Hot to Trot

So . . . last week at school the annual turkey trot was held. The older kids have to run a mile and the younger kids have to run 1/2 mile. Kennedy didn't want us to come and watch her so she wouldn't tell us what time her grade was running. We went anyway and got there just in time to see her cross the finish line. She came in 4th place for her grade! Way to go Kennedy!!

While we were there for Kennedy we asked what time Klayson's grade would run. We were told it probably wouldn't be until after lunch. So I went back to the school around 11:30 thinking Livie and I could have lunch with him and then stay for his race. When I got there he was already eating and told me that he had just finished his race. He tied for 2nd place in his grade and won a pumpkin pie! Way to go Klayson!! I was so sad that I missed it.

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

Usually after making a mistake you learn from it and it isn't repeated. Not the case with me. A few years ago I decided to buy myself some wax and one of those little heating pots. I figured I could save a few bucks and wax my own eyebrows, instead of paying the extremely high price of $5 every 3-4 weeks.

The first time I tried to do it I was quite successful waxing my armpits. So then I went for the eyebrows. Again, I was successful doing the uni-brow area. I was feeling rather confident in my abilities and tried to "sculpt" my eyebrows. At this point I had wax smeared all over into my eyebrows. I knew I couldn't put on the muslin strip because I would rip off half my eyebrow. I got soap and water and tried to scrub it off. I rubbed my skin raw, but no luck.

Then I remembered a time when my cousin's little boy spilled a candle on my carpet and that Thoro took it out. You guessed it, I found a bottle of Thoro and rubbed it all over the wax covered area. Yes, I do believe I gave myself a chemical burn. My friends at school were quite concerned for my well-being because it looked like CJ had decked me in the eye.

Now this is where history repeats itself. Keaton was feeling like he kind of had a uni-brow and wanted to shave it. No, no, that's not the proper way to take of it. Let your mother wax it. So I did. All went well!

The next day Kennedy asked if I would wax her eyebrows. Sure! It's good fun putting hot wax on your children's faces and then inflicting pain by ripping out their eyebrows.

Well, Kennedy was a bit squeemish and kept crinkling up her face. As a result, wax got into her eyebrows where it shouldn't have. Had I put on the muslin strip and ripped, she would look like a complete freak!

So, out comes the soap and water and as she cries I scrub. Don't worry, I learned something from my own mistake: Don't use Thoro, use baby oil instead.

Now doesn't she look much better without the uni-brow?! NOT!! I love you Kennedy, be patient with me!

I Want to Rock All Night

When our good friends, the Dotsons, moved we decided that our families would get together at least once each month. Well, Melanie held up her end of the deal, but it kind of died when it was my turn last Spring. I know, I'm a loser!

Sunday evening we invited the Dotsons to come for dinner and some games. To our pleasure, they came! The girls always have a wonderful time together. Klayson kept their boys entertained. Keaton is too cool to deal with any of us. CJ and I had a great time just visiting with Travis and Melanie.

We broke out the Wii and all had fun playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero. No one could top Kennedy's high score. (I think she might spend a bit too much time on the guitar.) The girls named their band the BFFs.

We're blessed to have such good friends in our lives. Thanks for coming Dotson family!!

Follow Me Boys! (To a cabin)

"I am not a camper." This is the declaration I heard from CJ a couple of weekends ago when he returned home from an overnighter with the Deacons at the City of Rocks. He is the Assistant Scout Master and father of a Deacon, so he will be doing a lot more camping and better become a camper.

That particular night CJ and Keaton slept in coats and two sleeping bags, each, and still froze. When they got home Saturday evening, CJ spent a good two hours on the internet and phone trying to find a good sleeping bag. He had to have one before Thursday.

This past weekend he put his new sleeping bag to the test when he camped out at Wood Badge, which was held at Camp Keisel.

When he came home I heard again, "I am not a camper, BUT I stayed warm!"

Taps Anyone?

So we heard the talk, by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, about good, better, and best. I think our family is pretty good at filling our lives with "good" things, but we've been trying to step it up a notch and do "better" or even "best" things.
Keaton is in beginning band at school and they were to have their first concert at the end of the term. Well, we found out that the concert was the same night that the Young Men in our ward were to go do baptisms for the dead. Dilema!! We wanted him to keep his good grade and knew that if he missed the concert if would have a detrimental effect on his grade. We also wanted him to be able to participate in the baptisms, especially since this was the first time they've gone since he turned twelve.

