Terry's job situation

So many of you have heard that Terry was to be laid off yet again.... Well it has finally happened in Sept they told him he could start working from home. Then the first of Oct. was his last day. I tell you I am having so much fun having him home I am not even stressing about anything else right now. He has finished building the iron fences to fence in our back yard, built the chicken coop, welded window well covers for so friends who have been patiently waiting for it. He has made all the dinners, cleaned the house, helped get the kids to school, helped with homework, cleaned the garage, completed about a million and one unfinished projects around the house. Have I mentioned I just love having this man around? He has had a few interviews and kept his eye open for jobs. I know when this time comes to an end we will both have adjustments we will have to make. I will sure miss having my mister mom around. So for now we are just loving it all we can!

Crazy Chicks

So for the last year Matia has been begging us to get some backyard chicks. For the last year our excuse has been we can't have them here they are farm animals. But then she found out many of our neighbors have them and they LOVE them so she asked Daddy one more time and guess what... he must have been in a crazy happy mood because he said "Sure, let's get you some chickens". See, Matia was meant to be born on a farm with lots and lots of wide open space, old beat up trucks, horses to ride, chickens to feed, and dogs to chase. But the poor girl is stuck here in the city with out the farm she dreams of. I guess she gets that from her momma. Anyway we went to the chicken farm and picked out 8 chicks. Thinking half of them will be roosters and we will have to get rid of the right. So our adventure begins with our little crazy chickens. After 1 month and 3 deaths we are getting the hang of it. Terry and Tia spent many hours out building our chicken coop. Talking about how they are going to love it and what things they would need to make this a good home for them. Matia loved every minute of it. She wakes up early to check on them and make sure they are clean and has clean food and water. I tell you this girl is dedicated to these chicks. She spends hours with them in the backyard giving them their sunshine time. The boys have their chicks and they love them but you can tell Matia's whole heart is in this farming life. So here we go.. Thanks to the neighbors who showed her the light of a chicks life!

Wild Surf Bums

So kinda like the movie Wild Hogs, but with surf boards not motorcycles. Terry and Troy set out for the beautiful west coast with their surf boards bunged to the car. They usually do a yearly "boys" trip and usually it is their deer hunt. This year however, neither of them drew out and they have been talking about ditching the hunt and going surfing for years now. So I told Terry it was a sign and the just had to take this opportunity to go hit some waves, (no matter how bad I wanted to go with them). So they did the morning after Bowdee's Arrow of Light ceremony they were gone. They made it down there in good time but shortly after their arrival I got a call asking to be their TomTom. So I logged on to google, found where they were and directed them to their hotel. The next day Terry's good friend from work flew down to have some fun with them. I thought he was going to go look after them and keep them from getting in trouble, little did I know he was the bad influence on the boys (hahaha). After that it was all down hill and lots of fun, (so they tell me). They stayed up way to late, dove way to deep, spent way to much money, ate way to much fast food and got lost one to many times. Okay so they didn't spend too much money after he showed me this photo, I figured his Surf board could have been a Corvette... Other then that I think they had a great time and I was happy to see them come home safely.

I had fun with the kids watching Bowdee's first REAL football game. He got a QBSack the first play of the game and another to follow in the 2nd half. The won 38 to Lehi's 8, which made them feel real good. After the game we went to Nickle City w/ laser tag then ate at Arbys and to Toys Story 3. They thought they were in heaven. Matia told me I could win a Nicest Mommy of the year award. We just plain had a good time. The kids made Terry cookies and a sign to welcome him home. Because even though we have a good time away from each other every once in a while we really do belong together.

Bowdee's Arrow of Light

So ever since Bowdee became a Weblo and we saw our neighbor get the Arrow of Light along with the Eager Beaver, Bowdee knew that is what he wanted to achieve. So for the last 11 months Bowdee and I have been trying to complete all the requirements. It has been fun we have learned alot of things along the way and did alot of fun activities together. He also earned 13 belt loops and 13 extra pins. I have to tell you when this boy makes up his mind about something he wants to achieve there is no stopping him. Bowdee I admire your strong determination, you are an amazing young man. CONGRATULATIONS! Now here we are off to boy scouts. Wish us luck!

Back to School

I can't believe the summer is already gone. We had so much fun this summer I would love summer to keep going. But life is just not that way. This summer we really took advantage of the kids bowl for free at Fat Catz. It was something to do on our day off of swim team and we always looked forward to it. We also went skating, hiking and to the antique store that the kids have begged me to take them to for years. All in all it was a great summer with lots of good memories, too bad it is over.
As for school I am sure the kids will all have a great time. We went and met the teachers and they all seemed like incredibly talented teachers.

