Jinxed!

So I finally finished unpacking about three weeks ago. I unpacked my doll cabinet, all the boxes of books, and kind of put things together. Adam also changed his cell to our area code, and we finally got new drivers licences. So, did we jinx ourselves or what?! Moral of my story, never finish unpacking and you'll never move!

Adam's Birthday

Okay, this post is late, but I am still trying to catch up! Adam turned 32 OCtober 19th. We went boating the Friday before his birthday and had tons of fun. We got him a wetsuit, but it hadn't arrived yet, but thankfully he didn't need it! It is so awesome that we are still able to be out enjoying the lake in October and November. Adam is glad that I am enjoying boating so much. It is all new to me. He grew up around boats and it was a big part of growing up for him so he is seasoned...I on the other hand am learning about it all. He is VERY patient with me. Poor guy! I know I am not the best at driving when he is slaloming, but he says I am fine and he is glad I am willing to do it. So, we are having a blast and were so glad to use the boat his birthday weekend.
We had raspberry waffles and orange juice for breakfast and then the kids sent him on a hunt to find his gifts. They like to play the hot-cold game. It is so funny. Ammon kept giving things away. "Oh dad, look right over there next to the doll house!" He is hilarious. He also kept saying, "Mom, we are missing the present with the fishies, or the chocolate covered raisins..." He cracks me up. I guess the kids have caught on to the fact that you can't tell them what it is before their special day, but once the day arrives, they spill the beans! Like last year. Adam kept trying to get Lily to tell him what his presents were but she wouldn't say a word. The morning of his birthday, as soon as she woke up, she came in our room and said "Happy Birthday daddy! We got you fishies, and chocolate covered raisens, and..." and told him exactly everything we had gotten him. She was so proud of herself for waiting until his birthday to tell him too! It was so cute. As you can tell, a yearly repeat on the gifts is sweedish fish and chocolate covered raisens, two of his favorite treats. After his hunt we nibbled on treats and the kids helped me make a chocolate cake. They had a blast frosting it. When Lily was finished with her turn, the spatula was covered in frosting and so was she. We were all pretty sugared out before church, but we were ready for more after dinner. We had Bob and Margene over for dinner, roast and potatoes, Adam's favorite, and cake and ice cream. We had a fun day. We love birthdays! I love you Adam and hope you did have an aweome birthday!

Halloween

What a fun and busy week! Monday we carved pumpkins for Family Home Evening. We put Vaseline all inside Lily's and hers really ended up looking better. Ammon's poor pumpkin started caving in, but Lily's still looks great. Thurday Ammon had a party at school and we went and joined him to help out. I was in charge of the Marshmallow Toss game. They had to put a large marshmallow in their mouth and spit it into the mouth of a pumpkin on the wall. It was pretty hilarious and a bit disgusting too. Some of the kids had no problem picking up marshmallows off the floor to enjoy! Gross! I did the best I could to keep them in the garbage, but once in awhile, someone would would sneak one, yuck! Ammon did really well. Most of the kids weren't able to spit it out of their mouths. Boy, Ammon must have some awesome lungs because he could not only spit it out, but shoot it out! Way to go Ammon. Lily had fun coloring and sitting by her big brother for lunch. They had tons of treats. Anna also had a blast chomping on pizza, cookies, marshmallows and juice. Thursday night we went to the church for a Trunk or Treat party combined with four wards from our stake. They did an awesome job. We had lots of fun but avoided anything spooky. Last week we went to the Spooktacular at Ammon's school and went to the haunted house there. BIG MISTAKE! I couldn't believe how scary it was. We have had a rough week with Lily being scared and having bad dreams. So, we tried to avoid anything scary, which is really hard for Halloween. The kids enjoyed their rootbeer and cotton candy from the trunk or treat, and I loved eating a scone with honeybutter. It's been awhile since I have had scones. My mom makes the BEST scones ever, I love them! So, the trunk or treat was fun and safe and not too scary. We made sure to avoid the Spook Alley that Adam was in charge of with the young men from the ward. Ammon and Lily didn't want to get near it! For Halloween we went and saw Bob and Margene and then came back home to trick or treat. The kids didn't want to go to many doors because they were scared. Silly kids! Lily would walk half way up to a door and then change her mind. They started complaing that they didn't have very much candy and we told them that they had to be brave and go to the doors if they wanted treats. They finally started going to more doors toward the end of the night and made out with quite a lot of candy. I think I will buy their candy from them again this year and take them shopping for a toy. I can't stand having that much candy around, or having them eat that much. Anna loved everything about Halloween, including her costume! I was so happy she wore it because it was a lot of work to make it! Well, not so much hers, but just making all the costumes together. It was fun and I am glad I did it. They all love theirs and now they each have a new pair of warm winter pj's! Anna made the CUTEST duck ever! Everyone who saw her commented on how cute she loooked and she knows what attention is so she would just smile and nod yes when they asked her if she was a duck. She was hilarious. She even has a perfect little waddle like a duck. I am glad I went with the duck idea and not Yoda, we had considered a Star Wars theme for the family, but changed our minds. She was absolutely darling and I think she had fun! All in all we had a great time. It is nice not to freeze on Halloween like we did in Omaha. It is so nice here! But, back to the cold we go. We decided to transfer to Reno. Goodby nice winter, hello SNOW!

