BFF's and Miley Cyrus

Katelyn experienced her first concert on Saturday night and there is no better way to do it than with her BFF, Mia, and favorite singer, Miley Cyrus. It was so much fun to enjoy it with her. The girls chose to have dinner at Cafe Rio, and then we drove downtown to the concert. Because we were stuck in traffic for so long, we missed the opening act but sat down with about 5 minutes to spare before Miley came on the stage inside an iceberg ready to "Break Out". The girls were screaming and so excited. Our seats were pretty good since they were just 4 rows up from the floor and on the side diagonal so we didn't even need binoculars. The only disappointing part was that I took my old camera instead of my big bulky one. I would get the perfect picture but due to the flash reloading, Miley would turn her head or push back her hair right as the picture went off so the perfect picture was gone and her arm was always covering her face. Darn!

Yummy dinner at Cafe Rio

Getting excited to go into the concert

Miley "breaking out"

Katelyn yelled in my ear that she "didn't expect a concert to be like this" and "it was so much better than a movie!" (She was thinking that it was like a movie theater) Miley put on a great show and the girls loved every second of it. Melissa and I were just as excited as we got chills and screamed with our daughters. Katelyn even saw Miley look right at her when she was riding her motorcycle in the air to "I Love Rock and Roll". I just love BFF's on a G.N.O!

I love Rock and Roll!

Fly on the Wall

See You Again

Kokopelli

Joe participated in his first triathlon yesterday. It was the Kokopelli in St. George and consisted of a .5 mile swim, 12.4 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile run. He and our brother-in-law, Jim, signed up for it back in April with Jim's National Guard unit. Joe has had a crazy month leading up to this triathlon so training for it was on the back burner but he still did great!

The night before was especially crazy as we had a lot of things going on and he arrived in St. George at 12:30 a.m. leaving him only 4 hours of sleep before going the distance. I wasn't able to go watch him, unfortunately, but my sister was there and gave me play by plays over the phone. She first awakened me at 7:30 by yelling into the phone that Joe was in the water swimming and that she was watching for him to come out. (She had an adrenaline rush about as much as the participants!) I was really hoping that he didn't drown. He was hoping that he wouldn't have to swallow his pride and raise his hand for the rescue kayaks to come get him.

As we were on the phone, he sauntered out of the water safe but tired. Steph cheered for him, he gave her a half-smile, said, "What's up?" and started jogging towards his bike. (Thanks, Steph, for motivating my husband.) She called me back when he was done biking and started the run. He felt great and actually had a smile on his face. She then called again when he crossed the finish line and I was able to hear the announcer call his name in the background with a time of 1 hour and 47 minutes. Yeah! Not too bad for only 4 hours of sleep and no training! Good job, babe!

A little wasted but moving right along

Happy and feeling good

Just Peachy

I had my first experience bottling peaches and I must say that I am proud of myself for finally doing it. I have wanted to bottle fruit for several years but unfortunately didn't find the time or means to make it possible. A couple of my friends were ordering peaches from Utah so I jumped on the bandwagon and got it done. Melissa came over and helped me peel and cut them (thank you so much!) and we were on the road to success. Twenty-four quarts later the peaches actually look pretty good and just like my mom's did when I ate them as a child. My only mistake is that they aren't as sweet as I'd like but they are still tasty and the kids are gobbling them up! Now I need to find more fruit...

Big Ten--Double Digits!

My oldest son is no longer in the ages of single digits...he is now 10! I can't believe it. Before I know it, he'll be a teenager and it's all over from there.

We celebrated his birthday when Clark got home from school. He opened his presents and got a new DS game, a golf putting machine that returns the ball, a new DS case, some money from grandparents, and 2 brand new books from his favorite series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. After checking out his stash, we headed out for some birthday activities.

We went to King Putt's miniature golf course. It was fun and everything was painted in bright colors and black lights so that it would glow in the dark. The kids (and Joe) loved imitating the animals on the walls. Carlee loved hitting, throwing, and rolling the ball however she could to make it in the hole.

Go get 'em, Tiger!

Ahhhh! I can't hear you!

Cat stretch...

He's got me! He's got me!

This is how you get the ball in the hole, Mom!

After our fun mini-golf game, we went to eat at Outback Steakhouse. We all snarfed down a bloomin' onion, ribs, and steaks and then Clark got an ice cream surprise from the servers. Good restaurant choice, Clark!

The following weekend, Clark had a friend birthday party. He still wanted the golf theme so I hit the internet for some fun ideas. We get a little caked out with 2 birthdays 2 days apart so I found some cute cupcakes online and that was his cake. He made a "snack cart" for his treats and we set up a golf course in our house. The boys had a great time hitting balls into the target, under the tunnel, around the bend, on the tightrope, etc. The last hole was a hole in one into an inner tube floating in our pool. Then they got their swimsuits on and had a great time splashing and wrestling in the pool.

