Memorial weekend: Rule #51

After many, many, changes in plans, we all finally made it to camp Friday evening. Mother Nature decided we needed some cold, wet weather just before the big weekend, so it took a few days to find a spot that wasn't so ooey-gooey.

We did our usual of wheeling and having fun. Saturday we went East and found some snow to play in, but then it started to snow and became a bit much for the little ones who were riding on the wheelers with the grandparents. Besides, John couldn't make very far in the snow, which meant no one else was getting any farther than they were.

We went back to camp and the fun began - fun may be the wrong word; I don't know, I was having fun, even with my ear bleeding like a stuck pig. The fire, of course, was humongous. There was a pallet on top of the already big fire, and Dad and I had finished the Bacardi bottle. So, he placed the bottle on top of the pallet (with the cap on). I got up to get a Coke and BAAM! Sound like a gunshot, glass in my hair and Bacardi all over me (so I thought).

I was laughing and wiping my ear, neck and hair with the sleeve of my sweatshirt when Mom says, "Manda you're bleeding!" with the look and sound of seriousness. I ran to Mandy's trailer (someone had left the light on in our motorhome for 3 weeks and we had a dead battery) and a nurse who was camping with us followed. My ear had been sliced about 1/4 inch by the glass. The nurse was all excited to do some on-the-spot, out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere, stitches. No need though, just a lot of pressure, laughing and, what the hey, more to drink.

Right after the explosion, though, Brooke went into a panic attack and then a seizure. Our camp nurse had a busy night for being on vacation. But everyone was and is just fine.

This is where Rule #51 when camping was born: DON'T put a glass bottle in the fire with its cap on! And right before #51 (or maybe this one is #51): Make sure you brought the first-aid kit, and that it is stocked!

During all of this, Jason and some of the other guys were off getting firewood. They came back one truck short; our mud truck got a flat. So Sunday, we went to rescue our truck. While we were waiting for the tire plug to set, we hiked to the Center of Utah and had a look-see.

We stayed on the west side where it was drier and just explored for the most part. It sure is greening up and looking more like Spring, yippee!

Monday the storms rolled in again and brought hail this time. Mom and Dad decided to take off early to miss that kind of fun, besides get home at a decent time. Uncle Eric and John took off to get more firewood to dry camp out. John was on his motorcycle and ran over a sagebrush. Somehow he got all squirrelly in the air and came down hard on his side in the middle of the road. Diagnosis: possible broken ribs and a broken foot.

Of course the sun decided to shine bright and hot just as we all were driving out of camp. Oh, well. Overall, everyone did have a good time!

Manti & BBQ with friends

I'm a dork. I know this. No need in reminding me. When I did the last post I thought to myself, I already uploaded the pictures from the camera, I'm set. Well, I didn't remember I had taken a picture of fishing at Nine-Mile, so I am going to add it here. Abriana is getting more and more into fishing, she wanted to try to throw lures this time, as well as practice her casting. So I rigged her up and off she went. It is so neat to watch her grow.


So, some friends of ours invited us over for a BBQ Saturday afternoon. When I was talking to Napoleon on the phone, I mentioned we went fishing again...with no luck. He said, "Fishing?! Let's go fishing, bring your stuff! I know a place that I always catch fish." So we did.

We went to Manti Community. What a beautiful day for fishing, and, just being outdoors.


We had walked around to the other side of the lake so the kids would have more room to play. They played in the water, snow and mud. Abriana had walked out into the lake along the waterfall but forgot to put the straps of her water shoes around her ankles and stepped into a sinkhole. She pulled her foot up without her shoe. I don't even know how the kids could play in the water it was so freaking cold. She dug and dug but couldn't find it. And again, no fish...well, for us; Elena caught 2.

We went back to Elena and Napoleon's house. They had ribs marinating while we fished and it was time to grill them. While I was helping flip the ribs, the neighbors came by with their horses and let the kids go for a ride. They thought it was ever so cool!


Chey's fascination with horses was overcome by fear when she got that close. I managed to take a picture of her petting one while Dad held her, but of course, "the image cannot be displayed" was the end result on the camera. I have, however, figured out my problem and hopefully there won't be any more of those messages in the future.

May Day

The elementary had their May Day program yesterday. The girls have been practicing their songs and dances for weeks and getting more and more excited with each day drawing nearer to the big event. The program was scheduled for 9:30 in the morning and you wouldn't believe the sight of the gym, totally packed as if it were the Christmas program.

