A New Chapter

Todd and I have started a new chapter in our lives. We have a lot more direction and are on a more stable path. Both Todd and I thought we would be spending the next several years in the military. But when we received the call that he did not get in we were baffled. It left us questioning why? Why when we felt so strongly did he not get in? During the time since Todd got a full time job with Walgreens and we have moved to Roy. We lost Todd's father about 8 weeks ago and we both feel like that is why he didn't get into the military. We needed to be close to family. I am glad that we are finally able to settle. We have moved 10 times in our almost 8 years of marriage and honestly I am sick of moving. We are building a house in West Haven. It has been fun watching it come together. Our sweet Lucy is walking all over the place now. Thomas and Sam are getting so big! One of my most favorite things we do as a family is explore the places we live. We have already been to some real cool places. Fort Buenaventura, East Canyon, and Willard Bay to name a few.

At Fort Buenaventura

Todd teaching the boys how to skip rocks at Fort Buenaventura

Thomas 7th Birthday

Thomas wanted a Sonic Cake. I make it out of cupcakes.

Took a drive up to East Canyon

Camping and Such

OK so first I have to post these pictures because it is so funny. Todd found his twin Art Garfunkel.

This weekend we went camping at Huntington State Park. We wanted to do something fun and didn't want to spend a bunch of money on gas. I am so glad we went there. It was so nice. Tons of grassy areas and a lake. Probably the funnest parts were swimming in the lake all together and playing hide and seek after dark. The kids had fun. Lucy struggled a little since she had gotten her shots the day before.

Our campsite

Breakfast

Results of Thomas and Sam's Mud fight

They played in the water for hours!

This week we also had Lucy's 6 month check up (yes we are a month behind). She is doing amazing! She went from like 5% in her height to 40%. Her weight went from about 10% to 25%. We are super happy that she is growing so well after a bit of a rough start.

Look who is sitting up!

We also have a new addition to our family!

PLEASE WELCOME HARVEY

Best bunny ever. So sweet. Lets the kids hold her and is very calm. Yes Harvey is a boys name but that had to be it. There is a story behind it....

*Kids say the darndest thigs.....

Sam

"Thomas I have better eyes than you and mom because my head is so so so so so big!"

"This pasta is the best EVER you are going to make it so I will NEVER stop eating it."

"Tomatoes sometimes make me tired."

Thomas

Sam was complaining about where he got to sit in the van and Thomas said to him "That's how life is." 

CAN CAN CAN

 This week was full of fun! Last Friday the kids and I (Heather) went and stayed at my sister Natalie's house for the night. When we arrived I saw Caleb outside and when I pulled up and said "hi" he ran into his house. I didn't know what to think. I was thinking "dang why doesn't he want to see me little stinker." After I got all the kids out of the car all of the Knudsen kids ran outside and yelled ATTACK! They proceeded to cover me with a blanket. It was pretty funny. Natalie said when Caleb ran into his house after he saw me pull up he yelled to his siblings "Everyone to your battle stations!" Natalie made the yummiest Cafe Rio clone dinner. I have been craving it ever since.

The next day we went and saw Anika's soccer game.We then went back and had a baby shower for Alexis and Anna. It was a lot of fun! I love seeing all my relatives now that we are all older it is very rare that we see each other. I really love keeping those relationships close.

Todd took the courageous task of watching the kids Wednesday- Friday by himself. I am so grateful for that man! He he is the bestest husband ever! Wednesday morning we got a text from Alexis telling us that she might be in labor. Sure enough she was. I was sooooooo excited! I love adding to our family. More love to go around. All my siblings, my and Alexis's friend Meghan, and my parents were all at the hospital from about 3-10. It was so much fun. We were the only ones in the waiting room so needless to say we got a little crazy. I love my family so much I am so grateful that we all feel it is important to be there for each other. Everyone always comes to the rescue when someone is in need. Even if it is not convenient. I think some of my best memories I have with my family is the countless hours of waiting for babies to be born. Max is a doll. He has a little bit of the same look Thomas had as a baby. Lex and Eric are going to be such good parents.

That night I went to my friend Shauna's house and had an amazing homemade pot pie! She is a killer cook. The next day we canned 44 jars of black beans. Then later that evening we taught a hair and make up class to a group of military spouses. It was nice to talk to them about the military and to find out a little more about what to expect.

Friday and Saturday was a canning marathon. All in all we put up 120 jars! Todd and the boys helped Saturday it was a great family project. I think Todd and I finished at about 10:30 pm. 

Picture Day

Thomas' First day of school. He was so excited! he hopped out of bed so fast!

Waiting for the bus

Getting on! Sad and proud mama moment

Lucielle will not stay in anything!

Todd's shelter while building the rabbit hutch. Now we just need a rabbit

Back yard smores roast

Sam being Sam

Cutie Thomas

Hot Todd!

Haha the flash was bright

Thomas and Sam built the fire pit with very little instruction! I was so proud. They did a great job:)

No flash picture

Just relaxing. Who needs a campground when you live in Elmo

Lucy being goofy

Mother Daughter :)

LOVE THIS!

Bread baking adventures

Yummy

Goof Balls! Doesn't Sam have the prettiest eyes!

 

Hooray!

The last few weeks have been great! We have invested more time and effort to make our place seem like home. The other night we spent the day in the yard. Todd dutifully built me a bunny hutch. The boys built a fire pit with some bricks mom and dad Barney brought us from their house. They did an amazing job and did it with almost no direction. The next day we roasted marshmallows and sang camp songs. It was fun!

