SO CLOSE...BUT NOT QUITE THERE, at least I'm completing AUGUST before September is over!

Despite it all, we made the most of August with some fun activities...

I wanted to make strawberry freezer jam, and pick berries this year, but it wasn't able to happen and so I was determined to at least make peach jam. I wanted to can peaches so bad, but it was just too much so we did peach freezer jam and it made me feel a bit better. 

Picking peaches with them was so much fun and they did really well. It was our first time to the green bluff area, it was beautiful.

look at these super juicy messy peaches.

Linc had juice all down his shirt

They had such a fun time and did a really great job!

Boys and their bugs!

Fort time! Mess means fun...right!

These wonderful people are my Grandma Betty's siblings and despite the distance that they live from each other, they have managed to get together and spend time with each other annually. Not only that they have been incredibly supportive of each others children and their children's children. Many have traveled to go to weddings or attend blessings. Not only that, they have had family members stay with them (like Bev and Berry hosting Mike for a course). They are a great example to me of how I want my siblings to be! It is so fun to watch them all and hear about their adventures. I sure love them!

This is little baby Oaks, I can't get the picture to rotate, but its pretty cute!

This adorable little lady, our only one, had fun with these old school baseball cards making paths all over the house. The boys kept destroying her paths which made it a challenge, but there were fun moments in time, like most things with little brothers!

The pool...we only made it there 2 times, besides sime lessons for 2 weeks, and I promise next summer we will go more, but we did have a great time both times. The only thing I wish is that they had more slides that worked for little kids. 

Grandma came for a short visit and  brought fun activity books, she always finds such fun ones!

Lincoln did pretty good in his swim lessons, he had a bit of a tough time listening. 

Vienna did really well. She would go a little caddy wumpus from one side of the pool to the other, but she did great and was a good listener,,,most of the time.

We will definitely do them again next summer!

Mike decided to take on a huge project and one that he had never done before, which he is getting extremely good at doing, I might add. He decided to build a deck in our back yard. No experience needed...right??? I was skeptical for sure, but after all the quotes it really was the only option...

and so it began (thanks to pinterest and google) he got some ideas and then made his own design...

Luckily his Dad was really thoughtful and wanted to help us out and so he did. He came up several times to help and often times just for the day. I was always at the office so I wasn't around for much of it, but I did get to see the progress in spurts. 

it sure looked like he knew what he was doing...

We decided to build in the fire pit and I'm so glad we did!

We got it done just before the Simmonds arrived and I was very helpful with the staining aspect, so that was important! I made my pregnant contributions.

We love it so much! Thank you Mike and Alan, it makes all the difference in the world!

So Mema and Papa just showed up out of no where to visit and help out for a few days. It was great timing, just before back to school and the arrival of Oaks, but still while we were looking for our perfect front desk team member and I had to be at the office as much as possible. 

I was able to cancel the sitters I had lined up and know they were going to be well taken care of.

They went to a fun park with a river (I've never been there :(

Go to DID's and share their favorite ride with them...

enjoy being kids and playing in mud!

dig and splash

and explore. It was such a nice surprise. I sure wish life didn't have to be so busy this summer, but I do know there are more summers to come and the Lord has greatly blessed us in our most trying times with the perfect solution and it is amazing to see His hand in our life these past 6 months.

what a darling little boy!

We did take an afternoon and go to bowl and pitcher. We didn't get very far b/c we didnt have much time, but I'm so glad I got to bask in the beauty of the area, especially as the sun set on the river. 

There is something special between kids and nature...they love it and its fun to see it in their behaviour. I love where we live!

Playing in the river and looking for minnows was such a fun way to end the evening. 

It was SO FUN to have the Simmonds join us. It was short but so fuN! We even got to have Rhoda join the fun. Everett loved having her read to him, which was cute to watch. We had a really nice visit. Took it easy and visted mostly, which is the best way to do it. Vienna and Dorothy were adorable together.

We were thrilled to see our cousins and to go to Silverwood with them. We got to have them over and show them our new home, and enjoy a BBQ in the backyard and then the next day it was a Silverwood adventure, a first time for everyone!

We got to ride the carousel as a family just before we left, it was a long but fun day!

These two were super cute in the powerwheels. It was like Everett was taking Willa on a little date.

roller coast fun! Daddy barely fits!

Mommy riding the one ride she was able to, but got to do it with her boys.

The whole clan walking into the park. It was so sweet and they were all so excited!

These two had a great time together and it is so nice to see. I wish they were able to see each other more often, but at least they have fun when they are together!

This little girl has been losing teeth left, right and center, this one came out at home depot in like two seconds thanks to Daddy...so now she was missing both her top teeth...too cute.

getting ready for freezer jam!

This little dude came up from downstairs looking like this...chatting away with his had on...he is such a ham sometimes!

