Back TO School BARGINS!

I can't believe that the kids are going back to school soon. I am trying to get everything ready so I am not running around last minute. I was able to find a steal on their shoes. We always buy their shoes at Famous Footwear. They have great deals and great brands. This year I bought them online and scored HUGE! They are having their B1G1 1/2 off promo and add an additional 20% off with a promo code. I bought 4 pairs of DC shoes for $116-oh ya, don't forget the FREE SHIPPING! If you want to check this deal out here is the site and promo code: http://www.famousfootwear.com
Extra 20% off 0809796 - exp 08/08/09
The savings don't end there. I bought 15 pairs of jeans from Childrens Place for $157-($10.50 each). I can't find jeans for that kind of a price. These jeans hold up extremely well and you pay for what you get:) Here is the link and promo code if you are interested in these too: http://www.childrenplace.com
EXTRA 25% OFF YOUR ORDER!!!! Just use code S2DSE - exp 8/1.
$5 flat rate shipping. No code required.

Have a great time getting your kids ready for school, cause I am:)



Wyatt's Shoes








Holden's Shoes








Caleb's Shoes








Chase's Shoes









Deep-Sea Classic Fit Jeans

PiOnEEr CeLeBRaTioN

We celebrated Pioneer Day on the 25th of July. Whitney 1st ward has made this tradition an annual event. We start out with a flag ceremony and a pancake breakfast put on by the scouts. A day full of activities soon follows. The primary kids participate in face painting and water games a HUGE water slide is defiantly a good way to cool off. Dutch oven cook off and eating is also a highlight of the afternoon. In the evening the primary kids ride in a parade and then a nice dinner is served after. We are so grateful to our ancestors who laid the way for us. I hope that we will always remember the great sacrifice that they have made on our behalf.

That's What Fun Is.....

Wow, it has been a crazy week! I am finally getting the rest of my visit with my sister blogged. I am in the middle of finals and will be so glad when this week is over:) On the 23rd we went to Lagoon. What a BLAST! We arrived just as the park rides were opening up. Wyatt took his friend Zach and they were on their own for the better part of the day. Between entertaining Holden and Caleb on the BIG rides and Chase and Kayden on the smaller rides we went all day! Caleb has become quite the adventurer. He totally conquered the WICKED! I still can't believe that he went on this ride. This kid has NO FEAR! I am so proud of him. Chase is getting more brave and he went on the Mouse Trap. This ended up being the "adult" ride that he went on the most. Holden can hold his own pretty good. He isn't quite as daring as Caleb is. As for me, I am not a big ride person. I did go on the Mouse Trap and a couple of other rides and that was plenty of excitment for me. Tracen, Maria and Edwin are big into rides and Kayden was surprisingly a adventuer herself. I was impressed! We left the park at 7:00 p.m. and got home at 9:30. What a long fun day. That's what it's all about, spending time with the ones you love. That's What Fun Is!

TeEnAgEr In ThE HoUsE

Today Wyatt is 13! Oh My Gosh! were has the time gone? I can't believe that we have finally reached that mile stone in our lives, a teenager living in our home! He is 3" taller than me, we weight the same and we can share cloths...if we wanted too:) We got him an Ironman watch in hopes that he will be able to come home on time...ha ha. He has gotten to the age where he has most of the electronic items that a teenager could ask for(Xbox, IPod, DS, Playstation). He is working on getting a phone. We decided to get him cloths as well, so we bought him 3 pairs of OP shorts and 3 Aeropostale shirts. He got a job this summer and is moving pipe for a neighbor. He gets himself up every morning at 6:00. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays he also has a job watering corn for another farmer. It has been really good to see him get himself up and take charge of his responsibilities. He has grown so much and we are so blessed to have him in our home. Wyatt is a considerate young man and yet he can be very witty at times. He is quick to make a joke and he keeps us laughing. He is also a great babysitter! He has tended for a friend several times and her kids just love Wyatt. He is so fun to hang with and tease. He loves the fact the he has finally out grown me and now he has his sights on his dad. Tracen has still got him beat but they do wear the same shoe. Wyatt we love you and we appreciate you so much! Happy Birthday!!!

