I Really Love My Husband: A Night with Search and Rescue

I really love my husband which is why I agreed to hike the Wellsville mountains with him yesterday. Josh grew up just below these mountains touted as the "steepest mountains in the world." (They are steepest because of the narrow base. I know it doesn't make sense, but you can google it.) I AM NOT A HIKER, but I have been dieting and thought it would be a great work out so with a lot of persuasion I decided to go with him. We had talked to many sources that told us it would take "all day" to hike to the top of Wellsville peak. When we would pry for more information they would say that it takes about four hours if you are hiking without to many breaks to get to the peak and that it is much quicker to get down.  

Mistake number one: we are not hikers nor are we in great shape. Hiking the Wellsvilles is not a small undertaking. We probably should not have spontaneously picked such a vigorous hike.  

Mistake number two: we left later than we should have. We left our house at about 2:00 and we were on the mountain by 3:00PM with the commitment that we would turn back by 6:00PM no matter where we were. We know we were racing the sun so we hiked as hard as we could and made it to the summit by about 5:40. IT WAS NOT EASY. The views at the summit were breath taking. We could see all the way to the Great Salt Lake on the south west side, and by just turning our heads we could see all of Cache Valley.  

Mistake number three: at the summit we decided to continue up and go to Wellsville Peak. We had already come so far and we had been told that hiking along the ridge from the summit to the peak was not nearly as hard and that it would only take about an hour. I make many decisions in my life based on the desire to avoid regret. I never wanted to hike to the summit again so I figured I had better "finish" what I had started and hike the rest of the way to the peak so that I wouldn't regret it later. We wanted to make good time so we were pushing ourselves. The views were really unbelievable. (I will post some pictures soon.)

When we got to the peak I was shivering and not feeling well. I had been "working out" for just over four solid hours, it was compared to doing 13,000 steps. I was shivering even though I didn't feel really cold, and I even told Josh that I felt like I was experiencing shock symptoms. In hind site at that point he felt a little panicky, which he didn't let on to me until today. It was now 7:00PM and we had intended to head back to the car by 6:00. The sun was beginning to set and we were tired.  

Mistake number four: we decided that it would be easier to hike along the ridge and go down a different way than we had hiked up. Instead of doing the steep trail we had just taken up we were hopeful that this other way would get us to a car a little faster. As we came down from Wellsville Cone we saw a trail that went down instead of staying on the ridge and heading back up to the next peak, Box Elder Peak, the two highest peaks on the Wellsvilles. (Later in the night we learned that trail was a hunting trail so it had no real destination, just a place to camp.)  

Mistake number five: it made perfect sense to us to just head down. We figured that any trail would lead to the base. We could see Mendon, and it didn't seem very far. We just wanted the quickest way down. We head down some very steep terrain and at some point we lost the trail. We were sure that we would run into another trail. What we didn't know is that we were headed into nearly unpassable ridges, ravines, cliffs and brush so thick that even a horse would not be able to pass though it.  

A little after 8:00PM we called Josh's parents who were tending our kids. We told them that we were in trouble, that we had lost the trail and that it might take us a couple more hours to get home than we had anticipated. I was concerned because I wanted the kids to get a good night sleep because it was the primary program in the morning and we have early church. We asked his parents to take the kids home. We also got on the phone with Gabe and April, Josh's brother and sister and had them searching the internet for any trail that came down from Wellsville and Box Elder peaks.  

Josh and I got along amazingly well. I knew that he was really sorry that we were in such a mess so I didn't need to yell at him or make him feel worse about the situation. (Possibly I didn't have the energy to be angry either.) He was very kind to me and just kept encouraging me. He was trying to keep our spirits up. Later I learned that he was as scared as I was, but he put on a great game face. As we were wondering trying to avoid cliffs and major ravines I just kept thinking, "I have covenanted to follow him so I am just going to follow. I don't have any ideas that will get us out of this mess." Working together was a great blessing.  