Cheyenne and I found a corner to sit in facing where Kayla should be performing, according to the chart her teacher sent home. Grant, the principal, opened the program telling everyone about a plaque and flag the school received. A soldier from our town sent them both from Iraq, the flag was even flown over there. All the kids who have a parent serving in Iraq right now, 7 total, held this flag while the audience recited the Pledge of Allegiance. It was an awesome moment.


Then the program began with 4th graders playing recorders, followed by more 4th graders dancing around the May poles.


The preschoolers came out next in their jammies and danced to a cute song. Then the kindergartners lined up in cowboy hats and vests for their dance to 'You've got a friend in me' from Toy Story. I looked and looked but couldn't find Kayla, so I just took a picture of the whole group.


The third graders ran onto the floor with parachutes and performed to 'The Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride' from Lilo and Stitch. Of course, Abriana was on the complete opposite side of the gym from us. I tried to get a zoomed in shot once I spotted her, but Cheyenne thought I was a jungle gym and wouldn't sit still for more than 5 seconds, and then it was over.


The second graders then did square dancing, and since there weren't an even number of students, Abriana was asked to help out (she knew the steps from last year). Just as I was ready to take a picture of her, the principal says on the microphone, "Kayla D****...Kayla D****'s Mom...will you...she's not feeling well, will you please meet Mrs. Henrie in the northeast corner of the gym."

Poor girl was holding her teacher's hand, paler than pale, shaking and crying. She threw up just as her class went to perform and once more before they called me over. She didn't get to do her dance, but she did make it outside when she got sick. And gave me the excuse to duck out early!

Jason got home early and was really in the mood to do something: wheeling, fishing, visiting John & Shiree. We opted for fishing. That way Kayla could lay in the jeep if she wanted, not be bounced around, and not spread her germs (if she had any. I think it was heat and nerves that made her stomach upset).

We went to Nine-Mile, but it skunked us again. I think we lost our fishing touch or something; too many times we have been fishing without a bite this year. But we'll keep trying!

Happy Mother's Day

The plan was to leave the house at 5:30 in the a.m. and hit the road to Otter Creek. We did get to Otter Creek, we just didn't get up that early. Jason and I occasionally spend time together playing the PlayStation and Saturday night we just couldn't turn it off; we were having too much fun.

We got there around 8:30 and set up. It was a cold morning, but the sun was making its way out of the clouds. The minnows and crawdads were all along the shoreline, so the girls were trying to catch them. They did catch a few crawdads but would only hold them on a stick or in the net. We were able to net what looked like a chub, it had been swimming around the rocks below Cheyenne's feet as she splashed in the water.

The fish weren't biting and the wind came up, so we found a different spot to try with the wind at our backs. Still no bites. Jason and I went for a walk around the point we were sitting near, and when we came back, this is what we saw:


Abriana set, reeled in, netted and unhooked her very own fish! What a big girl she can be when she tries! We were both so very proud of her!

The wind calmed down and no one had another bite, so again we set off to a new spot; just past our first one. Shells of crawdads were all over in the rocks and the girls had us laughing playing with them. Chey would pick one up and start dancing and singing, "Mistew Cwab, Mistew Cwab."

Everyone had their fun quota filled that day, even Ruger.


When we got home the girls gave me gifts they made at school. Abriana's flower was a little wilted from being in a paper bag for two and a half days, but still so beautiful.


Kayla's big card sure made me smile. She missed the 'i' in her middle name, but she hasn't had much practice spelling it. The petals on the flowers were made with her fingertip dipped in paint. She said she had a lot of fun making it and couldn't wait to give it to me.

There's nothing more enjoyable than spending the day with my family, especially on Mother's Day.

My first garden...

Jason and I have discussed having a garden since we moved here. Neither one of us knows much about gardening, nor is there a green thumb in the relationship, but we decided it can't hurt to try.

The soil down here is not soil, it is San Pete clay, and in the summer - dust. Our neighbors told us anything we want to plant will grow, but just to make sure, Jason went to the dairy and got a truck load of compost.


It was a bit much for the truck; notice how low the back end sits. You should've seen the springs!

We shoveled it all out and borrowed the neighbors tiller.


Then I put the kids to work helping hoe rows (without a hoe). They did a great job and had fun playing in the dirt.


Chey helped play in the dirt and knock soil back down.


