Moore Family

2011-07-27T12:09:00.001-07:00

Cowboy Josh
This morning I wanted to go for a ride and I was feeling bad that Gracie hadn't been out for a while. I also felt like I needed to ride Kye to reinforce some things. I decided to attempt to recruit Josh to go with me. He is the one that always claims to hate horses and accuses me of brainwashing them. Despite how evil he thinks this is, he has been trying some of those techniques himself. I was shocked when he agreed to come out. I let him pick his horse and Gracie was his immediate reply. We saddled her up and went for a great little 45 minute ride. He did an awesome job riding her up and down hills, over obstacles and in loose rock. He was even moving her in and out of a trot. For someone who avoids riding he did a very nice job.

2011-06-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

Introducing Kayenta (Kye)

So I haven't been able to give up my habit of looking at horses for sale online every night. One ad that ran forever and always caught my eye was a description of a Morab mare. The ad described this beautiful liver-chestnut horse with an incredibly large trot. The picture told an entirely different story. This horse was so bony and thin that she appeared to be 28 not 8. She was on a lunge line with her ears flat back. I kept telling Tiffani that they would never sell that pitiful looking horse. The price finally dropped to $100 and I decided that for no reason other than pity I would look at the horse.

As you can see from the picture above, she didn't look so good. It took two people to corner her and they could only catch her by sticking something into the oversized, faded halter that she wore from about 4 feet away. I was about done until we took her into the round pen. I cannot adequately describe what I then saw. This bag of bones broke out into the largest, most fluid trot I have ever seen. She ate up the ground. I took off her off the lead and let her run at will. It was amazing. Tiff made me write the check.

Thus the work began. Seven hours later, I was able to walk up and touch her left shoulder. After several weeks of hard work, she had her third ride tonight. You can judge how she looks for yourself. I don't know if I am more proud of how the horse looks or of the advancements in Tiffani's riding skills.

2011-02-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

Gracie's First Official RideI was off of work today and it was beautiful. I had to take something to school for one of the kids and afterwards I decided to go out and spend some time with the horses. I have done a lot of ground work with Romeo and I have been on him several times in the round pen. He has been very good about turning left and right and backing. The only thing he struggles with is understanding what I want when I ask him to go forward. He has worked so hard to do everything else that I hated the idea of moving him forward by force. My plan was to take him out with an experienced horse so that he could just follow. I was hoping someone would be headed out for a ride this morning so we could tag along. When no one was there I had an idea.

I saddled and bridled Romeo and walked him up the dirt road about 1/4 mile and hopped on. I figured that he would want to walk right back to the pasture. I gave him a cue to go forward and lo and behold he did. I stopped him a few times along the way and we practiced standing still and turning both directions. Each time we resumed our journey he took my cue and continued on his way. I was very proud.

Afterwards Tiffani rode Gracie all tacked up for the first time. As you can see they both did great. We are very excited that they are making good progress towards trail riding once again. We have missed it.

2010-07-29T17:51:00.000-07:00

We Made It!We made it to our new home and so far it has been amazing. We love the neighborhood, the ward, and the house. The red rock canyons aren't bad either. No heat stroke or flash floods for any of us yet so life is good. One note: It is amazing the difference between 102 and 107 degrees and I don't even want to discuss 112. Whew!

2010-06-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

"You are really lucky this thing didn't catch on fire!" Getting ready to move has been a lot of work. As with any move it has been difficult to decide what to take and what to leave behind. One of the hardest things to decide has been what to do with Nuhner. I battled with whether to sell him for a long time and finally decided that the best thing for him was to find a great new owner here. When Roz came to see him, I knew she was perfect. She paid for him yesterday.

We also decided to sell the canoe since it is bulky, expensive to move and, of course, because we are moving to the desert. I had no idea how hard that would be for me until the guy showed up to look at it. I launched right into my spiel about how it weighed 74 lbs with a carrying capacity of 900. He said he wanted it. For some reason I couldn't stop. I told him about the hull design that became more stable when loaded. He said it was great he would take it. I explained the steep entry that gives it better tracking than most recreational canoes. For the third time he reiterated that it was what he wanted. From there I went into how it had been cared for, what a great boat it had been and even told him about some of the trips we had taken in Utah then Minnesota then here. Finally he just started handing me $20 bills and left.

It was hard selling two of my favorite things in the same day and to make it worse, I looked out my office window today and noticed that he had parked his van across the street with the boat on top. Every time I looked outside it was like someone was rubbing it in. By the end of the day I expected to see Roz ride by on the horse. As much as it pained me to be haunted by my former boat, the kicker today was the oil change that resulted in rewiring the Yukon.

When I dropped it off this morning I asked them to look at the cigarette lighter because Josh had blown a fuse by pushing it in and holding it for who knows how long. When a replacement fuse immediately blew I figured there was a problem. What I expected to take one hour took seven. When I decided that they had just forgotten to call me I picked up the phone. Imagine my surprise when I was greeted with the comforting words, "You are really lucky this thing didn't catch on fire!"

It turns out the lighter had gotten so hot that it ruined its own housing. It then heated the copper wire leading back through the console enough to melt off the insulation. Nothing says time bomb like bare wires coursing into your engine compartment. The molten goo fused itself to stereo and other instrument wires which had to be surgically separated. The damage tracked all the way out to its connection with the fuse box.

Despite multiple genuine offers, they wouldn't take a 14 year-old in trade so I paid the old fashioned way and headed home. I wasn't sure I could rationally discuss this with Josh tonight. Instead I brought a sample of his high-heat handiwork and fashioned it into a bracelet around his right wrist. I then walked away without a word see if the hotdogs were done. Aaaghhhhhhh!

2010-06-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

Oh, How Lovely was the AfternoonWith our impending move out west we decided it was time to go and see the historic sites in Palmyra. We have been attending the temple up there during our three years here, but with such a long drive, we haven't really taken the extra time to tour around. We had all seen some of the sites, but none of us had seen all of the sites. Yesterday we took the time to take the tours. Lizzie and I had toured the log house and frame house about a month ago after her first temple trip. She was pretty excited that she could give the basic tour from memory. It was interesting having a different missionary take us through and sharing different stories. It was great walking quietly through the grove and having everyone speculate where they think the spot was. The Grandin publishing building tour was interesting too and Grace got to fold a few pages for a souvenir. It was a long day but worth the trip. We have been really lucky to live so close to Nauvoo during med school and now to be between Palmyra and Kirtland. We have been able to see a lot of great history without massive effort.

2010-06-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day With the Robertsons
We were blessed with the opportunity to visit Grandma and Grandpa Robertson over the long weekend. The kids were dying to explore the creek that their mother has immortalized in her stories and the girls have been planning an attic expedition for a year. I think they all had a great time, but it was Tiffani that found the greatest treasures including some old family pictures, artwork she did in school and love notes from a middleschool boyfriend (woo-dee-woo!). It was great to see Roger and Shari again. It has been so nice being within a days drive. It is always good company and good food. We will miss being that close.

2010-05-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

So What Exactly Does "Bombproof," Mean?
I stopped by our local welding supply store on my way home last night to get some liquid nitrogen. I have been toying with the idea of freeze branding my 2 year old appaloosa for some time now and after designing, registering and having a Texan cast my brand, I decided to put it to use. The welding supply guy suggested a small plastic water cooler which I picked up at Big Lots. They filled it about 1/3 of the way and put the lid on. Initially we left the drinking spout on the top open, but it was spouting a lot of steam so he suggested we put it down to slow evaporation. We could still hear a little leak so he said that it would be fine.

I drove home and helped Seth do some homework so it was about an hour before I got everything together and headed to the barn. Romeo (the horse/victim) walked right up to me, as usual, and I walked him up to the top of the barn where his inner-tube tie is. I started by pushing the branding iron on his shoulder so that we both got the feel of what it would be like. I then went to put the branding iron into the nitrogen which was about five feet directly behind his rump. When I knelt to open it I found that the lid was frozen on tight. I tried to twist it and got nothing. I tried again and got nothing. On the third attempt there was an incredible BOOM! The lid flew off expelling a mushroom cloud of white. The barn floor was shrouded in a dense swirling fog. When I had a chance to gather my wits I realized that I was steaming as the -300F liquid settled into my clothes and evaporated from my skin. Grace was sure I was dead. Despite the sonic boom to his posterior and the frigid cloud that lapped at his hocks, Romeo just stood there unconcerned. Now I have heard a lot of people say their horse is “bombproof,” but I don’t know many that can say they have put it to the test.

Romeo’s lack of reaction to our little IED gave me some confidence in moving forward. He preferred not to be pinned so I let him just stand. I introduced the clippers without incident and we shaved his shoulder and washed it twice with alcohol. I grabbed the now frosty iron and placed it squarely against his shoulder and gently rocked it while Grace kept time. He never flinched. So far it has followed the expected course with indentation which eventually became elevation. In a few weeks he will shed the first layer of skin and then the white hairs will start to grow in.

I am excited to see the final results. It is always scary to do something the first time, especially if it is permanent. I guess that it is what makes it fun. This is now one more thing to add to the skill set. Speaking of skills, I used the leftover nitrogen to freeze a wart on Seth's hand. What can I say, I am a full-service kind of guy. If you need a brand I give me a call and as long as your horse passes my "bombproof" test I can help you out. Warts are extra.

