I have a new blogging strategy. Because I cannot keep up. I feel this responsibility to my kids to document every possible semi interesting thing that happens in their lives, and that is hard to do when there are a lot of semi interesting things to talk about. Although I am confident everyone else will not find any of this even remotely interesting. So I am going to talk about what we have been doing the past month, and if I ever get around to it, maybe I will download some pictures. Posting pictures has become a pain ever since google plus went the way of the birds. For some reason my pictures don't automatically download here on blogger so I can pick which ones I want. Anyway. Something is better than nothing, right?

So here is what has been going on:
* swimming. A lot of it. We've been doing both Dobson Dolphins and Rio Swim club. So a lot of sweating to death at swim meets. I told Don maybe we should become the basketball family because I am tired of sweating. But I love my kids. And they love it. They especially loved Dobson Dolphins. The season just ended and we had the award ceremony last night. The girls are sad it is already over. They got to see their friends every day and hang out and eat junk food every Saturday at the meets. I have been on the swim committee and I have enjoyed helping out because all the ladies on the board are fantastic. Don played the Olympic theme song last night as he placed their new trophies on the trophy shelf. The girls loved it.Chloe's coach told me she was impressed with how much Chloe has improved this past year. And little Macie is a pleasure to watch, especially the butterfly.

*Macie had her first real dentist appt. 5 cavities. I was proud of how well she did getting her teeth cleaned and getting x rays. We will see how well she does with the actually filling part of it.

*4th of July weekend-
kids decked out bikes and scooter at Steff's house. Chloe was very particular about where all the decorations went, of course. Oscar rode around on his little red trike. I could watch him for hours. He couldn't keep up with the big kids so essentially he just rode around in a small circle as he was constantly trying to catch up to the kids riding past him.
*We went to Kartchner Caverns with the Martz family. We spent the night at Rey and Mary and they fed us a delicious Mexican meal. In the middle of the meal the lights went out so we got to eat by the firelight of a gas lamp. We spent some time outside on the patio eating dessert and Rey used his lazer to show us some constellations on the roof. Oscar was freaking out for some reason, he is kind of a scaredy cat. In the morning they made us pancakes and we ate outside, then we left the younger kids with them, and went a little up the road to the cave. When we got there we were told that there was a huge storm the day before and it had knocked out all the electricity in the cave so all the tours were canceled until further notice. That seems pretty typical for our life. We decided to go into the park anyway and walk around and our luck turned around and the electricity came back on so we were able to take the cave tour after all. The cave was really cool. I was worried I would feel claustrophobic because I am a weirdo, but it wasn't bad at all. Chloe and Wes liked it too. Chloe just got a little tired of walking,
*We left that afternoon because we had to get back in town for a surprise party for Don's Aunt Olivia. There was a DJ and the kids got to dance. The same DJ that was there at Tyler's wedding was there to DJ the party. This time he roped Macie into dancing with him. She loved it, unlike Chloe. He flipped her and twirled her and she followed along famously. And at the end she received a huge round of applause. She walked off the dance floor with her trademark smile and squint. The look that says I'm gleefully embarrassed. Dora took a video of it, I need to track it down, it was classic Macie.
*Sunday I invited my family over to celebrate my Dad's birthday, Father's Day, and my brother's birthday. I made spaghetti and meatballs and a carrot cake. Fun evening. The carrot cake was quite excellent. The girls decorated by putting up some of the decorations they were gifted from the Olivia's party the night before.
*The 4th of July we went to the ward breakfast. Macie and Brookie collected mini pancakes as souvenirs. They truly did. And Macie was the one who called them her souvenirs. Macie loves all things small. She is obsessed. OBSESSED with shopkins, I love to hear her say the names of all of them "Sharon Shoe" with her lisp is so cute, The other day I caught her and Chloe pretending the shopkins were in a band. In the afternoon we went to Kay's house and went swimming. The Himstreets came too. Don was given a ton of free fireworks because he had been the agent that helped the guy get the space to sell his fireworks. So we had a pretty great firework show this year. Oscar hated it though. The noise scared him. He made Emily and me plug his ears. And Macie raced her 8 year old cousin and won. Proud parents. She better have! we spend our lives swimming!
*So remember that car accident last Fall? Last week I was summoned to court as a witness. I had no idea what to expect. I guess I thought the judge would give her her punishment, and I might be asked to say something, and I would go home. But she pleaded not guilty and had a lawyer, so it was a trial. I stayed practically all day at the court house. To be honest, I kind of enjoyed feeling important. And I was sworn in and questioned and cross examined. Apparently day 2 of the trial is tomorrow, so I don't know the verdict yet. She claimed the blood alcohol test had a margin of error and the night of the accident she couldn't see because of cataracts and the rain. She said she hadn't had a drink since 3 and the accident happened around 7. Seems like she should just take responsibility and take her punishment, but she is fighting it. I still think I am owed an apology, but I know I will never get it. It's fine. I have no anger towards her. If my children had be hurt, that would be a whole other story. But mostly I feel sorry for her that she is incapable of taking responsibility and therefor making improvements in her life. The other people there, the police, the witness, and the other victim, they are all tremendous people. We got to know each other waiting around all day, and they are all high quality people. Restores my faith in humanity, And the other guy that was in the accident, turns out he was hurt from the accident and his been in physical therapy for 5 months. He is also a Dentist and a Dad of 3. I hope he makes a full recovery.

