Holly Jolly Christmas

Christmas at the Dansie household was fantastic! We got everything cleaned up and put away and other than all the new toys that are still finding a home, you would never even know Christmas happened here! For the first time in years we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with my family. It was so much fun and totally reminded me of all the Christmas traditions that I grew up with.

Jeff's parents spent Christmas in Ohio visiting his brother so we celebrated Christmas with them yesterday. The kids thought it was great to have two Christmases!

When Daisy realized that Santa didn't bring her a real puppy, she was very sad and disappointed. She decided that this easel that he brought instead would be ok, especially after she got to paint.

Levi LOVED everything he opened and was so enthusiastic about all the gifts that he made everyone smile. One of his favorites are these blocks from Grandma Jones.

All of us felt especially grateful to celebrate the holiday with so many family members. We had Christmas Eve at my Grandma's house with about 55 family members, woke up Christmas morning at my parents house, then went back to Grandma's for breakfast. We got to see my great-grandma for the first time in years. After opening gifts there (where my grandma gave Daisy her very own sewing machine!) we headed to my paternal grandparents house. After a brief delay of getting stuck in the snow we made it in to spread our Christmas cheer. We are so blessed to have so much family so close!

Dear Santa....

Jeff and I had gotten a baby sitter and spent the evening together finishing up our Christmas shopping. That night as I was tucking her in bed, Daisy asked me, "Mom, does Santa have any dogs?"

"I don't know," I replied, "I know he has reindeer."

"Well I want him to bring me a dog. A real dog."

This was a new revelation. I brushed if off telling her, "Maybe you'll have to write him a letter," hoping she would forget about it in her sleep. No such luck. FIRST thing the next morning she woke me up to ask if I could help her write a letter to Santa. I just had to scan it before we sent it off.

Almost Halfway!

I have been praying for the last week to be able to feel the baby move. I just needed the reassurance. Well, my prayer was answered in the middle of the night. It was 2:30 in the morning and I had just gone to check on Daisy. As soon as I got back into bed I laid my hands across my waist and felt the baby - not just inside, but with my hands on the outside. Then it happened again. I woke Jeff up and made him feel it too just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. He said he couldn't believe that the baby doesn't yet weigh a pound and you can feel it so strongly.
Top 5 Reasons I Love This Stage of Pregnancy:
1. Feeling the baby!
2. Daisy talking to my belly.
3. Telling people 'no' when they ask if I'm expecting, just for kicks.
4. Wearing big comfy hoodies every day.
5. Eating lemons with salt - yum!

Top 5 Reasons I Would Complain if I Weren't So Excited:
1. Too fat for big pants, not big enough for maternity.
2. Eating more than my entire family put together at every meal.
3. Back fat...I thought the baby was in my belly!
4. The pass-out low blood sugar feeling I get if I don't eat every 12 minutes.
5. Pregnancy acne - just like high school.

Thanksgiving!

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with my mom's family at my Grandparent's house. This photo is of me, my mom, and my grandma. I love having Thanksgiving there because it is just like Thanksgiving was when I was young - totally chaotic, yummy, loud, and crazy. There were about 40 people there, which is a little shy of what it usually is.

This is Levi hanging out with my Grandpa - who just had open-heart surgery. We are so grateful he is recovering so well! The men usually try to wrangle the kids while watching football after dinner.

The women skip out on football and do a 'project' every year. This year we made blankets, book bags and backpacks for the Women and Children's Shelter. It was so fun! We had sewing machines everywhere! Daisy was all about it and got right in on the action. She actually turned out to be quite the seamstress.

