Mills Messmakers

Snow!!

2012-01-22T22:59:00.001-07:00

We woke up Wednesday morning to 2 inches of snow, and the snow falling, and since I remember how it was last year and that they shut the town down at the first sign of snow sticking to the ground I checked the website and sure enough we were on a 2 hour delay for school. It continued to snow and snow and by 11:30 we had 5 inches of snow outside. The boys loved it. Colt and Brady played outside for a good hour, then when Tanner got home they all went back out again. Our driveway is just steep enough to make a good sled hill and the boys had a great time.

School was cancelled for Thursday, and then Friday too. It does get pretty yucky on the roads since they don't know how to care for snowy roads around here, so we stayed home and had a lovely time together. The boys had friends come over a few times to play and they even played pretty nice just with each other. Our Dad was off work too, so when he got home on Thursday night from the Pocatello Ag Show it was just our family having a good time.

Of course of kitty, Pepper, feels really sad outstide, even though she has a "special coat to keep her warm". She stands at the back door and meows until we let her in. Then she comes in and finds a nice place to nap and stay warm.

We have also decided that we love to bowl. Last Saturday we went bowling as a family, and we went again this weekend. It is something that we all enjoy and can do for fairly cheap.

Holiday Weekend

2012-01-17T23:17:00.000-07:00

Dave is off work for the week due to winter shut down, and the boys don't have school on Monday for Martin Luther King, Jr Day, so we tried to think of something fun to do. Dave didn't want to go out of town, and I didn't just want to sit around, so we came up with our own kind of fun.

Friday night we had Theme Night. This is a tradition we will have to keep. For our first one we went on a Safari. We made vests, hats, and binoculars for the boys, then sat on our safari bus to see what animals we could spot. When we got to a good look-out point, we had a picnic on our lepard skin blanket and watched the animals. (Lion King the movie). We had animal crackers, sandwiches, drinkable yogurt (with monkeys on them), gummy bugs, and juice boxes. It was so fun. The boys keep asking when the next theme night will be.

Saturday we went bowling as a family. Then we had 2 families of friends over for homemade pizza. It was fun to visit and play and eat together.

Monday we invited a bunch of families to meet us at the gym at the church and we played kickball. I was disappointed that there weren't more dads that had the day off, but we had fun with moms and kids. It was a fun way to get excersize and play together. Then our little family went to Pizza Hut for lunch to use our Book-It coupons.

Colt is a great pitcher!

It was a fun weekend together, even though we didn't go anywhere. Making our own kind of fun!

Happy Anniversary!

2012-01-02T22:09:00.000-07:00

Happy 9 year anniversary to us! Who knew we would still love each other after 9 long years! Only Eternity left to go....I can't wait!

A long drive to see loved ones

2012-01-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

The Mills family got together in Cody, WY a few days after Christmas. So, we loaded the van and drove the 12+ hours to spend time with the crazy bunch. We stayed the night in Missoula the first night, making the trip seem much easier to handle. The boys travel pretty good, but Braden gets bored and doesn't want to watch shows or do anything but complain. He got a bit car sick for a minute and threw up all over himself and the carseat about 1 1/2 hours before Missoula, so that was a fun adventure. There were lots of windy and windy (as in lots of sharp corners) type roads, so I can really blame him, but yuck! We of course enjoyed the swimming pool at the hotel though.

The next day we continued east and as a tender mercy were able to make it to Cody, WY with no icy roads to deal with. We had such a wonderful time with cousins. The home we stayed in was beautiful and each family had their own room, with a huge family room for the kids to spend their time in downstairs and a nice living room and kitchen for the adults to chat in. A group went to the Buffalo Bill Museum one afternoon, and Tanner said it was pretty cool cuz there were lots of guns. We went to the LDS church and saw the murals of the pioneers on the walls and learned a little history about the area. Then each family broke off and did their own thing. We went to visit Lindsay Stephens and her cute kids that live in Cody, and then had lunch at a yummy restaurant. Dave had fish tacos and said they were so good he would come back to to Cody just for the tacos. We then went to a miniatures museum and learned the history of the indians in a display of little figurines. There were probably thousands of these little men, like the ones on Night at the Museum but of course not alive. There were also train tracks and trains that moved. It was very cool. We of course had Christmas together multiple times as the kids opened presents from Grandpa and Grandma one morning, then that night opened presents from other cousins, and then later the adults had a white elephant gift exchange. We all laughed and had a fun time with each other. Dave and his I-pad were a real hit, and it is possible that this will be the only reason we get invited again. :) One of the white elephant gifts was a book called Awkward Family Photos. We all laughed at the poses and faces in the book. But, here, as I post these pics, I look at the "family" photos here and we really could have our own book. I took lots of pics, and each one someone is looking away (grandpa) talking (Russell) or has their eyes closed (Marjie). Braden was real happy to be in the one picture, and we thought an adult picture would be easy because we can all look at the camera and smile, right? Wow, maybe not!

For the white elephant exchange I ended up with the "family photos" book, and Dave got and eye-pad. :)

Tanner and Flynt

Mandy and Ivan drove home with us, and then stayed in the hotel with us in Missoula on the way home. The boys were excited to have Emma and Levi to swim with and play with, and I was grateful to have them for company and it seems safer to know that there is someone you know that will stop if you need help. Thankfully we didn't! We spend New Year's Eve in the hotel, and even though we were too tired to make it to midnight, it was a fun night.

We got home on Sunday afternoon. Again, good roads, and it seemed to be faster coming home than getting there. Before bed we had a little "bubbly" and blow horns and kissed Happy New Years. It was so fun to do with our little boys!

Christmas

2011-12-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

We were on our own for Christmas this year....the first time ever in our married lives. I was a little apprehensive about it. Isn't this a time for family and good food too....besides the birth of the Savior and Santa? So, we filled our time with such a thing. Saturday night, Christmas Eve, we had some friends over for a big dinner. None of us had extended family around, so we enjoyed each other instead. We had the kids to the Nativity with puppets, and then our family went to the Church of the Nazarene across the street and watched an "interesting" rendition of the the Nativity. It was only like 18 degrees so we only nearly froze to death. Poor baby Jesus was just bawling his little lungs out. Swaddling clothes just weren't enough for that little guy.

The boys were so excited for Santa. They asked if we could put flour at the bottom of the fireplace like we did last year, and then they thought that maybe it would be Dad that put his shoe in it instead of Santa, so to be sure the print was Santa's, Tanner wrote a note that said: "Name; Age; How are the cookies?" If he answered that he was Santa then for sure it was not Daddy. We left Oreos and milk out, and Colt had "magic reindeer food" that he sprinkled in the yard.

Of course Santa came, "Nicolas Claus age 1714" to be exact, and left his loot all over the family room. It was quite nice that it was just us. We took our time playing with things as we opened them and enjoyed just being with each other. We had crepes for breakfast then got ready for 1 pm sacrament meeting. The rest of the day was enjoyed just laying around in our pjs and playing games and figuring out our new toys. We missed family, but it was ok to just be us.

Braden and his new tool set. He really wanted a new screw driver.

Beyblade....Colt's request.

Helicopter - the top of Dave's list

I got lots of little cutting boards, hotpads, and mirrors. Just what I wished for!

Happy Birthday!

2011-12-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

Wow! I am an old woman now! THIRTY!?!? And what a wonderful birthday it was....filled with fun, love, and many birthday wishes. I have learned in the last 30 years that people are very busy around my birthday, and so if I want to be "celebrated" the day of the 23rd isn't the easiest for most. So, I decided to have a bit of a "shin-dig" on the 22nd. ( I don't know why, but that one day makes big differece as to who will be around) I love parties, so I had a "murder mystery" party. I found one online that could have up to 20 people, so I bought it. My wonderful friend Mindy helped me organize and host it, since she felt it was wrong for me to have my own birthday party. The hardest part of course is deciding who to invite, because I would like to invite everyone I know, of course. We had the party here, gave out food assignments, and had a wonderful time. It was really quite easy as I didn't have to do much of anything but clean my house. The food and entertainment were provided. (and if anyone wants to borrow the party, it was a download so I can email it to you. I am happy to share!)

They used sparklers as candles! It takes more than just air to put these babies out!

Our friends the Carlson's came from Yakima area and stayed the night and then hung out with us the whole next day, which was wonderful. We had waffles and ice cream for breakfast of course, and then went ice skating. That was an adventure. The boys were great at ice skating while we were on the carpet, but once we got to the ice, it was slipping and sliding all over the place. Poor Tanner has noodle legs, Braden thinks his legs are helicopter propellers, and Colt is a bit unsteady. We had a fun time and I laughed my head off at these weird-o boys, but in the end I think everyone kind of had the hang of it.

Then lunch at Red Robin...yum.

After naps and resting we went to the Lindes and had a pizza party. The kids played and the adults played games. It was such a wonderful, fun, and special day! Maybe 30 won't be so bad!

Sitting on Santa

2011-12-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

This is such a fun year because everyone is excited about Christmas. The other day Brady and I went to the thrift store and Santa was outside. When we pulled up, Braden said, "hey, where are the reindeer?" I told him he better ask Santa. So he gets out of the car and walks right up to Santa and says, "Where's yours reindeer?" Santa told him they were out back eating. Then he asked Brady what he wanted for Christmas. "An electric blanket." Thanks to Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type that seems to be what Tanner and now Braden want.

That night was our ward party. I prepped the boys to think of something fun to ask Santa for, a car, or truck, or game, etc. Braden walked up to Santa and said, "I want a ipad and cell phone." Oh great!

