Rachel at EFY

Rachel went to a church camp outside of Garden Valley and was part of a muti-stake especially for youth. Weiser Stake put it on. Here is a couple of pictures of Shawn Bradley who was the feature speaker.


Zana Dahle and Heather Nope with Brother Bradley

High mountain lake fishing

Rachel left to a multi stake especially for youth conference, I had the kids for the weekend so we decided to see if Dad and Craig wanted to go camping and hit a high mountain lake outside of Cascade. Long lake is just before Warm lake on Stolle meadows road. We brought 4-wheelers and and rode in 6 miles on an untamed 4-wheeler trail, which took close to an hour. Then its about a 1.5 mile hike through beautiful Idaho. We stopped at trail creek hotsprings which mile 60.6 (large pullout) of Warm lake road when we came in Friday. This hot spring is one of Idaho's best.

Lydia catching the first fish, and nice 20". She was quite scared as the fish was flopping around
Here we are hiking out. Lydia enjoy it while it last. Hyrum did good, but was tired after the hike.
Nick and Melissa Jangula and their family met us at the lake. they had 6 people on their 4-wheeler with the dog along side. Not to mention the hike in, I don't know how they did it. They are definite troopers. Hyrum, Peter and Whitney had a blast together.

Hyrum with another 20"
Dad and Hyrum doing some trolling with purple whooly buggers, which was the hot fly, Hyrum lost a couple of whoppers



A little before Lydia fell asleep and slept on my lap for an hour.



Lydia and Grandpa at Trail Creek hot spring and Hyrum up exploring another hot spring.

the only picture I managed to get of Craig, as he is lifting his hand to cover his face.

Roaring Springs

Hyrum earned a free pass to Roaring Springs from a reading program at school so we FINALLY, after two years of telling him we'd go, took the kids to Roaring Springs. Hyrum's not too much of a dare devil, which maybe I should be grateful for, so he wasn't crazy about too many water slides. He stayed with easy slower ones. Lydia had a great time playing in the kids area. Later in the day we ran into some friends and did a little babysitting swap so Jon and I could ride a slide together. The weather was great we and we had a good time, despite the looks on their faces in this picture.

All alone

The kids are staying the night in New Plymouth tonight and Jon is gone to basketball, which leaves me all alone :( I'm filling in at the office this week while our gal is on vacation so I haven't seen my children much today. After work we went out to eat and then they left for New Plymouth because Ben's watching them again tomorrow. Working makes me extra grateful that I'm able to stay home with my kids. It seems they grow up so much each day that I absolutely cherish my days with them. I love nothing more than mornings when I'm upstairs getting breakfast going and I hear little feet coming up the stairs and then running across the floor to jump in my arms. I can't help but to have a wonderful day with a start like that :) I thank my Heavenly Father daily for the sweet angels that call me Mom.

PS Before Jon left for basketball we sat at the piano together and played a few hymns. Jon on the top hand me on the bottom. It's sure been fun to have a piano!

Some pre season scouting

Hyrum and Dad went out mid July to do some scouting and to set up a trail camera for elk.Hyrum looking at a couple of nice bull elk

a group of bucks in velvet

Hum...

This is a picture of our new piano. It's amazing that Jon's not sitting on the bench in this photo. He's been playing it almost non-stop since we brought it in the house.

No, Jon did not know how to play the piano before. Here's a picture of him watching online piano lessons. He's determined and I have no doubt he'll do well. He can already play the top hand of several songs, which is REALLY good considering it's only been a couple days and he had no clue before then. He's motivating me to sharpen my skills in fear that he'll soon pass me up!

Hyrum with his cousin, Joshua, and friend, Kain, swimming in the hot tub. My Mom came on Wednesday and brought Joshua with her. Hyrum and Joshua played hard each day and had a great time together. We always enjoy when my Mom comes. She helps a lot with the kids and is fun to have around. Saturday morning two of my friends and my Mom and I went to a mini Dressing Your Truth class in Boise. It was fun to go and learn some new info on energy types and how to dress your truth.

