The Road Less Traveled

Ammon's baptism

2011-12-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Ammon was baptized!

It was a beautiful event. We had several there from the ward and also neighbors and others we've gotten to know in the community. It was great!

After looking in the new manual about a baptism program we did this: opening song, prayer

talk: faith in Jesus Christ

talk: baptism and Holy Ghost

musical: David and I sang "Families can be together forever"

Then the ordinances of baptism and confering the gift of the Holy Ghost

(after the baptism, while they got dressed, we had asked 2 people to bear their testimony, then we had time to sing one song)

Then closing song/prayer.

Short and sweet.

I really like doing the meeting part (talks) then doing the ordinances together, how they should be. Turned out great! A very enriching experience.

That's one special boy. Here's an exerpt from his journal (used with permission):

"Thanksgiving. 2011 age 7 Ammon

I am thankful for a family and that I can go on a mission someday and that I will be baptized someday too. I can't wait to do all this stuff it will be so fun.

My favorite color is green.

My best friend is everyone.

My favorite thing to do is make friends. I love mom and dad. I love all my reledeves too.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Grandpa was able to come out. Yay!

We were needed to help in nursery at church so he came along and all the kids just LOVED him in there:

Whole-Wheat Snowmen

2011-12-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

It starts here in the buckets...And it ends up like this...or like this, in the fridge...But... something WEIRD happens in between...This is my unofficial wheat grinder, Hyrum and his helper, Brigham... (the chickens are there to catch a stray kernal or two)It seems to start off normal enough, a little dust escapes the grinder after a batch or two of wheat that's ground up...

But, soon... SNOWMEN start to appear...Not sure how it happens...But I always seem to end up with two snowmen walking in the house afterwards...

(Hyurm's cheeks are STUFFED with fresh wheat flour)

He says to me... "oh, I just love this, could you give me a bowl of it?"

Note: BEWARE... if you grind your own flour, you'll never be able to eat that ick store flour again... you have been warned. Your kids may start eating wheat kernals and fresh flour as snacks also... again, you have been warned...

Great Celebrations!

2011-12-03T15:29:00.000-08:00

Halloween! Just kidding, we don't celebrate that thing anymore...

So, did you wonder what we did? Sit at home, stare at the floor, go to bed early, pretend it's just another normal day? Noooo....

Happy Martin Luther Day!

Soon after realizing we just didn't like what we were "celebrating" last year, we were doing history and learned about Martin Luther, the courageous and bold German monk who wrote and posted his 95 theses... on October 31, 1517.

No way! awesome! What a great and wonderful thing to celebrate! (I hope you all know about it, if not, go get a book about him... He was probably the only reformer not to be burned at the stake, he later was married and had six children)

I was really, REALLY excited this year to not celebrate that other thing... Phew, felt like freedom! Ahhh... feels so good to be FREE!

So, what'd we do?

Well, since this date landed on Monday we had a lesson about him, sang "Away in a Manger" which he wrote, then the kids went downstairs to costume up and perform their version of the 95 theses scenario and related events...

it was very dramatic... with some swords added in...

It was a great production!

("Stop selling indulgences!!")

BUT-- the BEST part was when Dad acted out his versions of how things happened...

Oh dear, that man is HILARIOUS!

Also, a few days earlier, our great neighbors invited us over for dinner, a tractor ride through town, and bonfire.

They are so wonderful.

It is such a blessing to have good neighbors.

Dan, Ed & Sue (you may remember the story of our chickens invading their yard last year during a neighborhood picnic)

There you have it... the best October celebration.

Thanksgiving Baby

2011-11-28T14:47:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Meemum!

Our Thanksgiving baby (who we are extremely thankful for)

has turned 2! Balloons are the best present. The kids blew all of these up themselves for Brigham.

David had part of the morning off, so we celebrated with breakfast cake!

And Brigham wanted to stay in his pajamas all day... so he did!

We don't do much presents (one small one from us, one from grandparents is plenty) because it takes away from the "yay, you're in our family!" and turns into "me, me, me, what did you get me" ... I really don't like that selfish entitlement attitude...

Anywho,

Yay Brigham for coming to our family, we are glad you are here!!!

Dad Practice

2011-11-23T20:18:00.000-08:00

Practicing to be a Dad

2011-11-23T11:28:00.000-08:00

Utah Trip, part 2

2011-11-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

We took the train to temple square in downtown Salt Lake City, that thing is fun!

We got into the tabernacle right before they closed for an organ rehearsal, and we were allowed to stay in for a few minutes and listen... WOW... that was awesome. Our favorite thing of the day for sure. Here is Hyrum with Hyrum...
Brigham and Brigham...

The Temple!!

Look out! (don't worry, it's a huge window)

Looking out over the city

taking a break, looking at the beautiful gardens (and taking Dad's hat)

That evening, David took some of the kids to the BYU vs. Utah State football game...

wow, that was quite the game! I don't like watching sports, but sure enjoyed that one. Those that went had a great time.

Caleb, Brigham, and I stayed and had a barbecue with Jon and his kids. We had a real nice time. My brother Jon brought out his tree climbing gear and let Caleb climb up and use it as a swing. He loved it!

Then on Saturday... YIPPEE

WOO HOO

YAY!

Time to watch General Conference!

I just loved this conference... I was glued to the screen the whole time, it was sooooo wonderful.

Some of my favorites:

"compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God " - Pres. Uchtdorf

"It is essential that we reject anything that does not conform to our standards" -Pres. Monson

That evening David went with Jon and Andrew to the conference center for the Priesthood session.

Afterwards, we went to the "Harsh home" (man they are HARSH! :) No, actually some of the nicest people I know!) and did the traditional conference party they've done since my Mom was little. We ate, visited (my favorite part), then told our favorite part of conference; the men told us about the Priesthood conference.

I love this tradition.

On Sunday, some of us got to go to the conference center to be at the conference... in the same room as the Prophet and Apostles... so neat.

My Mom took Sam and me to conference once many years ago. I remember fidgeting in my seat and sitting on the floor, my seat, etc. and my Mom saying, "SHHHH!!" Then when the Prophet spoke she said, "there's the Prophet!" And I knew how important it was I was there. Glad she took me.

It was really nice to go again and be old enough to sit in my seat the whole time!

The kids spent a lot of time with their cousins, they got along great.

We should see these guys more often!!!

Caleb did some more tree climbing in the backyard

And then, by golly, our trip was coming to an end :(

It was hard to come back! We really enjoyed spending some time with my side of the family, we don't get to do that very often. It was very, very nice.

Utah trip, part 1

2011-11-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo!

This was our big trip of the year.

We haven't all been back to see my family since my Mom died almost 3 years ago. It's been too long and we were in much need of going.

So, we went!

We woke up nice and early, drove 2 1/2 hours to the big ciy airport...

We saw lots of missionaries arriving at SLC when we were. some had families waiting with signs, etc. But I was surprised by how many I saw waiting all alone by the luggage... just waiting for their families to come get them - that was really sad to see.

Here we are waiting for a rental. There are sure some pretty gardens there.
We had fun waiting...

Our first stop was to see my Grandma, she is 97! She is awesome.

Brigham was worn out and slept on the same couch I probably took a nap on when I was little.

I love going to my Grandma's house. It's full of history and just like it was when I was little; lots of memories.

In such a changing world I like that her home is always still the same.

Here is Hyrum playing on the same piano his Grandma (my Mom) learned to play the piano when she was young

Here is Ruth Naomi with her namesake, Naomi

My Grandma showed us a letter she got from President Monson last year wishing her a happy birthday. My Grandpa was a Branch president in the same stake with Pres. Monson when he was a Bishop so they knew each other. Pretty neat! Not everyone gets a birthday greeting from the Prophet!

Our next stop was to visit my Mother's grave

* * *

The following day we went to show the kids where Mom and Dad met...

down in the land of BYU!

