Tagged

Well, Kim C tagged me so here you go!
PS - I started this last night and got so tired I was retyping every word three times, so I finished this morning. We are just going to pretend that I did it all last night ;)

Two names you go by:
1. sweetheart
2. mom

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. pajama capris (pink w/brown scotties on them)
2. tee shirt

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. going on a picnic in the mountains
2. traveling anywhere

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. a large diet coke w\cherry and lime from Sonic
2. an organizational fairy (one wave of her wand and poof! perfection!)

Two Pets that you have or have had:
1. moses, a chocolate lab
2. new fish in the pond; marco, polo and crystal

Two things you did last night:
1. took Bella to her baptism interview
2. bought a new patio set on mega clearance at Target

Two things you did today:
1. went to the spray park
2. went to a fun enrichment class (courtesy of Rachael Ray aka Kendria!)

Two things you ate today:
1. spicy chicken wrap
2. chicken tortilla soup

Two people you last talked to:
1. larry
2. slightly excited girls having a hard time going to sleep

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. go to the library to see the 600 pd hog do tricks
2. enjoy the slightly cooler weather

Two memorable vacations:
1. our trip to Mexico a couple of summers ago
2. trip to Moab where we found the rattlesnake and the black widow all at the same time. That memory will live in my mind forever!

Two favorite holidays:
1. christmas
2. this is a hard one because I LOVE halloween but also have the fondest memories of Thanksgiving as a child. So it's a tie!

Angie, Amy, Danielle, Emily, Kendria, Kimber, Laura, Melanie and Sari tag! Your It!

Happy Birthday Bellaruski!!

Bella turned 8 on the 6th of July. It is positively amazing to me that she is already 8! Where oh where does the time go! Bella has always been beautiful. I know that I am biased because she is my daughter, but it's the truth. When she was born, the nurses couldn't stop gushing about how beautiful she was and how perfect her coloring was. That was after she lost her initial purple hue. When they brought her back to me after her bath the nurse confessed that they had been playing with her hair in the nursery. Trying to style it. They were really sweet. Bella was born about two weeks early. With Brendan I had to be induced so when labor started in the middle of the night I was really nervous about what was going on and didn't know what to expect. But out of the kids, Bella's delivery was by far the easiest. I got to the hospital about 6 and she was born at 10:30. Not as fast as some other people I know, but it was fast to me. And my dr was great. We all laughed the whole time. Not kidding! I got the giggles about something and couldn't stop and then the laughs caught on to everyone else. The only complication was my epidural. For some reason the dr couldn't find the right spot and she actually put four holes in my spinal sac. That meant that I had a greater risk for getting a spinal migraine which can be horrible. To try and prevent that from happening they kept my iv in and gave me a lot of caffeine to drink. It worked and I was migraine free. However the increased fluid made me swell really bad. My eyes swelled so badly that I just had little slits for a couple of days.
Bella and I had a birthday party together up at the lake and then this Friday I took her, Brooke and two of her friends to see Kung Fu Panda. Which, if you have not seen it, is a really funny movie. We all really liked it. The girls were hysterical. When I told them that it was getting close to movie time they decided that they had to have some jewels. Because, when you get ready for a girls night out you have to put on your jewelry and makeup. Gee - where could they have gotten that idea from I wonder......
Bella with her cake. I opted not to make one this year so Larry got a black forest one. It was lovely to look at and tasted divine.
We turned our backs for a second and found Lily stealing the rest of the cherries off the cake.
No party is complete at our house without jumping on the tramp.

Look at how much air Brooke got on this jump (she's in orange). I was shocked when I looked at the picture and realized how high up in the air she is!!

Bella is such a special part of our family. I could never list all of her wonderful qualities but here are a few. Bella is:

1. honestly one of the most loving children I have ever met in my life. She is always concerned about others and tries really hard to make sure that everyone is included.
2. very compassionate. I don't like to watch the news with her around because she gets really worked up about the newstories.
3. very thoughtful and quick to give people compliments.
4. honest and genuine.
5. full of energy and fun loving!

