June 17-21 We will miss Gpa

So on June 17th (fathers day) Grandpa Hager passed away. Orson (Hap) Mathews Hager born March 29, 1917 he lived to be 95 and he was simply amazing. He always had such a cute smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. I remember the day Terry was so excited for me to go meet his Grandpa and Grandma. We went to their little white house where they sat around the table arguing with one another in a cute way. Then Grandpa would go pull out his trusty little black journal to prove he was right. I remember ever since the day I walked through those doors I have always felt completely loved by those 2. In fact we gave Treg Grandpa's last name as his middle name because it just felt right to have his Hager name next to the Townsend name. We all admired the man that Grandpa is and all he has been through. May you now enjoy your dance with Grandma that you have been waiting so long for. We love you and we will miss you but we know you are in good hands that love you. Thanks for teaching us to be HAPPY no matter what is thrown our way.

After we learned of the passing of sweet Grandpa we went to the basement to finish tiling the little bit of tile we had left to do. After we felt good about the work we had done then it was time to play.

We packed up a lunch, sunscreen and our boat and headed to the lake. Here we just relaxed in the sun. We felt like it was our duty to teach the children how to not just work hard but to relax and play hard as well. So we did our parental duties and did just that. We swam in the lake, laid in the sun, and watched the kids run up and down pelican point exploring like crazy.

Then we came home and smoothered Terry with his father's day gifts and his 40th birthday gifts. I have to say he didn't get too much because on Friday we leave for a week at a beach house in Newport, CA with Troy and his family. That was Terry's real 40th birthday gift. But he loved his pontoon boat and BBQ fish dinner. Terry we are so thankful to have you as the father of this family. You are amazing in every way how you teach our children strength, courage, love and devotion. You are such a hard worker with great sensitivities to others. We do LOVE YOU!

Tuesday the 19th was the kids first swim meet. They all did great! Treg wanted to swim a 100 IM so I signed him up and he did his best. I was so proud of him for trying something new and swimming his hardest. He got disqualified because when he jumped off the blocks he came up swimming free style and it starts with Butterfly. But he finished the race and did his best. Way to go guys! Bowdee took 1st in the 200 IM and 1st in the 50 Butterfly but DQ for 100 Butterfly. Matia took 3rd in 50 Back, 9th in 50 Free and 6th in 50 Breast. Treg took 2nd in 50 Back, 2nd in 50 Free and DQ in the 100 IM.

Wednesday the 20th was sweet grandpa's funeral. It was a short and very sweet viewing, then to the grave site to lay him to rest next to grandma. Grandpa was a pilot in WWII and then a commercial pilot after that. He loved to spend his summer in Why, AZ and he would always say "Why not" He had a super sweet happy disposition and he loved doing crafts to pass the time. He did amazing models, cross-stitching, nail art and loved reading old westerns. We will love you always and forever Grandpa!

After we enjoyed a nice lunch with the relatives we headed back to mom and dad Townsends and enjoyed some time with Terry's siblings and their kids. After they all left we stayed a little longer and had a BBQ with Terry's really good childhood friend Jason Wells and his cute family. So the kids all got to play and have fun, 2 of Matt's kids were there also and it was amazing to me how well they all get along even after such a long time!

We woke up the next morning to the sound of my alarm. I had completely forgot Treg had his first Scout Day Camp today and had to be at the church at 6:15. So we frantically ran around getting him out of bed and everything he needed. Drove him to the church and kissed him goodbye. He had such a good time but he looked so little I wasn't sure he should be going. He had a fantastic time and was so excited to buy himself a pocket knife there at the little store. His favorite part was the

Summer Time Finally! June 1-16

The first week of summer we just took it easy and tried to get into the swing of summer. All 3 of the kids made the Hast Summer Swim team again so each day from 12:30-1:30 we have swimming. I have been able to go with them and find a lane so I can swim at the same time. Which has been working GREAT!

We of course have been crazy busy with all the kids finishing up with their baseball games. It has been so fun to watch them all get a little better with each game they play. I love the encouragement they receive from their team and that they give to their team members and each other. At Bowdee's last game he hit a full on over the fence home run! He was so excited that was amazing to watch.

This week I have mostly been excited to go see Matia's dance performance on Saturday. She is such an amazing performer she stands out because of her amazing smile and attitude that she dances with. Thank you Matia for dancing for us you are truly amazing.

The second week of summer on June 10th Terry and I fell in love. For the longest time Terry and I have wanted to live on a farm to give our kids a little bit of what we grew up with as far as experiences, responsibilities and let them enjoy the magic of childhood that comes from a farm. We drove with my brother Kyle to a 5.25 acre farm down by my Aunt Dixies. But as of yesterday it is under contract. So we put in a backup offer just in case something happens.

Wednesday LanDesk (Terry's employers) took us to Lagoon. The kids had so much fun as Terry and I walked around dreaming about the farm and the possibilities. The rides make us so sick anymore that it is nice they are old enough to say "Have fun" and we just wave from the side lines on most of them. We stayed until they closed and we didn't want to leave we had so much fun!

Saturday we took another drive down to the farm by the lake and this time the kids found 3 kittens Matia would like to call the farm the Miracle Farm because she says some different kind of miracle happens every time we go there. We spent the rest of the day tiling our basement trying to finish it up for carpeting.

Vitamin F

This is really so perfect! I must say I feel so blessed with the friends I have. I feel like there are so many people who truly care about me and would help if ever I need it. Thank you to all my wonderful friends. I do love all of you and I truely appreciate all your differences!

Why do I have a variety of friends who are all so different in character? How can I get along with them all? I think that each one helps to bring out a "different" part of me.

With one of them I am polite. I joke with another friend. I sit down and talk about serious matters with one. With another I laugh a lot. I may have a drink with one. I listen to one friend's problems. Then I listen to another one's advice for me.

My friends are all like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When completed, they form a treasure box. A treasure of friends! They are my friends who understand me better than myself, who support me through good days and bad days. We all pray together and for each other.

Real Age doctors tell us that friends are good for our health. Dr. Oz calls them Vitamin F (for Friends) and counts the benefits of friends as essential to our well being. Research shows that people in strong social circles have less risk of depression and terminal strokes.

If you enjoy your Vitamins constantly you can be up to 30 years younger than your real age. The warmth of friendship stops stress and even in your most intense moments it decreases the chance of a cardiac arrest or stroke.

I'm so happy that I have a stock of Vitamin F

Thank you for being one of my Vitamins!

Wow I still can't beieve it was 16 years ago that Terry and I made those sacred vows. To love and cherish each other for the rest of our lives. We have had an amazing life together so far. I am excited to see what the next 16 years will bring. But I do know I have loved the last 16 years even though there have been struggles, they only seem to bring us closer somehow in the long run. I do love being married to my best friend, the one I can truely be myself around and I know he will keep loving me. Love you baby thanks for all you have taught me and experienced in life with me this far. xoxo forever!

Yellowstone 2012 May 24-28

So here are just a few of our most favorite memories. This year we shared our vacation with Mom and Dad Covington and Troy and his girls. It was great we had a memorable Idaho Falls with these 2 Canadian Geese that had like 100 goslings. They were so dang cute they just kept coming and coming. The blossoms on the trees were beautiful as the air was filled with excitement to begin our vacation.





We got to West Yellowstone and we were all starving so Gpa took the kids swimming because they just couldn't wait one more minute and we responsible adults went to get KFC which Treg has been begging us for since we went to Gma Townsends and she shared some with us back in Feb. So that was the highlight of the first day of our trip.

The kids woke up early ate a quick breakfast and headed to the pool before check out time. Mom and I went for a little shopping downtown West Yellowstone and had to check the roads since it was snowing and we weren't sure if it would still be open. Then we headed back to the hotel and had to pry the children away from the pool. But they were all excited to get to the park and see what there was to see.

Once we got into the park we headed to Mammoth to get our cabins and of course they were not ready yet so we headed to Tower for a quick drive. This was the first year that the Tower Gift Shop was not open so we walked to the falls and then headed back to Mammoth. And on our way to Mammoth....

