fishing

My favorite memories of summer are nights like this--packing up the truck with fishing poles & worms and heading to the mountain with the kids.  Stan & Jan brought dinner and watched the kids while Michael & I got to fish alone (so romantic:) and the kids had a BALL! 

Kandace getting in a quick ride before we took off

i let michael pose with my fish because he couldn't catch any.
just kidding

i really did catch this one

Since we are truck owners now, we're planning to head to the mountain again this week and take the kids camping!!  We are so excited!

Stetson hats

This was our last stop before we got home.  I like to stop in Greybull every now and then and take Stetson's picture by Stetson's hats.  I think it will be fun to look back at them through the years.

Lagoon!

After we said our goodbyes in Truckee, we spent our last night in our cabin and drove back to SLC Thursday and spent the night at Morgan & Fallon's.  Kandace still wets the bed sometimes but REFUSES to wear pull-ups (we can get them on her but she'll just take them off after we leave) so we decided that we'd go sneak them on her after she fell asleep while we were in Truckee.  This made for some really late, exhausting nights for Michael and I, because we were constantly waking up in the middle of the night worrying about our kids wetting the bed and taking turns taking them pee because one of the nights at Morgan's, Kandace apparently took hers off because she wet their mattress and I felt so bad I wanted to die.  Morgan & Fallon are 2 of the nicest people I know so they were really nice about it.  Have I mentioned how much I love them!??  We had plans to go to Lagoon the next morning but we considered throwing in the towel and just heading home instead because we were SO very tired and ready to be home again, but when we woke up the next morning, we decided to go to Lagoon!  We were glad we did ...  The kids were way excited and had a great time.

This was called the rattle snake rapids.  I knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into when I passed others coming OFF the ride who were soaking wet, but I thought it looked way fun.  I always LOVED amuzement parks when I was little and kinda wanted to relive my childhood here lol  SO I took S & K on this thing and there was a huge waterfall at the end that I didn't even see coming because I was smiling for the camera (see pic above).  So we hit the waterfall, got soaked, Stetson cried like a little girl and Kandace asked if we could go again.  HA

Dad & Kandace went one more time while Stetson & I took pics and laughed while THEY got soaked.

We went on lots of rollercoasters (I even went on a big one by myself while Michael watched the kids I then realized rollercoasters aren't as fun when you're an adult).  I have to include a short story about Stetson.  Stetson lately LOVES spooky stories and whenever we go to the library he requests a spooky Halloween book.  We bring them home and read them OVER and OVER again.  He's even written some of his own.  So when we saw a haunted house ride at Lagoon, I thought it would be fun (deep down I knew Stetson would hate it though).  I didn't want to force him so Kandace and I stood in line to go on it while Stetson stood back with Michael going back and forth about wanting to go.  Michael thought Stetson should go, so we made him ( I know, what kind of a parent does that?). YIKES!  He screamed and then just covered his eyes and buried his head in my armpit ...Kandace just covered her eyes.  Neither one of them made a PEEP during the whole ride while bloody goblins and skeletons jumped out at us.  Noone made a peep until we climbed off the cart and then Stetson broke down sobbing.  Really truly it was hilarious.   Its funny how Stetson & Kandace's personalities are so different.  Stetson is timid, Kandace is a go getter.

I LOVED spending the day with my family.  There's noone I'd rather spend my time with.  After Lagoon we went to Draper and met up with an old roommate, Brooke.  She lived with me my last semster of college and she is AWESOME.  I love her to peices and am so glad we stay in touch.   Our trip was fun, exhausting and exciting.  Michael was awesome and such a huge help.  I couldn't do any of this without him.  We were SO glad to be home in our own beds!

Foulger Family reunion part III

I have a professional 4 generation photo of me when I was a baby, my mom, my gma Foulger & my great-grandma (grammy) Eva Howard.  I have it in Kandace's room and I've always wanted to get a professional one done of me, gma, Kandace/Janelle & mom but haven't been successful yet.  This photo is my best attempt so far.  After the lake, our little fam did lunch on our own.  Michael and I love watching the food channel, especially the ones where the host travels around the country and tries out the local favorites.  Michael especially has always wanted to do that so we hit up a local favorite in Truckee, which is called Smokey's kitchen.  Michael had a pork sausage sandwich whith sauted peppers and I had a bbq sandwich.  It was VERY good and fun to get off on our own for an hour.  In the afternoon we went to a really nice local swimming pool.  It had a kiddie pool, regular pool and a lap swim pool.  Michael, Heather & mom helped watch the kids so I could get in a few laps in the lap pool and it was way nice. 

Gabi was very friendly with the babies. lol she always wanted to pick them up which always ended with Janelle crying, but she survived.

We always had dinners at this cabin, which is where gma, Matt & Greg & their families stayed.  This pic was taken the last night when Greg & Carma made taco salad for everyone.  After dinner we had a talent show and celebrated gma's 85th birthday with icecream cake.

Grandma is pretty much amazing and has LOTS of hidden talents.  She used to sing, play the piano, country line dance (she still goes and dances on weekends with friends) and when she was in college she was a majorette in the Utah State band and performed in many prestigious performances across the US.  She delighted us with a little routine for the talent show.  I was hoping to sing some Johnny Cash with Todd that night but noone brought a guitar but Stetson represented our family well with a reading for us.  He was SO CUTE when he tried to read it the first time and couldn't stop laughing.  I sat him down and asked if he wanted to try again later, which he did and he did a great job.

mom decided that Janelle needed a good old fashioned sink bath (the way she always bather her 7 kids).  Janelle was a HUGE fan. 

Foulger Family reunion part II

On day 2 we hit the lake!!  Donner lake is BEAUTIFUL and the kids had a blast.  Kandace especially loved playing in the sand.

