Havasupai--a little Heaven on Earth!

Aubrie got a hold of the camera! What a cute face she captured! LOL It's now our screen saver!

She finally let me do pigtails! Isn't it adorable?! Too bad they didn't stay in all day!

This week was full and eventful!

Sunday was a little different, being in the new ward and all! I'm going to miss the old one! I'm tempted to buy some land over there, just so we can be "annexed" in! I haven't received a call in the new ward, yet, but if it's not in YW I don't want one! Ha! The YW in my old ward told me to come visit on Mutual nights. I told them I would probably get pulled aside by the Stake leaders and be told to make some friends my own age. Ha! I'm just anxiously waiting my new call. I actually thought I would be OK if they put me in Nursery, again....if they don't want me in YW! What am I saying? I might as well be in there anyway, since Sophia is like a T-Rex by the second hour of church!

Monday, Ben took my car in for the millionth time! I have a love/hate relationship for that thing! I LOVE the way the Navigator looks and drives and all the "luxury" items, but it's an American car (something I swore I would never buy and for a good reason). I can't get away from the constant break downs! Ok, I have been spoiled, owning only Honda's until this point (which are the best made cars EVER), and I am now seriously considering going back to the Honda Pilot (now that it finally has entered the 21st century and has added third row temperature control and a few other perks!). Alright, I have gotten way off track. So the whole point of the story is that when he took it in, the loaner they gave us, though fun, sporty and way fun to drive, only sat 5! So that meant I was stuck home (since none of my kids can sit in the front seat), Ugh! I had a lot to do with our trip to Havasupai coming up, and I couldn't get any of it done. Ben came home early so I could take Aubrie to dance, and make my Walmart run! I had so much to get done, I barely made it back to the studio in time to see her practice her Jazz song one last time and get one of the last T-shirts left for Matt on "So You Think You Can Dance". He taught at Aubries dance studio and we are all "promoting" him through T-shirts, banners etc! Family Home Evening was on Modesty. The kids looked through Magazines and cut out pictures and glued them on poster boards that were labeled, "Modest & Immodest". They were baffled at how hard it was to find modest clothing. Here are the posters hanging on our "FHE wall". I always have the kids take turns reading paragraphs from the particular section of the Strength of Youth pamphlet (the focus of our lessons) and Boston was reading much better than Aubrie. She was getting a little upset and I was trying to convince her she was doing a great job. It's hard when kids have different strengths like that, and they take it personally. I have a feeling it's only going to get harder!

Tuesday, Lorraine took the boys to Kung Fu Panda, and then took them back to her house to swim and to paint t-shirts. They were gone from 10:00 to 4:00. It was weird having the gone. Aubrie and I went out together and hit Justice (she made it out of there with two shirts) and then she begged me to go to PetsMart. There was the CUTEST kitten in the window and I was soooooo tempted to buy it (despite the fact we already have 3 cats). Luckily I practiced self control and walked out of there, with Aubrie begging and "bargaining":) Tuesday night Ben took Aubrie on a date. They grabbed dinner and saw Kung Fu Panda. I spent the evening swimming with the boys and Sophia, and then my Mom joined us when she got home from work. It was such a nice evening, and after I put Sophia down, my Mom and I laid out on the lounge chairs (on my new comfy cushions) and enjoyed the nice evening. I could have fallen asleep out there, (if only the nights could be like that all summer!) but I had to drag myself inside to get my packing done!

Wednesday couldn't be more busy. I spent the morning finishing up laundry and last minute packing. The kids had piano, we had to pick up our car, and then we had dinner at Chili's. After Chili's Aubrie convinced Ben to stop at Petsmart to look at the kitty. It was gone! I told you it was adorable; the cutest I've ever seen! When we got home, and while I was finishing up some last minute things, Boston let out a huge cry from the family room. I heard Aubrie saying that he was hurt, and I didn't think it was anything big. Aubrie started screaming that he was bleeding and when I looked over I saw blood dripping down his leg. I ran over and immediately knew it wasn't good. Ben said it was fine and we could superglue it (his cure all for every cut the kids get) and I told him that I was taking him to Urgent Care with out without him. I wasn't about to leave him with my Mom for 3 days without him being checked out. Ben came along, and we walked out of Urgent Care 3 stitches and 45 minutes later! (Luckily there wasn't a single soul their!) Boston was panicked the whole time, fearing the shots he would need in order to get the stitches. We had to hold him down while they gave him the shots, and he screamed in my ear the whole time! Ouch! One of the stitches were in a place where he had no anesthesia. He did fantastic and was so tough, making me believe he basically just psyche's himself out! After we left Urgent Care, we took him to Walmart to buy him a "condolence" gift. He picked out out Indian Jones action figures. While we were in line he started looking at the magazines and pointed out all the immodest clothing! LOL

All the last minute drama left me running 2 hours behind. (I'm just glad it happened on our watch). I ended up arriving at Erin's house at 9:30 for the "sleep over" and Ben didn't end up getting any rest before we headed out for our Midnight drive to Havasupai. The drive was long and I wasn't able to get much sleep. When we got to the top of the canyon it was FREEZING! Last time we went it wasn't the least bit cold, so most of us came without sweatshirts, not wanting to pack or carry anything that wasn't necessary! I was so cold, I decided to run down the switchbacks to get my blood pumping. I also ran other parts of the hike. If anyone knows me, they would know that I HATE to run! But, for some reason the early morning air (we started our hike at 5:00) and certain songs on my shuffle, put me in the mood to run! I didn't stop to think that, 1. I don't ever run and 2. I didn't stretch before I started the hike! By the end of the day, and even now, my thighs feel like Jello! I wasn't the least bit sore last time I went, so I'm convinced it was the running!

Ben and I arrived at the Indian Village at 7:30, along with a few others. So that was 9 miles in 2 1/2 hours! I should have walked the whole thing in 3 and saved me from the soreness!! Our packs were all flown into the village, and we had to wait around until 11:00 for our packs. There isn't much to do around the village, except sit there and wait. The 3 1/2 hours actually went faster than I thought it would. Maybe it was because I wasn't looking forward to strapping on my huge pack and walking for 2 more miles.

Just waiting!

The last leg down was much easier than last time. My pack made all the difference! I'm not saying I was running down the hill, but I didn't need to stop and rest. Erin and I made several stops last time, but this time we did much better! When we got down to the campgrounds I was a little worried. It was so crowded and we couldn't find a campsite. It really seemed hopeless. I then decided to stop and say a prayer that we could find a fantastic spot, so we could have a great memorable time! Within minutes someone came down the path saying Brian and Erin found a spot. It was close to the bathrooms and the water station, but there wasn't a table. Within the hour we had a couple of tables, Yeah! After everyone got situated and rested a little, we all headed down to Havasu falls! Here is a picture! Isn't it beautiful. That's why this is one of my top picks of the most beautiful places I have ever been! It's like a little Heaven on Earth! It's actually one of the most photographed waterfalls in the world! Anyway, we spent about an hour and 1/2 swimming in the freezing water. I think my body went numb in self defense. We then went back to camp and had dinner and played some games. By 7:00 I was ready for bed. It had been 36 hours since I had any rest worth mentioning, and I had no energy to do much of anything. We were lucky to round up the girls by 9:30 and go to bed. It was going against my very nature to choose rest over a night of fun, but my body was winning the battle!

Kayleen was my personal hair stylist. Here is Erin and I with "Kayleen" hairdo's!

