Summer Fun...

It is amazing how the weeks seem to blur together. The summer is slipping by far too fast. And we are trying to make the most of it. This week we...

Fed the ducks at First dam, this is a great place to dispose of stale bread, but the key is to go earlier in the day. By the time we got there for our KFC picnic at 8 pm (yes a normal time for summer dinners for our family) those ducks were mighty full! Apparently lots of other families had stale bread too!

Our friend Luke came along with us.

We went to the aquatic center one evening for my parents ward party. Somehow Shane and I got away without even getting in with them. They had a great time, and Kenna even went on the slide alone for her first time.

Kids and pools go together - this pool in our backyard is a complete hit. It looks squishy to me with all those kids,... but they love it, and use it almost everyday!

The 24th of July started out with a breakfast at the park - delicious! After, we headed off for our city's parade. For the second year in a row our girls along with their friends Kaylee and Kelsee were asked to ride on the city float (Shane got to pull it). The "royalty" was in Wyoming with our stake participating in the Pioneer trek so they needed some "cute" replacements. We think they got just that! The girls were proud to say that they were the only "princess float" that threw candy. My sweet little Kenna obviously hasn't mastered the "keep-your-knees-together-when-you-have-a-dress-on" concept, because when they passed by I was doing the crazy sign language thing to try to get her to "readjust" her cute dress. She finally got it but was back to the old way before she passed me by... We'll keep working on that!

Jadyn was not all that excited to watch the parade, but she was excited for the candy... Although her candy eating consisted of taking one bite out of each taffy and throwing the rest on the ground. (apparently she threw some on my chair, because a nice lady stopped me after walking a block away to let me know I had a piece of taffy stuck to my rump.... Lovely!)


Later that evening we planned on having a bbq at our house in honor of Jadyn's 2nd birthday the next day. But we opted for a dinner at Firehouse instead - I'd call that a good trade-off.

Jadyn REALLY likes babies, her poor little cousin Skye was getting a little mauled by her!

(Skye comes from a strong family though... I'm sure she will hold her own very soon :))

After dinner the Carlsens, and Andy and Missy came over to watch the fireworks from our house. A great view, and fun too!

The 25th was Jadyn's 2nd birthday. She woke up like a bear... or maybe just a two year old! She is SOOO mellow, but this morning she was not happy and I actually sent her to her room for the first time in her life! It was nothing that a 4 hour nap didn't cure though! We had my parents over to open presents and have some cake that night. What a fun little thing she has been in our family. She is quite possible one of the most over-mothered children around with all her big sisters. She is used to full time attention and will miss her sisters almost as much as I will when school starts.

All a 2-year-old really needs is a Poppa to play "this little Piggy" and a $3 ball from WalMart. We shouldn't have given her anything else because she was quite content.

We visited the zoo this evening. Jadyn was so excited to see the monkeys and kept repeating her favorite phrase... "Look", "Look". There is something so magical about watching little ones get so excited about the simple things. It reminds me of how as parents we try so hard to do things for them that they will "remember", when it is usually the simple things that they will remember most. Shane and I will never forget one of the weeks that we spent with Tayler and Saige in Orlando. They were about 5 and 3 and we had spent several days at the Disney parks, Busch Gardens, Sea World etc. So on the flight home we asked them what their very favorite thing was that we had done... The answer... the McDonald's playland slide...

Raspberry Days, Accidents and Plane Rides...

This year I along with my friend Kim decided to do a booth at "Raspberry Days" Aug. 7-9. (Bear Lake's Craft Fair and Celebration). So... I have been crazy busy coming up with new ideas, painting wood, cutting vinyl and doing all the other stuff necessary to prepare for this big event. My bedtime goal has been 2 AM... most nights it's been more like 3 so getting up to walk at 7 is not easy! But my family has been AWESOME! Tayler, Saige and Kenna are fabulous painters for me and are willing to help without complaint even when they see the HUGE stack of wood in front of them. Shane has been cutting and sanding every chance he gets. He truly is a great husband and a rare one at that. He actually asks me to write honey-do-lists for him each Saturday. But the last couple weeks he seems to have been on his VERY best behavior... I think it might have something to do with this...

Yep another little accident... How I wish that my husband would quit backing into our family and friends... it seems that a complete stranger would be a better choice. This happened two weeks ago on a bright and sunny Monday morning... while I was walking with my "best friend" since first grade, Shelby... Let's just say that when we arrived back from that walk and Shane was out waiting for us, I was NOT pleased!!! (That's why I have waited two weeks to mention it :)) The ironic thing is that when she parked she said, "Oh, Shane is still home do you think he has room to get out?" I sarcastically said, "He has plenty of room as long as he looks first." Not very funny!! That now makes THREE that he has "got". He backed into my sister-in-law Missy at my parents house. And one of our friends after a fireside in the Church parking lot. Thank Heavens he has never hurt anyone... but be assured I had a few words with him about that NEVER happening again and the importance of walking AROUND that honking huge truck before he backs out.,. I think he will at least for a while.

