Arizona in August

Adam, Mitch and Jacob using the pee bush. We do have toilets, they just don't like to use them. Fine by me, it keeps the pee off my bathroom floor and all around the toilet.
Right before we left I told the boys to go to the bathroom, this is where they go. They call it the pee bush. Lovely. It is interesting though that it has grown better than anything else I have planted in my yard.

This is so classic Sam. I love it!

Who wouldn't want to go to Arizona in August when the temperatures don't dip below 110? Honestly, it was such a great get away, and Saturday was even cool, for Arizona. We got some nice rain and the temp went below 100!! The kids didn't mind the heat because my sister has a pool and they spent most of their time swimming with the cousins. Natalie loved her floaties and we are pretty sure the girl thinks she can swim. Thanks for a great trip Jacobson family!

The Ranch, The Election and Utah

THE RANCH

The fishing gang. It's amazing how many hours these guys could spend at the lake!

Carter stuck by Dad for fishing, he learned he caught more when he stayed just with Dad!

There is no place like the ranch! It's a kids paradise filled with swimming, fishing, cliff jumping, shooting, snake/frog catching, canoeing, and playing with cousins all day and night. The parents have a pretty great time too talking late into the night, eating, sitting out at the pool and watching the kids have fun. These memories will last forever!

THE ELECTION

The Tuesday after returning to Utah from the ranch, my brother Michael had his Senate election. It was honestly one of the most fun nights of my entire life! During the day we went and held signs at 106th South. Jacob and Carter loved it, and got very excited and involved yelling at every car to vote for Mike Lee. Sam, however, did not have such a great time. I know the pictures are small, but if you look close you can see that Sam cried the entire time. He was hot, then he was hungry, then he was thirsty....it was rough for our Sam.
That night we went to the election party, luckily we were ahead the whole night, but just barely which made it so exciting and fun. We danced, screamed, cheered and celebrated with my brother. I am so proud of him, so happy for him, I know he will represent Utah well. He of course has to win in November, but Utah has not elected a democrat senator since 1970, so his chances are very good. I only wish my dad could have been there, I hope he was able to have a glimpse.
The next day my oldest brother, Tom, was put in as a justice in the Utah Supreme Court. It was once again a very proud day, and once again I wish my dad could have been there. I missed him so very much over these two days. He would be so proud of his sons, and they would have loved to have him there with them. I know he knows what they are doing, and he is happy for them!
We stayed nearly the whole night right by the big screens which published the election results!

Brett, Steve and Ryan tried to calculate stats all night and predict what would happen next

I was a looser with my camera this trip. I didn't take any pictures of our time in Utah. We had a wonderful time with our Wimmer side too. Grandpa took the kids out to the desert to look for rocks, which is always so fun for them. Eric and Laurie were fabulous hosts letting us take over their house and showing us such a great time. It's so nice to have cousins our kids love so much, and a brother and sister in law that we love so much! Natalie still wants to know where Mollie dog is and Jacob, Carter and Sam want their friends back!

It was a wonderful two weeks!

VOTE MIKE LEE FOR UNITED STATES SENATOR FOR UTAH

Ever since I was a little girl I remember my brother Michael talking about how he would one day run for the US Senate and make a difference in our world. As a child I enjoyed listening to all the things he wanted to do to make a better world for us, for our children. Now he really is doing it, he is running for the Senate. My brother Michael is truly the most honest, hard working, and genuine person I know. I believe that politics will not ruin him, he will not fall victim to the smut that sometimes goes on in congress. Michael will work tirelessly to keep the promises he has made, he will remain honest in all he does. I know I am biased because I am his sister, but it really is true!

SO-to anyone out there who is a registered republican in Utah, PLEASE go cast the vote that I cannot for my brother. I wish I was a Utah voter right now, instead I am stuck voting in California where we elect people like Nancy Pelosi. PLEASE PLEASE go vote for Mike Lee on Tuesday, June 22. Get your family and friends to get out and vote too, the more the merrier! Thank you!

Moms and Muffins

I got a double dose of Moms and Muffins on Friday. Sammy's preschool had it at 9:00 and Carter's kindergarten class at 9:30. I raced from Sam's to Carter's and was only a few minutes late. There is nothing better than sitting with my boys, sharing a muffin and hearing them sing to me. I just love it!

Natalie is ONE!

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I can't believe she is one, I really can't. I am a little too sad about this baby turning one. With Jacob I was so excited for him to get bigger and do the next thing, but it seems that with each subsequent child I am less and less ready for them to grow up. Perhaps it's because Natalie might be our last, but I am so sad about her turning one. Brett thinks it's great, he is exited for her to get bigger, to play with her and see what kind of little girl she's going to be. I will like that too, but I wish I could keep her a baby just a little bit longer. I have three older kids, I want one who just lets me hold her!
We squeezed in a family party for her after school and baseball. I think she would have rather just gone to bed, but her brothers were so excited for her birthday. They decorated the house with pink balloons and signs. They loved helping her open her presents and watching her dig into her cake. We love you Natalie, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Two Wheeling Sam!

All it takes for Sam is a little competition, and a little of him thinking we don't want him to do something. Sam's good buddy, Shane, learned to ride a two wheeler the other day. As soon as Sam saw him riding down the street he decided he wanted his training wheels off too. Brett quickly got them off, hoping Sam wouldn't change his mind. Of course as soon as Sam realized how excited we were about him learning to ride a two wheeler, he wanted the training wheels back on. So we cleverly told him we thought he was probably too young to learn to ride a big boy bike anyway, and I told Brett to put the training wheels back on. That's all it took and Sam was back on the bike asking Brett to help him. It took about 15 minutes of Brett running behind him holding on and Sam was off by himself! We were so proud of him, and he was so pleased with himself. He kept telling me all night, "I'm just so happy mommy, I am so happy I can ride a big bike!"
We all think there is a good chance we have got ourselves into a little trouble here. Sam is the kind of kid we might find riding down a busy road five miles away as soon as we turn our backs. Now that he can ride a bike, this kid might be out of here! I am still proud of him, I'll just have to keep a close watch and listen for the garage door opening!

CRAZY!

When my sister Christie came to town when Sam was a baby, we dressed him up in her little girls dress. We thought it was hilarious and took pictures of him. Now that dress belongs to Natalie, and we took a picture of her when she had it on the other day. I think I really haven't realized how much they look alike. It's hard to tell them apart! Can you tell?