I am having the hardest time keeping up with updating this because we have no internet at the house. It is hard to leave the kids for an hour and come up to the office to get this done, but I know I have to do it. I will definitely want to read about all of our experiences when the kids were growing up. It all goes by way too fast, even though some days seem to last forever.
Well, we finally let the kids know that I will be expecting another child at the end of October, or first of November. They are so excited. I would think that Jams and Sags would be sick of me bringing new siblings into the world, but they have been bugging me for awhile to have another one, even with all of the risks that I am taking because of my age etc. I have really good kids, what can I say? We are all excited, and I cannot wait to rock another one in my chair. My chair is literally falling apart, but I love to rock and hold those babies at night. I am very blessed and very grateful. I came close to miscarrying during all of the Bundy showdown happenings, and I am grateful that this kid is tough and was able to hang in there. We are happy and excited.
These last few weeks have been chock full of all of the end of year stuff. Most of it I have had to go to by myself because Ryan is still very involved with the ranch happenings. He was, however, able to attend the girls' end of year dance review. It was quite the deal. What was kind of unfortunate, was the fact that most of the groups that just happened to be paired with Jams, Rooshkie, and Jazzerz group was all of the really young kids. She usually splits the groups in half, and has two reviews. She has so many classes that the program would take four hours. She splits the groups in half, and has two separate programs. Anyhow, Ryan and I got really weary of all of the bouncing tutus. Don't get me wrong, those little girls are as cute as can be, but when you see group after group of little girls, and all they can really do is bounce up and down to some music in a tutu, it gets kind of monotonous. My girls did really well though and I was happy that we were both able to be there. Bouncing tutus and all.
We also celebrated Saggers birthday last week. She turned thirteen...yeah Sags! She wanted me to take her shopping for some new clothes, and she wanted to go and get a trim. Jams wanted to come to, which left Rooshkie my next available option for a babysitter. Rooshkie does pretty good, but she is still kind of young to leave for too long. We checked in on her quite a few times. I didn't realize some of the hazards that occured by putting Rooshkie in charge until the next day. I had made Sags a cheesecake and the kids always enjoy scraping the sides off of the sweetened condensed milk can. Rooshkie must have enjoyed it enough, that she opened a whole can, and they began eating that can of condensed milk. I found traces of this mess everywhere the next day. There was a pool of it dumped on my window seat in my bedroom. My parents had taken Sags shoe shopping and a few swirls of condensed milk were found on Saggers new shoes. The biggest eyebrow raiser was in my freezer. Rooshkie had tried to make some sort of sweetened condensed milk frozen suckers. They were made out of odd items like lids and old radio antennaes for the sticks. I will never understand I guess. She at least kept the kids supervised and alive, and sticky because of her snack choices.
We also had a band and orchestra concert which is always somewhat of a fiasco without Ryan's help. The first thing that Mo did was remove his pants. He then began running around and around in his shirt and diaper. I was too tired to chase him and too embarrased for people to think that I had brought him without pants. I sent Jazz to retrieve him and end the nonsense. The girls played really well. They also sang with the choir and did a good job. I especially enjoyed the music that they played from "the Hobbit." In one of the numbers the band played "Hedwigs Theme" from Harry Potter. I seriously thought one of the trumpet players was on the verge of passing out. That song requires a pretty strong brass section, and well, there aren't very many brass in the band. I am glad that he made it through the song without falling to the ground. Toward the end, the kids got really naughty. Mo was squirming, and screaming, and flailing his arms about. I finally asked Rooshkie to wait until the song was over, and then take them all out to the playground. Well, she didn't wait until the song was over, but went out, slamming the door so loud that a large echo was heard right in the middle of a song....yep I was embarrased all over again. It is definitely part of being a parent.
Last weekend we drove to Phoenix and Mesa. Valerie was graduating from high school and Bowen was getting baptized. We seriously had the best weekend ever! The graduation, was fresh and casual. I was kind of worried about juggling all of the kids at that, but it was held outside, in a huge stadium. We found a spot in the corner, the grass was like a lush green carpet bed, and there was sand to dig in nearby. Ryan immediately fell asleep on the soft greenness. The kids began throwing dirt until seriously, we were all sitting in a dust haze until Ryan got after them. It was such a nice night, and I really enjoyed my family. Christine had got us a three room suite at a Marriott for a killer rate too. It was so nice. The kids swam late into the evening in their outdoor pool, and then swam most of the next day. We also went to Ammon and Lisa's where they swam.
The baptism was really nice too. We had been asked to sing, and we sang "Families Can Be Together Forever." Seriously, when I think about what my family has been through together lately, it was all I could do not to cry. The baptism had a powerful spirit. Bowen is a really special kid, and when he came out, the kids sang "I am a Child of God" together. Bowen had thrown his arm around Oak and once again, I tried not to cry. I am so thankful for this family and mine. We are so blessed to love each other so much. We literally faced Hell together last month, and I hope we stay close forever because of it. There isn't much I wouldn't do for them or for my brothers and parents.
After the baptism, Ammon and Lisa threw a bbq in their back yard. The kids played in the pool with their cousins and friends all day. Mo got to where he was fearless in the water. He was doggie paddling everywhere. The kids were not one bit happy when Ryan said that we were going to head home. Chlo literally bawled and bawled because she really liked the hotel room and desperately wanted to go back. No Chlo, we cannot laze about in that nice room forever....sorry.
We spent a night between Wikiup and Kingman, and I was surprised at how good everyone slept. Jams complained some because her sleeping bag was full of sand and she was sunburned. Not a very good combination. Poor Wams, she didn't expect to sleep in the middle of nowhere in the desolate desert. We never know with Ryan at the helm of the family. We did make it to Mesquite in time for Ryan and I to make it to shrsh. I didn't take the kids because they were kind of a mess. They were content to play at the ranch. They also spent their labor day learning about families and relatives at the cemetary with Cliven, and they spent most of the rest of the day swimming at the head gate with Arden. Needless to say, they were not happy to be taken home at all.
The last few days have been spent cleaning up. I also attended the middle school festival at the school where Jams and Sags were some of the few students chosen to present their reports. Jams report on the desert tortoise was really good. I could tell that everyone learned a lot as she played clips of Cliven from youtube. Sags report on stem cell research was good too. She came out against it because of the use of human embryo's. Smart and ethical Sags.
Chlo and Mo have spent the day collecting potato bugs and taking them for ride on their toy train. They have been trying to feed the potato bugs bread, dirt and grass, but I am not sure they are consuming any of it. I hope that the potater bugs have had a rockin' good time on that train because Chlo has gone to a lot of trouble to try to make them happy.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Well, another busy week gone by. I know that sounds typical, but at the end of the school year, it seems like we take busy to a whole new level. Add to that all of the political happenings, and it is about more than I can keep up with. Ryan keeps mentioning that he needs to be in three places at once, all the time. I largely feel the same way.
The kids, bless their little hearts, have been naughty aughty this week. A lot of fighting, and shoving etc. There seems to be a lot of hard work going on, simply to get on everyone else's nerves. We have had a lot of discussion about it, but nothing seems to be changing. I am sure that a lot of unrest is being felt because we plan on moving to the ranch for awhile. As much as we need a larger home, the reality is, we are comfortable with our little house and routine. Change is on the way, and change can be difficult, especially for kids who are comfortable with friends, activities, and school.
I mentioned the culvert last week. Much time is still spent rolling around in that thing. Ryan also found a stray rabbit at his job site. It almost got hit by several cars, and he suspects that it was someone's lost Easter pet. Anyhow, he brought it home and he has been a delight and a half. He has been loved almost to death, especially by Mo. Mo just hasn't quite figured out how to be gentle yet. He wants to squeeze him and bathe with him. Jams named him Travis, by the way. Travis ended up missing in my house for a large part of a day, thanks to Wazz. She came in the house holding Travis. Everyone was practicing their music, and she set Travis on the kitchen floor because she was sure that Sage would come and get him. Well, Sager was practicing her guitar and had no idea that Travis awaited her arrival in the kitchen. I can only imagine Travis' hurried exit when he saw his chance. He hid under the dishwasher where no one could find him. Smart Travis.
The weather turned wet and cold about the time that Travis came to stay with us. Rooshkie kept wanting to sleep outside in the culvert with Travis. I personally thought the whole idea was completely ridiculous. Sure, the culvert provides some shelter from the rain, but what about all of those awful ridges in your back all night? Not to mention it was barely above freezing. I had to put my foot down about Rooshkie's overnight ideas in the culvert.