Thanks to Mr. Walton!! He said that Keaton could invite at least ten people and do a mini concert. So we did. His great Deacons Quorum, the Bishop and his wife, grandparents, and friends came to the "concert."

Keaton did a great job!! We really appreciate his teacher for being so cooperative, making it possible for Keaton to participate in those things that are the "best."

A Hunting We Will Go

When CJ and I starting dating...way back in 1988, he didn't hunt or do anything of the sort. I remember going the the farm with him and some cousins because the cousins were deer hunting, but not him. Over the past couple of years he has expressed an interest in hunting and bought himself a few guns.

Then we added the dogs. Up until about a month ago we had three bird dogs (Maisy, Elvis (yeah, really), and Jenny. Apparently they are good hunting dogs, but to me they are just another argument about who has to feed them. None of the kids want to get rid of them, but they don't like to feed them either.

Keaton also has taken an interest in hunting so CJ bought him a .22. But, before any hunting can happen he had to take Hunter Safety. So, as any loving, supportive mother would, I took Hunter Safety with him. Because Kennedy can't let her brother out do her, she signed up as well. Klayson was bummed because he wasn't old enough to take it with us.

(It was crazy hair day at school - hence the crazy hair!)
Last Saturday was our test. I admit I was a bit worried about my kids, because they didn't study as much as I thought they should and we only got about an hour of shooting practice in. But the good news is that we all passed! It was kind of funny to see how proud CJ was of all of us. I actually think he was more proud of me passing Hunter Safety than when I got my Masters degree.

Blah! Blah! Blog!

I definitely keep myself updated by checking everyone's blog frequently, I just don't take the time to update ours. So I think I'll work backwards. Start with the most current and work back to September.

First. . . Rachel tagged me.

8 Favorite TV Shows (in no particular order)
1. The Office

2. Survivor

3. The Amazing Race

4. Everybody Loves Raymond

5. The King of Queens

6. My Name is Earl (pathetic I know)

7. So You Think You Can Dance

8. American Idol

8 Thing I Did Yesterday

1. Made sugar cookies (truly a monumental day)

2. Laundry, laundry, and more laundry!

3. Played with Livie

4. Took Kennedy to dancing

5. Listened to Klayson read

6. Helped Keaton with math homework

7. Went to Primary Inservice

8. Dishes

8 Things I Look Forward To

1. Halloween being over with

2. Passing my Hunter Safety test on Saturday

3. Christmas

4. Spending a weekend at Bear Lake

5. Selling my suburban

6. Snowmobiling/sledding in the winter with the kids

7. Olivia being potty trained

8. Turning 40 (It really can't be all that bad!)

8 Favorite Restaurants (no particular order)

1. Fredrico's

2. Tepanyaki

3. The Cheesecake Factory

4. The Silver Salmon

5. Applebee's

6. Peach City

7. Mandrin Gardens

8. El Matador

8 Things on my Wishlist

1. A clean house

2. Blacktop in front of our house and down our little lane

3. Granite countertops

4. A trip to Europe

5. A minivan

6. Olivia being potty trained

7. A week of nothing (no homework, no places to be, no extracurricular activities, no meetings, etc.)

8. No laundry piled up!!

Here's the fourth picture in my fourth folder. Oh, it's Kennedy on her 9th birthday!

Life is GREAT with Miss Olivia Kate

The TERRIFIC TWOs began today!! Our whole family was so excited for Livie's birthday. I don't know why, maybe it's just because she's the baby, but it seemed like an extra special birthday. Kennedy and I blew up balloons last night and this morning before she woke up I put them all over her bedroom floor. I wasn't sure if she'd like it or if it would freak her out. She liked it!

We sang to her the moment she woke up and she just joined right in yelling at the top of her lungs. Throughout the day, whenever we'd sing she'd clap her hands and do a little dance.

We had her favorite dinner, pizza -- lucky me no cooking tonight--oh yeah-- a real birthday dinner would be if I did cook :)

Grandparents came over later for cake and ice cream and the opening of a few (very few) presents. Oh, as I'm typing this I just realized we forgot to give her her big girl panties. I guess the gift giving can continue in the morning. Here's a side note . . . when I sent CJ to buy the panties he said there were only two packages her size so he bought them both (Grandpa Daniels). The problem is that one pack is cute girly pink and the other is boy blue. He didn't seem to think there was a problem since on one will see her underwear anyway.

