King Studio Christmas Party: Viennese Waltz

King Studio Christmas Party: Foxtrot

King Studio Christmas Party: Mambo

King Studio Christmas Party: Tango

I'm dreaming of a white... pukefest?

I hope that everyone's Christmas was filled with love and family and all the food one can keep in one's stomach. This Christmas has been... interesting to say the least. Let me rewind a bit to fill you in on all of the fun.

I'd been having an upset stomach over the weekend. I chalked it up to nerves for my Dance Studio's Christmas Party at which I would be performing 8 dances. (A later post will include the inside story to that night and video of the dances.) Not to mention that I sent Kevin to the Dr. on Friday to have a "growth" on his back looked at. It had been growing for 6 months at least, and I was getting so worried, I made the Dr. appointment. The Dr. said it wasn't Melanoma, but it needed to be removed ASAP and sent out for a biopsy. (We are still waiting for results and crossing our fingers.) Monday came around, and Kevin had it removed. He wasn't supposed to move a lot, and was not supposed to be picking up Thomas. He also is supposed to take some time off work since the incision was on the back of his shoulder, where his bullet proof vest would rub. No vest = no work. So, I'm all geared up to be "Super Wife/ Mom" and take care of my guys. Then at lunch, my stomach really started to hurt. I go to pick up Thomas at Mom & Dad's- it was getting worse. My stomach was churning and I wasn't sure which end it would come out. (Sorry. TMI I know.)

I got home just in time to throw up violently. It didn't stop for hours. Kevin's local anesthetic was wearing off, and Thomas was curious as to why I was kneeling on the bathroom floor. I told Kevin I could handle it and had one arm wrapped around the toilet bowl and one arm out blocking Thomas from coming too close. I was extremely grateful that night for my short haircut. I didn't have a free arm to pull it out of the way. It continued into the night. Kevin finally sent me up to bed knowing that I couldn't watch Thomas and throw up anymore at the same time. Bless his heart. I woke up at 1:00 to start the whole fiasco all over again. Kevin was coming to bed at that time and needed me to change his bandage. I thought I'd finished throwing up, so I went over to scope out the wound and change the bandage for him. I took one look at it and headed for the toilet again. Yes, the sight of it made me throw up. Again, I tried to get myself under control and was able to fix him up. I was so dehydrated. I told Kevin that I was getting light headed and thought I might pass out. He got me to the bed in time before I collapsed. I'd rather throw up than pass out for future reference...

The morning was awful. I hurt from head to toe. Achy and sore from you know: Everything. Dizziness and more passing out ensued. I stayed home from work to recover. Thomas stayed over at Mom & Dad's. That night was Kevin's family's Christmas party. We went and I layed low. I had two bites of food, and didn't want to push it any farther. Thomas hadn't been feeling well either. Diarrhea and not eating well.

Christmas Eve, I went to work and dropped of Thomas, who then threw up after breakfast. Great. I wasn't feeling tip top, but I had to go in. I had Gatorade. That's it. The thought of food was making my stomach churn again. I finished up some Christmas shopping and had a good evening with my guys. Kevin and I stayed up late putting toys together for Thomas. I had forgotten though while out shopping to pick up corn syrup for the coveted carmel popcorn I always make for everyone each Christmas. Each time I had been to the store before, they were out. Completely. Only the dark stuff left on the shelves. Kevin kindly offered to go when we were done with the toys. So at 2:00 AM, Kevin is out and about for corn syrup. I went to bed.

Christmas morning, everything was fine. We were all feeling well and Thomas loved his toys. He got a little organizer, blocks, and an activity center like you would find in the Dr.'s office.

