Day Five- Our Summer Trip

DAY FIVE

On Wednesday, the kids were itching to explore and play with their Shaw and Wassum cousins. Some of the activities were old favorites of theirs, like, catching frogs, jumping on the trampoline, riding the ATVs, and swimming in the pool and hot tub. This year there were also new additions to the Zinn Ranch. An indoor arena was built for horses, Dad Zinn's childhood grand piano was brought up from El Centro, CA for us to play tunes on and sing duets.

(Steven and Cameron spent a lot of their time catching frogs in the ponds.
I dared Steven to kiss his frog, which he did)

(James loved riding the horses. Sugar was gentle and slow; perfect for a first timer.
David Rode Sugar on the mountain trails with his mom and dad. They got caught in a downpour and we all laughed as the three of them galloped back to safety. I never thought I'd see David ride a horse that fast. I wish my camera was handy to take a video and/or picture of the sight.)

(The cousins are always making up fun games to play in the pool.
Lucy, Kirsten, and Grace enjoyed a fun make-over given by Melissa and Megan.
They look so pretty!)

(David playing catch with his nephew, Gideon)


(The cousins jumping on the trampoline and playing Duck-Duck-Goose with Grandma Zinn)

(We enjoyed catching-up with Suzy and Chris and meeting Daniel for the first time.)

(The night ended with another storm. This one produced a LOT of hail. So much that it looked as though there had been a snow storm.)

Day Four-Our Family Trip

DAY FOUR

On Tuesday, we said our goodbyes to Grandma and Grandpa Weller. And to Preston, Idaho. Before Mom and Dad left to work in the temple, we took a few pictures. They dropped David off in Logan to retrieve the fixed RV while I got everything ready to be loaded up. Our stay was shorter than I had wanted, but the quality of the visit was perfect. It was hard driving away. Thank you Mom and Dad for a wonderful time.
P.S. And thanks for the kisses left on our pillows and the best chocolate cookies ever!

By 3pm we were on our way to Helena, Montana for the Zinn Family Reunion.

We hit really bad weather on the way.

HEAVY wind, rain, hail, and lightening slowed us down.
But we finally reached the ranch at 9pm.
Megan and the Wassum family had arrived just minutes before us.

Day Three-Our Summer Trip

DAY THREE

Monday morning, David took the RV into a Winnebago dealership located in Logan, UT. The battery was over-volting and needed to be looked at before our next phase of the vacation.
Our original plan was to spend the afternoon in the canyon, but since we needed to stay within cell signal to hear back from the mechanics, we did various activities around town.
First, we went to Caspers for some yummy ice cream. Most of the crew ordered chocolate malts, while I had a frappe. Their malts are so thick, you have to eat it with a spoon, which bothered James. He insists that he can only enjoy a malt sipping it up with a straw.

Next, Mom and Dad drove us to Clarkston, UT where we saw Martin Harris' tombstone.

It reads:

"Martin Harris One of the three witnesses to the divine authenticity of The Book of Mormon Born Eastown, Saratoga County, New York May 18, 1783. Died Clarkston Cache County, Utah July 10, 1875."

There was a nice peaceful grove of Aspen trees near the cemetery. I used this backdrop to take a few pictures of my parents. If you look closely, these four pictures tell a funny story.
After taking the first picture, we noticed a spider on Mom's neck. With a scream and a brush, the spider was off of her, leaving Mom and Dad laughing (the second picture). The laughing didn't last long. In the third picture, Dad is informed that the spider is now on his leg (notice the arrow that I drew). The last picture shows my dad's frustration with the whole series of events and my mom taking pleasure in him sharing in her misfortune.

Now for another story called "The Great Train Robbery". I'll let the great "story teller", a.k.a. David, relate it.
At first glance, it may seem like chump change, but there was more at stake here than mere pennies. Unlike the original famed "heist", the perpetrator was the train - or more specifically, a railway maintenance worker.
One of our "to do's" in Preston was to lay a few pennies on the railroad rail and watch the train pass by and flatten them. This was a cherished childhood memory that Dixie wanted to pass on to our children. There was only one problem: We didn't know the train schedule. Dixie's dad was able to "track" down the schedule for one of the trains, but it wasn't going to pass through before we had to leave to Montana. The schedule for the other track was either unknown or unpredictable.
Our story begins as we were returning home from a visit to Martin Harris' grave in Clarkston, UT. Part of our journey took us down a hillside giving us a breathtaking view of a portion of Cache Valley. While casting my eyes round about Cornish, UT, I spotted a train moving very slowly. Seizing this rare opportunity, we drove ahead of the train and found a railroad crossing that would give us plenty of time to position the pennies to achieve optimal flatness. Knowing that what we were doing wasn't exactly smiled upon by the train authorities, we quickly, but casually, positioned our loot and returned to the car so that the aforementioned authorities would be none-the-wiser. Within minutes, no seconds, a very official-looking truck pulled up behind us and waited as if expecting his cut of the ill-gotten goods. The train was still just a speck on the horizon, and it appeared to have stopped. Not knowing if these recent events had anything to do with our recent actions, and not wanting to press our luck, we departed hoping to return later to collect our booty.
As the tracks faded into the horizon, we thought we could see the official-looking truck pull up to the track, and a dude getting out to retrieve the coins. This was confirmed when we returned to find a penniless track. Alas, our plans were derailed by the train guy! Shame on you for stealing our money. Shame on you for stealing the ending of what would have been a great memory (although it has been replaced with this one). And shame on you for robbing us of the opportunity to have our very own smashed coins. Honestly, I understand why objects placed on railroad tracks can make a train operator very nervous, but pennies? Give me a break, guys.

