Lake Viva Naughton- Memorial Weekend

In spite of the weather forecast, we decided to head to Wyoming for the weekend. George wanted to fish and I wanted to relax with my kids and find time to read. It worked out well for both of us. The weather was crazy- we got dumped on by the rain, blown away by the wind (and a cold wind at that), but we got a little sunshine, as well.

I had planned on fishing, but I don't like the cold very much. So I ended up indoors most of the trip, reading. But the cold didn't stop George or Ryan. Ashley, Ryan's girlfriend, fished with them. She was a much better sport that me.

Jaqui loves camping! We put this little red sweater on her- not only to keep her warm,

but so that we can see her more easily.

My son, Nathan, and his gorgeous wife, Sheri, went as well.

I love having them around. They just make me feel good!

A man and his dog. Isn't this a great pic? Moqui always wants to be in the middle of everything!

Kaley has always loved being with her daddy.

The building of the campfire- first you need a guy who can saw the logs...

Then you need to gather little twigs and build them into a teepee...

Then you can add in sticks that are a little bigger...

And then you get to play with matches...

Smoke!!! That's a good sign...

Ta Da!!! And Kaley has mastered the flame!!!

Or was it Cassidy??

Who cares! We're all just glad for warmth. Good job girls!

We're hungry- where's the cook?

Good thing we brought along the husband-

otherwise we'd be eating hotdogs every night.

Geo always cooks for us.

Jaqui loves hamburgers! And this one is as big as she is!! AND she thinks it is for her!!!

I loved having Alissa with us this trip. Camping is one of her least favorite things, but she managed to be a good sport. She won't admit it, but I think she even had fun.

This is a good way to get warm- just climb inside somebody's jacket! :)

Just spending time together- enjoying it while it lasts, because the rain is on it's way.

Moqui is the real dog in our family. And he knows it!
He keeps us all safe from all of the bad guys out there, as well as the kitties
and the mice. Good Boy!



Cassidy, my little fishergirl!

I love you, Jaqui! But you can't come out. Daddy saw a bald eagle out here and we don't want you to be a snack for his babies!

Kaley "hung out" with her brother Nathan as much as possible this trip. It was totally cute!

Time for the master firebuilder to show us how it's done!

Nathan, Sheri and Kaley- taking a walk during a break from the rain.

We always snuggle Jaqui in the evenings. And she LOVES it!!

During the windy and rainy times, the kids all loaded up into the trailer to

play games. They played games for HOURS!

It turned out to be a great trip. In a way, the crappy weather just made it more of an adventure.

Bathing Jasmine

One of the girls' fun things to do when they're bored is to give Jasmine a bath. It not only makes her smell better, but she looks so funny when she's wet and she acts so bizarre that the girls are in hysterics within minutes.

Not happy! But doesn't she look funny? Her fur is light underneath-

it makes her look bald when she's wet!

Her tail fur stands on end when she's excited or upset- even when it's wet.

Sorry, baby! But you know you will smell so much better!!

Alissa's Birthday Party

Luckily, the weather was perfect on the day we decided to celebrate Alissa's birthday- so we were able to take it outdoors. Here she is, wearing the gift that she anticipated most, from Chelsea and Chad. The funniest part is that Chelsea talked up this gift for MONTHS- Alissa was crawling out of her skin to find out what it could be- a beautiful hat from the D.I. LOL!



My awesome fam- just hanging out in the backyard- eating dinner.
Sheri and Nathan

Chad and Chelsea

Ryanand his girly, Ashley

Open wide, Cassidy!!


And then out came the marshmallow guns! I wasn't able to get many pictures as it was dangerous to go out there ( and I needed to clean up the kitchen while they were all occupied)



Look at Kaley hiding behind her make shift shield. It was serious business!



Timmy, Lori and Dave



The lighting of the candles- must've taken a great deal of concentration!



I love her laugh! It makes me rediculously happy!



Uncle Dave wanted A LOT of cake!



Nana and Vaughn



Nathan and Julie


The Goonies!

Vel, Julie and Madyson

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Alissa!

Well, my little baby girl is 17 now. I'm really confused about how this happened, but sure enough, it has! I can't believe I only have 1 year left of any say what-so-ever of what happens in her life. (Yes- I do like to pretend that I currently do have a say:]) She has grown to be such a beautiful and wonderful person- I'm so proud that she is my daughter.

She is currently on-track for graduation a year from now (whew!) She works really hard on her grades- I'm so proud of her!

She is an amazing violinist! For how much she hated that violin when she started, it's hard to believe how GOOD she is! She plays all the time, for pleasure, for stress relief and when she's upset. She has an acoustic violin as well as an electric violin and is awesome on them both. She is a great help to her little sisters, who are also learning to play.

She is just finishing up her CNA class- she tests next week for her Certification. She's really enjoyed taking that class. She's been going to a local Care Center once a week to do her clinicals. She comes home with a lot of stories, and I am so grateful for the compassion that she has for other people. She is just beautiful- inside and out!

One of the greatest things about Alissa is her sense of humor. Anyone who knows her well can tell you that she is just about one of the most hilarious people they have ever met. No subject is sacred- some of the things that fall out of her mouth! She loves to go for the shock factor. I have found myself laughing hystrically over things that are NOT FUNNY!

Her sense of right and wrong is pretty black and white- (and only on occassion relates to my sense of right and wrong) I think that it is pretty important to Alissa to be true to herself- which is a definate strength. She's pretty patient with her Momma, who tends to be a worrier.

Alissa is an amazingly great swimmer and LOVES to be in the water! I really would have liked to see her join a swim team, but she prefered to keep it for pleasure. Ever since she was little, all we had to do was take her to the pool, and she'd be happy. We'd say, "Just add water and stir"- that was Alissa!

If you are lucky enough to be one of Alissa's friends, you aren't just a friend- you are a BEST Friend- and she loves you more than anything! I have gotten to be her best friend quite a few times- it was awesome!

I cried off and on all day yesterday, which was her birthday (but we're celebrating it today, because she needed to be with her friends). I just can't believe how the time has flown. I love the young woman that she is becoming, but I SO MISS my little monster! And all at the same time- I'm looking forward to the future. She is so strong- she can become anything she wants. What will it be? She has many interests- they change like the wind, though. One minute- she's never going to have kids. The next minute- she's settled on names for her twins. Oh, to be 17 again!

Cow Hearts

Ok- so this isn't a post for the weak-hearted. We had an extra cow heart at work, so I brought it home and let the kids dissect it. I thought it was so cool, and wondered if they'd gross out, but they got into it. :) Here is a pic of Cassidy tripping out on the arteries

And Kaley even was intrigued...


But Cassidy's friend Cyla was so impressed! She wanted to know what each little tiny part was for! It was pretty cool!