Dig, Baby, Dig!

Saturday night, we went to the Roadrunners game. They are a private baseball team here in St. George. I LOVE going to their games. It reminds me of the nights I used to watch the Mavericks, a team from my home-town, play. There is just nothing quite like the peace of watching a nighttime ball game! The Roadrunners have some really funny mascots, Reggie and Saturn, that are great with the kids. Last night, they were signing gloves, paper, bats, heads, hands, etc.! It was really cute until I realized it was permanent marker!!! Oh well, I guess. It will come off eventually! After the game, there was a Diamond Dig, where McArthur's Jewelers gave away $5000 worth of diamonds! All of the women got to pick a spoon, donated by DI, and dig in the dirt between 1st and 2nd base to try and find a diamond. Yes, I did get on my hands and knees and dig in the dirt! Talk about trying to find a diamond in the rough...after 40 minutes of digging, cut up knees, sore arms and hands, a hair full of dirt from the crazy women flicking dirt everywhere, and no luck...the 10th diamond was finally found! Phew! My mom even dug, too! It was crazy, but super fun. I was just glad I had worn capri's that covered my knees. Some of the women were in super short shorts and their knees were bleeding! I even heard some women complain about their broken nails! All of this for a diamond...crazy!

This was the worst part; these were brand new shoes! I'll bet that red dirt NEVER comes out!

I Should Have Known!

Since Saturday, Allison has not been her usually happy self. She has just seemed miserable and whiny and just plain cranky. I wanted to take her to the doctor on Tuesday, but Cole convinced me it was probably just teething. After trying all of the homeopathic remedies I could come up with, I finally decided Friday morning that enough was enough. Sure enough, she had double ear infections and very red and angry tonsils! Poor thing! Really, she wasn't THAT bad for how miserable she probably was all week. She took her 3rd dose of Amoxicillin this morning, but already she is pretty much back to the baby we all know and love! Thank heavens!

Even while waiting in the doctor's office for an hour and a half...she was trying so hard to be happy! Thankfully, she enjoyed chewing the paper that covered the examination table!

It's Moments Like These

I was looking through all my pictures tonight, trying to decide which ones I wanted to post and realized why I am so worn-out and tired each night! We have been busy, busy, busy! I had so many pictures and so much I want to say, but knew I would never get around to it all, so I picked a few of my favorites and will try to summarize! One thing that is for sure, it is easy to see why life is so good!

Brandon and Brock have been going to Safety Town the last 2 weeks. It is a program that teaches them all about the different aspects of being safe. It was fun to spend one-on-one time with Kaitlin, but also fun to hear all the things they learned each day. They were so sad when it ended.

This is a picture of all 3 of the kids playing t-ball! Brock was being the pitcher's helper, Kaitlin was playing rover, and Brandon is at 1st! I love watching them all play together. They are such cute friends and still love playing ball in the back yard all by themselves. They have outgrown our yard already though, so now they aim for the roof and watch the ball climb up the peak and roll back down. It is actually helping their catching too!

Brock is so determined. He was playing pitcher and would hustle to get to EVERYTHING! The only problem was that then he would zealously throw the ball (SAILING) over the 1st Baseman's (Brandon's) head! Brandon was super frustrated with Brock that game, but it didn't even phase Brock. He was just proud of himself for getting the ball so much!

I love this picture! I can just imagine the years to come watching my boys play ball together! I get so excited just thinking about it! (Thanks to Darcee and her mom for getting the names on the back of my kids' jerseys!)


It is moments like these that remind me just how miraculous each day is. It was more beautiful than words can even describe.

Cole and Allison riding the new motorcycle that one of Cole's customers GAVE him! We had been talking about how much we missed having a bike, and then out of the blue, he was GIVEN one. It was truly a huge blessing that I am attributing to paying tithing!

Such a cutie! I love this little girl. I also love that she still lets me do her hair. It is one of our favorite times together! She is on her new bike that I found on Craigslist for only $25! I love a deal and sure got one on this bike! It makes me happy every time I see it!

This was Allison's first time in a swing and the smile says it all! She never closed her mouth the whole time! She was just having a blast!

