Tending Kids

My cousin and his wife took a trip to Peru this past June. My sisters and I took turns tending their kids. They have 4 kids from the age of 4 to 12. I took the last 4 days or so of tending before Dave and Kara came home. We definitely had some adventures and some funny memories. I thought I would share some and some of the ones my sisters had with them as well.

From Mandy:
The kids talking about a grasshopper. Jack: How do you know if it's a girl or a boy? Corrine: It doesn't have eyelashes (with tone in her voice) so it's a boy.

After a meltdown at dinner Corine fell asleep at the table. While moving her to a chair she woke up and remembered she was suppose to be crying. Then she'll stop, look at Mandy and remember to cry again.

From Meg and Mandy:
Anytime one of the kids would want something they would ask and if Meg or Mandy said no, the kids would say, "Well, (insert Meg or Mandy depending on who they were talking to) would let me."

They took the kids to watch Incredibles 2. At one point Corinne had it figured out on how to defeat they bad guys. So in the middle-end of the movie she yelled out, "Why don't they just..." I haven't ever heard her answer but I think they got her quite before she yelled her entire thought out.

From Me:
We were watching the movie Enchanted and we were close to the end where Queen Narissa turns into a dragon. Corinne started yelling at the screen, "Give her the poison apple! Just give her the apple!"

Jack was wanting some cadbury egg cookies. I told him if he wanted cookies he would have to help me make them. On Sunday I had him help me find the ingredients and I gave him the task of smashing the cadbury eggs. He started with a rolling pin, but decided that wasn't doing a good enough job. So he went in search of a hammer. His search took him to the garage. Instead of coming back with a hammer, he came back with a bat. He told me he couldn't find the hammer so he brought the next best thing, a bat. He proceeded to use the bat to smash the eggs.

Later that evening when Asher came back from his fireside (which Paul and Bel took him to with Millie while I watch Evie) the kids were playing outside. After a little while Lily and Millie come in holding hands and Millie whispers loudly to Lily, "Just act natural." Bel and I shared a look of what are they up to now. They went up to Lily's room where they started yelling out the window to the other kids.

Monday came and Jack and Lily have swim lessons. I took Lily to her lessons and when I picked her up, I dropped of Jack. I went to pick him up at noon. He didn't come out to the car. I didn't think too much of it. Lily's lessons had run a little long. By 12:15-12:20 I was hot so I went in the building to sit and wait. At about 12:30 I decided to go find Jack. I went and looked in the indoor and outdoor pool, but didn't see him. Went to the front desk and we sent someone into the boys locker room. Still no Jack. Another worker came and said she thought he may have gotten a ride home with a friend. She called the friend's mom and left a voice message. The other staff member gave me the home phone number (I realized I didn't have the home phone). I was just getting ready to call the home phone when the friend's mom called back and said she had taken Jack home. So I thank them and leave to go back to the house. As I'm pulling up to the house I see Lily and Corinne eating popsicles on the curb. I get out of my car and and ask if Jack is inside. Lily then proceeded to tell me that when Jack found out I had gone to get him, he decided he needed to go back to the pool so I could find him.  and Asher went with him. Jack thought I had forgotten about him, so he had found another ride home.

Now I should point out the pool is 2ish miles away from their house. I never saw them walking down the road on my way back from the pool. I got back in my car and started to drive to the pool. I realized I forgot to give Lily my number. I called the house phone and talked to Lily. She said the pool had just called and Jack and Asher where there. I got to the pool and walked into the lobby. Asher and Jack were sitting at one of the tables with some water and evidence of Frosty's from Wendy's and no shoes on. They looked pretty glum and guilty. I took them to my car so we could have a little chat and go home. I first asked them about the shoes and Frosties. Jack said he was in a hurry to get back to the pool that he didn't think of shoes. Asher thought the walk sounded like fun but Jack was already outside so he didn't have time to grab shoes. As for the Frosties, some kind soul picked the kids up and got them Frosties and then took them to the pool.

On the way home we had a little chat. I told them I wasn't angry. Personally, I think they did enough to themselves with their own guilt that I didn't need to add to it. We talked how getting the ride home wasn't the problem it wasn't calling home or telling the front desk he was leaving with a friend. I also said it was my bad too for not giving him my number so he could get ahold of me.

