Addie is playing Barbie's right now....and she was singing a little song that went like this,

"Get off your shirt and move your body now!!!!"

I said, "Addie! Why are you singing that?"

....her answer...."because they are going to go swimming."

Well....that makes sense!

Weston~B-day Pictures

Weston is loving his new cowboy boots that he got for his birthday...and the hat my mom bought him while she was here watching the kids...it goes with the cowboy costume she made for him...and the little horses are just cheap things from Wal Mart...but they are his favorite thing to play with now! I took this picture the day after his birthday. He insisted on wearing "cowboy clothes"...and then went outside to play horses! I HAD to get a picture of it!
The rest of these pictures are just of him opening some of his presents, blowing out candles and eating cake....typical birthday stuff!

Our Little Cowboy

Weston turns TWO today! Can you believe it!?

He had a doctors appointment yesterday, and while we were in the room waiting for Dr. Peterson to come, I did a little interview with Weston. Well, first, Carla, the nurse weighed and measured him. He's 25.4 pounds and 36 inches tall! (25th percentile for weight and 75th for height.)

So, here's how our little interview went.

Me: Westy! What's your favorite color?

Weston: Cowboy blue (pronounced with a "t" instead of a "c")

Me: What is your favorite food? (Expecting him to say "hot gogs")

Weston: Apples and cackers (crackers)...cackers yummy!

Me: What do you like to drink?

Weston: Apple juice

Me: What toy do you like to play with?

Weston: Me pay yegos (play Lego's).

Me: What show do you like on TV?

Weston: Wild Wild West (Elmo's World, The Wild, Wild West)

Me: What do you like to do with Dad?

Weston: Riding horseys.

Then...the doctor came and that was the end of our interview! Isn't he just cute! Such a boy! I must say...he's been in a little grouch the last few days and I have really missed my happy little guy. So far, he's been in a better mood today! He doesn't quite "get" that it's his birthday or what that means. I told him that it's his birthday today and he snapped at me, "It not my birthday!" But then two seconds later he was "riding" his sisters Barbie horse and he said in the sweetest voice, "Mommy, you get me a little rope?" He told me that the horse bucked him off and he was going to rope it up! I guess he's slowing slipping into the "terrible two's"....but I'll take the sweetness in whatever dose he's willing to give it! Oh...and I taught him how to say, "Howdy Momma"....it's so cute!

Happy Birthday Cowboy! We love ya!

I know you guys love having me tell you about all the sad/heart breaking stories that I follow....last week a baby named Lucas )who I learned about from Sadie's blog, who I learned about from Hilary Weeks blog...) earned his wings after a 3 month fight with brain cancer. He was 8 months old. Also, last week I learned that Paul Cardall, who was born some 30+ years ago with a long list of heart defects finally got a new heart! This man is amazing and has given so much hope and inspiration to parents of "heart babies". SO! If you want to add a few more names to your prayers at night...these are three that I highly recommend...the Huish family, the Nelson family and Paul and his family.

(To learn more about these families..click of their names in this post....)

Alaska Pictures~ 3rd and final post I promise! (Juneau+Mendenhall Glacier, Skagway, Ketchikan, last day)

Is anyone sick of me posting about our trip yet???? I just need to get the rest of these pictures onto the blog so that they will be easy to put into a book.

Where did I leave off? Oh...we were leaving Sitka. SO! Our next stop was Juneau. Was it Saturday that we were there? I think so. Anyhow...it was rainy...but that didn't stop us. We had heard that you could get a fairly cheap bus ride out to see the Mendenhall Glacier....so we jumped on a bus with a few other family members. Along the way, we passed the state capitol and a Wal Mart. (Target would have been more impressive...but I am sure they have one of those there too.) ANYHOW....we made it to the glacier. We had been told that there would most likely be bears there....and we were not disappointed! There was a raised walk way and we saw this little guy (or girl) munching on a salmon. We were told that it's momma had been seen near by not too long before we got there...and some other people saw this baby up in a tree. We watched him for a while and tried to get a good shot of him...but there were LOTS of people doing the same thing, so that made it hard. BUT! We saw our bear (close up...not like at the river in Talkeetna...we also saw another bear later in Katchikan...but it was far away and there for a split second).

