Building Zion

I am a firm believer in Family Home Evening.

I was quizzing Taylor on his gospel knowledge the other day. I asked him to tell me the names of the two different Priesthoods. He had no idea. So maybe he is only six (almost seven) but I figure I am slacking in my job as Head Gospel Instructor at the Jackson household. Maybe that is Dave's job but either way, we're married which means we are one person and it is collectively both of our jobs. Okay, I've been sidetracked.

My point is, tonight Dave and I decided to discuss the Priesthood with the kids. We talked about what the Priesthood is, who can hold the Priesthood, and the different ways in which the Priesthood is used.

At one point during our discussion Taylor jumped up and proclaimed he had something great he needed to do and he would be right back. He ran into the kitchen. I didn't check up on his efforts because I was laying all gimpy-necked on the couch.

He returned a minute later holding a plate with broken bread on it, inquiring as to where he could get little cups of water. Sacrilege at my Family Home Evening? I think not. So we had to set him straight on the ins and outs and ups and downs of the sacrament, bless his heart. Some kids play house, my kids play "pass the sacrament". Oh heavens.

So moving straight on from sacrilege to blasphemy, we worked with the kids for a few minutes to memorize the words Aaronic and Melchizedek. Now, I have never thought much about the complexity of saying either of those words... until tonight. I realize now there is probably a reason Taylor didn't know the answers the other day because saying these two words is a pronunciation nightmare.

My two favorites:

Moronic Priesthood (Yes, I am still waiting for the bolt of lightening to strike through the roof)

and

Mechanic Priesthood.

They struggled to get the words right. We laughed. They laughed. Hopefully they learned something.

Good times, my friends, Good times.

Building Zion one dysfunctional step at a time.

That should be our family motto.

Grab a spoon

Come to think of it, don't grab a spoon cuz I'm not sharing this baby! I'll eat him up all by myself. Delish!

Come. Sit a spell in my looney bin.

I woke up with a kinked neck that has just gotten progressively worse throughout the day.

Lucky me, it also happens to be Dave's Air Force weekend so I had to get all the kids ready for 9:00 church by myself. Last night I figured I was way ahead of my game because I had the kids all bathed before bed. Unfortunately, I have learned that only works in my favor when one of my little beauties doesn't pee herself and her bunk mate while sleeping. Livvy came running to me this morning, "Mama, Sara peed on my Jammie's and on my tummy." I know, sounds strange but essentially that is what happened. So much for safety in numbers. And just in case you aren't already cringing in my behalf, I will have you know that she peed on the very bedding that I just changed the night before, on the top bunk no less.

Church was the usual circus and by the time it ended, my head pretty much felt like a bowling ball on top of my neck.

My visiting teachers came by for a visit at 2:00. I was sprawled out on my couch under a blanket, trying not to fall asleep during their visit. Hey, I have been normal (relatively speaking, of course) for every other visit they've ever made.

When Dave finally got home I had him massage my neck and shoulders (beat them into raw hamburger). We (and by we I mean me) made dinner. We then had a birthday party to attend for a niece of ours. Before we got everyone packed up, me and Dave were sitting at the computer laughing at a couple different YouTubes.

More specifically, this one:



And this one:



While deep in YouTube Heaven, Dave was dropped back into reality when he turned his head and noticed not one, not two, but three green spots on the rug. What the? And there stood Spenny, innocently blinking his big eyes at him.

"What is that?"

As these words came from his mouth, I checked back in and we both turned and looked at Spenny as he turned to run out of the room. And that's when we saw the damage.

Friends.

Help.

Needless to say, we were a tad bit late to the birthday bash. I do have to thank my friends at church for offering packages of fruit snacks to Spencer. If not for their generosity, you wouldn't be witnessing such a wicked awesome display of poopiness.

Back to the birthday party, let me just lay all my brilliance out for you on the table. I was sightly flustered on our way to the party what with Spencer's pee soup poo and all. I grabbed a card as we ran out the door, scrawled a birthday message inside, threw in $10, scrawled "Regan" across the front, then licked it closed. It was then that I noticed I wrote her name upside down on the envelope. Idiot. So whatever. Rush. Rush. Rush.

