Journey across the Whole World!

We set out on Tuesday morning at 6am from Midvale, Utah to De Moines, Iowa, this was the plan and it sounded real good! We made pretty good time as we drove into Wyoming, then the bathroom stops started to begin! It wasn't to bad, but it got worse! Most people would think that planning to drive for 15 hours in one day isn't to bad if thats your plan. We made a total of 7 stops in Wyoming, then came Nebraska.

We did okay there until we hit Walmart, this was a night mare!! We had been looking for a Walmart, because I wanted to get the kid a debt card with $25 for them to spend as we traveled the open road! I brought the card and it was simple with a $3 fee so it was $28 for each card, no big deal! Then we had to activate them, this is when things went wrong! A quick stop off the interstate to grab some supplies and lunch, 2 hours later we leave and I am not very happy with Walmart! To activate the Walmart cards each kid need to give them the following information: Age, Birthday, Social Security Number, address, cell phone number, home phone number! I was very unhappy with the lady on the phone, she said that because they were minors that the needed that information to activate the card and to get them own personalize card. After trying to get them to understand that I didn't want my kid to have a personalize card, they still insisted on this to activate the cards. I told the lady that I would just return the cards and not mess with it! Then I find out they are not returnable!! So I had to call the number again and register all the care under my name, she wanted me to call back and register each card with a different person. I kindly asked if she could do this for me and at first she refused, after explaining my frustration she was more than willing to make the request!!

Finally, we get out of Walmart 2 hours later! It didn't help our goal to travel 15 hours on one day and still be in a good mood. I was trying to get pictures of each states welcome sign as we drove into each state, it worked well till the kids took over! We only got the first two states! All in all we ended up pulling into Iowa about 1am on Wednesday morning, it was rough because the pool was closed and Sariah really wanted to go swimming! It was a very long day, but the one good thing about it was that Troy jimmy-rids the back door with duck tape, so we could get the back door up on the suburban while we stopped at our last gas station and for dinner about 10pm! What a way to start out our trip!!

A funny thing happen while I was packing!

Its was the night before we were going to leave and I had been a sleep for about 7 hours, then it was time to load the car up for the big trip across the country! We borrowed Heathers brother storage thing to put on top of our suburban to help pack the load and not have so many bags in the suburban. I got the back of the suburban loaded with everything that we would need to get while we stopped at hotels along the way. So anything else would have to go on top of the suburban, well that was a great idea! I was trying to get up there and being vertical changeling was not something that would stop me at 3am in the morning while I was packing! So I thought I could step on the door handle and get to the top in a single bound, bad idea! So I got everything in and was ready to wake the kids so we can get on the road. Heather gave me one more thing to take to the car and put in back of the suburban, well it didn't work so great. I tried to open the back door and the handle came off, I had no way to open the back door now that I had it packed with all of our stuff. Now it was packed good and tight, I'm a professional when it comes to packing!! So went back into the house and got everyone ready to go, we had family prayer and on the way out to the car I mention to Heather that we had one small challenge to overcome on our trip, she said what is that? I said, oh by th way I broke the handle to the back of the suburban. She said well, we will just have to take everything out the hard way and lets go! What a trooper!!

Pageant Adventure 2010 day 1

Well, the good news is...
we are on our way!
The hinky news is that
this drive takes FOREVER!!!

Other good news... We made it
out of Utah
across Wyoming...
(6 bathroom stops... What??)
across Nebraska ... (longest state ever)
and into Iowa!

WARNING Teens and SUGAR!

There just aren't any words to describe my feelings...




I am just glad we were the only people seated on this end of the restaurant....

Nieces and Nephews!

Last year I posted about my "Nieces and Nephews" night over Easter weekend. I know this is way late, but we had a great time again, so I thought I would put up a few pics. (and some others that weren't from that night, just because they are so dang cute) Here are their finished Easter Eggs



And here what was supposed to be their instructional video of how to make their special "dinosaur" eggs (and a little about whose are whose in less than a minute)




And here are some other pics just of them all being cute:

"The Boys" are getting so big:

Shelby loves "playing" with the younger girls:

This last one is our little "Princess Abby"!

8th grade grad!