I guess Chlo felt like she wasn't getting enough Travis time, and so she went out and found her own pets. She apparently found a bunch of slugs and stuck them in an empty bubble container. The slugs, along with a whole bunch of grass. Chlo felt real love and nostalgia for those slugs. She claimed over and over that slugs are and will always be her favorite animal. I still question whether she really ever had any slugs at all. All I ever saw when I peered into their bubble container was a bunch of grass. Whatever, it made Chlo happy for several days.
Mo also had a cup of ants that became his pets. He was really wanting to make his ants happy, and he kept insisting that the ants needed their own car, and their own picture of Jesus. Mo is just about right on that. We all need a car, and our own picture of Jesus.
With all of the extra company and chaos, the kids' bedroom has gotten out of control messy again. I have gutted it out myself several times in the last few weeks. This has really gotten me nowhere, because unless they clean it themselves they don't maintain it. The problem is, it takes more work and patience to get them to clean it, than if I just go get it done. One day, I was determined that they were going to pick it up. Of course, this led to a whole barrage of accusations and murmurings as to who was to blame, and who the real cause of the mess was. Well, I have seen that they all cause the mess. Anyhow, it is so frustrating because for hours I have to hear about how so and so isn't working, or about how someone is refusing to help. Let's just face facts for a few minutes. Chlo, on rare occasions, has shown forth a lot of ambition, but for the most part, she really isn't much help yet. Oak isn't much better than Chlo. Rooshkie can whip through the biggest of messes, but she is rarely in the mood, and Jazzerz is good help if someone else is working steady. It is rare indeed when they just happily tidy up. Anyhow, Oak was doing nothing but trying to annoy Rooshkie. He claimed that he couldn't help at all until he had a drink of water. He then proceeded to gross the girls out by drinking and spitting the water in the cup over and over again. This is the kind of stuff I am talking about. Working really hard to annoy.
Ryan finished up his job in St. George and noticed that there was a county commissioner in San Juan county that wanted to have a four wheeler ride on a trail that the BLM had closed seven years ago. We knew that we needed to try our best to go to a lot of this stuff where other people are taking a stand against the BLM. So many people came from all of the country to help us, and it made all of the difference. If it weren't for good hearted people, the Bundy ranch would no longer exist. Every time I look out and see the cows grazing by the river I think of that. Anyhow, Ryan decided we should all go. Way easier said than done. He drove down to the ranch and loaded all of the four-wheelers in the horse trailer. Somehow he loaded them in there vertically and he had four four-wheelers ready to go. It was an amazingly long drive. I was surprised at how good Mo did. He played and played with a dumb green car that he brought. As long as he had the dumb car, he was fine. I must admit that I got sick of the car being driven all over me, but I am glad he was happy. Sage about had a come apart. Really, we squash way too many people in the truck, but the alternative is to drive two cars, and with a trip that long it is so expensive and impractical. We were short some sleeping bags, and fuel had dripped on some of the stuff and so I was way concerned about our night up there. It is still pretty cold too. Anyhow, when we arrived the county commissioner offered to put us up for the night, and he didn't have to do too much arguing to talk me into it. They had a big, lovely home, and all of the kids were happy to find a spot on the floor.
The next day, there was a meeting with the people of the town. Many people were frustrated in that town by the BLM and their actions. Their doctor had been thrown in jail for taking an Indian bead. Yes, a small bead. The BLM had stormed into his home in the early hours of the morning, put him in chains and shackles, held his family in the garage while they ransacked his home looking for artifacts. They came up with a small bead. He went to jail, and got so depressed he ended his own life over it. His son spoke, and it was horrifying to hear about his story. They had also closed the road without any warning or consent and the people wanted it open. So, with the sheriff and his deputies, a few thousand people, along with us, rode the forbidden trail. It was beautiful, and hard riding. I was grateful that my Dad had let me learn from a young age how to drive just about anywhere. We had one wreck with Jams and Kenzie Litmer. Jams was fine, but I took Mackenzie back to her mom because she was pretty banged up. Anyhow, a beautiful day, and I am glad people are getting the courage to stand up to all of the wrongs being done. A nice gentleman insisted on buying our lunch, and another friend was made. He was intrigued with the story of Stetsy and Curly the bull. Intrigued enough to insist on buying lunch for all of us.
The ride home was clompy and windy. The snow got so bad outside of Cedar that I couldn't see at all. The snow was coming down so hard and blowing backward that it looked like I was driving backwards and I couldn't see any lines to guide me. Ryan had to finish up the drive and I had no clue how he did it. I was praying for him, and maybe that is how.
Anyhow, Ryan moved our shrsh records to the Bunkerville 2nd ward. Mo wanted to make a good impression by bringing in Jazzerz empty lunch box into shrsh. I couldn't figure out why he was so insistent upon bringing it. It is dingy and raggy now that the end of the school year draws nigh. Whatever. Chlo made a slide on the bench by using many hymn books and would shriek loudly if anyone might want to use one to sing with. Luckily we have attended this ward enough with Cliven and Carol that they already know how we are.
The kids, bless their little hearts, have been naughty aughty this week. A lot of fighting, and shoving etc. There seems to be a lot of hard work going on, simply to get on everyone else's nerves. We have had a lot of discussion about it, but nothing seems to be changing. I am sure that a lot of unrest is being felt because we plan on moving to the ranch for awhile. As much as we need a larger home, the reality is, we are comfortable with our little house and routine. Change is on the way, and change can be difficult, especially for kids who are comfortable with friends, activities, and school.
I mentioned the culvert last week. Much time is still spent rolling around in that thing. Ryan also found a stray rabbit at his job site. It almost got hit by several cars, and he suspects that it was someone's lost Easter pet. Anyhow, he brought it home and he has been a delight and a half. He has been loved almost to death, especially by Mo. Mo just hasn't quite figured out how to be gentle yet. He wants to squeeze him and bathe with him. Jams named him Travis, by the way. Travis ended up missing in my house for a large part of a day, thanks to Wazz. She came in the house holding Travis. Everyone was practicing their music, and she set Travis on the kitchen floor because she was sure that Sage would come and get him. Well, Sager was practicing her guitar and had no idea that Travis awaited her arrival in the kitchen. I can only imagine Travis' hurried exit when he saw his chance. He hid under the dishwasher where no one could find him. Smart Travis.
The weather turned wet and cold about the time that Travis came to stay with us. Rooshkie kept wanting to sleep outside in the culvert with Travis. I personally thought the whole idea was completely ridiculous. Sure, the culvert provides some shelter from the rain, but what about all of those awful ridges in your back all night? Not to mention it was barely above freezing. I had to put my foot down about Rooshkie's overnight ideas in the culvert.
I guess Chlo felt like she wasn't getting enough Travis time, and so she went out and found her own pets. She apparently found a bunch of slugs and stuck them in an empty bubble container. The slugs, along with a whole bunch of grass. Chlo felt real love and nostalgia for those slugs. She claimed over and over that slugs are and will always be her favorite animal. I still question whether she really ever had any slugs at all. All I ever saw when I peered into their bubble container was a bunch of grass. Whatever, it made Chlo happy for several days.
Mo also had a cup of ants that became his pets. He was really wanting to make his ants happy, and he kept insisting that the ants needed their own car, and their own picture of Jesus. Mo is just about right on that. We all need a car, and our own picture of Jesus.
With all of the extra company and chaos, the kids' bedroom has gotten out of control messy again. I have gutted it out myself several times in the last few weeks. This has really gotten me nowhere, because unless they clean it themselves they don't maintain it. The problem is, it takes more work and patience to get them to clean it, than if I just go get it done. One day, I was determined that they were going to pick it up. Of course, this led to a whole barrage of accusations and murmurings as to who was to blame, and who the real cause of the mess was. Well, I have seen that they all cause the mess. Anyhow, it is so frustrating because for hours I have to hear about how so and so isn't working, or about how someone is refusing to help. Let's just face facts for a few minutes. Chlo, on rare occasions, has shown forth a lot of ambition, but for the most part, she really isn't much help yet. Oak isn't much better than Chlo. Rooshkie can whip through the biggest of messes, but she is rarely in the mood, and Jazzerz is good help if someone else is working steady. It is rare indeed when they just happily tidy up. Anyhow, Oak was doing nothing but trying to annoy Rooshkie. He claimed that he couldn't help at all until he had a drink of water. He then proceeded to gross the girls out by drinking and spitting the water in the cup over and over again. This is the kind of stuff I am talking about. Working really hard to annoy.
