Matt & Jesicca Family Est. 03/25/1994

one year from now... don't regret a single day!

2012-01-12T13:39:00.000-08:00

happy new year!

change is in the air for my family. some exciting- some happy- some thrilling- some sad- some upsetting

each day will be graced with a smile and a deep breath.

it is a great time of year to reflect on where i have been, what i have done, and what i would like to still do. some of my resolutions keep coming back each new year... refinish the dining room table, leaf, and chairs (silly me), lose weight, be involved, love more fully (this a great one every year).

dining room furniture you ask...i purchased the set 3 years ago, it sat in the garage half sanded for two years, and the last year it has been in our basement (hubby couldn't stand it taking up his valuable garage space). i can't for the life of me figure out how i want to finish it. do i want to finish it like one of my favorite furniture stores display sets (evan's), do i want to stain it a dark gorgeous walnut (like my brothers amazing office furniture)? what to do, what to do?

lose weight you laugh...this has been something i talk about, make fun of, and simply never give it an honest effort. sure i have a gym membership and i love the gym. i am not a morning person and the 5:30 kick boxing class (even though i loved it) is too early for this working momma. i would go at night but, i get home around 6pm and feel guilty leaving my family to go work out. i can continue with the excuses but, let's be honest... if you have seen me you know that i have horrible eating habits (never eat breakfast, slam down energy-caffeine free packets, and pick on junk all night). sounds like i should be one on the biggest loser 'no excuses' season? yes! need jillian michaels knocking on my door? yes! need to grow up and act like a responsible 39 old wife and mother? yes! who knows, maybe this is my year to act.

be involved you wonder... i over book myself, i am one that loves to have a calendar full, i am one that loves to be involved, i am one that loves to be on the go. i have always been this way, even as a little girl i felt like i was missing out on something. i hated staying home, i loved being surrounded by friends and was so blessed to live in an area that was full of great and amazing people. now as an adult i feel that i am still surrounded by great and amazing people. i love serving my community, i love serving in my church, i love serving in my extended family, and most importantly i love serving within the walls of my own home.

love more fully...ever look back and think 'could've, should've, would've?' i know i do and especially with my family. this year is dedicated to self and family. i don't want to wish anything away. i want to soak it all in. i want to document the comings and goings of my little family. who else would know that when kade was teething his first two teeth were his 'fangs', who else would know that matt loves to eat kipper snacks but-i refuse to let him eat them in the house, who else would know that kade loves music and knows artist and title to most songs, who else would know that matt loves to lounge on weekends doing nothing more than just being a dad, who else would know that kade loves to prank us by bracing cups of water on door tops- putting salt in our water in the fridge, who else would know that kade loves exploring. i want to continue cherishing this little man matt and i are raising. i want to love my husband up one side and down the other. i want to live this year with no regrets.

i have fallen in love with a blog that is dedicated to finding self and clinging to those things that are most important, family. one thing she said that touched my heart strings, and i quote: 'your journey has molded you for the greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. don't think that you've lost time. it took each and every situation you've encountered to bring you to the now. and... now is right on time.'

deck the halls... room 3

2011-12-18T22:32:00.000-08:00

christmas times for dreaming
thoughts of long ago
holidays of childhood
memories all aglow
-alice kennelly roberts

i love our tree in the family room. at night when the tree is lit we turn all other lights off and enjoy the glisten, the glitter, the peace. i used huge ornaments this year. the santa's are 12" high, the glitter gifts are 10" square, the bulbs are 6 and 8" round. it is glorious at night.

twas the night before christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. when, what to my eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer, with a little old driver, so lively and quick, i knew in a moment it must be st. nick... his eyes how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! his cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

we must not forget about frosty the snowman, he was a jolly happy soul
with a corn cob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal. he was a fairy tale they say but, we all know how he came to life one day, there must have been some magic in that old silk cap they found, for when they placed it on his head he began to dance around...
i have a love for glass ornaments and in the past couple of years i have been collecting and studying them. i love how they vary in size, weight, glisten, and history.

deck the halls... room 2

2011-12-18T22:22:00.001-08:00

i have a table in my dining/kitchen and each year i add two- four foot trees to it. this year i wanted to do a little more to add 'me' to the trees so i dug up two of my old crocks from downstairs and stuffed my darling trees into them- vwa laa!

my darling, talented, and giving mom made me the standing santa and he had to be front and center this year. everyone that stops by ohs and ahs over him. they all ask where i purchased him and i proudly state, my mom made him for me.

funny thing... this summer my mom and had a yard sale and sold boxes of elves. then wouldn't you know it, i found myself downstairs in my christmas stash digging for the elves i knew i had. luckly i saved two...

deck the halls... room 1

2011-12-18T21:52:00.001-08:00

growing up i always wanted to help my mom decorate for the holidays but, it was an unwritten law at our home that you can watch my mom decorate but, never touch. we always had the most gorgeous tree in all the land, thus santa made his stop in our town at our home first, naturally... while other children were snug in their beds dreaming of sugar plum fairies, i was snug in my bed dreaming for daylight and waiting for the moment my mom would leave for work so that i could move a few ornaments here and there. i don't know if she ever knew what i was up to but, nevertheless, i did move some! now that i am mommy and have a house of my own i always vowed that i would let my little one help. i used too, then when he was snug in his bed i would arrange the ornaments to my liking. he caught me once, we still joke about it. now he knows that we too have an unwritten law... you can watch but must not touch.

this holiday season we have four trees decorated and setting the festive mood for santa. first up, the tree in the living room, my room, my sanctuary, my little piece of heaven room.

this tree is covered in jewel tones of: gold, copper, silver and huge red poinsettias. i love and use huge ornaments. i cram them in every nook and cranny. matt teases that i don't need a tree because you can't even see it. and the glitter! i love it (however, i will be vacuuming and mopping it up for the next six months).

every home needs a nativity i firmly believe. afterall this is what the season is about: the birth of our lord and savior, redeemer of the world, brother, comforter. i am thankful for all that the savior has done for me personally and my sweet family. i am thankful that at this time of year in general people are more compassionate, people are kind, people look for the good in mankind. i am thankful for christmas music and the feeling of comfort and peace it brings. i am thankful for the spirit of truth in little ones eyes. i am thankful for the season! i love this nativity, little hands gently move the pieces to the places they think they should be. tonight after a family party i found that once again everyone was moved, and it warms my heart.

last but not least in this room is my door. this door is a treasure, it belonged to a loving family member, then a loving friend who thoughtfully gifted it to me. it has a special place in my room and thus gets decorated each christmas.

corrosiveness of soda...

2011-12-18T21:33:00.001-08:00

so you find yourself in 6th grade and facing a dilema... the dreaded science fair projects. never fear, look to your family and see what the majority enjoy, then turn that into your project! kade's uncle needs to be hooked up to a pepsi iv, kade's grandma can't live without her dt. coke, kade's dad thinks he has to have a mt. dew once a day (we get to hear about the miserable 'sunday' headaches if he doesn't make a pit stop saturday night), his aunt is a closet soda drinker (you know who you are... hehehe), the list can go on and on. i don't typically buy soda and have personally not had caffeine in over 10 years (yes, I am a hero), so dad had to bring home the required soft drinks and brand new pennies.

step one...

coca cola, mt. dew, orange shasta, and (my favorite) sprite

step two...

step three...

step four...

step five... and the conclusion
poster, written report (forgot to take photos but, they were awesome). coca cola was the absolute most corrosive and if it can do what it did to a penny in one weeks time, well good luck to your guts. when kade came home from school the day of the final judging i asked how it went... kade's exact words, 'my judge was a girl and she was hot!' so glad we invested 2 1/2 plus weeks into the project and that is what he got out of it. his dad was so proud.

as much as i hate hunting...

2011-11-18T23:06:00.001-08:00

as much as i hate hunting i love my boys and spending time with them. when we left the house it was snowing when we arrived at camp there was a foot of snow and no sign of letting up. however, the next mornging we woke up to glorious sunshine, unfortunately, it wasn't warm. the group hunted and i stayed in the trailer with the heat on. i read 3 books, watched movies, made jewelry, listened to music, it was bliss!

my handsome hubby holding 2 sad birds

my darling mighty hunter holding 2 sad birds

who is he?

2011-11-18T22:59:00.000-08:00

he is 11, he is almost as tall as i am, he walks just like his dad, he has my coloring, he has his dad's manorisms, he is hilarious, he makes friends easily, he is a leader, he is determined, he loves sports, he adores animals, he is spiritual, he hates smiling in photos, he relies on prayer, he loves music, he loves del taco hard shell tacos, he loves playing night games, he sets the example in our home, he hates contention, he loves staying up late and sleeping in, he is going into 6th grade

salem days

2011-11-18T22:31:00.000-08:00

this year salem days introduced a new event... 3 on 3 basketball. i should have known as soon as we read it that kade and his buddies would put a team together. they wore their team uniforms and looked so great! they were there for business and that is exactly what they did. they put on their game faces and hit the court. have no mercy! they won the tournament in their age bracket and took home shirts, basketballs and bragging rights.

before they took the court for the first game

winning game jerseys and balls! way to go boys!

my friends and i were over the baby contest and i was the lucky one that said i would take care of the float, my mom told me half way through the process that i was on my own next year (hehehe). we spent over 10 hours transforming the flatbed trailer into a float (and guess what, i forgot to get photos of the finished product b-o-o-h-o-o)

we bought over 100 of these flowers that were nylon and wire they were A-MAZ-ING!

we borrowed the huge cat tails (only 2 shown) from a friend that made the miss. salem float 2 years ago, bought 35 fairy wings and converted them into butterflies, then realized we were going to need greenery around the perimeter, therefore the netting.

my sweet little neighbors all stopped by to inspect our work and visit but, once they saw how labor intensive it was they found other things to do (can you blame them). after putting 6 cat tails up, covering them with flowers and butterflies, trimming the edge of the trailer with mesh and smoothering it with flowers and butterflies, lining the trailer with hay bales, it was still blah. what to do, what to do? my brillant mom was sharing stories of how creative my grandma was (so is my mother) and while she was sharing a story of my grandma cutting down a tree, stripping it, sanding it, varnishing it, decorating it, did i realize that is exactly what we needed on our float. but, i wanted BIG! so into the truck we went and scoured the back roads of my town. there it was, tipped over, hanging sadly, begging to be cut and decorated for all of salem to cherish. the only problem was it was on someones property and we couldn't cut it and drag it home ourselves. so while i went and knocked on the door of the owners home, my mom called my darling dad and asked if he would make the 20 minute trek to come help us. the tree was amazing! we didn't strip, sand, and varnish it but, we did put it into a christmas tree stand weight down with sand bags and covered it in white blosoms, white berries, butterflies, and flowers. it was breath-taking. our sweet little babies contest winners looked darling on it. and the best part... our float took home the royalty ribbon! if anyone has a photo of the finished project please send me a copy!

sheep creek

2011-11-18T22:17:00.000-08:00

once baseball ended we had plenty of time for camping, fishing, riding. we are so blessed to live close to the rocky mountians. nothing like having it in your back yard. there is nothing better than lounging by the camp fire, not worrying about the phone ringing, obligations, interuptions, just bliss. we have such a great time whenever we go with my parents. this trip was sentimental for matt and me as we rode the route we took over 15 years ago as ma and pa during our stake pioneer trek. it was an amazing experience and we hadn't taken the time to go back and visit. we were in ah of what our youth accomplished during that amazing journey, we were reminded of the spirit that was felt by all, the energy that the youth had, the perservance to never give up, the drive to push on, the bond that was forge by all. after the ride we stopped for a break in a peaceful little nook near a lake.

we were COVERED in dirt

darling grandma & grandpa smith

aunt pam & uncle perry

aunt sandy & uncle mark

the quackies were thick and lush, wind the wind blew it was a gentle breeze that ruffled the leaves and made the most magical sound. it is a sound that i wish i could bottle and bring home.

city ball

2011-11-18T22:06:00.001-08:00

kade was excited to have his dad coach city ball, because the travel league just isn't enough when you are 11, hehehe. kade played catcher, pitch, and first. i think he enjoyed catching the most. i couldn't tell who had more fun, kade playing or matt coaching. he is so great with the boys and they took first in the league, go METS!

bring it on
at the last game matt marziale, the recreation director awarded the boys with medals
proud papa and son
the team!
best buddies

after the tournament one of the team members family had the boys over for a pool party, but that wasn't all. they had trophies made for each player! thanks ken and dori you are amazing.

wolverines invite the boys...

2011-11-18T21:48:00.000-08:00

what a better way to end the 2011 baseball season with the slam than to take the field with the mighty wolverines at uvu! uvu invited the team to take thier spot on the field with the players for the pledge of allegence and national anthem. it was an honor and the boys enjoyed it.

warming up and goofing around on the side lines...

watching the wolverine players being announced
getting ready to take the field

just waiting

team huddle

at last... on the field and following the example of the wolverines

standing at attention... so proud

now that the serious stuff is over the boys had races to see who could slide the farthest, thank for the grass stains boys

another tournament

2011-11-18T21:16:00.000-08:00

this spring kade's baseball team, the slam had the opportunity to play in a tournament in viva los vegas. we were excited to get out of town and find the warm weather. the ball fields were amazing! we failed to read the rules/regulations that stated no metal cleets on the turf. so matt and i dropped kade off with the team and hit the local mall looking for turf shoes. no one sold any so on our way back to the ball fields we stopped at big 5, they had just what we needed! on our way into big 5 a man approached our group looking for money for rent, when we told him we didn't have cash he became angry with our friend...scArY.
we loved this baseball, it was at the entrance to the complex.

waiting for his turn into the batters box... hey batter batter!
say cheese!
vegas is GREAT for people like me that LOVE and ADORE people watching. this sweet lady appeared to be a grandma and she really needed support (wink wink). thanks vegas, we hope to visit again next spring.
after the tournament we thought it would be fun to take the boys down to the strip and see some of the sights and head over to new york new york to ride the roller coaster. our first stop was the aquarium. well worth it if you ask us.
swift, strong, threatening, fierce, huge teeth, intimidating

strong, slow, powerful, wrinkles, agility
transparent, graceful, quick, small
hilarious, tired, thought the strip was over-rated

hEy bAttEr bAttEr

2011-11-18T17:08:00.000-08:00

i am so far behind on blogging it is pathetic. this past baseball season the slam played in the evanston, wy tournament. every hotel was booked, so i opted for priceline (it should have alarmed me when entering 4 * or better and it only gave me the option for 2). when we arrived at 1:30am we were exhausted and knew we weren't going to get much sleep before we had to be up and ready for the first game. matt checked us in, let's just say that english is not their first or possibly even their second language, the pool water was yellow, and the hotel smelled of spices. i requested a non-smoking room and before we even opened the door we could smell the cigarettes. i went back to the front desk and asked for a different room. they insisted that the hotel was full. when i told them that my son has asthma and we could not accept the room (he doesn't), they miraculously found us another- amazing!

the complex was nice and clean, the people... not so much. kade's team did such a great job! they made it to the championship game! we were excited for the boys but, after spending two nights and three days in a run down town we were ready to hit the road. the championship game was one that will leave a lasting impression on those of us that sat in the stadium seating section. the opposing team sat by us and one family made quite the racket. the mother sat right infront of me (there were other places to sit), she continuously flicked her hair on my legs, tried moving into our umbrella shade and complained about the heat and the game to her husband. heather, roxanne and i were laughing until we were in tears. roxanne decided that everyone who was unable to come should see what we were up against in this small town. she pretended to be taking pictures of heather and me. when the family caught on the dad ducked down saying that he had warrants out on him and could not be in any photos. i think heather choked on her gum. half way through the game the mother heatedly bent down to pick up her two year old and you guessed it... her stretch pants had a hole the size of texas in the crotch... enough said.

the boys played well and took the winning trophy home. we were so proud of them but, elated to be heading home. thanks evanston, wy. we hope to never have to stay the night again.

summer bucket list...

