Russ- you won!!

Russ's station won a huge award (an Edward R. Murrow award for Best Continuing Coverage,) thanks in large part to, well... RUSS!  Congratulations Russ!  I'm so happy for you!!  (and for me since I get to go to New York for the award, too!!!)

Tired dog

My grandma sent me this and it made me giggle.  I definitely feel this way sometimes...

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard; I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of.

He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep.

An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour.  This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious, I pinned a note to his collar: "I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap."

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar: "He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3- he's trying to catch up on his sleep.  Can I come with him tomorrow?"

Utah Trip #1

We decided on a whim to go to Utah.  We spent 2 days in the car, and only 3 days actually in Utah.  We squeezed a lot in those few days, though.  Here are some of the reasons it was worth it.

Hanging out at my grandma's house,

favorite shopping destinations- Robert's and Gardner Village,

a bbq under a shady tree with fresh corn from a stand,

mint-chocolate Creamies,

a trip to the alma mater,

and a little extra protein from the drive.

I have more to post after I get my hands on Russ's camera!

you asked...

A frenulectomy-- the dentist cut a membrane that went from the middle of her upper lip and between her two front teeth.  I guess we are all born with this, but usually it breaks between the two front teeth when we are babies.  Since Makenna's didn't break, she's had a huge gap (she thinks she lost a tooth there,) and the membrane would have always acted like a little inner tube between her teeth (even if she had braces) causing her teeth to always shift a little.

I watched Makenna's little surgery through an office window.  I winced through the whole thing.  It looked like the dentist was just going in and jabbing and hacking at her mouth with a pair of nails scissors.  I'm so glad she's healed so well!  Maybe her adult teeth will come in a little closer together!

Makenna had to go to the Dr. again today.  All week, she's had to tinkle about EVERY 10 SECONDS!  He diagnosed her with Pollakiuria.  Anyone heard of that one?!?  Me neither.

Tomorrow we go to the Dr. for Camden.  He has a heart murmur and we're headed to the pediatric cardiologist.  I'm hoping for the best.  It's been a wild summer.

We just got back from a family vacation this last weekend.  And yesterday we decided to leave for Utah tomorrow.  It's the best place to be for the 4th!  So I'll have more to post when we get back!

Poor Makenna

My poor little Makenna! 

Last week, she had a Frenulectomy done.  She was so good and confident.  She did great.  She had to be sedated, and that worked out great.  She said she was nervous, but she acted like it was no big deal.

Then yesterday, Makenna split her chin open coming down on the side of the pool.  This wasnt't the same exerience as the dentist office.  This time, she screamed and cried- loud.  I would have too.  It was really sad.  She cried for like a half hour straight.  And then when she got her shots (like 7 or 8 of them!) she belted out the screaming.  It was so sad!  Today, she's doing great, only a little sad that she's not suppose to swim. 

Pioneer Trek

Isn't this just a lovely picture??

Since you probably can't tell, I'm the one in the red.  The other 3 (Cheryl, Julie, and Carol Ann) are the other members of the stake YW presidency.

Our stake pioneer trek was 4 days in these dirt-filled plains.  I had a great time with these girls, and we loved watching all the youth.  It was fun to watch the youth work so hard, and then feel so proud of their accomplishments.  I seriously didn't hear a complaint until the last day when it took longer to get home than originally planned.  And, of course, they were just dying for a shower.  I know I was dying for a shower- and it took a long one to get all the dirt out of my nails!

I do have a stronger appreciation for the pioneers and their incredible faith now.  And I have a stronger appreciation for everyone that pulled a handcart and still smiled about it- which was everyone, I think.  I also have a new appreciation for bonnets (keeping all the wind out of my face) and aprons (my pockets held a ton and it was nice to always have something to wipe my hands on), and even my bloomers that I was really not excited about (we had to sit on the ground and you didn't have to worry about flashing anyone in your skirt!)  

I'm so glad to be home, though.  I really despise being dirty- and aside from my new appreciations, I love my comfy clothes and cute high heels!

The best part about coming home was my kids shoving each other to hug me.  The first thing said was Makenna anxiously asking if I got their letters.  They all wrote me a letter and then snuck it into my bag before I left.  Tyler's started with, "Have fun.  Stay alive." 

 The kids wanted to tell me everything they'd done while I was gone with LOTS of details.  After a little bit, though, Tyler stopped and said, "Well, tell us about the trek, mom."  I was so happy that they cared about what I was doing, too.

I took a lot of slack today at church from the men.  They couldn't believe that I'd left Russ with the kids (for 4 days) twice within a few weeks of each other.  Russ has just been a trooper about it, though.  He's never once complained.  And he loves having more time with his kids.  I love you Russ.

Rocks For Sale

Tyler loves to go through the rocks in our yard and find the ones that sparkle.  He always shows me the ones that have crystals, gold, or silver.  And then he tells me how much money he thinks they are worth.  

So today Tyler and his friend, Jacob, decided to sell today's findings.  They set up a little table and sign in the driveway, but decided to go door-to-door.  A while later, I got a call from a friend saying that Tyler came by trying to sell her a $100 rock and a $50 rock.  She told him she didn't have that much money, but she'd give him $1 for the small rock.  He decided that was a great deal, and came home thrilled to have a dollar.  In this picture, he's holding his dollar bill and his $100 rock.  He so thoughtfully let Jacob hold the "small" rocks.

Swim Lessons

Camden and Makenna have been taking lessons in our backyard.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a decent picture of Makenna- she swims all over the pool now, and jumps and dives all over.  She's so happy to be able to swim with the big kids now.

Camden just turned 2, and this picture is of him swimming to his teacher.  He can't go very far on his own, but he kicks, uses his arms, and can hold his breath as long as me.  He loves to jump into the pool and doesn't even care how deep he goes.  I think by the end of the summer, he'll be competing with Tyler!