Friday I woke up around 7:00. I actually slept much better than I thought I would, considering I was sleeping on a small pool floatie. It was a little chilly that night; my biggest complaint. Luckily, I packed an extra blanket from the car, when I saw how cold it was at the top of the canyon! After breakfast, and moving our camp around (the group right by us left early that morning so we took their spot that was set further back from the trail) and hanging out for a bit, we headed out to Mooney Falls around 10:00. Mooney Falls

The hike down there involves climbing through caves and climbing on and down the side of a rocky canyon that has chains and ladders to assist you from not falling to your death! Sounds fun, huh? It actually is! To me anyway. The hike is worth it because this is what you see down there! We had fun doing a rope swing, and following the river down to another little waterfall. We headed back to camp, and I hung back taking some more pictures. I finished the hike back to camp on my own, loving the alone time enjoying nature and taking pictures at my leisure! I LOVE taking landscape pics!! Second best thing next to taking pictures of my kids!

Me on the rope swing!

After lunch and relaxing, we headed to Navajo falls! The hike was back up towards the village, so it required us going up a steep sandy hill. My sore legs and that hike did not get along! When we got to the falls, I spent most of my time sitting around and watching the girls swim. Last time I jumped off this huge rock! With how sore my legs were, I wasn't sure I could do it. I was a little sad, because it was such a rush last time! After I called Ben a chicken and he saw about 6 Young Women jump off of it, he finally did it! The little dot is him! We then did a little exploring around the falls, not quite as much as last time, due to my soreness, and then headed back to camp. Evening at the camp included a great mini "fireside" where we all related one of our experiences at Havasuapi to something Gospel related. It was great to see the YW come up with the analogies and see their testimonies in action! After that, we had a GREAT time talking, goofing around, and playing games. Hanging around at camp!

We ended up going to bed around 12:00, soon after someone from another camp came and complained that we were keeping them up. Hee! Hee! After we all went to bed, Kayleen and Alex played a prank on one of the priesthood leaders, putting cheese wiz all over his face. He retaliated in the meanest way, pouring water in their tent and then collapsing it. They had nothing to sleep in and spent the night laying on a tarp and shivering under towels. When their Mom got up and relinquished her sleeping bag, they finally fell asleep. They were then tortured with crackers and kool aide dumped in their hair, and luckily the Bishop didn't relinquish his syrup, that Brother Nelson wanted to pour on them. Glad I wasn't a part of any of that! I really felt sorry for them. There is nothing worse then being tired and FREEZING!! We all packed up and headed out about 8:30. The Helicopter was there around 9:30 to get us. They flew us and our packs right out of the Indian Village to the top of the canyon. Ben got to ride in the front! I did that last time. It's an amazing ride! It's I feel so lucky to have been able to be part of such an amazing trip. The sites are amazing and the company is so much fun! I love the people in our Ward. The whole time it just felt like we were one big family; all working towards the same goal, and just loving one another, enjoying each others company and having a great time! That is the image I see when I think of Spirit Paradise! I'm so loved my "miniature" paradise I got this weekend! I'm really going to miss it:(

We left the Canyon around 9:45 and stopped for lunch at this cool burger joint off route 66! It's an official route 66 site. They did all these kooky things like give you a piece of straw when you asked for a straw for your drink, and their surrounding looked like this. They had these cars in their lot, and they claim they had these cars before the movie "CARS" came out. They said that is where they got the idea for the movie. We took these pictures and told Ethan we saw Mader and Doc (from the Movie). He thought that was sooooo cool, and asked us to take him there. He said, "Mom, did they talk?"! LOL He then asked why I didn't get a picture of Sally and Lightening McQueen! (That was Disney Pixar's addition I guess).

We made good time and got home around 3:00! The kids were happy to see us, and we were exhausted. We ordered pizza for dinner, and we swam a little and now Ben watched the movie "Jumper" with the kids, while I worked on this! LOL When the movie was over, Boston said, "I wish I were like the Jumper, so I could could "jump" right to my bed, and not have to walk there"! Guess he was tired!

While we were gone the kids got to play at the Frandsens, and they some of the time at their community pool. Boston had to sit out, since he couldn't swim with his stitches. Poor kid! Trina said he was a good sport about it! They didn't leave the Frandsens until 8:00pm, so they had a great time! They also spent a day with the Walters (minus Aubrie), and Sophia stayed with my Mom the whole time, of course. Friday night was Aubrie's dance recital, which apparently went well. Lorraine gave her a rose, which Aubrie was thrilled about! She told my Mom that she hoped someone would buy her a rose. My Mom told her she thought she would probably get one, I'm sure assuming Lorraine would buy the ones they sell at the recital. It now sits in a small vase on our kitchen counter. My Mom had a great time alone with Sophia, for those two days the kids were at friends. She said she was a sweetheart. She also said that their were only two incidences where the kids had huge problems. One being Ethan and Boston fighting at bedtime, and the other being Aubrie throwing one of her "I'm being so wronged" tantrums, that she got over in about 10 minutes or so. I'm so glad all went well, even though my Mom would probably not tell me any different! LOL

Oh, this past week I have decided, since it was summer, I should spend some time experimenting with Aubrie's hair. Here are some of her hair-do's for the week! She loved feeling girly, and I was surprised she cooperated. She usually isn't into getting all "done up". I think her little crush might be changing all that! LOL

8:30 am!

8:30 am is the new time for our new Ward! Ugh! So I'm going to try to make this short, so I can finish up a Primary lesson and get to bed. I have already ironed (we'll Ben did that, because I don't iron) the boy's clothes and they are sitting out along with mine and Aubrie's. The diaper bag is packed along with the kids scripture bags! I'm trying to prepare myself for a smooth morning. We'll see how that goes! Only 6 months of this new time!

So....where did I leave off? hmmm. Oh ya, I think it was Tuesday. So Wednesday was pretty laid back. The kids had piano and I had my last Mutual in Pleasant Valley. They made it a joint social (both boys and girls) swim/ BBQ party. The youth had fun, especially when they were bribed into throwing me into the pool! Brrrr! One of the Dentists in our ward bribed them with bleaching trays. He even tried to get another leader in on it. Thanks for not taking the bribe (Kari:). I went kicking and screaming as they were carrying me to the pool. It was extremely windy that night, and I had no intentions on getting wet. I realized how wimpy I really was, when two YW where able to single handidly pick me up, carry me across the yard, and throw me into the pool. It actually wasn't as cold as I thought it would be. All the male leaders just sat there an laughed. I retaliated with a huge bucket of water. Soon there were little feuds between several others, including; cake in the face, ice down backs, onions in cars, etc. I stuck around until it got dark and everyone started to leave. It was really hard to leave all those kids. Such GREAT kids!!!

Thursday Ben called around lunch time and said he wanted to take the kids to Chuck E Cheese. The kids had a great time, including Sophia. We got a table back in the "baby" section and she had fun going up and down the little slide, and playing in all the small car rides (whatever they're called?). I thought they would scare her, but she had fun turning the wheel, and laughed and smiled through the whole thing. Sadly enough, I can't remember what we did with the rest of our day. I guess we didn't do much. Maybe some reading, chores??

Friday was a fun filled day for the kids. The kids cousin, Shea, had her 5th birthday party. I was hurrying the kids through their chores, and rushing to get things ready for her 11:30 birthday party, and then something told me to check the invitation, again. It was at 12:30! I was happy to get that extra hour, but realized how bad I'm losing it! The party was a Super Silly birthday that included; musical chairs, a sing along machine, and trying to stuff marshmallows in your mouth and talk. The kids had fun, and after everyone left we stuck around for another couple of hours until Sophia woke up from her long nap. I guess she likes Carson's crib!:)

I left around 4:30, less Aubrie. She stuck around for her first sleep over, along with two other cousins of Shea's. They had a fun time, playing hide and go seek, (good hiding spot, huh? She gets it from her Mom:) going to the water park, and a lot of other girlie things. Nicole was nice enough to fix Aubrie's hair for her dance rehearsal that was the next day. She used long strips of fabric to make really cute, small ringlets! It turned out really cute. So cute, Aubrie didn't swim today so a boy at church "could see how beautiful it looked". Am I raising a teenager?

