Sianara!

I don't know if that is Japanese or Chinese and I am definitely not sure on spelling but oh well. I got a call as I was leaving the Braves game tonight, it was Ammon! He went to the doctor today and got the OK to go back to Japan. Although we know that is where he needs to be and we know that is where he wants to be, we sure had fun while he was here and cant wait for his return in another year. I had more fun last week with my brothers and sisters in Utah than I remember having anywhere with anyone in a long time. I love all of my siblings and am so glad that we can have a good time together. I told Ammon when he gets back he has to marry someone I like so that we can hang out and have a good time together. Ammon, I like Janelle, Hint Hint!!!

We love you AJ and cant wait to begin hearing about all of your success as a missionary again.

Hot Art!

I went to check on our house and clean it and this is what I found. Since I turned the AC off when I left it was about 92 degrees in there. Just hot enough to make the candles soft enough to do this. I think its pretty cool and will probably keep them because it is funny.

Our Utah Visit!

Our short visit was so much fun! We really didn't want to have to come back to Georgia, but we would have missed Nic too much. We did so many fun things and had so much fun with all of our friends and family. We were glad to get back and see daddy and enjoyed the two nights we got to be with him. Now he is in Augusta and we are all alone in our apartment in Atlanta, (hence the late night or early morning blogging). Our being alone won't last long. Our good friends Eric, Emily, Emery and Easton Thompson are coming to visit tomorrow and will be here until Sunday. Yeah, someone to do fun things with. I have a feeling we will be going to a lot of Braves games, Eric is somewhat of a fan and they have a game everyday they will be here. Anyway, here is a bit about our adventures in Utah...

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My parents neighborhood puts on a BIG 24th of July celebration every year and these were just a few of the many fun things we got too enjoy. The zip line was a huge hit with Little Nic and his cousin Jonah, they went on it about 90 times. The play fighting was also one of the hot spots for them. Gracie could have spent all day on the big blow up slide and bounce house. Aunt Nat and Nikki kept prying her away to go on the slip'n'slide. At the end of the day they hire the Pleasant Grove fire department to put on a firework show that is unreal. The finale was just a big jumble of explosions. You couldn't make out one firework imparticular, there were too many going off at once. We ended the day back at Grandpa and Grandma Zitting's for S'mores and a camp fire. It was a day I know I won't soon forget.

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Here are some random things we did and some extremely random moments!

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We only got to spend one day with the Aguirre side of the family but it was sure fun. Papa Dave took us and some of the cousins to McDonald's and of course the kids had a blast running wild with their cousins. I had fun talking and laughing with my brothers and sister in laws, I love them! Then Nana and Papa and the kids and I got a malt from Iceberg and then went to work in Papa's garden. It really is a pretty garden, (that might sound weird but I love things that grow and can't wait to be in one place during the summer so I can plant my own). Nic was eating every veggie he could get his hands on, the kid loves vegetables. We had so much fun Nana and Papa, we love you sooooo much!

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We even had time to go to Color Me Mine with some friends. Thank you Emily and Heidi for

taking the time to come and play with us, we had a BLAST!!!

I tried until 3 am last night and couldn't get those darn slide shows to show up when I posted them so

unfortunately you will just have to click on the links to view them.

Home sweet home!

Well here I am back in Utah. My little brother who has been serving his mission in Japan had to come home. He has for the last month and a half had a virus in his eye. It effected him to the point of not being able to open his eye and therefor was unable to do a lot of the missionary work that he wanted to be doing. He has had about a month and a half of trying to get rid of it, misdiagnosis and treatment that didn't work and finally got a diagnosis that brought him home. Although that diagnosis turned out to be yet another misdiagnosis he is now in the hands of great doctors and they are treating him and he is making vast improvements everyday. We came home to visit with him while he is here and just keep praying and hoping that he continues to heal quickly so he can get back to Japan as soon as possible. He opened his eye for the first time in more than a month on Sunday so that was a miracle and such a boost for him. His eye is still very sensitive to the light and gets tired a lot but he is doing great! We are just enjoying his company while we can and will continue to post his progress. Keep him, (or his eye), in your prayers.

We brought the beach home...

