Summer '11

I am finally able to sit down for a few minutes, so I thought that I would put a post on this dormant blog of ours. Funny how life has a way of getting away from you. I am shocked that our lazy summer has come to an end. The boys are back in school and the race has begun.

The first stop on our summer vacation was a trip down to Alamosa, CO to the Great Sand Dunes Nat'l Park for some R&R. We camped with three other families. We had a great time until the wind picked up and tore out campsite apart. It was fairly difficult to enjoy the enormity of the sand dunes while the wind whipped and sand blasted out legs. The little girls didn't have fun....at all. The most exciting part was when we took a road that had a sign with a gentle suggestion on it. "Point of no return" should have been a clear statement that vehicles without 4x4 should not venture down. We ended up getting stuck in the sand. I jumped out and began jumping on the back end of the pickup to aid in traction. It only helped for about 50 yards. After about 20 minutes of work and sweat and maybe some cussing, we were able to get up and out without needed to walk to get the ranger to winch us out. Best memory of the trip by far!!

Next, we we able to have a fun addition to our family for about 10 weeks to share our summer with. Our nephew, Bryce, moved out here to kill some time before he shipped off on his mission. (He reported yesterday in Provo and will then go off to Oklahoma City, OK for 2 years!) Bryce arrived on June 6th and June 7th he had a full time job detailing cars at the Dodge dealership down the road. Bryce was an instant celebrity around here and the kids' favorite two words were, "hey, Bryce!" He was a good sport and played with the kids whenever they called for him.

Twice in July we ventured to Elitches in Denver, which is an all in one water and amusement park. We went up with our good friends, the Welch's. The first time we went the clouds came in, as they tend to do here in CO, and the lightning began. We ended up leaving the park but were reimbursed by the park to come again for free. The kids were thrilled that we decided to go up the next Monday. We conquered some fears and I for one realized that my tolerance for roller coaster isn't great. I never lost my lunch but came close several times.

Barry was able to hit the links quite a few times this past summer. He was even able to improve his score and come out with a decent amount of pars.

Our summer ended on Aug 2 when the boys went back to school. Every year I have mixed feelings about how short the summer is. The kids are usually ready to go back to school, but it's still so darn hot that I feel like we should be out playing in the water and having no cares, like homework. However, it is nice to be back into routines, though we still live in organized chaos.

On Aug 9, Bryce and I flew to Oregon for his mission farewell and his sister Danielle's wedding. It was a blast to be there for such fun milestones in the Shumway family's life. Barry and the kids were terribly disappointed that there weren't able to go as well, so in an effort to have our family represented, the burden fell on my shoulders. Bryce and I had way too much fun on our "world tour" as we called it. We left from Denver to Salt Lake to Portland to Medford. We laughed till we cried and I'm sure other people thought we were bananas.

While in Ashland I was put to work on wedding preparations. There were lots of chores to complete before the party and when it was all said and done the wedding and reception were beyond gorgeous. It resembled something from a wedding magazine done by a famous designer. The other part of the trip was to support Bryce as he went through the temple prior to leaving on his mission. It was a wonderful night and I'm grateful for Barry in allowing me to have that opportunity.

All in all it was a fantastic summer and we look forward to what this year has in store for our family and the growth it brings. Each of the kids are doing great and such a joy to us.

Liza turned 4!

Payton turned 7!

Taking the sign more seriously now!

Briley and Sienna after a fresh haircut

Wrestle time with cousin Bryce

Payton and Jared on their first day of 2nd and 4th grade

During a rain storm. Normally we can't play in the rain because of lightning but there was none today!

The last night with Bryce

Looking like a missionary

Andrea and Danielle Cordani at the reception

Summer Vacation 2010 (cliff notes version)

We've had a very exciting summer and it has run it's course and school is officially underway. We had a great time visiting family from Montana to Utah.

We began our trip with cousins in Utah and enjoying their fabulous pool they built. Jared who was just okay at swimming picked it up rather quickly and had no problem with the diving board. Though he did learn fast that belly flops are not fun but quite painful. Payton also who really had so swimming skills to speak of is now a fish and with a pair of goggles has no problem either. He also enjoyed the pool. Liza liked the pool as long as someone held on to her for dear life. She had an incident where she fell in and wouldn't go back in after that without some coaxing. The twins loved the water and really liked sitting on the edge and falling into someones arms. We are grateful for our DeMille cousins in Utah for all the hospitality and how much they love our kids.

