The LONG and short of it...

Big boy bed, here we come!

2012-01-31T22:36:00.000-08:00

After only a few long nights of trying to put the baby monster to bed and long nights of him waking up every couple hours to find us, Jamison has made the transition from crib dweller. He still takes a little while to get to bed, but he hasn't thrown any big fits like McKinley used to. Thank goodness! Our baby is growing up! He'll only be the baby for a little bit longer. Erica thinks he is still too little to be a big brother. He has a whole three weeks to get big enough! He sure is a cute little kiddo!

He sleeps with The Georges (George 1 and George 2). One on each side (that is important!). See!

They have also made the transition to the big boy bed. They had a much easier time. In fact, the other night I was laying on the floor next to Jamison's bed trying to convince him to go to sleep and Jamison started tucking me in. He put three blankets over me and then set George 1 next to me. He grabbed George 2 and walked all the way around me to carefully place George 2 next to my head on the opposite side of George 1. What a funny kid.

Update

2012-01-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, realize this is two posts in one day. But here is an update:

Big boy bed: 0
Crib: 1

We'll have to buy a new kid proof door knob and try again.

A couple things

2012-01-23T18:09:00.000-08:00

So, like the title suggests, I have a couple things to mention here. The first, I'd like to mention, is the fact that I too am multilingual. You'ns thought that just Erica spoke more than one language. Hah, were you wrong. I happen to speak three languages in addition to English, 1) Baby babble, 2) Whinese, and 3) Gruntonese. I didn't have to spend any money on teach yourself CD's or classes or anything like that. I just picked them up from being around my kids. Neat huh!

The other thing that I wanted to mention was the fact that tonight we are upgrading Jamison from crib-dweller to sleeping in a big boy (toddler) bed. I had not even put a sheet on the mattress and he was jumping on it. It should be interesting to see how it goes. I remember locking McKinley in her room and letting her cry until she fell asleep or exhausted herself from throwing stuff at the door! We'll keep you posted. We would appreciate your prayers for the little guy to make the transition easily. Ha ha.

That's all.

My Sister in law requires an update.

2012-01-11T21:54:00.000-08:00

I don't know what to write about, but I'll catch up a bit. Christmas was fantastic. Nice and quiet. The kids got lots of stuff, as they always do. Jamison was so enthralled with his new ball that he didn't really care about opening too many presents. He also loved climbing in the bigger boxes. I'll show you the pictures.
Jamison in his box, with his ball. He is so cute!!
Sophie and Morgan gave the kids a camel back for when we go hiking. They were very excited!
Jamison playing with his ball over on the far left.
The kids taking a break from opening presents to read daddy's new kid books, "Traction Man" and "Traction man meets turbo Dog". You should check them out. They are pretty funny!

We also went sledding the Monday after Christmas. It was the last snow we had, and it was slim. The kids had fun though. Only one bad wreck.
McKinley had a blast! She is old enough now that she isn't really interested in riding with Matthew or I. Good thing our second sled will fit 3 people.
Me and the boys. It was all I could do to get my snow pants on!! Jamison had sooo much fun!
Matthew thought this picture was kind of cool. It wasn't intentional at all, but its kinda funny. The very blurry blob in the back is McKinley.
There aren't any good pictures of Matthew. I missed everytime!! Sorry, B.
Sorry its been so long. My house doesn't get clean either. Nor does dinner get cooked. Sorry again, B.

No way is this kid 2!!!

2011-12-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

My little guy, who still seems like such a little guy, turned two? When did this happen? I remember his birth! That is saying something as Gavin's is slowly fading.
Jamison is super easy to please. He got a pair of new shoes, a little basketball with a hoop acquired from Matthew's childhood, and some backyardigans' movies. We like the backyardigans. He also got lot of good stuff from his grandparents. Trucks, coloring pages, and games. Good times for a little boy. We kept telling him it was his birthday and he would point back and say "No, you birthday, Mommy!". We aren't super big party people, so it was small and simple. We let him do what he wanted.
Gavin and Jamison are currently obsessed with playing the old school Mario Bros. game online with Matthew. We decided that a mushroom would be a fairly easy cake to make. So, here it is!

I don't even know if he ate any of his cake. None of my kids are big cake eaters. I'm not a big cake eater. Matthew ate some. The rest went to his family. Glad they took care of it.
I realized as I looked at posting Jamison's birthday, that I never posted anything about Gavin's birthday. Poor kid. Middle child syndrome. So, here you have a small tribute to Gavin turning 4. Mostly I just wanted to post a picture of his cake. Obviously I need better food coloring. Who's ever heard of pastel legos? Oh well, he liked it. I try to keep my kids' cakes simple. I'm not super good at decorating. In fact, I think this is the first year that all 3 of them got home made cakes!! (okay, so McKinley's was fruit pizza, but home made none the less. Way better than cake anyway!)

Hope everyone is finding time to Christmas shop! What? Shop for Christmas? My poor husband may not have any presents under the tree. That doesn't mean I don't love him.

Wow!! Time does fly!

2011-11-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

So, I realized this weekend why I feel so big and so pregnant.........Because I am!! Fancy that. I was doing the math and asked Matthew, "Did you know I'm 6 months pregnant?". Holy crow!! Six months! Where did the time go? People always ask me how far along I am and I give them a week approximation based on my last Dr. appointment. I get all confused with the weeks and don't really know what month I'm in. Alas, 6 months!! Only 3 months left. That's just crazy.
The real reason I'm posting is to post a picture of our awesome christmas tree we picked up this weekend. We went to Salt Lake Thursday morning to spend Thanksgiving with my family. What a fun time we enjoy when we get together. There are 11 grandkids now and all but Hanna are under the age of 8. They are very noisy and energetic. Best game ever- Just Dance on the Wii.

We left Saturday afternoon in hopes of hitting up a "cut your own Christmas tree farm" in Farr West. We made it before the sun went down and found this beauty!! Not bad for $35.

(obviously, I'm not the family photographer. Matthew was asleep on the couch. I'll have him take a better lighted one when its fully decorated.)
Its called a Scotch Pine. Matthew joked that its called that because you need to drink a few glasses of scotch to be able to enjoy it! I thought it was a very witty comment and laughed very loudly.
For some reason, they all sport the stylin' top you see here.

It reminds me of Hooville trees. The kids think its awesome! That's all that matters. I like it. Its a lot fuller than the Kelly canyon trees that we normally get. Not to say they are bad, they just need their own drinks of scotch. Just kidding!! I really just think that its the going and getting the tree that is the most important part. We weren't able to make it up to Kelly canyon this year due to snow fall. We don't have snow machines. The kids seemed to like looking for the tree at the tree farm despite the cold. And they loved these silly tops.
I'll put a kelly canyon tree here for comparison.

Like I said, both nice, just different. (And I had to go back to Christmas of '05 to find a whole tree shot! How sad is that!)
I'm somewhat excited this year for Christmas. That's saying a lot seeing as how I'm somewhat of a scrooge. (long story) We even went Christmas shopping while in Salt Lake. Outside of a few essential church clothes, we are done! We tried to tone down the toys as my kids are spoiled. Jamison's birthday is on the 11th, so it makes it somewhat difficult to buy Christmas and birthday for the little guy. Anyhoo.....Hope you all have good luck getting your trees. Remember, the true meaning of Christmas is Christ. That's the whole reason we celebrate. I try to remind my kids of that constantly. Alas, they still love the toys!!
Happy holiday season!!

I'm a little late with Halloween!

2011-11-21T09:33:00.000-08:00

So, Halloween was pretty run of the mill. Just did the trunk or treat at the church and they had a soup dinner. McKinley dressed as a Rainbow Princess, Gavin as Rafael (ninja turtle), and Jamison was a monkey. They all had a grand time.
I'm mostly posting to show off our awesome pumpkin carving skills. Matthew's dad plants half his garden in pumpkins and then sells them. Matthew brought a load down here and we sold most of them. We had about 20 left. So, we carved them all. Matthew did most of them on a Sunday afternoon while I slept. But, I'm super proud of my Quasimoto pumpkin!! See for yourself. My husband is pretty awesome at carving pumpkins. He's had a lot of practice over the years. I especially like the slashed out eye one in the middle of the bottom picture. Pretty gruesome.

The day after halloween, Gavin really wanted me to go and buy a Mario brothers Mario costume. After much deliberation, I found these blue overalls and red shirt. Matthew came home, drew mustaches on the boys, put his hats on them, and WALLA, two Marios!! Gavin was content. Cute little boys!
I sure do love my kids!! Can they get any cuter?

Hand me a 5/8" deep socket

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

I have a confession to make. I am 29 years old and like to play with Legos. Do I need to give them up? I think not. They are so much fun! All three of the kids like to play with them so I get to do a little bonding with my kiddos. It's so interesting to see what they come up with. McKinley likes to make patterns with them and her latest creations are making food (bananas, watermelon, strawberries, cupcakes, etc.). Gavin loves to build flying things right now and to play prisoner (which consists of building a prison cell, saying "Get in there criminal!", letting the prisoner escape, and then capturing him and starting over). Jamison likes Legos too. I'm not exactly sure what he does but if the Legos get dumped out he will come running to sit on my lap and play too.

So during General Conference in October, we were playing Legos and trying to listen to the speakers. This is what we built.

Kind of fun, huh! Can you see the potential for a whole book made from scenes from Lego creations?

Two words.....stugeon fishing!

2011-10-28T21:00:00.001-07:00

If it's been a while since you've done anything very exciting, I would suggest trying sturgeon fishing. There's nothing quite like hooking into a fish that feels big enough to yank the pole out of your hand and pull you over the side of the boat. That and the fact that they are an old enough species to be dinosaurs.

