There's No Place Like Home!!

This is exactly why I never had a journal....I'm terrible at keeping up with it. The kids were all over for dinner the other night and I overheard them bashing me cuz I'm bad at updating my blog. BRATS!!!! I'm not going to tell them I've updated it....I'll just wait to see how long it takes them to realize it.

In my defense...it has been an extremely busy month. Alex and I were in charge of the 4th year girls for girls camp this summer. That was June 20th - 24th. We camped at a KOA in Flagstaff, my kind of camping with showers and flushing toilets nearby..hiked into Fossil Springs and then ended up at Camp LoMia in Pine. It was a good trip and we did have a lot of fun.

We then had a Scout Conference in Cimarron New Mexico June 28th - July 4th. We left on the 27th and made the 10 hour drive with an overnight stop in Gallup. The conference was great...the weather was awesome....and once again....we camped. Showers and flushing toilets once again...tho not quite as close as they were at the KOA. We got back home on the 5th of July and immediately resumed our preparations for our Stake Pioneer Trek coming up on the 16th. Before we knew it the 16th was here and we were headed to Heber...wearing our Pioneer garb...i.e...bonnets....skirts...aprons....suspenders...and hats.

Alex was the trail boss and I was one of the photographers. Stormy went as well as videographer. There were approximately 78 youth that attended. They were all dressed in Pioneer era clothing and were only allowed 17lbs of gear per person. They were divided into "Families", and each family pulled all of their own gear in a handcart. They walked 15 1/2 miles the first day , 3 1/2 miles the second day where they then set up camp and stayed for two days until walking the final 2 miles to the end where they were met by their 'real' families. It was really an awesome experience. At one point the boys and men were all called away to battle and the women and girls were left to pull the handcarts on their own. THey had a brutal hill to climb and it was a very spiritual and awesome experience to watch. I was so overcome by emotion that it was difficult to take photos.

Day Two...each family had a baby (made from a flour sack)...they carried it the first day and it was part of their family. During the night the babies all died and the burials were held the next morning. Once again a very emotional event to photograph...but what an awesome experience for everyone.

Seth and Tara were on the Trek as well. They were a big brother and big sister in one of the familys. It was so fun to have them there and be able to see them each day and visit with them. It was hard for me the first day knowing they had to walk so far pulling a handcart and have no food while doing it. I was so tempted to sneak food to them, so very tempted!Are'nt we just the cutest little pioneer family you've ever seen? I thought so. Did I mention that nowhere did this Trek include showers and flushing toilets? Nope!!! No showers for 4 days....and Port-A-Pottys. Ick!!! Be it ever so humble there's no place like home ;)

Well now the pressure is really on. Stormy leaves on WEdnesday for Ecuador (I'm going to miss her like crazy) and she has to have the video of the Pioneer Trek put together by Tuesday night. It's a huge job but I'm so excited about it because she's so amazing at it. I'm so glad she went on the Trek with us. I had such a good time with her. We laughed constantly. The other photographer was a lady from my ward, Sharilyn. I'm sure she'll never be the same after that experience. She was such a nice sweet person and i'm afraid Stormy and I corrupted her. But we had a lot of fun doing it! The three of us were driven around by our own personal chauffer for the duration of the Trek. WE had to be in several places so he was assigned to get us where we needed to go. We instantly nick-named him Jeffrey...sounds like a good name for a chauffer right? We thought so. He was a ton of fun and took such good care of us.

Jeffrey waiting for us at a Potty stop.....What a guy!!!

Mimi's Day Care!!!!

