Six Wheelers

First Day of School 2011

2011-08-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

Jesse

Tanner

Jesse and Tanner

The Wheeler Gang

Wheeler Gang and the Deavers

Welcome back to school! I think I said that about 100 hundred times if not more last week! The kids were excited to got to school. I was excited to go to school. It was great. Tanner is starting his Junior year at Union. Jesse is now a Sophomore. Spencer is in 7th grade and at the Junior High School with me, and Abby is in 5th grade in Lori Olsen's class. The sixth grade was moved to the Junior High this year, so this is the last year for Abby to be in elementary school! She is attending Kings Peak Elementary.

My sister Priscilla was able to get a job teaching 5th grade at Kings Peak Elementary, and so she moved from North Carolina last weekend, and started Monday. Currently they are living with us until their apartment is available at the end of this week. So Caroline (in 6th grade and my orchestra class) and Emma in 8th grade both go with Spencer and I to school in the mornings.

Hiking Vail Mountain

2011-08-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

We have been staying in a condo in Vail thanks to my parents. It's been great fun. Here are the pictures of us hiking on Vail Mountain.

RJHS Orchestra Trip

2011-05-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

Once again, I took my orchestra on a trip. This year we went to a music festival in Logan. And, yes it was snowing that day. The students did a great job on their performance. We then listened to a few other groups perform and then headed to Aggie Station for lunch.

After lunch we went to Salt Lake and checked into the Plaza Hotel. The kids then had a few hours of free time before we attended the Utah Symphony concert featuring a cover band for ABBA. It was a great trip and the students were fantastic.

Greg and Abby were able to come with me, and we were able to meet up with Esther and Cameron for dinner and the concert. It was awesome!

Doctor Greg Wheeler

2011-05-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well, Greg is officially done! The diploma has been framed and on the wall for a few months now, but I told Greg he had to walk at graduation. So we could get pictures of course! I just love my Doctor!

Spencer was gone at scout camp and Tanner was at state orchestra, so it was just Jesse, Abby and I who were able to attend. Jim and Sandy also made the trip to Roosevelt. Thanks for the support and love! After graduation we met Uncle Dan and Brett and went to dinner in Vernal. It was a great day.

St. George Marathon

2010-10-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

This summer at the family reunion, we ran the Neola half marathon as a family. The race organizers gave away a spot for the St George Marathon in a drawing. Jesse won the drawing and trained the rest of the summer. It was really hard for him once football started and he was still training for the marathon and practicing for football. But, he kept going. Last Saturday, October 2, Jesse finished the marathon just shy of four hours. 3:59:50 to be exact. He finished third in his age category. At the beginning of the race it was announced that there were twenty runners fourteen and under. Only ten ended up finishing.

I loved running and training with Jesse. The race was great!
We are so thrilled for Jesse and his accomplishment!

Spencer's new hobby - Fishing at the pond

2010-09-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

Spencer and Abby have spent time almost every day the last two weeks fishing on the golf course. They are loving it and having such a great time. I didn't think they kept any fish, but I guess they kept at least one and took a picture because here is is from my camera. Those two kids put up with so much running around and craziness, I am so glad they have each other and like to spend time together!

Cross Country Meet in Vernal

2010-09-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

I am coaching or helping to coach the Junior High Cross Country Team. It has been so much fun to work with the kids. Tanner is also running cross country, so it's great to see him run too. Here's my team.

After the Accident

2010-09-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

When Greg got home from the accident, he emptied his shoes. Out came a handful of glass.
We drove out to the accident, and found our rear view side mirror, and the front grill. We also took a picture of the elk. Notice it is headless? The Forest Service came and took the head. They will mount it and sell it for revenue. We also took a picture of the big spot on the road where the car burned.

Tanner turns 16

2010-09-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

Tanner turned 16 on September 8th. We were down in Lindon over Labor Day, and my mother got a cake for him on Saturday. Then she baked one for him on Sunday and on Monday. He got lots of chances to blow out the candles! On the 3rd of September - Saturday - we met the Spachs and went to a ReAl soccer game. That is what Tanner wanted to do for his birthday and for his present. It was a lot of fun to see the Spachs and to go to the game!

Abby turns 9!

2010-09-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

Abby turned 9 on August 28th. She really wanted to have a birthday party, so she made the invitations, planned the party and did all the work. I love parties like that! The invitations were so cute! She decided to go bowling, so she made little bowling pins and bowling balls and glued them on the front of a card. Then together we filled out the middle with the information. The girls all had a great time!

The girls she invited were, Audra and Morgan Wilson, Lu Morley, Madison Elliott, Alexis LeBaron, Abby Cook, and Christina Felkins. Of Course Spencer came too!

Byu Autum Classic

2010-09-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

Tanner participated in the BYU Autumn Classic over Labor Day Weekend. He did a great job and has really enjoyed running on the team.

First Day of School

2010-09-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

The first day of school is always so fun and exciting! We just planted the new tree last fall, so maybe we will have to take the traditional first day school pictures somewhere else!

Greg's Dissertation

2010-09-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

Abby, Greg and I drove up to Logan for Greg to defend his dissertation. It all went well, and it looks like he will be officially graduated - cap and gown style - in the spring. He should be officially done at the end of this quarter with all the work. Way to go Darling! I love you!

Greg meets Henry the Elk

2010-09-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

Greg went up to Wyoming to work on his boat this weekend. On the way home, he met Henry. I call him Henry because my father went hunting a few years ago and got a beautiful bull elk. They had his head mounted and he stares at you when you come in the house. Every time we ate the elk meat, we were informed we were eating Henry.

So back to the story, Greg met another Henry. He was about 3 miles out of Fruitland and Henry decided to be on the road. The windshield exploded instantly, and then he drug the elk for about 50 yards. When the suburban finally stopped, the engine was on fire. He got out of the car and flagged down the oncoming traffic. The cars behind him stopped and helped him also. The fire department from Fruitland was there on scene within 10 minutes. He walked away from the accident with just a scratch on his hand from the glass, but as you can see, the suburban is gone! The boat, I am told is still ok. The trolling motor on the front of the boat had the propeller melt off, but the rest is ok. I am so grateful for all of the people who helped him and for Greg's life.

The following pictures were taken by the Dudley family from Vernal who stopped and took care of Greg that night, and then eventually brought him home.

Dinner and broken arm

2010-09-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

This summer I tried an new dinner meal. I totally made it up, but it was so good! Chicken, pesto, tomato, artichoke pizza.

One other thing that happened this summer was "Tanner's broken Arm."
He went to mutual for a tour of the ER and came home with a cast on. He played it up for a few days, but then got sick of it and took it off. It was really funny to see all the reactions.

Webster Family Reunion at Bear Lake - July 2010

2010-09-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the summer is over. We had the best summer filled with family, friends, trips and relaxing time. Plus lots of running! Our family trip to Bear Lake was definitely a highlight of the year. We were able to check in with all of the Websters and meet even more. All of my siblings were able to come and it was great to see them all. Here are some pictures. Me being the person I am, didn't take too many pictures because I was busy talking to everyone. But I do have a few.

Highlights from the Reunion:
Visiting
Water Skiing
Talent Show
Women's craft
Webster family T- Shirt
Family History stories - we learned about Mary Olive Mason. Her father went on a mission when they had oodles of children. they were struggling so much, but because of the mission, got out of debt and were able to serve. What a legacy! We learned so much about the family history of the Websters. It was great!

Esther Water Skiing

Esther Skiing

Mom, Esther, Martha, Matthew, Aaron, Mary, Mason on the boat

Spencer and Tanner

The new fish Spencer

My brother Josh

Spencer the fish cleaning off!

My sister Priscilla got an elbow to the lip on the tube!

Dad and Mom

Tanner Freshman Soccer Team

2010-07-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

Tanner played on the freshman soccer team as the goalie this spring. He loved the games and practices. He played in all the freshman games and most of the JV games. My mother was able to attend a lot of the away games because they were near her home in Lindon. He had a great season.

Governor's Award

2010-07-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

School Board member John Hullinger, Rachel, State Representative Kraig Powell, Superintendent Dave Brotherson.

Jim and Sandy Wheeler, Greg and Rachel Wheeler, Ruth and Marc Udall

Grandma Sandy with Grandma Rushton.

Right before we left for Boston and the Marathon, I received a call from the Utah Governor's secretary. I was told that the Governor had just selected me to receive the "Leadership in the Arts in education" award for the state. This award is considered the highest award in the arts available in the state of Utah. I was pretty blown away.
So Greg and I went to Salt Lake on the 12th - His 40th birthday- and spent the night there. Then in the morning ran some errands and met our parents for the luncheon. It was really nice and a great experience. I was and still am blown away by the recognition!
After the luncheon and speaker, we visited Grandma Rushton. She is living with Aunt Marge and Uncle McKay in West Valley. We also visited Aunt Janet and Uncle Reed in West Valley. It was a good trip.

