Are you ready for some mud football?

There's nothing like some good clean fun. LOL! Welcome to our 2nd annual mud football event. Once again we went out to U of A farms where they were kind enough to till up and flood a field for us. Now that Mark is a High Counselor one of his duties is being over stake activities. This is the first one for him and he had a great time helping plan and see it through. The Maricopa Stake consists of 7 wards and 3 branches (too small to be a ward yet) We were not sure how many people would come to this one since it was on a holiday weekend and lots of people go out of town. We still have several hundred, so it was fun. Towards the end of the "big guys" football game Chad got hurt pretty bad. Someones head nailed him in the throat with his head and his larynx popped back and down and stuck there. He fell to his knees and couldn't breathe. He grabbed on to his larynx trying to pull it back out. After a minute or so he could breathe again. He came and showed me his neck and he could wiggle his larynx back and forth really far. Scary far...like your neck shouldn't be able to do that far. Ick! He couldn't eat last night and hasn't eaten much today because it hurts too much. He's a trooper though. He is giving a talk tonight at Stake Priesthood meeting. I know it's for the guys, but since I'm his mom I plan to go and stay long enough to listen to him. ***edited to add*** I just got home. Chad did an awesome job on his talk. I was so proud of him and I knew he talk was enjoyed by all who attended. They also had Hunter go up to the pulpit and tell his conversion story and share his testimony. I know he was nervous because he had no warning, but he did such a wonderful job. We were proud of him too. When I walked in the Stake President greeted me with a hug and told me how nice it was to see me at Priesthood meeting and asked if I was there to hear Chad talk. I told him yes and that I was going to try to blend in by putting on one of Mark suits but I thought the pink purse would be a dead give away that I wasn't a man. LOL! Gotta admit that I'm glad to not be able to pass for a man....shudder! :o)

Check out this next sequence of pictures. The pretty blond woman in the nice clothes standing on the berm is Brother Malan's wife. (the seminary teacher I did his classroom for)Cole is walking towards her. He wanted Cole to go push her in. He didn't want to until Mark said he'd pay him $10 bucks to do it, so of course what kid wouldn't do that for money. LOL! Watch as he takes her down. She puts up a real good fight and gets him back in the end. We laughed so hard I almost peed my pants. I'm so glad I got it all in pictures. It was just too funny! She's a great sport.

After everyone rinsed off in a water retention pond we had a big BBQ Picnic. They had been smoking pork roast for several days. It made the BEST pulled pork sandwiches I've ever had. Mark had each ward bring different food assignments. I made pasta salad and pink fluff. There was so much food. It was awesome. They has some extra roasts and we got one. I shredded it up today and reheated it in my crock pot and we just ate that for dinner. So good! My hands still smell like smoked meat even after washing them several times. It was such a great day full of fun memories with good friends and family. I love those kinds of days.