Lagoon....here we come!!

We pulled the boys out of school to go to Lagoon the day after the Demolition Derby. We had a good time there and experienced some crazy adventures. For example, Cameron set off an alarm and Ashley almost got ran over by the sky ride!

Spencer, Ashley, Maddie, and Cameron waiting for tug boats

Rich and I went on “The Bat” with Spencer and Maddie even though I thought they would be scared. They had the exact opposite reaction. Neither wanted to get off when the ride was done and it took some heavy negotiations to get them out of the way for other passengers!

Maddie, Grandma, and Ashley

Mom and Maddie came with us, which made it extra special! Everyone voted and the favorite ride was either the Tidal Wave or the bumper cars. Tough choice!

Dad, Cameron, Spencer, Mom on our 1st attempt (of many) at the Tidal Wave!

Ashley unhappy about having to share her ride!

Cameron and Spencer enjoying the Ladybug Bop!

Dad and Spencer living it up on the Puff Dragon roller coaster! Hold on tight!

Ashley and Cameron got to ride over and over because of the short line!!

Mom and Dad about to ride the Roller Coaster!

Sanpete County Fair

Each year citizens of the county are encouraged to enter crafts and things into the exhibits at the fair. Last year I crotched a blanket that looked like an American Flag and earned a second place red ribbon. This year I submitted a counted cross stitch of a river front scene. I earned a first place blue ribbon! I’m already brainstorming what I can submit for next year. Spencer says he wants to put something in the fair too. Maybe he could join the 4-H Club.

We spent Thursday (Aug. 21st) afternoon enjoying the exhibits and the animals. There was a huge steer that weighed over 2900 lbs. The boys thought it was Paul Bunyan’s Ox!

Spencer was able to pet some reindeer, they had really fuzzy antlers. All three kids enjoyed seeing the lambs, pigs, cows, bunnies and chickens!

We topped the night off by watching Demolition Derby. We were lucky to get in because they had sold out; we had gotten tickets earlier in the day. Throughout the show three cars got completely turned over and the boys loved it! Ashley liked the part she was awake for! I didn’t think anybody could sleep through that kind of noise. She woke up when we had dirt flung at us as a car peeled out! I took her home while boys stayed for the final wipeout. We all stayed up late and I thought it was a good thing they didn’t have to go to school the next day.

Happy Harvest

We decided to grow a garden this year. Rich borrowed the tractor from the farm and tilled a nice sized garden in the backyard. We decided to keep things simple so we only planted peas, carrots, lettuce, green beans, corn, and pumpkins. We’re still learning so there are a lot of improvements that we’ll be able to make next year, but it’s better than the non-existent garden we had the year before!!! We planted the peas late so we didn’t get as much as we would’ve liked.
The corn was a big hit. The kids enjoyed eating it fresh from the garden especially Cameron who would eat it raw straight out of the husk. It was fun to have Spencer help plant the seeds and even funnier to watch the crooked rows sprout. The biggest threat to the garden this year was the grasshoppers. They were so thick that whenever we walked toward the garden to turn on the water we could hear them jumping away by the hundreds. They ate all the carrot greens so we had a hard time finding them when the time came and they ate a lot of the blossoms for the green beans so that harvest was really low. But, I was able to bottle what green beans we did get!


The pumpkins seem to be doing well. We look forward to carving them at Halloween!!

A Day of Firsts

On Tuesday the boys started school. It was Spencer's first day of 1st Grade and Cameron's first day of Kindergarten. They both seemed excited to go. They get to ride their bikes to school and they love to go fast! Cameron talked about using his Turbo power. The second day was much hotter and Cameron had to stop riding his bike and take a rest because "he's out of gas!" He filled up on water and was able to keep trying. Cameron describes Mrs. Otten as "The Best Teacher Ever!" I'd say that is a good attitude to have toward your teacher!!

Spencer with Mrs. Peteron

Cameron with Mrs. Otten

Ashley also had her first day of tumbling class. She was thrilled to put on her leotard and roll around with the big girls! Everyday since, she has asked about when she'll go again.

Swimming sensation!

Aunt Kristine and Uncle Dave took the kids swimming last Friday. They had so much fun!

They jumped......

they climbed.....

and they ate!!

What more could you ask for?

