We went to church with Mom and Dad today. As shocking as that may sound it's true. During our last hour there we started hearing strange sounds. To me it sounded like little giggles of kids being pulled in a wagon or more accurately it sounded like big wheel tires riding down the sidewalk. The old ladies sitting in the row behind me were whispering about the wind and how loud it was. I really did not think it could be wind. Why would the wind sound like kids riding big wheels? I got up, left the class and went outside. Yeah, the old ladies were right. It was wind. A lot of wind. And some very dark clouds were being blown in. Weird!

During my investigation of the wind situation I didn't even notice these pretty daffodils. The first visual sign of spring. I had my head in the clouds and didn't see the flowers at my feet. Sometimes I'm just not very observant.

It's Official...

...she really is a monkey! Even her music teacher thinks so. She was cast as a monkey in her first grade program. I just laughed!

She had a hard time keeping her fingers out of her mouth. It was lovely. At one point she made a very crude and inappropriate gesture. It's a good thing she was right in front of the teacher. I don't think many of the audience members caught it. I didn't notice any parents looking around the room to see who was completely embarrassed by their child flipping off the crowd.

You sure know how to make life interesting little monkey!

Two years ago today we were blessed with a second princess to love!

Zoe Jade

March 26, 2007

7 lbs. 13 oz.

Reading, Flat Stanley, Deer & Photo Fun

Every now and then Maggie realizes that she really CAN read and will sit down with a book. On this paticular morning she decided that she could read her favorite book, The Spooky Old Tree, and wanted to read it to Zoe. She did a great job and Zoe enjoyed it too.

Maggie's class recieved a "Flat Stanley" from a first grade class in another state and every kid in the class got a chance to take Stanley home and get pictures with him. We got him on a Wednesday so he got to go to gymnastics with Maggie. I didn't get a picture of him there on my camera, but we took him to see the Wyoming Times Newspaper building, the Evanston town clock and the Evanston Buffalo statue.

While we were getting the pictures by the Buffalo we saw a few deer hanging out by the fire station. They were just a few feet from the street. Very strange to see deer in the middle of town. Glenn's co-worker has told him that you can see them walking down or crossing the main streets during the winter. Weird!

This cute track suit is one that we got when Maggie was little. I loved it on her and I have loved it on Zoe too. I was just in a picture taking mood so we had a little photo session in one of my favorite outfits.

Zoe and I usually get to Maggie's school a few minutes before school is out so we have some time to listen to music, sing and dance while we wait. Zoe was having lots of fun with her sunglasses and being so silly I just had to pull out the camera. I was having so much fun laughing and playing with Zoe that I didn't realize the kids were coming out of the school. Maggie had to wait a few minutes while we finished our silly Zoe photo shoot.

This could be a very emotional post for me. And I don't have it scripted so I'm not even sure how it's going to go. Bare with me.

Many years ago, when I was about 13, my parents decided it would be a good idea for our family, well part of our family, to move to California. My brothers were getting into lots of trouble with friends and such so they wanted to remove them from the situations and the current environment. I was going into the 8th grade and was VERY shy, timid and self conscious. It took me a while to get to know people and to develop any kind of friendships, but eventually I became very good friends with a couple of girls and we are still friends today. We had great times together, lots of laughs and even a little trouble.

After being in California for four years my parents decided that it may be a good idea to move back to Utah. Now I know that my parents new about some of the trouble I had gotten myself into, but I'm sure they didn't know it all. I was really struggling with a lot of things that were going on. Friends starting to drink and party as well as starting to experiment with drugs and sex. None of which I wanted to get involved in. I felt like I was starting to lose sight of what and who I was. I never got involved in these activities, but the temptation was there. I'm sure it would have only been a matter of time before I was a part of it all. Although I was attending church and seminary regularly I felt like I was kind of slipping away. I wasn't sure about what I believed any more. And it was right about this time that my parents decided to move.

I was actually ready to move. I felt that if I got away I could figure out who I was again. I could find my testimony. I could work on being the person I wanted to be. The person I knew that my Heavenly Father wanted me to be. I desperately wanted to know who I was and how I fit in this world. And in my family.

My Sunday School teacher at the time was a young married guy with a couple of kids. As much as I wish I could, I just can not remember his name. But he was awesome! After one of his lessons he told us he had put together a video and he wanted us to watch it. It was something that he had done. Not a church produced or approved video. When he turned it on I immediately recognized the song. It was one of my favorites at the time. It still is actually. I remember hearing the first few notes and thinking how odd it is that he would use that song with that subject. By the time the video was done I was pretty much a pool of emotion and a puddle of tears. I realized that my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do love me. They know me. Jesus Christ gave up his life so that I could do what I needed to to be able to return to my Heavenly Father. That was the very moment I began to develop my own testimony. I was beginning to understand who I was and see who and what I could become.