We got to the party and I was explaining my upside down name mishap to Nikki when Aunt Amy comes across the room to pick up Livvy (who is wearing her church dress) and lo and behold, Liv flashes her nether regions to the whole roomful of people. Apparently in the world Livvy lives in, panties are optional.

It was not until I walked into the kitchen minutes later did I finally realize that we were not in fact at the party to celebrate Regan's birthday, but Hali's. I think I need to be committed. I had thought this out and thought it was September. September. Maybe my kinked neck is the aftermath from all my brain cells stampeding out of my head. So I guess it's November. And it's Hali's birthday. And I've lost my mind.

Regan did ask Nikki if she could keep the cash. Her name was on the card, after all. I reassured her that if she did keep the money, when Regan's birthday rolled around, Hali would most definitely be $10 richer.

My neck still hurts...

Yay for me!

We are now the proud owners of this:



I'm so happy I could cry (and blog)!

Meeting The Pioneer Woman!

As many of you may (or may not) know, The Pioneer Woman has published a cookbook!

Last night she was in SLC doing a book signing so me and my friend Jennie secured babysitters and went to the blessed event. I have to say "blessed event" because while we were there waiting for 5 HOURS to get the book signed, we weren't feeling that it was such a blessed event, more of a big fat freezing cold pain in the butt. We even left to get Taco Bell, going through the drive-thru to make sure we were back in time (ha!) and then 4 hours later, she signed our books.

I mean, look at this thing. Isn't it gorgeous? I know, I can't believe I just used that word to describe a book. I was at a book signing- it's hard not to get caught up in all the hype. The inside is even better. Every page is completely full-color craziness. She's got step-by-step pics of recipes, pics of her family, and last but definitely not least- cattle ranching life. I practically had an allergic reaction just looking at all the pictures. But good for her, right?



At the book signing, Ree disclosed some intriguing fun facts, like the names of the peeps in her family, including her husband, aka Marlboro Man. Now I'm in the know and I tell you what, being in the know is what it's all about... Jealous? Oh yeeeaaaahhhh.

Anyhoodle, here we are with The Pioneer Woman! She's really sweet and pretty.



It really was fun and I'm glad we went. It's not everyday I get to meet a cyber celebrity.

And because I'm such a good person...

Ladd. His name is LADD!

You can thank me later.

So much to say

Favorite dessert: "bana fwits"

Little brother: "Fencer"

Favorite Halloween treat: "Pumpkin shaped Jello Dwibblers"

Favorite derogatory comment: "You're a meaniac!"

I know, blog abandonment should be a crime...

Sorry peeps! Technical difficulties and I ditched the blog.

I am back.

I have committed myself.

(Sort of)

And yes, I just might be doing some back-blogging. To view or not to view- you decide.

Dave ran a Halloween Half Marathon in Provo on Halloween morning. I dragged myself out of bed at 5:30 in the a.m. to snap a couple pictures of him in his costume before he left. I really would have loved to see him cross the finish line wearing this costume but seeing as how I would have had to bring the kids along, I have to say that I love my sanity more.

Olivia at her best

This morning I had to chase an uncooperative Livvy around the house to put some piggies in her hair before church.

The child needs all the help she can get with that self-appointed hair cut she is slowly growing out.

Anyway, I cornered her in the kitchen where she screamed at me, "MOMMY! I DON'T WANT MY HAIR DONE! I WANT TO LOOK LIKE WHITE TRASH!"

Whaaaaat?

Never a dull moment with Liv. So yes, I did tackle her to the floor and put piggies in her hair.

She did, however, choose her own outfit for church which consisted of a navy blue and white poke-a-dot skirt paired with a hot pink shirt and pink crocs.

Needless to say, she still walked out the door looking exactly as she had planned.

Does anyone else want to boycott 9:00 am church? It's kickin' my butt!

the inevitable has happened...

We were headed out the door last night. While making my rounds herding kids to the car and locking up, I walked past the office. I had to do a double take because there upon the floor was this:



Hmm... At our house, there is only one head of hair that matches that color and length.



