Birthdays and Pioneers

Ms E invited Ms A to a Water Fairy Birthday party a couple of weeks ago. Of course anything with water and fairies and my little one is ready to go. The party was at this great swimming pool. Ms A tried her hand at the wave pool and LOVE it (until she got a mouthful of water). She had a wonderful time with her cousins, but wished she could have played a bit more with Ms E.

Here she is floating with her life jacket

and navigating the wave pool.


Happy 8th Birthday Ms E and thanks for the invite and fun time.








The next day, we celebrated Pioneer Day with my church. Our Stake had a wonderful celebration with a variety show, yummy treats and fun activities for everyone.

Here's Reed participating in the Pie Eating Contest.

Panning for "gold"

Iridessa Face painting

My Birthday Wish

It's my birthday in a couple of weeks, so Reed and Ms A have been asking what I what and how I want to celebrate. What I really want is a Silhouette...doesn't it just roll off your tongue...say it with me SILHOUETTE. It just makes me smile. :) I love that I can plug it to my computer and create what I want without the cartridges. I can download wonderful pictures and have a fun time. I also love this fun etching project that I found while looking into a few things. Isn't this a lovely gift idea. I can see all sorts of goodies in this beautiful glass bowl.

As I was checking the Silhouette, I ran into these great website and this website and this website and this one and this one. She is giving a Silhouette with some other goodies on Saturday.

What a great idea. Perfect timing for my birthday. :)

We'll see what happens.

What I Meant to Say

Do you ever have those moments/experiences when you know what to say, but then when you forget everything because of the people watching you? So many times my mouth takes over my brain and says things I didn't want to, Sunday was one of those times.

In my church, we set aside the first Sunday of the mouth to fast and to share testimonies of Jesus Christ and His teachings. Anyone in the congregation can go to the pulpit and share their feelings/thoughts and experiences that helped them gain a deeper understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I had those "butterflies in the stomach" feeling and knew the only way to get rid of them was share my testimony.

I wanted to express my gratitude for Heavenly Father and His protective hand in my life.
Here's what I tried to say:

A couple of weeks ago, my family and Sara's family went to Glacier National Park. We were touched by the beauty of the park and with God's amazing power in creating such a beautiful world for us to learn, grow and enjoy. On one of the hikes, I saw a bear (more on that experience read here). Everything turned out fine. The past couple of weeks I've thought of the experience and was so grateful it was a "positive encounter".

I've been thinking about some of the parallels between life and this experience. We can be walking along enjoying life and suddenly a huge obstacle/challenge (bear) blocks our path. We can be frightened, shocked, wonder why this bear is on our path. Our survival mode kicks in and the heart starts rushing as we try to figure out how to solve this situation and be safe/happy. Heavenly Father provides us with answers or reminds us of what we know (grab the sticks and make some noise as you back away). He gives us a peaceful feeling as we pray for help, sing Primary songs/Hymns. Sometimes He sends people (strangers, friends or family) to help us continue on the path/hold our hands through the trials. Then when you get past your "bear" you can continue on your hike enjoying nature until you reach your end goal (finding your family).

I'm so grateful that even when I sometimes mess up, He will still send me help and peace.

Ballet Class

We enrolled Sweet Pea in her first dance class this summer. She was thrilled!!! The last class they invited the parents and other family members to show off their new dance skills.

Heard in the Car

Ms A and Grandma Valerie played the quiet game as we were driving home from Cold Stone this evening. When Ms A was declared the winner the following conversation occurred:

Ms A: "What did I win?"
Reed: "My love forever ."
Ms A: "But I want something better, like a toy!" (Big Smile)

At least she knows her priorities.

Many Glacier

Our last stop was Many Glacier. It is the home of the Many Glacier Lodge, Grinnell Glacier, Grinnell Mountain, Swiftcurrent Lake, Mt Wilbur (Flat Shield Mountain) and Fishercap Lake. There are several places names after George Bird Grinnell because of his contributions to the park.

We were so excited to see a moose in Fishercap Lake. Our ranger was happy he made an appearance at the end of our nature walk.