Police Academy

We had another fun night at the Citizens Police Academy.  We were at the North Salt Lake Fire station and they had 5 stations that we rotated through.  After gearing up in fire fighting suits we used the jaws of life to take the door off of a car.  Then we did a firemen's obstacle course climbing through tunnels, carrying a fire hose up 2 flights of stairs, pulling a 180 lb. dummy up and down the room, and pulling the firehose out and squirting it.  By the way, those firemen's suits are hot.  We were all sweating when we finally got to take them off.  Then we went out and put out fires with extinquishers.  Next we climbed into haz mat suits, complete with oxygen tanks and walked around.  Finally we climbed 100 ft. up the fire truck ladder.  Pretty exciting night!!





2nd Annual Hatch Boating Trip to Bear Lake

The weekend of Aug. 8 Jenna, Amie, Jorge, Guataloupe, Matt, Kayla and I drove up to Bear Lake for the second annual boating trip (although it was my first time).  We arrived at Porcupine campground around 6:30 and set up two tents, started a fire, put out all of the chairs and started to cook chicken.  Just as we got the chicken to the point where we could put the lid on it to simmer it started to rain.  So we all ran for the tents to wait it out.  About 10 min. later we came out and finished cooking the potatoes and corn.  Just then it started to rain again so we all ran to the tents.  About 10 min. later we came out and ate. Just before we were done it started to rain again so we ran to the tents.  About 10 min. later we came out and Matt's dutch oven upside down pineapple cake was done and we had about 1/2 hour to enjoy that and discuss whether we could get Matt to shimmy up a really big pine tree.   Then it started to hail and rain HARD so we all ran into my tent with the lantern to play cards.  Unfortunately, by lantern light we could see it raining INSIDE the tent as well as outside.  In about 20 min. there was water sitting in puddles around our feet, pillows and sleeping bags.  Then a discussion came up about who we knew that lived close.  Someone said Grandpa and Grandma Buttars and I remembered that if you go through Strawberry canyon it's only about 50 min. and no sooner had I said that then everybody was out of the tent and into the car.  I think my mom and dad were shell shocked when 7 wet and muddy people showed up at their doorstep at 10 pm to sleep at their house.  They were good sports, though and put us up and made us a great breakfast the next morning before we headed back to Bear Lake to pack up all of our wet and muddy stuff and rent a boat for the day.  
The boat was great.  Jenna was a sterling captain - steering us back and forth and around on tubs and throwing everybody off, eventually.  (Although Kayla was pretty hard to throw off).  We also did some water skiing but the water was pretty choppy in the afternoon so it wasn't that much fun.  Kayla and Jorge were troopers and tried waterskiing for their first time and Kayla managed to get up after only 2 tries.  
Here are all of the pictures I got on my camera before it died.  Everybody else post what you have.





  

Andrew's New Skill


This little guy figured out how to ride a 2-wheeler today! I'll be honest, he figured it out pretty much on his own. He's a determined boy!


We just need to work on getting started on his own, and then maybe stopping w/o crashing into the curb. ;) So proud of him!

Bunk Beds and Determined Kids

We're getting ready for the new baby, so we're preparing to move Jake and Andrew into the same room. We ordered bunk beds for the boys' room, and they came in a huge box earlier this week. (Laurel had to have a neighbor come over to bring them off the front porch into our house - they were heavy!) The boys were so excited for us to put the beds together, but we've been busy, so the box was just on the floor of our entryway for two days. Well on Sunday after church, we all took naps. Or so we thought. Doug, Laurel and Ella took naps, but Jake and Andrew went downstairs, somehow opened the bunk bed box, and carried every last piece of wood, instruction sheet and screw up to Andrew's room. When Doug and Laurel found out what had happened, we had to think if we were mad or really impressed. We decided on really impressed. :) So, we followed their lead and got the beds put together. They're loving them so far. Jake hasn't slept in them yet, since we still need to get the guard rail up, but their room is coming together and looking cute!


Amie's 34th birthday 5-4-14

A few of us got together on Sun. night 5-4 to have an early birthday dinner for Amie.  (She's working on her birthday).  I wanted it to be easy and outdoors so I had shish-ka-bobs and we ate on the patio.  Here are a few pictures....
Amie and Jorge opening her presents




Tom gets creative with Amie's pruning shears

We had Shish-ka-bobs for dinner.  Guess who ate  the most.....
(Actually Jenna added her sticks to Tom's to make it more impressive but I still think he had the most sticks all by himself....)

Working hard and playing hard.

I live in paradise, which it turns out is Southern Utah. 
Just a quick update, life is great here at the Ponderosa. You can see some pictures from the past 1.5 weeks.

The first day or two were crazy because it was the Ragnar Trail Race here (over 3,800 participants here on our property! ) But I had a good friend back home tell me that I just needed to wait and I would love it by week two. Fortunatley they were right. 

