Home Alone

Usually Kent and I go away for the weekend to have some time without the kids, but tonight Reagran was so kind to ask Ethan and Ella to sleep over there. I always miss my kids when we go away, but tonight I really get the chance to MISS them since I am home without them. Kent and I had lots of fun finally watching "The Office" and eating our brownies, followed up with a cut throat game of UNO.It is so nice to have time at our own house to just relax and enjoy spending time together. I am glad that Kent asked me on a date for a night in. Now that we are shutting off the lights and getting ready to go to sleep, I am thinking about my nightly routine of tucking my kids in.
I will miss the prayers that Ella is trying to say on her own, including "bless the truck and the bye-bye (the car). I will miss the wet kiss that she insists on giving every one of us before we can leave her. I will miss running quickly out of her room before she thinks of yet ANOTHER toy that she wants us to get for her to sleep with. I will miss laying down with Ethan while he talks of his day at school. I will miss hearing about the boy, Ivan, in his class that keeps getting red tags and they have to call his daddy. I will miss him telling me about the new milk pouches they have that don't taste like the regular chocolate milk. I will miss having an "I love you more" war with Ethan as we eskimo kiss. I love my kids and I am very thankful for the times I have away from them to remind me how blessed I am. Thank you Reagran for just one more reason why you are the best friend a girl could ask for. You know you love me. XOXO.

Real Life

I had the best of intentions to eat brownies and watch my show. Before we started the show, I went to tuck Ethan in to bed and hear about his day. I guess somewhere between his new spanish words and ramblings of extra recess time, I fell asleep. When I finally woke up at midnight, Kent was fast asleep and I missed the perfect evening. I guess we'll watch it this afternoon. Luckily Kent didn't watch it without me. I hear it was a good one!

I gotta get back to "The Office"

I'm making brownies (miss ya, Brooke) and getting the kids down early tonight. One full hour of great television begins in less than an hour!!

Oodles of Noodles

We found these fun little sponge noodles at the craft store. It was great for both kids to play together. I am always looking for an activity that will please a five-year-old and a two-year-old.

Could she be any cheesier?

My Sister's Birthday

Today is my favorite sister's birthday. My happiest, most thoughtful, most creative, most spontaneous and creative sister.
I am so thankful for the blessing of a sister. She is my shoulder to cry on, my ear to tell secrets to, my rock when I need advice and my partner in crime when I want to be silly. I have so many wonderful memories with Camille. She is such a great example to me. I am a better person for having an older sister like her. Our husbands were so gracious to let she and I go to Fiji this summer (without kids) to see our parents on their mission. That was one of the best memories of my life. I love you, Camille. Today you are in the process of moving your family from a home you love to the great unknown. I hope you are having a wonderful birthday and slowing down to celebrate your life. You are a special woman and I am thankful to be your sister.

Happy Gas

Today we took Ethan in to the dental clinic to have his VERY loose tooth pulled. I'm sure this tooth was so loose that anyone could have pulled it, but Ethan (and Kent) wanted to try out the sleepy juice. They just got happy gas at Kent's office and Ethan was more than willing to be one of the first patient's to take a test run. Here are some pictures of a lot of fuss over one little tooth. Here is the smile with the snaggle tooth still there.

Ethan couldn't stop laughing before they even put the happy gas on him.




Here's the new smile. That is one big gap!

Friends for dinner

Although I didn't get any pictures (I'm trying to be a little less annoying about sticking a camera in everyone's faces all the time). I wanted to remember what a fun evening we had. We had the Wise's, the Kannely's and the Anderson's over for dinner and dessert. The kids felt so grown up at their very own table. After dessert the kids ran around screaming, playing and laughing. With my little house and the number of children there, I was so proud that they all played together and had a great time. In fact, the adults were able to play a game too. I can't wait until the next time we get together... bring Chewbacca! It was so fun to laugh together. I am so thankful for good friends in my life.

Miss Sunnyside Pageant

Saturday night we finished up a very busy day with the Miss Sunnyside Pageant. Jory was lucky enough to snag us some tickets. Kathy was generous enough to give me her ticket so I could go with Reagran and Annie to the show. We had such a great time. The girl that won Miss Sunnyside is actually Chris's (Reagran's son) homecoming date. All of the girls were very cute and talented. It was a fun night.

Sunny Days Carnival

After such a busy morning, we took Ella home for a nap and went to the carnival with Reagran and Annie. Since the weather was bad, there were no lines at all. Annie and Ethan got to ride every ride over and over. What a great day!

Ward BBQ

After the parade, we went to a church BBQ at someone's house in the ward. Although the rain was still drizzling, the burgers were hot and the company was warm so everyone had a great time together.

The "Sunny Days" rainy parade

Today was Sunnyside's "Sunny Days Parade." The weather has been unseasonably hot (as mentioned in my A/C post). Well, this morning, it decided to finally cool off. We are had our first cold day of the season, including rain all day. The parade went on and the kids had a great time.


Our ward had a float in the parade.

Happy Birthday, Shawn!

Today my nephew celebrates his birthday.
He is the kindest boy you'll ever meet. Ethan loves to play video games with him and follow him around whenever they are together. I am so thankful to have many good examples for Ethan. We miss you Shawn, and we hope you have a wonderful birthday. Go celebrate in style!

Heaven on Earth

Today Reagran went through the temple for the first time.
Reagran is such an amazing person. I felt the sweetest spirit with her inside the temple. Reagran's mother and sister have passed on, so I am humbled that I was the one person that was able to be her escort as she received her endowment. I know that her Heavenly Father loves her very much and was proud of the decision she made. From our ward family, about 30 people were in attendance to show their love and support to Reagran for the decision she made to take this next step in her life. Although Reagran's birth mother wasn't there in body, Reagran had 10 mothers waiting in line in the Celestial Room to hug her and wipe her tears. Although Reagran's sister also couldn't be there in body, she had many sisters wanting to be close to her. I know that many of Reagran's family members were their in Spirit at such a wonderful moment in her life. I love you Reagran. I can't wait to go back to the temple again!

