Looky Looky at who's

30

Ben blowing out his candles
Spencer celebrating because the guys won the apple stacking contest

Ben and Janee racing to see who could stack the nuts faster.

The girls blowing the feather towards the patio

The guys blowing the feather towards the patio. The guys won :(

Ben enjoying his party

Ben surprised. I actually pulled off the party without him knowing, YES!!

The Strawberry Cake I made

The table decorations

Ben enjoying his pumpkin pie on his real birthday.

Highlights from the party:

Minute It to Win It games

BBQ

Sugar Highs

Cake

Rubber Gloves

and sooo much laughter we were crying and couldn't breath.

Camping

Last weekend we made our annual trip to Idaho for the family camp out. We had so much fun being with our family. Some of the highlights were:

- Being with family
- Dancing on the Stage
- Playing in the Creek
- Dad's pancakes for breakfast
- Going for a bike ride
- Finding a HUGE mushroom
- Riding around in the Razor!!
- Playing with cousins
- Healthy family competition in a game of Ladder Golf
- Getting rained on (The picture of the sky is what the clouds looked like just before it dumped)
- Sitting around the campfire
- Roasting marshmallows
- Otter pops
- Lots and lots of laughing

We can't wait until next year.

8th Anniversary

On June 29 this year Ben and I celebrated our eight wedding anniversary, can you believe it?? For our anniversary Ben and I left the city for a few days and went down to The Cliff House in Manitou Springs to play. On our first night we had dinner at a local place, did a little window shopping and then decided to go up to the Cave of the Winds and take a tour. The tour we took was their Eco friendly one and they turn off all the lights inside the cave and you go through with just a flashlight. It was interesting to see a different perspective of the cave and since there was only one other couple with us, our tour guide was extra funny.

On Saturday morning since it was cool we took a beautiful drive up the Pikes Peak highway to the top of the mountain. It is a beautiful drive and when you reach the top it is so worth it and your view just goes on for miles and miles. Once back in town we enjoyed some pizza at Marilyn's Place and then we were off to go hike the seven falls just as it started raining so we drove through the Garden of the Gods instead. It was interesting to see all the different rock formations.

We had plans to have dinner Saturday night at The Cliff House dinning room but we were pretty tuckered out so we opted for room service and it was wonderful. It is always fun to be waited on, eat in bed, have someone else clean up the mess and the food was amazing. We returned home on Sunday relaxed, refreshed and ready for the next exciting adventure.

It has been a wonderful eight years and I wouldn't want anyone else by my side. While we have had our ups and downs like everybody else there is no one else I could imagine going through all of it with and I know that we can overcome anything that comes our way. I Love You Ben!!

Anne's Baptism

Annie with her Dad
Uncle Ben and Annie

Aunt Lynsey and Annie

On June 5 Annie was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was such a special day and while I know that Annie was a little nervous she hid it very well. Ben and I along with lots of other family members were able to share in her special day. Annie had called me way back in May and asked if I would speak at her baptism. I was a little nervous since I had never spoken at a baptism but more then happy to do it for Annie.

I wish I could say that I held it together and made it all the way through my talk without crying but that was not the case. When I looked into Annie's smiling face all I could see was this beautiful girl making such a good decision and the tears freely came streaming down my cheeks. I am so proud of Annie!!

It keeps going and going..

Our Favorite things about the giant Cedar Trees:

1. Uncle Ben was able to go with us

2. We got to drive in the woods (This was Joseph's favorite part)

3.The huge trees

4.The big sticks

5. Lots and lots of trees to climb

6. The rain letting up long enough for us to see the trees

7. Skipping school to be with family

8. Playing in the rain puddles

9. Picking flowers

10. Lunch at the french fry store afterwards

My sweet Ellen
Annie and Stephen

Aimee and I

Aimee, Ben and Noah

The kiddos

One of the giant trees.

Uncle Ben and Noah

Ben and I

We didn't quite make it all the way around.

Another shot of the giant trees.

How does it work?

While in Idaho we had many adventures with Aimee and the kids and our first one was to the science center. The kids had sooo much fun exploring and learning new things. It is also a fun place for adults. I admit I got stuck trying to figure out how this one puzzle worked and it drove me nuts until I finally figured it out.

Joseph next to his tower.
Annie and Noah playing conductor's with the trains.

Ellen digging for dinosaur fossils.

Such handsome boys digging for bones.

My sweet Naomi

Noah found a HUGE fossil

Joseph working on a math puzzle.

Wedding Bells

In May we all had the opportunity to fly out to Minnesota for Sam and Natalie's wedding. It was so much fun getting to see everyone and share in Sam and Natalie's very special day.

The Happy Couple!
Nat and Her Dad

The Ceremony

The Wedding Party

Ben and I

The Bridal Party

The Groomsmen and Grooms lady

Dixie, Me, Aimee and Heidi

The Conservatory