I wish I could take credit for this video, but I really just stole the idea from my former Sunday School teacher. I wish I could remember his name so I could give him the credit he deserves. This is my version of his video:

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

St. Patrick's Day

The only thing I remember ever hearing about St. Patrick is what I learned from a Veggie Tale's video. So I decided to do a little research today. Here is just a little bit of what I've read:

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.

Taken Prisoner By Irish Raiders
It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. (There is some dispute over where this captivity took place. Although many believe he was taken to live in Mount Slemish in County Antrim, it is more likely that he was held in County Mayo near Killala.) During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.)

Guided By Visions
After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice-which he believed to be God's-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.
To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. (Interestingly, this mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.)

Bonfires and Crosses
Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. (Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick's life became exaggerated over the centuries-spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Our Newest Pictures

Our Fun, Exciting & Adventurous Saturday Afternoon

WARNING: THIS IS A VERY LONG POST!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

We had spent the morning doing a little clean up and prep work on the apartment so we could have some friends over for dinner and to let the kids play. When it was time for lunch we decided that when we were done eating we would go for a little ride up to Carter Creek to see the plant that Glenn has to work at occasionally.

The scenery was beautiful. We could see mountains for miles around us everywhere we looked.

Maggie was less than impressed and really wanted to go home. We didn't make it all the way to the plant before we turned around to go home. Just after we made our turn around Glenn saw a side "road" that he thought would be good for a little four wheeling fun. It was very bumpy and Zoe thought it was great. She was laughing and screeching and having a good time. Until the truck came to an abrupt halt as it sunk into the snow. Our smiles quickly turned upside down as we realized that we were in some pretty serious trouble. The snow was way deeper than it looked and we were in snow up to the bottom of the doors. Glenn's truck is kind of high so when we could barely open the doors to check out the situation we knew we were in big trouble.

Glenn got out and started trying to push the snow away from the tires. He didn't have a shovel or even any snow clothes. We were not at all prepared to be out in the snow. Zoe was just in a sweater and she insisted on not having socks on with her "crocs". Maggie was in her cowgirl boots and luckily she had her heavy coat. Glenn and I only had pullovers on. I was wearing my slip on Skechers with no socks. Oh my!

After Glenn had been out in the snow for a few minutes I asked him if he could possibly use our drink cup from lunch to help scoop out some of the snow. He took it and of course it didn't last long. I then noticed his hard hat in the back seat and asked if he could use that. He spent the next two hours trying to dig the snow out from around the tires. He used his windshield scrapper to help break up the ice. He was having so much fun!

This is what the girls and I had to look at for about four hours. It's very pretty, but it got really old really quick.

After Glenn worked on the snow and several attempts to get the truck out we decided it was time to call for help. We only had a few more hours of sunlight and we couldn't get the truck anywhere. I called Lindsey to see if her husband could possibly come out and help us. She gave him a call and a few minutes later called me back to say they were on their way. Big sigh of relief!

While we were waiting for them to arrive Glenn kept digging and trying to get us out. It was just all too much for Zoe so she took a little nap.

Maggie's coat is a two in one so I was able to zip out the inner part and use it to cover Zoe while she slept. Thank you Maggie for helping take care of Zoe!

Pretty soon we saw the rescue crew arrive...

Hooray! He has a shovel! We may get out of here some time today!

After several minutes of more digging and pushing and trying to floor it out of there the realization hit us all that it just wasn't going to work. We needed more help. Lane couldn't get his truck close enough to be able to use his tow cable and we couldn't work the truck out enough to get it closer. Lane decided to call his Dad to see what else we could do and about the possibility of getting more help. He didn't have any cell service where we were so he turned around to go back up to the road. A few minutes later I turned around to find this...

I really wasn't seeing this, right?! He's just talking on the phone. He's not stuck too. Then I saw the reverse lights come on and snow being thrown up behind the truck. OH MY GOSH!! Our rescuers now needed rescuing as well! My heart completely sank and I felt so incredibly horrible for involving them in our exciting adventure. I waited just a few minutes to make sure they were really stuck before I called Glenn's attention to the situation. He headed up the hill to see if together they could at least get them out. No such luck. The rear axle was completely buried. They weren't going anywhere either. Glenn came back to our truck and said that we were going to pack us up and go to their truck so when Lane's Dad arrived we could all leave. We'd have to get our truck tomorrow.