2011-06-13T16:43:00.000-07:00

refinish table & chairs * make homemade ice-cream * hike to timp cave * refinish outdoor rocking bench * bear lake * st. george basketball camp * yard sale * seven peak's * trafalga * clean out garage * ride bikes on provo river trail * donate fabric * fish at scoffield * yellowstone * yard work for the dunn's * byu beneath your feet museum *donte shoes to africa * plant a garden * pull up yellow bushes * read * bar-b-que * laser tag * water fight * demolition derby * tuacahn theater * fireworks * lake powell * workout * serve the community * make sno-cones * roxberry or jamba juice * make banana boats * trip to idaho * learn a new recipe * nursery pool party * byu war museum *

she found me...

2011-03-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

who you ask? cinderella, she found me and i am so thrilled. ok so she didn't really find me because she is a cartoon character silly. but, my inner cinderella kicked it into gear!

mr. man had to work saturday and kade found himself hanging out with friends all day. so what is a girl that is tired of rain, wind, and glummy clouds that linger suppose to do? i started thinking about spring cleaning.

i started in the family room rocked out to nickleback, timberland, and josh groban
dusted wiped every surface
pulled furniture into the middle of the room
cleaned blinds and windows
vacuumed every nook and cranny, i have to admit after pulling the couch out i was a bit embarrassed by all the dust along the wall -sick
went through cds and dvds
fluffed cushions and pillows

answered ringing calls from Anastasia and Drusilla (brats). just kidding it was the phone.

moved onto the laundry room
still rocked out to nickleback, timberland, and josh groban
wiped walls
wiped out the washer
cleaned the lint trap, we had a house fire once upon a time (not in the laundry room), the friendly firefighter told me that the lint trap and hose that leads outside need to be cleaned regularly.
swept and mopped

moved onto the kitchen
pulled everything out of every cupboard
sat back and thought 'what the hell did i just do?'
wiped cupboards out
realized that i love cleaners, i love buying them and using them (i need to find a good line of environmentally good cleaners-know of any?)
put half of my 'stuff' back put the other half in large black garbage bags
cloroxed every surface
swept and mopped
still rocking out

drank a huge glass of water, twirled around the house singing 'bibadee bobadee bo' with gus gus. he is my favorite little mouse ever. are you kidding me? the house still isn't done, matt is still at work, kade is still with friends, i stank! sorry gus gus.

master bedroom
pulled all furniture into the center of the room
wiped walls
dusted everything
vacuumed under the bed
went through clothes and filled several large black garbage bags
changed bedding

took a shower at 5:30pm

after spending a day, just me and my charming home, i fell in love with it again. i walked from room to room just admiring it. i focused on the small details and repeated to myself where i found each item. i must admit this past weekend i realized most, if not all of our furniture and decor are from: close outs, yard sales, hand me downs from my mom, antique shops, and thrift stores.

siebzehn - seventeen - diciassette - zeventien

2011-03-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

no matter how you choose to say it, it means the big day is quickly approaching out our home. the big 17 years of marriage to my darling hubby. gifts are hard for us to get one another.

he is:

practical

doesn't like me to spend money

doesnt' like ornate

doesn't like trendy clothing

has to pick out his own hats and shoes

laid back

carefree

doesn't pay attention to small details {picking up hints i leave around}

i am:

not very practical {say i am but, i'm not}

love to spend money

love to decorate and redecorate

pay attention to everything {to a fault}

so what do we get each other? well according to google 17 isn't really noted for 'what' gifts are ideal, however, that doesn't mean it is a trivial anniversary. heck if you have made this far you know that withough having to have google tell you. but, google does have some ideas: furniture. small pieces-large pieces-redecorate a room-etc. really? i love furniture, really i do. do i have money for new furniture? no. so what, what , what, can i get my love? i have some ideas but not so sure he will appreciate or even want them and that is not what an anniversary is or should be about.

i could finish my two year project of refinishing the dining room table and six chairs that i bought at a yard sale- no he hates that thing {i think it is because it has been a love hate relationship of mine, because it has taken up his side of the garage for two years {he is so patient with me}, because i haven't decided on how i want the finished project to look}.

i could repaint the main portion of the house a lighter color {i have wanted to do this for about a year now}. he is so against it, he thinks our home is fine just the way it is. and it is.

i love our home

i love that we picked out the floor plan together

i love that we drove months on end through 8 cities looking for the perfect location for our little family

i love that we prayed about it together

i love that we drove out to our patch every sunday afternoon just to walk on the dirt, touch the dirt, and let kade play in the dirt

it was our dream and we made it happen

so as our anniversary approaches and i become more sentimental about the man i married, the man that gave me a beautiful son, the man that gives me peace of mind, the man that holds me when i am scared, the man that makes me laugh until i cry, the man that makes my dreams come true... i will continue to ponder on the 17 years we have built together and wonder what to give him.

i need to catch up on so many posts but, this one can't wait...

2011-03-03T12:39:00.001-08:00

it is a fab giveaway at http://www.dreamywhites.blogspot.com/

you must check it out now~

he shoots... he scores!

2011-02-26T23:29:00.000-08:00

11u skyhawks drove through the snowy weather to play a qualifying game this morning.

they showed up in their amazing uniforms geared and pumped for tip-off

they had a pre-game huddle

they took their places on the team bench

they put their basketball shoes on, placing their street shoes under their seats

the buzzer went off letting everyone know the game would begin in minutes

another team huddle

a crAzY, get you pumped chant

the first five took their places on the court

tip off!

nail biting

cheering

jumping with excitement

jumping with rage at bad calls

moving closer to the score keeper (who had no interest in the a-maz-ing game) to ensure she was doing it correctly (because she wasn't; she missed points, cleared the clock on accident, didn't stop the clock when she should have, continually texting)

wondering why 3 of the opposing teams players were larger

the game was neck in neck

they would score, we would score

they would foul, we would foul

it was i-n-t-e-n-s-e to say the least

20 seconds to go... the opposing team (provo) went to the basket, shot, missed, we made the rebound, lost the ball, kade got the ball, threw it with all his might to his buddy treylon who made the winning score!

37 vs. 35

later in the evening we found out that the opposing team brought the 3 (stated above) players down from a higher bracket, can you say c-h-e-a-t?

the league organizer found out about it but, when talking to our coach was thrilled to hear we won

we don't care

our boys played with heart

our boys played with gusto

our boys played with glory

victory is sweet

victory tastes great

victory is better when seeing it through the eyes of your little ones

monday night here we come!

we want you, we want you bad!

does your home have a name?

2011-02-25T08:07:00.000-08:00

growing up our sweet neighbors the dunn's home had a name, buttercup cottage. it is a charming home, with a beautiful covered porch that is adorned with clematis, iris', and an old church bench. going home on sundays when the weather beacons you outside the dunn's can be seen sitting on their old church bench; arms around one another, waving to passersby. i love their zest for life, their love for one another, and the name of their sweet little cottage.

i want my home to have an inviting name, a charming name, a name that says we love life, we love one another, we love our home. but, i am particular and i am struggling with a name. of course i am in a home with boys so they would be mortified if they knew that this has always been a dream of mine. my little man would crawl in a hole and beg for me to 'holy schmoly, snap out of it.' my hubby would laugh and then never bring it up again hoping that, 'if i don't say anything she will forget this conversation took place.' however, my mind is a steel trap and i don't forget easily.

so for now the house naming project lives on and on and on and on and on, you get the picture.

my funny little valentines

2011-02-16T12:34:00.000-08:00

he loves: kade, me, baseball, basketball, football, hunting, fishing, hiking, repelling, utah, comedy, staying up late, sleeping in, ESPN, apple beer, daiquiri ice from 31 flavors, lake powell, long showers, trips to fast gas, road trips

i love his guts and he makes me feel special!

he loves: baseball, basketball, football, hunting, fishing, hiking, repelling, music, comedy, swimming, tacos, goo goo cluster ice-cream, crepes, xbox 360, staying up late, sleeping in, hanging out with friends, trips to fast gas, lake powell, hollywood tower hotel ride

i love his guts and he makes me happy!

SiLLy things they say

2011-02-08T21:44:00.000-08:00

the end of december mr. man and i received a phone call that a member of the bishopric wanted to meet with us. i was thrilled, i just knew i was being released as the cub scout committee chair person (i no longer have a cub scout, and i have served in the position for a year, that had to be it), nope, still have that calling! we were called to the nursery. i was not thrilled to say the least but, i don't like saying no to callings because i trully believe i can learn from them. mr. man thought it was hilarious and asked if i did something to upset my dearest darling friend, who is the primary president. the bishopric member that called us to the position told us it would be a 6 months - 1 year calling. i told him and my dearest darling friend that we would see them july 1st.

they laughed, i didn't.

i expected: snotty noses, tears, icky diapers, possesive toy takers, screamers.

i am still expecting to see them on july 1st but,

in the mean time i have fallen for these beautiful little creatures.

they are precious

they are tender

they are full of energy

they are kind hearted

they are brilliant

they love bubbles

they love music

they love babies

they love cars

they love books

they don't steal toys

they don't scream

they don't (so far) have icky diapers

they don't (so far) have icky noses

they love Jesus, and they know He loves them

i love these little ones

i look forward to sunday mornings with them

i look forward to them cuddling up around me to read books

i look forward to them cuddling up around me to play babies

i look forward to them giggling

i look forward to them saying SiLLy things:

'i ask my mom to braid and make my hair like rapunzel, and she doesn't'

'my mommy said we are getting a baby horse. it will come to my house in the mail.'

'i want more caukit' WHAT? 'i want more caukit' WHAT?

(after about five tries i figured it out... i want chocolate)

'i don't have a smile'

they are yummy and i am so happy that mr. man and i accepted the calling!

wild bill

2011-02-04T22:51:00.000-08:00

wild bill hickok

all of the 5th graders chose someone to study, write about, and become for their school wax museum. kade went to school with 5 people in mind and when his name was finally called he picked good 'ole wild bill. i was so impressed with his study and work ethics when it came to researching and preparing for the character.

he read over 100 pages

researched online

found photos

wrote a report

*Wild Bill Hickok*

Wild Bill was born in Homer Illinois on May 27, 1837. His real name was James Butler Hickok. He was raised on a farm. As a kid his family helped slaves escape, they also helped with the under ground railroad. His family did not like slavery.

He really liked hunting and farming. He worked everyday with his dad and brothers on the farm. His mom and sisters would sew clothes and make dinner, and sometimes hunted with his dad and brothers. By the time he was 12 he had a rifle and a pistol. He loved to shoot them and target practice with his brothers.

When he grew up he went hunting and a bear attacked him and he shot it in the stomach. The bear didn't move, making Hickok think it was dead. Then it charged him again. Hickok stabbed it with his knife, the bear fell and died. After all that his scalp was partially ripped off and his arm was bleeding badly.

Later he became a U.S. Marshall. The Confederate Army arrested him for helping slaves. In jail he had a book made about him. He then found a knife and cut the ropes and killed the guards! He was brave, he killed several men. He drove a stagecoach, fought Indians under General Custer, became a town Constable, and Sheriff. He hated bullies and because of this he was a great lawman. One night late he and his deputy were trying to rid the town of bad guys. Someone fired a shot and Hickok fired back, later finding out that it was his deputy. After that he turned in his badge and retired.

After Hickok's retirement he and his friend, Buffalo Bill joined the Wild West Shows. He never like acting but the money was good.

Hickok always said he would die with his boots on, he was right. Being a spy taught him to be careful. He loved to gamble and always kept his back to the wall so no one could sneak up on him and shoot him. One day he was playing poker with his friends, but his back wasn't to the wall. A man shot him in the back of the head! He held the famous 'dead man's hand'; two aces, two eights, and one jack. He was 39.

picked what he wanted to wear

made a poster

memorized a speech (that had to be in first person)

Hi, I am Wild Bill Hickok I was born in Homer, Illinois in 1837.

I was raised on a farm.

I liked hunting and fishing.

I had a rifle and pistol by the time I was twelve.

I helped slaves.

I was attacked by a bear that ripped part of my scalp off.

I was a spy in the Civil War.

I later became a U.S. Marshal and accidentally shot my friend, the deputy.

I always said I would die with my boots on.

I loved gambling and was shot in the back of the head holding 'dead man's eights'.

set up a table display...

and did an amazing job!

Skyhawks ROCK!

2011-01-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

kade has been playing excelerated basketball this season and they are a-maz-ing!

currently the SKYHAWKS are ranked 2nd and this saturday... they play the #1 team.

not only do they play like mini nba-ers, they look fabulous. the numbers, team name, last names, and mascot are all sewn on, that's right, they are NOT iron ons.

go SKYHAWKS!

getting instruction from the 2 best coaches EVER!

you can never get enough instruction and team building.

(yes kade is eating sunflower seeds-aaagh)

kade loves sports. any sport that has a ball he is in. not only is he on this team but his daddy is coaching his city league team. and, he has started baseball (more to come).

how do i love thee? let me count the ways

2011-01-23T20:41:00.001-08:00

saturday afternoon my mom came over and we created, laughed, and simply bonded. growing up my mom was always creating beautiful things for our home. when i got older and had my own home my mom was my inspiration for decorating. i have been lucky to receive some of her talent! i love decorating, i love crafting, i love my home, i love my mom!

after going through

scrapbook paper

fabric scraps

chip board

beads

ribbon

trim

and the like

this is what we created...

for FREE

#1 hugs

#2 love

#3 kiss

#4 xoxo

#5 sweet

#6 be mine

#7 sweet

this is some of the ways we love thee... now you go get your creative juices flowing!
hAppY vAlEntInEs

2011... what to do

2011-01-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

i have never been one to make and KEEP new years resolutions but, i have always been a huge list maker and live by the lists created. i feel that my days aren't fulfilled unless my cell calendar, calendar on the fridge, calendar in the car are FULL! i guess i have defined myself with my to do tasks, why? why have i allowed this madness? i guess it helps keep my ever racing mind focused. i guess it helps keep me on track. i guess it helps me to not forget those appointments. i guess i just plain and simply love lists. with all of this... i get over-booked, i have an extremely difficult time telling others no, i hate seeing a calendar empty.

i loved the counsel this past general conference from the brothern and i am continually reminded of it by others in my life (love you all)... SIMPLIFY!

how does an over-booked, love to stay busy girly girl simplify?

i focus on going to bed before 2am, even before 1am.

i focus on getting the house picked up before going to bed at night so that in the morning we aren't running around like little chickens missing their heads.

i focus on returning to the family basics: prayer, scripture reading, eating dinner as a family at a normal hour.

i focus on leaving my home earlier than my appointments scheduled so that i am not driving mock 80 on the back roads, on i-15, on the main roads.

i focus on breathing!

i focus on making a dinner menu bi-weekly and making sure that ALL needed ingredients are in my home so that i can look forward to making and preparing meals each day. i enjoy even love cooking when i allow time, i am going to start taking cooking classes again. i have done this in the past and LOVED it. if you want to join, let me know. the more the merrier.

