Sami's World

For all you hot weather dwellers out there, it rained here today. It was an overcast morning, which is normal for the bay area. But instead of blowing off by 10 it rained. It was kinda nice to have a few sprinkles. It’s nice now with the sky clear a cool breeze and everything feeling fresh and clean after a rain. I don’t mind it one bit.

We have had a great week. We spent the first half of the week doing laundry, chores and phone calling. I did try and answer emails too. It was busy.

On Saturday morning, I gave blood then headed to the church for our semi annual kitchen cleaning. After 2.5 hours I left and came home. I did some cleaning, made Jaime’s baptism invitation and started dinner (but forgot to turn it on!!). At 1 I took a shower and headed over to Joey and Gayles. Gayle was doing a catering job for 400 people. It was the temple pageant crew. It was a huge job but very enjoyable. We served dinner at 6 and then set up snacks for a dance. We left the temple about 9pm. It is always fun to help out at catering jobs. I love it.

Sunday was “normal”. There was a fireside featuring The 5 Browns. For those of you who don’t know who they are, they are 5 brothers and sisters who all attended Juliard (sp?) for their piano playing. Now they tour all over and on Sunday’s they try and arrange firesides at the local wards (they will be in Vegas either August or September, I can’t remember now). Anyway, it was amazing. They are a very down to earth very funny family who can play piano quite well. They sing really good too. BYU television was there. They were video tapping people walking in the door. I might be on T.V.!!! :0) Anyway, it was a great fireside. Scott opted to stay home with the little ones. Good thing too, Jaime and Alix got a little tired toward the end. It didn’t get over till 9 pm.

Monday was another travel day for us. We scheduled a visit with Grandma Ackerman so she could help Jaime celebrate her birthday. Auntie Sara took Jaime to the store, then we baked a cake and later decorated it. We had a bbq of hotdogs with all the fix’ns and presents of course! We enjoyed naps and stories and good food and good company. Thanks mom and Sara for such a great time.

Tuesday and Wednesday were very low key. We stayed home and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. We scrubbed from top to bottom, we organized, payed bills and tried to rid our home of clutter. It was only partially successful since I had three little kids right behind me messing it all up. The other two were in front of me trying to clean too. There is a cute young lady at church that is 18 and kinda floundering right now. She has picked us as her “hang out”. I’m ok with that since she has been helpful in keeping the kids happy and even helps with cleaning when she is here. She showed up on Tuesday with backpacks for all the kids filled with school supplies. The kids have been so happy they think it’s an early Christmas. It has been fun watching them play school and use their supplies. Niah’s backpack is as big as she is. It goes from the nape of her neck to her knees. It’s pretty cute.

“Normal” life has begun to feel normal again. The kids are back into routines and I have even managed a bit of a routine. I don’t feel totally back to my own life since I have been car less. It is taking us a while to decide what we should do about Scott’s car, so he is just using the van. All those mean things I’ve said about how ridiculous it is that people commute to work in really big cars and they are the only ones in the car, is a reality in my family now. Every negative thing I’ve ever said always comes back to haunt me. I need to work on being less judgemental!!

I hope to have a picture CD in the mail to everyone by Monday morning. Scott is putting together a website so that you will be able to see the pictures before you get the actual CD.

Till next time.

I have been home almost a week now and have not reported on the last days of the trip. Here goes.

Thursday July 5 found us in beautiful Blanding Utah. We had a whole day of nothing scheduled and we loved it. After such a long night we decided the kids would need a nap in the early afternoon. So we played with cousins for a little while. Then we took the kids on a walk to Tri-Hurst construction. We let them explore the shop and the yard. They enjoyed that very much, Scott did too. We then headed over to Joe and Shauna’s to retrieve the shoes we had left there the night before. After a quick walk home we headed back to the Bed and Breakfast for naps. Four of the five kids napped for 3 hours (Scott did too). Upon waking up we took them all over for swimming. They enjoyed that for two hours. Jaime jumped off the diving board (I jumped off the high dive). All the kids went down the water slide and we all had a good time playing and swimming with cousins. After swimming we went over to Aunt Fawn’s house and she taught the kids how to play some music and let each kid put their name to song. It was fun. I bailed early to put Afton down for a nap. That night we all met at Joe and Shawna’s for Navajo Tacos and movie on the lawn. They have a movie projector that they set up and then put a white sheet on their Trampoline. It made for a great movie spot. We watched the new Charolette’s Web. It was cute, everyone seemed to enjoy it. Again, the kids didn’t get to bed till midnight, they were pretty tired.

Friday, July 6 was going to be a busy day. We got everyone up and dressed cute and headed to the cabin. We had breakfast at the cabin and then some playing and then family pictures and then more playing and then we ate Cabin burgers in the afternoon and then more playing! The kids road four wheelers and motor cycles. They used knives and carved wood. They built a fort. Made a family history book. Took rides on several different kinds of swings and just had a great time playing with cousins and aunts and uncles. It was really relaxing for me to have so many helping hands ready and willing to entertain my children. We got home “early” from the cabin and met over at Aunt Shauna’s house for home movie night. My four youngest were too tired though. They went to sleep. Grandpa stayed with them while I went and did laundry. Scott opted not to go see the home movies and helped me with laundry instead. That provided the perfect situation for the two of us and Torry and Kevin to play Catch Phrase. It was very fun to play with them. We need to have a rematch. However, Kevin and Torry seem a little apprehensive to play with us again since we beat them pretty bad……. By midnight Scott was tired and went home. I stayed another hour to finish laundry and watch Jane and Kate make Jaime’s birthday cake. Those two are pretty funny together at 1 am.

