How To Make Your Parents Cry

My parents are 1 year into their 3 year LDS mission in Resistencia, Argentina.  When I arrived at the Resistencia airport they had NO idea I brought 2 souvenirs from Phoenix, AZ!  This is their first time meeting our daughter Charlotte.

http://youtu.be/-OppHrkCeeU

Camping with a 3 month old and 2 yr old

We had a great Labor Day camping with our friends the Woods north of Pine, AZ.  The weather was pleasant and the views were gorgeous.  (WARNING: This blog post contains a lot of photos.  Be prepared to scroll!)

Baby Char-bug was a good lil snuggler.  Candace did a good job of keeping her happy.

We had to take turns eating and holding Charlotte, while keeping an eye on Roo.  It was a lot of work, but we didn't mind.  I forgot a sleeping bag for Reed though, so the 4 of us were sharing the 2 sleeping bags I brought that zip together.  That made for less than desireable sleeping arrangements (Reed likes to take up all the bed space, a trait he inherited from his Mom) and left us looking sleepy in the mornings:

 

He was SOOO excited to wake up every morning in a tent!

His first words every morning: "bike, bike, BIKE, BIKKKKKE!" until we'd dress him and let him out to play.  He'd wake up earlier than anyone else and wait patiently for his friends Trevor, Gavin, and Ethan to come play.

 
Here they are pretending to be on a choo choo train:

 We brought the Ranger and had a LOT of fun 4wheeling and exploring.

 We camped near Potato Lake.  The boys made a trip lakeside to catch grasshoppers and use them as bait to catch crawdads.  I'm in love with this picture!  Watching the kids chase grasshoppers and play with the crawdads are memories I will long remember.

The boys weren't the only ones having fun.  JoEllen and Candace had some quality girl time together as the Woods also have a baby girl, Reece.  Here is Cbug and Charbug at Knoll Lake:

 Candace and JoEllen left the kids with Cody and I to joyride the Ranger.  I said I didn't know who was less likely to survive, them off-roading alone or Cody and I watching 6 wound up kids!

 

Sunday we heated up water, took sponge baths, and set out to find church.  We were part of a congregation of 274 people in a small branch that usually has around 10!  Here are Cody and JoEllen loaded up and ready to go:

 I could not WAIT to get home from church and take a nap in my shady tent among the fresh mountain air and relaxing sounds of wind passing through the pine trees.  Doesn't that sound nice?

RooBear didn't think so.  He was a non-stop jabberbox and after 45 minutes of trying to sleep while he climbed over and around Candace and I in the tent I decided I'd take him on a Sunday ride and let Cbug and baby Sweets get some sleep.

Don't give me that face after making me take you on a ride!

 We had a great time.  The Woods were a lot of fun to spend time with.  I can't wait for another family camp out.

 Just like Daddy, he eats his cereal on the go!!!

 I hope you don't mind me bragging about my baby Sweets, but look at those eyelashes!!


LUBBBBS!

And lastly....without any prompting from me or the other boys, Reed found a hill and started riding his bike down it. It sounds silly, but its such a proud moment for me to see him have his own interest in riding things down hills and going fast!! I know my mom is shaking her head right now!  Reed did this ALL DAY ALL WEEKEND and I captured some of the fun on film:

For the grandparents

 From South Jordan to South America, these pictures are so parents and grandparents can see how stinking cute Reed and Charlotte are!!  Its obvious Candace is to blame.

CBUG x 2

We're still managing to get by 'round here.  Roo is in a raccoon phase where he rummages through everything he's not supposed to.  He has learned to close the door behind him and be especially quiet which buys him extra time to get into things like sewing supplies, our checkbook, or throw my black dress shoes into the shower while my eyes are closed and I'm washing my hair.  He's a booger and we love him and sweet Char-bug.

goodbye Taylor, hello fishing

Completing our whirlwind weekend (see previous posts), I had the opportunity to accompany Taylor to the MTC as he begins his 2 year journey to Concepcion, Chile.  I appreciated the one on one time with the future missionary.  I especially enjoyed sharing big brother words of wisdom while hearing Taylor's perspective on how he's prepared himself for his decision to serve.  Due to the frequency in which people I know leave to serve missions its easy to overlook the tremendous amount of sacrifice and faith involved.  Regardless of how common it is, the more I think about the sacrifice and blessings that come with a mission the more I recognize that it is truly the Lord's work and He is in charge. 

We ate lunch with Bub and Sam at Taylor's favorite: In N Out.  While he was a bit nervous leading up to his departure date, he was in great spirits and anxious as we ate together.  He is so prepared and ready.  There is no doubt by any who know Taylor of how his many talents, warm and genuine personality, and Christ-like example will bless those in Concepcion seeking to know God better.  We pulled up to the MTC, got out, hugged then cried, then cried and hugged.  Bub, Sam and I left and cried for a little longer.  Our little brother, Chief Wampum/Scooter Jones/Tayluh-moooon/Unkie has grown up and become a man. 

So, with that, I handled my sorrows the best way I knew how.  I took to the Provo River.  My arch enemy treated me kindly. 

Fly fishing is a constant combination of skill, strategy, and luck.  After catching a fish I used a harmless tool to see what kind of bugs the fish had been feeding on.  Below is the contents of a fish's stomach.  I try to match the fake fly on my line to the size, shape, color in the river.

The type of bug the fish feed on depends on conditions of the light, water level, temperature, barometric pressure...etc.  I don't always figure it out, but its a lot of fun when I do.

My largest trout was a 19.5" brown trout that would make any fisherman proud.

 I hooked the fish beyond the end of the bank in sight!  It dragged me pretty far down the river.

 

Bub and Sam were great hosts.  Candace earned a Purple Heart for taking one for the team and watching both kids while I stayed in UT to fish.  Next time, Candace will be the one fly fishing (more likely shopping) and I'll be home watching the kids!

Taylor's Bachelor party

Ok, it wasn't actually Tayluh's bachelor party, but it was some quality brother time before he leaves to Concepcion, Chile for 2 years.  Almost a bachelor party.

I convinced Candace we needed to invest in family fun time by getting an offroad machine that can fit the whole family.  My salesman skills worked and to celebrate we got together with my bro in law Tim, his kids, and my brother Chris and his daughter Kate to ride some desert trails to a lake one Saturday morning.

RooBear is always ready to go.

Kelly, Candace's mother's husband, came with.  Here he is with Taylor and RooBear, sporting his Christmas present from my parents.  Safety first!

The kids LOVED playing in the water.  It was a good change from the hot, dusty ride.

The night before we headed out for some go-kart racing.  You always know who Taylor is in the picture cuz he's the one that stands off to the side!

While Chris was in town, i took him to my new secret fishing spot.  He was able to pull out a big one.  Every time I go we pull out at least a couple that look like this.  I'm loving it!