The anticipation is killing me.

How on earth can I sleep tonight when there are bowling results to be found out tomorrow? I tell you what, a geek I may be, but this is exciting stuff! My partner and I were in the lead last week but I had to bowl by myself and finished before anyone else, so I don't know how everyone did. I will be honest, I don't think we will get it, again, but my anticipation will not be stayed. And truthfully its not about the money, last season we came in 2nd by one game and got .60c less than the first place team, no, for me its all about the trophy! When Darren bagged his 40lb Dorado in Mexico he decided to have it stuffed, I very sweetly told him that I would rather not have it in my house. (It is the ugliest fish) But I will tell you this much, I am dying to have a bowling trophy sitting right above the fireplace. It would be the perfect addition to my home decor, I have been decorating around the possibility. So as I lay restlessly in bed this night, I will be wondering, is bowling something worth praying for? No, I suppose not, so instead I will dream a dream of my name on a little plaque on a golden statue of a little bowling person shining brightly on my mantle. Can you see it too?

We had our ward camp out this weekend and I love ward camp outs. Of course it doesnt hurt that we camp at a beach up near Santa Barbara. It is so beautiful, and Im sorry to the rest of you but we have the best ward ever. Even Riley has her best buddy Cambria!
All the kids stayed up way too late, ate way too much junk and got way too dirty, and that right there is the recipe for an awesome camp out. However Spencer on the way home said to me "Mom, I had a lot of fun camping and all, but I really love my bed." Its nice to know that wherever we go there's still no place like home!

Mason on the other hand only came by to see us when it was time to eat. He and his best buddy Tanner couldn't take time out of their play schedule for anything less.
A good friend of ours brought a Zodiak and took all the kids cruising around the ocean. Me and a few of the girls also got a chance to go for a spin. What do 4 women out in the middle of the ocean do for fun.....dare each other to jump out, and yes, I took the dare. The water was very cold and salty, and I had trouble getting back in. It does not help when you cant stop laughing. (I got pulled out of my swimsuit and gave the little fishies a show)  Ah good times.
Riley was such a trooper, she slept through the night and the trains, she mooched food off of just about the whole ward (we've taught her well), and she was covered from head to toe in dirt. And boy, a day like that can really wear a girl out. Its just a good thing no one can put Riley to sleep better than dad! She is such a daddy's girl, my only consolation is that she still calls him mama. 
So another great end of the summer adventure for the Payne's, one more weekend and the kids are back to school. Im still not quite sure what I will do with both of my boys gone for parts of everyday. Oh, dont let me fool you, I have plenty of stuff to keep me busy; the house, my books, RILEY, young womens, bowling, basketball, RILEY, laundry, blogging, RILEY. Plus we still have a fun Labor Day weekend trip to Legoland planned! And we are talking about taking the waverunners out this weekend so if anyone is interested in a trip to the lake, give me a holler. Otherwise we'll talk to you next blog post!

The beach, the pool and other great things!

Wow did we have fun this last week! A little crazy for mom but so great. Three of Darren's siblings came into town this last week from Georgia, Oregon, and Michigan. It was so great to see them all and have Sherrie and her kids stay with us. We got everyone together as much as we could in the form of swimming, going to Zuma (our favorite local beach), or just hanging with the kids. I personally have a serious love-hate relationship with the beach. It is great to just let the kids play, play, play all day and they are so worn out by the end of the day it makes for an easy evening. But my hate for the beach is that it is so SANDY. My kids are so gross when we are done that it is all I can do to let them in the car. And as you can see, Riley loves to eat it and that always makes for a fun little surprise in the days that follow! ;-) But in the END there is nothing quite like it. (pun totally intended)!

Another fun day trip we took was to the Skirball Center in LA. They have this great exhibit called Noah's Ark that is totally hands on for the kids. What a blast, and not one grain of sand. You can play on everything, touch everything, climb all over, and make a picture to take home. A great way to waste a day.

But in the end who can beat a day at the pool! Its the best entertainment there is and my kids love to swim so everybody wins.

All in all this was such a fun week and I speak the truth when I tell you absolutely nothing else got done around here, the house is a mess, no one has any clean clothes, there have been very few home cooked meals, and I don't know when the last time my kids had a real bath. Ahhh a mothers work is never done, especially when the mother doesn't do it. But its summer right?!?!

Ill be breaking dawn with Breaking Dawn!!!

Well I will tell you this much, I had no idea I would be so excited about the new Twilight book coming out this weekend. And if for some crazy reason you have not read these books then I might just have to take you off my blog list. But anyway, the 4th and final book comes out this saturday and I am already planning my all night party at Borders for the release at 12:01 a.m. Not that book release parties are new to my sisters and I, as a button I saw the other day says, "Harry Potter fans have been having book release parties long before Twilight fans". And that is true, the girls and I have attended a few of those rip roaring Harry Potter parties, and barely lived to tell about it. But none the less I am excited for the Breaking Dawn to come out, and in memory of other sister traditions, will be sporting the swag! I decided to make myself a shirt for the release party, check them out! I say them because I made a few extra in hopes that if they are as cool as I think they are maybe I can sell a few. What you think?

