Ward Campout

The first weekend of the month we went to our ward camp-out. It was a great spot: lots of grass, a volleyball net, and best of all - a super steep, long slip-n-slide! You can imagine how much fun we all had. Mike took the kids down it that evening. Sometimes he would take both of them at the same time. Elsie, our thrill seeker, loved it, and Peter (the dare devil) also had a blast!

Here they are about ready to take off. You can barely see it dropping off, but it is quite steep.

Peter would slide around like crazy! No matter what position he took off on, he always landed on his belly going backwards.

In the morning I took the kids down. It was kind of scary the first time, as Elsie and I's face show. I promise though, Elsie was loving it.
As Mike was taking down the tent that morning, he found a mouse underneath. Yikes! Undaunted, Mike decided to capture the mouse in one of our water bottles. Peter had a great time carting the water bottle around, showing the mouse off to everybody. After a while, Mike was wondering how we were going to get rid of the mouse. He had an ingenious idea: give the mouse a ride down the water slide!

Here they are getting ready to let the mouse have the ride of its life.

Can you see the mouse in this picture? It's near the top. It was a great distraction to the reality of letting the mouse go, and it made a vivid memory for everyone at the campground that morning. We may have made ward history.

Wind Rivers

While I was vacationing at my parents, Mike went to the Wind Rivers with his brothers and dad. He had a great time. The first year we were married, I went with Mike and his brothers to the Wind Rivers. I liked it, but I think it's best as kind of a "boys only" club. Mike loves the place, he talks about it and looks forward to it every year (whether he goes or not). Here they are at the beginning of the week: cleanly shaven, clean clothes, and still smelling somewhat like humanity.

I heard the mosquitoes were really bad! This picture was enough for me to be glad I was not there. Luckily Mike brought along netting they all wore over their faces. He's pretty brilliant, I'll admit!

The hiking is pretty rugged. At one point they had to chop down a tree so they could cross on over a river. I think if I were ever lost in the woods, like in the book Hatchet, I would want Mike glued to my side.

On Wednesday, he and his brothers climbed the continental divide where they got cell phone coverage so they could call their families. I was so excited to get that phone call from him and know everything was okay. It looks like fun!


Yuck! Yikes! Isn't this picture creepy?

Ahhh.... A beautiful Penstemon. The wildflowers is what hiking is all about!

And this is what the Wind Rivers is all about...FISH! Mike hates to eat fish, but he likes the sport of fishing (or maybe it's just the hiking to the lakes that he likes). He said they found a couple great lakes to fish in and had a good time. I'm glad he had a good time, and I'm just as glad I was at my mom and dad's house have a different good time instead.

Separate Vacations

Mike and I took our first separate vacations this summer. He wanted to go into the Wind Rivers with his brothers. It's kinda family tradition. I wasn't dying to spend a whole week all by myself with the kids, so me and the kids flew to my parents home. Mike and I had very different, fun adventures.
Mom's adventure:
The airplane ride with the kids was such an adventure. I got so many looks (crazy and sympathetic) from strangers in the airport, and I guess I don't blame them. The four of us finally got to our terminal and boarded the plane on time, so I can't complain. Peter and Elsie had soooo much fun. As the plane took off Peter yelled, "This is AWESOME!!" and Elsie laughed like she was on a lagoon ride, yelling, "WHOOAAA!"

As we got off the plane, Peter said, "I wish we could live here!"
When we finally got to my parents, the fun began. My sister, Becky, arrived there with her family just shortly after us, so there was lots of company for my parents, which equated to a lot of fun. We stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's for a week, and if I could find a common thread for the week it would be Birthday Parties! My mom threw a 'birthday party' for her grandkids, since she can't make it to their real birthdays, and party it was! There was good food, balloons, cake, party favors, and even presents for all the kids to open. They were spoiled rotten and lovin' it. A few days later, my dad had a birthday, and then at the end of the week my sister, Michelle, had a birthday as well. I ate so much dessert while I was there, I was stuffing myself full of Mom's great buttermilk chocolate cake every chance I could get! There is no boxed mix that can beat my Mom's.
Without all the birthday parties, it still was a party to my kids every day. Elsie was beside herself playing with her cousin, Eden, all the time. She called her "my new friend" and still asks for her "new friend" almost 3 weeks later.

