SOME EXTRA SPECIAL JULY BIRTHDAYS

We're so glad Brad and Jensen turned ONE

They're so cute, and so BIG and so FUN!

Tyler and Elli help Kelli put on the finishing touches for the party.Brad and Jensen discover how to eat cake.

Jensen discovers a faster method.

And Tate, who is great, had a birthday, turned eight,

Couldn't wait, got Baptised in a hot tub...

On that special date!

FATHER'S DAY, VISITORS, AND OTHER HAPPENINGS

Father's day, a visit from kids, and very busy days

Include a trip to Oregon and more-

The past 3 week's been a haze...

NOTE: I still haven't found my camera at this point. So I apologize for no pictures. We actually bought a new one, but it didn't have a memory card. So Rachel will be sending me pics of her visit...but it will be a while.

First, Father's day. We really didn't do anything much. I fixed Tom some of his favorite food, we went to Church, and Tom talked to several of our kids on the phone.

I just want to say a little bit about Tom and what makes me smile about him. I appreciate his patience when I accidently drop a corral panel on his foot and all he does is hop and say, "Ow!" I appreciate the fact that I put a dent in the truck and he just reassures me it's okay- not to worry- it will get many more... That reminded me of the time right after we were first married and I got into an accident in his otherwise unblemished car. I was so scared to call and tell him- the car was totaled and he needed to come and get me. I started out by telling him I had been in an accident and his car was totaled- He didn't even care- his first question was "Are you alright???" I was crying- not because I was hurt, but because of the car- which he never cared about for a minute. I love that Tom doesn't care about material things- that people are more important than things to him.

I also appreciate how he laughs at my weird, dry sense of humor, and always eats whatever I cook, and always says I look nice- even when I know I don't.

I love the way he serves others and stops to help people he doesn't even know! And the great teacher that he is- i have learned so much from him through his kind, gentle example.

I also want to wish my Dad a Happy Father's day- Thanks for all your help with the business and your funny sense of humor- which you gave me. :-)

Visitors from Ohio:

Rachel, the brave soul, came out from Ohio to visit relatives all by herself with her 6 kids. We had a BLAST!!! I just love my grandkids from Ohio- they are so much fun! The visit started with Mia and Jesi (first words out of their mouth) "Can we ride the pony?" We got everyone settled in a room- the older boys chose to sleep out in the "cottage", while copper was excited to sleep on the top bunk and Mia and jesi shared the bottom bunk.

Kelli drove out with Hannah (Rachel's neice and Kelli's photography assistant) and the twins, Jensen & Bradley. We had a picnic lunch, visited a bunch, and then rode horses.

Mia and Jesi started out on the pony, Jigsaw, and then the next day wanted to ride Frankie (my Thorobred mare) after seeing the boys ride her. Tate, Cooper, and Avery, and their cousin, Braiden, all rode by themselves- way to go guys!! Even Coen loved riding the pony! And Rachel did great!

Later, Tom took the kids on the 4 wheeler and explored the stream. We then had a bonfire and roasted marshmellows/made s'mores.

The next day Grandpa Tom made French Toast and then he and the kids all played in the stream- building dams and ponds, etc. I had to run a horse to Salt Lake to the vet and pick up one that was there so I missed out on all the fun! But that afternoon we rode horses again (the girls insisted!) and then everyone took naps so we wouldn't be tired at the Manti Pageant.

We picked the blanket area and had a good view of the pageant. Of course most everyone fell asleep- except, Jesi! we brought lots of snacks to eat and it was a beautiful evening.

There was so much we packed into the 2 days- and Tate even found some cool rocks! Good-byes were hard- but well see them again soon.

After the visit we had LOTS of catch up at work. The end of June was very busy. Normally the summer slows WAAAAY down- but June was very busy and July started out that way, so we'll see.

Well, here's one of the CRAZIEST things I've done in a long time. The whole story is a little long, so I won't bore you with the details, but the jist of it is I made a deal with a lady in Oregon who raises beautiful Welsh ponies. I'm training 2 of her stallions and promoting them here in Utah and taking them to the Sport Pony inspection the end of August in exchange for a registered Welsh mare.


These are large ponies- big enough for a small adult to ride without looking ridiculous. anyway- I had a window of opportunity to go and get them and that was last week. I left early Tues morning, picked up my friend Phyllis in Lindon and we headed for Boise. I dropped her off at her son's home and kept going on to Joseph, Oregon.

A picture of their ranch with ponies out in pasture.

It was a long day, but a beautiful drive the last hour as I wound through the mountains of Oregon. Kathleen put me up for the night, and we spent the evening looking at her ponies and deciding what one I was to get. The next morning was the same. Finally, we struck a deal- I actually took 2 mares- neither was my first choice- those weren't for sale. But I felt really good about the two I did take. They are so cute! So around 1 PM, we loaded up the two pony stallions (they each had their own divided space in the trailer, and put the two mares in the very back spot. It was a bit crowded, but they fit. Little did I realize that one of the mares was actually in heat! It was a rough first hour with stallions sqealing and kicking a bit- till they calmed down.

