Fun at the Pool

Jeremy is in meetings at the church, Will is asleep and the other kids are happily playing so I'm going to take the opportunity to be at the computer for a few minutes.

We had a fun day at the Manti pool yesterday. We have been working on a project in our yard this week so my muscles are really stiff and the kids were getting pretty bored. Plus, Matthew had a free pass he earned from school. So... we decided we all deserved a couple of hours of fun! With school starting on Tuesday we figured this may be our last chance to enjoy summer vacation.

It was a great trip! We brought a picnic, (the kids were thrilled to get Cheetos with their sandwiches), but I couldn't get them to sit down and eat. They would eat a bite or two and then run into the pool. A few minutes later they came back for another few bites... then ran right off into the pool. Ashton was the exception... he would not eat AT ALL. At around 2:30 in the afternoon he finally asked where his lunch was.

Kathryn made real progress in swimming. She can hold her breath and dog paddle with her head under the water. Jeremy had given her a brief lesson and she just kept practicing and practicing. Matthew met up with one of his friends from kindergarten and had a great time. Ashton, as usual, was just delighted to be outside expending some of his boundless energy and Will was thrilled to be in the water. This is the first time we have ever taken him swimming (well, that he can remember anyway) and he smiled and laughed as he jumped up and down in the water, climbed in and out of the pool, put his face in the water, and splashed on me and his brothers and sisters. He was so fun to watch.
Jeremy took his lunchbreak at the pool... so that was fun. Grandma Cox came to watch the kids and also helped us load up to go home. Kiersten was tons of help! She took all the pictures and helped me keep an eye on the kids from the poolside.

We left at around 3 pm and we were so exhausted that Will and Ashton came home and took 3 hour naps, Matthew and Katie watched a movie, and I read. I had planned to do some Usborne stuff yesterday afternoon, but I was too exhausted. I did get my office cleaned and organized before we left. I even cleared off Jeremy's desk. :)

Oh, something else significant that happened this week... I taught Matthew to clean the bathrooms! He did a great job!! He especially liked using the Mr. Clean toilet wand to clean the toilet... go figure. That is going to be his new chore on Saturdays. He already does a great job of doing the dishes. And just as exciting... Will started to show great interest in the potty. On Friday, he told us when he needed to go potty and at the haircut place yesterday he said, "Where bathroom? I go potty." We are trying not to get our hopes to high, but we can't help but think that soon we will be done with diapers.

Here is another cute picture of Will this week. He has loved wearing a batman mask.

Katie and Ashton, not to be outdone, decided to pose for a picture too. (I really do try to dress my kids... I'm not sure how they always end up running around without a shirt... and sometimes pants. Oh, and Katie did her own hair.)

Holy OLYMPIC Moment

OH MY GOSH!!! We (Jeremy, Steve, my Dad, Stacie, and Kiersten) just watched the coolest race. It was the men's 4X100 relay. The French were highly favored to win.

The American's got a slow start, but steadily made some progress. At the start of the last lap though the American's were quite far (at least a full body length) behind.

But then they started catching up. We all started screaming. We were standing and waving our arms trying to swim for them. (Kiersten wasn't she was just laughing at us so hard she was crying.) And then USA WON!!!! By 8/100ths of a second.

I've lost my voice now.

Tubes... again

This week William had tubes placed in his ears. He is our third kid to have this minor surgery (only Matthew did not). He had an ear infection the day had the tube placed.

Will did REALLY well. He was kind of clingy to Jeremy before he went to surgery, but did leave with the nurses without tears. (Thank heavens! I don't think I could have stood that.) He was also quite ornery for 15 minutes or so after he woke up. He went back and forth between crying for "Mama" and "Daddy." He calmed down once he saw we were on our way out the hospital.

Since we were already up north Jeremy and I took the opportunity to go to a movie (Dark Knight), get the kids school clothes (60% off at Old Navy... and they are really cute!), I met with a brand new consultant and did a home show. It was a very long day... we left at 5:15 am and got home at 11:45 pm.

