Everyday Chaos

A Lot Like Me...

2010-08-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

Louie is so cute, and she is so smart, but sometimes she gets things a little mixed up. She'll try to remember the right words, or understand something, and it just doesn't come out right when she repeats it. I'm a lot like that, I get common phrases mixed up all the time. Aaron teases me, so I'm sure Louie will be in for a lifetime of torment. Aaron took her and Lanny camping and she was so upset because those big pesky flies were buzzing all around her. She got so mad, "I hate these antelope flies!" See what I mean. We all know that they're deer flies, but at least she called them a hoofed animal name. I've mentioned this before, but she calls a harmonica a fiddle (so does Lanny) and finally, last night Aaron put on the song "Puttin' on the Ritz" for them to dance to. I stopped it after a few minutes and Louie got mad. I love that song...then she started to sing it for me, "dah, dah, cuttin' up the ribs"! Yeah, she's cute.
That's all for now, but hopefully, I'll have some pictures up later this week.

Lovely Star Valley

2010-07-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

This was one of my highlights of the trip...meeting my new nephew, Joshua. He is so stinkin' cute and loves to chat and smile! He is a happy baby and loves his Auntie Bri!

Batter Up...

2010-07-20T06:35:00.000-07:00

Off the face...

2010-07-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

I know most people think we fell off the face of the planet, but sorry to disappoint, we're still here, just way behind. I'll try to catch up, but that will never happen, so just go with it. We've been back from our Flaming Gorge trip for a week. It was really fun. We had my grandparents, Aaron's friend and some of his kids, Aaron's folks and Uncle Derek and Whit all come and camp with us. It was great! We loved seeing everyone. First, let me tell you the highlight of Lanny's trip. We pulled into our campsite at dusk on Wed. and all my children immediately got in the lake. We hadn't even been there a half hour when they all started screaming. I thought, "Great, they've drowned!" But no, Lanny had seen a carp and decided to catch it. And when he decides to do something, he does it. He was sopping wet and struggling, but he had a huge carp in his butterfly net that he was trying to get to the bank. I ran for the suburban to get my camera. He caught this thing with his hands and his $1.29 net. So I never want to hear anyone say that the big one got away because they didn't have the right equipment! He was so proud! I was too, except for the fact that he smelled disgusting. I made him wipe down with sanitizing wipes and then I wouldn't let him sleep near me! But he didn't care, it was his "prized possession!"
Other than that initial excitement, we had a relatively calm trip. Aaron caught loads of fish, Grandma made killer meals for us, the kids swam, Kessie kissed her new "best friend" in the trailer (yeah, we're in so much trouble with that girl), and I took a few pictures.
Here's just a couple:

This is my all time favorite picture from the trip. Uncle Derek had been playing with the kids while they floated on the tube. He of course, kept them steady and spun them. They all had linked arms and were screaming with delight. Well, this one time they all were leaning to the side and he decided not to stop gravity, he also says he can't remember if he nudged them a little...we all know though. Over they went. Oh yeah, love these feet! Their faces when they surfaced were also quite priceless!

First...

2010-07-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

I know I'm suppose to post pics, but first I wanted to share a story that happened several weeks ago. We were on our way to somewhere when we passed a house and Lanny suddenly yelled, "Mom, that sign said...Seen, Alien!!! That means they spotted an alien at their house." Well, I just thought that those people must have kids and were having fun by saying that they'd seen an alien. Meanwhile Lanny was in the backseat ready to wet his pants because he was so excited. "I knew it, I knew they were still here!" Apparently he'd been told that all the aliens on earth had died out, but he didn't believe it. He knew they were still among us. Anyways, I giggled at how excited he was and continued driving. Then on the way home, I saw another house that had spotted aliens, apparently these aliens are all over the place. They also had a sign in their front yard which said, "Sean Allen...Ward I". Yes, he's running for public office, but I'll tell you this, I'm voting for him. Anyone who can get my kid that excited about politics, even though we didn't know it had to do with politics, has got my vote! So now, we make a point of finding alien signs. Their all over town, so if you're afraid of aliens, don't visit Cheyenne, because this is a hot spot for them!

Just in Case...

2010-06-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

Just in case any of you wanted to see the hole in Goliath's mouth. I took a picture of the picture the vet sent home with me. For all of you who don't know, Goliath is amazing and was able to bite completely through his gum/jowl tissue and get it impaled on his lower canine. I had to pull it off his tooth. Then the tissue started to die so he had to have surgery and they removed his tissue. The hole was huge. He seems to be doing fine other than the fact that he is mad at me because I won't play ball with him for 10 days...don't know if he'll make it. Yeah, it was exciting and adventurous and crazy and now I'm hoping for a calm, boring summer...I can't deal with too much excitement!

Can't Get Enough of the Park

2010-06-17T08:10:00.001-07:00

Go Fly A Kite

2010-06-17T08:01:00.000-07:00

We went to the park on Monday and had so much fun. Lanny, of course, looked for worms. Then we played on the playground, which has lots of things that twirl and make you want to hurl. I had tons of fun taking pictures of those twirly things because the kids are thrilled, but look oh so freaked out! Then we flew a kite. I didn't know if the kids had the coordination to just keep a kite up, so I made them run with it. Kessie was first, and when I said run, those little legs flew. She didn't slow down, it was so cute! It was an excellent experience. So you'll probably see more park pictures because I've decided that is my favorite thing to do now...and in Cheyenne, you can always fly a kite!

Lawn

2010-06-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

Yep! We have a lawn. Since my children have never had a lawn to play on, unless we go to the park, this is a huge accomplishment. It has now been in for over three weeks, so we can play on it....gently. The kids are loving it, and so are the dogs. I can't get over how pretty it is, that is, until we get our first water bill, then I'll probably rip it out blade by blade, along with my hair! Just had to share some pics of it.

The kids were so excited the first time it was mowed they decided to play in the freshly cut grass and rub it all over themselves. This pic was taken after I scrubbed their feet and hands with the hose. Their hands had been so stained they almost looked black! Can't see the fun in bathing in grass clippings, but hey, they enjoyed it!

Beauty...

2010-06-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

We went to the garden center to buy some tomato and pepper plants...and strawberry, seeing as how the chickens ate all 15 of my strawberry plants from last year. Seriously, I think I'll have chicken for dinner, but anyhoo. I came home with this one plant. It's all I wanted. I just love it. It is so simple, yet elegant! I saw it planted and had to have one but couldn't find them. So I hunted the sales clerk down and she got one for me. It makes me happy to look at it. Aaron asked why I wanted it so badly. I couldn't tell him, there was just something about this flower. It won't come back next year, and I usually only buy perennials, but I think I might just buy one of these every year. Hope you enjoy it too!

Memorial Day Part II

2010-06-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

Couple More of my girls!

Memorial Day

2010-06-07T08:49:00.001-07:00

Is everyone sitting down, because here's a shocker...we went camping and fishing for Memorial Day...I know, you're stunned. That is so unlike us to go out in the wild and get dirty. And the most amazing part...I drove the truck...while the trailer was attached! I'm amazing aren't I? Well, I was pretty proud that I didn't wreck, of course, I can't back-up, hook up, or do anything but drive forward, but that was enough to get us home. Lanny and Aaron went on to another lake on Tues. so that left the girls and I to get the trailer home. I even remembered to put up the step. On our way out, while we were still on the dirt road, we saw a moose. She was fast, don't mess with a moose, I didn't know they could run that fast, and she wasn't even trying. The girls were so excited to tell Daddy and Brother. They practiced saying, "We saw a moose!" in unison half way home. Aaron and Lanny drove for hours and hours to catch a trout and didn't get one. They were pretty upset, but they did catch one little walleye. I think that helped a little, but you can guarantee I wouldn't drive half way across the state for one fish. But I might for a good scrapbooking sale...each to their own! The reason there are no pics of Lanny is because he went fishing on the day I got my camera out. So I made due taking pics of my girls. Kessie is my animated one. She always has a different look, while Louie just looks beautiful, really...I mean we're camping, where's the dirt...thus, no pictures of me. We actually had a really great time and we made some new friends. On Monday we had a dutch oven dinner with some families from our ward and now that's all the girls talk about is playing with our new friends. We've already scheduled one play date, so that's more than last summer. Maybe we'll actually get something accomplished this summer....fun, fun, fun...hope everyone's summers are starting off great!

The End!

2010-05-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

Thursday was an eventful and tiring day. After Louie's graduation, we had Lanny's final soccer game of the year. It was a make-up game and I'm so glad we got to play because Aaron finally made it to a game. And guess what?!? Lanny made a goal! Yipppeee! His first ever! He is usually pretty timid, so I was really proud of him. He kept after the ball and fought for it, finally putting it into the goal! I think he was pretty excited. After the game we had a little team party with snacks and the kids all got a participation trophy. Lanny was thrilled, and Louie was mad because she didn't get one. But, maybe next year, I signed her and Lanny up to play in the fall. And now Kessie is mad because I told her she is still too little. I'm am just a mean, mean Mommy. (I think Kessie would actually be old enough, but she still seems too small to me. Can you blame me for wanting to keep my baby little for just a wee bit longer?) Soccer has been a great experience and we're all glad that Lanny got to play this year. He had a fabulous Coach, seriously wish I had that much patience. He really improved, and had a great time...plus he made some new friends. I made new friends too, which is a great thing. We're already planning summer playdates!
Such form...don't you think. Aaron took this picture and the background is in focus and Lanny is out of focus, but I just love it anyway. His concentration, okay, I can't really explain it, but it makes me happy so I had to share it!

Graduation!!!

2010-05-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

My Louie, STRIDE class of 2010, high school graduating class of 2023!

Louie recieving her diploma from Miss Gayle one of her teachers.

Miss Renee is another of Louie's teachers. We love her. She is the one that told us about the bald eagles. (Which have you checked them out yet, they're huge!!!)

Just Us!

My absolute favorite picture of Louie from her graduation!

Yep, it's official, Louie graduated from pre-school on Thursday! She was so cute. They all came in with everyone wearing their caps and gowns, well except a few who refused to wear the cute caps, yep, Louie was one of them. She was perfectly content to be just herself. They sang us some songs and then received paper diplomas from one of their teachers. Louie was so shy and embarassed, but you could tell she was thrilled at the same time. She has had a great last year with many wonderful teachers. (I didn't get a picture of all of them, but here are a couple.) Louie is so excited to go on to Kindergarten, but I know she'll miss her fabulous teachers and friends that she's made. We're proud of you Louie! Great Job!!!

Neglected....

2010-05-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

So I don't want my hubby to feel neglected. He has been working so hard and taking such good care of us that I would feel bad if I let anymore time slip by without mentioning a very important event that happened for him. Yes, it was his birthday on the 14th. He celebrated the big 36! We just had a little celebration at home for him, since he had to work part of the day. But that isn't what I'm talking about. Two days ago....wait for it...insert intense music here...I found his first gray hair!!! Actually, it was completely white! I was laughing so hard, but he swears it's just part of his vitiligo. But really, I've never seen any vitiligo up in his hair. (The situation was made even funnier because right before our missionaries left they asked me if he had dyed his hair, because he was looking so much younger. I laughed, but maybe he's hiding more than one white hair under a bunch of dye...you never know, he's always surprising me!) Because I love him, I'll continue to let him use the vitiligo excuse, but I still get to tease him. Love that man, he puts up with me so well! Happy Birthday, Honey, I love you!!!