On Greg's birthday we came home from school and found this toilet in our yard! We got a good laugh from it. No one wanted to claim the prank, but finally Dennis Garner owned up to the delightful yard addition. When we came home from Salt Lake we finally were able to move it.

Lake Powell with the Wallace family

2010-07-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

So, Carrie has this thing about taking pictures of feet, so here are my feet with Carries.

Tanner, Allen and Aaron hiked up the mountain.

Allen and Aaron Wallace with the Belinda in the background.

Abby and Nathan had a great time playing.

Jesse caught a stripe-er. I'm not sure how to spell it, but he definitely caught the fish.

We spent more time fishing this trip than any trip I have had to Lake Powell Partly because Greg brought his own boat. We'd go on the lake to waterski and would find a fish boil, so we would have to stop and put a line in the water. Good Grief! Once Greg was pulling me skiing and we passed a boil. I was so surprised he didn't stop the boat and tell me to swim in and start fishing!

Tanner Wallace and Jesse.

Rachel Skiing

The Jesse's swam across the bay and made this "J" on the hill side.

The Wallace family was so much fun to travel with. They have five children, but one is currently serving a mission - Spencer. Allen and Carrie are the parents, and the other children are Aaron, Jessica (Jessie), Tanner, and Nathan. I find it funny that three of our children have the same names! Wow what good thinkers they are! We spent the week with them on their house boat "Belinda" and we both brought our motor boats. All of the boats had trouble- a typical Lake Powell trip, but we had a good time!

Ragnar 2010

2010-07-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Ragnar race was great again this year! We had a great team. In van #2 we had Greg and I, Jodi Williams, Karen Woolstenhulme, Lacey Wheeler, and Bert Wolfley. Van #1 had Shasta and Sheela Mitchell, Jill and James Ross, and Jeff and Kara White. Our team was called the "Red Hot Chili Steppers" team #245. It was great!

Fishing at Flaming Gorge

2010-07-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

Greg and the boys went fishing. Actually since then they have been many times, but didn't take the camera other times.

They had a great time.

I think this is the time they went up on a whim and spent the night in the tent and then fished all the next day.

Memorial Day Boulder Bolder 10K Race

2010-07-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Jesse ran the whole race without a shirt on.

I love the fact that we ran the race as a family.

Abby and Ali at the Wheeler's home in Denver.

This is a collage Lacey put together of our trip. Thanks Lacey for doing all the work. Jesse, Greg, and Jeff were able to go to a Rockies game. Sarah my sister, came with us on the trip. We played a lot of Farkle, and the kids shot off a bunch of the foam bullets. It was great fun!

This is another picture from Lacey. She does such a good job!
We had a great trip!

Thoughts from Rachel

2010-05-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

What a week this has been! I usually always post something with a picture, but this time, I don't have anything ready. Today was Grandma Ada Vera Webster Udall's funeral. It was sad to see her go, and I will miss her, but I love knowing that she is so much happier where she is. We had a wonderful family get together today and I can just imagine the reunion she is having with Grandpa, her brothers, parents and all of the wonderful people that love her. I had the opportunity to play my violin with Uncle Robert on piano for the funeral. It was a wonderful learning and music making experience. All of my first cousins were able to come. Lousia came the farthest from France, Ada, Mason and Sasha from New York. It was so great. Can you tell I am not a writer? I can't express in words what a wonderful day it was. Families are so wonderful.

Maybe I should stick with pictures.

Forum Music Festival April 22-24, 2010

2010-05-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

I got home from Boston, had one day of work, and then headed on the bus with 76 teenagers to California for our Music Festival. What a week. This is the orchestra warming up before the performance.

We won a gold rating. They played good, but not as good as they have in class. I really didn't think when we left the stage that we would have won a gold. But they did!

Jesse, Rachel, and Tess Butterfield

The one good picture Jesse let me take.

Kassaundra Jorgensen and Lauren Parry with the awards.

All 76 of them - Band, Choir and Orchestra

After the festival we headed to Disneyland. The group of four boys that made my day! Jesse, Spencer Felkins, Alex Sessions, and Jeremy Haslem.

Ten students stayed with Sarah and I all day.

Kyle Hacking, Jessica Wallace, Emily Murray, Monica Glancy, Mariah Huber, Jesse, Spencer Felkins, Alex Sessions, Michael Hamblin

Rachel, Jesse and Spencer Felkins

Greg was going to come with me on the trip but decided to stay home and work on his dissertation. Sarah was going to stay with the other kids at home like she did while we were in Boston, but took Greg's place on the trip. We had the best time together! If you are looking for a fun person to go to Disneyland with you, Sarah is the person!

Mikayla and Amber Gordon

at the Beach Saturday Morning before we headed home.

At the Beach

Some students:

Spencer Felkins, Matt Dye, Carson Gilbert and Jesse

Lauren Parry with Rachel

It was a great trip - fast, tiring, but great!

Boston Marathon April 19, 2010

2010-05-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

Esther and I both qualified to run in the Boston marathon and after training all winter, we finally headed to Boston on April 16th. Greg and Cameron came with us along with my Mom and Dad. It was great fun! We were able to attend a Red Socks game in Fenway Park on the night that we flew in. It was fun to be in the old stadium, but we didn't stay long. It was really wet! The game finally was postponed because of the rain. The Red Socks lost to Tampa Bay when the game resumed the next day.

One of the fun things we did on the trip was going on a Duck Tour. We toured the city in this great bus / boat. For part of the tour, we were on the river!

Esther and I picked up our bibs and attended the expo. It was so cold for the few days we were there before the race, I thought I would freeze! notice we were in coats?!

On Sunday afternoon we met up with some of mom's High School friends who came to cheer us on during the race, and we wandered around the city, and had a great dinner together. We found this sculpture of Bill Roger's running shoes.

This is Jodi, Esther, Rachel, Sally, Mom and Caroline. Mom's High School friends who came to cheer us on!

Cameron with Paul Revere and the Old North Church.

This is a pew in the north church. I took a picture of this pew because we live in Roosevelt. I thought it was funny that they had this plaque for Teddy Roosevelt once sitting here. - December 24, 1912

The only picture we have on our camera from the race. Greg and Cameron chased us all over the place to find us running!

This is the view from our hotel. We stayed in the Inn at Crystal Cove. Obviously not down town, but only half the cost. It was a beautiful morning when we left for home.

The Marathon was fantastic! It was a wonderful experience to be in the middle of all the excitement and history of the race. I loved every minute of it! I was so grateful that my parents were able to come and we spent time with them. Also to spend the time with Esther and Cameron was a special treat. I will never forget the experience! Come to my office at Roosevelt Junior High and you can see my bib # and another picture of me running and my medal hanging!

Baptism and Funeral

2010-04-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, April 10-12, we headed to Logan to participate in Annie Spach's baptism. Somehow, I missed taking a picture of the baptism girl on her big day, but I got pictures of other kids. This is Jesse and Jeffrey Spach goofing off on the piano. Julie and Dave were very gracious and hosted the whole Wheeler gang. Becky, Raphael, Dan, Angie, Korry and Tara along with Grandma and Grandpa Wheeler were able to attend. And yes, i said Grandma and Grandpa Wheeler. They returned last week from serving in Louisiana on their mission. They were in the Jackson Mississippi mission, but spent the whole time in Jonesboro / Hodge Louisiana. We have grown to love those people in Louisiana who took such good care of our mom and dad!

Lizzie Spach

Tanner wasn't able to come with us because he was with Union High Orchestra on tour to California. He had a great time, but Jonny and the cousins really missed him!

After the baptism, we headed to Star Valley. Grandma Velma Coral Merritt Wheeler passed away on April 7th. She hung on just long enough to talk to all of the grandchildren and to see Sandy and Jim come home from a successful mission. She loved the missions she and Grandpa were able to go on and was so happy and proud of all of her missionaries.

Jeff and Lacey were able to join us in Star Valley for the funeral, so we were all able to attend except Tanner and Raphael who had class and missed it the week before to be able to visit Grandma and say goodbye.

Greg with his missionary parents.

The girls had a great time being together.

Grandma Wheeler will be missed. It feels like the end of an era for our family.

Grandpa loves his granddaughters.

I wanted to get some more pictures especially of the dinner afterwards, because we had some great family shots, but my battery died after this one. It was so cold! Yep - it's Wyoming.

What a wonderful legacy Grandma and Grandpa Wheeler left for their posterity. It was a sad, but beautiful day to be together.

Region Orchestra, Solo and Ensemble 2010 - Heber

2010-04-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

On March 20th, Tanner and the HS orchestra participated in the Region Festival. Tanner played really well and so did the orchestra. The orchestra received a 1 rating and was invited to participate in the State competition.

Tanner was trying really hard to ignore his pesty mom taking pictures.

Krystin Anderson is one of my viola students and she also played at Region.

Kyle Felkins on viola

Krystin and Kyle playing their viola duet.

Tanner playing his solo. He received a 1 rating as was invited to participate in the state competition.

I was able to go to the festival and play piano for Tanner while he performed. It was great to be part of all of the students performances and to cheer them on.

