Grafton-Ghost Town

I like the family record that blogging creates and I love looking back at the places we have been (both emotionally and physically.) Lately, though, I am consumed with actually living my life as opposed to documenting it online. I guess that is why my posts are lacking in numbers. I like including my thoughts and prose on the things we do, but between my own schooling, my kids' busy lives, and the exhaustion of using my body to grow another baby, I just don't have the will to sit and do it. I want to do better! (I could say that about every aspect of my life.)

This weekend is a holiday weekend down here. No school on Friday or Monday. (I have school, but the kids don't.) Of course, Robert is working. I'm not complaining! I am so grateful my husband has a job that he loves. We just miss him when we are all together and he is not with us. Yesterday we sat around the backyard and I watched my kids make up games together. We spent some time in the hot-tub, but only heated it to about 80° because it was such a nice day. They made up a game of Quidditch which was basically a glorified version of "tag" complete with a snitch, a seeker, and beaters. They played for awhile, then Stella made a picnic and we had lunch outside. Eventually, everyone settled in with books for the afternoon. Creed read up on Dungeons and Dragons, Stella is working on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I'm not sure what Jack was reading, and George continued to play in the water.

Today I took the kids to a nearby Ghost Town called Grafton and of course we ended the excursion with a hike. I handed my good camera to Creed because he has been commenting on the fact that all I use to document life lately is my iPhone. He is right, but I didn't feel like wrestling the dog and the big camera today, so he helped out. Here are some highlights from our ghostly excursion.

This is my favorite shot Creed captured. I call it "Gap & Swirl."

Stella, I adore you.

We got a picture of all the girls in the family: Stella, Me, New Baby, & Ginger. 

I love that Creed tries to get candid shots. In his words, " I like taking pictures of people when they aren't looking at me."

Of course I stole the camera to take a picture of Creed. He WOULD NOT put his arm around Stella or get any closer to her.

With my big belly, it's a little hard to help George navigate the steep portions of a trail. He's lucky to have Jack! I wish Jack were my older brother.

Now I need to go do some last minute studying for a Geology test, then I need to go take it at the Testing Center. After that, we are going to decorate Easter Eggs and watch Les Miserables as a family. Robert and I watched it in the theater, and the kids have been dying to see it. I love that we can just order movies over our t.v. What a modern world!

Stuff My Kids Say

Jack was finishing up a tennis tournament on Saturday here in St. George. While we were watching him play, it was so warm that I was wishing I had worn shorts or a skirt or something.  I finally rolled up the bottom of my jeans. I looked around and noticed that people were swimming in the outdoor pool and lounging by its side in their swimsuits, soaking up the warm rays of our desert sun.

February in St. George is a very good thing.

Then we drove to SLC. While we were there, we were able to meet a few of our friends' brand new babies. Dallas and Shannon have a new baby girl and Robert's sister has a new baby boy. I hadn't held a brand new baby in ages and I forgot how great they are! I am so glad that I am going to get to have that new baby-ness in my home one last time.

As we were leaving Sara's house to have dinner, I said to the kids "did everyone get their coats? George, get your coat."

And he said, with much hesitation, " . . . oh . . kay . . . but mom, what is a coat?"

I love St. George weather. The kid doesn't even know what a coat is!

Caboose no More

Remember how I used to always call George my Caboose? Well, he is going to become a big brother this year. His baby sister is due to make her appearance in mid-May. I can't believe I am going to have five, FIVE children.

Last summer I drove my kids to Big Sky Lake, Montana and spent a few weeks with my mom, Grandpa Jim, my sister, and her kids.

Montana: I totally get it now.

Here are 20 pictures from that trip.

Seeley Lake was the closest town. We enjoyed way too much ice cream from The Ice Cream Shop.

In Seeley Lake

View of the cabin from the lakeside

Have you ever seen a more beautiful hair adornment, or a more friendly butterfly?

The kids spent days catching turtles and filling the paddle boat with them before releasing them back into the lake.

Ready to go mountain biking: don't forget the bear spray!

I can't remember the name of this island right now. Grandma Falls Island?

George and Grant exploring one of the islands

Taking Stella for a ride on the kayak

This was the first time in years that I had seen Stella wear pants!

They are getting so big . . . 

This was Jack's 13th birthday. He is a teenager.

Grant and Grandma on the Party Boat.

Jack and the kid from the next cabin.

Seeley Lake

This is my last baby. I promise.