Aaron gets super kisses from his girls on his birthday. Kessie's hair looks a bit like a used car salesman because she had just been styling it with "hanitizer". It's what she calls hand sanitizer. You didn't know that made such a great hair product, did you?!

Lanny made this sign for Aaron and hid it in the closet for over a week!

Lanny is so excited for Daddy's birthday!

Turkey Hunting...

2010-05-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

Last Monday Aaron took the day off so he could go turkey hunting. And yep, he got one. He was pretty excited and then we ate it on Wednesday. It was pretty tasty. After Aaron got home on Monday from hunting, he took the kids up to Pole Mountain to do some fishing. Since then, we've had terrible weather, so I'm glad they got a little outdoor time. Unfortunately for them, he made them eat hot dogs! They loved it, I'm not too keen on it. While they were gone, I did some cleaning, scrapbooking and took a walk in some major wind. I think I was pushed backward more often than I managed to go forward. They caught a fish, and yes, every one of my children ate part of it. So proud of them. I hid upstairs, because not only do I hate the taste, I also hate the smell. I love it when the kids get to spend time with Daddy.

Question???

2010-05-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

We've now been sitting around the radio for over four hours. We've polished off a plate of over thirty cookies, hey, we eat when we're nervous. So here is my question. Lanny informed me that we not only were in a tornado warning, but also a flash flood warning. One telling us to seek shelter in the basement and the other telling us to go to higher ground. So which one do we follow? Go to the basement and drown, or run upstairs and get blown into Nebraska? I'm only joking, but I thought it was a good question. Just so my Mom doesn't worry, we're fine, the tornado warning is over and we're not in a flash flood area. But, just in case you were wondering...we're always told to seek higher ground in many aspects of our lives, so I think I'd opt for that option. Or, I'd just do what Aaron told me to do, I trust him completely, he thinks a lot more clearly than I do. On a side note, I called my sister to complain about the storm and she always makes me laugh. She inspired me to move my couch downstairs so that we could at least be comfortable while waiting out a storm. I'm gonna get right to it. The couch has a fold out bed, so we're all set, we'll put it right next to the storage room and be set...food, shelter, comfort. Who could ask for more!
P.S. Just wish we had our grass in, we wouldn't have to water for weeks!

Toot!

2010-05-13T08:47:00.001-07:00

No, Mom, I'm not being gross or disrespectful, I just want to toot my own horn for a minute. Head on over to the Scrapbook and Cards Today blog and you'll see a journal I decorated. Not only do I get to be on their blog today, but they always have fun ideas and great projects to inspire...so look through some of their other posts too, you'll be glad you did! Thanks for letting me brag a bit, I promise, I'll go right back to my very humble self.

http://www.scrapbookandcardstodaymag.tyepad.com/

New E-mail

2010-05-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hotmail is totally being a bum, so I have a new account at lcjmly@gmail.com. Hope this one works better than my other one!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-10T08:58:00.000-07:00

Wanted to wish everyone out there a Happy Mother's Day! Hope it was fabulous! Except for you guys, sorry your turn is coming. Here are a couple pics from yesterday. Louie was so excited to bring my gift in from the car, Aaron took the picture. And my bestest gift of all...well, they love to cuddle and most the time they have messy faces and hands, but I still adore them. Love my kids and am so grateful to be their mom. And of course, my sweet hubby, don't have a pic, but he means the world to me too.

In other news. Lanny had a great game. He got the ball away from the other team several times. Here's my favorite shot from the game! Yeah, he's pretty cool!

A couple of stories for your enjoyment. Kessie is always running around in her undies. She hates keeping her clothes on. Everyone just gets used to it. Yesterday, our new Elders came over for dinner. In the middle of dinner she went up to change out of her Sunday dress. I went up a few minutes later to help. She put on a little sundress, that I usually put a onesie under, but she just put it on. Suddenly she stopped and said, "Mom, is it okay if the Elders see my shoulders?" I have no idea where her sudden sense of modesty came from, but I said it would probably be okay this once. Nope, she couldn't handle that answer, so she grabbed a jacket, zipped it up, and put the hood on! Well, no one can claim that she wasn't modest yesterday!

Louie has been having a lot of bad dreams lately and it has really been upsetting her. Yesterday morning, at the breakfast table, she was talking about one of them and asked what she could do about her dreams. Lanny, ever the helpful brother, piped right up. He explained that it helped if she realized she was dreaming, and then it wouldn't seem so scary. So he told her how to recognize if she was dreaming. "First, ask yourself, can I feel the floor?" Okay, so that is as far as his helpful list got because Aaron and I were laughing so hard. I, in fact, asked myself that very question at least a dozen times yesterday. I also asked Aaron and the kids that question multiple times...I think by the end of the day, they were sick of it, but I can't get over it. It makes me giggle every time I say it! And just so you know, yes, I can feel the floor! Go me!

And lastly, I had to add this shot of Louie feeding the chickens. My kids are always so scandalous! Gotta love it. I started by taking a picture of my funny girl, which led to training our stunt chickens. Yep, they actually will take flight if they want that food bad enough! Maybe we have simple pleasures, but hey, we enjoy it!

What Have You Done for Your Neighbors Today?

2010-04-30T16:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so this morning I got a call from my next door neighbor. She is a sweetie and always takes care of our dogs and chickens when we are away. She is a widower of just over a year and a half and she has more energy than anyone I know, save my mother-in-law. She is always looking out for us and doing nice things. Today, I realized just how way too nice she is. She saves her scraps for our chickens. Last night she had come down and thrown some salad scraps in the chicken pen. She called because she didn't want me to panic when I saw the potato peels. (Chickens can't digest raw potato peels, which she knows.) I wasn't concerned, I mean, they're chickens, but she was concerned and so she had cooked the potato peels, just so our chickens could eat them. There's going above and beyond the call of neighborly love. I wonder if she wants to take the chickens off my hands, she's way nicer to them than I am.
On a side note, I called Aaron today and asked him when we are moving. We have had a relatively mild winter with not much wind, but lately, the wind has been kicking up again. As I helped the girls into the car today, my grocery list was ripped out of my purse, thrown 15 feet into the air and didn't come back down until it had crossed the road and landed in my neighbors yard. It proceeded to rush across weeds and backyards. I got in the car and actually drove around the neighborhood looking for my grocery list...yeah, pathetic I know, but I couldn't remember what was on it. I was hoping it had caught in a tree, or fence, but alas, I couldn't find it. The wind was pretty strong, so I'm guessing that someone in Iowa or maybe even Illinois now knows that I needed half and half and asparagus! That paper also had my to do list, which obviously I'm not going to memorize since I wrote it down...so now, I have the rest of the night off because I no longer have a to do list. Sweet! I love relaxing!
So there is my randomness for today. Good neighbors and down time, who could ask for more!

Statue

2010-04-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

Our Elders came over Sunday for the last time. Both Elder Crawford (which we expected) and Elder Sholes were transferred on Monday. We were sad to see them go, they have been a big part of our life and we felt like they were a part of our family. We took a picture and my camera is set up to take about eight in one setting. When I looked through the pictures I started laughing. We all have some small movements, some of us larger movements than others...such as Louie jumping up and going for the camera. However, I was shocked to see that Elder Crawford hadn't moved at all in any of the shots...was he even breathing? That is the question for the day, I can't figure out how he stayed so still. He didn't even blink, not kidding. So here's a good-bye to our Elders and we wish them the best of luck on the rest of their mission!

Official!!!

2010-04-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

It's officially spring, or so it would seem since soccer season has started. Lanny had his first game on the 17th! He did great and had some really great kicks. It was an awkward game considering most of the kids couldn't even see the ball, let alone run after it, they were all too bundled up. It was freezing! I was tempted to join in, just so I could run around and try to stay warm. Yesterday's game was cancelled due to poor weather. I'm told this is how spring soccer season is, you either freeze on the sidelines, or the game is cancelled. Oh well, Lanny is excited to be up and running! Louie has decided that she wants to play next year, so maybe we'll have even more soccer pictures next season. Aaron wasn't there and instructed me to take lots of pictures. I would have, if my fingers hadn't been frozen, as it was, he's lucky I got a grand total of like 8!

More...

2010-04-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

Yep, the Easter Bunny came to visit us while we were in Utah. It's great that it snowed, because we got to see the footprints he left behind while hiding the eggs. The kids and cousins decorated the eggs and put them in the fridge. Lanny left a note on the front door directing the Easter Bunny to the fridge so that he would know where the eggs were and he could take them and hide them. It was really cute. The Easter Bunny even wrote a note back!

This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip. I have a very similar one of me and my older cousins waiting by the exact same door. Waiting...waiting to run out and grab all the eggs!

We went to a super fun place called Discovery Something or Other...wow, my mind is gone. But it was fun nonetheless. They had a whole area dedicated to pretend play. I couldn't keep Kessie away from the cash register, she loved checking people out. At one point she "beeped" all of Louie's groceries, loaded them back in the shopping basket, then looked at Louie and in all seriousness said, "Have a nice evening!" I roared, it was too cute! We were lucky enough to get to go with Auntie Liz and Uncle Brian and the cousins!

Is Anybody There?

2010-04-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, we're still here, I've just been a bad, bad blogger. We've had so much going on from Spring Break, to Soccer season that I haven't had a chance to get some pictures up. Updates needed.....Louie lost her first tooth!!! Yeah, she is so proud and loves to show people, but her permanent tooth is already almost all the way in, so there really isn't a gap anymore, bummer, I guess it's time for the next tooth to come out! We went to Salt Lake for spring break this year. The best part was that Aaron got to come with us. He bought me a Suburban and so he drove us over so that we could pick it up and drive it home. Then, between the weather and the Suburban not working quite right we managed to kidnap him for the whole week! One whole week and he didn't go to work once, it was fab!!! We went for a hike, went up to Logan (which was one of the best parts, mainly because we went to Pepperidge Farms, Gossaner's Cheese, and Casper's (they sell Fat Boy ice cream!) who doesn't love food!?!), and my parent's flew out from Maryland to see us. We spent time with family, including Aaron's family and we had an Easter celebration together. I even got to see my sister whom I haven't seen in 3.5 years. I took a ton of pictures, but here are just a few!
Ten and a half years ago Aaron and I stood outside this temple and got our pictures taken. Wow, time goes so fast! I much prefer this picture to when it was just the two of us! Life is way more crazy, but way better for that craziness!

Loved all the dormant trees encompassing the path. Sad to say, but this was the nicest day we had. We got outside, and by evening it was storming, and continued storming for the rest of the week.

We're all a bit out of shape, but Louie pooped out quick. She simply sat down in the middle of the trail. She was done! I took her picture and told her Daddy would think she wasn't an outdoor girl, she promptly jumped up, ran over, stuck a smiling face in the camera and said, "Take my picture, I'm an outdoor girl!"

