"Back in the Summer of 0-9"

Boo. Summer is over. The kids are in school. I have to wake up at 7:15 every morning. I have to help kids with homework every night. Soccer practice & dance classes & achievement days & piano & all the rest of the mayhem that makes my life beyond my control have taken over.......
But alas- take a moment with me and reflect on the last few fun things we did this summer. Maybe it will tide you over until next year. Until then- let the carpooling begin!

BEAR LAKE

The whole fam-damily! Our annual Harward family Bear Lake trip. A hoot as usual!

Awwww....what is it about Dad's & kids holdin hands on the beach? Priceless.

Babes on the Sea-Doo

Buying Uncle Andy

The big tramp

The ladies

The men




River Rafting on the Green

A Big Thanks to Cade & Stacey for inviting us on a once-in-a-lifetime 5 day trip (NO KIDS) down the Green River! They have several experienced river guides in their family & we could never have done it without their connections, gear, and expertise.
We had the best time!!!!! Seth was in heaven, as this is something he has wanted to do practically since birth.

My sexy river guides. Single, slummin & lovin every minute of it!

Me trying my skills in an inflatable Kyack. How do you spell Kyack? That doesn't look right!!!! P.S.- Yes, I am aware that I look ridiculous, but I had a great time- that's what matters, right?

Jay & Seth Kyacking

Somewhere on the drive down, Clint "aquired" this Vote for Clint sign & attached it to our raft. It stayed there through our whole trip. It was a crack-up.

Me & my girl Tressa. I love meeting new people. We rode on the same raft almost the entire trip & became good friends. She's awesome.

The gates of Lodore. So pretty!

Lucifer. (that's the name of the big rapid they're about to go over)

Scouting Hell's Half mile (the home of Lucifer)

Seth in his Duckie

Where's Seth?

Oh, there he is!

Bighorn Sheep. My camera blows.....

Azme, Donna, Jay, Randy, & Dewey. More new friends.

The Goode Family. You guys are awesome! Especially Miss Shirley, who was so brave to come on this trip all by herself. I love you mama.

The Ladies!

Cute couple. See- we did spend a few minutes together on this trip.

Mandy's Birthday Wish List

Here it is! The highly anticipated, highly researched birthday list 2009! You see, I must confess there is a guilty pleasure among my family members. As grown adults, we still give each other birthday presents every year, each and every one of us. Yes, it gets a little old sometimes, after you've doled out cash for the 14th time that year, but when it comes time for your birthday- I swear, its the best thing that happens to you all year! Makes me feel like a kid again! So, every year, I get at least 6 phone calls with the same question- "What do you want for your birthday?" In response, we have started carrying around "lists". (Janna started it)
And that is why, this year, I'll be unabashedly posting my list online- as a favor to you, dear siblings. To make your shopping just a little easier. Just consider it a little birthday gift from me to you.
So, without further adieu.........

THE LIST


1. A sporty pair of sunglasses. I'll try to demonstrate what I mean by sporty. I'm looking for something like these....

Not so much like these.....(love you Jami)

2. Cute Jewelry

3. A new Ironing Board (lame, I know. I recently saw one for $12 at Wal-mart, but couldn't figure out how to get it home in my cart with 4 kids & all my groceries. It's really a matter of convenience)

4. A cute pair of Mountain Bike Shorts

5. A collection of good music.
Here's my dream......I want someone who owns a lot of great music to copy me some of their favorite albums, or even make some "mixed tapes". I just really like good music, but don't have the time or the patience to acquire it. Another bonus, this could be a really inexpensive gift that would mean a lot to me.

6. 2 Euro-sized pillow inserts. Sold at Target for much less than Pottery Barn. I have Euro shams for my new bedding, but so far, havent been able to afford pillows to go in them. How sad :(

7. Big square baskets to put on the floor by my back door & have the kids put their shoes in them when they get home. Destined to fail, right? You can't blame me for trying

8. A new fall Purse. Isn't this one the cutest? Its by Juicy Couture and is only $350. Ya right! A Target special will do just fine.

9. Book- "The Time Travelers Wife"

10. Mountain/Road Biking Gloves

11. New P.J. pants. These are the ones I told Heather about from Aeropostale. When I went to buy them, they were $39.00. REDICULOUS! Now they are on sale for $19.99. More reasonable. Hint Hint

Chicago Trip

Well, we did it. We survived the 2600-mile round trip drive to and from Chicago, IL. And I have to say......it wasn't too bad! The kids actually had a fun time in the car, they weren't too monstrous, and Noodle didn't throw-up once. I (Mandy) drove out with my MIL Lesli and my 4 kids and my niece, Bella. Seth flew out a few days later so he could get some work in, and then drove home with us. We stayed with Seth's brother & wife & their four kids, so -grand total- there were 14 of us in their house. It was crazy and fun and exhausting and everything a summer vacation should be. I know what you're all thinking- but actually my in-laws did not drive me crazy. They are really quite normal people, and Lesli was a slightly better driving companion on the way out than my dear husband was on the way back! (sorry Seth). I thought we made an excellent team. Maybe we can even do it again next year! (maybe......)

The Navy Pier just outside of downtown Chicago is a board-walk style beach area built right on the shores of Lake Michigan. We had such a fun day there. We went on a boat ride on the Tall Ship Windy, rented bikes & tooled around the marina, and of course, took the kids on the giant ferris wheel.

The Chicago Skyline.....oh, how romantic......

Grandma with all the kids.....and a stray jogger.

These were the funniest bikes you've ever seen. We had to get two to fit all of us. There are four sets of pedals, but trust me, one person really does all the work! The kids loved them!

The Horse races at Arlington Park

The kids loved cheering for their favorite horse, which they chose based on how cute its name was. Wasn't a bad system, actually.

Chris bought the girls matching dresses & proper "horse-race hats". They were so dang cute.

Legoland! The kids favorite thing- Not the parents. uggghhhh!


The home of my girl, Oprah. I had to go see it. Unfortunately, they do NOT tape shows during the summer. Boo!

Waitin for the train. We had to ride the Metro into downtown Chicago, as it is nearly impossible to drive anywhere downtown. Seth and I didn't believe them and tried it ourselves. It was a nightmare!!!!!!

Wrigley field- home of the Cubbies. We also really wanted to go see a game, but ironically, no one was playing at home while we were there. When we drove past they were having an Elton John/Billy Joel concert. Man, I'd have loved to see that show!

We made the kids get out of the car in their pajamas when we crossed the mighty Mississippi. They weren't too thrilled to see it, but I thought it was cool.

This is just some random rest stop in Wyoming.....or was it Nebraska? Anyway- notice the wind is blowing Makenna's hair straight sideways. For some reason I get a kick out of that. Road trips- you gotta love 'em!