Lake Powell

While my sister was visiting from Kentucky this summer, we had the great opportunity to go with her and her family and my mom and dad to Page, AZ. It was a quick trip (if a six hour drive there and back could be considered quick!) Travis and I left the kids at home with Nana & Gayla (a million thank yous to both!) and enjoyed every minute of our little get away. We stayed in a great little hotel in what we called "the Dungeon Room". It was in the basement down dark, spooky corridors with creepy noises (aka the ice machine) far away from my parents and the Finders. It was fun!

When we arrived, we went to the visitors' center at Glenn Canyon Dam. What an incredible creation! It makes one feel so small when peering down at the massive barricade. I loved hearing all the languages of the people around us. We enjoyed lunch at a nice spot a little ways from the Dam and had fun taking some photos.


Afterwards, we tried to visit Antelope Canyon only to find that it was closed due to some rain and flooding. But, we could try back the next day. Amy was the most disappointed, being the artist of the family and having looked forward to visiting this most amazing natural piece of art.

There wasn't a lot left to do at that point, so we went to the movies and saw Toy Story 3. It was a fun show and I think the kids really liked it. I admit I was a bit disturbed by the evil baby doll! I guess the Spanish flare made up for it and to top it off, the film ended with "Hay un Amigo en Mi" by the Gypsy Kings. Mom and I left the theater dancing.

Lucky for us, Antelope Canyon was open the next day. We decided to give up an hour or so of lake time to climb down a crack in the barren ground and see a sight unlike any other . . .

Of course, pictures could never do it justice, especially my pictures! I think Antelope Canyon might be the prettiest thing I have ever seen. Incredible. Go now and see for yourself!

Off to Lake Powell next. It was a beautiful, overcast day which made it perfect for water skiing, wake boarding, driving fast in the boat, or whatever you like to do while on the lake.

Amy's kids really liked tubing as we took off down the vast lake. It was so fun to watch their faces, terror mixed with exhilaration!

Travis had tried wake boarding a couple of weeks prior with our church youth group and found that he really liked it! So he had fun with that again.

I got up on the slalom and enjoyed that. Then I tried out the wake board too, for my first time. It has been so long since I have done water sports like that, but it seemed to come back pretty easily. I have to admit that I liked the tube the best. Kael asked me to ride with him and I had a great time.

Hana wake boarded and Ethan got up on 2 skis and I think mom and dad just loved being there.

I am so glad that we decided to take Mom and Dad up on their kind invitation. I had a wonderful time and hope we can do it again sometime soon!

Hot Tamales

A few more exciting things happened this summer. On July 11th Elaina had a birthday! She was very excited to turn six.

Her special request this year was to get her ears pierced. She felt very nervous because she remembered her big sister getting her ears pierced. It really hurt when Natalie had it done and I think part of the problem was having one ear done at a time. The anticipation of pain is sometimes much worse than the actual pain. Well, we had Elaina's ears both done at the same time. She did so well!

Elaina is such a great girl! She has grown so much this past year. She is a big time reader and likes school. She is a great helper at home. She is a whiz on the piano, often making up her own songs or playing songs she hears in movies or in the car. She can be a sensitive one and occasionally stubborn, but is really a joy. She loves to laugh, pray, and eat good food. We are sure blessed to have her in our home. I can always count on a hug or snuggle from Elaina! Love you little lady!

At the end of July, the kids started school. I usually really enjoy the shorter summer because it it soooooo hot here, which makes going outside to play a bit challenging. That means that we feel a little cooped up after a couple months off of school. We have fun but are ready when school starts. Not this year! We had such a busy and fun summer, I really would have enjoyed a couple more weeks just to relax with the kids. But, school is here . . .

T.J. Natalie, and Elaina started a new school this year. They have to wear uniforms and I have to say that, although I had my reservations, I am so thrilled with this policy! Getting dressed in the morning couldn't be easier or nicer. One morning, that first week of school, T.J. asked me what he should wear that day. "Well," I responded, "Maybe you could wear your red shirt, or how about your white one, or maybe that blue shirt!" He makes me laugh. I will never know if he was serious or not with that funny question : )

They all seem to like the new school. Their teachers are great and fun. They are all adjusting well to the new procedures and the new school layout. I won't say changing schools hasn't had its challenges though. Elaina's biggest disappointment is that the new school has no monkey bars. She has now resorted to chasing boys all recess! T.J. says that it is hard to make friends. However, I am sure this will be taken care of over time since he is one of the most friendly and likable kids I know. Natalie has complained that she isn't the smartest in math anymore! She continues to improve, though, and I am so proud of her efforts. Each seems to be working hard and enjoying the year so far.

Happy birthday T.J.! A couple days after school started, TJ turned 10. My biggest guy is ten years old . . . Wow! How does it happen so fast??? T.J. had a nice day and in the evening, we took the family bowling to celebrate. Let the good times roll! The manager even gave us gift cards to use in the arcade.

