Uncle Butch and Adam Day 9

Here is Adam and his Uncle proud as can be at the river where many of fish were caught!

The deal is he can leave me for the day as long as we get to go shopping at the outlet one day. He fulfilled his promise and had a great day with his uncle. They caught 25 fish each and Adam was in HEAVEN!!!!!

He had lots of stories to tell when he returned and said his uncle even fell in the river right before they left, getting all of his dry clothes soaked. SO funny and what a great bonding time!

Days 5-8

So day's 5-8 consisted mostly of waking up putting life jackets on and off to the dock to see what was waiting in the lines from overnight. One morning all of the poles were lucky and Dad and Uncle Butch were gone to the river. Mom was the only one available to get them off. Mind you that I am not a big fisher girl and I only throw out the line!!!! I never never never touch the bait, hook, or fish for that matter! I however being the great, fantastic, super duper mom that I am put all of that aside and was going to help them. Well I grabbed the first little guy and it squirmed like the dickens getting me very freaked out! I had the pliers in hand and couldn't get the dang hook loose. I put that one back and attempted the next, once again no good, finally the third and I decided the cut the line but leave the forsaken hook in their lip. If I kept at it they were for sure going to die from surgery my yours truly. All of them were cut free only to be placed by the youngin's in the cage! I re hooked the lines and they put on some new minnows and were as gleeful as ever!

Most days it was in and out of that back door with bathroom breaks, tattletales, or a need of a snack. They played all day long while I read and read and fed the baby and read some more. All the while of course supervising my sweetie's fishing their hearts out!

There were trips on the boat too! Lots of fish were caught and lots of poles were snagged and minnows murdered! Fun was had by most-???? Maybe I am not included with the fishin stuff.

Memories for sure by J and M forever!~

Big Catch Up!!!

Big catch is right!!!!So I am finally catching up and I wanted to post Adam's big fish caught on the first day at the lake. He was so proud and so were the kids. It was about 12 pounds and was quite a biter. Adam had lots of cuts on his hand from holding it and showing it off! We kept it all week but at the end he didn't have the heart to kill him so he was let loose!

Way to go babe!

9 months

So yes I did not post for my sweet baby yesterday. It was her b-day and she was feeling a little sick. She is getting more teeth and no matter what people say I think anything and everything can be related to those pearly whites!!!! I am so in love with her and her cheesy grin and husky laugh. She is rolling all over the place and trying to scoot too! She coo's and I think she said mama once or twice. Her brother and sister adore her and love to wake her up only to get lots of big smiles and snuggles. She loves to eat anything and everything. She has tried biter biscuits, Cheerios, french fries, and some crackers and loves em all! I love her to pieces and will post stats next week to see how big she is! Love ya Whit!

So Grateful!

Yes I know I still haven't caught up but I re-read this somewhere and was in deep thought about it all day! I am so blessed with a great husband and family and friends and heavenly father!

"The Bridge"

There was once a big turntable bridge which spanned a large river. During the day, the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river parallel with the banks allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides of the bridge. But at certain times of each day a train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river allowing the train to cross.A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed. One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come, he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight and caught sight of the train’s light. He stepped to the controls and waited until the train was within a prescribed distance when he was to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position but to his horror he found the locking control didn’t work. If the bridge was not locked securely into position, it would wobble back and forth at the ends when the train came onto it, causing the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a passenger train with many people aboard. He left the bridge, turned across the river, and hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a lever which he could use to operate the lock manually. He would have to hold the lever back firmly as the train passed. He could hear the rumble of the train now and he took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives would depend on this man’s strength.Then, coming across the bridge from the other direction of his control shack, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. “Daddy, where are you?” His four year old son was crossing the bridge to look or him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child, "Run, Run!" But the train was too close, the tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. The man almost left the lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety, but he realized he could not get back to the lever. Either the people on the train or his little son must die. He took just a moment to make his decision. The train sped swiftly and safely on its way and no one aboard was even aware of the tiny, broken body thrown mercilessly into the river by the crushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of a sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the locking lever long after the train had passed. They didn’t see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked to tell his wife how he had sacrificed their son. Now, if you can comprehend the thoughts which went through this man’s heart, you can begin to understand the love of our Heavenly Father when he sacrificed his son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Can there be any wonder that he caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when His son died? And how does he feel, when we speed along through life without giving a thought to what was done for us through Jesus. When was the last time you thanked Him for this most precious of gifts?

