Ben is always looking for someone new his age to play with and is so convient that my friends and I have kids all around the same age. I don't know why we dont get together more offten. We all had some time and decided to meet at a splash park in Herriman it is kindof a drive but the park is fun enough to keep the kids intertained but small enough that we can keep an eye on them. 
Wow it has been a crazy summer it seams like after girls camp I have been going nonstop packing, traveling, unpacking, laundry, packing, traveling,....any way you get the point so today the kids are sleeping and it is time to take a breath and get my thoughts together.
BEN'S SWIMMING LESSONS
Ben started swimming lessons this summer he kind of had a rough start. He wouldn't try to do the things the teacher asked and he didn't even want to get his face wet. I was horrified that my little boy was the only one in the class not listening and I didn't know what to do about it. So me being the helicopter mom that I am I hoovered over him and told him what to do or that he needed to listen and it just want not working. .
One day I was ready to pack him up and take him home because it was just getting ridiculous and one of the other moms said "why don't you try just ignoring him?" Why didn't I think of that? It worked like a charm as soon as I stopped talking to him he had no one else to talk to but the teacher and on the last day he dove to the bottom of the pool for the dive toys I was so surprised!! Now we need to keep this up because he is still afraid of the water but we are making progress If any one knows of a good swim school that goes on in the fall please let me know.
COLORADO
In the middle of swimming lessons we took off for Colorado. Tyler's dad had a birthday and was on his way out to Colorado to celebrate with his family It is not very often that we get to see Grandpa Riggs so we thought we would tag along. The kids were so excited to go to Colorado they just kept saying it over and over "I want to go to Colorado" they didn't even know what Colorado was really because they kept asking when we got there. We just hung out the first day and Tyler, his dad, his grandpa, and his uncle and a few other people went golfing when the kids were napping. The next day was the highlight of the trip Water World!!
It was so BIG, so much for the kids to do and a lot of family was there so we were able to sneak away and ride on some bigger rides. The kids had a blast Ben was less scared of the water(thanks to swimming lessons) and he even went down the water slides all by himself by the end of the day. Kendall has never been scared of much and the water slides were not any different she was running around like a wild child the whole time. We went to dinner with Most of Tyler's family out there. Dinner was long and hard for the kids to sit through but they were great considering how tired they were. I was tired too so not as patient as I should have been but I was proud to watch them and how well behaved they were. They had no problem or protests with going to bed that night. We left a day early so we could have a relaxing drive home and not have to drive all night. When we got home my parents had a pizza for us, Thanks for thinking of us. They had even picked up our mail and newspaper without us asking. I love my parents and I love being so close to them that we can do stuff like that for each other, even if it is them doing more for us.
VISIT FROM YAYA, MARIO AND ANGIE
before I had time to even unpack we had a phone call from Tyler's mom saying she was coming out earlier than expected. Always a welcome visit but my house was a mess and I was so stressed. It is a good thing the only thing she looks at when she is here is the kids and they are so occupied with her that I can get some things done. This time she brought reinforcements with her, Mario and Angie are back from China a little early and we were all SO excited to see them. They have been gone for a year now but when they walked through the door it was like they had only been gone for a few months. The best part was the kids still remembered them, well Ben did I think Kendall was too young to remember but she knew who they were. I have been trying to pull pictures out and let them look at their email updates so they would not be scared of them when they came back. That would break my heart because of how much the kids loved them before they left. No worries they are still loved plus they came bearing gifts. 
Ben got two kites a fish kite and the dragon kite that he has always wanted. Kendall got a cute little pink purse with a pull string she loves to put stuff in it and pull the string then take it out over and over and over again. Tyler's grandparents were able to drive down from Brigham City for the day. we had a picnic and went for a "hike" around silver lake. 
The next day we went to the Zoo. We spent to whole time looking for the animals that Ben remembered from last time. It was fun for me because the kids were busy with Yaya and Mario and Angie so I got to see the animals and I got to watch the kids looking at the animals I was not just trying to keep them with me. This time the kids got to ride on the merry go round and the train. 
It was another busy day. And when we got home the kids took a nap our family left for the drive back to Oregon and I got everyone packed to go camping.
OUR NEW TOY
For the 4th of July we went camping with my family with our new camping trailer!! Let me just say camping in a trailer with young kids is the best. A comfortable place for them to nap, making meals, a tub to bathe them in and a freezer for Popsicles are just few of the perks. I am so happy we decided to make this purchase this summer now if I could have a few free weekends for YW would could get away. The camp ground we were at was not exactly roughing it. we had full water electric and sewer hookups but it was our first time out with the trailer so we were not as prepared as we could have been. Thank goodness my sister was close we didn't even have a lighter that worked to get the pilot lite lit so we would not have been able to make anything to eat except hot dogs. It was a nice to have a little time to spend as a family because our vacations so far seem to be more hectic. I cannot wait to take the trailer out again.
Someone hardworking
dependable
Patient
Understanding
Motivated
Loving
Willing to work on call 24/7
Must love kids
Confident
Courageous
Faithful
Handyman
Provider
Teacher
Leader
Good Listener
Affectionate
Cheerful Disposition
Kind Heart
Sense of humor
Willing to do service
Work on various projects for school at the last minute
Sit through countless performances organized or not smile through it and act like it was the greatest show on earth
Grant solitude to those in need (ie: Watch grandkids anytime)
and anything else that comes up along the way because this job is never ending.
