Just Because...

Lucy said that I don't post often enough. This isn't very exciting info, unless you are my mother, so don't read on if you bore easily.

A few weeks ago I got out my box o' journals to look for a name. As I scanned the pages, I was reminded of what my youth experience was like, in particular, what dating was like for me. I started reading and just couldn't put the books down! (Stephenie Meyer, eat you heart out!)Now, I know that I am hardly a talented writer, but with such good material to write about, it didn't matter. I enjoyed reading them so much that when I was done I gave them to LeaAnn (my sister) to read. I know, you think I am crazy! But LeaAnn has always played an important role in my life and I mention her throughout my journaling so I thought she would get a kick out of it. Sure enough, she calls me to talk about what she read recently and laugh and discuss why things happened to me the way they did. Let's just say that I had an uncanny nack for attracting strange, obsessive, and upredictable guys. I am so grateful that I wrote those journals! If you would like to reserve your copy today...JK!:)

PTO lately- so 2 of our board members have just had babies and they were the two I could count on the most. My co-pres has started substitute teaching (full-time) at the school and taking night classes to get her certificate, so she can't make meetings and works all time. AHHHH! I feel a little overwhelmed, but there are couple ladies who have stepped up and pitch in when they can. Everyone is so busy, so I end up just doing most things myself. This Saturday we are having a car wash/bake sale to raise money for the spring carnival in April. Locks of Love will be there to cut hair for donations and a chiropractic/massage therapy group will be there to give free massages while people wait for their car! Should be fun!

Parent/Teacher Conferences- Just met with all three kids' teachers and they are all getting A's and doing well! I am so grateful for how well this half of the year has gone!

Lauren is not yet 2 1/2 but she is talking up a storm. She is such a chatterbox, and uses such big sentences all the time and you can even understand her! She is also a parrot. I took her to a visiting teaching appointment with me and she sat next to me and repeated the end of each sentence as I taught the lesson. It was hilarious! Poor Jaylyn was trying to be polite and keep a straight face! She is by far my brightest child at this age and I am concerned 'cause she has a November birthday so she is stuck at home with me for a few more years! I think she will have me pretty well figured out by the time she goes to school.

Ressa has a role as one of the three little pigs in a school musical/play! She is very excited and her two good friends are the other pigs. Still very excited about being a Daisy Scout!

Jackson had pneumonia last week and I am afraid it is taking a long time to get out of his system. He woke up coughing one night and couldn't stop long enough to breathe well. We tried giving him a breathing treatment and a hot shower, but nothing calmed him down. Chad finally took him to the ER. It was so sad to see him struggling so hard to breathe! Poor guy!

Carson gave his 2nd book report this week and he got 50/50! His teacher has really helped him to come out of his shell and express himself more clearly. I am so grateful to her and and thrilled that Carson is feeling more confident!

There has been a lot of commotion across the road from us on the 10 acres of dirt. Large tractors of all varieties moving dirt around. Turns out they are putting in another roping arena! I am not thrilled with having more cattle nearby, but Frank assures me that it will be just for 3-4 months out of the year. Most of the land will be used to plant burmuda grass, so that will be nice, I guess.

That's it for now...

Oak Flat 2009

This Spring Break I REALLY wanted to go camping. Turns out, a few of my friends and family liked that idea and so Oak Flat 2009 was born! I have been wanting to try out our trailer that we got a few months ago for Elk Hunt 2008 and since it is not too hot yet, we didn't have to go very far. Yay! Oak Flat Campground is only 45 minutes away, just up past Superior, and so you are there before you know it. Not the most beatiful spot, but suited our needs just fine. Our friends and family that came included: the Perrins (my brother), Sharps (my sister), Larsons, Hansens, Carvers, Seveys, & the Wagstaffs. We had such a good time! It did get pretty cold at night, so some people didn't get the best night sleep. The 2nd night my brother heated up some rocks by the fire and wrapped them up and put in the bottom of their sleeping bag. Made them toasty warm! I must say that I really enjoyed the whole camping trailer, running water, flushing toilet, comfy bed thing. I did feel guilty for being so spoiled, but Chad and I have spent many-a-years doing the tent thing. Here is a picture...Here are the cousins playing a game in the trailer. Carson and Jackson love to play board games, plus it was a little chilly outside so they were smart and kept warm.

