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So, some of you may be wondering where my posts are. Ok, probably not, but I am going to tell you anyways. It all has to do with the week from you know where (h-e-double hockey sticks). That was last week. It all ended with our computer all but crashing. It shuts down after being on for less than a minute, literally. So, I can't upload pictures or even check email or post. Any suggestions? I have heard that the bottom may need to cleaned out or that the hard drive might need to be cleaned out. All of which, I am sure, will cost more than the computer is actually worth. I'll keep you posted, actually, probably not until it's fixed.

.random.

So, first of all I have two words for you: Michael Phelps. If you did not stay up until midnight watching him a couple of nights ago make world history, you missed out! It was worth every minute of sleep I was missing and every tired moment the next day. I absolutely love the Olympics. I literally have it on all day, my poor kids. Even at 2 in the afternoon when the only thing on is boxing or baseball, it's on. I feel so American and proud of it when I watch. Carter has started singing the Olympic theme song (dum, dum, du dum, dum, dum, dum) and I love it.

Next, every woman should own a pair of designer jeans. Now, I do not wear expensive clothes, I can't afford it, first of all, and second of all, it is not practical. Picture mom on the floor all day, crawling around, snot, spit up, tears all over her shirt, dirt, water, spilled milk, you get the picture. However, if you slip on a nice pair of jeans, you instantly feel better.... yes, I am that shallow. But really, it makes a difference, and a nice pair is totally different than a $20 pair. Not that there is anything wrong with the $20 pair because I have plenty of those, but a nice pair holds it shape and makes you feel like a million bucks. They make every outfit look better. Some day I am going to open a jean shop called "Dani Jean" (ps, that's my name) and it will be designer jeans at real mom prices. Keep your eyes open. In the mean time, go and treat yourself to a new pair of jeans.

Carter learned his name!

Well, he's known his name was Carter from about month one of his life, but he just learned his last name. Ask him "What's your name?" And he'll say, "I'm Carter Harmon." It's pretty cute, especially the way he says his "r", or not say it, as the case may be.

I'm feelin' hot hot hot!

It's 97 degrees and only 3:00 right now. I know, some of you in hotter climates are thinking that probably sounds pretty nice. It's not. To stay out of the heat we headed to the Children's Museum with our friends, Carolyn, Isaiah and Ava. It is such a fun kid's haven. For those of you who haven't been there, you need to go.

Carter loved the mini stage where you got to dress up, play with the sounds and lights, and be on tv:

The dressing room was a face painting studio. Carter thought it was great that Mom was okay with him drawing on his face. Not sure what we are teaching him here, but he thought it was great at any rate and made us all happy all morning:There are a ton of different nooks and crannies to this museum. There was a clay studio, a construction zone, a doctor's office, a dig pit, everything with hands on and plenty of bells and whistles. Here they are driving the bus. There was an actual bus stop and tables with tons of wood tracks and trains. We spent the majority of the time in the "store." It was set up just like a real store with food for sale and conveyor belts and check out stands. The kid sized carts were a huge hit. Anyways, there was a ton of stuff and we had a great time out of the heat. We finished with lunch at the little picnic tables and headed home for naps.

Whirlwind reunion

This past weekend we went down to Twin Falls, ID for Jefferson's 10 year high school reunion. Crazy!! It really was. Jefferson couldn't really take too much time off from school, and I couldn't take much time off from work. We still wanted to make the trip worth it though, so we left at 4 am on Friday morning, thinking, "It's dark outside, and early. The kids are bound to fall right back to sleep in the car." Not so. They only slept for 30 minutes on an 8 hour drive. They were angels, just sat and ate their snacks and watched movies, but I feared the tiredness would catch up with them and make them cranky. It hasn't so far.

We got to spend all of Friday afternoon there, and we filled our time up. We stayed with Jefferson's aunt and uncle and family, the Longs. When we pulled in, Jefferson's Aunt Diane had lunch ready for us. Immediately following, we went swimming. After swimming, Jefferson's sweet cousin Taylor watched Carter and Andi so we could go jet skiing with the older cousin boys, Tyler and Tyson. It helped that the Long's basement is a theater with stadium seating couches and a projector and all. Carter got to watch a movie, so he was pretty happy. Then there was dinner and an early bedtime for the kids, after which we went and played with our friends.

