Service With a Smile

     This is one of those experiences that is a little more tender and hard for me to publicly share.  But I don't want Natalee to forget it or the way she felt at the time.
     Natalee and Kelsey came with me to pick up some things at Walmart on Saturday evening.  All in all it was a pretty normal shopping trip.  In other words, we took much longer than we planned because we looked at things that weren't on our list. :)  But we got some cute Halloween fabric because we are planning to make some trick-or-treating bags this year.  Natalee thought they were too young for her but Daren and I both said that if she was too old for the fabric we picked then she was probably too old to be trick-or-treating. :)  She hasn't said anymore about it but I think she'll be happy to use one.
     We got in line to check out and a sweet older lady got in line behind us.  She was riding in one of those motorized carts with the basket up front.  They are great for getting shoppers around the store, but when it comes time to check out, it's hard for them to reach their basket to put their things on the belt without getting out of the seat.  I asked if my daughter and I could unload her cart for her and she very gratefully allowed us too.  I only unloaded a few things before they started ringing up our stuff so I moved over to the register to start checking out and Natalee kept helping the lady behind us.  After I paid, I noticed Natalee was saying, "no, no, that's okay" so I looked over and saw that the lady was trying to give her some money as a thank you.  She asked me if it would be okay and I said that it really wasn't necessary and I liked that she gave my daughter the opportunity to do some service.  She told me what sweet girls I have and said what a good job we are doing raising them.
     Natalee was just beaming with joy from the good feelings of service and I was beaming with joy over the wonderful young woman she is growing into.  One of Natalee's gifts is that it is easier for her to share her tender feelings with others. That is definitely not something that is easy for me!  When we got out to the car, she started telling me how she felt.  She said she almost felt like crying but laughing at the same time.  I knew exactly what she meant.  It gave me the perfect opportunity to help her to recognize what the Holy Ghost feels like.  I knew that was what she was feeling because I was feeling it too.  I was able to testify to her that when we do something righteous, that Heavenly Father is pleased and the Holy Ghost testifies to us that we did the right thing.  It's an amazing feeling and I hope she remembers it and never forgets how good it feels to choose the right.  Natalee just started middle school this year and I know that she is going to face plenty of temptations in the coming years and experiences like these are so precious to strengthening her testimony so that she will have the courage to make the right choices in the face of those temptations.
     I am also sincerely grateful to that sweet old lady for allowing Natalee to serve her.  I have had experiences in the past when I have asked someone if I could help and they have said no thank you.  I am sure they just want to be independent.  But I know Natalee could not have felt the way she did if this woman had decided to be independent at that moment.

The Next Bride...

     On Friday, September 7, we went to the wedding reception of our dear friend, Christie Hurst (now Christie Krugman), and wouldn't you know it, Mackenzie caught the bouquet!  She was so excited.  It didn't actually land in her hands.  It landed on the ground a little bit in front of her.  Since she was the closest one right there, she quickly grabbed it up.  Christie used to be Mackenzie's primary teacher so that made it even more special that she caught her bouquet.

     We told her that we were pretty sure that she wouldn't be the very next one to get married since she probably has about 15 years before her big day.  We did say that maybe she'll be the first in our family to get married.  And she is now convinced that that is probably how it's going to be.  She really loves her bouquet and she sometimes carries it around with her and even takes it places (although she has to leave it in the car).  She is very generous with it and allows her sisters to take turns holding it.

Ear Checkups

     Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012, was our semi-annual appointment to check Nathan and Mackenzie's ear tubes.  We drove to Lancaster to see our ENT, Dr. Vadapalli, and so far so good!  Mackenzie has one tube that has come completely out of her ear drum but is still trapped in some wax in the ear canal.  We're putting mineral oil in that ear (her left ear) to soften the wax so the tube can get out.  I think we're both a little curious to see it when it does.  The good news is that even though the tube is out, her ear looks just fine.  So whether it was her adenoids or something she just needed to outgrow, it looks like her ears are completely recovered and she doesn't need the tubes anymore.  So now we just have to wait for the right tube to work its way out too.
     Nathan still has both tubes in his ears.  He hasn't had an ear infection since the tubes were put in a year and a half ago and I don't expect they'll start recurring once the tubes are out since he just needed to outgrow his problem.
     You don't make a trip to Lancaster without doing a little shopping.  After the doctor appointment, we went to Del Taco for a quick lunch (I know, I know, it broke the rule of not going some place that exists in Ridgecrest.  But I really didn't want to go to Hometown Buffet again and Mackenzie is very particular about what she likes to eat. Plus, we drove right past it and so it was easy!).  Since it was right there, we decided to go check out Toys R Us to see if there were any good dinosaur toys.  Especially "Dinosaur Train" toys, which is currently one of Nate's favorite TV shows.  We didn't find anything we wanted (well, I didn't, the kids wanted everything!) but we did find something special in the lobby.  Usually I say no whenever my kids ask to ride those silly rides.  And I did this time on the way in.  But I didn't really take a good look at them.  Coming out, I saw that the reason Nathan was especially interested in these rides was because one of them was a helicopter.  He LOVES helicopters and planes so I dug into my purse to see if I even had two quarters.  Luckily I did so he got his little wish and got to ride on a helicopter.  He loved it so much he is still talking about it!

