GRANDMA and GRANDPA's 65 ANNIVERSARY

I got no pictures of the grandma and grandpa. I am so sad about it. I will have to have someone pull on of my cousin's pictures of them off of facebook for me or something. 

Ashton has been so difficult lately, I think it is because of all the traveling we did this summer, especially in July. He hasn't slept. He has been so fussy. Nate and I haven't slept through the night, in I can't tell you how long. I didn't really want to make the trip to my grandparent's anniversary party. I told everyone I wasn't coming. I was sad. I really wanted to be there. I love my grandparents. Miraculously, everyone slept through the night Friday, I woke up Saturday wanting to go. I packed up the boys, I left the girls with Nate, and I drove to Utah. I got there in record time. I didn't realize how much harder it is to travel with four.

I went and got my grandma's and took her shopping for a dress for her party. It was the most fun I have had in a long time. I know she felt pretty at her party. The whole evening was amazing. It was like the high school reunion you want to attend. I got to see all my cousins. I haven't seen some of them in ten years. They are all so beautiful and have grown so well.  

I did look like stitch face because of my moles being removed. My uncle thought I had cancer. I said, "No uncle, just vanity." My brother-in-law asked me what happened and told him this elaborate story about a cow falling off of a truck and landing on my windowsill and pieces of glass flying into my face. He was like, "Are you kidding?" I said, "Yes, I just had some moles removed. 

I loved visiting with my cousins Jason and Charity. They have both grown up so much. I look at them now and I think how did we all grow so much. They are truly beautiful people.

 I think James had about ten mash-mellows on a stick.

JUST the BOY's and I chasin' GEESE

Well, the girls are both in school all day and it is just me and boys and ten chickens and two turkeys and two geese all day. I hate the geese because they pick on my boys. I am grateful for the geese because they pick on my boys. I give them sticks and tell them to chase them. Don't worry they will never hit the geese, they are too fast but it teaches the geese the boys are in charge. They have picked on James unrelentingly since they came onto the property but they have never touched Ashton, until yesterday. They just walked up to Ashton and bit him. I picked up the lawn chair and chucked it at them. Don't touch my boys. I told Nate I am done with geese, find them a new home. 

FIRST DAY of JUNIOR HIGH

I thought this day would never come. I can't believe it is here. She was so excited about picking out all her school supplies. She was so excited about getting her locker. She loves her locker. She is in Band playing the flute. She is also taking Art. Then she has four core classes and homeroom class. She loves it. She says she doesn't really have any friends yet but she doesn't care. I pray she can find some good friends. I and some other women in the stake are plotting. She is confident and bold and I tell her every morning to go and be a light in this world. 

We picked a scripture for the school year and I ask the girls to say it before they leave for school, when I can remember to. It states, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

MOLE REMOVAL

I have wanted to for years, but maybe it was my dad's comment about how they would only get bigger and uglier with age that tipped me over the edge and made me do something about it. I had twelve moles removed off my face. I walked around like Frankenstein for a week. 

I had to take Sierra to Junior High orientation after surgery. Don't worry, parents weren't allowed to go with by mandate of the school. I was driving her there and I felt fine. She kept saying how bad I looked. I told her,"Of course I look bad they took a knife and cut out each of my moles and then they stitched them close with a needle that looked like a fish hook."

 She turned green said she was going to throw up. I thought, "Why is she sick?" Then I thought I can't make her go what if he throws up in the gym during orientation that would be an embarrassing start to middle school. Then she grabbed my arm and said the world was spinning and going dark. Then she passed out. 

Yep, I looked that bad. I feel bad about going into detail about how the surgery happened but this is my kid that nursed chickens back to health with their skull exposed. I didn't know she couldn't take the mole story. 

MADISON, 2ND GRADE REGISTRATION

Madison is starting 2nd grade. She is also going to go to school all alone for the next two years. I was so worried about sending her alone. She wasn't. I think she likes it. She woke up the first day and headed to the bus stop alone like it was no big thing. She likes her teacher Mrs. Martinez. She said read them a story about a child who found comfort in a rock. She let them all pick a rock at recess to keep in their desk, so if they get scared or sad they can rub it between their fingers. She said, "But I won't get scared or sad, because I never do at school."