My Mom watched the rest of the kids, while Ben and I went to Cabella's to get our back packs for Havasupai. I LOVE my new pack! I only wish I had that one on the last trip, when Ben wasn't carrying all the heavy stuff! LOL We also made a stop at Walmart and Sports Chalet to get some other camping stuff. I think we are all set for next week. I can't wait!

Today her Rehearsal went great! We did have a little drama before we got there. Aubrie had an ingrown toenail. What 8 year old gets that? She is definatley a Pribyl, with the funky feet problems! LOL He toe starting hurting on Monday, and it was all swollen this morning. She couldn't wear her dance shoes until the very last minute. The reason for the waiste up shots! Luckily she was able to tough it out for the Rehearsal, and she did GREAT! Her ballet dance is my favorite. Just look at this costume. How cute is that? Her dance is to the Waltz of the Flowers, from the Nutcracker. Her Jazz dance is to Hannah Montanna's, "See You Again", so of course she loves that dance!

This really doesn't give a great view of her costume, but shows off those cute curls!

After the Rehearsal, we came back and did some swimming and laying out by the pool. Around 5:00 Kayleen came buy with her boyfriend, who I have been wanting to meet forever. They stuck around for an hour, checking out the cats, and playing Wii Mario Cart. AFter they left, we made an easy dinner; Omelets and toast. Tonight was very calm and relaxing. Aubrie read, while I read over my lesson, and Ben played Candy Land with the kids. We put the boys down early, before Ben had gone to fight night. We'll it's 10:05 and I better start getting ready for bed, which means I won't be in bed until 11:00! Ha! I am excited to see the new calls tomorrow.... a motivator to get up early! Ha!
(pictures at Shea's; courtesy of Nicole:)

Where did my little Aubrie go?

Apirl 2002

May 2008

Why am I still up?

Monday was busy...it seems they always are. I don't understand how that happens, especially now that school is out! It probably wouldn't had been so busy, if it didn't take the kids forever to get going. It didn't help that the boys slept until 10:45, and Aubrie ended up waking them up. Who knows how long they would have slept. Boston still stayed in his bed another 15 minutesafter Aubrie went in there to get them up, and when he finally came out he said, "Mom, did I sleep past the 12?" I was wondering if that was just curiosity, or a goal of his. All I know is that I don't know where my early bird Boston went. When school was in, he was up at 6 and now I feel like I have a teenager. Now don't get too jealous of my late sleepers, because Sophia is still waking up between 6 and 7, and here I am blogging at 1:05 in the morning! Ugh! When my mind races there is no use at trying to sleep!
Anyway, after the boys got up Aubrie was extra helpful, acting as a short order cook. She made Ethan a bowl of oatmeal, and Boston scrambled eggs and toast! She is hired!:) She loves making scrambled eggs (I think it's because it makes her feel grown up), and made sure to remind me to buy more eggs when we were at Walmart, later that day! After breakfast, chores, piano practice, etc., we headed out to buy Aubrie's shoes and tights for her recital. I was dreading this trip; 4 kids in a small dance store isn't my idea of fun! Luckily there was no one there, and so we were in and out in 10 minutes! I couldn't be more happy about that little miracle.
After the dance store, we headed to Walmart. By then Sophia was getting a little cranky, and the kids were spending all their time and money (they brought their wallets and were so excited to buy "stuff") on the little machines at the front of the store. Boston walked away with two necklaces (one that looks a little "girly", but I don't' have the heart to tell him), Aubrie with a necklace and miniature plastic dog, and Ethan with a key chain and miniature plastic dog! They were all excited about their loot and were ready to spend more of their money inside! After my shopping (which took For-e-ver because I swear it takes less time to grow a turkey and cure some cheese, than it does to slice meat and cheese at the deli), the kids finally made it to their "toy aisle". Boston picked out some Indian Jones figures, Aubrie tried to talk him into buying her a doll, and Ethan just observed planning his attack. After the kids picked out gifts for Shea, Ethan running up to me with everything Montana and Aubrie picking out the stuff she would get herself, Ethan suckered Boston into getting him a cheap toy camera he has been eyeing every time we go there. Smart kid! On the way out, Boston insisted on trying out one of those "claw" machines ( I hate those!) and he lost both times. I had a talk with him about using his money wisely, and today he showed that he really listened (more details later). Oh! I forgot to mention that Boston kept saying, while we were in Walmart, "Mom, your the best Mom ever. You are so great! I love you! Your are just so wonderful." I didn't ever figure out what brought all that on. Didn't he realize he bought his own toy? LOL
After we got home, I started dinner and planned Family Home Evening. Then I ran Aubrie to dance and was able to read some of "The Holy Secret", my newest book! There were a few phone conversations, and instructions from the studio about the recital in between, but the parts I read were great! Can't wait to finish it. After dance, it was dinner and FHE. The lesson was out of that great book, again, and was on choosing good friends. It also took the spin on being a good friend. It included some fun games, one being where you grab one anothers hand and try to untangle yourselves. They had fun doing that. After dinner was Strawberry Shortcake and a movie (Narnia).
Today was little more relaxing, even though Ben left this morning for Tuscon. The kids were up by 9:00 and had all their chores done by 10:30. Aubrie spent the day with Shea and Lorraine. They made some t-shirts and went to the Resort pool. I took the kids to Old Navy to get a baby gift, and ended up leaving there with much more than I had anticipated. Boston wanted me to buy him all this Hawaiian stuff. He wanted a Hawaiian shirt, swim shorts, etc. What is the deal with this Hawaiian obsession? Oh, I forgot to mention that the boys knew we were going out and were sitting around the house all ready with their wallets, and waiting for Sophia to wake up. When I pulled up to Old Navy they were disappointed because they thought we were going somewhere where they could buy something. I reminded them that Old Navy had balls. I told them if they were good, they could look at them. They were good, and they quickly ran to find the ball they wanted to buy. They both picked a soccer ball, and it took all of Boston's money to buy his. Boston was conflicted by that, and when we got to the car he said, "Mom, I just wasted all my money on that ball. I shouldn't have gotten it." (See he was listening to me from the day before). I asked him if he wanted to take it back. So we had to turn right around and get in line, again, and return it. I was tempted to just buy it off of him and give it to him later, but I realized it was a good teaching moment. He was happy to get his money back, but sad when he saw Ethan having fun with his ball. I explained to him that deciding how to spend your money is hard, and that Mom and Dad have to make those decisions everyday. He was a little surprised to hear me say that. I really think he believes we have endless amounts of money!
After Old Navy, we came home and had lunch in the backyard. The boys had fun playing together, without sister getting in the way. They played outside, and then made a fort in the family room, and did a lot of other "boy" things! It was great for them to have time alone together. After Sophia woke up from her nap and Aubrie got home, we had dinner and the kids went out back. When I went to check on them, I found them burying Boston in the sand. It looked messy, but they were having a blast. So I left for a baby shower and told my Mom they could swim when they were done.
The baby shower was fun. It lasted a few hours, and then I came home and all of us got in my bed and told stories. Boston had some interesting, dramatic stories to tell, and Ethan fell asleep in my arms....love that! He is such a sweetie. I was thinking today about how attached he is to his primary teacher and how this ward split will be the hardest on him. He is going to be so confused as to why all his friends are gone and why Sister Rigby isn't there to teach him:( I can see his crocodile tears already! Ok...that was a total worried Mom side note! Now everyone is asleep and I'm still wide awake at 1:30 am! Why does my body do this to me? Ugh! If I only had enough energy to work out this late at night....I would actually be in shape!