Next was the Montana reunion with my mom's side of the family. My great-grandparents both passed away 2 years ago and due to one of their daughter's living outside of the US for the past 2 years the services we postponed till she would return. My mom's four siblings came from all corners of the US, my 8 cousins, the 7 great-great grand kids and many other family members were there to celebrate the lives of George and Julia McDonald. July 3rd was the internment of their ashes up on their old ranch that looks over the current ranch and Dillon. It was a lovely day and great to hear so many stories of them. July 4th we relaxed and had a picnic with my Grandpa who recently moved to Dillon from Corning, CA. Later that night we headed out to the the ranch to light fireworks and watch the Dillon Jaycee fireworks show.

Monday the 5th we drove to the capital city, Helena, and took a river boat tour down the Missouri River. It was very interesting learning some history of the area including stories of Lewis and Clark and The Mann Gulch Fire that in 1949 13 smoke jumpers lost their lives fighting a fire near the river and 5,000 acres were burned.

We had a great time in Montana while also enduring sick puking kids for the time we were there.

Once again we were able to celebrate our anniversary with family on July 8th. It just wouldn't be right if we were actually alone! 10 years already? Hard to believe that one little question lead to all this!

We spent more time with the DeMille family in Utah for a 2-day pit stop before heading to Moab for yet another reunion, this time with Barry's family.

Moab in July in one word.....HOT! It was 105 all four days. Thankfully there was a cool pool at our condos where we all spent the afternoons. Air Conditioning was a blessed item as well. There were 51 of us all in different condos. We split ours with Barry's cousin Jim and his family. It was great getting to hang out with them more. We ventured to Arches Nat'l Park and took a hike to see the delicate arch. We were disappointed by the hike thinking the view would be better and we should've done the real hike rather than the scenic one, but with Liza and the twins it wasn't a possibility. Small walk about were more our speed this year. I was worried about the kids getting dehydrated and made them all chug water even when they complained that they weren't thirsty. I didn't care though, I felt too much water was better than not enough. Initially we had decided that we wouldn't do the jeeping that is an attraction in Moab due to the price tag, but Robert, one of Barry's cousins was generous enough to make sure everyone who wanted to go got to go. I was less than thrilled after finding out the Jared and Payton were taken out to a cliff that was a complete drop off. I took my chances the next night amid my fear of heights. It was amazing to watch the jeeps crawl up and down those rocks and now it's a "been there done that" feeling.

Jared was able to go on a rafting trip down the Colorado River with his cousin Donovan, Grandpa Clark and Uncle Brian. They enjoyed getting out of the raft and swimming down the river as well. During the raft trip they were able to watch a rock slide in the distance and the tour guide said it was a once in lifetime opportunity to see such a thing.

The week ended with a chuck wagon dinner and show. All the little kids ran out and danced to the music that the performers played. The kids were more entertaining to watch than the actual show!

All in all it was a great place to meet up with family. The kids had fun playing into the late night catching frogs, riding Donovan's scooter and swimming. Thanks for the memories!

Upon returning home we were anxiously awaiting the wedding of our friend Brittney. Brittney played basketball for Barry when she was a freshmen, babysat for us throughout high school and even college. I volunteered months ago to make her wedding cake and as the day came closer I began to feel the weight of my commitment. After talking in more detail with Brittney and her mom I felt more at ease with our decision of flavors and display. It turned out fabulous!! The cake was tasty and was eye catching as well, but not to out shine the bride on her day! It was a a wonderful day to be a part of and we're so grateful for Brittney, Keith and Logan.

Next on the summer agenda was to completely finish the basement. We succeeded! The bathroom is fully functioning and the handrail is up. Yay!!

I also got a hair in my rear and decided to resurface my kitchen cabinets. They are standard oak builder grade cabinets and since my kitchen is in the center of my house it's always felt dark. I have only the sliding glass door to let light in and it wasn't enough for me. I added bead board, primer, paint and an antique stain. They turned out great and added more light to the room!

School started last week with a 1/2 day on Wednesday and then in full swing on Thursday. Jared is in 3rd grade while Payton is in 1st. Liza is doing some home school and doesn't quite understand why the boys get to go to a real school. She desperately wants to go to "Payton's school" and even went so far and getting her own backpack on and starting down the sidewalk to try to catch up to the boys on Friday. It's great having them back in school and getting into a routine once again. Football camp starts on Monday for Barry and then starts school on the 16th.

It's hard to believe that our summer is over. We had a great time and look forward to next year when the kids will be another year older and be that much more fun!

