Summer Part 3

After we go back from Utah Eden decided to try washing her doll clothes the old fashioned way and was the cutest little domestic darling I've ever seen. She loved every minute of it!

She even hung them up to dry after they were washed.

She also got in some quality time in her swimming pool. The end of the summer was unbearably hot and humid (in the high 90's with 80% humidity) so cooling off in the pool was a must. And swimming is always more fun with a friend- especially one who is willing to share her brother's goggles!

I can't believe how big my little girl is getting! One of her favorite church dresses this summer was one I used to wear when I was a little girl (although I was 4 or 5 when I wore it and Eden was only 3). It was fun to see Eden wearing it too. I had to take a picture of her wearing it on one of the rare days she let me curl her hair.

Summer Part 2

I have been so terrible about blogging lately and I have so much catching up to do! Here's a mostly photographic summary of what we did the rest of the summer.
We had a lot of fun with Andy's family at This is the Place Park (or whatever they call it now). Eden wanted to spend the whole day in between Abbie and Ashley (sorry about that Ashley!)

Andy caught a chicken for Eden to pet and she thought that was a lot of fun. I personally think watching Andy catch the chicken was more fun than the petting of the chicken...
Eden learned how to wash clothes the old fashioned way and loved it. I learned to appreciate my washing machine a little bit more than I already did.

We also got do bull riding (well, not me since I'm pregnant) and it was fun to see everyone hang on. Abbie did a great job. Even Sha-Sha gave it a try......

.....for a moment anyway.

What we've been doing all summer: Part 1

So, it's been quite a while since I updated our blog. Our camera has not been communicating well with our computer and who wants to read a blog without pictures? Not me. Also we've been busy. And tired. Well, that last one might just be me...


We spent all of June and half of July out and about in the western US. Andy worked in Scottsbluff NE for 3 weeks and then we spent about 3 weeks in Utah with our families. It was really a lot of fun and we wish we could have spent more time there and seen a lot more people. As proof that we've been busy, here's a little photographic tour of what we were doing.


Scottsbluff is on the western edge of Nebraska, about 12 miles west of Chimney Rock. It is really quite a pretty little place. If it weren't in the middle of nowhere, I would recommend visiting it. Here is a view from the bluff.

While in western Nebraska, one must stop to visit Alliance- home to Carhenge.
It's arranged just like Stonehenge but it's made with spraypainted Cadillacs instead of stones. This is what people do for fun in Nebraska. All while wearing these hats:

We also went to the zoo in Scottsbluff and Eden had a lot of fun feeding ducks and smelling the flowers and eating Sno Cones and posing for the camera.

That concludes the first three weeks of our trip. Stay tuned for What we did this summer: Part 2- UTAH. It's still in post-production.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

Final Four!

If you haven't been following the two previous posts, Andy's brother Ben is in a blogging competition for Mormontimes.com. The contest started with a ton of applicants but it is now down to the final four contestants, and Ben is one of them (the best one, I might add). If you go to www. mormontimes.com and click on the Blogger Brawl icon you can read Ben's blog about single life as a Mormon and you can also VOTE for him. The voting closes Sunday night at midnight. We would love to have as many votes as we can for Ben. Thanks!

Ben Again

Hello Folks,
We do not currently have the ability to take pictures off our camera and put them on our computer, so that is the main reason for the lack of blog posts lately. However, I can't be lax about posting this- Ben won the last round of the blogger brawl (thank you for all your votes) and he is in the running again today! Please go to www. mormontimes.com and click on blogger brawl to vote for Ben again. The voting ends tomorrow (Friday) at midnight and we can't bear to see Ben's talent go to waste when you could be enjoying a weekly blog from him. Thanks for all your support! Go Ben!

Vote for Ben

I know, I know. It's been months since I last updated the blog. I promise, more is soon to come. But important things first:

Andy's brother Ben is really witty and funny and talented and is also in a contest on MormonTimes.com to become a regular blogger/ columnist. And he needs YOUR votes. He has made it to the second round of the contest which means the competition is getting fierce. We know he's the best but you can find this out for yourself by going to http://www.mormontimes.com/ and clicking on the Blogger Brawl icon at the top of the page. Click on the listing for Ben Craven and read his ingenious thoughts- and then vote for him! We'd love to see Ben go all the way in this competition and be able to read his column every week. And we'd love to have you help him get there. You DO need to hurry, as voting for this round of the competition ends Wednesday (the 14th) at midnight. So what are you waiting for? Have fun! And tell all your family and friends!