8/25/13

Book Cliffs... Round 3&4

Last Friday after work Jake, the kids, and I went straight to Roosevelt. We packed an overnight bag, went to a viewing of a close friends sister, and then left for the Book Cliffs. Bronson slept most of the way down, and Bri fell asleep right after we got on dirt. I worried that meant we would be up all night. When we got to our camper we had been outnumbered by a group of people down protesting the Oil Shale development. We were annoyed that they had come RIGHT to our camp spot, but figured they were lucky that we didn't have any barking dogs with us. Jake and I got the camper all set up and then transferred the kids. They both slept through it all. It was such a shock to us. Something is up with the fridge in our camper and it only works when there is battery power. So, of course, our battery had died during the week with us gone. It couldn't have been dead too long, but long enough the meat in the freezer had thawed out. We cleaned that all up, and decided we would just head straight home in the morning. The kids slept until about 8, and then we loaded up and started the drive home. We stopped at Pelican Lake for breakfast and got home right at nap time. Perfect timing!

Fast forward to last Friday...

Bronson had gotten sick and kind of scared me earlier in the week, and with Bri's teeth I just couldn't decided if the kids and I should go or stay home. Finally, Friday morning, I decided we would go down for at least the night. Jake finished up at work early, and so he went and bought all our groceries. He then picked the kids up, and picked me up. We got home, and Bronson and I went back to the store to get the items Jake forgot. It's so who we are... haha! Ben and Andre dropped Tytan off, and Jake picked Jens up. Jake was happy the boys were coming with him. We filled up on gas and hit the road. We got to camp right at dark, and it was raining. There was a mean note on our camper from someone about some clean water act and all sorts of crazy stuff. So, that kind of set the tone off bad. After awhile we shook it off. The kids helped with that. Tytan and Jens kept telling me, "You are the forest ranger Kelsey. Nobody can leave notes on the forest ranger's camper." haha I don't know where they got that, but it was funny. We had a fire with S'mores when the rain stopped. We forgot Bronson's blanket (he is becoming VERY attached), and so he would not go to sleep. Finally at 10:15 all the kids were asleep. Jake and the boys were up early, and out on their adventure. Bri and Bronson slept until 9. Totally a record for my kids. I didn't even know what to do with myself. I fed them breakfast and got us all ready for the day. We drove up out of camp to call home, and to track down Jake. I ran into Bruce and he said Jake was walking into a bear tree, so I might not get him for awhile. Sure enough, no Jake so we went back to camp. We were playing outside when they pulled in. I could hear Tytan and Jens yelling, "Kelsey, you're going to be mad! We caught a bear without you." They were cute, and I wasn't mad! We had three lost dogs though so the kids and I jumped in the truck with them and we were off. Luckily, they were easy finds. We had a picnic and went back to camp. Bronson went right down for a nap while everyone else became chipmunk hunters. After Bronson's nap he was playing outside and tripped and fell. He hit his lip on a stick, and the blood was flowing out his mouth. So scary, and so gross. Jake and I do not handle things like that well at all. He freaked, I freaked, Bronson freaked, and then we were okay. Around 4:30 we cooked up dinner, went and got new water for the camper, and decided to go on an evening hunt. We drove all over and only had one true rig. So, we went back to camp for S'mores and cobbler. Again, Bronson would not sleep. We turned on Stub the  Cow Dog and he watched the whole movie. The other kids were out as soon as they closed their eyes to avoid the "bear part". It was a cozy night in the camper, and the bear hunters we up before the sun again. They showed back up to camp around 10 without having any luck this morning. Jake and Bronson took a nap while the kids and I chased chipmunks and watched Stub again. It started raining, and I was getting nervous about the drive home on the dirt portion with all the mud. Bri started getting the idea that she wasn't ready to come home, and she could stay with her Dad. She had really wanted to go hunting with Jake this morning, but when he asked me if he should wake her I told him no. She woke up so mad that he didn't wake her up. I tried to explain it was because I told him she needed the sleep, but she wasn't accepting the fact he left her very well. She asked me if Ty and Jens were staying and when I said no she said, "Good. Then he will HAVE to take me with him." haha smart girl!  Bronson finally woke up, we said good-bye, and hit the road. Roads were fine, but it did rain most the way home. I dropped the boys off and started the pile of laundry. Jake called to let me know they had got a bear, and Bri had done well. He said it was the hardest hunt of his life. The bear was 880 yards off the road, and he knew it was too far for Bri. He put her in the Kelty kid pack we have for Bronson. They got to the tree and took pictures. He then put her back in the pack and had to pull six dogs off the tree. He pretty much carried the six dogs and Bri back to the truck. He is tired, and will sleep good tonight!  Bronson and I visited with Ann and Barry for awhile, rode the four wheeler around the field,  and then Bronson was ready for bed. It was another fun weekend!




