Jeeping in Moab!!!

Time with the family is always fun, but I must say that this particular adventure that we were lucky enough to get to go on with Clint's family was a BLAST!!! Clint's brother Chad and his wife Mayumi are visiting Utah from Japan this month and Clint's sister Laura and her husband Kevin wanted to plan a trip that would really show them a "good time!" Well, thanks so much guys for including us in your plans! We really had no idea just how much fun we were in for!
We stayed down in Moab at Laura and Kevin's condo where we enjoyed jeeping, hiking, swimming, relaxing...and lots of yummy food! Clint and I both agreed that this was one of the funnest things that we have ever done, and lucky for us we have our crazy brother-in-law Kevin to thank for that! Between driving up and down boulders and cliffs, trying to get lost in the desert, and jumping off of cliffs, you better not ask us to do too many more crazy things...because we just might do them!!!;) Honestly though, thanks so much for the adventure and the great company! You guys are the best!!! We love you!!! I don't know quite how to describe all of the pictures, so I will just let them do the talking for me! Booyah!!!

The Zip Line!

I think that the zip line at the Heber Valley Camp was one of the most exciting parts of our family reunion. Yes, it was adventurous and thrilling, but I think even more so for me because 1) I am afraid of heights! and 2)because my children are so brave!!!! When I had to look at how high we would be up in the air, my tummy immediately got queasy...Dallin and Gavin on the other hand, were completely pumped to be going!!! Dallin volunteered to be the first one to go, and he did it with absolutely NO hesitation! Gavin followed suit and blazed up the pole and across the log without even stopping for a second! I was AMAZED at how brave they were! It was very cool to me how the missionaries that were there helping us related everything to life and how overcoming obstacles can really help us grow. For being in such small bodies, these two little boys stood tall in my eyes!!!

Kambriella was not big enough to try so we just put a helmet on her and let her walk around and feel "big" for a while ;) It was unfortunate though how after we had all gone, she really thought she was going to be going and headed straight for the pole. She bawled and shed some real crocodile tears as we peeled her away from the ladder. Sorry Kambriella! Maybe when you're a little bigger!

I was as stiff as a board on my way up and I was sure that I was going to throw up...

I just stood on the edge and finally convinced myself to just walk off the edge...and then as Clint would say, I "screamed like a little girl" the whole way down!!!

Clint waved down to me with a giant smile on his face and seemed completely comfortable being that high up in the air...or at least he didn't want me to know otherwise ;)

So, I have learned that if you want to overcome your fears, you just need to face them with a little prayer and faith...and then follow the example of those that you love and look up to!!! ( Even if they only stand 4 feet tall! ;)

Back at the Cabins...

As the evening began to wind down at our family reunion, we found ourselves in the midst of a warm campfire, toasty marshmallows, and squeals of laughter from the"night games." Everyone seemed to be having a great time except when poor little Gavin accidentally burned Kierra with his "hot from the fire" marshmallow;(
He felt so sad about it that he went and hid around the corner of the cabin and sunk down to the ground huddled up hugging his knees. I was busy trying to "tag" Danny and when I went speeding past the cabin and saw Gavin looking so sad, I just had to stop and see what was wrong. I held him close and hugged him tight and reassured him that accidents happen and that Kierra knew he didn't mean to do it...I told him that even when accidents happen, that it's good to apologize and that it helps everyone to feel better.
Well, just as we were getting up to go find Kierra, Gavin spotted this little critter moving past us. (And being the "courageous-not afraid of anything-mom will save the day" kind of mom that I want my kids to think that I am;) I just had to try and catch it so that I could make Gavin feel better and hopefully find his big smile again! So, even though inside I was horrified of what could happen to me if this "critter" were to bite me or was mean or rabid or whatever else it could possibly be, I acted tough and brave and got right behind it and grabbed it around the belly and quickly ran to Gavin and the others and shouted out, "I have a present for you!!!"
I am happy to say that Gavin's smile was found once again, (although he still felt bad) and I was able to maintain the "best mom in the whole galaxy" title! (At least that is what Gavin thinks;)
So luckily our little cousin Drake had brought his bug catcher with him and we were able to put our "pet" in it and enjoy him a little longer. But, after only keeping him for about a half hour or so, we decided that he would be much happier out in the wild where he could roam free (and find something better to eat than what happened to be scared out of him in the little bug catcher, if you know what I mean...) The only thing we never did find out was, "what was it anyway?" A mole, a mouse, a rat, a squirrely ancestor of some kind? I don't really know, but it sure was fun to have him around for a little while! And yes, I was glad that I was able to save the day!;)














