Hall summer Reunion

Last weekend we had the Hall summer reunion. We were celebrating many things at the even. Grandma Hall's birthday, a couple of wedding anniversaries, etc; it was a lot. We had the pavilion reserved at the South Ogden splash park. It was nice to be able to have the pavilion, but also have the park and the splash pad as a play area. The kids had a blast. As soon as we got there Gabbi got in her swim suit and ran through the splash pad for over an hour. It was hard to get her to come out and eat. Once we finally got her out of the water to eat, she quickly ate and then wanted to play on the playground. She stayed there for the remainder of the time we were there. She and all the other cousins had a lot of fun. While the kids played and ate all the adults had the chance to visit and catch up on old times. It was a lot of fun and hopefully it was good for all those we were celebrating.

Going to town on some jello salad. He couldn't get enough.

Activity Days

I have been in Activity Days now for almost two years. It will be two year next month. My how the time flies.I have seen girls come and I have seen girl so. I am sad to say that I will soon be leaving this calling as well. Once school starts, I will be watching my 5 year old nephew when school starts. He only has half day Kindergarten. To have to drag both of my kids, 3 and 9 months, plus a 5 year old boy, to an activity with 8 girls all ranging in ages from 10-11, would just be crazy. I don't think I could handle that very well, at least not for very long. I will stay in as long as I can to help my fellow worker, but hopefully they find me a replacement soon. Primary seems to be one of the worst callings to fill in our ward. They seem to take the longest to fill. I will miss my girls from activity days, they are a lot of fun, but I am still some of theirs primary teacher, so I will still see them every Sunday in Primary and class. Love ya girls.

Off to Idaho again

Ben was asked to go to Idaho again and we had no questions to him going, so he said yes. I was a little sad as he was packing because I wanted to go. We had so much fun last time, I really wanted to go again and some of the other guys families were coming. I sadly said good-bye to him Sunday afternoon, hoping that something would come up to were I could go. I had promised myself to my sister, to watch her kids, but as the week was slowly going by, we talked and decided that the kids and I could come up Wednesday after I was done watching Jenny's kids. I was happy that we decided to go because I missed Ben and it's always nice to be able to get away. So we headed Wednesday and got there just in time for dinner. When we were done with dinner, we put the kids to bed and went for a walk and sat in the lobby just talking, waiting for the kids to fall asleep. Thursday morning went by pretty fast. We spent the morning in the hotel and then when it was time for lunch we went to McDonald's to eat and play. Even Owen got to play, it was funny to watch him. We then went to a park because McDonald's was filling up with way to many kids for my taste. It was a crazy chaos. Owen slept and Gabbi played. It was perfect. Then we met Ben back at the hotel and when we did he let me know that they all wanted to do a bbq. They had brought a small grill with them and they all wanted to grill hotdogs. So Ben and I ran to the store to get everything we needed and when we got back from shopping we got to swim while waiting for the bbq to start. Gabbi had a blast again. It was a pain to try and get her out. Even Owen was sad when we took him out of the water. Once we got all cleaned up we headed to the grassy area right outside out hotel door. It was owned by the hotel and they had two horseshoe pits as well. So we ate and played horseshoes. The best part was being able to visit with the guys that Ben works with and their family. It was so much fun and it was great for Gabbi too. Ron and his wife were there and they have three kids. One being around Gabbi's age. They played and played and had a blast. It was so cute to watch them. As the time drew on, we put Owen to bed and continued to play ourselves. Then it was time for everyone to sleep. We gave Gabbi a bath and then headed for a walk outside. It was so nice. When we got up in the morning, we got the room cleaned up and packed in the car awaiting to see what Ben's plans were. They normally go out to eat for lunch on the last day and they did again. Ron's family was still there too, so we all went out to this fun little Mexican restaurant.The servings were huge, holy cow. But it was very good. Once we were all done, we headed back to Utah. It wasn't as long as our last trip, but it was just as fun. Such a blast.

Sagez Summer Reunion

After we left the fairgrounds we did some errands and then headed to garland for the Sagez summer reunion. Nelson and Deann planned it all; the place, the food assignments, and took on all the stress associated with planning a party. It went very well. Not everyone was able to come, but those who did had a good time. We had it at the ballpark just down the street from Nelson and Deann's house. It was nice to be able to have access to the cook shack's grill and to be able to play baseball on the baseball diamond. There was a playground next to the pavilion where we were eating at, so the kids had a place to play and the adults had a place to play and visit. When we got there some family members where already playing ball and were really having a blast too. Once everyone got there, we had dinner and then just relaxed and visited. It was nice to be able to see Nelson's extended family again, those who were able to come, and catch up on what everyone was up to. Thanks again Nelson and Deann for putting it all together.