Treg is looking forward to eating lunch at school. He has Miss Trimble and she really seemed cool. Somehow she reminded me of myself maybe it was because we are both so young ;). I still can't believe he is in 1st grade and leaving me home alone!!!
Matia is excited to have Daisy in her class and to see Skyler again (her really good boy-friend). She has Mrs. Barton 3rd grade, who was Bowdee's teacher and she has said she is really going to try and be her favorite. So Mrs. Barton is in for a real treat.
Bowdee is in 5th grade and has Mrs. Knowles. He is excited to have Iz, Jonah and Adi in all his classes. Oh I feel for those teachers. Well I would if they weren't all such GOOD kids. Really Bowdee is a perfect student I have no worries for him.
I am slightly worried for myself and how I will get along. But I am sure I will keep myself busy with projects I have been wanting to do now for 10 years. Man life sure flies by. This year I am really trying to enjoy life and not just endure it. I mean I love my life and all but sometimes I get too caught up in getting things done. So now if I want to read a book outside in the shade on the green grass I am really going to try to cave in to those cravings! Wish me luck, I am beginning a new chapter in my book of life. I am sure it will be a good one! So here I am enjoying the ride in my jeep up the canyon with my amazing family! When I should have all my kids home in bed ready for early morning art... Oh well life goes on and I am doing what I set out to do.

Flaming Gorge

So this week was the week of our big summer vacation. And yes we went to Flaming Gorge again. We just love that place there is so much to do with shade and decent temps. Kyle (I love this boy) my brother got us to go with him 4 maybe 5 years ago and we fell in love. Now we go every year and we love it as much as we did the year before. We went with Troy and his girls. Right before we left we found out my Uncle Stan was going to be there the same time. Which was a bonus, I love that man. Sunday we drove there and then set up camp. It was a pretty uneventful day (which can be good when you are traveling). Then Monday we went to spend the day on the lake and the boat broke down... UGH! To make a long story short Terry and his brother (I love those boys) know enough about boats that they replaced the impeller then we went back out. UGGH again the impellar housing was bad and that ate up the new impellar so we had to order an impellar in from SLC and have it over nighted to Vernal. Well my dad (I love that man too) decided he needed to take a spontanious trip to Flaming Gorge to visit his brother and brought us the impellar w/ new housing that we had ordered and also purchased us a back up. WOW! Amazing that he and my mom could actually pull everything together to just leave that quickly for a whole week.

So Tuesday as my mom and dad were making their special delivery to Flaming Gorge we took Stan and Pris down the Green River in Pepper! It was a perfect day on the river with a great view all the way down. We got off the river n meet my mom and dad then put the part in the boat that night.

Wednesday we went out boating to check it out and make sure everything was well with it. We snorkelled a little in the little cove we like so much and then played at the beach and just relaxed the rest of the day. After all isn't that what vacations are for?Thursday we rafted the Green again with my mom and dad this time. It was my mom's first time rafting that long of a river she has been down a very SHORT part of the Snake but it was so much fun to watch her experience something that I love so much. After rafting we went cliff jumping. The kids all did it this year a couple times.

Friday morning we went on the Dam Tour. I have always wanted to do that and it was so cool. After the Dam tour we just went and bummed on the boat for the rest of the day. We did a little wakeboarding and snorkeling and we just chilled.

Saturday we headed for Red Fleet Reservoir which is toward Vernal. We went on an adventure we went and snorkled across a bay, then put on our shoes and hiked over a small hill, then we put our fins back on and snorkeled another bay to a really sandy beach. I was the coolest clay/sand that we have played in. The kids loved it the we explored the little hill side and then we noticed a big storm coming in so we had to head back as fast as we could. The kids did great and we had a good time. But we had to head to Vernal after to check out our truck because the transmission started acting up.

Sunday we tore down camp and headed home. What a fun year! A great way to end the summer. I can't believe school is starting so soon.

Girls Day on the Boat!

I was invited with a bunch of really fun girls to go boating at Deer Creek. I have to tell you I was slightly nervous since these are not girls I chill with all the time. But how could I pass up an offer like this to go out and have a good time with some great people. So I went and man am I glad I did, other then I have a feeling it is going to be a very expensive trip in the long run. You see just the other day I was telling Terry how much I loved our boat and how it would last us another 10 years easy. Then Deena takes me out on their new Air Nautique and WOW I was amazed! The wake was great (once I got used to it).

The boat was beautiful and oh sooo comfortable! So I have a feeling I will not be happy with my boat for long, I feel an upgrade coming on in the future. Anyway enough about the boat. The girls (I refuse to call us old ladies) were so much fun. Each one of them are so genuine and fun to be with. Silly me, I had nothing to be nervous of. I am sure once again it is just my own insecurities I was nervous about. But we wakeboarded, surfed, swam, and tubed all over the lake. Curtis was amazing to put up with all of us like he did, he said he was there to "protect his investment" I think he was there for the humor. So thanks to all you amazing girls for a wonderful day on the boat it was a BLAST!

Boating w/ Garricks

Today we spent a really fun day out on our boat with the Garricks! We left around 11:30 and got back at 8:40pm what a great day on the lake. The weather held out for the most part! All of our kids get along so well. Even though Fisher is 3 years younger then Treg they have this cute little bond! I just can't tell you how lucky I am to have good friends! Love you guys!

