Come to Zion

We decided we needed to dive right in to Summer and one of the things we want to do is take the kids on as many outdoor outtings as we can.  We live in such a beautiful place and we don't take advantage of it near as much as we should.  People come from all over the world to experience southern utah and we have it in our own backyard.  So one day after church we loaded everyone up and packed a lunch and headed to one of Jerry and I's favorite places... Zion!  Not only is it a cool place with lots of awesome scenery, it is the place Jer got down on one knee and changed my life.  It is also where we spent our honeymoon so it kinda holds a special place in my heart for sure.  We took the kids there because there are some really cool hikes we want to do.  We weren't able to do the hike we set out to do (thanks to Ranger Joe who said we weren't allowed) but we still found one that ended up being perfect.  Esp because we had the littler kids with us.  It wasn't too long or hard for them.  I had never been on it and the higher we climbed, the more aware I was at just how big the drop offs were right at our feet.  My heart started to beat a little faster every minute that we walked.  Not because I am that out of shape, but because I am really afraid of heights!  I hate them.  I didn't even realize how bad my phobia was until then either.  I literally was a mess the whole time.  The more I showed my fear the more my  family thought it was funny to mess with me too. They would pretend they were jumping off a cliff or sliding down a rock to their death.  Not good.  I couldn't relax and they told me next time they were going to leave me home.  Fine with me!  Accidents happen and people really do die from that stuff.  I may have been a little dramatic I will admit, but look at the pictures and tell me who wouldn't be afraid!? I am grateful we all made it safely down and a good time was had by all...for the most part anyways :) It really is an amazing place.

Oh and I will throw in the fact that even the actor William Macey loves to experience Zion too.  As we were coming down the steps of the hike there he was on his Harley waiting to go threw the tunnel.  I did get a wink out of him as he lowered his sunglasses to look at me, um, I mean us and he gave me, I mean us a big wave as he drove away.  See ya on the big screen Bill!  Ya that's right, we are tight now. 

So much personality here

Glover gang.  Yes I do plan on getting some sun on those legs Lexy!

Breathtaking... Parker step away from that ledge!

Here comes the anxiety

yep...so stressed out

Chloe spent the whole time trying to catch a lizard. At this point she was pretty frustrated as you can tell

My twin daughters

This was funny.  As I was snapping pics Dex climbed up on this rock and said "Casey Mom take a picture of me".  He started striking poses like no other.  His dad was dying.  That boy knows how to pose

One of the many poses he pulled out

Chloe still mad about the lizard that got away she kills me!

I love how sweet James is.  He got tired on the way down so daddy saved him.  He rode on his shoulders the whole way down.

Press Pause Please

Never Grow Up

Well, it is the end of the school year.  We made it threw another year... I know this because my oldest daughter keeps reminding me she is no longer a freshman and at the bottom of the food chain! She also reminds me that soon she will be able to date, to drive, and kiss a lot of boys. WHAT?!? That last one is not allowed until she is atleast 25 so she better keep dreamin. I can't take it.  I do not know where the time has gone.  I keep thinking that is was not that long ago I was a freshman... I wish there was a "pause" button we could press in life, it is going by too fast.  In fact a few nights ago we were all hanging out in the living room one night listening to music and kenna decided to play the song "Never grow up" by Taylor Swift.  Not a good time for momma.  She was laying there by me on the couch, the room was quiet, it was late, and the words in that song hit me like a ton of bricks.  There was my little girl laying by me that has grown up so fast,  I can remember little baby Kenna like it was yesterday. I was trying my very best to hold back the tears, but I couldn't.  After the song was over she could tell I was crying and all I could say was don't ever grow up! I mean I was seconds away from going into the ugly cry it was so bad, it hit me hard. I guess I have to come to terms with the fact I can't stop time.  As much as I want too, my baby girl is growing up... I don't wanna hear that song for a while sheesh! So  I guess we have a Sophmore in our house now and she is pretty excited.  She finished freshman year with a 3.9 and we we couldn't be prouder.  Parker ended the year with a 4.0 and of course we are very proud of him too. Chloe made it to 3rd grade after some stress she had that she wasn't going to get the promotion because she wasn't doing her home reading as much as she should. (I had to make her worry a little she hates to read!) She was very glad to see her paper saying she can move on.  What a fun school year it has been, I wasn't ready for it to end....Bring on the Summer!

Spanish program. Little sen`orita with all the sen`iors

2nd grade program. Can you spot her?

Band concert.  Whenever he is not in the mood for a picture I get a goofy face. 

