County Fair re-cap

Sorry you will want to start at the bottom and read to the top, after loading this many photos I wasn't willing to redo them.

The last day of the fair we went and enjoyed the exhibits, hung with some friends and entered one last event. Guitar Hero. They couldn't find anyone to participate so they told these two rock stars they could do it for free. They rounded up a few more pals (Lex Neilson, Ange Durbin, and Dacia Dalton) To join them they were hoping at one last chance to make a little extra cash at the fair. I guess they need a little more practice. Mitch did make it to the finals then got schooled. All-in-all it was a great week. This was in my opinion the best Juab County Fair yet. We had a blast and there truly was something for everyone.
Shhh be very quiet today we get to witness the training of two young stars. Zeak Woodland a young cowboy from Mona Ut and Jumper a baby buffalo, who two months ago was in dire striates when his mother abandoned him and left him for dead. Zeak and his brother Jake saved the little critter and here they are today. Under the assistance of the 9 time PRCA Entertainer of the year the one armed Bandit (featured several time in the Ute Stampede) Zeak and Jumper will have become one and will attempt to show you where legends begin. I say attempt because the training of a wild animal is very difficult. they are wild for a reason, but today if the cards are played just right we may get to see a young bandit in the making.


Ahoy Matties this is Jake Woodland pirate of Mona Res. sailing into the Juab County Fair. “Shiver me Timbers that is a strange looking ship he is in. Aarg that isn’t a ship that is his pony blue. Together they have sailed all over Mona trying to escape the rough sees avoid other ships and searching for the map that will lead them to the treasure. Pirate Jakes Map has led him here to the County Fair Lead Line. Where they are in search of the treasure chest. Blimey!!! what kind a parrot is that? Aye that is no parrot that is his favorite chicken he hatched in an incubator just this spring. Pirate Jake has been working all summer to make sure that things were in shipshape for today. Smarty me judges Pirate Jake is prepared to walk the plank if he doesn’t find the treasure.

Don't ask me how Jake wond 2nd place and Zeak won nothing. Sometimes I really disagree with judges.
Lead line is one of my favorite events at the fair. You dress you and your animal up, write a short story and then you lead your animal for the judges. Kaci was Fancy Nancy.

This is Kaci Fae Woodland and she is ecstatic (that’s a fancy word for happy) to be in the Juab County Fair lead line. Kaci is the only fancy one in her family so, when she asked for a puppy 2 years ago her cowboy dad didn’t understand that a border collie pup wasn’t fancy enough for Kaci. She tried to dress her in fancy ensembles (fancy word for cloths) and nestle (fancy for snuggle) with her at nap time. Coke was a cow dog and wanted to be out chasing cows . Because this puppy turned out to be a fiasco (fancy for a disaster ) the search was on for a fancy puppy for a fancy little girl. When we found him Kaci named him sparkles and bought him a sparkly pink collar, pink bed with pillow and toys, because every fancy dog needs fancy accessories ( this is fancy extra stuff). He is a shitzu poodle cross ( that is a cross between a shitzu and a poodle.) Sparkles is the perfect dog for Kaci and they have had a spectacular (that’s a fancy word for great) time at the Juab County Fair this year. ooh la la

Thursday night Dan joined Mitch's Ranch rodeo team. The ranch rodeo was not near as entertaining as it has been in the past. And once again we just had fun participating. It might be really hard to beat Aaron Stephenson's team they have won several years in a row.

Jake loves to show his steer but he has the most fun grooming him and getting him ready!
Andrew loves the cows and horses and looks up to Zeak. I know Zeak made Andrews day by letting him help get the steers ready to show. We didn't place well in the Market class but we never do. What really counts is when he is cut open. Usually we grade well.
Zeak got bucked off but made the crowd laugh!
Jake won 2nd place in his age group!

Thursday afternoon they had the bicycle barrel race it was something fun for the kids. Kaci was mad at me that she was the only one with a 3 wheeler but it turned out to be the best thing because it was sturdy in the dirt.
Dan did the extreme cowboy race on Thursday morning. He did great he took second place and won all of our entries for the week back and had extra to buy himself a drink. Dan has come a long way from when I first met him. He has learned a lot about horses and how to ride them.
The boys tried their hand at team penning. They didn't do so good but they had fun.
Tuff has so much power coming off the barrels and I am so out of shape! It wasn't a terrible run but it was no winning run either. My knuckles were bloody when I was done and I didn't even have a belt buckle on. I am glad I did it and got back on. I proved to myself that I can steel ride.
Jake loves to run barrels. He has done and amazing job training Tuff! He did such a great job that I got brave and ran him.
Wed night was the Western Night Rodeo. Zeak tried his hand at yet another steer. If he would have started when he was younger I think we could have held our own. At least he gave it a good effort in the end. He improved on this ride from the week before.
Wednesday was the start of showing steers. Zeak did awesome in the showmanship. The judge remembered him from last year and was very complimentary of him. Zeak is very confident and poised in the show ring. In life this can come across as arrogant but in the show ring it spells BLUE!
Dan kept encouraging Zeak to find different partners this year. He told him he would have better luck roping with someone besides his dad. Zeak didn't listen he wanted to rope with his Dad, Mitch, and Grandpa Don. Grandpa had surgery on his knee the day before so Zeak got brave and called Nate Maughnn (Nails' original owner) to rope in Grandpa's place. Thanks Nate for roping with us!
August 10th started a week full of fun for the Woodlands! Since we were not able to attend Little Britches Nationals this year we took the week of the fair and had so much fun. Tues started off the fair events with the roping. Jake and Kaci had their first soccer games so Grandma's helped out! Dan waited and waited for Jake to make it back from the game so they could ribbon rope together. It was a good thing Jake didn't take his soccer cleats and shorts off he needed them since his roper caught at the bottom of the catch pen.