Anyways, my brother Devin came down on Wednesday night and we went down below American Falls Reservoir to try our luck. I had never been before and Devin went last weekend for the first time. We didn't get there until about 9 pm and stayed until 12:30. It was a lot of fun to sit in the dark with a huge pole in your hand with a glow in the dark light taped to the tip to watch. We hooked three and landed two of them. They were both 4-5 ft long. They look like sharks kind of when they first come up, but they are so calm when you land them. They just roll over and wait for you to unhook them and take their picture.

We had a blast and can't wait to go again. Enjoy some pictures!

The great white sturgeon! Kind of sharky looking, right?!

Here's Devin trying to measure one. He's holding the tail by his shoulder and reaching as far as he could with the other arm. This one is about 5 ft long.

They are pretty big around too.

This is what they do when you finally get them up to the boat. They just roll over and are really calm while you unhook them.

Say it with me, "Yellow!"

2011-10-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

Jamison is learning his colors. He does pretty darn good for being less than two. Check out this video of our cute little boy.

Yellow. Got it!

I love my kids!

2011-10-12T01:43:00.000-07:00

So Gavin said something that made me laugh today. Okay, he always makes me laugh, but I thought this one was worth sharing. When we cook on the grill, Matthew is always the grill master and the kids, usually Gavin, get to be his junior grill masters. Well, today Matthew was busy doing something else, so I went out to start the grill. Gavin came with me. This is what followed.

Gavin: No, we need daddy!
Me: I'm going to be the grill master today.
Gavin: You can't! You're too young!

Ha ha ha ha ha!! Made me giggle. I kindly informed him that I'm older than his daddy and we proceeded to light the grill. Actually we didn't. The tank wasn't out there as Matthew just went and filled it. Oh well, it made for a funny conversation.

Oh, I suppose I should let everyone know now that the secret is out to all my family. We are expecting again. Baby number 4 is due late February. It is suppose to be a little girl. I'm sure it is, but you never know. There you go, my big secret!!

Photo Shoot!

2011-09-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

We wanted some pictures of the kids to replace the ones we took last fall. Jamison is not a baby anymore. There are lots of spots in old town that spark my interest on my way to work.

DISCLAIMER: I make no claim whatsoever to a photographer of people. My theory is to snap enough pictures of the kids and a couple are bound to turn out.

Doesn't always work but there are usually a couple that work. I am still very much an amateur. I look up to my sister-in-law Sophie. We bought the same camera she had a couple years ago. We have loved it. She really works hard at learning how to use her camera and what a shot needs. She made the jump to a DSLR this year and is loving it. I'm still too intimidated. I need more practice.

Anyways, enjoy some shots of our beautiful children. We are open to votes on which picture to put on our wall for each of the kids. I'll number them

We'll start with the baby first to change it up. He is the cutest, but the least likely to hold still and smile for the camera.

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#7
#8

I guess that makes Gavin next. He is a photogenic little fella. I don't know where he gets it from, it must not be hereditary. I think that Sophie has trained him. He'll take a few pictures and then he's ready to run off and play, but they are usually pretty cute.

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5

Last but not least is McKinley Magoo. She is getting better at taking pictures, Sophie needs to work on her some more. She didn't make the goofy happy chipmunk face once on Sunday. She is sure growing up into a beautiful little girl. A little ADHD sometimes, but still beautiful.

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5

Our backpacking expotition

2011-09-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

Yeah, you know expotition. From Winnie the Pooh Heffalump movie. It's like an expedition, but with kids involved. Anyways, we took our first family backpacking trip over labor day. We hiked to the lower Palisades Lake which is about 4 miles. Erica carried Jamison, McKinley and Gavin carried their sleeping bags, and I carried as much of everything else that I could. Morgan, Sophie, Devin, and Garrett came too. They helped carry what I couldn't.

We started Saturday morning just before noon. Jamison walked for about 45 minutes. He is so funny to watch. He doesn't actually walk, he runs. McKinley and Gavin were little troopers. They walked all the way there. Here's some pictures of our little hikers.

We camped just above the lower lake at the main campground. Devin and Garrett let us use their tents and they slept in their hammocks. Here's our little home away from home.

Sunday we got up and made our way up to the upper lake which is another 2.7 miles. Mom and James met us at the bridge where you cross the creek and head up the switchbacks to the upper lake. It was fun to just "happen" to bump into them. They helped carry Gavin up the switchbacks. McKinley almost made it to the top. She stopped about 100 yards from the top where you can see down to the lake and just said "I'm not walking any farther". Erica carried her the last little bit up the hill until McKinley saw the lake and then she got down and started walking again. It was kind of funny.

My brothers and I have been to the lower lake quite a few times but none of us have ever been to the upper lake. We would ride our bikes to the lower lake and fish but had never gone the rest of the way to the upper lake. The fishing is not that great up there, but the lake is a lot bigger and really pretty.

We had lunch up there and then headed back. We fished in the creek on the way back to the lower lake and caught a load of fish for dinner. Gavin had fun fishing with me, Morgan, Devin, and Garrett.

That night the kids ate so much food! They had burned a lot of energy walking that far and they were hungry. The 7 lb watermelon that Devin packed in tasted pretty darn good that night!

We packed up and headed out on Monday. The kids walked all the way out too. We were so proud of them that we promised that we could stop at the (old) Swan Valley Commissary (I don't remember what it's called now) and got square ice cream cones. It was a fun weekend. The kids had fun and did a great job walking. We walked about 13.4 miles in three days. Gavin got carried a little bit on Sunday but McKinley walked almost every bit of it.

Erica and I are so proud our our little hiker children. It will be a weekend to remember. It went pretty well, so I think that we will have to go again sometime. Sophie had some fun pictures that she took with her camera. We'll have to get copies and post some of them. She posted some on her blog but it is private.

Thanks for your help bros (and Sophie), we'll return the favor some day!

Sophie, this one's for you

2011-09-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

Sophie is my dear sister in law. I've never had a sister so it's been a learning experience. We all really like Sophie, especially the kids. Who else would teach my children how to say 'echinodermota'? Anyways, Morgan, Dad, and I made the annual pilgrimage up Red Ridge on our motorbikes. Dad has been going since he was in his teens, 40 years ago. All four of us boys have gone at different times though we've never all been together. I would like to see that happen at some point. We'll have to acquire some more motorbikes to make that happen. Anyways, part of this marvelous adventure is the hunting of blue grouse. (Keep reading Sophie, I'm getting to the whole reason for this post, I have two pictures to post and then the one for you).

Here we are at the rock slide. This is my new motorbike's first trip up Red Ridge. My old white one has made it numerous times and Morgan's bike has been even more times.

Here is the elusive (not really) blue grouse. Sometimes they block the trail and you have to shoot them to get by.

Okay, Sophie this next picture is for you.
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Morgan clearing the trail by shooting birds with his .22 pistol. Yes, he is still sitting astride his trusty steed, wearing his helmet and gloves!

I hope the suspense was worth it Sophie. Your husband (aka my brother) is so rad. I would like to say I taught him all he knows but unfortunately it is probably the other way around.

We ate our birds on Sunday. BBQ Blue Grouse is Jamison's new favorite recipe. I cooked them in the crock pot for most of the day in some salt water and then shredded them and put the BBQ sauce in and simmer for a couple more hours (kind of like shredded pork).

Tasty!

My garden!!

2011-08-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post these pictures really quick. I've been so busy between work and gardening. My house is not very clean, dishes aren't done, laundry is washed, but not usually folded, and poor McKinley still doesn't have clothes or shoes for school!! I'll have to remedy that last one tomorrow.
Here's what I've been doing:

All those beans are bottled now. I've got 35 quarts so far. I need to get outside and pick again today. I'm hoping to get up to 80 quarts and then I'll split them 50/50 with my next door neighbor who helps me pick and who paid for half the seed.

Bean plants and carrots. I planted a lot of beans!!!

My yellow squash came on after the zucchini, so now I have a bunch of yellow squash and not a whole ton of zucchini. But still too much to eat every night. Made some delicious chocolate zucchini bread the other day. Yum!!! Oh, and that big green thing on the left-that is zucchini. Its a plant that was a volunteer in my pea patch. But they grow like that instead of long and skinny. We don't eat them, they are just fun to see.
I got my first ears of corn last saturday. They were yummy.
The tomatoes are starting to ripen. I call the tomato plants "monstrous nightmares" because they are so big and out of control!!
I'm very proud of my garden and go out to check everything once a day. Its a lovely feeling to be able to eat out of your own garden. We've been eating red potatoes and using the onions as well.
Until next time........whenever that will be.

News from last week

2011-08-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

So, this is really news from two weeks ago, but the pictures are still cool. There was a fire in Pocatello below China Peak which is east and south a little bit from our house. We watched it burn from our driveway when I got home from work and I took these few pictures. I don't think that anyone was hurt though it did burn down one house unfortunately.

Family reunions

2011-08-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

We've had a couple family reunions the last little while. The Hurst family (my mom's mom) and the Hill family. I don't really know too many people on the Hurst side. We mostly hang out with our immediate cousins, but it is fun to let the kids get to know my cousins. I thought that I better share a few pictures to keep people looking at our blog. I know, I know, stories of motorbikes don't thrill everyone. So as promised, a few pictures, and since it's me posting, some witty commentary to accompany them.

Gavin and Jamison had a blast playing air hockey together (or with anyone else for that matter) at Shauna and Michael's house. It was so fun to see them play together. They would both laugh and laugh.Gavin is an air hockey fool! Just ask him. In fact Gavin would like to explain now why he is so awesome. This is Gavin typing. oppp[]]]\fffffgml;poo9i8u75rxzsdzaq1jhyy6gygnnnn444444444[ppp
4wwqkomttyty GAVIN 4MNw

The kids got to ride in a wagon behind these mighty steeds. This photo was not altered in any way. Those really are tiny little horses!

Great Grandpa and Grandma Hurst had this nativity scene that somebody liked so they brought it and set it up so everybody could remember it. This picture actually has a couple extra wiseguys in it. See if you can find them...

