I love my family, but they can really make me sick

4 posts in 2 days- I am determined to get these all out before I leave town on Friday. Jeff and I both had our reunions last week down in Utah. One conveniently ended as the other began. I couldn't have planned it better myself. However, there always seems to be something- that try as you may, you can NEVER prepare for.

The Mower reunion was in 2 large condos in Bear Lake. I was excited because I'd never been there. Each condo was like the size of my house, and there was an awesome pool that was really warm. But the one thing that will inprint this trip in my mind happened on the second day and has earned the trip the names 'Bear Lake Barf-o-rama' and 'Pukefest 2009' by other family members. Oh no? Oh yes! In one night we had about 15 of us throwing up in both condos. It all seemed to be the kids. Several people didn't make it to a toilet- I feel terrible for whoever had those condos next! ;/

Kobe was the only one from our family affected there at Bear Lake, and since he was feeling better we decided to attempt Huntington. I went to the 1st night of the Nielson family reunion. It was so fun to see Grandma and catch up a bit with my cousins, but Lucas threw up all over me, and I knew there was nothing else we could do but hop in the car and go home. It hit Jeff on the way home, Payter on Sunday, Zack and Brooklyn Monday night, and I had it last night. We are just waiting for Lexie. Pretty nasty bug. I am only glad it wasn't us that brought it (this time!) (I also have to keep calling my house to see if any Nielsons are puking)



Not to be too negative- the 1st half of Thursday was awesome! We spent the whole day at the lake and I got some fun pictures of the group.

Here's Brooklyn!
Steph with Poulsen, Payter, and Zack in the boat

The funnest part about Mower cousins is that each of my kids has AT LEAST one cousin their age to match up with. It's like we brought really fun friends for each kid.
Here's Kobe burying Conner and Cade

Zack's shell collection

Troy, Suzy, Jeff, Christy

Paige and Lexie

Kobe and Cade

Claire, Josie, Payter, and Maren

Zack & Lukie

Brookie, Claire, Daren, and Maren

Payter and Josie

Payter eating her SANDwich

Lexie and Paige

Jeff's parents (so cute!) :)

Sharene, Jenny, Steph, Suzy

Payter, Poulsen, & Zack

And you know what- I randomly ran into Lacy and DJ by the boat ramp! They were doing the exact same thing as us- playing for 2 days then heading down to Huntington the same time. It was like running into Lori and Joe in Lagoon last year. :)

On the way there we stopped to see the Logan Temple. I have never seen it before- so beautiful! As a family we like to stop for a few minutes whenever we are near a Temple. I love letting the kids walk around and feel the spirit of these special places.

The 'Big Girl' turns 3!

Summer seems to have such a fast pace that Payter's birthday always sneaks up on me. She is now a whole 3 years old. What a busy girl. But hey, when you are #5, you need to be to keep up with those older bros and sisters.
Before 18 mo., Payter hit the terrible 2's and had us all a little worried that she might not pull out of them- except for her daddy who was wrapped around her little finger. He had faith in her all along. Long about Christmas time, she must have eaten a lot of sugar, because she sweetened up and has been a barrell of fun ever since. OOOOHHHH yes, never a dull moment.

Don't let the picture fool you, Payter was the sweetest baby ever. She was a breath of fresh air after a hard pregnancy. She was Lexie's baby from the start- she thought we brought her the best doll EVER! I would think Payton was sleeping in her swing and find it empty. I would immediately head to Lexie's room where I would find her dressed up in doll clothes, laying in Lexie's bed with the covers pulled up to her chin.

No one tells this girl what to do. She will tell you what to do- but she now does it cheerfully.
Here are a few of the things I love about you Payton!

• Your dimples!!!!!!
• You are fiercely loyal
• You potty trained yourself
• The way you call cows 'Moo Moos'
• Your beautiful hair
• When you sing the Barbie song (Buh-weeeeeve!!!!)
• I love your sweet prayers you come up with on your very own
• When you wear your 'wimsuit' all day and want to go 'wimming'
  
  

So lets see- the birthday bootie included: new helmet, scooter, and Tinkerbell movie. Oh yeah- and stuffed Bolt and Marie which came home with her after her birthday date with her dad. (Did I mention he was wrapped around her finger...?)

We love you so much lil Payter Bug!

Happy Birthday!!!!

Our July

Okay, so I have discovered that summer is not my best time to blog. Too many things to report on, gone lots, and when I'm home, never get to be on computer. So there. I do have excuses. Thank goodness for my camera, which helps me remember the fun things we are doing- (at least the ones I took it along on)




Greg and Christy invited us to Black Creek Resevoir with a bunch of their friends. It was good cousin-time, and I SO want to get me one of these pyramids for Lake Powell!!!!!!!!!!!



Here is our newest fun backyard addition. It took me like 6 months to find a good one on Craigslist! We like it lots and I hope no one breaks a bone before we get it in the ground. (I am talking to YOU boys!)

