And the new Young Women's President is....

Okay, so maybe camp went a little TOO well. I was looking forward to just getting through it and taking a small break from life and all things stressful until the baby gets here in a few months... and then I got a phone call to go meet with the bishop last Wednesday. So I thought, well, our ward just split, they probably want me to do some small thing and that's okay, I guess I can handle it. So I wasn't really worried, even though they said to bring Jason along. I just figured they liked him or something. Then there was a little confusion about the time so I ended up bringing the boys instead of getting a sitter, which was a huge mistake. It was also a mistake to give them suckers to keep them quiet because it had the exact opposite effect on them. So I'm sitting there trying to ignore the two wild monkeys tearing apart the bishop's office and maintain a calm composure using the falsetto I-really-am-a-good-mother-and-don't-beat-my-kids tone with them that is about 3 octaves higher than my normal voice while still focusing on what the bishop is saying to me, when he asks me to be the Young Women's President. I was like, "The holiday who-be whattie? What did you say?" It was one of those moments where time just stands still and you know your whole life is about to change and it feels like it really isn't even happening. Meanwhile, my children are putting on a huge display of why I am a totally incompetent mother, and I don't know why the bishop didn't just change his mind right then and there. But he didn't, and I accepted, and here I am. I'm trying not to be completely overwhelmed, but to tell the truth, at this point, I am. Am I doing things the right way? I don't know. Will I ever get it all figured out? I don't know. Do I need a nap? Yes. Well, at least I know one thing. So I better go squeeze in a few minutes of rest before Jason gets home from work so I don't completely scare the daylights out of him when he walks through the door. I mean, if I hadn't just been at camp and seen firsthand how great the girls are in our ward, I really couldn't do this. But I know that even though I will make a ton of mistakes, and I feel like I already have, it will all be worth it in the end. Right? Here's to hoping....

Camp Schmamp

Well, it's been a little while since I updated my blog, mostly because I was so busy trying to get ready for Girls Camp and trying not to freak out that I actually had to go. I somehow got out of it when I was in Young Women's a few years ago (as a leader, I never got out of it as a YW, even though I'm sure I would have liked to). I was the assistant camp director this year and I was in charge of all the food for our ward, among other things. But it was the food that had me stressed, especially because a week and a half before camp I got an email saying we were not allowed to have fires this year!! After planning a whole menu involving cooking over the fire, it was a little distressing. And what is a camp without fire, I ask you? But it all worked out for the best and I am repenting for my bad attitude. I guess my biggest concern was that the girls would turn up their noses at the food and be ungrateful and hard to get to help when it was their turn... I could not have been more wrong. The girls in our ward are AMAZING and I am not even kidding. The entire time I did not hear one single complaint or have one meal preparation or clean-up when I didn't have girls flocking to the cooking area asking, "What can I do to help?" even when it wasn't their turn. And not only that, every single thing that I served was met with, "This is my favorite salad in the whole world! It's even better than my mom's!" and "Did you go to cooking school? You should be a gourmet chef!" and "This is the best food we've ever had at Girls Camp!" So, they might be a little delusional, considering the fact that we were eating food like sloppy joes and taco salad, but I personally don't care if people are crazy as long as they are nice. They made me feel so appreciated and so welcome. I feel like inviting them all over for dinner at my house every night, except that would mean I would have to cook, and I am a little burned out on that right now. But the whole experience of going to Girls Camp just could not have been better. And I was prepared for the worst, believe me. I thought of every possible thing that could go wrong: I won't sleep at night (I was the only leader that slept well), everyone will hate the food (they at least pretended to like it), it will be hotter than 4 foxes fighting in a forest fire and all the food will go bad (it rained almost every day and never got too hot), I'll be too tired because I'm 7 months pregnant (I felt great), I'll feel like an idiot because I don't know anybody and they all know each other (everyone was so nice), etc. etc. etc. It just was really good. Plus, it was a very spiritual camp where there were several faith-promoting things that happened that I know made a big impression on the girls, because they made a big impression on me. I'll just tell you one since this is getting a little lengthy: The last night we had Ardeth Kapp speak (hello, the Pella ward would be lucky to get Henry Baker) and as we sat through the opening part of the meeting, dark clouds were gathering and there was thunder coming from every direction. This exact thing happened the day before and we had a downpour that lasted at least 40 minutes, complete with lightening and hail (I was in the leader's tent at the time and enjoyed it thoroughly - I told you I was blessed). So I was prepared to head back to camp when the meeting got rained out. However, right before Sister Kapp's turn to speak, the Stake Young Women's President got up and said, over the thunder, "We'd like to ask the Stake President to come up and give a blessing on the elements, so the meeting can go on." She said it like she was asking him to do something as simple as move his car. I was like, oh dear. He's not magic. This is going to be really great for the girls when we are all drenched in about 4 minutes. But the SP, bless his little cowboy heart, got up and prayed that "the clouds would be moved and the meeting would go on without incident and without delay". Then I was really nervous because I had expected him to say something like, "Please bless that the meeting can go on if it is thy will, and that we won't get hit by lightening on our way back to our tents." But, oh ye of little faith, within about 10 minutes, the clouds literally cleared and by the time Sister Kapp was about half way done with her talk, there was a blue sky with high white wispy clouds overhead. There were still clouds around the horizon and faint thunder in the distance for effect but otherwise it was beautiful, complete with chirping birds and chattering squirrels. I was hardly paying attention to what she was saying because I was so busy watching the sky the whole time. It was amazing. The weather stayed perfect until exactly midnight when we were just finishing up our ward testimony meeting around the campfire (another miracle at Zuckerman's, we could have fire after all because of the rain the day before), and then it rained most of the night. I could not believe it. Anyway, I only took a few pictures at camp, which I am regretting now, but here they are. This is the sign that I made for our ward, which is kind of gay, but it survived the rain somehow. And then a few of the girls and other leaders. Nicest people in the world!

I was actually a little sad to go home....

The Night Luke Found Love at the Rodeo

We were fortunate this year to get the last 3 tickets for the Friday night Lehi Roundup Rodeo, not to mention we had great front row seats and it was a perfect night. So I was just sitting there thinking how lucky we were when I look down, and there's Luke with some little stranger, getting a little lucky himself!! Talk about a good night for a 1-year-old!! I don't know who this little girl is, but she and Luke hugged and kissed and danced in front of the whole crowd for a good half an hour. People were seriously watching them more than the bull riding. It was the funniest thing ever. When we got in the car later, Dallin told me, "Mom, that was just making me sick watching them hug and kiss. I thought I was going to barf." But, other than being grossed out by the little lovers, Dallin had a pretty good night himself. He's been asking to go to the rodeo ever since we went last year, and he was thrilled to finally be there. And not only that, but he and Luke got to be in the parade for a whole two blocks with their faces painted like tigers with our ward float (thank you, everyone, for not telling them that the parade didn't end at Chad and Shelli's house - it was 97 degrees outside and I don't think I could have pushed that stroller any farther!). Then Dallin insisted on wearing his tiger paint to the rodeo. Jason washed Luke's off before we went, but apparently Luke still had a little bit of tiger in him. The dad of the little girl kept turning to us and saying in a really manly voice, "Must be like father, like son, heh heh." I was like, "ok, now I think I'm going to barf..."

How many bear stories can one blog have...

