This weekend we had a fabulous time exploring the darker side of life in Las Vegas NV with amazing friends Dusty and Mandy Riddle!! We shopped, ate, walked, and observed many strange and interesting people. We went to the Excalibur show Tournament of Kings and had a great time cheering for our Hungarian hunk! I am so grateful for amazing friends and for the opportunities we have to spend time with them! Thanks again!!
A big thanks also to Aunt Amber, Uncle Ray, and cousin Anna for letting the kids hang out at your house while we partied in Vegas. The kids haven't stopped talking about their adventures which included a parade, a waterpark, sno-cones, Shiviwits tacos, pool, fireworks, and much more! All in all, it was a wonderful mini vacation for both parents and children!!
This year our family had the privilege of hijacking a vacation! Listen people, it isn't easy, but it can be done. First, you have to find someone to vacation with. This part is probably the most difficult, as you want to remember that you will be punishing yourselves if you don't choose wisely. Lucky for my family...we chose the Water's family.
The next step is to make your vacation victims think it was their idea all along. Plant ideas about how much fun a vacation would be, how well your children get along, and lastly, but most importantly talk about your own "vacation plans." You don't want to seem desperate. When the time is right, all this prep work will pay off as the conversation automatically steers you to the wonderful idea of vacationing together! "Of course we want to go with you to beautiful Colorado...thank you so much for inviting us!" And this is how you hijack a vacation!
Once the plan was set in motion, we decided that simply vacationing in the same location as the Water's family was just not enough...no we went one step further and hijacked their car as well. That is the kind of people we are :) So on a Sunday morning at 5 a.m....you know I didn't pick that time, alas these are the complications of hijacking someone's vacation...our families set out, destination Colorado!
The plan was to stop in Kayenta, Arizona for breakfast. However, somewhere between here and there, our trailer blew a tire. As if our set up wasn't redneck enough, now we had to use the spare and tie the shredded tire down with the rest of the luggage. As we pulled onto the road, Bayden made the comment that we would not be making it all the way to Colorado with those tires. WHAT? We are in the middle of the reservation on a Sunday with no back up tires!! Never fear, readers...we made it to Kayenta for breakfast, those of you who have ever traveled with 7 kids understand that this was the most important part of the journey so far. Bayden called his brother who agreed to meet us with new tires...the catch was we had to wait at the Kayenta McDonald's until he was ready to leave. I have a serious phobia of germs...my anxiety was already through the roof over the tires, but just the thought of my darlings playing on the playground equipment sent me over the edge. Poor Manda couldn't figure out what the problem was until I informed her that I was sure our kids were catching Hepatitis from the slide. She laughed until we heard one of the kids exclaim "Gross, it's puke!" Are you kidding me? Really? Needless to say we hurried the kids to the safety of the car and used lots and lots of antibacterial!
We met Devin in Mexican Hat..there are pictures in the slide show...where we replaced the tires and were again on our merry way. I don't remember much more about the trip as I purposely drugged myself with dramamine. I am sure it was uneventful because several hours later we arrived safely in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
This part of Colorado was beautiful! The views were breathtaking. Our cabin was amazing and we spent the next week enjoying each others company, playing games, and laughing! We fished, hiked, shopped for matching hats and shirts, and went sight seeing.
My favorite part of the whole trip was going to see the Bar D Wranglers. (I will NEVER admit this to anybody, so if you ask me I will deny it) It was so much fun to watch my kids and my husband so thouroghly enjoy themselves. The Wranglers were entertaining, the dinner was great, and the giggles were priceless. Kenna at one point busted out in a dance that rivaled any River Dancer I've ever seen. The whole experience was one that I know our little family will never forget. Mike and Manda even bought the CD so that we could listen to their music in the car, at home, and in the shower!! Bar D Wranglers everywhere...thanks again guys!
The week passed much too quickly and before we knew it, it was time to come home. On a serious note, I should tell you how truly blessed my family is..we have wonderful friends. Thank you, Mike and Manda, for letting us vacation with you. It truly was a vacation to remember...and hopefully repeat! And to all my other friends out there...where are you going on vacation?
Update: Shortly after returning home, I hijacked Dusty and Mandy Riddle's trip to Vegas in late July...Bwahahaha. The hijacker strikes again!!
Every year in first grade my kids have read about Flat Stanley. As a project, they have built their own flat person and have asked their family to send them someplace to visit. Kaytlyn's flat person went to Narooma, Australia to visit with Auntie Rhonda and Uncle Bob. Jaxson's flat person went to Winnemucca, Nevada to spend time with Aunt Kami, Uncle Kai, and the girl cousins; Kaira, Senna, and Laina. This year it was Wyatt's turn to have his flat person sent away on an adventure. Wyatt wanted to go to Australia to visit Aunt Ali who has been there for several months.