Big surprise, right?

Dave has a bad bad bad habit of not putting things away- scissors included. Grrrr...

Look who is 1 today!

It's official

She's potty trained!

Whew. Seriously. I thought this one was going to put me over the edge. She is doing such a great job. I'm crossing my fingers that there will be no digression. And by digression I mean I am hoping she won't adopt her sister's "slow leak".

Millcreek Canyon

I love the beginning of June for a couple different reasons. 1. Hello Summer! & 2. It is Amy's birthday (Dave's sister) and tradition dictates that we head up Millcreek Canyon to festivate. I love to festivate. Especially when it involves tinfoil dinners, camp fire, s'mores, hiking, and fun people.

Here is the birthday girl with Spencer. He really is having a good time. I promise.



I was a little nervous bringing the kids up the canyon because of the raging river but it turns out it wasn't so raging and there were lots of people to keep an eye out on the little ones.

Porter, Sara, Hali



Speaking of the not so raging river, Nate caught a fish- a BIG fish! We were all so proud and excited and swarmed around him to admire his amazing catch! Way to go Nater!



Oh what a cute boy! Taylor was holding the bait for Nate. Gross. When I was a kid I went fishing with my dad and brothers. I'm sure I caught a few fish in my day but never once did I touch a worm. I wouldn't put my fingers through the gills to hold it up either. I get the creepy shivers just thinking about it! It doesn't stop me from eating the fish though! I love trout.



Cute girls! Nice sunglasses Miss Sara.



Dave just chillin' with Spence.



The kids had fun roasting marshmallows. The are just starting to get to the ages where they can actually do stuff.



Setting out on our little hike



Livvy hiked her little friend Jared all around, holding his hand. She is just so darn cute!



She also thought Boston needed to be carried. She and the dog are practically the same size but she was undetered. Imagine that.

The kids love their cousins!

Livvy and Zoey are just a couple months apart.

Sara worships the ground Hali walks on.

Livvy and her adventurous spirit- she was digging for bugs with her little friend Avery and found a potato bug (aka rolie polie). She loved this little bug to death. Literally.

As always we had a great time! Thanks for the party Mike & Amy!

Fun Run

A few weeks ago we got word that Taylor's elementary school was doing a Fun Run. You better believe that the Jackson Family was up to the challenge! I ordered t-shirts for each of us because everyone who is anyone knows you need a (not so free) t-shirt if you are going to run a race.

Taylor's teacher showed up to do the race. She even brought her dog along. Teacher sightings are always exciting! Here the kids are with their friend River.



Dave has turned into a runner. He is registered for three half-marathons this summer. Here he is with one of his running buddies, Tom. Aren't they just oozing with enthusiasm? Ha!



Dave ran the 5K and I ran/walked the 1 mile with the kids. Taylor had every intention of doing the 5K when he started (mostly because he didn't realize the length of a 5K). I thought Dave was going to help him along. WRONG. My sweet husband was too competitive to run with his son and left him in the dust. Instead, Taylor ran his race with some lovely strangers who were probably wondering where this little boys cruddy parents were. Hi. That's me.

Dave was telling me that as soon as the gun shot sounded to start the race, Taylor started out at a sprint. Only a few yards into the race, the kid was already exhausted. It looks like we need to teach Taylor how to pace himself. Despite his overzealous start, Taylor made it across the finish line for the 1 mile race. Good job bud!



We all got blue ribbons for finishing the race. The girls did a great job running. We walked quite a bit but they definitely put forth some effort. Sara ran the first part of the race and Livvy ran the second part. Livvy got going so fast her little arms and legs were flailing everywhere and she fell onto the pavement. That didn't deter her in the least bit. She dusted herself off and was back in the race!



Doesn't everyone love a camera in their face shortly following a race? Whether he wants to or not, Dave has learned to love the camera because I usually have it in his face. And see that blue ribbon? A real winner.



Everyone got an ice cream treat! That's all the kids needed to make the race a success.



I thought I had asked Dave to take a picture of me with my little racers. This is what we got. Livvy was done cooperating for pictures. Oh well. It's just good to know that I do exist from time to time.