We hiked the "Y" (David, Caleb, and Hyrum made it to the top)

We also got some BYU shirts, had creamery ice cream, and got to see David's sister, Heidi

* * *

My brother, Jon showed us this picture of himself at the same age as Ammon

They've got the exact same hair! Awesome!

(they look a lot alike, but I do claim that he looks more like me!)

Chickens

2011-11-19T18:35:00.004-08:00

We have really enjoyed having chickens. They are fun to watch, easy to take care of, yummy fresh eggs...
Chickens are great!

I was wondering why the bird feeder empties out so quickly... "wow," I thought, "we sure must get lots of birds" but then I noticed the GIANT bird that was eating it all...

ahem... that bird feeder was swiftly moved to a "less accessible-to-hens" spot.

* * *

You've all seen chicken eggs, right? They are roughly the same size. But what do you do when you go collect the eggs and find one of these little ones?

???? (we didn't have a clue what was going on)????
It's an egg with no yolk... just the egg white...

Apparently, before they molt (get new feathers) they lay a last little egg, take a break as they molt for a month or so then resume the normal egg-laying.

Most of them are molting right now before the winter hits so we're only getting 3 eggs/day

here's a normal chicken...

here's a molting chicken...

... a "porcupicken"

not quite as pretty... just hope those feathers grow back before it gets too cold out there!

Lawnmowers and Boys

2011-11-19T18:35:00.003-08:00

Brigham loves the lawnmower, have I mentioned Brigham loves riding lawnmowers, oh, well he does... a LOT.

He was so excited to see the mower out waiting to be picked up and serviced. Hyrum stayed out with him as he enjoyed his "lawnmower time"

When we go to the farm store with those tractors out front and one inside... oh he is happy. He'll about jump out of my arms or the cart and race over there to sit in the drivers seat. He's ready to go and get some work done. My farm boy.

Ahhh... missing summer...

2011-11-19T18:35:00.001-08:00

Isn't it nice to see a picture of summer?

Love the summer flowers and huge green trees outside, it's sad when it all goes dormant... but we all need a break sometimes.

My pioneer girl, who dressed up as a pioneer for a month or so after Nauvoocomplete with them bootsPioneers are awesome!

* * *

Our Father/Son campout has been cancelled for the 3 years we've been here... first year there was an inland hurricane... next year a storm... this year a flood... but happily they rescheduled it so these boys could go to a farm and jump those hay bales! They loved it.

There's a lot of boys in that car!

* * *

We enjoyed the beautiful lakes they have here. I even got up waterskiing for my first time.

Hyrum also got up on some water skiis.The girls...

* * *

Some summer projects :

we happily, happily took up some of this flooring and sold it to someone who will appreciate it more than us! (it's pretty but when it's everywhere... just too much)

and got some carpet... YAY!

another fun project:

When my Mom was dying I told her I'd make her a memorial garden for her to come visit. I got that started soon after getting home, but then found out I was pregnant so... not much happened, then last year with a newborn... not much happened. I was very excited to work on it again this year.

We got two clumps of soil, spread it out, and planted this all in one day. Amazing what you can get accomplished with some Divine help.

Brigham helped me build this little wooden pathway.
Those dogs are getting bigger (it takes 2 years to be full grown)
a little too big... (They are outside dogs but sometimes sneak in, don't worry... I saved the PB in time)

Nauvoo!

2011-09-20T03:58:00.000-07:00

I love the midwest, it is so beautiful! The highlight of the summer was a trip to Nauvoo, Illinois. We hadn't been in 8 years! (When we lived in Iowa it was only 3 hours away)

Such a pretty drive up there.

The temple!

Many awesome, restored homes and shops to tour

Lots of free plays, games, wagon rides, etc. etc.

David was a natural at this...

Something I love about Ammon is his love for people. At one restraunt he went up and started talking to the couple next to us, making friends and getting to know them. He really enjoys that.

Before the Nauvoo Pageant, I saw this little boy sitting out in the woods nearby,

They've got this awesome, awesome "fun fair" with all sorts of things to do, all for free; making souveniers, dancing, cutting wood, golly just lots of fun stuff.my pioneer girlthe scottish band
The pageant was great, all live acting (the only church pageant done so)
The build a temple on stage, then it goes down and behind it the reall temple lights up... it's just amazing.It was such a great trip! Looking forward to going back!!

Sibling Bed

2011-09-20T03:33:00.000-07:00

Last year we switched to a "sibling bed" and it's been great!

I was getting frustrated with all the beds everywhere and everyone fighting about the beds, "that's MY bed, get off!" etc. etc. that accompanied bedtime.

I got reading about a sibling bed and thought "wow, never thought of that" which is crazy because this is how sleeping arrangments were for probably forever until... I guess our developed country needed something to put in the big houses we make?

Well, anyways this made sense to me so we tried it...
it's been almost a year and I'm very happy we switched; they get along better, Brigham sleeps better, I notice more closeness (brotherly concern) during the day... it's been a very, very good thing for us.

who wants to sleep alone anyways? It's lonely and scary, 'specially when your little.

Jumping Beans

2011-09-20T03:24:00.000-07:00

jumping bean Caleb

Jumping bean Ammon

Jumping bean Hyrum

Farm Boy

2011-09-20T03:00:00.000-07:00

2011-09-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

We've done a lot of work in front of our house this summer, it has been fun.
I had wanted to put in some stone edging, but as I dug it in, found huge, old tree roots right in the way.
I mentioned this to David, saying it was too bad... and then out he goes, and for two days works with axe, shovel, chainsaw, and other large man tools to cut away this gigantic tree root.
I kept saying, "you don't have to do all that work, I'll go around it!" And he says, "this is where you want it, right?" "Well, yeah" I say.

That guy is awesome.Nearly all of this has been planted this year, it has taken work, but looks great! I love gardening.

this spiky, red plant (crocosmia) is one of my favorites. I love it! And it brings the hummingbirds.
Purple coneflowers, so pretty next to the black-eyed susans!

It's been a lot of hot, sweaty days out there working, but summer is now my official favorite season... because I CAN get out there to work and plant and get things done in the yard.

I'll miss summer and it's beauty!

I'm excited to see all this grow back in next year even bigger, fuller, and more beautiful.

Campfires in the backyard

2011-08-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

Perhaps my favorite thing about living out of the big city is the freedom to have a firepit!

It starts out with some yard work:
(yippee!)

and at the end of the day, we've got ourselves a nice burn pile to enjoy!

marshmallows, hot dogs, graham crackers

and some good ol' together time

I love campfires in my backyard!

Summer Fun

2011-08-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

Water fun, fully clothed Jumping

Splashing

Water guns

Best buddies

Time to go in

Food Storage and Goats

2011-08-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, I just finished reading "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott and that is the best book I have ever read. Wow, very uplifting, full of wisdom, and just good... a book that makes you want to be a better person, a better mother. (Hyrum recommended it to me, he told me it was the best book ever.) So read it! And if you have, read it again... it is wonderful.

And on to Food Storage and GOATS, yep... Maaaaaa.

I hope you all have your food storage. The more I listen to the news (which I try not to do too much, it's very frustrating) the more I want to make sure to heed that prophetic counsel. If all else fails, I want to be able to feed my family.
From moving around so much, we've been a bit slow going on it, but have been doing better and have almost got it all. I've been grinding my own wheat lately... YUM... so we've got lots of that.
But milk... I love milk, love cream on my oatmeal mush, love homemade ice cream, love real butter... etc. I love cows.
So I was ordering some powdered milk today and thinking how much easier it would be to have a cow than all these cans... and yum... fresh milk and cream to make butter, cheese, etc.
(of course in reality, the work is not easier than cans... but work builds character in young boys)
Then as I was reading, I find out an average cow will give you 6 gallons of milk a day. That's a lot. I can't eat that much cream, much as I'd like too.
So... I started learning about goats. At their peak, they will give about 1 gallon a day but usually about 1 quart. We could use their cream for butter, ice cream, and mozzarella cheese. They are friendly, less stinky, eat poison ivy, take up less space... etc. PERFECT!
... I'm thinking a goat would be awesome. But David looked at me weird when I mentioned, "we need a goat." And mentioned something about, "those four words have me a bit worried" because he knows he may come home and see some goats in the yard? Maybe.

