Holiday Weekend

We had a great holiday weekend. It started off with the 4th of July Fun Run, Joseph got 2nd place. Watch out for him next year... I got like 5th among the women. Maybe I'll try for next year too.

followed by a delicious American breakfast. No, not cereal.

Then we watched the community parade. I had Wes and the 4 little girls to watch. They did great and I wasn't stressed out at all! Go USA!

Corey and the other kids were playing in the band in the parade! Natalie's ready to clap for them as they float by...

Go Granite band! So they went through the parade and then performed again at the carnival. After the parade I was going to go pick them up, ...but Corey had the keys. So my options were: walk a half mile down to the carnival with 5 kids. No. Walk a half mile home with 5 kids. No. Wait for Corey to come back. Yes. So we waited for like a half hour in the warm July sun then we moved into the less warm shade and chit-chatted with neighbors and it was a perfect Summer day. Corey eventually came, then we went home and took a nap.

Then we went to Holladay for a great firework show and Peter Breinholt in concert, so fun! We had a picnic, played games with cousins. And Sophi put handful after handful of red dirt from the baseball diamond onto her head. Nice!

The firework show was awesome!!! Works out much better since we live in the "fireworks prohibited" area of the valley. Did you like the show Hyrum?

Natalie did. Sophi and Natalie did great, they just needed to be snuggled.

Then today we went over to Corey's parent's house to watch the World Cup, Costa Rica vs. Netherlands. I think we have a future soccer player in the family She can't walk well yet, but she's not letting that small detail slow down her game, Go Natalie! Go Natalie!!!

This is what Natalie does when you tell her to focus on the ball:

The game went overtime and then to penalty kicks. Costa Rica lost, but they did good and had a ton of lucky breaks. Would have been fun if they won, but still fun to watch. Ethan doesn't like the Netherlands now, he thinks they flop a bit much and took cheap shots hitting and pushing our Tico brothers. I could get into this soccer thing, but probably shouldn't, cause I've already got more than I can do... So then at 5:30 we were headed up to the mountains to our friend's cabin, we love our neighborhood friends. Friendship is even more enjoyable in nature :) 

It's fun to see it now with all the snow gone. Natalie liked the rocks. Life is good.

Circle of Fun

I've said it before, but I'll say it again... I love the area we live, such an awesome community.  Yesterday after the fun run we had a great breakfast and then watched the small town parade.  Breakfast for $20 for our whole family of 10.  Doesn't get much better than that.

 

After breakfast there was a flag ceremony, then the annual Granite Parade.  Our kids voted that our neighbors, the Dahle's, had the cutest float of the parade - they turned their boat into a pirate ship and were launching water balloon cannonballs into the crowd.

The other highlight of the parade was when Mr. Ensign, who had come prepared with water ammo of his own, retaliated and fought back, it was funny to see them going after each other.  :)

Then in the evening was the neighborhood firework show.  Last year the party was called the Culdesac of Fire, named after the Stadium of Fire.  But since the real fires are putting a bad spin on the word fire this year, the neighborhood party was renamed the Circle of Fun.  The kids did have fun, with our neighbors breaking out their popcorn and cotton candy machine, we brought popsicles to share, there were doughnuts and brownies, lots of fun.  Ethan had like 12 cotton candy and as he was moaning later that night but received little sympathy from me.  I told him to remember how he felt, that's his body trying to tell him that what he just did, if continued, would slowly kill him.

Melodie just relaxing and watching the show on the grass:

Joe and Hyrum played some b-ball with his tall friend and his tall friends tall father.  I think it was kids against the dad.

Sophi didn't like the fireworks too much, but overall everyone had fun at the Circle of Fun!

Scofield 2016

We have been down at Scofield this weekend with friends and neighbors. We've had a great time joining our friends in Scofield for the past few years: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. This year I headed down last night with a van full of kids, and Corey kept Natalie and Sophi home with him so he could work. They came down today with Joseph (he had a date last night). It was all the usual great times and fun: tubing, roasting marshmallows, lots of good food and visiting. I had lots of good helpers with Owen. It was fun to see him sitting by the fire~

"There's that red camera light... is that lady taking pictures of me again? She is like obsessed with me!"