Split decisions

Well we decided to go to California, after all! Ben called me at noon, on Thursday, with these words, "Rach, I don't know what to do". I had no idea what he was talking about, since we had already decided the night before not to go. I then asked him what he was talking about, and he said that he spoke with my brother, Danny, and it sounded like he could use the company. So here I am, not showered, and barely starting our day and he wants to leave in two hours! So I scrambled to get things packed and jumped in the shower, and we ended up leaving a little after two. My brother said he would have a nice dinner waiting, so we drove straight there, only stopping for a gas in Quartzite!

Sophia had her crying moments, and only slept for 30 minutes, right before our Quartzite stop! She is a stubborn child! We finally rolled in around 8:15 (our quickest time ever) and had a nice steak dinner, with Strawberry Shortcake for dessert! The kids and my brother had fun on the piano, and looking at things at u-tube! I ended up getting to bed around 12:00, and just as I was falling asleep (in my nieces room) I heard this weird rattling sound. My brother had mentioned, during our previous visit, that he had rat problems. That started to freak me out. I quickly turned on the light dimmer, as low as it would go (Sophia was sleeping in that room) trying to figure out what the noise was. I finally stumbled on a weird shaped container on my Niece's dresser. It turned out it was a plastic gerbil cage, and the noise was the gerbil running on the wheel! It went on for about 10 minutes, and I couldn't take it any longer! I went over and shook the cage and that darn thing just got right back on and kept running. Finally, after another 15 minutes, it stopped. Then Sophia started to cough, and it seemed to go on all night long! Poor thing! You would think that would have made her tired, it sure made me tired, but she was up bright and early at 6:00am! She went to bed at 9:00pm! Why would she wake up so darn early? Ben finally saved me at 7:00 and let me sleep a little!

My brother has the talent of putting fun before safety, and this rope swing in his backyard is a prime example. It swings right over one of his jagged rock waterfalls. The kids begged and begged us to let them do it. Ben and I couldnt' decide what we should do and finally we let Aubrie and Boston try it once, while I held my breath and took a picture!

Friday the kids played soccer in the backyard (their favorite past time during this trip), while Sophia took her nap. We went to the Ventura Harbor around noon, and ate at our favorite fish place. We then went over to the beach.

Sophia had fun in the sand, and eating the sand! Ethan had fun finding sticks, as usual, and playing in the sand. Aubrie and Boston had fun playing in the rocks, and running from the waves. We didn't go in swim suits because I knew the water was so cold. The kids ended up getting wet anyway, (Aubrie and and Boston ended up falling in a few times) and they were soaked! We were going to get ice cream at the Harbor, afterward, but they were too soaked to go anywhere but straight home! While we were at the beach, Boston started to cry saying Aubire dragged him down in the water. She denied it, but here is the proof. The camera speaks louder than words!!!:)

When we got home Sophia took a nap while the kids swam! Well, she finally took a nap after I found her going through my Niece's drawer, (her portable crib was too close to her dresser. Ugh!) and put everything away and moved her crib. Guess she had grown from the last time we visited. After her nap, we took a drive to get her out of the house. My brother's house is the farthest thing from baby proofed, and so we took her to a park! The weather was great, and she had a fun time being able to crawl around and climb. She went down the slide for the first time by herself! That night we had pizza and went hot tubing! The kids watched Spy Kids 3 and Aubrie and I played a game of Electronic Battleship! Ben ran to Cold Stone to get us ice cream, and we called it a night at 11:00!

Saturday Sophia woke up at 7:30 and played in her crib for an hour. That was much better! We got an earlier start at the beach, getting there at 11:00, but it was a little too windy and cold for Sophia. She was done after about 45 minutes! It was nicer the day before. I could have laid on the beach all day Friday! The kids went in their swimsuits this time, but never got in the water. Go figure! They spent their time walking the shoreline and collecting shells, and playing in the rocks! As we were packing things up to go back to the car, the kids called me over to the rocks to see a sea otter. I figured it was a dead one, because that isn't such an uncommon thing on that beach! As I approached, I realized it was alive. The kids were so excited, and wanted to pet it. One of the kids reached for it and it kind of lurched out at them. That kept them at a safe distance. I was so sad because Ben had gone ahead to the car, to get Sophia out of the wind, and he had the bag with the camera:( Oh well! Everyone knows what a sea otter looks like anyway, right!? Since we didn't make it to the ice cream shop the day before, we made a stop on the way out! Not something I would normally had done, since it was time for lunch, but we were on vacation! So what the heck! I got one of my favorite, malted chocolate crunch, and after Ethan had a bite and gave me his puppy dog eyes, I ended up eating his chocolate chip, while he was enjoying my malted chocolate crunch! Sacrifice I tell you!

We went back to the house to put Sophia down for a nap, and I was planning on taking Boston and Aubrie to the outlet stores. When I went out in the backyard to rinse the sand and tar from our feet, I realized how nice it was at the house, and decided to bag the outlet mall and layout by the pool! It was so nice and relaxing! Ben didn't have as a relaxing afternoon as I did. He jumped in the pool to cool off, and forgot that he had his cell phone in his swimsuit pocket, until it started vibrating like crazy! That left him using my cell phone the rest of the day! Glad we don't share on a regular basis! I kept hearing all day, "Do you have your phone?", "Is your phone on?", " Can you hear your phone?"!

After Sophia woke up, we headed out to Moorpark to watch my niece, Megan, soccer game! Pam, her new husband, and Pam's Mom where there. It was good to see them since we hadn't seen them yet! Danny also had his girlfriend, Blair, there! I love how everything was so cool ; no weird feelings at all! Pam's husband was talking to Danny's girlfriend, and as we were leaving Pam and Danny's girlfriend were walking arm and arm talking! Such an example of maturity and Christlike love! The game was a good game, but Megan got robbed of a sweet goal! Sophia got a little antsy 3/4 through, but I was surprised she lasted that long. The other kids were enjoying the game, probably due to their newest pastime of the weekend! I think we are going to have to enroll them in soccer next season! After the game, we got some dinner with Danny, Blair, and Tyler. Then we went home and made S'mores over the fire pit. After we stuffed our bellies, the kids swam while the adults sat in the hot tub. Everyone was there, and Cassie even brought a friend! Ethan had a blast going down the huge slide, and having races with the Tyler, Boston and Aubrie! Cassie thought Ethan was the cutest thing, and Aubrie followed Cassie and her friend everywhere, already wanting to be all grown up! After swimming, I went with Danny, Cassie and her friend up to Pink Berry in Westlake. He took his BMW, and there were a few times I was closing my eyes around corners, he was taking them so fast! I was glad to get back to the house in one piece! The kids were asleep when I got back, so Ben and I finished the ice cream and went to bed.

This morning we packed things up and woke Sophia up a little early, from her morning nap, so we could get an early start on our trip! As we were heading out Aubrie asked if we could put in a movie. Ben said it was Sunday and that we didn't bring any church movies. (kidding, of course) She then said, (I love this), "Jesus knows we are on a Vacation! LOL Well after being on the road for about 30 minutes, at 11:20, I got a text from Erin that we needed to be back at 6:00 for the announcement of the Ward split! I just could not believe it happened so fast! Ironically, Ben and I were just discussing, on the way out to Cali, how we would never move just for the fact that our Ward was so awesome and how great all the people were! Then to get this news...! I instantly texted Trina, because I thought she might still be in California and hadn't heard the news. Come to find out, she was on her way home...only 20 minutes ahead of us...and hadn't heard! She was sad, too, but we knew it was inevitable that someday we would no longer be in one another's Ward! Aubrie heard me talking to Trina, and when she found out what was going on, was so I sad to have Kate and Sarah ripped from her, just after she finally got them back in the Ward. I had to explain to her that it was a good thing because it meant the church was growing. I didn't realize then, I would have to take my own council. Erin texted me telling me that she was afraid that I wasn't going to be in her Ward anymore. The thought never crossed my mind that she would be in the other ward, and then the panic started to set in!(Me having to heed my own council!;) I still didn't think it was going to happen, but there was that fear.