(I just couldn't resist putting some of these pictures in here of all of the sleeping beauties! I got up early before everyone else and went on a peaceful morning hike. When I got back and went to check on everyone, THIS is what I found! What do you think? Who would you guess got the best beauty rest? :) Love you guys!!!

Fun and Games!

The fun and games at the family reunion definitely showed us a good time! Whether you were 2 or 72! Kambriella is showing us "the ropes!" You go girl!!!

I love her little chubby cheeks and arms and hands... and how she looks like she's holding on for dear life with her "grit teeth" smile!!!

Part of the fun at our family reunion was made up of games, obstacle courses, and high adventure courses. It was neat to see how working together with our family in these kinds of situations helped us to see just how well we can work together and communicate with one another too;) Here we are waiting for the fun to begin!!

Kambriella had a thing for sticking her tongue out whenever we would tell her to smile!!! (So of course Clint had to encourage her;)

During this game, we had to work as a team and try to walk up the hill and back on these long boards that would obviously only move when everyone took a step at the exact same time!

Kambriella's little legs were just too short to join the group, but that did NOT stop her from trying it anyway!!!

And though it's NOT surprising, it was this team made up of all girls and one retired marine that had the best team work!!

During this game, each individual had to swing on a rope across a "shark infested water" to an "island" where everyone had to stay close and squish together until everyone was rescued. Wo!!! Don't fall off!!!

This was a giant swing that was super high and fun, but safe enough for the little ones!
(The same one that Kambriella was riding on!)

Here is Gavin on his way up! Once you get to the top, you have to let go of one of the ropes and then you fall into the swinging motion!Woo Hoo Buddy!!!

Here is a picture of Dallin just on his way down!!!

And of course all of the hiking in between had to consist of a ride on the shoulders of Grandpa! What a good Papa!!

The cutest part about these little rides from Papa is that Kambriella is so comfy that she just feels free to hold onto whatever part of your face that she wants too!!! Cheeks, ears, nostrils, eyeballs... Be prepared Papa!!! They're all game!!!

This was such a fun time with everyone and I don't want to forget a minute of it!!! THESE are what memories are made of!!! Love you guys!!!

Row, Row, Row Your Boat!

The first ever Clements family reunion was held this summer at the Heber Valley Camp that is owned and operated by the church and its missionaries. We started looking forward to this trip last year when all the reservations were made. It sounded like so much fun, and to our satisfaction, it was just that! So much fun! Here are some fun pictures of our time at the lake!

Here we have the 1st and 2nd mates Gavin and Dallin! Clint was in the rear of the canoe with a little extra arm workout trying to help with getting everyone going in the right direction! Even though they were first in the water, I think they were the last to make it out into the deep!

And here I am with my little helper! You can see the empty seat in front of me, right? That is where Kambriella started out, and then when the man helping us into the canoe gave us a push off of shore, Kambriella went flying forward (thank goodness not INTO the water!) and wouldn't stop crying for the first 5 minutes or so! Needless to say, the rest of the ride she loved and felt completely happy and safe on MY lap! (Kierra was my first mate in the front of the canoe although you cannot see her in this picture!)

After "perfecting" the canoe, (or should I say getting tired of rowing:) the boys decided to switch gears and try out the paddle boats! I must say that they seemed to make much better time in this boat than the canoe! I think it didn't really matter which boat they were in, or how fast they were going, they were all smiles and having the time of their lives with their dad out on the lake!

Here is a glimpse of what we saw at the lake! This deer was the first of many that we saw there, and we were able to get very close to them to take a peek! They are so used to seeing people there and knowing that they won't be harmed that they don't seem to be bothered by us at all! In fact, I think that WE might be a form of cheap entertainment for them as they watched us having our fun out on the lake!

Through a Child's Eyes...

As I have sat back and watched the summer days roll on, and have gotten to spend so much more time with my children, I have been blessed to see things on a different level. Through a child's eyes -life is new, life is exciting and adventurous -and life is wonderful and magical. It's the little wonders and everyday moments that can be so amazing to them. We have been so busy lately doing so many different family activities that it really has made me realize that the saying is quite true..."Each day is a gift..."

I have so many things to catch up on and to write about, but before I even try to get started, I just needed to take a minute and share a little moment that I had with Gavin the other day that I feel really sets the tone for how I feel about my time with them as a mother.

We were gone camping up at the Heber Valley Camp for our family reunion and there were about 50 or 60 of us there. We had a great time together (and I will write more about that later) but when the time came to tuck everyone in bed, it took all the little ones a bit longer to settle in. (With all those cousins to play with, do you blame them?;) We were in a cabin with 3 other families and so we were trying to be quiet as to not disturb anyone else. But, at about 1:30 in the morning, little Mister Gavin quietly tip toed over to my bed and tapped me on the shoulder. His little legs were bothering him with growing pains and he couldn't go to sleep. I got up out of my bed and tip toed with Gavin back over to his bed and snuggled in with him. I had forgotten to pack any Tylenol so I didn't really have anything to give him to help with the pain, so I just layed down next to him and tried to rub his legs for him in hopes that the pain would go away. I thought for sure that this would relax him enough that he would be able to fall asleep pretty quickly, so after what seemed like a long time, I was surprised when Gavin whispered to me, "Mom, this is so fun."

Isn't that amazing? I was concerned about him getting to sleep and helping his pain to go away, and he was deep in thought of what a wonderful time we were all having together up there in the mountains. I smiled and snuggled a little closer to him and said, "Yes Gavin, this IS so much fun..." ;)

Bountiful Handcart Days

For Pioneer Day this year our family decided to celebrate in a different way. We all decided to enter into a 5K race together (the little ones did a 1K) and enjoy a little bit of healthy and "friendly" competition! You see, Clint's mom and sisters have started entering these races pretty regularly for a great motivator in staying fit AND receiving some great goody bags and T-shirts with each one they enter. Of course Clint having the competitive spirit that he does, made a comment that "he could walk faster than all of them were running!" Well - the rest is history! With a comment like that, and competitive sisters to boot, the race was on! They all entered the race to see who could really win!!!! Can you guess who won?;)
So here is my family AFTER we had all run our races. Medals for everyone! Red faces too!

Here are the kids with some of their cousins and "Pioneer Pete" who led the 1K while running bare foot! These little ones could really turn on the boosters! I told Gavin that I could see smoke coming out of his shoes cause he was running so fast! ;)

Here I am with my "Tree Trunk Trophy!" What would you expect the trophy to be made of when you are entered into a Pioneer Day race?;) (Definitely affordable for the city budget!) It was a good challenge for me to try to do my best and I ended up winning 1st place overall for the women at 19:52. Not my best time ever, but good enough for this one I guess. I think that averages out to be about a 6:25 pace. Not bad for a 34 year old! Especially when the 2nd and 3rd place girls were about half my age!;)

Here I am with "the Winner" himself! After only going out running 3 times total before the actual race, Clint was able to beat his goal and beat all of his sisters and his mom! I think his time was about 25:21. Not bad for a first time runner! The funny part of the whole thing is that next year, Clint and I will both be in the "older" age groups and so I think Clint really wants to try and do it again and try and take the old farts trophy! Woo Hoo!!

I know this picture turned out dark, but I still wanted to put it on here so that we could remember all of the family that was there to join in on the fun! I think we might have started a new family tradition! Almost everyone that ran had their personal best times. (I think in part because everyone wanted to try and beat Clint!) Now I think Clint is just waiting for his sisters to all take him out to dinner for beating them. I'm proud of everyone who ran, especially my kids! Good job Clint, way to run! -But just remember, it's a good thing you caught me when you married me because I just don't think you can catch me in a race!!!;) Love you all!