Montana!!

Here are a few of the pictures that highlight only a few of the fabulous adventures we had in Great Falls, Montana! We had a blast with some of our very best friends. Mostly we just enjoyed the great outdoors, which was exactly what we needed! I think everyone loved splashing around in the rivers the most...it was refreshing and a good time for all. The older boys loved the rope swing at the water hole.

The kids got along marvelously. The little ones all slept together in one crowded room, while the older boys slept in the RV. All of the kids loved the sleeping arrangements. Meals were chaos. Abram was loud and whiny :) Isabelle and Noah were inseparable, which was pretty stinking cute.

We went a few days without water which I'm sure was stressful for the Arkoudas's, but it was pretty amusing for everyone else. No water for washing, showering, drinking, doing dishes, etc. Thank goodness for store bought water and a stove to boil water we took from the neighbors! We all smelled bad, but you know, it just added to the outdoorsy-ness of the vacation :)

Thank you, Melanie & Ryan and Joy & Kevin for the great memories! Enjoy the pics!


Sam, Zak, Caleb

Chris and Abram with the goats

Isabelle with Crackjaw

The little guys sleeping

Our boat ride up the river

Abram, Nick, Max, Eli...best of friends

Arkoudas Family

Bouck Family

Call Family

The whole gang!

Clara did NOT love the water

the boys

Noah and Isabelle embarrassed to stand too close together :) Someone might think they "liked" eachother or something!

the ladies

Book Review...John Adams

SUCH a great book! It is full of fact, but written in such a way that keeps you interested the entire time. Thank goodness for the amazing history found in all of the letters John Adams wrote. How incredible to have actual thoughts and feelings and worries and joys and frustrations and EVERYTHING associated with the founding of our country. It made me very aware of how important journals and record keeping are.

I was also touched by John Adam's love and respect for his wife, Abigail. I love that she had her own opinions and relationships and ideals, separate from her husband, but together they were still very much a united front.

I was also constantly impressed by what a good and honest and true man he was, yet he was ridiculed for being that way. In times it actually worked against him. John Adams' political character was attacked by someone who was once a dear friend and his own response sums up the kind of man he actually was perfectly.
"...I never soliced a vote in my life for any public office. I never swerved from any principle, I never professed any opinion - I never concealed even any speculative opinion - to obtain a vote. I never sacrificed a friend or betrayed a trust. I never hired scribblers to defame my rivals. I never wrote a line of slander against my bitterest enemy, nor encouraged it in any other."

I can't help but wonder what he would think of our country now. He and Abigail sacrificed so much to help grant us our freedoms, and I wonder if he would be pleased with what our country has become, or appalled. There is a quote from Abigail, "Posterity who are to reap the blessings will scarcely be able to conceive the hardships and sufferings of their ancestors."

After reading this book, I am certain that Heavenly Father had everything to do with the foundation of our country. There were so many miracles come to pass that it is impossible to think otherwise. I had no idea that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died the EXACT same day, on July 4th, a day that meant everything to them. They were the last two signers of the Declaration of Independence still alive, they had a very close and complicated relationship, and they lived nowhere near eachother at the time of their deaths. Thomas Jefferson died first, and according to several accounts, John Adams last words were, "Thomas Jefferson survives". This makes me think that perhaps Thomas Jefferson was there waiting for him on the other side.

I give this book an "A"!
And how's that for a long book review?!

Happy Birthday Jonah!!

So my little Jonah turns 7 today!! He woke up this morning, looked in the mirror, and announced that he was definitely taller. Definitely seven now :)

Jonah is one of my truest loves. He is a quirky child that marches to his own beat. He's always been a home-body, preferring to hang out at home with mom than go to friends houses. He enjoys and prefers to have only a few friends and play with them only when he feels like it. He has such a love for music...he's always sitting at the computer listening to i-tunes. He is totally into the Jonas Brothers and the Beatles right now (could we get more opposite ends of the spectrum?!). He's never been a rough and tumble kind of kid. He doesn't really wrestle or play with weapons, but prefers to do art,listen to music, do puzzles, or play games. My dear husband has brainwashed all of my boys, so Jonah is a die-hard BYU football fan! He absolutely loves going to the games and cheering loudly and getting into the excitement of things. Go Cougars!
Jonah laughs easily and is such a happy child. He never really gets upset, he is very mellow and pleasant. He genuinely cares for people and their feelings and is very thoughtful towards everyone. He is an all-around good boy. Can you tell I adore this child?!


Sweet baby...surprise baby!

Do they get any cuter?

My favorite haircut

Baseball...he was kind of akward, but loved playing!

Such a great smile :)

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY JONAH!!

