sleeping in the closet

Here's what my daughter and her cousins did yesterday.

They dressed up like models and took pictures.

They climbed on the roof

They ate pizza

They took a bubble bath

They slept in the closet.

What do you do when you can do whatever you want?

feelin' blue

{Peekaboo} needed a change!  She's been dying (get it??) to dye her hair blue since she was like 7.  JR & I finally said OK as long as she had it done professionally the first time + she had to either earn the $$ herself OR work for the $$ from Johnny & ME.  It took a while but she finally has her blue highlighted hair.  She loves it!  Her hair actually turned out multiple shades of blue from a light teal to a medium blue to a green.  Anywho....It's hard to see in this picture but it does look rather cute!

It's for the birds!

So I'm sick and tired of birds right now.  I know they can be beautiful and fun to watch but this has not been a good year for birds in the A. household.

Some of the highlights include their eating my vegetable garden not ONCE but TWICE and now I have a nest of what we think are chimney swifts in our chimney....

They are loud little buggers!  They chirp and tweet all the time, morning, noon and night.  All of the information I've read so far says they'll live in our chimney for 2-3 weeks and then leave and then we're supposed to put some protection over our chimney so they don't come back.  So far we're at about 2 1/2 weeks.  Have I mentioned they are LOUD!!!

I'm tired of birds right now......GRRR

relief

I sold Zach's things today.

I never got to parent him.

I gave away parts of his things for baby gifts and such for the past 3 years but it was dragging out the grief.

  So, I pulled myself together and sold everything I had left.

I feel relief.  Some sad, but more relief.

Now I can go up in the attic without crying.  My attic may actually get cleaned out!

Zach's 3rd birthday was on July 10th.  it was time to let him go.

Next I try to get rid of my baby books.

25 years!!

Today was my Johnny's company's picnic.  We go every year.  This year was interesting because our teenager is too old to play on the Johnny Jump ups or play with Jolly Molly the clown.  she stayed with us the whole time and talked to who we talked to.  It's a different world than it was even just last year.

This year JR got his 25 year service award.  I've been married to JR for almost 17 of those 25 years.  my how time flies....not necessarily having fun...but time is flying!

John Gottman

I have been recently introduced to the teachings of John Gottman.  He is a scientist who has studied marriage and relationships for the past 30 years, specifically what lasts and what doesn't.  he's fascinating.  you can check him out @ the gottman institute or there are a number of blurbs on YouTube.

the four hoursemen of the apocalypse (AKA the way to kill a relationship)


the magic relationship ratio

I just felt like sharing

I like working on my books and I feel like sharing.  Hope you appreciate!


http://www.heritagemakers.com/projectBrowserStandAlone.cfm?projectId=1203718&productId=11&projectSponsor=318864

An update in 3 parts

Sometimes things happen in groups!  I feel like lately my life has been on near constant GO!  Most of it has been wonderful.  So many sweet things have been happening, quite a few of them photogenic but life has moved at such a quick pace that I haven't been able to post.

So, here's a quick update 

in 3 parts

First off!  I finally have pictures from Recognition Night.  One of my co-leaders took the pictures that night and gave them in a zip drive to another co-leader who didn't realize what was on the zip and mis-placed it for a while before we figured out what it was.....then it was a few months of me saying "can I pick up that zip drive?" before finally picking them up today.  recognition Night is always a special night and this year it was all about the beauty within.  My girls are darling!  Don't you think?

My sweet beautiful girls!

Next update!  Johnny & Peekaboo had the opportunity to participate in a Stake Youth Conference titled "Youth VS. Wild".  John went as an instructor.  Peekaboo went as a participant.

This conference was all about the B.O.M.  They hiked a mile into a rather isolated location to simulate the Nephi and his family in the wilderness.

(that's Peekaboo in the red sweatshirt on the end!)  Hiking!!

They had to follow a compass to find 'the promised land'

Our friend Mark B. taught the compass activity

Then they built fortresses and a tower ala King Benjamin

They also built boats!

and a rope bridge (not pictured)

 

They also had the opportunity to use bows and aarows

JR was the Range Master, teaching archery.  He set up a range of 'prey' for them to capture for food 

The kids seemed to really enjoy it.

All in all it seems that it was a wonderful 2 day event for JR & Sarah and all of the other young adults and leaders.

So, now update part 3!!

We finally took a family trip.  Just a quick short one, but effective.  We went to WA to visit my sister Christy & her kids.  We decided to treat it like a vacation so on our way up we stopped @ a place called Cabela's, a VERY large sporting goods store that Johnny has wanted to visit for a while.  Cabellas is filled with "I hope" faux 'prey'.  There is a whole wildlife scene built into the center of the store including an aquarium with live fish.

JR enjoyed looking at guns and amunition, a variety of archery supplies and fun boating accessories.  Peekaboo and I entertained ourselves by running around the store taking pictures of ourselves with some of the various wildlife AND taking pictures of ourselves in some rather hideous outfits (NOT PICTURED!!! but, funny!).   We had a good time together.

Once we dragged poor Johnny from the store we headed north to Christy's.

Christy had planned a special outting for she and I and Sarah.  We all went to a viewing of the new movie "Eclipse". 

 

I have read the book and the movie seemed faithful but since it's not my kind of book it just wasnt' my kind of movie.   But, it was fun to get out and do something just for the girls.  I enjoyed spending time with my girl.  We both got really excited about the new Harry Potter trailer!!

So, onto other fun things we did in WA.

John and I took Christy's crew to the park.  There's a darling park close to their home that the kids LOVED playing on.  John chased them and played 'Pirate' with them.  'Twas suuuuuuuuper cute!

We were in WA over the 4th of July and it was a raaaainy weekend.  Christy has a firepit thingy and we decided that we could cook s'mores for the 4th but when the 4th came it was quite drizzly.  fortunately Uncle Johnny can build a fire in just about any weather.  We pulled the little fire pit thingy over under the eve of the house and got the fire going and then pulled it back after it got going.  it worked well.

I have a bunch of cute 'marshmallow' pics but they'd take too long to show....suffice to say the kids had a blast!! Even Daddy Ryan took part!  (he's not much for outdoorsy stuff)

Now, being AUNT HOPE I have to have a photo shoot to finish off our trip!!

such cute photos if I do say so myself!!

So, that's about caught me up!  Hope this blog isn't like the longest most boringest ever!!