We're Baking, so I'm not baking

Our air conditioner has been out for over a week.
Well, September in Washington, you'd think that wouldn't be so bad. The weather here has been in the 90's every day since the air conditioner broke. Today we are finally getting it fixed. Needless to say, we've been eating dinner out a lot so I don't have to turn on the oven.

Happy Birthday, Cristal

My sister-in-law is celebrating her birthday today.
One of my favorite memories with Cristal is when I used to go stay with her and my brother. I was around 10 or 11 and I would go to Bakersfield, California for a few weeks each summer to play with my adorable little nephews. I had so much fun watching Cristal teach preschool. She is such a creative and energetic woman. I still remember her teaching me how to make cinnamon buns. I love you, Cristal. Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Becky!

Today is Becky's birthday, one of my truest friends. I love this picture of her because Becky's life revolves around the joy of her family. She is such a great example of a patient and loving wife and mother. Becky, I hope that you know what an amazing woman you are. I am inspired by watching your life. I am so thankful for our friendship. I know that you are a genuine person that loves people and loves life. You are on e of the most selfless and generous people I know. Slow down and let others pamper YOU today. I am honored to call you friend. I hope you have a very happy day.
A group of us met up for lunch for her birthday. What a fun time. We love you!

I'm in Love

Kent swept me away last weekend to a hotel and spa. We left the kiddies with Reagran (thank you AGAIN, Reaggie) and went 45 minutes away to have some "together" time. Kent is always so great about making time just for the two of us. We went to a hotel in downtown Yakima. The next morning we had a delicious, beautiful breakfast. After that, we went to a spa and had the royal treatment. It started with a hot foot soak and foot massage while sipping lemon water in the tea garden. Then we were able to relax in a huge Japanese soaking tub with lots of aroma therapy, essential oils, and candles. The pampering was finished up with a one hour massage. Thank you, Kent. You know just how to make me happy. I love you.

Happy Birthday, James!

Today is my nephew, James' birthday. Until I can locate my Utah pictures to post a shot of his handsome face, I will post a picture of once of his interests- bikes. James is such a great boy. I guess now that he is 22 I can't really say "boy" anymore. He is now such a great man. Where does the time go? I remember when he was born, I remember babysitting him. I remember going to stay with him when he lived in California. I've always being an aunt. I am thankful for James in my life. This birthday is especially tender since he just had an accident a few weeks back that put him in the IUC at the hospital to due a serious head injury. He is doing well and we are all so thankful for that miracle. We love you, James (not that he ever reads my blog). Have a Happy Birthday!

Yakkety Yak

At school Ethan has mentioned his biggest concern. There is a little girl in his class that won't stop talking to him. The first day he told me about her and said that she just kept talking and talking to him. Kent told him to be nice and I told him to just tell her nicely that you don't feel like talking right now. We tried to make sure that he was sensitive about it and not make her feel bad. Well, now that he's been going a few more days, he still complains about this little girl that won't stop talking to him all day long. He now mentions that she uses mean words. He said that he told his teacher and the little girl had to go to the office. Uh-oh. I better follow up and make sure I'm getting my facts straight. I told Reagran this story and she laughed because it reminded her of Margaret from Dennis the Menace.

Happy Birthday Merrilee

Today is my sister-in-law's birthday.
She is a great example to me of a devoted wife and mother. She is so tender and caring. I am thankful to have her in our family. My brother and she came, with their two children, to visit us a couple weeks back. It really meant a lot to us that they would make the trip. We had a great time. I hope you come back soon! Enjoy your birthday Mer, and know you are loved!

Old Mission Buddies

We finished up the whirlwind weekend with a visit at an old mission buddy of Kent's. They were in the MTC together. Ten years later here they are.
They had fun swapping stories from the mission and sharing experiences from their lives for the last ten years. Both of them ended up going to dental school. John (Elder Malan) is now specializing in Oral Surgery. He and his wife (also a dentist) live with their 11-month-old daughter in Seattle. It was fun to meet them. The craziest part of the night was when John told us he went through dental school through the navy. He knows our friend Matt. They did boot camp (correct me if I'm wrong) for a month together before dental school started. I remember when Matt went to do that when we very first met the Russell's. What a small world.

A Day at the Zoo

We dropped of Cameron, Kent's brother, at the airport on our way to the zoo. It was funny to watch Ella's reaction to Cameron. She was confused that someone looked so much like her dad but it wasn't him. She would just sit and study him for the longest time. We gave Cameron some key words to talk about that would definitely get Ella to warm up to him, such as "shoes," "cows," and "trains." We met up with Jory and Kathy's family and Brent and Erin's family at the zoo.



After the zoo, we went to a fun little Italian restaurant

Sports Chasing Weekend

Fun at the hotel pool.

Fun at the Aquarium


Fun on the Pier
Fun at Pike's Place Market


Fun swimming with cousin Kade

Well, we (the kids and me) wanted to spend this weekend with Kent so we followed him to Seattle. He was meeting his brothers, Kevin and Cameron, there for a Mariners baseball game on Friday night and then a BYU game on Saturday. Ethan was able to go with him to the baseball game. Taylor, Connor and Kade were there too so Ethan had fun with his cousins. Brent and Erin went along with Gary and Byron (Brent's brother). Ethan, Ella and I started the day off with a quick swim at the hotel pool with Erin and Tanner. Then we had a lot of fun on the Pier. We went to the Aquarium and Pike's Market. By the time we met up with the guys after the game, we were exhausted.