A little bit of Heaven!

I am not a camper...or so I've been told my whole life. My mother hated camping and anything that has to do with it (which mostly means hunting). We had a few camping trips growing up. I remember driving to one with my sister's twin mattress strapped to the roof of our station wagon. Now, here I am 20 years later...three little boys later...saying that I like camping.

Our first trip this year was in July to Red Fish Lake. I had never been up there that I could remember. It was BEA-TI-FUL! I could not believe those mountains. And that lake nestled in them...it was breath taking. We went with some friends from Rupert and their families. There were lots of kids...mostly girls. I think our family doubled the number of boys that were there.

Our boys are always early risers. So to keep us from waking up the whole camp, the first morning we went for a walk next to the river that runs out of the lake.

Logan doesn't really love being in the back pack, but we have to do this to keep up with the other two.

They loved this little bridge. I loved this image.

Carson was running the whole time. He was ahead of us...leading the way. That is how he does life...leading...out in front. Hopefully we can keep him on the right path because whatever he chooses, he is going to have 3 little brothers follow.We did walk right up to a deer. Good thing Nate was crying because he tripped. It heard him and ran off. The kids loved that.

The beach is beautiful there. The kids had the time of their lives. It had nothing to do with boat, jet skis, the food...just pure and simple innocence playing in the sand and water.

So cute. We spent hours here doing just exactly what these pictures show. It didn't matter how much sand filled their little bum, when we left there were tears and tears. The day we left, Nate kept saying how he wanted to go back to the beach. He bawled and bawled. Everywhere we've gone this summer, he's asked, "Are we going to Red Fish?" or "Is there going to be a beach?" We were there 3 days and 2 nights. It was not enough. Next year we'll plan a third night. Then I am sure that won't be enough.

After we left, we headed to the fish hatchery. We weren't sure what to expect.

It was a fun one time stop. But something monumental took place there. As we were walking to see the fish in the spillways, a lady stopped and asked us if we wanted some fishing poles and worms. They had a stocked little lake there that the kids could fish in. Of course we wanted to do that!

Then she told Robbie that they had just put new fish in there and that we probably wouldn't catch anything.  It didn't matter. We were committed...even to fishing the spillways.

We put a quick stop to that and headed to the lake.

Carson was the only one with an attention span long enough to really try. Logan wanted to play in the "wody" running into the lake. Nate wanted to throw rocks. Robbie found a little spot where a fish was biting. He hooked a fish for Carson. Look at his determination. Then comes sheer pleasure.

We couldn't believe it. I am not sure what is more exciting hooking your own fish or watching your child...oh wait...It is watching your child. That is why my dad spent hours baiting hooks for me and I always caught more fish than him. I thought it was because I was a better fisher girl...nope. I had twice as much time to fish! Here is Carson's first catch.

Cute little guy. He was happy to throw him back.

 

This is one of my favorite pictures ever. At the end of the path, there was a huge spillway with giant fish in it. The boys insisted that they climb up the and stand on the ledge to see. This picture to me is a representation of our family. We have these darling little boys. Each is different, but each wants to be just like the other one and do just what the other is doing...even at 16 months old.

So, now that we know we are having our fourth boy, I am embracing the camping experience. My boys love this. I love being in nature, with no distractions, spending time with each other. This is what builds friendships and memories. To me, this is a little bit of Heaven!

Nathan...

I can't even say his name with out smiling. He is reaching such a fun time in his life. He is a lot more quiet than his older brother, so the spotlight seldom falls on him. He has been changing so much and cracking me up lately.

The other day I went visiting teaching. Afterward, we planned on going to our fun little Rupert pool with the kids. When I walked in the door, Robbie had already dressed the big boys. It was easy he said. There were no fights or anything. BUT, the first thing I heard when I came in the door from Nate was, "Look at this UGLY swimming suit my dad is making me wear." It was Carson's old one. Nate has some new ones but Robbie couldn't find them (in the drawer). I said, "Nate, it is fine." "No it is not. Look at this UGLY swimming suit my dad is making me wear." He is pretty easy going, so I knew we'd better change. This was also the Wayment Family's first squabble over what to wear. That is how it goes with boys...they don't usually care.

My little boys love the Planet Earth DVDs. They learn so much. So, the other day while I was folding laundry, we watched one. Nate said, "What does droppings mean?" It means poop. "Gross. Those roaches are eating bat poop. Gross." Then later there were camels. "Mom, what are those called again?" Camels. "Caminals." No, Camels. "That is what I said...Caminals." OK. "Mom, are those captus sharp?" You mean CaCtus. "No, I mean caPtus...are they sharp?"

