Basketball Camp

The day after we got back from our trip, Maddi started a 3 day basketball clinic at SDSU in Brookings.  She loved it!  It went from 9-3 everyday.  They did all sorts of different things and she has turned into a SDSU Jackrabbit fan.  She can't wait to do it again next year.

While she was doing her clinic, the other kids and I hung out in Brookings playing at the parks, swimming and doing some shopping.  Most of our time was spent at the Hillcrest Park.  It brought back so many memories.  I spent countless hours at the park playing and swimming.  They still have the same playground equipment (kind of scarey actually).  I spent 4 summers at that park with my brothers and sister.  It made me feel a little homesick for those care free times!

The last of Vacation

Today is a rainy, yucky day so I will finish up on our vacation pictures. 

While in Idaho we were able to go spend part of a day at my sister's house.  The kids had so much fun playing on her payground and going for super fast 4 wheeler rides  We only had one small accident when Zane fell sideways off one of the 4 wheelers and scraped up his elbows.  Unfortunately, we were having so much fun that I forgot to take any pictures even though my camera was in my pocket!

Jyca also took the girls one afternoon to the beauty college and we all got manicures.  Olivia really got into hers.  While getting her hands massaged, she fell asleep!

Our last Saturday there we were able to see Michael's brother and his family and his sister.  The kids enjoyed playing with their cousin, eating s'mores and going on a safari.

We were able to see many good friends at church.  There are some very wonderful people out there who have made a great impact on our family.  It was so good to see some of them.

The last day of our trip was spent in Wyoming at my parents house.  I wish we could have stayed longer but our schedules wouldn't allow it.  We were in and out so quickly that I din't get to take any pictues there.  The kids did get to play in the sprinklers and we did make a quick trip to the park too.  I have been missing my parents a lot lately and I hope that they will be able to spend some time here in Sioux Falls later this summer.  Finances make it impossble for me to make another trip there this year.

Anyways, it was a fun trip over all.  We spent a lot of time in the car, but the kids did really well and foundways to sleep through alot of it.  It's not a trip we will make every year but we were glad we got to do it this year!

Blind and Deaf

Michael's brother and his wife have this little dog that is getting pretty old.  When we were in Idaho, they came for a day or so and brought the little dog with them.  She is almost completely blind and deaf.  I watched her wander around the house looking for I don't know what and never seeming to find it.  She was surrounded by people who could help her find food and a comfortable place to lay down.  She had many laps that would hold her and many hands that would pet her, yet she was oblivious to it all.  She just wandered and wandered.  On the drive home, in the quiet of the night, I began to think about this dog and how sad and almost pathetic it was to wach her wander.  Then I started thinking about my own life.  How many times in my life have I been like this dog?  Blind and deaf to the things and people that could help me find peace, happiness and a place to rest?  Our Heavenly Father has given us so many things to help us through this life, but all to often I wander around as if I am the only person alive.  We have family and friends, church leaders and teachers, scriptures, and so many other things to help us along our journey.  How often do we pass by these things and turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the hands held out and the hearts ready to take us in and love us?  Most importantly, we have the Savior and our Heavenly Father who are always there and waiting for us to turn to them.  How many times do the scriptures say "my hand is stretched out still"?  How many times do we turn away?  I hope that in the future I can remember this little dog so that I will keep my eyes open and my ears in tune so that I don't wander aimlessly through life looking for things that surround me and never finding them.

More Vacation Pictures

I finally have a free morning so I will post some more pictures from our trip.

Here are some more pictures from Bannock. 

Here is the snow we walked through to get to the pool.

We made several visits to grandma great's  house. Dillon loved the marble run at her house.  It was so good to be able to spend time with her. 

We went to visit my dear friend Karla one morning.  She had sugar cookies ready for the kids to make and decorate. I had a great visit with her and the kids had a great time making cookies.  She is one of those people that can never be replaced and I miss all the conversations we shared and the time we spent together.  I was so glad  got to see her.

More to come later...

Pictures

This is a picure of the kids outside one of the buildings in Bannock, Montana.  It is an old mining town that has quite a history.  The kids loved going there and we were glad that the snow stopped long enough for us to go and enjoy it.

