Cove Fort

As we were traveling home from St. George, we stopped at  Cove Fort. It is roughly the half way point to home, the song "I want out of my car seat" needed some rest so we decided to stop and enjoy the historic site as well allow my nerves to rest.
This place is amazing. So, in a nutshell President Brigham Young wanted the Hinckley family(President Hinckley's great grandpa) to make a resting area for the many travelers to have a warm bed and food to eat. It was in the middle of no where. They made the fort and both Indians and travelers used the facility. There was never any crime or thievery.

I hope I get the facts all straight so correct me if I am wrong(It will be the first time and you were able to share it with me;) We had an amazing tour guide. He is on a mission with his wife from Ririe, ID. I want to serve a mission with Corby like this when we are old and grey. I just am astounded with the trials our ancestors had to endure and their life style. I will try my hardest to share as much detail as I can.

This is the entrance. See the massive sized doors they could close for protection. The tour guide showed us the peep hole they would use to see who was wanting in. It was a large square that tapered down to a rectangular slit. So cool. 

This is the mail room. They even had the telegraph machine go off every few seconds. It was all in Morse Code. It would go off with a short message stating a message was coming in so the women who were in the nearby kitchen making food, would hear the warning and someone would be able to get seated to write down the incoming message. Wow, what would these peeps do with the modern conveniences of today.

Kitchen.

I didn't get a picture of it but they had 5# bread pans and the women would make up to 20 loaves a day. They didn't have Bosch Mixers, they made those loaves of bread all from scratch, the original scratch! The boys would gather the wood for the wood burning stoves. These children knew the meaning of work, hard work.

Laundry Room.

Here they would wash the clothes(once again, not the best photographer but just outside the picture is the scrub board) The tour guide explained how resourceful our ancestors were. They would make their clothes and when the fabric was wore out they would tear it into strips and make it into rugs, when the rugs wore out, they would burn the fabric in the fire and turn it into ash where they would make lye for cleaning purposes. Heard the saying, Use it up, Wear it out, make it do or go without. That was their philosophy.

 

Game Table.
They would play different games but dominoes was a favorite.

Bear, Buffalo, and Deer blankets. 

See the rolling pin on the head board? The mattresses are made of straw and the straw would bunch up and you would sink to the bottom(similar to an air mattress that has a hole and it goes half flat during your rest) They would take the rolling pin and roll out the mattress to even it out and allow for a more restful sleep.

This was out back of Cove Fort. I believe this is where the wood was chopped and hauled indoors as well as the animals were stored. They had 20 cows and the girls were in charge of the cows, milking and caring for them. The tour guide said the girls had some strong arms from churning the milk into butter and other items.

Scripture Study Room.
See the books on the table? They offered a Bible and Book of Mormon to all their guests as they would stay the night.

Presidential Suite.
The top hat on the coat tree has a special box that it would be stored in. Above the fireplace is a photo of Joseph Smith. Such a simple but hard life.

So resourceful. See the cradle. When the infant grew out of it they would turn the cradle upside down and the 4 spindly posts would then be legs while the mattress became the cushion for the new found bench.

Here are the clothes the boys would wear.

and the dolls the girls would play with. Bria was dying to cross the forbidden rope and give this little gem a hug.

 The clothes the girls and women wore lying on the bench.
See the doors on each wall? The guests would go from room to room this way rather than use the outside doors to keep the heat in as much as possible. The boys appreciated this as it was their job to keep the wood burning stoves supplied.

Bathroom.
See the toothbrushes on the table.

 

See the mismatched blanket? No one cared on a cold night whether it was perfect or not it did the job just the same as a perfect blanket. The Lord sees us just like this mismatched blanket. He doesn't look at the outside only the inside.

 Bria mesmerized by the stories and fun sites.

This rocking chair is actually authentic! It is one of only three items on display that is authentic and original.

Here we are up on the lookout. It was such a bone chilling cold day and Sierra didn't bring her coat so dear 'ole dad loaned her his. What a great guy that Corby is.

Here we are walking back from our tour. We are all a little frozen and super grateful we don't have to make the sacrifices that those we just learned about had. See Ada in the front? She was so cute. She would skip over the cracks in the sidewalk and it was just so darling!

If only I was the photographer I will become someday I would have caught on camera her so cute skipping. These moments make the "I want out of my car seat" song tolerable!

Wow, hats off to those ancestors before us. I really don't think I could have sacrificed and managed all that these wonderful saints had to endure daily.