Rockets

Saturday was filled with nothing fun. Ben was gone all morning for an eagle scout project of one of his boys. He was gone forever and once he got home he was going to do lawn stuff and school work. Very boring for me. Happily dad called me and asked if he could take Gabbi with him and the rest of the grand kids to go and shoot off rockets and go out to lunch. I asked him if Ben didn't get back in time, if I could tag along as well. I didn't want to stay home. He said of course I could. I am very glad he called. I hate being home with nothing to do. We met them at a new pizza place called Fat Bob's. It was actually pretty good, for a no name place. It was yummy. Then we headed for the fairgrounds to shoot off Kayden's and Jeff's rockets. All the kids had a blast. There was a hill, a playground, and a large field to play in. They took turns shooting off and chasing after the rockets. Once all the rockets were used we did a few Geo-caching. Its an app you can put on your phone that has coordinates for a place where something is hidden. Once you find it, you put your name on it and put it back for the next person. They are all over the world. It's pretty fun. I suck at finding them. Ben is really good, which is why he likes it so much.

8 months and sitting

Finally, Owen can now sit by himself. He's not very good at it, but he can do it. He's only fallen to the side once or twice. It seems like it took him forever. Gabbi was sitting by 6 1/2 months. However everyone tells me that boys tend to take longer to do things then girls. I am seeing the truth in this now. By 9 months Gabbi was crawling and by 11 she was taking her first steps. Owen can do the swaying motion for crawling and he can get up on his knees a little, but he can't hold himself there for long and he can't put the two together. I don't worry about him, I know he will get it eventually.

Fish Fry

If my Saturday wasn't busy enough with Taycina's wedding, we also had the fish fry that night up in Garland. It a tradition in Garland to have their fire department put together this fish fry. They buy a whole bunch of salmon and cook it for a fundraiser. It turns out great every year. Ben loves it because its pretty much the only time that he gets fish, besides tuna. We met at Nelson and Deann's house and walked over to the fish fry. We didn't have to wait in line to long and what wait we did, it moved very fast. I have to admit, the salmon was pretty good. It's the only fish that I'll eat. Gabbi even loved it. I think she ate more salmon then I did. Once we were done eating and all the boys had had their fill, we walked back to Nelson and Deann's house. They kids played in the sandbox in the back yard while the grown ups played basketball in the front yard. The funniest part about the night was Owen. Ben was holding Owen and was just standing there watching Nelson, Brian, and Amanda play basketball. Owen was laughing like crazy. He thought that them playing and hearing the sound of the basketball was the funniest thing. It was so cute. Once all the big kids and the little kids had their fill of playing it was time to say goodbye. What a busy day.

Taycina's Wedding

One of my best friends in the world, got married. She found he best friend and soul mate in Jeff Brady. I am very happy for Taycina and Jeff. I'm excited that they get to start a new chapter in their lives together and I wish them the very best. I was very happy to be invited to help out. I'm glad I could be help for Taycina. Friday night she invited me to go out to dinner with her and some friends after the wedding rehearsal. Once we were done eating we headed back to Taycina's hotel to put together her wedding bouquet's for her and all her bridesmaids. We also put together the boutonnieres or the guy and the corsages for the mothers. It was a lot of fun and the flowers turned out great. Saturday started with the luncheon. They had it at the Timbermine. The food was great, the company was great, it turned out really nice. After the luncheon Taycina asked if I could help her get into her dress. I was very flattered. Her dress was very pretty, but it had a lot of pain in the butt buttons. They are easier to do up when you have a croquet needle, but it was forgotten and that made the buttons very hard. But it finally was done and she looked great. While she put the finishing touches on herself and her dress, she asked me to help pass out the flowers and make sure everyone got the right flowers. I had to recruit help from Jeff to make sure that I gave them to the right people. Everyone looked great. The wedding ceremony was beautiful. Jeff's brother-in-law performed the ceremony. It was just beautiful. She looked so happy. It was a wonderful afternoon. Love you Tay.