I got to go shopping with my mom and sister on 'Black Friday' (and eat at In 'N Out Burger - hooray!) but the trip was cut short because we had to be back in town for the Annual Christmas Festival, and I was in charge of the Craft Show. We got back late Friday night to set up tables and chairs, and I was up at 6:00 Saturday morning to bake and get ready. The Christmas Festival was a great success. In addition to the Craft Show, Tree Festival, Pageant, and Santa (above) we added our first ever Christmas Light Parade. It was so great! Jeff and Levi rode on our ward's float and Daisy and I watched with some of the cousins.
Last night was our ward Christmas party. This year instead of having Santa, the activities committee did "Back to Bethlehem." Everyone came dressed up in bible era clothes (yes, there were a lot of people in their bathrobes.) Each family was given a small drawstring sack of coins after they were counted for the 'census' by Caesar Augustus. We went around to several 'shops' in the 'market' to buy our meal. You can see some of the shops in the background of the photo. We all sat on blankets on the floor to eat. Each family brought 'taxes' (canned food) which were collected by Roman Soldiers (in fantastic costumes) for the food bank. There was singing of Christmas carols and a live nativity. I couldn't believe how much work they went to! It was such a great opportunity to talk to Daisy about why we have Christmas in the first place. Her and Levi were both so excited to dress up - she thought she was Mary. It totally put me in the Christmas spirit!

Romantic Weekend Getaway

Jeff and I just returned from a 'Romantic Weekend Getaway.' Halfway through the move we decided if we survived we definitely deserved some couple time before Jeff started school and I got too pregnant to enjoy myself. We needed to go somewhere close and inexpensive. Growing up in Southern Utah it seems like we went to Zion for all sorts of picnics, dates, and activities, but I haven't been there since I moved away to college. We decided it was the perfect destination. After dropping the kids off with my parents we headed to St. George and went to High School Musical 3. It was the opening night for Twilight so we were the only ones in the theater...literally, which made things very fun! The next morning we went to the temple and then ate at Iggy's (yum!) before heading over to Rockville. We stayed at this charming Bed & Breakfast (pictured) called the Rockville Rose. We had never stayed at a bed & breakfast before and we were a little nervous, but it was perfect! Our room was adorable and the home made breakfast was amazing! If you ever decide to stay near Zion, this would be on the top of my recommendation list.

Just a few miles outside of Rockville is the ghost town of Grafton. My grandma lived there when she was a little girl. There is not much there now, only a few buildings and a cemetery, but the place has a ton of history and amazingly beautiful surroundings.

This may seem like a strange picture of the Grafton Cemetery, but I posted it because you can see the mounds; each of the graves, even those without headstones, are mounded. I hadn't seen anything like it before. A few of the headstones even read 'killed by Indians.'

We had a blast hiking Zion. We did several trails and took lots of pictures. I swear I don't know how couples survive without spending time together like this! It was the greatest thing to just talk about everything and have nothing but each other to worry about.

Zion was maybe even more beautiful than I remember. The weather was perfect (which is unusual because Zion is typically way too hot!) and the 'season' is over so the crowds were very thin and we were able to drive instead of taking the shuttle. We saw a ton of climbers scaling the giant walls. Jeff's most exciting thing was the bucks we saw because we were able to get really close to them. By the end of our mini vacation we were both ready to see the kids again but we came away somewhat renewed and a little more grateful for life, nature, and each other.

