Beauty Salon

Last night I had my brother Shane's kids for the night and for the day today, so this morning we played "Beauty Shop!" The girls loved the make-up and HATED the bow. I saw the hairbow/headband idea on a picture I found on the Internet yesterday and LOVED it so I made the girls wear it even though they hated it and I think they turned out SO CUTE!!
Madeline
Oakley -
We didn't get a very good picture of her in the flower.
(of course we got cute ones not in the bow)
Bailey

Selina

Laiklie

This was as close to a smile as I could get from her.

Look What I Can Do

This is my big 4 year old Rhett and look what he learned how to do yesterday -
This
And this!
I know it looks like he is going to land on his head. That is what it looks like every time he does a flip. AH!! I couldn't believe he just learned how to do them on his own. He is our youngest yet to learn to do flips. He is a brave little thing though, so it doesn't surprise me at all.
Way to go bud!!

A day to remember...

I have thought about this post for a long time and still don't know what I want to say about it, but I did want to pay tribute to those who lived and died, and walked and crawled, and suffered and rejoiced as they made their way to freedom. Last year on this day - Pioneer Day - Ryan and I were lucky enough to be at Martin's Cove in Wyoming with our stake. The January before the Stake Presidency called Ryan and I in and asked us to attend "Trek" as a Ma & Pa and Ryan told them "No" (because of farming) and it broke my heart and I cried and then...he told them "Yes." What a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is one that I can't write or talk about without crying. When we were asked to go on trek we were asked to prepare by doing as much reading and indexing as possible to spiritually get ourselves ready. We were instructed to find a pioneer from the Willie and Martin Handcart Company to walk for. I only had one ancestor that I could find in either of those companies and it was a man...so I chose a lady whose story I loved.

We met at the stake center at 4:30 am where we were assigned our family. We were given 6 teenagers, each from different wards that we had never met before. We were instructed to sit together on the long bus ride, to march together, to cook and clean and work together. Talk about learning to love and depend on complete strangers instantly. It was easy because it was obvious that the Lord had his hand in our family arrangements.
Trek was amazing...but extremely hard. We pushed and pulled our handcart for miles over the 3 days. We ate a lot of dust and dirt. It rained every day multiple times. The dirt that we walked through was not dirt, it was thick sand that made your muscles burn just walking in it. We were all fried from the sun and dehydrated from the heat and ...not one of us could bring ourselves to complain because when the sweet people from the Willie and Martin Handcart Company came through they came in such harsh miserable conditions that so many didn't even make it to see the valley they worked and sacrificed so much for.

The lady I chose to walk for was a lady named Elsie Nelson. Elsie and her husband had a son and a neighbors daughter that they crossed the plains with. While crossing she lost her son and the neighbors daughter. When Elsie and her husband arrived at Rocky Ridge her husband sat down to die. Elsie (a little tiny woman) put her husband in her handcart and pulled him up over the ridge. The first time I read her story I decided I was walking for her because I was constantly feeling like I was pulling Ryan along in life...what wife doesn't feel this way. And then, just before trek I reread Elsie's story and she said that as she looked at her husband sitting there wanting to die she didn't know what she would do without him and THAT is why she put him in her handcart and pulled him up over Rocky Ridge. After reading it and looking at it that way it gave me a whole new perspective. I look at Ryan and can not imagine life without him. I would put him in my handcart and pull him behind anywhere I need to as long as I have him.

On trek we not only got to experience Dan Jones Cove, Martin's Cove, a womens pull and crossing the Sweet Water River, we also got to meet 6 wonderful youth that made us feel young and fun again and we got to become closer as a husband and wife team. Like I said before, my Martin's Cove experience was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that came just when I needed it. I heard once that in order to have a testimony of something you first have to have the test and I can truly say that I NOW have a testimony of the pioneers. I read before trek that in heaven we will stand shoulder to shoulder with our pioneer ancestors and look into their eyes and know that what they have done was NO LITTLE THING...and then, they will look into our eyes and know that what we have done was NO LITTLE THING EITHER. We do struggle in life and it makes it just a little easier knowing that we have those that have struggled before pulling for us. I am so grateful to have a day set aside to remember those that had such great faith that they were willing to give ALL to have freedom and make a better life for their posterity - us. "Thank You" doesn't seem fitting enough!!

About the pictures:

Picture #1 - Our family - (left to right)

Holly - the Bully, Sarah - only ate celery & yogurt (not real trek friendly foods), Ry & Me, Trisha - 17 years old and literally had to be tucked in, Collin - so quiet, Shae - had type 1 diabetes (nothing new to us), and Tanner - the flirt.