Swamped!

Okay I am so behind! Why do I find that it is so hard to take just a few minutes to post? I had a friend compare motherhood(well I am sure it is really just life in general for anyone, including busy dads!) to shoveling snow while it's still snowing! Is that perfect or what?! So, it's been snowing a lot for me lately. I will attempt to eventually catch up... I have had a sick baby, trying to get ready for Adam's birthday, trying to create a DVD for my RS class, sewing Halloween costumes, trying to rid our food storage and house of weevils, so gross, boating, yes I did say boating! We bought a boat about a month ago and we have LOVED it! Ammon named it Roogy. It is so much fun to go out and I have never loved wake boarding so much in my whole life! So basically we have been SUPER busy and we may be getting even busier, we are considering another move! Yes you heard me right. I think subconsciously Adam and I must love moving. Sad! I'll keep you posted, I promise. It won't be a new job, just a transfer within Adam's firm to their Reno office.

Silly Lily!

Lilian cracks me up! I think four-year-olds must say the funniest things! I was doing her hair the other day and we couldn't find one of her clips. She said, "I am so sorry I lost it mom." I told her, "It's not a big deal, it's just a clip. I'm sure we'll find it, it's probably just lying around here somewhere." Lily said, "Or it's probably standing up."! She is hilarious!

Then, that same day we were out running errands and when we stopped at a light there was a man doing jumping jacks at the corner, he was being very enthusiastic about it too. Lily piped up and said, "What is that guy doing!?" She was very confused, I wish you could have heard the way she said it. I told her he was exercising and she said, "Or maybe he just needs to go potty really bad!" I about peed my pants I laughed so hard! I am glad she makes me laugh so much!

I Love My Kids!

After I tucked Ammon and Lily in last night and put Anna down, I went back in to check on the kids. Ammon was still awake and asked me if I would cuddle with him for a little bit. I haven't snuggled him in so long I can't even remember. So, of course I said YES! I got in his bed and we talked about school, his friends, how much he is learning, if he is happy, which I am glad he said yes, and just talked. It was so fun. Why haven't I done it more? I need to stop rushing from one thing to the next and savor every minute with my kids. Ammon is sweet and affectionate at home and I know he loves mommy, but sadly we have moved on to high-fives at the bus stop. Silly boy, I guess he must be embarrassed that I want to hug him in front of his friends. Oh well, at least he still wanted me to climb in his bed! I also got to snuggle Lily last night. She woke up around 3:00 with a bad dream and so I decided to climb in her bed. She cuddled right up to me and shared her blanket and went right back to sleep. I wasn't sleeping well so I decided it was a good use of my time. Then Anna woke up and cried for awhile, which is very unusual, so I went in and cuddled her in my arms and rocked her in the rocking chair for a bit. I didn't really sleep from 2:00 to 4:00, but I got some awesome time with my kids and it was worth it! I must have been tired this morning because I woke up to Ammon and Lily laughing and talking about a cat outside on our front porch at 7:00. I am usually up way before them, so it was kind of strange to wake up to their sweet laughter, but a great way to wake up!

