October...my favorite month

Grandpa & Grandma had a pumpkin picking party out of their 1st year pumpkin patch.

Just messin' around with the new camera...

I love the month of October! It starts out with General Conference which I love for many reasons. It's church in my pajamas, along with inspiring messages and usually involves being with family. You just can't beat it! Then a few days later my birthday rolls around and I get spoiled again. This year Trent surprised me with a super fancy Canon camera. I am having a good time tinkering around with it...can't wait to figure out how to use all the cool features it offers. Next comes Fall Break for the kids which means spending time enjoying the beautiful fall colors and the crisp air. Shortly after that, Teegan's birthday sneaks in while trying to finalize the Halloween costumes for the year. Teegan always has big party ideas so we try to make them come to life just in time for the last hoorah...Halloween. Wow! What a month!

What women can do...

The mud slingers!


Marshmellow madness!


The fearless campers...looking their finest!

When the opening weekend of the Archery Elk Hunt falls on the same weekend as a family camping trip...what do you do? Well, send the men off in their camoflauge and 50lb. backpacks and never look back!
Being the determined woman that I am, I convinced or maybe drug my mom and very pregnant sister on what became the 1st Annual Women's Campout. My mom towed the boat for the first time and Trent towed the trailer to Hyrum Dam. He helped us unload and then kissed me goodbye. We managed to set up a tent, handle the boat and the trailer on our own. I was pretty proud of our efforts!
We had a great time wakeboarding, playing in the mud and having some good laughs. The jury is still out on whether we want to attempt this again...we have a great appreciation for the men in our lives and the "man's work" that they do. Ask my mom...she broke 3 nails on the trip while doing "man's work".
Overall, we faired out pretty well. I got the trailer home in one piece, the boat was dirty but still afloat and Rachel didn't go into labor. What can women do? Anything they want to!!

First 5K

Last weekend marked a milestone...Jaysie and I ran our very first 5K. It was surprisingly fun! Trent always comments whenever he drives by someone who is running that they don't look like they are having any fun. Well, I beg to differ! Although it is tough work, the rewards are what make it fun. We ran the Clinton Heritage Days 5K "Fun Run" with my two sisters in law, Lisa and Julette, and my nephew Brayden. Jaysie took first in her division and well...I wasn't first but I wasn't last either. My goal was to run the whole way and finish somewhere in the middle and I did that...so I'm happy!

Break out the sunscreen!

We took a little trip to the cabin this last week. The weather was in the 70's and it felt so nice to soak up a few rays. On Friday, we played at the pool for awhile then headed over to the beach to enjoy some more of the long awaited sunshine. We had a great time! We went back to the cabin for some dinner and got all cleaned up when Rachel started to feel a little sick. We gave her a hard time for spending too much time in the sun and applying too much tanning oil and figured she had a little heat stroke. Well after a few upchucks, she started feeling better. But by Saturday afternoon, Jaysie got sick. Then Marissa got sick. Then Mikah got sick! All three of them were losing their lunch on the drive home that night. It was aweful! When we got home, Kate started with it in the middle of the night. It's now Sunday night, Trent and I are a little green but holding on! Hopefully our next Bear Lake trip will bring better luck!

South Dakota 2010

I think this was the kids favorite part of the trip...meeting Ed the train conductor. He sat and talked with the kids during our train ride. Every time the train went by our camp, the kids would stop everything to run out and wave at Ed. He would stick his head out the window and yell, "Hi kids!" They would giggle everytime.

We drove through some pretty tight tunnels on the Needles Highway.

Arriving at Mt. Rushmore

Once school was out, it was time for another road trip. This year we ventured off to Keystone, SD to see Mount Rushmore and explore the Black Hills. We made a quick stop to the Utah Lineman's Rodeo in SLC first so Trent could climb in the opening flag ceremomy. Then we headed east with Grandma & Grandpa and Brian & Julette's family for nine days of RVing fun. We made it to Casper the first night, which was a little more than half way, and arrived in Keystone the following afternoon. I'd have to say it wasn't too bad...the kids traveled well. We spent the next 6 days seeing all the sites. We saw Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse (from a helicopter), Deadwood, Wall Drug store, rode the train, climbed funny looking rocks in Custer State Park and hiked at Devil's Tower too. We were busy! We visited the Reptile Gardens, Old MacDonald's farm and panned for gold on top of all that. Time flies when you're having fun! On our trip home, we stopped at Martin's Cove to learn a little about our pioneer heritage. It was a humbling experience. The weather was rainy, windy and cold that day and it gave me a better appreciation for what our ancestors had to endure. We spent the night in Rawlins, WY where the temperature was in the 30's for the middle of June. It was crazy! But we all made it home safe and sound with no mechanical breakdowns and lots of great memories.

Mothers

This weekend I spent a little time thinking about all the mothers around me and what great women each one of them are. I spent a little time with my Grandma over the weekend helping her and Grandpa get their yard in order. My grandparents have alway kept an immaculate yard with beautiful flowers and a garden full of goods for all who stop by. I thought as I was raking leaves, digging weeds and planting petunias...Why don't they make their lives simpler? Just cut down that big Sycamore tree to rid yourself of the hundreds of leaves, cover the huge garden area with grass to cut down the weeds, plant fewer pots of flowers that will just require fertilizing and watering. But then I realized...they do it out of love. Love for their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who climb and swing from that Sycamore tree. Love of watching the fruits of their labors turn into beautiful vegetables that they can give away to friends and family, when they feel that their age limits them to giving much else. Love of the memories that have been made and shared in their home and the pride they have for the things they've worked so hard to get. I realized that these things are important to them and rightfully so. I enjoyed every minute of that service and will gladly do it again because it is LOVE.
My mom has taught me many lessons about what is truly important in life. When I'm complaining to her about the mom duties that I dislike or the insignificant things that are bothering me that day, she reminds me ever so tactfully about what is really important. I realize then that drips on the toilet seat and sticky spots on the kitchen floor are really not the end of the world (atleast for the day). She shows me that spending time with my children day in and day out will come to an end and I will miss it when it's gone. She teaches me that age doesn't matter and that you can be young and vibrant and do the same things in your 50's as you did in your 30's. I love her for all of these reasons and for so many more.
Though these two women have helped shape my life, many other women have contributed. From my mother-in-law whom I love dearly to women I've worked with over the years and all those in between...Happy Mother's Day!

Easter 2010

Spring was hard to find this year...unless you visited your local IFA. It is a tradition to take the kids to IFA to see the new chicks, bunnies, ducks and geese each year. Well this year the tradition took a little turn. Instead of the traditional begging to bring home a chick or bunny, Jaysie started analyzing. She said, "Mom, you know chicks only cost $3.00 and I have enough money to buy one." I tried to explain that they really end up costing more that that once you add in food, shelter, etc. She wasn't taking NO for an answer so I pulled out the famous line..."Talk to your father about it." So she did and he was a sucker and the next thing I know we are bringing home 5 baby chicks. Actually, I was just as excited as the kids...just shocked that Trent gave in! So 2 days later, we had our first casualty. Kate loved her chick, named Dora, soooo much that she killed it. It reminded me of the scene from Finding Nemo when they show the picture of Darla holding the bag with the goldfish floating upside down. At that moment, she looked just like her but with a lifeless chick instead of a goldfish. It was not good. Good news is that we replaced the chick and now we have 5 chicks that are plumping right up for a good chicken dinner! (Just kidding, we're hoping to just eat their eggs)