day 3-4

Day 3 was another wake up early and go to breakfast at the same little restaurant. We had homemade waffles and delicious cinnamon rolls. We then went to the Joseph and Hyrum Memorial. This is a amazing and solemn place. Both of them ride tall on their horses saying goodbye to their families and town, knowing they will not be returning. We then went to the visitor center and on to the blacksmith and the brickyard. The kids got a ring from a nail, and a free red brick. The missionaries were so sweet with them and got them involved as much as possible. We went to the gun shop and then to the family living center again to finish up.
We left and headed to Carthage where we watched a video and visited the jail and where the martyrdom occurred. They played a tape to listen to while we were in the room and I was overcome with emotion. What a spiritual time and testimony builder of what happened and what strong saints they were.
We left there and were back on the road to Kansas City to spend the night and go to the lake in the morning. We woke up and packed up again for a 2 hour drive to kids paradise. A house with grass all around, and a lake 100 feet away. The kids ran to the dock and wanted to fish, ride the paddle boat, go jet ski, and swim all at once. I replied chill for a while so we could get things settled and naps could be taken for the babes!
We were there about 5 hours when Adam came up to the back door with a 12 pound CATFISH! I was a bit shocked and praying he wouldn't want to mount it!!!!!!! The kids couldn't get enough they were in pure amazement. Mya then caught her first fish ever and Jaxson was soon to follow. I rested with Whitney and curled up on the couch with a good book.
Love the lake house, no phones, computer, or Jehovah witness at your door!!!
We ate a delicious dinner about 8pm and it was still light outside. Bad news for the kids that they didn't think it was bedtime yet! Everyone was finally out at about 11! What a day.

Catch up Day1-2

Well sorry for the long lull, but we been travelin! I will re-cap the trip and pics to follow. We woke up for a early flight Friday morning late, due to Adam hitting snooze 3TIMES!!!! We managed to bust out of bed and rush to pick up my dad and get to curbside check-in. We got to security and it was our lucky day-the lady said oh, you have small children and a family come through this line---NO WAITING-- I love having a family!!!!! We did the whole take your shoes off and belt and almost everything, have people stare at you while you manage 3 kids and a stroller and 5carry on's. Yes the looks are so great, and we get to the gate to find out that the flight is late, and that the don't let people with small children pre board. Now everyone knows I am a bit of a worrier! I was stressed who should sit where, what if there wasn't enough seats together, what if I needed to feed the baby?????????? We my level headed husband said everything would be just fine. We boarded and it was just fine as he said, however I was in the only row with 3 seats together and he got the isle by us. I sat with the kids in case I needed to be indecent and we went up up and away. There was spilled drinks, snacks and many many many many needs from 3 lovely children and I look over to see a sleeping husband!!!! He soon gets passed a squirmy baby and I try very patiently to fix the cut and paste project I brought with the other 2.
We arrive!!!!! We get there get some lunch chat for a bit with the fams and discuss the need to leave for our 4 hour drive to Nauvoo. We finally get out of there at 5:30. The kids did fantastic and slept most of the way. We are starving and finally find a DQ in the pitch of night that closes in 10 minutes. We were saved and eat and move on to find our destination. Driving driving through a dark dark street right by the river. I kept have bad thought that some hillbillies were going to jump out on the road. That never happened but we did get down a wrong turn and delayed us about an hour. Love the smallest city and especially when it is so dark and there is not a single light on in the whole town!
We get to our hotel and settle in, the kids on a hide away, us in a master suite, and the baby in nothing else but-------THE BATHTUB!!!! Yes child abuse I know, but we put a blanket down, plugged the drain(fear of bugs crawling to her) and I wrapped the faucet just in case. She slept great however I had a fear the next night that the water might magically turn on and she didn't sleep there again.
The next day was up and Adam. We went to a great buffet and ate with many eyes looking our way. We got in the car a drove down the sweetest little streets until we got to Joseph's old home. We went on a tour to see some other sites, graves, and shops. We bought the kids a red brick in remembrance of the red brick store-to later find out we got one free down the road. The kids did great and Jaxson had lots of questions about the tombstones and the old houses.
We loaded back in the car and drove a bit to the shoemaker, the the bakery, the print shop. We stopped to a cute puppet show that the kids loved and were off to a cute little deli shop for lunch. We ate and looked around and got to see the beautiful temple and took some photo ops. We drove back and went to the visitor center for another great show with singing and dancing explaining Joseph's life. Jaxson was so attentive and Mya shook her booty to the music. Whitney dropped her binkie at least 10 times and I was losing patience. We took a carriage ride and went and learned to make thread at the family living center. Jaxson and Mya learned about candles and making bread too. We strolled the streets and enjoyed the beautiful green scenery and mist falling on our faces.
Back to the hotel to freshen up and on to the Polynesian fire dancing show.No time to eat and nothing open. We told the kids we would eat after, not knowing when this would end. We watched that and then following was another sing and dance program put on by all of the missionaries. It was amazing!!!!!The kids ate some snacks but Jaxson kept saying he was starving! I truly loved it curled up with my sleepy kids listening to laughter, love and feeling the spirit. It ended and we had to eat but it was 1000 at night. We drive and nothing is open still, what a surprise- we settle for a pizza at a gas station. What a fun filled packed day 3 sleeping kids on the drive back to the hotel! Jaxson even woke up to the smell and ate before hitting the sack about 1100.
What a great day!