The Trusses Go On!

Just like a true Barn Raising...

Saturday was a very fun and exciting day at Big Canyon.

We had about 13 men (volunteers, I might mention) helping with the

trusses (frames for the roof) of the Family Cabin.

A group of men would pick up the truss from the ground level...

Squeeze it through the door and lift it

to the group of men on the second floor...

They would push it up

and the 2 guys up on the ledge would nail them into place...

Voila!

Trusses are on!

Dave gettting ready for the next set of trusses to go on

over the meeting/living room area.

Here it goes....

Nice and easy guys.

Here it is almost done.

What a glorious day!

Thanks again to all the men that volunteered their time.

You are all awesome!!!

Amazing Colors!!

Change of Seasons

These are some of the beautiful colors at

Big Canyon...

Oh the beauty of God's Creation.

Big Canyon Family Cabin

The Building of Big Canyon's

First Family Cabin

In April we started clearing the spot for the first cabin.

We had awesome helpers from church friends at Creekside.

This is Jason and Caleb "clearing the land".

What muscles they have!

Men chipping the logs.

Papa digging the utility trenches on his "big toy".

Papa has spent many hours helping out.

The lot is cleared and ready for footers.

Footers are ready to be poured.

Our awesome volunteers and the cement pumping truck waiting for the arrival of the cement.

Weston and Isaac doing great work.

I see what lies in their future....

Daddy's helper!

(Abbi)

Brother and Sister are a great team.

Caleb and Abbi

Ahh! Finished product.

Time to start stacking styrofoam walls.

Thanks Mr Anderson for your help!!

Foundation walls almost done.

Foundation done and floor being poured.

Caleb and Cole providing great help.

Friends helping stack first floor walls.

Some help from our CUTE job inspectors.

Framing in the first floor.

Job Well Done!!

Thanks to all who have helped.

Keep checking in for more updates on the continued progress of

the first Family Cabin

Sunday Afternoon at Papa and Nana's

FUN AT PAPA AND NANA'S

After church on Sunday we headed down to see my folks. Grant and his family came over and we had lots of fun playing with cousins, eating, riding horses, picking raspberries, playing baseball, and visiting.

Tess, Papa, Elizabeth and Nana eating dinner on the patio.

Doesn't my mom look great!?!!

Dani Rae loves her Papa!

(He always puts her on a horse! Wins her over every time)

Jess and Maggie

Someone please push me! (Tess)

Nana has the BEST raspberries. We all spent a huge amount of time picking them. Funny thing - - When we were done there were none in the bowl. Mmm Mmm...our tummies were full!

Josh and Jules talking to Papa's dogs.

Papa and Weston talking about the good ol' days.

Papa, Abbi, Hudson, Weston, and Jacob saddled up and ready to ride.

They rode in the gully and had lots of fun.

Weston driving Papa's tractor.

Caleb

Papa, Uncle Grant and Weston

We all had a great time! Thanks for the memories.

Locks of Love

The New Hair-Do

Maggie has been growing out her hair so that she could donate it to Locks of Love. After seeing her Nana (my sweet mom who fought cancer this past year and was bald for a short time) without hair she wanted to help those who didn't have hair. We cut 10 inches this afternoon and will mail it tomorrow.

Here it goes...

WOW! Done.

She is thrilled to be able to do this.

Her cheerleaders!

Dani Rae, Elizabeth, and Abbi

So short! and.....

SO CUTE!!!

Way To Go Mags!

Castle Rock, CO -- I Love My Sister!

Colorado Trip

This is my younger (but taller) sister, Debbie. I just love her!

Since Deb and I were the ones taking pics all weekend (see camera in my hand), this was the best pic of the 2 of us (+ Tess). Actually....the only one.

The following is a recap of our unforgettable events:

Cooking

Sarah, Abbi, Savannah, and Maggie getting on aprons in preparation for cooking.

Looking over the recipe.

Actually making the recipe with lots of giggling and tasting.

While the girls baked their yummies, I prepped some meals to put in the freezer. Easy meals for after the birth of baby Fine #6.

Weston and David provided us with fantastic music while we worked in the kitchen.

Tea Party

The Four Fair Maidens await the arrival of their tea and treats.

Our handsome servers with hot tea and yummy treats.

Sarah and Abbi

Cute Maggie with Peach Mango Tea - yum!

What is a tea party without the twirling of dresses?

Harvesting of Apples and Grapes

Ready for another bucket!

Climb Higher and Don't Fall!

These apples are yummy!

Daniel was our quality control guy

Grapes from the vine. Incredible!

Cute profile, Deb!!

Abbi, Savannah, and Maggie

Cheers!

Cute Baby Tess!

Family Devotions

Shhh! Weston is praying. (Or maybe he fell asleep during our family devotion prayer.)

Zip Line Adventure

The zip line crew.

Maggie

David

Abbi

Savannah's face says it all!

Milking Time

Great team effort! They got things done.

David and Weston milking Checkers.

Savannah and Abbi milking Chance.

If a goat kicked, Maggie was the "spanker".

School Time

Miss Rose (Abbi) and her students.

Some more fun pics of other activities....

