Happy St. Patty's Day

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

That says it all!

Family Pics

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!!

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!

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...

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...

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!)