We don't get many visitors up here in the tippytop of the US so when we get one, we ar
love when you get home.
love when you get home.
We LOVE Visitors!
The West's Cabin
The Wests invited us out to their Cabin today. We had such a blast! They are such generous hosts. Even though the skies looked icky in the morning, the day turned out to be perfect! Thanks for everything!
Thanks for a yummy lunch (& delicious dinner that I didn't take pictures of)...
Thanks for the Boat Rides...
and thanks to Brett for pulling the kids ALL over the lake...
Thanks for helping us catch a wave or two or three...
Thanks for some Island fun...
And the silly memories...
West Family...Thanks for sharing your family, your food, your cabin, your lake, your boat, your jet skis, your playground, and your beach with us! We had a blast!
Fargo Favorites #44
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To block out some of the Wind- ND has tree rows like this everywhere! I love them! Two tall, straight rows protecting us from being blown over. So pretty!
I love that family is who you chose out here. There are so many people you know you can count on even if your blood relatives aren't anywhere close. This week I got a 1 AM wake up call from my friend with news that her water had just broke and her hubby was in Jamestown (an 1 1/2 drive from Fargo). I grabbed a pillow & a blanket and headed straight over. Since her contractions hadn't really started, we decided she should head over to the hospital and get checked in. That way when her hubby got there she was already settled. I would stay at home with the sleeping kids. Well about 2:40, her hubby came in and was surprised that she had already headed over [I guess he had just told her to wait for him] but took the camera and drove to the hospital. LOL!! Lucky for me (& Katie) that she had headed over because when Jared got there, she was holding a baby in her arms. Wow! That was a quick little arrival and one I wouldn't have quite been ready for if we had waited for Jared. But I am so glad that they are all doing well. Rachel is a beautiful little girl! Congrats to you , guys!
3. End of "Family Trips"
 |
| Dang! We've missed this kid! |
I love the Fargo Summer! It's our chance to be outside, enjoy the sunshine and be with friends! One disadvantage of being far away from family though is that most people decide to go visit family in far away lands while the kids are out of school (Ok... really they just all head out West! LOL) A lot of families take off for 2-4 weeks at a time. On the years we don't head to UT ourselves, we miss our friends dearly! This year it seemed that all our close friends were gone a very, very long time! SO this week, I am thankful for the end of "Family Trips". (I say "family trips" because they usually don't feel like "vacations" to any of the parents- It's a lot of hard work to be away that long. ;) All of our friends have returned. Wahoo!
4. Billboards
I know everywhere has billboards but I really enjoy the Midwest good message ones.
5. People pitching in
The reason so many people stay in the Midwest is the PEOPLE! Cuz believe me... it's not for the WEATHER!! LOL!
I have been so impressed by the Minot Flood Relief Effort. It can be frustrating to have your hubby away weekend after weekend but I am so grateful that Brett is willing and able to be of service. I know the people that have been affected by the flood there need him more than us for a while. That's what the people here are like- if someone is in need-- the people are there!
I have been so impressed by the Minot Flood Relief Effort. It can be frustrating to have your hubby away weekend after weekend but I am so grateful that Brett is willing and able to be of service. I know the people that have been affected by the flood there need him more than us for a while. That's what the people here are like- if someone is in need-- the people are there!
What are you grateful for?
Kids Rule!
Keep it cool with Marcus Theatres® this summer!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: There are now THREE DAYS for you to enjoy your favorite family friendly films for just $2! Join us Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 10am from June 21st through August 11th and let us remind you why Kids RULE!
The West Acres Kid's Rule movie this week was Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer. I took the kids and met the Larsens and Potters for some fun. It just happened that while I was in line, the man behind me asked me how many kids I had because he had extra tickets. He paid for our whole family! SCORE! Free movie! Totally make my day! YEAH! Oh... and the movie was great too! LOL
Playground Carnival
Every year, Rhealt Farm holds a Playground Carnival. It's lots of fun! I took the kids for an afternoon of cheap entertainment! We even ate lunch and got free Child ID cards offered by NYLife. Pretty awesome!
Mormon Helping Hands in Minot
Brett had the opportunity to be part of the Mormon Helping Hands Project in Minot this weekend. He carpooled out west with several men from our ward on Friday evening and came back Sunday night at 9 pm. They slept in tents on the Church grounds and worked all day Saturday. They had a short Sacrament Meeting on Sunday morning and went back out to help. What hard workers! They helped rip out the entire inside of a couple of houses all the way down to the studs. So many house have been completely ruined by the flood waters. It's so sad! It was a great opportunity to serve and looks like they'll probably go out again another weekend or two as well. We pray that those in Minot will know how much people are thinking of them during this difficult time.