The past week and half has been filled with lots of work, as well as lots of pool time, free zip  lining, canyoneering, going to teh St. George temple, etc.. 

I will be up North (farmington) on May 17th until about 4 PM (it takes about 5 hours to drive back here to the middle of nowhere)... family dinner?






Easter fun

Here are the pictures from our Easter get together.  It was great fun.  Heather....we missed you!
Kayla and Charmain playing the piano

Peter, Courtney and Jake playing the piano

Easter Group....Jake, Doug, Laurel, Andrew, Amie, Jorge, Matt, Kayla, Jenna, Charmain, Tom, Jan, Ella (Back)  Guadeloupe. Courtney, Peter

Andrew and his Easter eggs

Jake looking for eggs

Ella and the Bunny

Matt picking on his sisters again!! (Actually, it's Jenna picking on Matt, just to set the record straight this is usually what happens to Matt and his sisters)

Matt's favorite acctivity

Doug throwing Easter eggs....will he hit the tree this time??

Beginning of Easter Egg hunt

Matt's Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I've been told that Matt doesn't even make these anymore.  He's such a good chef that once he masters something, he moves on to the next challenge.  



But, when he made them at my house they were the most perfect I've ever tasted (taste, texture, size, etc) that I told him I wanted the recipe.  And on the spot, he pulled out this paper and wrote it in chicken scratch that is luckily legible.  If only all recipes contained such detailed instructions:  "put away mixer".  I don't know whether it's the chilled dough & cookie sheet, or the 2 3/8 cups of flour, or the hand mixing that makes them so good, but I always follow the instructions, and they always turn out just right.  [Unless you're Mom, and like flat, crispy cookies!?]  

So without further ado, here it is.  Another post for the history books.  


Matt the Abuser

I was looking through some videos on my camera, and came across this gem.  I'm glad it's documented for the ages.

Traveling through Europe

Here we are at Heather's. Finally Internet AND a blow dryer.  Life is good.  Plus the weather is lovely.  I'm uploading the pictures I've taken so far in case you're interested.
 The Metropolitian Museum in New York City



 Tom - trying to avoid the crowds at the New York airport
London - There were daffodils in bloom everywhere!!

                                                
British Museum - We saw the Rosetta stone and the statue that inspired the poem Ozymandius





 Rosetta Stone

 I met a traveler from an antique land......remember him.....it's RamsesIII
 Big statue of a Scarab - important symbol for the children of Israel,. it is the God of the Sun

 Street actor who posed kids to look like they were doing super hero things
 Restaurant in London where we had Meat pie
 Big Ben - Double Decker Buses - Baker street where Sherlock Holmes lives but I didn't get to go see his house.





 Pub in Shepton Mallet where we ate - the town was a dive but the food was amazing....they had a big fire a a couple of dogs laying around to make you feel like you'd walked into a scene from Beauty and the Beast



 Old Masonic Lodge where we stayed in Shepton Mallet.  It took us 1 hour to find this place and we finally had to follow a local guy who drove us there.  If we never see Shepton Mallet again it will be too soon
 Wells Cathedral.  Very mpressive old Cathedral.











 Glastonbury - Town built around an old Abbey where they claim Joseph of Aremethia came after Christ's death and stuck his staff into the ground which grew into a tree that still blooms today at Christmas and Easter.  Also, in 1100ish the monks found King Arthur's grave (with Gwenevoire buried with him) in their cemetary and dug him up and put him under a big black marble stone in their abbey cathedral.  When King Henry the 8th came along he took all of the abbey's treasures and destroyed all of the King Arthur memorabilia so now they just have the story (very convenient wouldn't you say....)  The abbey was destroyed over the years but they had a great museum and old ruins to look at.  And of course the site where King Arthur's grave USED to be.


 Old Farm house B&B we stayed at outside Yeovil.  It was built in 1400.  Made me think Amie's house isn't all that old.

 Post office box...
 Salisbury Cathedral






 Stonehenge - taken from the car window.  Tom said he'd drive over and pay the 10 pounds for me to go look at it but the road ran right behind it and you could see it as well from the back as paying the money and riding a bus to the front to look at it and I figured you can find out all you want about it on the internet.  On the back side there's a pasture full of sheep and a lot of people are just parking on the side of the back road and walking across the field to look at Stonehenge (that's what these people did).  They have the whole henge roped off anyway, so you can get just as close and save your money (but you might end up back in your car with sheep do-doo on your shoes).

We saw lots of trees with big bird nests in them....a rookery of nests you might say.


 Prague Castle cathedral.  There were lots of wooden carvings which we didn't see in the other cathedrals we went into.



 Golden door in Cathedral

 The Golden Lane - small street built into the fortress wall where people had shops and houses.  They were only about 5 ft. wide and maybe 10 ft. long.  You couldn't put much in them.

And then my camera went dead.  Heather took pictures while we were in Prague which I hope she'll share but not sure what we're going to do when we leave here and go to Spain.