Potty Progress Update

I made it through a whole day without changing a single one of Karli's diapers, which means she used the potty about 14 times in one 24-hour period! I'm thrilled! I know this picture is of a somewhat questionable nature (Hope Floats, anyone?), but I'm so excited about her newfound skills and it's so cute that I just have to post it. Please pardon my attempt at censorship; Karli is proud to show off her token look: nudie.

Potty Progress

Today was a joyous day; Karli wore panties for several hours and even came inside from playing (on her own volition, mind you) and used the bathroom ALL BY HERSELF! She recognized that she had to go! Hooray! I didn't even care that she pooped all over in her panties five minutes later. I will be thrilled when she's totally trained.

The Birth of a Ya Ya Tradition

For all of you doubters out there, I'm here to testify that the Ya Ya Sisterhood sale at Thanksgiving Point is a blast and I'm making it a tradition! Aside from the fantastic bargains on tons of great furniture, decor, etc., there was lots of delicious food samples, fun booths for glitter toes and lip/eyebrow waxing, a burning of woes, a lantern decorating contest, door prizes (I won two free cooking classes at the Emporium Kitchen, yay!), chocolate-dipped fortune cookies and great music.

I met my dear friend Tiffany there and we had fun catching up on our families' crazy lives, checking out all of the darling fare and wishing we had an unlimited supply of cash so we could let loose and purchase everything we loved. Isn't Tiff's witch hat the best? She is an amazing woman and I love spending time with her. I had originally planned to leave all of the kids home with Adam, but as I walked out the door, both Amber and Karli said, "We want to go to the girl party, too!" and cried and sobbed until I caved in and let them tag along. It was actually really fun to have them there, and they looked adorable in their Halloween costumes (Amber was Ariel and Karli was Tinkerbell). I am definitely making this event a tradition in my family, and maybe next year I'll have some funds to buy something really fabulous like the black leather Queen Anne chair that was screaming to me "buy me right now!"

Nothing makes me feel like a hot mama more than fake eyelashes, a hot dress and stiletto boots!

One of the ladies working at the party gave me the name Countess Fiesty Pants. I got a cool sash and everything. Me, fiesty? Nah...

I borrowed all of my sisters' cool makeup and even some false eyelashes encrusted with rhinestones. I LOVE funky makeup and had a grand time creating and sporting this multi-colored look.

I'm already thinking about what to wear to next year's party, and I'm certainly going to make time to decorate a lantern according to the plan I had for this year (which was unfortunately squelched due to lack of kid-free time over the past week, but oh well). So, bring on the competition and the sisterhood. Ya ya!

A Blessing in our Lives

Adam blessed Rex on Wednesday night at our house. It was great to have Greg, Jake, Rob, Ryan, Brad, and Bishop Tintle here to stand in the circle, and Adam gave Rex a good and interesting blessing. I don't know if it's dumb to think so, but I always stew and worry over possibly problematic phrases in my kids' blessings, like when Adam told Rex "you'll have sorrow in your life". Perhaps it won't be any more sorrow than everyone else experiences, but I always wonder if it means something awful will happen. I guess I'll just have to wait and see (and be prepared for the worst!).

Rex was fairly well-behaved thanks to Rob, who volunteered his thumb for Rex to suck on during the blessing. Afterward, we all had brownie sundaes (why does that word have an "e" instead of a "y" on the end?) and chocolate chip cookies. It was a wonderful evening!

This our family picture, Clark style, with no one smiling.

Notice how hard I'm trying to keep a straight face? I guess some

people feel dumb smiling in pictures and I feel dumb not smiling in pictures.

Isn't Rex the cutest? He's so jolly and adorable and I love having a boy.

Cousins, Sleepovers, Mayhem and Bliss

We've had lots of family here for a week and it has been a blast! It's great to have almost everyone here (we miss Dave, Maren, and Libs) for Brooklyn's birthday, Greg's birthday, Rex's blessing, and Jessica's baby shower. Aside from the aforementioned events, we've had tons of fun just hanging out, eating way too much yummy food and being goofy. We will be so sad when everyone goes home (the worst thing: I won't have an excuse not to do laundry anymore!), but hopefully we'll reunite for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

The girls each got a pair of these crazy glasses in their

goodie bags at Brooklyn's birthday party.

Karli, Ashley and me being silly.

