MAYLIN2007

In exactly 35 minutes it will be June 28th, my birthday! I will be 43. You know you are old when you actually question when your birthday is. Today, I actually wondered if it was the 27th, not the 28th. What happens to our brains? We celebrated tonight with a BBQ and with dutch oven chocolate molten cake. I did it a day ahead because my kids will all be busy tomorrow....maybe that is why I started to get confused. It was a fun night. Here are some pictures of my yard. One of my favorite things!!!!       We partied so hard tonight....and stayed up late, Maylin fell asleep on the laundry room floor with only a laundry basket to hold her up. Man, good thing I didn't do the laundry so she would have something to lean on. That was well planned. Heh hee he.  

I have felt like summer has just been buzzing by. There are so many things I want to do with the kids. It is my last summer with them all home. Unfortunately, everyday pretty much has been at the doctor or dentist or recovering from one of those procedures. I feel like summer is slipping through my fingers. After Monday, we will only have one doctor's visit left. So I have made plans. BIG PLANS. I am going to take the kids to a ranch that our church owns where they raise cattle. They butcher the cattle and send the meat to the poor all over the world. Families can go and work there. They can help repair fences, build them, move hay, clean the barn....the list goes on. I went there with Austin for his Senior service day. It was awesome. Maylin went too and loved it. I want to go to a water park. I want to go to our cabin. I want to go hiking. I want to go horseback riding. I want to just be together. Today, I took Alex to the Chiropractor. He hurt his back playing tackle b-ball on t...

We started this little project in April, I believe, and we finally, finally finished it on June 10. I am not sure why it took so long. Most of the time was spent waiting for the sheet rocker, the painter, the cabinet maker..... Anyway, it is finally done! I love it. We were going to put our fridge from our garage in it, but when we realized it was 21 years old and that it was sucking the power bill (plus I would have had to really clean it) we decided to buy a new one! Our old one was so old, the power company paid ME so they could come and get it. Cool. I finished up the wall decorations just today. I think they look great. The little cream colored board on the bottom, is cushy and it has post office/letter print on it. We will use that for Austin's mission board....to hang letters, pictures etc. I love all the space in the cabinets and all the hooks for coats and backpacks. There is a nice pull out drawer that Maylin has dubbed hers. It works great for her purses and shoes.   ...

Since my last post...Austin had his wisdom teeth out. He says it was no fun at all. He did pretty well. The first day was rough and he says he is starving. I could imagine. He can only eat cool, soft foods. I think the boy could really use a steak, but until then he is eating yogurt, pudding, apple sauce and milk shakes. Jay went to Idaho to work and to Kenzie with him. She had a fun time helping the grandparents and playing games with them. They even took her out to dinner with their dinner club friends. Maylin, Alex and I have been taking care of Austin. Alex spends most of his time slip-n-sliding with his friends, but he has taken a time to help Austin change his gauze. I also had a biopsy on my esophagus. Will know more in a week. Seriously, since school has been out we have spent more time at the doctors. I guess I have been saving up so no one had to miss school. Pictures of the buffalo we saw on our day to trip to the island.  

We were bored today. We have spent almost every day this week at a doctor or dentist. (By the way, they tried to do Maylin's teeth...got two done, but then the kicking/crying/screaming started. Will go back for sedation and they will do the rest.)So today, we wanted to do something fun. It was not hot enough to go swimming, but it was too warm to not be outside. We put our heads together while at breakfast at IHOP and came up with a shaving cream fight! We had a good time!         P.S. We had a water fight to clean off. Squirt guns, the slip-n-slide, water balloons and then the hose. By then, the group was clean enough to send through the house to the showers.

With everything as wild and hectic as they have been, I needed a few hours away. I packed a cooler full of lunch stuff and donuts....have to have that, and we headed out to a local island. I am sure those who know where I live, know what I am talking about. It took us over an hour to get there and we had to be somewhere by 3- so we only got to literally spend a few hours, but it was so worth it. I needed a break from the world and all the chaos that is in it. Those few hours gave me that much needed peace. Jay couldn't come, obviously, but the kids and I had a great time. We found a beach area on the island first thing and had a picnic. We all have voted and the best thing at lunch were the Old World Table chips that were salt and pepper flavored! Yum. We enjoyed watching the seagulls come in and eye us for any dropped food. Okay, every one buy Maylin. They scared her. After lunch we high tailed it down to the water. The kids walked out a really long way to a sandbar where they spe...

Yesterday, the girls had dentist appointments. Usually they both have awesome check-ups. However, due to it being a very bad week the cards were stacked against us. Kens had 3 cavities. Little Miss "I think I am so cool at the dentist" who enjoyed the movie, the ability to cross her legs etc, had 8 cavities. Yep. You read it right. And to top it off, two of those need caps! Gag! I about choked when they told me that would be $1,400.00. I am sure when they do all that work, my sweet baby won't be sitting so relaxed. Poor thing.     Aren't those little legs so cute?! So, to add to the list of what is going wrong....Alex broke his big toe. He did it when he did a back flip in a bounce house. I guess we are lucky that is all he broke. I have developed Raynauds's Syndrome. It is a pain. It is where your fingers loose circulation and they go completely white and are cold for a long time. It started this winter. It got better when it started to get warmer, but still happ...

June 1, Austin graduated. The theme for the graduation was "The House of the Righteous Shall Stand." Elder Dallin Oaks an apostle for our church spoke. It was amazing. I cried when Austin walked in with his fellow graduates. The teachers lined their path all in gowns too. The auditorium looked great. Austin also sang in the choir. They gave out awards that night too, to outstanding Seniors. Austin and his friend Erik won the Thomas Jefferson Math and Science Award. They each got a plaque and a $100. It was a great honor. The graduation was incredible. There was such a spirit there of hope, goodness and reverence. It was a surreal experience. Austin was so happy, yet sad to be leaving a school, teachers and friends he loves so dearly. I felt so many emotions it was hard to explain. I was happy and proud, yet I was sad that my son is growing up and leaving us and I am sad that his experience at the school is over. It has been such a blessing to him.         Before grad...

The past two weeks have been filled with graduation parties, trips, dinners and of course the actual event. Thanks to everyone who sent their well wishes Austin's way. Last week, I went on a 3 day Senior trip with Austin and his classmates. There were 25 of us. Five were chaperons. We went to St. George, Utah. We enjoyed the sun and the company. It was so great to see the kids together! They love each other so much it is amazing. On day one, we swam, played basketball, ultimate Frisbee, ate and talked. On day two, we hiked Angel's Landing in Zion's National Park. I did the whole thing until we got to the part you have to pull yourself up on a chain with 1,000 foot drop offs on either side. I did half of that and then enough was enough and my little chicken butt went back to the safe part to nervously wait for my son and the others to come back. They made it and had a great time. That night we went out to dinner, played Steal the Flag and talked. On day three we had a devoti...