Mountains and Trucks

The rest of our vacation was fun. It was non stop. We took the kids to the pool, played some pinochle, and took the kids for ice cream. On Friday we had a girls day shopping after dropping Tori at the airport. Of course we went to Olive Garden for lunch. On Saturday we went for a ride in the mountains. We stopped and ate lunch on top of Skyline. Then on our way down the mountain we stopped and took pictures on horsey trees (Aspen trees that bend.)On Saturday there was a race and Todd. Jeromy and Tabitha raced in the though trucks. It was fun to watch because they all ran at the same time side by side. They all got to race two times and the third race was only the top 4 trucks. Todd was in the lead on the first race but then ran into another truck that was already out so he ended up 4th. In the second race he had to start from them back and made it up to about 5th. He ended up being in the top 4 after they took both the scores from the two runs. Todd got second after Jeromy in that race so he got another trophy. It was fun to watch and Todd had fun racing. Sunday came all to quickly and we headed home. We had a great vacation. I love Todd's family and it is so much fun when all of his siblings are able to get together.

Typhena and Jesse's Reception

Ty and Jesse got married in March in Hawaii and so they planned a reception when the whole family could come. Yesterday the fifth, was the big family dinner. We were able to get a whole family picture of everyone that was there. I got to help Ty with her hair today. She has very fine hair and it was very difficult to curl. I think it turned out ok though. The ring ceremony was sweet. Ty looked beautiful and so did the girls. Lacie was the flower girl and she had fun throwing the flowers at the people in the audience. It was cute. Todd, Trevor and I had fun decorating the four wheeler. They went and stayed the night at the cabin after the reception. It was a fun evening and Ty and Jesse were cute. I am so happy for them!

The Cabin

After the festivities at the park we all took a ride up to the cabin. I got to ride one of the four wheelers and the Big boys and Ty rode motorcycles. Todd really enjoyed the motorcycle. We had lunch at the cabin and practiced shooting. Tori got to shoot a gun for the first time. Then we took family pictures which is a tradition when we go up there. We had a good time. On the way down the mountain the boys decided to go for a longer ride. On the ride Todd did a face plant into a mud puddle. He was covered from head to toe in mud when he got back. Before I could get a picture he had already washed off a little. It sure would have been fun to see it happen:)
We all went to Temple hill at dark to watch the fireworks. They were pretty good this year. After they were done we went over to Aunt Jody's house for more fireworks. The kids sure enjoyed them.

Utah Here We Come!

We are in Manti for our vacation. We are having a great time with Todd's family. There isn't a dull moment. Friday the 3rd we went climbing in the morning, played Volleyball in the afternoon, and the kids rode their bikes in the parade in the evening. Volleyball was a lot of fun. We all took turns playing. We only won two games but we sure had a lot of laughs. Riding bikes in the parade has become a tradition. This was the kids third year doing it. On the 4th of July Todd and Katie got up early and ran the 5k fun run. They got a time of 32 minutes. Katie had the fasted time for the kids under 10 and earned a free shake. She was excited about it. She loves to run and I hope she continues to do it. After the run we had breakfast in the park and then had fun at some of the festivities like the fashion show and the races. I even did a three legged race with my niece Tori.

The Zoo

Jennie and Mike came to visit us on their way to their new house. We already had plans to go to Utah for vacation so we were only here for four of the days they were here. They stayed here with mom for the fourth of July and then left for Ft. Campbell and to their new house. At least we got to see them a little. I love my sis! I wish we lived closer to each other. The second day they were here we went to the dinosaur museum. It was pretty cool. A little small but the kids loved it. The next day we went to the Zoo. I bought a season pass so that we will go back again. The kids love the animals and it is fun watching them. The giraffes were cool. We got to feed them. my next favorite animal was the bears. You walk into a cave like room that has one wall that is all window. The bottom half is the pond in the bears area. You can see the fish and the bears came over and swam in the water. The kids were very excited when they did. It was cool. The kids got their faces painted and also got to feed some birds. It was a long fun day. Plus I got to spend it with my sister.

Billy's Birthday

Billy turned four on June 30th. He has been waiting for it since Johnny and Katie had their birthdays. He told me that he wanted a monster truck cake so that is what we made. I had help from my friend Lauren. It turned out better then I thought it would. We invited a few of his friends over for cake and ice cream. After he opened his presents I went to get the cake ready and couldn't find any candles. So we had to improvise. We used four matches. We sang him happy birthday then lit the matched and he blew them out. The kids played outside and had a great time. The adults got to sit inside and chat. We have some good friends here. We have made friends with two of our neighbors which is fun. Billy got some markers and paper (he loves drawing)a couple games, and some Thomas the Train toys.