Look at what's growing in UTah

Here is Sierra's potato patch...looking nice!

And here are my peppers. We dug out the front part this year to make the bed bigger. Sierra is also my water gal, so this gets a daily dose from her.

These are the out of control raspberry bushes and there are strawberries in the front. And the berries look like they came from the store! WOW! And does anyone want raspberry starts?

This is the pea/lettuce/spinach/cantalope/broccoli/ and corn patch. And all those plants in the front are volunteer pumpkin starts from the composting efforts last fall. I think we'll have a few pumpkins this year!

And Shannan, when does the broccoli get those nice flowers on them to eat?

Flowers, Flowers all in bloom. The plants are looking great. I'm trimming down the tulips as they die. That was one tip that I got off the internet. Wait till they die before cutting them down, that way the bulb gets the nutrients for the next spring.

Well, here's the garden so far.

Memorial Day WEEKEND OF FUN!!!

Wow, this has been one our families more favorite holidays this year! All we did was have a GREAT TIME! Our fabulous weekend started out with a great neighbourhood BBQ and I had all April's kids too. We were doing a cousin sleepover and this time the girls came down for some fun as well. And all the neighborhood people were wondering where these new additions were coming from, seeing that we has had an run-in with a neighborhood boy as well. All went just swimmingly. And I talked for 2 hours with someone I didn't really know before that night. Great fun.

Then Sat. at 7AM we were all off to Waterfall Canyon in Ogden to hike up to the falls. And I think everyone in Ogden had that same idea. The parking at the top of 29th was all over the place. Us and about 200 Ogdenites joined us on our fabulous hike. I got to be in charge of Virginia who proceeded to touch every rock on the trail...on or off the trail. I finally stopped the redirecting and just held onto her hand. And that trail isn't as long as I remembered it. My dad came as well, which I was glad, seeing that we needed at least one adult with the front runners on the trail. And the Falls were a flowing. Dallin, Hyrum, and Kellis got chilled in the spray trying to have their picnic on the other side of the falls. My Hyrum was the only one to kiss a rock with his forehead. Poor guy. Well, afterwards, we had another fabulous BBQ provided by Grandma Sue, and swimming at the pool at April's . Wonderful day.

We follow Saturday's events with a completed basement from the Shawn who now is totally glad that he can be involved with other things other than the basement. Shawn's brother Jared and Carolyn, Ashlee and Brooklyn came for a visit. We busted out the dutch ovens and had another feast! The girls are so cute and we haven't seen them forever. Well, I haven't. Shawn and Dallin were all buddies with them because they say them in April when they went dirt biking. We had a great time with the Jared's showing them the Mine, and slide rock and Timp. cave.

Us waiting at the cave enterance.

Shawn inside the cave.

We now have officially kicked off the summer activites!

Mother's day, Flowes and music

The Month of May is turning out lovely! And I love flowers, and my kids and music and my honey. And thank you family for being my biggest fan. You guys know how to love me.

We usually go to the Music and the Spoken word for mother's day on Sunday, but we had to post pone that by 1 week so my mother's day lasted for 2 weeks! Any of yours?

The choir was fabulous! And I have the honor to say that I've sung with the Choir now. After the regular broadcast, they were doing a mini concert for a special group that was in attendance, and they sung the Battle Hymn of the Republic. The conductor turned around during part of the ch ours and lead the audience and we all got to sing along with the choir. So fun.

After the choir. I went on the Temple Square Garden tour, which was spectacular. (HEy Shannan, you'd be all over this! I even learned about this awesome perennial called a Spanish Bluebell that looks fantastic and I'm gonna try and order some for the fall!)

The tulips were just about done with, they've started their pull outs of the spring flowers but left this bed in for 1 more week. Also found out that they compost their old bulbs, so darn.

Look at my cute boys by the Assemble Hall. Everyone loves this annual trip to Temple Square in the spring. And it's always great to give Hyum the camera. Mom and Sierra at the broadcast.

We also explored the surrounding areas of Temple square. East of the temple grounds is City Creek park and the Brigham Young Gardens. This is Dallin going through the tunnel and out the other side. Always up for a challenge. Hyrum did it first, and made it through so, Dallin cannot be upstaged by that!

But as a funny side note, Hyrum while jumping from rock island to island, fell in and got his church shoes all wet. Sierra at the Brigham Young gardens. We ate lunch over here. Very peaceful.
Shawn and Hyrum acting out the statue in the background. p.s. I think the hitter position is tons better that the holder one!

Well, the month of May is turning out quite wonderful!