Lily's Animals

Lily loves animals! She carries them everywhere with her. She does their hair, feeds them, takes them for walks, talks to them like they are real, sleeps with them, you name it, she does it for them. She and pink puppy, the little poodle she got from Levi and Nicki as a baby is her favorite. She breaks into tears every night if she leaves her downstairs when she is ready to be tucked in. I tell you, if we ever loose her, Lily will be hysterical. I should probably buy an extra to keep on hand just-in-case. Well, today Lily is at a dancing party with her best-friend Natalya. She wanted to take her animals with her, I told her no. In the picture you'll notice that she has a bow in Lion's hair. I can never find Anna's bows, let alone a matching one because they are in the car, in Lily's room, in her animals hair... Lily is so sweet and she really loves her animals. I love you Lily!

Too Much

Okay so I felt soooo good yesterday I thought I could get back to normal. I went grocery shopping, vacuumed, cleaned the kitchen, made dinner, all the stuff I normally do, except I drove to the bus stop instead of walking, thankfully... Anyway, I was feeling so well, I even considered going running this morning. Ha ha! Well, I paid for it last night. I felt awful all night and realized that even though I felt great, I am going to have to take it easy for awhile longer. No running for me until next week, or maybe even later, Argh!

Anna's Newest Feat

Okay, so Anna is my little climber. Crazy girl will climb on anything. This week she has mastered the kitchen table and chairs! This could be bad. I am getting out the bungee cords right now and strapping the chairs to the table so she can't do this anymore. A fall from the table to the floor could be a disaster. Yes, I am listening this time!

Why Don't I Listen?

You know the Primary song that goes, "Listen to the still small voice! Listen! Listen! When you have to make a choice, He will guide you, always."? Well, I don't know why always think that when I have a thought, that it is my own, and not from the Holy Ghost. It is amazing all the small and simple things He will whisper to me about and because they are so small and simple, I think it is only me. I could certainly save myself a lot of grief and stress and coulda shoulda woulda's if I'd only learn to listen. It is a gift you know, so why don't I use it all the time? Does anyone else have this problem?
So here is my simple story. Last night after I bathed Anna, I didn't have any diapers for her at the changing table so I put her shirt on took her into my bathroom to check on Ammon who was in my shower and for me to use the bathroom. I had the thought, Anna always pees on your bathroom floor after a bath, you should go downstairs and get her diaper on first. Well, I really needed to use the bathroom so I ignored my thought and went in to the bathroom. Ammon was shaving the bar of soap with my razor and I told him that was dangerous and to put it back up on the shelf. I thought, I should just take it away right now. Well, Ammon is a smart boy you know, and he knew it was sharp, I thought, and so I thought he would just put it right away. Well, while I was in using the bathroom he, being the sweet boy that he is, didn't want to leave my razor dirty, and attempted to clean the soap out the blade using his thumb! OUCH! The poor kid cut his thumb up, but thankfully it wasn't too bad. Well, while I was looking at his thumb, Anna slipped and fell. Yes, she peed on the tile and it was slippery, of course, and she fell. Thankfully she didn't fall hard. I moved her away from it and grabbed a towel to clean it up so she didn't fall again. Ammon left the bathroom right as I was grabbing the towel and Anna ran to follow him out, I thought, Hurry and grab her so she doesn't fall. Stupid me, I thought I could get the towel down in time and grab her, but because I didn't listen immediately, she hit her puddle of pee right before I grabbed her and went down smack on her back. The back of her head hit the tile floor so hard! I felt terrible. So then I was all stressed out about her head. I grabbed her and snuggled her and eventually dried her off and got a diaper on her. She calmed down fine and acted normal. I kept checking her eyes with the flashlight to make sure they were dilating normally. Everything seemed and still seems fine, but I still feel terrible! I was worried about her all night. Every time I woke up I went in to check on her to make sure she was okay. So, I could have saved myself a lot of sadness and my kids a lot of pain if I had only listened! So next time you have a simple thought, follow through. You may never know why or ever realize it saved you from something, but wouldn't you rather it be that way? I know I would!

