Freedom Isn't Free

Happy Independence Day! Thank you to all those who have provided my family and me with the freedoms we enjoy daily. Especially my Grandpa Matthews who served in the Navy during WWII and also Reese's Grandpa Mel who was also in WWII.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG, OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA , AND TO THE REPUBLIC, FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!

I watched the flag pass by one day...
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform;
so young, so tall, so proud.
With hair cut square and eyes alert,
he'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him
had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil;
how many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many fox holes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
when everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant 'Amen.'
When a flag had draped a coffin
of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
of the mothers and the wives,
of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea.
Of unmarked graves in Arlington .
No, freedom isn't free.

Enjoy Your Freedom and God Bless Our Troops.

(Not sure of the writer of the poem)
Sent on the Now Network? from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Till We Meet Again

Stephanie Petersen

My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Stephanie Petersen.  She will be truly missed.  Thank you for your courage, kindness, and most of all friendship especiallly through the hard times that school can bring.  I love you Steph and can't wait to see you again.

Lake Powell

Day 1

We were able to go to warm and sunny Lake Powell last weekend with my (Lacey's) parents and my brother Brett and his wife Lynette.  We launched the boat at State Line and stayed in a hotel in Page at night.  Both the kids loved being in the sand and water and it was great to just get away for an awesome vacation with our family.  It was a blast!

Mason, my mom and Jaylee started out the morning with practicing driving the Sea Doo's.

Going wakeless through the cut-through on our way to find a beach.  This was the one of the two times Mason sat in the bow of the boat.  The rest of the time he was sitting next to Grandpa Schroeder and being the co-pilot.

Poor Jaylee...life jackets are just not fun for babies.  She would just sleep in once we put her in the life jacket because she couldn't really move or do anything else but sleep.

Once we found a beach we set up and the kids and Reese dove right into playing in the sand.  Jaylee wanted to just EAT the sand the whole first day but she got better as the trip went on.

That's cookie around her mouth not sand.  We figured if she munched on something, less sand would make it's way into her mouth...it kind of worked.

Mason and Reese building some kind of castle.

DAY 2

As you can see, there was more playing in the endless amounts of sand on day 2.

Our little Beach Baby

The most handsome Batman yet!

Mason was being a superhero by holding the flag for when people were in the water.  He rode the tube as well but I was riding with him and wasn't able to get any pictures but he sure loved it!  Every bump he would say either "Whoa" or "Bump".  So it ended up sounding like, "Bump, bump, bump, bump, whoa!  Tickle my bum! Bump, bump, whoa..."

Reese, Lynette, and Lacey holding on to dear life on the tube.  It started to rub our elbows and knees raw but we had a great time!

My mom and 2 out of 3 of her kids in law dueling it out on the tube.

Grandma growling at Mason and Mason growling at Grandma...it's a game they like to play...They are both pretty silly kids!

Mason with Grandma and Grandpa and loving every minute of it!

~~Best Picture of the Trip Award~~

Look how cute they are together even after 35+ years of marriage.

My dad's boat goes so fast that it's really hard to open your eyes for a picture...as you can see.

Mason had such a fun-filled day that he fell asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel.  We took him out of his car seat, changed his clothes, rubbed after-sun lotion all over his arms, legs, and face, and put him into bed all while Jaylee was being her not quite self.  He was tuckered out and stayed asleep though it all.
 Day 3
We started out the final day of our trip with a long boat ride up to Rainbow Bridge.  

Jaylee doesn't mind her life jacket when it doubles as a bottle holder.

 The kids got to snooze on the way up to bridge.

Rainbow Bridge is really special to Reese and me because it is where Reese proposed 5 years ago June 24th.  I obviously said "Yes!"

So we decided to compare some photos of 5 years ago and today.

 5 years ago

Present day...don't you love the kids' faces?

 5 years ago

 Present Day

We then headed to Dangling Rope and got some ice cream then on back to the beach. 

 Jaylee and Grandpa chillin in the shade with more cookies on Jaylee's face.

We spent a little more time in the sand and then it was time to say goodbye to our beach.

  Mason is already asking to go back to ride on Grandpa Schroeder's boat and the jet skis.  Hopefully I'll get more pictures next time too. 

Happy Father's Day!

I hope all the Dads out there had an amazing Father's Day yesterday.  We wouldn't know what we would do without you!

Both of my Grandpas with Mason and my other grandpa with grandma and Jaylee.

Truck Pulls

Make sure to look at all the posts below...

 We headed to the Logan Fairgrounds to enjoy a good ole Truck Pull competition. 

Keep in mind that it is JUNE 12!  Look at what we are wearing!!!  We had to unpack our winter clothes boxes in order to be warm enough.

We were still a little cold but had a great time watching some heavy duty trucks pulling some super heavy weight.

That can't be good for the environment.  If you want to go to a truck pull in the future, make sure to have some earplugs for the little ones.  The heavy duty trucks can get pretty loud.

Also, check out the guy standing up on the right...there were more individuals who looked similar or even better than that guy.  So if you do go, make sure your man grows out his goatee or mustache.  And you ladies, rock the BumpIt, maybe even 2 or 3!!