YELLOWSTONE

Another summer adventure... I haven't been to Yellowstone National park since I was just a kid, and let me tell you I pry didn't appreciate it as much as I should have... We had a chance to spend the weekend in West Yellowstone with Miles, Sherry, Ryan and Gerin. It was a blast. Bison are always bigger than I remember and slower. The slow part I will definately remember after this trip. We waited for two hours for a herd of buffalo to cross the road, not as fun as it sounds. We only saw a few stragglers by the time we got to the front of the very long line of cars, but like I said very memorable! The geysers are always impressive, I loved Old Faithful! I took video so you could all see it too, but me being as computer illiterate as I am , I've tried to put it on here...TWICE... with no luck....maybe I can get Gage to help.

Earthquake lake was quite a sight to see, I never believed that an earthquake could form a lake but I was wrong. ( A little history, 1950's there was an earthquake that caused a huge landslide, that stopped the river that was flowing through the canyon. As a result the water built up creating a lake.) The Pine trees that used to line the banks of river are dead, but still standing, only now you can only see the tops sticking up in the middle of the Lake. Pretty impressive...Don't miss this if you ever make it to the Yellowstone area:)

I think Trevin's favorite stop was the grizzly bear museum, only because he wasn't stuck in the car. Bears are so lazy, but alot of fun to watch. The bears put on quite a show, finding food that had been hidden. Sam was our favorite, he was the biggest and the most aggresive to find the food.

We made it home, and now it is back to real life... for a while ;)

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

We love getting together with the family every Sunday, but it's even better when there is a holiday to celebrate. Like the majority of Sunday afternoons we started at the Crabtree's (so we wouldn't interfere with their bed times, just kidding). We had blast and I think combined we pry ate 2 chickens a 1/4 cow and 50lbs of pasta and fruit salad... Okay, that might be exaggerating but you get the point. I was stuffed. Papa opened all his presents and we all sat around and talked while Aanika, Sierra, Savanna, and Trevin kept us entertained. Chersti looks so cute, finally showing off that she is pregnant! It's gunna be a house full with another set of twins running around the Crabtree home. I can't wait.

The Canova house had two parties... Cassidy turned 11 on Wednesday, so it was cake and candles and presents... HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASS....

Chief was next in the spot light. He opened his presents and then enjoyed playing with all of his grandkids. Something all the kids love too. We spent the rest of the time talking and playing a board game. We hand a lot of fun and to every one's surprise Travis didn't win! By the time we made it home we were all ready to hit the sack.

So to all the dads...Papa, Chief, Nate, Kyle, Darin and James and especially Gage... HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

Getting Closer

We finally finished painting and now we can check off another box on our " to do" list. :) Painting the whole house was a big project but well worth it. I finally feel like it is our house... even if I do still call it the "stinky house."
I love the color we picked for Trevin's room. It's fun to have one room different than all the rest and it was fun to see the change when we painted!

We should have gotten carpet this past Wednesday, but long story short, the carpet wasn't in yet. I was ticked, but it all turned out okay. We found out that it is in now and it can be laid next Wednesday. Whoohoo! Another week to get ready. I drew this family portrait on our living room floor. I thought it would be a good way to leave our mark... and it will be a fun surprise for whoever rips out the carpet next :)
Our projects in the house are finally winding down, at least the ones that have to get done before we move in... cleaning the bathrooms and the floors one more time and wiping out all the cupboards and then of coarse PACKING. I don't think the 5 boxes I've packed are considered a good start but hey, I still have 4 days! In Gage's opinion we shouldn't pack for our 1 1/2 mile move anyway, it should all get thrown into cars. If only I had that same philosophy.

Trevin is getting so big, I'm not sure when it happened, I looked at him yesterday and saw a toddler instead of a baby! Wow, don't I sound like a mom... So while I'm in the "mom mode" let me just brag a little... he finally decided to prove he could roll over. Even dad got to see! Then just 5 days later he decided he could sit on his own, and loves it! He has toppled over quite a few times and shed a couple tears but it is still his favorite thing to do, along with reading books with Dad and of coarse eating!

Dust, Crayon, and Dirt

What a mess! Although I never cared to know, I have experienced first hand what it is like to clean four years worth of dust build up. Not to mention the crayon and grim on all the walls. I spent a few hours this morning just on the hall way and stair case, I feel like it is the never ending job. I get done with a wall just to look back and think "It looks like it still needs to be washed!" I must admit we are making progress on the smell. In an attempt to start destinking we tore out all the carpet and padding, it has definitely helped but the scent/odor still lingers. The outside of the house is looking much better, thanks to Gage. He has done a lot of weeding and turning over dirt. Anyway, to sum it up... A week of cleaning up the house and we made it out alive, with the exception of the many "Mr. Clean Magic erasers".
On a totally different note, I got to pamper myself yesterday, I got my nails done. Charlee is in cosmetology school and needed a to practice, I was a willing volunteer. She said this was her first set... I think she did way good, Thanks Charlee.

MOAB 2008

After getting left out of the Moab tradition last year, I jumped on the chance to go this year. I'm not sure when the tradition started but, for as long as I've been around, James and Ryan (my brother in laws), Justin (friend), and Gage have gone to Moab to prove their manlihood and test the limits of their jeeps. Let me tell you, it wasn't anything like I expected. We spent three days on Moab Rim and Pritchett Canyon, two of the more challenging trails. I had a lot of fun being the passenger, as well as the photographer. I learned that Jeeps don't really need most of their parts because it seemed like any time something got broken or bent someone would say "You really don't need that anyway." The other phrase I got used to was "You're already scratching it, you might as well keep going." Anyway, we met a lot of interesting people, made a few creative repairs, the Jeep got a few dents and scratches, and it felt really weird not having to carry a diaper bag everywhere we went (Trevin stayed with Sugar). It's hard to describe all the fun and excitement in words and the pictures don't really do it justice, but we had fun and I can't wait to go again.