Happy Birthday Wayne/ A Day in the Park

Yesterday was Wayne's 35th birthday! The one and only thing he asked for was to be able to go to Nevada for a dirt bike race. So Wayne spent the day playing in the dirt ( more like son like father) He also requested no cake. This is not like Wayne because he only gets his favorite made from scratch german chocolate cake twice a year, but he went healthy on me and requested a watermelon instead.

While Wayne was playing in the Nevada dirt, Janara and I took the kids to the canyon park. They all loved playing in the water even though it was freezing cold. It took Ty and Ashlyn a little longer to get use to the running water and the temperature. Within 5-8 minutes they were walking in the steam and playing like the big kids (still holding mommy's hand).
The water was only fun for so long. They started to venture out a little more and when the playground ended up being to hot to play on they decided to play in the sand (volleyball court). They were making sand castles and having fun until Megan found a small corner of the court that had a small puddle of water. Then all you know what broke loose! Mud fights started between the older kids and then Ty and Ashlyn decide that it would be more fun to swim in the puddle and proceeded to sit and roll and cover themselves up in muddy, sandy water.
Janara and I were sure that their clothes were not going to recover from this, but I am happy to say that after rinsing them off in the stream they are fine. It was a big job for both of us to try and get the sand off of Ty and Ashlyn. Janara took the gentle approach and used wipes. I took the quick approach and striped Ty down to a diaper and dipped him in to the stream. He didn't like that to much, but when I asked him if it was fun he nodded his head up and down as if to say "yes".
It was great having Janara and her family down this weekend. The kids all play so well together. I hope this is the first of many 4th of July's together.

4th of July!

We love the 4th of July! It has always been remembered as one of those great summer nights with good food, great friends, and fireworks. Now I think it means a little more. Wayne and I both have brothers in the military. Scott serves in the Air force and my brother Erik is in the Army. Scott has been on two tours and Erik has been on his tour for over a year now. I also have a brother-in-law in the Air force and one in the Navy. With such close relations serving in the military risking their lives to fight for mine and my children's freedom and rights this fourth will always be remembered with much more significance and gratitude.

Wayne and I took the Ty and the girls to the Cedar City parade. I think they all had a lot of fun. The girls would run out and get candy and Ty loved the army tank, motorcycle and the fire trucks. We love going to the parade and it has become one of our favorite family traditions.

After the parade my sister Janara and her family got here from Santaquin and we had an awesome BBQ on the driveway and caught up on things. We decided to go to Brianhead to see the fireworks because Jeramy and Janara have never been. We found a great spot on the hillside and we ate a ton of candy and pizza. We love having Janara and her family here. We don't get to see them as often as we would like.

Kaitlyn and her Two Wheeler

Today was a very big day for Kaitlyn. She decided that she was ready to have her Daddy take the training wheels off her bike. I wasn't as sure as she was about it, so I made her pinkie swear to me that she would be very careful not to get hurt and if she did that she would be brave and not cry. As I prepared dinner Wayne took off the training wheels and with her big sister by her side she started to practice her "take offs". I told her that when she was ready to come and get me and that I would come out and take some pictures so that we could always remember the day Kaitlyn started to ride her two wheeler.

Tinkerbell

About two Sunday's ago Wayne and I heard the loud cry of a kitten just out side our window. It was such a sad cry that I had to go out and make sure that it wasn't hurt or stuck in something. When I got out side I had all three kids right behind me. I found this adorable little kitten black and gray in color and very skinny. I picked her up and brought her over to the kids so that they could see her. Wayne brought her a cup of warm milk to drink. We made her a home out of a box and an old towel and told the kids that she was probably lost and that we would need to find her family the next day. Too my surprise Wayne added that if she didn't have a family that we could keep her. A week later Wayne asked our neighbors to the east of us if they were missing a kitten. There reply was probably there cat had kittens and we were more than welcome to keep her if that was the case. The girls decide to name her Tinkerbell and we call her Tink for short or kitty (because that is all Ty can say). She is a very good kitty. She litter trained herself and has a great disposition when it comes to Tyson. She is also very resourceful when it come to finding thing to play with ( she will catch grasshoppers and carry them in to the garage and pounce on them until they are dead). We love her and she has defiantly taken her place in the family.

Manti Pageant

We took the kids to the Manti pageant last night. We ended up going with the youth of our ward b/c it was there youth conference and Wayne was a chaperon. We got there around 6:00-6:30pm (I think) and the girls were really excited when they saw the temple on the hill side. Since it doesn't start till dark we ended up going to Bro. Jenkins parents house to eat and unload our bags. I was again going against my better judgement and told Wayne I would sleep out in the tent again. It ended up that not many of the youth came so Wayne and I got to stay in one of the rooms instead (woot woot!).


When it was time for the pageant to begin we found our seats and got all cuddled up and comfortable. Ty ended up being the first to pass out and Kaitlyn soon followed. I am happy to say that Megan watched most of it and understood the story that was being told.

In all it was a wonderful weekend... And I can't wait to do it again next year.

Bull Hollow AMA National Hare Scrambler

Last weekend Wayne had a motorcycle race over in Montecello at the "infamous" (this is where he broke his ankles) Bull Hollow Track. I decided to put on a brave face and agree to go camping instead of opting for a hotel room. After the 5 hr. road trip to get there the kids were very excited to get out of the truck and play around in the dirt. We ended up setting up camp right next to a hill that the kids enjoyed playing on nearly the whole time we were there.

I thought that it would have been a great idea to bring the girls power wheel with us, thinking that it would entertain them. It was sad to see that it got no traction on the dirt and that the battery died within an hour of us being there. But it did make for and extra seat for the kids.

The day of the race Wayne was extremely nervous. Even though he has raced on this track many times he has never finished. It ended up being a 60 mile race part desert part motorcross. When he comes in he always looks like he has been dragged by the motorcycle instead of riding it. In the end he ended up taking 2nd in his class and 21st over all. WAY TO GO!!!