Happy Birthday Kale!

Today was Kale's 3rd Birthday! It is hard to believe our "baby" is turning 3. I remember very well when he was born, and it has gone by so fast. I feel bad he has a birthday so close to Christmas, but he seems to not mind right now! Kale has always been a really fun kid. Even though he was, and still is not a great sleeper, he is a happy boy. Kale likes to run, and try to keep up with his older siblings. He likes to do everything independently, but is still a BIG momma's boy. Which is OK with me, since he is my last baby :) We had a fun day letting him choose everything we did, even down to what we ate for meals! We went bowling. which Kale loves, and had cake, and of course PRESENTS.

Blowing out the candles on his birthday cake. He loved doing it by himself.
Kale received a fun little car to scoot around in! He loves riding in it.

Kale at 5 months old. He was always sticking out his tounge. What a cutie!Kale when he was around 10 months old. He wanted to feed himself, with no help.

Kale when he was 18 months old. He really liked riding in the backpack, where he could see everything going on.

We are so glad Kale is in our family. We love him so much, and look forward to seeing his little personality grow and develop. He has a contagious giggle, and he is quite observant. Happy Birthday little man!

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas from Ohio! We had a great Christmas here, and Santa was able to find our house. We had a great Christmas with just our little family, and we really enjoyed it! We did miss our families, but had a great time together. We had a quiet Christmas Eve, in which we read the Christmas Story and other fun stories. We made cookies for Santa, and left him a note. Plus, we opened the annual pajamas. :) The next morning the kids woke up at 6:30am! We knew the battle was lost, and everyone arose to see what Santa had left. The kids really seemed to like what they received, and we had fun playing the games and with the toys all day. We hope your Christmas was fantastic, and you were able to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Our family is truely grateful for our Savior, and his birth and sacrifice.

P.S. Here is the recipe for the Buckeyes that some of you requested.

Buckeyes:

1 cup butter (softned)

1 pound peanut butter (your choice on creamy or crunchy)

5 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate to melt. ( your choice on type of chocolate)

Cream butter and peanut butter together. Add powdered sugar. Roll dough into small balls and place on either a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, or some other large container with wax paper. Place in freezer to harden. It does not need to freeze solid, only harden so they will not fall apart as you dip them in chocolate. Use toothpicks to pierce balls in the center, and slowly dip them in your melted chocolate, leaving a small circle on top with no chocolate covering it. Place on cookie sheet to cool, and gently rub the hole left by the toothpick closed. They are done. Have fun!

Ice Storms and Freezing Rain

Well, we experienced our first ice storm with freezing rain. If you don't know, freezing rain occurs when it rains then freezes as it hits the ground, coating everything in a layer of ice. Early Fri. morning it snowed a few inches and then the freezing rain started. They closed down school everywhere for the day. I guess they close down schools quite a bit here for weather related problems. They have six emergency weather days included in the school year. It is also quite common to delay school by a couple of hours until they can clear the roads better. That is different for us, since in Utah they NEVER close school for anything. Last year when we had 22 inches of snow in one day, school went on as normal. :) Anyway, we received about 1/2 in of freezing rain on top of the 2-3 inches of snow, so the roads and sidewalks were slippery. Salt is definately a hot item here. Here are some pictures of what freezing rain does.

Buckeyes

For those who do not know, I currently reside in Ohio, the Buckeye state. What is a Buckeye, you might ask? I CAN'T believe you don't know what it is!!! (just kidding) I was invited to make buckeyes this week, and I didn't know what they were. I did Google the term, and learned a few things in order to be prepared. First, a Buckeye is a rare species of chicken bred in Ohio, it also can be what you would call someone attending Ohio state university. I think the main reason though, is because of the Buckeye tree. It is a close relative of the Horse Chestnut tree. Although, the seeds of the Buckeye tree are not edible and can be poisionous to certain animals. There, now don't you feel more educated? The Buckeye treat is patterned to look like the nut from the Buckeye tree. It is actually very easy. You combine butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar. Next, you roll the dough in little balls, and freeze the balls. Finally, after they are hard, you dip them in chocolate. I would like to personally thank my new Ohio friends, Melissa, Tiffany, and Bethany for inviting me, and helping me with this new creation. We had a lot of fun, and stayed up WAY to late, but it was worth it! Here are a couple of pictures of my Buckeyes.

