Pumpkin Patch Kids

We went to the pumpkin patch last night. We have gone to this pumpkin patch for the past few years. We loved taking the cutters and a wheel barrow and going to cut pumpkins. This year they changed it so all of the pumpkins were already cut. The kids love to "drive" the tractors and go through the corn maze. We tried to grow our own pumpkins this year, but were unsuccessful again. Next year for sure.

Daxton was being Indiana Jones in the corn maze.

Snowy Sunday

It snowed at our house a couple of weeks ago. It was just enough to play in. It didn't stick to the roads and we didn't have to go anywhere, just like I like it. I really enjoy the first couple of snow days of the year, especially if they come before Christmas. We went out in our backyard and played in the snow before church. We even made a snowman and snow angels. It was a blast. Too bad Kenny had meetings and didn't get to play with us.

Makenna learned quick from Daxton to eat the snow. Thanks Dax.

Football, Football, Football

Daxton has been dying to play football. We finally signed him up for flag football and he has loved it. He really wants to play tackle next year when he is old enough. We are not sure about that, but we all loved flag football. The best part is that it doesn't conflict with Saturday college football games. Dax had a great coach and a fun team to watch. He scored a touchdown in every game except for one. He had a chance to play offense and defense in every game. The last game we finally told him we would pay him a quarter for every flag he pulled. We should have started that at the beginning of the season. He used most of the money that he earned from soccer to buy football receiver gloves. He loves to tell his football stories. He must get that from Grandpa Korth, because most of them are made up. Just ask him about the football practice where he was attacked by birds who dug their talons into him.

Dax handing off.

Dax playing center.

Dax on his way for the touchdown.

The video is of Dax scoring on a two point conversion. About midway through the season, he learned how to cut back across the field.

Sorry the video is so bad, it was taken with my regular camera.

Playing Tag

My brother-in-law Jon tagged me, thanks to Kyle my nephew. Jon probably tagged me because he is sick of checking my blog to see that I haven't posted anything. Here goes.

Name & meaning: Cherice= beloved, dear (really, I looked it up)
Age: 36
Nicknames: She-nae-nae (only from Russ at the Off Broadway Theatre)
Favorite Activities: playing games, swimming, running, biking, camping, raquetball, reading
Favorite Food: Today it is fresh garden salsa
Least Favorite Food: Anything soggy (i.e. bread, cereal)
Favorite Music: I'm not picky
Favorite Toy: I have toys? I guess our Brain Age game
Favorite Book: The Alliance
Favorite Clothing: pajamas
What makes you happy: Being active with my family
What makes you sad: The state of the world today

I tag Kenny

Mandi's Wedding

Kenny's niece Mandi married Bart on September 20, 2008. It was a beautiful day. Kinlee and Makenna were flower girls for the ceremony. I wasn't sure if they were really going to be a part of the wedding or not. Mandi was nice to invite them, even if it was risking a wedding fiasco.

Kinlee went to get her hair done with the other flower girls at the hair school where Mandi went. The poor girl who got to work with Kinlee was so sweet. She did her best to get some curls in her hair with a curling iron. (She has never had her hair curled before.) I ended with some cute pony tails and some curl. All of the girls looked beautiful.

Mandi rode to the garden ceremony in a horse drawn Cinderella carriage with all of the flower girls and the ring bearer. We had to sing songs to the girls while they waited to keep everyone in control and in the carriage. They all felt like princesses. Mandi was great with them. Mandi's dad, Kevin, helped everyone out of the carriage. (Kinlee decided that she liked the carriage and wanted to get back in. I had to go and grab her so Mandi could get out.) Makenna followed her cousins down the aisle and to the front (with a little encouragement from grandma). She was such a big girl. She even stood at the front during the whole ceremony. Thanks to her cousin Lilly (who is 3) she even managed to not jump in the pond. The wedding fiasco was averted.

Daxton didn't want to leave the reception until the dancing was over. It was a good thing that we didn't. They were so cute dancing on the side until it was their turn. I danced more in public that night with my children, nieces, and nephews than I think I ever have. It was a blast.

Thanks to Mandi, Bart, Kevin, and Sherill for allowing my girls to feel like princesses for the day and for giving Daxton, Abbie, and Hunter a play day, all day.

The boys with the bride and groom.

Tanner, Hunter, Mandi, Bart, Mylan, Daxton, Jamison, and Dallin.

The girls.

Abbie, Lilly, Mandi, Makenna, and Kinlee.

Makenna loved her basket of flowers.

The girls in the princess carriage.

Lagoon Day

For the past few years we have taken our employees and their families to Lagoon when it is 2 for 1 days. It has been a lot of fun. A lot of my family came with us this year.

I hated the roller coaster when I was a kid. It scared me to death. I always said that I would never make my kids go on rides that they didn't want to. Come on, isn't riding rides supposed to be fun?

