Jason's Birthday

Jason had a great birthday! We went in to the mall so he could use his Barnes & Noble gift card from grandma and grandpa. He picked up a trilogy abt some dark elf or something...he's glued to it today, so it must be good!



He opened a few presents at home...some jeans, a hat, a watch...maybe it's not as fun to get older - the presents aren't as fun as they used to be! :) (Although he did manage to spend some birthday money on a Nintendo game...so maybe he's not too old, yet!)



He also got a couple of t-shirts which he's modeling in the video below...listen to him closely - my kids are catching on to the curse in their lives which is our blog!

A week at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

While Jason and Brandon were at Scout Camp and Maddie was away at Girl's Camp, the rest of us headed north to grandma and grandpa's house!

We enjoyed making jam and rice krispy treats - eating out and a trip to the movie with grandpa to see WALL-E. Grandpa took the boys out with his metal detector and his 1800 Winchester. Grandma took the girls on a fun trip to Wal-Mart and the $1 Store.

We made a couple of fun trips to the city park. We went one evening just to play - another day we went in the afternoon with the kids' great grandma.

That big open spot on the merry-go-round is where Joseph is SUPPOSED to be sitting and posing for the picture. He wanted nothing to do with anything except pushing the thing!



Here he is enjoying the little kid side of the park...



Lunch with Great Grandma Margaret.



More pushing the merry-go-round...



Malorie trying to give her mother a heart attack!



Jacob still trying to perfect that balancing act...



Melanie having her own fun pushing...

Boy Scout Camp

Last week, Brandon and Jason spent the week at Camp Grizzly with the rest of Jason's troop.




There were 11 boys total and by the end of the week they had completed 55 merit badges!



Brandon and I truly enjoy working with these guys in Scouting. They're all a little nuts - that must be what draws us to them!!



Friday evening, Meredi and I drove out to camp to bring everyone home. In the short time we were there, we were eaten alive by mosquitoes - I don't know how the boys could stand it all week!




Jason will complete his Life Rank Board of Review this Saturday and be ready to begin work on his Eagle Rank project!

Our baby boy is 14!

Yes, I can remember -vividly- what I was doing 14 years ago "right now"!

Our 9 lb 9 oz "little" boy was just a couple of hours from making his arrival. What an exciting time that was for us...first time parents!



Of course every new baby has been exciting, but nothing ever compares to the first new baby experience! Jason has been a wonderful trail blazer for our family. We honestly couldn't have asked for anything more.



We love you Jace!

I never win anything!!

But look - our little blog won an award today! It's a blog-world award - but an award nonetheless! I'll take it! Thanks so much Michele!



Characteristics for the Smile Award:

1. Must display a cheerful attitude. (not necessarily at all times--we are all human)
2. Must love one another
3. Must make mistakes
4. Must learn from others
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world
6. Must love life
7. Must love kids

These are the rules:

1. The recipient must link back to the awards creator.
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must chose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

I have chosen the following five bloggers to pass this award on to - and here's why. I honestly follow dozens of blogs. Choosing just five is hard. But the following five "winners" were the first five blogs that came to mind when I read the characteristic requirement...

1. My dear friend Amy M.
2. Our family's favorite missionary's family blog Jay & Mary
3. My friend Sheri, whose blog ALWAYS makes me laugh!
4. My friend Carmel - they're Scouters, too!
5. My friend Amy C.

I love to see update notices for these blogs! They all share their homes and family and happiness and even the occasional frustration so vividly! They make my blog reading fun!

I do want to add a disclaimer here and say that I have a list of abt 20 other blogs that I could list here as well - I am grateful for all of my friends and family members who take the time to blog...thank you!

Wading Pool

This weekend our church held a picnic at the park and rented out the public pools for an hour. Dad took the five older kids and went to the "big pool" - Mom took the four little kids (and the camera) and went to the wading pool...

Joe had a great time! This was his first trip to the public pool. He did manage to scrape his tummy up pretty bad though by swimming around on his hands and dragging his belly...live and learn.



Melanie had fun too. She doesn't like to swim in our tall pool at home so being at the wading pool was a dream come true for her.



Malorie was proud to inform me that she could back float like the big kids - never mind the part abt her bottom sitting on the bottom of the pool. More living, more learning.



Gracie was a doll the whole afternoon. She loved being outside. She did all of her tricks for everyone, laughing and coo'ing. Then she decided it was time to catch up on some beauty sleep and napped for an hour or so...



I looked over one minute and she was soundly sleeping - the next time I checked her, she was awake and ready for more fun!

Meredi turned 4 months old this week!

I'm not even going to ask if you can believe it or not - I can't, so I'm just figuring nobody else can either!

She has become very ticklish this week and very "chatty" (in a bubble spitting, coo'ing, laughing sort of way).

We still enjoy every second with her - guess we'll probably keep her!

Never a dull moment!

My children never cease to amaze surprise blow my mind!

This week it was Jared. Here's a little history:

A month ago, Jared was standing in the living room and blacked out. I saw him from the corner of my eye and he fell, flat as a board, on to the floor. He came too quickly and seemed to be fine - We asked him how he felt and he said, "Just like when this happened before." WHAT? BEFORE? Holy Cow! We had no idea he had blacked out before, so we took him in to our beloved Doc Olson the next day for a check up.