Yet another beautiful sight that my pictures didn't do justice too. It was overcast and rainy...so that's my excuse!

The sun did peak out for a minute though....

We saw a LOT of these in Alaska....(only in store windows.). There was also a furry g-string for the guy! Yup...they know how to stay warm! Seriously...where would you wear this too? And it only cost a couple thousand dollars!

A shot of the street where we were shopping. We got some good 1/2 off deals in Juneau! And look at the water falls in the distance. I just was in awe of all the water and trees!

I don't know which night I took this picture. Again...it doesn't do the moment justice because the moon was way bigger than this and just hovering over the water with its reflection beaming down.

I don't remember which town it was that we were leaving...but we were on deck enjoying the scenery and there were just tons of waterfalls! This one went pretty much from the top of the mountain to the bottom...you can't see the top because of the clouds.

Alright...these pictures are kindda out of order...but that's okay.

So! Now were are in Skagway...my favorite of all the towns we visited! We were in Skagway on Sunday...and a few of us walked the blocks to State St. and 11th to the small LDS meeting house. It was such a good feeling to go to church and see the saints in Alaska! Their numbers are few! This branch has about 15+ regulars during the year...but in the summer that number goes up to maybe 50 because of seasonal workers. I loved singing with them and partaking of the Sacrament...I loved the lesson given in Sunday school and I would have loved to stay for the rest of church but the building kept swaying back and forth (those darn sea legs) and Brandon and I had to leave because we were dizzy. It's so weird how your body adjusts to being in motion all the time and when you are sitting or standing still...you still feel like you are moving and the feeling only goes away when you get out in fresh air and move.

I loved my summers life guarding and teaching swim lessons...but if I had known about being a seasonal worker in Alaska...I TOTALLY would have done that instead! I could see myself driving one of these cool tour buses around town! There was a man at church who owns a few shops and he said that the majority of their summer help in Skagway are LDS young adults. My sister in law got his name+# if anyone is interested!

We left church and wander through town, collecting free things with coupons from a book we were given at the beginning of our cruise. That was a serious highlight of our trip! We loved treasure hunting with our coupons and collecting all the free/cheap stuff from the shops! Amy and Kayla joined us in the treasure hunting adventures and we had fun! I am so glad to not be the ONLY cheapo in the family! Okay...so that had nothing to do with this next picture. This is a stream+pond where TONS of salmon were visiting+spawning+we saw two male fighting...seriously grabbing each other and biting! I have a video of that. We also saw lots of salmon jumping out of the water here!

We crossed this bridge to get to the other side of the stream. It was amazing how strong+fast those salmon are! (And FYI...for those who care. I took most of the pictures in this post with my little 5.1 mega pixel Kodak.)

There are LOTS of colorful 'shrooms' in Alaska!

We crossed the road from where that pond was+crossed the railroad tracks and found this pretty waterfall! I love all the tucked away places

in Alaska. It seems like every inch of it is beautiful! Oh! There were salmon jumping out of the water here too and trying to go up the fall! CRAZY to think that they came all the way from the ocean BACK to the place there were born! I loved this! I wanna make one! There were three hanging outside a building!

Now we are in Ketchikan. LOT of salmon to be seen here too. We took a tour bus out to a place over by the hatchery and saw(and smelled) lots of fish. We also saw that bear for a split second and the mother eagle taking a fish to her nest.

I HAVE to tell you about this picture! Like I said, we took a tour bus out to see some sights. We went to this place called Totem Park that was near this rain forest. Well...when we got there, I had to go visit the little girls room. The rest of the group went on and Brandon waited for me. So...we found the trail that they had taken into the forest and I kid you not, we had not gone 100 feet before Brandon seized the moment to answer natures call...in nature! SO! While he was taking care of business...I turned the other way #1 to be able to warn him if someone happened to come up the trail and #2...to take this picture. We were under a canopy of trees.

If you look closely at the big tree...you can see that there is another tree growing off the side of it.

