the Praying Mantis

Today we were outside collecting our strawberries when Kortney happened to mention, "Hey! I wonder if we can find another praying mantis in our garden!" I thought that was cute that she remembered the experience we had about two weeks ago when I found one in our hallway, and, thinking it was a stick, went to pick it up. When it moved before I got close enough, I stopped and bent down to have a closer look. Sure enough, it was a praying mantis. How it got in my house, I have no idea, but I remember my mom teaching me that these bugs were good, and she had even caught one for me to look at once when I was young. So I got a little mason jar and captured it. When Kortney and Taylor woke up I showed them my find. At first Kortney was scared, but as she watched it through the safety of the glass, she became so intrigued by the way it moved. You know how their heads tilt like they're trying to figure you out? Yeah, it's weird. Anyway, after a while I decided we should let it go. So we took it out to the garden and watched it crawl out. Taylor probably would've gone right up and grabbed it if I would've let her, but Kortney stood back and watched as it explored for a bit. Before this mantis, I probably hadn't seen a live one in at least ten years, so I was so proud that my girls enjoyed him as much as me. So, back to strawberries. As we were picking our little crop today, Kortney mentioned her friend the mantis. I kind of commented something like, "Yeah, that sure would be fun to see." Then, not two minutes later Kortney said, "Mom! Look! There he is!" She pointed to the window well. I looked over, and sure enough, there was a bigger praying mantis hanging on to the window screen. We had the girls' little friends Cortnee and Dalton over as well, and they all hovered around the window well just watching him as he watched them back. I ran inside to get my camera, and these are some photos we took.

The mantis hanging on the window screen (he's watching us!)

Kortney holding it on the end of a dandylion stalk

Dalton and Taylor taking their turns holding him

After they let the poor little guy crawl around forever getting nowhere, they got brave enough to hold him on their hands and he crawled all over their shirts and legs. We all thought he was so cool. Taylor grabbed him once when he fell, and squeezed his little body a little too hard. She made his wings fan open, and that was enough for him. He pinched her finger with his claws and she couldn't even shake him loose. She screamed bloody murder and cried and cried, and he finally let go. That was the end of the fun. I picked him back up with the stalk and placed him safely in the garden where he'll live out the rest of his days in definite peace-- if he decides to stay!

Okay, so I went online just to make sure I was spelling it right, and I found this link to some photos of a praying mantis snatching and eating a hummingbird. Crazy. If you like this kind of National Geographic-type stuff, check it out... (no wonder Taylor screamed so loud)

http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/backyardbirds/hummingbirds/mantis-hummer.aspx

Kortney Quotes

I just thought, since nothing has been exciting enough to be considered blog-worthy the past few days, that I would add a few funny quotes that I've written over the past talkable years of Kortney's life. Here are some of my favorites:

Neil, if ever he is found sitting or laying down, tells us he's being "a lazy butt". One day, when Kortney was 2-1/2 years old, she must've exhausted herself, so she walked over to the couch, plopped her face and tummy down on it, and sighed out a big, "My butt is being lazy!"

I took Kortney shopping just before her 3rd birthday, and at the check-out, as usual, Kortney cheerfully greeted the cashier with, "Hi! I'm Kortney!" The cashier smiled and said "hi" back, and asked Kortney how old she was. She answered, "I'm two. I'm having a birthday." So the cashier asked her, "How old will you be on your birthday?" Since we had practiced the answer to this very question several times at home, I was confident she could not be stumped. But she paused as the wheels turned in her head, and then she wisely answered, "thirty-nine!"

Neil often tells the girls not to grow up too fast, and to stay little, and Kortney loves being daddy's little girl. One night, as he was helping her say her prayers, he prompted her to repeat, "...please bless me to grow big and strong...". Kortney grunted her frustration as she revised it saying, "Please bless me not to grow big."

We have a rule in our house that we (meaning the girls) are not allowed up on the counter, because it drives me crazy. One evening, as Neil was talking to me in the kitchen, he hopped up onto the counter in the middle of the conversation. Kortney interrupted him to scold him, "Papi, we don't sit on counters." He defended himself by saying, "It's because I have a big butt." Kortney thought that was the funniest thing, so she giggled and added, "You have a big head, too!"

Neil asked Kortney and Taylor one day, "How did you guys get to be so cute?" Kortney, our all-knowing child answered, "Because. That's just how Heavenly Father and Jesus wanted us to be."

I was eight months pregnant with Emmrie, so Kortney was 3-1/2, and out of the blue one day she greeted me with, "Hey, fat Mamma!"

