OurLittleMcFamily.com

Denver, Finally!!! This friend trip seemed extra-long in the making (due to my canceling the summer). Here are our lovely hosts:

(yeah, we keep him around; great entertainment value!)

A mountain retreat with girlfriends is exactly what this girl needed after the holidays. The massive amount of talking, drinking (purely diet coke), and scrapping was enough to push any husband over the edge–good thing the boys didn’t come along this time. I only finished six scrapbook layouts, but I napped, ate, and lounged in between each layout. It was perfect. I think Jes’s numbers were in the 20’s and Amy’s were in the 30’s. They kick my trash every time–and I am totally okay with that.We also hottubbed in the snow, ate loads of sweet chewy Chex Mix, and walked around Breckenridge. A huge thanks to Grandma Carlson for letting us use the Mountain House.

Other highlights
Amy’s local day spa–I haven’t had a massage in so long. Thanks for the treat, Ames.
Downtown dinner and walking with Steffan–The chicken fajitas were also a treat.
Shopping for scrap supplies–Archivers and Hobby Lobby.
Talking until midnight in the basement–wish we could do it more often.
Spending time with Mya and Peyton–I miss them already. They are growing faster than any auntie would want.

Resolutions Made
Join Weight Watchers
Scrap more often
Drink less diet coke
Plan next girlfriend getaway

And could my friends be any cuter? I think our thirties suit us well. :)

Six more days and I am on a plane to Denver. It is Amy’s turn to host our third annual bff trip, which I am soooo excited about. My back injury this past summer foiled our original vacation. We had planned a summer vacay with our three families. I know the girls, including myself, were super disappointed.

On the bright side, we get a girls weekend all to ourselves. Massages, scrapping in the mountains, and lots of talking on our short list. I am sure we will throw in a McDonald’s breakfast and a couple of diet coke runs just for good measure. Ladies, I can’t wait to see both of you!!!

HELLO ENGLAND!!!!

Adam and I were able to take a trip across the pond in September. We spent most of our time in the English countryside at a very fancy resort. You know, the kind of place where the food is way too expensive and the staff is impeccably polite. Adam worked most of the time we were at the hotel (the reason we went), which meant I got a lot of down time–all to myself. After a summer of single mom-hood, it was a welcome relief.

From our hotel window:

Being a literature buff, I was drooling over the footpaths, the lakes, the rolling hills. It was everything Jane Austen. We just wish we had more time and mobility to explore more of the countryside. There was a little lake that we walked to every evening. It rained a lot, which was heaven to me. I also had lots of time to prepare my homeschool materials for the year.

And then to London for a couple of days:

We did the touristy stuff, which was fun. This was my second time in London–much more fun with Adam along! :) We took the train into the city, and had a blast just picking our way through the winding streets of the very large city.

On our last day, we headed out to the London Temple. We thought it was the perfect time to go since our children were already with babysitters at home. After a $50 taxi ride, this is what we saw:

At least we tried. We get points for this, right?

All in all, we had a fantastic time. We have said it a hundred time since we’ve been back, but THANK YOU again to grandma and all the tias for helping tend the children while we were gone. More pics here.

Our summer vacay ended with some time at Aunt Jaimee’s house in Logan. The kids played with cousins that they rarely see, tried their hand at fishing, and played non-stop in and out of the water. Man, we had a great time!

We sure were glad to come home to daddy though. A huge thanks to all of the tias and grandma and grandpa Penning for hosting us this summer. The kids had a blast visiting new places and meeting new family and friends. Summer 2009 was my first real summer as a mom. And for that, I am grateful.

After July 4th weekend ended, the kids and I spent a month in my hometown, Yakima, escaping the heat of the Las Vegan desert. From the pictures you can tell how much time the kids spent outside. From dawn until dusk they slip-n-slided, filled water balloons, rode bikes, and swam–just how I remembered my childhood…

We also spent some time in the mountains.