Amber's silly face.

52 Hours of Hell and Happiness

We are lucky to have lots of guests at the house this week: Amy and Rob, Brooklyn, Alyssa, Ashley, Hunter, Jessica and Jaxon, and Grandma and Grandpa Clark. We spent several days decorating, cleaning, making beds, folding towels, and excitedly gearing up for the hours of madness and delight that inevitably brew when we all get together. Sadly, though, we also noted the arrival of our not-so-welcome house guest, Sickness, who plagues us with its presence every year from October to June, and sometimes even pops up unannounced for a weekend stay in July or August. If you are related to a child under the age of six, you certainly know of whom I'm speaking and I'd wager Sickness has even made a place for itself in your home, too.

Thanks to this annoying visitor, Amber, Karli, and Rex's stellar sleeping habits have been upended, and we are yet again facing three kids in the bed with us each night. As if it weren't bad enough to have a few gunky, runny noses sliming our pillowcases, there are also twelve flailing limbs, convulsing involuntarily with every cough and sniff, that disrupt the twenty-three-or-so minutes of sleep Adam and I get between episodes of crying by one or more of our poor, miserable kids. Needless to say, these wonderful moments create poor, miserable parents who can't cope with the daytime symptoms of children's colds. Thus, our great friend Sickness plunges us into a cycle of whining, yelling, crying, nose blowing, not eating, not sleeping, and bothering all of our patient and gracious guests who are tolerating the ruckus with remarkable kindness and understanding.

Our wonderful friends (the Larsons) blessed their adorable little baby today. We have not seen them for a month and a half, so we excitedly began preparing for the ride to Grantsville early on Saturday to be sure we made it on time to the nine o'clock meeting. The car was packed carefully with snacks, sippy cups, toys, blankies, and plenty of diapers, and I dodged a humongous mess in the kitchen (caused by a major faucet malfunction/replacement) to make some cinnamon rolls to contribute to the post-blessing feast (gotta love Mormonism, huh!?). While I baked, Amber woke up first (around 12:30 a.m.), but Adam valiantly tucked her back into bed and assured her she'd be fine. Ten minutes later, Karli woke up and spent the next three hours, yes...that's right...three hours, whining, "Mommy, hold me" and reaching up to me as I removed dough from the racks and coils after my too-small bowl failed to contain the burgeoning yeasty mass that rose magnificently in the oven. Since multi-tasking is one of my talents that motherhood has magnified, I formed the rolls and baked each of the three pans using only one hand and held a sobbing, sniffing Karli with the other. Once the rolls were frosted and wrapped securely for the journey ahead, the two of us headed upstairs to catch two hours of sleep before the Sunday activities commenced.

Upon realizing that I had snoozed through my alarm clock for an hour, I jumped into the shower and promptly awoke everyone to get ready to go. At 8:00 a.m., we were out the door (only 15 minutes behind schedule, which isn't too bad when Sickness is along for the ride). Rex's car seat was malfunctioning, Amber had green snot all the way down her face, and Karli was yet again whining and screaming because she wanted me to hold her. Finally, when we were all secure in the car, we backed up to the accompaniment of loud grinding and flopping noise coming from our rear tire. It looked fine, so we headed down the road. Five minutes later, Amber (I need Sarah Palin to say "Bless her heart" right now) notified us that she had an accident in her car seat. If you haven't read any of my previous posts, an "accident" is one of major proportions involving bodily waste. Since I had packed everything in the car except a portable shower, a washing machine, and a change of clothes, we had no choice but to turn around and head home. Can I just tell everyone right now that Sickness is no longer welcome at the Clark home? I've had it!

I couldn't even call Leslie to tell her we couldn't make the blessing because I was crying too hard, and then the girls started crying, and then Rex started crying, and Adam wasn't crying, but he was uttering some choice phrases. Finally we were all back inside the house, warming up and cleaning up (did I mention it snowed five inches last night?), and everyone enjoyed some yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast. It is great to have family that is so understanding and helpful, because they all diffused our anxiety to the point that we could function enough to put the kids down for early naps. My nieces are great with the kids and they make me so excited to have "big girls" who can help me like they do. Now, I just need to find a way to give Sickness the boot and resolve to have a blast with our out-of-town family members despite our horrifically whiny kids, and I think the rest of this week will go swimmingly. After all, what can be worse than the last two days (knock on wood for me, please!)?