Yes, Owen, I think you're pretty cute and I admit I can't get enough of your little round face. It was nice for me to be there with just one little kid - Owen and I chilled at the "cabin" (a double wide mobile home) and I let the other kids run loose. They were free to go down to the dock or run around in the dark without much concern from me as to whether they were safe or not. It was a nice break for my motherly instincts. No concern for anyone falling in the fire pit either.

Although Lily and Abi both did singe their fingers a bit on the metal roasters as they pulled off their burnt marshmallows.

I also didn't do a good job today with protecting them from the sun. They ran down to the boats before I remembered and around 4 when I caught them I could tell they had gotten a bit fried. "Go put some sunblock on, you're burnt" I told Ethan. He didn't heed and I didn't follow him around to make sure he did, and he's feeling it now. They got pretty red. The little kids are good, Abi got a bit red. Her and Ethan got it the worst. I told them that I really just have my brain on watching Owen, so I need them to be in charge of themselves and come to me. I'll try to do better, but it would help if they could help.

Tonight finish of a fun day at the lake, we all went out on the boats to watch the fireworks. I walked down to the dock with Natalie - here she is showing me the way~

It was my one and only time on the boat this trip. It was nice to get out on the water.

The highlight for me was seeing Owen on the lake for his first time. He looked quite sobered and out of his comfort zone.

Owen and I were sitting near the back of the boat. I let him stand up and look backward over the end of the boat to the water. Standing there helped him to be able to move a bit more in his life jacket - the same life jacket Sophi wore in 2012. She looked adorable too (actually she looks pretty funny in picture 3 there, lol!) Good memories. After the boat started going fast, Owen looked at me with great concern and as if he needed some reassurance. He looked like he could have broken into tears at any moment, but a little smile and kiss on the cheek from me helped him keep it together and he was just adorable.

A Covenant Land

Happy 4th of July! Our community had a breakfast and parade today. The 8 am breakfast time was helping in us getting kids to bed last night. At 8 this morning, MALSNOD were all ready to go and they rode their bikes over. Soph and Natalie dressed as opposite twins, tights and shirts donated by me. They decorated their bikes on Saturday night over at Sophi's friends house. 

Mel brought along some paints, and she and Lily offered free face painting. CJEP headed over around 9, after Corey got back from a bike ride. And then Katharine and I walked over last after she was finished having breakfast at home. Standing in line for our breakfast - 

Peter enjoying his pancakes and eggs - 

I went to check out the face painting station. 

They do pretty good work! 

Owen and Daniel are airbenders! With Owen's friend Zander.

I walked from home with Katharine in the baby wrap and I carried 4 chairs for us to sit on during the parade. I would have only brought 2, but I knew Corey would offer his chair to a kid if they asked, so I had to bring a few extras. It worked out great - Joseph, Ethan, Corey and I were able to sit and watch. Sophi and Natalie rode their bikes in the parade, and Abi watched the little boys gather candy.

I barely was able to catch a pic of Sophi and Natalie in the parade - 

Wes helped Abi keep an eye on Peter. After the parade, we stayed and visited for a bit.

Owen shared an insight he had: "There are two days we get candy: July, and Halloween."

Then it was time for the carnival. The little kids wanted to go. We asked who of the older kids could help. Eth, you want to go to the parade? "That does not sound fun to me... I guess I'm getting old..." Abi took Owen and Daniel to the carnival, JE&W headed home with two chairs, S&N were already at the carnival (that's where the parade ended), and I walked home with P&K. Corey went to the parade to watch kids. 

Mel and Lily took their painting booth to the carnival and continued their work throughout the afternoon. 

Corey and Joseph went to pick them up a little bit later and invited Davi over and we cooked some ribs that Corey got for lunch, making the 4th complete with a bbq, even though I cooked them in the oven. 

And the kids ate candy, watched Avatar the Last Airbender, and were basically lazy all day. Corey and Joseph, Mel, Ethan, and Davi, went on a bike ride in Corner Canyon (in the 90+ degree heat of the day!) 

