The Pinzgauer, the Pit, and the Volvo

On Sunday, between sessions, we went to John and Michelle's gravel pit/quarry. Although we had visited the Gillelands' at least three times before this, there just never had been time to explore the pit. I was so excited to go look at it (the basic geology is ground moraine with reddish loess on top and greyish shale beneath), the kids were excited to go climb the piles, and Bradley was excited to go drive some heavy equipment.

We were all excited to ride in John's Pinzgauer. The Pinzgauer is an old 6-wheel drive army vehicle. For children who never ride around in anything but a van with booster seats and seat belts, it was a Very Exciting Adventure.

Hebs was sick with a fever on Sunday, so Grandma stayed with him and Mimi at the house.

The Pinzgauer:

Doesn't Bradley look awesome there? He didn't know I was taking his picture at the time...

After a fun drive down the mesa where the house is, across the freeway, and up a hill, we arrived at the pit:


They dropped me off at the active face (where they are currently excavating) with Elise (my niece), and we explored the cobbles and talked about the rocks. Then we walked over to the piles to discover my eldest two children in very...precarious...positions:

Em got clear up there, enjoyed the view for a while, and then discovered that she was too scared to get back down. Given my mild fear of heights, I wasn't the best to try to help her. Thank heavens for Daddy! He climbed right up and rescued her. She stayed on smaller piles for the rest of the time.

Zee had no such trouble. He and Michelle's youngest kids had a BALL. A dusty, gravelly, dirty ball. (You should have seen the back pockets of Zee's jeans when we got back to Michelle's house. FULL of gravel.)

Unsurprisingly, Gee had a harder time getting up the piles. He was mostly content to sit on the ground next to them and play with my rock hammer, but at one point Bradley helped him up a small pile and he had a great time getting back down.

Grandpa Ross and Bradley had a great time driving the...Volvo? I usually associate Volvos with little sedan-type cars, but apparently they make heavy equipment as well:

Go Grandpa!

I like this guy a lot. In case you were wondering.

Each of them scooped up a big pile of dirt and dumped it in another spot. Not exactly earth-shattering, but earth-moving at least. (Ha, ha! I kill myself!)

I was offered the chance to do the same, but politely declined. I think I would have been too nervous I was going to break something, and with my little kids running around I would have definitely been too distracted.

But I did make it up there for a photo op. What do you think, me and heavy equipment? I didn't think so.

General Conference, Colorado Style

It turns out that General Conference, Colorado Style, isn't that different than General Conference, anywhere style. When you have small, noisy children, watching General Conference is an exercise in futility. Thank heavens for video podcasts and transcripts of all the talks--without having to wait for the November Ensign! We do live in remarkable times.

That being said, I was able to hear some of the talks. I especially loved Elder Oaks' talk (Two Lines of Communication), and Elder Ballard's talk about addiction (O That Cunning Plan of the Evil One). (And can we talk about how much I love Elder Ballard's title? One of my favorite scripture verses!) I'm making my way through the podcasts of the sessions, and I really love Elder Holland's talk (Because of Your Faith). I'm excited to listen to the Priesthood Session, too. Bradley really loved it.

Some watching-conference pictures:

Grandma and Grandpa Ross came down to Michelle's house for conference, too. It was wonderful to have them there at the same time as us!

Bradley, George (Grandpa), Uncle John, Gabe (green tie), and Seth (yellow tie), home from the Priesthood Session

Daddy and Mimi, chilling on the couch watching the Saturday afternoon session. Shortly after this picture was taken, Mimi had a massive blowout that effectively ended my conference-watching for the day.

Elise (granddaughter #2) and Mimi (granddaughter #5)

So, not watching Conference. But playing "Angry Birds" in tandem (Seth and Gee) is still pretty fun.

Cheeks of Love

We interrupt this vacation retrospective to announce that Mimi, at a robust 8 weeks old, is adorable. And big (22.5 inches, 11 lbs 13 oz). With delicious fat cheeks that honestly beg to be squeezed.

She smiles at everyone--especially her siblings, and even more especially when they place their faces within millimeters of hers. (I'm talking about you, Hebs. Try not to sneeze, okay?) She coos and gurgles and "talks" up a storm. She sleeps pretty well (sometimes even five-hour stretches, but that's rare). Like my older two children, she isn't a cuddler--she is much happier facing outward so she can see everything that is going on.

We are very much enjoying our precious baby girl. With cheeks like those, who could think otherwise?

The Pond

Just down the hill from John and Michelle's house is a sweet little pond:

The Gillelands' dog, Daisy. Poor Daisy. Hebs loved the heck out of her this weekend.

With a sweet little paddleboat:

Daddy and Zee on the paddleboat.

The water was cold, but that didn't stop Zee and Em from wanting to swim:

Wading was about all that happened, though. Did I mention the water was cold?

Daddy spent a lot of time in that paddleboat, with various kids (and occasionally Momma):

Hello, handsome!

A very great time was had by all!

I love this one's cheesy smiles.

The Veranda

One of the best parts of this vacation was the slow pace. Often vacations are anything but relaxing, especially for the parents of small children. But the purpose of this vacation was just to hang out with Bradley's sister Michelle, her husband John, and their five children. (Add my five, and there were ten children altogether in that house this last weekend. Fortunately, it's a big house, so it never felt too crazy, except occasionally at mealtimes.) We had nothing scheduled, only vague plans to walk by the river, visit Mesa Verde, or go to their gravel pit. As a result, I came back from this vacation feeling less stressed than before. What a miracle!

One of my favorite parts about Michelle's house (along with the trees, the pond, the strawberry patch, the loft...okay, I love Michelle's house) is the veranda. (Or is it a balcony? I don't know the difference.) I spent a lot of time out there, cuddling or feeding my baby, watching my kids play on the lawn below, or listening to conference. The weather was unseasonably warm, meaning it got up to 75 degrees in the daytime. Perfect!

The veranda is on the middle floor of the house, so it overlooks the backyard. There are comfortable chairs, a dining table and chairs, and--this is Hebs' favorite part--a bridge that crosses over to a built-up picnic area. Zee and Em loved climbing up the huge rocks from the backyard to the picnic area.

Of course, half the fun are the views: Watching my nephews' elaborate game of trampoline basketball, spying on Bradley and the kids on the pond, or just soaking in the view of the La Plata mountain range, watching the storms roll in.


Definitely a place for a little R&R.

Autumn Vacation

We just got back from a five-day autumn vacation to Durango, Colorado, where Bradley's sister Michelle lives. We had such an amazingly good time--one of my favorite vacations ever. It was so fun and relaxing. The kids had so many firsts and awesome adventures--plenty of blog fodder there.

But, for today, a sneak peek:


...we had a four-wheeling, gravel-climbing, paddle-boating, cold-water-wading, ancient-ruin-viewing, General-Conference-watching, rock-throwing, front-loader-driving good time!

Zee's Solution

We were driving through a heavily wooded canyon at dusk yesterday, and Bradley commented that we needed to be on the lookout for deer, because we don't want to hit them with our van. Zee* piped up right away with a clever solution:

"We need to paint our car to look like a lion. Then the deer will be scared and they will all run away."

I hate to brag, but the boy's a genius. And he thinks outside of the box, too. I'm hoping he'll be my meal ticket in 20 years...

*I need to remember that he listens to everything we say, even when we don't think he is paying attention. Except when I am asking him to do something for me. Then he doesn't hear a word I say.