Memorial Day

I am not sure where the Merry Month of May went. Life has been soooo busy!! It was great to take a few days over the Memorial Holiday and enjoy the cabin. Although the cabin is open year round the long Holiday gives us a chance to start cleaning up for the summer months ahead. We have a lot of planned activities with our YSA ward at the cabin and need to get it tidied up! Have I ever said how much work it is to have a cabin? There is so much up keep and I now appreciate all the hard work that my Dad and Mom did keeping up Bear Lake for the family.






We pretty much have pioneered the land around our cabin ripping out sage brush to expand the area, keeping the weeds under control, mowing, staining the deck, fixing fences etc...this list is very familiar to any cabin owner. Mark always has a project or chores to do....I remember feeling like we could never go to Bear Lake and just play, there was always a major project or chores to be done. I'm sure our kids must feel the same way....actually sometimes Mark and I feel that way...always something to do. However, I must say.... I love improving, fixing up and working at the cabin.....it always brings pleasing results and such satisfaction.

PS We always find at least some time to play!!

I have been so anxious to have our Landscaping Redone. Since we remodeled our home last year the yard has been pretty much untouched. We have been walking a plank {literally} coming out our back door into the yard. We didn't put in any stairs....we thought we would wait until we were sure how we wanted our back yard layed out. Dandelions, Crab Grass, Weeds, makeshift fences {to keep our little doggie in} are long past due to come out!! Top on our list or should I say my list is to take out the Huge Pine Trees that lurk in our front garden. I have begged Mark for years to take them out. He loves them but then he never or hardly ever picked up the endless pine cones and needles {I'm talking garbage bags full each time I weeded the garden}. Nothing grows under them, they are straggly, giant and unwanted. As far as I am concerned pine trees are for the mountains only!! Mark could finally see the need to take them out.....He was a champ and worked so hard to get them out...you know I was in his back pocket obeying all commands making sure they would really come down. It reminded me of taking out all the big cottonwood trees at Bear Lake!



Mark's hanging out {literally} in the top of the tree. YIKES



Thank goodness for neighbors and an awesome son-in-law!! Nate is always so willing to help!






The little boys always manage to find entertainment while the job is being done. They actually were a lot of help once we started loading it up to haul it away! They definitely know how to work :) I love these little guys {which by the way they are not so little anymore}



YES!! I love this photo....26 years worth of growth and down she blows. This is the beginning of the big project!! The before picture.....awaiting the after picture *SMILE*

Sweet Sixteen !!!

April 30th brings another teenager driver on the road! {MEGAN}

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGAN

I love her sense of adventure, her carefree love of life, her commitment to be good, her tender heart and her determination to succeed.

This is always an exciting Birthday!  Megan I must say is a great little driver but.......I still get a little paranoid when she drives.  Does she really have any clue how responsible she needs to be? She will get the lecture.....you know.....the one we all got!  You are responsible for everyone in your car, wear seat belts, keep the music down,  absolutely no texting or talking on the phone while driving, make wise choices, don't be pursuaded by your friends to do dumb things, be a defensive driver, no speeding, and always always watch out for little kids.  Did we forget anything?  Oh yea and You Must Buy Your Own Gas!!  REALLY?? {of course that is our ultimate goal}

We decided to give Megan  Mark's car...which I must say is not too shabby, an Acura TL.   In fact it is a little more car than we wanted her to have, but it just worked out to be the best. YIKES!!  The rules are inforced and I am closing my eyes.  She won't have much free reign for awhile.

HAPPY 16th MEGAN  We Love You!!

Pandemic Prepared

So This Is How It Started????

The SWINE Causes the FLU?? {Not Really}

I have this Amazing Daughter that is Prepared for any Disaster. {NICOLE} She Researches, She Reads, She Surfs The Net and then goes into action. Yes Nicole will be prepared for any disaster...I am the Lucky Mom that gets to tag along or gets sent on these wild adventures. Monday morning I received a somewhat panicked phone call from Nicole....it was early, she knew what she wanted but had to get the kids off to school. {Mom is still good for something} By 8:30 I was on my way to a Medical Supplier to buy Surgical Masks.



Mind you it could not just be any surgical mask, from her research it had to be the N-95's which kept any germs from coming through, not germs going out. She was sure there would be a run on them. True to form she was right and the clerk told me there were only 3 boxes left. Happy and Content I walked out the door with 2 boxes of masks. Quickly dialing Nicole I put her mind at ease. We Are Prepared! {Apparently Not enough} NOPE!!! Later that night Nicole tucked her kids in bed and we were off to Wallmart stocking up on medication. She had the list of symptoms the Swine Flu would have.... we covered them all. WHEW!!! This girl knows her stuff!!

So 3 days later we are on a Level 5 Alert? One more level and we are in a Worldwide Pandemic!! Scary.....no worries we have covered our bases and have the home front covered. Hopefully we will not need our supplies and we can just tuck them away for another rainy day!! Thanks for keeping me on my toes Nicole :)

***Did you know out of fear EGYPT slottered all their pigs because they were scared! Who knows....... pigs may be on the endangered species list soon.**** {kidding}

BREAKING NEWS............

Sara and Winston are EXPECTING!!

I am Thrilled, Ecstatic, Happy, Delighted, Overjoyed, Pleased, Elated!!! {Need I Say More}

It was announced at Mark's Birthday Party. They gave a gift that was for both of us HMMMMM.....I wondered why they were giving us a thermometer...it took me a minute to realize what it was. Needless to say I was not expecting this FUN News!!

The Due Date will be around December 17th!! A Christmas Gift that will be worth the weight in Gold *SMILE*

She {I am being facetious} will be born just a few days after her Ma Ma's birthday! So Fun and Exciting we are Thrilled!!

MY MAN.....

Mark is turning *#%@* Hmm...not sure I should say 54 *SMILE* I am always so glad he gets to venture into those high numbers much before me. {HA HA} I do need to wish this Guy a Very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

An Amazing Dad, A Truly Loveable Grandpa and *most important* a Fabulous Husband! I consider myself very lucky to have him...yep, He is mine I Love him very much and I am so grateful for the Person He is.

If I could name one of {Mark's} greatest Stregnths it would be his ever Positive Happy Attitude. He is quick to find the Postive in any situation and always has a smile to share! This has always been such a great strength to me.

Mark adores his girls {4 Daughters}.......{and yes he has found a positive in having all girls} He always claims that if we would of had boys he would of been off doing the fun Out Of Door things with them and would of missed the chance of having a close relationship with his girls!! Throughout the years all the girls have been tucked in Mark's back pocket doing those fun things with him side by side.

Mark {REALLY} loves the Out Of Doors, he is Adventerous and likes to be On The Move. In his minds eye... in life, there is always something grand to look at over the next knole...and he always goes the extra mile to see it or do it.

A year Older, a year Wiser...... Happy Birthday To You

While we were in ARUBA Katie was in a Bad Car Accident!


My worst nightmare is being gone when something like this happens. Katie was on her way to work......., taking bites of breakfast.....out of the corner of her eye she sees a truck headed her way! Katie's light had turned Green... a car in front of her had already gone through the Green light when some crazy girl decided to run her RED light right into Katie. {Did that make sense} Yup ambulances, exploded air bags, fire trucks, policemen and where were we? Her car was towed away :( Luckily she is doing OK just going through some therapy for her neck and back. She had quite the bump on her head {a bad concussion} Thanks to Nicole and Rose for coming to her rescue. The next day {Kathy} saw her at work, thought she looked horrible and insisted Katie cancel her day then swept her away to the hospital for a MRI. Yes responsible Katie decided to go to work the next day {not sure what she was thinking} Thank you Kathy for looking out for her while we were gone {Kathy is always there} We feel very blessed...she could of been seriously hurt. It makes me wonder what this girl was doing to run such a RED LIGHT....talking on her phone or perhaps texting? HMMMM {We may have to check on the timing of all this}