Lake Tahoe!!!!

We had such a fun trip to Tahoe City, CA this past week. My brother Aaron got married there. He and Stephanie did a great job planning this all out and making it memorable for everyone. My parents rented a house for everyone to stay it. It was so great it even came stocked with polly pockets and books to read. What more could I ask for? The house was just a 100 yards from some trails that we managed to run on and hike on with Abby, Lizza, and Cousin McKenna to gather pine cones. It was great. We went on 2 other little hikes as well. Emerald Bay you'll see down below the other one we rode a gondola up the ski hill and hiked to a lake and back to the gondola to get back down the mountain. It was so fun to be out all together talking, singing, and joking around. My kids had a great time. Aaron and Stephanie joined us for that hike, which was above and beyond. They had to leave as soon as we were done to drive back to Hanford, CA. Elizabeth stuck to Stephanie like glue. she had to ride up with her and walk with her. They went ahead of us to get back to their car and she was pushing the whole way down to hurry up so she didn't miss Stephanie. I can't figure out how this post is going to work so things will be jumbled up. Below are random pictures I will explain under each but this post may end up being a few post long so good luck. We got out and walked around Donner's Pass memorial. You can't really tell how tall this is but up to where the people are (not counting them) is how deep the snow was! The place was about to close so we didn't do much more than walk to this monument and get a few pictures.

On the dock at Emerald Bay. We hiked down a mile to get to this bay area. All the kids did very well. The bummer was we had to hike up a mile to be done with the hike but everyone made it and I don't remember any crying either. Don't quote me on that one I am pretty good at blocking it out now a days.

Mandy, my sister, and I looking down on Emerald Bay.

Daren had a great hike! I don't think he had to do this for very long but still I wouldn't have even offered.

Birthdays!

We celebrated Daren and Abby's birthdays a few weeks ago and I just haven't had time to get anything posted about it. Now it's old news and all of you have heard about it so I will make this short. Abby tuned 8 and will be getting baptized October 25th. She missed the September baptism because we were in Lake Tahoe at my brothers wedding. It took a little bit of time to work through the angst of that but now she is good. She had a friend party this year which was actually very manageable. I haven't had to do a friend party for several years and I was a little worried about this. Every year I give them the option of doing a special family day where they are in charge or having a friend party. They have chosen the family thing in the past. But she has been talking about this friend birthday party for months. She invited 8 friends plus her sisters and She knew exactly what she wanted to do and it went really well. By this age they are still really sweet to each other and pliable i.e. happy to do what they are told because THERE AT A PARTY!!! We had pizza, played high school musical on the wii, played the candy bar game, painted magnets, decorated cupcakes, and opened presents. It was great. There was a point during it that I was sitting down thinking I have nothing to do right now...weird. It's Daren's day to so the girls all sang to him as well and I got him cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. I planned ahead on their birthdays, at least better than Megs. So I am counting it as a success.

Weekend?

