Mexican Riviera Cruise

Our first day and a half on the boat and our first port!

Boat drill! I got in trouble though because I didn't know that you are not supposed to take pictures while you are at the drill. Oh well!

This is the sunset in L.A. before we left. It is gorgeous but because of the fires there were ashes falling on everything.

FOOD, of course when you are on a cruise you need to eat and that we did. At least I was the one with the camera most of the time so I didn't get pics of me eating!

Our first port was Cabo San Lucas. The place is just beautiful. We had a ton of fun. On the boardwalk there were tons of people with iguanas this was the biggest one we saw and Blake just had to get our pictures with it. The lady who owned the lizard kept trying to put it on Blake's shoulder but it only wanted to be on his head. I was trying to take a picture of it on his shoulder but it moved before I could get it! It was really funny because it was very content on my shoulder or my head but with Blake all it wanted was to climb up on top of his head.

This was taken with an underwater camera! The water was so clear. It was a bit freaky when I saw a bunch of little fish swimming not far from where we were.

This is our boat from where we were swimming. It doesn't look as big as it really was. There were 14 decks. It was crazy and we kept getting turned around and walking the wrong way.

The Cabo Wabo Cantina was ok I guess. We didn't eat there because there was an hour wait. But, we did go in and look around. It was really noisy and it just seemed like any restaurant/bar you would find here.
Some kind people stopped to take this picture for us. We really loved this beach!

This is a dead fish that Blake stepped on. Of course he had to pick it up. It was really nasty!

I thought that it was hilarious to see a Hooters!

This is the little hole in the wall restaurant that we ate at instead of Cabo Wabo! You could see right into the kitchen from our table. It was crazy! This is just about the only picture where you will see me eating!

Blake had to get a Nacho Libre mask so that he could wrestle with the kids. I think that he has just as much fun as they do.

This is the beautiful sunset as we were leaving Cabo!

This was my favorite sunset of the whole trip! It was just stunning!

Ok, I am having a Scentsy Open House. It is going to be on Thursday, November 13th from 6-8 pm. Anyone who loves candles is welcome to attend. It is an open house so you can come anytime between 6 and 8. There are tons of scents and the warmers are really neat. If you do not have my address just leave a comment and I will send it to you! If you have any questions please let me know. And if you can't attend but would like to see a catalog just let me know. You can also go to http://www.scentsy.net/products.html to view all of their products!

Thanks!

Picture Tag!

Ok, here is the 4th picture from my 4th folder. It is from a trip up to the snow to go sking! Blake hates it when I take pictures of him while he is driving!

I would like to tag: Kara, Kathryn, Melissa, & Rachel! All you have to do is post the 4th picture from the 4th folder.

Great Hubby!

Ok, I have to brag for just a bit! My husband actually listened to me and got me what I wanted for my birthday and I didn't have to buy it for myself.

Also, he just passed all of the tests to be on the primary Acting Captains list. He will probably not get promoted from this list but now he can bump up and be a captain when people are out sick or on vacation. He had to study a ton and I am extremely proud of him!

30th Birthday!

Ok, so I am officially 30 now! I went out with family and some friends and it was a blast. Since my birthday is so close to Halloween I had people dress up. It was funny to see all of looks that poeple gave us. We went out to dinner and then went indoor golfing at a place called Monster Mini-Golf. It was really cool. Here is how Blake and I were dressed for the occasion!

Children

Ok, here is my dilema today. How do you help your children to reach their potential? I have a child who is behind in her school work and has definite power struggle issues. I found out today that she was trying to sign my name on a note that her teacher had sent home with her. It is not that she doesn't know how to do the work, it's just that she doesn't want to do it, and then lies to me and tells me that it is all done.

I struggle to be the best mom that I can be, but when you have a defiant child it seems like that harder I try to help her the worse it gets. I know that she had the capacity to accomplish anything but she won't do it.

I sometimes feel like I am failing with her and I don't know what to do. She is such a wonderful child and can be the sweetest person, but when she gets mad it is all downhill and it is a fast, steep hill and she can't stop herself.

I am going to try having a tutor work with her and maybe that way she might be able to get her work done and the friction between us can subside. Until then keep us in your prayers.

Jason Wright Contest

Hi friends! I'm participating in a contest to win free books for life. An author named Jason Wright has a new book in stores with a beautiful theme song by songwriter Cherie Call. It's about second verses in your life and I know you'll love it!

You can hear it for free right now at http://www.recoveringcharles.com

I hope you'll visit the site and join his email list. He won't SPAM you (I promise!) and you'll be the first to hear about events, contests, and even get sneak peeks at his manuscripts.

And be sure to check out his latest contest and enter MY name as your referrer when you sign up! That's how I hope to win his books for life :)

Kids Skater Video

Here is a video of the girls that Blake made. His cinematography skills are awesome. He took all of the video and edited it. Just a note, I was not present during most of the stunts and for that I am grateful. Watching my kids do tricks and stunts makes me extremely nervous! LOL

Indoor Skydiving

This is a video of when we went to iFly in Ogden, UT. It was a ton of fun and we hope to be able to do it again!

