When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Mother

Today I had a delightful experience. My children and I went to a mini concert given by Janeen Brady. For 40 years she has been writing music to teach and delight children. When I was a little girl, my favorite song was When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a Mother. I was just in tears thinking of how much that song means to me now, as I have five little babies of my own.
Janeen was so sweet and fun! She showed us how she can play the piano blindfolded, with gloves on, with the keyboard covered, and even lying on her back and playing over her head - at 80 years old! We sang lots of Christmas songs, with instruments even. All the kids, even Oliver, had a great time!
Janeen Brady's music is available at www.britemusic.com. One of our family favorites is Take Your Hat Off When the Flag Goes By. We downloaded her Christmas music CD, after hearing one of the songs performed by a friend of DJ's today at the concert.
Music is such a gift and can be a great tool for teaching, for playing, and for expressing yourself through song and dance. I am so grateful for everyone who creates good music and shares it with us!

We made it to week 6!

Many times in the past 6 weeks I've asked Lyman to remind me that it gets better, life with a newborn gets easier. And now, suddenly, it is easier. Suddenly he's happy laying on the floor watching his siblings play. He doesn't think he has to eat just because he is awake. I can have an hour to myself in the morning to use the treadmill, shower, and make a smoothie, before I become the mom again.

Oliver does still hate the car seat. It makes it difficult to go anywhere, when he starts crying before he's even buckled. All my children have been that way, it makes me wonder if it's something I'm doing. Anyone else have babies that hate the car seat? What do you do?!?

This is my first attempt at using the web cam on the laptop I've had for 1 1/2 years. Did I mention I love the beautiful sling my sister gave me?

Guess which baby is which!

For those of you wondering who Oliver looks like, here's a little hint - all of our kids look pretty similar as newborns. All of the pictures were taken around 5 or 6 days after birth. Can you guess which baby is which?

The Baby Is Here!

Oliver Lorenzo Horne was born on Saturday, October 10th. He was born at home into his father's hands. It was an amazing, wonderful, thrilling experience! He is almost a week old now and so very cute. He does look just like all the other children did as newborns.

Mill B Interpretive Hike - Big Cottonwood Canyon

Lyman is still recovering from a backpacking trip he took last week. Nasty blisters on both heels. So, this week we had a nice, easy hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon. The Mill B Interpretive Hike is all paved with lots of shade this time of year. It is gradually up for about 1/3 of a mile. Then you reach the waterfalls and the turn-off for the hike to Lake Blanche (someday!). We enjoyed our watermelon and throwing things in the stream on one side of the bridge to watch them come out on the other. Then I really enjoyed the downhill back to the parking lot.

Cub Scout Camp

DJ went to his first summer day camp at Camp Tracy this year. He has faithfully recounted all the skits and songs for us. He has already earned his Wolf Badge and almost 9 arrow points. Good thing he turns 9 next month and can start on the Bear book!
DJ's favorite parts about camp was the Go Karts, and that his Dad got to go with him one of the days. (I sure love this part-time schedule of Lyman's!)

The Daines Itch

Ever get the intense need to just go on a road trip? That's the Daines Itch. I got the Itch Thursday morning, a week ago, and by that night we were off! (I am so grateful to have a husband that puts up with my spontaneity, and hopefully enjoys it!)
We drove to Spokane and partook of the 4th of July festivities there and at my uncle and aunt's Hayden Lake homes. It was so fun to spend time with my parents, my grandma, and my sister and her family.
Sunday, my brother in Seattle called and asked if we could come see him, since we were so close (300 miles). Three hours later we were on the road again! Dinner at the beach was such a delight! I loved the sand in my toes.
Monday, after some sightseeing in Seattle, we were off to Vancouver, WA, to visit my other sister and her children. I am grateful for the opportunity for our children to spend time with their cousins!
Our drive home on Tuesday was long, but worth it. Driving along the Columbia River will always be a favorite memory of mine.
Our children are great car travelers. Good thing, with a mother like me! We listened to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on the way north. They read books, colored, played cards, listened to music and more stories, and Amanda made up her own songs and played with her socks and shoes. I was happy to find I could read in the car without getting sick and read the entire July Reader's Digest on the way home.
Lyman did most of the driving, but he did let me drive about 300 of the 2100 miles. We visited lots of rest stops, thanks to the pregnant woman who drank lots of water.
As always it's good to be home. But before we even got here, we started planning our next adventure...

Lampton Days!

