Jack, Baseball Star

Jack decided he knew exactly how to play baseball while we were at the Wilson Reunion. He kept Brad busy for quite a while showing off his skills. His game consists of throwing the ball, running 'around the bases' (running somewhere far away and then back), then trying to catch the ball, and then throwing the ball again and running like a wild man. We got a good chuckle out of his antics.

Wilson Family Reunion

Over the weekend of the 11th and 12th of July we had a family reunion with the Wilson side of the family at the Misty River resort near Scipio, Utah. Despite some pretty 'rustic' conditions we had a great time visiting with family and playing in the water (can you say 'Murky River' (not so Misty!)). Brad taught the kids how to skip rocks so many hours were spent searching for the perfect skipping rocks. Even Jack got in on the action, although he did more lobbing than skipping!

After the family talent show Kate's cousin Mark gave her his silly moustache. She just loved wearing it, but fell asleep on the way to the hotel with it on. We got a major kick out of it. What a goofball! (Do you just love how Jack is WIDE awake at midnight. Vacations are the best!)
Hanging out in the canoe.
Another family picture in the canoe (this time with everyone).

Three generations of Wilson men. Arvil, Brad, and Jack: July 11, 2008
Kate enjoying a triple piggyback ride on Amy and her boyfriend Jono. One of the best things about Wilson Family Reunions is all the fun the kids have with their cousins. The big kids are so sweet to play with and pack around all our little ones. Our kids are very lucky to have such amazing and fun cousins to look up to.
Family picture with Dad Wilson. We love you Dad!
Jack Wilson Family (as many members as could come this year).
Arvil Wilson Family (missing Machele's family, Dan's family, James, Collen, Amber & Joe: we love you all, wish you could have been there).

Sheri and John made the awesome t-shirts you see pictured. Thanks for all the hard work you do each year so we can have such a nice souvenir. We LOVE our shirts. It was wonderful to be with all the Wilson family again this year. We love each and every one of you.

Super Safety Man

I think these pictures speak for themselves! (I have weird kids :) ).

Brad's 38th Birthday

Saturday was Brad's birthday. Generally speaking, I have a difficult time ever surprising him (he is way too good at reading me and usually guesses - what a turkey!). This year I decided I was going to pull off a surprise. I saw an advertisement for a lunch cruise of the Snake River on a river boat called the Snake River Queen. I made reservations and just told him to be dressed in nice casual clothes by 12:30 Saturday afternoon. He was petrified that I had organized some type of surprise party (he hates those things -- he gets so embarrassed when he's the center of attention!). He kept asking me if it was anything embarrassing or if people were going to be there, etc. I just assured him that I would never do anything to embarrass him :). We pulled up to the place and he was so relieved AND surprised!!! Yea!!! We had a wonderful 2 hour cruise with a beautiful view, lots of time to talk, and a good lunch. The kids stayed home with a babysitter and had a great time of their own (Kate cried when we came back because she wanted to keep playing with MaKyla). Brad's comment was that for some people the cruise might have been boring, but he must be getting older because it was the perfect birthday celebration for him! (He's not at all tempted to sky dive or base jump or scale Mt. Everest, thank goodness!) We hadn't been on a date alone in quite a while so we really enjoyed the day. I just hope I can come up with something fun for next year!

A Fun Visit From Matt and Sara

Like a dope I took absolutely NO pictures of our awesome day with Matt, Sara, Luke, Emma, Gavin, and Mom. Sorry guys, hopefully Sara will post some on her blog so you can see what a great time we had. It was so fun to see the kids and to spend some time catching up. What an amazing family they are. We are so lucky to have them in our lives.

We spent the afternoon swimming, jumping in the bounce house, eating, visiting, laughing, watching the kids play, etc. The time absolutely flew by and before I knew it I had to hurry and get ready to sing at the preshow of the melodrama at the Wilson Theater. They were so great to hustle and get ready themselves, and even came to listen to me sing before they left for Blackfoot. Thanks for the wonderful visit -- we love you all!

4th of July Parade

Did you notice the kids are wearing matching shirts? One night while we were enjoying entertainment on the square we noticed the 4th of July committee was selling "I Love Rupert" t-shirts. So as a show of solidarity (and because we really do love Rupert) we bought a few. The kids proceeded to wear them for the next 3 days straight. Apparently they love Rupert a lot!!

I should have taken more pictures of the kids during the 4th of July Parade, but I just got so enthralled with watching them that I forgot! For a tiny town like Rupert they sure do know how to put on a great celebration. The kids were absolutely thrilled with the parade. Many different floats gave out candy, otter pops, buttons, stuffed animals, fans, water bottles, etc. so the kids came home with a bag full of goodies. The parade always begins with a flyover from some type of army aircraft. This year was a low and slow flyby by a large C-4 aircraft. As you can imagine, Jack was completely captivated and squealed with delight, "ane, Mom, ane!" (that's "plane, Mom, plane" for those of you who don't speak Jackanese). Our stake entered a float which won "Best Use of Theme" (Hooray for the Red, White, and Blue). It was a scene of the signing of the Declaration of Independence complete with actors portraying several of our founding fathers. It was pretty impressive! The parade route is just two blocks from our house, so our friends, the Bairs, let us set up chairs on their curb and watch the parade in the shade. What a fun day - further evidence that small town life is the life for me.

Twin Falls Temple

Brad and I had the amazing opportunity to tour the Twin Falls Temple on Sunday afternoon. We were called (along with about 700 other people in the Magic Valley area) to be tour guides during the temple open house starting in about a week. As part of our training we were taken on a tour of the temple. We will mostly be leading Spanish speaking tours, so Brad will be doing the bulk of the talking unless I suddenly receive the gift of tongues. :) However, the great thing about the spirit is that it speaks a language we can all understand. I'm looking forward to sharing my testimony and to just spending so much time inside the temple. It will be an amazing opportunity to share some of what we have with so many people. I know it will be an incredible missionary opportunity.

As to the temple itself, it is so beautiful. Idaho's state flower is the syringa, so it is displayed prominently in much of the detail and finish work. The stained glass and etched windows have many syringa flowers, as does the wallpaper, carpeting, and woodwork (all of which is absolutely exquisite). The wood itself is from Africa and the marble floor is from India. It's very unique and beautiful. Their is a mural in one of the ordinace rooms that features the Shoshone Falls that is absolutely breathtaking.

The layout of the temple is so simple. It reminds me of the plan of salvation: straightforward, clear, and leading straight to the celestial kingdom. The ordinance room floors each have a slight upward slope, taking you progressively higher until you finally reach the celestial room. It is really a beautiful room; simple, elegant, full of light. It faces west so in the afternoon and evening it is absolutely radiant. What an incredible gift Heavenly Father has blessed us with.

As we walked through the rooms and admired the workmanship and artwork I was so overcome with gratitude I could hardly keep from shouting with joy "We have a temple!!!" I just cried instead, and it felt almost as good. :)