{Catch-Up #1- Yuba with the OK Dearden's}

I'm super behind on blogging, but there are a few things I want to make sure I blog about so it will be preserved in the bloggy book (when I finally get it printed, yet another place I'm a slacker) so it's catch-up week! Hopefully I can get all caught up this week so we can return to our regularly scheduled blogging life! Be prepared for (hopefully) a post or two everyday.

Back in July.... yes, JULY! Derrick's brother Nick and his cute little family came out from Oklahoma (thus, the OK Dearden's.... I'm not at all sayin' they are just merely ok) for a week to visit. They spent the first half of the time here at Ted and Sheri's (Derrick's dad) and the last half of their trip in West Bountiful at Jeannie & Mike's (Derrick's mom). While they were here, we (our little family, Nick, Amber & Kanyon and my little sister-in-law Sydney) took a little trip to Yuba Lake for the afternoon. Honestly it wasn't the best day at the lake, but the kids had fun, so it was worth it!

Who wants to ride on the tube, when it makes the perfect play island?

Miss C
Kaleb gettin' some sun on the tube!
Kaleb & Kanyon chillin in the boat!

Mr. Kanyon loved the water!

Brock found the mud.... ICK!

Nick and Kanyon..... I'm sure you all knew that's what the life jacket strap was for, right?

Miss Sydney (who is growing up WAY too quick)

After the lake we headed back to Ted and Sheri's for yummy dinner. Like I always say, even a bad day at the lake beats a day at home! I had to crack up at Derrick taking Nick for a ride on the tube.... they may be in their 30's but it didn't show.... I could just see them as teenagers again, trying to get the best of one another.

{Are ya wonderin' where I've gone?}

I'm stuck in the kitchen.....

and that's just this week, there was more prior to all that! I'm running out of jars, so hopefully I'll return soon!

{15 YEARS}

Today it's been 15 years since Derrick and I were married! How could that be? It seems like just yesterday, and yet I feel like we've been together forever.

I know you are all dying to know some new things about us, so I'm going to share!-I think it's one of Derrick's goals in life, to make me live outside my comfort zone and learn to enjoy it. Whether it's taking a four-wheeling trail that I'd really rather not drive or learning to enjoy being on the boat and even in the water, I've come along way! And most of the time, I do enjoy myself!

-Derrick is a hard worker and he gives everything he does 100%! No matter if it's teaching the kids at school or mechanic work at the garage or just things around the house, he's always busy! A teacher was the last thing I would have imagined Derrick growing up to be when I married him. In fact, I thought he was kidding when he told me that's what he'd decided on, and I laughed. Not only did he go on to finish his degree in Education, he got his masters too....and I must admit, is a pretty great teacher!

-Derrick makes me laugh....at him, at myself or just in general!

-Derrick is silly, which makes me laugh!
-Derrick is very supportive of me and the kids. He supports me in things that may not be important to him, but he knows they are to me, and that means a lot to me!

-Derrick is my traveling partner. He worked for the airlines to put himself through school. As a result, we've had the chance to travel to places we otherwise wouldn't have been able too. There's no one else I'd rather have those memories with!

-When Derrick decided to do something, he does it and always does it well. He's built our family two beautiful homes. I was terrified when he decided he wanted to sell our home in Santaquin, build a new home and be the general contractor on that home. That was a learning experience for both of us (I even learned to cut brick and install hardwood floors), but one of the most important lessons I learned was to trust in my husband and his abilities!

-Derrick and I are a team, and we work well together (most of the time).

-We have some pretty cute kids and Derrick is great dad!

-Derrick has skills! All kinds of them- house building, car fixing, you name it, my man can do it!

-Derrick is forgiving!

- We balance each other, especially when it comes to money. He has no problem spending, and I'm in love with finding a bargain! But Derrick always has a plan when he does spend money, and he follows through with that plan, usually paying everything off early!

-Derrick is spontaneous, and I've learned to adjust to his spontaneity and enjoy it!

-My life has been full of surprises these past 15 years, some of which include.... Lizards (which were brought home last night and are currently in my basement), snakes, bats, tarantulas, and toads, just to name a few. My man is always bringing home creepy crawly treasures!

- I can't say that these 15 years have been perfect and wonderful in every way, we've definitely had our ups and downs. But through each of those, we've grown together and I'm thankful for all of them! Happy Anniversary Babe!

{That's for the Birds} **EDITED**

Are the rest of you as busy as I feel in the summer? Isn't summer supposed to be a break? I guess what counts as a break to the kids, isn't the same thing for all us mama's! I've got lots of things to share, but no time to sit down edit my pictures and type up a post, let alone to organize my thoughts.

But the kids say I have to share this little but of fun that we've been waiting on for awhile at our house.

