I'm a yankee doodle daaaandy ....

I love the 4th of July! This weekend was crazy -- birthdays, multiple BBQ's, a triple dose of fireworks, injuries, late nights, water slides -- and we had lot of fun! We kicked off the weekend at 12:00 am on Thursday by scouting out a primo spot for the Kaysville parade on the 4th. Never in a million years would I think we would participate in the madness that occurs with picking a spot, but we did and we were awesome (By "we" I mean Gator. I just put in my 2 cents before I went to bed!)! Gator's birthday consisted of a little Guitar Hero and dinner, followed by more dinner and fireworks later that night at Dad and Margaret's house. The fireworks were great and the food was fabulous!

Ella and her fun 4th of July dress.


Jack taking a moment to see what's going on. Mostly he crawled around and picked-up dropped food. Yummy!


Ella, Lar, Jake and Uncle Matt.


Ella, Aves and Lils

Don't come any closer or I'll shoot! Ella didn't hesitate shooting people she didn't know.


After the parade we went to Dad and Margaret's (yes, again!) for a BBQ. They have a perfect hill for a slip-and-slide and Ella loved it!


Jack decided he liked the slip-and-slide too.

Uncle Eric and Aunt Heather entertaining Jack. Ahh, bless their hearts!


My Dad, brothers and Dan (on the left. he's not my brother) trying to roast a few hotdogs.


Gator somehow hurt his back on Thursday and had to sit on the sidelines for all our events. The poor guy could hardly walk! This is him doped up on Ibuprofen and muscle relaxers.

Hope everyone had a fun 4th -- we sure did! Can't wait for next year!

Catch-up ....

Few! The lazy days of summer somehow passed by our house this year. We've been busy and we are sure tired! The last couple of months have been madness! Grab your coke and hunker down because the next few posts are long ones! Here's a recap of the Gatherum events since the end of May ....

I've got rhythym ...

Ella's dance recital was during the first week of June. She loves dance and loves her "dance competitions."

Ella and some dance friends.


Cute, huh?


Ella loves being on stage and likes to tell us how good she is!

Birthday Boy!

Jack turned 1 last week! We had a couple of BBQ's to celebrate and he loaded up with some great stuff! I can't believe what a big boy he is (literally!)!

Jack didn't hesitate to dive into his cake! He loved it!


Jack scored some new crocs. The Utah crocs are from Uncle Eric and Aunt Heather (of course!) and the camouflage are from the Uncle Daren and Aunt Suzy family (of course!). He looks so cute in them!

Random Projects

Most of you already know the sad story so I"ll spare you the details but this is Gator ripping out all of our grass. I think this might be the only time he had a smile on his face and that's just because I asked nicely. This was long, back-breaking, horrible work. Poor Gator spent so many nights and weekends yanking out dead grass!


Round #2. Isn't this pretty? We finally got the sod down and I have spent numerous hours rolling around in it! This has been such a project and we are far from done. The backyard is getting closer but the front still needs some tuning up. We have such nice neighbors who have not complained once about their white-trash neighbors!


Due to the backyard overhaul, I was cutting it a little close but I finally got my garden in. I love my garden and spend a lot of time dinking around in it.


The zipper on these shorts has a hard time staying where it's supposed to. I have probably zipped these shorts up 437 times since May ... that's a lot of time zippin' pants up!


Strawberry Jam! This is the first time I've attempted freezer jam and it was a cinch! I can't wait for raspberries!

Bread, bread, and more bread. It's getting a little hot so the bread availability at our house is going down.


I taught a bean class a couple of weeks ago. Yes, this cake is made with beans and surprisingly, it's yummy!

I'm doing my duty and have started recycling. I just got my bin last Monday (thanks Kristy!) and it's already full! It's amazing how much stuff I use that can be recycled!

Lagoon!

The weather was nice and cool and Ella thought it was magical. Thank goodness we haven't yet taken her to Disneyland! She wasn't afraid to go on any of the rides, but after every one, she told me that she didn't want to do that one again. I hadn't been to Lagoon in years ... honestly, there's a few more rides but not much has changed!

Not too sure about Puff the Magic Dragon. She didn't want to go on this one again, either.


You know the kids in Jr. High that would always get a summer pass to Lagoon and spend their Summer of Love on the skyride? Ella started a little early. This is her friend Ty. They kind of have a love/hate relationship. They were fighting a little bit earlier that day but they must have made-up.