Last week we had a couple of birthdays in the family. Alex on the 3rd an Tara on the 4th. So in celebration Alex, Seth and Tara took a day trip to Fossil Springs for hiking and swimming. I was the bigger person and offered to stay home with the kids...(lol). Anyhow...Breezy came out for the day as well with her two little ones. At times if felt like a day-care center but we had a fun day and since we were so busy with 5 little ones the time really flew. We even managed to get all the babies down for a nap at the same time...including Stormy. Wow...am I good or what? Breezy has been wanting some new photos of Dutch and Maylee for her wall so we decided to take some pics of them and of all of the kids. We set up a backdrop and props, lighting, the whole deal. Then the fun started. Apparently it's not possible to have 5 children sit still and be happy all at the same time. If 4 were happy then one wasn't....if 3 were sitting then two were up and running. If one was angry at the mere idea of a photo session then the rest were running amuck. OMG, it was a mess! Breezy and I were exhausted by the time we gave up. That's right. It just wasn't happening the way we had envisioned, so we gave up. We gave it a good try though. The pictures below prove that it didn't work out. I guess it's the thought that counts. I've thought many times that I'd really like to do Children's Photography...I love setting up cute props and stuff....but if I do pursue it...I think I may have to stipulate no more than 2 children at a time unless they are on some sort of calming medication. :)

At least Kade is happy...what a good baby!!!

Never mind. He's not happy any more. :(

Oh dear...Dutch is angry!!! This is where the other ones are running amuck!!

Lookie there....Jace in the box. How did that happen? Maylee wins the "best participant" award...for today anyway. :)

We got that mess all cleaned up and put away and then it was on to more adventure. Stormy came home from a meeting in the evening. She had on a dress and had kicked off her shoes when all of a sudden we heard Jace screaming in the bathroom...she got to him first and found that he had slammed his finger in the toilet lid and couldn't get it out. She picked him up and loved him and then began shreaking...."GROSS..GROSS...GROSS...MOMMMMM!!!" Breezy and I came running to find Stormy standing in front of the toilet holding Jace while Dutch looked on...Maxx was leaning rather strangely against the door jam and Kade had jsut crawled up to see what the excitement was. As soon as I got to the door I noticed the smell....I looked down to see Maxx with poop running out of his underwear and down his leg. "Hold on Maxx", I said, "Mimi will get you cleaned up." I turned to head for the paper towels when Stormy screamed, "Mom, I stepped in it...it's on my foot...clean it off.."(more screaming and yucking) At this point I don't remeber who I cleaned off first...I think Stormy since it was fastest. Then I began to work on Maxx. Meanwhile Stormy got out of there still holding Jace and Breezy took Dutch and Kade out of the danger zone. Before I finished with Maxx Stormy was yelling again that she had poop between her toes. I look up to see her foot very near my face with her toes spread apart. So I quickly cleaned that up and went back to work on Maxx. His parents have very successfully taught him how to stand to be wiped after going potty, bent over at the waist with his hands flat on the floor. WOW...that certainly helps. However, as soon as he bent over he pointed and said..."There's poop on the ground...there's poop on the ground." I nearly wet my pants laughing....thankfully I didn't...I had enough of a mess to clean up as it was. Anyhow...in Maxx's defense let me jsut say that because the other two were playing in there he couldn't get to the toilet and I could tell by the consistency of the 'you-know-what' that he jsut couldnt wait. Next on the agenda was rub-a-dub-dub, 3 boys in the tub. It was about 9:30 pm when all the little ones went home...I fell into bed exhausted. There is a reason we have babies when we're young!!! Hats off to all you mommy's with little ones....you have a tough job. I've been there and done that....and am so glad now to get to send them home so I can rest up for the next time. I love my grandkids....they're so awesome....I had no idea I could love someone else's kids so much....:)

THE WHAT????