Saturday July 7 came too soon. Our last day in Blanding. We attended a temple session in Monticello as a family. It was a great experience. The kids all stayed home and reeked havoc on the aunts and uncles that were unable to attend. We really appreciate their sacrifice. Scott was able to go. He wasn’t sure if his back would allow him to sit through a whole session, but it did. He said he was pretty tired though. After the session we all headed back to Blanding, changed quick and went back to the cabin. This time we had Carne burritos. That was Yummy!! We also had a birthday party for Jaime. Since her birthday was the next day we decided to celebrate it early with all her cousins. We had a pinata, ice cream cake and presents. We had a good 20 people sing Happy Birthday and all the cake was GONE!! I didn’t even get to try a piece. It sure looked good though. Grandma Thompson baked a white cake and a chocolate cake. She cut each one in half. Then she did a layer of white cake, mint chocolate chip ice cream, chocloate cake, ice cream,….. then topped it off with Chocolate frosting. It was TALL and smelled and looked good. The kids did more playing and we all had a lot of fun during our last night in Blanding. After leaving the cabin we bathed all our children and put them to bed. They fell asleep fast. Scott went over and watched home movies while I cleaned and packed up the car. It was an “early” night. We got to bed around 11 pm. Sleep was deffinitly a welcoming thing, but sad too.

Sunday morning started early for us. We woke up at 4:30 and were on the road by 5:30 am. It was early but already light. The kids slept really well till about 7 am when we had to stop briefly. The next three hours proved interesting as all the kids were awake and chatty. We were giving Dean a ride back home and I think we once again reminded him why he doesn’t have children. :0) We got Dean home around 10 am. We got to Grandma Thompson’s (Scott’s grandma) around 10:20 am. We unloaded fast, got dressed fast and made it to 11 o’clock church. It was a nice service. After Sacrament, Scott headed back to his grandma’s with Afton, they both needed a nap. The kids all went to primary and I stayed in the library to “help” his grandma with her calling. It was fun to chat and catch up on old times. After getting home and changing and feeding kids Scott went with his grandma to visit Uncle Rick. They both said they had a nice visit. We had chicken for dinner and then put all the children to bed. Scott and grandma started a movie, I didn’t make it through the opening credits. Jaime snuck out at one point and ended up watching the movie all the way through. We all went to our respective beds by midnight. It was a fun, relaxing day.

Monday was going to be another busy but fun day. It was planned to the last minute…… We got up and ate and dressed and had everyone in the car by 9:20 am. We went to the TRAX station (Utah’s “train” system). We wanted to visit Temple Square and figured that would be the easiest way to get there. The kids LOVED riding “the train”. The temple was beautiful. We went into the visitors center for a cool down and to let grandma rest. Ally met us there. It was so nice to see her. It was a short visit but I was happy she made the effort to come over and see us. After walking around the visitors center, looking at the temple, rippling the reflection pool, swimming in the reflection pool and reeking havoc on poor unfortunate souls, we realized that perhaps the kids were all done and so we headed back to the TRAX station. Upon our return to Sandy we got in the van, picked up Dean and headed to Provo to eat at a resturant that was opened by some friends of ours that used to live here in California. They are Chinese and had decieded that there were no good Chinese food places in Utah. So they sold out here and opened up a resturant there. It was good. They were there and so we had a good time catching up on old times and eating good food. Grandma and Dean seemed to enjoy it too. After eating we went to Dean’s house and swam. Well the kids swam. Scott and grandma took naps in the club house and I sat in a chair and made sure that Dean didn’t get too rough with the kids. :0) After swimming we went to Phil and Jenny’s house. It is a beautiful house. We are so excited for them. Torry met us there and we had bbq’d hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner. We had a great time visiting and enjoying eachother’s company. We left there, got gas and went back to grandma’s. We didn’t get back till 8:30 pm. I think everyone was exhausted. Thanks grandma for enduring our long day together. We got the kids in bed and then Scott and I cleaned and packed the car. We made a 10 pm run to the grocery store for some snacks and then we too retired.

We had planned to leave early but alas, got out late. We left Utah at 9 am (8 am Cali time). We pushed the kids for the first 5 hours, almost 400 miles. We made a two hour stop, which they really appreciated. Then we stopped again 3 hours later for another 2 hours, then we pushed on in. We got home around 10:30 pm. We put all the kiddo’s to bed and we emptied the car. We crashed sometime before midnight, I think.

All in all it was a great trip. It was fun to see everyone, to do new things and to have memories to laugh about for years to come. The kids seemed to enjoy the driving and endured it well. I hope that as they grow up, our road trips will be the binding of our family ties. They were in my family. Road trips are what I remember most about my childhood, I hope our road trips leave the same happy memories for my kids. Much love to all. We miss you already. Till next time, may the Lord bless you for your generosity.