Aunt Ali and Wyatt had the most amazing adventures and I am so excited to share some of the things they did with you. This is truly a fun project for kids to visit a far off place..they almost feel like they actually went. If you haven't read any of the Flat Stanley series, I highly recommend them. They are soooo much fun for all the kids!!
This is a picture on the coast near Narooma. The lighthouse is on Montague Island.
Aunt Ali took Flat Wyatt on a trip to the Great Barrier Reef near Queensland.
This is the boat Fantasea that they took to get out to the Great Barrier Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef. The water color shows were the reef is...the light green area.
Aunt Ali got to go snorkeling, but due to his paper body and the many fish, she left Flat Wyatt behind. He did get to try on the snorkeling equipment.
This is a picture of the reef fish through a window. Pretty cool!
While Aunt Ali was snorkeling, Flat Wyatt toured the boat. He loved the crab!
This nice girl kept Flat Wyatt company.
Not sure who this is or what they do, but Flat Wyatt thought it was a good photo opportunity!
This is a sea turtle that Flat Wyatt saw from the boat.
Flat Wyatt got to go to a small zoo on the way home to Narooma. Aunt Ali got to cuddle with a koala bear...Flat Wyatt was taking the picture, he's a little afraid of koalas...LOL!
Flat Wyatt had an amazing time in Australia with Aunt Ali! I am so grateful for a sister who is willing to spend time documenting and photographing her trip with a paper doll. It really has given our family wonderful memories and eased a little of the ache in my heart as I miss my baby sister. Thank you Ali, you truly are wonderful and we love you dearly!
Alright, so I joined Weight Watchers and I am having so much FUN with it that I decided to create a blog to share it with everyone!! So stop over and let me know what you think...or leave a message and give me some new ideas to try!
It is amazing to me that I have a 12 year old daughter. I sit and ponder how that happened...I know I haven't aged a single day, so I am not sure how she has grown up so fast. I have been writing this blog entry in my head for several months, but everytime I start to put these feelings into writing, I start crying...today is no different.
It is funny how for the last 11 years, this girl has been mine and Baydens. But something happens when they turn 12. It is hardly noticeable at first, and then one day you see something just a little different in their eyes. Something Divine. It really has very little to do with beauty, it's not the way the hair is styled, it's not the clothing she is wearing. Her testimony is shining through and it is truly a breathtaking experience. She bore her testimony in church today, something she has always been terrified to do. She walked very confidently up to the pulpit and bore a sweet testimony that brought tears to this mother's eyes. Kaytlyn also recieved her very first calling and was set apart today. She has been working hard on her personal progress and it has been a joy and a relationship building experience to work with her on those goals. I feel truly blessed to be raising a beautiful daughter of God. It is my prayer that we can all remember our Divine heritage when we look upon our children and the wonderful little people that they are. I am truly grateful for Kaytlyn's spirit in our home.
I absolutely love watching my boys play together. They love to build forts and they involve all their friends...the Riddle girls and Lexi. It makes me laugh that these boys have these girls, who I'm sure would rather be building Barbie houses, out in the dirt and horse poo building forts. A few weeks ago their fort was an underground..(really just a big hole in the ground) covered with a piece of board. It was quite sad. Then Dusty and Mandy being the wonderful neighbors that they are took pity on the kids and built them an actual fort with walls and a roof. It was nice and they were happy for about a week.
Then the most amazing thing happened. Mike was cleaning up his yard and brought us a whole truckload of wooden fence boards...YAY! It is Bayden's yard and as long as he doesn't complain about my scrapbooking stuff or my books then I really don't care what kind of junk he hauls in. So anyway, the boys and girls have been furiously building for days and they have finally finished the most amazing fort. They decided to use the wooden slats like lincoln logs..it took days and they are very proud of their hard work. Funny thing is that now they are done, I am afraid of what is next. I have decided it is the building of the fort that is the fun...once it is done they aren't quite sure what to do with it.
Happy Birthday Kaytlyn! You are 12 years old today...a big day for all young women. You are so excited to finally be able to wear makeup, and attend young women meetings. I am so excited for you. I am proud of all your accomplishments! You are an amazing daughter of God, and I am so blessed to be your mother. Thank you for being wonderful! We love you!