So here I am at Lagoon some 30 years later with my daughter who doesn't even want to go on the kiddie rides. We go up to the Odysea ride, which I can sit right next to her on, and she starts screaming before we even get in the ride. I was determined to show her that it could be fun. I strapped her in as tight as I could and off we went. She still screamed a lot, but she was beginning to relax.

Next I took her on the Dinosaur Drop ride. Unlike the Odysea ride, you are right in front of the line of people waiting. As the ride dropped, Kinlee would do her mad face and kind of squeal, and then the whole way up she would hit the safety bar and yell "stop, stop, stop". Luckily for me, not everyone could tell what she was saying. It was so funny that I couldn't stop laughing. So those cute little people in line were watching this distressed 4 year old with Downs Syndrome freak out, while her mom was laughing. (Yes, I am up for the parent of the year award.) The thing that I knew and they didn't is that I would get a bigger reaction from her if I turned off her favorite TV show or made her eat her dinner. It is all relative. So, so much for not making your children ride the rides. By the end of the night she actually liked riding a few rides. Too bad we only go once a year, because by next year we will have to start all over again.

We made up for all of the drama with playing at Lagoona Beach for several hours. My girls love anything that they can do with a swimming suit on this year.

Madison, Makenna, Haley, Chelsie, and Jake.

Makenna and her cousins at the pavillion for dinner.

This is the cute guy that was on "So You Think That You Can Dance?"

to promote awareness that people with disabilities can do great things.

He is also going to be in the new "High School Musical 3".

This was the last ride. The girls weren't sure if they liked the boats this time.

I had to get a picture of the tears.

Panguitch...Where "Owens" Means Something

Kenny, Makenna, Big Cameron, Little Cameron, Lexi, Brooke, Mandi, Bart, and Joyce

enjoying the dinner at the old Owens' house.

Kenny keeping the girls entertained with bubbles during the auction.

Kinlee has always loved dogs from afar, but she is finally getting brave.

We couldn't keep her away from this dog. Thanks cuz.

Daxton just loved playing in the tree swing with Tess, his cousin from Washington state.

Every year we make the pilgrimage to the homeland of Panguitch, Utah where the descendants of Kenny's great grandparents gather to celebrate all that is Owens. The place where at the Owens' Bros. Store at Panguitch Lake you may be treated to an Owens' Bros hat (if you happen to be with Kevin). And where if you need a hotel room for a shower, they will give you the Owens family discount and you get a room for $40 when all the other rooms are over $100 (if you happen to run into Katherine and Greg in the lobby). Oh, the perks that come with being an Owens (at least in Panguitch). I'm sure that is how it is when you come from such families as the Hiltons or the Kennendys.

It was great fun and the boys got to go fishing in the boat that they have worked on all summer. Maybe next summer they will work on the motor a little more (now that it is fixed up inside) so they can use it a little more.

We made the short drive to Bryce Canyon with Cameron and Brooke because Brooke has never been there. It is also a good time for a nap for the girls. Kinlee has a pass to get into all of the National Parks for free. So the whole carload gets in for free with her. One of the many perks that you get with Kinlee. It was a fun time, especially since it was raining back at camp and we were nice and dry. It always rains in Panguitch during the reunion. I found out that it is because of the summer monsoon flow that begins about this time every year. I just thought that we were extremely unlucky. I don't remember a time in the last 9 years that I have been going that it didn't rain at least once. Thankfully, only one year has there been a storm so strong that I thought we might die. Nothing like packing up in the rain. Next year a trailer to stay in, right Joyce? Or maybe the next, or the next? We love Panguitch and all that comes with it.

Red, White, and Blue ....or in our case Black and Blue

Kinlee and Makenna practicing their "princess" waves.

Daxton, Kyle, Kristin, and Jake showing their patriotism.

Jen, Kenny and Kinlee just chillin' in the shade.

Kinlee's shiner.

We had a great 4th of July. We did some of the usual things. We went to the Riverton city parade the night of the 3rd. It was a lot of fun. I think my brother Troy and I are really the only ones that enjoy the parade. Thanks again to Tiffany who allows us all to cram in front of her house once a year and enjoy her shade trees. (I think the trees may go with the widening of the road, so sad.)

On the morning of the 4th, Kenny ran the Riverton 10K race with his running buddies and his friend Milan (way to go Kenny!)

I took the kids to the Copperton Park activities. We love going up there for the small town feel of the activities. Daxton looks forward to the races every year. Kinlee usually runs the races for her age group and for the kids with special needs. They give money out for the three fastest kids or adults in each age group, but she gets money each time she runs. She always comes home with the most money. This year she didn't want to run, unless it was someone elses race and I was chasing her across the field. Troy took her out to run with the kids with special needs and she didn't want to run. Unfortunalely, her big brother Daxton, wanted her to. He picked her up from behind and started running. It ended three steps later with him body slamming her head into the grass. I was on my way out to get her when it happened. I don't think I have ever been that mad at Daxton. She got a tiny cut from her glasses under her eye and was bruised around her eyes (see picture). I took her to the playground where she immediatley forgot she was hurt. Daxton stayed with his cousins to run the races while mom cooled down.