We made good time home, and despite the fact that Sophia only slept for 30 minutes, she was pretty good. Here is proof that she actually slept somewhere besides a crib! We rolled into town just in time to unload the car, for me to throw on some church clothes, and head to the Stake Center. Ben stayed back to feed the kids and put Sophia to bed. They created a new Ward, West Wing Ward, which basically left 3/4 of the old ward behind, and they combined us with some of Sunrise Mountain. I'm excited to meet new people, and that other people will have opportunities to serve in big callings, but I'm so sad to loose my good friends! Thank Heaven's for emails, texting, and girl get together's! There is always our Christmas Party!

Baby Steps

Memorial day was a great day! It stared with Sophia taking her first steps! After she tried, and fell, we would all clap. She thought we were clapping at her fall, because she kept throwing herself on the ground over and over, and would laugh! She finally got brave enough to "let go"! She is still so far from walking, but hey, "baby steps"! LOL

So back to the day! Ben let me sleep in till 9:00 and we started things off with waffles, topped with strawberry freezer jam, blueberries and whipped cream! YUM Then Aubrie and I played a few games of Battleship. We hit the pool for a little bit, while Sophia napped. When she woke up, headed to Castles and Coasters, again. Funny how we have lived in the Valley for 5 years and have never been there until last week, and then we go twice in one week. The kids had so much fun golfing before, it seemed like the best idea for the day. The kids had a blast, and were even better than last time. Boston was only 4 strokes behind me. Of course I wasn't on my game like before. Ben whooped me! We ran into some friends while we were there; guess it was the hot spot for the day. After goofy golf, we headed out to get some lunch.

Lunch time brought us the biggest laughs of the day. Just as we were approaching In & Out (the kids had no idea we were eating there), Aubrie said, "I'm so hungry. Let's eat at In & Out. I just can't stand it!" (referring to her hunger). I was laughing at how melodramatic she was, and Ben was sitting there astonished at how she can ruin every surprise, just like her Mother. Chick-fillet is right by In & Out and so Ben decided he would run there first, just in case anyone wanted Chicken. As we were getting in the drive thru line, I said ( to the kids), "raise your hand if you want In & Out". Ethan replied, " I want In!" Later, Aubrie brought it to our attention that he was probably thinking we were asking him if he wanted to go in and eat (it had a play place) or just get it through the drive thru! After we grabbed some nuggets for Ethan and Sophia, we headed to the In & Out drive thru. As we were about to order, Boston said, "Mom! Remember that I just want ketchup, a bun and 'the hot thing'" (AKA patty). Where does he come up with this stuff?

When we got home (we ate our lunch in the car:), we swam some more, and the neighbor kids joined us. I then took Aubrie to dance, and got to read some more of my book. One of the male dance instructors there (BTW he is on this season's "You Think You Can Dance"), was teaching Aubrie's class for the day. Aubrie always lights up when she See's him, and she came running to me during the break saying, "Mom! I think he likes me!" So funny how a 8 year old girls mind works, sometimes! He is nice to her, and so he likes her! LOL It's was just fun to watch her get all giddy!

After dance, we had dinner and FHE. Aubrie prepared it herself, for her Faith in God. She did it on Joseph's Smith first vision. She did very well! Her testimony is strong! Even though she gets a little flustered sometimes, just like her Mother!:)

After Family Home Evening, we sat around our half way finished fire pit (it's so nice to have a bench there now), and then the kids went to bed, while I read my book!

Tuesday was the first official "lazy summer day"! Sophia woke up at 7:00 and went back down at 8:30. The kids were still sleeping, so I went back to bed until 9:30, when Aubrie and Boston got up. Ethan slept in till 10:30! The kids then did their responsibilities, and then we spent the day outside. The neighbors came for a quick swim, before we headed to Rubios for dinner. Our neighbors had some certificates for free kids meals, and Ben was out of town, so that was a no brainer! The kids did well, except for one spilt drink and Sophia not wanting to eat anything! We came home and I put Harry Potter in (their choice), and I read my book! I stayed up until 3:00 am to finish it! I repeat! I am not good at putting books down!

Luckily the kids woke up late, again. Sophia didn't, of course, but I laid in her room while she played, and she went back down at 8:25! The kids slept until 9:30! Today we just hung out at home, until the kids had piano! They were a little resistant to go, at first, but the lesson went fine! I made a stop at Walmart during their lesson (it's conveniently across the street). They just started to carry the OP line of clothing. Man, does that sure bring back memories! OP was HUGE when I was a kid! Especially since I lived in California! Anyway, they had a cute OP Hawaiian type of shirt, that I picked up for Boston. When I got home and gave it to him he asked if he could put it on "right now". I told him to save it for our trip (we were going to go to California). Boston said, "What trip? Are we going to Hawaii?" Ha! He thought because I got him an Hawaiian shirt, we were going to Hawaii?! I said, "Sure, if you have four thousand dollars". He then said, "I don't, but Dad does!" He had a lot to learn!

Tonight I hurried to get the kids registration forms filled out for West Wing. I still haven't decided what to do yet, but I want a shot at the good teachers, just in case. So that made me a little late for Young Women's. They were doing the out door cooking classes, for camp. When I got home, we decided to put California off until July, when the cool weather would be much more appreciated! I'm relieved I don't have to pack! Here is to another full week in Arizona!! Can you tell I'm dreading the heat?!

Another school year gone!

Sophia's "cheese" face & and favorite outdoor pastime
Boston at his school music performance, behind his "girlfriend" Emma!
Aubrie at her music performance (Hawaiian shirt required!:)

Monday started a long week of wrapping things up! It included getting the house back in order, from the weekly "weekend tornado" that blow through our house. By the time I was done with that it was already time to pick up Ethan from school. Ben was here working in the office, so he did that for me while Sophia was still enjoying a long nap. Monday afternoon I took Aubrie to dance so I could get some more details for her recital. I'm sad we are going to miss it!:( She has been working hard, and this year she will be in two of the dances. She has been so grown up about it, not wanting us to miss our trip to Havasupia. I'm so proud of her!

Dinner didn't work out as expected, there only ended up being enough for the kids. We decided to do FHE and go get something after the kids were in bed. The FHE lesson was on Family. I told a story about "contention monsters" and "angels" and the kids had to run around and find them (the were colored pieces of paper). They had a good time. They taped them up on the wall to remind them of the lesson. After the kids were in bed, Ben and I went to Paradise Bakery for dinner, where we scored a free BLT and 4 free cookies. Guess it "pays" to go right before closing! When we got home we watched the season finale of House, and then I stared reading the "Host"....Stephanie Myers (writer of Twilight) new book. It started off really weird, but it getting really good now!

Tuesday Ben went to Tucson to train a new employee, so it was just me and the kiddo's! The morning started off with an early luncheon with friends to celebrate Erin and Cherice's birthday. We all brought the kids, so I was trying to squeeze a little socializing in between chasing Sophia around, saving her from all the sweet kids who couldn't resist "helping" her out, and trying to detach Ethan from my leg. He still sticks to me like glue when we are in a new environment. The food was yummy, and actually wish I had more time to eat a little more! It was nice to be able to celebrate the birthday's! What a fun group of friends!