Here's a few articles and pictures that share some of the things they did while they were out there.
1st... from a Blog of a Member that lives out there.Here's a few articles and pictures that share some of the things they did while they were out there.
"Many of you may not be aware of what the Mormon Helping Hands are. Well, they are just that. Mormons who put on a yellow tee-shirt and do service! Simple as that. We don't have to have the tee-shirt, but the tee-shirt just makes it official.The church feels very strongly about being involved in the community and in serving. In times of disaster, the church comes out full force. This post is just to showcase some of the things that are going on here during our Minot flood disaster. The church as an official entity has sent truckloads of supplies and they have asked a couple who is experienced in organizing disaster relief/cleanup efforts to come here and help us get organized. The church building is now a place to receive/distribute supplies, to take orders of members and nonmembers who need help, a campground for out of town volunteers, and more.There are teams of people in charge of going into the homes and assessing what needs to be done and making a list of needed supplies-which is called a work order, there are teams of workers, there are teams that direct the work teams where to go first, next, etc., and it's just a whole lot of teamwork. The church sends us the official Mormon Helping Hands tee-shirts, but it is we as members of the church that are the work force. It is the people of our own community (as well as volunteers from around the area that are coming in) that make up the Mormon Helping Hands. We are here to help not only our members, but the rest of the community in the effort to clean up and recover from this flood.
{A few ladies from Minot built 5 outdoor showers in the Church parking lot for the workers- see pictures] Not too shabby for outdoor showers. They are tapped into the water from inside, so the first showerers get warm water. There are also stations set up to wash boots and gloves and such outside without mucking up the inside of the church.}
...So there you have it. We have people from Bismarck, Fargo, Rapid City, and other places, even some Canadians. The missionaries have come in full force also. We have teams out seven days a week. We have many work orders, and will keep it up until the work is all done. There has been much progress made, but the end is far from in sight.
Just keep cleaning, just keep cleaning..."
Here to help others:
July 23, 2011
by Loretta Johnson - Religion Editor (ljohnson@minotdailynews.com) ,
Minot Daily News
The numbers are unimportant; the reason they are in Minot is important.
Many volunteers have come to the Minot area to help others get their lives back to some semblance of order. Among the volunteers is a group with a strong desire to help the Mormon Helping Hands. These volunteers, dressed in their trademark yellow T-shirts, can be found giving needed service in Minot, throughout the United States and in countries throughout the world. The program, which was established in 1998, gives people with strong desire to serve others an organized opportunity to do so.
Supply master Mike Kelly, of Minot, said as calls from the community come in, work orders are written up and teams of six to eight people are sent to sites to help.
The home of Mark Hodges is flooded but he showed up to help others. "We are here to help everybody out," Hodges said. "When the team gets to the site everybody takes an area and everybody works together to get the work done one area at a time. We tear down walls, anything and everything down to the studs."
There are no specific jobs for each person. "We just work together to get the job done," Hodges added.
"Anybody can come in or call for assistance, no matter what faith they are," Kelly said. "We are here to serve the community. If people have a need they should stop by and we'll give them what we can. Our guys that are out there are carrying food boxes, they're carrying cleaning kits and they are carrying hygiene kits."
Shop vacs, fans, generators and sump pumps can be checked out for use at no cost but people must come to the church at 2025-9th St. NW to get them so we know who has responsibility for that piece of equipment, Kelly said. Rubber gloves, utility knives and face masks, cleaning kits and containers of food also are available for people who need them.
The volunteers won't take money and they won't take donations. The Mormon Helping Hands program is sponsored through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Humanitarian Fund.
People who would like to volunteer and help the Morman Helping Hands may email Ludlow at mnl618@hotmail.com."We are one of the very first responders. We are here organized and ready to go," Neil Ludlow (coordinator) said, "and we'll be here until we've helped as many people as we can. We are happy to be here and happy to do whatever we can to help relieve the pain and suffering these people feel."
Best Friend Visit
B.F.F.s are the BEST!!! No matter how far apart you are or how long you are away- with best friends, things stay the same or... at least for these two. Liberty was so happy this weekend because her bestest friend, Savannah came to visit. We did lots of fun things together and the girls meshed just like they'd never been apart! They played together, worked together, climbed trees together, ate together, built things together, watched movies together- just like the old days! So glad she could come! Thanks for making time to be with Liberty! We miss you & your family!
