I SO THOUGHT WE WERE PAST THIS STAGE...

When your 6 AND A HALF year old decides to cut their own hair!! Are we 2 again? I didn't yell and scream, or even cry. It's only hair, right? Abby had a babysitter named Trina, who is so cute and adored by my girls. She has short hair like Abby's and bangs. When Trina was babysitting, Abby decided she wanted bangs to match Trina's so she quietly went upstairs and gave herself some bangs. She gave Trina the ultimate compliment, right?

BEFORE:
AFTER:

HOORAY FOR CAMILLIMETER!

I don't have any pictures of my girls dancing by themselves.

They both have danced together since they were in diapers.

This will be the first time only 1 of them will be dancing!

Camille auditioned for a competition dance company at her dance studio. Today we received a letter saying she made the team. She was SO excited because she truly believed she didn't make it. She is a very talented dancer and I know she will LOVE performing at the competitions.

Abby decided she didn't want to try out for the team. Apparently the girls made a pact that they would "share" any trophies either of them won from here on out.

Congratulations Camille! We are SO proud of you!!

P.S. Camillimeter is the nickname Camille's 1st Grade teacher gave her last year. It has just kind of stuck.

LITTLE FISH & BIG FISH

This past week the girls took swimming lessons in Alpine from a really great teacher with a really cool name - TANNER. They were the only 2 in the class. Even though Tanner is a swimmer for that RED team up north Daren was still nice to him and didn't give him grief about being a Ute.

The girls had a great time and by the end of the week were swimming like little fishes. I felt like a fish out of water, no pun intended, at this AMAZING house with this AMAZING pool. For you local folks, it was at the Magelby's. WOW! I could just sit by that pool all day sipping a Diet Coke and enjoying the view. It was awesome and so relaxing.

In a related note, Tanner came back from scout camp today with 5 fish (1 was even a big trout which he cleaned and ate at camp), 6 merit badges, a hooked finger from the fishing pole, and a whole lotta B.O.! Apparently none of the 15 boys showered THE ENTIRE WEEK! And only the 2 boys with braces brushed their teeth too! I think they need to have a personal hygiene merit badge. He had an amazing time and I think his leaders, who I'm sure don't read my blog, are terrific men - especially to put up with 15 smelly 12 & 13 year old boys. WOW!

SCOUT CAMP

With the daily essentials of a BYU hat, fishing pole, worms, and Pop-Tarts (yes, Daren took him shopping for snacks) Scout Camp is officially on!

HIGHLIGHT OF MY SUMMER

I can't believe in 4 short weeks from today, we get to spend time with this wonderful family! I have been looking forward to this ALL summer!

Last October, we had a Japanese student stay with us for a week. We have formed a wonderful friendship with Sotaro and his family. In fact, one of the main reasons I started blogging was because of Sotaro's mother, Sachiko. When I received an e-mail from her before Sotaro came last fall, I could feel her nervousness about him coming to a strange country and staying with strangers. As I mother, I knew if Tanner were doing what Sotaro was doing I would be a nervous wreck! So, I decided to blog everyday while Sotaro was here so she could see pictures of him and know that her son was happy and safe. I have thoroughly enjoyed blogging this past year and owe a lot of that to Sachiko. Since last fall, Sachiko and I e-mail each other every few days and I can't wait to meet my e-mail friend!

The entire Iinuma family will be coming to stay with our family next month for a week. Daren is taking off work and we are all SO excited for them to come. The kids want to take them to Jump On It and to Park City to see the Olympic Village. We have some other fun things planned as well.

Any other suggestions on where we should take them while they are here?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Yesterday was so fun! The girls made me this poster (with the help of a wonderful babysitter). Daren bought me a new Blackberry and then took me here:

Yummy steaks and the BEST chocolate lava cake in the world!

Tanner made me this:

I love this friendship bracelet! I'm glad my son thinks I'm 'cool' enough to be his friend. I've been instructed to NEVER take it off.

So last night after an awesome dinner at Flemming's, Daren takes me to the mall. Just as we are walking into the mall he says, "Happy Birthday...get whatever you want." I'm shocked! Wow! It's like he's giving me a blank mall check to buy whatever I want. Then, I look down at my watch and realize the mall closes in 1 hour. Suddenly I realize he is VERY, VERY smart! He doesn't offer the blank check at the mall BEFORE dinner, when time is plenty and when the waistline feels looser. No, he opts for giving me 60 minutes to make my purchases. I felt like a contestant on Supermarket Sweep. I was hurrying between departments, dressing rooms and the shoe department. I ended up with some much needed new summer clothes. Although, I was too late for the shoes I picked out...the store had closed the registers and wouldn't let me buy them. MAJOR BUMMER!

All in all, it was a great day. Thanks to all my family and friends for making it so fun!

HAPPY 4th OF JULY

We had a great time in Cedar City. We started the day watching the parade.

What American parade wouldn't be complete without a tank? The kids had a great time collecting candy from the parade. I love small town parades. People get so excited for them - like it's the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or something! They are so patriotic and remind me how thankful I am to live in this country.

After the parade we had birthday cake. Even though my birthday isn't for a few more days, we celebrated early. One of the reasons why I love the 4th of July is because it means my birthday is soon! Don't bother counting - there are 29 candles. Okay, okay there are a few more than 29, but only a FEW more!

Then all of the kids came together and we lit fireworks in the street.

I am so grateful to be an American and live in this great country.

PS-Here is what happens when my older brother gets ahold of my camera. Guess I don't need to worry about my kiddos getting my camera, just my older brother! Some things just never change. After all these years, he's still loves to torment me!