We saw this amazing site. This young bear was so cute playing by the road side exploring the trees and playing peek a boo with the people watching him. The rangers had scared him off earlier that day but he came back for more. He wasn't shy at all and we sure had a good time watching him, all within reach of our car doors!

The next morning we woke up to at least 6-8 inches of fresh snow covering the grounds. That morning walk to the bathrooms was not the best of memories. So we headed to the ranger station to see what the road conditions were like and well this is what we saw....

Yep it was official we were stuck there in Yellowstone so we watched some movies in the ranger station and looked through their museum and just spent time shopping and eating ice creams. Then we took a drive over to Lamar Valley. There we saw off in the distance 2 wolves frolicking in the fields.

This was also the first year that the Slough Creek campground was closed so we parked it by the trail head and ate our lunch. It was a crazy time with the weather not knowing what it would do from snow to sunshine moment by moment. I guess it kept us on our toes. The Mountain Goats were fun to pull over and watch for a while.

It was kinda sad to leave Yellowstone that last day we woke up to more snow and the kids loved saying good bye to their Yellowstone Snowman friend. This year it seemed to be another Yellowstone in Wintertime. We got our fill of bear watching and snowplows.

But I can't remember Mammoth being quite so amazing the snow really brought out such beautiful coloring it reminded me of how it was during my childhood when I would just stare at it and all I could think of was the most amazing Carmel sundaes. Oh how many wonderful childhood memories I have of this place.

On our way to Jackson Hole we stopped by Old Faithful for Troy and his girls. This was their first experience at Old Faithful so I busted out the stick on mustaches and was determined to make this a memory they would never forget. Of course Old Faithful was as amazing as ever. Never disappointing!

The kids were so excited to go swimming we made a quick stop at Wendy's then down to the pool for the rest of the night. Dad Covington was amazed at the ability that both Troy and Terry have of staying underwater for so long. So of course we had to have a few competitions, I was the official timer and I just couldn't help myself watching them all floating around was just too silly to pass up a good photo.

The next day we checked out then went shopping. Dad and Mom decided the kids all needed some special souvenir to remind them forever of this fun trip we all shared together. So these are the sweet necklaces they bought them for that sweet reminder of all the fun times we had. I am just so grateful to have parents who love us for who we are and who care to be part of our lives!

We drove home the longer way so we could enjoy the views of Bear Lake... Man I miss this place. We stopped and enjoyed some good old Raspberry shakes before we jumped back into the car to finish out our amazing Yellowstone trip of 2012.