After eating dinner at "Big J's" (I love their Taco Salad), we went back to the house. A competitive soccer commenced. Dave-o and Grandpa were content with watching on the sidelines.

Then, Grandma brought out the slip-n-slide, which provided even more fun.

Dave-o didn't like the cold spraying water. So, to get attention, he decided to stand up on his own. No steps yet though.

The day ended with me, Grandma, Kirsten, Steven, and James walking around the golf course searching for golf balls. The perimeter of the course and water areas proved to be the most abundant in supply. I was amazed at how much fun they had doing this. It was like an Easter egg hunt.

Day Two - Our Summer Trip

DAY TWO

Hallelujah!

It felt great to be outside of the RV rather than inside.
After having a great night's sleep, we went to church to rejuvenate spiritually.
Back at my parent's home, we went for a stroll around their neighborhood, took some family pictures, and played "Catchphrase" while sitting in their backyard.

Day One-Our Summer Trip

DAY ONE

Our journey began early in the morning. We left CA in my in-laws RV with 4 excited children, 1 confused baby, 1 stressed out dad, and 1 tired momma.
James, Steven, and Kirsten were entertained with a new game for their Nintendo DS light. Justin slept, listened to his iPOD, played the Wii, and watched his new movie. And Dave-o explored his temporary bumpy, moving home on wheels.
David was the primary driver (I drove for 3 hours out of the 15 total). I had a hard time getting him to trade off. At first I thought it was because he's smart and figured out early on that driving is much easier than taking care of all the kids. But, later on I learned that he just thought I was a slow driver

In Sacramento we saw hot air balloons.
In the Sierras, David "threaded the needle" through some scary construction zones.

We stopped in Utah to let the kids experience the Bonneville Salt Flats. I can remember stopping here as a little girl on the few road trips that my family made to Salt Lake City, UT. In those days, Indians would fill the walkways selling their beautiful handmade crafts and jewelry. My mom loved this part of the trip. The Indians are no longer there, but it was still fun for the kiddos to discover. Other than filling up for gas once, this was our only stop.

At 9pm, we arrived at my mom and dad's house in Preston, ID. The RV was covered in bug splats. Here is a picture of the winner, which happened early on in our journey while driving through the Sierra Mountains.

Day one was long, but it would've been a lot longer if we had been driving in our Dodge Durango. I am SO thankful that Mom and Dad Zinn let us drive their RV. It made the trip much more enjoyable.

Craft Day

I love to craft, but don't get to do it often because of life's demands. So, I was really excited when I learned that my super crafty niece would be living in CA for the summer. A couple of days ago, Becca and I scoured two Goodwill stores for candlesticks and plates. Today, we got together again and with a little bit of E-6000 adhesive we created these one of a kind pedestals.
It only cost me $18 to make all six. Now I can't wait to have a party to fill these pedestals up with all kinds of yummy food.

While waiting for the glue to set up, we sanded, painted, and decoupaged the wooden "BOO" letters that I had cut out last year and never finished making. I know it's not even close to Halloween, but we needed another craft. And this is what I had laying around. I had so much fun! Becca and I are already planning our next craft session.

Missing

Usually James looks like this.
He's typically calm with a happy disposition
(except for when he's playing video games).

But lately, James' demeanor is like this.

It all started last week when his iPod Touch turned up missing.
We have torn the house apart trying to find it.
I feel so bad for him, especially since he worked extremely hard
to save up enough money for it.
James is hoping to find it before we leave on our vacation,
but he only has 2 days left.
I am praying that he finds it soon because I miss the "old James".

A Garden to be Admired

I love visiting my in-law's garden.
Each time I come, different plants are blooming waiting to be admired.
The well trodden paths beckon me to explore.

Kirsten never leaves their home without her arms full of flowers.

And the visit isn't complete without Grandma giving the kids a baggie of
M&Ms (plain or peanut) for the ride home.
This has been the tradition for as long as I can remember.

Fatherhood: Worldy View vs. Godly View

I came across this proclamation that our president, Mr. Obama, wrote in honor of fathers. I was disappointed to read that he praised two fathers. It was subtly done, yet the those 2 words jumped out at me as if they had been typed in large bold print.

"Nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by a father and mother, a single father, two fathers, a step father, a grandfather, or caring guardian. We owe a special debt of gratitude for those parents serving in the United States Armed Forces and their families, whose sacrifices protect the lives and liberties of all American children. For the character they build, the doors they open, and the love they provide over our lifetimes, all our fathers deserve our unending appreciation and admiration."

In contrast, I'd like to share a different proclamation entitled The Family: A Proclamation to the World written by the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed."

A Father's Day Jab

WARNING...
Violent images!
Oh...Never mind. It's Father's Day. Go ahead and look.

Mothers and fathers bring different strengths into their parenting role. For example, I, the mother, enjoy teaching and nurturing my children. While David, the father, plays a more physical role in their child rearing. By physical I mean tossing them up into the air, wrestling, playing tickle monster, and today it was boxing.

The boys loved being able to take jabs at their dad and grandpa.


Grandpa Zinn with the grandkids.
Justin, Becca, Mitchell, Matthew, James, Kirsten, Grandpa, Dave-o, and Steven

(It's time to open presents.)

(David and his father)

David is such a wonderful father. He spends GOOD QUALITY time with his children.
I hope the kids realize how fortunate they are to have a father
who is willing to romp and play with them and love them unconditionally.
Happy Father's Day, David! I love you!