Bella always:

1. has a smile on her face.
2. tries really hard to help out. Especially with Lily
3. is singing. She loves to sing and make up her own songs.
   

We love you Bella!

Bear Lake Chronicles - Fireworks and Misc Fun!

One of the things that made this years trip to Bear Lake special is that Larry's parents were able to come up. This year also marks their 50th wedding anniversary. To celebrate they had a campfire on the 3rd and instead of telling ghost stories they talked about their childhoods and their lives together. On the 4th we had a special family meeting and Larry's sister put together a game to help the grandkids learn more about Nonie and Papa Sir. It was like the Newly Wed Game and it was so cute. She did such a good job. I even learned a thing or two! We took some family pictures, but our camera still had water in it and so far I haven't recieved any pictures from anyone else - hint - hint! Larry's parents are a very special couple and love each other so much. You can see the love that they have for each other in everything they do and say. It is very inspiring to me.

Later on in the day we went to Evanston, Wy to watch fireworks. The cool thing about watching fireworks there is that they are legal. So, while the city puts on their big fireworks show, down below in town everyone else is shooting them off as well. And they are doing ones that are just as big as the city's. You are literally surrounded by fireworks. So cool.

Here we are setting up to watch the fireworks. I a managed to get a quick picture of Larry and his mom before......

Nancy decided to jump right on in.
I think our 4th of July picture from last year was taken in this exact spot.
The girls getting ready for the big show and enjoying some snacks.
You can't celebrate the 4th without some sparklers!

Now the firey things were a little scary to me but the kids really loved them and no one got hurt.
Daniel is always the life of the party. There is something about that kid that just cracks me up!

The rest of the pictures are just some fun things that we did during the week.

The kids spent a lot of time on the swing. Here they are with Aunt Colleen and cousin Anna.
We don't have trees mature enough to climb at home so they love to climb the who knows how old trees in Aunt Colleen's yard.

Bella and cousin Ashely just having fun together.

We ate a lot of shakes while we were there. One night there were so many of us that I think we got close to ordering every shake that they make. We decided that they are all yummy! So many good memories were made on this trip. I hope that our kids will look back, years from now, and remember spending that time with their extended family and it will make them smile.

Bear Lake Chronicles - Four Wheeling Fun

Another great thing about the Bear Lake area is that four wheelers are everywhere. You can ride them on the beach, you can even ride them in the road if you want. We took our three and Larry's sister Charlotte took her two along with two dirt bikes. So there was a whole lotta riding going on. Which was fine by us because we love to ride. The trails were extremely dusty so everyone came back caked in dirt and cow pies. Yuck!!

Nephews Dan and Spencer
They look like they have been through a desert dust storm or something. And the bad thing about getting this dusty is that you have grit in your mouth for hours. The men definitely rode the most, but the girls got in some good rides as well.

Niece Ryan, Nancy and me
Now I know what you are thinking:
1. Are they riding or scuba diving?? What's up with the giant goggles?
2. Are those really porta potties in the backgroud??
Answers:
1. We are riding but didn't feel like wearing helmets. We needed good eye protection so we took the goggles off the helmets and just wore those. When I ride on a trail I prefer to wear a helmet. This ride I didn't and I had an accident which could have been really bad, so it was a very good lesson for me. You will not catch me on the trail again without a helmet. Promise! And we always make our kids wear helmets.
2. Those are porta potties! When you have 31 people at a house you need a few more bathrooms. We also had an outdoor shower, three tents and three hammocks. Yes, we got a few stares as people drove by.

Larry and I took a ride up to the top of a near by hill that over looks the lake. We had grand ideas of watching the sunset because they are so gorgeous up there. Unfortunately, we forgot our bug spray and mosquitoes ate us alive within two minutes of stopping. So we watched the sunset as we were riding back to the house.

Our attempt at a little photo shoot before the mosquitoes chased us away.