Farmland and Funnies...

This past weekend, Lee went a photographed some farmland around where we live. Remember we are in winter time here now, so it is not as green as we are told it will be. Lee wanted some pictures so he could start painting some landscapes in his spare time before school starts is Jan. These are few of just a dozen or so that he took. Hopefully this gives all of you a general idea of what it looks like here. We obviously live in the more populated area, but this is just outside of town.We actually saw a sunset! Usually the sun doesn't shine that much this time of year, but the other night it was gorgeous.We also drove up to Michigan. It is only 1 hour away. While we were there, we ate at a place called Buffalo Wild Wings. I had to take a picture of the napkin they had there, it made us laugh.
We had a fun weekend. The ward here had a Christmas sing- in at one of the members's houses last night. It was fun to sing christmas songs and eat food, and get to know more friends. Santa visited our house the other night to make sure we were not traveling this Christmas. He wanted to know where to leave their presents. The kids were excited that he would think of that. :)

Finally Employed

I have finally officially been hired to work in Ohio as a nurse. I was offered the position today after nearly a month of jumping through all sorts of hoops. It was the job I REALLY wanted. I will be working for a healthcare system called Promedica. They own quite a few hospitals around the Ohio area. I will be working in the Toledo Children's Hospital in their internal agency. What this means is I will be obligated to float to 2 areas within the hospital ( I chose NICU, and Peds), I will only have to do those 2 areas. All their shifts you sign up for on-line, up to 6 weeks in advance. They have 6,8, and 12 hour shifts available. One of the best parts is they DO NOT require that I work weekends, or holidays unless I want to. So I will work weekends if I need to, and when I want to work a holiday I will still make my good wage plus the time and a half. It is a per diem position. My new boss showed me the shifts available on-line just in the NICU and it went on for 3 pages.
The NICU is a level III nursery, with 60 beds. It is very big. What they do different is that most rooms are private, instead of pods. I have not yet personally seen it, but it sounds interesting. My wage is great. I will have a base wage plus they pay premiums for most shifts that I will be picking up. So most shifts I will be making $35-$40 per hour. I had to take 5 competecy exams to get this job. They were timed tests, and to tell the truth they were horrible. I had to pass with an 85%. I did not enjoy them at all, but I passed and they are done. YEAH!
I am excited to start, and look forward to working with the babies that I love. I love knowing that I can work when it is convient for me day or night. Anyway just wanted to let you all know.

Fun times in Ohio

Yesterday we went to the Nativity Celebration for our Stake. They had over 500 nativity sets. It was really neat to see so many unique sets, and ways to remember our Savior's birth. They also had a children's corner, and we were able to dress up. This is our family reinacting the stable scene. (Lee is awesome with the big beard, don't you think?)
This is an actual snowflake that Lee took a picture of that landed on our car. Lee thinks it is because we are at a lower altitude the snowflakes have longer to form. This one was about 1/4 inch across. It was pretty neat.

Recap of our Road Trip

We left last Fri, and drove all the way to a place called Ogallala Nebraska. It was not bad except for a little snow we encountered near Cheyenne, WY. I was driving the Land Cruiser and Lee drove the big truck and car trailer towed behind it. We always had one child riding with Lee to ensure they did not drive their mother insane during the long drive. The next day we finished driving through Nebraska and then ended up in Iowa City, IA. The last 100 miles were bad since it was snowing and blowing, but we made it. The third day we drove through the rest of Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana, and finally arriving in Ohio. We drove over the Missouri River, and also the Mississippi River. We couldn't see much because it was raining or snowing the whole way that day which made for great driving. (ha ha) We stayed in a hotel that night in town, and unloaded the truck the next day. I am including pictures of the truck and our new house. So far everything is going well, and we are slowly unpacking and getting things organized.

Greetings from Ohio

After 1600 miles, we have reached our destination. We actually arrived Sun. night but we finally got internet service this afternoon. This is going to be brief, but I will post some pictures and give you all the grand play by play of our trip across 6 states. It is very cold here and the wind has been blowing a lot. We have had some snow or sleet everyday so far. The kids started school today and so far they like it. The average class has 15 students. I need to go but I will post more later.

