BREAK YOUR HEART

Reagan and I were in the car the other day and the song Break Your Heart came on. Reagan said the funniest thing - I had to write it down.

"Mom, that is so sad, he is going to break our hearts. What are we going to do, we won't be able to love our families, if our hearts are broken."

At the end of the song she asked if we could listen to it again!

LAKE POWELL CAMPING

We were invited to go on a camping/boating trip over the Labor Day weekend with our friends the Sanford's. We have been wanting to take our kids camping for quite some time so we jumped on the opportunity. After we committed, then it sank it that this was going to be a lot of work and I wasn't sure if I wanted to go. I was very nervous about the sandstorms. There was no backing out so the adventure began. There was alot of prep work involved, especially because we had to pack light enough to get everything on the boat to get to our camp site. Dan decided to put up our tent before hand so we could remember what it looked like (It had been 7 years since our last camping trip - that is how much I enjoy camping) The tent was smaller than we thought, so we ended up borrowing a tent from my brother, along with his shade canopy. At least someone in our family our campers.

We left Thursday afternoon for the lake, about an hour outside of Lake Powell, the boat trailer got a flat. It was dark and we were on a road with no shoulder. Fortunately for us, we pulled over and there was a side road we were able to turn on and replace the flat without being in the middle of the road. I know Heavenly Father was watching over us and again I am grateful for his presence in my life.

Friday morning we met the rest of our party and headed out on the lake to find a spot. The boat was very heavy with all of our stuff; combined with getting through the channel the boat ride was very bumpy. Reagan kept saying she wanted to go back to the hotel. We found an incredible beach for the kids to play in and set up camp. The only problem was it was so hot that just walking up the small hill to our tent site was exhausting. The sand was so hot it burned your feet. We got things set up enough to go out boating and decided we would continue our efforts when the sun set and it wasn't so hot. The next couple of days were spent, wake boarding, surfing, and tubing.

On Sunday we spent the day swimming, exploring the lake and cliff jumping. The kids lived in their life jackets from sun up, til sun down. Dan and Scott took a bunch of the kids on a hike up the mountain which was harder that they first anticipated. The best way down was to come down on the other side of the mountain and swim back to shore. No one had life jackets and they had to abandon their shoes to get back. The swim was further that they thought and as Jaxson was swimming back with Dan. He said "Dad, if I don't make it. Tell Mom, Madi and Reagan I love them."

Jaxson has really picked up water sports. He was able to get over and back on the wake. He surfed with Scott and loved, loved. loved tubing. That kids' smile is a mile long. We had people asking us if he ever stopped smiling. (That's my happy kid!)

Reagan loved the water as much as Jaxson, she was the first one in the lake every morning and the last one out. She went tubing with the kids and was grinning from ear to ear. Scott also took her surfing and she loved it. I was freaking out as a mom, because she has to balance with Scott to get up and then hold onto his legs. The first time she looked a little frightened; however was so excited when she got back in the boat. The next day she surfed again and had a huge smile on her face the entire time.

Madi enjoyed tubing and didn't enjoy tubing. She kept telling Dan she was scared, but it was fun. Overall she took it pretty good. (I personally can't stand tubing, it scares the life out of me, not being in control.) The second day tubing Tyson took them out on the lake and thrashed the kids on the tube. Madi took a pretty big hit having the tube flip and cried. She told Dan she was never going to go back on a boat again.

On day two I gave up on trying to keep sand out of our tent and beds. It was an impossible task. I had to loosen up and just enjoy the experience, including the sand. The second night the Harline's found a scorpion in their tent as they were getting the boys ready for bed. Glen tried to find it and couldn't so the adult males started pulling everything out of the tent one by one and shaking it. They still couldn't find it. They ended up sleeping on their boat (I don't blame them). Madi and I had a hard time wanting to go to bad after that, we were both scared. As we made the journey up to the tent, we tiptoed in and started looking at all our bedding. We said a prayer to calm our souls and help us to sleep. The following morning the scorpion was found right outside the tent and was captured.