The beginning of the hike, excited with adventure! Yes, Kessie carried her chips the entire hike!

Here is a group shot at the hospital while visiting Grandpa Steve. Thanks to everyone for your prayers. He is doing well, his positive attitude amazes me, and we feel so blessed to have such a great grandpa!

Visitor

2010-03-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

My Uncle Mark drives truck, and he came through Cheyenne on Monday. He has a really awesome truck and the kids are totally jealous. The thing is seriously huge, and has a bunk bed, what more could you ask for. We were lucky enough to get to see him. I haven't seen him for two-and-a-half years. It was great to get re-acquainted. Unfortunately, he was subjected to my messy house. Here's just one example, he makes his bed everyday, which I noticed and congratulated him on. I, however, make my bed twice a week, if I feel like it. Even with a messy house, we still enjoyed his visit. He is really great with kids and my kids love him. Of course, Kessie was furious at him for having to leave so soon, he was only able to visit for a couple of hours. She refused to say good-bye to him and sulked in her carseat. Louie keeps asking when we're going to see him again, and is thrilled at the prospect that we might see him over Easter. Thanks for stopping by Uncle Mark, we love you!

Park

2010-03-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

We've had some beautiful weather lately, don't worry if you're having bad weather. We're suppose to get some snow on Friday. So to not waste the great weather, we had a picnic with Aaron on Sat. and went to the park with our friends in Ft. Collins. Nothing too exciting, but the kids had a great time. Here are a couple of my favorite photos that I got.

Okay, so I admit, I told them to hold hands, but I couldn't resist. I love these pics.

I was trying to tickle and take pics at the same time. Kessie was laughing hysterically, so cute!

Spelling...

2010-03-12T17:15:00.000-08:00

First of all here is a tip. We ate Mountain House dehydrated food on Wednesday for dinner. So I wouldn't go pay for it at a restaurant, but it was definitely edible and if you're starving or camping, which is pretty much the same thing...well yeah. So, Aaron was sold. He figured since we were all able to eat it and no one gagged at the table we'll stock up on it for food storage. The missionaries didn't want to stay for dinner, but hey, their loss. So here's the tip. If you're going for camping/food storage food, go with dehydrated vs. MRE. Way better, and I'm a picky eater.

Lanny brought home his Friday folder today, which contains all the work they want sent home from the week. Most of it I glance over and discard, but I came across a worksheet he completed. He did great, the only comment the teacher had was "Spelling?" Sounds just like Aaron. Here is my favorite sentence. The worksheet said, "I help you keep your car running smoothly. I am a.......?" Lanny wrote in....Muckainik. Yeah, made me smile!

Catch Up

2010-03-09T12:09:00.000-08:00

So I promised my Mom I'd post pictures of Lanny and Aaron. Lanny had to do a report in school. He chose to do it on Aaron and his occupation. We went down and took some pictures. It was such a beautiful day and I think they turned out cute. Lanny did a fabulous job on his report and poster. He worked very hard and I'm so proud of him. Aaron took Lanny to a substation that is being built...in other words, don't just go skipping around a substation, this one had no electricity running through it, otherwise, we never would have gone near it!

Louie's teacher gave me this link. It is a live cam. When I first got on to look at it there was just the eagles. Now there is at least one egg, she hasn't moved to let me see if there are anymore eggs. She laid the egg about a week ago, and incubation is like 35 days, so we are eagerly anticipating some babies. The kids love watching the eagles. Take a look at it. http://www.luther.edu/eaglecam

And finally, we would like to bid a fond (for two) and not so fond (for one) farewell to three of our chickens. We have never had a problem before and then on Saturday we lost three chickens. Aaron found Sweet Pea dead. He then realized that Ducky (the rooster and one that we weren't too fond of) and one of the Twins were also missing. We figured a couple dogs probably carried them off. I cried because now that means Aaron will want to replace them, and knowing him, he'll go to the store to get three chicks and come out with 15. Who can resist baby chicks?...I can, now that I know what they're like when they grow up, so I'm going to volunteer to go get the replacements. Three, that's it, I cannot be swayed. Here is the last picture I took of Sweet Pea (the white one). I took it about two weeks ago, when we had a snow storm, and the ladies decided they didn't want to get their feet wet. So goodbye and farewell, you were good chickens!

I Don't Believe It!

2010-03-03T08:15:00.000-08:00

There I was driving along this morning, minding my own business and listening to the radio. Tim McGraw's song "Live Like You Were Dyin'" was playing. Louie said, "Oh, I love this song...what is skydiving?" I defined skydiving for her to which she replied. "Oh, my Grandma's done that." I don't know of any of her grandmothers that have jumped out of a plane, my bet would be on Grandma Karen, if any of them, but I'm pretty sure none of them have. I told her that. "Uh, huh, Grandma Marian has. She told me." Well Mom, I don't believe you, I'm callin' your bluff, I think you're telling fish tales to my five year old. I tried to tell Louie that Grandma Marian had never gone skydiving, but she is adamant that she has. So apparently my mother is a bit more adventurous than I thought. Mom, have you ever thought that maybe you have bad knees because you landed wrong on one of your landings? Just a thought? Maybe you should put away your parachute and take up tamer pursuits, like tadpole farming. I'm just saying...anyways, I got a great mental picture and super laugh...hope you do too!

We're going to visit my grandparents in Salt Lake over Spring Break. Louie is so excited and has tried to get me to pack on multiple occasions. She still doesn't understand time too well and doesn't realize that if we pack all our underwear now, we won't have anything to wear for the rest of the month. Grandma Marian and Grandpa Craig are flying in to meet us there. She was looking at a picture and asked me who Grandma Marian's mom is. I told her it was Grandma Acorn (this is what the children call my grandmother). She got really excited and exclaimed, "Oh, so they know each other!" She's thrilled that both of her grandma's that we are going to visit know each other. One big family reunion!

The other night I asked Lanny to go get the dogs and bring them into the garage for the night. He is afraid of the dark, as I am, but I figure if we work on it while he's young he might have a chance of overcoming his fear, whereas, it's too late for me. He hummed and haaaed and stalled and then finally decided to go out. Kessie wanted to accompany him, but couldn't find her shoes. Lanny got ready and was waiting and Kessie still couldn't find her shoes. I told her she could be the watcher and watch brother from inside and make sure that he was safe. She flipped! Please remember, she is only three and 26 pounds. She screamed at me, "I have to go with Lanny, he is scared and I take care of him!" Well, I couldn't argue with logic like that. She went out with him and no harm came to him thanks to his bulky bodyguard. Kessie hasn't been officially diagnosed, but I believe she has "little dog" complex. She is still so tiny, but doesn't realize it. She is my only child that will take on the world and laugh while she is doing it....no hesitation, no self doubt, no fear. Wish I could be a little more like!

Happy Wednesday!

LOL

2010-02-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

On Monday Kessie and I went to the library. There is a play area there for children. She met a little boy there and instantly they were best friends, playing and laughing. It was so cute. Their friendship started with these words...
Little boy, "When you push this button the lights stay on." He was speaking about a wooden bus that has real headlights that turn off and on.
Kessie's reply, "My Mom not crazy!"
Well, I'm glad they got that all cleared up before they became friends. Wouldn't want any secrets clouding up their otherwise sunny relationship. I still can't help but wonder if it was a plea for help from Kessie...seriously, who starts a conversation like that?!? Answer....my kids do!

Last night we drove to Denver to look at a Suburban. The kids weren't too thrilled to be in the car for so long. No we didn't buy it, but on with the story. Lanny started yelling at Aaron about how he always does what he wants and buys whatever he wants and that Lanny and the other kids never have a say in anything. Lanny was pretty upset and I tried to explain that my car didn't work and Daddy was trying to find us something that would work better. Lanny calmed down, but Kessie had to get in on the heated debate, so she yelled, "Yeah you said all these things and blah, blah, blah!" I couldn't believe Aaron would say blah, blah, blah, how scandalous! Yeah, I chewed him out for using such language!

I bought all the kids a new toothbrush yesterday. Apparently, that is all that it takes to make them happy. This morning I got them out of the bag and Louie and Kessie ran upstairs to use them immediately. I told them to come back down and tell me how they worked when they were done. Louie was still brushing when she raced downstairs to tell me. "I love my new toothbrush. It is so soft!" She finished up and spit and then said, "My new toothbrush is like a dream come true." Yes she even had that starry look in her eyes. I gotta find me a toothbrush like that!

Today is my baby sister's birthday! Happy birthday to you sweet Leah! She would have been 22 today (I think). I love you!!!

More Frosty Pictures

2010-02-16T15:20:00.001-08:00

Yeah, these two loved it---weirdos!
Aaron's big catch of the day. Seriously, he caught two of these in about two seconds. I refuse to put anymore lake fish in our fish tank! I made him throw them both back.
Louie's snowy-ice angel! She doesn't seem to be that into ice-fishing, but she loves to be with her Daddy!
Kessie and My Mommy. She loves Gracie so much!

Ice Fishing

2010-02-16T14:57:00.000-08:00

What did you do for President's Day? I know you'll be jealous when I tell you, but we went ice fishing! Against my better judgement and my wishes, we went. Aaron assured me that the lakes weren't very deep, so I didn't have to worry about anyone drowning. We went up to the beaver ponds and he was actually right. The ice was about two feet thick and the water below it was about four inches deep. So then my thought was, why bother when there aren't going to be any fish in there anyway. Alas, there was. The kids had a great time. Louie mainly laid on the ice and licked the snow. Kessie played with Goliath and "My Mommy" which is her name for Grace. Aaron and Lanny were ever vigilant watching for "nibbles". I had a hard time even getting them to look up for a picture. I froze, and took pictures. I know everyone thinks I'm an amazing outdoors woman, but it's all an act. Especially when it's cold. At the first excuse, I sped along back to the car and turned on the heater.

No really, that's truly how I felt about the situation!
Lanny's big brook trout that he caught. He saw a nibble on a pole across the pond (he's got amazing eyesight) and ran as fast as he could and reeled that baby in. When he pulled it out of the hole, both girls started screaming that it was their fish. I told them that whoever's fish it was was going to have to eat it. Everyone then agreed that it was Lanny's catch!
Please note where Kessie has her lure. It's right beneath the water. I didn't have the heart to tell her that she probably wouldn't catch a fish that way.
I was off taking pictures of scenery and when I looked over, Kessie had picked up the fishing pole and was intent on catching a fish.
My shadow picture for this trip. I call it---"She's got legs!"!

Not My Children

2010-02-16T11:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know whose children are living in my house, but they can't possibly be mine! They actually ask to exercise! Obviously, they didn't get that from me, so I'm wondering who their real mother is. They love the treadmill, and usually I don't let them use it, it just seems so dangerous, but I finally gave in. (Yes, that was a run-on sentence in a major way.) I took pictures while they took turns (don't worry, they were all attached to the emergency pull cord when it was their turn). They actually waited in line for their turn, because they were so excited, yeah, weird, I know. Eventually the ones not on the treadmill got tired of waiting in line and played until it was their turn. Don't know why, because you can't see too many details, but I loved these pictures in front of the window, especially the one of Louie! She is getting really good at jump roping. Maybe their good health habits will rub off on me, but I doubt it. There's just something more appealing about sitting cuddled in a blanket watching someone else exercise!

