Back in Touch

Well, we've survived another move, and our third year of celebrating the 4th of July while living out of boxes. It's becoming our Summer norm! We are so happy here though... I feel a bit like Goldilocks... the duplex in Massachusetts was just too small with no yard, the big split-level we had here was just too big with too much yard to mow and too many stairs, but this little ranch level on a culdesac with a picturesque little yard is JUST RIGHT! I can't wait to finish getting things organized and decorated. I thought I'd post some pics from the move and from our 4th of July.

We started the move over the 4th of July weekend... while Brad was working on-call. He'd go in for rounds and get home after 1pm, then we'd make a few car trips to the new house in between him fielding pages from the hospital. Thankfully nothing was serious enough for him to have to go back in once he was done with rounds (this was Saturday, Sunday, AND Monday). Also thankfully, one of our good friends out here watched the boys one evening so we were able to make a couple of good trips utilizing both cars.


That first night of moving we slept at the old house since our clothes and beds were there, only to realize our toiletries and food had all been moved to the new house. I guess we didn't coordinate that perfectly. The next day we made sure to take all our clothes over, and we just set up air mattresses and decided to live without furniture for a week. The good thing about not having a table is that you get to eat your meals on a blanket on the floor AND play cars at the same time! Afterwards, mom can just shake the crumbs off outside!

The weekend after the 4th we arranged for the truck for the furniture and things that wouldn't fit in our car. Moving day is EXTREMELY exciting for a three year old! We were so lucky to have a big turnout of men from the ward to help us load and unload furniture... and Eli was right in the middle of them call carrying what little odds and ends he could find and piling it in the driveway for the guys to load. He couldn't wait to ride in the big truck with dad.

Owen never even got to see the truck in action... he hadn't had much sleep from our crazy moving schedule, and we'd gotten up early to go get the truck. I took the kids to the store to buy doughnuts for the guys, and after Owen ate his he passed out for two hours. He snoozed away as we drove back and forth between the houses.

Bye old house.



Hi new house. After getting everything unloaded (it took two trips with the little truck... thankfully we only moved about a mile away) we still had to spend a few hours finishing up the cleaning at the old house. The boys "helped" mow the lawn. It was so hot and humid! Their cheeks were flushed red. I was the lucky one in the cool house cleaning the floors.

Aaaand here they are "helping" mow the back yard at the new house (see the swingset in the back?!?!). I found each of those mowers at seperate yard sales for 25 cents each!!!



So in the midst of all that moving we did actually celebrate the 4th! We met up with some friends from the ward in the VA Hospital parking lot (since Brad has an employee parking pass). It is right behind the Stadium where fireworks are sent up, so we get front row seats without traffic hassles and stadium seating. There were about 8 other kids there for the boys to run around with. They got their first taste of otter pops!

Eli was mesmerized by the fireworks. I couldn't believe it when he jumped off my lap though to go stand with the "big" kids to watch.... I nearly cried! My little boy is growing up... Owen thankfully was still content to snuggle while we watched.


Sparklers were a big hit. We did some as a family the night before, so I thought my kids understood the safety rules ... that is until Eli ran up to another (older) kid there and intentionally touched (and burned) his arm with the sparkler! Poor kid! I couldn't believe it... other wise it was fun to watch them wave them around =).


A few days later we set off a few things at our new house. I went a little crazy at the fireworks store... it brings back fun memories of summers in Montana I spent with my family as a kid. I had to get the nostalgic ones: smoke balls, snakes, ground blooms, snappers, and sparklers; as well as a few new ones that the kids loved: moving choo choo trains and spitting frog fountains. It ended up being too much for two little kids, so I put half away for next year (really it didn't look like that many til I started opening and lighting them all, then realizing how MUCH supervision my boys need to keep from touching them etc). Anyway, the boys LOVED the celebrations, which of course made it that much more fun for us.

So that's just a bit of what we've been up to! More to come!