Weston playing "cowboy" with his rifle and Tyke (one of Sophie's puppies)

Dan, Dan the 2 yr old Man! Love that boy.

Look Ma! No hands.

Ready for church!

Tess says "peekie boo"

Got my thumb and my aunt Deb. I am set.

Kitchen Duty

Smiles for food. Feed the Baby!!!

Luke aka: Gukers

King of the Castle

Bob (Deb's hubby) and his step-dad

All Hands on Deck! Clean up!!

Savannah and Abbi teetering.

Sweet Special Friend, Alicia.

The whole crew (- Bob)

Can't wait to meet new Baby #6!!!

Extremely Embarrassed

I really should not show you these next two pictures. But the reality of it is - it looked like this. They are pics of our schoolroom 4 days ago. It got completely out of control - as you can see. I figure if you see the "before" pics you will appreciate the "after" pics much more. Here it goes......

Yikes!

More Yikes!!!

So, Brian gave me the green light to go visit my sister (Debbie) in Colorado IF I got the schoolroom back in order. Ah Ha! My ticket outta here.......

Ahhhh!

Let School Begin Again

So...... I leave in the morning to Castle Rock, CO to spend a few days with my very pregnant sister and her family. I will be taking Abbi, Maggie, Weston and Tess. We are all excited to play with and help the Fine Family.

Turtle Dove Hunt

There is excitement in the air on August 31st, the eve of September 1st..... The Dove Opener! Caleb got his hunter safety last year and this makes year 2 of dove hunting. There were not many birds flying but lots of fun was had by all. Pete Jones, Grant (my bro), and his son, Jacob (not pictured) joined the Zwahlen guys for an early morning hunt. Afterwards we had a big Egg Brunch Casserole! Yum! Caleb has been going most mornings and evenings since then. His goal is to get enough to feed our family - that takes quite a mess of 'em.

The Z 8 - All because two people fell in love.....

Tessa Enid (8 months) is our sweet baby! She is scooting all over the place (cleaning the tile with her clothes) and likes to be where her siblings are. She is a very content and happy baby. Her siblings like to squeeze her extra chins and kiss her chubby cheeks. She enjoys her naps, a meal after she wakes up, a push in the stroller and good "mommy time" while nursing. She is adorable!!!

Danielle (2) aka: Dani Rae or she will tell you Rae Rae. She is another cowgirl in the making. Always wants to ride the horse and never wants to get off and wants back on when she falls off. She gets up early and loves to help the morning chore person with chores. She likes to help clean in the kitchen (licking the bowls clean). She enjoys hiking to the creek, playing with the animals, telling the dogs what to do (they don't listen much), having books read to her, dressing up, sneaking up on Daddy to tickle him, and loves to go places with Mom. Love the 2 yr olds!!!


Elizabeth (4) aka: Little Bit or Baby is tender hearted and quick to help a sibling in need. She spends much of her time loving on all of our baby animals ie: rubbing Oakley's belly (our puppy), talking to the baby kittens, bottle feeding the goats or holding the baby chicks. She enjoys a good "daddy snuggle", running errands with mom, coloring, gathering the eggs, dressing like a fair maiden, caring for her dolly's, doing puzzles and a good book read to her.

Weston (6) loves to be "cowboy". His clothing attire usually consists of a belt loaded with an assortment of guns, pistols, knives, a rifle over his shoulder and a coon hat on his head. He enjoys a good wrestle with his older brothers, playing a game of football in the yard, riding his bike, telling a knock knock joke, hunting with his daddy, and snuggling his mommy. He is our little charmer. People enjoy a conversation with him - an entertainer.

Maggie (7) is my "little mommy". She loves to take care of her little sisters especially baby Tess. She reads all of the time and does great with her schoolwork. (She even helps Weston) She enjoys a big hug, helping bathe the little ones, playing with her baby dolls, helping me in the kitchen and coloring.

Abbi (9) is our little cowgirl. She loves horses. She loves to be with her daddy and help him with everything. His little sidekick! Her dog, Sophie, had 9 pups this spring. That was fun for all of us. She does great in school, loves to be outside with the animals, enjoys swimming on the Park City Swim Team, and is a great help to me. You hardly ever see Abbi without a smile.

Hudson (11) enjoys a good book and a challenging board game. He entered the "Chicken Chase" at the Henefer Little Buckaroo Rodeo and caught a chicken! (The bummer is the chicken crows, doesn't lay eggs - oh well, the hens are happy). He enjoys swimming on the PC swim team. He is a great student and does great with all of his schoolwork.

Caleb (13) is our oldest son. He loves his dog, Bandit. They spend lots of time hiking, hunting, swimming, and hanging out together. Caleb enjoys early morning hikes with the dogs. He has been Brian's "right hand man" with the help of building the first cabin and also helping with the groups of campers that we have hosted this summer. He is an excellent swimmer and really enjoys the PC Swim Team. Fun boy!

Welcome to the World Of the Z's

I am finally taking the plunge into the world of blogging. It seems like the "hip" thing to do and such a great way to stay in touch with friends and families. This is the Z Clan taken on Mother's Day Weekend.