Sun Valley - A Summer Favorite!

Have I mentioned that we LOVE Sun Valley in the summertime? I think I have a post exactly like this one each year, because it never changes for us. We never love it less! Especially when we are with the cousins. A few things to note that might be different from last year's post:

1. Capri loved the Hailey 4th of July Parade more than anyone else. By the time all the other kids were bored and had found a bit of shade to sit under while chowing on parade candy, Capri was still totally entertained. She continued waving at every float, horse rider, street sweeper, pooper scooper, not even realizing that she was a lone two year old on a busy street!

2. We went to the rodeo! The adults loved it. The older kids were semi-entertained. Capri played Uncle Mike's iphone the whole time...and she got sunscreen in her eyes. Not the hit for her!

3. Look at Sophie's face in the picture of our family under the shade of a tree in our red, white and blue attire. Notice how much more red it is than everyone else's? Scary moment for Mommy. We were at a community root beer float feed after the parade. A very populated root beer float feed, because it's free! We got our floats and all sat down under a tree. We counted kids and realized Sophie was missing. Not too disturbing yet because Sophie is ultra responsible. She could have been cleaning up a spill made by someone, she could have been picking up litter, any number of things! All four of the adults canvassed the area and could not find her, at which point I began to panic. I cannot believe I'm admitting this, but I actually said a prayer that went something like this, "Heavenly Father, please help me find Sophie. She is the one I really cannot live without." Now I love all my children equally. I really do. And I have favorite things about each one. That being said, Sophie is my biggest helper. She is my sanity sometimes. She is more responsible than me...truly! There is a happy ending of course. Thankfully, Uncle Mike thought to check the van that was parked down the street. Sophie was sitting in there crying...and baking. Apparently she thought we were getting our floats and heading back to the van. She had been sitting in the van for 20 minutes or so in near 100 degree heat. Hence the flushed face. Boy was I happy to see that flushed face!

Valentine's Day with the masses!

For some reason we always spend Valentine's Day with friends! I've never really thought about it until writing this post, but I guess there's really no romance in that, is there?!! In Arizona we had the tradition of hosting a Valentine's Party with a bunch of couples, and the best part about it was the guys were totally in charge. We ate pretty gourmet because they would pull out all the stops. I guess watching my man cook is pretty romantic! Watching his friends cook...not so much, but still impressive! This year we joined several of the most fun couples we know and ate dinner at my favorite restaurant in Boise, Barbacoa. Their website slogan is, "Stimulate your Senses, Elevate Your Mind". Pretty sexy right? And actually very true. The food is absolutely amazing and the decor is swanky. It is such a hip place that I don't really feel like I belong, and I don't feel like that often. I saw Sam and Hollie there, and told Hollie how I was feeling, and she said, "you don't belong here...your wet wipes are totally sticking out of the top of your purse"!

Truth in Reporting!

Steve and I were watching the news last night and heard the most honest statement ever spoken by a weatherman..."the chance of fog tomorrow is a definite maybe." He quickly corrected himself by saying, "I mean a definite possibility", but not before Steve and I caught it and had a good laugh!

Stop Lookin' At My Mom

Have you tuned in to the X-Factor yet? It is Simon Cowell's new show that is very similar to American Idol, but has some differences that I am loving. If the two female judges (who do an excellent job) would wear more coverage on their upper halves, I would love it even more! I let Sophie watch it with me, and I feel like I have to repeat myself several times each episode and say to her, "that's not modest". This always makes me feel like I'm turning into my Dad, because whenever there is a swear word in a movie we are watching together, (and yes, he still does this even though I'm 36) he says, "that's not nice". It has become a family joke, and all the son and daughter in-laws love to pipe in with it too! I have a feeling I'm headed down the same path of being the butt of many jokes! Anyways...the reason for this post is to share with you our new favorite song, which is rapped by a 14 year old contestant on the X-Factor. Max sings it all the time and he wants a shirt just like the "Astronomical Kid" that says "Stop Lookin' at My Mom". That's my boy!! Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glTozYOOqX0

Mormon Pilgrimage

It's not an official pilgrimage that Mormons are required to make, but it kind of feels like it should be. I feel a little more complete after visiting Temple Square, This is The Place Heritage Park and a 24th of July (Pioneer) Day Parade in small town Utah with my hubby and kids! Highlights of the trip in no particular order:

1. Panning for gold at Heritage Park.

2. The fish rodeo at Spanish Fork Pioneer Days, which lasted about 2 minutes, which is also how long the fish lived after being caught!

