Happy anniversary, sweetheart

Young and in love

Today is our ten year anniversary! We've been thinking back on this day ten years ago and all of the memories that we have of getting married. My brothers lived next door to me, and they came over as I was getting ready. They were asking if I had everything - "Dress? Yep. Veil? Yep. Marriage license? Yep, it's outside in my car."

That's when I remembered that I had left my car, with the marriage license inside, in Salt Lake after moving to our apartment the day before! Yikes - we're in trouble!

So, while I frantically tried to get my hair dry and somewhat curled before the wedding, my brothers called Brandon only to find the phone was busy. Yep, his youngest brother was on the internet on this, the most important of all days. He was checking his email. (Love ya', Jason!) So, my brothers did an emergency breakthrough, after arguing with the operator that this really was an emergency (when she heard what the emergency was, she was very helpful!)

So, since we were young with no money, his dad forked over another $40 so we could run to the court house and get another marriage license. (We were very nervous, too, that the courthouse wouldn't be open since it was right after Christmas. Luckily, they had a few offices open, one being the one we needed.)

Meanwhile, we were supposed to be at the temple by this time, and my parents were freaking out because we weren't there. But, we made it, and even had time to sit in one of the sealing rooms for about ten minutes before the wedding, contemplating what we were about to do. We had a friend ask us later if we were nervous about getting married, but honestly, we weren't. We never experienced pre-wedding jitters, or cold feet. It was just right.

(Just an interesting tidbit, here: during the ceremony, there were three Wayne's present in the room - my dad, Jerry Wayne, Brandon's dad, Wayne, and our sealer, whose name was also Wayne.)

After our wedding and pictures (in freezing cold, but sunny weather) we had our wedding luncheon, where Brandon's mom surprised us with French Silk Pie for dessert. She had gotten a VERY good deal on these, so got them for our dessert. Brandon's favorite dessert ever is French Silk Pie, so he was in heaven.


Mmm, this is SO good.

(And, yes, my Hi-lite girls, if you look closely, you can see I have a pencil holding my hair up!)

By the time the luncheon was over, Brandon was feeling miserable. He woke up that morning with a cold, and it just got progressively worse as the day went on. So, we went back to my apartment to load up the rest of my stuff, then headed off to home in Salt Lake.

That night, I woke up to Brandon getting in the shower at 3:30 a.m. I asked him what he was doing, and he said that he was freezing and might as well get up and get ready for the day. He didn't realize it was 3:30 in morning, but once he did, he threw some more blankets on the bed, turned the thermostat up and climbed back in for another few hours of sleep.

(We found out through trial and error that our thermostat was off by about twelve degrees. So, if we wanted it to be 73 in the house, we had to have it set at about 85! We had set the thermostat at about 72, so it was about 60 degrees in our apartment in the middle of winter. And our bed was right under the window. Can we say COLD????)



Our "Mission Impossible" pose during our reception


Cutting our cake. Look at how thin we both were!

Now, ten years later, we're both a little heavier, both have lost some hair (he's going bald, mine's getting shorter), and we've had four children. We've had our ups and downs, our fights and our makeups, our health problems, money problems, children problems, stressful times and more.

We've seen a child get badly hurt, but who has come out on top, despite everything that could have gone wrong. We've argued and hurt each other with words or actions, but in the end, we still love each other. We thought we loved each other when we got married, and we did. But, our love is deeper now. We're not just in love with each other, but we love each other - despite our faults and shortcomings.



So, to my handsome hubby, who I'm sure will read this sometime: I love you. With the birth of Connor, followed so closely by Thanksgiving and Christmas, I haven't really taken the time to focus on our anniversary. I have felt bad today that I haven't planned or done anything special for you as we celebrate this day. I hope to make it up to you, when my focus can be a little less on the little one, and a little more on you.

You've been so wonderful these past ten years - you've supported me in my weird, wacky times, in my most depressing times when I literally thought my heart would break, and through all of my highs and lows. You've cried with me and for me, and you're always ready and willing to give me a hug when I need one, or just want some extra love. You're my rock and my best friend. Thank you so much for your love, and for the fun of the past ten years. I look forward to the next ten, and for the rest of eternity!

I love you.

