Memorial Weekend

Memorial Weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the whole year.  I enjoy visiting the cemetery and remembering those we loved who have passed on.  This year Debbie signed us up to help with The Sun Advocate No Grave Unadorned project.  The goal was to have every grave in Carbon County decorated.  The Thursday before Memorial weekend Debbie, Andrea Bradley, Logan, Landon, Kella, Connor, and I put a flower on every grave at the Wellington cemetery.  It was an exhausting and humbling experience.  I tried to at least look at every name as I put the flower on their headstone and remember that they were loved and missed by someone.

The next day we headed out Cat Canyon to go camping with the Bradley's and the Branch's.  It was such a beautiful weekend and so much fun!  The kids rode dirt bikes and four wheelers to their hearts content and I wish I would have gotten a picture of everyone around the fire, there were at least 35 people huddled together laughing and talking.  Sunday we decided to go visit Grandpa Denny's grave and several others at the Wellington cemetery and then to take a drive to East Carbon to see the Coke Ovens.  I had never even heard of them until Debbie brought them up the last camping trip so I was excited to see what they were all about.  They were so much bigger than I imagined and there were rows and rows of them.  There were also some abandoned buildings, a campground, and a playground.  We hiked around and explored everything we could then Rory took us out to Columbia (a small town outside of East Carbon) so I could see it since I'd never been out that way before.  After that we headed back to camp and made home made ice cream in Ziploc bags.  Connor had made it at school and I thought it would be a fun activity for the kids.  They loved it, but we ended up running out of ice, I know for next time we need a lot of ice!  The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and getting muddy from the rain.  Camping is so much work but I enjoy spending time with my family so much that it makes it worth it.    

Just a little FYI about Coke fuel :)

Coke is a fuel with few impurities and a high carbon content, usually made from coal. It is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes made from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made. The form known as petroleum coke, or pet coke, is derived from oil refinery coker units or other cracking processes.

   

Just thought I'd share this picture of these 3 beautiful ladies.  They are such awesome grandma's.  They support the kids and come to as many activities as they can.  This picture is from Connor's baseball game last night and I just love it, I call them Connor's own personal cheer squad.  

Last Day of School!

Wow!  What a busy week we've had!  Saturday Kinlee had her first (and probably last) dance recital.  The first dance they did was Let Them Be Little.  It was a little ballet piece and was so cute.  Kinlee wasn't into it though, she stood and watched all the other dancers on stage the whole time.  The other dance they performed was I Want Candy.  Kinlee loves this dance and does it at home all the time, so she actually danced on stage when they did this one.  She was very spoiled, grandma Bet & grandpa Earl were there and they got her a rose, Nana Kelli got her a rose, and Kadee & Kella each got her a rose.  She felt like a star by the time it was done. 

On Monday Matthew, Kinlee, and I went and picked up a new kitty.  I saw a mouse on my porch Saturday night, so I decided we needed to get a mouser.  Kinlee named her Tiggero and I love it!  I've had to teach both her and Matty how to hold the kitty nice (Matthew kept picking it up by it's tail) and that every once in awhile the poor kitty just needs a break from all the lovin' they want to give her. 

Connor and Kadence both had games all week, I swear they get better every time they play.  I love being a baseball/softball mom!  On top of ball they also had the Rain gutter Regatta and Achievement days.  Wednesday was my last field day as PTA president.  I seriously think our school has the BEST field day.  We had 2 bouncers, 2 of the huge inflatable obstacle course, a HUGE inflatable slide, train, hamster wheels, peddle cars, bowling, a movie in the gym, and a climbing wall.  I took Matty and Kinlee with me in the morning and they got to jump on the small bouncers and ride on the train.  They also loved the big, huge, Cars slide.  Matthew has no concept of waiting in line, so he'd go down the slide and go right to the front of the line.  Luckily the girl in charge was sweet, she would let a few kids go, then let Matty have a turn.  I bet he went down that slide 10 times and Kinlee probably went at least 6.  Connor and Kadence both did the climbing wall and Connor made it all the way to the top and rang the bell!  I had lunch with both of them.  Kadee was excited to have me there, but I don't think Connor even knew I was there, he was too busy playing with his friends.  The kids loved the hamster wheels and even got to go a few rounds with 2 people in the wheels.