Ryan finished up his job in St. George and noticed that there was a county commissioner in San Juan county that wanted to have a four wheeler ride on a trail that the BLM had closed seven years ago. We knew that we needed to try our best to go to a lot of this stuff where other people are taking a stand against the BLM. So many people came from all of the country to help us, and it made all of the difference. If it weren't for good hearted people, the Bundy ranch would no longer exist. Every time I look out and see the cows grazing by the river I think of that. Anyhow, Ryan decided we should all go. Way easier said than done. He drove down to the ranch and loaded all of the four-wheelers in the horse trailer. Somehow he loaded them in there vertically and he had four four-wheelers ready to go. It was an amazingly long drive. I was surprised at how good Mo did. He played and played with a dumb green car that he brought. As long as he had the dumb car, he was fine. I must admit that I got sick of the car being driven all over me, but I am glad he was happy. Sage about had a come apart. Really, we squash way too many people in the truck, but the alternative is to drive two cars, and with a trip that long it is so expensive and impractical. We were short some sleeping bags, and fuel had dripped on some of the stuff and so I was way concerned about our night up there. It is still pretty cold too. Anyhow, when we arrived the county commissioner offered to put us up for the night, and he didn't have to do too much arguing to talk me into it. They had a big, lovely home, and all of the kids were happy to find a spot on the floor.
The next day, there was a meeting with the people of the town. Many people were frustrated in that town by the BLM and their actions. Their doctor had been thrown in jail for taking an Indian bead. Yes, a small bead. The BLM had stormed into his home in the early hours of the morning, put him in chains and shackles, held his family in the garage while they ransacked his home looking for artifacts. They came up with a small bead. He went to jail, and got so depressed he ended his own life over it. His son spoke, and it was horrifying to hear about his story. They had also closed the road without any warning or consent and the people wanted it open. So, with the sheriff and his deputies, a few thousand people, along with us, rode the forbidden trail. It was beautiful, and hard riding. I was grateful that my Dad had let me learn from a young age how to drive just about anywhere. We had one wreck with Jams and Kenzie Litmer. Jams was fine, but I took Mackenzie back to her mom because she was pretty banged up. Anyhow, a beautiful day, and I am glad people are getting the courage to stand up to all of the wrongs being done. A nice gentleman insisted on buying our lunch, and another friend was made. He was intrigued with the story of Stetsy and Curly the bull. Intrigued enough to insist on buying lunch for all of us.
The ride home was clompy and windy. The snow got so bad outside of Cedar that I couldn't see at all. The snow was coming down so hard and blowing backward that it looked like I was driving backwards and I couldn't see any lines to guide me. Ryan had to finish up the drive and I had no clue how he did it. I was praying for him, and maybe that is how.
Anyhow, Ryan moved our shrsh records to the Bunkerville 2nd ward. Mo wanted to make a good impression by bringing in Jazzerz empty lunch box into shrsh. I couldn't figure out why he was so insistent upon bringing it. It is dingy and raggy now that the end of the school year draws nigh. Whatever. Chlo made a slide on the bench by using many hymn books and would shriek loudly if anyone might want to use one to sing with. Luckily we have attended this ward enough with Cliven and Carol that they already know how we are.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Well, my computer simply quit on me, along with a myriad of other things that has gotten me way behind on the blog posts. I am hoping to get somewhat updated. A lot has happened since the last post. I don't think I will remember all of it, but I will try to highlight some of it.
For the most part, Ryan has been a busy, busy man. He has been trying to finish his job in St. George and wrap it up, while at the same time keeping up with all of the happenings at the ranch. His family still needs him and it has been great because there has been so many Book of Mormon's given away, testimonies about God shared and friends made. I however, have largely been stuck at home doing a lot of the everyday stuff and missing him. A week and a half ago, a family that consisted of a single mom with her ten kids showed up at the ranch. It was on a day that the media had taken some of Cliven's statements, twisted them around, and blew them way out of proportion. It was actually, I think the first time I have ever felt true depression. It was completely weird because I couldn't even get up and function. I was too tired, and so I just slept most of the day, not caring about anything but my sadness. Anyhow, I happened to notice one of my neighbors on her porch, and I knew that she would be the key to getting me out of my slump. It just so happens that she lost her youngest daughter last year, and she was crying. Comforting her made me remember that we are all alive, our family all loves each other, and things really weren't so bad. I was also not the only person with problems. Anyways, back to the family, the Sharp family is their name. They showed up at the ranch and lifted everyone's spirits with their beautiful singing and upbeat attitude. They said that the spirit had dictated to them to come and help us, and they obeyed. They had quite the time coming out, had broke down in Colorado, but hey, they made it right on time. The kids really latched onto Ryan, and began helping him with ranch chores etc.
I went down with the kids a few days later, and was able to meet them all. Mo got his Sassy feeding and watering needs in, and he also caught a large toad, that we were desperately trying to keep alive from all of his squeezing and prodding. He also got into the mulberry tree and made a huge mess of his face, smashing and eating mulberries. A nice lady had come down to the ranch because it was always her dream to ride a horse. Ryan went down to the corral, and saddled one up for her to ride. Ryan just happened to set Mo on the saddle, and he refused to get off...REFUSED with much shrieks and squawks. I finally had to remove him and he bawled and bawled. I mean come on Mo...are you really going to get in the way of the nice lady and her dream fulfilled?
As the Sharp's were heading to Colorado in the night, their transmission died in Kanarraville. Ryan had invited them to stay with us anyway, but the broken van made it completely necessary. Needless to say, it was quite the experience and adventure having them at our home for 7 days. They stayed with us 5 days while the transmission was being fixed, and another 2 on their way back through. Anyhow, I was amazed at how talented they are, they sing and practice their music a lot. I learned not to expect any hot water for a shower, and just to expect the unexpected from that many kids in that small of a home. If I thought we were crowded before....wow. I felt bad in the morning to stumble over her kids that had to make beds on my kitchen floor.
I can honestly say that I was mortified one afternoon. The Sharp's had borrowed my van to do some shopping. I was stunned to see my children...Oak and Wazz among others having potater sack races in the front yard. This would have all been fine and dandy, but they were using some of the Sharp's fine pillowcases. Needless to say that I roared out the window at them about that one. Really Wazz???Potater sack races? Those really are no fun anyway. I always hated them.
Chlo and their youngest got along really well the first day. They fought horribly the rest of the time though. Mo was an absolute disaster during their whole stay. So much of their stay was quite enjoyable because I really loved the music, and they actually did a lot of work around my house, but Mo was a wreck. He bawled and threw fits and kicked and cried. I seriously about scratched my eyeballs out. Seriously, Mo was a mess. I don't know what issues he was having, whether he just couldn't handle the wall to wall people or what.
They invited a few young men from Montana to come to a prayer meeting that they had planned at the ranch. One of the young men, his name was Jonah, sat and strummed his guitar one morning while I went about the tasks of keeping up with so many people. He was an incredible musician. I could seriously listen to him strum that thing all day. I thought I was in complete heaven until he sat down at the piano. Tears sprang to my eyes as he began to play. Beethoven...my absolute favorite. He played so many songs that were familiar to me. I remember most of my childhood days were spent listening to my older brother play Beethoven. It was seriously such an uplifting experience to hear it played in my own home. He was incredibly good, and I begged him to just keep playing. I didn't realize how much I missed someone playing the piano as I went about my day, but I have missed it. It was such an uplift. When he finished we talked for quite awhile about classical music. Beethoven is his favorite too because of all of the emotions he so effectively brings out in his music. This whole deal with Cliven and the family....one incredible roller coaster ride and that is for sure.
Apparently the prayer meeting went well. Oak got really sick and so I was unable to attend. Jamie also was in a play at the school. She and her classmates did "The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare. Jams was the Shrew, and a great Shrew she made. However, once again, Mo was not interested in the Shakespeare play and wanted to be removed from the situation. Oak was making all kinds of outlandish demands about playing in the hall and Chlo was begging to go to the playgrounds. In a moment of desperation, I noticed that Jams was not currently on stage. I took my new i-phone, and went backstage. I pleaded with her to download some kind of distraction for the kids. Luckily she had a moment and helped me out. After that I only had Mo to contend with because Oak and Chlo were playing "Temple Run" on my phone. Rooshkie finally had pity on me and took Mo in the hall. I was able to enjoy the rest of the play in peace. Cop out? Maybe but desperate times....