The Holy War!?

As many of you know, the BIG game is coming up this Sat. between BYU and UTAH. I am not quite sure why it is called the holy war, but I do have my guesses. What are your ideas or knowledge of this phrase? And who is going to win this week? I have really no loyalty to either team, but I am still going to pick a side. Most of my family are BYU fans, so in leiu of major drama I will support BYU and say they will win 35-28. What do you all think?

Tagged

My sister-in-law tagged me last week, and I am now having time to respond.
I am supposed to list 6 quirky things about me. I don't know if these are quirky, but I will list them anyway.
1. I really like to eat oatmeal. I know most people don't like it, but I enjoy a good bowl sometimes.

2. I have great teeth. I have only had 2 cavities my entire life, including baby teeth. And I don't floss on a regular basis either.

3. I don't like to wear high heels. Even though I am short. They make me feel unstable.

4. I love to dip my french fries in shakes or ice cream. My husband thinks it is really gross.

5. I hate driving at night. I feel like I can't see anything.

6. I am a homebody. I would rather spend time with my family than do anything else.

I tag Jen G., Diane L., and Sherri V. Have Fun!

We are moved! At least temporarily..

Hello Everyone!
Sorry I haven't posted in quite awhile, we were crazy busy! We moved out of our house this past weekend, which was chaotic at best. I now remember why I don't like moving! We had a marathon move on Sat. with the help of our family and neighbors. I really appreciate everyone's help. Thank you!!! We are currently living with my in-laws for a couple of weeks, and then my parents for a couple of weeks. We did celebrate Halloween, and when I find my camera dock, I will be more than happy to post some pictures of that. :) On to other matters..
We voted yesterday, and what an event! I love to vote, and help decide what will happen in this great nation. What a historic time in our lives to have elected our first black President. While he may not be the first choice of many, he is the peoples' choice, and I feel blessed to live in a country that gives us the right to choose our leaders.
I am feeling bittersweet about our move. Even though I know we are supposed to move to Ohio, I feel sad to leave my ward, job, family, and friends. I am looking forward to our new adventure. We found a pretty decent house to rent, and now I need to finalize a job. We are leaving the day after Thanksgiving, and will be driving, yes driving 3 days to Ohio. Lucky me. Is it against the law to heavily sedate children and one cat for prolonged periods of time?

We sold our House!!

We have been truly blessed this week. On Thur. eve, our realestate agent called and said some people were going to come through our house the next day. I have been showing the house a couple of times a week, so this was not anything new. The next day, I was just finishing cleaning EVERYTHING when they showed up early! I quickly left with the kids, and went to my mom's. A little while later, my real estate agent called with the few questions from the people looking at our house. She then called me back again, and asked if I wanted to meet the prospective clients at our house. I went over and talked with them for about 10 minutes and answered questions about the house. They wanted to come back again later that night, which they did. Early Sat. morning were received an offer, and then we countered back. They countered again, and we accepted. So as for today we are moving! The only tricky part will be they want to close next Fri. the 31st.!!AHHH S0 we need to quickly figure out what we are going to do until we move to Ohio after Thanksgiving. We are very excited about this, and feel extremely blessed to sell in such conditions. The Lord truely is directing our path in this move.

