Happy Pioneer Day!

Today is double post day. I didn't want to make such a lengthy display as I did over the 4th. So, here we will blog about the 24th, and please feel free to check out the blog below about our recent move to Heber.

First of all, Kaeleb has outgrown his bike. We made him a deal that if he did extra jobs around the house for a while, he could earn a new, bigger one. We told Bren that he could earn Kaeleb's old bike if he helped. (Ha! We tricked the kid into working for a hand me down!) So, they have worked very hard, which has been easy with the move, and yesterday they took their first spin on the new bikes. Kaeleb was so excited and happy that he rode two whole miles!

Stay tuned next week for pictures of Kwint's new wheels... The last two times we have moved into a new house we have also bought a new car and had a baby. No, this is not an announcement, I am not pregnant, but we are buying a new car tomorrow. We have been planning on it anyway, because the Saturn is not the car for driving to Park city or up and down Parley's canyon in the winter. We would have waited, but the AC in the Saturn went out and we didn't want to pay to fix a car we were not going to keep anyway. We went car shopping on Friday and put money down on a Dodge Nitro, which we pick up tomorrow at 4pm. Sometimes I wonder about us and why we add stress during stressful times, but hey, it is tradition.

Yesterday we went to Kris and Barbi's for a 24th BBQ and fireworks. The boys (meaning Kris and Kwint) had soooo much fun with fireworks. The kids were very happy as well. The all time faves were the dinosaurs that shoot fire out their mouths and then backs and then feet, as well as some big displays that were surprisingly pretty for being ground fireworks.

I know this is not a cute picture of me, but I had to include it because I am wearing a sweater. On July 24th. I am so acclimated to St. George. Winter will be a shock to my system I am sure. This should be fun.

In this one, they are waiting for a parachute to fall. They loved them! They launched so many parachutes and ran all over the neighborhood to catch them, including the neighbor's roof.

For some reason, Kwint and I go ga ga over the back of our kids' heads. We love nothing as much as the way we feel when we look at them together, even the backs of their heads.


We are so blessed by the sacrifices the Pioneers made for us. I truly cannot imagine crossing the plains. I know I am far too wimpy to have survived and know that the Lord knows me well to have placed me here today, but I respect and revere the brave souls who made Utah what it is today. Even though I was not raised here, my mom was, and I would not be who I am were it not for her ancestors paving the way.

Today would have been my Dad's 56th birthday and I can't post without paying tribute to my Daddy. Love him forever, miss him for now.

Moving Day

Home Sweet Home! We are officially moved. It was a three day process getting it all in and will be a three month (or more) project getting it all unpacked. On Thursday (the 15th)Kwint's mom and I filled two cars full of our things that we brought to Layton and took them to Heber.

On Friday Kwint and his parents drove down to St. George and spent the evening loading the U-Haul. My sweet hubby worked so hard and so many friends and family came to help. Our well trained EQ buddies packed it all in good and tight in just a few short hours in the blistering heat. We were so thankful for all the friends and family who came to our service! On our own, we could never have done it... especially on the hottest day of the year thus far down there. I was sad that I stayed behind, but I had to be here so that good ol' RC Willey could drop off the fridge and microwave.

The boys and I came up to Heber Friday night (the 16th)and had a little slumber party on the floor. It was not as fun as I thought it sounded. Kaeleb didn't fall asleep until 11:30pm because he did not like not having a bed and he forgot his suddenly very precious teddy bear-- even though he had his Buddly Lou, the Green Lantern, his Monkey AND his furry bear-- poor baby bear was left all alone at Grandma's house. As soon as he fell asleep Brennan woke up and cried "Where is my Daddy? My legs hurt! I don't like this floor! I want my bed!" He was up until 2:30.

We didn't get bored or lonely waiting for the truck though. Shelley came and brought us food, in "you get to keep these as housewarming gifts" containers. I got a double crock pot, a new cooler and three Pyrex casserole dishes. WOW! She is my favorite adopted sister. After she left, Paul and July brought a truckload of things from Layton. (I accumulated a few large items while we stayed there, planning ahead, you know?) It was fun to talk to them and share our food. Not long after they left, the big truck finally arrived and the chaos commenced. The EQ here showed up bringing a few strong men with jovial attitudes, for whom we are truly grateful.

We went to bed tired that night. This picture is the chaos that resulted from speedy unpacking. For FHE we broke down boxes and to take to the recycling center.



Now, 8 days later, with not a box left in the house, here are a few shots of our home. (Just don't ask about the boxes in the garage or the basement. That is a party for another day.)


This is the bunk bed Kaeleb earned by being brave and going to bed on his own. We are so proud of our little guy!


We love Heber! Everyone we have met is super nice. The post office guy, the city people, the trash company, our new bug guys, and wowsers-- our neighbors! We are completely surrounded by nice people with kids the same ages as ours. We are so thankful and excited to get to know everyone.

Our ward is wonderful so far. We have been very welcomed. It is huge and will probably split soon as they are receiving one to two new move ins every week. We don't feel like we stand out too much because everyone else is new too.

So, halfway through Gospel Doctrine a man made a comment, and when I turned to look at him it was none other than Michael McLean. I totally stared because I was telling myself it couldn't be him, but he has one of those unmistakable hair do's, if not faces. I decided I would rather not introduce myself, although I have met him before and sang in a back up choir at one of his concerts many years ago, I felt a teensy bit awkward. Who'd have thought that Michael McLean would be in my ward? I am still weirded out.