Note to Self...

2010-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

...Don't go check e-mail, ever! While I was on the computer the other day, I was listening to the girls. They were playing nicely, and sounded happy. Well, duh, of course they were happy, they were up to something. When I left the computer room, I found my stairs completely tied up! I'm happy to inform you that our stairs won't be escaping to anywhere, anytime soon. For those of you who haven't visited my house, our stairs our in the middle and you can walk all the way around the central part. It's kind of like an indoor race track, at least that is what the kids use it for. I'm not sure what possessed Louie and Kessie to wind string all the way around, I'm sure you all know who the mastermind behind the plan was. We left it that way for a few days, but then I got tired of jumping over string every time I came down the stairs, so it had to come down. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I walk out of the computer room and find another insane plan in action! (Don't worry, the kids are all still asleep while I write this. Either that, or they're up to no good and being sneaky about it!)

P.S. Yes, the house looks messy, but it was all clean by dinner time...and then messy again by breakfast!

Got My Back!

2010-02-03T08:39:00.001-08:00

On New Years Eve, I went out to feed the chickens and got trapped in the coop. The wind blew the door shut and the latch closed. I wasn't worried because Aaron had a wire that ran through the wood that was connected to the latch. I pulled and pulled, I didn't know it at the time, but the wire had broken and therefore I could pull I wanted and it wasn't going to do me any good. I could see the kids inside, they were dancing in front of the sliding glass door. They, however, couldn't see me because it was dusk. Thanks to those "Tender Mercies", I had my phone on me. I never take my phone out, because I tend to drop things, but for whatever reason, I had picked it up on my way out of the house. I called my neighbors, who were just going into a movie (another blessing...they weren't watching the movie yet). They in turn called another neighbor whose number I didn't have. Within minutes I could here someone running towards the coop. My sweet neighbor Al, didn't even stop to put a coat on, and it was a freezing cold day, but ran straight over to rescue me. I feel so blessed to have great neighbors that watch out for me. Now that you know the background, let me tell you what happened last night.
I went out to feed the chickens and it was after dark. I told the kids to come look for me if I wasn't back in 10 minutes. Louie and Kessie wanted to come, but I told them it was cold so they should just wait inside. I got the feed and was headed for the coop when I heard a commotion at my back porch. When I turned I saw two little angels illuminated in the porch light, jumping down from the porch. Coats on, but not zipped, running as fast as they could toward me. "We gotcha Mom, we're coming! If you get trapped, we'll get you out!" Louie yelled. Kessie of course, echoed her sentiments, "Yeah! We here!" They helped me feed and water and stayed right with me, keeping me safe! How blessed I feel to have such children, who also watch my back and keep me safe!
Now, if I could just get rid of the chickens, I wouldn't have to have people rescuing me every day! Oh well, I do play the damsel in distress part quite well!

Dinner

2010-01-26T09:11:00.001-08:00

So what's for dinner at your house? Aaron called last night to tell me he was on his way and asked what we had had for dinner. The conversation went something like this...
Aaron-"So what did you guys eat for dinner?"
Me-"We had cereal and salad."
Aaron-"Uuuh, what?"
Me-"Cereal and salad."
Aaron-Loooong pause...."Um, maybe I'll pick something up on the way home."
It was quite satisfying actually. Feel free to steal my clever idea sometime and try it. Enjoy!

Sky

2010-01-19T13:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a page I did and liked how it turned out. Aaron, has been giving me time to scrapbook, so I've gotten a couple pages done.

I used a sketch from the Cosmo Cricket Blog. http://www.cosmocricket.typepad.com/
As well as their papers! So love Cosmo Cricket!
The journaling reads: Enjoy life...love it...and always remember-you are loved...and the sky is never the limit...you can achieve anything you can dream!!!
Oh, yeah, and the pictures were taken with my awesome new camera...oooh, love it!

Hollywood's Calling...etc.

2010-01-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

Just of few funnies.
A week ago, Lanny got out of the shower and decided to give himself a new hairdo for church. He was styling and stunning. He loved it so much that he re-did it and wore it to school that way for a few days. Our neighbor commented on how hip he looked and wondered if Hollywood had called yet...I'm sure they will soon. He loved all the compliments he received, but he decided for now to go back to his normal "do", I think the hip one was just too high maintenance.

The other day, we were watching a movie and one of the previews was for a movie that I'm so excited to go see! "It's my movie!" I screamed! To which Louie excitedly said, "Yeah, Mom, isn't it "Harry Porter and the Lightening Thief?!?"" Well, she got it close enough for me! She's got a good memory, but with everything I like, it's hard to keep them straight! (The movie is "Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief"...which is coming out on Feb. 12!!! Yippee!)

Kessie has been very sick, thanks to everyone who has helped us out and kept her in your prayers. (It was only a week, but wow, it seemed like an eternity.) She is doing so fabulous now! Except for a little weight loss, you can't even tell she was ill. I, of course, still had to take the other kids to school and thus had to drag her along with me. She was not happy. Last Friday, she was screaming and yelling at me that she wanted to get out of her carseat. I told her that if I drove with her out of her carseat that I would be arrested. "I want you to be arexted!" She screamed. Then after some more ranting she yelled, "Mom, I want you thrown in the dungeon!" Seriously, what three-year-old knows that word! It was so funny and all I could think was, "Super, then I might get some peace and quiet!"

Here is a belated picture of my hunters, well, two out of the three of them. Aaron went to South Dakota for a few days over New Years. Grace and Goliath did great and Aaron was happy to be out and hunting...although, we had great weather while he was gone and the weather out there was freezing. Oh, well, I think the three crazies still enjoyed themselves!

Helpful Helpers

2010-01-19T13:13:00.000-08:00

The kids asked to watch a movie the other day so I said okay. Well, they got bored with it pretty quickly but by then I was into a good book and I didn't want to do anything but read, so I let them entertain themselves. They seemed happy. Kessie took a nap and Lanny as Louie told me was building something! Cool...as long as he was happy. Louie decided to join him. Ooopsie on my part. Last Christmas Karen gave us some paintings of the children that she had done. I couldn't find frames, and this Christmas she got us some frames! I kept asking Aaron to put the paintings in the frames, but he hasn't had time, no problem...in step my little helpers. Turns out Lanny wasn't actually building anything, he was putting the paintings in their frames! He had heard Aaron talk about using some little nails and so that is what he did (with his tool kit that he got for Christmas!) He also helped Louie install her painting. I stopped him before he got to Kessie's painting, and can you guess, yep, hers is still not framed because Aaron still hasn't had time. But never fear, my cute Lanny and Louie got theirs framed and they are now proudly displayed on my mantel! Gotta love those helpers!
Here are the finished, framed paintings! Notice the nail holes!

Here are red dots on all the nail holes, just in case you couldn't see them well. The nails poked through from the other side.

Close up of a nail. In case you were wondering, they even nailed on the hardware with which to hang the paintings!

Wishes from Wyoming

2010-01-02T07:03:00.000-08:00

Here's a big Happy New Year from our Elders...

Should've, Could've, Would've...

2010-01-02T06:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I had this plan to post these yesterday, but time went by and viola, it's today. So, without further ado, Happy 2nd day of....

Here is a sign that Louie had Lanny make for her. Her and Lanny decorated the house on New Year's Eve and she ran around shouting "two-ten"! Of all the kids, she was the most excited to ring in the new year. We did celebrate with Oreos and a movie, but went to bed at eleven. Sleep does a body good!

Here's hopin' everyone's year of two-ten is happy and adventurous!

Lucky Me

2009-12-31T08:30:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd share another photo. I categorize these types of photos in my "Lucky Me" photos. So I opened the fridge yesterday to get something and was reminded of just how blessed I am to have my beautiful children. I love these little reminders. Sometimes being a Mom isn't all that fun, so I often need reminding of how great it really is. I have wonderful children and a super life. I hope all of you are feeling blessed as well as this year comes to a close. Happy New Year to all! ....and Happy Birthday to my sis, Erin (yeah, I spelled your name right!)!

Little More...

2009-12-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

Aaron cut down our Christmas tree over Thanksgiving, and Elder Crawford put up a garland on our banister, so as far as Christmas decorating went, we were way ahead of the game. During the day, our tree looked cute, but at night it was fabulous! The kids did a great job decorating it. We also had fun dressing up in Biblical dress for the Ward Christmas party, and caroling to our neighbors (although everyone only got half a song because it was insanely cold and windy). Of course, Christmas was great! We feel so blessed this year and hope that all of you too feel happiness in this season and into the New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-28T07:43:00.000-08:00

Shouldn't we have the Christmas Spirit all year round?...so let's pretend I'm filled with the Christmas Spirit and not that I"m late in my well wishes! Yes, another catch-up post. Luckily, I haven't taken too many pictures this month.
First off we actually took Christmas pictures before the New Year this year. This one has our missionaries. The bigger one is Elder Kay and the other is Elder Crawford. We still have Elder Crawford for about a week along with his new companion Elder Scholes (pronounced Skulls), but we call him Elder Shoelace.
Lanny had a Christmas program at school. As soon as he walked out onto the stage, Kessie started shouting, "Brother, Brother, Hi Brother!" She was pretty excited to see him. He did a fabulous job, and other than them all looking terrified, it was fun to watch.
The same night as the Christmas program, Lanny lost another tooth. He is super fond of the tooth fairy and concerned about her welfare, especially since it has been so cold. He made her his own recipe hot cocoa and left it for her. He also made me some, and wow!!! it's great if not interesting.

Cold...

2009-12-08T09:04:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd show you what the kids made on Saturday. I saw these on the Scrapbooks Etc. website and thought they were adorable. Since my kids have all had colds and we couldn't go to the work party on Saturday, we crafted instead. I think they did a good job. All I did was cut the circles and glue on the snowflake.
It's been very, super, completely, amazingly cold here. Most nights with the windchill it goes to at least -20 F. Currently it is -2 but with windchill it is -16. Yippee!!! On Sunday, Lanny asked if we could go home and knit some sweaters for the chickens. If only I knew how to knit, oh well! But in case you are concerned, they are doing fine, but do wish we would let them out of their house! Hope the rest of the universe is staying warm!

Safety First

2009-12-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

I bought Kessie a skirt at Walmart yesterday, mainly because it was on sale for a dollar. She put it on this morning, and as I suspected, it was too big around the middle. So holding her skirt up so it wouldn't fall off, she came out of her room and said, "Mom, I need a seat belt!" Yeah, she wasn't too happy at all my laughing..."Don't laugh at me, Mom!" I had to assure her I wasn't laughing at her and that something hysterical was going on outside our window. I got her a ribbon and we tied it around her to hold up her skirt. She looked pretty cute and was super proud, she even showed our missionaries, "Look, Elder Kay, I got a seat belt!"

The Stockings were Hung...