Liv was happy as a two year old can be about her gifts but cried when the candles on her cake were blown out. You know, it's my party I can cry if I want to -- apparently she wanted to.

I don't mean to steal any of Livie's thunder on her birthday, but I have to say I was a complete ROCKSTAR when it came to the cake. It was the CUTEST cake ever!

We used to think of 9/11 as a sad day, but it's a great day for a birthday!!

Sweet Livie Kate

Freakin' Awesome!

Keaton's playing Little League Football again this year and as much as I dread the amount of time practicing takes, it sure has been paying off. It is so much fun to go watch him play in his games. He has had some terrific plays so far this season! His team is doing great! I think they're all just on top of the world. They've really got it together and work as a team. They've won three out of four games. I hope their winning streak will continue because previous years have not been much to boast about.

Back to Fun & Friends

I guess I'm just not the sentimental type because I did not cry when my kids walked out the door on August 25th to head back to school. I was happy to get back to a routine and have something to keep my kids busy. They were excited too, to be going to school to see new teachers and old friends. Yeah, I miss the company and the conversation throughout the day. But, now that the kids are gone Olivia is talking a ton more. Yes, my days are a lot less chaotic and sometimes even boring. And yes, my house stays clean until 3:30!!! But once they walk in the door it all goes back to mess and mayhem.
We seem to be off to a great start, let's hope it stays that way.

Summer Fun 2008

Whew!!

Another great summer is quickly drawing to a close. Here's our top ten list of:

Roberts Family Fun

10. Building the shed -- If you ask CJ he will probably say it's #1. He is so happy to have a place for all of his stuff. The kids have a great time playing in the top of it.

9. Swimming Lessons -- Olivia and I took Moms & Tots while the other kids had their lessons. We had a great time playing together in the pool.

8. Scout Camp/Activity Girls Camp -- This was Keaton's first overnight campout with the Scouts. He had a great time, but I think the 50 mile (not sure if it was 50 or maybe only 30) bike ride, from Malad Summit to Hansen Park, pretty much did him in. Kennedy had a blast at day camp! She came home teaching us all kinds of fun songs.

7. 4th of July -- The town celebration is always lots of fun, especially the candy drop. After ward we headed to Bear Lake for some fun on the water.

6. Box Elder County Fair -- It's always fun for the kids to go to the parade, see the livestock, and ride the rides. This year was a bit different. CJ, Keaton, Klayson, and Ryan (my nephew) were all in the parade because our ward's Deacons were the pooper scoopers. Not so much fun. Klayson and Ryan just went along for the ride. Kennedy helped pass popsicles for Kent's. It was just Olivia, Granny, Adri (my sister), Lizzie & Andrew (her kids), and I at the parade. My kids were bummed because we didn't ride any rides. We can go to Lagoon for less than the dirty, unsafe rides at the fair! They each got some $ for school clothes instead.

5. Keaton's 12th Birthday -- We had a great time taking some friends of his boating at Willard Bay. What a fun group of boys! CJ and I had even more fun that night when we scared them all with his coyote caller. I've never heard such a tough group of boys scream like such little girls!! Good Times!! Keaton was ordained a deacon by his Grandpa Firth (my dad).

4. Boating -- It doesn't matter where we go, we always have a great time! We had fun with the Roberts side at Bear Lake. It was great to have some of CJ's neices come up and stay and spend a couple of days with us. Even Grandpa Roberts put on a swimming suit! We met my cousin's family and aunt & uncle at the lake a few times and had tons of fun with them. We hope this will continue every summer from now on!

3. Staying at the Cabin -- We love every chance we get to go stay at Bear Lake, but it doesn't seem to happen often enough. Life's crazy sometimes. It is always so nice, cool, calm, and quiet at the cabin.

2. Oregon Coast -- We love it here!

1. Spending time with Family -- It was so great to have my sister and her family come out and spend some time. Ashley came up quite a bit to join in the fun. We met with cousins and Craig's sister for fun at Bear Lake. All in all it was a great way to end the summer!

Puppy Love

I've kind of been having thoughts of getting a puppy lately. My house will sure be quite all day once Keaton, Kennedy, and Klayson head back to school. I think Olivia will get bored when it's just the two of us. I'm sure a puppy would entertain her and be lots of fun for the whole family. But, my brother-in-law, Craig, pointed out that in a way Olivia is a lot like a puppy. Now, most people would be offended by this, but when I gave it some thought I had to agree.

