Pioneer Day Fun

Apparently when your husband works 18 hours on a holiday, you blog. A lot. :)

I braved it alone this morning and took the kiddos to the parade in Spanish Fork. Yee haw. So...with donuts and juice for breakfast we were on our way!!

I did not stake our spot out 48 hours in advance, so I was a wee bit nervous that we'd be sitting in a hot spot smack on top of the asphalt, smooshed up next to some people who sweat too much!! Luckily, I must have looked really pathetic toting three whiny kids behind me while carrying all of our goods. A nice man, with a really big tree in his front yard, had pity on me!! He cleared us a spot right on his front lawn. Right up front and in the shade. The parade gods must have been smiling down on me :) It was pure parade heaven!!


Waiting for the candy throwers.

Hittin' up Cosmo for a high 5!

Can you really go wrong with a pink tractor?

My Meika. One of my laurels plays the bag pipes in the Payson High Pipe Band. How cool is that? She is one talented chicka!!

Our favorite float and people. It was a Tongan stake in Provo. Loved them!!



He quickly became bored with the action. Help me. It's going to be a long ride.

Face painting. Yep, I'm a sucker. But how cute are they? Plus...the booth was in the shade. That was worth every penny.

The spider man working the kiddie-coaster all by himself!!

Kennedy is so annoyed. She's a good faker!

Can you see the paint literally melting off of his face. I'm quite certain I have never been that hot in my whole entire 33 years of life. I'm still recovering. Happy Pioneer day!!

Softball Tournament

Kennedy was on the Payson Braves softball team this year. Her coach and his wife were the best! They were so good with the girls. Letting them try new positions and practice and practice and try again. They were very encouraging and helpful! Kennedy learned a lot this year. I have also decided that sports are much more fun to watch once your children actually know how to play them. Huh. Who would have guessed? Their team took first place in the city this year and were invited to a tournament in Spanish Fork. They played so well!! They were the "Little Softball Team That Could". I'm not exactly sure what place they took, but they only lost to the first and second place team. Does that mean third place? I don't know!!!



Here is the final pep talk. Right after they lost their last game!! They were surprisingly upbeat. After their first loss it was tragic. They got killed. Like, smashed killed. Wow. Nothing breaks your heart quite like the agony of defeat in your sweet little baby. (At least that's how they seem at the time!!) Seriously, it was emotional. I know I'm a newbie, but come on!!

Up to bat...she improved so much this year. The last half of the season, she was hitting so well!! She was so proud of herself.

Catching. It's in the genes ;)

She seriously improved so much this season. She was also dying to learn how to pitch. She had some private coaching and has practiced a lot. Unfortunately, I think she's not meant to be a pitcher.

Next year will be interesting. She LoVes softball, but next season she moves up a league. It's way more intense....like parents fighting and girls fighting...intense. We'll see!!

Montana Trip

We made the trek up to Dillon, Montana for Linda's (my mother in law) family reunion. She has a small circle of family so it was fun to go up and meet them all. It was held at the Kurtz Family Homestead. And by homestead I mean ridiculously nice, awesome, huge, beautiful cabin. The drive was bearable due to the new DVD player Ross had installed in the van. (The old one bit the dust about a week before our trip. I almost hyper-ventilated thinking we would have to manage without it...what a good guy :) ) Bless the person who invented it....bless them!!

The highlight of this trip just happened to be the horses. Kim (distant relative, maybe!!) was kind enough to allow my children to fulfill their fantasy of riding horses. I mean...seriously. They would not leave the poor animals alone!! They mauled them for three straight days!!! They were beautiful. Kennedy was in HeAvEn!! She could easily slip into the boots of a Montana cowgirl any time, any day. She loved every minute of it!!


This is the kids right after we arrived. Meeting Zoe for the first time. This horse is ginormous. Huge.

I love this guy. What a good sport!!

This trip was wonderful and exhausting. Cole was a handful to say the least. Weird, I know!! But this was the only time of the day I looked forward to. I knew as soon as they lit the fire he would be right there.

Pure bliss.


What is a nice, relaxing trip to Dillon without a quick stop by the Dilmart?

The Karate Kid....he was just happy to be able to get dirty and wander. He loves to wander and just check stuff out.