St. George

Corby has been studying for a designation for the last 3 or so months. What that means is every spare minute he has been studying and particularly hitting it hard these last 2 weeks. It is hard being a single mom, how do so many do it! 
Anyway, because he had an appointment in St. George, we decided to turn the business trip into a family get away (remind me if I decide to do this again to refer to this memory). It was a fun trip, we had record breaking temps in St. George as well as snow. So being down there felt like home, "Home Sweet Home".  Corby continued to study and run his appointments while I entertained the girls in the hotel. The first night we arrived, we raced to get our bathing suits on to take advantage of the incredible pool but when we showed up we found a sign stating the pool was closed due to circumstances beyond their control....... someone "ralphed" in the pool! So we all huddled in the hot tub with the rest of the hotel residents.

The girls gave Corby an IBC(Idaho Butt Cut) hairdo. We then revealed that their father actually wore his hair in this attractive fashion many years while growing up. Stylish for sure!

Love these girls of mine, especially when they like each other and are getting along!

Corby woke super early on Saturday morning for his studying and appointment. He got some great shots of the amazing sunrise!

The hotel we stayed at was all decorated. It had lights strung everywhere. My favorite was the lit up palm trees. There was a stuffed Santa we would pass to and from the swimming pool and Ada would recite HO HO HO, Merry Christmas then bust out in "You better watch out, you better not cry, Santa Clause is coming to town". She is a cutie that little spunky spirit of ours.

While Corby was busy making the money for our clan, we hit the recently cleaned pool that was now open for service. And boy oh boy did we enjoy it. 
Sierra opted out of swimming this morning as she had a book to read and write a report for school. Darn school always gets in the way of fun!

I just had to capture this little gem of Ada Rae. She is so funny. You know how you flip your hair after a shower and then wrap a towel around your head while you finish getting ready, well that is what I do, so of course like mommy like Ada right.

She flips her hair just like a pro and tries and tries to get the towel to stay in place like mommy but this is as good as it gets with her little head and huge adult size towel. Love it anyway.
After our dad returned, we headed out to see what kinds of exciting things we could do to entertain ourselves. Leticia and Bria received a voucher for ear piercings in their stockings and Teesh decided she was brave enough to cash it in.....so off to the mall we went.

See the big red sign free ear piercing, oh boy were we all over that but we soon learned we had to purchase the ear rings that were $55 to get the free piercings but with the money tree still in bloom at home we decided we better do it while the willing participant was on board.

There you have it! One down one to go. I wasn't able to get Bria's piercings on camera as the grumpy store manager said I was not allowed to take photos in the store. I just obeyed but thought I can't take pictures of my children in your store. Some people's kids, sheesh!

Bria right before the process began. She was so happy but during the process she cried and was so super scared. She tried so hard to not cry. I told her cry if you want little one it is OK, mommy is right here. I was nervous that she wouldn't let them do the second and she would be a one pierced girl, but my fears diminished as she braved it and in no time at all she was done.

Not quite as happy but she has ear rings now. This was taken in the mall as to be obedient to the store rules, silly store rules.

Our next stop was St. George Temple. I love that Malia has a goal to do baptisms every week and motivated her sisters to go with her. Sierra took a little encouraging but in the end went. This is such a gorgeous temple inside and out!

We headed home after having so much fun. The car ride isn't our favorite part due to little Ada Rae, what is it with her and her car seat relationship. She doesn't have the attention for a movie so we hear the lovely song of "I want out of my car seat" song all 5 hours! Makes me want to sing with her, maybe next time I will. I drove so that Corby could do.......you guessed it, STUDY.
Oh and when we returned he took his test on Monday and passed. Hip Hip Hurray!

One more memory to throw in here. We are a family of 7 so sometimes we get two rooms but this trip we squeezed into one room. We take turns who sleeps on the floor with air mattresses but Ada was given special treatment and was provided the clubhouse.....

Hard to see it, but she is sleeping under the bathroom vanity. It was so cute and she fit perfectly. This is her waking up with such a happy disposition.

 On this trip, Ada began referring to herself in the 3rd person (Karl Malone style)and changed her name to Baby Bobbie. She would say, "Baby Bobbie wants a drink momma", or she would say "look Baby Bobbie is walking" then walk clumsily around. We all got a kick out of her behavior and wonder where does this girl come up with the stuff she does. She is precious.

Bria and Ada striking the pose of all poses on the bed. What a great trip for the most part and making memories to close the year of 2012!

