Abby is Eight

Cake Pops-I have been thinking about trying these for a long time, so I did. It was a lot of work for a little bite, but so cute. If you are at all interested, look here. It is basically crumbled cake mixed with the frosting, made into chilled balls and dipped in chocolate coating. And don't forget the sprinkles...lots of sprinkles!
Abby"s star on the "walk of Fame"
Isabel playing "pin the string on the guitar"

Abby turned eight on this week. She is so excited! She is one of the youngest in her class, so it has been a long time coming. We invited a lot of little girls and most were able to come. They had a lot of fun getting accesorized like a rock star, crimping hair, doing air bands, playing with balloons and all the other activities. Abby got some really cute presents and she was very happy. It was stressful to put all together, and Scott ended up being out of town the week before and the day of the party, but luckily I found someone to watch the little girls so I could focus on Abby. The difference between and eight yr old party and a 4 yr old party is very apparent, and I am sorry to say SO MUCH EASIER on the mom!

Abby is so smart and interested in everything. She is a great helper and I probably rely on her too much as the oldest, but she is so good at it. She loves her sisters, even if there is the occasional squabble. She loves to read and is going through many chapter books now. She really tries to do what is asked of her and we are so thankful to have Abby in our family. Happy birthday! She will be baptized on August 6. In our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, children are baptized at eight, which we believe is the age where they start to become accountable for their choices. She will be baptized by immersion by her dad. We are so excited for this special day!

Fence Finally Finito!

Scott working hard cementing in posts
The view from the porch
After months of planning, our fence in actually done! we began a long time ago figuring what kind of fence and how many of everything we needed to do the project. Thank goodness for the internet, it helped a lot. We then had someone with a tractor plow up the ground, then had our rock picking party. We also had another nice guy come and smooth out our dirt, then we added five loads of soil to the top and leveled it. After all that, we could start on the actual fence. We had many issues slowing us down, including that time we installed a huge row of posts across the back of our property, only to get a nice letter from the city explaining that we need to move our fence back 5 feet. Even though we had a signed permit....anywho. Before that we broke an auger on rocks. Scott rented a different auger in Moab (paying hourly and it's an hour away) to finish the holes on the sides. He did, and returned it and 20 minutes later we got our letter. We decided not to go through the drama fighting the city, so we pulled out all the posts and chipped off the cement. We also had an insane rainstorm on our way home from buying all the cement, so we had some stiff bags despite tarping everything. Most of them survived, but we did have to buy more cement and a few poles. And of course, another trip to Blanding for ONE little post topper.

On the bright side, Scott worked and worked (when he wasn't at his job) to install the posts and get them nice and straight. We love being close to the school, church and Temple, but it does lead to the entire town driving past our yard. We had many slow down and look, some comments thrown out, but I guess we ought to get used to it, there isn't much going on in this town! After we finally got all the poles in the ground, we spent a few days adding all the pieces and parts and tension bars. Scott did get a little help at the end to put up the rolls of fencing, but it was mostly our endeavor. He spent one evening putting up our 4 gates, and it is finished! It is nice to have it done, but the big kids can open the gate and they play with the neighbors so much that we still have children running free. But with a little height adjustment, and with school starting in a few weeks, I think I will be able to keep my little ones corralled. Phew!

Busy June

Whitney turned two on May 30th. I can't believe she is so big. She is still my little momma's girl, so she seems like my baby instead of a big girl. She was sick on her actual birthday, so we got her balloons and cupcakes a few days later. She did not complain. Whitney is saying more words every day and loves to copy everything she hears. She is loving outside, especially the swing, which she would stay in all day if someone would push her. She is a great cheerleader to her sisters and they love her so much. Whitney also has her Daddy wrapped around her finger. We love Whitney and are so glad to have her in our family.

Isabel learned to really swim! She is not at all afraid of getting in the water and just loved lessons. They want to go swimming every day. Isabel can even swim on her back. She is very proud of being able to do a "dolphin kick" which seems to be swimming with just your feet. She is apparantly the only kid in the world who can do this :)

Abby also loved her lessons and her time at the pool. She still doesn't want her head in the water, which makes swimming difficult, but she'll get it and then there will be no stopping her. Isabel and Abby will be in the same class in about a week, which will mean a lot less runs back and forth from the pool for me.

Tball is going quite well, although it is a demanding schedule for the little ones. It is ages 4-6, so Isabel and Sara could be on the same team. Isabel loves it, Sara, not so much. She does love the sdjacent park, and the treat at the end. Oh well, we tried.

Sara is a good batter, but will just stand there after. She marches to her own tune, that girl.

Abby ended up on a team with boys and they use a pitching machine. It is very fast, but she has gotten a few hits. Her previous Tball skills from Eagle Mountain are a little forgotten, she gets a bit lost but she is getting better in every area. We need to practice more at home. She likes it a lot, though, and it is so nice to have all her friends on the teams, so they get to socialize and I get to know a lot of the parents better.

