MAYLIN2007

Kens and I just got back from a week long girls camp. It was a lot of fun. So glad I got to be with her again this year. I am more tired than I was last year. Maybe it is because I am a year older or maybe it is because there were so many girls this year (44) that I spent a lot of time running and chasing them around. I think that staying up past 2:00 a.m. several mornings didn't help my case.   This first collage shows our camp ground, the girls making washer necklaces, playing a game called "Witch, Ogre, Dragon" and the girls on the challenge course. I was in charge of running the teeter totter. The object was to get all the girls on the beam and then having them balance it for 5 seconds. There was another zip-line like last year, but I didn't even try. Instead of walking across a giant log 40 feet in the air, you walked across a metal cord. No thanks! The next photo is of some of the camp pranks I pulled. On the "You've been mooned" I covered the cab...

In our church the young men work toward an award called The Duty to God. It is quite a challenging project. From the ages 12 to 14 they work on the Deacon Duty to God, from 14 to 16 they work on the Teacher Duty to God and then from 16 to 18 they work on the Priest Duty to God. If they finish all three, they receive a medallion. Some of the projects include, do a service project for someone who is elderly, do two community service projects, visit three job sites you are interested in and see if they fit your career goals, cook your family meals for one week, do your laundry for several months, participate in swimming for three months, save money, teach family home evenings on repentance, forgiveness, or various scripture stories. These are just a few. The boys work on about 32 projects every two years. They end with a final service project that requires over 20 hours of service. Austin has completed all 3 levels and today he received his award!!! He was the first boy in 4 years in our ...

Finally! Here are pictures of our time with our Texas cousins. We had a good time at the lake, having a BBQ and roasting marshmallows. Most of all the kids just liked being together. One night the two little ones, Skylar and Nini made a fort called Fort Sonic and the bigger boys, Carson and Alex made a fort called the Man Cave! They had a blast. Carson and Alex also found a dead pig in a gutter while they were out on a bike ride. I think that was the highlight of the trip for them. Here they are having a race. I bet you can guess that the Princess car lost.        

We attended a jello fight last year and had so much fun! This year we decided to do it again. Heck, why not? If is was fun, do it again. So last night, for family night we once again joined the "Get Messy Night." Austin didn't participate much. He was too tired. He stayed up until 4 am with his cousin, so much of his time was spent laying on the grass or avoiding Alex's covert attacks. We had a great time. We all got sticky and messy. Jay and Alex really got into it this year. Jay who is usually not much of a participator in this kind of thing, really got out of his comfort zone and participated hard!! This year there was also a paper mache area, a quicksand area and a "dig for a prize" activity. It was a lot of fun. After it was over, we hosed down in the sprinklers and went out for JCW milkshakes. It is so important to me that we spend these kind of nights together. I want my children to remember all the fun, silly times we had together. I hope when they a...

This summer we have spent a lot of time at a local man-made lake. It has a nice beach front and there is a great shallow area for kids, plus it isn't too wide so the bigger kids can float or swim across it. I have quite a nice tan from going. Of course, my tan lines follow my Capri's, shirts, sandals etc. Today, however we went with the cousins from Texas. The kids had so much fun. Even the dad's got in the water. The kids loved playing football in the water, burying each other and floating. Austin and his cousin brought girls they met at EFY (they just got home this morning). All those pictures are on various phones. I will post them later. For now, here are pictures taken the past few times we have gone...they span the past few weeks. I think we average once or twice a week. Today I actually went in my swimsuit and I got fried despite wearing sunscreen. It was over 100. It was priceless to watch Jay try to get on his floaty. He would hold onto the handles jump up on it an...

