Guitars and Justin Bieber fans

Sometimes during the summer we have too much free time on our hands.  One evening Wilson made a *guitar* out of an old shoe box.  Ace was the most excited about this creation.  He quickly embodied the heart and soul of rock-n-roll.  He also got very very attached to the *guitar.*  He wore it to the church for a meeting I had the next morning and he brought it along to the library as well--wearing it around his neck and *playing* it sporadically here and there.

We have a couple of videos of him *rocking out.*  Justin Bieber is a favorite at our house right now and if you listen closely to the second video you can hear the amazing echo skills of Ace on one of Justin Bieber's songs...

(PIONEER) TREK

So, something we participated in this summer was our youth's Pioneer Trek.  Brett and I were called to be a "Ma" and "Pa" of a family.  We were asked to choose our own family name and Brett and I were quick to choose Dibble as our name.  Philo Dibble is Brett's great-great-great-grandfather and such an amazing man in church history.  We told our "kids" some stories about him and they were impressed.  We carried the Dibble name loud and proud the whole trek.  Our motivating saying was, "Let's show 'em how the Dibble's do it!" or "That's the Dibble way!"

Our family was awesome!!  No really--I know every Ma and Pa says that, but ours really was!  There was never any complaining and they had incredible attitudes the whole trek.  They were also extremely strong.  We were one of few families that did not send anyone to the medical tent throughout our journey.  But not only that--they went above and beyond:  everyday they wanted to be first to our destination.  They pushed and pulled tirelessly with determination.  The first day, we were first by a long shot.  The second day  we were 2nd over all and 1st in our company (we started the day 5th to last.)  They also helped others along the trail whether it was helping with water jugs, sharing food, or just being uplifting.  Our kids will be forever an inspiration to me.

A highlight for me was the Women's Pull.  This is when the men and boys were called away to the Mormon Battalion which left the women to pull the handcarts by themselves.  My girls had such a resilient attitude!  They were fearless--seriously.  It was a difficult part of the trail that we were asked to pull alone (very steep and sandy.)  After a little while, they let the Pa's come back to help their families.  When our girls saw Brett come back to help they exclaimed, "Hey!  Go back to war!  We can do this by ourselves!  We don't need your help!"  And we did for most of the trail. (That's me in the blue skirt.)

On the first night we had a Hoe Down.  I must admit--we had a hootin' and hollerin' time!  Our dancing was "fine a cream gravy!"  I was amazed at the energy I was able to muster up after walking 6 miles that day.  This pictures shows me as the "birdy in the cage."  I figured I might as well get my groove on if I was gonna be the "in the cage."

At the end of the 2nd day we realized our handcart was broken.  One would think that might squash some little pseudo-pioneers' spirits a little.  Are you kidding?  No way!  One of our "sons" fixed it with a rope.  Broken no more.

Let me introduce you to Sarah Jane.  She was an orphaned baby that was put into our family's care for the duration of the Trek.  We carried her with us the whole way.  We had some great times with Sarah Jane.  Our experience wouldn't have been the same without her.  This was one of her favorite spots to travel--right by the water cooler.  She loved it!

Overall it was an unforgettable experience.  I will never hear "Come, Come, Ye Saints" again and not feel that special stirring inside.  We LOVE YOU, Dibble family!!  Dibbles Forever!

A Wet Independence Day

It was a fabulous and rainy 4th of July!  The 4th of July is always the longest day of the year for our family.  We get up early, participate in every patriotic activity we possibly can, then go to bed late after "boom, ooooh, aaaah."  This year, we didn't let a few million raindrops spoil our growing family tradition.

This year's festivities began with our little scout helping to lead the pledge of allegiance at our church's annual pancake breakfast.  He is so into scouts right now, and doing an awesome job.  The breakfast was fun, and the bike parade was the crowning moment.

Maisy, Wilson, and Daddy spent more than an hour decorating the bikes for the parade.  Those bikes just might have been as red, white, and blue as any bikes have ever been!

Ace wasn't afraid to get a little muddy at the breakfast.

After continuing our busy celebration with a neighborhood lunch party, then another get together with friends in the afternoon, then a Melissa City Hall ribbon cutting ceremony, we grabbed our camping chairs and headed to the City of Melissa Independence Day parade.  The parade was great--all 8 minutes, 44 seconds of it.  Gotta love a small town celebration.

Just as the parade was ending, a torrential downpour drenched the festivities.  We hustled over to Maria's Mexican restaurant for dinner, then headed back to the heart of the city to watch a spectacular fireworks display.  As the clock hit about 10:30, we rolled into the driveway and put our little patriots to bed.  Yes, our family July 4th tradition is alive, and we will never let anything, including the weather, get in our way!

Happy Independence Day from the Gustavesons!