FOOD:

We assigned each family to be in charge of one meal which made mealtime go smoothly and there was plenty of delicious food! Carvers made pancakes w/ strawberrys and cream, hashbrowns, and eggs. Hansens made wheat pancakes and Lucy's yummy buttermilk syrup, sausage, bacon and the tastiest potatoes ever! Wagstaffs and Sharps had yummy sandwiches and fruit for their lunches and Bruce Larson made hamburgers one day that we gobbled up. The Perrins made BBQ pork and a variety of salads for our first dinner and Chad and I did dutch oven chicken, potatoes, biscuits, and cherry & peach cobbler the 2nd night. I have a nice grease burn on my right hand to prove it! Thank you, again, Walt, for your first aid skills! At least it got me out of doing dishes for the rest of the time! Here are some pics of mealtime...

Try not to look too thrilled, babe!

Lauren is never happier than when she is eating!


Jennifer making sure her girls are getting enough to eat. I just loved Audrie and Hayley's camping hats!

Doesn't that look scrumptious? Thanks, Tyler & Diana! I was helping Jackson get his plate that morning and I told him to pick out a pancake. He took one and put it on his plate and said matter-a-factly, "This is the best pancake I have ever seen." I said, "Wow, Jackson. The best ever, huh?" That embarassed him, so he recanted, "Not really." But Tyler was standing right there and heard it all. I know he was beaming with pride on the inside.

This is Abbi and Sloan Wagstaff. I was so glad that my friends Carmen and Brandon came. They had a "blast" as Brandon would say, and they are excellent campers!



Even though we had lots of friends there, I was glad to be able to spend time with my two sibs that live here in Mesa. We have camped and vacationed with eachother on many occasions since living down here. We always have fun together and they mean so much to me!

Here is Lucy makin' the yummy pancakes!


Aren't these two girls sweet? Ressa was so lucky to have Sloan, Bo, and Audrie to play with the whole time. They all got along so well!

Elsie Hansen is so cute in this picture! She was such a trooper the whole time and let us all get to hold her and give her mom a break.

Cousins Bo and Max! Notice the sunburned cheeks. We were all sporting that same look by the end of the weekend!

This was Adam and Melissa Sevey's first time camping! We were so glad they came, and here is little Emily all bundled up. They had a good time, except for being cold.

FIRE:

Carrie and Nathan. Nathan is being impatient that I am taking so long to take the picture!

Lucy and Elsie.

The nights got cold so the campfire was the popular hangout. The kids roasted marshmallows and threw sticks in the fire to keep it going. Chad brought his dad's chainsaw so that proved very useful. After the kids were all in bed, we wanted to play games, but no one was willing to leave the fire to play cards. So we decided to play "Mafia"(or Murder) so we could all stay put. We played both nights and had a lot of fun. Some things we learned are the Sarah is the Elliot Ness of policmen, Aaron makes a lousy narrator (he was fired after two tries), Carrie is ALWAYS a citizen, even if she is a Mafia/citizen, Adam REALLY is always a citizen, Chad and Nathan are horrible at being the Mafia together, and Jennifer is the sweetest mafia, and Carmen forgets who she is altogether! Good times!

More FUN and GAMES:

We had a Skittles tournament the 2nd day. This a game that my family grew up playing at my Uncle K's house and Carrie found it online so now we love to play. It is a fun game and some of the older kids are even getting the hang of it!

4-WHEELIN':

We brought up one quad and Nathan brought another. With 20 little kids chompin' at the bit, those two quads were running non-stop! Well, as long as they could talk an adult into taking them! When Tyler showed up on Friday, we were so glad to have a break and he was more than willing to take over! I love this picture and Spencer is really driving by himself! I think they rode for 2 hours straight!

