Idaho/Utah Vacation Summer 2008

It's time to catch up on what's been happening with our family the past month.

We were able to take an incredible trip to Idaho/Utah during July. I cried on the way home because I didn't want it to end! I loved everything about our trip. I miss my family up there so much and being able to spend time with some of them was fantastic.

We began our trip on July 17th. We ended up leaving late in the afternoon (Darin had to work 1/2 a day) so "Darin" decided to drive all night. It was exhausting but we were so glad he did because we were able to spend more time in Colorado. We decided to stop at "Seven Falls" in the Colorado Springs area. What an incredibly beautiful place! The temperature was perfect and the views were beautiful. The picture at the top of the blog is from Seven Falls. We rode an elevator in a mountain to the top to have beautiful views of the falls. Then we went back down (Eyn and Trent walked the stairs down) by elevator and everyone except me (there was no way I could do it due to my recent surgery) walked the long, extremely steep stairway to the top of the falls. If you look at this picture closely you can see them climbing the stairs.

This picture shows an exhausted and sore Darin. It was a long stairway!

Once on top, they hiked even further to explore and see what they could find.

I love these pictures they took!

I can honestly say that my children are not afraid of heights and are quite courageous when it comes to climbing! They loved it!!

From Seven Falls we continued to travel straight up through Colorado. It was absolutely beautiful! We loved the Colorado mountains! While in Denver we made a slight deteour and went to see the Denver LDS Temple. It was gorgeous!!

The next day we traveled across Wyoming. This next picture is of Amberly at one of the rest areas we stopped at. It was incredibly windy there! She was fighting the wind trying to stay on the rock!

You can tell how windy it is by looking at her hair.

Trent had to get in on the picture taking too! He's so photogenic!

We arrived in Blackfoot Idaho late that night and stayed with my Mom's Cousin Lois and her family. What a wonderful time we had visiting with them! I feel bad that we didn't go and visit more family while we were there. When we were there it just felt so good to be able to relax.

On Monday we got up and traveled over to Jackson Hole, up through the Teton Mountains and into Yellowstone National Park. What an incredible journey! Our family in Idaho had told us this was the route we should travel and were they ever right!!

We stopped at this lookout point after traveling through the steepest mountains! Our brakes were really hot after we were up there!

At this lookout they had a few trails that went high up the side of the mountain. So, off my hikers went again!! I waited and made friends with a cute little chimpmunk and enjoyed the beautiful wildflowers.

After nearly an hour of waiting for them to come back they arrived out of breath and thirsty. Darin was shaking his head and couldn't believe that he had actually let them hike up there. He said it was extremely steep and dangerous, but our children didn't even flinch. They just wanted to keep going.
We then proceeded to travel through the Teton National Park. The mountains were absolutly beautiful!

We then arrived in Yellowstone. It was getting late in the afternoon so we decided to go to Old Faithful. We made several stops along the way to view the breathtaking views. Words can not decribe how beautiful it was!

At Old Faithful we arrived right after it had errupted so we had a long wait. While we were waiting it began to drizzle and of course we were not all prepared for the weather so we were slightly chilly. (Darin had his jacket, he was the lucky one!) As you can tell by the picture we were slightly damp but we can now say we've seen Old Faithful do her thing!!

The next day we got up early and spent part of the day enjoying the park. We were able to see a few beautiful mooses and some bison. We loved walking down to the edge of the Huge waterfall and being able to be close to it. Our quick trip to yellowstone was just that, quick. We would of enjoyed spending more time there.

We left Yellowstone and traveled to Rexburg Idaho to do a tour of BYU Idaho for Elizabeth. We really enjoyed the tour of the campus and loved the feeling of the campus there. The temple was absolutely beautiful. When you drive into the Rexburg area you instantly see the temple high above the city.
After leaving Rexburg we made a quick stop in Idaho Falls to see the temple there and to feed the ducks. I love the peacefulness we felt there. The ducks were very friendly and we all enjoyed feeding them.
After enjoying another fun evening in Blackfoot with family, we traveled to Salt Lake City. We were able to stay with another one of my Mom's cousin Geri and her family. It was great to be able to see them! We got up early the morning of the 24th to go and watch the Pioneer Day Parade. It was hot and long but we enjoyed all the colorful floats and "Loud" policeman on motorcycles.