Kevin got me the 4th season of LOST on DVD. Kevin got chocolate covered cashews, socks- at his request- and a 120 GB hard drive for his X-box. I made French Toast with the yummy bread Kevin's Aunt Marci gives to us every year. It was fun to lounge around for a while in PJ's. It turned out that Kevin's corn syrup run was in vain. Wal-Mart was out and so was Smith's. Luckily Mom had some. I would just have to create my confection at Mom's and possibly divulge my secrets. We arrived, finished the popcorn and started munching by the time Kevin's brother and family came. At 4:00 we were getting ready to head over to Grandma's house. I was holding Thomas at the table while he was drinking some juice. The next thing I know he's throwing up all over himself, me and the carpet. I picked him up and started walking through the kitchen on the way to the bathroom. Another eruption in the middle of the kitchen floor. I took him over to the kitchen sink, hopefully saving more carpet from being defiled. He threw up again! This was all in less than a minute. The poor kid. He started crying and I looked at us. We were both covered. Luckily, I'd been fairly desensitized from it over the past few days and I didn't hurl right along with him. Sweet Kristy my Darling sister in law shoved all the kids out of the way and went to work scrubbing the carpet in the living room. Poor Dad & Kevin took the splatter in the middle of the kitchen, and Mom started the bath water. I got Thomas stripped and had taken off my sweater- we headed for the tub. Thomas looked at me through his tears and said, "Tub? Tub?" He loves the tub. So, it was serving a dual purpose. Everyone headed off to Grandma's while I took care of Thomas. Kevin ran home to grab more clothes for us and to switch the Camry for the Blazer. We knew a heck of a storm was coming in. It was a good thing too for both. I dressed Thomas in the last spare outfit we had brought- which he then proceeded to poop out of- and we ended up getting about 6" of snow. Everyone came home from Grandma's and was starving. We had an impromptu spaghetti dinner. Which about an hour later, Wyatt, Sean & Kristy's son began to throw up like no tomorrow. Not sure what spurred that- maybe just over eating all the holiday goodies. We headed out into the storm to go home, praying that Thomas wouldn't throw up or have exploding diaper on the way. Our prayers were answered, and he didn't poop until we got home. Sorry no pictures for that.

The next morning, we seemed to be doing a ton better. No vomit and the diarrhea seemed to have stopped. We chilled at home until we knew that Kevin's sister had made it down safely from Idaho. The kids opened their presents and we opened ours.

Erin had made us aprons, and I squealed with delight. First because I really have been wanting an apron, and second when I read what it said: Mrs. Edward Cullen!!! SQUEE!!

Kristy's said: Mrs. Matt Harpring and Mom's said: Mrs. Sean Connery. We all we squealing and hugging them to our chests. I should have taken a picture of us all wearing them with our silly fangirl faces. It was awesome. I love you Erin! The day was going great. When it was time to pack up, I noticed a bit of a frenzy but couldn't tell where it was coming from. With 7 kids and 6 adults running around at Christmas time with presents and treats strewn about everywhere, a frenzy isn't exactly uncommon, right? Well, Kristy's daughter had started throwing up too. I KNOW! Enough already with the puke!!! We never did find out what the bug was or if it was the food or too much treats or what. It was crazy for sure. Definately some memorable moments. How was your Christmas?

Are you kidding me?

So about two weeks ago, my dance partner, Martin calls me on a Tuesday and tells me that we are scheduled to do a show that very next day for 300 people at a networking party. The floor show had cancelled on them and needed a replacement at the last minute. Okay- so we needed routines ASAP. We hacked out some fairly simple routines in 1 ½ hours in between the two of us teaching lessons.

My Wednesday was to go as follows:
7:00 am Get ready for work
8:00 am Take Thomas to Mom & Dad’s
9:00 am Go to work
6:00 pm Teach dance lesson
6:00 pm Teach dance lesson
8:00 pm Get ready for & travel to show
9:00 pm Show

Because I wasn’t going to have time to come back home after work, I had to get all of my dance stuff together that morning. So, in my rush gathering all of the dance supplies necessary and trying to get it all out to the car, I slipped and fell down my stairs. Yes, that’s right. The “graceful dancer” fell down. I’m so thankful that I didn’t have Thomas in my arms as well as all of the flotsam and jetsam. It was not a pretty fall, and not one that I could have saved, though I tried valiantly. The main point of impact was on the side of my left thigh. My left elbow also took a blow. My right hand got mangled as I reached out to grab the banister. My right shoulder was tweaked from the jolt of my momentum changing so rapidly. To add insult to injury- with my right hand holding onto the banister acting as the fulcrum of a pendulum, my body swung back and I cracked my head on the banister as well. Not to mention my right thigh hitting it too.

Thomas was sitting at the top of the stairs and said, “Mama. Bonk.” Yes. Mama went bonk. I won’t lie, I was in pain, and I cried. I’m not sure if the tears were from pain, shock or HOLY COW I HAVE A SHOW TONIGHT AND A BUM LEG!!!

