It's Our Lima Bean!

Little Lima at 11 weeks. Isn't he/she cute?

The 4-D picture of our baby. (Don't ask me why it's 4-D and not 3-D)

Well, to officially announce it...we're having a baby! Here are pictures from the ultrasound last week. We don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet, but the appointment is set for November 16th. See if you can tell from the blobbish pictures...:) My due date is April 9th, so I've still got a long long way to go. I have been so lucky to not have bad morning sickness. Saltines are the best! That's how I start my morning every day in bed. I've been mostly tired, not really sick, and I haven't thrown up once. (Knock on wood.) I've really have been so lucky. Since I'm almost done with my first trimester, I'm supposedly coming out of the stage when morning sickness is generally a problem, so I'm just praying that it doesn't start now.

The ultrasound was awesome! It was amazing to see and hear the little heart beating and to see our little bean flailing around. It's weird to see, because I can't feel anything, and I don't look pregnant yet. So it made it more real to actually see that there's something in there.

Random Thought

I've decided that I'm skeptical of products that have the words "extra fancy" on the packaging. I'm concerned that I need reassurance of fanciness. I was unaware that some products were lacking in fanciness. When I read that, I wonder what they're compensating for. I guess I assumed that it goes without saying that there is some standard of fanciness in products, like ketchup, for example. But you know what happens when you assume...Don't even get me started when there are multiple "extras" written. There's just no need. I kind of relate this to exclamation marks. As my high school AP English teacher, Mr. Drake, told me, "Every person is born with three exclamation points. Once you've used them, they're gone. So use sparingly." I hate it when people include more than one exclamation point on the end of a sentence. One will suffice. If companies insist on assuring us of their fanciness, they could simply leave off the "extra".
Another thing I've been pondering is the "classic yellow" mustard. Is there another "unclassic blue" mustard? Or worse, an "unfancy green" mustard?
Also, when it is written, "super super size" is super an actual form of measurement? Like a cup? Quart? Gallon? You'd think it would be standardized, since so many companies feel compelled to describe the size of their product as "super".

A Taste of Italy

Marco and Ilaria becoming True Aggies

Christiana and Silvio becoming True Aggies

Silvio and little Rebecca becoming True Aggies

David and Rebecca in front of the Logan Temple

Melinda, Ben, Marco, and Ilaria in front of the Logan Temple

Marco, Becky, David, and Jenny roasting hot dogs in Logan Canyon.

Yesterday, we were lucky to have the Spinelli family from Ben's mission to Italy come visit us in Logan! I can't even describe what an awesome and amazing family they are. My family had the opportunity to meet them when we went on our trip to Italy in May 2005. They were the most welcoming and friendly family and we were so impressed by them. It was hard for me to understand what they were saying both then and now, because I obviously don't speak Italian, but I actually caught more than I thought I would. The Spinellis are seriously the most generous, positive, and gracious family I think I've ever met. They were just so happy about everything! Even though they are going through some hard times with pregnancies and illness and work, and all kinds of things, they are so happy for other people. They are such good examples.

Ilaria was especially excited to come visit us, because Ben baptized her while on his mission. She and Marco dated for 9 years or so before they decided to get married, then their marriage was delayed because of problems with their documentation for 5 more months. They've been married for a year and a half now, and were sealed in the temple shortly after their civil ceremony. Christiana and Silvio are living in Ogden with their two children, David and Rebecca. Christiana speaks very very good English, so she helped me understand what was going on a lot. :)

We had such a great time showing them around, because they were so happy to see anything. We took them up to Utah State's campus and made them all become True Aggies, we took them to Aggie Ice Cream, then the Logan Temple where they were just in awe. They couldn't believe how many temples we have so close by, when the closest temple to them is in Switzerland. Everything we showed them they would say "Bellisimo!" or "Molto Bello!" which means good, great, beautiful, etc. We also showed them the Logan Tabernacle and then took them to Logan Canyon where we roasted hot dogs, and gave them a sampling of American Mormon picnic salads. They actually seemed to like it, so that made me happy. On our way to the canyon, we picked up Jenny and her roommate Linds. Jenny, Linds, Rebecca, David, and I all enjoyed throwing rocks into the river. I guess that's an international thing, as my mom said. :) They were hilarious because they were jabbering in English the entire time. It was crazy to hear them speak Italian with their parents! It was adorable. When they were speaking English, Jenny and I kept asking them to sing "Old McDonald" in Italian (because they had been singing it before) but Becky refused. She's a little wild woman! Both kids were absolutely adorable and spoke very good English. I just wish I spoke more Italian.