Mountain Fun, Moose,and a Lost Cat

We have had a couple of fun excursions to the mountains the last couple of weeks. First we went to Farmington Canyon and drove to the top and read books once we arrived. The mountains are so pretty this time of year. Last weekend we went to our cabin in the Uintas. The leaves are changing rapidly, and they are gorgeous. Even thought it rained off and on, and even a few snow flurries made an appearance, we still enjoyed our time there. On interesting event happened on Sunday. We were taking a drive around the property, and I wanted to stop the car to take some pictures of some trees. I gathered the kids close to the side of the road, and was having Lee take the picture. I heard a noise off the road, and at first glance I thought it was a lost beef cow. It only took a second for me to realize it was a very large moose. Very quickly and as quietly as I could I ushered the children back to the car. Once in the safety of the car, we observed 2 different moose meandering throught the woods. One was a very big bull, the other was a smaller cow(female moose). They were about 20 feet away, and were very content in what they were doing. They barely gave us any attention, I assume they probably figured as long as we didn't bother them, they wouldn't bother us. We tried to get some pictures, but the trees were in the way.:)
My next story involves my cat. We have had our cat for about 8 years. She is about 10 years old. About 3 weeks ago she went outside and never returned. We looked everywhere for her. I called animal control in three different cities and counties inquiring after her. I even paid a visit to the local animal shelter. I was unable to locate our cat. We all were feeling bad, and hoping she wasn't suffering. Last night as I was turning off the lights and getting ready for bed, I heard some meowing coming from the front door. I quickly opened the door, and there was our cat! She immediately ran to her food, and started inhaling everything she could fit into her mouth. She looks like she has lost weight, and has a large nick in her tail, but everything else looks fine. We are amazed that she was able to find her way home, especially after 3 weeks. The kids were very excited this morning to find her safe and sould. She wanted everyone to pet and hold her all day. She seems like she missed us too. I am going to do a slide show about all our fun fall activities

Praying for our Country

With all the financial and economic turmoil this past week, I know that I am praying that our elected leaders receive the inspiration and guidance that they need. I am asking for others to do the same, and a decision can be reached that will move us in a direction that will be fair for all parties. As a Mom, I am concerned for my children's future. I ask everyone to please vote this coming Nov. It is the men and women who are elected that have sooo much say in our future. Please consider everyone who is running, and vote for those who you feel will make the best decisions for you.
On a lighter note. We had a great GNO night at my friend, Tanya, house. Just being able to get together and have a good chat session is always fun. See you all next time!

Planning for grandkids...ALREADY?!

Conversation I had with my kids in the car today.

Mara: Mommy when I grow up and am a mommy I am going to have 6 kids.

Me: 6 kids? That many?

Mara: Yes, I want 6 kids.

Me: Carson, How many kids are you going to have?

Carson: I think I better talk to my wife about that.

Me: Good answer.

It always amazes me the things that go on in their little heads.

My little boy loves Queen!

I am wondering if we are exposing our children to the right music. This morning Kale, our 2 year old, went into his room and put in a CD in the boombox. All of a sudden I hear Queen, We will we will rock you, booming out of the room, and right along with the music is Kale's voice singing the lyrics right along with them. Surprisingly he actually knows most of the words. Maybe I should be monitoring more what CD's he is finding to listen to?!

I love fall..

This is one of my favorite times of the year. I love fall. The air is cooler, the leaves are changing, the garden is finally yielding, and soon I won't have to weed the flower beds! Seriously, I really enjoy these months. The kids are playing soccer again, and while it is time consuming, I love watching them play and have fun. They really like school, and they had a great time at their carnival. Both of them performed in class performances and did a great job. Selling the house has been a process I could do without. I constantly have to make sure the house is mostly clean so if someone wants to come and look at it, I don't have to clean up much. We have shown the house twice this past week, so I guess that is good that we are getting some interest. I am glad we have some time to sell so we don't feel like we are giving the house away. I will be glad to have this part over with, even though I will be sad to move out of our house. In my free time I have been scoping out house's to rent in OHIO, and looking for jobs that fit my interest. So much things to change but exciting times for us. I really hope we sell by Nov. since I do not want to move when it is all snowy and cold. By the way, I want to tell my Grandma happy 84th birthday!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