Harm or Accident

Just a funny story to remember: Ashley was climbing on a small picnic table in order to get herself tall enough to reach some popsicles in the basement freezer. I got her down and told all the kids that it isn't safe to climb up high like that. Cameron says, "She almost had a harmer accident." Rich and I looked at each other and laughed as I said, "I thought we prayed to protect ourselves from those!" (harm or accident)

Whirlwind Week- pictures coming soon!!

Today is my day to FINALLY kick my heels back and relax! I feel like I've been running a marathon with all of the different activities that I've been juggling to prepare for. We had girls camp coming which meant I had a lot of people to coordinate with and a bunch of tasks to get completed. School is almost ready to start which meant that during these planning meetings, I had to make time to take the kids school shopping among other school preparation. I was crazy enough to drive all three kids (by myself!) to Provo last Thursday. We not only had to buy school clothes but Rich needed shoes, the pharmacy needed soda and candy, and I needed to pick up supplies and food for camp, for a special anniversary dinner I was planning for Rich, and for our everyday needs! I was lucky that the kids cooperated, for the most part. By the time I got home, I was out for the count for the night. But there was no time for resting.

More camp preparations were needed. I was able to get away Friday night to watch the Miss Sanpete Pageant. It was fun to see the girls and visit with friends afterwards. To my great relief, Rich's family helped me do some more needed shopping for girls camp and the special dinner after the pageant. Another late night!!

Bright and early the next morning was the water skiing trip with the laurels. Not many showed up so I was able to bring the kids too. We had a lot of fun. We experienced our own little miracle because for days before we had rainy weather. I thought our trip was going to be cancelled (maybe a part of me wished that it would, but only a little part!!). However, the weather that morning was beautiful. The skies and the water were clear. We enjoyed our afternoon on the lake and when we got home, the second the boat was safely in the garage, the sky proceeded to downpour! Lucky, lucky!!

That night after water skiing I had time to clean up just before going to Stake Conference. All the talks given both on Saturday and Sunday we really good. There were a couple of moments that I knew that the Lord was speaking to me. After conference we enjoyed a family dinner with the Cox's. I'd barely found time to make my layered cake, thank goodness.

I spent all of Monday making arrangements for the kids so that Rich could help me haul girls and supplies to girls camp. We left for camp first thing on Tuesday morning. We had a really good time too! Debbie Hatch (laurel advisor) let us come to her cabin. We played games, a lot of games! It allowed the girls to let their hair down and enjoy one another. We performed skits, ate LOTS of food, did a little hiking, made some crafts, and sang songs! We even got in a testimony meeting and snipe hunting in one night, which is an interesting challenge to take on!! I'm glad it's over but I'm even happier that we did it!

Once I got home I had two hours to put together my special anniversary dinner for Rich. One thing that is worth mentioning is that since I had been at YW Camp for half of the day on our 10th Anniversary, I had made arrangements for Rich to get breakfast in bed. My neighbor, Bridget, made him breakfast, set it nicely on a tray and delivered it on the porch with a poem that I had written. The poem said "Violets are blue, Roses are red, this is as close as it gets....to breakfast in bed!!!" When I got home from camp, I sent Rich out and Bridget helped me prepare a beautiful candlelight dinner for two while Kathy made me a cheesecake. Thank goodness for great friends!!! We spent a wonderful evening alone together while the kids spent the night at their grandma's home.

Amazing August!!!

We had a birthday party for Ashley the day after I got home from Trek. She is a whopping 3 years old now. She enjoys swimming so we spent the day at the Manti swimming pool. Followed by a fun party with her cousins and neighbor friends. She got some great presents. She wanted to sleep that night with her princess dress and CD player!

I like to cook a favorite meal for the birthday kid on their birthday, it's a tradition my mother did for me. When I asked Ashley what she wanted she said, "Chocolate Cake!" Spencer reminded her that she needed to choose a meal not a dessert but she remained fixed on her decision by repeating over and over "Chocolate Cake!!" She takes after her mommy!

We spent the summer doing so many fun activities. We went waterskiing, camping, participated in the Mormon Miracle Pageant, went on ATV trips, and more. Mom was busy planning and preparing for the Wyoming Trek and YW Camp. We still have trips to Lagoon and more camping planned.

