Willow Lake

We've been busy since the last time I blogged.  Last weekend we celebrated Wellington Pioneer Days.  Once again we were on the Jeff Wood for Sheriff float and walked/rode in the parade.  After the parade we spent the day in the park.  I love Wellington days because all the kids activities are free.  I sat under a tree and watched the kids go down the bounce house slides about a gazillion times.  My nephew Zac and his baseball team had a booth set up to raise money for their all star games in California.  They had glitter tattoos, baked goods, and a dunk tank.  Rory decided to be a good sport and sat in the dunk tank while they did dunk a cop.  He was mouthing off telling Connor he had a spaghetti arm and WHAM! Connor hit the target on his first throw, while holding a doughnut in one hand and dunked him.  It was hilarious.  Later that night we had some adult time, we went to dinner with Jeff, Emily, Hyrum, and Paola and then went back to our house for delicious banana splits. 

Last week Rory had the whole week off of work, so we decided to go camping at Willow Lake.  I'd never been there before and it is absolutely breathtaking.  Since we went in the middle of the week no one else was there and we got the perfect spot to park our trailer right by the dock.  We spent the week fishing, four wheeler, rafting, and playing.  Garrett and Stacey Conover came up on Tuesday with their kids and we spent the day laughing and talking and trying to fish.  We went to Ferron Reservoir and Rory caught 2 fish, but Garrett didn't get any.  They stayed for dinner and then we were alone again, it was great having them for the day and the kids loved having friends to play with.  The rest of the week was so relaxing and like I always do camping, I ate WAY too much food.  It was so nice to get away for awhile and we even enjoyed a few thunderstorms to cool us off.   I saw this quote on Facebook and loved it, it is so true and so worth it to live like a homeless person for a few days. :)

 This past weekend (after returning from camping) we were back on the campaign trail for Jeff.  We spent Friday evening at the burn out contest on Price Main Street, it was, um, interesting.  We sat on the bleachers with about a million other people and smelled nasty burnt tires as each contestant peeled out.  I wasn't too impressed. Saturday was a lot more fun.  We were in the parade and spent the entire day at the park.  There was so much to do and see.  The kids rode a few rides at the carnival they had set up and we had fun shopping the little booths.  There was delicious food and tons of people to visit with.  By the time we got home we were exhausted and so ready for a break, so Sunday we relaxed and took the kids swimming.  It has been a very busy but very fun summer. 

Gyro anyone?!

We've had such a great summer so far.  This past weekend was the Greek Festival.  Emily and I woke up early Saturday morning and took all the kids (except Connor, he was in Salina with Zac at a ball tournament) to the Greek Festival 5k.  We were in almost last place, but Kinlee got her picture taken and name in the paper for being the youngest participant.  That evening I got a sitter for the kids and Jeff, Emily, Rory, and I went to the Greek Festival for dinner and Bingo.  The dinner was so delicious and the company was even better, but Rory had to work, so we didn't get to stay for as long as we would have liked to.  We did play several rounds of Bingo and enjoyed mountains of food, so all in all it was a wonderful night.  

Monday we met my mom at the Castle Dale Pool and swam for over 4 hours!  I didn't get many pictures, but we had a blast.  My mom bought us Pizza and bread sticks and there is a giant slide that I went down several times.  It was so hot and the perfect day to spend at the pool.

Connor's 10th Birthday!

Friday we went to Energy days at the fairgrounds to celebrate the 4th of July.  I've never been before and it was a lot of fun.  They had all sorts of bounce houses, and one was a huge bubble pit.  The kids loved it and were slipping and sliding all over the place.  At one point we lost Matthew and ended up finding him on the biggest bouncer/slide they had!  After playing for awhile we went to Eric and Shelley's to watch the fireworks from their backyard.  Debbie made some almond bark popcorn and they have a really fun backyard so the kids were excited to play until the fireworks started.  The next day was Nicole's birthday, so we went with Derek, Nicole, Derk, Deb, Rhea, Azella, and the kids to Huntington Lake.  Derek took all the kids (even Matthew) on the boat so Nicole, Kinlee, and I sat on the beach and played in the sand.  We barbequed and visited and then headed home so Rory could go to work.  

Connor's birthday was on Sunday and he was so excited to open presents he woke up at 5:00 am.  I wouldn't let him get up that early, but when Rory got home from work at 6:00 am Connor was ready to go.  He opened his present from Rory, about 150 baseball cards.  He was so excited and looked at every single one.  He couldn't wait to open the rest of his presents so I didn't make him.  That afternoon he begged and pleaded to go to the lake with Kyle and Candee and their kids, so he spent most the day at the lake.  He even wake boarded and went out of the wake for the first time.  They got home pretty late, so we didn't have ice cream cake until around 9:00, I felt so bad because Kinlee had fallen asleep waiting for Connor and I knew she would be so disappointed she didn't get to sing and have cake with him. I made sure to save her a big piece and the next morning she ate it and sang Happy Birthday to Connor.

