Pioneer Day

Another fun year celebrating Pioneer day in Panguitch with the family. All of my brothers and most of their families were there. It was so fun to watch the kids run wild and enjoy some time together. That morning all the girls ran a 5K together and I can't believe I'm acutally saying that it was FUN! We had fun visiting and laughing. I'm so blessed to surrounded by such wonderful woment in my family.

The "BIG" parade was next--the kids got their bag of candy and we just had fun watching them run after it. We followed the parade with a big steak dinner with the entire family and some in-laws to. After a big lunch Michaels cousin invited us to celebrate their cute little girls birthday with them so we spent some time visiting with his Aunt and Uncle and cousin. It was so good to see them and celebrate Lily's first birthday.

We headed home that night completely exhausted, but geared up for our next adventure on the road to San Diego. I of course left crying because we left Hayden there while we were in California--I have such a hard time leaving my kids! Anyway more to come on all of that, here are a few pictures from that day :) Enjoy!Watch out for the fire truck!!! That's Harm on Cameron's shoulders, secretly I think Cam wanted to get wet! He's just one of the kids :) Becky's amazing float--I wish I was as talented as her!
Haley is just to cute for words!

Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks!

Troy, David, and Michael

Handsome boy!

Haley, Bryson, Paisley, Hunter, and Harm

Here's Grandpa on the Fire Truck, same as every other year--

throwing extra candy our way of course!

Luckily he didn't fill the whole bag, but he got enough!

Teaching Moments

Last night I got the kids tucked into bed at about 7:30. I waited for a while then thought everyone was asleep and ran to take a book to my neighbor. We got visiting and I was gone for maybe 20 minutes. I wasn't to worried, because I thought for sure the kids were out. I walked back in the door to find Haley and Hunter sitting on the couch crying. I felt AWFUL!! I'm not sure who got out of bed, but they woke the other one up and couldn't find me. I calmed them down and let them know that I would never leave them alone and that I was just outside for a minute. Haley said "Mom, we said a prayer that you'd come home."
As a Mom my heart was so happy. What a relief to know that my kids know that they can always turn to their Heavenly Father for comfort. It was short lived though when Hunter says (with big tears rolling down his cheeks) "Yeah Mom we said a prayer, but the Holy Ghost never came!"
He was so upset that the Holy Ghost didn't appear right away with Mom in tow. It was such a sweet moment when we could have a talk about prayer and the spirit. I hope they understand the way the spirit works a little better now and I'll take comfort that they do listen at church and not all information goes in one ear and out the other!

Independance day 2010

We spent the 4th this year in Panguitch enjoying family, great weather, and of coarse food. We got there on the 3rd and arrived just in time for a BBQ with Steak, Chicken, and Dutch oven potatoes. What a great greeting! I was excited to get there to see Haley. She had spent the previous week hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa.
We ate then headed out front for some front porch sitting (my favorite past time). We set up a Sno Cone booth for the kids thinking it would be fun, but I think Michael and I did all the work. Haley just wanted the money. Within 2 hours she had made over $13.00. It was fun to do though and all the cousins had sno cones followed by popcicles and then ice cream. Haley treated everyone to an ice cream cone at Henrie's with her earnings.

That night we watched fireworks in Panguitch. For a little town they have an awesome display. It was a late night, but well worth it!Best buds! Mmmmm PopsiclesSnow Cone Buddies!All American Boy!Look who's doing all the work!Hayden enjoying the sunshine!Michael's got the best seat on the porch! It's the most comfy chair and you can put your feet up. Secretly we all fight for that chair :)Grandma and her boys.Pictures just don't do it justice!

Happy 4th of July

It was not declared a federal holiday until 1941, but has been celebrated for a lot longer. John Adams had this to say about it in a letter to his wife, Abigail in July 1776, "It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews [Shows], Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

I AGREE!

The Vacation Finale--Balloon Festival

So I think the Balloon Festival each summer is shaping up to be my favorite weekend in Panguitch. I love seeing the balloons each morning and the glow in the evening. This year my Mom and I started the day off running a 5K. It was so fun to do it together and even though I really can't stand that first mile, I was really glad I did it. Being able to do it with my Mom made it totally worth the sore muscles and tiredness. After the run we headed home to relax for 10 minutes then it was back to work. My Mom was in charge of a dinner for a funeral that day and let me just say--She AMAZES me! There was so much work involved and it ended up taking almost the entire day, but I didn't hear her complain once. In my eyes she is so Christlike and is a good example when it comes to compassion and service.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the beautiful weather and a lot of front porch sitting. We went and walked main street just before dark and with snow cones in hand we watched the glow. The night ended with Peach Cobbler at Cowboy Smokehouse and 4 very tired kids.

Look at that crowd! It's fun to see who you'll run into!

Did you know Panguitch means "Big Fish"?

He's posing already!

Our little vacation this year was week packed with fun activities every day. Mom and Dad feel like we need a vacation to recover from this one, but it was totally worth it to see our favorite little people have fun! Can't wait until next year already!

You'll shoot your eye out . . .

Did you know that for $17.00 you can buy a Red Rider BB Gun? Well it provided a few hours of fun while we had some down time in Panguitch. The kids thought it was neat to shoot it themselves and Michael and I had fun with it to. Everyone doubted my MAD skills, but I hit 3 cans off the fence with my first 3 shots. I surprised myself :)