BiRtHdAy PrInCeSs KaYdEn

Today is my cute nieces birthday, Kayden is 6. We are so lucky to have her share this special day with us. She made her mom drive all the way from Canada so we could party with her! What a sweetheart. We had Chad and Rose(Tynisha and Kolt), Edwin and Maria(Kayden the birthday girl) and our wild boys all for dinner. Tracen fired up the grill and make spanktacular hamburgers and hot dogs. We enjoyed corn on the cob(not form our garden, yet) and delicious birthday cake. We busted up the pinata after dinner and the candy went flying! Presents were opened last and I tell you it pays to be an only child....talk about SPOILED! Holy moley! I hope I score as good as she did being that I am the only girl in my family:) Hint, Hint, Tracen:) We have had such a great day and can't wait for the rest of the week. We have a busy week ahead of us so I will defiantly keep you posted. We are so grateful for family and the ties that bind us together. Happy Birthday DAD! We haven't forgot about you! We love and miss you too! How cool is that, to share a birthday with your grandpa! Lucky little princess.

RuN BaBy RuN

Yesterday I participate in the 6th annual Bryce Canyon 1/2 Marathon. My sister in-law Kathy went with me and we had a GREAT weekend! I left Friday morning around 9:30 and picked Kathy up in Lehi. We had a great time talking and laughing the whole way down. I really enjoy her company and we get along so well. We surprisingly were able to navigate our way to Bryce without getting lost! We were so proud of ourselves. We stopped at the hotel first and dropped off our bags, then we headed to Cannonville to pick up my race packet. I was surprised on how low key this race was. It is so weird to go to bigger city races and take part in the runner expos and then hit a small race and their be nothing. We went to Ruby's Inn where the race started and did some shopping. It reminded me a lot of Jackson Hole(a way small version though). We found some great finds and headed back to Tropic for something to eat. The restaurant was busy needless to say but the portions were HUGE, so we shared a plate. The pasta was great and so was the company! We went through the shops and then decided I better start to wined down. I got all my cloths laid out and hit the pillow. I was up at 4:30 and anxious for the race to start. The race started at 6:00 with a REAL gun shot start! It was a beautiful run and the first part was all down hill. My quads are feeling the effect of this today! My finish time was 2:10, not to bad considering I didn't put in the miles like I should have. I have been concentrating on my bike trying to get in the miles for the LOTOJA race in September. All in all, it was a great race and I will defiantly do it again next year!

BoB CaT

Tonight Caleb earned his Bobcat. Tracen and I are his scout leaders and we love our calling! It has been so fun having Caleb in our pack. We have such a great bunch of boys and we have a lot of fun planning and participating in the scout activities. Way to go Caleb! If the truth be told he is almost ready to get his Wolf:) We are defiantly a scouting family.








Caleb and his scout leaders:)

JuSt KeEp SwImMiN'

This week the kids were in swimming lessons. Wyatt has completed all the levels so he opted out of doing it this year. I would really like him to take the necessary courses in order for him to be a life guard. He really enjoys swimming and is a great swimmer. The other boys had a great time. We started all of the kids in swimming when they were about 3; it has been a great way to use up some of the summer days and it has been a great skill for them to learn. They all passed their levels today and get to move on next year. I think that due to me not remembering what they did last year they repeated this year, oops. Oh well, they just perfected the strokes. I will however bump Holden up to level 6, he has shown great improvement this year and I know he would have passed off level 5 had he been there this year. Chase and Caleb will move up to level 3. They all got a free swim pass to Skyview, so we get to go as a family now:)

Pyromaniacs

Tonight we lit all the fireworks that the kids bought. Tracen has been working the last couple of nights, so the boys decided to wait till he finished his night rotation so we could do fire works as a family. We had a great time watching them go off! It was so fun listening to the kids laugh and carry on. You are never to old to enjoy fireworks!

