joel and the wrong end of the shovel!

I'm sure that kelli will be ever so grateful with me posting this especially so soon after it happened! But hey it is a memory right!? So anyway Kelli was tending Joel while I worked at the school today, just as I was pulling into her drive out she runs saying "I was just calling you, Hunter hit Joel with a shovel and cut his eye open!" I thought huh where is he? I walked in the door and there he was crying with blood all over. Good I thought at least he was crying-am I a sick EMT or what?! Anyway after we wiped the snot and blood away it was just a little cut but spread wide open so off to the ER we went. About 2 hours later and a little super glue, and of course a chocolate shake, he was ready to go play at Hunters house again! He told me" Hunter didn't mean to hurt me"! So I'm still grateful for Kelli willing to tend my kids for me, and I hope she will let me bring him over again!

more of Arizona

here we are at mothers rock were the "second" wife would have to go hide with her kids when the marshals would come!


Here we are almost to the top of the old milk cow trail were the little girls at the ranch would trail the cows each day. Very steep and a long way!!

In this picture the kids were thirsty and starving so we decided to have them try some cactus! You can see Lowell cutting the spikes off and Delaney trying a bite. It's not bad it tastes like honeydew! They weren't very hungry after that.

Trip to Arizona

we thought that this looked like a dinosaur skull

the storage cellar at the Lonely Dell Ranch

Cove fort

We went to Arizona as kind of a mini reunion with some of Mike's relatives. We went to Lee's Ferry where his Great Great? Grandma and her husband ran the ferry crossing. They also ran the Lonely Dell Ranch, they were out in the middle of nowhere and it was the only place to cross the river. It was quite interesting, we got to look in the cabins where they lived and even see some of the remains of the steam engine of the ferry! We went on lots of different hiking trails which the kids loved. My card on my camera was full but Mike told Joel that he could walk up the mountain a little bit he was topping the next little ridge when Mike noticed and went to go after him at which point Joel was on a dead run- Mike was yelling at him to stop to which Joel replied "I can't hear you your too far away" it was quite a sight to was mike trying to climb up this mountain (mostly on his hands and knees)! Joel finally did stop and Mike caught up to him!

We also got to witness our first sand storm! I think I would prefer to drive in a wyoming blizzard compared to that! We couldn't see ANYTHING when the sand came, we just had to stop on the road and hope that the people behind us stopped too. It would blast the sand into the car and it would rock back and forth. The kids hated that part of the trip! It also blew away Mike's aunts tent, and a window in the motel room of his cousin! I wished I would have has my video camera for that! What a storm! It makes a person realize how bad it must have been in the depression with the dust bowls.

We also went to the grand canyon which if you are afraid of heights like I am is not a good place to go! Don't get me wrong now it was beautiful but I think that I spent most of the time telling my kids to "get back" "hold my hand"! I did however conquer some of my fear and I climbed almost to the top of the look out tower, I almost couldn't get back down. I'm sure I will be some tours "funny story" when they get home!!

We also stopped at Temple square and Cove Fort which the kids loved as well. We made it home at 2:30 this morning! It was a long but really fun trip!

spring is in the air!!

here are the piles of sheared wool waiting to be bagged!

big Mike as they call him shearing a ewe

Joel getting them up the chute

some dirty kids on a fence

I am glad to finally see the sun and warm weather. The signs of spring are all around, tractors in the fields, green grass trying to poke through. Lambs are running around and of course the shearing! The kids are finally old enough to really have fun and not panic that the sheep are looking at them. Joel loves to "poke" them as they go through the chute! I feel so grateful to live in the country where the kids can run around and get dirty (most of the time)!! With the time change things are starting to get really busy, hopefully we have a good year for the crops!! here are some pictures of shearing, enjoy!!

just a random post!

I was just changing some things around and thought that I would update on what was going on!
I have joined the biggest loser my partner and I won the first challenge we each lost 7# which was great! That was all we have won so far-its harder than you think!! We have been doing early morning Zumba Classes! We get up at 5a.m. drive to Greybull and "dance" until 6:30 then home to get kids off to school! Thank goodness it only last until the first week in April!

We all decided (With Delaney's prompting) that we should do Tae Kwon Do. Delaney has been in it for a few years and took the last year off so we thought that we would try it as a family! Quite a sight to see-Pictures to come!! It is a good workout. Mike has lost 7 pounds though I'm not sure it is just that, he has also been walking on our treadclimber. If he looses more weight than me he will be in trouble!!

the kids are all doing well in school and all the other activities there are! It seems like there is never a dull moment, and with spring just around the corner life will just keep getting busier! We hope that all is well with all of you too!!