Goofballs

Okay, forget backtracking on stuff that needs to be blogged. Let's move on from here, because if I don't, I will probably NEVER blog again. And that would be sad. Here's today's offering, random goofy pics I took tonight:

Gil stuck his Disco costume "fro" wig on Sammy.

Emma's super cheesy face.

Connor's cultured offering.

Where Has the Time Gone?!

Man, what do I even write about? I've been so focused on my weight-loss blog this summer, that the family blog got really neglected. I barely got the Bear Lake Reunion posted, and here's a list of things I should have posted about, but didn't get to:

1. Zen's Allred Family Reunion, same weekend as the Bear Lake Reunion. Zen and the teenagers went on a 4-wheeler day-trip up in the mountains with the Allred clan.

2. Susie's visits, & fun times at the pool

3. Lots of cute Sammy, Emma, & Connor pics, and Dani and Gil being cute with the little ones

4. Still want to post the cards from Mother's Day and Father's Day

5. A trip to Cokeville to see Lily in the Junior Rodeo. It was really fun!

6. Connor's birthday, Dani's birthday

Maybe I could tackle one each day this week, but who am I kidding? At least two big posts are happening on Tuesday - Gil and Dani are going back to school in Gil's first car! And Connor starts kindergarden that day, too!

Ughh - could I freeze time for about a week, so I could catch up? Just when I sit down to do something and get into a groove, I have to do something for somebody. Will I get some more time when 3 out of 5 are in school? We'll see... And hello, could I get my Medical Transcription done?!! We are constantly on the razor's edge of "what should we pay with this paycheck, and what can we put off?", so many extra bills have piled up, mostly medical and dental, that it's a trick just putting food on the table right now. It just makes me want to cry. Zen is job-hunting on the side for something new, and we are praying constantly for a better job, something extra to happen so we will not be scrambling for money all the time. I need to get my brain in gear, so I can focus on the Medical Transcription, and get that done PRONTO. That probably means giving up some of my focus on my weight loss, but that's another saga. I know there are plenty of people in much worse circumstances than we are in (Sue and her family have been through the ringer this spring and summer, and are just coming out of it,) not just in this country but around the world, and I count my blessings, but I still keep hoping and praying for some relief.

Bear Lake Reunion 2010

Hold on to your britches. There are 32 pics here. Maybe that's why I haven't blogged very well here on my family blog lately. I knew I had this big post to deal with. And yet, it still feels like only a tiny portion of this year's reunion story will get told. It was hard this year, dealing with two reunions on the same weekend. It meant missing some or all of our Cox Family Reunion. We compromised this year, going to Zen's family reunion on Friday, and our family's reunion on Saturday.

Not everyone is picture perfect, but this was the best overall shot of all of us on the beach at Bear Lake. I'm glad there were so many of us here! But I hope we get to spend more time together next year. I'm really excited that David and his family are planning on coming next summer. Wahoo!

It was all about the sand this year on the beach.

Sassy frass!
Two days before, Gil took Connor for a ride on the motorcycle on Zen's parents' farm. Of course, he wrecked it, and fortunately it was pretty minor, but I was constantly irritated with Gil and Zen every time I watched Connor hobble around on his injured foot. I'm not sure he's completely healed yet, but I don't know if it's due to an actual chronic injury, or he just got used to limping.

Again, no hot chicks allowed on the beach!

Don't you just want to squeeze his chunky thighs?!

Josh can always be counted on to get out some serious gear to help the kids with their sand castles.

I think Lily managed to get sand everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE.

Dani had a blast in the water all day, and a sunburn to prove it!

My coolio man, who also managed to lose his keys in the water. Oops!

Woohoo! Watch out!

This was pretty much Emma's opinion of deep water for most of the day, "Lemmee out! Lemmee out!"

Gil, goofin' off in the kids' tube.

The Montmeny's brought their turtle, whose name I think was Checkers, and he was very interesting to all the little boys, and some of the girls, too.

This was as close as Emma wanted to get to the water for most of the day.

Our headquarters on the beach, with the state flags from Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming represented. Maybe we can get a flag for David next year!!

Sand makes a lovely condiment.

Liz was definitely the Quilting Queen with her show-and-tell this year, a fabulous nursing quilt!

