Daddy's birthday! The kids loved the dog cake and helped daddy with both the candles and the wrapping. Kyrk got his real presents- two kites he bought on ebay, but that wasn't very fun so I took the kids to the store and let them each pick out a present. Ally got daddy two matchbox cars, making sure one of them was a Ferrari. Max got daddy two motorcycles that race. Malia got him a bag of licorice, and I got him an electronic nerf dart board. I don't think we have ever had so much fun playing with birthday toys. The kids were as excited as could be. A low-key fun night!

A day at the zoo with Gramsy. This is her favorite place to take the kids.

Grandma and Grandpa Wright came down for a quick weekend for a mission reunion. Kevin and Carson ended up coming and the boys took off on Saturday to Las Vegas for the Spokane Shock arena football playoffs. They had a lot of fun and Max was glued the whole time. He is really into football now and wants to watch it with daddy all the time.

Ally's first day of Kindergarten. This is her favorite shirt that she just had to wear, even though it was 90 degrees out. She wouldn't let me take her to school, she HAD to ride the bus! She was so excited and I really had to hold back the tears as I waved at her little face watching out the bus window.

Ally's new adventure was soccer this fall. She LOVED it. She had such a great coach and in every game and practice she had had a perma-grin on her face the whole time.

We laughed so hard as we watched the kids just herd after the ball. Usually the goalie was turned around playing with the net, which didn't matter much anyway. There were usually about 6-7 players on Ally's team but about 3 playing because one was picking the grass, two were wrestling, and another one was picking their nose.

Huckleberry Hell.... I mean Hill

I have just learned that my family given Molly Mormon label is in question after writing that title for this post. My sister-in-law, Kristen, should be happy as she has been coveting this label for many months. I would have willingly given up this label for her so there would be no contention in the family, but alas, the decision is not mine to make. Kristen, for you, or if anyone else would like this label, I will gladly sit down and teach you how to make crocheted sock for your husband, matching shirts for 12 children, how to can funeral potatoes, and all while teaching your children the harmony to Love At Home.

Now, back to my post. For my dad's reunion this summer we stayed up at Schweitzer Mountain in Northern Idaho. Absolutely beautiful up there. It is a ski resort and had fun little shops and tennis courts, a lake nearby, a craft show, and of course, huckleberries-which we LOVE! Well, driving up to the cabin I saw people out of their cars on the side of the road picking huckleberries, so when Dad and Martha asked if we wanted to go pick huckleberries I was all over it! So we hop in the car with Max and Malia (Ally stayed home) just as is and drove down to the lodge, where it was a short hike to Huckleberry Hill. Kyrk and I were a little leery when we saw people coming down the trail in full hiking gear and we looked down at our flip-flops. But I'm not one to back down so off we go... and go....and go.....

This picture was taken about 1/2 way UP the mountain. I should've taken a picture after we got down- we were filthy! We think it was about 2 miles up the mountain- not along a nice, easy, flat trail mind you- up a mountain. We kept passing people along the way that were giving me the strangest looks. I just told them Dad better know how to deliver a baby. We had no water, no diapers, nothing!

After 10 hours of hiking we got to Huckleberry Hill and the rest of our party that had gone ahead were no where to be seen. We called them and they said they were a little bit farther where the huckleberries were way bigger. We had 4 conversations like that and after about another 1/2 mile we caught up to them. We picked and picked. Okay, so they picked while I found the most comfortable rock I could see to sit on.

Peter is going to love this one! It is really hard to resist all those juicy berries.

Malia ate so many huckleberries that her diapers were purple for days. We could barely keep up picking enough to keep her cup from being empty.

This is our view as we got about 1/2 way back to the lodge. It's the first clearing you come to that you can see the lodge. I was really hurting at this point- going down hill was actually a lot harder on my hips then going up hill- so when I got to this point my eyes literally started welling up with tears. I was ready to just stay there and they could send a helicopter to come and get me. Luckily (with Kyrk and Dad being my walking sticks) I kept going because about 50 feet from our car the heavens opened and it started pouring. So all in all, it was a crazy, hard trip but I don't think I would have traded it. We did end up with a TON of huckleberries and had the most delicious huckleberry pancakes the next morning. We did decide that the kids selling a gallon of berries for $30 on the side of the road would defiantly be worth the money.