Neil and Kortney were looking at an "Old Macdonald" book together one day, and when they came to the cow, Neil asked, "Kortney, where do we get milk?" Kortney, in her "Duh, Dad" voice, answered, "Out - of - a - jug!"

One week we had a family home evening lesson on a very appropriate topic for our family's needs: reverence. Neil did a good job talking about ways we can be reverent during church, and how we could think of Christ as we take the sacrament. At the end of the lesson, he said, "I think I can be more reverent during the sacrament." So I said, "I think I can, too." We both looked at Kortney to wait for her to chime in. She gave a little crooked grin and said, "I think I can't."

Recently Kortney wanted to make purple kool-aid, so Neil got it out, and mentioned that he likes grape kool-aid, too. Kortney got mad and told him that it's not "grape", it's "purple". He told her that grape is purple. She didn't want to believe it, so they "argued" back and forth, as Neil tried to convince Kortney that he was right. Finally, using his fatherly authority, Neil looked at Kortney and asked, "Kortney, who's the smartest? Who knows the most?" She quickly answered, "Mommy."

Let's go to dinner- and take the girls!

He meant well. He called right before 5:00 last night on his way home from work. "What are you doing tonight?" he asked. I said, "I'm trying to figure out something for dinner." To my amazement he suggested, "Why don't we go to Winger's and get some dinner? They have that 2 for $22 thing (he loves the asphalt pie for dessert)." Well, he just made my day. I wasn't excited about cooking that night. I asked, "Are we taking the girls (thinking I had the usual 20 minutes to find a babysitter)?" He said, "Sure. We can take them." That was a relief. Although I do like my own time with my hubby, I hate calling babysitters on the spot. And, the last time we took the girls out to eat (granted, it was probably with Grandma and Grandpa), was months ago, and they must've behaved pretty well, seeing as I couldn't remember it. So, besides the fact that Taylor is working on getting potty-trained, I figured it wouldn't be too bad.
I was wrong. Oh-- so wrong.
They sat us at a booth/table right next to the restrooms (the saving grace of the evening). One end of the table was against the wall, Taylor and I sat on the cushy bench side, Kortney and Neil sat across from us on the chairs, and Emmrie sat at the open end of the table in a high chair, right between Neil and me. I thought it was great. There were a few tables of couples all around us, and right next to us was a table of kids out on a double-date, talking about school and taking goofy photos of each other (exactly what I would be doing out on a date in high school). Kortney and Taylor went straight to occupying the whole table-top and fighting over who had the orange crayon while they opened up and colored all over their kids menus. I went right to the 2 for $22 menu, grateful that I only had a few choices, since I probably had only one minute to choose. As I fought Taylor to keep her coloring page closed long enough so I could see the kids menu, Kortney told Neil she wanted chicken. Not chicken Alfredo. Just chicken. Perfect! Chicken fingers are not saucy and messy. I like chicken fingers. She could have those. And they come with fries- her favorite, since we only get them when we rarely eat out. Since Taylor didn't care what she ate (it's hit or miss with her and her appetite), and they're tiny girls, we decided they could share the chicken fingers meal. Emmrie, the one who won't eat baby food at all, and who gags herself once she's bored enough or has had enough, would eat off our plates. I had just fed her before we left, anyway, so she should be fine food-wise. I gave her the plastic ketchup bottle to play the drums on, and the waitress took our order. Why do they bring the kids' drinks out before their meals? I don't know. Taylor broke every straw before we could even get them through her lid, then she tried to take the lid off- while the cup was tilted in her lap. They each drank half of their drink before we even got our sticky wings. Yes. Sticky wings. Who chose the sticky ones? Is that just how they come, or did Neil order them sticky while I was distracted? The poor waitress, obviously unaware of a 9-month-old's arm span, brought them out and placed them right in front of Emmrie. I saw her chubby hand coming, and with mother-like reflexes, while grabbing Taylor's cup and straw in one hand, I reached out and snagged Emmrie's little wrist with the other, just as her finger tips touched the sticky sauce and curled up for the grasp. And where were our napkins? Still wrapped around the silverware sets. Just as I set Taylor's cup on the table, she snatched it back up again, and continued drinking her Sprite. You know, sugar in liquid form is so much more effective for her. Why not just inject it straight into her blood? She probably wouldn't mind that. And me, with one hand holding Emmrie's wrist, slid the sticky wings plate in front of me and unwrapped a napkin one-handed. I got her cleaned up just in time to hear, "I dot to doe poop! I dot to doe poop!" from Taylor (translation: "I've got to go poop! I've got to go poop!" which could really just mean "potty", but why make the effort choosing the correct word when "poop" seems to get a quicker response?). If I wait even two seconds without saying anything, I've got a mess to clean up, and I had no extra shorts in the diaper bag. As long as I say something, she seems to do alright, so I excitedly said, "Okay! Good job! Let's go! Let's go!" So as I did my best to lick the sticky off my fingers, and grab her arm to hurry, she slid around and off the bench, ran around Emmrie, smiled at the high school kids as she passed, and followed me into the ladies' room. I got her onto the toilet in time, we washed our hands, and I got reprimanded for opening the door to go out. "I do it mytelf!" she told me. So I stepped back and watched her try her hardest to pull the door open. I finally had to grab it and hold it high above her head so she didn't know I was touching it. She was sure proud of herself. What