Today is Wyatt's 7th birthday!! Wyatt is a very handsome, fun, mischevious boy that we are blessed to have in our family. I am so grateful everyday to know and love his special spirit. Wyatt's laugh is very infectious and often while sitting at the dinner table, he will have the entire family giggling uncontrollably simply with his laugh. Wyatt is in first grade this year and is an amazing reader. He is a very dedicated student who always does his homework without being asked. Happy Birthday Wyatt! You are a very special boy and we love you very much!
So the water in town was a little wonky today and as a result the school had no water for 3 hours. They finally decided to call it a day at about 1:00, so we all got to come home...YAY (sarcasim)!! That's great you say, go home and put your feet up you say, maybe clean the house and do some laundry...but there are things that you readers don't know...terrible things that may change your opinion of me. Like for instance, on Sunday my new refrigerator stopped working. So my wonderful husband packed some coolers and we used the blessing of cold weather to keep things cool. Yesterday, my husband brought home an old fridge that should have worked, however when it got all settled in and surveyed the job of cooling food for the Grover family it too decided to die rather than do its' job. Yes my friends that's right, two dead refrigerators in 2 days...and they are both still residing in the kitchen. It really is sad. Every time I go into the kitchen I feel this overwhelming desire to open them both just to make sure they are indeed warm and every time I am greeted by warm putrid air. You would think I would learn...I am indeed a clever one. In fact this morning I even decided that perhaps the fridge was confused about what it's purpose was. I lovingly opened the door (while holding my breath) and begged it to work. No luck and what is worse when I slammed the door I almost broke a nail...I suppose that is what I get for throwing tantrums. Anyway, the point of this story is to relay how truly frustrated I am about my kitchen in general. I can't even go in there without feeling as though I am being taunted by not one, but two very irritating refrigerators. So readers, to avoid further injury to myself and the appliances I have taken an oath to not step foot in the darn kitchen (until dinnertime)...not sure who that hurts, but nevertheless there it is, which means that no chores can be done in that room. Also, I am unable to do laundry as it requires me to walk through the kitchen. So for today I am sitting doing nothing while my kitchen and laundry mocks me simply because I am afraid I will lose it and hurt myself by beating a refrigerator that is already dead. The moral of this story is..if you come to visit, the kitchen will be a disaster and my clothes will stink..but that is ok because as a good hostess I will offer you a drink and my friend those are outside in the cooler so all is well!
As part of my goal to live life enjoying the moments, I thought I better share some of my favorite moments over the Christmas holiday. In early December, the kids and I decided to invite some friends over to build gingerbread houses. My idea of gingerbread house building is buying the kit, however when I was at Wal-mart I couldn't find one. So we improvised and used graham crackers, royal icing, and tons of candy. Mandy Riddle and her girls worked on a very cute train gingerbread while the rest of the kids attempted to build houses out of graham crackers. The finished products looked a bit like some of the trailer parks around town..very festive and on the verge of falling over. The kids loved it and I enjoyed spending time with my good friends, Mandy R and Amanda W. The week before Christmas was pretty busy. The Marshal's office worked on getting a float ready for the upcoming light parade. This year the float had 3 small toy jeeps and lots of traffic signs. Our kids and Lexi rode in the parade in Kanab first then again in Fredonia. They were dressed as elves and Jaxson was in a police coat directing traffic at the Elf Driving School. They were cute as ever and even won a small prize! After the parade they went to visit with Santa, who was Jack Allen this year. He made a pretty good Santa, however Wyatt was just not having it. He was absolutely not going to sit on Santa's lap. We stood in line and finally Jaxson told him that he would do it if Wyatt would. Wyatt said fine, although he still seemed a little grumpy about it. So Jax went first, then Lexi, then all the Riddle girls, and then finally it was Wyatt's turn. He went up and sat on Santa's knee and waited. Santa asked him if he had been good and he shrugged. Then Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas. Wyatt turned and looked at us with a look that I have learned means he is up to no good then turned back to Santa and replied "Just bring me some coal." I am certain that Santa had not heard this request yet so he looked a bit startled and asked again..I'm sure he thought he misunderstood. Wyatt smiled his big smile and said very loudly, "Bring me some coal!" Jaxson who had been paying attention said "Did he just ask for coal?..That is AWESOME!!" I should have left them both coal in their stockings! Christmas week we went to St. George to spend time with my family. We went over for dinner which was a yummy chicken and rice recipe that is top secret among the Pratt family...Thanks Ang! I had a wonderful time with my sisters, mom, cousin, and aunt. We got to skype with my youngest sister in Australia which was fun. It is amazing what you can do with technology. It made the holiday seem complete to be sitting around a computer, all my sisters and my mom, teasing our mom and each other. There is a bond between us that is stronger than any I have ever witnessed between mom and daughters. I sometimes forget how lucky I am to be related to such wonderful, strong women who mean the world to me. It isn't always easy, and we don't always agree on