I'm Coming

The other day I was chopping vegetables for spaghetti sauce.

Amelia called for me from the living room.

"just a minute" I really wanted to finish what I was doing, and I was almost done.

The call from the living room came again.

"I'm coming" still chopping peppers

That's when Emma walks into the kitchen. "No you're not"

"What?"

"Mom, you're not coming"

"Yes I am...I'm finishing what I am doing and will be on my way"

"No mom...watch...this is "coming"

Emma proceeds to walk towards the living room saying, "I'm coming" then stops and turns around. "See?"

Yep...she told me.

One One Sick Thing

We went antelope hunting...all of us. Everyone had tons of fun baha-ing (sp?) through the sagebrush on a bumpy trail, eating junk food and looking for any signs of animal life. {specifically antelope} Then Nate abruptly stops the car..."did you see those antelope? They see us. If we go any further we'll spook them." All the kids don some bright orange and get out of the truck with their binoculars and the spotting scope.

It just might be an antelope with an irregular horn?!?! Gotta put the sneak on.

So, the boys are with Nate, sneaking up on the two antelope, hoping that one of them is worthy of a shot. I sit in the car with the girls and Henry, still eating junk and waiting to spot the boys coming out of the brush, from behind the rocks. We spot them, then start up the truck to find them on the other side of the hill. We get up on them and them...bam...we heard the shot. 550 yards. We positioned the truck to get the antelope easily, and then we all gathered around to see the prize. It wasn't an irregular horn, just broken off..hahaha. Well, as Nate started to gut the animal, Emma was not interested in watching. We went back to the truck. She was quiet for a minute, but then said "That is one, one sick thing" "What is?" "What daddy is doing. Do you like that?" "Not particularly." "Me neither."

But Amelia, on the other hand, was right there with her head over the antelope. "Daddy, get the heart. Take the heart out." "I'm working on it" Nate says with guts up to his elbows. "Daddy, get the heart out." with a great deal of urgency and distress. So, Nate reaches in, finds the heart, and takes it out. "Here it is, Amelia" "OH, good. Now it's dead." hmmmmm

Sick

Clay and I are the only two in the family who have not had to spend most of our last day looking at this...

Poor things.
I wanted a little slow-down from the football, piano, school, scouts......
Just not like this.

Lots Going On

Here are a couple pictures of some of what we've been up to this summer.

We had these cutie pies come visit. I loved that the kids had the time to get to know their cousins a little better, and spend some time playing with kittens, going on a picnic, riding 4 wheelers, playing in water, and other fun stuff.


Family reunion for Nate's family.

The highlight of the reunion for all the kids is always the rope swing.

Nate's Grandma Donna passed away on Father's Day. On the last day of school she had been diagnosed with cancer. It took her quickly. We feel that it was a blessing that she did not have to suffer for too long, and that she was able to enjoy many activities before the diagnosis. We miss her. It is interesting to watch how the little ones have been affected by this. We have shared many tears, and some very sad moments. Emma seems particularly interested in understanding where she is now, what happened to her body, and what will happen when she is resurrected. The day after the funeral, we had to stop by the cemetery to be sure she had been buried properly. We're still waiting for the stone. Most recently, she was disturbed by the comment I made about selling grandma's house. After about 10 minutes, she asked me..."If they sell grandma's house, then where is she going to live when she is resurrected?" Good question.

She also seems pretty sure that Jesus will be coming again soon because she really misses grandma. And since the resurrection will take place at the Second Coming, then that should happen sooner than later. When I think of Grandma Donna, I see in my mind the joy that she felt when her grandchildren were around, the laughter that seemed to bubble up inside of her when she told a story about the family she loves so much, and her kindness. Miss you....

{P.S. My kids have two grandma donnas...grandma dickerson {Nate's}, and grandma gaskell {Mine}. Next month we celebrate grandma gaskell's 95th birthday.}

For Father's Day, Nate got a tool set. Amelia decided that she needed to borrow them. She asked Nate if she could use them...

Why?

I need to take my training wheels off.

Well, you have to get the right size.

I already found the one that fits. It's right here.

OK...just make sure you put it back.

5 minutes later, Amelia comes in the house and tells me that Sam is going to help her learn how to ride her bike. {I'm going dishes}

OK...

I finished the dishes pretty quickly and thought I ought to go out and take a picture of the process...maybe see if she needed some help.

She was riding her bike sans training wheels.

That girl took the training wheels off of her bike, had Sam hold the seat to steady her, and then yelled at him to let go so that she could ride. In less than 5 minutes, she was riding her bike solo. I just about missed the whole thing. What a girl!!! Way to make her daddy proud.

There is more, but this is just a sample...it's past my bedtime.

Pony Express - 150 Years

The boys were able to participate in the pony express again this year. They left early with Grandpa to make their first leg of the race, then called me when they were on their way to Fort Bridger where they were having a little handing off ceremony...they needed a camera. So, we loaded up and followed them to the next leg of the route, taking pictures all along the way. It was great.

My new favorite picture.

Here they go. Sam had to race Nate for the 2 mile stretch. They were cruising. I think someone forgot to tell Sam he had a broken nose that was just operated on.

Ron & Kathy...they organize the run for our county. They did a wonderful job. Everything ran very smoothly and there was a tangible feeling of excitement the whole time I was there. It was great!!!

Free Kittens

They're really cute.
You know you want one.

They love to be outside. {Well, that's all they know}

Come on, aren't they darling?

They'll cuddle up in your boots and play with your shoe strings.

Call soon, or they'll be gone!!!!

Update

I'd post pictures so you could see the progression of Sam's broken nose and subsequent black eyes, but I have a baby asleep in my arms, and the camera is not within an arms length. We went in to see the Dr on Monday and we decided to try surgery to put the septum back into place. {It's pushed clear to the left side of his nose, blocking the left nostril} It should be quick and easy. We were going to do it on Wednesday, but Nate had a pretty busy morning scheduled, so he will come home from Youth Conference on Friday morning for the surgery.

Right now, Nate is at the new building pumping water out of one of the out buildings, and off the property back into the river. It is amazing how high the river is right now. I felt pretty confident that the buildup along the river would prevent any mishaps, but water is finding it's way through somehow. And I know we are not the only ones affected by flooding right now. Since this evening, we have to cross a stretch of road that is buried in water. We pass houses several times a day {for the last 2 days} where people are working frantically to divert the flow, and protect their property. The kids think it's great...it's like one great big swimming hole from 107 to home. I think what amazes me just as much as the power of nature, is the strength of community. As I was leaving our flood to take the kids home to bed, I looked back and saw almost a dozen friends and community members putting their heads together to figure out a solution. I can't describe how impressed I was, how grateful I felt, and how wonderful it is to live in a place where people watch out for one another. Nate called and told me of many others who stopped by to assess the situation. If the water was coming through because of a weakness in the bank, it could have serious ramifications for the entire north end of town. The city will be all over that tomorrow. I hate to wish for cooler weather, but maybe that would slow the beast for awhile, and give some time to recover from the water...

ok...I put Henry down. This post was begging for pictures...I just have some shots from tonight. I'll get Sam on here soon.