Merry Christmas from Connor . . .

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

. . . well, all of us really! I just wanted to share pictures of Connor smiling. 6 weeks old today - ooh, I just looked at the clock and realized that he's 6 weeks and 12 hours old right now. :)


Hi mommy!


Hey, what's that flashing light in front of my face??

Anyway, back to the smiling. You might say that he's too young to be smiling, or that it's just gas. But, I tell you - it's consistent enough and regular enough that I know it's real. He smiles in response to me talking, or cooing, or singing to him. He's even tried out his voice a couple of times, and ends up scaring himself 'cause he doesn't know where that sound came from! He's such a sweet, cute little bug, and I'm so happy to have him here.



Thank you all for your love and support! We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Santa who???

All tuckered out after a long day's work. Being the boss is hard!!!

He's got the tongue!

Isn't he cute???

It's snowing on my blog . . .

Thanks to my friend Tami for showing me how to add the snow!!!

Here's how to add the snow to your blog. Click here and follow the directions. It's sooo simple. I changed my background so that there wasn't any white in the background. That way you can see it snow!!

Merry Christmas.

I love our chiropractor

I love our chiropractor. Well, I love the work that he does! For the last couple of months of my pregnancy, and still continuing today, my fingers have tingled. You know when your hand goes to sleep, and you get the pins and needles feeling as the blood re-circulates? Yeah, that's the feeling in my fingers. Constantly. Never ending.

But, thanks to our chiropractor (who is also Brandon's cousins husband - got that?), we're making progress. Now, I can't feel the tingling until I touch my fingers to something. Apparantly, I have a huge knot of muscles wrapped around a nerve in my back, so he's been doing deep-tissue massage on my back and my forearms to loosen that up. Plus, a full adjustment each time I see him, plus acupuncture in my back and forearms, followed up by electric shock on my back and forearms.

The first time he adjusted my back - HOLY COW!!!! I swear you could hear the crack down the hall. But, I love getting the adjustments - I never knew how good I could feel after going to the chiropractor. (Mom, you should look into getting Dad to go to the chiropractor. It'd do him a world of good!)

So, I love our chiropractor. I'm getting some feeling back in my fingers, and my back feels great! If you've never been to a chiropractor, you should go! I was nervous the first time I went (the day before Thanksgiving), but would like to plan on going at least once a month after he's done working out the kinks! (Pun intended!)

Oh, and get this - his practice is a separate office built onto his home, and he has a three year old that Gavin can play with when we go. So, Gavin can play with his cousin. And, if he doesn't want to do that, his great-aunt (Dr. Welker's mother-in-law) is the receptionist there so she likes to play with Gavin.

And, today, Connor was pretty mad at the world while I was getting my treatment done. When Kathie (Brandon's aunt) came in to take the electrodes off my back, she said that Jason (Dr. Welker) had been able to calm Connor down. When I went out, I walked into his office to see Connor just staring up at his face, calm as could be! It was pretty cute! :)

My birth story . . . finally

So, you'll probably remember the post called so . . . labor . . . (if not, click here) and how I had been in labor since early morning on Wednesday. Here's the rest of the story.

My contractions pretty much backed off to one hard contraction every 45 minutes to an hour. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed. So, I tried to rest as much as possible that day since I had been up so early. Brandon ended up going in to work late, and when he got home from work, we headed out the door to Sam's Club for some grocery shopping.

My contractions picked up, but were still pretty sporadic - nine minutes apart here, then three minutes, then fifteen . . . Kind of interesting walking through the middle of Sam's Club telling three different boys to stop climbing on the shelves or playing with the toys, and having to stop in the middle of the aisle to breathe through a contraction! I got a lot of funny looks that day.

Anyway, we came home and I made dinner (one of my favorites - breaded chicken breast, peas, mashed potatoes and white gravy. Yummy!) By that point, my contractions were about every ten minutes apart, so I went and laid down on the couch to time them and to rest. I helped Scott do some homework, then managed to walk downstairs for nighttime prayers with the boys.

