Timpangos Cave Hike

Anders dressed in dad's clothes!! What a goof!

Here we are at the start of the trail - all smiles and happy because we didnot know what awaited us. Kami and Leo and their kids, my mom and dad, and me and my kids all went.

Still fairly early on so still all smiles. Beautiful views along the way.

Trudging up the trail - the whole 1.5 miles was like this - STRAIGHT UP SWITCH BACKS!!! I didn't think I was going to make it - much harder than the Delicate Arch hike we did a couple of weeks ago. Plus it was hot. My kids did great - I carried Anders about 10 minutes on the way up and maybe 15 minutes on the way down. Everyone else walked the entire way. Danica carried our backpack too. Olivia carried Sebastian.

Yeah we made it to the top!!!! It says elevation 6730 feet. The cave tour is 50 minutes and you drop way back down. It is cold inside and beautiful.

Inside the cave.

The heart of Timpangos.

Cave coral - my favorite.

The kids getting their Junior Park Ranger Badges. Their third this year.

Eating lunch after. It was a fun day!!!

Memorial Day

It is Memorial Day and I am at work. In fact, I worked 64 hours last week. I was scheduled 68 hours but I got off early on Thursday. Which was good because then we planted our garden - or most of it (we planted onions, green beans, carrots, radishes, potatoes, sphaghetti squash, zuccini squash, tomotoes) and we planted it in the rain. It was cold and blowing but this week is SUPPOSE to be beautiful - I hope so. I want sunshine but NOT too hot. I still need to plant some peppers and cilantro and then the kids pumpkin plants plus Jared and I are going to try sweet potatoes this year. They are supposedly healthier than regular potatoes and Jared is on a big kick of liking them. However, since we eat them with brown sugar and marshmellows - I don't know how much healthier they will be. Anyway, Wednesday I did 4 -5 hours of yard work in my yard and it finally looks pretty good. Hopefully, I can just maintain it for the rest of the summer with no major jobs required because I don't know that I will be able to muster any more energy or bending over power to do it. Thanks to Lindsay for helping me get my last row of raspberries pruned. I never would have accomplished it without you!! (all the rest of my sisters that promised to help and didn't - no raspberries for you!) HHAHAAAA - Wednesday night was young women's and we did a service project and pulled weeds and planted flowers for an elderly couple in the ward. 6+ hours of yard work in one day was not a good idea. My back was killing me!!!
The young women's camp breakfast is over. YEAH!!!!! YAHOO!!!!! It was a big success although we ran out of food and had to make three trips to Jubilee for more food. That is one big thing off my list. Plus, Danica and Lynnaea danced at Lagoon that day and so we had discounted tickets to Lagoon. That day was cool and overcast and so we weren't going to go at first but then decided to chance the weather and it was great- hardly any lines! Jared and the three older kids went on all the big rides about 10 times each (like Wicked and Rocket) and the two little ones went on their rides a whole bunch of times as well. We stayed till 1000pm so everyone was very worn out. Fun times.
Now, the dreaded month of June has arrived - I have planned and manipulated and worked on my schedule for weeks but no matter what I do - it is UGLY!! I will either be working or at young women's activities. I have temple bound that is two nights and three days, youth conference that is two days and one night and girls camp that is 5 days and four nights but I am only going for half of it. One of my co-workers is being deployed to Afghanastain and since I am the part time person I get to work full-time to help cover his shifts. Plus, Danica has two soccer camps (three now as her coach just emailed me today and said they are doing one this week that is required for the team), Myles has a baseball camp at the UofU and the kids are all doing swimming lessons. Really I need to clone myself for this month. July there is nothing (other than I will still be working full-time) and we are going on our annual camping trip to Browning Lake up in Flaming Gorge Recreational Area. I can't wait!!! Everyone keep your fingers and toes crossed that my family and I survive June.
That is all - I must go do some work now. Have a happy Memorial Day all!!!

Hiking in Canyonlands. Yes, they are sitting by a cliff edge!

Canyonlands National Park.

Hiking in Arches National Park.
Hiking down from Delicate Arch.

My family standing under the Delicate Arch.

Standing under the Delicate Arch.

Spring

Spring is a long time coming. It warmed up the end of March - but then mother nature played a cruel April Fools joke and it snowed 8 inches. Then it snowed some more and it was cold! Monday I was driving my kids home from piano lessons in Ogden and I thought we were going to die in the canyon. There was 4 inches of snow on the ground, no snow plows, and snowing so hard you couldn't see 2 inches in front of the car. Yesterday though the sun was finally shining and once again there was hope that maybe winter will end. I love the sun!!!

Spring break ended and my kids are back in school. I am a terrible mother because I did not take any pictures of my kids dyeing easter eggs, finding their baskets, or anything else we did over the break. What good is a camera if you never use it? But I did do some activities with my kids so I guess that is what is important. We went swimming one day with Jared and then we took the kids out for dinner (my boss had given me a gift certificate for Christmas to Texas roadhouse) . I did decorate easter eggs with the kids and I took them to see the movie How to Train your Dragon. It was really good. I recommed it. Plus, the kids all got their teeth cleaned by Aunt Lindsay.

