Lego Mania

This year Jantzen wanted a LEGO birthday party for his 'Great to be 8' year. We searched for ideas and finally came up with some fun ones to keep 10 eight year olds enthralled with legos for 2 hours. Can you believe the favorite was making a scrapbook place mat page with pictures and lego pieces and letters? Of course, the treasure hunt for candy legos came in at a close second (even when they had to search outdoors in the rain)!

I know, I always have to get way into the party theme and have fun going all out with decorations! The flag turned out way cool though with the oversized LEGO...neighbors even thought the flag was vinyl!!

The kids played games from the Lego spoon relay, to building the tallest LEGO tower, to creating a LEGO creation. We had lego brick pizza for lunch with lego ice cubes (but no one touched the LEGO colored fruits or veggies to go with lunch); they just wanted to keep adding ice cubes to change the color of their drinks. We ended with an award ceremony for the best creations (Hayden was proud that his was the 'most creative') and Jantzen's won the 'silliest' award of course!

THE CAKE & LEGO chocolate candies! Yeah! Jantzen's 8!

I've Been Tagged!

Thanks to Heather, I have to think above a second grade level this time. Enjoy:

3 Joys

Going home to North Carolina to be with family (and eat good 'ol southern cookin')!
Being home with my own cute kids.
A rainy night with a book in my hand and my hubbie next to me!

3 Fears
Losing loved ones.
Unemployment
Gray hairs (40 is getting too close for comfort!)

3 Goals
Enjoying the little every day things (even my piles of laundry as Pres. Monson stated)!
Drink more water (stay away kidney stones).
Start doing sit ups everyday- now that I'm home more, I'm eating more...

3 Current Obsessions
Stamps! Cards! More stamped projects!
Pulling out my gray hairs...
Blogging!

3 Random Facts about Me
I love the Carolina beaches- but can't stand seafood!
I once had my leg infected with cow manure from the Bear River!!
I love basketball and played in high school-but nowadays I can't school nobody but my 2nd graders!!!!

I am tagging Annie, Shari, Debbie, and any one else peeking-we'd love to hear more about you too! (and Sydney... again since she hasn't done it since Heather tagged her.)

Bear Lake Quick Getaway

School had barely just started, but we were ready for one more last getaway before getting into the year full swing. So, feeling too tired to pack for camping, we looked north towards Logan to take the kids with their cousins for Labor Day weekend. We had to stop and show them the beautiful Logan Temple. A beautiful day!

The view from above Bear Lake.
The bluest water around (and coldest too.)

Waiting to go into the 40 degree Minnetonka Cave around the Idaho side of the lake. Throughout the cave there were over 800 stairs down and back!
Aunt Pam, Zach, Harley (looking for bats) and Uncle Joe.

Da Gurls!

The boys had a blast swimming in the downpouring rain. There was no getting them off the diving board and doing their crazy jumps!

After swimming, the Hayden and Zach tried drying off in the sauna. SIZZLE!Here we are at the Isle Condos. Thanks to Tonya and her Laketown family and connections, they hooked us up late Friday night with a place right off the lake. We were able to catch one day on the lake before the rain and 30 degree weather set in for Labor Day.

I just had to try this one out!

You Are Snow White!

Pure and trusting. You are a gentle soul who can get along with just about anyone. Everyone you meet instantly falls in love with you. How can they resist? You have a pure, lovable nature that's irresistable. Just don't trust everyone who comes across your path.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Our Princess

Ashtyn was invited to my cousin Jeanine's daughter's bday-tea party at Dear Lizzie's this past week, and boy was she excited for a month after receiving the princess invite. She's even carry the invitation around calling it her princess book; taking it to bed with her every night. The day finally arrived and Ashtyn was all dressed up as Cinderella for the big day (thanks Alli for the dress)!

I was so nervous when they had glass dishes for the 'tea party'. But they did so well drinking Pink punch so daintily! Ashtyn loved the pretty, pink Cinderella cake. She of course thought it was "my cake" for her since it was pink I guess. Her & Ryleigh loved playing with all the little princesses and reading their princess books. Or Ashtyn was reading hers to us all. They played pin the glass slipper on Cinderella, and Ash had to got put all her princess stickers on there afterward too. The girl's giggles were aplenty!

The girls played outside the boutique running up and down the sidewalk to hear their princess shoes click, click, click. They were enjoying each other, and we were enjoying watching them. Ashtyn was worn out after the party and slept all the way home with her princess bag and goodies.

Summer Fun

We have been so busy this past month trying to fit everything in before we head back to school SO early this year, that I may just have to put in a slide show of all we've done! We've had a blast with summer concerts and firework shows at our city celebrations in Saratoga Springs and the Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband; then in American Fork with 'The Beatles'. We did make it camping with Aunt Pam, Uncle Joe, and cousins Harley & Zach up in Coalville, UT above Park City. Yes, there were bathrooms & showers, and even a swimming pool & hot tub. The boys loved the fishing pond but got frustrated with lots of tangled lines and no fish-although Zach caught one out of the river our last night. Then they braved the cold waters of the river on tubes, and couldn't get enough of that...even Ashtyn was jumping right in ready for her turn with dad on the tube! She screamed the whole way down...with delight!

Summer Trip to North Carolina 2008

We made it home for a week while Nathan was gone to CA for some military schooling. Aunt Amy picked us up at the airport late one night, and we surprised grandma in bed! She couldn't go back to sleep, making sure it wasn't a dream, as we were celebrating her 60th birthday that week!
Hayden, Jantzen, & Ashtyn were excited to see Uncle Kelly again. He came up for the weekend from Savannah, Georgia to keep us some company & play with the kids.

Here we are at Uncle Walter's place in Creedmoor, NC. There was a lot of good food (boiled potatoes, hush puppies, deviled eggs, and fried fish, rabbit, & turtle) that the boys wouldn't eat...even if it would be a good story to tell their friends! And, a lot of Granddad's family! It was HOT and humid, but loads of hugging and laughter!

We had a blast swimming with the Laws clan at they YMCA in Wake Forest. All the kids are growing like weeds, but still loved playing together in the hot,
humid sun!

We made it out one evening for miniature golf and laser tag at Frankies. Of course, Granddad had to show off and beat us all; even though Aunt Amy & Grandma had some hole in ones. But, the girls beat the boys in laser tag!