Since it’s been so long since I have written, this will again be a very long entry. I hope you enjoy the adventures as much as we did.

Wednesday June 27 was our last day with Nikki and fam. We decided to make it a relaxing day and so we didn’t plan anywhere to go. Nikki makes girl bows that are cute and “easy”. So Nikki went into bow making mode while the kids played. They got out sleds, put them in the front yard, doused them in water and then went “sledding” in the front yard. They must have done that for 3 hours. It really was a fun and relaxing day. Nikki’s brother came over in the late afternoon and helped to entertain the kids while Nikki made a wonderful spaghetti dinner. In the evening we just packed up and let the kids watch a movie. Everyone was in bed sleeping by 10 pm. We said our goodbye’s and i went to sleep too.

I got up bright and early Thursday morning and packed up the last of the things. I got all the kiddo’s up and got them in the car. We pulled out of the driveway about 5:30 am. We were in for a long drive, but the kids seemed up to it. We made our first stop just inside the Colorado boarder. The kids got out, stretched and ate a bit of breakfast. Then we were on the road again. Colorado is beautiful. I can’t really describe it in words, but it just amazed me at the beauty that my eyes beheld. We followed the Colorado river for quite sometime. We climbed up into the mountains 11,000 feet. We saw deer and elk and waterfalls all over the place. We even saw snow. The kids had a great time looking at everything and trying to find animals in the forests. We got to Denver with no mishap and the kids were excited to get out of the car. Upon arrival we got a tour of Denita’s beautiful new home. We got all of our stuff in and enjoyed talking while the kids explored and played. We had a wonderful dinner of enchilada’s and Spanish rice. After that we went on a walk to a park close to their house. Then we watched the end of a baseball game. Then headed home. We got the kiddo’s bathed and in bed by 10 pm. Then Frankie, Denita and I stayed up till past midnight just catching up on old times, laughing and playing. It was a wonderful day.

Friday was a beautiful morning. I went to the temple while Frankie and Denita stayed with the kids. As soon as I got home we went and had a picnic lunch in the park. After that we did naps then went to a rec center and let the kids swim. It was a fun pool with little water slides that Milo went down. There was a lazy river and other fun water things to do. The kids were pretty beat by the time we got home. We bathed them and fed them a yummy pizza dinner. That night we set up a tent in the basement and all the kids slept down there. I think they had a great time. Again, the adults stayed up late talking. Not too late this time. I wanted to make sure I was rested enough to drive back to Utah the next day.

Saturday morning came way too soon and I slept in a bit. I finally pulled out of bed around 6:30 am and we were on the road by 7 am. I had planned to go back to Utah via highway 80 since I wanted to end up in more Northern Utah. The drive through Wyoming was not as beautiful as Colorado, but it was fun and we did enjoy it very much. The kids have been absolute gems during all the driving. I am pleasantly surprised at how well they ride in the car and how easily entertained they are with the scenery and the games we play. We arrived in Layton around 3 pm. We were going to stay at my friend Cathy’s house for a few days. Upon arriving i realized that I did not recognize her two younger children. They had all changed so much. It was amazing to me. I needed an oil change, so Cathy, Mitchell, her oldest son, and I went out. We just talked and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. After the oil change we went to the store for some snacks then we picked up some pizza. We got home in enough time to feed all the kids, load the cars and head to the drive in. We saw the new rat movie (can’t spell the name). It was cute. The kids had never been to a drive thru before and so they LOVED it. Even Afton was a good baby. We set up her port-a-crib and she slept soundly through the whole movie. The kids didn’t get to bed till after midnight that night. They didn’t seem to mind though. They loved it. Cathy has five children, all teenagers. They are AWESOME with little kids and so it was fun to watch the older five and the younger five interact. At one point Milo asked Mitchell ‘can I just call you daddy?’. It was very cute.

Sunday was a chill day. Cathy’s church doesn’t start till one so we all just got up late, ate some REALLY yummy waffles, and then got ready for church. We made it to church with no mishaps. The meetings were very nice and it was fun to watch my kids so willingly go to a primary where they knew no one. But since the spirit was the same and the lessons the same, it was easy for them to sit there and learn about Jesus. I am grateful for the church because it does offer routine to the kids. No matter where we are on Sunday we can go to church and feel the same spirit we feel at home in our own ward. By the time we got back to Cathy’s it was 4:30. We had a great grilled chicken dinner with the fix’ns. Then Cathy and I made a trip to Mandi’s, I had left some stuff over there. Upon return we all went down to the basement and played DDR (dance, dance revolution). It was FUN. Even Cathy and I took a turn challenging each other. Again seeing the older kids interact with the younger kids was awesome. It was fun to seem them encouraging each other and helping the little kids feel good about the game. We put all the little kids to bed and then the “adults” stayed up late and played a game. It was fun, fun, fun.