When it was time to say goodbye, all of them gave us hugs and the kiss on each side and said "Ciao!" (I was proud, because I said "Ciao, Grazia!" and that's about all I can say!) We were sad to see them go, but were so happy we had the opportunity to spend the day with them.

Labor Day Weekend

Bradders, Poppy, and Teffers

Benners bein' all cute n' stuff

Our whimsical family picture

Nin just fishin'

Mom just readin'

Labor Day weekend was pretty fun this year. We went down Friday evening and saw the Christensens for a little while, then we went over to the Johnson home and went to the condo in Midway. We were sad that Nat, Scott, and Ashley weren't able to come!

The next morning, the boys went golfing, and the girls went to Swiss Days...Hooray! I just love Swiss Days, and I look forward to going every single year. For those of you that don't know what Swiss Days is, my dad describes it as a gigantic Quilted Bear outside. Ben HATES the Quilted Bear and held his breath the entire time he was there with his grandma one time. There are actually quite a few cool things at Swiss Days, and a lot of men go with their wives and actually enjoy it. It can get pretty hot and crowded, but I thought it was worth it to get all the cute things I did!

After Swiss Days, the girls just lounged around enjoying their purchases until the boys got home. We drove back to Murray so that my mom and dad could be there at church on Sunday for their churchy responsibilities. Saturday night was a highlight for Ben because we did a Del Taco run for the fam, rented "Breach" and also made a stop off at Skippers (it's a scary-looking seafood restaurant.) It's been Ben's quest ever since he saw it to eat something from there, and he finally got his chance--and he didn't even get sick! I was amazed. Anything with an askew sign automatically makes me a little wary. He got clam chowder, which totally grossed me out, because I have bad memories of it as a child. Scott will sympathize with me here. I'm sure my mom made just great clam chowder, but we just hated it! She keeps telling me that I need to try it as an adult, but I can't bring myself to do it because I remember the time she made me eat 5 more bites before I could go outside and have an otter pop. Those five bites were the biggest crisis of my life, and I just sat and stared while the chowder got colder and more congealed. Mmmmm....don't you want some now? I somehow made it through, or my mom gave up...I'm not sure which one. But knowing my mom, she actually probably didn't give up--so I'm thinking I choked it down while gagging in a dramatic way. Scott was right there with me, he can attest to this. (I'd like to insert here that my mom would say right about now, "I'm such a mean mom, aren't I? in a sarcastic voice. Love you, mom!) So to sum it all up, Ben's life is complete now that he has sampled Skippers.

On Sunday, my mom and dad cooked up a delectable dinner, and we got to see Scott and Ashley! Yay! Then we went to the McMullin monthly family home evening and had a good time there. Ben's kind uncle sent us with a huge bagful of vegetables so we can eat for another week. (Thanks, Garn!) After that, it was back to the condo where we roasted marshmallows in the backyard, recounted even more childhood memories, and played a few rounds of Perpetual Commotion. Good times.

The next day, Ben and Brad went waverunning with Ben's cousins while the rest of us slept in and had a good breakfast. When they got home, we took a drive to Teapot lake and went fishing for a little while. We were so proud, because it was so spontaneous of us! Of course we didn't catch anything, because that's just our luck, but we had a good time watching for the bear that was sighted the night before! To finish a pretty perfect weekend, we dined at the Dairy Keen in Midway, which is a classic. All in all, it was a great weekend.

Back to School

Sigh...it's back to school once again. Ben is enjoying his classes so far, but I think he's a little bummed that he has homework, and I don't really have what you would call "homework" anymore. I have lesson plans, yes. Projects, yes. But no more tests! Hooray!

