What the rest of us have been up to...

I'll start with posting about what the girls did while Shane and I were off having a blast in Cabo...

They seemed to have an fun time without us...

and with Andy and Missy!

Makes us extra grateful for good girls and good family to help us with those girls!

Together they checked lots of summer-to-do-list things off...  by...

going to the fair.

playing in the sprinklers

going to the aquatic center

making rainbow pancakes

taking a hike to Tony's Grove

Going to Angie's to clean the sink

etc. etc. etc.

Before we knew it summer was over and we were back in school and Tayler was...

being crazy with friends...

And loving her school's dress-up days...

"Spirit Day"...

"Harry Potter Day"

"Super Hero Day"

 "Decade Day"

"Crazy Day"

And developing new highly useful skills like this...

Saige was being our little humanitarian the last couple months...
organizing, preparing and holding a bake sale for an orphanage in Quito Ecuador.
Her and Whitney (who's parents will be going to the orphanage next month) used it as a YW value project... and it was an intense one!
Those 2 girls spent over 18 hours (each) baking together in preparation, they designed and passed out flyers to our whole ward and surrounding businesses, AND held the sale for 5 hours.

We were proud of them...

They were exhausted by the end...
but it was all worth it, because thanks to generous friends, neighbors and family they earned $550!!
They then had a great time buying stuff for the orphanage and assembling it in their Beehive Class so that Whitney's parents can get it to Ecuador. :)
Good job girls!!

Saige also made lots and lots of bracelets for another YW project...
and sent them to Africa for our awesome missionary Elder Astle to pass out to the children in Mozambique...

I think they liked them!!

Thanks for making a difference Saige!

Kenna...  has been loving 3rd grade and loving FLIPPING!!

She was excited to do tricks in the Homecoming parade on what I as a mother felt was a little dangerous...
a trampoline... on a moving semi-flat bed... really??

 But we were glad that she saw us and got to show us her stuff as she went by!

We also watched Tayler and Saige dance...
(love that Tayler had no other place to put her phone :))

 (Saige is in the red shirt)

our little Jadyn... has just been Jadyn keeping us thoroughly entertained!

She had the tube in her ear REMOVED because it never fell out.

(I totally wanted to pay to put it in and THEN pay to take it out!  GRRR)

Amazingly she was OK with the surgery part...

but oh boy, she was NOT OK with having to wear those darn hospital PJ's that they made her wear.

They were tiger PJ's...

and she wanted nothing to do with them... or tigers for that matter!

We got GREAT videos and pictures of her "PJ" freak out!

But since most of the freaking out was due to us taking the videos and pictures and her telling us to DELETE them...

I am resisting putting them on here.

We love you Jadyn!

Shane... has been trying it slice his finger off for the hundredth time...

Another hazard of his occupation...

as I type this he is attempting to get his finger stitched up from a knife cut he got YESTERDAY!

That he was sure would be fine...

but apparently it ISN'T!

That boys hands are just a network of scars... and stories.

it could take all day telling the tales of how each one happened. :)

(Update only 2 of the 14 stitches held because his skin was too soggy (probably from wrapping it in carpet pad and duct tape... his first-aid products of choice) and wouldn't hold the stitches... GROSS, so they told him to go home and keep it up til' he can super-glue it tomorrow?...  He told me this on the way from the Dr.'s office back to work...  He doesn't listen to me.. or Dr's much either!!)

It's just like him though...  he's a hard worker... who tries to fit more hours into his 24 hr day than seems right.

Monday he...

Drove to SLC @ 3:30 am

took a flight to Seattle

then a 3 hr. drive to Vancouver

for an HOUR repair in the Vancouver LDS Temple

followed by a 3 hr drive back to Seattle

and a flight to SLC

then a drive home

He arrived home @ 11:45 PM...

and didn't think much of that schedule.  (And I'm not sure that the lady sitting next to him on the flight that he spilled his drink on... thought much of him either!)

Poor Shane... :(

I've... spent a couple great weekends with good friends.

One at Bear Lake with scrapbooking friends "scrapping away".  My girls were AMAZED that we sat around that table until wee in the morning and got right back up for more... and spent another entire day there... with NO TV at all... just chatting and being very productive!!  It was fabulous!!  So grateful for good friends and that Shane is so capable of caring for our girls.

Another weekend was spent @ "Timeout for Women" with more friends.  A fabulous event that I would highly recommend to all... there were tears and laughter... and a renewed sense of my worth as a women, wife and mother.

Funny thing... I was thinking that we hadn't done much in the last month or so. :)
But I'm not done yet!