Bless this tee-pee. It kept the kiddos occupied for many an hour.

Grandpa Peter and Louis wandering around the "Old Homestead" where Linda's father and his brothers were raised in Montana. He tells a story, in his life history, of being 8 years old and manning a team of horses and being put in charge of a "road crew" that kept a 60 mile stretch of road in good condition. 8 years old? That is how old Louis is and I won't even let the poor kid cross the road without me!!

If not by the fire, he was in the red chair. He didn't care who was with him or who wanted him there. This is where he parked his hiney!

This is Linda's Uncle Jim who is responsible for the idea of the Kurtz Family Homestead. Beside him are Jeanie and Roger who live there and built it. Basically it's their home and they are so lucky!! They are the most kind, generous, and welcoming people. They were fabulous to us!!

Linda with her Uncle Jim

Just trying to give you a good idea of this place. It was so much fun. This is a shot of the back of the cabin.

This is the front. My dream house, in case you were wondering. Right down to every detail. Dream I tell you.

Kim let the kids help her bathe the horses one day. They had so much fun!

The little cowboy

The medium cowboy

Pure heaven.

Seriously, she didn't wipe that smile off her face the whole time!

Having fun.

Loving on Zoe.

You know that saying, "It takes a village to raise a child". Well, it takes a village to tame this child!! Bless everyone for trying to give me a few minutes rest every once in a while. Here are some funny shots of Ross and Linda trying to wrangle the little bugger.

I love how annoyed his face is in this picture.

Ross favored us all with a little Chris LeDoux around the camp fire.


I think I am going to blow this picture up and put it in Kennedy's room. I love it. Kim and Kennedy riding the horses. Love!!!

We took a little excursion to Nevada City and Virginia City. Some old mining towns about an hour from Dillon. Linda wanted an old western photo of us all. It was fun. I look like a floosie, but whatev!!

Cole's expression is priceless!!

They were having a car show there and this was the coolest Sheriff's car.

Grandma and Cole trying to escape the heat. Oh the heat!!!!

I love this guy. Seriously. We had so much fun!!!

As if it weren't perfect enough for her. On the last day we were there, Morgan (also a relative) brought her roping gear and taught the kiddos how to rope a steer. Kennedy and Louis took turns and spent hours getting the technique right and loving it. By the way, it isn't called a lasso. That is so not the correct term. In case you were wondering.

Louis worked well into the dark hours perfecting his roping technique. Adorable!

We truly had the best time. It was fun to meet family and give the kids a new experience. I could easily slip into that life. I loved it there. Quiet and beautiful. Yep. I could be a cowgirl!

Girls Camp

I love being in Young Women's. I'm just puttin' that out there! It is the most fun calling...I love it!. I don't know if the girls make me feel young or if I pretend that I am. Either way, it's the best!!!

I went up the girls camp for about a day and a half this year. It was a blast! We have the best girls. They all get along and are so funny!!

This is a picture of our "skit". We had the best skit ever!! We did a rap to "Row row row your boat" and "Give said the little stream". It was freakin' hilarious!! (Our ward color was orange, obviously)


For part of our craft time one day we designed balloon creations. Camille and i couldn't seem to make anything that was "normal" so we made up our own...whaddya think?

Love this girl. She is the BestESt!!

Our awesome girls!!

My friend Natalie and I. We went canoing at Payson Lakes...so much fun!!

What We Did For The 4th

So....on the 3rd my sister in law and brother invited us over for a swim/bbq combo. It was loads of fun! My kids love to swim at Uncle Doug's. It's like the highlight of their little lives. I swear we do other stuff....just nothing tops this :) It's all because of the drinking fountain, I'm sure!

That night we laid out on the back lawn and got eaten alive by mosquitoes as well as watched a few fireworks.

The dogs started out on the side....

and ended up on top!!



Sunday after church we met our friends, The Wright's, up Santaquin canyon for a weenie roast. Too bad all of the good spots were taken. We had to do it right by the river and I spent the whole time yelling at the kids.

After that we drove down to our house and did our own little fireworks show.

Colie and Bidge-ah




The meeting of the minds. "Should we blow up your confiscated illegal fireworks first, or mine?"

The cutest people ever!

The cheesiest people ever!!

Hope you all had a fun fourth!!