But we got it done and made a little irrigation system so the water will just flow. Jason bought the seeds and helped me plant: corn, tomato, dill, cilantro, jalapeno & anaheim peppers, peas, carrots, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and 5 different kinds of squash. When the plants arrive at the Ace, we will get strawberries and raspberries planted. We'd like to plant some fruit trees, but that may have to wait until next year.

Wish us luck! My mom text me last night and said the plant I planted for her is doing awesome. Jason said, "Our garden is going to suck!" When I told Mom that she asked why. I said, "Because I can't even grow a house plant!" The one I planted for myself, with the same seeds, is not doing as well as hers is and I've recently lost the luscious plant my sister-in-law gave me. I did not inherit my grandma's green thumb, that's for sure.

Topaz Mountain

I think my parents might stop accepting our invitations. They have had the worst of luck the last two trips - the only two trips with us.

At Sinkhole flat, not only did they run out of gas, they hadn't brought any extra. When they go up to the property they don't wheel as much as we did and they have spare gas up there. But luckily there was enough spare gas around camp to get them running again and then Sunday morning they took a trip to Green River to refill.

So, Jason got off work early Friday and we were on the road about 1:30. Mom and Dad weren't getting off for a few more hours and Uncle Eric thought they could meet up along the way and caravan together, however, Aunt Leslie got off work early too. But Mom and Dad wouldn't be very far behind and they had the map and directions.

Well, with all the construction going on in the Big Shitty, I-80 was a parking lot and it was a few more miles of sit-&-go traffic to even get near the on-ramps. Getting directly on I-15 would be better, or so they thought. I think it took them half an hour to get to an on-ramp that wasn't closed. By then it was rush hour, on a Friday.

We were sitting at camp, not the one my parents had the map and directions to because it was already taken, and Abriana asked, "When are Grandma and Grandpa going to be here?! I want to see them!" Aunt Leslie made a stab-in-the-dark, "Maybe they stopped for dinner, so I'd say they'll be here in...oh...about 35 minutes." 10 minutes later the van pulled up. Mom was driving, there was no trailer and no Dad either. They blew a tire on the trailer about half an hour from camp, didn't have a spare and Dad was sitting with the wheelers.

Uncle Eric had a spare and Jason went to rescue Dad. Mom started getting a little nervous when they weren't back yet and I told her I'd drive her down the road if she wanted. Just then we saw headlights. It was Dad and Jason but still no trailer; the spare went flat 4 miles from camp! Dad had hammered the fender back in place after the blow out and he even spun the tire around to make sure it wasn't touching. But, in the dark and cold, he didn't think to make sure the tire wasn't touching when he took the trailer off the jack. Oops! But again, Uncle Eric came to the rescue and pulled a tire off his trailer so my parents could get everything to camp.

With everyone finally at camp, the party began, and Eric and Cameron tended the fire. Those two love a huge fire; if it's not 6 feet high and blazing hot 10 feet away then it's not a fire.


Sophie thinks she is a parrot and could not be comfortable unless she was perched.


Mom and Dad took off early Saturday morning to make the hour or so drive to Delta to get some new tires. They were able to replace the blown ones, but the tire place didn't have rims for them to get a spare. At least it was better than nothing and they would be able to get home.

When Mom and Dad got back it was off to explore. We went up to one mine where there were the prettiest purple rocks.


You can't really see the color, but those holes are entrances that go down. I walked over there with Chey and she got a little nervous, "Mommy, careful, fall." (which means: be careful, don't fall). There's also a large hole on the left that goes down about 50 feet and is about 25 feet across. Everyone else had been down in that when they went in the lower mine, I was in the jeep with a sleeping little one.

After we explored that mine, we went looking for another, but couldn't get the jeeps through the gate so we went wheeling. It was a nice sunny day and we ended up childless; Abriana was riding with Grandma, Kayla with Uncle Eric and Grandpa had Chey. It was so relaxing to spend some time with just my hubby.

When we got back to camp, the kids still hadn't had enough of the wheelers, and Cheyenne and Ian had become quite the little buddies. They would go from wheeler to wheeler and "bive." They followed each other around and had a good ol' time playing.



The next day everyone was eager to look for rocks and stones. You just gotta when you go all the way to Topaz. Cameron knew a guy that gave him permission to rock hound on his claim, but first we checked out an area we thought might be good. I got a pretty good sized one with the help of...everyone. Jason first started hammering but, earlier he had saved a huge stake from crashing into his knee as it was rolling down the rock, and in the process smashed and peeled his finger. Every time he swung the hammer blood literally squirted, it was kinda gross.

On the way back to camp we ran into a lonely antelope that posed for pictures.


