Walk

I got up to go on a walk today and before I got out the door Lanny was up. It was only 6:30 so I was a bit surprised. I told him to go back to bed, but he wanted to come because exercise is good for you. He rode his bike and was so sweet. He kept up a constant conversation, although when he had something really important to say, he had to stop so that he could use his hands to get his point across. At one point we were going down a slight incline and he didn't even have to pedal. He was excited and said,"Look, Mom, I'm pushing on those "urting things" and I'm still moving!" He is just like his father, always using the technical term for things. I told him they were brakes, but "urting things" seems like a better term to me too! I'd have to say, although, I didn't go as far or as fast as usual, it was my best walk yet! The experts are right when they say exercising with a buddy keeps you motivated. It was definitely worth getting up early to spend some time with him!

Just so you know...

...I was crying in church today. I had to hide my face and hope no one saw me. No, although the talks were great, I wasn't moved by the Spirit. Some man, I know it was a man because it was mammoth, sneezed. In response, Kessie who had not been paying attention, but sure heard the sneeze, barked! Just once, a cute little, high pitched bark! She didn't look up, she just continued with what she was doing. She didn't even notice as I started to laugh and then shake as I laughed harder and harder. I was definitely being a bad example, but I couldn't control myself. No more barking, she had acknowledged the man and went on with her life as if barking in church was an ordinary occurrence. How casual she was made it even funnier, she didn't do it for a response, she just did it. Words can't do this story justice, it was the funniest thing. I better stop because I'm crying again. Gotta love that girl!

Latest Project

Okay, I decided that it was time to get rid of some baby clothes. We're not using them, and I'm sick of storing them. Our basement is a mess and in order to get it clean I need to organize. What am I thinking? This is not a short project, I'm looking at 5-10 years to complete the organization of the basement. The baby clothes alone is now going on three days. I had thirteen tupperware of baby clothes (not small bins either.) Now, just so you don't think I'm a shopaholic some of them were given to me (love hand me downs, they're great!) I got rid of all the really stained stuff and some older clothes. I thought I was doing pretty good, I still wanted to keep some stuff, just a bit, in case. Well, now I have eight tupperware of baby clothes. Yes, I did trim down, but I think we still have quite a bit. Don't say I'm not prepared! I was going to try and cut back a little more, but I wanted my living room back so I just stuffed everything back in tupperware. I have no patience for projects like these, so why do I start them? I never learn my lesson and now I have a bigger mess to clean up than before. Oh well, just don't come to my house right now. I should have the living room clean again in about a year, maybe a little more seeing as how I have such great helpers! Here is a word of advice for everyone. If you're thinking about some cleaning/organizing, don't, it's not worth it. It's really not bugging you that bad. Go shopping instead. If you pile more stuff on top of it, soon you'll forget about it!

Logan

Just wanted to give a shout out to my cute little (yeah, you heard me kiddo, you are younger than me) brother. He is always calling me to check on me and see how we are doing. What a sweetie! I don't usually get to the phone, but I love getting his messages. I love how thoughtful he is. So even if I don't return your calls, I love you "Bro" thanks for thinking of me!

Labs

So we all know the basics about Labs. They are a family friendly breed, they like to eat, they make great hunters, etc. But...did you know that...
Apparently their favorite food is cranberry-orange bagels with cream cheese. They will do anything to get one, including beg, get in your face, sit on you, or even give you a kiss, just for one bite.
When trying to eat said bagel, there is no place you can hide that they can't find you...yes, those sniffers are used for more than just pheasants. Believe me, we tried. Please see attached picture of the girls running through the meadow trying to get away, notice yellowish-white dog following close behind.
Although energetic and crazy at times, they are truly great companions, even for the young!
Hot dogs are not as loved as bagels. This was learned through hours of research, or one fishing trip, where those labs just laid there watching us eat hot dogs. They were so good, but can you blame them, I don't like hot dogs that much either.
When elderly, labs may be over weight, have trouble jumping into four-runners, and may get tired easily while walking, but as soon as you throw a stick in the lake, watch out for the lightning bolt (black lightning bolt) that streaks past you to retreive the stick.
Two labs will inevitably fight over said stick all the way back to shore and then promptly drop it and forget about it.
Labs are so lovable and a great addition to the family. (But you probably already knew that one!)

