Always go with your gut...

So... this morning was our "welcome back to reality check"... and how many times do I have to learn to go with my first instinct??

... So I usually teach a class on Wednesday mornings at the gym... but I have had subs for the whole vacation time (all SIX weeks of it... which is another post in and of itself...).  I thought we'd be getting back late last night, so I had a sub to cover this class today... or so I thought...

We ended up getting back on Monday, so I debated about calling the sub and telling her I could do the class.  Since my house is still in disaster mode, I thought it would be nice to have an extra day to try to get a handle on everything... so I didn't call.

This morning, I woke up with the thought, "What if she doesn't cover the class and I'm just sitting here at home?"  But she is a really reliable girl, so I thought she would for sure have it covered.  I let the kids sleep, we had a lazy wake up time, and I just kind of meandered around, wondering where to start on my nuclear war zone-buried house...

As time grew closer, I thought, 'I better call, just to make sure'... so I called... and got her voice mail.  I left a message saying that I'm sure she had everything under control, but I was here to do the class if she didn't want to do it after all.  

Time went on, Sarah got in the tubby, I sent Joshy to get in the tubby with her, and the other boys still hung around in their jammies.  About 8:55 (class starts at 9:15), I called the gym, just to make sure she was there... no sight of her.  Still, she lives far out, so she was probably just driving in... 

I had the thought, 'you better get ready and get the kids ready just in case'  dismissed the thought... meandered around more (you can see where this is going, can't you??!).  At 9:05, I get a call from the sub, saying, "I'm in the cities, I didn't agree to take this class!"  (which I have an email confirmation of her stating she will, indeed, take the class... ).  I hang up, and make the motherhood megahorn announcement that everyone is to be in the car in 30 seconds.  Sarah yells something from downstairs, to which I reply, "Just come up and get in the car!!"

... being the obedient child that she is, she did, indeed come up... wrapped up in a towel with 1/2 the bottle of shampoo still lathered all over her hair...

... We rinsed hair, dried bodies, grabbed clothes and shoes and got into the car 1/2 naked to dress on the way...

Yep, re-entry into normal life - never fun... especially when you ignore your gut!

PRICELESS...

Tickets to Sea World:  $200

Fun Souvenirs, lunch, and fast passes for the great rides:  $150

Sarah's Comment, "My favorite part of the whole day was swimming in the Ocean!" (which we did for all of 30 minutes on our way to Sea World, and cost us $0):  PRICELESS

Mom, this one's for you!

Mom - When we passed by the Flamingo Habitat at Sea World, Jerry and I both stopped dead in our tracks, and just started snapping these pictures for you... they were beautiful!!

Ahhhhh.... Zion!!

... so we have just finished another leg on our ubber long, incredibly crazy summer extravaganza... and yep, Idaho is just as incredible as ever!!

... just to fill in a wee bit, since I have pretty much been out of cyber-world for what seems like eons...

   We took off on July 10, drove across the country, stopping to take a gander at Mt. Rushmore (can I just say, AMAZING??!! - it literally blew me away... but that's a subject for a whole 'nuther post!...)... then ended up in Vernal with Jerry's parent's for a few days.

   From there we were onto Utah for the anual WEPR, minus the WE part (which we missed GREATLY, mom and dad!!!).  (Translation: WEPR is the Walt and Eileen Petersen Reunion, for those outside of my crazy clan...)  We can't wait for next year when you get to be in on all of the family happenings!

   After the reunion, Jerry flew back home to fullfill his 'providing for the family duties' and I stayed behind to fullfill some of the 'fun recreational activities' duties, staying in Utah a bit more, (Julie and her fun ideas had the kiddos all excited to have a 'real' Movie night!!  Your creativity astounds me, Julie!!)  and then heading up north to the land of ZION (aka Idaho!).

   We did a TEN day stint in Idaho, and can I just say, Janie, you are a SAINT!!!  The fact that you can take in 5 MORE bodies, besides the EIGHT that you already have under your roof for that long, and STILL have a smile on your face on day ten is truly an incredible feat in and of itself, but more then that she had activities for us to do pretty much every day, from splash park spashing, to carousel riding, to water park venturing, to zoo gandering, to early morning gym sweating, to temple attending, to back yard pooling, to fire pit s'moring, to yummy ice cream making, to garage big screen movie viewing, to YELLOWSTONE wandering, to birthday celebrating, to education week attending (with your kiddos and hubby graciously brewer baby watching!!)  WOW what a time!!!  I hope you got one HUGE nap when we finally removed our clan from your abode!!!   Phew - that was a truly incredible 1 1/2 weeks!!  (Oh, and Seth is STILL pretty bitter that we can't just 'run' back up to Rexburg to play with Michael and Sam!)

