Labor Day Camping

This weekend we went camping at Kolob Reservoir with Tyson and Rachael and their son Grady, and Jeremy and Molly and their kids Paisley and Dylan. We borrowed our friend's four wheeler and Tyson took two of his and we had our pit bike. It was a lot of fun. The kids did a little fishing. We did some riding. Some highlights of the weekend:
*Paisley sitting on Tyson's lap, putting his hand on her knee, and then pushing his fingers down so they went around her knee. He was hers the rest of the trip (except when Loni was there). Luckily Rachael was good to share. :) It was pretty funny.
*Watching the helicopters getting water for a nearby fire.
*The kids having fun together in the dirt and on the four wheelers.
*Awesome food.
*Watching people from our camp across the water at the bathroom (the bathroom close to us had partiers using it so it had a couple cigarette butts in it, puke in it at one point and poop on the floor at another point so most of us chose to go to the one farther away - luckily we had four wheelers to ride over there). There were some good dismounts for those that were in a hurry and one (I won't mention my name) that was in a hurry because dinner was ready and went past the bathroom.
*Feeding the ducks - they came quite close to us (unless the big kids were there - they chased them). We found out they'll eat chili but not peaches.
*Watching Cooper and Jared get surrounded by cows on the way back from watching the helicopters. They were in front and we came upon some cows. He slowed down to go past them (some on either side of the road) when all of a sudden all of them - including the ones across the road - started slowly running past Jared, some in front of him and some in back. I wasn't able to pull my camera out in time to take a picture. It was hilarious.
*Finding out what happens when two boxes of shotgun shells and one 500 round box of 22 bullets accidentally gets thrown in the fire (he thought it was garbage and didn't check to see that Jared's live rounds were in there). It was quite a show. Luckily no one got hurt.
*Jared racing a little kid with another pit bike and winning, but breaking his chain on the really bad road. Tyson raced him later on a four-wheeler. Later, the kid would look at our camp every time he rode by. He was pretty cool. When Jared broke his chain the kid rode with him while Jared pushed his bike back to camp. According to Jared it was awesome and so worth it (luckily it was just the master link so hopefully it'll be a cheap easy fix). When Jared talked to him, he said he had been out riding since 9 that morning. He just kept going around the lake and then back (the road doesn't go all the way around).
Here's a few pictures from the weekend.

Jared and Jeremy took Crue and Dylan on the raft to the island. I love this picture of both boys and their backsides.

Now they're looking.

Someone had a sailboat on the reservoir.

Father and son fishing.

Tyson and Paisley going for a ride on a four wheeler.

Me and the boys coming back from a ride. Jared had Crue before but then had him get off while he went on a hill (he was on the pit bike).

There was a fire south of us and we had seen a couple of helicopters with the tank and hose that fills up from lakes fly over us but they weren't filling up where we were (probably too many people on and near the lake) so Jared and I took the boys and Tyson came and we went to watch them fill up at the reservoir south of us. Here are some pictures and videos from that.

Cooper rode with Jared (first time this weekend on a four wheeler). He was so cute. Both when Jared took him and when I took him later we started off not holding him and then would put our arm around him. He would grab our arm and put it back on the handlebar. It was funny.

Crue rode with me. Here's his cheesy smile. He was loving the four wheelers.

In the picture of Jared and Cooper we're sitting on a dirt road that takes you around the south end of Blue Springs Reservoir. There's a campground and some other things that it takes you to. This picture is from there - you can see the helicopter in front with the bucket and the one further back with the hose. We watched the one with the hose fill up from the main road, which is where the picture of Crue is taken.

This is the one we watched from the dirt road. It went right over us and there was water falling out of the bucket as it went over us so we got some sprinkles. It was pretty cool.

This is the one that we watched from the main road (along with a bunch of other people). It has the hose and it takes about 1 -1 1/2 minutes to fill up what Jared said is probably a 500 or 1000 gallon tank. Pretty amazing. One of these kept flying over us when we were camping to refuel in Cedar we think.

It was a really fun weekend. I love having a three day weekend so we can get a good long camping trip in. We were glad to get home and get showered and get some sleep. Before we had left Crue and Dylan were playing in the dirt (try keeping two boys out of the dirt - not gonna happen) and I look over and Crue's shaking a bunch of dirt off his head that he had just dumped on himself. We decided to give him a shower instead of chancing his bath becoming a mud bath.

