The Grotto

Taking a break 30 seconds in-this is the point where I thought, oh boy, this might be a loooong hikeCrossing the bridge-and I think Dax has to go
We made it to the waterfall!
Ash spent the whole time throwing every rock he could pick up

Last Friday we hiked up to the Grotto in Payson canyon with my friend Jimi and her adorable boys, Hayden and Rylan. It was so much fun! It's a pretty short hike but with a lot of fun adventure-y stuff for the boys. The found several "short cuts" from the trail which were really long cuts up a steep hill and back to the path again, and they had to cross the raging river on a log twice. They definitely felt like Indiana Jones. At 21 months, Asher thinks he is at least 6 years old. There were some pretty steep up and downs on the trail, but he WOULD NOT hold my hand or let me help him. He fell flat about 26 times but was very tough and now has some scars to impress the girls. The waterfall was perfect to splash around in and the boys even found some dinosaur bones to bring home. Literally, Hayes carried an entire backpack full or rocks all the way back to the car without once say he was so tired he couldn't take it anymore, which is what he usually says. And I have to thank Jimi for inviting us because my mom and Tyler both told me what a good mom I am for doing fun things with the boys. I had no idea I had them so fooled-especially Tyler! He's around to witness all the meaness. Secretly my reason for taking the boys anywhere is usually totally selfish-its because at home THEY DRIVE ME CRAZY!!! So thank you, Jimi, for helping me keep up the act:) Plus, we had a blast.

Remember when...

		I will marry batman.
		After a wild honeymoon, We will settle down in the beach in our fabulous House.
		We will have 7 kid(s) together.
		Our family will zoom around in a peach mini coop.
		I will spend my days as a magician, and live happily ever after.

I stole this from Jennifer Rawlings because I loved MASH! And I have to say, things haven't changed that much. It was still fun and I still did it about nine times in a row trying to get it to come out perfect (not quite-I mean batman is pretty hot, but didn't he just beat him mom and sister or something? Honey, you are way better than batman:) Does anyone else remember folding the paper into that thing and how much fun it was? It also made me remember how we used to make our "futures" by cutting pictures out of magazines of what we would look like grown up, our husbands, our wedding, our house, etc, etc, etc. Boy, had I only known back then how close I would really come! I mean, my life could totally be cut from a magazine and idealized by young girls! Seriously. One other thing this made me remember is that we also used to love movie trivia and made up our own game called-get ready, we really flexed our creative muscles here: "The Movie Guessing Game". So here's a really good one from one our our all time favorite movies: "Oh why-o why-o why-o did I ever leave Ohio?" Let me know if you remeber!

Woo-Hooo!

Today there is a true cause for celebration: the Chevron by our house finally opened! Woo-Hoo! We have been staking it out and eyeing it for signs of life ever since they broke ground. There is just something so right about knowing that my next Pepsi is always only 60 seconds away:) Love it!

Snowbird!

You know summer has finally arrived when it's time for Snowbird! Tyler's family has been going there for a week every summer since he was little and now its a family favorite. The boys can't wait for it and they talk about it all year long. A whole week of eating, swimming, fishing, playing games, more eating, you get the picture. And here's a special shout out to Angie and Colby, because thanks to them buying a bigger place, the Geldmacher's (both sets) finally got their own room! Grandpa and Grandma have always been very generous and let the moochers (us) share their room and we are very thankful and always have fun, but I must say it's not too shabby to have your own spot to park it(even though its not really ours). We had such a good time, everyone was a little sad to go home. Dax even squeezed out a few tears on Friday night because he was already missing everyone. And I can't sign off without my favorite new quote "Oh my freak. Oh my hell" Sorry, Hiedi if I'm over doing it-you've just gotta love these little boys and their PG ferteen transformer movies :)Ok, so I didn't realize this would be the first picture, but hey that's a cake! Happy Birthday Tyler
Haysies first time on the climbing wall
Dax is finally driving alone!
backflips

More Snowbird

Grandpa's Hike
At the top of the tram
Cousins at the Alpine slide
The fishing pond
Rupps Rockets-I loved this picture. Check out every adult

I Repeat: We DO NOT Have the Mumps!!!

