A Wee Bit of an Update

I really should get this updated a little more regularly... but whatever works right. So here are a few pictures of our crazy clan this month. Father's day wrestling match... actually this is a common sight at our house... when ever Daddy has a few extra moments... he is usually ambushed.

Connor being oh so helpful putting away the clean laundry.

This is Ben's gold fish "Jelly Bean." He named it himself and it was the only fish to survive our family. (We started with three and the girl's fishes were both goners by morning). Then we went on vacation... but Jelly Bean still made it. We then bought in bulk, hoping a few would make it a little longer for the girls. They all were wimpy, and once again Jelly Bean had the tank to himself. So I thought I should take a picture of Ben with his fish before anything unforeseen happened. Oh the irony! Jelly Bean went to that big goldfish bowl in the sky only a few hours after this picture. But hey, you can't go wrong with a pet that only costs $0.28 and a free fish tank... it also gave us an chance to teach the kids about death and heaven. So, to make a long story longer... we found out that we are NOT fish people. (And they really smell!) But it was fun while it lasted...

Ben got his first tie and he is SO PROUD! He fell asleep with it in his hand the night he got it. He feels like such a big boy and looks like a mini Brett!

One of the big things here is the miners convention once a year. It is a big ta-do held in the convention center here in town... we just go for the free balloons.

Playing ball with Grandpa Conover... This guy has taught more "all stars" than anyone I know. Start them young right?

Connor and Grandma Conover watering her flowers. Gardening with Grandma is all part of every visit.

Toothless Madi (This clip is not for the faint of heart)

Madi's two front teeth have been loose for a few months, but have just kept hanging on. So she asked her uncle Nick to pull them out. He was all for it.

Vaction in Alaska

Brett had some business in Anchorage and he invited me to tag along for the fun of it. So we dropped our older three kids off at Grandma's house (bless her heart!) and we took off. Connor was not to into the plane ride, but other than that he was an angel. While Brett was at work, Connor and I went to places I knew Brett wouldn't want to go... like the Alaska Botanical Gardens and an Eskimo artifacts museum. After Brett finished up we did some great sight seeing... I'm just glad we didn't see any of these furry friends on any of our hikes!
I had the time of my life on this trip with Brett. It was so fun and such a nice break... but by day two, I was really missing my little ones.

We went biking along the coast. They have a beautiful 11 mile bike path that winds in and out of parks and woodland and follows the coast. (I got some really funny looks because I had Connor in the sling). It made things a little interesting but we had a great day!

We hiked up to a glacier. It was incredible the way it seemed to glow blue from inside and the intense winds that were created by the glacier itself. I was all for hiking up the the ice field above the glacier, but Brett said the 1,350 foot elevation change in a mile and a half might be a little much for that late in the day. Ha Ha (That's Connor in the sling... he lived in there on most of our outings).

Brett really needed a hug! We had to visit this gift shop because it had the worlds largest chocolate fountain. Yum Yum! I was hoping to go for a swim.