To Boise and Back!

We have another fun-filled, run like crazy week behind us! Last weekend the whole family headed to Boise to watch Mataia compete at State Track. We were so proud of her. She qualified to compete in the Open 100m, High Jump and the Medley Relay. Her Medley Relay took 4th place and so they came home with a medal. She didn't place in the other two events, but she still did well and we all had a great time. She rode the bus over with her teammates on Wednesday and stayed with the team. The rest of us came over on Thursday morning. We had a lot of fun. Chad earned a Family Travel belt loop for Cub Scouts as he learned about gas mileage and traveling. He pointed out different sites of interest along the way.

This is Chad and Kace at Bronco Stadium in Boise as we wait for Taia to take her turn High Jumping. Following the girls to their sporting activities is not one of their favorite things to do. But they were troopers as we all cheered her on. We rewarded them with a swim in the pool at the hotel later that night.

In this picture we are waiting for her Medley Relay to start. It was a fairly nice day. There was a little more breeze than I would have liked, but at least it was warm.

This was Mataia with her team before they got on the travel bus to head for Boise. What a great group of kids. She had lots of fun and said how she is really going to miss the Seniors next year. The kids have been so accepting of her this year as a new student and I'm so grateful for that. Her and Morgan have both made some really great friends.

This is her team on the podium receiving their 4th place medals in the Medley Relay.

On our way home from Boise we decided to take a little side trip and go a scenic route. As the girls were both in 4th grade, they studied Idaho History. Well, a little known fact is that the Idaho State Fossil is the Hagerman Horse. Everytime we drive by the Hagerman exit, we always say, "Someday when we have time, we are going to stop and see that." Well, Friday was the day. We pulled off in Hagerman and stopped at the information center for the Hagerman horse fossil. I won't lie, I was a little disappointed. It was just a fossil that had been pieced together in a tiny museum. We could have driven 12 miles out to the site where it was discovered, but the lady said there really isn't anything there to see. So we chose not to do that. But we did stay on this little highway that took us through Buhl over to Twin Falls. Along the way we saw this place called Thousand Springs. The water literally comes right out of the side of some cliffs (in about 1000 places, hence the name.) It was beautiful country. When we got to Buhl we stopped and asked where the locals' favorite place to eat was. We were directed to this little gas station that had a restaurant inside of it. We were a little leary, but since we were hungry and being a little adventurous, we decided to try it. We were not disappointed. We ate some yummy burgers and homemade french fries. We had also been told about a local creamery that made their own ice cream. So we couldn't pass that up. Once again, it did not disappoint. Who knew Buhl had so many little gems? If you're ever looking for a nice little side trip on your way to or from Boise, we recommend this route!

Another place we have always wanted to stop at is Shoshone Falls. This is another piece of Idaho History that we always pass by. Once again, worth the stop! Since the water in the rivers around here are so high with spring runoff, it was beautiful! The power of the water was just amazing. We were standing on the observation deck above the falls and we were getting wet from the force of the water. From what I've heard from others who have seen it at different times of the year, we got a treat. They are nicknamed the Niagara Falls of the West.

This was the kids and I on the observation deck, getting sprinkled with water.

For the last month or so, I have been going to the elementary school to help with Chad's play, Go Fish. He was the lead character, Tiger Shark. He knew his lines so well and did such a great job. Grandma Crapo helped design and make his costume. He looked pretty sharp! The girls got out of school a couple hours early to come and watch him.

Since the rain is relentless today, Morgan's softball game was cancelled for tonight. She took the opportunity to do a little baking while she was home with nowhere to go! She made these yummy vanilla cupcakes with a new delicious frosting recipe, topped with fresh strawberries. Her future husband is going to be one lucky guy who will never go hungry! She really has a gift and I'm thankful for all the help she gives me in the kitchen.

Breakfast in Bed

I'm sure I'm not the only mom that thinks this, but I'm the luckiest mom ever! I woke up this morning to breakfast in bed delivered by my two cute boys. They just make me happy! What good kids they are. My kids make everything I do worth doing.

Chad helped me get lunch going before we went to church. He learned how to set out the frozen rolls so they would raise while we were gone and I taught him how to make the jello. (I know that's a totally Mormon thing to eat as part of the meal. But hey, we're Mormon! But it wasn't green jello....it was orange with mandarin oranges in it!)

We had a great day in church and heard from a missionary in our ward who just returned from serving a two year mission in Argentina. What a great missionary he was! He gave such a powerful message today as he shared some of the great experiences he had. He packed the church with friends and family. He is very well loved and easy to love. I love for my kids to see young men like him who prepare for a mission, live worthy to go and then go and serve with all their hearts. I don't know if they realize the impact they have on those at home. I know they bless the lives of those who they teach the gospel to and that is awesome. Jeff is a convert and I'm thankful to the missionaries who taught him before we met. But the young boys (like Chad and Kace) look to these young missionaries as examples and I'm so grateful for that. (And my girls look to them as examples of the kind of guys they want to marry someday- especially when they're "hot"!) I know from experience when my two brothers and my grandparents served missions that the families they leave behind are blessed while they are gone. As hard as it will be to let them go for two years, I hope my kids choose to serve missions when they are old enough. The preparation it gives them for the rest of their lives is priceless. And what's two years in the big scheme of eternity, right?

After church we had a family get together at my sister, Mindy's house. It seems like it's been a long time since we've all gotten together and it was nice. As always the food was good and we laughed a lot. I love my family and I'm thankful for them.