The Utah Symphony comes to Roosevelt

2010-04-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

The Utah Symphony came to Roosevelt UT on March 11th as an outreach program. We were able to have a "meet and greet" session with the orchestra members and my advanced orchestra class. Then after the concert, two members of the symphony, the principal violinist and violist, ran a master class for my students. It was great. I haven't felt so excited and musically fed from my Junior High in a long time.

This is a picture of me with Kory Keatseans, the orchestra director from BYU who was conducting the orchestra on their Utah tour.

One of my students, Ty'lene Puro during the master class.

Kyle Felkins a viola student of mine during the master class.

Kim Kijek, another viola student.

Tess Syndergaard a cello student from RJHS.

The extra duet Scott and David played for us at the master class.

My 7th hour class at the end of the master class and some of the students who were able to stay for the whole lesson. It was so fantastic!

Skiing at Deer Valley

2010-04-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to go skiing a bunch with Sarah this winter at Deer Valley. Sarah is the best sister ever! She gave me her family season pass. I am sad to report that I didn't use it as much as I should have, but I did go as many times as my schedule allowed. I love skiing with Sarah and spending time with her. The is a picture of Esther and Sarah as we were finally able to get together once this winter to ski. Like I said earlier, it was so much fun to spend the time with my sisters. They are the best and it is great to visit, laugh and have time!

Esther coming through the trees! Yes, Sarah did make us ski hard and get the exercise in. She didn't want us to complain about getting off our running schedules!

Rachel and Esther

I was the wimp and the one who had to take a break and sit in the lodge for a minute.

Beautiful Sarah! The best teacher and skiier on the hill.

Math Counts 2010

2010-04-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

Tanner and Greg participated in Math Counts. It is a math Competition that is offered for the Middle School and Junior High School Students. Tanner and Greg were both judges for the competition.
The competition was held in February and at the USU extension.

Spencer turns 11!

2010-04-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Spencer! He is finally 11! His birthday was on the 24th of February.

The celebration as he realized he got all of the candles out in one breath!

I will never forget how excited and happy I was when I found out I was expecting Spencer. I had a miscarriage, and was having a hard time dealing with that loss. Then I found out we were having a baby and later learned it was a boy! YEAH! What a great time! I threatened to miscarry him twice and it was really upsetting, but he hung in there, and joined our family 11 years ago. What a blessing he is in our lives!

In our family, Greg has told the boys they have one chance to wrestle him on their birthday. If the boys win, they will win $100. Spencer gave it a good chance, but didn't win again.

District Solo and Ensemble

2010-04-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

The district solo and Small Ensemble Competition was held February 24th. Both Tanner and Jesse did a great job and participated.

Tanner played a duet with Audrey Muir. I missed it when I had to run home and pick up Abby, but they did a great job.

Jesse played a violin / cello duet with Spencer Felkins.

Along with playing a duet, Tanner played a cello solo. He got a 1 rating and was invited to go to the High School Region Competition.

Thank Liza Syndergaard for playing the piano part with him.

Jesse's Basketball Tournament

2010-03-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

Jesse played in a basketball tournament on Saturday in Rock Springs. He had a great two games and loved every minute of it. Shirlene took these pictures of him, as I was gone with Tanner at a soccer game, and forgot to get pictures of Tanner playing goalie.

Abby and her silly friends

2010-02-21T21:16:00.000-08:00

Abby Cook and Abby Wheeler

Abby's new thing to do is to take pictures with her friends. Abby has become fast friends with Abby Cook. They are in the same dance class and have the best time together.

This is Madison Elliott. Abby and Madison have been playing together quite a bit. Madison lives down the road and I work with her mother at the Middle School.

Abby learned how to make hats at Achievement days, and this it the first hat she made. It's also the picture Madison took of her the day they were playing. Silly girls!

I love our Family!

2010-02-21T21:04:00.000-08:00

I love our Family! We have such a good time together. Lately I have really been counting my blessings. As the weekend rolls around, we ask the kids what they want to do, and they all say they want to play games as a family. We have been having such a good time together - until today.

I guess families are like that. Some days are just not as good as others. We got home from church and started playing a game - Ticket to Ride. (Thank you Sarah - we love it!) It was great, but getting long and every one was tired. Spencer was killing all of us. Then something happened, I'm not quite sure what, but the boys were at each others throats. That's when we really start to learn about families and getting along. Tonight it seems that the tempers have calmed down, but feelings still have been hurt. I'm sure tomorrow will be better as we apply the lessons of forgiveness and love. Sometimes we just need time apart. But it's all good. It's called a family and it's how we learn and grow. I can't imagine learning and growing with a better group of people and wanting to be with them. I love my kids and love learning from them. It's pictures like this that remind me we why we keep going!

Yurts and Snow shoes

2010-02-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

Tanner, Jesse and Greg hiked up to the Yurts on home made snow shoes. The boys have spent more than a month making the snow shoes and were excited to try them out. The secret ingredient for the shoes? DUCT TAPE of course! This is the night before they left. Tanner and Jesse tried on my backpack and Greg's back pack.

Of course they went with the scout troop. Diego Reynolds, Allen Hamblin, Brandon Griffin, Jesse and Tanner were the scouts. Greg, Jason Chamberlain, and Russel Griffin were the dedicated leaders. They left right after school, so it was dark by the time they got to start hiking.

They obviously made it to the YURT!

The gang in the morning.

The scouts.

The trial coming home.

Thanks to the great leaders who create such great experiences for my boys!

Family Fun

2010-02-20T21:41:00.000-08:00

In the beginning of January, Tanner, Jesse, Greg and I were able to attend "STOMP" in Provo. We met Mom, Dad, Esther and Cameron at the concert. It was a great concert. Spencer and Abby stayed with Sarah as she was able to come out and visit.

We love our DAD!

Jim Spencer, Scott Syndergaard, Greg, and Jesse were able to spend a very cold day on Flaming Gorge ice fishing for this strange fish - Burbit. Jim was the only one that caught one of these long fish, but they reported they had a great time together and a fun day.

New Years Celebration - Come on in 2010!

2010-02-20T21:29:00.000-08:00

We spent New Years in a cabin at Bear Lake with the Wheeler family. Dave and Julie Spach made the arrangements for us to come, and we had a great time. The Angie and Dan Jeske and Jeff and Lacey Wheeler families were also able to attend and we had the best time reconnecting with the family and the cousins. We even had a Pool tournament. Welcome 2010!

Christmas Morning 2009

2010-02-20T16:50:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas this year. Tanner got an ipod touch, Jesse got a DSi, Spencer and Abby both got a DS, and Greg got running clothes! Greg loves to run in the winter, and now he can with Rachel! I got a massage stick for the running aches and a great book.

Tanner

2010-01-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

Tanner was involved in a bunch of things during Christmas this year. One was the High School Orchestra concert. He also performed with the community orchestra and choir in the Messiah. Both were great concerts.

Snow Shoveling Time!

2010-01-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

We had a lot of snow just before Christmas on a Sunday morning, so Greg and the boys went outside and tackled the neighborhood. They picked up one neighbor, Jesse Jorgensen, and he helped with the shoveling. By the end of the afternoon, they had shoveled 16 driveways, and had gathered two more neighbor boys to join in.

This was taken at the beginning the project. They weren't smiling so much after all the driveways were cleared!

Abby

2010-01-07T17:29:00.000-08:00

Abby has taken dance from Heather Wilson for two and a half years. She just loves it! She's made some great friends in the class, and has learned a lot from Heather. Heather is one of the few dance studios in town that uses age appropriate music and moves for children to dance. Heather is just wonderful and does such a great job!

This Christmas, she had a family recital, and here are some of the pictures from that event.

Abby was given the opportunity to choreograph her own dance and she and her friend, also named Abby, made up their own dance. Abby is the girl on the far left of the picture. It was a cute dance!

Abby got a perm! She has wanted one for a while, so I finally gave in and made an appointment for her to get it done. She loves it!

Abby is so special in our family! We love her smiles and her happy ways.

Jesse

2009-12-27T17:30:00.000-08:00

Jesse loves basketball. He has had practice early mornings at 6:00 before school. He's really dedicated. The rest of his activities, like playing the violin, he likes, but mostly does it because of mom. He's a good student and works hard and we love him! He had his 14th birthday this Thanksgiving and we had a party for him. Jessica Wallace, Maryssa Miles, Spencer Felkins, Alex Sessions, and Jeremy Haslem all came over and watched a movie. He got Wii Resort Sports for his birthday, but we ended up having leftover wedding reception cake for his birthday. I don't have birthday pictures of him, but I have these other pictures of him. We love you Jesse.

Jesse had his finger smashed in class and so greg and Jesse drilled a hole in the nail to relieve the pressure. OUCH!

Can you tell how excited he is for the concert?

Jesse is on the 8th grade basket ball team for Roosevelt Junior High School.

#14

Christmas Shopping

2009-12-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

With all of the family stuff going on, we were able to sneak out for a bit and get some Christmas Shopping done. In fact Sarah, Bev, and I were able to make a run to Spring City to see Uncle Joe and Aunt Lee for the semi-annual pottery sale. Great Fun!