May 16-24, 2012

SwimTeam - I can't believe it is time already but we had swim tryouts this week. I hope that they all make the team because I feel like swimming is such an important thing in life. Especially for our family that enjoys so many water activities. My hope is that if my kids ever want to do something with it in the future then I have given them the ability by sacrificing a little bit of our summer days to becoming better swimmers. Good luck kiddos. May 18th was Matia's 4th grade handcart trek. She has been excited for this for 2 years now since Bowdee got to go on his. So we made her a pioneer bonnet and apron to go on her dress from last years oral report and she looked amazing. The morning of the trek the skys were blue and no breeze. So I sent her off knowing I would see her again at lunch time as I was going to help serve. About after an hour the wind came in blowing like crazy, which brought with it the cold front, then the rain and it rained hard. I just kept thinking those poor pioneers they didn't get to choose the weather either. Matia was tough and she made it through like a real cowgirl. Love you Tia May 19th My first Tri - You would think since I have been training for this day for the last 7 months I would be ready... Well I was so nervous, at the last minute Kami dogged me after hurting her ankle so I was flying solo. Terry, Matia, and Treg came up to take photos and cheer me on. They were great they stayed through the whole thing and kept me going. I knew with them there I had no choice but to do my best, because I always expect them to do their best I had to give them my best. The Woman of Steel Triathalon was fabulous it was perfectly organized that I didn't have any questions when it started. It was a swim of 300meters, 13 mile bike ride, and 3 mile run. I got distracted by a lady jumping in front of me at the last minute for the swim and forgot to put my goggles on, then I waited for the right moment to pass her. I could have hustled faster during transitions, and I should have been more aggressive in passing on the bikes. But being that this was my first rodeo and I took 4th in my division I felt pretty good about it. I think I might even do another one sometime and I am now looking for a used road bike. CRAZY My finish time was 1:21:09 I missed 3rd place by 10 seconds.... May 19th also marked the last day of this soccer season. It was a fun season, all the kids did fabulous and hopefully next year we get coaches and teams as good as we had this year. I love soccer for the kids because if they play it right it teaches them team work, lots of exercise, and hard work. I wish they had a soccer team for me to play on when I was a kid. I am so thankful my kids have had the opportunity to play this sport and I am so thankful they have all enjoyed it so I get to watch them. :) After all the soccer games and a baseball scrimmage, Terry and I were able to break away for a little anniversary/post triathlon celebration. We stayed at the nugget for free did our free $55.00 each gambling and a little dancing that night. Then the next morning we played the penny slots "just for a couple minutes and only 20$ each" we walked away 2 hours later and I had won $170.00! Now that was making me smile. We have never had so much fun on the penny slots. May 22nd has always been a special day for me, it's my moms birthday! I have always enjoyed buying her gifts and making her feel special. I guess it is because she has always made me feel so special. So my dad planned a birthday party for her, she can't remember her last birthday party, so that made it super special. I didn't have anything special to give her because I always find the perfect gift when we are in Yellowstone on our vacation together. But it was a fun night spending time with the family watching my dad get all giddy to give his gift to her. Mom I am so glad you have chose to live such a good life. We love you so much and would never trade a thing about you! But one of my favorite parts of the night is we had our piano recital for all 6 of moms piano students. She started teaching Bowdee piano 2 years ago after I talked and talked her into it. Ever since then she has gained one here and another there until she has started teaching 6 of her grandkids piano. And every night that they go to bed after having piano w/ grandma it has always been the best part of their day. I am so grateful that they have this special hour a week alone with grandma for her to make such an impact on their lives. She is an amazing teacher and best friend my kids could have. THANK YOU MOM, for giving them such a special experience! May 23rd was another fun day at our house. It was the 6th grade Renaissance Fair at school where they have all sorts of Renaissance activities for the 6th graders. Bowdee chose to be a Jester and of course I couldn't just let him use his clown costume to play the part I had to make this Jester costume for him. Then I went and helped serve them at their special lunch, and set up his and Adi's store. They made so much money that they actually came home that day and made a Youtube video of what to do with all their earnings. After school I had time to go grocery shopping for our vacation and then when Matia got home we got to go to a fun Mothers Daughter Activity Days Achievement night together. They focused on health and exercise and had a good friend of mine come and teach us about jump roping and how easy it can be to do exercise and then another good friend of mine gave us a quick ballet exercise lesson and oh my gosh that was a fun yet good workout. I just have to say I am so thankful to be Matia's mother she is such a darling girl with such a caring heart. Thank you Matia for teaching me so much about life. I love you!

May 1-15, 2012

May 4th my sweet niece graduated from college with her associates degree. Ya she graduated from college before she did high school she has been taking classes at the college at SUU for some time now and since I couldn't make it to her high school grad I drove down to Cedar with my mom, dad and Kami. It was a fun drive we got there kinda late and just chilled. AJ has a girlfriend and we were told by Mike to behave ourselves.. I guess we Covingtons can be pretty loud and scary. So we did as we were told... I think, at least AJ said we didn't embarrass him and went to be.

The next morming I sure enjoyed a run with my two sisters. My dad even tagged along which was fun. All of us love working out and staying healthy but since Kathy lives so far away we don't ever get to enjoy it together so it was fun to share our common interest with each other. This is a regular run that I will never forget it was a good one. I do LOVE my sisters.

Then it was off to Angela's graduation celebrations. They do a cool walk from one side of campus to the next with bagpipes playing. Pretty cool then the ceremony which is never really fun except the part we yelled for Ang and made her face turn all red! Then out for photos and a fun little luncheon at their house. It was a great day one I am glad I was there to witness and let my Ang I am so proud of her. I am not sure what my sister is going to do with all her kids graduated from high school now... Pretty crazy While I was gone with my family Terry was home with the kids working his little fanny off. There is a very little part of our yard that has been unfinished since we moved in. We have been wanting to do it but we just have been so busy so finally I found some sod on KSL for 20$ and Terry finished the sprinklers and finished our yard. It felt so good to come home and see it complete and of course it looks FABULOUS! Thanks babe.

