Swimming in Arizona

It was crazy to drive to Idaho to see Rich before he moved then drive down to Arizona the next morning to be with my mom during her surgery.The girls rode down with me along with a friend of ours who decided to hitch a ride down to Mesa to be with her new grand baby. One day we are wearing jackets with snow on the mountains, the next day we are wearing shorts and swimming in the pool. My Mom's surgery went well and we were all so relieved to have that over with. It was a long 4 days in the hospital but I am really glad that I was there to hear what the doctors were saying as well as the Physical Therapist. It helped for me to keep track of her pain medication so that it remained effective. She pretty much had her own personal nurse. I never really told the nurses that I was a nurse. I think they guessed it. Plus it made their work easier with me being right with my Mom the whole time. I would leave when my Dad came for his daily visit, shower, visit with the girls and then get back to the hospital. The boys had stayed in Logan because they wanted to finish their co-op classes and attend the Masquerade Ball that a couple of moms in our co-op have worked so hard to arrange. It was wierd being without them. At first I was feeling worried but then we had several friends watching out for them I didn't need to worry. It was pretty short lived. Plus Kirk was home in the evenings after work. Kaleb only went crazy a couple times.

My mom's dog Sugar just loves Victoria. She always has, especially since we call Sugar Psycho Dog. She is wierd with quirky ways about her. But she loves playing with Victoria and swimming. She even has her own little life jacket. She is one spoiled pup.

Aloha Snappy!

My wonderful cousin Rich moved to Hawaii. Just one day before the girls and I were driving down to Arizona at the end of April to help my mom recover through her back surgery and get the house ready to sell, Rich came up to Kathy's to store some of his plumbing equipment. I can't believe he is already there and settled into his new life. I am so glad that the kids and I atleast had the opportunity to see him before we left and before he left. He deserves to live a dream. I bet he is scuba diving this very weekend.

 Rich has always been so tall to me. And then I see my Jared standing next to him and think, WOW, Jared's tall too. And Kaleb is almost there!

We always have so much fun when we are together. I wish we could spend more time together. Somehow I missed getting a picture of the girls and Troy. Oops.

If you want to check out Rich's blog while he is in Hawaii, click here.

4H Field Trip

Our 4H group drove down the street to a Dairy Farm that supplies hundreds of gallons of milk to the local cheese factory. The owners were twin brothers and they definately knew their cows. They can track their cows with their smart phones, so they know just when it is time to breed them or when it is about time to give birth just by the cows wearing a $40 bracelet around their ankle. Technology has definately changed the way things are done in present day.

 This little sweetie was as curious as Victoria as she was of her. You couldn't have tried for a more perfect calf with her little pink nose. This one was a Holstein which was obvious by its markings and its wide nose.

This sweet little thing with those long eye lashes, is a Jersey cow. Compared to the Holstein, they are tiny in size and their noses are kind of narrower and scooped. Even the adult Jersey was adorable.
Now the smell.......Naaa, that would ruin it all. I won't talk about the smell.

Hearts

I collect heart shaped rocks that I find. I have many on our kitchen window sill. Kaleb usually helps me but this morning I didn't even have to leave the house.

 This greeted me.....a fleck of make up. I know the case is a mess. Don't look at that. Look at this perfect little heart that broke away from the other color.

A little late.....

 Here it is June and I am looking back over the months that we have missed. Life has passed way too quickly. I love that in the midst of chaos our little family has managed to spend moments of time together. Dying eggs was one of them. I am thrilled that our adult children still enjoy these family traditions like dying eggs.

 I couldn't figure out why Jared's head was resting on the table. Is it too bright on this beautiful sunny day, does he have a headache, is he tired?

 No, he's using his phone to research ideas to draw on his egg! Jared? The one that probably likes dying eggs the least but still does it?

 My crazy Kaleb wore this shirt special for dying eggs this beautiful day in April.

 I love how pretty all the colors look. I love the changing of the seasons and how Spring in Cache Valley truely blossoms into so many colors.

 And I love that Alexander made it through the winter in the house and has a healthy diet.....minus the rocks!

Fishing and a Cup of Joe

Kaleb gets ideas stuck in his head and then has to build them frantically to have space in his head to think. It is actually kind of funny. I have never known anyone who has ever needed to build with Legos. In our house, it is true.

The next night he came bolting up stairs from the basement late for dinner to show me his modified fishing boat.

Kirk looked at his design and asked if he wanted his propellers pointing the other way.  It is a boat after all.

Kaleb's response...... Not if it can fly!