We got the boys in bed (by around 8:30 or 9:00), then sat down and watched some NCIS (or NCIS LA; I don't remember for sure) for an hour while my contractions got progressively stronger. Not closer together, really - they were still kind of sporadic, so, still disappointed, I decided to go get ready for bed. As soon as I got up and was walking around, washing my makeup off, getting my pajamas on . . . they picked up. 3 - 5 minutes apart, and really strong.

By 11:00, I was struggling to get through the contractions without some help, so I told Brandon to call his mom. We finished packing up our hospital bags, and I changed back into some clothes. By the time Brandon's mom got to the house, I was crying through contractions, so we left to head to the hospital.

We got there around 11:45 and got all checked in. (Even with all of the "pre-registration" they still had to ask me about 15 million questions before I was "checked in." I.E. When was the last time you ate? When did you last used the bathroom? What's your birthdate and full name?" I wanted to scream.) But, they checked me and I was only dilated to a three. So, they broke my water, and found some meconium in the amniotic fluid. So, they put the NICU team on alert to be ready for my delivery.

Now, my intent was to do this labor naturally. But, by then, I had already been up since 2:30 the previous morning, with little to no rest that day. Almost a full 24 hours of dealing with contractions, and I was exhausted. Plus, I dilate really slowly, and I wasn't in the frame of mind to deal with hard contractions (think transition - the most painful point in labor) for another possible 24+ hours. So, I opted for an epidural. They pumped me full of four (I think) IV bags in about ten minutes, then the anesthesiologist came in. It was around 1:00 in the morning at this point.

He had me lean forward to get the needle in, and once the epidural kicked in, I was able to get some rest. I still wasn't able to sleep, but I was able to at least close my eyes and breathe normally. The nurses let me rest, and when the shift changed at 3:00 in the morning (seems like a weird time for a shift change to me), the new nurse came and checked me.

To our complete surprise, I was fully dilated! What? It's only been two hours since the epidural - with no pit. While we sat there and stared at each other in shock, she called the on-call dr. and started prepping the room. The NICU team came down and got the stomach pump and the air ready, and then it was time to push.

I pushed for a total of about ten minutes, and at 3:41 am, Connor Jay was born! 7 lbs. 13 oz. 20 1/2" long. The NICU team immediately took him to their cart to work on pumping his stomach while I delivered the placenta and the dr. stitched my tear. One stitch! With the others, my dr. was afraid that I would tear badly, so she always cut me instead, and I ended up with about six stitches. What a HUGE difference one stitch vs. six stitches makes!

Anyway, the NICU team took about fifteen minutes to pump his stomach and check his respiratory rate. By then, I was dying to hold my baby! They finally handed him to me, and it was heaven! But, he wasn't content to just lay there in my arms like my other babies were - he wanted to nurse. And, boy did he nurse! I had to coax my other kids to nurse after labor, but Connor latched on immediately, and other than when my milk came in and he couldn't latch on, he's been a pro at nursing!

The left us in the room for about an hour, then took us upstairs to the mother/baby unit. My first nurse there was an interesting character - far too chipper for 5:00 in the morning. She gave me quite a few interesting looks, and asked why I was so out of it! (Um, I've been in labor for 25 hours!) At the end of her shift that evening, she came to say goodbye and admitted that when she first saw me, she thought, "Oh boy. Here's another new mom that's been in labor for a couple of hours and is totally out of it. (I'm assuming that's what the looks were about.) But, then I read your file and realized that you'd been in labor for 25 hours, and my respect totally went up for you!"

We stayed in the hospital all of Thursday with lots of checkups from the various dr.'s and nurses. They only checked on me once Thursday night, and I had Connor sleep in the nursery with one bottle and one feeding from me. I felt so well, and Connor was doing so well that they let us come home on Friday morning!

My recovery has been awesome! Even my mom seemed surprised with how well I was recovering. Physically, I've been great, and emotionally I've been pretty good, with the exception being when Connor doesn't sleep well and I'm running on 4 - 5 hours of sleep during the day. He's a wonderful baby and I'm constantly thanking my Heavenly Father that we were finally able to get pregnant and have Connor join our family! We're all in love with him, and I look forward to watching him grow!

My cute, FAT, brilliant baby

So, we had Connor's two week visit with his pediatrician today (he's actually three weeks today, but last week was Thanksgiving). I was expecting him to weigh 8 lbs. and some, but nope! He weighs 9 lbs. 5 oz. His pedi. says that they're super happy when a 2 - 3 week old comes back in having gained a pound back after their 5 day visit, so to have gained two back?

