Our trip to the beach....kinda

Our home is walking distance from a river. The rains came down and the river came up so we decided to pack a picnic lunch and spend the day playing on the sandy shores...of the Rio!

Alex took sand building very seriously and wanted to compete with anyone who was willing.

Ada loved the taste of our muddy sand and always had a mouth full.

It was very relaxing to just lay down and enjoy the beautiful weather while my kids played.

Tori even ran into some school friends who had the same idea as us.

Alex was the first to jump into the water. The current was very strong and swept her off her feet. 

I didn't let anyone else wade any further than the banks.

Benton thought the sand was for throwing.

He also thought the sand castles, that Alex worked so hard on, were for smashing.

He spent a lot of time sitting in the car. Rough day for Benton.

Ada loved standing and trying to walk. Falling down wasn't so bad in the soft sand.

It was a fun day at the RIO.

Firsts

Tori's 1st day of 3rd grade.

Alex's 1st day of 1st grade.

Adalyn's1st few steps at only 9 months old.

Benton's 1st "work-out" since the girls are gone during the day.

My 1st day of repeating the phrase, "Nice shot!", over and over again.

Alex's first day of school

My kids are loving anything coconut lately. I found fresh coconuts at the grocery store and bought each child their own. We hammered a small hole in the top so they could slide a straw in and drink the coconut milk. It was the best "juice box" EVER!

Alex came home from her first day of school very happy. She wanted to end her day perfectly so she asked for a personal "Princess" bath topped with floating flowers and lit candles.

Next she wanted to unwind with a massage. She pulled out the piano bench and asked me to rub her back with lotion. She seems to know a lot about the Spa without ever stepping foot in one. HA.

Last, she asked to relax on my bed and just visit. She topped it off with cool cucumber slices for her eyes. Alex told me over and over again that this was her Perfect Day!

Here's to a year of happy school days and "spa" time.

Back to school...

This year....this is how I felt about school starting again!

My kids need something to do.

We crave a schedule and structure. 

Happy School Year!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwcYbo7pjto&feature=player_detailpage

Girls' Trip to the Ranch

All the girls in town decided it would be fun to leave the children and husbands behind for a day of fun and adventure. We loaded up our four-wheelers and UTV's and hit the road...headed for the Escondida Ranch.

From left to right, top to bottom: Mary Jones, Kristy Jones,

 Janae Taylor, Shauna Nielson, Cambria Memmott, Meredith Jones, Amy Jones, BJ Hatch, Jade Jones

Once we arrived to the ranch we were covered in dirt.

We all got matching shades of skin and lipstick, but it really did make out teeth look white!

After a nice picnic at the stream we hiked up the dam and zip-lined down.

   

This was my first time zip-lining and it was so much fun.

  

The water was the perfect temperature. We all found out we would be landing in a pond full of Bass...after the fact. Oh well.

Cliff Jumping...1

Free Falling...2

Landing...3

Ed and Irene Jones were so nice to let me borrow their brand new 4-wheeler while ours was in the shop.

We had a great afternoon of talking, eating, laughing and lots of adventure.

While we were taking a dip in the stream it rained on us.

Here we are "Planking". Google it. It is an internet craze.

We had a great time being out in the fresh air and away from our daily responsibilities.

The water was so refreshing, especially after the dusty ride.

Here are our beautiful heads. I am a beginner at using the self-timer on my camera and Mary got cut out because she was kneeling in front. ha.

There we go! What a great group!

By the end of the day I was ready for a nap!

We had such a blast! We must do this again! SOON! Mexico really has beautiful landscapes and we got to spend the day soaking it all up!

This hasn't happened...EVER!

The other night we went for a drive in the rain. We checked on the farms and then came across this scene.
Several vehicles were stopped on all three sides of this highway.
No one was able to pass.
And you couldn't even see the road.
This picture was taken the night of the storm, before the sun went down completely.

The water was running fast and somewhat deep.
The men in the ward were saying that this hasn't ever happened...in their entire lifetime.
The rain came down...

broke the dam behind the Romneys...

and came flowing down the highway.

Rocks all over the road.

Here is where the water came in from.

No one could cross the highway all night.

This is the entrance from the highway to the Romney Pond.

Peaches

A big Thank You to Tio Pancho for providing us with tons of beautiful peaches to bottle this year.

Garrett helped me peel and slice TONS of peaches.

I was able to do 35 quarts this year.

I prefer to do this outside to avoid the sticky mess.

Step 1: peel peaches

Step 2: slice peaches

Step 3: get baby to sleep

or

put peaches into clean bottles. Add 1/4 cup sugar and fill with water to the ridge.

Place hot lid and screw on tight.

Put in water bath for 35 minutes. (Don't' start timing until you see steam)

Let sit on counter tops for 24 hours...untouched.

Done!

You have to mentally prepare to bottle.

It is a lot of work.

Messy.

You have to figure out how to distract and feed your kids for the duration.

I like to prepare something easy that can sit out on the counter for them to eat as they so desire.

This year I did homemade Pigs-in-a-blanket and brownies.

I wasn't bothered once by the words..."I'm hungry."

Then I put out a large picnic blanket next to the peach peeling area for kids to lay on and play with toys or talk my ear off.

Worked like a charm.

Here's to another year of bottled peaches!

YUM!