The doctor listened to his heart and said he sounded ok, but that blacking out at 8 years old wasn't normal - and since Jared couldn't remember the events clearly, he scheduled us with a pediatric cardiologist for a check.

We haven't really stressed over the appointment this past month - but it's always been in the back of mom's mind, for sure. Could there really be something wrong?

Yesterday was the day. We got to the hospital and the meeting with the doctor went like this.

Doctor: Hi Jared, how are you doing?

Jared: Fine

Doctor: Your blood pressure looks good, that's a good thing - and your EKG looks good, too.

(Mom breathes a small sigh of relief)

Doctor: So tell me abt when you passed out, Jared.

(Mom sits anxiously, letting Jared talk for himself so she isn't labeled as one of THOSE moms who won't let her child talk)

Jared: We were standing in the living room, and I was standing by the tv and then it got dark in my eyes and I fell.

(Mom nods in agreement as this is the story he has told since day one - start to finish, nothing different)

Doctor: Wow, that must have been scary. Did it hurt when you fell?

Jared: No

Doctor: That's good. So what were you doing when this happened?

(Mom looking at Jared with a very proud smile on her face b/c her baby was doing so well communicating with the doctor...)

Jared: I was holding my breath.

(Mom's expression instantly goes from that of pride, to that of disbelief)

Mom: Well, I'm no doctor, but I think I can take it from here Dr. G.

Doctor: Holding your breath, huh? Ok, well, do you do that a lot?

Jared: Sometimes.

Doctor: Why do you do that, Jared?

Jared: It makes me feel dizzy and it's funny.

Doctor: Oh, I see - well, maybe you should stop doing that.

Jared: Ok.

Mom: Thanks for your time, Doctor. Just bill this to my insurance!

Doctor: I will, and I'll even give it a big latin name for you!

Mom: Thanks so much!

Of course mom was thrilled to have there be nothing wrong with her baby boy!! But COME ON! lol What a punk!

The "other time" that he blacked out was legitimate however. He had gotten out of bed in the morning and walked toward the bathroom - apparently became light headed when he stood up and did black out (trust me, I asked if he had been holding his breath before he got out of bed). The doctor said that that is a real thing, usually more common in boys. Vega something - some muscle doesn't flex properly and constrict bloodflow so when you stand up and the blood drains too quickly from your head. Makes since to my not-a-doctor brain!

So there you have it - the worry, the you've-got-to-be-kidding, and the actual relief that there is nothing wrong with Jared...other than he needs more things to do with his free time!!

Bet You Blink First -

"Stare-down! Ready, Set, Go!!!"

Sunday evening at our house...

Last night was so great. We've had just blistering hot days - but the evenings are wonderful! Last night we sat out on the porch and watched "mom's hummingbirds". At one point we counted 8 of them zipping around us. We just adore them!



I wish there had been a way to show how close to the birds I was standing. If I had extended my arm, I could have touched the feeder with my hand.



Sometimes they will fly down and get right in our faces - almost as if to check us out and see if we're a threat...hmmm, mom sitting in her lawn chair eating chocolate pudding...uh, no - no threat there!



If you listen close, you can hear their buzzing wings and little chirps - and of course you can hear my kids yelling in the background!

Plug -

I don't very often serve as a billboard for products - but today I found something that everyone needs in their kitchen!



Click here to view "How-To" vidoes of just a few of the magazine's recipes!

The magazine caught my eye as I walked through the magazine section of the grocery today so I thumbed through it quickly. I saw a few things that I really liked, so I tossed it in the cart. I got home and sat down with it only to find that almost every page had something I am sure my family will love!

I just thought I'd share my little find and give my two thumbs up. Y'all know I don't do this very often - for me to say that a cooking magazine is good is really saying something. I'm more likely to say that a restaurant delivery menu is good!

Happy Independence Day!

We started the day with our annual breakfast with the fam at Grandma Lee's at 8:30am 9:30am!

Breakfast is served:



Table 1:



Table 2:



Our "Founding Fathers"/Cooks, Uncle Rick, Aunt Jane, & Grandma Lee:



The little sisters:



Gracie patiently waiting for someone anyone, to finish eating and hold her:



Maddie-belle and Jo-Jo:



A little post-breakfast football - and I think everyone walked away in tact:




After breakfast at Grandma Lee's, we ran home and regrouped, then headed north to Grandma Janet's & Grandpa Gary's for icecream and fireworks!!!

Gracie, again waiting to be held...actually, she's waiting for us to get ready and load up in the van to go!!



Grandma and Grandpa live across the steet from a cute little park - so we spent a little time there playing on the toys and on the baseball field...the same park where I played when I was Malorie's age...Wow!

Malorie in her shades:



Melanie, not to be out-done, also wearing HER shades:



Joseph just looking for something to get in to:



Maddie being cute:



Jacob practicing his balancing act for the circus:



Maggie's close-up:



Jason helpling dad and grandpa clean up the bats and balls:



Jared being surprised by the camera:



After a chicken and jo-jo's dinner at grandma and grandpa's house, we headed to uncle Dick's house for soft icecream cones and fireworks.

Grandpa giving Joseph some How-To-Be-Left-Handed-Tips:



Me and my little sister, Lindsay:



Grandma Janet and Gracie waiting for their icecream cones:



A quickie family photo:



And finally - Dusk! FIREWORKS!! (Yes, I know my camera takes less than impressive firework photos...new camera for our anniversary in August is the plan!)