Sami's World

Well the Thompson weakly update is about to begin. Hope you have plenty of time to read to the end…..

Wednesday July 25 proved to be another busy day. I finally finished all the plums and was ready to do jam. I wanted to get done sooner than I had the day before so I set Jaime to work. She would stir the mixture on the stove while I cleaned jars and set things in motion. I was usually done by the time the mixture was boiling. Once the mixture was done I would fill jars while Jaime measured the sugar for the next batch. We did four batches in about 3 hours. That was awesome because the other day I did two batches in 7 hours. Afton slept through all of it. Milo and Niah played nicely together and Alix was at a playdate. Scott dropped her off on his way to his doctors appointment. She got to play, then go swimming and then go to the library to see an astronomer. It was an amazing day for her. By the time she got home we got right into chores. We were done and dinner on the table and eaten by the time Scott got home. He pounded a dinner and helped with the final clean up. By that time it was 7 pm and time for Enrichment meeting. We were having it at our house and I was teaching homemade yogurt. Two sisters showed up which was perfect. We had so much fun talking and eating recipes made with yogurt. It was great.

Thursday I was suppose to go out to Brentwood again but my friend had to cancell on me. That was ok, I needed a day of rest anyway!! I didn’t actually take the whole day as rest. I spent some time going to the grocery store to get a few things for dinner. We had the sister missionaries over for dinner. Scott would miss all the festivities because of how late he gets home when he rides the shuttle. But the sisters and kids and I had a great time. We grabbed Scott from the shuttle and then came home and put kids right to bed. It had been too many late nights for the kids and we wanted to get them to sleep at a decent hour.

Friday was to be our busiest day by far. Jaime was suppose to have her first Activities Day activity, but it got cancelled, yay for me! We all went to the park for a few hours. Came home and showered everyone, dressed them in jeans and rootbeer t-shirts and headed to Scott’s work. It was the day of the company family picnic. They rented out the apitheater in Mountain View to hold the event. It was AMAZING!! We’ve been to other company picnics before, but this was awesome!! They hired a fair/circus. Think of any and all fair/circus’ you have been to, but make it all free. They had ice cream carts, popcorn carts, frozen lemonade carts, cotton candy (pink and blue), plus a buffett. In the family section they had hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwhich’s, salads, fresh fruit, capri suns, waters, brownies, cookies….. So much food. Then they had clowns, face painting, goofy hats (everyone got to choose one for free), contortionists (spelling?), science shows, arts and crafts, balloon shapers, a tumbling area, bounce house…. It was fun!! Then if you went to the non-family side (which families were welcome) there was so much more. They had games (you could win prizes), different bands playing throughout the park, a ferris wheel, more food (chilie cheese fries, yummy!!), more ice cream places, reptiles (you could hold/pet snakes bigger than…..). Anyway, I could go on and on but I’ll spare you!! We had a blast. The kids LOVED it. No restrictions. They could have as much of what ever they wanted. They thought it was the coolest thing. We were there from 2 pm till 8 pm. The kids were pretty wiped out but it was worth it. We came straight home and put all those tired kiddos to bed. It was funny, I had us all wear our root beer t-shirts from the family reunion so that it would be easy to pick which kids were Thompson’s. I also put a white bow in each girls hair. That way if anyone got lost I could tell a security gaurd what they looked like. Aparently it was a hit. We got stopped a number of times by google people taking pictures for the picture board. We also had random people stop us to take pictures. We had numberless people ask us for the recipe. And there was a group of performers that, everytime they passed us, would cheer for “the rootbeer family”. It was pretty fun. The kids enjoyed the attention (well the adults did too…..).