Then tonight all left here at 8:30 to go watch the fireworks at Holladay Park. Joseph bought some ice cream drumsticks to share and they had fun and I got to stay home with this sweet face

A few thoughts on freedom- Yesterday we watched Amazing Grace. That is a great movie and an amazing story. William Wilberforce is a man I want to learn more about. I pray that there are great men like him and George Washington in the world today, because we surely need them as much as the slaves needed Wilberforce and as much as the United States needed Washington. And after we watched it, I read a little bit of Timothy Ballard's book "The Pilgrim Hypothesis" (pages 186-190) to the kids. 

"Jefferson's ability to persuade the Frenchman [to sell the Louisiana Territory] would largely come down to the happenings in Hispaniola. If Napoleon, by some miracle, could be stopped there, perhaps he would lose motivation for North America. After all, of the two lands, the only wealth generating one at that time was the island. For the French dictator, the only immediate an obvious benefit of the American territory (mostly just wilderness) was its potential role as a means to support and protect his commercial enterprises at Hispaniola.

"Few today recognize what was at stake during this tense time in the Caribbean. Would the sacred lands of the Gardner of Eden, even Adam-ondi-Ahman, and the New Jerusalem, where so much was to happen soon concerning the restoration, end up in hands of a foreign dictator? Or would Thomas Jefferson prevail and bringing those lands into the protective arms of the United States, the nation that Savior spoke of as the place where latter-day Americans "should be established... and set up as free people by the power of the Father... that covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenant ed with his people, O house of Israel" (3 Nephi 21:4)? 

"Who knew that while the African prince and former slave Toussaint Louverture stood his his ground on a Caribbean island, waiting for one of the most powerful forces on the planet to attack them, so much weighed in the balance? We know history and Henry Adams (grandson and great-grand-son to two American presidents) understood very well the situation: "Before Bonaparte could reach Louisiana, he was obliged to crush the power of Toussaint," he wrote. "If he and his blacks should still come easy to their fate, the wave of French empire would roll onto Louisiana and sweep far of the Mississippi; if Saint Domingo should resist, and succeeding resistance... America would be left to pursue her democratic destiny in peace." 

"Jefferson come in the meantime, refuse to comply with the French trade embargo placed upon Toussaint and rejected any idea prohibit in American merchants from supplying the Indian revolution. Beyond that, all America could do was pray. 

"Toussaint knew he could never expect to win a front-on confrontation with the powerful French, so instead, he led his armies into the thick, forested mountains of the island, where the French would have to come to them and confront the terrifying prospect of guerilla warfare. The French found little success. And then, as could be expected in a conflict over promised lands, Mother Nature took over. And she took over in the form of Yellow Fever - Toussaint's most powerful ally. Nearly half of the first wave of French soldiers immediately died from the disease. 

"But even with those odds, the French were eventually able to capture Toussaint and send him to rot and die in a prison in France, which opened the way for other Haitian leaders who, unfortunately, in the name of revolution, committed horrible and unnecessary atrocities against innocent colonial civilians. Nevertheless, in the end, Toussaint's martyrdom only raised the morale of  his freedom-fighting countrymen, who now dug in harder against the French. His people would forever remember the words he spoke as the French carried him away in chains: "In overthrowing me," he yelled, "you have cut down in Sant Domingue only the trunk of the tree of liberty; it will spring up again from the roots, for they are numerous and they are deep." 

"His words proved prophetic as the French continued losing ground on the island. Desperate, the French command issued genocidal orders: all men and women, including teenagers (everyone twelve years old and older), must be murdered. They even brought three hundred starving bloodhounds and let them loose on the island to help with the mass murder. But the islanders could not be subdued. They would pay any price to remain free from slavery. 

"After more than forty thousand French soldiers perished, and the former slaves continued to fight back, gaining more and more ground against the invaders, the French finally quit and went home. Needless to say, their great plans to move on to North America were foiled. 

"On January 1, 1804, the island freedom fighters officially established their new independent nation, which they named Haiti, a word from the island's indigenous language, which means "land of the high mountains." Haiti became the first and only nation in history to be formed and led by former slaves after they successfully revolted against their masters, one of the very first nations on the planet to officially abolish slaver, and the second in the Western Hemisphere (after the United States) to achieve independence from the monarchs and dictators of the Old World. The Haitian revolution inspired abolitionist movements in other parts of the world..."