I thought this was a funny totem. It was a story that goes with it about a boy who stuck his hand into a rock to get oysters or something and then the tide came in and he died...whatever...it was made up probably to scare kids into listening to their parents. I just thought the look of the face of this "kid" was funny!

Me...as part of a totem pole.

...This was our last port...so we felt a rush to #1 collect all the free things our coupon book had to offer...and also to get last minute things for people back home. Ketchikan, for cruise ships, is either their last or first port...so they can keep their prices fairly high.

Michelle (you know who you are....) this picture was taken just for you. I have no idea if the picture on the shirt is supposed to be a joke or what...but I had to snap a picture for the biggest Twilight fan!

SO...our last night...our last dinner in the dining hall where food is free and you try a little of everything...just because you can. This is my SIL Penny...and her THREE entries...which were served after her #? appetizer(s) and before her #? dessert(s). Now, don't think I am picking on Penny...she surely wasn't the only one...myself included...who was having fun trying everything that sounded good!

And this is our waiter Roberto. He and I were pretty close. Not really...but some nights, the waiting staff would turn on music and he'd always come get me to dance with him...after he was done dancing with the pole. LOL! It was embarassing...but fun.

And that folks...is the end of me posting about Alaska! I do have to mention a few key moments...like when Jennifer (Tyler's) performed as Madonna in the "Carnival Ledgends" show. She had to sing "Like A Virgin"...and some of the male Carnival dancer provided a little extra entertainment along with her in their tight short shorts! (HILARIOUSLY funny!) And I have to say how FUN it was to go dancing with Jennifer, Tyler, Kayla and Jeff. It was close to midnight, we were so past tired we were loopy...and that just made our dance moves all the better. It was fun to go (almost force) the rest of the family into the dance club for FHE on Monday night too. Very few stayed off the dance floor...even when we had spectators! Those are moments that made this trip so memorable! I also just loved hanging out with Brandon. I don't care what you say...but we are fun and we are so glad that we were able to go on this cruise...stormy sea and all. We never ever would have taken such a long vacation if it hadn't been in a situation like this...and we probably wont get another vacation with just the two of us for a long long time...so this was really amazing. I loved seeing all the sights and just relaxing, being myslef and having a great time. I also loved our last day. We were at sea so there was no port. I slept in until 11 a.m. that day...then got up and ate...then went to a show (the one my SIL Jennifer was in) then I think we played cards...then I went and got ready for bed and was in bed by like 8:30 p.m...and I finished reading my book, and watched a movie and slept. It was a great way to end a busy week! Then Wednesday..we were up early, off the boat, said good bye to Brandon because he had to stay in Vancouver to work, got on a bus, drove 3 hours to Seattle, got on a plane, flew and flew and flew until we (I was traveling with Shon and Pam....which was a real treat because I love talking to Pam...and Shon is pretty fun too...) anyhow...we finally made it to Phoenix where Pam's sister Lisa was wonderful enough to pick us up...and we went to her house, got Shon and Pams car, hit a gas station for gas+snacks then hit the road and drove 3 hours home to Snowflake! We made it home by 11:30ish in the evening. My kids were all in bed...but my mom was up and we talked for a while. She had to leave early in the morning to go home. The kids and I managed to get along without Brandon until he got home Saturday evening. It's great to be all back together again! I missed my kids like crazy!

Okay...now I am REALLY done blogging about our trip!

THE END!

Alaska Pictures, Part 2...Glacier+Sitka

Okay...so here we go again!

So...we got on the ship Wednesday August 26th...I don't remember the time....probably around 3 p.m. or something like that. ANYHOW....so...the ship is big and I was feeling lost and tired from being on a bus for so long and just wanting to go to bed...but then again....we were in ALASKA...and I felt like there was no time to kill. So we got situated...and looked around the boat then we went down to dinner. That's where these pictures pick up at......

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This is Brandon's older brother Tyler and his beautiful wife (you guessed it) Jennifer! We were at the same table for dinner our first night. They had people coming around with cameras to take our pictures and if you know me then you know that #1 I don't like to have my picture taken and #2 even if someone else could do a better job, I rather take my own pictures for free. SO! I took a few shots of the people at our table!

