Idaho Trip 2008

So right after getting back from Palmyra, we decided to spend Andy's 3 week summer vacation out in Idaho. Part pleasure, part business. Andy and I spent a week driving to a few places we're thinking of moving to when we're finished up with school...while the kids vacationed at the Grandma and Grandpa Resort. (Thanks mom and dad!)

This is a picture of what Andy looked like for the two day drive. Next day, different shirt, same expression. Kids say it, but adults certainly think it..."Are we there yet?"

This is not what I looked like for the two day drive. Most of the time, I was half-turned around saying things like, "Rachel, would you please give Matthew his binki? Rachel, could you reach Matthew's sippy cup? Brooklynn, would you please not put your feet in Taylor's face? Taylor, could you please turn the sound off of your gameplayer?" Nuts. Completely nuts.

Don't believe me? This is proof. Rachel actually did a great job at keeping Matthew happy and entertained. It was a trade off though...crying...for weird noises from Rachel and loud laughter from Matthew.

The First View of Idaho...

Ahh...coming home. We came into Idaho at about 8:00 pm on the second day. The sun was setting over the mountains and it was gorgeous. There's just nothing better. We rolled down the windows and just breathed in the clean, pine-scented air. So good.

We rested for a couple of days at mom and dad's house, and then Andy, Matthew and I headed out on our dental practice road trip while the other kids stayed for a week with grandma and grandpa. Our first stop was Boise, and it was so fun to stay with Kyle and Ashleigh for a few days! Matthew had a lot of fun with the twins. Thank you Kyle and Ashleigh for watching Matthew for us so we could go out and do business stuff! We miss you guys! We're still talking about our "Dance Party"...we'll have to do that again real soon, that was a blast.

On the road again. This poor little guy, he was such a trooper. We headed up to Spokane, WA...which is about 8 hours North of Boise. We bought this huge sub sandwich, and let Matthew have at it. He didn't like the lettuce on it, and kept giving that to me...but ate all the meat and cheese he could find.

Among other things, we stopped in at the Spokane, Wa temple. This isn't a very good picture, but it was really pretty. It sits at the bottom of a sidehill. We stopped in to the stake center and met a member of their stake presidency...who tried to convince us to move right in. He even gave us a map of the different stakes and their ward boundaries for when we started house hunting. So funny.

Up in the air...

Uncle Trever told Taylor that for his 8th birthday he wanted to take him up for a flight around the valley...Taylor was SO excited. He's loved airplanes ever since he was tiny, much like Uncle Trever. I was really nervous, I'll have to admit. The thought of flying in a little tiny airplane made me nervous. But once we were up there, I really liked it. And Trever...great job on the landing...as we came in, little Matthew was standing by the hanger clapping for all he was worth, it was so cute. That little boy loves airplanes too. Uncle Trever must be contagious.

Hard to see through the windows...but the look on Taylor's face says it all. He was beaming. No fear, let's fly. Both Tay and Samuel kept begging Trever to go "weightless." Although I'm not 100% sure what that means, I had a pretty good idea. Thank you for keeping it simple and not going "weightless" Uncle Trever.

Hiking at Palisades Lakes

Grandpa took a day off of work and we spent the day up at the Palisades Lakes trail and campground. This was one of my favorite trails as a kid...and when we would come here with the horses, my horse would always be terrified of this particular rock. We are so out of shape! We go on little hikes out here in Ohio...but it's relatively flat, and several thousand feet lower in elevation. I had forgotten how this trail climbs. Andy and I have mountain-biked this one a couple of times. Going up is tough, but coming down...that is AWESOME!

We went up the trail for a few miles, and then turned around. We stopped at the first bridge to let the kids play in the creek (pronounced "crick" out west).

Here's grandma teaching Rachey the fine art of skipping rocks.

And Grandpa showing Brooklynn the fine art of roasting marshmallows. Do you think that 4 on a stick is enough grandpa??

After our picnic, the kids waded in the creek. I tried too, but couldn't make myself stay in it for more than a few seconds. The water was so cold! I had forgotten how cold the high mountain water is. It didn't seem to phase them much though.

Reed's...

We can't visit Idaho and NOT go to Reed's Dairy at least once. Check out Tay's face...now THAT is good ice cream.