The ride was silent for a few minutes until from the back seat Asher discovered my roll-down windows. He started to roll down the window and exclaimed, "Whoa!" I guess he has never seen a roll-down window before. He then proceeded to tell me how cool it was and then he said, "Normally there is a button right here" (pointing to the spot where a button normally is). After that Jack found the levers to adjust my mirrors. They are manual too. He asked, "What does this do?" right before he moved it. I told him that was how I adjusted my side mirrors. He was pretty fascinated with them and he kept moving the one on the passenger side and told me how it looked my car was waving.

All in all it was a fun few days full of adventures and memories playing on the tramp, playing tag like games, drawing with chalk, watching Dark Wing Duck and other movies and of course the pool/my car.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day! Like with mothers, I have been blessed with several dads in my life. Thank you, especially to Dad, John, Rob, and my uncles. I appreciate the continued love and support you give me.

Jersey Boys

I had the opportunity to see the Jersey Boys at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake on June 15th. Dad and John were unable to attend so they gave me the tickets. I took my other mother Becca and we had a great time. The seats were awesome and we loved the music! Thanks Dad and John for the tickets and thanks Becca for coming with me!

Synopsis: Jersey Boys is a musical biography of the Four Seasons—the rise, the tough times and personal clashes, and the ultimate triumph of a group of friends whose music became symbolic of a generation. Far from a mere tribute concert (though it does include numbers from the popular Four Seasons songbook), Jersey Boys gets to the heart of the relationships at the center of the group—with a special focus on frontman Frankie Valli, the small kid with the big falsetto. In addition to following the quartet’s coming of age as performers, the core of the show is how an allegiance to a code of honor learned in the streets of their native New Jersey got them through a multitude of challenges: gambling debts, Mafia threats and family disasters. Jersey Boys is a glimpse at the people behind a sound that has managed to endure for over four decades in the hearts of the public.

Pres. Nelson's Challenge to the Youth

On June 3 Pres. Nelson gave an address to the youth of the church. I was visiting Gordons and we all watched it together. At the end of his address Pres. Nelson gave out a challenge of 5 tasks (6 if you count his urging to study For the Strength of Youth). I decided to take on this challenge. It wasn't as hard as I was expecting, but I did learn that when I'm not on Facebook or Instagram I spend a lot of time on youtube. I should probably cut back on that. I hope to be able to continue to this challenge and finish it out/keep doing. For example, I would like to keep doing a weekly sacrafice of time to the Lord, pray daily for all of God's children, stand out and be different, keep on the covenant path.

I know that Pres. Nelson is a prophet of God. I am so thankful we have him and all the other prophets that came before him to lead and guide us in these latter-days. 

Fun Times at the Provo City Center Temple

Today I had the opportunity to visit Kelsey and Kurt and watch their daughter Kindsey while they went to a wedding in the Provo City Center Temple. Kindsey was really good for me. We walked around for a while and then we went and found some shade to sit under and play in. After the wedding, we had some time before the dinner and before I went to work, so we went to Sub Zero for some ice cream. It was the first time Kelsey and Kurt had been there. It was fun to watch their reaction to how they make the ice creme (it's made in front of you with nitrogen). It was so good to see them! I don't get up North to often to visit friends and family.

I also Neal and Debbie Bingham and their daughter Staci (the same friend I saw at the URTA conference). I haven't seen either of them in so long. It was a lot of fun to briefly catch up!

Memorial Day Celebration

Since a good portion of the family was coming home from Scotland on Memorial Day the Mathis' had their party on June 2, and I was actually able to go. Richele planned the party, and again it turned out great! We started at the cemetery to learn about our great-grandfather and his wife. Then we went to another part of town (Price) where the Mathis' lived. We ended at Tim and Richele's house for lunch. We had hot dogs for lunch, but we did them in different styles. We had east coast, mid-west, and west coast. I had creme cheese and chili with mine, which was a combination of east coast and west coast. We had a great turn out! Murrylee, Kimalee and their kids Taylee, Aimslee, Judson, Hadlee and Kayslee, Kate, Laird and three of their kids Duncan, Liam and Anna, Avan, Anna, Aunt Ann, Uncle Lee, Aunt Mary and Uncle Boyd, David and Kara and their four kids Jackson, Lily, Asher and Corrine, Easton, McKay, Nathan, Amy (his almost girlfriend) and her two sons Gavin and Garrett, Michael, Jenny and their three kids Aaron, Grant and Sammi, Uncle Wayne and Aunt Dianne, David John, Tim, Richele, Rosslyn, Daniel, and their son Beckett, and us (Mom, Mandy, Mary, and I) all came. (Sorry if I spelled anyone's name wrong)