Out of Touch

We have technically been living in the new house most of this week...we took a bunch of car loads over the weekend in between Brad being on-call, and the holiday celebration. It was hectic. We have been sleeping on airbeds at the new place since all our clothes and dishes are there, but haven't had furniture. Tomorrow we get the moving truck to finish the job... which also means that I won't have internet for a while because it's not setup at the new house (yep I've been blogging over here late at night while doing laundry/packing etc when Brad and kids were home sleeping). Anyway, just wanted to let ya'll know what was up! Can't wait to update about the house with pics... we LOVE it so far!

Lake of the Ozarks

We did have one little local adventure in June... we drove down to the Lake of the Ozarks to check it out. It's a fairly popular tourist spot in central Missouri! The boys LOOOOOOVED the lake. Both of them wanted to be in the water, but wanted to have Brad hold them the entire time... so he had his arms full.




One very freaky incident occurred while all four of us were in the lake.... Brad was holding both boys and I was standing next to him, when a GIANT catfish surfaced literally an inch or two from Brad's elbow! You would expect a fish to catch sight of us and quickly swim back down, but this one took a long, leisurely look at us before slowly wiggling back down. Needless to say I SCREAMED my head off! I really have a phobia about swimming in lakes when the water is not clear. You never know WHAT might be swimming around your feet... well I tried to calm myself down and resist getting out, when no less than a minute later the fish came up AGAIN in the same spot right by Brad's elbow! I RAN SCREAMING out of the lake this time. I mean, that fish was hanging out below the murky surface right near our legs the WHOLE TIME. EEEEWWWWW. I wondered why on earth he didn't get scared away, when we finally figured out Owen had done a major poopy in his swim suit, and it was probably baiting that fish right up to him! Can I get a big EWWWWW SIIIICKKKK here?! Anyway, I had no desire to get back in after that, so Brad was stuck out there alone swimming with the boys. Thankfully some nice kids let them borrow some float rings.


After wrestling the kids out of the lake, and NOT drying off (it was so humid, it felt like we were still swimming!), we went for a drive through the state park. We drove down "Swinging Bridges Rd" and literally crossed some rickety swinging bridges! They creaked and rattled when you drove across, and were only wide enough for one car. Trouble is, you couldn't see if anyone was coming the opposite direction until you got on!

We saw some beautiful countryside, and this dead Armadillo. I know, gross. But I've never seen an Armadillo before... had no idea they lived out here!


The boys napped in the car and then we toured the Ozark Cavern. I was pleasantly surprised that the boys enjoyed the cave and weren't terrified of the darkness. The formations were cool, and we saw a couple of bats up close. Both boys walked around holding their little lanterns, and when Owen got tired he rode in the Ergo (I even nursed him while carrying him in it - thank goodness for dark caves! )
Don't these pictures make you want to come and visit us???

Walkabout Acres

This summer a friend and I from the ward helped organize a Fieldtrip Friday playgroup for the ward and any other friends who wanted to join in. Our first trip was to Walkabout Acres, a small family run bee farm. They sell honey products, including honey icecream, and have a few other farm animals as well. It was a fun day!

Oliver is the boy in red who is holding Owen's hand. We have had a separate playgroup at his house every Weds for the past year... he and his family just moved to Indiana though. We will miss them!


Ok, so family and high school friends who have known me a long time... doesn't this farm cat look JUST LIKE my cat Brighty???? She lived to be 22+ years old and only recently passed away. I have never ever seen another cat that looked like her... until now.

And this was not on the farm, but here is a shot of the Weds playgroup I was talking about. I call it my "crunchy hippy mama playgroup." We're the sort that like to wrap and cloth diaper babies, and exchange gentle parenting tips and in general just support each other and have a good time! We're trying to keep it going even though our group's original hostess and our dear friend has moved away. We all just sort of found each other in various random ways, and our friendships were meant to be!

June Playing and Sleeping

June just flew by, didn't it?! It was really HOT and HUMID out here, so this is what we spent much of the time doing....

As well as getting dirty! The first two pictures are of peanut butter body painting, the next is of a mud bath.



