Sad News

I feel like I have to post something. I am so disappointed with California this week. One judge can revoke Prop 8? Seriously? Mostly I am upset with all the CRAP that is on facebook about it. So this is what I stand for http:// http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/religious-freedom Oh and I agree with this too http://http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/church-statement-on-proposition-8-ruling To me this isn't a political debate, it is a moral debate. Last thing I am going to say, people are going to do what they are going to do. Don't teach my children about it!

Happy Birthday to this Hunk!

Happy Birthday Honers! Hope you have a great day. Know that we all love you and think you are the greatest Daddy and Hubby.
Love,
The Belnap Babes

A Month in Review a.k.a. pic overload!

So where have we been for a month....stay tuned!

Emma started swimming lessons. She did really great! Her friend Laney is in the background. I am told that that is the only reason we can live in CA is because Laney does. :) She did great and loved it! Then we headed off to Idaho! Do you ever drive and drive and can't take it anymore? Yeah we couldn't, so we stayed in Reno! Here is Brandon having a make-shift breakfast...cereal in a cup!

Reno!

Isn't Nevada so interesting Cami? BTW, thank goodness for dvd players. How did we ever travel without them?

We arrived and celebrated the 4th of July! (And Mom's birthday the day before.)

Then we went swimming. Proof that my dad does get in the pool. He went down the slide and so did my mom!

Then off to see the Grandmas. Grandma Jenkins had this when we were growing up. My girls loved the Little People castle!

Grandma Jenkins and the girls. (Emma split her chin sliding down the slide at the pool)

Grandma Benson and us girls. Thanks for letting us come! Traveling is hard because you don't have enough time. I wish we had more time to visit everyone!

Then off to Island Park for a family reunion!

Here we are at Quake Lake. It is so cool. My girls kept asking why the trees were in the water. (there was an earthquake that created this lake, thus the trees ended up in the water.)

At Wade Lake. My Father-in-law's paradise...in a canoe with his wife.

At Hebgen Lake. It started to rain so we took the scenic route home and it wasn't raining at this lake.

Hebgen Lake

Then of course, a trip into Yellowstone...one of my favorite places on earth.

Gibbon Falls.

A buffalo. Emma yelled, "he is so ugly. I want to see him poop!" Nice.

Too much traveling makes really dirty kiddos. :)

Sibling pics. From oldest to youngest. Me, Rich, Stephanie, Brandon and Alicia

Upclose.

And tallest to shortest. My little brother hails in at 6'8". And Alicia is an inch shorter than me.

Then we headed home! We miss everyone!

Kevin got tickets to the Giants game! Fun story: when we were in high school, we came on choir tour to San Fran and sang the National Anthem here for a Giants game. Fun memories and it was fun to go back.

At the game. Sad story: the public transit took really long so we made it for the ninth inning. :(

And last...whew...did you make it? Cami is our little fit thrower. We were in Yellowstone and she just decided she wasn't going home with us. Not even the bribe of ice cream could get her.

It's always fun!

For everyone when company comes! Mom and Dad and my younger three siblings came to Cali. We had so much fun while they were here. The main reason they are coming.....to drop off my little brother, Brandon. (and I mean younger, because he is 6'8" and not so little :) He is now living with us. He just graduated from high school and is planning on working. So stay tuned for more pics of him on our family adventures.

We spent one day at the beach while everyone was here. The shy, scared Camilla turned into a fierce little girl who would run at the waves with no one beside her! This is Brandon catching some waves!

All of us at the beach.

Emma just played in the wet sand the whole time building her sand castle.

When not running, Camilla was pouting. One of her fav past times.

We spent another day in the city. We went out to Golden Gate Bridge. These guys walked across some of the bridge.

At Pier 39 in front of the sea lions.

By Golden Gate. Brandon and my two sisters, Stephanie and Alicia. And my kiddos.

We found this fun sign. And Mom is the ultimate Rosie! I'm pretty sure she could out-work her any day!

And Emma tried to strangle herself with the sign. :)

We had a blast and are excited to have them come back again sometime! Thanks for making the trip!

Update

So when we woke up Wednesday morning I decided to check Cami's nose. I tipped her upside down and saw the bead up her nose! Thanks a lot ER. So I went to a ENT Dr. to get it out. BTW, most of the Drs in the area were already out of town...lame. So we were in his office for like 5 minutes and he pulls the bead out. He then checked both nostrils with a microscope to make sure she hadn't shoved more up there! That is one expensive bead I might add. :)
Then today during lunch she says "Look mom." And what do you know she has two pretzels shoved up her nose (one in each nostril). For real girl?!? What am I going to do?

The ER

The full story: if my blurb on FB wasn't enough (and Kevin may have to fill in some details later)
So last night Camilla sticks two beads up her nose. She comes to me crying saying she has a booger. So I get one of the beads out and ask her if that is better. She points to the other nostril and says "booger." I can't even see this one. So after trying ourselves to get it out with no success, we decide to take her to an insta care. Kevin walks across the street to one to find it closed at 5. (BTW, what kind of insta care closes at 5, that is sooooo lame!)
So Kev then loads her up in the car and takes her to the ER. They wait for two hours before they can get in. They try to find the bead and can't. By this time her nose is so swollen from all the proding. So they spray up her nose with something to reduce the swelling and come and check 25 minutes later. They check again and no bead.
So the Dr. says it either came out on its own, she swallowed it or it is still up there and she will begin to get a terrible sinus infection within the next few days. We are all hoping that it is the first two! :)
Three hours after leaving for the ER, Kevin and Camilla get home. Whew! What an eventful night.
Come to find out, it is probably my fault. Kevin never put anything up his nose, I remember getting 6 peas up my nose!

The Zoo

We bought a zoo pass for the summer so I am sure this will be the first of many outings. :) The Oakland zoo is really cool with interactive things for the kiddos to play on. Here the girls were leaping on different lilly pads, playing frogs. (They were both a little scared Kevin left them for the pic, so they are holding on to each other...so cute!) Here is the fam in front of the elephants. A family fav!

Here they had turtle shells you could sit on. They are both screaming 'help' because they thought they were falling off.

I can't remember ever seeing a turtle this big so close. He was massive! The fam with the turtle.

The kid has no fear! She had climbed up the fence and was leaning over and yelling "Hi giraffes!" It was pretty cute (and I was close by to catch her if she fell),

The below video is Camilla in the Reptile house. She was having so much fun opening and shutting doors and running away from Kevin.

Loved it all, minus the lady who called me EVERY swear word in the book because Emma accidentally stepped on her toe. Rude lady pushing in front of little kids, who is the zoo for? Oh well, what do you do?