Officially a Tradition

It has been a few years since we started sledding behind the car on the farm roads north of Ephraim at Christmas, so I guess this year we will officially make it a tradition.

Step 1: Triple layer the kids and ourselves and pile into the back of the car.Step 2: Hat, hood and scarf the daring riders and throw them on the sled. (This year we used a blanket on top of the sled. Very good idea.)Step 3: Drive the roads, steering towards the ditch just to let the riders enjoy a little extra snow.Step 4: Get the car stuck in the ditch against the barbed wire fence, pinning the driver in. Okay, not part of the tradition, but a most humorous addition this year.Yes, we were truly stuck, and the driver could not emerge from the vehicle to help us figure out how we would get unstuck.And who was that driver, you may ask...none other that the Ephraim raised, experienced farm road driven' stud.Thank goodness horses need to be fed, even on Christmas. We found a nice farmer prepared with a tractor and chain willing to pull us out.

Merry Christmas

The holidays get more and more exciting each year. I am sure at some point it will go in reverse when the kids no longer think the gifts they get are cool, but for now we will enjoy the smiles.Gabby has been playing the recorder this year at school. She now has her very own with a music stand to practice whenever she wants. She is pretty good at keeping it out of little hands so she doesn't have to share the slobber, too.Joshua picked this special gift at months before. It's a Diego calendar that hangs by his bed. He constantly wants to change the month because his patients doesn't allow a month to last for 30 days. I wish each month could last for 60 so I could get a few more things done.Parker received his very own pair of ice skates. No more renting. He and Gabby have been taking ice skating (pictures to come) lessons. He is about speed, she is about form. No surprise there.And one of Randy's favorite gifts this year was a brand new lunch box from Joshua. Note that Randy doesn't use a lunch box. His lunch goes straight into the work bag. Joshua was so excited to find it that he refused to consider any thing else. I must say he is smart. That cool lunchbox went straight upstairs to hang out with the rest of the toys.Randy, Caryn, Parker (6), Gabby (8), Joshua (3)

Bonding with the Bonds

At the beginning of October we finally took a trip to Arizona to visit my sister Carrie and her family. They have lived there for 13+ years, and we have never been to their house. We seem to always leave the responsibility of travel to them. This time around we decided we could make the trip. Their oldest son Butch was leaving on a mission, and their youngest daughter Camille was born this summer. Two parents, nine kids and eleven guests, it was busy, crazy and loads of fun.

We see the Bonds almost every year, but usually at our big family reunion. It was great to see the kids on their own turf. Their cute (the little one's) and hilarious (the older one's) personalities were a joy to see and get to know a little more. As soon as we got in to the car to make our 12 hour drive home we started talking about how much fun we had and how we needed to make it back again soon.

Camille & KiraCarrie & CamilleKeith, Melissa & KenDave & Stephanie laughing through the night.Gabby, Parker and Cooper playing games.The crew in the hot tub.

(Colton, Saley, Alina, Madison, Greydon, Allie, Parker and Joshua)Colton & ParkerMadisonButch (of course later) in the MTC. (second on the left)By the end of the trip out kids were exhausted from all the playing, laughing, eating and more playing.On the way home we stopped at the damn overlooking the Colorado River. It was very windy and beautiful.

Thanks Bonds, for hosting a great trip. You are an amazing family, full of fun and laughter. On a deeper side, you are a great example to us. Ken and Carrie are wonderful parents that share a great amount of love and laughter with their kids. Your kids are so helpful and mature, yet so much fun to be around. I guess they can go together.

PS. Sorry about the sad pictures. The camera was on its last leg and the photographer wasn't all that great either.

Joshua's Amazing Trophy

Joshua played t-ball this year with one of his buddies Drew. He seemed to be the youngest on the team. It took him a while to realize what he was supposed to do, but he did catch on to most of it in the end. The season was a little long, but the trophy was worth the wait. It's added some extra laughs to our home. Joshua is so very proud of the trophy he earned playing t-ball. It's made of nuts and bolts and is so much cooler than the plaque Gabby and Parker received when they played t-ball. He offers to show everyone his amazing trophy, but even better than that, he tempts people with it.
Joshua started using the trophy to help people be happy or good or obedient. "Gabby, if you be happy I'll let you touch my trophy." "Parker, if you be good I'll let you touch my trophy." "Mom, if you get me a treat I'll let you touch my trophy." It went on and on. I laughed every time he said it.

