I've given in!

I have finally given in to peer pressure (I should be too old for that right)? I love looking at pictures that have been posted by friends and so thoroughly enjoyed them that I decided I just had to be a part of it all (Debbie and Tami, have a good laugh, Lori is trying to keep up with modern technology)! Jared will be thrilled, NOT!

Our family is currently living in Nampa, ID and loving every minute of it. Jared and I have 4 kids. Two girls, two boys, and a partridge in a pear tree. Brynn will turn 8 in December and will be starting the 2nd grade here in a couple of weeks. Bailey will turn 6 at the end of August and can't wait to start 1st grade. She learned how to ride her bike without training wheels this summer and has been eating it up. Josh (J.J.) is 3 1/2 and acts every bit of his age! He is so much fun and 100% boy and keeps us on our toes and watching our backs. Luke is nearly 16 months and just starting to walk, thank goodness. I"m all for immobility, it keeps him out of so much trouble. Jared started a new job in January with Bristol-Myers Squibb selling pharmaceuticals. He is enjoying it and doing well. As for me, I'm staying busy with the kids and just trying to keep the house running.

Life has been crazy as of late with mini-vacations nearly every other week. But I never remember to take my camera (well, most of the time). I do have a few pics that I can put on here though. Where to begin?

We took a trip to Utah at the end of May for my little (but taller) brother Rand's wedding. While there we went to Lagoon with the fam and the kids had a ball. They are all little dare devils. Josh wasn't too fond of the Tidal Wave though, maybe in the years to come.

We went camping at Silver Creek Plunge (near Garden Valley, Idaho) with Jared's mom and dad and Zach (his brother) and his wife Jill and their two boys. We had a blast and of course, didn't get much sleep. The kids couldn't get enough of fishing or the 4-wheeler. Things would have been perfect if I had remembered the veggies for our chicken curry. It's a good thing I pack the entire pantry anytime we go on trips so we had plenty of food to eat. Did I mention that I love food?

We also went camping over the 4th of July to Redfish Lake (Stanley, ID) with our good friends, the Radford's. That was a blast too. We even lived through a nice wind storm that took out a bunch of trees up there. I thought we were going to be blown away, but the storm finally passed. The lake was beautiful, but freezing cold, but that didn't deter any of the kids (or adults). We hung out on the raft and floating dock and just enjoyed the scenery. We love the mountains!

The next week was the beginning of swimming lessons for Brynn, Bailey, and J.J. They all improved a ton and had a whole lot of fun in the process. On Wednesday of that week (July 9) Jared and I went on a backpacking trip with Matt and Tami (friends from the ward) to Rainbow Basin (near Featherville, ID). It was so much fun! We hiked about 4 miles in and set up camp at Big Rainbow Lake and from there hiked to 4 other lakes over the course of the two days we were there. We did plenty of fishing (I decided I love fishing as long as Jared will take the fish off the hook and throw him back--yuck)! I don't mind the slimy so much, but the wiggly slimy put me over the edge. Thanks, J, for helping me out. We had a blast eating dehydrated meals and using our little camp stove, but I didn't bring enough snacks for me. Did I mention that I really enjoy food? Thanks Paul and Barb for watching our littles so we could go!

On Sunday, July 13th, my sisters Amy and Brooke, brought their cute little families all the way to Nampa to spend some time with us. It was so much fun and so crazy with 10 kids running around the house, but we wouldn't have it any other way. I wish they could have stayed longer. The sad thing is, we didn't even get a picture taken of the three of us together, pretty pathetic.

On July 27th our family headed to Lewiston, ID with Jared. He covers that part of the state for his job so we went with him. We spent a lot of time in the hotel's swimming pool needless to say. The kids had a ball and it was fun for all of us to spend time together in a cramped hotel room, really, it was. Again, we were lacking in sleep, but when aren't we?

The day after we got back from Lewiston, Brynn and I headed to Utah with our friends Jessie and Shelby. Shelby is my die-hard running partner who refuses to let me get out of shape (thanks Shelby). We ran a race called "Crazy Bob's Bair Gutsman" (Heather Black, does that bring back memories)? To put it simply, it's hard. It's a grueling 6 mile run/hike up the mountain behind my parents home in Fruit Heights, UT and then a 5 mile run down Farmington canyon. We finished it though and I'm so glad it's over for another year, yeah! Shelby was a trooper especially for not knowing what she was getting into. Way to go Shelby! Apparently, the race directors are adding another 6 miles to the race next year. Bring it on! After the race, we took Brynn and Jessie to Park City for some fun on the Alpine Slide and Alpine Coaster and to go school shopping. It was such a fun girls' trip. Thanks mom and dad for letting us stay at your house and for the delicious meals, yum, yum, yum. Food? Yeah, love it!

That is the extent of our travels for the summer. Home again, home again, jiggity-jig! We are ready to settle down and get back into a routine with school and soccer, oh, and the Olympics! Can't wait for those to start. Wish us luck, we'll need it!