2009-12-03T11:48:00.000-08:00

So last Sunday Aaron put up the Christmas tree. It's not decorated yet, but Lanny was really getting into the spirit of things and was trying so hard to get everything ready for Christmas. So, since I wouldn't put up decorations, he took matters into his own hands. He drew cute little decorations and hung the stockings! It was so cute, I want to leave them up, but I'm sure once I get out the real stockings, the kids will want those instead. Don't worry, the socks were clean!

;)

2009-12-01T06:16:00.001-08:00

Yes, More

2009-12-01T06:07:00.000-08:00

A few more. The point of the trip for the girls...riding the horses. They rode Maggie and Hoodoo. Grandma had to go catch the horses and bring them to the house. Kessie pointed out into the field, and said, "I like the blue one!" I agreed, he was my favorite too, unfortunately, he belonged to Slim (and was actually a buckskin). She still enjoyed riding the other ones. Louie is a natural on a horse. Grandma gave her a mini-riding lesson and she did great. Lanny also does great. He went from being terrified to asking to ride in just over a year! Unfortunately he didn't get to wear the hat while riding, since Maggie has a problem with things flying past her head and it was a bit breezy. He still looked like a cowboy to me.

...Beauty...

2009-12-01T05:58:00.000-08:00

I love taking pictures of my kids. I went crazy with the camera while up at Karen's for Thanksgiving. The kids were happy, the weather was great, and of course, nature is beautiful. We had a great trip. We rode horses, fished, I went and saw "New Moon" with Debbie, ate turkey, had a game night (if you ever have the chance to play games with Grandma Clark...do it...she's hysterical!), and as you'll see from the picture, all of Karen's kids were there...so fabulous! So, on to pictures!

Bountiful Harvest

2009-12-01T05:49:00.000-08:00

I'm falling behind in my pictures because we've taken so many lately. Aaron, Lanny, and Louie went hunting last Monday and Tuesday. It is becoming apparent that we now have to have a wild turkey for Thanksgiving. They loved it. Not only did they get both a turkey and a white-tail deer, they got to see some awesome scenery...I'm a bit jealous about that one. On Tuesday when I talked to Lanny on the phone, he even mentioned all the scenery...something to the effect of.."I guess we're just gonna take pictures for our whole lives!!!" He was mad at Aaron because Daddy kept stopping along the road to take pictures and Lanny wanted to be hunting those turkeys. No wasting time, just get to the hunting! We did eat the turkey, but compared to the 27 pound turkey that Karen cooked, ours looked a bit undernourished! Still tasted scrumptious, though! Happy late Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for all of you!

Perfect Princesses

2009-11-30T07:13:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple shots of the girls party. We had a princess theme, shocker. They got to dress up and we did make-up and nails. Someone also stole Cinderella's slipper and so they had to go on a hunt for that. My favorite part was when Lanny asked me to buy him a wig so that he would fit in and be able to play the games too. No, I didn't buy him one, and he played the games anyway! I think it went well. The biggest hit was the cake. My sweet neighbor made it. When she brought it over a few days before the party the girls were squealing with delight. It was all I could do to keep them from eating it. Every time Kessie got a prize for something she would ask for cake. It did make it to the day of the birthday party, but we cut into it pretty quick!

Too Cute!

2009-11-24T15:41:00.000-08:00

I'll post pictures of the girls' birthday party a little later, but I wanted to quickly write a few "cuties" that my kids have said or done. First, the kids have really been into playing "name that tune". One of them will hum a few notes and then have the other two try to guess what song it is. They were doing this at the breakfast table the other day and Kessie looked at me and said, "We will rock you! What's dat one, Mom?" I tried to pause for a moment and look contemplative, before my face lit up and I beamed, "We will, we will, rock you!" "You right!!!" Kessie exclaimed! Man am I good at this game. This is the only song that she ever does, so even though the first time I guessed the song it was extremely hard to figure out, it has since gotten a bit easier.
Next, please note the picture, (wow, that was a pun!). For the past few weeks Lanny has been obsessed with getting strong. He wants to become strong enough to lift a house. He has repeatedly asked me how to go about such a daunting task. I tell him he has to eat healthy, exercise, and lift weights. He keeps waiting for me to exercise with him, which, big shocker, never happens. So Sunday he took matters into his own hands. I heard some thumping upstairs and went up to investigate. Lanny was running back and forth, up and down the hallway. In the middle of the floor was this note that he wrote for himself.
Get Strong
Exercise
Lift Weights
Take a Walk and Jog
NOW!
He put it on a little note holder that he made out of wood and a nail. It now is on his headboard. He is determined. I know he will succeed. If you see someone who looks like the governor of California in Cheyenne, it's just Lanny!

Not Enough

2009-11-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

If you thought that this was my blog, you were wrong. Apparently, I didn't put enough views of the boat up, so Aaron asked me to put a few more up. I would like to fill my blog with butterflies and flowers, instead there are boats and fish, but alas, I love what my family loves. So without further ado...

Sketch Challenge

2009-11-11T17:15:00.000-08:00

I love this blog called Sketchy Thursdays. They have a lot of fun...sketches, of course, on it. Here is the picture I posted earlier of Grandpa and Kessie. I tried some glimmer mist on this one for the first time. Not sure that I like how it turned out, but I still love the picture. For other sketches, you can go to http://sketchythursdays.blogspot.com/.
P.S. Here's a quiz for everyone. What books are each author known for?

Two Boats?!?

2009-11-09T17:11:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's true. Aaron got us another boat. Apparently he is now taking after the outdoor writer Patrick McManus who claims a man needs at least eight. We're well on our way. This boat is a pleasure boat, whereas the other one is a fishing boat. The kids are pretty thrilled. There is a place in the front to go in and lie down, if you're not claustrophobic, which I am. And according to Aaron, you can take the cushions out of the front and there is a hole you can use as a toilet. Yippee, a boat with a bathroom, we're set! I won't say much more, I'm too overcome with joy, but I can't wait for this summer when behind our truck we are pulling our trailer and not one but two boats...is that legal?

I'd Send It If I Could...

2009-11-09T17:01:00.000-08:00

No, I haven't converted. I still don't shall we say, fully appreciate BYU, but I had to post this picture for Uncle George. So here's to you George, a BYU cake, that is way bigger than it needs to be. I'd send it to you, but I can't afford the shipping and handling. The BYU football team and coaches gave a fireside out here this last weekend. A man in our ward made the cakes. There were three huge ones apparently, and they only ate a small corner of one, so they had to find a home for the partially eaten cake. And...because we are cool, okay it's because the missionaries live with us, they brought it home for us (after giving some to other families in the ward). Elder Crawford told Louie that the frosting would turn her teeth blue and so that has been her goal all day. She has done nothing but eat frosting...gag! And yes, her whole mouth was sufficiently blue. Kessie went for the green look. Don't know how we're going to eat the rest of it...seriously, it's huge, but we'll give it our best effort!!!
Cheers George...too bad BYU isn't as good as this cake!

Happy Hallowe...I mean Birthday!

2009-11-01T06:31:00.000-08:00

That's right, another birthday! Kessie is now my big, okay so she's still pretty little, three-year-old! She now is old enough to understand about birthdays, and she was so cute telling everyone, stranger, friend, telephone solicitor, that it was her "burday". She would proudly hold up two fingers and say, "I free!" Seriously, so cute! Our neighbors came trick-or-treating last night and we told them it was her birthday, they broke into song, a fantastic "Happy Birthday to You"...it was so sweet of them. When I asked Kessie what kind-of treat she wanted for her birthday she said, "cupcakes and lemonade", so we made cupcakes, but have yet to have the lemonade, or even blow out the candles. I don't feel too bad about that, seeing as how we've been singing "Happy Birthday" to her since Louie's birthday, and she's blown out candles on her muffins for a month now. She insists on a lit candle every time we have muffins...and she insists we sing as well. (Lanny got his birthday candles on a muffin, thus Kessie's tradition was born.) I wish everyday was my three-year-olds birthday. She's still so innocent and everything is joyous and exciting for her. Happy Birthday, Kessie...we love you!!!

Prepare for the Scare

2009-11-01T06:16:00.000-08:00

WARNING: Due to it's scary nature some images might not be suitable for all viewers. I.E. we look pretty scary so be prepared!!!
Lanny decided he wanted to be a goblin for Halloween! Well great, but I have no idea what a goblin looks like so I asked him. "You know, Mom, they're green with long noses and bumps, and pointy ears...and naked!" Don't know if my son wants to become an exhibitionist, but I told him he could be one, only he couldn't be naked! Louie wanted to be a pumpkin, and Kessie wanted to be a princess. As I was buying make-up for Lanny's costume, the girls changed their minds. Suddenly a goblin was "the" thing to be. So okay! I have three scary goblins on my hands. I dyed the long underwear, and Kessie was showing it to Louie the morning after I did it and said, "Look, Louie, Mommy cooked our costumes!" (It requires a boiling process---I don't recommend it!) Kessie was so excited. As I got them ready for trick-or-treating last night, they had no thoughts of candy....seriously! All they wanted to do was scare people...because to them, they were terrifying. I kept telling them to growl when our neighbors opened the door, but they were afraid they actually might scare someone, so they stuck with the safe and un-scary "Trick-or-Treat". No one had a heart attack, so I guess they calmed the neighbors fears! I know I'm their mom, but they were so cute trying to be all fierce. Especially with their make-up, their eyes just glowed! There's something so exciting about dressing up and Halloween, it's so contagious! I didn't dress up, but definitely loved showing off my terrifyingly cute kids.

P.S. After I finished Kessie's make-up, she looked in the mirror. As she did so, I started to scream because she was so scary. She got a huge grin on her face and said, "Mommy, it's just me!" With that voice how could I mistrust a green-faced goblin!

Belated Birthday!

2009-10-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

With all the craziness that goes on around here, I haven't put a picture up of my five-year-old! I know, totally crazy. Louie had a great birthday, however, she has commented several times that she is sad because she may be five, but she still looks like she's four. I tried to explain that you don't just change overnight, but to no avail, she's still crushed that she doesn't look five. Aaron thinks she looks like a fifteen year old, our children are growing up way too fast. Louie wanted a cheesecake for her birthday. We lit the candle and as we were singing (I was looking through a camera) the flame suddenly went out. Kessie had silently come around the table and blown out the candle. Louie was crushed. We, of course, lit it again, but I missed Louie blowing it out because I was still giggling. So happy birthday to my Louie! Super Duper Five!

Do You Want Fresh Eggs?!?

2009-10-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

Then get them yourself!!!

In case you couldn't tell, that's a four and a half foot drift in front of the fence! Exciting isn't it!!!

Couple More

2009-10-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, my Dad is really like this...all the time...keeps life interesting, but he also relates well with the children!

Don't ask me why, but Kessie had a sudden urge to eat her sock. Luckily Grandpa persevered and conquered, it ended up back on her foot.

Probably my favorite picture of the whole trip. Just love the sweet expression on Kessie's face. She loved reading with Grandpa. At one point I had told her to go let Grandpa read her a book, and she said, "No Mom, I read it to Grandpa!"