Monday was used to get some errands done before heading off for the day to do some go-carting and four wheeling. Mitchell put a hitch on the van so we could help pull some of the “toys”. We were finished doing all we had to do by 3 pm. We loaded in the car, got to the place and played. The kids got on the toys right away while Cathy, Mitchell and I tried to get a fire started to cook hot dogs. We had forgotten to bring matches. After trying to use the car cigarette lighter, I hopped onto a four wheeler and found some campers. They kindly gave me a lighter and within 20 minutes we were all devouring a dinner of hot dogs, carrots, grapes, chips and water. It was a great dinner. Then we played. The kids just loved it. They loved the speed, they loved the bumps and they loved the dirt. It was so fun to watch my kids laugh and really have fun. Milo kept asking to go faster and Niah (who wouldn’t go near them at first) didn’t want to get off when it was time to go. Even Cathy and I took our turns with speed and bumps. It was fun to play and have fun too. By the time we got loaded up and heading down the mountain it was after 8 pm. We got home just before nine. We bathed all the kids and they were in bed by 9:45. Cathy wanted to introduce me to a new restaurant. She thought it closed at 10 but alas, it closed at 9, so we went to Del Taco instead (the only thing open in Layton after 10 pm). It was good and we got back home in enough time to pass out from exhaustion.

Tuesday came too soon. But then again, not soon enough. I knew this was the last day to visit with Cathy, but I also knew this was the day Scott was going to fly in. We spent the morning doing laundry, running errands and helping Cathy get some of her “to-do” list done. It was fun for the kids because they could run free and catch bugs, or jump on the trampoline or play with their new found buddies. By 3 we took a break, dressed the kids and headed to the Clearfield rec center. Again, a very fun place to swim and have fun. The 10 kids played in the water for 2 ½ hours. It was fun to watch them play and have fun. They had a good sized water slide that Jaime, Alix and Milo went down. They all had fun. I went down three times! Jaime went down at least 10! We left there at 7:15. Upon arriving home I bathed all the kids and myself. Then I put them all to bed. At 8:30, Cathy, two of her children and me went to the new restaurant. It was AWESOME!! It was a Mexican food place and I loved it. Sometime during the course of the day, Milo had decided that Mitchel was “his dude” and Jordan was “his son”. It was pretty cute and the boys took it well. Niah attached herself to Jordan right off. She followed him everywhere, she even tried to follow him into the bathroom a couple of times. For a 14 year old boy, he took it very well.

After that, we went home. I packed up a little more, Cathy finished her “to-do” list and at 11 pm we headed to the airport. Scott and Bob (Cathy’s husband) were arriving at the Salt Lake air port at the same time. We got there a few minutes late, but the boys didn’t seem to mind. They were spending the time catching up on old times. Both boys were famished so we hit up the closest Denny’s. As we walked in the waitress was informing us that they only had one cook and it was at least an hour wait. We found a different Denny’s and they had the same problem. We just decided to wait and enjoy each other’s conversation and company. We got out of there sometime after 1 am and back to Cathy’s house around 2. We chatted a little longer and then retired to bed.

Wednesday morning, Scott had wanted to get up super early and come to Blanding. However, after such a late night, he decided sleeping in might be the better choice. We enjoyed seeing and visiting with all the Tryon’s one last time before heading off. There were 14 of us in their house and it felt wonderful. A spirit of love and laughter was present and for that I am grateful. I love having friends who have the spirit in their home and it is obvious. After some sad goodbyes we loaded up and headed out. It was about 9 am. We stopped for gas and while i was pulling out I hit the red pole that prevents one from hitting the gas pump. I was a bit mortified, to say the least. We got out and the red on the white was VERY apparent. However, it quickly became apparent that it was just an exchange of paint. So Scott and I grabbed their window washers and started scrubbing. 20 minutes later, it looked as if nothing had happened. Scott, being the wonderful husband that he is, hasn’t said a word about it, or given me grief at all. Since it took so long at the gas station, all the kiddo’s had to go to the bathroom. It was worth getting them out, then we knew we wouldn’t have to stop again. The drive was a little different with Scott in the car. The kids were so excited to be with their daddy that they couldn’t stop talking the whole time. It made for quite the interesting drive. However, we did make it to Blanding with no problem. We pulled in a little after 3 pm. We went straight into Aunt Kate’s house and said our hello’s and we fed the kids. They went right to playing after eating. Afton went down for a nap and so did I. Three hours later when Scott came in to ask if I wanted dinner I was still really out of it, but thought it best that I eat. We had a great dinner of grilled chicken and steak. Then we headed over to the house that we would be staying in for the next few days. Then we went and saw Stan and Angela’s house and their kiddo’s. That is where we found our troop. We gathered together and headed to Joe and Shauna’s to enjoy the Blanding fire works show. It started about 10 pm. It was a great show and was going along quite nicely till the wind picked up and they had to cease before the finale. It was after 11 pm by the time we got the kids back to the house. They were filthy so we bathed them all and they were in bed by midnight. It was a long but VERY fun day.

It has been an amazing and fun trip. I have really enjoyed all that has happened and am looking forward to the last five days of the trip. It will be hard to go back to “reality” but I know I have to sometime! My kids have loved the freedom of playing outside and feeling safe. They have enjoyed new experiences and new people. Thanks to all my friends and family who have made this trip so wonderful so far. I suppose you will get one more VERY long entry about the end of the trip, then it will be back to the normal, boring, everyday stuff. Much love to all.