At about 9:00PM Josh's dad called Search and Rescue. By then it was totally dark except for the moonlights, but even the moon set at some point in the night. We would not have called that early, but now we are so grateful he did. We were really miserable but we didn't feel like we were in a life-threatening situation as long as we could keep our feet planted on the steep mountain. At 9:22 I received the return call from Dispatch. We were still inching our way down the mountain. The woman was so nice. She took information and tried to comfort us. I told her I had to get back for the Primary Program!  

At 9:51 we received our first call from Jake the Chief Police over Search and Rescue. He told us that we needed to turn around and go back up to the peak and take Rattle Snake Trail into Sardine Canyon and Search and Rescue would meet us there. Josh told him that there was no physical way we could hike back up. At that point we didn't realize what our bodies could handle, but we had been hiking down for almost three hours. He told us to get to a clearing where we could see Wellsville and to turn on our headlamp. (Josh had packed some very smart things. First he packed a ton of water bottles. In order to protect his back from the water bottles he packed a full size towel, which came in very handy to help to keep us warm. Finally the spirit prompted him to pack a headlamp, which is what made it possible for Search and Rescue to locate us.)

The Search and Rescue team was amazing. Cache County has 35 guys on the all-volunteer team. It happened to be their Demolition Derby Fund Raiser that night and so they were all together. They average 40 calls a year, but they happened to be out saving a mountain biker in Logan Canyon and they were returning to town when they got our call. Because they were all together originally for the Derby, Chief Jake was able to pick the dream team of hikers to rescue the mountain biker who had to be carried out from an accident, and then us. These men were so skilled and so kind. My perspective of Search and Rescue has forever been altered. Next time I read, "Cache County Search and Rescue was dispatched" I will have a little bit better understanding of what these men sacrifice to SAVE PEOPLE, and how much time and effort goes into that one simple sentence.

Lance was the first on the rescue team to get to us at about 1:00 AM. At that point we were literally trying to scale down a cliff. He saw us from across a ravine and yelled "stay right there I am coming to you." We could not believe how he scaled down and back up that ravine. His talent was unbelievable. I told him that I had never wished to be a mountain goat, but it would have been handy. He made us laugh when he radioed in and between giving our location he bahed like a mountain goat. He was so kind. I thought that Search and Rescue might point out the stupid decisions that we had made along the way, but during our initial visit he said "I hope that one of the last feelings you are feeling right now is embarrassment." He explained that he was happy to spend his night out helping us. I owe my ability to get down the mountain to Lance. He offered me his shoulder, his arm or his hand for the next 4.5 hours as we hiked to the bottom. He cleared brush for me and when we would pass though stinging nettle or super thick brush he would have me hold on to his pack and duck behind him and he would blaze though it for me. I hardly had the energy to hold out my arms to protect myself from the brush. I was very proud of myself for continuing to walk though and tried to keep a respectable pace.  

Josh's spirits were great especially once we got with Search and Rescue. He was very tired and grateful that Lance was helping me so much. He did feel like we were all lost together, but he kept telling himself, these guys would get as down they are professionals, even though most of them were younger than us. They had the right tools to get us down. He was relieved but so exhausted. They kept reminding us that we needed to put safety first and that we could take a break whenever we needed. At this point my muscles, feet and really every part of my body hurt so bad that taking a break provided no relief so the best thing was just to keep moving which is what we did hour after hour. Lance kept saying to me, "one thing I know for sure is that we are getting closer."  

We had an unusually long time to get to know our rescue team, and we had great conversations getting to know them. Jason's wife is a veterinarian in the Army and she had been gone for three months and she had just returned that day. He still took the call to come rescue us on what would have been their first night back together as a family. I think Ron was part deer. He is an older gentleman who does 100-mile trail races. Josh really trusted him. Finally there was Vic who did a lot of the trail blazing and scouting. He had night vision goggles that helped him to find a route that was passable, and did stop us from getting sprayed by a skunk.