Catchin' you up

We returned last night from our annual vacation. This year on the itinerary was Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta. Barry's family has a reunion every 3 years there. All of Barry's siblings and 19 of 20 grand kids in attendance.


We decided to split the traveling up in to 5 hour days to make it easy on the kids. We left a day before we originally planned and stayed at our ex-bishop's condo in Grand Junction. It was great seeing them and we were so grateful for his hospitality even if he was laid up. Then on to Highland UT where we stayed with some of Barry's cousins for a few days. The kids had a blast and of course we did too. It was the best place to stay since they have 7 kids and our family of 7 was just absorbed into their daily routine. They had 2 boys just Jared and Payton's age and they were thick as thieves. We had a serious melt down when we pulled away from their house to leave for MT.


We stayed 7 days in MT at my mom's house. We took the kids to the park to hit baseballs and Jared is a slugger, Payton did great too. Jared was hitting balls clear out into the outfield. We caught up with old friends and hung out and ate a lot. I also was able to go to my favorite restaurant in all of Dillon, Sweetwater Coffee. It seriously has the best food around. It's a quaint little coffee shop with some of the yummiest sandwiches and drinks. Can't wait to go back next year. We enjoyed doing fireworks out at the ranch and it brought back a lot of memories. One of my favorite things about going to the ranch was when I walked in it still smelled like my great-grandparents...in a good way, not the bad old people smell. It was quite different looking at those chairs sitting empty. I have many a memory staying up late with grandma in that rocking chair in the same spot playing gin rummy.





Fishing with my grandpa. Payton reeling in this 15.5" 2 lbs rainbow. Jared was the only kid brave enough to eat some of it. Payton isn't much of an outdoorsman. When my grandpa went to cut it's head off he freaked out a little.


When our week in Dillon was up we loaded up and drove the 7 hours to Lethbridge, Alberta Canada. We attended at BBQ for Barry's aunt and uncle who celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. Just days before we celebrated our 9th. We drove out to the farms that Barry's cousins own and rode dirt bikes, quads, horses, shot clay pigeons, and gophers. Al, Barry's cousin's husband is always good to take me out to shoot me some gophers.



Jared had a blast on that 50. He only spilled twice. Guess who wants his own?


Liza had some trouble touching Nikita at first then wouldn't get off her. She was a good old nag. Guess who wants one of her own?


On Sunday the 12th we checked into the Waterton campground. Barry's cousins had pity on us camping with the twins and offered us their trailer. Thank the Lord for that because it rained hard for 2 days. It was somewhat miserable on Monday and most of Tuesday but we were able to hunker down in a camp kitchen and build a fire for warmth and to dry wet clothes. I mostly stayed in the trailer for the first day as Liza was sick and running a fever and I didn't feel any need to take the babies out in the rain, plus I was exhausted and needed some rest myself.

When we woke on Tuesday it was more promising than Monday and we got out and saw 4 black bears. They were out in droves due to the rain the previous day. We rain was great for the area because the lake rose a couple of feet and water was rushing out of the mountains. We went on a small hike to Blackiston Falls which were beautiful and at some point during the hike Jared decided that it would be a great time to have to go #2....um where? Dig, squat and bury. As we came down from that little adventure it started to rain again. Grrr. Most of the reunion activities were cancelled so our little group plus Barry's 7 first cousins, spouses and kids all hung out in the camp kitchen. We got cozy.



This black bear was on the side of the road and we got about 8 feet away from it with our van. I opened up the sliding passenger door to get this picture. He was beautiful.


Jared with cousin Ethan wishing they could go swimming in Red Rock Canyon. Just a little too cold this year.


Wednesday was much better with sunshine and warmth. We went to Cameron Lake which straddles the US/Canada border. It was a great day to be at the lake. Some went hiking others kayaked. After that I took Payton to go repelling. Barry has a cousin, Patty, that is one tough broad. We hiked up a smaller portion of Bear's Hump, a popular destination and repelled off a 50 cliff. Payton had no fear and went 3 times. I went twice and nearly wet myself the first time and couldn't believe how brave Payton was. He now wants to be an avid rock climber and repeller.


Jared getting what he deserved!


Wilderness timeout on a stump!


The brave repeller! Guess who wants his own repelling gear?


We said our goodbyes Thurday morning and went back to Dillon for some R & R and to wash a stinky bag of wet clothes. Barry's brother Collins and his family tailed us to my mom's house for a much needed break of traveling. My great uncle Jim came over from Bozeman to visit us and meet the twins. We stayed one more night in UT Saturday night and got home Sunday night making our vacation this year a full 3 weeks.