Zooming

2011-07-14T08:43:00.001-07:00

See these boys? In the front of the coaster car? The very front? Yeah, those are my boys! What?! Yep, apparently they grew up, I'm not sure when, but I guess it's happened (or is happening). So anywho...

there they go, yep, there goes my boys... in the front... no turning back now...

you see that big hill?

'tis a stange thing to send your boys off on a roller coaster alone.

This ride here is the tallest water ride ...in the world.

and yep... there they are again!

Even Ammon went on this one. And since most people (well, most normal people, from which we are exempt) weren't going on the water rides this cold day the workers just let them stay on and go down again... and again... and again. They loved it! (notice Ammon in the picture saying "just ONE more time" to us.)

After that, David convinced Ammon he could probably try one of their roller coasters, so he tried the smallest one with me and did okay (I was worried for him, but he handled it well).

Then David tried to convince Hyrum to go on their biggest wooden coaster... this thing is HUGE!

I tried convincing Hyrum to NOT go on it, which was reasonable and won out for most of the day. But then he decided to go on it with David and LOVED it. So he wanted to go again and again.

So after that conquest, David turned his attention to me... trying to convince ME that I should go on it. (I went down with him last year, and was um... terrified... to go down again -that thing is just HUGE! Click here for a video of it.)

But Hyrum really wanted to take me on it, so about 10 minutes before the park closed I ran to the other end of the park with Hyrum to go on it before I scared myself away from it again.

We rode and then they let us stay on to do it again for the last ride of the night before closing.

(Hyrum wanted to, and it was fun, so we stayed on)

Woah, did I mention it was HUGE?!

What a Mom will do for her boy :)

After that, we were treated to a beautiful sunset as we journeyed home.

Happy, but tired. A big two days of fun.
So tired, that for the next few days some of us just seem to fall asleep wherever we happen to be, whatever we happen to be doing...

Holiday World!

2011-07-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

We just love, love, love this place!

Heading to the gates... excitement building...

We rented this wagon, we thought for Brigham, but Ruth was the one who mostly used it.
(I love how they have a manger scene near the main entrance!)

The days we headed out to Indiana happened to be cold, which was.... cold, but also great for us because it was so empty! They have an awesome water park also, and since kids seem to not notice when it is cold and they are wet they got to go over and over again on all the awesome big waterslides. We had to finally drag them out of there because Mom was really cold, they wondered why. Really, they all thought I was crazy.

This ride Brigham LOVED. And since few people were there, he got to go one it over and over and over with Ruth and Ammon.

They are so cute, love the poses in this picture:
Brigham finally got rights to the wagon:

Going down "frightful falls", Ruth is in front with her hands over her face, with David and Ammon behind. (the picture is blurry because they are going down so FAST!)
Ruth really liked it and wanted to go down again.
Which of course is okay, because no line to waite in!

David took Ruth and Brigham on the last ride of the night

(Ammon and Caleb were on the coaster next to him, and I was off on the biggest roller coaster with Hyrum, Yikes!)

Hope we'll see ya again next year! We love Holiday World! It's the best!

2011-06-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

Take a good look...

because this is a "4 year old" Ruth who will NEVER be four years old again... for the beyonds of beyonds of eternity!

And NOW she's five! 5! five!
Happy, Happy Birthday to the awesome Ruthie girl!
We got to sing Happy Birthday,

We got a new sliding door installed (the other got shattered from a wayward rock)

We had birthday CINNAMON ROLLS! (with NO fire, she doesn't like the fire on the candles)

And then we went swimming at the town pool! Super fun!

Yay Ruth for being born into our family!

Mr. 11

2011-06-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

Caleb had a birthday and turned 11!

Wow, so old!

We went to his favorite park to celebrate. these kids are all getting HUGE!

The chickens didn't want to be left out of the celebrations...

(David put this cute note in the nesting box)

Happy Birthday!

Waiting for Tornadoes

2011-06-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

It's a weird feeling to know a storm system is heading straight for you that caused several tornadoes in the states just west of you the day before, causing lots of damage, and which is projected to have a high risk of tornadoes coming at you.
And it will be there in a few hours.
Last week, we got to experience this.
We were going to head out to Indiana to Holiday World, but then found out about the storms coming, which were also going to hit Indiana. So we decided to stay where we had a basement, rather than go to a hotel with no basement.
Most everyone was watching the doppler radar either on TV or internet.
Very strange to look at your home and know you may not see it again. We took some pictures, put the animals in a safe place, and headed to the basement. Then it hit.
We were listening to the radio, and hearing the warning to the town just 45 min. from us, "Seek cover, immediately, the tornado is imminent. Again, there is a tornado, seek shelter immediately!"
Very scary.
We were lucky that it didn't hit us in our town. We got a down tree and some branches thrown across the yard.
One of David's nurses, who lives in the town that got the tornado had the corner of her home just taken right off.
Been lots of storms this year. And we know it's just the beginning. God is trying to remind us to turn to him.
But it's nice to have that reassurance that, yes, Jesus will be coming! This has all been prophesied so we could know the time is near. That is nice to know.
We just keep doing our best to be our best, and hope to make it through to that glorious day!

Cornbread Heaven

2011-06-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

So, have you ever thought of cornbread in heaven?
mmmm.... I made some yesterday that is worthy.

I've been grinding my own wheat the past month or so for making bread ( oh, yum! )

And I thought, hmmm, I'll grind up some cornmeal... that should be good.

So I found some whole grain corn (a.k.a. popcorn) and ground it up,

added some freshly ground hard white wheat,

AND some fresh eggs from the backyard...

and by golly, WOW, perfect yumminess. I thought I made some pretty good cornbread before (with subbing some whole wheat and rye flour for the refined, bland white flour) but WOAH, adding some butter, letting it melt on the warm fresh cornbread with such fresh ingredients...

wow, I never knew I liked cornbread so much.

Now alls I need is a cow.

Mmmm.... fresh milk, cream, and butter.

It's a wonder I don't weigh 3 times as much... I really like food. Well, atleast real food with fresh ingredients, guess I've never liked sugar and fastfood and doughnuts or such; that probably saves me.

Super-Awesome Boy

2011-05-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

Yay Hyrum!

Super-Awesome boy!

Hyrum finished reading the Bible today...

The WHOLE Bible! He wanted to read the Book of Mormon before he was baptized, which he did.

Then he got scriptures on his birthday #8 and read the Doctrine and Covenants.

Then, the Old Testament and he just finished the New Testament.

WOW.

He's 9.

WOW.

Very inspiring! I've started reading again the Old Testament too. That's the only one I haven't read all the way through.

Yay, Hyrum. Well done!

2011-05-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Can't open your blogs! :(

Martha, Marci, Shara, Laura, Sherry, Heidi, Courtney, Julie, & Cilla

Our computer is only about four years old, but apparently too ancient to open some of these new fancy blog backgrounds. Some of yours I haven't been able to open for a while so I check them on another computer when I can, but by golly, more and more are gettin' fancier and not opening on my home computer.

2011-05-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

Caleb and Hyrum got some scout awards last night

Go Caleb! He will be finished with his Webelos in about a month and be a BOY SCOUT! Go Hyrum! Hyrum finished his wolf and even earned two arrows! He's always asking, "can we do scouts?"

Go Hyrum!

p.s. we would have gotten the awards earlier, but our scout leader was stuck in his home for the last 3 weeks because of the floods. The waters were 10 feet above the road out of his property, but luckily his home is on a hill and was not flooded!

??

2011-05-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

?? Don't know what this thing is that was driving in front of us yesterday.

The Briggs

2011-05-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

Time has flown by! Seems like this guy is growing up so fast. Brigham is 17 and a half months old and a super cutie-pie.