I started off my school week with boring seminars on campus that were somewhat helpful with preparing for student teaching. Then I got to meet my fourth graders on Wednesday! They're little angels compared to the child delinquents I taught during summer school. I actually do have a special place in my heart for those summer school kids, but it still catches me off guard when I tell the kids to do an assignment and they get to work. Or my positive reinforcement with tickets works. Beautiful. There are some that are still trying to test me and my evident student-teacherness, but if they keep pushing, they're going to see Miss Viola Swamp from me. So there. Ha. All in all, I think it will be a great semester, and even greater because it's my last one! I really think teaching is the greatest, and I'm enjoying myself even though I come home so tired and drained from the day. I think I bore Benners with the stories of my students because a lot of times you really did have to be there, but he's usually a good husband and humors me by pretending to listen while I talk about the little hispanic boy who threw his arms around me on Friday and asked when I was coming back. It was one of those awkward moments as a teacher where you know you can't not hug the kid back, but you have to be SUPER careful about it at the same time. I just love the awkwardity...

Our Story

Since Lacey tagged me, I get to write mine and Ben's love story. Oh....for cute!

Where did you meet your husband?

I met Ben through my dear brother Scott. They both went to Italy on their missions, so they knew each other before we all came to Utah State. Scott and I registered for the same creative arts class so that we could sit together and be best friends. It turned out that Elder Christensen from the mission just happened to have creative arts with us. What are the odds that in a class of 800 people, my future husband would run into my brother and we would all sit together? (I guess the odds are pretty good...) So after our first creative arts class, Ben and I had Chemistry class together without Scott, and after that we had an hour break where we usually went to the library to "study". The rest is history.

What was the first thing you said to him?

Something like "hi." I actually thought he was kind of weird because he was so friendly to my brother. I thought he was just this stranger that was way too eager to meet someone new.
(For those of you that know Scott, you know he's not an overly outgoing, animated person, so that's why it struck me so weird that he was talking to the friendly stranger. We love you Scott!)

Where was your first date? Kiss?

We had a hangout before we actually had a date. We went to a creative arts event together with his sister Brooke and all of her friends that had crushes on Ben. (Luckily, Ben and I worked the seating arrangement so that Ben was on the end, I was next to Ben, and then his best friend Ryan was on the other side of me with all the other girls way on the other side. Take that!)

But anyway, back to our first date. Ben asked me on a date about 2 weeks after we met, and I found out later that I was his second choice for the date. :( Oh well, I won. We went to the Bluebird for dinner and then to National Treasure afterward. We had a great time talking about all sorts of things we had in common. It was a great date. I got a wonderful hug at the end of the night.

Our first kiss was at my apartment after we watched a movie. (Coincidentally, Ben kissed me after he promised his best friend Ryan that he wouldn't for at least another week. Take that, Ryan!)

Long or short courtship?

I guess it was short...it seemed long to me though! We met in January, got engaged in April, and got married in August. I dated Ben the longest of anyone I've ever dated...

Where did you get engaged?

We got engaged at Maddox in Brigham City after one of Ben's soccer games. He completely surprised me! He arranged for both of our families to meet us in Brigham City so they could be there when he proposed. Cute, huh? He had written me a love letter and a list of 100 memories and had his brother and my sister bring the letter and roses to me at the table. It took me a minute to figure out what was going on, but I eventually figured it out. :) After reading the letter I looked up and saw both of our families standing there and then Ben came out and knelt down and said "Melinda, I love you so much, will you marry me?" And I said yes.

How did the reception go?

We had a luncheon at the Gathering Place at Gardner Village for our family and friends and then held our reception at Heritage Gardens. Our reception was AWESOME. We appreciated all the support we received from all the people who attended! The dessert buffet was amazing, our photographer was amazing, the flowers were amazing, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen looked amazing in their clothes. The bride and groom weren't so bad-looking either. It was a definite success. Everything went perfectly. (I guess I was kind of a Bridezilla. Actually, not really, I'm just into details.)

How was the honeymoon?

We went to the San Juan islands for our honeymoon. We flew to Washington and then took a ferry to Orcas Island. Unfortunately, our travel agent didn't think we needed a car, and she was dead wrong. Our Bed & Breakfast was a few miles inland, and we had to wait 45 minutes for a taxi to come pick us up. When we finally got to the Turtleback Farm Inn, I was starving and felt so sick. We had to hitch a ride into town with one of the employees so that we could get a few things at the grocery store and get something for dinner. Interestingly enough, there were zero good restaurants in town. Everyone we talked to said that the food was terrible everywhere and it was all overpriced. We did discover a pizza place that was pretty good, though. This kind employee took us back to the Inn when we were finished in town, and we just sat on the bed and laughed until we were in tears because we were so stranded. Up until about the third day of our honeymoon we had to catch rides with people going in to town. I felt like I was 14 again, asking my mom for a ride somewhere. On the third day of our honeymoon, while riding the town shuttle around, we saw an ad for rental cars on a pamphlet. We thought there was little hope since we called everywhere on the island and all the cars were rented, but we asked anyway. It turned out that they had this old blue chevy van. We had never been more excited to drive a stupid van. Overall, the honeymoon was a success, but it was kind of a disaster. We were able to do a lot even though we didn't have a car at first. We went whale watching, swimming in a freshwater lake, to the community farmer's market/craft extravaganza, and many picnics. It was great, and it makes a great story as well.