I know the picture is small, but I stole it off Uncle Joe's face book page, and can't seem to get it any bigger.

This is Aunt Lee, Bev, Rachel, Sarah, and Zina at the black friday pottery Sale.

Sasha and Mason Sullivan Reception

2009-12-27T17:01:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving, we had a wedding reception/open house for my cousin Mason and his new bride Sasha Sullivan. They got married this summer, but were finally able to make it out to Utah for Thanksgiving. So, there was an open house held at the Sullivan home in Provo. They currently live in New York, so this was a big Thanksgiving trip for them.

Tanner and Jesse both went to the reception for the whole time and helped cleared tables and take coats. I love these pictures and I know they are all so similar, but bear with me. I don't get to see them enjoying each other too many times.

Sarah, Rachel and our cousin, Shannon Crosby

Josh and Bev

Bev and Tika

Megan Crosby and Esther

Marc and Bev

I had to take this picture. Mason and Esther are both naturally blonde. Esther showed up Thanksgiving morning with brunette hair, and Mason colored his for Halloween to be Edgar Allen Poe and it never came out. So here are the rebellious cousins who drastically changed their hair!

Jesse's new thing is to have really big eyes in pictures.

Finally, the bride and groom.

Mason and Sasha Sullivan

The cousins - Marc, Jessica, Madalyn and Abby

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-27T16:40:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was so much fun this year. I have so much to be thankful for! After the race, we came back to Mom's house in Lindon, and I was supposed to cook the turkey, but I crashed on the couch. Uncle Robert and Dad saved the day and got the Turkey going and dinner started. We had a full house for dinner. Aunt Sara and Uncle Robert with Mason and his new bride Sasha, and Andy; Uncle Joe, Aunt Lee and Zina with her friend; plus Josh's family, Mary's family, Tika, Sarah, and all of my crew. It was great fun. After dinner, we learned a new game called times up. Zina taught it to us. They play it all the time at the Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant. It's a combination of Charades and Catch Phrase.
We stayed up late at night and visited with Sara, Dad, Uncle Robert and Sasha and Mason.

Aunt Lee and Andy Sullivan

Aunt Lee, Dad, and Uncle Robert

The turkey was still frozen on the bottom, so it took longer than planned to get it cooked, but it all ended well, and there weren't any leftovers.

Tanner and Jesse

The big table Dad had custom made is really great for Thanksgiving dinner!

Abby and Marc

Spencer and Marc

Greg and Tika

I took about 15 pictures of Sarah. I think she is beautiful!

Uncle Robert playing "Times Up" and being Colonel Klink.

I also think that my Aunt Sara is beautiful. When I grow up, I want to be like her.

I am so grateful for my family, my life, my husband, and my children.

Thanksgiving Run

2009-12-27T16:15:00.000-08:00

The Udall tradition since I was little, is to get up and participate in the Turkey Run organized and done in Orem. Now all my kids participate in it and for the first time ever, the kids were really excited to do it. Abby ran in the 1/2 mile race, Spencer ran the mile race, and Tanner, Greg, Jesse and I ran the four mile run. You can tell from the pictures that Esther and Cameron, Sarah, Tika, and Josh's family all participated in the event too. Mom had her knee replaced and was unable to run this year, so she and Dad stayed at the house and got dinner ready with Uncle Robert and Sara.

You can tell from the pictures that we had to get up early, and the sun wasn't up yet. We laughed about all the reflective gear and the way it shined with the flash!

It was a great event. We discovered that all of our kids are really good runners! YIPEE! We couldn't keep up with Spencer. They all did great. Esther and I finished in 28 minutes, Spencer and Abby both won a pie, and Jesse beat both Tanner and Greg.

RJHS Christmas Concert

2009-12-27T15:34:00.000-08:00

We had the annual Christmas Concert for RJHS on Tuesday, December 8th. I am taking my advanced orchestra class to St. George to the Music Educators Conference in February, and they wanted a picture for the brochure of events. So, right before the concert, my friend Steve Puro, came and took the picture of the class.

He then stayed for the rest of the concert and took these great pictures. I was also asked to send in a picture of me, and I was just going to send in the school photo, but he took one of me too. Thanks Steve!

You can see Jesse in one of the pictures of the orchestra performance. He is right in the center on violin. The orchestra played really good, and the night was a success.

Christmas Pictures

2009-12-27T15:24:00.000-08:00

Here are my attempts at getting a good picture for the Christmas Card. The kids were finally willing to participate, but just wanted to be goofy!

Enchanted Forest

2009-12-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

Every year, Roosevelt puts together an event called the Enchanted Forest. It is basically decorated Christmas Trees and wreaths. Some are up for bid and others are up just for display.

I was asked to get students to play at the Enchanted Forest the last week in November. I offered lots of extra credit points, and tried to make it the sweetest deal ever, but I couldn't get any violin players to come. So I grabbed my two boys and off we went. When we got there, I ended up having enough students to play and it went really good. Thanks boys for filling in, and for playing.

Third Grade Program

2009-11-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

Abby had her school program on November 20th. I really had mixed emotions about it all. This is the last elementary program I will attend with my children. They are growing up so big and so fast!

She has made a new friend named Jade Reary. They have become fast friends, as they are in the same class.

The Elementary School had an artist come teach the children for three weeks about the life and culture of the Polynesian islands.

Early Morning Sunrise

2009-11-26T21:30:00.000-08:00

These pictures don't do any justice to the beautiful sunrise Greg and i saw the other day while out running. We get to run together in the mornings and have seen some beautiful sunrises. On this particular morning, the clouds were bright white, with the planet - not sure which one- poking out between. Then the sky started getting orange. The world really is beautiful in the mornings!

Spencer Gets his Cub Scout Arrow of Light

2009-11-26T21:21:00.000-08:00

The theme for pack meeting this week was Heros. So the pack leader, Philip Armstrong, asked a bunch of people to dress up as heros. We had 5 young boys earn their arrow of light. Spencer was the only one not in uniform, because he out grew it a few months ago, and I don't want to buy a new one for just a few months.

Tanner dressed up as a Lamanite "stripling warrior." The evening was really great. The boys have worked really hard to earn their award.

After the night was over, we headed to USU to take dinner to Greg.

Utah ASTA workshop - Park City November 7

2009-11-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

I was able to take 9 of my favorite and most talented students to a day of workshops in Park City last Saturday. Kyle Felkins, Lindsey LeBaron, Tylene Puro, Krystin Anderson, Hannah Larsen, Tyler Powell, Jesse Jorgensen, Jesse Wheeler, and Tanner Wheeler. It was great fun. I saw my former orchestra teachers and conductors, and got lots of good ideas for teaching. The students even loved it!

Halloween Bunny

2009-11-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

Tanner didn't dress up at all, and Jesse was busy fishing. Spencer announced for about a month he wasn't going to dress up for Halloween, so the only costume I got this year was for Abby. (Although Spencer ended up throwing something together to go out with his friends.)

Abby really wanted to be a bunny for Halloween. I thought it was great because it was a very simple costume, and now she has some new sweats! We really didn't trick or treat for very long. We walked around the neighborhood and took the Paulsen's dog with us for a while. The poor thing was wearing a shock collar. As we were walking, we discovered another house with an electric shocking fence. Again I say, poor Wally. We couldn't figure out what was wrong with him! He just started yelping and screaming! Really..... screaming. He finally just curled into a ball and laid in the middle of the road. I finally had to carry him and we took him home.

After being out getting treats, we headed to the Williams and taught Ben and Jodi how to play Canasta. It was great fun.

Halloween Fishing

2009-11-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

Greg and Jesse got up early on Halloween morning to go fishing. Funny story though.......
Greg went out Friday night and started the boat. To do that not in water, you have to hook up the hose and have water running full time connected to the engine. Well, it's been a little cold lately, so when he went out in the morning, he found that he forgot to unhook the hose. So the hose was frozen to the engine. Greg then got my hair dryer out and proceeded to heat up the hose to thaw it out.

Finally they were underway to Strawberry. Funny story though.....
Greg launched the boat onto Strawberry Lake and left Jesse in the boat. He parked the car and trailer and went down to the lake to get on the boat and found that he had forgotten to put the plug in the boat, so it was filling up with water. He then had to get out of the boat, get the car and trailer, load the boat again, and then bring it up out of the water to drain. It finally drained and they were good to go.

You can tell from the pictures that the two of them had a great time. They didn't get home until late. Way after half of the trick or treaters were gone.

Carving the pumpkins

2009-11-10T07:10:00.000-08:00

On the 30th of October, I came home from school (teachers had to go in for meetings) and first thing I was asked, "Can't we carve the pumpkins now?" So we dove into the pumpkins. We recruited the neighbor, Lacey Hancock to help and she was able to get hers carved too. It was great fun! SLIMY, but fun!