Saturday morning was busy. I was up and 5:30 am and off to the store. I got home about 7 am. Scott went straight out and tried to figure out his car problem. The kids and I started cleaning. By 9 we were all done and started cooking. At 10 am a new family in our ward showed up and we had breakfast with them. She works days, he works nights so we asked them over for Saturday breakfast. We had all kinds of food; pancakes, eggs, busicuts, sausage gravy, bacon, hashbrowns, milk, oj and fruit. Everyone got very full. We had a great time getting to know them better and all the kids played awesome together. They have three kids who are the same ages as my three youngest. It was fun. At 12:15 I said my goodbye’s and dashed out. I was doing one last catering job with Gayle. Again, it was fun and we really enjoyed the time spent. It’s fun to work with Joey and Gayle and the other people who volunteered to help. We were cleaned up and in our cars by 5:30 pm. We had planned to meet at 6:30 and have dinner together. We went to Chevy’s. We had an amazing meal. We waited for a while and the bill never came. Finally the manager came over and said they were having problems with their computer system and said it would be a few more minutes. We jokingly told him that if there was no bill, that ment it was free. Well after another 15 minutes, we bailed on Joey and Gayle cause the kids were just getting too restless. We later found out that the manager came over to the table and told them they could leave. They could not get the register to work, did not know how long it would take and the dinner was on Chevy’s. We got home and put the kids to bed. Then Scott and I spent a few minutes putting my mom’s couches in the van. Mom was moving and needed some additional help and so I was scheduled to go to Fresno Sunday Morning.

I got up and left around 3 am Sunday morning. I got to mom’s around 6:30 am. Steve had been there since Saturday morning and was pretty wipped out after a full day of moving. I was to be his releif. I got right to work clearing out a space to put the couches while the rest of the house slept. Sara got up and helped, then Steve made his presence known as soon as I finished (perfect timing….). We emptied the van of the couches and headed to the old place. We took my van and mom’s van. We got everything out (well, almost) in one trip. It took a good 2 hours to load those two vans but it was worth it. We unloaded in about 30 minutes. We went back for the last little bit, vaccumed and cleaned a little, then closed the door forever. It was a good feeling. We went back to the new place. Had some lunch. Did a couple of things for mom and then we both headed home. We got out about 2 pm. Not bad. Steve was pretty wiped. He did a great job and I was just there for moral support, Steve did most of the work (well, maybe Kenneth did most of the work). Upon arrival home we had dinner and then the kids were ready for bed. It was a warmer day than it had been so the kids had a hard time falling asleep because of the heat. Finally the house was quiet and Scott and I made it to bed by 9:30. Early for us, but much needed.

Monday was a fun day. We had a playdate scheduled with a friend. We ran a couple of errands first and then went to our playdate. First we played, then we ate lunch, then we washed our van (it really needed it), then we went swimming, then we had a snack, then we went home. It was a very fun day. Upon arrival home, we did our chores and ate dinner. By the time Scott got home we were all pretty tired. We tried to do a formal FHE but it was too hot and we were all tired. So we just played and sang some hymns and then put the kiddos to bed. I bailed at 9:30 am again but Scott was up later. He tried to fix his car, but with no sucess. I felt bad for him. He is just not able to do the things he used to yet. It will take time for him to get back to where he was before.

So here we are today. I spent the morning tring to fix one of our cabnits. It did not work. I made some peach jam and returned some phone calls. It has been a “lazy” day. We love it. We made some homemade lemonade and so the girls took a blanket outside and put it in the shade. Then they drank lemonade and read. It was very cute. The typical summer look. We are now inside doing some light school work, reading and being quiet so that we don’t wake up the little ones who are sleeping.

I’m going to miss summer. It has been fun. We only have four weeks left and then we have to start school again. It will be good though. I think my kids are about to have their brains fall out of their ears after all this playing!! Much love to all.

We are looking forward to Jaime’s baptism in a few days. It will be a very fun event.

Here I go again. A week has gone by and I haven’t taken the time to update ya’ll on what we have been doing. So here goes.

