Homeward Bound

June 22, 2012

After a wonderful vacation, we started the five hour drive home. We had only been on the road for an hour when our tire pressure light went off. Sure enough, when we got out to check, we found another flat tire. These tires were supposedly 80,000 mile tires, and we had maybe gone 20,000 on them! Thank goodness we were in a little town, Ashton. There are long stretches of no man's land for most of the drive, so we were really grateful for the timing.  There was a tire place just around the corner from where we stopped with great people who replaced the tire with a used one for a good price. We just needed something to get us home so that we could take the van back to the place where we had gotten these defected tires.

While we waited for the van to get fix, we walked down the street and found this old fashioned Soda Fountain. Everyone got a dish of ice cream, and by the time we were done, the van was ready to go. It turned out to be a fun stop!

When we got home, Brian took the car to Discount Tires and they replaced all four tires with a better brand tire for no cost, and refunded some of our tire expenses from the trip. They were very nice to work with. Hopefully we're good to go for a while! From now on, we'll be better at getting the car serviced and tires checked before any vacations!(o:

After getting the tire fixed in Ashton, we drove on to Rigby, and stopped by Tara and Ryan's house to visit with them and see their new baby, who is only a few days old. Kylee is beautiful!! Tara and Ryan seemed to be doing great, especially after just having a baby and getting new carpet, both practically at the same time!

They showed us their new carpet in the basement, and Abby showed us her new room with her princess bed. She's all princess!
Jackson had made a booby trap by tying a rope to the bathroom door and holding it shut when someone tried to get out. He's pretty creative - I'm sure he keeps things exciting around there!
It was so fun to see them!

Yellowstone Park Adventures

June 19 and 21

It's kind of hard to see, but there are two cubs and a mama bear in the picture above. It was pretty cool and fun to watch the cubs playing with each other, and then both the cubs climbed way up into that tree where they stayed. We left before they came back down. Mama Bear sat at the bottom of the tree and looked like she was taking a nap.

This is only the second year that we've seen bears in Yellowstone Park. Apparently, June is the time to see them on the stretch between Tower and Mammoth. That's where we've seen them both times. We saw a black bear wandering along very near to the road as well. There were plenty of bison and elk out. A deer ran across the road right in front of us while we were driving in the afternoon. 

Jacob and the girls were all over checking off animals that we saw in the park both days we were there. I think we saw everything but the marmot, coyote, and wolf this time. That's pretty good! There's lots of animals on that list!

One new adventure in the park was getting a flat tire. Brian said that something didn't feel right and we pulled over at the nearest pull out. I should have realized that we weren't driving on the wake up strip along the side of the road - I don't even think there were any. Sure enough, when we got out to see what was wrong, our tire was completely flat. It was a great opportunity for us to learn how to put the spare on. Thank goodness there is a service station at Canyon and they weren't busy when we pulled in, so they immediately took care of us. After two new tires (another tire was almost as bad as the one that went flat), lunch on a big log next to the service station, and browsing through the Canyon gift shop while we waited, we were good to go again.

Mammoth Hot Springs is so beautiful! There are lots of fun wooden paths and stairs to go on and explore the place. Jacob loves going on the pathways, and by the time we were done wandering around these hot springs, he was happy to be done for the day. Emma and I were counting stairs, and we reached over 500 before we got back to the car.

On Thursday, we drove to Old Faithful. We walked around the pathways, and saw lots of geyser activity. This picture shows the distant view of Old Faithful going off. The kids were energized and wanting to walk all the wooden pathways again. In fact, we didn't walk enough of them before we had to head out of the park to make it to the Playmill Theatre for the 7:30pm play, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels".

On our way back to West Yellowstone, we stopped at this pretty place for a dinner picnic.

Back at West Yellowstone, we had a little time to browse the gift stores before the show started. This was a funny hat moment.

Beautiful Island Park!

June 17-22, 2012

Big Springs is one of the most peaceful and beautiful places on earth! Sunday afternoon, we drove over to the bridge to feed the fish. We only saw one of the many big fish that we usually see there. Hopefully they were just hiding under the bridge, and they're still there. But there were plenty of sea gulls and a muskrat who ate all of our bread.

Usually, we'll take a walk on the path along the river to the boat loading area that's maybe a mile down. It is so pretty, and sometimes we'll see a moose along the way.