Since Nic was working in Augusta last week we went and stayed in a hotel with him down there so he wouldn't have to make the 2 1/2 hour trek back to Atlanta everyday. Living out of a hotel and having to eat out everyday is not my favorite thing in the world but it is worth being able to have our family together. On Sunday we went down to Savannah and went to the beach on Tybee Island. It was a lot of fun playing in the sand with the kids. There is something about the beach that brings out the child in you. I was perfectly content sitting in the sand digging for seashells with Gracie and even though I am quite scared of the ocean I couldn't help but go and play in the waves, (not too far out). Nic was building a sand castle with the kids and I think he had more fun they did. Little Nic was like a puppy dog chasing the waves out and then running from them as they came back in. A few waves knocked Gracie over and she wasn't too thrilled with the salt water in her mouth.
I really wanted to go into Savannah and check it out and spend a couple hours walking around, but by the time we were done with the beach we were so tired and had sand in every nuke and cranie possible that we just decided to drive by The Lady and Sons restaurant and then hit the road. I have a severe obsession with celebrity chefs and if I am in a town where they have a restaurant I have to see it and hopefully eat there. Some friends of ours had eaten there last year and said that it was really just a glorified Chuck-A-Rama with a 3-4 hour wait to get in. So needless to say I didn't really feel the need to eat there, but I did want to at least see it. I know I am kind of a freak. Nic and I have eaten at Bobby Flays restaurant in Las Vegas, and two of Emeril's restaurants, so it is just something we enjoy doing.
Savannah was a beautiful place, huge Oak trees with moss hanging down from them lining every street, tons of really cute little shops and many yummy looking places to eat. I am just going to have to go back there with my girlfriends so we can spend all day eating, shopping and taking pictures of cool trees. Trees are another one of my obsessions. I told Nic when I die I don't care where you bury me as long as it is underneath a huge tree.
It was a fun filled day but in the end we were happy to get home and rinse off the ten pounds of sand we brought home in our swimsuits.

Home of the Braves!

We had a busy 4th of July weekend. On the 3rd the kids and I and a couple of the other wives in our office went to a little fair. It was really fun for the kids, lots of little rides and games and really yummy homemade ice cream!

The kids loved the big blow up slide, it reminded them of Kangaroo Zoo in Utah!

Gracie and her pony, Pineapple!

This was Nic's first time on a rock wall and he got about 3/4 of the way up. He had a little trouble on the way down though. He wasn't heavy enough so every time he would kick away from the wall he would only fall about an inch. Finally he got low enough that I could stand on a chair and reach his foot to pull him down. It was really cute though!

On the 4th we did what we always do when we are in Atlanta on the 4th. We went to the Braves game. There just isn't a better way in our minds to spend the 4th then at a baseball game, eating hot dogs and watching fireworks after the Braves win!!!

Nic sat in his chair and watched the entire game. Every time people started clapping or cheering he would lean over to me and say, "What Mom"? He knew something happened he just didn't know what. As always the highlight of the game was doing the Tomahawk Chop every time the Braves got a run.

My cute boys!

The fireworks were too loud for Gracie!

On the 5th a member of the bishopric in our ward out here invited us and all of the people in our office over to there house for pizza, swimming and fireworks. It was really nice of them to open there home to us, a few other married couples and then a bunch of wild single boys. We left at about 1:30 AM and who knows when the rest of those crazy boys left. I don't think they knew what they were getting themselves into when they invited us over. Anyway, it was really fun and very nice of them to do that for all of us!
Sunday was really yucky and rainy most of the day, which is good for Georgia since they are in a drought, but a bummer for us. We just watched movies until at about 6 it cleared up and we got the whole office together at the pool and had a BBQ. I don't know who at more, us or the mosquito's? Anyway, it was a fun weekend spending time with the kids, friends and my hubby. The boys are now working in Augusta which is about two hours away from here so we will be seeing very little of Nic for the next little while. As long as we can make it a few more weeks we will be done with another APX summer and back to Utah for good hopefully, (I'm not holding my breath)!!!!!

Konnichiwa!

My little brother Ammon has been out on his mission for one year today! It has actually gone by really quickly. He is serving in Tokyo, Japan and doing awesome. He has had a couple of baptisms and is doing awesome with the language. We are so proud of him and what he is doing. We love you AJ!!!

July 4th, 2007 The day before AJ went into the MTC.

July 5th, 2007 at the MTC