Visitors From Maryland

2009-10-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Craig, Grandma Marian, and Uncle George came to visit us. It was a short visit because they also went visiting in Utah, but we got to see them for a couple days and they got to be here in the snow and then in the sun, lucky them. We went out to eat, watched Scooby-Doo, and played in the park. They also got to go to church with us. Here are a couple pictures of our time together.
The kids had so much fun with Uncle George. They loved to tease him and watch movies with him. Don't worry, I blotted out the logo on his shirt so you wouldn't have to read it's hideousness. Okay, it only said Brigham Young, but I like to tease him too!
Here's the group!
Grandma and Kessie sharing a funny moment.
Lanny, of course, couldn't resist putting his feet in the water. The others soon followed along. It was pretty cold, though, so that is as far as it went, luckily!
Yes, I have evidence that Grandma was feeding my box of Vanilla Wafers, which cost like $3.28 a box to the geese!!! I know, I was pretty upset too!

Yes, it Looks Fun...but Should You Really Be Trying It?!?

2009-10-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

We took Grandma and Grandpa to the Children's Village, all of the flowers were dead/dormant, but it was still fun. The kids did the sack race, and well you know how it gets when everyone is having fun...everyone gets a little crazy. Here are Lanny and Louie racing.
I raced Louie...I think I won, but Louie just won't admit it.
It looked so fun, Grandma Marian just had to try it...for those of you who don't know, my Mom has bad knees...yea...she wanted to try it anyway. I helped her into the sack and asked Dad if his insurance was up to date...then we proceeded to race. Please note Grandma Marian's position throughout the pictures.
We left her in the dust.
I cropped the photo, but in case you were wondering, no, she hasn't moved.
Don't worry, I went back and offered encouragement. No, she still hasn't moved. She did try a little hop, but didn't even inch forward. Yes, I helped her out of the bag... I think Grandma's sack racing days are over.

Death of a Dinosaur

2009-10-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

More randomness...Lanny bought some triops a few months ago with his tooth money. He was so excited to grow real dinosaurs. I was skeptical, but they grew. Hatched from their eggs, they were barely visible, but grew to be enormous (well, enormous for them--about a 1/2 inch in length). Lanny loved them. I was annoyed because they required a light on them. So I had a pan with water and cannibalistic creatures in it as well as a desk lamp on my counter for two months. Last week the last of them died. Alas, it was sad to see them go. As much as I'm being sarcastic, they were fascinating to watch. The whole eating each other thing kinda bugged me, but other than that they were pretty cool. They were awesome swimmers and did cool loop-de-loops. All in all a great experiment for kids...and yes, supposedly they really did exist back with the dinosaurs.
In other news, Aaron and Lanny went antemelon (antelope) hunting yesterday. Lanny was pretty stoked, although it was snowing and freezing. Round trip they spent over 7hours in the car, not to mention the time spent driving around looking for one. Kessie was pretty excited when they brought home the "moose". I will be honest, my prayers went unanswered...I did not want them to bring one home. If any of you have a taste for antelope meat, it's yours...I would rather eat the cat food in the garage!
And just because I liked how it turned out, here is a page I did last weekend while listening to conference (I used a sketch from Sketchy Thursdays).
http://sketchythursdays.blogspot.com/

Happy week to all!

Switch!

2009-10-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

Sob...sob....I had to change the card I was sending to Uncle George this morning. I can't remember the score, but I'm sure you now know the end result. Yep, BYU hogged the spotlight again, seriously, some people just can't let others shine. But never fear, there is always next year, but I think I've been saying that for ten years now, but since I'm such an overly optimistic person I just know that next year is our year!!! Happy weekend to all...

Hugs and kisses to Uncle George, you big bum!

On to Victory!!!

2009-10-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to share the card I made to send to Uncle George! He'll be really excited to get it I'm sure. USU as most of you know is my school...BYU, well, the unfortunates that have to go there instead of USU, I really feel for them! Their football teams are playing tonight. Uncle George hasn't shut-up about how BYU is going to mop the stadium with USU since BYU beat my other school (CSU) last week. He even had the gall to play the BYU theme song over the phone to me, can you imagine the nerve! (Yeah, and the sad part is, I can sing along to the BYU theme song, whereas I have no idea what Utah State's song is, or Colorado State's for that matter either...feel free to clue me in.) Well, he's in for a big surprise! So that I would be prepared, I got this card all ready to put in the mail as soon as the final whistle blows! So give out a loud cheer and lets hear it for those Aggies!!!
P.S. I guess the game is at 7 tonight, or something like that, they're playing in Provo!Outside
Inside

Children's Village

2009-09-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

Louie's preschool class was invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Children't Village (a botanical garden for kids). Kessie and I tagged along and loved it, so I took all three kids back this last Saturday! Once again, I used my new camera...oooh, love it! By the way, Louie told Lanny we were going to the mechanical garden!

Love the sack races, as do my kids. Thought it was funny that they were both pulling a Michael Jordan!
There is a place for kids to perform a puppet show for others. Kessie loved this little bunny.
I was waiting in line so the kids could get a balloon. They tried to find some shade to sit in while we waited. Aaron and I are getting more and more concerned everyday about Louie, we know we're in trouble. She can't help but be beautiful. Yes, once again, I know it is sideways, and I can't figure out how to fix it...remember, I'm technically stupid.
Thought this was such a cute pic of Kessie, patiently waiting while the man made her a balloon butterfly. He was pretty awesome. P.S. All the balloons were at least partially popped by the time we reached the truck (about 4 minutes). So glad I stood in that sweltering line for 45 minutes!

Brought to You by Canon

2009-09-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

So I still can't figure most of my camera out, it is very complicated and can do a ton of amazing things. However, I sort of, kind of cheated so I could get a couple pictures up. Someday when I have time I'll go over everything carefully and learn to be a pro...until then....This was the first day I had my camera, I took over eighty shots, just of Lanny's game. He had just been told he could play defense, which he likes the best, and he jumped in the air with excitement!
I love the look of determination on his face and I love my telephoto lens that lets me capture it!
I love this picture because of the angle of his body...can't you just tell he's at full speed after that ball!

No Pictures

2009-09-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

I still don't know how to upload pictures yet, but soon, soon! Until then, Lanny had a great birthday party! His friends were all very generous...he loved all his gifts, but my favorite are his "Talkie-Walkies"...that's how he says it, so that's why they are my favorite! I loved seeing him happy and excited!
On Sunday our wonderful neighbors brought us over some smoked ribs...ooooh delicious! We had leftovers for lunch on Monday. Louie liked them, but couldn't remember what they were called. I had told her three times when she looked at me and said, "What are they again? Ankles?!?" Well, that's what they're going to be from now on!
Aaron ground up some of his elk meat last night. Oh, by the way, he got an elk this year with his bow! He was pretty excited, and so was I because now he doesn't have to leave in October!!! Kessie was pretty upset at the sight of the meat and said, "Daddy, I hate alien blood!" I do too! I never would have sent Aaron off to hunt if I'd known it would be an alien that he brought home. Oh well, we just won't tell you what we're feeding you when you come to visit!
The missionaries moved in yesterday! We're pretty excited! They are great missionaries and very kind and friendly! The noise level at our house hasn't diminished, so we'll see how scripture study for them goes! It should be an adventure anyhow!
Pictures, I promise, soon, but that's all for now.

9/15/09

2009-09-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

We have been super busy once again, don't know how it happens. We go from nothing to do, to holy cow, there is no time left in the day! A few highlights from this past week. Lanny did great in his soccer game. The boys really worked as a team---and I got a beautiful, amazing, fabulous (are you getting the picture)new camera. Even having no idea how to use it, I got some fun shots of his game. Stay tuned for those, as soon as I figure out how to get them on my computer you will see them. Yes, Aaron spoils me rotten! He must really love me!
Mr. Boingo had his big event on Tuesday. If that last sentence made no sense Aaron and I have done our jobs well. Aaron came up with the name "Mr. Boingo" to represent Lanny, and "Big Event" to represent his birthday. That way we could discuss birthday ideas without him knowing...of course, he caught on pretty quick. When Aaron first said the code phrase, I burst into laughter, he surprises me all the time with his wit. So, Lanny is now seven!!! I can't believe it either. He got up at 6:00 on his birthday and couldn't go back to sleep. He opened several of his presents, but his favorite were a dinosaur washcloth and some bouncy putty (both dollar store items). Why did I bother with more expensive gifts? He's having a birthday party on Saturday, so I'll take most of the pictures then, but here is one that I took on Tuesday!
Yesterday, the girls and I decided to look through the garden and see what we could pick. Here is what we came up with. It was so fun! Louie put everything in a little basket to transfer it to the house, then we took some to the neighbors. We used two peppers and the tomato last night in our tacos! Wow, I love having a garden, or I did for a couple of minutes until I had to go out after dark to water it. (I'm still terrified of the dark in case you were wondering.)
Hope everyone's week is going well.

That's all Folks!

2009-09-08T21:20:00.003-07:00

Don't be sad, but this is the last of my pictures. Actually, I took about 150, but you'll have to come visit us to see them all.

I found these two Quakies that I loved. They had some of the bark stripped away and were so beautiful and rich with color. I made Aaron pose next to them. Sorry ladies, he's taken. Seriously though, I do love this shot...he's pretty handsome in his element.

I was glad Aaron brought a bucket to carry all of the fish he was about to catch. Well, he didn't catch any, but it came in handy when I wanted to set up a timed shot to capture the whole family.

This is Aaron's "illegal fish". He let him go, but for a fish it's a pretty one.

Give Me More!

2009-09-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

You want em', you got em'. Here are more pictures from our trip!

Don't know how this got turned sideways, but oh well. Kessie was such a good helper collecting wood for the fire in her beautiful dress. Even princesses work hard!

We all went on a bear hunt, which was pretty stupid since there was an abundance of them this year. We didn't see any, but Lanny sure looked hard. He was my protector!

Yeah, I have a thing for shadows. This is us, minus Aaron-he was fixing us breakfast. Can you tell who's shadow is whose?

Whitney caught a cute little fish, don't ask me what type, I don't remember. She was pretty excited. We had all pretty much given up and decided to go back to camp when she caught him! Yeah!

This is Kessie with her bear hunting, charge, go forward, onward and upward, stick! She was pretty cute up there and had the best vantage point of us all!

