Howdy Partner!

A HUGE THANK YOU to the Johnson family for hosting their AWESOME Barbn Dance last night! It was so much fun mixing and mingling with good friends, and making new ones too! :)

My kids LOVED their horses! I can't imagine how big a full grown horse must seem to a child!

Even Peyton was able to get up close and personal with the mighty beasts! I hope all my kids will love horses as much as their mom! Brandon promised me a horse someday.. I told Bailey (who also LOVE them) and between the two of us, I don't think he'll get off the hook that easy! ;)

The Johnson's hired a man to teach square dancing to everyone who wanted to learn. Bailey and Brandon had a BLAST dancing together (even though it was CRAZY hot!).

Before we headed out, we attempted a family shot... this is as good as it was gonna get!

We had such a blast, and made some great memories! It's times like these that you just want to last forever!!! :)

The New "Big Man" on Campus!

Can Hunter really be THREE?! My word where has the time gone?! If he wakes up tomorrow and wants to start dating, I think I just might kill over! Serisouly though, I have been SO blessed with this adorable kid! He is so sweet and sensitive.. my little lovey boy! :) Only his face could win me over to the point that I would purchase homes for his BUGS for his birthday!

In case you didn't know, I love all God's creatures.. truly, I do. But there are certain creatures that are meant to stay OUTSIDE, and not interact with mankind. That being said, Hunter LOVES bugs! A while back I gave my kids jars to collect their bugs in. I vividly remember cleaning my kitchen when Bailey came running up:

"Mommy, come quick! You have to see what Hunter did, and I don't think you're gonna be very happy..."
"What happened Bailey??"
"He let all our friends out to play in our preschool room downstairs!"
"Our friends?? What friends??"
"You know.. our worm friends, and our roly-poly friends..."

Yeah... about 3 dozen creepy crawlies later, you may be wondering if I'm glutten for punishment?! Well, one look at his face, and you just might have a lapse in judgement too! ;) Happy birthday buddy!!!

Playing catch up

Well, I've been putting this off long enough... There's SO much to tell! Brandon and I figured if we are going to drive 3 days to see family, we were going to make it worth our while! The entire month of July in Utah seemed worth while enough to me! :) The kids were truly FABULOUS in the car, and to reward them, they were spoiled royally by three adoring grandmas!!!

We bounced around a bit, but stared off at Grandma Roberts' house, then went for a weekend boating trip in Elko with the De Groot side and my Aunt Lauren. Then it was back to Grandma Roberts' for more fun with cousins, on to Grandma De Groot's, then a Hooley family reunion up Ephrain Canyon (we went "camping" in a beautiful trailor with AC... HEAVEN!). All in all, a splendid vacation visiting family and old friends. You'll notice, the slide show below excludes the camping trip with the Hooley family, but no worries, I'll share those pictures too once I get a copy of them. :) ENJOY!!!