How cute is this! He has a cheesy smile, but this is the Brandon we see all the time! He has somehow forgotten how to smile his cute, "normal" smile, but this little cheesy one fits, too!

We had a great time this weekend on our date night. We headed over to Brazil's, a new, VERY expensive Steakhouse, ( I don't think any of us realized just how expensive it was) and then went bowling with some friends. I seriously laughed so hard at dinner that I got a headache! Cole and I both almost spit our water out more than once at dinner and finally learned to just not drink because we would end up laughing! After dinner we went bowling, which had me laughing just about as hard. The first game we played regular and of course, Cole won. I should have warned them that Cole practically grew up in Richfield's bowling alley. I was proud of myself too; I bowled a 156! So then, for the second game, we each got to pick a way to bowl each frame. You should have seen how ridiculous we looked hopping and spinning, bowling with our left hands, with our eyes closed, with just our thumbs and bowling it granny style. I have never laughed so hard! I don't have any of those pictures because my camera died, but I am sure they will materialize eventually. They were just too good to use for blackmail! The scores you see above are the results to the second game! I think Tim has figured out how he should play all the time! 6 hours later we finally headed home to Heather and our 7 kids! It was probably a date that won't happen again for a really long time, but it was sure worth it!

Allison didn't really enjoy the strobe lights and bright music, but she did have fun getting all the attention while the other babies slept!

We finished off the week hiking with Krystal. It was a beautiful day, so I strapped Alli in my wrap and off we went. I LOVE Dixie mountain!

Okay, yes, this was a little high for them to be all by themselves, but in our defense, Krystal and I were still huffing and puffing and had only rested for a minute when we looked up and saw them clear up there! They didn't fall and everyone is fine, so thank heavens for our morning prayers!
They really were WAY up there - my kids are half mountain goat!

Las Vegas with Grandma and Grandpa

Last week, my mom and dad rented a condo in Las Vegas and had been asking us to come down and stay. Of course, we were always too busy, but finally I realized that things like this were the things you just have to make the time for. I am so glad I did because we had a wonderful time. We didn't do much - we saw the Aquarium at the Silverton (it was free!!!), went to M&M World (also free!!!), and did a whole lot of swimming. Oh, and of course, we went to Town Square! I think that was the highlight of the trip for the kids!

Grandma and Grandpa with all their grandkids.

Brandon, Brock and Kaitlin having fun trying on glasses and hats at LIDS while Cole was trying to find the perfect hat. We looked at every imaginable store - the Nike Outlet, the Adidas Outlet, Lids, Fanz, etc. - trying to find this hat that Cole is sure I threw away! Apparently it was his favorite, however I have no recollection of any of that!

Cole and Brandon totally wiped out after a long day of playing and swimming.
I just had to throw this one in. I am sorry if it is offensive, but this was actually mild compared to some of the signs we saw. I can't believe what is allowed to be out there for everyone to see. We saw this billboard on our way to the Silverton Reef and I suddenly found a way that Cole could make a little money! We had to take him back that night when he came down and he thought that it was so funny he even took a picture! We sent it to some friends who needed to make a little extra, too! Just kidding. Seriously, it was scary what horrible things we saw and we mostly avoided the Strip. I had to explain an awful lot to a curious 7 year-old who knows how to read. It was really sad.

Brock and Landon just disappeared and this is how we found them!

At M&M World!

Thank heavens for Grandma! She is so good to get down with the kids and explain and make things exciting. She was right in the middle of all the excitement, explaining all the details of all the fish. She even made some really fun impressions of the fish!

My sweet Brock. He really wanted his picture on this window! I think they turned out really cute for being taken on my little "purse" camera!

Crazy kids.

Grandma and Allison

Kaitlin and Brock. As soon as this picture was taken, Brock wanted Kaitlin to leave! He had been having a tea party with 3 little girls! He is such a ladies' man!

The Roundy Girls! (I love Alli's smile!)

Mommy and Allison trying to stay in the shade as much as possible.

Little Landon (Ashley's son)

Brandon and "Mater!"

Brock and the Unicorn

Kaitlin kept running through the maze! It always ends up in the same place, but that didn't stop her from doing it again and again and again! I envy the enthusiasm of children!