When I talked about how grateful I was, and also how embarrassed, Lance would tell me that it is all about how I present the story. He said that I should tell people that we had four escorts to experience a portion of the Wellsvilles that very few humans have ever experienced, and that I am very possibly the only woman to have ever hiked down the most challenging ridges of the Wellsvilles.  

We reached the forest line a little after 5:00AM and radioed for Jake and Darien who were part of the base camp crew to come and pick us up in some grass field. We took a few minutes to lay on our backs while we waited for them. We turned off our headlamps and to looked at the stars. It was really great to count our blessings.  

We returned to our home at 6:30AM. At 4:30AM Erica, or dear friend, had taken over staying with the kids for Josh's dad who need to get to work. We looked so bad when we walked in Erica couldn't help but laughing. She even pulled out her phone video camera to show how dirty we were and how we were limping. She and I visited for a while and then it was time to get ready for church. I was so glad to make it to the Primary Program. By the time I got to bed at about noon I had been awake for more than 28 hours, 14 of which were hiking. I am grateful to be surrounded by people who are willing to help and allowed us to sleep this afternoon. I may never walk normally again. My knees currently are the worst. They wont bend, and they are terribly swollen. Poor Josh hiked through all of that brush in shorts. His legs are stripped raw. We need a little recovery time, but as with all hard things in life there were lots of lessons to be learned. 

I have to mention a few lessons even though I need to get some sleep. I am sure there are more, but here is a start.

Lesson number one: our bodies can do more that we could ever imagine. If you would have told me at 7:00 when I was on the peak feeling like I was in shock that I would be hiking for ten more hours I would have told you that there was no human way possible, the key is to continue putting one foot in front of the other. 

Lesson number two: the world has great men who are will to put themselves in questionable positions in order to save the lives of others. They provide their own supplies and donate their time to do good.

Lesson number three: how do you thank your savior? We don't know how to express adequate gratitude to these men who we feel really saved us and returned us home safely.

Lesson number four: things are not always as they seem. It might be logical to move down the mountain, and just because we could see Wellsville does not mean it was close. 

Lesson number five: when hiking ALWAYS pack lots of water, a lighter, and a flashlight. Follow the spirit!

Lesson number six: stay on the trail!

Cara's an Aggie

Cara is in the USU lab preschool this year. I wanted to do Joy School again, but I couldn't get enough people who were interested. Luckily I signed Cara up for the lab preschool when she was a baby so I wasn't terribly concerned about her getting in. One of my main concerns with doing a preschool that isn't Joy School (or a neighborhood coop) is spending hours on the road, but my back up plan has worked out AWESOME. There are two other kids from Providence in Cara's class and they both happen to live in our neighborhood. One of the mom's has to be at the University at pickup time anyway so she is picking up every day so I just have to drop the three of them off twice a week. I feel so blessed that it has worked out so well. Also, it is an amazing deal. She goes 2.5 hours four days a week and it is only $210 a semester. I would be paying more than that for almost any other two day a week preschool in the valley. There are five "teachers" and 20 kids in her class. I think it will be a wonderful experience for her.


She is going to be a very busy four year old. Not only does she have preschool four days a week (which is really more than I would like) but she also has speech three mornings a week. The reality is that she will have more school this year than she will next year in kindergarden. She does love to get out, and she seems to be settling into her new routine quite well.

It only took the first three days of preschool for me to realize that our house may be too small for the amount of art Cara brings home. The lab school is extremely self directed with a open curriculum. In fact, the first 1.5 hours the children can choose what station they would like to be at. I get the feeling that Cara spends most of her time at the art station. On the first day of school she brought home this giant painting and hung it on the fridge. It covered both sides so that the fridge couldn't be opened.


Two days later she brought home all four of these art projects. She painted and stuffed a cloud, she made a beaded necklace, she painted tin foil and she made a mask. There must be a monster that eats art projects in our house because one by one they disappear. I don't know how much she will study her alphabet or learn her numbers at school, but she is LOVING the art!