5th Anniversary

Jared planned a surprise weekend for our anniversary (I knew we were going somewhere but no idea where). We took the motorcycle and rode up Hwy 89 clear to Nephi. We got rained on quite a bit. We finally got ponchos in Richfield and it stopped raining shortly after. It was a really pretty drive. In Nephi we got on the Mt. Nebo loop and rode that to Payson. That was a really pretty drive (I won't tell you about the scary incident involving passing a car). From there we got on I-15 (no more back roads available) and rode to our hotel in Cottonwood Heights. We stayed at a Residence Inn at the mouth of Cottonwood Canyon. We went to dinner at Chuck a Rama (LOVE the dutch oven cinnamon sugar rolls). The next morning we rode through Big Cottonwood Canyon and the mountains to Park City (another gorgeous drive). From there we got on the highway and went to Heber City where Jared surprised me with a ride on the Heber Creeper. It went partway into Provo Canyon. It was so pretty. After riding for a short while we had a guy on a horse and another guy come "rob" the train. They took some hostages (they were the ones that signed up to ride the horses). It was quite the show. I took quite a few pictures of it and the entire train ride but I'll just post some of them.

These were some glider planes we saw while on the train. You can't see it, but the first one is pulling the second one up so he can release and glide down.

This is the conductor. Everyone that was a part of the ride was dressed to the part. Even the engineer (who we could only see through the back of the engine).

This was the first robber we saw. He came riding along the hill and then down to the train, shooting his cap gun.

This was the other one. You could tell he was totally loving it. It was an old guy and he was pretty funny (notice the beware/reward sign behind him). You can also see the "hostages" that were "tied up" to a pole. Everyone was confused when we really left them and then found out later they were part of the show so they could go ride horses.

For part of the show the conductor gave the old guy the box of loot. He tried using dynamite to blow it up (you can kind of see it in his left shirt pocket). The fuse died when it got to the dynamite. Then he took his gun and shot at it (he'd been shooting his gun - more like a rifle or shotgun size - and also came on the train and had us put our hands up). Inside was only a stuffed duck. That was when he took hostages. After that we were on our way.

The amazing one that planned it all.

Some horses we saw along the way.

On the train before we left.

It was a really fun train ride. The train goes pretty slow (we weren't expecting that) but it was fun. After that we stopped in Heber for lunch and gas and then went back to get our stuff at the hotel. We weren't able to check into our next place until 5 pm but the guy at the desk that had helped us with some stuff earlier said we could hang out since we didn't want to go anywhere and leave all our stuff on the bike. So we hung out for an hour and then headed to our place. It was Anniversary Inn. The entire trip had been planned around staying here. Jared had earned some money through passing tests at work and wanted to use his money for this. We stayed at the one on Fifth South in the Bridal Veil Falls room. It was awesome. There's a waterfall for the shower. They had two pieces of cheesecake in the little fridge. There was a bottle of sparkling cider. Both complimentary. That night we walked/rode Trax downtown and ate at Olive Garden. They deliver breakfast to your room (they leave it outside your door at a time you specifiy when you check in) and it was SO good. We walked/rode Trax (there's definitely some interesting people that ride that - don't think I'd go alone) to the Gateway just long enough to quickly look in one store and then grab lunch for me to eat on the ride home. We went back and toured as many of the rooms as were open and then headed home. This time we took the quick way home. Our butts were getting tired of the bike and we were anxious to see the boys. My mom had taken them for us and I'm sure she was ready for a break. :) Although they were good for her so I was glad.

It was a really fun trip and Jared was amazing (as usual). Our anniversaries have usually been just going to dinner but he started planning this months before. Other than the rain (which wasn't too bad even though it poured) it was a really fun trip. Getting there took twice as long as it would have just driving in the freeway but it was so pretty and it didn't seem to take that long since I had no idea where we were going. Thank you so much Jared for everything. You are the best. I love you!!!

kids

After we say prayers with Crue he gives me and Jared a hug and kiss goodnight. Last night when he was giving me a hug he said the funniest thing. Here's the conversation:
Crue: What's that? (pointing at my shirt)
Me: That's my shirt.
Jared: Do you like it Crue?
Crue: No, it's too bid for me. I lite ittel shirts. (it's too big for me. I like little shirts).
Me: (laughing so hard)
Jared: (also laughing hard) No Crue, do you like it for mommy?
Crue: Yeah.

