Remembering Yellowstone

A few weeks ago Lauri and I went with some friends to Yellowstone on a camping trip. We had a blast. It was so beautiful. It's so good to get a chance to have nature take your breath away!

What a motley crew! Fun Times!

In nursery our theme has been "God made the world and everything in it". We got a tray full of dirt and sprayed it with water we got from the bathroom to make mud. The kids and I talked about how God made the sunshine, dirt, water and mud. Then one of the nursery kid says to me, "God is good because he gave us water, but does God live in the bathroom?" I couldn't help but giggle.

Lauri and Dustin evaluating the geysers.

I hadn't been to Yellowstone since I was Jada's age: 6. That's over 20 years! Old faithful was not quite as I remembered it. It's amazing how things are always bigger when you are small.

Jayce was disappointed about the small amounts of wildlife we encountered. Just a few buffalo here and there.

In Jackson Hole we found some of the best carmel popcorn at a gas station. It was a Rockey Mountain brand of some sort and It Was Amazing. At the next gas station in Yellowstone we bought 3 bags.

Oh, I can't forget about meeting up with Bigfoot. Camping in Yellowstone: an adventure for sure!

Bean's Bearthday

Before
And After

Last week Macie had her third birthday. She's such a cute girl. We went to Firehouse to celebrate and Macie got her very own pazukie- and believe it or not- she ate the whole thing. I just love this chick. She is full of laughter and love and always makes me smile. Happy Birthday Bean!

School Buds

We're getting ready to take the ATI next week. It's a placement test for nursing boards, and I'm freaking out about it. I guess I should be spending tonight with my nose in the books instead.

The other day Candace and I took Taylee out to the pool. It was her first swim.

I was nearly expecting her to hate it. I was surprised by her constant smile. What a cutie!She was so intent on the other kids in the pool. What a sweetheart!No more perfect way to enjoy the summer.When we finished swimming I jumped in the shower. When I went to wash my hair I realized that my shampoo and conditioner were in the other bathroom. I remembered someone saying that you could use conditioner in place of shaving cream so I wondered if I could use shaving cream in place of conditioner. Just an FYI: Shower gel does not replace shampoo and shaving cream does not replace conditioner. My hair was like straw when it dried.

A Toast

After clinicals on Saturday we all went out for a toast at Chilis to celebrate the end of Nursing Process A. We'll be starting Nursing Process B on Monday.
We decided to do pot luck every Tuesday. Of course I brought a desert. My new favorite is Harvey Wallbanger Cake. It's fantastic.

Family Fun

Birthday Bash

Who can have a party without cotton candy? Jada is such a people pleaser and a good friend. She loves people and always wants to be with her friends and cousins. She's great at spreading laughter and smiles.Dustin and Shiela became experts at the cotton candy machine. (It only took about an hour of streams of cotton candy floating around in the air :)Jada was very excited about the stack of gifts waiting for her. She couldn't wait to open each one. It's hard to believe these girls are getting so grown up. A day or two before Jada turned six she told me that, "One is never too old to celebrate a birthday." Now where does a six-year-old come up with something like that? Lauri, or Noni (as Jada and Macie would say) was the designated face painter. She's such an artist. Thanks to mom I got to dress as the clown. All the kids loved it, but it took Macie a good while to warm up to me and get used to the idea of anyone having a red nose, white face and rainbow hair. Once she realized it was me she thought it was pretty funny. Cute as a button! The birthday cake is a party hat. Of course there had to be some pink cupcakes in the mix. Oh, to be a kid again :).

Leslie is a great party planner. Jada and Macie are lucky to have such a great mom. Each day is filled with new memories and adventures.