Not so fun

My post today is not a fun one but since my blog is sort of my journal, I wanted to post about it. WARNING, it's a little gross and personal so you don't have to read it. On Sunday morning I started miscarrying. At first I kind of hoped I was maybe bleeding just a little and everything would be fine. By Sunday night I was bleeding a lot and having lots of cramping. I didn't sleep well because I was having contractions all night that felt like after-birth pains. Monday I woke up feeling pretty well and wasn't contracting too much and wasn't really bleeding so I decided I felt well enough to go to my two visiting teaching appointments I had scheduled last week. Everything was fine until I had to stand up and then it really started. I bled all over my friends living room carpet and I couldn't do anything to stop it. Mind you that I did have on one of Anna's diapers and that wasn't helping. I got to the bathroom as fast as I could and was in there for 30 minutes trying to clean up. I just kept bleeding and bleeding. All the while Anna was screaming because mommy wasn't with her. I felt so bad. I was truly embarrassed. My sweet friend and visiting teaching companion were so kind about it all. They were so helpful and concerned. Thankfully I was able to make it home, I was looking pretty pale, and feeling a little faint, but I was fine. Anna went down for a nap and I tried to relax a little. Every time I would try to stand up I would start dropping blood out of me. I don't know if you've ever experienced this before. It is worse than just a super-heavy period. I was losing tons of clumps of blood. It is a strange feeling to have something falling out me that I have no control over. This is the third time I've experienced this. The first was when I went into labor with the twins in 2005 and then again in 2006 when I had my first miscarriage. Anyway, I hope you never have to go through it, it's not fun! One time I stood up in the kitchen and blood fell down my pants to the floor. I was too messy to clean up with wipes so I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me and tried to sneak upstairs without Lily seeing me. That didn't work and she was really concerned about my cut because of the blood all over my legs. I told her I had a little owie and that mommy was fine. After I showered I showed her I wasn't bloody and that I was OK. I hope she isn't permanently scarred from that! I am so glad Ammon was at school. He just thinks mommy is sick. Well, after Anna woke up from her nap I was having a hard time taking care of her and trying to clean up after myself and I was bleeding so much I was spending all my time in the bathroom, but didn't even have the strength to keep doing that. I finally called Adam at 1:30 because I felt like I was starting to pass out. Unfortunately I am far too familiar with the sensations that come right before you pass out, fuzzy feeling in my ears, then they start ringing, the room starts looking fuzzy, and then things turn black and your head feels so strange. Thankfully I made it to the floor before my body forced my there. I started feeling better after laying there for a few minutes. Thank goodness to my sweet Lily. She was such a big helper. She got me everything I needed and was helping me with Anna until Adam made it home. Adam is my hero! I am so thankful for him. He kept calling me all day to see how was doing and I kept telling him I was fine. I told him I'd call him if I passed out. But then when I started feeling like I was going to I realized that it was probably a better idea to call him before I passed out! I am so glad he came home. He was a lifesaver. He took care of the kids, me, cleaned the house, and kept everyone happy. He was super busy at work too so I felt bad for calling him to come home, but he said he was happy to help me because I am more important than his work! I love you Adam! While he was on his way home I called my midwife and she gave me some good tips. I put a pinch of nutmeg under my tongue to help my uterus contract so it would pass everything. I was amazed at how quickly and well it worked. Caution, don't use more than a 1/4 tsp or it will drop your blood pressure and cause lots of problems. I am thankful to my midwives who helped me out. I am also glad I didn't have to go to the hospital and have a D&C. Those are not fun and last time I had one I had an allergic reaction to the general anesthesia and I felt like it took me about two months to get back to normal. I was losing so much blood that I was afraid I might have to go and get one. Thankfully my bleeding started to slow down and so I didn't have to go. I am hoping I have passed everything. Time will tell, but I am feeling so much better today. I still feel a little weak and get lightheaded if I am up for too long, but compared to yesterday I feel awesome! Ammon asked me this morning, "Mommy why aren't you crawling anymore? Are you all better?" He is so sweet. Yes, I did crawl a lot yesterday because I could get around that way without feeling like I was going to pass out and no I am not crawling around today! I am sad I lost the baby, but thankfully neither Adam or I have felt like it was real. Both times I have miscarried I have felt like it wasn't right. I am thankful for those feelings because they help ease the emotional pain that comes with a miscarriage. I honestly am doing fine. I got a little sad today because I looked up the size of an 11 1/2 week fetus and was surprised at how much like a baby it already looks. I need to not waste my time thinking about it because it doesn't help. I am just so thankful for my three beautiful healthy children. They are such a joy and bring me so much happiness. I hugged and kissed them a little tighter yesterday and today. Things like this always make me realize how lucky and blessed I already am. I have everything I could ever ask for. Like the song on my blog by Sarah Maclachlan, Ordinary Miracle, "Life is like a gift they say wrapped up for you everyday...It seems so exceptional that things just work out after all, it's just another ordinary miracle today..." I hope I can get pregnant again, but not until I get back to normal. I have a few gaols, to get in better shape and eat healthier too. I know the better I take care of myself the easier my pregnancy will be and the healthier I eat, I think it decreases my chances for a future miscarriage. Hopefully next time everything will work out and I will be able to make a post with good news about a baby, but for now, all is well and I am happy. Oh, everything came out of my friend's carpet and she brought me dinner too! Thanks Kim!