As for my accident, I wasn't going to go into detail because it's a little bit embarrassing. But there were some comments about my gimpy leg and a few questions about what happened so here is the scoop. We were riding and I went through a little stream crossing that was uphill. For some reason the backend of my fourwheeler slid and drove me off the trail. Now there are spots on the trail where the sides are open and there are spots where the trees line the trail. This was a spot where the trail was lined by trees, or big bushy tree like things. I hit one of those which caused the handlebars to turn sharply to the right. My body flew off my seat because the bike was no longer moving. I flew into the end of the handle bar right above where my leg meets my abdomen. The pain was horrible and shot all the way to my backside and down my leg. So I have a nasty, nasty looking bruise (which I will not post pictures of due to the delicate location) and for a couple of days I could hardly wear pants, walking was hard and stairs was almost impossible. But it is healing really well and only hurts now when I do stairs. It honestly was a good lesson for me though because it showed me how fast a ride can go from fun to dangerous.

Strawberries + Chocolate = Heaven

Shortly after we pulled into our driveway on Sunday the neighbor came over with a box addressed to me. It had been left on my doorstep and she wasn't sure how long it had been there before she picked it up. The box had perishable written all over it and I instantly began to doubt the freshness of whatever treasure lay inside. I opened the box and immediately smelled rancid berries. When the box was completely opened I surveyed the damage. At one time it had held a dozen beautifully decorated chocolate dipped strawberries. Now it just held mush. I was so sad. My dearest childhood friend had been so thoughtful in ordering these for me as a birthday surprise and now they were all ruined. After some deliberation, I decided to call the company that sent them to discuss the situation. If a box is clearly labled "perishable" it shouldn't just be left on someone's doorstep without acknowledgement of the recipient being home. Without a whole lot of conversation a new batch was on it's way to me. I got them today and I was so excited! The box has really clever sayings on it. My favorite one is on the top.

This is what the strawberries are supposed to look like. Can you say delictable?? Almost Sinful?
And they taste even better than they look. I could have eaten the whole box in one setting. Okay maybe more like two. And you have to eat them within 48 hours of receipt so if you call or stop by and I don't answer right away you know what I'll be doing....

Is It Really Time To Go Back To School??

Today was Brendan and Bella's first day back at school. Normally I am more than ready for this day to occur but for some reason this time I am not feeling it. It seems like they should have more summertime fun. But alas, it is not to be. And surprisingly they seemed ready to go back.

This is going to be a big year for Brendan. His last year of elementary school. In Colorado middle school starts at 6th grade. This is not something that I am happy about, but unless we move within the next year there is not a lot I can do about it. As a fifth grader I think he kind of feels the way seniors do. You know, big man on campus, older than everyone, that kind of stuff. It should be really exciting for him. And Bella is really looking forward to 3rd grade and the challenges it brings. She has been out of school since the end of May and has really missed her friends. Always the social butterfly that one! We have had a lot going on around here, but she still has missed her school friends. Since we are talking about Bella I have to share with you her new little boo boo. Before we left town for vacation we did some school supply shopping, but didn't get it all done because the supplies were not out yet. So yesterday late afternoon I loaded up the kids and we went to get the last little bit done. As we got out of the car the wind started to pickup and it was blowing pretty hard. I was putting Lily into the cart when the wind grabbed the list out of my hand and blew it away. It went right past Bella so I asked her to go get it. She was running full speed ahead when she fell face down. At first she was quiet so I thought that either she hadn't really hurt herself, or she was knocked unconscious, hard to tell at that point. And then the wailing began. I could tell from how she was crying that she was really hurt. I started to make my way over there with Lily and Brooke in tow and the crying kept getting louder and louder. There was a lady that was much closer to Bella than me and I thought for a second maybe she was going to be a good Samaritan and help out. Instead, she looked down at Bella and kept on walking and talking on her cell phone. I uttered a little something about karma under my breath and proceeded over to poor screaming Bella. I got her picked up and her side was a total mess. We quickly hurried home where thankfully Larry was waiting for us. Here is a picture of her injury.
It is kind of hard to see, but the big cut is actually pretty deep and really wide. We debated about whether or not she needed to go to the dr to get stitches. In the end Larry decided that he could butterfly it together. We will know later on today if that was the correct decision or not. Our friend from down the street is a dr and is going to take a look at it when she gets home from school. Thanks Dr. J! I am sure it is probably ok, but I have such a hard time telling whether or not stitches are required. I think if it wasn't so wide she would be better off but if I take my pinky finger from the joint to the tip it's about half that wide, maybe a little bit less. And of course it is really super sore because she hit it right on the bone and there was no fat to cushion the fall. Larry and I keep telling her that she has to stop getting hurt in ways that leave scars or she is going to ruin her modeling career! Just Kidding. I am glad that she didn't break anything but she is going to be hurting for awhile I think.