2010-01-01T13:46:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

2009-12-29T07:43:00.000-08:00

Hay Fort!

My parents scored big-time when they bought my kids camping gear for Christmas this year. The multi-tools were a big hit and we only had one minor laceration. The LED lanterns were also popular. When Seth opened his he determined right then and there that he needed a good campout to test it out.

As we fed the horses the other night, he asked if he could build a hay fort. It only takes a few minutes so we did. I had no idea that his intention was to sleep in it. We spent the next couple of hours trying to reason with him but his mind was set and he was, after all, on winter break. Eventually I relented and found myself preparing for a night in the barn.

With the older kids off with friends Seth, Grace and I headed across the yard with our lanterns and sleeping bags. We went to bed about 9:30 and did pretty well. At 3:50 Seth said, "Dad, I'm cold," and we headed back through 3" of new fallen snow so that they could finish their big night out in front of the propane fireplace. It was a great little adventure and an appropropriate test of the lanterns. Thanks grandma and grandpa. I owe you for this one!

2009-12-25T10:47:00.000-08:00

Secret Santa!

From Christmas 09

We had names for Secret Santa gifts again and it turned out great. Everyone had to make a gift for their person and there was supposed to be a five dollar limit. There were some very thoughtful, independent gifts and some required a great deal of work.

2009-12-23T06:40:00.001-08:00

Moore Family Ski Night

Last night was the first official Moore Family Ski Night. The local ski resort has a deal for night skiing that includes one night per week at a very reasonable price. We decided that we dedicate a lot of time to different activities but we sometimes neglect spending time all together. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for some quality time together doing something that we love. Unfortunately we had some setbacks before we left, the printer for the passes jammed and it took a long time to help four kids put on their equipment. We got a very late start and the kids missed their lesson (included in the price). Tiff wasn't up to starting this week (maybe next???) but was willing to do lodge duty in order to allow the rest of us to go. That put me on the rope-tow with all four kids to start. Everyone did great. Seth lasted 30-40 minutes before declaring that he wanted to go to the "resting place" with mom. He came out about an hour later for another session and did great. The rest of us had a nice time in the ski school area trying to help everyone work on their turns. I was a little outnumbered but everyone is learning and it was a great deal of fun. It sure makes the cold weather more bearable and despite it being -2 F by the time we headed home, everyone had a great time. (the picture is from last year because we left the camera in the car last night).

2009-12-18T08:10:00.000-08:00

We are Alive
After a bit of a hiatus, I thought I would just take a moment to check in. We actually are all still alive and for some of us that is saying something. It has been a crazy year and I have just been too overwhelmed since May to keep up with the blog. It's funny, I thought no one was following it at all until I stopped writing.

We are plugging along wondering if Tiff will ever feel better and if Josh will make it to 14 before his parents kill him. We chase the chickens, feed the horses run to church activities and basketball games and there isn't time for much else. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers. It is good to have people who love you. Enough for now. I will try to get back into a schedule of blogging.

2009-05-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

A Teenager????

From blowgun birthday

Well, today at 2:25 PM it became official. The Moore family has it's first teenager. Seth was a little worried when the girls picked out a "Hello Kitty" cake, but we knew it would be perfect. Josh was thrilled. We could think of no better way to observe this momentous occasion than a marshmallow war. It was great fun and we love our Josh. Happy Birthday!

2009-04-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

They Hatched!

For the first time in Moore family history, those eggs the bunny left hatched! Well, at least after eating some of the eggs we went shopping at Tractor Supply and found some very cute chicks. Tiff has been wanting to try chickens since we got here but this, of course, was all my idea. We started with six reds but when I took back a lead rope they had a bunch more and a couple of lost mallards that needed a good home. I guess I am a little obsessed. The basement is the perfect nursery and the chicks are doing great. Lincoln was dying for pictures so this is for him since his parents won't drive him down to see them in person.

2009-04-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

Tree House!
It was a beautiful day in western New York so we decided we needed to be outside. I am officially off of work for a week and the kids are still on break so we had to do something even though we haven't made it out of town (yet). We have saved hundreds of hay ropes this winter in anticipation of a decent day to start building a tree house... net.... whatever. Drew and I learned to build these when we moved to North Ogden and had some fairly elaborate ones in the backyard.

I think the kids were kind of skeptical at first, but once I got the frame up and started weaving their excitement was palpable. Grace turned out to be quite a weaver and Lizzie built a rope ladder all on her own. We finished with a pretty nice tight net. Lizzie and Grace hopped right up to lounge but when Josh stepped on one of the outer lines it broke and one side went down. No one got hurt and other than being loose the rest of the net held.

After a time consuming repair it is back up and I tested it out myself. I was amazed at how much it stretched. I guess I put too much sausage and cheese on that omelet I made for breakfast. We had a great time, but learned a few things, namely: Natural hay ropes are not as strong as the synthetic ones we used to use. They stretch more as well. Trees with wide branches are best. Don't step on an outside support line that is rubbing directly on bark. Let the one who did the most work get on first so if it breaks it's on them.

This one won't last long, but it was a fun project. Maybe I will even buy some of the synthetic stuff and do it right.

2009-03-31T11:30:00.000-07:00

Tonsil Tuesday

From Tonsil Tuesday

After multiple infections, a visit with a speech therapist, and too many late school arrivals, we took Seth's snoring more seriously and discovered he had sleep apnea. After discussing it with our local ENT we decided that it was time to get his monstrous tonsils out. Today was "tonsil Tuesday" at the hospital so we headed in early for the big day.

The girls were worried about him and wanted to be at the hospital to give their support. Their principal was sympathetic so they got to try out the hospital's newly remodeled waiting area. They were incredibly patient. Seth was lucky to know both the anesthesiologist and the surgeon which made it very comfortable for him. As you can imagine it is easier to go with his friend's dad into the O.R. than a stranger in a hat and mask. He set a record for falling asleep because he was very good at the "ice cream game" that they played to get him to breathe deeply.

So at this point, things have gone very well. We hear that day two is the worst, though, so we will see what tomorrow brings. At least we got some good help from Monkey. When grandma heard about the surgery she suggested that a monkey, like the one she bought me for my tonsillectomy, might be useful. The were introduced last night and became fast friends. Monkey took very good care of Seth. Seth even told me that Monkey had surgery too. Thanks for the tip!

2009-03-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

The Scientific Method of Raising a 12 year-old

Josh in true teenage boy fashion informed me last Monday that I needed to bring dry-ice home because his science project was due Tuesday. So after bringing home a step-by-step, week-by-week project planner, he knew that he wanted to do something with dry-ice and water. Luckily the one place in town you could purchase dry-ice was open for 20 more minutes and I was able to get some (which they donated to our good cause).

After some significant discussion about what a research question entails, how to form and run and experiment and how to gather and record data we were ready to go. Josh decided to measure the rate at which hot, warm and cold water reached 0 degrees celsius to see if hot water really freezes faster. It took only one near disasterous burn and seven hours of work, but I think we ran a decent experiment. At least it illustrated the the scientific method at a 7th grade level.

His teacher must have been pleased because she told him to enter the fair. On Thursday we went and watched him collect an honorable mention award. That means a trip to Alfred State later this month.

Grace also got an honor this week. She designed a bookmark for a competition and it won. The Olean library honored the winners on Saturday with a brief ceremony. We feel quite decorated this week.

2009-02-28T07:29:00.000-08:00

I Love to See the Temple

From Grace's Temple

Grace had an assignment to choose a building to give an oral report about. She had to make a model or a poster of the building and then give a speech that was three paragraphs long. She decided that she wanted to build a temple and after some consideration decided that Salt Lake was the best choice. I am not sure where the sugar cube idea came from, but I think it turned out great. She worked on it for three days and used 7 1/2 boxes of sugar cubes (128 cubes/box). She designed and hot-glued the whole thing herself. She only got one burn severe enough to blister and is quite proud of the result. Being the over achiever that she is, she also made a poster to go with it. If you are wondering, Moroni is played by a Lego basketball figurine wrapped in aluminum foil and dipped in left-over gold paint (also her idea).

2009-02-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

Bear Grylls vs. Bear Girlz

From Bear Girlz

It took a year and a half, but the Moore kids finally discovered where they live! It started Friday when seven deer passed between our house and the neighbors' and headed into the woods. It's not the first time, but for some reason this was different. Then, when I was walking outside with Lizzie she was lamenting that she couldn't explore the grove across the street. I told her that our neighbor had given them permission but that she may want to try out our property as well. She was thrilled and the next day she and Josh took her friends up to the old pond to explore.

That afternoon I went up with Josh and Seth to try out my magnesium fire starter. When we arrived at the old tree by the creek we discovered that they had laid some branches against the trunk to make a shelter and had chosen a fire pit and gathered some wood. About the time I decided that the magnesium starter wasn't as magical as advertised a big storm rolled in so we came in for the day.

On Sunday as soon as we arrived home from church all four kids started pleading to go out so we headed back up to "Fort Kimo-Sorry" as Josh dubbed it. It took a single spark to prove once and for all that dryer lint is worth keeping in your survival kit for when the magnesium doesn't perform and we soon had a nice little fire. Grace, who had been elected the leader, sent people on different tasks. Josh was marking the boundaries of the fort and working on signals, Lizzie was working on her spear throwing technique, in case a rabbit wandered by, and Seth busied himself knocking dead branches down. When they were working it became obvious that they weren't just kidding around. Grace was very concerned about what we were going to eat in the wilderness. Lizzie was decimated when I told her that even if she saw a rodent she wasn't allowed to kill it.

