Pioneer Trek with Murray North Stake

I know it's a little nerdy but I was super excited to be called to be Trek parents this year. I had so much fun on our Richland Trek as a youth that I wanted to do it all again despite how difficult they are. I'm super glad we got this opportunity, cause we ended up with the most fantastic family of kids, and the weather and scenery were beautiful all the way through. 

We went up to the church property Deseret Land and Livestock in Wyoming and hiked rolling hills and prairie the whole way. It wasn't nearly as dirty as I remember the Richland trek being. Nights were harder though cause we had to sleep under the stars without tents, and we got pretty wet.

I really think we ended up with the absolute best kids in the whole stake. They all worked so hard and didn't complain the whole time. 

I got compliments from the Stake leaders the whole time about how great it was that our family spent their free time together, ate together, and preferred to stick together just about all the time. We really bonded from day one, and I was so happy to see them so brave and willing to make new friendships! 

I was particularly proud of the compliments I got about how hard working my boys were. They were always the first to help pack up camp and never had to be asked to help with the stake trucks. They cleaned our girls' dishes after every meal and begged them to take breaks and ride in the cart. What a fantastic bunch! Luke, Tommy, and Zach were the 'trifecta' of oxen who pushed and pulled without breaks the whole way through. 

And through it all they found the energy to dance, play, and make the best of our 'trials'. Sophie was 'injured' during the trial mile and was carried quite a ways. 

I was so impressed by their endless energy. They pulled some serious effort in the tug of war and we dominated our round. 

And Tommy and Zach were among the last 3 contenders along with President Taylor in ninja warrior. Tommy won.

I couldn't believe the spunk and spirit in my girls. They didn't just tolerate being dirty and sunburned and blistered, they smiled through the whole thing! Lily, Abby, and Sophie had unconquerable spirits, and even insisted on doing the women's pull by themselves even though we had only 4 girls in our family compared to most families who had 5-6. They taught me so much about love and patience, and shared their spirit and examples with their little brothers Kyler and Landen. We made a pretty darn good team if I do say so myself.

#familygoals

Aww look at us!