I love red velvet cake. There is just something about the name and the taste of the cake with the cream cheese frosting! YUM. I have always bought the cakes, but this time I thought I would make one myself. The batter was yummy. However, after trying to clean the red batter off Maylin, I think that red velvet cakes should never be made and should only be store bought. Man, that red coloring doesn't like to come off!   Also, we took the Young Women on a field trip to the John Moyle home. He was a pioneer who would walk 30 miles to work on one of our church's temples. Due to an accident, he lost his foot, but he made himself a wooden foot with a movable ankle, so he could continue his journey. What an amazing story of commitment! We had pizza afterward and had a great time visiting with each young woman. It is so great to have Kens in my group. Click on the pictures to enlarge.  

We were so lucky to have some of the families that were sick for the bloggy bash on Saturday, to be well enough to come to another smaller get-together last night. In attendance, Lisa and Maise and Tiff, Eliza and Sol! Lisa really wanted to see the Brown's so they came back for more PARTY! We did hot dogs, hamburgers,salad, corn on the cob and melon. Oh yes, don't forget the ice cream cones!!!! The kids had so much fun playing that no one wanted to go home. Even when the tired crying started, the kids still wanted a little more time. There was A LOT of time watering my plants, playing in the waterfall (of course), sand box and swings. I love how the girls would wash their sandy bodies and clothes off by sitting in the stream! The older girls spent time playing games and taking funny pictures of each other hiding in bushes, jumping off rocks, killing bugs etc. They were so funny. The Brown girls call them "Stalker" photos.      

On Saturday night we had a China Adoption Bloggy Bash! There is a group of women that have been getting together since 2006, luckily, we have been included the past two years. It has been so fun to meet in real life these people we follow on their blogs! It was great for our little girls, and two boys, to be together. We were honored to have it in our yard. The guest included the Jensens (Anna), the Passey's (Emily and Ethan), Denny, Joe and Emma, the Whites (Anya), The Browns (Pearl, Grace and Kai), Catherine and Hannah of Catherine's Chatter, Lisa and Tate, Circe, her family and her Xanthe and us. Other guests were to be M3 and Ro and Ree from Do They Have Salsa in China, Donna and Lauren, Tiffany, Elzia and Baby Sol and Lisa and Maise from Baby Shanahan, but alas, they all got the stomach flu so they had to stay in the condo they had rented and be sick together. We were heart sick they couldn't join us! We send them our love and our hope for a NEXT YEAR!!! We had BBQ chi...

I try to define a summer with certain memories. For example, last year we spent a lot of time at the lake. A few previous summers we did field trips constantly. We really saw our state. This summer, however, I am having a hard time defining what this summer is about. Maybe this will be our modge-podge summer. So far, we have been hiking, to the beach, swimming, walking, to the movies, to the cabin, to the Tetons, to the aquarium, out to eat, to drivers ed, to two funerals, to the mall....really nothing that relates. I guess that is okay as long as the kids are happy. Currently, we have had cousins in and out this past week. Kens is at Especially for Youth and Austin got his real live DRIVERS LICENSE TODAY!!! Alex has been non-stop playing with friends or lighting fireworks (much to my dismay) and Maylin just seems to tag along with whom ever will let her. These pictures are of our cabin trip. I always thought my sister and I resembled each other, but in this picture (see below) we look...

For our town days (we live in a very small town) we had blow-ups, booths, a 30 foot water slide, a parade, a big sand pile, pony rides, face painting and of course, a rodeo. As part of the rodeo the kids had a chance to chase animals that had fake money attached to their sides. Later, the organizers traded the fake cash for real cash. Alex's age group chased calves, Kenzie's chased steers with serious horns and Austin's age group chased Texas longhorns. Austin was going to do it, until he saw the "Long" horns and backed out. I was very grateful for that. I wasn't sure how I felt about the kids chasing animals for money, but Kens and Alex wanted too so I let them make their own choice. Both talked bigger than they acted once they got in the arena. Alex walked away with $6.00 and Kenzie walked away with $21! Of course, lucky for her a steer dropped a $20 and she just found in on the ground. So really only her $1 came from touching the steer. It was a pretty ente...