The kids have been playing for days in a large culvert that rolls around the front yard. Seriously, I am not sure where the culvert is supposed to go, but I might not let Ryan have it back. The kids have rolled around in it, done tricks rolling on it and balancing on it, put water through it, and rolled each other back and forth for days. Seriously....all day spent in the culvert for Oak and Chlo. The Sharp kids have joined in too. I don't know where it came from, but it has been a huge distraction and blessing. Wazz somehow got a fat lip in it, but other than that no major injuries too. Who would ever have known? I was also mad at Rooshkie today. I asked her to take Mo for a ride in the wagon because this usually will get him down to sleep. Well, she took him to Ellen Sorenson's and back. This was way far in her opinion. Really Rooshkie???Ellen lives next door! Really, she just wanted to get back in the culvert and roll back and forth.
For the most part, Ryan has been a busy, busy man. He has been trying to finish his job in St. George and wrap it up, while at the same time keeping up with all of the happenings at the ranch. His family still needs him and it has been great because there has been so many Book of Mormon's given away, testimonies about God shared and friends made. I however, have largely been stuck at home doing a lot of the everyday stuff and missing him. A week and a half ago, a family that consisted of a single mom with her ten kids showed up at the ranch. It was on a day that the media had taken some of Cliven's statements, twisted them around, and blew them way out of proportion. It was actually, I think the first time I have ever felt true depression. It was completely weird because I couldn't even get up and function. I was too tired, and so I just slept most of the day, not caring about anything but my sadness. Anyhow, I happened to notice one of my neighbors on her porch, and I knew that she would be the key to getting me out of my slump. It just so happens that she lost her youngest daughter last year, and she was crying. Comforting her made me remember that we are all alive, our family all loves each other, and things really weren't so bad. I was also not the only person with problems. Anyways, back to the family, the Sharp family is their name. They showed up at the ranch and lifted everyone's spirits with their beautiful singing and upbeat attitude. They said that the spirit had dictated to them to come and help us, and they obeyed. They had quite the time coming out, had broke down in Colorado, but hey, they made it right on time. The kids really latched onto Ryan, and began helping him with ranch chores etc.
I went down with the kids a few days later, and was able to meet them all. Mo got his Sassy feeding and watering needs in, and he also caught a large toad, that we were desperately trying to keep alive from all of his squeezing and prodding. He also got into the mulberry tree and made a huge mess of his face, smashing and eating mulberries. A nice lady had come down to the ranch because it was always her dream to ride a horse. Ryan went down to the corral, and saddled one up for her to ride. Ryan just happened to set Mo on the saddle, and he refused to get off...REFUSED with much shrieks and squawks. I finally had to remove him and he bawled and bawled. I mean come on Mo...are you really going to get in the way of the nice lady and her dream fulfilled?
As the Sharp's were heading to Colorado in the night, their transmission died in Kanarraville. Ryan had invited them to stay with us anyway, but the broken van made it completely necessary. Needless to say, it was quite the experience and adventure having them at our home for 7 days. They stayed with us 5 days while the transmission was being fixed, and another 2 on their way back through. Anyhow, I was amazed at how talented they are, they sing and practice their music a lot. I learned not to expect any hot water for a shower, and just to expect the unexpected from that many kids in that small of a home. If I thought we were crowded before....wow. I felt bad in the morning to stumble over her kids that had to make beds on my kitchen floor.
I can honestly say that I was mortified one afternoon. The Sharp's had borrowed my van to do some shopping. I was stunned to see my children...Oak and Wazz among others having potater sack races in the front yard. This would have all been fine and dandy, but they were using some of the Sharp's fine pillowcases. Needless to say that I roared out the window at them about that one. Really Wazz???Potater sack races? Those really are no fun anyway. I always hated them.
Chlo and their youngest got along really well the first day. They fought horribly the rest of the time though. Mo was an absolute disaster during their whole stay. So much of their stay was quite enjoyable because I really loved the music, and they actually did a lot of work around my house, but Mo was a wreck. He bawled and threw fits and kicked and cried. I seriously about scratched my eyeballs out. Seriously, Mo was a mess. I don't know what issues he was having, whether he just couldn't handle the wall to wall people or what.
They invited a few young men from Montana to come to a prayer meeting that they had planned at the ranch. One of the young men, his name was Jonah, sat and strummed his guitar one morning while I went about the tasks of keeping up with so many people. He was an incredible musician. I could seriously listen to him strum that thing all day. I thought I was in complete heaven until he sat down at the piano. Tears sprang to my eyes as he began to play. Beethoven...my absolute favorite. He played so many songs that were familiar to me. I remember most of my childhood days were spent listening to my older brother play Beethoven. It was seriously such an uplifting experience to hear it played in my own home. He was incredibly good, and I begged him to just keep playing. I didn't realize how much I missed someone playing the piano as I went about my day, but I have missed it. It was such an uplift. When he finished we talked for quite awhile about classical music. Beethoven is his favorite too because of all of the emotions he so effectively brings out in his music. This whole deal with Cliven and the family....one incredible roller coaster ride and that is for sure.
Apparently the prayer meeting went well. Oak got really sick and so I was unable to attend. Jamie also was in a play at the school. She and her classmates did "The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare. Jams was the Shrew, and a great Shrew she made. However, once again, Mo was not interested in the Shakespeare play and wanted to be removed from the situation. Oak was making all kinds of outlandish demands about playing in the hall and Chlo was begging to go to the playgrounds. In a moment of desperation, I noticed that Jams was not currently on stage. I took my new i-phone, and went backstage. I pleaded with her to download some kind of distraction for the kids. Luckily she had a moment and helped me out. After that I only had Mo to contend with because Oak and Chlo were playing "Temple Run" on my phone. Rooshkie finally had pity on me and took Mo in the hall. I was able to enjoy the rest of the play in peace. Cop out? Maybe but desperate times....
The kids have been playing for days in a large culvert that rolls around the front yard. Seriously, I am not sure where the culvert is supposed to go, but I might not let Ryan have it back. The kids have rolled around in it, done tricks rolling on it and balancing on it, put water through it, and rolled each other back and forth for days. Seriously....all day spent in the culvert for Oak and Chlo. The Sharp kids have joined in too. I don't know where it came from, but it has been a huge distraction and blessing. Wazz somehow got a fat lip in it, but other than that no major injuries too. Who would ever have known? I was also mad at Rooshkie today. I asked her to take Mo for a ride in the wagon because this usually will get him down to sleep. Well, she took him to Ellen Sorenson's and back. This was way far in her opinion. Really Rooshkie???Ellen lives next door! Really, she just wanted to get back in the culvert and roll back and forth.
I feel really bad that I didn't get a post done last week. So much has happened and I cannot say that I have really fully grasped the weight of the whole situation. Needless to say that our ranch in Nevada was turned into a horrible nightmare last Sunday. It will take quite awhile to get things updated today. In the meantime, Mo is being a huge problem today. I am sure we are all worn out and tired from all of the events of the week. Mo has just thrown tantrum after tantrum about dumb stuff all day. I am feeling way less than sympathetic with him at this point. He has fought over bubbles, Jamie's bubble gum blower, everything that anyone else has, he screeches loudly. I finally got him to take a nap which is, exactly what he needed I am sure.
Last Sunday was probably the worst day of my life. We had been enjoying a nice weekend listening to General Confernce. We were all concerned about what was happening at the ranch, but Ryan had stayed home on Saturday and helped me get caught up on some house work as we enjoyed the words of our shrsh leaders. Seriously, some of the best speeches ever. I love, love Conference weekend, and I could listen to the choirs all day. Saturday was a great day of peace. Sunday morning, Ryan became concerned about the ranch. He called and told his Dad that we were going to just come down for the day and listen to conference with him. He informed us that snipers were trained on the ranch house and he was concerned about us bringing the kids, but of course, we are always made to feel welcome at the ranch. Snipers on the hills???? I questioned Ryan over and over about this, but I think we both didn't realize how bad things had really gotten down there. As soon as we got to the ranch, Bailey was there, but Cliven and Carol were just leaving to go and meet with someone. It was so good to talk to Bailey, and discuss with her about how stressed we had both been. With the crazy compound they had set up, snipers on the hills, and all of the roads blocked off, the tension in the air was ratcheted up so tight, I felt like I was going to scream. Bailey is an amazingly strong woman. I admire all that she has done, I know that there have been a lot of nights that she hasn't slept because she was up all night working on informative DVD's, for Cliven, and brochures, she has always been there to take pictures, and has been great to document everything going on. On top of all of that, she is trying to juggle two kids under the age of 4, a successful and busy photography business, and a husband who works a ton of hours. But, standing in the kitchen, we were both able to cry and sniffle around a little at all that was going on. So many people don't get or understand Cliven's position on stuff, and it was good to talk with her, and know that she was going just as crazy as I was.