After a few hours, I ran home to get Sophia home for a quick nap before school got out. After school we just hung out, which was so nice. The kids played and I read my book! I love the last week of school....NO HOMEWORK!!! NO STRESS!! For dinner I took the kids to their choice; Paradise Bakery. That made two days in a row, for me. I'm not complaining! I got the new summer salad, again! It's so yummy! The kids all did well; happy to have their "special" mac and cheese (I swear it's the Kraft) and their cookie! After dinner, I got a few Paradise gift certificates for teachers, and then we ran a few small errands. The kids went to bed easily. I got to read more of my book!

Wednesday had a crazy start. I had to get the kids going in the morning, and take them to school. Right after I dropped them off, I headed to Fry's with Sophia and Ethan to pick up two dozen donuts (in all my morning glory) for Ethan's class party! I then ran home and quickly got ready for Ethan's 9:00 presentation and party. Ethan was so shy the whole time. Luckily, once in awhile, he would forget that he was in front of everyone and start singing the songs out of habit. Half of the recording was him just standing there with his hands in his pockets. The song he picked as his favorite song was "I'm a Little Teapot" and he actually sang that one. He also said the thing he learned in preschool this year was "Lions Eat Wolves". Funny boy! He has done so well this year, though. He has grown up so much, and has learned so much! I'm very happy with his progress.

Ethan with his teacher, Ms. Sarah!

After Ethan's school party, we hung out at home until Aubrie and Boston got out of school. It was such a nice, cool day! Ethan played a little outside, and had fun watching the landscapers work on our fire pit! He loves building things and watching people build things. He was in Heaven! The kids didn't have piano lessons this Wednesday, so we had another relaxing day after school. I was LOVING it!! We hit Sonic for dinner, one of our spots when Dad is out of town. It's one with indoor seating, though outdoor would have been just as nice with the overcast weather. Ben got home later that evening, early enough to help get the kids in bed. I had some Walmart shopping to do, and after talking to Terri, we decided to go together. We ran into a few people for church, and here we are at 8:30 at night, shopping at Walmart together. Such exciting lives we have. LOL Actually, we had a great time!! Any excuse to get out, and catch up! When I got home, Ben and I watched American Idol. I was shocked by the outcome, but not disappointed. They were both great artists! Better than last year, for sure!

Wednesday night, Boston earned his 40 quarters , for the Disneyland jar, for reading all the Junie B. Books these last two months! He had to finish them before school got out to get the quarters. Talk about pushing it to the last day!

Thursday morning started with an early wake up call from Boston. I forgot what he needed, but I remember when I got up to help him my head was spinning. I figured I got up too fast...I was wrong. When I finally got up for the morning, my head was doing the same thing. It was the worst Vertigo I had ever experienced. It was awful! I was getting so frustrated because I was planning on going to the kids end of the year parties and assemblies. I couldn't even stand. Ben took Ethan and headed to their school, and I put Sophia down for her morning nap and I joined her. I woke up at 11:30 feeling 100 percent better. Weird! I was glad to be feeling better, and quickly got ready so we could have a fun family day. It was time to celebrate school being out. The kids did so well, and had such a great year. Aubrie got the Joyful award and Ben overheard her teacher telling her that she was so glad to have her in her class because she was always so happy and joyful! I gave Aubrie a hard time, asking her if she could be joyful in our house all of the time! LOL Boston got the "Trustworthy" award. I had to explain to him what that meant! Ha! Ok, I can't believe that Boston's first year of school has come and gone! He has come so far!

Aubrie and her teacher, Ms. Johnson
Boston with "Emma"....see how his personality changes!:)

We tried starting our fun filled day by going to see Indiana Jones (not my idea, b/c we had Sophia). The movie was practically sold out, so we decided that wouldn't be a good idea! (I wasn't disappointed!) Instead, we took the kids to Castle and Coasters. As soon as we got there it started raining, so we decided to let them go to the Arcade. They had a great time in the Arcade. The spent about an hour in there, and they walked out with some pretty cool prizes. (Comparing them to the awful trinkets they offer at Chuck E Cheese of course)

After the Arcade, the raining had stopped and so we were able to play some miniature golf. It was the first time we played miniature golf with the kids. They had so much fun, and so did Ben and I! (We had a little competition going!:) They kids kept getting better and better with each hole and were wanting to do a second round when we were done. Sophia did amazingly well, sitting in her stroller the whole time, and we weren't about to push it. She had been up for over 4 hours, and we had to get her down for a nap!! It was such a great family time, and I'm looking forward to taking them again. It's so fun that we are able to do these things now that they are getting older! The rest of the day we hung out at home; swimming, watching TV, etc... and then we went for Baskin Robins after dinner. What a great family day!

Friday Ben, Aubrie, Boston and I went to the Colyar funeral, while my Mom stayed home with Ethan and Sophia. The attendance at the funeral was huge. The overflow was all full, so they had other rooms set up with Closed Captioning. The funeral was wonderful. The musical numbers were amazing, and the Eulogy was so great! It was so well rounded. It had us laughing one moment and crying the next. The Spirit was so strong. What a wonderful way to honor him. The kids were a little antsy at the funeral, and they had to sit on our laps, so that made it a little hard. I was mainly frustrated because I thought they weren't listening, and I was wishing we hadn't brought them.

For dinner that night, we took the kids to the Outback. While we were eating dinner Ben and I started talking about some of the talks at the Funeral. The kids started to piping telling us their favorite parts about Ben's Colyars life. I couldn't believe that they were actually listening. It's amazing how kids have that art of seeming distracted and disinterested, but then remember what was being said, or taught. After hearing them go over everything they liked hearing about his life, I was so glad we brought them.

After dinner, we brought Sophia home and put her down for the night and then we took the rest of the kids to Indian Jones (BTW my Mom was home watching Sophia. LOL). The kids were so excited for the movie, as were Ben and I! The movie wasn't as good as we hoped it to be, but we still had a good time with the kids! The kids always like going to the theatre because they get the popcorn, soda and candy! Ha!

Saturday was another laid back day. Aubrie went out with my Mom for the day, and Ben and I took a trip to Walmart. I should start adding up how much time of my life I spend there in a year! LOL (That and Target!:) Aubrie worked my Mom, convincing her to take her to Justice. She scored a new skirt, and she used her own money for another Webkinz! I wasn't too happy about that, and threatened to not give her allowance anymore if she was going to spend it irresponsibly! Do I let her choose for herself and live with the consequences, when a year from now Webkinz is old news and she is stuck with tonz of them and no money...or force some responsibility on her?? Ugh! Parenting is so hard sometimes! Ok...most of the time! Anyway, Aubrie was happy with her new loot, and all the kids were happy that it was Mom and Dad's date night! They are always ready to kick us out of the house, because that means fun times with Grandma Beverly. Pizza, movies, hide and go seek...you name it!

Ben and I met with the Jarman's, Headricks and Wrights and headed over to an Italian restaurant called Alto. It's one of the Hyatt Resort restaurants at Gainey Ranch, in Scottsdale. Brian wanted to surprised Erin, with a little birthday celebration. They had gone there for Prom and when they got engaged, so Erin was a little suspicious of the venue!! But she had no idea we would be there. The dinner was nice and the company was even better. We had a great time! After dinner, they gave out free passes for the Gondola rides. We stuck around with the Headricks and Trimbles, for the ride. It was a great night for it! Saturday was another cool day!!