An Early Memory about Reading

*This is not an update about our life. It's a short essay about an early reading memory I wrote for my Children's Lit class. Double dipping for blog content.*

I remember cinderblock walls. My younger sister and I used to lie down on my bed and play out the stories we listened to on our audiocassettes. 

Sara & Me: ages 5 & 3?

“Cindo-weawah?” Sara would ask. It was a product distributed by Disney. We had acquired a few picture books with accompanying cassette tapes featuring a narrator reading the story aloud. There were portions of the Cinderella tape that were so worn the narrator’s voice went deep and slow for a moment and the tape emitted such a sound that we always held our breath until the voice resumed a normal cadence and we knew it had lived to see another day.

“Sure,” I’d respond as she inserted the cassette.

We settled in next to each other on the bed, with our heads hanging off the long side and our bare feet flat against those cinderblocks.

“When you hear the chime that sounds like this ‘brrriiiinnnggg’,” said the woman’s lovely voice over the speaker, “it’s time to turn the page.”

My suggestion was always the same. “You hold the book and I will be Cinderella.” Sara was an agreeable child and rarely challenged this arrangement. I cocked my head to the side to read along as she turned pages and our feet danced out the storyline on the wall next to our bed.

Her foot was the dog, Bruno, and chased my Lucifer-the-Cat foot across the wall. At the Royal Ball, her right foot, Prince Charming, joined my Cinderella Left Foot, our skinny little legs in contact with each other down to our Underoos. Our feet danced in sync until we heard the “brrriiinnnggg.”

Every now and then dad would come into our room with a bottle of bleach and a washcloth. We did our best on those days to scrub the dirty footprints from the wall, but they were made from cinderblock and weren’t especially clean in the first place.

I think this is the dress I wore on my first day of school.

To this day, when Sara tries on a shoe that is too small, she comments “I look like Cinderella’s ugly Stepsister in this shoe.”

On Second Thought, I May Be a Water Buffalo

I used to think I was a mama lion. Fiercely protective of my pups if I ever thought they were in danger, or in pain, or under attack.

Now I'm not so sure.

Please, watch this video and then you can read my obvious metaphor. It is worth 8 1/2 minutes of your life.




Lions: mmm! I'm in the mood for baby water buffalo.

Water Buffs: AAAHHH!!! Run away! Run away!

Lions: Looks like baby water buffalo is on the menu.

Croc: Yeah, that sounds good. Give me some a-that!

Lions: No Way. This baby water buffalo belongs to us.

Water Buffs: WRONG. He belongs to US. SCRAM.

Call me an eternal optimist, but it looks to me like it's never too late for your herd to come to your rescue.

The key seems to be: Once your herd arrives, YOU have to be the one to stand up and run through the pain~ away from the lions~ and into the safety of your herd.

Regarding My Dad

He was the only child between a Navy Sea Dog and a Circus Beauty.

His mother was in her forties when she had him.

He is a master storyteller. I love being his captive audience.

I inherited my insatiable curiosity from him. He certainly nurtured my curiosity. He taught me about Lake Bonneville and the stars in the sky and the water cycle and how to identify a hawk. I could go on and on.

He used to recite Robert Service poetry for us in the kitchen.

I may have inherited my love of poetry from him.

And Stella inherited it from me.

He has strong opinions that he researches extensively. He is actually reading the Obamacare bill!

He is witty and intelligent.

He is a talented wordsmith and photographer.

His is the tortured soul of an artist. (That statement will induce either a cringe from him or a single tear shed at the insight.)

He loves chocolate chip cookies and Coca-Cola. With no ice.

Whenever he sees me he grabs me and squeezes until I can't breathe. 

He lives in Texarkana, Texas, and that is too far away.

We don't spend enough time together. My kids don't  know any of his stories. I don't know if Stella and George have ever heard him tell a story. 

I did get to spend July 12 with him this year. He took the entire day off. Robert and I took the red-eye into Dallas for a wedding and immediately rented a car and drove the 3 1/2 hours to his house.

His only vehicle is a motorcycle so we went around town doing things that require four wheels and a roof.

We bought a new toilet seat, rat traps, and toilet paper.

We learned that if one wants to have their glasses adjusted in Texarkana, Wal-Mart is really one's only option.

We turned his Boston Terrier loose on one of the rats that had taken up residence in his backyard.

We showed each other photographs of our recent vacations. 

It was not a day filled with spectacular vistas or extravagant meals. We didn't line up any kind of entertainment or excursions to fill the time. It was an ordinary day where my dad and my husband commiserated about professional woes, we talked about the most recent books we were reading, shared photography tips (I salivated over his gear), we ate a few meals, and it was over way too soon. 