They reminded me that they had President's Day off and begged me to set up the tent so we could spend the night outside. I tried to convince them to be sensible, but when Grace finished boiling creek water for her wild rose hip and pine needle tea she looked at me and said, "Even Bear Grylls can't make a tea like this." Truthfully, I'm not sure he could. It was pretty good. She then looked at me and said, "I'm not Bear Grylls, I am Bear Girls!"

Well, that one melted my heart. All the memories of the times I said no to them because of bad timing and all of the times that I have run off to take the scouts and had to leave those sad faces behind rushed into my mind. In the end, it was just too much for me and I relented. Despite the fact that it was dipping below 20 degrees and getting dark, we grabbed our gear and got to work. Even mom fell for their charm and bundled up for a long night in the cold. What a crazy crew!

We had as good a night as possible under the circumstances and after a short warm-up inside, they were chomping at the bit to get back out Monday morning. I guess I got my winter camp-out even after the scouts chickened out. They were quite the little survivors! What a wonderful world they discovered literally in their own back yard.

2009-01-24T18:50:00.000-08:00

Soloist

Lizzie decided to try out for a solo for her concert this week. We were a little surprised because she tends to shy away from getting up in front of people if she can. She would much rather be playing football or proving that she can take-down any boy in a wrestling match. She sings here at home all of the time but it is beyond amazing that she decided to do this on her own. We hope she keeps it up.

2009-01-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

The Great Moussini!

The Grace and Seth show came to town again last week. It had, as usual, some incredible singing and dancing. It showcased the ever popular Tango Sisters and it was the perfect opportunity to introduce the Great Moussini. "Olay!"

2009-01-10T19:53:00.000-08:00

Ski Lessons!

From Holiday Valley

After endless days of deepening white in Lippert Hollow I was going a bit crazy. I was dying to go skiing but felt too guilty to cancel my patients on Friday so by the time I trudged back and forth to the barn, through 8" of the most beautiful powder this state has ever seen, that night I was downright depressed. Tiffani suggested I just go skiing today. That seemed so irresponsible with a wife who didn't feel well and 4 kids who would be home on Saturday so I almost didn't go. As we discussed it my guilt was somewhat assuaged when she suggested I take the kids but having previously attempted it with the oldest two, I knew I couldn't handle four kids on the slopes alone. After some discussion she basically forced me to go.

We decided that lessons were the best way to give the kids a worthwhile experience. Unfortunately the group lessons started 30 minutes earlier than I thought and our progression was slowed by emergency vehicles and an impressively crumpled mini-van blocking the highway. By the time we arrived, the groups were gone. Luckily they had two instructors who were available to help us out. Josh and Lizzie got their first snowboard lesson from Jesse, who was perfect for them, while Grace and Seth got to try out skis. Tiff wasn't feeling up to skiing but was gracious enough to split time between the lodge and the ski school to help with rest breaks and take pictures.

While they had their lesson I had some time to get my ski legs back and scope out some of the runs. The snow was beautiful and the powder in the trees was practically untouched. We met back up for some food and then I took the three oldest up the lift in search of a "Narnia-like" run which a friend suggested. I have to admit that it was incredibly beautiful but it was a lot farther than anticipated and getting there with a very determined first time skier was quite a trek.

It was a perfect first day hill so I let Josh and Lizzie stay behind while I escorted a very tired Grace back to the main lodge. This required multiple lift rides and connecting runs and by the time we finally made it she could hardly stand. I was really impressed by her determination. I then took Seth to the bunny hill where he showed off how he learned to put on his own skis and to make a pizza in order to stop. When I finally got the chance to pick the bigger kids up, they were feeling abandoned. Lizzie wasn't feeling well and Josh stopped boarding so that she wouldn't be alone. They were taking turns watching for me by the lift and sitting in the upper lodge.

All in all it was a great day despite the fact that I was spread so thin that someone was always waiting for me. I think I would definitely do some things differently if given the chance but despite some snags everyone had a great first experience. Poor Tiffani was the only one who left with a sense of regret after watching so many people enjoy one of her favorite activities on the perfect snow right in front of her. We certainly owe her a trip as soon as she is up to it.

2009-01-03T16:16:00.001-08:00

Bucket-y
For the last year or so Josh and I have had this ongoing banter about what he is worth. It all started when he took $20 on a field trip and brought me no change. Today I needed his help with our quarterly (not actually kidding) recycling run. This meant 30 minutes working outside in a biting wind. I also had a two other projects that required a trip to Home Depot. I always treat my recycling helpers to some kind of treat, so I am sure he knew he was getting a reward. I just never would have guessed what he would ask for.

As we gathered our heating tape, pipe insulation, light fixtures and electrical tape I decided to get a 5 gallon bucket to help with horse watering. Josh asked if he could have a bucket too. I thought it an odd request but he really wanted it and it was on sale. After our usual debate he convinced me he was worth a bucket ($2.79) and a pack of gum ($1.09).

He was a great helper and in addition to the recycling we got new light fixtures in our kitchen (for a little ambiance) and barn water pipes that don't freeze (so I don't have to haul water from the house). Not bad for about $4.25 with tax. The only problem is that after drawing the face to Josh's exact specifications (including the raised left eyebrow) I couldn't help but feel guilty. How have I eroded my son's self-esteem so deeply that he has chosen a Home Depot bucket for a best friend? I am sure this will require years of therapy.

2008-12-30T04:42:00.000-08:00

Father's Day

From Father's Day

I'm sure it seems a little weird that I am posting pictures from Father's Day, but as I was putting together my annual "Moore Family Movie" I came across these and realized that we had never shared them. Tiffani got the kids all dressed up while I was away and took these pictures as a surprise for me. The idea was to hang them in my office but they didn't make it there yet. I think it was hard to choose which ones to blow-up since there were so many fun ones.

Enjoy!

2008-12-28T11:22:00.000-08:00

Winter Ride!

From Winter Ride

We got a special surprise for Christmas. After weeks of very cold weather and lots of snow, it warmed up to about 50 degrees yesterday which was great for everyone but our snowman. After days of snowballing, sledding, Lego building, overeating and discovery channel marathon-ing, we desperately needed someting else to do.

Tara was the one who finally came up with a great solution. We saddled up the horses and took off for a nice winter ride.Tara had to take my horse, so I ended up on Kyrie. That gave me the perfect excuse to try out my new Smith and Edwards spurs. It was great to be outside and the horses seemed to really enjoy it as well.

2008-10-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

Appy Babies!

From Appy Baby, Kindergarten, Soccer

I was very surprised today to find 4 comments on our blog which may have been there for a while. I started out so consistent and I really hoped this would be a way to keep everyone informed. I have done a poor job I'm afraid. I am sorry.

Our summer has been very insane with Tiff being down. It certainly took the wind out of our sails. It has been rough but it wasn't enough to stop me from filling our last stall with two baby appaloosas. Say hello to Gracie and Romeo. I realize everyone is probably thinking that we are insane taking on one more thing. You are probably right. I have always wanted a little buckskin and when I found Romeo I was weak.

We met Gracie when we went to see Romeo and she was just too sweet to pass up. She was a premie and required a lot of human attention early on. As a result, she is more like a puppy than a horse. Tiff just loved loved her so we had to get her too. They even gave us a buy two horses get a free cat deal. Anyway, we are nuts, but they are really beautiful babies and it's a fun family project.

2008-08-17T05:22:00.000-07:00

End of Summer Soccer!

Yesterday was the last day of summer soccer. When I found out we would have three kids playing soccer at the same time, I wasn't terribly excited. As it turned out, with Tiffani being down for the last month, soccer pretty much saved the kids' sanity.

The girls have been playing for a while and both had great seasons. They both get so focussed and work so hard it's just a pleasure to watch. This year's surprise was Josh. He hasn't played soccer since he was 4 or 5. For some reason he decided to give it another shot and as it turns out he's great. He has had such a great time this year and has learned a lot quickly. He is even going to be on the middle school team. Who knew? He admitted liking it better than basketball! For me it has been a great opportunity to get to know some more people in the community including three sets of coaches, lots of other parents and the concession stand ladies who kept us fed on popcorn and Airheads for a month.

It has been amazing how much help we have received from the ward and Tiff's family. Because of all of their hard work I have been able keep with work and get the kids to their activities and let them have some fun. I'm not sure we could have made it otherwise.

2008-06-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

A Seth's Eye View

I had to post Seth's photos from this weekend. All of the pictures except the first three in the album were taken by him. It is interesting to see things from a five year-old perspective. His personal favorite is titled "The South End of a North-bound Tennessee Walker" or "Nooner's Butt."

I realize posting such a risque photo is pushing the envelope for the Moore Family Blog and may offend the sensibilities of some of our readers. I assure you it was done only in the name of artistic expression and you have to admit it is a very nice tail!

2008-06-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

One Great Lake!

After a crazy week last week, Tara and Josh invited us up to get some space and perspective. They provided great listening ears and a fabulous floor to sleep on. We had a wonderful visit, as always, and were appreciative of the love and support family provides.