We got home around 11:00, and Ben headed off to the Jarmans for fight night. I did some research on the computer, fishing around for the possible location of the new Phoenix temple that was announced that day. (I'm so EXCITED) I couldn't find anything, and then ended up looking at hairstyles of all things! Ha! Yeah, I'm bored with my hair!! So ready for something COMPLETELY different! I hope I'm brave enough to try something! LOL Ben got home around 12:15. He finished reading The Peacegiver and I read some more of The Host. I finally got to bed a little past one!

Sunday was a busy day! Sacrament meeting went well. Ethan fell asleep, and Aubrie and Boston behaved themselves. Sophia was all over the place, but we only had to step out with her once when she fell off the pew and another time at the end of the meeting. Though the kids were doing well, I was having a hard time focusing on the talk. I was trying, but my mind kept wandering. Oh well, what can you do? In YW, we did a little tribute to some girls that just graduated. Erin did a mini slide show (very cute) and then we gave them a book on Temples and a temple envelope. We are really going to miss those girls!

After church, the day went fast. Ben had home teaching, then I had visiting teaching, then it was time for dinner. After dinner I quickly had the kids make Happy Birthday posters for Steve, and then we had a few moments on the teeter totter, before Ben's parents showed up. After they left, our Home Teachers came, and then the kids finally got to play Battleship. They set it up right before dinner, and had to wait to play. Aubrie and Boston had a great time playing that game. They finally pulled themselves away for some swimming, and then the boys watched Evan Almighty, while Aubrie and I played Battleship! I hoping that they will enjoy playing nice quiet games this summer! LOL

Well there it is...a week of our life! The entry sure seems long when you get so far behind. If you have gotten this far, sorry if I bored you! LOL

Fathers and Chunks?!

It has been far too long since I have contributed to the blog. I know that I am a slacker and need to make more time for this since it will be a journal for our family. Also, since Rachel was unable to attend the fathers and sons outing I need to fill in the spaces. The fathers and sons outing is one of my favorite things to do with the boys every year. I remember the times that I had with my own father and it brings back such great memories and I want to provide those same memories for my sons. This year we headed up a little early so that we could partake in the Turkey lunch that was provided at noon. One of the members goes up the night before and then preps and burries turkeys along with very hot rocks to help cook them. I think that this year the rocks were alot too hot and the turkey was similar to tree bark. We choked down the turkey along with some sweet rolls that we brought. We said hi to everyone at the site and then headed back to our familiar area where we make camp every year. It was fun to set up the camp site and have the boys help me with the tent. It took us about 10 mintues to get everything set up and in place. We then grabbed our fishing poles, worms and other bait and headed for a lake. We spoke with a local who told us about this awesome fishing hole that he goes to and pulls fish out of all the time. The city slickers that we are, we got all excited at the prospect of finding some elusive spot known only to the locals. Alas, there were several other vehicles when we got there. We got out of the truck and headed down the path tofind our dinner (I actually thought that I would not bring anything to eat and rely on our sweet fishing skills to provide dinner....I am not that dumb!). We got to the bank of the lake and got out the worms and started to go Vlad the implailer on the worms. The boys squealed upon holding the worms and I saw that it would be up to me to do the hooking. I didn't want them to hook themselves while trying to hook the worm. We cast the worms out there and waited. We waited some more. Nothing. Not even bubbles. The fish didn't even bother to tease us. We tried power bait and salmon eggs. Nothing! I could not let my boys be dissappointed in their father and be concerned about my ability to provide for them in the wild. I tried and no fish were to be had. I wanted to blame it on the time of day or the weather conditions, but whatever the reason we didn't get anything. I don't think the boys even noticed. They were having too much fun wander around and throw rocks into the water (this did not help with the fishing for sure). After an hour we climbed back up the hill and headed back to camp. Of course, many of my friends knew that we had taken off to go fishing and stopped by to see our haul. I got lots of grins when I informed them that we had not caught anything. Everyone is a comedian.

When we got back to camp we started a camp fire and I worked with Boston to shoot the bbgun. Boston became the lone ranger and spent an hour shooting at bottles that I had brought on the trip. He was really feeling important and had a great time. Ethan spent most of his time around the fire and finding wood with Uncle Craig. My dad and brother showed up a little later in the afternoon and we started to get dinner going. It was hot dogs and hamburgers and lots of other junk food. I always have a problem when it comes to camping and the type of food that I purchase. I love to buy lots of junk. Not just a little bit, but a lot! There were candy bars of all types and chips and soda. That is great and all, but I failed to watch the amount of junk that Boston was consuming. He was pounding some serious candy bars and soda. He also had a hot dog and one whole time of pringles. I thought that I had been watching him closely, but I was not. We finished dinner and then headed over to the main site where the majority of the members were. We had a meeting around the main fire and it was nice to hear testimony bore about the gospel, missionary work, etc. I really hope that my boys felt the spirit that was there. I did my best to help them identify that spirit. I am sure that they felt something, but they spent most of their time throwing things into the fire or at each other. After the meeting we headed back to camp. We spent the rest of the evening talking and telling stories. It is always nice to reminisce about the follies of our youth. The boys had a great time with the fire and I had to stay on top of Ethan. Ethan wanted to have a stick with fire as he put it. He wanted to walk around the camp ground with a stick on fire and fight bad guys. As much as I appreciated his efforts to protect us I did not want to be responsible for a large forrest fire. It was still pretty dry up there and fires were almost not allowed. Eventually things started to wind down and I got the boys ready for bed. Boston and Ethan were still pretty pumped and excited but soon they were drifting off to sleep. It got COLD! When you are from the valley you forget what cold is. We are talking 30 degrees. It is not easy to get and stay warm when it gets down that low. I could not really fall asleep because Ethan keep kicking out of his sleeping back and crying that he was cold. He finally stopped doing that around 2:00 a.m. Around 3:00 a.m. I was just drifting off to sleep when Boston wakes and calls my name. I look over at Boston and ask him what he needs. He just looks up and starts blowing chunks all over his sleeping bag and pajamas. Luckily it all stayed in his area. I was so tired I thought for a second that maybe he would go back to sleep and we could clean it up in the morning! I knew that wouldn't work so I got out of my finally warm sleeping bag and took Boston's shirt off and left his bag there and walked across the freezing camp site to the truck. I got Boston into the truck and got some blankets and made a little bed for him out of the back seat. I started the truck and got the hot air going as quickly as I could. We eventually warmed up and I spent the next three hours trying to sleep sitting up. Not a very restful night, but memories were made. In the morning as Boston is getting out of the truck he looks up at me and asks if he can have a reeses peanut butter cup! I told him no way. I wanted to strangle him for even asking! We picked up the camp site and packed everything away and headed over to the main camp to have some breakfast. It was breakfast burritos and we all ate and felt a little better. After breafast we headed back over the the camp and made sure the fire was out and that we had left it better than we found it. We then headed home. The trip went pretty quick and we made good time. We were home by 10:30 a.m. and were able to get a lot done. I hope that next year is a little less eventful and I will be sure to either bring less candy or watch Boston more closely (more than likely I will be wearing barf at 3:00 a.m.!)

