July 2010

July was a fun family month for us! Jess and her family came for 3 weeks, and spent a few nights at our house, and then Erin and her family came for a week! We had a lot of birthdays, a lot of parties, we had a lot of cousin time. It was so much fun! We miss having everyone together all of the time. B keeps asking when she can go live with Aunt Erin, or when we can move to Arizona. I tell her we'll just keep hoping they all move back soon!

To start the month off, we ran in the annual Murray 4th of July 5k (which was on the 3rd). This year M did it with us! She did awesome. She ran most of the way and finished just over 35 minutes! Not to shabby for her first race, with very little training. S had the job of being the family photographer.

With several Pyro's around here, the 4th always brings about a great party! Fireworks were in abundance, and July proved to have some of the very best sunsets I've ever seen! Talk about some serious "SKY ALERTS!!"

S got to go to Cub Country for 2 days! I told him he'd come home dirty. He said at the end of the day he wasn't dirty enough so he made sure he looked dirty! He had a blast and of course came home with a new pocket knife!

In July, K turned 2!!! Can you believe K is 2? I can't! Where has the time gone? She is such a funny baby! She loves all things girlie, purses, babies, pink, make-up, etc. She loves to have her nails painted and her hair done! She loves dresses, and is getting a darling personality. Whenever daddy leaves, she needs a kiss and a hug, and then demands mom gets one too! She LOVES to play with her big brother and big sisters!

The only show she really watches is "Yo Gabba Gabba!" Which, as the kids say, is like a bad dream! It has crazy characters, and the producers have to be on some sort of "trip", but it mesmerizes her, and once it grows on you, it is pretty cute. They have super cute, and simple songs that the little ones love because they can sing along. So when it came time to make her cake, it was pretty obvious it needed to be a Gabba cake, but of course there are not any cake pans out there yet. So we had to get creative. Other than running out of frosting and time, it turned out alright.


The min-table from Grandpa Alan was a big hit!

The last 3 Hurst grand babies are all 361 days apart. Jacob was born 7/15/07, K was born 7/11/08, and Meg was born 7/7/09. This year we thought it'd be fun to have a 1-2-3 party (but we ran out of days). We had a modified 1-2-3 party, and headed to the lake. Jess had darling shirts made for the 1, 2, and 3 year old (but somehow, I didn't get a picture of all 3 together!!). Jake was on the boat, and by the time he got off the mosquitoes were carrying the small children, and doughnuts away!

One day, long ago, on a total whim, I received an e-mail saying if we stayed the night at the Wynn Hotel in Vegas, we could go to the Garth Brooks concert! I had tried earlier to purchase tickets, but they sold out almost instantly. I had warned R that we were going, but then didn't get tickets the first time around....so the 2nd time around, I didn't even ask! I called, and booked the tickets and hotel within about 3 minutes of getting the e-mail. It happened to be, that they had openings over our 14th anniversary! PERFECT!

We are pretty big GB fans! I think we have just about everyone of his songs on the ipod. The kids can sing along to most of his songs, and his concert was a blast when we went to it, probably 17 years ago!

Plus, we haven't been to visit Erin, or Vegas for several years! The kids have been begging to go, so we packed up the van and we took off to Vegas in the dead of summer! CRAZY! but CRAZY FUN!!!

The kids stayed the first night with us at the Wynn, which is a pretty swanky hotel! S LOVED the automatic curtain opener! M and B loved the floor to ceiling windows, that at night resembled a full length mirror/stage! S also loved the wet bar/snack bar, and figured out that if you removed an item for more that 60 seconds you were charged for it! He was determined to figure out how that was accomplished! The kids also thought the TV in the bathroom, and the phone by the toilet was the best thing they had EVER seen!

We arrived in Vegas late, and after a long drive, R is always starving. All of the resturants were either a)closed or b)too fancy or c)too far through the casino to drag the whole fam, so we ordered...ROOM SERVICE...after watching tons of movies and Disney Channel shows, the kids thought they were pretty high rollers!

The next morning, we got up, had a nice breakfast by the pool, and then went swimming and shopping on the strip. We hit the most important stores...the M&M store, and the Coke store. The kids were then off to spend the night with the Howell's while we went to the concert.

Security was very tight, and it was very clear that pictures would not be allowed...anywhere...so needless to say, we don't have proof that we went to the concert! But we did and it was awesome! I am so glad I reacted to that whim, because if I would have thought about it, I would've convinced myself not to do it, and I am so glad we did. Mr. Brooks did not disappoint! The kids had a blast, and we created tons of memories.

The next morning, R and I packed up and spent the last day with the Howell's as well. We went to the park (splash) and enjoyed the cool, breezy 114* weather. We also drove out to Lake Mead to feed the fish (no pictures, I was concentrating too hard on not melting).