Saturday was equally as packed. We got to see Jefferson's grandma for a little bit in the morning. Then there was the reunion bbq. They had a lot of fun things set up for the kids, including water balloons and a bounce house. There was lots of yummy food, fun reminiscing, and great music (all late 90's and I knew every word to every song). The best part, however, was that Jefferson has only seen a couple of his closest friends from high school, so the majority of the people at the reunion he hasn't seen in the last 10 years. Most of you have only known Jefferson since we have been married, but premission, Jefferson weighed 80 pounds more than he does today. You would not recognize him, and most of the people at the reunion did not recognize him. He would go up to people he knew and would shake their hand. They would give him a courtesy "hi" and shake, look at the name tag and then would always say, "No way!" or "What?!" The look of surprise was always so priceless. I am pretty sure more than a few girls were eyeing him too. I was pretty glad I was the lady on his arm. :)

Between the bbq and the "dinner" that night we got to go through the Twin Falls temple open house. It is so beautiful. I don't know how people tour the temple and not feel the spirit. It was fun to get to take my little kiddies through too. Jefferson's grandma led the tour and gave us all sorts of extra tid bits about the temple, like, where some of the paintings came from and what some of the designs in the temple represent. It was amazing.

Tiffany, Taylor, and Alli helped with the kiddies while we got ready for the dinner. The dinner was at this winery in Buhl that was absolutely breathtaking. It was mostly just mixing and mingling. There was a slide shoe and yummy food, then some "awards." Afterwards we went and hung out with a bunch of friends and ordered pizza. We sat around and talked and laughed till we cried (multiple times). It was a fun night. We rolled in at 2am and then took off the next morning at 7am. Short night. (I didn't get any pictures with anyone, so Kacey, if you read this, will you please send me pics of the bbq? Thanks!) We stopped in Boise for breakfast with Jefferson's dad, brother Josh, and sister-in-law Jen. Carter discovered that he loves trampolines. It was fun to see them all, if only for a few hours. Then it was back home and back to the grind. I love the summer time!

Play dough, and storytime, and movies, oh my!

Just a few more happenings from this last week. The kids love playing with their play dough that Aunt Sumo bought them. Andi only eats a little of it usually.

We continue to do the Wednesday activities at the library. This week it was a clown. Carter sat up front, away from Mom, by his friends, Galla and Isaiah. I might have got a little teary as he broke away from his mommy. He laughed the whole time. Andi got a kick out of the clown too. He did lots of balloon tricks, had a big stuffed dog puppet, and did some magic tricks. What more could you ask for?

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays our theater does a free G-rated movie for kids in the morning. We decided to give it a whirl with low expectations. I armed myself with popcorn, licorice, drinks, and tootsie rolls and hoped for the best. Carter was in awe from the moment we entered the theater. He liked how dark it was and the lights that lined the walkways. Then, when he saw the huge screen and got to sit in a booster seat, he thought that was great. He sat next to his friend Isaiah, who was a perfect example. I'm not sure he needed it though, Carter was glued to the movie. He just sat there with his popcorn in his lap and watched the entire show; "Everyone's Hero." Andi even did pretty well in my lap. She and her friend Logan shared snacks and remained pretty content. It was a great experience and the kids thought they were pretty special. Great job with your first real trip to the movies kiddies!

Summer, summer, summer time!

Here are a few pictures from the last week or so. Last weekend we went down to the the Sandy River with some friends and bbq'd. We couldn't keep our kids out of the water, or the sand out of Andi's mouth. A little lead is good for the blood, right? We had a really good time with our friends.

This is Ty. He is in love with Andi. And we have to give a shout out to him. He just took second place in the Highland Games here in Portland a couple of weekends ago (picture strong man competition). We were out of town and had to miss it, but we understand he should have taken first. We can't wait to see him in it next year and take the title.

