Sunday, July 20, 2008

The Memory Game

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

The Fourth of July, 2008

Okay, I promised I would write about this and it was terrifically fun, not sure why it's taken so long (probably downloading the pics!).

Heather was up here in Portland visiting that weekend, and we went out to Long Beach, WA to hang out with the Felt's for a BBQ and to watch the fireworks from their back porch. There were some funny things from that day filled with many memories... And I would venture to say that it's one of my best 4th of July's ever...so here is a random sampling:


The weekend of the 4th was HUGE at Long Beach this year! There were people everywhere and everyone brought their own fireworks to set off from the beach...




Me with 2 of my favorite girls...Morgan and Livvy

Heather with Livvy

Livvy and little Hyrum

Starley with Hyrum


Have to say that I've learned that giving a child unsupervised time with a camera is always entertaining...

We were posed for this one by Starley...

This is a picture of Morgan taking a picture of herself in the mirror...and yes, that's my camera.

Any guesses on what this is? (I will tell you at the end if I remember)...


Of course being the cool "Aunt" means bringing fireworks for the kids...



I do have to admit that I got my first EVER fireworks burn this year on my foot, which hasn't completely healed yet if that tells you just how deep it was even if it was pretty small! Okay...pause for a story.... Few people know that I've always been afraid of fireworks (and uncontrolled fire in general), in part because I had trauma as a child (okay, maybe it was in my imagination, but trauma is trauma) when my mom took me to watch fireworks from the park where they set them off. I was first put off by the loud banging shot as they set them off, I liked watching it go up, but when the strands of sparks started coming down, I remember screaming like I was SURE I was going to die by fire that night! My mom had to get us out of there because we were ruining the show for everyone around us! (Yes Karen, this is why my family always watched the fireworks from across the city!) Then again when we were setting off home fireworks one year at my grandma's in California, I realized that I was a fireworks MAGNET, as they always seemed to chase me while I ran screaming down the driveway back into the house...the only ones I would do were the sparklers because they were the safest of all. Yeah, so imagine how brilliant I feel that Sparklers are exactly what I got my fireworks burn from!!! I thought it was just me freaking out internally because there were 7 kids around us all asking for more sparklers, and waving them around everywhere (some out of fun, others out of fear), including dangerously close to other people and cars. I realized that it wasn't just me when Heather made a statement later that that's the most dangerous time she's ever spent around sparklers! (Thank you Heather for validating my internal freak-out moment.)

So what's a party at the Felt's without getting busted by the cops!


And finally, it really was something else to sit on the balcony wrapped in blankets with anyone who could fit (including the baby) literally for HOURS as we watched fireworks of all shapes, sizes and varieties going off up and down the beach, both from the City show and the fireworks everyone brought...it was AWESOME!!!




Oh, and that picture that Starley took...Bird Poop...and she was pretty darn proud of that picture too!!!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

The world through the eyes of a child...

Okay, I know I have no business blogging at 3:30 in the morning when I should be sleeping, but I can't help myself tonight... Yes, I will write about my 4th of July later. Tonight I have to post some pictures that the girls took when I arrived here at the beach. First, the girls asked if Heather was coming back (she's been here twice now but they absolutely love her!).

Here's Heather with the kids last weekend...

Then when we said she might come in a few weeks, Starley (turns 5 this month) and Morgan (7 1/2) asked if they could "take a few pictures of everything for Heather". I gave up my camera and didn't even notice when they took it downstairs to their room for a while. Tonight as I looked through, I laughed so hard... I think you will see why. I have to post all of the pictures they took (which are many) and I have to leave them in the order they took them in... so here goes!

Heather, these are for you!

I was happily feeding the baby and talking on the phone when they took off with my camera...

They took a picture of Hyrum...

Then Mom...

Then it gets interesting...


































And back upstairs to Hyrum again at the end!


Now Heather, don't you feel loved and missed?!