Last night our Spectacular Shelby graduated from the 8th grade. The school she has attended for the last 4 years, Channing Hall, ends at the 8th Grade, so it was her last hurrah. It is a very small school, so they only had 70 kids in the entire 8th grade, and over the years the kids have become a tight knit family.
Here she is with some of her closest friends:

It was an epic night, including Shelby's friend "Santa" walking up to the podium when the Principal and Vice Principal had turned their backs and giving his own (not school approved) graduation speech, and Nick and Nathan, some of her best friends who were twins, switching places to take each others diplomas. (They also got past the Principal and Vice Principal but were busted by the history teacher and had to go back and get the right ones)

Here is a picture of Shelby and her Amazing Parents! (hehe)

They also made a DVD and showed it at the graduation of all the kids' baby pictures and then 8th grade memory pictures, it was really fun. Each kid was cheered as their pictures were shown, and it melted my heart when Ezra, who is mentally challenged, got the biggest cheer, and they yelled "Ezra, Ezra, Ezra"

It also means that she is officially a High School student next year. Which, in E.J.'s words "Stinks for you, because now your grades count" (except I edited that first word). I am so proud of the young woman that she is becoming, and I know that she will continue to be SPECTACULAR SHELBY as she starts this new part of her life. LOVE YOU SWEETIE!

Here she is receiving her diploma!

Milestones

I think I am getting more and more nostalgic in my old age.

At 7:12 this morning, on my way home from taking my boys to school, I looked down at my dash board of my Suburban and this is what I saw:

And I said to myself "Self, this is momentous occasion, like a birthday, or an anniversary... I must acknowledge it, maybe even have some kind of party"

Then, when I went to take my girls to school at 7:42, just as I got ready to pull onto State Street, my sub turned 100000 miles.

I think I will treat it to a car wash and vacuuming, and maybe a new air freshener. It takes me, my kids, and pretty much all the other kids/teens who live within a 2 block radius everywhere, it deserves no less.

Actually I should probably take it to Dr. John for a diagnostic/check up... at what mileage is a annual check-up recommended?

P.S. The Sub did have it's first "fender-bender" a couple of days ago, when Troy rammed it into E.J.'s blue Ford Taurus-Boat that is perma-parked in the driveway. Luckily, the sub is bigger, and built better, so the damage was limited to the Taurus.

BYU Walk of Life!

Our family participates in the BYU "Walk of Life" every January. They hand out candles and march across campus and remember the work of life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Sometimes it's really really cold, but this year wasn't too bad. This year they lit just two candles and then the light spread as each person turned to light someone else's candle. It was beautiful and touching, I love the idea of spreading the light.

It reminded me of a song I used to sing my kids as a lullaby.

"Pass it on"

It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around will warm up to it's glowing.
That's how it is with God's Love, once you've experienced it
You spread His love, to everyone, you want to pass it on.

I wish for you, my friend, this happiness that I've found.
You can depend on Him, it matters not where you're bound.
I'll shout it from the mountain tops, I want the world to know,
The Lord of Love, has so blessed me, I want to pass it on.

The Lord of Love, has so blessed me, I want to pass it on!

Anyway, it was a great night! Here's a picture of the family just before we started walking...

Sariah and Shelby were spotted by a reporter from the Deseret News who wanted to interview them, and they asked why we do the march every year. I told her that it is a celebration of those who came before us, that because of them we are able to be a family. Not a huge deal, but here is a link to the article if you want to check it out.... Desnewsarticle

The Story of The Valentines Tree

Once upon a time last night there was a Mother named Heather who was in charge of the "Activity" for family home evening. She decided that they could play a quick game and then take down the Christmas tree and other holiday decorations that were still out even though it was already January the 11th.

But when it came time for the activity, and the beautiful mother told her children that they would take down the tree all three of her darling teenagers cried "No, please don't take the tree down...we like the light it makes!" And her youngest child said "yes, please please please leave it there!"

The dashing father of the family had a great idea.... he said "Why don't we just leave it up and call it a Valentines Tree?"

Mother didn't know if she liked the idea because the tree was taking up space and they lived in a very tiny house. (plus she suspected that the real reason father wanted to leave it up was because the boxes would have to be gotten from the garage)

Her good and sweet children cried "Please mom, please can we have a Valentines Tree?" And so she finally gave her consent. (She had also realized that it might be fun if "Cupid" left presents under the tree for the family on Valentines Day - but was careful not to mention this to father)

So all but the red and Silver Christmas ornaments were removed from the tree, and hearts were cut from red paper. The tree was re-decorated for Valentines' and Mother went to sleep dreaming of what could be shopped for.

The End.

Our Valentines Tree: