Ladies Backpacking Trip

My friend Sheri invited me to go on a Ladies overnight hike to the Low Lands in Zion. Four of us left on Monday morning and we hiked about 5 miles in and set up camp. Then we hiked out about 5 more miles to finish the trail. It was a nice break to be away and do something as an individual person, instead of as my constant mom and wife job description. Although everything didn't go exactly as planned at home and I had extra work when I got back, it will be taken care of better if I go again. It was a learning experience for Kevin and the kids. I really appreciate that Kevin, Rachel, Justin, and Jean were able to take care of my responsibilities while I was gone and give me that support. Fortunately I wasn't sore except for the ankle I twisted. I figured I'd be hurting from the pressure of the pack on my hips or at least my feet. It is great that I can stay in shape enough to do fun things that I like. The hike was interesting with petrified wood EVERYWHERE, and cactus, neat rocks, riverbeds (dry and wet), and the company was great!

Zion in March

We decided to end spring break by going to Zion. We went on Monday, March 15th and it was really cold. We camped Sunday night and got up super early so we could get in without paying before 7am. We successfully entered and waited for the Tram to open until we asked someone what time the Tram starts, and he told us April 1st. We would have been waiting for a long time! Anyway...we were able to drive to the trails we wanted to hike. It was very cold in the morning and warmed up by lunch. One hike we did was Emerald Pools. The kids did so well and there were many people huffing and puffing who were in awe that our children were hiking so easily. Those who have children know that it isn't that amazing since kids have ENDLESS energy. For being out of shape, I didn't think the hike was difficult at all, but maybe it is because I chase the endless energy around everyday. We had lunch, visited MaryJane in Springdale and headed home. It is so fun to go with children that are completely able to hike. We plan to go back when it is warm, but realistically when it is hot.

Derrick enjoying the Upper Emerald Pool. He enjoyed wearing the water pack for most of the hike.

Samantha enjoying the many ways to hike in and through rocks. She was helpful wearing the backpack for part of the hikes and she mastered only walking on the trails this trip.

KayDee all bundled up!

She had to make sure she jumped off each rock as we walked back down the trail.

Kevin is 29 AGAIN!

It will never end but at least it is easy to keep track of. Kevin is 29 for the third time and very proud of it. Unfortunately, like everyone else, his body is feeling some effects of aging-Crazy I know since he is constantly in tip-top shape. His last present has just arrived today (a month late) but he won't complain since they are towing mirrors for the 99 diesel! I'm sure some time will be spent putting them on tonight.

Big Egg-Poor Chicken

This egg is HUGE! That poor chicken. We didn't get to eat it since it was cracked when we found it. Look at the size difference! We haven't seen another one but if we do, we want to eat it. Chickens are amazing!

Little Scrapbookers

KayDee and Maryn had fun scrapbooking, punching out paper and gluing. There is something magical about creating...

Samantha is 8

Samantha turned 8 years old and we are so excited!We had a party with friends at the park a couple days before. It turned out better than we thought, they played games, kicked a pinata, cake, presents, and then there was playground equipment (my favorite part).

We had our simple family party on her birthday and it was hard to decide between white or brown frosting since they both tasted so good!
Samantha was baptized the Saturday after her birthday, on Feb 6. We had many family and friends come and support us. All my sisters showed up and most of Kevin's siblings came, along with our parents and grandparents of course. It was so much fun and we really appreciate all who came and their thoughtfulness. We had a lunch afterward with the help of everyone who came.
This was so special for our family, especially since Samantha is our first child to be baptized. It was fun for me to have memories brought back from my baptism and know that she is old enough to be baptized, and to know the basics of the gospel of the church she just joined, because I knew it when I was 8 too.
Samantha is a very sweet girl and really seeks to do the right thing. I have learned about Samantha's testimony as we have talked and I've observed. She has such a life-loving personality which her makes her so wonderful to be with, but on the other hand can get her into trouble sometimes and she knows she can repent with the atonement of Jesus Christ. She knows many of the principles of the gospel and tries to apply them to her life. She enjoys reading the scriptures and going to church, and knows when she feels the spirit. We are so happy she made this decision and we know she understands what it means to be baptized.

Disney on Ice

I had the chance to take Samantha to Disney on Ice with one of my friends and her girls. We talked about going to Disneyland this year and we are not sure we can fit it in our budget so I decided to take Samantha since we have delayed going to Disneyland the most with her. We went on Saturday and they had all the Disney Princess displays and also two princesses to meet, Cinderella and the Frog Princess (they just stood and waved at us wearing beautiful dresses).
We watched Cars, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell was by far our favorite story and was so much fun with all their costumes and props. We had a really great time.

