Awsten's 5th Birthday

We celebrated our little nephew Awsten's birthday at the new park over by Little Valley Elementary. The kids liked all the fun equipment to play on. It was incredibly windy at first but seemed to settle down once the party started. Jennifer let me make the birthday cake which turned out pretty comparable to what he wanted. He loves Diego so it worked out rather well. Our cake topper was a little heavier than a normal cake topper but with about 10 toothpicks we kept him propped up!

Weekend in Salt Lake City

Jed & Aubrey were married on July 10th. They had an open house up in Salt Lake on Friday evening that we were able to attend. It was very nicely set up by Erica & Charles. They decorated up Grandma Benson's backyard with lots of flowers and some of the lights from their own wedding reception. The weather was so hot and humid! Everyone was sweating even the baby! We arrived just in time to participate in the festivities. Originally we planned to go to the zoo first but after taking care of some unexpected business at home we made it to Grandma Benson's home right about 6 o'clock! It was nice to see Zack relax around his family and be the goof I fell in love with. Life has gotten too serious lately and a little relaxation sure makes things all come into perspective. It was very fun to see family and friends that came to the reception.

Saturday morning we went with Krystal and Ryan to the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple Open House. It was a great chance to let the kids see the inside of the temple and explain some of what the temple is all about. I have never been through a temple open house; it was a really worthwhile experience. Taylor struggled with wanting to hurry along instead of waiting our turn through each room but all the kids really seemed to like it in the temple. It had such a warm inviting spirit there with the 200+ people participating in the Open House with us.

Happy Birthday Grandma Benson you are an inspiration to us all! Grandma Benson was thrown a surprise 85th birthday party which we were able to attend Saturday afternoon. All seven of her children were able to attend and most all of their children and children's children. There was over 60 people in attendance.

They had a group picture, luncheon, presentation, video, singing and games. Zack even performed The Impossible Dream from the Man of La Mancha. He did a great job! It was a good time for all! Thanks for everyone who helped make it special for Grandma Benson. We were able to visit, eat and play games with most everyone. It was a good visit. We stayed through Monday night spending the later half of Monday shopping around town and then headed home arriving in St George around 11:30pm. Glad to be back in our beds!

The Lord is my Light

With Zack teaching high school it is necessary for him to find a side job to supplement our income. Usually during the summertime he's able to make a little extra money that we try to save for a rainy day but this year has been a different story. With changes in the economy the second job that we depended on pretty much fell through at the beginning of the summer. The Lord is mindful of us and Zack was able to find summer work teaching for both the summer school program at the high school and college levels. His last class is today and then he's back on the job hunt again. I know we have been blessed time and time again. I know the Lord is mindful of us and the many people struggling in the world today. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have about the Lord's plan for me. I know the Lord is looking out for us. I know that tithing is a blessing rather than a burden. With all this knowledge I am still a weak mortal and struggle with the what ifs. It is stepping out into the unknown before you see the light that makes me a little anxious. I see so many people struggling to make it from paycheck to paycheck but I know the Lord is mindful of them. He is mindful of all his children and does not leave us comfortless. Like the hymn The Lord Is My Light, so plainly states in the first verse "the Lord is my light; then why should I fear? By day and by night his presence is near. He is my salvation from sorrow and sin; This blessed assurance the Spirit doth bring." Life is full of ups and downs, we just need to be more grateful for those experiences of life.

Babysitting Job

Tim and Stephanie received tickets to the Lady Antebellum concert that was last night. They left Jaerick with us. Immediately after he was dropped off Joshua came to see him. Joshua leaned over his carseat and said "Did your parents leave you?" Poor kid is gonna have issues if Joshua keeps this up!

Self Inflicted Injury

The kids were downstairs watching a movie during quiet time. I heard a horrible wailing sound from downstairs so I went to check it out. William is grasping the side of his face and crying in pain. When he fiinally settled down he explained that he smacked himself in the face with the flashlight! Ouch that's gotta hurt!

Facebook

I've been using facebook for awhile now rather than the ever popular myspace. Sending messages to friends and family that I don't regularly see which is great! Just yesterday I was talking with my cousin Kayla whom I've not seen since my Grandpa Tom's funeral 7+ years ago. I just met up with Christine who I hung out with pretty regularly after Zack and I first were married but lost contact after we moved away from each other. She has a two year old little boy that I may have never learn about but now can get to know through Facebook. I've also been able to keep in contact with friends from my home state of Washington. I found my friend Angela who lived across the street from me when I was barely old enough to ride a tricycle! For these reasons I love Facebook!

For every good thing there is a negative. The fake friendships with people you may not even know or been real friends with. The constant complaining some do on their own pages tends to drive me insane. I usually take them off my news feed and then bipass that isssue though. Tacky behavior is rather prevelant when their are little rules or control. My friend Sari received a wedding invitation from a girl she barely talked to in high school, don't worry the same thing happened to me! It was sent on like spam mail through all contacts on facebook. Unless these people are looking for an outpouring of congratulations or presents it seems a little over the top. Social sites like this are sure to have some flaws. Another complaint I have is that once in awhile I click on someone's page and at least 20 pages come up at once stalling/freezing my computer. Maybe this doesn't happen to everyone, I do have a rather old computer, but it drives me crazy. Sorry I am having a venting moment!