Now if you have not read the books then these shirts will mean nothing to you so in the interest of this bloggersation I will say this, read the books already!!! 

And dont forget to buy your shirt now before they run out so that you can also be ready for the movie release party coming in December!

p.s. my new playlist is made of songs that S. Meyer says she hears when reading the book.

What a week

Well we just returned home from a week in Utah, few. There was a lot that happened but it was really great to see everyone and just enjoy being there. The kids and I drove up on Tuesday, spent a few days at my parents house then headed up to Bear Lake for the Family Reunion.We had a great time hanging out with my aunts, uncles and cousins. They are hilarious! Then on the drive home from the lake we decided to visit the rest of my grandparents, Riley was so excited she puked, twice. OK it really wasnt excitement, she was sick. So we slowly made our way back to my parents to get some much needed rest. Then seeing how sharing my sweet daughter is I ended up sick a day later, but I will say nothing beats being sick at your mommy's house. She took such good care of me and the kids it was like before you have kids when you can actually lay in bed and just be sick. Thanks Mom, you are the best, I owe you.

But none of this could compare to the worst part of the week, I found out while we were gone that a very sweet friend of mine from basketball passed away on Sunday. She was such an amazing woman, mother and wife. She has 4 beautiful children ages 15m, 3, 6, and 8. My heart is broken over her families loss! She will be sorely missed and forever a reminder of how we each should live our lives. We love you Ginger!!! 

So today give your husbands, wives, and kids an extra kiss and know that you have been a blessing in my life, and all those around you. 

"On the other side of the veil, there are perhaps seventy billion people. They need the same gospel, and releases occur here to aid the Lord's work there. Each release of  a righteous individual from this life is also a call to new labors. Those who have true hope understand this. Therefore, though we miss the departed righteous so much here, hundreds may feel their touch there. One day, those hundreds will thank the bereaved for gracefully forgoing the extended association with choice individuals here, in order that they could help hundreds there. In God's ecology, talent and love are never wasted." 

Elder Neil A Maxwell

Multi-Cultural Weekend

The Payne family had such a great weekend, we had to share. First it was swimming and lunch with some great friends. I actually made Pies!! Because what's more American?! Then for fireworks that night, one of our church buildings is right behind the parks and rec, and they always do a big show. So the whole stake gathers together on the back lawn and we put our own music to the fireworks. Its genius really and very cool. I have lots of great friends in the stake so its always so much fun to see everyone. And our ward actually gathers early and we have burgers, dogs, and potluck. See why I love my ward!! Then after the fireworks is when it got really exciting, Mason threw up in the parking lot. Too much fun for that kid. 

But the fun didn't stop there, Saturday was when we went Multi-cultural! 

Background... We have some neighbors across the street who are from India. Their 18 year old daughter dances a type of dance called Bharathanatyam. (5 buck to whoever can pronounce it) She practices sometimes in her garage and the boys love to go watch her. So this Saturday she had what is called her Arangetram, which is basically her solo debut. And we were so honored that they invited us to attend. It was a huge ordeal, they had very beautiful invitations, they rented a theater at Pepperdine University in Malibu, and the theater was packed with family and friends beautifully dressed in their gorgeous Sari's. It was amazing, she danced by herself for 4 hours! She did 7 different dances with 4 very talented musicians playing for her. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to be there. We took the boys and they enjoyed it but had to be bribed with candy for the last half, it was a lot of sitting still. Then after the performance they fed everyone a very yummy indian dinner. IT WAS SO COOL. I did feel a little out of place with my boring old dress, but Darren and I just soaked it in and probably looked like deer in the headlights. It was truly amazing, and again probably a once in a lifetime. So these are some pictures of her invitation and the program with the beautiful costumes she wore. Enjoy!! and if you ever get invited to an Arangetram, GO!!!

To bowl or not to bowl. There is no question.

So I have done a little maintenance on the old blog. You like? I decided it needed to be a little more representative of me and for those of you who don't know, I am a bowler. I belong to a league and we bowl every week. LOVE IT. Last season my partner and I were in first place the whole season then lost it by one game the last week. It was horribly deflating, but here we are for another season in first place again. Wish us luck.  I am also a bi-weekly basketball player. We have a group of women in this awesome stake I live in who get together twice a week to, as they say, hoop it up. (surely someone must say that). Those are just some of the highlights of my week. I have been told I do seem to do a lot of things just for myself, and that may be true, but my kids are always my #1 priority and the very greatest highlight of my life. A few short activities a week does wonders for my social life and self esteem to say nothing of my sanity!  

But really the reason I am blogging on this the 3rd day of July is to give a big shout out to my sister J. She is 35 today!! Happy Birthday J, we love you tons and wish we could be there with you on your day. We will see you in 2 weeks though, save us some cake.