Flying to Ogden for Dinner

Yesterday when Darin got home he said he was going to fly Jaxon to Ogden for dinner. Well no fair! We all wanted to go. It was a spectacular night. The sunset was beautiful over the Great Salt Lake and the wind was very calm.

We landed at the airport in Ogden and taxied to the Jet Center. They have a really nice restaurant (Rickenbacher's) and a Doolittle's Deli. We chose the less expensive deli. It was yummy, and the boys loved it.

Upon return flight as Darin was doing his pre-flight check, we saw a couple of F-16's flying over us to land at Hill AFB. It was cool. Darin asked for clearance to fly home via the I-15 corridor, which they granted, but told us they would be holding us at a lower altitude because there were more F-16's taking off and landing. Cool! So we took off and flew out toward the lake again then had clearance to fly straight back toward Lagoon. On our way back in, four more F-16's took off in formation right over our little plane. The boys were so excited. Riley said, "They are super fast!" What a fun family night! Thanks daddy.

Jaxon's Sunflower Garden

Look at those HUGE sunflowers!! This spring Jaxon brought home a sunflower planted in a paper cup from his 1st grade class. Now aren't those lovely? Just what I need, a dirty cup sitting on my kitchen counter for who knows how long. Now I know, it's all about the kid at this point. So after the flower died and Jaxon cried, we went to Home Depot and bought a packet of 7-12 foot sunflower seeds to plant. The two of us added some top soil to the dry dirt in the backyard, mixed it in and planted the seeds.

Jaxon was so good all summer long. He weeded and watered and watched his little creations grow big. When the biggest flower grew bigger than his head he was so happy. Then when the plants started dying, he cut the flowers from the stem and set them out to dry on the patio table. Next the "stupid birds" started eating the seeds. Jax was mad!! But we saved what we could and are now getting ready to roast them.

Atleast I know now that my mom's green thumb has been handed down to somebody, because it certainly wasn't me.

Next year he wants to plant pumpkins, too. Then we can have a Jax-o-lantern or three.

Kaden Earned His Webelos Badge... Finally!!

He did it!! It really only took a year, but he is almost out of Webelos. Most of his badge was earned while helping Darin take the engine out of the truck before it was rebuilt and putting it back together. He's become quite the handyman. He's also been a huge help when we've gone camping and loves to be of service to Grandma and Grandpa Johnstone while they have been out of commission. He mows their lawn and helps Grandpa in his machine shop. We are so proud of him... now for that Arrow of Light.

As if...

As if there aren't enough things going on in our lives, I have decided to start doing the Blog thing. I have seen so many cute posts on our family and friend's blogs and with some prodding from them thought, "why not?" It should be fun. Please be patient, and know that I might be cussing as I navigate through this but won't include the words in text. I hope you all enjoy visiting. This may turn out to be something we will truly love to share.

I love my husband and boys more than I can express but, in order to love them more (because absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?) I have to occationally have alone time away. Or in this case, time away with friends.
I just returned 2 hours ago from a scrapbooking retreat at a fabulous cabin overlooking Bear Lake. It snowed about 4 inches while we were there and it was beautiful. The retreats are held every six months to an elite group of 20 to 22 friends on a FCFS basis. Let me tell you I am usually the first one to respond to the emails and the first to submit my deposit which I pay in full up front. We eat and scrapbook for two days with very little sleep. Talk about walking zombies but, it's so fun to just be girls, listen to music, watch chic flicks, dance on tables, share stories, sneeze and pee simotaniously, compete in contests, laugh, sing, and expand our library of sentimental possessions. While some of us seem to always have our minds in the gutter, we have a fabulous time learning little tidbits about each other (some times too many tidbits... TMI) that strengthen our friendships. And oh, the giggles... proof is me laying across the other women on the couch.
While I know the organizers of these retreats (Shauna & Shellie) work very hard to make a bunch a pre-menopausal women happy, we so love to attend and hope they continue to entertain us for many years to come. They really are wonder women. You should see the mess we make and heaven knows we all seem to haul up way too dang many scrapbooking supplies. I counted seven cricket machines! This, I have decided may very well be why Darin calls it 'crapbooking'. I've even resorted to borrowing my dad's crew cab, long bed diesel to get 5-6 women and supplies up there so that we can take everything! This time I forgot toothpaste, deodorant, and a towel, but not a single precious scrapbook supply I needed was left at home. Priorities. Thanks goodness for friends that helped me out in the toiletries department.

I successfully completed about 40 pages and have the motivation to get more done soon.

Ok, bye for now... scrap you later!