Ponder This!!!

I have been rafting throughout the summer but yesterday was special. There was a guy that had been missing since Saturday and i found him three days later. It was pretty typical as far as finding dead people goes. Our boats floated right past the body without any customers noticing then we stopped double checked to be sure then called the sheriff (i brought my cell phone because i knew i would be looking for him). I swam over to check him out while we waited for the authorities to arrive. he was bloated, blistered, gray, face down, stinky, and relatively still. later Monday night the news came over to interview me. lesson learned: go rafting with me, don't go tubing drunk without a life jacket. I got pictures on my cell phone i will post them later.

Update: here is the link for my picture. It isnt very graphic but i know some people dont want to see it Check it out

Also: here is a transcript of the news story

Man discovers body in Kern River

Last Update: 7/28 5:35 pm

For David Bunting, he was just showing tourists what can be a beautiful, but deadly Kern River. That's when he saw something.

"My hands were getting shaky and I think my voice was starting to quiver a little bit," says Bunting. "Maybe a little nervous to see him right there, because when I realized it was actually him and there was a body there, I was probably 15-20 feet away."

Bunting is a tour guide who shows people the Kern River via water rafting. He and his crew called Kern County Search and Rescue out to the scene.

Authorities believe the body is a 60 year old man from southern California, who disappeared on Saturday, but a positive identification had not been made as of Monday night.

"The person that was removed from the river today was not wearing a life vest," said Michael Wharf of the Kern County Sheriff's Department.

Before leaving on the rafting tour, Bunting knew a man had been missing for a few days. He and his crew developed a plan to shield tourists from the body in case they came across it.

"I made everybody aware that the body's there and we had women and children and small kids on the boat and I didn't want them having a horrible experience rafting," said Bunting. "So I made sure that if we found the body, we all knew what we'd do and we'd keep everybody away from it."

That is what he and his guides were able to do and Bunting says he's glad the search is finally over.

"It was a relief too, because I know the family had been looking for their deceased relative," says Bunting. "I'm sure they'll be glad and sad at the same time, but it'll bring some closure I think."

Officials say the body matches the missing man's description, but the coroner still has to make a positive identification.

Water Baby

I may have mentioned this before, but Sarah LOVES to swim! We don't get to swim very often given we don't have a pool, but whenever we go to grandma's, or the Nichols, or Katy's little pool, she has such a good time! She loves this little boat she can sit in at Grandma Glenda's house. Isn't Carter a cutie pie?!

My growin' girl

Here are some random pictures of Sarah this past month.

First time sitting in the shopping cart (6/26/09). This is during a trip to Michaels, one of our favorite stores.

Sitting in the cart at Costco, another one of our favorite stores. This cart cover is pretty cool, thanks Auntie Debs!

She always peeks over her bumper when I go in to get her...she is So cute!

Brody and Grandma Glenda put Brody's (clean) underwear on her head and thought that was pretty funny.

She loves her sippy cup!

I love this picture the Doctor took right before starting her plaster head mold to fit her for a helmet...I will explain that in another post. She looks like a Knight or a Nun.

Potty Training

So it has been a little over a month now that Brody has been potty trained and it is GREAT! Here is how it happened. I always would ask him when I was changing his diaper if he wanted to try going on the potty and his usual response was "NO!" But one day his response was "okay." I have no idea what changed his mind from one day to the next, maybe it was all of the ridicule and name calling from David and I that caused him to finally cave, who knows. So he went and sat on the potty and went! I went crazy and kept congratulating him and blew up balloons and had him call mommy and grandma and made a BIG deal about it. He got so excited he wanted to go again...but he couldn't. So I kept giving him juice while he sat on a chair in the bathroom until he thought he could go then he would get on the potty and GO!! Super exciting! I even made it more fun by adding Cheerios to the mix so he could aim for the Cheerios. He has gone on the toilet ever since! For those who are interested...he went #2 on the potty for the first time without even telling me. I went to look for him and there he was going...you know. So he pretty much potty trained himself. I guess it just going to show ya, they will go when they are ready; there is no need to force it too soon.

(I don't know why this photo collage id so small and blurry, but if you click on it, it gets bigger and looks better.)

Hydrangeas

Okay...I in no way have a green thumb. So the fact that flowers grow in my garden is amazing to me. Here are a few pics of my hydrangeas earlier this spring. By the time I notice them blooming they were huge!

Even on the same bush, every bloom is a different color. Wierd, but I like it!

SCENTSY PARTY!!!

Anyone interested is welcome to come!!!

I am having a Scentsy Party! What is Scentsy? Check it out...Katy just started selling it and here is her website.

Date: Tuesday, July 14 (tomorrow...sorry for the late notice)
Time: 6:30 pm
Place: My house (leave a comment if you need directions)

Treats will be served!

Grandma and Grandpa "Sniff"

We love when Grandma and Grandpa come to visit! They are in Idaho now so Sarah and I are leaving Thursday to go visit them...I am so excited to get away for a while and relax! We will be stopping to see the Kenningtons and also be there for Maryellen while she has her baby!

Playing on the pool table....
a favorite pastime of all the grandchildren....and now the great-grandchildren!

They are the only two crazy enough to get in that pool...it is so cold!

Dynamic Duo

How can you not love these two?!

The Many Faces of Sarah Jean

God Bless America!

This year Sarah and I celebrated the 4th of July by sleeping in while David went to the Neville's to help his dad cook a pancake breakfast for East Hills Ward. Gus and Jenna are in town and staying with us so after the breakfast, David and Gus went rafting while Jenna and I went to JM's to buy a BIG patriotic bow for Sarah. We then went to the rafting warehouse to see the boys in between trips. Once David was done with his adventures on the Kern River he joined Sarah and I for some swimming at the Nichols house. We had a great time swimming together...we very rarely get a chance to just relax and hang out together as a family and I cherished every moment! Next on the agenda was the Faulkner's annual 4th of July festival which always involves catching up and visiting with old friends and David drinking way too much punch and feeling really sick by the time we leave.
From there we head home to watch the B.C. fireworks show with family and friends in our front yard. We usually have homemade ice cream and this year was no exception. We had a great day and can't wait until next 4th of July to do it all over again!
We didn't take many pictures, but here is one of Sarah visiting with her friends at the Faulkner's. Don't you love the GIANT bow?!

Sarah and I watching the fireworks show...she was really into it.

Sarah with her daddy watching the show.

Sunday, the 5th, we went over to Grandma Buntings house to visit and grandma gave Sarah this cute necklace and a bracelet to play dress up with when she gets a bit bigger.

She really likes it.

Don't they look Patriotic together? Super cute!

I love Blogs!

As I sit here browsing the internet on this Sunday afternoon, while hubby and baby and taking a nap, I am just thinking about how grateful I am for the internet and the blogging world. Now, before you laugh, just here me out. In the last 15 minutes or so, I have found so many inspiring women from all over the United States and Canada and have learned so much from them. I found a ladies blog from Nevada with FHE ideas and flannel board ideas (which I have been wanting to make for a while). She also has 7 kids and home-schools and keeps up with her blog, which has so many useful links and info on it. That alone is inspiring in itself. Another blog I found is written by a lady with 10 kids!! The name of her blog is Old-Fashioned Motherhood and just reading it make me feel so proud to be a mother and wife and makes me want to do the very best I can at my job as homemaker and nurturer. From their blogs I was linked to so many more resources that help me to be a better mom, wife, and homemaker. So it may sound silly, but today I am grateful for blogs and for the amazing women who write them!


(these are only 2 examples of the hundreds I have come across, some family and friends, some total strangers)