Nicole & Allie Dancing

It's so nice when my kids enjoy playing together. I love having them home for the summer, but it's hard too cause they don't get a lot of breaks from each other. Nicole & Allie decided today that they would dance together. They were trying all kinds of moves--dips, lifts, twists--they were pretty good. Most of all, they were having a great time & kept going for quite a while.

Great Weekend Trip

We took a great weekend trip to eastern Idaho. We made our first stop at the Twin Falls Temple open house. It is a beautiful temple, inside and out. I love being able to take my children to a temple open house so they can see what the inside looks like and we can explain a little more of what happens inside while they are actually there. They loved walking through it & thought the murals, chandeliers and etchings were amazing.

Twin Falls Temple


After walking through the temple, we drove about 5 minutes to this amazing water fall--Shoshone Falls. About 2 weeks earlier it was running at full force--it has gone down a lot since then, but it was still a beautiful site for us. We changed our clothes here & ate lunch then walked around for a little while. The mountain formations around the falls were amazing, too.

Shoshone Falls

Our next stop was the Craters of the Moon National Park. I went here when I was a little girl, but I didn't remember anything about it. There are no volcanoes here, but the earth opened up & lava came out & poured for miles over the land. It hardened forming many different formations & caves. The girls had a great time exploring the area, even though it was so hot outside. We didn't think we would walk around much, but the girls surprised us & we went all over.
Nicole & Allie walking up Inferno Cone. We walked up about 1/2 mile of it. The girls did a great job & wanted to keep going, but standing on black rocks in the hot sun was not a good combination while going uphill.


Walking on one of the trails towards the caves. The lava was really cool to look at--and it was so light weight. The girls liked seeing the sparkles in the lava.

Brooklyn liked riding on Jake's shoulders. She kept telling him "Better Daddy". We think she was fixing his hair and asking him if it felt better.

We went to the easiest cave for kids to explore. The other ones, we were told, you have to crawl on your hands & knees at the beginning before you can get to an opening where you can stand up. The girls loved this cave & it was the best choice for us. Someday I hope to go back & explore the others when the girls are older.

The girls like having their own suitcases & feeling independent rolling them around.

We drove around Idaho Falls a little bit & loved the scenery around the Idaho Falls Temple. The Church is amazing being able to find such beautiful areas to build their temples.


Our last stop was Rexburg, Idaho. We saw the new Rexburg Temple. It is set up on a hill next to BYU Idaho. You can see it from miles away. We were able to see all 4 temples in Idaho this weekend. My kids were proud of that.
Jake's cousin, Lisa, got married & they had a reception here, too. She looked beautiful & I'm so glad we were able to drive over there & support her & her new husband, Ryan. Unfortunately, I left my camera in the car & didn't get any pictures at the reception.
It was a fun, fast, eventful weekend & we had a great time. We haven't traveled much since coming back from Europe, so it was fun to do one of our quick weekend trips again. Hopefully this will get us back in the groove again & we can do some exploring in this part of the country.

Learning to Mow the Lawn

Jake got the girls out so he could teach them how to mow the lawn. They were all excited to learn & waited in line for their turn. They kept track of how far each one got to mow cause they wanted to make sure they got even time behind the lawn mower. Jake is great with the kids & teaching them how to work & have fun while doing it.

Jake's High Adventure

Jake went with about 6 Young Men and 5 other adults on a High Adventure trip down the Salmon River. They left early Monday morning & drove up to Riggins, Idaho (about 3 hours north) & met up with the guides. They had around 50 people total in their group & all of them were other scout groups--most from our Stake.
They got all their gear checked & sent their bags in a van to where they would camp for the night & then got ready to hit the river. They put their life jackets on, tightened them up & then the guides came around & tightened them even more--it was really hard to breathe. They got on their rafts (10 on each raft) and headed out. Jake had not white-watered before & he was really excited. They spent 3 days on the river and traveled 30 miles. Each day got a little better with the rapids. Jake wished he had a water-proof camera he could have taken on the raft. Next time, I guess. They all got plenty wet with some rapids even going all the way over them. It was a great bonding experience for all the guys & Jake is already thinking about when they should go again. He had a great time & had fun sharing his stories & pictures with us when he got home. We missed him, but know it was a great trip & a lot of fun for him.

Here's the whole gang--6 young men & 6 adults.

They were in charge of cooking breakfast for all 50 people Tues. AM. The food was provided, they just had to cook it up.

The camp site of night #2 along the Salmon River.

Loading up all the rafts after they were done. They just kept piling them up one right on top of the other. Once this group was done, the guides drove back to the start & began again with a whole new group.

The Salmon River.

Melissa's 11th Birthday

My sweet Melissa turned 11 today! I can't believe she is almost a teenager. I can't be that old! She has been so excited to grow up & these past few months I have really seen a change in her--both in physical appearance & maturing. I think she has grown at least 2 inches in the past 2 months. She is the best help with my other kids & I have loved having a babysitter at home. I try not to take advantage of her too often. =) She is really excited for Middle School and can't wait to be in the Young Woman's program next year.