More You Didn't Want to Know About Me

My friend Shalise tagged me, so here you go:
Rules: Post eight habits, quirks, or interesting facts about yourself then tag eight people at the end.
1. I am not a girly girl, even though sometimes I wish I was. I don't wear perfume, jewelry (really - none, just my wedding ring and a pair of small silver hoops,) paint my nails, color my hair, and I wear jeans almost every day.
2. I don't like to shop. I mean really shop. I don't mind doing the grocery shopping and basics like that, it doesn't bother me or even feel like a chore, but I don't like to go shopping for clothes, shoes, decorations, furniture, etc. I would much rather browse online and not have to deal with stores, racks, crowds, salespeople, or trying things on.
3. My favorite drink is water. I prefer it over anything else. I rarely order a 'value meal' because I would rather have water than soda. I drink a ton of it and there's nothing I like more.
4. Three of my great-grandmothers are still living, which means we have five generations three different ways. Two of them are in poor health, but one of my Great-Grandmothers will most likely be around for a while to come. This is not only a 'unique' thing about me, but a very cool blessing.
5. I have an obsession with putting shopping carts away. It drives me CRAZY when people unload their cart and PUSH IT INTO THE PARKING LOT to hit someone else's car. If you push it out, put it away. It's not that difficult. I've often watched people go to more effort to wedge their car into the curb or grass than it would take to put it into the little cart corral.
6. I love mustard. I think it is the greatest invention ever that someone took a little seed, crushed it, mixed it with vinegar and voila! Mustard! It has such a great unique flavor and is good on nearly everything. I dip my french fries and pretzels in mustard, and now Daisy does too.
7. I had VERY blond hair as a child. It gradually got darker as I got older, then when I stopped coloring it in college it was very dark brown - only my eyebrows didn't get the memo and they are still blond, which means I have to color them every day. Yes, I look very funny without my make-up on.
8. I am NOT a night owl. Jeff teases that the coach turns into a pumpkin at 10:05. I can't stay awake and I am no fun at night. I can get up at 5:30 (but why would I unless I have to) and be good to go all day long, but put me to bed early.
I tag Christel, Jana, Susan, Emily, Brandi, Bethany, Kadie, and Rachel.

Body Worlds

Jeff and I went to Body Worlds last night with his mom and dad, brother and sister and their spouses. It was so nice to have an 'adult night out.' We ate at the Texas Roadhouse (yum!) and then headed to The Leonardo in Salt Lake. (http://www.theleonardo.org/)


There is NO PHOTOGRAPHY allowed, which naturally troubled me as a blog addict, so even though these photos from the internet aren't very good it gives you and idea of what it's all about. A German doctor invented a process called 'plastination' where he takes real donated bodies and preserves them by transforming them into a form of plastic.

Seeing the inside of our bodies in all different positions was fascinating. If you have ever taken anatomy or even human biology you would totally dig this exhibit. One of my favorite exhibits was the Early Stages of Pregnancy. There was a set of 9 or ten glass cylindars each containing an embryo at a different week between week 3 and week 9. They were naturally very difficult to see because they were so small, but it was awe inspiring to see the fingers, toes, spinal column and eyes on an embryo only 9 weeks old and less than 1/2 inch long.

Another of my favorites was a man with one hand in the air holding all of his internal organs in the exact positions they are found inside our bodies. His back was open and lifted so you could see the cavity inside.

Here are a few things I took away from the experience:

1. Plastinated bodies must need to be preserved in high temperatures because it was somewhere around 117 degrees in there and we were all DYING!

2. People will take an infant and breastfeed ANYWHERE!

3. Call me naive but it is impossible for me to imagine how anyone could look at these bodies and not be convinced that we were created by an all-knowing perfect God. It was such a testament to me of the perfection of His creation.

4. While I'm certainly not disputing his genius, I think this Gunther Von Haggen (the German doctor) has to be a little twisted.

5. The exhibit closes in January so make time to see it before it's gone!

Elk Hunt 2008

Jeff drew out on the Late Limited-entry Any Bull Elk hunt. He's been very excited and a little stressed. He's been looking at maps, finding trails, getting new gear, sighting in his gun, and talking elk to everyone he sees. The first picture is of Trevin, Jason, and Jeff with the big kill. Trevin won the camp award for the most impressive horsemanship skills.

The men got the camp trailer and the horse trailer all packed last Friday. I was assigned banana bread, cookies, and stew, along with the grocery list so I had been baking all day. They headed out around noon. He called on Saturday to say they had seen some big bulls, taken some shots, but not had any success. This picture is of Taylor, Ryan, and Jeff. Although Ryan may have been a little disappointed in Jeff's hunting skills, Jeff sure appreciated his help. Sunday when I got home from church Jeff had left a message on the answering machine that he had gotten an elk and they were working on getting it out. He got home late that night and we were all happy to see him, and happy that he wasn't going to be hunting ALL week long.