Mr. Peabody's Apples

How do you get the image of the book on your blog? You'll have to click on the box to see the cover, sorry I am not computer savvy!

The kids and I just read a great book that I wanted to share. Surprisingly it was by Madonna. I was pleased that she wrote a book that actually taught something good. Maybe I am passing judgement on her as she tells us not to in her book? Anyway, this book was awesome and the art work was fantastic! The kids loved the story and the pictures and I loved the message it taught. It tells about Mr. Peabody, who is a teacher and a baseball coach in a small town. Every Saturday after his game he stops at the market and picks a red apple from the stands outside and goes on his way. Well, one day a boy sees him and tells others and they watch the next week and soon all of the town thinks he is a thief and then none of the boys show up for his game on Saturday. He finds out and works it out with the boy. He always pays for his apple on Saturday mornings when he picks up his milk. He teaches the little boy that it would be impossible to undo the damage he caused by what he told the townspeople, just like gathering all the feathers from a torn feather pillow on a windy day. So, be careful of what you say and think of others because you never know their circumstances. I thought it was great advice, thanks Madonna!

Ten Rules of Happiness

1. Develop yourself by self-discipline.
2. Joy comes through creation, sorrow through destruction.
3. Do things which are hard to do.
4. Entertain uplifting thoughts.
5. Do your best this hour, and you will do better the next.
6. Be true to those who trust you.
7. Pray for wisdom, courage, and a kind heart.
8. Give heed to God’s messages.
9. True friends enrich life; if you would have friends, be one.
10. Faith is the foundation of all things, including happiness.
David O. McKay

Canning!

Last week I was super busy trying to can two boxes of delicious Bartlett pears. It was a lot of work, but I really enjoyed it. There is some sense of satisfaction for me in knowing that I did it. I don't have a lot of experience canning, and this was my first time doing pears, but I am happy with my results. Angie I wish you were here and we could have had a blast together. Grandma, I know these don't look as pretty as yours, but I hope they are just as tasty! Thanks for your tips!I ended up making 34 quarts of pears and 12 pints of delicious pear syrup! I got the recipe online at http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recipeListing/filter/dianas/recipeID/407/Recipe.cfm

For my canned pears I tried using honey instead of sugar for some of them. I haven't tasted them yet, but I hope they will be good. I am sure I will like them because I love honey. I made peach jam a month ago and used apple juice and honey instead of sugar and it turned out wonderfully! Honey is healthier than sugar, and usually replaces it quite well in most recipes(even in zucchini bread)! Thanks Becky for getting me into honey!