With all this fun, the boys had homework that they did most days. They enjoyed it for the most part! We took many trips to the library for them to pick their favorite stories, we rode bikes, went swimming and Spencer started piano lessons from the BEST teacher he knows, Mom! (I'm the only teacher he knows, so far!!)

There's no place like HOME!!!

I am recovering nicely from our Youth Conference in Wyoming. We took the youth to re-enact the Pioneer trek to Martin's Cove and across Rocky Ridge. It was an unforgettable experience that I am glad that I could do, but it was also pretty tough. I was one of the lucky ones that was able to complete the entire trip and come away with no blisters or physical marks to show for it.

My Trek Family- Liz, Garrett, Kelli, Charee, Jessica, Me, Michael, Tony, Jenny, Mitch, Dakota, and Cameron

It started on "Monday" at 12:01am when we met at the church dressed in our pioneer clothes. (I sewed my own bonnet, with the help of my neighbor!) We loaded the buses and headed to Wyoming. To our shock (and my horror!) the school buses that came were for elementary kids. When I sat down my knees touched the seat in front of me. Everyone had to squish on the benches, two per seat for the entire trip!!! Wow, we were starting the sacrifice part right at the start. Needless to say, I got little to no sleep that night. We were on the bus for more than 9 hours and every time the buses stopped to refuel we had to all get off the bus.

Once we got there we had a tour of the museums, heard some speakers and watched a video (which was hard to stay awake for!!!). Everyone was split into "families". The families were a mix of youth from each ward in the stake. I was nervous about this but in the end it was a great thing. We really got to know more people and bond as a stake. Our family hiked to our camp ground, set up camp and got some dinner.

The meals were done really well the whole time with the exception of one lunch which I'll tell about soon. We stayed up late listening to a fireside by the Stake Presidency. When it was time to fall asleep, I was out cold and didn't hear anybody else even come into the tent. I was awoken at 4:30am because another leader was up rolling her sleeping bag. URRGH! Each day went close to the same: early morning rise, hiking, lots of pioneer stories (my favorite is about James Kirkwood- age 11), late night firesides, and yummy food!!!

Jenny Blaur (Ma) and Me crossing to Rock Creek Hollow

The second day was when we got to walk through Martin's Cove. We were asked not to talk which was a great idea. Without the extra noise my mind was able to wander to more important thoughts. I'm not sure how many of them I should share in this forum but to summarize I'd say I had 4 main points: 1. If you quit, you die. This was literal for the pioneers who would freeze to death if they quit moving forward and figurative for me because I can lose the battle every time I give up on something. 2. The Lord always sends rescuers to help us get through the remainder of whatever trial we are facing. Sometime he sends angels and sometimes we become the angels to others! 3. Even though the trial the pioneers went through is different from my trials, the advice on how to get through it is the same. We all need to remain positive, never give up, and serve one another. 4. The individual matters to Heavenly Father.

The third day was when we hiked Rocky Ridge and marched on to Rock Creek Hollow. This was the capstone of my experience, this is when I truly felt the most. It's hard for me to write about this day because of the emotions it brings to me but I'll say this. When I read about how hard it was for the pioneers.....I think I get it! This was the day that I was pushed to the point where somewhere inside I said to myself, "Okay, I'm not having fun anymore. I want to go home!" This was the day that we had the one meal that I didn't like. I was lunch time and we had to eat out on the trail. Well, it's Wyoming, so of course the wind is blowing. Let's put it this way...we ate SANDwiches for lunch.

Charee, Jessica and Me standing in front of a monument at Rock Creek just before coming home (we had fun too....see, we're still able to smile!!!!)

If I hadn't got to that point I wouldn't understood the other thoughts that came to me later that night. I'd love to tell all my friends and family about my inner thoughts but they're too special to write about here. We went home the next day and before we left we got letters from home. I had really missed my children, but mostly missed Rich. I was originally going to be with me but due to some conflicts at work wasn't able to come in the end. I missed having him with me and was more then excited to see him when I got home! Pres. Fife asked an interesting question, "So What?" Our pioneer ancestors struggled and fought for their lives and religion. So what do I do with this experience now that I am home? Will I let it change the way I live my life? What does it mean to me? What would it mean to YOU??