As part of an early morning Ollie appeasement, Josh took him for a ride in the car and discovered just how close the "Great Lakes" were. When the rest of us finally arose and got our fill of Wii bowling, we decided to check it out. What a wonderful, beautiful, not warm place to spend a holiday. Hope you like the photos.

2008-05-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

Nooner

The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association website says, "Ride one today, own one tomorrow." Apparently they aren't kidding. We went to see "Nooner" on Memorial day thinking he might work for Tiffani and he chose me. We were in Rochester visiting so Tara came with us and fell in love and told me I had to buy him for her.

I was strong and held out for almost a whole day, but I caved and last night he arrived. He is a beautiful and tall and has a strawberry-blonde mane. I am very excited to have finally found my horse. There may be some sad paints and appaloosas around here today, but all you have to do is ride this horse to understand why. Besides, the his former owner said I looked good on him so many times that I ended up believing her.

2008-05-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

All Dressed Up!

We made an extra effort to get to church on time today because Josh had his birthday yesterday and was very excited to be ordained today. He is the first Deacon to be ordained in the Olean Ward for those who keep track of such stats. He has been very excited about getting the priesthood as well as wearing the suit his grandparents bought him for the occasion. He got to go to Young Men's for the first time and was not too intimidated to talk during my lesson. All in all it was a very exciting day.

The other pictures in this album are from Lizzie's "Women's Rights" march which probably lasted a lot less than the 4 hours it seemed like.

2008-04-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome Kyrie!

Last week we got a call from a friend about a Morgan gelding that was looking for a new family. Kyrie is twenty-something and has been retired for a couple of years. His winter coat is cleaning up nicely and increasing his exercise seems to be be slimming him already. He and Billy Lou get along just fine and he is settling right into life at our place. It has been nice to be able to ride with someone else.

2008-04-08T21:36:00.001-07:00

Grace's Baptism

We recently baptized Grace and it was a wonderful experience. The Moore grandparents finally got to see New York state and the Robertson clan was here in full force. We found a spot for everyone to sleep and we had a very nice visit with everyone. We even got an unexpected visit from Dan and Kim with their boys which was a special treat.

Grace was very proactive about the ceremony. She planned the program and made all of the phone calls to invite everyone to participate. She truly has a gift for organization. It was wonderful to share such a spiritual time with our families and appreciate everyone who came to support Grace. We got to have some fun with everyone as well and I think some of them may come back for another visit.

2008-03-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! The Easter Bunny found us this morning and the kids are smack in the middle of an incredible sugar-high. Thank goodness it is sunny and warm so they can spend some time outside. I haven't heard this many giggles in a long time.

Tiffani was able to go to church today and seems to have made it through. We even got thank you notes written and most of the dishes back to those who brought in food. We were blessed to have Grandma Shari spend the weekend with us which means that we get to start this new week with clean dishes and clean underwear. As you can imagine that brightens our outlook quite a bit. We are so grateful for all of those who have helped us in the last few weeks. Everyone has truly been wonderful. I can't express how much I appreciate friends and family that love us. I could not have done this alone.

Grace had her baptismal interview today. She must have studied because she passed. She is very excited to be baptized on Saturday. We practiced how to stand and bend her knees and even found a jumpsuit that will fit. It's been an all-around great day. There was even some great lighting through the window for some of the pictures we took today. Who could ask for more?

2008-03-22T22:57:00.001-07:00

Whiskey Dan's

A friend from work told me about a local Appaloosa breeder with some beautiful spotted horses. We have been trying to find a time to go and meet them since fall but with winter storms, hospitalizations and the general business of life we didn't make it until today. Tiff is starting to get around a little better but is still not running any races. At this point she has been feeling a little couped up and needed a break. Soaking up the sun (a rare commodity here this winter) at Whiskey Dan's was just the ticket.

2008-03-01T18:25:00.000-08:00

Can You Tell Me How We Got to Sesame Street?

Josh and Tara invited us up to spend President's Day so we all went to the Museum of Play. It was a great place with a lot of fun things to do. The headline act this month was Grossology and it featured the wonders of the human body. Some of the highlights included trying to differentiate foot odor from armpit funk, pumping a stomach with air until it belched, learning everything you wanted to know about snot from a faucet with a drippy nose and discovering whether the brain, esophagus or stomach starts vomiting. I am not sure the Moore family will ever be the same.

They also had a great Sesame Street replica. We sat in Big Bird's nest and Seth got to be on TV with Elmo. The best part was hanging out with family. Tara even made us a roast for dinner which the Moore clan unanimously touted as better than mine.

2008-01-09T20:06:00.001-08:00

Rookie!

Tonight was Lizzie's first hockey practice. She did a great job and worked really hard. It was a little different being on hockey skates and it took a little adjusting.

I was amazed how much work it was for me not to contort myself to "help" her adjust. I am sure I was quite the spectacle gritting my teeth and tensing my arms to keep them from shooting out. The worst part is that I can't skate, I know nothing about hockey, and wouldn't know the first thing about how to help even if it were possible. Heaven forbid any of the kids try a sport I know anything about.

2008-01-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

Dad's Been in Charge

So the weather here is slightly crazy. Last Sunday the scouts were worried we wouldn't have enough snow to try out the Klondike sleds we were building. Just in time the temperature dropped to single digits and it dropped 14 inches of snow which made Wednesday a huge success (except that the boys were freezing their toes off in the barn). Now it is fifty degrees and the snow is all gone. It certainly feels different than a Minnesota January.

Poor Tiffani had a headache for almost 10 days straight so dad had to be creative in entertaining kids. We went from horseback riding to sledding and now we can go right back. We tried to take mom's antique runner sled (which she bought to decorate the front porch) and found out that there is a limit to how many times you can jump it over a fallen tree before the pin on the right front pops loose. Nothing makes a mom with a headache more happy than finding out that dad broke her antique. I guess a little more adult supervision would have been in order.

You have to admit this is a photogenic horse!

2008-01-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

Christmas Time!

We had a great Christmas. We got to spend the big day at Roger and Shari's house in Ohio. The last time we did that, Grace was an infant. It was nice to share in the Robertson family traditions including Grandpa Roger reading Luke 2 on Christmas Eve. Josh and Tara are really close too and it was great to have everyone together. We opened our gifts to one another before we left and it made us feel like it lasted a little longer than usual. Everyone got totally spoiled and it was a great holiday.

We are sad that we couldn't see all of our friends and relatives this holiday season. We are kind of on the far end of the country right now and that makes it hard. We are sorry we didn't get our Christmas cards out this year. We just aren't on top of everthing yet. We really do love everyone, though and hope you had a wonderful Christmas too.

2007-12-17T06:42:00.000-08:00

Christmas Decorations!

Well, we were lazy about it again this year, but last night we broke down and put up our Christmas decorations. There wasn't much else to do while the blizzard howled around us. It was a pretty impressive storm. Just as an example, I made two trips to the barn 2 hours apart and when I went out the second time, you could see no tracks from my previous trip. It was even bad enough to cancel the carolling party we were invited to.

There is always a nice spirit to a decorated house. I am not sure why it always takes us so long to get around to it. To make the night complete, we even lit a fire in the fireplace for the first time. It put out an amazing amount of heat and a beautiful glow. The kids danced to the sounds of Christmas music and we ended up staying late because we figured it would be a snow day today. Of course it wasn't and we all ended up late this morning.

2007-12-02T15:54:00.000-08:00

Pilgrim's Pride

Lizzie made her onstage debut before Thanksgiving. She landed the role of Charity a pilgrim girl who graciously welcomes time-travelling sisters to Plymouth for the first Thanksgiving. She worked very hard on her lines and the costumes were a hoot. It was an impressive showing for a classroom presentation. We were very proud. Click on the picture to see it full size then look at the top left corner to "view album."

2007-11-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

Billie Lou

The newest edition to the chaos that is the Moore family is Billie Lou. She is a 23 year old quarter horse who, like Grace, was born in Missouri. She is a great horse and is very gentle. She has been busy this year giving kids and novice adults rides at a dude ranch. Lucky for us her owners' kids have outgrown the horse phase and they really didn't want to feed her for another winter. We happened to low-ball them right before the next month's boarding fee was due and they couldn't refuse.

She arrived Tuesday and has been great with the kids. We don't have a saddle yet, so they have been riding her bareback. She lets them pick up her feet and Grace even took a crack at her with the hoof pick (until she smelled what came out). Tiffani appears to be her favorite and she is always trying to snuggle up to her. We are very glad to have her. It just seemed wrong to have such an empty barn.

By way of announcement, we are no longer the owners of that nice split-level vacation home in southeastern Minnesota. I am sorry to anyone who was thinking about visiting there this winter. We took a beating from the market but we are thankful not to be paying two heating bills. Oh, yeah, it will be nice not to have the mortgage as well.

A couple of other interesting tidbits: I saw a bobcat eating a porcupine on the side of the road on the way home tonight and the neighbor had a bear cross in front of his car as he came up to visit.

2007-10-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

It's Autumn Time!

I thought these photos might comfort some of you that feel bad for us for having to live in "The East." It has been a gorgeous fall and it seems to get prettier every day. The weather has been great and we are feeling pretty spoiled as we drive through these hills. It seems like mid to late October is the time to visit for peak color. Book your reservations now! Tiffani gets credit for the photos.