About the Briggster:

He loves toilets...

we've had socks, small rubber duckies, etc. flushed down (the plumber found the duckies when figuring out why none of our sewage water was getting past the lift station to the city line...)

He now, as far as we know, just likes to splash and swish toothbrushes in there. He loves the chickens and likes to feed them the rest of his apples (or any other food he has, he is great at sharing)

He's just super handsome, like his dad.

He really, REALLY, wants to drive... always grabbing the keys and wanting to sit in the driver's seat. He wants to do all the things he sees us doing, definately a go-getter.

He loves playing with his awesome older 4 siblings! Getting piggy-back rides, tackling them down, getting his hair brushed, reading books, dancing, giving "5".

When David leaves to work, Brigham follows him out waving and in a high pitched voice says, "bye, daddy!", "byyyye!"

He is an ardent nurser, more than any others of my babies and shows no sign of wanting to give that up for a while (he loves his Mama).

We love this baby boy!

Ants on a Log

2011-05-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum...

Ants on a log.

My Mom used to make these for me when I was little, and now I make them for my kids (and sometimes they make them for me!)

celery, peanut butter, and raisins

I remember my Mom coming in and asking, "do you want ants or no ants on your log?" I was probably 4, and I looked at her like she was crazy... I remember thinking "why would I want to eat ants... or a peice of wood?!" She smiled and handed me one, mmmm... still remember the yumminess.

Midwest storms

2011-04-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

I'm still wondering when you all are moving out here...

The midwest is where it's at

(it=the awesomeness... some of you have discovered this and are out here somewhere, well done.) It's beautiful, low cost of living, people are still people (a.k.a. nice), and we get the most AWESOME storms.

A week ago, David got off work early and went running. We all usually ride our bikes alongside him and have a fun family outing, but on this day only the older 3 boys went while I stayed behind to rototill the garden before the upcoming rainstorm.

We could see the clouds coming, but David and I thought we had plenty of time to get done and be back safe inside.

(yeah... um, as I write this anther rainstorm started)

Anyways, really dark clouds came overhead...hmmm... that usually means big storm, but I think, "don't animals know when a bad storm is coming? Them chickens look happy and are just pecking along... it's probably nothing"

Note: don't judge storms off of chickens.

Light raindrops fall... oooo, I'm almost done rototilling, must finish! Lot's of lightning, lots of loud thunder... but almost done! And BAM, hail... (hmm... do I have time to put this tiller away so it's not rained on?) BAM, more, bigger hail (Nope, AH, RUN!) So I run in the house after getting pelted a few times...

When I remember my boys.

Out there.

Somewhere.

In the storm.

Not good.

I gathered Brigham and Ruth (the power goes out) and ran out to the garage to get in the truck. The hail was coming down so fast and thick you could barely see, it sounded like the windshields of the truck and car were being cracked with each hit, so loud.

Then the tornado sirens go off.

Ever seen a freaked out Mom/wife? That was me.

So, like, what do you do? First I tell Ruth to run to the basement, so she does, but then, what about my boys and husband out there? I picture them stuck next to a giant field with no shelter nearby and a looming tornado...

I tell her to come back and we jump through the hailstorm into the truck to go save our family at possible death to us all... but, what else could I do?

On the other side of the fields:

David and the boys are merrily going along when Caleb and Hyrum feel a few drops of rain. "Hey Dad, I felt a raindrop we should turn back", David figuring it would start out slow like most rainstorms says, "okay, at the end of this road".

They turn around and start heading back. Caleb and Hyrum go ahead a bit on their bikes while Ammon stays by his Dad. There's a few more raindrops followed by lots of lightning and thunder, the sky gets really dark and BAM! down comes the hail. Ammon starts crying. BAM! bigger and faster hail. David grabs Ammon and heads for shelter under a nearby tree. A lady nearby waves them into her house, she has no phone for David to call me, he doesn't know where the older boys are. After a few seconds of that small conversation, he dashes outside into the storm, being pelted over and over by quarter size hail to run down the street (well, actually UP the street which is a large hill) to find his boys, not knowing how far ahead they were...

Caleb and Hyrum are happily riding along, have just reached the top of the hill, when the hail starts pelting them (those bike helmets DO do some good). When their bikes won't move anymore due to the huge amount of hail, Caleb jumps off and heads under a tree for cover, and prayed. Hyrum, expecting David to show up any moment and not being able to see more than 4 feet in front of himself due to the hail, stands and waites. Oh, that poor boy! He said it felt like 20 minutes.

But then his Dad came into view! Finally saved!

Soon a police car came down the road, David waved them down and got himself and the two boys in, then headed back for Ammon. The policemen drove them home a different route than I was going in the truck. I passed 2 bikes and couldn't find them stranded (by now the storm was slowing down) so I headed home.

Boy, was I happy to see my husband come out of the front door as I drove up.

Phew.

After something like that, you think... man, nothing else matters other than family.

I sure feel a lot more compassion towards all those disaster victims who are stranded from family, not knowing where family members are... that would be so horrible.

We had our power out half the night, but no big deal. We were together. And safe.

Then this week, Tuesday, we had another storm coming. We didn't go out on a bike ride this time. We did fill up our gas tanks and storage tanks. This one we watched coming on the internet weather map, with possible tornadoes. It also hit pretty quick.

It's very interesting, the calm before the storm... we went outside and it was a clear sky, no wind blowing, yet we knew from the information we saw from radar, that a storm was headed straight for us, a bad storm.

There is religious significance in that, always be ready. The Lord will come, suddenly.

It hit hard, the power was out in seconds, ("that was quick"). We went to the basement, but no tornado sirens this time so we eventually came back up, and went to bed (it was night by now).

In the morning:

a down power line in our yard. Our neighbors large tree fell on it.

over 100 power lines were down in our small town of about 10,000.

Mr. Crooked tree (from our inland hurricane 2 years ago) is now Mr. MORE crooked tree.

We did have a lovely horse weather vane on top of our house...

but he was smashed by the top of the cupola as they traveled to our front walk-way.

(careful who you travel with :)
David got out the generator (we have a lift station with a pump... that runs on electricity... that takes our sewage and pumps it into the city line... it backs up into the basement if the pump is not working... yes, generators are REALLY nice)

We hooked up the pump and the fridge off and on. Can't keep it going all the time with these gas prices.

The generator will keep a few small things going, nothing that requires too much power. We had a few cords coming through the house hooked to it outside in the driveway.

We have a really cool fireplace that blows hot are out to help heat the house. It got pretty cold after the storm, so David had a fire going to keep us warm until we got power again yesterday.

This was a great opportunity to see how ready we are for a more serious emergency (which we all know will be coming, these are the latter-days)

I had some freshly ground whole wheat from food storage, so we made some chocolate chip cookies... you need cookies during an emergency. And I cooked them on the grill. Worked well.

Also, plugged the bread maker in for a little and made some bread, then cooked that on the grill, also was yummy.

And David hooked up his new birthday ice cream maker and made us some fabulous homemade ice cream. I think I may learn to love ice cream this way!
Some people just hung out at McDonald's the whole time (about 2 days w/out power) because for some reason the line didn't knock them out... too bad... :) but anywho, this was a great time to practice our preparedness, it turned out to be really fun! Like an indoor camping trip. We baught a few things, like a camping stove to cook eggs with (thankyou, chickens!) and a clothes drying rack. So next time we'll be even more ready.
Because I'm sure they'll be a next time.
We get a lot of preparedness practice out her!

BOOM!

2011-04-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

It's spring!

Seems like everything was barren and brown and BOOM! green popped out everywhere, it's beautiful and warm, and soooo lovely outside.

(perfect for a "boat" story with sticks for guns) also time to shear them dogs... can I sell dog hair?

These dogs get a thick undercoat during the winter (they are bred for the mountains) and in the spring they shed that undercoat...

WOW, this was about half of one dog. The dogs look like they shrank!