a big girl. She excitedly jumped back onto the bench and Neil congratulated her on her success. He was feeding Emmrie pieces of his fries and squirting straw-fulls of my water into her mouth just to keep her quiet, since the pacifier we brought somehow kept ending up on the floor. She was getting wet and pastey. It was awesome. Neil had left three sticky wings on my plate for me to finish, and I sat down to eat them again. And, by the way, do they add milk to the ranch to make it last longer, or what? It was so stinkin runny! Poor Taylor, who still has to concentrate on her aim, had a stream of ranch from her plate to her mouth, across the table, on her lap, and all over her face. I had to clean her up fast each time she took a new bite, because somehow she would end up with ranch on her elbow, her shoulder, or her hair. Every napkin was unwrapped and stained with either sticky sauce or ranch dressing, and left in a pile between Taylor and me on the table. Where was the waitress? I needed more napkins. And Neil needed a refill on his strawberry lemonade. Not even two sticky wings later, Taylor chirped up, "I dot to doe poop adain!" Are you serious?! We just sat down! I'm hungry! Let me at least finish my wing! But she had drank a lot of pop, thoughts of a blatter infection flashed through my mind, and I wasn't about to find out the hard way whether she was serious or not, so I licked my fingers and grabbed her to slide her quickly off the bench and around Emmrie once again. She smiled at the high school kids, and skipped right to the bathroom, all-too familiar with the back half of the restaurant. After she was done, and after washing her hands, she again struggled to open the bathroom door. So, two minutes later we were back on our bench, and I tried to finish my wings as I sopped up ranch and ketchup on Taylor. And did I mention that she doesn't like to sit still? She was climbing all over the diaper bag, standing on the bench, sitting on the table, climbing on my lap, reaching over my plate, grabbing all the napkins. Where was the waitress? I needed this sticky wing plate off this tiny table so I could breathe! And some more napkins. I finally got to my meal, a needs-two-hands-to-eat chicken sandwich. As it dripped all over my hands and down my wrists, I fended off almost every lunge that Emmrie tried at my plate. She's quick, too. Forget trying to get the ketchup for my fries. I just ate the few that I could, plain. Emmrie, I've mentioned before, is very loud. Very loud. She loves to scream to get a reaction. And she got quite a few reactions. It's hard to tell when a scream will all of a sudden pop out. I would clamp my hand right over her mouth, just as heads would turn towards us. The high school kids behind her smiled and giggled. They were very nice when I appologized, and they said, "Don't be sorry. She's cute." Yeah, she's the entertainment. Well, I think they all were. Kortney, I must say, was actually very good this whole time. How did I end up between the hardest two? Neil gave Emmrie a whole fry to hold to keep her busy long enough for me to take some decent bites of my food. I figured he'd done that earlier this evening, so I wasn't too concerned. Until I see her dig her fingers down her throat to make that gag reflex kick in. Neil looked at me like, "are you going to do something?" but I could see the fry, and she was breathing, so I calmly helped her dig it out, and we went back to eating after she coughed and sputtered a bit. Not even halfway through my sandwich, the waitress came out with the ice cream pie. There she was. Could I please have some more napkins? Thank you for taking all of our trash out of Emmrie's reach! Just as she returned with the napkins, that crazy belimic child, obviously bored and full of french fries, decided to empty her stomache the fast way. She stuck those little fingers down her throat and it all came out. All over her shirt, her pants, the table, her chair, and the floor. Good thing we had four more napkins. I didn't bother with the floor. Then, just as I'm finishing up, I hear to my left (no joke), "I dot to doe poop adain!" So, I put my foot down. No way. You're on a vinyl bench. You can just pee your pants. I'm going to eat my sandwich, and then I'm going to eat that pie, and I'm going to slouch for a second, and you can pee right now for all I care. She couldn't possibly have enough in her bladder to do too much damage. Thankfully she reconsidered, and never did have an accident. She kept dipping her chicken in the ranch, and I kept cleaning her up. Finally I stopped, looked at Neil, and loudly whispered, "IF we ever take these girls to dinner again, you get to sit by her." He just leaned back in his chair and laughed at me. So then she tried to open her little bag of cookies for dessert. I didn't even mention that she ate maybe three fries, and just licked the ranch off her chicken fingers. So, no way was she getting the cookies. I put them in the diaper bag. She got them out. Twice. Finally, after I hid them good, she crawled under the table to Neil and sat on his lap. She didn't even want the pie, just daddy's lap. I was so glad to finally finish my sandwich. I didn't even try to finish the fries. I grabbed a spoon, one of four that the waitress set on the plate within Emmrie's reach next to the pie, and started to dig in. Emmrie did, too. She got hold of a spoon with chocolate syrup on it, and slid her hand all the way down the handle. Since she was now already choclatey, I let her keep the spoon. She figured out how to hold the spoon end, and hit the handle end on the table like a drumstick, and that got reactions, too. She loved it. Nothing else kept her happy, and we would soon be gone, so I gave up and just ate my pie. We paid the bill and snuck out of there quickly. I was so glad to be gone. So much for dinner out. As we pulled onto the road, Neil asked what I wanted to do now. I glanced over at the movie theater and said, "Well, I would suggest a movie, but not tonight." He could tell I was done. We rented a movie, came home, put the girls to bed, and watched it together. Dinner at a restaurant with the kids is so overrated!

