Mass Casualty!...and graduation.

It all happened so suddenly, we were just driving down the road and BAM! we were hit and it was total chaos! OK not really! Russell's Paramedic class staged a mock mass casualty incident to test their medic skills. Emily and I participated by being patients in the wreck. I was an irresponsible, hysterical mom and Emily was my baby that was not restrained in a car seat. We didn't have any serious injuries, my main purpose was to distract all of the Paramedics by screaming hysterically "MY BABY, MY BABY! HELP MY BABY!" It was so funny, I even got the tears going to make it real!

As you can tell, the drivers of the cars were hurt the worst! The make-up guy did a great job making the wounds look real. One girl was even "thrown" from the car and the medics had to "save" her first!

St. George Fire Department was there to use the jaws-of-life to open the car so the medics could get the patients out (don't worry, we weren't actually in the car while they were cutting). After the car was cut open, the medics went to work trying to save the patients by setting C-Spine's, and assessing wounds.

Here is my hot husband saving lives!!!

Some of the injuries were so severe Mercy Air had to be called into to transport. Watching this helicopter fly in and land was awesome! It was hard to watch though because the wind power was whipping dirt all over the place. Our hair was full of dirt afterward. Inside the helicopter was cool too. There is enough room for one patient inside as well as all the equipment, but if needed, two patients could fit.

The mock mass casualty turned out really good and it was kind of fun participating as a patient. Russell said he was really happy with how everything turned out and was glad the agencies in the community could come help out. KCSG filmed a story on the mock mass casual incident and you can watch the video by clicking here.

Also this week was high school graduation. My nephew Josh Pryor graduated from Dixie High School. We are so proud of Josh for graduating, It was a long road that included summer school and a lot of make up work but he did it!

Way to go Josh! You did it, time to celebrate!

The Ranch

Saturday my parents invited me (well I kind of invited myself) to take a road trip with them up to their property, or "the ranch" as my dad calls it, on Acord mountain near Fish Lake. Emily and I were not doing anything because Russell was down in Las Vegas doing a couple clinicals in the ER, so we decided to go. We had a fun ride up being entertained by Emily the whole way. We looked for cows or "moos" as she calls them, colored, read books, and just listened to her jabber away. My dad was busy driving so he couldn't turn around to talk to Emily and that made her all sorts of annoyed. She kept yelling "PAPA! PAPA! PAPA!" until my dad would turn and glance at her then she would say something in little kid gibberish, point to the picture in her book, or tell him to look at the "moos." My dad would say okay and she would be happy again until she found something else interesting to show Papa. It was so funny. After taking the Gooseberry exit on I-70 after Salina, we made our way up the Coal Mine Road to the ranch.

My parents own 40 acres on the top of a hill and as you can see from the two pictures above, their view from each side of the hill is amazing! It is just raw land right now but they plan to build a gazebo (similar to the one on the Red Hill or Sugar Loaf), trailer parking pads, and a cabin. We went up to kind of scout out the property to decide were to put these things. This summer my dad wants to build a better road to the property in order to get their camp trailer up there and start on these projects.

Emily had a blast riding the four-wheeler with Papa and she especially loved playing in the dirt. Camping is going to be so fun this year because she will be able to run and play on her own and I won't be too worried about trying to keep her clean.

On our way home, we stopped at my Grandpa Morwood's grave in Salina because we were in the area and because we will not be able to over Memorial Day weekend because we are going the Hole-in-the-Rock (I'm so excited!). I can't believe my grandpa has been gone for almost 14 years! I still remember the day my grandpa died because it was the first time I had ever seen my dad cry. I just remember my dad coming home from the hospital and all of us kids hugging him as he was crying. I was still pretty young so I don't have a lot of vivid memories of my grandpa but I know he was a great man that was respected by everyone he knew as an honest and fair man. There have been many times that when people hear my maiden name, they ask me if Peanuts was my grandpa and when I say yes they tell me what a great man he was. It is awesome to hear the stories because I was too young to know them. I only hope that people will say the same nice things about me when I have passed on.

After leaving the cemetery, we stopped to talk to my dad's cousin, Kim Gates, and his kids. I found out that my cousin has started his own taxidermy business and he does a really great job. So if any one is looking for a taxidermist, let me know because his work is amazing! Anyway, while talking to them, Emily had to go to the bathroom so I went to put her shoes on and when I picked up her shoe, there was a tick on it!! AHHH! I know, I hate them too. So we killed it and then we were itching all the way home because we knew we had ticks crawling all over us! Oh it gives me the willies just thinking about it. Luckily, after checking myself and Emily when we got home, we did not have any more ticks on us. Thank goodness!!!