First off WHOOO for BYU. Daren went down to the game with his brothers and Parents. I do enjoy watching some of BYU football but I cannot just sit and do nothing else for the entire game. Maybe it's because I know I will be watching highlights all week so I will catch all the good stuff anyway and Daren can give me a descriptive play by play if I need it. I love it about him. Anyway for his sake mostly, I was hoping they would win so he wouldn't come home all mad and feel like he wasted a perfectly good weekend. But I wasn't asking for a blow-out. It was 52-0 I believe. I did turn it on and watched a little of it. Daren isn't home yet so I could have the score wrong. If so I am sure he will correct me. Mean while while he was gone we have basically been doing soccer. Abby had practice last night (straight through dinner-definatly planned by a man i.e. the coach) 5:45-6:45 Friday night, lovely. So we all went and had a picnic. After wards I needed some ice cream to recover from the wet grass, grouchy Max, and crazy girls. So we headed to Dairy Queen for a little. Today we had 3 games. Abby had one at 12:00, which ment we started getting ready around 11:00 which is right when we finished our chores for the day. Then Both she and Lizza had a game a 2:00. So Meg, Max, and I just ran back and forth between the two games. All the games are played on a soccer field complex is the good news. The girls were so much better this week. After last week Daren was like I don't know if I can do this. This meaning watch his girls dink around on the field and shy away from any ball that may come close to them. After a week of pep talks from both of us, and some reverse pschology they did much better. We told them all week how fast both of them were and they could get to the ball first and kick it. Lizza is convinced she is the fastest runner alive and she ran and ran today! She runs and flicks her hair and adds a little jump in there every couple of steps but she is fast. By the end of the game she was drenched in sweat. It was dripping down her face and she was estatic. she made 4 goals. ( I dont' care about the goals but the girls tell me Dad says they matter.) Abby did so much better too. After the first game where she would get to the ball and then kind of stick her leg out to kick but cringe her body (if you can picture that-basically just mad kicking) I talked to her about following the ball after she kicks it to make sure it gets to a teammate or to the goal. She did it! We also told her about guarding someone on the other team and she was on that girl like glue. At one point the other coach (which was the referee for the half) walked his player around Abby because she wouldn't let her have an inch. We still have things to work on but it was fun. I find myself yelling things like get the ball , find the ball, Follow it Abby or Liz. Then I think what am I doing? She can't hear me and now I sound like one of those psycho parents yelling at their kids on the sidelines. It sucks you in I tell you. Tonight Abby was telling me about her friend Bret who has a stepmom. She said "I just feel so bad for him I don't know when his parents got divorced but he's had this step mom for a while now how awful." I suggested maybe his mom died. "Yeah maybe...hopefully because if they got divorced that would be wrose for Bret. Atleast if she is dead he would know he could see her again and she is happy and in heaven-but divorced that would be the worst." I personally think there would nothing worse than your mom dying she disagrees-intersting. Mental note never, never divorce Daren because it would destroy Abby-just die.

September

Holy Cow summer ended so quickly for us and now we are into the thick of school and fall life. We had a great summer to end it, we went to Twin Falls and went through the temple open house. Its was really fun for our girls to see the inside. They were fascinated.

Then the week before school started I went to education week at BYU with some friends and Daren was left all alone to hold down the fort. He did well. There were a few mishaps but everyone is still alive and happy. We (meaning he really) had a lot going on that week that he had to handle and he worked Monday and Wednesday so others had to watch our kids those days. The girls started soccer practice that week and they had meet your teacher night which he had to attend. Since I missed both of those I feel so out of it. I have introduced myself to both teachers but haven't really gotten to talk to either of them and I can't recognize Abby's soccer team because I haven't been to any practices. Daren is the assistant coach so I haven't been to any. Lizza's, I just went to for the first time this week so now I know what they look like sort of.

We went to our first soccer games yesterday-no tears which is an improvement. I think they both had fun and now I know what we can practice at home this week.

I think Lizza likes school. She is one you can never be to sure about. She also is changing her mind constantly. But she is adjusting to all day school and the melt downs have gotten smaller and fewer. It really is a long day.

Abby of course loves her teacher and knows the name of everyone in her class. She starts the challenge program (which is like the gifted and talented program they just don't call it that anymore here) tomorrow. She is nervous because it is something new but a little excited too. She keeps asking me to tell her how it is all going to happen. She needs the whole picture painted for her always to know what to expect.

Meg enjoys the time with out her sisters. She tells me "it is so nice because then she doesn't have to fight with them about this is hers or let me play." I enjoy the time with her but she wants me to play all day. When I try to do something else she just lays on the floor by me and keeps asking are you done yet mom? Can we play now mom? I feel bad for her so then I get roped into playing again. I don't know how much more of pony's and Polly pocket princesses I can play. Luckily I am starting her preschool this week and she starts dance too. So she will have things to do.

Max is Max. Wild and crazy. He is becoming a talker more and more. He repeats anything you say to him. He is officially 18 months today! Which means nursery here we come!