This weekend brings our 9th anniversary. Lee and I were married Sept. 4th, 1999. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. We have had a great time. I am so glad I was smart enough to marry the incredible, smart, good looking, wonderful father, and loving husband that I did. For those you don't know or don't remember our story I wanted to recap how Lee and I met. Flashback to spring of 1999. I had been invited to go the Lagoon night sponsored by the Ogden LDS institute. Laurie, my friend, had a friend from her mission, Laura, who had called and asked her if she wanted to go with a group of her friends. In turn Laurie called me, and I agreed to go and meet this particular group of people. We arrived at Lagoon late (no big surprise) and met them at the front doors. I assessed the situation and decided that they all seemed fairly nice. Part way through the night Laurie ran off for awhile with someone else she knew. This was good because then I really got to know that fun bunch. Lee somehow fanagled it, that he and I would end up on the sky ride together. He planned that so he could get to know me better. In short, he asked me for my phone number that night, and I gave it to him, thinking he seemed kind of quiet and shy for me.
Early the next morning he called and asked me out. I already had plans with a group of students from one of my spanish classes. I told him we were going dancing at a latino club in SLC. Guess who showed up there that night? Yep, Lee did. At first I thought he was a stalker, but after dancing and talking to him most of the night, I really came to like him. We had a date the next week which was way fun. We went on a hike, and watched a movie at the planitarium at WSU. Lee's brother was working there at the time. I went out with another guy the night after I went out with Lee. It was a top 5 worst dates ever, and when I arrived home I found Lee had left me a dozen roses to thank me for a great date the night before. That totally lifted my spirits. A few days later I left for Costa Rica for a month to study abroad. I had a fantastic time, but missed Lee, and did send him some postcards. When I got home I called him a couple of days later, and we went that weekend. After that it was history, we were with each other all the time. We had so much fun, and could communicate really well. We were engaged over the 4th of July. Were were married 2 months later in the Ogden LDS Temple. I was, and still am so in love with him. Happy Anniversary!

We have some news....

So I know we haven't posted for awhile, but we have been really busy sprucing up our house and finishing up some projects that were long over due. We have been rushing to do this, because the Bartholomew Family is moving! Yep, Lee has been accepted to Bowling Green University in Ohio. For those who are wondering where that is, it is about 2o miles south of Toledo. Right by Lake Erie. Holy Cow! It is just sinking in now. Lee will be in the GIS (geographical information systems) master's program. I am very torn on moving. I really like our house, neighborhood, and ward. I also love my job. I am trying to be optimistic about this all and realize what a great opportunity this is for Lee and our family. So if you know anyone looking for a house, ours is for sale now :( I am posting some pictures of our house since it looks really good right now, and am proud of all the work we have put into it. Lee is scheduled to begin the first week in Jan. but we probably will move sooner if the house sells, so we don't have to move twice. Wish us luck!

First day of School!

I now officially have 2 kids in school. Mara started kindergarten today, and Carson entered the 2nd grade. With having two kids in school, it means twice as many school clothes, school supplies, odds and ends, etc... Luckily since Mara only goes 1/2 day, I still only have to buy school lunches for one. Clothes aren't so bad since they go the charter school, they have to wear uniforms. I only buy either tan/navyblue pants, shorts, or skirts, and tan/navy blue, or white shirts. So getting ready in the morning is easy since they have a limited choices to pick from. I bought most of their shirts from Land's End. They really do have the best shirts that last longest and look almost brand new even at the end of the year. They have great selection when it comes to uniforms. Anyway, Mara loved her first day of Kindergarten! She has a male teacher, Mr.Garcia, (Carson also had him) and his teacher's aide is Ms. Ivonne, who also was the aide for Carson. That is something I like about Ogden Prep, is the aides in the classroom's. They have a cap on the number of students in each class and a aide for almost every class. Mara liked recess the best, of course! Carson's teacher is Mrs. Thayne, she has taught at the school for a few years, but this is her first year in 2nd grade. She seems really nice and also very prepared. Carson liked listening to music in his class, and seeing all his friends and having lunch at school. My days are going to be quieter now, with only Kale at home for 1/2 the day. But, I have to admit it will be nice to have afternoon's free when Mara is at school, and Kale is taking a nap. :) I think it was a great start of the year!

Mirror Lake

We have been really busy, I have been a slacker and not posted about our camping trip to Mirror Lake. The kids LOVE camping. They love sleeping in the tent, roasting marshmellows, and playing with their cousins. We had a good time walking around the lake and riding in the canoe. There are no motorboats allowed in the lake so it stays pretty quiet. We had a great time.
This is how Lee carries Kale around, I think this will be the last year we will be able to do this.Carson is getting so big! He is so observent and loves being outside.Mara is forever posing for the pictures, and likes getting attention!The kids liked wading in the lake, even though it was cold! They had a lot of fun.

