Okay, I'm weird...

But I thought the slug was super cool so I have video of it too. They can acutally move pretty fast and stretch out even more as they are going and their antenae come out.

Utah Adventures

I've made it back to Colorado and tomorrow I fly to Minnesota to visit my grandma.

I promised pictures of our family picnic on Saturday (the day Anna and Bryce got engaged). There is a picnic area up Spanish Fork Canyon, down Diamond Fork where there are a lot of red rocks similar to the ones Josh and I saw in Southern Utah last year on our trip to Escalante. They are very stunning and the boys had a grand time climbing around. Sam has no fear, he was very confident climbing all over the rocks, taking no thought of possibly falling.

Group shot on a ledge

Anna and Bryce

We found a catepillar on the sandy ground. The boys were facinated with it.

After it got dark we started a fire and made smores. Mat and his friend Cassie made a massive smore with four or five layers of grahm crackers.

It was a great family outing. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to have Josh there with us.

Yesterday my boys had great fun playing around in my parents yard. They enjoy jumping in the trampoline and playing in the tree house. My mom was going through the house trying to find stuff that the boys would like in the tree house. She ended up taking out a table and chairs and some snacks for the boys. They loved it. I went out and got some pictures and while I was down there I made sure to get some pictures of the MASSIVE slugs living under a cardboard box at the foot of the tree. We are talking MASSIVE! I've seen pictures of banana slugs and sea slugs and those are very big, but I have never seen just an average slug the size of Sam's shoe. I was amazed. Odd things hang out in the woods around my parents house.

Update

Well, I am currently in Utah and Josh flew to Maryland this morning. Tomorrow is his big interview with Northrop Grumman. I'm still having really mixed feelings about it but there's not much that can be done about it currently except pray.

The boys and I have been having a good time at Grammie and Papa's house though none of us have been getting the ideal number of sleep hours which makes for a grumpy house come afternoon. This past weekend was momentous. My sister Anna got engaged to a great guy named Bryce from Arizona and my brother Mat was ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood. It just amazes me that they are old enough to be doing such things. Part of me still sees them as they were 6 years ago when I got married and moved to Colorado.

I have cute pictures to share but it is late and I am beat. Tomorrow is another day...

On the Edge

July is looking to be a busy month for us. The boys and I will be traveling most of the month and Josh will be frantically working to prepare for an interview in Baltimore and applying for a postdoc grant.

I am really excited for our trips though worried about not being here to support Josh in such a stressful time. The boys and I are flying to Utah where I will stay for a week and then leave the boys and fly back to Colorado. After a day with Josh I will be flying to Minnesota to visit my Grandma and my Aunt and her family. I'm super excited to see them and happy that I will finally be able to make it out there; I've been wanting to for awhile. I haven't been to my grandma's in over 10 years! I will then be flying back to Colorado and Josh and I will drive to Utah for the 24th and bring the boys home with us.

Meanwhile Josh will be flying to Baltimore sometime while I am gone to interview with Northrop Grumman for a REAL job. It's exciting and very scary at the same time. It makes me sick to think of moving so far away. If anyone has experience with living in the Baltimore area (Southwest side) I would love to pick your brain! He is also applying for a grant for a postdoc position available here in Colorado at the lab he is currently working in but with a different group. Graduation is finally in sight, Josh will be walking in December, and it is looking like after that we will either end up in Maryland or stay here (ironically the same choices he had for gradschool). STRESSFUL! Pray for Josh and for us as we decide were it is we should go.

My Brave Knight

We rented the movie The Tale of Despereaux (a very cute movie) last week and since then I have had a little night around the house fighting off the bad guys. His armor consists of a bike helmet, a container lid, and a plastic sword. He's even complete with fighting noises.

Elijah has also been making castles out of blocks, which is a hard thing to do with distructo Sam in the house. He managed to keep one together for awhile and we made sure to get a picture of it before Sam buldozed it over. The castle included bedrooms, a kitchen, and towers. Elijah put a lot of thought into it and was very proud to take a picture of it.

Uncle Cuyler Will Be Proud

Elijah and Sam are playing with Playdough right now while I've been doing the dishes and such and I happened to hear this...

Sam had made some worm looking blob that he was very proud of and Elijah noticed it and commented "That's AWESOME!" Then he added, "Do you know what awesome means, Sam? It means really cool."