The kids love it when Daddy comes home. Here they are winding down in the evening with a little milk and movie.

Here is Carter playing at home. He opened our computer case and pretended like it was a seat belt. Pretty creative, I thought.

And yes, here is Andi's hair in ponytail holders! My little girl is turning into... a little girl! She looks so dang cute with them in. She usually finds them and yanks them out, but it's worth a shot.

My kiddies...

So, I don't have any pictures to go with this post (sorry Mom), but just a little update on what my kids have been up to.

Carter loves going to the puppet time at the library. It's actually a different performance every Wednesday and this last week was a ventriloquist. He wasn't so sure about it (it was probably geared more towards ten year olds) and he would look over at me to kind of make sure that the show was ok, and not scary. I would smile at him and then he would smile back and two minutes later he would look back at me with that same concerned look, and I would smile, as if to say, it's ok, this is fun, and then he would smile back. It was cracking me up.

He still loves to call me "Sweetie" and I don't complain. Just today I was talking to my mom I hear this little voice from his room yelling, "Hey, Sweetie! Come here!" Carter is a being a little sass-a-frass. He likes to shout "Stop!" a lot. And I have received a few punches from him.

He also has turned into quite the little mother to Andi. He is always trying to stop her from getting into stuff (that he just got into moments before). I hear a lot of "Andi, uh-oh" throughout the day. Whenever he accidentally bumps into Andi or knocks her over, he'll always say, without being prompted to, "Sorry Andi." It is so sweet.

My little Carter will not eat fruit!! He won't eat bananas, blueberries, strawberries, nothing! Applesauce on occasion, but that's lucky. He loves his veggies though: raw carrots, avocado, green beans, steamed broccoli... weird.

Carter also loves to do anything Dad is doing. If Jefferson squats down to be at eye level to Carter, Carter will squat down. If Jefferson is leaning against the counter talking to me, Carter will come lean against the cabinets next to him. Carter puts on deodorant every morning. He goes over, grabs Jefferson's deodorant off the counter, pulls the cap off, pulls his shirt off, and then rubs it all over his belly.

Another common phrase out of his mouth is, "What you doing Daddy/Mama?" He asks us that about a hundred times every day.

I love how much he has grown up. I can kind of have a conversation with him. I love to hear him talk and watch him jump and dance and run.

Now Andi, she is being a little fuss budget this week, but I love her to death! She gets so upset if I get upset at her. If I get after her for getting into something she shouldn't, she gets this little pouty lip and starts to cry. It's so stinkin' cute that I immediately swoop her up and give her loves.

This lady gives some awesome kisses, open mouthed, tongue out, slobbery! YUM! She says hi, whoa, and mama. That's about it. No walking just yet, but she'll Mogli walk it when she's on a hard surface.

This girl loves her brother. She will climb up onto his bed any chance she gets. If Carter is asleep while she's up she'll crawl over to his door and just bang on the door.

We can finally put Andi's hair in a ponytail holder. It's so cute! My little girl. It's about the only girly thing about her. :) She is a mama's girl and I love it. She doesn't mind if other people hold her, but if I'm within an arms reach she'll dive over to get in my arms. It's always a good pick me up for me.

I get so many compliments on how well behaved my kids are and I could not agree more. I would like to think it has something to do with my parenting, but really, anybody who knows me knows that I am just super blessed with the most awesome kids ever! Love these little beings who keep me entertained and on my toes!

Sunny Sunriver

Finally, a recap of Sunriver. This might be a marathon post. I won't be offended if you don't read on. Where to begin.... every day was jam packed with activities, but yet, it was all very relaxing at the same time. The house we stayed at was amazing! It had five rooms and five bathrooms. Perfect for all of us couples and for the grandkids. It also had a hot tub out back and a huge deck where we put the blow up pool for the kiddies. Alli and I got to share bunk buds and giggled to sleep the first night between the squeaking, my claustrophobia, and the shaking of the bed. We felt like little kids again.

Us girls always seemed to have an activity during any "down time." We had a naughty nighty shower for Alli while the boys went out shopping for golf shoes. We did card making during nap time, jewelry making, and lots of gabbing and game playing.

