A little fun.

      Life has slowed down significantly after all our fun with the Aussies. We did watch a little of the car cruise in A.F. Saturday night but there wasn't a lot of spectacular vehicles. The motorcycle with the cool sidecar was the only thing I felt impressed to photograph.

     I did take five of the kids swimming this week, which is always fun. They were pretty good and I think they had fun.

     I also realized I've never taken any real photos of the finished kitchen and I definitely haven't done a before and after photo so I finally took a minute to do just that. Unfortunately neither of these photos are 100% accurate but they get the job done. The before photo of the kitchen doesn't show the original floors and the after photo is a good indication of the finished project but there are still little jobs not done that aren't visible in the photo but it also gets the job done.

    These photos (below) are of all the angles of the kitchen and front room. Again, there are little indiscretions but at least there's decent photo evidence to remind us of what we started with and the finished project. I have to say it's a pretty big transformation and I love the finished project!

I don't know what I love the most but I'm happy it's done, at least to the naked eye.

     Now we'll be moving on to a little parade fun in the morning and possibly fireworks in the evening. I sure love summer!

Last call for memory making

      Well our last week with the Atkinson's was fun! It's weird to have them gone but we're so grateful for the time we had with them. These photos should tell you just how much fun we had.

Greg and my 23rd anniversary was celebrated with dinner at Texas Roadhouse, Ben's treat! 

Halle wanted Greg to jump them high so of course he did.

I loved having my cute nieces in primary with me.

Where it all began for this family.

I love to see the temple.

     Remember that time Jackie was craving cupcakes so we went to a cupcake store and I bought $73 worth of cupcakes?! WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!! These were AMAZING!!

One of each please! (Literally, I ordered one of each and a couple duplicates.)

    Motorbike rides were also a big hit with the girls.

Shae's turn.

Kirra occasionally had to share her turn with Charlie. 

Jovi was driving herself and of course Halle enjoyed touring the neighborhood saying "Hello Mate" to everyone she saw.

The Wendel's farewell photo with their Aussie cousins.

Last day selfies with Greg.

Last meal in America. Olive Garden never disappoints. (Well maybe it does, but my food was good and Ben picked up the bill again!)

The airport drop off was BRUTAL! Saying goodbye definitely caused a few of us to 'leak'. 

      Well now I have nothing to 'count down'! I also have no one asking me to do their hair like a 'waffle' aka waterfall (Kirra's pronunciation.) every morning. It's going to be an adjustment not having a full house. Until next time people from Down Under!

Back home

      We really had fun in Oregon but it's always good to be home. And it's even better when you have more cousin time to enjoy at home.

My last three photos before leaving Oregon. Cute girls with baby Rowan.

     I'm pretty sure Smalls missed us and especially these doting girls. Halle is so cute with Smalls.

Just before this photo she was having quite a serious conversation with Smalls.

    Our neighborhood "Sidewalk of Fire" was fun and here are the only photos I took all day/night.

Halle insisted Greg sit by her. (You DON'T say NO to Halle!)

    This girl is easily entertained. I'm only sad that she's probably not going to remember even a moment of her time with us. Good thing we have photos!

     Have I mentioned that Charlie is in cousin Heaven!? She loves her cousins!

Singing "Million Dreams"!

      And to add to the cousin fun, we have Kmetzsch/Smith cousins from Idaho visiting this week and had a chance to congregate and take a family photo. On the crazy scale 1 thru 10 Kmetzsch family photos are a 12! If you haven't seen the Kmetzsch sisters together lately you're missing out! I laughed so hard I nearly passed out, CRAZY GIRLS!

Grandpa and Grandma Kmetzsch with nearly all their grandchildren. (Just missing a few step cousins.)

These siblings are one of a kind!

    And I have to say, I have some of the best fellow in-laws out there! Who does this?! Oh yeah, we do because we also have to be a little crazy to be married to Kmetzsch's.

Cheerleaders around the world, eat your heart out! NAILED IT'!

      Spent a little time at a nearby splash pad. (Palisade Park in Orem.) Charlie got to be with cousins on both sides of her family for this little adventure.

Dog mom's and cute girls everywhere.

Headed home after all our sun and water fun.

    Then to top the afternoon off we went to see "Incredibles 2". A great movie and a great way to stay cool on a very warm summer day.

       When these Aussie's have to go home I'm going to be heartsick. I start crying every time I think about it. We just love these people from 'down under' so much! Let the next 5 days go s-l-o-w!

Oregon, so fun and pretty!

     Our time in Oregon was fun and memorable. Our first adventure was swimming but I didn't take photos because I was in the pool the whole time. Then we got to take a little side trip to Eugene to pick Mark up from the airport. That drive is so pretty! We stopped at Odell lake for a minute to take a photo and enjoy the beauty! It's just such a pretty area.