Anyway, now that is finished I can get back to my normal routine. I spent 13 or 14 hours last week canning! I am glad it is over, but I honestly had fun doing it! I love fall and I love to be in the kitchen cooking! If you have any good recipes, please send them my way. I am going to start posting some of the new ones I try that I like. Happy Cooking!

Our New Truck!

The kids fixed to the DVD player watching "The Prince of Egypt," on our way up to Mt. Charleston for a fun Sunday drive. Having a little snack and play time in the back of the truck in the mountains. This is now the kids favorite place to play when dad is home. "Mom, can we please go play in the back of dad's truck?!" They are so cute!

OK Adam has always said, "If we had a truck then we could do this, or go there..." meaning, go anywhere we want or do anything we want outdoors. Our van kind of limits our off road experience and towing abilities. So, his dream finally came true. He casually looks once in awhile, so Saturday we decided to just stop at the Toyota dealership and see what they had. We really had no intentions of buying, you know, window shopping... Well, the Toyotas are super nice and were our top pick, but they are a little pricey. They had this 2005 Ford F-150 and it is really nice, lots of extras and they ended up giving us a great deal. We were at the dealership for 5 hours before we decided for sure if we were going to get it, I think that is part of the reason they kept moving the price down for us. Hey, it pays to be unsure! (sometimes). We are glad we bought it. It is really nice, leather, and a DVD system which is of course the kids favorite accessory. We were a little sad to see them drive our Camry away, it is funny how you get attached to your cars, but don't realize it until it is gone. We are certainly very happy with our new truck though, especially Adam. He comes home everyday and says, "I love my truck!" He promised me that the next time we get a new car, it will be mine! Yeah! I do love my van though and am very happy with it. Ammon and Lily always want to ride in the truck when we go anywhere as a family. Can you guess why? Yep, the DVD player. Ammon said yesterday, "Mom, I think it is better for us to drive in the truck because then we don't make a peep and then we don't bother you while you drive." Yes, it is true, but no, we still take the van when we are without daddy. Ammon is a good little persuader. You should listen to him try to get Lily to do what he wants. It is pretty hilarious. He is only six and he already can do that?! OK, so we have a truck, we love it, and we are so happy about it. I hope we have many happy memories to come with it, camping, boating, all the fun stuff...!

Alleluia

Lily just asked me if daddy and I sang allelujiah when she was born. How sweet is that?! I told her we didn't sing those words but that we were so happy and we hugged and kissed her and cried becasue we were so happy. We should sing alleluia everyday because of her though.

Fantastic Buffalos

This morning Lily said, "Mom, Ammon said I am a Webelos." I said, "Well, are you 10? Are you a boy? Are you a scout?" Lily, "No." Me, "Then you are not a Webelos." (Adam is the Webelos leader in the cub scout pack and he took the kids to the pack meeting lastnight.) I told her she could be something. Ammon suggeseted,"How about a buffalo?" Why not?! He is so funny. I asked him what he wanted it to mean. I explained what the scouts are supposed to represent or stand for. He said, "That you are a good person and do good things like the scouts." I thought it was a great idea. So now we are the Buffalos! Look out!

Today while I was putting Anna down for her nap, Lily was in her room playing with her stuffed animals. She sang her self a song for 5 minutes. She made up her own tunes and kept reapeating, "I look fantastic! I look fantastic! I look fantastic! How do I look?..." She is hilarious. When I asked her about it she acted all shy and embarrassed, too cute! You can't tell that we tell her all the time that she is a cutie can you? We are working on good self-esteem.

