WHAT IS THAT SOUND . . .

I think that sound is SILENCE!!!! Isn't there a saying that says, "silence is golden?" Well, I'd be rich today! I just sent 3 of my kids off to school! Today is Laci's first official day of kindergarten!!!!! It's just Cady and me!!!! No kids fighting with each other! No yelling! No video games! No begging for snacks! No name calling! Just pure silence (unless you count the princess movie in the background). AMAZING!!! LOVE IT!!! It will only last 'til noon, but I'll take what I can get. Only one more kid to go!!!!

I THINK THEY CALL IT BOWLING

I haven't been bowling in years, but Cullen has been begging to go,

so today I took Landon and Cullen to Bountiful Bowl.

It was pretty humourous!

Landon could barely lift the ball, let alone swing and release it,

so we finally just had him roll it.

There was absolutely NO power behind it---

it's amazing the ball got to the pins!!

I think there must be a little tiny slant on the lanes.

And luckily he and Cullen had bumpers.

It's all automatic now, so the bumpers

went up for the boys and down for me.

We played 2 games. The 2nd game,

Cullen got 3 spares and a strike!!!

Not my best game, but we had fun!

BLUE SPANISH EYES

Josh's sweet grandpa passed away earlier this month and I have been meaning to write a post about it, but didn't know where to start. So here are the words to his favorite song which we (the grandkids and their spouses) sang at his funeral. I didn't think I would get emotional, but the words to this song at the funeral setting really can choke a person up.

Grandpa and Kristy

Blue Spanish eyes teardrops are falling from your Spanish eyes

Please please don't cry, this is just adios and not good-bye

Soon I'll return, bringing you all the love your heart can hold

Please say "Si Si" say you and your Spanish eyes will wait for me

Blue Spanish Eyes, prettiest eyes in all of Mexico

Blue Spanish Eyes, please smile for me once more before I go

Soon I'll return, bringing you all the love your heart can hold

Please say "Si Si" say you and your Spanish eyes will wait for me

Soon I'll return, bringing you all the love your heart can hold

Please say "Si Si" say you and your Spanish eyes will wait for me

Say you and your Spanish eyes will wait for me

Say you and your Spanish eyes will wait for me

Ralph M Bott 1919 ~ 2008 BOUNTIFUL- Ralph M Bott, 88, passed away peacefully, at home surrounded by family and loved ones, on Saturday, July 5, 2008. Ralph was born September 19, 1919 in Brigham City, Utah. His parents were Joseph Jensen and Florence Wright Bott. He graduated from Pocatello High School, and then enlisted in the United States Army, to serve his country during World War II. He was stationed for 39 months in the remote Dutch Harbor base in Alaska, and was involved in the conflicts known as the "Bloody Aleutians". Ralph was married to his eternal companion, Ruth Leone Poole, during the war on September 10, 1942. They were later sealed together in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on May 17, 1944. Ruth was Ralph's loving and devoted sweetheart for 53 years and then she passed away in December of 1995. Ralph later married Winifred Jensen Davidson, for time in the Bountiful Temple, April 14, 1999. She has spent nine years with Ralph as his devoted companion, caring lovingly for him during his recent illness. Wini survives him and cherishes the time they had together. Ralph was a great father, grandfather, husband and friend, who cared deeply for everyone that he knew. A more generous man is hard to find, and that was the example he was to his family and friends. As a father, he loved to hunt and fish with his boys, and spend time with his family at their Star Valley cabin in Wyoming. He was a dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served with dedication in many callings during his lifetime. He established The Bountiful Memorial Art Company in 1952, where all of his sons worked closely with him, and learned from him. Ralph is survived by his four sons, Dennis (Martha), Robert, David, and Roger (Diane); 22 grandchildren; and 37 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Wanda Cottam. Ralph was preceded in death by his parents, one sister, two brothers, his beloved wife, Ruth and two special daughters-in-law, Jan and Kris. A special thanks goes to those who provided Ralph with hospice care. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at the Bountiful 11th Ward Chapel, 115 Wicker Lane, Bountiful, Utah. Friends and family may call Tuesday evening from 6-8 p.m. at Russon Brothers Bountiful Mortuary, 295 North Main and Wed. morning from 9:45-10:45 a.m. at the church prior to services.

WE LOVE YOU!! WE MISS YOU!!!