This picture should have been first! This was her first top tooth and it was exciting!!!

Daddy decided to live vicariously through Lincoln as he had the perfect comb over hair. Too funny!

Everett playing dead because a dragon blew fire on him. Where that came from, no one knows...

The kids riding a ride without a mommy or daddy, they did great!

August was a good month. We packed in many things, but still managed to do what needed to be done at the office and for that we are grateful. Our first summer here in Spokane has been successful and stressful, but getting back to school/routine will be nice and then it will be more craziness with a newborn...LOOKOUT SEPTEMBER HERE WE COME!

July in September...is this possible???

June ended stressful, but then we thought we found a perfect candidate for the office, one with experience and personable. So we left on our long planned McAllister Family reunion trip and visit to the Stampede with high hopes of a break and creating memories!

We were so lucky to have Dane and Sarah come and stay with us a few days before we left for them to get some dental work done and to do a bit of cousin time. We had then drive up with us in Jalopi and Danger took up Mike's car so they had a car and Mike could come back to work for a few days. When we went to leave, of course Jalopi didn't want to start. Man, the risks of having a vintage camper. Luckily we have a close family friend/cousin who is a mechanic and he came to the rescue! Despite our 2.5hr delay and trepidation of her even making it all the way to cardston, we left and never looked back. 

This was her maiden voyage and lets say it was a challenge. No A/C and it was hot! No power steering, cruise control and a gas pedal so close to the engine that Mike's foot got burned. 

An exhaust leak that made this prego loday super nauseous. Luckily the kids didn't have to be strapped down, they could go potty whenever and Sarah could nurse whenever, so there were pro's. We did make it to Cardston in one piece, however those southern Alberta winds almost blew us over a few times. It was a huge relief to be there. We set up camp in the driveway and began the fun!

We woke up bright and early and went to the Canada Day parade in raymond. We had a good time, but were so on the outskirts that we didn't get to run into any long lost friends. The kids got plenty of candy, which is what they like the most. We had a fun time. We spent the afternoon taking it easy in Grandma's back yard, playing games. 

Trying to get pics of all our little people was a huge challenge, but here is all seven grandkids!

Here are all the boys (6) with another one on the way.

The kids did really well sleeping in Jalopi, in fact Lincoln did better this trip then he has ever done at home, which is both awesome and sad, all at the same time. I love the bottom right picture. Too bad we are missing a few, but being so close to the temple with the kids was special and this is by far my favorite temple. 

The old school Cardson pool has done some pretty awesome remodels and we had a blast in the whirl pool and on the slides. Such great memories!

Being able to spend time with this wonderful lady I call Grandma and my kids call Great Grandma Betty was the best part. She is such a trooper and did so well having us all there. She is my last living Grandparent and I wish I could kidnap her and keep her with me until I have to say goodbye, but I can't and my little ones would be too much for her. She is an inspiration and I know that there is a special man waiting to be sealed to her and all her kiddos, I just know it. I hope I can be just like her (except worry a bit less). I love you so much Grandma Betty!

Here is our one and only girl so far! Poor little thing. She does well with it though. 

While we were there, our family took the time to go visit Nan and Grandad at their grave side. Nan's passing was SO hard on me, mostly because we had lived so far away that I hadn't seen her in almost 2 years and we had a trip planned to see her just a few weeks after her sudden passing. It ripped my heart out because I was't able to visit with her one last time, or have her meet my sweet little Everett. There was just no closure and even though I know I will see her again, I just didn't get to have that final reunion. She has been such an inspiration to me throughout my life. Grandad was such a sweet man and one that I can't wait to meet on the other side of the veil when his body and mind have been restored to their full capacity. Such wonderful people who raised such wonderful boys in the gospel that has changed generations! I miss you!

After our visit in Cardston, we headed up to Calgary to continue in the fun. Jalopi made it just fine and we decided that is where she will live out the rest of her days until we can sell her. Besides hanging out on the acreage, we had a trip to the zoo planned and a day at the Stampede. Being in Calgary and sharing these things with my kids is special. I can't wait to take them to Banff, do some snowboarding in the real rockies, take them to West-Ed someday and have lots of fun Canadian memories to share.

The zoo was lots of fun!

Nenna-Bear

The butterfly how was amazing, such huge butterflies, it was phenomenal

It was July 4th when we went so naturally my 1/2 American kids went in their US stuff and CAN stuff to still represent both sides!

This is them saying happy 4th!

The hippos were so active this day it was amazing. There was one playing with a stick dangling above the water. He would jump out of the water grab it, shake its head with it and do it again. Its mouth was so ginormous and it was just so neat. Then they got out of the water and went and did the usual thing of sunbathing. 

This is super cute. Sweet Vienna holding Leo's hand while strolling at the zoo.