He is full of a million questions. His favorite thing to ask about are beetles. We have a bunch of big black ones living in one of our window wells. He and Carson spend hours shoveling dirt down the window well to kill the beetles. We now have a good 8 inches of dirt up our window. We tease him about beetles for breakfast. Beetles for snack. Anything beetles cracks him up.

Lastly, just this afternoon I was scratching my eye. I had my lower lid pulled down so that the pink part was showing. "Gross mom. Don't do that." Let me show you something Nate. Then I pulled his eyelids down and he ran strait to his dad to scare him. He thinks that is pretty funny.

It it these little moments of laughter and a million questions that I think, "How can these little boys grow up?" One of my favorite quotes is, "Young boys should never be sent to bed. They always wake up a day older." I find myself at these moments wishing they could stay little forever. Robbie gives me a hard time about still holding Carson on my lap at church. I say that it isn't going to last forever, so I'll take it while I can get it. Today I have felt the need to hug a little longer, listen a little better, and play a little more. Are my floors mopped? No. Is my bed made? No. It the laundry done? No. Are my kids growing right before my eyes? Yes. Do they know that their mom loves them more than anything? Yes. Then nothing else matters.

We are having a...

BOY!!! I know...I can't believe it either. But, there is no question about it, this one is a brother. I wasn't even looking at the ultrasound screen. Robbie said, "Well, it looks like another boy to me." The tech responded, "Yep. (then looking at me) Are you ok?" Am I ok? Of course I am ok. He, so far, is healthy. He is growing. He is very wiggley. He is going to fit right in.

I actually was a little relieved. I know that I am supposed to want a girl, but I know how to do boys. In fact, the ultrasound lady said, "You look like the kind of girl who needs a girl." Apparently, so far, not true. I am thrilled to have another busy funny little person at my house. I hope that these brothers will be best friends and always look out for each other. I hope that they always love each other and have fun together. I hope they will teach each other that it is good to obey...not just us as parents, but teachers, leaders and the Lord.

When I was a little girl, like 3 or 4, I played with my babies all the time. All the time they were these beautiful little baby girls. I used to tell my mom, "When I grow up I am going to have 10 babies...all girls. And if I have any boys, I am going to flush them down the toilet." Well, now that I have almost 4, I can't imagine flushing one of them. (A funny note is that Nate over heard me saying this and freaked out. "I don't want to go down the toilet. Please don't put me in the toilet!") Each one is so fun and so different. I love Carson's love for life. Everything is so exciteing to him. I love Nathan's tender heart and kind spirit. I love Logan's funny little mischeviousness and how he loves his big brothers and his dad. He is always saying, "Hi dada." So cute. I can't wait to meet #4. Now for the hard part...what do we name this baby????

Celebrate!

Every year, Rupert has their fireworks for the Fourth of July on June 30. I know it is kind of strange, but I love it. They do this because then they don't have to compete with Burley's fire works, and it is opening day for food booths on the square. This is one of my favorite times to live in Rupert. The last few years, we've gone and sat on the lawn at the court house. The same people are always there. The kids run and play until show time. This year we had three of Scott and Heather's kids with us. That definitely added to the excitement. Chasing a very fast run away 4 year old while pregnant in front of the whole town is something I don't want to do again soon. The kids had fun. Why is it when the kids are having so much fun, the mom is a little crazy? However, it was all worth it when I looked back and saw this. So cute...little Nate's eyes are full of wonder. This was the first year that Carson's head wasn't under the blanket. Logan kept pointing and saying, "OOOOO!" That is one of the few things he says...we are still waiting for him to talk!

Then on the real Fourth of July, we went to Idaho Falls and stayed with my dad. It was  so much fun. We went to Black Tail Reservoir and jet skied, picnicked, and got sunburned...the worst sunburn I've had in years. I am attributing it to being pregnant. Maybe I should remember sunscreen for the mom next time...not just the kiddos. We had a fun day with our family. We were all so tired. Then we had a little scare.

Carson had asked Robbie if he could ride home with Grandpa Bob. Robbie asked my dad. Then, neither of us saw him get into Grandpa's truck. My dad had left and Carson was missing. I was trying hard not to freak out. Marsha got in her car and drove fast and furious to catch Grandpa. There is not cell phone service up there. In the mean time, Robbie, my cousin Erica, and I all were looking so hard for him. I went into the bathroom there and said a fervent prayer to know if Carson was alright. My answer came quickly and clearly. I saw in my mind him tipped over sound asleep in the back of the truck. Several minutes later, Marsha was back. She said he was crashed in the back seat of the truck...just like I'd seen. No one had seen him get in. My dad was the only one who knew he was there. He had fallen asleep instantly, even before they had loaded the jet skis. That is why no one had seen him.