If a door is left open, Livie is outside playing before I know it. When a drink or food is left on the bar, she climbs right up to help herself. She loves to play in the water, she'll steal anyone's shoes the minute you take them off, she DOESN'T drink out of the toilet but she will go in the bathroom and turn on the tub to get a drink, and she's even been known to bite a person or two. I hate to say it but when I start to potty train her next month I'm sure we'll even have our share of pee and poop on the carpet. But you don't have to worry, I won't hit her on the head with rolled up newspaper or rub her nose in it!

She's a very busy little girl, but we love her so much and wouldn't have it any other way! Now we just need to teach her to come running when we whistle!

Andrew (or maybe Andrea)

My little sister, Adri, is visiting from Virginia. Her husband, Craig, was here but had to go home Sunday night for work. Without Craig here to keep on eye on things, I thought I'd have a little bit of fun. I know when he sees this he'll be shaking his head and saying to himself, "Where was Adri when all this was going on?" I'll tell you. She was holding him up so he wouldn't tip over on the bed!

Like a Bug in a Rug

I'm always up for a challenge, but I think I'm losing this one to an almost-two-year-old! I was in a bit of a cleaning mood (I know--RARE) and thought I'd do some organizing in Olivia's room . . . so I took down the crib. Initially she was really excited to have a big girl bed like Kennedy, but she has since changed her mind. Crazy thing is - naptime is great. She goes in, lays down, and falls asleep. Bedtime is a whole different story. There's a whole lot of crying and "NO W-A-Y", followed by me putting her back in bed 10 to 20 times. I thought it would be good because now when she wakes up she will come to me and I won't have to get out of bed during the night. Now I find that CJ and I are sharing our bed every night with an octopus. Whose bright idea was it to take down the stinkin' crib?!

Let the Good Times Roll

When we come to Cannon Beach we always stay at the same place. It's a quaint little 13 room inn. It's only about a block from the beach, right down from Haystack Rock. The kids have been dying to spend some time at the beach, even though it's really too cold to even get in the water. Yesterday morning, while I was getting myself and Livie ready, CJ and Kennedy head down to check out beach activities. What a great day they planned for us! We all rented beach bikes that look like adult sized Big Wheels. They look easy, but it takes a minute or two to really get the hang of balancing on them. We rode all up and down the beach on them and had a BLAST!

Later we bought the three older kids skim-boards. It took a bit of help from some other kids on the beach, but they had so much fun. We decided they'd also be great to use at Bear Lake.

Today we went to church in Seaside. I was amazed at how many vacationers were in attendance. There were at least three other families, plus an Elder all from Utah. One lady, who is a member of the Seaside ward, heard that we were from Tremonton and asked if we knew any "Ballards". When I asked specifically which Ballard family she said it was Denzel and Beth. She was sure surprised when I told her that we had lived right next door to Beth for seven years and that now we live next door to her daughter, Tina. Beth's son served a mission and taught this lady the discussions. Wow, Small World!

Oregon or Bust!

It's time for our annual vacation to the Oregon coast. A couple of years ago CJ came home from work and said that we were going on a road trip. We packed our bags and loaded up in the Suburban. We really had no destination in mind, but we ended up on the Oregon coast. We loved it, and have come back for the past three years. One year we take the kids and the next it's just CJ and I. This is the kids year.
We headed out Wednesday around 2:00. We stopped for dinner in Baker City, then went a bit further and spent the night in Pendleton. I think the best invention in the world was to put DVD players in vehicles. The second best, McDonalds Red Box.
Usually CJ and I tend to get lost and circle the streets of Portland, but this trip we're quite proud of ourselves because we made it right through. We didn't even have a map! Wow! Those green road signs really do work!!
After lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and a bit of shopping at the Lego store we reached Cannon Beach.
On Friday it was a rainy day so we decided to drive to Astoria. As we headed there we drove along the beach to find the shipwreck. The kids thought is was great that we could drive right on the sand. They couldn't believe there was a real shipwreck!
When we got to Astoria we drove up to the Astoria Column, but to our disappointment the column was closed so we couldn't climb to the top. Last year I climbed to the top where there was a breathtaking view of the whole area. The kids still thought it was pretty cool, anyway.
We crossed the Astoria bridge and headed over to Washington. It was kind of funny that all the kids were so scared to cross over the bridge. It definitely is a massive bridge. It is almost four miles across. There were huge ships and barges all along the Columbia River. It was great fun for the kids to see just how big they really were.
Once we got into Washington we had fun driving around and looking at all the cool beach houses. We decided that the brighter the color, the better the house. You name the color--we saw it. It reminded me of the story "The Big Orange Splot".
We had a small taste of the beach when we saw the shipwreck, but the kids can't wait to go and have some fun. Too bad it's not warm. The temperature has been about 68. Oh well, I don't think it will bother the kids at all.

