I can't believe this weekend is over! Why is it that I postpone doing chores until Saturday? All I did yesterday was laundry, ironing, cleaning both bathrooms and our bedroom. What a crock! Yep, the weekend is over way too soon.

We went out with our friends Jason and Misty on Friday night. We didn't pick a place to eat until we were in the car, and when we got there they told us it was a 2 hour wait... What we couldn't figure out was why the wait was 2 hours - there was no one there in line! We ended up going to Chilis and had a good time. Hope we can do it again soon:)

Any time we are saying a prayer with our kids, either a morning prayer, blessing of the food, nighttime prayer, whatever, Zane is always the one volunteering for it. So the other day Derick asked him if he was the designated prayer person in the family. His reply was that his prayers are the shortest, everyone else takes too long! What a nut.

It's a school night so I better get myself to bed. Everyone is asleep except for my mom and me. My mom stayed with my sister and her family this weekend and I went to pick her up from there earlier tonight. My sister had made home made ice cream and that was delish! Normally I am a chocolate person, but this vanilla was the best! Chad and Lacey were there with their baby girl Kylie, and she is so cute. Ok then, I am off to bed...

This is turning out to be a busy week too! On Monday we had our not so annual neighboorhood B-B-Q. 4 years ago when we had our first one we wanted to make it a yearly end of the summer thing, but that never happened. It was fun to see our neighbors together like this, just wish more of those rascals would come:-)

Last night we had our back to school night meeting at the school. McCall got to meet his new teacher for the year, Mrs. Kinsel. She seems like a nice teacher, but time will tell... Only kidding, I think she'll be great:-) I'm planning on helping out a lot in both McCall's and Zane's class, so hopefully I'll get to know their teachers. Actually, Zane's kindergarten teacher I know, she's a friend of mine, Shauna Kohler. Awesome lady. Watch out Midway Elementary, I'm planning on spending a lot more time over there then I ever have!

Today my sister had a day off, so we went to IKEA. It's kind of funny that my mom goes to IKEA when she's here, since they have them all over in Norway, but she likes it. At least that's what she tells us:) I got some flower pots there and a couple of other knick knacks. However, I did not get any chocolate. Yay for me:) We also did some other errands, nothing to write about though.

Derick started school again tonight:( But, he only has 2 semesters left! Hopefully it'll go by quickly for all of us. So proud of that man and all he does for us. I love him with all my heart:)

Today will be over soon, and tomorrow McCall will be a 4th grader! I have mixed feelings about this summer coming to an end. I just want to erase all of July, but I also want it back. I almost wish I could skip ahead a year, but don't want to miss out on what this coming year has to offer. I just hope and pray it's something good:)

It has been a busy but fun week so far. Derick and I went to the Dave Matthews Band concert on Tuesday. I heard on the radio back in March or April sometime that they were coming in concert and the tickets were free, cause they had cancelled in Salt Lake a few times. Didn't think I'd be able to get any tickets, but I still tried, and I got them! We didn't know if we'd go or not, but decided why not? It was INSANE to get there, and we'll never do that again. Why? Because it's so far out! 6000 something west and 5000 something south - crazy!!! And traffic was horrible. We had a good time once we got there, but we only recogized a couple of songs... It's almost more fun to people watch when you go to places like that. There are incredibly many weird people on this planet, us included. I really wonder if people have mirrors that they look in before they go out. Stacy London and Clinton Kelly from TLC's "What Not To Wear" would have a field day there... Seriously though, do people really have that little self esteem, or just incredibly bad taste? Makes you wonder.

We went to Lagoon on Wednesday. The kids had a blast! Zane went on all the rides he was tall enough to ride on. I'm kind of glad he couldn't go on all of them, cause then I didn't have to... I am such a chicken when it comes to amusement parks. I am perfectly happy going on all the kiddie rides. I thought for sure that Zane would be too scared to go on some of the ones he did, but he loved it. McCall has always loved all the rides. Derick dislikes it as much as I do, but he is awesome and goes with McCall, I just can't. We did have fun, we love to spend time with our kids, they are so much fun.

When we left Lagoon that night, we went to the airport to pick up my mom. We were so excited to see her again. She probably thought we had forgotten about her, cause we were a little late, but I had completely forgotten that there is no more Northwest, Delta bought that company, so we were in the wrong terminal for a few minutes before I realized it.

