Dominican Republic Trip

Matt was able to spend 10 days in the Dominican Republic in August. He went with the G3 Foundation that does humanitarian dental work down there every year. I sent him with a camera and I soon realized why I am always the one taking the pictures when he came home with out taking a single one! He finally got some from his friends so now I can write about it.

The country is beautiful and reminded Matt a lot of his time in Brazil. It was lush, green, and beautiful. It is an extremely poor and impoverished country. The people are beautiful and very thankful for what help you can offer. These pictures broke my heart. The people live and survive any way that they can. They bathe in the streets, sell what they can at the markets, and do what they can to sustain themselves. Matt and the crew spent time in three different locations. They would transport all of their equipment and set up their operatives in the run down buildings that were arranged for them. The bottom right photo is of the restroom at the school. They were told that a local woman came and scrubbed for two hours to make it presentable for them. One day was designated just for children. When they arrived, there were over 1200 kids waiting for them. Parents were begging and pleading for their children to receive care. There was a lot of amazing procedures that were done. Because of the time constraints a lot of the focus was on pain control and aesthetics. There were people that had not smiled for years that had there teeth fixed and walked out with a beautiful new smile.

I love to see Matt doing what he loves. This is proof that these last few years have been worth it. To see him helping people that are in such a desperate need, really brings me joy.

Before they left they were able to see the temple and the church were Christopher Columbus was buried for a time.

The doctors and students

It is uplifting to see such a group of men and women that are willing to use their skills to bless the lives of others. What a blessing to be able to serve and help those that can not help themselves.

(Three day old baby)

First Day of Pre-School!

Sami had her first day in her last year of Pre-school on Monday. It is crazy to think that next year she will be in Kindergarten! She loves school and excited to be back in class with her two good friends Jack and Mason. She had a little melt down once she got to school. A friend was dropping them all off for their first day, and Sami was fine up until she saw the teachers. She was hysterical. She called me on the phone and sounded as if she would hyperventilate. She is such a bipolar little girl! One moment she is Miss Independent and wants nothing to do with me trying to help her. The next minute she turns back into a typical nervous four year old. Hopefully this is just a short phase and she will return to her spunky, independent little self!

First Day of School!

After a six week break, the kids are finally back in school. We ended up on Track 3 this year and the kids are excited because a lot of their friends are in their classes. Austin started 5th grade and Easton is in 2nd. They are liking it so far, which is a good thing. Here we go again!

Utah Trip Highlight!

WARNING: NOT PETA FRIENDLY!

The boys have been trying to catch the sly little raccoons that have been eating all of the corn in the garden. After catching Grandpa Mels cat, they finally caught a varmint; of the stinky variety. The best was watching my dad try to get the skunk out of the trap without getting sprayed. After about a half an hour he was successful in getting the trap lowered into a barrel of water. Matt was close by to finish the pour soul off. It was definitely the highlight of the trip!

Texas....Home Sweet Home?

Matt and I flew down to Texas while my mom had the kids, in order to check things out. We are having the hardest time trying to figure out where the heck we are supposed to live after school. Texas has a lot to offer, but there are still some drawbacks. It was greener than I thought it would be. The homes are beautiful and the people are very friendly. The schools are amazing and there is a lot of space. We were a little lost with out the mountains to use as landmarks! There was no "A-ha" moment and we are still discussing our options, so we will see. I keep wondering where my angel is to come down and tell me where the heck we are supposed to move, but it has not happened yet. Hopefully we figure things out quickly because the unknown is driving us crazy! If anything else, it was a nice little getaway for the two of us!

A typical home is a typical neighborhood! Way less than what we paid for our home in Henderson!

This is half of the High School in a town of 8,000 people! We were blown away. We thought it was a community college!
Football field at the same High School, that is the separate indoor practice arena!
I guess that is what they mean by Texas High School Football Big!
Possible neighbors
Just thought this was funny!
Easton loves armadillos, and this was the only one that we saw!

ABC's of Bear Lake Trip Part 1

A is for Abby. She was the queen of the trip and all of the girls wanted to sit by here, ride with her and play with her all of the time. Who can blame them? She is one of the sweetest girls around.

B is for "Bury Me!" We heard this over and over all week long!

C is for Cheese Factory. We stop every year at the Gossner Cheese Factory in Logan Utah. The kids could not get enough of the cheese curds!
D is for Digging! The kids were more than content to dig in the sand all day long. They played more in the sand than they did in the water. We were lucky enough to get the same spot on the beach everyday so they could pick up where they left off. E is for Emma! Being the oldest of the 19 Schofield grandkids, Emma is a huge help. She was always willing to play with, entertain and help keep track of all of the little ones!

F is for Family! We were lucky enough to have every member of the family at the reunion. Grandma and Grandpa Schofield came up for a day and Grandpa Rosecrans came down from Oregon to be with us.

G is for Gigantic Cinnamon Rolls

H is for Handsome Brothers!

I is for Ice! We went through so much ice that week, we were always running to the store to buy more.

J is for Josh! Things are always more fun with Josh around. He always seems to make us laugh and knows how to take charge of things when the need arises, plus he likes to prove that he is the toughest brother (Or so he thinks!)

K is for Kindle. Peter took his dang Kindle everywhere!

L is for Lucy aka LuLu. Lucy is so cute with such a spunky little attitude. We can't help but love her!

M is for "More, More, Faster, Faster!" The kids could not get enough of the boat, the water weeny and the tube!

ABC's of Bear Lake Trip Part 2

N is for Nail and Hair Salon. With 6 girls under the age of 5 this happened on more than one occasion.

O is for "Oh No, where is the Dr. Pepper?" I cannot even count how many cases of Dr. Pepper we went through that week.P is for Papa, Pops, Papa T, or Papal. What ever you call him, he is the best Grandpa!
Q is for Quiet (or lack there of). In a house with 30+ people, quiet moments were hard to come by. R is for Raspberry Shakes. You can not go to Bear Lake with out eating a raspberry shake. The small town was over run with a mob of "Schofield Unite" t-shirt wearers on Friday night! S is for Sandcastles!T is for "Too Tight!"
U is for Unable to carry a tune! Karaoke Night definitely turned into Amateur Night. With the exception of Merrilee and her girls, the rest of us need some serious practice.

V is for Victory! There were many games of King of the Mountain! W is for Wake Surfing!

X is for "Xtreme" fun on the jet skis!

Y is for Yummy Food!

Z is for "Zonked Out!" We played so hard that by the end of the day we had worn out most if the kids and all of the adults! We had such a great trip, and can't wait until next year!