I created this post while she was at school. I had to add one more picture of the projects she did on the day of the post. So . . . I guess the garage is the new "art room."

Something Special about Cousins

My parents have 10 grandchildren, and my kids are lucky enough to have cousins very close to their age. My sister Christie (who is just 14 months younger than me) had her first, Kate, on June 8 three months after Ali was born, March 8. (Cathie's baby Dax is a September birthday so he will also be in the same grade as the girls.)

Here Kate and Ali are snuggled up playing in the bouncy chair . . .


Just before they fell asleep.

At one point while we were together the girls were laying on the floor mat together. Kate was fussing until Ali stuck her arm in Kate's mouth for her to pacify. They will be great friends.

Andy's special cousin friend is Danny, my only brother Cody's boy. They are almost four months apart in age. They are just getting to the point that they can play together. Danny likes to bully Andy, which is the story of Andy's life so Andy just thinks that it is a sign of love.


Cara and Emi, Cathie's little girl, are also great friends. They were the only girls until Ali was born. They are a little further apart in age, 15 months, but they are all girl. They have a great time together.


I don't have a picture from this last trip (Cathie and her family were here in August which naturally leads to a family reunion) but Cara also gets along very well with Corbin who is just younger than Cara and smart as a whip.

Caleb's best cousin friend is Colter. Colter is 11 months older than Caleb, although Caleb is way bigger, a fact that Colter has gotten used to. Their personalities are VERY different. It doesn't matter though, there is just something special about cousins because they love their time together.

On a side note, one of my dear friends, Hilary, has started calling Andy J.J. for Josh Junior. Andy's personality comes out more and more all the time. He is such a little teaser. He prentends to bite or teases in other ways just to get a rise out of people. He laughs and loves to play. He is also talking more and more. It doesn't take much to impress me, but I am totally impressed. I think he is well above the 50 word bench mark for a baby turning 2. I love to watch his cheeks bounce when he runs, and he loves to be with Caleb and Cara.

Stitches, Dance Camp, and My 33rd Birthday

We know that stitches were inevitable with four active children. In fact, July 1st we signed up for an AFLAC accident insurance policy. It wasn’t a surprise that Caleb was the first have an unquestionable need for stitches. If you think that I am an irresponsible parent please stop reading here, but if you promise not to pass judgment you may continue. Here is the quick story: We were at a family reunion at my parents and my cousin brought some awesome miniature four wheelers. Caleb went for a ride with a few people including Josh, who was riding right next to him. Apparently Caleb was doing a great job driving, and he was in heaven. He couldn’t have been happier when he took off. At one point he turned to see Josh and he turned the wheels as well, right into a barbed wire fence. We were REALLY lucky that he walked away with only a few scratches, and that he didn’t crash at some other point in the road. It could have been so much worse.


It wasn’t a pretty sight, and he very obviously needed stitches so my sister Connie and I took him into the Preston ER. He received great care and six total stitches.


On a happier note, Cara participated in a Dance Camp with the high school Caprielles a few weeks ago. She loved it and was with her best friend Korinne. She and Korinne and another girl who live in the Cal-de-sac, Taylor, have been inseparable this summer. Now that it has cooled off a little, Cara has a very tight social agenda from about 9 AM to about 6 PM when I make her come in for dinner. The girls can be found hanging out in any of the three garages. (Going in each other’s houses has been off limits although they are sneaking that in a little more often.) This week they have used almost all of the supplies in our first aid kit bandaging themselves and their dolls. They are so darn cute it is hard to get mad at them, and whenever they know they have done something bad they clean up the mess making it hard for me to come up with a consequence.


So I turned 33 on August 28th. My best friend, Erica, keeps reminding me how old that is. I guess I am officially in my mid thirties. For some reason I have no problem with getting older. I feel very content with the things that I have accomplished and with age I feel like I have a few more things under my belt, like I am more credible.