2007-10-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

Dinner Program!

Grace and Lizzie recently had this great idea to put on a dinner show for all of us. They carefully lined our chairs up in front of the stage (porch) so that we each had a clear view of the entertainment as we ate. I think the main point was to showcase Grace's new song about Seth. Lizzie did some rollerblade demos and then she and Seth did some serious dance moves. Grace seranaded us all with my guitar and it turned out to be a great show.

Afterwards, we decided to have a campfire. If you click on the picture and open up the photo gallery, you will see a prominent linear burn on Grace's cheek. Despite what any pediatricians who may be reading this are thinking, this very suspicious burn on the face was an accident. In fact it is a perfect example of what can happen when you insist that your older sister hand you a red hot marshmallow roaster while you are holding a musical instrument that is as large as you are. Fortunately, it has healed really well and if I hadn't posted photos you would never know.

We ended the evening's festivities with a few rounds of No Bears are Out Tonight. That quickly cheered up the branded babe and wore us all out before bed.

2007-09-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

Wildlife Rescue!

Opossum Nursery

I have been a very bad blogger. We have been swept away with all the big changes in life and it just seems the blog was swallowed by the rest of life. I can't leave you all hanging on the opossum story, though.

The mother opossum wasn't able to tell us that she couldn't get out of the whiskey barrel with 13 babies in her pouch and by the time I noticed she was looking sickly, she couldn't even climb up a board to get out. I got her out and put down some fresh water, but the next day after church I found her dead in our field. As I approached, I saw that her belly was moving and turned her over to find six of the babies alive. They were pretty dirty and it took two thorough baths to de-funkify them.

We were amazed to see how much information on raising baby opossums is available with a simple google search. We stole Oscar's kennel, bought the ingredients for formula and started a wildlife rescue right in our laundry room. You can't imagine how nice that smells......

If that weren't enough, our barn cat had two beautiful little gray tabby kittens. Unfortunatley the next day, I found them dead and she was nowhere to be seen. The next time we saw her, she had given birth to one more little black kitten with a uterus that was no longer an internal organ. That meant that we had a one-day-old orphan kitty to add to our zoo inside. Tiffani did an amazing job of parenting an infant and it really required 24 hour care. Oscar did his part as well, by licking the little guy until he could poop. He made a very good mama.

We are extremely proud of ourselves for keeping all seven babies alive for one week, but I can't express how grateful we were when we were able to turn them all over to the official opossum rehabilitator who just happened to nurse orphaned kitties in her spare time. It has been quite an adventure!

2007-08-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

Awesome Opossum!
Before our trip to Ohio last weekend, I noticed that something had ripped open the cat food bag in the barn again. I thought I would be a smarty and put it in the whiskey barrel where it would be harder to get to. As it turned out, not only did this female opossum find it, she also found a very nice, secure place to raise her babies with what must seem like an endless supply of food. Unfortunately, the cats would like to eat some of their food, but opossums have 50 very sharp teeth and none of us are reaching in to scoop some out!

Lizzie was credited with the discovery in Josh's 3 minute documentary detailing the event. Everyone was so excited (and a little freaked out) that they didn't even notice the babies at first. They are still nursing and they are about the cutest little things on the planet. We're not really sure what to do about them....for now they are just the newest residents in our barn and the cats are contemplating a move to the garage.

2007-08-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Bubble Trouble!

After a busy day Tiffani decided that a nice bubble bath. Unfortunately, our jetted tub didn't come with an owner's manual and a little bit of bubbles went a very long way. When the kids saw the bubbles, they had to take a turn as well. Lizzie decided that it needed freshening up for her turn and she added about 1/4 of the bubble bath. The results were dramatic to say the least.

2007-07-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Wynonna!
Yes, we really were this close at the Wynonna concert last weekend! It was an incredible show. Tiffani was impressed enough that she promised never tease me about loving that growl again. That's progress.

Sorry I dropped off the blog for while, but it has been crazy with a new house, new clinic, no home internet access etc... I will try to do better.

2007-06-11T11:58:00.001-07:00

Freddie's Funeral!
After three long years, we finally laid Freddie to rest yesterday. For those of you who don't know or don't remember Freddie was our beta. He lived for almost three years which is apparently about twice their normal lifespan on someone's kitchen table. We contribute his longevity to consistent over-feeding. He was Tiffani's pride and joy and she "trained" him to come to the top of the glass to see her. He would even break the surface of the water going after his food (you goldfish owners may not think that's much, but for a beta these were extroardinary tricks).

Unfortunately, after making a couple of moves with us, he died here in Minnesota. At the time burial was impractical so, despite mocking Troy Eppich mercilessly for freezing Muirbrooks'dog, I put Freddie in a babyfood container in the freezer where he has quietly waited for about three years.

Yesterday we ate some icecream and came across the corpse. We decided that Freddie needed to be laid to rest before our next move. We naturally wanted to do it the viking way as he was such an amazing fish and we are in Minnesota.

The funeral was a simple family affair (with the exception of Batman who came to pay his respects). We took him down to the river and after Tiffani said some words Grace tossed him in so that he could make his way to the Mississipi and on to the Gulf of Mexico. We were a little surprised to find out that freeze dried fish floats. Unfortunately, she didn't get him out into the current and instead of slipping out to sea, he drifted back upstream for a while amid cries of, "He's coming back to life," and "He's turning into a salmon." The girls were very excited about the prospect of climbing in to fish him out but I was able to toss some rocks next to him which moved him into the main current and off to Valhalla (or at least around the next bend in the river).

We then bid farewell to the Zumbro. We have really enjoyed having it within a few minutes walk of home. We have spent a lot of Sunday afternoons skipping rocks and picking up broken beer bottles over the last four years. It was a great little hidden spot and it meant a lot to us. The good new is that there may be some hidden spots at our new place that will do just as well. The movers come tomorrow

Freddie's Funeral

2007-06-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Seth!
We finally got Seth's party together for this weekend. It was a great time with lots of duck, duck goose and swing time. For those of you who are concerned about missing the day, no his birthday did not move. It is still the 25th. We just aren't going to be very close to his friends on that day and after seeing all of his siblings have parties he wouldn't be denied.

We also got our first interest in our house this weekend and showed it three times. Still no offers, but just knowing someone was a little interested makes us feel a whole lot better.

Seth's Birthday Party

2007-06-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Arrow of LightThis was a big week for Josh. He has finally reached the end of his Cub Scout time and is moving on. Thanks to an impressive last minute effort, he was awarded his Webelos badge and Arrow of Light. He is very excited to be moving into the 11 year olds. He has already completed several of his Tenderfoot requirements and he loves his new leader. I have to admit I am excited about the transition too. I have been shopping for camping gear online and I even bought him a compass this week (despite him donating mine to the Zumbro River last year). It is hard to believe he has grown so much. I hope he loves scouting as much as I did. I am just glad I get to share part of his experience with him.

Arrow of Light

2007-06-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day!We had a great Memorial Day. It started with a pancake breakfast and bike parade at the church. Seth reached another milestone when he decided that if his friends could pedal a bike, he could too. That is a wonderful thing for those of us who are tired of hearing him yelling, "AAACK!" when we were tired of pushing him around.

When we got home Grace took her bike to the neighbors and practiced without her training wheels. Several hours and some bruises later, she could start without a push. Now all she needs is an occasional band-aid when she comes to one of those unexpected abrupt stops that happen when you hit an immobile object. We got the garage organized and the yard cleaned up and worked up a good sweat. The kids then hosed each other off to cool down. It was a great day!

Memorial Day

2007-05-27T10:12:00.001-07:00

Lizzie's Turn!

Lizzie's birthday, ears pierced

Lizzie finally got her chance to have her sleepover on Friday night. She had three friends over and they had a fabulous time. It may be hard to believe but compared to Josh's friends they were louder, more active and actually climbed the walls. One of them even chipped a tooth. Take that, boys!

If you click on the picture above you will see the tooth that Lizzie couldn't bear to do without until she drove us insane complaining about it hurting every time she ate but not letting us pull it. Her reward when she finally let me pull it out (after Seth popped her in the mouth and made her bleed in sacrament meeting) was to get her ears pierced. We took them to Claire's yesterday for the big event. Grace hopped right up in the chair and said, "Where do we do this?" Lizzie remained true to form and decided that, like pulling the tooth, this was something that you don't just jump into. She found some fabulous clip-ons and that is just perfect for her right now.

2007-05-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

Bluebells!

Oxbow Park Bluebells

Last year at this time we went to Oxbow park and enjoyed the beautiful wild bluebells. Tiffani was in California, helping a very sick Tara through her first trimester, and we were very mom-sick. On Mother's Day we went out and drew pictures of the flowers to console ourselves. This year we took her along. It is a very beautiful but amazingly short-lived sight.

Thanks to a little coaching by Josh Ferrin, you can click on the picture and go to the entire photo album online. I added two photos to my last post as well. Anytime you see the surrounding frame, there is a link to an album. Enjoy!

2007-05-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

The mom at our house has been exceptionally busy lately with all of this driving across the country, selling and purchasing homes, finding preschools in far away towns and rushing to get the house presentable every ten minutes so that it can be shown yet again to someone who doesn't want it. She has been a very good sport and she is truly amazing. As if she didn't have enough on her plate, she decided that since we are leaving Minnesota she would throw each of the older children a birthday/going away partythis month. That means that we are having three parties in three weeks. Josh started it off with a sleepover last weekend. They were insanely loud and crazy and they had a really great time.