I had my all-time favorite--Huckleberry Cream--so good.

Off topic: The first time I had a Reed's was in the 9th grade during driver's ed. Coach Maughn had us drive out to Reed's and back and bought our carload ice cream. I had to drive on our way back and the car was a stick shift. So, while I licked my ice cream, steered the car and worked the clutch and gas pedals, Coach Maughn shifted for me. How's that for driver's education?

Rachey had mint chocolate chip. Brooklynn started out with strawberry, traded daddy for his chocolate, and then had a few licks of my huckleberry but I wouldn't give it up completely. A few licks is all she got. Sorry honey, a mom has her priorities. I think she ended up with her strawberry again. She is a stinker...but since it happened to be her birthday we let her get away with it.

Brooklynn turns 4!!!

Brooklynn is such a fun little girl. This year she wanted a pink and purple flower cake. I did my best.

In our family, the birthday boy or girl gets to cut their cake...so here is Brooklynn using a real knife, and mommy trying to keep all of her limbs in tact.

Yummy...strawberry cake and strawberry ice cream. Pink, pink, pink, pink, pink!!!

A few days before Brooklynn's birthday, I went shopping with Aunt Katie while Andy swam with the kids and cousin Abigail in Abby's pool. Aunt Katie and I were on a mission--to find the perfect doll for Brooklynn. I had so much fun Kate! Thanks for spending some girl time with me...the look on Brooklynn's face when she saw her dolly tells me that we did a good job. Mission accomplished.

Here she is with her very own "baby". She now takes very good care of it. She's changed it's name about three times. It started out as Rosella...and now I'm not sure what it is. Before Brooklynn goes to bed, she tucks her baby into the cradle...and while she's at preschool she puts her down for a nap. Her dolly even wets her diaper, which Brooklynn thinks is super cool...personally I think I'd rather have it sing or something. Changing diapers has lost it's super- coolness for me somehow. :)A fun birthday surprise was that Great Grandma Belnap came over! She came to give all of the kids little gifts to keep them busy on the drive home.

Riding the horses...

Throughout the three weeks, we would let the kids ride horses before bed. Brooklynn's birthday was our last night there...so after her party we had to go outside for one last ride. She kept giggling and saying "I'm the birthday girl." She was so cute, and excited to be a "big girl." Here she is riding Megan...and that saddle is my old saddle. So fun to see my girls in it.

I just thought this was such a cute picture of Rachey sitting on the fence waiting for her turn to ride.

Rachel is getting to be such a good rider. She was so proud of riding all by herself. We even let her take Megan out in the big pasture. Dad kept saying that she reminded him of me when I was a little girl. She is just so cute!

And here is Taylor taking his turn. None of them wanted to get off. Poor Megan is probably so glad they're gone!

And this is mom and dad's newest and youngest horse, Tashina. Dad is training her right now, and here he is...using his own baby grandson as a guinea pig. Just kidding dad. So, here is proof that Matthew, not grandpa was the first person to ride Tashina bareback. Way to go Matthew!

And so it ends...

Those three weeks flew by. Andy and I did a lot of good work on our business trip, the kids had a blast at grandma and grandpa's while we were away, we had family dinner with the Thuernagles, and attended a temple session with them as well, we swam and canoed at Rigby lake, had airplane rides, went hiking, and just packed in as much fun as was possible in the time that we had. It was hard to leave...the kids really miss their Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, and cousins...it won't be too long until we won't live so far away!!!

July Palmyra Trip

We went to Palmyra in the summer of '06 and had such a great time there. Andy served his mission there, so it was amazing to walk where he walked as a young elder and to meet some of the people he taught and served with in the wards. We couldn't let another year go by without going back one more time...so we squeezed it in this year. Literally. We left for Palmyra early on a Saturday morning, came home late Sunday night, and Tuesday morning we left for Idaho. Whew...what a week!

On this trip, we didn't tour all of the church sites, we just went back to our favorite ones. Our first stop was the Joseph Smith farm and the Sacred Grove. I just love walking through the grove, knowing that it is one of the few places on this earth that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to man.

There are benches throughout the grove, and our kids seemed to think that they had to sit down on each one. At first, it annoyed me a little because I didn't want to keep stopping...then I wondered...maybe they're right. Maybe you ARE supposed to stop for a while, take it slow and ponder things. What's the hurry?