Baby's New Toy

My sisters and I went to garage sales early Saturday morning. They seemed to be focused on baby items and with Stephanie and me trailing little guys around we found some great items! It was fun to see all the deals! I've been looking for a Bumbo for a little while, a friend of mine had one she used for her baby Hudson when Joshua was about Matthew's age. I thought it would be fun but they are $40 just for the seat so I couldn't really justify the cost. Yesterday we found this one at a yard sale with the tray another $10 value for $25! Cameron was kind enough to talk them down to $20! It took Stephanie a little time coaxing me to get it but I am glad I did. Maybe I'm a little cheap for my own good! Matthew enjoys being up with everyone else and sitting up in his new chair. This should help his back muscles develop and soon he'll be sitting up without support. An added bonus would be that the little kiddos cannot reach him up on the counter! With Joshua, William and Hailey always smothering the poor guy he needs an escape.

I also got a large bag of baby clothes for $5 from another yard sale. Since most of the baby clothes I have went through three other boys, it is nice to get him some different clothes once in awhile. He has plenty of clothes but this guy is a little bigger than Joshua was and the other two were born in a different season so I needed a few more summer items or at least that is how I justified it. He wore his new Sunday outfit today and looks adorable as usual! Hey I am a little partial to the guy.

We've added cousin and aunt all in one weekend

Late Thursday night (July 9, 2009) Goldie gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, Cody David Bonewell. He is 9 lbs 12 oz and 20" long. Congrats Brandon and Goldie we are so excited for you and family!

Friday afternoon (July 10th) Jedediah married Aubrey Lucas in the Nauvoo Temple. We weren't able to attend the ceremony but will be going up to Salt Lake for an open house later this month. Congrats Jed and Aubrey we're so excited for you!

Wacko Slip n' Slide

The kids seemed rather bored this afternoon and needed a little cooling off so Zack went over to Walmart and bought a slip n' slide for them to play on. They all seemed to enjoy themselves and cool down. Matthew got his feet in the water but thought that was rather mean so he spent most the time just hanging out with Mommy. Joshua jumped in and out of a baby pool, he doesn't like water in the face. William would get on his belly and have his daddy slide him down the slip n' slide. Taylor was a natural and Katelyn was a little intimidated about diving down on the ground so she slid on her knees for the most part. Zack played on the slip n slide with the kids but kept sliding right on past it! It was a great way to keep them cooled off for only $9.

Hair Post: Braided Headband

Katelyn's hair was braided in french braids the day before so I thought we would let it down and make it work! Here's how we did it:

1. First using a comb I seperate the hair in half from front to back. I pulled the lower half back into a ponytail to keep it out of the way.


2. Then seperated the front in two using the same method. I put another ponytail this time in the front to keep that out of her eyes and my way.


3. I french braided the middle section from the left to the right and braided to the end of her hair.


4. I then parted her hair in the front on the side and smoothed out the hair for the hairband and join at the back of her hair with an elastic. I combined the french braid into this ponytail in the back and let the remaining hair out to hang down.
   
   

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Playing around with the camera

Recipes: German Pancakes

I love German Pancakes for breakfast. They are a family favorite and when you add the brown sugar syrup it is delicious!

German Pancakes
1/4 cup butter
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk

Melt butter in a 9x13 inch glass baking dish in the oven at 425. Meanwhile beat eggs in a medium size mixing bowl. Add flour and milk. Stir until consistency of pancake batter is reached. Pour mix into buttered dish. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with syrup and side of fruit.

Brown Sugar Syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine brown sugar and water. Boil for 2 minutes over medium high heat in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add last two ingredients. Serve immediately.

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Hot Summer Days

Sweet baby Matthew with his milky kisses and cuddly charms

Joshua and William enjoying their favorite summertime treat Otter Pops and at .035 per pop you cannot go wrong well except when they drip on my floor ;0)

Miss Katie is our summertime diva!

Taylor is having a blast with cousins and friends!

Matthew's first milestone

Who doesn't get excited when their sweet baby starts learning? These little people are such a blessing to each us. Our little man is so fun and loving! He is rolling over from back to front and rather proud of himself. Soon he'll be sitting up on his own but he's not quite there yet. He is such a treasure and loves everyone he meets. We all love him so much!

Happy Independence Day Weekend!

We decided to visit Brandon and Goldie in Henderson for the Independence Day weekend, Cameron, Jennifer and kids came too! We arrived late Friday night and played games until after midnight. Battling the kids for bed was our biggest struggle. There are ten kids combined amongst the three families so it was a little crazy.

We got up really early Saturday morning to make it in time for the Boulder City parade. Jennifer was a little confused about the time change between Utah (Mountain Time Zone) and Nevada (Pacific Time Zone) so she was up at 5:45am thinking that they were ahead instead of behind which woke most everyone up. When it was finally time to go we loaded up in the cars to Boulder City. Jennifer's stomach really started bothering her so Cameron stayed behind with her. The parade was fun but very hot, at the end of the parade they have a huge water fight including the floats! It was fun but if you're in Boulder City for the parade bring a lot of water and squirt guns!!! The people on our right had water balloons and those on our left had a garbage can filled with melted ice and about twelve super soakers! The kids thought it was great. Cameron took Jennifer to the ER while we were out and they found that her gallbladder is infected and will need to be removed, they got her heavily drugged and let her go home but told her to call a doctor here in St George to have it removed in two weeks. She has to be on a very strict diet until then. What a fun trip to make on the fourth!!!

Later on we headed out to watch fireworks but stopped on the sidewalk to enjoy the neighbors fireworks first. Taylor ended up missing all the fireworks because he fell asleep on the way there and refused to get up. We headed back home this morning and made it just in time for the opening prayer for sacrament meeting! We are glad we made the trip to Henderson and got to see Brandon and Goldie before they welcome a new little one to the family in the next couple weeks. We are very excited for them! I love this country and all the rights and privileges that come from being a citizen. God has blessed us with so much!