Golf Cupcakes

Snack Cart

Goodie Golf Cups

Lining up the putt for "around the bend"

"Hole in one" into the pool (Nice legs, babe!)

A bunch of wild and crazy boys

Carter, Clark, and Anders cruising around

Playing King of the Pool Floats (the raft didn't last too long)

Some fun things about Clark:
*He is very organized
*He is a perfectionist
*He loves all electronics--video games, Wii games, computer games, movies, television
*He loves egg salad sandwiches
*He is really cute and tender with his younger siblings
*He keeps his room really clean
*He loves to play golf
*He enjoys being in school plays and his theater class--Watch out, Zac Efron!
*He is really sensitive to other people's feelings
*He loves to make me happy
*He likes to go places with Dad
*He is really smart and likes to learn new things

We love you, Clark! You are such a great example in our family. Thank you for your fun personality and great spirit. Happy Birthday, son!

Labor Day in the mountains

Steph and Jim came down to spend Labor Day weekend with us and to celebrate Katelyn and Clark's birthdays. The plan was to head out on the lake but as we were loaded into the car and driving away, we got a call from some friends that the winds were too great and the water was terrible. We decided that it would only get worse by the time we actually got on the water, so unfortunately we bagged the idea of water fun. But we already had our lunch packed and were ready for an adventure anyway, so we changed out of our swimsuits and into shorts and hiking shoes.

Clark, Carlee, Jake, Madisyn, Kate, Mia, Luke, Cole, Tyler

We met the Swaseys up at MaryJane Falls in Mount Charleston. We had heard the hike was fairly flat, only about 1.5 miles, and great for kids so we started along the trail. Before long the rocky trail started getting steeper and we were following switchbacks up the mountain. (So much for a quick, easy flat hike) Carlee, Madi, and Luke rode on shoulders and the bigger kids kept trekking along. When we reached the top, the waterfall was more like a sprinkler but it was nice and cool. The rocks were really slippery but the kids loved climbing and sliding on them while the parents cringed waiting for one of them to roll down the mountain or hit their head while falling. When a breeze blew up, the water sprayed everywhere and soon most of the kids were drenched.

After resting there on the rocks, enjoying the view of the mountains, and eating some snacks, we started back down the trail. When we got to the bottom, we pulled our lunch out of the car, laid out the picnic blanket and enjoyed the cooler weather while eating. The kids gathered rocks and sticks and our boys brought their air-soft guns to shoot targets out in the woods.

After our vigorous hike, we were too tired to do anything else, so we settled for some pizza and a movie. The perfect end to a great Labor Day!

Kate is Eight!

Katelyn turned eight years old this year and lucky for her, that number was doubled for her friend flip-flop beach party on Saturday with...

*16 giggly girls
*16 giggly girls doing the limbo and playing freeze dance
*16 pairs of flip-flops decorated with ribbon, jewels, flowers, feathers, buttons, and sequins
*16 pairs of feet modeling those designer flip-flops
*16 beach towels strewn all over the back patio and chairs
*16 screaming girls splashing in the pool, kicking their feet and having chicken fights
*16 delicious pina coladas
*16 plates full of lil' smokies, cheese cubes, crackers, fruit kabobs, cake and ice cream
*16 presents to open from her sweet friends
*16 flip-flop goodie bags to thank them for coming and being so thoughtful

And 1 very happy and spoiled eight year old!

Sunday was Kate's actual birthday, so after her favorite breakfast of eggs, sausage, and cinnamon rolls, she opened one present before church. It was her new set of scriptures and mini hymnbook. She was so excited to get the "fancy ones with her name on them". Clark was happy to show her how they work and how to take care of them.

When we arrived home, she opened the rest of her presents--a Nintendo DS game, Hannah Montana 3 CD, Hannah Montana movie, several cards, and some money from grandparents. We also celebrated with her favorite dinner of chicken and rice with some cheesecake for dessert.

Some of our favorite things about Katelyn:
*She laughs really hard until she is crying and it makes us laugh too
*She will cry with Mom during sensitive scenes in movies
*She loves to wear cute clothes and shop for them
*She loves to make crafts and cards for her brothers, sister, and parents
*She is so helpful with Carlee and loves to play with her and read to her
*She loves to wear matching clothes with Carlee
*She gets along really well with Clark and they are best buds
*She loves to be outside
*She loves to read
*She loves to dance and sing and put on shows for us
*She loves her friends and is quite social
*She likes to clean the bathrooms and do the dishes
*She loves to eat treats and watch movies
*She loves pizza and soup and will try new foods
*She loves to listen to music

We love you, Kate! You are growing up so fast and we are so blessed to have you in our family. You are such a sweetheart and make things so much fun. Thank you for being you. Happy Birthday, sweetheart!