I limped through the day at work. I called Martin and told him the story. He offered to teach my classes for me. I showed up at the studio and had a few personal trainers look at my leg. The bruise that was forming was- Technicolor. They ran out and got me an Ace bandage to wrap my leg with. They were afraid that I had done some minor muscle damage. It was pretty well crushed. It hit the edge of the stair.

My students were so sweet. They didn’t mind me just “watching” our lessons. I bit the bullet and practiced a little bit, though I limped. I knew I had 300 people expecting a professional ballroom show, and I was going to give it to them. I danced more than I should have, and I relied on adrenaline to keep me going. This is where it gets good. What more could happen you say? I’ll tell you.

We drove to the address we were given and it was Mi Ranchito Restaurant across from the South Towne Expo Center. It was literally a fiesta. No joke. They have a Latino networking Christmas party where people in the Latin community who have businesses can set up little booths there at the restaurant and sell stuff to each other and spread the word about their businesses. We were told 300 people at 9:00 pm on Wednesday night. Because it was a weeknight, almost everyone had left all except 13 people. The floor was tiled. It is nearly impossible to dance standard dances on tiled floor. (Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz & Quickstep) Say you are taking a heel lead forward and your heel catches in the groove of a tile. Your foot is no longer traveling forward, but sideways down the track the tile has created. The last thing I needed was to fall down again.

We taught a 3 minute salsa lesson to the 13 people. As the music was still playing, a little old man whose head only came up to my chin, with bow legs, a hunch back and didn’t speak a word of English grabbed me and danced the life out of me. He was serious about this dance. I don’t know if he had his Senora sitting on the sidelines and he wanted to show her that he still had his groove or what. But it was like he was dancing to prove something. It was hilarious. I had a hard time keeping up with him. The music graciously stopped eventually and we said gracias to one another. I hobbled off the dance floor to take a seat by Martin’s brother in law. “You just got taken for one hell of a ride! I wish I had my video camera with me! That’s great black mail material!”

I found Martin and told him we were going now. No show. I wasn’t going to risk what was left of my once able body for 13 people who weren’t even interested and were packing up their wares to go home. Martin was forced to enter our names into the “raffle”. Martin won. He got a cake from one of the Latino bakeries. I got caught by an older guy who had a million things to say to me that had no meaning whatsoever. It was excruciating. It was all, “Have you heard of this? Do you know that? I know so and so. Did you know them?” GAH! No- I don’t know them or that or care! Let me go home cause if I stand on my leg for one more moment I’m going to pass out!!! Not to mention that the Mexican Polka music was so loud that you had to shout to be able to hear each other. I was eventually able to excuse myself as again, the brother in law is gathering more potential black mail material while standing behind this gentleman laughing his butt off because he can see my struggle to remain polite.

Since dinner had been omitted from my schedule for the day, we went to the Oyster Bar afterwards and had some soup and the cake Martin won. It wasn’t half bad. Memories were made that night. We’ll always be able to look back and say, “Remember when we showed up to that fiesta?” I know I’ll always remember Don Quasimodo and the “ride” he took me on.

I'm baaack!

Okay, so some of you may have noticed that I've been M.I.A. for a little over a month now. What can I say- it's the holiday season. And between work, dance lessons and being a wife and mother, I haven't had much time to spare for blogging. However I've heard that some of you have been missing my ever so clever blog posts, so I figured I should fill you in. I've had a few posts in progress for some time. I hope you enjoy them.

Kevin took me to do some shopping in Park City for my birthday. He got me these fabulous earrings. They are white gold, diamond and aquamarine. I love them.

I had a bunch of friends from work go out to dinner with me. I really wanted a girl's night as a present to myself. We tried to go to PF Changs after work, but it was going to be an 80 minute wait. So, we walked down the block to the Macaroni Grill. We waited for longer than the hostess had quoted us. So I went up and complained and laid the smack down. We were seated within 3 minutes. The food was great and the company was even better. I had a blast. Thanks for coming with me gals! It was exactly what I wanted/ needed.

Everybody's Doing It...

Aren't you?

It might just be your brand of heroin...

Dynamic Duo

Here's a cute picture of my boys. I sure do love them.

My little Teddy Bear

I hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

Mom & Dad got Thomas a pumpkin for us to carve...

There was no question there would be fangs!

Thomas enjoyed having his costume on.

He was crawling all over the place, and it was adorable.

He even tolerated a ton of picture taking...

Up to a point that is.

Happy Birthday Thomas!!