But just in case DO NOT PARK BEHIND SHANE. (I'm thinking of putting some sort of vinyl warning on his bumper!) Our insurance guy told us at the beginning of the year, that if he could go this whole year without having an accident our rates should drop... Better luck next year! (I might ask the insurance guy if Shane posts some sort of disclaimer about his "failure to look when backing up problem" on the bumper if we would still be liable??)

On a better note Tayler, Saige and Shane had a fun adventure this week. Shane needed to do a "field measurement" for a hospitality company in Sheridan Wyoming. He said he could do it before he realized that it was like a 20 hour round trip drive. So instead he hired my little brother Andy to fly him there. Since it was a four-seater plane Tayler and Saige went along for the ride. Andy should now know that I completely trust him as a pilot, since I let half of my family go with him. I was a little nervous all day but excited that they were having this opportunity. They LOVED it!

Tony's Grove Lake

Bear Lake

Ward Campout...

Last night was the ward camp out and it turned out fabulous! All who went had a great time, enjoyed delicious food, terrific entertainment, beautiful weather and amazing friends... what more can one ask for? I truly think our ward is the best ever and I love serving as Activities Chairman! This activity is probably the biggest of the year, but our ward likes to "party" all year so our committee tries to have an activity about every 6 weeks... busy but a blast. The hardest part for me is figuring out the quantity of food needed... this activity is the most difficult because we do a full on dutch oven dinner with all the trimmings and then a breakfast the next morning. It is one of the only activities that we don't ask people to bring something to... This year we had approx. 150 sign up for the dinner and we served at least 200... for breakfast we served about 100. Needless to say even with 80 pounds of meat there were no leftovers, but I don't think anyone went home hungry either!

After dinner it was time for our "talent show." Some real talents of course but lots of other people just showing their goofy side... here were a couple of my favorites... (You can push pause on the music bar so you won't miss any of the performances.)

The "Three Amigos"
Rachel, Debbie and Raquel



"Sonny and Cher"
DeeAnn and Matt



This next one features none other than myself... Is that the sweetest police getup you ever saw or what?
Deon, Blaire, Gina, Angie, Jennifer


This is a must see! What a great performance. (If you can't tell Shane is the sexy one with the blond hair and nice legs!)
Shane, Joe, Ron, Bill


Tayler, Saige and Kenna performing in "We're All in this Together"
(Tayler and Kenna are in the front and Saige is in the back with the pink hat.)

And finally we have a little clip from our "5th ward Idol" Judges. Joe, Brian and Bill... aka Randy, Paula and Simon....

Thanks to all for making the camp out a fabulous success. It is so awesome to have so many people willing to help in any way asked of them... even if it is dressing up in a silly costume... with the "intention" of people laughing at them!

Twin Falls Temple Open House

What a privilege it was to be able to take our girls to the second Temple open house in 7 months. Rexburg, Idaho was the first for them (in Dec.) and on Tuesday we drove up to Twin Falls Idaho to tour that one too. On the drive up we were talking to them about how when we were young a new Temple being built around us what so few and far between that even the thought of going to an open house for a new Temple was unheard of (although I do vaguely remember going to the Logan Temple after its renovation.) Now we are blessed to truly have Temples "dotting the Earth."

Tuesday was a day set aside for the Temple laborers and their families to tour the Temple. Our family went in before the tours even started (Shane had a couple "last minute" repairs to do, then we caught up with one.) It is such a special experience to be able to be in the Temple with our family and to have our children gain a greater appreciation for the significance and beauty at such an early age. It is also special to know that their Daddy had a part in the construction of such a sacred structure. It was an enjoyable experience. (And I'm glad that Tayler never forgets her camera... (like I did) between the two of us we should be able to document EVERYTHING now!)

A Crazy Crazy week of parties!

I am completely tuckered out! This week has been one party after another and I think I am ready for a break... But yet as I type this I am remembering that I just heard Shane call his Home Teaching families for a BBQ/FHE lesson on Monday night, and we have a baby blessing/lunch tomorrow, (we sadly missed a baptism/blessing/lunch today too! Sorry Mandy and Jason) Oh... and since I am in charge of our ward campout next weekend I better start thinking about that! So if anyone else wants a BBQ with us before then that will work great. But the next week.... I am taking a break!

Here is how our week went...

Shane's Family Day at Bear Lake... Day 1

Our party week started with a night at the Aquatics center for a Kartchner Homes Dinner/Swim night. Shane does their flooring and our girls look forward to this event each year. So instead of heading to Bear Lake early as we had planned we went "later"... meaning when all was said and done we got to my parents condo at about 12:30 AM - (with about our entire house shoved in BOTH the van and Shane's truck... for 4 days... how did the pioneers do it!)