So for the third time this morning I have tried to write this entry, but I keep hitting something and the whole thing disappears. Now I am writing this in word and will cut and paste it. Here I go again……

The kids and I have had nothing but good times for the last 10 days. Not a moment of boredom has crossed our path.

It all started on Monday June 18 at 5 am. We left for Fresno to visit with Grandma Ackerman. Torry, a cute young woman from my church, wanted to go to Vegas. Since I was going to end up there eventually, she decided to join us on our adventure. Visiting an “old folks home” is always fun. The old people love the kids and the kids love the old people. Mom had some “chores” for the kids to do to earn money. They thought that was the greatest thing. We had lots of fun helping out grandma, eating in the dinning room and walking grandma’s dog. It was a great beginning to our vacation.

We left a little late on Tuesday morning but it was worth it. The trip was uneventful and Torry was a great help. The kids loved her and she is now lovingly called Auntie Torry. We got into Vegas around 4 pm. It was a grand reunion for the cousins. Steve and Joy were very accommodating and we settled in right away.

Wednesday was swimming and more playing. After Kenneth got home from school we went out to Sam’s club to do some shopping for the wedding luncheon that Joy was asked to cater on Friday. After checking out some good deals we headed home and I left to visit Steve at work. It was a well spent hour. I finally know what Steve does and the people he does it with are very kind. I enjoyed jeering with them about Steve. That night I made a huge meal of pot stickers that everyone seemed to enjoy. After putting the kids to bed, Joy and I talked a little about the luncheon and then watched Night at The Museum. That was a cute movie.

Thursday was boat day. Steve took the whole day off so we could really have some fun. Kenneth, Jaime, Alix and Milo and I all went out. Joy stayed home with the little ones (what a saint). We went to Lake Mead. We left about 10 am and were out on the water by 11. We knee boarded (well, Jaime and Kenneth did, I just put on a comedy show). I skied (again, a comedy show). Too bad there wasn’t a video of my “skiing”. It was the funniest thing on the water that day! We anchored the boat a couple of times and the kids would swim in the lake. We stopped at this one spot and the kids got out and swam to shore and “rock climbed”. They had a great time doing that. We anchored another time and played catch in the water. We did some tubing. That was FUN. Everyone did that, even Milo and Alix. Again, I tried it, this time though I actually did it and it was fun. We headed back to the car and got home by 6. The whole time we were in the boat, Milo kept asking uncle Steve to go faster. Milo loves speed.

Friday, Jaime went to school with Kenneth. Joy arranged it with Kenneth’s teacher and off they went. Jaime LOVED it. She didn’t have to do all the tests and work but she did do some worksheets and read. They had a fire truck come and it was their p.e. day. She was very excited to come home and tell me all about it. While Jaime was doing that, Joy, her sister Angela, her brother Danny and I went to the church to prepare for the wedding luncheon. It turned out perfect. We let the kids run around and have fun in the church until the luncheon time and then we put a movie on for them. It was fun to work with Joy and her siblings and it was a nice end to a very fun visit. After the luncheon we all went back home and packed up to leave for Utah. We left around 5. I went first and stopped in St. George to visit with an old bishop and his wife. It was great to see them and see their house. They were very accommodating to the children and took them in just like they would their own grandkids. It was a nice stop and we all enjoyed it very much. Steve and Joy met me there and Steve drove the van on to Lehi. It was a good thing too, I got pretty tired and I was glad I did not have to drive. After dropping off Steve I went on to Layton and got to Mandi’s house around 4 am.

Saturday morning came all too early for such a late night but we were eager to get the day started. We went to Mandi’s brother’s house. He is building his house and so we went to help. We stained the front door and prepared the family room to have hardwood installed. It was fun to work along side such wonderful people. Mandi’s mom’s house is right next door so all the kids, 9 in all, just played. It was a great day.

Sunday was church in the morning and then playing in the afternoon. Mandi and I decided we wanted to do a craft project and so we worked on that a little too. We also got out some paint brushes and painted two walls in her upstairs. That was fun.

Monday was zoo day. We got to the zoo at 9 am. It was a perfect day. Not too hot but warm enough to feel like summer. There were 15 kids and 7 adults in our little group. It was fun though, the kids enjoyed having so many people to choose from for playmates. We then took the group on to McDonalds and they got to play a little more. We got back to Mandi’s about 4. We spent the night finishing our craft project and enjoying each other’s company. It was an amazing thing to be with Mandi and her boys. They are good kids and so funny. They kept me laughing. Poor Wes endured us with a smile.

Tuesday was my leaving Mandi day. We had scheduled on last jaunt, the Lehi Legacy Center. Since we were not going to be able to go till 2 in the afternoon, I packed up and came to Niki’s, she lives in Cedar Hills. It was such a fun reunion. Her kids have changed so much and all the children got along perfectly right away. We talked and she showed me her new house and we ate lunch and then we all piled into cars and headed to Lehi. That was a blast!! Mandi came with her sister in law, Niki and her neighbor and Beth (another friend) and then us. It was a fun group. Again, lots of friends to choose from.