She was also working on a great quilt inspired by the children's book Barnyard Dance! by Sandra Boynton, a favorite at our house.

Pajammy to the left, pajammy to the right... oh, that's another book.

Mom organized a great lunch. This was probably the point where I threw in the towel on counting my calories. Mom also had wonderful jars of apricot jam to give away from the tree she planted eight years ago in honor of Hope. What luscious jam! We've gone through two jars already, and the third jar isn't going to last much longer, with the many grilled PB&J sandwiches the kids have fallen in love with this summer.

This was probably the last year of the quilt giveaway. All enthusiasm for handmaking quilts has died out. What should we do for next year? Maybe we should just have a big show-and-tell. Actually, I think that could be pretty fun! If you're not crafty, then make up a posterboard or some little presentation of activities that portray your own special kind of talents.

Connor had a blast out in the water, too, and had a matching sunburn just like Dani's. In fact, his sunburn made such an impression on him, that for weeks afterwards, he kept talking about how the sun was out to get everyone.

No, it's not a snowball, it's a sandball.

Tickle toes, tickle toes!

Sleepy Bennett. I think all the kids were feeling like this by the end of the day.

Zen and Dani finally coaxed Emma out into the water.

Dani is so awesome with little kids. I get compliments about her all the time at church, as people watch her with Connor, Emma, and Sam in sacrament meeting.

Miraculously, we had enough energy left after we got home, to clean out the van. Zen even vacuumed it out for me. Fifty gold stars for you!

Dani and Gil were less than enthused about cleaning up.


A little sidenote - Zen had to point out the evidence of my "lead foot." See, over the past ten years I've worn a hole through the car mat, and even through the carpet.

Dream Home Toy Room? Maybe Not

You know, in my dream home there is a BIG toy room, where all the kids' toys will live and the kids can go in there and mess it up to their hearts' content. But would that work, really?

After wallking through a pigsty for three or four days, I put my foot down and the kids and I cleaned the upstairs. Connor and Sam's room, also known as the toy room, often gets neglected, but I was tired of carefully stepping through the mess like it was a minefield. So, we put all the toys away in the right places and vacuumed the cracker crumbs off the carpet. See how clean and lovely it is? But did Connor want to set up his trains in there?

No, he hauled everything out to the hallway and main living area, where all the action is.

I think in my dream home, the toy room will have to merge with the tv room in one big living area, or I'm still going to find toys all over the house! Dang kids!

Four Months Old

Sweet baby Sammy, four months old yesterday. I kiss your little toes! Stay little just a little longer!

Happy Birthday Sookie Sue

Gorgeous, darling, gorgeous!

Raisin' 'Em Up Right

Gil is contributing to Sammy's training.

I Pity His Kindergarden Teacher

The locker room, Connor's second day of swim lessons.

Connor started swim lessons this week. His first day was a disaster. He completely freaked out when his teacher insisted he put on goggles and put his face in the water to blow bubbles, and when she tried to carry him around the pool he started fighting with her, pinching and hitting her. When I picked him up (I wasn't there because they tell the parents to go away because they are a distraction), he was bawling his eyes out, and after I talked to his swim teachers, leading him away to the locker rooms, he was still so upset that he threw up on the tile. Thank goodness not in the pool. But good grief! That boy has a brick head, a will of iron. If he makes up his mind that he doesn't want to do something, it's very difficult to derail his train of thought.

I immediately formed a strategy, telling his teacher, who is a no-nonsense kind of gal, that I would bring Connor back to the pool later and work with him to get him ready for class the next day. So, that's what we did. I brought him back that afternoon, and we took things slow and easy, fitting a pair of goggles to his face and he sat on the steps while blowing bubbles in the water. He was resistant every step of the way, "No, I don't want to do that!" but I told him that there was no way he was getting to swim in the new awesome pool if he didn't go to swim lessons. Plus, I threatened to take away his Wii privileges. That almost always produces results.

Connor also got a lot of guff from his Dad, Gil, and Dani. "You hit your teacher?! That is sooo bad!" And everyone gave him a hard time to the point that he was rolling his eyes and holding up his hand, "Okay, I don't want to talk about it anymore!"