The run was most definitely fun and we hope to do it again next year!

Dance Revue #2

Sara had her 2nd dance revue today. Same costume. Different dance.

I thought it would be fun to mix things up a bit and give her hair a different look than last time since her outfit was the same.

I was in search of some perm rods. In the midst of my phone calling to track some down, I found something even better than perm rods- my favorite hair professional cousin volunteering to help me out with Sara's hair. YES! Okay, so she didn't just help me out, she did the whole thing. I looked on in awe and wonder. Thanks Jennie! You are the best person EVER.

Sara wasn't so pleased with the situation. On one hand, she definitely wanted curly hair. On the other hand, she is petrified of curling irons. Doesn't she look thrilled?

Every single curl on her blessed head was made with a curling iron.

All done and pleased as punch!



Now onto the make-up.



And the poses. This child and her poses. It kills me!



I tweaked this one in photo shop just for the heck of it. Sara dances with her friend Mary and they have a fantastically rowdy time.



Sara's dance performance was fun! One little girl in her group broke down into tears and wouldn't move, confusing all the little girls, so the curtain came down and they started over. They danced to "The Witch Doctor"- it was a very chaotic and very sweet dance. Good job Sara!

I think her hair looked so perty as the day wore on and her curls loosened up a bit! What a little cutie!

St. George

We went to St. George over the weekend. I haven't been in the mood to blog about it, mostly because I haven't wanted to sort through the bazillions of pictures we took. But really, I am getting too behind so I can't put it off any longer.

Our weekend consisted of swimming and hiking. And then some more swimming, topped off with a nice dose of swimming.

A few pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Sara and her diva-like behavior... She was SO into her sunglasses. She got out of the water and arranged her towel on her chair, put on her sunglasses, and then laid there sun bathing. It was funny.

Her little cousin Emma joined in on the fun a few minutes later.

Taylor and Ethan were all about the pool all the time.

Spencer needed time to warm up to the water. My dad was playing with him in the water for a while. He would say "kick Spencer" and Spencer's little legs would start going wild. It was cute.

Livvy was the official pool toy monitor. She was obsessed with this yellow duck that didn't even belong to us. It did, however, belong to my brother's family so we weren't totally freaky letting her play with it. She would play in the water for a while and then get out and wander. Life jacket on. Life jacket off. Life jacket on. Life jacket off. Duck in the water. Duck out of the water. Goggles on. Goggles off. You get the idea. Liv is always all over the place. She did not disappoint on this trip.

We went to Zions and hiked the Emerald Pools.

Sara and Livvy were, as always, hilarious. Here they are getting ready for the hike. Yes, Liv wears her sunglasses upside down.

Liv squealed with joy when we parked our car right next to this giant "birthday hat". How cute is that? We managed to grab a picture of them in the party hat before taking off at the end of the day. I love seeing the world through my kid's eyes. No folks, this isn't your ordinary teepee, it's a party hat. Sweet.

Anyhoo, back to our hike- we hiked all three pools. In the past I think I've only ever hiked to the bottom pool (which is now 'off limits' but still holds some very vivid and happy childhood memories for me, including but not limited to digging large pits and throwing frogs in them. Which, now that I think about it may be a reason it is now fenced off...) so it was fun to take on all three of the Emerald Pools. The kids had a great time splashing & playing in the big pool at the top.

The even built a sand castle. Well, it was more like a slop sloppy pile of sand. I should rephrase my first statement by saying they were attempting to build a sand castle.

It was fun to watch Livvy explore on the hike. She was such a good little hiker. She loved every little detail from the sand, to the water, to every little creature we came across on our way.

After our hike we hung out and had some icecream. But not before we took a picture of this gigantor tree. What a cute group of peeps!

This was our icecream eating view. How can you not just LOVE Zions?



Before we headed home on Monday we stopped and let the kids play at this splash park in downtown St. George. They had a fun time running through the river bed and climbing on all the rocks. Heck, so did I! It was fun.

See. Everyone is having a good time. Just ask Liv. (She doesn't like to be told to sit still)