He told me to lay off on nursing so much and to let him self-soothe himself back to sleep when he wakes up every two hours at night. (Remember a previous post when I said that Connor would nurse almost constantly for about three hours in the evening?) And to let him suck on the binky after he eats.

And, a funny little story - B weighed 20 lbs. when he was just six months old. We started calling him the Michelin man because of all of his rolls. When he was a couple of years old, he saw an add on TV for the Michelin man and turned and asked, "Dad, why was I on TV?" :)

Michelin Man


B at six months - see the resemblance?

At the rate Connor's going, we'll have another Michelin baby on our hands if we're not careful! But, then, I LOVE chubby babies!

My cute, brilliant baby

He ended up sitting here for almost an hour while I did my hair and fixed dinner. He was quite content and happy to try and hit that mirror. Pretty cute!

Welcome . . .

. . . to the goings on of My Five Guys and Me.  I'm sure, for a little while, a lot of these posts will be dominated by Connor and him growing, but I'll try to keep you updated on all of us!  :)

Hope you enjoy the ride!

How to get a 6-day old to sleep on his own??

Okay, so Connor sleeps very well - like 4 - 4 1/2 hours between feedings at night. The problem? He nurses like crazy. And, he'll fall asleep while nursing, but once I put him down, he'll sleep for like ten minutes and then be awake and crying for more food - and he really does nurse if I pick him back up, and he nurses well; not just pacifying himself. If we put him down awake, he fusses until he's full out crying.

We're trying to avoid the binky because he forgot how to nurse. My milk came in and I was so hard that he couldn't latch on, and I would give in and give him a bottle then pump. So, we're trying to just nurse for now. But, even when I do give him the binky, he's fine until it falls out.

I don't want him to get so attached to the binky, or to me, that he can't go to sleep on his own. What do I do? He's too little to just let him fuss, isn't he? I need help. He was awake last night from about 8:00 until 2:00 in the morning. He'd fall asleep while nursing and would seem good and asleep, so I'd put him down, and he'd be right back up. He finally went to sleep at 2:00, and woke up a little after 6:00.

Okay, I'm rambling, but I've had about a total of 9 hours of sleep the past several days. I'm tired. Please help.

Drum roll, please . . .

The Five Shaffer's are pleased to introduce the newest member of the team:

Connor Jay Shaffer

Born at 3:41 am

Weighing 7 lbs 13 oz.

Stretched out to a full 20 1/2" long

Just a few minutes old

Mommy likes him . . .

. . . so does Daddy

Connor's stats

So . . . labor . . .

So, yeah, I was in labor last night. Starting at 2:26 am. Every 4 - 7 minutes. Strong, sharp, had-to-work-to-breath-through-them contractions. Real labor. Believe me, I know. I've been in labor before.

But, no baby. They backed off enough that I was able to get some sleep and wake up disappointed and totally exhausted. Right now, I'm having one contraction about every 45 minutes to an hour apart.

My labors all have done this - start out good and strong, then the contractions back off to almost nothing. With Scott, I was hooked up to pit. when that happened. With B, the pit. finally kicked in and kept the contractions going. With Gavin, my dr. broke my water and that picked the contractions back up.

With this one? I think Gavin and I are going to go do some grocery shopping. I have no stick butter (so no cookies, or treats), and we're almost out of milk. I'm hoping that walking around will make this labor pick back up! Wish me luck!

The boys triathalon

Okay, so we're headed back in time again - this time to the end of July/beginning of August. My ten year high school reunion was scheduled for July 31st, and August 1st, so we decided to head out there. Perfect time to celebrate my sisters' b-day and Brandon's b-day. (It was also my awesome SIL's b-day, but we were so busy that we never got to see her for her b-day.)

So, we headed out to my sister's house on a Wednesday evening. We all love going to their house - she's my only sister, so we're very close, and our kids get along great! We sent the kids to bed when we got there, and the next morning, we just kind of puttered around. We picked some green beans for me to bottle, and some for dinner that night and just took it easy. Eventually, though, we got around to setting up the tent.