Anxiously Waiting

2009-09-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

I know most of the millions of people who read this blog have been anxiously waiting for pictures from our camping/hunting trip over Labor Day Weekend. Okay, so most of the two people who read this blog didn't know we had even left town, but here you go anyway.
We went over to High Savory Reservoir(might have misspelled that, but I don't really care), which is about 3.5 to 4 hours away depending on how fast we fly over the mountains. Just to let you know, it started off alright...we even got to see three huge manly mooses while driving, but then the trip went slightly south when we also got to see a naked man skipping through the forest! Seriously! That is the one part that Lanny is telling everyone about...luckily it was just his backside.
We camped from Friday through Monday and Uncle Derek and Whitney joined us. It was Uncle Derek's turn to get flat tires this year. Not to be outdone by us (we got two at the same time last year while hunting) he also got two flat tires, but not at the same time. Aaron hunted with his friend Nick and Lanny. We all did a little fishing, I just carried the snacks actually. And we all enjoyed sitting around the campfire with friends and family. It was, print this out and save it because I will never admit to saying this, pretty fun! Aside from the messy hair and dirty fingernails and threat of bears!
The Kokanee were starting to spawn, so we did get to see some red ones. Aaron snagged one accidentally, and since that is technically illegal, he released it...but I got a picture first. Aaron didn't get an Antelope, but I see that as one of God's "tender mercies".
Kessie asked Aaron this morning if we were going camping again tomorrow. All the kids loved it, and I think they could camp forever if I allowed it...probably because baths are not an option and brushing teeth and hair is iffy at best. So without further ado, here are those pictures everyone has been waiting for!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-09-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy week. Lanny lost another tooth. That makes 5 altogether. He was pretty excited about it and also thought it was hysterical that apparently the Tooth Fairy accidentally went into the chicken coop and was attacked by Ducky! She wasn't too happy about it. He also had a soccer game on Tuesday and practice on Wednesday. Our big event, however, was that Louie started her school. She was scared, but went anyway and ended up having a great time. She had a huge smile on her face and was bouncing up and down when I went to pick her up. I was so excited that she had a good day. She has new teachers this year that I don't know, but they seem to be pretty nice. Lots going on, so I don't have a lot of time, but I thought I'd share her pictures. Kessie was pretty traumatized that she didn't get to stay at school too. I pacified her with some Cheetos!

This is how Louie was really feeling at the beginning...she cheered up quickly!

Hard at Work

2009-08-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

As if building a house, being a fishing and hunting expert, and working full time weren't enough, Aaron has been making jellies lately. We love crab apple jelly. This year and last year have been off years, but Aaron still picked (Lanny and Louie helped) some crab apples. His job has required him to work until 7 most nights and work on Friday and Saturday, but he still came home on Thursday and made us some delish jelly! I was pretty excited. Now if I can only convince him that he needs to make some homemade bread too. I'll go work on my puppy dog face right now!

Second Day of Second Grade

2009-08-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, so if today is Lanny's second day of Second Grade, then yesterday was his first. He was really excited, and as I looked at the pictures I took I was shocked at how grown up he looks...noooooo! I know, it's all part of life, but seriously, do my children have to grow up so fast? It was so hard to walk away yesterday. He looked so small and intimidated in his chair. I was worried about how he would be when I picked him up, but he had a huge smile, was still full of energy, and said, "Mom, my teacher is really nice." I just hope that excitement lasts!
Louie was pretty excited to have Lanny go to school, because then she would have a corner on the egg collecting market. However, by 10:00, after she had gathered our two eggs, she was asking when we were going to go get Lanny. She kept asking every fifteen minutes for the rest of the day, wandering about the house and acting as if her dog had just died. Needless to say, both her and Kessie were thrilled to see Lanny after school.
One last thing. Lanny's book bag. Yes, I know it is bigger than him. He picked it because it was camouflage and that means he can also use it for hunting (smart boy). The deciding factor, however, was that the book bag seemed to be big enough to fit a turkey in. I have to agree, I think it is definitely big enough for a turkey, but if that boy puts a dead turkey in it, I'm chuckin' it and going for the pink princess bag, or anything that isn't conducive to wild game.
Happy school year to all of you who started school. As I told Lanny, this will be the best year yet!

Blue Jets (Go Team)

2009-08-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

Lanny had his first soccer game on Saturday! He was pretty nervous. The game started out great! They scored first. Then it went downhill. By the second half they were pretty much too tired to stop a goal. It's okay though, they all kept trying and I was really proud of their effort. They don't keep score at this age, so that is nice. Lanny is pretty shy on the field. We kept yelling for him to get in there and kick the ball. Plowing into other kids and stealing the ball, however, doesn't come naturally for a nice boy who always puts others ahead of himself. He did get a few good kicks in though, and even though he was tired I think he enjoyed it. I'm going to buy myself a pair of shinguards so I can practice with him, because to tell you the truth, I'm pretty shy on the field too, or I could just be scared of getting hurt. Maybe I'll make Aaron practice with him.
There were three things I realized at this game.
One, we need to practice with Lanny. Even though he did good, we are not a sports oriented family (no, fishing is not a sport, I don't care what people say). Lanny doesn't stand a chance against all the kids who have grown-up living, breathing, and encompassing themselves with sports.
Two, I need to practice yelling. By the end of the game, my throat was sore. So I figure if I practice more, I'll be able to keep up my constant roar and not have a sore throat at the end of the game. I tried it on Aaron, he thinks maybe I could just be one of those silent supporters instead.
Three, here is the biggy. I realized immediately that my camera (point and shoot) is completely inadequate to capture anything but a close-up on the sidelines. I need a camera with a telephoto lens and no shutter delay. I looked one up online...kid you not, it was 7000.00 dollars. So if you would care to contribute to the "Bri needs a new camera to get great game shots" fund feel free. Aaron said we might be able to splurge and get something nicer, but the 7000.00 dollar one is out. He can be such a Scrooge, don't you agree.
It was a fun last week of summer. Yep, Lanny starts school on Wednesday! He's pretty excited. So here's to new adventures whether they're soccer or second grade. We're loving it!
P.S. Lanny's team got the McDonald's sponsor shirts (It says the name on the back and is completely luck of the draw.) The Taco John's kids they played were pretty upset that their shirts didn't say McDonald's. I guess we're just lucky, eh?

Poisonous Bass

2009-08-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

We went to Aaron's work party on Friday. It is at an island just south of Ft. Collins. The kids love it. They look forward to it all year and this year we actually had nice weather. They have volleyball, horseshoes, and of course the beach. The kids love to swim out to the huge water trampoline. Lanny loves all the fish in the lake...it smells that way too. They have huge catfish that you can throw food to. So here is my question? How do you go to a work party and get eaten by a fish? Lanny managed it. He was hand feeding the tiny blue gill. One nibbled at his fingers a little, but apparently had some competition. Suddenly a, as Lanny tells it, huge bass glombed onto his whole hand. Lanny lifted it out. It chewed for a minute and decided that it didn't like the taste of hand so it dropped back into the lake. Aaron was so proud that Lanny had caught a fish bare-handed. I was horrified at the scratches on his fingers. He was pretty excited. Just so you know, I think bass are poisonous. His hand is still hurting, and who would have know, because how many people are bitten by bass. It must be one of their secret offensive tactics to stun and kill prey. So glad my son could be the one to figure it out---not! Lanny is living it up though, telling his "fish story". Yesterday we had ward party. He wanted to put a band aid on his fingers because they were still hurting. Then he thought better of it. "Mom, maybe we could put the band aid on after the party. That way I could maybe tell someone about how my hand got hurt." Luckily, the people in our ward listened very intently and oohed and aahed in exactly the right places. I'm sure even more people will hear about it today at church.
Other than the fish problem, we had a great time. We all jumped on the trampoline, the girls got our faces painted, and we enjoyed seeing our friends. It was a fun time, but I'm hoping next year that there are no bass.

Random, Random, Random

2009-08-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

Here is our gigantic zucchini that Lanny wanted us to let grow. Aaron finally talked him into picking it. The kids used it as a phone until Aaron made zucchini cobbler with it. Even with the recipe calling for 8 cups of cubed zucchini, we only used half the thing. Seriously, if in your life you are only able to remember one thing remember this...One zucchini plant, only one zucchini plant!!!

This is Lanny's first soccer practice. Okay, so he's out on the field with his team, that's me and Louie and Kessie. Just loved the evening light and all the shadows. So fun to be outside! P.S. He's doing great! His first game is this Saturday...stay tuned, knowing this blogger, there will be pictures.
While camping, I usually look like death with a mudmask on, but not Kessie. She's stunning in her evening gown at any time of the day!
Before we left for the Gorge, we got to go Mini-golfing with our friends. Lanny whacked his "girlfriend" in the head with the golf club on the first hole. Yeah, should have been a warning, but actually, they all did really well. Please note what a great photographer I am. Unplanned by me, I was still able to get us all in the shot...look in the window!
Happy end of summer to all!

Flaming Gorge...Again

2009-08-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

We just got back from another trip to the Gorge. This time we were lucky enough to have Grandma and Grandpa Johnson join us. They, however, were not so lucky. The weather was terrible. It rained and was icky, and Aaron insisted that he and Grandpa try to get the boat sunk in the white-caps. Fortunately, they weren't successful in their attempt and made it to shore safely but soaked. So what do they do, they go back out a few hours later and try again, this time with Lanny in tow. Your, no doubt, wondering why I didn't stop them. Aaron hid the rope and trying to stop a raging lunatic who only has fishing on his mind (I'm talking Lanny here) is pretty much impossible. The white-caps weren't so big the second time, but the boys soaked up the brunt of the rain with their last pair of dry clothes. No worries, they were all smiles when they got back...for all their efforts, they had two (definitely not record book) lake trout. See what I'm saying about the lunatic factor...all three have it.
On this trip, we got to drive around and explore the communities a little more. One of my life's ambitions was fulfilled when we went to Dutch John's. It's a teeny town where everyone has a river boat, but no scrapbooking store...can't move there. We also got to see the Dam and I drove over it...yes, I am a brave sort. (For those not in the know, I'm terrified of heights and bridges...and it doesn't help when the co-pilot, Karen, is describing the drop off that our car is precariously close to.) Even having to drive in places I don't like, I did enjoy the high speed chase through downtown Manila. We were waiting at the gas station for Steve and Aaron. The car isn't big enough, so we have to take two. They zoomed right past without noticing us...then Karen said three words I've waited my whole life to hear..."Follow That Car!" Oh baby. We were off. Aside from the drop-off descriptions, Karen, also tried to get me a ticket. Sixty-five in a forty zone will usually draw a cops attention. Don't worry, I didn't listen and did the speed limit, but we almost lost Grandpa...luckily he got stuck behind some slow motorcyclists. As a side note, Verizon gets noooooo reception in remote areas, however, Union Wireless gets great reception. If you plan on camping a lot get Union! (No, I don't work for them, I was just amazed when Karen's phone rang and she was actually able to talk to the person on the other end.)
Enough rambling, even with rain and cold, Aaron still caught a burbot. Lanny still caught some lakers. And we all had a great time! How's that slogan go...Family..it's about time!