Date Night

So Saturday my dad called up and asked if he could take the kids for the day. So we handed them over knowing they would love to go swimming with Grandpa and a sleepover? What kid wouldn't love to go sleep at Grandpa's? Well they couldn't pack fast enough! So Terry and I were left alone... What do ya do? Well I guess you do things you can't do as easily as you can with the kids around. So we planned to go hiking the Silver Lake Trail by the time we had our back packs ready a big old thunder storm rolled in.

So we bagged that idea and just went fly fishing up A.F. Canyon the best part was Terry just fixed the jeep (once again) so getting there was more than half the fun. We found a quiet little cove and flung a few flies around. Low and behold we got a few bites. It reminded me of why I love this challenge so much. To actually catch one is so rewarding. Then we went and got a shake and we couldn't finish the whole thing so we went and let the kids finish it. Ya we couldn't stay away a whole night. What a great night, thanks dad for the date night.

Jungle Book Performance

This last week has been filled with evenings at the A.F. Ampitheater. Matia was playing as an Elephant in the childrens theater of Jungle Book. She has been practicing this last month everyday for 2 hours a day. Which has been a big comittment for her. She has loved it and watching her perform is just so fun. She gets into character so well and learns all the parts. Matia we were all so impressed with this big accomplishment.

Thank you to everyone who came to support our Matia. Which includes Mom and Dad Covington and Townsend, Tonja and her family, Chris and her family, Troy and his girls, Tara and her family, Brother and Sister Shelley, Kami we know you were there in heart, I know it meant so much to have you all there. Matia loves each of you soo very much!

Snake River White Water w/ Eccles

This weekend we went on a vacation we have not been able to do for about 10 years. Ever since we had kids we just couldn't leave our kids to go white water rafting. Although Terry and I LOVE it, we just couldn't see leaving our kids out of the fun, yet they weren't big enough to enjoy it with us. Of course we have been rafting the green river for the last 3 years. But the Snake is different. We owned a raft named "Suzie" years ago. However, she suffered from a severe case of rubber rot and just never recovered. It was a sad hard day when we had to let her go. So now we have a new addition to our family. Her name is "Pepper" and the reason we adopted her was she is large, in charge and very stable. So with little kids still we are not out seeking life threatening thrills we are seeking safe yet breath taking thrills.
It was a fun weekend with the Eccles and Troy and Jolynn. We got up there Saturday at about 1:00 we hurry and unloaded enough that we could set up the raft and get a quick run in before the night set in. We got on the river at about 3:00 and it was pumping around 5000. So it took us about 2 hours to get down the river. It felt so good though to just float down that stretch of river. It brought back so many good memories. Half way down Jolynn (Troys girlfriend) ripped her toenail off half way. I can't imagine how bad that hurt but she was such a good sport. It was a perfect float we hit Kahuna right on which was HUGE this year. Lunch counter was good but Ropes was better.

We got back to camp and started our chicken dutch oven and a couple hours later the Eccles showed up with 6 of their kids. We enjoyed chit chatting and catching up and then the yummy dutch oven and smores. Now that is a way to end a good day.

Sunday we floated the river and we were all able to go. If you have a group bigger then 15 you have to have a permit and we were right on 15.

Kaya had the wettest seat in the whole raft. That poor girl caught everything that came in the boat. But man she had such high spirits about the whole thing. Everyone was a delight the whole trip.

We stopped almost at the end to let the boys do a little cliff jumping. Bowdee was the first to go but you have to swim hard and fast to get back to shore quick enough. The ones that didn't make it had to be rescued by Terrys killer rope throw... Or in Ryans case the search and rescue.

Of course he could have made it back but he was going to save Chance and passed him up and headed down the river. Unfortunately the search and rescue just happened to be continuing their search for a missing body from the night before and happened to be at the right place at the right time to save Ryan from going down the river.All in all it was a good trip and we created many memories to last a long long time. Thank you Eccles for getting us back out on the river.

Hike Deseret Peak

This hike ascends the 11,031 ft summit of Deseret Peak, in the Stansbury Mountains west of Salt Lake City. We don't consider ourselves a "hiking" family, so for us this was a great accomplishment. The kids made it the whole 8 mile and 3,600 ft ascend hike and it was a pretty hard one.

We went with a friend of Terrys, Rusty who is on a quest to hike all 8 Ultra hikes in Utah by the end of the summer (ya I think he may have caught that hikers fever). He brought his amazing 2 dogs and was so patient with the kids the whole way.

The top was absolutely amazing we could see forever in all different directions. It was a challenging hike yet it was gorgous most of the way filled with wildflowers and a few deer on the way back down.

It took us 7 hours roundtrip and boy were we glad to finally be at the bottom. So back to we are more of a boating family then hiking it took us all Sunday to recoop. Thanks Rusty for the invite I am glad we did it.