This crazy one didn't want to get in the water so I'm convinced she was melting, because I was. I was seconds away from running into the water fully clothed. But I showed restraint.

After we got home from Vegas, we had yet another birthday party for K, and Alex. More girlie presents!

Then, S and B had a super fun summer treat! They both had their tonsils removed! They were super troopers! It was not fun, pretty miserable for everyone really! They were both so excited to have surgery because they heard you got cool fuzzy socks with rubber on the bottom so you didn't slip. When S saw the socks, he said, "These aren't very cool." Once we got home, they were both offended by the socks and want nothing to do with the socks now.
B had a hard time keeping anything down for the first days, so she slept like this a lot!

We're glad we did the tonsillectomy. S's tonisls were huge, and exploded with puss pebbles when the Dr. removed them (sorry if that's TMI). B had 90% blockage from he adenoids. They both are breathing and sleeping so much better now. It was well worth the long 10 days of recovery!

I'm tired just trying to remember all of July! On top of those fun things, R was at scout camp for 3 days, and then at Youth Conference for 3 days! I'm glad July is over with for a year!

June 2010

June brought about a crazy time of year for us, with dance recitals, pre-school graduation, and soccer winding up.

The girls both LOVE dance! M was the ultimate performer. She came home from school feeling lousy, we had our family pictures taken, and then we rushed off to the recital. By the time we got home, she was burning up! Turns out she had strep throat! I don't think anyone would have guessed by the way she danced! She was AWESOME! She loves to watch Dancing With the Stars, and American Idol. She realized that animation goes a long, long way, and practiced looking animated. Her face proved she loved this activity!

B was so determined to get her fingers in the correct position!

The kids have been giving Ji Jitsu a shot. R started taking S. He then realized it was a great workout, so had M give it a try, she loved it. Then B wanted part of the action, so Here B is trying out her Gi. They love to do the hip escape, and the arm bars! Watch out they're all getting good!

June also brought about the end of soccer season, which is bitter-sweet. Soccer is the love of several of this family, but it was very time consuming, so we decided that this was going to be the last season playing in West Jordan. The two big kids have played with the same kids since they were 4 years old. It's been so fun watching everyone grow up and get big! It's a bit sad to close this chapter in our lives.

B gave soccer a try this season. She however did not love playing the game. She liked practicing, but did not enjoy the game. We'll give her a break and try again in a year or so! At least she looked cute!

May 2010

In an attempt to catch up, I'll post about each month! Maybe NOW will be the time I decide to keep up on posting....but as always, we won't hold our breath!

May brought soccer, and dance, TURKS & CAICOS, and camping!

Turks and Caicos was a fantastic vacation get away for just the 2 of us! It was such a relaxing break. The sand was fabulous, the water was beautiful! When I dream of a tropical vacation, this is what my dreams are made of! We can't wait to go back some day (hopefully very soon!).

Our only adventure outside of the resort was to the other side of the island. The island is very small so the boat ride was about 45 minutes. We went snorkeling and just walked along a beach that was completely empty, not a building, not a pushy local (they don't exist in Turks). There was nothing there except us and our boat! If I could I'd move there today! I'm not a huge snorkeling fan, but R was able to dive down and see a baby octopus pulling a conch out of it's shell.

I became a little obsessed when I heard you could find sand dollars in the sand. So here R is searching for me. We didn't ever find one however!

We got rained on for about 1/2 hour one afternoon, this little guy found the roof of our balcony for shelter.

During the rain, R thought he'd try to check some e-mail, however the internet was down on the island the entire time we were there. The morning we were leaving, it finally came up. Maybe that's why it was such a fantastic break...no E-MAILS!

Just a few essentials for a vacation, Diet Coke, licorice, hand sanitizer, lotion, and of course chap stick!

You've gotta love the island life style, laid back, no worries!

One of Turks' main industries is Conch farming. They have the largest Conch farm in the world. Conch's were all over in the ocean. They guys on the boat brought several up, and cleaned them for us all, they ate the meat raw, right there on the back of the boat! It looked like a HUGE loogie! I guarantee I would've gagged!

May also brought about the first camping trip of the season. We went with family and friends to a little spot up Spanish Fork Canyon. It too was a fantastic vacation. The kids had a blast playing badminton, La Cross, Kick Ball, and dancing.

Two completely different vacations, and yet, I don't know if I could pick one over the other! I love them both! Check back soon. I'll tell you about our June!

The Baptism

This was a big week/weekend for S. We got to go to his first Pack Meeting (which he chose to go to over a Jazz game!), and on Saturday, he was baptized. He was so excited! It was an awesome day. Thanks to everyone who came and helped out. We truly appreciate your love and support!