And Still More

A couple favorites from yesterday!

Picture Month

So I have more pictures. I just seem to be taking a ton more pictures in May than the other months. Yesterday, Aaron wanted to take the kids fishing and for a hot dog cook out (I forgot to bring the ketchup and mustard, but we choked them down, actually, Lanny ate three.) We went up to Pole mountain. It was a bit cold, but I was the only one with sense enough to wear my coat the whole time. Aaron and Lanny were quite successful at catching brook trout. They could have stayed there forever, but since Lanny filled his waders with lake water again, I said we had to go get him warm. We had to hike a short ways to get into the pond that we wanted to fish at. I took Kessie's hand because there is a lot of loose rock and it is slippery. She willingly held my hand and said, "Follow me, Momma." So cute. I hate to admit it, but all three of my children are the outdoorsy type. I am by far outnumbered when the choice comes to fishing or scrapbooking. While the boys fished, the girls went exploring and climbing big boulders. We had a great time, and when we were done with everything, Aaron put the fire out with the water from Lanny's waders---and Lanny hiked back a bit underdressed (don't worry, I had a change of clothes for him in the car.) Sometimes I am so stupid, that change of clothes meant he was all set to stop at another fishing hole on the way back, what was I thinking?!? But seriously, I can be positive about fishing. I don't have to eat them, the woods were beautiful, and I love watching the enthusiasm exuded by my children! Family time, even in the outdoors, is wonderful!

More B-day Photos!

Halfway to 70!

Yep, sorry honey, but I just have to tell everyone that you are now 35! Yesterday was Aaron's birthday, and as you can tell by one of the pictures, he celebrated by going fishing. He got up at 4:15am or something insane like that, and went fishing. He caught a few brook trout that he was excited about (Lanny and him ate them for breakfast this morning.)
Lanny was really upset thinking that I would bake Daddy's birthday cake without him, so he came up with the brilliant idea for each of us to make our own cake for Daddy. This you can also see in the pictures, Daddy got three birthday cakes, well actually, an almond breakfast cake from Lanny, a brownie cream cheese pie from Louie, and Kessie and I made him the old standby-a coconut bundt cake! (Yeah, I'm not doing so great on the whole keeping my cholesterol down, I think I've eaten a whole cake in the last 24 hours.) When Lanny realized that we didn't have enough candles, he brilliantly, well, I thought it was clever, put a "3" candle on the cake he made surrounded by five small candles---thus, 35. Yeah he's smarter than me, I just randomly stuck candles in.
The sign in the pictures, Lanny made to hang on the door while the kids made Aaron his presents. Thought it was pretty cute! Lanny gave Aaron a hand-painted treasure box, Louie gave him a painted box filled with Hugs and Kisses and her and Kessie put two fake flowers in it. Kessie got him a balloon! We did get him two balloons, but one flew away. Kessie was really upset and cried huge tears, "My Bubble, my bubble, it flew away!"
I think Aaron had a fairly good birthday. My favorite part was hearing all the little voices, over and over again, wishing him a Happy Birthday! He might not have gotten a new car, but he did get a lot of real hugs and kisses and a lot of love from his adoring family.
We love you Daddy, Happy Birthday!
The close up of Kessie shows the pure delight as she first sights in on the chocolate hugs and kisses!