Yes, that's right, I have another bear story for you. But this time, it involves my precious little 4-year-old, Dallin!!! It's not the 14 dogs, 5 armed guides, chase a bear up a tree so you can shoot it with a bow story that I told you last time. So it is not quite as amusing. If I were my dad, I would say, "Bear with me, as I tell you the tale." Here's what happened: Last Monday morning Jason took Dallin with him to scout for deer up American Fork Canyon. He drove up to Mill Peak and they started hiking about 6:30 am. They saw a doe at the ridge, so they followed it up and heard some crashing through the bushes. When they were almost to the ridge, Jason stopped for a second and heard a strange noise. It sounded like a loud huffing and puffing. "Hmmm," he thought, "That sounds just like that bear up in Idaho last month." Fortunately, he recognized that there might be danger, so he picked Dallin up and proceeded with caution for a few steps. The sound continued in the brush, and then suddenly he heard it coming from a tree right by him. He looked up, and practically at eye level was a little baby black bear cub. Now this is not a good situation to be in, especially with a 4-year-old. Dallin saw the cub and said, "Oh, he's so cute, he looks just Luke!" And although the cub was cute, Jason didn't think this would be a good time to stop and take pictures. Especially because the loud huffing was still coming from the brush where they had just come and they had no choice but to continue past the cub and head out for the ledge. The mountain dropped off on either side and there was basically nowhere to go, so Jason tried to hide Dallin by a rock and started yelling at the bear and throwing rocks. It was at this point (about 6:45 am) that I received a phone call (who knew Jason's cell phone had service clear up there, thank you Verizon). Imagine out-of-breath whispers here: "We're at the top... We just went by a bear cub... The mother is circling around us... I can still hear her... Dallin's under a rock... Don't worry, I've got my tripod in case she comes after us... Well, I better go, see ya later..." Well, that wasn't a very comforting conversation. So, you've got Dallin under a rock and you're going to fight off a bear with a tripod. Great, I guess I'll go back to sleep now. It was an hour until I heard from him again, and you can imagine all the pleasant scenarios that went through my mind. Not to mention the fervent prayers. When he finally did call me back, they were almost to the truck. He had yelled and thrown rocks for about 40 minutes and waited for the bear to circle to the other side of the ledge, then he grabbed Dallin and started running and made it back to the truck. Miraculously. The whole thing gave Jason quite a scare, especially because he has only seen one other bear in AF canyon his entire life, which crossed the road in front of his truck and was not quite as traumatic, and he's been up there hundreds of times. So of course the time he would find himself in between a mother bear and her cub, he has his 4-year-old with him. Being a rational person, you would think that would discourage him from going up there for at least a week or two. However, two days later he went back up to the exact same spot with a trail camera to mount in a tree and some molasses to pour on the ground to try to get a picture of the bear. And then, on Friday, we actually went camping about a mile downhill after he convinced me it was completely safe and bears never attack people who are camping unless the people try to attract them to the site... Then two nights later, this happens, just a few miles away:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1363845
Talk about your blood running cold.
This picture is from last summer when we all hiked up there: I think I see a pair of eyes peering out of the trees behind us, how about you?

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

Yes, that's right, we found out today that we are having a baby girl!!! I didn't want to get my hopes up because I love my boys and I would have been thrilled to have another one, but I am so excited it's a girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The ultrasound showed that my due date of October 3 is accurate and the baby looks completely healthy at this point, which is all that really matters. But I am so excited it's a girl!!!!!!!!!! Dallin has said all along that it's a girl, and when we picked him up today at Alison's house after the appointment and told him he was going to have a sister he just looked at us and said, "Yeah, I already knew that." Like we were the stupidest people in the world. I guess we should trust him more. Four-year-olds usually know more than their parents, right? So I guess this means we have to name her "Minnie Yates," which is the name he has had picked out all along (the next boy, of course, will be "Mickey Yates"). And a shout out goes to Kristen for dreaming that I was pregnant with a girl before I knew I was pregnant. In her dream, she was at the hospital with me and a little girl that looked like Luke... So she's got 2 parts out of 3 right so far, we'll have to see if she's really here for the big event... I hope so!

Hot Minivan Mama

Well, actually I know for a fact that it is impossible to be a hot minivan mama, but let's pretend for a moment, shall we? It will make me feel a little bit better about turning 30 and getting a van in the same year. With child #3 on the way, we decided it was time to "upgrade" our vehicle in terms of size. What actually happened was a downgrade in coolness. But that's okay. We were never that cool anyway. "At least it's paid for!" we yell out the window to neighbors who give us looks of horror as we peel out of our driveway and fly around the corner like a silver bullet. And truly, Jason is in his glory as we burn the streets of Lehi. To quote him: "I have never looked at a minivan and thought, 'Wow, that's an awesome minivan.' It doesn't matter if it cost $3,000 or $30,000. It's still a minivan." So, we opted for one that was a lot closer to the first figure and joined the leagues of minivaners.... And it isn't that uncommon. It's actually quite popular among the sensible, confident and/or clueless members of society around here (we just never really thought we would join them - it's kind of like joining the band your senior year after making fun of them your entire life). We have an identical twin in the neighborhood, and the first time we drove it in public we realized that we were the third in a caravan of silver Dodge Grand Caravan Sports driving down Main Street (so we turned). I'm getting a lot more used to it now and I do like the space and being able to put my kids in different rows and all that fun stuff that comes with a van. ("Van." The word is still a little odd on my tongue. Kind of like the word "maturation." I don't know if you ever get used to it, even if you are teaching the class.) And when Dad brought the little beauty down, he told me, "It's a Grand Caravan Sport, but I don't really see what's so sporty about it." Well, I do. It's real, it's silver, and it's spectacular.

Going on a bear hunt... I'm not afraid....

OK, yes, I was afraid, and for good reason. I almost died like 900 times on this trip and I was only there for a day. I guess that is part of the excitement of hunting... kill or be killed? Last week I accompanied Jason for the first day of his three-day bear hunt in Mackay, Idaho and I learned a lot of things. #1 was that I am not a hunter and, sorry honey, I probably never will be. But it was incredible to be out there in the WILD and see so much beautiful scenery and a huge variety of wildlife, some of which I had never seen before. Like this rattlesnake, for example, which brings me to the #2 thing I learned: you just have to put yourself out there and hope for the best. Enjoy nature. Play with the snake before you kill it. Try to make its last moments enjoyable. This is one of two rattlesnakes we saw on our hike up to the bear, and it is not dead in this picture. I repeat, it is alive and rattling away and someone (not me) is touching it. Right after this picture was taken, he reached down and cut off the rattle (9 rattles, one for every year of its soon-to-end-life) and handed it to me!!! It was a little awkward, really, and I tried not to make eye contact with the snake. Um, sorry about your rattle? Good luck with everything else? Please don't bite me? See you later...

This was definitely a new experience for me. In addition to the bear and the snakes, I also saw a moose, lots of deer, elk and antelope, and a pack of wild horses. I didn't even know wild horses existed any more until Will, the hunting guide and rattlesnake tamer, pointed them out, galloping along the horizon. It was very cool to see. So #3, sometimes you just have to go along with something, even if you don't really understand it, and it might actually be be kind of fun. I mean, just look at this picture (I had to do a little fancy footwork to make it upright, thanks to blogspot not having a "rotate picture" option). I'm wearing camo, carrying a bow (which belongs to Jason's friend who just shot the bear and is dragging it down from the mountains you see behind me), and I'm also leading/being dragged by a dog. If you know me, you know I am not exactly a dog person, but I didn't really even mind this one. I even gave it a few virtual pets (I wasn't about to actually touch the filthy little sucker).

So you see, even someone who is opposed to the sport of hunting can enjoy the experience. I really loved seeing the bear in the tree only a few yards away (he was so cute, I mean just look at him), and although what happened next made me cry, I have since found this little organization called PETA which stands for "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals". I think I might join, because I am a person who is for the ethical treatment of animals, and even though I do support my husband in his hunting, I kind of want to, I don't know... make it illegal. Just kidding, Jason, it was great, and I loved being there with you. And congratulations on your bear. I wish I could have been there the day you got it. I'm just proud that I went hunting, I lived to tell the tale, and I didn't even have any ticks when I got home! Now that is my definition of a successful trip.