"Cow"ifornia

We just spent a fabulous week at Newport Beach with the Sheppard side of the family. We spent lots of time at the beach lounging and playing in the water, we spent a day at Disneyland (which Shep surprisingly loved), and we did lots of bonding with the fam. While on the plane we told Shep we were going to California, he started pointing out the window and saying "Cowifornia...moo, moo, moo" I am afraid we didn't see any cows while we were there but I think that he wasn't too disappointed by what he found. He still calls it Cowifornia and adds a little moo everytime we talk about it.

Moondoggy and Gidget

All growing up I was obsessed with Gidget movies. I wanted to be a girl surfer so bad, and I always had a good crush on Moondoggy (Gidget's surfer beau). This week my dreams came true. We rented surfboards for a day and taught ourselves how to surf. It was soooo fun!!! Aram made a great little Moondoggy, he caught on to surfing really well. It was a great day at the beach.

The Things I Make My Husband Do

Aram fell in love with a young, spunky and sometimes cheesy 19 year old. Since that time six years ago, I wonder if he has wished he married someone a little less silly. He says that my spunkiness is one of the things he loves about me, but over the last six years he has gotten dragged into a lot of things he probably wouldn't choose to do on his own. One of which was very recently. On our trip to Newport Beach we attended a little Jazz concert by the pool. All of my siblings were egging me on to ask Aram to dance, so I did. While were were dancing Aram kept repeating "Everyone is staring at us." My only response was to explain to him that no one was looking at us because there was a much better act going on: the senior Floridian lovers who looked like they stepped right out of a movie. These people could actually dance, in fact they were little risque considering their age. I am glad Aram danced with me and continues to make me happy by going along with my cheesiness. Hey maybe forty years from now we can be the main attraction with a little hair dye, some high heels and penny loafers, and if Aram shrinks a bit.

Football Game

Suiting Up

We've upped the anty at our house. The nightly rough and tumble football scrimmage between Aram and Shep has officially added shoulder pads (dish towels stuffed into their shirts).

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There is a twinkle in Aram's eyes lately which could only mean one thing-- football season has officially started. And all the hopes and dreams of a undefeated seasons consume my sweet hubby. I tell Aram if he spent as much time studying his scriptures as he does reading Cougar Board and other BYU blogs he'd be a teaching CES classes by next year. In spite of his obsession with Bronco Mendenhall, one thing I do have to give credit to Aram for is being the best dad. He is so patient, sweet, and fun to be around. When I feel like I'm losing it, he always compensates for me. He and Shep play football nightly on our family room floor. Sheppy has the best moves, Aram says he'll be a great QB someday because he always gets rid of the ball before he's tackled. Our boys are so lucky to have such a fun dad who plays with them. I am so grateful for this blessing in my life. Oh, by the way GO COUGS!!!

Take a Hike

What can I say I love the mountains!!! It's not the easiest thing to carry two little boys on hikes, but I cannot resist the call of the wild. Sometimes it just sounds so nice to sit in our family room and just watch TV all the time, but I know if I just make an extra effort to get us out of the house and into the outdoors we will feel so much better, and enjoy the change of scenery! Almost every Saturday this summer we have done something new and fun thanks to the Weber County RAMP program which funded fun free activities around the county every Saturday. So, we've checked out the Train Museum, the Treehouse Museum, the Nature Center, the farmer's market, ect... But, I realized summer is coming to a close and although we have had a very fun and busy summer we have not enjoyed the mountains nearly as much as we should. I must admit I have complained that the Ogden Area does not have as nice or as convenient hikes and amenities as the Salt Lake, but that's because I hadn't discovered them yet. So we have spent the last month exploring the area and found some great spots; Waterfall Canyon, Wheeler Creek, and Snowbasin (Green Pond). These pictures are actually from an old Salt Lake favorite-Donut Falls which we did with all my sisters and their kiddos.

Fun on Flathead