Family Home Evening in the mountains....

One of the great things about Utah County is that you are never more than 20 minutes away from the mountains. After a quick dinner Don and I decided we wanted to get out of the house for Family Home Evening. So we got into the van, chose Payson Canyon and headed for Maple Bench. It has a small lake (you can walk around the perimeter in 15 minutes), with lots of trails and snails to explore. And if you get there when the sun is going down you can watch the smooth lake burst into motion as the fish jump up to catch their evening dinner.

We often get the comment that Liberty is the female image of Don, I don't see it... Daaaddd! That's MY job!!!Bizzie was very "Vogue" on this trip...

The look of summer...

Discovering the Joys of Murky Waters!

Keeping my skirt dry...

Looking for snails.

I love this picture! I can feel the squishyiness of lake water in my shoes just looking at it.Getting (or trying) a picture of the girls...

Don took this and said, "All I see is a lot of legs in this picture."

"Dad! Take a picture of me on this rock!!" Vogue.

Liberty's got a real knack for blowing out candles, here she is applying her talent to her first dandelion...

And here's Big Sister Bizzie showing her how...

The Boring Trip: Day 4

I'd like to dub this day as "Princess/Queen for the Day." It was my birthday and Don had a special day planned. This was the day the girls were going to the Bibbity-Bobbity-Boutique to be magically transformed into princesses - I was SO excited!!! Our appointment wasn't until 10:30am and we were at the park early so we had some time to kill. After entering into Fantasyland we stumbled across the Pixie Hollow!!! I had no idea that Tinkerbell had been incorporated into the park - it had fairy music playing, jumping fountains, and giant flowers to meet the fairies in. So I waited in line while Don and the girls went on more rides...

I am so glad they went on the teacups without me!!! My stomach can handle a lot of things, the teacups is not one of them. It's a deceptive ride...it seems fun at first and then a minute in the feelings in your stomach start contradicting the happy image your mind is feeding the body....

Tinkerbell!

Silvermist!

Liberty looks stunned here but she was actually loving it (notice no thumb in the mouth or blankie pressed to her cheek...)

Finally it was time for the BIBBITY-BOBBITY-BOUTIQUE!!!
From the minute you are assigned a fairy godmother the girls are treated like princesses with talk of magic, wishes, and whatever their good-hearts desired - the place was dripping with girly-ness (they loved it!!!!)...

Before...

After (they are sitting in Cinderella's magic carriage)...

So here is the process to becoming a princess...

Step 1: Slicking it down. Step 2: Pre-Hairpiece.

Step 3: Working out the Rat's Nest (beauty has its price...)

Getting closer...

Bizzie...not so much...yet.

Step 4: Endure Ultimate Pampering.

Step 5: Fairy Godmother Wishing Dust (just close your eyes and make a wish).

Step 6: Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo! (the birds pull back the curtain and they see themselves in the magic mirror as a true princess!) - Autumn felt and looked so beautiful....

Bizzie was afraid to move her lipsticked lips...and her ringfinger NEVER came down...Inside she felt like this...

Unbeknownst to me Autumn had been chatting it up with her fairy godmother about how it was my birthday and they wanted me to undergo the transformation too (I said I wasn't sure we had the time so I texted this to Don: Autumn wants me to have my hair done - say no. Don wrote back: We have time. My response to Don: Curse you! My response to Autumn: Guess what?! Dad says we have time!!!) so here I am becoming Queen Mom:)As we stepped out of the Boutique the girls walked daintily along like proper princesses. Autumn offered up adoring smiles and waves to the little girls she passed and Bizzie was in her own little dream land:) This was my favorite birthday ever!! So I got my keepsake from Disneyland. And Don got his too!! This is what he wanted...

Bizzie was so relaxed Don & Autumn had to keep talking to her to keep her from nodding to sleep. The artist jokingly threatened she was going to paint her sleeping!!!

We headed over to Ariel's Grotto for lunch and to meet our fellow princesses! Snow White!Mulan!

Cinderella!

Belle!

My princesses!

I took Liberty back to the hotel for a quick nap and we met up with the girls and Don an hour later to watch the Aladdin show (the genie was really good in the show); and then we headed back to the hotel for dinner. Autumn beamed with pride and princess-ly love as a little girl said to her mom, "Look Mom! Is that a princess?!"

Then we headed back to Disneyland to pick up the girl's princess pictures and while we were waiting the girls did some funky moves to the parade music...

Liberty spent a lot of time observing Disneyland from behind the safety of her own thumb and blankie, but every now and then we (usually Don) could coax her out of that safety zone and let us see her face and some emotion - this video is one of those rare footages...