This is the Welsh pony stallion, Evan's Providence Of The Night, I'm breeding the mares to and training to present at the German sport pony stallion inspection.

This is a picture of Lil Miss Kadee- one of the mares I got.
And this is Dreamland Princess Gretchen- a real sweetheart of a pony.

Going slower, it took me nearly 5 hours to get to my brother-in-law's, Terry, house where I spent Wednesday night. He and Dana, his wife, were so helpful in putting us up for the night and getting us on our way the next morning. Terry helped me unload/load ponies and had corrals all ready for them! I stopped again in Boise to pick up Phyllis and we headed back home.

I was so grateful that Phyllis wanted to take the trip with me-we had a GREAT time chatting about everything and we also listened a bit to a book on tape. She did a great job keeping me awake while I drove!

I finally got home and unloaded the ponies late Thursday night, just before dark. They have all adjusted to their new home really well. I took the pics from Kathleen's website: http://www.evans-welshponies.com

Tom, the ever patient soul- just looked at me and asked "when do you have time for this?" Good question. I guess the next two month will answer that. I will squeeze in training them between,guests, new babies, work, and my wonderful, supportive, husband. The stallions will go home after the inspection. So it will just be a bit crazy for the next two months.

POST NOTE- Tom found our camera that has been lost since may- waaay under the seat of the truck- it's been there all this time! So maybe the next post will have pictures again :-)

FREE FISHING DAY

Fishies here, fishies there

Pulled out of the lake everywhere!

Ryan caught his first, same for Kyle

By the end of the morning we had a pile!

Bench's Pond on Skyline drive, just 20 minutes from our house. It was a nice day- still a little cool- you can see there is still snow in the background in the trees.
It was free fishing day in Utah. I'm the activities commitee chair for our Church and so we planned an activity around it. We provided a BBQ grill, eating utensils, etc, water, and everyone that came brought a potluck dish. We had a nice turnout and everyone that came caught fish- so there was a lot of food for lunch. (Not to mention I brought hotdogs just incase- which turned out to be a good idea for all the kids who didn't want to taste what they caught :-)

We had planned to bring Kyle & Ryan a few months back, so it worked out well when Cari wasn't feeling too hot- (prelabor pains) and had orders for rest. So we took the boys over the weekend. Derek and Eli came up and spent Friday night too, as well as some of their friends.

Baiting the hooks for the first go around.

Kyle patiently waiting.
Ryan catches the first one- all by himself! Tom cast the line for him and then turned around to help Derek's friends- next thing ya know- there's Ryan reeling in a fish! He was SO excited! And proud and shy all at the same time!Derek reels one in-But Kyle still hadn't caught one- but then...just before lunch...

After lunch we packed up and went back to the ranch where we rode horses. I was so proud of Kyle- riding Jigsaw all around the arena by himself. Derek and Eli rode by themselves, and I helped out their friends.

The boys ended up staying through Monday. We had a GREAT time- it was so much fun!

Blast in Boise

A horse show, some soccer, a BBQ and more...
Always lots in store...
When we go to Boise!

Well I have a few pictures of our trip- thanks to Marie. Somewhere lies our camera and I haven't found it yet- not to mention IF I do find it, I lost it the first day.

We left wednesday afternoon after being up at 4 AM so I could get as much done in the office as I could before we pulled out. Coco trailered well- but it's a lot slower in a truck pulling a trailer (can't go our usual 78) we stopped once and let Coco walk around to stretch a bit. The orders from the vet were- go and show, but don't school him too hard or over work him. His back is better- but not even close to 100% yet.

The kids feeding Coco his favorite treat- APPLES!
The Idaho Horse Park was AMAZING!! What a great place to show! It was very well kept and the facility was a horseman's dream. I would love to go back and show there some day in the BIG arena!

Thursday we took most of the Grandkids over for turns riding Coco. Tyler and Kalia remembered riding Jigsaw- and both commented on "how much he'd grown." I explained this was a different horse. Kalia remembered what she had learned last summer and took right to holding the reins and sitting up nice and tall. I could tell she was a little intimidated by the height of Coco- but she quickly adapted. Tyler has also a little intimidated, but was quick to raise his hand for a second ride when there was a chance. Last spring, when we watched them, he had a grin from ear to ear on his face when he was on Jigsaw. It was the same on Coco.

Jackson STILL loves the horses. He climbed right on with no objections- which amazed me. Aiden was fearless as usual and also had a grin on his face.

Some liked the riding better than others... Maybe Ethan will feel more comfortable on something closer to Jigsaw size. One more practice for her class on Saturday.

