The American River

What better way to spend the day then dangling your feet in the cool water, skipping rocks, and picking wild blackberries?

We had such a great time we went back for more the very next day!

Back in high school I jumped off the Folsom Rainbow Bridge to the sound of police sirens in the background. Come on, you know some of you jumped too!

Right?

Owen couldn't get over all the rocks.

It was a wonderful "stay-cation".

One that we'll definitely do again!

Birthday Sunday: Owen

Because there are so many grandchildren on the Elmer side of the family, we celebrate birthdays on the 3rd Sunday of every month.

For now, Owen is the only birthday in June, and we celebrated with a homemade ice cream cake!

As soon as we start singing, the cousins swarm!

Everyone is anxious to offer their candle-blowing services!

This year, Grandma Clista bought Owen this water spouting ball! Since it was a sweltering evening, Samuel promptly blew it up, hooked it up to the hose, and soaked the kids.

Sundays and The Slug

Sunday is the day of rest.

And in our house, it's also when the slugs comes to life!

Iris is our Slug!
Her method of play-fighting and tickling is unique. She just sort of drapes her body over her victims and renders them immobile as they giggle and giggle under the weight of her body.

She comes by it honestly though.
The King of Slugs is, after all, none other than her father, Samuel.

They are a force to be reckoned with, but with some teamwork it's possible to bring them down.

Okay, never mind.
No one can dominate these two!

But it sure is fun to try!

Stay Awake!

Samuel and I have always had success in coaxing our new babies onto regular sleeping schedules by encouraging them to stay up until 11:00 PM or so.

I'm not saying it always works, because as you can see, sometimes they don't like to cooperate!

In the end, Gabriel was just down-right annoyed with his persistent parents, and we let the poor guy snooze for a bit.

It's okay, 3 AM feedings only last for a time. And I know once their gone, I'll miss them.

Maybe!

Gabriel's First...

BATH!

He was startled at first, but then settled down.

What must he be thinking with all these new experiences happening right and left?

Oh to be so small, so new.

The Scriptures Come Alive

A few weeks ago, Samuel was in charge of Family Home Evening. He surprised us all by coming into the family room dressed as Laban.

The kids loved the opportunity to role play...

...and had a blast dressing up!

This F.H.E. activity gave our family an opportunity to experience the scriptures in a whole new way.

I am so grateful for Family Home Evening, the Scriptures, and the opportunity we have to learn more about our Savior, Jesus Christ. Monday's can be chaotic, but our home never fails to fill with the spirit when we pause to come together as a family to learn the gospel.

Lovin' that Baby!

Life as Gabriel knows it is pretty much hugs and kisses!

Not a bad life!

Post-Twilight...Percy Jackson & The Olympians!

We're hooked and had to share!

After "Twilight" I was in desperate need of a new series. Oddly enough, the recommendation for this book series came from Stephanie Meyer's herself!

THE PREMISE
What if the gods of Olympus were alive in the 21^st Century?

What if they still fell in love with mortals and had children who might become great heroes — like Theseus, Jason and Hercules?

What if you were one of those children?

Such is the discovery that launches twelve-year-old Percy Jackson on the most dangerous quest of his life. With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction – Zeus’ master bolt. Along the way, he must face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him. Most of all, he must come to terms with a father he has never known, and an Oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend.

These books are extremely well-written, fast-paced, and funny! They have won numerous book awards and rightly so! Sam and I love the action-packed story lines and also appreciate the opportunity to brush up on our Greek Mythology!

Check them out at the Roseville Public Libraries.

Happy Reading!

Pink Eye, The 4th of July, and Scarface

Our 4th of July was a little sad this year. In the morning I went to fetch Owen and noticed immediately that the poor boy had pink-eye. His sisters had it several weeks earlier so it was really no surprise that he got it too.

This put a nix on some holiday fun. Which of course let to an avalanche of tears from our girls. As a compromise, we agreed to visit the family for fireworks only, staying quarantined on our blanket for the night!

The kids did get to light some sparklers, and even Owen got in on the action. Unfortunately for him, he believed the sparkler was a super-size birthday candle and attempted to blow it out. Let's just say he's okay, but he does have a nice little scar on his chin to remind us of the occasion!

Happy 4th of July!

Corvettes, Dodge Vipers, & even a Lamborghini!

My sister recently stayed the night with us and we headed to the Fountains for some water fun. We had a horrible time finding a parking spot, but soon found out why:

An Auto Show!

When we passed the Lamborghini I could not help laughing at the grown men going ga-ga over it. One guy even asked someone to take his picture with it!

Are they really that big a deal?

The best part about walking around was hearing all the people whisper about how many children we had. They all thought my 12-year old sister was my daughter too!

Rats!
No water feature due to the disco dance lessons they were giving on the stage! The kids quickly got over their disappointment as we all became mesmerized by the music and dancing. It was really, really entertaining!

Some ladybug fun!

I thought our trip was pretty fun, but guess who slept through it all?

Here's to fun in the sun!