It was wonderful to see President Monson as the Grand Marshall of the parade.

After the parade we "had to" go and see the High School used in High School Musical. This was one of Amberly's top requests for our entire vacation! We went back later that evening and were able to see inside the back windows into the cafeteria. It looked just like in the Movie!
The next day we did Temple Square. I love to be on temple square. It's like paradise in the dark and dreary world! This picture is of Trent from the observation deck in the Church office building. I think one of my favorite days was spending Sunday with my brother Tom and his family in Provo. We had such a fun day! They don't live far from the river and Utah Lake so everyone walked over there. The little kids were being good and just put there feet into the water until Uncle Tom dared Elizabeth to do it too. Of course she did and before we knew it they were all drenched! Especially Amberly! Her poor pants didn't want to stay up they were so wet!

We took some fun family pictures. We haven't all been together in over 6 years and that was before Amberly and little Josie were born.

Cousins photo

Josie was so cute! She wanted to sit on her own rock. She was not happy when Hayden got to hold her for a picture. Cute little Josie!
Tom, Hayden and Josie
We had such a fun day! When I figure out how to add a vidio I'll have to add our "Rockstar" jam session. I definetly saw a different side of my brother and husband!! It was so much fun!!

The next day we were able to tour the BYU campus. A huge Thank you to Uncle Tom and Aunt Louise for inviting Eyn, Trent, and Amberly to their house while we spent time on campus. It was fun for me to go back and see the campus up close. It's been a long time since I was a student there! We had a great time there and it was nice to be able to spend that time with Elizabeth talking about college and the Pro's and Con's of where to attend. We ate lunch at the BYU Creamery and enjoyed the yummy ice cream there!
BYUOur last BIG day in Utah was spent at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon. What an amazing day we had! We bought day passes so we could do all the activities there all day long as much as we liked. Everyone loved it!
This picture was taken at the top of the mountain after we had just taken a tram up it. (I did not like the Tram! Don't ask me why, I just didn't enjoy it!)

This picure was taken on the Peruvian Chair lift. Darin and I were on the next chair behind them taking the picture. I loved this ride! It was a long way up to the top, but it was so enjoyable! The few bumps along the way up were a tad scary, but so relaxing and beautiful!!

At the top we were able to play in the snow! It was cold, but so much fun! As you can tell I think Eyn enjoyed it a little too much! (Elizabeth was his target on the other side of him and I'm quite sure he hit the bullseye many times!)

Here's Super Dad and Amberly on the Alpine slide!

Here comes Amberly and Eyn!

Elizabeth and Eyn on the Ziprider

Elizabeth and Eyn again on the ziprider

Trent on the chair lift heading up to the Alpine Slide

Our day at Snowbird was wonderful! It was a great way to end our trip.

The next day we left Salt Lake City and headed home. I for one was not looking forward to the drive! We "had to" stop in the Moab area and have another hike. Up the side of the mountain they went to this arch. Elizabeth even stepped on a snake on the journey! It was a steep climb, but they all made it!

After we arrived back in Texas we saw this great place by the side of the road. It's called "Cadillac Ranch". I had heard of it before but didn't know where it was at. You can learn more about it at the following link: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2220 We were lucky because a family leaving had some extra spray paint so they gave it to us. It was a fun quick stop!

Well, that's the end of our incredible summer vacation. None of us wanted to see it end. We are so glad we were able to go and enjoy our time away from home.

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Elizabeth's Birthday Celebration

We had a great time celebrating Elizabeth's birthday. Considering it was the "last" birthday of her "Childhood" I decided to do some favorite children's games and we ended up having a great time!! We played these cheesy little 3 in a row games. (Grandpa Bruce and Grandma Sharon came over for the evening.)We also played blow up the balloon and sit on it and pop it, (simple, cheesy, but hilarious when you get Grandparents involved!). Eyn and I both got to use a chair since we're still recovering from surgery!Go Grandma Sharon!!

(When Grandpa Bruce was popping his balloon I was laughing so hard I didn't get any pictures! Hopefully Darin's recording of it will come out good. He said the camera was shaking from his laughing so hard he doesn't know what it will look like!) That balloon is nearly as big as Amberly!