I got Maggie's coat put back together and got her bundled up. Glenn had a light blanket under the seat that we were able wrap around Zoe. As soon as we opened the door and got that first blast of bitter cold wind I knew it was going to be the longest walk of my life. A few steps in the deep snow with my baby in my arms I fell over almost dropping her in the snow bank. Maggie was having a horrible time trying to keep her hood on, hands covered and tromp through the deep snow. She fell a couple of times as well. Glenn quickly took Zoe from me so I could help Maggie and be able to balance better.

With every miserable, freezing blast of wind I thought of the pioneers crossing the plains and the icy rivers they crossed. With no winter clothing like what we have today. It almost brought tears to my eyes as I thought of all those that lost their lives and suffered such horrible conditions to be able to escape persecution for their faith and beliefs. I feel so blessed to be here in this day. I don't have to cross the plains in blinding storms, sweltering heat or any of the other miserable conditions they had to endure. I am grateful for those that came before us and for the legacy they have left behind.

So while we waited for our next rescue crew to arrive Glenn and Lane continued to work on getting their truck out. Soon they gave up and took a break on the tail gate. Glenn had been working for hours out in the freezing cold with high winds that made it even colder. I was very worried about him and hope he doesn't get sick.

Lane's Dad arrived and pulled around behind the truck to be able to pull it out backwards. He slipped a little bit and I was thinking oh crap here we go again! He was able to pull us out pretty quickly though and we were all packed in the truck with the heat blazing trying to get the men warmed up. Glenn was shivering and having a hard time getting warm. It took a very long time, but he eventually said he was doing better and we could turn down the heat.

We told Lane and Lindsey that we would buy them dinner since we caused so much trouble and we know wouldn't have time to pull it together at our apartment. They dropped us off and after everyone was cleaned up and warm we met them at Pizza Hut. We had an awesome time getting to know them better. All three of their boys are apparently smitten with Maggie. We almost had a throw down on our hands because the youngest wanted to sit by Maggie but the older boy got their first. After some rearranging he was able to sit on the other side of Maggie and he was as happy as could be. The kids had so much fun at their end of the table coloring and playing around. After dinner we did have them over for cookies and more conversation. The kids had a blast playing together. I was surprised how much the boys enjoyed all the girl toys in our house.

We still owe Lane and Lindsey big time so eventually we will take them out to a nice restaurant and pay for a babysitter for all the kids. We are looking forward to that and hope we can do it soon.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

This morning Lane called Glenn to let him know that the backhoe driver was ready to go and he would meet them at the truck. They headed out and I finished getting the girls ready.

I took a little bit of extra time so I could take a few pictures along the way. Here are some of the signs that caused me some worry the day before...

This is the BP plant that we passed on the way up. Chevron bought it out, but it is no longer in operation. A huge facility that just sits.

It's hard to tell from the picture, but this is a wall of snow that has been plowed from the road. They get lots of snow up here and then the drifting snow gets even higher.

I was just about to where the truck was when I see Lane's truck heading toward me. They stopped to let me know what was going on. I asked what was up and Glenn told me that the truck was gone. I was in total disbelief and asked if he was serious. NO! He was lying. Not funny! They were on their way back down the mountain a little ways because the tractor guy was lost. So I decided to snap a couple of pictures while we waited.

This is how far we were off the road

Here is where Lane was stuck

Our third rescue party is now in sight...

It took very little time for him to clear out the spot where Lane had been stuck and then he was on his way to get Glenn. The tractor actually got stuck at one point as well. He discovered that we were actually in a ditch. There was absolutely no way in the world that we would have been able to get that truck out of there without him.

Thank you Wilford! You did and amazing job. I hope we never need you to rescue us again!

And here is the most exciting moment of our entire weekend...

DANG IT ALL!

I CAN NOT BELIEVE THE CRAP THAT SEARS HAS JUST PULLED! WE WILL NO LONGER BE GETTING OUR WASHER AND DRYER THAT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SINCE NOVEMBER. THEIR AUTOMATED SYSTEM CALLED US TODAY AND SAID THAT "THE WASHER AND DRYER THAT YOU ORDERED ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE. YOU WILL BE REIMBURSED IN THE SAME MANNER OF YOUR PAYMENT. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE."

SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE? IT'S LITTLE BIT MORE THAN INCONVENIENT!

Just My Girls Being Cute

Cooper didn't care too much for the hat, but Zoe likes it!

Guess which one REALLY likes to have her picture taken?

Which one absolutely adores her big sister?

Zoe was very hard at work the other day with her "hat" on. She got very upset with me when I tried to take it off while we ate lunch. How dare I?