The Flower garden, Part 2

Oh Spring has finally sprung! Look at the pretty flowers. And I even weeded for the picture! You all are making my garden more beautiful because now I'm accountable for every weed! Now, all I need to do is fill in with some annuals that my family is buying me for mother's day. And I had to do a lot of convincing with that. All I want this year is flowers, peace and happiness. I totally know what my mom was talking about with wanting peace and happiness for at least one day.

This is what happens when you walk away!

Well, yes, when you have 2 burners on, trying to cook sunday dinner for 12, life is a bit out of control. So, I ran out of salt, left the cookbook on the burner that was not "on", then turned "on" the back burner and went downstairs for the salt. I hear this, "mom"...................................."mom"...........................

"I'm downstairs"

"mom"......................................."mom"............................

Ahhh, I'm getting the salt

"mom"......................................"mom".............................

I"M DOWNSTAIRS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!OK WHAT!

so I do upstairs to flames under the cookbook!

"AHHHH THE COOKBOOK IS ON FIRE!!!!!"

Shawn ripped it off the stove. and all the windows opened.

So, we had a lesson on fire saftey. First, if there is a fire, please yell, "FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" that will get my attention lots more than, "mom"

Second, do you all know where the fire extinguisher is, and how to use it?

ok,

wheeew!

The Mesa Verde Adventure!

Mesa Verde, when I mentioned that we were going there for Spring break, people either had never heard of it, or "THAT'S THE COOLEST PLACE" We were sure hoping for the later, and I have to say, it has held up to that title!

This is at the Tree house near the visitor's center. Just amazing at the work the people put into their homes

This is the Square House and it looks small, but it's the tallest dwelling in the park, about 40 feet up, and that's way way down there, and you should of seen the cliff they scaled to get to their home. They came down from the top, over the edge!

We hit all the highlights of the park that were open. The dear lady at the Visitor Center was so kind to remind me that it was still winter here in the Rockies. And not wanting to disappoint her, I just smiled and nodded (I wanted to tell her that Snow in April is normal! but didn't want to give away my Utahness)

This snow picture is what we woke up to after our day at Mesa Verde. We were a tad bit wet, and the rain/snow didn't let up till we got to Blanding. We did the ultra cool thing and got us a cheap Motel and even took the kids out to a restaurant. That's high living kids!

The boys had an awesome time building this tent pad artwork at our site at Deadhorse. You can't see the fine detail in this sculpture, they have embedded cacti quills in the wood! SWEET!

We also made it to Canyonlands and to Newspaper rock. That was the only place where we heard, "We drove all this way for that?" But they quickly were satisfied when we let them loose on the surrounding rocks to explore on. We had to on this trip hike to Delicate Arch in Arches. We have missed that one before so that was our whole focus for Arches. And well worth it. In April that is. I can see where that's be a hot one in July!

Weeze is flying off Dead Horse Point, just happy the kids aren't near the edge.

We also had to visit the 4 corners, just to now saw the whole family had been there. And by the way, bring cash to the 4 corners, the Navajo Indians run that place and there isn't any electricity out there so no VISA option. We had to go into town for cash!

All in All, one great trip Family, I Love YOU!

The Garden, part 2

Well, let's see, it's March in Utah, so that means, the garden will look like this one day, and this the next.

I did get the peas, brocolli, and spinach in and they will do fine with a blanket of snow. It doesn't last long. Hope the soil will warm up soon. I tried something new this year, the bamboo stake with twist ties and string for the peas to climb on. I like how the stakes look in the garden. Hopefully it will ward off the neighbor kids from tromping into the garden. The next goal is to paint some signs to mark what I've planted. Just a cute thing.

We have a 1st place winner!

Hyrum Beck,

First Place Science Fair Winner!

Is the Iron in Breakfast Cereal Magnetic?

Well, Hyrum takes the win for the whole family seeing that we've done 1/2 doz. science fairs and were just "participants"

And he gets to go onto district.

Well, getting a project off the internet never seemed so easy.

and ps the iron in your breakfast cereal is magnetic!

The Flower Garden, part 1

Ok, Here's a shout out to all you gardeners. My cousin Shannan and I (and anyone else who wants to post pics of how their gardens are coming you're welcome to!) will be doing a gardening tip of the month or so. So far, I took some pics. of the bulbs coming up. Aren't they pretty? They should be seeing that they all came from the Boise Temple grounds.

I laid down 3 inches of wood chips/mulch as well before the bulbs came up. And we put it down in a horrendous wind storm as well, so there it probably 3 inches there. And I'm going to have to take pics every other day, the flowers are much bigger already.

