Hannah's on TV!!

A picture of our computer screen showing Hannah, last cheerleader on the right in the center of the screen.

The Cheerleaders went to state volleyball to cheer on our Lady Bucks. We watched a couple of the matches on the internet and lo and behold, there was Hannah! It was fun to watch her while she cheered. 

The volleyball team took fifth this year after winning state the last 2 years. Kind of a downer.

State XC trip

For my birthday this year, Curtis made arrangements for me to travel and stay with the Cross Country team on their State Championship trip. We left on Tues, Oct. 22 and came home on the 23rd. This trip only involves the high school team so the craziness was not as high as it would have been had the jr. high teams been on the bus. I actually enjoyed the bus ride, didn't sleep, got to read a little and get to know the girls' coaches a bit better and just enjoy not having to be the driver.

I haven't ridden a school bus since I was in high school...I enjoyed the whole trip.

So fun to spend this time with one of my favorite girls!!

Tradition for this trip is that dinner is at the Olive Garden for some carbo-loading, pre-race. Yummy! Then the kids get an hour or two at the mall to wander, shop, spec out cute boys/girls, etc. Cambria and her friend, B, and I went prom-dress shopping. After we traipsed the entire mall, Cambria found one she liked in Dillard's and it's not a long, frilly, formal dress. It's just a nice, modest, knee-length red dress and she was thrilled. She has a practical side and just couldn't see spending $$$ on a dress she'll likely only wear once. I was the one dragging feet on buying it. Probably because I have dreams of seeing my girls all fancied and gussied up and looking like princesses. But I let her get the dress and she was happy to have that chore out of the way.

She's so photogenic! Everyone should eat breadsticks at Olive Garden while wearing a fez.

Doing a little shopping at the mall with friends. Funky mannequin poses caught their eye.

Wednesday was an absolutely gorgeous fall day, probably a little too warm for the runners. But it was lovely for watching a race. We arrived at Sugarhouse Park and the girls left to walk the course. I made my way to the starting area and waited for them there. Thankfully I found a few Monticelloans to help me figure out how to watch this thing. Start here, run up there to watch them go by, run back down here and watch them go by again and again, then run up to the track for the finish. Whew! Should have packed my running shoes!! If I had any.

Coming out of the starting box...I think Cambria is the girl just to the right, in dark shorts with stripes on the side,
of the girl in the front on the right side of the picture.

Terrible picture but I'm keeping it because it's all I have....darn iPhone.

Cambria was the fourth finisher on her team and the team won the 2nd place trophy. They were so excited, it was the best finish these girls have ever had at state, since the last time Monticello girls did this well, these girls were not even in school yet.

The girls team with their 2nd place trophy. First time they've placed that high since 2000. :)

maybe it's heavy?

The entire High School Cross Country team with their 1st place Boys' trophy and 2nd place Girls' trophy.

The boys team did awesome, as well. They took the State Championship for the 3rd year in a row and E. Nielson was the State Champion individual boys' finisher. Sure made for a happy bus trip home!

Loved watching this girl give it her all. Great job, Cambria!!

I wasn't sure when Curtis told me what he had arranged what I was getting myself into, but it was so much fun and I'm so glad I had this chance to make a memory with my daughter. She is a wonderful girl who is such a help to me. I love watching her grow and push herself and I'm thrilled with the woman she is becoming. Soon she'll be gone, taking on the world, and I'll miss her, but I'll have these kinds of memories to look back on when I do.

Just more photo evidence of her photogenic ways...She was playing some football type game with the boys, hence the headband and black lines under her eyes.
She likes to get right in there and mix it up.
Must come from having so many older brothers.

Good Things:

Awesome hotel with a comfy bed

Time with Cambria

See Curtis come around the corner to pick us up. I'm home!

Cheep, cheep

Sadie acquired two more chicks through her CTE class from Mr. Walker. They are learning about chickens and how to care for them. James is fascinated by them and wants to watch and touch them all the time.

Pip-darker chick in back, & Chip-yellow chick in front

Sadly, this is the last photo of Chip. She was mortally wounded in an accidental knocking over of the tub not long after this photo was taken. It was a very tough day for James, me and Sadie. 

The Bluff Co-op Dedication

I snuck away for a few hours to attend the dedication of the new Visitor Center at the Bluff Fort, on Saturday, Oct 12. It was a perfect day weather wise. And the program was wonderful as well. It was so  nice to be able to sit and listen and not be chasing little boys everywhere.

My mom was honored for being the first director of the fort's visitor center, and then another year of it after her cancer tx. She was given a nicely framed print of 'The Last Wagon Down'. She really has given so much time and energy to the Fort. It has been a mission to her and she has touched so many people's lives during the years she has been there. 

