Clark Fun and New Truck

 My parents decided to get some chickens. My kids really took to them! The more you hold them the more they are suppose to like people.

 Even the little kids would hold them. Cute Boy!!!

 My dad with his little princesses. He has 6 granddaughters in a row!

 Big B had this truck for 10 years and it had over 175,000 miles on it so he had been on the look out for a new truck for quite a while. 

He finally found this one in the Home Depot parking lot and in less then a week we had bought one truck and sold the other one. It is much nicer but with that also comes a car payment. Big B deserves it and loves it!

Family Pictures

Usually every year at the reunion we try and do some type of family picture. This year we did this. Some families had to share a letter because we are so big. The letters E and W are each missing one boy, one at scout camp and one on a mission, but besides that we have everyone included. We also used these pictures for a craft, that one day I might finish.

Lehman Caves

 Mt. Wheeler is in the Great Basin National Park and you can also find Lehman Caves there. I really wanted to go see them because we had just seen a little cave in Cedar and the kids had so much fun I thought they would be amazed at this one that was way bigger. We had Paul's and Chris's families with us too. It was a hot day but the caves got cold and very, very dark.

 We learned about the history of the cave. A and B got to hold the coffee tin flashlights that were used when the cave was discovered. There were lights in the cave but when he turned them off to show how little light there was with the flashlights it was darker then I had ever seen.

 Even D loved it! She kept looking at all the different rock formations and pointing them out to us. 

Not the best picture but we had to go up stairs and I tried to get a shot of everyone. We had a great time looking at everything inside and learning all about the cave!

Mathews Family Reunion, Part 2

 The boys spent time with cousins doing lots of boy things, including catching frogs. C was so proud that he caught one!

 Art hooked up some horses to give us all a hay ride around part of the ranch.

 It was a pretty ride and only a little bumpy.

 The girls had a craft time and the younger girls got to make some pretty rings.

 They also got to do gel nails. I think they were all loving it!

 A got to hold this cutie while his momma did her craft. 

 The women did boards that family pictures will get put on. It was a fun time for the women to hang out and chat.

There is always one night where the family gathers around and each child tells the others what has happened in the last year. We also get to be uplifted and taught by grandpa. It's a great night but as you can see the little ones can't last even with knowing there will be s'mores at the end.

Mathews Reunion

 This year the reunion was held at the Cleveland Ranch. It's a church ranch that Art runs with Heather and the boys. It was the perfect place to have the reunion! We were very close to Mt. Wheeler so we headed there for a hike. C and D were troopers and made it all the way with very little complaining. 

 Our hike took us to two different lakes. This is the first lake where grandpa Mathews tested out the water. Above the lake is the top of Mt. Wheeler and while we were hiking the lakes Big B and a few of his brothers were hiking to the top of the mountain. They made it but I don't know if they'd do it again.

 During the reunion there was lots of riding ATV's!

 Lots of cousin time too!

 The kids could have played with cousins on the ranch all day without much entertainment.

 Of course there were horses. Both the girls LOVE riding horses.

A is getting to be really good. Sometimes I wish we could live somewhere where we could ride them more often.

Back to Panaca

 After Cedar we headed back to Panaca to wait for Big B to show up so we could go to the big Mathews family reunion. We decided to hit up the spring while we waited. It's a natural hot spring or should I say warm spring. The kids love trying to catch little fish, swimming around and...

 jumping off the wall. I was surprised how long it took them to get the courage to do it because last summer they did it with no hesitation. B finally made the plunge!

 A did too but from a lower point.

It took C the longest but I think this was his first time since this summer he has become a confidant swimmer. For such a small town there really is a lot to do in Panaca! 

Mammoth Cave

 I've got one of my closest friends in Cedar and she always shows us such a great time. This time she took us to Mammoth Cave up Cedar mountain. The kids had so much fun! We let the older kids play in the cave but these two had to stay just in the entrance where we could see them.

 We did take them through the whole cave one time. It was lots of fun and very muddy.

 The very end was a tight squeeze so we got very muddy.

 Everyone made it out!

 When the big kids were exploring the cave more the little ones went on a hike.

 On the dirt road in and out we let the kids ride bikes and when they got tired the just hopped in the back of the truck.

We collected more and more kids on the dirt road out. 

It was a great day trip with even better friends!!

Cedar Fun

 I have a few things I really miss about living in Cedar. One is shaved ice. It is one of my favorite treats and it's cheap in Utah. When we go to Cedar I get it at least once a day.

 Since Panaca isn't in Utah they celebrate the 24th on Saturday but Utah does it on the 24th so we got to hit Cedars parade too.

 More candy!

Another thing I miss is the summer rain storms. We get at least one storm every time we are there in the summer. This time the kids enjoyed it on the tramp.

24th in Panaca

 I really don't have many pictures of the 24th celebration in Panaca. I guess I was enjoying myself too much to take many pictures. The morning always starts off with being woke up by cannons being shot then the 5K. I didn't do the 5K. Then we head to the church for breakfast and hang out on the church lawn for games and socializing. Grandpa was helping the kids practice their roping after the games ended.

 What would the day be like without a parade? The parade is always a big hit because of the horses and  the candy.

Sometimes the candy causes some tears but more candy usually solves the problem. After the parade we head back to the church for dinner. It's a fun and relaxing day to catch up with everyone.

Happy Birthday to Me

 Without fail I am always traveling with the kids, alone on my birthday. This time we were headed to Panaca and so we made a stop in Vegas at my SIL's house. She really made it a wonderful birthday. We got there and had an amazing lunch and then headed to a friends pool. The pool had a slide, waterfall, rocks to jump off and more. The kids had so much fun and so did I!

When we were done swimming we went back to my SIL's house and had dinner with tons of desserts. This cake was so yummy and then there was an ice cream sunday bar with every topping. Now I'm craving that cake after looking at it. After all the fun I got back in the car and headed to Panaca.