McKinley is so lucky that Aunt Shauna is so awesome! She did a way better job doing McKi's hair that I would have. Erica had to work and stayed home so I was in charge. I am a way good delegater.

This is a beautiful picture of two little girls. Nakona is actually my cousin but she's just a year older than McKinley. They had fun playing together.

We used to go camping every year with all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins but haven't made it the last couple years. I kind of miss it. There's just something about being camping that makes people seem more real. You see them groggy in the morning, you see them dirty, you laugh, you play, you burn things. It's a real bonding time. That is a tradition that I would like to see carried out in my family. Amen.

Ride Night!

2011-07-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

Tuesdays are my favorite day right now. It's the night that I get to go for a motorbike ride. I've been going with a friend who lives three houses down the street. It's great to get out and enjoy the beautiful mountains around Pocatello. In fact, we were just talking tonight about how different the mountains look from the top of a mountain. We can load up and drive for 10-20 minutes and unload at some great trail heads. I was surprised to find out how many good trails there are not too far from home. There is some good single track even!

I love my bike!

Erica and I went for a ride a couple weeks ago when the kids were in Salt Lake at Grandma's. We took a few pictures on my phone so as soon as I figure out how to get them off my phone I'll post them.

Looky Looky We Like Bookies!!

2011-07-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

Matthew would like me to inform you all that we added a favorite kid book list to our side bar. He says to mention that we don't own "traction man" or "seven hungry babies". Just in case someone needs an idea for Christmas or birthday presents. We really do like books!!

Mean old big sister!

2011-07-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

It rained today. This one forgot his raincoat. Then his lovely sister decided to kick the puddle empty. Guess where it landed?
He didn't seem to mind too much. It was a bit chilly. Matthew bathed him-clothes and all. Doesn't that look yummy?
I love his smile!! We cannot get over how cute this kid is!! I'm sure we thought that of the other two as well, but when they are in the midst of stinky 3's and horrific 6's, you kinda forget. We love them, too! (if you double click on the pics, you get an idea of how blue Jamison's eyes are.)

Looky Looky-I'm blogging!

2011-06-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

I guess I feel like nothing exciting has happened to me lately. Same old, same old, being a stay at home mom with summer activities. Actually, I've been rather busy and by the time I sit down to veg at the computer, my brain is too tired to think! I do have some news though.

News #1: our ward boundaries were changed again. Its been about 5 weeks now. I've now been in my new calling for that long. I'm the ward Primary President. I love the kids!! Absolutely love them!! I do not so much love the calling of teachers to classes and deciding if they are exciting or loathing the fact that they are in primary. And nursery is even harder!! We have a super small, young married student like ward. My primary consist of 32 kids and 20 of them are 6 and younger. We have a fairly good size nursery-about 10 that come on a regular basis. Its been a trip getting my small primary staffed! I'm so glad for the experience I've had with bigger primaries.

News #2: McKinley graduated from Kindergarten. That's been a couple weeks ago, but I'm behind on blogging. Matthew loves the picture of her holding her duck upside down. It was while they were singing their color song. She learned so much in Kindergarten, but most of all, she learned to have lots of friends. She is reading pretty good and I'm so proud of her!! I worry about the future of public education here in Idaho, but I would never pull her from the system as there is no equal to the social aspect of school! ( and I can't afford the private school)

McKinley and Mrs. Darley. (Gavin and dad in the background, with Jamison on the bleachers.)

News #3: my youngest brother in law returned home from his mission-June 2 to be exact. The boys now have the band back together-except that all three brothers went out to work as river guides for the summer. Garrett had never met Jamison and Gavin didn't really remember him, as he wasn't even two when he left. Its so fun to have him back.

News #4: McKinley turned 6. She wanted to make a pinata. That was a fun adventure!! They actually helped with the paper mache, but the decorating was a little difficult to do with lots of kids. My awesome little niece, Zoe, helped me though. It turned out pretty good. We went down to Echo reservoir to celebrate with my family. Heather, my little sis, celebrated her birthday the day after McKinley. It was her idea to meet at the reservoir. It was a little cold, but all the kids ventured into the water. My mom, my brother Adam, and I were the only adults brave enough (or dumb enough) to go for a swim. Someone had to supervise the kids!!

McKinley takes after me-she doesn't care for cake. I haven't made her a cake for 3 years now. This year she opted for fruit pizza. Delicious!!

News #5: My garden is GROWING!!!! So excited!! I took pictures today, so I'll show you what it looks like. I had to replant all my green beans. The first set I planted didn't grow. I have no idea why. Too cold, too deep, root rot, bad seed? I really don't know. I think it was probably too cold. 16 rows!!! We originally planted pole beans, but replanted with bush beans. I'm glad now because we don't have to stake them all up!! Also had to replant my cucumbers and yellow crook neck squash. They are starting to come up too!! I'll take some pictures later in the summer when everything is big and green and fruitful. I'm so excited about this! My landlords were nice enough to let us plant on their property. We are sharing with them and our next door neighbors. Even sharing, I think we'll have plenty!! I go out and check the garden at least 3 times a day!! I'm so silly, but I'm proud of the accomplishment. Not very often do I start something and see it through. But there is such an intense sense of fulfillment to see something grow and be able to provide for your own table. One day I'll have an orchard too!!
There are my freshly replanted green beans, starting to come up!! I'm so glad they are coming up! I bottle these, and we love them!! It would have been a disaster not to have them.
Here are carrots, onions, and red potatoes. We only did one row of onions. No worries though, my father in law planted 300!!! No, that is not a typo!
My peas came up nicely! Some of them anyway.
Far left, middle of the side you see my zucchini plants. They came up beautifully. Not sure why the crookneck didn't. Oh well, they are also in this picture, but too small to see right now. All those covered things are the tomatoes. Two cherry, one early girl, and 3 normal.
And last of all, the corn. We have 10 rows, but some of the seeds didn't come up, so who knows how many ears we will get. But they seem to be growing well.
I'm so excited!!
It seems I've been rather busy. Maybe that's why I haven't posted. And here I though my life wasn't exciting!
Until next time!

New word of the day

2011-06-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

Jamison is so awesome. He is really small for his age but he is starting to speak and learn new words. His new word for today is "vegetable". He says "vegeble" but says it really well. It is pretty funny. Smart little fella. We sure think that he is cute.

Two ways to look at it

2011-05-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Gavin had a recent "experience". There are two ways to look at it. Erica insists that it was a near death experience. The other view point would be a science experiment gone wrong (think Benjamin Franklin and the kite/lightning thing).

Just look for yourself.

Kids, this is what happens when you put a quarter on the two prongs of any electrical device that is plugged in. In this case, a nightlight. Neat, huh!

Gavin is okay in case you were wondering.

The black smudge on the wall of our neighbor's house, who was babysitting him, is pretty cool too! It is the same neighbor's house where he hit his eye and needed stitches. Coincidence???

MAN WORK!!!

2011-05-01T19:58:00.001-07:00

So, being an engineer, I spend a lot of time sitting at a desk looking at my computer. When I do get out of the office, most of the time it is to watch someone else work, very rarely do I ever do any actual physical labor. I kind of miss it. I spent all of my childhood helping on the farm. Carrying siphon tubes, shoveling to get the potato rows watered, rolling hay bales, feeding the cows, digging potatoes, even working in the garden; weeding, picking, watering. I started building when I was 10 years old when we started remodeling and building the house that we lived in. I worked building apartments when Erica and I first got married and were living in Bountiful. I worked for a general contractor when we moved to Logan to finish school for two years before I got my job at the water lab. So sometimes I miss doing some good old fashioned work. MAN WORK!!!

I got to do a little MAN WORK this weekend. For those of you who haven't heard, I bought a new dirt bike. It is a Yamaha WR450F. I bought it from a guy in Idaho Falls and since I don't have a trailer (or a truck!) Dad took it to his house with his truck. Here is a photo real quick:

Not my bike, but this is what it looks like. Some actual photos will be posted as the summer progresses.

Anyways, to remedy the fact that my new bike lives an hour away, I started building a trailer to haul it this weekend. Well, more like remodeling. Dad and I salvaged a little boat trailer a couple years ago that has been sitting out in the junk pile. It was in pretty bad shape and Dad had taken the rollers off it to use for a trailer that he was building for a boat. We looked at this old trailer and decided that it would work pretty good for a little motor bike trailer. So this is where the MAN WORK comes in. Dad had to go work on fence for a while so I had to cut the supports off for a boat. Nothing like using a big grinder, hammer, and cold chisel to break loose some welds. After repositioning the brackets for the leaf springs we bolted the axle back on. The tongue was way too long so we cut it shorter and will put a new hitch on it. We welded some additional braces across it and are just about ready for a deck. Some tires, lights, and a bike frame and we will be set!

It was very satisfying to see sparks fly, metal being melted and cut, and to use a big hammer. Everybody needs to do a little MAN WORK sometimes! Especially us desk jockeys.

Oh and on a minor side note, Jamison pooped in the toilet today. Pretty exciting for the people who have to change his diaper!

"That is not a good picture!"

2011-04-12T21:26:00.001-07:00

That is what Gavin said about this picture taken the weekend of general conference. We went for a short hike and picnic up a trail called city creek. I wanted to take a picture with all the kids, so we stopped at the bridge. I didn't know that Jamison grabbed Gavin's hair until after it happened! Matthew thought it was hilarious! Such a sweet baby brother.
We've been out of the game......again!! Just for a few days. Our computer got sick and I had to take it to the computer doctor. That's what I told the kids. Apparently we had 87 malicious and unwelcome items and 1452 mis-linked and incorrect entries. Whatever it was, it made our computer do some super weird stuff. Nothing too bad, just irritating. Its good to have it back in working order.
Not much else is going on. An elder from my mission was on "Dancing with the stars". He is a ballroom dancer, and I knew that, but he is good!!! I didn't know him well as he went home soon after I arrived, but still, it is cool to see someone you know on the TV.
I'll leave you with another beautiful picture of our child.
Love that spaghetti!!