(jewelry making)

(Card making)

There seemed to be a different activity every night too. We went to the concert on the green. There are a bunch of booths set up and a big stage on the golf course with bands playing (jazz, big band type music). We just took a bunch of snacks and blankets to sit on and enjoyed the setting sun and music. I spent the majority of the time chasing the boys around. We found a "rough" on the golf course and the boys enjoyed digging for golf balls. They probably found about twenty or so. Then they would dance and run around.

Quarter pound it with Uncle Farkus

Another evening was spent at the Munch-n-Music in Bend. Same sort of thing with tons of food and craft booths and live music. We enjoyed Diet Cokes and kettle corn. Carter and Gray provided the entertainment with their dancing. Even neighboring blankets enjoyed watching them dance. Next year we'll be sure to set out a hat and maybe make a buck or two.

We always spend an evening in the village at Goodies. That spells waffle cones and cookies and cream ice cream. Delicious as always.

We of course had a game night. Can I just say two words... "Ray Charles!" He's blind! We love Buzz Word. It's a great game if you've never played before. We also love Imagine If... And I still say that I would be a homicide and not a lane change violation- how boring!

Then, the last night we had FHE. Great job on the lesson Sam & Nikki! I'm so glad our awesome family is forever! And, I will give props to myself for the game. :) But really, it was fun to get to know those funny little quarks about everyone.

It was somewhat ironic that the whole week (well, almost the whole week, we'll get to that in a minute) the only two people without their spouse (or future spouse) there was me and Sharon, and we're the only ones with kids! Lucky for us, everyone was so helpful with the kiddies. We bike ride pretty much everywhere we go in Sunriver and it worked out well for me that Summer is pregnant and not able to bike ride because she pretty much toted Andi around to all of our destinations. And Nikki, you seemed to do that a lot for me too! Thanks!

I love this shot of baby girl Andrus! My sister makes one cute prego lady!

Aunt Nikki

Every morning we went walking while the kids were still sleeping (someone was always at home with them, don't worry). Every night a different couple was assigned dinner and we got some super yummy dinners going on! Can't wait to see what everyone concocts next year! I am already planning. So, tons of eating and an endless supply of treats, candies, and baked goods.

One afternoon Mom and Dad watched the kids so all of us grown up kids could go rafting. (thanks Mom& Dad!!) Sharon and I had a fun time being a "couple" and we did a dang good job rowing! I'm pretty sure we didn't ever run into a tree or bank. We even avoided the river shark!

Alli and Nic (my future brother-in-law)

Carter and Gray were just content to have each other to play with, as you can see from the pictures. They loved sitting in their bike trailer whether it was going or not. Carter somehow coerced Gray to sit in the umbrella stroller and Carter pushed him around the garage. They went swimming in the blow up pool, played with glitter pens that Aunt Sumo bought them, danced, jumped (A LOT!!), took baths, held hands, and did everything in between. Andi tagged along when possible, but was her usual content self, sitting pretty on a blanket. Love that girl.

So, I was only spouse-less for the first few days even though I thought I would be the whole week. Jefferson called me on Friday and asks what we are up to that night. I tell him that games are the only thing on dock, he then asks me if I can pick him up in Bend because he is boarding the Central Oregon Breeze. What is the Central Oregon Breeze you may ask? It's a bus!! Who in the world thinks to take a bus down to Bend?! The funniest, most thoughtful, loving, caring husband and father that ever walked the earth! After I stopped laughing I told him that I would be in Bend at the Sugar Loaf Motel to pick him up. We are so glad he got to "breeze" on in for the last few days of Sunriver.

Unfortunately it was still not the same without my brother Ben who was stuck at home, diligently studying for the bar that he takes in just a few days. His hard work will pay off.

Thank you again to the founders/funders of the Sunriver trip- Mom & Dad- you are the best! We love this tradition! It is so awesome to get to spend so much time together as a family. I will plan on a little jazercise in the mornings next year. :) (at least some turbo jam, and nobody is allowed an out)

Aren't they good looking grandparents?!