somethings fishy

Give me a rod of the split bamboo,

a rainy day and a fly or two,
a mountain stream where the eddies play,
and mists hang low o'er the winding way,

Give me a haunt by the furling brook,
A hidden spot in a mossy nook,
No sound save hum of the drowsy bee,
or lone bird's tap on the hollow tree.

The world may roll with it's busy throng,
And phantom scenes on it's way along,
It's stocks may rise, or it's stocks may fall,
Ah! What care I for it's baubles all?

I cast my fly o'er the troubled rill,
Luring the beauties by magic skill,
With mind at rest and a heart at ease,
And drink delight at the balmy breeze.

A lusty trout to my glad surprise,
Speckled and bright on the crest arise,
Then splash and plunge in a dazzling whirl,
Hope springs anew as the wavelets curl.

Gracefully swinging from left to right,
Action so gentle- motion so slight,.
Tempting, enticing, on craft intent,
Till yielding tip by the game is bent

Drawing in slowly, then letting go
Under the ripples where mosses grow
Doubting my fortune, lost in a dream,
Blessing the land of forest and stream.
~Mrs. Eunice B Lamberton

One of the best things about living in Utah is the beautiful Cottonwood Canyons :) We spent the weekend keeping cool in Big Cottonwood Canyon hiking, climbing and fishing! The boys have found a new favorite hobby...fishing and I think they could go everyday. Jackson could fish all day and be very content. He loves reeling in his catch to see what and how big it is. He caught a Cut Throat Trout and thought that was pretty and cool. Landon loves to help reel in the line, go exploring and chase off the curious squirrels. Ayden loves to cast his line and reel in the fish but doesn't want to get to close or touch them. The best part is the fresh trout dinner that follows a fun day at the lake......YUMMY!!

in my life...

lions and bears and monkeys everywhere....

.....we're going to the zoo, we're going to the zoo!!
We went to Hogle Zoo today with Ginger, Cohen, Haley, Evan, Beth and Riley. We saw lots of monkeys, a baby snow leopard, a baby giraffe and lots of turkeys...not the kids all though they were all little "turkeys" at times ;). My wild boys fit right in with all the zoo animals and had a fun ride on the new zoo carousel. We had fun walking around until it got to be lunch and nap time :) We look forward going back soon to see the new baby elephant!!

sweet 16

My sweet baby sissy turned 16 on Sunday. I can't believe it where does the time go? We are all so blessed to have Chanelle as our sister and aunt...she is simply the best!! Love you Sissy!!!

bell canyon

Ryan took the boys on a hike up Bell Canyon to the reservoir. It wasn't to hot and they had a great time. Ayden some how got pine sap all over his shoes so it smells like Christmas in our mudroom :)

silver lake at brighton

We ventured up the canyon today to Silver Lake at Brighton. Before we left we luckily grabed jackets not knowing how cold be. It was only 40 degrees so we had a short brisk walk to the lake and back. We saw a cute mother duck with her ducklings and the boys spotted lots of squirrels. It was a little to windy and it stated to sprinkle so it was a quick trip. We promised the boys that we would go back when it was warmer but it seemed so much like fall that we couldn't help but looking forward to the leaves changing, carving pumpkins and making chili...LOVE fall!!

are you kidding me

My sweet little Ayden has had this funny rash since Saturday. I thought that they were bug bites but Monday night it looked bad and had shown up around his eye so I took him to Kids Care. The Doctor immediately said that he had poison oak rash and told me to put Cortisone on it. I couldn't place were he might have gotten into poison oak so I wasn't sure that was what he had. Well this morning his rash was worse and it had spread to his bottom, chest and neck. I called his pediatrician and took him in. So after two trips to the doctor, we discovered that Ayden has Impetigo! Ayden is miserable with swollen fingers and his eye stinging but at least we now know what it is and can use the proper medications to help it get better. Poor little guy!!

activities for the rest of summer...

Last week I was asked to come up with a list of fun backyard activities for kids for a backyard themed enrichment activity. I thought I would share some of our family favorites so you could do them with your kiddos before summer is over :)

Homemade Bubbles•1/4 Cup Baby Shampoo (no-sting type)

•3/4 Cup Water •3 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup
•Measuring Cups and Spoons
•Mixing Bowl •Mixing Spoon
•Thin Wire
•Pie Plate

Mix the baby shampoo, water, and light corn syrup in a bowl. Stir the ingredients gently so you don't create lots of bubbles; let the bubbles settle. Bend an end of a piece of thin wire into a circle; this is your bubble blower. Pour some of the bubble mixture into a pie plate, dip the circle into the bubble mixture, and then blow to create some bubbles! For more bubble experimentation, make other shapes out of thin wire. Make a triangle, square, hexagon, or other shape out of the thin wire. See if the bubble shapes are any different depending on the shape of the blower. You can also blow bubbles with a plastic berry basket.