We met some fantastic families on our trip. The company we traveled with have known each other for quite some time and have been on several boating trips. It was nice that they know what they were doing. There were a total of 24 people including our families. Tyson and Ali Florence put the trip together - they have three beautiful children (Kaitlyn, Zac and Bridger). They brought with them Dave and Julie Smart and two of their children (Conner and Kylie) They also brought a friend Sandra. We found out that Dave is the brother of Ed Smart and we were able to talk about Elizabeth a little and get some incite on how well she is doing. Dave told us that she along with the rest of her family were all given blessings from the first presidency of the church shortly after her return. She was given a blessing by President Hinckley. He told her that none of this was her fault and that she was still as pure as the white of snow. I really touched me to hear that and I will always remember that conversation. Glen and Stacy Harline were the other family that traveled with us and their 3 children (Olivia, Mitchell and Owen.)

The kids all got along really well. Jaxson and Jade are two peas in a pod and went lizard hunting every day. They actually caught a few. Reagan and Ivy (or Iby as she calls her) Loves playing together as well. It was nice to have Kylie Smart there for Madi - both of them were 12 and got along great the entire trip.

Although it was hot, the water was a great escape to cool down during the day. Lake Powell is a beautiful place and we had gorgeous weather. The last day the wind kicked up a little so every time you opened your mouth, you got a little grit. but nothing terrible or scary, thankfully. We couldn't have gone with a nicer group of people. For not knowing anyone but the Sanford's it worked out really well. Everyone was welcoming and so friendly. It was a great way to end the summer!

OCD?

I have always thought Reagan was a little OCD. Tonight she proved it to me once again with her cup formation.

We were downstairs watching a movie with the kids and my parents. When the move was over we all headed upstairs to find Reagan sitting on the floor lining up all of the plastic cups on the floor. My mom was the first one to see her and said, Angela you need to come see this.

I need to back up a little to tell you about the second funny part of this story. It is August and the weather has been quite warm. 90 degrees or more. Recently Reagan has enjoyed turning on the fireplace throughout the day. I am constantly turning it off and telling her not to turn it on due to the temperature in our house and the AC battling the fireplace during the day.

Now back to the story - When I arrived upstairs, low and behold the fireplace was on again. I immediately said "REAGAN!" She turned to me and in a quiet voice without stopping. "oh, I'm sorry mom, I turned on the fireplace." Then immediately went back to lining up cups. We all had a good laugh; she is such a turkey!

BOBCAT!!!

Jaxson earned his bobcat award at pack meeting this week for scouts. We are very proud of him and the accomplishments he is making towards the scouting program. He loves attending scouts and learning new things. We have set a goal for him to earn his wolf award before the end of the year. He is making huge strides in accomplishing this. We have tried to set aside Sunday afternoons for him to work on some of his scouting requirements; which is a good way to spend part of the afternoon as a family. Way to go Jaxson!

DINOSAUR MUSEUM or SPLASH PARK?

Thanksgiving Point does $2.00 Tuesday's during the month of August. Jamie Park thought it would be fun to take the kids, so Kris and I joined her and we all ventured down the Dinosaur Museum. What we saw when we got there was not what we expected. Lines out both downs, wrapped around the building. We decided we didn't want to take that adventure after all and headed back to South Jordan. The kids were a little disappointed until we said "Let's go get some ice cream." We went to San Gelato in Day Break and sat outside to enjoy the summer afternoon. The kids located the fountains next store and didn't waste a moment getting drenched from head to toe. I think the definitely enjoyed the fountains more than they would have the Dinosaur Museum. (Why do we try to educate them or spend morning when they enjoy the simple things for FREE!) Lesson learned - it turned out to be a very enjoyable afternoon visiting with friends and eating ice cream. What could be better?

MADI TURNS 12

 

 

My little girl is growing up! She turned 12 and has entered Young Women's, gone to girls camp and started Junior High all in the same month. I can't believe what a beautiful girl she is inside and out. I am so proud of her and the person she has become and the young lady she is becoming. She has a beautiful spirit and truly cares for others. She is an amazing big sister to both Jaxson and Reagan. They both look up to her so much. Reagan wants to be with her whenever she is around and follows her like a little lost puppy. She has high standards, wants to choose the right and is a very sweet girl to both her family and friends. (I'm not sure why I am so lucky to be her mother; but I thank my lucky stars every day that I am.)