Happy Anniversary!

As of yesterday, at 9:40 a.m. Ben and I have officially been married for two years. Crazy, huh? It has absolutely flown by. Two years of marital bliss...sigh...And what, you might ask, did we do for our big anniversary? We stayed at the Providence Inn Bed & Breakfast. It's a charming little place that's connected to an old church. Our room was very cozy.

Dinner at the Copper Mill (my new favorite restaurant in Logan. The Bluebird doesn't quite do it for me as much since I got food poisoning there) was lovely. Our waiter was awesome. Ben was away from the table, and he came over and asked if we were going to the opera (this is where I wanted to reply "Heck no, I want nothing to do with Satan--I mean Michael Ballam") but instead I just smiled and said "No, it's actually our anniversary...2 years...etc." Then he asked "So how's it goin'? Good?" Huh? What? How's it goin'? That's what I was thinking anyway, but instead I just laughed and said "It's going really well." "Good." he said as he walked away. Then he came back and said "That was kind of a dumb question, I don't know what I was expecting you to say...I'd better be careful about what I ask in case it's not going well for someone." "Yeah, marriage totally sucks, that's why we're celebrating two years." Ha ha, anyway...I guess you had to be there. I hope I didn't make him feel too awkward. Then he brought us free dessert! I love free dessert.

After that we just hung out in our room, played games, and watched movies. I even surprised Ben with a mini anniversary cake "leetle keck" (That's mine and my dad's way of saying things with a mock-Italian accent. We did the voice all over Italy, my mom doesn't think it's very funny). The dumb cake kept sliding off the plate though and Ben ended up planting his hand in the middle of the frosting. Good times.

The Bed & Breakfast was so nice though. They brought us popcorn for our movie and breakfast in bed! (Hence the name?) Anyway, our anniversary was a blast. Here are some pictures of our room from the internet (we forgot our camera, dang it!):

Pet Peeve

However delightful it is working at USU as a switchboard operator, it does have its drawbacks. Here are some highlights:

1. People calling because they want to be reassured that they won't be attacked by Mormons the second they come to Logan. They want to know about the bars, clubs, and sleep-over policy for the university. Since I'm the local authority on all of that, I'm just the perfect person to talk to. (Right....) I must say that I'm not jealous of that lifestyle AT ALL. But whatever floats your boat, right?

2. People yelling personal insults at you over the phone because the registrar's office won't answer their dang phone. And no I will not run over and tell them to answer their phone, so stop asking.

3. Older people calling me sweetie, dear, cutie, honey, darling, etc. Do I really sound that young on the phone?

4. The same old man calling and telling us jokes and riddles, such as: How many farm animals can you fit into a pair of women's pantyhose? (I still don't know. He never told us the answer. It's going to bug me. How many can you fit?)

5. The same mysterious boy that always tries to guess our names. (We're not supposed to tell anyone our names, so when they ask we have to say "I can't give out that information) We'll say "Utah State" and he'll say "Jessica?" and most of the time we'll say "No, this is the operator" but one time he guessed one of our names. It was creepy.

6. Lonely young men that call on Friday or Saturday nights and ask us to look up the number for Lava Hot Springs and then ask us to go with them when we get off work. How desperate can you be? Do I have a sexy voice or somethin'?

7. The same little girl that calls over and over again and tells us that we're fat and ugly and that we're fired. She's a gem.

8. Summer citizens. (Oh dear...don't get me started) I'm sorry, but you are not allowed to call crappy student housing your "summer condo". It's no condo, trust me. And no, people are not conspiring against you by giving you the broken phone every single summer you come to Cache Valley. Lastly, I will NOT use my personal cell phone to call your daughter in Vermont to tell her you arrived safely. It's 11:00 p.m. her time and she's probably glad to be rid of you anyway.