It was another great weekend, and I really enjoy the fact that my parents love to do what we do and join us on our adventures. And you know, they weren't the only ones with problems that trip; Uncle Eric's motorcycle quit running, Cameron seized the engine on his motorcycle and his scrambler and Eric's motorcycle was giving him fits.

Until next time...no plans yet until Memorial.

Adventures adventures

I don't know about anyone else, but I am just loving Spring, and it seems that the rest of my family is also.

On our way to Sinkhole Flat Jason saw a Ram Charger for sale. It's something we have been talking about for quite some time now since it is hard to wheel in the winter with the girls just hanging out in the back of the mud truck. Getting the jeep was supposed to help solve that, but it needs some money put into it to get it where we'd like to go, but then it wouldn't be such a great family vehicle for running errands.

We thought about it for a week and then Jason made the call. He ended up talking the guy down on the price, so how could we pass it up?


We took it wheeling Thursday night when we brought it home and realized it was almost exactly a year from when we bought the jeep (maybe we've started a new tradition). Well, it is not the wheeling machine the guy made it out to be; just going down a dirt road that had a few dips in it, and we were rubbing the fenders with the tires.

Our plan is to swap all the parts from the mud truck to the Ram Charger so it will then be our mud truck. We'll have to do a little more work on it to fit those 38" tires!

Friday night Abriana had her friend, Tanisha, spend the night and we took the RC out again to find some squeakies. We got to Axtel and the thing died in the middle of the road; seems we need an alternator. So we went back home and loaded up in the jeep. No luck on the squeakies, but it was a lot of family fun.

In the morning we went fishing. Jason has had a hankering for trout for awhile so we hit Nine Mile. The sun was shining, the breeze was cold, the girls were hiking, the fish weren't biting. Hours and hours without a bite isn't much fun anymore, so we loaded up and went home to grab a few things before we went to try Redmond. We were thinking some more 27 inch pike (or bigger) would at least curb the fishing crave we had.

John called when we got to the house. They were headed up XL Canyon and asked if we'd like to come. Sweet! We've heard a lot about it, but never have been. Change of plans; we'll go fishing in the morning and Tanisha can stay another night. We left right away and since we beat them there we took a few minutes to get my new gun on paper. I like my new gun!

We finally hooked up with everyone and set out up the canyon. We were the first ones to park and walk. Our jeep does not have the clearance or flex that it needs to conquer that canyon. Maybe that is a good thing considering what happened later.

John was the next to park it when he got stuck in a hole right beside a rock. Eric and Mandy didn't want to beat their truck or do any body damage, so they parked it a little farther up. Kevin and Mike kept going until Kevin came down on a rock and split the tube of his drive-line in half! Everyone was saying, "Wow, I've never seen that happen before!" So while the guys worked on replacing the drive-line, a fire was started for the kids. Mike decided he wanted to go up to the top and see the waterfall.

Kevin's truck was ready to go and we could hear Mike coming back down when all my girls decided they just wanted to lay down in the jeep. I walked them back down and sat waiting thinking any minute we would leave. Jason showed up almost half an hour later and said, "We are officially on a rescue mission. Mike did the exact same thing his brother did, and when pulling his truck off the rock, it yipped over!" It was a sight to see and I really wish I had remembered the camera.

John got his Blazer unstuck and tried to get up to Mike to use the winch to upright the truck. He didn't make it very far; he almost tipped over on the next obstacle. Everyone decided then it would be best to go back in the light. We changed our plans again, and said we'd get the mud truck up there to help.

Long story short, by the time we got the mud truck just about ready to go, we figured they had already got the job done. Besides they probably had enough vehicles up there anyway. So we loaded up in the jeep and went fishing on the west side of Yuba.

It was a great day to be fishing! The sun was blazing, the girls were playing in the sand and water, and the lake was smooth as glass. Wish we had the boat out there.
But again, no fish were biting. We stayed for quite some time enjoying the nice summer day, until it was time to get the girls home, showered and put to bed.

It felt so good to be outdoors in the nice weather! It was like a mini vacation.

Sinkhole Flat

It's a good and bad thing that I put a memory card in the digital camera. Now my pictures can't get lost and I can take more pictures, however, that is also the downfall. I've been trying to figure out which of the 105 pictures to post and doing a little thinking on how to do it exactly. But here it is a week after our trip with another weekend to blog about.

