Hannah Can Escape

Unfortunately for me, Hannah has learned to get in and out of her crib without another sibling's help. So the training begins to teach her to stay in bed because that's where she's supposed to sleep, not just because she was trapped. I have a feeling that she took her nap on the floor of her room yesterday because I found her blanket there when she woke up an hour early. Ok Cam - I am ready for the other bedroom to be finished :)

Handart Trek 2009

What an amazing experience we had over the 24th of July! We were asked to be a Ma and Pa for Youth Conference this year. We had 8 kids in our family and did 12 miles the first day, 13 miles the second, and about 4 miles the last. The last day we marched out of camp and into the 24th parade in Lund. Needless to say the blisters on my feet prevented me from walking too fast. I still have one toenail that is really purple and still might fall off. But the overall experience was well worth the heat, exhaustion, and soreness. I loved getting know our kids and they were so amazing! They all worked really hard and had great attitudes!





We experienced all kinds of trials along the way, some were expected by the leaders, others were not. Handcarts broke down, people suffered from heat exhaustion, and some had their feet run over by a cart. We were also robbed by "bandits", had mail brought in by the Pony Express, and had all the men and boys taken away to march in the Mormon Battalion.



I was able to finally get an idea of what the pioneers went through. I always knew it must have been extremely difficult, but most accounts from journals say how much it was worth it. What those Saints did to be able to worship without persecution and have the faith to follow the Prophet is truly inspiring. I have a new, very personal respect for them.

Paige's First Gymkhana

Paige competed in her first Gymkhana this year and she had a blast! We weren't there to root her on (I'll explain in the next post), but both sets of grandparents were there to help and support - thank goodness!




She did a total of five events including barrels, poles, tire race, balloon race, and the water race, three of which she had never seen until the day she arrived. Impressive! She worked really hard practicing and loved every minute of it. She didn't win anything due to all the professional kids that make this rodeo part of their circuit, but we were all soooo proud of how hard she tried.

Here's she's keeping her eye on the next barrel.


She's holding a cup of water that she had to bring back to the finish line with her.


This is the first side of pole bending.


We are really glad she had such a fun time with such a great horse. Great job Sis!!