Erica’s husband, Dave, planned an awesome date weekend that happened to fall over my birthday. He sure got Josh off the hook. We spent Friday night and Saturday in Bear Lake with NO KIDS! I haven’t been childless since before Andy was born. It was really nice! We took in two shows at the Pickelville Playhouse. I love live theater although I was expecting these shows to be really small town. I was blown away with how entertaining they were. I can be really critical, but I give them a 10 out of 10 for entertainment. I haven’t laughed that hard for a LONG time. Saturday we had a great time jet skiing, four wheeling, and visiting. It was a fantastic birthday weekend.


Okay, so I admit that there are some disadvantages of getting older. My body isn’t what it used to be. I have had terrible Plantar Fasciitis (foot pain) this summer. I have even resorted to icing my feet multiple times a day and wearing tennis shoes most of the time. I hate it. I also have really blotchy skin on my face. I got it REALLY bad when I was preggo with Andy, and it has never fully gone away. The sun makes it way worse. In fact, I am having a hard time being willing to post a birthday picture because my skin looks bad. Finally, my weight has always been consistent within five pounds, even through my pregnancies, but currently I am chubbier than I have ever been by 15 pounds. Today I wrote the following letter:

Dear Baby Weight,

I am writing to inform you that I have finished breast-feeding, you have served your purpose, and now it is time for you to go. You represent a pregnancy in which Zofran did its job. I appreciate that you have not joined me with my other pregnancies although I would choose you over constantly throwing-up which is why you have never been around before. I would invite you to stick around due to my love for food, but I have come to the conclusion that I like fitting into my pants more than I like food. I don’t think the “muffin top” is a good look for me. You will have to leave - the sooner the better!!! I have joined www.myfitnesspal.com and I look forward saying good by to you – until next time. If you try to blame a slow departure on my age or metabolism I am not against going to extreme measures, but I would appreciate your cooperation.

Sincerely,
Your Desperate Victim

Strangely Quiet

The start of a new school year brings with it all kinds of excitement and emotions. Although Caleb has been away for many hours at a time many times the start of first grade has left our home feeling strangely quiet. Caleb is so spirited. He will be missed. I am not often sentimental, but I sure love him. I didn’t think I would be sad saying good-by this morning, but I was. I asked him if he wanted me to walk him to the bus and he said, “why?” I told him that I needed to get my shoes and he said, “maybe you could just walk me to the bus some other day.” My little boy is growing up.



He has no idea what is about to hit him. This summer his “chores” have been reading, doing two pages of “homework”, and practicing the piano. Yesterday he asked if he can not do chores any more since he is starting first grade. I asked what he had in mind, I was thinking that he meant emptying the dishwasher or making his bed, but he wanted to give up reading and homework and just do it all at school. Oh boy, I guess he will learn soon enough how full his new life is going to be.

He is really excited about his new teacher, Mrs. Geddes, and about the friends he already has in his class. Mrs. Geddes is going to have her hands full! In his morning prayer today he prayed that he would be able to make good decisions and that he would be good at school. I hope that he keeps that desire. A couple of weeks ago while we were putting the kids to bed I was telling each of them how good they are. Caleb said, “No, I’m not good! I try to be, but sometimes I just make bad decisions.” I am excited to watch him grow up and learn to make better decisions, which I am confident he will.

We have had a really great week with our final days of summer celebrations. We spent Tuesday at the Redneck Waterslide in Wellsville and yesterday we took a group up to my parent’s garden and farm. The highlight for Caleb though was having his first fall soccer practice and going on a date with his mom. As we drove around getting new shoes and a new soccer uniform for our “date” he kept telling me, “I’m such a lucky boy!” I am grateful that he recognizes his blessings. I love that he is so is so vocal about expressing his gratitude when we do nice things for him. I really believe Caleb has a wonderful life ahead.

Favorite Party

Last winter I went to a "Favorite" party. I have been wanting to blog about it for about eight months now. I want to share some of the ideas from the party.