Also, this week we had the chance to visit with Andy, Charity, and Caleb (who we love.) They just moved to Boise, which I believe is farther away than Twin Falls. (sigh)

We spent the weekend up north. I went to an Usborne training in Layton. It was really fun and I was able to meet with some of my girls face to face that I don't see very often. It also made it so my trip to Ogden (which was mostly to attend a family reunion) was tax deductible.

The bi-annual Moore family party was Saturday. My mom and aunts were in charge and of course it was really fun! There were relay races, a fish pond, a quilt raffle (my mom made the quilt with old family pictures ironed on), and it was fun to visit with my cousins and second cousins. I also got a CD with pictures of my ancestors. I am going to use those pictures for a little decorating project. Jeremy was on the farm and missed the fun.

Why is it...?!?

Why is it that dads can get kids to do so much more work than moms can. I am assuming this is the case for most people because when I have vented to friends that I can beg, plead, bribe, cajole, threaten, and punish and not a lot happens, but if I threaten to call dad (or the minute he tells them to do something) they jump into action, my friends have said this is the case for them too. So I'm not the only one... right?

Case in point... right now Katie is sweeping the floor. They do their dinner chores about 60 times faster (when Jeremy is home) than their lunch chores (when only I am home).

One of the many mysteries of motherhood.

How we saw the hand of the Lord in our lives this week: Today at church there weren't many kids in nursery and the other ladies and I were talking about how facebook, blogspot, etc. allowed us to stay close to our families. We couldn't help but think that was one way the the Lord brought to pass the prophesy in Malachi about the "hearts of the children will turn to their fathers." Also, today Wendy (who went on trek the week before last) shared some of the stories she learned about the trials that the pioneers went through. (One 11 year old boy carried his 4 year old brother 15 miles in the snow only to arrive at the camp, lay is brother down, and die.) These Mormon pioneers didn't complain, but grew stronger and closer to the Lord. Sometimes we need to be reminded that we don't have it so bad and

"all things work together for good to them that love God." (Romans 8:28)

24th of July

This year we celebrated Pioneer Day by making money and camping with the Coxes.

I had a booth in Fairview the morning of the 24th. It was great! I had high sales and booked several parties... so it was WELL worth it.

Meanwhile, Jeremy and the kids went up to Yearns to set up camp with the Coxes. Grandma and Rich and Wendy had gone up the night before and Larry & Rachel, Brian & Jenn, and Brian & Dana, and Kris & Dave and their families also came up on the 24th. Although he brought a tent, Jeremy decided we were going to sleep in the van instead of a tent so set up was really easy. He came back to get me from my booth.

Jeremy had a rare opportunity to just lounge.

Jeremy, Will, and I ended up sleeping quite comfortably in the van on blow up air mattresses. Unfortunately, some mosquitos had a feeding frenzy while we slept. The kids slept in Grandma's trailor.

Samantha and Brynlie helped the kids make rockets out of Alka-Seltzer and film canisters. Here is Katie waiting for hers to take off.

Ashton was delighted to see his rocket take off!

Braden helping Matthew with his rocket.

Will fell asleep on a 4-wheeler ride and finished his nap in Grandma's camper.

On Friday morning we all enjoyed a hike led by Brian and Larry, chatting, playing games and the kids loved getting muddy.

Ashton jumping in the mud!

Katie and Ashton in "time out" on a rock for jumping in the mud for the fourth time.

The getting muddy was not Jeremy's favorite part... in fact, we left early to remind the kids that they need to obey when we tell them not to get in the mud.

It was fun!!!

Usborne National Convention

Last week I went to the Usborne National Convention in Tulsa, OK. I have to say right now, most of the pictures on this post came from other people's cameras. Apparently, my flash wasn't working properly. Thank heavens I have friends with good cameras!

Me, Bobbi Giles, Amanda Padgett

The Dynamite Gems Team!

