And it begins...

It seems like just last week I was bouncing off the walls singing
"No more pencils, no more books..." and here we are, back at it. The kids were excited. We hit the beach yesterday and then went to back to school night last night. We met the teachers, picked out desks and ate ice cream. Then this morning, alarms were off at 6:30 and we hit the ground running. I made Poofy Pancakes (even though mine are never as good as grandma's), did hair, nearly averted wardrobe disasters and then sent them off. The house always feels so empty on the first day of school.

The Last Bash

Before school starts.

Tiff, Anna and I loaded up the kids and headed to the beach for one last hurrah before school started. The 4 5th graders has a blast out on the swim dock, making faces, playing with moss, and just being weird.

Did I mention I'm in love with a cowboy?

With a smile like that ~ who could resist?

Going For A Ride

While I was away hiking, the girls were having some fun of their own.

Shania and the girls were entertained by Sonny. Rylee was a little timid at first, but Sonny is a very gentle horse and Shania is a great trainer.

Girls Morning Out

Out here in the backwoods of Foster County, North Dakota, we don't hit the dance club or the day spa for a little girl time. Here we get up early and hit the trail.

The weather was nice, the pool is now closed, so Carla, Angela, Tina, Kathy and I decided to do some hiking (I use the term hiking very loosely...there's not much incline.) Tina and her family own a lot of property in the area and some of it even has some hills. Carla, as usual, started us off with a laugh. Not two steps into the "hike" she fell in a badger hole. Unfortunately, the camera was buried in my backpack and she was too quick for me to get it on film.

Above is Angela and Kathy enjoying the view pictured below.

And a few shots at the beaver dam.


This last one is Angela's attempt to clear the stream. Nice try.

Avery

Our first Muir niece is here! Congrats Brett and Becca!

Happy Birthday Missy

Let me start with a big thank you to God, for surrounding me with such amazing people. How is it that I am so lucky to have the amazing friends and family that I have?

And now...A tribute to Missy.

So that's a big slide show...and that's not even the half of it! I had to quit adding pictures.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once upon a time, (a long, long time ago) in a trailer, in the foothills of Salt Lake City, outside a building of ARUP Laboratories, sat an unbelievably shy and quiet girl by the name of Melissa. Her first mistake was taking the job in the trailer with the hand full of crazy girls. Her second was letting them force her to be their friend. Oh, it was tough getting that girl out of her shell, but once the wall was down, the Missy that we know and love was born. And life hasn't been the same since! I could sit here forever and remember the times... Remember the time we drove to Sacramento and back in 3 days with a one year old? Remember when said one year old threw up all over you? Remember horse back riding in St. George? Remember rollerblading under 4800 South over pass? Remember the GIANT spider and the golf club? Remember the smelly puppy incident? Remember the flat tire at Tami's house? Remember "Orlandooooooo" at the movies? Remember eating mac and cheese and watching days on my bed? Remember "Hey Carl" at ARUP? Remember Lake Powell? Remember the cabin? We seriously could go on and on. Life really hasn't been the same since I met you Missy. It has been 1,000,000 times better. I can't imagine who I would call with all the mini crisis in my life it it weren't for you. Who would help me clean when I was having unexpected company? Who would laugh so hard they cry just trying to "laugh out loud?" Who would cry to country songs at 3:00 in the morning on our way to work? Who would support me in every thing I do, even when she may not approve? I can't tell you how much all of this means to me. I can't tell you how much your visit last summer meant. Everyone here always asks about you. They love you too! So, happy 29th to the most amazing, mother, wife, friend, human being...ever! I love you Missy Jean!


PS. Happy Birthday Dustin too! You know I love you baby!

Karaoke Kids

Last night was National Kids Night Out. Carrington kicked off the festivities with free bowling and finished with a street dance and karaoke. The kids had a blast.

Sign of the Times

Yesterday, Brooklyn's friend Bailey comes walking into the pool with a box full of cassette tapes. Great stuff; The Pointer Sisters, Cyndi Lauper, REO Speedwagon. I asked her where she got it and she said she found it near a dumpster and thought it was really cool. (As in old fashion?) So Rylee comes over, picks one up, opens it, turns it over and over in her hand, looks at me and says, "What the heck is it?" I said, "It's music." Bailey said, "Yeah, that's how they used to listen to it in the olden days."

Odds and Ends...

I've been restless. Do you ever have those times when something just seems off? Well, something is off. I'm pretty sure it's something in my own head, but it leaves me restless. I'll let you know when I figure that out!

Anyway, Brooklyn's home. She came home last Sunday. We picked her up in Jamestown. Brick's friend Joe was nice enough to fly out of his way for a fuel stop in Jamestown and drop Brookie off on his way. I hardly recognized her when the plane door opened. She is so grown up. Grandma and Grandpa Muir took her to get a perm and it is so cute, but so mature. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. She and Rylee jabbered non-stop on the 45 minute drive home. I couldn't get a word in edgewise. I know I've said it before, but I love how close they are. I will be content never to get a word in edgewise if they continue to be such great friends. She had a great time being spoiled in Utah. She came home with an extra suitcase full of school clothes, Build-a-Bears, scrapbooking, etc, etc. And of course the perm. We had a pretty quiet week doing the usual, work, pool, play.

On Wednesday, Rylee left with a friend for a few days. They went to Minnesota to go to Valley Fair (equivalent to Lagoon), the Mall of America, and a zoo. She had a great time, only called once and informed us that she never even missed us. Hmmmm. So much for my mama's girl.

My Saturday was planned perfectly. Rylee wasn't expected home till evening. Brooklyn had a play-date with a friend, all day, and Ryan was out doing pre-hunt prep work. (Don't ask. He's obsessed.) I anxciously awaited the arrival of my pre-ordered book and planned to spend the entire day devouring it. Those of you who read them, know what I'm talking about. The big release of book 4. I'm not even going to say the title. I'm actually a little embarrased that I love these books so much. I generally like to read something that enriches me in some way. But somehow the blood, lust and teenage issues of good vs. evil have consumed me. Anyway, mail in small towns is not as reliable as I'd like it to be. Especially on the weekend. The book won't be here till Monday. And then I have stuff to do. I ran to the library and checked out another book, and it turns out to be fabulous, but I'm still in a bit of a funk. I'm not sure why. Could be school is looming just around the corner. The kids start on Aug. 19th. I'm not ready. I love having my kids at home. I mean, I want them to get an education, but our summers are so wonderfully lazy. It's just a little depressing thinking about getting back in the daily grind. Along with school starts full time work, aerobics classes, dance, etc. Don't get me wrong, I love my jobs. I chose them. I set my hours and I'm paid well, but it all just means that summer is over. The sun is going to go away and it's going to get colder than...well, I won't say. It also could be the big 30th birthday that is looming around the corner. I'm not worried about being 30. My plan is to always be the one where people say "No...you can't be 30!" Ha! It's just kind of a time of reflection. What have I done, what do I still need to do. I'm getting the itch to go back to school, but I just haven't quite figured out how I can give my kids 100% and my school work 100%. I'm not a half way kind of person and I'm worried that it might not work. Well, enough complaining. I know how to get out of a funk. Learn something new, see something new, do something new. It always refreshes me. I did just sign up for a Yoga certification and I have this plan to not only use it at work, but to go to the local high schools and nursing homes and help kids and elderly deal with their stress and strenghten their bodies. I already have 2 high schools lined up...just need to learn how to do it!

I hate to post without a picture...so here's one that cracks me up. Oh how I miss my girl friends. I think a Lake Powell or Cabin trip is just what I need right now.