This is Shon, Brandon's oldest brother and his adorable wife Pam! They are so fun. Pam let me try her smoked salmon. I am not a seafood eater...but I have to say, the salmon wasn't fishy...probably because it was so fresh. I learned on this trip that it's not so much the flavor but the texture of fish that I don't like. And I was very proud of Brandon for trying fish+shrimp on this trip!

This is another brother Wynn (not sure where he fits in the "line up") and his gorgeous wife Kami! These two are a blast. We stayed up late playing phase 10 with them+Jeff and Kayla a few nights! And it was tons of fun seeing their dance moves at FHE in the Deco Club!

Okay....enough about the family....SO! We woke up super early Wednesday morning as we cruised College Fjord. (click on the word to find out what it means) At the end, there was this huge glacier.

....this is the glacier from a distance....

...and this is about as close as we got...and as close of a shot that I could get with my camera. It was beautiful with rivers and waterfall flowing from it. We were all just waiting for a chunk to fall off because you could hear it moving and you could see big cracks and crevices in the ice. It was so quiet and still. Well, a little (well...size is relative here) piece did fall off...while my back was turned...but it didn't make the big splash like you see on TV or in pictures.

I just can't even tell you how huge this glacier was....this is another shot of a different part of it.

So, after seeing the glacier, the ship turned around and we headed out to sea. Most of us hit the gym. I did a morning stretch class that was fun. Then we settled in for a day at sea. Like I said before...this was our "storm day". But things didn't get bad until later in the afternoon. Before that, I went and did a little craft...bracelets for the girls. I met up with the family in the "Cool Club". They were listening to people do karaoke. This was the day that we had worn our matching t-shirts. They were a surprise for my mother in law. So anyhow...the whole family was sitting listening to people sing and the D.J. who was a great singer to hilarious girl was making fun of your family for being the "watchers". I don't remember exactly what she was saying, but I thought is was funny that all these musically talented people were just watching...so I, the untalented one of the group, got up and sang "I Will Always Love You" in my worst karaoke voice. My sister in law Kayla ended up singing with me and the D.J. girl did too...it was pretty fun+funny. After that, I signed Brandon, his mom and a couple other guys up to sing "YMCA". The D.J. busted out costumes for them! Too bad I didn't have my camera with me! Somebody send me pictures! I was hilarious. I signed a few other people up too....but they were too chicken. (Party poopers!) I should add that other family members DID eventually karaoke including Shon and Pam who I signed up. They did a great Sonny and Cher ("I Got You Babe")...I hope they have forgiven me by now!

Well... Not too long after Karaoke...the seas got pretty rough and...you know they story from there!

OH Sitka how I LOVE you! I was SO glad to get off that ship Friday morning...I almost kissed the ground! To learn more about the town of Sitka, click HERE! I saw these boats docked and just had to take a picture.

This was a big anchor...it was in a commons area, across from the above docked boats and right by a totem pole that's at the top of this post.

So, in Sitka, we basically shopped. I needed hair spray and Tylenol...and Brandon needed a little caffine. Sodas weren't free+very over priced on the ship!

Brandon and I enjoyed visiting this friendly bear! (Weston saw this picture and said that the bear was petting me!) I got the wooden necklace I am wearing at a shop there too....I saw these cool wooden watches at another port, in Skagway...but they were out of my price range!

I loved the colors....

...this church was there in the center of town forever, then burned down some years ago and was rebuilt. Some body in the family went on a tour of it and told me an amazing story about someone rescuing a huge chandelier from the church while it was on fire...by himself...and then when they went to put it into the church, it took 6 men to carry it.

We found the Sitka library...and used it's restroom...then stepped out and took this picture. Really...it was SO pretty there...and everywhere we went in Alaska. I seriously would move there tomorrow!

That's our ship...

Goodbye Sitka!

Me talking to the kids+my mom as we leave Sitka.

Brandon enjoying the view as we leave (....and maybe thinking of moving us there????? j/k).