He was pretty disappointed with his harvest. He's been thinking about it ever since. While it's a nice bull, the biggest one he's ever killed, he said they saw several that were a lot bigger if he would have just waited and taken his time. Now he has a waiting period and won't be eligible for a big bull tag for at least 5 years! I must confess I am relieved that we don't have to mount it, which we would if it were any bigger. Big bull or not, it's all about the memories, right?

Halloween!

Our happy Halloween began with the family Halloween party put on by the party guru herself: Grandma JoAnn. All the cousins came in costume and played all sorts of spooky games including a scavenger hunt and a cupcake walk. Levi's costume wasn't quite ready yet so he had to substitute as a 'hunter.'

We carved pumpkins for family home evening. Daisy really got into digging the guts out. Levi said it was 'stinky.'

Thursday the kids got to wear their costumes to the preschool Halloween party, then Thursday night Jeff and I transformed ourselves into mechanics for the Couples Costume version of Supper Club. We even had a couples pumpkin carving contest!

Friday we were all set to go trick-or-treating. Levi's 'dinosaur rex' was a dream come true thanks to Grandma Jones. What could be better than being a two-year-old boy who could transform yourself into a dinosaur and then you knock on doors and people give you candy? We hit all the preschool, nursery and primary friends, a few relatives and called it a night. Happy Halloween!

Time To Tell...

Yeah! We're having a baby! After everything looked good on ultrasound yesterday we held a special family home evening to tell the kids. Daisy was so excited she wanted to call everyone right that second. She grabbed the phone asking us to help her dial all her grandparents, cousins, and friends.

Top 5 Reasons I Would Complain if I Weren't So Excited:
1. My boobs are killing me.
2. I waste most of my time (asleep or awake) thinking about food.
3. I pee 643 times a day (and night.)
4. After my 2 mile run I feel as though I've tried to climb Everest.
5. I'm already getting fat.

Top 5 Reasons I Love This Stage of Pregnancy:
1. I can blame everything on the baby
a) "We're having cold cereal for dinner?"
"Sorry, I didn't feel like cooking, I'm sure you understand."
b) "You ate ALL the cheesecake?"
"Like I had a choice! The baby loves cheesecake!"
2. Ultrasound! Seeing the miracle move inside of you before you can even feel it is breathtaking.
3. I can spend hours reading What to Expect When You're Expecting and From Conception to Birth and not get bored.
4. Food tastes SOOO good!
5. Telling everyone!

I'm 12 1/2 weeks along putting the due date at May 4, which is pretty much perfect. Big and fat through the winter when I can just wear sweaters and hoodies, a brand new baby at the end of spring just in time for the warm weather and coming out of the sick season. Three's the charm, right?

Eight Things

Tag I'm it...again

Eight things I'm passionate about:
1. Jeff
2. my kids
3. the Gospel
4. food
5. the United States
6. Disney
7. journaling
8. education

Eight words or phrases I use all the time:
1. Is that a good choice?
2. You have to have one more bite.
3. I love you!
4. Daisy, stop sucking your thumb.
5. Remember the rules.
6. 'for real'
7. hurry!
8. I'm going to beat you (I know that is awful, but it's true!)

Eight things I want to do before I die:
1. Serve at least one mission
2. Run a marathon
3. Write and publish a book
4. Earn my doctorate degree
5. Make sure my kids know that my family is the very most important thing in my life.
6. (try to) Learn an Asian language (I bombed Chinese in college)
7. go white water rafting
8. before I die? Be spiritually prepared

Eight things I currently want or need:
1. A vacation with Jeff!
2. To get our basement apartment done so we are a little more settled
3. cheesecake
4. eggs (I forgot to grab them at the grocery store!)
5. fresh citrus (can you tell I like food?)
6. to pay my bills (yuck!!)
7. my windows washed
8. a hip new outfit (I am totally a frumpy mom when it comes to wardrobe.)