First, a little background, each person who was invited was instructed to bring a handout with some of their favorite things. The handout could include anything! (We also brought our favorite recipe and the dish to share, but that is a whole other blog entry for another time.) For most of the party we spent time going around the circle sharing our tips with each other. It was AWESOME! Following are some of the tips that I have used (or hope to use) in no particular order:

Favorite parenting resource: Family Information and Resource Center in Logan (www.loganfamilycenter.org) They offer free checking out of books, games, and other family and children's resources (and there are no due dates).

Favorite online family management system: onlinefamly.norton This is a Free online security. It allows you to manage where your children go online, how long they're on and show you what they're doing.

Favorite Pie Crust Dough: You can get it at Anderson's Seed in frozen balls. Ask for it at the seed counter.

Favorite Vacationing: You can rent houses at www.vrbo.com which stands for Vacation Rentals by Owner. It is a great way to travel with a family especially if you are going to be staying in one spot.

Favorite Sleep Aid: Homeopathic Melatonin the drops or spray work great for kids too.

Favorite Helpful Idea: When on a vacation in large crouds, put a lanyard around small children's neck with your cell phone numbers and names in case you get separated.

Favorite Time Saver: Buy precooked bacon at Macey's. Keep it in the freezer in a heavy duty freezer plastic baggie, and the next time a recipe calls for cooked/crumbled bacon - wa la - you don't have to cook it.

Favorite Lotion: Working Hands (at Kitchen Kneeds) in a green container.

Favorite Spiritual Tip: Listen to a general conference talk on CD while you get ready in the morning.

Favorite Hair Blog: www.shedoeshair.blogspot.com is a great resource to get ideas for doing little girls hair.

Favorite Cleaning Tip: Don Aslett's Wood Floor Restorer It takes some work to apply this stuff, but is well worth the time. It is amazing. My story is very similar to the gal who gave the tip. After being in our home four years our wood floor was starting to look worn in spots, but they weren't ready to refinish. This Wood Floor Restorer was like a miracle. It is awesome stuff!

Favorite Parenting Tip: (I haven't bught this yet, but this is what the gal said. I want to get it.) It is Children's Miracle Music "This CD was the answer for me to quit nagging. It lovingly explains each task that a child should do in order to get ready ON TIME in the morning and into bed at night. It truly has been a miracle in our home."

THOSE ARE SOME OF THE TIPS I REALLY LIKED FROM THE PARTY. I HAVEN'T TRIED ALL OF THEM, BUT I WANT TO. FOLLOWING ARE THE TIPS I SHARED. I DECIDED TO GO WITH THE "ONLINE THEME."

Carrie's Favorite Things . . . Online . . .

Saving Money on Groceries:
I am not a coupon clipper, but I check the site PinchingYourPennies.com before I go to the grocery store to see what groceries from that weeks ad are really a good deal. They have a five star system to show the best deals. If there is anything that has four or five stars, that my family uses, I stock up on it. To get to the Utah Grocery Stores use the following link: http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=62. Scroll down and select the grocery store you are going to. It is awesome to know what sale items are really worth buying.

Bountiful Baskets came to Cache Valley last winter. To get involved sign up online at bountifulbaskets.org. It costs $16.50 each time you participate and I figure it is about half of what I would pay at the grocery store for a big basket full of fresh produce. It is so fun to pick up my basket on Saturday morning and enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables all week. The trick with this group is that there are a limited number of baskets available each week at each site so you have to sign up on Monday night or Tuesday to get a basket for the next Saturday. Also, everyone is asked to take a turn volunteering about once for every 10 baskets they order.

Blogging:
I use blurb.com to turn our family blog into a book. I have created a book for each year I have blogged. Blurb has a program that downloads all of the photos and text into a book template to give you a great start. It requires some work from you to make things fit just right, but it is a rewarding project. The blog finally feels like the journal it is intended to be now that it is in print.

