first day.

Report from first (and second) days of school:


Up with puppy at 6:30am - I get to go out with him, because everyone else has to "get ready!!"
Madison to SHS at 7:50am, Kenna in her snazzy uniform off to Excelsior Academy at 8:05am.
  
Great!  Right on schedule..


Back home to get my other two going..


Kimbel is ready and looking cute for her first day of 4th grade and Braden, (oh so handsome) with his Ben 10 backpack.  They are ready and we are out the door by 8:40am.
Excellent!!


Where is my camera?!?  Wait.. really. Where is it?  Last time I saw it was Saturday night when I ran to my car to get it and MISSED Kelly in the dunk tank.. yes, DUNK TANK!!  at the annual hospital party.  Bummer.


First day of school and no camera. 


Fabulous. 


Oh well, I will take some tomorrow.


Yeah, right.


Just know that they looked adorable and grown up and way too big to be marching off to the world. 


9:05am:  I was in my car with a few prayers and tears.


Whew.  Back to school 2010.

Meet... Cruz.

I finally said yes. 

After much research, 

a lot of persuasion (5 against 1), 

and a little craziness..

I said yes.

Here he is... puppy Cruz.

Lesson learned:  Never say never.

Yellowstone!

Madison spent a FABULOUS week at EFY at BYU-I, in Rexburg, Idaho ~ so we persuaded Kelly's mom to join us in picking her up and headed north!  We decided to have one final fling before school starts.. 

way too soon!

 So, we rented an RV, 

loaded it up with lots of goodies and away we went!

We stopped by the gorgeous Madison River on our way into the park through West Yellowstone.

Old Faithful didn't let us down...or the hundreds of other people with their cameras ready!

Every picture was like a postcard ~ and yet, the pictures didn't do justice to the real thing.

Kimbel, Kenna, Kelly and Grandma at Mammoth Hot Springs.

Chillin' in our home away from home.

Doesn't get much better! :)

Thank goodness for my go-to guy!  

He took care of EVERYTHING!

One of the happy kids...

We spent the second night in the beautiful Fishing River area of Yellowstone Park.

The buffalo just ignore the geysers... while people are gawking at both from all angles.

Lower Falls.

My two guys.

B. and Grandma

Traffic jams... Yellowstone style.

We saw two little bears on our way down through Targhee National Forest.

We spent night #3 in Jackson Hole.

Monday we loved walking around Jackson..

a little shopping, a little ice cream.. a little more fun.

What a great long weekend.

A much-needed break from the routine.

Life is good.

New Baby Place!!

Yesterday was the Open House and dedication of the new Women's Center at Mountain West Medical Center.  Kelly did a great job in making this happen and everybody I talked with yesterday was thrilled to have such a beautiful facility in the valley.

Anyway - here is a pic from the Homebodies blog - 
glad somebody had a camera!! 

Geesh.. why didn't I?

http://beahomebody.blogspot.com/2010/07/just-for-us-girls.html

Here's the article from Thursday's paper, too...
 (hey, Nicc, you made the front page~ along with Taya, Kimbel, Kenna and Grandma!!)

www.tooeletranscript.com

Way to go, K!!

tee hee

Sometimes my dad's emails just crack me up... 

I thought I would pass this one along!  Enjoy.

Finally... it's been explained!

Thanks for the laugh, Dad!

Party.. SC Style

Home from Girls Camp and off to Santa Cruz!

First stop in CA.. 

the Capitola Beach with cousins.  Oh, and Pizza my Heart.

Thanks Joe & co.  for taking

 m & m surfing while I was snug in my warm bed!

Party at Thira's.. THANKS for the salsa! :)

Some serious bathing beauties around here.

No, seriously...

..ah, the next day and lunch with the Popes - poolside!

On to the Boardwalk...

with the Doltons!  

(instant party!)

Crazy surf..

Good times. Good friends.

One spoiled lil' SC skater.

(Or a wannabe)

After a week that went WAY TOO fast..

time for goodbye to the ocean..

'til next time!

Thanks everybody!  

Our SC friends truly rock!

We love you all so much!!!

home from GC...

I can tell Girls Camp is really over because...


I had to make my own breakfast.
My sleeping bag is hanging on the railing of the back deck.
Kelly told me I smelled like burnt toast before he went to work.
My once white socks are now a dusty shade of tan.
Braden pulled various pieces of candy, assorted notes and a plastic camouflage egg out of my bag and thought he hit the jackpot.
I feel like I have no idea what is going on in the "real" world.
"Bazooka Bubble Gum" keeps playing nonstop in my tired brain.
I miss those stinky, adorable, silly, amazing, sleep-deprived, wonderful young women. :)