We ended up skipping the walk this year because we forgot to bring the mosquito spray with us. Mosquitos love me. If we had gone, I probably would have protected everyone else, because all the mosquitos would be attracted to me, and leave the others alone. I wasn't willing to make that sacrifice. As it was, by the time we got back to the van, I was covered in bites, especially my ankles and neck, and I don't think anyone else even had one bite!

Another favorite activity at Island Park is fishing. This is the first year that all four of our children fished and enjoyed it. And, to top it off, they each caught at least one fish!

Our fishing spots continually change, and this seemed to be the best spot this year. It was my first time really fishing off a bridge. We caught a lot of frying pan size fish - 25 total. So we were able to have a fish and potato dinner, and bring fish home for a couple more dinners. It's so fun to hear their excitement when they've caught one! It's also fun to hear the wild life around us while we are out there. A woodpecker at work, other birds singing, we heard and saw an osprey dive into the water and come out with a fish. He flew above us, carrying the fish away with him.

You never know what you're going to see or hear out there!

Happy Father's Day!

June 17, 2012

We arrived at Island Park on Fathers Day, and got to have a nice relaxing day with Brian. Each child gave Brian something: Emma made him some binoculars out of a fruit snack box for all our sightseeing moments that we would have on our vacation. We accidently left Kaylee's gift at home (ingredients for Smores), so she gave hime a more meaningful gift, a nice big hug. Jacob gave him some fishing lures, and Tyler picked out a jacket for him. We are all so grateful for Brian and for the good father that he is! He is a great example to all of us; he's patient, kind, fun, and loves to spend time with his family. We couldn't ask for a better husband and father than that!

A special treat this Father's Day was to have Brian's parents there to spend some of the day with us. When Brian and I were dating, I was so impressed with how kind, good, and patient he was, and when I met Brian's parents, I saw where he got that from.

I am so thankful for Brian's Dad and my Dad who have taught me so much, and who have helped me learn some important lessons through easy and tough moments.

We have the best family on earth!

Happy Fathers Day to these wonderful, amazing Fathers who have influenced me and so many others for good! I love you!

Running the Ragnar

June 15-16, 2012

Here's our Van #2 Runners. What a bunch of awesome, tough runners!

Here I am on my last leg. That smile was forced, and I forced that and any other positive thought that I could think of to get me through it. It was a mind over matter moment! It helped to know that the whole team was waiting for me at the end. What a great experience! I can't wait to do it again next year - hopefully I've learned some things so that I can be better prepared.

I'm just grateful to have a body that can move and feel good!

Good Start to the Day

Monday, June 11, 2012

I've read scriptures, a conference talk, prepared a VT message, looked over the packing list for Ragnar this weekend, and gone over the schedule for today, all while riding the bike.

A little yoga to top it off, and I'm ready to go!

Sunday Dinner

Chicken Nuggets

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Yummy Sunday dinner of homemade chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, and green salad.

I baked extra chicken nuggets and froze them for an easy dinner in the future.

Chicken Nuggets

2 Tbsp margarine, melted

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix above ingredients together in large bowl and set aside.

2-3 cups cornflakes, crush in ziploc bag

add 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, and shake bag to mix together well.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into one inch pieces

Pour chicken pieces into bowl with margarine and Worcestershire sauce and stir until sauce is on all the chicken pieces. Put coated pieces in bag of cornflakes and cheese and toss until chicken pieces are well coated.

Place chicken pieces in a single layer on pan.

Bake at 450 degrees for 9 minutes.

Parade!

June 9, 2012

We decided to support our elementary school and be in the city parade instead of watching it this year. The girls were so excited! They decorated their scooters and helped Jacob decorate his little bike for the event. Tyler brought his ripstick - he and Jacob chased each other along the whole route. Our only mistake was that we underdressed. The wind was strong and cold. Emma was the only one who wore a jacket, and she let Kaylee wear it half the time.

When it was our school's turn to go, Emma said, "I can't believe we're in a real parade!"

Besides the fact that we were all frozen by the end, we had a great time walking/riding, waving, and seeing a few friends and family along the way.

After we finished, Brian went ahead to get the car. When he picked us up, he had the heat cranked up. It felt so good to feel the warmth!

We came home and had banana splits for a treat, because it tastes good even when you're cold. I think ice cream always tastes good! We all changed into warm pjs on this June night so that we could eat our treat comfortably. The kids went to bed and asleep right after we were done. 