Eight Places I want to visit:
1. NYC
2. London
3. Rome
4. Togo
5. The Redwood Forest
6. Maine
7. Thailand
8. Costa Rica

Eight Favorite Restaurants:
1. Pizza Factory
2. In N Out Burger
3. Taco Bell (call me crazy, I love the place.)
4. Chilis
5. Olive Garden
6. Quiznos (what does it mean when half of my 'favorite restaurants' are fast food?)
7. The Bombay House
8. The Brick Oven

Eight TV show I watch:
1. I
2. Don't
3. Have
4. Television
5. and
6. haven't
7. for over
8. seven years

Eight People I tag:
1. Brandi
2. Kendra
3. Susan
4. Rachel
5. Jana
6. Mindy
7. Marissa
8. Mandi

"Our Dad is a Handsome Man"

Mandi tagged me with the 'husband tag' and even though I know Jeff will not be pleased with this, who can resist a tag? The title, by the way, is something Daisy says almost every day. I have to agree.
1. Where did you meet your husband? We met at Snow College. He moved into my apartment complex in January. He and his roommate came up to our apartment pretending to be our Home Teachers so they could get in the door and get to know us (remember Jana, Mindy, Lauren, & Christel??)
2. How long did you date before you got married? Six months to our engagement, married three months after that.
3. How long have you been married? 6 1/2 years.
4. What does he do that surprises you? Buy a horse trailer on ebay at midnight, then drive to Missouri to get it (yeah, didn't see that coming!)
5. What is your favorite feature of his? Mmmm. His butt, his hands, NOT his feet!
6. What is his best quality? Patience! He is seriously the most patient person I have ever met.
7. Does he have a nickname for you? Lover, sexy mama, sweet cheeks, the list goes on and on (haha) No real nickname.
8. What is his favorite food? Probably steak and potatoes, I guess, but the man will seriously eat anything. He is the least picky person ever when it comes to food.
9. What is his favorite sport? Football, but he's not a huge sports fan. He likes horses.
10. When and where did you first kiss? On our first date at his parents' house watching a movie.
11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Be together! We like to go get an ice cream, meet for lunch, and lay in bed talking at night.
12. Do you have any children? Daisy and Levi
13. Does he have any hidden talents? He is a great driver. He can put a semi with two trailers anywhere you want him to. He doesn't get worked up in traffic, and he is totally aware of what's going on around him.
14. How old is he? 30!
15. Who said 'I love you first'? He did. I wanted to, but I was waiting for him to do it.
16. What is his favorite music? He likes pretty much anything, but his radio is always on the 'classic country' station (NOT my favorite - sorry Jana.)
17. What do you admire most about him? Oh, wow, nearly everything. I guess that's why I love him so much - because I simply want to be more like him. I admire his parenting skills, his work ethic, his sense of humor, the way he NEVER complains, and much, much more. I guess the thing I appreciate the most would be his sensitivity. He has this incredible gift to be able to put himself in someone else's shoes. This effects the way he speaks to, acts around, and treats other people, and it enables him to better serve those around him and meet their needs. Because of his sensitive empathy he is always careful to cast judgement. He is amazingly sensitive to me and my many moods. I say it's a gift because I sincerely believe that it is.
18. What is his favorite color? blue.
19. Will he read this? Yes, but not for a while.
20. Who do you tag? Brandi, Mindy, Lauren, Christel, Lindsay, Jana, and Tenille.

