Babies, Babies Everywhere!

Within a week and a day, our family was blessed with two babies!!! First, on June 14, Erin and Rod had their sweet baby boy, Hank Rodney. He came a little early (37 weeks) and his lungs needed a little more time to develop,therefore staying in the hospital for awhile. Then, my sister Kathy had her second child, Abby Rose, on June 22. Great Grandma and Grandpa Epperson holding Hank
Hank Rodney Poulsen
Abby Rose Rinker
Ava greeting her little sister for the first time. Grandma Sheri holding Abby.
Rinker Family: Craig, Kathy, Ava, and Abby.

Tough Love

Another piece to the puzzle of my life will come together now. Let me first start with a story to help everyone get a view into my thought process. When I was 14, I think, I was playing shortstop in a softball game. My dad was the coach, and I believe we were in a championship tournament. A line drive got hit right to my ear. I did throw the girl out, but there was a time out on the field for my dad to come and check on me. I remember my dad saying you're fine, you're staying in the game. And I was like dad I can't hear out of my ear. He looked at me, looked at the dug out and said I am not taking you out, you're fine. But dad I can't hear!! I did stay in the game and learned at an early age to play through any type of pain. Tough love, but I feel I am a better person because of it. (I am positive my siblings have similar stories!) I was thinking about this story this morning as I was running and my knee was KILLING me. I was thinking about how I have learned to keep going no matter what type of pain I may be in. You pick yourself up, don't complain (still working on that part) and finish what you have started. My dad taught me that I can do anything, no matter how hard or how difficult it may seem. It is very easy in life to come up with excuses not to finish the race or to come out of the game. Everything won't be perfect. You may not hear for awhile, your knee might hurt, or your life may not turn out how you imagine, but there is no one else who can finish the game, a race, or life but you.

The Posse Field Trips

Some of my friends (actually one, and I will call Prez) is bored out of her mind. This is her first summer not working and home with her kids all day. Long story longer, she has made up all these different field trips for her family and we have just tagged along with her fun, whether she likes it or not. The first field trip was a hike up in Pleasant Grove. Yes, hike. I made it through living in the Northwest and only doing maybe two hikes in 5 years (and I am counting the Pioneer trek as one). I didn't really want to go on the hike, but got talked into it and was glad we went. The walk up to the water fall would take the normal person maybe 20 minutes, but the monkeys took a little longer. You need to think about how big those rocks are compared to them. And how little the legs are to be walking. They were good little monkeys and did end up going to bed at 6:30 that night! Even though I had to drag my kids on the hike, they had a wonderful time and asked when we were going on the next field trip! Shauna and Luke walking up the trail.
Ellie and I enjoying the spray of the falls.


Johnjohn and Luke throwing rocks into the water.
Robbie, Jakers and I

Jakers climbing around

Tyler, Robbie, Jake and Nic