We went outside and fulfilled one of Elizabeth's Childhood requests and had a pinata.

(It's not as easy as it looks!) (She was taking out all her "boy" frustrations on the pinata.)

Sweet rewards!Opening presents is always fun, especially when it comes to tormenting Elizabeth. She has been begging us for more than a year to add texting to her phone but I have always refused to have it added. Well, Darin and I finally relented and for one of her gifts she got texting added to her phone. (Early this afternoon she had already sent 47 messages! That's just wrong!!) Notice the "TEXT" on the floor in front of her. She was quite excited.

One tradition we have with birthdays is that the first bite of cake is just taking a big bite out of it. They don't have to do it if they don't want to, but it always brings a lot of laughs. Yummy!! Elizabeth seemed to be really happy and had a great day. I guess her birthday continued today as she has gone back to San Antonio again with some friends from our ward to go to Sea World for the next few days. (She's always the lucky one!!)

Happy 17th Birthday Elizabeth!!

My little girl is celebrating her 17th birthday today. It's always hard to believe how quickly they grow up. I get emotional as a write about Elizabeth. She came into the world wanting to come when she was ready and not a second sooner. She's always been very strong willed and determined to do it her way. She stands up for what she believes in and lives her life that way. She's not afraid to be different than the world. She knows who she is and I admire her so much for it. She looks for those who "stand in need" and is always there to lift them up. She is still our princess even at 17! (She has been wearing a princess crown all day today!) She is so incredibly talented! She's beautiful inside and out. How grateful we are that she is a part of our family. As I think about the fact that she is a senior in high school now it makes me incredibly sad. I cannot imagine life in our home without her. I treasure my little girl and know that she will do great things with her future!

Bahama Mama

Last night I just had to get out for a while. So, Darin Amberly and I took Elizabeth to Young Women at the church and went over to an awesome place called Bahama Mama's. They have wonderful sno-cones. They are so light and fluffy and yummy!! It was nice just sitting outside for a little while and enjoying them. This little shack has been in the same location for years and they are always busy during the summer.

Surgery Success / July 4th Celebration

I'm happy to say that my surgery is over and appears to have been successful. After nearly 3 months of insurance nightmares it's such a relief to have it over with. It has been a rough week, but I'm so happy to have it behind me. Darin has been incredible this week. After I came home from the hospital things were going well when I started to get nauseous. I couldn't get past it. It was horrible! I couldn't keep anything down all day and night Friday. Darin was exhausted because he was up with me most of the night. We spoke to the doctor in the middle of the night and he suggested going to the ER and getting blood work done and finding out what was going on. Friday night in an ER just didn't appeal to either of us. Finally early Saturday it came to Darin to try some anti-nausea medicine I had taken before. He started giving it to me every 10 minutes and It worked!! I was finally able to drink fluids and keep them down and then he fed me small bits of bread. Miracle! With the nausea gone a lot of the pain stopped. I'm still struggling with comforts of sleeping, but that's getting better too. YEA!!

Eyn had his surgery on Monday. I have never been on the waiting end of a surgery. It was hard watching them wheel him away to surgery. We luckily only had to wait about 1 1/2 hours to talk to the doctor again. His doctor is incredible! I feel really blessed to have him. Eyn came out of surgery groggy and looking so incredibly sad. It broke our hearts! He hurt and I hated that! We were able to bring him home early Monday afternoon. He has his arm wrapped straight and tight with a splint in it. He will get it taken off on Friday and then he will start rehab. I know that will be tough, but he can do it!!
Were both kind of a pathetic sight!
The past few months have been really tough with all the problems with our insurance, but Darin and I can't help but wonder if we were suppose to go through these problems so that the changes could be put in place so that when this happened to Eyn that he would have the doctor he has. It's amazing how things happen and work out for the best for everyone. I know that our prayers have definitely been answered and we are stronger and better because of them.