We also fell in love with little Audrey who is 18 mos.  She will be a big sister in January.  We were SO glad to get to spend some time with her and get to know her better. She is absolutely adorable.  She does all sorts of animal sounds and is just the sweetest.  She let me hold her and give her hugs any time I wanted.  We love her to peices!!

John is an aspiring body builder.

Fallon & Audrey

L-R: Brad, Lisa, Gabi & Heather

Clay & Todd playing some frisbee (Morgan was on another dock across from them throwing it)

There was this huge blow up water toy that the kids (and grown-ups) had a lot of fun on. 

L-R: Morgan, Zach, Ben (who took a lot of coaxing to get on the blow up ball) & Todd

Ben & Zach

Foulger Family reunion 2012 part I

It was time again for the Foulger Family reunion this year.  We left Sunday morning after church, drove to SLC & stayed with my brother Morgan and drove ther rest of the way to Truckee on Monday.  This year my uncle Brad was in charge and he has a cabin in Truckee, CA so he made arrangements for all of us to stay in a couple of other cabins close by.  Ours had a loft, a main level and a basement.  There were 20 of us in that cabin! It was fun to see everyone since we don't see each other that often!  Brad & his family's permanent residence is in Costa Rica, so they all speak spanish fluently, including their youngest, 5 yr old Gabi. She is the one in the glasses and she is DARLING!!  We all fell in love with her and couldn't get enough.  She has a spanish accent when she speaks English.  She really uses both languages, just throws a little of each into her conversation.  She's sitting with her other sisters, Tatum & McKenna.These pics are taken at the Donner party museum.  This was day 1 of the festivities.  We went to the museum, watched a short video and in the afternoon a bunch of us (including me & Stetson) floated down the Truckee river.  The water was FREEZING!!  But I jumped in anyway.  Stetson got in a couple times but he always wanted right back in.  I didn't take my camera because I didn't want it to get wet.

In our cabin was Clay & Heaher and their 4 kids, Todd & Emily & their 2, Mom, Claire, Morgan & Fallon & Audrey (with baby #2 due in January!! :)

Kandace & Stetson LOVED the cabin and getting to run like crazy kids all over the place with all their playmates.

proud to be a Harrison

We had a Harrison family reunion a while back (July 7, 2012).  A lot of my family members including my dad & his siblings had been making plans for a long time.  Dad has been spending the last 10 plus years writing a book on the history of Fred & Rhoda Harrison, who are my great grand parents.  Dad gave us the book the night of the reunion and had written this in the front cover:

My grandma is in the front row, very left (huge white bow)

Emily, Michael, Stetson, Kandace and Janelle,

Try and make time to read the stories in this book. These people are your relatives and they are in heaven rooting for you.  They sacrificed much that your life might be better. 

They want you to live a good life and keep God's commandments.  They love you and want you to return home with honor.  I appreciate and admire each of you.  Keep up the good work.

Love, dad & grandpa 

I've re-read that a few times since I've gotten the book because I love the way I feel when I read it.  I love thinking of the sacrifices my ancestors did make for me, and the feelings of love and belonging I have when I think of them.  Fred & Rhoda had 7 children.  Their 2nd child was my grandma, Lizzie Harrison Simmons.  She died in '76 before I was born.  I spent a lot of time reading the book during our road trip the week after the reunion and absolutely loved it.  I am so proud of my ancestors and I think its interesting and special that we all have a natural admiration and respect for our ancestors despite shortcomings.  We don't judge and just assume they did the best they could and that God will be the final judge. 

My grandma and grandpa Simmons' experienced hard trials.  After my gma Lizzie had her first baby she got sick and her baby (Laverne) had to go stay with Fred & Rhoda for quite a while.  Finally Lizzie was well enough to come home and take care of her baby.   4 years later, her baby Laverne was killed in a farming accident.  The book only gives some brief facts about her death and nothing else, but I thought about that experience a lot--how they dealt with their grief, how it must have changed their marriage and ultimately their lives forever. . life was rough back then-people say that its hard for us too, just in different ways.  I'm not so sure.  I was reading this on our 30 plus hr car trip across the hot Nevada desert to California and I felt a little less sorry for myself after reading about their lives.  I read about how hard Rhoda worked to take care of not only her children, but the farm, and other household chores that make mine seem like nothing.  I was inspired to work a little harder and complain a little less.  All the sudden I re-evaluted me and Michael's little life here in Lovell and how we're raising 3 little kids and all the sudden I had a different perspective-our daily lives and experiences don't seem so insignificant anymore.  I wonder what people will write about us and our family one day.  It was interesting to find out that I actually come from a long line of very successful, hard working Lovell farmers who spent much of their lives in hot fields irrigating their crops.  Too bad I haven't even figured out how to set a tube yet. lol

all of Lizzie's ancestors had a name tag with Lizzie's name in the upper right corner.  I was so proud to have her name on my nametag and my kids'

I wonder what they'd think of this little squirt lol

baby Audrey, Joel & Trav

We took a little tour of Fred & Rhoda's house and farm.  IT WAS HOT!!

 The book talks a lot about all the love and work that was put into this house--it was known for its beautiful flowers, orchards and shade trees.  Rhoda would always give people some starters from her beautiful flower gardens when they came to visit.  This is where family gatherings took place. 

We concluded the days' activities with a dinner and program at the Cowley church.  Dad told some stories wearing my great-grandpa (Fred Harrison's) scouting uniform.  I am sure proud to be his daughter.and we can't leave out dad & Stetson who couldn't make it until the dinner.  They were helping move cows that day.  I LOVE this pic of Stan & Jan and the boy grandkids.  There is going to be a GREAT book written about these two one day.