Balloon Festival

My mom's birthday is this weekend and we decided to celebrate by attending a hot air balloon festival in Northern California. We were out the hotel door by 5:30am and mezmorized by these incredibly large beauties. The kids got to ride in one of the balloons, participe in a race (Dylan came in 2nd and Natalie in 5th place), watch clowns perform, touch a snake, turtles, and rabbits, plus eat fun food all morning long. What a great day! Thanks, Mom!!

Stranger??? Anxiety

I know it's typical for children Camille's age to have Stranger Anxiety, however, my dad and my brother are anything but strangers. We are with them several times a week. But this hasn't changed Camille's perception. Any time my dad or my brother come close to her, she clings to me or cries. I thought we might have passed this stage so I had my brother get her out of her stroller yesterday morning. Nope.

First Day of School

My house is so quiet right now. I ALMOST don't know what to do with myself!!!! Yes, it is the first day of school and 3 of my 4 kids are across the street in their classrooms. This morning was hillarious. Allyson & Natalie were pros: fixing their own breakfasts, packing their own lunches, stuffing their own backpacks. Then there was Amanda who was talking NON-STOP: "I think I'll hold my backpack with my left hand. I know I write with my right hand and I usually would hold my backpack with my right hand but today I'll use my left hand." "Do we have bangs when we are babies? Do you think my bangs are part of my baby hair?" "I know I need to make some new friends but I might be a little shy." Boy, does her teacher have a great surprise waiting!!!!

Mom's Favorite Time of Day

Need I say more????

Why do we buy toys?

It's amazing that stores like Toys R Us exist. It's because we, as parents, are just a little dense. We believe that our children want toys. The reality is, an old box is much more fun (and free!).

Protect Traditional Marriage

We in California are in quite a fight. Our November ballot will include a proposition which, if passed, will amend the California constitution to define marriage between a man and a woman.

A coaltion has been established to help promote this proposition and to explain the ramifications of such an issue. In all reality the voters of California said they wanted marriage to be defined as being between a man and a woman in 2000 (proposition 22). This passed with 61% of the people in favor of such a definition. But proposition 22 was only a statue and a few judges decided to overturn the voice of the people and made same-sex marriage legal earlier this year.

For those of you who believe in traditional marriage I encourage you to participate. We're walking voter precincts and could use your help. If you are out of state you can read more about the coaltion at http://www.protectmarriage.com/ and contribute in other ways.

Here's a recent article from Fresno. http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/27265479.html

Give me MORE, Dad

Camille was enjoying Troy's lemonade so much that we just had to capture her on video.

Our Summer Craze

Natalie's first performance of "Once Upon a Mattress" was tonight and she was OUTSTANDING! She's been rehearsing for 15-25 hours per week with her cast in preparation for this show since July 14. Whew!

Possible Answers

First of all THANKS to all of you who helped with this school project. School starts on Monday so we'll find what answer the teacher has deemed as "correct" but we believe the word is

undERGROund

Puzzlemania

This is probably cheating but Natalie's new teacher has given her a quiz for the first day of school and we're reaching out to all of you for help.

1. The letters E,G,O,R,R appear in the middle of a word
2. The first and last letters of the word are missing and they are identical.

School starts on Monday. Now stop all of that productive work you're doing and just have fun trying to solve our puzzle.

We all scream for ice cream

Ok, it's a definite weakness. Our entire little family LOVES ice cream. And the smiles that come as a result of this sinful treat are priceless. See what I mean.

This special time of year

The first time I ever bought grapes from a grocery store was when I left home for college. Until that time we had access to all the grapes our hearts desired thanks to my grandpa. Grandpa Boyd has 200 acres of grapes. It's his hobby and he is at home in the middle of those vines. Yesterday he took me and my brother out to the vineyard to get some grapes.... the most delicious grapes you have ever tasted. Grocery stores can not offer such treats because they are too ripe to sell. Those of you with your own gardens know exactly what I'm talking about.

Girls....Girls......Girls.......

On the Boyd side of our family the girls outnumber the boys 7 to 3 and on the Scribner side it's 9 to 5. Obviously we have contributed significantly to the imbalance. But those girls sure have fun together and add some spice to life. Here are Amanda, Mallori & Allyson with Camille.

Cousins are the Best!

Camille had lots of help opening her presents last night. Let's see...... Amanda, Mallori, Allyson, Trent & Mikey all volunteered to rip wrapping paper, slice tape and break boxes so Camille could get to her presents more quickly. Then those wonderful cousins were so generous to help her PLAY with those new toys too.

Look Who's One

Yesterday we celebrated Camille's first birthday. Our little one is growing up quickly.

Thank Heavens............

I must say that life has been super busy around here this summer. Troy's in the bishopric. I'm in the stake YW presidency. The girls have both been participating in musicals with 3 hour daily rehearsals Monday through Friday. Girl's Camp, Youth Conference, Prop 8 (California's marriage initiative), creating a musical, starting a new business, building an office space, etc. So all I have to say is "Thank Heavens for Little Girls" to make us stop and just SMILE a little more.

I actually exist

Ok, so here's a current picture of me for all of you friends and family that live far away. I thought you might enjoy seeing the sugar snap pea piece stuck in my tooth, my beautiful double chin and the ranch dressing that EXPLODED all over my face, hair & clothes at our picnic in the mountains yesterday.

Kings Canyon National Park

We are so blessed to be only 55 miles away from several National Parks. So yesterday we hopped in the car with my grandpa and went to the mountains for the day. Our first stop was at the Giant Sequoias. I had no idea they are as tall as the Statue of Liberty. The rest of our adventure included a picnic feast, a hike to a waterfall, and a tour of a cave. But the best part was having the day with Great Grandpa (91 years old!) and my cousin Josh.

Yeah - We're ready for bed....

Don't they just look wiped out, tired and ready to hop into bed? Oh, wait, that would be describing ME. They three had all the energy in the world. I'm happy to report that since I'm actually posting a blog they truly are all asleep now. I love this time of the day.

Center of Attention

We are having so much fun with this little girl. Her personality just beams though if she doesn't know you then you're not going to see much beyond a mild scowl. This evening we put her in the middle of the table and just let her entertain us. Way to go, Camille!

We're Ready

This is Troy with my niece, Madilyn (aka Jellybean). We just love babies and our baby is going to be one on August 13 so maybe it is time for another one. Perhaps a boy is waiting to join our family....... you think???

I love these faces

Are these two cute, or what? Look at those smiles. We happened to be at one of Allyson's softball games and it was FREEZING outside so these two bundled up.

Performing in Mulan

This summer we endeavored on a new experience. Both Allyson & Natalie decided to participate in a local children's theater group. see www.cmtworks.com Allyson has been performing as part of the ensemble in Mulan, Jr. What a fantastic time she has had learning songs & dances and also making tons of new friends.

What the heck am I doing?

Isn't this precious? The reality is that I needed to get ready for church and this kept Camille occupied. What does a roll of toilet paper cost anyway? It was worth every penny.

P.S. I'm sitting here with a towel on my head and 30 minutes to get out the door with kids in tow. So, really, what am I doing? Starting my blog! Yes, crazy. Will all of you that wanted this please come visit me in the Mental Ward when I seriously lose it?