Some spring cleaning:

splitting some logs for firewood next winter (it needs time to "season" so it burns better). I love working outside, especially when we all do it together.

Half Way There

2011-04-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

My dad turned 70 this year...

and I got to thinking as David neared his birthday last week...

you're half way there!

Go #35! I love this guy. honest, hard-working, diligent, loving, loyal, caring, sincere, never gives up, helpful, fun, upbeat, happy, smart, super-kitchen cleaner, remembers to feed the animals, forgiving, handsome, ...

the best of the best.

Work, Work, Work

2011-04-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

"By work we sustain and enrich life. It enables us to survive the disappointments and tragedies of the mortal experience." (Elder D. Todd Christofferson)

We have been workin' out in the yard with this nice weather. (tested that above quote... and it worked; turned sittin' down being depressed about some things into a productive, happy day!)Trying to revamp the yard right in front of the house. I got an "Appalacian red bud". I love the Eastern redbuds, and really like this one with the reddish pink buds.

The chickens discovered that worms were in great abundance where I was digging so they ran over and ate about 20 worms in a few seconds... "AH! HELP! No eating worms! Just eat the GRUBS!!!" Luckily I have some young warriors who came running to my aid and scared away those chickies. (Later they came back and ate all the flowers off the blue creeping phlox... blue must taste the best... grrr... chickens.... :)

But doesn't it look so nice! This front needs A LOT of work, and this is a good start.

This is what our front looked like when we moved here:

I planted lots of shade-loving plants (after this pic was taken) and it was so beautiful! But then we had our huge storms in 2009 which knocked the tree on our house... bye, bye lovely front entry yard... and that led to a new roof, then painting the shutters, moving all the shade plants under another tree (while pregnant at the time... yeah, in the heat and humidity... not fun) Which led to trying to grow sun-plants...

and discovering the abundance of weeds that love to grow here in a sun filled, fertilized spot. AHHHHH... which leads to this spring with an unpregnant, bit sleepy, but more able lady, without a newborn, who can work on this thing a little bit more!

And it does make me happy to be out there doing the yard work, in the sunshine, creating new and beautiful areas to enjoy.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-03-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

HAVE YOU EVER HAD 6 WILD TURKEYS WALKING ACROSS YOUR FRONT YARD??

Me neither, ...a new experience we had yesterday.

You know what's awesome about owning your own school... I get to declare a birthday holiday today! So chores are done, kids are playing downstairs, and Mom is taking a birthday break!

Ah... lovely.

I have great plans to keep this thing updated in an effort to keep in touch with yous all better, but then life happens... and it's really stinkin' busy! (I don't like being busy) There's just no time to sit here on the computer... which is probably good.

But will do my best, because I sure enjoy reading updates of you, and I like to give people smiles.

Sooo...

Very important is that HYRUM had a birthday and turned 9! Hyrum is an awesome guy, for a variety of reasons. He is loyal, obedient, a steady worker, wonderful, silly, fun, forgiving, etc. etc.!

We love Hyrum!

Hyrum read the Book of Mormon last year before he got baptized and has since read the Doctrine and Covenants, and is now in Isaiah in the Old Testament. Wow. Go Hyrum!

Look at these cuties! It has been so fun to have a baby with older kids. They can read with him, carry him around, pull him in the wagon, play and sing to him (and they all love to!) We have a lot of fun with Brigham, he has really braught our family together.Caleb and Brigham are reading "The Aunts Go Marching" by Maurie Manning. It is such a fun book (especially when you sing it).

next news:

We got a new, used truck! And we were happy to find one

with a third seat in the front so we can fit our family!

Looking forward to all the dirt and plants I can put in the back of this thing.... it will be awesome!

up next: EGG-CITING NEWS!

So, 24, seem like a lot? Yep, now there's probably closer to 30. So WHY do we have all those eggs? WHY? One of our hens went broody (trying to hatch some babies... but we have no rooster to fertilize them)

Our hen sat and sat for 4 weeks then finally came off and we ran and took this picture... there were 24 eggs under her! BUT then another hen hopped on and has been there for a week... and then ANOTHER hen hopped on the other nesting box to brood over there. By golly, will they ever stop! One does it, and they all want to try it out.

A friend said she can get us some fertile eggs to let them hatch... we may do that next year.

More exciting news:

Hyrum and Caleb were in a community musical and did great!

and PHEW! Glad the practices are over, there were some late nights! (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)

---------------

Now... this little guy is learning all sorts of tricks... he has spent the last 16 months in my arms...

watching...

and watching...

what I do, and BOOM! he just learned how to climb the stools onto the counters...

and now he can do all those things he's watched me do...

make bread (AH!)get in the sink... relax a little... turn on the water...

you know... all that fun stuff!

Yikes! He's keeping us busy.

-----------------

So, 32, I'm gettin' old! (I sprouted my first "wisp of wisdom" last year!... ya know, them gray hair things...)

Couples Race

2011-03-12T09:54:00.000-08:00

They've got all sorts of races down here, lots of 5Ks and such. I wanted to do this one here, called a "couples race" that you enter as a team (one female and one male) and asked David to do it with me. He almost told me no because he hasn't had time to run in a while (and heck, I haven't trained ... at all... so yeah, what are we doing...) But we entered it anyways for fun and... WOO HOO! We got 7th place in the "husband-wife" category!

--Mostly thanks to David who did an awesome 23.05 time for this 5 K (3.11 miles). He did great for not running in a while, no problem!

I got an awesome 38.38 (which is great for not being in shape!) I'm sure I made a lot of people feel really good about themselves as they passed a slender young lady... :) ... here to help.

Afterwards they roasted hot dogs for us on an open fire and we all got a trophy, it was really fun! There were even some people from church doing a father-daughter run.

We need to get all you crazy runners out here sometime for the "River to River" relay one of these April months. From the Ohio to the Mississippi, 8 people and 80 miles (not as scary of a relay, just three 3 milers) and then we'll take ya out waterskiing and maybe let you sleep in our barn!

Been Doin'

2011-03-10T13:48:00.000-08:00

Ammon sprouted some feathers...

(anyone seen my pink feather duster??)

been tackled down... again and again...
(that baby is STRONG!)

Took a quick weekend trip to visit family and clean out some of my Mom's things...
(just me and Brigg's went, David and some kind church members handled them older ones)

Visited my Grandma Smith, she's 96 and going strong!

I love my Grandma's house and all the pictures she keeps up on the walls...

Here's one of the girl cousins at the time...
(I'm third from the right)

all the cousins and aunts and uncles on my Mom's side...
(My Mom, sister, 3 brothers and self on the right)

Had a real good visit with my brother Jon and his kids; Andrew, Ashley, and Seth (and Megan... hopefully a soon-to-be sister-in-law, I really like her!)

I missed Valentine's Day with David (went out to eat with Royd, my step-dad, on my trip) but came home to some beautiful flowers from my handsome husband!

Conquered the dogs...

lovin' the dogs...

been gettin' some trees planted...

been playin' with Brigham....

havin' fun!

been havin' some fires to burn all that wood as we do yardwork...

been cleanin' out some weeds (before all the ticks wake up)... Before and After...

looks great! Now we can see the creek

been swingin' with the puppies (they make me look small!)
and just bein' cute!

Dinner Etiquette

2011-02-03T16:07:00.000-08:00

Ruth said to us at dinner last night:

"Don't walk with your mouth full" and "Don't eat with your mouth full"

Good Book

2011-01-31T11:19:00.000-08:00

This is a great time of year to READ! We are reading a lot, waiting for the few warm days to go outside.
We just finished reading "Anne of Green Gables" and love it! I haven't read it before and was really impressed! It is very uplifting, praiseworthy, and entertaining... hard to find a fiction book like that anymore.