The week before we arrived at the ranch, Bailey filmed the BLM hauling three big loads of cattle off of the range. She said that she got so upset and could not figure out why her Dad wasn't doing anything about it. He calmly told her that he was praying about it, and felt like nothing should be done at the time. She about couldn't handle that, but hey, we all knew that Cliven does nothing that he isn't inspired to do. It was so nerve wracking to see load after load leaving the range. Ryan had a ton of people that kept calling wanting to "do" something. He would just explain that his Dad had felt that he needed to let them get their hands dirty for awhile. He wanted actual theft to be going on before he did anything about it.
Anyhow, we were watching some of the Conference speeches with Grandma Turner. The kids were playing outside, oblivious to the snipers on the hillside, and all of the tension in the air. We got a call from Cliven, that he could see trucks coming down from sheep troughs and that he would like us to go and get pictures. Immediately my heart began pounding in my throat. It sounded simple enough, but for some reason my nerves were really on end about the situation. I knew that the Highway Patrol had been escorting the thieving cowboys everywhere, and my husband never backs down from any kind of a confrontation. Cliven's specific instructions were not to engage the BLM in any way, act peaceful, but just get pictures. Because, we had just gone down to listen to conference, I didn't have my camera. The only cameras we really had were on Jams and Saggers Ipods. Jerusha had a small camera, but she has always been so stingy with it, that she erases any pictures I ever take. Anyhow, initially we had Jamie, Sage and Jerusha in the van with Ryan and I. However, I needed Jerusha to babysit, and so I instructed her to stay. She did let us utilize her camera though.
Anyhow, Ryan figured that he knew exactly where they would be bringing cattle out. When we arrived at the intersection, we remained on the main road, and there was one BLM ranger parked blocking the road that was heading up to the mountain. The BLM had claimed the whole 600,00 acres of range as off limits, but we were on the county road that connects Bunkerville to Riverside and Mesquite. Anyhow, it was interesting, we were parked there, and Arden and Jared showed up. In the meantime, truck after truck with federal BLM agents began to arrive. The all convened on the road that was blocked. A black unmarked truck pulled in and two agents scrambled upon the hill and trained sniper rifles on us. Yes, Jams, Sags, Ryan and I. Who, at this point were innocently listening to D. Todd Christofferson's speech at conference, and Arden and Jared who were parked 100 yards down the road. More and more of them showed up. During this time, Stetsy and Bailey came in Bailey's mini van. I was glad when they showed up because our cameras really weren't that great. Bailey as I mentioned before, runs a photography business and has great equipment. Stetsy got out and told us about an altercation that she had already had with the BLM earlier in the day. She had been sitting right where we were sitting when an agent told her that she would have to leave. She argued that she was sitting on a state road, but he said that he had jurisdiction over the road, and that she could no longer stop on it. Anyhow, all of this was just adding to the tension inside of my head. I seriously thought I was going to throw up. I just felt like something horrible was about to happen.
At about this time, Davey showed up in his little car. He was bold enough to get out of his car, lean against the hood and film with an ipad. At about this time, several of the trucks began to leave. I heaved a sigh and hoped that they weren't really all ganging up and looking for a fight. The trucks drove past us, swung around and got behind us. They announced on their loudspeaker, that we were in violation of some sort of a code and would have to leave immediately. Ryan at first began to resist, but I reminded him that Cliven didn't want us having trouble with them. We slowly began to drive away. Stetsy and Bailey left, and we were in the process of urging Dave to leave. He ignored us and kept right on filming with his ipad. Four agents, with loaded M-16's, bullet proof vests, with a German Shepherd dog approached Davey. They repeatedly told him to leave. He kept right on filming. The agents kept telling us that we had to leave, that they were going to arrest Ryan if we didn't. Ryan kept telling them that he was not going to leave without his brother. At this point they all attacked Dave. Brutally attacking him, throwing his phone and ipad and throwing him on the ground. One of the agents stepped on his head and ground his face into the gravel. Jamie and Sage were screaming at this point, and begging their Dad to leave. Ryan came really close to getting arrested too, but finally left. At this point the girls and I were way upset. Obviously these agents had violated all kinds of our rights as Amercian citizens and so what kind of rules would they play by with Dave? We urged Arden and Jared to leave and the agents threatened them with his M-16. They finally had no choice but to leave too.
When we arrived at the ranch chaos broke loose. I still had my seven kids running around. Jams and Sags were crying and very upset. Bailey and Stetsy were understandably very upset too. Cliven wasn't happy that we had stirred the BLM up, and a bunch of people from town showed up wondering what they could do to help. People got on the phone and began making calls to find out where they had taken him and what they were doing with him. He had only been taking pictures, had not resisted arrest, and had broken no laws. Hanna and her kids were also down and she has six under the age of 10. Anyhow it was sheer mayhem. I had seen first hand that this was agency playing by whatever rules they made up. I ended up calling Marylynne and she of course, was extremely upset. It was all a horrible nightmare. I had never been so upset that I just wanted to throw up and cry, and run away. Anyhow, because of all of this dinner of course, was delayed. We were all so upset it was hard to focus on the mundane. Anyhow, by this time the press had caught on to the story and everyone wanted to interview Cliven to find out what happened. There was a newspaper reporter on every phone, and a camera crew from channel 8 in Vegas showed up to catch the story. All of them were wanting a piece of Cliven's time. In the meantime, Mo, clueless as to what was up, just was hungry, tired, and I am sure could feel all the tension. He was bawling nonstop. Dinner was in the oven at this time, and I had taken him all over the place, and tried everything to get him to stop. Nothing worked. I was emotionally drained after the horrible arrest, talking to Marylynne, and contemplating that it was a miracle they didn't have Ryan in custody as well. I finally just set him down where he bawled loudly. Cliven just happened to walk in the house at that moment. In spite of the fact that everyone wanted a piece of his time, he noticed the one crying baby on the floor. "What is wrong with the baby?" he asked. I explained that he was hungry, tired, and wasn't wanting to wait anymore for dinner. Cliven scooped him up, gave him a hug, and carried him into the kitchen. He fixed him a roll with some jam, and a glass of milk, and handed him back to me. He was happy and content. Then he went and faced all of the press.
This is the kind of man Cliven is. I have seen it time and time again. I recall one day Carol was complaining about Arden (this was years ago when Arden was still small). He was wanting his mom's attention and refused to leave her lap so that she could get up and get something done around the house or ranch. She was complaining to Cliven that she couldn't get anything done because of Arden and his clingy mood. "All I do is sit and hold him today."
"Well, he said, you are holding my baby, and that is getting something done." What an incredible guy. My husband is a lot like him, and I am so grateful for all that he taught his boys. His patience can clearly be seen around the ranch house. On one side is a set of stairs that are pretty dangerous that Ryan built. Those boys learned how to do a lot of things on that house, and some of it proves that they were learning. What patient parents Cliven and Carol are. I love them and will love them forever.
When we arrived back in Cedar, Ryan gathered his things, and went back down. At this point, I knew that we were facing something huge, I had no phone, and I was worried sick. I was so relieved to hear that Davey was released the next day. Roughed up, but released. My parents loaned me one of their phones until I got mine hooked back up which made a huge difference.
During the week, they held a rally at the ranch, and had more altercations with the armed agents. Ammon got tased three times, Aunt Margaret got thrown to the ground, and they almost arrested Jared. At this point, a huge crowd had gathered and stopped a lot of things from getting worse. People flocked to the ranch from all over the United States. Many people said, "I just felt like I had to come out here." Or I heard, "There was something different about this family. I just wanted to be here to help you guys."
On Tuesday night, Ryan was praying, and had an idea come to him. He decided that he was going to go and explain to the head BLM agent, a Mr. Love, that they were going to ride in and get their cows. He then said that they would have to have a large amount of cowboys on horses waiting to ride in and drive the cows down to the farm. He felt that this would avoid any physical conflict and that no one would even have to be hurt. He felt confident that this was the way to end things. I always have faith in my husband's inspiration, but I must admit that I had a few thoughts that the BLM were never going to agree with that.