So here we are Wednesday morning. Not too much going on yet. We are all in the process of getting dressed and ready for another fun filled day. Kids can just find stuff to do even if we don’t leave. My kids have enjoyed playing so much that they don’t even have time for fights or quarrels.

Tomorrow, off to Colorado. I’ll post again soon.

Since I only had one more week to prepare for my big road trip, I made a cleaning schedule to get me to the end of the week with a clean house and clean laundry and even a clean and packed van. Here it is, Friday night at midnight and none of that is done……

Monday was Scott’s last P.T. appointment. He was given a list of excersises to do and has been pretty diligent with doing them. On his first day in they did a test that told how many pounds of pressure he could squeeze. He scored 4 pounds of pressure on his first visit he was at 22 pounds of pressure at this last visit (for all of you out there who have no idea what any of this means, his left hand scored 85 pounds of pressure. His right arm is his dominate arm and so it is assumed it was stronger than his left before the accident.). Quite the improvement. However, still a long way to go. I took the kids to the park and met up with a couple of friends. It was fun. After picking up Scott we ran a couple of errands and then came home and did chores, school and naps. The evening was very low key and we like that!

Tuesday was our “slow” day. We stayed home most of the day. We did chores, school and “normal” around the house stuff. In the afternoon we went to the mall to get Milo and I some summer sandals. Lucky for us, we were able to find some.

Wednesday was a swim party at my friend Laura’s house. It was very fun. A girl from Jaime’s dance class came. I have really gotten to know her mom pretty good and we enjoy eachother’s company. I was really glad they joined us and she said she had a good time. After coming home Scott joined us in the car and we ran a couple of errands. We needed to get some doctor issues figured out and we went to the police station to get the pictures the police took of the scene of the accident. It was amazing to see what Scott did to that Jetta. He pretty much took out the windshield and left a big bloody hole, plus he took out part of the grill and the headlight. We got to see a picture of his food in a V shape all over the road and we even got to see Scott stripped down to his underware lying on the side of the road. Interesting….. We got home in enough time for dinner and bed.

Thursday was another busy day. My friend Li-Li came over and we made pot stickers together. We did a massive clean before she got here and then were required to do another one after she left. After Li-Li left we all put on “wash the car” clothes and had a great time giving our big van it’s first bath. The kids all stood on step ladders to reach the windows! Scott had to do all the area above the windows. It was quite the sight. After the car wash, baths and jammies, I left and did some evening grocery shopping in preparation for the trip.

That brings us to today. Friday. We spent the morning doing TONS of cleaning (we are really in crunch mode now). At noon we left for a Primary swim party. That was tons of fun. I got out my “swimsuit” (shorts and a t-shirt) and swam with the kids. It was fun. We had cannonball contests and races. It was fun to be in the pool and enjoying the warm sunshine. We got home in enough time to shower, change and get to the park for another party with Jaime’s school. It was fun, but I got the times mixed up and we were two hours late, oops! We still had a good time and are glad we made the effort to go. Once we got home we put the kids straight to bed. They didn’t seem to mind, they were very tired.

This weekend will prove to be just as busy as the week was. I hope to be very organized and get everything done. The reasurring thing is that there are Wal-Marts and grocery stores all along the way, if I forget anything, I can always buy it!

I’m getting very excited about my trip. It should be a great time for the kids and I. They are all very excited too. Milo was talking about Colorado today. He asked if Colorado was in a tree. Scott said no be there were trees in Colorado, he was very confused! Much love to all.

While Scott was in the hospital I had a mom bring Jaime home from dance class. During the recital she told me about a conversation that her and Jaime had on the way home. Her name is Jonna. Jaime did not realize that Jonna is a member of the same church that we are. While they were in the car Jaime was explaining to her that her dance outfit was immodest and that she was going to wear a body suit under it so that she could be more modest. Jaime explained to Jonna that our church really stresses modesty and that she is trying really hard to be modest. Jonna said they talked for a few more minutes about it and then Jaime said ‘The most beautifulest thing is the thing that is right’. Jonna, the young womens president in her ward, said she was so taken by the converstaion that she shared it with her family that night and then again with her young women that next Sunday. She told me she was greatful for Jaime’s good example and just thought I’d like to know that. We too are using Jaime’s phrase too, we like how it sounds. ‘The most beautifulest thing is the thing that is right’. Sounds like a title to a talk or book….. :0)

Before the dance recital started on Saturday I saw Mrs. Gentry and stopped her so that her and Jaime could have a picture together. After the picture Mrs. Gentry inquired as to why Jaime and Jonna’s daughter (she is in the class right above Jaime) were wearing body suits under their dance costumes. Mrs. Gentry is pretty familiar with the LDS church and was curious as to whether or not the policy had changed, she had not noticed other LDS girls doing that in the past. I kindly let her know that the policy had not changed. I also informed her that when I was growing up my mother put great emphasis on modesty and that I wanted to instill that in my children too. She just gave me a great big hug and said ‘good job’.

