Frisco

Frisco

We got to spend the day exploring Frisco.  The kids had a hard time understanding what a ghost town was at first.  They thought we were taking them to a haunted house.  They finally got the meaning of ghost town as we explored the cemetery and the empty town.  They were amazed at the amount of graves that belonged to children.  Grayson found one that belonged to a boy his same age and he couldn't believe it.  We got to have lots of discussion about how hard life was for people then, and how easy life is for us now.  These first pictures are of the cemetery.

 Grayson walking from the cemetery to the houses.  At this point he was still thinking it would be a haunted house.

 The kids were surprised to see how small the houses were.  They hadn't realized that all the kids shared bedrooms, and they didn't have a bathroom inside.

 Aubrie was having a grouchy moment.

 Nate and Nate loved exploring the ruins and collecting all kinds of treasures.  Uncle Nate helped point out neat old nails and core samples from the mine.

 These two just had to climb down and peek inside.  The younger kids wanted to but I just couldn't let them.

 After Frisco we stopped at the gun range and spent the rest of the afternoon shooting guns.  Nate loves to shoot.  He shot and shot until Grandpa and Dad made him get in the truck.

 Grayson loved shooting too.  He almost gave everyone a heart attack several times with his lack of safety knowledge.  Dad had to keep a close eye on him the whole time.

 So Cool!

It turned out to be a great day.  The kids had a great time.

Camping and fishing

Summer camping and fishing
Yankee Meadow 2010

We spent quite a fun time at Yankee Meadow this summer. We had lots of guests in our camp, and we shared camps with friends and family most nights.

Cody wanted to join in the fun more than his mom wanted him to. I tried so hard to provide clean little areas for him to be in, and he tried so hard to continue and leave my clean areas. Get real mom it's the mountains.

Yes, Grayson is holding a knife. Grandpa made it for him special. He loves it so much.
Aubrie was having a great time with her knife too.

More fun with our new knives.

They all have their own tackle boxes of course. Even sister.

Once again I am trying to pretend I can keep the baby clean.

He doesn't seem to mind. It was a warm day.
Off to the side, not pictured, is our nine puppies running around. Cody thought that was great too. Yes, even the puppies got invited to go camping.

Our trailer is so cool! Everyone should have one just like ours. Camo makes everything it touches cool. Even if it leaks, and nothing in it works. It will be cool forever. I personally have put in a strong worded petition for a working trailer at some point. I love ours, but I want running water for cooking and dishes and a bathroom. We shall see.

One day we made a quick trip into town for more propane, and Cody got an ice cream cone. He thought he was quite lucky since all the other kids fell asleep and didn't get one. Oh the wailing and knashing of teeth when they awoke. Really, I was supposed to buy 3 ice cream cones for sleeping kids and hold them until they woke up? Come on guys. Cody just won this time.

This is the part where he is chanting, "Nanny nanny boo boo" if he could talk. I'm sure he will learn these words soon enough.

What is camping without BB Guns and Boys?

...bows and arrows and boys.....

and your dog. Life is just perfect sometimes.

Aubrie had to add fashion to archery. What a cutie.

We love camping!

After so long, Aubrie decided that pedicures would be fun. We had a kids tent set up. Nothing but toys, books, coloring stuff, and one end was set up with pillows and blankets for reading or naps. The kids tent had an entryway that had a huge rug in it. Aubrie and Morgan basically sat on the porch, did pedicures, and watched everyone in camp.
I will say the kids tent was such a great addition to camp. It gave Cody and Hamilton a safe place to play. Of course I had packed a million toys so it was a fun place to hang. They didn't stay in it for long periods of time by any means, but it was an escape from the dirt. At any one point we had between 4 and 15 kids in our camp.

Uncle Nate brought his toys to play too. I think he was a favorite.

We were all able to cut some wood. With all the guys working together they were able to cut quite a bit in a short time. Good job guys. My favorite is how Nate decided his trailer could hold more if he just stood long tree lengths vertically around the perimeter and tied them secure with ropes. He then could load much higher because the sides were now much higher. On top of that he added coolers, dog food, and various other last minute things that didn't fit in the Yukon. If you picture the Beverly Hillbillies you've just about got it, minus Grandma on the rocker on top.

