Car Sandwiches

It's an interesting thing when your phone rings with a number you don't recognize and your son says, "Hi Mom."  So you ask him what phone he is calling from and he says, "The paramedics."  In my family that could be a joke they are pulling, but in this case, Wes had been in a little accident and his phone was flipped off his lap in into the air vent.  Which is really kind of funny and a feat of physics.

Wes was coming home from work and I had been talking to him because he was coming to make Philly Cheesesteaks and I  was at the store gettting his stuff.  Evidently, someone from the Czech Republic was trying to turn left off the Boulevard onto 200 E, but didn't get in the turn lane and stayed in the left lane.  Wes had looked ahead and seen what was going on, so had the car in front of him and they were honking at him.  However, the truck behind Wes had switched lanes and didn't see they were stopped until too late.  They hit Wes and pushed him into the car in front of him, who went into the car that was stopped in the wrong lane.  Wesley's long legs were smashed into the dashboard and were hurting, and he had a scrape on his arm, but all else was well.  Nothing too serious, except the car is totaled.

After a stop to instacare, he and Tiff came by for the cheesesteaks.  As he passed by me to go home, I had this very strong impression/voice come to me that said, "you need to get down on your knees and thank the Lord for sparing your son's life.  He has a great work to do and he was blessed this day."  So I did.  I knew that some of that was because of his new calling, that he had a great work to fulfill.  I am so blessed to have such good and righteous children!

Round Up

Since we haven't taken the kids to the Round Up since they were little, it seemed a good year to go. First we had Japanese Exchange students here, so we thought they'd like a little taste of Western America. But the real reason for going was to hear Jadon sing the National Anthem! What a privelege and a great opportunity for him. Before we left to go, Mykelle told us that she's never been to the Round Up before. Amelia Hunt was down for Kaely Wardell Mitchell's wedding, so they decided to go to the rodeo together. Imagine Mykelle's surprise when Amelia said, "We are riding our horses in the opening." So not only did Mykelle get to attend the Round Up, but she got to do it in a way none of the rest of us have-- on horseback in front of all the crowd. She had a great time!

Jadon was the one who really stole the show that night.  What an incredible experience and privilege for him! There was such a strong patriotic spirit present after the ceremonies that Jadon was choked up trying to sing. First they brought in a covered wagon and talked about the settling of the area.  Then they brought in a Howitzer that drove to the head of the arena and stopped.  The covered wagon pulled further in front of in and out of the back came firemen, policemen, and guardsmen who unfurled a large flag.  At that point, more guardsmen came on and formed an arrow point, then a bunch of flags carried by a lot of people streamed in on each side of the arena.  At that point a Blackhawk helicopter came and landed in the baseball field next to the arena.  It was so incredible.  Jadon walked into the arena between the Howitzer and the large flag and sang.  It was a perfect evening and he was incredible!!

Out of the Mouth's of Babes

Lorenzo Tupe (Misi's little brother) and Kameron were having a chat on the way to the store with Paul.  Kameron asked Lorenzo if he was going to let his wife buy her own stuff.  Lorenzo said, "Of course." 

Kameron said, "Well, what if she wants to buy a car?"

"DUH!!  It'll be her money.  She's gonna be working, and I'll still be looking for a job!"

Can't even find a response to that.....we all just keep laughing!

First Day of School

Oh, the first day of school.  This year, I wasn't quite ready.  It was really more enjoyable having the kids around now that they are a little older.  They were working at the farm, making chips, cleaning, and doing all that fun swimming, playing and such that summer brings.  Summer just seemed to go by too fast!  But alas, the first day arrived.  Still a little melancholy from Britton's birthday, I realized that next year, Kam will be in 5th grade and I"ll no longer have a student at Santa Clara Elementary.  It's been 19 years (so far) that I've had a kid there.  It will be strange and yet, good all at the same time. 

Here's some shots of the first day.  Britton's teacher is Mrs. Simkins.  So far all the Webster's but Whitnee (and Kam) have had her.  He was excited because his best buddy, Tanner Nelson, is in his class.

Kameron's teacher is Mrs. Bundy.  Britton had her last year and they really like her.  Kameron was lucky to get a bunch of friends in his class this year.   In the past, he's been lucky to have one friend.  This year he's with Seth Smith, Cole Griffin, and Austin Demming.

