Highlights Spring-Summer-Fall 2009

Yes, I know it has been over 6 months since my last post. Life sometimes gets in the way. So...here are the highlights of the last 6 months. Reader beware that 6 months is a long time so get comfy it's a long post. (Lindsay's self serve haircut is at the end.)

Halloween 2009

Even Lindsay carved (with help.)Final creations...Shane Loves, and I mean LOVES Halloween. He gruesome up the front yard last year for the trick or treaters and it was a hit. So, this year he went bigger. A moving bloody manikin stuck under a tractor, a snow blower with bloody body parts coming out of it, a fog Machine, moaning crystal skull, giant ghost over the light post, and a scary noises CD. I wish I'd taken a movie or something in the dark it was pretty gory.The part I love about Halloween...Emma and Lindsay had very specific requests for their Halloween costumes. So I hit the drawing board and enjoyed getting creative.

Emma: Rosella the Island Princess Barbie
I had a pattern for the bodice and skirt but the rest I made up as I went along with the movie cover and a doll as a guide. It was really fun. (But I am kinda geeky with the sewing...I love it.)

Lindsay: Alexa from the Barbie Diamond Castle Same thing with this one...Pattern for the bodice and skirt with a doll and movie cover as a guide. I'm kind of a perfectionist with it but this time I was actually happy with how they turned out.

Most of all the girls Love their dresses and will be dancing around the house in them all year long.

Brad: the grim reaper or unknown phantom By the time I was done with the dresses I could not find a pattern in stock for the Reaper. So, we bought his this year. Also pictured here is Brad's best bud Hunter. This year the two boys went out on their own and came in with a load of candy and had an awesome time.

Family Time Flash Backs

Ski Day Last Spring...We took the whole family up to Beaver Mountain, Lindsay included. Uncle Mark came along too. Shane, Brad and Emma skied. We borrowed a pack for Lindsay to ride piggy back with Shane while I stayed at the bottom this time for the girls to trade off turns with dad down little beaver. (I'm not skilled enough to get Emma and myself on and off the lift so the girls had to take turns with dad.) Oh boy did Lindsay love it. She had a hard time waiting her turn. When she is just a bit bigger we'll slap some sticks on her feet too. Emma is improving and Brad is doing so well. We are coming on the ski season again so adventure awaits.Camping, Camping, and more Camping...

We finished "Eddie" (the Motor home) just in time for spring. Here is Eddie on its maiden voyage up Logan canyon by the girl scout camp. We stayed nice and toasty that night in the Eddie mobile. It has a thermostat that cycles on and off throughout the night, so, camping in the spring was way fun. The kids just can't wait to go camping each time we go.
We camped quite a bit in the summer so here are just a few of the trips with "Eddie".

We ventured out and took "Eddie" to Star Valley Wyoming. What a ride that was, but "Eddie" was a champ. We stayed on Uncle Terry's land by the "condo" (Shane's family named the place that because he has an old trailer on the land they affectionately refer to as the condo.) It rained and rained that trip, which helped us find a few more leaks that needed attention. ( Remember the camper is circa 1976.) Many of our "Eddie" camp outs were joined by Shane's parents. We always enjoy their company and they know how to camp!

They brought their swing and we had no trees to attach it to. So we rigged an apparatus out of spare wood and attached it between the campers. Lindsay was so happy...as long as it wasn't raining.
Snug as a bug. The kids sleep well in Eddie.

They ride pretty well too (although with the Van they have space between them so in the camper the "she's breathing my Air" becomes a factor.)
We stayed in Wyoming all weekend that trip and so on Sunday we went to a sacrament in Fairview. It was kinda fun to use the Camper shower and get all dressed up for Sacrament meeting. Lots of great memories. We also visited Uncle Terry's Cabin up Elbow Canyon on more property he owns. It is a fun little rustic place.

Later in the summer we camped at Chesterfield, Idaho. Uncle Jeff came up and brought his daughter Nina and Joel's (Shane's other Brother) son Addison. Shane and his dad both have pontoon boats and Jeff has a float tube so...yes you guessed it...Fishing! Uncle Jeff caught the most. It was amazing. All trout. He must have some ancient secret because I think Shane only caught 1 or 2 at the most. Nanny always comes prepared with crafts for the kids to do. They are painting little wooden reptiles. Way fun.

Yes I was in fact at each of these camp outs I was just usually the one behind the camera. So here is the proof that I am actually at the events. Shane and Jeff are manning a great cook out at Chesterfield Dam. Jeffs famous buffalo chicken wings. Mmmmmm good!

We also Tent Camped this summer...

The Wirthlin family camp out was in June down in Green River, Utah near Arches. We ate, played, laughed around the campfire and just enjoyed the whole family together for the first time since, um, I think Dave got married.

Bradley had brought his metal detector and the kids kept finding change all around the campsite. Brad and Kellie were inseparable. They even went running in the sprinklers at the nearby golf course after the sun went down one night. All the kids played well.