All Grown Up

He was due on the Fourth of July and no matter how much castor oil I drank he didn't come on his due date. I woke up on Sunday morning not feeling to great, with some pretty bad contractions, so CJ called over to Logan Regional to find out what we should expect if indeed this was real labor. My contractions were five minutes apart, but I told CJ we weren't leaving the house until the kitchen was clean. So we quickly washed the dishes, straightened up the rest of the house, and headed to Logan.

At 4:29 pm Sunday, July 7, Keaton James Roberts entered our lives! Grandma and Grandpa Firth were so excited because he was their first grandchild. Grandma and Grandpa Roberts were excited because he was the first grandchild to carry on the Roberts name.

He was such a good baby, but at the young age of two weeks he ended up at Primary Children's for emergency surgery because he was not gaining weight. As it turned out he had pyloricstenosis and a duodenal web. After a two week stay in the hospital (my worst nightmare) he came home and has grown like a weed ever since!

Keaton has always been such a big kid. When he was about two, he was wearing a Jerry Rice jersey that my brother, Nate, gave him and my uncle Mike commented that he had "NFL written all over him" not because of the jersey, but because of his size. My sisters friends referred to him as "Little Rock". Now I think Keaton often gets the short end of the stick because he looks like a sixteen year old, but still acts like a typical twelve year oldboy.

I loved teaching at North Park while my kids were going to school there because I got to see them all the time. Keaton would pop in my room and Mr. Firth's (Grandpa Lloyd) room to say "hi" and steal a treat at breaks and lunch time. Keaton's teachers have always enjoyed having him in class because he tries hard and is a good kid. He earned the Mayor's Award as a fifth grader at Century. This past year, as a sixth grader, he got to have Grandma Firth as his language arts teacher. I only hope Grandma enjoyed the year as much as I know Keaton did.

Keaton takes after his dad A LOT! He will strike up a conversation with anyone and before you know it he's your new best friend. I don't think he's got a shy bone in his body. He's also pretty tenderhearted, like his dad. On Sunday, when we were spotlighting him in primary, CJ started to get a bit teary-eyed and so did Keaton. I think it was good for him to hear his dad praise him for being such a good boy. . . young man.

I'm so glad Keaton has made good choices and I sure hope that continues as he gets older. I'm excited about what the future holds for him, but I'm also sad to see my baby boy growing up. We love you Keaton!! Happy Birthday!

Willard Bay

My Reality

I've never really thought of myself as "old" until just recently. CJ's business (Envision Electric) is sponsoring a women's softball team this year. When he was asked to be a sponsor he said he would on the condition that I would play on the team. It's been about 12 years since I've played women's ball. I quit playing when I had Keaton.

Last Thursday was our first game and I was so nervous that I would make a complete fool of myself. The first time I got up to bat I think I dislocated my left shoulder. Then after I crossed home plate I had to head directly to the bathroom so I wouldn't wet my pants. Happy to say though, we won our game, 17-4. Later that night as CJ was rubbing Icy Hot on my shoulder I realized, sadly, that I am the oldest one on the team. :(

My sister shared a "kid conversation" that she overheard between Klayson, her son, and another friend. It went something like this:
Friend: What does your mom look like?
Klayson: She's tall and she has brown hair that's pokey.
Friend: Pokey hair?
Jayden: Yeah, her hair does poke out.
Klayson: And she's kinda fat.
OUCH!! The truth hurts!

Keaton is turning twelve in a few weeks and I was sad when I realized that he just sang the last of his Mother's Day and Father's Day songs to us. I know he is glad to be leaving Primary, but I kind of brings a tear to my eyes.
Kennedy continues to ask me if she can start shaving her legs. After trying to explain to her why she doesn't want to deal with the hassle of it, I just told her not to ask me again until she was twelve.