Dad, thanks for being all these things and more. I only wish I could express myself with a written note as well as you can. I still have every letter you wrote to me and I cherish them all. I love you Dad
June 11-14
One of the perks of being a mia maid advisor is that I had to opportunity to go to girls camp. I felt a little out of place first because I had a really hard time leaving my family, when I left in the morning I still had no idea where my kids were going to be by noon because the sitter I had lined up (my wonderful sister) ended up with jury duty and I called my neighbor (superwoman Liz) to see if she could take them until noon because the last time my sister had jury duty she was released by noon we thought it would be about the same. Second I was still feeling a little new to be going with the girls almost that I didn't belong. In spite of being away from my kids not knowing what was going on with their care and out of cell phone range I was able to relax and have a great time. The girls were all so accepting and loving I almost felt like a teenager again ALMOST. It was so COLD we all had on at least two sweatshirts a coat and three pair of socks. with all the cold there was a lot less complaining than I thought there would be they must have kept warm with all the singing, dancing and uncontrollable laughter. 
The first day was all about set up and certification I had forgotten how much they really make them do at girls camp but we did luck out on our chores because we had the bathrooms to clean on the first day and they were still clean. Day two started early for me, Susan(another leader)and the one and only third year girl we had a sunrise hike that started at 4:30am I didn't really need a wake up call because I never got to sleep IT WAS WAY TOO COLD. The hike was the best thing I could have done at that point because getting up and moving helped me to get warm infact it was the only time up that my toes were not cold when we were at camp it must have been the spirit. 
It was a beautiful sight and it was nice to sit alone on the hillside in nature and just think. The rest of the day was packed with activites which inculded the zip line. 
Now I am not a big whimp watching everyone go looked like a lot of fun and climbing up the tower was not a problem I just wished that I could have kept climbing because I don't like jumping. It might not have been a problem for me but the platform was really small and the board on the very edge was a little wobbly so I didn't jump off forward I couldn't watch I ended up pushing off backward and that might not have been a problem but I think I pushed a little hard and I ended up riding the zipline upside down the whole way down. It was fun and I didn't die. That night was our skit we did a spin off of the bacholer and the ten virgins I was hillarious. The girls came together so well and made sure everyone was included it was great to watch and be a part of. Later that night was the stargazing hike with the fourth year girls, I took my cell phone because it was the one place to get reception on the mountain. I knew how much I missed Tyler and the kids so I thought I was going to cry but I didn't and it made me feel much better because I found out that Liz had my kids for two days (they love her little girl) because my sister managed to get her self on the jury. It is really nice to know that I have such great friends that really come through when it really counts. Thanks so much Liz, when I found that out that was the only time I cried it helped me sleep alittle better at night too. Day three was a free day 
and the girl wanted to try archery and the zipline again (oh joy!) the line for the zipline was so long because everyone wanted to do that again we made icecream in plastic bags while we were wating.
Yes I did it again the second time was not as hard but I still managed to get upside down, it must take more cordination to stay upright. That night at the fire was the testiomony sharing time the spirit was so strong that before we had even started the Bishop asked me to say the closing prayer and I just started to cry. I was honered that he would think I was worthy enough to do something so special as to close that meeting but part of me was crying because I knew I would be crying so hard at the end that no one would be able to understand me. Great now on top of bearing my testimony I have to try to keep it together until the end. Well it didn't happen but everyone said amen so at least they heared that part. I was so impressed with all the girls so willing to share their thoughts and feelings. Our leaders would have to start calling on people to say something or we would of had complete silence for a long time when I was in Young Womans but these girls were so excited about this experience that some of them even went twice (it was my mia maids by the way, so proud). 
It was a great experience and I am so glad that I have a wonderful family and awesome friends that made this possible.
Lately Ben has been in the mood to help with everything he is very curious and sometimes I cannot keep up with him and his thirst for knowledge. I keep saying I don't know what I am going to do with a child that is going to be smarter than me by the time he is five. Now I know, I will just teach him everything that I can and then put him to work and let him figure out the rest. He and Kendall helped me make dinner, really all I did was cut stuff up and crack the eggs they did all the rolling, measuring and scooping. They knew what the end product was suppose to look like because it is one of their favorites Pizza rolls. I don't know why I didn't let them try that sooner they did such a great job and I wasn't trying to keep track of them when I was making dinner.
Kendall turned two on Memorial Day weekend but we have been putting off her birthday party so we could have it outside (darn cold weather) we just decided to do it because if we waited any longer summer might be over and she could not even use her presents. We had a little Luau with some pulled pork and lots of fruit...yummy pineapple! I got her the cuttest little lei with a headband and bracletts to match she could not stop smiling when I put them on her. .
It was nice to see all the grandparents and cousins together. We didn't do it outside because of the rain in the morning but by the time lunch was over and the kids were full of cake the sun came out so we opened the back door and let them loose
She got a soccer goal and ball and a basketball hoop for her birthday who knew such a girly girl could be such a tomboy at the same time? Playing basketball with her new purse...
My kids have been attending a soccer clinic for the past six weeks and it has been so much fun. Kendall has done really well and Ben has gone because it was something that Kendall really liked and I had nothing else to do with him. Oh the joys of having kids so close! He learned to like it and by the end he was always two steps behind the coach until today. Today was the last day and we invited Dad to come watch. The kids went wild, I think they were trying to show off for him but it was like someone gave them a crazy pill. Running away, rolling around on the floor and standing on their heads were just a few funny things I was putting up with for the first twenty minutes when I finally promised them a treat if they would listen to the coach things went at little better. They still had to show off for Dad. At least there is no question if they were excited to see him or not, right?! We will definatly be signing up for soccer again in the fall.
Mowing the lawn takes a long time at our house it is a job better suited for after the kids go to bed but it would be hard to see and it would not be so cute to watch.
