Off to Kauai

Well, I've finally got everything packed for our seven day trip to Kauai. It was a lot of work getting the seven of us ready to go. I am still worried about how the boys are going to do being on an airplane for over five hours! We've packed plenty of crayons, coloring books, small toys, books, and of course lots of snacks. I also have some Benadryl, just in case. Here's a picture of our 6 bags and6 carry ons, plus two car seats and a stroller. I think we packed enough!

We'll be meeting up with my parents, and my siblings' families. There will be 19 of us all together. I know we will have a great time and will create memories that will last a lifetime. I can't wait to see what Kauai is like. Lloyd and I went to Oahu on our honeymoon, but have never been back. This is really a dream come true for our family. Growing up, my mom always wanted to take our family to Hawaii, but we could never afford it. Well, our family dream is finally coming true.

P.S.

I just wanted to remind all you Twilight fans that Breaking Dawn is coming out this Saturday. Thank goodness, I found a Borders in Kauai. Courtney and I will be attending the midnight release party on Friday night. I hope the boys sleep on our flight home so I can find out how Bella's story ends.

P.P.S. I know I'm a nut blogging at this hour! Where are my priorities?

A Mini Reunion

I was so excited to meet up with three of my good friends from high school last Wednesday. We went out to breakfast together. We were all on the same cheerleading squad and were very close in high school. It's hard to believe it's been 17 years since we graduated. Here we are today from left to right - April, Shannon, Nicole, and me:

Here's our pictures from high school:

This picture was taken at cheerleading camp our Junior year.

This picture was taken our Senior year before our competition in LA and trip to Disneyland.

Today April is an international flight attendant for Continental Airlines. Her twin sister, Leslie, is a ticket agent for Alaska Airlines. We're sad we missed Leslie at the breakfast. April lives in New Jersey, but travels the world with her job. Leslie lives in Las Vegas.

Nicole has three children and owns a yoga studio in Lodi. Shannon lives in Tracy and has a 7 month old little girl.

I loved catching up with these girls. We had to laugh because we all decided we haven't changed much from high school. I only wish our breakfast could have been longer. It was great to visit and share old memories.

Cameron's Date at Chuck E. Cheese's

July was Cameron's month for a date with Mom and Dad. He said he wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese's for his date. As you can see from the pictures, he had a blast. It was wonderful for Lloyd and I to give him one on one time. He is such an energetic and curious little boy; we're glad we could give him some positive attention. We loved playing the games and eating pizza with him. Thanks to a coupon we got a large pizza, drinks, and 30 tokens (all games are only 1 token) for $21. I thought it was a great deal with how much things cost. I am really loving these dates with our kids. I look forward to them as much as they do. I think we will always have this tradition.

This sketch was done by one of the games there. I thought it came out pretty good. I do love my happy, busy, and "spirited" boy.

Our Date to the Sacramento Temple

Lloyd and I had the most wonderful date at the Sacramento Temple last Friday. I felt that we really needed to go to the temple since I couldn't remember the last time we had been there as a couple. I felt like we needed to take advantage of going in the summer when the kids are out of school. I was disappointed when I realized the Oakland Temple was closed for two weeks. Then I remembered we have both the Sacramento and Fresno temples not too far away. We decided to go to Sacramento. We had been there two years ago for the Open House before it was dedicated, but had never been back to do a session. We left all the kids with Courtney -- it's wonderful having a daughter old enough to babysit. We had a very peaceful and rewarding experience at the temple. It is so beautiful on the inside and outside. I cherished the quiet peace I felt inside the temple. It was wonderful to be there with Lloyd. I am so very grateful to have temples near our home. I don't want to take them and the blessings they bring for granted. Now that I'm done nursing and having babies, I hope to return to the temple on a regular basis. It helps me to keep an eternal perspective on life and feel grateful that my family is sealed for time and all eternity. After our temple session, Lloyd and I went out to the Spaghetti Factory which has always been a favorite for me. It was a perfect day!

Pioneer Trek

Courtney and Lloyd had a great opportunity to participate in our Stake Pioneer Trek on July 11-12. All the youth in our stake met at the church Friday morning at 5:30 am. They were all dressed in pioneer clothes; the girls had made their own skirts and bonnets.

The kids were divided up into "families" with each family having a handcart to push. There were a total of 20 "families." The adult leaders were the "Grandmas" and "Grandpas" for each family. They rode the bus for three hours to Tragedy Springs where the trek took place. Tragedy Springs is part of the actual Mormon Immigrant Trail, which was blazed by the Mormon Battalion. The "families" traveled with their gear and handcarts for six miles on the first day. That night the kids had a spiritual fireside and slept in their pioneer clothes. They awoke the next morning for three more miles on the trek. The kids enjoyed doing crafts, chasing roosters, and learning more about the pioneers. Lloyd was responsible for making sure the trek ran smoothly as part of his calling in the stake YM presidency. He said the trek took a lot of planning, but it was rewarding to watch the youth learn and grow. Courtney enjoyed being with her friends and remembering all that the pioneers sacrificed. We thought she looked cute in her bonnet. She is a hard working, responsible, humble, thoughtful, and righteous young woman. She would have been a great pioneer!

Courtney and her "family" pulling their handcart.

Courtney with two of her good friends from our ward -- Lauren and Bridget

Towards the end of the trek, Courtney was told that she "died on the trail."

Lloyd and Courtney- our modern-day pioneers

On Saturday afternoon the kids enjoyed a picnic with other stake members. All together, it was a dirty, tiring, eye-opening, and sweet experience for all those involved.