Peter really bonded with his Uncle Micah because he was the only one that had the patience to play the Wii with him. Peter loved Grandma's Wii! He played for hours on end, and I chalked it up to vacation (his and mine - we both needed it).

What would a trip to the country be without a tour of a dairy? We tried to get Peter to milk the cow, but there was no way he was havin' it! I can't say I blamed him too much, it took me a few deep breaths before I grabbed onto the tit of a cow and squeezed. I am very grateful to the beasts, but I think if almond milk were more affordable, I'd be going that route after this experience.

I have a brave sister, Becky, who let a baby cow suck on her fingers. We tried to get Peter to give it a try (who is also brave), but he couldn't quite get himself to take the plunge.

I think the most exciting part about the tour for Peter and Elsie were the coloring books, cow erasers, pens, and even fruit snacks that were given out at the end. They thought this was sooo cool! Thanks Nesha for the fun time!

Another great country experience....gathering eggs from chickens of course! My mom had yet another friend who was willing to indulge the grandkids.
Peter was really excited about the eggs. He loved gathering!

Grandma is always a great helper.

....and so was Grandpa at the end of the day.

This little guy was such a trooper! He came along for the ride and seemed to go with the flow where ever we went. What a cutey.

We wore ourselves out at Grandma's. At one point Elsie fell asleep eating on Grandma's lap. It was hilarious, and we even captured it on video. However, I couldn't get it to upload. We had a great time. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

As the kids and I arrived at the Salt Lake Airport baggage claim, I looked around and could not see any sign of Mike. I waited for a while, but after a few minutes the kids started climbing on the baggage claim and getting in trouble, so I decided it was time to leave. I loaded up all three huge, heavy duffel bags over me (I had Kimball in a Bundleme in the front), and we headed to the parking garage. We climbed the escalators, no problem, and we headed for the walkway that's like a big treadmill (I hope you know what I'm talking about). By the time we got to the walkway thing, my arms and back were burning from all the heavy weight. I let the kids on first, and then I climbed on and dumped all the duffel bags in front of me to give my weary body a rest. Just as we were nearing the end, Mike walks through the doors from the parking garage, just in time to see the train wreck. I hollard to the kids, "Look there's Daddy!"
This must have been too much distraction for Elsie, because she forgot to get off the walkway thing. She just sat there staring at her dad, and then the baggage hit her, and hit her again. I was next, and I was carrying Kimball. As I neared the duffel bags, I leaped over them, then I leaped over Elsie, and then I landed on my hands and knees on the other side of the wreck. All my children were okay, but it was the pinnacle of a very long day of traveling with 3 kids, and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Mike helped me up and helped gather everything up and took care of things immediately. He is so great, and I was SO glad to see him!

Birthday Boy!

This year for Peter's birthday we went to St. George to visit his sister, and Zion National Park for a family vacation. The day after we came home, Peter had his friend B-day party.
ZION: Zion was a lot of fun. We were really blessed and got one of the very last camping sites in the park. There was no alternative plan if this didn't work out, so we were very grateful! We had an awesome campsite. There was an apricot tree on it, so we helped ourselves to lots! Apparently, so did the deer. They were walking through our campsite all the time, helping themselves to the tasty fruit as well.

Elsie Flora always owns up to her name. She's picking flowers where ever she goes.

We went on a 'hike' to The Narrows. Hike is in quotes because it's more of a crawl when you are taking 3 small children with you. Elsie loved to walk on every rock she could find, and Peter found every foreigner to talk to and befriend. All along the walk, people were calling out to show Peter something. We walked to the opening of The Narrows and found a good beach spot for the children to play in for a while. They had a lot of fun, and wore themselves out. Hiking the mile back to the buses carrying a zonked out 2 year old was more strength training than I had bargained for. On the walk we found a rattle snake. The kids were pretty enthralled.