Hiking with Lomax's

Rocks and kids go well together. Hang on Samantha!

Reading about failed business ventures in the canyon.
Hauling kids with teamwork.
Why is it so fun to sit in a hole in a rock? Because it is! Taking child inventory. Napping on a rock. Our youngest hikers. Kevin made sure to take a picture of me since I always hold the camera. He is more thoughtful that way now and it is nice. There was a great variety of scenery to hike through!

You can hike in Vegas! The Red RockCanoyn is so beautiful and the weather was perfect! We had such a fun time hiking with my sister's family. Thanks for taking us!

Daisy

5 weeks old
We are getting a new puppy next week and we are going to crate train so wish us luck! We have already named her Daisy. She is so CUTE!

Christmas Card

This is our summary for 2009. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and has a great New Year!

Christmas Day

We had such a fun Christmas. We had Secret Santa's (whom we figured out) and lots of fun. It was such a special Christmas and we are so grateful for those who love us and shared their friendship with us. We really love all our family and friends. We felt really special this year and really felt the Christmas spirit! Thanks for EVERYTHING!



During the day we were able to go to the Laub's. We had fun tearing through paper there and enjoying food and each others company. The kids especially liked these books. We hope everyone else had a great Christmas too!

Christmas Eve

The kids had fun dressing up for our family role play of the birth of Jesus. We even wrapped lights around the piano bench for the manger. We decided to read the story to the kids and have them color the nativity as we read. They were only allowed to color the people and animals when they heard them read from the scriptures. We were hoping they would get more out of it that way. It worked out really well and I think this may become a tradition.
It was neat because Samantha is getting older and really starting to connect things together about the gospel. She asked how the atonement worked and we were able to explain and she understood that Christ came to earth and was the only perfect person. Since he was the only one perfect he was the only one that could ask Heavenly Father to give everyone's sins to him so he could pay for them for us. He prayed hard and felt everything, our pain, sorrow, everything and he bled from every pore because it hurt so bad. Jesus did that for us and became our Savior, meaning he saved us so we can return to Heavenly Father again. Otherwise Heavenly Father could not let us back in to him. If we don't use the atonement it will make Jesus sad since he already paid the price. This experience was really special and we look forward to more.

Gunlock Christmas

The Gunlock Christmas party was eventful for me this year since I lead the music. I am the Primary Chorister and so I picked the music and lead it for the town program. Samantha was an angel and Derrick was a shepherd who almost looks like Spock.

The story of Jesus was told and then Santa Claus came! This is a very awesome tradition we will always be happy to be a part of. The big change for the program is that Santa was only available on the 23rd (not the 24th) and only has time to schedule the 23rd for future years as well. It is a great adjustment for us but not so much for some of the older residents in town. Either way, the tradition was kept and it was still wonderful to be a part of.

30

Yeah! I'm 30! Now I can tell people that say I look too young that I am OLD! Although 30 isn't old at all but it sounds better than being in your 20s.
I had a great birthday. We did cake and ice cream with the kids and Rachel, and then Kevin's sister Mandy took the kids to his parents for the night and gave me a break. Kevin took me out to eat and then we helped my grandparents fix a light in the garage and then went home to watch a movie. It was wonderful to only get myself ready for church the next day. After church, we went to the Laub Christmas party and had a nice time there.

Christmas with Erickson's

We drove up to the Hollingshead Christmas Reunion and for the Erickson Christmas party and to have some time with my parents during the holiday.
Obviously, EVERYONE had fun with the train. Eventually we will get one but we sure enjoyed this one for a few hours. We had such a great time with everyone throughout the weekend and we are so grateful for all the fun gifts, especially the portable DVD player we used to get home!

Wildland

Do I look good in YELLOW? I took the Wildland Fire Fighter class in November and December. This was me before I showed up on the last day to do field testing. I did better than I thought I would and really enjoyed it. Kevin and I used this experience to practice supporting each other. Kevin did a great job taking care of me and all the stuff I couldn't do during the class. It worked out really great and now I can get my red card.

Gingerbread House

Derrick was the only person to make a gingerbread house this year and he put on enough candy to make several gingerbread houses.
So I didn't put together that the frosting should be white, but we must say that this gingerbread house was the best one I've tasted from a kindergarten class. His sisters didn't mind the chocolate or the abundance of candy either!