All Madi wanted for her birthday was a cell phone, she has been asked for one for years and we kept putting it off stating that when she turned 12 or started junior high she could have one. That came much too quickly! We tried to down play it and told her that we couldn't afford a phone right now. I think we were doing pretty good until Jaxson opened up his mouth and told Madi that she was going to love what she was getting for her birthday and that it was something she had been wanting for a long time. Funny thing is, he was talking about a backpack she wanted for school and Madi assumed it was the phone. We put all of Madi's little presents in her backpack including her cell phone and I walked around the house until she noticed that I was wearing it. I placed a present in each pocket (little calculator, razor, mascara and eyelash curler, leggings and shoes) I also put in tickets to go see Tarzan at the Tuachan theater. When she found the phone she was jumping up and down, screaming. I have never seen a bigger smile on her face. For the next couple of weeks her phone was attached at her hip (literally). Hopefully the newness wears off shortly.

In lieu of a birthday party this year, I took Madi to St. George on a girls trip along with our goods friends Jen and Hailey Winterton. We had a complete riot spending some quality time with the girls. We left Thursday morning and when we arrived we started shopping immediately - before we even arrived at the condo. The only unfortunate thing that happened on the way down was the phone call I received from Dan stating that he went into the dining room and found a pink and brown polka-dot bag. (Which was Madi's suitcase) Reagan had been dragging around the bad earlier in the morning and left in there. When we were packing the car, I had (so I thought) all the bad in the mud room ready to go. I didn't even realize it was missing. Thankfully Dan was able to get a hold of the St. George shuttle and drop off her bag, we just had to meet the driver to pick it up. Crisis solved!

After we picked up Madi's bag we made pizza bubble for dinner, watched a chick flick and ate chocolate covered strawberries with sparkling cider. We also became crafty and made our own headbands. They are all the rage today with the skinny headband and the fabric flower on the side. They turned out darling and it was a lot of fun to make them with the girls.

The following morning we got up and headed to the St. George Temple to do baptisms for the dead. This was both Madi and Hailey's first experience, due to them just turning 12. It had been ages since I had completed baptisms and it was a wonderful experience to go and feel of the spirit. The St. George Temple is is the busiest temple for baptisms currently, due to both the Oquirrh Mountain and Draper Temple opening up in the Salt Lake valley. The temple is extremely white and set against the red rocks in St. George it is absolutely beautiful. After we completed our baptisms we went over the the visitor center and I learned something new. There is a picture and a story about the St. George Temple I found fascinating. When the temple first opened the temple president was Wilford Woodruff. He had an experience where the founding fathers of our country appeared to him and asked him for their temple work to be completed. I just goes to show that the hand of God was present when this country was put together. I am grateful for thy hand in all things.

After baptisms we went straight to Las Vegas (what a contrast from the temple) During the drive we listen to 80's music and brought back the good old memories of Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, Madonna, Paula Abdul, etc. We got the girls hooked on Tiffany and it became our theme song for the trip. As we pulled into Vegas we went to the premium outlets to school shop and then we enjoyed dinner at Serendipity 3. The decor and atmosphere here at the restaurant was so much fun.

The following morning we hung out at the pool and soak up the sun rays until check out. We went shopping again and found and H&M. Madi and Hailey were so excited because it stood for there names. We were very successful here with all of our purchases - plus they had good prices!

That evening we headed back to St. George to attend Tarzan at Tuachan. Madi has loved the music from this Broadway play since Dan and I saw it in New York in 2006.

On Sunday morning we soaked up the sun again and then headed home.

The weekend was full of laughter, singing, shopping, silliness and lots of treats! What could be more fun.

I will always remember this trip! My little girl is growing up and it is fun to start sharing the same interests with her and having fun together. I hope we will always be close friends.