Christmas Card Pics

2011-12-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

My friend Karrie got a new fancy camera and was kind enough to use us as her first photoshoot. It was a bit chilly, but we got some cute faces.

Thanksgiving fun!

2011-12-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

We had the funnest Thanksgiving Break! We left on Monday and stayed the night in Declo with Dave's sister after having a yummy dinner at IHOP with them. It is always fun to play with cousins.

Then Tuesday we drove to Corinne and had lunch with Grandpa at the cafe and then when grandma got home from work we drove up to the Ranch to look around for a minute and then to the Golden Spike.

Since our Grandpa is so cool, he talked to the rangers and had them take us to the Engine house since they don't bring the trains out in the winter very often. We got the full tour and it was awesome!

This is the coal that they use in one of the engines. We took a picture so we could tell Santa what NOT to bring to us!

Then we went back to the visitor's center and looked around. Grandpa bought everyone a special souvineer to help us remember our super fun day!

Then we drove to past the Brigham City Temple. It was sunset and so beautiful!

In Pleasant Grove we enjoyed Thanksgiving with the Petersons and Grammy and Grandad Poteet. It wasn't a huge group, but we sure ate lots of yummy food, starting with pies for breakfast!

We did lots of fun things in PG. We went to the movie one afternoon. We saw the Smurfs, and boy was it Smurftacular! We even had popcorn!

We went swimming one day at the Lehi Pool. That was fun!

Monday night I went to SLC and spent the evening with some of my favorite gals, Brooksey and Tiffany. We had dinner at Rodizio Grill, and if we didn't over stuff ourselves at Thanksgiving, we did there! It was fun to be together and then to catch up while visiting in the Trolley Square Mall.

Dave had a convention in SLC the next few days, so I spent the night with him at the Marriott Hotel and it was nice to sleep without extra little people wanting our attention for one night.
Grandpa took the day off of work on Tuesday and spent the whole day with the boys. They started off by hiking the G on the mountain. They saw some deer and had a wonderful time! The boys were so surprised to see what the G was made out of. (By the way, the G stands for Grandpa!)

Then they came home and picked up Mads and AV and took them to Arctic Circle for lunch. All the while the moms were shopping away!

Then the boys came home and dropped off the girls and then went fishing. They didn't catch anything but sure had a good time. Brady said that someone stole all the fish so they couldn't catch them.

Wednesday we headed home. We made it as far as Twin Falls before the boys were BEGGING us to stop at a hotel so they could swim. We ate at IHOP for dinner again, (it is so inexpensive with "kids eat free" and the boys eat breakfast so well!) and then stayed at the Best Western. Their pool was very nice but over chloronated and we had stinging eyes and itchy skin all night.

Thursday we continued our journey and after lunch at McD's, potty breaks, and ice cream at DQ, we made it home by dinner. And boys is it nice to be home. There is really no place like your own bed!

Braden was very anxious to see Pepper, his "favorite person."

And one of the best parts of the vacation was that we got to tell everyone that we are going to have a new baby in June!! Very exciting!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-13T21:40:00.001-07:00

On Halloween we went with our friends from the Union Ward to the Pumpkin Patch. We checked the boys out of school and Daddy snuck away from work, so it was a fun family occasion.

That evening we got all dressed up and headed off to trick or treating in the neighborhood.

The boys were so funny. At every door they would ask me, "do you know this person" and I would say, "no, but it is okay to trick or treat at neighbors homes if you are with your mom and dad." We got SO SO SO much candy, and had a fun time. Brady would tell people, "I a zebra." or "I have a tail" or "I am 2" or "what's your name?" It was so cute.

Fall is here

2011-10-23T20:02:00.000-06:00

And with Fall comes some fun things.

And not so fun, like Harvest, for 5 LONG weeks (but the end is in sight as they should be done on Monday!!)

A new look (hair color should change with the seasons, don't you think!)

A visit from Grandma. We had a fun 4 days with her, spending one afternoon at the circus. (small and kinda lame, but the kids enjoyed it.) We were so glad she came. (Especially me!)

Daddy's birthday was Oct 22. He is a big 33 this year! We spent the afternoon at work with him giving cupcakes to his "work friends".

And carving pumpkins. The boys were disgusted at the thought of touching the guts, but it wasn't as bad as they hyped it up to be.

Run Run as fast as you can!!

2011-10-08T10:05:00.000-06:00

The school does a huge jog-a-thon fundraiser as their one moneymaker for the year. All the kids run for 20 minutes and they ask people to sponsor them as they do so. The kids that run all get a shirt and if they raise $16,000 they get to make the principal into an icecream sundae.

Brady and I watched the boys run, and it was so fun to encourage them. We even ran a few laps with them. Tanner ran 16 laps and Colt did 14. I was so proud of them!

Thanks to our grandparents and the Carlsons for your generous donations. It sure made the boys feel important.

What have we been up to?

2011-10-06T17:31:00.001-06:00

I look at my blog all the time as it is one of my home pages. I think to myself everytime, I should update, but what have we been up to? Not much. Same old thing. But here are a few pics of things we have been doing....

Of course it is canning season. Every year I realize just how much I love to can! I have done peaches, peppers, jalepeno jelly, beans, dilly beans, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, freezer corn, freezer mandarin sauce, grape juice, apple juice, and apple sauce. Still have apple pie filling to do yet.

I invited a group of ladies to come over and do corn with me, and we had a group come do applesauce. We completed 12 boxes of apples, equalling 70 quarts and 78 pints.

Dave is thick into harvest so we basically see him an hour each night before bed and on Sundays. He brought home a HUGE potato from his field, and we were so amazed. It was 14 1/2 inches long and weighed 3 1/2 lbs.

Colty's friends can all ride their bikes without training wheels, so he has been trying really hard to learn to do so as well, and he has it figured out. He wants to practice all afternoon, and he is really getting good fast! He started on the little tiny bike, but he has now decided he can do the bigger bike.

And, now that it is officially fall and the month of October, we pulled out the Halloween decor. We needed something else cool so the boys and I made the neat spooky guys for family home evening. The boys are so proud! Colt did the ghost, Brady the pumpkin, and Tanner the Frankenstein. The Mummy make the mummy, and I of course helped with the faces. It is fun to have a "holiday shelf!"

9/11 We Remember

2011-09-11T15:13:00.001-06:00

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?

Alan Jackson

First Day of School

2011-09-04T22:18:00.000-06:00

Although Tanner begged me to do home school, he is actually excited for the first day of school. We had a nice walk to school and Tanner was excited because 2 of his friends from church are in his class. His teacher is named Mrs. Korson (Kor-zhon). Cami was excited to come with us the first day.

Colton, or more like COLT as he has decided he would like to be called didn't start school until Friday. One of his best friends, Ashlee, is in his class, as well as a few other kids from the ward and neighborhood. His teacher is Mrs. Hogg (hoag) and he is very excited, but shy. He wouldn't even tell her his name on the first day of school. Colt gets to ride the bus home from school and that is way fun. It is morning kindergarten and he gets home around noon, the last one on the bus. Tanner is way jealous that Colt only has half day school because Tanner had to go to full day kindergarten. It is NO FAIR! I think it is no fair too....why can't they both have all day kindergarten! :)

Brady and I love to sit and wait for the bus. When Colt gets home Braden runs up to him and says, "Hi Colt, what you learn?" He loves his brothers!

A fun visit from Aunt Cami

2011-09-02T22:37:00.000-06:00

Cami came to visit and we had such a wonderful time. She flew in on Thursday afternoon. Friday we went shopping and got ready for school. Saturday Dave and I went to Seattle and left Awesome Aunt Cami with the boys for the day and night. They had such a fun time going on walks, crafting, getting ice cream and spending time with each other. Dave and I had a wonderful time without our kids and spending time with each other and our friends Alex and Mindy that we went with. It was a fantastic weekend.

Monday we drove to Spokane to enjoy the Riverfront Park. It was fun to ride the rides and see an IMAX and mini golf together. I loved the ride and just visiting with my baby sis while the boys watched a movie.

They also had a great slide that looked like a red flier wagon. It was huge and fun. Tanner had a little boo-boo and hit his eye on something. It bled 2 drops of blood, but really swelled up and turned black fast. Perfect timing for the first day of school the next day.

Tuesday night Cami and I went to the movie and saw "The Help". Highly recommended!
On Wednesday after school we picked Dave up from work and drove to Dayton. I love Dayton.

We had dinner at a mexican restaurant and then drove home.

Cami flew home on Thursday. We are so glad she came to stay with us. They boys love her so much. She slept every night with Tanner in his bed, even though she had a full bed to herself. She was helpful and we got lots of canning done. She taught the boys to do 3-2-1 Break!

We love our Aunt Cami!

Off to the Coast

2011-08-21T22:08:00.001-06:00

Months ago we planned a trip to the Oregon Coast. I have been SO excited to go and spend time at the ocean. We took our vacation with our friends the Lindes, and we picked up Auntie in Portland in the airport to take with us.

We stopped at Multnomah Falls on our way. It was a fast stop but it was okay cuz we were there last summer, and it still looked the same. :)

We stayed in Portland the first night, then on Friday went to Lincoln City. We had a condo right on the beach and it was awesome! Friday was REALLY windy....it made our ears hurt. But of course we had a good time anyway! We took kites to fly but they broke before we could even get them up. Alex had the pro kites so he and Dave flew those until one of them broke too. It was windy.

Being chased by waves was everyones favorite thing to do

We had separate condos, but the kids thought it would be fun to have a pj party. We we had popcorn and watched Tom & Jerry before bed.

