Shop Days

It's true, the older you get, the more warped your sense of enjoyment becomes.  Take for instance our Saturdays during that winter spent at the shop.  Kids get dirty and tired, no housework gets done, and we work for a full day.  But these days are the ones that fill my heart so completely with a love for this family of mine.  We grow closer together and learn to enjoy doing things that aren't really that fun.  My chest nearly explodes with gratitude for work and family and parents working beside me while raising us.  These are the days I have truly come to cherish.

This kid is sure handsome in a hat.  His growing hands are becoming strong and able. 

 The girls love when they get to stock the shelves in the parts room.

 Of course, Alan always makes things a party.  Him and Hudson sing their hearts out to the radio.  It puts a little lump in my throat when I think that he won't be around next year because of a mission.  We have grown to love and appreciate Alan.  He's been a great mentor for Hudson to work alongside.

 And don't let me fool you, it's not ALL work and no play.  The treats are always abundant and lunches low on vegetables over at the shop.

 As the day wears on, breaks become more frequent and the kids usually have some sort of wheels beneath them whether its a ripstick, rollerblades, or scooter.

Spirit of America Recital

Everything about this recital was a lot of fun.  Who doesn't like to sport some red, white, and blue in the dead of winter?   And patriotic music has such a special place in our heart.

 The kids do so much better than I ever did.  I am glad their teacher has always invited and given them opportunities to play in front of others, so it's not that big of a deal for them.

It was a duet recital, so Hudson and Dalanie were able to play Stars and Stripes Forever,  together.  They did well.  You'll have to check out the video.

Life Unscripted

Let's face it, the kids are growing up right before my eyes.  I think they should have to get my permission, but regardless, it keeps happening.  And the longer I've been in this mom game, the more I realize that these little people are the ones teaching me.  They fill my life with such joy and happiness.  Here's a snippet of what they've been up to.

When our family room light went out, this is how I found Hudson practicing when I got back from walking.  Most kids would have used it as a good excuse to get out of practicing.  He impresses me with his ability to work through a problem and find good solutions.

 When it's been quiet for awhile I can usually find Delsie upstairs playing.  Her and Ruby are doll house girls.

 These two rule to roost in the mornings when Hudson and Dalanie are at school.  They have so much fun together.  (Oh, and Delsie is really into picking out her own outfits, OI!)

 This little one gets away with coming in to my room at night once all the others are asleep.  She likes to talk and has been making me pinky promise her things.

 Aunt Nik gave Delsie some kinetic sand and she loves playing with it.  I on the other hand favor playdoh over this stuff.

 Despite my dislike for stuffed things, the girls have managed to get quite a collection of friends to adorn their beds.

 Who knew that glasses could be so entertaining?  I ordered the green ones without prescriptions so they could have some to play with besides mine.

 Some might think a 10 year old boy would be too big for story time, but he still loves to listen to me read stories and read to his sisters.  You'll often find him thumbing through the story books that are left out.

 Delsie has a pair of pj's professing her love for mom and dad.  Often the day's events determine which ones she chooses.  All the kids love to be Papa Parish and pull their pants way up.

 After years of kids underfoot in the kitchen and adorning countertops, it's starting to pay off.  They have gotten pretty good at cooking breakfasts on Friday mornings.  Pancakes and eggs are their current specialty.

Snow Canyon

Winter was doing it's thing and we decided to head south for a bit.  It just so happened that the Provo City Center Temple open house was going on, so I made it a point to reserve some tickets.  We rolled into Provo late and spent the night in the Walmart parking lot and froze.  We had early tickets, so as not to interfere with rest of our travel plans.

It is a beautiful temple.  It was a neat experience for the kids to feel the Spirit.  Hudson looks forward to turning 12 and visiting the temple to do baptisms.

From there it was on to St. George with a brief stop in Santaquin to deliver parts.  We weren't quite sure what we had gotten ourselves into when we pulled into the campground and could barely get our camper in.  It wasn't the kind of camping we were used to.  Close quarters and neighbors within arms reach.

It ended up being one of the neatest experiences.  Both sides of neighbors were so interesting and dynamic.  To the right were the Gerasimek's from Pennsylvania who quickly welcomed us and began visiting.  They were on a training tour for their daughter, Veda, who has aspirations of becoming an olympic mountain biker.  Glen, a tree trimmer, and Melody, a yoga instructor, were so genuine and nice.  Pretty soon, all the kids could think about was spending time with them.  They rode around with Veda.  Glen helped fix and tune up our bikes.

We cheered Veda on during one of her training sessions.

They put together a little treasure hunt, geo cache activity for the kids.

One day they took us hiking to some caves.  Melody is recovering from a pretty serious injury often said how this trip had been such good therapy for her.  

The girls creamed Veda in a game of memory, but she was a good sport.

They were so grounded.  Melody often said, "I am not raising an athlete, I'm raising a human being." You would never have guessed that Veda was a high caliber athlete, she was so kind to the kids.

Melody showed the kids a card trick or two and they spent a lot of time trying to perfect it.  Dalanie became pretty good.

They followed a pretty strict diet- all organic meat, no sweets or fast food so we enjoyed our traditional donuts with our other neighbors.

 In addition to our friends at the campground, we had Ginny to visit with.  We took her out to dinner.  She sure is a fun lady.

Ginny lives just a block away from the temple.  It sure is a beautiful one.  We were also able to visit with Brent's old mission, Glen Page, and his family.  They had us over for dinner.  The kids hit it off and enjoyed playing night games.  "What you gonna choose?"

Snow Canyon is such a beautiful and diverse area.  It doesn't cover a lot of ground, so it felt cozy and homey.  We enjoyed running the rc cars, biking, and hiking.  We watched rock climbers at Pioneer Names.

Jenny's Canyon

Ruby smashed her "swear" finger between the roll up screen and a table.  It was throbbing all day long and by night she could hardly stand it.  I told her the solution, poking it with a hot needle.  She decided to give it a go (while Brent was still outside conversing with Allen.)  I turned on the stove to heat it up and she lost it and started screaming.  Outside Hudson proceeded to explain the situation and Allen responded, "Shouldn't she be taken to a hospital where it could be treated properly?"

Hidden Pinyon

Petrified Dunes

Butterfly

White Rocks

One evening our neighbor to the left had set up his telescope.  He wanted to invite the kids to look at the moon.  We soon learned that he is an astronomy professor in Alberta, Canada.  I think he's a genius, but he spoke in terms that we could understand.  He got very excited when he found out that we live near Rexburg because it's the prime viewing spot for an upcoming total solar eclipse in 2017. We tentatively have plans for him to come to the school or meet up when he's here for it next August.

Alan's wife, Jean, was delightful too.  They both have English accents, Jean is from England.  She loves to garden and birdwatch.  Allen showed us his artwork.  When he was teaching us about the things astronomers have been learning about the great expanse of universes, Brent asked if he believed in a greater power.  He agreed that he did and then he turned to Brent and asked, "Are you Mormon?"

The weather, the scenery, and the people... it was all like a wonderful dream.  One that we plan to remember and treasure forever.