Back to Vegas we go!

So Barrett is still working in Las Vegas hopefully for only a few more weeks! Now that we have no more obligations,like swimming, dr's appt etc. We decided to come back with him until he is done. We are staying in a extended stay hotel with a pool. That should be enough for us. The kids love swimming and with 110 degrees that is about all we can do during the day!It is tight quarters for the five of us, but well worth it to be together. I hope we can manage to keep busy and from driving each other cazy until he is done. I just need to be thankful he has a job. The job situation is kind of frightening. I hate being alone and thankfully it is not during school and not too far so we can come down. I want to get some workbooks or something to keep the kids busy inside the hotel room. Any tips or advice please share! I don't know how military wives do it. I am not that strong. I am truly grateful for a job and for a hardworking husband! So goodbye cool mountain breezes and hello to the desert heat!

Aquarium

We also went to an aquarium in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay! It was so fun to see the kids look at all the fish and sharks. They have a tunnel where you walk through the aquarium and the sharks were right above you. My parents came out and went through that with us. We all had a good time.

8 years strong!!

I just have to post that yesterday was our anniversary! Wow has it gone by fast. Bear has been working in Vegas for a about 5 weeks and we have been apart far too much. He did come home this weekend and we had a great time celebrating the 4th and our 8 years together. We have actually been together 10yrs including the mission time. We were able to go out on Friday thanks to Barrett's Mom and get much needed massages (after sleeping on hotel beds and being alone and exhausted)! We then went out to one of our fav's Red Lobster and just talked and spent good quality alone time. You really appreciate and love someone even more when you have to be away from them. We reminisced about the 8 wonderful years and that special day 8 years ago! We love having it close to the 4th, time off and fun activities! I love being married to him and knowing we can be together forever!! I hate having him gone but I thank him for providing and taking care of us so well! I love hugging him and just being in his arms! I hate fighting and arguing but know it will only make us stronger, we will get through tough times and make it through this trial of life! I love the 3 beautiful creations we have together and they remind us daily what life is about! I love learning and growing each year whether good or bad. I love being a Love!! Thanks Honey for all you do amd for 8 wonderful years I love you! Here is too many many more!!

More Vegas Fun

We went to a fun splash park in a nice Las Vegas neighboorhood. They had a little pond with ducks the kids got to feed and lots of turtles everywhere. Then inside a gated area there is a free park where there is a playground and splash toys! It was still so hot we didn't spend too long there! But the kids had fun!!

Then one night we drove out to Hoover Dam with Barrett and saw that neat site! Barrett was so excited, it was pretty amazing. I don't know what was cooler the dam or the bridge they are building! The kids were amazed!

Vegas Fun

So Barrett has been working in Las Vegas for about 6 weeks helping Layton finish out a project and will hopefully soon be done. We went down for 2 weeks to spend some time with him. It was nice for us to have a little vacation, while sad that he still had to work all day every day. We got perfect weather and had a few fun outings beside the pool! We went every single day to the pool, it was so nice and fun for the kids, they love the water! Here are a few highlights from our trip.
We went to a really neat park where big horn sheep come eat the grass and just hang out. The kids wanted to touch them until they started ramming eachother and then climbing up the slide at the playground. They are so amazing how they don't even care about people being around, they litterally started walking on the slides and then kids said, "can we go now."

May in a nutshell

We had a great May starting with Brock turning 6!! Wow I can't believe I have a 6yr old. He had a fun party with a few? friends. Barrett talked him into going to Cabelas where they let you have as many kids as you would like, scavenger hunt, tokens to shoot the guns, fish food and some candy for each one. So I did go a little crazy and invited quite a few, we had 16 with Brock and Sammi. It was crazy, but fun! He got lots of water guns, bakugans, and star wars stuff! We got him Lego Indiana Jones on Wii which is nice instead of star wars all the time.
Then the next day we headed down to Monticello for the turkey hunt which was very unsuccessful for all the hunters in our group, but still fun. We had a pool and hot tub at the hotel and had a fun cook out in the mountains! Then on the way home we stopped in Arches National park and did a couple of little hikes which was so beautiful and the kids were amazed! The sand was so soft but when the wind picked up it hurt a little, so we quickly left that hike. What a beautiful state we live in, we have it all!! We definitely want to go back and spend some time at Arches and Moab.

Then with school coming to an end we had the dance festival at Brock's school, which was so cute! Then his Kindergarten graduation, which really brought tears to my eyes, I can't believe he is done and now going into 1st grade, aaah. I am so happy/sad to see him grow up so fast! He did wonderful at Odyessey. We are so proud of him. May flew by and June is going to fast too.

I have to vent!!

So I really have a lot of updating to do, birthdays, vacations, etc, they are coming soon. I needed to vent and get my thoughts out about this whole parenting thing. Do any of you ever feel like you suck at it. It has been one of those days. Mostly with a particular 3 year old in this house, but seriously what have I done wrong? So let me tell you how each day typically goes and specifically this one. We usually have to get up by 7 and take Brock to school which Sammi hates and usually fights me on putting shoes on or just getting to the car, but today we actually didn't have to do that we got to sleep in so I thought, when all 3 were up at 6:30. Brock and Sammi start out the day with a fight about who made there bed first since the night before Brock decided whoever did it first could choose the Wii game they could play. I usually help Sammi since it is hard for her, but I tried to stay in bed as long as possible. Brock broke down and helped her do it, I think so she would stop crying. Then we had the usual fight of taking her pull up off in the morning. Then breakfast was not the right pancakes as Sammi stated, she wanted rolled up. Then it was time to take Brock to school for his cute Dance festival and Sammi didn't have her shoes on and didn't know where they were so after patiently waiting she found the ones she used to help pull weeds on Saturday and dirt is now all throughout the house. We got to the school and Sammi played for a minute at the park. While the kids got together for thier dances. She then sat while she watched and had snacks. Once it was over she wanted to play for another minute so I let her play for a minute then we had to get Brock from his class to go. It was a full out set Briggs down and drag her off the swings while crying the whole time. In the mean time she lost her gum and was mad about that. We got home and she got to play with her cute little friend Dylan for a minute with his mom at the park. Then Dylans mom walked them back to our house and they played for a minute downstairs. It was time for Dylan to go and Brock was going to his friends house. Sammi didn't want to stay home. I said I'm sorry Sammi but you need to stay home and rest we can put a movie on. She was not having it. She put her shoes on and next thing you know she is running as fast as she can down the street towards Dylan's and away from me. She was half way down the block when I took off with no shoes and Briggs in hand after her. Brock took off on his scooter to help but it took him two trys to catch her. She was almost to the end of the street when Brock sits on her to keep her from moving. She is mad, in pain, and I am sure scared. I get to her and tell her she needs to listen and we are going home. I grab her hand and walk back home still holding poor Briggs. The whole time she is screaming and hitting me. So I tell her she may not play outside anymore today and put her in her room still screaming at the top of her lungs. She unlocks the door and comes out so I drag her up there again. She is now asleep on the floor of course. But, seriously, how do I avoid these battles every day? I am trying to be patient but she makes me so mad. I say a little prayer every time to help me be patient and to know how to handle the situation, but it is still hard. Well if anything I vented about it, but truly a litte advice, tips, ideas, or suggestions would be awesome. Barrett says it is just the girl thing, but I really don't think that is it. She really wants to do everything Brock does and he is 6 so he can play longer and more then she can. I don't know, but it is a daily struggle and hopefully she will grow out of it. Thanks for listening and more interesting posts will come.