Flashlight Tag

An easy and fun backyard game to play at night! Make sure your yard it clear of any obstacles that someone could trip over in the dark. Everyone must have a flashlight and you're tagged if you're "hit" by the flashlight's beam.

Cold Potato

A full water balloon with a small leak is passed around from kid to kid, the goal is to not be the one holding the leaky balloon when it's totally emptied.

Starry Night

Set out a blanket and with Constellation map in hand help your children discover the moon, plants and stars. Read nursery rhymes, poems and short stories about the night sky. For a snack have Milky Ways, Starbursts, Atomic Fireballs, Pop Rocks and Mars candies.

go bengals!!

Are you ready for some football??

one of my favorite things

This is one of my very favorite things and I simply could not live without it so I thought I would share my great find with you. It helps me stay organized, keep appointments and remember everything from birthdays to sport practices. It has a wall calender and a pocket planner to carry with you :) I found this great set at Costco for 2010 that has a kids to do list and grocery list planner too. I have been using them for 5 years now and I honestly don't know what I would do without it...juggling 3 boys and all there activities gets crazy and I can't remember everything so I simply LOVE these..it is a must have in the Cundick house!! It makes a great gift too!!

happy 10th birthday jackson

I can't believe my Jackson is 10!! Honestly where does the time go? It seems like yesterday he was born at 12 noon, 7 lbs 6 oz and 19 inches long....he was perfect! From birth Jackson has loved balls, golf balls, footballs, tennis balls, basketball, soccer balls...any kind of ball and he was always holding one. Jackson is a natural athlete for what he lacks in size his heart makes up for it. He plays and loves everything and loves being busy. Jackson loves playing and teaching his brothers sports and they can keep busy all day. Jackson has taught Landon how to flip scoop a lacrosse ball and how to shoot, it is so cute. Jackson is a great big brother! We are all so blessed to have him in our family. We look forward to many more birthdays we just wish we could press rewind once in a while because time goes by so fast. We love you so much Jackson!!

Here are 10 things that you may not know about Jackson...

1. He LOVES maple syrup on EVERYTHING
(Just call him Buddy)
2. His Favorite cereal is oatmeal
3. His first word was "Ball"
4. He hates to go to bed
5. He could eat pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner
6. He hates mayonnaise
7. He had blonde curly hair until he was 4
8. He loves to knit
9. He loves BYU & Princeton
(we don't know how that happened, we have RED running through our veins)
10. He walked at 9 months and hasn't showed any signs of stopping

Happy 10th Birthday Jackson!!!

utah museum of natural history

cousin day at raging waters

Jackson, Ayden, Landon and Cohen

my toes

It has been a YEAR since I have been able to get a pedicure. Last summer I kick the door jam in my car and ripped off my left big toenail...boy did it hurt! I has taken one whole year for it to grow back and I was finally able to go get a pedicure and I am counting the days till I can go again. Is there anything better then having cute toes??

pictures sometimes say it all

...but I will give you more details soon!!!

from our kitchen to yours

For months now (actually years) my sister and I have been swapping recipes. She tells me about something she made that was great and visa versa. We came up with the idea of a family cookbook but it seemed like the only ones interested in it was us. I LOVE to cook and bake, it seems like some days I don't ever leave the kitchen. My friends and family are always asking me for great recipes so yes you guessed it...I started a recipes blog!! It is called Whisk US Away, doesn't it sound like a fabulous dream?? My sister Michelle and I will be blogging all our favorite family recipes. You can find everything from tangy teryiaki chicken to refreshing summer lemonade and yes let's not forget the delicious desserts!! So make sure to follow us so all of our yummy recipes are just a click away and visit us whenever you need something new to spice us your kitchen!!

my boys

4th of july camping

We were thinking of going camping over the 4th but with Ryan's sciatic back pain, rainy weather and a stomach bug this was what the boys came up with. Ryan put our small tent in Jackson's room and we set up our solar system star light while the boys piled in the blankets and pillows. They all fell fast asleep and nobody had to fight with bugs or wander around in the dark to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night :)

Jesus on the 4th of July

We gather ‘round to celebrate
On Independence Day
Pay homage to our country
As the children run and play.

With barbecues and picnics
And fireworks in the air
The flag we own is proudly flown
To show how much we care.

The stars and stripes spell freedom
She waves upon the breeze
While bursts of colors can be seen
Above the towering trees.

This is all quite wonderful
We revel in delight
But God above in divine love
Has brought this day to light.

With just a stroke of liberty
A touch of His great hand
He gave democracy to us
And helped this country stand.

The stripes upon our stately flag
Were touched by His sweet grace
Each star of white that shines so bright
Reflects His loving face.

So as you turn to face the flag
For battles that were fought
Be filled with pride for those who died
And freedoms that were bought.

But don’t forget to thank the One
That gives the bright display
The reason why we paint the sky
On Independence Day

Happy Independence Day!

remembering the cost of independence