Memory Lane

As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together.
It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Baseball, T-ball, and Summer Fun

Normal Life...

OK, so we have been back a week, and already I am ready to go back. Of course, only if I could bring my kids. :) I don't think I could leave them for that long so soon. I have had to delve back into reality at my house. Doing my own laundry, cooking the meals, and cleaning the bathrooms. All these things done for us while on our trip. (sigh) Going to work on top of everything else has been kind of a downer. But looking at the bright side, having fun with the kids, and spending time with them is always a good time. Lee and I, with a little help from the kids started to un-junk our storage room, and make our extra bedroom downstairs an actual usable space instead of another storage room. Lee has finished the bathroom downstairs and it looks great! I will have to take some pictures and post them. As for being back to reality, it is not that bad, but I still wonder about the possibility of a maid?...:)

Our amazing trip in Peru

editor's note: Due to the vast amount of pictures taken on this trip only a small portion can be viewed here. If you really want to punish yourself, you may contact the author directly for a private viewing of all 800 pictures. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

Hello Everyone!
Lee and I made it home safely. First off, make sure you check out our slide show following this post to view some of our amazing pictures of the beautiful country of Peru. I am really glad we went and had such a fantastic time. I will give a brief summary of our trip (mostly for my benefit so I will remember) and all the great things we did. I want to explain that our group consisted totally of current botany students, past students, and professors and their families from WSU. GO WILDCATS!

June 26th
We woke up bright and early at 5am to get ready to go. We carpooled down to the airport to save gas and money for long term parking. We left SLC around 10am and landed in Atlanta about 4 hours later. After a small layover we boarded for Lima, Peru. It was a long flight, around 6 hours but we survived. We were met at the airport by our trip leader Erick. We boarded our mini-bus and arrived at our hotel about 1am. We all went to bed and tried to get some sleep even though we were excited to be there.

June 27th
After breakfast we went on a small walk around the city and then met our group for a small orientation on our trip. We had a small lunch and then had a bus city tour, and visited a museum about the history of lima. For dinner we had a fantastic time watching various types of dancing from Peru,my favorite was the scissor dance, in which young man dance and flip around while holding large scissors and clicking them together. The food was really good too. I have to say that Lima while it has it's share of poverty it does seem to be much more advanced than Bolivia. And more opportunity to educate and advance.

June 28th
We went on a tour of the little town of Villa el Salvador. It is one of many areas called squatters villages. Where people have taken up residence and not paid for the land. It is a very commom occurence there. Within these villages they have quite the organization though. Everyone has to help with building and maintaing the village. The men are usually at work all day, so the majority of this is left to the women. The children do go to school. The have a communial kitchen where you can buy lunch for your family if you so desire. It is quite the set-up and the have different stages, and eventually these villages can get assistance from the government to help with roads and such. These villages do help reduce the homeless population, and help these people feel more independent. Lima has a population of 9 million so it does help take care of more families. The people are quite nice and very humble. I met a couple of members of our church while there. That afternoon we wandered on our own. Went to look at the beach and did some shopping. If you are wondering we did not go into the water at the beach. It was winter there and only in the 60's during the day.

June 29th
We awoke at 2am so we could catch our flight to Iquitos. We arrived in Iquitos around 6am and had a quick tour by bus before boarding our boat La Esmeralda which would be our home for the next 6 days. We went on a boat tour, ( in our skiff) around the floating village. This village is on the river, and some of the houses are built to float as the river rises during the rainey season. It was quite interesting to see people washing clothes right by the outhouse, which dumps directly into the river. After lunch we sailed upstream and got our first view of the Amazon River. I don't think I will be able to ever call rivers in Utah rivers anymore! The amazon is huge. In some areas a couple of miles long and 1oo feet deep. The mouth of the amazon which is in Brazil is about 180 miles wide. We were in awe of the beauty and surroundings. Our boat was great. It had a observation deck on top, which you could see all around and still be under shade. The cabins were made for 2-3 people. Lee and I had our own cabin and private bathroom, even with hot water. It reminded me of Bolivia, in that you had to turn the switch on the wall to heat the water as it came out of the spout.:) The crew was amazing. We felt very pampered in every way but still could enjoy the environment. We had cabin boys that would clean our rooms and bathrooms, do your laundry anytime it needed to be done, and folded our towels in all sorts of different plants and animals. They also were musicans and would play music at night for us to enjoy and dance to. The food was great, the cooks spent a great deal of time making awesome cuisine from around Peru. The waiters were very attentive, and the captain even let me drive the boat for a short while. I was very impressed with our accomodations.