Entering a new stage

Today is my 30th Birthday and I feel that I'm entering a new stage of life. Supposedly the 30s are better than the 20s. More mature I guess. Maybe it's the fact that I'm now officially getting older and so it's going to take a little more effort on my part to be able to act and perform like I did in my 20s. It will require me to be a little more focused and disciplined, which appears would result in a more productive happier life. I'm really not sure though... Any other ideas from those of you that are a little more advanced in years?

Hyrum is a terribly sweet little boy. While he was in Washington a few weeks ago he bought me a birthday present. He wrapped it as soon as he got home and it sat on the fridge for a couple weeks. First thing this morning he wanted me to open it. It's a CD of Celtic Music for stress relief. The description on the back reads: "Let go of your stressful day while these comforting, traditional Celtic melodies wash over you. Soothing harps, keyboards and guitars are joined by uillean pipes and whistles." He picked it out all by himself and I love it. Way to be Hyrum! This picture is of him holding the two presents he wrapped for Jon (DVDs Grease and Old Yellar, I doubt that one really was for me).

This is me with my big present that I really wanted, a piano. It's a Wurlitzer and it's 27 years old. Perfect. We're going to love this. And yes, Mom, I may learn to play better than I did during my 10 years of lessons as a kid. Jon also gave a kid carrier for the back of my bike, which I also really wanted so that I can take Lydia for bike rides. Lydia was SUPER excited when she saw it and can't wait for Jon to put it together. All in all, it was a great birthday!

My sweet little angels singing to me :)

The piano actually has a little bit of an interesting story. I've wanted one for a while but Jon has always said "not in this house, we don't have room." Then I decided I at least wanted a keyboard. That was top on my list for my birthday. Jon looked into different options like keyboards, digital pianos, and regular pianos. He narrowed down a few used pianos and set appointments for us to go see them today. We stopped at his parent's house to drop the kids off and pick up our tilt bed trailer so that we'd be able to load the piano. Well, that trailer has always had issues with the lights and today they were not working. It wasn't worth it to me to drive a trailer with no lights into, and back from, Boise. I suggested we just take the truck. Jon agreed but said we would only be able to buy a piano if we were able to load it in the truck. Meaning there'd have to be plenty of men to help.

At this point Jon was doubtful and I was a hair sad. I quickly changed my attitude and knew that a piano would be a spiritual blessing for our family and thanked the angels that would help us get a piano back to our home. The first house we showed up to was a lady with her parents, who were definitely too old to offer assistance. Her husband was out of town and so she had invited her parents over to not be alone when a stranger came to her home. My heart sunk a little thinking there would be no help. We liked the piano, but I mentioned we would only be able to buy if we were able to load it into our truck. She quickly replied that she had a piano dahle and she could call the Home Teachers for assistance. A smile came to my face and I knew it was meant to be.

This lady, 34 years old, had been given the piano from her parents when she was only six years old. It was literally heartbreaking for her to sell it. She shed several tears while we were there and we offered her more money than we originally wanted to pay for it because of the sentimental value it held for her. She actually had located the original receipt and paperwork from October 1982, which she sent with us. She didn't play it very often and so her husband had encouraged her to sell it and use the money towards graduate school. She was grateful it was going to a nice LDS home with children who would enjoy it. I believe I will remember her and have a more respectful attitude for this piano because I know how much it meant to it's previous owner.

Someone is 30!

Happy Birthday Rachel, Wow 30 years old, can you believe it? Your not the hip and cool girl in her 20's anymore. I have a feeling the 30's are going to be even better. Life just gets better every year. I think you said 30's are the new 20's? 30's are flirty and fun? watch out boys.
30 Reasons Rachel is the coolest and hippest wife out there
1. You haven't changed your hair style in 30 years and your still hot
2. I cant tell if you wear make up or not, yet still hot
3. every year you keep getting hotter
4. you can beat me at two sports- soccer ball juggling and water treading
5. you can go hoop it up after 2 years of not playing
6. All of Hyrums friends thinks your the coolest
7. you brew up a mean meal and healthy too
8. you can have oatmeal for everyday of your life and not get tired of it
9. you will go camping for a weekend on a half hour notice
10. you can ask any of your kids who is the coolest mom and they will agree.
well I decided the next 20 I will have to write down for you only. Happy Birthday. your the best. Love ya, Love ya, Love ya