After the rides- we took Coco to the washrack to get his bath. There were lots of questions as we bathed him and I think the kids thought it was pretty funny squirting him with the hose that made bubbles. But what I thought was really cute was after the bath, we needed to walk Coco around to dry him off. The kids all took turns leading him around- until at one point most of them had at least one hand on the lead rope and were walking Coco...

(or was Coco walking them?)

We went back to Aaron & Caroll's house for a yummy BBQ. Marie brought over some food and it all was delicious! Aaron's place is so fun- as Tyler put it- "we have a park for a yard!" Daniel, Hannah, and Colin joined their cousins in playing on the jungle gym. It was great to see them again.

We went back later to check on Coco- he hadn't been eating or drinking- and I was concerned he might have been colicking. He felt warm and there was no sign of any "movements" so I took him over to the vet there at the horse park. But, just like when my kids were young and would get sick and you finally decide to take them to the doctors and then when you get there they all of a sudden feel better and start playing... the same happened with Coco. When I pulled open the trailer door, there he was munching on hay and, yup, there was some poop- so I knew he wasn't really bad off. The vet did a courtesy temp check- it was normal. So we didn't waste the $100 exam fee and just took him back to his stall.

Friday was a looooong day- we had classes through out the day and into the evening. It was a bit of a waste of time as the judge preferred a different type of horse. I wish I had known she was a hunt judge rather than a dressage judge. She placed all hunt types over the dressage types. But that's the way it is. Last time I thought the judge was very generous to us in our placings. So it goes. Our best efforts were a 5th place out of 9 horses.

Saturday AM we went and watched Tyler and Aiden score big time at their soccer games. Tyler was super competitive and knew just what to do. Even when a member of the other team was tough, Tyler hung in there. At one point he ran over and plopped down in my lap and gave me a BIG hug- what a sweetie! Then he remembered he was a boy and tried to rub his sweat on me- laughing the whole time of course!

Afterthe games, we hung out at Alex's. Kalia was very excited for her show later. We played a game with alex until it was time to leave- oh by the way- I just play games to make everyone else feel smart. Tom & Alex tied for first and I was a distant second... But onto the show...
One of the few times Lincoln actually let one of us hold him- He's a BIG kid!

A very brave Kalia did a spectacular job riding Coco. I was so proud of her. She handled it like a pro! We talked as we practiced before going in the arena and she reminded me about the first time she rode (I think she was not even 2 yet) and how she wanted to ride but wanted her Mommy too. And how she was fine riding until she thought of her Mom, then she wanted her and would cry. We both laughed about that and it was evident that her confidence has grown considerably. She was so cute she kept saying "Grandma Jerri. I'm sitting up straight and keeping my chin up and squeezing in with my legs." And she did a great job! There were 3 entries and they called her number out first- and she was so excited to get a blue ribbon and a troophy!

I LOVE the look on Kalia's face here- Marie did a great job capturing it!

It was so nice of Tom's brother and his wife (Terry & Dana) and his sister and her husband (Karen & John) to come watch and support us. It was great to see them and spend some time with them.

"I got a trophy AND a blue ribbon!"

We got up early Sunday morning and retreived Coco from the horse park- got ready for Church- went to Alex & Marie's meetings (it was the earliest) and then ate lunch with them and hit the road. It took a bit longer getting home- we were trying to get better gas mileage. But we finally got home around 9:30 PM! A long drive. I think Coco was never so happy to get out of the trailer! But the trip was very fun and worth the effort. Thanks Aaron and Caroll for putting us up! And thanks for the game and lunch Alex and Marie! I must say we have some really cute Grandkids in Boise!

THE NON-MOTHERS DAY FOR MOTHERS, DAY

May is for

Mothers

Abundant in their love for

You, and always there to help

My Mom & Dad came up from St George on Thursday and so we planned a get-together for Ty's birthday and Mom's day on Friday.

We went to Scera park- a beautiful park in Orem by the Scera Theater. We have so many memories of that place- a few random ones that come to mind are-

I took the kids to the Utah symphony at the ampitheater one summer, many moons ago- Tyler was only 2 and LOVED the 1812 overture and kept humming the tune all the way home and then, imitating the cannon part, would say "boom."

One of Tom & mine first dates. We went and saw the Smothers Brothers there- they were hilarious! At intermission, we got an autographed picture of us with Dick Smothers- which to my shock, Tom had somehow gotten to him and told him to give me a kiss on the cheek! So when I asked for his autograph I got a bit more. And I think somewhere there is a picture of me getting kissed with a totally shocked expression on my face! I remeber he talked with us and loved the fact that our names were "Tom & Jerri."

The indoor movie theater has a balconey with seats for two- so you can actually sit together with your date- very fun!

Anyway... we had a great time- I received some really nice gifts and cards- my kids (and their spouses) are terrific! They are so thoughtful and make me feel very loved and appreciated!