I'm ready to call it a day too!



A Contagious Laugh

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Last night, Shaggy DA was on T.V., and one by one the kids appeared and sat down to watch it. I was back on the computer working on a project for Brian for Fathers Day, when Jacob burst out laughing again and again. It was a part where the dog is driving. He made us all laugh.

On Thursday, we went to Hop (one of the Childrens Summer Movies). It's not one of my favorite movies, but there was a part where the bunny plays the drums, the chick starts dancing, and all the other chicks hooked to the "sled" go crazy. Jacob caught the intended or unintended humor in that moment, and he was roaring with laughter through the whole scene. The rest of the audience was silent, but Jacob could have cared less. He laughed for everyone else who wasn't. I don't think I would have laughed either, if it weren't for Jacob. I was chuckling to myself, and really enjoyed that part of the movie, thanks to him.

Speaking of Jacob, this morning when I got home from running, he was laying out on the couch alone. He said he was waiting for someone else to wake up. I asked him "When did you wake up? Have you been up a long time?" He answered, "I woke up...(thinking)...about a while ago."

Well that answered my question.

Brian came out a little later and asked Jacob if he was feeling better today. He's been feeling a little sick off and on the past couple of days.

Jacob said, "I feel better, and I feel fantastic!"

That's the spirit!

Fun at Twin Falls, Idaho!

June 2-6, 2012

My sister, Julie, just had her baby a month ago, and they blessed her last Sunday. We all drove up there on Saturday. Brian and Tyler came home with Mom on Sunday so that Brian could go to work, and Tyler to his all day, every day summer band.

The rest of us got to stay and play for a few days. I got to hold baby Mckinley pretty much to my heart's content, but not quite...

We love our new little niece and cousin!

The girls kept wanting to hold her, and it was usually me they had to take her from.
Julie is an amazing mom. She is so good with her five children. She's always finding creative activities for them to do, getting outdoors with them, reading with them, giving them loves, and creating a great welcome and warm feeling for all who come to visit, and even stay!

Of course, we think the world of Mckay too! I don't know how he manages family, work, being bishop, and all the other things that he does. Yeh, those Barlows are pretty cool!

Legos were a great source of entertainment for cousins this time around. The kids wanted to set a record and make a tower that was higher than the tallest person in the house, Brian. They were so proud of themselves when they did it! They even wrote and delivered a newspaper about it to give to every adult in the house.

Andrea came up with Grammy and was going to stay until we came home on Wednesday, but she wasn't feeling well, and ended up going home with Grammy, Brian, and Tyler (it turns out she had hand, foot and mouth disease). While she was resting, the kids decided to take care of her and made her a quilt with fabric scraps. The fabric was leftover from fabric we got from Mom's house to make her a quilt for Christmas one year. It has been a great source of entertainment each time we visit Julie's house. It makes great dress ups.  The kids came up with some pretty creative alfits.

Brigham handed me this square piece of fabric and some tape. When I took it, he turn his back toward me so that I would tape on his cape. Then he took off!

On Monday, while Julie's older boys were at school, we spent the morning and most of the day getting ready and going for a run. With Mckinley bundled up in the back, the boys bikes and helmets adjusted to fit the girls (it will take the Barlows some time to readjust everything before their next bike ride), we were off for a seven mile run. The girls thought they were going a mile. I'm not sure how they thought that, but I didn't tell them we were going seven, or they would have quit before we got started. Everyone did good, even in the heat of the day. About half way through the run, we stopped in the canyon for a picnic lunch and for Julie to feed the baby. Toward the end of the run, about 1/2 mile left, Kaylee told me the mile felt way longer than usual. I broke it to her that we had actually gone seven

miles. She and Emma were so impressed with themselves. That was the first thing they told Brian when they got home.  

Tuesday, we stayed indoors, due to much cooler weather. Julie and I never even got dressed for the day. Oh well, it was nice to stay inside and watch the rain coming down outside.The kids enjoyed making crafts with popsicle sticks. Later, we made hair bows for baby Mckinley, Kaylee, and Emma. Kaylee and Packer made cookies all by themselves. They used Brian's mom's recipe - it's the best! Packer was making them for his school teacher, and wanted to color them purple. They looked pretty cool, and tasted even better!

  

All in all, it was a fun vacation for us! Thanks Julie and Mckay for letting us invade your home! We had a wonderful time!