i am also going to focus on me! i have never liked my looks, never had a good healthy self image, never really felt worthy to focus on me. why? i don't know. i guess if i was on the biggest loser jillian michaels could break down the walls and help me find out. but, i am not on the bl and probably never will be so for now... i need to do it for me and by me. i can't guarentee that i will ever be a size 2-4 and that is ok. however, i would like to go out with my hubby and be proud to stand tall, walk tall, not hide behind him. he is darling with me. i know he adores me. i know he loves me. he has NEVER said an unkind word to me about my weight, my looks. infact he tells me often that he loves me, that he thinks i am beautiful. the issue is mine, all mine.

this year will be about my family. this year will be about myself. this year will be about breathing. this year will be about slowing down. this year will be about saying no. this year will be about simply simplifying. if the brothern of the church have said it, talked about it, counseled it... then there is a reason and i plan to find out what that reason is.

good luck to you and your resolutions this year.
CHEERS!

ringing in the nEw YEAr

2011-01-12T14:46:00.000-08:00

we broke from tradition and went to soldier hollow... tubing!

i grew up on the mountain skiing every weekend with my brother and dad

(he was on the ski patrol at sundance)

so i was more than thrilled to be surrounded by the gorgeous rocky mountains;

with my boys, family and friends.

the day started off snowing, snowing, snowing

and the temps were dropping, dropping, dropping

my darling sister-in-law called saying she was thinking of cancelling

what?

no!

we loaded the truck with:

coats

boots

gloves

thermals

snow pants

hand warmers

foot warmers

and

treats

my only one worry for the evening (and I worried the whole week prior) was

traveling the canyon with other drivers on what is known as 'the drinkers holiday'.

my darling and ever cautious hubby took his time on the ice packed roads and we arrived safely.

it was a blast

it was breathtakingly cold

it was breathtakingly gorgeous

there were about 120 guests in our group

we filled the lodge

we filled the mountain side

i didn't think to get my camera out until it was almost too late

we were able to get a few pictures of the kids that were still there late that night

(photos are Natalie Shelley's-still can't get mine to down load)

some of the silly monkeys that were still there late that night

(if you look closely some are in their pjs... love it)

2010 family photos

2010-12-14T13:02:00.000-08:00

my darling cousin ciji took our family pictures!

she did an amazing job.

she took about 350 of just my little family (here are only a few)...

my little man, isn't so little anymore.
i look at these and want to cry, he is so handsome and so grown up.

unfortunately our younger brother overslept and missed out.

ciji, has the magic touch.

she caught my dad as i see him...

strong

quiet

tolerant

gentle

compassionate

patient

i love and adore my dad!

thank you ciji

and let's not forget...

distinguished

P-R-O-V-O '90

2010-07-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

i must say, we had the BEST graduating class ever!

walking into the halls our 9th grade year was overwhelming...

where is my locker?

where are my classes?

will i remember my locker combo?

what is the rating system in main hall every time i walk through?

walking into the halls our 10th grade year was comfortable...

where is my locker?

yes, i will remember my locker combo

let's switch classes around to be with friends
i hope my rating number in main hall is good

walking into the halls our 11th grade year was easy breezy...

my locker better be closer to main hall, if not in main hall?

i better get the aid asst. 'classes' (office aid with Mrs. Diedrich)

main hall... rating system... hi boys... very funny

walking into the halls our 12th grade year was exhilerating...

we have made it!

my locker IS in main hall

main hall... rating system... hi boys... you think you are so funny making little girls cry

i loved having our class '90 get kicked out of byu due to an egging incident with THS

i NEVER ate a school lunch, only used the cafeteria to cut through for art class

i loved giving the spelling tests for Mr. Rutter so that i didn't have to take them

i loved the rivalry between schools

i loved high school games

i loved peer counseling

i loved beating THS

i loved bamboo hut

i loved my vw bug

i loved drivers ed

i loved socializing

i loved boys

the late 80's early 90's were:

cassette tapes

pegged pants

polo shirts

pretty in pink

sixteen candles

nightmare on elm street

depeche mode

bon jovi

bobby brown

the palace

sneaking out

sneaking out and getting caught

driving all over town finding 'guys'

begging mom for money

we just celebrated out 20 year reunion!

kick off was a luncheon... thanks Emilee... thanks los hermanos

i must admit i was NERVOUS walking in

what will they think of me?

what do they remember about me?

will i be the only fat one?

it was amazing!

everyone was gracious and lovely

we all have lives that have made us who we are and we all seem content (just as life should be)

we wish everyone could have been there!

hopefully next year

next stop... the grand celebration with everyone~
driving solo i was nervous
parking solo i was nervous
walking up solo i was nervous
did i mention i was nervous?

i felt like molly ringwald in pretty in pink walking into her prom alone...
although there were a few differences:
i wasn't wearing a pink dress that i made out of rags
i wasn't carrying a tiny clutch around my wrist
i hadn't been sobbing over the boy of my dreams
ducky wasn't there
'if you leave' wasn't playing in the background
it wasn't raining
but, put all of that aside and it was just like pretty in pink

we have aged...
some better than others
some are married
some are single
some are parents
some are not parents
some have what society would say are amazing careers
some not so much
but, put us together and who cares!
we love each other
we formed our early lives together
we formed bonds that no one can take away
we are a family of sorts
and i for one love these people!

me, emilee, joseph, rachel

sharell, me, rachel, jason (rach's hubby), joseph, becky

becky (holding her boob???), me

the party began at 5 and i didn't get home until after midnight.

i miss these great people already

can't wait for our 25!

GOD BLESS

hike to the BIG tree

2010-06-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

have i ever mentioned that i LOVE my 'job'?

not sure you can call it that with all of the fun things we do and see!

yesterday for those 10 and older they were able to see one of the wonders of our little town

an 18' wide tree

you have to go through private property and it just so happens that one of my bosses has access

lucky kiddo's

after packing the lunches that were provided by gandolfo's,

loading vehicles,

clicking seatbelts,

they were off!

a little pre-hike rules and conduct pep talk...
steep grade
take your time
drink plenty of water
stay on the trail
respect nature
respect one another

the kids made it in time at all
the adults thought they were going to pass out
some wanted to rest half way up-
suggesting that the group pick them up on their way back down (hehehe)

looking up you can't tell just how big it is, or how wide!

kade (brown t shirt & hat) and some of his friends thought they would wrap their little arms around it
funny... they couldn't do it solo
it took 5 kiddo's

the kids had a blast and kade can hardly wait to take us!

new life...

2010-06-01T13:08:00.001-07:00

after baseball and camping this weekend we came home and thought it was time to:

pull weeds, trim bushes, and spray webs off the house.

while i was spraying the front porch down i found two of these little guys building a mud nest...

(photo courtesy of: Doubting to Shou)

no no little birdies...
this morning when I was leaving for my walk they were perched on our rain gutters and boy oh boy are they MAD!
matt thinks it is so funny.

wouldn't you know it...
i decided to sit on the porch while sorting our mail
i hear tweets
i see mud spots on my porch
i look up and...
they're back!
they have built their home again
i think it would be GREAT if they lay eggs and have little babies

i love birds

next stop...summer

2010-05-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

who are the crAzY people here in utah that say, 'there is nothing to do'? i tell them... coo coo! there is soooo much to do and see here!

These are just a few of the things our family has planned:

kids tri-athlon

children's art show

freedom days

ball tournaments

milestones of freedom

swim lessons

family reunions

bear lake

hike to the big tree

sports camps

rodeos

movies in the park

class reunion

farmers market

childrens parade

demolition derby

pottery class

camping

fishing

sundance

castle rock

ghost towns

air show

maybe you can get inspired to plan some fun things for your family!

happy summer

literally drained...

2010-05-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

for 4 days this is where i have lived...

not because I wanted too, our home has been hit with the flu bug!

boy did it come with a vengance!

nice cold tile against my fevering cheek

nice cold clothes against my fevering forehead

nice cold ice chips washing the 'junk' out of my mouth

oh, how i loved the cold

then came the cold sweats...

nice warm socks

nice warm down comforter

nice hot bath

oh, how i loved the warmth

now we are on the mend:

chicken soup

water

crackers

tylenol

peace and quiet

bed

sleep-sleep-sleep

shoo bug don't bother me -shoo bug don't bother my family -shoo bug shoo

2010-04-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

B-A-T-T-L-E... battle baby battle

powerade

chalked fields

fresh cut grass

red dirt stains on uniforms

plastic wheels on bat bags rolling across the dugout

umpires screaming S-S-S-T-R-R-R-I-I-I-I-I-K-E

metal cleets scraping pavement

blankets on bleachers

sunflower seeds

birds chirping

umberellas

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR

photo courtesy of: Jonathan Owens

we have such a great baseball team...

sc slam

the boys are having a 'ball' in all of the tournaments...

mesquite

st. george

up next...

salem

idaho

memorial day

GO SC SLAM!

Biggest Loser

2010-03-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

I feel that I am the biggest loser.

I have gained year after year and can't picture the girl in the mirror anymore.

I have known that year after the year I am getting larger.

I see it in the photos.

I see it in the size of clothes I launder.

However, I don't believe it is me, I don't want to believe it is me.

For you that don't struggle with weight you are thinking, 'WHATEVER!', this is my story.

I used to let it hold me back (still in a small way I do).

Then I heard one of my Aunt's say something like, 'I am not going to let my weight stop me from enjoying life'.

Well, I love even adore this aunt.

So, wanting to be like her... I allowed this to be my excuse.

I have a dear lady that I have always wanted to aspire to and she is 'fluffy'.

She is kind, educated, funny, adores her family, has an amazing testimony.

She always appears to be happy and living life to the fullest.

I allowed this to be another excuse.

My Grandma Suzy, whom I only had the opportunity to meet a couple of times was a 'fluffy' woman.

I joked (and still do) that it isn't fair that I was 'blessed' with her genes.

I hide behind the jokes that I impose assuming that if everyone is thinking it-

I will beat them to the punch and make fun of myself before they do.

Things like, 'I live in UT so I need the extra layers for the winter months to stay warm'.

My husband is so dear, what a blessing he has been to me for so many more reasons than loving me no matter my size but, I apologize to him.

I was little when we married.

I was cute.

He tells me to 'stop it'.

He has never said anything to make me feel less than.

Thank you Mr. Man.

I don't know that I could be so kind.

So here I go.

I weigh 50 pounds more than I did nine months pregnant ten years ago.

SHAME ON ME!

I am reduced to shopping in only a number of stores.

During Christmas when I was out making purchases I would find yummy clothes.

None were close to my size.

I would walk in acting as though I was looking for a gift for someone,

then when I thought no one was watching I would quickly look for something in my size... NOTHING!

I was reduced to buying jewelry, shoes, bags, etc.

They don't make cute clothes for fat girls.

I would joke with the sales clerks, telling them that they had darling stuff but that they needed to hire me as a buyer so that they would carry a 'larger' selection of sizes.

They always laughed and told me 'You are funny and darling'!

Silly girls that are probably old enough (almost) to be my daughters, with their toothpick legs and arms, butts that you need a magnifying glass to see and hair to their waste.

I hate those girls.

OK so maybe I don't.

I love babies.
When holding them, they always fall asleep.
I say that babies are more comfortable snuggling when a stick isn't holding them.

Why I am writing this? I don't know.

I have a treadmill.

I have work out dvd's...

Power 90

Biggest Loser

I have great neighbors that walk.

I have the opportunity to take Zumba for FREE.

I have done WW twice (loved it both times).

I always find a reason for not doing what I need too.

I have errands that need to be done before school is out.

I can't get up that early.

I will start next week.

The Holidays are just around the corner.

This list can go

on and

on.

I hate eating breakfast (I know I need to).

I often miss lunch unless Kade is home.

I don't drink water like I should.

I find myself snacking a lot.

Then making a large dinner.

Every year I think if only I would have taken control earlier I would look darling.

Well, another summer is approaching.

My 20 year class reunion is quickly approaching and I don't want to be the qliche.

There are the ones that bald, wrinkle, get fat, etc.

If they line us up by looks I will be in the fat category.

Oh my, what if they do that?

I will have to stand front and center.

Am I going to allow myself to continue on this path?

Do I really want early onset of diabetis, heart disease, joint problems, etc?

What is it going to take?

How many more excuses can I find/make?

There is a saying that being thin feels better than food tastes.

Is it true?

I love GOOD food.

I love eating out.

I love the social aspect of food.

It brings everyone together.

Date night

Birthdays

Anniversaries

Girls Night

Luncheons

I need to seriously reconsider the example that I am for my family.

I need to seriously reconsider the health factors.

I need to seriously do something NOW!

Lastest Movies

2010-01-27T13:09:00.000-08:00

Great Chic Flick! We planned a girls day out: lunch and a movie. What a blast (we missed those that couldn't make it). Loved Amy Adams in the movie (her family lives out by us), her character was great and we all found something about her to connect with. Matthew Goode was a Hot, Hot, Hottie. Witty, blunt, gentle, longsuffering are just a few words that come to mind when thinking of him as Declan. Now as for Adam Scott, his head is too big for his body. He was a creep and what a perfect loser he played.

If you haven't seen this box office hit then you are missing out! It was fabulous. GREAT ONE LINERS... 'How did that taste coming out of your mouth?' 'Like vinegar'.

Sandra Bullock hit it right on the head. She was so believable that we all forgot it was her.
She played an amazing Leigh Anne Touhy.

Disney is back!

This was a hit! My parents took all of the grandkids to see this.

It kept everyones attention (ages 3-58).

The animation was terrific, the characters were hilarious, and the music was fabulous.

Popcorn $5

Soda $4

Movie PRICELESS

hAppY bIrthdAY!

2010-01-13T15:42:00.000-08:00

My dear sweet Great Uncle Harold just celebrated his... (drum roll)

100th birthday

Along with celebrating with him on this special day we were there to witness UVU President Holland presenting our sweet uncle with a plaque for being the oldest living graduate of the college. What an honor! We love you Uncle Harold.

What do you remember about Christmas growing up?

2009-12-29T12:51:00.001-08:00

When I think back on my past Christmas experiences growing up I often wonder what Kade will remember about his.

Mine were:
1) Dad telling us EVERY YEAR, 'I hope you kids aren't too disappointed'- really dad? He still says this. This year was classic. He retires TOMORROW (yeah) so he went all out! He is taking my mom to Hawaii for a whole week in Feb. I wrapped a grass skirt and the tickets in a box. When he handed the gift to her he said (you guessed it), 'I hope you aren't too disappointed'. We laughed and made fun of him the rest of the day! Classic, silly dad- oh how we love you.

2) I couldn't ever figure out why mom and dad were constantly going out the trailer (our camping trailer) in November and December until I got older (Duh, that is where the gifts were hidden).

3) Christmas morning was MAGICAL, the family room was packed with gifts. We each had a designated spot on the couch with our stocking and clothes.

4) I remember getting a real Cabbage Patch doll (not the homemade one) and as I was walking down the hallway my dad said, 'one of these years your mom is going to have to talk to you about babies'. REALLY DAD, SICK!

5) One year I got to go with my parents and pick out a BOOM BOX. I was so excited. It was huge, it covered most of my dresser top, the speakers on the sides were detachable. It was awesome and grossly huge and I loved it. It had two tape players so I could record from one tape to the next and I could even record straight from the radio station. I was so cool.

6) Another year I desperately wanted a ten speed bike. I could hardly stand the wait. When what to my eyes did appear on Christmas morning... NO BIKE. That was until we were all finished unwrapping and my parents told me to go look out the back door. There it was my shiny new ten speed! I was so excited until it sunk in that it was BROWN. Who buys their precious princess a brown bike?