I am thankful the my prayer was heard and answered. I love that little boy. Heavenly Father knew that I would lose it if I didn't know where he was. That small vision was so comforting and such a blessing. I really felt blessed this Fourth to live in America and to be able to worship my Heavenly Father in the restored gospel. Now, that is worth fireworks, picnics, parades, and all the celebration!

Little fish

The same time we finished up T-ball, we finished up swimming lessons. The boys love that. Logan did not. I chased him a million laps around the Rupert Pool. My friend Alisha asked me if he was as busy as Carson was at his age. I had to pause...then I remembered...NO WAY. Carson was worse, so I counted my blessings.

Nate's lesson was kind of supervised play. He really had fun. He hopped down the kiddy pool to the beat of his own drum. His teacher had to kind of push him along. He was busy looking at the clouds, the kids, and the other things going on. It was hard to stay on task. He did pay attension when it was time to play "What time is it Mr. Shark". H just loved that game.

Carson came a very long way. Before lessons, I had a little boy that wouldn't put his face in the pool. Before his first lesson, I had a talk with him about his teacher. I told him that he needed to trust her. She wouldn't ask him to do anything that would hurt him. By the end of lessons, he was swimming on his own. He loves getting his face wet and he BEGS to go to the Rupert Pool.

These pics were taken the last day of swimming lessons. Carson is really a good swimmer with a life jacket. He really did come a LONG way.

T-Ball in Review...

We had so much fun this year with T-ball. We had a lot of friends (all girls) on our team, but best of all was that Josalyn was able to play with Carson and Nate while she was here from Tennessee.

In season's past, my boys have always fought over the medals awarded to the players. This year the medal wasn't as big of deal. It is amazing when both get one how it is no longer fun to play with them. After all, there is no one to fight with and tease about not having one! Carson still managed to find a way to tease Nate because Carson had more. It is always a competition.

At the beginning of the last week, Robbie left on a hiking trip to Mount Whitney in California. We missed him so much. He missed out on this fun. Little Nate had such a tummy ache on Monday night's game that he couldn't play. The only thing that would cure it was a snow cone from the concession stand. Then I had 2 other boys with tummy aches too!

Carson really is figuring out T-ball. He did MUCH better than last year. It is amazing what difference a year makes. I didn't even have to run the bases with him one time. He did really like playing in the dirt where ever he was. We are going to have to work on that for next year.

Nate, on the other hand, loved playing in the dirt, laying down in the grass, and wrestling with the other little 3 year old on the team. He was the youngest one out there. He was a crack up.


With all these boys in this family, it is a good thing I love the ball park. I am pretty sure I will spend my fair share of time and money on this. It is so neat to see the kids progress and grow. The weird thing is that I can remember my first year of T-ball like it was yesterday. Ruby Englis was our coach, we were red, and we learned to play first field, second field, and third field. I am sure I was the only girl there who was confused when they started teaching us that. Now, I can not believe that I am the MOTHER of two little T-ball boys. I love it!

Now that is something to celebrate!

At the end of May or first of June, Robbie called me pretty upset. He ran into his dad at Maverik...getting a GIANT pop, of course, and said that his dad told him that he was closing his office. We were all so sad and sick. Afterall, Dad was our doctor, he had a lot of patients depending on him, but he needed surgery on his shoulder. So, after 40+ years, he decided to call it quits.

The family wanted to do something for him, so we had a day long party...or PAR-TAY as Nate calls it. All the family met at 9ish on  Saturday morning for a day of service...to give a little back, very little. We weeded, cleaned their garage, washed the cement, cleaned the plants, stacked firewood. The list goes on and on. I shouldn't say we. I should say they, because my job was to babysit all the little kids. I kept them busy stacking wood and picking up pinecones. Then we got out the hose, pool and water baloons. I was soaked.

After the work came the fun. We had a delicious Mexican feast made my Mary Ann and Scott. Then that night we had a chocolate fountain with tons of things to dip. I was in charge of that. It was a hit.  It was like a feeding frenzy. The kids devoured it. Dad loved it. There was nothing left.

It was a small payment for the amount of service Dad has done for our family. We love him. He is a good man that has taught his children well. They know that if they work hard, they can accomplish anything. Thanks Dad!