If only trees could talk...what would they say of what they've seen?

From there we went over to Geraldine Buck's house where we stayed the night. I was so excited to see Geraldine. While I was Miss Idaho, I lived with the Buck's and since 1997, they had moved from Boise to the east coast, and then to Palmyra, NY of all places. It was like coming home again to spend one night at the Buck's house, and Sunday morning I went to the Palmyra ward's young women's class with Geraldine, who is in their presidency. I had at first went to Relief Society...but had only been in there for about 5 minutes when Andy comes walking in to tell me that Geraldine wanted me in class with her. Again, it was like coming home when I walked into the YWs room...I don't know what I'll do when I'm released from my YWs calling and have to start going to RS again!

We also took the kids to the Hill Cumorah Pageant again. They LOVED it. We spent some time before it started walking around talking to the cast members, and we ran into a few people that Andy had taught on his mission.



This year we snagged the wicked King Noah for a picture. Taylor thought he was awesome because he was wearing Keen's...oh brother. Matthew didn't know what to think of all these strangely dressed people.

Andy and I would like to come back in a few years with our family and be in the Pageant. He said he's wanted to ever since he was a missionary here...now that I've seen it, I think it would be awesome to be in it too. I think Andy would make a good Moroni. Captain Moroni...in a skirt with a sword.

A-W-E-S-O-M-E.........okay, he's going to kill me for that.

Summer Baseball

So I'm playing catch up! I just let myself get so behind!

This year, Taylor and Rachel both played Baseball again. This year they were on different teams, but still both had red t-shirts. Seriously, next year I'm going to request any color BUT red. Red shirts for 3 years running and I'm getting a bit tired of it!

This year, Rachey played so well, and armed with her purple bat and pink batting helmet, she could really hit that ball. I loved hearing those silly boys say "come on in guys" when she'd come up to bat and then watch my little girl wham it out there. In your face boys. Ha!




Taylor tried out some new positions this year, one of them catcher. He seemed to really like that postition, and made some great plays on home base. He also played on the pitcher's mound. He's in coach pitch, so he didn't pitch the ball, but did all of the other catching and throwing that goes along with playing pitcher and again, made some great plays.




This year, Andy was the assistant coach for Taylor's team...but do you think I could get him to wear his official shirt? For a few games he did...but he said it was too hot. Oh brother. I thought he looked pretty good in it, and I liked it because it was BLUE not RED!!!!

It is so fun to the kids learn and grow each year...the most important part is that they love it and have a great time. Way to go Taylor and Rachel on another great season!

Just a sidenote: I've often thought that one day I'll be the smallest member of my family...I'm just betting that all of our children will be taller than me. Well, Taylor's shoes in these pictures are actually MY reebok's...his feet are now the same size as mine. I am constantly having to defend my Keen's against his constant onslaught of "CAN I PLEASE?"

Long Time, No Post

Okay, sorry everyone for being silent for so long! I've had a couple of comments left on the blog, and a lot of emails from everyone wondering where I've been! We've been out of town for the past 3 weeks, and I am busy trying to get kids ready for school, the house back in order, etc...so I'll post as soon as I can! :)

What if?

Have you ever found yourself pondering strange, abstract things? Ever since I was a little girl, I'd think of the funniest things and they'd stick in my head forever. Couple this tendency to spend time just pondering over things with a vivid imagination...and tada!!! Craziness begins! I can't say that I've outgrown these tendencies...actually, sometimes I stay awake at night thinking about the funniest, most obsurd things and I'll just burst out laughing. Poor Andy. Oh well, might as well accept that it's just a part of who I am, right? So...if you're ever around me and for no apparent reason at all I get a smirk on my face, or burst out in laughter, or frown, or scowl, etc....it most likely has nothing to do with what's going on around me...it's just that I'm having one of those moments. For example....

What if you lived inside the border of the central time zone, but commuted to work in the eastern time zone. So, you'd have to get up and leave an hour before you really had to leave in order to leave on time for the eastern time zone. Then on your way home from work even if you had to stay an extra hour catching up on stuff, theoretically, you could still get home on time. WHAT??