2009 Halloween Concert

2009-10-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
It never really is Halloween time until the concert is over for me. This year, the 10th annual Halloween concert was held on October 21st. It was a smashing success. We held the second annual fund raising auction before the concert and had a so many donations and raised over $3000 for the students to use towards their trip to California this coming April.

The theme this year really didn't come together until late. (I usually have the script written by Christmas the following year) But this year I really wanted to tone it down and make the concert more "low key." I haven't dressed up as the queen mummy for years, so it was time to get the costume out of the closet. Chris Dye dressed up as my assistant and had a "lab" of test tubes and science equipment. So, the theme came together that she was searching for a cure for the swine flu. One joke of the night was "What is the difference between the bird flu and the swine flu? The bird flu you need tweetment and the swine flu you need oinkment." Chris or "Ethyl" as we call her on stage, had coke and mentos going the whole night, plus dry ice and water, and fake blood in the test tubes. She ended up drinking about one liter of Coke and downing 15 mentos. I was worried about her stomach after the concert. It was a great night and a huge success. The kids performed well and all loved the 50 minute concert! It also helps that I didn't even lose one night of sleep over the concert this year!

I had the camera all ready for pictures, and my plan was to get pictures of Jesse and I at the concert, but as you can see it didn't happen. This picture is of Chris Dye and I as we were goofing off on stage. Chris is the heart of the Halloween Concert. Without her, it would never be pulled off! It was taken by Craig Ashby from the local newspaper.

My Silly Girl

2009-10-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

Abby was determined to pose on this little wall that marks an entrance to a nearby neighborhood. She really wanted to pose with her new friends Chloe and Madison Elliott. So, on a beautiful fall day a few weeks ago, we finally got out there and took pictures.

New Piano for RMS

2009-10-13T06:45:00.001-07:00

Rachel Miles, Carson Goodrich, Joseph Beals, Me, Kaytlynn Hackford
Four of my orchestra students at the Middle School with the new piano.

A few weeks ago I mentioned to a friend, Korinne Hullinger that my piano at the Middle School was constantly having trouble. The keys would stick, some of them wouldn't play and it just was always getting repaired. I really don't have time and never will have time to mess with a piano! In my opinion they should just work.

She suggested that I start saving money and she would see what she could do. I figured it would be a few years before I actually got a new piano. Well a week later, she came to my office at the Junior High and said she had found the perfect piano. It was only $3000 and did I think I could find the money for that? I had some money saved from summer orchestra camp, but not enough. Later that afternoon, I took a student to the front office, and while there saw a friend, Kim Harding. He has helped with different projects in the past, so I told him about the piano issue. He asked how much money I needed and was ready to write a check for the remaining money I needed for the piano. I called Korinne back and told her to get to the piano sale and claim the piano she had picked out.

When we went to pick out the piano and fill out the paper work, another doner came through, so we all just ended up paying $1000 each.

I felt so overwhelmed with gratitute for the people in this community who are so willing to help out and keep the orchestra program alive. I have so much support and people who come out of the woodwork to help. It is amazingly awesome!

Top of Utah Marathon - September 19, 2009

2009-09-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

Something I have always wanted to do was run a marathon with Greg. I can honestly say that Greg has never had that burning desire, but he went through all the training and ran a marathon with me! Last weekend we checked the kids out of school after lunch and headed to Logan. It was kind of tense in the car because Greg had arranged a meeting with his doctorate commitee at 4:00, which I either didn't hear about, or we didn't communicate to each other, and we were running late. We did get him there in time. His meeting went really good and he is excited about his doctorate again! Yeah! After the meeting, we went to the Marriott and got the marathon packets. Greg's sister Julie and her husband Dave also ran the marathon along with Dan, Angie's husband. So we picked up all five packets and then headed back to the Spach's home for a great pasta dinner and a fun night getting ready to run at 4:30 am - along with putting 14 children in bed! (Julie and Dave were so great to put us all up!)

In the morning we got up and headed to the busses for the starting line. I didn't sleep at all the night before because I had a horrible head cold I'm sure I inherited from my lovely students. But, we all ran. It was fun waiting in line together and visiting. Then we started running. As we ran, we met up with Eva Gillespie from Roosevelt who now lives in Logan, and also with David Sam - I think that is his name - another professor from USU UBBC. It was a great run and great fun to run it with Greg. I finished in 3:54:48.50 - 35th in my age and category. I left Greg the last half mile and he finished in 3:55:52.94. It was great fun! Good job Greg!

I'll try to get a picture on here of the race, but as you can imagine, we were both running and the kids were at the house, so we didn't have anyone taking pictures.

Abby

2009-09-21T20:49:00.001-07:00

My kids love to play on my computer. I don't know where they find it, but they have found the picture taking on the computer and love to play with it. Here is the latest of Abby.

Yard update

2009-09-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

My sister Martha asked me to take pictures of the house after we have landscaped all summer. If you remember, we had a 6 foot hedge around the yard and house. We took out the hedge, and put in a new sprinkler system. New sod, a basketball court, patio out back, fruit trees in the garden, a new fence for the back yard and shade trees.

What you see now is how it will look until next summer at least. The funds are DRY! But it has been a huge accomplishment! This is what we did all summer!

What a crazy mom I am. Tanner turned 15 on the 8th of September and this is the only picture I have of the event. I can not believe that he is so old. He is staying after school tomorrow to take the drivers permit test. AGGGHHH! It seems like it was just yesterday that Uncle Dave broke his balloon and he cried in his stroller. Where has the time gone? He is such a good son and I am so pleased to call him mine. He is so talented on the cello and is so easy to get along with. He is liked by everyone! I love him!

Labor Day 2009

2009-09-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

Any one know what kind of bug this is? Jesse found two in his bed.

For Labor day, after the 5 mile run, and the 5 mile bike ride, and Cameron did his bike ride, plus Esther went on a second bike ride with Cameron, we headed to the lake. It was a little cold, but great fun. We all got in the water and played. Although that first just was a chiller! Cameron showed us all up on the wake board, and Esther and I skiied. Greg got out on the wakeboard. Even Abby tried the Knee board until she got wet!!! HEHEHE

Rachel Skiing

Spencer on the kneeboard

Abby driving????

Go Cameron!

Jesse, Spencer, Tanner, Rach with a little of Abby's head.

Cameron getting ready for a jump.

Greg on the board.

Lunch!

Cool Cam!

Abby not quite all the way wet and still smiling - she wasn't smiling for long. (She got wet)

Esther being thrown in. Quite entertaining!

After unpacking from the lake, the boys played basketball in the back til Esther and Cameron left. It was so much fun having them stay. Cameron is just like having another teenager in the house and the boys loved it!

Up Whiterocks Canyon September 6, 2009

2009-09-21T19:44:00.001-07:00

After church, we made tin foil dinners and gathered wood and headed up Whiterocks canyon. We had a campfire, cooked dinner, played games, cooked smores, and basically goofed off. The boys had a Sprite drinking contest, and Tanner, Cameron and Jesse played frisbee. Jesse did take his fishing pole, but didn't even get a bite. It was a great evening!

The newest member of the Church!

Abby Baptism - Spetember 5, 2009

2009-09-21T15:18:00.000-07:00

Abby was so excited to get baptized. We had a lot of family come share the special day with us. Grandma and Grandpa Udall came up for the day with Tika and Sarah. Esther and Cameron came along with Josh and Beverly Udall with all their children. Erin also came with her two children, Edward and Cecelia. On Greg's side of the family, Angie and Dan Jeske came to the baptism with their four cute children. At the baptism, the bishop came along with the primary president, Kim Hyde, and our neighbors, Crystal Cox came with her daughter.

It was a great day for her. Greg gave a talk on baptism and I spoke on the Holy Ghost. She was the only child in our ward to be baptized that day, so our family organized the whole program. Jesse and Spencer gave the prayers and Tanner led the music. Esther played the piano.

After the baptism and confirmation, we came back to the house and had a huge dinner. I felt like I cooked forever, but everything was eaten! It was great fun to have everyone come!

Dan and Angie with their children, along with Esther and Cameron, ended up staying with us for the evening and thencoming to church with us on Sunday. The Jeske's left after sacrament meeting.

Wasps

2009-09-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

Jesse with a third of the wasp nest

Brandon and Tanner

At the end of August, we found a huge wasp hive in our outside basement entrance. The boys were telling their scout leader about it and one night Brandon Griffin and his dad, Russel, (the scout leader) came over with their bee gear. They raise bees and harvest the honey. So, they put the gear on and went to work. The first night they sprayed it with wasp spray and then they knocked it down the next night. Tanner had to get up on stilts to get it down. It was huge! Jesse is holding just a third of the wasp nest in the picture. It was full of larve and smelled really rotten! The larve hatched a few days later in the garage, but they didn't survive!

Abby turns 8!

2009-09-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

For Abby this year we had a family party. She was so excited to be baptized, so we focused on that day. Both grandma's came through for her with an American Girl doll named Kit, and some cash. She loved it and had a great day!

