Africa!!!!

So I applied last night online with my BFF Megan to travel to Africa for a month in January and work in an orphanage! I am so excited and really looking forward to doing this! I have always wanted to travel to Africa and work in an orphanage and I can't believe it is actually going to happen! We are starting to get our visas, passports and vaccinations so we will be ready the beginning of the year! Please keep us in your prayers and if you have any suggestions, experience or thoughts let me know! We are going to Ghana which is actually very safe, and the governement is far more developed than other countries. There is a Temple where we will be also! Check out the website too... its http://www.gcs-np.org/sites/ From everything I have read and researched, Ghana has a very stable government and the people are very relaxed and kind! We will live with a host family while we are staying there and work each day in an orphanage. I can't wait and am getting really excited to do this!

Tubeing, Snakes and Bag Making!

The fam went tubeing this Saturday and had a blast! It was about 90 degrees outside so the river felt so good! It was very relaxing and there are some fun rapids to go down! Parker managed to find a dead fish and a live snake in the river. So me and Megan were peacefully floating by when parker throws the snake at us! It scared us so bad and we were screaming like crazy! The snake hit Megan's tube and then swam right up to me and tried to get on my tube! Oh my gosh give me a heart attack! I screamed and flipped off my tube... lost my tube and flip flops! Bailey came to my rescue and we paddled as hard as we could to catch up to me tube and shoes!

So i made another bag this last week! I made it during the 4th of July festivities. Melissa helped me every step of the way! She was so sweet to help me so much and even painstakeingly take out wrong stitches and then stitch it up better for me! It's called the Birdie Sling by Amy Butler! I absolutely love it!

Don't Dis....

For the past 2 years my sisters and I have taken a trip over to Spokane to play in a three on three tournament! It is the largest 3 on 3 tourny in the world and its all on the streets of Spokane! It is so much fun and can get pretty intense and mean! Our team name is Don't Dis on My Sis and its me, Megan, Melissa and Rachelle. This year we had blast and did pretty good in our bracket. Rachelle and Melissa's husbands also had a team and Bailey and her friends had a team too! I counted and this was my 14th year playing in hoopfest! I have done it since I was in 3rd grade! My parents have been going every year with us cheering us on! They are the greatest!


Meg's amazing defense


Melissa guarding hard!


Our fun spray painted shirts


Rachelle ready to take this girl!


Me driving to the hoop


playing on the sidewalk with chalk

Happy 4th!!!!

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday!! I just love everything about it! I love being with family, eating outside on the grass, wakeboarding, skiing, and tubeing, horse-back riding, fireworks and playing in the sun! This year we were able to do all these things! Rachelle, Melissa and their families came up which was so much fun! Danielle and Parker went on a 50 mile hike and they got back Saturday night!
Here are some highlights of the week!


So here's Parker and Dani on their hike


While we are back at home.... giving the pigs shots!!


Meg and Sydney made a delicious 4th of July dessert!!


Dad grilling burgers!! Yes I did eat one juicy red meat burger after 3 years of no red meat!

I dont have any pictures of our illegal fireworks (yes they are illegal in our county because of fire hazard) but we sure had fun with fireworks this year! We lit off sparklers and these ones that you light and then throw! So I got 4 fireworks and tied them together... had dad light them all at once and then i threw them in the air! Well they weren't all tied together very well because one flew off and landed on my shirt burning a hole through it! yesss.... i love holes in my shirt from fireworks.


Boating!


So me, meg and Bailey all kneeboarded and we tried to get us all on the same board! Here is Bailey jumping onto the back of mine.. but when meg tried to get on the front we totally nose dived!


Damian wanted a try at the kneeboard!


water skiing


So dad says, "Bailey I will give you $100 bucks if you catch one of those baby ducks in the water..." Well Bailey jumped right in the water and caught one! I did contribute to this catch because I was luring the ducks in by throwing some pieces of a banana that I was eating to them!


A little biking adventure!


SLIP AND SLIDE!!! okay so our family had way too much fun with this thing!















Little baby Leatham!










Outside dinners are the best!