And when you play hard, you sleep hard!


Even on the floor....

Or in a wrap....


Or on a lap!

Winter Quarters and Council Bluffs

I've made it to the final post about our trip... and if you are still reading this blog, then I consider you the dearest of friends! Good timing too as we begin our move tomorrow... in the midst of Brad working on-call the entire 3 day holiday weekend. It seems like the major events of our lives always seem to clump together inconveniently... oh well. I think now if some transition was easy for us, we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves! Anyway, on to the good stuff...
On our drive home from Utah, we put in a long 15+ hour day and made it to Omaha to spend the night. Usually we'd cut down through Lincoln, NE instead of going out of our way through Omaha, but this time we wanted to tour the Winter Quarters Temple and visitor center, as well as Council Bluffs, Iowa - two important sites in early church history. It's been really neat to live so close to so many significant sites the past two years (New England and now the Midwest). As I mentioned in my previous post, we had just learned some history about Brad's great great great grandfather, George Washington Taggart who joined the church in it's early days. He lived in Nauvoo and helped build the Temple there. His first wife died, leaving him with an infant daughter, Eliza Anne Taggart (Goodrich), who Brad is descended from. We know that Eliza spent some time at Winter Quarters with her step mother (GWT remarried) while her father (GWT) was away serving with the Mormon Battalion. So, it was especially neat for us to visit a place, knowing our family connection to it. Here is a brief synopsis of the sites' significance as noted on lds.org:

"Witness a moment in the great "Mormon Migration." Explore a pioneer cabin, pull a handcart, and see what life was like for thousands of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who spent the winter of 1846 to 1847 in the encampment they called Winter Quarters. A short audiovisual presentation will teach you about the struggles and hardships they faced on their journey to the Salt Lake Valley. Visit the Mormon Pioneer Cemetery, where you can see the final resting place of more than 325 Saints who died at Winter Quarters from illness, hunger, and poor living conditions.

Persecuted for their beliefs and driven from their homes, the Latter-day Saints set out from Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1846. They were seeking Zion–a place where they could worship as they pleased. Their destination was Utah's Salt Lake Valley. Thousands of Saints crossed Iowa and encamped on both sides of the Missouri River, including the site of Winter Quarters, where they constructed hundreds of shelters. These temporary towns became safe havens for the Saints–a place to gather strength before resuming the trek west.

While in the area, visit the Kanesville Tabernacle across the river in Council Bluffs, Iowa. This is a replica of the log building where Brigham Young was sustained as the second prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Winter Quarters Temple, dedicated 2001

The Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters

Picture of the original Nauvoo Temple in Nauvoo, IL. It was destroyed by arson and a tornado. The current Nauvoo temple was rebuilt and dedicated in 2002. Brad's ancestor helped build the original.
Pioneer Cemetery at Winter Quarters

Kanesville Tabernacle replica in Council Bluffs, Iowa. As noted in the synopsis, Brigham Young was sustained here as the second Prophet and President of the church. Council Bluffs served as a headquarters of sorts for a few years after Winter Quarters was abandoned. It is also the place from which the Mormon Battalion was mustered (the Mormons, even after being chased from their own lands and robbed of their freedoms were asked to send 500 men in a battalion to march to California during the Mexican war). Though it was a difficult thing to ask these men to leave their families to make the trek west without them - and in most cases not to see them again for a year or more - the reimbursement they were able to send to their families was a blessing which enabled many of them to afford to make the trip. Many of the battalion played an important role in the early development of California as well... but enough with the history lesson.

Since Brad's ancestor (GWT) was one of the battalion, his name is inscribed on a plaque inside the visitor's center, along with the others of his company. He was a commissioned officer and played the fife apparently. It was really neat to see, but of course my camera died just in time so I didn't get a picture of the plaque. However, we did get an entire handout about GWT from the visitor's center that they had on file - it included a brief biography and picture of him! They have a little bit of information on each of the battalion members filed away for people who ask (mostly descendants of whoever).