Kallan is in the mighty 9th grade this year.  Technically, the first year of high school, so sports are on a new level.  He is getting quite tall and is pretty well built from spending time in the weight room and training.  Kallan has the funniest personality and keeps us laughing all the time.  He's handsome and kind....I'm sure the girls will be hanging around a lot! 

New Callings

Just when things were crusing along all fine and dandy, we received a call one Sunday morning.  Paul came into the bathroom where I was just getting dressed.  He said, "sure.  We can be there in a half an hour."  Scrambling to get my hair done, we scurried off to the Stake offices to meet with President Harris.  I'm thinking it's something to do with Paul's scouting, but turns out, I had the hot seat.

Pres. Harris asked me to serve as 2nd Counselor in the Stake Young Women's.  I was in shock.....I said, "well, I've never been in Young Women's before.  Does that matter?"  He said, "nope!"  Then I started to cry as I looked at Paul.  Paul responded for me, "She's always loved the Young Women...."

Feeling overwhelmed and still in shock, I told the kids.  Wesley gave me great counsel...."Let's see, you've never been in Young Women's except for Girls Camp, right?"  "Yes."  "Well, look at it this way, mom, you will totally be working on inspiration."

That was so profound!  Scary for the fact that I have to be in tune to rely on inspiration, yet comforting to know that I will be guided instead of using "my own experience."  I felt so blessed to have such an in-tune son!

So, a couple of days later imagine how surprised I was to see Wes and Tiff come over in the evening.  We were getting ready to do the kids "back-to-school" blessings, when Wes came and asked for a blessing, as well.  Turns out he was just called as the new Young Men's President of his ward and needed to turn in counselor's names the next day.  Now this ward had just been reorganized the week before and was a mixture of 3 different wards.  They didn't really know anyone.  Besides the fact, he's only 24...... 

I guess I shouldn't feel "prouds" as a mom, but I sure was.  Wes is an incredible man.  I have always known there is something great about him and I've often thought how enjoyable it will be to watch his life unfold.  Fortunatly, I was able to give him some good advice I had recently received, "Well, look at it this way, you will totally be relying on inspiration...."

Britton's Birthday

Britton's birthday was so reflective for me this year.  I'm not sure why that is so, but all I could think about is "WOW!  Next year, he will be 12!!  He'll be a deacon and will be passing the sacrament.     It just seems so weird. Growing up-- it just makes me melancholy sometimes.  So here's my Britt-- 11 years old, a boy scout now, smart, funny, talented, sensitive....just a good kid with a very bright future!

And he LOVES legos!

What happens when Dad's gone to Scout Camp....

So Paul was gone to scout camp and I went shopping with Jadon and Kameron. After leaving Walmart, on the way to Costco, we passed some people who had free kittens. I couldn’t stop then, but told the boys that we should get a kitten from the Animal Shelter so we could save a life. I’m thinking that they’re free and we could do some good.

So on the way home, we stop at the shelter and I let the boys each pick out a kitten. Kameron picked up this little orange kitten who was just weaned from it’s mom and said, “Mom, look at it’s eyes.” Okay, so how do you not get a kitten when your kid says that??!! Besides, it was true! There was something about those eyes!

When we got to the desk, we found out that they were $60 for boys & $80 for girls. I nearly had a heart attack, but had some of my salsa money with me and something just told me that I needed to do this. So I did. I paid for the sweet little thing, then paid for it again and again as each member of my family gave me a hard time for paying money for a kitten that they could get for free anywhere.

It's true, but as I said, something really told me that I needed to do this. It has been a great decision. This is the cutest cat. He is so funny and playful and we are all loving him. Even Paul's warming up to him a little bit.

Scout Camp 2

There were just so many fun pictures, I had to include a few more. Here is one night's set up. I couldn't help but notice the mud. So fun!

This is a classic. The boys were taking rocks and putting them in/on Cam Ence's backpack. He didn't even know until he sat down later and went to get in his backpack. He said he wondered why it felt so much heavier.

I haven't figured this out yet. Not sure if there is a cow-tipping merit badge I'm not aware of. Must be near the suntanning one! ;o)

This is what it's all about!! Dad's, sons, mountains, God's handiwork. Priceless!

Scout Camp 50 Miler

Scout Camp! Two words that can conjure up all kinds of mental images. As a mother, I have loved watching my boys grow through the experiences of their scout camps. They have loved them and have grown so much as young men by attending them. This years was no exception. Paul is still the scoutmaster (which I love because he is with my boys so much) so he headed up this years adventure of a 50 mile hike over Cedar Mountain. Britton was even able to go up for a couple of days as an 11 year old scout.