7) Santa wrapped EVERYTHING, as he should. Seriously, he has a million and twelve elves. Wrap it all I say.

8) Every year we would begrudgingly load into the family car and drive all over town looking at lights. This was before the light festivals where you pull up, pay your five bucks, and drive around the park. We drove ALL OVER town. Mom loved it, we hated it. But, silly us... we go see the lights every year (at the park).

9) Every year we opened one gift (mom picked it) and every year it was new jammies.

10) Every year we each got our own bag of Oreo cookies.

11) I never remember a Christmas that wasn't amazing, magical, special, cherished.

THANKS MOM, DAD, and SANTA!

Here is what I invision Kade remembering:
1) He always got what he asked for except that year he was ten (this year) and he asked for a 22 and didn't get one.

2) He had a designated spot on the couch for his stocking.

3) Every year he got a Naked and Jones drink and a box of chocolate orange sticks.

4) He never woke up early, Mom would wake him up and he would beg for just 5 more minutes (he is so his dad).

5) He not only put out milk and cookies for Santa but, carrot sticks for the reindeer.

6) Every year he got one gift on Christmas Eve and it was jammies.

7) He didn't have a fireplace so he would have to place 'special-huge-magical' keys on the front door step for Santa.

8) Every year on Christmas morning after opening gifts from Santa we would load into the car and go to G'pa and G'ma Smith's for breakfast and more gifts with the whole family.

9) Santa wrapped EVERYTHING, as he should. Seriously, he has a million and twelve elves. Wrap it all!

10) Christmas is magical!

Our family hopes your family has fun cherished memories like ours does.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

you would think i would have my blogging act together:

i only work 20-24 hours a week and clean. plus, i still have not figured out how to use my 'new' (yes, the one i got last year) camera, lost more weight than i have, finished 'gutting' my basement, and completed my dining room set project. but NO!

instead i have been: carting kade around town, helping at the school, volunteering in the community, trying new recipes, making great fun finds (if i can get my camera figured out i will post pics), catching up on all of the movies i haven't seen, eating bon bons, watching days of our lives, napping, brushing up on my triple axel, refining the 6 languages i speak fluently, and preparing for the 2010 canadian olympics (watch for me).

we have had a very enjoyable 2009, some of our highlights were:

1) kade turned double digits- the big 10
2) matt re-certified as a Pharm Tech.
3) jesicca found a job that she loves
4) we did a lot of camping and 4 wheeling throughout utah this year (we love this great state)
5) yellowstone was a hit
6) bear lake was an even bigger hit
7) matt didn't bag the big one on the hunts (sad for matt, biggest hit for jesicca)

kade's not sure he is excited about christmas. what to do... however, i have noticed that as the days draw nearer kade is asking more questions like:

1) how many more days?
2) what do you think you are getting?
3) i bought you something and if you tell me what you have for me i will tell you what i have for you.
4) are you sure i can't ask santa for a 22? i know you and dad aren't getting me one because you think kids my age aren't old enough or responsible enough (breath... he isn't getting a 22)
5) how many days do i have off for christmas break?
6) holy schmoly - there are more believe me!

during kade's christmas break we are hoping to: do some sledding, see all of the great box office hits, stay in our jammies all day, play with our new toys, put all of our christmas decor away for another year (sad- i am certain clark griswald won't be around for the clean up), relax, and play-play-play!

merry christmas! we love you all so very much and hope you have a fantabulous christmas with your loved ones.

2009-07-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

O.K. so I still can't firgure out how to down load the pictures from our new camera so I have refused to blog about our daily lives. What fun is that without pics? We are still in the world, we are still living in the same (fabulous) house, driving the same (awesome) vehicles, still busy-busy-busy!

Kade made an Excellerated Baseball (GO RENEGADES) team and we lived at the ball park the end of Spring first of Summer. He practiced 4-5 hours a week and had double headers every Saturday. I loved it! There is nothing better in the Spring than: the feel of a cool breeze, the smell of freshly cut grass, the sight of red dirt stained baseball pants, the taste of sunflower seeds (only David Early for me). I love watching Kade get amped for every game, hit the ball, steal bases, laugh with newly made friends, cherish his uniform, admire his coaches, get excited when his dad comes home so that they can head over to the ball fields to hit balls (even though he has 2-3 practices a week). He is the ALL AMERICAN KID! His new nickname is WHEELS, the kids is so fast. His position is CENTER FIELD because he can make it to left or right before the ball, he can steal any base any time.

Kade ran in the school Hershey Track race and placed 1st in the 50m and 100m. The new HS track coach wanted him on the city track team but the practices and meets were the same time and days as baseball so we graciously declined. Kade was very disappointed. Hershey Track District Invitational, that's correct, he was invited to the regional track meet at Provo HS. He took 3rd in the 50m and 6th in the 100m. We were so proud of him! He was an alternate for State but we were in Yellowstone so we were not able to attend. Can you say WHEELS?

We vacationed in Yellowstone seeing: bald eagles and young, a cinnamon grizzly, a black bear, elk-elk-elk, bison-bison-bison (young calfs trying to cautiously walk across the street was hilarious and darling), geysers, gorgeous thick pines, wolves, cranes, geese, water falls, crAzY foriegners (they I am certain thought the same about us), old faithful, amish (yes amish. Kade is obsessed with Weird Al's song Amish Paradise... so when we arrived at Old Faithful and Matt saw an elderly Amish couple he just couldn't wait to point them out to Kade. Even funnier-Kade didn't know what Amish people looked like so the joke was on Matt), lions-tigers and bears oh my. We rode an 8 seater bike. It was hilarious and the adults were sore the next morning packing all of the kids on the bike. We were a sight. I became a professional photographer at the 'YELLOWSTONE' sign just before entering the park. We stopped to get our own picture and while waiting for the rest of our group to join I ended up taking group photos of every vehicle that stopped to do the same. Matt laughed his head off.

We have lived in the mountains this summer; camping in our new trailer, fishing, hiking, riding hundreds of miles on the 4 wheelers, eating yummy treats, staying up all night playing card games and watching movies, and laughing our heads off- yes off.

Matt works with a wonderful Pharmacist who has a gorgeous garden and asked if we could come pick raspberries- could we??? Oh YES! I have been twice now and made 4 batches of jam. They are beautiful- red, ripe, sweet, lushous, beautiful, mouthwatering yummy.

I have been busy getting all arrangements needed finalized for our cities Children's Parade - which I happily/excitedly accepted to chair again this year. I can hardly wait! We are NOT doing it around our little knoll at the pond. We are actually having a PARADE- cheerleaders from our new HS, football players from our new HS, the cities youth council, a fire-truck, an ambulance, police, BACA motorcycles, kids-kids-kids. I am so excited. If you want to support us, know what city I am talking about... then come. We have the best city days EVER! Our fireworks ROCK, they are better than Stadium of Fire hands down.

We are currently packing, baking, cleaning (I NEVER leave without my home in order for vaca), shopping for our next trip... BEAR LAKE here we come. We go every year, with the exception of 1 year for the past 12 years. How can you not go, how can you not love the beaches, the HOT blistering sun, the freezing cold water, the yummy hamburger joints that sell their famous raspberry shakes. We are hoping to find the caves and do some exploring.

This is where we stay every year... Ideal Beach!
This is the view coming out of the canyon heading to Bear Lake... why we love it so!

We are also ramping up to play co-ed softball. I am so excited to break in my new cleats that my boys gave me for mothers day (only wish they were pink) and my new softball mit. Go Blue-Sox!

what can i give...

2009-06-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

i was watching a recording of oprah (used to love her, now i can take her or leave her) a couple of weeks ago that has stayed on my mind and in my heart ever since. it was about people giving back during this crAzY economic crisis we find ourselves in. she had a little one that collects new toys for children who are victims of house fires, a little one that collects new socks for the homeless, a couple that retired-bought a hotel-and have now turned it into a shelter for people down on their luck, a man that is a mechanic who now fixes up what we might call 'clunckers' and sells them for the repair parts to individuals with no car who are looking for work- single mothers- etc, a dr. and his wife in arkansas that open a free clinic twice a week for their community whose population is 2,000 and half are uninsured, a woman that helps people get their homes back when they are in jeoporady of loosing them, and a little one that has an official lemonade stand and donates the proceeds to cancer in her cousins name.

i cried my eyes out watching this episode and feeling the spirit so strongly that i need to help MY neighbors, those in MY community, those in MY country. there is so much to be done, so much that can be given.

often i wonder what i, a small town girl in a small town community can do to give back... i still wonder. i used to think- i don't have time- i don't have extra money- i don't know what i can do other than donate to the scouting food drive every fall- surely there must be something! i am here to admit... i am still looking.

i am on my wards enrichment committee and a couple of months ago we had a training/planning meeting. during which i recommended that we do a swap (now called the shop -n- swap) where families go through their homes pulling clothing, housewares, home decor, tools, etc. and swap with others. my moms stake did this years ago and it was amazing. we are hosting our 1st annual shop -n- swap in august. but what else can i do?

last week one of my dearest childhood friends, lana told me that her family is doing a weekly summer service project in the community- why didn't i think of this? she is my hero.

it is ridiculous to think that i can't do something when oprah had even little ones on. they are my example, they are my light, they feed my soul with growth that i as a grown woman need so desperately.

calling all cars...

2009-06-09T07:26:00.000-07:00

In the few short years we have lived in our small town we have had the police at our door step '5' times. crAzY, we are law abiding citizens and we think every encounter is commical:

1~Kade riding his motorbike around the block

2~parking our trailer on the road, it was sold and we were waiting for the new owner to pick it up

3~riding our 4 wheelers through the neighborhood, funning thing it was us but the neighbor that made the complaint told police that it was our little next door neighbors that were 6 and 4.

4~I locked my keys (and the spare) in my car and needed help, only in a small town will the Cheif of Police come to your home to assist in opening your car

5~last but not least and certainly the best story:

In May I was helping my dad paint his new office while Kade was in school. One morning I sent Kade off to school, put on my painting clothes and my favorite Red Sox hat and heading off to Provo. Fast forward to 3:20 PM, I pulled in the garage, came in the house, saw that Kade beat me home, yelled "hello", sat down at the island and proceeded to go through our mail. About 10 minutes goes by and the next thing I hear was my front door slamming shut. I yelled 'hello' again and got no response. Then I starting thinking perhaps it wasn't shut tight and the wind blew it but, no wind. Then I thought maybe Kade and a friend came running in, as I was getting up to go check it out the phone rang. It was Matt asking if I knew where Kade was (I am thinking weird), I told him that I didn't and that I was just going to look for him. He starts to tell me that Kade is at the next door neighbors because he got scared. During our conversation I am walking out the garage and see a histerical Kade, my neighbor and her kids and wouldn't you know it, a police officer.

Here is Kade's side of the story: he came home from school, got a snack and went into my bedroom to watch a cartoon. He hears the barstool slide out, but doesn't know I am home. He sneaks out and peeks into the kitchen to see who it is. All he can see is a blue hat and khaki pants. He tip-toes back into my bedroom to call his dad. Matt tells him to get out of the house and go straight to the neighbors. Kade sneaks to the front door, slowly opens it, and while he is tearing out of the house he slams the door shut. He runs to the neighbors bawling his eyes out. She calls the police and within two minutes they are at her doorstep questioning Kade and getting ready to come to my house when I walk out.

The office and neighbor both tell me that Kade discribed me to a "T", saying that I was in my 20's (thank you little man), khaki pants, blue hat, sitting at the island eating. hee hee The officer got down on one knee trying to console Kade and telling him that he did exactly as he should have and that he was proud of Kade for getting out of the house.

Kade asked why I was wearing a hat, 'because mom you never wear hats'.

Up

2009-06-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

On the last day of school I took Kade to see Up. The commercials made it look hilarious, with that darling little old man and chubby sweet little boy. However, after getting loaded up with treats, finding seats, snuggling in, lights out for the theater and me. That's right I fell asleep. It had nothing to do with the movie. I was exhausted. Staying up late and waking up early are not for me. I will resume my old routine and hopefully not miss anymore movies.

Earth Day

2009-04-24T08:12:00.006-07:00

This year Kade and I went to the local green house and I gave him free rein to choose seeds for our garden. He loved it, and surprised me with some of his choices: spinach, corn, celery, radishes, peas, cucumbers and pumpkins.

Wednesday came and after school we played in the dirt planting all of them while Matt tilled the garden. Once our seeds sprout we will transplant them to the garden. Happy harvesting.

The rest of SPRING BREAK...

2009-04-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

Well, we woke up to rain and it quickly turned to...

it looked like Christmas, Matt didn't find it cute or funny when I started singing "Let it Snow". We always have dreams of warm, sunny weather for spring break but not this year, we had snow! I find it beautiful but spring break- are you kidding me? What happened to warm breezes, light shadows, budding blossoms, and sunburns?

The Nickelcade was a blast and we ended up not going shopping. The kids won a bazillion tickets and cashed them in for candy, braclets, bouncy balls, the works. After playing games all afternoon we hit the local Wendy's for a late lunch. Matt and the kids thought is was hilarious getting into a food fight. Thank heavens we were sitting in the back and none of the workers caught them. YES, I made them pick it all up before leaving.

Thursday I took the girls to get their hair done. Sadie opted for long, golden curls and Elise chose to get her hair cut. They are darling! Elise loves her new hair cut and and talked her mom into getting her an outrageous flat iron! While the girls were getting pampered I got a pedicure and it was relaxing. Katie was darling and a blast to visit with. She did an amazing job, aaaah.

Friday I worked at the shop, cleaning walls and touching up more paint. Kade and Nicholas played around the shop and then left with Jerid. They played in the 'pond' in Jerid's back yard, played with the ducks, chickens and dogs. Kade had a blast! Thanks Jerid!

Saturday was ball, ball, ball! Kade had two ball games, which equalled about five hours at the ball park. He walked every time he was up to bat. Poor kid, he was wanting to 'kill' the ball every time he got up. Our next two months of Saturdays will be spent at the park. I can't wait, baseball is one of the best sports. Go RENEGADES!
IF I COULD GET MY PICTURES TO DOWNLOAD I WOULD BE SO HAPPY!

SPRING BREAK day #1

2009-04-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

The boys were getting ready for their annual Robbers Roost trip but due to typical Utah weather this is what we have been enjoying off and on for days.

What is Robbers Roost?

It was a popular hideout for outlaws such as: Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid and many others. It is in Southeastern Utah. Butch Cassidy considered it the perfect hideout because the law had a very difficult time getting through. My boys go every year for the 16+ mile hike, repeling, purifying fresh water, sleeping on the hard dry earth under the stars, 4 wheeling and just being boys.

Since the weather is not 'spring break' weather (yet it is typical Utah weather) they have decided to postpone the trip for a couple of weeks. I must say since kade has been fighting some bug for several days I am relieved to know that he can have this time to get 100% before journeying the outlaw trail.

With all of that said, Matt is taking the boys to...

And I am taking the girls SHOPPING!!!

Lights, Camera, Action

2009-04-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

We have seen the following movies...

not as funny as we thought it could be, slow moving, great 'fargo' accents, loved the fudee-dudee old man with the attitude. Our star rating: **

I love me some Clive Owen and think Julia Roberts is great... this movie was not note worthy. Slow, kept back tracking, story line was horrible. Our star rating: **

Great the for whole family! We sat in front of a G'ma and she laughed harder and louder than anyone else in the theater. Our star rating: *****

Count down to Party!!!

2009-03-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

Just days away... 4 to be exact. Don't know what I am talking about? It is our Recessionista Party (see below). I hope you can all make it.

