My Boy, the Puppy...

Ever since Jax has learned to crawl, he has acted more and more like a puppy dog. We hear him growling often, he puts balls in his mouth, and his favorite thing to do is dig through the trash... (We only allow him to handle the paper trash...what kind of mother do you think I am?) We've always wanted a dog, and his impersonation is very cute. I wonder what kind of animal he will be next week?

"Q" is for NesQuick...

"A" is for Avocado
"B" is for Banana

"C" is for Carrot

"Q" is for Nesquick...

Jax and Dad posing at the store

One of our latest projects has been to create an "ABC" book for Jax using pictures of various grocery items. Last week we went to the grocery store to take the pictures. It started out great, "A" is for Avocado, "B" is for Banana, "C" is for Carrot...but we were stumped by the time we got to "Q." Chad had the bright idea that we should take a picture of 'Quick', you know, the chocolate milk mix. But when we got over there, we saw that it is actually called Nesquick. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't that product called 'Quick' when we I was a kid? When did it change to 'Nesquick,' and if it has changed, why would they do that to such a beloved American product? We just decided to take a picture of the Nesquick because we couldn't think of another grocery product that started with a "Q." Does anyone out there have any great ideas? I have this fear that Jax is always going to go around writing his "Q's" as "N's."

Harry Potter Party...Say THAT 5 Times Fast

Most of the crew at the Harry Potter Party
Dallin, Kathy and Jacqueline represented the Huffelpuff House. They did well in their Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Braydon, Tyler, Justin, and Lane were Slytherines for a day. Here they are in Herbology.

Ty with a live worm that he later ate for $5...

Damon, Dirk, Bryant, and Branson were in the Gryffindor House. Branson said he loved the Potions class the best.

Caden, Kara, Janelle, Quincy, and Alec were in the Ravenclaw house. Here they are making fortune cubes in Divination.

Last Saturday Chad and I threw a Harry Potter Party for our niece and nephews. Originally we were going to have it on the week that the new Harry Potter movie opened up, but because of busy schedules we ended up pushing it back a few weeks. Chad and I spent almost a month planning this party, and it actually turned out really cool.

We had our own sorting hat (a costume wizard hat with a baby monitor underneath so it could talk... Chad wrote sorting poems for everyone and read them in a fantastic British accent), that divided everyone up into the four Hogwarts Houses. Then we had four different classes, Divination where everyone made fortune cubes, Herbology where they had to rummage through a tub of live worms before planting a seed, Defense Against the Dark Arts where they read some scriptures, and Potions where they made a cornstarch and water potion that is a solid when you squeeze it in your hand and a liquid when you stop putting friction on it.

We also played a really fun game of Quidditch. It was kind of like soccer except everyone hit the ball with a broom instead of with their foot. We also hid a snitch in the park and the little kids acted as a seeker to find the snitch. The broomsticks I bought for the game were pretty cheap, and almost all of the ended up breaking within fifteen minutes, but the game turned out really fun.

We ended the night by going as family to see the Harry Potter Movie. We had to go to a late night showing because the party ran so long. Someone suggested that we should all wear our pajamas to the movie... and so we did. The movie did not disappoint. I think it is my favorite Harry Potter movie to date! All and all it was a really fun Harry Potter Party.

Sister's Weekend 09

I've been to Vegas more times than I can count, but I've never seen the famous Vegas sign before
All the girls at the Bellagio on our night on the Vegas Strip

Preparing for our limo ride to Donny and Marie. We all had roses on our seats.

Jax, Jhair (Kareen's foster son) and me in the limo

Jax was in a constant state of nakedness... Do any babies wear close in Vegas?

Jax and Jhair on their way to play in the pool

Getting pedicures. We filled up the entire salon

Here we are at the Bingo Hall. We had such a good time there trying to keep up with the Bingo caller. Bingo can be hard work!

So, it has been about a month since we last published anything on the ol' blog. My only excuse is as old as it is lame... we've just been so busy! It seems like every two weeks or so we are either traveling, or someone is coming to visit. All this coming and going has made for a very short, but very fun summer. One of my favorite trips this summer was our first annual Sister's Weekend 09. My six sister-in-laws and mother-in-law all went to Vegas for the weekend. (My marriage to Chad is wonderful so for many reasons, but one of the most unintentional happy reasons is that I inherited 6 awesome sister-in-laws when I married him...for a girl who does not have any sisters, that is a big ol happy addition.)

Our weekend was jam-packed with fun activities. From swimming in the killer Vegas heat (really the only way to be outside in Vegas in July) to playing Bingo with a bunch of senior citizens who kept giving us dirty looks for being disruptive with our laughter. (Maybe the bingo god's were unhappy with our behavior, and that is why nobody one anything...) To riding in a limo to and from the Donny and Marie show (which was surprisingly 'rockin'). To having fun walking the Vegas strip (was that fun or just hot...) To eating a ton of great food at home (thanks to Kareen, the family's best cook) to eating at several fabulous establishments in Vegas (I never knew German food could taste so good! Plus, we got to see two drunk people's rear-ends... wait, that wasn't the positive part of the meal...) All and all it was a fabulous weekend full of laughs, new experiences, and fun memories.

Plus, Jax got a chance to meet his aunt Sheri for the first time and to spend time with his aunt Sue who he met when he was only a few weeks old. I can't wait for Sister's Weekend 10!