The next day went a lot better, almost a total 180, and he did what his teachers told him to do, for the most part. He's still a little resistant, but at least he's not freaking out and hitting people. The no-nonsense gal has taken up the lifeguard position on the sidelines, leaving Connor with the soft-talking-sooth-the-children swim teacher. Frankly, he needs someone to be firm with him, because he's so bull-headed, he's going to run right over a meek personality.

I'm kind of dreading kindergarden because we've had some interesting incidents with him in primary. Once, he was sitting out in the hall pouting because he didn't want to be in sharing time, and he watched until all five adults in the hallway weren't looking, and he snuck off from church and just walked home. We looked all over the church, under tables, in cabinets, and finally we figured out what happened to him. He was just sitting at home, watching tv. Just a few weeks ago, they were discussing birthdays in class, and he got so upset that it wasn't it his birthday yet, that he wound up hiding under the sinks in the bathroom. I had to go in and lay down the law before he'd go back to class. His poor teacher is the soft-spoken kind, and tries to talk him out of his stubbornness, but it hardly ever works. He needs a demonstration of consequences before he will change his train of thought. Sweet-talking and logic don't make a dent. He has to be diverted by an entirely new train of thought or be forced to turn.

His poor kindergarden teacher. I feel a lot of parent-teacher conferences coming my way. Frankly, a part of me is preparing to home school that kid. I don't know yet how bad it's going to be in the more-structured atmosphere of public school.

Pray For Us

1st drive by himself, legally.

His Dad got Gil his own set of keys, after he passed his driver's test yesterday and got his official license. Did Zen have to do that?

Yep, my insurance just went up $112 a month, A MONTH. That's a 130% increase. And that's if he doesn't do anything stupid.

Hiking Out to the Petroglyphs

About 20 miles outside of Rock Springs, out by Boar's Tusk and the sand dunes, are some rock formations that have many figures carved into the surface. Here is what the Wyoming Tourism site had to say:
"Hundreds of carved figures dot the sandstone cliffs at the White Mountain Petroglyph site in Wyoming’s Red Desert. As one of Wyoming’s premier rock art sites, the White Mountain Petroglyphs should be a stop on any tour of southwestern Wyoming. Etched into the stone surface some 200 to 1,000 years ago, several figures appear to portray bison and elk hunts while others depict geometric forms or tiny footprints. Handprints are worn into the rock as well, providing visitors with a compelling connection to those who used the site long ago."

We went down a dirt road for about 20 to 30 minutes, then parked at a little rest area. A fifteen minute hike later brought us to the base of the cliffs.


Walk it off, sister!

It was terribly windy today, more at the beginning than the end, but I was thankful all the kids made it.

The sandstone cliffs.


A baby inside the mama, perhaps buffalo.

Sammy took it pretty well. His first hike, and in Wyoming wind!

Licking the backpack was his main occupation. I wonder how many grandchildren have been hauled around in this thing?


Can you see it? Think reindeer.

Emma was so independent today. Every time we tried to help her climb over a rough spot, she would scream at us to leave her alone. Sheesh, two-year-olds.


I think this one is my favorite, the warrior astride his mount, wearing a headdress, and raising his spear.

Connor was fascinated by this small cave. He hemmed and hawed, pestering everyone to go in the cave before he would, because he thought it was scary.


I love the beauty of rock formations. So many interesting shapes, and wonderful warm stone colors.

Our one family picture of the day. There were a few other hikers out there, two older men, and a teenage boy about Gil's age, maybe older. One of them graciously took our picture, but of course, Connor and Emma were not cooperative. Gil is at High Adventure Camp this week, acquiring some blisters by going on long hikes.

Connor finally convinced us to go in the cave ahead of him, so I crawled in to show him it was safe, he climbed in after me, and then he didn't want to leave. What boy doesn't love a secret hideout?

On the way back, riding in the truck, Dani shared her MP3 earbuds with Emma, who was fascinated by the music coming out of them. "Look, she's just like me, " Dani said, "everyone should have a Mini Me." Oh, boy, those should be some fun years ahead.

We topped off our little trip with some yummy Chicken Bacon Artichoke pizza from Papa Murphy's. It's surprisingly light on the waistline, for a pizza anyway.