What if for one day the house was upside down and you had to step over the doorways and walk around the light fixtures. (a childhood favorite)

What if we switched to the way Europe does it, and drive on the left side of the road. Would the farmers in Idaho still drive down the middle?

What if when we're placed in a leadership position we make sure to say "thank you" twice as much as we say "will you."

What if for one week you could have everything you've ever wanted simply by saying "I wish"...at the end of the week, would you still want anything? Would you want to keep everything? Would you be more or less content than you were at the beginning of the week? Would you wish to go back to the way things were?

What if there were little beepers connected to the podium at church, and whenever anyone said anything that wasn't really doctrine they were beeped.

What if when you said "I'm not interested" to a salesperson, they actually listened to you.

What if you had the chance to change one thing in your life. Would you take it? Would you change anything? (Incidentally, I was asked this question during an onstage interview...I distinctly remember my answer and it still stands.)

What if Lady Catherine had never gone to Elizabeth and forbid her to marry Mr. Darcy...how long would it have taken Mr. Darcy to get the courage to ask her to marry him again?? Would they have gotten together at all, or just lived in regret? (confused? refer to Pride and Prejudice, J. Austen.)

What if Mozart lived in modern day. Would he still have been able to compose his first symphony at the age of 6, or would he have been labled as "ADD", put on meds, and sent to therapy?

What if you lived in a city where they don't have to incorporate a "Civility Act" and have little mini lessons on how to be "civil" on the monthly water bills in order to have a small percentage of the residents act kindly to one another?

What if there were a way to censor the internet for truth content. How many of the "true story" forwards would still be circulating...and how many of us would still be under the threat of having bad luck for 10 years if we don't forward the 'true story' on to 10 friends?

What if when we filled out an application for a scholarship, a grant, for school, or work we didn't have to put down whether we were male or female, black, white, hispanic, asian, native american...we didn't have to put down a religious preference...we simply filled out the application with our qualifications complete with resume and were chosen based purely on our merits rather than how we would best fit a status quo?

What if when we registered to vote, and when we actually do vote...our country ceased to keep track of who all the little groups voted for...and simply grouped us all as "AMERICANS"...and that the majority of us voted for the person who won. Would that help all the racial and social class tension? Would it change the way the candidates campaigned? Would we actually hear about issues rather than "interests"?

What if you had to go to a place every 6 months for an appointment to meet with people who were dishonest, prejudiced against you, rude and disrespectful to you...and you had a chance to tell them exactly how you felt about them without any repercussions...would you do it?

What if because of the rising gas prices we went to complete solar powered vehicles...would the cars in Cleveland have to be kept in a garage for 6 months of the year and everyone have to ride a bike or walk? Would employers have to give employees "overcast disability" benefits?

Okay...I could go on...now...if I ever have a glazed look on my face you'll all be wondering what crazy 'what if' I'm thinking about! What about you? Anyone what to add a "what if"? What do you wonder and think about?

The Funny Things People Say

One of my favorite things to do with Andy, is to stay up late talking about our day. We usually laugh and laugh about things we've said...things we've wanted to say but didn't dare...things our kids have said...and things that have been said to us from people in general. This post is dedicated to all the funny things in life...feel free to add your own in the comments. :)

1. Ya'll are from Idaho? Man, I would'na believed it...ya jus feet right in heya. (hmm...take that one as you will...is that a good thing, or bad thing?)

2. You just hit the hammer right on the nail! (Yes, that is actually supposed to be "you hit the nail right on the head.")

3. Ya, I know where Idaho is. It's right below Minnesota. (Sherrie: Um...you might be thinking of IOWA...) Oh. So they're two different states? (just a lady I met in the grocery store who was buying Idaho potatoes.)

4. I'm sweat. (this is what Rachey says when she's sweaty.)

5. Salt doesn't make food colder, it makes it taste better!

6. Whales actually used to live on land, then they lived in water like they do now.

7. Most sharks won't hurt people, and the ones who do only eat people if they're provoked or hungry. (Taylor's wisdom...makes you feel real safe, doesn't it.)

8. You were Miss Idaho? So what did your husband do while you were competing? (Sherrie: Um....I wasn't married yet.) Okay DUH!!!! "MISS"

9. I've got celery. (this, for some very odd reason that we have yet to discover, is what our children say when they have diarrea.)