Emmrie

Emmrie is our happy little screamer. Now, she has some lungs (Wonder where she got 'em?)! The pacifier (appropriately nicknamed the "plug") is a must for church. I've only heard one baby louder than her, and that's my nephew, Jeremiah. I'm sure she's following in his footsteps quite nicely. She loves to smile, too, and just looking at her will get a big grin out of her. She is so happy just to be here, you can tell. She is also a little mover. She doesn't cuddle at all, even when she's trying to fall asleep. She has to constantly move. She just doesn't stop (I know she got that one from Dad). She loves to try and keep up with her sisters, and can crawl just about as fast as they can run. She's been crawling since 6 1/2 months, and now her big thing is to stand by herself and laugh like it's a surprise she's so excited to show you. With Kortney and Taylor both walking at 12 months, I'm so amazed at how quickly Emmrie's getting this all down. She's a little mini-Kortney. I looked at Kortney's baby photos the other day and realized how much like twins they really are. I'll have to take my friend Dori's advice and mark their photos really well, or else I won't be able to tell them apart years from now. Emmrie loves water, and I have to keep a close eye on her in the tub, since she is the little mover that she is, and has no fear of the water. She loves sitting in the little bubble fountains at the splash park, even though the cold water freezes her chubby feet. It's hard to wash her up after a meal because she grabs the faucet and sprays the water everywhere. She has 4 1/2 teeth now. One of her top front teeth has been bugging her for about a week, and the darn thing just won't break through. She gnaws on anything and everything, and Kortney and Taylor are really good about keeping small toys in their room behind a closed door. One of her favorite things to chew on is the little rubber end of the door stops. She pulls on them, and they "boing" until the little white end comes off so she can put it in her mouth. If the spring part comes off, too, that's a bonus, and she'll suck on it like a lollipop. Neil kept getting mad that the doorknobs were hitting the walls because I took all the door stops off, but then, after he had gone around and put them all back in place, he kept getting after her for boinging them and eating the ends. So they're constantly off and on, depending on what annoys us more that day. Maybe I'll just break out the super glue. Emmrie sure is a fun addition to our little family, and we're so proud to have her. She brightens our days with her little bit of heaven!

Over the River and Through the Woods...