9. Trying to decipher what foreigners are saying. 9 times out of 10 they want International Students and Scholars, and the other 10% want this other guy on campus named Neil Dabb. (I don't actually know who he is, but I think he might be a drug dealer, member of the Mafia, or part of the CIA.)

10. Working on nights, weekends, and holidays when all we can say is "I'm sorry, campus is closed. Call another time." Honestly, who really believes that the registrar's office will be open at 9:30 on a Saturday night?

11. The awkward silence that follows when someone asks for the Gay and Lesbian Center. Then the disgusted "ew" that follows after they've been transferred.

Big Weekend (Kind of like one of Stephanie's Big Days, but even bigger)

What an eventful weekend! Phew! It was enjoyable to take a trip to Salt Lake, but man was it exhausting. We celebrated Nat's birthday, played mom and dad to 10 kids, and...ok, so I guess it doesn't sound like much at all, but it really was!

Just the fact that we didn't miss Natalie's birthday by being on a trip made her birthday tons better. ;) (We love you Nat!) We got to celebrate by having a girls' day at Gardner Village where we went to lunch at the bakery, shopped around (in the pouring rain) and then went to the movie No Reservations. It was pretty cute. I would recommend it. (Oh, and P.S. Ben worked hard for his grandpa during Girls' Day. But don't worry, I'm not completely a mean wife because I tended 10 of his younger siblings for 7 hours the next day by myself while he went golfing with my dad--as Mom always says "it all evened out in the end.")

After Girls' Day we went over to the Christensen household to relieve Mary Ditto of her parenting duties. Then we had dinner, tried to put the little kids to bed (notice the operative word: tried) and then played a form of Mormon Mad Gab with the older kids until we were dead tired. I think our crowning accomplishment though was getting all 10 kids to their cousins' baptism EARLY. Hooray! They were all so well-behaved through it too. I was very impressed, as were all the relatives.

After the baptism, most kids fell asleep and then we did shifts of playing computer and Nintendo with cleaning their rooms and doing their jobs. (Note: Ben is such a good husband. He was hesitant to leave me alone even though I reassured him that I handle 30 kids at a time by myself at school all day. But he was even thinking of canceling golf so that he could help me! Isn't that sweet? I told him he could go though, and when he came back he made me just sit and relax while he got the house cleaned up and put the kids back to bed.) It is extremely tiring to keep tabs on every child! Later that night, Brooke and the Alli-Cat came to visit all the way from Virginia. Alli is so big now--she's starting to walk! She is a very cute little niece. I feel bad for Tim being all alone in Virginia for 10 days without his girls! When we left Sunday morning to drive back to Logan, we were glad to turn the house and kids over to Brooke. Good luck! :)

McMullin Family Reunion Extravaganza

Rachel chasing the seagulls with a stick

Jer driving his toy car through the sand

Mary being a princess

Mary and Melinda being twins. She kept saying that we were twins because we were both wearing life jackets and are both princesses and that Jenny and Ben were pals.

The boat dragging out the ill-fated tubers

Ben unloading the boat with all the cousins

Cute little Joshie

Beaverless Jer and some buried skeleton man (or Jordan)

Grandpa and Annie

Amy and Emily

For the McMullin family reunion this year, we didn't camp, we didn't go to Westgate...we went boating! It was very convenient for us Loganites to meet everyone halfway at Pineview Reservoir. The 45 minute drive seemed so much shorter than the hour and a half drive all the way to Salt Lake! Grandpa and Grandma brought their boat and the Johnsons brought their waverunners (my new favorite toy!). Right when we arrived, Paulette told us to hurry and take the waverunners out because it would be the last chance we got all day to take them by ourselves...and it was. I was so proud of myself because by the end of the day, I did my first 360 on the waverunner! Hooray! I was a little nervous though because Ben had been doing them all day with Andrew and other cousins and they flipped over, mostly on purpose. The little kids had a great time entertaining themselves on the beach, and it was nice because they all had life jackets on, so we weren't quite as worried about them drowning. Other than the severe sunburns Ben and I sustained, the trip was quite a success! (We had to make a special stop at the store to purchase aloe vera so we could have some temporary relief.)