The Tag Thing

No wonder I always got caught as a kid, obviously I'm very slow!

4 Jobs I've Had
School Teacher (13 years)
Nanny (more info. forthcoming)
Waitress (Crossroads)
House Cleaner

4 Movies I Seen More Than Once
Mary Poppins - "She's so HOT!" CJ Roberts
Shawshank Redemption
Chocolat
The Wedding Planner

4 Places I've Been
Peru
Hawaii
East - Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, NYC
Nauvoo

4 Places I'd Like to Visit
Germany
China
South Dakota
Palmyra, New York

4 Favorite Foods
Bacon Cheeseburger
Pepsi
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Fredrico's Ham & Cheese Salad

4 Things I'm Looking Forward to this Year
Keaton turning 12
Olivia talking so we can understand her
Boating with CJ & the Kids
Vacation in Oregon

They're Never Too Young!

So school's been out for almost a week now. I am glad to have some time to spend with my kids, but I will also admit we all almost went CRAZY on Monday. It seemed like every two minutes one of my kids was asking to have a friend over, fighting with a sibling, or the ever popular "I'm B-O-R-E-D what can I do?"
Tuesday morning things changed!! They each woke up to a list of jobs. Oh, life is good! They have gotten right in and worked hard so that the house is clean by 11:00. We even have a "Good Cleaner" award. This goes to the child who does their jobs really well without complaint. Isn't it amazing what they'll do for $1 or a slushie! Oh, how I hope this lasts throughout the summer!!!

A Bit of a Mishap

Friday afternoon my kids wanted a snack, but there wasn't much around the house because I desperate-ly need to go to the store. Microwave popcorn seemed like a good idea. I took off the plastic, put it in the microwave, and pushed the "popcorn" button. Like all moms I am a multi-tasker, and while the popcorn cooked I was vacuuming.

You know as well as I do that the popcorn is never done by just pushing the popcorn button, you always have to push the more button a couple of times. So while I continued to vacuum I asked Keaton to start the popcorn again.

Kennedy said to me, "Mom, what's that?" I looked up and my kitchen was filled with smoke. I was a bit scared to open the microwave because I thought there might be a fire in it, but when I did even more smoke billowed out. I took the bag out to the deck and sent the kids running through the house opening windows and turning on fans. Needless to say, we spent the next hour playing outside.

Once the smoke had cleared, I came in to clean my microwave. I scrubbed and scrubbed and the inside is clean, but still yellow. I have managed to burn the inside of my microwave; which is why, even three days later, my house still stinks!

I told CJ the bright spot in all of this is that we are now taking our first step toward stainless steel appliances. :)

Klayson Nate -- We Think You're Great!

Okay, just another proud mother moment. I received a call from the secretary at Century inviting CJ and I to attend the Kindergarten/1st Awards Assembly because Klayson would be getting an award. Now, mind you, the assembly was in the a.m. so it was a special trip to attend and bring Klayson, since he's an afternoon kiddo. We got there and never saw Klayson's teacher, Mrs. Richins. We sat through the awards from all the kindergarten classes and nothing for Klayson, still no teacher either. Then they started on the first grader awards. I figured I had messed up and we came at the wrong time. After all the awards, the principal, Mrs. Shaffer, gave out some special awards. Klayson was chosen from his class to receive the "Principal's Award" for good citizenship, responsibility, academic, and leadership skills. Way to go Klayson!!

My Son the CHAMPION!

Okay, it's my time to brag; because of course that's half the reason to have a blog, right?!Keaton has worked so hard in school this year. He has had tons of projects that have required A LOT of work. Like any kid, he was busy with chores at home, football, clogging, and scouts. But, he's managed to get a few 4.0s . So he and his lucky parents were invited to attend the Breakfast of Champions. We are so proud of him and his hard work.
The other bit of good news is that he was selected to be a Head Husky (student council) for next year. Yeah, Keaton!!

What a great year its been, but at the Roberts house we're sure glad that there is only 1 day left!

What an Incredible Trip!

I know, I know, I know! Its been more than a month since my last post. I freely admit I'm not a good at this blogging stuff. I enjoy reading what everyone else writes, but don't like to take the time to do posts of my own. Actually I started this post shortly after we got home and just haven't gotten back to it to download pictures. Anyway--our trip was absolutely wonderful! Here's the low down of our eleven days in Peru, you may find this boring. If so -- stop reading now.
Day 1 - We flew from SLC to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Lima on April 23.