catch up time

I cannot believe it is the middle of August. It is sad to see the summer winding down I am not quite ready to send my kids back to school but such is life I guess. Abby and Lizza finally got to take their swimming lessons they have been asking about all summer. I did private lessons for them and it was awesome. They learned so much and it was fun to just be in the pool alone with Kortney (the teacher). Meg felt like she was the experienced one because she had already taken her lessons. She kept standing by the edge of the pool cheering them on or trying to tell them what to do. When it was diving board time she coaxed liz out of the pool telling it yeah come on, it's okay, you just do this. She was fun to watch as well. Both girls were really proud of themselves when we finished. Next up Soccer, here we come! We went for a long weekend down to Pocatello to see my family. Mands flew in from Texas, Matt flew in from California (minus his family), and Josh and Natalie shuttled Mandy and Matt up from Utah. IT was so fun to get together. My brother Matt is a Chiropractor and he was busy all weekend treating patients. If he wasn't he was working on one of us (his family for free). Thanks Matt. I can't forget Mandy she graciously brought her otoscope and checked my ears what would I do without you guys. We hit up the all important Chubbuck day Parade (Chubbuck is a "suburb" of Pocatllo) with cousins Mitchell and McKenna. Always a good time to be had at the Chubbuck days. There was a float for this dinner and theater place which is doing wizard of Oz right now. The people were all dress like the characters of the play. So the wicked witch came up to Meg, who really wasn't paying attention, and touched her and did you wicked laugh right in Megs face. It scared her to death. The rest of the parade Meg was lukewarm. I felt so bad for her. I wasn't really paying attention either or I would have shielded that. She woke up that night and said she was afraid of the witch and has mentioned it a few times since then. She is still on a kick of not wanting to go to the bathroom alone. Now she says there could be a witch in there. Super, just what I needed.

Next Mandy, Daren, and I went on a mountain bike ride up City Creek in Pocatello. It was really fun. Then we brought our kids back later and did a family hike up there. They had a good time and the trail was fun for kids. It was shaded most of the time and there were little coves of trees we could duck into and be right by the stream. The kids had a great time.

Lastly a picture of some of us. Me, my dad, Matt, Megan, Mandy, my mom, Josh, and Natalie on the driveway.

Okay my Dad loves wildlife and is fascinated with birds but when they start getting into his stuff that's a whole different story. He gets so mad at the squirrels that steel his bird seed and the deer that get into his garden and fruit trees. He spends a considerable amount of time thinking of ways to stop them. At one point he would use a sling shot and shoot marbles at the squirrels that was disturbing to my children but he still tried. He has put this ugly plastic orange fencing around his garden to keep the deer out but to no avail. He had just complained to me that they ate all his squash this year. He was contemplating having Josh (my brother) bring up one of his paint guns and he would shoot paint pellets at the deer, nice. So as we were leaving for the hike we caught them red handed in the trees there were 4 deer just walking around looking for some food.

Once we got home and started to put the pieces back together Max is right back at it. Why do I even bother? he is stuck underneath the baby gate. He does fine on the stairs It was up because I was cleaning the turtle tank and we all know that Max and access to the turtle don't mix.

boys!?

I love Max lets just get that out there, however I am in for some tough years. I am sure it will all even out once Abby hits 12/13 but for now Max takes the cake. I am also more acutely aware that the Lord gives you only as much as you can handle, hence the 3 girls. I thought (before I had kids of course) that I could totally have a brood of all boys. I have 4 brothers and most of the kids I babysat were boys, but man was I wrong. This kid is just everywhere, it's fun but it's killing me! Just tonight he kept climbing up onto our bricks by the fireplace and jumping. The last time he climbed onto a small suitcase/box I have sitting on one corner and fell off onto the ground. He is just crazy! Tonight while I was cooking our fries to go with our hamburgers he kept telling me hot. It is a cause he has picked up the last few weeks. He warns me all day about the hot oven and hot microwave. So I turn around to get stuff from the fridge he had pulled open the "hot" oven and was standing there pointing at it saying hot, hot, hot. Now while I will admit smart boy lets just review. Abby will be 8 next month(a whole different topic) and she will not open the oven for me out of fear because it is "hot". Max is 1 and already pulls the thing open while it is on! Do they even make child safety oven locks? I'm sure he is not the first to come up with this brilliant idea.

This past weekend we worked really hard in the yard. They kids stayed outside and sort of helped for most of the afternoon, but by 5:00 they were tired of it. So the girls went in and after a while Max was totally red and need some cooling off. So I sent him inside too. I will be the first to admit not smart. But on the one hand he does have 3 older bossy sisters whom I spend all day saying "he's alright put him down", "leave him alone", "let him do it", "HE'S ALRIGHT!" So with the charge to watch Max I felt fairly confident that he would be okay. Daren and I were checking in on them all periodically. Well we apparently went to long between checks (20 mins tops). Here is the result.

The good news is that now I can blame my messy house on Max and not my lack of ability of motivation.