We heard music from two groups, and words from Bob McPherson, the president of the Bluff Branch and a college teacher.  An official declaration from the Utah governor's office was read by Derek Miller, the governor's chief of staff. A talk was given by Bishop Keith McMullin of the Presiding bishopric of the LDS church. Finally, words and the Dedicatory Prayer were given by Elder Marcus B Nash of the Seventy.

Everything was lovely and the program was well planned and executed. 

I am still amazed to look at the Fort today and think where it was even 10 short years ago.  The things that have been accomplished there are nothing short of a miracle. The story of the Hole In The Rock pioneers is every bit as awe-inspiring as any other pioneer story and thanks to these stalwart people the story will not be forgotten but is being spread around the world!

I am thankful to be related to such dedicated and devoted people, both the original pioneers and those who are working so hard to preserve their story.They've all got that good old 'stickety-tuity'

Powder puff game-homecoming week 2013

This was the first year that my girls participated in the Powder Puff football game that has become a traditional event during homecoming week. They were on opposite teams, Hannah on the 9th & 12th grade team and Cambria on the 10th & 11th grade team. Cambria was the quarterback for her team and spent most of the night trying to run the ball and getting tackled, bowled over and generally beat up.
She did score her team's only touchdown, but the Sr/Frosh team won handily. I think Hannah got in on a few plays. It was fun to watch them try to play full contact football, while being coached by high school football players.
I think they each had a good time. Cambria came down the stairs gingerly the next day and said,"I. Am. So. Sore!" I think she has a little more compassion for the football players who practice 5 days a week and play every week. It's tough on a body!

Cambria with the ball after snap....

Cambria running the ball...

Cambria (#9 white) taking a hit from Michaela Leitaua. OUCH!!

the aftermath of the hit. 

Our serious quarterback, 10&11th grade team.

Our little tight end. 9&12th grade team.

Water Break.

Another attempt at 1st down by the quarterback.

James fall 2013

Since I did an update on all the other kids on their first day of school I figured I better do one of James as well. 

He is a very determined (some might say stubborn) child. I admire his grit and ability to stick to what he wants til he accomplishes it. Even if it causes contention between me and him. Some day that will be a great trait if we teach him to use it for good!

He is becoming much more independent and is quite good at entertaining himself. 

He and I are enjoying our time together twice a week when Charles goes to preschool! Sometimes we read or go for a drive, or visit grandma or take a nap!

He speaks well and a lot! You always know where you stand with him cause he'll tell you!

We love James and are thrilled he is our little caboose!

Age: 2 1/2

Height: 35 in

Favorite food: chips

Favorite show: Avatar

Best friend: Mom, grandma, Charlie 

Barton reunion at the Grist Mill Inn

Grandma B decided we still needed to get together on the weekend closest to Grandpa's birthday and she rented rooms at the Grist Mill Inn here in Monticello. We stayed Friday and Saturday nights and had a great time! It was much less expensive than the cabin on the mountain, and it was nice to be able to get to the store or home if we had forgotten something. 

We were missing a few people: Jordan and Lindsey, Stewart(on call), Corbin(deployed to Colorado), Montana, Jim(at training for his new job),  Aysha. 

Highlights:

•some braved the cold for the Homecoming game which the Buckaroos won 51-6

•yummy food!!

•watching/listening to General Conference

•lots of space for kids to play and adults to visit and enjoy time together

•awesome bed and breakfast with super nice owners. They were great about all our crazy kids!

One year ago...

As I take my little yellow baby aspirin tonight I think about the events of one year ago and I'm thankful.

That I'm still here.
That I still have the opportunity to mother my children...
That I still have time to build my marriage...

That I have no complications or lingering effects...

That I don't have to take Coumadin anymore...

That I see the value and purpose of my life more clearly...

Life is precious. Don't waste it and your time on things of little worth. When your time seems limited I can promise you that  nothing matters more than your relationships.

With your children...

With your parents and siblings...

With your spouse...

With Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ...

I find that I'm still easily distracted by the world. I have to work hard to refocus. Often!

But I think I treasure more than ever before the people I love and the Gospel of my Savior. That was the blessed lesson that came from the craziest 10 days of my life.

Tattoo Artist in Training....or is it nail tech?

Today I was listening to a conference talk. Apparently this was the perfect time for a 2 year old to practice his tattoo technique as well as his toenail painting.

Good Things:

It was a dry-erase marker

It was not on any furniture or walls

Someday he'll grow up and not feel the need to color on himself!

Sixteen, going on seventeen....

