Family Reunion (part 1)

We have been so excited to go camping. It's been on our calendar for weeks and the boys have been talking about it for quite a while. I love going camping with Michelle's family. The are over-prepared for every situation and it always seems to be such a great experience. So we starting packing, getting everything we would need, trying not to forget anything.

The night before we left we loaded all of our sleeping bags, foam pads and tent into Uncle Kyle's jeep so that we would have enough space to get everything else we needed to the camp site. Even with that stuff already packed and gone it still took us a long time to get everything assembled. We ended up leaving about 2 hours later than we had planned. And even after the extra time we had to make one short return trip for something we had forgotten (the map to the camp site!).

When we got our current vehicle (Toyota Highlander) we thought we had a great vehicle for going places. We have since discovered that it isn't quite the vehicle of our dreams. We need more space inside and more cargo space on top.

The Boel family has figured out how to make the perfect camping vehicle...

But we finally made it over the rock and through the woods, streams and mosquitoes to our campsite for our Dave & Brenda Family Reunion 2009! Grandma & Grandpa Petersen along with Uncle Kyle & Aunt Kaylynn were already there with the campsite up and running.

We discovered that the dead wood on the ground wasn't as dry as you might at first imagine. Uncle Kyle quickly set out to remedy the situation by getting different wood.

After surveying the terrain near to main camp Michelle finally located the perfect spot for our tent. Then she left me to clear out some debris and pitch the tent. It would have been the perfect spot if it weren't for all of the mosquitoes. Due to the extra rain this year the mosquito population must of multiplied because you couldn't get away from them. We discovered that with enough mosquito repellent and full daylight they were tolerable but at night and early morning...look out!

Despite the mosquitoes which were everywhere I think we found a great spot. It wasn't right next to the main hub of activity but it wasn't extremely far if you needed something that was still in the tent. It was also close enough to check on sleeping kids around nap time (but far enough that the activity of camp didn't wake them up).

We arrived about 2 minutes before the Boel family. But it wasn't too much later that the Kim family also arrived. It was getting dark when they got there but they were able to get their tent up quickly and all of their stuff situated in time to enjoy an evening around a smoky camp fire. The campfire ring was oval and just about the perfect size for everyone to have a spot close to the fire.

Because it was the first night at our campsite we let the boys stay up much later than usual. After all, how fun is a campfire while the sun is still up? I love to be able to see the fire jumping and watch the red coals smolder! But it was finally time to put the boys to bed. So sometime after 10:00 pm we corralled the boys in the tent and got them ready for bed.

After the boys were tucked safely in bed we headed back to the fire for some adult bonding time. It was a great and relaxing evening (once the boys were in bed) to just sit around the campfire, up in the mountains, hanging out with some of the greatest people on the planet.

4 Boys and More...

1, 2, 3, 4...

Who could ask for anything more?

5, 6, 7, 8...

Another baby will be great!

Garden Harvest

Michelle has been doing a fabulous job with her garden this year. She has figured out all the cool stuff about spring harvest, summer harvest and fall harvest. She's also figured out a special watering plan that is supposed to make the produce/plants more hardy while reducing the amount of random weeds that show up. It seems to be working out great.

The spring harvest is finishing up. In fact, the carrots are the last of the spring plants. This has been really exciting for us. This is Michelle's first real attempt at raising carrots! I don't know about you but these look really nice!

Of course the temperature outside has gotten quite hot. So we decided that the best time to pick the produce was after we put the boys down for bed. We witnessed a beautiful sunset as we finished picking the beans.

I just think it is so cool that we are raising so much good food for our family. And I am very relieved to say that our garden is still going strong.

An Evening With Friends

Michelle and I wanted to spend some time with some friends Friday night. We made a few phone calls and extended a few invitations. Not everyone was able to make it but we did have a few friends show up. The Bunker family, the Moss family and the Johnson family made it in time to enjoy the fire and watching the kids running around playing and having a grand old time. The Anderson family and the McCall family we also able to stop by later in the evening to say hi and have a marshmallow/s'more.

The Jones boys and the Bunker boys decided that sword fighting was the game of the day and Steve Bunker was the target.

But the boys were no match for the fury and ferocity of the counter-attack!

Meanwhile, Jeff Moss provided the horsepower for Corbin and Quintin to cruise around the yard.

It appears that Quintin is going to have to practice just a few more times before his driving test. He nearly ran over his mother Holly.

We had an absolutely wonderful time with our friends. The Mosses are new to our neighborhood and we were elated that they decided to join us for an evening of socializing.

Around 8:30 pm we directed the boys to clean up all the toys. Since we had 10 boys running around the yard we were able to gather everything up in just a few minutes. Then we herded our boys into the house to get ready for bed as the other boys headed for home (and their own beds).

The Johnsons and the Andersons stuck around a little longer and we started up a game of Canasta. I've never played that game before but it had a lot of similar rules to Hand and Foot which I have played previously (about 4 different versions now). Our game lasted until 11:00 pm when we decided that it was time to call it a night. We certainly had a lot of fun and are grateful that so many friends were able to join us for a few hours on a Friday evening.

FHE Roasting Marshmallows

Even though the days have decided to become hotter we thought it would be fun to roast marshmallows over a campfire. We haven't done that nearly as much as we aught to with a wonderful firepit in our backyard. So Michelle and I decided that a fire would be a great for Family Home Evening.