We prolonged "Princess-for-a-day" for as long as possible...

It finally came time to wash off the glitter and become our normal, gorgeous selves again so we ended the day with a night dip in the pool. The girls and I took off as soon as we got on our swimsuits and Don followed with Liberty letting her walk to get out a days worth of wiggles (she spends most of it in her stroller). He thought maybe she would walk to the end of the first segment of the hallway, but like an energizer bunny she kept going, and going and ended up waling all the way to the pool! This is just the last portion of her trek...

Bizzie is afraid of sharks so we played "Seals" and we would kiss noses and swim off - not as exciting as sharks but the things you'll do for your kids:)

Book Review: Saved By Her Enemy

I know everyone has been waiting on *tenterhooks to hear my review of this book...or not... Anyway, I thought the book was an eye-opener, an interesting peek into the mind frames of those who live in the Middle East. For instance, I never could comprehend a people so heartless as to jump up and cheer for the cameras over 9/11 - but the book sheds light on 1) how that could happen, 2) who the Al Qaeda is, and 3) how the Al Qaeda or fear of it affects the citizens of Iraq. I also like how it showed the struggles that freedom can give to someone who has never had it. Previously I thought only of the liberation it brings, but the book shows experiences of how little personal freedom the people of Iraq have... For example, the girl in this book has never been allowed to see or date young men. In Iraq a marriage is arranged (with few exceptions), as a young girl she helps with the home and its responsibilities and then marries and takes care of her husbands home and its responsibilities. Someone is always making the decisions for her. Give this same girl freedom to date whoever she wants and she goes on a date with anyone who asks her - guys at the gas station, at parties, on the Internet...without knowing the dangers... I'm not doing the struggle this girl and her sponsor family faced proper justice. My verdict is, if you are interested in understanding the general mind frame of Iraqis and what the current state of their country is, this is an interesting story to do it with. I'm glad I read it...I feel less ignorant on what's going on in the Middle East and the plights of others...

Rachel Rating: 7 of 10 stars
Content Rating: PG-13 (Discusses the chaos of war)

*Don has an incredible vocabulary, which is so nice for me because it allows me to be lazy - I always have an instant dictionary if I'm unsure of a words meaning or how to spell it! So I was writing this review and was unsure how to spell the word tenterhooks and asked my "dictionary" and he stared back blankly which made me really self-conscious...was it a word? My dictionary has never heard of it!? So I spent valuable energy on asking the Internet and there it was! I was shocked! I felt an insane amount of pride that I actually knew a word Don did not... I gotta take my victories where I can, and this is definitely a victory!!!

Man is born unto trouble...

My life is full of happy happenings, and the last two weeks were no exception...but it seemed more infused with trouble than average...

Summer is in full swing (minus the funky weather - rain, snow, super heat, rain...and cool summer lightening storms)...everything I want for the girls is happening: lazy afternoons, playdates with friends, dirty-wet sandbox time, snowcones, snail races...

Grandma Martha came to visit too!!! We went on hikes...

The girls ate up their time with Grandma, arguing over who got to sat next to her in the car, trying to tell her everything that's happened to them since they were born and all the names of their toys, playing board games, looking at pictures, having slumber parties with her...

And then the trouble began...poor Liberty fell backward off the porch front steps breaking the fall with the back of her head, after a lot of vomiting and no bump Mom and I took her to the ER... (amidst this scare the blessings began pouring in, after just two quick calls Don was able to contact another priesthood holder who stopped his days activities to come and give Liberty a blessing before we left for the ER, my sweet friend Crystal took Autumn and Bizzie so Don could join us, I was blessed with a calm that never left, mom - a pediatric nurse was with us making sure we got in quickly and all the information was being conveyed and taken care of...). While we waited to hear the results of the catscan we kept Liberty entertained by taking pictures and showing them to her...

The Catscan came back with great news, she had no bleeding in her brain just a concussion...they gave her "anti-vomit" medicine (I've never been able to remember the proper name - sorry) and a few days later my little Liberty was taking her first ride on her bike and happiness was in our life again...

And again, trouble struck amidst the happy happenings - we think mom had a severe reaction to a change in her blood pressure medication, coupled with the change in the elevation she became one sick woman and we found ourselves in the ER once again. They gave her some medication to help with her symptoms and sent her home...her symptoms never left but we were grateful she was able to be stay with us until her scheduled flight. Here is the final picture with Grandma Martha before the trek to the airport to say goodbye...Love you Grandma!