Remembering My Dad

 On July 31st, 2014, my sweet Daddy became an angel.

Yesterday was 4 years since his passing and it was the perfect day to spend with my mom.

I was so glad we had made time for this little getaway to St. George to see this special lady...most of the things we did yesterday were in memory of my dad, Phillip Deloy Panter.

We even got gas at "Phillip's"66! :)

 We swam in the pool in the morning (which was always something that my dad used to take me to do when I was a little girl...)

...and we ate a Chuck-A-Rama which was always somewhere that my dad would like to go...;)

 We did this...:)

(Does this look familiar??) ;)

 We talked about him and reminisced about all of the happy memories we have of him.

He is a special man to be the father of 9 children (6 daughters and 3 sons), 

and that he gave everything to his family. 

I love and miss him terribly.

We also drove to Zion's National Park to the Subway Trail head to pick up Dallin and his friend Rhett who had an adventurous weekend hiking in God's country with Clint's family...

 It was so beautiful and we had fun exploring a little and taking it all in. Kesslyn was a bit tired of being in the car for so long, but we made it back home safe and sound and we are ready for whatever adventures lie ahead of us today! We are grateful once again for our knowledge and testimonies of our Savior Jesus Christ, His hand in our lives each and every day, and that families are eternal...so so grateful!

A Good Dose of "Grandma Medicine"

 Today we are in St. George getting a good dose of "Grandma medicine!"

 We drove down here Sunday evening, stayed in a hotel, and had Grandma Panter come stay with us!

 We slept in and then headed out on the town for a fun day with Grandma.❤

 First we stopped at McDonald's for a bite of food, and then we stopped at this carousel for a magical ride on a horse... and of course this brought all smiles! (Which was much needed for the grumpy 2 year old that I gave life too😑... sometimes she can be exhausting!) Thank goodness for "Grandma medicine!"

 After a fun ride on the carousel, we were heading into the Children's Museum when the girls heard the happiest sound of songs being sung from the movie "Frozen!"

 They found where the sound was coming from, found a comfy seat, and listened and watched as a young group of performers were entertaining the crowd...

 As soon as they were done, we went in and played in the museum for a couple of hours... so much fun for the girls!

 After the museum we went to see the movie Hotel Transylvania 3, then went and did a little school shopping at the outlets, got a truffle from the Chocolate factory, went to dinner at the Pizza Pie Cafe, stopped at Target for coloring books and arm floaties, and then headed back to the pool to swim!!!

(Wow, that sounds like an exhausting day!)

 Swimming was just what we needed to end the hot play day with Grandma... it made Kesslyn soooo happy! Sometimes I just can't figure out her moods and her personality, so when she is genuinely happy, I consider it a good day...

 ... and by the looks of this genuine smile...I would definitely say it was a good good day!💕thanks for the love Grandma!

Adventures at the Cabin

 We found ourselves up at the cabin on Saturday feeding carrots to the horses and petting them... taking time to get to know them...

 They are kind horses and seem pretty mellow... they were very friendly, especially when they saw we had carrots!😊

 Kesslyn kept trying to walk underneath them (because that's just her height), but we had to explain that probably wasn't the safest thing to do...

 All of the kids loved seeing the horses, but especially the girls.  Kesslyn kept asking if she could "ride the horsey" so grandpa found a rope to tie around its neck, and then we lifted her up! She was all smiles and didn't want to get down!

 Kambriella wanted to join her little sister so we got them both up there! They were in heaven!!! Princess (that's what the kids call her) decided she wanted to take them for a walk, and took a quick walking pace that made my heart beat pretty quick...I kept telling the girls,"I'm going to pull you off if she decides to start running!" I'm just not used to horses, and although it felt safe, my instincts told me to be prepared to protect them if I needed to!"

 It was fun and we all had a great time. 

Then, the next round of fun began!!! Our new tractor arrived!!! Clint was so excited for this to come! Now he just needs a pair of overalls and cowboy boots! (Those were HIS words!!!😉)

 The tractor is perfect for us. Not too big, and we also bought all of the right attachments...a chipper(for all of the fallen branches), a plow (for the snow), and a mower!

 Clint had so much fun learning all about how to use it, and now he can't wait to go back and really give it a go...

He would have used it more, but it started raining buckets while they were there so he didn't do too much...

 While the boys were busy learning about the tractor, I was inside rearranging and making room for our stereo that we brought up with a CD player. I love music and since there's not much cell service out there, the CD's will bring great fun to our already fun place!

 We also purchased a new dining table and got it set up, but only half of it is here! The other pieces that go to it won't arrive for another couple of months! But when they do, we will be able to seat 14 people around this table!!! Perfect for Thanksgiving this year!😍 This farmhouse style table from the Magnolia Farms collection is going to be the center of a lot of family gatherings and it was something that I really wanted to have nice. It means a lot to me to gather the family and having a beautiful space to do it in is even better!💕

 As we finished up everything and the rain let up, we looked out the window and saw a beautiful double rainbow! It made me so happy!!! I felt like Heavenly Father was sending us His love, and it was the perfect way to end the day.

Family is our Favorite

 I LOVE taking Clint out to lunch! 