TJ is really turning into quite the young man. He is still my book worm and would read all day and night without looking up if his mom and dad would let him. T.J. has a great sense of humor and I just love his smile. He is a really good brother, especially to Lydia, and she is really drawn to him. He started playing the cello and really likes it. I asked him to show me how to hold the bow and I got a full blown cello lesson. He is a really great teacher! I love how he really knows the gospel and scripture stories. He can easily retell more old testament stories than I could ever hope to remember. I love you much Little T! Ten is going to be great.

We celebrated Travis' birthday on the 8th of July. Unfortunately we don't have any pictures of that exciting day. I think maybe we were just having so much fun that we forgot all about the camera!

Also in July, being the busiest month of the year, Travis and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary on the 2nd. We were actually up in Show Low at the Ellsworth reunion on the 2nd and were NOT able to celebrate with an incredibly romantic night on the town just the two of us. But, we did get to hold hands and look up at the stars together and just be happy being together. How lucky I am to have had this amazing person by my side through thick and thin, five pregnancies and babies, and lots of learning opportunities over the last eleven years! He is my best friend, the one I can go to when I am feeling sad or happy, the one who overlooks all my faults and loves me for who I can be. He is the one that makes me laugh with his silly songs and dances, who inspires me with his unshakable faith and devotion to Heavenly Father. He is the one who gets up in the middle of the night to help a thirsty or sick child when I am too tired to stir. He is the one who thinks I am cute with my hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing my basketball shorts and T-shirt. I am not saying that our marriage is perfect. But, I am glad that he doesn't expect it to be and that we can work on making it better together. I am saying that I am happy to be married! I love my wonderful Travis and I can't wait to see what the next 11 years bring!

Friends Camp

I saw an idea for a friends' summer camp and thought it would be so much fun to do. I am so happy that some great woman (and one dad!) were willing to try it out. We had a great time together!

In the two pictures with the string, the kids are finding out how long a blue whale is. The group picture is most of the kids (it was difficult to keep them all in one spot for very long!)

For 3 days in a row, 10 parents and all their kids headed down to the church for a mini camp and a lot of fun. The kids were divided according to age and got to go to 2, hour long classes each day. The moms taught one class per day and helped another mom for the other class.

Notice the boys funky eyes (being inspired by my sis. at the reunion, we got creative with the face paint).

We had cooking classes, art classes, sports fun, literature studies, a service project, animal studies, a science class, and more.



I wish I had taken more pictures, but I guess we were too busy having fun!

What a great chance for the kids to do something fun and different with friends their ages. I really enjoyed the experience and it gave the kids something to look forward to during the week.

Shakin' it up in Show Low

During our 4th of July Ellsworth Reunion, we had a mini reunion. What a great time we had as 5 families squeezed into a house for about 5 days and played and played. All of my siblings and their families, except for one brother on a mission and one brother with his family in Virginia, were able to make it up to Show Low. I am so glad that we decided to stay together because it was a blast.




I think this picture has just about everyone who stayed together in the house. Funny though, Grand Dad and Grandma Laney stayed with Liz and Steve in another cabin! Maybe 23 kids in one house was too many for them. Most of the kids slept in tents in the garage and loved it. The playing was nonstop and some great friendships and memories were made and strengthened. It was a special treat to have my sister here from Kentucky with all of her kids. It had been about 4 years since we have seen them all. Tyler especially loved her boys and he followed them everywhere. They were so nice to him and made him feel really special.

Some of the fun things the kids did included sling shots, homemade ice cream, games and more games, water guns, hair flowers, dinosaur digging, hiking, and s'mores.

One of my amazing sisters happens to be a great artist. The kids had such fun when she brought out the face paints.

Okay, maybe it wasn't JUST the kids who had fun with it. Amy painted a fish on my cheek. When my mouth moved, so did the fish's. As I ate dinner, I heard my nephew, Kael say, "Mom, look, the fish is hungry!"

Amy had fun wit the glow sticks one night. I just loved how her pictures turned out. So creative and fun for the kids!

I think I have been a little too obsessed with the game show, "Minute to Win It" lately. It is so much fun that we decided to have a little friendly family competition. We all gathered together on Sunday night and laughed and laughed as we played our own version of minute to win it.

We played boys against girls and the competition was fierce. It was great to see everyone cheer on their brothers and sisters or cousins or aunts and uncles or even their grandparents. I would be a poor sport if I didn't admit that the guys won. Fun Fun!

This is a silly photo of my parents and 5 of the 7 siblings. What a handsome bunch!

I feel so grateful that we had the opportunity to share those few days together. I love my family! I was so impressed with how well the kids played together and how nice they were to one another. Family is so important and the time we spend together so special. I guess I don't have the right words to express how blessed I feel to be surrounded by such good people and to feel so loved and to feel so much love for them.