July 4th Celebration



On July 4th I was incredibly sick, but we had children who still wanted to enjoy the fun. One of the great things about living where we do is that you can do "all" fireworks. It is always so incredibly loud outside on the fourth of July and also on New Years Eve. But it's so much fun!! They had been asking all day long about fireworks but I felt so bad Darin couldn't leave me. We had a few left over from New Years in the garage so we were just going to let them do those. But luckily, that evening some friends of ours called and asked what they could do to help us and Darin said PLEASE get our children some fireworks. They were more than happy to pick some up and bring them over. We were saved! So, while I was laying on the couch miserable they all went outside and had some fun for a little while. I was more than happy laying on the couch listening to the popping outside and the barking of our dog going crazy from them!! Here are a few pictures of their fun night.

Fun in San Antonio!

After we dropped Elizabeth off at EFY Trent, Amberly and I decided to go and have some fun of our own. (We were not ready for the 3 hour trip home.)

I decided to take them to see the Alamo. Trent studied Texas history this last year at school and I wanted him to see part of that history. When we first walked toward it we noticed the Oscar Mayer Weiner mobile close by. We had to go get a hot dog whistle and take a picture by it. Then we walked over to the Alamo. It was quite busy and so incredibly hot outside. It was neat because Trent knew the story behind it and recognized names and events. They have done a great job of preserving it and the grounds are beautiful and so peaceful. One of my favorite spots was the wishing fountain. It was so beautiful and quiet there. Amberly and Trent enjoyed making wishes with pennies and putting their hands in the nice cool water.

We went and walked the river walk for a little while and then went and ate Mexican food.

(you have to have Mexican food if you go to San Antonio! - at least that's my excuse to Darin!)

We then went and looked at all the Ripley Believe it not places. They loved the huge lifelike Dinosaur. Amberly knew it wasn't real, but it still creaped her out.

We then traveled home. If you ever travel between Houston and San Antonio you have to stop at Buc ee's. All it is is a Rest stop for travelers. It reminds me of a truck stop, but it's not made with truckers in mind. It's for travelers. It has the cleanest nicest bathrooms around. They give free fudge samples. Great soda's, bakery, jerky, subs and other food. We bought a loaf of cinnamon swirl bread to eat for breakfast on the way. It was yummy. Just a fun quick stop! It was funny because on the way we stopped there and saw lots of people we knew heading to EFY or Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. You could tell the youth there going to EFY because there were all modestly dressed. We had a fun day!

EFY (Especially for Youth)

This picture was taken in Elizabeth and Anna's dorm room.

(Left to Right - Madie, Elizabeth and Anna)

We took this picture on the balcony of Elizabeth and Anna's dorm.

Yesterday I was able to drive to San Antonio and take Elizabeth and her friend Madeline to EFY on the Trinity University Campus. Elizabeth absolutly loved EFY last year and could hardly wait to go again. All I can say is that it is worth every single penny! She was suppose to room with Madie but found out when they got there that they weren't together. Her roommate is a sweet girl named Anna who Elizabeth clicked with instantly. She called last night and is floating on cloud nine! She loves her group and sounded so incredibly happy. (She also added that all the guys are HOT too!) Have a great week Elizabeth!!

Eyn's Basketball Injury

Last week was quite the trying week in our home. While I was sitting in the doctors office for myself on Thursday I received one of those phone calls you just don't want to get. It was the High School Basketball coach letting me know that Eyn had hurt his elbow and it was quite swollen and probably needed to get checked out. Well, after several unsuccessful x-rays we were referred to a orthopedic specialist/surgeon. (Eyn couldn't bend his arm at all so they had a hard time getting a good x-ray) Well, Darin took him yesterday while I was in San Antonio and found out that he has fractured a bone in there and that particular bone helps control his wrist. If it does not heal correctly then he would have difficulty with it the rest of his life. So, he wants to go in and operate and put screws in it. He said that it will heal quickly and that he will be fine to do all the sports his heart desires. So.. He wanted to do surgery on Wednesday but considering I'm having surgery that day Darin didn't think he could handle two in one day at separate locations. He is scheduled for his next Monday. The doctor was very positive about the outcome. Eyn won't be able to play basketball for a while, but the doctor said that playing basketball will be what he wants him to do to get the strength back in it. Eyn is one tough kid and seeing him injured has been hard. He is one to jump back up and keep going. He actually tried to do that, but it didn't work. The coach at the high school was great and I really appreciated him and the others there who helped Eyn. He'll be back on the court before we know it.