Saturday we got up and had breakfast together then split up. Lindes went to Newport to explore, and we explored the coast.

Harbor Seals just off the shore at Silex Bay

Braden thought these looked like alligators. Auntie thought they were surf boards

We stopped at the lighthouse at Yaquina Bay. It was really cool. Tanner and Auntie said it was their favorite part. We stood in line and got "bugged" by kelp flies that would land on you by the thousands, and the got to tour the lighthouse and walk up to the top. There were 111 steps. Colty got nervous and waiting on the landing halfway up for us. Dave and Braden stayed below because Braden wasn't tall enough to go up.

At the beach below the lighthouse there were harbor seals basking in the sun.

And the beach was called "Cobble" beach because it was covered with these black cobbles (rocks). They were hard to walk on but made a fun clinking when you did. And when the water would wash up on them they sounded like a rain maker and they settled back down. It was fun. We were told this is the place to see good tide pools, but we missed the low tide, so we will be back tomorrow.

One of the highlights of our condo was that it had an indoor heated pool. We swam everyday at least once, sometimes twice. All 3 of our boys got to be better swimmers, but especially Braden. He was finally brave enough to do more than just sit there. Dave said it was his favorite part to swim with Braden.

Since it was such a nice day on Saturday we played on the beach again, this time without having so much wind. The kids chased waves until they were drenched. Sometimes those waves are bigger than you expect. Poor Brady lost his sandals out to sea.

This is Mindy and I sitting with the condo in the background. It looked quite dumpy from the exterior, but the insides were really quite nice.

Brady would do a "Me Awesome" dance when he succeeded in beating the waves up the beach!

A beautiful sunset to end a wonderful day!

Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast, got our stuff cleaned out and went to Yaquina Bay again to see the tidepools. I couldn't wait to see a real star fish!

these anemones were really cool. We were told to touch but not remove, and the anemones felt like velcro or something when you touched them. They were awesome.

holding a hermit crab

Lovely seaweed accessories

The purple along the rock are spiney sea urchins. The green are anemones that are open. They closed when you touched them.

It was a foggy day, and I thought it was cool to see the lighthouse fading away.

We had such a great time on the coast. We were so glad that Auntie was able to join us, and that we were able to spend time with the Lindes.

Home Sweet Home

2011-08-12T21:59:00.000-06:00

We have been home only long enough to unpack, do laundry, do a little canning, then repack and on to the next adventure! I guess we also played a little bit....

We were invited to go boating with friends from the ward. We had a wonderful time on their fancy boat, and Dave is nearly convinced that we need to get a boat now too.

We drove to Moses Lake to the Aquatic Park with our friends the Strattons to play in the sunshine for the day.

Dave did the surfing simulator

And Tanner LOVED the body boarding simulator

It was a fun way to cool off! We were glad that Dave took part of the day off so he could join us!

on the way home

2011-08-05T21:53:00.001-06:00

On the way home we stopped in Roy to visit with Brooksey and her kids. She is one of my favorite people and it is alway delightful to be with her. The kids play so well too. I wish we could be together more often.

Then we continued on our journey to Rupert to stay with Grandma and Grandad. It is a perfect spot to stop because it makes the last leg of our drive bearable at only 7 or so hours. We had a fun time visiting and playing and seeing our great grandparents that we love so much!

Grandma's house

2011-08-04T22:51:00.000-06:00

While in UT we decided to go to Thanksgiving Point and enjoy $2 Tuesday. We did the dinos last year, so this year we did the farm. Dawn and the girls came with us which just makes it that much better!

We got to feed animals, ride a horse drawn wagon, and ride the ponies, among all the other fun sights.

We bought a pool to play in with Mads and AV and it was great to jump on the tramp too.

And even though the 3 boys had a queen bed to share, somehow this is how they chose to sleep, on the floor.

Grandpa took us fishing at a fishing pond up the street and we had a wonderful time catching blue gills. Uncle J came after work and they were snagging this little fish as fast as the kids could reel them in and release them. I didn't have my camera, so I took pics with Grandpa's, but I don't have them at this second. We had such a fun time and probably caught over 50 fishes in the hour or so we were there.

We had a fun 5 or so days in PG.

Island Park Week

2011-08-01T19:50:00.000-06:00

Island Park Week:
Sunday was church and recouperating. Then for the fun!

These guys walked past while I was napping in the hammock. Scared me to death. It was fun to see them so close! We also saw their mom and baby sister during the week at various locations on the island.

Monday the Taylors joined us for fun on the water.

Tuesday we went to Mesa Falls because it was a windy morning.

Wednesday Cami and Uncle J and his family got there, and Daddy drove home. That night the adults went to Joseph and the Amazing Techni-Color Dream Coat in West Yellowstone at Playmill. J and Dawn stayed home with the kids.

Thursday we went to Yellowstone. We each made a shirt the day before with sprayed on fabric paint, and grandma was so excited for us to all wear them in Yellowstone. We had many people comment on our shirts. The girls were horrified that we had become "that" family. We saw lots of cool stuff, but sadly only saw a few Elk and a coyote. Not even a single buffalo - I was so disappointed!

Friday and Saturday we played hard.

Sunday we drove to Pleasant Grove. We stopped in Pocatello and met up with Janel and her kids that were headed home from UT. It was fun to say hi and catch up real quick.

Swim Lessons

2011-07-14T22:38:00.001-06:00

Starting July 5 we did swimming lessons for 9 days. It was good for the boys, and I enjoyed visiting with some of the ladies in the ward who had kids in classes with my kids. Brady is a bum lately about getting in the water, so we didn't do the parent/child class cuz I didn't want to fight him about it. Tanner always thought it was too cold. He would sit with his arms resting on the side of the pool and shiver, then do what the teacher said, then resume position and shiver. This year Tanner moved up to level 1 class, so it wasn't quite as fun as the polywog class. But on the ast day of class the kids got to jump off the diving board. Tanner wasn't nervous at all and just went for it.

Colt on the other hand played and had a fun time.

Braden LOVES to chase seagulls. He will chase those silly birds all over a park, running as fast as his little legs can carry him. It is funny to watch.

One day before swimming lessons we drove out to Burbank and picked blueberries. We picked 6 lbs I think. They were big and delicious. We ended up going back out a few days later and picking 12 more lbs. We decided these were well worth the $3/lb.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-05T10:36:00.001-06:00

We got invited by some friends to go camping for the 4th of July weekend. We were very excited as we haven't been camping in a while. The boys were overjoyed! The plan was to go to Hell's Canyon in OR, a 3 to 4 hour drive. But at the last minute the plans changed and we headed to La Grande which was only 1 1/2 hours away. It was SO beautiful and peaceful. The campsites weren't full, which meant more room to roam, and we were right up against the side of a hill so the kids could "hike" all day long and still be in sight. And, the best part, there was a clean vault toilet. No running water, but there was a toilet.

We got there Friday afternoon and enjoyed visiting and the men went to get fishing licenses. We had fun gathering firewood, then that evening eating roasted hotdogs and mallows. The other 2 families with us put their kids to be early, so our little family sat by the fire and told stories and sang songs and ate popcorn.

Our kids slept great Friday night, the only ones in our camp. Both other families had such a rough night that they decided to go home Sat evening so they could get some sleep. We stayed, much to Tanner's dismay. He was really bummed that everyone left us and said he would rather leave than stay without them.

Saturday we found a nice lake above LaGrande that we went to to take the kids fishing. It was so beautiful with all the wild flowers around it. We didn't catch anything, but Joe did, and was kind enough to let each of the kids take a turn reeling the fish in. Everyone got to "catch" one except Colt. But they had a great time skipping rocks and playing.

Saturday after lunch we did crafts and tried not to melt...it was SO SO hot. The kids had a wonderful time making shirts. I found the idea in the family fun magazine. We put contact paper on a white shirt, then sprayed it with fabric paint dilluted with water. They turned out so dang cute. Then the kids painted wood, and the moms did a project too while the dads napped. For dinner we had a fantastic meal of dutchoven BBQ chicken, dutchoven potatoes, scones, and watermelon. It was so yummy.

Then our friends packed up and we spent the evening at the fire again. Then to bed earlier than the night before because we were all tired. Again, everyone slept all night long.

We woke up Sunday morning and packed the van, then realized that we had a dead battery. We must have left the doors open too long on Saturday. So, we found a nice family camped nearby that gave us a jumpstart. The boys really wanted to go on one more hike before we left, so we took a little hike up the hill. Tanner kept saying that it reminded him of that place where Joseph Smith saw those 2 angels. It was fun to talk about what happened in the Sacred Grove.

We had such a fun time camping. I told Dave that we need to do that alot more this summer (although it feels as if summer is almost over already!) The boys are the perfect ages to take camping - they sleep through the night and they are big enough to not put everything in their mouths and they are such good boys and good minders most of the time. What a fun time we had! And we even made it back in time for church (where they sustained me as the Secretary in the RS).

Monday Dave had to go out to work for the first part of the day, then in the evening we invited some families from the ward to come and have a BBQ. It was fun. We weren't sure what the max capacity was for our sandbox, but it is at least 12 kids. Then we had a little "illegal" fireworks show, since all fireworks are illegal in Kennewick. But it was so fun!

Happy 4th of July!

A fun Saturday

2011-06-26T23:01:00.004-06:00

The last few weeks it has been so fun that the boys could go out to "check potatoes" with Daddy. I got invited this week. The fields are growing like crazy, and the boys love to pick off the baby potatoes on the plants that Daddy digs up to check on. It is so fun to ride in Daddy's "cool truck". We also stopped at the last cellar to stock up on spuds before they are all gone, and harvest comes in the Fall. It is so neat to find potatoes as big as a foot!