Apartment Sweet Apartment

I haven't lived in an apartment since my first year of college seven years ago. I must say apartment living is a little different these days now that I have a family, but it (so far) is not nearly as bad as I expected. We spent our first night here on Thursday and officially turn over the house tomorrow morning. I never in my worst nightmares imagined how incredibly difficult moving was going to be. Now I have some sympathy for all of you that have moved all over the country and back! It was entirely exhausting mentally, emotionally, and physically. I cannot comprehend what it would have been like without all the help of our friends, family members and ward members. They were right there with us every step of the way. They packed boxes, lifted and carried, kept the kids, brought in meals, cleaned, cleaned and cleaned. Through all these changes I cannot help but reflect on our abundant blessings. I thought I would feel deprived and sacrificial, but I have become so aware of what an amazing opportunity this is and how we have been helped every step of the way. Today as I listened to Conference and attempted to tackle some of the 437 boxes that are stacked floor to ceiling in the apartment, there were so many times that I felt reassurance, comfort, and motivation. I have always loved Conference, but it was such a sweet blessing for it to fall on the same weekend that we had to be out of the house. I so desperately needed the spiritual sustenance that I gain from General Conference. So now we are unpacking rather than packing and trying to get settled in. Other than that, it's life as usual: laundry, dishes, bills, etc. Normal is good.

Time Out For Me!

I spent the weekend in Las Vegas at Time Out for Women with one of my oldest friends in the world, Brandi, and her beautiful friend Melissa. I had always thought Time Out sounded like fun, but if Brandi hadn't called me and started putting it all together way back in April, it would have never materialized. I am so grateful she did!
We were stoked to get these cute totes, but even better were the amazing presenters. President Hinckley's daughter, Virginia Hinckley Pierce was there unannounced and was simply fantastic. Amanda Dickson (author of Wake Up To A Happier Life) was SO funny, Hilary Weeks was incredibly inspiring, and that was just the start.
I only knew a few of Hilary Weeks' songs before I went, but I walked away craving more. More than just astound us with her music, she shared so many inspiring stories and life experiences.
This is us with Due West (check them out at www.duewest.com) lead singer Tim Gates. He has the MOST AMAZING voice! Can't wait for their CD to be released.
We, of course, had to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. I confess it was my first time there and I was pretty much floored by the cheesecake. It was SO yummy. I was so glad to spend this time rejuvenating before I had to start packing and moving! Brandi and Melissa were great. Time Out is coming to St. George next November and all I can say is I'm there. Let me know if you want to join me.

Going, going, gone

Since before Jeff and I got married 6 1/2 years ago we have been talking about him going back to school. He graduated with his associates degree and never went any further, but has always wanted to. It has been a never-ending discussion. We have always talked about what he would major in and where he would go if he did decide to go back. This summer as we continued to talk - and pray - about it, we came to the conclusion that if he really wanted to go back, waiting longer was not going to do us any good. It became clear that if we were serious about this we would need to sell our house.

We built this home together right after we got married. We moved in as we celebrated our first anniversary. We finished the yard together, planted the garden together, and brought our babies home to this house. I love this house. I love the yard and the neighborhood and the ward. I love that it is something we built together.

We knew that selling the home would be nearly impossible in this depressed market, but we decided that if it was the right thing to do, it would all work out. As comfortable and happy as our lives are, we knew that we didn't want to be sitting around at age 60 wishing we would have gone back to school when we could have. As my mom told me, the only regrets are the chances not taken. So we took the leap of faith and put our house up for sale, trusting that it would only sell if it were meant to be. It was on the market for a month and two days when it sold. We now have less than a month before we have to be out.

We have decided that we are going to stay here in town and commute to school for now. We started looking for apartments today. I am feeling so overwhelmed by the whole thing. It is really too much for me to wrap my head around. We have so many decisions that need to be made! At this point I am trying to maintain the same faith we had when we listed the home for sale: if this is the right thing it will all work out, and we will have help along the way. I have to trust that much.

Moonlight Ride

It was the Riding Club's last ride of the season so our whole family went. We started at the top of the canyon and rode about half way down into the Elk Pasture where we had dinner. Daisy rode Sparkles Rope the whole way all by herself. And yes, I am riding a mule. Don't ask.
I can't beleive how cold it is already! I don't think I'm ready for summer to be over yet. The canyon was beautiful, however. The leaves are changing and they were brilliant.
It's called the Moonlight Ride because after we ride in and eat dinner, we ride out by the light of the moon. Only, I took the kids home and put them to bed instead. The men rode out.
Levi rode halfway with Jeff and halfway with our nephew, Trevin. He looks a lot like Trevin and we always tease that they could be brothers instead of cousins. Levi adores him and calls him his 'buddy.'
This is Daisy with her uncle Jason and cousin Ashlyn. It was so fun to be able to go with the whole fam. I didn't start riding until after I met Jeff and now we have so much fun doing it, especially since our kids can go a lot of the time. Even though I think horses are a lot of work - whether it is taking care of them or riding them - I can't really think of a family activity that compares.