One of the activities we did is travel to Arches National Park. So beautiful. Amazing these rock formations. All of us hiked Grandparents, Kids, Grandchildren. It was fun. I only wish we'd had a few more days in Arches. We barely scratched the surface. I have a billion pictures though. Too many to put on the blog.

Lindsay is amazed at everything.
We hiked as a family into the double arch. It was amazing to be inside this.

Behind us is the Landscape arch at the end of the day. It was clouding up and we were lucky to make it back to the car before the down pouring of rain.

Shane...

Shane has been busy. In the spring he finished fixing up all the last mechanical touches on the Motor home. He even got the generator running again. He was pretty excited. In April he turned 36. We register the camper so that it was legal. Thus the camper Cake.

Work has kept Shane very busy. Paragon built a new facility and started moving into it toward the end of Summer. Shane being their in house electrician was kept quite busy with some late hours. Around the same time, Shane got a new calling in our ward. He had been serving as the Young mens president but in August they called him the serve as the 2nd Counselor in our bishopric. He is not over YM though. He is over primary. Quite a different turn. When he is not at work he is often away for Bishopric stuff. We knew it would be busy but it has taken some time for our little family to adjust.

Becky...

Well, I'm still at home with the kids. What a blessing it is in this day and age to have that privilege. Mom means more than just nurture and care though...I am a chauffeur, cook, secretary, tutor, accountant, and much more. So, yes my Halloween costumes are a little insane, but that creativity time is my outlet. I am grateful for my calling too. I get to teach Relief Society once a month. It is a good place. I need Relief Society to spiritually rejuvenate each week with Shane gone so much...sacrament meeting should be that but it has turned into a battle to keep my children in line, alone, with dad on the stand. We will get the hang of it eventually.

Brad...
Brad finished out his 6th grade year on the honor roll. His first year in middle school. We are so proud of him. In July he turned 12. A milestone Birthday. We had told him all year long that if he did well all year long in school that for his birthday he could get a TV for his room. He had been asking for one for a year.

Well, since he honored in school, we had no choice but to follow through. So he got his TV.He was ordained a Decon in the Aaronic Priesthood. What a special day that was. This is in the Bishop's office right after. He is growing up so fast. He went to his first scout camp this summer and he earned his 2nd and 1st class. Plus, he earned 6 merit badges. He enjoys the scouting program.Emma...

In early spring Emma lost her first tooth. She was pretty brave and let me pull the tooth from the thread it was hanging from.

She also finished out her preschool career. She graduated from Mrs. Megan's preschool ready to move on to Kindergarten.

At the end of August Emma began Kindergarten. She was so ready. It wasn't hard for her or me. Maybe that is because she isn't the oldest or the youngest in our family and she was really ready. Here she is with Mrs. Schmidt her teacher on the first day.And at her desk for the first time. She said, "you can go now mom." It is Lindsay who is having a hard time with it all. But Emma is a champ. Lindsay was so happy when Emma came home from that first day of School!!!!Sisters Rock! That is all about that.

Lindsay...

Lindsay turned 3 in October. My baby is 3. She is so animated and full of life. She is just fun. She got a "real bike" (as opposed to a trike.) She was so excited.

The pink and purple, I admit, might have been a bit much but she loved it.

Take notice of her hair at her birthday, because it is the last pictures of her with long hair.

Our latest adventure... November 4th, I had a shower while she was watching a movie. Not unusual, she watches a movie in my room with the door to the bathroom open so I can hear her. But this time, something felt wrong. I called her into the bathroom (from my shower) and she says..."its okay I will clean it" and walks back out. I call her back in...wait clean what... Next she says "its okay it will grow." Wait, WHAT? I peek around the shower curtain and just screamed "Noooooooo". She had climbed on the counter and gotten the kid scissors. I actually think she was looking for gum, but found the kid paper scissors instead. Kid scissors ARE in fact sharp enough to cut hair pretty crisply. I was crying. She was crying. I'm just glad she didn't hurt herself. But, Oh her long curly locks. She had never had so much as a trim before. Her hair just grew perfectly from the time she was born with wavy curls in the back.

She clipped a little off of the left side but masacred the right. My only redeption was that she did't have bangs to begin with so, she didn't cut anything right to the scalp. She gave herself bangs. Snipped a chunk at her ear level (you can't see it because the longer layer she cut is brushed forward. The most salvageable level was at least shoulder lenth, but she layered above that. So, In tears I called my good friend and neighbor Nikki who does my hair. She saved us. Lindsay got her first official hair cut. Nikki did an amazing job especially considering what Lindsay left to work with. She blended it all pretty amazing.
With enough mousse and spray I can plaster it into piggys. So, I asked her why she did it. Her reply, "I wanted to be Mulan." (That is the movie she was watching.) Boy do we have some adventures ahead with our Lindsay.