Thursday I had planned to go to Brentwood and visit my friend. She has a pool and the kids were really excited that they would get to swim. We took dad to the shuttle stop and then came home and did chores for two hours. After that we got dressed and were out the door by 11 am. I was at Erika’s house the night Scott got into his accident. I didn’t think anything of it, but when I pulled up to the gate at her housing tract I started to freak out. My mind starting racing and I got a little sweaty. Most bizzarre thing for me. I said a silent prayer in my heart and reasoned with my mind that all was fine. By the time I pulled up to her house, I was calm enough to have a good time. It was interesting though. Anyway, we had lunch and then let the kids play for a little while. We then headed out to the pool. All the kids had a great time and Afton slept through the whole thing. They have a slide so Erika and I had fun going off the slide and jumping in. We left there about 5 pm. Just enough time to pick up Scott from the shuttle. We came home and had dinner and put the kiddo’s to bed with only enough time left for us to go to bed!

Friday was a “normal” day. After taking Scott to the shuttle, we came home and got ready for our weekly play group trip to the park. We had a good turn out and all the kids, and moms, had a great time. I’m glad we get together, it’s refreshing for all ages. The afternoon was low key, just naps and resting. After we picked up Scott we had a quick dinner and then Jaime and I left. We had a “date” to celebrate her birthday. Our family was scheduled to clean the church building on Saturday morning, however (as you will soon read) I WAY overbooked our Saturday, so Jaime and I started our date out with cleaning half the church. We did the whole of the upstairs. We actually had a really good time, the two of us. We then headed over to Cold Stone (for all you Cold Stone fans out there, if you go to their web site and sign up for their birthday club, they send you a coupon for a free regular sized ice cream. It’s worth it!!). While Jaime ate her ice cream we talked about her baptism and I tried to answer any questions she might be having. She is a very smart, spirtual girl who knows who she is. I hope she never forgets. After that we headed over to Wal Mart. She really wanted to spend her birthday money. She had $24 to spend. She was sure she was rich. We wandered the toy section for an hour before I finally made her make a decision. She decided on a kit that comes with a DVD, pom poms, a batton and a mat. The whole thing is suppose to teach a kid how to be a cheerleader. She had enough left over for one Barbie Doll. I’m not sure how I feel about the DVD thing, we are all now walking around singing cheer songs. You should see Scott with pom poms…… We got home about 11 pm. Jaime thought that was pretty cool. She was in bed sleeping by 11:10 and I was close behind.

Saturday morning was a very tightly scheduled morning. So I woke up at 6 and walked over to the church to finish the cleaning. I was done by 8:30 am and was home by 8:50. Scott walked out the door as soon as I walked in and went to a friends house to fix their computer. While he was gone I had the kids do their Saturday chores. After that we did yard work and then I helped them write and memorize their assignments for Sunday. As soon as Scott walked in from computer fixing, I walked out to help Gayle with catering again. Again, it was a very enjoyable experience. We did more of a lunch this time; sandwhiches, salads, fresh fruit, chips and soda. It was fun but deffinitly tiring. While I was gone Scott packed the kids up and walked them to the church for a pioneer day celebration. They said they had a good time. When I asked Alix how things went she said ‘we had fun, but dad got a little mad’. It was funny. As soon as I walked in the door, Scott walked out. The “guys” were getting together to eat BBQ and watch a fight. As soon as I got all the kiddos to bed, I crashed. Scott came home some time later, prepared his Sunday school lesson and was in bed sleeping by 11:30, the busy day had finally come to an end, whew.

Sunday was no less busy. We got everyone up and dressed and ready for church. We were at church by 8:40. We went up to the primary room so each child could practice their part for closing excersises. After church we came home, put the little kids to nap and started to clean. We cleaned for about an hour and then Jaime had to leave for her bishop’s interview for her baptism. She was very nervous. When she came home I asked her how it went. She said ‘Awe, it was easy’. So I guess the bishop has given his ok for her to get baptised. About 3:30 I started warming up dinner. We got a voucher for the honeybaked ham store. So I had decieded to get that for Sunday night dinner since I had invited two families to come over. I picked it up Friday and then just had to reheat on Sunday. It all seemed so easy, smelled so good, and even looked really good. Boy was I disappointed. I have decided that if you are a ham store, don’t try and make anything else. With the voucher I was able to get ham, turkey, cheesy potatoes and fruit salad. I then added broccoli, mashed potatos and bread. One family brought a green salad. It was a good meal over all, but the cheesy potatos were AWFUL. Well at least I thought they were. Anyway, the company was great. We all had a good time. They all left by about 9 pm. Good times. We got the kids to bed late, but they didn’t seem to mind.