We first noticed this Killdeer bird hanging out just to the side of our driveway almost a month ago. We mentioned how weird it was that it stuck so close. A few days later Derrick realized why, it had a nest with 4 eggs there. I couldn't believe how well they blended with the rocks, I'd look away and when I looked back they seemed to be gone. Day after day, she sat on the eggs, through the 100 degree temperatures and rain and hail storms.... it looked pretty miserable to me! I figured when the kids realized that there were eggs out there, that there was no way they end up hatching, but they surprised me and were very good not to bother them!
The dad also hung around, and every so often you'd see them trade places for a bit. If you approached the nest, the killdeer suddenly seemed to develop a broken wing. It struggled in front of you, as if it could barely walk, let alone fly with one or both wings drag pitifully on the ground, while letting out an earsplitting squawk! I had almost decided that the eggs weren't going to hatch, but when we pulled in today Carlie said she saw a little bird. I honestly didn't really believe her, since she's said that a few times before, but sure enough........ **four** fuzzy little baby killdeers that look like little miniatures of there parents! (One didn't make it, darn it!) **Guess what......the one I thought didn't make it really did!**YEA!
Isn't he adorable? I was amazed that they are running all around in and out of the nest! The kids were super excited and Miss Carlie had to call her dad at work to tell him all about them.
I guess we're just bird magnets around here..... just last week a swallow nest appeared on my front porch and before we could get rid of it, they laid eggs! I guess we have something else for the kids to look forward to now!** Ok, just one more bird story.....I'm not sure how I could have forgotten this one? Last month I ran downstairs to change the laundry and as I walked through the family room heard a loud scratching noise, yes, it did kind of freak me out! So, upon further investigation, I realized that it was coming from the wood burning stove pipe, and something was stuck in there. I called Derrick and he assured me he'd come home for lunch and check it out (lunch was like 4 hours away). When he finally got home and after some tugging and pulling guess what he pulled out.....a bird all covered in soot, who needs a chimney sweep!?!?!**

{Lake Powell}

A few weeks ago, actually it was on the Fourth, as we were watching the parade, Derrick's cousin Shelli put her arm around me and told me, " Not this Wed., but the next, we're going on a little trip. You probably want to bring some food, and a swimsuit would be nice, I bet Derrick will hook up the boat and you may want a tent. Nod your head and say yes." I didn't say yes, but I didn't say no either. I did mention that he needed to talk to his boss (his dad) and see about getting work off, but she so sweetly reminded me, that his boss at his "real" job (who may just happen to be her husband) would really like it if we came along. Derrick and I talked about it, but it really wasn't the best time.....there were a lot of cons, we had some things planned not to long after we got back, money, the kids weren't sure, actually one flat out refused to go and the other said he'd go, but not get in the water AT ALL, honestly the timing just wasn't the best. We'd pretty much decided not to go until the Monday before they left when Derrick just announced that we really needed to just do something as a family. It was settled we were going. Well, then he came home for lunch and the car died in front of the house. When he got looking at it, there was antifreeze in the oil.... apparently that's not a good thing. I'll be honest, my stress level went up a bit, but we were still going!

So we loaded up the boat, the Tahoe, the kids and made a quick stop in Richfield for groceries and off we went. I wasn't sure what to expect, and have I mentioned that while I do love the boat, I'm not especially fond of the water? We finally made it to the campground at 10 or so and proceeded to set up out tent in the dark. Did I mention that it was HOT, even at ten pm? Yep, it was!

Derrick caught a pretty big lizard on the bathroom wall, and Kaleb was in heaven..... He officially loved Lake Powell now!
The next morning (Thursday) we unloaded the boats and headed out.

I think this may have been one of the only times all my kids were in our boat at one time, the Richardson family boat became the place to be...... I guess it's more fun to go with someone else, especially the older cousins. Carlie was Shelli Catherine's little shadow, and if she couldn't find her, then she latched on to Andrew or Easton. They were all so good to my kids!

The scenery was BEAUTIFUL! Derrick kept saying that whoever thought to make a lake there was brilliant! It really was amazing!

I have to admit I almost had a heart attack when Derrick pointed out that the depth gauge said 381 feet! A few minutes after I took that picture it said 438!?! Did I mention that I really don't like deep water? I just had to make myself not think about it. One thing I did love.... can you see that the water temperature was 81 fantastically wonderfully warm degrees? Yep, loved that!

That afternoon we hiked up to Rainbow Bridge. It was definitely worth the hike in the heat!

Aren't those some pretty cute kiddos? From there were headed over to Dangling Rope marina. It's a floating marina in the middle of nowhere. There is a little gift shop there, a gas station and a little eatery. We got some more ice for the coolers, and some ice cream! (and I forgot to take a picture).

Friday we went to Forgotten Canyon to check out the Indian Ruins that are built into the cliffs there. ~The Dearden Clan~

We tied up the boats (ours is the one on the upper right hand side,it looks pretty tiny) and then had to swim up the channel you can see, then hike up the mountain a ways. It was definitely worth it. Not only were there ruins impressive, but the view was fantastic!