Last year, it was inspirational, informative, fun and relaxing. This year, it was still inspirational and informative, but not so fun and relaxing because I was asked to be a speaker and was a nervous wreck!! Well, not the whole time... I did enjoy Wednesday and Thursday, but my workshop (on home shows) and speech (on earning a trip) were both on Saturday so I spent the whole day Friday worrying about it. I wasn't able to fully relax until after the awards banquet Saturday night. On Friday and Saturday people kept coming up to me and asking me if I was okay, feeling well, etc. Apparently, I looked like I was going to pass out or throw up. (Which was a REAL concern because I DID pass out on the 4th of July.)

Anyway... I'm glad it is over and if I did a terrible job they don't have to ask me again (which is fine with me). Although, I do have to say, my during my little speech about the trips I talked about the song Katie wrote about the beautiful things she saw in Alaska and I saw Randall White (CEO) wiping his eyes with his napkin.

Me giving my speech on how/why to earn a trip in front of 500+ people! Yikes!

We love to play the "name game."

I did LEARN some much that I really think are going to help my business. This week Jeremy has been helping me figure out how to implement much of what I learned.

Me and Rachel Jessop getting recognition for earning Alaska!

I was also excited to earn some awards this year. It was pretty fun! I received #18 in Central Group Sales, #3 in Home Show sales, #2 in Central Group Recruiting (recruits have to sell $1000 to count), #1 in Personal Recruiting (recruits have to sell $1000 to count), and New Supervisor of the Year.

Deb Casey, Bobbi Giles, Shauna Zollinger, Becky Parkinson, and Sharee Owings after the President's Club dinner at the Tulsa Aquarium.
This was the limo that picked me up from the airport. My first limo ride... EXCITING!!!

Bobbi, me, Pipkin, Tina, Cindy

Becky Parkinson, Randall White (CEO), and me

As excited as I was about my awards I was even more excited about my family's reaction. Jeremy met me at the airport with a bouquet of flowers. When we arrived home I found out that he had planned a "party" for me with razzleberry pie (not cake, because I prefer pie) and ice cream. (It was just my parents, siblings, and kids... but it was still nice.) Katie and Matthew had made welcome home signs... Katie had even put on the Usborne Books logos (house with books, balloon, and duck) on hers. This week we had the missionaries over for dinner and Matthew told them, "We went to Alaska. My mom earned it from Usborne books. She is the New Supervisor of the Year."

June

This weekend my dear sis-in-law, Jenn, reminded me that I hadn't updated my blog in awhile... So here it goes...!

So... June was pretty much CONSUMED by t-ball!

This was Matthew's second year and Katie's first year and I ended up being "promoted" from assistant to head coach the day we came home from Alaska. Between practices and games I didn't have much time to think about anything else. We did have TONS of fun and the kids really improved. (Especially Matthew... he put WAY more effort into the games and practices than Katie did.)

For some reason, Jeremy mostly took video of the games, not photos... so the pictures we have are NOT that good. But you can see me dragging Katie into position in the photo above. Will is the little kid (in his JAMMIES) trying to sneak onto the field while Jeremy is occupied taking the picture.

Katie also enjoyed participating in Jr. Templar cheer camp for the second year in a row. It is really cute because at the end of each cheer the little girls do these high-pitched shrill screams to show their enthusiasm. (I took this picture.)

Another thing we did in June was attend the Mormon Miracle Pageant and go boating at Yuba with the Coxes.

More Alaska Pictures

We couldn't fit all our pictures in one post... so here are a few more!Seattle, WA... on the boat waiting to set sail.Ketchikan, Alaska... what a gorgeous town!Skagway, Alaska

Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada

ALASKA!!!

Well, we returned from our trip to Alaska last night. Jeremy and I were travelling courtesy of Usborne Books and we bought-in for Matthew and Katie. Ashton and William stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa Cragun. (They did get to go to the zoo and were basically spoiled rotten.) Alaska was AMAZING and the cruise itself was super fun. We were converted to cruises on this trip. When we were in the ports we did everything as a family. On the ship Jeremy and I could do things where children weren't allowed (like use the fitness room, attend the murder mystery dinner, etc.) while the kids were having fun at Kid's Club activities. Katie attended a princess tea party, Matthew had a masquerade ball. They both participated in the talent show and had a dance party. They played computer games, had a pirate parade, and all sorts of fun things. We all enjoyed the magician, Chinese acrobats, and other shows.

