A little bit of this.............a little bit of that !

This sweet baby (not a baby any more!) is coming home.  We are so excited to see him and his mommy.  So sorry Daddy can't come at this time, but December will come soon enough :)

Waiting at the Bacolod airport - and he's got a tongue !

Treyson forgot his coat, and ran home from school in the rain on Thursday.  Crazy kid.  Glad he stopped into see me :)

Cam is running for Student Council, and we worked on a poster for her.  It was fun to work together...........and a little frustrating...............but I'm glad I could help out.  I was the typer extraordinaire, as she quoted to me exactly what she wanted to say.  She knows her own mind, that's for sure :) 

While the Goblins are Away.......................

The GHOULS will play !!

The kids had fun on the way to Ogden.  They about drove me crazy, but oh well.

Waiting the the eye-doctor office.  So glad for electronic devices :)

Treyson's eyes were bothering him so they figured they would get him checked out with a free eye exam provided by the insurance.

I think he was a little bit nervous

Cam sure wished she could have her's checked too!
HINT HINT Manda :)

Back to the property, and Cam commandeered the 4-wheeler.  Grandpa D is a good sport :)

He really didn't like the after effects of the dilation. It ended up he doesn't need glasses.

She's SEMI-BRAVE, posing on the log that hangs out over the creek.  HAHA - she was pretty nervous.

Zac is REALLY wanting to get those two pesky trees down, that are hanging out over the creek and OVER the Welch Dam.  One from each side, and caught in the middle.  Which one to cut first?  Will they break the Dam if they fall on it?  Can we cut them in such a way that they won't fall on it?  Is it safe for Zac? (my worry).

I've never seen the creek this low before............but then, we usually aren't down at the property at this time of year very much.  The kids sure have a great time tramping up and down on "LAND" they don't see very often.  They explore anything and everything.  It is really fun for them.

Done for the Day, and now it's Treyson's turn to drive the 4-wheeler back to the shop. 

Fall Break



First stop after leaving the airport was to visit Erika in her classroom at Magna Elementary.  She had us come in, and introduced us to her class by the game of 20 questions.  They could NOT guess who we were, until I squatted down, and put my face right next to Erika's and had them guess.............then it was SISTERS !! 



Next stop was City Creek !  This was a first for BOTH of us.  We walked around and saw the sights, then stopped at Deseret Book to buy Cam a book and me a CD.

We visited Grandpa Roger at his work, and had lunch next door at LITZA's PIZZA.  It was great to be together.

Monday night we traveled to Wellsville, and visited Little Bear Bottoms.  This is owned by former Morgan resident, Jed Clark and his family.  It was so much fun.

They had this hay/straw bale fort built up.  It was probably about 6 bales high, with tunnels and secret passages throughout it.  Grandpa Roger was a real sport, and navigated the tunnels and chased and scared the kids.  I tried to, but I'm too claustrobic, and didn't FIT as well (haha)

Group Shot !

The corn maze was great fun!  They ran around and tried to get lost, and Grandpa Roger had them being "nervous nellies"............

Corn Monsters

They found a DEAD SCARECROW in the middle of the maze..........that threw them for a loop !



Tagg met a cute little "older woman" - she's in 1st grade and he's in kindergarten.  He was so taken with her.  He brought her over from the hay fort, and introduced her to us.  He made sure she knew which one was his Grandpa and which one was his Grandma.  It was seriously the cutest thing I've ever seen.  I told them I wanted to get a picture of the two of them, and he put his arm around her and leaned in for a great shot!!  I'm still smiling :)