A shout out to all the Mothers in our family- daughters, daughters-in-law, mothers-in-law, Grandmas, Aunts, etc. and my Mom- you all continue to be an inspiration and an example to me!


The little kiddies on the blanket- Kaylee is a Mother-hen to be! She's just as cute as can be with her younger cousins- she'll LOVE having her new baby sister when she comes. Okay- here are their ages: Kaylee 16 months, Jensen & Brad 9 1/2 months- Go figure...

Jensen and Bradley get their first time on a swing. They were a bit unsure at first but they really enjoyed it. And what great little guys- 1 1/2 hours playing quietly on their blanket with a few toys while we all visited- truly amazing- they must take after their mom- believe it or not Kelli was my QUIETEST child- would play for hours by herself.

Kaylee loved the swing. Could hardly get her to give it up- except the slide was so much fun. Even the first time when she went flying down because Kyle let her go and her Mom & Grandpa weren't ready to catch her. She landed hard but jumped up and wanted to go again. She may be a trapeze artist some day because she already "flies through the air with the greatest of ease..." and never cries when she lands.

Kyle gets an "underdog"

I had just taken Kelli's boys down the slide and Tom was taking our picture when all of a sudden Ryan sneeked around and came down the slide and crashed into us- laughing hysterically! He thought he was soooo funny! He did startle me.

I'm not sure what was wrong with my camera- why all the pics have a bluish tint to them- but it makes no difference now- because... read the next post!

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ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING AND OTHER HAPPENINGS

New shoes for Coco

Kelli's needed break

and April snow

Plus...Tom announcing at a gymnastic show

Can't believe we got 4" of snow on Friday! Where is spring? Usually our creek is running by April 15th and it's been so cold it hasn't even started yet! If it warms up fast we'll definetly have a bit of flooding.

Kelli took off Thursday for a much needed break- her first from her boys. I took up the slack time between her leaving and Jason coming home from work- only 4 1/2 hours- but boy was I tired when I was done! I don't know how she does it all and keep a smile on her face! Brad and Jensen were great- it's just that there's TWO of them! But I LOVED spending the time with them, they are so cute. I think Kelli and I must sound a like because sometimes they would look at me startled when I would laugh or say something.

Cari had a booth at a trade show and I stopped by there for a minute while they were setting up to help with Kaylee. She is still really small- but that doesn't hold her back- she's so active- both physically and mentally- she really reminds me of Cari at the same age. She was hungry and there was some Costa Vita burrito thing there so I fed her the beans, rice, lettuce, and steak-pretty much any of it and she LOVED it all! She cracks me up. Congrats Bill on running your first half-marathon!!

Here's a picture of Tom multi-tasking (it doesn't happen very often so I was glad to capture it on film ;-) I was getting ready to show the Center to someone so he took over holding Coco for me.

That's aREAL cowboy shoeing him- Mitch is great and, infact, Tom home teaches their family and his wife visit teaches me. They asked Tom to annouce at a Gymnastic/tumbling exhibition their daughter was in Saturday to raise money for her and her team mates that qualified for nationals! Tom did a great job and it was a fun evening.

Tom and I have actually been riding 3 times this past week. Vet orders that I have to take it slow on Coco- so Tom's been coming with me on Annie for the 20 minute rides around the block!

Beautiful today- but I see snow in the forcast-ARE YOU KIDDING ME????

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS PART TWO

So... to finish the story...

That afternoon I had 2 Sport Horse under saddle classes. Coco worked a lot better- he's still a bit "green" as far as the show ring goes- doesn't like horses getting too close to him, etc. But the judge obviously liked him because despite a few minor errors, she place us 2nd out of 8 and 5th out of 12! Both placings give us the needed point to qualify for the nationals in those classes! We were very happy.

Here's Coco (the grey horse) and me at the trot.

A picture of part of the class line up waiting for the awards to be announced.

But my happiness is short-lived until we can diagnose what's going on with Coco.

Later that evening, we were at the Saturday evening Stake Conference Adult session and ran into an old friend. She had heard about Coco's problem and let me know they were having this special horse vet out to look at some of their horses. He does chiropractics and acupunture for horses.

So on Thursday, Dr. Monroe took a look at Coco and diagnosed a possible hip injury. He gave him an acupuncture treatment (I'm not kidding) and said to walk him every day for 20 minutes for the next two weeks, then he'll check him again to see what kind of progress is being made. Horses are very hard to diagnose, so this is only a guess, but hopefully it is the issue and he can get better sooner than later.

This week we've been SLAMMED at work- so Tom & I have been in the office 12-16 hours every day. Except for Wednesday- we had a business meeting and then a training session down in Provo with a possible client.

And now Spring is here and the yard work begins. We also need to get the Center ready for the first of June to start renting.