Gavin, I think you missed a bean in there . . .


. . . Where? In a little farther . . .

. . . no, even farther!


Ooh, this is gonna' be fun!

You see, we've had plans for a while to go camping with my sisters family this summer, but it never happened. So, we decided to put the tent up for the kids in the backyard, and they were SO EXCITED!!! So, Brandon & my sister got it put up, and the kids were immediately bringing sleeping bags out, and blankets, and flash lights . . . They were actually excited about bedtime that night!

Since it was sort of a campout, we decided that we had to roast smores after dinner. So, Mike started up their portable campfire and the smores flowed freely! My sister can't stand marshmallows, but I think she managed to eat at least one smore - the full thing; not just the chocolate! :)

Our very smoky smore's roast

Then, we sent the kids to bed. It was already kind of late, and they had to get up early in the morning for their triathalon. Yep, my kids (and my sisters kids) competed in a triathalon. A shortened one, more appropriate for their age, but a tri none-the-less. When Anne Marie asked them a while ago if they wanted to do it, they were so excited. So, she signed them up.

We got up early the next morning, and got everybody ready and over to the pool. We got the kids signed in, their numbers on, watched their older cousin do her swim, and then it was time for them to head into the pool area. At this point, Scott got really upset. He had thought that the announcer would actually call his number, not just his group, and so he was convinced that he had to still wait even though all of the other kids had gone into the pool area already.

Getting B & Scott signed up and their numbers pinned on

I walked him into the pool area and to his place in line. He finally calmed down enough, just to get upset again. He can't swim well, so he was really nervous about the swimming. I tried to calm him down and told him he could hang onto the wall the whole time if he wanted, but he wasn't listening.

Finally one of the ref's came over and repeated what I had said. He looked to me to make sure, and finally was convinced. By then, it was his turn. He hopped in the water, swam a little ways, walked a little ways, swam some more, then decided to hang on the edge. I thought I had better warn B so he didn't get upset, and he was glad I had. He was a little nervous, too, but hadn't said anything.

Scott's getting tired, but still doing well!

B waiting his turn to start

Here goes B

And Tanner's off

After their swim, they got out, and headed to put their socks/shoes and shirts on for the bike ride. They were both cold and it took some convincing to get them dressed and going, but they finally did. They completed the two laps they had to do, and then took off running.

Brr - it's cold! (Braden & Tanner)

You're doing great Scott!

Trying to put his socks onto his wet feet!

Put the helmet on, and . . . go!

And, he's off!

B coming up the hill - look at that grin!

Coming up the hill - almost runnin' time

They were both getting tired, but they stuck with it clear to the end! They did such an awesome job, and got a medal when they finished. B was so excited that he said, "Let's do this every year!"

You're doing great Scott - almost there!

Almost to the finish line - keep going!

Tanner, Braden, Jared, Rachel, Scott

There were 41 people total in the sprint division (the younger kids). My two nephews came in 13th & 15th with times of 16 minutes 18 seconds and 16:37, B came in 29th with a time of 20:08, and Scott came in 39th with a time of 23:23. My niece was in the older kids division, and I'm not sure of her time, but I know she did very well!

Way to go, guys (and Rachel)!

Scott's finishing medal

The rules of the triathalon

I couldn't help but cry a little to see their determined little faces trying to pull this off. They did such a good job, and it was so fun to see their little spirits boosted by finished this triathalon. I hope they'll do it again next year - it could become an awesome tradition!

Fall fun

So, Brandon has been spending some evenings in the back yard raking up leaves. The boys love to help him by getting in our green waste garbage can and stomping the leaves down. A few days ago, he had a huge pile raked up, and all of the neighborhood kids found it (ages 11 down to 4)! They had a blast playing in it, hiding in it, jumping into it . . . It was so fun to hear all of the shrieks of laughter as they played in this pile of crunchy, yellow leaves!

Scott stomping down the leaves


"King (or queen) of the leaves"

Dog pile!!!

Scottie and the leaves being wheeled away

Brandon's super awesome family . . .