     Mark enjoyed his little flight adventure. He lucked out and got window seats on all three flights.

"Too Tall"

      On our way back to Klamath we couldn't resist stopping at probably one of the last true A & W diners left in America. Oakridge, Oregon knows how to keep it real. A & W root beer from the tap in a frosted mug is the only way to go when it comes to soda.

Truly a cool little diner!

      Our stay with my sister Ann and her family was 'the bomb'. The kids had a blast with all their cousins and our accommodations were pretty stellar, especially considering they were free and came with free food and laundry facilities.

The Larson compound, David knows how to build a house!

     Lake day was the funnest day in my opinion. Lake of the Woods is about the prettiest lake I've ever been too and having a boat to ride in makes it that more enjoyable. The kids also enjoyed their time in the canoe.

Speed boat fun.

     I tried wake boarding for the first time and surprisingly did fairly well considering I've never done anything where my feet are strapped into the same board. It was fun and worth all the sore muscles I had for three days after. My son-in-law, Tanner, had to show me up but I'm still pretty impressed with myself. Thanks to David and Dyrin who were great teachers and very patient!

Brock attempting to wake board. (He did ok but needs to probably build up some arm strength.)

    The Baker family reunion was actually a reunion within a reunion and we were able to get a few photos with all 40 of my 'immediate' family. These are the photos I snapped of just the grandkids with their grandparents. Hopefully the whole group photos turned out, we'll find out later.

Chaos at its best!

     We also grabbed a few more photos of all the grandkids the same afternoon at Lottie Bowlby's baptism and Rowan Bowlby's baby blessing. That was a special event and I even had the privilege of giving the baptism talk.

What a great looking bunch!

    After the baptism Marie treated us all to sweet cupcakes and cake.

    And of course I loved snuggling my newest niece, Rowan and occasionally let a few other people hold her. Greg even took a turn.

She's so sweet and tiny!

    So that's the week in a nutshell. I sure loved being with my family! I love that my kids enjoy playing with their cousins! And I'm glad we could get an updated photo. (Now who's going to announce their pregnant?!) Now lets bring on the 4th of July festivities!

Sweet and sad!

    So we had the best time with our Aussies but then they LEFT! It's a good thing they're coming back because we definitely didn't get enough of their cute faces! Seriously, look at how cute Halle is eating her strawberry shortcake!

Carter convinced me to braid his hair, I don't think this is what he had in mind. What a goofball!

Jovi sure got a kick out of this. 

    Although we need rain I'm glad it's not coming because I love having my driveway decorated with chalk art by Jovi.

     Tonight we got to attend a reception at this cool location. I had no idea this place even existed, it's pretty fancy!

Wadley Farms in Lindon. I'm glad Kayli didn't request this for her wedding reception even though it is pretty cool.

    So that's our week. We're sad the Atkinson's left but thankfully only for a minute and then we'll be back together. Can't wait for our Oregon adventures to begin!

Finally!!

     Finally!! The Atkinson's are here, my kitchen is 90% complete and this week has been full of fun and excitement!

I'm loving my backsplash!

Found this cute dress at 'Kayli's' store and it's pretty much my new favorite.

    So the Atkinson's finally arrived but our airport pick-up did not go quite as planned but we were beyond excited to see everyone. Apparently the Atkinson's took a wrong turn and came out at a different terminal so while we're staring up the escalator waiting for them they ended up approaching us from behind, funny!

Five very tired girls, four happy and one not so happy.

They were all such good girls on their long flight so I made sure I had a little gift bag of rewards for them.

Kirra stayed awake for several hours but finally crashed just around 7 PM.

Halle warmed right up after a nap!

Charlie is in girl cousin heaven!

Someone is pretty 'excited' about driving this 'cool' minivan!

I scored a few points when I took them to see some tiny and adorable puppies.

We also enjoyed some fun at the pool.

Jackie, Kayli and I got out and did a little clothes shopping.

     We've ended the week with our annual 'Tent City' better known this year as 'Dog City'. I don't know how happy the Atkinson's were to be here for this fun/crazy party but we were sure happy they were here and it may have been a mild tent set up but we still had all the same fun chaos as we do every year.

Pizza, bubbles and 4 dogs running wild.

Greg got in some serious cardio entertaining all the kids.

Had our first movie night of the season and of course watched "The Greatest Showman". Little Halle knows all the words to all the songs!!! She's so cute and smart!

S'mores were a hit with these girls.

Only Halle can get away with putting her hands and feet all over my glass table. Seriously! Look at that FACE!

Fun stuff and that's a wrap for Tent City 2018!

     So that's our week in a nutshell. It's been so nice having Jackie and her family here. If only Australia wasn't so far! Let the next few weeks creep by!!