A whole month since I've written in here. I can't believe I've procrastinated this long...well....yes I guess I can. It's just like me. I try to take life one day at a time but lately several days seem to attack at once.
So last week Alex and I decided to go to a movie. He wanted to see the Chronicles of Narnia...not really my kind of movie but I was happy to go with him. We invited Stormy to go with us but she had other plans and wasn't sure if she would be done in time. She asked me to call her when we knew what time we were going. So, on our way to the theatre I texted her and told her where and when and to join us if she could. Her text back to me said this, " I can't, I'm going to the".
That was it....so I figured that perhaps she hit send to soon before she finished her sentence..(I do that accidentally sometimes). So I texted her back and said..."to the what?". She wrote back and said, "to FHE...Shane thinks I'm inactive." (for anyone who doesnt know, FHE stands for Family Home Evening...it's an activity on Monday nights.) Anyhow...I wrote back and said, "why does he think you're inactive?". To which she replied, "because I told him I wasnt' going to the". Ok...I thought, what is the deal? so I texted back and said "It would be really nice if you would finish your sentences". As you can imagine I got a rather grumpy reply from her that said, "FHE Mom, it stands for Family Home Evening!!". Good grief, she didn't have to yell at me...she was the one not finishing her sentences. So I wrote back and said.."I know what FHE stands for but you didn't tell me that that's where you were going."
So...a short while later when Alex and I were seated in the theater I pulled out my phone to turn it off and I had a thought. So I looked at my inbox and re-read the texts that she had sent me....turns out what she said was, "I can't, I'm going to fhe." and the second time she said, "because I told him I wasn't going to fhe." Well guess what. I didn't have any glasses with me so I didn't realize it was an 'f'. I thought it was a 't' and said 'the'. UGH!!! I immediatly texted her and apologized for being stupid. She forgave me and then had a good laugh about with her friends.
NOTE TO SELF: Always have reading glasses in purse...eyes arent' what they used to be.

I've been Tagged!!

Oh my goodness...I forgot I had been tagged by my girls a while ago. I don't have very many people on my list and they're all family but I'll do the best I can. It goes like this:

1. Answer the questions about the list of friends/family that you have on your blog.
2. If you don't have the number of names that the question asks, answer the question about the next name that you have not had a question for your your list.
3. Tag your friends and family.

• When did you meet the first person on your list?

Haha...that's kind of funny that the first on my list is Josh and Lacy. The first time I met Josh he was 3 months old. I was rather nervous about going to Alex's ex-wifes house but it was fun to see the baby...rather overwhelming for a 17 year old girl to suddenly be a step-mom. But it worked out ok and now years later Josh is the Father of 5 and very involved with his kids. It's great to see how much he loves them. I don't remember how old Lacy was when I met her first but she had to have jsut been 5 or 6. We always have enjoyed her family and our kids have grown up with her brothers and have lifelong friendships there.

• What do you like about the third person on your list's blog?

Could you repeat the question? I think it means what do I like about their blog. Well, Seth and Tara are third on my list. The thing I love about their blog is that it's all about my grandkids....I could read about their antics and look at their pictures forever and never be bored with it. If it means what do I like about the person, well thats easy...Seth is kind and considerate and a wonderful example of patience and love. Tara is awesome...you never know what funny thing she's going to say and she likes to scratch my back...I LOVE THAT!!! She fits into our family perfectly, and I'm so glad she's the mother of my grandboys.

• What do you like best about the 5th and 6th people on your list?

5th and 6th on my list are Breezy and David. That's easy...I like my kids so much...when my kids were teenagers I loved to jsut sit and listen to them talk about the things they had done that day. One thing that I love about Breezy is her ability to laugh at herself. And she's had some pretty good laughs. If she does something silly or embarrasing she just laughs...it's great. Her hubby David makes me laugh all the time. I love his sarcastic humor. He is so witty. you have to watch your back with him around cuz he comes up with things faster than anyone. He's so fun to be around. You know what else I love about him? The fact that he loves my daughter...that's the best thing a mom could ask for.

• How long have you known the 8th person on your list?

Well I don't have an 8th person...thank goodness...since all the people on my list are my children. So I'll use Noah for this one since he is the first one that I skipped. I've known him for 25 1/2 years. I've known him through the cute curly haired baby days...the rotten and mean pre-school days....the quiet more reserved elementary school days...the out of the shell high school years...the days of remote control airplanes and then the real deal planes when he got his pilots license at 17 years old...and the most recent years of not enough face to face with a mission to Argentina and then away at college. But I wouldn't trade a single moment becuase they all have made him the awesome man that he is today.

