April is out with a Bang!

Its pretty sad that I started this post at the beginning of May and now I am finishing it the beginning of June.  Days are so busy here I don't get everything done I wish I could.  

But here are some key events in April.  We got to meet Ang's friend Steve.  Great guy.  He is in the back on the couch.  Ang, my good friend, is happy.  Divorce is hard and she has come out on top and is happy.  She deserves a lot of happiness!

I also started a challenge with my family.  Super fun.  You get three points a day.  One for not eating treats, soda, chips.  One point for exercising at least 30 minutes a day.  This can be yard work, walking, running...etc.  And one point for eating 7 servings of fruits or vegetables each day.  The last one is the hard one.  First it took my body a few weeks to get used to all that fiber I was putting in my body.  And it took some time to realize that at each meal you had to have a fruit and/or a vegetable.  You couldn't have a bowl of cereal or a plain egg because you would be full and not get enough produce in your body.  I have drunken a lot of smoothies.  I have learned to enjoy more produce.  We planned in a few free days.  So you could miss two points a week.  So in the last few weeks I have only had 4 days when I have had sweets.  IT IS POSSIBLE!!! and it feels good.  It feels good to eat healthy.  I believe it is a life style.  Its a healthy choice.  

This week my moms cousin died of type two diabetes.  She was younger than my mom.  It is sad to see life not taken care of when it is a preventable disease, a curable disease.  To see all the sad people who are mourning the loss of their friend/cousin is sad.  So I appreciate this challenge to force me to make healthy choices and put away the treats.  It was't too bad.  

I also took a weekend away to run a race down in Zions.  The race actually got cancelled half way through because the rain made the trails so dangerous and muddy.  Then the snow settled in and tents were collapsing on people and people couldn't see the trail markers of where to run anymore.  So I can say I have done my Ragnar race and I am finished with it.  It was fun. My headlamp batteries pretty much died on my 8 mile leg which happened to be in the middle of the night and I had to run about 6 miles in the dark.  It was a bad time.  One I don't even like to think about.  

Kind of glad March is over...

March was a great and stressful month.  We had our house under contract so thankfully we didn't have to have it perfectly clean all the time for any showing that might call!  And truthfully the packing wasn't so bad.  I did a few boxes here and there.  So the packing was manageable.  

Darren was the master hole patch-er-uper!  He took things off wall, muddied and painted.  I was so grateful!  (of course Abby wanted to help with it all!)

But before the move we did do a few fun things.  The Beus's had a fun birthday party.  Abby wanted to ride the bike all day!

We had several little miracles in March.  This was one of them.  Abby was schedule for tubes to be put in. The first surgery opening was 10 days away.  10 days with a sad crying baby thats in pain is hard.  We prayed, and a miracle happened.  The surgery was bumped up to 3 days away.  Abby was a trooper.  She started walking really well as soon as the tubes were in.  She was happy.  Sleeping.  AND HAPPY!!!

Ella is still our fashion statement girl.  She likes scarfs and dressing up cute. Sadly... Yesterday she came home and tell me she had to wear this and this and this... because this certain girl was wearing it.  And she wanted to be cute like her.  It starts already.  Kindergarten! But she is also my greatest helper.  She is home half day and helped me so much with cleaning, packing and taking care of Abby.  I couldn't have done this move without her!

Tyler drew this of him.  His teachers call him the BOMB.  because he finishes his work so fast.  Sometimes doing it really well and sometimes missing 10 problems!  Tyler is excelling so fast at the piano.  He likes to practice.  His piano teachers says it is fun to teach someone who is so eager to learn new things.  

We went on first bike ride.  I ran and pushed Abby in the stroller.  

 This is our friend Bella who will always hold a place in my heart.  If every child had good parents I would be so happy.  She deserves good parents.

Abby loves to sit and read her books.  It is one mess I don't mind cleaning up.  She also has learned a lot of sign.  Bath, Bath, Bath... that is one sign she knows well! 

 We got to go to a Jazz game.  This picture of Tyler looks just like his father.  I guess I will believe it when everyone says Tyler looks just like Darren.

 Ella was award the Eagle of the month for her Kindergartner class.  She has grown up so much this year.  She has learned to be so responsible with her homework.  Her reading and math has improved so much.   Her teacher Ms Bailey wrote.  " Ella Lynn is a very responsible student.  She turns her homework in each day.  She is an excellent reader and writer.  She has learned her number facts.  She is kind to all her classmates.  I love being Ella Lynn's Teacher!"  (she is Ella Lynn at school because there is another Ella already)

Easter at Grandma Harstons

We came back from camping and enjoyed a nice dinner and program at my moms house for Easter.  My mom had spent hours preparing a dramatization about Easter and what it is really about.  Not just the Easter bunny and candy, but about Christ and his resurrections.  Everyone got to help.  Abby was an angel.  Ella was Mary Mageline who came to the tomb.  Tyler was a Roman soldier who crucified Christ.  Jordan, my nephew was the star, he acted out Christ and did a great job.  It was very sobering when he was dragging around a cross and then wrapped in linen cloth and put in the tomb.  He was a great actor.  I got to be the Easter Bunny who wanted all the attention and didn't know about Christ.  So the kids taught me about it.  