(Uncle Cuyler will be proud because "Awesome" is a word he uses often in his vocabulary. When he was out here for Easter he taught it to the boys. Elijah didn't like the word at first, but apparently he understands how to use it now.)

Our Garden: Update

It's been raining here every day and/or night for the last few weeks. I've been soaking in the cooler weather and the moisture has been nice to have. Yesterday we were rewarded with a large, bright rainbow visible off our balcony. Elijah was super excited (he is still very much into rainbows) and got to take a picture of it. The rainbow was so bright it had a second one above it and repeated itself a bit on the inside. An awesome sight.

While outside I decided to take some pictures of our garden too. Things are thriving in though we haven't produced anything yet. Our peas are taking over the world. There are little vines everywhere trying to latch onto something and not much more room for them to go. I'm hoping it starts producing soon. We also have a lot of buds on our cucumber plants. I thought everything (except the peas) might be a bit bigger by now but I haven't killed anything yet. So far so good.

6th Anniversary

This past week Josh and I celebrated our 6th anniversary. I am amazed how the time has flown and how I love that man more than ever. He is my best, truest friend. I absolutely love spending everyday with him and look forword to countless more.


Josh took the day off for our anniversary. We haven't spent an entire day together for months what with work schedules and church callings. It was nice to have a lazy day together as a family. We took the boys to the builders exhibit at the local museum. Josh hadn't been there yet and we enjoyed playing with the boys at the exhibit. At one point they had a ball throwing war going on amid the massive blocks. The boys were in heaven (Josh included). I absolutely love my little family. They are the happiest thing in my life. I'm grateful I get to spend every day with them (I actually missed them while I was at the Expo all day, a little :)) I even enjoyed going out to dinner with all of my boys. It was a great way to celebrate our anniversary.











Josh got me flowers for my anniversary. The next morning Elijah runs into my room and exclaimed "Mom, you have flowers!" He was super excited about them. Later he sat down and drew a picture of them and brought it to me explaining "That when your flowers die you will still have the picture, Mom." Melt my heart! He had sat and studied the flowers and drew every one of them very carefully. It's prettier than the real ones. I really am a lucky girl.

Flying Robots

Elijah had yet another idea to "recycle" packaging into a robot costume. Elijah drew the design on paper and I got in on the action this time and together we created robot costumes for Sam and Elijah. We used empty soymilk boxes, alluminum foil, and packing tape. They both look pretty cute together. They've been zooming around the house for a copule of days now. The wings are made of plastic/foamish padding that is bendable which is a good thing cause otherwise they couldn't make it through doorways. Last night they were flying around showing off their costumes to Grammie and Papa on the webcam. It was pretty hilarious. We'll have to get Grandma and Grandpa back on and show them too.

Later Elijah wanted to sit out on the front landing and he dragged some chairs, a box, and art supplies out with him. He was out there for a good while, coming in and out as he wanted. I peeked in on him and found him sitting out there in his robot costume, coloring away with his bunny. What a silly!

Family History Library: Summer of Sleuthing

I am still very much on a family history high. It was a great weekend and I am very engergized.

Last week I came across mention of the Family History Library's summer program for youth and families. I looked and looked for more information on Familysearch but was unable to find anything. Then while at the Expo one of the speakers mentioned the program and gave reference to it being on Familysearch Wiki. I looked it up today and I'm EXCITED to share it.

Family History Library SUMMER of SLEUTHING - SOS!

• Are you looking for a fun activity to keep your children occupied this summer?
• Would you like to learn more about your family?
• Do you need a kick start to organize your family records?

The program includes a series of family history related challenges and activites that will help you learn more about yourself and your ancestors.

It is divided into age levels: preschool children, children, teenagers, and adults. There is also a series focused for LDS families that includes activites to complete activity day, young women, and young men requirements.

There is also a link to a website for children: Family Tree Kids which has many games and activites for kids focused on family history.

I am very excited to do this with Elijah and Sam. I'm all for starting 'em young.

Expo Highlights

Well, the Family History Expo is over. I had a great time and have posted my highlights on my Family History Blog. I would highly recommend an expo or conference to anyone remotely interested in Family History. They are a great way to energize you and get you involved in genealogy.