I can't believe that my baby is one year old! This year has flown by. I am so glad that it isn't a year ago. I was miserable! Until I woke up from the anesthesia to hear Kevin say, "Mommy's waking up." It was so surreal. To go to sleep one minute and the next thing you know, you have a baby. Forever life changing. It has been so much fun to see Thomas learn and grow this past year. He is a good boy and brings such a light into our home. Happy Birthday Thomas!

We had a birthday party for Thomas on Saturday with Kevin's family. It was fun to see Thomas get to dive into his Grandma's special brownie cake. He loved it. We all did. We gave him a little walker/ car. He loves it. As you can see.

Let's try again next week shall we?

So, only two couples showed up to the salsa class. One couple from my family and one couple from Martin's family. (Martin is my dance partner. He's from Poland and has been dancing his whole life. The video doesn't show it, but I think he looks kinda like Frank Sinatra.) We had fun. We did a run through of our cha-cha routine. This is NOT polished or ready for SHOW. Still rusty from not dancing for 6 years- but overall, not bad. I need to work on my technique and styling. One thing at a time though. Every Friday is new beginner group classes for Salsa and Swing. Check out www.ballroomutah.com You might just see a familiar face...

Dance Class Revision

So the classes tonight are FREE!! Come and have a fun time learning the basics of Salsa and Swing. It will be a ton of fun.

DANCE CLASSES

Okay so it's a little late in the game, but I have to let y'all know that tomorrow is the first night of group classes my partner and I will be teaching.

6:00 is Salsa and 7:00 is Swing

1440 Foothill Drive Suite 228

King Fitness & Dance Studio

Just above Steinmart

$10 per person per class

I'm really excited yet really nervous to teach this class. It's been 6 years since I've danced, so I need all the support I can get!

If you can make it great! If not it's okay. Spread the word around to those you think might be interested.

www.ballroomutah.com

Bed Head

Don't you love it when you wake up and your hair does something like this? Priceless.

Kevin's Birthday

I forgot to give a shout out to Kevin on his birthday this past Monday. Mr. Columbus allowed me to celebrate by giving me the day off from work. West Valley, however was in need of a motor squad birthday boy. Happy late birthday Honey. You're the best. Really.

I looked out the window and what did I see...

A lot of snow and a broken tree!

You're supposed to laugh at my uncanny ability to make up new words to a well known song.

Well, that is exactly what I woke up to this morning. I was going about making breakfast for Thomas and I looked out the kitchen window and thought, something isn't right with this picture...

Upon closer examination I did what any wife would do- run upstairs to wake up the hubby and tell him to get out of bed because a tree is about to fall on the house!

The tallest limb broke in half, and missed hitting the neighbor's house by a foot. The other half twisted and is only being held up by another branch that it landed on. We feel really lucky that it didn't fall on our house or the neighbor's house. (At least their house is vacant though.)
I am still recovering from having my wisdom teeth out- which was a treat let me tell ya. I'm terrified to eat anything for fear of getting something stuck in there and end up with an infection. I'm on antibiotics as a precaution. I spent the day playing with Thomas and getting him to dance. It's hilarious. He even does this Indie Rock type head throw. You can see it here and there in the video.

The Maxillofacial Man Cometh

I get to welcome in the month of October with this cute new blog background and oral surgery! Nothing like getting your wisdom teeth out a few years too late eh? Wish me luck and bring me Jamba Juice. Please?

EXPECTO PATRONUM!!

So, as you can tell, I’ve been on a bit of a Harry Potter kick. I recently finished the series for the second time. The world of witchcraft and wizardry has infiltrated my everyday life. I was having a particularly down day last month and was trying to explain how I was feeling to my Mother In Law.

I felt like I had a Dementor following my every step. For those of you who don’t know (but should) a Dementor is a creature similar in looks to the Ringwraiths from Lord of the Rings. (And if you don’t know what a Ringwraith is- I think it’s time to crawl out of that hole you’ve been living in for the past 50 years.) When Dementors are around, the air is cold and damp and a mist covers the ground. They make you feel as though there is no hope and no happiness left in you or in the world. They are soulless creatures considered to be among the foulest beasts on Earth. They can give you the Dementor’s Kiss which is to suck the soul right out of you. The victim is left as an empty shell, incapable of thought and with no possibility of recovery. It is said that existing after a Dementor's Kiss is worse than death. (I know- this is fabulous reading material for children of all ages.) Anyway- it was the perfect example of how I was feeling.