Check out my super-cool action pics!!!!!!!

I'm sure this one deserves its own post, but since I am condensing I am squishing it in here. So, Jeff informed me he would like to try a triathlon sometime, and me being the supportive wife I am say 'Good for you hunny' and then forgot all about it until later that day when he came and said he had found one he could do here in Boise. I said great until I realized it was less than a week away- then I got a little nervous. He has been running and biking this summer, but aren't you supposed to train for these things????

Apparently this is the best picture I am capable of taking since most of the others ended up being of his back. I am sure it is just because he was going so fast and has nothing to do with my skills as a photographer.

So once again Jeff has proven that he can make something amazing and challenging look somewhat easy. He did awesome, and didn't even get sore! He ended up taking first in the Clydesdale Division and got a shnazzy blue ribbon and a gift certificate. Wow. Way to go hunny. This is his bud R.B. Erickson who's in our ward. Lets see if I can get my facts correct- It was a 1 mile swim, then a 26 mile bike (that's the one I'm not positive on) and then a 10 K run. Seems pretty grueling to me. He said the worst was the swim. He was pretty dizzy when he got out. But then again, I guess next time he could practice it a little first :)

The funnest part about the weekend was getting to see my Anna! It has been so long and I had so much fun having her come. The circumstances weren't the best- her little sister's house burned down (who lives not far from me), so Anna was bringing up some needed help and support. Aside from that detail, it was awesome!
It is so neat for me to look at my friends who I knew when we were younger, and see them now as mothers. Anna is such a sweet friend and I loved seeing how much she adores her children. I loved just watching her interact with them.

Look at this guy. Can you blame her??? Her kiddos came along and they match up really well with ours, so they had fun. Anna is a triathlon die-hard. She does like six a year or something crazy like that. It was perfect having her here the weekend of Jeff's race. She went with me and coached me on how to be the supportive spouse- and was also able to give Jeff plenty of pointers- which I know he appreciated.

I had some fun pictures of our river trip on the 4th of July. Jeff's sister Suzy and her family are in the process of moving up here, and they came along making it extra fun for the kids (and us!)

FYI--This was actually a cool swan dive- NOT a belly flop.

We are so excited to have more family close by!

We did fireworks that night at a friends place. We do it every year and it is always quite the show and a good time to catch up with friends we haven't seen in awhile. It ended on a sad note when a huge firework that should have been WAY up high exploded in the street. Zack got a pretty bad burn on his thigh, and it was quite the ordeal for about 3 weeks following. It hurt him alot! :( I am still having guilt over letting the kids sit so close to the street. I kept thinking I should move them back, and now I know why. No worries now though, the wound is healed leaving a very cool scar which he can brag about for years.

So there are a few of the things we've been up to--- a few others; Kobe, Zack, and Brooklyn just finished swim lessons, the kids earned and redeemed a trip into the Water Park, and we have done alot together as a family this summer as well as with friends.

Another big change for us was in getting new callings. I am now Kobe's Sunday School teacher, and Jeff was put in as Scout Master. He is adjusting very well- he already went to scout camp at Camp Morrison, and was the biggest kid there. I, for one, am now REALLY enjoying having him home on Sunday mornings! And for the record, we have been on time every sunday since. It's been a very eventful summer, and that is making it go by quickly. Time is flying since we are having fun!

Our other June trip

The end of June, Jeff was invited to Lake Powell by a buddy who served with him in Ukraine and a couple of other guys. Yes, guys- no girls allowed. So instead of feeling left out, I dropped him off in SLC and went to my mommys house for the weekend :)

I think they went skiing/boarding all day long, and napped and hung out inbetween. I hear Josh was quite the chef. I think Jeff can't wait to show me his perfected skills when we all go to Powell next week. Seeing that picture gets me excited!!!!!

Although it wasn't Lake Powell, I still had tons of fun down in EC. It was so fun to see my parents and Melissa. Nate and Misty are there until dental school starts this fall and I was so excited to hang out with everybody! Funny that I probably spent the most time with Misty, yet I have no picture of her. Hum. I made her go jogging with me and she almost wouldn't go because she was out of shape- and then she nearly killed me. Out of shape my bum. (hee hee)To top it off Misty announced that they are expecting cute baby #2!!!!!! I can't wait!!! Those two are doomed to have adorable children. If only we could skip the whole pukey thing.
We also went to Castle Dale's new pool and WOW I was impressed! Way to go little Emery County getting something fun like that.

My parents took us up to the cabin for the day- my kids always love it up there- and we had an extra fun surprise when Karen and her sweet little family showed up. I was so glad- it was an easier visit than when we usually try and drop in on the drive home (usually a sunday trying to work around church). I hear rumors that she is currently on a deserted isle...

Luvs to G-ma and G-pa. You always make our visits so fun and special. Thanks for helping me make a stress-free fun vacation while daddy was away.