State Fair

I have fond memories of going to the County Fair each year while I was growing up. I loved it all. The parade, exhibits, animals, fireworks, etc. I was feeling bad that I haven't given that experience to my kids. I always wanted to go to the State Fair when I was younger but my Mom wouldn't want to take us because she always said it cost too much money. Since I haven't been to the State Fair or to a County Fair with my kids I thought it would be fun to go to the State Fair. I think everyone in the state decided to go to the fair last night. Parking was hard to come by, we ended up paying $5.00 for a good spot in someones yard. (They totally needed the money, my kids were at least grateful for the home we live in.) We waited in a huge line to get tickets to get into the fair. Apparently my kids don't get out much because they were pretty shocked by the body piercings, tattoos, clothing, etc. I was excited for my kids to experience fair food. We decided that a corn dog would be great. I ordered a corn dog and some fries and the guy at the booth told me that would be $10.00, for one corn dog and some fries. Needless to say, we didn't get fries and shared a couple corn dogs. It was fun to see the exhibits and animals. I always love to see the 4H exhibit. We saw the biggest cow we had ever seen. He was 6 feet tall and weighed over 2,900 pounds. We saw a huge 800 pound pig. Those were the highlights. My little daughter whined the whole time that she wanted to buy a stuffed animal. They all whined that they couldn't go on the rides or play the games. We heard it all, it was no fun at the fair, we are so rude not to let them buy anything, etc. Finally we took the kids to see how much the rides and the games cost. They were surprised and all of them said that they didn't realize how much it would be and they all thanked us for bringing them to the fair and buying them a corn dog to share. At least they were able to be grateful for something. So after we left we and were driving home the kids said that they would not ever want to go to a fair again. So much for my great nostalgic moment. Oh well at least I know why my Mom never took us to the State Fair. I won't make that mistake again.

Too Cute

I just had to post these cute pictures of Jake. He looks so cute in the Bumbo we borrowed from Jenny. He is so chubby that it is just darling to see his body sitting in that seat. His little chubby legs are so cute sticking out. He is a big time finger baby. He sucks on his fingers and hands all the time. When he is going to sleep he'll suck on his fingers. It is so cute but I am sure when he is five it won't be so cute anymore. He has no favored hand or fingers just whatever he can get into his mouth. He also has the Hendricks fluffy hair which of course I think it is darling.

Yummy

Little Jake has tried his first taste of real food. He did exactly what I thought he would do, nothing. He was not a fan of the rice cereal. I would put the cereal in his mouth and he would stick his tongue out and then try to get it down. I have been working with him for about two weeks now and yesterday he did much better. He is learning that he needs to open his mouth for the spoon. I did try oatmeal cereal and he enjoyed that a little more. Hopefully he will get the whole eating thing sooner than later. He is just such a cute little happy boy even if he isn't too thrilled with eating real food.

Kids Say the Cutest Things

If you want to see what your kids think of you, do this post. It is fun to see what they think.

ASK YOUR KIDS THE FOLLOWING 20 QUESTIONS.

1.What is something Mommy always says? "Besides I love you?"
M:Oh I'll make you alright(This is my funny joke with Megan)
P:You are funny Parker
H:Read your scriptures every night

2. What makes Mom happy?
M:A clean house
P:When I turn off Lego Star Wars
H:When we don't whine

3. What makes Mom sad?
M:When we don't obey
P: When we disobey you
H:When I whine and complain at you

4. How does your Mom make you laugh?
M:When you pretend like you have a whip.(Once again a little joke we have)
P: When you tell me funny stories.
H: When you say something funny

5. What was your Mom like as a child?
M:You were chubbalicious as a baby
P:Cute
H:You had chubby legs and cheeks

6. How old is your Mom?
M: 37
P: 37
H:45

7. How tall is your Mom?
M:5ft3in
P:4ft9in
H:10 feet

8. What is your Mom's favorite thing to do?
M:Make us work
P:Play with us
H:Take a nap(How sad)

9. What does Mom do when you're not around?
M:Party
P:Plan Relief Society
H:Clean the house

11. What is your Mom really good at?
M:Ski on the Wii(I haven't played for over a month)
P:The Wii
H:Blogging

12. What is your Mom not good at?
M:Being a dork(Megan is a goof ball)
P:Skiing
H:Riding your bike

13. What does Mom do for her job?
M:You clean
P:Go to Eagle Pointe Title( I haven't been for over a year)
H:I don't know, work.

14. What is Mom's favorite food?
M:Pickles( Megan says yuck)
P:Taco's
H:Tortilla's

15. What makes you proud of your Mom?
M:You are my mother
P:Let us do fun things
H:You let me in gymnastics

16. If your Mom were a cartoon character who would she be?
M:Daffnie
P:Jerry
H:ElastaGirl

17. What do you and your Mom do together?
M:We go shopping
P:We go to Liberty Land.
H:Do something fun

18. How are you and your Mom the same?
M:We are both tall, sad to say.
P:We both have blond hair and look like each other.
H: We like to take naps together

19. How are you and your Mom different?
M:You are better at scrap booking than me.
P:Your a girl and I am a boy, male and female.
H:We don't have the same color of hair.