Being a parent can be...

2011-03-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

AWESOME! Like last Sunday afternoon when we didn't make any plans for dinner and didn't feel like cooking, we had crackers and cheese for an appetizer and then two huge bowls of popcorn and orange julius for dinner. It's kind of fun to be able to be the one in charge and decide what's for dinner.

DIFFICULT! Like last week when Jamison got pink eye, McKinley threw up on Tuesday night, Gavin wet his bed three out of five nights, and all three of them had fevers at different times throughout the week.

AWESOME! Like Jamison learning to feed himself and loving to eat.

DIFFICULT! Like when Jamison throws handfuls of food at you and then takes his whole plate and throws it, and the remaining food on it, as far as he can.

So as you can see from our recent activity, being a parent has its ups and downs. There is usually something exciting going on! We have a lot of fun with the kids. I love playing with legos and needed a good excuse to buy some again. McKinley, Gavin, and Jamison all like to play with legos. They make any easy birthday present (hint, hint). We got an origami calendar for Christmas two years ago and are still working on it. There is a sheet for each day. We've had fun with it. Our lastest favorite is jumping frogs. Here is a link to make your own!

http://seagrant.wisc.edu/frogs/origami_instr.html

I bring home scrap paper from work for the kids to color on. We have a drawer set just for the kids to store paper, crayons, scissors, glue, tape, stencils, construction paper, little scraps of paper that have been cut up into tiny bits, and other stuff. I get regular 8.5 x 11, 11x17, and big 36x48 sheets. It's fun for the kids.

Like I said, there are ups and downs to being a parent, but its a good thing. Kids can be really funny. Just borrow ours for a day and you'll see what I mean!

This is so sad.....

2011-03-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

I was going to blog about something funny, not having to do with our children. I can't remember what it was. Pathetic.
That being said, I might as well say a little something while I'm here. I've been reminiscing a lot lately. Most people who read this know that I served a mission in Argentina. Lately I've been missing the experiences and people I met there. Our stake has set the goals of getting to know your neighbors and loving them. How hard it is for me to go out and meet the neighbors who live behind us!! Being in the mission field, you are constantly knocking on doors, sharing your testimony, sharing who we are. Why is it so hard now? Anyhoo, I'll get to it-on a bread making day. Warm bread should warm over any neighbor, right?
I got an email a couple days a go from a family in Argentina. He was the ward mission leader. Such sweet people!! I really want to go back when the temple in Cordoba is completed. He said it will be 3 years out. That is good news for me, not so much for them. I might have enough time to save enough money by then!! It was fun to hear from them.
My mother in law got remarried this last week to the guy she's been dating for the past several months. Kinda weird, but she is extremely happy. I like the guy. He's really good to Janean. What a surreal experience to go through divorcing parents as an adult. You never get over being the kid. If anyone ever needs to talk........
I found some fun pics to post...because I always like to look at pics...
Gavin, me, and Janean. Gavin likes to run over your shadow. Its a good game to help him turn.
These are ice crystals on our kitchen window. Sophie, you'll appreciate this picture. Matthew took it. He's getting pretty good with our camera.
Us with McKinley. She's an awesome little skier. We need to work on getting her doing Christy turns. Its nice to have a picture with both of us in it.
If you don't laugh at this, there is something wrong with you! I'm not sure what she was looking at! We have a second one where she was looking at the camera and looking normal, but where is the fun in that? Oh my! Just makes me laugh!

Three Blind Mice

2011-03-01T13:03:00.001-08:00

Last week our renter in Rexburg called to tell us that the ceiling in our bathroom downstairs was leaking. All of our family that live up north were out of town, so we decided to make the trip to Rexburg after Matthew got off work. McKinley stayed with our neighbor, so we just had the boys. In our attempt to keep Gavin awake, we taught him a new song-Three Blind Mice.
This is how it went, over and over and over again!
Gavin: Three Blind Mice, Three Blind Mice
Us: See...
Gavin: how they run, see how they run
Us: They....
Gavin: all run after the farmer's wife
Us: Who....
Gavin: cut off their tails with the butcher's knife
Us: Have you....
Gavin: Ever seen such a sight in your life
Together: As three blind mice.
Gavin: Yahoody!! Let's sing it again! Hock a Loogie!

After about the 5th time, we stopped laughing when he said that. But it was sure funny the first time. Obviously he doesn't really understand what it means to "hock a loogie" but he's heard it before! He is such a silly kid!
Oh-and we didn't find a leak. But there is a lovely hole in the ceiling of the downstairs bathroom now!

How to Wean the Babe from the Binky

2011-02-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

So, Jamison decided he was done with binkies. I really wish he wasn't as it makes me so sad to hear him cry himself to sleep, but he's done. The story.....
We only had two binkies for Jamison. One got really disgusting and we threw it away. The other one got misplaced in Salt Lake I think. We stole a third from my brother, who's baby decided she was done with binkies. Earlier this week we misplaced that one as well. So, Monday night, after Jamison wouldn't go to sleep without his binky, I ran to albertson's and picked up a 3 pack. Jamison picked up the first one, looked at the cool design on the back of it, put it in his mouth, GAGGED, and threw it to the floor. He picked up the second, examined that design, put it in his mouth, GAGGED, and tossed that one. He didn't even bother checking the third one out. He just picked it up and chucked it.
We have tried time and again to get him to use them. I did have some success last night putting one in my mouth and one in his. Needless to say, he can go to sleep without them and will go back to sleep at night if I rock him. We are prematurely done with the binky. Oh well, at least he won't be 3 years old sucking on a pacifier.
Lesson: if you want to wean your kid of the binky, buy him some that are not the same shape as what he's been using. Problem solved. (at least for us!)
The kids are sick. Lucky us. Jamison has been sick all week. Nasty little cough and huge amounts of snot coming out his nose. McKinley just has a cough, nothing too serious. I thought Gavin was going to come out clean, but last night he woke up coughing and wheezing. He sounds like an asthmatic when he gets a cold. Last night he was trying not to breath and when I asked what he was doing, he said, with a very angry look on his face"That sound bugs me" (the sound of his wheezing). Silly kid. We are staying inside today with no visitors. Hopefully Matthew and I will stay healthy. Its the worst being a sick mom. You still have to take care of the kids and there is no one to take care of you. Shout out to Nat who has more sick problems than me!
You know, blogs are funny. I always wonder if people find my life as interesting and funny as I find it. Its always funnier when you are there. However, its fun to record silly little stories, even if it is just for us.

We Got It!!

2011-01-26T22:40:00.000-08:00

A video of our little guy walking!! He's so cute! We took two, a long one and a short one. Lucky for you, we are posting the short one. Just enough cuteness. He is so funny! He's starting giving big, open mouth, slobbery kisses. Lucky us!!

This video makes McKinley look like Ginormica! Okay, so she doesn't look that tall, but she does look big. I can't believe how old she is. She says the funniest stuff, all adult like. Her ear was infected on Sunday. It was swollen around the earring, about twice as thick as the other side. After a huge battle to get her to let me take the earring out, clean it (which was gross!), and put the earring back in, we were both exhausted! About 1/2 hour later she says, "Mom, my ear feels a lot better now. Thanks for taking care of it. It feels so much better." She told me again the next day. It does look a lot better now.

Valentine Givaway

2011-01-22T20:25:00.000-08:00

So, a friend of a friend of mine has a website consisting of gourmet chocolates. It all looks delicious. To help with advertising, she is having a contest. Not that I'll ever win, mostly because I'm not entering a whole lot of times. But, it looks good enough to blog about. So, go check out this link and see what you think.

http://iminthekitchentonight.blogspot.com/2011/01/valentines-day-giveaway.html

I hope it works to just click on it. I never do stuff like this. If not, just copy and paste.
The store is called The Forbidden Fruit. They do a lot of really cute stuff with caramel apples. Anyhoo, wish my one entry luck!! And good luck if you decide to enter too!

It's Official...

2011-01-19T21:53:00.000-08:00

Baby Jamison is now walking. He has officially entered toddlerhood. Today is the day to mark on your calendars grandparents. As cute as it is, his powers as DestructoBaby have been increased exponentially. He can now reach higher and make more messes even faster than before. We are glad to see him walk though. Both of the other kids walked sooner. McKinley at 9 months and Gavin at 10 months. Jamison is 13 months. It is sure amazing to watch kids learn to walk. You can't help but watch and laugh at their funny stiff-legged walk. I suppose we could take a short video to post. Keep an eye out for one but don't hold your breath while you wait.

SCARY!!!

2011-01-16T21:09:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a while as we keep forgetting to take our camera skiing with us. I'm not good at posting without pictures. However, I do have a story to tell.
Matthew has been teaching snowboard lessons at the ski hill on Saturdays. He does the series classes, so the same kids come back every week for 4 weeks. Because he teaches and because Janean practically runs the ski school, McKinley gets to go to lessons for free. Every Saturday two hours before lunch and then two hours after lunch. It's awesome for her!! So, I guess her class is a little adventurous this year. Okay, the teacher said they are wild, not adventurous. Anyhoo, McKinley is old enough now that she doesn't need a parental escort on the lift like she did last year. Scary, Scary, Scary!! And to make matters worse, this last Saturday, her lift buddy leaned too far forward and FELL OFF THE LIFT!! 25 ft down she went! Luckily, and very luckily, she did not sustain any injuries and was laughing when ski patrol went to get her. THEN, that girl's brother fell off the lift!! He wasn't riding with McKinley. Again, no injuries sustained. SCARY! I cannot even begin to express the fear I have of McKinley or Gavin falling off the lift. We talked with McKinley on the way home, making sure she knows that it is not cool to fall off the lift. I think she gets it. Still........
So, I do have a couple of pics and a funny story. McKinley and Gavin fight all of the time. When I can't take it anymore I send them to their room and tell them they can't come out until they can play nice. They share a room, so it forces them together in a closed space and seems to help them chill out. I was doing the dishes and they came down stairs after a time out dressed like this......

