More Moab

First before I get to far past, Thank you Whittles for taking care of our farm. Although, next time I think you'll have to come with us, since you seem to know the area. All the animals are alive, and we even ended up with one extra. Better than loosing one, right? Our cat usually sits on our window sill, well I opened the window to see him last night and there sat a white Siamese cat. It ran inside as soon as we opened the door. So if you are missing a cat, please come get him. We don't mind feeding him, he's friendly, and declawed (actually this house came with 2 cats) but we don't need him.

This is where 5 of 5 hung out a lot of the time off road. She did so well in the car for that many hours, I was surprised. 4 of 5 too, not one accident the whole trip. And she was pretty content to just watch Sponge Bob, and the occasional pasture of cattle. 1 of 5 and 3 of 5 sat in the back with her and played together. All in all it was pretty peaceful.

These were a common sight

This was Sego Canyon

And After spending 4 days in the desert, we decided to take the 35 home. The sign said Wolf Creek was closed, we thought there was no way it was still closed the last week of April. It must be closed to other people. One minute it was warm and clear, and with in 4-5 miles it was snowing and impassable. We were soooo close to the summit, another 2 miles we could have been on the down slope. Well, add another 90 minutes to the drive home. We did take a really cool alternate route through the Ashley Forrest between Price and Dushane. It is a detour we will make again.

Moab, and Back

There is WAY too much to put into one post. We packed the days with driving hiking driving, looking, and more driving. We probably spent a cumulative 12 hrs per day in the car. Which, is what we do. Have you ever known us to do the 7 hrs drive to Vegas in 7 hrs? It usually takes us at least 12. We don't do the 15. Back road less traveled are the best, the ones with the ghost towns. This first picture is from Thompson Springs, by far my favorite spot that we stopped. It was an old hub for steam engines to get water, in the early 20th century, It dried up in the 1950's. There are still a few that live there, but it was abandoned. Sego canyon was a little stop up the canyon behind Thompson Springs, with petroglyphs you could walk right up to. Trent and I wanted to open up the old hotel in the center of town that was a few feet from this old abandoned diner, and turn it into a tourist attraction "haunted hotel".
One of the cool things about this trip, the house we stayed at, (Thank you Paynes) had a book about the history of Moab, so we found a few of these ghost towns from reading that. I have a new fascination with the old west. I would love to take another trip in the next month or so, and go see some old ghost towns through SE Utah, and SW Colorado.
We spent a lot of time in Arches, took a back road into the park, went up the Colorado River, (It was really cold, but I'd love to take another trip rafting. Maybe when the kids are a little older. The mom in me was even nervous with the kids running around in Canyon lands. Holey Cliffs)

Our first stop in Canyon lands was here, what an awesome spot. I can only imagine what the first people to see this thought. This was a popular spot for horse thieves "Robbers Roost" to hide from the law. I can't see how you'd hide from anyone, from this vantage, but if you go in the south entrance of Canyon lands, you can very easily get lost. Or loose someone. I'm not a big fan of the desert, in the summer. (I grew up in Vegas) so right now was a perfect time to go. It never got above 86. (although when we got back our house was 58, apparently it snowed?)

That's all for right now, I will probably do a few more post today while the memory is still fresh.

All is Well

Our little 6 of 6, is really in there. I was beginning to wonder. I hadn't felt more than a jab here and there, every few days, turns out I have an anterior placenta. So, the baby is kicking their placenta instead of me. Everything was perfect, exactly what I hoped for, spine all intact, 2 kidneys, no cleft palate, 4 chambers, 2 lobes, intestines all tucked inside their belly. And I'm pretty positive it's a boy, or girl. I would have been more tempted to look had Trent not been there. But I'm actually pretty happy we still don't know. Now, we get to fight about a boy AND girl name. Picking names is not our strong suit. I'm leaning towards Ella for a girl and Oliver for a boy. But, what I like at 4 months is never what I like at 9 months. I also LOVE the name Chase, but Trent wouldn't let me use it for a first name, so maybe we'll end up with a Benjamin Chase. I would like to use Mae for a middle girl name after my GMA. I won't use her first name she would hold that against me, she hated her name. Verda. Trent thinks it's a boy, I'm leaning towards girl, but I have been wrong every time. I'd love to be wrong this time too.
Anyway, we are off to Moab. I waited until yesterday to clean, because I hate having to go back and redo before I walk out the door. And, I would end up redoing everything if I started early. So, now I scramble.