    ... Jerry flew back in to Idaho Falls, and we finally left the Fishers in peace on Saturday, heading to Utah once more, and stopping off just long enough to leave the kiddos with Steve and Nat (again, HUGE thank you!!!) to head to a Peter Breinholt Concert - the first one we have been able to attend in TEN years, since we attended our first concert of his together on our first date after our 'break-up' phase... (did you get all of that?!)... and even (thanks to a little pre-concert emailing), got his song "Grow Old Along With Me" dedicated to my incredible hubby!!  Fun night all around!!

... then we got up bright and early and headed SOUTH to ARIZONA.  Okay, don't ask me why we thought it was such a good idea to leave Beautiful, Plush, Green, Temperate, Minnesota in AUGUST to spend a few weeks in Arid, Hot, Brown, did I mention HOT?!  Arizona... but here we are... and actually having a great time!   ... then again it helps that the pool is a whole 20 feel from our apartment here... and the air-conditioning cost is covered by Mayo :).

    So that's our not-so-little update for now... just hangin loose, and LOVING summer!!  Hope things are great in your neck of the woods... :)

Shhhh, don't tell my OB....

Hey, he never actually said, "No Roller Skating..."

Rollar skating at the family fun center... it only took about 1/2 a skate to realize that I am WAY past my prime, zig zag, spin circles skating days...

Brian took Joshy for a spin around the rin

k

Seth showing his styling skates... before he took one step on the rink, and decided that the scooter route was much more his style :)

Ben with his fancy moves... which he preferred to perform on the carpet area :)

Tayler getting ready to hit the rounds

Jacee and Avery showing their stuff

Way more pictures than you ever cared to see of us :)

Ahhh, the love of siblings :)

I love little watered up faces

Ben got quite the surprise when the new sprinkler snapped back around... in his face :)

Sometimes a diaper run is the best run

Jerry at the final of the final of the FINAL graduation ceremony!!!  10 years of training all boiled down to a certificate and a hand shake :)

Jerry's parents made the monstrous trek to MN for the Big graduation day 

(thank you so much for coming!!)

... and they brought with them fun games and gifts for the kiddos

Seth blowing out the candles on one of his multiple birthday cakes 

 (this was the 'guys side' of the party)

Sarah blowing out her candles on the 'girls side' of the birthday party

Seth and Sarah on their actual birthday with the family... again more birthday cakes :)

Seth with dad on the 'big pull' to get his front tooth out...

After weeks of wiggling, he is finally front-tooth free :)

Sarah saying farewell to her tonsils :)

Strawberry picking with the cousins... 

...or is that strawberry 'tasting' with the cousins?! 

A day at the park with the fam

 (Michelle, Brian, Sarah, and Emma is having a 'chat' on the play cell phone in the back ;)  ).

Seth and Emma (aka Rabunzel) hangin in the back yard

4th of July ward breakfast

The girls with their star spangled 'do rags'

Ben giving Joshy a lift in the childrens parade

Sarah and Taylor hangin together at the House of Bounce

Taylor and Seth duke it out

Sarah, the self-declared Champion!

Seth 'helping' Joshy down one of the big boy slides at house of bounce

And after all of this... the sweet, sensational pedicure - 

Ahhhhhh

Busy Making the memories...

Cousins here...

    Making memories....

Will blog about said memories soon :)

Here's the readers digest version...

-- grampa and gramma visit

-- Graduation (yes, THE graduation!!!)

-- Surgeries and broken bones... (more on both later!)

-- Another episode of psycho dog

-- Cousins visit

-- Park playing

-- Summer Swimming

-- Late night talking

-- Pedicure getting (Ahhhhh...)

-- New job starting (can you say, Jerry Brewer, Consultant??!  Fun times!)

-- Birthday celebrating

-- Birthday party surviving

-- Birthday cake eating (and eating... and eating... )

-- Pregnancy growing (and growing... and growing...)

-- Plenty of picture taking (with FUN new fancy schmancy camera - I think I may be turning into a picture snob!!)

-- Hip Hop teaching (Seriously, I look a lot cooler in my mind than my pregnant body does in the mirror doing all of the 'grooves')

-- Just plain soaking in the sunn-ing 

(Did I say this was the reader's digest version??  Ummm, I meant the not-so-readers digest version, but at least somewhat condensed-version ;)  ).

And the best news of all... ONE WEEK to our Big summer trip!!!  Western Country, here we come!!!