 This is my friend Leslie. Her daughter is also in Madison's class. We are both excited for this school year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIERRA, 11!

I can't believe she is 11. I don't even think of her as 11, I think of her as 11 going on 16. She is so grown up in so many ways. She responsible. She is my best babysitter. She watches the children and changes their diapers and feeds them. I can't wait till she is 13, because then I can pay her to babysit my children when Nate and I go on dates.

She is beautiful. She is kind. She is responsible. She loves animals, especially horses. She has a strong desire to be good. I remember a conversation with her earlier this year about teasing her siblings. I hate it when she teases them. I have asked her repeatedly not to. Her punishment for teasing is pulling weeds. One day when I had enough of her teasing I lost it with her. She started to cry and she said, "I pray continually for Heavenly Father to help me not tease. I don't want to tease. I just have done it so much I can't stop. I have prayed and prayed and I can't stop. She started crying uncontrollably. My heart felt for her. I was reminded of all the silly sins I commit over and over again and which seem impossible to overcome. She is so sweet to rely on her Heavenly Father.

She bore her testimony last fast Sunday about the important's of following those who are older and wiser than us. She told her story of her ducklings not listening to her. I don't think there was a dry eye in the entire congregation. I looked over at my friend Leslie, who has been taking the discussions for six months. She was crying too.

She has become a new person since we moved onto this farm. I know we moved her for her. She has become more at peace and more happy. She was meant to live in the country. Her heart is here.

She got a paddle board for her birthday. Her dad took the whole family down the Colorado river while she rode on her paddle board. She loved every minute of it. She was a little unsure in the beginning where you get in the water is swift and runs against some piers. She was nervous but once we were past the piers she was fearless and don't worry the part of the Colorado we go on is like a lazy river. I wish I had pictures. I was too nervous to take my camera and I have regretted it ever since.  

GRANDPA, GRANDMA, AND AUNT JENNY CAME TO VISIT

We got to spend more time with grandpa than anyone because Aunt Jenny had to get her teeth worked on and grandma went with her. We sure enjoyed our time with him. The boys loved playing play dough with his head. :)

BIRDS NEST

 We discover so many marvelous thing on the farm. James brought me this birds nest. It had blown out of the tree. The egg was hollow. It was so beautiful. We talked about what great builders birds are and we spent a while inspecting the little nest. We like birds spend much of our life building homes and raising our young. There really isn't much else the animal kingdom devotes its time too besides survival. 

VERNAL TEMPLE

Nate invited us to take a quick trip to the Vernal Temple. I was so excited to go to the temple as a family. It was our first time all going together. When we woke up the morning Vernal was having a 4th of July parade. There were tractors in the parade. It made my heart happy. We took the kids to the Dinosaur National Park in Vernal. We have never been and we were all really excited. The boys were crazy. The ran all over the place and tried to touch and climb on everything. Nate's back was out so he was little help. I think we will go back someday when the boys are little bit bigger.

THE RANCH

 Well, I drove to the ranch alone, again. I am grateful Emma was there to help me load the car. She was ready and willing to go. We had a really great drive and an amazing visit.

The boy's loved riding on the four wheeler's and the lawnmower train. They got so excited when anyone was willing to take them. Thankfully grandma took them on many rides. Once my brother Phillip was taking his son Ryder on a four wheeler and James wanted to go. He said, "Not this time." He just wanted to be alone with his son, which is so sweet. However, James couldn't understand why he couldn't go too. I explained that sometimes daddies want to be alone with their boys. James, with his Bambi eyes said, "I don't got my dad." He cried. It broke my heart in two pieces. We do the ranch every year without dad because he is always working and I have tried to be understanding, but never again.

The kids favorite thing this year was floating the Sevier River. We also ate good food and talked and loved sweet baby Giselle. 

SWITCHING COUSIN'S, EMMA

 Emma switched Madison places. Emma came here and played with us and Madison went to St. George with Tessie. I told Emma she wasn't going to have the best time with all of the 4H we had to do, but she was willing to come anyway. We loved having her. I think she only left the house three times, to go get ice cream, to go to the lake, and church. She mostly watched the boys for me, while I ran around with Sierra. I promise Emma if you come again, we will have more fun.

They were trying to get the geese into the pond. Our geese hate the pond. Weird. Sierra has no fear of fowl.