Then we got pizza for lunch, and headed to Home Depot and Walmart because our Daddy finally decided that we need a swingset. (Why is it that you can say something over and over, but until it is his idea it has no significance?) But, due to the ease of online shopping, nobody carries such big items in stock anymore. So, we ordered it online and it will be here in 7-10 days. Then we headed home for a nap, then a fast dinner and we went to the movie theater to see Cars2.

It was AWESOME!! I had free movie tickets from cereal purchases that expired by the end of the month, plus I bought the awesome Fandango deal, so we all got to go to the movie and get popcorn and a pop and it cost $11 total. So fun! I love the stage we are at because everyone is so easy to take places. We are lucky to have such good boys!

Other fun things we did this week:
Monday - colt's bday
Tuesday - story time at McDonalds, KidsBowlFree after daddy got home from work
Wed - Free movie at the theater - Despicable Me. Then swimming at a friends house (full size pool)
Thurs - picked cherries at a friends house, then rode bikes to the library to see the Pacific Science Center displays. Fun hands-on activities. That night Dave and I went to Ward Temple Night
Fri - cleaned the house. Had a friend over in the afternoon to play. Turned a movie on for the boys and had grown-ups over for a game night. (it is fun to get together with friends we don't see often enough!)
Saturday - see above
Sunday- friends over for dinner, more friends for dessert, and the Home Teacher came during that too. Dave taught a lesson in EQ - not his favorite thing to do, but he succeeded.

Happy 5th Birthday Colt!

2011-06-20T22:03:00.000-06:00

I have decided that we will have formal "birthday parties" when the kids turn even ages, and since 5 is an odd, this year we didn't do a party. But Colt wanted to have a buggy day, so we did our best to make it so. He had a friend over because his mom needed him to play somewhere while she had the movers come over, and Colty chose to have Bronx come too. They had worms, bug blood, and crispy butterfly wings for lunch, washed down with bug juice.

Then we invited some of the neighbor kids over to play outside in the water on one of the first summer feeling days this summer.

We did the slip n slide, ran through the sprinklers, and played in the pool and sandbox.

Everyone got to use candy and make a bug on a cupcake.

We played with water balloons

When Daddy got home went went to IHOP for dinner, cuz Kids Eat Free! and everyone eats pancakes so well!! Then we headed to the bowling alley, but it was closed for some reason. So, we went home and opened presents (a Dr. kit, new crocks, a Leap Frog movie from Gma Mills, Scripture Scouts from Gma Peterson, and a tee ball stand and ball and bat)

why is this picture sideways? I love the expression though!

And of course, the Rollie Pollie cake!

I was one Sunny Buggy Birthday!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T21:34:00.000-06:00

In Primary Colty filled out a fact sheet about his dad. It goes like this:
My daddy's name is Dave. He is 15 years old, 10 feet tall, and weighs 50 pounds. His favorite food is breakfast cake with sausage. ( a new recipe we tried today and it was yummy.) My daddy is really good at going down the driveway on his bike. He loves to spank my mommy. My favorite thing to do with him is play legos. I'm just like my dad because I act like him. What I love most about my daddy is he plays legos with me. It makes Dad happy when I hug him. Love, Colt.

(Did you notice how thin his cheeks are...that is right, 30 lbs lighter than he was 3 months ago!)

And now for a little Father's Day dancing!

We sure are lucky to have the best Daddy in the whole wide world!

School's Out - Hurray!

2011-06-18T21:26:00.000-06:00

I don't know who was more excited for school to end and our schedule to become more laid back---me or Tanner. We have loved the last week of sleeping in, doing whatever we want, and not running on such a schedule. A few of the fun things we did our first week out of school...

Ridden bikes and scooters. Tanner decided he wanted to try to ride without training wheels. He did awesome, but likes the security of his training wheels.

Braden loving Pepper. He is also really good at his "gooter".

We found a really cool Splash Park in Richland. We did that on the last day of school. Sadly, the weather really hasn't been warm enough to do much in the water. It has been a really weird summer.

We also went to story time with Ronald McDonald, Summer Reading Party at the library, played with friends, cleaned our house (the fun way - says Tanner) played in our pool, and played with each other. We have read lots of books, the boys went to work with Daddy both Saturdays, and we have just had the best time. I love summer!

Memorial Day

2011-06-01T11:30:00.000-06:00

For Memorial Day we took a day trip with a few families from the ward to Palouse Falls. There were TONS of people there, and the parking was insane, but the day was beautiful and the food was plentiful. We had a picnic lunch and enjoyed each others company, then we went to the river down below by the fish hatchery and played in the water.

Some of the families had canoes and we had a good time taking turns going on rides. Except Dave cuz he is a wanny.

The best part of the day was that we got to take Daddy's new truck on our trip because he had to stop at the farm and check on some things. It is nice to have a truck we all fit into. And as Brady says, "Daddy truck cool!"

Flutter Free

2011-05-29T11:57:00.000-06:00

It was time to let our Painted Ladies go. (Mostly cuz I was tired of worrying about feeding them and such.) So, on a FINALLY sunny and less-windy day, we let them flutter free.

Did you know that a Painted Lady butterfly can fly up to 1,000 miles in it's lifetime, which averages 2-4 weeks? In that time they can lay up to 500 eggs. (seems like a lot of work for a short life!)

This is our crippled friend. His wing came out bent like that. He can't fly, so we hope that he enjoys his new life on the flowers, or wherever the wind might take him. (I am trying not to be emotional about it.)

The skeletons of the chrysallis's. Can you tell I am fascinated by the whole process?

And a few pics of the colors in my yard. I felt like everything was so plain. So, I spruced it up the best I could with flower and pots and roses. The front yard is nicely landscaped with rocks, which look nice but aren't the most gardener friendly. Hard to plant flowers through. So, I made do, and I am quite happy.

Oh the fun we have been having...

2011-05-22T23:08:00.000-06:00

I have always been bugged by people who say that they are too busy, because I think we are only as busy as we let ourselves become. And, I would like to say, I have become too busy! So, the lat few weeks I have been trying to cut out the extra stuff and just do what I want to do. Here are some of the highlights...

For Easter the boys got a Butterfly garden. We ordered the caterpillers and watched them grow to 3 or 4 times their size, and then hang upside down and turn into J's, and then crysallis's. It was really fascinating.

Then after about 10 days, they emerged into butterflies. We had 5 caterpillers, one of the butterflies was born with only 1 wing, and 1 has a lame wing that is like folded over, but the other 3 are healthy and fluttery. They are called Painted Ladies, and are orange and pretty when they are open, but when closed, look similar to a moth. (Although Tanner would tell you they aren't a moth because moths have wings that are hooked together and butterflies are separate.) You can see the chrysallis skelatons here too.

Oh, can't forget the FHE fishing trip we had and Tanner was the only one that caught one. He said to put this picture on so Uncle J could see it.

They have started the splash parks since we finally have some warm weather, so we enjoyed a picnic and splash park last week with our friends Ashlee and Ryan. We like to spend lots of time with them.

Friday night Dave decided to take the boys camping, in the backyard. They were so excited!! We borrowed the neighbor's fire pit and roasted marshmallows and sang songs. The boys love some of the silly girls camp songs and ask me to sing my "Me that live on temporary housetop, me that live on 31st and floor. Me that carry itsy bitsy laundry, ruffles on the petticoats, 10 cents more. Me like a meow meow better than and chow chow. Me like a a hunk-a-hunk-a, he like-a me. Way down Hong Kong bigg-a momma come-along-a, take away my hunk-a hunk-a. Poor chinese." (Yes, Suzette, I do think this song is appropriate to teach my children!)

We slept in the tent but it ended up being a windy night and at about 3 am I got up and came to my own bed where I didn't have to hear the rain fly whapping against the tent. It was a fun evening. We are lucky to have such a fun Dad!

Tanner has been doing soccer with the city for the last 6 weeks, and I am OVERJOYED that this was our last week. It wasn't very organized, and it was every Saturday at 9 am, which is simply not a good idea for me. But Tan had fun and really likes soccer.

I have been doing a bit of crafting lately. I have decided that I really like to use my Cricut, and have done some fun things for myself and others.

my laundry room

Mom's family room - her family tree

Gifts I am making for friend's b-days. They are on 4 inch tiles

For Tanner's teacher. On a 6 inch tile.

I also made a really nice sign for my Mom's wall, but I don't have a pic.

This week we are having a yard sale, and hoping for more sunshine. I am so looking forward to the wind slowing down, (stopping would be a miracle), and maybe having my garden grow? I am also anxious for school to get out and am trying to plan some vacations this summer.

a funny dance

2011-05-15T21:23:00.002-06:00

For Relief Society they had a talent show and a group of gals and I did a Riverdance spoof. It isn't perfect, but that was kind of the point. It was fun to do, and certainly a good workout. Check it out here.

i LOVE mother's day

2011-05-08T21:38:00.000-06:00

What could be better than a day when you are truly celebrated!!??! I woke up to breakfast in bed, delicious waffles and sausage and fruit smoothie, laid around and read my book, then got in the bubble bath and read uninterupted for 1 hour. Then at church the youth took over so I had no responsibilities, enjoyed Sunday School and RS. For dinner Dave and I worked together and made homemade coconut shrimp and fries. It was ssso yummy.

this is what was left after Dave and I ate our weight in these babies...