Here's that great beach spot we found. Peter practiced skipping rocks and Elsie threw them. They played on the big rock that Mike's leaning against as well. I about had a heart attack at one point. Peter was on the rock and then fell backwards suddenly into the water. I ran to the back of the rock, expecting the worst, and there was Peter on his feet grinning. He has more of an adventurous soul than I can handle sometimes.



AUNT LORI'S: We were excited to go to Aunt Lori's and all take a clean shower. Lori was so nice to provide us with a great bathroom, towels, and even her washer and drier. Thanks! After we got all cleaned up, we donned on our swimming suits and took a dip in her hot tub and pool. We were having a lot of fun, especially since cousins had arrived by then. Peter was taking notes as he watched his dare-devil cousins do flips into the pool. Without a word, suddenly, Peter took a flip into the pool with his arm floaties on, missing hitting his head by millimeters. Whew. We were all relieved to avoid such a catastrophe. It wasn't but 5 minutes later, however, another flip was tried, only to not be so lucky. His head hit the tile, and there went the fun. Thank goodness for all of Aunt Lori's expertise and training. She took a good look at the crack in his head and thought she could superglue it shut, no problem. Mike, always one to document a battle wound, took a picture.

Once the trauma was taken care of and Peter had a little nap in my arms, we decided to celebrate his birthday! We began with presents. Mom and Dad got him an Ant Farm and his Aunt Sam gave him a really cool puzzle that has a car that drives all over it. He loved it.

That evening he helped me decorate his cake and blew out his candles. It was Dad's idea that he cut his own piece of cake (yikes?). Then we lit some fireworks. It was a really full day!


My sister always writes something about her children on their birthday, and I thought I might copy her because I love reading about my nephews. Peter is great. He is quick to befriend anyone, he tries to be obedient, he's a hard worker, and he loves his family and is eager to help and serve them. Peter is an inquisitive learner, and loves to fix things with super glue. His presence will be missed in our home as he starts Kindergarten this year.
Here are some of his favorites:
Color: green (for this month)
Book: Basketball Pig (for the week)
Friends: His cousins, Jordynn and Hunter, and neighbor Eli
Hobbies: playing on the Wii at anybody else's home, and riding his bike
Food: pizza
Sport: Soccer and Swimming
What he wants to be when he grows up: An Astronaut or an inventor
Interesting Tid bit: He is really excited to visit Yellowstone some day.

FRIEND B-DAY PARTY: The day after we came home, we had Peter's B-day party. I think I got about 4 hours of sleep that night, working on that party. Thankfully, I had a sister-in-law that came over and helped me decorate and do the last minute stuff. Plus, she stayed and helped with the party. I could not have done it without her - Thanks Amy!!! That morning I bought ice cream, made the birthday cake, set everything up, and decorated (with help). Whew.
However, when the party began, we had sooo much fun.
Peter wanted a Jungle Birthday Party, and last minute decided he wanted Diego apart of it too. So, as all the kids arrived we played games: throwing bean bags into a monkey's mouth, and flamingo and elephant games. Here they are, all lined up.

Then we got a call from Diego, saying he needed our help to rescue some animals! We all put on our Diego badges and got to work! First, we had to kill the evil tiger and lion by "spilling their guts!" They happened to be pinatas. I was kind of bummed because my pictures didn't turn out, and I had put soooo much work into making those pinatas, and now I don't even have a picture to show for it. But, the kids had a lot of fun! Then we had to run from Swiper who was throwing water balloons and cross a pretend river taking turns using a tube. We finally made it to the "jungle". This was under our deck. We had decorated it with mosquito netting, animal shaped beach balls, and lots of streamers. It looked so cool, but due to the hectic morning, we failed to get a picture. Under the deck there were lots of string coming out from the door to the house. Each kid had to grab a string and follow it to a lost animal that they needed to bring back to the jungle. I had so much fun with the kids, and when we were all done, one little boy exclaimed, "Can we do that again?" Oh I wish we could have! I think it was exactly what Peter had in mind. Then we ate cake and ice cream, and opened presents. The cake was an alligator cake, but again, I failed to take a good picture. Here's the best we got:

Peter got some presents he was really excited about. All of them were very thoughtful, and I was touched. This game has been a hit with all of my kids, and we've played it often!

