Happy Birthday Abbie! How sad is it that these are the most recent photos I have of you! These were taken back in July of 2004 and sadly that was the last time we visited the great state of Alaska and the last time we saw the two of you. Things have got to change, we miss you too much! We hope you have a wonderful Birthday. We'll call you later tonight. Love you.
I was going through a bunch of old pictures and found this one of Lainie taken at the splash park back in June while we were in Washington. I just love it. I love how it is overexposed and all you see are those big brown eyes of hers. She is just so sweet. I love you Lainie Grace.
We had quite the night tonight. It started with a thunderstorm that lasted only about a half hour but brought some serious rain and lightning. My neighbors fence was struck by lightning and we were in the garage when it happened. It was about 50 feet from us....soooooo loud! The girls started screaming/crying. They were quite scared. Later on the flood came, and came and came. Our back yard was filled with water. It came up to the edge of our patio, but that's it. A few houses in the area weren't so lucky. Apparently the storm is supposed to continue and we'll get more rain tomorrow. Hopefully we'll stay dry! (By the way, these are pictures of our lawn.)
My friend Rose asked if I would be willing to sub for her in church in a few weeks. Of course I said yes and was given the topic of Marriage. I read the lesson early and have been doing further research with a few books. This particular book was recommended by my brother, Marcus, who swears that every married woman needs to read it. Coming from a man, that was good enough for me. It basically says that men are simple creatures who just need a few things to be happy. If you treat your man with respect, keep him fed, and give him some lovin, then you can get anything you want and will be treated even more like a queen. It was a great quick read that I recommend to all of you other ladies out there. I'm sure you're husbands will approve.
So Anna and Lainie were outside playing this morning while I was inside cleaning. All the sudden my back door opens and they run in talking so loud and so fast I can't understand them. "A big hairy bug is outside mom, come see." So I proceed to follow them to the side of my house and see this HUGE tarantula hanging out in my lawn. I realize that tarantulas aren't dangerous, but they're big and unsightly, not to mention the fact that I HATE spiders. So, I went over to my neighbor's house who rescues me from time to time and he came over and relocated it. Thanks Ken! I should be used to the creatures of the desert by now-we've lived here for over 5 years, but this is the first tarantula at our house. We have had our share of scorpions and one rattlesnake though. Remind me again, why do I live here?
Today is a Utah state holiday called Pioneer Day. It's a day when the Pioneers who crossed the plains to settle Utah are celebrated and honored. I definately have an appreciation for all those who traveled cross country with handcarts through the snow. They went through a lot just to avoid being persecuted by others. Personally though, I have zero pioneer heritage and am not a through and through Utahan, so for me it means I can't mail anything or go to the bank. But, I can certainly have some fun with my girls. This morning we headed up to Enterprise, Utah. A teeny-tiny town of 1500 people about 35 minutes north of St. George. This town is the epitome of small town USA. So many cool old buildings, everyone knows everyone. A very friendly place to live. A friend of mine moved up there awhile ago and we decided to have a go at the Enterprise Pioneer Day Parade and see her and her family while there. Let me just say that I was totally impressed with their parade! It was so fun for all the kids and they collected gobs of candy.
There was a fire here in Southern Utah which took the power out of over 100,000 homes. We were without power from 4:30pm-1:30 am on Monday. It all turned out just fine, but during it, we were dying of heat. No A/C in the summer is not fun. It was around 90 degrees in our house. We opted to cool ourselves with wet towels and wear as little as possible. Here is a picture of my baby with red cheeks as she's drooling some milk out of her mouth.
We bought the girls little cheap kites awhile ago and discovered them again when Paul was cleaning the garage. Upon raising Lainie's kite, the line broke. Lainie was bummed but daddy came to the rescue with an idea that both Anna and Lainie wanted to do. He attached the lines from their fishing poles to the kites instead. They loved reeling them in and casting them up again.
A few of our little girl eating her cake. She made such a mess. But it was certainly entertaining.
We had a long, full day on the 4th. We started off the day with a big breakfast from Grandma. Thanks Grandma! Then we headed to the beach to play in the sand awhile. Then there was a huge 4th of July lunch. So much food! Then we went to town where we rode go carts, bought some fireworks, (by fireworks, I mean pops.) went to the arcade, ate some ice cream, shopped and walked around. We went back to take some pictures, break a pinata, change clothes and grab some blankets. Then we headed to the boardwalk for the big fireworks show. I love Long Beach!
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