• What impresses you about the 11th and 22nd person on your list?

Stormy is the last person on my list....I only wish I had 22 friends...well...friends with blogs I should say...(Sara...Debbie....Kathy....Vickie...Pam...time to step up ladies) Anyhow...what impresses me about Stormy is her ability to be silly...she always makes me laugh....her ability to work hard at her job and school, and her way with little kids...they love her because she loves them and is so much fun. Right now I'm totally impressed with her desire and determination to wait for Spenser. We've almost made it to the one year mark. Spenser has my vote so I'm crossing my fingers for him.

• What memory do you have with the 23rd person on your list?

I'll start at the top of my list again with Josh. I remember that when he was little and we picked him up every other Saturday from his mom he always had his blanket and a piece of bacon....and he smelled strongly of Downy. Haha!!! He still has a blanket...I'm sure he still eats bacon...but now he mostly smells like manure...LOL!! Love ya Josh.

• Say something nice about the 27th person on your list.

I'm taking a liberty here and just saying this about all my kids...They are amazing and have enriched my life. I love them all so much and appreciate each one of them for all they have done to become the wonderful people that they are. I love you guys!!!

• So now it's my turn to tag someone. I tag Tara, Lacy and David.

Two Boys in a Bucket

Once in a while Seth brings one or two of the boys to work with him. With work being so slow right now, he and Alex are spending most of their time working in our back yard. It was a hot day so Seth filled a couple of 5 gallon buckets with water for Maxx and Jace to play in. I remember so well when I would lay in the sun and Josh and Seth would do this same thing....here's a video that shows Maxx trying to figure out why he doesn't fit in the bucket as easily as Jace does.

Are they too cute or what?

BYU Graduation!!!

This past month Alex and I had the opportunity to go to Utah for Noah's BYU Graduation. Wow!! That was awesome. It was so cool to go to a graduation where people spoke about our Savior Jesus Christ, Faith, the importance of Family, Gospel principles, etc. It was really great. I was so grateful that Noah had been able to spend 3 years being surrounded by people with his standards and moral values. I was also grateful because it meant I could attend his graduation and be uplifted and inspired. We're very proud of Noah for the importance he places on education. He has always loved learning new things since he was just a tiny little boy. I'm quite certain that characteristic will stay with him forever.
So the trip was....well....it was "a trip". Let me explain. Actually...I'll let Breezy explain it to you. She and her two babies went with us, Dutch and Maylee. Check out her blog at http://lazenbyfamily.blogspot.com/ look for the post titled Utah, she describes it perfectly. It really was worth it to be there for Noah's graduation, to visit with him, and to meet his friend Kiera. She is adorable. I was so thrilled to finally meet her after hearing about her for so long. I hope we didn't scare her away by meeting us...we tried to be on our best behaviour. Well, Dutch and Maylee didn't but that's allowed.

You know...it was so awful to see Dutch so sick....it was just heartbreaking...but it was a bit of a double whammy for me because I also had to watch my daughter's heart break as she worried about her little boy. I often times would glance over to see her with her head bowed and eyes closed and I knew she was pleading with Heavenly Father to heal her son. I'm so proud of the wonderful mommy that she is. She is so loving and patient with her babies and so sweet with them. By the time we got home she was so exhausted from the mental anquish alone.
I'm so blessed to be able to live so close to my grandkids and see them as often as I do.
Alex and Noah and I had the great fun of hiking up to the Y...wow...what a hike...Alex insisted on documenting the hike with a photo of Noah and I at each switchback post. Noah told me there were 26 of them which really concerned me after the first 4, fortunatley he's a bit of a liar and there were only 11. Here are a few photos from the trip. Keep in mind I only took my point and shoot camera with me. I left the big gun at home, and naturally...I regretted it, but it was too late to worry over it. The view from the bottom.