I need to tell you a little bit about the Haunted Wagon Ride we went on after dark.  Jed Clark himself was the tractor/wagon driver, and great story teller.   I mentioned that we were from Morgan (but didn't say WHO we were).  Jed is only a year younger than Roger, and two years old than me, but didn't recognize us in the gathering darkness.  Treyson of course, was first to raise his hand and answer every question that was asked.  Cam and Treyson were the oldest kids on the hayride, and the others were on down to toddler age.  Jed told the story of how the scarecrows he made had come to life, and taken over the corn patch, playing pranks on visitors.  He banished them to the barn...........and that is where he was going to take us to visit.   Jed kept it really upbeat and fun, so as not to scare the little ones, but there were some suspenseful moments, and he really grabbed everyone's attention with his story telling skills.   Our family it seemed, became the "highlight" of the ride.  Treyson was "set-up" with some scarecrow ladies on a "date".  It was too funny.  We saw the scary "leader" of the scarecrows, sitting in an abandoned out house.  Then when we reached the barn, we were greeted with a scary CLOWN scarecrow, coming down from the ceiling at us (YIKES). Camryn was asked to volunteer to kill a scary looking spider (about the size of a basketball) on a spider web. She hopped out of the wagon, and hit it with a long stick......nothing happened. Jed was SURE he saw the spider's leg twitch, so he told her to hit it again, and when she did, it came flying back at her and US in the wagon. There were ALOT of screams........ some from ME !! Jed told a story about a GHOST BULL, that roamed around the place, and sure enough, it came bellowing out from the shadows of the barn, hitting the panels that were protecting us in the wagon. After each SCARE, Jed would say something like, "You get back in there you silly bull....WE KNOW that you are just make believe, and we're not scared of YOU !" He was trying awfully hard to make sure the toddlers weren't scarred for life (haha). Cam, Treyson and Tagg, absolutely LOVED IT! We drove out of the barn, and over by a "possessed" manure spreader. When Jed asked if anyone knew what MANURE was, Tagg piped right up, "It's COW POOP!" - at the top of his lungs. Mysteriously, the manure spreader started turning the beater bars, and in the dark, we could feel "manure?" hitting us, plop, plop....on our faces, and bodies..... YUCK!! (Thank goodness it was just water:) As we headed back to the "safety" of the lighted farm area, Jed told a final story, about how he was watering late one night out in the corn patch..........he saw a pair of boots in the beam of his flashlight, and as he panned the light upwards, there were legs.........and a body.........and a hand holding a PITCH FORK.......and when he got to the FACE? HE looked SCARY !!!! Just like THIS GUY!!!! and he shined the flashlight right in Roger D's face !!! It was hilarious !!! The kids loved loved loved it. He then asked Roger, if he would jump out of the wagon (as we were headed back), to protect us all (basically sacrificing himself), if the scary scarecrow came after us. The grandkids DIDN'T like that idea one bit ! After we got back, we introduced ourselves to Jed, and told him what a great job he did. He was happy to see us, and told Treyson what a STUD Roger D. was when they had played football together :) I would definately recommend this fun place, LITTLE BEAR BOTTOMS, to anyone with kids between the ages of 3-12. It was a great fun night.



On Tuesday we headed back to the property to work (and play:)



It has been such a BIG JOB, as the west side of the creek is such a mess of downed trees, old and new, but we are making headway on it.  I guess we are going to light the burn piles on fire BEFORE Thanksgiving, after we get the okay from the fire chief.  Morgan 6th Ward high priest/elders are coming to pick up the firewood we have stacked this Saturday.  I sure hope the weather holds.

Thatcher was so tired that night.  He fell asleep in my arms, and when I got tired, I layed him down on the soft grass.  He slept peacefully there until we finished.

We called it a day............and I snapped this beautiful picture of us heading back across the Welch Ditch Dam in the setting sunlight. 

Treyson is now in SCOUTS !!  Yeah ! and thanks to Uncle Rilee for providing the scout shirt :)

Back to our house for a supper of FRESH SCRAMBLED EGGS on FRESH ENGLISH MUFFINS that Grandpa brought home from Franz Bakery - DELICIOUS !

Wednesday - Cam stayed with Grandpa and Grandma D for the morning.  She learned to drive the 4-wheeler.  I tell you what - it's taking your life in your hands riding with that CRAZY driver :)  She also picked out some pumpkins for our porch and some to pack in her suitcase to take home to AZ for her and Cam Claussen.