Happy 5th Birthday bud!!!

Summer Days

What would Summer be without parades, yard exploration, camping, and reunions? Here is what we were up to for the month of June.

BUG DETECTIVES: Peter decided to hunt for bugs one afternoon, but wore some netting around his head to protect him from any bees. It wasn't too long before Elsie joined in. It was pretty cute watching them explore the neighborhood with magnifying glass in hand.





PARADE: What would summer be without a parade? Our town has one of the smallest annual parades ever, but it never lacks candy! Peter had the opportunity to decorate his bike and ride in the parade with other Primary children. He loved the decorating and the bike ride. That boy never passes up a spotlight. Meanwhile, Elsie, Mom, Dad, and Kimball watched along the sides and gathered extra candy for him. Elsie decided she was a big fan of parades after she filled her bag full of tootsie rolls and salt water taffy.


RAGNAR RELAY: There are many of these Ragnar Relay races throughout the country, and we happen to live close to where one takes place. It is a running race composed of 12 people that trade off running legs as the team travels through a mountain range. It happens to be about 200 miles of grueling road, full of steep inclines and declines. The teams start on a Friday and run all through the night until they cross the finish line sometime Saturday. It is sponsored by ICON, the business that builds Nordic Tracks. A friend of ours that works there, had been working hard at putting together a "virtual" team to run the relay. This means a team that would run the whole relay on a treadmill that was hooked up to a GPS so it would follow the exact terrain. I was impressed by the whole idea. The week of the race, some people from the virtual team fell through and ICON was scrapping to find a couple extra people to run for their team. So this friend of ours thought of Mike and I and called to see if we'd be interested. We said sure. It was a lot of fun, and our team got the most sleep out of any other, so it was well worth it. Under any other condition, I think I would have pass it up. I love my sleep. ICON hooked us up with lots of running outfits to wear as we ran, which was a great bonus! Running on a treadmill is quite a bit easier, so Mike and I were able to do just fine. We ended up running an extra leg for other people on the team who's knees gave out on them. It was a spontaneous adventure, which is something we rarely get any of. For that reason alone, it was worth it (plus I've got some great running clothes now)!
Here is us at the "finish" line. Our team crossed it carrying a treadmill.


These gondolas were great fun for the kids. We went up and down several times just to entertain them.


CHESTERFIELD: Mike's family had a reunion in this small ghost town. Mike and I traveled there and camped out the night before. The kids had a blast camping. Peter said he wanted to live in the tent. Mike even took him fishing in a little pond with maybe 3 fish in the whole thing. He didn't catch anything, but Peter sure loves to fish! Chesterfield was a lot of fun for the kids - there was room to run, mice to catch, outhouses to try, and food to eat. Mike and I had fun as well. It's always fun being with family and getting to know your family history better.
Below, Peter is talking to another Peter. He bonded instantly to his older cousin. You guessed it - it's a family name.


We had a picnic there, and Mike's Mom brought olives. I'm afraid Elsie helped herself to the majority of them. She sure had fun!


In one of the areas of the historic ghost town, they had a lot of old farm equipment. Mike's dad had a lot of fun seeing the old equipment he grew up using. We enjoyed listening to him explain how everything worked and watch him as he reminisced of his days as a young boy. They also had an area where the kids could make their own rope. Peter thought this was sooooo cool!


I don't know what was more exciting for Peter than using this outhouse!

Catching up - Spring

Wow, it's been 3 months and SOO much has happend. For documenting sake, I am going clear back to April for some highlights. Sorry if this bores anyone.
EASTER: Okay, so I had to put a plug in for decorating eggs with little ones. It was the most nerve racking experience as Mike and I watched quick little fingers and hands moving eggs from one container to the next, with eggs and dye splashing, cracking, and sloshing. We both held our breath and tried to remain as calm as humanly possible. Elsie was especially funny to watch. She really had a blast, and Mike and I are just glad to have a table that still looks like wood.



