More Summer Fun

Sumer is just flying by, here are a few thing we've been up to.  :)

Fourth of July was spent at a nearby water park as a family with my mom and brother and his family.  Getting in the water sounded really good since it's been blazing hot these last two weeks.  Connor brought along his friend, McCade.

Aubrey with her cousins from Florida and Arizona - Drewe and Zoe.

Rigdon chowin' down.

Later that evening we had a BBQ with some family, friends, and neighbors....

Neighbor, Les Devries.

...and ended with some fireworks to top it all off.  :)

As far as the rest of the summer goes.....

Hangin' with Drewe some more at home.

 
I decided that the kids (particularly the boys) could use some practice on their handwriting.  The school system here really doesn't focus on penmanship, especially when it comes to cursive. 

I'm not so sure the boys were as enthusiastic as I was about their practice writing sheets.  Aubrey was excited about it, but then again, she's already got really beautiful (and legible) handwriting.

It's becoming a lost art and I'm determined that my children will at least be able to sign their signature instead of just printing it.  My 12 year old niece, Drewe, informed me the other day that she only knew how to print and didn't know how to write in cursive AT ALL PERIOD.  Say what???  She wanted a copy of my writing packet so she could learn it too and I gladly gave her one.


Rigdon had dental surgery on his mouth two weeks ago.  Such a little cutie.

Coming out of la la land after the surgery.

It took awhile for him to fully become alert.  

Among the several different procedures done, a tooth was pulled.  Who's ever seen a tooth with three roots instead of two?????  I'm still puzzled by this. 

Connor's spending a lot of time with his Grandpa on the golf course. 

 My dad has been teaching him the in's and out's and Connor's really starting to improve and get a knack for the game.

 

We took Connor and Aubrey mountain biking for the first time last week.  It was long, tough going at times, and a bit muddy. 

But they really enjoyed it and said they would like to do it again.  :)

Me and my buddy.  :)

All done and ready to go home. 

But first we got a shot by the trailhead.

Older Than Dirt

 Jed turned 40 this week!!!  Wow...he's half way to death's door.  What an old man!  :)

We celebrated his birthday this last weekend with his family.

Jed's grandmother was always the one to make his beloved "Wacky" cake every year for his birthday.  But since she passed away this last summer, it was now up to me to take on that mantle.  Scary, I know.  It's a cake you have to make from scratch and the "White Mountain Frosting", is tricky to make.  I ruined the first batch of frosting by overcooking it but it turned out significantly better the second time around.   


Notice that just about 1/3 of the cake is missing? 

 

Yeah, Jed got into it the night before the party...he "couldn't" wait. Forty years old going on four I think, lol.

 

Jed and his mother, Kriss.

 

We made him a candy poster.

 

 

Our boys.

Jed's grandpa, Don.

 

Can't imagine where Jed gets some of his personality from.

 

 

 

 

It runs in the family.

Happy Birthday to my one-of-a-kind husband!  I love you bunches and bunches!!!

237th Birthday Party

So there was a big birthday last Saturday that most people wouldn't ever know about or recognize.  But for those that are part of this elite group, November 10th will always be remembered and celebrated.

 The Marine Corps celebrated their 237th birthday this year.

Jed's Marine Fox Company was holding a birthday bash in Utah to celebrate and all Marines in the area, young and old, were invited to attend.  We decided to go when Jed found out that some of his old buddies were planning on going.

So we made the long drive to this place:

Our greeters - lookin' sharp.  Especially Gunny Monster, the bulldog (who is the Marine Corps mascot.)

Photographers were walking around taking pictures of the event.  You can see us in this one, I'm the one in the gray jacket with the hoodie.  People really started pouring in after this picture was taken.  A great turn-out, no doubt.

Of course there was a cake.

The Marines performed the cake cutting ceremony with precision.


The first piece was given to the oldest Marine in attendance - I believe this guy was 85 years old.  Oorah! The second piece went to the youngest Marine.

All the Marines standing at attention, singing the Marine Corps hymn.

Afterwards, a few of the Fox Company guys had some pictures taken.

It was a fun night, can you tell?  (Don't worry, Jed and I were completely sober....the rest?... well, maybe not so much.  :)

Jed and Eric.

One of Jed's dearest and closest friends from his Marine Corps days - Johnny.

Some of the funniest Marine stories Jed has ever told me usually involved these two together.

Some of Jed's closest buddies: Johnny, Jed, Jake, and Bret. 

Afterwards, Jed and I braved the long drive home in a big snowstorm.  The road conditions were so bad that no one dared to go over 25 mph on the freeway with the slippery black ice, a few inches of unpaved snow on top of it, and cars sliding off the road left and right around us.  But getting to see Jed reconnect with his friends that he hadn't seen for 10-15 years was all worth it.