Our trip started last Friday morning. We left Ephraim at 7 am and arrived in Seattle at noon. We really enjoyed visiting Pikes Place Market (where they throw the fresh fish around and sing when someone makes a purchase), seeing the Space Needle, and just seeing what Seattle was like.

Here is Katie on our LONG walk from the Market to the Space Needle.

The next morning we left our nice hotel and made our way onto the ship. I'm not sure we would have made it aboard with our two kids, five suitcases, three backpacks and two car seats without the help of our Usborne friends David and Amanda Padgett.

On Sunday, we were invited to attend a church meeting in the chapel by Nathan and Jackie Broadbent, another Usborne couple. The kids had prepared talks. There ended up being many people of several faiths in attendance. The kids did a great job and whenever we saw someone from the chapel on the ship later they said hi and complimented Matthew and Katie on their talks.

After a GORGEOUS day at sea, our first stop in Alaska was Ketchikan, where Charity's aunt, Anita Hales, very graciously gave his the grand tour. We were quite spoiled because she had actually worked as a tour guide and since she lives in Ketchikan she was able to help us spot a real live bear. The kids loved the native stories she told and were excited when we saw the totems depicting those stories. Here we are with Anita near some totems depicting the story of Raven stealing light for the people.

Anita recommended a book store where we could get some picture books that told that native stories. Katie found a quiet corner.

The next day Jeremy and the kids went whale watching. They saw several whales. One was a baby humpback who was playing near the surface. They also saw porpoises, bald eagles, and sea lions. Jeremy tried to take photos of the whales, but they all ended up as a black spot on the ocean. So, he ended up just using the camcorder to capture the whales. That same day, I went to Mendenhall Glacier with several Usborne people. It was awesome to see that blue ice. Blue ice is super combacted ice. Up until 1990 the glacier was melting 60ft/year. They last few years they have been losing 500+ft/year.

Here are two of the video clips he shot:

The next day we visited Skagway which was basically a gold mining town built on scams, prostitution and drinking. Now, it is largely built on tourism. We actually saw some awesome things there and learned a lot about the Kodiak Gold Rush at the free museums.

The last stop was Prince Rupert, Canada. The kids were thrilled to get there passports stamped for the first time! It was our only cold stop the entire time. That night was the Kid's Club talent show. Matthew did a magic card trick and Katie sang an "original composition" about the beautiful things she saw in Alaska.

The next day we spent at Sea again. I was very fortunate to see FOUR whales and TWO porpoises that day. One of the whales was very close to the ship when it did the the tail slapping thing. That was very exciting for me because the only other time I had spotted a whale it was quite far away.

Saturday we packed up and travelled home. We were very excited to see Ashton and Will. Our friends, Rachel and Ryan Jessop had their baby with them on the cruise. He is a few months younger than Will and the kids (especially Katie) loved to play with him, but he was so cute he made us a little homesick for our little boys.

Easter 2008

I know this isn't a very good picture... but it is difficult to get 4 kids, lighting, etc. to cooperate!

This weekend was very busy and super fun for the kids.

On Friday afternoon they cleaned up their rooms and laid out their Easter baskets so the Easter bunny could come. Then they went outside and THOROUGHLY enjoyed the warmer weather.

On Saturday, they woke up bright and early and got ready for the annual Easter Hunt at the park in Ephraim. It was Will's first time and Jeremy's first time since 2004. We loved having him there!

Will was just excited to see the candy. He would run up to a big pile and then plop down on the ground and start eating it. It was very difficult to convince him to just put it in the basket and move on. In the picture of him and Levi below you can actually see a Reese's Peanut Butter egg in his hand if you look close enough.

