Way to Go Idaho!

Prior to August 17, 2009, I had never been to Idaho. Boy, have I been been missing out! (This is where you say "I told you so" if you are Wiley, Sarah, or Heather:). We spent nearly a week in eastern Idaho with varying combinations of extended family members, and it became my new favorite place. 6 days of boating, bear feeding, site seeing, and family-ness wasn't quite enough and therefore I have every intention of going back. Often. I took so many pictures during the trip I'll have to post them in separate slide shows, but here are a few favorites:

Madeleine on water skis - it was her first time up and she didn't want to stop!

"Twin" counsins - they wore these PJ's nearly everyday so they could match each other.
Super hero kids - The water was cold so when we were on the lake the kids wore wet suits. We called them "The Incredible Kids."
Pretty water - I spent a lot of time just looking at the lake, especially at sunset.
Yellowstone - this was a first time trip for the girls and me so we had to see Old Faithful. We waited and waited, and then when it erupted we happened to be down wind and it rained all over us! Everyone was screaming and running and trying to cover up their cameras and laughing all at the same time.

We really had a lot of fun. I thought we might run out of things to do, but instead we ran out of time to do them. That's ok - we'll just keep a to-do list ready for next year.

Class Lists

Are your kids ready for school? That seems to be the chit-chat question of choice lately, and the honest answer is that I think they probably are. Our fun packed summer has fulfilled our wish for lots of play time, lots of family time, and lots of swimming. Now as summer winds down and the school year momentum picks up I think they are ready to see more of their friends and just a little less of each other. Even loving sisters need some elbow room, if you know what I mean.

Last night we pulled in the driveway after 9, and it was nearly 10 before I remembered that there was a little something waiting in the mailbox for us. Despite the hour, we scurried out in the dark to retrieve the long-awaited Class Lists. Before anyone opened theirs I paused and deliberately stated, "Now remember, it doesn't matter which teacher you have or who is in your class because it will all work out when you get to school. You don't know how things will turn out until you get there, so if you don't have who you expected don't be worried." Then they tore into their envelopes like they were Christmas presents. Madeleine gleefully announced she had the teacher she wanted and that her favorite friend was in her class. Beth shouted at the mention of each name that she recognized on her list. Mary looked around as though she knew she ought to be excited but she wasn't really sure why. All three of them were smiling and at ease.

When the commotion died down I collected all the lists and accompanying letters and leafed through them. Mary spent last year as one of a trio, and now that trio is down to a couple, and her favorite girl friend is not in her class (worry). Beth does have several kids in her class that she knows from last year, but her favorite playmate isn't one of them (Worry). Madeleine's favorite girl friend is in her class. So are three other girls that she had a really hard time with the year before (WORRY). Class orientations for three different kids on three different dates at three different times need to get put on our calendar. There are requests for photos from summer, grab bags full of items that "characterize you," and letter from mom and dad telling how wonderful you are that need to be met. Uniforms need to be ironed and we've still got to get to the dentist.

Yeah, I think my kids really are ready for school. The real question is, am I???

A Visit to Maryland

There's no place like home, but Grandma and Grandpa's house is a really close second! This year I embraced the Sorenson Family "Girl's Trip" concept and we jetted off to MD, girls only. Poor Luke was loaded back at the office and we definitely missed him, but we sure had a great time.

Grandma Rosie led us on a tour of her favorite spots in downtown Frederick. The library, the art museum, the river walk, and the antique gallery kept us busy all day. (In the group picture above, everything on the wall behind us is painted - all the walls along the river walkway are painted like that.) In the evening Grandpa Dave pitched us some balls, and then we caught lightning bugs. Catching lightning bugs has always been one of my favorite summer memories and I think I was more excited than the girls for them to have a chance to do it.

A sunny day at the lake was a real treat. Complete with sandcastles on the beach, a picnic lunch, and lots of swimming, I thought it was perfect. We topped it off by stopping in at a candy store and picking out some more treats for after dinner. If only I had had my camera when the girls walked in and saw nothing but tables and tables of candy! Their awed expressions were priceless, and they wandered around and around gaping at everything,"like a kid in a candy store."

Swimming at the pool got rained out, but the fun at home didn't stop. My brothers and sister put on quite a soccer show in the front yard, and later the kids "rocked out the show" with the band in the basement. I got to visit with my best friend from Middle School, and my parents treated us all to a crab dinner - yum, yum! (The crab dinner was actually after we got home from the lake, but the picture ended up here).

