Hold on Tight

Louis and Sheridy are visiting this week, so we decided to have another combined activity. I knew that if we had this activity in the backyard, Dad and Louis would just sit in the family room watching tv, so we went up the canyon.
The kids circled their chairs around Dad and he read the story of the tree of life. After the scripture story, we led the kids into the woods, blindfolded them, and told them to hold to the rod. At the end of the "rod" Grandpa was there giving encouragement to each child. Along the path the rest of the adults were tempting the kids to let go. Bailee was doing great until Sheridy asked her to take her hand and she would get some money. She let go of the rod and then started to cry realizing what had happened. But there is always repentance and after a second try, she made it to Grandpa, along with all the other kids:




At one point, Louis even picked up Jeremy and was pulling him, trying to get him to let go of the rod, but Jeremy held on tight and made it safely to Grandpa. After everyone had a turn, Matt started a fire and we roasted marshmallows. As soon as Dad saw Matt light that fire, he made a beeline for the Durango and that is where he stayed.

All the cousins had fun making s'mores, laughing, and talking to each other.

Where's the Fireworks

For Pioneer Day this year, we packed up the car and headed to Cedar City.  Thanks to my friend, Amber, she got us a screaming deal at the Crystal Inn.  Friday morning however, we went to Newcastle's little celebration.  They have a little 1 block parade where they throw TONS of candy.

It was a fun, laid-back day.

After the parade, they had a program inside the church, and then they brought out the huge waterslides, and the kids had a blast.


After a pork lunch, we headed back to Cedar City so visit some of "our" spots.  Our first stop:

This bench is along the canyon trail.  We spend countless hours on that bench talking, reading to each other, or watching Jeremy playing in the creek alongside it.  We LOVE that bench. 
Next, Park Discovery:


I kept chasing after the kids, trying get some pictures of them playing around, but they were literally running every which way, so none of them turned out too well.  Matt was a sport and played on the tire swing and immediately after getting off, got really sick and had to sit down the rest of the night.
That night we headed to Enoch because Louis and Sheridy were in town and we thought that we might actually get to see some fireworks.  At the church, they were having a little dance, and the kids were going to town:

After driving around Enoch, we decided that they weren't going to do fireworks, so we lit some off in the parking lot and heade back to the hotel.  The next morning we were up early, had an awesome breakfast, and then lounged by the pool for a while.  After we checked out at noon, we decided to show the kids the campus.

Then we took to the kids to the place where Matt proposed:


After a quick lunch, we dropped the kids off at Danielle's (thanks again) house while we went to the St. George temple with my family.  It was a great session, and memories of Matt and I dating and going to the temple came flooding back to me.  After the session, we headed back up to Cedar where Nate and Danielle greeted us with a steak dinner.  Unfortunately we had to eat and run and we were on the road back home.  It was a relaxing weekend and I am glad that we got to spend some time together.

Snowcones, Smoke, and Sisters

OK, so I survived.  It's been almost two weeks, but I am fully recovered.  I survived girls camp.  Yes there was 90 degree heat, but the girls were kind enough to get the leaders snow cones every afternoon.  Apart from the nature, and the bugs, and the smoke, it was a great girls camp, and yes, I did sleep in a tent.
And sit by a fire.
 
We were kept busy with skits.
 
and faith walks

With activities certification. 
 
Roasting marshmallows. 

Crafts. Limbo.

A little segment we like to call "Star Talk With Stacy"

Some "Pearly Shells" hula.
 
And a closing luau, complete with a whole roasted pig.

It was a great time, where friendships were made and strengthened, and where I saw Christ-like love abound in all the girls in our ward.   And for that, I can stand a little dirt, a little heat, and a little smoke.

 

A Pleasant Stampede

This years Ute Stampede was actually pleasant.  It wasn't sweltering hot and it was pretty laid back.  Linsey was up for the week so we all (everyone but dad) put on our Ute Stampede shirts for the Horse parade.  

The kids were so cute waving at the horses. Kyle would jump up and down and say "Look at the hee hees Abby."  It was cute.
After the parade I sent Matt to the rodeo with the two kids while I stayed home and tended Zoey.
The next day we headed to the Mammoth Parade.  The opening was cool, they had an apache helicopter fly down Main Street.  I didn't get my camera out in time, but it was awesome. Then, the begging of candy began.  I was  surprised at how many businesses gave out stuff other than candy.  There were frisbees, water bottles, t-shirts, and balls.   The kids had fun hanging out with their cousins and running down the street trying to get some candy.  After the parade, we went home and got ready for the rodeo that night.  I love the opening ceremonies of the Ute Stampede, I tear up everytime Lee Greenwood sings "I'm Proud to Be an American" as the flag drops from the sky.  Because it was the 75th anniversary, they added a little fire to the opening act to spice things up.
  
 
Then the rodeo began.  I wasn't very interested in it.  Finally, I couldn't take the awful jokes and the cramped space, so we left after the bull fighting began.  We beat the crowd home and we were in bed before 11.  The next day, the men went to the car show and the women went shopping.  That night, the Stokers had a little emergency so Matt and I decided to take care of dinner for everyone.  As we were sitting around the table talking we came to the conclusion that we would rather stay home than go to the rodeo.  It was fun, but after you see it once, there really isn't any difference the other days.  So Matt and I spent a nice evening at home with the kids.  It was a pleasant weekend.

