Fun in Utah

We had a great time in Utah. Check out our picture show HERE.

We are on our way to my parent's cabin near Yellowstone. We will go to see the waterfalls in Yellowstone, but probably skip the geysers. We have seen them too many times and Rachel thinks they stink anyway. We will celebrate the 4th with my family living near the Tetons. We will then travel to northern Idaho to go camping with another single adoptive parent. Primitive camping. Should be interesting. I have to find a 9 mile dirt road filled with potholes. I am prepared with a shovel and a bucket because it is required by the forest service. I'm excited! Primitive camping with two adults and four kids. I'll report next week about the remainder of our trip.

Fun in the Car

875 miles is a long way to travel by car. The girls were pretty well behaved considering it was very hot (we have no air conditioning) and a very long drive. Erin Joy's favorite thing about the drive was playing with a pinwheel in the wind and Rachel's favorite thing was washing the windows at each gas station. Speaking of gas....I can't believe the gas is only $3.95 in Idaho! I wish I could take some home with me. I paid $4.49 before leaving Western Washington. My parents paid over $6.00 in the Marshall Islands.

I just posted another video with some great pictures of cousins on our extended family blog...Chips and Salsa Forever. You can access it in the side bar or click on the word "here" in the previous post.

We are having a lot of fun. Today we will watch one of our cousins play baseball then go swimming. We will be going to Utah at the end of the week for a trip to the zoo and temple square. Next week will probably bring Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. I'll probably post more on Chips and Salsa so stayed tuned.

Hum....I'm not sure where the video is...I'll work on it later....

Fun With Cousins

This is a picture of my entire family. It has been fabulous to be together. The girls are having a blast with their cousins and grandparents. I'm having a blast with my brothers and sisters and parents. It is so wonderful to see my parents and hear about their experiences in the Marshall Islands. We also enjoyed a reunion on Saturday with my mother's brothers and sisters and families. I have just posted a few videos to my family's blog. You are welcome to see all the fun we have been having by clicking HERE.

In Idaho

After almost 900 miles, we finally made our way to Idaho. I am using my sister's computer and I can't get video to upload. I will post video later. I will also post some great pictures of the cousins having fun together. Tomorrow, all 18 cousins will be together. They will have a blast at the reunion and laster tomorrow night at a "Yokwe" Party welcoming my parents back from their 18 month mission to the Marshall Islands.

We're having fun!!!!

Baseball in Spokane

On our way to Idaho, we stopped in Spokane to visit our cousins there. We had a great time at a Spokane Indians baseball game. They were playing the Everett Aqua Sox, our home town team, so we quietly rooted for the Aqua Sox.

My cousin works for Allstate and has a nice big sign with his picture on it hanging over two of the tunnels. Glad I don't have my picture hanging from a big sign. Glad I don't have a cousin taking a picture of it and posting it to a blog....

The girls enjoyed Otto the Spokanasaurus. They got his "Otto-graph" on a nice baseball furnished by Allstate. They also enjoyed jumping in Otto's bouncy house.

A Good, Quick Read

I really enjoyed this book.  I read it this afternoon while I ignored my girls my girls played quietly.  It was a fast and easy read.  I thought it was very well written...it made me laugh and made me cry.  I hope to have time to read a few good books while I'm out of school.

I love summer!  We will be leaving for Idaho on Thursday.  I probably won't be posting much but I will be taking a lot of pictures and I'll make a slideshow or something when we come back in July.  I'll try to post once in awhile, but I might be distracted by family members that I haven't seen in a long time.  I'm especially excited to see my parents who have been serving a mission for the past 18 months.

The girls are very excited to play with their cousins and see their grandparents.  We don't have any family living close to us so we have to take advantage of the few weeks we get to spend together.  I love my family and I can't wait to see them!!!

Happy Flag Day!

In honor of Flag Day, Erin Joy will happily recite the Pledge of Allegiance for you. (I actually took this video a few weeks ago...a couple of days after laser surgery so her cheek is still a little red and bruised. The bruising is just about gone now.)

VACATION TIME!!!!!

SCHOOL IS OUT!!! YIPPEEE!!! Trust me...teachers are more excited about this than the students! Not only is school out, but it is supposed to warm up a little and the sun is supposed to shine. It has been 15 degrees colder than usual. Apparently, it is the coldest beginning of June since 1894. People have been calling it "Junuary." It has been snowing in the passes and it hailed here. I'm tired of wind, rain, and gray skies. Bring on the sunshine! (I'm grateful we aren't having tornadoes or flooding like some parts of the country or cleaning up from earthquakes or cyclones so I shouldn't complain.)

I'm ready for summer!!! The girls are excited too. Rachel is already talking about first grade. I don't know why. I certainly DON'T want to think about school. Definitely time for a break.

Here is a "story" she wrote yesterday:
In case you can't read her spelling, here is a translation:

"I love to be out of school. I hope I have a good first grade. I hope to be in on the bus."

I'm traveling to Idaho to see my family next week. I am so excited! I am especially excited to see my parents who have been serving a mission for our church on the Marshall Islands for the past 18 months. They are currently in Hawaii. They are taking a "mini vacation" before they are bombarded with grandchildren--some whom they have never met. They have a red convertible mustang for a rental car at the moment--my dad's dream car. I hope they are having a wonderful time.

Hawaii + sun + red convertible mustang = FUN!

This is my equation for fun...

Summer + my girls + time off work = FUN!

Chicken Dance

In case you missed the video of Rachel's kindergarten program, you may watch her performing in our school talent show.  Her kindergarten class danced the "Chicken Dance."  Watch the boys around her...they didn't quite get it.  It is really cute!

One More Thing

I came across this picture as I was reminiscing about my birthday three years ago. I didn't enjoy my cake as much as I would have liked to because Erin Joy was struggling. She wasn't very happy our first few weeks together. She sure is a different person today.

Not only did I celebrate with the same candles as I had three years ago...I'm wearing the same shirt...that's embarrassing.

40 Years Young

Happy Birthday to me, I'm as old as a tree.
My life is half over
I'm getting much slower.

I celebrated my birthday at a local Mexican restaurant with my girls. Rachel took a picture of Erin Joy and I. I put candles in my burrito...one candle for each decade. The candles are special candles from China. Three years ago I celebrated my birthday in China a day before leaving for the states and a day after Erin Joy had her consulate appointment. The candles are left over from a very memorable cake. We celebrated Rachel's first birthday in China, too. Birthdays remind me of China.

I uploaded a couple of funny birthday videos into my family's blog. You can access it by clicking HERE. My sister's birthday was two days before mine. She came home from the hospital on my fifth birthday. It took me many years to figure out how she could be younger than me if her birthday was before mine.

Check out this yummy dessert! I love Mexican fried ice cream. Rachel and Erin Joy didn't care for it so I ate most of it by myself.

PRESENTS FROM MY GIRLS

Rachel gave me a gazelle that she chose out of the prize box in her kindergarten class. I told her that was so nice of her to think of me instead of herself on my birthday. She told me, "There weren't any good prizes in the box so I decided I might as well get something for you." So thoughtful. She also gave me a nice card.

Erin Joy chose two special rocks and decorated them for me. I'll have to keep them forever.

On To First Grade!

Rachel Graduated from Kindergarten today!

We celebrated by going to her favorite restaurant which she calls "The Milkshake Place."

She was excited about her new Webkinz dog.