California #2

Here we are at Newport Beach. It was a lot of fun! This was our first day there, we had driven through the night Tuesday/Wednesday, so Matt and I were so tired, but the kids were as hyper as ever. We had so much fun watching them play. The waves were tiny so the kids had fun playing in them.


Amber took a lot of swimming lessons this year, so she felt comfortable in the water. She was so brave!

Parker isn't as comfortable with the waves, so we had fun making "stuff" in the sand and searching for sea shells.
We discovered the Aubrey loves to eat sand. She was grabbing hand fulls every chance she got. She was covered in sand, head to toe. It was caked in her hair. I have still been finding some tucked in cracks and in her ears. She was a maniac and was crawling all over the place to get her hands in it.
Amber had so much fun riding the waves. It was so cute to watch her. She literally looked like a natural. She rode several waves all the way in, totally on her own. It was awesome!



We stayed with Matt's brother and his wife, Aaron & Fitriah. This is their dog Louis "Louie." The kids had so much fun playing with him. He is such a good dog and let them pull his hair, and just rough house him. He got tons of attention. When we left to come back to Utah, Amber was crying and said she was so sad to leave Louie.

Aaron & Fitriah spoiled all our kids. They got gum, candy, Popsicles, and were able to watch TV all day if they wanted! Aaron and Fitriah watched our kids all day Saturday when we went to Stacie's wedding. I was totally amazed at how well they did with them. It'd be so tough to go from no kids to three for an entire day, especially little kids like ours. They went swimming, to Chuck-E-Cheese, and played lots at their house. They even put them to bed for us. I told so many people how impressed I was with them. I called a couple times to check in, and both times Aaron said "we're having fun! Don't worry about us! If we have any problems we'll call." WOW is all I can say. They made it a great day for us on Saturday. Just knowing they were in good hands, having fun, and getting spoiled!

Aaron was gone on business the first night we got to CA., so Fitriah let Amber sleep in her bed with her. She let her watch what ever she wanted in bed, and stayed up until 10:30! I think that was one of the highlights for Amber.
I can't remember what beach this was we went to, but it's next to The Ritz Carlton, just up from Laguna Beach. It was beautiful, and so packed! The waves were nuts too, so we didn't let the kids get in.

Here's Parker running from the waves.






Parker and Aaron playing "hit" as Parker calls it.




This picture was put in only to show the size of the waves, not my bum.

There's the Ritz just above the cliff.



What a good uncle. He and Fitriah played so much with our kids, they had a blast.

Big Things Happening...

I actually mowed the lawn today. I wish so much I could have had a "before" picture, it was hideous. We seriously NEVER have time to mow the lawn. This is actually Matt's job. I have refused to mow it because I know once I start, I'll never stop mowing it. My excuse to a hideous lawn was always "I don't know how to mow it, it's Matt's job." I'd have Matt mow the lawn twice a week if time allowed it. I just love the way it looks right after.

Consider this a first! I have NEVER mowed a lawn in my life until tonight. I made it practically 30 years with never mowing a lawn! I had to call Matt to ask how to start it. I'm impressed with my job. Not bad for a rookie!

Wedding Bells

We're off to California for Matt's brother's wedding. He is marrying his long-time girlfriend Fitriah. We're so excited to go be part of it, and excited for Fitriah to be an official "Deming." This is the last wedding for both my family and Matt's. That is strange! The next wedding we'll be celebrating is for nieces/nephews! I'm getting old!!

We had to go get fancy toes before the occasion, so Matt's mom treated Amy, Lisa and me to a manicure and pedicure. It was such a fun and relaxing evening. It's something I'll remember forever and enjoy thinking about. We had fun talking, getting pampered, and watching "Dan in Real Life" on the TV there. It's funny how hyper I get when I have a night off from the kids. It's so fun to not be a mom for a couple hours. Is that terrible to admit? Sorry if that offends anyone, but motherhood is hard! I enjoy a break every now and again. Thank you Debbie for the fun evening.

Man, the Deming's have cute toes, but look how freakishly long my second toe is, and how freakishly short my little toe is. I never really noticed how strange my feet are until I see it in a photo next to other really cute feet!

Jackson for the 4th

What better place to be than Jackson Hole for the 4th of July. Matt and I want to make this our family tradition to go every 4th of July. This such a fun and special spot for us. This is where Matt and I spent a lot of time together before we were married. After we were married we moved up here and worked on the river for a summer. We loved telling Amber and Parker a bunch of crazy stories from our fun times there. It's fun to have them be at an age where they slightly understand what we're talking about.

It wouldn't be Jackson if we didn't see a little wildlife.
We attempted to hike to Hidden Falls, but we came unprepared for the rain (these rain poncho's are property of the Jenny Lake boats darn it all) so we had to turn around about half way there. This weather was very unusual for Jackson in July. It was never above 70, and it was pretty rainy. We still had a blast though.