Our neighborhood has the biggest neighborhood party I've ever heard of! The 29th Annual Lampton Days started on Friday night with a softball game. Lyman played and the rest of us watched, until the thunderstorm drove us away. We missed the outdoor movie due to sleepiness. Saturday morning was the 5k bike/run/walk. Lyman and DJ biked the course, while Amanda (in the stroller) and I did a 1 mile version of the walk.
Then there was a flag raising ceremony in which DJ participated with fellow Cub Scouts.

Breakfast is served immediately after the flag raising.
This year's parade theme was "Go Hawaiian". There are lots of bicycles and ATVs and a police car and grand marshall and sometimes a firetruck.Then there are games for different age groups - usually involving lots of water. Sno cones are lots of visiting happen in the afternoon.Dinner includes a dessert contest. The dinner is served on our street, so we had about 40 people on our lawn enjoying the shade.An outdoor dance takes up a whole cul-de-sac. And finally the event ends with fireworks. Whew!
P.S.(We have two houses for sale in our neighborhood if you are looking for a great place to live!)

Playing in the Shower

Today was the hottest day we've had this year. I'm holding out on not turning on the air conditioning (I have this desire to acclimate to my natural environment) until absolutely necessary (I am 6 months pregnant).

Anyway, the kids came in from playing outside and looked half-baked. I told them to get their swimming suits on and they got all excited. Then I put them all in the large shower we have and they played rain shower.

There was singing and dancing and bonding that they don't normally all get while getting clean, being of two genders and different ages. It was as fun as running through the sprinklers, without the risk of mosquitos!

Gwen and Art

Not to be left out, here's a picture of Gwen with one of her latest art projects. Said art was done while Mommy was in bed. Paint ended up on clothing and hair of both little girls. I'm reminded of the story of Steven Speilberg spreading honey throughout his house as a child and his mother allowed it in the name of creativity. I'm trying to be as patient and allowing in the creative process.

The Thrill of Jumping

Amanda will be two soon. She has been on a quest in the last few weeks to figure out how to jump, with both feet, at the same time. And this week she did it!

Summer Hair Cuts

For years the boys have gotten buzz cuts each summer. This year, Lyman decided to join them. He wanted to see what a buzz cut would look like on him. He's gotten lots of positive comments, but I miss the long, wavy hair. Here's a picture so you can decide for yourself.

The Joys of Not Being Sick

No one likes to hear about other people's illnesses, so instead I'll tell you what I am grateful for after 5 days of being sick.
I'm grateful to have an appetite again. We have lots of fresh fruits and veggies that are calling my name and need to be eaten before they end up in the compost bin.
I'm grateful for my husband doing the laundry yesterday. Not sure I have the strength for it even now, and I was running low. He even hung it out to dry, like I love to do, although I wouldn't have cared if he had used the dryer.
I enjoyed reading four books this week. 1776 by David McCullough was an interesting read, and went much faster than I thought it would. Simple Living made me re-re-re-examine my life and where I can simplify things.
I'm grateful that Lyman's work is flexible and part-time so he could be here to make sure the kids got fed.
I am so grateful for massage and herbs and essential oils and the good old hot shower - all part of my recovery process.

Baby #5 Is...

It's a Boy! I must say I was surprised. I was thinking girl. And I used to be so good at that, got the first four right.

We had an ultrasound at Fetal Fotos and that was a fun experience. We even got 3D and 4D photos and movie. The little guy wouldn't stop moving around - typical for my children!

Maybe if I can get off my sick bed (wicked cold!) I'll even add an u/s photo to this post. Don't hold your breath.

Spring Update

It's been awhile, and you might be wondering what's up with us? Well, we've been busy having fun!

DJ and Gwennie started the Urban Fishing Club last week. They both loved it and were thrilled when they actually caught a fish - rainbow trout. We dutifully cooked them up for dinner and the report is they were delicious. Gwennie is counting down the days until she can go fishing again.

DJ and William have started spring soccer. Alas, the copious rain has cancelled their games and most practices so far. This week's abundant sunshine should remedy that.

We took a drive down to BYU to see the Walter Wick exhibit. It was like looking at I Spy books in large print form. There were also some models used to create the pictures. It was a good afternoon.

Last week we continued our (my) quest for us to be a "hiking family", by driving up Little Cottonwood Canyon to the Temple Quarry Trail. The gate was closed, but it wasn't locked, so we let ourselves in. There was a bit of snow still on the trail, but nothing daunting. It was a very short hike, good for getting our feet wet, in more ways than one.