Hyrum had read the abridged version and had no desire to read the original, real book (I'm starting to hate those abridged books that claim to introduce your children to great literature at a young age... they never want to read the real thing when they are older... grrr...) but after seeing David sneak the book away to read when I wasn't, and then me doing the same to David (we tend to have book battles at the house) Hyrum decided to pick it up and try it.
And he loved it! He tells me, "those short books were CRAP, but I really like the real one"

There you go, lots of recommendations for "Anne of Green Gables" a lovely book. And it's SO nice to read something so uplifting during this naturally depressing time of year!

Chop Chop

2011-01-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

It's been fun...but time to let it go...
Brigham started pulling at/out my hair (ouch)
and I want to be able to wash my hair more often and not worry about it like you have to with the long hair and the natural oils thing never getting to the ends, etc. etc.
(I want to be able to play in the mud doing lots of yard work this spring and shower while not worrying about the hair!)

So I put it in a ponytail, chopped it off -just over 10 inches, and mailed it to "locks of love". They make wigs for children who've lost their hair due to cancer.

then my super-awesome haircutter of 8+ years cut it nice
(thanks David)

here's the "beard" picture :)

Suprise!

2011-01-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

Caleb looked out the window yesterday evening and said, "there's someone here." I certainly wasn't expecting anyone and asked who it was. He says, "hmm... well, it's someone old... um, it kinda looks like Grandpa White..." Hmmm... I'm trying to think who it could be, and finally just look out the window and it is! It's Grandpa White!

He had some business driving across the country and noticed as he was driving across the 64 that if he turned, we'd be just about 35 miles away, so he turned off and came to visit! What a great surprise. Not very often someone who lives 1400 miles away shows up on your doorstep!

Defending Food

2011-01-06T14:07:00.001-08:00

Has anyone read this book, "In Defense of Food"? It's very, very interesting. I'm still in the middle of it (don't know when I'll finish it because Caleb and Hyrum keep taking it to read it) But I sure do feel much happier to eat... and less scared. :)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T20:15:00.000-08:00

'Twas the night before Christmas... (and we were just relaxin')

* * *

Today for Christmas our chickens layed us 6 eggs!!

and it SNOWED! This is rare here (the snow-thing... we don't get it much)!

* * *

Christmas on the Family farm

So it starts out with gettin' some boots on, trudgen' through the snow out to the chicken coop to check on the girls(hens) and collect them eggs for breakfast.

(BA-GOCK!)

As the wife gets cookin', the men-folk bring in some logs and get that fire goin' to heat us nice and warm.

Then it's time to enjoy that breakfast: scrambled fresh eggs, homemade pancakes (made with a fresh egg), and ham.

Mmmmm... I tell ya, there ain't much better than this. Again I say, mmmmMMM! Yum!

(I love food, and the fresh eggs make the food taste even better, oh joy to the tummy!)

Then it's time to open them gifts. We take it real slow, open one present look at it, try it, then move on to the next person who we watch open, etc. It lasts most of the day usually with a nap in between.

(notice my awesome Christmas style? Super pajama pants, my farming boots, and my crocheted hat I made in high school years ago...yep, still got style!)

Someone at church makes dresses and sells them for a business, so we got a dress made for Ruth and a matching skirt for the mom, very cute!

* * *

Things I love about this place we live:

1. Great neighbors -have I mentioned how much we love our neighbors? Because we do!

The kids love to run down to visit Dan and Brenda when they get the mail, and they seem to have the best apples around (I try to buy similar ones, but apparently they never taste as good) so they are often down there asking for apples.

For Christmas, Dan gives us a big box wrapped for the kids...

and inside are a whole bunch of apples with some apple dip! So sweet. Those kids were happily eating "Dan's apples" all day.

2. It's okay to say Merry Christmas! There's a giant "Merry Christmas" sign in front of the local college, a life-size manger scene in front of our city hall, and several businesses write "happy birthday Jesus!" on their marquee.

Completely Confused

2010-12-19T20:21:00.001-08:00

At this time of year, it seems I am in total confusion. Even when I explain it to myself, I still don't understand.

So heres the cause...

these boys here are about two years apart, see? (21 months to be exact)

But for some reason, at the start of the year Hyrum was seven and now to end the year Ammon is seven... but again, they are about 2 years apart... confused? Me too.

* * *

Ammon got some little nerf guns for his birthday on Friday, they were a hit

Nice shot!

* * *

Later we went bowling (didn't that baby boy just grow up way too fast?)

We got an EGG!

2010-12-15T21:44:00.000-08:00

Ha! Just today at the store we baught some eggs and Caleb says, "Maybe these will be the last eggs we buy." (I've been saying that for over a month now, so half-heartily agreed)

I'm tired of buying eggs! And running out of eggs when I'm cooking something!

But today.. ta... da...

David went out tonight to feed/water the chickens and get them cozy for the ice rain we'll get tonight, when woo hoo! He braught in our first egg!

The eggs are smaller at first and grow to mature size as the chicks mature some more. (Sometimes the first few are even layed without the shell)

The yolks are darker, the shell is harder to crack and these eggs are WAY more healthy than those store thingys, and so much more yummy. home grown eggs vs. store baught:

• 1⁄3 less cholesterol

• 1⁄4 less saturated fat

• 2⁄3 more vitamin A

• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids

• 3 times more vitamin E

• 7 times more beta carotene

& 4-6 times more Vitamin D

and besides all that... chickens are awesome!

Happy to finally get some eggs!!

(and yes, it's kinda weird to realize that eggs come out of REAL chickens and we eat them... what? they don't just come in a nice styrofoam carton? Yeah, a little detached from reality, but we're working on it... : )

Should I cut it?

2010-12-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

So... I'm gettin' a little tired of the long hair thing, it's pretty and all, but it's been about two years and I wouldn't mind something more short and easy... hmmm... but is pretty long... but easier short... hmmm...
I put it to a vote for the kids and since Brigham is too young to vote yet, it is split 2-2, a tie. So what-da-ya-think?

Words of Wisdom

2010-11-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

Hyrum is finishing up his third grade work and just finished his spelling book today. Here are some of his sentence writings; the wisdom of an 8-year-old, very impressive.

Assignment to write about the dangers of the sun and the benefit of sunscreen:

Sunscreen is good but clothes are better. Here are some tips for when you go to the pool. Do not wear bikinis, they are not modest and give the sun more places to harm you, it is also against the commandments so stop.

Have you wished on a star? What would you wish on a star for?

Well, I have never wished on a star. I do not rely on stars. I rely on God and myself and my parents. Stars are not living, Mom is!

Um... are those YOUR chickens?

2010-11-08T19:50:00.000-08:00

"What chickens? Oh, AH!, Caleb! Chase them home!"

Yeah... so have you heard about this "backyard chicken" movement? Chickens are hip and most big cities will let you have a few pet chickens and fresh eggs (usually no roosters) Well... this chicken friendliness has yet to reach our small town... yes, we have about two acres but we are still in town,... and no, chickens are not allowed... yes, we have chickens... kinda underground type-thing. :) (Our immediate neighbors said they didn't mind)

So, Sunday afternoon the adjoining neighborhood had a neighborhood potluck and invited our lane to join in. They blocked off the road and had fabulous food. This neighborhood has mostly retired residents, very friendly, and all of them adored our kids (passing around the baby, etc.)

I'm going for a plate of food with my back to the general direction of our home when facing me, our neighbor, Dan (who knows about our illegal chickens) says, "Hey Melissa! You'd better have a look" and points behind me... I turn and AH!! There are my seven chickens grazing in the yard right by us. Uh hum... yeah, so then everyone looks over and GASPS "are those chickens?!"

Did I mention one of the neighbors in attendance is on the city council? Oh, well she is.

So, how do you casually say... "oh, yes, those are MY illegal chickens in your yard... dear son Caleb, will you please escort them back to our yard through those bushes? Thankyou dear."

And WHY are they here? We let them out to graze but they haven't left our yard like that... Caleb coralled them home, and twice more they came back! AH! Not helping the stealth chicken-ownership thing! Did they hear us? Crazy, but strangley talented chickens!