I want 10,000 more days just like it.

The next night I was back in Dallas setting up tables and chairs for my friend's wedding and I received the following text from him:

"Do you guys have a minute to swing by? I need to exchange my regular toilet seat for the long toilet seat."

"Plus, it is raining and I need a ride to work."

*All of the photos from this post are from several years ago when I was visiting with my kids over spring break. As per my recent habits (that I am trying to break) I didn't get out my camera while I was with him.

**My parents were divorced shortly before I started blogging and I have always carefully avoided writing much about either one of them. I thought that if I wrote about one parent it would hurt the other's feelings. I have decided that my kids and their kids deserve to read about their grandparents. I love both of my parents and both of their spouses and I am officially ending my silence.

***I may not have needed to write that last paragraph.

Summer Memories, Denial, plus a few thoughts about death

School starts in less than a week. I am not emotionally ready and I am certainly not logistically ready. I  bought tons of school supplies on clearance last year, but I don't remember where I put them. 

Plus, I suspect the glue sticks have already dried out.

I will wrap myself up in a blanket of denial and keep writing about our summer break. It has been dreamy in so many ways.

On July 5th, under the cover of a total downpour, we headed out with Sara and Ryan for a camping trip. 

Life list: Ride a Tandem Bicycle. CHECK! 

 Ryan and Grant/Father and Son

Of course I was hollering at George from shore. "Don't get in the water until we put on your swimsuit!" It was a classic example of Picking My Battles and I decided to declare defeat early on. Will my last child ever take me seriously?

Creed announced at the end of the weekend that he HATES tubing. 

The Engine . . . .

. . . . and the Caboose.

You'll notice that we are wearing sweatshirts while our kids play in the lake. George and Stella both ended up in their underwear but I was freezing!

 Axel learned how to crawl about a week after this photo was taken. Sara's days became much more complicated after that.

Stella adores her Uncle Christopher.

A few of Ryan's cousins joined us on the first night. They were completely smitten with my children, which (of course) meant that I was completely smitten with them. The shortest path to my heart is through my kids.

 Maddie found out that Stella was a ballerina and she immediately got out her pointe shoes. Look at those things! Ballet is hard work. Stella dazzled Maddie with her poetry recitation skills, her literary knowledge, and her Kid History Quotes.

 Sara dazzled me with her waterskiing skills, and I have some excellent photographic proof, but I think I would get in trouble for posting a picture of my sister in her swimsuit.

 She is graceful even when she falls! 

Both Jack and Creed were AWESOME at wakeboarding but I don't have any pictures of that because Robert and I left the camping trip early to attend a funeral in Tooele. It was for Robert's sister-in-law's father. Did you follow that? He died while he was delivering a lesson at church. Can you believe it? I feel so bad for Tif. And I miss Robert's dad. That's a whole separate, much less flippant post for another day.

I don't want my parents to ever die. Ever. (But not in an Anakin Skywalker evil controlling kind of way. Just in an "I hope I have another forty years with each of them" kind of way.) Stay healthy, guys! Go drink some juice and take a vitamin!

George wasn't too keen on wakeboarding with his dad and I don't generally subscribe to the "I'm bigger than you and you'll do what I say" philosophy of parenting, but sometimes kids need to be pushed to try something beyond their comfort zone. Don't they?

In this case, George cried almost the whole time he was out there with his dad, but as soon as he was back on the boat he turned to me with a big grin and said "Mom, I was laughing on the inside the whole time!"

Was it the right decision to send him out there? I don't know. I'll tell you what, though, I can appreciate the fact that his dad is able to do that kind of thing. The man is strong!

(Have I mentioned that he took the Silver Medal in the Utah Summer Games Powerlifting event? He was competing against guys that were almost half his age!)

Our whole group minus Vicki and her niece and Lauren and her girls.

Next time I will talk about our trip to Texas where I was able to spend an ENTIRE DAY with my dad. 

We attended Andrew and Ramona's wedding which meant that we were able to spend some quality time with the VonNiederhausern's!

And then, we went to Montana to spend a few weeks with Grandma and Grandpa Jim.

Between blogging about my summer and getting ready to send my kids off to three different schools next week plus some other stuff I won't go into here I am starting to think that I may have to forego some sleep to get everything done there is to do before school starts. 

I do not enjoy cutting into my sleep time.

My Denial Blanket isn't big enough.