Hold It High

Miranda and I both had the opportunity to go to Young Women's camp this year. It was put on by the Stake and they did a wonderful job! Our theme was "Hold It High" Brighter, Deeper, Stronger. It was held at Cinnamon Creek near Porcupine Dam. It was especially fun for me to be able to share it with Miranda.

Tug a War - Leaders against the girls

Here are the girls kicking our trash!!!

Fun "Minute to Win It" Contests

Miranda was amazing at getting the pasta on her spaghetti straw!

Here's a picture of our whole group.

Hyrum Dam 2010

We made our annual journey (5 blocks) to Hyrum Dam to camp for the weekend. It was a tricky one because Jacob had Scout Camp so he and Rory weren't able to be around much the day we swam. The water was so high we didn't even have a beach to play in. I have to admit, we've had more fun other years but both the good and bad have to be part of our Family History! It wasn't all bad, we still just had fun hanging out with the Lamb family and playing in the water.

Dream On!

I'd never have pegged us to be the kind of parents that would have kids that had the lyrics to an Aerosmith song memorized, but here we are. It's a long story about how it came to be, but let me just say that I'm neither a Aerosmith nor a Glee supporter, but listening to Sabrina and Kali sing Dream On over and over again is just hilarious!

Finding happiness in simple things...

I've found it funny, as I get older, the things that make me happy. A clean house, shiny faucets, sleeping children, a full underwear drawer, just to name a few things. Well, we fell in love with our yard when we first bought this home. However, we were in completely in over our heads with yard work! In the five years that we've lived in this home, I've never been able to get on top of the yard. I always felt like it was still the previous owners yard, and that I was the poorest excuse for a gardener that she could have asked for.

When the neighborhood ladies were over for the end of the school year party I pointed to my already weed infested, overgrown fruit tree area and asked their advice. One thing I've learned in the almost 15 years we've been married is that Rory and I aren't good gardeners. Sure, we've eaten a few homegrown tomatoes or cucumbers, but they quickly became overgrown by weeds or eaten by bugs. The ladies simply suggested that we take out the garden spot and fruit trees (GASP!!!) and put in a playground area. OH MY GOODNESS!!! Why had we never thought of that. Perhaps it was the stigma of cutting down a fruit tree (even though two of them were pie apples and the other was a plum - none of which we used to their full potential), or the Prophet's admonition to plant a garden. But when I passed the suggestion on to Rory, he also thought it was a brilliant plan.

To make a long story even longer, my dear friend Julie enlisted the help of husband and sons and her neighbor's chain saw, and in one evening our corner was bare! I worried for about 24 hours that we'd made a mistake, but as soon as the dump truck delivered our fibar I knew I had once again found happiness in an odd place. We no longer have to pull weeds, pick up rotten fruit, worry about how things are growing, or drag the trampoline from place to place. I'm thrilled! We hope to eventually add a swing set, but for now we're happy. Along with spearheading the removal of my trees, Julie has also spent hours teaching me about pruning, weeding, and growing all kinds of things. While I still have lots to learn, I've finally taken control over my own yard and it feels great! I'll post pictures towards the end of the summer when everything has bloomed. Perhaps my thumb has gone from being black to just a dull gray!