This is our new friend we met at the park before the fireworks started. He thought Amber and Parker were hilarious would laugh at any thing they did, especially when they fell down. This was one of the many poses he struck while waiting for the fireworks. If you can't tell by the picture, that's his brown bag of boos and I believe his blanket he likes to call home. We actually felt quite bad for the guy. He obviously knew what a great show Jackson puts on for fireworks, but he was too wasted to really enjoy them, and in fact he passed out cold before the show began. As everyone was leaving, he was still there, sacked out for the night.


The fireworks were the anticipated event for the kids for our entire trip. Amber kept asking "when are we going to see the fireworks!!!!" and after we responded she'd say "that is a long time!" Jackson really does put on the best fireworks. I don't know if I've seen a better firework display in my life! They're amazing and last forever! You keep thinking you've seen the finale but they just keep going.
Parker would NOT wake up for the life of him for the fireworks. I was so sad he missed it, and so was he. He kept asking the next day "where are the fireworks?" We told him we'll have to wait for the 24th. Poor kid!
One last look at camp before we headed home. A huge thank you to Matt's parents for letting us use their tent trailer. It rained every night, so we stayed nice and dry, and plenty warm. Thank you!!! Until next year!!

Oh, and one side note, Matt and I took the kids down to lunch counter to watch all the rafts go through the rapid. On Saturday we saw a guy get tossed out of the raft and he didn't surface for at least a minute or later. His life jacket somehow poped off, so he's lucky to be alive. It made me grateful I wasn't the guide, and brought back the scary feelings you have as a guide and being responsible for your party. It was quite a scary moment. Glad all turned out ok!

Father's Day and such

Father's Day came and went. I had the best intentions to do a long post about my good husband Matt. Of course I'm a little behind. I have felt all day though that I need to do this. He gets the shaft from me so often (meaning I am horrible at surprising him with gifts, cards, etc. to express my appreciation for him). So I'm sorry for the cheese fest you're about to read, but it's long over due. Matt is such a good person. I love how passionate he is about enjoying life to the fullest. I remember when we were dating, we were at the point where marriage was most likely in the future. I remember praying about if this is really what I was supposed to do in my life at this point in time. I'll never forget the feelings I had of joy and excitement picturing my life with him. Now we have had our rough patches in the past, but I can say with out a doubt I am so happy, and am so lucky to be married to such a good man. We have so much fun together. The best part of our day (the kids included) is when he gets home. He has such a love for life, and such a good sense of adventure. We're gone all summer on adventures, mostly camping and fishing, but we take drives, go up the canyon, go watch Matt participate in all his bike races. It's non stop, and yes it gets exhausting at times, but I honestly love it. I wouldn't want it any other way. Matt is an amazing father as well. I tell him often I can't imagine my life with out him, and would be psycho if I were on my own. He is a total hands on dad. He is a better parent than I am. There are several times I've thought he'd be a much better stay at home dad than I am mom. Our kids are so lucky to have him as their father.

Someone I took down the river once told me he regrets the father he's been. He spent so much of his free time away from his kids-golfing, managing his business, designing and maintaining his website, and just surfing the web. He doesn't feel like he has a real relationship with his children. I felt sick for him, and his kids. This man is wealthy, and has all the toys-boat, jet skis, a second home, nice cars, etc. but I'm feeling sorry for him! I will never forget that conversation. We have total opposite lives, and I couldn't be more thrilled about it. I'd so much rather have my situation. Matt comes home and doesn't stop playing with the kids until he puts them to bed. I'd be willing to bet Matt has changed as many diapers as me! We enjoy the simple things, and don't need a second home, a boat, etc. to really enjoy life. I am so blessed to have Matt as my husband. I'm grateful for the trials we've had, because it truly has made us so much more committed to each other. Thank you Matt for being such a wonderful husband and father! We all love you so much!!! Happy belated Father's Day!

So here is the "and such" section...just some quick pics of our weekend:
We had a little ward BBQ Saturday night, and Matt promised the kids we could through rocks in the river after words, so here were are.

The kids like to find the biggest rocks they can, that way they can see the biggest splash

We had also been to a birthday party earlier that evening for our little 3 year old friend Allee! Parker loved the little Mickey Mouse hat and wore them all night!

Happy Anniversary

Matt and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago. It seems so strange because I feel so young still. Nine years is a long time, so it tells me we're getting old! I look at these photos and think "we were babies!" We had a great anniversary. Matt's parents took the kids (including Aubrey) for the weekend, so we were able to hang out, get stuff done around the yard and house, shop, plant our garden, go to dinner, go to a movie (that didn't get out until after midnight!) and sleep in! It was fabulous! We're so grateful for Matt's parents. What a huge sacrifice for them. Matt and I said at least three times, we HAVE to remember this gesture and do the same for our children. It was so nice to just be "a couple" for two days. We could be selfish and just take care of our needs. It's amazing how much of the day is spent worrying about others when you're a parent. It's not until they're gone you realize how often you're filling up a sippy cup, changing diapers, getting snacks, washing dishes, cleaning up messes, breaking up fights, playing games, etc.etc.etc. The list goes on and on. It was really a nice weekend, and made this anniversary an extra special one.