In the afternoon we went down to our hairdresser - Mary Jo Randall in Mtn. Green to get our hair cut.  She is so kind to Cam, and Cam absolutely loves her.

And last but not least - Cam and I went over to Morgan Valley Crafts, and painted a ZOMBIE decoration to take home to AZ.   Her family will LOVE IT !!  It was great to be together, and she really enjoyed it.

St. George Marathon Weekend

This year we showed up ON TIME in Veyo, a small community about 20 miles north of St. George.  We were on time, but not prepared for the cold !  Maybe next year we can get it right.  We thought the marathon started at 6am.  Instead, it started at 6:45.  We had plenty of time, and were able to park pretty close to the one intersection where you could watch the runners as they passed the 7 mile mark.  There was a convenience store where the boys got a hot chocolate and doughnut.



                                              Busting a few moves while waiting :)

I downloaded the St. George Marathon App on my smart phone, and by entering Zac's bib number, we received updated real time texts, letting us know when he started, the 10K (6 mile), 13.1 mile (1/2 way), and 30K (18 miles) points.  This proved to be invaluable !    Zac passed in a blur in Veyo, tossing the boys his gloves, and with a smile a mile wide :)

After Zac passed we jumped in the car and headed back to St. George on the back road through Gunlock, Ivins, and Santa Clara (30 miles).

We set up camp at the intersection (last turn) on 300 S. Main.  Treyson and Tagg met up with a cute kid named Samuel Sherman, whose Grandma's home was right there.  They had a great time playing together.  

As we received the text of the 18 mile mark, we were ecstatic !!  Zac was running a better time than he had ever done before !!  For a few minutes, we thought he was SURE to be qualified for the Boston Marathon, but then I googled it, and realized that he would have to beat 3 hours 5 minutes for his age group.  

As it was - he finished at 3 hours 12 minutes !! a FULL 21 MINUTES better than his fastest time in a marathon.  We were so happy and proud of him. 

We hurried down to the finish line to see him

He was pretty tired.   He said his feet felt like they weighed 600 pounds as he finished that last mile. 

Playing on the toys in the park

Afterwards we had a good time in the pool at Grandma Shirlee's condo in Mesquite

Last Evening

I left work early yesterday, because I knew Zac and his boys would be going to the Property to work on cleaning the other side of the creek - our latest project :)  I love to be with them and help out when I can.  The boys found a tree that a BEAVER had been to work on.  They had fun playing by the creek, throwing rocks, exploring, and having a great time.

Thatcher hung around me and Zac.  He is fascinated with the chainsaw, and would start it up if he could :)  By the end of the evening, he (along with his brothers) was filthy dirty.  Such is the life of little boys :)

Mom and Dad came down to help also.  I love to get pics of my parents with the kids.  Mom is such a help with them.  As you can see (to the left), we have made many burn piles, and also stacked firewood.

Someone in the 6th ward needs wood for their stove, so we are cutting and leaving it for them.  We have plenty of firewood on our side.

We were going along pretty well, but then came upon this monster tree, and it slowed us down.  Thank goodness for chainsaws. It is so fun (YES, I said FUN !) to work at cleaning something up.  This is Zac's (and me) favorite thing to do, seriously.  

I lifted him up here, and told him to hang on, then backed up to get a picture.  Didn't seem to bother him too much, but soon he wanted down.  That kid is always on the go. 

Tagg had a mishap and cut his hand.  He was pretty brave about it, even with the blood.  Treyson tried to talk him into letting him put a leaf on it, but he was having none of that !.  Later I was able to take him in the shop and wash his dirty hands with soap, and actually got it cleaned up pretty good.  He was a good sport, and gritted his teeth and let me have my way :)

A sight you don't see very often.  The Welch Ditch dam is completely removed.  There is some plastic and tarps that are caught in the water below it, and I'm going to try and get in there tonight and dig them out.  They have probably been in there for years.  See the big tree hanging out over the dam?  It's GOT to come down.  We just have to figure a way to cut it without it damaging the dam.