Dave bought me hanging flowers for my front porch, and an undercabinet radio so I can rock out while I cook. Tanner make a cute magnet with his handprint at school, and Colt make a beautiful heart laced with ribbon at preschool. I love being a mom, and I love that my kids are big enough to write that they love me, and draw pictures of me and act like they appreciate me. What a wonderful day!

Fun weekend!

2011-05-07T22:24:00.000-06:00

Friday night was Father & sons outing, so Dave and the 2 big boys went camping. They had such a wonderful time. Tan and Colt were so excited to go, Colt asked me every day all week what day it was and how many days until Friday, and Tanner told his teacher at school on Friday that his stomach hurt because he was so excited to go. It was very rainy and not warm but they had such a great time.

Saturday when they got home we had lunch and then went to to Kids Fishing Day at the park. We decided to go as a family this year. Tanner was the only one that got the fishing pole and shirt, but we all took turns fishing.

We were in the last group of the day, and I think the fish were tired of biting, so sadly, this is all we caught.

After fishing we took the train around the park. It was fun.

Then we played in the park for 10 minutes before heading home for naps and Saturday stuff that needed to be done.

They stock the fishing pond, and we are going to go back on Monday for family night and see if we can catch us a big fish. I love days when we spend the day together and just enjoy each other.

Happy Birthday party!

2011-04-29T21:38:00.000-06:00

Since Tanner turned 6 I told him he could invite 6 friends to his birthday. He gets invites all the time to parties for his friends at school, but I told him that I thought he had enough friends whose moms I know that I thought he should just stick with 6 of those friends. So, he made his list, I made his invite, and we were set....until he got sick. Then we just called his 6 friends and pushed the party back one day. It was perfect.

When the kids arrived I explained to them that the autobots were the good guys and decepticons were the bad guys. We are the autobots and we work together as a team. In order to stop the decepticons we needed to bomb them. We went outside where pics of the decepticons were attached to the fence and the kids used water balloons to destroy them.

Then, the decepticons planted mines in the desert and the autobots needed to unbury and consume the mines before they were found by humans. So, they went to the sandbox and unburied the fruit snacks and gobbled them up.

While they were finding the mines, the decepticons stole energy crystals and mixed them in rocks. They need to be found so the autobots have the energy then need. So, they kids put their hand in soapy water and felt around to find the crystals among the rocks.

All the autobots were infected with a rust eating disease. They had to hurry and drink the anti-rust potion to keep from being destroyed!

Once the decepticons were defeated, Optimus Prime yells out: "Autobots, transform and roll out!" So, the kids sat at the table and colored wooden cars that they would transform into. They loved it.

Then we opened presents:

Reed Anderson - transformer car

Blake Linde - sandbox toys

Ashlee Linde - pokemon cards

Bronx Webb - Cars games & puzzle

Izzy Goates - make your own sock puppets

Joe Peterson - pokemon card set

Then cake and ice cream

The lovely decorations -

It was so much fun for everyone! Happy Birthday Tanner!

A family birthday party

2011-04-29T15:04:00.001-06:00

By the evening of Tanner's birthday he was feeling much better, and couldn't wait for daddy to come home so he could open his presents.

still looking a bit sickly though...

Leapfrog Math Circus from Granpa & Grandma Mills

Scripture Scouts to listen to at bed time from Grandpa & Grandma Peterson

CTR ring from Mom & Dad

new bike from Mom & Dad

We made crocodile cupcakes to take to his class. Daddy took time off and came to the school to have lunch with him and brought Carls Jr chicken. It was a fun treat at school!

Mrs. Lybeck has the kids come to the front of the class and say what they want for their birthday. He was Tanner's list:

Tanner was disappointed that the didn't get an Ipad for his birthday, but we tried to tell him from the start that they are too expensive.

Happy 6 Birthday!

2011-04-28T10:38:00.000-06:00

Well, the worst thing that could happen to a little boy has happened....Tanner is sick on his birthday. We had all these great plans, then he came home with a fever after school yesterday. When I picked him up he looked so tired. I said, "Tan, what is wrong?" He replied, "nothing. I am just so excited for my birthday." If only you could have heard his monotone voice. No excitement in there. Then he came home and fell right asleep on the couch. And that is pretty much where he has stayed. So, super fun birthday party has been changed to Friday, and I emailed his teacher and we will take our treat on Friday instead. Dave is going to take lunch to Tanner too, so that will happen Friday as well. Bummer indeed!

Only Braden and I enjoyed our traditional waffles and ice cream breakfast. Tanner thought that is what he wanted, but after one bite he said, "I think I just want to lay down again."

So, I guess today will be a movie day. Hopefully everyone will be ready for celebrations tomorrow.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T22:21:00.001-06:00

It was a WINDY and blustery day on Easter Sunday, so we did our festivities in the house. The boys were so excited that it was like punishment that they had to wait to get out of the bath before they could have their egg hunt. Everyone was a little disappointed that they didn't get to see the Bunny come, but that is how it goes. Tanner and Colt got new Sunday shirts, a butterfly garden, and a puzzle. Brady got a Buzz Lightyear buddy and blanket, and all three got new money saving banks with slots for tithing, mission, and fun money.

Then we had a discussion of what Easter really means. Tanner is so smart, and he would fill in all the details I didn't think they would need to know...like that the guards fell asleep while guarding the tomb and such. Church was lovely. Then after church we had 2 families come over for Easter Dinner. It was so yummy and fun to visit.

I feel so grateful that I know that My Redeemer Lives. What a blessing to celebrate His life, instead of focusing on His death. I am so grateful that He loved me enough to make the sacrifice to suffer and give up His life, so that the we can all have the opportunity to Live Again.

One of my favorite Easter stories is about a little boy named Jeremy. You can read it here. I know the tomb was empty because He was Risen from the Dead, just like he said he would!

Weekend busyness

2011-04-24T10:11:00.002-06:00

The weekend before Easter was BEAUTIFUL!!! We had 70 degree weather on Saturday and got LOTS done in our yard....much needed and awaited!

Dave poured a new concrete pad to our patio on Friday. It extended it another 9 feet, which is awesome.

I stain painted our fence, first with a roller, than was convinced to use the neighbors sprayer. It sure does a faster and better job. I am so happy with how it looks.

Dave got sand in the sandbox, and now we have the 3 happiest boys in Washington, and the dirtiest kitchen floor. Gotta love sand.

The weekend before that Dave got our bikes all ready to ride. He had a bunch of flats to fix, and adjust seats and such. Tanner's bike has issues, so he doesn't like to ride it. Maybe he will get a new one for his birthday.

Braden is pretty excited to be as big as his brothers. If only he could figure out how to pedal...

And here we have Idaho....

2011-04-11T22:11:00.000-06:00

A trip to Sugar City was a must. I haven't been to our house in a while, and I have never met our renters. Plus, there are so many people we love, it just had to happen.

Our first stop was in Idaho Falls at The Legacy Network. Why not? Then to Arctic Circle for lunch with our favorite Sister Rose. We miss her since she has moved, and it was nice to sit and visit over Ranch Burgers while the kids played. Then we headed to Sugar City. (Although the boys have city and state confused and were sure we were in Sugar City all along.)

We stopped at Bollars first, to see Colty's long lost love, Emmie. They played and we visited. Then we went to Kinghorns. Again, the kids played and Debbi I caught up. Then to Taylors. We stayed for a while, then Jennifer and I went to see Grandma Sonderegger and meet with my renters. It was nice to do both. The house looks great. Holly was very nice and keeps a clean home from what I can tell. They are really hoping to buy the house, and so are we! Wouldn't that just be wonderful!?!

The evening was spent at Taylors with pizza for dinner, then a ladies night with some of my favorite people. I just love getting together with people I adore! I really miss the people in Sugar City. The weather on the other hand, is something I don't miss. And, yes, it is snowing on our Spring Break.

The boys had a fun sleepover on the floor. There is just something about sleeping bags that make everything just a little more adventurous!

Saturday morning we got up and Jen and I were headed to Zumba. We picked up Cami at her apartment, then were sadly dissappointed that there was no zumba to be found. They must have cancelled for Spring Break, or maybe graduation. So, we went back to Taylors and did Just Dance on the Wii. Then the boys decided to make snowmen, so we enjoyed their creativity.

There ended up being a whole family of them, six in total. I was so impressed that these little boys could do it all by themselves.

The sun came out and when we left just after noon there was nothing left on the grass except the pile where the snow family met their final destuction - the feet of 3 little boys. (Boys = contruct and destroy).

Braden loved the horse at both Bollars and at Taylors. Maybe he will get one for Christmas. He is definately our little cowboy!

We drove to Blackfoot Saturday afternoon to make a quick stop at G Grandma Peterson's. I was sad we didn't spend more time there, but I promised that next time we would stay longer. I was exhausted from all the fun and decided I better catch up with my sisters in Pocatello so they would ride with me and keep me awake. Cousin Brooke got married on Saturday so the family was all together for the wedding, and we were all headed to Rupert for the reception. So, I zipped to Pocatello, gathered my additional passengers, and we went to Grammy and Grandad's house. It was fun again to see my family, and Aunt Susan too.

The reception that night was very nice. It is always fun to visit with cousins and other "long lost loved ones". The Poteet cousins are all married off now, so hopefully my siblings with get their acts together and be next in line!!

Sunday morning we got up and after breakfast headed home to Washington. It is supposed to be a 7 hour trip, and I am so pleased to say that it only took 7 1/2 hours. We did have to stop for 2 potty breaks and gas. We got home just after our Daddy from church. The roads were clear the whole way, the sun was shining when we got home, and dinner was ready to eat. What a great day!!