Then McKinley started itunes and she grabbed Gavin's hands and they were dancing! It was so cute! I grabbed the camera to take a pic, but they wouldn't dance together after I had the camera. Gavin did not come down in his spiderman slippers. He had on a pair of McKinley's church shoes. Pretty funny! McKinley helped Gavin do up his buttons. Their room was a mess from pulling all their clothes out of the closet, but at least they found a way to play nice.

Finally-we can get on again

2011-01-02T21:45:00.000-08:00

Something happened to our blogging password. It prevented us from posting for a bit. So, quick updates. Jamison turned 1 on the 11th. Happy Birthday little guy! He came in at 17 lbs 6 oz and 18 inches tall, which is the smallest of all our kids at a year. He seems so small to us!! It puts him in the 1% for weight and the 6% for height. Matthew is terrified that McKinley will be 6 ft tall and Jamison will be 5'5". I'm sure he'll be taller than that. His birthday was pretty quiet. We celebrated at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Morgan's house. (thanks for letting us crash your house, Soph!) He wasn't too interested in getting into his cake. After about 20 minutes of screaming and eating cake given to him by Matthew, he finally went after it with a fork. He did not like the frosting. Visual aids........
I'm pretty proud of this cake. I've been rather lazy making cakes lately. This is my first attempt since McKinley turned 2. Lucky for them, grandma Susie loves making cakes!! I'll start being better!!
What he looked like for the first while.

Finally, a fork!! He did not like to touch the frosting. Silly kid.

Christmas was wonderful. The kids got way to many new toys, but it has kept them busy in the past week. I cleaned out their old toys, to weed out the non essentials and organize the remaining toys, and found Gavin's Buzz and Woody dolls. I think he's been happier to see them than anything else he got at Christmas. He does love his transformers. McKinley got an art kit with more crayons, markers, paints, stamps, stickers, etc than one little girl needs. She loves it though and its portable, making it nice for trips. Jamison did not show too much interest in our holiday adventures. Matthew got a remote control helicopter, which he enjoys as well as the kids. Gavin enjoyed trying to shoot it down with his new nerf guns! We did take a trip to Grandma Susie's prior to Christmas. It was a fun visit with cousins and aunts and uncles. We always have a good laugh when my siblings and I get together. We are all fairly loud and sarcastic, so it makes for good times. My brother is a superb cook and made a delicious rib and turkey dinner. My favorite part is the vegetable tray with ranch dip. Nothing gets better than that!!

Notice Gavin's spidey pj's in the background. He also got a big fleece spidey blanket from grandma Susie. The kid loves action figures.

New Year's was spent up in Rexburg, as is tradition. We went skiing Thursday and Friday and then had our annual Christmas tree burn on Saturday. We had lots of good, dried trees. It was awesome!!! We didn't do much on New Year's eve. Matthew despises dancing, so I couldn't convince him to take me anywhere. Maybe next year. Skiing went well. Gavin can get down the hill without help and McKinley is showing greater control over her skis. Its enough that Matthew and I can continue riding our boards rather than skiing. (or attempting to ski in my case) McKinley is anxious to try out a snowboard, but we are hesitant to let her till she gets older. She's so good at skiing!
It was nice to have Matthew take a day off to go up skiing. Janean was able to keep Jamison in the ski school office, so we didn't even have to get a babysitter. She even kept McKinley and Gavin so we could take a couple runs without the kids. I'm getting better at turning down steep hills. I'm a big fat chicken!!
Funny story-today during sacrament meeting McKinley was observing our bishop's family. They have a daughter her age and they are good friends. She says to me in a "this is not fair" voice, "Mom, Abby's mom has 4 kids and we only have 3!". I explained to her that Abby's mom is a little older than I am and someday we will have 4 kids, just not right now. It is so funny what little kids worry about.
Hope everyone had a good holiday season. We didn't send out Christmas cards this year, so belated Merry Christmas to all!

EXTREME SLEDDING!!!

2010-12-06T21:43:00.000-08:00

We decided to venture out into the snow this past Saturday and go sledding. Most of the snow here in the valley has melted, so we traveled a bit up Mink Creek Canyon. We found a closed road that served well for a beginning sledding hill.

Then there was this......

And this........

McKinley wasn't too interested in the beginner hill. Gavin had to warm up to "extreme sledding". Jamison got cold, so he and I spent part of the time in the van, exploring all the knobs and gadgets. He did enjoy sledding.

Funny story about my brain. It doesn't work too well. I'm going to claim lack of sleep. We got all the way to where we stopped to go sledding before I realized I had left my snow boots in the garage. Matthew says "well, you'll be okay in your tennis shoes". I then had to inform him that I wasn't wearing my tennis shoes. Check out my "snow shoes".

I was wearing my slippers, which are clogs, so I just slipped the elastic on my snowpants over the top. I put the back part under my heel. It worked pretty good. McKinley didn't understand why I couldn't hike up to go extreme sledding. I still had a good time.

I just like the above picture of Matthew wrecking with Jamison. This is the mild extreme hill. Gavin ran into that pole you can see on the left, which kinda soured him on sledding down the bigger hills. He finally went one last time right before we left. He's so much more cautious than McKinley.

Happy late Thanksgiving!! May you all have wonderful sledding adventures of your own!!

There's a RAT in my Kitchen!!

2010-11-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

I made bread again today. I find it very satisfying to make bread. It makes me feel like I've accomplished something. (Even if my house is still a mess!) Anyway, the recipe I use says to make 4 loaves, but they are small loaves. We use them for sandwiches, so making such small sandwiches is perfect for the kids, but not so for my starving husband. So, this time I only made 3 loaves. I took a comparison picture so you can see the difference.
On the far left is the previous size loaf. I think I'll stick to making 3 loaves. Matthew came home from work at 5:30 and saw the beautiful loaves. Then, about 15 minutes later, we went into the kitchen to find this!! A giant RAT-boy named Gavin took bites out of each of my loaves of bread! Little stinker. We just laugh. He's so funny. He'll eat cheese like that, too. Maybe he really is a rat.

First Major Blood!!!

2010-10-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is what Gavin looked like this morning, before lunch. (Matthew was checking out possible family pic locations. Gavin was his model!)
This is what Gavin looked like after lunch.
He rolled off our neighbor's couch and hit their coffee table just right. 6 stitches later........He was such a trooper at the urgent care clinic. Didn't cry and let them do the job. The PA and MA were very impressed with how well he did.
We didn't take any pictures of the older kids in their costumes. Don't ask me why, just were trying to hurry. But we did get some good ones of Jamison. We had this scarecrow from Gavin, but it was a little small on Gavin. Jamison is just the perfect size!! He is so cute!!
Happy Halloween!

Our Sunday Photo session with Dad

2010-10-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

So, a week ago Sunday, It was a beautiful day and Matthew saw some trees at our church that looked like promising back drops for pictures. We took our neighbors with us and took pics of their little girls, too. It was a fun adventure and behold....the results....

McKinley was holding Jamison about 6 feet in the air. Matthew was standing right below him. She did a very good job of holding him. However, since Matthew was standing guard, I was taking pics, and I'm not the photographer of the family!! It's cute anyway.
We really love this picture of the kids. We actually cropped this one to use for Gavin's 5x7 (see the next photo), cause it was his best one.

I love these shots when I see other families. This was at the end of our time and Jamison wasn't very happy about laying in the grass. This shot could almost pass as a smile!
Jamison's real smile with our neighbor, Molly. Molly is 2 and amazingly cute! (Even when she doesn't look at the camera)
Our favorite cheeser smile from Gavin.
This shot, cropped a little tighter, is McKinley's 5x7. Its rare that we can get a real smile from this kid. She always gives us the Chipmunk lips! (see below-and yes, she does it on purpose!)

Once again, cropped a little tighter, Jamison's 5x7. He is such a cute kid!!
Below is Kesley and Molly, our neighbor's girls. Kesley was a perfect subject! She was super quick with this lovely smile every single time!!
This is my favorite of Molly.
They have been great neighbors!! Rachel, their mom, is also a nurse, and is short, and her husband is tall. So, we have a lot in common. We spend a lot of time at each others houses. The kids play well together, so it makes life easy.
I'm so proud of Matthew's successful photo shoot!! They turned out beautiful!

Just call me a Domestic Diva!

2010-10-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, don't really. Most stay at home moms do this stuff all the time. However, for me this was a first. Maybe its just cause I'm finally getting use to being home all day. And McKinley is in school some days, so it leaves me a bit more free time.
Anyway, yesterday I made home made wheat bread, and it actually turned out good! I also made potato soup, which is nothing new, but in combination with the bread, I thought it was pretty tricky! I also went grocery shopping yesterday. Monday I made a batch of salsa, and today I made another. We got a ton of tomatoes from our friends in Logan. Fresh salsa is so yummy!! I've also figured out what time I need to start dinner so its ready when Matthew gets home from work, or shortly there after. This doesn't happen every night, but it does happen occasionally. 0h-I also canned peaches and applesauce last week. That wouldn't have happened without my mother in law or sister in law, so I can't really claim that one. Needless to say, I'm feeling slightly better about my homemaking skills. Mostly the bread! I'm so excited that the bread worked! (Maybe that's just cause I recently invested in 50 lbs of wheat flour!!)

So, I had the insane desire to make McKinley have curly hair. I cut rags and rag tied her hair. This was the result!