3. Meeting Cosmo at Spanish Fork Pioneer Days. Ahhh...memories! This is when I start singing the BYU fight song.

4. Lagoon with the Romneys...anything with the Romneys would make this list! This is one reunion that needs to happen more often.

5. Spending some quality time with O'Brien cousins and Las Vegas Smiths. FYI: Spanish Fork Pioneer Days rocks!! It's a weekend long party...especially with the cousins!

6. Swimming at the dinky, muggy, chloriney hotel pool. The kids chose this over going to a big outdoor water park. Hey, Steve and I got to chill on comfy chairs and not worry about the crowds as we had the pool all to ourselves.

7. Touring the conference center...unbelievable.

8. Walking the grounds of Temple Square...magnificent.

9. Eating at In-n-Out...I added this one for Steve, but I think I concur!

10. 5 hour energy drinks to keep Steve awake as he drives so I can read or snooze or zone out without worrying about my narcoleptic hubby!

Spring Break...sunny style!

Spring Break in Meridian has been cold and windy for enough years in a row that I finally decided we need to get out of dodge. Steve is always hesitant to take work off, but I used my Jedi mind tricks and before long he was totally on board! vrbo.com (vacation rental by owner) is my new favorite way to find lodging. With three kids hotel rooms are getting cramped. I much prefer a large 4000 sf house with a pool, and the price is right when you share it with your really great friends, The Browns. St. George, Utah happens to be the closest warm destination, so that is right where we headed. We went to Zion National Park, which was spectacular. We visited the St. George temple at night, which was breathtaking, and probably the favorite destination for the kids were all the hiking trails around the "Dixie" sign. There are so many paths and trails, and narrows, and places to jump from, and places to scare even a non-worrier like me as you imagine your children falling off cliffs to their demise. St. George may be seeing us again next March!

Dirty Dash

This is the perfect race for a former tomboy. A typical 10K run would not have been my ideal Saturday, but all the muddy obstacles kept me in heaven. There is a massive slip-n-slide with about 20 yards of a mud pit to trudge through before you cross the finish line. I got bruises on my hips from launching myself onto the slip-n-slide, and then I backstroked to the finish line...and loved every minute of it. Steve was supposed to join me and several other couples in our ward, but he conveniently had to coach Maxwell's football game. This is a picture of all the single ladies who ran together...we don't need no stinking men!! My sister Cali took Steve's place at the last minute, and slayed the race. I was so proud of her. The worst part of the race is the freezing cold community showers you wait forever to rinse off in. Next year I'm wrapping myself in a garbage bag and driving home to my own warm shower!

Capri Look-a-like

Do you see the little chubby faced girl in the bottom right corner of the picture...the one with the pink sponge curlers and the tip of the tongue sticking out? That's me! I'm guessing I'm 2 1/2 or 3 in that picture, which is the same age as Capri. A cousin of my Dad's just e-mailed this picture to him, and I am so thankful to him because pictures of me before I entered school, and got the annual school photo, are extremely rare. I loved seeing this because it is so fun to see the resemblances Capri has to me. There are five of us Smith kids in the picture and my oldest two O'Brien cousins. I have absolutely no idea who the other children are! I would love to know what time of day it was, because it appears to be broad daylight and my sister and I are already in sponge curlers! I would also love to know what the temperature was outside, because my cousins are wearing full-on summer outfits while the Smith kids are in long pants and long sleeved shirts!