10

2009-08-08T07:01:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read that right! We have officially been married ten years. I told Aaron that most people do something big for number 10, like a cruise. Aaron knows me too well, and got me just what I wanted. I woke up and wanted a piece of chocolate. I went downstairs and to my amazement, there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers and some Dove chocolate! Yippee, my day started out great! I told the kids that Daddy loved me and that is why he got me such a great surprise and that it was our anniversary. After that Lanny wished me "Happy Anniversary" in every other sentence for the rest of the day. He actually got quite upset because he hadn't baked me a cake. He said Daddy and him might be able to bake one on Sunday! Then he went and picked me some more flowers to go with my bouquet! Seriously, he is such a thoughtful kid, although he never did realize it was Aaron's anniversary too.
Aaron took me out for dinner and what better way to celebrate 10 great years than with our greatest blessings! I asked the waitress to take our picture...she thought we were from out of town. I told her it was our anniversary. Did you know that Old Chicago's has happy anniversary cards!?! Yep, she gave one to us, thought it was pretty nice. The meal was tasty, and the kids behaved exactly like normal. Kessie even took off her shirt and tried to order beer! Obviously, we are so lucky to have our children, they keep us laughing and young, if not a bit crazy!
I was going to list 10 reasons why I love Aaron, but honestly I can't. I just feel so blessed to have him, who could narrow it down to 10. Although he is a great liar, and still tells me I'm beautiful. Yea, I'm not letting him go anywhere!

I wanted a picture of us on our anniversary so I took one of us smiling at the camera. We do that every year, so I asked Lanny to take this shot of us instead. Not the best, I was laughing, and Lanny was pretty giddy too! Although, he did do a good job! Can't wait to see what adventures the next 10 years bring!

Farewell

2009-08-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

Aaron wanted me to post a special tribute to Goldilocks, one of our roosters. So here it goes...
Goldilocks, Goldilocks
Rooster so small
You were probably hoping to make it through fall
Goldilocks, Goldilocks
Rooster not nice
You beat up the hens way more than thrice
Goldilocks, Goldilocks
Rooster taken out of the coop
Kessie said you tasted divine in the soup!

There you go honey, it's the best I could do. Please join us in bidding farewell to our mean little rooster. Aaron and the kids made chicken noodle soup on Monday night. I went to Fort Collins...yes, I'm a wimp, but I can't eat anything that we have named and hand fed.

Breaking News...As I write this, the kids found two more petite eggs in the chicken coop...the excitement is palpable!!! That's three now!!!

Further Breaking News...After pausing to wash and put away the eggs, I came back into write this and Kessie got in the fridge, got out the eggs, dropped and broke all three!!! The tears are pretty palpable now!

There Arose Such a Clatter...

2009-08-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

Lanny's friend came over Monday and they all wanted to go play with the chickens. Since I could see the chicken coop from my scraproom window, I told them to be careful and I would be out in a minute. I needed to order something online, I was just sitting down when all four kids started hollering. They seriously looked panicked. I ran over to the door screaming, "What's wrong!?!" "An egg! An egg!" Well this was huge news. As I might have mentioned before, I have no love for the chickens, but I was pretty excited, I grabbed my camera and ran (haven't run in a while...I was a bit worn out in the 10 paces to the coop) outside. Yep, they were right. Lanny had thought there was a rock in the coop, but it was an egg. A, let me put this correctly, petite egg. Even covered in green you-know-what, it was really pretty...I'm weird, but Aaron is weirder. Since is our first chicken egg, he wants to poke a little hole in it and drain it out and save it. Well, if it makes him happy! So, when you come to visit my house and see an ordinary brown chicken egg on my mantel, you will know how special it is, so please don't touch!

And the Winner Is...

2009-07-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

So here is the winning entry for our favorite vacation photo. It was taken by Scotty T. Aaron's long-time friend. Little did we know that Scotty had such a flare for photography and also such great timing.
Aaron and Lanny were posing with a fish, there's a shocker, when Louie suddenly said,"Oh I see how this works!" She, of course, reached out to play with the down-rigger (which in her mind she knew how to run) and promptly dumped the whole thing into 150 feet of water. Scotty snapped the picture and forever captured Aaron's horrified expression at seeing his birthday present for Clark go over the edge. Louie was extremely upset, and Aaron handled it very calmly...or so he said. Don't cry though, Clark might not have gotten a birthday present, but Aaron has two more down-riggers...thus I didn't lose too much sleep over it. But I do love the picture. Clarky gets a framed, signed copy for his birthday instead!

Here are the Horses

2009-07-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the horses. I was so proud of all my kids. Lanny is terrified of horses (he gets that from me) and never wants to go near them. This time he asked Grandma if he could ride, and wow, we couldn't get him off. All of my children have turned into Wyoming cowboys/girls. Lanny and Louie even loped on Wendell T. Of course, Aaron, or Grandma was with them. But still, that is huge. Louie brought her cowgirl hat all the way from home, just for riding the horses! After we rode the big horses, we met the two new babies in the family. Wow, the kids really loved them. If they stayed that size, I might consider getting a horse! They had such an amazing time. I did actually ride as well, but I'm not as photogenic, what with the terrified look on my face. Aaron says it's a pretty realistic look, but I still should work on it a bit!

Weekend Roamings

2009-07-29T07:49:00.000-07:00

Last week Aaron took Lanny and Louie to Flaming Gorge. Just so everyone is not confused as I was, Flaming Gorge is in Utah...as well as in Wyoming. Don't tell Aaron, but apparently these two states do actually have something in common. They had a super time and when Kessie and I joined them on Wednesday evening they were all sunburned, windburned, and water-logged...and loving it! We all swam and played on Thursday and then headed over to Star Valley to see the family and horses. Friday we rode the horses, Saturday we fished and went to the Johnson family reunion. Sunday was a boring ride...are we there yet, how long is an hour...you know the routine. Seeing as how I haven't done much all summer, and even though it was a very long ride, I had an enjoyable time. We now can't get on the freeway without Kessie shouting, "Look, Brother, we going camping." (The freeway is always the first lap on our camping trips.) The kids are already revving up for the next fishing/camping trip, Aaron and I are just trying to get some sleep so that we can keep up with them! Love those lazy days of summer!

I'm Baaack!

2009-07-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I really didn't go anywhere, but after a month of no blogging, I should have some great excuse like I went to Paris or something. But, alas, it has just been one of those months where I get absolutely nothing accomplished. But no more, I'm starting anew...from now on I'll be blogging everyday! No, don't expect that, but I do hope to post at least once a week again. Since my last post, the kids have done more fishing...shocker, Lanny even caught a huge Walleye...he looks like he's in pain, probably because it is so heavy. Lanny also lost another tooth (one of his top front ones, and the other top front one is very loose.) We got a little pool for the kids, they love it...so do the dogs! Our electric poles on our property were removed, the kids had a great time watching the man climb the poles. The power company has brought in a lot of heavy equipment and they love how cool some of the trucks are. Louie gave a talk in church, she did great! The next week she gave the prayer! Now she thinks she is suppose to do something every week. Of course, we watched some fireworks for the fourth. Kessie loves the "Popfires!" as she calls fireworks.
Mostly our month has consisted of little bits of life, nothing big, but we try to enjoy all of it!

Summer

2009-06-26T09:16:00.001-07:00

We haven't actually done much this summer. Aaron takes the kids fishing and that has pretty much been the highlight of summer. My summer is pretty much summed up by the top picture. I sit on the porch and listen to a book on tape while the kids gather wildflowers for me. We have quite an assortment on our property and they love to explore and bring me back some that from root to flower are taller than Kessie.
The bugs are in full force now, and Lanny loves catching things. He caught this beautiful butterfly the other day. I let him keep it for 24 hours and then told him it was time to set it free. He didn't want to, but he willingly complied with my wishes, or at least he tried. Apparently, the butterfly was quite attached to him. It kept climbing up his arm and neck to rest on his ear. He would carefully put it back on his hand and it would go right back up to his ear. Finally, he set it on the ground and then the butterfly flew away. He was pretty pleased that his butterfly liked him so much. It was pretty cute!
Hope everyone's summer is going well!

Father's Day

2009-06-25T08:26:00.001-07:00

Big shocker, I'm a bit late, but I wanted to wish all the father's out there a Happy Father's Day! More than once my father and father-in-law have saved the day in my life and I'm so grateful for the wonderful men and examples that they are. Neither of them are close enough to hug, but I hope they know how much they are loved.
This is a picture of a picture, so it's not the best quality, but it's me and my dad. Obviously, I was a troublemaker even back then. Wow, what Dad's don't put up with.
The other one is my sweetie and his crew! I'm so blessed, love you honey, you're a great father!

Avian Flu

2009-06-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Have you hugged your chicken today? Well, what are you waiting for? Aaron took these pictures a couple of weeks ago, and I thought they were pretty cute. I might not like chickens, but the girls adore them! They help Daddy take care of them everyday. They also just go out to play with them.
Looking at the pictures I feel like I've been transported back a hundred years. Seriously, who has chickens anymore? Oh well, my family is happy, and the chickens are out of my garage, yahoo, so I'm happy too!
So, have a great day, and get out there and hug a chicken. (If you don't have one of your own, you can find them in the freezer isle, where they belong---don't tell my kids I said that.)

Summer---Not So Much

2009-06-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

So far our summer vacation has been spent indoors. Last Saturday, Aaron took the kids fishing for the only nice day we've had in about two weeks. And the weather forecast ain't gettin' any better. Yesterday we even got to experience a bit of hail, well quite a bit actually. The hail wasn't very big, luckily, I think parts of our garden may even survive. It was pretty loud, and the kids didn't like it. However, afterwards, they loved collecting some hail and putting it in the freezer. And of course, the double rainbow after was beautiful! Kessie got so excited and told us it was her rainbow. It was huge and amazing. We're not thrilled with the bad weather, Lanny is terrified of tornadoes, which luckily we haven't even had any warnings, but they've been having a few in Denver which makes Lanny nervous. But we'll look on the bright side, I guess it gives us time to rest and recooperate, I don't know from what, but we'll definitely have plenty of energy when summer finally shows up!
P.S. The rainbow picture decided to flip on me, but I'm not fixing it, you get the idea.

That's All Folks

2009-06-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

They're done!!! Although school officially ended today for Lanny, I let Wednesday be his last day. Wednesday was also Louie's last day for this year of preschool. Louie was pretty excited, but Lanny is ready to go back as a Second Grader! Aaron softened the blow that he wouldn't be a Second Grader just yet by taking him fishing yesterday. They were up at 4:30am so that they could be on the lake early. Due to the nature of their smiles when they got home, I'd say they had a pretty great time!
I had some pretty fun ideas to keep my kids busy this summer, but summer kinda snuck up on me and I have nothing ready, so I'm sure we'll just have a few weeks of boredom until I can get a few ideas ready.
I really just wanted to share these cute pictures of Lanny and his teacher Mrs. Jackson. Seriously, love this lady. She is an amazing teacher and truly loves her students and wants them to enjoy school! I tried to convince her to move up to second grade, but alas, she will still be teaching first grade next year. As well as these pictures of the boys fishing experience. They brought home quite a few and I can guarantee that I will not be eating any of them. For those of you who actually want to know they caught walleye and one perch. The fish Lanny caught in the photos was a whopper of a carp, but since they are "junk fish" they threw it back. Lanny actually wanted Aaron to mount it for him because it was so big, but Aaron said he didn't know how (yeah right, he pretty much can do anything, I think he just didn't want another project right now.)
Happy Summer to all!

Walk

2009-05-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-05-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

...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

2009-05-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-17T07:02:00.001-07:00

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

2009-05-17T06:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-17T06:42:00.000-07:00

A couple favorites from yesterday!