Monson Family Reunion

We had our annual Monson Reunion in Pocotello this year. My Uncle Willard was in charge and it was pretty fun! We got to go to the huge swimming complex that they have there! They even have a water slide, which I got to go down this time! After swimming we had hamburgers and hotdogs (standard reunion fare) and then sat around and talked for while. It was great to talk to my Grandma Monson because I have been working on her family's temple work. It's a little awkward because most of the my dad's family are not members. But it has been awesome to do the work!

Waiting to get into the complex!
James and Andrew
Anth and Peter! Our boys were a little gun shy until they got going and then they loved it!

"R" Adventure Hike

So, I'm not that big of a hiker and so when Douglas and Christy suggested hiking the "R" mountain for a double date, my knees were a little shaky! I hadn't been on the R Mountain before and was reassured that it wasn't that hard of a hike and that it would only take about thirty minutes to reach the top. So I agreed and was excited to be able to finally say that I had hiked the R mountain. Who lives in Rexburg and doesn't hike the R mountain right? Well, I don't how many of you have done this hike but it is a little on the steep side and if you have vertigo and a fear of heights like I do, it can be a little scary. We finally get to the top where I almost collapse from fatigue(did I mention that I am way, I mean WAY, out of shape) and then hike around the top to find a place to eat our picnic. It was a lot of fun and I did enjoy the hike. I was pretty sore for the next couple of days but it was great to get to know my new future sister-in-law.

View from the top of the R mountain looking down into the valley!
Us waiting for Anthony to come down so we can eat our sand witches, trail mix, and jerky.
It really is beautiful up there, once you make to the top. I loved the way the sunset turned everything into a thing of beauty!

Fourth of July

I will start with the Fourth of July and slowly work my way through the rest of the month. We spent the Fourth with Anthony's family since mine was camping. We were brave and invited all of Anthony's family to join us for a hamburger and hot dogs and fireworks later. It was a lot of fun and went a lot better then I thought it would. We had tons of fun and got to eat homemade banana ice cream and to celebrate Anthony's brother's birthday and also his ENGAGEMENT! That's right! Douglas is engaged and they hope to be able to set a date soon! Here are a few pics! Enjoy!




Douglas and his new fiance, Christy! They are such a cute couple and we are way excited for them!
Douglas cutting the cake! His mom made a cake that looked like a pizza! It was so authentic looking! She is so amazing!
Some of the nieces and nephews playing in our "sand box." Its more like a sand area where nothing but weeds grows! The boys love it though!
Andrew with a sparkler! He loved them! It was so fun to watch the boys with the fireworks!

And Yes! We still have our dog! Anthony did discover that he was not a dog person and so we are just currently fostering him until the Adoption Center can find him a new home. We have gotten use to him but it was pretty life changing there for a while. The boys and I have become pretty attached to him and he seems like a part of the family. It's going to be hard to give him up!

Still Alive!

Thank to all of you who showed concern for my absence in the blogworld! I am still alive just really, really, really busy right now. I volunteer to do alot of things early this summer and they are all coming to head right now. That was kind of dumb thing to do. Ne ways.. so I am feeling really busy but I do want to write all about our recent adventures. Especially the ones involving our anniversary and our family trip. NE ways... we are alive and I will write more soon and tell some of the stories! I promise!

IT'S A .....

DOG!!!!!

Meet Cody, the newest member of our family! We just adopted him yesterday and we love him so much already! The boys love him and is so good with them. He hardly ever barks or growls at them. He has lots of energy so he fits in perfect with the boys. It feels like our family is more complete now and we are so excited about having him. We plan on keeping him but he is kind of on a trial basis right now. So, if you are in town, stop on by and meet the new addition!

Faster, Horsie! Faster!

The boys and I have been working on the Summer Reading program that goes through the library. For signing up they got free passes to the Carousel. We took them over to Porter Park for Family Home Evening. It was a lot of fun! Peter was pumped while Andrew was a little apprehensive but warmed up to it. I, personally, have always loved the Carousel but lately it just makes me dizzy and little sick. Not so much fun when gravity begins to work on your body more. Ne ways... we then played on the toys, watched people play in the water, and then came home to have Tiki Punch Floats. It was alot of fun! I love times like this. The best part is that Anth and I rode bikes there and the boys were in the trailer. It gives Anth and I time to talk when we the bikes!

A little free adversting never hurt!

Last Friday, the boys and I went to the Children's Museum! It was a blast! And Yes, Rexburg has a children's musuem! Finally! Its part of the Teton Dam Museum and is only fifty cents for children two and older and two bucks for an adult! So for two fifty I can have some peace and the boys can wear out some energy. The boys really love going to the museum! Every month they have a theme and this months is ROCKS with Pioneers mixed in the side. They boys really love it here!

This is Peter riding the sheep! It's kind of like a rocking horse and if you squeeze the ear it bleats!
Andrew loved the chalkboard! He would scribble on it and then erase it! He was excited when one of the workers showed him all the magnets that he could put on it!
The ladies that run the museum are so awesome with the kids. They always come in and make sure the boys see everything and they explain all the cool things. This is one of them explaining how the volcano worked! Peter was so intrigued and his mouth dropped open when the volcano suddenly began ozzing lava. It was great!
They have this great tree house that kids can climb up and read books in or (my boys favorite) drop stuffed animals over the side!
This is the cabin that they have set up for the pioneer theme! It has box lunches inside that have wooden food in that the kids can play with. Theres even a doll they can dress up!
They also have a table for coloring and drawing! The boys really like this one! There is another table with small toys on it. Well worth the effort of going! They change the theme every month and they have kind of weird hours but it is so worth going! I totally recommend it!