1) It's a great excuse to see him and get his undivided attention!

and 2) It gets him to sit down for a few minutes to refuel his body and mind from all of the high demand that is always on him while he is at work. The kids love taking him out too and they don't really get to do it that often because of school, so summer time is the time to make it happen!And so we did!

We also went to Bountiful to visit family, and went to Pat's Dancewear. Dallin needed Jazz shoes for his MDT performing class at the High School, and Kambriella needed some new leotards for dance since she keeps growing and growing! The boys made good use of their time playing checkers just outside the store while Kambriella was busy trying on her things. We also went to Scheels and rode the Ferris Wheel and got some of their famous fudge. I just LOVE summer time and doing what we want with our days...I am kind of freaking out that summer is coming to an end! ;( We will continue to take in each moment that we can and build our relationships and memories strong!

It's going to be another fun weekend and to start it off just right...here is a cute picture of our FAVORITE missionary...

Isn't he so cute!!! :) :) :)

And he got new shooooes!!!! :) :) :) :)

 We love and miss you so much Anziano Trickett!!!

The "Big Move" Has Begun!

It's the beginning of the Big Move!

The new building is not quite done, but the work must go on.

The employees have begun trekking their tool boxes and power tools over to the new location, cars have begun to fill the shop, and all the while this "man in charge" remains strong and steady with a smile on his face and a BIG hug for his favorite people each night when he arrives home. :)

We are one lucky family.

He is one amazing man! :)

Pioneer Day!

 Pioneer Day was fun with this crowd! :)

We went bowling, and ate lots of fries while we did it...

Kesslyn wasn't too sure about what we were doing at first, and then after she got the hang of it, her turn couldn't come back around fast enough! ;)

 She did great with the assistance of her awesome siblings and the ball cart..;)

I think she cared more about actually rolling the ball than anything else! She never really stayed around long enough to see just how many pins she was able to knock over...she just walked away with a smile of satisfaction as soon as the ball was on its way!

 Kambriella did great too and had lots of fun!

 Dallin and Gavin seemed pretty comfortable and natural at it while Anson was just a goof! Throwing the ball backwards and between his legs...don't ask me how he got such a good score doing all the crazy stuff that he did!?! But even better...looked who tied for 1st...KESSLYN! She did great. :)

I was proud to come in last as I gave most of my turns to everyone else for a "practice throw" or just a chance for a goof shot! My back does NOT like how it feels after a round of bowling so I just mostly enjoyed watching and cheering everyone on. ;)

 Later we went to Coldstone and had ice~cream, played around for a little while, and then when Clint got home we went for a drive to pick up our new table that we bought for our cabin! By the time we get it all put together we should be able to seat 14 people around it!!! Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about!!! The more the merrier, right?? If it wouldn't have sold out so fast I probably would have bought 2 of them!

We also went to HuHot for dinner, one of our favorite places!

Then as we rolled in to the house late that night, I received THIS picture with a text from Kierra!

NOTHING could have made me happier than to see that my sweet Kids took a few minutes out of their vacation to go and see my sweet mom!!! I KNOW how much this meant to her and I KNOW that they probably have no idea what a gift that was to her...THANK YOU Kierra and Riley for stopping to see Grandma!!! I love you guys and am so happy that you are having such a fun vacation together!

Safe and Loving Harbors

 Yesterday these cute kids all got a new haircut! They wee feeling "fine and fresh" according to Gavin...;)

They are such good kids and we have all had a good summer doing fun things together. The haircuts were an early reminder though of the "back to school" mentality that is just around the corner...Uggh!!

Also, last night, one of my former young women needed a safe place to rest her head...so she showed up with all of her belongings piled into this ONE suitcase...my heart is going out to her...

She has had such a rough go at life, and things just haven't been easy at all. But, I know that there is hope...especially when we stick together as sisters in the gospel. There really is peace in Christ and together with Him we can do all things.

I am eternally grateful for this loving and happy home, and for these "safe harbors."

The kids dished her up a bowl of ice~cream after family home evening, and talked to her and made her smile...I'm so glad that these children of mine are getting these first hand experiences that are teaching them about what ministering really looks like and that they are learning all about what matters most. 

It's all about people.

Also, just for the record...Clint came home from work and began telling me all about a conversation that he had with one of his employees yesterday.

He said that he was asked, "Boss, are you a millionaire?"

Clint said that was a funny question and that it didn't really matter...he replied that he had millions in assets, but could they guess which one was his most valuable??

As this employee began naming "things" Clint told him that he was way off track...

He then pulled out his phone and showed him his screen saver...

It was this picture of me.

He told me how he told this man that this beautiful wife was his greatest asset and nothing was more important to him than me.

I almost started crying when he told me this. I knew that it was true and I have always felt that way about him, and have always believed he truly feels that way about me.

"The funny thing was..." Clint said, " was when I told him that you have loved me ever since the beginning and even when I had nothing. You love me for me, and not for what I can give you, and it's always been that way!"

He was so proud and it made me feel sooooo good. I can't explain it or put it into words, but trust me when I say that I KNOW that I am loved and I am so very grateful for the eternal marriage that I have to my very best friend!