I’m pleased that Jaime is setting such a good example at such a young age. Years ago, before Jaime was in the dance class, Mrs. Gentry had her dance recitals on Sundays. Enough of the LDS girls would not attend the Sunday recital and so she changed it to Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Perhaps she will change the costumes too. We shall see.

I realized that it has been quite a while since I’ve added anything about our lives. I suppose at the end of the day the last thing I want to do is document what has happened that day, although that should be one of the most important things. Having cleared my guilty conscience, here is the update.

Saturday, June 2 a very dear friend of mine was getting married. She was 14 years old when Scott and I got married and I have watched her grow into a beautiful young lady. Denise has been an absolute joy to know. She learned to drive stick shift in our beat up old truck, she swam in Grandma and Grandpa’s pool and she “taught” me how to raise girls that would be girls! It was a joy to be a part of her special day. A few weeks before she invited us to attend her first temple session (Scott was not in any condition to go). That was such a wonderful experience. She then invited us to attend her sealing (again, Scott is still not ready for such activities!). It was a wonderful experience to watch this young couple and remember my feelings and impression when we were their age and getting sealed. After all the wonderful spiritual time was over, I headed down to the church to help out with the catering. Our wonderful friend Gayle was catering the wedding and I volunteered to help her (she is so amazing to work with). The food was wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening of “work”.

The next morning proved to me that I’m not as young as I used to be! I was VERY tired and VERY sore. To top it all off, we had an…….adventure. Niah and I play this very silly game. I’ll race her half way up the stairs, she gets “too tired” and so I drag her up the rest of the way. She laughs and giggles because of the bumpy steps. So we were doing our stair ritual when she started screaming. I picked her up and she said her arm hurt. Now, having experienced similar things when Jaime was a toddler, I just figured she had popped her elbow out of joint. I tried to pop it back in (I learned how when Jaime had the problem) but it didn’t seem to work. So we called our favorite chiropractor (he’s a member of our ward) and he said to bring her on over. She was screaming the entire time. He checked her out and proclaimed nothing was wrong with her elbow. It was getting very close to being church and so we all went to church. We waited till Sacrament was over and then we went out to the parking lot and he continued to look at her arm. She just kept screaming and crying just to touch it. Finally he proclaimed the only thing he could do was put a “bandaid” on it and see what happens in the next few days. She perked up a little when he said bandaid. He wrapped up her arm similar to what Scott’s looked like for a while. As soon as he was done she stopped her crying and weeping and wailing. We went back into church and she had enough strength to push her brother out of the way to get to the book she wanted. Then after church she told Scott she needed to do her hand excersises. By the time lunch was over she said she no longer needed her bandaid and could I please take it off. Interpret that one on your own…..

Monday we had two appointments at the same time. Scott got dropped off at his VERY early so I could make it to Niah’s in enough time. Both appointments went well and we got home in enough time for lunch and naps. Then we spent the next few hours cleaning as good as we could. The pest control guy had to come again because the spiders were still taking up residence in our corners and some of them had babies…..lots of them. The pest guy shows up and we left for a couple of hours. When we got back we finished up a few things, made dinner and welcomed the missionaries as our dinner guests. It was a fun day and evening.

Tuesday, Scott had another appointment. I dropped him off and went to a nearby friends house for a couple of hours. That was fun and I enjoyed her company. Again we got home just in time for lunch but too late for naps. So we just did some more cleaning and school and delcared the evening as family time.

Wednesday was Jaime and Alix’s last P.E. till after summer and Milo had an eye doctor appointment and it was Jaime’s dress rehearsal. So, we left the house at 10 am. We went to Jaime and Alix’s P.E. class, had an award ceremony and then a picnic lunch. I bailed about 12:45 to take Milo to his appointment while a friend agreed to take Jaime and Alix home after the festivities were done. Milo’s eye appointment went good. The pressure in his right eye is better but the left eye is worse. The doctor said that he wants to do surgery but that the risk is too high right now and so he will just continue to keep a close eye (no pun intended) on him. The doctor also said that Milo is ready for glasses. However, that poses a problem too. Because his eyes are not protected and he really doesn’t have a nose bridge, he will not prescribe any glasses bacause the risk of damaging the eye balls are greater than his need for glasses right now (the eyes would have constant contact with the glass). That ought to prove interesting when I decide to start teaching him to read. We shall see. I got home in enough time to cook dinner and get Jaime ready. Her dance rehearsal went very well and it got us all pumped up and ready.

Thursday Scott was suppose to have a P.T. appointment but it got cancelled. I left and went to the park anyway and gave Scott some time alone so he could do a little bit of work from home. After coming home we did school and more cleaning. We were suppose to have the Sister missionaries for dinner. When they were a half hour late we decided not to make the kids wait any longer and fed them. An hour after they were suppose to come they showed up. They didn’t know we had moved and went to our old house. When they got there the people recieved them really well and so they taught them. It was a cool story. We warmed their dinner in the microwave and talked with them as they ate. Then they played a game with the kids (Restoration memory) and then gave a wonderful spiritual thought before leaving. It was a great evening.

