Ready, all together now. Awwwwe! I have moved my wedding dress from closet to closet, depending on where I needed space. It has been down in the boys closet the last few months, (they have a really big one, where I could stick the garment bag way in the back). But our basement has been very humid this summer, and so I called in favors from my mom, and begged her to keep it at her house. We hung it up to air out, and Morgan and Kamorah found it the other day, and were suddenly very excited, thinking they had lucked out and found a new princess dress to play with. It was so cute! I love my dress!

VP Sarah Palin...has a nice ring hu?

So, imagine waking up at 7am this morning, to find out that someone you've met is now the future VP of the United States! I am totally stoked about this new turn of events. It was really weird to see her daughter Bristol on the national news tonight. (someone I've worked out with on many occasions.) Okay, no more name dropping...

...my mom sees Palin's husband at the gas station down the road all the time... and their family has a house not too far from us.... My workout instructor used to babysit for Sarah Palin... let's see, is that all? Okay, I'm done now. :)

(aren't I a brat?) I can't help it though. Politics brings out the fiestiness in me!

Look out Obama!

Hip Hip Hooray for Team USA!

Okay, if you didn't watch the Olympics tonight, you missed out my friend. If there was any Olympic sport I've every dreamed of playing, (in a world where I have the perfect beach body of course) it would be Beach Volleyball. And tonight's match was no disappointment. May and Walsh were awesome! Still undefeated, and still providing fantastic exciting games for those of us who stay up till 11pm to watch the end of their match. IT WAS GREAT! YEAH USA!

1st Day of School!

I know, its a little late, but here's the first day of school photos. My boys are so casual about school. I think Gabe was the most excited, but he get it all in check. Gabe rolled into 2nd grade with the same teacher from last year. Chandler moved on to the school next door to Gabe's, which is a 3-5 grade school. So, when Morgan starts preschool on the 9th of September, I will have 3 kids in 3 different schools. Can we say stretched thin? The good news is, Morgan will take an early bus at 7:30am (her school starts at 8:30am) and the boys catch their bus at 8:30am. So till 1pm everyday I am a free woman. We had the missionaries over for dinner the other day, and one of them asked me, "what are you going to do with all your free time, Sister Stastny?" I told him, "anything I want!". Actually, I think I'll keep pretty busy, between watching my friends baby once a week, doing Scentsy, piano lessons, and volunteering at the 3 schools, I doubt very much I will suffer with boredom syndrome.

What do ya think? The next Michael Phelps? Or the next Beckham?

Go Phelps GO!

Gabe and I have really enjoyed watching the Olympics together this week. He is especially a fan of the swimming, and is insisting on getting back into lessons this winter. I'm all for it...although I always thought he had more of a soccer physique than a swimmers. But hey, kid's gotta dream, right?

Raspberry Lemonade Jam

I ask you, is there anything better than fresh raspberries from the garden? We've had a yucky summer this year. Only a few days getting over the coveted 70 degree mark. However, the raspberries have seemed to fair okay, so I'm making my famous raspberry lemonade jam. (I don't do just plain anything jam...Matt and I both like that little extra umph)

Raspberry Lemonade Jam

lemon grind from 3 lemons. (simmer in a pot for 5 minutes, then drain off liquid)

5 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

7 cups sugar

pectin

2 tbsp butter

Family Photo Shoot

Isn't my family cute? We decided to have a little photo shoot with my photographer mother. We started at little hill covered in wildflowers, and then we went over by the Iditarod Start. Then we ended up over at the Settler's Bay Golf course in our development. They have (of course) beautiful greens, cool benches, and a really neat gazebo. It was a lot of fun. Thanks mom and Christensen cousins.

All 6 cousins. We have been lucky enough to have everybody pretty well matched up with a cousin close to the same age. Chandler and Christa are 3 months apart. Gabe and Hunter are 3 weeks apart. And even though Morgan and Kamorah are 9 months apart, they'll start kindergarten at the same time.

Only 3 months apart, these two cousins have always been buddies. They've literally grown up together. (From the play pen at a few months old.)

We took these over at the golf course by our house.

Ah Gabe. He's our little chick magnet. He truley is a sweetheart of a kid, and always has kind words to say to his brother and sister.

Hey, Matt and I are looking at the camera, isn't that all that matters?

This is pretty much all she wanted to do...collect boquets of beautiful flowers.

Isn't he a handsome 3rd grader? How could it be that I'm old enough to have a 3rd grader?

My three little angels. ;) Chandler was winking the whole time. And Morgan never would look right at the camera so you can see her eyes.

The love of my life.

Morgan and her cousin Kamorah in the middle of a bunch of wild flowers and fireweed. These two were pretty much inseperable during our photo shoot.

Haaaappy, Talkin' Talkin', Happy Talk!

So tonight, Morgan wanted to call grandmas. We told her it was too late, but that she could call her "friend". (Matt dialed his cell number, then answered it from the other room). Then, Matt brought the cell phone to Morgan, and she had one phone at each ear, but because of the delay, she thought she was actually talking to someone, when she was actually just hearing her own echo. It was hilarious!

Morgan: Hi, I'm Morgan!

Echo:..M Morgan

Morgan: No, I'm Morgan!

Echo:...I'm Morgan!

Morgan: What's your name?

Echo:....t's your name?

You get the idea. Matt and I were dying, and she was still sitting there, having a perfectly wonderful conversation with herself, not realizing that she was talking to herself.

Here's the funny part. We then gave the cell to the boys and had them go downstairs and pretend to be her cousin Clayton, but she wasn't fooled. "No, its not Caykon, its boys downstairs!"

Raise your hand if you hate being Sick!

visit to the doctor for him to tell you what you already knew...$100
prescription for antibiotics...$20
box of Kleenex...$2
cough medicine, diet soda, and throat lozenges...$10
Having your husband take some PTO so he can stay home and take care of you...priceless

Thanks babe, your the bestest ever!

MORE MCCALL

I know, your probably sick to death of it, but my brother-in-law just sent me his disk with pictures from McCall that are SO much better than the shots I had from my crappy camera. So here you go. Enjoy

Matt's family. (from left to right: Mark, Katie, Dad, Mom, Matt, Kristen, Karin)

The older cousins. My kids totally loved hanging out with these great kids all week.

The Next Generation of Stastny Cousins. What a crazy group.

My little firecracker with her sparklers on the Fourth of July. (we also had an awesome testimony meeting that night)

The whole Stastny Clan. (minus one Elder Jeremy Carter:( We missed him!)
One proud grandma and grandpa.
5 siblings and their spouses.
19 grandchildren. (two of which are married)
3 great grandchildren.
One Happy Family!

Gross, I know. But these were the blisters my poor hubby suffered after playing too much with the kids early on in the week. He had these big ones you can see, but there were tiny ones just covering his shoulders and upper back. I've never seen anyone get a sunburn that bad before.

Our nice little private beach. I think the kids and I spent more time here, than inside the house all week.

Matt, getting ready to let one of his nephews have it with the water pail.

Chandler having fun partaking in a water fight.

This is how we spent a lot of our evening...playing Dominos with the
master of Domino playing. (aka, Matt's dad)