Recessionista Party!

2009-03-07T17:21:00.000-08:00

My dear friend, Colett had a Recessionista Party, I scoured my home as instructed and then was not able to go. I was sad and sick about it because I have heard from several ladies that it was a night to not miss. With that said (hope you don't mind Colett, plus I copied your fabulous invite. I am not as creative as you and find copying much easier. Please don't turn me into the Dean for plagerism) I am having one..

You are invited to a Recessionista Party!

Don’t know what that is… are you feeling down because of Mr. Recession? Has he taken a toll on your pocketbook? Are you dreaming of going on a shopping spree but don't have the cash?
Saturday, March 28 from 9 am – 12 noon

Who's invited: You are...and anyone else who would love a cheap treasures shopping spree of sorts. This is not exclusive, the more the better!

What stuff: you know you have a closet full of clothes, handbags, shoes, jewelry that you are tired of wearing and looking at. Time to clean out your closets and make a little $$$$.
*children's/baby clothes, shoes, toys, books, furniture
*home items, decor or otherwise (If you have furniture that you want to sell but it's too big to bring over, just bring a photo)

Please bring gently used items priced (garage sale prices) and with your initials.

Are you feeling like not coming because you don't have anything to bring? Knock it off, just come to shop. I am telling you now, three weeks in advance, so that you can have time to scour your home and closets and gather up your items. I will remind you about it in another two weeks!

REMEMBER, One woman's trash is another woman's treasure!

If you have ?’s comment on my blog.

I hate... I love...

2009-03-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

Lately I have had a lot of time to ponder, reflect, and just be me. I have come to find that I have a lot of hates and loves in my life.

I hate...
Mr. Recession
I don't have a job
we don't have insurance, and I still have to send my sweet family out into the world
money is tight
summer isn't coming quick enough
we don't have a boat
people say they are good, but then do nasty mean things
basketball is over
missed Colett's fab party
my skin
my bottom teeth aren't as straight as I would like them to be
Matt dumped Melissa in front of America, he had no business proposing if he wasn't completely sure of his thoughts and heart
I can't figure out why my computer won't allow me to download pictures (I know it is me)
little ones are suseptible to illnesses that shouldn't be able to touch them (cancer)
Kade is growing up so fast
adoption didn't work out for us
school lunch is so sick and I have to worry about home lunches every morning
jobs are posted even when the hiring has been decided
church is from 1-4
my dad is having a difficult time with his health
my younger brother isn't sure of who he is or where he belongs
my basement is a dungeon
I didn't finish college
I second guess myself at every turn
my skin is losing its elasticity
my back yard is narrow
my younger brother is still (2 years now) trying to sell one of his homes
I don't swim well, pretty much CAN'T
my hip hop class ended

I love...
the gospel and the peace that it brings me
my fabulous husband who tolerates and loves me
my terrific son who makes the world shine
my parents who had the courage and strength to raise me
my brothers for adoring and protecting me
my sister who I wish I was closer to
my home, the city we live in, the neighbors we have
Kade's school
Matt's job
our freedom
that we have good health
we are able to work and provide for our family
we are able to give to others
the great outdoors; camping, boating, hiking, riding, fishing, etc.
yard work, still need Matt to teach me how to start the 'weed wacker'
clean windows (were are the Trotter boys)
friends who (even though I am not the best at this) still make an effort to stay in touch with me
music, even though I can't read music, play an instrument, or carry a tune
wake up to birds chirping
Matt and Kade's laughter and sense of humor
Amazing Race, August Rush, Little Women
Immaculee Ilibagiza for her strength to overcome and inspire
DVR
my car
shopping (even though Mr. Recession and a lack of employment have put a strain on this)
cooking, baking and eating
making and turning things into treasures for my home
making jewelry with fabulous friends
reading
taking Kade to guitar
glitter toes
California, cruises, Seattle
hip hop as a work out (for moms only, it ROCKS)
blogging and blog stalking
grocery shopping (still need Ashlee to teach me her tricks to the trade)
spending time with my nieces and nephews
Matt and I have two days during the week together
This list could go on and on and on and on. I am truly blessed.

PAY IT FORWARD

2009-02-25T12:11:00.000-08:00

A fun pay it forward activity, who doesn't like free gifts, especially during Mr. Recession?

Here's how it works-
the first 5 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade or homemade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!

The catch is that you must participate as well-before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift!

Remember that only the first 5 comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick! This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. It'll be done this year
3. You will have no clue what it is going to be.

farewell old friend

2009-02-01T13:35:00.000-08:00

after over 19 years at nu skin, they have decided that they no longer need my services, i was told that they are 're-organizing'. it hurt, it was scary, it was nerve wracking, it was heart breaking, it was shocking.
i have never been called to hr, and jan. 14th was dooms day. on my way i called matt scared to pieces. he told me to just breath and call him when i was finished.
my boss wouldn't look at me or talk to me, that hurt. hr was very kind and explained what i needed to know. she kept asking if i had any questions... i couldn't breath and the whole time felt like i was going to puke. i just needed to get out of there.
that night brought on an onset of emotions:
1- fear
2- peace
3- fear
4- comfort
5- fear
i had my first interview for another job the next morning at 10am. i had made plans to take my final paperwork into hr before going to my interview. matt and i said a prayer before heading out the door and i had this strong sense that i should go to the interview first. i had no expectations, i thought i would be told that 'it was nice to meet with you, but we really don't have anything at this time'. well, surprise!!! after meeting with the owner i was asked... 'can you start Monday?'.
it was nice to know that Heavenly Father did not leave my side. going back to nu skin to hand in my final paperwork was not hard at all, it wasn't sad, i had a calming feeling. don't get me wrong... i miss my job! i loved what i did, i loved my vendors, i loved the routine, i loved the system i worked with, and most importantly i loved most of the people i worked with.
so farewell old friend, you were wonderful to my family and me, you are wonderful to the community and i was honored to have worked with you.

3...2...1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-01-02T09:45:00.000-08:00

Resolution #1: spend more time with family & friends

Resolution #2: slow down

Resolution #3: work on building food storage, first aid kit, financial reserve

Like every New Years we commit to being better people. Hopefully, this year with only 3 resolutions I can get there!

We had a great time bringing in the new year with family & friends (resolution #1 check). Every year we are thankful to my brothers family for graciously hosting a party! The house was full of great people that I would like to be more like, food that was aboundant, kids that were full of energy and excitement that they were getting to have a late night, and laughter-laughter-laughter! We played new games, ran out of time for the foos-ball/air hockey tournament and rang in the New Year with a pinata and fireworks!

Christmas Day

2009-01-02T09:32:00.001-08:00

Like every Christmas we had to wake Kade up. He is a definitely his dad, stay up all night and sleep in all day. We needed to be at Grandpa & Grandma Smiths at 8AM, so finally at 7AM I made Kade get up. Did Santa come? YES, he did. We were so very blessed this year. Kade got: a DS/Case/4 games, Ford truck/trailer/boat/barn/animals, wooden log box with a secret compartment, digital camera, Yankees jersey, Broncos sweatshirt, COWBOY: boots, hat, belt & buckle, the list can go on and on. Matt got: a fire safe, battery charger, tools/tool bags/tool chest, HD flat screen tv, and more. I got: silverware, sheets, movies, connect 4, jewelry, digital frame, wii fit, and more. It was so much fun!

Grandma & Grandpa with some of the grandkids. Jerid and dad laughing histerically! Say cheese! Giddy Up, this drives Matt crAzY and I think it is great! What did he expect when we moved out to the sticks.

Christmas night we had my dad and Matt's brother over for dinner, gifts and Christmas Vacation.

The day after Christmas we spent the entire day with Matt's brothers and sisters. It was great seeing everyone. We don't get together as often as we should. We ate, played games, sled in Marc's back yard, opened gifts, and shared stories of Matt's dad.

There is nothing better than time with family!

Christmas Eve

2009-01-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

Every year we celebrate Christmas Eve as a family. We have yummy food (this year it was home-made soups), crafts, a surprise from Santa and the nativity!

Karlee is getting 'big' and she insisted on applying the icing by herself. Jill was so patient and look how great the girl did!

Halle is a 'people pleaser' and had fun letting Grandma help her. Hers was definitely the most detailed and she had a great time giggling with Grandma.

Cael, is the 'I do it' kid. He was a blast to watch and wanted to eat it all. Cortney had to be quick at applying candy to the house or it would have been bare.

Kade was a creative genuious when he wanted to turn the malt balls into a snowman. Of course I had to hold the wibble wobble thing until the royal icing set up.

Next it was cookies for Santa. Karlee spent so much time getting the icing just so, we were laughing our heads off. She would get quite a bit then while spreading it she would push a little to hard and ended up shaving the cookies.

We felt bad that Jerid's family was not able to participate in the crafts but, they were there for Santa's annual suprise...PJ's.

I forgot what?

2009-01-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

This year I was responsible for Kade's Christmas Class Party. We had several fun things to do and like me, at the last minute (literally) I added another craft for the kids to do. On my way to the school from work I stopped at our local grocery store, Macey's, to pick up the needed items for CANDY TRAINS. I made a mad dash home to load all 30+ gingerbread houses (that we made the night before) into my car and get to the school. Ah, take a deep breath... you made it! The kids were so excited and they were all ready for the party. They had made reindeer hats and they we incredible. While we (the other moms and I) were setting up, the kids settled down for a great Christmas story. WHAT THE _ _ _ _, are you kidding me? I didn't have all of the items I purchased for the trains. I called Macey's, they found the items and had someone drive them clear out to me! Who does that? My store, that's who!

The kids decorated the gingerbread houses, they all turned out GREAT! And, we had a super fun timed game where they were put into teams, given Christmas tree decorations and had to decorate one member from their team as a tree. It was hilarious and it is a great party pleasers for youngsters. I was so frazzled that I didn't get pictures of the trains, which the kids loved!

Memories

2008-12-18T13:21:00.000-08:00

Growing up I loved Christmas... I still do! I would tell my friends that I was loved more because my brother and I had 2 Christmas'. You read right... 2. We rotated year to year between my dad's and mom's homes for Christmas Eve, then on Christmas day we would go to the other parents home. Yes, we were loved more! How could we not be?

Growing up in Utah in the 70's-80's there was snow. Nothing pathetic like we get now, I mean snow. So much that it would block the parking strips along our streets, and we would listen to the news report praying for a snow day.

We wore 'moon-boots', they always leaked and we would have to line the inside with bread sacks. We thought we were so poor. It wasn't until later that we found out everyone lined their boots with bread sacks. Wonder bread anyone? We would play until our winter wear was soaked through and we were shivering. My mom would make us come through the laundry room and strip down because she didn't want snow tracked through the house. We would make a mad dash for the bathroom, turn on the hot water and get in. Then with tear streaked faces we would cry our eyes out because the water BURNED. You all have the same memory, I know you do. I loved flocked trees growing up (they expensive) my mom would buy a tree, cans of spray flock and then stand outside for hours flocking our trees. Once she was finished we would carefully bring it in the house and place it just so. My brothers were always off playing and I would sit on the couch watching my mom decorate. We were NEVER allowed to help decorate for the Holidays (I am just like my mother, who is just like her mother). My mom's trees were beautiful, they always had a theme and matching ornaments. Never a 'hodge-podge' tree, that was and still is unexceptable. I am not ashamed... I don't want a 'hodge-podge' tree in my home. My mom taught me to weave CLEAR lights in and out of every branch, insuring the the perfect glow.

As the gifts would start collecting under the tree we would sneak under the tree and peak at the name tags, careful to keep tally of how many gifts each of us had. If someone had more than the others, we would be devastated. I remember one night just not being able to take it any longer so when my parents went to bed I snuck into the family room, turned on the TV (careful to turn the volume down)for light, and sorted all of the gifts. Each year my parents would explain that Christmas would be tight and that they didn't want us to be disappointed. We never knew what they meant because come Christmas morning- our family room was packed with gifts galore!

Christmas brought fabulous family parties with Santa in attendance and don't forget the token family member that no-one wants to claim- come on you all have one or two or more...

Christmas was magical growing up and I want to thank my parents for that! It is our prayer that Christmas can be magical for you and your family. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HO HO HO

2008-12-18T09:06:00.000-08:00

HO HO HO

This year we opted for fake trees (because we forget to water the live trees and then 2 weeks before Christmas we can't turn on the lights). I decorated the tree in the sitting room while Matt and Kade put lights on the trees in the family room. To my surprise I was really o.k. with letting them do this. You have to know me... I am a control freak and have to have millions of clear lights weaved in and out of every branch. Not this year, the guys got the family room trees all to themselves. They did a pretty good job too, except they didn't put the new decorations on.

Our ward had a breakfast and entertainment this year. It was nice and they had a wonderful turn out. Matt and I used to be over the activities committee and know how much time, effort and work go into these. This years committee did a great job.

Kade (don't know what this face he is pulling is all about) & Jace patiently waiting for Santa.

Kade was darling telling Santa: "I would love: cowboy boots, cowboy hat, belt buckle, farm animals, Nintendo DS, Scooter and whatever else you think I need". YES WE HAVE A COWBOY FOR A SON, not sure where he came from.

After the party we headed home where my sister-in-law and parents came and helped with 'neighbor' gifts: chocolate dipped pretzels, chocolate dipped peppermint sticks, chocolate dipped marshmallows, chocolate dipped cookies, you get the idea.

Then I made wooden stackables: the top was the snowman (seen above) that you stack on another piece of wood that says, 'let it snow'. They turned out darling!

We love Christmas! The feeling, the spirit, the reason for the season, the smells, the music, the food, friends and most importantly our family.

Gobble, Gobble, Shop

2008-12-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving (LATE)

We had a wonderful day: slept in, Matt played football, I made pies, Kade played. This year we went to my mom and dads. The table was gorgeous, the company comforting, the food filling! Thanks mom and dad.

We are thankful for:

family health the gospel freedom job home education and more, and more...

Black Friday

Have you ever ventured out into this mess?
I used to every year... I LOVED IT. Not anymore, if I can get it online or pay a little more... I will. This year I hit the stores at 9 AM and got everything on my list. The people were kind, the store employees were helpful, and the other consumers were patient.

I like my men immortal and cold...

2008-11-21T08:38:00.001-08:00

That's right fans, I was priveledge to see the movie at a PRE SHOWING. Last night at 7!!! I must admit that I loved the books, loved Edward, loved everything about them. Then I went online and saw who was cast and was so disappointed. Needless to say my expectations for the movie were extremely LOW.

We loaded in our vehicles, went out to dinner (Texas Road House), and then headed to Jordan Commons. It was packed. There were 3 pre showings last night. One was a PROM themed showing. You would have been blown away by everyone dressed to the nines. It was crAzY. When entering the theatre we had our bags searched, we were scanned with metal detectors and if you had your camera you were escorted out to return it to your car. CRaZy. I had my camera, I didn't drive, it was cold, I am stubborn, so I threw my batteries in the trash so that I wouldn't have to do the stupid song and dance for security. Once in (sigh), we were given lanyards. When everyone was seated they did a HUGE prize giveaway. Book marks, gift cards (I won a gift card... thanks Gina), candy, etc. If your lanyard said EDWARD you received a sparkling blanket, ICE gum, and glitter body spray. If your lanyard said BELLA you received a red blanket and Bella perfume. If youR lanyard said JACOB you received a brown fuzzy blanket and Frebreeze Meadow spray.

