Summer Update

So much has happened in the last 20 days. My sisters and brother and Dad and Zeffie came to visit. My normal sized house got very small....but we loved it! There are a lot of pics in this post...don't say I didn't warn you.
My sisters and I like to get matching pajama pants when we go on a trip together. And this trip was no exception. Thanks Kim!!
The kids (especially the little ones) love, love, love their Grandpa. Here is Cooper walking with his Papa and the fabulous Ms. Zeffie.
My baby started her senior year while all the family was here. I can't believe she is that old!!
The little kids love their Uncle Travis (a.k.a. Buddy) too. They love to follow him around. It is the sweetest thing to watch.
The gibbons were making quite the racket while we were at the zoo. I've never seen such a display of loud, swinging monkeys. Cooper thought it was too loud. He is such a funny guy.
I was making pie crust and Cylie (my little shadow) wanted to help.....and whatever Cylie is doing Cooper wants to try too. So we all made pie crust. And I must say...it was the best pie crust I've ever made.
Oh, the movies we watched! I think I can quote Rio from memory. Good thing that is a cute movie. We also watched The Goofy Movie and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (with Jim Carey).
We played at the park near my house. It was a pretty warm day. But the shaded sand was fun.
Even Kevin had fun. It was nice seeing him with our family again. He is such a sweet guy.
And of course the race. Last year when I first moved to Omaha, I ran a 5k for colon cancer research. I thought of my Mom the whole time and hoped to one day run it with my sisters. Well, I got my wish....we participated (maybe not ran so much) in this years Boxer 500, a 5k for colon cancer research. It was fun to do something together for such a good cause.
This is us walking home from the park (or the block, as Cylie called it). I am so grateful that they all made the ridiculously long drive to come see me. Family is such an important part of my life. I am so blessed to have such wonderful people to call my own.
I promise I will show you what projects we've been up to. It's been fun.

Older Kids

So, it's Monday again. If you are anything like me....your house looks like this. My sweet hubby works long hours during the week so when the weekend comes I don't like to spend my time cleaning. I'd rather spend the time hanging out with him. Of course when our kids were small I would dread Monday....digging out from under all that mess with two little ones following behind messing everything back up was so frustrating. I have a simple solution now that they are older. I send them each a very simple text message. "Hey. I need the kitchen clean before lunch." Easy.....No yelling. No begging. No excuses.
Much better. Now I can focus on my bathroom, the vacuuming and the other chores that don't tend to be so overwhelming. They can work on their laundry and sending in job applications and being busy little bees for the rest of their day while being so sweet and kind to each other.
hahahahahahaha.....Now that you've picked yourself up off the floor and suppressed the laughter...yes, wipe the tears....For real, they cleaned at the kitchen for about 15 minutes before the yelling and rudeness began. I threw a fit and yelled right back. Now the kitchen is clean and the kids are who knows where (and who really cares at this point). As long as they aren't bickering at each other.....I'm sure the house will look great by this evening when Hubby comes home.....But will I be sane???

He's Home

As I reported to you earlier, Elder Reader is HOME!! It has been quite a roller coaster ride. Above all else it is good to have him home. Two years was a long time. We'd do it again in a heartbeat.....He learned so much and grew into a fine young man while he was away. This fabulous banner and balloons were up when we got home. What a wonderful surprise from one of my fabulous friends here. ((Thanks Ilise))
What an emotional day. Luckily my very good sister chic came with all of her little chicks and fabulous hubby to welcome Kevin home with us. Really that is the only reason I got any usable pictures of the occasion. She was also able to take some family pictures and I can't wait to show you all.
I had told myself I was going to wait at the top of the ramp and let Kevin make his way up to us...but as soon as I saw him....I couldn't wait even one more minute. I'll admit....it was a pretty fast walk I was doing.
This is the smile I was waiting for. How I have missed him.
I have waited for that hug for two years. It was like seeing sunshine after a month of rain. It filled my soul and lifted my spirits in a way I didn't know I needed.
His Daddy missed him....just a bit.
Then we got home and started the next chapter in the story of our lives. If it is as interesting as the last two years....I can't wait to see how it goes.

Wordless Wednesday

Nearly Wordless ;) He comes home tomorrow you know......
Kevin and Elder Hatch (from our ward in Rigby!)
With his buddies at the MTC
Broken car in Texas.
The picture for his plaque.
His first Christmas away from home. How we've missed him!

A Little Crafty

So I've not done much crafting lately. Some...but nothing blog-worthy. A while back I found this cute little site (they happen to be close to my home town). Thoughts in Vinyl is a Mom run company that supplies craft kits and so much more. I loved the variety of projects and that they were very inexpensive. (By the way....I am not being paid to say these things. I just really liked their stuff!) I bought a few different kits....and then life happened and they sat for a while. As I was purging my craft room last week I found a pile of un-started unfinished crafts and thought it would be a good distraction. I didn't take any before or during pics....But it's pretty self explanatory. I painted the wood and let it dry. I Mod Podged some paper to the wood and let it dry. Then I sanded down the edges and put another layer of Mod Podge.....and let it dry. Then I applied the vinyl letters. Easy peasy.
It is double sided so I can change it up a bit. I will tell you that the paper came from my stash and was not included in the kit. You could just stick with paint and fore go the paper altogether.
So here is some sunshine coming at you from the great state of Nebraska. It's going to be a scorcher today (and all weekend). Maybe I'll finish the other projects I ordered and avoid the heat. I'll let you know :)

Perfect

Here I am with my bestests, HH and Nae. These girls found me when I landed in MN....alone and friendless. We found we have more in common than we ever could have imagined. We are wacky and weird and perfectly matched. These women are the most amazing gift givers. They just get me. See the necklace I am wearing? Nae gave it to me for my birthday.
It has an owl on the front of the locket. Nae knows that owls remind me of my Mom.....so I do have a few. She found this for me at a sweet little store and gifted it to me. Just as it is it is a perfect gift. But Nae went one step further......
She took a picture of my Mom (when she was so young....and pregnant with me) and with her mad genius skills, shrunk it to fit in the beautiful locket. Making it truly the perfect gift.
Funny how a small thing can make such a big difference. Now my Mom is quite literally always near my heart.

Flashback Friday

This is my family back in 2007....the summer we moved to Minnesota. Before we really knew what it was to be cold. Before we had lived through a Minnesota winter. Before...well, just before.




The End