Lake Powell

A couple of weeks ago, we got to spend four days at Lake Powell. What an adventure. To start with, Jeremy decided to just have everyone sleep in the boat. I was a little nervous that one of the kids would end up falling off the side of the boat during the night. He asked if I wanted to tie a rope around each kid's ankle. Of course, he was just kidding, but I wasn't when I told him that was a great idea. I said if I heard a splash during the night I would just start pulling up ropes. We didn't have to actually leash any of the kids and they slept very well. Whew! We did find a cool canyon that we stayed in two of the three nights. The creepy part was the bats. At night they came swarming out.









During the day we fished for bass. Jeremy and I took turns catching the most fish. Whenever we hooked a fish, the kids would reel it in (mostly Marét - she's a fisherwoman.) Zach had to touch, and sometimes kiss, each fish.













When it got too hot, it was swimming time. As you can see from the pictures, the kids loved the swimming part best. Marét, ever the fish, jumped right in. It took some coaxing to get Bridger to believe that he could just float in his jacket. He really didn't believe it at all until I showed him how I couldn't even drown myself if I tried. Zach had to always hold on to Jeremy or myself because his jacket is designed to keep him floating on his back.


The last two days we were there it was so windy. We had to stay out of the main channel completely and stick to the side canyons. It got a little scary crossing the main channel at times but we survived. Overall it was a great, relaxing trip.

Let the Sports Begin!

I have officially started my life as a sports mom. Marét and Bridger started softball and kickball respectively. That means every night it seems we've got something going on. It has been hectic but very fun to watch. Here's a few picture plus a list of reasons I like little kids' sports.

1. There are no outs. Well, in softball they do kind of get out, but no one really keeps track.

2. There are no points. That means my kids think they won every game. Yeah! No tears!

3. An "inning" really just means that everyone rotated through batting order.

4. You get to watch kids pick their noses in the outfield. Okay, I don't love that part. It's usually Bridger.

5. Kids run the wrong way.

6. Kids dance on the field.

7. One runner even picked up the ball and carried it to home base as he ran. True story!

8. You get to see that ALL 5 year-old boys are that hyper.

9. Runners often like to stop and wait for their friends. (See pic of Bridger.)

10. It's just plain hilarious!

Art City Days!

Hello friends and family!

Sorry for the big gap in my blog. I got a little overwhelmed with life. Right now I'm in a class about using technology in the

classroom. Our assignment? Work on a blog. Apparently I have to

actually be ASSIGNED to keep up on my blog. Melissa, will you take care of that? So, no, my summer vacation hasn't quite started. I'm trying to finish up a few more credits. Then I will have my master's equivalency! That means I have completed

enough credits for a master's degree, just not in one concentrated

program.

Last week was our Springville Days! We took the kids to the carnival and the parade. Zach was big enough to ride some of the kiddy rides, but I stood close by in case he wanted to jump ship. He had a ball. Marét wanted to ride every scary ride. She's

fearless! I think I have a roller coaster addict on my hands. I

didn't get any pics of that because they were too fast!

More of my favorite child

I know that it's going to seem like Zach is my favorite child. The truth is that we just keep ending up with cute pics or videos or stories of him. Don't worry. Maret and Bridger will start swimming and baseball/softball soon and then they'll get their glory moments. As for now, here are a few videos I thought I'd share. The first is Zach at the Guinn family Christmas party. Kimber took the video on her phone and then sent it to me. As Kaylie and Bryson were playing their Christmas song, Zach was dancing around. Unfortunately there isn't any sound so you can't hear their amazing talent, but you can see Zach's ovation at the end. He absolutely loves music!

The second video is Zach learning to use his present from Santa. He has been trying to climb up the slide but he finally figured out that he had to climb up the ladder and then he could slide. I took the video and was only going to send it to Jeremy. Since he's working out of town, I try to keep him updated on what is going on here. However, I decided to share it with all of you. If you listen carefully, you can hear him say, "One, Two, Three, Go!" at the top before he slides.

P.S. Melissa, here's to some serious blogging!

You've been tagged...

This is a fun tag... If you are reading this consider yourself tagged. Go to your photo file in your computer, open the fourth file, then choose the fourth picture to post on your blog and explain it.


This is Bridger's fourth birthday. We were actually in the big city of Fillmore, Utah, for Jeremy's turkey hunt. We went to a park there to celebrate his birthday and his "birthday cake" consisted of doughnuts and cupcakes. He had a blast. It was definitely a birthday to remember.

My Christmas Present

For Christmas, Santa brought me a new bedroom set. Of course, before it was delivered I HAD to paint my bedroom. I picked a soothing shade of blue/green. Despite what Jeremy will tell you, I think deep down he really loves it. (He usually says he feels like he's swimming in the ocean all night. Tread, Baby, tread!) Here are a few pics of my new room. I even took one of me waving in the mirror.

Okay, Melissa said that I was the worst blogger in blogging history. And I think the fact that it took me 2 months to even notice that she made that comment might prove her point. So here goes. My goal for the remainder of this month is to improve my blogging skills.

Here is a family picture we had taken in December. My kids are getting so big! Our big family news? Maret's hamster died and so we have two new hamsters: Bidgy and Fudge. Jeremy is working in Wyoming doing a hospital remodel/addition. He is gone for 9 days and then back for 5. It sucks. But I'm trying to remember that so many people are out of work these days and I need to be grateful for what I have.

In closing, I believe this new post makes me the second worst blogger in history and that's improvement! (The worst would be some mom blogging every day about how Twilight has changed her life.)

CATCH ALL

I have been chastised for not keeping up my blog. So here goes. So much has happened in the last couple of months so I'll just go in order.

