surprise surprise

So yea, you are reading this right....MOM. :)  We are having a wonderful summer, and miss seeing everyone for great visits, great food, great Frisbee golf, great dry bed floating, great birthday parties, and everything else that we did while everyone was in Idaho.  I finished my summer term at BYUI and only 2 more semesters to go.  Now Amanda and I are having a great 7 week off break together.  We just spent a fun week in Oregon with the Dursts.  We were so busy doing fun stuff, and were wore out by the end of each day, but had so so much fun, from a wonderful beach day to the 4T trail with lots of kids, to picking blueberries and everything else.  We are in Washington now, spending a week with Amanda's family, and have already eaten at King's Row( a favorite burger spot for Amanda growing up).  Amanda has really enjoyed teaching college, and just signed her contract for year 2.  It really helps me too, with free tuition.  We have had a hot summer so far and more to come I'm sure.  The kids are already finished with soccer, and school is fast approaching for THREE kids now. crazy.  jack got accepted into the preschool at BYUI, so it will be fun having him in mine and Amanda's buildings we use most up there.  I will add some pictures so you can see some stuff we have been doing, we will write more often.  :) maybe, The transplanted Texan Christensen's in Idaho. :)

the kids helping with dinner

Multnomah Falls on our trip

Jack being a brother :)

Cole was so good to play with the kids

yummm fresh picked blueberries

 On the tram on the 4T in Portland

Jack wanted me to add a picture of the banana slug up the hike

Avary on her date with daddy

Mo's (nuff said)

on the train

halfway through our hike in Portland

what was I thinking?

Jack was loving every minute of having his cousins to play with

roller skating party for Clara

amazing fun.  want to do again soon

Im the speck :)

safe landing

Mostly pictures

This one is just to make you smile.  Did it make you smile?
 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I wrote 28 thousand words on the blog tonight.  I'll count that since I'm so tired and sitting in bed.
And Kristie is doing pretty good.  She is bored of lying in bed so we let her out a few times a day to walk around, but then its back in the kennel for more rest and recuperation.
It was too fun in Idaho.  I'm homesick already.  Summer is going to be a favorite tradition for the Texas Christensens.

Back To Normal?

Well, everyone has been gone for a while now, and it is actually quite sad..... I have to admit to shedding a few tears as you each left.  I am such a maudlin old lady.  ( as in weakly and effusively sentimental, not drunk enough to be silly..... :)  )  I'm sure it feels good for all of you to be back to "normal".  I am so proud of all of you and the lives you have made  for yourselves!  I'm glad you all work so hard at making your lives work.  I say that because I am well aware that it takes a lot of work and give and take and working together to accomplish what you each have.  I love my big wonderful family!

Tomorrow I am going to call someone about taking the large tree branch that fell on my deck down.  It is still connected to the tree trunk, and is rather high up.  A little too dangerous for someone who doesn't have the proper equipment I'm thinking.  It appears that it is the same branch that Josh and Tyler cut off.  Maybe it had already started to split, and that is why it was on the roof!?

Chatin has been causing a few problems in the neighborhood....  actually just more of the same, but people have been calling the authorities.....  lots of animals getting out of fenced in fields, etc.  His Mother came into Sacrament meeting today hunting for him.  She was in her tank top with all of her tattoos exposed, and she was more than a little upset.  Luckily, Donetta got up to talk to her and settled her down a bit.  They seem to think everyone has it in for them, and are quite defensive.  Quite sad, actually....  in reality, everyone has been extremely patient.

This weekend I went to Clarkston for a visit.  I haven't been there for awhile, so it was really fun to see all of the changes in the  Peterson house!  I interrupted Aleisa's major cleaning plans, but it was still fun to visit.  ( for me anyway! :)  )

Lots of changes going on at work.  Not sure what to expect tomorrow.

I hope everyone soon gets back into the habit of the weekly blog.....  miss hearing from all of you!

Also hope Kristie is healing well and feeling better every day!

Love to all!

 

Hello from Havasu....

School starts tomorrow.  That's all. 

Oh- and one more thing----When is everyone going to start posting regularly again?!?!  We miss reading about what all of you are doing :)

I found this onesie for Ryder at Target
on our way home from Colorado...
thought it was fitting for our family :)