Vacuums and Camping!

I think I mentioned earlier how much Ryder loves the vacuum. I decided it was time to get him one of his own. He loves to push it all over the house and take the attachments out and then put them back together. The vacuum actually picks up. It is like one of those old push brooms that have the rotating brush with no suck. You are probably thinking that is great that he likes to clean, but there are two major problems with the vacuum. 1. He runs into everything. He thinks that it is hilarious to hit the walls and furniture. 2. He wants me to vacuum with him at the same time. It drives me crazy because I don't like vacuuming much. Our floors have never been cleaner...


I didn't realize it when I bought it, but Ryder's vacuum is the same model as our real vacuum. The Hoover Windtunnel. It is kind of funny because it has all the same features and attachments, just a different color.


This weekend Brad had a Hales and Warner campout. It was a lot of fun. The food was really great and Denice always has loads of fun games with great prizes. It was really cold so we didn't stay over night. Not to mention, Ryder is a terrible sleeper! He loved playing in the dirt and riding the 4-wheeler.


This is Ryder sitting out by the fire. He kept wanting to sit on this old stump, but then he would get nervous and want to get down. I think the real problem is that he can't sit still for longer than thirty seconds. He takes after his dad!

Homecoming

I have always loved the fall. It brings cool weather, fall leaves and football season. It is weird to think that I have been out of high school for almost 10 years! It is fun to see that the same traditions are still happening at good old SFHS. Cassie invited Kelli and I to the Homecoming luncheon. The food was great and it was so fun to see everyone.


These are some of the girls who graduated last year. We were missing two of them. They are still cute as ever and doing great things with their lives!

Ryder's summer favorites

Well I realized that I hadn't mentioned Ryder for over a month so I thought I would let you know what he is up to. Here are a few of Ryder's current favorites. He loves chocolate or pretty much any candy. I'm sure that most kids do. We have a hard time getting him to eat good food. He is a really picky eater, but he is always happy to have candy or chocolate.



He loves to follow Brad around with his lawn mower. I'm not sure if he thinks he is really helping. His mower doesn't go so well on the lawn so he walks around on the sidewalk. He also loves the vacuum. He likes to follow me around with what he thinks is a vacuum, but is really a golf bag on wheels.



Taking a break...



Ryder has started to do this funny pose with his arms behind his head, but he only does it when he is in his car seat. He is probably stretching, but we think he is just chillin! Not a care in the world!

Baby Schwarz is here!

Kelli just had the most gorgeous baby on Monday! He is seriously so beautiful. His little head is perfect and he has gorgeous skin. He weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and he is just perfect!!



Cassie, Summer and I took a trip to the hospital. It was so good to see sweet tiny Tanner. Jason was a good sport to let us hang out for a while.

Trek

Brad and I were asked to be a Ma and Pa for our ward on the Trek this year. I really was not happy to go. I don't think I would have gone had I known what it would be like on the trail. It was so hot and dirty. At some points I didn't think my legs were going to keep moving. We pulled the carts for almost 30 miles over the four days. I just couldn't believe that the pioneers did this for months with worse conditions. That knowledge and the spirit kept me going. The worst part by far was the women's pull. I should have taken a picture of the hill, but I wasn't really in the picture taking mood. It was kind of a reenactment of when the men were called away with the Mormon Battalion and the women had to keep going on their own. They picked the steepest hill of the whole trek. My three girls and I pulled the cart up the hill on our own. I really thought that I wasn't going to make it. The boys stood at the top of the hill and sang. They weren't allowed to help us until we got to the top. I was so happy to see Brad and our boys come through the crowd. The boys were all really nice and helpful that night. Our boys said that Brad was really nervous the whole time thinking that it was too far and too steep. Ryder got an ear infection while we were gone so he wasn't very pleasant. Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Hales for tending. He wore them out to say the least!
It ended up being a good experience. We got to know and love all of the youth in our ward. I think that Brad and I both needed something like this in our lives right now. All of the pioneer stories and devotionals were amazing. It was a really good week in that respect. When all is said and done it is fun to look back and remember, but would I go again? Not likely!

We didn't take many pictures, but here are some. This is one of the boys in our ward. He thought it would be fun to make stripes. This was what we looked like every night after treking. We were caked in dirt!!



This is Brad on the bus to go home. He is smiling because we are on our way to showers and Ryder!


My dirty apron and shirt. I wore these every day. I have never been so dirty!!


Our ward ready to get on the bus on day one. I grew to love all of these people!



My family! We had three girls and four boys. (Our family was considered small!) They were great.
Top: Sarah (she is holding Baby Maggie who we lost on the trek), Paris, Angalyn, me, Michael
Bottom: Alex, Bryce, Brad, Brady


Sarah, Paris, me, Angalyn


Ma and Pa Hales

Fiesta Days Baby Contest

Jessica and I put Ryder and Alivia in the Fiesta Days Baby Contest. I decided that I would make Ryder a baseball outfit because the theme was Celebrating Traditions. I ended up making the shirt. I am not good at sewing at all. In fact I had to call one of the Young Women over to help me thread my machine. I purchased some fabric and went to work. I had a little baseball shirt that I was using as a pattern. I just laid it on top of the fabric and then cut around it, Grinch style. I unpicked an old cheer jacket for the SF, then I wonder undered number 10 on the back. I sewed it all up and this is what we got. It was kind of a disaster, but it looked okay when I got the rest of the outfit on him. It was kind of fun to do it all on my own, but I think I'll ask for help next time.


Ryder's new Nikes. He loves them! He usually only likes his crocs, but now he'll wear these. It is a good thing because it is going to get cold soon and crocs won't cut it for the winter.


Ryder's picture at the contest. He didn't win the contest, but I had a good time making his costume. He pulls this face a lot lately. We think its really funny.


Alivia won the baby contest for her age group! She was so cute carrying her bag of prizes. This is her in the park right after she got her medal. She is beautiful!


This is Aliva on the night of the contest. She looks so darling. We tried to get her to do all of these poses and smile, but I couldn't get the picture taken fast enough before she would move. What a doll!

Seven Peaks

This summer a bunch of my friends got season passes to Seven Peaks. It has been a lot of fun. We try to go about once a week. Some weeks we go more. Ryder has learned to love the water. The first time I took him, he was kind of a boob. Now he is a crazy man in the water. It worries me a little because he is so comfortable, but hopefully some good swim lessons will do the trick. I haven't taken any pictures of my friends at 7 Peaks. I don't usually bring my camera and also I don't think most of them want to be on my blog in their swimsuit.
Evelyn, Madi and Kamilla have been visiting for the month of July. We have been able to do some fun stuff with them. This is Evelyn and Kamilla. I got to take Evelyn to the doctor for an ultrasound. It was so cool and the baby is definitely a boy. Yay!





Cliff and Lynda


Madi and Emily