First, Zach got his cast off and learned to walk! He only crawls to the nearest object to pull himself up and then he's off again. Yes, he still has that funny crawl even though his cast is off. He's keeping up with the other two a little better, but still gets left behind sometimes.

Then . . . I finished my ESL endorsement! Yeah! That means I only have about 4 more credits to get before I'll have a Master's equivalency. That means my district will pay be as if I have a Master's degree because I have completed enough credits, just not in one area. Also, next year I will have one ESL class to help students who speak another language learn English.

Our sad news . . . Jeremy's grandfather, Monroe Dustin, Jr., died. We have known it was coming for a while but it is still sad to see him go. In fact, Zach's middle name is Monroe after Jeremy's grandpa. He lived in Victor, Idaho as a potato and dairy farmer. He was a great man. His wife, Vera Jean, died a little over a year ago. Than means my kids have lost 4 great-grandparents in a little over a year! I remember meeting Monroe and Vera Jean for the first time. Jeremy took me to their house and proposed to me in Jackson Hole (only 30 minutes away). I bonded with "Grandma and Grandpa" instantly. They were welcoming, humble, and so kind. I will really miss them.

A final happy note . . . For my birthday (I turned 31 on Aug. 2nd, definitely NOT the happy part) I got to go to Denver. I went to see my best friend, Melissa, and her husband be sealed to their two new babies in the Denver Temple. What an amazing experience! I also got to see both babies be blessed. What adorable little babies! I miss them already. By coincidence, my sister Sheramy was in Denver that same weekend so we got together with my cousin Karin and went out to dinner and a movie. What a fabulous weekend! Where were the kids? My darling husband took all 3 camping. Just one of the million reasons I love him!

Our first broken BONE!

Another post about Zach! One week ago Thursday, Zach was playing with brother, sister, and cousins. As children will do, they placed him on the couch and then ran to get him a toy. Unfortunately, Zach fell off and he must've landed just right because he broke the top of his radius!

Actually, that night I took him to the doctor where they did x-rays and everything looked normal. The doctor told me that broken bones can take about a week to show up and to bring him back in a week if I didn't see improvement. Sure enough, last Wednesday (a week later!) I took him in again. This time the x-rays were obvious even to me, a fracture almost completely through his radius. The poor guy had been suffering with a broken arm for a week. I felt awful.

So now we have experienced a first for our little family, a broken bone. (I know you are dying to make a wisecrack about our last name right now. Better just get it over with.) There were no blue casts available so I picked out a lovely green. However, Zach must like red because he wouldn't let go of the red package and thus, a red cast. However, I would like to add this disclaimer: We are in no way affiliated with the U of U. After the doctor put the cast on, he said, "Now, you can't get this wet. . . Good luck with that." So I guess doctors do have a sense of humor.

The good news is that the bone wasn't displaced. The doctor said it should heal just fine and that he will get the cast off in 4 weeks. In the meantime, Zach is doing very well. He doesn't seem to mind the cast and has already learned how to get around without crawling. (See video)

Grandpa Guinn's Funeral

In May, we got a surprise call that my Grandpa Guinn had died. Immediately we started making plans to go to the funeral in Cottonwood, Arizona.

I have always had a soft spot for my grandpa. He was a very quiet, kind man. I remember many summer days stretched out on a lawn chair beside my grandpa underneath the large trees in front of his house. He had a way of making me feel special without saying much at all. It was my grandpa that taught me how to parallel park when I was in college. He was amazed that I didn't know how to parallel park and gave me a five minute lesson that stuck with me.

My grandpa was also a WWII veteran, a paratrooper in Europe and Africa. It gave me an admiration for his generation and the thousands of heroes that came from it. He would not speak about the war. It was always evident to me that the war was not some opportunity for Grandpa to brag about his heroism. He was horrified by the event. As a result, I know very little about him in the line of duty. I do know that he was awarded a Purple Heart.

Grandpa was also an adventurer. He owned and flew many small planes. Flying was a passion of his. He also frequented Mexico to fish for big ocean fish. In fact, a trip to Grandpa's always included going out to the garage to gawk at the HUGE sea bass skull mounted to the wall. It was the pride and joy of Grandpa and the grandkids. He was also an avid hunter. When he met Jeremy, the two had an instant bond talking about elk and deer hunting. It was the most I'd ever heard Grandpa say about anything.

Even as he grew older, Grandpa was eager to stay moving. He and Grandma would drive up to see us in their large motorhome or meet us at Fish Lake. And it was always that desire to keep moving that made Grandpa pack up and go home at 4:oo a.m. on departure day, if not before.

I will miss him so much. I really wish my kids had been a little older so that they could've have the opportunity to really know him. He was a wonderful man and I am very honored to be able to call him Grandpa.

Zach's first birthday!

I can't believe that my little Zach is one already! We had a birthday party for him with the Bone side and then another one the next day with the Guinn side.

Although this past year seems to have zipped past, I can't imagine life without my little guy. He is such a sweet, happy baby. Maret and Bridger love their little brother and drag him all over the house, but he doesn't seem to mind. He loves music and will pull himself up to the piano and pound on the keys. If he hears a beat, he will bounce up and down to the rhythm.

In fact, the only thing that Zach gets serious about is food. If I can't get his food to him fast enough, he squeezes his fists in the air and SCREAMS! (Maybe that's why we call him "Zach Attack.") However, the minute he gets his food, he becomes my sweet little boy again.

I don't think it will be long before talks. Everyday he figures out how to make a new sound. For now, it's "Mama", "Dada", "A-ay (Maret)", and "Uh-oh". He also waves goodbye and shakes his head no-no.

Hello Friends and Family! This is my introduction into the blog world. My best friend, Melissa, has talked me into creating a blog, so here goes.