So the perfectly obvious question that Kevin’s mom asked was, “How do you get rid of them?” I paused. “You have to think of a happy thought, and you’ll be protected.” Hello? Duh! Clark Kent IS Superman! (Shout out to all the FoLC’s out there!)

So I decided that I would make sure to focus on my happy thoughts whenever I was feeling the Dementor getting too close. (Count your many blessings name them one by one…) So, now that I have my arsenal of happy thoughts and feeling a bit like Peter Pan sans Fairy Dust- I need a Patronus. Again- for those of you who didn’t ace your charms test: To drive away a Dementor you must perform a Patronus Charm which is Expecto Patronum! This will cause a silvery figure to emit from your wand. It takes the form of an animal and will chase away the Dementors. This animal is your protector. Harry’s took the form of a stag which was the animal his father was able to transfigure in to. ( I know this is getting complicated. Hang in there with me.)

As I’m trying to figure out what form my Patronus will take, I decided to ask Kevin. Without filling him in completely, I asked him, “If I were an animal- what would I be?” I was not prepared for his answers. “Either a hummingbird because you are all over the place, or a donkey because you are so stubborn.” I didn’t quite know how to respond to that. Would you? So, I’m picturing a hybrid with a hummingbird front with the backside of a donkey tacked on. Sorry no picture. Your imagination will have to suffice.

He asked the question in return,“What animal would I be?” YES! Oh that was too easy! Are you ready? “A badger-“ I was rudely interrupted by his great outburst of laughter. I can’t remember the last time I heard him laugh so hard. “…a badger because you are so determined and won’t let go of something once you get your paws on it. Plus you have a bad habit of not trimming your toenails when necessary. That or a rhinoceros because you have thick skin and you won’t let anything past you that you don’t want to.” More laughter ensues until he asks, “Why are we having this discussion anyway?” So, I explained my theory about having a Patronus to help me get rid of my Dementors. He admitted though somewhat silly, he could see the point behind it all.

I have decided to adopt the hybrid hummingbird/donkey as my Patronus. I figure that in itself will create a happy thought as I “conjure” it. However it needs a name. If ½ eagle and ½ horse is called a Hippogriff, I need an equally cool name for my new species. (If you don’t know what a Hippogriff is, I’m afraid there is no hope for you. Sorry.)

In conclusion, I am taking ideas for names of my new creature. Would it be a Hummule? A Donkingbird? What would you call it? What would your Patronus be?

Fortunes...

So, I just got a fortune cookie that said that I could open doors with my charm and patience. I know the charm is Alohamora, though I don't know what that patience thing is all about...

Monkey Butt

I go to wake up Thomas the other morning and he is on his tummy with his legs sticking straight out behind him. I put my hand on his back and called his name- to which he tucked his legs up under him and stuck his bum straight in the air. It's hard to see the angle in the picture.

Isn't this the cutest little monkey butt you ever did see?

A Balanced Life

The gal who was teaching Relief Society today had called earlier in the week and asked me to give a portion of the lesson on balancing life as a new mom. Things have been upside down for me as you should know from reading my blog. So, when she told me what she was asking for, I almost laughed in her face. But, because she is a friend, I agreed to help her out.

Here is the run down of my talk: (Please forgive any redundancy. The lesson was for people who don't read my blog.)

I’m going to be honest with you here. In this balancing act called life, gravity is kicking my butt.

I’d like to meet the woman who says that she has a perfectly balanced life. Hopefully she’d be willing to share her secrets with me- Her secrets or the pills she’s on.

Being a new mom is hard. You know going into it, that it will be very hard. In the beginning, “very hard” only covers the difficulty level of getting out of bed to go to the bathroom when you get home from the hospital. People try to warn you, and you listen. But nothing can really prepare you for the roller coaster ride you’re about to go on.

I am blessed with a wonderful son. He is a good boy- the best I could ask for. I know that Heavenly Father sent me a mellow child so I wouldn’t kill him. Even with a great kid who really is as low maintenance as they come, I find myself pulling out my hair. I don’t believe it’s because of Thomas, more that I feel like these new responsibilities are all so overwhelming and impossible to swallow.

I have battled some serious post partum depression. It has been debilitating. It has morphed into severe anxiety and panic attacks. Sometimes I can feel one coming on, but the majority of the time, they hit without any warning. It’s terrifying and embarrassing when it happens. It’s bad enough when it happens at home or in my office by myself- let alone if I’m out in public. In fact, it’s the main reason why I haven’t been to church consistently in a year. I haven’t gone much of anywhere other than work.