The first fruits of our garden

We had no intention of planting a garden this year but after attending Stake Conference the end of April we decided otherwise. Our Stake President encouraged every member of the Stake to plant a garden. Our excuses that: 1) we live close to a nice large produce stand and 2) we don't have room in our yard went out the door. Jon went to Home Depot the following Monday and bought wood to make 6 8x4 planter boxes. Within a couple days he had them all ready to be planted in. Hyrum planted some pumpkins and I planted some zucchini, squash, yellow squash, cantaloupe, peas, and green beans (they didn't make it). Jon planted 3 tomato plants. So far only the zucchini has produced so we'll see...

Thank you, Mom & Dad

As my 30th Birthday soon approaches (whether I want it to or not....), I would like to say Thank you to the two wonderful people who brought me into this world. This post is a tribute to them.

I have realized over the years that not every girl is as lucky as I am. I truly have an amazing Father. He is:

• Christlike in many more ways than I am
• Selfless
• Giving
• Kind
• Tenderhearted
• Loving
• Accepting
• Understanding
• Humble
• Just plain wonderful

The background he came from was far from ideal. Without passing judgment on anyone in his past, he has made lemonade out of lemons. He is kind and tenderhearted, patient, and very slow to anger. He has always put his wife and children first. Everything he did when I was younger was for us children. Whether it was working overtime so that we could have a special Christmas, a family vacation, participate in sports team that were far from cheap, or taking us all camping and fishing when I know it had to be more work than enjoyment for him. He found joy in watching his children experience joy.
My Dad's worked hard all my life and very rarely, if ever, complained about it. Even after working all day, working overtime till midnight and then working the next day, he never complained. As a child I would have never said that he sacrificed for our family because he never made it appear that way. He was grateful to be able to provide for us and to allow his children to participate in experiences that formed happy joyful lasting memories.
He is a very positive person. Whenever you call and ask him how he is it's guaranteed you'll get a response like, "Great! Couldn't be better." He always tries to look on the positive side and the simple pleasures in life, like his family, bring him the most joy.
I owe a lot of who I am to my Dad. I have never doubted his love and acceptance of me. I feel I am confident and expect respect for myself because of the sure foundation I feel from him. The guys I dated always respected me, even if they didn't have the same standards as me, they respected who I was and what I thought of myself. Because of the great love of my earthly Father I have NEVER doubted the reality and love of my Heavenly Father. It makes perfect sense to me that if my earthly Father, being mortal and human, can love me as much as he does, then my Heavenly Father who is perfect must love me more than I am able to comprehend at this point.

My Mother, likewise, is just as wonderful as my Father. They have unique strengths which have offered me a well rounded upbringing. My Mother is:

• Strong and determined
• Loyal
• Reliable
• Supportive
• Creative and Fun
• Full of energy
• Giving
• Thoughtful
• Responsible
• Dependable
• Faithful and devoted to the truths that she knows

I participated in a lot of sports growing up and my Mom was amazing in her support. She genuinely enjoyed being there and that was a strength for me. My Mom is very bright and loves to share her knowledge with others. People trust her advice and look to her for comfort concerning many health issues. She is peaceful and calm in relating to others and in dealing with trauma. I have a brother who once crashed his bike, and among other injuries, knocked out several teeth. I walked into the bathroom where she was taking care of him and felt a little weak from the extent of the injury and the bleeding. I was amazing at how calmly she was able to handle the situation. I know that it brought peace to my brother knowing she was able to take care of him.

There was another time when her and I were traveling to Rigby and we came across a fairly recent car accident. She could see the paramedics had not arrived yet, and being a nurse, felt compelled to stop and offer whatever assistance she could. After initially surveying the scene she came back briefly and let me know how bad it was and that she needed my blanket. It was a Mom and a Dad and a small infant/child. She cared for them until the proper helped arrived and I have no doubt she was a great comfort to them.