Yesterday we just hung out at home, which was just as well since it poured down most of the day. This is kind of funny, but the first dinner my mom has whenever she comes, is KFC. They don't have that in Norway, the closest country to get it is England. So, we always know what dinner is the first night she is here:) Mette and family, you guys can have that with her as well:)

Today we are going shopping...:-)

Had a really great weekend! Kicked it off on with my niece, Amanda on Friday. Derick and the boys went on a father and son overnighter with our ward. I didn't want to be alone, so Amanda was nice enough to come over. We had pizza and ice cream and watched a chick flick. Thanks Amanda for staying with me, I love you, cutie girl:)

On Saturday I went shopping with Amanda and my sister. Then when the boys came home, and they had showered, we went and did some errands down in Salt Lake before ending up at our friends Ingvild and Chris' for dinner. Had a really nice and relaxing night with our good friends. What is so great too is that our kids are very close in age, and even though they only have girls and we only have boys, they get along incredibly well. Of course, they occasionally don't, but for the most part they do. They actually thought they were cousins for a while, cause we'd go on vacations together and spend holidays together. If we could hand pick our relatives, they would definitely be one of the first ones on our list! So, Ingvild, Chris, Hailey and Emma, thank you for letting us come and have a fun time with you all, we love you:-)

Today we went to church. Sunday school got to be a little interresting at the end, but I'm not even going to go there! After church we hung out at home for a while before going over to my sister's for dinner. Not cooking three nights in a row, what a treat! Had another great evening. We played a game called "Imagine iff". Zane is fun to play with, you might win with him, cause he cheats but doesn't realize it always. He can be very oblivious at times:)

Derick's mom and Brent dropped by for a quick hello tonight. They went with us to the cemetery. It's so nice and peaceful there. Kind of sad that the weekend is over with, but I am also excited for this week to start. My mom will be here in three days, and we can hardly wait. My kids are way excited to see her again, and I know that my nephew and nieces are too:-)

Jake making funny a very funny face:)

This is my 3rd attempt at posting pictures on here! It keeps saying it can't do it, and I even cut back from 5 to 3 and now I'm trying with one, still waiting, so hopefully it will work! OK, it worked!!!! Do I really have to do one at a time? Geez!

Thought I'd post some of these pics of the kids.


They were posing for my new camera and
being silly boys:)


Oooh, I love this boy!

Zane really has some golden nuggets at times. He said our family prayer this morning and this is one of the things he said: "We're happy Jake's in heaven, but kind of sad too." We all miss him SOOOO much still and we talk about him a lot. It's bearable that he is gone from us only because we know for sure where he is. I keep thinking that I'm going to wake up anytime from a horrible nightmare, but at the same time I have learned so much from this experience too. It has showed me that I'm a lot stronger than I ever thought I was and my belief in my Savior has increased. Derick and I have also grown closer to each other and our Savior, and sad as it may seem, this might have been the only way for us to grow spiritually. It makes both of us extremely sad that we didn't shape up earlier, but sometimes it takes a tragedy like this to make someone as stubborn as us to realize things. I'm not saying that Jake's death was just for us to learn something, I truly believe that his time was up. People that came to his funeral heard me saying this, but I want to write it down here too. From the time that Jake was a very little baby I had the impression that he wouldn't be with us very long, and that I should look at him a little longer and remember his smile, his face, his laugh. I only told my friend, Ingvild this because I thought it was so awful of me to think something like that, and I'd always get mad at myself and push it out of my mind. I never even told Derick, until we were in the hospital cause I thought he'd think I was crazy. But as I look back on those times that I would get those impressions I believe I was being prepared. Not that you can ever be prepared for something so heart wrenching, but I feel like I can deal with this a little better because of it. Jake will ALWAYS have a special place in our hearts, and the best way we can honor him is by living the way we should so that we are worthy to live with him again one day. Life can be tough, but I know it would be a lot tougher if we thought that death was the end. It makes me really sad when people stray from the church, and when they have children they 'baptize' them. How can anyone believe that children can sin and need baptism? No, children are innocent little creatures and therefore return directly back to our Heavenly Father if they pass away before the age of accountability. I'm being preachy again, I know, but I need to write down things that bothers me at times.

I LOVE my family so much! They are amazing, and my extended family too:-)

Still counting down - 6 days!!!:)

This is SO typical me: Making plans to go somewhere or do something and then not looking forward to go there or do that, actually thinking of backing out of it, but I don't. Then when I do it or get there I have so much fun I can't believe I didn't want to do it or go there! Just read through what I wrote and I'm confused... I don't care, I'm not erasing it.

We went to the Bees baseball game last night. It was fun, and they actually won! They played the New Orleans Zephyrs, and I don't know if that's a good team or a bad one, but they obviously didn't play great last night since the Bees won 10-5. I think it'd be fun to actually go to a MLB game somtime. Don't understand baseball, but when Derick tells me what 's going on I like it:) The kids liked it too, which is basically the whole reason for us to go in the first place. Zane told us that it was good in a bad way, what does that mean? He's such a goof ball. In exchange for your ticket stub after the game, Sonic gives out free CherryLimeades, so at 10:30 last night that was what we were having going home. Both McCall and Zane fell asleep in the car going down to the game, so I thought they'd stay awake until we got home, but they didn't even make it out of the city before they were snoozing again. Ahhh, my kids are the greatest. I know every parent says that, but mine really are;-)

We are counting down. A week from today my mom is coming! Can't wait to see here:)

It feels like my life is an open book. Guess that's because of this blog. It's weird, cause I write things down like it's my journal, and then somebody comes and comments on what I've written, and I think, how did you know that? And then I remember that I wrote it for all to see... I'm ok with it though, just a little creepy at times.