Now for the movie... lights dimmed - the audence went screaming mad. Charlie was PERFECT, Jacob was darling but has a weird shaped nose, Bella was PERFECT, Jasper was icky, Alice was PERFECT, Rosalie was PERFECT (so mean), Carlisle was PERFECT (except for the 1st scene... his make-up was horrible... too caked on). Edward grew on me and by the end of the night I wanted the lady behind me's tee 'save gas, ride a VAMPIRE'. I loved the movie, I was not disappointed and I think it is because I expected NOTHING.

Ladies... how was that first kiss? AMAZING!

Because I threw the batteries to my camera away I wasn't able to get any pictures of my sweet friends. Hopefully they will send some to me so that I can post them. Until the next movie (which they have already started filming)...

Happy Birthday to you!!!

2008-11-17T07:58:00.001-08:00

Our little guy turned 9 this past week! It is always bitter sweet for me. Birthdays are a BIG deal in our family so Kade had a 'friends' party and a 'family' party.

This year he wanted a 'FOOTBALL' party. So off I went to find everything and anything FOOTBALL: field goals, helmets, footballs, clappers, candy, etc. A good friend of mine helped me with the invites. We made TICKETS to the GAME. They turned out GREAT. However, I am having a hard time downloading it. The kids all came dressed for the game (we had 20 kids), we loaded up and headed to the NEW stadium. They were put into teams and played ball. Elise (Kade's cousin) was the only girl to play and she made the 1st touchdown. Next was pizza, cupcakes, ice-cream and presents. Kade, Carson, Kade, NicholasKieffer & KadeAustin & Kade Kade & Jace
Easton, Kelton, Kade & Austin Jordan & Kade Half the gang eating lunch

NEXT STOP... FAMILY PARTY!

Kade's birthday was on a Monday and Matt had to work. I had planned on taking Kade to a movie and dinner before the family showed up but, when he got home from school he just wanted to relax and stay home. What an EASY kid. He played with the neighborhood boys and then family started rolling in. My little pyro wanted to light his own birthday candles so being the fabulous mother that I am... I let him.
After singing the traditional song we let all of the cousins help blow out the candles.
Gifts, Gifts & more Gifts. We have an awesome family!

Notice our fabulously HUGE TV? Ours went out and so we pulled the TV out of our trailer. For some reason no one ever wants to come over for movie night... go figure. I keep telling my dad that after a while you get used to it and don't even realize how tiny it is. He doesn't believe me... neither does Matt.

We are hoping Santa brings us a new one.

Happy Birthday big guy! We love you so much... to the moon and back.

Sick... who ordered this stuff!

2008-11-06T09:27:00.001-08:00

Last week I had the opportunity to do what we as Latter Day Saints have been counseled to do by the brethern.... can!

I went with some FUN, GREAT ladies to our local dry pack cannery.

We had a BLAST!

First off... what are you ordering? Do you prefer: packs, cans, or bulk? How many can we order? Will we use it all? Does it work? Does it taste ok? Will kids eat it? These are just a few of my questions. Thanks to Becky- her counsel, 'fill what you think you will eat and as for the method of canning it is personal preference, don't worry what others are doing.'

Second step... we were dressed in fabulous attire. Aprons, rubber gloves (turn your head and cough), and hair nets. HOT MOMMAS WERE WE!

Back row: Emily, Ashlee, Rebecca, Karen, Me
Front row: Tana, Cheryl, Emily, Becky

We canned: beans, onions, carrots, apple slices, oats, drink mixes, and milk... WHO ORDERED THE MILK? My group got STUCK filling the powdered milk. It smells like urine, it sticks to everything, it doesn't pour nicely- it dumps, and you have to pack it down to meet the weight requirements. It was disgusting!
The Milk Maids: Madeline, Me, Karen, Rebecca (we were covered in MILK)

Halloween: class party, city party, trunk or treating, and more...

2008-11-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

After carving pumpkins with the family, Matt wanted to carve more the following night. Our neighbor owns her own business and she was having a pumpkin carving contest. Kade was so excited. He gathered pictures of Sponge Bob and carved his own! I think he did an amazing job for being 8.

Unfortunately... he didn't win.

Halloween morning I hosted Kade's class party. I had a friend come in as the Wicked Witch! She was amazing. She made a brew and each time she added a portion of the recipe: earth worms, bat bones, ghost eyeballs, colored flies, etc. she would CACKLE! The kids loved her! Next Pumpkin Mummies. Each child pick out a pumpkin, wrapped it in 'guaze' fabric, and glued eyes on it. They were darling.

Last but not least was GREEN SLIME!

Later in the day I found myself back at the school for the parade. Kade had 2 costumes this year and wanted to be a banana for school. The kids thought he was hilarious!

He is soooo his dad!

Next stop... the city party. Each business in our town set up a table/booth and the kids got to trick - or - treat! It was a huge success and the kids enjoyed it.Kade & the skeleton driver from Halloween Town.
Hayden, Jace, Kade & Easton

After the city party, it was off to dinner, trunk or treating, and Grandma/Grandpas house.

Halloween decorating and Partying with pumpkins

2008-10-28T12:05:00.001-07:00

Kade and I had a great time getting the house ready for the ghost and goblins to come out. Poor Kade, he says 'my mom doesn't decorate scary'. So I went out and bought skull heads big and small, some that light up and some that make sounds. I also bought skelital hands. They are awesome, we filled a large glass dish with the small skulls and hands. It turned out great... however, it is still not scary enough for my 8 year old. I am more into the vintage Halloween and gourds (for some it may be boring but, I love it). Below is just a sampling of what we did. We decorated the main rooms in our home and the porch, then called it good.

The ALL HALLOWS EVE sign was a lot larger than I thought it would be. But, I love it!

I forgot to take a picture of our front yard to show that we have over 30 pumpkins! I am the room parent for Kade's class and we are going to be decorating the pumpkins (I will post pictures after the party). Kade and I are so excited for the activity. They should turn out darling. Everyone that comes asks if we grew them... well ours didn't come up this year so while at our neighborhood grocer I asked if they would be willing to donate them... and they said YES! I love living in a small, home town community!

Last night my family got together for dinner and Halloween fun. We haven't seen my family in 2 weeks so for us it was a treat. We had a yummy dinner of taco soup, and the most delicious homemade cake that Jen made! Then we gave the kids the carving tools neccassary and set them loose (they carved their own and did a great job I might add).

The kids were so excited! They quickly got to work. Elise, Nicholas, & Sadie were excited to save EVERY seed as they were going to go home and roast them. YUMMY, you will have to let me know how they turned out!
Silly Sadie, her pumpkin has a flower top, triangle eyes & nose with a crAzY zig zaggy mouth! The headless Nicholas displayed his triangle eyes, mini trianlge nose, HUGE mouth pumpkin! Kade's started out as a 'hill billy' with his HUGE front teeth, then as the night progressed it just got down right crAzY, silly. Elise did some research on her dad's iphone when she finally came up with this half moon eyed, HUGE nostraled, slant smiled Aurthur looking pumpkin

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Run Bambi Run

2008-10-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

We started out on Skyline Drive (which is gorgeous this time of year) but it was so cold... freezing cold. It rained and snowed the whole time we were there. So much so that my mighty hunter called it quits Saturday (the opener) at 6PM. Kade was so upset. He would have toughed it out! We left the trailer and headed for home... aaaah home sweet WARM home.

The last 3 1/2 weeks have been filled with: Hiking Boots, camp fires, four wheelers, dust, Jeans, Jackets, and 'Deer Hunter' Orange. Matt & Kade-Skyline Drive

Monday we were back up there hunting and finding nothing but; mud, squirrels, and more mud! But the scenery was gorgeous!

We spent the majority of the deer hunt out West. Matt and his brothers love it out there. I think it is UGLY. Nothing but, dirt and sage brush. We had a great time, the weather was perfect, the company was a blast and 4 whelleing was terrific. Our first day out on the opener the 2 dogs in our camp got into a scuffle, which led to one dog having the top portion of her ear bit off! The kids kept looking for the portion of the ear that was bit off but, could never find it. Later that afternoon I was sitting on the 4 wheeler when I looked down and there it was! So naturally we picked it up (I would NOT touch it), took it back to camp, wrapped it and gave it to Klint as a birthday gift (I know we are sick). We now call the canyon, Dog Fight Canyon.

Matt, Marc, Klint, Jordan, Karlene, & Ted all checking out Sadie's chewed up ear!
I have heard from several that there are tarantulas in the West desert. Well... we saw 2, they are SICK and SCARY. They were both the size of an adult palm, and furry.
Matt made Kade get down by the sick creature. If you double click on the photo you will see it more clearly... aaaagh

Taylor after a long ride through the dusty trails.

Each night while around the camp fire I brought something up for everyone. Dessert or toys. The girls loved the glow sticks.
Try with all our might... we could not keep our eyes OPEN. Our flash is crAzY bright. Klint & Steve wrapped their glow sticks around their glasses. We all laughed out guts out! Jordan was the glow stick princess! She loved these things. I think by the end of the night she ended up with most of them.

Me & Kade hiking My hot hubby surveying the land Marc & Kade Kade taking aim at a soda can. He was an amazing shot! I think his dad and uncles could learn a thing or two from him. Jordan & Kade after a LONG 4 wheeler ride.

Nobody in the group found Bambi, or his dad, or his uncles! Maybe next year mighty hunters.

Hold your Tacos...

2008-10-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

Matt had to work Saturday, it was too cold to do anything fun outside and I was priviledged to watch my brothers little ones.

So what do you do on a freezing cold Saturday afternoon for 4 kids?

... You take them to the movie.

The kids are ages, 2-8 and not one of them got up. They sat quietly in their seats, eating popcorn, sipping soda and laughing hysterically. GREAT MOVIE for the whole family.

Dr.'s, ER, and LIFE FLIGHT

2008-10-02T13:20:00.001-07:00

Monday afternoon I was home sitting outside in a camp chair watching Kade & the 701 nieghbor kids out playing and soaking up what little time we have left of warmer afternoons when my phone rang. "Jesicca, can you help me?" It was Matt's youngest sister calling from the hospital in Price. Her husband Ted had been ill all weekend and finally conceded to go see his Dr. at which point he was directed to get to the ER because they thought he might have suffered a heart attack. With fear, they drove to the ER in Price. Please note I am sure the hospital is OK, but when you are in a small town you are limited on what is available to you medically. The ER could not meet his medical needs, thus the phone call.

Price was making arrangements for Ted to be sent to UVRMC via Life Flight and Karlene (Matt's sister) did not want him to arrive in Provo alone. I made several phone calls and had Matt & his 2 brothers at the hospital when Ted landed.

Poor Karlene had to make the 2 hour drive in the dark through the canyon by herself. Several of us offered to make the trek to pick her up but she insisted through tears and sobs that she would be fine. Several prayers were made in there behalf through those hours of her driving alone. We prayed that she would remain calm, that Ted would be stable through the flight, and that little Jordan (their daughter) would feel comfort in the absense of her parents.

Matt and his brother Marc were at UVRMC around 7PM waiting for news of Ted's departure from Price as the flight would only take 15 minutes. UVRMC's heart surgeons were all in surgery and we had to wait for a Dr. to become available before Price would release Ted to Life Flight. In the meantime I gave instructions to Matt and his brothers to meet with the receptionist in the UVRMC ER of who they were, who they were waiting for, and find out what time she expected Ted to arrive. She had no idea what they were talking about... thus more phone calls. Through trial and error we learned that Life Flight does NOT go through the ER. They have their own arrival portal at the hospital.

Tests were requested and administered, Dr.'s were updated and Ted was taken into surgery around midnight. Thankfully they were able to go through an artery in Teds thigh and perform surgery that consisted of cleaning his chambers and adding 4 permanent stints. Miracles happen: Ted was in ICU Monday and part of Tuesday, down graded to a regular room (nurses aren't as kind as the ICU nurses) Tuesday evening, and released Wednesday morning.

All is well and the recovery I am sure is the pits!

Lagoon

2008-09-29T11:06:00.001-07:00

We were lucky to go to LAGOON with family and friends this year! It was so much fun. The weather was perfect, the rides were gut wrenching(make you puke rides), and the company was fun! When we entered the park Matt & Kade took off without me. Matt, knowing that I was car sick from the drive, would not want to jump on any of the rides... he was right. I hung out in the kid zone most of the time loving my sweet little Havyn (thanks Jill)!

The new ride this year is WICKED. Everyone agreed that this was the favorite! It launches you straight up, drops you straight down, and then throws you into a cork screw spin.

S I C K!
This rickety old thing was installed in 1921, almost 100 years ago! It jerks your head around and lifts you out of your seat when you drop. It is crAzY and feels so unstable.
Rattle Snake Rapids used to be Kade's favorite. But, this year when we made it over the sun was gone, the stars were shining and it was chilly. Did this stop Kade & Nicholas? NO, they went and came off soaked.
Sweet 5 week old Havyn

Kelton, Karlee, Sadie & Halle showing us that they are indeed tall enough!
Kade & Weston after riding Wicked
Here it is!!!
Kelton was asleep before we even left the parking lot!

Cael playing with the bat his daddy won him!
Brothers Cortney & Jerid
Papa & a tired Cael
Elise, Jerid & Sadie (these girls are crAzY thrill seekers)
Halle & Sadie cheesing it while munching on snacks

I feel bad, I took tons of photos and when I got home I can't find half of them!

Are we falling behind or caught up now?

2008-09-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

In the busy world of a working mother I have allowed blogging to slip. So take a deep breath and dive in or just skip.

SCHOOL

Kade is one lucky 3rd grader to have 2 teachers. 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. Being the room parent and trying to plan parties has been difficult, 2 during the morning and 2 in the afternoon. The reason for this being difficult is that I have to leave work in the middle of the afternoon to host 2 class parties where in years past they are all an hour before school lets out. It will work out and be loads of fun, I love the class parties. Briann W. has been in Kade's classes since kindergarten and she recently told her mom that she is sad she isn't in his class this year. Julie asked her why and she said it was because, 'Kade's mom does fun parties and we make neat stuff'. That made me feel so good. Sometimes you never know what they are thinking or if they even care. So Briann, THANK YOU!

Kade with his morning teacher.
Kade with his afternoon teacher

FOOTBALL

Football has been so fun. Kade is really excelling in the sport. He loves playing receiver, he is a good little catcher, and runs like the wind! If only he can get it down that just because he can't see the opposing team doesn't mean he isn't open.

Hayden our QB displaying a fabulous pair of bunny ears and Kade
Kade and his buddy Austin
Down, Set, HIKE
The team!

FISHING
Since the weather is getting colder we decided we better get one last trip of fishing in so we loaded the boat and headed to Scofield. It was cold in the shade and hot in the sun. FALL in UTAH.

Umm, Kade we think you might have a fish??? HE DID

KING KONG
While down loading pictures I found these next 2. I asked Kade what they were for and he said that they were King Kong. If you look closely you will see a Praying Mantis climbing on one of my yard pieces.

Then apparently Kade pulled him off and took a close up. Our yard has been over taken by these creatures this year. Last year it was hornets. I think we will stick with this guys.

SCOUTS
Ah scouts. Kade loves scouts. He loves playing with fire, building things, swimming, hiking, collecting rocks, and receiving awards. He is flying through his first book. We are so proud of him
Jake, Kade, Hayden

Down, Set, Hike

2008-09-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

Kade has been looking forward to playing football for 2 years and he is finally old enough! He is on the Vikings team and has already received a nickname from his coach... WHEELS!