We celebrated Cambria's 17th birthday with little fanfare this year. She wanted to take a cake to Seminary to share with her class so we made Cinnamon Swirl Cake for her to take. When she got home  from school I asked her if she wanted another cake for candles and family, but since a friend had made her a cake she said that was plenty of cake. She also did NOT want to be sung to anymore. Said she'd heard it enough at school that day. So we cut the cake her friend, Zoe, made her and had it with a little ice cream. We did get her a mint chevron infinity scarf that she really liked, and she got some cash from both grandparents. And that was pretty much it. 

We sure are thankful to have this girl in our family. She is a great help to me, especially in her care and attention to her little brothers. We are thankful for her efforts to become the person that God created her to be. She has many talents and gifts and much to offer. We love you, Cambria!!!! Happy Birthday!

beautiful girl opening her one gift...

modeling her scarf for us. Nice pouty lips there...

Zoe made a "lava" cake for Cambria. She has fun friends!

Tsunami in Provo?

We went to Utah Valley on Saturday for Taylor's mission farewell. We weren't able to leave til Sat morning because of XC and football and cheer/drill on Friday. We had plans to leave early on Saturday. Haha! We all overslept and still had to pack once we woke up. So we left a couple of hours later than we had wanted to. Then we got just past the airport and Cambria realized she had forgotten the guitar and banjo. She wanted to try to trade them for a better guitar. So we turned around and went back for them, also changing drivers. This time we got almost to the Rodeway Inn before I realized that the contact in my left eye was really irritating my eyelid. I noticed a small tear in it that morning and thought it would be okay, after all it was only a week old. But the thought of driving 4+ hours with it hurting didn't make me happy, so we turned around yet again so I could go exchange it for a new one. (when I pulled it out I could see that the tear was nearly to the center of the contact. No wonder it hurt.)

So third time was the charm and we were actually able to get past Peter's Hill this time. We noticed in Spanish Fork Canyon that there had been some flooding, with dried mud on the road. All the hillsides between Skyview and Billy's Mt. had deep crevices on them where the water had run off them, with piles of sand, rock and debris at the base of the hills. We could also see that we were driving into a storm. We even saw a bolt of lightening hit. When we were going up the east side of Billy's Mt. I was looking up at the switchbacks from when they had made the cut there in 83-84 to reopen the road through the canyon, and  I saw smoke and a tree on fire. Yup, found where the lightening had struck!

When we got into the valley, we had a few stops to make: Costco, Sam's Club, IFA, and Bill Harris Music. We had done the food shopping and Cambria and Curtis had gone in to the music store to trade guitars. Those of us sitting in the car were looking to the south and watching the clouds roiling above us. I got out to get a better look at them. Hannah said, 'Hey, that one looks like a tsunami!" I took some pictures as the clouds continued to move and change. They had very interesting shapes and colors. Almost looked like tornado weather,  that lovely greenish cast to the sky.

Then we went to IFA for chicken feed and while Curtis was in there, the storm hit with full fury. No working up to it, it was gangbusters from the get go. He got a bit wet walking from the door to the car. We tried to make our way to the Lefebvre's but with the storm and the traffic for the BYU football game, it took us about 30 minutes, with a few detours. We saw trees down, signs blown over, rivers running down streets, cars trying to be boats......It was crazy and it was as close as I ever want to come to experiencing a hurricane.

Good Things: 

The farewell was great, it was nice to see all the family and friends...

watching people turn out to help each other (many in the Lefebvre's neighborhood had their basements flooded.) 

Nice to see Ford again and meet his girlfriend. 

Great weekend!

I liked the greenish tint between the banks of clouds in this one.

Interesting formations-moving fast

The really dark bottomed cloud is the one Hannah thought looked like a tsunami wave...

Here it is moving closer to us....

It really does look like it's just going to roll over us...

Heading east on 3rd S. Wipers could hardly keep up.

3rd S and University. Looks like fog, but it's just heavy rain.

Turning up the road to the Lefebvre's. The water pouring down the street was muddy and had rocks in it and was flowing out and over 8th N in Orem. See how deep it is on the wheels of the car in front of us...

See it running down both sides of the street. (darn orange paper.)

That little car across the street is Allyson's. It was actually lifted up by the debris caught under it. See the 'water fountain" directly below it in the picture. That was caused by the fast moving water hitting the slope of the sidewalk/driveway. You can also see the diverted water running across the graveled parking and sidewalk of the neighbor's house. Compare it to the picture below.

After the rain stopped, the kids all went out and started helping clean up. Here Hannah (in black) and Isabell are clearing rocks from the road.

They had quite a bit of work to keep them busy.