Most Saturdays the girls get up and watch a few cartoons before life gets rolling for the day here at the Wallace's. So this last Saturday the girls were watching their coveted shows Daren was biking, Max as we've all seen running wild, I made Abby and Lizza's beds and put all the cloths away that were on the floor. It may not sound like a lot but seriously Lizza changes at least 5 times a day and for some reason cannot remember to put her cloths where they belong. Anyway I put a heart on their door that said something like this room was touched with love pass it on. So Abby later that day covered my room with sticky notes.

The first one says "your fashionable," the next, "your a queen," etc. I love that girl. She even got Lizza to write one. She was sneaky about the whole thing. It was fun. .

Lastly for the update we had our good friends the Collins family drive thru like a hurricane. They came from Las Vegas had lunch with us and went on their merry way to Black Butte in Oregon. IT was so fun to see them and talk with them. They claim they are stopping by on their way home. My kids don't' fully believe them because they were supposed to spend the night this time around and that didn't happen and we were supposed to go to Roaring Springs (a water park). So if they do I will get better pictures for those of you who know who I am talking about.

Aside from that I will just say I cannot believe it is already August. It makes me so sad to think we only have 3 weeks left of summer before I send my kids off to school. Abby and Lizza with be gone all day and it will be long. I never got used to it last year, it seems. Usually by 3:00 I start checking the clock thinking shouldn't she be home by now. She didn't get home until 4:00.

There are nice times have less kids at home I will readily admit but I still miss them during the day.

camping

Daren was in a little bit of a panic this summer because we haven't done any camping and it is already the end of July (Oh? I didn't even notice:). So he planned a quick trip for us with his brother Brad and Tifani. We went to Silver Creek Plunge which was about 2 hours from here. It was good. There was a hot spring, nothing comparable to Lava hot springs in south east Idaho but, never the less, a warm body of water to sit in and enjoy. The kids loved it and the shallow end covered more than a quarter of the pool. So we could just sit and watch out kids play. The girls were drawn to 2 things, the nasty bathrooms and the dirt hill across from our campsite. I don't understand what it is about bathrooms but they always always have to use them. I stopped counting after a few hours of how many times I had to frequent the port-a-potty. Someday I will track this but right now is it just so frustrating. Even if I make them all go still 20 minutes later someone has to go so bad and can't hold it another second. Next the dirt hill; they spent the whole 2 days whenever we were in camp climbing that thing and sliding down on their bums. Soooo dirty but they really enjoyed themselves.

Max was just filthy I could not stop saying "you are so dirty!" He loved it though.

To start things

of he

fell right

on his

head in the dirt.

no

owie

just

dirt.

We played in the creek

Rode bikes. Since I didn't bring mine Max was kind enough to give me a pump.

Made and ate S'mores

and just got DIRTY. But luckily dirt washes off (after a few baths).

No one got lost or badly hurt so it was a successful trip.

So before we leave I get us all packed and start to feel guilty that I haven't cleaned the turtles tank in a week and a half and it is disgusting. So I clean it "quickly." I say it like that because I just wasn't thinking. Nothing is quick when Max is awake and I am distracted from him. He thought this was a fantastic idea. He kept handing me the turtles stuff SALMONELLA!!! Is all I kept telling him. So I am down to the last thing. Filling it back up. To do this I use a big orange water jug fill it upstairs in the bath tub and carry it down stairs to dump in the tank, 2 or 3 times. So I am filling it for the first time and I think I left the thermometer where Max can reach it! He is going to break it and cut himself and get mercury poisoning all at the same time! Just then I head Lizza yell MOM in her scared panic voice. As I am running downstairs, towel in hand to stop the gushing blood Max lets out a loud cry that had caused him to hold his breath for some time. Then I come into the room....no blood! What happened Max picked the turtle up out of the box and was holding it by its legs, It bit him. Lizza walked in to the turtle clamped down on Max's finger and he was pulling it by the leg trying to get it off. Which he did just as Lizza reached him. He immediately threw the turtle. So at this point I say where the turtle? (great we lost the turtle right before we leave on vacation fantastic that will smell real nice when we get home.) But it was right under the desk upside down in its shell. Traumatic for Lizza and Max and I did hate that turtle again for a good 15 minutes but then it was just funny. Rewriting it makes me laugh all over. He has a sour on his finger and I was again afraid of the Salmonella. But so far so good. So at this point I am thinking this is blog worthy. So here's the picture. It is the best I could get. He wasn't to thrilled about me taking the picture.