The Triple Tornado

With the kids being off track, keeping the house clean is a CONSTANT battle. I don't know how to get it through their heads to put something away when they are done using it and before moving on to something else. So, today, I was upstairs talking to my sister and this is what I came down to find:

AUGH! I was getting hives just walking through the house. Needless to say, all friends went home, my children were called home, and we cleaned, cleaned, cleaned. There was some whining, a little yelling, and much complaining but things were put away, floors vacuumed and mopped, and a DI pile was started.

"Be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and you will miss them profoundly."

- Pres. Thomas S Monson

Labor Day Weekend

Over Labor Day weekend, Aaron and I took the kids to St George to spend time as a family. The kids loved hanging out at the pool and they especially enjoyed visiting the sugar loaf again. We took one day and went to Las Vegas. I really wanted to go to my favorite store, Kirklands. I LOVE Kirklands and Aaron knows whenever we are Vegas, I am going there. He is so nice, he drops me off alone to shop until my hearts content or until I have spent my limit, whichever comes first. While in Vegas, we also decided to take the kids to a magic show. We bought tickets to Rick Thomas and the kids had a blast! They were all mesmerized by the magic and had fun trying to figure out how he did it. When it was over, Alex came up and said "That is the best magic show ever." After the show, we even got to go on stage and take pictures with Rick and his tigers. We always love going on vacation together. It's nice to get away and spend time with each other.

Playing at the Sugar Loaf

Sometimes I have to take my own picture to prove I was even on these vacations.

Look What I can do!

Today, Alex accomplished a great feat. He learned to ride his bike without training wheels. He is getting so BIG! He came into the house and asked Aaron and I to take off his training wheels. We agreed and went outside to take them off. He was so excited he could hardly stand it. We took his bike out to the middle of the road and I helped him get on. He started riding with me running beside me and he says "Watch how fast I can go, Mom" and proceeds to speed up. I start yelling for him to slow because we have not yet learned how to stop, turn, or even get off the bike. Luckily, I caught up to him and told him we had to start out slow until he could learn all the fundamentals of bike riding. It didn't take him long and now he is riding like a pro. He is so proud and so are we! Way to go Alex!

Raspberry Days

It has become a tradition in our house to drive to Bear Lake and join in on the celebrations of "Raspberry Days." We loaded up the trailer and headed up Thursday night. There is always a small crafter's fair and the kids, well mostly me, likes to wander through and see all the fun crafts. We even found a booth there selling "True Hawaii shave ice" so, of course, we had to stop. Hmmm, they were good, but still nothing like the shave ice we enjoy in Hawaii. Oh well, it still hit the spot on that hot, sunny day. The next day, Grandma and Grandpa McGee came up and we all spent the afternoon playing in the beautiful waters of Bear Lake. The kids are so amazed that they can see the bottom and had fun walking far out into the lake. They had fun finding all the little seashells along the shore and bringing me their collections, which I discreetly left on the beach when it was time to go.

Saturday night, we all headed out to the rodeo. That was a lot of fun and the kids even got to go down and compete for a prize. They tied a ribbon to the tail of a calf and set the kids loose to chase the calf down and try to grab the ribbon. We were laughing so hard! At one point, Adam was really close to getting the ribbon and Alex ran so hard. It was a great night!

We had a great weekend up in Bear Lake and can't wait to do it again. Plus, we bought some YUMMY raspberries and came home and made this:

Now we have delicious raspberry jam that we can enjoy all year long!

Here is our home away from home

Aaron and the kids enjoying their shave ice

Playing in Bear Lake

First Day of School Pics

TAKE ONE: "Adam, relax."

TAKE TWO: "Not any better"

ABBI ALONE TAKE ONE: "I don't know what this is."

ADAM ALONE TAKE ONE: "Really?"

MOVE TO BACKYARD FOR BETTER LIGHTING

TAKE TWO: "Much Better"

ABBI TAKE TWO: "Very Pretty"

ADAM TAKE TWO: "Cool!"

Now off to school... don't want to be late for their first day!

Campin' with the Fam

What do you get when you combine The Marshall 5, the Rasmussen 3, and The McGee 2? The First annual McGee family camping trip! (We missed you McGee 5 and Kevin).

We loaded up the condo on wheels (as it so lovingly called) and headed up to Soapstone in hopes of cooler weather and some good riding trails. We had a blast riding the four-wheelers, playing ladder ball, sitting around the campfire, eating yummy dinners and desserts (doesn't everything taste better when it is made outdoors? Yummy!), building forts with lots of (d)sticks, fishing, playing card games in the tent, and enjoying each others' company.

Can't wait to do it again next year!

Our Warriors

Ali and Ben layered on Nixon's clothes during the night. Nixon was so bundled he could hardly move. Needless to say, none of them slept very well that night. "I can't put my arms down."

Mmmm, Bacon!

Ali, we totally had Dad and Ben.... up until they made a comeback and won.

Me, Abbi, and Ali heading out on the trails.

And what camping trip would be complete without making beaded watchbands with Grandma and Abbi.

Happy 4th of July

Centerville Parade

July 3, 2010

Kauai - 2010

When Aaron and I decided we needed a relaxing vacation, one destination came to mind... Kauai. We absolutely loved vacationing there last year and couldn't wait to return. So, in a matter of three weeks, we secured our lodging, booked our plane tickets, rented a car, got my sister and grandparents to watch the kids, and hopped a plane set for Kauai.

Our first full day in Kauai was spent hiking the Ne Pali Coastline. It was so beautiful. We hiked 2 miles in and came to a beach only accessible by hiking or boating. Afterwards, we picked up what was to be 1 of many Hawaii shave ice to cool ourselves off and went back to the condo and slept for 4 hours.

Throughout the ten days in paradise, we:

Played on the rope swing at Kipu Falls - Note to self: If your first swing was done flawlessly, don't be brave and try it again. You will only cause yourself bodily harm... just don't do it!

Kayaked up the Wailua River

Hiked into Secret Falls and swam in the waterfall

Visited Waimea Canyon and enjoyed the scenic views along the way

Cruised up and down the island in our convertible jamming out to the iPod

Snorkled, played in the water, and dug our toes in the sand

Aaron went deep sea fishing while I stayed back and relaxed by the pool. He brought home the catch of the day which we were able to take to a local restaurant where they cooked it up for us for free.

And on the last day, a sea turtle came to tell us "Aloha"

There is nothing better than vacationing with your very best friend! I enjoyed every minute together with Aaron. I can't wait to do it again!

Oh, by the way, here is what our kids did while we were gone: