Off the Beaten Trail

 We've had a few family adventures recently. In February when Alex had a rare Saturday off, we went to see the Hoover Dam from the new bypass bridge. The bridge was built to divert traffic from right next to the dam so it makes for a quicker trip over the Nevada/Arizona border. You have to park and then hike up a few flights of stairs then walk a ways, but the view from the bridge is spectacular and you can get a history/engineering lesson along the walk if you stop to read the signs.
While passing through Boulder City I noticed the sign for the Southern Nevada Railroad. It's a short train ride but it has open windows so you can see the highway. Why not take a train  ride on a sunny Saturday afternoon? It's not too fast and not too slow. There is also a railway museum you can visit, but we didn't.


Waiting to board the train.

It looks like Alex is getting "beamed up."

For spring break in April we wanted to go out of town, but not spend much money. My aunt suggested we go to our family's ranch. The ranch is fun, but would it still be fun without the cousins? Of course! Our family was the only one there except for Uncle Mick. He told us that there were some petroglyphs down the road. We explored a part of the area that I had never been to in my life, but we didn't find the petroglyphs. We rode the four wheelers into the hills and found the little cemetery where some of the original pioneer settlers were buried. I was especially touched by the graves of little children. It made me want to hug my own children and be grateful that we don't have the same trials.

 One of the days of our vacation we left the ranch and drove up towards Panaca in search of the "moon caves." There is a place called Cathedral Valley State Park and the sandstone hills have been eroded by wind and water to create these interesting formations. That was a fun little hike.

 On the way home from the ranch we pulled off the road to visit the trilobite fossil site. There's a bunch of shale and if you look closely you will see fossils in the rocks. We bought home a backpack full of fossils, but no pictures so you'll have to take my word for it.

I have been going to Boulder City and the ranch for my whole life, close to forty years and I never realized that there were such interesting things around if we just go off the beaten trail.

My Life in Six Words

I recently read in a magazine about summing up your life in just six words. Here's what my life is:
Smart girl. College. Teaching. Wife. Mother.
That's quite broad, but I could break it down into years.
1996
Graduating college. Not married. Plan B?
1998
Tall red-head. He's not my type.
1999
Yes, yes I do like him.
1999-2001
He loves me. . . or maybe not.
2001
Just bought a brand new house.
2002
Married for time and eternity-finally.
2007
Three kids in three years. Yikes!
2009
New house. New baby. Crazy time.
2012
All my dreams have come true.

Happy Birthday, Lacey!

Before I knew we were having a girl, I thought it would be a girl because she was already keeping me up at night. When I was carrying her I knew that she would be strong because it hurt when she kicked me. Lacey was due on February 26, but she came on the 12th, and now she has the same birthday as my Grandpa Haynes. I was scheduled for an induction, but I had been having contractions all day the day before. I called the hospital and they told me to come in so they could check it out. When I arrived at 10 p.m. I was dilated to a four and they admitted me. Another baby coming early! (You will get no complaints from me!) I wanted to try having this one without an epidural since I did it for the last one. However, I got to a point where I said, "Give it to me." But if I had just waited a little longer, I wouldn't have needed it. Again, my baby was in a hurry to be born. I had to stop pushing until the doctor was there,and I swear the nurse was keeping the baby in, but at least my husband was there for the birth.Lacey Sharon Pendleton was born at 4:16 a.m. 7 pounds, 2 ounces, 19 1/2 inches long. Today this five-year-old is fun, stubborn, silly,creative, and super smart. She already taught herself how to read! She can be shy at times and completely uninhibited at other times. Like when I was singing with the choir at church and she was dancing next to me. Or when I was leading the music in Relief Society and she was spinning around me. I get kind of mad, but it's also kind of funny. Recently she fractured her collar bone. She didn't let that slow her down one bit. She would just keep playing or climbing or jumping until she bumped her injury and it hurt enough for her to stop for a few seconds. She's a spitfire, but I love her!

Halloween 2011

Lacey-Witch 

Lia-Ladybug

Lance-Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender

Luke-Red Power Ranger

Lance and Luke and Lacey were in a Halloween Show at the mall.

Lia's Second Birthday (October 2, 2011)

Lia was not happy about the candles on her happy birthday cake.

Even though she is a toddler, Lia refers to herself as Baby, because that's what I've been calling her for the last two years. She loves to watch Dora and Yo Gabba Gabba on TV. She loves to do what the other kids do.  It's so cute to watch her try to do cartwheels when the other kids practice their tumbling.For her birthday she got a Dora purse, a Barbie trike, and some new clothes. She is a happy girl and we all love her to death!

First Day of School 2011

Luke started kindergarten and Lance started 2nd Grade. They both love school and are excited to see old friends and learn new things. This year school starts an hour earlier than last year. That will be an adjustment for all of us. Other things the boys have to look forward to are tumbling on Mondays, Desert Trackers (although that starts half an hour before school and I think it might be hard to get up even earlier), and Luke will be in soccer. Lacey will be in preschool in the afternoon on Tuesday and Thursday, because if she went in the morning my day would look like this: drop off at eight, drop off at nine, pick up at 10:40, pick up at 11:30, then pick up at 2:21. I think it's more efficient to drop off at 8, pick up at 10:40, drop off at 12:30, then pick up at 2:21, then pick up at 2:45. Lia gets to hang out with Mommy all by herself for at a least a little while during the week.

Harvest Time (October 9, 2011)

Lacey was very interested in planting seeds this year. In the spring we found seed starter packs in the dollar aisle. We started them, but I didn't expect them to grow. Then we transplanted them to a planter by the kitchen window, but I still didn't think they would make it. Then we moved them outside and they kept growing and growing. And then in the fall we found three little red tomatoes. That small bit of success has inspired me to try again! Maybe next season we'll get some tomatoes we can actually eat!

Luke and Mommy Day

Luke wanted a day with Mommy after he saw how much fun Lance had. So for Luke's day out we went to Build-A-Bear Workshop. He picked Alvin from "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked." After that we ate lunch at McDonald's in the mall food court. Then, because it was two days before Christmas, we finished up some last minute Christmas shopping. Luke is pretty content to do his own thing most of the time, but it's good to get one-on-one time with him.

Luke Turns Six (November 29)

What a big boy he is getting to be! Luke was due December 21, but I knew he would be early. I had been sleeping on our reclining couch because that was the most comfortable position. At about 4 a.m. I woke up and felt like I had to go to the bathroom. When I stood up my water broke. Another baby three weeks early! We took Lance to Grandma Susan's then went to the hospital, arriving at about 5 a.m. We checked in, got into a delivery room, got hooked up to machines, got some blood drawn, and about ten minutes to 6 Alex decided to go to the 7-11 to get something to eat. Because for sure we had hours to go, right? Wrong! Ten minutes later I felt like I had to push. There was no doctor and no husband there, only the nurse, Rose, and my mom. She told me to stop pushing but I said no way. She scrambled to get ready to deliver the baby. Luke came into the world at 6:13 a.m. and was 7 lbs 3 0z and 19 1/2 inches long. He was just anxious to get here, I guess! I held him right after he was born and when the nurse handed him to me he whacked me in the face with his slimey little hand. But holding him I thought, "Yes, here you are-right where you belong."

Luke is definitely all boy. He likes action and rowdiness. But he also has a sensitive side. He is concerned if he thinks his little sisters are in trouble. He makes friends easily with boys and girls. He was on a soccer team this year and had as much fun socializing on the sidelines as he did playing the game. He is enthusiastic about school and is doing great in kindergarten. He was student of the month in December. He is a great kid and I am blessed to be his mommy!

Broken Collar Bone

Lacey was running around at my mom's house and she ran into the door jamb of the pantry and fractured her collar bone. I wasn't there when that happened, but when I got there Lacey was wimpering and wouldn't let me touch her, but she kept touching her shoulder. I thought she might have dislocated it. I called our pediatrician's office and they said she would need an x-ray to make sure. I decided to go to the quick care, but just as I was getting Lacey in the car, the pediatrician called back and said they had called a pediatric bone doctor and to go there. We went there, waited an hour, and then they had her lay on a table to x-ray. This was all very frightening for Lacey so I held her hand and offered comforting words so she would be still. When the doctor put up the x-ray I could see right where the fracture was. He said no contact sports or outside play at school for six weeks, but dance was okay. I bought a sling so she could keep her arm still, but she would not wear it. Later that night we went to a New Year's Eve party at my brother's house. All the kids were playing Just Dance on the Wii, which is where you have to copy the dance moves on the screen. Lacey kept up but every so often she would wince in pain. In her words, "Boooo!"

Mommy and Lance Day

Lance wanted to have a special day all by himself with Mommy. After dropping off the other kids at Grandma Sharon's, we went on a little adventure. First we went to the Scout office to get Lance a new Cub Scout uniform-blue shirt, yellow handkerchief, and other accessories. Next, we went looking for a place to have hot chocolate. We decided on IHOP. We had hot chocolate and a funny face pancake. Lance got a balloon sword there. Next we went to Toys R Us. Lance bought a stuffed panda. He used his own money and he named it Pandy. Next we went to Wal-Mart to look for a gingerbread house kit, but they didn't have one. Last we sang Christmas carols in the car on the way to pick up the other kids. Both Mommy and Lance had a great time.