(Aaron Cheney pictured with his chainsaw. His family camped with us one weekend)

Nate just loves this. As if fishing isn't enough. He can't wait to go back. Our trailer is still in the mountains waiting for us to come visit again.

Dad might just love this too! Thanks for coming we were glad you did.

Grandma was on official picture duty with me. She, however, did end up in my camera so therefore, on my blog. The pictures of me are probably on her camera, so not on my blog. Ha Ha Ha Ha. She is so beautiful she needs to show off her picture.

That was our summer of camping and fishing. We had so much fun and we made some great memories with lots of friends and family sharing in our camp this summer. Thanks to all, and always know you are welcome. We love to have visitors and fellow campers join us. We will be going up again. Our trailer is still up to Yankee. Let us know if you need directions!

Summer Fun

Summer Fun!!
Cedar City built a Lake on the Hill. We spent a lot of time there this summer. The kids loved it. It is really pretty nice. I always have to haul in my own shade because there isn't any. I bought an enormous red umbrella at the beginning of the summer. It is huge and the base is so heavy! I also haul in a playpen, cooler, camp chairs, swimming toys, sand toys, floating toys, diaper bag, and my stroller. It is a lot of work. By the time I get all set up, I plan on staying all day. The hardest thing about hauling everything in is the distance. It is a good 1/2 mile walk if not a little more.

The kids enjoy swimming and playing in the sand.

This is Hamilton, Cody's friend. We are never alone in our adventures!!

Faline, Hamilton's mom. She also hauled in just as much stuff as me everytime! What a good friend to continue answering the phone when I call.

Chris Spencer (Left) Georgia Allred

Morgan (left), Aubrie (center), and Allison (right)

Cody discovered he really likes watermellon! Isn't he the cutest kid ever!

Summer was a blast! We spent plenty of time at the Parowan Pool too. I do not have pictures though. I am actually surprised I don't. Sorry. The kids also spent lots of time in Milford at Grandpa and Grandma's house. We had Nate and Grayson in Baseball, and we had some fishing trips of course. We went to the PTA movie once a week at the movie theaters. I would say my kids got way to used to going to the movies by the end of summer. They don't understand why we don't still go regularly. The PTA movie is significantly cheaper because it is a fund raiser. We had a great summer.

Pink

I finally emptied my camera onto the computer! The pictures start in April/May and go to current. I know, I know, if I updated my blog more often, I wouldn't be so behind. I am going to update. I promise. I may take a few posts to get it done. We will start with Aubrie's room. We finished this awhile ago. It is so cute. We ended up having lots of fun using all the different shades of pink that Nate bought. I couldn't just waste them. I did have to put two coats of primer over what he had painted to be able to cover it. She loves it. She has been pretty good at keeping it clean too. She loves to have guests over to play in her room. It is Barbie central! She has two rolling suitcases that she pulls out regularly (rolling suitcases make for an easy cleanup too). We are happy it worked out so well. She has floor length white sheer curtains over the window with a black valance that is not pictured. It helps take out the glow a little, and brightens the room.

Keep checking back because I really will keep updating!

Twilight

Well it is done. Mom and I went to the opening of Eclipse. We watched all three movies in the trilogy. We had tons of fun cheering, clapping and squealing. I will say Eclipse is my favorite movie so far. We got to wear our new Twilight shirts. Actually they turned out to be jackets. Loved it! Thanks girls for such a fun night out.

I had to add the Eclipse countdown. I bought tickets to go to the Twilight trilogy. I will get to watch all three movies in a row at the theater! I am so excited. I am going to Walmart to buy a Twilight T-shirt to wear to the event. Even better, I am making mom wear one too. I will post pictures.

Also, I saw the Swagger Waggon commercial on Utube and had to post it. It just made me laugh.

Today is a quiet day. No friends over at all. My kids are having a read-a-thon. For every book they read they get a treat. Thank you Laurie for the idea. They got to pick any spot they wanted to read. Aubrie took control and set up camp under the kitchen table. They have had a blast.