Christmas Ellis Style

Because my family is big and so spread out we only get together twice a year, either Thanksgiving or Christmas swapping every other year, and once in July for a reunion.
This year it was Christmas turn. My parents, Richard and Gayleen, rented the clubhouse of the condo they own and we all met there for a potluck dinner. My parents provided the ham, turkey, rolls, and condiments. We each brought a salad or dessert to share. I come from a family of 6 kids who are all married. 4 of the 6 have 6 children, and the other 2 have 5. Of the 34 grand kids multiple are married and have children. I think there are 10 great grand kids. Needless to say, we are a huge group when we gather. I am so glad my mom allows us to help out with food now where as before she would try to make the meal for everyone. We got together the 26th of December in Salt Lake City. We exchanged gifts, enjoyed a meal and then went to see the lights on temple square, city creek, and even tried to ride the downtown free shuttle(that didn't work out so well but we get an A for effort, right?)
I stayed home with Bria that evening as I was not feeling well and Bria had been fevering on and off. Bria and I enjoyed a nice, warm, quiet evening of reading and TV viewing.
My parents have just received their 4th mission call. They will be serving in the Fort Lauder Dale, Florida beginning the 28th of January and serve for 18 months. I love the example they provide of service for my children. It is a bittersweet situation as they will be gone for Teesh's graduation from Highland High. Sacrifice brings forth blessings!
Because of my lack of attendance Clarissa stayed home and not a photo to show for the occasion.

Character

Bria had yet another near death experience a few weeks back. It has taken me this long to settle down to write about it. That girl is so spunky and creative but some of her actions are a bit hard to swallow some days. Anyway, Ada had been throwing up all day so I was stuck at home. What better way to spend staying at home then being productive and wrapping Christmas gifts. Ada and Bria sat right by me as I wrapped gifts explaining how we don't touch the gifts or open them until Christmas Day. I also would show them what I was wrapping thinking they wouldn't be as curious and the presents would be safe. In the past, after I have wrapped gifts, I still keep them hidden but because of my methodical planning I thought these gifts would be safe to throw under the tree and if I threw in a couple extra they wouldn't noticed. I was feeling so overwhelmed with my bedroom being the storage unit of Christmas gifts so I went against my better judgement and put the gifts, all the gifts under the tree.
We went about our day with nothing more said. Malia had a ballet practice where parents were invited to watch and interact. Sierra was my lined up babysitter and off I went to enjoy some Malia, Corby, and Jennifer time. I even remember thinking as I watched Malia perform and practice, wow, I love my life, it is so great to have older girls to allow me to spend time one on one every once in awhile. The practice went well. I called Sierra asking how Ada was doing and if I could stop at a few stores on my way home. She said Ada is asleep and Bria is playing quietly in her bedroom. I said, "Well, please check on her and thanks so much for taking such great care of them". She said you are welcome. We hung up. I continued for the next little bit with the same frame of mind of what a great system I was blessed with.
When I arrived home, Bria met me at the garage door and said, "Ada opened up some of the gifts mommy." I thought that was weird, knowing Ada was asleep but didn't think much about it. As I entered the house, I went down the hall and saw the nightmare of my life. In the hall, were two games out with all the pieces everywhere. I said, "Uh, Sierra what is going on here?" She said I don't know I have been sleeping. I opened Bria's bedroom door to find every single gift I had wrapped, unwrapped, opened and strung all about. I freaked out. I walked out of the room, went to Sierra and said you have a huge mess on your hands. I turned to Corby and said I am not dealing with this call me when everything is put back together.
I left, slamming the door, making the shelf fall in the garage and denting the Yukon. Mature I know but I was so upset. I drove around for awhile. I was just so upset. Finally, I decided to go visit a friend. She graciously let me come in and spill my guts to her. We discussed the topic for awhile until I felt more calm. 
The reasons for why I was so upset as I analyzed the situation were several fold. 
1) I had some great well thought out surprises for my family.
2) I was feeling so on top of being prepared for Christmas
3) I was frustrated that my 15 year old would carelessly fall asleep leaving my 5 year old unattended
4) Seeing all my hard work be undone in a matter of minutes was heartbreaking