Any Takers?

I received a delightfully funky flyer in the mail on Saturday inviting me to the annual Ya-Ya Sisterhood gathering at Thanksgiving Point on October 18th. It looks like it will be a hoot, and I'm wondering if any of you have attended in the past. If so, is it worth going? I must say that I am thoroughly excited to dress up in crazy regalia, decorate a lantern for the contest, and head on down to Emporium (one of my favorite shops) to view the spectacle that is hundreds of housewives decked to the nines. If anyone is interested in going together, I'd love to have a companion or two or ten. Check out the Ya Ya Sisterhood Gathering website and let me know if you want to attend conmiga.

UPDATE: I went in to Emporium today and aside from seeing about a million amazing things I want for my bedroom and kitchen, I found out that all Halloween/Fall decor will be 40% off during the Ya Ya event, and Christmas decor will be 25% off. They are having the Glitter Toes ladies there as well as food from Melting Pot (come on, Amy!). It will be great fun and I'm for sure going!

Eight Things

I was tagged by Elaine. This post is fun for me because I can hardly ever choose one favorite thing.

8 TV shows I love to watch- Project Runway, Ace of Cakes, The Shield, Dr. 90210, America's Next Top Model, Top Chef, Top Design, Red Eye

8 things I did yesterday- Did the dishes, watched conference, decorated for Halloween, changed lots of diapers, cooked hamburgers, played with Ryker and Stephanie, sat in the hot tub, hung out with Adam

8 things I'm looking forward to- Rex's blessing, pay day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the day after the Bar exam (in February), California in March, eventually buying our own house

8 things on my wish lists- a vacation with Adam, to be out of debt, a Corvette Stingray (shiny red, of course!), 2 extra hours in each day specifically for my workout time, a new wardrobe, a total-body lift/tuck/straightening/ehnancement by a top surgeon, a great job for Adam, a cute house in the mountains

8 people I'm tagging-Jessica, Stephanie L., Stephanie C., Kacey, Tiffany, Maren, Amy, Kallie

Sass-A-Frass

Amber loves gum, and is usually very good not to take it out of her mouth, leave it anywhere but the trash can, and spit it out before she goes to sleep. This morning, though, I found a lump of pink ABC gum embedded in the bottom of her hair. Since she's been needing a hair cut for quite a while, I asked her if I could do the honors. She thought about it for a minute and said, "Sure. I don't want to have long hair like Kinzi's any more...I want to have short hair like LuLu!" (She was referring to two of my adorable nieces.) I trimmed her hair and here are the darling results:

After taking this picture, I said, "Okay, now do a cute pose" and this is what she produced:

I think Amber has watched waaaaaaay too many episodes of "America's Next Top Model" (thanks to my shameless addiction), but even so, she sure is a fierce little cutie-pie!

Sure Was a Crappy Day

Today started out great: Karli used the potty twice, Amber let me cut three inches off her perpetually tangled hair, and Rex actually got bathed. I did the dishes right after breakfast (a rare and exciting accomplishment) and we were all ready to go by noon. We drove over the mountain, through Suncrest, to enjoy the spectacular views on the way to Sandy for some administrative errands to complete Adam's Bar exam application, and were delighted to find out that he has no speeding tickets left on his driving record. Since the day was going so well, we decided to visit a park where Adam used to play as a kid. It had a great playground with lots of old school equipment like a dinosaur-shaped climbing apparatus and a teeter totter with horses for seats.

As Adam and I sat on the bench watching the girls frolic, we noticed that Amber kept digging at her perma-wedgie (she recently grew about four inches and needs a bigger size in undies...that's on my to-do list). Finally, she settled down on a swing and I said, "Do you keep getting wedgies?" As calmly as can be, she replied, "No. I did poops in my panties." and kept right on swinging like nothing was wrong. When I said, "You can't be serious," she said, "I am serious. I pooped in my panties." ARRRRRGGGHHHH!

I suddenly noticed that the whole back side of her shorts was brown, meaning the mess had seeped through the undies and shorts, and was inching its way up her back and front. I hate to be graphic, but this was not the kind of mess that can be dumped into a toilet. I had to throw away her panties and shorts, and it took an entire package of wipes (brand new this morning) to clean her off. Aside from covering her whole lower trunk, she had it on her hands (from digging out the wedgies, of course), legs and feet, and I honestly had to bite my lip to keep from throwing up everywhere. I was fighting back tears, too, because poop and vomit duty are two areas of motherhood that I just can't handle.