Monday we took the kids to Jump On It in Lindon to celebrate again.  It was so much fun!  We jumped, and jumped, and jumped!  The kids loved throwing themselves into the foam pits and didn't stop running the whole time we were there.  They even tried the bungee jumping.  Rory and Connor were able to do front and back flips but Kadee was too nervous so she just jumped. Afterword we went to the mall and grabbed some dinner.  It was such a great day and a great way to celebrate Connor's birthday.  

Color Run Fun!

 We've been staying busy this summer trying to do lots of Price unplugged activities and going to the pool once a week.  Kadee has been trying to earn money by having yard sales and kool aid stands.  She's made about $40 so far, so she is doing pretty good.  Connor is working for Mike Miller a couple days a week helping him with his rock quarry.  I'm grateful he has something to keep him busy and teach him responsibility.  Matty and Kinlee have just been their normal mischievous selves.  They make me laugh on a daily basis!  

A couple weeks ago our whole family participated in the high school's color run.  It was a blast!  At first Matthew was pissed that they threw color on him, but once he got used to it he loved it!  We have had a fun summer so far, we've went swimming (a lot), visited the library, walked the Price River Walkway, the Helper Parkway, been to the zoo, vacationed, barbequed with friends, had root beer floats, and much more!!   

Kinlee washing her car (and Bella)

Matty does not look comfortable!

Visiting Papa Gary for Father's Day

 

Before the color run

After the color run!

Lava Hot Springs

We just got back from an amazing family vacation.  We took the kiddos and in laws to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho.  On the drive up we stopped at the Ogden Dinosaur Park and explored the museum and life size dinosaurs.  We then headed up to Lava and stayed in an adorable little 2 bedroom 1 bath cabin. 

The scenery there is absolutely breath taking.  There was a little bridge and creek right through the property and it sat right on the side of a mountain.  Rory, Derk, and Connor hiked the mountain and we saw tons of deer grazing in the fields around us. Although it was so cold, we had a wonderful time.  We went to the Aquatic center, played Frisbee golf, played in the arcade, sat in the hot spots, walked main street, Rory, Connor, and Kadee even floated on the freezing cold river.

 
 

We also spent a day in Soda Springs.  We visited Geyser Park (Soda Springs has the only captive geyser in the world), Hooper springs park,the Monsanto Slag Pour, and also visited the Pioneer Ghost town named Chesterfield.  We all really enjoyed the tour of the little town.  The guide was great and had tons of information on the old town and all the restorations they have done.  The kids had a blast in the general store.  They had penny candy and homemade souvenirs, the kids were so excited to try all the different types of candy and see the old pioneer toys.  


It was a wonderful vacation and a great way to spend time together as a family.  

Summer fun!

So far our summer has started off with a bang!  We got the kids a dirt bike and mini four wheeler and they have had a blast riding them around our backyard.  My mom, the kids, and I also took an impromptu trip to SLC to see my grandparents and Wally.  We were able to visit with DR & Janene (Matthew LOVES their birds, he even knocked the cage over trying to get them out.  While we were cleaning up the mess, he escaped out the front door and ended up 2 blocks away before a neighbor brought him and DR's dog back!), then my mom kept Matthew so that I could take Connor, Kadee, Kella, and Kinlee to the movie Maleficent.  We also went to visit Wally at the Rusted Sun and he bought our dinner.  Lastly my mom and I took the kids to the zoo before heading home.  They loved the new exhibit and Matthew cried when we had to get off the train.  The kids had their new cell phones and were taking pictures of everything.  I think Kadee sent Rory 100 pictures while we were there.  

This past weekend we went to Vernal for a baseball tournament.  It was a beautiful weekend for baseball!  The boys did great and ended up taking 2nd out of 8 teams.  I sure do love watching my kids play ball.  We spent most of our time at the ball field, but enjoyed each others company and visiting with the team.  Last night Jessica Andreason and I took the kids for a walk on the Helper Parkway.  They really enjoyed it, except for when Kinlee had to use the Porta Potty.  Paxton decided to shake it and scare her so she had an accident in her pants.  It was so sad because she was so embarrassed and ended up with a nasty rash because of it.  After our walk we made marshmallow popcorn and homemade ice cream.  It was a fun night.  

     

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.