Rainbow

Saturday night there was the most perfect rainbow above our house. It was a double rainbow and a full half circle arch. We saw it out the window first and then ran outside to take a better look. We were running around in the mud trying to take a picture- but it was too big to get the whole thing- so these are parts of it. It was so clear and bright. It was beautiful.

Oh Dear

We heard the dreaded "C" word this week..... CAVITY. The kids had a dentist appointment and unfortunately Ashtyn had a cavity in one of her molars. I have been waiting for this to happen because Jeff has very weak teeth and lots of cavities- although I have to give him credit for not having one at all recently- but I knew at least one of my kids would inherit his teeth- this is not to say that I don't have any- I actually have two that I'm sure were a result of improper care and too much sugar when I was a child. The dentist had forewarned me that a cavity was very likely in this particular tooth because it had a very deep cavern that would be hard to reach with a toothbrush- still I hate the thought of my kids having to get fillings. To my surprise he ended up filling it right then and there- he had to probe the tooth with a little metal brush to be sure it was a cavity to begin with and while he was probing he was able to dig it out- all while Ashtyn was not numb what so ever- she didn't even flinch- she is one brave cookie- he filled it and off we went in just a short time. She didn't even know that they had filled it. Fillings now are white and much stronger than when I had them. They now bond to the tooth and will never leak, crack or come off like the traditional metal ones will. We had the rest of her molars sealed to help prevent cavities in the future.

Bakerella Fakerella

Have I mentioned how much I adore BAKERELLA? Love her! Here is another tasty creation she featured on her blog that I just had to try for our Father's Day BBQ. They are mini burgers and fries made from cupcakes, brownies and sugar cookies. They were very easy to make- although I'm excited to try again and perfect them. The fries are the sugar cookies. They are delicious. Go here to try it for yourself.

From the most beautiful to the ugliest

Today I walked into my bedroom and saw a giant, huge, disgusting, black cricket. I can not stand crickets- of all the bugs that have found their way into my home over the years- crickets are the worst. I don't like that they jump and can get away from you. This cricket is the first bug we have seen in our new house and now I will never be able to walk bare foot again. It gives me the shivers. Needless to say he found his fate underneath my red shoe. This picture isn't very clear- he was at least an inch and a half long and pure black. YUCK (no offense to my bug loving friends :)

We recently added some new art to our home. This is a picture by Greg Olsen. I love it. I love the setting- Jeff and I love the mountains, the pine trees, the rocks- it reminds me of our beautiful mountains here. It is called Awesome Wonder and references the hymn "How Great Thou Art". We have always wanted a beautiful picture of Christ in our home and this just fits perfectly. Every time we look at it we see something new. The light changes from every angle. Sometimes it appears to glisten as if the sun is truly shining down on it. Check out this site for a closer view and to see more of this artists wonderful creations.

Mesquite

Our family just returned from our recent trip to Mesquite Nevada with Jeff's family. This is a trip we make every other year- our 6th trip. Here are some high lights and my top ten list of

THINGS TO DO IN MESQUITE

#10 Visit an old cemetary and learn about history

While I was getting a pedicure I found myself reading about a woman named Ethel Leavitt. She is a resident of Bunkerville- just outside Mesquite-For most of her married life she took it upon herself to take care of the local cemetary every day so that it would be beautiful and so that others could come and find their ancestors with out any problems. She made sure that it was mowed, weeded and that every grave had flowers on Memorial Day. No one asked her to do this, no one payed her to do it- she just saw a need and filled it. It was no small task either- when she started it was all over grown and covered in rocks- she had to remove all of this and then bring in wheel barrows of dirt to level it out and plant grass. I LOVE learning about history and little things like this that make a difference in the world. If it hadn't been getting dark when we left I would have tried to find her house and thank her. My dad believes that our family had ancestors in these parts. She is still living today.

This was one of the oldest headstones in the cemetary.

The founder of Bunkerville and all his wives

#9. Golf, Golf and more Golf

#8. Spend time with your favorite people

#7. Swim, Jump and Soak

Ethan LOVES the hot tub- spent a lot of time here and I'm surprised he didn't come home boiled.

All the kids were so brave this year and loved the water with a little help from the life jackets.

#6. Take your traditional family picture by the hot tub.

#5. Celebrate birthdays and more birthdays

#4. Visit "Scottie" the swan that lives at the golf course.

#3. Go on lots of golf cart rides and stop along the way for photo opportunities.

#2. Watch movies and relax.

#1. Go to the spa and get a pedicure(more pictures to follow). Then give your little girls their own day at the spa complete with a meditation room, foot massage, satin hands treatment, leg rub, polish, sparkling water and soothing music.

Mesquite is not my favorite vacation because it is a long drive and there isn't too much to do- but some how it always ends up fun and the kids love getting to be with their cousins for a whole week.

Can't keep up

I have a bad habit of saying to myself "when this happens things will be better...". I tend to tell myself that the grass is certainly greener on the other side of life. So when we were selling our house and finding this house and things were crazy I kept telling myself that as soon as we are in a new house, new neighborhood, etc. things will be peachy keen. Our family will begin to thrive, we'll have more space to grow and play, we'll make new friends and the kids will be happier. I'll have more time to spend with the kids- every thing will be..well perfect. Now we have moved. We have lived here a month. Things are not perfect. Things are nice. I love my house. We do have all that room I wanted. The kids have made a few new friends that they love to play with. Our new ward is fabulous and friendly and we fit in there.....but....I also now have more space than we probably need and I am finding it very hard to "keep up". It takes me twice as long to do all the normal chores I did before. We went from 1 bathroom to three bathrooms that are all bigger than before. My kitchen is three times as big and takes that long to clean it. I feel like I take twice as many steps to each room. We aren't suddenly doing much better at reading our scriptures and playing with the kids. I spend 2 hours a day driving the girls back and forth to their old school- so that by the time we get home there is very little time to play and do homework and such. This aspect will be alleviated when they start at their new school- so I can't complain. It certainly does sound like I am complaining doesn't it. I am happy with the choices I made- I just want to remind myself that with every choice we make there are also new and different effects to your life. Some good and some bad. I know it will take time to find a routine and begin to feel like I can keep up or at least shut up about the situation and learn to love it.

Popsicles

It's officially summer now that we purchased our first batch of popsicles. I adore Ice Pix by Cool Classics. They come in awesome flavors like cherry-mango, pineapple-guava, strawberry-banana and pineapple-cherry. They melt into a delicious slushy consistency and are never icey like other kinds. So smooth and sweet on your tongue. I have only ever been able to find them at Smith's- and today they had them on sale 10 for $10. Now we are stocked for the summer(but they never last too long at our house). Welcome summer:)