We had the funnest Spring Break! We sure packed a whole lot of fun into 10 days!

Fun in Utah

2011-04-11T21:12:00.000-06:00

Saturday and Sunday we enjoyed watching conference, playing in the sunshine, and just being together. Everyone was around, and we had such a fun time playing with cousins. We even got to go to a birthday party for Emmalee visiting her grandparents in PG too from North Dakota.

Tanner really wanted someone to do a flip for him. Everyone was too scared, so his awesome Mommy showed him how it was done.

Then Aunt Dawn and Cami had a bum war!

And no Sunday would be complete without yummy popcorn!

Sleeping isn't something that anyone is easily talked into, but when it happens it is a blessing!

On Tuesday we got to spend time at the park with friends. My old roommates met together and we had a fun picnic, blew bubbles, and looked at the horses.

Then Eliza suggested we go to her parents home around the corner and see the animals they have.

Baby chickens...

Big chickens...

Baby geese...

And playground equipment....

The comment was made, "Why did we even go to the park?" It was fun. I love spending time with Brooke, Tiffany, Eliza, and Mandy. These are awesome women that share some of my favorite memories, and have touched my life in ways they will never know. I am so grateful for such good examples in my life!

Then Tuesday afternoon, Mom, me, Dawn, and Amanda went to BYU to the Carl Bloch art display. It was so neat to realize the talent of real people. I was surprised how many paintings were familar to me. I was touched by this one in particular. I loved to color red that was familiar in each painting. And the deep significance to each painting.

Tuesday night we had a birthday party for Uncle J.

Wednesday we enjoyed story time at the Provo Library with Madolyn and Avery. They had fun songs, puppets, and stories. Brady was impressed and kept saying "more time" when it was over. Then after a fast stop to Shopko we got to have a tasty stop at Krispy Kremes.

Thursday Colt woke up with the stomach flu, halting our plans to go to Corinne and then Blackfoot. But, we decided it must have been for the best, because we went later to Corinne and stayed the night there, and were able to stay inside with the weather took its toll. On my 1 1/2 hour drive from PG to Corinne, I drove through hail, sleet, snow, RAIN, and slush. The roads were so wet I kept hydrplaning a little, and my wipers were going so fast, and yet I still could hardly see. It was nearly miserable. And, it was so fun to be in Corinne....

Uncle Russ was there from Nebraska. KaDee was there for the night cuz her parents were out of town. And Aunt Mandy was there with Emma and Levi. Grandpa kept saying "We never get company, then we get everyone at once." We had a nice time visiting and I was so glad that the boys got to play with Emmalee and Levi. We sure don't see these cousins often enough. Grandma made us popcorn and pop with the SodaStream.

skyping with the Nebraska boys cousins...we were so sad they weren't there.

Then off to Idaho the next morning...

Spring Break - the L.O.N.G. drive

2011-04-11T20:13:00.000-06:00

the plan for weeks has been that I was going to UT for Spring Break. We were going to do it in 2 days, staying in Boise to break it up. Then some friends from Kennewick told me that they were going and that they were caravanning and were doing it in one day. I debated back and forth, then decided to just do it. It would give us more time with the college kids home for conference and it would be fine. So, Friday, April 1st, we met at 7am and got ready for the drive. By 7:23 we were on the road, and I was so excited to think that we would be there in just 10 short hours. April Fools!

The first stop was in Pendleton, less than an hour from home. Someone had thrown up, luckily not in my car. The next stop was La Grande, same kid had to potty. Then we were off. We were making great time and would be in Boise by lunchtime....until we saw the billows of smoke in the distance. I thought it must be a brush fire, until all the traffic stopped in front of us and we sat on the Freeway for 1 1/2 hours.

After playing in red-ant hills, running up and down the freeway, and cleaning up trash along the road, we were finally redirected by a cop through an "authorized vehicle only" road back about 10 miles to Weiser and on through there.

We stopped for lunch at McDonald's in Ontario, then buzzed right through Boise. We stopped in Mountain Home for a quick potty break, and then got ready to leave when one of the vehicles in our carvan started her car to find the most ear piercing screach. Luckily there was a good samaritan "wrencher" in the gas station who made some phone calls for us, found us the part to fix the "froze up pulley" and then had us follow him to town to the Napa to pay for the part then he ran to his shop to grab his tools and then fixed the issue at hand. He was headed to Jackpot for the weekend, and we wished him great luck on his gambling for the weekend. There was another couple at the gas station that came over to help too, and after visiting we found that they are in the Union ward here in Kennewick and were headed to Pocatello. They ended up donating their gifts to the grandkids to our wild tribe and the kids had a great time on the side of the gas station playing with fisherprice cars and people. We all teared up to think of the kindness of strangers.

Then again, on the road and we flew right along, until Burley where we spent 40 ridiculous minutes at Wendy's waiting for our food. And, the sad thing was, we were the only ones in the restaurant. I contemplated staying with family in the area, but they didn't answer the phone, and Tanner really wanted to get to Grandma's in PG. So, despite it being 8pm, we buzzed on.

FINALLY at 11:30pm - only 15 hours later we arrived at our destination. Exhausted. But home. Ahhh, the joys of caravanning....

Spring has Sprung

2011-03-31T14:06:00.000-06:00

Well, Sugar City, I miss you very much, but it is Spring here, and it still may be a while before it finds you. Don't miss that!

I have the spring veggies in my garden planted - lettuce, broccoli, carrots, califlower, peas, spinach. We bought 3 trees this weekend, a peach, and necterine, and a crabapple. And the two trees in our yard that we weren't sure were alive are flowering!!

We have fun things growing in our window too.

These are flowers - marigolds, bachelor buttons, etc.

This is the bean plant that Colty planted at preschool. We are so proud of it, and Dave thinks it will sprout beans before it is even warm enough to put outside.

A beautiful double Daffodil. I do miss these since I don't have any bulbs in my new yard -yet. I bought myself some daffodils and they got thrown out today, but then Colty got this at preschool. To me is just screams - IT IS SPRING!!

Today for preschool we went to one of the girl's grandma's house. She lives on a 7 acre "farm". It was so fun to see the animals.

Riding horses was a highlight. Brady kept saying "more time!" He might be a cowboy when he grows up. He loves riding horses, being a horse, looking at horses, etc.

Brady and Kaylee, his best frenemy.

Colt and Bronx

Dave is also getting ready for the summer by shedding his winter weight. He has been working really hard at being healthy (we both have actually). We have been going to they gym, watching what we eat, and counting calories. Dave has lost 19 lbs in 3 1/2 weeks. I have only lost 5, but none the less, we are both so happy with the way it makes us feels to be eating right and excersizing. I am so proud of Dave. He would like to lose a bit more, but don't worry, when he starts wearing pants smaller than mine, I will start lacing his dinner with fattener!!

Spring means busy for farmers, and Dave has been running and running (maybe that is why he lost the weight) like crazy. He gets up at 5 am and we don't see him at night until 7 ish. He is responsible for receiving the potato seed for his farm, and dealing with truckers and dispatchers and the sort is quite stressful. So, me and the boys are leaving!!

Spring Break is next week so we are headed to UT in the morning. There are some gals from here that are going too, so we will caravan, which will be nice. We hope we don't run into any unfriendly April Fools jokes on our way! So, Friday through Thursday in PG, then to ID to check on our house and see some familiar faces, then on Saturday to Burley for a cousin's wedding reception, and Sunday we will journey back home. It will be so fun and we can't wait!!

Isn't Spring wonderful!

Problem and solutions

2011-03-22T19:17:00.000-06:00

So, we have had a bit of a problem in our garage lately. We had some of this...

and some of this...

And while I love this guy, I absolutely DESPISE his little cousins.

So we invested in one of these fancy items, (which by the way didn't take care of the problem the way we hoped. It did catch the little rodent, but caused much suffering.)

So, to keep future rodents from our garage and food storage, we got a more permenant fix....Salt and Pepper!

And we LOVE them!
The boys of course had to draw a picture of them once we got them settled,

and Tanner has made up a job list

It is so fun having babies in the house again! :)

Happy St. Patty's Day

2011-03-17T21:46:00.000-06:00

Here is a great St. Patick's Day riddle:
What is Irish and sits on your back porch?

Patty O' Furniture!

Today we went over to the Webb's for a fun St. Patrick's day party. It has been a long time since we were there because of their new baby that is now 6 weeks old. (of the 6 weeks he has spent 3 in the hospital, as a premie 6 weeks early and with RSV.) We strung noodles on a string, then we did a treasure hunt...

Then had shamrock pizzas. (English Muffins, spaghetti sauce, cheese, and pepperoni). The kids played and the Moms visited, which was WONDERFUL!

Dave was so excited to find a new shed on Craigslist, so he brought it home and was trying to get it off the trailer. We put logs under it, then pushed it off the trailer, but it got going a bit much...

And toppled right over. Hum...

Then Dave tied a chain to it and pulled it back upright.

Of course with the help of 3 good little boys, and a really tough Mom.

Everything is upright again, and now we will get paint to match our house and somehow push it back next to the house. What a fun adventure.

I love life

2011-03-17T21:37:00.000-06:00

That says it all!

Family Pics

2011-03-16T17:23:00.000-06:00

My smiles card at JCPenny expired last week, so we decided to get pics before that happened. They didn't turn out too bad after all the monkey business!

I love paying only $3.99 a sheet! Everything I wanted for less than $50!

Monster Trucks!!