So, the weekend before last, a bunch of us went southeast on the Swell: John & Shiree, Eric & Leslie, Eric & Mandy, Cameron, Brian, Mom & Dad, and Lena. We had an adventurous weekend full of sight-seeing, wheeling and fun. We camped on the Sinkhole Flat and although we drove by the Sinkhole like half a dozen times or so, we never stopped to look at it. Next time. There is so much to see down there, we will definitely have to plan another trip.

Saturday we took off on a trail that would be about a 60 mile loop back to camp. The rocks and geology were breath taking, I couldn't get enough.

This was the second trip for Mom and Dad on their wheelers, if you count the first one; 8 miles in 4 hours really isn't wheeling. So when we found a spot in the trail that was really fun, Dad says to Mom, "This one is gonna be your test." She was a little nervous to start out, but then it was an adrenaline rush! Chey was sitting next to me just a cheering everyone on! "A-hoo Unco Ewic!" "A-hoo Ba-pa!" It was so freaking cute!

Well, about halfway around this loop, Mom and Dad realized they were low on fuel. John decided to take a short cut to get them back to camp faster; just a little jaunt down I-70, no big deal, right? Well, luckily Mom's wheeler has a reserve tank because right there, halfway through our little jaunt, on the Interstate, her wheeler dies. Brian was already in reverse to load up her wheeler, when Uncle Eric pulled up and showed us where her switch was for the reserve tank. What good men! So off we went.

We were almost back to camp when we realized we lost some folks. Mom finally appeared and said Dad ran out of gas, so we hurried to grab the gas can. We were almost where she told us Dad was, when there was Dad on Uncle Eric's wheeler, followed by Brian's truck with a wheeler in it. What a nice guy Brian is, he didn't even hesitate to wait for anyone, just loaded up Dad's wheeler. However, Brian, Dad and Uncle Eric have more muscle than they realize and pushed the wheeler right into the back window of the truck. Um...oops! If it wasn't for the tint, Brain would've had a seat full of glass. Dad later asked Brian what he owed for the back window. Brian said, "Don't worry, I've done worse. No big deal."

Sunday we went sight-seeing:

At one point, Jason took John's motorcycle for a little spin. He was flying down the trail and the thought crossed his mind, what would Manda do if I died? It was that fun of a ride! He was telling us all about this and Leslie says, "Guys don't think like that!" That's why he is my guy!

We all had a great time, just wish there was more time.

Next trip: Topaz Mountain.

Easter on the Prairie!

Jason and I have been waiting for spring and for the prairie dogs and squeakies to come out. We planned to take the kids camping for our anniversary weekend and to welcome spring. We went looking for them the first weekend in March and saw a few but obviously they needed a little more time to decide the weather was warm. So we postponed our trip to give them another week. However, we wanted spring here more than it was ready to be here; a winter storm was in the forecast for the weekend, and then another the next weekend. Easter weekend looked good - it had to be good, it was the beginning of SPRING BREAK!

We left Friday afternoon and stayed until Monday afternoon. The sun was shining yet the wind was blowing and cold. We didn't see any prairie dogs in our favorite spot, but found some new spots not far away.

Abriana was eager to shoot her gun! She took a few shots and then we remembered her sights needed some adjusting. When Dad adjusted her sights, she set up cans almost 50feet out and practiced. She needs a lot more practice, but she is getting there.

Saturday night we dyed eggs in anticipation of the Easter Bunny. Cheyenne couldn't decide if she wanted to be by the fire or make a mess with the dye. The other two didn't want to quit with all the stickers and colors. We found a camo dye set that had something like 147 stickers. Yup, they used just about every single one!



All day and all evening the girls kept discussing where the Easter Bunny was going to hide the eggs and where were their baskets going to be hidden. Well, he did a pretty good job at hiding those 30 camouflaged eggs. The grey colored eggs were actually the same color as the dirt! The teal colored ones turned out to blend really well into the sage brush. It was hilarious watching Cheyenne scream, "EGG EGG!" as she ran around following her sisters. I helped her out a little bit to find some of her own. She was so excited when she found some she took the two in her hands and smashed them together screaming, "AHOO AHOO!"

Since the wind was blowing pretty hard most of the night, the Easter Bunny found a clever spot for those baskets filled with goodies - inside the jeep! On the front seats were 2 Reester Bunnies (Reese's peanut butter and chocolate bunnies. Mmmm...) and 2 pudding cups - for Mom and Dad. In the back were the three sought after baskets (actually buckets) full of pudding cups, granola bars, fruit snacks, cheese and cracker snacks, a box of animal crackers, juice bottles, a solid chocolate bunny, bubbles and sandals.