SOCCER: This was Peter's first year to participate in soccer. He had so much fun and we found out he is a competitive little guy. Peter is small for his age, but he has never seen that as a deterrent, only as opportunity to squeeze through tight places. I could tell when he would get serious about playing because he'd get the "eye of the tiger" look that every parent on the soccer team learned to recognize. When he got that look, we knew he meant business. It was so fun to watch a bunch of 4, 5, and 6 year olds run around in a herd, chasing after a ball. Some players were all about scoring a goal, while others were mostly excited about their uniform. Whatever the motive, the kids were cute! My favorite was when one little boy was playing 'defender' and got so caught up in playing in the net of the goal, that when the ball came his way, his head was stuck in the net and he couldn't get to the ball. They all had their moments. Peter even spent his hard earned money on new cleats. He said they made him run really fast. I was just so proud of him for working hard and sticking with it. Good neighbor family friends came to his last game and took some great pictures.

Do you see him going after the girl almost twice his size? That's my boy! Notice the action shot down below and imagine how fast those cleats are making him run.


CAMP FIRES: So, the snow had mostly melted from the canyons and it was a nice, warm spring day, so Mike and I decided to take the kids up the canyon for a nice dinner of roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. The kids had a blast. We finally had to tell Elsie no more dogs when she reached for her third. We diverted her with some marshmallows instead.


Peter loved helping Dad build the fire. We had a great time and whetted our appetites for a great summer ahead.


SISTER RETREAT!: In April all my sisters and my mom(she's like a sister, right?) escaped our families and met-up in Salt Lake to do some shopping for the weekend! It was a lot of fun, but I don't think it was quite long enough. We had all gotten a little inheritance money from our Grandma who passed away about a year ago. She was a lady for sure and loved jewlery. So, we all decided to get a little "bling" in memory of our Grandma. We all got a ring except Becky. She's the most practical and went for a watch instead. It was a lot of fun to go shopping and actually have some money to spend. We had a blast going from store to store, eating out, checking the church sites out, and bringing up old memories together. My mom went to Spain about a month previous and brought us back all scarves. So here we are in our new fashionable scarves.

Yummmmmm! Here are our slices of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. The best food I have tasted in a long, long time! Michelle's smile here represents all of our faces.

We had a fun time perusing temple square together. This was one of the places we had to stop to take a picture.

By the end of the week, we all had some beautiful jewelry to wear! Trust me, this was hard work to find the right piece for everybody! We all had a great time. Thanks Grandma!


ANOTHER BROKEN ARM: Well, almost exactly one year later, Elsie did it again. This time its the other arm. She was trying to climb into a back-pack carrier I had just taken Kimball out of that was on the table. It was quite a fall. Poor girl. We couldn't decide if it was broken or not, but I decided to take her in the next day to make sure. It was a brake all right. They call it a 'buckle fracture' where her two top bones by her wrist compressed rather than broke. I guess this is fairly common among young kids with softer bones.
This is right after she got it put on. Look how nice and clean it is!

The day it was time to take it off, we realized no one had signed it. We all did our token signatures and then took a picture.


When Elsie got her cast off, I was surprised at how little training the doctor had. I don't think he'd taken too many casts off of little arms. It was an awful experience. He only made one cut down the cast, he pried it open and told Elsie to pull her arm out. Well, she tried, but to no avail. She pulled her arm just enough for her skin to raise up into the crack of the cast. The cast started cutting into her arm. Now Mama was helping. I took a hold of that cast and pried it open as much as I could to try to help my little baby. She was whimpering, I was prying, while the doctor was doing who knows what trying to "help". Finally, he gave up and helped me with the prying. When we were both prying as hard as we could I yelled to Elsie, "Now pull!" Elsie quickly responded and pulled her arm free, all scraped up and cut. A couple months later, she still has a little scar from the traumatic event. Hopefully that will be our last cast, at least for a long while.