The Big Biking Trip

Moss and two of his good friends have been planning this trip for several weeks now and were like a bunch of boy scouts as they loaded up all their gear. They were very excited to get out on the trail and put their strength to the test.

Here is an attempt at Jiffy pop on an open fire. They ended up not eating their tinfoil dinner until about one in the morning. But thanks to Lisa it was delicious.

I had to laugh at the thought of all 3 of them crowding into one small tent. So they were kind enough to include a picture. Poor Dave had no mat and was stuck against the side of the wet tent. Moss is always glad for the opportunity to build up his supply of camping gear and got himself a nice little self inflating bedmat. Of course after a good nights sleep he was convinced it was worth every penny.

This is the Katy Trail. It used to be a train route, but they cleared out all the tracks and made a nice trail across Missouri. It is such a nice trail to have through our city. There are a lot of different spots where you can get on and just go for an outing. Over all they had a great time with a lot of laughs and a very sharp learning curve. I guess there won't be any bike trailers on the next trip.

Happy Father's Day to Moss

Well, besides having already given him 4 perfect children, Moss got his first ipod. He definitely got spoiled this year. Fortunately he deserves it because he is such a great dad. The kids adore and admire him, as well as take him for granted. He is great at taking them out and spending quality time with them. We are so greatful he is the dad of our family.

One Year to Go.

We just attended the residency graduation celebration last week and in two weeks Moss will officially be in his senior year of residency. We are amazed at how fast residency has gone in comparison to medical school. We have loved our time here and are very sad at the thought of it ending. But of course the end is not quite in sight as Moss is planning to do a fellowship. So what is a few more years of training after you have already spent eight learning your profession???? We truly are so thankful for the wonderful people here and how supportive they have been. It has really been like having family around.

Short term pets

Since we have put a hold on getting any "real" pets like a dog, the kids (and Moss) have found other ways to fill our life with a variety of pets. The turtle stayed with us longer than planned, of course, and the kids were sad to let him go. When Moss told the kids we could keep it for two or three days, Jacob promptly said, "I pick three days." I was afraid he was going to starve to death, so yesterday (8 days later) we took him down to a creek and let him wander off into the woods. Fortunately we also were going minnow and crawdad fishing in the creek with little nets so the kids were quickly distracted. Actually they seemed to have forgotten completely about the poor turtle. Frogs are also an exciting find around here. This little guy seemed to sing everytime the kids picked him up. It was quite entertaining.

The Nauvoo Temple

After a very long day outside, we finally took some pictures by the temple. Anna took this artistic photo of Moss and I.

The kids were so beat, and we only got this picture with bribes of frozen custard. It was so bright as the sun was directly in our eyes. The temple is so beautiful. It truly is amazing to think of what it took for the pioneers to build it with out any modern machinery. I am so grateful for the blessings of the temple and the reminder they are of the purpose of this life.

The main reason we decided to take this trip was in preparation of Mary turning 8 next month and preparing for her baptism. We hope she will understand the sacrifices that her anscesters made for the gospel and the great heritage she has been given. She is such a determined girl that I don't think she will have much difficulty following their examples. We are very proud of who she is and the choices she is making.

The BYU Folk Dance Team

We were fortunate to be in Nauvoo for the last weekend of the BYU Folk Dance teams performances at Nauvoo. They were amazing and the kids loved it. They said this was their favorite part of the trip. After the dancing the performers came out into the audience and talked with the kids. There weren't very many people this weekend, so the kids got a lot of attention.

Poor Brooke, as soon as we got out of the car she threw up. Luckily we had several towels from the hotel with us in case we had to sit on the ground. The only upside was that she sat still throughout the performance, which of course is very unusual for her.

Pioneer Games in Nauvoo

We took a family trip this weekend to Nauvoo. One of the activities that they have available for kids is to get dressed up and play pioneer games. This is definitely one of the favorites for the kids. The nicest part is that it is under a shade.

Jacob and Mary were not messing around as they raced their little wooden bears up the ropes. When Jacob finally beat Mary to the top she of course found a way to manipulate the rules so that she could still claim victory

Tour by Carriage

Our kids love horses and love any chance to get near them. We took a tour and they told us a lot of neat stories from the journals of the pioneers. And as you can see below Jacob can truly sleep anywhere.

Swimming Lessons

After a very bad experience with swimming lessons about 3 years ago, I finally signed the kids back up. They are having a great time and learning a lot. Fortunately they all have great teachers, and small classes. Jacob is very glad to have his best little buddy Hunter in his class. They can play for hours and never have a problem.

Track Club

Our community has a free intro to track program, so of course we thought we would give it a try. It is especially nice because Jacob is finally old enough to be included. It is amazing how much they each have improved already. We are focusing on developing their personal skills, and not looking to see if someone is gaining on them. Last week Mary unintentionally came in first in her group for the 400 meter run. Once she realized she had potential, she became very determined to win again. She ran her little heart out. It is fun to see them really work and improve.

Anna is also having a great time learning to do the long jump and beating the other boys. She told me she doesn't want to run unless she can be first, but she seems to be getting over that.

Jacob is just glad to be involved. He doesn't seem to notice everyone around him wether they are in front or behind him. He just watches his little feet as they run down the track. Unfortunately his shoes are a little heavy, but he is convinved they are the fastest shoes around.

Class Adventure

Mary's teacher Mr. Wade has been awesome. She has had so many positive experiences in his class. For the end of the year field trip the kids and the parents went on an adventure hike on a trail not far from our house. I was very glad Moss was available to take her. As you can see below they caught crawdads and other live things. Mary was so pround that her dad was there to catch the most things. Lizzie, who is also in the picture below, has been Mary's best friend in class. They had a great year together.

Brooke's Belated Birthday Celebration

We finally found a day to celebrate Brooke's life with cake and gifts. It might not have happened at all except the kids were insistant that her birthday be celebrated properly. So she received 2 gifts, playdough and a piggy bank that sings and counts. She was thrilled. She is very aware that the pig is soley hers, and protects it vigilantly.

Mmm. Mmm.

Family friendly camping

We have discovered a way to have all the joys of camping without the hassle. There is a great state park north of us about 15 minutes and nobody is ever there. We get to go and have a fire, complete with roasting marshmellows and hotdogs, and the kids get all dirty. We don't have to set up a tent, put kids to bed, or have a terrible nights sleep. we always stay long enough to get really smelly from the smoke, and tell lots of stories. In fact, last time we were booted at 10:30 because it is only for daytime use. We have even trained the kids to sit together and tell their own campfire stories so we can talk as adults. The kids love it and play in the dark until they are exhausted and fall asleep on the way home. It is definitely a family favorite, and of course it is even better to have great friends to do it with.

We even dress them like they have been camping for days!

Do you think 4 marshmellows is enough?