Today was the last day of school.  Poor Kadee is so sad.  She has had Mrs. Montoya for 2 years now and is having a hard time with the fact that she'll have a new teacher next year.  I can't believe Connor will be in 4th (he got Mrs. Prince) and Kadee will be in 3rd (she got Mrs. Holdaway).  The school gave me a gift card and flowers to say "thank you" for being PTA President and Kadee, Emma, Shalyce, Kelli, and Kashley performed in the end of the year talent show.  They did a gymnastics routine and did a great job!  Here's to a fabulous, fun filled summer!

Happy Mother's Day!

I had a wonderful Mother's Day!  Saturday we took Connor on his date.  We went to Spiderman 2 and I cried my eyes out.  Then we went and picked up Kadee and I took her and Connor shopping.  They both had earned money that was burning holes in their pockets. :)  On Sunday the kids spoiled me by bringing me breakfast in bed (Cheerios and double stuf Oreo's) and pictures they had made at school and home.  Kinlee planted some sort of flowers at school and was so excited to give them to me.  Connor wrote me a poem and Kadence made me a picture with her photo in it.   Rory sent me flowers and also ordered me some of my favorite perfume.  Connor took care of the younger kids so I could sleep in, then we got ready and went to church.  The primary sang and the young men/women spoke on mothers.  After church we went to Kyle and Candee's for a delicious bbq and to complete the day Nicole and I went on a 4 mile walk.  I love being a mama and I love that we are raising thoughtful kids that worked so hard to make Mother's Day special for me. 

Kadee loved this over sized camping chair!

Connor was in the paper for pitching

Let's Play Ball!

We had such a fun weekend!  Saturday was opening day of Baseball/Softball so we started out with a parade in the morning down Main Street.  Since Rory is coaching Connor and Kadence we had all the kids together.  The boys walked in front of the truck and threw candy while the girls walked behind the truck and threw candy.

After the parade Connor had pictures and Kinlee had dance pictures so it was a race to get to everything.  We got Connor's pictures done and stayed for the opening ceremonies and then headed to Pioneer Park to get Kinlee's pictures done.  I am absolutely in love with her pictures!  The pictures I took didn't turn out as well, but the photographer did so great, I'm so excited to get them back.

After pictures we went to Connor's game.  It was such a great game!!  We ended up losing, but the boys played so well.  Connor's first hit he got a triple and his second hit he got a triple, the ball was overthrown, and he made it home!  Rory says it's not technically a home run, but it is in my book!  I was so excited for him, I hope he always remembers his first home run.

As soon as that game was over my mom ran and grabbed pizza because we were all starving and we headed to the softball field to watch Kadence play.  Her team lost too, but she had fun.  She loves cheering her teammates on and they always yell cheers from the dugout.  I was so exhausted by the time we were done, I came home and relaxed and then went to a movie with friends.   I absolutely love these crazy, busy weekends with my kids.  Being a mom is the hardest and best job I've ever had! 

Reading Olympics

Super proud of these two cuties.  In February they decided to participate in the reading Olympics at school.  It was a completely voluntary program and they both decided to go for the Gold.  Of course they could get the silver or the bronze but they decided to work super hard for the gold.  To receive the highest award they had to read a total of 700 minutes in just over a month, read several different genres of books, and to document all the books they read and their time.  They both did fabulous and went above and beyond the minimum requirements.  Only a handful of kids in the school received the

Gold award (Kadee and herself in her class and Connor and four others in his class) and both of them were super excited.  Today they received their Olympic gold reading award, bookmark, pencil, book of their choice, bowling pass, and root beer float party.  

 This past weekend we went out Cat Canyon for a weekend camping trip.  Derk, Debbie, and Zac came with us and we had lots of visitors for the day on Saturday.  It was such a perfect weekend for camping, the weather was fabulous and we found a perfect spot for our trailers.  We were able to ride four wheelers, have a fire, and enjoy each others company.  We also got a visit from the Easter bunny (can you believe he found us all the way out there?!)  The kids were so excited for their baskets of goodies and Matty and Kinlee had a blast flying their kites. 

