see how alike they are and how very different their relationship is compared to mine and Emma's. The went exploring up in the mountains and Lydia and I enjoyed having time just the two of us while they were gone.

Lydia is my little helper. She is her mother's daughter and loves to clean, snuggle, and eat dessert.

I am so disappointed with myself for not capturing photos of the great family party my parents had with a large group of extended family. So I am posting this photo to represent the Sabbath Day, I must add that I DID NOT edit this photo, this is how the sunset looked.

Also fitting for this day of rest is this precious little girl who reminds us every day just how blessed we are.

Bucket List

Well, we finally left Oklahoma. Our family had a great experience living her for three months, and I know we will always look back on these memories fondly. As far as Oklahoma the State is concerned....I'm not a fan. Too blazing hot, too many smokers, and not enough outdoor recreation. So farewell Oklahoma...I have no intention of seeing you again.

Ryan moved from Tulsa to Oklahoma City with the rest of the guys on his team. All the wives headed home so the guys could wrap up the last of the season. My mom was kind enough to fly out and drive the 18 hours back with the girls and I. We turned it into a three day adventure and stayed at hotels along the way. The girls LOVED having Annie back in their lives and all the fun, prizes, and sugar that always accompanies her.

The drive home was just as flat as flat can be. This view below is what it looked like in all directions as far as we can see. Kind of pretty, in it's own way.

We stopped at Taggart's, our favorite restaurant up in Morgan Canyon, on our way home. It was sooo very delicious and I was beside myself over how pretty these mountain views are.

The girls and I have spent all of our nights up at my parents house. We have loved taking their Razor out for adventures and just having so much time to spend with family.

Emma and Jaken.....reunited after a long summer apart. These two little cousins have a romance going on, they will be mortified in years to come, but for now, cousins or not, they have their hearts set on being married some day.

Alas! My long awaited Josh Groban concert finally came. This has been on my bucket list and it did not disappoint. I went with ten of my family members and had the best time.

The half of us that live in Logan rode the front runner to Salt Lake City to spare ourselves the traffic hassle. We enjoyed playing cards and visiting on the way down. Once we got to Gateway we all had dinner at Thaifoon...my absolute favorite!

Josh didn't razzle dazzle like some performers have to do. He simply just belted out his songs and that was all the entertainment I could ask for.

Sunday was my parent's forty first anniversary. They are such an example to me of constantly trying to grow, and learn, and develop new talents. I don't know any other people who are so diligent about educating themselves with every resource available. Talks on tape, education week, fox news, the Ensign, Institute classes, community college classes, seminars, educational blogs, you name it, they've read it or attended. I benefit so much from who they are and I am so thankful for their influence in my life.

heat and more heat

I've enjoyed playing pranks on our friends out here. Nothing too mean, but plenty to greatly amuse me. This was a garbage can filled with water, so when the door was opened it flooded their entry way.

We have made good use of the local libraries and I have enjoyed not having to read the same stories every single night.

Vivint had Nike make custom shoes for their salesman. Ryan does plenty of walking for this company, so it's only fair.

The heat here....is RI-DIC-U-LOUS!! Truly, it's miserable. The humidity alone is annoying, now throw in 115 AND humidity....insane. Plus, the guys are walking outside for 7-12 hours a day! One of our friends actually got heat stroke and vomited multiple times. There have been 16 heat related deaths this summer, I'm surprised there hasn't been more.

We have enjoyed having a pool for our daily use. For a little girl who has never had swim lessons, Emma has really come a long way. I have tried to teach her, but of course, she learns best from anyone BUT me. I did the same thing to my mom, so I guess it's only fair.

Ryan can hardly catch his breath before the girls are begging him for a horsey ride. They sure do adore him, and I am already dreading being without him for the rest of the summer.


Misty and I drove the kids an hour out of the city to a place called kiddie land. Sooo bummed we don't have this in Utah. The rides were as good as the kid rides at Lagoon, except each ride was only .25-.50 cents!! Steal of a deal

We bought a kid pass to blockbuster and have loved renting movies on a daily basis. It's been a perfect good behavior incentive.

I can't believe what a beautiful little girl Emma has become. I don't know when it happened, but her looks really have matured and changed so much. She is still just as sweet and obedient can be, but definitely comes with her own thoughts and opinions
Emma had a great daddy daughter date to an arcade and to QT for drinks afterwards. Emma absolutely adores her dad.

I haven't really bought into the hype with the whole ipad craze...however...it has some incredible learning games for kids, and by summer's end I might be an ipad groupie.

It's a daily struggle, do we drive or walk to the pool? Both are miserably hot and it's a lose/lose. We usually opt for walking, and I enjoy watching Emma be such a doting, helpful big sister.

Do you believe in magic?

Getting a "special drink" is a frequent event for us. There is a local snow cone shop that always hits the spot. It's no Bahama Bucks, but it'll do.

The apartments have a movie theater room where we usually gather with the other kids and wives here. It's the only place where I can get my blogging done by use of their wi-fi.

Tulsa has very little to offer in way of charm and appeal. This is the ONLY activity in Tulsa that I will actually miss. We try to visit this specific splash pad once a week or so. It's very unique and keeps the kids entertained for quite some time.

Our friends the Merrills taught us how to make home made sushi. It was crazy yummy and I can't wait to make it at home with my family.

Emma loves her bedroom here. It's covered in her coloring book pages and I actually let her jump on the bed.

Bundy has a dog crush on the Merrill's dog, Brewster. I think he would actually get a dog if I would allow it...but I won't ;)

We had the BEST family day at the lake. The water was refreshing and as we got away from the black top and the asphalt shingles, there wasn't anything for the heat to radiate off of and we found the evening to be pleasant...for the first time this summer. The day was capped off by having the yummiest foil dinners.

I have never seen Emma as delighted and thrilled as when I watched her believing in the magic that this magician was producing. It was a great free summer event.