Friday was park day. When we got to the park the fire department was there doing their annual hose check. So the kids watched the firemen roll out hoses and spray them and pressure check them. They did that for a good hour before starting their play. We ended up staying for four hours. It was a nice morning/afternoon. Scott was able to get quite a bit of work done. After naps and school we got Jaime ready for her dance recital. We had a babysitter come and watch the three youngest. Scott went to the recital with Alix and I helped backstage. It was a fun evening and a GREAT performance. I heard multiple people from the audience say that Jaime’s class did the best. They did two numbers. One tap to the song “Hello Dolly” and a jazz number to a song called “We got the Beat”. Both were very good and very fun dances.

That brings us to today. We all slept in this morning, we didn’t get up till 7:15 am! It was bliss. We spent the morning cleaning and then getting ready for Jaime’s last recital. I went again but this time to sit in the audience. Everyone was right, Jaime’s class did an absolutly wonderful job. It was AMAZING. for the Hello Dolly song the girls all joined hands and did kicks. They were ALL in sync. It looked awesome. Anyway, all the dancers did great and it was fun to watch. After coming home we just let the children run ramped. We had such a busy week we just let them play and enjoy being siblings. Scott and I just puttered around the house, did some reading and computerizing. Then we remembered there was an adult meeting at church tonight. Scott said he didn’t think he could sit through the meeting because his back was hurting and encouraged me to go. I decided I should and went. The speakers were wonderful but there were a couple of people I spoke with afterwards and the things they said were more of what I needed.

A recent convert was sitting on the back row and I went up to say hi and see how he was doing. He asked me how Scott was I told him he was doing much better. Then he told me ‘I remember when I first heard about what happened to Scott I thought how lucky you both are. How wonderful it must have been for you to really know and understand what it means to endure through sickness and health. What a great opprotunity the Lord gave you to build a stronger relationship with your husband through nursing him back to health. What a wonderful experience.’ What he said touched me so much, I cried. He was right. Every bit of what he said was right. I do feel as though the bond between Scott and I has strengthed in a way that could only have happened through such a trial.

I said hi to a new couple in our ward and they too asked how Scott was. Again I said he was doing fine and the wife said to me ‘It’s amazing how the Lord knows what we need. Sometimes we just put too much on our plate and the Lord throws something at us and we need to clear that plate in order to take care of what the Lord needs us to.’ Again she was so right. I feel that I was keeping myself VERY busy with things outside the home. One thing this has done is force me to be home taking care of my family and their needs. What a blessing that has been.

Lastly, when I got out to my car a sister from our ward was upset. She had dropped her keys down the side of the seat and could not retrieve them. She had a few other older sisters at her side but none seemed to know how to help her. I slipped my small hands down the side of the seat and retrieved the keys for her. It was a joy to see her relief and gratitude.

It was a great night for me. I was glad to have attended the meeting, but I was even more glad to have been uplifted by my fellow saints. I’m grateful for the gospel and for Heavenly Fathers love. I’m grateful for the wonderful people he puts in my path to uplift me and sustain me. He knows me. He knows my trials and my desires and in all ways wants to see me experience joy. Not joy as the world gives but as He gives.

My physical therapy is going well. I have about 75-80% movement back in my arm and hand. I make gains everyday. It still hurts a lot, but the progress is worth it. I can almost turn my hand palm up and flex my wrist back. I am using my hand and arm more each day, and with each day, it gets easier and I’m a little less stiff. I saw a doctor today who gave my arm a clean bill of health. The fracture is completely healed. I also managed to get a copy of my X-rays from Stanford. I’ll post some pictures of the metal in my arm soon.

My back is a different story. I’m having problems getting an appointment with a back specialist. It still hurts and it’s still swollen. However, all things heal with time and I’m sure I’ll be as good as new before too long.

We had some friends recently get married. I went to the reception on Saturday night. I paid for that with tons of back pain later on, but it was worth it. It was a very nice and fun reception. I took our three oldest kids, and they where very well behaved. It is such a joy to know that we have good kids that we can trust in any social situation. They had a “candy shop” along one wall, and each kid scored on a box full of candy to bring home. The food at the reception was awesome (more on that later). Sami also went to the reception, but as a worker in the kitchen. I was nervous about handling the kids by myself, but like I said, they where great and didn’t need much parenting.

About the food. Our friend Gayle has a catering business. Her husband, Joey, is cajun and a master with the BBQ. Friday, I went to their house and hung out with Joey while he smoked 24 tri-tips. That was the food for the Reception, along with Gayles amazing salads, sides and epicurean delights. That has to be the best tri-tip I have ever had. Freshly smoked, piping hot tri-tip. It pays to be the official taste-tester of a master BBQer! While I was there we watched a couple of westerns. One was “The Magnificent Seven” with Yule Brenner. That was a good movie. We also watched an old spaghetti western called “They Call me Trinity”. That was a great movie. It was very funny and very clever.

I drove for the first time on Saturday. That was an experience. I don’t have enough strength in my right hand to turn the key in the ignition or move the gear selector. But I got it figured out in the end, and I made it my destination without any mishap. I still can’t drive a manual transmission, but I’ll get there.

I guess that’s all my news for now. I have to go haggle with the insurance company now. Ya’ll be good.