We (me and about 15 other moms)recently went to the School District meeting to attempt to get Abby's large grade to have three smaller classes of 20 (as they have been since Kindergarten) instead of two large classes around 30. The school generally has 2 small classes for each grade, but having gone through the same thing when I went to school, I am hoping they can figure out a way to avoid this. Abby is smart and good, so I am not worried about that, I just want her to not get lost in the shuffle of that many kids. I know lots of schools have big classes, it's just one of the huge benefits of the small town that Abby may not get. And I don't know what they will do in the upcoming years. We will see, it didn't look promising, but we made an effort.

A little craft time. Summer boredom is setting in for my school girls, they want to be busy all the time, but they loved painting while Whitney slept.

Our one Crayfish we caught in Recapture Reservoir. You put hotdogs on a string of some kind and put them near rocks. The crayfish latch on to eat and you can pull them up. Or you can build a trap for them. We didn't have much luck, but I got this guy in a bucket right as we were headed out. It was fun for the girls, and a nice, quick, and free outing.

Summer so far has been super busy but it's good. I am glad the girls could finally get back in swimming lessons, so I can feel confident taking them to the pool by myself. Baseball is pretty involved, but as they get older they can decide if they like it or not. Right now we are making plans for 4th of July weekend, with Stadium of Fire, which is a big concert in the football stadium at BYU. Brad Paisley and David Archuleta are performing, and then a huge fireworks display at the end. People come from everywhere and sit outside for the fireworks, like we did last year. It should be fun, and it's exciting the kids are getting old enough to do these kinds of things. That is on the 2nd. On Monday, the 4th we may head to Fillmore for their celebration with a lot of the Watsons, most of scott's Uncle Kerry and AuntTafta's kids will be here from all over the country. They have a big ol' small town party there, so we will see. Scott has to work the whole weekend but we are trying to figure things out. The rest of the summer willl be a lot of the same, but Pioneer Day on the 24th here in town and a bunch of my fam coming into town, then Abby gets baptized the first week of August!

goodbye Ruby

On friday we took Ruby to her new family. She was a sweet and good dog, and had amazing potential. We had a pretty difficult and stressful week, not counting the dog, and it came down to simplifying what we could. Obviously it is sad for us and the girls but I figured it was better to do it like a Band-Aid, instead of waiting to see if it would get better, and have it just get harder. So she will be happy in New Mexico and we will be ok. moving on....

The big 3-0

A lot of these pics are on facebook as well. deal with it :)

An awesome lizard we saw on the side of the road
Yellow-headed collared lizard.
Lewis lodge where we hiked to
If you can click on this and enlarge it, you can read about it.
bunch of the cacti were just about to bloom, so pretty.

ancient corn cobs from 1200-1300 AD
Scott by the two story building
the other side of the canyon where we climbed down.
Picture down the canyon with a pool from a seep with hanging garden.
Looking into Arch Canyon
A small but beautiful creek with waterfalls on the way home


Bouquet Mom sent for the birthday, with my cards and leftover anniversary flowers.

Scott's parents were down for the weekend of my birthday to visit and help us work on the fence. We took advantage of the great babysitting to go on a hike ALL BY OURSELVES! it's been a while. Scott brings home a lot of pictures and stories, so i feel like I know about these places, but it was wonderful to really get out there. The weather was perfect, too. Not common this "spring." We drove south, past Blanding and then on dirt roads for a while. We then hiked across to the edge of the canyon and hiked and climbed our way down to the crevice where the cliff dwellings are. You follow the crack around and get to a stone wall entrance where the Anasazi could guard their homes. It is quite high up but wide enough it isn't really scary. There are a lot of different buildings and they go on far down the cliff. We didn't go past where it was getting really narrow. There are all the stone buildings, and wood that dates to about 1200 AD. The corn cobs are kind of unbelievable, but it is so dry they are still there. We explored around then headed back. I wish I could hike like that every day, so much more fun that being yelled at by Jillian Michaels in my basement! The lizard in the pics was so cool, I just spotted him on the side of the road, sunning himself on a rock. I got out to take pics and he just stared and hung out, and I was really close since I don't have a good zoom lens. It was a fun day. Earlier, the girls and I and Jane went to Wal Mart to let the menfolk work on the fence. I got myself a DQ cake. So that was the big day. I don't really feel too worried about my age. I still feel young, and people still ask me if Whitney is my first baby, so that helps. I do see wedding announcements and think the happy couples look like teenagers, but I guess that is gonna happen. They probably look at me like a boring old mom who has not much in common with them. shrug. life goes on. Thanks to all of you who called or sent a card or note on Facebook.

White dresses and golden fur...

