Summer Tidbits

Just a few (ok, a LOT!) of pics to show what we've been up to all summer...

PLAYING IN THE BACKYARD

This is where Jonathan stepped on the slide and busted a big hole in it. But now we have the right glue to repair it. Hope it works!

BILL AND BINKI'S CAR SHOW.... always fun! The shirts are my favorite!

ARROW OF LIGHT AWARD FOR JON.... right before his 11th birthday! Way to go son!

BOBCAT AWARD FOR JOSH .... and now he has a few beads too! Almost a Wolf!

COUPLE OF TEMPER TANTRUMS....

A FEW VISITS TO THE GAP WATER PARK...


COW APPRECIATION DAY AT CHICK FIL A.... great way to get a free lunch for the whole crew!
MORE ADORABLE KID PHOTOS...


SEA WORLD IN SAN DIEGO.... We visited my sister Maree and her family and had a great week there!



WENT TO THE BEACH A FEW TIMES ... We got to see a lot of Earl's family while we were there too! A mini family reunion!

James took a spill on the boogie board... too bad because he was doing so good! Josh and Jon could have stayed out there all day. They loved it!

SCIENCE MUSEUM AT BALBOA PARK ...




MORMON BATTALION EXHIBIT IN OLD TOWN SAN DIEGO ....
YUBA CITY STAKE PIONEER TREK ... Earl and I were a "Ma and Pa" for a youth family and we had a great experience (although I am not a camper and didn't really enjoy no showers and only port a potties for 3 days!). Our testimonies were strengthened and we have so much more respect and love for our pioneer heritage. Thanks Mom and Dad for taking care of the kids!

Summer isn't over, but we only have a few days before school starts! I don't know how much we can pack into our week, but we are sure going to try to enjoy every last moment. It's been a fun summer and it's gone by too fast :(

Back in May.... I Was the Biggest WINNER!

So wayyyyy back in May I saw a sweepstakes on Facebook sponsored by The Milk Mustache Campaign that you could enter if you write a little paragraph about how you use milk to boost your family's daily nutrition. Being that my family drinks tons of milk (NOT!) I jotted down a few sentences. It went something like this...

Our family uses milk in our hot and cold cereals for breakfast. We add milk to our mac n cheese and creamy pastas at lunch. We encourage having a cup of milk with our dinner or we add a little chocolate syrup to it for a treat for dessert.

You didn't know I was such an accomplished writer.

The prize for this award winning essay.....
A TRIP TO LA TO THE BIGGEST LOSER SEASON FINALE!!!!

I am a self-proclaimed Biggest Loser junkie.

So is my husband.... it's our "thing". We love love love to watch this show together. 2 hours a week of good, quality TV time together. Yes, I said QUALITY!

So I zip off this essay, and then the next week I have one day ... ONE DAY ... that I say to myself, "Self, I am not getting on the computer at all today. Not even to check my email."

Yes, this was the day that I got an important email telling me I WON!

(stupid self learned a lesson that day... check your email.... no matter what!)

So the next day when I allowed myself to check my email (as I was eating a double cheeseburger at McDonald's.... a fine eating establishment for "Biggest Loser" fans) I see this email saying that some lady is trying to get in touch with me because I won tickets to the show.... my phone battery is dying.... I call her..... I'm in shock!

Sweet!!! The next week, and with a heart-felt thanks to my dad, Sarah P., Meggan K., and Melissa B. for helping me with my kids, my husband, Rebecca (my bosom budy and fellow BL fan) and I hopped on a plane and took off for LA on an all expense paid trip. Ya, I know, I get a tax bill at the end of the year. Big deal! I'll take it!!! It was one of the highlights of the year for me!!!

They had us stay at the Sheraton Universal Studios in Studio City. Little did they know when they made the reservations, ALL of the contestants and their families from BL were staying at THE SAME HOTEL! Well, all except the top 4 contestants. That's ok... we still met them all!

In the lobby of the hotel we bumped into Danny, season 8 winner.

O'Neal with Rebecca. I kissed his cheek.... I ♥ him!

Shay got another sweet deal with Subway!

Sunshine with Toa, Koli's sister. Toa is sending me "I ♥ Koli Bear" t-shirts. I love her. She is my new best friend. Thanks Toa!!!!

Sunshine! She definitely had the right team color.

Darrell... in the lobby again...

Ali, the host of the show. I hate this picture. I should crop myself and my double chin out.

Rebecca with season 1 winner Eric. And he wasn't the only one with massive armpit problems. Let's just say it was SUPER hot at the taping and at this exclusive after-party that we "wormed" our way into.... no, we weren't on the guest list, but they added us. Thanks again to the Milk Mustache Campaign and the fact that I could just "drop" that info at the door. Nice....

Holy Moly You Rock Koli! My favorite!
He should have won the 250k, but ONLY got the 100k.
Hey Toa, there is a pretty cute girl in my ward that I should set him up with. She's adorable. You want her info? Is he interested?

