Abrath Family Reunion 2008

This past week was our Abrath family reunion and we were lucky enough to go to the Ashtons cabin on Priest Lake. Although we were missing a few of us we still had a full house and an awesome time. The kids especially had fun four-wheeling, wake boarding, jet skiing and just hanging out. They caught a few fish, ate a truck load of food and went through at least a couple boxes of band aids. We played tons of family games, including a new game called "Runway" Tiana and Jake taught us that they learned at EFY(SO FUN!), and we even did crafts...believe it or not. We made little stuffed animals out of gloves and socks, and tie-dyed a million shirts and bandanas! It was a little stormy up there this time so luckily we had other things to keep us occupied. The storms were actually pretty awesome, in fact Jake got a few pics of the lightning that are pretty amazing. We took over 2000 pics... but here are a few highlights in the slide show below! The only thing that wasn't quite right is that Jacksen was not there of course...It's funny how the absence of just one person makes such a big difference. Zach and Jack would always come in from boating all dripping wet and bare footed and start in on the chips and salsa. It was fun to watch them interact and laugh. I will miss that.

Air Conditioner Update!!

Well, I have had several people ask if we got our air conditioner fixed so I thought I would post an update! Yes... it is finally working and seems to be working well so far. What a relief and a blessing to have an air conditioner. You would think it wouldn't be such an inconvenience but it was tough. Not only hot, but my house was just a dust bowl. I am still finding places covered in dust...places I wouldn't normally dust! It was hard to cook, so meals were fast and easy stove top or crock pot meals! Even the crock pot heated the kitchen up though. Anyway, it is working and things are feeling more normal again and I am sooooooo relieved!! Thanks to David for making a thousand phone calls long distance to get people out here to fix things, and for all the hours he spent arguing with the warranty co. etc. You Rock!!

Bored kids!

I can't believe I am posting these pics but I just had too! The other night Jake and Brannigan got bored! Jake started playing with my hair to bug me and before you know it...this happened! It was completely silly and I loved it! It just got goofier and goofier too. They put all kinds of things in my there. At one point I think I had a fork in my hair! It was also a little painful. Brannigan and Jake... I really hope you aren't planning on doing hair for a living!! :)

Kids in Hawaii!

My kids just got back from EFY this morning! They had a great time of course and made tons of friends. Overall I think they had a great experience and just might have learned something...I hope! I think mostly they had fun going on a trip together without mom and dad and have some great stories, so make sure and ask them to share when you see them! David picked them up from BYU, so he took them to the beach, a flea market, and did some sight seeing. They really had fun with dad and got some fun souvenirs. Check out those sunglasses!!

Landon turns "13"

On July 12th Landon turns 13! Landon is the youngest of our kids and so it's hard to believe he is already 13. It took him a long time to decide what he wanted for his birthday. He kept going back and forth between a couple different things, but finally decided on a new skate board and a spare deck. He has to put it together, which for him is the best part! Lan is a mover and a shaker so skating is perfect for him and from what I understand is pretty good. He really loves skating! He especially loves going to the skatepark when Zach will go and skate with him. Happy Birthday Landon!!

This is my Aunt Julie. She was in town today on one of her many stops on her summer road trip to Albuquerque. I don't get to see her very often so having her here even for a day was great! My cousin Brannigan came with her so the boys took him out four wheeling and to jump in the river, and they seemed to have a good time. He only has a few scrapes and bruises from a small crash, but he is already recovering from a concussion so he doesn't remember a thing! Scary... but true! Julie and I didn't do much, but it was just really nice to have her here. We did shop for shoes a little, which hello...is always awesome!!

Look out Repairmen!

Well our air conditioning went out again! David called the repair company last night on the phone and well...my children were educated on the use of language! Good and bad! It's been an eight weeks and we are still trying to get this taken care of. Frustrating but at least the weather is nice enough right now that we aren't dying. I pity the repairmen though if they don't get out here tomarrow to get this fixed! To get another phone call from David wouldn't be good!

Happy July 4th!

We finally got our air conditioning fixed and it seems to be working beautifully. What a relief! A few of the kids and David are up at our cabin for the 4th. David has been working on fixing things up out there. He loves doing that and it is really looking great. Yesterday we were able to have dinner in Post Falls at my in-laws home. Davids Aunt Patti and Uncle Don were up visiting from California and it was nice to see them and catch up a little. Susan, Davids mom, always does a nice job with dinner and it was a very relaxing night. Thanks Ray & Susan!

Lacy & Joy

My new favorite Picture! I just got this picture from Mallory of my mom meeting her first great granddaughter for the first time. So sweet!

Road Rash

Landon tried Jakes long board out yesterday and got a small case of the road rash. It looks pretty good here actually but it was pretty gruesome yesterday. He got all fixed up and nothing is infected surprisingly...Thanks to Sis. Madison! Nothing stops Lan though... he is still on the go!

Pioneers?...Not us!

Last night the Myers gang gave up and went to a hotel! Last week our air conditioning died and we have been dealing with it....until last night. Once our thermostat reached 92degrees with the windows open and fans going we gave up. Once again thanks to dads hotel points we were able to get a few days at a hotel. It was just too miserable!! Another thing was with the wind storm our house looks like a dust bowl. Oh well, no biggie. They say it should get fixed by Wednesday and we are crossing our fingers. I think the kids would prefer the hotel however, they are loving the swim pool and vending machines.

G'ma Joy in Albuquerque, New Mexico Mission

My mom left in February to serve a mission in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A few months later I was able to go visit her for a few days and see where she is serving. She is serving in the mission home there and loves it. Albuquerque is a beautiful city. I really loved it! It is in the mountains and very green surprisingly. It is a very clean city with a beautiful history. We visited Old town, and rode the tram up top 10,000ft above sea level. We also went up to the temple and watched the sun go down. It was amazing.

Today we had a little mini-Abrath reunion! Jason, Mallory, and Lacy were home for a few days so we got to spend the day with them at Marys. It was just a casual day to hang out and be together. Lacy is the sweetest baby! Hard to believe I am a great-aunt!!


Grandma Sue even brought Max...her new addition to the family!

New Friends....Old Friends!

Zacho just finished band camp at BYU and of course he loved it!! Him and Taryn had a blast and the final concert was awesome. According to dad their room had no space that wasn't junk food or garbage, so they even experienced the full beauty of the dorms!