Switchback #4

The Y is finally in sight. The view from the top.
Yes...it really was that steep.

I was quite taken by the tulips on the street corners...you sure don't see that in Phoenix.

The Graduate.

Noah and Kiera.

Happy Birthday..ugh!!!

Yep...it was my birthday on Friday...I'd prefer not to have those anymore...they're really getting old....so to speak. On Thursday my very dear friends Debbie and Sara took me to lunch at the Farm at South Mountain. If you haven't been you should go...it's really nice. We ate lunch at a cozy little outdoor restaurant surrounded by trees. There are gardens and restaurants on the property. What a great place for a reception or party.

Sara and I...

Debbie and I.....

It was a really nice time...I always have a great time with my best girls....Thanks ladies!!!

For my birthday I wanted to clean my house with no distractions. So that's what I did...ok...I did have a few distractions but the computer was not one of them so I was able to get back on track quickly. In the afternoon we went to a nice little park in Estrella for a cookout. Stormy came down from Flag with her roomie Becky, Breezy and the kids came, as well as Seth and Tara and their 3, my sister Sally and Debbie all came out to celebrate my aging. It was fun to play with the kids at the park and visit with the other old folks...:) I wish Noah could have been there...I miss having him around.

Dutch playing on the toys....

Maxx enjoying the chips....

Maylee with her adorable new bow that her mommy made....

Kade with a really messy face....

and Jace..who wouldn't look at my camera...

I discovered while at the park that if children grow up without a swingset to play on regularly they are terrified of them as adults. Check out Stormy on the swing.

Saturday after the conference sessions I took some photos of Stormy and Becky...it was a bit weird at first cuz I'm used to photos of one boy or one girl...for senior photos...or of a couple when i'm doing engagement photos...I wasn't quite sure how to pose two girls...but we muddled through and got some really cute shots.

They are cute girls and are a lot of fun to take pictures of. I'm so glad Becky came down with Stormy this weekend...she's a lot of fun and I enjoyed having her here.

The Slumber Party!!

So Nancy made it to town and we had the surprise birthday party for her. It was fun...and...she was surprised. On Sunday evening Sally, Nancy, Mom and I got together at Sal's house for a slumber party. It was great fun. For the most part we sat around the kitchen table and laughed and ate. We did eat chocolate and paint toenails and...Nancy even straightened Sally's hair. Apparently they hadn't done that since they were kids and had to use the iron and ironing board to do it. Sally said she always went to school smelling scorched cuz Nancy did it too long. LOL!!! We finally went to bed around 3am. It was a good time...just way to short. We really need about a week to do all the stuff we want to together. Hopefully one day soon the 4 of us can take a trip together like we did a few years ago. I vote for a cruise...that would be the ultimate in fun. Here are a few pictures of the night.

We almost forgot to get our group photo so this was taken the next day as we were all about to leave.

Nan and I decided to take our pictures with our head back...just to see if it would help.

I think we're on to something here. I won't show you the pictures we took while looking down. Eww!
Look how cute our mom is!

Photo Ops!!!

I'm certain you're all wondering how Gracie is doing since her encounter with the fish hook. She's fine. I did take her to the vet and they put her on antibiotics to prevent any infection. As for our morning walks....she's no longer allowed to fish.

I've been quite busy with photo sessions this past week and a half. I went out to Josh and Lacy's and took pictures of their girls. I thought it would be fun to capture them in their own surroundings. It turned out great and I think I got some nice shots. Here are just a few of them.

Later in the week Tara brought the boys over for a photo session...we needed a 6 month picture of Kade...I think we got a cute one. I'll let you be the judge.

Is that cute or what?

Maxx is quite the model!

Breezy comes out to hang out with me on Wednesday's. It's fun to have her and the kids out for the day. So of course I have to take pictures of Dutch and Maylee. Here are a couple of cute ones.

That's right I have cute grandkids!!! They're so awesome!