The 3rd of July!...

Here are a few pictures of our "3rd of July" Slip and Slide Party... We decided to celebrate a day early because we are going to Costa Rica on July 5th, and knew we wouldn't be up to having a big party on the 4th! It was a lot of fun!! My cute neighbor Jennifer Davis came and decorated the deck for me... I am so glad she has such cute 4th of July decorations! It was very festive!

JD, Lindsey, and Dawson Mair...looking fabulous and ready for some fun in the sun!

Everyone ready for their turn on the "slip and slide"!

At some point, someone decided that innertubes would be awesome for the little kids (and adults) that don't weigh much so they could get to the bottom!

A very relaxed Mark going for a "slide".....

Cody Jorgenson thought maybe a garbage bag would increase his speed.... not so much... but we told him it was a great idea.... ha ha!

Dan, JD and Dawson in their matching swim suits!!! We need to get Mark and Chris both one and do a "Men of Metro" photo shoot!

Adorable Shelby and Emma... gorgeous ladies!


Mark and Jake Bond... others in the background... relaxing after a hot afternoon in the sun!

Jennifer Davis, McKenna, Kylie Jorgenson, and Taylor Davis in the front.... all chillin' and eating dinner and just enjoying each others company!
Brian and Racel Cutler... and Courtney's BFF Camilla Cutler... "cheese!"

Scott and Cody Jorgenson...

Dan and his awesome "Floyd's Smokin' Bar-B-Q" t-shirt....

McKenna and the Bond kids... Tiffany, Jake, Elizabeth, and Preston... no doubt chatting about our upcoming trip to Costa Rica!!

Everyone playing with the babies and getting ready to call it a night!

Stephanie Orme's fiance Paul... that's what we all need now... It's time for a nap!!!

Happy 4th of July everyone... and thanks for making our day so much fun!!!

Making "Cookies"?!

McKenna and our neighbor Taylor were bored on Wednesday and asked what they could do. After refusing my offer to let them clean the bathroom, they decided to make cookies. This is what the first "batch" turned out like... they tasted great... and all it took was a little more flour to make the rest turn out great! I should have included a picture of batch two!

Is it really June?!?!?!

It is FREEZING outside again today and we just had a thunder/hail storm just roll through that was a little scary and yet somehow also strangely facinating! I took a few pictures I thought I would put on... these are of our deck. Not that I want 100* outside... but is 82*and sunny too much to ask?! I am getting REALLY excited for Costa Rica... I hope it is warm!

McKenna's Patriarchal Blessing

Last night McKenna was able to receive her Patriarchal Blessing. Many people wait until they are older... but she was ready. She met with our Bishop a week or so ago, and we set up her appointment for 7:00 pm last night.

Yesterday she, Dan, and I all fasted to prepare... and she showed us just how ready she was! Not only did she have to watch all her friends eat lunch, but in one of her classes she got to participate in an auction where she received a can of soda and some candy... in another they had a "cereal party" reward where she had to watch everyone else eat cocoa puffs etc... and she also got a huge bottle of Gatorade in PE. She then carried those items around the rest of the day in her backpack! Talk about temptation! All her friends were really impressed with her strength and example... as are we!

It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life to hear her receive her blessing. It was beautiful... and it was so "her". It was a testimony building moment for our entire family for sure! I won't share any details, as it isn't my place to do so... but ask her about it if you'd like. She is such an example to all of us of strength, virtue, and being a true disciple of Christ in all she does. I am the luckiest mom in the whole world!!!!!! Afterwards, we went out to Olive Garden for dinner... and ate way too much! But it was Great!

Memorial Day Camping Trip!!!

We began our adventure on Thursday, May 21st... Dan and I pulled our trailer up to a great campground to secure a spot, and then headed back so he could wrap up a few things at work. As soon as he got home we headed back up until Monday afternoon!

Courtney likes to have a place to play... as I don't like her running in and out of the trailer all day... so Dan always sets up our tent for a "play house"... she LOVES playing in the dirt!
Dan and the girls having a "jump-off"... how impressive!
We went on a "nature hike" but didn't go far... there was still a lot of snow... and very wet and muddy on the trail!

On Saturday, some of our best friends... Chris, Shelby, and cute little Emma Bond came up for a "sleep-over"... we had a blast!!!
McKenna and Chris having a horseshoe competition! They were both REALLY good!!!!
Courtney made a "teeter-totter" with a block of wood and a stick... Kenna tried to tell her she needed to find someone her own size...
Dan is the ultimate cook! We loved our chicken and potatoes!
Courtney what are you drinkin'?.... oh... IBC rootbeer!

Cheers Shelby!

Emma and Shelby snuggled up! It was cold up there!!!!
Gangster Dan...
Kenna making a mess with her delicious smore! We all ate way too many of those! We will have to put in some extra time on the eliptical machine!
Emma Bond... what a gorgeous baby girl!!!! She was so much fun! We are so excited we got to enjoy her first camping trip with her ! She can come with us anytime!
Time for Watermelon! (Not that we hadn't already ate enough!!) It's Courtney's favorite!
It was sooooo sweet! I have no idea what this face was all about!
Chris and Courtney preparing for a seed spitting contest!!!!

Emma getting her first taste of watermelon!

Courtney's fort she built with her friend Amanda (a girl she met up there)....Time for "Floyd's VS Bond's" horseshoe competition! Bring it!!!Emma is ready for bed! It rained ALL night long!!!!!!Sunday morning after the Bond's left we spent some time playing games, reading scriptures, and watching a movie. ("Bedtime Stories") Even though it rained all day, we really enjoyed having a quiet Sabbath Day. Dan wearing my pajama pants! He didn't pack any long ones and was cold...weird but funny!BLUE SKY!!!!!!!! It didn't last long... but we did get to see it while we packed up camp on Monday morning! It rained when we left... but we had a beautiful morning!Dan kept his promise to help Courtney build a new fort... some campers used the wood from her first one to build a fire... she was a little upset over that one! She had us take turns coming in when it was done to play "I Spy" and tell her something we love about her .... only one?! I have milllions of things I love about you "Court"!!!!Our beautiful girls! They are the best!!!!!! I love my girls!We stopped for lunch at the bottom of the canyon at this diner in Oakley... it's called the "Rhode Island Diner" as it was moved cross-country in 2008 here to it's new home. Courtney "shaking her booty" to one of the songs she chose on our table top "jukebox"...

We had a great camping trip... great friends, great food, not being in a tent during torrential rain... and GREAT MEMORIES!!!!