I LOVE my Bosch!

I am crazy about my Bosch! Last week I received my Bosch via FedEx right as we were taking off for our camping trip. I couldn't wait to get home to try it out! I purchased the new Universal Plus model with the blender attachment. Someday I will get the pasta attachment also, but you have to get the meat grinder to use that, and they are each $150! Anyway, I have made something everyday using my Bosch, and now I don't know how I would ever get along without it! Making bread is a cinch now, and I have loved trying out some of the healthy whole wheat recipes that are on the cooking CD the machine came with. I know that this machine is pricey, but if you are into baking, I would suggest putting it on your wish list! I didn't feel too bad buying since my husband neglected to get me a present for my birthday, Christmas, Anniversary, Valentine's, Mother's Day, - you get the picture!

From the Land Down Under...

The other day we were privileged to meet Lynn, my brother's good friend from Australia. My brother Paul served there in Adelaide from 1999-2001, and Lynn was the last person he and his companion were able to baptize. He and Lynn kept in close contact up until 3 days before he was killed in a car accident 3 years ago. It was so nice to be able to hear her conversion story to the gospel, and to hear of her friendship with Paul.

Of course Lynn has an Australian accent that I love, but every time she talked to the boys they stared at her with wide eyes. I explained to them that she talks like the Wiggles, and since they watch them once a week I would think that they would be used to the accent! She told them about how she sees kangaroos by her home, and she even had pictures of them on her camera to show off.

I want to record her story, just so my family can know of it. She was raised going to the Church of England as a child, but didn't have much interest in it as she grew. At one point, as and adult, she decided to return to the church of her youth, but she explained that she didn't get much from it and it felt cold and uninviting. She had purchased some land near the site of the Adelaide, Australia Temple, and having known some members of our church, wanted to learn more about it. However, during the course of her move etc., she hadn't acted on this desire. Meanwhile, Paul and his companion were out tracking in the area near the temple, and at the top of the hill as they began proselyting, they said a prayer to ask Heavenly Father for guidance. They went straight to Lynn's house, and she immedietly invited them in. She felt the Spirit, and really felt that Heavenly Father knew her desires and sent these missionaries to her! She was baptized and remains an active member and keeps in touch with many of the missionaries she has come in contact with in Australia. While in the states, she has been able to see many of them, and in turn, they go visit her in Australia. I'm so jealous - James and I dream of going there one day!

Weakest Link...

We took our first camping trip of the summer this past weekend. This is actually the first time we have been camping with any of our kids! Big Cottonwood Canyon was beautiful, even though we did get some rain the first night. One of our friends organized the camping trip, and it was so fun to get to know some of our neighbors better. I'm afraid we were the weakest link of the bunch, and I don't watch Survivor, but I'm pretty sure we would have been voted out of the wilderness experience first! Five years ago, when we lived back in VA, James bought a 10 man tent from Costco because he wanted to get a tent that would fit our queen size air mattress. Well, this tent could fit 5 queen size air mattress, and still have room for gear! Needless to say, it is quite a chore to set up this ginormous tent, especially when we had only done it one time 5 years ago! It took James and I and two men we were camping with probably over an hour to figure this thing out! It was embarrassing for us! Beside that, we had fun playing "hand and foot" while the boys rode bikes and played "King of the Mountain". I urged James to write down instructions for the tent as we took it down, but he swears that next time he will remember how to construct the tent. At least next time we use it will be at his family reunion, so they can tease him if he has troubles with it!

Jackson's "Friend" B-day Party!

Jackson's real birthday is July 15, but that month is going to be pretty crazy for us, so we had the friend b-day party this past week. He has been so lucky to have so many good friends from preschool and the neighborhood. This was his first friend b-day party, and my first time hosting a kid's b-day party. I had no idea that everyone (except one child whose mom forgot) would come to the party! Jackson was so excited, and it was a little crazier than we had anticipated. I don't know how Miss Lisa (preschool teacher) does it everyday!
The party theme was "sports", so the invitations were baseballs, the games were all involving balls, and the cupcakes were baseballs.















The pinata was an "all star", and it was quite an experience watching these kids go for the candy. They each ended up with half a paper bag full of candy. It's all about the loot, even if your parent's throw it away, for some reason it just feels good to have a big bag of candy for a even a short time! They also took home a box of cracker jacks to go with the baseball theme. I was worried that the kids might get sick after having cake and ice cream, (ice cream with Jolly Rancher Blue Raspberry topping that Jackson picked out) cake, and candy from the pinata. Sure enough, on of the kids barfed on the lawn twice on his way out! Oh well, I'm sure he thought it was worth it!

Jackson was given a lot of really cool water guns and water toys, a Light Saber, and Transformers to name a few. James was really excited about the 3-D solar system that will suspend from Jackson's ceiling! Jackson was so excited to get a Webkin from Grandma Ce-Ce, since Paul got one the week before. His Webkin is a lemur whom he has named Harry. I don't know if I'm ready for Jackson to be so obsessed with the computer yet, but I guess it's good that many of the games in Webkin land are educational! I can't believe my baby is 5!

Take me out to the Ball Game...

Take me out to the ball game
Take me out to the game
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks
I don't care if we never go back...

Paul, however, probably won't mind waiting until next season to head back to the ball park after he had his fill of free popcorn, hot dogs, hamburgers, and soda! I didn't know what to do after Paul barfed on the concrete like this, so Maryann suggested that I wash if off with the water in my water bottle! James was laughing so hard at our dumb idea - it obviously made an even worse mess!

Our city had a celebration because they put in lights on the baseball field. The Bee mascot was there to sign the kid's hat's and shirts and take pictures. I sent James to fight the crowds and take the picture, and of the five he took this is the best he got! At least the Bee's head is in this one!

Our Little Clowns...

Bilibo!

On Sunday, my parent's came over to deliver one last birthday present for Paul. It came in a big box, and so of course the boys were very anxious to see what it could possibly be. When Paul opened the box and pulled out what was inside, his response was "huh?". That's about what we were all thinking! He pulled out a green plastic bowl resembling a turtle shell. Apparently, this toy, called a Bilibo, has won awards all over the world. Kids can be creative with the Bilibo and use it to spin on the floor, fill up with toys, fill up with water at the park, etc. We have all had fun thinking of different ways to use it, and we especially love spinning our Alanna baby around in it!