(The best part is that it's a pink shirt - definitely not for any male, big or small.)


Today we went to Pine Valley to have tin foil dinners with Jeremy, Molly, Paisley and Dylan, and Molly's sister Jen and her husband Will and daughter Mia. Crue and I went to the bathroom and Paisley had joined us while we were waiting to use it. I let her go first and then Crue and I went after. While we were in there she came back and said "Kendra" and tried opening the door. I told her not to come in and then she left. A minute later she came back and said my name again. I said "what?" and then she told me that I needed to wash my hands when I was done. Thank you for the reminder Paisley. :)

Busy Busy Busy

Things have been pretty busy around here lately. Here's some of the things we've been up to.
In June we went up north for a wedding. While we were there my mom took us (my mom and Loni went with us and Lex and Shanna met up with us there) to the aquarium in Sandy. It was pretty cool. The building used to be a grocery store.

Crue in front of one of the fish tanks - we found Nemo. :)

You could touch the sting rays. It was pretty cool. Crue didn't want to touch them.

He didn't mind touching the big snake though! (I wasn't about to touch that.)

Cooper didn't mind touching it either.

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Desiree is due August 24 with a girl (the first granddaughter). We had a shower for her at our house. She got a lot of good stuff. I was excited to make her some things (I've been into sewing lately).

This first one is a dress that I found a pattern for on Made by Rae. I think it turned out so cute - I was really excited. And I was so excited to find such cute material.

I also made her a rag quilt out of flannel with some batting in the middle so it'll be warm this winter for her.

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My garden has gone crazy. I have learned some lessons for next year.
1. Follow the directions on the seed packet. When they say to plant several feet apart, one and a half feet is not enough.
2. Do not plant plants that vine next to each other. They will combine to be one big mass.
3. Do not plant plants that vine next to anything. They tend to be control freaks.
4. Plant corn in several short rows rather than 4 long rows.

This is from our deck looking left into the garden. Far left but closest to me are the Jack Be Little pumpkins. On the bottom right of the picture are the tomatoes and you can see the bean plant poking out behind the tomato. Then going further back in the garden are corn (obviously) and then the Jack O Lantern pumpkins that are taking over. They are seriously like ten feet across. To the right of those are potatoes. To the right of the pumpkins and in the back of the garden are cantaloupe and watermelon (two other vine plants that are mixing together with some of the pumpkin).

In this one you can see the tomatoes and beans and then the one plant by itself is a cucumber. I've already gotten one off of it (we haven't tried it yet) and there's a couple more growing. Then to the right are crookneck and straightneck squash. We're getting tons of crookneck. Then you can see the corn and behind that are potatoes on the left and zucchini on the right.

Some of the Jack Be Littles. Crue loves to go find them. We seriously have at least 30, if not more in there at all different stages of growth.

This is the biggest of my Jack O Lantern pumpkins. It's fun to go out every couple days and see how big it keeps getting. There are at least two more that aren't too far behind it in size.

This is one of my watermelon. It's a Black Diamond variety. I'm excited to try home grown watermelon.

This is another watermelon that I noticed growing today. It's obviously still little but I think they're so cute when they're little.

It's been fun getting squash and zucchini out of the garden (and a cucumber). The biggest pain is all the squash bugs. I have to go out every night and look for them and it usually takes at least an hour. Stupid bugs. At least everything is still growing. There are some leaves they've killed but leaves don't produce a vegetable so that's good. I also have grasshoppers eating my leaves. And they're big. Jared makes fun of me because I don't like to get close to them. You never know where they're going to jump and I don't want them jumping in my face (when I'm looking for squash bugs). As much work as it is, I think my garden will be bigger next year. Mostly so the pumpkins, cantaloupe, and watermelon don't crowd everything out.

First Ride

Cooper got his first ride on daddy's big motorcycle (July 12). He sure liked it!

I get a sucker!

