THANK YOU MOM!!

My mom came down this week to help me get caught up with the orders this week. We have almost DOUBLED our orders since Camilla's been gone. Wooh, so I am going a little coo koo to say the least. My mom took pity on me and headed down to help me out. She is always giving...and boy did she give...


The minute she walked in the door she got busy!

* putting 1000 color cards together
* making 1000 how to apply packets
* sewing 3.5 jedi capes (each for my kids, and even one for the neighbor!)
* doing loads and loads of laundry
* spoiling with ice cream and candy EVERYDAY
* cleaning my house
* taking the kids swimming almost everyday
* watching the kids while I went to the office to cut orders
* cleaning and organizing the office
* etc etc etc

My mom LOVES to give to people...I want to thank her for all she gave to us this week. THANK YOU MOM!!! I love you and miss you already!

...are you coming back soon?

Scout Day Camp

I went up to Day camp with Hunter on Friday as a "Den Walker". My job is to help the kids walk from station to station...it was tough. The theme was SPACE...it was great. I loved just not thinking about anything but being with Hunter. No distractions, it was a wonderful day. I even got to shoot a real bow and arrow. Hunter was one of only a few in the whole camp who got a bullseye with his bow and arrow!

Father's Day

Daddy really deserves the world, we just love and adore him to pieces around here. For Father's day we gave him some nice gifts (cologne and tie) But his favorite gifts were from the kids. Jess has hid under her bed for a month these plastic flowers she got for him.

Also, Daddy has a secret binder that he keeps all his top recipes in. (He LOVES to cook) So the kids decorated the front of the binder for him. He loved it. We made him his favorite meal...I don't have that many that I am any good at AND Matt likes. Jess helped me make lasagna, homemade rolls, corn on the cob and 2 berry pies. They turned out pretty good. We invited Rick over because he was familess with Camilla in Sweden. I snapped this picture of the two of them standing there because I kept cracking up they matched...

Still Alive!

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth... just busy trying to keep my head above water. With Camilla gone in Sweden for a month and a half, I have been manning the fort. We have increased our orders too so my weeks are really tough lately. I am managing though. My mom came down this week to help me out and to get caught up. She has been such a great help. I am still trudging along.

My health is stinky right now. When Logan was born the weight of the three pregnancies in two years caused great havoc on my nerves in my pelvis. I have been managing and dealing with the pain over the 6 years but in the last 3 my leg has brought me lots of pain and I started to get numbness in my feet, and then finally in the last year my foot started 24/7 tremoring or fasciculations. Sooooo...I went and saw the neurologist to follow up with these new symptoms. I found out I have lost feeling or have numbness in my toes, and my leg has gotten weaker than it should be. The neurologist is doing an EMG and nerve conductivity test to check this and that. We shall soon see....

DirtyFace

Steve, Matt, Matt, Tyler, and Rick..............................................The three stooges...Rick, Tyler and Matt

Every year Matt looks forward to the Dirtyface Dual Sport Event. 300 plus men and a few gals meet up in the mountains and ride 100 miles through the mountains. Dirtbiking is one of the joys he loves to do with his best buddies, Rick and Tyler. It is appropriately named dirty face...they get dirt in every crevice...Just a bunch of little up boys playing in the dirt.

Throughout the course they have fun silly little games games to win points. At the end of the ride they have a big BBQ and the one with most points gets to pick from the prize table. Everyone comes home with a prize. Matt came home with a box of bolts...I don't think he received many points.

Alphabet Garden Designs donated a whole bunch of dirt bike vinyl decals. Those putting on event were very happy with them and told us that we just missed the t-shirt printing. They said next year they will have our company name on the t-shirts with the list of sponsors...It cracks me up...I feel like I am in Matt's territory. Now our name will be plastered on the back of his manly shirt...too funny.

Matt on the race....Matt running into a tree on the race.

Friday Night Fun

We were all goofing around tonight...
1 bottle of whipcream
and a dog who likes to lick the whipcream...kept us all very entertained...

First Swim

We went swimming for the first time this summer. All the outdoor pools don't open until Saturday so we headed to the YMCA...whoa talk about crowded! They rope off the shallow end that probably numbered close to 35 kids...Then if you want to swim in the deep end or places you can't touch or go off the diving board you have to pass the swim test.