everything, but at the end of the day each of us knows that somewhere in the world, even across the ocean, there are four other people who love them unconditionally. Christmas this year was a Grover holiday. That means that ALL of the Grover clan gathered together in Kanab. Christmas Eve most of them were there and we spent the day eating, talking, doing puzzles, dancing with cousins, and playing games. By late Christmas Day most everyone was there, Kami and Kai didn't arrive until the wee hours of the morning. We had dinner together again on the day after Christmas...28 people. I enjoyed our time with the Grover family. It is always fun to watch the kids play with their cousins and they all get along so well. I truly appreciate Elaine and Gordon for opening their home and making the holiday a good one. My favorite moment was singing carols with the kids and then telling them the Christmas story. It is a blessing in our lives to have strong families to spend time with. Christmas at our house was a good one. The kids wrote letters to Santa which I emailed directly to him. Each of the kids received an email video from Santa this year. It truly was amazing! Santa talked to each of the kids, even using their name and pictures of them. The look of awe on McKenna's face was exciting! The spiritual moment came later when I watched her face as we read the story of baby Jesus...she had the same awed expression. She truly is an amazing child who feels everything and every emotion shows on her face. I am grateful for my moments with her. When she tells me she loves me, she tells me with her whole being. Kaytlyn was given a make-up kit for Christmas. Bayden and I told her that when she was 12 she could wear makeup. She isn't quite 12, but I wanted to give her a little time to figure out how to apply it before she went to school wearing it. So far she has been quick learner. She is so beautiful both inside and out. I hope that she knows how truly special she is. Jaxson received his first pocket knife for Christmas. I am still a little unsure, but Bayden assures me that it is a good thing for a boy his age. I told him not to even think about taking it to school...hope he listened. Every time I needed a package opened he was right there being very responsible with his new knife, ready and willing to help. Wyatt got a horse set...again! It really is all he asks for in life. I am thankful that he is such an easy going, easy to please child. He is very mischievous and a little naughty but life would truly be boring without his presence. Something I noticed this Christmas was the way my kids were truly excited to give their gifts rather than just to receive. There wasn't much money left over for mom and dad, but that didn't matter to them. They purchased dollar store items and then added some homemade gifts and I think that this Christmas it was I who was truly touched by their generosity and their spirit of giving.
I have been very reluctant to resume blogging...it seems after the tragedy in August I have had severe writers block. I literally have not written a single thing since then. Many times I have logged on and began to post pictures, tell stories, and basically show and tell my life but for reasons unknown to me, they all end up in the draft box and never get posted. I have pondered whether this blog makes me feel guilty that I have memories to post, while others who have lost so much do not. A rational mind says that is ridiculous, but remember readers...I am not quite rational even on my best days. There have been many sad times throughout this year. Many times when I have knelt and cried through prayers while asking for understanding and many more times when I have denied the Lord my prayers and simply tried to understand situations with my own pitiful mind. Life is hard. There are many wonderful times but it seems that just around the corner are moments of worry, panic, anger, sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, and fear. The horrible life changing moments are hard to understand, but it is the everyday crushing weight of life that is so very draining. For this I am grateful for my limited knowledge of the gospel. I recently read an amazing article that described 5 scriptures that can help you get through almost anything. With this new year upon me, I have been thinking hard about what I would like to do different. Part of this is directly related to how I deal with the everyday life by using the basic avoidance tactic. If it seems hard to do, I just don't do it. I have noticed that lately I have been worse at this. Bills are piling up, rooms are becoming cluttered, specific behaviors in my children are being ignored, simply because I am overwhelmed and not able to cope with anymore. Many of you may be thinking that I am in desperate need of an anti-depressant or professional help, indeed I may be heading that way, but for the moment just read on. For the new year I am going to be making a few changes to help me live today and every day as if it were my last. I can sit and outline the many areas in my life that I feel are extremely lacking where a new year's resolution would seem appropriate, but let me be honest, for the last 18 years (possibly more) I have been making new year resolutions and by February I have failed them all. It is certainly a no win situation. So no resolutions for me. Instead, I have made a daily list of things that I want to work on. A reminder to me to focus on the small things and not let the world overwhelm me. I will be posting random thoughts about my list daily on my personal blog, rather than my family blog, but if you are interested in the journey let me know. I am not making any big changes instead I am going to make daily adjustments and focus on my many blessings. "The sun shines and warms and lights us and we have no curiosity to know why this is so; but we ask the reason of all evil, of pain, and hunger, and mosquitoes and silly people." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