Picture #2 - Holly and I showing our strength. The boys were pushing...or so THEY say they were!!

Picture #3 - Those are my feet during the womens pull. We got stuck on a rock 1/2 way up the hill and I was sure we were going back down. I weigh 127 and I was the toughest (other than maybe Holly who weighed the same) of all 5 of us. We were a pretty sad team and us girls pulling the handcart straight up the sandy hill was one of the very hardest things I have ever done. My entire body was shaking when we got to the top.

More Wet Posts!!

I am one of the Achievement Day Leaders in our ward and today was the long awaited (by the girls that is) "Day Camp!!" We went to Krupp Scout Hollow for WET AND WILD DAYS and had a blast. We were all dripping wet the entire day...and when I say all I mean ME TOO! The scout leaders made a rule that no girls from your group could go in the dunk tank until a leader went in - and I WAS THE CHOSEN LEADER! AH!!! I kept asking the kid there if I could just stand-up in the water so I didn't have to go under so I wouldn't have the lovely mascara streaks down my face, and he said, "Oh yeah, just stand up when you start to fall!" Yeah Right!! Since you have no idea when you are going to fall you have no idea when to stand...so yeah...my butt about hit the bottom and I got to have mascara steaks and wet underwear (ask me how fun that is!!) the rest of the day! And.......I would do it all again just to hear those sweet girls scream with excitement! How can you not love "Wet and Wild Day Camp??"
So - here are a few pictures of my sweet Oakley from the day... This was her turn in the dunk tank. The scout climbed in after I got out to help the girls so that their heads didn't have to go under if they didn't want them too. Where was he when I needed him??
The giant slip-n-slide! A few of the girls were just caked in mud when they were finished with this one. I was glad they weren't the ones riding in my car.:) Bubble station

And this is how the day began. We were all looking lovely in our nice DRY clothes. We didn't get an after shot...it was a crazy day!

(I am the one towering over the rest and Oakley is in the black t-shirt on the left.)

Splash Park

My sister-in-law and I decided to take our kids to the splash park yesterday! I know my last post was a water post...but it is summer and we are living in it!!:) Rhett and Laiklie were a little hesitant because they hate getting their heads wet, but they found these little fountains that were just their size.:)
Laiklie is filling the cotton candy bag from the Carousel Ride that we also went on - two times. I think they liked that maybe more than the splash park.
Oakley is the one coming down the slide on the right. She loved it!
Dallin was funny because he would go play and then come dry off and then go play and then come dry off...over and over again. The water wasn't very warm so I don't blame him. We had a great time - thanks Aunt Katie for inviting us!

Swimming Lessons

Each summer my kids take swimming lessons from the time they turn 3 until...well, we haven't gotten old enough for that yet. They LOVE it!! On the last day of the two weeks they take the kids to do the BIG SLIDE and the DIVING BOARD. It is always a fun bonus for the kids.

Dallin wouldn't go down the slide but did jump off the diving board multipule times this year.:) He also got to where he could swim the entire way across the little pool at Heise ALL BY HIMSELF. He is pretty proud that he taught himself to do a somersault under the water. He is quite the little fish. Oakley did go down the slide, but every picture I took of it ended up just being feet sticking out of the water.:) She is a good swimmer and her teacher took her over to the deep pool everyday to work on her swimming skills!! She had a great teacher and learned SO much.

Rhett FINALLY on the last day of lessons actually went all the way under the water!! Yeah! He is getting there. He is a pro at chicken - airplane - soldier too! He braved the slide one time and jumped off the diving board quite a few times...as long as his teacher was there to catch him that is!
They all did great and learned so much! Swimming lessons is one of our favorite parts of summer and we are a little sad that it is over.

No...I did not forget how to blog!

YARD SALE, YARD SALE, YARD SALE!! I have been working all week on the upcoming annual yard sale that my sister and sister-in-law and I have. It is alot of work to go through everything in the house and price all the junk. Because we have now had...8...yard sales (I think that is right) we are to the point that we just collect all the junk all year long and store it so we have a weeks worth of pricing when yard sale time rolls around. It is all worth it though. We usually make pretty good money and I plan all year as to what I am going to put the money towards. Last year it was food storage...this year it is the dining room table that is already sitting in my dining room - I know I did it backwards, but when you get a great deal you just have to take it!!
We are also up to our chins in swim lessons.:) We started last week and have just 2 more days. My kids LOVE swim lessons and I LOVE that they get to stay in the pool free with a paying adult. So I pay for Laiklie and I and we stay and swim afterwards. It has been great to spend so much time in the pool and my kids all have such pretty brown skin from it. I always take pictures on the last day when they do the diving board and slide - so...wait for it...