Melissa requested for one of her presents this year to have breakfast in bed. She sees Jake & I get it & thought it would be fun for her, too. I think she really enjoyed it.

We went over the Grandma & Grandpa Yorgason's house to go swimming for a little bit. The water felt so good & the kids love jumping off the diving board. It's always fun to go to Grandma & Granpda's house & get big hugs from them.

Melissa got to choose what she wanted for dinner, so she decided to go out to eat. She first thought of Tepanyaki--a Japanese Steak House. Jake & I went there a few weeks ago & thought Allie & Brooklyn would probably not find much on the menu they would like, so they went to my sister's house. We took the 3 older girls & headed down there. This restaurant has been around a really long time (I remember going there in high school) and it looks that old. We told the kids not to worry cause the food is really good & they cook the food right in front of you. It's really entertaining. We got inside around 6:30 & were told that a table might be ready by 8 PM. I was shocked. Last time we went, it didn't get busy until around 7:30 so I thought we would have plenty of time. I didn't think we would need reservations at this place. I guess others don't mind the dumpiness of it either. Like I said, the food is really good. So, after checking another restaurant, Melissa decides to go to Olive Garden. It was now 7 PM & I thought for sure it would be at least a 30 minute wait (or more). My kids were hungry & I didn't know how much longer they would last. Poor Melissa--it's her birthday & we are just driving around trying to find some place to eat. We got to Olive Garden & we were told 10 minutes. I was shocked. It actually ended up being even less, so we were all very happy.

Melissa requested for her dessert to have her own cheesecake. She was so excited to eat it all on her own.

Happy Birthday Melissa!! I hope you had a wonderful day. You are loved by so many people. You are growing up to be a beautiful, caring, sensitive, understanding, thoughtful, spiritual, intelligent, talented young woman. Your parents are very proud of you & the decisions you make. We hope you continue to grow & mature into the person we know you can become! WE LOVE YOU, MISSY!!

Castlebury Dental

It's official!! Excavation will begin on Castlebury Dental this week & Jake will be on his way to opening up his own practice.


We went out to his lot tonight to have our own little groundbreaking ceremony. Jake has waited a long time for this to happen. He's had hurdles to jump with the right timing, building permits & finally his loan and now he can see his dream come to a reality. There is a lot of mixed emotions, but overall we are very excited & look forward to opening day.

The girls celebrated by letting go of their balloons & watched them float up into the sky.

We finished the night by eating donuts. The girls thought this was the highlight of the night.

His building is in a great location and the business park (Castlebury West Business Park)is really classy. I love the entrance to it & the landscaping is beautiful. His building will look really nice in there. I'll have to go back & take a picture of the business park sign when the sun is not so blinding.

I am really proud of Jake & all the hard work he has put into so far. There is a lot ahead of us and I know Jake will take it head on & handle the stresses. Here we go onto our next adventure!!!

4th of July

This year, we spent the 4th of July with Jake's family in Utah. We all went camping up at Deer Creek. Jake's dad brought his boat & jet skis, so we really enjoyed being out on the water to keep us cooled down.
The kids all had fun playing together & the adults enjoyed sitting around & visiting while watching the kids.
Eating is always a big part of being together & the s'mores was a huge hit with the kids. They were trying real hard to get the perfect golden brown marshmallow. There were many charred marshmallows, but it didn't keep them from eating any of them. I wasn't so excited about camping--I really don't like being in dirt & seeing my kids getting all dirty. I'm kind of a clean freak, I guess. It all turned out to be ok & taking a shower after camping is one of the best showers you can ever have.
We got to see the newest cousin, Chase, while we were there. He is being adopted by John & Courtney. He is so tiny--less than 5 lbs! I have never seen a baby so small. He was fun to hold & we all oohed & aahed over him. There is a picture of my baby, Brooklyn with Chase. She looks so big next to him!
Watching fireworks is something the kids all enjoyed. Hearing the loud pops, seeing the bright lights & hoping no one gets hurt. I love to watch a fireworks show put on by professionals, but sitting there on the side seeing the fireworks go off right in front of me always makes me nervous. There was one close call, but fortunately no one got hurt & we all had a good time.
Jake was excited to work on improving his wakeboarding skills. He wants to get better and he was able to get some advice from others on how to do certain tricks. He tried doing a flip & did pretty good for his first try. We'll have to get out on the water more so he can perfect it better.
Melissa & Brittany had their first experience of rock jumping. It doesn't seem that high when you are sitting in the boat, but once you get up there it's a different perspective. They were nervous, but it didn't take them too long to jump in. I was proud of them. It's fun to see them be more adventurous & try new things. Good job, girls. (pictures are not downloading--I'll keep trying)
I love the 4th of July! Ever since being a part of the military I have come to respect & love my country more. I get teary-eyed anytime I hear a patriotic song or see the military jets fly over head. What great sacrifices that have been made & so often they get little recognition. I am grateful to those who leave their families, put their lives on the line, & fight for those of us back home so we can feel safe, live freely & enjoy the blessings we have in this great land. I hope more Americans will see what we have & not take it for granted. I hope we will all be proud of who we are, stand united & want to do good for those that need our help.