So I just remember, when I first read this book, feeling very grateful for these people in Haiti who fought for their freedom. They contributed in creating the free country I live in. I never knew this story before, but now that I do, I need to remember and be so thankful that they gave their lives for the freedom I enjoy. They played a part and are responsible, along with the Founding Fathers and patriots of the US Revolution, for creating the wonderful United States of America. It is a covenant land, and the covenant, with it's blessings and curses, remains upon it. I pray we will be righteous and serve Jesus Christ, that he may bless us! 

Book of Mormon, Ether 2:12

Uintahs and at Home

Corey and MHWA went camping yesterday. We'll see if they have any pictures for me when they get back. They were going to go fishing and backpacking in the Uintah's I think. I'm home with LSNODP. I stayed up way too late last night but feel fine today. I stayed up late studying Book of Mormon lands while I waited for Peter to stop crying in the closet. I'm trying to wean that baby a little bit, but he's so cute, I give in if I'm in there, hence why I had to hide.

Here's a cute video of him from Thursday night.
His little foot stomping thing is so funny, when he's trying to jump, but doesn't have the ability to do two feet off the ground, so instead he's stomping one foot very forcefully like a fiddler prepping the folks for some serious square dancing. We also love his "sticking out my belly" walk, that is a creation he came up with on his own, super funny.

Last night I put my little Peter to bed and then helped kids brush and floss, hoping he'd cry it out while I wasn't in there. But when we were done, P was still crying. So I had to give in to him or leave... I decided to grab a few books and had fun reading and blogging a little.

At 1:00 am I thought I should be sensible and go to bed. I went in and he was quiet. That's good, but the final test awaited... I opened the closet and snifffed, aaaaand he did it again, his final line of defense. He pooped. Sigh, that darn poop trick. So I got him out and of course he woke up as soon as I touched him. I changed his diaper, and then put him in the crib to start the process again. I stayed up until 2:30. It's been a good day though and I've felt fine even though I stayed up late. I need to get some resolve to wean this little boy though. I was pleased on Thursday morning though, when I woke up and was surprised to find that I was still in my own bed and not on the floor with him. Maybe he can figure this out, maybe there is some hope for us. Other that Peter training, today we had a nice day. Lily, Sophi, and Natalie all practiced their instruments today before noon so that was good! They are looking forward to going to Park City tomorrow for our annual week in the mountains with Corey's family.

... 4 hours later...

Corey and the kids are back safe. Here are a few pictures Mel shared with me.

 She enjoys flowers like I do.

Corey watching the kids, trying to keep the sun off his head.

That's a cute bonnet.

They went fishing, and I guess cliff jumping too.

They've showered and started laundry. Then Corey took ALL of them over to his parents house for fireworks, and I said I'd stay home and pick up a little bit since I didn't get much cleaning done today. I'm going to go clean more and listen to Come Follow Me stuff. I want to flood my life with the words of Christ found in the scriptures. One of our prophets, President Benson, told members of the church to flood the earth with the Book of Mormon. I once had the thought that if we want a flood to go throughout the earth, we better first be having a flood of the Book of Mormon in our personal life. So that's what I'm aiming for. I also liked something my little sister Patrice shared recently, an insight pointed out to her by Elder Halverson (Unshaken video minute 34:20 - another Come Follow Me lesson to add to my list!) - The great question they had from Alma 34:5: "And we have beheld that the great question which is in your minds is whether the word be in the Son of God, or whether there shall be no Christ." Bro Halverson "That's what the whole experiment was about, it's about Jesus. Even more than the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith, it's about Jesus. I think that if we did less in our attempts to prove the Book of Mormon is true, and more to use the Book of Mormon to prove that Jesus is the Son of God, people will end up loving the Book of Mormon as a result. because it was source, not because it was target." I'll still love searching and being curious about the ancient civilizations of the America's but I am going to work on focusing on Christ and his teachings. Those are the things that are supposed to get in my heart and change me so that I can stand before my maker. We'll find out how it all happened eventually, and until then I will strive to become like my Savior. That is the target.