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.
Halloween is coming in a month, and Mitch who is a huge Batman fan wants to be the Joker for Halloween. Well, he didn't want a cheesy costume and since purple suits are seriously hard to come by... I decided to make him one. It is not finished but I am proud to say it is looking pretty good...surprisingly! I haven't sewn in awhile and have never made a jacket before so I even surprised myself. It looks even better on him and the most important part is that he loves it!!! Stay tuned and hopefully I will get some good pics of the finished product!
Landon had his first cross country meet today and he did great! He ran a 2.5 mile race and he placed 6th. His time was 14:17 which is awesome! Good job Lan!
I am so excited about this book I had to share! If you haven't read this you should. Mary gave it to me and has talked about it a lot. She loves Rabbi Shmuley! In the doctors office this morning, waiting to find out that Zach still has an ear infection and tonsilitis...Yuk!, I started to read it. I totally finished it. It is small so that's not surprising, but what I did find it surprising is that I really love this parenting book. I usually feel crappy and overwhelmed when I read parenting books, but Rabbi Shmuley is brilliant. It's full of great stories, examples, and thoughts. I love it...it's my new favorite! Read it...you'll love it!!!
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!! :) 
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!!