On Wednesday, Ryan and I headed to Monroe, Utah. We had been assisting with a protest of the sale barn there. They had taken a chunk of money (we never really established the amount) in agreement to sell the stolen cows. No one else from Utah, or Nevada would take them. The first week we showed up, and I was so happy to see Marylynne and her kids, and Lane and Rosella. It was actually a great time. The owner of the sale barn was quite upset, but we had already cleared things with the sheriff. We were doing nothing illegal, we just had to make sure to stay clear of the road, and stay off of the sale barn property. The next week we went again, and by then the story had broken nationwide. There was a ton of people, we had donuts, and people donating subway sandwiches. It was also Moroni's birthday. Ryan gathered everyone together, talked about Captain Moroni, and everyone sang to him. Ryan then rushed back south. I spacily left my wallet at a Taco Bell in Richfield. This was the last straw. I had a come apart of sorts. Thankfully, my Dad came over, brought cash for my girls to take to Disneyland, and then went and got my wallet. Yep, that is the kind of Dad I have.
Gary came up from Mesa, and I was so grateful to have him here. He kept me laughing, and it was good to have a friend. Because my phone number changed, I didn't hear from most people and that made me feel very alone. I still had all of the day to day things to do. The girls had a ballet recital. They all did a very good job. Jams and Sags also had their Disneyland trip in the middle of the whole thing. It was so hard to stay home and do normal things, when I knew my family was in danger. I was also very nervous and scared. My Dad came over and gave me a blessing. In that blessing he promised me that my loved ones would come out alive and ok. This provided a ton of comfort. I was on an emotional roller coaster. I couldn't sleep, or eat but just felt nervous most of the time.
Saturday rolled around. I had spent the night with my parents because I wanted to spend time with Gary, and Cliven and Ammon were on the Sean Hannity show. I really enjoyed watching them. Cliven was also on Sean Hannity's radio program and in spite of the fact that he was losing his voice, he did an incredible job. A woman called and told him that she was praying for our family. Cliven kind of choked up, and told her how much those prayers were being heard and answered. It was totally true too. Angels had been seen at a rally, most people had felt a spirit that they couldn't explain. Even Sean Hannity's assistant, a man they refer to as "Sweet Baby James" said, "there is something about this man, I just want to help him." I was amazed at all that was happening to my family.
As I was saying, Saturday came, I had a feeling that Ryan was going to go and demand the cattle back that day. I knew that tensions were going to be high. I went home and tried to regroup and get the kids ready to head south. My plans were to leave my kids with Doug. I had not been able to reach him that morning, though and my nerves just got more and more tense. We finally loaded up, and went up to get fuel. I called Ryan, I had actually heard and Fox News that Cliven and the BLM had reached an agreement, and that the BLM were going to leave. He explained that this was not the case, and that tensions were extremely high. At this point militia men had come from around the country to protect the family from the BLM agents. I told him that I was on my way. He immediately called me back and told me not to come. WHAT??? I wanted to be there with him. I knew that he was going to go and demand the cows back, I knew he had been inspired to do this, but I also don't like to question him when he asks me to do something. I was praying non stop and going crazy. Serious basket case. I knew the danger of the situation. I knew that those men were heavily armed. I knew Ryan was going to be making the demands. I kept telling myself to have faith, but it was hard to calm down. I was also getting extremely frustrated with Mo. Lately he has just been making up names for stuff...it is then up to us to try to figure out what it is that he wants. He had been demanding "mills" all morning. I was pretty keyed up, and maybe not as patient as usual. I finally determined that "mills" were strawberries. What kind of a joke is that? They don't even come close to sounding alike at all. A few evenings before he had bawled and bawled for "daw daw". I had gone through everything I could think of that might possibly be a "daw daw". I finally told Sags that her job was to figure out what the heck he wanted. It was chocolate...hmm should have known.
Anyhow, Ryan finally called me when the whole stand-off was over. He said that things got really hot for a few minutes, but that everyone had knelt in prayer, and everyone had faith that things could end peacefully. Our cowboys and crowd still faced down the real possibilities of being shot (they were threatening) and that the cowboys did ride up into the compound and drove the cows down the wash and toward the ranch. It was quite the triumph and quite the show. Incredible pictures and stories were posted about the whole situation. Everyone involved felt the power and protection from God. How I wish I had been there, but I understand that it was no place for children. I had no child care at that point. Anyhow, I am proud of my husband. So many miracles were seen. It truly was incredible.
We headed down after that. We spent time, feeding all of the doggie calves, the kids swam in the river, and it was nice to be with Ryan for a short time. I did return home because Jams and Sags had been dropped off, and the kids had two days of school to attend. We returned on Wednesday where I cooked and cleaned. I did all of the meals for those who were at the ranch. There were still militia men, and people, reporters, and kids in and out nonstop. My kids swam in the ditch, then swam in the river. They helped with doggie calves, and they made new friends. They had an awesome spring break. Thank goodness for all of the brave people who flocked to our aid. I had no idea how many good hearted people there are out there. Seriously, I bawl every time I think about it. The one thing that was hard was, I wanted desperately to be with Ryan. My kitchen responsibilities made that impossible. He was down at the rally sight most of the time. He had also gone down to dig up the mass grave of cattle that they found. Most of the time I couldn't even get him on the phone. We have been separated for a good solid month at this point. We have seen each other very little, and I have missed him terribly.
We had a great party on Fridee night. There were several bands in line to play, cowboy poetry, and several barbecue grills set up to feed everyone. There was also a guy who donated matchbox cars for all of the little boys. This was absolutely brilliant. It kept Mo happy all evening. The party was quite the fiasco in a lot of ways. I had all of my kiddos to watch, and I had three of Mel's. With the crowd, and no fences, watching all of the kids became next to impossible. I was so grateful that Gary had come back up with Ivers and cute Julia. They were a ton of help. Chlo and Prestlie weren't too difficult. They found a pile of rocks and played and played. Prestlie informed me that they were Big Horn Sheep to begin with. Big Horn Sheep with pixie dust...they would throw dirt and this was the pixie dust. They were also frogs at one point, ladybugs among other things. They stuck to their boulders for the most part. Everyone else however just wanted to roam. I would let them disappear for awhile and then feel the need to at least check on them. I lost Montana for good at one point and about panicked. Luckily Mel had located her. Needless to say, when Mo threw his tired fit, I was ready to go to bed. A lot of fun, but a ton of work.
Sunday was a lovely day. I love Easter. I got up early and cooked everyone breakfast. Ryan informed me that we had to get the kids ready for shrsh, and pack everything up because we were leaving as soon as the meetings were over. We also wanted to have church with all of our supporters. It was incredible to get everyone together and hear everyone's testimony. We had Baptists, and Christians of all kinds. I know that there were some atheists who were questioning what it was they had seen and felt on the day of the stand-off. I loved meeting with them. Their spirit is incredible.
A big mistake was made by Arden before we entered the shrsh building in Bunkerville. He gave Mo about six cars. We were a little bit late, so we ended up in the back in the loud and echo-y gym area. Those cars clunked and clanked and crashed. They made way too much noise. Then Mo threw a huge fit. HUGE. I took him out, and Ryan came out to take over. Unfortunately at that point a police officer from Mesquite came in and threw a fit about some of our militia men attending church with us....WHAT? He called Metro, and it was simple because no laws were being broken. This gentleman was irate however, and Ryan ended up missing most of shrsh to deal with him.
I know that things are still pretty chaotic down south. I am just trying to get some clothes washed and my home cleaned after all of the tension and craziness. I will never forget those who prayed for us, and who came to be with us. I will also never forget those who at least asked about and worried about our safety and well being. I saw bravery and hero's like I have never seen before. I am grateful that we are free enough still to make some changes in our country. I understand that many just think we are tax avoiding law breakers, and I am glad that we live in a country where they can have a different opinion. I have cried and cried at the goodness of so many. It has also been good for me to remember to love those who don't agree with us. That might be the best lesson I ever get out of this.
Last Sunday was probably the worst day of my life. We had been enjoying a nice weekend listening to General Confernce. We were all concerned about what was happening at the ranch, but Ryan had stayed home on Saturday and helped me get caught up on some house work as we enjoyed the words of our shrsh leaders. Seriously, some of the best speeches ever. I love, love Conference weekend, and I could listen to the choirs all day. Saturday was a great day of peace. Sunday morning, Ryan became concerned about the ranch. He called and told his Dad that we were going to just come down for the day and listen to conference with him. He informed us that snipers were trained on the ranch house and he was concerned about us bringing the kids, but of course, we are always made to feel welcome at the ranch. Snipers on the hills???? I questioned Ryan over and over about this, but I think we both didn't realize how bad things had really gotten down there. As soon as we got to the ranch, Bailey was there, but Cliven and Carol were just leaving to go and meet with someone. It was so good to talk to Bailey, and discuss with her about how stressed we had both been. With the crazy compound they had set up, snipers on the hills, and all of the roads blocked off, the tension in the air was ratcheted up so tight, I felt like I was going to scream. Bailey is an amazingly strong woman. I admire all that she has done, I know that there have been a lot of nights that she hasn't slept because she was up all night working on informative DVD's, for Cliven, and brochures, she has always been there to take pictures, and has been great to document everything going on. On top of all of that, she is trying to juggle two kids under the age of 4, a successful and busy photography business, and a husband who works a ton of hours. But, standing in the kitchen, we were both able to cry and sniffle around a little at all that was going on. So many people don't get or understand Cliven's position on stuff, and it was good to talk with her, and know that she was going just as crazy as I was.