Monday was a busy day for me. We got some plums from a lady at church and we had blackberries so I went into jam making mode. I made 14 jars of plum/blackberry jam. And, since I was in jam making mode and we have an apple tree in our backyard, I made apple butter. I worked from 7 am and finished at 4 pm. It was fun. I had the kids help by picking apples, washing dishes and playing together. I also had them go out to the orange tree and pick as many oranges as they could reach. Unfortuantly they were all last years crop and had to be tossed. The new crop is on and if we can get the old crop off, we might actually get some pretty good oranges this year. As soon as I was done, we all ate and changed and left the house by 5:15. We walked a mile to the community park. We met Louise and Gayle there and I did visiting teaching while the kids played. Scott met us there at 6:30. We played till 7 then headed out. As soon as we were loaded in the car, we went to the ladies house from church and picked more plums. We got home about 8 pm. Fed the kids a light dinner and had them all in bed sleeping by 9 pm. I was asleep by 9:30. Scott stayed up till 11 cause he had some work to finish up.

Today, Tuesday, was another busy day. I got up and had some emails I had to send out. After that, I started getting seeds out of plums. I was going to make my plum jam today but then remembered that I needed to make some yogurt. By this time though, it was time to take Scott to the shuttle. So we loaded the car and headed out. After we came home I went right into yogurt making mode. The kids were complaining of hunger so I asked Jaime to make some pancakes. She looked a little shocked. But went right to it. She did a wonderful job with the pancakes, even though Milo and Niah kept adding things. She was almost done putting the last of the batter on the griddle when the bowl fell off the counter. Of course she was using a glass bowl and that thing hit just right. There was glass everywhere. It was quite the mess. I didn’t want anyone to get cut so I sent all the kids into the dinning room to eat pancakes while I cleaned up the mess. They were done eating by the time I finished. I wanted to make sure I got all of it, I’d hate to have Afton crawl in glass or one of the kids get some in their foot. After cleaning up breakfast, I worked on plums a little more and then abandoned the idea of ever getting the jam done. We all got dressed and out of the house in enough time to meet a friend and go to the park. We got there about 1 pm. We played for a couple of hours. This was a new group of ladies that I had never met before (besides my friend of course) and it was fun to talk and get to know more people. Jaime was loving it because most of my friends have kids that start at Alix’s age and go younger. This group started at Milo’s age and went older. Jaime was there with 4 other girls her age. She had so much fun. Milo met two other boys his age and they played motorcycle and super heros. We got home about 4 and just vegged for a couple of hours till we had to pick up Scott from the shuttle.

It’s been busy these last few days but very fun. We have all felt happy at the end of the day and in the morning felt rested and ready for the day. I know why it is important to stay busy, it’s healthy for the mind and soul. Much love to you all.

While we were gone on vacation, Afton did so many wonderful things. I realize now I did not report on them.

She was sort of crawling before we left but on June 24 I put her down in one place and she was totally gone. She was crawling across the room. It was over after that. She’s been the crawling queen ever since. She does a one knee one foot crawl. It’s super cute.

She got another tooth. On June 28 it offically popped out. It is the bottom left tooth. She is even toothier than before!!

She stood up. On July 9 while we were at the visitors center on temple square she pulled herself up using the stroller. She didn’t do it again until July 12. Today she has done it quite a few times. She thinks it’s a pretty fun idea.

She also says a few words. Obviously we are the only ones that know it though!! She says hi and bye. She says mom and dad. It’s not super clear talking but enough that we can call it talking!

I’m not sure on any weight or height info since she has missed every doctor appointment since she was 6 weeks old, but that’s ok, she’s healthy!

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.