Thursday we went to dinner with the Henderson's, Steffies, and Maryann. It was a blast. 
 Bronson and Wyatt kept fighting over who the baby was.






 I taught Bri had to start the generator a couple weeks ago. She loves it, and so do I. She wakes up every morning asking if I want it on. 







 Their bear went up a HUGE Ponderosa 


 Jens was exhausted. 

 When Brilee went missing during our picnic... We found her with her favorite dogs. 


 I love snuggling Bronson.
 Bri would have loved snuggling Tytan, but he wasn't into it. 



 Her teeth are taking some getting used to. 

 Reunited with the "blankey"




8/19/13

Tooth Fairyl

We have been dreading todays dentist appointment since the first of the summer when we scheduled it. The dentist causes a lot of anxiety for little Bri, and she has had it on the back of her mind for a couple of months now. She asks all the time "Is today the dentist day?" For a long time I would answer with, "No... it's still far away." Last week when she asked I explained it would be after cheer camp and school shopping. She instantly started crying, but again I told her not to worry it was still a long ways out. She asked numerous times a day the past week, and I could feel her stress. I always assured her she would be fine and it wouldn't be scary, but she was not easy to convince. On the way home from her cheer clinic performance she mentioned she knew it was time for the dentist cause she was done with cheerleading. We went school shopping Sunday (which was super fun and will become an annual tradition!), and Bri had a melt down on the way home. She got sent to her room right after we got, but she wasn't asleep an hour later. Jake and I went to talk to her and she said, "I'm just so scared of the dentist." Jake and I agreed that she had every right to be scared and so we just consoled her. She didn't sleep hardly at all, and by this point I was so ready for it to be over. We kept telling her she would be asleep and wouldn't remember any of it. She remembers so much from her tonsil procedure that her true fear was being put to sleep. We dropped Bronson off at Grammy's, and then we went to the BLM for a few minutes for Brilee to say hi. Hank teased her that he would just pull her teeth out, but she wasn't teasing. She thought it was a great idea, and I believe she would have let him. We finally headed to Dr. White at 9:00. He was great and had everything ready. He talked with us, and within minutes the  anesthesiologist was in the waiting room asking Brilee to pick a prize. As she was picking her prize he wiped her arm with an alcohol wipe and gave her shot without any warning. It was great. She fell asleep right there in my arms and they took her back. Jake and I waited 2.5 hours in the waiting room. We were so bored. Finally, Dr. White came to tell us all he was finished. We squared away our bill, and then they told us she was waking up. I could hear her calling for me all the way down the hall. She came out of it better than ever before. First thing she said, "Well... that was fun." We laughed and loved on her. They had us out of there within 10 minutes. So different from all the previous times she has been put under. On the way to Grammy's she said, "That was pretty easy huh?" We asked her what was easy and she said, "You know... pulling my teeth all out. And I love my gold teeth." (Her teeth are really silver, but she keeps calling them gold.) We snuggled at Grammy's while Bronson napped, and then we came home. We have watched Tooth Fairy 2 three times today. She couldn't wait to show her cousins her new smile and teeth. They were all so sweet with her. Tonight she went to bed with her teeth under her pillow, and can't wait to wake up to see if the Tooth Fairy really does come. We are breathing a sigh of relief tonight!



School Shopping:








Tooth Day:
 I hated to wake her up this morning. I swear she went to sleep about twenty minutes before I took this photo. 
 Last photo with the front teeth. 
 Waking up!


 Getting her cousin love in tonight. 

 Going to bed!
 Teeth under her pilow!!!

SHE MADE IT!!!!