The next project we started working on was the tile in the basement kitchen. We found some really cool stuff that was on clearance at Lowe's and we went for it. It is crazy how much goes into laying the tile in a basement. But of course Terry knows what he is doing and with a little help he was well on his way. I am not sure we will have time to finish it the rest of the month gets pretty hairy with a busy schedule but at least it is started.

Wow looking back this month flew by. But during the moment it felt like I would never see the end of the month. Preparing for preschool graduation, yearbooks, dvd's, rehearsals, it was crazy but on May 10th that day came and I graduated 29 of the cutest preschool kids ever. I have really enjoyed this year, teaching them, getting to know them better, and listening to their silly stories was so much fun. I will truly miss them but I hope the best for them as they move up in life.

Friday night Terry and I had a date night and went for a drive out to Grantsville to have dinner with his parents for mothers day. Terry grilled an awesome butter salmon on some grilling planks as I finished putting together a nice salad. It was a nice relaxing night for all of us to sit around a table and eat and chat. We are so lucky to have such a special woman in our lives.

The 12th was a very special day. Jaysha and Alysa both chose to be baptized into our church. They have both taken the missionary lessons and have made the decision this was best for them. Alysa is 11 and Jaysha is 9 (almost 10) and they are both cute girls who I adore. Baylee will be turning 8 in July and I think it would have been special to have them all baptized together but oh well Baylee will have her own special day in a month or two. Love you girls remember to keep choosing the right.

For mother's day Terry pulled our trailer up to Strawberry for a quick over nighter. He sure knows me well I love camping and I love fishing so this way we got to do both and it was fabulous! The fishing was slow the next morning but I didn't mind, my sweet children and husband spoiled me with gifts and love and attention and it was a wonderful weekend. It's just always hard coming back to reality! Thank you family for the sweet mothers Day get-a-way, I loved every minute of it.

After we came home we headed over to my mom's house to give her a little love. My mom is just amazing I love the way she adores flowers, birds, nature, rainbows, music and Yellowstone. She has always been a soft spoken sweet understanding mother. She hates bad words and bad dreams. She cherishes her childhood memories and loves her children and grand children. This is my mom, she amazes me and I love her with all my heart! Happy mothers day mom.

April 16-29

Yes life is getting away from me lately and I haven't had time to blog lately so I will briefly let you know what we have been up to. Soccer is still the sport of our lives lately however, baseball is coming in to take over. All the kids are signed up and practices have begun. We haven't begun games yet but they are not to far away in the future. So our weeks are ever so busy, but every minute of it I do enjoy.

Friday Treg's class was going on a field trip to the Bean Museum at BYU and to the park and library. I have been able to do this field trip with all the other kids so of course I got to go with Treg's class too. I had to drive separate because they didn't have enough space on the bus which was fine because on the way home they got in a little fender bender so they got home pretty late. But it was fun nonetheless to spend a day with my last 2nd grader. How time flies it sometimes makes me sick to think before I know it Bowdee is going to be in Jr. High and my baby will be in 3rd grade. I have sure enjoyed their younger years. Oh and by the way I really didn't mean to wear a UofU shirt to BYU campus... OOPS!

On the 20th Terry went with the scouts on a fishing campout to Deer Creek. I told the other scout leaders that if they were looking for some fishing secrets I was the one they should be inviting but they took Terry along anyway. They had a good time catching fish and teaching the boys to clean them. I hear that Wade made a mean breakfast in the morning.

They got home around 6:00 and I really wanted to go fishing... I mean it just isn't fair that Terry went without me. So even though Terry and Bowdee were exhausted I drove them up to Strawberry to sleep in my little brothers new trailer with his family and then spend the next day fishing. Our friends Clayton and Brett met us up there and they were the ones that caught the most fish. But it was a good time just sittin on the shore watching the kids catch crawdads and listening to Terry read to us some Patrick McManus Stories. What a nice day!