Running for the kick-off

Tuesday: practice and game

Thursday: practice and game

Saturday: practice

In the huddle

Right now the weather is perfect but, the games run until the end of October which means it is going to get real COLD. Blankets, coats, umbrellas, gloves, hand warmers and hot cocoa...

FALL is in the air!

2008-09-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

I love FALL

colors changing

leaves falling and crunching under your boots

crisp air brushing across your checks

cute long sleeved shirts, pants, boots, sweaters

the smell and sound of the heater kicking on

turning off the air and opening windows

(you know you live in UT when you are running the heat and air in the same day/week)

decorating with fun Autumn decor

preparing your garden for the long winter that is just around the corner

and long drives through our gorgeous canyons!

Patriot Day... I am PROUD to be an AMERICAN

2008-09-11T10:39:00.001-07:00

Are you proudly displaying the American Flag today?

You should be!

Today is PATRIOT DAY.

President George W. Bush designated September 11 to be regarded as Patriot Day.

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On this first observance of Patriot Day, we remember and honor those who perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We will not forget the events of that terrible morning nor will we forget how Americans responded in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in the skies over Pennsylvania -- with heroism and selflessness; with compassion and courage; and with prayer and hope. We will always remember our collective obligation to ensure that justice is done, that freedom prevails, and that the principles upon which our Nation was founded endure.

As a mother I am so thankful that I can raise by beautiful son in a country where he can: be educated, grow up and choose an occupation for himself, worship freely, have freedom of speech, etc. We are a blessed nation, we are priviledged people. It was fought for by our forefathers and should not be taken lightly. As a priviledge nation comes great weight on our shoulders to never forget, to help those on our soil and those across the waters.

I AM PROUD! I LOVE AMERICA! I LOVE FREEDOM!

Where is Cinderella?

2008-09-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

Growing up my brothers and I had chores around the house that we had to do. I of course was the 'picked on' one. I had: my bedroom, the kitchen, dishes after dinner and sometimes the bathroom. Imagine a princess cleaning a bathroom that 5 people used. Yes, we only had 1 bathroom! You can imagine my horror! Now you must know that my mom was always cleaning the bathroom but, on those rare occassions that it was 'my turn'. I thought I would rather eat GREEN BEANS! When I was told on Saturday mornings not to ask to play until my room was cleaned... the world fell apart. I would dump out my dresser drawers, empty my closet and then spent hours putting it all back together, nice and neat. It wasn't until years later that my mom would have been perfectly happy with the bed made, dusted and vacuumed. What a foolish little girl I was.

As the years passed and I grew older I was still the 'picked on' one. My mom would taunt me by saying, 'when you get older you will be so thankful that you know how to keep a clean home.' 'YEA RIGHT I would think. If I didn't live with pigs this house would stay clean.' Are you seeing a pattern? That I was a BRAT!!!

Well, fast forward to 1994, a new skinny bride. Happy to have my own home to love and clean. It was always so clean (except for the dreaded spare bedroom with no door). I used to pat myself on the back because you could as my mom would say,'eat off my floors'. That's right... I kept a clean house. My dad would tease and ask when the maid was coming back to clean their home (I am pretty sure he meant me). Cleanliness is next to Godliness they would say.

Well, it has been 14 1/2 years since I moved out of my parents home and began the incredible journey of managing my own household. With each passing year my house gets more cluttered, cleaned less often and we are always trying to find the missing sock. My Grandma Jones would be mortified. She used to love bringing her dear friend Teddy over and brag about how wonderful I was, what a handsome husband I have, what an amazing little boy I have and to boot... look at her home. Well sorry Grandma but, I don't know where Cinderella went. I have called, "Cinderella, Cinderella, Night and day it's Cinderella" but, that brat of a princess can't be found.

Nie Recovery

2008-08-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know...others may not. A friend from good old PHS has a sister who was in a plane crash. Stephanie and her husband Christian have sustained serious injuries and the recovery according to Dr.'s will take months. They have a precious little family with 4 children, medical bills, and faith! August 28th there will be several auctions to raise money for this beautiful family. If you are interested in donating to their cause click on the Nie recovery box below!

Here is her blog if you would like to check it out, http://www.designmom.com/

Payson Lakes

2008-08-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

I am a little behind on blogging! A couple of weeks ago we went camping with my parents. We went to Payson Lakes. The weather was great, the location was gorgeous, and our camp neighbors were from HELL (2 families, 4 drunk parents, 9 kids, 2 mini vans, 4 tents, and the most foul mouths you have ever heard... not that I was paying attention to the details).

Halle & Kade
Grandma, Karlee & Grandpa
Karlee & her blanky

The first night we put all the kids to bed and turned on the Bee movie. The neighbors cranked the tunes, kids bawling, parents yelling (this is going to be a great night I told Matt). Our kids fell asleep so Matt went out and turned off the generator. We thought we would have peace and quiet. Not them... they got louder (or maybe it was just because it was so late and we were so tired that it felt like they were louder). I have no idea what time the party ended or when I feel asleep for that matter. But morning did come and we headed down to the lake for fishing and rafting. Halle caught 3 fish, Kade caught 2, Nicholas and Karlee had not desire to fish, they wanted to raft and take pictures. AAAGH peace and quiet...wait! What is going on? Are you kidding me? No way... our camp neighbors showed up and plopped their crap by us! You have got to be kidding me... My Dad told my mom and me not to stare or make comments because he and Matt didn't want to get into a brawl! You should have seen them... hill-billies in the literal sense. Peirced ears for the dad and boys, tails (yes tails! you remember Howard the Duck), cigarettes hanging from the adults mouths while they talked, the works. My mom was laughing so hard she was crying her eyes out. I was caught several times staring, can you blame me? They were better than watching The Jerry Spinger Show! One of the moms wanted to make lunch. She proceeded to pull everything out of the cooler and when she couldn't find the knife she started using the F word. It was ridiculous, a bee kept flying past her and she started crying! This was only the beginning. I would blog the whole thing but, you have a life to get to so I will make it short. The other mother asked the older boy (appeared to be 10) to take one to the younger boys to the restroom... he told her no. Oh no you didn't I thought but, he did. While she was taking one boy to the restroom a baby about 1 1/2 was running around unsupervised. He found the mayo, flipped the lid and began sqeezing and licking. It was hilarious. When the moms returned they were yelling the high heavens. Who is watching River? Look at him! Needless to say we packed up and headed back to camp. AAAGH, can you say peace and quiet. Well, it didn't last long, you know they had to come back to camp sometime. Unfortunately, they returned! While in my trailer getting jackets for the kids I heard one of the moms yelling at one boy asking him what was wrong with his pecker! That's right, real classy. I was choking! I spotted the camp host and asked about queit time. He told me it began every evening at 10pm. I nicely told him that our neighbors were up all hours of the night. He apologized and told me that another camp host came up and talked to them. He said that they looked like the Clampets.

I agreed and then we had a great laugh!

Later Saturday afternoon Matt took the boys hiking. Funny thing... they parked and were getting ready for a hike to Devils Kitchen... ready boys? Have your water bottles? Let's get going. 1/4 mile later they were there. Some hike. The boys were o.k. with it because as they put it, 'it was so cool'.

Kade & Nicholas

Coming home Matt noticed that our truck was billowing black smoke. After doing some digging around he found that we it is leaking gas into the pistons. He is so frustrated. He loves his truck. It has been a labor of love for him. Now we are looking into buying a new truck (this is only the beginning to the end of our camp trip). We got home unloaded the trailer and then Matt and Kade headed up to the dumping station. On their way there the holding tank on our trailer fell off. YES, the pooper tank fell off. We only paid $1,500 for the trailer and it will cost $1,000 to fix it. So we are also in the market for a new trailer. Oh happy camping!

ABC... 123

2008-08-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

'The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.'

-Wiliam Shakespeare

Today was the 1st day back to school for Kade! 3rd grade, 2 teachers, 1 back pack, new clothes, school supplies, lunch money, is he ready? I know I am. I can hardly wait for us to be back in the groove of things. Does the word routine mean anything to you? It does if you have kids going back to school. I will surely be running a tighter ship around our place: homework, guitar practice, dinner time, shower, brushed teeth, pj's, prayers and aaaaagh bedtime. I know it will be difficult for Kade to adjust. We have had a busy, relaxed, just for fun summer with hardly any rules! Because of this Kade had a hard time going to bed 'early', 9:30PM-I know my mom is reading this and probably choking, well not really... she knows me too well.

We woke up at 8am! Are you kidding me, we are late... everyone up-up-up!

I signed up to help as a greeter at the school... on our way out the door I remembered that I would like pictures of my handsome young man. We ran back into the house to get the camera... Kade informs me that he does not want me to come to his class (I have been telling everyone that I will volunteer at the school/PTA/classroom as long as I can because the day will come when Kade will not think it is cool to have his mom at school...well folks, we are surely getting there and it is breaking my heart. I won't tell Kade that because he is a tender heart & will feel bad if he knew that it makes me sad that he is growing up so fast).

Kade and his buddy Keiffer. I spotted them walking in the halls so I stopped them to get a picture. Needless to say Kade didn't let me closer to his classroom.

'The important thing is that you never stop questioning'

-Albert Einstien

City Days

2008-08-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

Last week we celebrated our city! For the past 2 years now I have had the opportunity to oversee our Children's Parade. It is so much fun. I would love to mimic the Provo Children's Parade but, in a small town who I am to 'rock the boat', so we walk around the small trail twice.

I am hoping that if I have the priviledge to oversee it again next year I can 'rock the boat' and create a new tradition in this wonderful city full of rich heritage.

The kids were encouraged to dress up, decorate bikes, and make mini floats. Kade and some of his friends dressed up as the NEW high school baseball team. They looked awesome!

East, Celton, Kade Tyler, Brayden, Caleb

The week was full of great events fun for the whole family:

Lil Buckaroo Rodeo

Boat Ragatta (Kade wants to participate in this next year. They give you 3 huge sheets of cardboard, 3 rolls of duct tape, 1 stick and 2 hours to make a boat that you can paddle around an obstacle course in the pond)

Senior Citizens Dinner

Baby Contest

Grand Parade

Gaylord (Cameron) & Kade
Cameron is a dear family friend that Kade idealizes! He and Kade both celebrate their birthdays in November, Kade wants to grow up and be just like Cameron. Whenever we need a sitter Kade begs for Cameron. I never call him because he is 17, a senior in HS, dating, etc. We ran into Cameron just before the Grand Parade started and Kade kept razzing him about his school colors, school shirt, and anything else he could think of.

Elise, Celton, Rilyn, Easton, Kade, Nicholas, Sadie

See the balloon behind the kids? Camerons group made these and our kids ended up with some of the 'hats'. Our parade is by far the BEST! The kids walk away with grociery bags full of candy (like trick or treating), our local nursery gave out huge pots with flowers (see behind the kids). We collected shirts, candy, otter-pops, flowers, etc. from our parade.

Booths

Golf Tournament

Little Miss

Mud Volleyball

Photo Contest (winners entries will be in next years calendar)

a Pageant and the most amazing fireworks, better than Freedom Festivals hands down.

We went to the pageant (which was fun) and just as the fireworks were to begin it started sprinkling, then there was thunder & lightening, then a DOWN POUR! We kept thinking it would blow over but, it only got worse. Finally we gave in, loaded up and RAN for the cars.

MacKayla, McKinzey, Celton, Kade, Easton just before the rain storm
Celton & Kade with their glow sticks

Rilyn, Celton, Easton & Kade
Matt, Kade & me
Rebecca, Rilyn & Easton

Beijing Olympics

2008-08-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

USA

I love the olympics! We look forward to the adrenaline rush from wathcing TEAM USA compete. We are so proud to be citizens of the good old USA!

There are stories to inspire, motivate, lift. Shanteau was recently diagnosed with a rare form of testicular cancer. In a recent interview he said that he reminds himself of something his dad told him regarding his diagnosis, 'cancer does NOT have you. You have cancer'.
Shawn holding & consoling a team mate after a major fall.
Our boys, holding our flag!
CAN YOU FEEL IT!

Did you know we are competing in the following games:

Archery-Badminton-Baseball-Basketball-Beach Volleyball (we have a local UT boy, Jake Gibb competing) -Boxing, Canoe/Kayak-Cycling (go Lance) -Diving-Equestrian-Fencing-Field Hockey-Gymnastics-Handball-Judo-Modern Pent.-Rhythmic Gym-Rowing-Sailing-Shooting-Soccer-Softball-Swimming-Sync. Swimming-Table Tennis-Taekwondo-Tennis-Track & Field-Trampoline (I can do a mean knee flip) -Triathlon-Volleyball-Water Polo-Weightlifting (is this eating or those big 'dumb' bells?) -Wrestling

Welcome Little One

2008-08-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

I am again a proud aunt, Cortney & Jill are the proud parents, Halle, Karlee & Cael are the proud siblings to Hayvn.

She is a beautiful, precious angel.

We are so spoiled & blessed to have her in our family.

Cortney & Jill had their kids stay at Grandma's the night before Jill was to be induced. 5AM they were up, ready & waiting for the hospital to call with the news that they could come in & be induced. The clocked ticked, tocked, ticked, & tocked some-more. Finally at 1PM they received the call. Once Jill was admitted & prep'd she was finally put on the pit at 2PM. Havyn was born at 6PM. We are so proud of Jill! She is so good about the whole process always looking for the good in her hospital experience & the healing. I think it is because she is relived to no longer be pregnant. LOL With each baby they have Matt & I put in an order for one. Can you blame us... look how gorgeous she is. We love her. We are so thankful for a loving Father in Heaven that allows our family to grow by leaps & bounds with these precious little ones.

Fish, Dirt, and more Dirt

2008-08-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Matt was able to finally get a weekend off and so we: packed the trailer, loaded the 4 wheeler & generator in the back of the truck, invited friends and headed up to Fairview Canyon. It is gorgeous: the trees are thick and lush green, the lakes are deep blue and full of fish, the campsites amazingly clean, the air crisp and cool...it was HEAVEN!

Friday was full of: setting up camp, 4 wheel rides, games, and B-B gun shooting.

Saturday: Matt and Dwayne headed back into town to take Celtons 4 wheeler into the shop because it quit on him. While they were gone Rebecca and I thought it would be a great idea to take the kids on a ride. Thank heavens for the helmet laws. While riding Easton and Celton fell off their 4 wheeler. It was horrifying but, there were no physical injurys and after hugs from mom we were back on the trail. The trail went on and on and on. I was starting to get nervous that we would run into some kind of trouble: bear, running out of gas, not finding our way back. I stayed calm and acted like I knew what we were doing. Luckily we made it back to camp, unfortunately I forgot to take my camera and was not able to get pictures of the most amazing scenery. Everything was in full bloom!

When the guys returned we took the kids fishing. Matt and Dwayne got the poles ready, casted & then we all sat down for the loooong wait. Well, the kids were not interested in fishing with the poles & opted for the butterfly nets (bubberfly nets as Rylin called them). The lake was full of baby fish along the shore line feeding. The kids immediately began catching them & then soon realized that if they stretched a little farther out they would get larger fish (3-4"). They were having a ball. We emptied the treats & the fishes new home quickly became the zip-lock baggies we brought. Dwayne caught the largest & was NOT humble about it at all. Therefore, being competitive Matt just knew he could catch one much bigger. With time & patience Matt caught one that was at least 10". It was hilarious! He was so proud of himself. We yelled for the kids to come check it out.
Matt & the fish he caught with the 'bubberfly' net

Matt fishing, Celton cooling off in his BVD's
Matt & Kade fishing with poles and the 'bubberfly' net
Rylin holding the baby fish the boys caught with the 'bubberfly' nets
The mighty fishermen!
Kade fishing

After fishing we decided to take the men out on the trail we found. When we returned we could not believe how sick and filthy we were. There was dust billowing up all around us. It was horrible. Needless to say, we washed up (shampoo/conditioner... the works).