Some days the walking got kind of monotonous and boring, but at times it was difficult and hard. They happened to pick the week that it rained almost every day, so that provided another great experience for them.

Hiking around Navajo Lake. A LONG Day!

Hopefully, they are staying on the right trail and not getting too far ahead of the group!

Nice background AND a nice time to show off those sexy bod's!

Britton & Dylan's shelter.

One of their best memories is doing the "polar bear" where you have to dunk completely under the freezing snow-melt water. Choice photo op.Britton-- Polar Bear

Kallan-- Polar Bear!

The Great White Polar Bear! Oh yeah! It's a vision!

Scott Parry's picture shows him completely dry. I am assuming he pulled out the "I'm a Dr. and need to keep myself strong to help anybody who gets hypothermia" card to avoid it. (I'm having a hard time uploading, so I'll just tell you about it.)

Then there's the pranks and tricks of boys who can't resist taking down a leaders tent or loading their backpack with rocks totally unbeknownst to them until they stop and take their backpack off.

Hard rain storms, potato guns, answered prayers, and a lost Bishop are included in this years bank of memories.

If suntanning were a merit badge, Kallan would have received his!

Oh the fun of Scout Camp!!

Hummingbirds

We have this cute little hummingbird that has made her nest on the wire hanging from the back porch. It is right out the window from the family room, so we can watch her all the time. She has had this nest for a few years now. It is so fun because this nest is so tiny. Even more fun is when the baby pokes it's head out and begins to fly. This year was a treat because there were TWO babies. We caught them looking out of the nest and Paul was watching them to see when they flew from the nest hoping to keep the dogs from getting them. They are SO cute!! Here are the photos of our "pet birds."

You can see them standing on the edge of the nest getting the courage to fly.

Summer Fun

Here's just a few photos of our summer fun. Most days are filled with housework, piano, video games, and SWIMMING! Isn't it a great blessing to have a pool-- and to have a great family!?

They especially love those night time swims!

Jadon & Natalee Hunt

Football Haircuts

Football is just one of those things that increase the testosterone flow around here. Kallan has been very excited to start his high school football career. They have a great group of boys who have big hearts, a good work ethic, and a competitive drive. This group of boys decided they would do official football haircuts early in the summer during their training time. Here is a picture of Kallan getting his hair cut. Some others sat down and had theirs done, others did theirs earlier. Just wouldn't be football with out a good buzz!

Baseball

Britt was the only one who played baseball this year. It was fun to watch him in his first year of Major League.

5th Generation

I can't recall many times when you see a 5th Generation with BOTH grandparents. I think it is pretty neat and amazing. Here are some photos of Grandma and Grandpa Frei's 5th Generation. We took them on Mother's Day, I believe, or maybe it was Grandma's birthday.....sometime in May. This is why you blog consistently and not try to play catch-up! ;o)

Palo's 1st trip to the mountain

Just a few pics of Palo's first trip to the cabin.

Pinewood Derby

The Pinewood Derby was conveniently held the week after Grad Night. Paul not only had to help me construct everything, but he also had not one, but TWO pinewood derby cars to build. Personally, I think Paul is incredible. He didn't even complain! The boys had a blast with their cars. Britton was playing baseball, so Kameron had to run his car, too. When we arrived from baseball, we learned that Britton's car had won 2nd place. How many years and how many cars has it taken to finally place??? A LOT! There's this happy/sad feeling about getting to the end of our pinewood derby days. This was Britton's last one. Nice job, boys!!

Grad Night

Grad Night.....so much to say. What a tremendous experience this was for me. I had such a blast creating, building, carving and painting. I just loved it! Even more than that was the tremendous experiences I had that taught me, even deeper, about the laws and principles that govern us. I couldn't believe how many things came to us that we needed, or how the inspiration came to us as to who to get or how to build something AND how it came so EASILY.

On top of all that, I met some tremendous people and made some great new friends. I will probably post an experience or two on my new blog, so watch for that to be coming soon. Here are some photos from grad night.

Bull pen (corral) looking toward the dinosaur entrance.

Front of the gym-- Egyptian Wall.

Western Wall-- middle part.

Roman Wall

Space wall