Here are the kids fishing on the lake at the Wheat Ranch.  Michael worked here when he was going to school in Dillon, Montana.  The kids had a great time here.  We roasted marshmallows and made smores, fished, pet the sheep and went on 4 wheeler rides.  It is beautiful there.  We loved our stay in Dillon - and Dillon thought it was pretty cool to have a town named after him!

This is the view out our window on the way from Dillon to Rupert. We went from 80 degree weather to 40 degree weather and snow!

I will post more pictures from our trip later....

Home Again

Well, after 10 days of being gone, we are finally home again.  It felt so good to walk through the door and eventually fall into my bed!  We had a lot of fun and a few tears.  It was a long trip and a VERY long drive, but the kids did really well and we are glad we went.  We spent time in Dillon, Montana,  Rupert, Idaho and Gren River, Wyoming.  We got to see grandparents, great grandma, cousins,aunts, uncles and friends.  We made sugar cookies, s'mores, and rice kripsy treats; went on a safari, 4 wheeler rides and had manicures (only the girls).  We fished, grilled, roasted hotdogs and marshmallows over a fire, played in the sprinklers and went to the park.  We went swimming, slept in the car, on numerous beds and air mattresses and a hotel, went to a ghost town, walked through snow and tried to skip rocks on the lake.   We dealt with snow, wind, rain, throw up, potty breaks and deer, but we all made it home safely.  I will post pictures and tell more about our little trip later.  For now we are just glad we are home and everyone is safe and feeling good!

Crazy Week

This has been a whirlwind of  week it seems.  It's not that we had that much going on, it has just gone by so quickly!  Sunday the kids started gathering the rest of their things for our trip. That took most of the evening.  Monday was school for the older ones.  The two litttle kids and I started Monday off with a walk and then the shopping.  That afternoon I had a dentist appointment.  I dropped the little kids off at the barn with Michael, put a note on the door for the big kids and drove to the torture chamber known as the dentist office.  My appointment was at 3:45pm.  I got in at 4:30 pm.  I didn't get to leave until about 6:30 pm.  I had four fillings put in, one a very deep one.  She warned me that there would be pain and that I may need a prescription pain med.  Unfortunately I wouldn't find out until she was long gone and the pharmacies were closed anyways.  I spent the rest of the evening in tremendous pain. I have never felt that kind of pain before.  If I tried to move I would shake from the intensity and it hurt so bad I was sick to my stomach.  I have given birth to six kids, broken my tailbone, collar bone, and pinky toe.  I have smashed numerous fingers in numerous doors and had my pinky and thumbnail removed by my dad after they got ran over and smashed, yet the pain I was feeling was much worse.  Michael went and got me a thermo pack which helped a ton and he got me some motrin pm which helped me sleep.  It is much better now thank goodness!  Tuesday I took the kids to the park and tried to get laundry done.  Tuesday night the girls had church.  Michael had meetings so I had to take the kids and drop the girls off and wait unil they got done.  Then it was rush home, bathes and bedtime.  Wednesday we had playgroup and more laundry.  I also tried to get some of my own things gathered since I had not started packing for myself.  Wednesday night Michael had church.  I folded laundry, finished the kids packing (I hope) and bathed the kids and cut Zeke's hair.  Today we have a graduation to go to.  I have more laundry to do.  I need to finish packing my things and get the house cleaned.  I may also have to go help on a field trip but I' not sure...Hopefully the teacher will let me know soon :)  Tomorrow is the last day of school and the day we leave town for 10 days.  Energy levels will be extremely high with the kids and excitement will be through the roof.  All the last minute odds and ends will have to be done and then eventually the craziness will end and we will all settle in for a long nights drive (14 hours to be exact).  Glad the week is almost over but wish I had one more day to get it all done!

Question of the Day

Can me and Zane and Dillon sleep in Papa's shed when we are on our trip?"

Question of the Day

Mommy, is that a boy or a girl?  We smile and walk away because frankly, I don't know the answer to that question!

Snaggle Tooth

Here is a picture of Maddi's mouth after the dentist.  Lovely, huh?