First day of School

2009-09-21T15:03:00.001-07:00

Abby loves to pose for pictures! This is the first day of school. So far, it has been the last day that we were all up and ready with time to spare in the morning before the bus comes so we could take pictures. It's funny how it just gets harder and harder to wake up!
Jesse is now in 8th grade, Abby is in 3rd, Spencer is in 5th and Tanner is in 9th - a freshman at the High School!
This is a great picture we took the Sunday before school started. August 24th. Notice that Abby isn't in the picture? We found lice in her hair on the 23rd. So she stayed home from church and I fought the nits and went through her hair twice a day. It took hours, but the stupid bugs are all gone!

Cub Scouts - Rain Gutter Regatta

2009-09-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hunter Mitchell showing off his boat.

In August, we had the big Cub Scout Rain gutter regatta. The scouts make a boat and then blow it down a rain gutter filled with water in races. The boys had fun. Spencer glued a scorpion to the front of his boat. Here's a hint though, for all of you who will do this in the future. Don't use water based glued to attach the rutter. It will fall off in the water!

Esther becomes Esther Patch

2009-08-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

Rachel and Esther - Draper Temple

Yep, Esther is now Mrs. Patch. We are so happy and excited for her. The temple ceremony was beautiful and the day was great for the reception. I didn't get any good pictures of Cameron and Esther, but I figured the photographer would get some of those. It was a fun day.

Rachel and Priscilla Deaver (my older sister who lives in North Carolina)

All of the sisters with Esther. On the back row is Erin Udall (Married to Caleb), Beverly Udall (married to Josh), Rachel, Sarah Udall. Front row is Tika, Mary Kempton, Esther, Priscilla and Martha.

Esther with some of the nieces and Nephews. Tanner is on the end holding Edward Udall.
Left to right is.... Cecelia Udall, Aaron Rawlings, Rebekah Rawlings, Emma Deaver, Megan Udall, Madlyn Udall, Marc Udall, Jacob Udall, Esther with Sariah Kempton on her lap, Jessica Udall, Rachel Rawlings with Matthew Rawlings on her lap, Caroline Deaver, Elizabeth Kempton, and Tanner holding Edward. Whew! I think I got them all!

This is my first cousin Andrew Sullivan with his mother Aunt Sara and her husband Robert Henderson.

I was holding Edward for Erin.

This is Grandma Udall with her great grand children at the luncheon that followed the temple ceremony. Emma Deaver, Cecelia Udall, Marc Udall, Grandma, Jacob Udall with Matthew Rawlings, Megan Udall with Elizabeth Kempton. Front Row: Madalyn Udall with Sariah Kempton, and Tanner with Jessica Udall and Rachel Rawlings.

Sarah my favorite skiing buddy and I

Tanner and Rachel Rawlings

Esther with Grandma Udall

Martha with her baby, Matthew Rawlings

Jacob and Marc Udall with esther

Bev, Esther, and I

Tanner and Esther

Jesse and my Mom at the reception

Rachel and Mom

After pictures, we left the reception to feed everyone and ended up at Taco Time.

Esther and Dad dancing, and Cameron dancing with his mother.

Greg and Abby Dancing

Jacob and Spencer

Jessica, Abby, Jacob and Spencer

Way to go Tanner!

Friday morning after the wedding, Priscilla, Mom, Martha and I went to a session in the AF temple. It was a great experience. Martha lives in Scotts Bluff NE, and Cilla lives in Elizabeth City North Carolina, so they were excited to be able to attend the temple so easily. I was thrilled to be able to go to a session with them. What a great blessing family is!

Our trip to Louisiana

2009-08-15T15:34:00.000-07:00

LOUISIANA!
Well, this is a huge post. It took me forever to post all of the pictures, but I didn't want to leave anything out of our trip. I did edit the pictures, so you know, and there are a whole bunch more I could have put on here!

On August 2nd after church, Tika came to our house to stay with Spencer and Abby. Greg and I along with Tanner and Jesse got into the car and drove to Denver. We saw Jeff and spent the night there. In the morning, we got up and went shopping around Denver. Tanner and Jesse got most of their school shopping done and that is good. We had a flight out of the Denver airport at 6:00 PM, so we headed to the airport and waited for the flight. When we got to Dallas, we checked into our hotel and went to bed. In the moring we got up and headed to Six Flags over Arlington. Conveniently located a block from our hotel. It was great fun! But it was SO HOT! That humidity is crazy! Even after getting soaked on the water rides, you are still hot! The day was great. We called it about dinner time and loaded the car and drove that night to Hodge Louisiana.

Greg and Jesse after the water ride, Aqua Man, and waiting for the next splash.

The bat moblie!

After arriving in Hodge, we had a great reunion with Elder and Sister Wheeler - Grandma and Grandpa. It was awesome. The next morning we slept in and then headed to Natchitoches, an area outside of the Mission boundaries, but the missionaries got permission to go with us. It is a beautiful city where Greg spent four months of his mission and one of the places he always talks about. I have always wanted to go there! It was hot there too! FYI - Steel Magnolias was filmed in the city.

Also in Natchitoches, there is an alligator park, so of course we went!

The signs said specifically not to feed the alligators, but as you can see, Elder Wheeler missed the six different signs. I don't know how because they were posted everywhere. You can see Elder Wheeler was dropping quarters and the two alligators in the picture above were catching the coins.

There was a feeding show for the alligators. You can see the worker's feet behind some small wire, while the alligators all came in for dinner. I posted a video at the bottom of this post, so you can see them eat. It was crazy. The water was so dirty and you couldn't see any of them at all, and then they came out to feed them and about 30 popped out of the murky water. It was nuts! The guy would hook raw chicken onto the clothes line and then dangle it over the water. then the gators would all come and try to get it. I wouldn't be doing that and be the one with the chicken! I am way too chicken!

Baby Gator

Our Rental Car

The next day, Thursday, we drove down to Vicksburg to the Civil War memorial. We stopped after crossing the Mississippi River, and then drove a little through the city. There are great homes in Vicksburg. We had dinner in one of the older homes that was converted into a restaurant. We drove and drove and drove all over the state!

Tanner is excited he is crossed the Mississippi River.

We spent a few hours in Vicksburg - the national park and the memorial site of the Civil War battle. It was really amazing.

This is Greg and Grandma coming out of the tunnel the Union Forces dug to get to the other side of the hill without being fired upon by the rebels.

This is the iron side ship Cairo that was sunk in the Mississippi River during the battle. It was raised from the River bed and put in the Memorial Park.

Jesse felt this trash can was very important and insisted on a picture. Vicksburg is no longer on the Mississippi river, but on the Wazoo river. The boys loved that name!

Rach - With President Lincoln and Jefferson Davis.
It was a memorial from the state of Kentucky where both men were born.

They had seen enough and were starting their own civil war. Time for dinner and to move on!

Elder and Sister Wheeler at O'Charleys in Hattiesburg Thursday evening. After dinner, we found a hotel and spent the night. In the morning, we headed down to the gulf coast, and to Biloxi beach.

There isn't a surf on Biloxi beach. I still don't quite understand why, but there aren't consistent waves. The waves were closer to lake powell waves then the ocean. We all got in and swam, except for the missionaries. It was shallow for a long time. I suspect from the lack of surf. In fact, if you can see the wave runners in the distance, we walked farther out than that and it just came up to our chest. While we were standing far out in the Gulf, Greg got stung by something. We think it was a jelly fish.

We found this great sea creature. It's called some sort of crab, but really isn't in the crab family. I can't remember the name.

I love this picture
I really pictured the beach would be crowded, but it wasn't. The gulf was pretty wiped out from the hurricane Katrina. We used our GPS to find somewhere to eat. We entered "Wendy's" and it took us to a great looking foundation. Even though the hurricane was a while ago, you could still see rubble, and see how it hurt businesses there. It's sad to see.

After playing on the beach for a few hours, we packed it up and headed back to Jonesboro / Hodge. It was about a 6 hour drive, so it took the rest of the day. On Saturday when we got up, Elder and Sister Wheeler had arranged with the branch to do a service project, so we helped out. They were working on a neighbor's home to clean it up. It was pretty nasty! And we just touched the surface. If you want to know more about it call and i will give you all the gory details. Needless to say, we became aquainted with spiders, roaches, and the good old Southern sticky cobwebs!

That evening, we headed to the lake house where Elder and Sister Wheeler stayed for the first three weeks of their mission. We played on the lake in the paddle boat and Jesse and Grandpa fished nonstop! This spider was there to greet us at the Lake house when we got there. That was about the size of spider I found on my neck during the service project! EEEKKK!

The lake house and boat house from the view of being on the lake.

Can you see the big fish Grandpa caught?

On the way home, we spotted an armadillo on the side of the road and Grandpa, Jesse and Tanner jumped out to chase it. Those things move fast! We finally got to see one up close and personal sunday morning as one had been hit and run over right by the house! The boys were thrilled!

Tanner and Jesse with the Missionaries cats.