We also have had a lot of fun with Kris and Barbi and their kids. It is always an instant party to have family close by. We are excited for this new chapter in our lives. And tired. Definitely tired.

Boondocks, Fireworks, Boating, and By The Way, We're Finally Moving!

Get ready for the ONSLAUGHT. We took a few vacation days to enjoy the 4th and took about 200 hundred pics. I chose a "few"... they posted backwards, so we will start with yesterday and work our way back to the 2nd of July.

We had sooo much fun! Tam and Dave came for a week and Kris and Barbi came for a few days as well, so we had a house full of cousins and the boys were in heaven. I have purposely left out a good many pics I wanted to post, and I will condense the itinerary for the sake of us all.

But first, we are actually moving into our new house on Saturday! S-WEET! Kwint is going down on Friday to load up our stuff and bring it home on Saturday morning. We spent ALL day yesterday putting up blinds. Thanks to Uncle Kris for putting together the boys bunk beds! We didn't take any pics, which I can see now is a good thing. ;)

Friday night we took the boys bowling. We didn't take any great pictures but I had to include this one because of the flower in my hair. I MADE it. Yes, with yarn and a crochet hook! Jaiden bought one at the mall and we all loved it. So, Kwint's mom sat down and figured it out, then taught Tam and I how to do it. We spent a whole evening, until midnight crocheting. I made three.

Tuesday afternoon we spent at the Hansen Planetarium in Gateway. It is the best place for nerds like us. Kaeleb and Kwint both love outer space, and ever since I got hooked on Stargate SG-1 many years ago, I have become a nerd too. This is a pendulum which always swings in the same path, but because of the tilt of the earth, it appears to move in a circle. Cool, eh?

Here are the kids on Mars. I always knew that they were Martians.

On the moon... One giant leap for mankind...

Here are the boys beneath a giant replica of the solar system, which I couldn't fit in the picture.


On Monday we went boating at Pineview Reservoir with thousands of other people. Here are the boys playing on the beach. I usually take a few pics of Kwint showing off on the wakeboard, but I was holding a sleeping Brenny this time. It is always amazing that the little ones fall asleep so easily on the boat.


Backing up to Sunday, the 4th. The Fireworks! We actually set them off for two nights in a row, which was very fun.

Here were the onlookers.

The tailgate party... Cera, Brennan, and Krystal, who all turn three this summer!

Earlier that afternoon several adventurous souls took turns skateboarding on Kwint's newly inherited Tierney board which is a snowboard on wheels.

This is Shelley and her daughter Samantha. Shelley is our office manager, which is short for "the woman who can do anything and we would be nowhere without her". She has become a sister to us, and Sam an Auntie for the boys. Sam is a pro snowboarder-- she gave Kwint the Tierney board.

Sam just got back from France and brought the boys these police hats and giant balls of the French flag.

The Robinsons made Navajo tacos for dinner. Here are Sadie and Dave heating the oil.

Meanwhile, the ladies prepping yummy food inside.

While Grandpa played Wii Sports Resort (his father's day present!!)

I just love the smile. Aunt Tam is filling a bucket to diffuse the fireworks.

Sadie and the boys were doing acrobatics in the yard moments before this shot.

On Saturday, the 3rd of July we went to the Jacobs for a little game of cards and a 4th of July relay race.... which we famously lost. The boys swam in the pool and terrorized the basement. Jacobs parties are always fun-- we love to crash each other's family parties. Dan and Dee have 3 boys with one on the way, Bruce and Kristy have 3 boys with one on the way, and we have 2 boys with none on the way, so it always a funny chaotic mess of boys! We love boys!



Friday, the 2nd of July, yes, folks, we are nearly done with this post. This day kicked off our family stay at home vacation. Since we are moving this year there would be no Disneyland, no cruise, no hiking Mt. Everest, so instead... we went to Boondocks!! What a fun filled day we had!! The boys loved Rollerball, which is bowling for tots. The balls are small, with no holes so they can chuck 'em granny style. The lanes are short and the pins are small. It is perfect. (Of course, they did just as well real bowling on Friday, considering the bumper pads. They both beat me.)

I love this one. Brenny begged and begged to ride the carousel, but once it started moving he got scared. I made him stay on because I was not about to waste the whopping 25 cents it cost to get the thing moving.

This is for my brother, Alan, who is obsessed with guns. I am not, but my sons are. Thanks bro, for passing that gene on.

This is Kris on the Go-Karts. They were going so fast I could never get a shot of anything but the back of their heads as they raced by.

Everyone's favorite... The bumper boats... a refreshing ride which consisted of everyone shooting each other with blasts of water as we scooted through the pool. Kaeleb and Talan rode it six times. The rest of us at least four.


And last, but not least (actually this would have been first if blogger had uploaded it in order...) Mini Golf! This is all of us on the 1st hole. After that we scattered to the four winds. Kaeleb and Talan golfed hockey style, scooting their balls through all 18 holes in record time. On the second hole Brennan wiped his brow (it was very hot) and threw down his club, declaring "I'm done with this." After that Kwint and Kris tried to keep up with Kaeleb and Talan and I tried to keep Brenny from jumping in the water.




So, that is that. Wow! I don't know about you, but I am tired.