10. Your loans count as income. (Sherrie: um...how does a sum of money that you have to pay back plus xxx amount of interest on top of the original sum count as income?) Highly intelligent person responds: because it is income because you put it into your checking account. (Sherrie: Wow. I guess I didn't realize I was making so much money during dental school.)

11. You have FOUR kids? or How many kids do you have!?! or Are these ALL yours?

12. If you were as beautiful as me, you'd have 4 children too.

13. The incredible thing is NOT that I have 4 children. It's that they all have the same father, I'm happily married to him, and that both he and I are more than twice the age of our oldest child. Now, THAT is the incredible thing.

14. Decent people shouldn't live here.

15. Does that kid look like he's ever missed a meal?

16. Dang those noxious weeds! (courtesy of G.O. .com) (For family members...this is what Andy and I lovingly refer to grandma as when we are going over some of her funniest remarks... G.O. (a little pause) . (dot) com. She has her own little jingle.)

17. Oh, did I wake you up? You sound awful. (Sherrie's thoughts: so....what do you say to that? THANKS?)

18. Sherrie: Okay, you can go watch tv for 30 minutes. Brooklynn: But Mom...can't I watch a little longer? Sherrie: Fine, you can watch for a half an hour, but that's it. Brooklynn: Thanks!

19. If you really ate an apple a day, that would be 365 1/4 apples every year. (Thanks to Taylor's wisdom.)

20. My mom has a crown because she was royalty once, and my dad is learning how to make crowns at school. (overheard Tay explaining this to his best friend Nicholas once.)

21. The tooth fairy must have terrible teeth. (the kids) Sherrie: Why do you say that? Kids: Because why else would she want to pay for teeth that are falling out of kids' mouths?

Holiday Weekend Service

So...a while ago, Andy was asked to go help mow some lawns at the church-owned campground up in Hiram. Little did he know at the time of signing up, that it was for the 4th of July weekend. Oops. We had actually wanted to go camping this weekend...but when the reminder from the Elder's Quorum came about what he had been signed up to do...Andy isn't the type of person to back out of a commitment...so what other choice did we have but to go up as a family and try to make some fun of it? So, that's what we did.

We got up really early (especially considering the fact that we had all been up late the night before watching fireworks!) and made it up there at 8:30 am. It was a beautiful morning out in Hiram, I love it out there. This is totally off subject...but Hiram is one of my most favorite areas in our stake.

So, Andy introduced everyone to Bro. Pack, who is one of the men in charge of the maintenance of the camp...and Bro. Pack gave out assignments to everyone. They had to mow all of the grass that goes alongside the roads leading into the camp, mow each campsight, and mow this huge grass field by the camp parking lot. They also weed-whipped edges, and made everything look really nice.

Andy was given the assignment to tame this beast of a machine. It may look easy from where I was standing...but Andy said he pretty much had to use all of his strength and weight to get it to make the turns...and it rattled like crazy.

Okay. Yes. This was an Elder's Quorum assignment, but I am so proud of our little 8 year old boy. All of the MEN got to use riding lawn mowers or do the edging. My little boy volunteered to help, and was given the assignment to use this NON-PROPELLED push mower, and mow around a long fence-line of pine trees. And...mind...mowing around trees involves pushing forward and then pulling backward in order to get up under the tree. I would guess that the fence line was at least 300 meters long. He was a CHAMP! When he was done, he could barely push the mower back up to the shed, and his face was dripping with sweat. The look on his face in this picture is one of pure exhaustion...the poor little guy smiled at me, right after I clicked the picture...then went back to his work. I honestly didn't expect him to finish the entire line of trees...I thought if he just did about a third of it that that would be amazing...but he finished.

Nobody worked harder than Taylor that day.

After Tay returned the mower to the shed, he came back out to the field with me,the girls, and Matthew. He wasn't out there very long, when Bro. Pack came over to tell him Thank you for what he had done, and he also told Taylor that he had done the job better than anyone had ever done it. Taylor had a wide smile on his face for the rest of the day. We have a picture of this little conversation between Tay and Bro. Pack because Rachey had previously been complaining of boredom and I had given her the camera with the assignment to take pictures of "bugs and grass". She decided we were much more interesting than bugs. It's a good thing I have a memory card that holds 400 pictures...she took about 200.