The day after we got back from Yuba, Ash woke up looking pretty scary. Lets just say his face was swollen not beyond recognition, but definitely to the point of near-deformity. I'm not overreacting-look at the picture! Needless to say, it freaked me out and we ran to see the doctor. "Mumps," he said. No way! We are all immunized! Who gets the mumps?! Seriously, I didn't think they even really existed anymore. I've never know ANYONE who was sick with the mumps. The Dr. sent us for a blood test and we had to sweat it out for four days- freaking out anyone with small children who might be capable of contracting our disease, by the way-to find out its NOT THE MUMPS! Hooray! What did he have? Good question. Thankfully whatever it was is now gone. And no, Broc, I don't know what's up with my disease-ridden family:)

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Tyler is 32 tomorrow-and he's got some greys to prove it :) So, in honor of his birthday, I decided count down my Top Ten favorites about Tyler:

10: The dimples. Trouble from the start.

9: The eyes. Again, did me in from the very beginning.

8: He holds my hand in the car.

9: He is smart enough to always tell me likes my hair, no matter what.

7: He still calls me 800 times a day. I may roll my eyes, but I secretly love it.

6: He dosen't care what anyone else thinks-he truly believes HE is the coolest person he knows:)

5: He is really tender hearted.

4: He pretends not to, but he loves chick flicks and family Disney movies.

3: He totally cracks me up.

2: He is a very selfless foot-rubber.

1: He has Friday night sleepovers in the living room with the boys-every Friday night.

1: He is the best dad on the planet (sorry, other dads) and he loves being a family.

OK, so I could have just kept adding onto number one, but lets not get crazy:) Just kidding honey. I asked Dax what his favorite thing about Daddy was, and he couldn't choose between going to work with him or that Daddy will always play games with him. Hayes was sure his favorite thing was the XBox. I said, not your favorite thing, your favorite thing about Daddy. He said playing the XBox with Daddy. Big surprise there. And Asher's newest phrase is "Daddy. Hooome." This can either be said as a question or an exclamation, depending on Tyler's location.

Tyler works so hard to take care of our family, and I'm sure that I don't tell him enough how much I appreciate it. I love you love you love you so much and I don't think there are three luckier little boys anywhere. Happy Birthday! By the way, you are 32, not 33. On occasion I am wrong-just not on very many occasions:) And I put some Dave on my playlist-just for you

Yuba

Since I was a little kid, the Wiley family has gone to Yuba for long weekend of boating and playing in the sun almost every summer. Because of some vicious wind/sandstorms in the past, we've tried a few other places over the years. (Uncle Bret vowed he was never returning to Yuba) But we-Whittiers included- just keep comin' back to the sandy beach at good old Yuba. This past weekend was beautiful. The sun shone(is that right?) the wind didn't blow much, and the water was good. But hello, I must really be getting old because a few times skiing behind the boat and one really good wreck and I am still REALLY SORE, three days later. Plus, no matter the amount of sunscreen applied, everyone always gets at least a little sunburned. But the soreness and sunburns are worth it, because I always forget how much fun it is to ski, or ride the tube, or whatever. All the kids are growing up and getting really good-you should see Natalie standing on the kneeboard:) And since everyone else makes wakeboarding look so fun and easy, I thought, no biggie, I can totally do that. Um, not so much. After drinking half the lake, I decided to stick to skiing. My body has been pointing straight for too many years to suddenly try and balance sideways. Tyler says that thinking I have to be sideways is why I can't do it. Like he knows. He kept asking what foot I would put forward on a skateboard. How many years have we been married? Has he ever SEEN me on a skateboard??? Anyway, I kept trying to get Dax and Hayes to try the little, tied-together skis, but they're not quite brave enough yet. Maybe next year. I think Asher was the best sport, he never cried or got ornery when it got hot, he just played played played. It was fun for all, we can't wait for next year.