*John Power passed away on the 4th of July also. He is an old family friend. Photographed my wedding. He also spoke at my Mom's funeral. I had forgotten that fact until I was reminded of it on facebook by another person mentioning it to the Power family in their comment. I told them I had a copy. I have not listened to the audio of my Mom's funeral ever. But I decided to listed to John Power's remarks. It brought me back to that time, and it doesn't seem all that long ago. So strange to hear him speak of us as "young adults." And to go back in time to when my Mom was an every day fixture of our lives. The Power family ended up finding the tape in his closet so I didn't end up giving them a copy. I think it is pretty amazing that they were able to find that and listen to it, words from Brother Power himself, explaining death and the plan of salvation.

*Oscee turned 2. The girls did all the party planning for me. It makes things both easier and harder for me. Chloe is very specific in her party plans.Oscar had no clue it was his birthday or even what a birthday is. I think he realized was special that day when he blew out his candle on his cake. The girls made handmade adorable invites to the Martz and Sutherland kids. And we bought decorations. Balloons and streamers and party plates and napkins and cups and party hats per instructions.
They wanted a pinata but I didn't want to spend 20 bucks on it so I put my foot down on that one.
Chloe wanted to have hamburgers. I said what about sandwiches instead? She disgustedly said to me, "Mom. Sandwiches are NOT fancy enough for a birthday party." So we settled on pizza. And watermelon. I also tried to get away with a box cake, but Chloe wanted one from scratch. So yes, I made a glorious chocolate cake from scratch. And the kids went swimming. So I'd say the party was a success. Don came home later and took Macie to the store with him and bought him a bike without pedals and a little car. Oscar loved the little car. Not so much the bike, He hasn't figured it out yet.
I am so grateful to have Oscar. He brings so much joy to our family. He is so sweet to his sisters. If he sees one crying, he will put his head on their shoulder and hug them trying to comfort them, He is the sweetest boy. I introduced him to "Cars" last week. He was mesmerized. He pointed to the screen and said "cars!" over and over again. With lots of "whoa!" and giggles in between. We saw "Life of Pets" with Emily yesterday and Oscar was so cute eating his popcorn and giggling and saying "dog!" He is picking up on more and more words. Towel, hurt, moon...those are some of his newer ones. I love him.

I think that pretty much catches us up. I am in denial that school starts sooner than later and I do not want to send my little Macie Moo off to kindergarten, whaaaaaaaa!!! I love having my kids at home.

Utah

I have been meaning to get to Utah for 5 years now.  The last time I went was when Liz graduated from BYU with her Masters and I was pregnant with Macie. How that much time passed in between amazes me. In truth, going to Utah is pretty bitter sweet for me. I almost don't like going because the nostalgia tends to knock me over the head. Nostalgia is one of my least favorite feelings because it tends to trap me back in the past and I lose sight of enjoying the present. Mostly what it boils down to (literally), is that every summer, I question my life choices that have led me to live in what I consider the gates of Hell. Okay. That might be a little dramatic. I have been accused of that once or twice. But seriously. The month of June in the Sonoran desert makes many sane people lose their mind, and I am not that sane to begin with. The whole time in Utah I just kept saying to myself, "I was meant to live in the mountains! I was meant to live in the dewy shade of the whispering Aspens!" Driving back to the land of desolation, I fell into a bit of a funk. A pretty big funk actually. I told a friend how  bummed I was to be back in this hot, shadeless place, and she said, "don't worry, the feeling will pass." It made me laugh. Anyway, it's been a couple weeks and yes, the feeling has passed. And I am sure that no matter where you live, life is life. I am sure one could be miserable even in the most beautiful of locations. And the opposite holds true, one can find happiness pretty much anywhere. (I wouldn't mind trying that theory in a house by a beach or a luxury house in the mountains, but I digress...) And really, these are all first world problems anyway. There are countless people in this world fearing for their life because of where they live. I'm guessing their criteria of where they want to live is pretty basic, as in, where can we live that we won't be shot at? So really I'm pretty lucky. On the whole I think I our society is pretty obsessed with the idea of being comfortable. And not just comfortable. Excitingly comfortable. Anyway. What I really need to do is talk about our trip to Utah. Which overall was quite fantastic. Unfortunately Don had to work so I braved it alone. I caravaned with Emily the way up. That really helped to break up the drive. We stopped every 2 hours and rearranged the seating in the car. Plus I downloaded new movies to their tablet, which helped keep them occupied. Although it was only an hour into the trip that they began asking how much longer we had left. But for the most part the drive up was pretty smooth. I listened to "Life of Pi" and was really disappointed to read on wikepedia that it was not a true story. I must be the only person in the world that didn't know that. It kind of bummed me out so much that I lost the desire to finish the book, which made for a loooooooong drive back. 