Cozy Cow Dairy Farm

Yesterday we accompanied Lanny and all the first graders on a trip down to Windsor, south of Fort Collins, to visit the Cozy Cow Dairy Farm. Kessie couldn't wait to see all the baby cows. We actually only got to see two, but she thought it was the best day ever. We got to watch as they milked the cows, and then they gave a little presentation on how milk is made, i.e. the cow eats, belches, chews, digests, voila...milk! The kids thought it was great, plus they gave them a sample of 2% milk and cheese curds. According to every first grader, that was the best milk that they had ever tasted! After visiting the dairy, we went to a park to eat our lunch. They had a playground with an exceptionally high slide. Sorry, Kessie, not letting you on that one! They ran around like crazy, as did I, trying to keep track of my kids. Picture a swarming ant hill and you know what the playground looked like. It was a bit noisier than an ant hill, though. It was a fun day, but I was sure tired. The sun came out at the park and made it very enjoyable. Louie keeps asking when we get to go back to the dairy.
Aaron happened to be working in Windsor and so he stopped by to say hi. Probably a bad thing. No, he didn't get a sample of cheese, but he did find out how much a calf cost and if there were any available. I was seriously scared to open my car door, thought I might find a cow in there. Luckily, he's still contemplating, but that look in his eyes tells me that we will have a baby cow sooner than later! Oh well.

Happy Mother's Day

Just wanted to give a shout out, late, to all the Mother's out there, especially my own. Hope they had a great Mother's Day and were pampered and treated like the amazing women that they are. I have to brag a bit about my own Mother's Day. I have been truly blessed with a wonderful husband and amazing, adorable children. Lanny prepared for over a week. He made me 9 somethings...as in cards, pictures, a package of seeds, a butterfly made of his hand prints, etc. He was so excited to give them all to me (he had been hiding them behind his dresser all week). Lanny and Louie also planted a flower for me in Primary. Louie only had one card for me and felt sad because she didn't do as many as Lanny. I tried to tell her that number doesn't matter, but she still felt bad and so she made me another card and a bag of seeds. Kessie gave me a paper with her hand prints and a poem on it. She was so excited. "Momma, I put my fingers on it!"
I have to tell you about the seeds that Lanny and then Louie (he helped her make a bag after she felt bad thinking she needed to give me more gifts) gave to me. I honestly believe that children are a lot closer to heaven than we usually realize. Lanny has always been sensitive and aware of my feelings. Apparently Heavenly Father thought I needed a boost and a reminder. Lanny gathered a bunch of native grass seeds and put them in a plastic sandwich baggie, then he wrote on the bag, "Happy Mother's Day from Lanny. Seed to reeminde you to have faith!" I loved all the gifts I received and all the efforts my family put into them, but I think that the bag of grass seeds is my favorite.

Circus

Last night we went to the circus. This is our second year to go. Last year was completely amazing. This year there had been some downsizing and although we still enjoyed it, it wasn't a feast for the eyes anymore. They did have tigers this year, which thrilled the kids. Kessie especially loved them. One of the tigers was named Konan and he weighed 750 pounds, he was huge. He was also the only one that the tamer dared feed by hand. I guess he is one of those gentle giants. We also enjoyed the elephants, the blue and pink poodles, and the boys loved the motorcycles in the cage, and sweet Louie commented on one of the acrobatic women (all of them were scantily clad), "Mom, she is beautiful, but she didn't dress right." Good for you Louie! Of course we had popcorn, cotton candy, and Louie found a ticket in her candy bar that won her a bouncy ball. Seeing as how I greatly fear being in crowded places with my kids, and Kessie did wander off once (we found her luckily), I feel very blessed that we were able to enjoy ourselves and all end up home together and safe! Gotta love those angels working overtime on our behalf!
Oh, I almost forgot, the serious funny of the night. They sell those stupid glowing/flashing swords and balloons, etc. all for an astounding amount of money. At one point in the show they dimmed all the lights and encouraged everyone to buy a glowing sword. They were on sale!!! The announcer said,"So ladies and gentleman as our vendors walk around, put your hands in the air and buy one now!" Louie, who for the first time in her life listened and obeyed, enthusiastically threw her hands in the air...ready to buy such a wonderful find! The lady behind us burst into laughter, as did we. And I got the added benefit of hugging Louie tightly until no vendors could be seen. She still enjoyed herself, even though we didn't buy her a sword.
Even with the downsizing of the circus, I would highly recommend to anyone who has not been, go see a circus. The skill and strength of those performers is amazing. Fun time for all!
P.S. The picture of Kessie is during the national anthem, I probably shouldn't have taken the picture, but I was so proud of her.