Can I just say that I think I have the most awesome in-laws in the world? My MIL and FIL came over on Saturday night for us while we headed to the hospital. (I hadn't felt the baby move in several hours so we headed up for a non-stress test. All's well.) LaRean asked if there was anything we wanted them to do while we were gone. The only thing I asked was that she switch Gavin's sheets from the washer to the dryer.

So, my FIL took Scott to get some dinner for the family, then my MIL cleaned the kitchen (including our garbage can that needed some work), dusted, got the boys to clean their rooms, folded the towels that were in the dryer (I forgot they were in there), dried Gavin's sheets, then made his bed, cleaned both living rooms . . .

I'm sure there is much more that she did, and it was SO nice to come home to a clean house. Peaceful, orderly. It's been hard for me to keep up on the cleaning, and while I was embarrassed about the state of my house and asking my MIL to come, I'm so grateful for the help she gave to me.

That's just her, and I know I don't thank her often enough for the many things she does for us. I've heard horror stories about women and their mothers-in-law, and I feel so blessed to have such an awesome mother-in-law and father-in law.

And then, there are Brandon's brothers and their spouses. (Note: they each have one - we're not practicing polygamy here; I just didn't know how else to write that!) One of my sisters-in-law grew up in Altamont - not too far from where I grew up. But, I digress. Back to the story. She took me and another sister-in-law that is pregnant out for ice cream last week - her treat.

I get calls from them asking how I'm doing, or wanting to do a game night or a BBQ while the kids run wild. Brandon & his brothers (the ones that live here in Logan, anyway) play tennis a few times a month, or go golfing together, and I know Brandon loves it. I do too. I love his brothers - they're all incredible, as are the women that they married - and I feel so comfortable and loved around them.

I really do feel so blessed with the family that I married into. They're strong in the gospel, and they're each an example to me. There are many things that I see my mother-in-law or one of my sisters-in-law do, and I think that I should be more like them.

So, thank you to my wonderful in-laws. I really do love you, and am so grateful for each of you, and the love you give to me and my boys, and for the examples that you are to us. Thank you so much!

Baby update

Had a dr.'s appt. today - she stripped my membranes. I've had a few contractions since, but nothing regular. I feel very *blah* though. Hopefully these contractions I'm having are actually doing something and that I'll be in labor soon!

I have another appt. next Thursday (if he isn't here by then), and we'll talk about other ways to induce without putting me on pit.

Hospital visitor policy

So, we heard rumor of a new policy on Monday, we called about it yesterday, and were able to confirm today what the new policy is. During my hospital stay, I am allowed two (2) visitors. One being my support person (aka Brandon), and one other person. Now, it's not two visitors at a time - no, two visitors TOTAL. During my ENTIRE hospital stay - labor/delivery/recovery.

Apparently, this is set up by the health board by number of people checking into the hospital because of the flu, and since pregnant women and newborns are the highest risk, they're clamping down on everything. Now, if the number of people checking into the hospital with the swine flu rises, they'll clamp down even more - only the laboring mother and their significant other.

Now, as far as the kids - they're still not allowed, but the women's center is trying to be accomodating. They've set up a webcam in the downstairs gift shop/lobby area. From what we understand, there will also be a camera where we can be with the baby (in my room or elsewhere, I don't know), so the kids can still come to the hospital and "see" him. That helps me feel a little better about the situation, although it is still frustrating.

So, if you were planning on coming to see us in the hospital - it's a no go. They'll turn you away and send you home. I don't know the "rules" of the webcam (i.e. if it's just for the siblings and grandparents or what), but you can always ask about it. And, since the mother and baby floor (aka recovery) is the 3rd floor, it won't really help to hold the baby up to the window so you can see him. But, just watch the blog - pictures will be coming (once he comes), along with the story of his entrance to this world. :)

Still here . . .

I know there are a lot of people wondering if I've had the baby yet - nope. I'm still here and VERY pregnant. Sunday, I left church early because I was having really painful cramps (not contractions), and couldn't sit still.

Then, later that evening, we were considering going to the hospital. You know when you tread water and you can spin yourself in circles? Well, that's what the baby was doing, and every time his head turned to the front, he'd hit my pubic bone.

OUCH!!!!

