Memorial Weekend

Our family went camping over memorial weekend for the 5th year in a row. Those who were up at grandpa's mountain (beautiful land in Idaho) were us, Jacqui and Jared, Brandon and Jaydale, and Sara and Derek. We got up there on Saturday morning. Bryce and the men helped get the camper set up and stable.
The kids had a great time hiking off through the trees, or around the camp ground. Bryce's uncles own the 10 acre piece of land and they have done a lot of work to bring in gravel and make little roads and paths for everyone to walk on. Bryce has lots of extended family that come up to camp during the summer, so the kids can wander and we don't have to worry about them getting lost. Plus, they always go off together in groups.

Bryce brought up Coopers little tent and the kids had a great time playing in it. It is really small but perfect for the kids. There were only a few fights caused by that little tent!

The men spent some of their time playing horse shoes on their hand-made pits. brandon and Derek originally stepped it off for 60 feet, so they had a hard time gettting the horse shoes to the pits....weak, weak men! So, they read the rules and found out it was suppposed to be 40 feet. After that, it was alot easier.

Brandon's little Maverick was so sick for the entire time. He just carrried a bucket around with him all day, and kept filling it up. We felt so bad for him.

Reese spent most of her time with Amanie and Harlie going on walks down to the bridge or over to the sand box. It was so fun to watch them run off and play together and be adventurous!

On Saturday night, we made "tacos-in-a-bag" for dinner. You take a small bag of Doritos or Fritos, crunch them up and then fill them with meat, cheese, and any othere toppings you like. It is easy and tastes great! After dinner, we sat around the fire for a little while, before the rain moved in! We didn't even have time to make smores with the kids. It ended up raining all night. I was glad we were in a camper, and not in a tent. It was a muddy mess!

On Sunday morning, we got up and cooked a great breakfast; scones, eggs, and bacon. After breakfast clean-up, the kids played for a while until the next rain storm moved in at 1:00 and we sat in our trailer for the next two hours. The rain never let up, so we all decided to call it a day and be done with our Memorial Camping Trip.

Things I Miss....

Well, I am almost 22 weeks along and doing pretty well. I have noticed my stomach starting to get alot bigger the last couple of weeks. I have also had many people tell me that I am carrying the baby really high. I am finally starting to feel him move a little, which is kind of neat. I have also noticed that my legs get tired if I stand alot. While mom was here, I realized that my feet were totally swollen one night and to be honest, I freaked out a little bit. But, I have been blessed with a good pregnancy thus far and I hope and pray that Clayton is continuing to grow and develop like he should.

-Bending down (with ease) to pick something up. Bryce will hear me grunt every now and then and always ask me if I am ok....I just reply, "I am just picking something up off the ground."

-Being able to put my socks on...I even have problems buckleing some of my shoes.

-My clothes...i knew I would not be fitting into my clothes, but I was a little bothered one Sunday when I went to put on not one, but four of my outfits, and none of them fit...not a big deal, just had to go buy some new Sunday clothes.

-Taking "HOT" Baths...i love baths, especially during the winter. It's what helps me stay warm, but I have not taken one bath yet, bc I don't want to harm Clayton...it's not too bad now that summer is here, but it took some getting used to.

-riding around on this little red scooter. I used to draw a race track with side walk chalk and then chase him around pretending to be a police officer. He asked me to play with him a few days ago, and I sadly told him I could no longer play that game....i would have to chase him by foot now!

-being able to pull weeds or plant my garden without my back killing me the rest of the day...It's that time of year again to get out and pull weeds, (which I enjoy) but I have a hard time doing it now. I never thought the day would come that I would move a stool around from weed patch to weed patch so I could sit down to pull the weeds.

-my "D" size bras...i have already had to upgrade once...i think I am in trouble!

Mother's Day

This year, I had a wonderful Mothers Day! I woke up and Cooper made a card for me and gave me the Lady Antebellum CD. Then Bryce gave me a card, along with a Zac Brown CD and a beautiful picture of Joseph Smith kneeling in the sacred grove. Bryce also made me "german pancakes" for breakfast. YUM!

We also had a great sacrament program at church. Some of our young women sang the most beautiful song about mothers. It had me in tears. It also made me think about the miracle of life. I am amazed at the way a baby is conceived, as well as the way a baby grows and develops. It is such a miracle and it just goes to prove that Heavenly Fathers hand has created everything. What a joy it is to be a mother!
We got to Young Womens class and we had a lesson on journaling. There were two things that I came away with that day from the lesson. First, I need to get a history of my grandparents and my parents. What an invaluable thing to have! We also received a peice of paper that challenged us to keep a journal and to make an entry into it everyday that answers this question:

Thinking back on your day, what things happened because of the Hand of Heavenly Father?

I am really going to try and do this because it will help me realize and be more grateful for all of my blessings.

After church, we went up to Smithfield to have a Mother's Day party at Steph and Paul's. We had Cafe Rio salads and burritos. It was a "Cooper" party and we had a great time eating dinner, visiting, playing volleyball, and taking cute picts of the kids. But, my favorite part was the fact that mom was in town and I got to spend the day with her and grandma. It's been years since I have actually seen mom on Mothers Day, so that was special.

I am so thankful for my mom. She is an amazing lady and a great example to those around her. She has such a caring heart and she goes above and beyond in everything she does. She is a great leader, friend, and mother. We are so blessed to have her for our mother. Mom, thanks for being the best. I love you!

I Love You Because.....

**we were getting ready to run an errand one day and you said, "Mom, I need to get my (stuffed animal) puppy and his car seat." You came out of your room with your little puppy stuffed into your cowboy hat...you held it up to me and said, "Isn't he so adorable?"

** when you woke up a few mornings ago, you asked me if I had had any good dreams, and then you preceded to tell me about your dreams (which you do all the time)

** a couple of weeks ago, you wanted to name the baby "Cooper". I told you that that is a cute name but that that is your name....you said, "well, we can have two Coopers....and then a few days later while driving in the car, you said, "i know what we can name my brother....Mr. Fantastic!"

** Two of your most favorite things to do right now, is play Super Mario Brothers and Ben 10 on the computer...you always say, "mamma, please help me...this is a really hard part."

**You love to spray me with the hose while I am trying to wash our car....you think it is so much fun

** you are a very polite boy...you always say "excuse me" when you burp or need to talk to someone....you are also very good about saying "please", "thank you" and "welcome"...this makes me so proud of you!

** Right now, you love to say "Okey Dokey Artichockey", "knock, Knock Jokes" and play the "I Spy" game while we are driving in the car...you always keep me entertained

**you are so thoughtful of your little brother...you pray that you will be a good brother to him when he grows up...you even painted a rock for your brother "Clayton" (that is what we are naming the baby)

** We were getting ready to say the prayer on the food last night and Bryce asked Cooper to say it...Cooper said, "you can say it dad" So, I preceded to tell Cooper that Dad is in charge and if he ask you to say the prayer, then you say it. He looked up at me so innocently and said, "But mom, you are in charge of our house....i thought you are in charge of everything." Bryce thought that was so funny!

**This morning I went out to pull weeds in the back yard, so I told Cooper I would be back there if he needed anything...He said, "Mom, I will be in the computer room if you need anything...Just call my name if you need help and I will put on my shoes and come out and help you." You are such a good boy!