Crazy Hair Day

Crazy kids! Yes, that's Jaysie's real hair...

Good Sports

THE GOLDEN DRAGONS


THE WARRIORS

I don't own a minivan...never will...but I admit to being a soccer mom. I think Trent and I get more excited for the games than the kids do. We love watching them work hard, be persistant and achieve their goals. This year Jaysie upped her game and played competitive soccer. She truly enjoys her team, coaches and being on the field running her guts out. She is meek and mild off the field, but intense and driven on the field. Teegan played a strong game of soccer this season too. He wasn't on a competitive team but in his mind he was. Coach Karryn had to give him a special "defender" position at times to give the other kids a chance to touch the ball. He is small and fast with no fear. He was really fun to watch! No matter what they choose in life, I hope they tackle it with the same intensity and drive that they have on the soccer field.

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.