I started having contractions every ten minutes, but I went to bed hoping to get some rest if this was labor, and they had stopped by the morning. So, no hospital visit (or new baby) for us on Sunday. *sigh* I've had some contractions on and off (some yesterday that were 20 minutes apart, but no closer), and my belly is noticeably lower than before Sunday's episode, so hopefully that means he's coming SOON.

Anyway, my dr.'s appt. is on Friday, but honestly, I'm really hoping to have had him by then (or at least be in labor by then). I guess time will tell. Thanks for all of the prayers and well-wishes. I really do appreciate it!

Bear Lake '09

We decided this summer that since we weren't doing any camping, we had to at least go to Bear Lake for a day. (We try to do both each summer, but it usually ends up being one or the other. This year it was Bear Lake.)

So, on a Monday morning (the nice thing about my hubby having the summer off), we made some sandwiches, packed some snacks, and headed out.Brandon had done some recollecting from his childhood, and remembered going to gather firewood up in the mountains a couple of times in his dads truck.

So, he wanted to find that route again, and take us up over. So, instead of heading through Logan canyon (like most people do), we headed up and over the German Dugway.

Scott & Gavin reading before we got into the mountains

B wanted to take a picture of me

For a while it was really nice - paved roads, up through the mountain. Then, the road was just a dirt road, but still okay. We passed a scout camp (I can't remember the name of it), and Brandon told us stories of when he was a little scoutling, and then the fun began. The road wasn't a road anymore, it was rocks, and potholes, and lots of bumps. Every time we would hit a bump, my seatbelt would tighten until it was cutting into my stomach, making me (and the baby) very uncomfortable. Eventually I just took my seatbelt off and braced myself against the dash.

We were going along some VERY rough road, when we had to stop due to some people in front of us. They were in a Nissan Xtera (or something along those lines), and a Suburban, but were not sure of going any farther. They had a guy on a 4-wheeler scout out ahead of them, and when he came back, he told them it just got worse.

So, they pulled forward to a grassy spot (we think it was the only grassy spot on the whole mountainside big enough to pull off onto), and we were able to pass them. I was nervous, because we had heard the report that it got worse, but after only half a mile to a mile, it leveled out and the road became smooth again, and was smooth the rest of the way down.

You can see some of the road we came up

A break for the boys while the other cars moved.

The road was similar to what the boys are climbing on - very rocky. We had to drive up and over several big rocks. Once we were on the dirt road, though, we got the bikes out for the older boys and let them ride a ways down the mountain. B didn't make it as long as Scott did, but Scott was determined to go as far as he could. He finally gave up (the road was very dusty, making it hard to bike on), so the boys sat in the back of the truck while we drove down.

Scott & B riding down the road

'da boys - chillin'

We stopped at an ice cave that Brandon remembered and wandered around there for a little bit, climbing the rocks and playing. Then, we hopped back in the truck and finished our journey to the lake.

Brandon & Gavin at the entrance of the ice cave

A boardwalk you had to walk over to get to the ice and the climbing rocks

Lots of ice and snow - we only had flip flops on, too! Cold!

Brandon watching the boys climb back down the mountainside

Once there, we stripped the boys shirts off and slathered them in sunscreen and let them go. Brandon sat the chairs out for us, and I just sat and watched so we didn't lose sight of the boys. Gavin was in heaven!!! The water was cold, but our bodies quickly adjusted. We had a hard time getting Gavin to come in for lunch because he was having so much fun.

In heaven!!!

Brandon "skimming" Gavin across the top of the water

Everybody going out to play - we walked out quite a ways before it got deep

Eventually, though, he came in, and then got really cold. We wrapped him up in his towel and I just held him for a bit. Then, he headed back out with all of us to play some more. After that, though, he was done. He wrapped up in a big blanket that we brought and just laid his head on the sand trying to get warm.

I'm so cold, Mom

While he was warming up, Brandon & the other boys started to build a sand castle. It because quite the project, and by the time they were done, both boys were proud of the "kingdom" they had made - complete with a moat, the "ocean," and a tributary bringing water from the "ocean" to the castle. It was quite fun, and we all were able to get involved.

Building our sand castle

The finished product

Then, we packed up and headed home. It had been a long day, and were all tired. This time, we drove on normal roads, and were able to make it home with very few bumps.

So very tired . . . zzzz