The week before we arrived at the ranch, Bailey filmed the BLM hauling three big loads of cattle off of the range. She said that she got so upset and could not figure out why her Dad wasn't doing anything about it. He calmly told her that he was praying about it, and felt like nothing should be done at the time. She about couldn't handle that, but hey, we all knew that Cliven does nothing that he isn't inspired to do. It was so nerve wracking to see load after load leaving the range. Ryan had a ton of people that kept calling wanting to "do" something. He would just explain that his Dad had felt that he needed to let them get their hands dirty for awhile. He wanted actual theft to be going on before he did anything about it.
Anyhow, we were watching some of the Conference speeches with Grandma Turner. The kids were playing outside, oblivious to the snipers on the hillside, and all of the tension in the air. We got a call from Cliven, that he could see trucks coming down from sheep troughs and that he would like us to go and get pictures. Immediately my heart began pounding in my throat. It sounded simple enough, but for some reason my nerves were really on end about the situation. I knew that the Highway Patrol had been escorting the thieving cowboys everywhere, and my husband never backs down from any kind of a confrontation. Cliven's specific instructions were not to engage the BLM in any way, act peaceful, but just get pictures. Because, we had just gone down to listen to conference, I didn't have my camera. The only cameras we really had were on Jams and Saggers Ipods. Jerusha had a small camera, but she has always been so stingy with it, that she erases any pictures I ever take. Anyhow, initially we had Jamie, Sage and Jerusha in the van with Ryan and I. However, I needed Jerusha to babysit, and so I instructed her to stay. She did let us utilize her camera though.
Anyhow, Ryan figured that he knew exactly where they would be bringing cattle out. When we arrived at the intersection, we remained on the main road, and there was one BLM ranger parked blocking the road that was heading up to the mountain. The BLM had claimed the whole 600,00 acres of range as off limits, but we were on the county road that connects Bunkerville to Riverside and Mesquite. Anyhow, it was interesting, we were parked there, and Arden and Jared showed up. In the meantime, truck after truck with federal BLM agents began to arrive. The all convened on the road that was blocked. A black unmarked truck pulled in and two agents scrambled upon the hill and trained sniper rifles on us. Yes, Jams, Sags, Ryan and I. Who, at this point were innocently listening to D. Todd Christofferson's speech at conference, and Arden and Jared who were parked 100 yards down the road. More and more of them showed up. During this time, Stetsy and Bailey came in Bailey's mini van. I was glad when they showed up because our cameras really weren't that great. Bailey as I mentioned before, runs a photography business and has great equipment. Stetsy got out and told us about an altercation that she had already had with the BLM earlier in the day. She had been sitting right where we were sitting when an agent told her that she would have to leave. She argued that she was sitting on a state road, but he said that he had jurisdiction over the road, and that she could no longer stop on it. Anyhow, all of this was just adding to the tension inside of my head. I seriously thought I was going to throw up. I just felt like something horrible was about to happen.
At about this time, Davey showed up in his little car. He was bold enough to get out of his car, lean against the hood and film with an ipad. At about this time, several of the trucks began to leave. I heaved a sigh and hoped that they weren't really all ganging up and looking for a fight. The trucks drove past us, swung around and got behind us. They announced on their loudspeaker, that we were in violation of some sort of a code and would have to leave immediately. Ryan at first began to resist, but I reminded him that Cliven didn't want us having trouble with them. We slowly began to drive away. Stetsy and Bailey left, and we were in the process of urging Dave to leave. He ignored us and kept right on filming with his ipad. Four agents, with loaded M-16's, bullet proof vests, with a German Shepherd dog approached Davey. They repeatedly told him to leave. He kept right on filming. The agents kept telling us that we had to leave, that they were going to arrest Ryan if we didn't. Ryan kept telling them that he was not going to leave without his brother. At this point they all attacked Dave. Brutally attacking him, throwing his phone and ipad and throwing him on the ground. One of the agents stepped on his head and ground his face into the gravel. Jamie and Sage were screaming at this point, and begging their Dad to leave. Ryan came really close to getting arrested too, but finally left. At this point the girls and I were way upset. Obviously these agents had violated all kinds of our rights as Amercian citizens and so what kind of rules would they play by with Dave? We urged Arden and Jared to leave and the agents threatened them with his M-16. They finally had no choice but to leave too.
When we arrived at the ranch chaos broke loose. I still had my seven kids running around. Jams and Sags were crying and very upset. Bailey and Stetsy were understandably very upset too. Cliven wasn't happy that we had stirred the BLM up, and a bunch of people from town showed up wondering what they could do to help. People got on the phone and began making calls to find out where they had taken him and what they were doing with him. He had only been taking pictures, had not resisted arrest, and had broken no laws. Hanna and her kids were also down and she has six under the age of 10. Anyhow it was sheer mayhem. I had seen first hand that this was agency playing by whatever rules they made up. I ended up calling Marylynne and she of course, was extremely upset. It was all a horrible nightmare. I had never been so upset that I just wanted to throw up and cry, and run away. Anyhow, because of all of this dinner of course, was delayed. We were all so upset it was hard to focus on the mundane. Anyhow, by this time the press had caught on to the story and everyone wanted to interview Cliven to find out what happened. There was a newspaper reporter on every phone, and a camera crew from channel 8 in Vegas showed up to catch the story. All of them were wanting a piece of Cliven's time. In the meantime, Mo, clueless as to what was up, just was hungry, tired, and I am sure could feel all the tension. He was bawling nonstop. Dinner was in the oven at this time, and I had taken him all over the place, and tried everything to get him to stop. Nothing worked. I was emotionally drained after the horrible arrest, talking to Marylynne, and contemplating that it was a miracle they didn't have Ryan in custody as well. I finally just set him down where he bawled loudly. Cliven just happened to walk in the house at that moment. In spite of the fact that everyone wanted a piece of his time, he noticed the one crying baby on the floor. "What is wrong with the baby?" he asked. I explained that he was hungry, tired, and wasn't wanting to wait anymore for dinner. Cliven scooped him up, gave him a hug, and carried him into the kitchen. He fixed him a roll with some jam, and a glass of milk, and handed him back to me. He was happy and content. Then he went and faced all of the press.
This is the kind of man Cliven is. I have seen it time and time again. I recall one day Carol was complaining about Arden (this was years ago when Arden was still small). He was wanting his mom's attention and refused to leave her lap so that she could get up and get something done around the house or ranch. She was complaining to Cliven that she couldn't get anything done because of Arden and his clingy mood. "All I do is sit and hold him today."
"Well, he said, you are holding my baby, and that is getting something done." What an incredible guy. My husband is a lot like him, and I am so grateful for all that he taught his boys. His patience can clearly be seen around the ranch house. On one side is a set of stairs that are pretty dangerous that Ryan built. Those boys learned how to do a lot of things on that house, and some of it proves that they were learning. What patient parents Cliven and Carol are. I love them and will love them forever.
When we arrived back in Cedar, Ryan gathered his things, and went back down. At this point, I knew that we were facing something huge, I had no phone, and I was worried sick. I was so relieved to hear that Davey was released the next day. Roughed up, but released. My parents loaned me one of their phones until I got mine hooked back up which made a huge difference.
During the week, they held a rally at the ranch, and had more altercations with the armed agents. Ammon got tased three times, Aunt Margaret got thrown to the ground, and they almost arrested Jared. At this point, a huge crowd had gathered and stopped a lot of things from getting worse. People flocked to the ranch from all over the United States. Many people said, "I just felt like I had to come out here." Or I heard, "There was something different about this family. I just wanted to be here to help you guys."
On Tuesday night, Ryan was praying, and had an idea come to him. He decided that he was going to go and explain to the head BLM agent, a Mr. Love, that they were going to ride in and get their cows. He then said that they would have to have a large amount of cowboys on horses waiting to ride in and drive the cows down to the farm. He felt that this would avoid any physical conflict and that no one would even have to be hurt. He felt confident that this was the way to end things. I always have faith in my husband's inspiration, but I must admit that I had a few thoughts that the BLM were never going to agree with that.