Grace chose to have a tea party with her two best friends so Tiffani got everything they would need for a very fancy little soiree. This involved me stopping at Daube’s Bakery to pick up some incredible little desserts on the way home from work. They had a very good time and it was the perfect Grace gathering. Lizzie is finishing things off with a sleepover for an as yet undisclosed number of 9 year old girls this Friday. Thank goodness for the Fathers and Sons campout which will allow some of us not to participate.

Birthday Bashes

We are all very excited about the move to New York. We would be more excited if we could sell this house. We have shown it 22 times and have had 0 offers so far. That isn’t a good ratio. We have been doing some small projects to increase our chances and yesterday we decided to paint the front and garage doors. Seth insisted on helping paint and despite some serious reluctance on my part, Tiff encouraged me to let him. He actually did an incredible job. He listened to my instructions and was very careful. He was even refusing to take a break for lunch and a nap. Grace, Josh and Liz all took turns helping with the garage door and we were able to step back and see some significant improvement after our hard work. Even John across the street complimented us on how things looked and that is saying something.

Painting Party

Between the painting and the kids washing both cars, we got more work out of these kids that we ever have before. The girls even decided to start their own car washing business for which they made and distributed flyers to the neighbors. Apparently on Saturdays only, starting on the 19th, the Moore Family Car Wash is open for business. Come see us if you need a scrub.

2007-05-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Cover Your Eyes!

On our way back from Scottsdale we met Jason and Melinda Taylor and their family at the mall in Flagstaff. We were flattered that they would make the trip over just to visit with us and it was really great to see them. They now have three boys and seem to be doing really well.

As we entered the mall Seth noticed the larger-than-life underwear models in the Victoria's Secret window and turned around to say, "Cover your eyes," as he put his hand over his own face. It was so cute. We had a great visit. It is nice to have great friends.

The rest of our drive home was a nightmare. The DVD player went on the fritz as we were leaving the Phoenix city limits. Albuquerque had a convention making finding lodging at 11:30 pm a chore. I decided to be charitable to a guy who claimed to be stranded at a truck stop but appeared to be a truck-stop panhandler who left with our Grandma Mary dollars. Seth had an accident in his shorts while checking out the Shelby Cobra at a truck stop. Josh projectile vomited in the middle of nowhere Colorado (prompting a water bottle bath on an overpass) and a little later Oscar almost repeated the feat. I forgot to exit onto I-76 in Denver and we had dinner in Loveland before finding an alternate route. By the time we hit Nebraska we were four hours behind and I decided to just get the trip over with and drive straight through. After driving from Albuquerque, NM to Rochester, MN without sleep I was a little tired. That's my excuse for not posting in a while. What's yours?

2007-04-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

202 #2

Tiffani ended up on a grand tour of the Phoenix area during rush hour the other day. Josh got invited to go on a scout campout with Josh Barker and Lee last Friday night. They were supposed to meet at Lori and Lee's at about 3:45 which meant that Tiff, who hates driving in the city, would have to take him down there. She called me at about 3:00 to see if, by chance, I was done and could do the driving. Unfortunately for her I was in the room with a patient which severely limited our conversation. I briefly gave her directions and she headed out. I told her to go South on 101 all the way south until she hit 202 West then follow it until the freeway ends.

Traffic was apparently a mess and as they headed South which made it a stressful drive so when Josh saw a sign for the 202 Loop they took it. Unfortunately the 202 Loop and 202 West are not the same. They immediately knew it wasn't right but by then it was too late. When I called them to see if they had made it they were at the international airport, stuck in rush hour traffic, running out of gas. I have to admit that at this point I can no longer say that having a cell phone is a waste. Tiff called Lee and eventually they arrived safely. They didn't, however, get gas on the way.

I arrived about an hour later and those of us who weren't four-wheeling with the Boy Scouts went out to dinner. On the way back from the restaurant the van burned its last fumes and died. Luckily we were able to coast off of the road close to a 7-11. The clerk was not particularly sympathetic and he made me pre-pay for the can and the gas (like I was going to pump and run on foot with a full gas can). I had Lori's girls, Tiffani, Grace and Seth with me and they were all good sports. We stopped for gas at a different station (one that didn't think I looked like a criminal) and went through a carwash with rainbow soap which was a big hit.

The Joshs had a great time shoting each other with Airsoft guns (without eye protection) and cacti with a .44 magnum (and no ear protection), jumping out of the truck several times to throw rocks to fill in washes or in case it tipped over as they attempted to climb to the top of a mountain and fighting over the covers in the back of a truck all night. To top it off our Josh sat on a cactus which hitched a ride on his jeans. It was everything a Boy Scout could have hoped for.

2007-04-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

People Walking!
The combination of beautiful warm weather and no daylight savings time here makes the conditions perfect for an early morning stroll. Oscar and I have been taking advantage of this every morning and it has been really nice. Apparently this is not a new concept as we run across numerous other walkers, most of whom have dogs.

I hadn't really thought about where the term "doggie bag" came from but after seeing the little plastic bag dispensors along every path and considering how long pet waste might last if left alone in the desert I now have a pretty good idea. I may never look at leftovers the same way again.

I was starting to be pretty proud of myself for being friendly and meeting so many people as we were out until one encounter a couple of days ago. Oscar and I met a nice lady and her pooch and we visited for a second. As we resumed our walk I said, "Nice to meet you." It was with that sentence that I realized that I knew her dog's breed, name and age but I didn't ever actually meet her.

The next day after another such encounter the other owner said, "Nice to meet you." I returned the phrase only to realize that she was talking to Oscar. So much for my social skills!

2007-04-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

Water-lemon!
Last night we went to Lori and Lee's for Sunday dinner. It was a great meal with Easter turkey, funeral potatoes and cilantro in the salad. It was Jakey's birthday so we even had Grandma Mary's famous recipe sheet cake. The kids had a blast and the adults looked up family history and passed photos from lap-top to lap-top. It was a great day.

As we were hugging our grandparents good-bye Seth opened the fridge and said, "But I want waterlemon!" He had asked many times during the day but we weren't sure what he meant until he pointed to the watermelon. It was purchased for our picnic on Saturday and we had all forgotten about it. It was pretty hard to say no after ignoring his pleas all day so we decided to give him a slice. Before long we had the whole thing about polished off.

It was tough saying good-bye to the grandparents, but I guess that means it was a good visit. At least Seth's request bought us all a few more minutes together. Grandma Mary capped off the evening with a "Cheerio Bye-by" for the road.

2007-04-07T23:44:00.000-07:00

Cousins!
We had a great day with the cousins today! They have a favorite park with animals that spit water at the kids. Grandma Lean bought squirt guns and Grandma Mary sprang for Kentucky Fried so all the makings of a great Moore family gathering were there.

2007-04-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

We got our kicks!
On our trip to Scottsdale we covered almost 1,800 miles in three very long days. The kids were fabulous little travellers and it was Tiffani who had the hardest time. Even Oscar made the trip okay. As we were driving towards Santa Fe, we crossed route 66 for the first time. Since it was immortalized in the eyes of our kids by "Cars" it was a big event. We then proceeded to more or less follow it as we took I-40 west towards Flagstaff. As the kids were watching the movie we came through one large valley in New Mexico that must have been the inspiration for mesas that were shaped like old car hoods in the movie. It was incredibly beautiful.

We got off the freeway and ran into a little town on the old route 66 that could have been Radiator Springs with it's decrepit tire store, body shop and diner. The Dairy Queen had a great mural of with an old Corvette and a map of the California, Arizona and New Mexico stops along the "mother road." Unfortunately, we were all too exhausted to think about taking any pictures so you have to settle for the photo that I got from the Flagstaff website.

2007-03-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

Derby Day!

Well this is the first wireless internet post from our new Macbook. That in itself is very exciting, but not as exciting as this year's Pinewood Derby. Josh worked very hard to get his car designed, built and painted. This was quite a feat considering both parents did nothing but work on getting our house ready to sell for the last two weeks since our New York trip. We almost skipped the Derby altogether, as we were leaving the next day for my Arizona rotation, but it is Josh's last (he will move on to the 11 year olds next month) and he really wanted to participate. After he missed last year's race (also taking one for the team while we travelled) I couldn't say no. One of his friends said it looked like a limo and the name stuck.

He worked hard and the car is his design and his hard work with some cutting and wheel mounting assistance from me (I am not good with power tools). The amazing part was that it turned out to be a pretty fast car. He got 3rd overall and was very excited. I think he enjoyed seeing something he worked on do well. It was the best Pinewood Derby I have been to and the kids all had a blast. Seth brought Josh's car from 2 years ago and ran the wheels off of it when it was his turn. It was a great night.

Now we are on the road again and making good time. We made it as far as Kearney tonight after not leaving Minnesota until 3pm. This was our goal, so we are pleased with our progress. Tomorrow will be a big driving day and we hope to get pretty close to the sushine state before we call it a night. Oscar is taking the trip well and is spending his first night in a motel with lots of exciting new smells. This will be our longest roadtrip yet, so it is a good thing we have been training for it for so many years. Overall things are great and the house looked good when we left. Hopefully all of the potential buyers will think so too.

