Dinosaur Day in May....No September. Now I Remember!

Smiles around every corner.

Kehl and Stockton had the wonderful opportunity to spend the day with Nona and Papa at the Dinosaur Park in Ogden.  You'd think that after living in Ogden for 11 years I'd have visited the park by now, especially after having two boys and one of them being a dinosaur fanatic.  BUT....I'm me and tomorrow was always another day.  

So thanks to my parentals my children didn't have to wait another day to play in their own backyard.  I wish I had been there because it sounded so entertaining.  Kehl found the dinosaurs to be fascinatingly, scarily realistic.  He wouldn't get out of a chair at one point because the dinosaur kept "roaring" at him every time he moved.  He was afraid that it would eat him so no one was allowed to move.  But you know Nona, always pushing the issue.  But it's safe to say that she made it out alive.

Kehl had a hard time climbing a dinosaur to ride but he didn't give up.  As we were looking the through the pictures he said, "I had a hard time to get on that dinosaur.....I did it!  Look I got on...and...I got off."  It was all in one breath.  It's probably one of those you had to be there experiences but trust me when I say that it was comical.

If at first you don't succeed...try, try again.

Champion!!!

I've been wanting Kehl to mutton bust for the past year or so, but no one would allow it because he wasn't old enough.  At Ogden Pioneer Day's you have to be at least five.  Well, this year we were informed of a Little Buckaroo Rodeo in South Uintah that allowed three year olds to participate.  We jumped on that opportunity.  We signed him up for both the mutton bust and the chicken chase. 
We prepped him days in advance and made sure that he wanted to do it before we signed him up.  He would frequently remind us that he was going to ride a sheep and chase a chicken.  I was totally prepared for him to change his mind at the last minute but he didn't.
They started the evening with a parade of all the contestants.  Kehl held the line up because he was more concerned about making friends, which was also evident in the chicken chase.  He kept talking to all the kids instead of listening.  We had to yell, "Focus" a few times, but those words just fell on deaf ears.  He was just so excited to be surrounded by so many kids.  He didn't catch a chicken but he did run ALL over smiling at every step.
His next event was the sheep.  They were good sized sheep with a lot of energy.  They were bolting out of those chutes, dumping children left and right.  The kid who could hold on the longest would win.  No points for style.  Kehl wanted to ride out with one arm up because that's what cowboy's do but we convinced him otherwise.
When it was his turn he climbed right on and went to the winning position, hugging the sheep with both your arms and legs and hanging on for dear life.  They opened the gate and the sheep was.......not bolting that's for sure.  He slowly walked out hugging the edge of the arena with Kehl hanging on.  The owner's tried to push the sheep more to the center, but he had none of that.  Slowly he made his way to the center where Kehl's grip finally failed.  He gracefully fell to the ground, stood up, dusted himself off and proudly walked off.  He gave his dad a tough cowboy high five and just kept on walking.  Phil and I were so proud that we wanted to cry, but for Kehl's sake we held back.  Tough cowboy's don't have parents that cry.
Once all the other kids were done he told Phil they needed to go get his trophy.  We told him that he might not get a trophy but he had already made up his mind that he was getting a trophy.  To our excitement they called his name to the champion stand but we still didn't know if he had the winning time.  Once again he wanted his trophy and once again we had to tell him that he might not get a trophy but a ribbon instead.  Then they announced the champion as Kehl Cardon.  He proudly walked over, climbed the winners stand and waited for his trophy.

2011 South Weber County Fair Day's 5 & Under Mutton Bustin Champion!

American Summer Past-times

Summer is that time of year I look forward to to spend time with my family.  Yes, Spring is refreshing with new growth and Fall is magical with the changing leaves, crisp air, and Football......but summer is late nights, endless family gatherings, rodeo's, baseball games, demolition derby's, fairs, and more.  So that's exactly how we spend our summer.
I think we're gone 90% of the summer but this year we took it a bit slow and cut WAY back.  Our first rodeo of the year was at Oakley.  It's usually the third one for us on the rodeo circuit but it moved to number one this year.  It was also Stockton's first experience with fireworks, which I'm happy to say he loved.  My favorite part of the rodeo is watching the man release the stock for either team roping, calf roping or steer wrestling.  His intensity is so captivating.
This summer we also threw our first WSU firework BBQ but because we were so busy running around entertaining we FAILED to get any pictures but in my head it was....almost picture perfect.  We had great food, drinks, fireworks, child entertainment, and when it was all over we didn't have to fight traffic.