Hunter told me he was going to practice this time and that next week he will try it. About 15 minutes into swimming he jumps out and tell me he wants to give it a try. So we walk over to the lifeguard to ask her to give him a swim test...I turn around and Hunter is heading quickly back to the shallow end. I gave the lifeguard a shrug... Another 15 minutes more pass and he says this time he is really going to do it. So we wave down the lifeguard again this time I held his hand as we walked to the deep end. I know he was nervous however was very determined. They cleared the way and away he went, he swam like a little fish. I walked along side of him trying to catch his eye each time his head turned up for air. He would look at me as he pushed himself through his strokes. He had such determination in his eyes and at that moment I was so incredibly proud of him, I felt the mommy tears welling. He made it to the other side where they promptly awarded him his well deserved green bracelet.

I would like to say I knew all the time that he could do it...but no.... when I went to flag down the lifeguard for the second time I whisper that he would like to try it but I wasn't so sure he would be able to pass...since EVERY year since he was 5 he has tried to pass this test. I learned today how strong Hunter is. Numerous times he has shown his persistence to his goals until he accomplishes them. He is always teaching me.

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!

Okay this post is way late, but better late than never.

I forgot to take pictures, but we decorated the house with a GIGANTIC banner and "grad" decor for the kids "last day" party. When they came home from school I had our third annual scavenger hunt set up for the kids. They first clue always sits on the banner and I send them all over the house until they get the loot bucked. I tried to make it a lot tougher this year...apparently I didn't do that well at making it very hard. I did take a video of them finding the loot.


Mom wanted to be in charge of making the "End of the year" celebration cake. She found a great new cake recipe with a very unique ingredient....watch video below...

Can you guess what it is??

Well it drove everyone crazy, they had no clue what the secret ingredient was. We should of known that our expert cook would guess it. After careful tasting, Matt (who's dream job would be a chef) was able to figure it out...Drumroll please...this cake's ingredient is ketchup. A ketchup cake. And the kids loved it...notice I said the kids not the adults. Sorry mom, it was fun but it wasn't the yummiest thing you have ever made!

Temperature Rising

You probably think I am going to write a post about weather...nope.

Hunter had a bad day today.

We have had "talks" about controlling his temper when he gets angry or impatient with his little brother. With great exasperation he explained to Daddy and I how he is trying so hard to keep control of his temperature but it is so hard. We successfully kept a straight face.

Tonight Hunter ran in with another brotherly complaint announcing...

"Mom! I tried REALLY hard to keep my temperature from rising, but it is SO HARD!!!"

Farwell....

Camilla leaves for Sweden tomorrow for 6 weeks long weeks. I will be taking over the business home front while she is gone. What will I ever do!! I guess I will survive...barely... but I will miss her terribly.

For our farwell night we had a BBQ out at the stables where they keep their horse, teacup.

I miss her already...

Jessica in love

Jessica fell in love with Isabella's horse today, Teacup.



Jess has taken a few lessons when she was around 4 years old. I got her a pair of riding gloves way back then and amazingly she still has them. When it was time to go she ran and got her gloves on and wanted to wear her pink cowboy hat too, but thought the riding helmet was much better.

She fell in love with riding the horse. Rick was impressed how much she remembered and how she immediately started holding her hands correctly.

Jessica ALSO fell in love with dirt biking....

She went around and around the orchard so many times we didn't think she would ever get off. The boys of course LOVE dirt bike riding too...how did we manage to become a dirt bike riding family before I could blink?

It may not be on my top 5 favorite things but sometimes you just have to see the joy it brings the members of your family and just keep your mouth shut about your personal opinions about safety and such....but just sometimes.

Got the Message?

I put our vinyl to good use with a small hint on each of the toilets...

Elly

At the office today the kids were watching the Disney movie Dumbo. Which they amazingly have never seen. Logan approaches me with very sad eyes and says...

"Mommy I don't want a dog, I want a baby elephant"

"You want a baby elephant stuffed animal?" I said.

"No, I want a real baby elephant." He looked up at me with a completely serious face.

" Honey where would we keep the elephant?" I said.

"In the backyard." he said simply.

Jessica then pipes in," How will you give him a bath?...oh wait, he can use his trunk." Like that makes it okay now to own an elephant.

When Logan was 8 months old on Christmas Eve I ran to Walmart for some last minute things. I found myself wandering through the baby isle. Knowing Logan was our last baby I made an impulse purchase of a very soft stuffed baby elephant. I vividly remember standing there thinking it was probably my last baby toy I would purchase. When Logan was given his elephant on Christmas day he clung onto it ever since. I still remember him toddling around guzzling a bottle in one hand and holding his Elly by the tail in the other. Elly is such a large part of his life that over the years Grandpa has purchased him 2 more, just in case he loses his beloved "Elly". He has collected a few more and now is running out of room in his bed. Here are a couple of flashback photos with Logan and Elly. Just a few of many.