Can't forget my little man J.  He is my superman boy

Father/Sons and Soccer

I feel like I am falling short already on my blogging, but I really do have good excuses. Things have been caaaa-razy around here these last few weeks.  It seems like at the end of the school year there are always so many extra things going on.  Programs, concerts, award assemblies, you name it, we did it! Plus I started working a few days a week and that didn't help.  For some reason when momma leaves the nest there is always more work to do when she gets back so I haven't stayed on top of this as much as I would like too.  That's ok though I think everyone is trying their best and I have been told I need to chill out so I am trying! It has been good for everyone I think.  May went by so fast I am trying to remember everything that went on.... A couple of weeks ago Jerry took the boys and went to  the Father and Sons camp out in our ward.  And when I say "the boys" I mean he took them all.  All three!  I wasn't so sure about James going over night but come to find out it was me that had a harder time then he did!  He had a blast. Dexton and Parker did too.  They had the truck loaded and ready to go by the time I got home from work.  I guess they all slept in the back of the truck with an air mattress that was completely deflated by morning.  They didn't seem to mind.  I am glad Jerry loves to do things like that with his boys. He took a day off work to be there because we both decided that was more important.  They will always remember things like that! I think this was mothers day weekend and I already posted pictures about that so this is all a little backwards, but like I said I am trying to catch up.  Yes.  This was the weekend we went on our date in Zion and my sister stopped and visited us.  Refer to previous post for pictures :)

Moving along to the next week...The next week was full of soccer games.  It was a fun week because Chloe had a game every day that week with a big tournament on Saturday.  We have learned that Miss Chloe is quite the soccer player.  She is tough, she is stubborn, and she plays her best anywhere they put her.  At first she played defender and we thought that was perfect for her.  Then someone got hurt and they put her in as a forward and she killed it there too!  She scored two goals right off the bat.  Then we needed a goalie and she was the toughest goalie anyone had ever seen.  She was not about to let that ball by her! It was awesome.  Then it was time for the tournament.  Jerry took the other kids over to Valley and Kanab with him for the weekend (they went to do some work for Grandpa Glover) and I stayed with Chloe.  Her team was counting on her and we couldn't miss it.  I had spent most of the week listening to Coach Amanda talk about her strategies and game plan to take home the trophy.  Amanda is who I work with (or work for) but she has also become a good friend and great coach.  Her and her hubby gave it their all for these girls they were awesome.  So on our way to and from Cedar Mountain when we work, we spent most of the time laughing and analyzing this team. To make a long story short, we didn't make it to the championship game, but we ended on one of the most intense 8year old soccer games anyone had ever seen.  I especially don't think Chloe will ever forget it.  I think it was the most stressful situation she has been put in so far (of course she will experience far worse in her life but until now this was big!) We got beat by the team we dreaded the most, but we did not go down without a fight.  After 3 overtimes we had to do a shoot out.  I never played soccer myself so I didn't even know what it was and I don't think Chloe did either.  She was told to assume her goalie position and get ready.  There she was, the other opponent, standing less then 10 feet away from her with the soccer ball staring her down.  The goal was to kick it and score.  I could tell Chloe was scared.  So much pressure for my little girl it all came down to her!  The other girl gave it one good kick and it went flying into the net.... Chloe ran off the field devastated and in tears thinking she had lost the game for everyone!  Little did she know they had 5 chances to score the most they can and then our team got the same chance.  After Chloe pulled it together she went right back in the game this time more prepared.  I don't remember how many she stopped and how many they scored but for the most part she gave it her all.  We went into 4 MORE OVER TIMES in the kick off and with each one Chloe was at the net.  It really did come down to her protecting that ball.  I looked around and people were gathered from all over the other fields to watch these girls battle until the end.  One final kick for the other team and Chloe didn't quite make it... They scored and won.... Our girls were devastated.  Of course Chloe felt like she let everyone down, but after a good pep talk from coach, then a LONG pep talk from mom, and a little tiki shack,  she felt fine. A good learning experience for sure. I am proud of her and her "Kung Fu Panda" team mates, we will get em' next year! Chloe and I had a fun weekend together after that.  I took her on a date to Dairy Queen and then we went home.  She was exhausted and I had some painting to do.  I took advantage of the other kids being with Jerry and  painted most of my house. Upstairs and all of the basement.  It looks much better if I do say so myself. Chloe wasn't much help, but she did tell me some cute stories in between her mermaid series she watched on netflix... I love you Chloe Mae,  thanks for spending the weekend with me!

Mother's Day

Dexton's last soccer game.  His coach said he is the VIP of the team.  (what she meant to say was MVP, but we thought it was funny)

Future soccer player

Dex doesn't like to eat the crust on his bread and his dad made him sit at the table until he ate it.  Next thing we know he is dead asleep.  That's one way to get out of it!  Smart boy

The girls... We met Clayt and Lex, and Ker and Hannah in Zion for a little date night and pre mother's day celebration.  We went to the Bit~N~Spur and had a blast. 

Our sexy boys

My sis....

Cinco De Mayo

She says she is going to be in this spot every saturday selling her yummy lemonade

These two have the life....