June 30th
We went on a rain forest walk and saw some the giant water lillies, Vicoria Regia, and some other iguanas, monkeys, and termite mounds. There were many different species of birds that we encountered, especially the parakeets, and kingfishers. Our guides were very knowlegdeable about plants and species and could explain what each did or it use was. I am not a botanist so most of it was a little foreign, but it was still interesting. Each time we entered a village they would want us to buy something from them, and I felt bad that I couldn't buy something from everyone.

July 1st
This morning we explored the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, both by boat and land. It is a protected area in Peru, that cannot be deforested or hunted in. The do have park rangers to patrol. I was is awe of all the different trees, birds, and flowers. It was beautiful. After lunch we met with a local Shaman. Since most of these remote villages have no doctors or clinics, they rely on Shaman's who have studied for years about the local plants and trees, and different remedies for illnesses. They use also spiritual remedies as well. It was quite interesting. He gave us a good health blessing with his assistant, I was definately intrigued by this method of healing.

July 2nd
Today we went exploring in the rainforest and went on a canopy tour through the trees. Reaching heights of about 70 feet into the air. I admit I was a little nervous, but it was a very secure system, and views were breathtaking. I will never get over how different it is in the rainforest than our mountain forests here. That night we went on a night time walk to see the night life. We did see some cool spiders, scorpians, and insects. We also saw some possums, and cutter ants. At lunch we had lunch with one of the local river families, which hosted us in their home. They can sure cook fish! We ate a lot of fish on our trip since it was so accesiable. If the people didn't have the river, they would go hungry most days. It really is their life blood.

July 3rd
This morning we went on a tour of the forest in the boat, and then went piranha fishing! Lee and I both caught one. It was quite easy, you just put a piece of raw meat on the end of your hook, and put it in the water. You have to be fast though or they will eat the bait right off your hook. We had fun doing that, and they really do have sharp teeth in their mouths. We took them to the boat for the cooks to prepare them for our lunch. They actually didn't taste to bad. That afternoon we went on a dugout canoe ride in another small village. The river people use the canoes to navigate the river. They make them, and most don't have motors to get around. The use the arms and paddles. Children as young as 5 learn to drive the canoes.

July 4th
We visited a village called Nauta, and went shopping in their market, which is always a experience. I can't describe the chaos of the open-air markets. Everything and everyone there to see and buy. We did find some cool souveniers though. We had our farewell dinner with the crew and enjoyed our last sunset on the amazon. In all we traveled 180 miles up and back the Amazon river and visited numerous villages and forest land. It was so great! Definately a once in a lifetime experience.

July 5th
We awoke early to catch our flight back to lima. The plane we were supposed of take couldn't land in Iquitos because of fog, so we had to wait until that afternoon to catch a different flight. We arrived in Lima around 4 and had a few hours to relax in Lima and eat some dinner. Lee and I went to our now favorite restaurant Cafe de la Paz. The food was the most delicous food ever. We all sampled each others food because of how wonderful it was. After dinner we walked around a bit and then went to catch our minibus back to the airport.

July 6th
After flying all night we arrived back in SLC around 2pm. We had been up for about 36 hours with maybe 3 hours of sleep. But we were very anxious to see our children! We really missed them but still had a great time. I was really excited to hug my kids and catch up on everything they did while we were gone. Thanks to both sets of grandparents, and aunt heather for watching them with such love!! We put the kids to bed about 8pm and we soon followed because we were dead on our feet. In all it was a fabulous trip and unforgettable. I am really glad we went and we have memories to last us a lifetime.

Peru Trip!

I'm leaving on a Jet Plane....