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing and exploring. Kaleb decided that he'd much rather surf on the tube than ride it the regular way?!? At one point we had a boat full of college age kids following us to watch him and cheering him on. I was cracking up when we heard them yell "GO little dude!"

We also spent some time playing on the cliffs and everyone took at least one turn jumping. Ok, I took one turn (I can say I did it, but it isn't on my list of things I must do again) and everyone else took many, many turns. I was amazed, on our trip to Sand Hollow a month ago, none of the kids even wanted to get in the water, let alone tube, or jump! I don't know what magically changed, but I was proud of them!

All the kids.... Back- Kaleb, Andrew, Brock. Front- Easton, Carlie and Shelli Catherine

I'm not sure why we didn't take a picture of the whole group? Friday night Derrick's cousins Randy and Doug, and his girlfriend Amanda showed up. Joyce and Errol cooked us all dinner and we sat around and visited. George and Shelli brought their snow cone machine and both nights we devoured snow cone after snow cone. I think I would have been happy just to have snow cones for dinner it was so hot!

Saturday we went back out on that lake for just a little bit, and the we finally got Brock on the tube. This picture cracks me up..... how different are my boys? One blonde, one dark, one with the most terrified look on his face, the other loving it?!?!

But we finally got him to smile, and I think he actually was enjoying himself! And of course Kaleb just couldn't ride along, he had to stand up..... silly boy!

Kaleb even decided to kneeboard that afternoon. He had done it a few times last year, but had always started from a sandy beach with help. Well, there weren't any sandy beached around, so he decided to try starting on his stomach and pulling himself up with the boat going, and HE DID IT! I was so proud of him!

That afternoon we loaded up and headed on the long drive home!

SO, 40 gallons of gas for the boat, 48 bottles of water, 12 bags of ice, 2 bottles of sunscreen, lots of hours in the car, and a few minor sunburns (not too bad considering) later........ I can honestly say-

I ♥ Lake Powell!!!

and I can guarantee that won't be our last trip!

{Gratitude}

Today has been one of those days that make you take a step back and look at all the things you are truly blessed with. It's been way to long since I've sat down and done a gratitude post and that makes me sad. I picked just a few off my list of things I've been thinking of to share with you today!

Girls Night Out

I'm a big believer in girls nights out......weather it's a Bunko night or Eclipse and dinner with the girls, I need it and I look forward to it! We had a great time last week at the movie, Eclipse of course, dinner and then hanging out at Ann's afterwards.

My Hardworking Man

You would think that since my Husband is a teacher, I might just look forward to the summer break......not so much. Just because he gets a break from his "real" job doesn't mean I see him any more this time of year. He actually works two jobs through the summer, and longer hours. I'm not complaining, I'm thankful that Derrick is such a hard worker and I love him for that!

Family Time

One thing I love about this time of year is four wheeler rides almost every evening. We all hop on the bikes and take the dog for a run or just head up the canyon a little way. Of course the boys favorite little detour is through the water and they're getting pretty good at making a splash! Derrick brought home a new (to us) two-up a few weeks ago, and now Brock has decided that I need to ride with Dad and he's taking over my bike??? We'll see about that?

Good Friends

I had the chance to spend part of today at the funeral of my friend Amy that I blogged about here a few months back. As sad as the day was, it was an amazing tribute to an even more amazing lady. All of you should go to her blog and read the advice that she and her husband, Gary have shared, they are truly amazing people and when I grow up I want to be just like Amy! While there, I also got to see friends that I haven't seen for sometime. I am thankful to have so many great people that I consider friends, who lift me up and are examples to me. Some of them I see and talk to often, others it's been years, and some of my blog friends I've yet to meet, but each of you inspire me and make me want to be a better person!

Birthday Love

Isn't my cake ADORABLE.......yep, I have a talented sister! Thank you all for your sweet birthday wishes, you made my day!

Freedom

I am truly grateful to live in a free country, and to those who have made that possible. I'll admit, every time I hear our National Anthem, I cry. We are blessed!

Morning Walks

My mom, Lisa and I have been meeting for a morning walk for the last month or so. I know I've said before how much I love mornings.......ummm, not at all! But, knowing that my mom is waiting out front (and watering my flowers if I'm too slow) gets me up and going. We meet Lisa at the corner and off we go. As much as I need the exercise, that's not really why I keep going..... it's the time I get to visit with my mom and my sister, time that I cherish! They are truly two of my best friends, and for that I'm grateful!

June 30th, 1950
Harold & NaDean Beckstrand~ 2010

My Grandparents

My sweet grandparents celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary this past week! I am grateful for the example they have been to me, for the chance I had to grow up just four blocks from them, and that my children now get to grow up just four blocks from them. Aren't they adorable?