Little Sneak-Thief

So I was getting ready for bed the other night and I heard a noise in the kitchen. I just assumed that Ben was already in the bedroom because my nightly routine usually takes so long that he can get in a good 10 chapters in whatever book he's reading at the time. Anyway, I went to go check out the kitchen, and lo and behold there was a little weasel in there drinking the remainder of our cold, refreshing juice! He looked so sheepish when I caught him (Kristie, what does sheepish make you think of?) that I just had to take this picture.

Hyrum Reservoir

Right before we jumped in the water...

The lovely slimy seaweed from the bottom--yuck!

Ben throwing his little frisbee

Melinda biding her time until she had to jump in the water

The Vietnam War tank in Hyrum Cemetery. Ben was dying to stop and look when we were driving home. How very Bennish.

Ben was very restless one summer day, and he was dying to go swimming because our poor little apartment is so very hot. We called our good friends, the Humpherys, and they were good sports to go with us to seek out a place to swim. When we arrived at Hyrum Reservoir, Ben's eyes just lit up and he couldn't wait to jump in. It actually turned out to be ok. :) Sometimes Benners' little plans frighten me or I'm not completely sure about them, but I'm usually a good sport to go along with them...for awhile. It cooled us off and was actually pretty fun. The only gross part was the seaweed (or reservoir-weed?) that was stuck to the sharp rocks at the bottom (ew!).

Tag, I'm It

Since Kristie tagged me, and was nice enough to explain what tagging is (writing 7 things most people don't know about you) here they are...

1. I get super crabby when I'm hungry. But if Ben tries to bring this to my attention nicely by asking me if I've eaten anything (because he can tell I'm a little edgy) then I tend to bite his head off. Pardon the pun...haha...oh man, that was a bad joke.

2. One of my pet peeves is when people use the wrong form of there/their/they're. I know this sounds harsh, but misuse causes me to judge people as less than competent (Read: stupid).

3. I love office supplies. I don't know why, but just buying new pens, pencils, post-its, binders, folders, etc. makes me feel organized. It doesn't make much sense I know, but back-to-school supply shopping is like Christmas to me.

4. Feet are like private parts to me. It's actually my family's philosophy that you should keep your feet to yourself, yet Natalie and I wear flip-flops quite often. This labels us as "toe sluts" in our family. Many people that wear sandals just shouldn't. And if you're worried right now that I might be giving you a hint that your feet are not fit to be shared, you probably shouldn't worry, because usually those people that have disgusting, dry, cracked, smelly feet don't pick up on subtle hints like these, much less those of normal social acceptability.

5. I hate mascots/clowns/people that sing to me with or without a guitar. All of these things make me very uncomfortable. I don't know what it is, but clowns make me very afraid. They're not funny, they don't make me happy. Why are they allowed to be in parades? Clowns should not be celebrated and waved at. It's just not funny for freaks with Ronald McDonald hair to spray innocent bystanders with water from a crude flower on their chest. Mascots are just like clowns with exaggerated features. You know their eyes are really where the character's mouth is, but your everyday experience tells you to look where their eyes are. It's just not right. Enough said. People that sing to other people without their consent are weird. I can't think of a more awkward time than when I've been sung to in a full-out performance voice. Where do you look while this is going on? Are you supposed to look them in the eye? Do you look at the ground? Do you look up once in a while to fake an encouraging smile? I don't like it when people sing like they mean it because it just makes me feel embarrassed for them.

6. I have very hairy legs. I was blessed to get my dad's hair follicles, so alas, I must shave each and every day to keep it under control. You know how a lot of men get a 5 o'clock shadow on their face? Yeah, I get a 5 o'clock shadow on my legs. Gross, I know. But at least I stay warm in the winter. :)

7. Last, but not necessarily best of all, I have a serious shoe fetish. Going shoe shopping is like discovering long-lost friends. I'm on top of the world when I'm wearing a cute pair of shoes. I think that the shoes make or break and outfit for sure. You can tell a lot about a person not only by what kind of shoes they're wearing, but also the condition that they keep them in.

So, now that I've shared my deep dark secrets, Brooke, Katie, and Brooklin....tag you're it!

The Birthday Boy

Here is the birthday boy! I didn't want you to think I forgot about you on the other post! Make sure you are being a McResponsible pants with your air soft gun, just like you said. I don't want you to shoot your eye out. Thanks for sharing your birthday with me...again!

Fourth of July...and Brad's Birthday!

Ben looking a teensy-weensy bit tired after getting up so early to save our place at the parade.