Two funny stories: We had just gotten to Tim and Richele's house and Mandy and I were talking to Uncle Stan. At one point he looked over at me and said, "I didn't see your father today." Mandy and I were confused. I then asked, "Well what father of mine were you expecting to see today?" I'm running through my mind people that I consider dads in my life, so Dad, John, Rob, or my neighbor at home Rudy. Uncle Stan then looked confused. After another few seconds I realized he was talking about Uncle Boyd, who I also consider another dad of mine. I asked him if he meant Uncle Boyd (he wasn't at the cemetery, he joined us at the house). It took another few seconds for Uncle Stan to comprehend what I was saying. Then we just smiled and laughed. When Uncle Boyd did come and patted Uncle Stan on the knee and said, "Hey, my dad's here."

Second story: Everyone was starting to arrive and we were starting to get some food. Asher came and sat in between Uncle Boyd and I. After a moment he looked up at me and told me how Wednesday was going to be a great day. I said, "Oh, what's happening on Wednesday?" He said, "My parents are leaving." I just started laughing. In all fairness his parents and grandparents (David and Kara and Aunt Mary and Uncle Boyd) are leaving for Peru, but they weren't leaving until the following Monday. Uncle Boyd and I then told Asher that his parents weren't leaving as soon as he hoped they were. I think he's a bit excited for my sisters and I to come and tend him and his siblings.

As normal we had an after party at Aunt Mary and Uncle Boyd's after. It was the Than crew and us. Funny moment: We were playing the game 5 Crowns. Kate had put down a wild card. When she went to take it back, Laird said she couldn't. That this was Vegas and that's how we play. Kate then replied something like be careful I'm coming home with you. Laird then said, "See I told you it was Vegas." It was so funny!

Scotland May 18-28, 2018

I had an incredible opportunity to go to Scotland with my family. What an experience! We saw so many things, and yet there is still so much more we did not get to see. I would love to go back someday!

We first flew into London, Heathrow Airport. That was the longest flight I have ever been on. Also they fed us every two hours. They first gave us a small snack of a chip/pretzel mix. Then they brought dinner (I had rosemary chicken and vegetables). Then at like midnight (our time) they brought out a sandwich. In the morning (but in our time it was like 2 am) they gave us breakfast. I was so full by the time we landed.

I didn't sit next to any of the family on the ride there. I never got the name of the man I sat next to, but he was very kind. He had gotten up to get himself a coke, he brought me a sprite so that I would stay hydrated. When we flew over Windser Castle he pointed it out to me. When we were first on the plane he asked me if I was flying to London for the wedding it took me a second to realize who he was talking about. All I could think was I don't know anyone in London and Emma (my former roommate) wasn't having a destination wedding anytime soon. Finally I realized he was talking about the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle. Well I definitely missed that wedding.

Driving was interesting. Kate did the majority of the driving and overall I thought she did well. We had a 9 passenger van we rented. It was weird driving on the "wrong" side of the road, aka the left side. The roads are all so narrow. By the end I was use to it, but at the beginning I would cringe every time we passed another vehicle, especially trucks. Some of the roads were one lane roads. They would have little pull offs for passing. We saw these the most on Isle of Sky.

Isle of Sky also had some of the worst roads to travel on. One lane and pot holes everywhere! We hit one hard enough that the by the time we made it our hotel that night we had a flat tire. So we had to wait for a repair man before we could leave the next morning.

Some of my favorite signs we saw say, "Elderly Crossing" (the picture below is of an elderly couple with walkers). "Heavy Plant Crossing" what does that even mean? "Otters!" They had otter crossings at some of the bridges. "Think once. Think twice. Think bike."