Ok so I have a funny story, one that seems typical of small towns. But yet you may not really think it would happen. So I was across the street talking to my 80-something year-old neighbor named Reba. We were just visiting when we heard sirens in the distance. I didn't think a thing of it. In fact I didn't even really notice it. In Riverton we lived pretty close to the fire department so I heard them several times a day. I just tuned it out.  So anyway she stops in the middle of our conversation and listens...... and waits...... and listens some more. The ambulance comes down our street and she jumps up and hobbles to the middle of the street and says "Hurry you can go faster then me to see where it is going". Ha ha then I see three cars following in pursuit trying to find out where it was going.  One of the trucks drove by and Reba sighed with releif oh good it's Sally she has a police scanner she will know. She always knows. Then jokes to me about how nosy they all are. So then I hope in my van and follow the chase so I can let Reba know what happened (now remember I am a dumb person to send because I don't know whose house is whose anyway). So I come back to report the street coordinates and Reba had already pulled several cars over to find out the dirt. Haha The next day I go to visit with my other neighbor and sure enough they are making and freezing creamed corn in their kitchen listening to their own police scanner. Haha I guess that's entertainment in a small town.  Are you all itching to know what happened. I will keep you in suspense.

Mom and Dad Barney came up on Friday. We had such a great time with them. We ate, went to the library, and the park. It was so good seeing them. It made it feel more like home. Today after school I took Thomas and Sam to the Dinosaur Quarry. It was actually really cool. They showed us a 10 by 30 yard area that they have found 10-12,000 dinosaur bones. The interesting thing is that non of them were connected. They were just a bunch of random bones. They are still digging.

Oh and the most important news of all Todd passed his test! He did a fantastic job! We are all so proud of him. Thomas also started his first day of school. He came home and told me one of the kids names was Draw. Today he came home and said that he found out it wasn't Draw it was Ryder. Cute kid.

I will post pics tomorrow    

Horse and Buggy Days

This week underwent a turmoil of events, and a lot of deviation from the plan we had made for the weekend.  As of Wednesday night, we were anticipating my parents coming to visit the next day and attending the local rodeo (they call it a "showdeo") in Elmo.  We were so excited and getting ready to have a great time, when Thursday morning Sam woke up and began throwing up like a sick dog.  About an hour after I got to work in Price I got a phone call from Heather.  This is the event that changed everything.  While Heather was making overzealous dinner preparations for my family, she tripped down the staircase outside while wearing my shoes and dancing to "Gettin' Jiggy With It".  She landed on a metal grate at the bottom of the stairs which gashed her knee pretty good.  Thomas was recruited to get help, and what a diligent little helper he was.  He made the rounds to all the neighbors houses knocking on their doors and not getting a single answer.  On his way home he saw our next-door neighbor's nurse and asked her to help.  In the meantime Sam was trying to help Heather by bringing her a tampon for her knee and a bowl in case she needed to throw up.  Sweet Sam!  I got home and saw Heather with a wrapped up knee sitting on the ground and all the kids inside.  Apparently, Lucy had woken up and Thomas got her out of the crib and put her on our bed while he played with her.  I was pretty surprised when I found out about that.  We loaded up everyone in the van and went to Castle Valley Hospital to the ER.  She got 6 stitches in her knee, and no pain meds.  Despite all this, she could not be persuaded to stay home from the Horse and Buggy Days rodeo that night.  Thomas and Sam each participated in a handful of events including: mutton busting, money-goat chase, stickhorse racing, boot race, duck chase, greased pig chase, etc.  Sam actually got a dollar off the goat (it had fallen to the ground), and Thomas rode a sheep like a real cowboy.  He also won two events that night.  Friday was the Castle Dale pageant.  The boys sang a couple of primary songs for the prelude music, and then we left about 30 minutes into the show because all the kids were whining so bad.  On Saturday, at the park here in Elmo, there was a big party.  A fire truck was spraying water all over, knocking people down, and also spraying foam onto the grass for the kids to play in.  The kids got to make 2-liter bottle rockets and launch them.  At the dinner that night, a raffle was held, and we pretty much won the grand prize!  Heather bought about $20 worth of tickets and we ended up winning a $500 gift card to Sutherland's!  We still can't believe our luck.  So it was a crazy week, and a lot of fun.

Written by Todd

Life

I figured blogging would be a great way to journal and to let everyone know what is going on in our whirl wind life. If there is anything I have learned over the past several years it is that we are not in  control of our life. Which in some ways makes me glad because our Heavenly Father knows the best path for us anyway. Anyone who knows me in fact anyone who knows certain people in my family (you know who you are) we are planners! We like to plan 1-30 years ahead. Well for me I have had to learn that what I had planned is not our path. I have learned (and still am trying to learn)  that our life is going to be full of adventure! And that every turn is going to be a new surprise. Ha it is actually getting kind of fun! We have no idea where we will be in a year from now but for now we are here in Elmo. Population 388, beautiful sky's, no pollution, freshest of air (except for the occasional smell of manure), slow paced, friendly people where everyone waves to everyone, where your principle, postmaster, bus driver, teacher, and hair stylist live in your town and where your post office, library, church, fire department, and town hall are with in short walking distance. Oh and where people swear in church and now one bats an eye. We love it here. Yes our house smells old but boy it has character.  And yes we have a giant float and a bunch of junk in our back yard but ahhh never mind who am I kidding I hate the junk. We are happy here! The following quote describes my feelings perfectly.

“......... I wanted to live deliberately, I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, To put to rout all that was not life and not when I had come to die discover that I had not lived.”

                                                                                                                    -Henry David Thoreau

Written by Heather