Oakley Rodeo: 4th of July

For the 24th of July we went to the ballpark with the family.  The night was perfect for a great game and time together.  The Bee's won and the fireworks were AMAZING, which made it worth the extra $2 per ticket.  I initially thought it was ridiculous to have to pay more but wow.  I'd highly recommend going to a Bee's game on firework night.  The only downsides of the night were the high priced food items and Stockton's sad face.
Stockton had his 5 month shots earlier that day and they were starting to really take effect.  It just broke my heart to hear him cry and not just cry but cry in pain.  But by the end of the night he started to feel better and finally ate.  The good thing is I didn't have to buy his food.
Kehl wanted some food, too.  Actually, he wanted everything he could see.  The problem with that was that we didn't have enough money.  Kehl kept telling me that he had money so I put his money to the test.  How much popcorn do you think you can buy with a penny?  Ask Kehl he knows the answer.  He walked up to the booth, where they sell the kettle korn for $6, and asked if his penny was enough to buy some popcorn.  According to the lady it wasn't.  He didn't freak out.  He simply took back his penny, told the lady "Thank You", and walked away.  He then informed me that it wasn't enough.  He didn't ask for anything else after that.  Lesson learned.

Bee's Game: 24th of July

 

Every August some of our cousins participate in the Juab County Fair Demolition Derby.  In years past my sister has participated, my uncle J (who one year I thought was going to die so he called quits after that), my uncle E, and many of my cousins.  This year it was just one cousin and he did well but he didn't win.
For a time we had to spend it in the car because a microburst blew through and they made everyone evacuate.  We spent our time watching Mega-Mind and fitting 4 adults, 2 children and 2 car-seats into a 5 passenger car.  It was a cozy experience.
When they finally let us come back we watched two rollovers, a car catch on fire (minor but still on fire), and a lady have to be taken to the hospital via ambulance.  I have photos of none of that because....well, who wants to get their camera wet just in case there's a good shot.  I guess I should have taken that chance.

Demolition Derby

Pagosa Springs, CO

We haven't had a true Proctor family reunion in years.  So, I thrilled when my Uncle organized a trip to Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  All we had to take care of was getting there, our food and any activities.  I was leaning toward the free ones.

The first day of the reunion we spent it perusing around Pagosa and then on a hike.  The waterfall was wonderful and Kehl "found" two beautiful rocks on the hike.  When I was little, I use to "find" rocks right outside our hotel room in the dirt.  It was amazing how no one found them before me but I guess they weren't looking.

Sunday 

The next day we spent it....in the car.  We did a lot of driving.  We drove all the way to New Mexico to visit some ruins.  While I was in a car with two tired and bored little boys, Phil was baking his legs playing golf and tennis.  It might sound like he had more fun  but that's debatable.  I learned a lot about an ancient culture, spent quality time with my boys, and didn't get burned.  Phil....played a good game of golf, at a price ($$$), played excellent tennis, and....got BURNED!!!  He got burned from mid-shin to just below the ankle.  Weird, I know.  His burn was so bad that when we went looking for Bears ("A 3 hour tour".  It's hard not to start singing.) his legs swelled up to the point it looked like they were going to to explode.  Visualize that!  Yep, pretty gross.  So, I think I had the better day.

Now, I must address the "3 hour tour."  A 7 car caravan headed out looking for bears at the city dump which was suppose to be a 15 minute drive but ended up being 3 hours.  I didn't care that it took that long because the view was beautiful and we were having fun singing songs.  When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  Our lemonade was tasty. 

Monday

The next day was null and void.  Most of the family went to a mine but since Phil could barely move, we decided to stay and let Kehl go with Nona.  Phil spent the day inside with Stockton while I sat by the lake reading a book.  Phil would occasionally come outside to give me Stockton but he would only walk in the shadows.  It's a good thing it was an overcast day.