Over spring break we also bought a new motorcycle for Danica. It is 125cc with a clutch. Jared has been working with her the last couple of days to learn how shift and release the clutch and everything so she is ready for our trip to Moab. She has done great. Much easier than we thought. Yesterday he also started teaching Lynnaea how to ride the 90cc motorcycle. I video taped it but don't have any snapshots to post. It was pretty funny. Jared really overemphasized letting go of the gas (danica and myles's crashes were both a result of getting scared and then gunning the gas instead of stopping) so now when she wants to stop she completely lets go of the gas AND the handle. But she did really well too for her first time. Much better than her Aunt Kayli. I am really excited to go camping in Moab. The weather had better cooperate!!!

Soccer starts back up tomorrow. We have five games tomorrow. Plus Jared is coaching one and I am coaching one of those. Danica is on a comp team now. So, she has her regular AYSO game and then a comp game. Myles is starting baseball this week too. He has his first practice tonight. Life just never slows down.

I had a doctors appt Wednesday with an ultrasound. Everything looked great and the baby was measuring a week bigger than my original due date so the doctor said I could move my due date up. yeah!! I know I will be DYING by the end of August with the heat and being huge and pregnant so even just one week earlier is happy news.

That is all. I am at work and it is slow so I am going to read the last Fablehaven book. Myles finished it already. He really likes the series. I am okay with it but not my favorite series that I have read with my kids.

Christmas

We had our Christmas early this year - Dec 22nd was our Christmas Eve and Dec 23rd was our Christmas Day. Jared worked evening shift on the 24th and I worked 24hrs on the 25th. But Santa Claus is a very nice guy and he agreed to come early to our house. The 22nd we actually went with all the cousins to sing at two nursing homes. The kids did a great job - I was very proud of them. The second place we did especially well and then the kids all shook the residents hands afterwards and wished them a merry christmas. Then we went to Andrea's church and had a big cousin party with games, crafts adn pizza. ALso lots of fun. Then we went to Costco and bought crab legs. Then we went home and ate crab legs - YUMMY!!!!!! We had nice evening - we ate our yummy dinner with chocolate sauce bananas, fresh pineapple and all the yummy stuff. Then we read/acted out the nativity and sang some songs. Christmas morning - the 23rd- we got up around 6:30 and opened presents. DId I mention Jared's mom was here? That was really nice. Everyone was so excited and happy and then we just relaxed adn played together alll day - no interruptions. Sigh. I love Christmas.

The real Christmas Eve we went to my mom's house and ate the traditional hoagie dinners and played with cousins. Lots of fun.

Can I just say that Saturday was horrible?? First of all everyone decided to have a baby Christmas night so I only got about three hours of sleep (two c-sections in the middle of the night) and Jared said that he only got about three hours too because Kiersten woke up about 2 am and started throwing up and threw up every hour after that. When I got home at 7 am Lynnaea and Anders were feeling sick too - so I laid on the living room floor sleeping until one of them (they were all laying on the couches) said they were going to throw up and then I jumped up and held the bucket and then washed their faces and dumped and washed the bucket and then passed out on the floor till the next one started throwing up. It was great fun. By midmorning they were doing better and they slept on the couch while Danica, Myles and I cleaned the whole house and I did all the laundry. My stomach was feeling queasy but I never threw up luckily. But then we had to go clean the church because no one signed up this week - and since that is my husbands new calling when went and cleaned the entire church. I have a blister from vacuuming. The kids were a great help though - I wouldn't have finished without them. Then SUnday's are just crazy now I had ward council in the am but I only let the kids go to Sacrament meeting - I figured they couldn't breathe on to many people in Sacrament meeting. So, anyway that was my great weekend. I hope you all had a better one!!

Uncle Ethan Saves the Day!

So, the Kindergarten had a "pop's" party for the kindergarten kids and their dads. Unfortunately Lynnaea's dad was scheduled a mandatory OT shift that he could not get out of on the night of the party. She did not want me at all - it was for MEN. Grandpa was in Washington getting a horse so I asked Uncle Ethan if he would take Lynnaea on a date. ANd he did!!! - He drove down, ate dinner with her in the cafeteria, listened to the singing and played games with her. He's my hero - what a great uncle!!!! Thanks Ethan!

This is Lynnaea's Cute dance outfit - her team is called the Tennesse Gals and she was very excited about that since she was born in Tennessee. The other picture is of Kiersten and her wearing her medal.

Danica's dance group. I need a telephoto lens - you can't see very well.

Danica's dance team - she is front and center.

Danica's dance team.

Danica the prettiest of all!!!

Myles at his scout pinewood derby.



Easter dresses (from Amy)!!

Soo pretty!!!