We've started potty training Crue. I had talked to a friend of mine to find out how she had potty trained her boy and am now doing the same thing with Crue. I take him every half hour and so far he has stayed dry as long as I take him (the time will gradually increase). He struggles with going poop though. He's done it before in the toilet but for some reason he won't do it now. He hides and does it in his underwear or diaper (he only wears a diaper for naps and at night). We decided to try offering a sucker if he goes poop in the toilet because he likes those. Still hasn't gone. Last night I was going to the bathroom (sorry if this is too much:)) when Crue came in and asked what I was doing. When I told him he tilted his head and asked, "you det a suter?" (he says the d sound for his c's and g's). I was laughing so hard. I told him, "yep, I get a sucker."

How does your garden grow?

I decided to attempt a garden this year even after last year's garden didn't do too well. We got free biosolids from the city and I was hoping it would help break up our clay soil a little and provide some nutrients for the plant to grow. We measured the garden to try a watering system - it is 18' by 18'. Pretty dang big! I think we have about 12 rows. Our garden is doing tons better this year. These first 3 pictures were taken last Wednesday. This first one is my big Jack 'O Lantern pumpkins. It's growing really cool. The start of the vine is zig zag. Plus there's all these curly q's on them too. You can see the zig zag in this picture.

Here's a picture of part of our garden (the back of our house is to the right). From left to right there are cantaloupe and watermelon on the same row. The big pumpkins are the mass closest to me and the ones directly at the other end of the row are my zucchini (I planted the squash/pumpkins in the four corners so they don't go down an entire row like everything else). In the row on the right (down the middle of the picture) between the pumpkin and zucchini are potatoes. We haven't been able to cover the plants yet to encourage root growth. You can also see some corn in the next two rows. I planted everything and there were quite a few things that didn't grow. For the corn I had planted two rows and then waited a few weeks to plant these so they wouldn't be ready at the same time. The first two rows didn't grow but these did. I ended up replanting some things, including the other two rows of corn. In between the potatoes and cantaloupe/watermelon rows I had planted onion (didn't grow and didn't have any to replant) and bell peppers (didn't grow, replanted, still didn't grow).

This is the other half of the garden (closer to the house). You can see the potatoes and corn on the left, to help you connect the two pictures. The mass closest to me is little pumpkins. They're supposed to be about the size of the palm in your hand or something like that. You're also supposed to be able to cook and freeze them. I'm excited for that. At the far end I have yellow squash - one straightneck and the rest are crookneck. On the row to the right of that are tomatoes. The first plants I had died so we got some more. They are doing good - they already have some blossoms. In rows to the left of the tomatoes are beans (I had to replant and 3-4 have started growing), cucumber - one plant has been very slow and another one has recently started, and carrot that didn't grow. You can kind of see Jared's watering idea. It's made of pvc pipe and it floods each row. SO much better than staying outside for hours (literally) to slowly water each row. And much cheaper than a drip system.
I took the rest of these pictures today. I am pretty excited about our garden. Here are some of the straightneck squash.
These are the first open blooms on a crookneck. They are both male but there are some females about ready to open in there so hopefully we'll get some of those growing too. I have a feeling we'll have lots of squash this year. I have 1 straightneck, 3 crookneck, 2-3 zucchini (one of them is HUGE), about 3-5 of the big pumpkins, and around 7 of the little pumpkins. I didn't know if they would grow so we planted as many as we could, since space isn't a problem in our yard. The one problem we've had is squash bugs. I have to go out every night and inspect the plants. I bought some sevin dust because our neighbor said he used the spray and it worked but it didn't last (it only killed when he sprayed). Jared sprinkled the powder for me and I waited a few days without checking. He went out one night and found about 6 couples mating. I went out that same night and found about 4-5 more bugs. I was hoping it would work because the plants are getting so big that it's hard to find them, and to get them out so I can kill them. Anyone have any suggestions?
This is my watermelon. It's starting to create vines (you can see one on the left above the rock). I hope it grows. I love watermelon! It's the black diamond variety.
Here is my cantaloupe. It's not as big as it looks. That's the big pumpkins behind it. There are 3-4 blossoms on it right now (you can see one in the bottom middle of the picture). I'm excited for that one to grow too. I've got a few of those going. The one to the right of it (you can see a couple of the leaves in the corner) also has one bloom on it.