2007-03-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

Grace's Brithday!

Grace had the rare opportunity to spend her birthday with family this year. She even got to have birthday dinner at grandma's house. We had a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa Robertson on our trip and enjoyed spending some time with Lisa, Bob and Sara who we haven't seen in years.

2007-03-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

As promised here are the inside pictures of our new house. If you can look past the wallpaper, it's actually a pretty nice place.

2007-03-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

We did it!

We found our New York House. I will post more pictures after we get back to a faster internet connection. We are very excited and we hope you are too.

2007-03-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Lizzie had an incredible day. As usual I had to go to church early for PEC and that leaves Tiff getting all of the kids ready for 9 AM church by her self. Lizzie helped get Seth ready and was quick and cheerful. I called and asked her to find and load some items in the van and she said, "sure!" She didn't even complain about taking the dog out. She was a beautiful, wonderful happy child all day.

2007-02-27T06:52:00.000-08:00

Winter Storm Warning!

This weekend we caught our share of that horrendous storm that buried the country. I had to work in Albert Lea and they asked me to drive over Friday night to make sure I made it in. I was a little reluctant to leave, so we went and ran some errands before I left. There were a few little hail pellets that fell as we went into the grocery store. By the time we came out 20 minutes later, the parking lot was covered in white and the storm was upon us.

The first 30 miles of the trip were pretty exciting (and very slow) but then I got a reprieve. When I awoke Saturday, the hotel windows were covered in sheets of ice as was all of Albert Lea. There was blowing snow all day and by supper time, I was sure I didn't want to go back to Rochester that night. I called the Doc who was supposed to cover Sunday and offered to stay over night and take his shift and he was thrilled. I stayed over and worked a second 12 hour shift on Sunday and was able to leave after the storm almost broken and the roads were relatively good.

Rochester got hit even harder. They even cancelled church which they said they would never do (and never have before). The kids were thrilled because they were allowed to go out and play in all of that snow on Sunday. Afterall, a good blizzard doesn't come that often. They built a great snow fort and covered it with a tarp to make an igloo. After it all we feel very blessed that we were able to enjoy the fun of a big storm without losing our power or being without food or heat. Some of the neighboring communities weren't as lucky.

Apparently this is only round one and Wednesday we are supposed to have another big one roll in.

2007-02-19T08:46:00.000-08:00

Back to Normal

Well, it took a full week, but things are about back to normal at the Moore home. Our trip left everyone a little traumatized. Seth and Oscar were the most shaken up, but at this point they have settled back in.

Unfortunately, there is nothing but more craziness on the horizon. We started to work on getting the house ready to sell so that it can be in pristine shape when we leave for Scottsdale. We made just enough progress to make it look as though a tornado came through. Besides one corner of the living room, which is all cleaned up and ready to show, the house is a shambles. With time-out for a house hunting trip in New York, the clock is definitely ticking to get it all done. This is going to be a busy month. Otherwise all is well. We are looking forward to seeing family this spring and hoping to have a smooth transition.

2007-02-16T10:57:00.000-08:00

2007-02-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

Kayak Day!

On Thursday we took a guided kayak tour and saw four dolphins close up. We found some great shells and learned a lot about the area from our guide. It was just us on the tour so he was able to answer questions and we moved at our own pace. It was a great way to see the coast.

2007-02-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

Caya Costa!

On Wednesday we took a cruise to Caya Costa which is a small island off of North Captiva that is only accessible from the water. There are a couple of vacation homes there, but the vast majority of the island is a state park. Its beaches are littered with innumerable shells.

2007-02-13T07:53:00.000-08:00

Top Down!

By Tuesday it warmed up enough that we put the top down for our auto tour of the Ding Darling wildlife preserve. For a cartoon of the car check out the link to my artwork page on the right.The wildlife area is a beautiful estuary on the Pine Island Sound side of Sanibel Island.

Unfortunately, this is the only sign of the aligators we saw (besides the lunch menu).

It was all capped off with the first of our beautiful Gulf of Mexico Sunsets!

2007-02-12T13:27:00.000-08:00

We're Back!

Tiffani and I had the opportunity to go to Captiva Island, Florida. It is on the Gulf of Mexico just off of Fort Meyers. We took a bunch of pictures and I figured I would post them with a little description of what we did each day.

It was a freezing 60 degrees Monday so we had the beach all to ourselves. The islands there sit on a coastal shelf making them the perfect place for "shelling." I will post some more shelling pictures in the next couple of days.

You can imagine my disappointment when the rental car agency said they had an orange convertible mustang available for a very small additional fee (still within my allowance). It was pretty rough duty putting up with this car.

Apparently the airport is located in Panther habitat.

It may not have been warm by Florida standards, but with Minnesota below zero, we felt pretty lucky just the same.

2007-02-03T19:02:00.000-08:00

Blondes have "Moore" fun!

In a brilliant ploy to highlight his own hair, Josh came up with the perfect excuse. His Science Fair project was due and he needed an experiment. What seems more scientifically important than establishing once and for all whether dog or human hair bleaches lighter? We busted our buns to help him finish and we can finally say that we are done. For those of you who just have to know, the answer is yes, dog hair does bleach lighter. Now you can go on with life having one of its great mysteries solved.

2007-01-29T11:50:00.000-08:00

Tournament Time!

Josh had his big basketball tournament this Saturday. They lost their first game but then went on to win the consolation bracket. They played all day long and by the end of that last game (5:45 pm), they were understandably exhausted. It has been a fun season, but we are ready to be done with basketball for a while. Seth enjoyed it a lot and wanted to get in on the action.

2007-01-24T12:47:00.000-08:00

Family Home Evening
We had a great Family Home Evening this week. Grace taught us about faith in Jesus Christ. She used Alma 32:21 (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/32) as the basis of her discussion which was the scripture in primary last week. She did the lesson completely on her own. It included some discussion of the scripture, a game and review questions with a treat for each correct answer or valient attempt. She did a great job.
Lizzie enjoyed it as much as everyone else and wasn't nearly as bored as this picture made her look.
The boys seem to have liked the Tootsie Roll part the best.
Even Oscar was pretty reverent.

This is dad's "Put down that camera and lets get on with the lesson," look!

2007-01-22T09:51:00.000-08:00

Brotherly love
Seth discovered a Buzz Lightyear costume this weekend and he hasn't taken it off since. He wore it to Target and to run errands the other night and he attracted a great deal of attention. It seems no one can resist a kid who thinks he is a superhero from outerspace. It did do a "super" job of protecting against the fruit punch he drank with his dinner, so it payed off. As a younger sibling, you know you have made it into everyone's hearts when you can get your very fashion conscious 10 year old brother to don an intergalactic supersuit and pose for a picture. I was shocked to see what brotherly love could make Josh do. He even let him jam on his electric guitar. For any of you who are wondering, no this is not a Gene Simmons impersonation!

2007-01-18T09:33:00.000-08:00

Professional Help So even though I thought I did an excellent job on Oscar's hair the first time, the Vet recommended we establish a relationship with a groomer. We had some shopping to do at Target the other night and noticed the new Petsmart for the first time. They were able to get him in and he apparently did fine. I guess it was that first good experience.

2007-01-17T11:14:00.000-08:00

Game Night!

Santa made a great choice in bringing our family some new games. We have had a great time playing board games with each other. The other night we had a great Cranium Kadoo battle. We acted things out, we sculpted, we drew pictures and we even guessed how many boys were in some formerly popular boy-bands. The best part (besides the fact that none of us knew how many people were in 98 degrees) was that it ended in a six-way tie.

2007-01-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

The King!

The other night we heard Seth yell, "I'm the king." We ran to see what he was doing and this is what we saw.

2007-01-11T10:59:00.000-08:00

We were eating chicken noodle soup the other night when Seth suddenly said, "No, No, don't eat me," in a high pitched voice. He then mercilessly chomped his noodle setting a roar of laughter off amongst the rest of us. His slice of cheese became the next victim.
Of course then everyone had to have their picture taken at the dinner table.

2007-01-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

Zumbro River

We have been contemplating the imminent move from Rochester lately and in a lot of ways we are pretty sad about it. We have lived here longer than anywhere else, since our family was founded, and we are pulling up some significant roots this time. Yesterday we took Oscar for a walk to burn off some puppiness and found our way once again to the banks of the Zumbro. We have very much enjoyed having the river so close. It is the perfect distance for a Sunday afternoon stroll. As we skipped some rocks, identified tracks and ran around on the sand the girls realized that it had been a very long time since we had been there.

We get caught up in too many other things and we forget about some of the simple pleasures in life. Thanks to early church and a relatively warm winter, we got a good reminder yesterday. Hopefully we will take the time to enjoy it while we can.

2007-01-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

Lousy Dog Owners

We took Oscar to the vet last night for a check-up and round of shots. Tiffani shopped around town and found this great Veterinarian with a really friendly office staff. It was a beautiful building and everyone was really nice. We were excited because we had a bunch of questions to ask. The Vet tech was great and had a lot of advice for puppy rearing. It is unbelievable how much there is to know about raising a puppy. We thought that a little bit of love and the occasional fancy hairdo is all that he needed, apparently there is a little more to it.