GoT BoYz?

Today we went to Lehi to watch Emery bless his baby, Cameron Grant Winward. We went and picked up Tracen's sweet Grandma Jones(we call her Grandma J) and I/we LOVE her so MUCH! We headed south in hopes we wouldn't be late. We managed to make it on time and even got a soft bench, so nice! I was amazed at ALL the young kids in that ward. When it came time to pass the Sacrament their looked to be like only 2 Deacons, the rest were Elders. Yes, their was a lot of crying and I was sure glad that my kids are well past that stage(someday's lol).
For the closing hymn we sang The Star spangled Banner. Now, most of you know that I was raised in Canada and just over the past 6 years have I been a Citizen of this great nation. I was so sad when I changed my citizenship; but now, I call this great land home. I love to sing this national anthem and do so with GREAT PRIDE! We went to the park and had lunch after the blessing. What a BEAUTIFUL day! The kid's were so excited to go to Lehi, because that is where their FAVORITE cousins live! Curt and Kathy have 5 boys: Makenzie, Jory, CJ, Hunter and Sawyer. Yes, 5 handsome boys, by the time you add my 4 handsome boys you have some serious PRIESTHOOD POWER! Of course, this is not how they see it, it is just one big PARTY! It is so AWESOME that these boy's have developed such a close bond to one another, that they look so forward to seeing each other. They always get so EXCITED when they hear that the cousins are coming(whether it is them or us). We look so forward to our visits and cherish everyone. The memories that are being built are eternal and the friendship priceless! Oh how we love the cousins!

LeT FrEeDoM RiNg

Happy Independence Day! We are so blessed to live in a country were we can exercise our freedom of speech and religion. We went to the Logan fire works last night with Shad and Heidie Moser(Paige, Addi, and Parker) and Tyler and Tammy Henderson(Kinley and Cooper). They always put on a great show! To celebrate my freedom today, I got up at five and headed down to Hyrum to participate in the annual 15k Blacksmith Fork Freedom Run. We have a running group that hits this run faithfully every year. Tyler, Heidie and myself ran and had a great time. It took me 1hr 31mins this year; so, I completed it faster than last year. I sure enjoy running but most of all, I enjoy the great friend's that I get to share this passion with. Let Freedom Ring!

You'll Always Be The One

Today Tracen and I are celebrating 16 wonderful years. Yes, I do mean 16! Who would have guessed that a Canadian girl could possible find the perfect American boy! Well I did! Tracen is the epitome of perfect. His unconditional love and devotion to me is undeniable. I think some days he lives to make me happy and he does. He constantly is showering me with uplifting effection, in his eyes I can do no wrong(for the most part lol). I am so blest to be the recipeant of this love and am so greatful that our paths crossed. We are a perfect match that was made in Heaven. He completes me. Happy Anniversary Tracen. I love you so much!

tres tamales calientes

Today was Tamale day. My dear friend Eyra Stokes called me this morning and told me that her mom(Eyra Haaz) was making Tamales again. Her mother is heading back to Mexico next week, so I couldn't give up this last chance to enjoy these yummy Mexican morsels. I bought 2 dozen from her mother and I will enjoy them ALL by myself. Tracen and the kid's don't care for them to much. LUCKY ME! They are better eaten fresh; however, they are also good when thawed and fried in a little butter. Oh how I love my heratige and the food isn't to bad either!






Eyra Stokes and Eyra Haaz











Pollo Tamale- bueno

InDiAn FoOtBaLl CaMp

Holden went to Indian football camp this week. It started Monday and went until Wednesday. He is old enough this year to play in the Southeastern Idaho Football League. He is really excited to try it out. I really hope that he doesn't get hurt! He is such a small kiddo, but he can run fast so hopefully that will be to his advantage. The high school puts this event on every year for aspiring football players. I think that this is a wonderful service to the community and you can count on us being back next year.









Holden listening to his coach

















Neal and Holden-BFF


















Coach Shawn Marlow