2011-03-12T11:41:00.006-07:00

I read on a friend's blog the other day that to incentivize her children to help around the house without being grumpy and fussing, she came up with a chart and when they filled the chart they got to go on a date with Dad. I loved it, so I followed suit. I made a job chart for Tanner and Colty and if they do their jobs without complaint they get a checkmark, and after 1 week of checkmarks, they get a date with Dad. Well, after one successful week Dave came home from work and told the boys that if they did one more week we could go to Monster Trucks together as a family. They were sold!! Everyday they asked when we were going, and finally the day arrived.

Mud drag racing. We were surprised at how hard this is on the trucks. There were many trucks that ended up locking up or loosing headgaskets and such and had to be towed out of the arena. One of the monster trucks even blew his transmission, but no worries, he had another one and within the hour he had them switched out and was racing again!

It was VERY loud. We brought earplugs, but litte boy ears are too small for the plugs. Bummer! (pretend you don't see my double chin!)

Lucky boys convinced Dad to buy them flags. Then we had the drivers sign them.

Titan (the overall winner) and Double Trouble.

It was such a fun night. A great reward for good boys!

What a cute little athlete!

2011-03-05T14:04:00.001-07:00

Well, the basketball "season" is over for Tanner, and we were so proud of the progress he made this year. He is doing great at dribbling and shooting. He had a fun time, and it was fun for us to watch him.

Tanner and his friend Isabelle. She lives in our neighborhood and we signed up to do basketball together.

stretchin out!!

The video isn't great, but doesn't he look handsome in his basketball jersey and fancy new shoes?

Next will be soccer! Tanner's fave!

One year older and wiser too...

2011-03-03T13:33:00.000-07:00

One year ago today:

Dave started his new job in Washington.
I spent the afternoon in Dave's apartment making freezer meals for him to eat while I lived 600 miles away.
I wasn't sure I would ever figure out where things are in this town. Other than Winco!
My little boys were at grandma's - Braden very fevered and grandma very tired.
Braden had a bridge on his teeth and we were pretty sure they were going to fall out after the superman flight off the top bunk
We were living in a world of unknowns - will the house sell, will we be happy in WA, when will we move, where will we all live when we get here, how are we going to leave our wonderful friends in Sugar City, etc, etc, etc.

Today, one year later:

Dave loves his job. He has moved up faster than we anticipated and is planning the season for his own fields this year. He drives a work truck, has his own desk, ipad, and laptop, and is very happy.
I am cooking in my new large kitchen. We went from renting Dave's 2 bed apartment, to a 3 bed apartment, and now own a beautiful 4 bedroom home. (I guess that the good news is that we upgraded each move!)
I have the town figured out, and what I don't know how to find, I take TomTom with me!
My boys are still sick - but luckily not with the same thing as they had a year ago. Colds are the pits!!
Braden has a mouthful of beautiful teeth. He is talking and dancing and climbing and so much fun, and he has a beautiful smile withouth any bridges or damaged or missing teeth. Tanner on the other hand now has a mouth of "silver" teeth.
We still live in a world of unknowns - but they seem less frightening. We still have a house in Idaho that needs to be sold, but we have great renters in it. We are continuing to get to know our neighbors and ward members and are making new friends. And we keep in touch with our dear friends and family so far away! (we are planning to visit over spring break too!)

Although our situation wasn't ideal, and many days were spent in frustration, aggrevation, and tears, we can all agree that there were many priceless memories and times spent in our "compartment" and we learned to rely on each other and be outgoing. We learned that even when life flips upside down and it feels like prayers aren't being heard or answered, sometimes we have to be patient and wait for the Lord's plan to unfold. We are so grateful to be where we are now, and are loving the journey - at least today. :}

Happy Birthday to the doc...

2011-03-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday. I am not sure how old he is or would be, but I guess that is beside the point. In honor of reading, and this great rhymer, our AWESOME library is hosting free movie nights at the theater this week. Last night was:

And tomorrow night is:

We went as a family last night, and although Cat in the Hat is not my favorite, the boys loved it. And Dave and I loved that all 3 of them sat through the movie without so much as moving a muscle. Even Brady was so entertained and enthralled. It gave me hope that we could go to some of the summer movies that are like $1 or so. We just might got again tomorrow. And, we found out from the previews that there is a Cars 2 coming out this summer. That would be so fun to go to as well.

So, whether you want to Go, Go, Go on an Adventure, or just want to say all the words that rhyme with Lorax in one sentence - here's to you - Dr. Seuss! Happy Birthday!

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells." — Dr. Seuss

(If you want to smile and be uplifted, google Dr. Seuss quotes. He really had some amazing insight!)

Happy President's Day!

2011-02-21T23:16:00.000-07:00

We love it when Daddy and Tanner have the day off! What a fun day we had!

Dave has all these great plans for our back yard, and he now has Spring Fever. He wants to fix and stain our fence, move sprinklers, plan trees, build a shed, extend our patio, build a pergola, and make a sandbox and grow boxes. Today we worked together as a family and made grow boxes for our garden this year. The boys helped measure and draw the cut lines, and then daddy and wimpy mommy screwed them together.

Then we cut the wood to make a sand box. We had 2 pieces of non-pretreated wood, so the boys painted them with weatherproofer. They also painted the tips of their shoes, the legs of their pants, and other random places. While they painted, mom wiped off things that shouldn't be painted.

For lunch we went to Eatza Pizza - a pizza buffet in Pasco. Dave says that there must be some unwritten law that pizza buffets can only have mediocre pizza. But, it was on $1.99 each kid and then we did arcade games afterward. It was the experience that counts!

With the latest excercize craze at our house we decided to get new running shoes, and since Big 5 was having a big sale we headed there. They don't carry kid shoes, so just Mom and Dad got shoes. We'll see if we can find some new basketball/soccer shoes for Tanner somewhere else. Maybe they will help him run faster!

Then home for a nap for Brady, and Tanner and Colty and I went to see our friend's new baby. He was 5 weeks early and is now 5 lbs. He is so tiny. I told the boys on the way there that they need to wash their hands as soon as we got there before they touched him. I was telling them he was so tiny, and Tanner said, "yeah, but I bet he has a big head." I said, "no, it is so little." And Tanner said, "I bet as tiny as a germ." When we got there and they saw him Colt said, "Woah, he is a lot littler than I thought." He really is so small. His ear is the size of a quarter. It was fun to sit and hold the baby while the kids played. I just can't get over how little he is though.

Then our friends Somer and Caleb came over for tacos and FHE. Dave gave a lesson on what President's Day is and gave an interesting facts quiz on Lincoln and Washington. It was fun to get to know about them more. Tanner learned about them in school, so he knew a lot of the answers. Did you know that Washington only had 1 tooth of his own, the rest were made from human, cow, and hippo? Did you know that Lincoln was the tallest president at 6 feet 4 inches? Then we made stovetop hats.

What a fun day!!

What's New

2011-02-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

Tanner has started playing a city rec basketball. He is doing it with his neighbor friend, and it has been fun to watch him. I am sad to report that he got his mom's athletic abilities, much to the frustration of his dad. But, Tanner has a fun time playing and is a good sport. (Mostly he doesn't have any competitiveness to him). Tanner is a pretty good shot at the hoop, making it 4 out of 5 times, but the dribbling needs some work. He seems to have weird issues with his socks and thinks he needs to pull them up all the time.

Dave and I got a 21 day membership to the gym right behind our home. It was $9, so we decided to give it a try. Dave is really gung-ho. He wanted a gym membership this whole winter, but then bummed his foot so that didn't work out the way he hoped. But he is being good about what he eats and is trying to cut some weight. I am proud of him. After he got home from the gym for the 2nd time the other day, he and the boys started practicing "exercises".

sit ups

bench pressing baby

bench pressing Colty and Caillou

bench pressing Caillou

bench pressing momma

up-downs (he still has it after all these years!)

jumping jacks

Can't you see the pounds just dropping off!

And finally, if there were a big score board somewhere the kept track of the good things our kids do that are a reflection of the things they learn at home, we would a point as parents this week.

Earlier in the week I was watching some TLC show about wedding dresses. At the end Tanner started watching with me. It showed the couple's wedding on the beach in Hawaii. Tanner said, "What are they doing? " I said, "getting married." "But they aren't in the temple." So then we discussed that sometimes people make choices and they don't get married in the temple, but where do we want to get married? "The temple!"

The the next day I was watching a Hallmark movie while folding the laundry, and at the end of the movie the rich man proposes to the lower class gal (happy ending - I love Hallmark!) and the movie ended. Tanner said, "now what." I said, "well they will get married." "Where?" I said, "Where do you think?" He looks up at me and says, "probably the temple, (pause), or the beach."

And today, when he got home from church he went upstairs to draw (his creative juices have really been flowing this week as he has gone through at least half a ream of paper drawing) and came down with this:

I think I get a point for this. And maybe his primary teacher can a have a point too!

Gone on business

2011-02-17T21:23:00.001-07:00

Dave did a lot of travelling the last month on "business". In January he went to Pocatello for the Ag Show and Potato School. He and a buddy from work drove together and spent 3 or so days in Idaho. I was very jealous that I didn't get to go. (Not for the potato part, but for the social aspect. I am sure I could have something fun to do in that area.) Then last week he and another co-worker went to the Tulare Ag Show for the whole week. They left Monday morning at 5 am and flew to Fresno. They went to a nut farm owned by the Church, and then Tuesday and Wednesday they spent "working" at the Ag show. He said it was like the County Fair on steroids. He saw the latest and greatest in technology and other such farm stuff, got to drive four-wheelers and trucks, get a new collection of hats, and enjoy the sunshine every day.