I hear Ed talking to Jerry as I scoop up my Italian beef, he says, "I've had deer in my yard, ...raccoons in my yard, ...snakes in my yard, ...skunks in my yard, ...but I've never had a CHICKEN in my yard!" To which he chuckles.

Everyone seemed light-hearted about the whole incident, and so far no authorities have shown up on my door step... Dan assured me I can move them over to his lawn (county land) if there are any complaints, but he tells me this is the South... no one bothers you unless you are doing something big.

Yikes!

2010-11-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

Lookin' great!

Went shopping yesterday for some kids clothes and WOAH!

I'm used to shopping at the thrift store, getting great hand-me-downs from all the nice folks who were well-to-do in our old city... we ran out of those sizes (some were eaten), and since we're not poverty stricken anymore, no one seems to give us their gently used, nice clothing so I had to go shopping. And WOAH! Clothing for five kids (and I got normal, inexpensive stuff -no Walmart clothes, but still not super expensive) and again I say WOAH! Do people really spend this much to clothe their children?! Yikes!

(I think I'm headin' back to the thrift store)

The Last Halloween?

2010-11-01T11:49:00.001-07:00

(a farmer with her growing pumpkin)

Sorry (well not really) but Halloween stinks.

I used to like it, really did. It's fun to visit neighbors, drssing up, free candy (the candy is so unhealthy so maybe not a plus).

But, well, this year I just don't like it.

While sitting around the table (early Oct.), I was listening to Hyrum and Caleb talk about all the decorations they remember from last year ("Remember that one you push a button and the guy hangs himself?" "Oh yeah!"... etc.)

Ugh.

So, there is all sorts of horrible things that are done to the sacred human body, grotesqe, horrible things ... and we put them up as decorations?

What am I celebrating when I "celebrate" Halloween?

(Caleb was "Fink" a brother of Christopher Columbus whom he made up)

In the 1950's or so the community leaders tried to make Halloween more "cute" to offset all the horrible, dark, illegal things happening on the holiday... it was a desperate attack to cut off some of the arson and other crime that formerly were used to celebrate this dark holiday.

And it worked... or atleast helped.

Kinda like taking a diseased, infested wound on my leg and covering it with a pretty flower bandage and saying "isn't this a cute leg?"

I can cover Halloween with all sorts of cuteness but I'm still celebrating evil stuff, just like those crazies who try to make Christmas into a Santa Claus-presents-only holiday (sorry guys, you're still celebrating Christ's birthday)

(Robin Hood and Little John and their super-awesome homemade bows, arrows, and swords from sticks in our yard)

So anywho, I'm reminded of my seminary teacher who on Oct. 31 of my senior year read 1 Thes. 5:22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil" as we left class. We asked, what do you mean? And he said, "just think about that today".

We call such a holiday happy and good (as a whole) and then get mad if people say Merry Christmas? Yikes. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness" (Isaiah 5:20)

On Saturday, I gently mentioned to David my dislike of Halloween this year and was very surprised to hear him say he doesn't really like the holiday and would be fine if we don't celebrate it.

Wow, awesome guy.

(Princess? No way... this is THE QUEEN)

Last week at a homeschool function (I belong to a Christian homeschool group) I asked some Mom's if they celebrated this holiday. One Mom I really like smiled and shook her head then explained, "I haven't been able to celebrate it since we studied about it... I can't even carve a jack-o-lantern anymore" This year she has put up her Christmas tree early to protest, because that is a holiday she absolutely loves. Good for her.

Looks like we will probably be breakin' free...

see ya later Mr. Halloween.

(and one more picture of this goofy guy)

First Frost

2010-10-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

We got our first frost last night! It's beautiful out there. As David and I were eating breakfast I noticed my tomato plants out the window, AH, OOPS! I should have covered them!

It was 84 degrees last Saturday and has been such nice weather; cold enough that the weird green beetles eating my tomatoes have disappeared, and warm enough that the plants have been growing yellow flowers like crazy that are finally turning into tomatoes.

With the dogs outside now, the deer also aren't eating them (it's an all out war to get some tomatoes!) So I was really looking forward to finally enjoying a tomato from my yard!

One gardening book says that you can save your plants from a light frost by sprinkling them with water before the sun hits them and does its damage, so I've done that...

(isn't the dog awesome to help? He really just wants to chew on it ... 55 pound puppies are awesome... really, they are)

So in about a half hour the sun will hit the plants and we'll see if too much damage was already done or not... :(

If so, atleast we've got this beauty that should hang around a while--

we've got a tomato plant growing from behind our compost bin; we didn't plant this one, must've popped out of a composting seed :)

it's nice and protected right against the house and has no visible damage from last nights frost.

Mystery

2010-10-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again! New phone books!

It's great that they come by and drop them off right at your door!

But... well, we didn't get to ours fast enough

* * *

The crime scene:

evidence:

hmmm... more evidence:

Suspects:

hmmm... they look a little guilty

Kissing

2010-10-07T05:38:00.000-07:00

I have dutifully taught my boys that when those "hussy" girly girls try to give them a kiss, RUN! The boys will even practice. (Hyrum makes an awesome girly girl impression, "hey Ammon, mmmmm...." and then Ammon will bolt away running... GO!)

This will all pay off later on, these are good-lookin' boys, and we have, like, the only boys at church... Caleb has a primary class full of girls, scary.

Thankfully they are in the "girls stink" era of life (they of course love Ruth, though). I hear Caleb tell a pretty girl at church, "I pick my nose and EAT it!" She replies with a grossed out face, and Caleb seeing the reaction he wanted lifts his head in the air laughing as he walks away. I walk over to her and say, "It's true, I've seen him do it."

She's speechless.

So anywho, this morning David gives me a kiss as he walks out the door, Ammon quickly runs over, gives him a swat on the bum, runs over to me and gives me the same, I say "HEY!"

He says, "NO KISSING!"

I say, "It's my job!"

He says, "NO, your job is to clean!"

Less Stuff

2010-10-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

Too Much Stuff!!! A month or so ago, after being sick of cleaning up toys... again, I packed them all in garbage sacks and put them behind my door to deal with them later.

***

Well, today is the day to deal with them; not much was even missed.

Each child gets a basket (bins could be used for you more generous parents, but that's not me :) )

Anywho, they get to fill baskets with what they care about, then we will go through the rest together and either

1. give to charity

2. put in garbage or

3. trade for something already in basket

***

The youngest gets the biggest basket, the oldest the smallest (they aren't much interested in most the toys anymore anyways)

***

The plan is to do this now and get the stuff to goodwill tonight, out of the house, never to be cleaned up again!!

I can smell the freedom from all this stuff just lurking around the corner!!

YIPPEE!

***

wish us luck

Chick Magnet

2010-09-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

Cute boy + table scraps = Chicken Magnet

(Caleb came in after lunch saying, "Mom! I found a magnet for the chickens!")

AaaAHh!!

2010-09-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Before:

After:

that boy cleans up nicely

Livin' in the 80's

2010-09-28T08:55:00.001-07:00

Don't you just totally miss the fashion of the 80's?

(Ummm... no, it was a relief when it ended, BUT it is fun for dressing up)

------

Our stake has a yearly Daddy/daughter date and this year's theme was the 80's

so I baught some hairspray and dressed up Ruth complete with those awesome bangs.

Don't they look totally RAD!

-------

Our stake building is an hour away, but this is worth the drive... a night of dinner and dancing.

David and Ruth look forward to it every year.

Bandon and back

2010-09-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

After the race, we headed down highway 101 along the coast to my Dad's down in Bandon. It was a beautiful drive.

We saw a whale down in the ocean from one of these cliffs. Pretty neat.

And we made it to my Dad's.

He has done so much yardwork this year. His yard was part of a garden tour in July. It looks great. He has done all this work mostly by himself. He has over 100 types of conifers and knows where they all are and their classification name.

we visited, the boys wandered the woods and played, we took walks, we ate great food, visited the beach, etc.