The majority of the anxiety comes from feeling completely overwhelmed and that I’ll never be able to accomplish everything that I think is expected of me as a wife and mother. There is so much to do and so many responsibilities that have been added to my life in the past 10 months. The resulting stress of these feelings to be adequate enough has made me physically ill and sent me to the hospital. This is not a route that I recommend to anyone. But on the plus side- the doctors have ruled out a brain tumor and ended up diagnosing my symptoms as “an extreme reaction to acute stress.”

I didn’t know how to deal with all of this, so I decided to start counseling. Now, I’m not saying that counseling is the answer for everyone. I was just at the point where I couldn’t think things through rationally. If the chores weren’t done and I didn’t spend time with Thomas and if we didn’t have a home cooked meal- I felt I was failing at being a good wife and mom. I wasn’t doing enough because there was always more to be done. Something always feels like it’s being ignored. There aren’t enough hours in the day for me to get to everything, have quality time with my husband and to take care of Thomas the way I want to. I can’t imagine what you moms with more than one kid go through. You should get automatic sainthood in my opinion.

My reaction to these overwhelming thoughts seem ridiculous when I think about all that I have going in my favor. I have more than I ever thought I would. I have a great husband, a wonderful son, a good job, beautiful home, good friends and a testimony. By all accounts I shouldn’t feel as though the world were crashing down on me. But having all of these blessings doesn’t get the shopping done, dinner on the table, or the laundry folded. Not to mention Visiting Teaching, taking dinner to the neighbors or volunteering at the elementary school.


One counselor suggested this to put things in perspective: You decide what’s good enough.
I’m still trying to digest this concept and integrate it into my life. It’s easier said than done. However, the theory of this is liberating. When there is no longer a mold for you to fit in or a mark for you to hit- you can be yourself and be happy. Your “good enough” isn’t the same as someone else’s “good enough”. It doesn’t have to be. If you’ve done all you feel you can do for the day- then you’ve met your requirements. If doing one more thing is going to throw you over the edge into hysterical sobbing or a fit of rage then you can assume that you’ve hit your quota. You might even consider bringing your level for “good enough” down a couple of notches. I try to remember that I don’t have to be Martha Stewart and I don’t have to make my own bread. Who am I trying to impress anyway?

When I find myself getting upset at Thomas because I have to stop folding laundry to head him off from the stairs, I try to take a second to decide what is more important: The laundry or my kid falling down the stairs? One step further is that I wouldn’t have anything to be upset about if I wasn’t folding laundry in the first place. So I suggest that we should all make our husbands fold the laundry from now on.

I’m a big fan of lists. But when I tackle a list- I don’t do it in any particular order. I might start with the items on the bottom or in the middle of the list. Mostly I jump around. It helps to make me feel as though the list is less demanding. At least I know that the items will all get their proper attention- it will just be on my time and my terms. If you’re not in the mood to vacuum the floor, do the dishes instead. Life can’t be ignored, but you can choose which tasks are tackled first. We do have some control over our lives even when it seems to be smothering us.

Having a balanced life doesn’t mean everything is perfect. This is a journey that we continue every day. A balanced life in my opinion is recognizing the things that are important and necessary and doing our best to focus our efforts on fulfilling those things one step at a time.

Blubbers

Who do you suppose would live here?

Isn't this the neatest tree? My imagination runs wild with what fairy tales could be written about it. If you had to write a story about this picture, what would it be?

The truth...

There are two things in life that you don't skimp on.

Ice Cream

&

Toilet Paper

In these two instances you really do get what you pay for.

Family Fun

I've been taking pictures of the random family activities we've had this summer- but never got around to posting them. We went to Kevin's brother's house for the McLachlan family summer party. They own a company called Sweet Jumps that rent bounce houses and such. They pulled out the huge slip n' slide and the big waterfall slide. All the kids had a blast. Even chewy joined in.

A few weeks later, our family rented the Stansbury Park Pool. It was great to have it all to ourselves. As I wasn't feeling too hot at the time, Kristy was kind enough to play with Thomas. He LOVES the pool. We had a wonderful time- even when it started raining like crazy. It's just one of those memories you will keep forever. Thomas got to chill with Ainsley who is a few days younger than him after everyone had to get out of the pool. It's so much fun to see them together.