Playing!

Well, I'm back from my "5 days in paradise"...(I'll post pictures of that later). Mark deserves the "Dad of the Year" award and spoiled them all rotten while I was gone. All that Garrett and Em wanted to do this morning was play with mom. I made some play dough and this is one of our creations:

Funny little men...

My little partners!

Jordan came to Mark and I last week and asked if we would buy him a lizard. Mark wasn’t thrilled, but eventually I persuaded him (they’re only going to be little once! J). Monday night for family night we ventured to the local Petsmart. Jordan and Nick pooled their money and donated $85 dollars to the cause. We donated to the rest of the cause. Needless to say – we had no idea what we were getting into. . .

Spike is now an official member of our family. He is sooo cute! He is living the lizard life of luxury – He get’s fed collard greens and mustard greens in the morning, get’s misted at noon and receives little ALIVE baby crickets dusted with vitamins each evening. His cage is at a constant warm temperature during the day and cool at night! WHO KNEW!!!

It has been an experience, but we are all enjoying him so much! Mark is the funniest because he worries about him as much as the rest of us!

Spike sleeping...what a life!

Setting up his terrarium. – oh the things we do to make our children happy! :) I really do love Spike!

I'm Failing....

Well, I had a conversation with Garrett in the car today and I've decided that I'm completely failing...We got the new Friend in the mail and he was looking at it as we were going to pick up the kids from school. There is a picture of the temple on the front cover. Our conversation went something like this:

Garrett: Hey mom...I think this temple is the one at Grandma's house.

Jill: Why Garrett?

Garrett: Well, It has that "golden guy" on the top.

Jill: You mean the Angel Moroni?

Garrett: Ya mom...What is that thing in his hand?

Jill: It's a trumpet Garrett.

Garrett: Ahh..So he played that during the War?

Jill: What war?

Garrett: The war when Jesus died.

Well...we talked about the "war when Jesus died" - (I have no clue where that one came from) and on and on from there...nice isn't it?

Then came the second realization of failure...Some background..I believe that our conversation started with all of the talk of the trumpet. Our Bishop plays the trumpet and is extremely talented! Here are the two sentences that made me sink a little lower in my seat:

Garrett: Mom, you know that "Missionary Guy" who has candy in is office?

Jill: Um Garrett..you mean the Bishop?

Garrett: Ya Mom...He plays the trumpet good doesn't he?

That's it in a nutshell! I'm not doing so hot! I think I'll move to Australia!

Emily Funny...

I was putting Em down for a nap when all of the sudden she said, "Mom, my bum burped!" Well...you know what happened! I got a good giggle!

Random Pictures... I just love this picture of Emily. Love matching pink bows in their hair.

Emily loving on Nicholas.

So the other day I asked Jordan and Nicholas to do the breakfast dishes. Sadly for me, I'm fairly controlling over my dishwasher and don't often have the boys do the dishes - they always empty the dishwasher and clear the table - but I get the privilege of loading and washing up! I know...it's a little problem of mine. Anyways, it's very obvious in this picture! Love the gloves, garbage bag apron and don't forget to check out the dishwasher. Notice the pitcher on the top shelve! :). Needless to say I had to teach the boys how to properly reload!

Okay...I'm so far behind on my blog...uggg! It's been quite the month! Over the next few day, I'm going to post - post - post until I'm caught up! It's amazing how a little bit of sickness can put me behind! Thank goodness all is well now and we are back to normal here at this crazy house :).

Mark and the boys got home Sunday night from their "Boys Weekend". It was quite disconcerting to hear Garrett tell me all week long how excited he was to go to "Vegas!"

Three years ago, I gave mark a "Nascar Experience" for his birthday and he was finally able to experience it this weekend! He took the three boys with him and they left Friday night and stayed in a hotel by the Las Vegas Speedway. Early the next morning they went to the Speedway and began. Mark said it was the time of his life...I told him that it was too bad the scouts weren't watching! :) He got to race 8 laps around the track and went up to 132 mph! The boys had an awesome time watching their dad. Grandma and Grandpa Woolley met them there from St. George and hung out with the kids while Mark raced. Afterwards they went back to St. George and spent the afternoon swimming in the pool. They slowly made their way home on Sunday. Apparently, they had the greatest spitball fight in the world at Pizza Hut in Flagstaff and it even spread out into the parking lot afterwards. The cars were great cover! It sounded like they had way too much fun! I'm so grateful for Mark - that there is nothing better to him then spending time with his kids! Love him!!

Get Ready...

Get Set...

Go!!!!

And going 132 mph!!!

I love the fact that it's so easy to get out of these things!!!

Is it really over???

They staff at the raceway was so kind to the boys. The loaded them up on this van and took them on a ride on the racetrack. The boys LOVED it!

I love these pictures of Mark and the boys! They're such buds!

Best Friends! I love the fact that they all have their Dale Jr. shirts on!

Cool Engine!

One of the highlights for the boys was sitting in the number 2 car!

Life is good!

Lake Powell

We just got back from our annual trip to Lake Powell. Mark and I have decided that there is no other place we'd rather be. We love going on vacations with our little family, but for us - our Lake Powell trip is pure relaxation! There are absolutely no distractions. There are no televisions, no cell phones, no radios - no unfamiliar people walking through our little village! It's pure and simple time spent playing with our kids with nothing in the way! A little piece of heaven on earth.

Here are some of my random thoughts from Lake Powell 2007:

*Going without a shower for 4 days really isn't that bad! Lake baths are quite refreshing!

*Catching fish all day long in the lake is truly an art-form....just ask Nick! He can tell you that the fish DO NOT like red licorice as bait...bread works much better.

*Jordan, GT and I were on a wild tube ride one morning and he fell off and wouldn't let go of the tube as he was holding on with one hand and I was yelling in his face to let goooooo!!! Mark stopped and he climbed back on with the one hand that he was still clinging to the tube with and he proceeded to tell me how "AWESOME" it was...i thought he was going to break his arm...crazy boy!

*Never get a pedicure BEFORE Lake Powell...save your pennies and do it afterward! The sand does a number to those pretty nails! :) opps

*Garrett's favorite phrase was "NAIL IT DAD!" That little 4 year old was brave enough to hang with the big kids! He was flipped off the tube as much as anyone!

*Jordan discovered the fun of double knee boarding! Two kids would knee board at the same time and try to see who could push the other off first!

*I've never seen such a beautiful sky at night! The heavens are amazing!

*Beware of rattle snakes at night...especially on the trail to the bathroom...Nick has the rattler to prove it!

*Emily amazed everyone with her lack of fear when it comes to the water. She was never our of our sight!

*Jessica is my little 6 year old who is all grown up! Here only girl cousins that were at the lake this year were 10, 13 and 14. They were so good to her and let her be their little friend for the week! She showed off her great swimming skills and was never-ever out of the water!

*Mark and I have decided that it's amazing that while at the Lake, you eat food that you'd never make at home, but for some reason - a the Lake it always tastes soooo good!

*I can never get over the fact that Mark and the boys brush their teeth with the lake water! It must be a guy thing...do they realize how many people use the water as their personal bade?

*It never ceases to amazing me how much joy I get from watching my family be happy!