The curls were so tight that it was a lot of frizz and very little curl. So, I invested in sponge curlers as she really likes her hair curly. The curlers work much better. She won't let me take a picture today because "the curls aren't as good as they were this morning!" That is a direct quote. They look so cute since they've relaxed after being free all day!! Oh well, maybe next time I'll get one first thing in the morning. She's so cute!!
So, reminiscent of my days in elementary school, this is what McKinley tells me about recess. "We chase the boys, or they chase us. And we have to scare them. I'm a snake-"hsss". I'm faster than all the boys. They can't catch me!" Already!! She's only in Kindergarten! And that "hss" is loud!! It sounds more like an angry cat! She really is faster than the boys. Love that girl!

My husband is AWESOME!!

2010-09-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

Okay-I just wanted to start with this cute picture of Jamison! He is growing up so fast, although he doesn't seem to be gaining weight. He is hitting all his mile stones just fine. His latest trick is climbing up the stairs. He follows the kids up whenever they go up to get ready for bed. Cute kid!!
Gavin turned 3 last week. He seems older then that due to his size and his speech. He speaks very well for a 3 yr old. He is a complete monster, but he's so cute you can hardly get mad at him. He's very much into super heros, even though he doesn't really know who they are. He does know who the ninja turtles are, so he often plays karate.
My favorite time with him is when McKinley is at school and Jamison is asleep. Gavin and I get to do whatever he wants. A couple of times this includes using hangers as bows and pretending to have arrows on our back. We sit on the curb and shoot at the cars going by. We also use the hangers as fishing poles and fish off the curb when there are no cars coming. Good times. Here are a few birthday pictures.
Being the lazy mom I am, I bought the cake. He loved it, that's all that mattered.
He got these two swords for his birthday. Matthew and I tried them out at the store, hitting each other as hard as we could. They do not hurt!! Matthew made the shields a couple of days later. Gavin loves the swords!!

Then Matthew got even more creative! I love my husband! Anytime the kids want something drawn, or made, or created, they are sent to dad. I came home from a quick jaunt to the grocery store to find Gavin riding his "trusty steed" with his new knight helmet! It needs a bit of improvement, but Gavin loves it!! I'm sure Matthew will improve on the design in time. Gotta love the brain of an engineer! Matthew really loved the footie PJ's.

Red Ridge 2010

2010-09-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

Dad, Morgan, and I made the annual pilgrimage up Red Ridge. Dad has been going for about 37 years he figures. As we were driving up towards Palisades Reservoir we could see snow on the top of the mountains and we were debating whether or not we would get up that high to get into the snow. We did. Along the top of the Red Ridge trail you are about 8800 ft at the highest spots.

Up the switch backs wasn't too bad for being muddy, but there were two trees across the trail that we had to lift our bikes over. The first stretch to the lunch spot was pretty good, but the next stretch was pretty bad.

The big red hill was pretty gooey and it got worse from there. We got into the snow which made the trail really muddy. The rear tire would pick up enough mud and pack it into the chain case around the front sprocket that it would ooze out the holes. There was one section that we couldn't even ride down the trail because the ruts were so deep and the mud so nasty that we had to ride up above the trail in the grass. The mud slide was a little scary to go across but we all made it.

It was a lot of fun as always. I love to be up there and spend time with my dad and brother.

Here's the pictures to prove it.

Mud oozing out the chain case.

Morgan practicing being a mud removal technician.

Mud in the front.

Mud in the back.

Snow on the trail makes things interesting.

Dinner is served.

The rock slide.

Back at the truck.

I know, I know-I just barely posted!

2010-09-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this a while ago, but obviously it didn't happen. We went school shopping for McKinley and decided that Gavin needed a new pair of pants as he only has one pair of jeans that fit him, and they have a hole in the knee. Anyway, we bought 4T, which were too big, but decided to keep them. So we went back to JC Penny to buy 3T, came home and went to try them on, and this is what we found..........

Yes-one leg was an inch or so shorter than the other! It wouldn't have been bad, except the short leg was too short for Gavin!! These were Levi brand Jeans!! It was really quite funny!

First day of school! First day of school!

2010-09-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

Finally!!! I feel like we've been waiting for this day forever! Pocatello schools started way later than any other schools in the state. They cut the teachers' salaries, but the union the teachers belong to said "if you cut the salary, then they will work less days". So that's what they did. I hate that they are taking away from the education of our kids, but I think that the most important learning comes inside the home-so for now, I'm okay with it.
McKinley goes to every other day, full day kindergarten. She goes on Wed/Fri and every other Monday. Today was her first full day. The school boundaries we live in had too many kindergartners, so they are busing her to a school on the north side of town. I'm okay with this, as it is rumored to be a better school. She gets on the bus at 7:16 am to drive to the elementary she should have attended, where she transfers buses and goes the rest of the way to one she actually attends. This was very nerve-wracking for me!! She made if fine though. The first thing she said to me after school was "I had 3 recesses!!". Oh, and this morning when I woke her up at 6:30, she started crying about how she wanted to go to school during the day, not at night!! Funny funny!! She's fine once we get her in the tub and let the water wake her up.
This first picture is actually after school as we were too late this morning to stop and pose for the camera. Love the pink converse!! They are hand me downs from a friend of Devin's. She doesn't have any white shoes. Oh well-they don't look too bad. Cute outfit came from Great Aunt Iva. I took 4 pics and this was the least cheesy smile! She hardly ever smiles for real at a camera-just loves to cheese it up.
Hurrying to finish breakfast while dad puts her shoes on. I actually got up and made her a warm breakfast. Then she informed me after school that she ate breakfast at school, too! We need to work on only one breakfast-as breakfast at the school is not free. I really don't mind if she eats there, though. Its less time between breakfast and lunch.
Here you see her with Shelby, who is in our ward, but doesn't go to the same school as McKinley. I had to make double sure that McKinley knew she couldn't follow Shelby off the bus. At least she has a bus buddy for part of the way. She was the only one on the bus for her bus stop on the way home. Shelby gets home way before McKinley! Weird. Oh well, at least she is excited to ride the bus. I have another friend who is driving her kid everyday, just cause she doesn't want her to ride the bus! As much as it makes me nervous, I know I have to let her grow up sometime. To each their own.
Overall a good experience. She will do fine in school. She's a smart kid.
Jamison made his first trip up the stairs today, with me right behind him. I can't believe he is that old! This last 9 months has gone by so fast!
Gavin is a monster! I thought he would get better by 3. No way! The kid is obsessed with Ninja Turtles and sword fighting. He gets super grumpy with a hyper/violent twist when he is tired. I can't hide him from Ninja Turtles forever.
Well, I need to go help Matthew get the kids to bed. I can hear them trying his patience.

Happy Birthday to me!!

2010-09-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

What a birthday! Some birthdays just turn out awesome. We didn't really do too much of anything that was really exciting. I made myself some breakfast and went to work. Erica and the kids brought me balloons and a doughnut before lunch. McKinley and Gavin were so excited! It was hilarious. At work, they order a cake and we all take a break for a minute in the afternoon. I left work a little early and we went to Idaho Falls to help the youth do baptisms at the temple. Afterwards we met Mom and Morgan and had an ice cream cone at Reed's Dairy. Morgan had a special present for me after we ate our ice cream.

Morgan and Sophie had bought me a new bass! I think that everybody else chipped in some to help. IT IS SO AWESOME!!!!!! We played for a few minutes on Saturday but we are excited to have a full day.

I also got a water filter, some hiking socks, and a waterproof camera box which I am excited for. The kids fell asleep on the way home so that was another bonus. Overall a good day.

Thanks again Morgan and Sophie!

Feel free to bask in the glory of my new guitar. I posted them in large size. :)

Our Latest Adventure...Sheep Falls, Union Falls, & Ouzel Pool

2010-08-24T19:49:00.001-07:00

We survived our latest adventure, barely. Grammy Suzie and Papa (Erica's parents) wanted to have McKinley and Gavin come visit for a few days. Jamison would stay with us. We figured that it would be a good time for a hike. It would be tough packing 43 lbs of McKinley or 35 lbs of Gavin for very far. We had been talking about going to Union Falls for a month or so with Morgan and Sophie and this was the perfect opportunity. We got all of our stuff ready and drove up towards Ashton on Friday night. A coworker had mentioned the rarely visited Sheep Falls which you can almost drive to. We found directions and decided to make the detour, we were hoping to make it to Cave Falls too, but didn't make it there.

Sheep Falls was awesome! You can stand right above it and walk along it and take pictures.

A high clearance vehicle is required! (Note: a Honda CRV is not a high clearance vehicle). We scraped and bounced along about a 1/2 mile before we surrendered and parked the car. The 12" drop off the rock ledge was the deciding factor. We walked the last mile in and enjoyed the view. If anyone wants to visit we would be glad to give directions and tips.

We drove back around to camp near Loon Lake. The campground was mostly full so we camped at the trailhead near Fish Lake. We hiked in to Union Falls (about 6.5 miles one way) which is quite the spectacle with about 250 ft drop. Jamison had fun most of the time. Here he is at the beginning of the trip. He slept a lot.

There are three river crossings that you have to make so we carried our sandals. After enjoying the view for a few minutes we walked the short trail to a warm creek which has a 4 ft waterfall that drops into a deep pool. We spent over an hour playing in the pool. Jamison loved it. He was tired of riding in the backpack and had so much fun playing and splashing in the pool. Sophie had her waterproof camera box so she has all the pictures of the pool on her camera. We'll have to get them from her.

The warm creek joins Mountain Ash Creek were we stopped for lunch. Upstream of the confluence it is still warm and Jamison had a good break from riding in the backpack playing in the water. It was so funny to watch him having fun in the middle of a creek in the mountains. Usually they are really cold!

The 13 miles was enough for one day for us. It was pretty hot on the way in and I knew I was in trouble when I started chafing on the way in. I'll spare you the grisly details but I was glad to make it to the car. Our feet were tired and my back and shoulders were tired from carrying Jamison but it was a fun day. I love to spend time doing things with Morgan and Sophie. They are the best! We love them and appreciate all of the help they give us.