...That seriously is the way to get to Grandma's house. They live in Soda Springs, and our girls love to go there any chance we get. We try to visit at least once a month, and if we can't get to Soda, it seems like Grandma and Grandpa can usually find some excuse to come visit us. But we don't have horses, and that's part of the fun of going to Grandma's house. Kortney told me the other day, "Mom, I want to be a horse rider when I grow up!" She loves loves loves horses. Neil's mom has 24 horses, mostly arabians, and her favorite thing to do is take people for rides. Horses are her passion, and she wants to share it with everyone. All of her children have done 4-H since they were barely able to sit in a saddle, and now that they're grown and gone, she does 4-H with neighbor kids. My neice, Koralyn, got to visit her for a full week this summer to ride and learn to take care of horses, and they both loved every minute of it. Neil took his scout troop to Soda to earn their horse riding merit badges, and those boys still talk about it. Just let her know you want to come riding, and she'll have the horses ready for you! She started to breed some of her mares three years ago, and this summer, one of the mothers rejected its baby, but Neil's mom couldn't let the colt die, so she slept in the barn with it a few nights, hand fed it, then got it to drink formula from a bucket, and the little guy is now like a dog who just follows her around and loves to be petted. The grandkids think he's the coolest thing, until he eats their hair (that would be Kortney). So, on this trip, Grandma let the girls feed the horses, brush them, and ride them, and they couldn't have asked for a more perfect way to spend the day. Of course, the day wouldn't be complete without treats and pop from Grandpa, too! These are the things that keep us going over the river, and through the woods!

Korntey with Atevo, the hand-fed colt,

and with Anikin, a 2-year-old paint.

Taylor on Anikin with Grandma

Taylor brushing Cinders, Neil's favorite horse

Kortney riding Cinders with Grandma

Kortney and Taylor on Cinders

Grandma and Emmrie on Cinders

Taylor, Emmrie and Kortney relaxing with Grandma and little Ella.

100 Things about Me

Angie, Bre and Kara all did it. So why shouldn't I? Here are some things that you may or may not know about me:
1. I love living in Idaho
2. I miss Arizona sunsets
3. I hate shopping
4. I love going to the zoo
5. I hate calling people on the phone
6. I love it when people call me
7. I hate watching TV
8. I love vegging in front of a good movie
9. I learned how to mow the lawn when I was 13 (and got better and faster every summer until I moved away from home)
10. I got my driver's license when I was 2 days away from turning 17 (I was scared to drive-- besides, my sister Tawnya drove me everywhere! Why get a license?)
11. I'm terrible at keeping in touch with friends and family (refer back to #5)
12. My first date with Neil was to a rodeo (We were set up by my sister Tawnya and her husband, who is Neil's cousin) and he rode the mechanical bull
13. The thing I wish for most is a piano
14. I graduated from college, bought a house, and got married all within a month
15. I came down with mono not even a month after I got married, and couldn't make it to my own graduation.
16. I majored in Spanish at ASU (and what do you do with that degree? You graduate)
17. I have 2 sisters, 7 brothers, 2 step-sisters and 2 step-brothers.
18. I love foot rubs and long baths
19. I've always enjoyed attending Relief Society
20. The bug I hate most is the cockroach
21. I pegged my pants in elementary school
22. I like to cook (that's a shocker, Mom, I know)
23. My favorite card game is "Hand and Foot", which Dad taught us when I was probably 12.
24. I like to draw
25. My best friend and "social" guide since high school is my cousin Edith
26. I used Aqua Net on my hair in elementary school and jr. high
27. One of my most traumatic childhood experiences was when I moved before first grade and started at a new school (thankfully my parents never moved again)
28. I love surprises
29. I ate spinach because Pop-eye did
30. I never applied to Ricks or BYU because I thought it was too cold
31. I can't wear earrings anymore (I must be allergic now)
32. I had 2 favorite teachers growing up: Ms. Carlson in kindergarten, and Ms. Nichols in 3rd grade. Because of them, I wanted to become a teacher
33. My two sisters, Tina and Tawnya, are my role models
34. I hate finding birthday and Christmas gifts because I can never think of what people want
35. I love sitting in a hammock with Neil
36. I'm no good at lying
37. I served a mission to Costa Rica
38. I'm reading Jesus the Christ for the first time
39. I hate the rain--but I am grateful for it
40. I thought Neil was a redneck the first time I met him
41. I love to hear my girls giggle
42. I broke my collarbone playing football on the beach when I was 16
43. My favorite drink is chocolate milk or hot chocolate
44. I never played sports in high school (okay, I did track for 2 weeks- does that count?)
45. I really do love my in-laws
46. I regret not getting braces in high school
47. I was a member of a sorority in college (okay, it was the Lambda Delta Sigma church sorority)
48. I lived with my grandma for almost two years after the mission (she was the BEST)
49. I'd rather sweat than freeze
50. I love to make jewelry
51. I used to think I was a tomboy
52. My favorite sport is volleyball
53. I hate watching sports (except the year the Phoenix Suns were in the playoffs with Charles Barkely)
54. I have varicose veins
55. I never burped out loud until I married Neil
56. I love taking pictures
57. We had 3 dogs, 2 cats, 2 guinea pigs, a rabbit, and several fish throughout my childhood
58. I love it when Neil plans a date
59. I want a minivan
60. I've been on a Caribbean cruise
61. I love school, and I'm starting a short night class next week
62. I shave my toes
63. I wanted to be a vet until I saw a dog get hit by a car and was too scared to help it
64. I always wanted 7 kids
65. My neighbors are like family to me
66. I've never turned down a calling
67. The first things that attracted me to Neil were his smile and his muscles
68. I'm anal (so is Neil- it's great)
69. I've flown in a helicopter over Kauai, Hawaii
70. I love my family and I miss them
71. My first job was concessions at a movie theater
72. I was a telemarketer for 2 months
73. I worked as a receptionist and a balloon twister in college
74. I worked at a credit union after the mission
75. I worked in medical software technical support without knowing a thing about computers
76. I taught spanish and was a teacher's aid for my cousin Edith at a Montessori school when I was first married
77. I'm SO grateful I can be home with my girls
78. I love watching Neil play with our girls
79. Neil and I both enjoy watching National Geographic movies
80. I crashed the first time I ever rode a motorcycle, and never want to try it again
81. I got glasses before I started 3rd grade
82. I got lasik surgery 3-1/2 years ago (thanks, Dad!)
83. I used to wear a retainer (only at night, thank goodness)
84. I've never gotten a traffic ticket (although I DID get a parking ticket at BYU visiting my friend Heather)
85. I regret quitting piano lessons (Mom would never say she told me so, but she did)
86. I love sudoku
87. I have exactly 70 cousins
88. I don't think they should ever lower the legal drinking age--being allowed to drink doesn't make anyone more responsible
89. I hate purses. I carry bags. Even if it might look like a purse, it's a bag, okay?
90. I'm finding out more and more just how much I am like my mom--sometimes that's good, sometimes it's not
91. I'm the only child in my family without brown eyes.
92. I think a lot about the wives of those serving in the military, and admire them for their dedication and strength. It can't be easy for them or their families. I'm grateful for those who protect our country
93. I've been hit by a car (more like tapped, but I did hit the pavement)
94. I've never smoked, and I've never tasted any form of alcohol.
95. I've lost friends because of it
96. I've been shot in the head (ha ha- I know what you're thinking- "that explains it..." It was a BB gun when I was 6)
97. My favorite movie is Pride and Prejudice- the older, super-long version.
98. My first car was a little blue Ford Festiva
99. I dated more than 100 guys before I got married (I figure my experiences helped me recognize when the right one finally did come along)
100. I hate wearing dresses and nylons