A Testimony Builder

This weekend I have experienced such a huge range of emotions in such a short period of time! I hesitated writing about it, but in the end it has strengthened my testimony, and therefore I have to record it!
Friday evening started like any other for us; the kiddos staying home with Grandma and Ben and I grabbing some dinner to start off our date night. Usually, we indulge ourselves at a nice restaurant (keep in mind when i say "nice" that means someone with a server), but for some reason neither one of us wanted to do that. We both felt it would be best to have a quick dinner, and opted for In and Out! It was a good thing. As Ben and I were waiting for our food, I received a text from Erin asking me if I heard about the accident. As soon as I got that text I had this awful feeling that it wasn't going to be good. Erin texted me back letting me know that a group of teenage boys in our ward got in a 4 wheeling accident, and that she had heard that one of them may had died. As soon as I heard that, and told Ben, we packed up our food and headed to the hospital. Ben is good friends with the Dad, and he felt like he should go. I was very hesitant at first. Mainly because I didn't want to intrude on such a "raw" moment. Secondly, that literally has always been one of my biggest fears, losing a child. Every night in my prayers I always thank Heavenly Father for my kids, and beg him to never take them from me. So, with that said, I didn't think I could handle it.
When we got to the hospital, one of the nurses walked us to the room. I kind of fell behind, as I felt so inadequate, not knowing how it would be when we got there. When we got there, their son was lying in the table, and had already passed on. Family, friends, the Bishop and Stake President were gathered, in a circle, around the room. The most intense thing for me was to see his mother sitting at his bedside holding his hand, stroking his head, and taking in the last few hours that she would have with him. When I saw that, I instantly had to leave, as I imagined that being Boston on the table, and me at his bedside. After stepping about for a minute, to compose myself, I stepped back in and noticed something I hadn't the first time. Despite the circumstances, there was calming effect in the room that I couldn't describe. Even walking out of the room, which was basically a curtain, I could feel that calming effect leave, and then come again as I stepped back in. There is no doubt in my mind that the Holy Ghost was very strong in that room, acting as his roll as "the comforter". After being there for about 20 minutes, the Bishop gave a prayer. The prayer was definitely inspired, and I left feeling a little better.
After we left, we headed to the Church bookstore to look for a book on grieving, for this boys sister who is in our YW. Nothing seemed good enough, but I finally bought one that was recommended to me. Ben and I tried to get some shopping done for Havasupai, but I wasn't in the mood to do that, and it just didn't' seem right to be doing anything, when I knew what our friends were going through. Ben had to be home early, so he could go help administer blessings to the family member's, so we cut our night short, which was fine with me, because all I wanted to do was to go home and hug my children. I didn't get much sleep that night; my heart was aching so much for them and the pain they had to be going through. I kept thinking about how I would never be able to handle Boston being taken away from us, and just thinking about that was too painful.
Saturday I was able to distract myself with the various things we had planned. We took the kids to see the new Narnia movie, which was a little long, but still had some great Gospel undertones. We then had Steve's birthday party, which I felt like I was a zombie at. I really wasn't in the partying mood. We had dinner at Ben's parent's house, and then took the party over to the resort. The kids had a fun time on the slide, and Sophia behaved sooooo well. She just chilled out in our arms or on our laps. I was grateful for that tender mercy, because I didn't have it in me to deal with much else. We came home and I finished preparing my lesson that I never ended up giving.
I know, so far, this all seem so depressing, but today's church meeting has made such a tragic event turn into such a strengthening, loving, testimony building day. The meeting started off like usual, with the song and sacrament. But then the Bishop dismissed all of the speakers and changed it to a testimony meeting. The testimonies were so wonderful, mainly testifying of the Savior and his great atoning sacrifice. Much was said on how he not only suffered for our sins, but how he also suffered our pains and sorrows, so that he could empathize and know what we went through so he could be there for us during those times. Many people also spoke on the plan of salvation, and how lucky we are to have the sealing powers in the church, that bind families not only on this earth but throughout the eternities. This isn't anything I didn't know, or haven't given lessons on several times over, but today it hit me really strong, how lucky I really am to have this knowledge, and how much more sorrow and pain people must feel when they lose someone not knowing this plan. I also came to the realization that when people pass on, and we are upset, it is because the natural man in us are sad, because we will miss them, while on the spiritual end of things they are far better off than if they were here. Again, nothing I didn't know, but it just sank in better.
After sacrament meeting, the youth all met together while the Bishop and President Wagner spoke. ( The reason I never gave my lesson). Such inspired words and council were given, leaving us with more peace and understanding. I felt as though God was speaking to us himself, the Spirit was so strong. How amazing it is that our leaders could listen to the quite promptings of the spirit, and act on them, making a day that started as one of mourning and sadness end up much differently. I was also amazed of understanding our youth had of the gospel. What a chosen generation they are. They are faithful, strong and steadfast! I always feel so honored to be a leader to them, because they teach me so much.
I am so grateful for the gospel and it's truths and knowledge that I have of why I am here in this world and where I am going! What comfort this gives me in my life. I can't imagine my life without it. I know today has strengthened my testimony! When I came home today, I also felt this peace I had never felt before as a mother. A peace of knowing that I didn't need to worry so much about whether my kids will be taken from me or not, because I just needed to trust that God loves me and the Savior would be there helping me through it, and my kids would be happier and better off! And that I needed to live in the moment, enjoying every minute of them. That each minute, each day I have with them is a gift from God, and I need to look it as such. I know that I'm not going to be living a fairy tale life with my kids from here on out, but I think it will help me let go of the little things that don't matter.
All I have to know is that God loves me, he has his plans, and they are always better than what I could plan myself. Complete faith in all things, can give peace to a worrying heart and mind. And knowing that because he loved us so much that he sent his Son, who willingly died for us, so we can live again, brings comfort to know that he always does whats best for us, whether we know it or not!

better!

Today I was feeling much better. I was able to move around, without my head feeling like it was going to explode. Good thing, too, since Ben was out of town. I actually don't mind it, sometimes it's easier when one rooster rules the roost, it's only the getting up early that kills me. Sophia didn't want to take her 2nd nap, so I didn't really have a chance to rest up before I picked the kids up from school. I knew the night would be crazy from that point on. The kids had piano right after school and their new teacher is far enough away, that coming home doesn't make sense. After picking up some extremely cute flip flops for Aubrie, at Walgreens of all places, I took Sophia and Ethan to Alta Vista Park ( the one by our old house) while we waited for their lessons to be over. My kids LOVE that park and are always excited to go there.
When we first got there I immediately put Sophia in the swing. She LOVED that. She laughed and laughed every time I gave her a push. In the mean time, Ethan kept asking me to come push him on the big swings. He finally gave up and gave himself a push, and he pumped himself on the swings for about 10 minutes! I kept making comments on how I couldn't believe how high he was going, and how good he was doing. As I watched him do this and see how he felt so big, I realized how big he was really getting. Then my mind flashed back to when he was a baby (Sophia's age) and I would bring him to this park. I quickly realized how fast time has gone, and at that instant a feeling of guilt swept over me. Guilt for wishing, lately, that Sophia would grow up a little faster and guilt from how I have let the days I have with Ethan slip away. I have a good couple of hours with him every day while Sophia naps, and I have wasted it away on other tasks that could probably be done later, or could go without being done at all. He is such a sweet boy who always tells me , randomly, that he loves me. One more year and he will be off to kindergarten! OK....I didn't mean for that to get so sappy. Anyway....time goes fast!
After the park, and picking the kids up, I came home and put Sophia down for a nap while I made dinner. Ben didn't' make it on time, and so we started without him. The kids actually didn't complain, I had fajitas! Is this a breakthrough for them? They have always hated Mexican food. I sure hope so, because it's one of my favorites! After dinner I went to YW. It was a joint activity, at the Mall. We played a "Where's Waldo" game. Different ward members disguised themselves and tried to blend into the atmosphere of the mall. Some people were brave enough to pretend to be mannequins in the store windows. After YW, we had a meeting for Havasupai. I'm getting excited to go, but now have to figure out all the babysitting, ugh!
When I got home, I noticed all these staples all over my butlers pantry (where I keep my purse). I couldn't figure out what happened. I then rounded the corner to find a book that Aubrie made me today, without me knowing, that had a bunch of family pictures cut out and on different color construction paper. She had decorated it with stickers and words. She then floated downstairs and had a huge grin on her face. It was such a sweet gesture. What a sweetheart!