Vacation Planning:
If you are planning a trip to Disney Land go on KSL.com and go to the classifieds. (If you haven’t shopped on KSL Classifieds before they are awesome.) Search for “Disneyland Tickets.” You can share a six-day park hopper pass with another family. You have to use them within 14 days of each other, I believe, but our family did it last summer and it cost us about $20 per person per day for three days at Disney.

I always knew that Priceline.com was a cool place to get flights, but I didn’t realize the great deals you could get on hotels. The best deals come when you “make an offer.” Choose the number of stars that is the “best value.” Last summer we stayed at a four star Hyatt down town San Diego for $69 a night. Normally, that hotel starts at $200 per night. When you are making an offer start lower than you think will be accepted. You can get awesome deals near Disney Land too.

I really like the Travelocity.com fare watcher program for flights. You can create an account and then pick up to ten destinations that you would like Travelocity to watch for you. Go to the “my Travelocity” tab on the top of the site and select the “your fare watcher” program. I have gotten some awesome deals this way.

Teaching Preschoolers:
When I first heard of Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann I thought it was hokey, but it really is a great program. It is scripted and the book isn’t very pretty, but it really does work. You can get it on Amazon.com for $15.

I don’t really believe in parents teaching their own children piano, but with a college minor in music education I thought I would get my kids started. I am a big fan of My First Piano Adventure by Faber. You can learn about the Faber’s programs at pianoadventures.com. Their program isn’t at all like the way I learned piano. It is so fun and intuitive.

Preschool and Early Elementary Kids Web Sites:
(We don’t have a TV, but my kids keep up on the latest with these great sites. These sites were the best thing that ever happened to me while I was pregnant with number four.)

Nickjr.com
Click on “kids” at the top of the page. You will find hundreds of games and episodes. My four year old can navigate this part of the site with no problems and with very little help she can play almost all of the games. If your child is new to using the web and the computer I would start with this site.

Playhousedisney.com
My kids could spend countless hours on this site. This section of the site is designed for preschoolers with Playhouse Disney episodes, games and interactive stories.

PBSKids.com
I really like this site because the episodes and games are more educational, but it requires an early elementary child to navigate it independently.

Summer Sanity

One main thing that helps me to be sane in the summer is our summer group coop which is why I am blogging right now. (Caleb and Cara are currently gone.) Caleb and Cara go to "summer group" for three hours every Monday. I take my turn to host one week a month. The brake is good for all of us. Last week Cody (my brother) came and did what has become our annual rocket launch. It is so fun for the kids and for Cody.

First, Cody talked to them about the rockets and taught them how to get them ready to launch.


The kids helped prep the rockets.


They counted down and took turns launching them.


This one the parachute didn't come out and it came down like a missile head first into the park.


What a fun tradition.

Sisters

The other day I walked into the nursery where I had left Ali in her little chair and this is what I found.


Cara was "fixing" Ali's hair. Ironically Ali is almost completely balled except for a little patch of hair in the back. Cara loves her little sister and Ali is such a good sport about all of the attention she receives.

I love it when siblings where matching cloths but having boy, girl, boy, girl gender order puts a damper on that. I did find these cute little summer dresses that match for Cara and Ali.


Ali also started solids this month. She looks at me like I am trying to poison her when I feed her, but she doesn't cry. She just hates it. I hope that will end soon. This picture is a cute little girl in our ward, Malory, who loves babies and is always willing to help with Ali.


It may not look like it in this picture, but it took me to my forth to figure out that gravity really helps when feeding a baby solids. I have always used a high chair making it much easier for them to spit out their food. If I lay them on the floor it just slips back and they have very little choice other than to swallow.

Mutton Bustin

This summer Caleb and Cara have done a little mutton bustin. Caleb was too big to sign up to do it at That Famous Preston Night Rodeo and he was sad about that so he took his turn riding a sheep at the 24th of July Celebration in Mendon. He was really scared and went very last. By that point they weren't even letting go of the sheep and they were letting the kids ride backwards. They said that they could hold on better and didn't have as far to fall. So here is Caleb riding a sheep backwards being held onto, just like he wanted. He was still scared!