Little did we know or anticipate that we would have a friend join us for the evening. I have to say it was really cute to have Jayden come over and play with our boys. Whatever she wanted to do the boys were enthusiastic to join in. (Maybe we need to have more friends come over to play!)

Jayden thought a fire and roasting marshmallows was a fabulous idea. After all, they had already had a "picnic" in the club house and had played all sorts of other games and had all sorts of fun running through the yard. I'm still not sure that Jayden actually asked her father if she could come over or if she could stay until bedtime. But we enjoyed her company all the same.

Michelle helps to load up the marshmallows on the roasting sticks. No one wants to be left out but we only have 4 sticks.

Jayden is afforded the honor of the first marshmallows. But decides to aid in teaching her the true art of marshmallow roasting.

Okay, so the first marshmallow caught on fire but it could have happened to anyone...

Actually, the boys decided it was all sorts of fun to create a sugar torch. I suppose there has to be a learning curve in the art of marshmallow roasting but it seems like such a waste of perfectly good marshmallows. But boys being boys found the courage to eat their burnt marshmallows anyway.

Regardless of the actual state of the marshmallows, we had a fantastic evening. Jared did come searching for his daughter and we managed to keep him a few minutes as he roasted a marshmallow and had a s'more with us. With perfect weather and a beautiful family, it made for a wonderful Family Home Evening.

On The High Council

Last week I was enjoying a beautiful Sunday church service. After the opening exercises for my Priesthood meeting I headed down the hall to put our boys "church bag" on a shelf in the coat closet so I wouldn't need to hold the bag uselessly through this last Sunday meeting. As I headed back down the hall I saw the Bishop and the Stake President heading toward me. As I made a courteous "hello" and tried to squeeze by I was blocked!

As President Smith shook my hand he gave me that smile that let's you know that you're about to get it and he asked me 2 simple questions. "Is your wife here today?" and "Can I meet with you right after church?" Of course my heart started beating double-time but I had to answer in the affirmative.

As a result of that meeting last week I was sustained to serve on our Stake High Council this week! Of course I'm a little nervous about what to expect but I'm also excited for the opportunity and experience that this new calling will give me. As it turns out, I won't have to wait long to find out what will happen on the High Council.

Immediately after being sustained in Sacrament meeting I meet President Thurston in the hallway on the way to my Sunday School class. Michelle and I greeted him in the hallway and he asked if I had been sustained. He then informed me that I had my first assignment which is to speak next Sunday in another ward. We then headed to the Stake office to get some papers which showed where I was supposed to be speaking but I had to call their Bishopric and let them know I would be there (because of the change in High Councilmen). I also have my first High Council meeting next Sunday morning (before church).

I guess there is no point in waiting to get started! I was set apart immediately following our block of church meetings so I'm official! I have received many "congratulations" since being sustained and I certainly appreciate every one. It is great to know I have the support of my friends and family as I begin this new opportunity to serve in the church and kingdom of God.

Clean-up Time: A Tale of Distraction

We sent the boys outside to clean up their mess. It's Saturday evening a we try to get things ready for Sunday. However, not having heard the boys for several minutes we became somewhat suspicious. As it turns out, the boys had forgot their original task of cleaning up and putting away their toys. It appeared as if the task of emptying the wading pool had consumed all of their efforts...

End of the First Trimester

We're excited to be reaching the end of the first trimester of Michelle's pregnancy. It has been a rough 13 weeks so far. Even Michelle has to admit that this has been the hardest pregnancy so far. She has been sick and nauseous nearly every day with only moments of reprieve. She has had no energy for even the simplest tasks. And that has been very depressing.

But now that she has passed through that first trimester she is starting to feel better. It's almost like magic how she is now feeling better and has more energy. There are still some days that are better than others but overall she is doing much better.

I've heard it said that when you have a pregnancy with a baby of the other gender it tends to be more difficult. If that's the case then we're sure to have a girl. I love all my boys and would be happy to welcome another one but there is certainly a part of me that is excited to have a little princess.

Quiet Time

David and Donovan are mature enough that they don't take naps anymore but Michael and Aleky still do. In order to create an environment that is conducive to naps for the younger boys we have "quiet time" for the older boys. Our rules for quiet time are fairly straight forward:

1. It needs to be quiet


2. There are no computer games, movies or other audio/visual stimulation


3. It needs to be quiet

The older boys are finally getting used to the idea of quiet time although we've been working on this idea for some time now. So when I came upstairs and saw my boys so diligently doing quiet time activities it brought much joy to my heart.

You Stuck What In Your Nose?

I love all my boys but sometimes they do the craziest things. This evening the boys were playing (rather loudly) in the living room while Michelle and I are trying to have a nice adult level conversation in the kitchen. All of a sudden Donovan comes into the kitchen crying about a marble in his nose!

Having heard many such stories of children sticking things in their noses I almost started laughing and went to grab the camera. Michelle, a bit more level-headed, headed for the medicine cabinet to grab some tweezers and a flashlight.


As it turned out it wasn't a marble after all. He had stuck a little bead up there and Michelle was able to just sqeeze it out. The whole incident was resolved in about 3 minutes and Michelle and I just had to laugh.