Can't get enough of the cousins!

The Whiting Cousins are staying with us for the next week. The kids are thrilled to say the least. I will let you know how I'm doing in a few days :) Some of the kids will sleep at Carolyn's house and of course we will play there, so it shouldn't be too overwhelming. Although I will say I have no desire to leave the house. I have access to the 15 passenger van, and if I so desired, I COULD venture off to do fun and exciting things with the kids. But, I don't forsee that happening! We will have a blast here at home. Day one is going smoothly I am glad to report.

Before Camille left we did some fun things. Our family went to our ward Pioneer breakfast, then we went with the Whitings and Grandma to the Lagoon Park Trail. We made it to the pond and back in record time.


From there we hurried to Grandma Call's ward water party. There was a dunking machine that was the highlight for my older kids. The bishop was originally the only one getting dunked, but soon the kids took over. Jonah and Isabelle spent the entire two hours doing that.

Isabelle

Jonah going down

Eli giving it his best shot!

Clara, Lizzie, and Abram hogged the slip-n-slide. They were too cute for anyone to complain about it.

Clara and Lizzie

Abram loves Lizzie

Cousins...taking over the slip-n-slide!


Stinking cute kids!

Just the Girls!

So I stole these pictures off my good friend's blog and am reposting them for all of you! Last night we went on a "Just-the-Girls" date for Joy's 30th birthday (holy cow old). We went out to eat at Cucina Tuscana, a VERY delicious restaurant. The owner of the restaurant took a picture with us and made us promise to send in a copy :) What a cute old man he was..he even gave us kisses on the cheek as we left.



These are my scrapbooking buddies who I meet with once a month and enjoy late night PG-13 conversations with. However, after midnight the talk usually spices up and things get loud and slightly inappropriate and we find ourselves giggling and getting all sorts of crazy. Megan and I pride ourselves in being the "black sheep" of the group. The only ones missing are my dear friend Melanie Arkoudas, who up and abandoned us for life in Montana, and Lisa Barkdull who was off vacationing. I love my Farmington Friends!!! It was great to have a girls night out!


Nicole, Brittany, Misty

Joy, Katie, Amy

Katie, Amy, Megan

The Girls

Fourth of July

What an awesome Fourth of July! It was more like a three day fun-fest for the kids, but heck, isn't that what summer's all about?!
We started out the 3rd with a BBQ with friends and a fireworks show at Eaglewood Golf Course. Thank goodness for the sandtraps...they kept the kids entertained all night and allowed the adults to visit. The actual fireworks show was incredible. The Fourth of July has become one of my favorite holidays. I love it!!


Holy Kids, Batman!

The Pretty Girls

Stinkin' Cute Boys

Call's, Bouck's, Williams


On the 4th we went to the Centerville parade and caught candy-galore (hooray for salt-water taffy...the kids thought that was the greatest thing in the world!), went swimming at Farmington Pool, took a much-needed afternoon nap (nothing better), went to Joy's for dinner with a bunch of friends, and ended the evening with another fireworks show. Great day! Sorry, no pictures though. And Chris was really hoping I'd get one of him in his speed-o...

On the 5th, we went on a family date to see "Wall-e" and then out to dinner at Lonestar. Later that evening, we headed up Mueller Park Canyon to raost some smores and splash around in the stream with the William's. What a perfect night! We all headed to our house to play some games and got our butts whooped at Trivial Pursuit. That's amazing because nobody ever even wants to play with Chris because he always wins. I guess that has gone to his head because...we lost.


Smores!

Brittany and Abram

Friends are the greatest. Thanks for helping make our weekend awesome!

Cousins

My kids LOVE playing with their cousins. Camille and James visit once a month to go to the temple (from Wyoming), so that weekend is one of our favorites! All of our kids are pretty darned close to the same age, so it works out nicely.

Dodge ball on the tramp is always a favorite. Caleb is a cheater, but the kids let him play anyway :)

We also love the sandbox. Grandma's carpet does NOT love the sandbox.

Grandma Call with Katalya, Camille with Lizzie

The kids were attempting to climb the tether ball pole. All of the Call children struggled except Isabelle who whizzed herself to the top with ease. Jonah made it a few times. Caleb tried and tried and tried and got there once :) I tried it and couldn't even lift my body off the ground. Apparently we could all use some arm strength. Every single Whiting boy, on the other hand, had no trouble whatsoever climbing. They put us to shame.

Does this look familiar? We took this same photo last month. And I'm happy to say we're all just as cute 30 days later.



These next photos are of Lizzie and Clara. Abram calls Elizabeth "A Little Bit" :) They are only a few weeks apart in age and destined to be best of friends.