Something Neat in Ogden

Every year for the 24th of July Celebration different companies sponsor the painting of horse statue which are placed around downtown Ogden. We did a bike tour of all the horses. These were some of our favorites, but they were all pretty cool.

The Book of Emily

Every day Emily is adding to her own private book of sayings. Today she amazed us with her wisdom and spirituality by announcing to us, at the dinner table "Jesus wants us to wear lip gloss."

Hmmm. . . we are speculating that this is perhaps another one of her marvelous plans of manipulation. After all, if Jesus wants her to do it. . . it must be good and mom and dad will have to agree. Promptly following this statement she once again found my lip gloss. Really, I am going to have to hide it better.

The Land of Crazy

In the land of crazy children say and do whatever they please. The baby in the family has even learned the fine art of manipulation.

Emily, in the middle of a fight with Ben. "But I'm just a baby. Please!"

When asked to get dressed. "Oh, alright. I will" This was a direct quote Emily took from the book of Benjamin.

And I can't forget the "Mommy, I put on some lip gloss, see." Oh, so pretty.

In the land of crazy, parents build their children huts out of the couches in the family room. . and then, as if that isn't bad enough, they allow their children to sleep inside. Let it be known that the truly crazy parent is not the one who is writing this blog.


In the land of crazy parents don't check on their kids when strange noises start to happen. They are just oh so happy that the strange noises are keeping the children busy.
In the land of crazy, the house is a mess, the parents are sick, and the kids are gleeful all the time. Lucky kids.

Just Keep Swimming!

We had a great time over the fourth of July. We really wore ourselves out though. We woke up early, as usual, to see the hot air balloons in Provo. Then onto the parade followed by a barbecue at Aaron and Melissa's house. And did it end there? No way! The boys played softball for about 2 hours in the blazing sun. Yes, I thought they were insane. Then we relaxed momentarily at Grandma Baxter before hitting the fireworks in Pleasant Grove to finish everything off.
Three days later I am still exhausted. . .and sick. Maybe it's the swine flu? :)Oh well, it was worth it. The kids had a blast.
In other news, Nate is still hard at work looking for a job. It's a big test of faith for us but we are trying to make it a teaching moment by helping our kids understand that even when we pray for things, the answers don't always come right away. You just keep praying and the blessings will come when it's the right time. Nate is such an amazing person and keeps his head up all the time. He made bread today with the kids. It turned out delicious and he told me that he used to make bread with his mom when he was a kid. Thanks Mary, for raising such a well rounded man.

At the end of the day I just try to keep this great philosophy from Dori in mind.

P - U!!!!!!

Emily has amazing sense of smell these days. In the morning she comes to our room and climbs in bed with us. Soon after we hear "I smell something." This statement is always followed by gagging noises. Now, I understand that our morning breath may truly be gag provoking, but all day long this goes on. She gags at the smells of lotions, food, and virtually anything that she can smell. In church on Sunday we were sitting behind someone who put on some lotion. . . I thought it smelled nice. Emily pronounced her famous "I smell something." To which I said "It smells good." She looked at me with a disgusted face and exclaimed "No, it smells gross." Followed by the gagging. I don't know how her sense of smell does not help her abandon her smelly diapers for using the toilet. Then it would be useful.

Still Living and Breathing

Lately we have done a little of everything. We went on a couple more hikes. One of which, Ben got sick about 100 feet into and we turned back. We celebrated Father's Day. We enjoyed the sunshine. Nathan got a gift card from his mom for Father's Day. In the true form of a fabulous Father he went out and bought the kids a slip and slide. It is just like him. All these years that we have been less than wealthy he always put other people first. He has often given me money that he has received as a gift and told me he wanted me to spend it on myself. He knows how good a new item of clothing makes me feel. I know it seems so selfish of me to take the money. . . but it really makes him happy. I love him. Anyway, late Father's Day tribute to my hubby. What a man.

Hmmm, this place is very familiar to me.

The Waiting Place…
…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.



NO!
That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You’ll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

Dr. Seuss Oh the Places You'll Go