This is a komodo dragon. It was funny to watch Parker try to get comfy and situated on it. He just wasn't feeling it. 

The penguins were super neat to see!

I know some are repeats, but it was a fun collage.

After this excursion we took it easy for a few days and then when the Stampede started we did another excursion there. I was super excited to share this with the kiddos and dress like cowboys. 

Riding the C-train is always fun! 

1/2 of us..

And the other 1/2. Well besides Vienna and I. 

This is a really neat picture! This year they moved the Indian Village to a completely new location and I really liked where they situated it. We had a fun time visiting, this view is just gorgeous. I sure do love my Cow-town!

The kids got to do some rides and choose a game that you were guaranteed a prize. They really enjoyed playing the games, too bad they are SO spendy.

The swings were fun for Lincoln, Vienna and Auntie Chubbs, There were rollercoaster rides and lots of fun things. I couldn't do much because of my belly. I did go on the Ferris Wheel, which was a fun treat and helpful to Mike since he isnt a big fan at all.

The cowboy couple!

Here we are, a cowboy family.

The kids really enjoyed the indoor motorcycle stunt show. Loud and lots of fumes, but super cool!

We just couldn't get enough of the show...

It was a tired/sleepy ride home, but all in all we had a great day!

The rest of the pics are us just doing what we love best and hanging our together!

A belly shot...of course.

The kids loved burning stuff with Papa and Dane.

This cute little guy just chillin with no shirt first thing in the morning...of course?!

I'm so glad we went on a family walk, its always so nice to get out, enjoy the scenery and the fresh air. I sure love my home!

With much reminding from Parker (Sarah) Papa took the kids to the Fire station to see the fire trucks and the hall. They thought that was pretty cool until someone (one of ours) honked the horn while  they were sitting right there and it scared some of them half to death. oops.

It wouldn't be a visit to Calgary without some crazy weather, so besides some intense Southern Alberta winds, there was also a hail storm and several thunder storms. Poor Jalopi!

Of course there was much hot tubbing by these kiddos, which is always so fun for them!

The outdoor movie was a blast...too bad it gets dark so late, all the kids were asleep before you could even do one. 

I'm so glad I got to see a few beautiful sunsets out here, its one of my favorite things of visiting.

And of course all the trampoline time

All in all it was a great visit and even though we had to say goodbye to Jalopi, it was the best decision. All the cousins had fun together and it will only get better as they continue to get older. They all played really well, there was one incident, we don't know what happened but we think it was a collision between Parker and Everett, either way, this was the shiner E-man got and he was a trooper about it. 

Once we got home, things with the practice were even more insanely stressful and busy and I literally lived at the office the rest of the month because upon our return we discovered that the person we had hired had not sent 1 claim electronically, or collected any payments, which means NO money in. Needless to say we had to let her go and I ended up hiring Jessica and Cassie from my old office in Tri-Cities to help while we figured out what we would do. They discovered that there were a ton of things that were a giant mess and so the clean-up/ boot camp process began where we worked 45hrs in 3 days for 4 weeks straight. It was nuts, but I will forever be thankful for my association with those girls. they have been so helpful and supportive and because of them we have been able to get our office to a place that is functioning so well. Now, correct estimates are given with treatment plans and patient portions are collected at the time of service. The right fee schedules are entered and patients eligibility is being verified, the credentialing process has been completed for most companies and things are just awesome! I am loving the new feeling. Unfortunately we were in a rush to hire someone and we enjoyed her personality but she really had no idea of what she was doing because she really didn't have any experience. She was with us for 8 weeks while we kept hoping it could work out and trying to find a better candidate. Luckily with our patience and long suffering we just hired a new girl today that has tons of experience and the right personality as well. I'm really starting to feel good about the way things will be handled. YEAH!!!

We have our website up and running. We have a groupon running, we've got our new sign completed for outside our suite. We are trying to do more advertising. We have a facebook page and now we just need to grow! Mike has gotten a job at CHAS for Thursdays and Fridays and so we won't be so hard up for not paying ourselves. We have a long road of building ahead of us, but we have a much better foundation to move forward and its starting to feel SO good. There has been lots of stress, tears and sleepless nights, but the light at the end of the tunnel is shining through. 

The kids did really well the whole rest of the month with diffrent babysitters all day. They didn't have much of a summer at all (no hikes, lakes, splash pads, park days or anything really) but they did well. My house suffered greatly and I was drained but we made it through. 

This little guy would get told about preschool and so he was super excited to wear his back pack around. He is such a sweet, mild tempered, easy to reason with little boy and I couldn't be more grateful for his personality. 

Well, aren't you proud, only 2 more months to do in less than a week. I have a baby that should be born any day now and an induction date for the 29th if he doesn't come on his own, so wish me luck!