Big Day

It can't be the 21st already. 2 weeks ago I scheduled my u/s for the 21st, and I still need another week. I called my mother in law yesterday in a panic, "can you watch my kids on Tuesday, I have an ultrasound" who forgets their ultra sound? Such is life. I should be 6 weeks. I really don't like that life goes by this fast. My 3 year old is now almost nine. (remember when 30 was old? remember when it was 'other peoples kids' who were getting baptized?) This is MY life. And it's passing me by. The baby in this picture is now 14 months, and walking. We're having another one in less than 5 months. I STILL have a baby, what am I having another one for. I'm a little nervous. I'm still not feeling this little one move. I seem to forget between each baby when that happens. It always makes me nervous when people tell me they felt there baby move at 13 weeks, 16 weeks, 18 weeks. I'm 19 weeks with #6, and nothing. It always sends my into a panic or 'what ifs' Hopefully I will come home today with my fears calmed. That's all I need. I don't what to know 'what' we are having, just that they are OK. I know, a glutton for punishment. I kick myself for not finding out, every time I walk out of an u/s not knowing the sex. But it's worth it when the dr. says "it's a......." Although she kept saying "look at all of her hair" when I was delivering 3 of 5, so I'm thinking is it a girl? then HE peed all over every one in the room. Nope it's a boy.
And I just want to add a plug for the 1 yr old. I LOVE this age. She is learning a few signs, and can sign please , candy, thank you, and more. And once she learns the sign, she says the word. Yesterday I asked her if she wanted a new diaper, and she went and got one, and laid down. Then after that was done, she went into her room and got some clothes. The kid Loves to carry around her clothes. She has always like bed time, and I'm enjoying every minute of it, because I know this will not last, I know that if she cries when I put her to bed, there if something wrong, or she's not ready. I put her down at 9 last night (It was a late night) and listened to her play with a stuffed animal that sings when you push it's foot, for an hr. Perfectly happy, just playing.

Let the Destruction Begin

Fist things first. Lock all the kids up, so they will be out of the way. (disclaimer..... no we did not lock them in a cage, this is the new chicken cell that we tried to put the birds in. An hr later, they were back in the garden. I don't think they get it, they can be in the garden. For some reason, the kids think it is a play ground. I doubt they will like it so much when it smell like chickens in there.) So, the wall came down. I didn't think I could make these 2 rooms look any worse than they were. I was SO wrong. It's a disaster. Oh well, you must demolish to create.

Some day it will be clean, and organized, and nice. Until then,,,,,,,

Friday

These are all out of order, I haven't quite figures out how to rearrange....
Here is the wall in the living room, husband says he is going to take down tonight. These are the old verticals that came down (I am throwing them away unless anyone needs them for anything. ) They are floor to ceiling 6x8. I have 2 sets. They won't work here, because behind that wall is another set of windows.

These are going up, they are the drapes I just made out of the material someone left us.

These are the ones I just made for my kitchen. I have been sitting on the material for about 3 years. I thought they turned out pretty well for being new at this, and they are a pretty heavy material. Try finding something else that will cover 12 ft of window, and not cost over 200$.

Oh, this is the window we are covering.

Today for our off track activity we went to the Living Aquarium. It was pretty fun, maybe not 32$ worth of fun, but 4 of 5 is still talking about the fish. She even got to touch a sting ray. It's funny, because it was Canyon Willow Elementary school's field trip day. It's a school for kids with DS in the Jordan School District. There were 1 adult to 2 kids, except for the ones in wheel chairs, they were one on one. One of the reasons I'd want to live in the Jordan school district, I have heard they have an exceptional special needs program.

Our next activity is the Aviary on Monday. Let me know if you want to get in on our group pass. We will eat lunch at Liberty after. We are meeting at 11, because they have a bird show at 11:30.

It's nice to have so many things to keep the kids busy while they are home. They can all be relative low cost, some of the things are pretty pricey, like the Gateway Museum, (yes i know about the passes you can get from the Library but have you every tried to get one?) but you can keep busy.Hope to see you Monday!

I Can Today

I feel better. I wish 5 of 5 felt better, and I wish 4 of 5 was done with her antibiotics. I feel good enough to figure out my sewing machine. My mom gave me her old one about 5 yrs ago, and It has been sitting around in my basement looking sad and unused. I just couldn't figure out how to get the top thread to pick up the bobbin thread. So when she was here this weekend I asked her to show me. I went out and bought a patter for PJ pants, and some material (oh my expensive) It took me about an hr to figure out how I was going to cut out a pattern with out actually cutting the pattern, so I could use it for 5 pairs of pants, but I did it, and whipped out a pair for each kid yesterday. These are 4 of 5's I couldn't get my kids to put theirs back on for a picture, 4 of 5 doesn't want to take hers off. She LOVES new stuff. They are a bit baggy because I only had a pattern for 7 8 9 and size 10, so her 4's are a 7, hemmed and using a smaller elastic for the waist. All in all, I'm pretty proud of myself, I haven't followed a pattern in about 20 years, and I know PJ's are simple, but, I feel like I accomplished something. I also got some curtains sewn from some material that was left in one of the rentals we lived in 6 years ago. I'm just waiting on the husband to take down the verticals so I can hang them. I'll show you when I get those up. I feel the need to go get some thing a little more complicated than PJ's, do I dare?
Oh, and for all interested, we are changing the park tomorrow, to the aquarium. It will be too cold for picnics.