Ashley, the ALMOST winner....
She looked FAB!

Miggy. She had so much spunk and I loved her! I was sad to see her go. We had a great time visiting with her and learning about the cookbook she is putting together now! Way to go!

I loved these ladies!!! Cheryl and Sherry! Don't they look so beautiful!

This guy looks SOOOOOOOOO different now!!!! I love his dimples!!!
Daris is my running inspiration now. I run about 4 miles at a time now and I'm hoping to run a half marathon this year. He told me that even at his heaviest, he could run a mile in about 9 minutes (I'm pretty sure that's what he said... that's incredible!)

Sam. Sam. I love your biceps Sam. He should have won too. (Sigh....)

Oh, Ya, Baby! Too hot ladies!

After ooogling and harassing the contestants to DEATH we finally pooped out in the lobby. It was such an amazing experience! We had a blast!
P.S. Enter online contests! Only about 2000 people entered the contest that I entered.... my odds were pretty good.
I'm a believer!
And don't call me on Tuesday nights in the Fall! I'll be watching The Biggest Loser and running on my treadmill when the weather turns colder. Ok?!

Little League Over Finally!

We made it! Baseball season ended the end of May for Josh and the beginning of June for Jon. We had so much fun, kept ourselves SUPER busy, and loved every minute of it!

Joshua and his crazy team.... they had a lot of energy!


Jon and his teammates at their End of Season party. They had a blast playing laser tag!
(Note to self and Jon: Next time you go play laser tag, where dark clothes. It helps your score.)
I'd blog more, but I have too much to "ketchup" on... see future posts...

R.I.P.

It was a very sad day in our home on Monday. Our beloved Lightening McQueen shoes took their last journey out into the world, and came back irreparable (notice the break in the strap at the heel). :( The loss will be felt by all as we try to replace our dearly beloved shoes.
And boy oh boy, will that ever be a hard task!

Can you see how loved they are? Can you imagine the miles they have shuffled, the bikes they have ridden, the games they have played???

You can see them here taking their first ride on the new Lightening McQueen mother of all bikes at Christmas time.


And here on Jimmy's 4th birthday taking a spin on his new scooter...
(remember... we just celebrated his 5th birthday!)


This was about the time our relationship began with our dearly beloved...
in June of 2008.
Now, many of you moms reading this will congratulate me for dressing my 3-5 year old child in the same pair of shoes for almost 2 years.
Some of you may find that offensive....
And smelly....
And very dirty....
But alas, this was not my doing!
(I tried very hard just recently to lose, break, threaten to throw away, the list goes on....)
But it was not to be.
So it is without any fault of my own that the "Lightening 'Queens" bid a final farewell to us, and all of you, as his journey has come to a very untimely (or timely!) end.
Jimmy will love you forever!

Happy Birthday to My Jimmy Boy!

I can't believe my little boy is 5 years old! He's growing too fast! He has been talking about his birthday for... well, every day since his last birthday! (not uncommon for kids his age!) We celebrated last night with a few of his buddies.

Can you see the little Buzz Lightyear and Woody on the cake... that's how I decorate!

... Jimmy pretending he is embarrassed... WHAT! He has been WAITING AND WAITING FOR THIS DAY!!!

Some very fun presents from his friends!

His mother brainwashing him into cheering for the correct baseball team...
I know... we can't help the fact that my other boys are on the other CA. teams, but I need to be sure that the RIGHT team is supported by SOMEONE in our family!
Your welcome Dad!

My favorite picture! Jimmy and Daniel saying Cheese! Good buddies!!!

BTW.... why is he so against girls all of a sudden??? He wouldn't allow girls to be invited to his party! What! Maybe it has something to do with having a little sister now.... hum!
I'm not complaining... I'll encourage it as the years go on!!!
Mama loves her baby boy!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES! I LOVE YOU!

Pinewood Derby ALMOST Win...

Well, after much blood, sweat, and lots of sanding, we had 2 pinewood derby contestants ready for the annual race. I can't say I was excited (and neither was Earl for that matter. He had double the fun this year! Pure sarcasm here!) but I was happy for my boys and their chance to make it to the regional finals. They didn't :(

And they were under strict orders to 1.) not taunt others or 2.) cry for any reason. They are both a little bit competitive (that's a major understatement!) and I was a tad worried about the outcome, especially with 2 of them racing. But... they listened to me AND there was no crying. Ok, I think they listened... I'm not positive there wasn't any taunting, but a mother can hope, right?!

Jon won a few heats, but in the end, he got about 7th or 8th overall... not too shabby! It's not last place! (That was a major concern in our household... I wasn't as worried for my boys as I was for my husband... he he he!)

The race was SO CLOSE! But in the end....

Joshua got 4th overall.... bummer...
I'm not too sad :) They had a great time and Earl loved making the cars so much he got a new sander just to finish them off. Any excuse to get more manly tools!