Prepare Yourselves...

I again have access to my pictures and have at least three months to update. I thought of starting tonight, but I think I will prepare for Christmas week the right way and get a good night's rest. Get ready though. There will definitely be some updating tomorrow...

Halloween 2009

This year we grew our own pumpkins in the front yard where they wouldn't take over our garden, just our grass.

The kids each carved one, but I wasn't smart enough to snap a picture. Maybe next year.

The night before Halloween the kids had a carnival at their school. I was crazy enough to volunteer to be the school volunteer coordinator this year, so after recruiting 80 volunteers, I spent the whole night getting them all to the right place at the right time. Randy was at school that night so I also recruited a chaperon for my kids. My sister Stephanie is always there for me, and my kids are always all over her when she is around. She survived three hours of elementary school Halloween carnival. She's awesome. I hope she never moves away...oh wait, she already has that move planned.

Halloween night we had a Trick-or-Treat around the church. Because of the neighborhood I live in, I'm grateful for it.

Our family all decked out. We are missing Randy. He dressed up as a really cool dad/camera man. Parker the robot (generic transformer?). Hey, I tried.

Gabby the leopard, thanks to her dance performance last year and borrowed ears. Joshua the robot who even knows how to talk like a robot. Pretty fancy!

I haven't dressed up since I was eleven because of bad costume memories from my childhood. I decided to go all out and dress up as a witch, but I knew I had to complete the look with the lipstick and a blacked out tooth. I didn't want any new memories of no one recognizing what I was. Only a few kids were scared. Thank goodness the mascara washed off my tooth. That would have created something much worse than a bad memory!

Grand Canyon 2009

On October 10th I was lucky enough to take a trip to the Grand Canyon with a few of my buddies. The goal was to hike the 25 mile trail from the south rim to the north rim in one day. I'm pleased to say we did it, and in a decent time with only a few injuries, too. (Dave, Caryn, Jessi, Jared, Shelby)

We started dark and early at 5:00 am with flash lights in hand at the south rim. We hiked with a group of twelve. Five of us were first timers and excited and just a little nervous. The view of the north rim just as the sun began to show its face.
Trail heading down into the canyon. At my best guess, about four miles in while heading down this lovely trail I took a little fall caused by turning my ankle. Since child birth my pain tolerance has gone way down. I can't even stand to stub my toes, so this pain sent me into nausea. I had to sit for a minute just to breath, but thanks to some good advice of popping an ibuprofen, I was able to get back up and keep walking. A few miles later my brother-in-law was kind enough to wrap my ankle to help stabilize it. Ahh, so much better. Dave should be a doctor...oh wait, he will be. (congrats, by the way!)

The views were amazing and constantly changing.And strangely, I was a little infatuated with the bridges. How much work did it take to get all that steel down there?We hiked a half mile off the trail to view a great waterfall. It required a trip through some refreshing water with bare feet. Caryn, Dave, Jared, Shelby, JessiSome of the guys willing to show us the way. They were great trail guides.One thing I was a little nervous about was using the bathroom in the wild. Thankfully the potty stops were conveniently located. It made the hike so much more pleasant.After 20 miles I was still able to smile. I think I was even laughing.Jessi and I enjoying the changing fall leaves.Shelby, Jessi and I made it out together after 9 hours of hiking. it was amazing, beautiful and a little insane. I loved the exercise, the beauty that was constantly changing, and the dear friends that hiked. I cherish the time we had to talk and laugh and enjoy being active.Yeah, we are pretty awesome!

Here's the damage. This sprained ankle has taken over two months to heal. It is still tender at points. I am amazed and grateful that good friends, ibuprofen and a little will power helped me to complete the hike. It was well worth it. I can't wait for next year. Now I just have to talk Randy in to making the trip with me!