As part of the day, we took the Tuckers (Justice is in desperate need of guy friends! LOL) and went for one more swim @ the Larsens. It was overcast but the kids didn't seem to mind. When they'd got their fill of water, we took them for a McDonald's dinner @ Elmwood Park. We got a bit rained on but can't complain since the rains held out for the evening. What a great day!
P.S. We got lucky enough to have Savannah one more time before she left. Once again, the girls spent a good chunk of their time in the treetops. They are so silly! We also got to meet Brett for lunch at the Olive garden. The girls were so excited to have Zuppa Toscana. It's Liberty's favorite! Favorite food, favorite friend and favorite family! Life doesn't get better than this! ;)
We miss you, Kings!
Blog Book: Volume 4 Published
PRESENTING....."We can hardly believe another half a year has come and gone.Time flies when you're having fun, I guess!It has been a LONG, LONG Winter & a rainy, wet Spring here in Fargo.Thank goodness for our "Fargo Favorites on Friday"or we wouldn't have that many nice things to say. LOLIt's amazing how keeping a record/journal/blog can keep things/life in perspective.Attitude of graitude, right?!We love looking back at all the fun things we do together.And it amazes us! We are truly blessed with a wonderful life.It's just like one ParTay after another! ;o)Hopefully we never stop.-The Seamons Fam"
Our ParTay called Life Blog Book: Vol 4 hot off the Press!! I'm so excited!!
Fargo Favorites #43
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As Hurricane Fargo came through our neighborhood over Memorial Day, many fences were damaged. One included sections of our next door neighbors, the Rays. Well, they have been hard at work this week redoing their entire fence. It's actually been kind of fun having the fence down. It's made our yards look humongous! Not to mention the kids have had a blast playing together. I do love our fenced backyard privacy though so it will be nice when it's finished. The fence is looking awesome- they have done a great job! Also, they are so generous! (or maybe tired of seeing Brett's toys kill the grass by the side of the house. lol) As they've put in posts for their new fence, they have maneuvered them a bit to allow us to get our Popup and our Go-Karts into our backyard. Thanks guys! You're such hard-working, awesome neighbors!So... when you think of Fargo- you think... well, 1st- "Where?" LOL!!
BUT next- you think "Artic Region." Afterall there are very distinct seasons here. Winter, Winter, Winter and Construction! Again, LOL.
But this year, we have added a new season... Tropical Rainforest Season. What is this, you ask? Well it's when severe thunderstorm/downpouring 2" of rain in a half an hour meets 70 mile an hour winds (setting off the Tornado sirens at 4 AM) accompanied by 95 degree temps. (That makes it 107 degree with the heat index) Sweaty is the best word for this season! But this chicka is NOT allowed to complain! There is sunshine, blessed sunshine EVERYday and that's what I've been asking for. So, word of caution... be careful what you wish for! Especially when it comes to Fargo weather! ;)
3. Clean Closets
I am weird! But hey- I have never pretended not to be! Proof is henceforth coming with this next picture. I would not say that I am a pig but I am NOT a clean freak either. Well at least when it comes to parts of the house people actually see. LOL! I can not even tell you how much I LOVE a clean closet. Everything in it's place, stacked nice and labeled if possible. See weird, I know! With my vacation this week (oh I mean... me staying home from Brett's vacation. LOL ;o), I was able to happily clean out and organize some closets. Aren't they so pretty!? YEAH!!! Heaven for me!
Even though I did enjoy my little break from the normality of life, I am so glad my little family is back home. Glory and I sure missed them. What a great family! I am so glad that they got home safely. It was a LONG trip for one day! Hopefully, we can get them all 100% soon- health and sleep! (Sorry B that you spend most your trip not feeling well) Love you guys!
How's your
Attitude of Gratitude
today?
Swimming with Gills
We've been taking care of the Larsen's Pool while they have been gone of vacation. Best deal ever!!! Take in the mail, check the sump pump, switch on a light here and there, throw in a couple chemicals-- and swim whenever you feel like it! LOVE it! We've definitely taken advantage of this ParTay opportunity. Glory & I invited our new friends (Katie, Garret & Adalaide) several times while the rest of the fam was gone to come swim with us. We had a blast! We decided to let the rest of our families join in the fun. Adalaide was not too sure about Brett but the rest of the kids & Jared are like FISH!! We had a great time!
Thanks Gills for hanging out with us!
VM Water Carnival
West Fargo
Veterans Memorial
Water Carnival 2011
One HOT day!...
Free Swimming...
Rubber Duckies...
A Diving Board...
Friends...