It was a really fun trip (minus the part about the tick) and it was nice to get away. I am definitely looking forward to all of the camping trips we have planned for this summer.

SpRiNg Is HeRe!

Spring is here and summer is just around the corner! Yahoo! The weather has been so nice lately that we have been spending more time outside. Emily loves being outside exploring new places. She especially loves watering the garden and smelling the flowers. One really nice thing about the house we live in is the yard. Russell's grandma definitely spent a lot of time in the yard planting the most beautiful flowers. We have probably 10 rose bushes in full bloom, tulips line the yard, and the Mexican primrose cover the ground. I love it! I decided Emily needed a Spring photo shoot in our backyard with all of the flowers. This first picture is my favorite but all of them turned out way cute.

She was so excited to be outside that it was hard to get her to hold still for the pictures and look at the camera but I think I got some good ones. I love her camera smile in the last two pictures that makes her look like a pirate. I would tell her to say cheese and so that is what she is doing. Whenever she sees flowers, it doesn't matter what we are doing, she has to stop and smell them and she makes Russell and me smell them too. I guess it is her way of saying "Relax mom and dad, just stop and smell the roses!" Emily is definitely a laid back kid and doesn't really let anything bug her.

Bountiful Baskets

Okay everyone, my sister introduced me to the best thing a few weeks ago and I want to share it with you. It is called Bountiful Baskets! What it is is a better and less expensive way of buying FRESH produce. Bountiful Baskets is a food co-op, or a group that purchases items at huge discounts and the distributes the items to the participants at cheaper rates than stores. I have been participating for 3 weeks now and I definitely think it is worth it. Each Monday, I purchase a basket on their website for $16.50 and then pick it up at a specific location on Saturday. After the first week, I realized that I was getting a steal of a deal because for $16.50 I was getting around $40 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables. Sound to good to be true? Well it's not! Check out their website Bountiful Baskets and see for yourself. All you have to do to get a basket is go to their website during the allotted time (for southern Utah it is Monday at 4 pm through I think 10 pm on Tuesday but you want to sign up right at the beginning because the baskets go fast.), sign into your account, and then just select a pick up location near you and the type of basket you want and then check out using a credit card. Then on Saturday, you go pick up your basket! It is so easy. On Saturday, you will go to your pick up location at the specific time and you will find something like this. Baskets everywhere!

And look at all of the food you will get! This is what was in my basket last Saturday. I got romaine lettuce, 8 ears of corn on the cob, 6 tomatoes, 14 Brussels sprouts, 2 butternut squash, bananas, carrots, watermelon, 10 peaches, a dozen apples, 5 mangoes, and I can't remember what else. Definitely worth $16.50! In the past couple of weeks I have gotten other things like spinach, artichokes, cantaloupe, honey dew, radishes, black berries, oranges, Kiwis, cucumbers, broci-flower, and more. Normally Russell and I would not buy some of this stuff because of the cost, but by buying the Basket, we have tried new vegetables and recipes. I like it because we are now eating more healthy foods and saving money in the process. If you are thinking you won't be able to eat all of this food, think about sharing it with someone. I share my Basket with my mom so really the Basket only costs me $8.25, an even better deal. We just split it evenly and we both get the benefit of fresh produce. Keep in mind that this is not the leftover produce a store couldn't sell, it is good, fresh food!

Bountiful Baskets also sell other baskets that contain bread, or tortillas, and they also have an organic basket if you prefer organic foods. Check out the website I don't think you will be disappointed.

(After reading this post, I realized it sounds like a sales pitch but it's not, I just think this is a really good deal!)

Only 3 Months 'Til Graduation!

Russell has been in the Paramedic Program for the last two semesters. He only has the summer semester to go and he is excited he has made it this far. He can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thursday his class took group pictures for the graduation announcements. Here are a few pictures:

Yeah they are a pretty crazy bunch!

Russell recently passed his Red Level Paramedic test which tests your knowledge of Emergency medical procedures, drugs, and other things he has learned as a paramedic. He was really nervous about this test because if he did not pass it, he would not be allowed to continue the program and fail the class. He studied so hard and his hard work paid off and he was able to pass this big test. He was so happy and to celebrate, we went on a DATE! (Dates have been pretty slim because he has been so busy with class, clinicals, and ambulance ride-alongs.) Good job Russell!
Here is the soon to be Paramedic!

More class photos...I don't think they got a picture with everyone taking it seriously!