Then it was time to wave good-bye to Grandma and Grandpa. Aunt Lynn graciously drove us to the Washington D.C. temple on our way to the airport. I really wanted to show the girls my favorite temple so I was glad we could fit that in. I was right in between Mary and Beth age-wise when I went there with my family to be sealed together. The girls were grumpy on the way there, but once inside the Visitor's Center they calmed right away. Mary was immediately drawn to the statue of the Christus and I felt a special witness of the Savior's love for her as we stood there together looking at Him. The copies of the Book of Mormon in different languages intrigued Beth, and Madeleine found the display of satellite images from space paired with scriptures about the creation fascinating.

From there it was on to the airport and off to Utah. The girls were really well behaved for the flight and Madeleine was especially helpful and sensitive to how tired I was. Going home to greet our dad and sleep in our own beds was the perfect conclusion to a great trip.

Happy Blog-iversary!

It is official. I have been a Blogger for one full year. To those who me urged to become such, I thank you, and regret that I didn't heed your advice sooner. I have enjoyed every word I've written, every picture I've posted, and every comment I've received. To celebrate I'm going to have my collection of posts from the past year printed into a book I can keep and look back on. To my fellow Bloggers, I love what you do so please keep it coming. Here's to happy blogging!!

Did You Know?

Did you know those hard shells that protect a snails' soft body really aren't that hard, and if you happen to kneel on a snail while weeding your flower bed and wearing shorts, the shell will smash and green oozy slime will smear all over your leg? I didn't... but I do now.

I'm just glad the neighbors weren't out to hear me screaming.

Tour of the Temple

The Oquirhh Mountain Temple was recently built near our home and our family attended the open house together. We enjoyed it more than this picture indicates! (That's what you get for handing your camera to a complete stranger.) It is a beautiful temple and I was so happy we could take our children to see the inside. The artwork particulalry caught my attention, and I thought the interior of the temple in general was breathtaking. I thought I might get a little choked up walking my girls through the bride room, but instead it was the sealing room that got to me. We sat there together, facing the altar and the mirror beyond it and I leaned over and said, "Daddy and I were married in a room like this one. We knealt at an altar just like that one there, and you were watching us from heaven and cheering, "Yeah! That's my mom and dad!" Then I got all choked up because I felt the truthfulness of that in my heart. Our family was meant to be together. Our children rejoiced for the opportunity to be born to parents who were married in the temple and to have their turn on earth as part of an eternal family. I rejoice to have them, and to know we will be together forever.

Family Reuion on the 4th!

Hey, hey, the gang's all here! Or they were here anyway. This year for the 4th of July, 23 people came in from 4 different states and met up at our house, and for just a snatch of time my whole family was together in the same place. We took a picture just to prove it. Reunions such as this happen about once every 5 years for us. In fact, the last time we did this at least four of the kids pictured above weren't even born yet!

Though we weren't together long we packed in a lot of fun. Eating, talking, teasing, playing, staying up late... and there were some organized events of the weeked as well. Whenever the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints builds a new temple, upon completion there is an "Open House," meaning that the temple is open to the public for tours. We're fortunate to live near to the newest temple and the open house there is currently underway. So, the out-of-towners took advantage of the opportunity and spent the morning together there. Then we met at our house for lunch, which was lucky for me since I needed a way to make good use of a 10 lb. slab of corned beef Luke received as a gift from a meat company. We took our family pictures (thanks again to my sister-in-law Amy for snapping the shots for us), and then headed for the lake!

The finicky weather still lingering from June had me crossing my fingers and holding my breath, but we lucked out with a warm, sunny day and good water. I was too busy enjoying myself to remember my camera, but I have pictures in my mind of my mom and dad relaxing on the boat, my brother falling off the boat (in a funny way - he wasn't hurt or anything), and wake-boarding with my sister and sister-in-law. My favorite part of the day was when the whole lot of us piled on the boat for a "sunset tour" all together before we pulled out of the water.

On the day of the 4th, the group disbanded for a bit but reconvened in the evening at my brother's house for BBQ and fireworks. Cousins frolicked all over the lawn and monster pops and sparklers and fireworks were going off everywhere. Then after we caravanned to a secret spot to watch the fireworks from the BYU stadium, cousins bedecked with glow-bracelets and necklaces romped in the dark. We bailed a little early, but caught a spectacular display at Thanksgiving Point as we drove home on I-15.

Over the next two days our crowd dwindled down as family by family, people said good-bye and returned home. I was sad to see them go, but I suppose it's missing them when they leave that helps keep me grateful for the freedom and privileges that enable us to be together, even it's only for a couple days.