Free Sno Cones...
Blue Lips...
Count us in!!!
Yeah!
Yeah!
Family Fun Night @ Elmwood
I LOVE the Summer in Fargo! They have the FUNest things for family! And better yet, they are usually FREE! Who can beat FREE?
Tonight, West Fargo Park District threw a Family Fun Night @ Elmwood Park. There wasn't tons of people there. It must have been a bit of a hidden or forgotten treasure. Yeah for us-- bummer for others. We had a blast!! Here was some of the fun:
Free Popsicles:
Last but not least...
Bubbles & Hula Hoops:
The whole party was DJed by the Bubble Man. He had bubbles, bubbles, limbo, bubbles, hula hoops, and bubbles all put to music. The kids had so much fun! And I even tried myhand hips at the hula hoops. Well... at least I tried. Kinda embarrassing if I must say! Dylan is awesome at them! Maybe he'll give me lessons. LOL There was also a Mini-golf course that we never tried out. But it looked fun! Just ran out of time!
Tonight, West Fargo Park District threw a Family Fun Night @ Elmwood Park. There wasn't tons of people there. It must have been a bit of a hidden or forgotten treasure. Yeah for us-- bummer for others. We had a blast!! Here was some of the fun:
Free Popsicles:
A fun, young couple from 104.7 Popster FM roamed around the park with a cooler full of Popsicles. The kids had as many as they wanted. What a sticky, yummy mess!
Free Balloon Creations & Face Painting:
There were 2 people free making balloon creations. These people were amazing!! They could make anything! By the end the kids had several awesome things including swords, teddy bears, puppies on bicycles, flower bracelets, owls, and all kinds of hats!
Also, there were a couple of girls doing face painting as well. The kids got peace signs, puppy faces, flowers and a Superman sign on their faces. Not to mention Bob 95 Tattoos and stickers! Wowie! These kids were spoiled rotten!
Dinner for a Buck$:
They sold dinner for $1. Can you believe that? We got a hot dog, a bag of chips and a choice of beverage ALL for a dollar. Score! Can't beat that in feeding a family of 6 OR... 10 if you count our adopted fam, the McPhersons. Thanks for meeting us guys for dinner and some fun!
Jungle Bounce House:
The kids had a total blast bouncing in the bounce house. The line was short enough that they only had to wait a turn or two and then they could go again. So much fun!!
Bubbles & Hula Hoops:
The whole party was DJed by the Bubble Man. He had bubbles, bubbles, limbo, bubbles, hula hoops, and bubbles all put to music. The kids had so much fun! And I even tried my
Yeah for a
FAMILY FUN NIGHT!!!
I Hope they Call Me on a Mission
Our nephew Zach got his mission call. We are so excited for him! He is such a great example to our family! It's a big step and a really big deal to go through the Temple. We wanted to make sure that we supported him in that decision. So turns out that we had a little semi- unexpected trip to UT this week. I say unexpected because our plan was always to just send Brett but with the high price of plane tickets these days, Brett drove and took the older 3 kids with him. They had a blast! Since Glory & I were not there, this is a "second hand info" post narrated by the kids. LOL! But at least it's documented, right? And I just want to say... I am so proud of my hubby for taking some pictures! ;) Luv ya, Honey!
DAY ONE: July 13th
Longest drive Ever!! We saw buffalo, took naps, watched movies, and only stopped 3 times. We finally arrived in Utah around 2 am. What a long day! Of course, the farther West you go- the more mountains you see, the happier Brett gets! ;)
DAY TWO: July 14th
Shauna was so kind to take the us in for a day or two. Once everyone could get out of bed, we took advantage of some time with her. We took a trip to the Lion House where Brigham Young lived. Liberty's favorite part was all the books (of course). Victoria loved the doll collection and Justice loved the jewels and the huge gold mirror. We also went to the 26th floor of the Church Office building to check out the view. It was HOT!
We also got to see Grandpa's name on a smooth stone wall that honored those that helped out in the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. Pretty awesome!