Reunion Time

Grandma Carolyn was elected to be in charge of the Big One. Once every ten years a bunch of Ellsworths get together to celebrate their heritage and ancestors at the Ellsworth Family Reunion. Grandma did a wonderful job rallying the troops, planning and organizing the program and events, and making it all happen.




What a great experience it was! There were around 500 people who attended in Show Low, AZ, where many of the family settled so long ago.

The first night, TJ, Natalie, Elaina, & I were privileged to participate in a readers theater of the play "1856" about the handcart companies that crossed the plains. Our great, great, great. . . (not sure how many!) grandfather, Edmund Lovell Ellsworth, led the first handcart group. To me this was one of the highlights as it helped me feel connected to everyone who attended even though I did not know most.

The next morning we all gathered for breakfast at the wonderful LDS church grounds. Then, it was off to the parade.

Travis and I took the kids and found a great spot along the side of the road. When the Ellsworth group came by, the 3 oldest and I jumped in and finished out the parade. Travis stayed with Tyler and Lydia. Tyler was amazed that people were throwing candy to him and I couldn't tear him away!



Two of my nephews carried the banner!


Grandma recruited me to help out with the games later on that day (me? games for hundreds? are you kidding? anything for you Grandma!). For how worried I felt, I thought it turned out great! We had face painting, a barrel train, kick ball, foot races, jump rope, frisbee, rockets, bubbles, and more. Everyone seemed to have a great time.




We finished off the Ellsworth reunion (officially) with dinner and fireworks.

*I say "officially" because we noticed that there were a ridiculous amount of visitors at the Show Low ward we attended the next day. I think we were related to most of them!
.

I am very glad that we were able to be a part of this special event. I know that the kids will remember it for a long time. I am also grateful that Grandpa put together a DVD documenting the life of Edmund Lovell Ellsworth. It really gave me the insight I needed to appreciate my predecessors. What a legacy they left!

.

Swim for your life. . .

What would summer in 118 degree weather be without swimming? It would be pretty hot and sweaty that is for sure.

Our kids really love it in the water (well, Tyler being the exception!). So, we signed up TJ, Natalie, and Elaina for the city summer swim team. The head coach, Denise, is incredible! She can work wonders with these kids because she really knows swim and she relates to the kids. She has a way of making them each feel so special when they visit with her. It has been a really great experience. It is a lot of hard work though!Even though it was "summer break" the kids had to continue getting up pretty early to get to practice. Then they swam laps and laps, re-learning 4 strokes (butterfly, breast stroke, back stroke and freestyle) for an hour a day. Then Mom still made them do their work at home (plus a little extra math practice for good measure). But, it all paid off at the meets. They had a good time competing, improving their times, and getting a ribbon for each race. It was fun for them to spend time with friends. I enjoyed getting in some great visits with my friends too!

Here are some fun pictures from the swim meets:

Travis took the kids to their first meet while I was at camp. He does it all! What a guy!

T.J. diving in for another race. And our buddy, Lucas, getting ready for his dive.

Elaina with her friends watching a race. And Natalie ready to go. I love how intense she is when it comes to any competition!

Go Chandler Dolphins!

Oh What Do You Do in the Summer Time

One more week of summer for my kids! It has felt really crazy, but has been a wonderful time. I will be posting some of the fun things we have been doing this summer in the next few posts.


The first week after school got out, I headed off to Girls Camp.



Our campsite at Long Valley.



I love Girls Camp and had a wonderful time with the 5 girls that were in our group this year. We also were happy to get to spend some time with the 4 YCL's from our ward as well as with the 3 YCL's over our ward. Some of the highlights were: making kick the can ice cream, playing the cup game, singing trees, the skit, a fierce game of Minute to Win It with Bishop, Carne Asada, doughnuts (right Shums??), hiking, showers (always a highlight at camp), the owl hoodies (lucky or wise?), wind and more wind, the Friday night program and of course testimony meeting. These girls were so much fun and so great. There was not one argument or disagreement. I don't think anyone felt left out or lonely as sometimes happens when you get girls together over a long period of time!







One of the best parts of YW Camp is that it gives the Young Women and their leaders a special chance to grow spiritually. We can certainly feel close to our Heavenly Father when we are surrounded by His creation. Combine that with hours of preparation of loving leaders and teachable moments and the learning opportunity is a powerful one.





My moment of learning came when I wasn't expecting it. I was really touched by the older girls and the program they put on Friday night. I didn't realize that I would need a whole box of tissues! It was interesting to ponder my calling as a leader of these young women and to feel like they were the ones teaching and inspiring me. I was impressed as they told personal stories of how they have stood up for their beliefs and values, sometimes standing alone. Some spoke of how they have been strengthened as they have kept the commandments even when it was difficult. I was touched as they sang of living our lives as examples of what we believe. I felt that these young women are a choice group of people and I know they will be a force for good as they continue down the path they have started on.


Girls Camp is always a memorable and great time. I am so lucky to have shared this experience with these girls and with our other great ward leader, Alisha!