On Wednesday, Ryan and I headed to Monroe, Utah. We had been assisting with a protest of the sale barn there. They had taken a chunk of money (we never really established the amount) in agreement to sell the stolen cows. No one else from Utah, or Nevada would take them. The first week we showed up, and I was so happy to see Marylynne and her kids, and Lane and Rosella. It was actually a great time. The owner of the sale barn was quite upset, but we had already cleared things with the sheriff. We were doing nothing illegal, we just had to make sure to stay clear of the road, and stay off of the sale barn property. The next week we went again, and by then the story had broken nationwide. There was a ton of people, we had donuts, and people donating subway sandwiches. It was also Moroni's birthday. Ryan gathered everyone together, talked about Captain Moroni, and everyone sang to him. Ryan then rushed back south. I spacily left my wallet at a Taco Bell in Richfield. This was the last straw. I had a come apart of sorts. Thankfully, my Dad came over, brought cash for my girls to take to Disneyland, and then went and got my wallet. Yep, that is the kind of Dad I have.
Gary came up from Mesa, and I was so grateful to have him here. He kept me laughing, and it was good to have a friend. Because my phone number changed, I didn't hear from most people and that made me feel very alone. I still had all of the day to day things to do. The girls had a ballet recital. They all did a very good job. Jams and Sags also had their Disneyland trip in the middle of the whole thing. It was so hard to stay home and do normal things, when I knew my family was in danger. I was also very nervous and scared. My Dad came over and gave me a blessing. In that blessing he promised me that my loved ones would come out alive and ok. This provided a ton of comfort. I was on an emotional roller coaster. I couldn't sleep, or eat but just felt nervous most of the time.
Saturday rolled around. I had spent the night with my parents because I wanted to spend time with Gary, and Cliven and Ammon were on the Sean Hannity show. I really enjoyed watching them. Cliven was also on Sean Hannity's radio program and in spite of the fact that he was losing his voice, he did an incredible job. A woman called and told him that she was praying for our family. Cliven kind of choked up, and told her how much those prayers were being heard and answered. It was totally true too. Angels had been seen at a rally, most people had felt a spirit that they couldn't explain. Even Sean Hannity's assistant, a man they refer to as "Sweet Baby James" said, "there is something about this man, I just want to help him." I was amazed at all that was happening to my family.
As I was saying, Saturday came, I had a feeling that Ryan was going to go and demand the cattle back that day. I knew that tensions were going to be high. I went home and tried to regroup and get the kids ready to head south. My plans were to leave my kids with Doug. I had not been able to reach him that morning, though and my nerves just got more and more tense. We finally loaded up, and went up to get fuel. I called Ryan, I had actually heard and Fox News that Cliven and the BLM had reached an agreement, and that the BLM were going to leave. He explained that this was not the case, and that tensions were extremely high. At this point militia men had come from around the country to protect the family from the BLM agents. I told him that I was on my way. He immediately called me back and told me not to come. WHAT??? I wanted to be there with him. I knew that he was going to go and demand the cows back, I knew he had been inspired to do this, but I also don't like to question him when he asks me to do something. I was praying non stop and going crazy. Serious basket case. I knew the danger of the situation. I knew that those men were heavily armed. I knew Ryan was going to be making the demands. I kept telling myself to have faith, but it was hard to calm down. I was also getting extremely frustrated with Mo. Lately he has just been making up names for stuff...it is then up to us to try to figure out what it is that he wants. He had been demanding "mills" all morning. I was pretty keyed up, and maybe not as patient as usual. I finally determined that "mills" were strawberries. What kind of a joke is that? They don't even come close to sounding alike at all. A few evenings before he had bawled and bawled for "daw daw". I had gone through everything I could think of that might possibly be a "daw daw". I finally told Sags that her job was to figure out what the heck he wanted. It was chocolate...hmm should have known.
Anyhow, Ryan finally called me when the whole stand-off was over. He said that things got really hot for a few minutes, but that everyone had knelt in prayer, and everyone had faith that things could end peacefully. Our cowboys and crowd still faced down the real possibilities of being shot (they were threatening) and that the cowboys did ride up into the compound and drove the cows down the wash and toward the ranch. It was quite the triumph and quite the show. Incredible pictures and stories were posted about the whole situation. Everyone involved felt the power and protection from God. How I wish I had been there, but I understand that it was no place for children. I had no child care at that point. Anyhow, I am proud of my husband. So many miracles were seen. It truly was incredible.
We headed down after that. We spent time, feeding all of the doggie calves, the kids swam in the river, and it was nice to be with Ryan for a short time. I did return home because Jams and Sags had been dropped off, and the kids had two days of school to attend. We returned on Wednesday where I cooked and cleaned. I did all of the meals for those who were at the ranch. There were still militia men, and people, reporters, and kids in and out nonstop. My kids swam in the ditch, then swam in the river. They helped with doggie calves, and they made new friends. They had an awesome spring break. Thank goodness for all of the brave people who flocked to our aid. I had no idea how many good hearted people there are out there. Seriously, I bawl every time I think about it. The one thing that was hard was, I wanted desperately to be with Ryan. My kitchen responsibilities made that impossible. He was down at the rally sight most of the time. He had also gone down to dig up the mass grave of cattle that they found. Most of the time I couldn't even get him on the phone. We have been separated for a good solid month at this point. We have seen each other very little, and I have missed him terribly.
We had a great party on Fridee night. There were several bands in line to play, cowboy poetry, and several barbecue grills set up to feed everyone. There was also a guy who donated matchbox cars for all of the little boys. This was absolutely brilliant. It kept Mo happy all evening. The party was quite the fiasco in a lot of ways. I had all of my kiddos to watch, and I had three of Mel's. With the crowd, and no fences, watching all of the kids became next to impossible. I was so grateful that Gary had come back up with Ivers and cute Julia. They were a ton of help. Chlo and Prestlie weren't too difficult. They found a pile of rocks and played and played. Prestlie informed me that they were Big Horn Sheep to begin with. Big Horn Sheep with pixie dust...they would throw dirt and this was the pixie dust. They were also frogs at one point, ladybugs among other things. They stuck to their boulders for the most part. Everyone else however just wanted to roam. I would let them disappear for awhile and then feel the need to at least check on them. I lost Montana for good at one point and about panicked. Luckily Mel had located her. Needless to say, when Mo threw his tired fit, I was ready to go to bed. A lot of fun, but a ton of work.
Sunday was a lovely day. I love Easter. I got up early and cooked everyone breakfast. Ryan informed me that we had to get the kids ready for shrsh, and pack everything up because we were leaving as soon as the meetings were over. We also wanted to have church with all of our supporters. It was incredible to get everyone together and hear everyone's testimony. We had Baptists, and Christians of all kinds. I know that there were some atheists who were questioning what it was they had seen and felt on the day of the stand-off. I loved meeting with them. Their spirit is incredible.
A big mistake was made by Arden before we entered the shrsh building in Bunkerville. He gave Mo about six cars. We were a little bit late, so we ended up in the back in the loud and echo-y gym area. Those cars clunked and clanked and crashed. They made way too much noise. Then Mo threw a huge fit. HUGE. I took him out, and Ryan came out to take over. Unfortunately at that point a police officer from Mesquite came in and threw a fit about some of our militia men attending church with us....WHAT? He called Metro, and it was simple because no laws were being broken. This gentleman was irate however, and Ryan ended up missing most of shrsh to deal with him.
I know that things are still pretty chaotic down south. I am just trying to get some clothes washed and my home cleaned after all of the tension and craziness. I will never forget those who prayed for us, and who came to be with us. I will also never forget those who at least asked about and worried about our safety and well being. I saw bravery and hero's like I have never seen before. I am grateful that we are free enough still to make some changes in our country. I understand that many just think we are tax avoiding law breakers, and I am glad that we live in a country where they can have a different opinion. I have cried and cried at the goodness of so many. It has also been good for me to remember to love those who don't agree with us. That might be the best lesson I ever get out of this.
Mo and Chlo protesting the agreement so sell our cattle at R Livestock in Monroe UT
Mo with his birthday gift
Jazz and Natalie Easter egg hunting in the hay stack
again
Mo and his birthday basketball
Birthday Mo
Oak Easter egg hunting in the haystack
Bottle feeding one of the many calves that were dogied out of the BLM gather
Kids being squirrely at the party
Rooshkie, Emma, and Bentlie
Favorite friend, Julia, Mo and one of the many matchbox cars he acquired during the evening.
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