Both sides of the family at the Cardston Temple
My girls with the happy couple
Whitney loves her brand-new Auntie!
Fun wedding favors
With Great Gran
All the cousins together. They all played so well this time, I am excited they are old enough to remember each other now. A lot of fun was had, not a lot of sleep... We left Monticello at about 11 am on thursday. We drove to Orem and dropped off a few things, went to the bathroom and grabbed some food. We then drove to Dillan, Montana. The next day we made it to Cardston, AB. I used my US passport for the first time, Scott did not want to deal with two passports for me. It felt a little weird, but it's a lot simpler not having to prove I am allowed back into the States. We were so lucky to get to stay with Brother and Sister Hornberger, who introduced my mom to the LDS church and helped us and taught us so much over the years. We are all friends with their many children, and grew up with them. They have a great little house that is built for grandkids to visit, and the girls loved them. I think the Hornbergers liked spoiling them, too. We met up with Peter and Pam, and Dad there and went to a Chinese restaurant. The place and the service was a little different, but the food was delicious and plentiful. we filled two whole tables and it was a little crazy, but fun. On the way back, we realized I did not have my temple recommend, which shows good standing in the church to allow entrance to the temple the next day. So after a few phone calls that was all sorted out. We all got some much-needed rest and got up ready to go to the wedding.
We got there in good time and left the kids in the care of my dad. Unfortunately, he cannot go in the temple, which is sad for us, but he has been great about it. This explains a little about the temple. The wedding ceremony is short and special, we are so thankful this wedding is not "til death do us part" but continues on forever. Dan and Melissa were happy in their own quiet ways. Afterwards we went outside to wait and be attacked by mosquitos. Somehow I am the only one who ended up with bites all over my legs, but I did defend many people. We mingled and visited until the fancy couple came out, looking radiant. Melissa's dress was beautiful. There was not really a photographer, but many pictures were taken. After that we all got packed up and headed to Claresholm, where we had a family lunch. After that we went to the church for the reception. It was so good to see a lot of people from my side of the family, and a few friends from a while back. The kids had fun running around. Natalie and Abby were in charge of the present pile and they did a very good job keeping it neat. After the newlyweds left in a shower of bubbles, we drove North to High River where Pete and Pam live. we stayed and played for a few days before making our way back down to the USA. We got to Dillan again the first day, and then after a quick stop in Orem to visit Scott's grandparents, we went the long way around in order to pick up our puppy. It was a very quick and yet very long trip, but we wouldn't have missed it. The girls did amazing thanks to some good books on CD and brand new Barbie movies. Whitney struggled, but I don't blame her. Scott was a trooper and drove the whole way. It ended up being between 16 and 18 hours each way, with only a few short stops. The four hours home with the dog were nerve-wracking for me, I didn't know how it would go, if she would be car sick or whiny but she did great, slept a lot of the time and went potty when we stopped.

We decided to name her Ruby, a name we all more or less agreed on. She is a sweet puppy, and we have benefited from being late picking her up. Our breeder's friend took care of her for a few weeks and she has raised guide dogs, so she seems to be off to a great start on training, and even sleeps all night! I keep wanting to knock on wood. She is coming out of her shell more each day, so we shall see in the next little while. But for now she is a smart girl, she is energetic, but not overly so. She is already learning some tricks and is doing great in all other puppy areas. She LOVES Scott, and he may like her a little The girls like her a lot, Whitney and Sara don't like when she jumps on them, but we'll get used to each other and it will be ok. So school is out, summer begins with baseball and T-ball and swimming lessons and new puppy and all four kids all day, but hopefully it will be a fun one.

Easter and Spring Festival

Isabel at the Spring Festival, she sang and told the story of Columbus

Abby talked about Jamestown. She drew the 50 dollar bill above her head.

The ward had an egg hunt, the girls had a lot of fun

Whitney

Happy Easter

We kept things pretty simple this year, and had the candy part of Easter on saturday so we could focus on church and Jesus on Sunday. The Easter bunny was good to the girls, with a little help from Grandma CC.

After church on Sunday we came home, changed, ate and hit the road for Fillmore. There, we were able to meet our puppy. she is a lot tinier than she looks in the pictures. I didn't take any other pics, but it's only a few weeks now. The puppy with no tail was an option again, but when Whitney laughed (screeched) at her, she went into the kennel, while the other one stayed to play with the girls, so we picked her. After we looked at those two, they brought in all the other puppies, and things got a little crazy. We left, went to visit scott's Aunt and Uncle, then drove to Orem. We spent Monday shopping, stocking up at Costco and buying fence and cement. it ended up taking all day, the load was 8000 lbs. We were grateful we could borrow Scott's dad's trailer and that we had the Suburban. we won't talk about our mileage on the way home....

So our chainlink fence supplies sit in the garage, a guy came over to plow up the weedy field behind our house, we are planning to pick all the rocks out, add a smooth coat of dirt, move a few things around and then get the fence going. We have athe deadline of the wedding trip when we pick up the puppy on our way home, so hopefully it gets done. We are also waiting for window well covers to be done and then our yard will be a lot safer for everyone, but especially Whitney. She wants so badly to be outside, but it makes me nervous. That's all for now. Hopefully our next posts can be the evolution of our backyard.