Enough is Enough

Lately I have been having a hard time sleeping.  I either get too hot or too cold.  So I'm a little tired.  I was sitting at work one day when my eyes started to get heavy.  I could feel my eyes start to shut.  I hear one of my co-workers (lets call him John) talking in the background.  Suddenly my eyes pop open and I scream, "ENOUGH!"  Before I continue, I think a little back story is in order.  So I have been working with the Ludlows for two years now.  My co-worker, John, has been a surveyor/drafter his entire professional career.  He can calculate and draft like nobody's business.  You'd think that would make him fairly intellectual.  Right?  Wrong!  Like him, I grew up in this community, I went to Juab High School, so there is no excuse for his lack of education.  What could he possibly due to cause such an emotional response out of me?  Well, for two years I have had to sit at my desk and listen to him misuse the word "done."  Example:  "I done that yesterday and it looked alright to me."  Another?  "I done what the client asked me to and he was still upset."  More? "We done it last week and you'll get your map any day now."  Do I need to go on, because I can.  I have 2 years of examples that have been driving me crazy.  Lately it has been getting so bad that whenever I hear him say done, I verbally say did.  Not loud enough for him to hear mind you, but I can't control it, whenever I hear him say done, I have to say did out loud so it makes sense in my mind. 
Back to a few days ago.  As I was drifting off to sleep, John was on the phone and once again he "done a good job on something or other."  Something started to bubble up inside me and I snapped awake, stood up, looked toward him and screamed, "ENOUGH."  I couldn't take it anymore.  I was feeling myself getting more stupid by the second.  I threw caution to the wind.  John was shocked.  All I could say was, "Did, John, Did.  It is "did" not "done" it is not that hard to remember.  Did!!  Did!!  I could feel myself lose grip with reality.  I found myself repeating "did" over and over.  Almost like my mind was in the fetal position and the only defense was to repeat the grammar offense over and over.  Things were starting to get a little hazy, then suddenly . . . I woke up.  I had dreamed the entire scenario.  I looked over at John and he was still on the phone happily saying "done" whenever the occasion called for it.  I grabbed my purse and decided to take a break in case I really did say something.  If I had continued to dream, I wonder if John would have gotten the hint and started using "did" instead of "done."  Hmm.  I doubt it.

Swallow Him Whole

Lately my kids have gotten into a nasty habit of not being obedient.  Last week Jeremy had it in his mind that he was going to sleep over to Grandma and Grandpas no matter what.  We told him no and put him to bed.  A little while later, we went in to check on him and he was gone!!  The first place we looked was over to Grandma's, but he was no where to be found.  We looked for 30 minutes and didn't find him anywhere.  I was starting to panic.  Suddenly Mom called and said that he was hiding underneath Grandpa's bed.  Along with the torturing punishment we dealt out, we decided to have a little FHE about being obedient, and what better example than Jonah.  Linsey was up for the week, so I figure we would have a combined FHE with her, mom and dad, and the Stokers.  I had mom make some boats with the kids before I got off work and then we headed up the canyon.
I had made some puppets to go along with the story, and as Dad read the story of Jonah, I acted it out with my puppets.  The kids loved it.  Jeremy kept saying that everyone need to mind or they would get swallowed by a whale.  After we read the story, the kids each grabbed their boat and we sailed down the creek.  They really enjoyed it.

 
The kids would squeal with excitement when the boats would sail past.
 
Tyler was so excited that he slipped and took a head dive into the river.  Once they sailed down the creek they docked in a calm harbor.

I explained that the boats all huddled together were our family and that the calm harbor was Heavenly Father and that He would always take care of us as long as we were obedient.  The kids were getting antsy so we gathered everything up and went back to roast marshmallows.  This is one of the few times that Dad allowed a fire.  The kids had a ball roasting marshmallows.  Hopefully Jeremy and Bailee will be more obedient.  Only time will tell.

A 4th of July First

This year, the celebration at the park wasn't as sweltering as previous ones.  Matt was up at 6 to go down to the park and serve breakfast.  I was happily asleep.  The young women were in charge of hair painting and I had signed up to go at 10am when all the rides opened.  Mom decided to take my kids to all of the rides.  She did manage to get a few pictures.

After my shift at the hair painting was over, we grabbed some lunch and Jeremy insisted on going on the jail ride.  Bailee would have none of it though.  She remember how the "mean boys" would run along the ride and shoot all the kids with their squirt guns, so she refused to ride.  Jeremy loved it though:
 
We left the park around 3:30 so Matt could mow the lawns and we could relax until the fireworks.  Around 8:30 that night we had a 4th of July first, the wind starts blowing and the clouds rolled in.  Suddenly it started to rain, and we knew the fireworks would be cancelled.  So Matt and I grabbed a blanket and cuddled downstairs until we both fell asleep.  It was a nice relaxing 4th.  And I will always remember 2009 was the year that it rained.