An Attempt At Lagoon

It was the first week of June, the sun was bright, and it was time for our yearly pilgrimage to Lagoon! We all woke up bright and early excited for the adventure which surely awaited us...until...the gates were locked...there were no attendants...the rides were definitely not running...Lagoon was closed!

It truly was sad, but true. We drove five hours to enjoy fun times at Lagoon, and we were turned away. We had a moment of sadness, and then the planning began. What were we going to do now? So, off to Seven Peaks we drove. My sister met us there with discount tickets, so the day was looking promising. In all honesty, we had a great time at Seven Peaks. The kids were not disappointed in the least! They played until they were exhausted. We did not stay the whole time, because a thunder storm created cooler temperatures, but all in all we had fun!

~Jake and Mom on the Slide~

~Swimming at Seven Peaks~

Bryan and I stayed an extra day, so we could go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. It was such an awesome experience for our family. We felt the spirit within the walls of this magnificent House of God. WE feel so blessed to be able to worship our God in His holy house.

~Jacob Kiss~

~Our Family~

~Roxanne, Kendall, Tyler, Scott, Devin, Kalli, Amber, Hailey, Jacob, Bryan, & Carrie~
We met up with the Bennett's while we were at the temple. It was a fun family get together! We were so glad they could meet us there!

After the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house, we went to temple square. Here is a picture of "the girlie's" standing where Bryan proposed to me ten years ago! The girls loved hearing the whole story, which we had to tell over and over again. (We even reenacted parts of it.)


Finally, just before going home we went to the Simmon's home for a swim. (The Simmon's are good friends of ours that moved from Boise not too long ago.) We miss this sweet family, and it was good to spend some time with them. Oh, how we wish we could have met up with more of our friends while in Utah...time is always so short while traveling!

~Lifelong Friends~

~Lizzy, Hailey, & Amber Swimming~

Ballet 2009

This year Amber chose Ballet as her extracurricular activity. She had a great time going to practice weekly, and learning about ballet steps. However, I think her favorite part of ballet was the "playing" portion of ballet. When I asked Amber what she loved best about ballet, she said, "My favorite part of ballet was freeze dance, toy store, and leaps and turns."

Amber performed in a recital in May. She danced to "Minnie Street", and "My Magic Tutu". She did a fantastic job! Grandma Miller came to watch her performance, which was definitely a highlight for Amber.

Fun Times at the Cabin

In May we went to the cabin, and played with the Critchfield's (Bryan's sister's family). We had tons of fun building forts, riding four-wheelers, building dams, and playing in the sand.

~Playing in the Sand by the River~

~Ava and Amber Balancing on a Log (It's great to have cousins as friends)~

Jacob loves to play it close to the edge. We were anticipating the day he would fall into the ditch, and that day finally arrived...I think he will be a bit more cautious from now on!

~ Truman Sitting on the Bridge~

~Building Forts~

A neighbor tore out part of the ditch, and it was causing the land to flood, so we decided to 'be like beavers' and build a dam. It actually worked!! It took some time to build, but when we were finished, the flooding was definitely to a minimum. The only downside to the situation was that I dropped my camera in the water while I was building the dam. On the bright side of things, it still works!

First Piano Recital

The girls have been taking piano lessons since Christmas. On May 16 they had their first piano recital. Both girls were excited to show off their new abilities that they had worked hard to acquire.

Amber played Little River Flowing, Hot Cross Buns, Old McDonald, and Ode to Joy, and All Black Keys.

Hailey played Ode to Joy, March on D, E, F, and the Inch Worm.

Both girls did a fantastic job!!!

HAPPY 10th Anniversary!!!
Bryan and I celebrated our 10th anniversary this year! On April 30, 1999 we were married in the Idaho Falls, Temple. We were sealed for time and all eternity! We have shared happy moments, and some sad moments, but all of the moments have been shared together, and our love is deeper because of it! I feel so grateful to be married to my sweetheart, my best friend, my eternal companion! I am continually amazed at the blessings my Heavenly Father sends down upon me...Bryan will always be one of my greatest blessings that I will thank my Heavenly Father for daily!

Our celebration began as we dropped off our kiddos with good friends. (We are truly grateful to the Grant's and the Carroll's for transporting, watching, and feeding our kids for two days--it was a much needed celebration, and we could not have done it without them!!) We then traveled to Sun Valley, Idaho for a weekend full of outdoor entertainment, and fun-filled company.

On the evening of our anniversary, we went bowling. The hotel we were staying in had a bowling alley in the basement. This activity couldn't have been more perfect, because our "first" date was centered around bowling, and hamburgers. Ironically enough...this was the first time we had been bowling since our first date...and it was definitely evidenced by our scores...and by my great moves (who else could lift their leg so acrobatically?).

The next morning we went ice skating. We spent a good hour laughing, falling, laughing some more, falling some more, succeeding in a few tricks, and finally laughing some more.

My amazing trick! Watch out Sasha Cohen...I'm your next big competition!

Here's Bryan's acrobats! He is definitely in the running for the next Olympic Gold.

Finally, here we are feeling accomplished and successful! Truly, we had a great time! It was so much fun just being together, and loving that we were together!

Right after ice skating (and some shopping), we went to ride the bike trails around Sun Valley. We had a great time enjoying the scenery.

~Some downtown shopping...and relaxing~

Overall, we had a fantastic weekend full of fun entertainment, good company, and good food! I missed my kiddos, but the thought of leaving behind my "alone time" with Bryan made me feel homesick for our "alone time". I was definitely feeling pulled in two directions!

THE BIG CELEBRATION!!!

April 15 is a holiday in our home! WHY, you may ask? April 15 is the tax deadline, which means at 5 o'clock on April 15 I have a husband again!!! YEAH! So, in accordance with this auspicious moment in our home, we ventured to our cabin to celebrate. And to make the trip even better, we invited the Tobler Family. Nick Tobler works with Bryan at Deloitte & Touche , and so, to say the least, they view April 15 as a holiday as well! Together we celebrated the end of taxes!

Roasting marshmallows, reading scriptures by the fire light...

eating hot smores, enjoying the great outdoors...what could be better?

INTRODUCING THE WISH STICK!!!
Hailey and I found a stick that looked like a wishbone, so we decided to make it our wish stick. We both took a momentous moment to decide what our individual wishes were, and then we PULLED...

The stick broke exactly down the middle, so we concluded that we both received the wishes of our hearts! YEAH FOR US!