MJ... Gone, but not forgotten...

On our last day at Banks Lake, the weather was cool and cloudy. At one point, it even started to rain a little... I was considering packing up and heading out early when I heard some old school MJ coming from the party barge... Before I knew it, there were afros as far as the eye could see...





... By the time the music stopped and the afros disappeared, the sun was out and we were back in business... Anything can happen when you mix the magic of Banks Lake with a little MJ.

(photos courtesy of Kjrst, of course)

Blog post mooching...

Every year my family meets at Banks Lake at least once during the summer. This year, between my brothers and sisters and their kids and grandkids there were over 40 Marsh offspring roaming the beaches of Banks Lake... I can't tell you how much I loved watching the party barge pull up to the beach, loaded down with all of the people I love most in the world. Anyway, this year I wasn't in much of a picture taking mood... Fortunately for me, Kjrst is always the photog so there is proof that we were there...

I'll save myself the trouble and post the link to her blog HERE.

I noticed that in the mix of all the pictures I can be spotted drinking a Diet Coke, snuggling a fat baby and coming back from a wake boarding run with some of my favorite peeps... All I can say is H E A V E N.

Apparently it's possible...

...to have an awesome summer, even if your mom isn't around....











... They look a little bit sad without me, don't they? Or not. Don't worry guys... I'm only slightly bitter.

And so on...

Sometimes I get the miss-you's for my old life... The life I had before I started working everyday. I remember sleeping late, throwing in some laundry, doing a load of dishes and then heading to lunch with one of my friends... Life was pretty good. Life is still pretty good now, it's just different. There is no sleeping in, but I do still manage to meet my girlfriends for lunch sometimes... Everyday brings something new. For instance, today I found out how fast a jazzy can really go.

Part of what I miss about my old life was having the time and energy to blog. These days there just aren't enough hours in my day for blogging... Surprisingly though, our lives still go on, despite my lackluster blogging.

For instance, Eli graduated from preschool and even got to stand right by the trash can during the program....


Ellie had 5 dance competitions...



And for one of her dance competitions, I loaded up the Yukon and took the kids to St. George...


Cole turned 11, and as usual, we forgot to buy candles...


And Grandma McCubbins came for a visit...


Apparently, time marches on... Whether I blog about it or not.

Sometimes all I want....

...Is one more just like this...


I'd eat her with a spoon if I could.

You know you've scored the best babysitter on the planet...

... When you come home to a spotless house, happy kids, home cooked meals and folded laundry. Sitters like this are akin to the elusive big foot... People talk about them and SAY they exist, but no one has actually ever SEEN one... Until now, that is. My niece Bryn is only three years younger than me. She is the closest thing to a little sister that I've ever known and she has the traumatic childhood memories to prove it...

Anyway, Bryn is the most amazing homemaker I've ever known. And lucky me, she agreed to watch my kids while I work every Friday. Now, as if being the perfect mother wasn't enough, Bryn is also a budding photographer. Reading her blog tonight was like Christmas morning for me. Take a look at what I found...




I love you Bryn. You may not know how many squares of TP to use, and you might put too many stuffed animals on a bed, but other than that, you are next to perfect.

P.S. To my long lost friend / owner of the pilfered hat pictured above... Sorry. Finders keepers, right?

Why I love my new job, reason #155...

My boss. Seriously. He's pretty much adorable...

Arriving back to work after a 10 day absence can be a little overwhelming, you know? And of course my co-workers were in rare form... Full of comments like "Do I know you?" and the classic "Hmmm, you look familiar but I can't quite place your face." (Gotta love them, they are all so funny)...

I expected the smarmy comments from my co-workers. I did not, however, expect what I found next... Reaching into my desk to pull out a pen, I discovered a cute little card. Inside was a note from my boss... It said something along the lines of "Becky, it's so great to have you on our team. Thus far you have proven to be everything I knew you would be..."

Awwwww. I know. I told you. Adorable, right? Couldn't you just put him in your pocket?