highlight of our summer

An incredibly vague catch up post like my last one wouldn't be complete with out the highlight of our 2014 summer.  Raphael, our foreign exchange student from France.  He stayed with us for 3 weeks in July and we had thee best time.  My kids loved hanging out with him, Ryan and I enjoyed talking to him and having him around and we did a lot of fun things while he was here.  We had to show him what America was all about.

First stop, Sodalicious.  A soda shop with more flavor mix- ins and soda concoctions than you would think possible.  He loved it.  

 Since he is in Utah, the Mecca for Mormons, we showed him our heritage and I'm sure he's seen more than most Mormons in France.  (He is Catholic) 

 What's more American than a rodeo?

 Camping because the French don't camp.  He enjoyed himself and we went to a beautiful spot on the Nebo Loop.  There was no one around us so it was quiet and the kids could play and run around without distracting people.  My mom, niece Persayes, Stacy and her kids, Gavin and Tiana and Ryan's dad camped with us.  It was a lot of fun and I camped 2 nights without taking a shower, that was a big accomplishment for me. 

 We made him drive our big Suburban

 Seven Peaks.  Our family had season passes and Ryan's brother was able to get him a season pass as well.  Which was great because we could get into Seven Peaks, Laser Tag and a baseball game all for free. 

 We spent a day up in Park City and rode the roller coaster.  It was so fun.  I didn't know what to expect, but you go down a track on these cars and you aren't really supposed to use your breaks so it is all gravity.  And you gain a lot of speed.  My age really showed because I was scared but still really fun.

 We also rode the Alpine Slides.  

 We took Gavin and Tiana, our cousins with us to Park City and after taking them home, I remembered that it was Tuesday, kids eat free at Ikea on Tuesdays.  Dinner was served.  Free.  Catching on to all the free?  He was a bit surprised with how many things we did for free.

 Baseball game.  I've never had to explain the rules and concepts of a baseball game before :)

 More camping.  Brody loved sharing his room with Raphael and having another boy in the house.  He was also very tolerable of all my kids but especially Brody.  Brody was always wanting to rough house with Raphael.  While camping, we also took him shooting.  He shot a .22, 9mm and a shotgun.  He loved the shotgun. 

Sad, sad day.  We sent him on his way back to France.  Hopefully sooner than later we can visit him over in France.  We loved having Raphael and want to host again but would be worried we won't get someone as cool and easy going and just all around good kid as Raphael. 

here's to 2015

it's been over a year.  I love looking back on my blog so I hate that I let it go.  Ever since instagram, I seem to have fallen off the blogging wagon.
For starters, we just moved.  Still in the same city, just about 2 miles away.  We were living in a spacious 3 bedroom with 5 kids and our landlords were not pleasant.  It seemed that there was always something we were doing wrong or needed to be reminded about.  Like the time she texted me to tell me to make sure I mowed the lawn once a week.  Thank you, thank you for that reminder.  The over growth would have been over looked had you not told me to mow once a week.  But we had great neighbors and friends over there and we lived on not only a dead end, but a dead end to a field.  The kids loved riding bikes back there and sledding on the big dirt hills.  And the view of Mt Timp was always amazing.  But here we are, new house, new ward.  We are still getting settled and I really don't enjoy the process of getting to know new people when I move.  Maybe it's my age but I just find meeting new groups of people annoying.

Cloe is in 7th grade and is playing basketball on the school team and also city league.  She's all about fashion and I have no idea what I'm talking about.  She got braces in November and was THRILLED!  It's like the coolest (and most expensive) accessory.

Brody is in 6th grade and is the school mascot, shhhhhh, it's a secret.  He is really getting into drawing and basketball.  Ryan is coaching his team again this year.  He got a ukulele for Christmas and will be learning to play that this year.

Abbey is in 4th grade and still attending the French Immersion program at school.  Her school does Common Core math and it is Fur-rust-ur-ating!  She is also just starting city basketball.

Charlotte started Kindergarten.  It was all a bit stressful and gave me anxiety in the beginning because of her diabetic care.  But her and Cloe attend the same school and Cloe is an Ace at taking care of her diabetes so I know she is safe in Cloe's care.  She loves school and has enjoyed learning.

Aiden, the little Angel hair.  She is a stubborn little thing but adorable and sweet at the same time.  Ryan sometimes is convinced she doesn't think he is her dad because some days she wants nothing to do with him.  But I have fun spending a few hours a day with her while the kids are at school.

Ryan is still working away, building up his school and creating beautiful art.  This last year, we traveled to Monument Valley, absolutely beautiful everyone must go, for him to do some paintings.  It was one of my favorite trips.  We also went to Monterrey, CA with Charlotte and Brody and then to DC with Cloe.

I started a new business venture this last year which I've loved, doTERRA.  If we are friends on Facebook or instagram, you already know that :)  I timidly used the oils and saw that they worked so I decided to educate people about them and make some cash as well.  If you have questions, I'm your gal.  I didn't do much running this last year, just cross fit.  I love the strength I've gained from cross fit but miss the more slender build I had when I was running all the time.  I was also a RS teacher this last year.  The week I had to teach was always stressful as I tried to find time to prepare but I did enjoy the calling and what I learned.

Now let's see if I can blog at least once a month.  Extra credit points if I can do once a week.