San Diego Trip (Day 1) - Sunday

-Early morning scramble to get everything packed and in the car. 3 am: I spent a lot of preparation for all the general stuff for the trip (maps, sunscreen, games, etc. ) but I saved all the details till the last minute.... big mistake! I forgot: my bra ( I KNOW!), garments, towels, hair-brush, Cooper's hat, sunglasses, and swimsuit (you might be thinking at this point: stupid Laura... I would never forget those things! And I would say to that - you're probably right... I'm a total space case when I pack! Maybe I get extra points if I had them on my list... sad that I was in too much of a hurry to LOOK AT MY LIST! ARG!). Not a huge deal since I bought all of that stuff down there once we got there... all except garments... you can't really walk into JCPenny pick some out. I was simply out of luck in that department. I just had to wash my one pair when I was at the beach and try and have it dry and ready for after I showered.
-Also on the first day, the actual looooooooong drive to California. 7 hrs: Traveling on the Sabbath isn't that bad, with extra preparation. This is one of the things I did think ahead about. I hate missing my one day of rest because we're on vacation. I need, crave, and live for that one day. The calm peace, quiet, reflection and togetherness is something that I refuse to sacrifice if I can help it. So, we shopped ahead, brought our church music, scriptures, C.S. Lewis (no, we didn't actually bring C.S. Lewis the person...silly! Just some books by him. I am so hooked as of late.), and found a sacrament meeting close to where we would be staying. I must say that the preparation paid off and we made it to our meeting, had simple meals, and over-all kept the spirit of the day (uhhh... except for a leetle stop at the beach... we were a block away, and a little walk never hurt anyone... right? :)
-Church-1 pm: Did I mention the ward we found was a single's ward? Nice. Yeah, we just trouped on in with our kidletts in tow and didn't skip a beat. I thought our kids would be a disruption in an otherwise reverent ward and I felt a little bad... but then our kids turned out to be quieter than the singles during the sacrament and the high councilmen that spoke afterwards totally reamed them for it. Yikes! Get it together singles!
-Chillaxin after church... Good call whosever idea it was :) to get a costco lasagna and garlic bread... no fuss, and no clean up. That's what I call Sunday!

Summer Magic

We got sick of the heat and not being able to go outside with the kids, so we just took off up to Panguitch lake to camp. When we got off of the main roads we slowed down, rolled down the windows and took the kids out of their seats to ride on our laps. They had the time of their lives... it was like heaven! Why don't we do this every weekend???

A place for everything... and everything in it's CRAZINESS!

Organization is a constant struggle for me. I am continually thinking up new ideas to keep on top of household tasks and planning and all that wifey-mom stuff. If you too have an unending quest to be organized check out this website:
http://www.organizedldsfamily.com/

Also, due to the recent economical downturn, and repeated church emphasis on the subject, Jesse and I have determined it is now necessary for us to "gather in" our foodstorage and 6 month emergency $. We were all excited and pumped up one day after church, then once we really sat down with our budget and determined how long it would take, our excitement was quelled and our happy enthusiasm turned into determined frowns. However, this is not to say we have given up on the matter. Realism does not stop progression. We are still determined in our efforts of obedience, however long the process may take.
That brings me back to my subject of organization. No foodstorage and money-saving system is complete without organization and charts. Lots and lots of CHARTS. I like (love) charts. But only if they are practical and easy to use. Thus, the link to the website above. If anyone has any similar finds, please share!

Mawage is what bwings us togevah

Spencer and Taylor have set a date, so I guess it's official! They're gettin' marriaged on August 15... He's one lucky guy.... look how gorgeous she is!!!!! (just between you and me, she's just as beautiful inside!)

"...makes my heart melt like a popsicle on the Forf 'a July"

The heat here in St. George didn't let up at all for us on the 4th of July, I think it topped out at 110 degrees. We were lucky to take refuge in the pool and water slide at the Hardy house (home of Spencer's new fiance Taylor). But, before we partook in the splendor of water and food at Taylor's house we first went to La Verkin and watched Spencer boost public appeal for the BLM in the 4th of July parade.










I think the kids are even more adorable on holidays.























And then the swimming, and for Cooper, popsicles (Taylor's dad Phillip is the popsicle-giver-outer king). Taylor's brothers and sisters doted on our kids like they were in their family already! Lyndsie is the one with blonde hair holding Leila. Her little brother Clay is swimming with Leila and her Dad Phil is helping Cooper shoot a hoop from the water.





















I thought Cooper would enjoy the fireworks since he's been talking about them for weeks. Our conversations went something like this:
Me - "Cooper, do you want a cracker?"
Cooper - "BOOM! ...FIRECRACKER!!!"
I'm still not sure what the deal was, but when the time came for the fireworks he just curled up in the fetal position on the blanket, covered his eyes and ears and just whimpered. After a few minutes of trying to coax him to open his eyes and at least watch, we finally gave up and Jesse took him inside to watch from the window. Here he is looking apprehensively at the sparklers:










Poor kid! I don't feel too bad though because he spent the day with people ever-ready to play with him and an entire pool at his disposal... I know he had a great time. Great Holiday, couldn't have been better!

P.S. a gold star to anyone who knows where that quote came from! Here it is in it's entirety:
"When he sings, it makes my heart melt like a popsicle on the forf 'a July!"

Seriously So Blessed!!!

Oh man, if you want a good laugh, and are secure enough in your blog and your self to laugh at yourself and everybody around you, check out this mock-blog about a 20-something mormon girl who is married to a "returned missionary" that she "waited for" and they are "seriously so blessed":
Seriously so blessed