Three Forks Hot Spring

This was an adventure that was wonderful...after we met a fellow with a snowmobile. We went looking for these hotsprings up Spanish Fork Canyon. We didn't know the road was closed, so we started walking. 5 miles later we gave up when we encounted a fellow going to the said springs. We told us he's shuttle us in on his snowmobile...yea! We usually meet the greatest people out doing the same things we love doing. Needless to say, the soak was worth the 10 miles of walking. Hot spring in the winter is the Best! And Idaho still rules in this area, but we'll take this Utah one.

Draper Temple Open House

We took all the family into their first Temple Open house. I remember my first temple open house and it was the Jordan River Temple in 1982 or 81. The kids had lots of questions and it was so neat to be in there with my whole family. This is Dallin and Sierra 2nd. open house. They went to Timpanogus several years ago. And we all are going to the Orriquah temple open house as well. Man, I'll really have to learn how to spell that one. And we are also all going to the Draper Temple Dedication. Wow, lot of spiritual high here. And we recently all started writing in our journals the first Monday of every month, so this should all be recorded!

The Boys and Daddy went to Montana

Samo & Hyrum, in the Pen!

Samo & Hyrum up on top of Clark's Lookout, in Dillon

For track break, the little boys went with Shawn up to see Grandma in Montana. Great Samo, Hyrum, Daddy time. And they love how dad travles----McDonalds, Burger King, Gas Station treats, and they even went out for dinner twice in Dillon! Needless to say, that is a record in my family. We just aren't the eat out type...you guess it. I'm a cheapo!

Well, they had a wonderful time and the highlight of the trip was the Beaverhead Musuem. Lots of stuffed animals, a large bird display, along with everything you can make out of horns, and the works. Grandma is doing great, just misses Grandpa dearly.

Sorry for the absence

Well, I have recently found out the joys of FACEBOOK! And that's fun and all, but that's where my time has been as of late. Along with my training sched. and work, this has lagged a bit. And I do need to post a few new pics.

25 run and random things you may not know about ME!

Rules- Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If i tagged you, its because I want to know more about you.

1. I have been on top of 27 of the United States High Points with Shawn and a handful of other friends/family. We really love this hobby. IT has taken us places we would never venture to travel if there wasn't a reason.

2. Shawn and I have also been to 27 temples in US and have been to every temple in Utah so far. We love doing that sort of thing.

3. All of my kids have been born in different states. Dallin--CA, Sierra--UT, Hyrum--WI, Samuel--ID

4. I have competed in 3 olympic dist. triathlons, and 1 sprint and am training for my first half-ironman. that's a 1.2 swim, 50 bike, 13.2 run. Oh baby!

5. We just had to say goodbye to our family dog. Well, he went to a new home to live out a happier life. Shawn and the dog had had enough of each other.

6. I becam a working woman. Sorta. Part-time reading coordinator at the kids' elementary school counts. IT's 17 whole hours a week.

7. I now know truly the struggles of a working mom...to a small degree yes.

8. I have only been to a chiropractor once. all good there.

9. This is the first one of these kind of survey things I have ever done. Sorry to you all that send them to me and I read and delete. Here's you payback.

10. I can make good chocolate chip cookies...my kids think there're awesome.

11. I am planning on going to my 20year high school reunion...everyone need to come

12. I broke a 15 year old BYU swimming record in the 200 fly. Time of 2:03.64? Then it was broken the next year.

13. I'm thinking about going back to school and doing something in the medical field...like surgical nurse, or rad. tech.

14. I played at duet with Hyrum at a piano recital. He's way beyond me now

15. I learned how to play the trumpet for the parent's band.

16. I have broken 6 bones and 6 sets of stitches. Nothing has happened really since I was 16.

17. I have only had the flu once. And that was when I had 2 kids, one infant with a double ear infection and a husband working in a different state.

18. I absolutely dreaded working with the young women 6 years ago and now they are my favorite!

19. I love MT. Dew. My Shawn got me hook on that in college. I used to call it pee water...oh not anymore. That's my get things done drink!

20. I have mailed out Christmas card every year of our marriage except this one...that bum economy ya know. sorry about that.

21. I can take the kids dirt bikng. That's a feat loading the bikes on the trailer, starting them, and putting them back on the trailer. Just don't ask me to back up the trailer. I'll just abandon that in the street.

22. I can now play the guitar on Rock band. I am also the token singer for the group. because no one wants to sing.

23. I just completed my food storage update and found that we are sitting pretty for 4 months....need to keep adding to that.

24. I am so sad that ER is in it's final season...you've been a good friend.

25. I helped the boys learn how to do a back flip on the tramp. Oh the Olympics were so inspiring.

so now everyone that I always delete those fun survey thinggys, sorry and here's my penitence.