On Thursday they had had enough, so they went to the Sequoia forest. There were 5 guys from AgriNW there, so they went together. Dave said it was amazing to see those HUGE trees.

Friday they slept in, went to a matinee, then caught their plane and made it home just before midnight. So, they basically were gone for a week, got to see new equipment, try new things, go new places, play in the sun, and eat way to much food - all on the company's dime. And, might I add, miss all 3 of his kids taking turns with the throw-ups. Aren't business trips great!

Awww, shucks, it happened again!

2011-02-03T23:41:00.000-07:00

Another one grows up too fast....our baby is now 2.

Braden loves to blow out candles. Anytime we even discuss his birthday, he blows. He could hardly wait to blow the candles out, and we had to re-light one a few times.

We had our friends the Webb's over for a little party. Kaylee and Braden are best frenemies. They are 6 months apart, and Braden is less than nice to her most of the time. Bronx and the my other boys are best friends.

We had a Mickey Mouse cake.

Brady got a few new puzzles, a Tutu head, (Mr. Potato Head), a chapstick--since he is a bit addicted and maybe will now leave mine alone, and a toothbrush.

He got a boat and a bubbles stick from his friends.

We had such a fun day. Braden and I went shopping while Colty was at preschool. This afternoon we ate popcorn and had breakfast for dinner because Braden's favorite of all favorite things to eat is sausage.

He is starting to say all sorts of things, and can carry on a pretty good conversation. He talked to Grandma on the phone the other day and answered all her questions clearly. He also prays - which is awsome because my ohter boys have just started to do that regularly without complaint. Braden is a spit fire, but we sure love him, and can't believe he is now two. Wow, how time flies!

Day 5 - Heading Home

2011-01-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

We had a lazy morning, with a late check out, so we went swimming at the pool. We swam twice when we first got to CA, but had been too busy the last few days. The boys were so excited to jump in, although they really preferred the hot tub. The big pool was heated and was absolutely perfect though.

When Dave was a little boy, his family took a vacation and his parents dressed everyone alike in bright colored shirts that were numbered on the back. His older siblings were horrified at the thought and still cringe to think about it, but his parents are still so proud that they didn't lose anyone due to the bright colors. So, they surprised us and sent us matching shirts too. Luckily, our boys are young enough to think it is cool to match and have their names on their shirts!

We rented this van - a 2011 Toyota Siena. It was fantastic! I told Dave I want it to be our next rig, but he thinks it will require winning the lottery to afford. It was so roomy and had so much storage space. I loved it! So did the boys. Braden cried when we dropped it off and they drove it away. "Mine!!!"

On the shuttle to the airport, and everywhere we went, our cute boys get smiles. They were so good on our vacation, and we had the best time! If we can get tickets that cheap every year, we just might make a Califonia visit in the winter a family tradition! Can't beat sunshine and high 70 temps in January!

Day 4 - Disneyland

2011-01-26T22:16:00.014-07:00

Wednesday was beauiful! We had a good sleep, a good breakfast, and were excited to go see Mickey. We rode the shuttle to the park which was only a few blocks away, and got there shortly after it opened.

We got our tickets off of Craigslist, so we didn't have to wait in line and just went right through the gates. I pulled out the map and showed the boys the different areas, showing them rides and explaining stuff. The only thing they were interested in was: Where is Mickey? Luckily, we found him fast!

Then we found Gepetto and Pluto. We had them all sign our autograph books too!

Rides were so fun...

Unless they were a little scary...

The thing that I enjoyed most about the rides at Disneyland is that everyone could ride them. There were only a handful that had height restrictions, and they were ones we wouldn't want to ride anyway unless you were older. And, it was so family friendly. They allowed 3 on almost every ride, so we could all go at the same time.

I was so excited to got to the castle and take the boys through FantasyLand, but they could have cared less. Nobody wanted to ride on anything with me or see the princesses. Dave took my picture and said the maybe someday I would have a princess that would be excited to do girl stuff!

Our goofies in Goofy's chair

When we found the Fairy Godmother and Suzie the mouse, Braden was in love at first sight. He thought Suzie was the most wonderful and amazing thing he had ever laid his little eyes on!

A Mickey Pretzel for dinner! (It was the only thing we could afford!)

At California Adventure we did a few rides, and then enjoyed the World of Color show. We didn't have great "seats", but it was pretty amazing what they could do with lights and water. It dawned on me what the most wonderful thing about Disney is - the MUSIC! Nothing beats Disney music.

I loved this picture, though it should have been one I took at the first of the day, not the last!

We got back to our hotel around 9pm, and Braden cried all the way up the elevator "Bed!!" We were all exhausted, but had a very fun day! Legoland was fun, but it certainly isn't as magical as Disneyland!

Day 3 - The Beach

2011-01-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

We decided to hit the beach in Oceanside, as we were told that the parking was free and it had a great beach, lots of surfers, and a really long pier. The day was beautiful, nearly 70 degrees, although on the beach it was cooler than that. We had such a wonderful time!!

The boys immediately started to play in the sand. We brought lunch, but suddenly nobody but Dad was hungry anymore.

The boys would race the waves, going into the water until the waves would come, then run back to the beach.

Colty decided he needed to warm up in the sand a bit. And, why not make an angel while he is there.

A beach trip wouldn't be complete without being buried in the sand, and getting sand in all the wrong places!

I think there are few places as beautiful and amazing and breath-taking as the ocean. I love it!

Then we drove to Anaheim to get ready for our big day tomorrow - Meeting Mickey!

Day 2 - Legoland

2011-01-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

We got up fairly early (like 7am - but that seems really early when you got to bed so late) and get ready to head to Carlsbad, CA to Legoland. It was a nice drive on the way down, thanks to our handy GPS. (How did we ever get along with out it!?!) California is beautiful with all the palm trees, and the San Diego Freeway goes right along the coast, making it even more beautiful.

As we were driving, enjoying the Aztec type buildings, we suddenly see a familiar guy...Moroni. But he wasn't hanging out on top of a familiar looking building. So, I grabbed Dave's I-pad, and sure enough, it was familiar, we just didn't know it. It was the Newport Beach CA temple. Isn't it cool?

We got to Legoland around 10, right when it opened. We got our stroller, and admission into the park, and away we went.

It was pretty cool to see the things that were made with Legos!!

There were only a handful of rides that we could all ride together, since there were 5 of us, because most would only allow 2 at a time, and you had to have an adult ride with you until you are 48 inches tall. There was a nice "grandma" in front of us that we also in a group with an odd number, so she said that she would ride with Tanner so we didn't have to split up. It was very nice of her...we wish she would have been our grandma as it would have made the rides easier for our little family.

Since we got in so late and up so early, everyone was tired, so after lunch Dave and Colty took Braden back to have a nap at the hotel, and Tanner and I ran around and did the "big kid" rides.

Tanner is a thrill junkies - the faster the better. He loved the roller coasters and the fast rides. Colty doesn't like these so much, so that is what Tanner and I ran around doing the most....the fast ones!

When the boys got back from resting, they were much happier, and we had a good time getting on teh rides that we could all ride. I was kind of disappointed in how many rides had height restrictions. Luckily Braden is 34 inches, so he could do a good portion of them, but I didn't feel like Legoland was very family oriented in that respect.

This was a favorite ride. The riders could spray water at other boats and at watchers, and the watchers could spray them. Everyone got very wet on this ride.

Dave was amazed at this Volvo. It was built on a car frame, but it completely out of legos. Pretty stinkin' cool!

We had a great time at Legoland. It was a very slow day and we basically walked onto every ride, and the day was a beauiful 70 degrees! It started to cool down at 5 o'clock when the park closed, but that may also have been due to the fact that we were wet from water rides.

We ate dinner at TGI Friday's then to the hotel for swimming! Tomorrow....the beach!

Day 1 - I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

2011-01-23T00:05:00.000-07:00

Our long awaited vacation has finally arrived! I am pretty sure I am far more excited than anyone else! Sunday was a long day, waiting for our 1 o'clock church to start, then waiting for it to end, then waiting for dinner, and then for finally time to go to the airport. But, 6:30pm finally arrived and we were off!!

Getting through the check-in was much easier than I anticipated, as sometimes it can be crazy. And, then, time to wait again.

When we loaded the plane it was so exciting. Braden was a "lap child" but the plane wasn't full, so he was able to have his own seat, which was wonderful.

After our 1 hour and 53 minute flight we were in LAX. Colton said, "When I get off the plane I am going to yell, Mickey Mouse, where are you? as loud as I can." Tanner thought the plane ride would be different. He expected to feel the airplane moving the whole time.qq

Braden INSISTED on pulling the suitcase himself. So, with a monkey on his back, momma holding his tail, and him pulling "his" suitcase, we walked through the airport. I am sure that this image brought a smile to every person who saw him at the airport. It was really cute!

By the time we got our carseats out of baggage claim, and got our bus to take us to the car rental place, and picked out our new sweet ride, we got to the hotel after midnight. Everyone zonked right out!!!

I Heart Albies!

2011-01-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Albertsons. I bought 30 boxes of instant oatmeal, 3 pkgs of fishie crackers, 5 boxes of Life cereal, 2 boxes of Cap'n Crunch, 3 boxes of Dips Granola Bars, and a rolo candybar (since Braden opened it while we were checking it out). My total was less than $20 -- I used a $20 bill to pay and I got change back, but I don't want to find my receipts right now.

YIPEE!!!