School's Out, Scream and Shout!

Ella and Miss Joani

Ella's preschool put on a program for the last day. The kids were darling and, of course, Ella made us proud ...

Father's Day

Every year for Father's Day, I play a round of golf with my dad and brothers over at Oakridge. Luckily, my golfing skills haven't completely disappeared and I was able to keep up.We had a lot of fun.


Jack and Papa at the post-golf BBQ.

Ella and Papa


Ahh ... and don't forget the daddy of our family (notice the hand waving). I feel like Gator always gets the shaft on Father's Day since we're so focused on our dads, but he's a good sport and never complains (I'm pretty sure I would!). Gator is absolutely the best dad and my kids adore him! We think he's the best!

Roughin' It

We were able to make a quick trip up to South Fork for a camping trip with friends. This is the first time we have camped with Jack and it was an experience ... although better than I thought he would be. We did some dutch oven, smores, bonfires and a little kum by ya-ing. We had a great time and can't wait to do it again.

Ella and smores ... new best friends.



This was to help prevent Jack from swallowing rocks and shoving sticks in his or other's eyes. We were able to keep him in this long enough to take the tent down.


Rough night with very little sleep. Amazingly, the kids got up happy.


Gator and Ella floating down the river. One time. The water was freezing and Ella said she never, ever wanted to do that again!


During the final hours of our trip. Both of us are a little tired!

Happy Birthday, Gator!

Funny thing about Gator - when you take his picture, he usually waves at you. This is what most of his pictures look like. I guess that's better than flashing the peace sign or some other finger gesture!
Today is Gator's birthday. He turns 33 (I'm pretty sure). He is the best dad and husband and I'm so lucky to have him. We love you! Hope you have a good day!

Hee! Hee! Hee!

When I watch a funny movie or a TV show, I generally don't laugh out loud. Drives Gator crazy! While my insides may be rolling over backward from the hilarity of it, very rarely do I make a whole lot of noise. Usually, I sit and smile. However, every time I watch Ellen and see this game, it will, without fail, crack me up. Enjoy!

I Heart ....

1. My garden
2. A hot bath with a good book
3. Kaysville Mill and wheat availability
4. Summer weather ... for the next couple of days anyway. Then it will probably make my I Don't Heart list
5. Watching Gator clean the kitchen
6. Ella's swimsuit tan
7. Cookies ... yes, I did it again. This time for lunch.
8. Grass
9. Homemade strawberry jam
10. A happy Jack

Yeah, not so sure ...

You know when you look back at old pictures and you find yourself asking, "What was I thinking?" Do you think these guys, in maybe 10 years or so, will look back and say, "What in the H was I thinking?"

wait, wait wait ... how about this one?

This little piggy went to the market ...

I love to cook, I love to bake and I love to eat ... which is what inspired Pigs & Spice. I've created a new blog! Yeah, yeah, I know. I can't even keep up with my own, right? Well, consider this a community cookbook. I never know what to cook and I don't know how many times I've heard, "What are you making for dinner?" This is where you come in. Share what you're eating (Literally. Bring some to my house!) and share your recipes. I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours ... I'm talking soup and salad, sickos!

Everyone is more than welcome to post. Check it out.

http://pigsandspice.blogspot.com

Knock, knock. Who's there?

Blog stalking. Everyone does it. If you tell me you don't, I won't believe you. You get on Sally's blog, notice that Beatrice left a comment, or that Janice is on her "friends" list. You think to yourself, "Hey, I knew Beatrice in high school" or "Oooh, I bet Janice is that skanky friend Sally used to hang out with." Your interest has been piqued and CLICK, your on your way. I've reconnected with a lot of friends this way. I've made new friends this way. I've wasted a TON of time this way. Sometimes I'm brave enough to leave a random comment, other times I prefer that the person doesn't know I'm checking out their life. I love it and I'm addicted.

I recently was looking through my blog history and noticed that there are people looking at my blog. People I don't know. People I don't recognize. I don't say this because I think I'm popular or think my blog is good reading and worth anyone's time. I am interested to know who you are. Am I some random blog you happened to come across? Do I know you from somewhere? Do you know someone I know? Are you a creepie who is looking at pictures of my kids (eek!)?

Be brave! Admit that you've read this. Tell me who you are. I dare you!