Well, Lee and I leave early tommorow morning for our trip to Peru. I am excited, and a little nervous to leave my kids for 11 days. It has been a little crazy trying to get ready, but I think I am almost done! I have worked the past 3 days so I haven't been able to get much ready. So this will be short so I can finish getting laundry done and cleaning my house. :) Don't worry I am planning on taking a lot of pictures, and will post them when I return. I am feeling a little guilty for leaving my kids, we are really busy at work, and my summer projects are going to have to wait. But, this is a once in a lifetime experience!
On that note, ADIOS AMIGOS Y NOS VEMOS MAS TARDE. CHAU!

Happy Birthday to ME!

It was my birthday yesterday. I am now officially 32. Where has the time gone? I have been thinking of what I was doing 10 years ago at the age of 22 on my birthday. I was on my mission in Bolivia, in a area called Tarija. It was the only birthday I had while on my mission. I do remember the members in my area were really sweet and had a birthday party for me. Complete with cake and icecream. I recieved some small gifts and a really cool hat. They really went out of their way to make it special. I have very fond memories of that area and all the wonderful people I met and still think about, and miss. In the past ten years I have been married, had 3 children, moved 3 times, supported a husband through school, and countless hours of work and housework. :) I love my life and my family and I am really grateful for the gospel and how it has prepared me to lead me in my life and those of my children. May the next 10 years be as full and rewarding as the past 10.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY LEE!

I wanted my wonderful husband to know how great of a father I think he is. From the moment I had Carson, Lee has been a hands on Dad. He has never complained about changing diapers, or helping calm a fussy baby, even in the middle of the night! Lee always plays with our kids, and likes to spend time with them. He takes them with him everywhere. Whether that is shopping or hiking. I couldn't ask for a better Dad for my kids. I wanted to make him breakfast in bed for Father's Day, but I worked the night before, and was sleeping:) He got up and got himself and our 3 children ready for church by 9am! I was able to fix a nice lunch for him. His mom also had a nice dinner at her house. I hope he knows how much I love and appreciate him. I also know our kids wouldn't trade him for anything. THANK YOU FOR BEING A GREAT DAD!

Spending to much Money

I have been spending to much money this week. It started last Friday when I went to Target and bought some things Lee and I needed for our trip. We also bought his father's day present and my birthday present. (clothes for our trip). It was things that we needed but it still came to a hefty price. On Saturday, I went shopping in Park City with some work friends.(We had a great time!) I really tried to stay on a budget, and I did for the most part, but I still spent a small fortune. Mostly summer clothes for the kids. I wrapped up this mini spending spree today by getting my hair done. It is a good thing that I am working a little extra this week, I need to make up some of the money I have spent. On a more positive note, our trip is a little more than 2 weeks away. I am really excited to go. I am trying to wrap up everything we need, and the kids could need while we are away. This is no small task, and I keep thinking that I will probably forget something. Lee and I are even doing a will, just in case something happens to us. The challenge comes in finding someone who will take our kids if we die! :-) So if anyone wants to volunteer let me know ;) Talk at you later.

Carson's Birthday

Carson turned 7 years old on June 1st. He is getting so big. I can't believe where the time has gone. We took him and Mara to Lagoon for the first time on Saturday for his birthday. We had a really good time and even rode the frontrunner down to lagoon. It was a fun day, and we were all tired by the time we arrived home. The next day, we had cake and icecream and he was able to open his presents. He got a really big water gun and a slip and slide among other things. We are so glad Carson is in our family.

P.S. Notice his summer haircut :)

Memorial Day

For Memorial Day we went up to the cabin. I have never been up there with so much snow on the ground still. It was a bit chilly, but we still were able to walk around a bit, and go down to the lake. Notice the thin ice layer still on the water.

Lee wanted me to post a picture of his car. He is so proud of his new tires, and all the fun places we can go now in his car.

These are the old coke ovens close by the cabin in what used to be called peadmont. They made coal in these big ovens to be used around the valley.

End of Soccer and Gymnastics

Carson and Mara finished soccer and gymnastics for the summer. Mara had a mini Olympics program to show us everything she has learned this past year. She also recieved a medal for all her hard work. Carson's soccer team did awesome. They won every game except for one, in which they tied. We are very proud of them.