long time, long story

So I have been trying to get on here for a while now and my password just wasn't working until today, so here goes...
1.My cousin's wedding was definitely a different and new experience. Never before had I been to a ceremony where there was a unity candle, prayers and songs being sang. Neither of them are religious so this baffled me besides the fact that I had never experienced this even when the couple were religious. My cousin Tyler and his wife were truly be-au-ti-ful, their faces were lit up and they are truly so happy together. I am so blessed to have been invited, My sister and I were the only cousins that were invited due to the fact that we were more like sisters, I guess. We lived with Tyler, Brittney and my Aunt and Uncle Tiffany and Michael for a few years after we came out of foster care, for me it was four years. So Tyler was nine when we moved in, there are some embarrasing things that he did at that age, he was fun to be around and play with had a sense of humor and loved sports. One thing we could always count on Tyler for was sitting on the couch at the end of the day with a bowl of popcorn whether it was a movie or a show that was on. When I went to visit last time I was offered a bowl! I'm glad that he has found someone. The song that was played that I remember was, "God blessed the Broken Road".

2.We had playgroup on Wednesday before I called Laura. There were four ladies there and their children. One of them brought some boxes and we used exacto knives to cut doors and shape windows, triangles, squares and circles.The children enjoyed playing with each other, seeing how many children could fit in one box house, Alona liked writing all of their names on their box. It was a great one last time playing with their friend Jaime that moved today.
3.Laura flew to Utah a week ago today. Tara went in to labor on Wednesday, which was perrfect! It was Paul's day off. I was actually supposed to meet up with Laura on Tuesday but her and Kellie were sick so I called her on Wednesday to see how she was doing and she said that she was at the hospital waiting for her Dad to call back, she had left a message asking him to watch Kellie. So I had Paul call when he got home from school, I wanted to do so0mething to help, Marta and Tara were together and I of course could do nothing there, so we asked Laura if we could watch Kellie! She was asleep when we arrived at the hospital. So Laura woke her up and gave her a moment to get used to our faces before we took off down the road with her. She seemed to take a real liking to us.We took her to Wheeler Farm so that Kellie and our kids could see the animals. Paul caught them a duck that they were able to pet, one of the most dirtiest friendliest and hungriest ducks ever! Sweet duck though, it sat so very still while Paul held it and the children brushed their hands up against its feathers. Kacen got up and personal with the Clydesdale's , not by choice I might add. It brought it's wet snout right up to his face, that freaked him out.
We then took them out to Sizzler, I remembered that children three and under were free, and well hey we had three of them with us. But I did forget that an adult salad bar was nine dollars and then of course their was still Alona and Paul, not that bad priced for six people though. It was so fun to watch the children eat , Kellie poked at her salad while Kacen gobbled his up, she threw her brownie and poked holes in her toast, she did like some of the pizza and fruit. Abbi is my fruit cake, once one of the children has gotten their dessert she automatically wants hers and exclaims that she is done! And when that happens she REFUSES to eat any more.
So when the dinner was finished we went and played at Grandma's all alone while Daddy did his homework. Laura came and had them watch signing time while she took a shower and then we were off, the baby was coming! We made it there right as she was being born. She is a real cutie, Alona and I were able to see her Paul and the others will have to wait until next time, it was past ten when she was born and Alona and I were let in to the room after ten thirty and just got a glimpse of her, the grandparents were busy holding her. They named her Payton Scarlet Wood, forgive me if I spelled it wrong! I'll have to ask how it is spelled! She was 9 lbs 1 oz and 21 1/2 inches. BIG BABY!
4.On Friday morning we were off to Fish Lake. I borrowed the neighbors fishing poles so at least we could try it and make our dear sweet daughter Alona happy, she really wanted to go fishing. The first night it was literally freezing cold. Our sleeping arrangements were not the best and so the next night we fixed that Paul put the sleeping bags together and zipped them up. The girls will need warmer sleeping bags for next year. We went fishing after dinner, well we tried. The adult poles weren't quite the ones that we were used to. The reel had a metal flip on it instead of a button to release the line. So we couldn't figure them out. And so we tried the child's Dora the Explorer fishing pole, it went farther than the others, but just didn't work out. I wish for our children's sake that it had.
Saturday morning we went for a hike up in to the forest behind our tent. The girls were enjoying it especially mounting all of the big rocks that were up there. Paul was gathering wood for the fire and he is just not one for this kind of stuff. So Paul and the girls turned around and I kept on going with Kacen in my arms, it is beautiful up there! The forest right behind our tent ended and there was a space of dry bush that I went around and passed and climbed to the top it before I knew that I should turn around for Kacen's sake, I took some pictures before we did.

They had a lot of fun playing at the water's edge, we went down to the water on Saturday while Paul was taking a nap. At first they were throwing rocks in to the water from a good distance away and then they just kept inching closer, well Abbi did and Kacen followed! And before I knew it they were up past their knees in the water, mud and seaweed playing with the rocks and getting wet. We also took the wagon around the campground loop while he was asleep and our little Abbi wanted to pull her sister and brother around. She is so helpful, strong willed and determined. She did a great job going as far as she did. She also wanted to hep Mom change Kacen a few days ago and wanted to help me make the potato salad while we were up camping. She peeled the potatoes with me.
I told Kacen to say cheese while he was sitting on the camping table and instead he reached his arms out, "Mommy!" He wanted me to pick him up instead. He is a real jabber box lately I cannot keep up with all of the words that he says any more and he is signing more too. He says "lets eat" and signs it while he says it. Today he said it about five times and it really is every time that he is hungry. When he would say it, I would give him food and it would be gone so very quickly. And even with all the snacks that he ate he still ate his meals, which was so nice. With the girls they say that they are hungry, I give them a snack and then they don't eat their dinner even though the snack was an hour or two before the meal.
5.We drove home on Sunday morning and it was a great trip. Paul was mentioning that he wanted a soda, I was like you're going to buy one on Sunday? So he passed the gas station and we came along a vending machine where he gets a bottled soda. He comes back in to the van and says something to the effect, we are blessed for obeying?! I tell him yeah...at this point I wasn't sure where he was going with it. He tells me that he found a dollar on the ground in front of the vending machine. The soda cost $1.00.

6. Fathers Day was alright Paul helped me unload and took a shower and started on his homework. I started cleaning up and gave the children baths and myself a shower. We had found out that Val was going to Caren's for dinner, so I called Caren and asked her if it would be all right if we came too. And so the kids got in the car and we went and daddy stayed here to do homework. He was able to get three of his programs done that he had for homework while we were gone.
Kacen and Kellie seemed to have fun together. Kacen saw Kellie eating mashed potatoes and he wanted some too and who wouldn't with the KFC gravy smothering the top?! Kacen made a new friend, Paul's aunt Ellen's husband Steve..After Grandpa had played a little rough with the children I was trying to get Kacen calmed down he had given two hugs and then with out my prompting went up to Steve and gave him hugs and kisses and didn't want to let go, it was the sweetest thing.
Grandma Caren played the piano for the children and all of them wanted to help out.
We went home to Paul a little after 8:00 and he let the children help open his present from them and then they were able to see him use it before they got ready for bed. We got him a thing that you can plug in to his usb and it emits scents that are nice.
7. I have been READING lately!! I read a saga called A Banner Unfurled. I really like the books. My Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather (Edmund Durfee) is a missionary that goes to the family, and he is in the books on more than one occasion. On page 179 in book one! I love the story of this family and I love historical fiction and this one floats my boat! I am also currently reading Angels and Demons and three others are waiting for me to peruse under their covers.