Cousins through out the Summer

The Summer was full of fun I didn't realize how much we really did get to do this summer until I was looking back through the photos. We spent a lot of time with family this summer. When family comes we do the same thing over and over so my photos all look the same but my kids love sharing the animals and the cousins all seem to love being at the Cowboy house as Ashlyn calls it. I loaded the photos in the wrong order again but here are some highlights from our cousin sleepovers.
We even had the older cousins Matt and Shaunie and a couple of their friends come and spend an evening riding horses, and eating hot dogs as late as it was we should have just had a sleep over.

Kaleb and Carter didn't have a sleep over but they got to come and see all the animals and even go for a pony ride. Kaleb loved it while Carter sat back and was very unsure of the whole experience. Carter finally touched the ducks at the very end.

Carson got to come and spend some time with us for his birthday he got to ride the pony, feed the buffalo, and have best mom ever pancakes! He is such a happy kid and we love having him come to visit.

This was a fun girls party. Kaci really wanted to have a party with just the girls so when Ashlyn came down we had Madison come and we did a sleepover. They decided they wanted a tea party for dinner. I was the cooker and server and I had to take their order. Their order was pretty simple PB&J with peaches. Then we made mini doughnuts that they got to decorate themselves. What a group to feed and entertain. I laughed the whole night. Girls are a whole new level of fun for me.

Feeding the buffalo was another favorite activity for all the cousins to try. Andrew loves to come to our house and it makes Dan and I feel pretty special. He is so fun to have around and wants to do everything with the animals. He helps us feed them and ride them. The only ones he doesn't like at all are the dogs. He is friends with sparkles but not the big dogs yet.
Madison and Andrew got to come a few times and have sleep overs and ride the pony lots.
Sydney got to come down for a BBQ and to ride the pony. The best is just watching them playing together. They are great friends just wish we lived closer so they could play more.
The Idaho cousins came and we went to Payson Pool swimming, grandpa took them camping and fishing. Ariel decided she was to big to be with Kaci and the boys so she spent some time with just grandma. The boys played hard and Tel got to go to work with Dan and Zeak. Dan was amazed at how quick Tel caught on and how smart he was at construction. In a few years maybe Tel and come and work for Uncle Dan for the summer.

In June we got to spend time fishing with Shyanne in Idaho it was a cold day but they still had a lot of fun together.

I am so glad my kids have great memories with their cousins and I am so glad that the cousins all love coming to our house. We have fun sharing our farm and home with family and friends. Thanks for a summer full of fun everyone!

Saturday is a Speical Day

There is a primary song that has been in my head lately. Saturday is a Special Day! When I was young I thought this was a funny song to sing. Now that I am older and wiser I see how true this song is and the meaning is deeper. This summer there has been two Saturdays where we have worked hard all day cleaning inside and out. Everyone has worked together and we have accomplished much more than I expected. We have even left time for play. Back in July the kids had worked really hard. They were hot and tired. I had told Dan we were done and needed to play with them. Pretty soon he came in and said where are those boys we are not done. I was so confused and watched as he yelled out them for leaving the hose on the lawn running. I was so confused because it was him that had left the hose on pretty soon there was a full on water fight with hoses and cups. The perfect ending to a hot work day in July. We cleaned up and had a BBQ and enjoyed our clean yard and house. That relaxing and enjoyment carried over into Sunday. This weekend was a similar experience. We worked hard all day then went shopping Saturday night. We saved our fun for Sunday with a BBQ and friends. The older I get the wiser my Father in Heaven becomes and the more I really on his simple teaching such as this simple primary song to bring joy and happiness to my life.

Saturday is a special day.
It’s the day we get ready for Sunday:
We clean the house, and we shop at the store,
So we won’t have to work until Monday.
We brush our clothes, and we shine our shoes,
And we call it our get-the-work-done day.
Then we trim our nails, and we shampoo our hair,
So we can be ready for Sunday!

Better start

Today was a much better start to a school day. Back Packs were loaded, bellies fed, teeth brushed, and out the door by 8:10 so they could ride their bikes. Love theses boys and I am excited to watch them grow this year. I have thought a lot lately about their safety and influences they might get in public school but still I feel this is the best place for them to grow and learn. I am in no way certified or smart enough to teach my children nor do I want to take on that responsibilities. I am so grateful for teachers and their role in the life of my children. I will just do my best as a mom to arm them with the gospel so that when (not if) evil faces them hopefully they will be strong enough to defeat it.

First Day of School

Not the picture of bright eyed, bushy tail boys ready for their first day of school. We had a late night rodeo in the rain and so our first day of school was a bit rough. I think we even started the year with a tardy. I guess at least we made it and they both came home excited about their teachers and ready for a fresh new school year. Zeak is in Mrs Bradely's sixth grade class. Jake is in Mrs Feaman's 2nd grade class.


While I was doing "my" homework this is their favorite part of the first day of school they get to give me the homework. I looked up to have Zeak sign his papers and this is what I found one tired cowboy. After I let them nap for a while I did make them both go pose for some back to school photos.