Teaching Parker how to Bbq.  We had to test out the new grill.  You can see Parker was taking it very serious

yum

cheeser

Summer is in the air and I love it!  The first weekend in May we were able to start doing things outside and the weather has been perfect.  They have been prepping our yard and getting things ready to lay grass and we are so excited.  The concrete has been poured around the house and sprinklers will be going in shortly.  It will be so nice to have a place for the kids to play and not track in so much dirt in my house anymore.  I am pretty tired of bathing kids every time they come in from outside! We needed an excuse to have a little party and it just happened to be Cinco De Mayo weekend sooooo we busted out our finest china (paper plates) and fancy glasses (red solo cups) and had us a barbeque Glover style.  I don't have to go too far to experience the best cooked food in the world (hence my love handles). I have Jerry around and it doesn't get much better then his cooking.  Plus we had to test out the new grill I purchased for $10 at a yard sale that morning!  Yep $10 is all it took and that baby was ours. I actually have to brag a little bit because I actually found more then just a grill when I went on my yard sale adventure.  I got a grill, a couch, two end tables, a tent, an air mattress, a wrought iron patio set, a cute turquoise chair, a toy box, and a brand new tetherball set for the kids, all for a hundred bucks.  I knew the family and felt fine about getting all their hand-me-downs.  Plus I am not ashamed to be a yard sale gal... you can get some good stuff! We spent the rest of the day at the soccer fields for Chloe and Dex and then Chloe decided she wanted to make some money selling lemonade.  So she spent a good couple of hours outside and had two customers.  One of them was Jerry.  We will have to try again soon because I think she started too late in the day.  Jerry helped her make her signs and set everything up.  He even made the lemonade and also made his own signs and put them up around the neighborhood for her.  I am so grateful he is such a hands on dad and helps the kids with things that are important to them.  He is a keeper.  We spent the rest of the night enjoying being outside and letting the kids wear themselves out.  Kenna was off with friends having water fights and then came home early to hang out with us.  We are pretty cool to hang out with if I do say so myself!  It was a fun weekend and a great way to kick of the warm weather.  Love it!

Sports is Life

Our little Soccer Players

Dex is for sure the MVP of his team.  Watching 4 year olds play soccer is hilarious, but he takes it pretty serious!  this boy has some mad soccer skills

First time at bat for the season.  He was pretty nervous since it has been a few years since he has played baseball.  He will get the hang of it soon enough I have no doubt considering he hit one over the first time the team practiced.  He def has it in him and his coach was pretty impressed!

Coach Tebbs giving the team instructions.  He has been so good to work with Parker and the rest of these boys.  They have only been playing together for 2 months and they took 2nd in this tournament. Parker is doing AWESOME and loves playing

Kenna, Ash, Brooke, and Rinn... They were exhausted from a long day of shopping and not getting much sleep the night before.  I love Kenna's friends

I have to throw this in because I feel like Parker and I had an experience at his basketball tournament this weekend that I want him and the rest of our kids to remember.  We are definitely a "sports" family.  We love all sports and encourage our kids to play any and all that the can.  Jerry grew up in a family that this was a huge part of their lives and so did I.  Some of our best childhood memories are all the hours we spent part of a team. So of course we want that same thing for our kids. Sports to us is not just about being the best, or scoring the most points, or even winning (even though all of that is a bonus).  Sports builds confidence, teaches you hard work, teamwork, respect, gives you a sense of belonging, and many other things that you can't learn from anything else.  I was pretty disappointed this weekend when we were at Parkers Basketball tournament in St George.  Sadly some of the parents and one of our players did not display what I would like to call "Good Sportsmanship" at all.  It reminds me of a quote I heard "Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself"  We ended up winning our game, but I would not say that we were the "Winners"... Not something I want to get into details about on our blog, but something that reminded me just what sports was all about.  It did make me extra proud of Parker because he always shows good sportsmanship and I was reminded of that.   He respects his coach, the refs, his team, and the other players.  I hope he always does.  We talked about it on the way home and he was even embarrassed by how his teammate and parents were acting.  He knows it is unacceptable and I am proud of him for the person he is on and off the court.  I hope he always remembers to show class, have pride, and display character... That is what sports is all about!

Little Dizzle Turns Two

Helping me make his birthday brownies

opening some presents.   "Miss Thang" in the background cracks me up

Probably the cheesiest birthday cake (brownies) I have made so far, but James loved it.  Two year olds really don't care trust me

So sweet

He fell asleep while eating chips and salsa one day.  He was tuckered

The Cutler's came to watch Parker's game in St George (which Parker did AWESOME in. He had 24 points)

We went for a Sunday drive in the hills. Kenna wasn't in the mood for a picture

The boys coming back from chasing a bunny. Boys just have to shoot things for some reason.  We were 0 for 3 on the bunnies.  Don't tell Jerry, but I saw way more then I actually told him I did.  Run bunnies RUN!!!

Handsome fellar

The new Net Flix craze.... GLEE.  They love it.  Kenna hurt her foot.  I am suspecting a stress fracture. but we will see what the Doc says tomorrow.