I get these random thoughts at times, and just now when I wrote the word creepy it reminded me of a text I got a few months ago. McCall had used my phone to call his dad and he accidentally switched out one number. I thought I would be courteous and text this person he accidentally called, and let them know it was McCall dialing wrong. So then I get this text back saying."Ooh good, I've been getting a lot of creepy calls lately and I thought you were creepin' out on me." People can be so funny, it made me laugh for days:)

The next picture I'm in I gotta wear some make-up! My excuse was that I don't worry about that while I'm camping or at the beach.

It really was nice to get away for a couple of days, but boy were we glad to come home to our own bed. We decided to just sleep in the back of our Tahoe this time, instead of setting up a tent for only 2 days. Well, the fact that we are NOT 5 anymore must not have been something we considered for too long when we made this plan. Holy cow did our sides and backs hurt! Maybe we'll rent a camper next year. Gotta say I like camping Marriott style a little better...

Missed Jake a lot today. It's nice to do things and get distracted for a little while, but when it comes down to it I think about him almost all the time. I know that Derick does too. That's why it's so nice to have our friends and family, so that we don't have time to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves. We appreciate everyone wanting to include us in whatever they're doing. Thank you!

Derick, me, McCall and Zane. Guess we needed
at least one family picture...


Kade, McCall, Zane, Jace and Derick, making a
sand castle.



McCall and Zane playing.

My mother in law, Barbara.

Mccall being a little whale.


McCall wanting to fling some sand...



Zane goofing off.




McCall and Zane having fun.

Here are some pictures from Bear Lake. The kids loved playing in the sand. Derick and I got sun burned, but that's just our own stupidity! It was hard not having Jake there with us. He would have LOVED it! There were two boys there that are the same age as Jake. It was fun and sad to see them. Sad because we know what we're missing, and fun because we can imagine what Jake would have done.

Emily, Sarah, Jane, Brad and Kate

We had some friends of ours come and visit us last week. We had a great time, haven't seen them since their oldest was 2 and their twins were just a couple of months old. They are now 11 and 9! Crazy how time flies when life happens! Here are some pics we took while they were here. It was so cool cause we saw a double rainbow right before they left. The awesome thing that we found out while we were in the hospital, is that Derick and Sarah are cousins... Don't ask me how, though, all I know is that Derick's grandma Mabel is/was Sarah's aunt Mabel(thinking she was probably her great aunt)

There's nothing quite like waking up to the outside door opening and your husband yelling softly for you to hurry and put some clothes on and come outside. This is what happened: Derick went out into our garage to get some spray paint to paint some frames and some things had toppled over. He started to pick some stuff up, when he saw something move - a skunk! It had been hanging out in our garage all night long!!! Luckily it did not spray him, me or anything in the garage. By the time I had gotten our camera, the little sucker was on his/her way out, thank goodness! It must have gotten in there last night when we left it open to go and have some yummy homemade raspberry dessert with our neighbors, that she had made from their raspberry bushes. From now on we are going to be very dilligent in keeping the garage door closed! It still makes Derick shudder to think of how incredibly close he was to getting sprayed.

Thanks to Dawnelle, I(she) was able to put some pics on here - WOOHOO!!! Can't say when that is likely to happen again, though...

Had a great time with my sister and her family + Kristine's man, as Derick calls him:-) tonight. We put on a 'play' we read about in August's issue of The Friend. It's about Naaman and how he was healed from leprosy after he did such a simple thing as cleaning himself seven times in Jordan. It's such an interresting story of how something can be so simple, but we as humans almost need something incredibly miraculous to happen before we are willing to believe.

Miss my little angel boy so much. Thank heaven I know where he is.

More Pics

testing picture posting

I talked to my mom on Saturday, and she was telling me that she enjoys reading what I write here and she kind of hinted that I needed to post something new, so here I go:)

We are soooo excited for my mom to come and visit in 16 days(we're not counting days, or anything;-0) It's been too long since we saw her last. It's also fun that she'll be here for Swiss Days, which is something she has heard about, but never been too. I'm sure she'll wish for an endless supply of money and a way of bringing things back home to Norway. My opinion: airlines are charging us way too much for something that was included in the price just a few short years ago...

Derick, the kids and I went to Bridal Veil Falls last week. What a beautiful place. I took a tonn of pictures, but can't figure out how to get them on the blog, computer illiterate me! Somebody, please help!!! It's a shame how often we just take things for granted, like that place. We'll drive past it and think or even say out loud that we need to go there one day, and that one day never comes. We have got to stop saying it, and start doing it, so we are trying.

Derick went back to work today. It feels so strange not to have him here. But we knew he had to go back, and we'll be ok, just something else for us to get used to again.

We have decided that once a month we'll invite different families for family home evening. We are starting that out tonight by having my sister and her family over. We figured we'd start easy, with someone we know, and then go from there:-) You are warned, one of these days it just might be your family;-0

McCall has been invited to go play with a friend he hasn't seen or played with in a long time, and he is ready right now, so guess that's my cue to be done for now.

Hope this makes you happy, mamma:) Glad i deg.