H.O.M.E s.w.e.e.t. H.O.M.E

Since I'm home sick, here is a couple pictures from home. I've gotten pretty use to being away from home, except two times a year it still stings a bit: Holidays and Harvest!

pic on left: my dad driving combine.
Pic on right: my little brother Joey who turned 16 last week!

I don't consider myself that old, but I can clearly remember rocking Joey to sleep when he was smaller than Naomi. I love to see my family working together in the field. Joey is driving grain truck full time this year, which means he is one of the older boys.. crazy to think about! And Sammy is driving stubble buster. He's too little to work that hard! haha, just kidding it's high time. These two baby boys have life WAY too easy. Mom and Dad have turned into softies! :) No really.

Sawah

I guess I finally whined enough to get visitors! Sarah came for about a week. She missed her husband, but I we still had a great time. We went on a bunch of wogs(walk/jogs) in the beautiful Missouri countryside. Running as far as her little pregnant bladder would let us:) Shopped at two different malls(and Target of course.)

Ate at the Cheesecake factory and St. Louis bread Co. Which are my two favorite spots. Went to the zoo, stayed up past midnight every night. Watched movies only sisters will watch with you: BBC version of Sense and Sensibility and Sisterhood of the traveling pants II.

Devin took the babes one night so Sarah and I could go see "Meet me in St. Louis" at the Muny. We got there an hour early to get good seats.(the free seats are first come first serve) Only to find out that we were one day late and they were showing "God spell." Very disappointing, we left early. Enough said.

It was so so so great to have a sis around and see how much she has grown up. I mean my heavens she is a first grade teacher, married, expecting her first child, and I still think of her as a teenager. So it was high time I got with the program and caught up on reality. On Sunday we took another drive out to the country side and tried to take maternity pictures, but I couldn't find the perfect spot, all we got out of it was a few "test shots" and a very car- sick Sarah. ugh.

Thanks for visiting! We loved every s.i.n.g.l.e minute.

Naomi steals the show lately. She is such a camera hog. Geez Naomi.
You better believe we kiss and snuggle every one of those rolls, every day.


Blue eyed beauties:

More pics of the baby whisperer at work. Let this be documented that Sarah got Naomi to sleep

1. Without her crib

2. In public!

3. With out a pacifier.

All unheard of task accomplished, not once but almost every day she was here!

**Maternity pics of Sarah coming**

Sorry, but if you visit me, you probably should were make up because
your probably going to be plastered all over my blog. I can't help it. :)

Vaning in Nauvoo

We finally made it to the Nauvoo pageant. Our budget for hotels was basically zero and I was not up for camping, so the next best option? Vaning. This was our first time, so great. Every summer they hold the "Nauvoo pageant" and we hadn't seen it yet! It was AMAZING. We took the back seats out of the ol' minivan, put down a feather mattress and that that is what we now call "vaning.". No bugs, fairly sound proof. Definitely bear proof,(there aren't bears in Nauvoo, but what if?) It was great. Cache slept on the floor behind the drivers seat. And Naomi slept in between us. The weather was in the 70's, so welp, it was perfect. At least that is how we will choose to remember it.

Over view of Nauvoo:
1. Arrived in Nauvoo, ate chicken salad pitas and cut up fruit and veggies for supper.
2. Walked over to the pageant grounds. Devin and Cache played with old pioneer wooden toys while Naomi and I did a "girly craft" which was make a braided headband, I thought they were so cute!
3. Joined back together to watch a puppet show, play tugowar, stilts, ride in a handcart, and saw wood, to make our very own souvenir. Pictured below.
4. Got our seats for the pageant! Cade and Summer joined us after they got out of the temple.
5. Went vaning. Slept...sort of.(ahem Naomi)
6. Woke up, drove our tent- van to the nearest playground, ate a breakfast of whole wheat muffins, cantaloupe and grapes, yogurt and Capri suns!
7. Walked the down Parley street and experienced the "Trail of Hope" that lead us all the way down to the Mississippi. Along the way actors helped us re-live what the saints went through as they were driven from their homes, and walked down that road as they left Nauvoo.
8. Lolly-gagged around Nauvoo, went to the blacksmith shop and to get our matching Prairie Diamonds.
9. Drove over to Carthage Jail. (where the prophet Joseph Smith died). Ate a picnic lunch of whole wheat bagel sandwiches, veggies and sweet potato chips.
10. Drove home in time for dinner.
I included all the food, because for us food makes or breaks a vacation. And I was determined to keep us happy and fed for free. We did it! Yay for me and our bellies. I don't have a lot of talent when it comes to feeding my family so I was happy to pull off some free, healthy, satisfying food. So thanks for letting me toot my own horn on the subject. My favorite trick: two giant tupperware. One full of cut up veggies(green peppers, carrots, broccoli, celery) and the other full of cut of fruit.(watermelon cantaloupe grapes). These two tupperware served as our side dish to every meal. I got this idea from my neighbor who is super healthy and i love her influence on me. :)

Prairie diamonds always bring me a smile, because the first time we got them I was with all my cousins and family in Nauvoo and at the time we all were dating someone seriously back home. They told the love story behind the prairie diamond and then we all nonchalantly took TWO. Ben took one for Cindy and I took one for Devin and Sarah did you take one for Nick? We were all love sick in Nauvoo. That was the best trip! And everytime I go back to Nauvoo, I'm flooded with so many good memories with my cousins and grandparents and Aunts and Uncles in that Beautiful city.

There was a TON of people at the actual pageant that night. But when we walked around Nauvoo, there seemed to be nobody. Just the way i like it. The acting was superb. I really liked who they had playing Joseph Smith.