We did dye some easter eggs a few days before.  The kids enjoyed it. 

The Swell camping trip

At the end of May we went on a camping trip.  The audit at Savage was done which means we have a Dad again!  We drove down to central Utah late on a friday night and as we pull in it starts to rain.  So we set up the blow up bed in the back of the truck and Darren, Abby and I slept great in there while Tyler and Ella slept in the cab of the truck.  It was a fun adventure.  (It didn't keep raining, but oh well... we were prepared!)

The kids climbed and hiked the whole time.  up and down this mnt over and over again!

The San Rafael Swell is also nick named the mini Grand Canyon. We did some rock climbing, sitting around a campfire and saw some really neat old pictogram on the red walls.   Abby has to be a flexible baby since we are a go'er family.  She had a nice nap in the car with our friend Lyon.

We enjoyed the cool river, literally, it was much cooler there.  and we floated stick boats down the river.  

We finished the camping trip with our friend Torah.  She is a pro snowboarder and a great example to many.  Lots of dancing on the rocks.  I got to drive Torahs car for a minute... down  dirt road going slow and cautious!  but I guess I have driven a Porsche and I can check that off my list!

1. Travel south down I-15 until you get to the Price/Manti Exit 258? heading southeast down Highway 6. 

2. When you get to Price take the second exit (Exit 241) turning right heading south-west on Highway 10 to Huntington. 

3. When you get to the end of Huntington look for a Harts Gas Station and Hit your odometer. Continue heading south down highway 10 for 7.5 miles. 

3. The turnoff for the San Rafael Swell/Buckhorn Wash/Wedge Overlook will be on your left. Look for a Small Brown sign that reads “San Rafael Rec. Access” and turn in 

(Just before this left turn off sign you should see a small pass and smokestacks down the road in front of you.)

(If you get to the small town of Castle dale, you went a mile or two too far.)

4. Turn left onto the dirt toad, hit your odometer again, and enjoy the next 20 miles of a really good dirt road.

5. At mileage 13.1 miles you will see the turnoff on your right for Fuller’s Bottom and The Wedge Overlook. Keep driving straight don’t go right or left but forward passing the public message boards and restrooms. 

6. 2.2 miles from this message board, or 15.6 on your odometer turn right heading down into the Buckhorn Wash. You will have seen a sign for The Buckhorn Wash and The Pictograph Panel. At 21.6 miles you’ll be at the pictograph panel.  

7. Drive down Buckhorn wash (very pretty canyon). There are campsites all along buckhorn wash and a more developed campground at the end of Buckhorn wash when you reach the bridge that crosses the San Rafael River. We will be camped somewhere along the Buckhorn wash road or in the campground just across the bridge. Don't go beyond the bridge - we won't be any further.

Ibex Climbing- West Desert

We headed out to Ibex in the West Desert for a fast Saturday trip.  All the friends had gone out the night before but Darren worked late and we were just glad to go.  So we woke up at 5:30 and got on the road.  The kids had a blast running through the hills and playing on the rocks... until we started hearing from others about all the rattle snakes around here and then we saw a few.  So then the kids didn't get to run quite as free.  We did some great climbing.  

And since we have a new "toddler" who trips all the time we tried to encourage her to hang out in the back of the truck most of the time.  It wasn't hard with a bag of cheetos!

We had a fun Easter Egg hunt.  Lots of kids and lots of hidden eggs.  We had a huge dutch oven dinner after the hunt.  Thanks to Steve and Angela we ate like kings.

Ella said it was her most favorite campout.  It was totally primitive.  No water no toilets.  She's easy to please!

Exit  225 for UT-132/100N
Right at the bottom of the exit and drive for 34.2 miles til you get to a dead end (through Leamington
Left on US-6 and drive 15.9 miles until you get into Delta (fuel up)
Right on Main St in Delta and stay on US-6 / US-50 for 49 miles. 
After mile marker 39 look for a dirt road on the left. It's after a roadcut and a sign that says "no services next 40 miles"
Left on dirt road and at about 0.8 miles the raod will curve to the left and you'll go past the shell of an old car
at 2.2 miles look for a sing on the right that says Ibex
Turn right and head across the desert
When you get to the boulders turn left and head for the south end of the cliffes. There will be a corral in front of them.