Winda looking happy as can be at 7:00 in the morning

Our designated candy-gatherer. The rest of us were too embarrassed and lazy to scramble for candy, so Stephanie was kind enough to gather for all of us.

Mimzy and Poppy

Newman smiling like the ray of sunshine that she is.

It wasn't very convenient to have the Fourth of July on a Wednesday since we had to teach school and go to work both on Tuesday and Thursday, but we drove to Salt Lake anyway so that we could go to the parade, Healy barbeque, and fireworks. We celebrated Melinda' s birthday on Sunday night with the Johnsons where she received a cute shirt from Scott and Ashley, stylish jewelry from Nat, Brad, and Steph, and a very nice check from Mom and Dad. Mom made a delicious 3-tier chocolate cake. (It was divine) Benners took Wind to dinner at the Copper Mill for her birthday on Monday night since we had to leave on Tuesday right after work to go to Salt Lake. (Isn't he a good husband?)

On the actual Fourth of July we went to save a place at the Murray parade at 6:15. It was so early! We did get prime seats, though. Steph was our designated candy scrambler and she did a great job. After the parade, Brad opened his presents which included his long-awaited air soft gun. Scott got permission from Mom to buy him one since she wasn't too keen on the idea. But I'm sure Brad will wear his stylish protective eyewear every time he uses it...right Brad? We then attended the Healy barbeque and had lots of fun playing with Jack, Audrey, and Reagan and visiting with everybody. To end the night properly, we attended the fireworks in Murray. They were awesome. As Scott and I like to say "They did a good job." After that, unfortunately, Ben and I had to drive back to Logan and we didn't get back until 1:00 a.m. Less fun...but at least we're alive and had a good time.

Happy Fourth of July Weekend! Oh...and Melinda's Birthday

At the Drive-In with Scott, Ashley, and Ben

The weekend before the Fourth of July was great fun. A dear soul at work took Melinda's Saturday shifts so we could go to Salt Lake and visit our families. Ben went down on Friday morning and spent all day with his family doing fun things like golfing. Melinda drove down to Murray after a long day of teaching her adorable students in summer school. We then drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon with the Johnsons and had a delightful dinner of roasted hot dogs, chips, banana boats, and roasted starbursts. (They were actually quite good!) Then we sat around and poked at the fire made of old, outdated prescription pads. It was an awesome fire! Brad and Melinda gathered some quality wood and had some battle wounds to show for it. (We're not the most graceful pair in the world...) Then we went home, showered, and crashed so that we could go to Town Days in South Jordan at 7:30 the next morning.

Alas, we don't have any pictures of Town Days with the Christensens, OR the Rindlisbacher Reunion, but both were great fun. As Tom said about the Town Days breakfast, "This is the best deal in town for our family, at less than 75 cents a plate!" Candy gathering at the parade was also quite successful with the large row of small Christensen boys and Mare doing their perfect parade waves. (I want you to know that Ben was the one instructing them on the elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist approach. He was really good at it. It scared me.) After Town Days, we all jumped in the van (yes, all of us, including Ben and Winda) and drove to Provo to pick up a Davidless Chris on the way to Spanish Fork. Oh what a swimming party it was! For those of you that haven't been to the Rindlisbacher reunion, it's an extravaganza of gargantuan proportions. After the reunion, we celebrated Melinda's birthday with the Christensens where she received an iPod nano from Ben and the Christensens. After THAT, Ben and Wind went with Scott and Ashley to the Drive-In to see Ratatouille and Pirates 3. (They brought lots of good treats!) It was a BIG day.

Parents of an 11-year-old...

Our 11-year-old, Stephanie

Ben being excited about the 34 he got on his MCAT

While Melinda's parents were touring Europe with Natalie and Brad, Ben and Winda got to tend Stephanie for 2 weeks. (It reminds me of my fun little trips to Europe...sigh...) It was crazy being parents of an 11-year-old! We did all kinds of things with Steph. We took her fishing, camping, to a Demolition Derby, and to the Willow Park Zoo. She was a lot of fun and it was hard to see her go! We've adjusted back to normal life pretty quickly, though. :)

Uncle Ben and Aunt Winda

Uncle Ben

Sunburned Alli and Aunt Melinda after a long day

While we were in Virginia, we got to see our one and only niece! We had to secure our positions as the favorite aunt and uncle. Remember Alli? We're your favorites...your favorites!