The other day I researched a little to find out how to tell a male and female flower apart. Pretty dang easy. I was wondering because of my squash plant that had started to show it's flowers. Now I look for the females on all my squash and pumpkin plants. I found a couple on my big pumpkin plant. Here's one below in the center of the picture. The flower hasn't opened yet but you can see the bulge right below it. I've learned that's the squash/pumpkin. You can see what it looks like in a straightneck when it starts growing in a few pictures above.

Next year I will definitely be planting my pumpkins and squash with a little more room between them. Last year we had created circles that were dug out and planted them in it. It's a good idea but I think it needs a mound in the middle for the seeds, so they aren't buried in water. And so there's less chance for the leaves to get in the water (that can cause problems too). You can see how my big pumpkin plant is taking over it's little corner. On the left it's right against the cantaloupe and on the right side but above it are the potatoes it's about to squish out. Luckily there isn't anything growing between the potatoes and cantaloupe so I can train the pumpkin to go that way (since there's a few vines already going that general direction) and then keep the others going out of the garden.
It's really been fun to have a garden that's actually growing this year. I'm excited to see how much we get out of it. I was talking to Jared's best friend's wife and we were talking about bottling. She had bottled some tomatoes last year and I asked if she'd help me do it this year. She said sure, but it's with her mother-in-law who does all the bottling and has a HUGE garden (a full lot). Jared asks his friend about things for our garden and it's been very helpful.

"Crappy" morning

Is this a sign of how the day is going to go?

(Yes, that is diarrhea. Yes, it's all over his bed. Yes, it's on his face and in his hair. Yes, it was on his legs and hands. Yes, his diaper was completely covered as well.)

Sweet ride

I realized I haven't told about our sweet new ride yet. There was a suburban sitting on the lot at Jared's work for almost a year. Jared finally got a hold of the owner (the dealership was getting ready to impound it) and asked what he wanted for it. The guy thought the dealership was using it for parts so Jared offered him $100 and he took it. It's a 1998 Chevy Suburban with lots of miles. But it's the LT so it has leather, rear air, semi heated seats (only under your bum) and things like that. The people took pretty good care of it.

It needed a new engine so Jared found one with 4000 miles. It ended up needing a few other things, like a radiator for example (the old one had a huge crack in it which is what caused the engine to have no compression). So now we have a nice suburban to fit us in and to fit more kids in when we have them (no, that's not an announcement). Hopefully it will last us a long time. Crue loves it and calls it a bubon (like bourbon but don't say the r).

The first trip in it we went to St. George. The check engine light came on. We checked it at Auto Zone and it was the knock sensor. The next time we went to St. George, the check engine light started flashing on the way home. We pulled over at a rest area and called for the tow truck from the dealership (luckily we had just gotten new insurance and we had tow so we had him just charge us - otherwise I'm sure he wouldn't have and the tow truck driver wouldn't have gotten paid). You could tell the engine was missing but we couldn't figure out why. When Jared went to work and checked it the next morning, a spark plug wire had just come off. He put it back on and it was fine after that.

Then we headed north one weekend for my cousin's daughter's wedding. Just south of Nephi we blew a tire. The tires were the ones that had been sitting on it while it had sat outside so they were pretty weathered. We had a set at home that was just waiting for Jared to put them on. We had a spare but we didn't have a wrench that would work because they were after market wheels. Jared had bought a tool earlier that week but it didn't fit and it was still sitting in our garage to take back and try to get a new one. Since we were close to Nephi we called Molly's parents and they came and rescued us. After we got home Jared switched the tires so now we're good. We haven't had any more problems since then. It sure is a nice ride and very comfortable.