Princess Quiz

I saw this on another friends blog, thanks Emily F. If you take this quiz, leave a comment and let me know which princess you are. Just curious. Have fun!

You Are Snow White!

Pure and trusting. You are a gentle soul who can get along with just about anyone. Everyone you meet instantly falls in love with you. How can they resist? You have a pure, lovable nature that's irresistable. Just don't trust everyone who comes across your path.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Camping at Lake Mead

Ammon has been begging us to go camping all summer but we kept telling him it was too hot to go. Well, he is all of a sudden way into fishing and really wanted to go. We told him we'd go fishing and camping for Labor Day weekend. We left Friday afternoon and drove out to Stewart's Point, our favorite place to go at Lake Mead. It is quite a ways away, but it is a decent beach and is not crowded. We found a nice little bay to set up our camp. It was soooooo hot! We couldn't wait to get in the water, but we had to set up the tent and build a fire to cook dinner on first. We had hot dogs and yummy fruit salad. Anna loved it. We set up our new tent, yeah! We have all been trying to squish into our old two-man tent for too long. So we upgraded to a six-person! Wow, it felt so huge. I also bought an air mattress, I haven't loved sleeping on the hard ground. Well, by the time we took care of all the necessities it was dark! We decided to still swim. Well, we went to walk out into the water and sank into the mud mid-thigh high, seriously! It made for a pretty hilarious event while holding the baby and it being dark and all. I opted to just stay out after that. Lily, Anna, and I just played on the beach out of the crazy sinking mud. Adam and Ammon walked to the edge of the bay and got in where it was rocky so they wouldn't sink. It was pretty fun, but I was honestly at little scared at the idea of Ammon being out in the water in the pitch black! Adam was right with him though. There is a certain peace that comes from being able to see someone. I feel like I loose an element of control and security when I can't see. Anyway, all went well, and they had a good time swimming.
Anna had thrown all her leftover food onto the floor so there were a crazy amount of bugs and spiders by the cooler where she ate. It was pretty gross. Also, I almost stepped into a black widow's web, with the black widow in the middle of it! Creepy! I like camping, but I hate when it is dark, unless I am in my tent safe and sound, well at least I feel like I am safer. We drenched ourselves in bug spray and sprayed all around the door of the tent too. There were so many bugs and spiders and we did not want them in our tent! So we were all dry and ready for bed. It was so hot I could not sleep and Anna couldn't go to sleep because she wasn't in her crib. She just wanted to play, but she was exhausted. She kept climbing all over the place and she was laughing and then crying, poor thing. She finally feel asleep at the bottom of the tent. So, everyone was asleep but me. I really thought I was going to go crazy because I was so hot. I know I keep saying that, but I don't know if you realize how crazy hot it was! I finally got out of the tent and took a small blanket and some rags down to the lake to get them wet. I was afraid of sinking into the mud again so I got as far as I could and then waited for the waves to wash up far enough that I could dip my rags. It worked, but they were full of sand. I didn't care though. A little sand was better than not having something wet to put on me. I put a rag on each of the kids because they were so sweaty, and then I used the small blanket for me. I was finally able to fall asleep. It is amazing how much a little water helps to cool you down. Poor Anna woke up sometime in the middle of the night and played and cried again. It was a long night! We woke up the to the wind blowing quite hard. We probably got up at 5:45. The sun wasn't up yet, but it was pretty light. It was super windy. You would have thought you were at the ocean with the size of the waves. It was insane! Ammon wanted to go fishing again, so we walked out to the point of the bay. It was even windier there. It was too windy to catch any fish. We had fun trying though. It was great to watch the sun come up and enjoy the beautiful morning. We were the only people around. I loved it.
We packed everything up and then walked over to our favorite point. It is rocky, but makes an awesome beach for swimming and playing. We swam, fished, played, ate lunch and had a blast! Other people started coming out and a few boats eventually came too. The wind had died down and wasn't as crazy as earlier in the morning. It was still windy and the kids had fun with the waves, but it wasn't out of control. We had a great time. Lake Mead is beautiful and camping is so much fun! I would suggest though that if you are going to camp at Lake Mead when the temperatures are over 100 that you only do so if you have air conditioning! Stay in the mountains in the summer if you will use a tent!