DAY THREE: July 15th
We slept at Shauna's again. In the morning, she had to go to work but we did a little swimming in her pool before we packed up. Then we headed to Grammy & Grandpa Randy's for a BBQ. We got to see Grammy, Grandpa, Grandma Karla, Ryler, Aunt Tauni, Uncle Trave, Aunt Shiloh & her fam, and Aunt Danica & her fam. All the kids were going to stay for a big Grandkid sleepover while Dad went to the Temple with Zach but Liberty started not feeling very well. So Justice & Victoria stayed for the fun while Liberty went to rest at the Rasmussens. She got to visit with Anna & Jake and play some Wii before taking a nap for the evening. Poor kid! [We think it was the achy body flu bug]
After dinner, the Crump crew took a little trip up the canyon's for a sky lift ride to see the full moon. The kind where your feet dangle from the benches. Justice rode up with Grammy, Grandpa and Ryler. The boys were playing around and Justice almost lost his glasses. Oops! That would have been a long drop! ;) Good thing Justice is a good catch. It was like an hour ride straight up the mountain! Victoria got to ride with Grandma Karla who kept her warm. On the way up Victoria started to get a headache but when we got to the top- we all thought the full moon was awesome! Unfortunately because Victoria started to not feel good, we met Dad at the Freeway exit after and he took all us kids back to the Rasmussens. So much for the BIG sleepover. Sorry Grandpa! But it was so great to see everyone! Thanks for the food and the full moon adventure!
DAY FOUR: July 16th
Today, we went bowling with the Rasmussens. Grandpa & Grandma Seamons came with us too. Liberty was still not feeling very well but everyone else had a great time! We gave each other awesome bowling names like Godzilla, Linda and even Aunt Lori was Optimus Prime. ;) Then we had ice cream and went back to the Rasmussens for lunch and to play the Wii.In the afternoon, we headed out to spend some time with the Laroccos. We ate dinner and watched a movie. Most of the Hill cousins came out for a sleepover with us. We had so much fun! We even got to see Uncle Justin for a bit. We told him to send our love to the rest of the Fam. (We're sorry we missed the rest of the Sadler crew- luv you guys!)
DAY FIVE: July 17th
In the morning, we got to go to Church with them as well. It was fun to go to class with the cousins. After Church, we got to play and eat lunch with them as well. Thanks for having us out guys!
On our way back to the Rasmussens house, we made a little detour to see the Temple that Zach had gone through. It was beautiful! We really liked the trees and the flowers and they had the best grass ever! It was so nice and comfy and it didn't even itch! We of course had to touch the wall. Someday it'll be awesome to go inside!
Back at the Rasmussens house, we had a little going away Party for the Hills. Uncle Daniel got a new job and they are moving to Alabama. [Congrats guys and we wish you the best of luck on your new adventure!] Dad took some pictures of everyone that was there. Our favorite ones were the funny ones! We are so silly! Aren't we a good-looking group of people? Can't believe how many of us there are now. And this isn't even everybody! Crazy! We got to have a yummy dinner and play with everyone before we headed up to the Davis' for another awesome sleepover! Thanks to everyone for spending time with us! It was so great to see you all! You're the best!On our way up to the Davis', we made a stop at Grandma Karla's to say goodbye. We got to visit with Grandma, Ryler and Aunt Tauni for a bit! Tauni taught Liberty again how to make friendship bracelets! They are awesome! Grandma Karla also gave us some new pillowcases. Thanks so much! Love you guys!
DAY SIX: July 18th
We had a fun sleepover at the Davis and once again, Cheri spoiled us while we were there! She made us delicious smoothies for breakfast! We love those things! We had a lot of fun playing with their dog Cricket. For lunch, we went up Weber Canyon to the Oaks for lunch. It was so pretty! They had GIANT sandwiches! And the waterfall was neat! Sorry Shauna that we missed you!
After lunch, we headed back to the Davis' and did a little swimming in the neighbor's pool! They had a diving board and we had a blast! Even Cricket came to swim with us but it was a little too cold for him. It was so funny! Aunt Cheri made us homemade pizza for dinner. We have so much fun where we stay with the Davis'! Justice actually even tried to negotiate that he should just stay and we could pick him up when we come back next year! LOL [It's OK...I'm used to it- Mom is chop liver when it comes to competing with Aunt Cheri- lol! Luv ya, Cher]
DAY SEVEN: July 19th
We got up early and after goodbyes, we packed up and got back on the road. Another really, really, really, really long drive! We didn't even make it back until 3 am this morning! Wowzers!
THANK YOU to everyone for making time to spend with us! I'm sure there are tons of things we left out but we enjoyed every minute! (Well except the not feeling well parts!;) We miss you so much! See you next year!
(DISCLAIMER: I'm gonna have to move this to it's proper place (July 20th) at some point!
But I have been waiting for some pictures from other family members to post it.
*hint*hint*hint*
Seeing as I haven't gotten any more pictures,
I figured I better just get up what I have and add to it later if I need to
If I post it where it's supposed to be- you'd never see it so
I thought I would put it here for a couple of days! ;)
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