Kate, Laura, Stephanie, and I road the Hogwarts Express to Mallaig. We shopped around for awhile as we waited for Uncle Stan, Aunt Jerilyn, Uncle Boyd and Aunt Mary to get there. Mallaig is known for their fish soup called Cullen Skink. Guess what, I actually tried it. It tasted similar to mom's corn chowder. Speaking of food, one of the morning I had the full English Breakfast which consists of bacon that is lot more like ham, sausage, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans, and haggis. I got mine without haggis, but I did try a bite of Kate's. It reminded me of meatloaf. Also, we tried so many different kinds of candy bars, but my favorite is the Double Decker.

Some fun stories about Uncle Stan. On the first day there we were all so tired! Uncle Stan was tired enough that he fell asleep at the dinner table. He then started talking in his sleep about a birthday party. I can't remember what exactly he said, but it was hilarious. Of course he had no memory of it the next day.

We were late getting to the William Wallace Monument. We decided to take this small shuttle that looked a lot like our van. Uncle Stan was the last one to get it, so he would have to ride up front. Well the poor man got a little confused. He would not get in. I think he thought he was driving since the front passenger seat is where the driver sits in the U.S. Finally he exclaimed, "Wait a minute! Who's driving this thing?" The driver from behind the wheel answered him saying, "The man behind the wheel. Just like in your country." It took Uncle Stan a couple of seconds to comprehend what the man had said. Once he did, a smile spread across his face and he laughed at himself and said that was alright.

My last story of Uncle Stan happened one of the nights at dinner. We were ordering our food. Uncle Stand asked how big the bowl of soup was. The waiter was confused (I don't think he was from Scotland. He had a different accent). So we rephrased it asking what the quantity was. The waiter told us to wait a minute and he would go find out. When he came back he said the bowl of soup is 300 mL. We all just broke out into laughter and still a little unsure of the size, Uncle Stan (and Kate, Laura, Aunt Mary and I) ordered the soup.

The plane ride back was fine. We had a layover at JFK Airport. On the way to JFK we had the feeding us every two hours again. We had the same snack, lunch, ice-cream, and a wrap. When we got to Provo, I was so tired. For me it felt like it was 5 am not 10 pm. I felt bad for the rest of the crew they had to drive back to Wellington that night. Kate originally was going to go all the way to Moab, but she decided to stay in Wellington. I also forgot my purse in Aunt Mary's car that night. So instead of staying home and getting some rest from the trip I drove to Wellington to get it. On a fun note, Mom, Mary, and Meg were leaving Orangeville so they stopped in to come see me and I could give them their souvenirs.

Thanks family for the trip of a life time! I hope we can all travel together again!

These are a few photos from the trip.

Plane Ride (This is about how dark it got)

Edinburgh Castle

This is where J.K. Rowling started writing Harry Potter

Stirling Castle

At the bottom of the William Wallace Monument. The two extra men acted/told the story of William Wallace.

The Macfarlane House. This is where my ancestors lived. They were caretakers for the Doune Castle.

Done Castle

Hogwarts Express aka Jacobite Train

Sign outside of the train station. Macfarlane is one of my ancestor names.

View at Cluanie Inn

Feeding the Highland Coos

Isle of Sky Fairy Ponds

Isle of Sky Kilt Rock

Most photographed mountain in Scotland the Buachaille Etiv Mor

Dinosaur Footprints at the Beach

Phone Booth in the middle of nowhere Isle of Sky

Isle of Sky Fairy Glen

Building a Fairy House

King's Arm Hotel

Eilean Donan Castle

Boat Ride in Loch Ness

Urquart Castle

St. Magnus Cathedral Orkney Island

Skara Brae Houses of the past.

Skaill House

Standing Stones of Stennness 

Old Italian Chapel

Duncansby Lighthouse

Clava Cairns

Outlander Rock

Aviemore Spy Mission

Highland Folk Museum

Getting Uncle Boyd in his Kilt

Palace of Scone

"Crowning" Uncle Boyd

Highland Games

Blair Castle

Rosslyn Chapel. This pace had very intricate stone carvings on the inside. Unfortunately we couldn't take photos. This building was also used in the film The Da Vinci Code.

My souvenirs