A long drive - worth it!

We just had a great weekend and fun mini vacation. I decided to fight through my loathing of road trips and take a trip to Blanding, Utah. What could pursuade me to take on this endeavor, non other than seeing our good friends, Zeb and Hilary bless their little Camden. We took off after I worked on Friday (although a little later than usual not realizing how long it would take to pack up the car) and set off on our long drive. We had Ashley fed, Paige pottied, and treats packed. We were off. The reason I complain is due to my terrible issues with patience. I don't want to take time to get anywhere, I just want to be there. During our drive, we stopped a few times for potty stops (one on the side of the road) and to feed Ashley and ourselves. Paige and Ashley did so good with Paige only asking when we would be done with our roadtrip (interpreted to be are we there yet).We also saw some beautiful scenery starting with the gorgeous mountains and ending with the red rock country. We finally arrived in Blanding 7 hours later with warm greetings from our great friends. We also were able to meet their new little Camden and inroduce our little Ashley. Then off to bed.


The next morning, we had an excellent breakfast cooked by Zeb's dad, Paige helped Zeb feed the chickens, and then Scott and Paige took a little ride on the 4-wheeler. She loved it and kept saying again and again. Next we were able to visit with everyone and catch up on life. Later that afternoon, I joined the boys (with my girls as well) and went skeet shooting. I've never shot a gun in my life and thoroughly enjoyed it. The guys were so patient and such good teachers. I shot one clay pigeon and had a little help on a second but it was so much fun. I just need to work on my gun safety since I like to rest my finger on the trigger. Paige and Ashley tolerated the loud sounds and were so good while Scott and I played. That evening, we had a little bar-b-que with the whole family. It's always fun to meet other families and see their family dynamics. We felt so welcome like we were a part of this family. After a couple of games of horse and making some smores, we were off to bed for early morning church. (A funny story, that night Paige was walking with Zeb's brother, Farley, who she kept mistaking as Zeb. She had a beloved flashlight and when walking by the chicken pens, she told Farley to, "SHHH, be quiet. The chicken's are sleeping." She's such a funny girl.)
The boys in a line to shoot



Ashley and I are pooped out

The next morning was the baby blessing of both Zeb and Farley's babies. They were beautiful blessings. Then off to the family cabin for some yummy navajo tacos and more fun visiting with the family. We were lucky to be able to stay one more night while everyone else went home so our little family and Zeb and Hilary slept up at the cabin. We saw so many deer and we were in such a breath taking area. That night we stayed up to talk and laugh. It brought up memories of old times and I had forgotten just how fun a storyteller Zeb is. The next morning we packed up, said the dreaded goodbyes, and left for the long trek home. We were so glad to be able make the trip to visit such close friends and meet their amazing families. We are so grateful to Forrest and Shirley and enjoyed getting to know Farley, Tina, and Skyler. Thanks for your wonderful hospitality.
Ashley bundled up for the weather


We did make one stop on our way home at Arches and did a short little hike that even Paige could do. Ashley was a trooper in her carrier and hat and Paige just took off up the mountain but rememembered to be "very careful". We decided it was a place to come back to when the kids were older and we had more time. Beautiful scenery. It was such a great weekend and so much fun to see great friends and spend quality time with our little family.
Lunch in Moab

More summer fun

This summer has been so full of fun things. When we bought the house with a pool, we didn't really know what we were getting into. The pool itself was more like a pond and there was a lot of hard work ahead of us. Scott immersed himself into cleaning the pool and worked on cleaning it day in day out. By the middle of july, the pool was ready to go. We have really enjoyed swimming and playing in the pool. We've had both our families, friends, neighbors, and church groups over to swim in it. It's been so much fun and Scott says that no matter where we move in the future, we'll have a pool. His hard work has really paid off and even Paige has become the little swimmer.




While Scott's whole family was in town for his parents 50th anniversary, we had some fun outings with them. Paige, Ashley, and I went up to Pineview dam with Scott's sister and sister-in-law. The dam was cold and Paige wasn't quite the swimmer yet so we spent a lot of time on the beach. Paige was content to sit in the chair and watch her cousins play for awhile (I think she was tired from not having a nap). Right before we were ready to leave, she finally got up and played in the sand. She is such a cutie in her swimming suit.



We also bar-b-qued in his niece's backyard that same week. Scott was throwing all the kids in the air and we got some great pictures of Paige. She kept telling everyone that she was "flying high in the sky" all night long and even into the next day. These pictures are priceless.


Scott ended his internship just in time for me to go to young womens camp for three days and youth conference the next week for three days. So he has been playing Mr. Mom. While I was gone he perfected Paige's potty training. He is so patient and doesn't give up easily. The right person for the job. I started training her and thought for sure she was never going to get it. She was afraid to pee in the potty, she wouldn't tell us when she needed to go, and she would hold it and then pee on my floor. I was so frustrated with her and three days later, I was losing my patience. Instead of encouraging her I wanted to punish her so it was time for Scott to step in. He was amazing. I came back from camp to find Paige having no problem going in the potty and prefered the big potty rather than the training potty. We're still working on going #2 in the potty. I can't figure out why she is so afraid of it. Hopefully it won't take too long. For a reward, we took her to the dinosaur park where we fed the fish and played on the slides. The following pictures show just how exhausting going potty can be.