Jumpin' Jacks

Saturday was the annual Dansie Family Picnic, which is an extreme shortened version of a family reunion. We all bring a salad, meet up Spanish Fork canyon, eat, and it's done. This year Jeff and his brother went on up the canyon to go for a horse ride so my sister-in-law and I decided to take the kids somewhere fun. We were going to go to the movie, but there was nothing kid-friendly playing, so we decided to give Jumpin' Jacks a try.
It's a big warehouse-type room full of giant inflatables, (which reminded me of my Grad Night Bash...) to jump, play, and slide on. You pay an admission fee and then play as long as you want. At first I thought the kids would get bored fast, but they played for almost 3 hours and would've stayed longer if they hadn't gotten hungry.
Levi cracked us all up because he was right up there with the big kids bouncing all over the place, not scared in the least. The next day he added "jumpin' jacks" to his vocabulary.
I even payed the admission fee and did a little jumping myself. I'm thinking we may have to make a trip back there someday. If you go: take socks, they are a requirement for everyone, even adults just watching. Eat before you go in. There is no food or drink allowed inside. Take your camera - it's lotsa fun!

Lost & Found

It all happened at Wal-Mart, which is already one of my least favorite places on the planet. I stopped just to grab a few necessities: diapers, detergent, the usual. We were in the place for a total of 32 minutes max. I got back to the car and loaded my purchases and my children when I discovered that my keys were MIA. Since I always put my keys in one pocket and my cell phone in the other, it occurred to me that they must have fallen out of my pocket. So after searching around the car I loaded the kids back into the cart and proceeded to retrace our steps through the entire cursed store. Nothing. Surely, I thought, someone has found them and turned them in. So I went to customer service, waited in the line-that-never-ends and asked about my lost keys. Nothing. So we decided to retrace our steps again. Maybe if they fell onto the floor they got kicked under a shelf. There I was, down on my hands and knees, searching under the shelves on each aisle we had walked down. In the midst of this treasure hunt Daisy announces that she needs to use the bathroom. We race to the front of the store and I realize at this point that somehow Levi managed to remove his shoes when we went to the car. He is barefoot. This means I am trying to help Daisy use the bathroom and hold Levi (who DOES NOT want to be held) so that he does not risk his life by walking on the Wal-Mart bathroom floor barefoot. You could say the whole bathroom experience was less than pleasurable. Since we are already close, I decide to stop by customer service once again. The lady was actually extraordinarily sympathetic and announced over the PA that if anyone has found keys to bring them to customer service. I am certain this will be the ticket. The kids and I make ourselves comfortable at the Automated Application Station and wait for the good Samaritan to arrive bearing my keys. Well that lasts like two minutes. It is right smack in the middle of the kids' nap time and they are pretty much sick of being at Wal-Mart. We go buy a snack. As I am paying it dawns on me that my keys likely fell into one of my sacks. Aha! We hurry back out to the car to search again. When I can't find them in any of my sacks I proceed to tear apart the interior of my car, ripping out car seats and throwing CD's. They've got to be somewhere! Again, nothing. We load back up and head to customer service once again. By now the kind soul who found my keys will have returned them. The very nice customer service lady doesn't look so happy to see me again. She suggests I write my name and phone number down and she will call me if my keys are found (you know, 'don't call us, we'll call you.') Now I call Jeff and ask him to come get us. While we are waiting for him to arrive (since he has to drive from Nephi to Payson) the kids and I find one of those dirty benches and make ourselves comfortable. I always wondered why people would come to Wal-Mart to sit on a dirty bench, and here I find myself on one. Turns out the kids weren't so keen on sitting quietly on a dirty bench. They were more interested in trying to kill each other. We kindly remove ourselves from the wretched store to go wait in the car. My phone rings before we reach the parking lot. Hooray! It is customer service calling to say they found my keys! No. It is Jeff calling to say he can't leave work to come get us but he will see if his mom can come instead. I ask myself, Is this really my life? We get to the car and I buckle the kids in their car seats. This way they can't touch each other, or me. We open all the doors in order to avoid dying from heat stroke, but don't worry, we are all still sweating and miserable, not to mention embarrassed as all the people walk by wondering why this lady is sitting in her car with all the doors open while her kids scream at the top of their lungs from their car seats and she has her head on the steering wheel as if she is having a hangover in the middle of the afternoon. It has been two hours since I realized my keys jumped out of my pocket. My phone rings. Jeff's mom is on her way. Praise to my mother-in-law who dropped everything to bring me my spare keys. We finally got home and I was thinking how awful it was for some teenager to find my keys on the floor at Wal-Mart and not turn them in because they thought it was funny. I drove up to my nephew's football game and then later I ran to the grocery store to get some milk. When I got home from the store I set my wallet on top of my car to get Levi out of his car seat. As I set my wallet down I heard the familiar sound of small metal objects touching each other. My keys. On top of my car. Right where I had left them. Yes, they made the trip home on the freeway and everything. And yes, this is my life.