Roots

On day two of our vacation, we did some more scenic driving. We visited Holbrook, AZ, the town I lived in until I was 9 years old. It's amazing how much smaller everything looks, now that I'm an adult! I never realized I could see the whole town from my front yard before.

We drove south a short 15 minutes to Snowflake, AZ. After some driving around, we found the LDS Temple. Here, in northern Arizona, where many of my dad's ancestors were born and raised. I teared up at the thought of what a temple here would have meant to them, and to my own parents, if they still lived in Holbrook.

Our last sight-seeing stop for the day was Pinedale, Arizona. The site of many Crandell family reunions. The cemetery was so lovely and peaceful! I would love to be buried in such a place, alongside my great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents.

Big Rock Candy Mountain

Our children love the child-friendly version (no alcohol or cigarettes) of the song Big Rock Candy Mountain. When William found out there was a Big Rock Candy Mountain in Utah, he was insistent that we go see it. We found an opportunity, on our recent drive down to Arizona.

Surprisingly, they were not disappointed by the mountain, just confused about where the box cars were and the lemonade springs, etc.
If you want to visit for yourself, it's a lovely drive south of I-70, just off of I-15, down US-89. We recommend you continue south on US-89, if you like a scenic drive, like we do.

Cub Scout Blue and Gold

We have a small Cub Scout group. It recently doubled in size to 4 boys! I am the Den Leader and the Committee Chair. So, this year's Blue and Gold was a big responsibility for me. Our theme was American ABCs.

Luckily, it all turned out great and we had plenty of food. We had All-American food for dinner; rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, broccoli salad, and apple pie with ice cream. We put butcher paper on the tables with letters from the alphabet so the guests could write places in America that began with the letter near them.

DJ earned his third bead, which means he is 75% done with earning his Wolf Badge.

Happy Birthday, Gwennie & William

Yesterday was the big day we've been counting down to for weeks! Gwennie turned 6 and William turned 4. What fun! We celebrated by pasting 6s and 4s all over the house, an idea I stole from my sister Jessica.
We also had a picnic with homemade lemonade and coconut rice.

And here are the birthday kids with their new hooded towels.

We will be adding a new birthday to our family this year.

Baby is due October 3rd.

Southern Utah Adventure

This week Jennifer suggested that we take a road trip to see Bryce Canyon. So we arranged for a hotel and off we went Thursday to see the canyon. We arrived in Bryce that afternoon and took a quick trip to see some sights. It was cloudy and cold, but still beautiful.

We wanted to go to fairyland, but it was closed to cars and open to cross country skiers. Also due to treacherous ice, we could not hike in to see the queen's garden.

Below are some photos from that sunset point that evening.


Lyman with the kids


Looking down from sunset point


Some hoodoos

We went back in the morning. It snowed a skiff in the night and was snowing lightly that morning. As we climbed up to sunrise point we saw a little 4-point buck and a doe and some fawns. Later the whole herd decided to climb down into the canyon. It may not look too steep in the photo, but that cliff is not a place I would like to be.


Buck


Doe with fawns


The herd descends into the canyon

Below are shots of the canyon from sunrise point (or possibly the climb/descent).


Looking toward the sinking ship.


Dad with the kids again.


Proof that Jen was there. AKA two beautiful sights.

We moved on to Bryce point saw the following:


Big shot of the canyon.


The alligator formation


DJ saw this formation with what looks like a face near the top of the hill
Update: apparently this isn't what DJ was referring to as a face :(


Video showing the wall of windows

We decided to take the scenic way home, so we drove routes 12-24-50 through Escalante, Lyman, and Scipio to get home. It is an absolutely spectacular drive, and I recommend that everyone take it at least once.

We saw the grand staircase and read about the hole in the rock. It turns out that Jen's Hatch ancestors blazed the trail to the hole in the rock, so we have a connection there.


A shot of the staircase


Jen with the kids

We stopped at some overlooks. At one point the road traverses the top of the ridge and there is literally just enough room for to road (it was a bit scary). We took a shot from there and also saw a bird about 25 feet from us (is it a crow?).



Looking down from the top of the ridge


Birdy at the top of the ridge

We continued on and stopped to see an incredible view from about 9000 ft.


The circle cliffs


Video showing capitol reef with the Henry mountains in the background, circle cliffs, and grand staircase

The road climbed to almost 10000 feet. It was snowing and cold there. There are large stands of quaking aspens with no pines. It was beautiful.

Everyone had a fun trip!