Campers R Us...

Listen y'all ...I may have been born and raised in a small town..surrounded by cowboys, farmers and hunters.. but none of these were ever a part of the life I lived. My dad never owned a gun..I think one of my brothers got a BB gun one time...we didn't own any farm land and all the animals we owned were hermit crabs, a cat and a couple dogs. Needless to say,  the extent of my camping experiences chalks up to girls camp where we stayed in cabins...you're disappointed aren't you...tsk..tsk..what a shame...

Behold..... she camps folks

 That's right..we packed up all our chillens and half the house and headed for the hills for some full on, real-life camping.

And it really wasn't that bad ;) Well except for the toilet situation..I mean with 5 girls just in our family..you can see where I am going with this right? My only request before we braved the rugged outdoors was that Nate figure out some sort of decent latrine..none of this squatting business.. I mean we girls don't have the luxury of easy peasy peeing or a straight pee stream either...we are talking shooting, sporadic pee spray and I only brought everyone so many pairs of pants. So my amazing husband jimmy-rigged a toilet, a hole and a privacy tent to boot! Bless his heart.

And while we are disclosing my not so great talents..let's add "riding mini-motorcycles" to the list.  I mean how hard could it be..4 wheels..2 wheels..what's the difference. Apparently a lot..especially when the throttle gets stuck and you have to bail the 3 year old on the front and tip it over in order not to run into the tent or parked car. Yep..not a born outdoors man here guys! But this Natie of mine..he's a stinkin pro at all things mother nature..it's just in his blood..poor guy..married a bonifide city slicker!

 I mean check out the inside of our tent..I know..I know..how can I even be complaining..it's practically the Hilton :)

 And these four-wheelers aka best nap inducer ever..best gem out there. Why hasn't someone invented a simulator for homes. cha-ching!

 Sophie became an ol' pro on this little bugger...taking everyone for rides like a seasoned veteran.

 Then came craft time..I thought I was a genius bringing along some paints..and it worked well for the most part...til Chloe's paintbrush found her eye..she is obviously gonna have to work on perfecting her eyeshadow application.

And besides the week of preparation and packing, loads of laundry afterwards, flat tire, Nate's melted boot and sock, kids covered in filth, lack luster fishing trip, flies swarming the latrine, a few kids and #2 mishaps, throttle stuck mini cycle, hole in airbed..it was a pretty great trip. I think we may make this an annual trip..cuz once a year may be all this small town girl who likes her modern amenities can handle ;)

Recitals for Life

When you have 4 girls who love to dance, it becomes inevitable that recitals will be a crucial part of life. And I have to say that recital nights can be super cray cray round here..what with all the blush, costumes, bobby pins (like a whole container..i swear), dance shoes, hair pieces, and trying to get mascara on eyelashes not eyes..whew it just might do one in. But not me.. I plan and gear for this night..line up the costumes, herd 'em in and through the line like a well oiled factory machine..cuz lets face it..organization is key to sanity in this household.
And the end results are perfection..3 beautiful girlies who are so excited to dance and get their trophy that the chatter and bouncing off walls almost becomes too much. But it doesn't..I love it. I love that they cheer each other on and want to make sure they can watch each other dance..Because the sisterly love comes far and few between theses days and with the teenage years just around the corner..ya..it's gonna get a lot scarier.

 So when you get glimpses like this one..where hands are in hands and they are chatting like the bestest of friends about the looming recital that is upon them..and how exciting it's gonna be and that they get a trophy (insert gasp)..well you can't help but think that life is all worth it..and pretty darn good one at that!

 Miss Sophie was all grins..she knew her dance to perfection! She was super impressed with my "messy bun" skills (I know..is that saying something about my hair doing repertoire or what? ) She can go from happy to crocodile tears in a matter of micro seconds but lit up that stage like a seasoned pro.

 And this Maggie Jane..well..you gotta love her..she is the perfect age when everything is adorbs! But man is she stubborn. Like drive me up the wall..are you serious stubborn..but just look at her..those cheeks..that face..I mean..could you die? We'll keep her. And since it was her first year in dance...she got her first trophy. And let me tell you..that prized possession stayed by her side all night. #notlettingitoutofhersight

The pictures of Ellie actually dancing are super blurry..she's gonna be mad at me when she finds out..but I never do seem to do things right with her as of late..(enter the preteen years/hormones).

So here is to my 3 girls with the 4th one cheering/dancing from the audience..soon to join them! And to many more years of recitals!

Goblin Valley..mini vacay

You know you have been stuck too long at home when you get excited about going to Loa for a family outing. And since Nate's surgery..almost 2 months ago..we have been itching to go somewhere. So when the whole fam decided to head to Goblin Valley then on over to Loa for a nights stay at Clay's new job "The Road Creek Inn" ...well...we were all in.

The infamous trio

Luke is so proud to show us his muscles!

 Chloe has some amazing skillz these days..check out her jump and "splits"..we are talking serious athlete right here.

Of course we have a jumping picture..tradition

Nate didn't want to feel left out..so he found a rock just his size

And we know that these family times where we are all together are getting fewer and farther between. Everyone is growing up and families are getting bigger and schedules more hectic. But for two days we enjoyed each other and spending some time together. And it was perfect! I feel super blessed to have siblings that I completely adore and LOVE to spend time with. We have great relationships and we love each other times a million...there are lots of families that don't have that..okis that enough of the mush for you?..onto some more pics..

The tunnel was a hit..it was 10 degrees cooler inside and was filled with the softest sand ever..Chloe threw handful after handful..

Good-bye Goblin Valley..until next time...

We also went a few miles down from Goblin Valley to Little Wildhorse Canyon. Chloe made it about 20 minutes before she had had it and hit the sack..Sophie and Maggers were exhausted and Nate's knee needed a break so we headed back before we got to the slot canyon..Ellie and Connor went ahead and had a great time.  So no pics of that adventure

Then we headed back to the bustling metropolis of Loa where we were pleasantly surprised with our fun room at the Road Creek Inn..where Clay is working and getting things under way...The Leavitts own this private little pond..where we fished, rode paddle boats and threw rocks.

This paddle boat was a little special..sinking and going around in circles

We ended the day with a picnic and some hiking/walking and checking out the hieroglyphs around Capitol Reef..we didn't get too many pics before the kids were tired and wanting to head home..minus Connor who wanted to keep hiking.

Chloe was pure giddy about this horse

And a milkshake at Slackers ended this perfect little mini vacay for everyone before we headed back to the real world. And it was just what we needed. This kids are still talking about the hotel (because what is it with kids and hotels right? it's just so magical) and we were excited to do something fun with our daddy before he heads back to work next week..So we'll count this one as a success.