THIS IS JUST ADIOS AND NOT GOODBYE.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

It's official! First day of school! Cullen is now in 4th grade, Landon is in 1st grade and Laci is now a big kindergartener! I have 3 of my 4 kids in school now! Laci still has quite the rash and swelling all over, but not nearly as bad as yesterday morning. She was so excited to go to her first day, and was really disappointed when she couldn't stay--kindergarteners just go and meet their teachers, sign up for a testing time later in the week, then don't really start until next week. It's also Laci's birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LACI! BIG 5!!

POOR LACI!

Laci woke up with a swollen eye yesterday and I chalked it up to an eye infection. I figured I would just get an appointment Monday with Dr. Black for antibiotic eye drops. By afternoon, it was both eyes--not really shocking, because eye infections spread rapidly. Then, both Josh and I left for concerts, the kids were left with the babysitter and they were all asleep when we got home. By morning, this is what we awoke to------!

Even her ears were swollen! We kind of all laughed cause she looked so funny, but she was pretty miserable. I took her to insta-care and they gasped. Poor Laci! Not only is it her birthday tomorrow, it is also her first day of kindergarten! Poor Laci! They said she must have had an allergic reaction to something (we suspect maybe a spider bite because she showed me a big welt on her neck yesterday that I thought was just a mosquito bite). So benedryl it is every four hours. Hopefully she will not still look like Quasimodo tomorrow.

ROCK ON: A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE!

So Em and I ventured out to see the POLICE concert last night, which totally rocked! Sting is pretty HOT for an old man! Em made the comment that "I hope I look that good when I'm that old."

I guess we'll have to take up yoga now.

The concert totally took me back to our cruisin' days of high school and our post-high school trip where I discovered that Sting was their lead singer. You see, I grew up pretty sheltered and didn't listen to a lot of "rock" music. I was a HUGE STING fan, but had no idea he was the lead singer of the POLICE. Embarrasing, I know, but funny to look back on now. Emily made so much fun of me then and we still get a good laugh about it.

JULY BIRTHDAYS!

We have 3 July birthdays--all within a week of each other. Cullen turned 9 on July 14th, Cady turned 3 on July 16, and Laci turns 5 on July 21st. We celebrated early this year since my parents left for the MTC on July 7th. We had one big party on July 1st. Cullen decorated his own cake with a representation of "slither", his pet snake depicted with 9 gumdrops (symbolizing that he is now 9). Laci had a princess castle, and Cady had a kitty cat.

Kind of crazy, but lots of fun!

FAREWELL

Mom and Dad left this morning for their mission to Brazil. They stopped by our house this morning before they left for the airport. They looked so official with their missionary badges! I didn't think I would get emotional, but I did shed a few tears. Cullen understands what it means for them to leave for 18 months, but I don't think the other kids do, so they were just excited to see Grandma and Grandpa. I'm excited to have them doing what they love, but it will be hard to be without them for that long! We love you!

Lava Hot Springs!

This year for our family vacation we decided to go somewhere new. So we packed up our sunscreen and headed to Lava Hot Springs. I had never been there, so I didn't know what to expect. We headed up Friday June 13 and got there about 8pm. A little late to swim so we just chilled in the hotel. Early the next morning we got up, sunscreened up (except Josh who decided he didn't need it) and headed for the pool. The kids were sooooo excited! When we got there, we disappointedly discovered that it didn't open until 12! What kind of water resort doesn't open 'til 12??? So we headed across town and dipped our feet in the natural hot pools. We only went in the "coolest" (temperature) hot pool and about burned our feet off. We eventually got used to the heat and leasurely soaked for an hour. The kids didn't like the idea of not splashing, so we decided to go to the park for an hour and have lunch while waiting for the pool to open.

Finally the pool opened. We played all day and had a fabulous time! Laci and Cullen loved the huge waterslides. Cullen immediately found a friend and they went on the slides non-stop. Just before we left, Cullen took me on them. The red slide was super fun but I wasn't so sure about the green one. It is fully enclosed and I am super claustrophobic, so I had a little aneurysm on the way down. I really had to talk myself through it. Amazingly, I made it out alive!!! Things we do for our kids! After dinner we decided to head back to the hot pools. When we got there, Josh realized what a mistake it had been to not use sunscreen. He couldn't even dip a toe into the hot water without excruciating pain. So we didn't stay there long. We walked around downtown for a little bit to waste time, got some ice cream and headed back to the hotel. The kids escaped major sunburn. Josh was red as a lobster and his feet were blistered. My scalp, shoulders and chest were burnt and my chest ended up with split thickness burns. It still has not resolved all the way. OUCH! I guess I missed a few spots with sunscreen. We all slept well that night. The next morning we headed home. It was a quick, but really fun trip. And of course the kids loved it!