JON SCHMIDT CONCERT

We had the privilege of attending a private piano concert this week. Madi's piano teacher arranged for Jon Schmidt to come and play for the kids for about an hour. Our family had never seen him perform before and what a delight it was to see his talent. During the concert we were able to ask him questions and make requests. We were all mesmerized by his ability! He started taking lessons a seven years old and started writing music at the age of eleven. He told the kids how he didn't like the piano at first and hated practicing; however told the kids not to give up and that it was really cool to be good as something. I think this was great for Madi to hear, because she has been wanting to quit lessons. Unfortunately for her, we are not going to let her quit. We told her that when she could play Road Trip by Jon Schmidt, she could quit. (ha ha) Jon played the piano upside down and with his toes; Jaxson thought this was awesome! We walked out of the concert with Jon Schmidt piano books and cd's. It was an amazing opportunity and I'm so glad we got the privilege of going.

Right before the concert Reagan told me she didn't want to go and that Papa wanted to play with her and that it was his turn. I called Dad and asked him if he would be willing to spend some time with Reagan because she said so. He laughed and told me to bring her over. It really made the concert more enjoyable for us having her with Papa, so I was glad Reagan thought of it.

PRESCHOOL BEGINS

I can't believe my baby started pre-school today. She was super excited to go to school like her older sister and brother, it makes her feel so big. Reagan is going to pre-school with her good friend Mia and both of them walked down the stairs with their backpacks on ready to take on the challenge in stride. While all the moms were getting the kids checked in, Reagan looked at me and said "Bye Mom"; then started pushing me out the door! She was ready to be a big kid all my herself and didn't want her Mom spoiling it. She is a crack up and knows what she wants and when she wants it.

When I picked Reagan up from pre-school I learned that her teacher got a little taste of her darling personality. I guess when they were having snack time, Reagan got distracted by something else and left the table. When all the other kids were done with snack, Ms. Elke started cleaning up and Reagan came back saying "But, I wanted my snack." (in a pouting voice) Ms. Elke responded by saying, "Your mommy is going to pick you up soon and then you can have lunch at home." Reagan immediately stated "But I don't want lunch, I want my snack!"

She enjoyed her school very much and even brought home homework to return the for the next day. She is growing up way too fast!

HILL AIR FORCE MUSEUM

 

I have had on my list to do to take the kids to the Hill Air Force Museum, I have never been there myself and while planning some of our summer activities for the kids i came across this exhibit and found out it was free. I knew Jaxson would get a kick out of it, so during the week Madi was a girls camp decided to make the journey up to Layton. Dan took the afternoon off so we could go as a family.

The museum was very informative and had so much to see. The kids loved the big planes outside! I loved reading the information about all of the planes and what they were designed for. The most interesting thing I read was when we were looking at all the uniforms through the years. There was one uniform where the pilot wore a pirate patch. The reason he wore the patch was to protect one eye in case of a nuclear blast. This way the pilot could remove the patch and continue flying with one good eye.

Both of the kids got to dress up in flight gear and get in some simulators.

After the museum we went out for lunch at the Olive Garden. We were all starving because it was late, so it tasted fantastic!

DAN'S 40th BIRTHDAY

 

I cant believe I am married to someone OVER THE HILL! This means it is around the corner for me and I am not ready to be 40 yet. (I guess I still have five years, however time goes by so quickly).

Dan attended a seminar on his birthday, so the kids and I took the liberty of decorating the garage to mock him of his oldness. We put up several banners with over the hill jokes. My favorite one was: "If you were a horse, they would have shot you by now!"

The following day (because he wasn't around for his birthday) we celebrated with our neighborhood friends. I spent the afternoon baking in honor of his birthday. We had to have an array of goodies representing 40! I made black cupcakes with suckers in the middle that said "40 SUCKS!" I made Oreo's and Rice Krispie treats with black sugar and Rolo cookies. Plenty of our neighbors brought treats as well, so there was mounds of goodies to eat.

Dan received a few gifts in honor of his birthday. The Parker's gave him an over the hill hat. The Winterton's told him if they were 40, they would start drinking and gave him a game of beer pong as a joke.

Happy Birthday Honey - I love you!