Yes, that sign says Deep Fried Twinkies and yes, we bought some. Luckily no one had a heart attack. Kyrk really liked them but I could have done without, not worth the cholesterol you can feel coursing through your veins.

Tennis was a big hit.

Out to the Oggie reunion! The diving board was a big hit with my kids this year.

and Kyrk..

Hilary and Travis put on the hit of the week- a game of Survivor. This is everyone running with water balloons on spoons.

Up to Kyrk's family for his reunion. Shooting was a highlight for Max, I couldn't believe the smile on his face. Kyrk kept making fun of me because I looked really weird while I was shooting, I didn't realize at the time but I was using my left eye instead of my right because that's my good eye.

Grandma and Grandpa Wright with most of the grand kids.

Gramsy put on a princess party for all the girls- they were beautiful and had so much fun.

Max is "surfing" in Daddy's car giving the hang loose sign.?.? Good thing he is buckled in with the bungee cord!

Helping Mommy make sugar cookies. This is the sixth time Malia has frosted this cookie, she just keeps licking off the frosting.

Football season

Football season is upon us and we always talk and tease about how men act during this time of life. It is kind of like mating season because hormones are running so high. Anyway, a few thoughts came to me and so I had to write them down. I do so with the HUGE disclaimer that my husband is actually not in the category of sweaty faced, loud yelling, never missing, religiously devoted football watchers. He gets a kick out of listening to the guys in his office talking and saying, "Oh yeah, who's playing?" He usually knows but he likes to see their faces. Here's my take on football!

If men treated marriage like football…

They would talk about how awesome their wives were to everyone during lunch- giving a play by play of the amazing things she did the day before. Over and over again.

They would proudly wear shirts, hats, socks, and underwear sporting their wives names, most of the days of the week.

When other men saw the paraphernalia, they would give that nod like “Yeah, that’s right.” With an occasional, “Hey! You married a Sarah? I married a Sarah too!”

If their wives were upset, they would be in a bad mood for days.

If their wives made a mistake, they would shout, “That’s okay, we’ll get ‘em next time.”

Love-themed food and snacks would appear at regular intervals throughout the week.

When having “talks”, they would give their full attention, without ever letting their mind wander. Being able to repeat back any of the game plan at any time.

They would be on pins and needles till the next time they could take their wife out. Planning out, in detail, how the time would be spent.

If anything bad was said about their wives, they would get all red in the face and explain for the next hour why she was the best, giving all of her stats and winning history.

They would cheer their wives on and support them through thick and thin, literally.

Taking Advantage

I know many of you have seen these pics, so bare with me...I am just so behind!
So, my bro. in law, Travis, is an F-16 pilot in the Air Force. They get lots of perks (and deserve every one!) and we just follow them around taking advantage of everything the military has to offer! We have followed them to D.C., Japan, Hawaii, and to so many events. Well, this particular event was one of the highlights. In June Travis found out he was going to give Pres. Uchtdorf a ride in an F-16 and invited us to the base. My sister was worried about us expecting too much, saying she didn't know how many people were going to be there or how it was all going to play out. We didn't care, we were going anyway! We waited for Pres. Uchtdorf in the briefing room and here he comes with his wife and daughter and about 4 other military people. Talk about cozy. When I shook his hand I felt the Spirit so strong. What an awesome experience! I took the kids into a different room while they got briefed, but everyone else (Mom, Hil, and Kyrk) got to stay and listen. Then we took a little van out to the flight line and got to watch as they got ready and taxied away. It sounds quick but was really a pretty long process. What an amazing man and an amazing day. Thanks Travis and Hilary for always letting us tag along!

The kids in the van going out to the flight line. We all had to wear ear gear because it was so loud. The kids were trying theirs on.

Pres. Uchtdorf and Travis

Max wasn't so sure about the whole plane thing.

Those ear mufflers really worked, so well that Malia went to sleep during the process.