My Baby is Becoming a Big Boy

I am sad to say my little guy is becoming a big boy. Yes, he officially started in the nursery this month and is indeed already 18 months old. I think I'll always try to baby him more than my others because he's my last. I just feel like he's growing up way too fast! His personality is beginning to develop and he is learning to talk more. He is a very loving boy who almost always gives me a kiss when I ask for one. He also hugs me a lot and pats me on the back when he hugs me. He loves to play with cars and is always crawling on his knees to "drive" them around the house. He also loves balls of any kind or size. He loves to be with people and loves to follow his siblings around. He has even been an accomplice to Cameron in making messes (they got into the girls' make up and nail polish and made a huge mess in the bathroom this week). He cries if any of us leave the house and don't take him with us. I am trying to teach him his body parts, but haven't had much success yet. He can point to his nose when I ask him to. He absolutely loves to eat! Jess, the mom who watched him when we hiked Half Dome said he eats more than she does. He loves all sweets and fruit, but grapes are his very favorite. We're not sure if he's left or right handed. Courtney and Cameron are both lefties so we're interested to see what Conner will be. Conner loves to pray with us and immediately fold his arms when he hears the word "prayer." His new words include: uh oh, nigh-night, peek-a-boo, Mama or Mommy, bye-bye, and my very favorite: "Oh Man" (Kylie and Cameron started saying this a lot because Swiper from Dora says it, well Conner says it now and it is so adorable). If you can't tell, I am absolutely crazy about this little guy. I feel so blessed to be his mother and to have him be a part of my life.

First day in nursery - July 6, 2008

Conner's nursery teachers - Sister Tirre and Sister Brown

Our Anniversary/Birthday Half Dome Hike

We had an absolutely fabulous time on our anniversary overnighter and hike to Half Dome. It was our 14th Anniversary on July 9. We spent the night in Curry Village in a canvas tent cabin. It was small, but cozy. We ate dinner at the cafeteria buffet. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was all-you-can-eat, so we ate up to prepare for the hike in the morning. We gave each other cards and had some sparkling cider in our cabin. We took these pictures of ourselves. It was a fun celebration and a nice break from the kids. We're so happy to be in love after all these years!

We awoke the next morning at 5 am to prepare for the long hike to Half Dome. It was July 10, Lloyd's 35th birthday. Our packs were pretty heavy with a hydration pack, 3 extra water bottles, and 4 bottles of gatorade along with snacks, sunscreen, our camera etc. We wanted to have plenty of water for the long, hot day ahead of us.

We arrived at the parking lot at 6:24 where we ate breakfast -- my favorite lemon muffins from Marie Callender's.

We arrived at the Trailhead at 7:00 am. We were excited to see Half Dome on the sign!

This is the bottom of Vernal Falls on the mist trail. The falls are so beautiful and they spray mist on you as you hike. It feels glorious! You can see me at the bottom of this picture.

This is what the mist trail looks like--lots of rocky and steep steps going straight up!

We got to the top of Vernal Falls at 7:52.

This calm water called Emerald Pool is just a few hundred feet from the drop of the falls. It looks very inviting, but people are not allowed to swim here because of the dangerous falls below.

The second waterfall you come to is Nevada Falls. We arrived here at 8:24. It was an even steeper climb to these falls.

Me at the top of Nevada Falls.

A view of Half Dome as we hike closer to it.

Lloyd ascending the 500 ft climb up "Little Dome." This is probably the hardest part of the hike because the steps seem like they are never going to end! This picture was taken at about 11:40.

Me hiking up Little Dome. I was a little excited and anxious to get to the cables!

A photo of the never ending steps!

This was my first view of the cables. I have to admit I was a bit amazed how steep they looked, but I knew nothing was going to stop me. This picture was taken at noon.

Me starting up the cables -- gloves are a must!

Lloyd almost up the cables!

The view of Yosemite Valley on top of Half Dome (12:42).

On top of Half Dome we ate lunch and celebrated our accomplishment! I gave Lloyd his birthday card!

Me on top of the world -- actually the "diving board" of Half Dome. It was windy up there and pretty scary to go near the edge.

This is the view going down the cables. I had a death grip on the cables. Lloyd prefers to go down the cables backwards (1:48)!

After coming down from the cables, we did the whole hike downhill. It's pretty slippery walking down all those steps and I even fell on my bum once. We completed the long hike at around 6:00 pm. We hiked over 16 miles. Our feet were sore, but our hearts were soaring. I have only felt a high like this after giving birth or running a marathon. It's such an exhilarating feeling. We met lots of friendly and helpful people along the way. When you're side by side on the cables, you are all friends with each other. Several people said "Happy Birthday" to Lloyd and one group of women even sang to him. After the hike we jumped in the pool at Curry Village to cool off. We bought some ice cream, but didn't have time to eat dinner because we needed to get home to our kiddos. We got a pizza on the way home.

Lloyd enjoyed his annual birthday apple pie. It was a long, but fun birthday! I didn't really feel that sore the day we finished the hike, but I could barely walk for the next 3-4 days. My calf muscles were so sore and I couldn't walk down stairs ( I had to walk sideways). The crazy thing is that I can't wait to go back to Half Dome. I would go tomorrow if I could. I absolutely loved it! The only thing I would do differently is to try to stay in Yosemite another night. It was an 11 hour hike and I wish we didn't have to go home right away. I felt so bad for Lloyd because he had to wake up the next day at 5 am for the Stake Pioneer Trek.