We had a great time and enjoyed seeing all the family. It's so fun building relationships with the cousins and watching our kids make some of the same memories that Barry and his siblings made as kids. We are looking forward to next year's cousin reunion in Moab and also seeing all of my family in Dillon next July.



Look at our new trick! We can sit.



Sawtooth was carved by a Glacier on 3 sides. Native translation is "fingers that touch the heavens" Barry's dream is to hike it one day.

Getting excited!

This is the scenery we'll be feasting on in just a few short weeks. We cannot wait to get to Waterton and relax and visit with family. The mountains are absolutely breathtaking up there. I never thought that I'd be so excited to go to Canada but truly I am this year. I'm in need of some serious R&R, Barry too. This past year has been so crazy for our family and I feel like it's been a blur.

Watch out Waterton....here come the Clarks!

Splash Mountain

I thought that I'd add this funny picture to the blog. It totally cracks us up. From front to back: our nephew Donovan, niece Jade, Jared, me, Barry, and Payton's head is poking out over the top of my shoulder. Such a funny picture!

Vacation Pictures, July 2008

WOW!!! What an amazing vacation. We started on June 27 and got to Vegas on Saturday and had lunch at the ESPN Zone. The kids loves seeing the lions at the MGM. We then continued on to Rancho Santa Margarita to see/stay with our friends Chris and Kjersten Johnson.

On Sunday we decided to go into LA for the day and see Hollywood Blvd, Sunset Blvd, Rodeo, the LA temple and Santa Monica Pier. On our way their we got off on the wrong highway and ended up in little Mexico. We felt like Chevy Chase in "Vacation" when they get lost in East St. Louis. We strolled the walk of stars and stopped at Man's Chinese Theatre and saw the handprints in the cement. When we left we went to the temple and loved walking around without crowds. Rodeo Dr. was way too high class for me and Barry in our hillbilly attire so we just drove on through. Santa Monica Pier was great. We did the typical tourist thing and ate funnel cake on the pier. It was delicious! We were beat by the time we left to go back to our friends house.

On Monday we decided to go to the beach. The kids had a blast playing in the sand and ocean. Jared got on the body board and got taken out by a wave. Payton got taken out by a kid on a body board. They recovered from salt in the mouth, mostly by gagging and almost throwing up. Liza loved laying on the beach and eating sand. by the time our 4 hours were up in the parking lot I was fried. My back and legs got so sunburned it hurt for a week.

Tuesday was Disneyland day. The only bummer part was having to wake up at 5:00 to get ready and out the door. Getting to Disneyland was absolutely amazing. I got emotional upon entering the gate. Seeing all the things that you see on TV was just overwhelming. We saw Mickey and Donald right when we walked under the train, so we stopped for pictures. The most shocking part of the time in Disneyland was that we didn't wait in line hardly at all. The longest line was for Splash Mountain at 9:00 at night. We spent two days at Disneyland and California Adventure. Jared's favorite ride was Indiana Jones, Payton and my favorite was Splash Mountain, and Barry's was a tie between Space Mountain and Toy Story.

Thursday we went to Sea World. The kids had a blast. By that time I was completely exhausted and worn out. I enjoyed sitting and watching Shamu and was disappointed when it ended because that meant I had to get up and walk again.

Friday the 4th was a lazy day in the hotel napping, swimming, and napping some more. We went back to Disneyland for dinenr and ate at the Rainforest Cafe and by the time we got done eating the fireworks were starting.

We left LA Saturday and drove up to Corning, CA to visit my mom's father. It was fun seeing him and letting him love on the kids. We ended up getting a flat tire the next morning. It's no fun getting a flat in a town like Corning on a Sunday. Every tire shop was closed and the truck stop wouldn't touch our car because it wasn't a diesel. We got some fix-a-flat and drove to Andersen, CA to a Wal-mart to get it fixed. We finally got to Ashland around 4 in the afternoon just in time for dinner.

We spent a week in Ashland and had a great time with Barry's family. There was 1200 bale's of hay to haul in off the field. I was the resident driver, and I might add that I was a darn good one too. I could back up that trailer with total ease, man! Barry's brother blessed their new baby and we mostly just played around all week.

We got home on the 18th and loved sleeping in our own beds. I can't believe that our trip is over. It was great. Cindy, we had a great time with you and your kiddos in Disneyland. Thanks for coming with us!!! Love ya!