Nate's First Solo Prayer

     Last night Nathan finally said his first prayer by himself!  I have been wondering if he was ready so lately when he asks to say a prayer, I wait a minute to see if he'll start by himself.  But he always wouldn't say anything and then he'd look up at me and say, "Help, Mom."  Also lately, he has been wanting it to be his turn every time we say prayers!  The girls are always happy to give their turn to him in exchange for being the one who gets to help him pray. :)  But I didn't want them to stop praying so we've just been having them say their prayer and then letting him say one when they're done.
     Last night it was my turn to say the bedtime prayer.  When I finished, Nate said, "My turn say the prayer?"  So I said, "Okay, Nathan is going to say a prayer."  Haylee, Mackenzie, and even Kelsey immediately started trying to whisper a prayer to him.  He was saying, "No!" and trying to push them away.  I told them to leave him alone.  I expected him to run over to me any minute and ask me for help.  But instead, when they backed off, he just started saying his prayer by himself.  I couldn't hear him too well and he was kind of mumbling, so unfortunately I didn't catch anything he said after the first line, "Thank you for this day."  He seemed to have a lot to say though.  Kelsey finally started whispering loudly, "In the name of Jesus Christ, amen" so he would get the hint and finish.  He finally did. :)
     I wish I could have known what he was saying but it was still a very sweet moment.  Next time I'll make sure I'm sitting closer and maybe I'll be able to understand his sweet little child thoughts a little better.

Nate Goes to the Salon

     Apparently the last haircut I gave Nathan didn't turn out so well (according to a slipped comment from my husband).  For one thing, the clippers really freak him out.  Even with a sucker in his mouth, he was still very wiggly.  For another, I had gotten rid of the high chair so I had nothing to strap him into.  This forced me to hold him down and try to keep him from moving with one hand while cutting with the other.  Not that he held his head perfectly still when he was strapped into the high chair.  But it was much less of a worry when I didn't have to stress about him falling off the bathroom counter.
     Nate was looking pretty shaggy and I really needed a trim as well.  So I made us both an appointment at The Fringe Salon.  I specifically chose that salon due to the child-friendly atmosphere.  I knew she had toys for kids to play with while moms got their hair cut.  Kelsey and Nate went immediately to the toys and were so enthralled that I figured I'd better go first.  As soon as I was done, I called Nathan over and we tried to get him into the chair.  He had to be bribed with a sucker, but as soon as he had it, he was struggling to get down.  I told her I figured he was going to have to sit on my lap.  So I held him as she put a cape over each of us and he started to fuss.  I'm not sure he knew what was coming but he was already pretty unhappy about it.
     His little tears started coming as she cut his hair with the scissors first.  But it was quite adorable as he called out to Kelsey over at the toys, "Kelsey, help me!"  "Help Kelsey!"  She looked over at him but she didn't come to his rescue.  Not that she doesn't love her little brother to death, but I think she knew it was really no big deal.  He did finally settle down when she got him a train tunnel toy with a button on it that made all different sounds.  Pushing the button seemed to keep his mind of the haircut.  Then a lady from the dog groomer next door came in with a tiny little chihuahua.  That really got his attention.  She even brought the dog over so he could pet it.  He wasn't even crying by the time she pulled out the clippers.  All in all, he ended up doing pretty well and he looks quite adorable with his new haircut.
     When he was done, Shawna (the hairstylist) pulled out some little toys for Nate and Kelsey to choose from.  Nathan grabbed a blue airplane and was so excited.  She pulled out a green airplane and asked if he would like green better.  So he took that one too and she said, "Okay, you can have them both."  He still doesn't quite understand choosing between two desirable things.  Kelsey picked a pink bracelet.  I thought it was nice of her to let Kelsey have something too even though she didn't get her hair cut.

Before:

He looks pretty shaggy in this picture but I'm not sure it actually shows just how shaggy his hair had gotten.

After:

Showing off their new toys.

*Cove Fort

     Just about where the I-70 and the I-15 meet, there is a historic site called Cove Fort.  Over the many years and many trips to and from Colorado, we had never stopped there before.  It's always hard to stop if kids are sleeping or everyone is really happy and we think we can get a lot farther before the next potty break.  Well, it finally happened this summer after we left Colorado that someone needed to badly use the bathroom just as we were coming up on Cove Fort.  We decided to finally check it out.
     After taking care of our important business, we got a tour by some elderly missionaries.  The first place they took us was a cabin outside of the fort.  It had been the home of the Hinckley family.  The cabin was basically two rooms and a loft.  The main living area was full of chairs set up for watching a short video.  The other room was a small kitchen.  We watched the video that gave some history of the fort, and then we went out to go see the actual fort.  While reading wikipedia to verify that I was remembering some facts correctly, I found out that the cabin had actually been moved to the site of the fort for part of the tour.  Cove Fort was originally founded by Ira Hinckley, the grandfather of president Gordon B. Hinckley.
     The rooms of the fort were filled with antiques that were very interesting to look at.  It seemed like they tried to make them look close to how they originally looked.  For examply, the kitchen was set up like a kitchen and the bedrooms were set up like bedrooms.  We learned that the saying "sleep tight" had to do with the fact that mattresses originally rested on ropes.  At times, the ropes needed to be tightened so the mattress wouldn't sag.
     It was an interesting place to stop and the kids enjoyed a little break in the drive.  Outside they liked that they got to climb onto a covered wagon.

