Lloyd Family

O ur family went on a big road trip the first week of August- we drove to Newport, Oregon, then down the coast to northern California, then back home by way of Nevada. It was a LOT of driving, but we survived and had some great experiences! The day we were supposed to leave, we sold our motorhome and bought a trailer. Call us crazy, because I think we were! We spent all that day fixing up the trailer and then left the next morning. Here our "rig" is parked in an RV park in Sisters, OR, where we stayed the first night. T he next two nights we camped at South Beach State Park in Newport, OR. The kids were pretty amazed by the ocean, which was the whole reason for our trip! We had a great time playing at the beach even though it was at most 55 degrees outside, and foggy.   T he boys loved burying themselves in the sand, although they regretted it a bit later when they had sand in every nook and cranny... ha!   E veryone enjoyed collecting shells, of which there was ...

I can hardly believe it- Sara is 8 years old! S ara seemed to have a good day. She got to watch a couple of movies, go swimming, have Wendy's hamburgers for dinner, and have some cousins and Grandma & Grandpa Jensen over for her party. She chose Angel Food Cupcones, with cookie dough ice cream on the side. I t was super sweet to watch Sara open her presents, because she was genuinely excited about each one! She looked so pretty, and was the sweetest birthday girl! Happy Birthday Sara! W e were super-impressed with Sara's swimming teacher this year, who taught the kids to walk on water! (Funny shot, right?)

Z ac has turned 10 years old!! H e woke up on his birthday morning in our motorhome- we were on a family campout. Zac had requested donuts, so I had some available and they tasted really good for being a couple of days old.   W e drove home that morning and I quickly baked his birthday cake- a pinata cake! No, we didn't hit it with a bat! It's just filled with candy, like a pinata. The kids LOVED it. Z ac got some cash, a computer game, pool toys, a pretty rock, and his first toolbox with tools. He said it was okay if we went to our stake's Pioneer Celebration that evening, and he and the 3 other "big" kids in the family watched a movie after. W hile we're talking about Zac, he's been taking swimming lessons. He's had a good time and really improved his skills. I  don't know what I'd do without Zachary in the family. He's considerate, willing, complimentary, smart and funny. I am going to really miss him when he starts ...

T hird blog post today! I had a lot to catch up on. This 4th of July was an unusual one, because, sadly, Kory was very sick with viral pharyngitis. Think strep throat, but with a virus rather than bacteria, so there's no medicine to help it get better. He was in bed all day long. The kids and I went ahead with our plans, since it seemed the best thing we could do was let him rest. W e drove to Rupert to attend their great parade. We met the Lloyds, who were visiting from Colorado. Fortunately, we had a break from the 100+ degree temps we'd had all week; the kids enjoyed the parade and got lots of candy.  Chillin' in the shade! B ack home, we spent the day hanging out, BBQing, and playing UNO. June helped me cut out the fabric for Sara's baptism dress! In the evening we walked down to the CSI campus and had front-row seats for the fireworks show. It was about 22 minutes long, and pretty impressive. I t was a nice day, and we were definitely grate...

N ear the end of June we camped at Nat Soo Pah with Grandma and Grandpa Jensen and the Lawrences. It was a little cool, but we had a great time. We enjoyed delicious food, games, playing in the creek, and the best- swimming in the heated pool. We got our first sunburns of the year, unfortunately. The kids have so much fun there, and spent a majority of the time in the deep end jumping and flipping off the diving boards. I didn't take my camera into the pool, but here are a few shots of the camping portion. I think they were just playing. . . Bryan wasn't very impressed to get his picture taken, but he came along. Thanks Bryan! This group is 11 out of 13 (soon to be 15!) Jensen grandchildren. 

J oziah has turned three years old, and really seems to be growing and maturing lately. He speaks really well and is just the cutest little boy! He is super-fun to be around. (I am so excited to be at the point where my youngest child has turned 3! Babies were awesome and fun, but I am ready to sleep through the night and have adventures with older kids. ) S o, Joziah's birthday was on a Thursday and I made him a delicious Eclaire Cake for just us. He didn't care much for it, but it had a Diego candle on top, so that was great. He opened a couple of presents that day, including a toy kitchen. T he next day we met the Jensens and Lawerences at Nat Soo Pah, so we celebrated his birthday with them. He didn't even try a piece of this cake (but isn't it cute?) He got some great gifts, including cash, candy, a tractor that makes sounds, a bubble lawnmower, raisins (a favorite) and some Jake and the Neverland Pirates figures.   H appy Birthday Joziah! You're...

W e took our "new" motor home out on its maiden voyage, all the way to Hagerman, ID- about 30 minutes from home! Our family has always enjoyed traveling by motor home- the freedom while driving is awesome for the kids. W e met up with the Halls and camped at Sligers 1000 Springs Resort. The kids got along so well, just like always. We fished a ton, played ring toss, ate good food, swam in the pool, and went on a hike (which gave some of us more appreciation for the pioneers, because it was hot, and long, and we were unsure of our destination) and visited the fish hatcheries. T he day we went home we attended Free Fishing Day at one of the hatcheries. Each kid caught their limit of 2 fish and were given a goody bag with some nice fishing supplies. Hot dogs and pop were provided for lunch and then they gave away a bunch of prizes. Both our family and the Halls won a cute fishing pole. All in all, we had a great time and can't wait for our next trip! ...