Spring Break in Grover

We spent Conference weekend and Spring Break down at the Ranch with our friends, the Nielsens, the Malmborgs and Anderson Songer.

At the Scipio gas station menagerie.

Clint and Dave shooting BB guns with the kids. Do you see the frying pan on the fence that they are aiming at?

Maddie, get your gun!

Maddie and Jack's banana chair imitation

Getting ready to hike Hickman Bridge. 

The Nielsens. We love these guys. Karly, Dave, baby Gwen, Maddy, Gavin and Ian.

Ellie, the beauty.

Maddie was so sad that she didn't have her own camelback. Jack said she could share his and that suited her just fine.

Dear Charlie

Trace said, "Take a picture of these bumps!"

Trace said along the trail. "I hate rock signs!" As he kicked them over. Then after building his own he ammended his chant to, "I hate all rock signs, butcept the ones I build!"

The guys getting ready to go shooting in the lower 80. Clint found out that Talmage is a crackerjack shot!

Karly was a great shot, even if it did scare her a little!

After the last session on Sunday, Clint shot off rockets with the kids before the Nielsen's had to head home. Jack's rocket had a compartment for insect passengers. Sadly it, and several other rockets, now have a permenant home in the wood's canopy.

Do you see my puffy vest? Would you believe we went from sunburns on Saturday in the park, to a frozen creek in Grover on Sunday? Seventeen degrees at the Ranch! The temperature jumps in the spring are amazing down there! As is the contrast between Capitol Reef and Grover. In the park it never got colder than 34.

By Tuesday it had warmed up again and we went to the park to hike The Tanks. Here are spring wildflowers at the trailhead.

Trace was my hiking companion. The sharp shadows were striking.

Isn't it interesting how the layers change directions here, and that's where the water holes form?

Vicky pointed out that on this hike, it's the getting there that is the most fun. This is obvious to the kids, but frustrating for us destination minded adults.

That blue sky kept on knocking me out. The bluest skies are in Utah.

Anderson looks so old here!

Scroll Right to see the whole thing! The Malmborgs introduced us to the Goosenecks! Another amazing sight I'd never seen in 40 years of going to the Ranch! The wonders in Wayne county are endless, I tell you!

Anderson, did a lot of cousin carrying. What a good guy.

New reptile specimens sunning themselves on the rocks.

The other fun thing we did this time was see two movies at the Wayne Theater. I took the little kids to The Lorax. And Clint took the boys to see John Carter. Talmage LOVED it. And he was thrilled to get a graphic novel of John Carter then next day for his birthday.

Another fantastic weekend in Grover. The ranch is magical.

Great Americans - 5th Grade Program

Talmage played the part of the Unknown Soldier

Isabella was Amelia Earhart

Can you spy Clara Barton, George Washington, Daniel Boone, Thomas Jefferson (natural red hair), Martha Washington,  and Rosie the Rooter?

Can you spy our own Great American? This was a surprise for Clint

This is Tal's painting of the unknown soldier. Pretty good, eh?

Sarah's Birthday

I had a wonderful birthday. Clint got the boys off for school, then had arranged for Trace to go to a neighbor's so that we could go out for a nice birthday breakfast at the Corner Bakery at Red Butte Creek. Yummy farmer's scramble. We had our cake ceremony at the Ranch. Do you think Clint was trying to tell me something will all those candles and the blow torch? Just remember Clint, you're older than I am!

Arrow of Light

We can't believe Talmage is now an 11-year-old scout! He had wonderful Webelos leaders. And the good news is Clint got called to be Assistant 11-Year Old Scout Leader! So he's definitely getting a great experience each week.

Spring Sing, March 29, 2012

Trace is in Ms. Wendy’s Preschool Pals. She has been doing preschool in our neighborhood in her home for more than 18 years. I’ve been to lots of preschools with my boys and I wish they could have all gone to Ms. Wendy!  Wendy takes such an interest each child and learns their learning strengths and where they are at developmentally. She tells me so much about Trace! She’s really good at helping them use correct hand position so that they can get off on the right foot when starting to write. Within a couple of weeks she had Trace writing his name by himself! The home environment makes it so much fun. Where else would they get to bake bread to go along with the Little Red Hen story? Or where else could they pick vegetables from a garden and hunt for eggs from backyard chickens? I love it that she has pet rats, fish and a dog for the kids to take care of. Once when I came to pick up Trace the kids were spray-painting the snow with tempura paint in spray bottles. Another time they were bouncing in a blow up trampoline in her living room. Childhood at its best. Here is Trace's class at their Spring Sing.