Happy 4th of July

We got to party for most of the Fourth of July weekend. Jared's brother, Jeremy was home for the weekend (he's been back East for training to be a second lieutenant I think). Friday night we stayed with Jared's parents in St. George. Jared and I went country dancing with Jeremy and Molly after we got the boys to bed. I was worried because I am such a horrible dancer (I like going but I feel like an idiot a lot of the time) but it was really fun. On Saturday we went to Costco, went home and had lunch, and then took naps. After that we went to Jeremy and Molly's for a BBQ. All of Jeremy and Molly's families were there so there was a lot of people but it was really fun. We went and saw the fireworks after. Holy cow there's a lot of people there. We had to park a few blocks away. We got home late Saturday night. Sunday was normal. We had dinner at my parents' house while my dad was in town. He works for a new company now and is only home about every two weeks for a few days. On Monday we went to our parade that morning. It was pretty fun. Some people from our ward came and sat by us. I was mostly in the street with Crue helping him get candy. After that we went to the park to see what was going on. We decided to buy one ticket for Crue to go on an inflatable ride. The one with the shortest line (amazingly enough) was the water slide. They tore his ticket in half so he went twice. He wasn't very good at going down. Luckily a lady I visit teach was there and after a while of trying to get Crue to go down, her grandson got to the top and she had him help Crue. Then he went again and a girl was up there helping a younger girl so she helped him too. We went home to try to get the boys to take naps. Jared's parents' friends always get together every 4th so we joined them. It was at a clubhouse so in addition to lots of good food we got to go swimming. Crue loved it. Cooper did too but it was a little windy and when he buried his face in to me, he usually got some water in his mouth. After a while I gave him to Jared's mom and she held him while we swam with Crue. Cooper was pretty tired so we came home and put him to bed and then Jared, Crue, and I watched the fireworks from our back deck. It was a fun weekend. Here's some pictures from it.

Luckily we had parked right next to the park on Main Street (and next to the inflatables) so we just put Crue on the stroller for the short ride and then took his pants off when we got to the suburban before his pants rubbed too much.

After the parade Cooper was pretty worn out. Once he was in the stroller and we were headed to the park he was out.

Camping

We've gone camping a few times this year already but surprisingly it's been pretty cold lately. I had gone to the What Women Want Expo in St. George with some friends (we did it last year and are making it a yearly tradition). One of the booths had a thing full of money. The person that guessed closest to the amount in the thing, got the money. They let us put a guess for our spouse (there was a space for it) even if they weren't with us. The guess I put down for Jared won. I was so excited! I decided to buy a tent. After researching for quite a while we found one we really liked. It was more than we were looking to spend but it was well worth the money. Jared is part of a 4x4 forum and he had won a Sportsmans Warehouse gift card for something they did. Between that gift card, the money I won, and then a discount Molly got us with her military ID, we didn't have to pay much out of pocket. You can go here to see the tent. We decided to go camping Friday night and went with Jared's sister-in-law Molly and her two kids. We went to our usual spot - Oak Grove. The first time I went there was when Jared and I first started dating in 2005. It's a great spot because it's really pretty, a small campground, and it's in between where we live and where Jeremy and Molly live. Unfortunately it's been discovered within the last year or two and unless you have someone go early to get you a good spot, you might not get a spot. We went for a little hike with the kids and went to a pretty spot where the water was flowing good. The water was pretty cold but the kids had fun.

We borrowed a swing my parents had and Cooper liked it (so did the rest of the kids). Plus it worked great to keep him in while we got packed up and loaded to go home.

Crue playing in the water. You can see how green it is there. Seriously so pretty.

Here's another shot of Crue (with Molly in the background).

Cooper is a funny boy. He didn't like his feet in the water but he sure loved splashing with his hands, even if it got on his face.

How to know when you've had a good time. :)
Cooper only got a little nap (woken up by Crue) and Crue didn't take a nap at all so they both crashed on the way home. I looked behind me and laughed so hard when I saw them like this.

Cooper's 1st Birthday

Cooper turned 1 on June 12. He is such a cute little boy and I'm so glad to have him in my life. He started crawling around 10 months, doing the army crawl thing. I was quickly learning how He was pretty good at it too. About a month ago he finally started getting up on his hands and knees. He is now standing up on everything too. We had a party for him on his birthday (the same day we came back from a wedding in Salt Lake - we got home half an hour before the party was supposed to start). We had lots of family and friends show up so it was really fun. Lin's does a free little cake (by little I mean about a 9" round) for the first birthday if you order a cake so we did that. He at the entire thing.

Here's the cake before - you can see how big it was.

I love that face - "yep, I ate that entire, yummy cake all by myself. I am good." (You can see the bottom plate - I couldn't believe he ate that much.)

Thank you to everyone that came and for all the gifts.

I took Cooper to the doctor a few days later for his check up. He is actually a little smaller than Crue at this age. He is doing really well though. The doctor was surprised that he didn't have anything to discuss with me. Here's his stats:

Weight: 23 lbs. 2 oz 55%
Height 31 inches 85%
Head 19 inches 93%