Finally, Amber was barely clean enough to be buckled in her carseat, and we made our way to the nearest McDonald's to use the soap and sink. I walked in with Amber who was sporting an adorable little white tunic, a tiny diaper (Rex's), filthy feet, and poopy flip-flops. I was expecting at any moment to be handed a large, gold-plated figurine of Jerry Springer with the title "White Trash Citizen of the Year" carved into it (courtesy of a pocket knife or car key) by any one of the six soccer moms with darling and sparkling-clean-karate-student children who were all sitting right by the door. Eventually, Amber took a makeshift bath in the sink and was thoroughly soaped down, so we headed on our way.

The story only gets better (worse for us, though)...today is my niece's birthday, so we quickly ran home to grab new undies and shorts for Amber before I needed to be dropped off at the gym where I teach. Adam and the kids then went out to Kinzi's house for her surprise party. Upon calling Adam for a ride home, he said, "Amber just peed all over the place and through her underwear and shorts!" What the $%#&!? Twice in one day?! What have we done wrong?

After a long, calm discussion between Amber and Dad (I was too disgusted and annoyed to say anything), we realized that Amber is feeling really bad that Karli gets a treat every time she uses the potty and Amber only gets them occasionally. Amber also told me that she felt sad all day because when I lay down by her last night, I turned my head toward Karli instead of her and that she "kind of doesn't like it when I yell at her so much because it makes little kids hide because they are scared of yelling moms and grown-ups." I listened intently and tried not to laugh and cry at the same time, and desperately hoped that tomorrow will be a day free from yelling and accidents involving bodily waste.

Hello, I'm Phyllis Neffler

Adam and I got called to be the den leaders of the Bears in Cub Scouts, which means that once a week, three times a month, I'm going to have three eight-year-old boys come to my house and expect to be entertained by activities that don't involve pink, sparkly dress-up clothes or painted toenails. Whatever will we do? All I can say is I'm thrilled that Adam is my partner in this endeavor...otherwise, those poor boys' parents might have a thing or two to say to the Primary president. :)
I am actually really excited for this calling; maybe now I'll find out what boys like to do and how to respond to their gross humor and seemingly ridiculous antics so that when Rex is eight years old, I won't be encouraging him to do something utterly feminine like donning a Giorgio backpack and smashing his way through the underbrush with a tennis racquet.

Ravenous Rex

For several weeks, Rex has tried valiantly to swipe food from our hands, drink from our cups, and shove everything he can grab into his mouth. We bought him some rice cereal yesterday and he couldn't have been more excited to wolf it down. He knew exactly what to do; when I held the spoon up to his mouth, he leaned forward and gulped down the cereal like he hadn't eaten in days.

Once he realized cereal had spilled on his hand, he wouldn't let one bit go to waste.

He sucked his fingers clean after every bite, which was cute but annoying because he wouldn't take them out of his mouth once the cereal disappeared down the hatch.

Finally he learned that he could get more food faster if he removed his fist from his mouth. This kid takes after his cousin Hunter...he loves to eat (obviously; just look at those chubby arms)!

ExZOOberance

Amber, Karli, and I met Stephanie, Gracie, Cooper, Emily, Will, and Tate at Hogle Zoo on Friday. It was fun to have a "girls' day out" (Adam kindly watched Rex) and enjoy the wonderful weather and fun animals. The girls had a blast seeing the creatures and I liked meeting a new friend and spending some time with my cool sister-in-law.

All of the kids tried to scare the poor lynx to make it wake up. It stayed put and ignored them...I don't blame it one bit!

We couldn't find the tiger anywhere, which is a shame, because it's pretty cool to see a huge tiger swimming around its habitat.

Karli, Cooper, Gracie, Amber...my kind of zoo animals.

We watched the bird show and it was great! We saw lots of interesting and talented birds, but the bald eagle was my favorite.

Now that we know Rex will drink formula from a bottle, I think the girls and I will have to do a little more playing. Shopping, anyone?!