Hinckley Cabin

Kitchen of the Hinckley Cabin

Kids with the fort in the background.



Natalee

One of the rooms in the fort.  I believe those are old scriptures on the table.

Kelsey Rose

Nathan

Daren and the kids went to the top of the fort.

Girls "riding" the covered wagon.

*Ragged Mountain, July 2011

     A family trip to Ragged Mountain for July was planned several months in advance.  We had no way of knowing just how sick Grandpa would be when it came to go.  I don't think we really knew what we were going to do until the last minute.  We finally decided to go ahead and go up, but Grandma Bobbi would stay behind with Grandpa.  So we all headed up on July 22, 2011.  Everyone stopped by to visit with Grandpa one last time.  It was hard to tell if he knew we were there, but I hope that he could and that he could feel how much we loved him.  We didn't want to see him go but we didn't want him to be in anymore pain either.
     The whole back of our minivan was filled with food for the reunion.  Unfortunately, we got a little lost on the way and couldn't seem to find the turn off.  There was no cell reception out there so we couldn't call anyone for directions.  We finally figured out that the one we kept passing and saying, "It looks like that one but it's a different one" actually was the right turn off.  We made it up there with all perishable food surviving.

     Like I said, there was no cell reception so there was no way to keep tabs with Daren's mom to see how Grandpa was doing.  There was a phone up there but it was easier to call out than for someone to call in, since we would have to be near it to answer.  The next morning, Jena hiked over to the phone to call her mom and see how Grandpa was doing.  She got the news that he had passed away the night before and came back to tell us all.  It was a sad moment but we were glad to all be with each other.  Daren's mom had some things to take care of before she could come up with us, so she came later that afternoon.  The funeral was scheduled for the following Thursday so we decided to leave Ragged Mountain on Tuesday.  Mark and Dalyne left on Sunday so that Mark could put in a few days of work.  That way their family could come back for the funeral on Thursday.
     It was a very emotional time but it was a nice to be all together.  And we did manage to enjoy the beauty of Ragged Mountain while we were there.
     Sunday was Pioneer Day, July 24th, so the kids all dressed up like pioneers and went on a special mini pioneer trek.  Someone went ahead and posted signs along the trail of different things that sometimes happened to the pioneers.  The kids found these huge dandelion-like flowers.  They call them "blowy flowers."  They had a great time picking them and blowing the seeds all over the place.  At one stop along the way, our little pioneers had to face some fierce Indians.  Caleb had a good time playing the part of the Indian. :)

      It was SO hard to keep Nathan out of this woodburning stove!  We weren't burning anything but it was pretty dirty.

      The pioneer company heads out!

Oh no!!  A savage Indian! (Caleb Fleming)

Kelsey found a blowy flower!

Mackenzie found one too!

Cute pioneer girl Natalee!

Nate got to make the hike in comfort on Daddy's back.

Haylee got a flower AND some shade!

What a surprise to see Kelsey and Diana together. :)

The girls decided Nathan should get a blowy flower too.

Kelsey looks look even more like a pioneer with a bonnet.

I guess our hike went into naptime.

     Julene did a great job planning different activities for our trip.  The day after pioneer day was super hero day!  The kids all wore capes made out of scraps of fabric and competed in different contests.  Mackenzie won the superhero prize which absolutely thrilled her.  She's not a fan of losing and she LOVES winning! :)

Haylee, Mackenzie, and Grant

Haylee

Ashley chillin' in the baby backpack.

The kids answering questions as part of their superhero contest.

John and Kyla

Mackenzie and her superhero prize!

     After our superhero activities, we went over to one of the Ragged Mountain lakes for some water fun.  It was VERY muddy!

 Kelsey wasted no time getting muddy!  I ended up just throwing her shorts away.

Mackenzie

Natalee and Caleb in the canoe.

Nate getting some snuggle time with Grandma.

Daren and Haylee walked around to the other side of the lake hoping for some better fishing.



 

     The next day was "Halloween Day."  The kids dug into the scraps of fabric again to make their own costumes.  Natalee, of course, figured out how to be a cowgirl.  I'm not 100% sure what we decided to call Haylee's and Mackenzie's costumes but they were happy with what they figured out.  I think Haylee might have been a Muslim girl and Mackenzie a Greek girl.  But that's what I get for blogging about events much too long after they actually happened.

 June 27, 2011: Time to go home.  The view from our cabin really was beautiful.

Kathleen holding Nathan and Kyla

I wasn't going to add this one but I thought it was funny how Nathan and Kyla have almost the exact same look on their faces.