Mean-Green-Soccer-Machines!

It's that time AGAIN!  We are so excited to start a new season of soccer.  Sarah dropped out, but Rachel plays now so we still are a 3-soccer-games-a-Saturday family!  Jake is playing competitive this year for the first time and Josh is on a new team so it is NEW for everyone!

Jake's and Rachel's games were at the same time so I wasn't able to see Jake play.  He won his first game 4-2 and EVERYONE told me he played AWESOME as a goalie!

The kids had to be reminded which goal was there's after many scores for the other team!

Ready for ACTION!

Josh is playing goalie this year.  He did great at his first game and blocked some good shots.  This is after he let one in.  BUMMER!!!!!

My Little Beauty!

I finally got some of Rachel's modeling pictures from Heather.  They are so cute.  Here are some of my favorites.

Super Model in the Making!

Rachel has done some modeling for my friend Heather's dress-up business.  She has appeared in her catalog, the Utah Business Magazine and is now as 25 - 30 Costco's in a "flip-slip" road-show.  As you can see, she has natural talent.  She loves that she gets paid in clothes, make-up and lots of attention!

Our Favorite Things ... at the cabin

Stacy and Emma chilling in the raft.  Stacy and I became expert rowers by the end of the trip.

Rachel was quite obsessed with Humphrey the bear.  He was included in many of the videos she made on my phone and games she played during the day.  At night he plagued the kids with scary dreams!

The kids spend a lot of time at the river bed fishing.  David caught a couple fish but for the most part, it was a lot of "practicing."

Josh took Bubba up the river the "ride the rapids".

The kids all spent a lot of time making clay figures in the red mud.  Sarah has a star here that she decorated with little rocks she found on the river bed.

ALL the kids conquered the tire swing.  Bubba was quite offended when he was originally told he was "too little".

Quin's Extra Special Birthday Party Song

As you can tell from the video, the Monson family parties always involve singing Happy Birthday to someone or more appropriately put someones.  You can judge for yourself how special Quin felt after we sang a special song for him.  BTW, Quin is one of David's five older brothers.

Sweet 13

We were at the cabin for Sarah's 13th birthday.  She decided that she wanted to go to town and shop, see a movie and eat dinner out.  We walked around the cute shops in the sweltering heat while we waited for the movie Ramona and Beezus' first showing at 4:15.

Unfortunately this was the same time that Jake got a fever and intense ear pain while David had left EARLY to go to Redding to get our car fixed.  We took a little detour to the InstaCare clinic where he and Spencer were diagnosed with double ear infections and then the pharmacy for antibiotics.  David received a text from Sarah while she was waiting at the doctors. "This is the worst birthday ever.  I'm sitting in a hot car waiting for mom.  She's taking forever."  David made it back just in time to join us for the movie, which, by-the-way was SOOOO cute.

Mercifully, David took all the little kids home and Stacy and I took Sarah out to dinner for her birthday.  She choose a Mexican restaurant which could be called questionable at best.  You know you are in for an interesting Mexican dinner when two white teenagers are the cooks. 

David picked up a cake and ice cream on his way home with the kids.  I hope it wasn't a total bust for my new teenager!  At least the cake was good :)

Cabin Fever

While my parents were still "on their mission" my family and the Chandlers (a neighbor family) drove out for a long week to their cabin.  We endured 13 LOOOONG hours in the car to get there.  BOY was it worth IT!!!!

My favorite place at the cabin is in the hammock.  I loved to lay there and read and sleep.  Bubba always saw this as an opportunity to come and get a snuggle.

Me and my Buddy!

Josh can't hardly take a picture without striking a pose.  I'm not exactly sure what to call this one.

Our favorite activity while we were there was to go to the river and play in the water.  This was a fun water hole that David found last year that had a rock to jump off.  All the kids were brave enough (except Bubba) to do "cannon balls".  The walk there was a bit treacherous but thankfully nobody was lost on the way.

The second day we went there we took David's "short-cut" which was across the river in two areas.  I had to carry Bubba, my bag with my camera, book, drinks and non-wetable items while I wore flip-flops.   Sarah was wearing my nice water shoes.  If you have ever walked in a river bed you know that the rocks don't provide ANY traction because they are covered with slimy moss.  Poor Bubba and I went down THREE times before we made it across even once.  My book was wet, Bubba was screaming and my pocket camera was ruined.  All in the name of ADVENTURE!!!!  When I relayed my experience to David about his short-cut, he said that he forgot to tell me that he rescinded his comment that it was a better way.

Who doesn't want a piece of this?  Back off, ladies - he's my hunk of burning love!