Mining in Montana

For Labor Day weekend we left the "Gem State" and took our girls up to Montana to do a little crystal mining with Neil's family. His grandparents are big into mining, and he had been mining in this same spot outside Dillon, when he was younger, and Mom and Dad Price were sure excited to take all their grandkids to dig it up this year. We camped with Neil's parents, his brother Wade and his family, his sister Rhonda and her family, his grandparents, his aunt and uncle, and some cousins. Kortney and Taylor were in heaven playing with their cousins, digging in the dirt, eating junk food non-stop. Their Grandma and Grandpa spoiled them rotten, like usual. We got to the mining hill and dug and sifted dirt and rocks most of the morning, and everyone got pretty dang dirty. There were so many of us, every family was digging in their own holes. Mom was definitely in her element watching the babies so we could dig. She loves being a grandma, and she's good at it. We found some quartz crystals throughout the day, and you'd have thought we found gold each time a crystal was uncovered. Neil kept getting upset when others would put out a shout about their huge finds. Finally he found a piece of amethyst the size of Emmrie's little hand, and he was so proud. Everyone was so jealous, and he passed it around the group so they could all covet it- you know. But remember that saying, "Pride cometh before the fall?" Yeah, so not 20 minutes later, his brother-in-law John found another amethyst- even bigger. Glory never lasts long, does it? It was a great time, and a fun way to teach the kids how hard work pays off. What will we do with all of our gems, you might ask? I asked Mom Price that same question. She told me that she puts all hers in mason jars back home. I guess I'll have to go round one up to start our own collection. Then, maybe years down the road, when our grandkids come around, I might just bury them all in the backyard so they can have their own fun mining!