Attending the branch where Jim and Sandy serve was the highlight for me. You can see in the faces of the branch members how much they love them and how grateful they were to have them there to serve. It was so great! I loved attending church there. Jesse helped pass the sacrament to the 35 people that were there. There is just as much visiting as there is a lesson, and no one is really saying - ok we need to get started so we can have a lesson. They all just want to help each other and be part of each others lives. I loved it!

One of the members is a neice to Gwen Sprouse - a widow in our ward. Small world in the church! It was just fantastic! That evening we participated in a fireside given by Elder and Sister Wheeler. We had to get up Monday at 4:00 am to pack up the car and start the drive back to Dallas to catch our flight to Denver. After arriving in Denver, we stopped by Jeff's house again and Lacey was there with the kids, so we stayed for about an hour and then headed home. It was a long day. We arrived back in Roosevelt at 9:30 that night.

Greg said the trip brought back so many memories from his mission. He loved the whole trip. We only travelled to the one area where he served, and things have changed a bunch in the last 20 years, but it was good to be there.

Lake Powell 09

2009-08-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

Marc, Josh's youngest son. I think I have the most pictures of him because you could aim the camera, say his name and he would give you a big smile! Quite cute!

Lake Powell this year was great fun. We had one day in between the Seven Peaks / Bridal Shower trip, to come home, pack do laundry again, and then leave again!
This year Mom and Dad came of course, along with Josh and Bev and their five children - Megan, Madalyn, Jacob, Jessica and Marc; The Wheelers, minus Greg; Rebekah - Martha's daughter (my sister); Joseph and Camilla - Priscilla's oldest two (another sister of mine); Plus Tika (my non-biological sister we really have to be clear with that point, because everyone keeps getting it mixed up), and Sarah - my great skiing sister.

It was a great week. The weather got stormy every afternoon, and the weather over all was really cool compared to previous trips we have taken, but that didn't stop any of us from getting in the water and having a great time. We spent the week hiking, water skiing, knee-boarding, fishing, and going on the paddle boat. Tika is ready for the tubing olympics! We even had 6 on the tube at one time. Plus we ate and ate and ate! Sarah had us all up early to be the first on the lake and to get the good water for skiing. What a trip!

Jessica

Rebekah

Marc

Abby and Rach
We got this great hat for Abby and she didn't have any sun problems with her face all week!

Jessica

Josh Hiking up the hill

Bev and Marc hiking down. That is our house boat down in the cove

Spencer

King of the tube

Dad - the captain

Josh and Bev

Jesse, the only one who would shampoo all week with me.

Tika - Don't you see the family resemblence?

Mom

Jesse and Joseph

Spencer cleaning up the windows

Jesse - Greg took the boys to Savers, and Jesse came back with this winner beach shirt!

Abby and Marc on the hill

July 24th - Seven Peaks

2009-08-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

Jordan, Tanner, Jonny, Jesse and Jeffrey

Some times I feel like this blog is just a travel log, but I guess since I am putting it together, it can be whatever I want it to be. We do other daily things too, but lately we have been with family and having reunions all over the country, so that is what will be noted!

On the evening of July 23rd, we met the Spach family at Brick Oven in Provo and had a great dinner. Following the dinner, we had a bridal shower for my sister Esther. Julie came with her little ones, and Greg took the older boys out to the movies. (Harry Potter)

Then the next day on the 24th, we met them at Seven Peaks. It was a great day and not very crowded! Greg made me go down every slide, which was good, and fun, but sometimes a little bruising! I had such a good visit with Julie! We haven't talked and chatted for such a long time! It was great. Her kids are growing just like mine are and they had a blast together. Megan Udall and Camilla Deaver also joined us at the park.

One of the crazy things about the park was running into Roosevelt friends - Brad and Camille Jenkins and Jill and James Ross (on our ragnar team). We also had a great visit. I also saw some old family friends - Camille, Meridith, and Stephanie Davis, with their children.

After the park, we headed to the Udall house for a BBQ with the rest of the Udall family, and the Spachs and more swimming of course!

Jeffery and Jesse

Jeffrey, Jordan, Annie, and Abby

Greg and Julie
Somehow i missed pictures of Lizzie and Jacob, Julie and Dave's youngest two. Sorry.

Abby and Annie

Oquirrh Temple Open House

2009-08-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

Did I fool you into thinking there would be pictures of the temple? Sorry. I just forgot to get the camera out on the temple grounds to take pictures.
On July 23rd, we drove down to the open house for a 9:00 am tour. That is really early when you live 2.5 hours away! I had been told that we didn't need to dress up in Sunday clothes, so we just went in "school" clothes. I should have known better. It is a temple after all! So we were the only ones not dressed appropriately and therefore, the true investigators of the church! The temple was beautiful and had a wonderful spirit in it. The kids really enjoyed it and it was a great memory making activity!

When we finished, Greg suggested we go to the copper mine since we were so close. I remembered the camera there! That mine was fantastic. I stood in awe at the amount of dirt and rock that has been moved and will yet be moved. It was fascinating to watch the big trucks! My Uncle David used to come to Utah from Pennsylvania to visit, and I remember he would go to the mine. I always thought it a little different. But now I know why! That place is really cool! We had a great day!

This is one of the tires used on the trucks to haul off the dirt. HUGE!

Painting Spencers Room

2009-08-15T13:46:00.001-07:00

I had two painting projects this summer, and they both got done. One was painting the porch swing. It was supposed to be orange, but ended up more of a golden rod yellow. I still love it though! The second one was Spencer's room. Here is the finished product.

Finally I got all of the wall paper off, and we were able to paint! I had the hardest time getting the last of the Wallpaper paste off the wall! I asked lots of friends and got a little help, but when I finally went to the paint store, they had the perfect solution! If you take a primer / sealant, paint it on top of the last bits of paste, the walls will be just fine! Yeah! So we went at the walls. It took all day and all four kids wanted to help me. Which was great, but sometimes it was a little crazy. Finally it is all done! All of the wallpaper in my house is off the walls!

Hogle Zoo

2009-07-26T15:38:00.001-07:00

One of the goals I set for this summer was to take Abby to the Zoo. The last time I took Abby to the Zoo, she was under a year old. We did go a few years ago to the Omaha Zoo, but it has been a while. So, I jumped in the car and took her to the zoo. I had anticipated an Abby day, with just she and I, but she really wanted to have her cousins come, so we all went. It was a great day and lots of fun!

Jake Udall

Jessica, Abby and Madalyn

Fourth of July

2009-07-26T15:28:00.001-07:00

Happy Fourth of July!
Greg, Tanner, and i got up early and ran in the Neola Half Marathon in the morning. Then we rushed home, showered and drove fast back to Neola to play in the parade. Jesse was supposed to play with us and run, but woke up that morning with a fever. Josh Dye, Jesse Jorgensen, Tanner and i played in the parade. All of Chris and Kyle Dye's grand children, plus two of the Weaver children, and our two other Wheelers rode on the trailer and threw out candy. They had so much candy to throw! Jordy Dye was also going to join us on the trailer, but his wife was in the hospital with a new baby and he stayed with her.
After the parade, we stayed at Kyle and Chris Dyes home for dinner and fun all afternoon. it was great to see everyone - especially our good friends, Jared and Britney Dye who have moved to Alaska.

Later that evening, we went home and had another BBQ with the neighbors - the Jorgensens, the Paulsens, and the Wilsons. It was a great day and full of lots of visiting, eating, and playing! That night, all four families brought out all of our fireworks and we lit them off. We had to even close the road!

cloves anyone?

2009-07-18T13:32:00.001-07:00

I have been cleaning out my cupboards and had to laugh at the amount of cloves I found in them. When Sarah came to watch the kids while we were in California, she warned me of my clove problem, but I didn't realize how bad it was at the time. If you were wondering, the problem has been remedied. (greg made me throw some away)
We also found three bottles of Season All. As of today I almost have half of my cupboards cleaned out in the kitchen. It was a much bigger job than I first anticipated, but it is so rewarding to have it done. I do know where every thing is in my kitchen, and now have empty cupboards. I even deep cleaned the fridge and all is well, including the space behind it! Yeah!

Missoula Children's Theater

2009-07-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

The Missoula Children's theater traveling group came to Roosevelt June 22-27th. It was the same week we had our stake's girls camp and also the same week Beverly (my sister in law) had her girl's camp. So, instead of going on the fourth year hike like I usually do, I stayed in town with four extra kids and worked at the Junior High for the theater. It was great fun. The kids auditioned on Monday and then performed the play "The adventures of Robinson Crusoe" twice on Saturday. It was great fun! Spencer and Jake were members of the frowny face tribe, Jessica and Abby were Chameleons, and Madalyn was Stella the Stork. You can see Jake in the first picture - he is in the front with an orange wig on. Spencer is on the back row with the white wig. Abby is on the front row dressed as a chameleon. She doesn't have the big eyes. Jessica is on the back row.

This is the whole cast.

The kids went to a makeup workshop, and they picked Spencer to experiment on. Here he is showing off his tiger face. Abby thought she learned so much, that she experimented on Marc and herself. Don't they look great? It was a great week!