Day 2 (April 24) - Tour of the city - We visited a cathedral (can't remember the name) that was incredible. After that we went to San Francisco Monestary. Probably the coolest thing about that place was going down to the catacombs. Some people may not like it, but we thought it was awesome. You go down below the monestary and see all the bones and skulls of the thousands of people who were buried there. Definitely not for those who are claustrophobic and don't like weird smells. We saw tons of other stuff in the city and our guide, Fernando, shared lots of interesting information about the history of Lima. Later that evening we had the oppoutunity to do a session at the beautiful Lima temple. The temple President and his wife are a couple serving from Michigan, but used to live in SLC. We are used to the large temples of Utah, but in this temple there were only seats for about 30 people per session.

Day 3 (April 25) - Pachacamac Ruins - It was so fun to be able to walk all over these ruins and hear the history behind them. There were even a couple of groups of elementary kids there on a field trip. Oh, those poor teachers!
Gold Museum - CJ found this very interesting. A guy has his own personal collection of all kinds of military stuff, dating way, way far back in time. The reason it is the gold museum is because so much in it is made of gold. Later we went to a great mall. We thought it was just a beautiful park, but then you go down an escalator and there's the mall, underground, yet opening out to the beach. That night was went to the fountain park. This was so much fun. There are thirteen fountains and at night, on the weekends, there is a laser light and music show at the main fountain. It was so great. Our kids would have loved it!

Day 4 (April 26) - We flew to Cuzco. After a short rest from the flight, we went to see some more ruins, Sacsayhuaman. (Or as CJ pronounced, Sexy Woman) Now I know visiting all these ruins may sound boring, but it really wasn't. Our guide in Cuzco, Betho, was so knowledgable. We really learned a lot. After the ruins we did some shopping for cool Peruvian sweaters and those great hats you always see. Later that evening we went to a theater for a live performance of traditional Peruvian dance and music. Great fun!

Day 5 (April 27) - Cuzco/Aguas Caliente. We got up and went to church with Betho, Rueben, and his wife Cynthia. It was really neat to attend and see how humble the members are. They definitely do not take their membership for granted. Surprisingly, there were a few other Americans in the congregation. One sister missionary, who was just going home, and her family from Canada, the couple behind us grew up in Smithfield and they were with friends from SLC. Small World! After church we traveled to a small village where we learned how they make and dye their yarn. It's all done with roots, plants, and bugs. We took a beautiful drive through the mountains to the Sacred Valley. As we drove we just kept seeing terrace after terrace so high up on the mountains. These people are such amazingly hard workers, and they know no other kind of life. I hate to say I could never even last a day in their shoes! In the afternoon we boarded a train to head to Aguas Caliente (no matter where I am I'm always in "hot water" with CJ). CJ and I had the absolute best seats on the train. Right at the front! The whole front was one big window. What an awesome view! Aguas Caliente is the small village at the base of Macchu Picchu. The only downfall of this part was that you could not take all your luggage on the train, we could only take one small bag with what we would need for two days and we left the rest at the hotel in Cuzco.

Day 6 (April 28) - Aguas Caliente. We got up way early, boarded the bus to Macchu Picchu, and were at the top of Macchu Picchu for the sunrise. This was so incredible! We've never experienced anything quite like this. I really don't know what to say about it, because words do not do it justice. Our guide, Betho, was so knowledgeable and shared so much information with us. He had been a porter for those who hike the Inka Trail for 9 years. He has hiked to Macchu Picchu 164 times in those 9 years. The Inka Trail takes 4 days and 3 nights and climbs 14,000 ft above sea level. CJ really wants to hike the trail with Keaton when he is a few years older.

Day 7 (April 29) - Aguas Caliente/Cuzco. Happy 14th Anniversary to us!!We got up early and got back on the train to head back to Cuzco. After a day of touring and travel, we came back to our hotel and there was a beautiful bouquet, sent to us by the travel agency. CJ had also arranged for us to have a massage. It was heavenly. Our guide, Betho, also invited us to come to his house for wedding cake. You see, that's what his wife does for a living, makes cakes. We enjoyed dinner and got to meet all of his children. For dinner we had chicken and potatoes in some kind of sauce. It was good. Then the real treat was guinea pig. When they eat guinea pig, it's kind of like Thanksgiving for us. Yes, I tried it. It tastes like chicken.