I understand Christmas is not about gifts. I get the real reason for the season but I love to surprise people. I love it. It is something that I find great pleasure and boy oh boy I had some great ones this year. It is hard the older your children get to be able to surprise them with the exact item they were hoping for and I did it this year. Bria opening the gifts destroyed everything, my months and months of hard work was ruined all right before my eyes.
I didn't take any pictures of the bedroom scene intentionally, I don't want to be reminded of that ever again.
Christmas will be fine. Everyone tells me I will look back on this day and just think it is hilarious. I don't think so peeps. I am pretty upset still. 
When I caught Bria amongst the mess, I said, "Well, I hope you liked your gifts because you aren't getting any surprises now". Her response, 'Fine, I guess I will just get rocks for Christmas". My response to her, "Yes, rock sounds good for Christmas."
Corby text-ed me telling me the coast was clear and the mess all cleaned up. All the gifts had been re-wrapped and the house was back in perfect order. I came home and went to bed.
Next morning in Newton Connecticut, a 21 year old guy, went into the local elementary school shot and killed 20 children and 6 adults, 7 counting himself. The 20 children were all 5 and 6 year old's. A week before Christmas, what devastation. How scared these sweet innocent children must have been. Did they protect themselves, would they even be old enough to try to protect themselves. Such a sad sad situation. Then reality set in and I thought Bria might have ruined my Christmas surprises but I have her on Christmas Day unlike those 20 families who lost their sweet children. I am grateful for the many opportunities I get to be a mom even on the not-so-great-days. So Bria please don't do that again but I am lucky to have your spunky personality in my life and will love you beyond your really bad choices.
Good Night!

Christmas Morning....oh dark 30

We had an unusual Christmas morning this year. Usually we are up at oh dark 30 but Bria and Ada slept in till 8:30. Normally I am waking my children up because that is what Christmas morning is all about waking up early. This year we have all been feeling a little yucky so the sleep did us some good. Anyway, Santa came and provided some great surprises for everyone, even though Bria our special 5 year old, unwrapped Christmas a week and a half ago. I'll blog more about that later (See post Character).
Our tradition for Christmas morning is to designate someone to be Santa and distribute the gifts to the rightful owners. We preheat the oven for our quiche and all settle in amongst our pile of gifts. Santa gets to tell the order we go in and one by one we each open a gift after eying what the one before us received. I love this method because it makes Christmas a bit longer and everyone gets to see what others are receiving or gets to see their face as they open the gift you gave. I have never been "a go overboard with Christmas" kind of gal. I set a budget on a sliding scale according to age and pretty much stay within the perimeters I set for myself. I know I sound like a control freak but budgets are important to me. Each girl receives about 5 gifts and there might be a few family gifts.

Our first glimpse of Christmas morning

Malia was our Santa this year. Each of the girls had fun unwrapping their gifts and acting surprised for my benefit(which was so kind)
Santa always sends the girls on a scavenger hunt to find the final gift. Santa had some brain cramps this year and didn't do the best job with clues but it's the thought that counts right? I love this part of Christmas morning the most, seeing these gifts opened up  are typically the best gift of the season in terms of wants and desires.

Here is Malia opening up her BYU sweatshirt. She was given one for her birthday but it was stolen at school so Santa brought a replacement.

Sierra received OPI nail polish and some very much needed makeup items. She also received a makeup brush set from Victoria Secret.

and Teesh received slippers(my old ones) which is why she is laughing. I crack myself up with my humor. She loves my old ratty slippers so I wrapped them up and gave myself her new UGG slippers and gave her my old ones. Her face is priceless. She is such a good sport to go along with my shenanigans. I eventually gave her the new slippers and happily took back my ratty ones that I have severely missed.

Malia actually received two surprises this year. The second was a 4th generation IPOD touch. She was thrilled.

Bria received a doll with matching clothes. I loved seeing this because it brought back memories of my Christmas mornings. My mom made me multiple outfits that matched my dolls and I loved it. Now I am not a seamstress, like my dear sweet mother, so the elves helped produce the clothes and everyone was happy. Here is Bria with her new nightgown and baby in arms.

Ada also received matching clothes with her baby. She looked at the outfit and informed us, "My baby doesn't want to be matching with me" and promptly went to get a different dress as to make sure there was no matching. 

Enjoying our gifts! Teesh received a laptop but I didn't get any pictures and Corby got two new coats. One casual and one dressy(he so needed them, his coat is almost 20 years old)
All in all it was a great Christmas yet again. I think we are blessed beyond measure and have so much to be grateful for. I received Clarissa and have been loving getting familiar with all her features.

Merry Christmas

Deliciousness! I put some spinach and mushrooms in a portion of this creation because there are some family members who don't appreciate the finer things of life. This stuff is so yummy, but takes an hour and a half to cook so we only eat it occasionally.What a great day! Now I am relaxing on the couch until New Years. I did all the shopping, wrapping, cooking, preparing this year.  Corby has been studying for a beast examine and needed the extra time to study. I am looking forward to the rest of the time off regular schedules and seeing my husband a bit more. He takes his examine on Friday the 28th, fingers crossed!