Adam Clark, Esquire

It's official...I am now the proud wife of a Juris Doctor. I already feel smarter, and I'm only the groupie! Adam's diploma came in the mail on Wednesday and it's a magnificent sight to behold (at 16x20 inches, it couldn't be more imposing). I am so proud of Adam's grand achievement and think he is the very best husband and dad ever. Way to go, Adam!

Adam is thinking about pursuing a career in litigation, and, because I love the movie so much, I have to quote Cher from "Clueless": "My daddy is a litigator, which means he charges $500 an hour to argue with people. He argues with me for free, though, because I'm his daughter." Maybe someday the big bucks will roll in, we can pay off our seemingly interminable loans, and I can have my elective total-body reconstructive surgery so I'll look as good as Cher. :)

I'm Old School

I remember the first time I played with Legos; I was three and at our neighbor, Susan Anderson's house. She had a gigantic Rubbermaid tub full of them, and the only thing more spectacular than stacking the millions of plastic blocks into a tower that touched the ceiling was the glorious and melodic sound of each piece spilling out of that monstrous tub onto the carpet. I played with those Legos for hours on end and was always sad when I had to clean them up and go home. I think the main reason for my dismay was that it took what seemed like forever to pick up every single Lego.

I was delighted to find a similar tub brimming with Legos in the closet of the cowgirl room (the adorable room where Amber and Karli sleep). Adam suggested Lego play as a reward for the non-whiners (which are increasingly fewer and farther between these days), so after dinner we headed upstairs and slid the enormous container to the middle of the room. I couldn't hide my nostalgic excitement when I removed the lid, carefully tipped the tub onto its side, and relived that magical symphony of sight and sound as all the Legos tumbled out onto the floor. Amber and Karli were more excited about finding different colors, shapes, and Micro Machines among the Legos than actually constructing things, but Adam and I had a grand time making cars with passengers, a little red house, an airplane, a bridge, and a few other abstract structures. One thing is for sure...Legos rock!

Check out all these sweet Legos!

The Clarks have every set imaginable, from castles to pirate ships to trains.

Amber sneakily tried to destroy the house I built.

The clean-up process was as bad as I remembered. Just like before, it took FOREVER!

It was fun to see the girls build little towers and take them apart, even if they were only interested for a few minutes.

Amber and Karli each found a Micro Machine car and have been carrying them around for days. I used to love the commercials for these vehicles with the yelling pro-wrestler. I don't know why I loved them so much...I guess I have problems. A toy-filled memory lane is a great place to visit once in a while; it's loads of fun, even if I do feel ancient when my kids play with the toys I used to love.

Amusing Confusion

Amber was playing with my sisters, Marianne and Angela, on Sunday when Angela suddenly grabbed Amber and told her she was a vampire who would suck her blood (beyond scary...I know). Amber squealed and ran away. Later that day, Marianne did the same thing to her, and the next time we were all together, Amber said, "Mom, what do the firefighters do?" to which I replied, "They save us from fires." She said, "No. I mean, what do they do to us when they suck our blood, like Mar and Ang?" She had confused the word "vampire" with "firefighter" and still gets them mixed up. Every time Amber sees my sisters, she screams, "Get away from me, firefighters!" It's adorable and hilarious.

The ABCs of Me

A-Attached or Single: Attached
B-Best Friend: Adam
C-Cake or Pie: Cake
D-Day: Friday
E-Essential Item: Computer
F-Favorite Color: Right now it's brown, but I love lots of colors
G-Gummi bears or gummi worms: worms
H-Hometown: Alpine, Utah
I-Indulgences: Ice cream, expensive hair products, MAC makeup, and sexy shoes
J-January or July: Definitely July
K-Kids: Amber, Karli and Rex
L-Life is incomplete without: My family
M-Marriage Date: April 25, 2002
N-Number of Siblings: 5 (4 sisters and 1 brother)
O-Oranges or Apples: Both
P-Phobias or Fears: Being followed
Q-Quote: “Whatever you are, be a good one." -Abraham Lincoln
R-Reason to Smile: I live a charmed life
S-Season: Autumn
T-Tag: Kathrine, Stephanie L., Stephanie C., Christina, Liz
U-Unknown fact about me: I love to eat stale marshmallows
V-Vacation destination of choice: Switzerland
W-Worst Habit: Wasting time on the computer
X-X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds
Y-your favorite food: Hot homemade bread
Z-Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Eatin' Like Hobos

Yesterday we got a hankerin' for some tin foil dinners, so Adam dug out the overgrown fire pit, I bundled up a few potatoes and carrots with ground beef and onion soup mix, and we trekked down the terraced yard to enjoy one of the finest outdoor meals I can imagine.