Antimony

We spent the weekend in Antimony, Utah at the first annual Sullivan Sisters Stampede, which is code for Family Reunion.

My Great-Grandma Sullivan (with the white hair) had three daughters. All three daughters and their families got together this year at her daughter's ranch in Antimony for a family reunion. These were the people I spent every Christmas and Thanksgiving with growing up, so it was so great to see everyone now that we are grown up and have children of our own. Even though we were all dirty from camping I had to get this 5 Generation picture with my mom, myself, my Grandma Holyoak holding Daisy, and my Great-Grandma Sullivan.
My Great-Aunt JoAnn has the neatest ranch there in Antimony and was so nice to invite us all there. When the (tiny) town was first settled hundreds of years ago there were three original log homes built. She lives in one of the original three. This picture was taken above her bed where you can see the original log wall.
While this is not the original fireplace, it is used to heat the two-room home and the small brick portion on the wall above is from the original fireplace.
The whole ranch boasts of history complete with more antiques than you could number.

This is an old 'sheep camp' that my cousin and her husband restored and took up to the ranch to stay in when they visit.
This is the 'out house' - literally. See how there is no door and no roof. The toilet paper roll is mounted under a coffee can which is nailed to the wall in order to keep it dry. You see the rolled up orange flag in the upper right hand corner...the flag is hung when the latrine is occupied.
This is the original log home. You can see the logs as well as the old wooden shutters.
The log home has only a kitchen area and a bedroom area. The porch is as roomy as the whole inside.
This separate building is called the Milk House because it is where the cows were milked when the ranch used to be a dairy. It now houses the only indoor bathroom on the ranch, as well as a loft where all the grandkids sleep.

Our family had such a good time! My favorite part was the night we had a slide show with hundreds of old slides of my family. There were slides of my ancestors who settled St. George along with funny candid shots of my mom and her sisters growing up. The weather was perfect the entire weekend and it was so great to just kick back with each other.
We took the horses down so Jeff ended up spending most of his time helping all the little kids ride. Daisy was really good to share Sparkles Rope.
There were tons of activities for the little kids and they were never bored. Levi LOVED the "Big Dig" where he found two balls - to throw at everyone!
In addition to riding horses, playing with the kids, and just lounging around we rode four-wheelers here and there. The entire ranch house is surrounded by alfalfa fields and giant trees. It was entirely serene and even the air smelled sweet. It was such a nice reminder that family really is the most important thing and that any effort made to keep family ties strong is well worth it.