We were suppose to head out Wednesday but Phil's legs were still swollen and there's no way he would have lasted with a 8-9 hour drive home.  His legs would have looked like those of an Elephantiasis victim.  So once again Phil laid low while the rest of us played tennis.  He eventually made it out for a little miniature golf and shuffle board.  All while staying in the shadows.  Just before it got dark we went on another bear hunt.  This time we made it to the dump in a timely matter but still no bears...well, Phil saw one and the rest of us heard one.

Wednesday

The next day we headed out but not after a LLLOOOOONNNGGGG night.  Kehl and Phil spent the night taking turns in the bathroom.  Poor Kehl spiked a fever of 103 F and kept throwing up.  He couldn't keep anything down.  He was so dehydrated.  It broke my heart to see him that way but we had to head home.  We gave him his bucket and pulled out.  We tried to take it slow and enjoy the drive.  He filled his bucket a few times so we obviously had to stop to discard the contents, because NO ONE wants to drive with that.

By the time we got to Arches National Park he was feeling a bit better, so we decided to stop.  It was a blessing that it was an overcast day with light rain.  If it had been hot, I don't think he would have made it.  I'd never been to arches before so I was absolutely fascinated.  It's amazing what nature can produce.

 Thursday

It's a Girls Night Out

Before everyone started their summer plans, we had a 'Girls Night Out.'...or would it be considered 'In' since we didn't go anywhere.  Anyhow, we consumed some great food, learned about essential oils, played some games, stayed up late, and did what girls do...be silly.

The next day we went to our cousins baseball game, because family support is always nice, and then taught him how to play 'Red Rover.'  I couldn't believe that he didn't know how to play 'Red Rover.'  It was like we were all kids again but we didn't run that fast as kids and we definitely weren't that big.  Nevertheless, it was still a riot.

I just LOOVEE cousins!!!

 Apparently we're biters.

Silly is what we do best!  Grown-ups acting like children in PUBLIC.  Yeah, we raised a few eyebrows.

Families ARE Forever

Pulling off a surprise party to celebrate 50 years of being an Eternal family takes a lot of planning, secrets, and cooperation. I got all three.  It took exactly a year to plan the celebration of Grandma and Grandpa and it was worth every minute.

The initial planning started with getting family pictures.  Have you ever tried to get 60 people together at the same time?  It was a task I was willing to take on but I knew it would take advance scheduling if I wanted to be a success.  I started notifying everyone in April about pictures in August.  That way no one could use the excuse, "I didn't know about it and I have something else planned."  Oh NO! That would NOT fly.  I guess everyone knew it because we had everyone but 3 people there.  One had a VERY valid excuse of being out of the country on a mission.  I could accept that.

To keep the peace we brought water, fruit, cheeses, crackers, and cookies.  If you want good pictures then you've got to keep the masses happy, especially when they're melting. 

The next steps were getting a caterer, decorations, invitations, framed pictures, a replica cake, and entertainment.

The last step was keeping it all a secret until April 2011.  That was probably the hardest step of all but everyone did a great job.  There were a few close calls but Grandma and Grandpa never caught on.

The events for the day were as follows: surprise Temple sealing session in the early afternoon and then the surprise dinner that evening.  Grandma and Grandpa thought they were to have a day filled with my sister but they were in for a surprise.

The Temple was...exactly what it needed to be and the cornerstone to the evening.

The dinner was a hit and everything that I could have hoped.  Phil's replica cake was beautiful.  My sister's movies were amazing, entertaining, and the show stealer.  The family involvement was astounding and that's what made the night so amazing.

We reenacted family reunions and if awards were to be issued for the best portrayal of a reunion then the reenactment of Lake Powell would have won.  I was laughing so hard that I was crying.

Speaking of crying.  My favorite line of the night was, "I don't want to be better than them, I want to be JUST LIKE them."  You can't get better than Grandma and Grandpa.  They are wonderful examples and I pray that I can be just like them, too.

I'd do it all over again for them but I couldn't have done it without my family.  Families are Forever and I'm so Thankful for that Blessing in my life.