Firefighting in Moab

This is where Brian has worked all summer. We have some cool video, but can't get it to load.

Huh...How Did That Happen?

This happened while driving down 400 North in Logan today. We hear a thump...whack whack whack. The wrench is on the inside of the tire, sticking half-way out. No idea how that happened, especially going no more than 20 mph. Needless to say, we are now the proud owners of a new tire. Check out the size of that gash!

First Day of Kindergarten

I can't believe my little bug is a kindergartener! She has been so excited for school to start. Kindergarten is only half-day, which will be a breeze after all-day preschool in Louisiana. Sure makes it hard for me to work though. Kylie woke up earlier than usual because she was so excited. However, once we put her new shoes on (which I bought special to match this outfit) she got a long face. The shoes just didn't fit right. It pretty much ruined her whole morning. I walked her into class and she wasn't excited anymore. Guess I should have been a better mom and let her wear comfy shoes on the first day instead of wanting the picture-perfect Gap look. Kids that age don't care, but it's fun for me, which shows just how uneventful my life is. She was all smiles when I picked her up at 11:30. My sister, Laura, works at McDonalds and wanted Kylie to stop by after school for a special first-day treat. We celebrated with a Happy Meal and an ice cream cone. Last night I came into her room to kiss her cheek before I went to bed (something I have done every night of her life) and it hit me that it was her last day being a little kid, that she's going to school for the next 12 years+ and will never be the little girl she once was. Sure, she's done pre-school, but its not the same. I quickly thought of something else so I wouldn't cry. She's growing up so fast!

Bell 206

Brian has been fighting fires in Northern Idaho for the last 2 weeks. Today he was released from that post and transferred to a new location. His travels brought him to Logan Airport to refuel the Bell 206. We met him at the airport with lunch for him and his fire crew. We got there just as he landed, so I couldn't get that on video.

Brian's parents and his nephew L.D. stopped by to see Brian land.

Kylie helped her daddy tie down the helicopter and "put it to bed". They ended up spending the night in Logan while new assignments were made.

Hair Cut Day

Kylie woke up this morning all excited to get her hair cut. For months she's been going back and forth about whether or not to cut her hair to her shoulders. She decided that today was the day. I took a bunch of pictures of her beautiful long hair and drove into town armed with my camera. As we walked into the salon, she changed her mind. Again. I showed her some pictures in a magazine of shoulder-length cuts. She didn't like any of them. We still trimmed 2 inches from her hair and its just as long as ever. She is very happy with the results.

Before the cut:

Nothing is Safe

I'm telling you, no cup of water is safe from Sallie the cat!

Dang Cat

My cat is driving me crazy. She will only drink the freshest of fresh water. No cup of water is safe. I have yet to get in the habit of making sure there are no glasses of water left on the table or counter. The other night, well 5:00 am, I wake to the sound of glass breaking. She was trying to get a drink out of a tall glass and knocked it off the table, shattering it. As I sit here at the computer I hear a plastic glass fall from the table and water splatter everywhere. There's the cat, sitting under the table, trying to look nonchalant and innocent. Every night when I wash my face and brush my teeth, Sallie is parked on the bathroom counter waiting for me to finish and fill up the sink with water for her to lap up all night. Makes it hard to wash my face with her weaving in and out of my arms. For the most part she is a very good kitty, but she's starting to get cabin fever. I don't let her outside much because there's a number of neighborhood cats that would tear her to pieces. And she always comes back sick or ridden with fleas. So she spends her day napping on my pillow or perched at the top of the stairs (see image above) where she can observe the entire living area.

Bear Lake

My Grandma Fern rented an amazing cabin for a couple days at Bear Lake so we could all celebrate her birthday and hang out as a family. Kylie and I stayed for 2 nights and slept in the loft with the most amazing view of the lake.

Alex and Laura came the first night, and we ran right out to the beach to play before dinner.

Alex pretending he's 5 year old:

The cabin

This is the kind of work that Brian use to do when we were first married.

The lake was freezing in the morning, but finally warmed up in the afternoon so we could have fun zipping around on jet skis.

Sushi

Kylie and I went out for Sushi for the 2nd night in a row. We can't get enough! This time we took my brother Alex, sister Laura, and nephew L.D. We tried the new sushi bar in North Logan, The Black Pearl. It was excellent, though I'm favoring Kazoku in Smithfield. The Black Pearl has more variety overall, including combo meals (think Mandarin Garden) but not as many sushi varieties. Kazoku has more sushi varieties with the advantage of having the item pictured and described so you're not surprised. If anyone wants to go, give me a call!

More Pics

I'm behind on my photo-sharing. Here's a few more.

This is where I live! Cache Valley, Utah.

And hike.

And sleep. :-)

These are my babies.

Kylie has become an avid rock wall climber...as long as her dad is with her.

My parents had a Japanese student stay with them for 2 months. Her name is Myumi, and Kylie loved to sit and talk with her, teaching her English words, and would drag her out to jump on the trampoline. I loved it because I got to remodel a bedroom for her to stay in. My little sis Laura is on the right.I don't have pictures yet, but I also remodeled my brother's room as a surprise when he came home. He was gone all summer taking care of our friend Bill who went through brutal treatment for esophogeal cancer. My legs are still sore from hanging wallpaper. I'm still trying to make my house a home and finding places for everything. The one thing I like about moving is that I get to decorate all over again! Hopefully someone else will need a room redecorated soon...

My Brave Little Bug

Kylie had to get shots today to get ready for kindergarten. I didn't realize she was so far behind, so she had to have 3 shots in her leg. Poor bug! She was so brave. We promised to buy her a new toy so she had something to look forward to. She picked a My Little Pony birthday toy. This is the same toy that she gave her friend yesterday at a birthday party. She walked funny all day, thinking that she couldn't bend her knees. I wish I had my camera when we went out to dinner. I took Brian and Kylie to a local sushi place, and Kylie was rockin' with the chopsticks! She set them in her hand, reached out and snagged a California Roll on the first try. She made exclamations of satisfaction all night. We have a sushi fan!

What We've Been Up To

I finally have internet at home so I can download pictures onto my computer. Here's what we've been up to:

We went 4-wheeling up Smithfield Canyon with my sister Laura. It was gorgeous! Laura and I got a little muddy going through a surprise mud hole....

We rode up to the trailhead, then hiked and explored.

We've been doing a lot of farming. I always forget my camera, so this is the only shot I have. I gotta get a picture of me hauling hay. Oh yeah, I drive the tractor!

We went camping with my mom's family at Onieda in Idaho. There's a natural hot spring up there and you float down the river. Kylie had so much fun with the boys!

It's been such a fun summer. We are excited for Kylie to start kindergarten, mostly because she's so bored at home. There are no kids in our neighborhood. That's our summer in a very small nutshell.