 We loved relaxing and playing in the dirt.  There was a hill right next to the trailers that the plastic eggs were hidden on.  The kids loved looking for the eggs and really enjoyed opening them and eating the candy inside. :)

I seriously love our Bella dog so much.  She is so great with the kids and loves to cuddle.  She had so much fun playing fetch with Connor and Zac, As long as one of the boys had a bat in their hand she never stopped running.  Her and Matty were so exhausted from running and playing that they both sat in the dirt next to each other and watched everyone else play for awhile.

 One of my favorite parts of the trip was when Kinlee got mad at us and decided she was going to run away.  The only problem with this is Bella never lets the kids get too far on her watch.  Kinlee started walking down the hill and not long after Bella and Matty started following her.  She kept telling them to go away and head back to camp.  Neither of them would listen so she sat in the dirt to pout.  Both Bella and Matty sat right next to her, one on either side.  Finally she stood up and said, "Fine, if you won't leave me alone I won't run away!"  She headed back to camp with Bella and Matty close on her heels.

Blessings

I've been following a heart breaking story on Facebook.  It's about a 3 year old little girl from Price, who was diagnosed with a 100% fatal brain tumor.  I've followed her story for the past year and was devastated to read last night that she is in the final stage of her short life.  This story has really hit home for me.  I think it's because Kinlee is 3 years old and I can't imagine my life without her.  I am so blessed and looked after by the Lord.  I don't know what I did in the preexistence to experience this wonderful life, but I am truly grateful every day for my healthy family.

The kids have been busy, so that means I've been busy.  Kadence started off the month with her State Gymnastics meet.  It was in Fillmore so we decided to make it a girls weekend and Sandy Rauhala, Shalyce, and Kelli rode with us.  We stayed at a hotel and the girls swam for 4 hours straight!  They were so tired!  The next morning we were up early to grab breakfast and get ready for the meet.  We arrived and the meet and Kadee did great!  She took 1st on the Trampoline, 3rd on Double Mini, and 4th on her floor routine. She made the local paper along with the other competitors from her tumbling group.

That same weekend Connor had a baseball tournament in St. George.  Since Rory had to work and I was taking Kadee, grandma Debbie and Grandma Rhea took Connor and Zac for the weekend.  They had so much fun.  Connor's team won their first 2 games and lost the last 2 so they didn't go far in the tournament but they are a great bunch of kids with tons of heart.  They even made the local paper!
 

 Kinlee got to go on a field trip with her preschool to the Dinosaur Museum.  She was so relieved
to find out they were just bones and not actual dinosaurs!  She also told me that she learned that dinosaurs are extinct because the aliens came down and got them all.

Matthew was extremely sick last week.  He had the stomach flu and was completely miserable for about 4 days.  It was brutal.  Poor kid even had blisters on his bum from pooping so much (TMI, I know).  He is feeling much better and is back to his busy self.

Grandma Archie has been in the nursing home the last little bit trying to recover from a procedure she had to have kidney stones removed.  We've tried to go see her several times a week and this week I snapped a quick picture.  Love that lady!

Favorites

There are so many things I love about the ages of my kids.  They are all in such different places, but it is so fun to watch them learn and grow.

Connor is excelling in sports and at school.  He is so passionate about the things he enjoys and works hard in school.  I love that I can joke with him and have meaningful conversations with him, I think this is my favorite age so far.  This past week Connor had his Spring Music Concert and really enjoyed himself.  Below is a picture of him and his class performing their song.     

Kadee is my sweet girl that wants to try everything.  She plays piano, does gymnastics, and will be starting softball next week.  She is an extremely loyal friend, a huge worrier, and wears her heart on her sleeve.  I love the little conversations we get to have and I love how much she loves to read and excel in school.  

Kinlee has the BEST imagination.  She is always playing make believe and for being the 3rd child, plays great by herself.  I love listening to her use her imagination.  She always pretends to be someone different, and constantly calls me Sarah instead of Mom because she is pretending to be someone else.  My very favorite is when she pretends to be Dr Feller (our dentist) and proceeds to give imaginary shots and check our teeth.   

Matthew is a busy little bee.  He is so funny.  He is full of energy, but loves to watch "toons" with his brother and sisters.  He is starting to talk like crazy and my favorite things he says right now are "canon ball!" and "scuse me mom."  I never realized what a blessing in disguise this little guy has been.