After a few hours of "night-swimming" they all wanted their towels to look like mine! I did the best I could considering the minimal amount of hair on the boys!

A cute picture of all the little kids! Grandma insisted on putting Allison in the picture too!

Girls day out!

Today Kaitlin, Allison and I had a whole hour and a half to ourselves! The boys are in a Safety Town program, so Kaitlin and I dressed in our church clothes and decided to head to the Temple Visitor's Center. It was so much fun. I don't know why we don't go more often. Kaitlin made a cute card for the missionaries and we took some donuts to give to them. We enjoyed listening to the Christus message and watching the church's commercials, but I think our favorite part was "God's Plan for the Family." I was a bawl-baby! I love how beautifully simple the gospel is. At one part, the dad and mom are up in the middle of the night with the baby and the dad asks what the most important things to teach her are. The mom says, "That she is loved, that she is a Child of God, and that we can be together forever." How plain and beautiful is that? So many times I try to figure out what is most important for my kids, feeling guilty for all I don't do and especially guilty if they aren't enrolled in everything that will help make them well-rounded individuals, but when I heard this, I just felt so much peace. It all makes sense and it was all perfectly clear for me. When I watch and listen to this presentation, I am filled with a sense of what really matters. I should probably go once a week! Anyway, it was tons of fun to go with my little girls and Kaitlin got tons of hugs from all the grateful missionaries! If you haven't been lately, I would definitely recommend it!

On a different note, I got this poem this morning and laughed! While I read it, I started feeling my chest well up with all the pressure of all the things I try to be and do! When I got done reading it, I had to stop and take a deep breath! Maybe that was why the message at the Visitor's Center meant so much to me! It's so important to try to remember what really matters!

Vickie Gunther of Redlands, California, wrote this hilarious poem, Dr Seuss style, about how much LDS women try to take on. Vickie has given permission to share it.

The Girl in a Whirl

By "Dr. Sue" (a.k.a. Vickie Gunther)

Look at me, look at me, look at me now!

You could do what I do if you only knew how.

I study the scriptures one hour each day;

I bake, I upholster, I scrub, and I pray.

I always keep all the commandments completely;

I speak to my little ones gently and sweetly.

I help in their classroom! I sew all they wear!

I drive them to practice! I cut all their hair!

I memorize the names of the General Authorities,

I focus on things to be done by priorities.

I play the piano! I bless with my talents!

My toilets all sparkle! My check books all balance!

Each week each child gets a one-on-one date;

I attend all my meetings - on time; never late!

I'm taking a class on the teachings of Paul,

But, that is not all! Oh no, not at all.

I track my bad habits 'till each is abolished;

Our T-shirts are ironed! My toe nails are polished!

Our family home evenings are always delightful;

The lessons I give are both fun and insightful.

I do genealogy faithfully, too,

It's easy to do all the things that I do!

I rise each day early, refreshed and awake;

I know all the names of each youth in the stake!

I read to my children! I help all my neighbors!

I bless the community, too, with my labors.

I exercise and I cook menus gourmet;

My visiting teaching is done the first day!

I chart resolutions and check off each goal;

I seek each "lost lamb" on my Primary roll.

I can home-grown produce each summer and fall.

But that is not all! Oh, no. Not at all.

I write in my journal!

I sing in the choir!

Each day, I write "thank you's" to those I admire.

My sons were all Eagles when they were fourteen!

My kids get straight A's and their bedrooms are clean.

I have a home business to help make some money;

I always look beautifully groomed for my honey.

I go to the temple at least once a week;

I change the car's tires! I fix the sink's leak!

I grind my own wheat and bake all our bread;

I have all our meals planned out six months up ahead.

I make sure I rotate our two-year supply.

My shopping for Christmas is done by July!

These things are not hard; 'tis good if you do them;

You can if you try, just set goals and pursue them!

It's easy to do all the things that I do!

If you plan and work smart, you can do them all, too!

"It's easy!" she said

and then she dropped DEAD!

I love this poem. We women really are amazing! I hope I always remember what is really important and somehow manage to prioritize the crazy demands of life!