Lake Tahoe

You can see the house in the background. The windows of the house are to the left of Adam.

The lake is behind us, but the picture didn't turn out well. This was taken on the balcony off the kitchen. The one below was taken in the backyard and turned out much better.

These stairs led up to the house. And this was the little bay for the boat and our own private beach. There was fools gold in the sand so it shimmered in the sun, so pretty!
This is called Cave Rock. The house is not too far to the left of it. Isn't it gorgeous!
Oh, we got to ride in a limo back to the airport on Saturday night. So much fun!

Adam and I went to Lake Tahoe over the weekend for his annual work summer party. It was so much fun! We have not been away from our kids for over five years! I can't believe it has been that long. We decided we need to get away like that at least once if not twice a year. We stayed in a beautiful home that backed up to the lake. It was amazing. We went boating, wake boarding, wake skating, swimming, kayaking, running, and ate the most awesome food! We seriously had a blast. The lake is absolutely amazing. I have never seen such blue water in my life. It was almost magical.

Saturday morning we went out on the boat and Adam got up to slalom. He crashed really hard and ruptured his left eardrum. It was a little scary because after it all happened he got back up and skied some more and then got in the boat. He told me he couldn't remember skiing or anything after we got out on the lake. His crash must have knocked him out but he was still conscious. At the time he didn't remember his crash or that his foot came out of the front boot, that he got back in the boat to put it back on, or that he got back up to ski. Crazy! Then he asked me not to say anything to anyone because he didn't want them to freak out, but he started saying things to them and then later he reminded me not to say anything, and I told him he had already been telling people... Thankfully he is OK. His ear is healing. He says he feel like he has a cotton ball stuck inside his ear. He ruptured his eardrum water skiing when he was a teenager, so he knew what it was when it happened. Poor guy. I felt so bad and was worried.

The trail we ran on led us up to a summit where you could over look the lake. It was gorgeous. I love running in the mountains. We went on our run with one of Adam's co-workers from the Reno office and her boyfriend. It is always fun to run with other people.

It was so nice to have a weekend where Adam and I could just talk and relax and not have to worry about taking care of the kids. Although, everything we did or saw we kept saying, "The kids would love this..." We thought about them tons, but they had a blast with Grandma Margie. Anna even did really well. It is only the second time we have left her, and the first time was for two hours and she cried nearly the whole time. I was so glad the kids were happy every time I called because it let me relax and I was able to enjoy myself. I love my husband so much! He is the most amazing man and I feel so lucky to have him. I was so glad to have him all to myself for those two days. It was great. I hope we can go again next year. We did tell the kids we'd take them next time though. The place we stayed at is for sale, it's only listed for 7 million if anyone is interested. Ha ha! I hope it doesn't sale so we can stay there next year too.

Ammon Lost Another Tooth

Ammon lost his second tooth last week! He really lost it. Earlier that day at the park he had shown Emily how loose it was then when we came home for lunch he realized it was gone. He was eating a banana and then went to talk to Lily and when he put his finger in his mouth to wiggle his tooth, it was gone! We looked for it but never found it. Maybe he swallowed it? He was worried that the tooth fairy wasn't going to come, so he wrote her a note that said, "I lost my tooth. Ammon." Thank goodness she still came. He was pretty excited although he isn't really certain the tooth fairy exists. He asked me if I was the tooth fairy and I told him I'd let him decide what he thought about it. We rented a book from the library recently about the tooth fairy. It was a cute story, I'd recommend it if your kids are questioning the tooth fairy's existence, but not if they do believe because then they will start to question it. It is called, "Dad, Are You The Tooth Fairy?" by Jason Alexander, Ron Spears Maybe read it on your own first and decide what you think. I really enjoyed and the illustrations are beautiful.