They wanted to know if he came from a breeder or family so they could decide what to test. He was nice enough to provide them with a stool sample. Sure enough, everything we tested him for came back positive. By the time we left we Oscar had had a foot scraped with a scalpel, a haircut to keep his hair from irritating his eyes, and a sore shoulder from his injections. We left with five different medications, a hefty bill and a genuine concern that our children's gastrointestinal complaints may have a source other then their friends at school. It was certainly an eye opener. We are lousy dog owners.

2007-01-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

We had a great New Year's Eve last night. We played "Life" and even Oscar got in on the "Clue" tournament. Josh was dying to do something crazy so he and Tiffani got everyone ready for a midnight polar sprint through the snow which was finally falling. They ran up and down the road screaming like maniacs. Both girls took tumbles, but they both survived with minor injuries. No frostbite was obtained. Thanks to Mom's headache, she forfeited which gave someone else a shot at winning the game of "Clue." It was an exciting night.

2006-12-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

Oscar was looking more like an EWOK than a dog last week, so we decided it was time for a haircut. We couldn't get him in to see anyone before the holiday, so we thought we would try it on our own. Tiff started but was unhappy with the short spot on his back and stopped until I got home. I took the scissors and in a fury snipped some hair. Tiff had to leave the room while I was working because she thought I was going too short. In the end I think he turned out looking great and Tiff even reluctantly admitted that he looks cute. The only downside is that he is not quite as soft. Here are the before and after pictures.

2006-12-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

As you can see, we had a great Christmas!

2006-12-23T16:17:00.000-08:00

I posted this picture from Lizzie's baptism hoping that I would be able to post her talk from Primary last week. When Tiffani went to help her write her talk, Lizzie said she had already done it. She had written out an experience she had about looking at a Frankenstein book and then having difficulty getting to sleep that night. She prayed and asked for help and the Holy Ghost comforted her so that she could sleep. She didn't give me permission to write about it for a few days, and by the time she did, I couldn't find the paper with her own words on it. I will post it if I do.

2006-12-18T14:52:00.000-08:00

The kids were all a little hyper-active last night and Grace and Seth decided to do some fancy hairstyling before bed. Pretty soon all of the kids and the dog were involved in a wild "crazy hair" party.

2006-12-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

Lizzie and I went on a daddy-daughter date last night to see the Minnesota Icehawks take on the Wisconsin Mustangs. Neither of us had ever been to a hockey game before so it was quite the experience. Lizzie decided to root for #10 on the Icehawks because he was a great skater with a lot of enthusiasm. It was a little slow for a while and I wasn't sure we wanted to stay but, once the home team scored a couple of catch-up goals, it became really exciting.

After the game, the kids all go out on the ice (with or without skates) and the players visit with them and sign autographs. Lizzie was out running around and #10 swooped her up in his arms and skated her over to me. It was the perfect ending to a great date.

2006-12-14T08:54:00.000-08:00

This is a copy of the email Josh asked me to forward to Santa.

dear Santa, how's it go'in? let's get down to business. I have been good
most of the year. i have been a little naughty here and there, but that's
ok, right? # 1: i want a nintendo ds lite in black with either mario kart ds or
new super mario bros. to come with it. # 2: a game boy micro in black.
and # 3: an ipod nano in black. please e-mail me back soon!
sincerely, josh

I am not sure he's been THAT good, but he HAS been working on those puppy dog eyes! I guess we'll see what Santa thinks.

2006-12-13T17:09:00.000-08:00

Things are hectic around here as we get ready for the big holiday. I am working as much as I can to pay for student loans and Christmas, Josh has a very busy basketball schedule, and the rest of us are swamped with the craziness of December.

Oscar has settled right in and has become part of the family. I was afraid that he would give Seth a lot of trouble, so I talked to Seth about how to discipline him and show him he was dominant. I didn't think would be able to understand, but he does a beautiful job.

They have become great friends and Oscar is always trying to sneak into Seth's bed to either play or snuggle. We took the picture on the left when we found them the other night. Tiff then asked if Oscar loved his Sethy and he snuggled up and closed his eyes. They are quite the pair. For Oscar's part, he is still not potty-trained, but he occasionally acts like he is starting to understand so that gives us some hope.

Josh and Tara had their baby this week. Everyone is doing very well. They started a new blog that has some very cute baby pictures on it. The link is on the right of this page. We are very excited for them and sad that we aren't around to share the moment in person. At least we have good pictures.

2006-12-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Josh had a friend sleep over who was incredibly girl crazy. It was hilarious to see him primp before going to the cresche display at the chapel because we said there was one cute girl in our ward. Lizzie thought it would be funny to trick them into thinking that a bunch of girls from school were going to show up in the morning before they could do their hair. Grandma was gracious enough to help by calling and pretending to be a ten year-old girl. I loved the devious look on Lizzie's face, so I had to take some pictures. Oh, and the boys bought it.

2006-12-07T13:21:00.000-08:00

We decked our Halls! Yes, for Family Home Evening this week, we broke out the Christmas decorations. The kids did a very nice job of decorating the three little trees in the windowsill and the big tree is up, but we ran out of decorating time before we finished. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around our house. Both sets of grandparents even sent some gifts that we can put under the tree to make it look official. The carols playing in the background and the soft glow of the christmas lights were great, but my favorite part of the evening was the Santa look-alike contest.

2006-12-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

No parent likes to get mail from the school district. It just never turns out to be good news. When we got a letter from them this week we were not sure what to expect. It turns out that it isn't always bad news. The letter was to inform us that Josh scored in the 95NPR (I believe that is a percentile score) for fifth graders on his National Stanford Assessement.

The Center for Talent and Development at Northwestern University apparently runs a program called the Midwest Academic Talent Search (MATS) and he qualified. This means that they want him to take the SAT, ACT or EXPLORE tests this year. Details on the program can be viewed at the following site: http://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/mats/description.html. It seems like a pretty neat opportunity for him.

Despite what he may want us to think, in addition to being handsome and popular, he is also no dummy. The pictures are from Hoovy Groovy Fun Night (the PTA's big fundraiser for the year).

2006-11-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Grace's school had a spirit assembly and she was given the coveted Kiwanis Terrific Kid award. It is an award her teacher nominated her for just because she is terrific. In fact, at parent teacher conference Mrs. Marsh tried to adopt Grace. She said that she would give her her own bedroom and bathroom and everything. We were a little concerned when Grace hesitated and looked at the ceiling before turning her down. They have a great time singing together every morning to start the school day. We couldn't ask for a better teacher or a more terrific kid!

Lizzie also got this award back in kindergarten. She reminded me yet again yesterday that I never put her bumper sticker on my car window.

2006-11-25T18:23:00.000-08:00

Say hello to Oscar! The newest addition to our family is an 11 week old Teddy Bear (Bichon/Shi Tzu cross). He is still a little freaked out about the move, but he seems to like his new pack so far. He is way cute and we hope he is as hypoallergenic as advertised.

2006-11-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

The first big snowstorm did more than just give us some entertainment, it also informed me that the hole in the sole of my work shoes would no longer be ignored. On Saturday we decided to take the whole family for an outing to find me a new pair. This, of course was insane and we ended up with tired, hungry kids running all over Herberger's late at night.

It wouldn't have been too bad if I wasn't such a shoe nut and they weren't having a really great sale. I ended up replacing both my black and brown work shoes and getting a pair of shoes for every day use. On Sunday I came home from my early morning meeting (wearing my new black shoes) in a really good mood. Tiffani was teasing me that it was because of the shoes and the kids all joined in. While there may be a hint of truth in that statement, I am getting my revenge by posting the pictures of them celebrating in my new shoes!

2006-11-15T11:59:00.002-08:00

Last Friday we had our first big snowstorm of the year and the kids were thrilled. Everyone had a blast sledding and snowboarding down our front yard. All the neighbors were over and it was a great time.

2006-11-09T10:07:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the trip Andrew and I made to Fremont Island a few years ago. The idea for the trip started with an assignment in my college Utah History class where we had to visit a Utah history site and write a paper about the experience. I researched Fremon't visit to his "Disappointment Island" and scouted out multiple maps and routes. I called the state parks department to see if it was okay and they told me it was private which had me very disappointed. Fortunately, I mentioned it to my boss at Smith and Edwards who happened to be the first cousin of the island's owner. With permission, I just needed to choose the route and pull of the trip. I was planning on taking Mike Vause but he was a little slow to commit and we didn't get things organized in time to go before the class ended. I ended up writing a paper about my preparations and scouting trips and Dr. Roberts was okay with that. I left Utah for three years for school but always wanted to make the trip. When I moved back to Logan, I discussed it with Andrew who was very interested in going.

Andrew and I had not done much together for a long time at that point. Between my mission, his Airforce time and my out-of-state education, we really hadn't seen each other much for several years. This trip was a wonderful chance to get out and do something together and we had a great time and a great talk. I am posting some of the pictures we took that day. It is a treasured memory for me. The cross was carved by Kit Carson who was Fremont's guide on the expedition.

The old picture I found online. It was done by the artist on the 1849 Stansbury expedition which circumnavigated the Great Salt Lake for the first time. Comparing it to Andrew in the same spot shows that he allowed a little exaggeration of the size of the cave. The Andrew picture is looking North to South and the Stanbury drawing is looking West to East making it a sunrise over the Wasatch range in the background (not a sunset). I think this drawing is a fun illustration of how the history of the west grew into something larger than it was.