Fishing

Yesterday was quite full. Lanny and Aaron got up and went fishing for the first time this spring. Lanny has a new set of hip waders and was so excited to use them. When I said goodbye to him he was happily getting into the car fully dressed. When I welcomed him home, he was asleep, drooling, and had no pants on...still buckled into his car seat. Seriously, what is the point of hip waders if you bend over and let all the water in anyway? He also, apparently, fell down while walking in the lake, so that filled his waders up as well. He said he still had a great time, but that the water was pretty cold. Well, at least he's learning what not to do in hip waders. While the boys were fishing, the girls went to the park and out to eat with our friend Kaye and her granddaughter. It was a chilly day, but you know kids, they still managed to have a great time.
In case anyone was wondering, they caught a bunch of greylings !

Before I Forget

Last night we were eating dinner (moose burger) and Aaron told the kids that they had better watch out because if you eat too much you'll suddenly get the urge to run around in the wilderness, frolick in the swamp, and eat moss. Those weren't his exact words, but you get the idea! Lanny and Louie started laughing and Lanny asked me if it was true, I said, "I don't know, but I'm suddenly starving for some moss." "What's moss?" Lanny questioned. Aaron started to explain what moss is when Louie piped in, "I know what moss is. It's those little things with wings that fly around, their kinda like butterflies, but not really." Aaron tried to gently correct her and tell Lanny what moss really was. Louie got upset and said, "Uuh, uhh, Dad, that's not was moss is." Louie, babe, I'm on your side, you're a smartie and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Yeah, I'm still chuckling, although, I'm not quite as hungry for moss anymore!

May

Happy May!!! I can't believe it is already May, I guess I'd better start working on my New Year's Resolutions! I did go on a walk this morning with the dogs, but that is only because I was informed this week that I have high cholesterol, seriously, what a bummer... I love heavy whip cream and now I can't drink it anymore!
In other news, Lanny continued his science project yesterday. As soon as he got home from school, Aaron and him set about burning some tumbleweeds. They were wet so we didn't have a huge bonfire like last time, but we did get a lot of smoke. Lanny put his gold laced rock in a pan and in the burning cage, then they went to work. Lanny was a great helper throwing in more tumbleweeds and feeding the fire. I went out and his face was bright red, "Mom, I know that fire is really hot, because I'm really hot!" When everything was cooled down he brought in the pan. As you can see, the rock fared, except for a bit of discoloration, very well. My pan on the other hand has seen better, straighter, days. "I guess burning tumbleweeds don't get hot enough to melt gold." I said. "Yeah, we'll just have to keep trying," was Lanny's response. Oh, yippee, now I have a pyro and all for the sake of some "gold".

Here is a picture of Kessie a couple days ago. It was really cold and I told her she had to get dressed in order to go outside. She did. All by herself (notice the backwards boots.) I found her as she escaped to the great outdoors. She wasn't too thrilled that I dragged her back in and told her she needed more clothes on to go outside, although she did admit that it was a little cold out.

Lanny took the chicks to school a week ago and made a poster to teach his class about chickens. He did a really great job. He also insisted that we make them a treat. It ended up that I just took the supplies and the kids made the treats, but this is one that I made ahead of time (Idea from Family Fun.com). I thought they were pretty cute, and they were a big hit, but not as big as the real chicks!