My Mom is also big on fun. She enjoys planning activities and games for others to participate in. She used to always make Christmas exciting. Quite often there'd be a treasure hunt involved in finding some gifts. One year she surprised us all with a trip to Rigby for Christmas. She sent us on a treasure hunt and then we had to put a puzzle together that told us what our prize was. That was by far one of the best Christmas' ever. Christmas and birthdays were always fun and exciting and a special day because my Mom made them so. She's very thoughtful.

She also is an amazing Grandma. My kids LOVE her! She's fun and playful and full of energy. Without a doubt one of their favorite things ever is to be with Grandma.

Lastly, I just want to say how wonderful my Mom is with new babies. She has come and stayed with me after both of my children were born and she was a literal LIFESAVER! I mentioned to Jon after she left when Lydia was born that I don't know if I could have any more kids if something happened to her. I completely rely on her during that time and make it through because of her. I don't know how other women do it without a Mom like mine.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for giving of yourself to raise me and to love me. Thank you for your testimonies and your examples. You are both a great strength to me and I hope you feel of the great gratitude I have for each of you. Much Love, Your soon to be 30 year old daughter, Rachel :)

4th of July Weekend

Thursday afternoon Jon, Hyrum, Lydia, Ben, David and Cooper loaded up the trailer and the 4wheelers and went up north of Mann's Creek area. Jon found a nice little off the road campsite (which actually turned out to be very difficult to get out of with a truck, camp trailer and 4wheeler trailer... won't try again). The campsite was quite nice with a little creek running right through it. I joined the gang Friday afternoon and shortly after that Ben, David and Cooper headed back home. Jon and the kids and I stayed and played until Saturday evening.

Uncle Ben and Lydia. (small edit from Jon)- If you look at one of the rocks it has some indian drawings. Ben drew pictures of Indian like drawings on the rocks with a burnt stick and made an arrow which he stuck in a tree the night before. Cooper and Hyrum woke up sure that Indians had come in their camp the night before. Hyrum even made up a story in which he and Cooper had met two of the Indian boys. I guess some day we will tell them it was really uncle Ben.

This picture is of Hyrum with a roasted cricket in the middle of his marshmallow. He and Cooper both ate one. Cooper spit his out eventually but Hyrum ate it all. Yuk!! It's a good thing I wasn't there. That's not something I'd let my little boy do. Those crickets are nasty! BTW, they didn't even get rewarded for doing it.

Uncle Ben was the official cricket roaster.... hum, wonder why he didn't try the delight???

Cooper's turn...

Lydia and Ben playing catch

Boys will be boys. I believe Hyrum's favorite part of the weekend was shooting guns. They shot this pistol and a shotgun (I believe).

Lots of nasty little crickets. I was telling Jon as gross as they are I'd take them over mosquitoes. It's so nice that there are not any mosquitoes up there. Love it!!!!

The campsite was so cool deer visited us each night. The first night Lydia was a little frightened by them until Uncle David told her they were princess deer. The next day she was happy to see the Cinderella and princess deer. What a girly girl!

This is the gourmet dinner Jon made Thursday night. Halibut with pineapple, mashed potatoes, pinto beans and sliced strawberries. Why doesn't he do this at home???

David about to enjoy his yummie meal

Me studying for my lesson in Young Women's and my spiritual thought for ward council the next day.

Sweet Lydia

She was quite the fan of the sparklers until she burned her thumb.

It's hard to see Hyrum's sparkler but it's there. The kids sure enjoyed these.

Me with my adorable kiddos. While Jon read Saturday morning the kids and I rode 4wheelers down to Spring Creek campground and hiked the nature trail there. It's a fun little hike and fairly easy for kids.

Getting ready to go 4wheeling. We went on a couple hour ride along a trail Jon wanted to check out for hunting season. It was a beautiful ride and so nice to be in nature.

One of the many beautiful views.

Lydia and I crossing a creek. The ride was pretty rough most of the way and I was pleasantly surprised how well Lydia did. In fact, on the smooth roads she would tell me, "Go faster Mommy, go faster!"

The 3 most important people in my life. I love you guys!

PS Later Saturday night we watched a movie as a family and then let off a few fireworks. The kids really enjoyed the fireworks. Next year we need to find a cool fireworks show for them to see.