Trek

I've always wanted to go on a Pioneer Trek, and when the chance presented itself - I jumped at it. Words cannot express how AMAZING it was! The experiences changed all of those involved for life.
It was so hard, don't get me wrong, but it was sooo worth it. We laughed, we cried, we pushed, we pulled, we sobbed, we joked, we giggled, we perspired, we froze, we perspired some more, we pondered, and we prayed. I feel like all those that were on the trek are now close personal friends and that we shared something very special together.
I was asked to speak in church in two weeks about the trek, so I figure I'll just post my talk then and not re-write the whole experience twice. Here are some of the fantastic pictures:

Steve and his wives.

This one just said "Polygamist" to me.Climbing Independence Rock, it was steep!
Jen was the first girl up!

Ready for the Trek!
Las mujeres.We're saving this one for Adam and Madison's Wedding Video.

I don't think that they had tye-dyed long johns back then.I carried baby Flora most of the way.
I neglected her once or twice, but only for an hour or twelve. That little sack across my shoulder, and hanging by my hip, is 4 oz. of flour. That was the ration each adult over the age of 12 received each day. Only 2 oz. for under 12. That's all."Oscar" the dog.
There's an article in this July's Friend about him. (p. 22)The Sweetwater River. When the pioneers in the Martin Handcart Company crossed this, there was snow on the ground and chunks of ice floating past them. I dare say our crossing was a relief from the heat!Adam babysitting Flora.The best neighbors a girl could ask for!! I could just imagine this scene back then, weary wife resting her head on her husbands shoulder.Our guys by the memorial of the men who carried the pioneers across the Sweetwater.Men washing their hair?!?!?
Girls gettin' a ride!American Gothic RevisitedMormon Battlion callout. This was such a hard moment. To watch our men walk away.
We did it!!!

The Dream That You Wish Will Come TRUE!

I have dreamed of quilting with this amazing lady for years. The yearn has grown exponentially since I moved back into her Ward. She is one of those kind of people you can't help loving! She's so sweet and was so patient with me. I finished the whole quilt in 1 1/2 hours time, which blew my mind. I still have to bind it so pictures will follow. (Don't mind my crazy face!)And to top off this awesome quilting experience, I went to DI today; and what do I find? The most AMAZING boots EVER!!! I've been searching, pricing, looking, trying on, and not finding boots for upwards of 8 years. I have ridiculously high arches so it's super hard to squeeze into just any old boot. Anyways, I was searching for a pioneer shirt (which I found; a super sweet one at that!) and came across these beauties. They're in great shape, they're a $150 pair of boots for 10% of the cost, and they fit me!! I couldn't pass them up.
Did I mention this has been a really good week for me?!?

Holy Stars!

If you've ever spent anytime around me, you know this is one of my favorite sayings. Probably right up there with "Oh, spare me!" Anyways, HOLY STARS! I feel like summer is flying by with one million activities and things to do. I'm way behind on all of the fun things we've been up to.
The Friday after Emory's birthday, we went to Hogle Zoo. She wanted to go on her birthday, but the torrential rain and hail deterred us.
Both of the girls loved it! My mom, Katie, and her friend Steph joined us. It was so much nicer to have both of them a little older and actually looking at and enjoying the animals.Favorite animals included: penguins, elephants, zebras (or Marty), rhinos, monkeys, the list goes on.We saw some awesome bowel movements, and when I saw awesome, I mean AWEsome!
Emory's reaction to the lion . . .Tessa's reaction to the lion . . .This is the craziest monkey thing I've ever seen. We thought for sure it was fake, but NO! It was totally breathing and even opened it's eyes. I thought it was creepy looking to say the least!Cory and I were discussing the insanity that is our lives for the next few weeks. He's studying for Step II Boards non-stop. I'm all over the place with my girls in tote. The 4th of July celebrations, next week is Trek (you know, walk across the plains in pioneer attire), the next week Cory goes to Chicago and I join him for a few days, the night we fly home we drive to Logan to pick-up the girls and head to Bear Lake for 4 days, all the while I'm getting ready for Girl's Camp the first week in August! I get overwhelmed and tired just thinking about it. Plus, I'm doing activity night and taking a meal to a family in our ward tonight, I'd better get started!

A Dream is a Wish . . .

The Birthday Celebration . . .

It seems that every year we celebrate Emory's birthday for about a week, and this year is no exception. We did the usual fun stuff on her real birthday; went to her favorite restaurant for lunch, opened presents, and generally gave her lots of attention. She wanted to open a present right after she woke up. (You'll see that wrapping paper in a new use later.) In Fairview we went to that awesome boutique, and they had Melissa and Doug puzzles on sale. Emory had her choice of zoo animals, cute children around the world, horses, etc. No, no, no . . . she chooses the Anatomy Puzzle. She is her father's daughter! She had no problem with it while we put it together, but would NOT lay next to it for a picture. Once this child gets something into her head, there's not a person on this earth who can talk her out of it. When we figured out she didn't want "Bone Man" looking at her, she laid on the other side just fine. She also got a new bike for her birthday (including a helmet, elbow and knee pads, riding gloves), new earrings, books, dolls, a pop-up train, clothes, side-walk chalk, and the piece d'resistance . . . an amazing assortment of dress-ups that my mom made. (My mom whipped these up in a day and didn't really use a pattern. I know . . . you can all be jealous she's mine!) This train from my Grandma was/is a big hit. It fits on top of a twin sized bed, so it's like she's sleeping in a tent!We also celebrated on the Saturday after with some of Cory's family. We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse; it was muy busy but really good! Then we came back to our house for cake and ice cream with everyone. Emory is all about make-believe and princesses, so she wanted a Fairy Tale Castle. This in me trying my best and building a Fairy Tale Castle!
The tradition of new Naartjie outfits for her birthday continues.There are so many words to describe our Emory, I can't just choose one. Loving, bossy, thoughtful, possessive, obsessive, silly, beautiful, and too smart! She is such a reader, and it's driving me crazy. I can't read anything around her without her looking over my shoulder and reading ahead of me. She still wants us to read books to her, but now she catches my mistakes and isn't happy if I start paraphrasing. On top of her academic skills, she's a great little performer. She LIVES for singing time in Primary and sings most of the Princess Songs (I Know You, A Dream is a Wish, etc) by heart. She is a whizz on the computer, loves to cook, jump on the trampoline, swim, play the piano, and "go to the gym". She is a fantastic big sister, and although they have their quarrels, they are attached at the hip! Whenever these to are happy about something, their distinct "WOO-HOO" can be heard from throughout the house!
PS Tessa has always called Emory "Emmy". Lately, she's taken to calling her "Emeny" when she's angry or yelling at her. A little ironic that it's close to the the Dain Bramage of . . . Enemy? I think not!
Here's the wrapping paper!