It's good to have Mikey home!
(And he fills the empty spot at our dinner table.)

Another way to expend all that boy energy...


Px90 (I know, I know...P90X - The boys are always correcting me!)
Greggy use to always do the ab ripper workout, and he was pretty cut before he left on his mission. That's all history now! Anyway, I'm running out of ways to keep them busy in this 115 degree heat. Is summer almost over yet?

Twenty Laps.

Whenever the boys are getting too rowdy,

fighting excessively, or
complaining that they are bored,
I tell them, "O.K. twenty laps."
It really works (for awhile anyway).

I Love Girl's Camp!

And who wouldn't?
Nice weather!
Hanging out with fun girls!
Three meals a day cooked for you!
A break from boys!Thanks for a great time, G.V. 1st Young Women!

Teenagers! Grrrrrr.....

This is John making banana bread.
He is smiling in this picture, but don't let it fool you...
He's not happy about it.

Here's our conversation...

John:"This is so dumb." Me: "You'll thank me later. In fact, one day after I'm dead and
gone, you'll think of me whenever you see banana bread."
John: "Why do you always ask me to make the banana bread?"
Me: "Because you are good at it."
John: "Mikey and Greggy never had to do this."
Me: "Because I had too many babies around to be able to take the time
to teach them important things like this."
John: "You are the only mom I know that makes their sons
do stuff like this."
Me: "Good. I guess I'm the winner then."
John: "I hate this."
Me: "Oh well."

Teenagers are so fun.
Believe me, it would have been much easier
to make the banana bread myself.

Eight is Great!!!

(The boys aren't big cake eaters...so we make ice cream cake!)

Finally a cub scout!
(Matty loves, loves, loves going to den meetings
and reminds me often that he needs to be
working in his book. Ugh! I think I know this book
inside and out.)

Baptismal program photo.
Isn't he darling all dressed up?
I love this little boy!

He's safely back in the USA!!!

Thank goodness!
Thank you for everyone's prayers and kind
words to me while he was deployed.
Can't wait until he's back in AZ...sometime in July!