20. How do you know your Mom loves you?
M:You make us dinner.
P:You are really nice to me.
H: When you an extra job for me.

Capitol Reef

This past weekend my mom took the family to Capitol Reef to surprise Rick for his B-Day. We had such a great time. The kids had a blast playing with the cousins. We hiked to Calf Creek, which is a hike we love. It was so hot on the way there but on the way back it was overcast and perfect. The kids were troopers and made the 3 mile hike without whining. They had a blast playing in the water and the sand. It was Parker's B-Day on the day we hiked to Calf Creek and he couldn't think of a better way to spend his B-Day. We went to Fruita and picked apples. The kids loved to climb the trees. There were a ton of deer in the park which was fun for the kids. We went to the Capitol Gorge and saw the Pioneer Registry. The kids had fun climbing into the holes in the rocks. We have spent many vacations at Capitol Reef and we always love going there. It has been several years since we went last and my kids thought it was the greatest place ever. It was fun to have them be older and able to do a lot more activities. We went to the Anasazi museum and they thought it was so cool. It is nice they can appreciate history. We had a great time, thanks Grams for the fun!

Memorial for Cooper

Today Bill and I attended a funeral for the son of our dear friends Sharon and Ted. Cooper was killed last week while he was with his mom at the neighborhood bus stop. A teenager that was driving hit Cooper with his car. The bumper hit Cooper's bike and he got pulled underneath the car. Sharon was able to pull him out from under the car, Cooper was screaming. Minutes later he started to go into shock, when the ambulance arrived they worked on Cooper and then he was flown by life flight to PCMC. While he was being taken to PCMC his heart stopped, life flight was able to get it started again. He was taken immediately to surgery, the internal damage was too serve to save him. They were met by a social worker at the door to tell them he didn't make it.

This experience that happened to our friends has brought back many memories to my mind of Rylee's death. It is interesting how I have been able to compartmentalize my feelings of Rylee's life and death. When I know someone who may have a similar experience it brings all the emotions up to the surface. This experience for me has helped release a lot of suppressed emotions. The funeral was absolutely beautiful. It sounds so crazy to think that through a tragedy so great, that a beautiful spiritual experience can happen. As Ted talked he told of the spirit that has been with them so abundantly these past few days. He told of a blessing he gave Cooper after the accident, he felt angels there with Cooper, he also felt that Cooper would not survive this tragedy. As he talked of the anguish that they felt and the questions related to where Cooper was and what will happen to his spirit, I remember having those same feelings. The spirit has strengthened them and has brought to them peace and comfort. If I had not experienced a death of a child myself I don't know that I would really understand how that could be possible. I remember feeling the comforter so intensely when Rylee died and for several weeks after her death. I also felt her spirit, which was so comforting and peaceful to know that her spirit could be with me even though her body couldn't. There are no words to truly express the heartache and sorrow a parent feels when losing a child. I realized that my ability to feel empathy has grown through losing a child. I wouldn't have chosen to have Rylee be disabled or die for that matter, but I am so grateful that I have been to the depths of despair and anguish, because it was only then that I could understand the love of Christ and the Atonement. I was so strengthened by the words that Ted spoke and the love that he showed for his family, Cooper and towards the teenager that killed their son.

Ted told of how when they meet with this boy and they were so nervous because they didn't know what or how to feel. When the boy came into the room where they were they went to him and embraced him. They were able to feel peace and love for this boy who had taken the life of their son accidentally. Sharon said that at that moment that she hugged the boy, she was able to feel peace and feel Cooper's spirit. I can't imagine how they must feel knowing that this tragedy was all an accident. I can't imagine the hurt or pain they would feel comforting the boy who killed their son. They of anyone had the right to feel wronged and to harbor ill will toward someone for taking the most prized possession they had, their child. However, they were not offended, they were able to show unconditional love. It made me think of silly little things that happen in neighborhoods, families, work, any kind of life experience where one would be offended by someone else. I dare say that in most cases the offense would not be a great as an accident taking your child's life. Yet, Ted and Sharon were able to not only forgive but show unconditional love. This is a true example of a follower of Christ. I left the funeral wanting to be a better person. It was so nice to remember the love of God and the comforter and peace I felt at the time of Rylee's death. I don't want to forget those feelings, because they were real and they helped us make it through a very difficult time in our lives.

Thank you Ted and Sharon for your examples and giving such a beautiful tribute to your special little boy, Cooper. We love you guys!

My Little Gymnast

Hailey had her first gymnastic recital this week. She is in level 2 and her teacher said at the recital that she is the leader in her group and she shows the other girls how to correctly do things. She was so cute at the recital. They had a beam, bar and floor routine, so cute. I was told to sit upstairs so I didn't get a good video of her or pictures. We are so proud of her hard work and determination. She got a little medal and a T shirt for participating in the recital. She was so proud of herself and so were we. We love you Hailey!