Cheyenne found Dad's "feetball" in the motorhome and all three girls kept themselves entertained with it. And they entertained us! Chey kept wanting to get right up close to Bri when Bri was throwing it, so she would tell her, "Stay there." The little parrot that Chey is started telling her sisters the same thing when it was her turn. She'd clutch the ball under one arm, put her hand up with the other to signal to stop, and say, "Day dere!"

Then the kiddo's got goofy...

Maybe you noticed the tires on the jeep. Eh? New ones! Mud ones! So, of course, we went wheeling! We went up one of the canyons north of camp and found a little mud and some snow one day. The next day we went south, towards Moab. Jason was really wanting to find some area to test out the new tires and see how much we could tear up the jeep.

We had the maps with us, and picked our way by looking at the terrain at each fork, or from the top of a hill. We passed some old mines and found some rocks to climb. The tires are awesome! Now we need a lift...but then we'd need bigger tires, hmm. Well we ended up in Arches but really couldn't see much since we were on the 'wrong side.' I'm sure one could backpack through there, but there are no roads to speak of. We picked our way down the slick rock and found some cool rocks for the front yard. Then we came across a miniature grand canyon.


Jason jumped the crevice to get a better look at everything below. He was helping Kayla over when she looked down and decided NO WAY! It was about 2 1/2-3 feet wide and oh, 30-40 feet down. The rock wasn't sheared completely from the mountain and was 5-6 feet wide itself. And looking off the edge of that was a sight I didn't have the guts to see. I was fine with my feet being where they were. I am afraid of heights when I am not in something. That is most likely because I am a klutz and I know it, therefore if I have something to support me, I'm ok. Besides it didn't help me much when Chey was curious and wanted to look over the edge. My stomach did things I have never felt before!

I probably would have jumped over if I didn't have the kids with me. The over-protective-mom kicked in and I wasn't ok unless I had all my chicks under my wing. Cheyenne did jump over with Dad and even though she was safe with him, she wasn't under my wing and my stomach continued to do crazy things.

The older girls and I went down past the crevice and looked down. We all stood like 3feet from the edge, too scared to get closer, but it was still gorgeous. Trees and grass and a creek running through it all with what was left of someone's cottage from decades ago filled the bottom. You could see where the water would run off the edges and create waterfalls. Kinda wish there was a waterfall to see.

On the way back to camp, we were flying down a straight stretch of dirt road and I got some cute snapshots of the girls.

We had great fun. It felt so good to be out of the house. Nobody wanted to come home, not even the motorhome. It decided to overheat with no warning. Quirky thing will have to be fixed before our next trip in two weekends.

The Mitten

Kayla was in another play, this time with her morning class. They did 3 short plays to accommodate all the students, as well as, to illustrate the stories they have been reading in class. Kayla was the badger in 'The Mitten.'

It's a story about a boy who really wanted Grandma to knit him some white winter mittens. She refused because she knew he would only lose them in the snow and not be able to find them. After many pleadings, Grandma finally gave in and knit him the mittens he so wanted.

One day he went out to play and sure enough, dropped one of his mittens in the snow. During the night many of the animals in the woods saw this mitten and thought it would be a warm and cozy place to snuggle up. The mole was the first one to curl up in the mitten. Then the rabbit hopped in. The hedgehog crawled out of her burrow and into the mitten. Then the owl swooped by and joined the trio. The badger came out of the snow and said, "That looks warm and cozy. I'll want to go in too!" And she was able to cuddle up in the thumb of it.

(If you can't tell, Kayla is the one on the far right.)

A fox came to investigate and climed inside the mitten. And then the bear heard the commotion and thought he should be in there too. A meadow mouse came along and said, "Wait for me!" As the mouse scurried in, he tickled the bear with his whiskers and made the bear sneeze. The force of the sneeze shot the mitten up to the sky.

The little boy saw the mitten in the sky and ran towards it. He showed Grandma his two white mittens and she said, "I am glad you still have your new white mittens." However, one was kid size and the other was all stretched out.

~THE END~

Forgive me if it sounded a little broken up. Kayla helped me write it. It was all her words, I just tweaked some of them. She even insisted I write 'THE END.'

After the plays, the kids put on cowboy hats and sang a few songs.

I decided to see how the video worked on the digital camera and found out I couldn't zoom (that is the clicking you hear), sorry about the heads.

It was cute and again, she had a lot of fun.