Ashton was excited and loved running and getting candy in his basket, but selective about what kinds of candy he would take.

Matthew was one of the youngest kids in his age bracket and got a nice amount of candy, but he was disappointed when he saw the HAUL Katie made.

I helped Katie and we set a goal of filling one of those plastic WalMart bucket/baskets 75% full. She accomplished the goal! She was so EXHAUSTED when the hunt was over. She said every part of her hurt from running so fast and furiously.

It was okay that Matthew didn't get too much candy. He is health-conscious and VERY sweet and generous and actually gave it all away once we made it back to Grandma and Grandpa Craguns.

After the Easter Hunt, the kids decorated and colored eggs. Matthew and Katie had some creative and beautiful eggs. Pretty much every one of Ashton's eggs were GREEN. In fact, when he was finished his hands were too! He called them Shrek hands.

Then, we went to the Park in Manti for the Cox Family Easter Picnic. The kids loved playing with their cousins on the playground and going on yet another Easter Hunt. Will went to down the slide for the first time as a toddler... He loved it! He kept wanting to play with the big kids.

Later Matthew and Katie went to the farm with their cousins to see the new puppies and help with chores. Ashton and Will took a bath at Grandma Coxes and we all had delicious soup Jenn and Grandma made for dinner.

This morning Grandma Cragun, Stacie and some of their friends left for Florida. The kids can't wait to the souvenirs that they bring home.

Katie wore her beautiful Easter dress that Charity bought her to church this morning, but the rest of the day was a typical Sunday. Jer had meetings after church, we at dinner at the Craguns. (What would Matthew do with homemade rolls? and Kate must get her weekly mashed potatoe fix!) We did play games with kids... Chutes and Ladders and Go-Fish with Fairytale Snap cards.

Oh... Jeremy and I finally tried out ROCK BAND on my brother's playstation. It is addicting!! My siblings make fun of my methods and I'm not very good, but Jeremy is a natural!

How we saw the hand of the Lord in our lives lately:

Last night we watched "Hotel Rwanda"... WOW!! How did we miss that moment in history! We feel so fortunate to live in the time and place we do. We also had the awesome experience of having Matthew and Katie tell us the Easter Story in detail several times this week. It is great to have them remind us what we are really celebrating!

February

Wow... February has flown by.

Tomorrow is Jeremy's birthday. He has been dreading turning "30" for the last year... and tomorrow it will happen. We will celebrate his birthday by setting up a book fair... definitely not the funnest way to celebrate, but at least it is profitable.

We had tons of Snow if February. Jeremy took this picture of the cow on the farm:

It isn't very clear because he took it during a blizzard. He and the kids had a great time making snow forts using the TALL mounds of snow the snow plow left behind.

Katie and Jeremy had fun at a Daddy-Daughter Valentines Day Dance at Katie's school. They played musical chairs and apparently Katie was the champion. She made SURE she won every round and came home with some great prizes.

This week William had his first haircut. We were kind of sad to see is auburn mullet go and now that his baby hair is gone he looks like a strawberry blonde. We think his new haircut makes him look very grown up and more like Katie.

Ashton had his tonsils and adenoids out, tubes put in his ear and his tongue clipped on Thursday. He is still in some pain, but he has been so good about everything. The nurses all thought his hair and love of back hoes were adorable. We were worried he would be scared when it was time for him to leave us, but they gave him an oral sedative before surgery and let's just say... it worked. He was a little loopy. Jeremy got him excited about going for a ride on the gourney and that was that!

The great news is the surgery seemed to work! Friday night he turned to Jeremy with a very surprised look on his face and said, "This ear works!" He has been talking more quietly and when we whisper something he can hear it! Yeah!!

The kids had a lot of fun at their school Valentine's Day Parties. They brought home so much candy! Will was thrilled. He has been finding and eating candy ever since.

How we saw the hand of the Lord in our lives lately... Ashton's bedtime prayer thanking Heavenly Father for "couches; temples; Matthew, Katie, and Will; blessings; and Jesus."