Picture time!

2010-08-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

Just descriptions here! Jamison is crawling! I tried to post a video, but it didn't want to work. Anyway, this is just a cute picture of him.
Here is his downward dog/baby yoga pose! He does this to return to a sitting position. Its really funny!
Bath fun with Daddy! He had to have the camera all ready as McKinley's spike would only stand for a few seconds. Her hair is actually starting to get long!!
I wanted to take a picture of McKinley's awesome outfit, and Gavin thought his was picture worthy. I love these shoes McKinley has on. They are hand me down's from one of Devin's friends. Thanks, Michelle! All her clothes this year are courtesy of Michelle and her girls. We'd be poor without them! Gavin is sporting his Buzz light year PJ's. He wore them all day. Who cares that they are jamma's-it's BUZZ!
Jamison's 8 month picture. Its a little blurry, but still cute. He is so much fun! I love my kids! Its so nice to be home with them, even if McKinley wants to play with her friends all the time. At least she knows I'm just inside.

And we're back in the game!

2010-08-11T21:46:00.001-07:00

Matthew wanted to title it "and we are back in the saddle again", but I'm typing, so oh well.
So much to tell!
We've officially moved to Pocatello and have renters in our place in Rexburg. Good renters. Anyway, we just barely got internet hooked up today, after spending $120 on equipment. We had to buy a wireless router and a wireless adapter because our computer is too old! It seems to me that everything else on our computer is still up to date. Oh well, it was the adapter, or a new computer, and we can't afford that right now.
We like our location here in Poky! Matthew can ride his bike to work in 7 minutes. He comes home for lunch several times a week and can sleep longer, and is home sooner, etc.....It's heavenly! We live 1/2 mile from lower Ross Park and about 3/4 mile from the aquatic center. We've yet to get to the aquatic center. The kids don't know its there. We do frequent Ross park, almost on a daily basis. It is a really cool place with lots of natural lava rocks, big lava rocks. They are really smooth and can be used as slides. McKinley really likes it! It also has forested trails leading up to upper Ross park. We go on lots of "adventures" through the trees. They have a normal playground, too, but we don't spend much time there. We ride our bikes when going to the park. I pull the boys in the trailer and Mcki rides her bike. Gavin rides his bike occasionally, but there is not sidewalks all the way and he stops to rest multiple times!
We've really enjoyed getting to know people in our ward.......until they changed boundries on us! That's right, we went to our new ward for 2 weeks when they announced a special stake meeting. We are now in a different ward. Luckily, I've made some friends from the other ward that may still carry over! It's funny, every ward we've been in for the past 5 years has split, been dissolved, or been created. This is the 4th time. Its kinda funny to hear people get all upset about changes, but its old news to us. We are very accustomed to it. Its hard to change wards and get to know new people, but it forces us out of our comfort zones. Change is good.
I guess that is all for me right now. I love being at home with the kids. They drive me crazy at times, but I'm learning different coping skills. I find that its easiest to get them outside. This is somewhat difficult with Jamison as we work around his naps/feedings and such, but we do it as much as possible. They are so much better behaved outside!
I don't have any fun pictures to post. Sorry.

This post doesn't need a title

2010-07-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

Pink waffles today. Extra delicious!

Spring rain....ahhhhh......smells good!

2010-07-11T19:32:00.001-07:00

What a beautiful rainstorm we got Saturday afternoon! McKinley came home right at the end, but Gavin, and my neighbor Emma, went out right when it started pouring to play in the rain. My neighbor got her camera out, which reminded me to get mine out. Matthew is getting pretty artistic with our camera-so I'm trying my hand at getting the artsy shots as well.

Here is a cute one of McKinley-testing her umbrella under the rain gutter.

Gavin, Emma, and Tristan. Gavin and Emma had a good time running around with their umbrellas. Its the first time they've really used them to protect them from the rain.

Okay-this is Matthew's flower. He doesn't like this picture-but I think its great!
He likes getting pics of the little details, like the raindrops.
Okay-so exciting! My first artsy picture that actually turned out! I'm so proud of it! Matthew said I should have moved so the twig wasn't in the background. Who cares about the twig?! I just like the raindrops that the camera caught-the ones that are little balls! Awesome!

Hope you all enjoy the spring rain!
Oh-we are moving to Pocatello the end of the month. Bitter-sweet. Neither of us want to move, but it will be so much better for our family. I don't have to work and Matthew will get an hour more sleep, and be home an hour earlier. We found a place to rent close to Ross Park-1/2 mile to be exact. So we can ride our bikes to the park. Its also about a mile or so to Matthew's work, so he can ride his bike! We'll go from $550/month in gas to almost nothing!! So nice! I'm not excited to live in Pocatello, but I'm excited to be a stay at home mom again. My kids are ready to be done with babysitters.
Oh-another tid bit of information-I'm done with Primary. They are going to release the presidency next Sunday. We've known this for a couple of weeks now, but its official now. So, since we are going to Salt Lake next week, we told the kids today was my last day. Bonnie-the president-starts crying, so I start crying! Then she told all the kids that I wanted hugs from them. All but 4 boys gave me hugs. (the boys settled for knuckles) I could not stop the tears! I love those kids so much! They have been so much fun! To see them learn, to respond to us as teachers and leaders, in such a way that you know they love you too! What a sweet experience its been! I will miss it!
Okay-that's all now. Hasta Luego

Traditions

2010-07-03T06:02:00.000-07:00

Its kind of funny how traditions start. I think that some of the best family traditions are not on purpose. We've had one of these kinds of traditions that has started in the last little while with the kids. It all started one Saturday morning at breakfast time. I like waffles for breakfast so I was going to make some. We had been playing a game on the computer with pits of green goop that you have to jump over. The were being funny and kept telling me "Watch out for the green goop!" When we finished our game and were making breakfast I asked them if they wanted to make green waffles. We haven't had regular colored waffles since. Every time I mention waffles they start asking if they can make them blue, or green, or yellow, or red. Then McKinley starts asking what color they would be if you mixed the colors. I need to get a color wheel for her to show her.

Anyways its kind of funny. As proof see the picture below.

On a side note, I was making syrup one morning to eat with our waffles and noticed this amazing phenomenon on my very own stove. Its not exactly the Virgin Mary on a piece of toast but interesting none the less.

2 yr old boys are so smart!

2010-06-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

I was putting the kids to bed tonight and McKinley was being a mite sassy. I firmly informed her that she is not the boss around here. Gavin then informed me that she is the boss. I told him that she was not and said, "are you the boss?".
Wait for it!!!

"No, mommy, boys are not the boss!"

Awesome!! So smart at age 2! His wife will love him someday!

Thank goodness for camera phones!

2010-06-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

You know, when you purchase a new phone, its no longer just a device for talking to others. I was reading the reviews on new phones and was laughing at people who were all upset because their phone didn't have a flash or more zoom on the camera, and it couldn't play music the way they wanted, or it didn't have a big enough screen to watch movies, etc.......
Anyway, I really do like the camera. It works great for capturing cute pictures of Jamison. That is the real reason I posted tonight. Here he is, 6.5 months old, in all his awesome hat glory!

Say what?!

2010-06-15T21:34:00.001-07:00

Not to be outdone by Gavin's "Hippomuspotamus", McKinley was talking about our pregnant neighbor who shall not be named (this is to protect your identity Tanis!). McKinley asked us "Did you see the fatness of her?"

Uh......

There is no response to that. It was really funny. Kids say the darndest things!

Love my kids!!

2010-06-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Gavin is so funny! I have to post this now before I forget.
Our neighbor's son has the hungry, hungry hippo game. Gavin was over playing it and thought it was so much fun! He wanted Matthew to go play with him, but settled for borrowing the game and playing here at home. It is one of the sweet joys of life, playing silly kid games with our kids! All four of us were playing!
Anyway, we were driving home from Sunday dinner at my in laws and Gavin asks, "Can we play the hippomuspotamus game?" That is right! As if hippopotamus wasn't already a difficult word for a child to say! I love it-hippomuspotamus! He says it like that everytime too!
Our other favorite part, albeit difficult, of playing games with our children is listening to them get so sad when they lose. What a hard thing in life; to teach your children that they won't always win, and that it will be okay.
McKinley's birthday is Thursday. She is turning 5. She's super excited! Wants to have a water balloon fight. Such an easy kid to please!

Caution: Rattlesnakes

2010-06-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this picture. This one will go down in the family history books. What more can be said?

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I suppose that I should also post the good one. What cute children we have! Who would have though that they could be so happy about looking for rattlesnakes?

Cress Creek Trail

2010-06-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

I figured that while I've got some time I just as well get caught up on our adventures. I love adventures. Erica would rather stay home sometimes, but once we get everything rounded up and the kids loaded in the car and get there, she always enjoys herself. Cress Creek Trail is on the way up to Kelly Canyon Ski Resort where we work in the winter. It is not too long, maybe 2 miles total if you do the upper loop too. Its pretty easy for kids and there is lots of stuff to look for. Rattlesnakes, poison ivy, stinging nettle, bees, rattlesnakes, and other fun stuff too. We didn't see any of that stuff but we saw lots of flowers, some moss, a chipmunk, and some trees were in bloom (no idea what kind, but they sure smelled good).

A little history about this place is related to my family. My dad told me that when the Hills first settled this area in the late 1800s, they used to go up in the winter to pick water cress to have some fresh greens to eat so they didn't get scurvy. The creek is heated enough by geothermal heat that it doesn't freeze in the winter. Neat huh!

Here is a couple pictures from our adventure. Hope you don't get pictured out. I love taking pictures and sharing them.

Perdy, ain't it.

Jamison ready to go!

Only you can prevent erosion!

McKinley was messing around and tipped over in the backpack. Gavin was helping her get out by dropping rocks on her head.

This moss/lichens were cool. They were tiny. The 'sticks' are needles from a spruce tree.