Nothing is better than dessert before dinner, so we taught Amber and Karli how to make s'mores while our dinners cooked in the fire.

They were obviously a big hit!

Here are the bundles of delectable hobo fare; they smelled fantastic and we couldn't wait to bust out the juicy, smokey goodness.

Amber and Karli loved the beef, and they even had enough courage to eat a few of the veggies. Adam said, "Isn't it funny that the girls eat veggies when Dad cooks them?" To which I replied, "That's great. Dad can cook dinner every night!" He laughed and humbly declined (typical). The dinners tasted even better than I thought they would and for about three seconds, I contemplated forsaking my kitchen for a campfire to be able to eat this kind of food for every meal. Don't worry though, I came to my senses when I saw a bug crawling down Adam's cheek as he took his first bite. I'm way too domesticated for regularly-scheduled campfire cuisine.

The tin foil dinners were a great success...and that's all she wrote.

A Validation of My Theory

Ever since Amber started eating baby food in a high chair, I've thought about how wonderful it would be to build a house that had gently sloped cement floors with a central drain in every room, thus requiring only a hose and maybe a scuba mask to produce a pristine dwelling despite habitation by toddlers. Sweet potatoes, rice, red popsicles, chili, blueberry yogurt and Play Dough have been mercilessly mashed into the carpet and walls over and over despite my best efforts to drape every porous surface within flinging distance in dishtowels, sheets, and even a shower curtain. An experience today reaffirmed my genius in such an idea.

Karli sneakily transferred the contents of twenty mini-containers of Play Dough into a 24-ounce cup full of cold water and let it stew just long enough to morph into a slimy, gelatinous batch of goo that, if you've never experienced this atrocity for yourself, is nearly impossible to remove from any surface, and flung it around the entire kitchen. Seven paper towels, a bucket, a mop, and a timeout later, I was convinced I needed my cement floors and drain so I could hose everything down pool-deck style.

I'm thrilled that my brother-in-law is skilled in the cement floor arena because as soon as we pay off our law school loans, I'm enlisting him in my battle against indelible food stains, finger paint, and soggy masses of modeling compound (although, by the time that debt is paid, my cement floors may be handy for my grandchildren and not my own kids).

A Great Day

Saturday was a blast! Upon waking, the girls donned their princess gear and headed outside to help Adam clean the pool and get it all ready for winter (boo hoo hoo), and I took Rex outside to supervise. I have utterly enjoyed living free from creepy neighbors who notice every, single thing we do, but the culmination of my appreciation for fenced-in, single-family property came when I needed to feed Rex and could do it on the swing in the wonderfully private backyard. Adam makes a great pool boy, too (no, he didn't wear a sparkly thong a la Legally Blonde, but nonetheless...), and after he finished, we all headed over to the trampoline for some bouncing. Rex loved it and Amber and Karli got a big kick out of hearing him gasp after an extra-high jump.

After exploring in the yard for a bit, the girls found an adorable, fat, fuzzy, yellow caterpillar and insisted on adopting it. We made it a nice home in a food storage container and watched it wiggle and climb while we enjoyed our lunch of Hebrew National Fat-Free hot dogs (the best...and only kind of hot dogs I'll eat), green apple slices dipped in caramel, and vanilla yogurt with bananas and almonds. Then the kiddos went down for naps and I had two hours to shower and get ready before our friends arrived for dinner.

Ryan Hanvey and his wife, Kim, and James and Amy Thomas and their kids came over for a barbecue which ended up as a kitchen party (we ran out of propane while heating the grill; thank heavens for electric griddles!) with tons of yummy food and great conversation. J.J., Hannah, Mariah, Amber, and Karli all loved the treats Ryan and Kim brought for them and had a fantastic time swimming. Despite the chilly air, the water was warm and we all loved seeing Hanvey's crazy dives that really impressed and inspired the little kids.

Once the excitement died down and our company went home, Adam, Amber, Karli, Rex and I snuggled up under a big quilt on the porch swing and enjoyed the starry, cold night. It was a wonderful end to a great day in a gorgeous place. I love living here!

Here's the view from the trampoline; I could lie out there all day!