Rylin, Rebecca, Me & Matt after the ride
Matt & me after our ride

Celton (Brad Pitt Jr.) & Kade after the LOOOONG 4 wheeler ride
Celton, Rebecca & Kade at the end of the trail!
Matt after the ride

I...

2008-08-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

I am... content in my 30's. I know who I am, what I want, and I don't worry what others think. I don't have to 'keep up with the Jone's'.
I think... about things that are out of my control.
I know... who I am and what I want.
I want... Kade to believe in himself, stand up for what he knows, continue watching out for the 'underdog', and learn to love himself.
I have... been blessed with more than I could have imagined.
I wish... I had great skin, better hair and the motivation to lose weight.
I hate... where the election is going.
I miss... Matt's dad, Grandma & Grandpa Jones and Lake Powell.
I fear.... the future of our country and how crAzY the world will get.
I feel... overwhelmed by my new job.
I hear... Kade practicing the guitar, asking me to lay by him and talk about the day and his sweet laughter.
I smell... everything (just like you Morgan). It's true, I have a super nose. It bothers Matt.
I search... for success in motherhood and my marriage.
I wonder... if we will ever get a boat.
I regret... not being as kind as I should have been when I was younger.
I love... my girls night out! I look forward to it each and every month. I cherish my friends.
I care... about the success of my family!
I always... pray and floss!
I am not... ready for the Childrens Parade that I am responsible for.
I believe... in God.
I dance... when I am home alone with the radio blaring -while cleaning.
I sing... all the time, sorry for anyone who has heard my voice (no, if I have been blessed with this voice then you should have to hear it).
I don't always... ask for permission. Sometimes it is easier to ask for forgiveness.
I write... everything down -I am the Queen List Maker.
I win... when Kade is happy, content and knows that he has accomplished a new task.
I lose... when I procrastinate.
I never... thought I would be like my mom when I grew up (thankful that I am), get along with my brother (one of my best friends), or be the amazing aunt that I am (just kidding)
I listen... to my gut!
I read... books that are uplifting and don't leave me with a dark feeling.
I am happy about... our new Bishopric.

anyone else want to play?

Dirt, Poles, Worms, Power Bait... My Boys

2008-08-04T10:14:00.001-07:00

This summer (if we aren't on vacation) when Matt has a day off he has been taking Kade fishing.

My boys love the great outdoors!

Kade caught a good sized fish, then Matt caught one larger.

Let the games of competition begin...

Minutes later, Kade caught one even bigger than the one Matt caught. Hours later... no more bites.

Kade was so proud of himself that he caught the biggest one in the whole lake.

Open wide

Boys and Night Games

2008-07-28T10:57:00.001-07:00

Easton, Celton, Kade, Jake, Eli

For a month now Kade has been begging us to let him invite the neighborhood boys over for night games (we have been holding him off because we haven't been home).

So the night finally arrived! Kade was thrilled. He went to each home and asked, 'can I talk to your mom in private (so funny)'. When we found this out we asked him why and he said that he didn't want to hurt anyones feelings if their mom's said no. That's my boy!

The kids showed up with bandanas in hand and ready for the games to begin!

They played: The Witch Is Out Tonight, Kick The Can, Swat The Fly, What Time Is It Mr. Wolf, and others. We had a half time for potty breaks and snacks. Keep your eyes closed while counting boys

When it was time to go home, they all begged for another night. Matt loaded their bikes in the truck reassuring them that we would do it again (and we have).Easton, Kade, Celton, Jake, Eli

Fiesta Days & the 24th of July

2008-07-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

Spanish Fork Fiesta Days

Rebecca and I decided to take the kids to the Children's Parade Saturday morning followed by kids activities. When we picked our spot the kids complained that it was in the sun and they were hot. Rebecca and I thought is felt wonderful!

Easton, Celton, Kade & Rilyn
Kade & me in the sun
Some of the activities for the kids were: sawdust dig, fish pond, craft, bean bag toss, shoot out, face painting (temp. tattoos, the boys wanted them on their foreheads... whatever, I say pick your battles. This was not one worth picking).
Rilyn showing off her butterfly
The kids were so excited to find a 'rock wall'.
Kade getting fitted with the harness Kade half way up the rock!

Celton getting fitted with the harness
Easton getting fitted with the harness

My cousin Zeke and his wife just adopted beautiful Ellee. Kade and I were so excited when we ran into them at the park. FRONT ROW: Bridger, Brynlee MIDDLE ROW: Hunter, Me, Elle BACK ROW: Hallie, Kade

After the Rock Wall they boys were so excited to participate in the Fiesta Days Fish Rodeo. It is a large man made pool that they fill with live (YES LIVE) fish. The kids were each given a ziplock bag and 15 minutes to catch a live fish. If they caught the 'right' one they were awarded with $20 big ones. Our kids did not catch the 'right' fish but, they had a great time participating. Kade and Easton can't wait to do it again next year, they think they have it down to a science.

Kade was tired of the baggie fishing so he found the butterfly net and caught one. You should have heard Rebecca and me yelling at the boys to run to the end of the pool and not stop in the middle like the other kids had done.
Easton and Kade with the fish they caught. Sick!!! Of course the fish died by the time we got home so we let the boys gut them. They were too small to fry up so they were trashed.

We enjoyed dinner with the Scott, Danielle and the girls lastnight. It was great seeing and spending time with them.

Scott & Matt

Kade and the girls went to the park (our elementary school playground), jumped on the tramp and Kade even played a solo for them on his guitar. About an hour later we could hear him serenading the girls. What a guy!

Kade playing his guitar for the girlsKinz, Kayla & Kade

Spanish Fork always ends Fiesta Days with fireworks. However, we have found a better location for a great fireworks show in Mapleton. We park our car in Jerid's drive way, walk all the way out to their back yard, lay out blankets, set up our lawn chairs and enjoy the show that is half a block away. When they are over, we load up and head out. We never deal with traffic and we are home at a decent time. The GRAND FINALE is GRAND indeed. If you haven't ever had the opportunity to see them, we highly recommend it.

Matt, Scott, Me and Cheese-ball
Nice officer... think you can get any closer... Michael Jackson called, he wanted you to know you can get burned!

1, 2, 3 Strikes You're Out

2008-07-22T11:10:00.001-07:00

Fresh cut grass, hot sticky bleachers, kids with melted sno-cones, sunflower seeds, red dirt, grass stained uniforms, sunburn faces... I love baseball season!

Great form
Nice follow through buddy

Kade was on an amazing team with a wonderful coach... Coach Johnson. He is the grandfather to 2 of the boys on the team. He teaches technique, loves the game, loves the boys, is extremely patient, just an all around great man!

Serious, very serious

Kade has this great ability to hit the ball consistantly down the 3rd base line. His coach and dad were impressed.

Mesa Verde, Silverton, 4 Corners, Hovenweep, Newspaper Rock, etc.

2008-07-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

We just returned from another FABULOUS vacation! Matt's younger sister planned a great trip for all of us to the beautiful state of Colorado.

First stop: Moab UT. Since we needed to drive through Moab we decided to stop at HOLE IN WALL. It is the side of a rock mountain that was blasted out and converted into a home. You can pay $4.75 per person and take the grand tour. It really is remarkable, I could never live in it. The tour guide acted as if he were high on something. Throughout the tour he kept telling all of us to keep up and move along. He spoke a million miles a minute. Matt was bugged. KEEP UP!

Kade & Matt at Hole In The Rock (obviously)
Kade & Aunt Karlene
Ted, Marc, Matt & Kade checking out the license plate jeep at Hole In The Rock

Second stop: Cortez/Mesa Verde. I have to admit that I was extremely apprehensive about going to Mesa Verde because I had never been and I was afraid it would involve a lot of hiking in the heat. I am hear to announce that it is not a lot of hiking (less than Timp. Cave) and the weather was WONDERFUL!

We checked into the Holiday Inn Express (super nice rooms... all redone with granite, down comforters, clean, clean, clean). I am a brat when it comes to hotels. They have to be updated and CLEAN or I will throw a fit. Don't believe me... ask Matt! I am the one wearing flip flops the whole time (including the shower), I won't let my clothes touch the floor/bedding, I won't re-use a towel. BRAT, I know.

Cortez is a tiny city with a whole lot of nothing. Matt really wanted to eat at a Steak House, we found the only one, and it was literally a house (from the 70's). I thought is was hilarious that when being seated we walked past the original kitchen, linen closet, and bathroom (sicked me out). We were seated in a huge 'family room' restored dining area. The food was over priced and not good. We learned, stick with McDonalds (ICK).

We woke up bright and early to head up the canyon to good ol' Mesa Verde. I recommend it to everyone! There are 3 tours and we bought all. 1st tour, the guy was the type that has read the manual and sticks only to it. He opened for questions and when he was 'stooped' he would reply, 'we aren't here to talk about that'. This didn't go off with Matt's family, the history buffs. We had great laughs the rest of the week telling each other, 'we aren't here to talk about that'. Each tour brought with it some sort of freaks, where do these people come from? There was a girl and her father with our tour. He farted (LOUD) the whole time, she scratched herself. When the tour guide was telling us that the Ancestrial Puebloians were much smaller than we are (women 5ft tall, men 5ft3" tall), she stood up and told all of us, 'I am 5'4 so if you take 4" off me that is how tall the women were and 1" that is how tall the men were.' You should have seen the looks on everyones faces. Jerid, NO, we did not get pictures of them. Yes, you are correct we should have for your collection.

Kade & Marc

Climbing the ladders through the 'city'
Kade, Mom & Kalysta climbing the ladder
Hand print on the wall

Tour #2, there were a lot of people, the 'rock city' was huge, we learned about the sacred worshipping rooms, pictographs, climbed log ladders, etc. Kim, the tour guide, was well informed, great to answer questions and extremely polite. The weirdo's you ask... well they weren't weird, just stunk like a skunk. They were a little french family: no shaving, no shampooing, no DEODORANT. We tried to stay as far away as possible. It was so bad it would make your eyes water. Isn't this incredible!!!

Kade & Matt
Isn't this amazing!
This was found in one of the structures. It is the most vibrant we've seen.
Kade & tour quide Kim

Tour #3, the one I hated!!! The tour guide made it perfectly clear that it you have a fear of heights this is not the one for you, should have listened! He wasn't kidding, and I am so afraid of heights. I felt bad, it was everyone else's favorite tour. 30 foot descent (no big deal), cliff dwellings built on the edge of a 100ft drop, no railings. Matt knows of my fear and thought it would be funny to walk along the edge. I was physically sick, Kade kept telling me, 'just think happy thoughts'. Our guide was from Arkansas and had great stories about good old Bill Clinton. He was all pro Clinton which we are NOT. He told of a time he was in a restruant, Bill came in, our tour guide accidentally trip a server and she poured a pitcher of beer on Clinton. It was a great story. As for the crazy's in this group....aaagh a sweet little family from Maryland. They camped by Matt's sisters family. When they recognized us they thought we were instantly fast BFF's. They told us about their summer long trip through the states. Next stop, Vegas. The mom was so excited because they were going to do a drive thru wedding. She really wanted her kids to see them re-marry... GAG! They have 2 boys and 1 daughter. The youngest was out of control: he kept trying to take our hats off and when the guide asked if there were any questions he started moaning that he wanted to leave.

Hiking the 3 story ladder
Karlene, Ted & Jordan climbing the ladder
Carvings that Kade found
Klint sqeeeeeeezing thru
Grinding stones

Watching our steps up the platform (Karlene, Jordan, Me & Kade)
Kade climging the nasty ladder
See why I hated this 'city'

Next stop, Silverton CO. You drive thru Durango, thru the canyon, (which again I didn't really care for as there are not too many guard-rails and it is a drop off. But it was an amazing drive, nothing like our canyons) and into the tiny, tiny, tiny town of Silverton, population 100 if they are lucky. We did a mine tour. The guide was an alcoholic. On our way out of town for our horseback riding trip, we spotted him at one of the local bars.

Ted, Me, Kade, Matt, Klint, Kalysta & Taylor
Kade in the mine
Matt & Klint in the mine

Clara (from Germany) & Kade
Me & Kade on D.K & Falina
Ted, Weston, Karlene, Me & Kade
Back Row: Weston, Taylor, Marc, Jen, Klint, Karlene, Ted, Me & Matt

Front Row: Kade, Kalysta & Jordan

Last leg of the vacation: 4 corners, Hovenweep, Newspaper Rock

Kade at 4 Corners
Matt, Me & Kade at 4 corners

4 Corners is so over-rated. You pay $3 per person, wait in line (out in the middle of nowhere), stand in the 4 states and call it good. The only part I enjoyed was visiting all of the Navajo people there selling their goods. They make amazing jewelry and dolls.
Me & Kade at Hovenweep
Hovenweep
Me, Matt & Kade

Kade at Hovenweep
This lizard was about 8-10" long. The colors were so vibrant. Maybe if I had a better camera you could see it better.

Kade & Matt at Newspaper Rock

Slacker

2008-07-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I know, I have been a slacker.

Stay tuned... for more vacation pictures.

Kade's Favorites

2008-06-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

(Kade has been asking for his own blog... I am not sure about it as he is only 8. I think it would end up being my project and I have PLENTY of my own right now. I told him to just ask and he can add to our family blog when he wanted to. Here is what he came up with tonight. He typed most of it and then had me finish up by taking dictation.)

My favorite song on Guitar Hero is Barracuda by Heart. My 2nd favorite song is Cool Thing, I don't know the band name. I am excellent at Guitar Hero on wii. I can play it behind my head.

I take real guitar lessons. My teacher tells me I am the best sight reader he has seen. That means I can take a piece of music and play it the first time through. I have an ipod that I take everywhere. One of my favorite songs on it is When We Were Young. I still need to learn how to put new songs on it.

My dad watches Sponge Bob with me, it is one of our favorite shows. We like these songs on Sponge Bob, Now That We're Men & Goofy Goobers & F. U. N. I had my mom add it to her play list. Mr. Crabs is my favorite and dads is Squidward. My mom thinks it is annoying but, we don't care.

I have an XBOX that I like to play Star Wars Battlefront II.

I love hunting with my dad. I just bought a B.B. Gun with my very own money. My dad takes me shooting when he has days off. I love to go fishing. My dad takes me all the time. We just went today and I caught 4 rainbow trout. We are going to eat them. I asked my mom if she wanted any and she didn't answer me, how rude. I love going to Robbers Roost with my dad and doing the 16 mile hike with rapels, my favorite part is Fat Mans Misery. It is a really tight squeeze.

I have a motorbike that is a KTM. I have to wear my gear: helmet, chest pad.

My favorite sport is baseball. I am in coach pitch and can't wait for next year when it will be real pitching. I always hit down the 3rd base line. My dad says he has no idea how I can hit like that all the time. I don't know, I just do. I love that after the games we get sno-cones for free.

I love to eat tacos at Del Taco. Today for breakfast me and my dad went to Del Taco. My dad got 2 tacos they were hard shelled. I got 3 tacos and they were hard shelled. My favorite food is tacos. My favorite drink is apple beer. My dad likes it too. My mom thinks it is too bubblish and fizzy, she doesn't like it. I like bananas. I like Jamba Juice, rAzAmAtAzz.

My favorite colors are blue, orange and red. My motobike is orange.