Pancakes & Carousels

This last weekend was the annual "Cotton Days" here in the town of Coolidge. My sister LeaAnn and her family came over from Mesa and stayed the weekend just for the big event! Not really, but it was a nice coincidence! The festivities start off with a pancake breakfast put on by the Boy Scouts. 7am is a little early and it was a little cold, but the food was good (and cheap!) The parade was next, and of course no parade is complete without the Budweiser Clydesdale's.

Chad and I swore we weren't going to let the kids do any carnival rides this time, but Grandma Rowley took pity on her poor, neglected grankids and game them some money so they could go. Carson and Jackson rode on the Gravitron TWICE! Yuck! Those boys are crazy. The Merry-Go-Round is a timeless favorite for the girls! Lauren had this piece of gum in her mouth forever 'til I told her she could spit it out.

Ressa and her friend Audrie are offically Daisy Scouts, thanks so Natalie for starting a troop here. They are so excited to have their own troop meetings and sell cookies! They were able to ride in the parade and the leaders made these adorable shirts for them to wear!

Here are the little scouts riding in the parade.

Laura and Zach eating pancakes!

Here are our toothless twins. Actually, Carson's teeth are coming in, but Jackson still has a ways to go.

The Larson girls!





The Clare Family enjoying their breakfast!

LeaAnn, Walt, Max, Ian & Van Sharp


Trisha, Kendis, & Mason Brown

Browns and Carvers enjoying the parade.


After all the fun, the Carvers and Larsons came over to our place to let the kids ride Buck and the 4-wheeler. The weather was perfect and the kids had a great time. We had a 'Skittles' tournament and had BBQ ribs for dinner. Good times, good day!

Facebook Casualty

Yes, I have been squandering my time and energies on facebook and my blog can bear witness. It is fun catching up with old friends, I must admit, but at what cost? I haven't blogged about anything of significant value in so long. To add insult to injury, I dug out the box with all of my old journals and started reading those. So instead of writing a journal, I have been reading ones that have ALREADY been written! Don't get me wrong. My college year material could be a best seller, in my modest opinion. Lots of good stuff! But I fear my current life is being sorely neglected and undocumented. Sure, my life now may not be as "exciting" as my single days, but it is certainly more meaningful and relevant.

So what have I missed that needs to be written down for posterity? Assuming it is not a sin to blog WITHOUT a picture to illustrate, here are a few notables...

Ressa - for over a year now, Ressa has struggled with bladder infections (UTI's). We had some testing done and it turns out she has a condition called reflux. Without getting graphic, this condition can lead to kidney damage if left untreated. In most young children with reflux, the problem sorts itself out as they get older. If not, then surgery is successful but it is a major surgery. Ressa has seen a specialist and they are giving her another year to see if the problem resolves on its own and then retest then. She is a little old to not have grown out of it, but we are hopeful. She will be on a daily dose of antibiotic for this year to prevent any more infection. Ressa is such a trooper! She really is a terrific girl and a joy to her parents.

Sarah - I was released from my calling as Valiant 11-12 teacher a couple months ago. My new calling is the Laurel Advisor. This marks the first time I have served in YW! Those of you that know me well know that I have always wanted to serve in YW. This has been all but impossible with Chad always being in YM. I love, love, love it! Our Laurels are such great girls and have made me feel to appreciated and loved.

Chad - He was released from scouts about the same time and called as the Elder's Quorum Pres. for the first time. Now, only the wife of a Scout leader would say that being the EQ pres doesn't seem to take up much of her husband's time. Right? Chad feels challenged by this calling and is doing a great job. My initial concern was the Chad's dad is the Bishop and hoped they worked well together. Chad doesn't mind at all and respects the Bishop very much!

I guess that is enough for now. I hope to do better about keeping more up-to-date!

Sarah