This week

Last weekend:  We officially finished soccer season for all the kids.  Seth is okay with being done.... he said the games are too long, but Sam is pretty disappointed that the season went so fast.  There is an opportunity for him to try out for the competitive year round team.... but both Jer and I don't see how we can fit that into our family schedule or finances. We'll just have to urge him to gather neighbors to play.  Seth was barely 4 when he started on his team and he still isn't 5 yet.... but he played with several 6 year olds and you could tell the difference maturity wise.

Because we've been in the van so much, Sam and Evelyn have been bringing their mp3 players.  Both of them were listening and singing along to different songs and Seth decided to join in.  He started belting out "Follow the Prophet!" and when he ran out of lyrics he made up his own.  "I hate freeways!  Freeways are so boring!  I like Llawnmas, Llawnmas are so cute!"  So now Ada and I call Llamas "Llawnmas".

Sam's friend Peyton

This weekend:  This week the state of Utah celebrated the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental railroad.  They put an emphasis on the importance of immigrants and the LDS pioneer contribution to finishing it.  We taught our kids about how the SL temple was put on hold to finish the railroad and how it turned 3 months of travel into a few days worth.  

First, we went to Ogden train station to see the newly restored Big Boy, which is the biggest steam train ever made and one of the last before they mainly built diesel.  We went to see it 4 years ago when it was on it's way to Colorado to be restored.  I was pregnant with Seth, but he loved seeing the trains this time.

This is one that Sam took.  Jer put him up on his shoulders and I showed him how to zoom out with the camera.  

Evelyn took this one.  She likes to steal my camera and her favorite subject is me for some reason.

After Ogden, we drove over to Promontory.  We've been out there once before, but there was only us and the forest ranger.  This time it was us and thousands of other people.  They set up replicas of things, like this stage coach and the tents that would have been the traveling railroad city.  

As soon as Seth saw the steam coming from the train, he tried to book it across the parking lot before I caught him and talked him into waiting for everyone else.  Trains!

The carpenter was actually a friend of Jeremy's.  He was the Robertson family's home teacher for a few years.  He was also a member of TERT before his back surgery.  He is one of the reasons that Jeremy wanted to join TERT this year.  Jer now has his HAM radio license, has gone through the emergency preparedness trainings and is practicing hiking on his newly recovered knee so that he can spend two weekends a year keeping hikers safe on the back of Timpanogos. 

I've always loved the Indian teepees.  It's too bad that we can't take these camping.  It would be nice and spacious.

Then they did a recreation of the dedication ceremony.  I had no idea that the golden spike was from California and that they had a silver spike from Nevada.  Overall, there were 5 different 'special' spikes to finish the railroad.

They also recreated the famous picture from the day.  That was fun.

My foot has been really struggling the last few days because I haven't had a whole lot of rest time for it.  I could have sat on the ground to take a rest, but Jer insisted on running to the car and grabbing a folding chair for me.  It was very kind.  As soon as I sat down, I had the two littlest climbing all over me and trying to get comfortable.  I think they were a little tired after the day of walking back and forth.  

After driving back to Orem, we stopped by our church pavilion where the old bishopric had gotten together with their families for a thank you picnic.  That was fun to chat with everyone and realize how many families it takes to make one Bishopric function smoothly.