The End of Blogging?

I was happily going along uploading photos to the blog this morning (I've really fallen behind, how quickly a week goes by) when suddenly a terrifying message appeared. It says my Picasa/Google photo storage is full. They are holding all my blogging ability hostage until I fork over $10 per year. I tried to delete some pictures from the Picasa albums but another message popped up and said if I delete there it will also remove the photo from my blog. Pirates! That's what these Picasa/Google people are! Pirates! So this is my last blog until I figure out a way around this villainy.
Here we are around the fire pit at my parent's log home. We had a family reunion of sorts with my dad's sister, her daughters, their parents, and some cousins from Iowa.
Me, Ruby, and my Mom.
Birthday party at Gram and Pop's. "Everyone raise your hand if it is your birthday." But really this party was only for Gram and Tristan.

Tristan got tiny legos from Gram and Pop. I spent a precious hour of my life putting together "The Krusty Crab" only to have it fall apart when Sierra moved it. ARRRAAGGGJJJHHHHH!

simple joys

Amanda Soule over at SouleMama just created a post called simple joys. She lists a few things that are bringing her joy this morning with incredible pictures to match. I don't have the camera or photography skills like she does, but I have plenty of simple joys in my life. Like...
Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby. She is such a smiler these days. Of course I couldn't capture said smile with the camera, you'll just have to take my word for it.
Here she is helping me fold laundry. This particular pile is a joy because Gram came over this morning when she knew I was trying to get out the door for a bike ride. She walked in and said, "Whose diaper can I change? What girl's hair can I brush? What pile of laundry can I fold?" I was nursing Ruby and she folded part of this pile of laundry and visited with me. At the very bottom of this picture you can see my slippers, those are a joy. And my black pants that I've been waiting for months to fit into and now I can, that is a joy.

This picture was taken a few weeks ago. We've been biking like this at least three times a week. We call ourselves explorers and we are in search of a new playground every outing. We've been to nine or ten different playgrounds, ones we'd never been to before. At this morning's park, a dad started talking to me while he pushed his 18 month-old on the swing. He asked if it was hard to have three kids. "Oh, I have four." I said as I pointed to Ruby's car seat in the bike stroller. We talked for a while, him saying that evenings are really tough for him and his wife with the baby and a 7 year-old, me saying that when all four kids want something at the same time (which only happens a few times a day) things get crazy but otherwise I love, love, love having a big family. Sometimes I think the more you have on your plate, the more you are able to accomplish.
A joy to me is to walk downstairs and find these two deep in imaginative play. A neighbor gave them a big box of barbies and other toys yesterday and they are so happy.

Tristan can play with blocks for amazing lengths of time. He loves to sneak off and create his own little world, which usually involves blocks and emptying out the DVD case. He'll bring me little block creations as gifts, I have a pile of them here by my computer. That is a joy. Here he is yelling, "Don't take a picture of me!" He also has purple frosting dye on his lips because he was "helping" me put away the cake decorating kit. Yum, cake....that is another joy.

I started reading "Surprised By Joy" by C. S. Lewis a few days ago. Last night I finally had to just tell myself it is OK to start a book and not finish it if you aren't enjoying reading it. Some parts were really good, very profound, but it was heavy reading and I felt pretty dumb for not grasping 90% of it. He says his definition of joy is "that of an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction...which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and from Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again. Apart from that, and considered only in its quality, it might almost equally well be called a particular kind of unhappiness or grief. But then it is a kind we want".

See what I mean? I'll stick with my simple joys--which I define as things that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Kaia is 5!!

Notice it reads "Kayak" not Kaia. It could have been Cake Wreck worthy, but my Uncle Steve admitted that because he didn't know how to spell Kaia he said to the worker "Well, you could just put Kayak." So she did. Kaia didn't seem to mind, and the cake was delicious.

New bike from Gram & Pop/Mom & Dad. Sierra sure wishes it was her birthday.
The five layer birthday cake I created over the course of 3 days.
Pool party with her friends from Joy School. A very low key party, all I could muster.

Collage Fun

click on collage to enlarge

What do you do in the summertime?

"Oh, what do you do in the summertime?...


When all the world is green.


Do you throw your friend's dad in the pool?


To keep yourself cool


Do you run and swing?


Or jump on the trampoline?


Read lots of books with Gram?


Or eat slices of ham?

Is that what you do? So do I..."
Sing along with this song HERE

The 4th

We sang The Star-Spangled Banner in sacrament meeting today and the third verse really touched me:

"Oh, thus be it ever,

When free men shall stand

Between their loved homes

And the war's desolation!

Blest with vict'ry and peace,

May the heav'n-rescued land

Praise the Pow'r that hath made

And preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must,

When our cause it is just,

And this be our motto:

"In God is our trust!"

And the star-spangled banner

In triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free

And the home of the brave!

We went to the Purcell's last night for a wonderful 4th of July party. They spent the day slowly grilling ribs and they were divine. Marisa toiled over the desserts (I'm so glad I didn't have to do the work, yet got to partake in their deliciousness). Eric bought fireworks in WY to entertain us all. The kids had a blast in the pool, on the trampoline, and with their friends.

God bless America.