Grandma Dalton 6/29/31-9/7/08 I LOVE YOU!!! RIP

I found out that my grandmother passed away last night. She had be struggling with illness for a long time. She was talking to my mom about her parents and brother who had all passed on before her and she took my mothers hand in hers and just shut her eyes. I guess it was fitting for her to leave us on Grandparent's day. She had lived with our family since 1987 after both her parents passed away. She has been such a big part of my life. I know that she is no longer in pain and that makes me happy. But I am also extremely sad that she is no longer here. I am so grateful for the gospel and the knowledge that we are an eternal family. I know that when I see her again it will be a joyous occasion. May she be exaulted in the heavens and be at peace with her family. I loved her dearly even though sometimes I didn't show it. She taught me how to bake and cook and for that I am extremely grateful. Being that it was Grandparent's day she was on my mind a lot yesterday. I know that the hurt I feel will pass and I have my whole life to make her proud of me and I intend to do just that. She was a strong woman with a love for the gospel. She had a hard life but she still let us know that she knew the gospel was true. For that I am grateful.

I have more updates about the summer but they will have to wait. I am heading out of town and I am not really in the right mood to post anything else. Just remember to let your loved ones know that you love them!

Ok, I have to add just a bit. I am reading this book called "The Wednesday Letters" written by Jason Wright and I just read a part that brought more tears to my eyes. This is part of one of the letters that are in the book. I know that they are fictional but it totally fits in with my situation right now. I am going to change the names though to fit with my grandma.

"I know death isn't usually a time of joy, but as I write these lines I cannot deny the peace in my heart. I cannot deny that Grandma is free now. I cannot deny that despite the emptiness my family feels, our hearts know the truth. Grandma is where she should be. I imagine she's already passed through the gate and is walking hand in hand with her family. Now I know why the Lord took his day off on Sunday. That must be the day he personally greets his favorites!"

I just knew that after I read that I needed to add it to my post. I really do love my grandma and know that she is rejoicing in the fact that she is with her family and that she doesn't have to feel pain any longer.

11th Anniversary!!!

Today is our anniversary! I can't believe that it has been 11 years! Sometimes it seems as if time has just flown by but then our kids start yelling and I remember every year! We have had our rough times but we are in such a great place right now. Blake has a wonderful job and I am able to stay home with our kids. I truly love Blake more now then even when we got married. I think that it takes a while to really get to know someone and join yourselves together in a way that no one can break apart! He is the light of my life and he us such a great husband and father. I am in awe at the way that he has grown and developed into the man that he is now. We were extremely young when we got married and at times I wondered if we did the right thing. But now those worries are far behind me. I love my husband and I will for all eternity!This is our first professional picture after we got married! I was 18 and Blake was 22!

This is our family minus Spencer. He was waiting to watch us while we went indoor skydiving!

Vacation

Ok, I am finally back from vacation. It was a long two weeks. And to make it longer two of my kids got strep throat and one of those two also got double ear infections! WooHoo what a great time.

Actually we had a ton of fun. We were able to go to the cold/hot springs, two fantastic reunions, and we also got to go indoor sky diving. If I can figure it out I will post the video.

It is great to be back home and I can't wait until monday when my three girls go to school!!!!

Vacation

Ok, life is crazy right now! Blake is working 3 days in a row and I am getting everything ready to leave for two weeks. It is amazing how much stuff that you need for 4 kids when you go on vacation. At least my house will be clean when I return and the kids go to school soon after we get back! I will post pictures of our glorious time when we return!

Perfect Attendance

Ok, so I am going to brag just a bit. My girls had perfect attendance at school this year. Also, Savannah got straight A's and Janelle got A's and B's. I am so proud of them. I decided that they needed a reward so I took them to Reno for 2 days. They had a blast! We stayed at Silver Legacy and they were so happy to stay in the hotel with the big ball on top. We went to Circus Circus and also went mini golfing. Blake and I are just so proud of all the hard work that the girls did this past year. Now it is off to 5th grade, 4th grade and Kindergarten! Man am I in for a lot of work this next school year!!!!

4th of July!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful 4th!!!

Here are how I have gotten my nails done for the holiday! My friend Kathryn always has such cute nails and I decided to post mine just to show my spirit. My husband thinks that I am crazy but I enjoy going a little crazy on my nails sometimes! It is just fun to play around and not have anything permanent.

Fires!!

Ok, so I found out today that my hubby is leaving to go fight the fires that are consuming our state. I just wanted to let ya'll know so that you can keep him and all of the brave firefighters in your prayers. Depending on the conditions he could be gone as much as 21 days. We will not know for sure until that time gets closer. I hope that everyone has a wonderful 4th of July and that you all stay safe! Lots of Love!!!!!

Allie Graduated from Preschool!

I can't believe that Allie is already done with preschool. It seems like she just started and now it is over. This year has gone by so quickly and she will be starting kindergarten in August.

Here are her teachers - Mr. Ray and Miss Beverly

I almost cried but I held it in. I hope that I will be as strong when she starts kindergarten but I am not so sure. I can be a big baby about these kind of things.

Farmer Spencer!

Here is a recent picture of Spencer. He looks so cute. He doesn't care much for hats though and we had to try many times to get this shot! He is such a joy in our lives. We have three older girls and we didn't know how much fun a boy can be.

Ok, I have not figured this thing out yet! So if you know how to add people will someone let me know! Thanks!!!!