We also took a few fun pictures of us. Here Russell is teaching Emily how to drive a fire truck.

I liked this one of Emily.

Emily started getting bored at watching Russell's pictures; she wanted to play in the water.

Now that is one happy family. We are so excited for this last semester. Even though Russell has a lot the clinicals to do and will be gone a lot, we know it will go by fast. Keep up the good work, Russell, you are the best husband and dad ever!!! We love you!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's out there! I also had a great Mother's Day. First, we went to church and my little primary kids did a great job singing to their moms in Sacrament Meeting. (I am the Primary Music Leader). I was so proud of them! After church, we had dinner and Russell let me relax while he cleaned up and did the dishes. It was so nice!

These are the gifts I got. A beautiful picture of a mother leading a daughter, and a pillow that says "Motherhood: The toughest job you'll ever love" Isn't that such a true statement!

For my mom and Russell's mom I made these picture frames. I saw the idea at Deseret Book but they were like $20 each and the picture hole was small, only a 4x6, and they looked kind of flimsy. I found these wooden frames at Wal-Mart for $3 and knew it was the perfect size for the saying. My sister, Terral, has a Cricut that cuts vinyl lettering so I had her cut out the saying. After painting the frames and applying the lettering, I found the perfect picture of the grand kids to put in the frames. I think they turned out really good and I think they look better than the ones at Deseret Book. My mom and mother-in-law loved them!!

Being a mother is so fun especially with a 19 month old. She does the funniest things sometimes. This picture explains just one of the funny experiences. I had put Emily to bed the other night and she usually plays or reads books for a while until so falls asleep. When I went in to check on her later, this is what I found! She had taken off her diaper! I couldn't believe it. I didn't know if I should wake her up to put it back on or just leave it off. I decided to leave it off because she has not had a wet diaper for a long time. The next morning, when she woke up, I asked her where her diaper was. She started lifting up her blankets and moving things looking for it and asking "Where it go?" When I told her to look on the ground she said "Ohhh!" and started giggling! I asked her why she did it and if that meant she didn't need diapers any more and she shook her head yes. I couldn't help but laugh!

Happy Mother's Day... Enjoy all of the moments with your kids!

Becca's Baptism

May 1 was Becca's (my niece) baptism. Russell and I decided to make a weekend trip out of the baptism so we headed up to Fillmore after Russell got off work on Friday. My parents and younger brother, Clint decided to go up on Friday too. That night, we played Rook until almost 2 in the morning. I don't remember the score but I am pretty sure the GIRLS WON! although the boys might argue that point. (Hee Hee). The next morning, we all prepared for the baptism and waited for the rest of our family to arrive.

The baptism was so great! You could definitely feel the Spirit so strong. We were so excited for Becca and her decision to be baptized.

Here is Becca in her pretty white dress after the baptism. I made this scripture case for her as a gift. The bag turned out pretty cute which is good because I didn't have a pattern and just kind of wing dinged it. I am working on a tutorial to post if anyone is interested. Hopefully it is coming soon.

Lacie, Becca, and Klint after the baptism.

After the baptism and lunch, all of the kids just wanted to play outside in the nice weather. Emily and Tyrel loved being pulled in the wagon by Taylor...

...especially when she would run with it! These three kids love playing together and could do so for hours. I am glad Emily has cousins around her age to play with.

Later that night after everyone had left, Klint and Lacie took us to the warm springs near Fillmore. It was pretty cool that the water was so warm. As you can tell from this picture all of us had coats on because it was cold outside. The water, however, was warm enough to swim in. We didn't go swimming in it but it felt like a hot tub when we put our hands in it.

Emily was so mad that I wouldn't let her down to run around but I knew she would go right into the water. Yeah I know I am a mean mom!

If you will look at the first few pictures the weather is sunny and nice. Well it didn't last. During our Rook game on Saturday (the boys won this night {boo!}) it started SNOWING! Yeah since when does it snow in May?! Well as you can tell from this picture, we woke up to a white Christmas. Crazy huh! I guess that means it was time to head back to sunny St. George.

Russell was supposed to stop in Cedar to get his preceptor to sign a paper for him but he realized he forgot the paper at home. (bummer) So we had to drive home and then turn around and drive back to Cedar. When we got to Cedar, his preceptor told us he had just got called to transport a patient to DRMC and asked if we could just meet him down there. So we turned back around and headed back to St. George. Finally we got the paper signed. The trip was definitely an adventure.

The weekend was really fun and relaxing. I am glad we got the opportunity to spend time with Lacie and her family and celebrate Becca's baptism. Thanks for the fun weekend!