For all of you who are envious of my "stilt skills" I never recovered from that one legged stunt, falling on my head right after the flash of the camera. Never the less, I did beat that little punky pioneer boy around the tree and back who told me 100 times:
"I've been doing this for FOUR years can you believe it?"
Yah that's right. I'm proud of beating and 8 year old.

Cache thought the idea of riding in a hand cart was ridiculous, and choose to stay sitting in the stroller rolling his eyes at his parents. He has such attitude. Oh boy, I don't know where he gets it. ;)

There is a neat memorial with names of all the people that died while leaving Nauvoo. There are thousands of names. I didn't know THAT many people died. Devin found an Orton. I'm sure a great great ggg..... grandpa's brother or something.



Nauvoo has a feeling, peace about it that no other place I've ever felt. Cache got away from us a couple times but I didn't go into panic. I knew he was safe where he was, and if anyone did find him lost I'm sure it was one of the hundreds of missionaries. I love to see all the senior missionary couples walking around town, or home from the temple holding hands with their cute white hair. You can tell they are just so fullfilled serving their time there. It is easy for me to imagine how much the pioneers Loved that city and and how heart breaking it was when the mobs drove them out of their homes having to say good bye to their homes, their beloved temple in the dead of winter and the city they built up from a swamp. Man I love Nauvoo, I would honestly live there if it was feesable.

With all the stories of sacrifice and death, you would think this would be a somber place, but it's not! It perfectly reflects the gospel:

calm. simple. happy. peaceful

There is lots of laughter in Nauvoo. Great sacrifices were made, BUT its in the past, and they were not made in vain. We are enjoying all the blessings that those people died for.
Great trip.

busy. rambunctious. loud.
All words used to describe Naomi lately. I still haven't unloaded last weeks pictures from Sarah's visit yet, but while you are waiting here are some pictures and video from our little camera. All of little Nay. She is just very entertaining these days. She still yells all day every day, happy or sad or bored except when Aunt Sarah is around. She is like a baby whisperer or something! Devin and I both had to teach the 3rd hour of church so Sarah took on Naomi duty. My jaw about hit the floor when Sarah came out of the relief society room with a sleeping Naomi in her arms on. That has NEVER happened. Well she proved it wasn't just a fluke when she accomplished the same feat the next two days in a row. Lulling Nay to sleep, even without a pacifier! I took a video of it just for proof.

OH we love this babe!

In 30 seconds she was sound to sleep. Excuse Naomi's diaper showing, she tries to rip the snaps open. She impossible to keep looking nice for very long. But anyway, I've tried this on Naomi since Sarah has left and she just scrunches up her nose and screeches, arches her back and hits my hand out of the way. MEH. oh well.

7.14.09

Soooo...

Last Sunday(two Sundays ago) I got a phone call from my sis Sarah, saying: " Can I come visit you, this Wednesday?" What?!!!! yaaay! I spent Monday and Tuesday cleaning and getting everything done so I could be free to PARTAY and doing all things sisterly when Sarah got into town Wednesday. She stayed for a week. (Thank you Nick for letting her come!) Pictures and details to come. Sarah is now gone and Devin is at Scout Camp so anyway whoa is me all alone, but I do enjoy playing with and taking pictures. That makes me happy. Especially of this cute boy. Here are a few of my favorites that Daniele let me take of Krew. We didn't get the "perfect picture" but I like them. I can still see in my head how they could be better... someday!

** I edited all these pictures on www.picnik.com. Just in case your interested.

** Karli(from Boise) will you leave your blog address? I can't find it!

Krew

my friend let me practice my picture
taking skills tonight on her little boy.


I need sleep but i couldn't help but play with a couple of pictures before i go off to beddy bie.

There wasn't that "sweet light" this evening, and I know i've broken probably 20 photography rules, that I can't remember from skimming a photography book once. I would LOVE advice from anyone that can give me some. I know there is like a 1/3rds rule and a rule about amputating hands and such, but i don't really get it AND can anyone explain to me how to get the picture more CRISP? I love these pics of Krewbie, but it kills me because i could see all these other good shots that i just couldn't make my camera create. I don't know how to use my camera and i get so uptight and frustrated about it. Advice advice, anyone everyone. anyway. It was still fun. And Krew's blond curls and blue eyes are to die for. I'll get these to you asap Daniele. Maybe we should take more. It was so fun and I want to try again to get some more creative clear pictures.

Devin had a late night at school yesterday, so I found myself watching this show. I only caught two acts,
the clogging moms from Utah. Love those Utah girls! And this guy below, who I'm a bit
embarrassed to admit, made me tear up a bit! haha! I loved it. enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzul5rxd-i8

Just another thought: In college, I don't know if this was just a BYU thing, but there were ALWAYS ALWAYS guys that would come over to our apartment and any girls apartment for that matter, pick up the guitar and sing and play it for like HOURS. We would be doing dishes, talking on the phone, or having a party, but there they would sit, seranading themselves. Sometimes I would try to strike up conversation, with them, thinking they were lonely and just needed company, thus using the guitar for an excuse to sit on our couch, but I was usually quickly interrupted by their "lyrics" that they re wrote themselves or worse, up would come the
one index finger that meant, "wait a second, wait I'm trying to find my note, and hear how awesome I sound." It was my biggest pet peeve. I was a big stinker sometimes (my roommates were well aware of) and I hid my guitar along with my roommates guitars. It was funny to see the guys come over and pretend to make conversation while looking over their shoulder for the guitar. Finally when they would ask, I would say something like. "OH guitar? we don't
have one of those." Or one time I even snuck the guitar out of the living room, while the guy set in down momentarily to go answer his cell phone. I pretended I had no idea what he was talking about when he he came back in to look for it. Well anyway my point is, if this guy(in the video clip) came over and played his guitar, I would have probably sat at his feet and and said: "Another another!"