 We got to Utah late Tuesday night. And the kids were really happy to finally be able to see where Lyla and Troy lived.

 On Wednesday I took the kids up to BYU. I thought they would enjoy the Art museum and the Bookstore. And they did.

 Chloe told them to act like they were in the painting.
We then went to the Bookstore and I let them pick out a souvenir. They all picked out some stuffed animals.
I had my old manager paged for me so I could say hello. He came walking towards me with a confused face, and I thought, crud, he doesn't remember me. But then when I said, "Hi, do you remember me?" he figured it out. Either that or he did a really good job pretending like he remembered me. He told me Nicole had passed away a year earlier, very sad. Walking around campus and the bookstore took me back in time. I cannot believe I graduated 13 years ago. I felt like I could fit right in to that college scene again. I'm sure the college kids would not agree! Grandma would say that she always felt like she was 20, (or somewhere around that) and I can see what she means now. I am not 90, but I am guessing that no matter how old you get, your body might feel a certain way, but your spirit never ages.
After the bookstore we tried at the infamous JDawgs. It was indeed a good hot dog. A 4 dollar good hot dog, I am not so sure about. Macie of course would not try it because they had "cut it." Apparently she will only eat a hot dog touched by a knife, if it is without a bun and microwaved.
And then I went over to Erin's house for a bit. It just so happened to be her birthday, lucky for us.
We ended up having Cafe Rio in a park that evening for her birthday. We also were eaten alive by mosquitos. And it would have been nice had I thought to take a picture.

The next day I met up with JoJo and we went on a beautiful hike up to a waterfall. It was a perfect length hike, and completely shaded. Like I said, I was meant to live in the mountains! We came back and went swimming, had lunch, and talked about the gorilla that was shot at the zoo (boy that is old news now! Basically something new in the world is blowing up every day and I cannot even keep up with all the insane current events). That night we got in free to 7 Peaks water park. The best part was it was not even crowded because it was a private event. Macie loved the heated lazy river. We all loved the heated lazy river. I lost her at one point and found her going down the same slide over and over again. Chloe and me rode the toilet bowl slide twice. And I went down a slide that was much faster than I was imagining it would be. Oscar was cold the whole time, he mostly wanted to sit with Troy. Then we went and ate hamburgers at a place I remember seeing every day while I was at BYU, yet never actually ate at.

The next day was Emily's wedding. The sealing was beautiful. The temple grounds were picturesque. I honestly could not believe just how gorgeous the whole area is. Clouds rolling past a majestic mountain and strawberries growing in planters? How does a place like this even exist?
Then there was the luncheon at Thanksgiving Point. That was also amazing.
Then I came back to Greg's house, rested a little,got the kids ready, and headed out to the reception.
We danced the whole night (I need to get Emily's pictures, because of course my phone died).
On our way back, Chloe got sick and threw up. I don't know why. It's not like we had been eating junk all week, sleeping poorly, and playing from sun up to sun down....Poor Chloe. She seemed to feel better after she threw up and by the next day she was all better.

Saturday we went to Provo Beach park at the Riverwoods Mall.  I felt under dressed. Everyone in Utah looks like they hopped right off of Instagram Make believe life.

The kids fell asleep on the way to the reception.

Chloe cleaned up Lyla's room before we left and left her a note.

I lost Oscar at the Provo Beach Park. I found him here ^^ Not surprised.

Saturday night we went over to Lauren's house and met up with Joanna, Erin, and husbands. It was a blast from the past. It is hard to believe our time in college together was so long ago, it felt like no time had passed. We played some really stupid games and thankfully one of them is on video.

Sunday was church, and we watched an old western movie back at Greg's house. It was almost 3 hours long and the ending was awful. I felt cheated.

And then Monday we headed home. I didn't leave until after noon because emily was leaving then. I decided to stop in Vegas that night. The ride home was much longer and painful than the ride up. We stayed with Amy Paun. She treated us to Chinese food and we watched Zootopia (and fell asleep 15 minutes into it). And then we left in the morning and arrived back home in the beautiful Arizona afternoon heat. And I came inside and probably cried for a few minutes. Don was already gone to scout camp so there was no happy reunion. And then being the brilliant person that I am, left the house in the early evening, and forgot that I didn't have a house key and I had already used the spare key to get in earlier that day. So I had locked ourselves out of the house. And Don was out of town. And no one around here is good at breaking and entering. My Dad came over and tried, and was very pleased to find our house was boogie man safe. Actually quite pleased. So my kids were mad at me. And I was mad at myself. And we got another horrible night sleep at my Dad's house. And he woke up and made us a big breakfast in the morning. Then Don came home. And we all got back inside.  THE END,
P.S. It would appear that Oscar (or some other unknown source, has deleted some of my pictures. Like the one of Erin on her birthday. He also likes to damage the t.v. and the girls broke my laptop. so I am sitting here using the laptop with a monitor hooked up so I can see the screen. Kids. They ruin everything.