While we were out in the field, Rachey found a lady bug. I picked it up on a little stem of grass, and was trying to show it to Matthew. But Matthew just wanted to eat it.

The girls were really intrigued by all of the bugs and moths and butterflies flying around. Oh, and trying to find a four-leaf clover.

We played frisbee and baseball out in the field for a while more, and then the kids discovered that the volleyball sand-court was the perfect wetness for sand-castles. So...they started building. And they played in the sand until the guys were done mowing.

After the work was done and everyone left, our family made a campfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and enjoyed the afternoon. It really was a good experience for the whole family.

Sometimes, I think that people may think we're a little crazy because we try to involve our entire family in different assignments. But, with the callings that we have combined with school and work schedules...if we didn't involve the whole family...we wouldn't see each other very often at all.

There have been many stake YW functions where I've had Andy and our children there with me...setting up for modest prom each year, leadership mtgs, ward conferences, activities, etc...and each week the kids and I go with him to scouts. When it's our week to clean the church, we go as a family and give each of the kids something to do. Is it always fun? No! Is it easier that way? Nope! It would certainly be easier if we just left the spouse and kids home while we went out and did our assignment. But then...what would that teach?

This assignment with the Elders Quorum, which really did cut into our holiday weekend plans, actually turned into a good experience, especially for our son who was given an opportunity to serve alongside his dad and was made to feel important and appreciated for a job well done.

Each time we go as a family, I hope that our children will see Andy and I serving willingly even when it's not convenient, and develop a desire of their own to help and serve in whatever way they are capable.

Independence Day Celebrations!

What a fun 4th we had this year! We started off the day by going to our ward's pancake breakfast and eating with our friends. I really liked it because I didn't have to cook! That's always nice. :)

From there, we went to the Chesterland Parade, which is just a few minutes past our church building. We went with some friends, and saw a few other families from the ward on the parade route. Notice the plastic bags???Parades out here are crazy about candy. Seriously, there's not a lot of marching bands...rarely any horses...you get a few classic cars, some old tractors once in a while, a few cheerleading squads...and lots and lots of candy! So much, in fact, that kids come prepared with plastic grocery bags in which to store their loot. Here's some proof.

Brooklynn got a frisbee in addition to her sugar-high.

Rachel was excited to get a popcorn ball that looked like a baseball...and of course the rest of her sugar supply for the next couple of months.

And, it looks like Taylor already had some of his candy by the time I got his picture. I think it takes about 2 seconds for the candy to go from his hand to his bloodstream. Taylor also got a new frisbee.And Matthew was so darn cute sitting on daddy's lap, that he didn't need to run to the street for candy, several people just came over and gave him some...and he got a cool little flashlight too.

After the parade, we went home for a couple of hours before heading out to a bbq with some more friends from the ward. I made a potato salad...which is Andy's favorite, and I also had made a cherry/blueberry pie the night before. I had to take a picture of the pie because it turned out so cute. :) You know, cute is important. (But...it also tasted yummy! Audrey...I promise I'll make another one soon so you get a taste this time!!!)

This is a picture of Matthew and his little friend Brigham "Brig" Beck. They were so cute in their stripes and big bellies... So the guys started a mean game of bocce...and us girls had one going too, but of course, I had the camera so we didn't get documented. I think we were a lot prettier though. AND...we didn't break any of the bocce balls. Way to go guys!
So, after the bbq, we came home...had the kids take quick showers because of course while at the park they had to find the mud...and then we headed off again to see the Shaker Heights fireworks with some more friends from the ward and stake. We did our own little sparklers while waiting for the big show and it was lots of fun to just sit around and gab.

Hey! Here's a picture of me! I really was there that day! Matthew just snuggled right in and enjoyed the show. He kept saying "Ligh! Ligh!" Which translates to, "Wow Mommy! Look at those huge lights in the sky!"

Both of the girls snuggled in with Daddy...while Taylor lounged in a chair by himself.

They were great fireworks...but we really missed the background music that the Idaho Falls fireworks have! Wow, that really adds to the whole thing! But it was a great day from start to finish...we're so thankful for all of the great friends we have out here to spend our holidays with!!!