Disneyland

I'm working on a slide show to compile most of our pictures from the trip, I just thought I'd give you a quick glance. We had a wonderful time. Disneyland is incredible and itt more than exceeded my dreams. Stay tuned for more pix!

Twin update

This morning was crazy busy. We had to be at the hospital for an ultrasound at 10:00 which we didn't leave until after 12:00 AAARRRGH! I love people who only worry about their schedule and no one else's. Then we had to cancel and re-schedule our 11:20 Dr. appt for 2:10, drive to the USAFA then back downtown for the appt.

The ultrasound proved today that the twins in fact have their own placentas, which come to find out doesn't necessarily mean fraternal. They could still be identical, they egg would've had to split very early on. There is an 85% chance they are fraternal. We will find out gender in about 6 weeks but even then if they are boy-boy or girl-girl they could still be fraternal. It's a bunch of jargon that we aren't privy on yet. There's still a lot to learn. One great thing about them each having a placenta is that they don't risk twin-twin transfusion. They will get their own blood and nourishment. Their heartbeats are still great and they actually look like humans now versus aliens.

I even started feeling some movement today which is always fun but not so much towards the end. Real estate will be hard to come by once the end approaches. Cramped living quarters for sure.

On a non-baby related note, we are loading the crazy bus tomorrow and driving to California to meet up with Barry's sister Cindy and her family to go to Disneyland and Sea World. We are all super excited and looking forward to making some great memories.

Back to reality

I returned from my weekend of sleeping in and eating out at restaurants without having to order a kids meal. It was divine. Alicia and I had a great time in SLC. We shopped and shopped and shopped. We thoroughly enjoyed our late mornings. The sealing was absolutely wonderful. The spirit was so strong and testified how important families are. It was great seeing all of Shelly's family and reuniting with them. It's always fun to go away for a while but it's even better to come back home again. I loved seeing my family Sunday night.

Since coming home it's been a whirlwind. This week is jam packed with things to do. Barry subsequently was named Head Boy's Basketball Coach last Friday, so he's been stressing and trying to organize the team and the summer. He's enjoying the job but also realizing that his work is cut out for him. He's also been busy doing a little girl's basketball camp along with a little kid's football camp. Those are in the morning and then he jets off to open gym in the evenings. On top of that we decided to get a screen door for the front door and he enjoyed assembling that yesterday and finished up around 10:00pm. It's great and allowed much more light into our cave and cools the house down a lot more.

We are also in talking phase about getting a motorized scooter for Barry to commute to school with. The one we're looking into gets about 80 mi/gallon. Yesterday Barry stopped to put gas in his car and put $30 in and it didn't even come close to filling it up. We figure that we would spend about $20/month in gas on the scooter. Well worth the purchase. We had some friends that bought one and they love it and I've also been seeing more and more people around town driving them. Cutting back on gas consumption could make a huge difference in our monthly budget. We'll let you know our final decision, which could be by today!

Our trip

We left Thursday the 24th for Montana. We decided to leave bright and early and get on going. We drove to Salt Lake City and stayed with some of Barry's friends from high school. It was great seeing them all and meeting their cute babies. We actually made it to SLC in 9 hours which by the way is a new record for us. Usually it takes us about 10 hours. Upon our arrival we went to Ikea. Which by the way is the coolest store ever. I've never been to one and it was a bit overwhelming but enjoyable. We picked up some new bedside tables and are beginning to create a new bedroom. I can't wait to get the rest of the set. I also enjoyed a little taco from Cafe Rio. Yummy!

Friday we took some time getting together and out the door but we left town around 10:00 am and made it to Dillon by 3:30. Friday night my aunts, uncle. mom and my cousin decided to hit the town. I, armed with my bottle of water towed along for the ride and conversation. It's always great seeing my aunts and uncle. We had fun but sure were tired the next morning.

Saturday morning we went to my Grandma's house for funnel cake. It was so delicious. We're actually planning on making that our new birthday breakfast meal. (I'll provide the recipe later.) I also got to see my old high school music teacher and catch up with her. Later that night we all went out to dinner at Papa T's and I met up with an old classmate and friend of mine. I loved meeting her husband and her darling little boy! Liza and Austin had fun looking at each other seeing how they were strapped in their high chairs the entire time.

Sunday was the memorial and the morning was filled with a breakfast get together and then the guys put tables and chairs together for the memorial. It was a lovely day and great stories were told of my great-grandfather.

We miss him but love knowing that he isn't too far from us especially when we recall our memories.