Bear Lake Chronicles - Beach Fun

Summer is not complete without a va-k to the beach. For us that means a trip to Bear Lake, Utah with Larry's family. This year all of Larry's sisters, minus one, and his parents were able to come. That brings the total of beach bums to 31. There were times of chaos, times of fun, times of concern for the safety of children, and a little drama. But isn't that the recipe for all family reunions? We enjoyed ourselves so much that it will take a couple of posts to cover it all. The kids ran from sunup to sundown. And the first question asked every morning was "When are we going to the beach??"

Brooke taking a break from the water and enjoying Aunt Charlotte's company. Or CHAR let as we like to call her. Gives it more of a southern drawl that way.
Brooke trying to swim with flippers on. She decided that she liked the old fashioned way of swimming better and ditched the flippers right after the picture.
Brendan enjoying an afternoon on the boat. He has his shirt on because the day before he burned so bad we referred to his skin as "crunchy". By the end of the week his face was also over done. The best part of boating is the water weenie. You never know what is going to happen. Will we ride for a long time? Will we get ditched right away? Will we crash hard or softly?? Well this crash was hard! Larry was driving and you would think he would be careful with his lovely wife, but apparently he thought it would be more fun to dump his sister hard.

Nancy, me and Aunt Cindy

And getting back on that thing in the water can be a little tricky. Everytime I got my leg up it would slide right back off as I tried to pull myself back on. And it didn't help that we were all laughing hysterically the whole time because I couldn't get on. Finally my sister in law pulled me up by my life jacket which just about strangled me in the process. I looked like a turtle. It was ridiculous. But we loved every minute of it. On Larry's first ride he got dumped hard and got a vicious knee in the ribs which resulted in some cracked ribs (I should clarify that a dr has not been consulted in this matter. Larry has had broken ribs before and is going on past experience). So needless to say he didn't get in the water the rest of the day. However, he got to provide rides for everyone else and all agreed that he is the best driver : ) Jeff, Bella and Brendan getting ready for a ride.

Jeff pulling the kids out of the water after Larry dumped them. Is there no limit to his torture?? Dumping his own kids?? Who would do such a thing?? A fun loving dad that's who!
Lily did not go in the boat this year as they did not have life jackets small enough to fit her. But that was ok with her. She enjoyed leisurely rides in her own personal boat. It even had a horn.
And of course no trip to the beach is complete without building sandcastles! The trick was getting Lily to stop sitting on them and crushing them before they were actually finished.
We found out on this trip that my camera does not like excessive sunlight. I had a hard time getting clear pictures of everyones face. But I loved this picture of Brendan and Lily all the same. You don't need the crystal clear picture to see the pure joy in her face and the pure love in his. He loves Lily so much and is such a good big brother to her. He spent a lot of time playing with her on the beach, splashing around making her laugh.
The beach at Bear Lake is great because it stretches on for miles and during the week it is not very crowded. People are really good about spreading out and giving you a lot of room. So at times it feels like you are on your own personal beach. And the sand is full of little tiny shells which the kids love. We always enjoy the time we spend there. As for the time we spent away from the beach....... those chronicles will be posted later!