The kids very much enjoyed meeting loads of new family, playing with nana’s dogs, and getting to know their other cousins a little better. The best part was stepping outside and not feeling my life drain instantly from my body as the scorching heat sucked it right out of me. :) Yeah, that was definitely the best part. Now that we are nearing the end of September and temps are back into the 90’s, things like grocery shopping at midday and touching my steering wheel and seatbelt have become bearable once more. I know, I know, it could always be worse–we could live in Phoenix. :)

We started our summery vacay off with a bang. Fourth of July at Bear Lake meant family, friends, and fun.

It meant turning the bounce house into a water slide:

And exploring Minnetonka Cave:

And hiking Limber Pine trail:

And picking mommy lots of wildflowers:

We went boating, jet skiing, hottubing, fourwheeling, and we played lots of games. The kids were on sensory overload, I think. They had the time of their lives. It was exactly what I envisioned their first summer holiday being like. :)

We also watched the fireworks, of course, feeling grateful for the land that we so dearly love:

Thanks Hirschi Family for another wonderful July 4th together.

Wow, what a summer. Our stuff is still in storage, and our kids are currently farmed out, but other than that we are back from our summer of travel. The kids had a blast in Washington and Utah. They were able to meet loads of family for the first time. They were able to play outside all day and all night without roasting to death or scorching their little feet. They were able to experience new things like a slip-and-slide, a jet ski, and water balloons. All in all, it was a fantastic summer.

I was without computer the entire summer, which made it impossible to download pictures and blog. So Adam has been steadily downloading and then reloading all of my pics whilst here in London. And now that he is off working for the day, I have some time to rescue this sad little blog from its recent obscurity.

We are supposed to sign the lease, and move into our new place on 10 September, but there is a slight hiccup that might cause us to delay a bit. We’ll see how that works out. Regardless, the kids and I are anxious to get settled and start schooling. They are excited to be at home with me, especially with the prospect of dad joining us for lunch most days. Hopefully, it all works out as planned.

A HUGE public THANKS to Debbi, Marisa, Valerie, Jena and Jaime (and anyone else) for helping with the kids this week. We are having a great time.

What do the following items have in common:

1. seven pairs of heart and star sunglasses

2.  one package of peanut m&m’s

3. 10 fruit snacks

4. one kid-friendly craft project

5. hundreds of water balloons

They are all part of the best pick-me-up care package ever!

A HUGE HUG FROM THE NINOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never a truer title for our Memorial Day tradition this year. Year five, and our group has grown by five–and a half (Jena is due anytime). Okay four of those were my kiddos, but still!!! This Memorial Day was interesting to say the least. Let’s see: camping instead of hoteling, cooking instead of eating out, and braving inclement weather instead of basking at the spa. Kids mess everything up! :)

The kids had a blast, of course. We love love love car camping, but we already have our rooms reserved for next year. Adam promised me after this trip that if a canyon is involved we won’t have to camp. Thanks, honey. Only true canyon wives understand the sentiment, and that’s okay with me. :) The guys only did one canyon this year so they could spend more time with the kids. Next year, the kids will also be canyon-ready. They still have to learn to swim, and have a little more experience on the ropes. See here for Jaime’s trip report. She snapped the most adorable pics of the kids trying to catch rain in their mouths. And she also explained this year’s canyoning fiasco (there’s always at least one *wink, nod*). And here are the rest of our pics. Until next year, Beautiful Zion.

One of our favorite friend traditions is our annual planning meeting. Aside from our monthly family night rotation, we have monthly car camping trips on the books. Our other excursions include:

April–four days in the Grand Gulch area, UT. This is the backpacking trip Adam and I did last March, but were unable to finish. This year we will be more prepared, and we will finish! 

May–5th annual Zion Nat’l Park Adventure, UT. We are camping this year to save money. Bye bye, Spa. Hello, kids. :)

August–Baker Lake/Johnson Lake Loop, Great Basin Nat’l Park, NV.This is a four day backpacking trip up in Northern Nevada. We will actually be hiking in trees and near a creek, yipee!

2009 will be a great year!!!