The Wasatch Back June 19-20, 2009

2009-07-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

Imagine 188 miles of running from Logan to Park City in 27 hours, throw in 12 great friends in two cars, and you get the Wasatch Back, Ragnar Relay race. We are the "Red Hot Chili Steppers" team #56.

I'm telling you, this was the best team in the world and the funnest race I have ever run. I loved every minute of it! We had the best runners in our van, and just laughed the whole night. We came in 65th out of 450? teams. We passed a lot of runners and just kept going.
The team members were, Bert Wolfley, Esther Udall, Lacey Wheeler, Liz Snow, Kara White, Greg Wheeler, Rachel Wheeler, Jill Ross, Kim Mason, Shasta Mitchell, Sheela Mitchell, and James White. What a fun time! We are already signed up for next year!

Greg ran the 11th leg. He was waiting here at the top of the "Ragnar" for Esther to arrive and hand off the slap bracelet. Yep, it was raining. Greg then got to run down the ski hills of Deer Valley and then passed off to Bert who finished up for us.

Esther running up the Ragnar in the rain!

I really look like Esther in this picture. I ran the bottom half of the Ragnar. The Ragnar was the steepest and biggest climb of the race. This is me waiting for my turn. I usually don't use a hat, but I was so glad I did because of the pouring rain. But, the rain was great for me. It kept the dust down, and made it not so hot. Great Fun!

Bert discovered Chili Chocolate while in the store in Heber. It tastes really good and was great for the team spirit! Bert kept us all eating well!

Esther showing off the great car decorations!

Liz Snow after her run. She was all smiles for the whole race. We loved having her in the car with us. She joined us last minute as Sarah, my sister decided to run the Colorado river instead of running the race.

Lacey and Bert waiting for the hand off from Liz.

Esther reading the Twilight series. (Last year it was Portuguese Scriptures!) LOL!

Bert and Lacey doing the sibling bonding in the car. They definitely traveled the most to join us for the race. Bert lives in Star Valley Wyoming, and Lacey lives in Denver.

Greg and I by the car. Did i mention that it wouldn't start after we took our long break in Heber? We had to ask another team parked next to us to jump the car. Then we didn't dare turn it off until we got home in Roosevelt. We had Chili lights on the top of the car, and then driving all night and looking at maps, used the battery too much. Always exciting with the Wheelers! We did get it going in time to catch up to Liz thank goodness!

New Sod

2009-07-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

Spencer, Abby, and Lacey eating.

Jesse and Jesse

Audrey Muir and Rachel Williams

We finally got the sod ordered, delivered, and installed. It was a great day with lots of friends and neighbors helping. We thought the sod would be delivered in the afternoon, but as it was, it came first thing in the morning. So we got the job done! Yeah! We have grass again!

Mission Companion

2009-07-15T15:46:00.001-07:00

Bob Walters, one of Greg's mission companions, came to Roosevelt to visit family, and called us for a visit. It was a great surprise! We had a wonderful time getting to know Bishop Walters, and Greg and Bob going over all the crazy things they did in the mission field. Wow, did I ever learn about some great stories! I don't know if it was all that great for our boys to hear, but I guess they already know who their dad really is!

The fourth tallest Wheeler

2009-07-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

The worst news of the summer is the announcement that Jesse is taller than me! Can you believe it? He really had to do some steep talking to get me to believe him. Now here is the picture to prove it. I guess i am the fourth tallest Wheeler in the family now.

Greg the High Councelor

2009-06-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

Greg was ordained to be a stake High Counselor at Stake Conference about a month ago. Today was his first speaking assignment, and who did he ask to speak with him? All of the Wheelers. No joke! He even had Abby speak in Sacrament Meeting. It was in the Roosevelt 12th ward - the singles ward. The kids did a really good job. They weren't too happy with their dad last night as we were going over talks and dealing with tired eyes, but today, they let their testimonies shine. We even played the musical number in church. Tanner played his cello, Jesse and I played the violin and one of our friends, Emily Eddington, joined us on the cello also. We played "If you Could Hie to Kolob." It seemed like a "Wheeler Show" - which I have been accused of "seeking" the spotlight lately. So, I was a bit worried, but it went well.

Abby spoke about prayer, Spencer talked about eternal families, Jesse spoke about being an example, and Tanner spoke about being Grateful. All of the kids except Abby, grabbed a previous talk and used it again for today. Abby used new fresh material. Greg really is a good speaker and I enjoyed listening to his thoughts. One of his thoughts was that our life after this world will reflect our desire and goals as we try to live like Heavenly Father now. In other words, if we truly seek for the kingdom and strive to be like Jesus, because of the Atonement, we will live with him again. It really depends on our heart and the desires of our heart. It was a good talk.

Webelos Woods

2009-06-14T16:59:00.001-07:00

I got to spend most of yesterday with Spencer and his cub scout troop at Webelos Woods. It was great fun! The boys, Daniel Richards, Caiden Armstrong, Spencer Paulsen, Spencer Wheeler, and the leader Sean Paulsen, graciously posed for a picture just as the activity ended.

Here is proof that boys do listen and sit still once in a while.

Sean and Spencer Paulsen working on the leather slide we made at one of the stations.
Yep, that is my Spencer. They are always being silly!

ReAl Soccer

2009-06-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

After the buggy bus ride Saturday on June 6th, mom treated Tanner, Esther and I to a ReAl soccer game. It was great fun. We had great seats on the front row. During this game, the new Rio Tinto stadium was dedicated, and they had an Air Force flyover. Plus, David Archelutta sang after the game. It was great fun. This first picture is Tanner, Esther and mom watching the concert at the end of the game.
See, i told you front row. It was fun!
The girls at the game. My fifth soccer game to watch that day!
Tanner was a little pooped from playing soccer all day, but he had fun. He stayed awake during the game texting all of his friends on my phone!

This is David singing. I'm not exactly sure what clip it is, but here it is.

At Grandmas house in Lindon

2009-06-14T16:42:00.001-07:00

While out of town for the Hooper soccer tournament, we stayed in Lindon with my parents. My Dad just got this wagon "bus." It makes me smile! How many people have a two horse power bus? He took us all on a ride. My dad is in purple and his riding buddy came with us. Also mom came on the ride with us. We stopped by Beverly and Josh's home and picked up a bunch of the grandkids too along with my children.

Spencer was determined to swim at grandma's house. The water was really cold, but he wanted to swim, so he did!

Hoope Soccer tournament

2009-06-14T16:16:00.001-07:00

The first weekend in June found the Wheeler family in Hooper UT for a soccer tournament. Tanner has been playing goalie for the U14 "Roosevelt Rockets" team. He loves it and has had a lot of fun. They have been practicing a lot and really worked hard. One of the things Tanner really likes is the girls U14 team that also travels with them to tournaments! Both of the U14 teams won the tournament. Last year the same traveling team didn't win a game at any tournament, so for them to win was quite an accomplishment. Tanner's team is in orange if you can't tell, but he wears green in the goalie shirt.
Landon Winn, Cody Knight, Allen Hamblin, Sean Murray, Ty Winterton, Tanner, Carson Gilbert, Brandon Jarman
The winning team after the tournament. Coaches Josh Young and Mike Catten.
Tanner and Weston Walker in the champion shirt
Tanner, Allen Hamblin, Weston Walker, and Jaden McDonald?

Here is Tanner saving a goal.Tanner's team created this "Rocket" cheer. It's pretty funny.

Last day of School

2009-05-31T18:38:00.000-07:00

Abby did her hair on the last day of school. Cute!
After the kids got on the bus, we found Spencer's report card. He is busted! I think he had had enough of school and took the last 6 weeks off. I hope they let him go on to 5th grade!

Here's the teachers I work with. Some of them drive me crazy, and some are great friends. But in any case, it's who i work with. It's always hard to see the school year end and changes come. Our principal is leaving to a different school, so next year will be different. But, I have never been so happy to see a school year end as this year. We had a bbq on the last day of school, and this was our ending picture.

Orchestra and Band Party

2009-05-31T18:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great band and orchestra party at the Harding's Ranch. It was so much fun and the Harding family treated us really good. Kim Harding built it all, and treated us royally. There was a zip line, huge swings, paddle boats, and a great slide. Great fun. He also had fire pits, an amphitheater, waterfall, and a big pavilion for us to eat in. Plus he had hauled in a bunch of sand and there was a great beach! He cooked dinner for all of the kids and they played and played. I finally had to kick them out of the pond and take the last of the students home.

Sorry the movie is side ways. it's Spencer going down the slide. Well, I think it is any way.

Abby gets a hair cut

2009-05-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

Abby and I decided we were tired of fighting over her hair, so we had Aunt Sarah cut it while we were in Denver. Wow! What a different look she has!

Seventh grade field Trip

2009-05-31T18:07:00.001-07:00

Alex Sessions and Jesse

I had the opportunity to go with the seventh graders on their field trip to Jone's Hole. It's a fish hatchery. It was fun to spend time with Jesse and the other kids.