We went to the splash park, got free lunch at the Chick-fil-A and watched fireworks on the lawn at Riverton park. It was a fun day.

Bear Lake Fun

We made a couple trips up to the lake this year. We went and stayed in the fifth wheel with Grandma and Grandpa Korth while Kenny was at Youth Conference. Thank goodness for family helping me with my three kids. It was fun to play all day at the lake. Makenna wasn't feeling great, but eventually she left my lap in the shade to play ring around the rosies with Grandma.

It was fun to see the extended Korth family and camp in a tent for the family reunion. I was really nervous about the camping thing. Camping didn't go so well for us last year with a baby. This year it was a thousand times better. I had decided after our two camping trips last year that we just weren't going to be a "camping family". The kids slept in the tent great. Now we just have to make sure that we don't lose kids during the day. I only panicked once and yelled for everyone to search for Kinlee. She only wandered into the fifth wheel. Thank goodness for nieces and nephews who would come and ask if they could take my girls to go play. It really felt like a vacation to me.

Since seven of us at the reunion were training for our half marathon races, we got up on Saturday morning and took a run down the canyon coming from Evanston. Jen and I ran 5 miles, but Donnarae, Jon, Beau, Becca and Russ ran 8 miles. We liked it so much that we think we might have to start a Korth Family 10K race the weekend that we are up there. Thanks to the family for getting us running and keeping us on track!

Splash!

Daxton and Kinlee had swimming lessons in June and August this year. The last day of every session, the kids get to swim across the pool in races. Daxton swam better and faster than I have ever seen him swim. When we were driving home, I was telling him how great I thought he did. He told me that he learned it from Michael Phelps. He said Michael always cups his hands and digs deep in the water to make himself go fast. I may just buy the DVD of the olympics and take him to the pool rather than spend money on lessons next year.

Every night when you ask Kinlee what her favorite part of the day is, she jabbers a bunch, but it always ends with "splash". It is one of the words that she says really clearly. She loves blowing bubbles and jumping off of the diving board.

Just a hint to people who don't know how to deal with kids with special needs. Don't assume that you know what they need. Maybe just ask what they need. The nice thing is that they usually come with a parent who has all kinds of experience with them and worries more about how they can fit in a situation than you do. For instance, if you had a child with lets say, Down Syndrome, at your swimming pool taking lessons. Don't go up to the mother of the child and tell them how kids with Down Syndrome need their moms more than other kids. Don't insinuate that the parent tried to slip them into your program without telling someone (especially when your husband is the one that convinced them to sign up). And certainly don't tell this mom about how kids with Down Syndrome aren't as bad as "those kids with Autism", because moms of kids with special needs know each other and have a gilmpse of the struggles that are always in each other's paths. Just recognize that although you are a public pool and have to deal with OSHA, the Health Department, and cryptosporidium, that everyone has challenges in their lives. Have some compassion to know that as hard as it is for you to deal with children with special needs for a few hours a week during the summer, the parents of kids with special needs accept this as a part of life and appreciate as many precious years that they get to learn from them. Just a little shift in your perception of the situation, and you might realize that the three half hours that this beautiful little girl gets to spend in your pool, might be the highlight of her day!

Fishing for 7

Daxton had his 7th birthday in June and wanted a "Fishing Birthday". Kenny, Troy, Curt and his buddy Shane (thanks again Shane and Lyndsay) took all the kids fishing at the Herriman Cove Pond. It was too hot by the time we got there so the fish weren't biting. We could see them swimming by our hooks, they just weren't interested. We came back to the house to play on the new waterslide and have cake and ice cream. Our cool friend Natalie made the fishing cake for him. It was a good day.

Cameron and Brooke

Kenny's younger brother Cameron married Brooke on June 20th. We were so excited for him. We love Brooke and are glad she is in our family. It is great to have another Cougar in the Owens clan. We are far and few between. She picked out these way cute dresses for my girls to wear at the reception. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was held in Brooke's parents' gorgeous back yard. Here are some cute pictures of my girls. I guess I sometimes forget to find Daxton to take cute pictures of him. Thanks again to Jen, who came to take pictures at the temple, but also brought my children so they could remember what it looks like to come out of the temple after being sealed for time and all eternity. The day was beautiful, except for the part where I forgot the sign in book at my house and broke all kinds of speed limits to get in back in time for the reception. Sorry Brooke! Congratulations to Grandma Joyce on her last wedding.

Makenna in here "pretty, pretty" dress. Just ask her.

Makenna and Kinlee love just being able to run around together.

This is Kinlee trying to sneak inside the house where I am sure she thought she could get someone to turn on The Backyardigans for her. It got her to smile good because she was being naughty.