Here Trace announced to the parents, "We are wearing hats!"

The Apple Pip Princess, March 20, 2012

This is my wonderful friend, Gina, and her oldest son, Josh backstage after the Virginia Tanner Children's Theater performance of the Apple Pip Princess. Since I moved back to Utah I've been dying to see Josh perform! I remember when he was a 4-year-old dancing in his living room as he watched the Nutcracker over and over again. He's been on scholarship dancing with the Virginia Tanner dance company for many years now, and Ballet West before that. That is many miles on Gina's car driving back and forth from Ogden.

I have to say sitting there in the theater with Gina I felt like I'd come full circle. It was Gina who directed our one-act play "The Voices" that took first place in region in high school. Our circle of friends did lots of Shakespeare, melodramas, choir, dance, orchestra and visual art as well. Exulting in the arts is something I associate with my old friends and Utah. Watching those children perform dances that they had created themselves to depict that beautiful story and seeing the gorgeous costumes and scenery and hearing the beautiful music... my spirit said, "Yay! I'm back!"

St. George Air Show, March 18, 2012

One of Utah's Navy Recruiters is a part-time tenant in Clint's building. He got us VIP tickets to the Navy Airshow in Saint George in March. We jumped at the chance to finally get down to St. George and visit our good friends, Kristen and Tyler Nelson.

 We had seats right in front of the grandstand.

Did you know Tyler is a long-hair now? Here, you can catch a glimpse of cool teen Carter in the shades and awesome Spencer in the red Tee.

Trace and Jack running around with Spencer and Bryce.

After the airshow was over the mesa was overtaken by a windstorm and the whole crowd exited enmasse across the 1/2 mile dirt parking lot. We had dust in our ears, eyelids, socks....! Aah! Clint said it reminded him of an Iraqi dust storm.

All weekend long Talmage's goal was to get up close and personal with a real  palm tree.

Thank you Nelsons for a perfect weekend! We loved the long talks and your wonderful home. The kids got along great. Tyler made these AMAZING 5-inch cookies with a whole pound of butter in them. I've now tried and failed four times to duplicate them. Tyler, once I finally get it right I'll be sending you my Weight Watchers bill.

My Little Real Estate Problem

As Clint's mom likes to say, "We Cresaps are really good at obsessing." Anyone who knows me well knows that real estate is my little addiction. It's the thing that I turn to when I need an escape from doing the things I should be doing but don't feel like doing. You know, like meals, dishes, laundry and putting the kids to bed. Well, March was the month that I really fell down a real estate hole. I let the mortgage commercials get to me and thought, "We might really regret not taking advantage of these low prices and interest rates!" After all I could see houses like this lovely one on the east bench in Layton. It has 4,000 square feet 5 beds/3 baths, hot tub, views, community pool, courts and private access to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. This house would cost 1/2 what we're paying in rent! Seemed like a good idea to me. And I can be very convincing, so Clint let me start exploring options. Many missed meals, piles of laundry and tired children later I realized that it wasn't a good idea to buy a house when Clint may not be retiring from the Navy yet, or even if he does, when he doesn't know what his second career will be or where we will be living! My thanks to Clint for being really patient with the insanity. And I'm back to being a full-time wife and mom. It turns out it really does take my full-time effort to keep a happy family! Not to mention that we live in such a lovely neighborhood where all the boys have wonderful friends, Clint comes home for lunch everyday and we couldn't ask for better neighbors, ward or school. It has been a lesson in quieting my restless feet and being where I am.

Sprinter Skiing, March 10th

Cole is always way ahead of the rest of us in the ski lines so I was able to take this picture of him from the lift chair. 

Tal and Cole do not love skiing. It takes a surprising amount of bribery and coersion to get them on the slopes. But this day was so warm and gorgeous, they seemed to really enjoy it. Tal called it "Sprinter" and Cole loved skiing in his short sleeve T-shirt. I didn't hear a word of complaint until the sun went down and "Sprinter" was over. Jack loves skiing in any weather, even though he's the only one who ever falls down!

1st Grade, That was Easy, March 9, 2012

Jack loved the theme of his 1st Grade program. There were a dozen songs and skits demonstrating all the things they have learned in 1st grade. His favorite part was at the end when they put the microphone up to the EASY button and it said, "That was Easy."

Can you see how seriously Jack took his job of holding up the picture of the dog? Big time.

Fist bump from Dad.

Really cute boy.

Jack with his best girlfriend, Maddie Nielsen