this past week...

...So, it's more like the past 10 days, but really, who is counting. This is just a bunch of different things we have been doing for the past little bit. For starters, one morning I got up and heard some talking going on in the tv room, and walked out on this scene. We exchanged "good mornings," and then Ben and Jake turned to each other and carried on with their conversation. Usually they are nagging at each other so this was cute to see.

I love how my friends growing up and I stay in touch. This time our get-together was to go out to Wendover, Nevada, to see Bret Michaels in concert. Bret is known for being the lead singer for the awesome 80's big-hair, make-up wearing rock band, Poison, (one of my favorite groups from the 80's) but he's out touring on his own now. His concert did not disappoint!! After the concert his band came out and mingled in the halls, so we got pictures with them and bought t-shirts from them (cuz they were the ones behind the counter selling them). We stayed overnight and had too much fun together. "Nothin' But a Good Time!!"

Last Tuesday I went up for the day to girl's camp. I thought I'd pass along a bit of a secret I learned...baby powder. If you cover your body in baby powder before you get dressed it helps absorb the sweat and you don't get as sticky. It really works!

Ben has been so good to watch the boys at home while I run to the store from time to time, so I let him get the Harry Potter illuminating wand. It came in the mail last Friday and Ben and Jake were thrilled beyond belief. (The following few pictures are taken with my phone camera cuz my camera died at girls camp while I was taking pictures of girls riding the zip line. Bummer!!)

At the crack of dawn Saturday morning I woke the boys up to go to the hot air balloon festival in Sandy. They were still half-asleep when we got there, but they endured and ended up having a great time. Unfortunately, the winds above were too strong so the balloons couldn't take off that morning.

Does this picture look sharp or what? It's Julie's camera I borrowed for a day, and cousins were here for me to practice with it. Marissa (on the left) was visiting here from California and stayed with Ciera (holding Sydney) and Garrett (on the right) most of the time.