Being a Ma and Pa

Jon and I had the privilege of being asked to be a Ma and Pa at Youth Conference.  Caleb was put in another family and it was great to see him there doing different things.  We really became close to our "children" and had some amazing experiences like grilled cheese and cobblers with our little mini cast iron cookers around the fire each night, a daughter passed out from heat exhaustion on the trek which was scary, watching a horse shoe be made by hand, the women's pull up a steep hill that about took the life out of me, and more!

It was really interesting to see a horse shoe be hand crafted.  Amazing that that's how it use to be done!

Caleb's cousin Madalyn was there too and it was fun to be with her too. (She's on the right.)

They had square dancing that was called out by Boyd Murdock and that was great to watch. Jon had fun with that!

We had amazing sunsets up there at McKee's land!

This is when we first started heading out.  Caleb's "Ma" was encouraging Caleb along.

We were attacked by Indians!

We had a station we went to and learned about trapping.  It was our Stake President, President Gunter who did the presentation.  Caleb of course had to try opening a trap.  So glad he didn't lose a finger!

The things that were found on the trail....

The men were taken away with an army to form the Mormon Battalion.  The women were left behind to pull the carts.  One of the hardest things I've ever done!  The men were so amazingly supportive after we were done.  They had to just stand and watch, which Jon and our boys said was so difficult.  

We were almost done trekking and a handcart lost a wheel.  We could see camp even from that  point.  The luck of things.

What a great experience this all was.  I was hesitant at first because I was already so overwhelmed with life but I don't regret one bit doing it.  There were definitely some trials but I gained a new respect for the pioneers in my tiny little experience.

4th of July at Oliver's cabin

Oliver and Keisha invited us to their new cabin for 4th of July and it was so much fun!  Their cabin is in Island Park and is really close to a lake.  I should've taken more pictures of the cabin in the day.  It was built beautifully!  Oliver did a fantastic job!  It was so nice to hang out with our family and not have any cares.  

Sweet little cousins...Porter and Evelyn

I know seagulls are not considered a "majestic" bird but there were several of them flying around and really I think they are a pretty bird to watch.

The fireworks were over Island Park lake and it was by far the longest show I've ever seen!  Every time we thought it was the finale more fireworks would continue.  We ended up leaving before it was over.  Turned into a big joke that night.

The moon rose while we were waiting for the fireworks and because of all the fires it was red.  Kinda eery but pretty at the same time.

Once we were back at the cabin I noticed the moon was reflecting off the lake.  It was so peaceful.  The picture doesn't do justice.

The Colt

We had a momma horse in one of the teams that helped plow our field and her baby just couldn't leave her side.  He followed along the whole time while his momma worked.  Bet he was worn out at the end!

Maryn just loves horses!

Plowing our little field...the old fashioned way

Daryl was so nice to be willing to help us plow our field and plant it so we could have pasture for our horses.  Our fifth summer at this house and we finally have a pasture!  We are grateful Daryl helped!  Jon had such a hard time figuring out equipment to get this done.

Always making life fun!  Love it!

So far so good...

Is that straight?  It's a great start!

Daryl had another team of horses with their owner to train him how to use the team.  Helped disc the dirt it worked out great.

Two teams at once made it go faster.

Now time for the seeds!

The boys love riding along!

Thumbs up buddy!  That little colt followed along the whole time.

One of the big downers to doing it the old fashioned way...the equipment is well...old...needed some fixing.  Gotta love Andrew's bored expression.

We'll miss you Gunner

Our sweet puppy dog Gunner passed away and it always hurts a lot more than you expect.  When he would dig holes or rummage through our garbage I sure wasn't happy, but when I think back to how happy he was every single time we would see him or how he would love to play catch with a ball or run and run chasing birds for Jon I know we loved him very much.  He definitely filled us with many happy memories.  And when I talked on the phone with Jon on his way back from hunting birds the day he died and he was so choked up he couldn't speak I knew that Jon loved his loyal friend very much.  The comfort we have is knowing we will see him again and that he will always be our puppy dog Gun Gun.  We love you Gunner!