Saturday morning Shane's family started arriving for "Our day at the Beach". As I have mentioned before... Shane's family is what some may call large - and since I have been in the family we have never done anything like a Family Reunion - just get togethers at his parents' house - or the frequent Blessing/Baptism/Wedding events that take place in a large family. But never somewhere that the kids could REALLY play. So I suggested that a day at the lake would do all of use some good. The turnout was fabulous! 8 out of the 9 siblings made it up for at least part of the day (about 45 people) and we were extra excited that his parents made it up for a bit too. We set up 4 "sun shades" on the beach and spent the ENTIRE day there. The kids had a blast playing in the sand and the lake, having Uncle Bob take them for rides in the boat, watching Leslie get tipped over on the jet ski (fully clothed!), Playing "red neck golf", riding Shane's 4-wheeler, eating dinner at LaBeau's and just enjoying time together in a different setting. All who came were glad they did! It was a gorgeous day without a cloud in the sky! And everyone is already gung-ho for doing it
again next year!

Minnetonka Cave... Day 2

It has been YEARS since either Shane or I have been to Minnetonka Cave... so we decided this was a perfect weekend to check it out. We went to church at the Lake Town ward, then headed for a drive. It was amazing to be in that huge cave and to see all of the "wonders" there - the cold air felt great on a hot day... (and right here I am going to admit that Shane and I aren't perfect... in fact this day we were both VERY grouchy with each other and we needed that cold cave air to cool us off again... it worked for a while!) The next morning Shane went home early to drive up for more work on the Idaho Falls Temple... which left me and the girls there at the condo to have fun without him. We missed him but we swam together, played at the park, watched TV and the girls went to the craft center while Jady and I took a nap. It was a "perfect Bear Lake Day".

Tayler's 11th Birthday... Day 4

Last year Tayler decided that the ULTIMATE B-day party would be if she could have her friends come to Bear Lake with her for the day. So on her birthday this year (July 1st) we did just that... Shane loaded up 5 of her friends at 8 am and brought them up to the lake to be with her. They were fantastic and sweet! It was fun to see them enjoying their time together and getting along so well. We played at the beach all morning, came back to the condo for mini pizzas, presents, cake and games. (The highlight of the day was having a snake crawl right "into their party" you could have heard their screams for miles! Eventually some of them even Tayler braved up enough to hold it.) After that excitement, it was time to hit the pool. They had a blast and we had to beg them to get out at 6 PM to head home. We had hot dogs in our backyard to top it off, and at 9 PM after 13 hours of partying I finally said the party was over... they all moaned and said they couldn't believe it was that late! It turned out to be the "Perfect Birthday Party"!





After we cleaned up some of our Bear Lake stuff it was time for Tayler to open her gifts from us. She was ecstatic to get a PINK digital camera - I don't know if she has put that down... and if you can believe it, she took way more pictures than I did this week!



We can hardly believe that Tayler is 11! We are so blessed to have her in our family. She truly is a gift and the most amazing, responsible daughter ever! Very even tempered and the perfect big sister anyone could ask for. Always trying to make everyone happy and quick to solve any problems that may arise. We love you Tayler and hope your day was all that you hoped for!

Saige's NOT so good day... Day 5

Saige was not excited about the fact that her orthodontist wanted her to have 3 baby teeth pulled to "make room for her permanant teeth" . When we pulled up to the dentist for her appointment I asked her if she wanted a before and after photo. Her reply (in only Saige's dramatic way), "Yah, you better get a picture of me now... I didn't even get my will written!" Then later when she was all situated and breathing in that gas (which she swears didn't even make her tingley????) I tried to leave the room... since I really didn't want to watch the whole thing, she turns to me and says to me, "Oh, sure just go and leave me in my pain Mom!" So... I had to stay for the whole ordeal - I must admit I didn't watch much though!! She made if of course (and didn't even need that will) we couldn't believe how fast Dr. Blanch "whipped those babies out" We love you Saige, our life could never be as fun without you around... teeth or no teeth!

Before and after pics - obviously one of those teeth were more ready to come out than the other two.

Kenna's 5th Birthday... Day 6

July 3rd was yet another party day. Kenna had her little friend party at our house that morning. A very simple party, but she had fun all the same. We had sack and relay races, a water balloon toss etc. But instead of the usual cake/ice cream... we had cake/popsicles... Kenna is our odd child who doesn't like ice cream...





That evening was the family barbeque to celebrate Kenna and Tayler's B-day. We had a great turn out and the food was delicious too. (Because everyone brings something of course! :))

Thanks Steve, Paige and Tara - fish... just what "I" have always wanted!




The fireworks were also that night... The fireworks are always on July 3rd here (unless it is Sunday) and we make a point to tell Kenna that the whole valley is celebrating her birthday too. We love to get close to the stadium and sit out on a blanket for the show - This is only about the 2nd year that Kenna has even watched the fireworks - before that she was PETRIFIED of them. Some how it must have conjoured up frightening memories of birth for her... since immediately after she was born the fireworks started up. They could definitely be heard (and felt) in my hospital room that night! It was quite a welcoming for you! Happy Birthday Kenna - sometimes you are our "little firework" and we love that little "spark" about you - don't ever lose it!