I'm so thankful for my mom. She's one of my best friends and is such a great example to me. She is the best grandma anyone could ask for and she's always there for us. It seems like there's not a day go by that I don't talk to her. Sometimes it's just a quick hello to see what's going on in our day, and I appreciate that. I'm sure there are times when she'd like to ask me, "what were you thinking?" But she doesn't. She is supportive and doesn't judge and I love her for that.

I'm also thankful for my mother-in-law. She lives far away and we don't get to see her very often, but she gave me the best gift of my life. She raised a boy to be the man I always dreamed of. I can never thank her enough for that. I think when he married me, she probably asked him, "what the heck are you thinking?" and I guess I don't blame her for that. But as the years have gone by, we have grown close and I'm thankful for that.

I'm the luckiest mom, wife, daughter, sister and friend around. Mother's Day is good and Life is Good!

Women's Conference, Boise and more Baseball!

I was able to go to Provo for BYU's annual Women's Conference last weekend with my mom and my sister. We had a great time. It was nice to get away and relax and laugh and just enjoy each other's company. I could write ten pages on all the things that I learned, but I won't. What I did find interesting was that the same scripture came up in several different classes on different topics. This told me that maybe I ought to take a little closer look at what this scripture means to me.

The scripture was Ether 12:27, which is found in the Book of Mormon. It reads, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." Where do I even begin to list all of my weaknesses? I can think of many areas of my life where I am weak. What this scripture tells me is that if I will go to the Lord in humble prayer, when I am feeling weak, unworthy, helpless, frustrated, angry or otherwise, then He will help me become strong. If we will allow God to be part of our lives, by going to Him in prayer for guidance, He will help us through any trials that we may have. Another saying the I heard in two separate classes on two different topics, was that "when we are filled with the Spirit, our trials are not trials." Now that may be hard to understand, but I think when we are living worthy of having the Spirit in our lives, then our trials and hardships become easier to get through. Having the Spirit in our lives makes us strong.

Heavenly Father doesn't put trials and struggling situations in our lives to punish us. He does so to try us and allow us to grow. We must do the best we can and then rely on the Lord for the rest. I love Women's Conference and always come home renewed and ready to try and be a better mom, a better wife and a better friend.

Jeff also loves it when I go to Women's Conference - he must, because I've gone the last two or three years on our anniversary. It's unfortunate that it always falls on the same weekend. I look at it as our gift to each other for our anniversary. (I guess Jeff buys that, too.) As of last week, we have been married for 17 years. 17 years!!! How did that happen? I'm not sure, but it's been great and I wouldn't trade him for anything or anyone. He's my best friend and I love him more everyday.

Since we've been married that long, I guess it just makes sense that I have a daughter old enough to be done with Driver's Ed. Scary! Mataia got her permit last week and is really enjoying driving around. I have to admit, it's kinda nice to have her be my chauffeur for a change. She has to drive with an adult in the car until October and then she will get her real license. She's a good driver and I trust her, but it's still scary. My memories of me and my friends driving as teenagers is still fresh on my mind and that doesn't help at all.

Last weekend while I was in Provo, Jeff took Morgan and some her teammates to Boise to a volleyball tournament. They had a great time and her team took 4th place. She is done with Club Volleyball now and is gearing up for Softball season. Her team has been practicing and she starts games next week. We are all excited about that!

Mataia was also in Boise last weekend for the YMCA track meet. (So Jeff split his time between volleyball and track.) She had qualified to compete in the High Jump, the Open 100 and the 4 X 100 relay. She missed the final in the Open 100 by .04 of a second and she didn't qualify for the final in the High Jump. But her 4 X 100 relay team took second overall. Most importantly, she had a great time. It was a good experience for her to compete at a big invitational track meet like that. She has one more track meet at home this weekend and then Districts are next week. We are headed to Boise again this weekend for a volleyball tournament for her team.

This is Mataia at the YMCA track meet last weekend doing the High Jump.

Chad's baseball team is doing well. I think we might have found his real love! He can't get enough. Last night Jeff was outside playing catch with him and he never wanted to quit. He wanted to hit bucket after bucket of balls, field pop flies and then grounders and then start all over again. Jeff finally made him come in when it was almost time for bed. It's fun to watch!

I think part of why Chad loves baseball is because Jeff is his coach. This picture is of Jeff reading off the lineup to his team. He loves coaching and has displayed an unbelievable amount of patience so far. I'm the official score keeper and Kace is the cutest bat boy ever.

Once again, here's Chad trying to keep warm between innings. I'm going to try and get some pictures of him actually playing today. Today is the first day that it is supposed to be nice - 65 degrees and hopefully no wind!

The school year seems to be winding down quickly. We are starting in to the end of the year concerts tonight. I'm helping Chad's class with their play. He has his first leading role as "Tiger Shark." It's a cute play on being a friend. At first, Chad was NOT going to do it. I let him have his one melt down and didn't really address it again. When I went to help for the first time this week, I was surprised to learn that he knew all of his speaking parts. He's doing a great job! Kace will not quit listening to the CD of songs his teacher sent home for them to practice for their Kindergarten graduation program. I'm afraid the whole family will have his songs memorized by the time it gets here. He's a cutie! And tonight I have a registration meeting for all incoming Sophomores at the High School. Ahhh! Sophomores! Morgan already registered for Jr. High last week. I must be getting old. I just love every minute of being a mom, even though those moments are going by so fast! Life is Good!