Day 8 (April 30) - Puerto Maldanado. We flew to Puerto Maldanado, which is the jungle area of Peru. We were met at the airport by our guide, Jackson. He took us to the boat dock where we boarded a not-so-safe-looking boat and headed down the river to the lodge where we were to stay. I really was not expecting too much from the lodge, but it turned out great! As it turns out there was a whole tour group from Utah staying at the same place. Again, small world isn't it! Once we got settled in our bungalo and had a couple hours to rest we put on our "irrigation" boots and went on a jungle walk. You wouldn't believe the huge trees. I think my favorite part was swinging through the jungle on a rope. Just call me Jane. Actually it wasn't that glamorous. I did the swing out part great- but when I was swinging back I smacked into a tree. Late that night we got back in the boat to go caiman sighting. They go in the dark because the caiman are hunting food. You know its a caiman, not a bird because when light shines in their eyes they are red. It was a bit scary in the dark, in the boat, looking for alligators. Oh, by the way cold showers in the jungle. Not enough electricity to even power a blow dryer. And they turn the power off at 10:00pm; not to come on again until 7:00am.

Day 9 (May 1) - Puerto Maldanado. It rained during the night and when we awoke the river had risen at least a meter. There were all kinds of debris and tree trunks that had washed down from the mountains and were floating down the river. We put on the boots, boarded the boat again and went to Monkey Island. This was not Jackson's favorite part of being a guide because last year he had been attacked by monkeys. It was pretty neat on Monkey Island because you can totally hear the monkeys all around above you jumping from tree to tree. Then they came to the area where we were because we brought them food, you guessed it bananas.
From Monkey Island we went further down the river to some place where we got out, hiked through the jungle 3 miles, got in another boat, rowed across Lake Sandoval, and had lunch. Before we went back CJ (aka Tarzan) went swinging from a rope in a tree into the lake. Right as he landed the second time someone spotted a balck caiman not too far off in the water. As we rowed back we say all kinds of birds and monkeys in the trees. It was just like being on the Jungle Ride at Disneyland, except all of it was REAL!

Day 10 (May 2) Puerto Maldanado. We got up really early and hiked through the jungle to a clay-lick where hundreds of parrots come every morning to eat clay. The need the minerals found in the clay. We waited, and waited, and waited. We could hear them in the trees, we saw several start their gradual descent, but then something would startle them and they would fly back to the treetops. After and hour of this we gave up and went back to the bungalo. We packed up and boated back to the village where we shopped a bit, and boarded the plane back to Cuzco. We didn't even get off in Cuzco, just picked up a few passengers and headed to Lima. Once we got to Lima we were met by our travel agent, Carmela. She took us to dinner and we did some final souvenir shopping. We got back to the airport about 9:00pm and waited until our flight at 12:30.

Day 11 (May 3) Let the AMAZING RACE begin!!! Because of some stupid paper work in Atlanta our flight was two hours late leaving Lima. (Now, this was a completely awesome trip, but I'll freely admit I was missing my kids and was ready to be home.) Consequently we arrived late in Atlanta. From the time we landed (and I mean touched down) we had 50 minutes to board our next plane, at 10:30. Wouldn't you know we landed at gate A and departed again from gate T. As soon as we got off the plane we RAN to baggage claim, WAITED, RAN to customs, WAITED, checked our bags again, RAN to security, WAITED, RAN to gate T, only to find that the gate assignment had been changed to GATE B (can you just hear the anger in my typing at this point)!!! We RAN back to gate B. I got there and no one was at the little desk, and the gate door was closed. I went to the next desk, panting, out of breath, and told the guy I had to be on the plane that was just sitting right out the window. Of course I pointed out that the time was only 10:23 and the door should not be closed until 10:30. He politely informed me that, by federal law, once the door is closed no other passengers can board the plane. UGHH!
We went to the Delta service desk and found that the next flight to SLC left at 5:30 pm and we would get 1st class. Tempting, not really. I certainly did not want to spend another day in an airport. The sweet lady at the computer did lots of finagling and got us a flight out of Atlanta at 12:30 to Denver, from Denver to SLC, arriving in SLC at 2:30. Hoorah for me! Home at LAST! It was great to see my kids again!