Cara rode hers at the rodeo. Here she is pre ride.


Unfortunately the picture of her coming out of the shoot turned out like this.


She is a brave little soul, but she wasn't very happy about coming off. Grandpa Neil was right out there to help her. I think it is just as fun for him as it is for the kids. I am pretty sure that he gets more nervous about it than they do. I wondered if I am a bad parent putting my child on a wild sheep, but heck you only live once.

Gather Joy

Gather Joy was the theme of an Academy for Girls Reunion/Retreat I went to last weekend. Going to this overnighter in Midway with 40 of the most outstanding women I have ever known was just what I needed. It was so "Academy", I mean, there is a special magic about the details and the spirit that I felt as I worked three summers before my mission at Academy for Girls. The magic was at the reunion and the spirit was so thick. There are a few things about this reunion that I would like to remember and that might bless you as well.

First, it seems that many people are struggling to find JOY. I highly recommend you take a look at this talk by "Finding Joy in Life" Elder Richard G. Scott, Ensign, May 1996, 24. I hope that it will help you on your quest to Gather JOY.

I want to share some of the ideas that struck me as I sat in the workshops at the retreat. If I can remember them and implement them consistently they will make me a better mom, wife, and person.

"Teaching Our Children from the Scriptures", Cheryl C. Lant, Ensign, August 2010
Pattern for teaching children from the scriptures:
1. Clearly identify the doctrine.
2. Help the children understand the doctrine.
3. Help them apply the doctrine to their lives.
4. Encourage them to pray for a witness of the Spirit that what they are learning is true.

Josh and I are fairly diligent in having regular family scripture reading and prayer, but I really want to do better at studying the scriptures with the kids, not just reading them. Someone said, "Reading the scriptures is boring, studying the scriptures is exciting." Some other ideas for family scripture study are singing "Scripture Power" every day before reading, reading while the kids are eating breakfast so they are quiet still and listening, and reading until you find something that will inspire you for the day.

I would also like to put my gospel art kit into a binder with page protectors. (The old one that has the stories on the back of the pictures. They don't sale it any more, but it can be printed online.) Someone said that their parents would let them pick a picture each night and they would read the back for the bedtime story. What a great way to teach children the scripture stories.

I am coming to the conclusion that Sunday is a VERY important time to teach children and that part of keeping the Sabbath Holy is to have gospel centered discussion. One idea was to have children each share something they are learning in their personal scripture study on Sunday afternoons. There seems to be a big emphasis on teaching children PERSONAL scripture study and prayer habits not just doing it as a family. My kids are still little, but I believe it is possible to create those habits. I just need to become more dedicated to making that happen. Josh and I have tried a few times to have a formal testimony meeting on Sunday afternoons. I would like to do that more consistently and I believe that I also need to make time every Sunday to have one on one "interviews" with my kids. Of course I talk to them all the time, but I don't often have one on one time with them. I think that tend to stand back as women and hope that our husbands will have interviews with the kids. I went to a fireside given by my stake president recently and he said that we as women have every right, and we should be conducting personal "interviews" with our children just as regularly as our husbands do.

The following quote puts things into perspective for me. "Parents must bring light and truth into their homes by one family prayer, one scripture study session, one family home evening, one book read aloud, one song, and one family meal at a time. They know that the influence of righteous, conscientious, persistent, daily parenting is among the most powerful and sustaining forces for good in the world. The health of any society, the happiness of its people, their prosperity, and their peace all find common roots in the teaching of children in the home." "mothers Teaching Children in the Home", L. Tom Perry, Ensign, May 2010

I am so grateful to be a member of the true Church of Jesus Christ and for the awesome support it provides for the family. There is a seemingly bottomless supply of quotes, thoughts and resources to help the family. I hope that we can all Gather JOY.

Best wishes to my dear Academy friends. Thank you for being an inspiration in my life. I love you!