This flower picture turned out good.

Happy hiker!

McKinley wanted to pick all of the pretty flowers she saw. We told her to leave the flowers so other people could enjoy them, but we figured it would be okay if she picked this monster dandelion.

This is Cress Creek with a dry McKinley before she fell in while messing around.

Memorial Weekend = Fishing

2010-06-06T19:57:00.000-07:00

So far in my life, Memorial Day means fishing. I kind of know what it is really for, but I've never had someone really close to me die. And if they did, what better way to celebrate their life than to go fishing! But seriously, I have known all eight of my great-grandparents and all four of my grandparents are still alive. I don't get to see my grandparents in Alaska very often, but I love them too. I will miss them when they are gone. Somehow we need to develop some sort of Memorial Day tradition to remember and celebrate those who have gone on.

I really admire and respect those serving in the armed forces. It is something that I would gladly do if it ever became required, but I don't think that I will ever enlist. There is a guy in my office at work who is in the Air Force Reserves whose unit got called up. He is going to Afghanistan in July. There was a guy in our ward who was in the elders quorum presidency with me who just quit his job and enlisted in the Army Reserves. I really respect them and wish them the best. They both have families. Here's a shout out and thanks to all those serving in the armed forces. May you be watched over as you do what is right.

Wow, that got a lot bigger than I thought it was. It kind of makes our fishing trip not seem so important, but it is tradition and a lot of fun. We've been going up to what we will forever call Cottonwood Boat Landing (even though the name has been changed) ever since I can remember. I don't know of any picture of me as a baby fishing up there, but there are several of me at 4 or 5. It is so beautiful up on that part of the South Fork of the Snake River. It is down in a canyon with high walls and lots of trees. It is tough to always get there but it is one of my favorite places in the world. Some years the weather is not very nice, it rains almost every year, but we have adapted. We take a big tarp to cover the fire and some chairs and where we cook. It was great! I love taking my kids. Here are some photos to enjoy! My awesome sister-in-law Sophie took some of them. Thanks for sharing.

Here is some of the family. McKinley was off running around and someone has to take the picture!

Cutest baby in the world? We sure think so!

Strong contender for cutest 2 1/2 year old. He's all ready for the rain which had already started falling Saturday morning. He was ready to go for a ride in the boat and start fishing on Tuesday when we told him we were going.

We are just proud of McKinley for not making too funny of a face. She is a beautiful little girl when she is being cute.

Jamison loves riding in the Snugli.

He can even help Erica fish!

I stood here for hours holding the boat under the cave so we didn't get rained. Okay, just long enough to take a picture and tie the rope up.

Gavin lassoed this fish with Grandpa!

Sometimes we wonder what planet our children come from. Gavin in this case.

This is a morel mushroom. They grow wild along the river. They are delicious. When fishing is slow, we find mushrooms to cook with dinner. They cost about $35 per pound. We eat them by the grocery bag full when we can find them. Delicious!

Cute outfit!!! [Said in high voice]

2010-05-26T21:39:00.001-07:00

Are you ready for some pictures????

My mom (Janean) got the kids some matchy Easter clothes. They are pretty cute so we wanted to take pictures of them all dolled up, except we were waiting for the snow to go away and then to find some green grass, instead of brown. When we were in Salt Lake this weekend I finally got ambitious and took the kids out to take their pictures. Gavin wanted nothing to do with sitting still and looking at the camera. He would run away laughing every time I sat him down and then backed up to try and take a picture. The silly little kid. McKinley liked it. She was posing for a few pictures by herself. Anyways, here are the results. I didn't have time to finish this post so Erica will finish for me.

Jamison is slowly learning to sit up. We got some quick pictures of him sitting on the grass. He wasn't happy for very long, but we managed to get some cute ones of him.
Gavin is hilarious! He's getting so big! He's starting to loose his baby fat. Very, very slowly! He is so funny!
McKinley was hanging on this tree, upside down, but she stopped long enough to let us get this picture. She's really quite photogenic when she let's us catch her on camera.
We never did get a good one of all three kids looking at the camera. Oh well!

We were driving home Tuesday night and for some reason McKinley was asking about the planets. Its been so long since I've even tried to name all 9 planets, mind enough know what order they go in. As we were talking about the planets and the universe and how big it all is, McKinley asked me, "Mom, do we live on a speck?". I had to laugh! If you've ever seen "Horton Hears a Who" you know what she is talking about. Pretty much sums it up-we live on a speck!

One tiny miracle!

2010-05-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

You are never going to believe this! I almost don't believe it myself! My kids are all asleep and they have been for over an hour!! I know-it's amazing! My husband is also asleep, but you can't really blame him. He was laying next to McKinley and zonked out. Getting up at 6 am will do that to you. He needs to sleep almost as much as I do.
Now-you think I would be doing my dishes like a good girl. Not a chance. Maybe in a bit!
I have to tell you-I'm taking this adult hip hop class. It's really fun! My mother in law goes with me. I've always loved to dance and told Matthew that I wanted to join a class, but hadn't gotten around to it. This lady in my ward goes to the class and she told me about it. Her daughters take dance at the place and the "parents" class is free for the parents of the students. Its really free to anyone who goes! Bonus for me! I love it! I've always liked to dance, but never been involved in a group for money reasons. We actually get to compete-okay not compete as there are not many classes in our age group, but perform. We go to SLC on the 22nd of May. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time! I even get to do an assisted front flip! Wish me luck!
I need to go shower. Another miracle-a shower without wondering if my kids are behaving or if my baby is lying injured from his siblings! How nice!

Too much time has passed!

2010-04-26T00:21:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I'm a slacker. I can't even keep up with my dishes! Blogging is not high on my priority list right now.
Quick update on our life: it's finally nice enough to play outside for long periods of time! Yahoo! It is so nice as this often alleviates the fighting between McKinley and Gavin. The boys and I have been sick with a cough and sore throat. We are all on the mend. Here's some free medical advice for anyone with a cough and sore throat. Eat honey-yup-eat honey. It has been tested next to cough syrup and has provided better results. Please don't give it to a child under a year old! Gavin took it the first time and wasn't too impressed with it. The second time I tried to give it to him he asked me, "mom, is it going to be sticky again?" That kid makes me laugh!
Matthew continues to commute. We haven't put our house on the market yet. Someday......
I don't know what else to write about. I do have some funny pictures to share.
Below you see our April Blizzard! It was awful! It melted in just a couple of days, but boy did it snow and blow!!!
I came home from church to see my children lying like this watching a movie while dad takes a nap. I have primary meetings right after church, so the kids come home with dad, eat lunch and watch a movie while he tries to nap. I just thought this pic was cute as Gavin and McKinley rarely snuggle together!
This is McKinley making a mask out of a lettuce leaf! This was her bedtime snack. Yep! You heard me right, her bedtime snack!
She also had an apple to sweeten things up. She ate that whole piece of lettuce! It makes me so proud! I use to eat lettuce as a kid. It's good! I remember getting into the fridge and taking pieces of iceberg lettuce and eating them plain! Way to eat your rabbit food, McKinley!
Here is a silly pic of Jamison. He is now 4.5 months old and is starting to laugh. He loves to watch McKinley dance! He was 13.6 pounds and 24-25 inches long. Something like that. Gavin was 13 lbs at 2 months! I wonder why he was so fat! Jamison is running about even with McKinley. He is finally into his 3-6 month clothes!
Oh-one more update. Gavin has been sleeping horrible at night. He wakes up and calls for us, comes in our room and then requests that we go lay by him. One of us has been sleeping on his floor for most of the night the past several nights. I'm hoping its just because he is sick. Regardless, we decided to have McKinley and Gavin share a room in hopes that McKinley would provide Gavin some comfort. Didn't work last night, but he seems to be sleeping better tonight, so we'll see. McKinley was bummed because she loved sharing a room with Jamison. Tough luck, kid!

I love my son!

2010-04-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to record this conversation I had with Gavin this morning.

Gavin-"Mom?"

Me-"I'm right here, buddy."

G-"I not awake yet."

M-"Okay."

G-"you lay by me?"

m-"I'm going to go downstairs and start breakfast. Do you want some eggs and sausage?"

G-"ya. I still sleeping. I'll be down in just a few minutes."

That was a direct quote! He is so funny when he talks!

We are going to Logan this weekend to visit some friends and to go to my favorite Italian restaurant ever! Its called Le Nonne and it's delicious! Go if you get the chance! Have a good conference/easter weekend.

Today was a good day!

2010-03-28T23:49:00.000-07:00

So, Gavin got up incredibly early this morning. I don't know what time it was, but Jamison was up eating. I think it was around 7 am. I know that is not early to some mom's, but in our house, that is early. Anyway, he was laying in our bed and nodded off again and started dreaming. All the sudden, he throws a fit! Yes, he started to cry and waived his arm through the air stating "Kinley took my toy!!". It was awesome to see him seriously think that he was awake and McKinley was fighting with him! The down side is that this is obviously a common occurrence in our home if he is dreaming about it. McKinley will actually taunt him-take something he has put down and say "Gavin, look what I have!". Little stinker!

Today was a good Sunday. We have church at 9 am and so the rest of the day seems forever long with nothing to fill it. Today we got our bikes out and went for a short ride around our neighborhood while Jamison was asleep. McKinley got a new 'to her' bike. We got it last summer to fix her little bike. It is the next size up and Matthew fixed it up so it will work for her this year. She loves to race! Anyway, it was nice to get out and enjoy the sunshine. We also spent time dropping origami helicopters over the stairs. Over and over and over again! The kids thought it was great! Then after dinner we had our movie night. We watch a movie with popcorn and orange julius. It's one of the traditions that Matthew brought from growing up. The kids love doing this and will actually put off watching a movie during the day so they can watch one at night! McKinley colored in her Friend magazine and Gavin went home teaching with Matthew. It was a good day, just nice and peaceful.