Family Vacation 2011

Prepare yourself for a barrage of pictures from our 8 day vacation.
There's no way around it.

We took just shy of a million pictures, I'm pretty sure.
So grit your teeth and.... ENJOY! (or just push your down arrow really fast a bunch of times.)

Kate fell in love with photography on this trip! She especially loves photographing flowers, bugs, birds, and other creatures.

Cove Fort, Utah was a huge highlight of our trip. We stopped on our way home with the intention of staying for about an hour. 2 1/2 hours later we were back on the road! Thanks, Elder Haney, for a wonderful tour!

We also loved our time in St. George. The Tabernacle, Temple, Visitor's Center, and Brigham Young Summer Home were just beautiful and spirit filled. Hot... but spirit filled.

Another highlight of the trip was a chance encounter with the Carroll Shelby World Headquarters and Classic Car Museum. On our way out of Vegas we stopped at a gas station by the Las Vegas Speedway and happened upon this museum. Jack, if you didn't know this, is capital C - CRAZY - about cars, trucks, motorcycles, semis... So you can imagine his immense happiness. He took a million pictures and came away with a bunch of fun Shelby posters and a little keepsake Shelby Spider car. Happiness. It's so easy when you're 5. :)

Some of our fun Las Vegas Strip adventures while Brad was in meetings and classes. Our favorite stops were The M&M Store, the Coca-Cola Experience, New York-New York, The Mirage, the MGM Lion Habitat, the Jelly-Belly Statue of Liberty, and especially riding all the escalators and elevators all over Vegas. We are SO small town, and SO easily entertained!

It was darn hot (in the low 100s most days), but we all did well. One benefit -- 90 degrees in Rupert today feels downright balmy!

Zion National Park is a must-see if you're in Southern Utah and have a day to kill. Wow -- we LOVED it here. The hiking was gorgeous.

One fun little happening... we looked up a church to attend on Sunday morning and showed up at a random (and very lovely, friendly) ward. While taking the kids to Primary, we ran in to a sister from Brad's mission. Even 20 years later they immediately recognized each other and we had a wonderful time visiting and reconnecting with her and her sweet family.

We are so blessed to have had so many days to spend together as a family. The trip could not have gone more smoothly. The kids traveled well and quietly (thank you iPad, iPods, and iPhone!). The car ran well (thank you new car). We spend lots of time together and created many wonderful memories.

We are blessed.

End of School Busy-ness

The end of school brings 'fun and frantic' to our every day vocabulary. I'm pretty sure we were at some event or activity every night of May! Some of the highlights were 1) Piano Recital, 2) Ballet Performance Awards, and 3) End of Year Middle School Band Concert. Each year our kids are getting more and more involved and busy, which adds new dimensions of craziness to our lives! But crazy is good, right?

FYI: in the following video Kate is the ballerina on the far left, and Todd is the percussionist in the band videos.

And, truly, as I watch these videos I say a silent and heartfelt "Bless Your Hearts, Dear Teachers"! What patience, what kindness, what near deaf- and blind-ness they must all possess! We love you, dear people. :)

Jack Wilson: Baseball Boy!

All the kids played ball this year, but I somehow only managed to get cute pictures of Jack. I guess t-ball moves a little more slowly and there's much more time for posing! Kate and Todd have tournaments next week, so I'll get some pictures of them then, hopefully...

Mother's Day

We took an impromptu drive yesterday afternoon. We visited many fun Southern Idaho sites including the Twin Falls, Shoshone Falls, Cauldron Linn, and the Milner Wind Farm. It was so much fun to explore our little neck of the woods and have a chance to truly appreciate the beauty of this beautiful earth. I especially enjoyed a Mother's Day nap as we drove!

I was completely spoiled by my sweet husband and kids -- a lovely breakfast, thoughtful gifts and cards, lots of time together, and a nap! What more could any mom ask for?

From Collages

I feel the need to mention what a dear and angelic soul my own mother is. She is a person to try emulate in all ways. I've never met anyone as patient, kind, and quick to forgive as she is. I hope to someday have a few of the qualities she possesses in great abundance. She lives a life of quiet service and devotion. Her greatest joy is her family and how she spends her time and resources bears witness of that fact. I love you, Mom. You are one of my greatest blessings in this life.

The Many Faces of Kate Wilson

What happens when you hand your iPhone to your bored 9 year old on a long car ride ...

From Collages

You also get a few of these -- which is nice. :)

From Collages

It's Been a Good Week

I hope Kate doesn't expect every week to be as great as the last one. That would be a tall order!! Besides winning 2nd in the PBS Kids Young Writers and Illustrators Contest, she also won 2nd place overall in her school science fair -- and 1st place in the 3rd Grade age group. Science day and the science fair were INCREDIBLE!!! Such fun and amazing activities. She learned so much and really understands that science isn't scary -- it's amazing and interesting!

From Collages

She won a trip to Science Camp this summer, but we'll be out of town that week. :( Bummer!! But as a consolation prize she got a fun little triops aquarium. And, of course, the coveted blue ribbon!

Some Fun News!

Kate-a-roo got some exciting news... she won 2nd place in the 3rd grade division of the Idaho PBS Kids Young Writers and Illustrators contest this year! She is invited to an awards ceremony this Saturday in Pocatello and is one HAPPY little girl!! On June 1st you'll be able to read her story online, but for now, you can just follow this link to see her name listed among the other winners. :) If you're in Pocatello on Saturday let us know, we'd love to see you there!

From Collages

Update: It was a wonderful day... Kate got to read her story aloud to the audience. She did a fabulous job! I'd forgotten what a cute and creative book she had made. It will be available to read and view online in a couple of weeks. I'll post a link. :) The 4 little girls in the picture above are all winners from Rupert Elementary. Go Rupert! We were well represented.