It was a beautiful day at the beach

Ruthie's pretty pink toenails (painted by Aunt Lucy)

Hyrum found remnants of a crab's claw

a very nice visit

the drive back north... lots of elks...then one more get together (Brigham with cousin Lily who is just over a week older)

And a much anticipated trip to the temple where we were married
then on to the airport and on to home...

we had a great flight back, most of us just slept the whole way. The hardest part was the two hour drive home after landing (hard to stay awake driving in the dark)

2010-09-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

David ran a relay race while we were on the trip, called the Hood to Coast relay from Mt. Hood to the ocean. There's 12 people, each take turns running about 6 miles (three times) for a total 0f 18 miles each over two days; someone's always running. David had fun. We are glad he made it, we were worried about knee injuries or something since he didn't have much time to train. This is after his first section of running, we went out to cheer him on (he did awesome time on this one, averaged about 6 1/2 min. miles)

(and see my new baby carrier? It is SO awesome, I love it, puts all the weight on your hips not the back, and is super easy and quick to put on... wish I'd found it 10 years ago!! It's the ERGObaby )

Anywho, back to the race...

here they are crossing the finish line

and then the team picture. Five of his brothers and one sister ran.

then some time at the beach, a litte chilly, but wet sand is a huge becking call to them boys

even this little guy

so, yay David, well done!

2010-09-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

We are back (sigh) it is nice to take a break from "technology" once in a while. It tends to be a distraction from more important things.

We had the chance to go to Oregon and visit some family:

Here's Ammon and Heidi painting at the OMSI (notice Ammon's awesome volcano!)

and Ruthie's super painting

Brigham got to meet both his Great-Grandpas

at Great-Grandpa D's, Hyrum was in heaven seeing all the GUNS, SWORDS, and other various warrior-type things. His excitement is evidentGrandpa D took us out on Great-Grandpa D's boat(love Ammon's goggles)

David with brother Paul...hanging on for dear life...

I got some slack from my dear husband for not going in the water (I was holding a sleeping baby... and besides it was COLD! I'm used to heat, it was overcast and not 100 degrees!! bbbrrrrr... like 65... again I say brrrr!)

so here's the house David is going to buy me...

umm.. no thanks, I don't want to clean that thing! But fun to look at all the fancy houses out there on the lake.

the sad part (besides the mammoth mortgage) is that they are all right next to each other, side by side.

more trip pictures coming soon

Summer Run-down

2010-08-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

Summer is winding down, and it has been busy. So here is a visual display of our summer for you to enjoy for the next two weeks while we take a break from the internet... Enjoy.

* * *

The week we got the chickens we noticed 6+ skunks living under our shed and these two little guys hanging out in our yard... not good, both chicken predators. We also have a fox in the area that ate our ducks last year.

So, since we found a better home for our yappy, little dogs last year we had nothing to protect our new little flock.

So we did much research on dogs (didn't want to make another mistake on a dog-type... I found out I really am not a "lap dog" person)

And we got these awesome guys!

Aren't these poof-balls adorable! They are great pyrenees: calm, protective, and won't eat our chickens. They are great with kids, very gentle... one of the "gentle giants" (they will be huge) and they love cats.

These dogs are our warriors, who will protect our chickens and our kids. So we gave them some warrior names, "Teancum" and "Gideon".

* * *

I've been trying to eat healthier, and have tried adding more "greens" to my diet. Kale, collard greens, etc. are okay... but mustard greens.. ugh, I could barely down them. But I figure, add hot dogs and cheese to anything and it tastes edible, right?

almost looks yummy, doesn't it?

* * *

now this is yummy (raspberries)

* * *

Super hard workers

One of our yard projects that Ammon, Hyrum, and I worked on while David and Caleb were on a 3-day overnighter webelos camp.

* * *

Chickens- they grow really fast.

takin' turns for the slide... such good little chicks...

* * *

this cat is goofy

* * *

Lunch time...

aren't the dogs so nice to share?

* * *

So cute

* * *

So... um... you kinda get the hint that it's time to start making the chicken coop when they start jumping out of their home and um... yeah. (the room has since been sanitized)

* * *

Giant weeds

* * *

Ah... this boy, he is just so precious

* * *

Art projects

* * *

awesome dogs

(when they are full grown, one of them will barely fit in this crate)

* * *

building the chicken coop!

(linoleum on the floor to make the cleaning easier)

Brigham was very interested in what we were doing, he was watching us very intently

* * *

I love the misty mornings we get here now and then, beautiful

* * *

Goofy kids (notice Hyrum eating the dog bone)

* * *

I think this kid was born at the perfect time of year...

his first experience with most of his food is when it is fresh and in season, right out of the garden (not ours, thank goodness for farmer markets)

* * *

Some folks at church own a marina at one of the lakes, so we got to go hang out down there for an activity

* * *

We went swimming a lot at the outdoor pool here in town. Caleb and Hyrum went off the diving board, and even the high dive (YIKES! that thing even scares me) but they thought it was great, "it felt like rubber, " Caleb said after his famous belly-flop off the high dive.

* * *

dogs are great to have around when there is a baby and a high chair

These guys are big enough to tag team it on and under the chair (probably shouldn't allow this, it won't be as cute when they are three feet taller and 70 pounds bigger...)

* * *

Caleb really enjoys the chickens and takes very good care of them. David calls him the "chicken whisperer"

* * *

finished coop (the run is almost done, and wheels are pending)

* * *

DO NOT TOUCH

Saddle-back caterpillar, feels like a bee sting. Hyrum got to experience this as he climbed up the swing poles.

You're not in charge of me.

2010-08-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

So I asked Ruth to do something, she says, "You're not in charge of me."
And of course I reply, "I AM in charge of you, I am your MOM."
She had a great answer to that, "Nooooo, you're not in charge of me, JESUS is in charge of me."

Well, okay then, I concede.

True Love

2010-08-15T16:35:00.001-07:00

David and I have been getting a lot done together the past few weekends, it is amazing. Last week we built a chicken coop (yeah... we have no experience, yet it stands) And yesterday we got a TON of yardwork done.
Let me tell you about yardwork out here... it is super humid and hot, so weeds... you think you know weeds? I thought I knew weeds... then we moved here, baught 2 acres... and NOW I know weeds; we are good buddies. You don't weed every what... DAY, ... BOOM... 3 feet high weeds... mostly this crabgrass stuff (I tried to grow grass in Cincy? what was I thinking! Grass is the enemy! Pull it out! AH!!!) yeah... okay... I'm calming down...
Yesterday for one of our projects we weeded as a family in the front, and after about an hour (this weeding thing, it is great therapy, highly recommended and can be fun) anyways, after an hour in the 100 degree weather and 90% humidity (lovely) I am dripping sweat, just dripping, all down my face... and my husband says to me:
I sure love you.

Now that is LOVE! Here I am, sweaty, smelly, covered in weed remains, and dripping... and this guy can look at me and tell me that? Wow, that's true love.

One of my Favorite things

2010-08-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

I love when everyone has gotten their responsibilities done!

(oh, and happy 8-9-10)

Go, Go, Go!

2010-08-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been almost a month? Time goes by quick! I've been on "survival" mode as Brigham, and now I, have been sick for the past few weeks... making for a baby waking up 5 times a night, sometimes every half hour... leading to a super-sleep deprived Mama struggling to feed the fam, clean the fam, etc. etc. who then gets sick too... it's been awesome :) But this is the life of a mother and without such fun, we'd never appreciate being able to sleep, cook, and do laundry without falling over, right?

Yesterday while I was making lunch, Ammon comes racing through the kitchen ...

with what?... my baby dressed in a policeman's cap...

Brigham LOVED it, and would scream anytime Ammon slowed down... or stopped so I could take a picture.

Brothers are so much fun

Hey there, Bub

2010-07-10T21:52:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Brigham woke up saying "b" sounds, "bah.. buh..buh". This is a new thing, and he practiced all day.
David and I were talking today about some important stuff, with Brigham standing near our knees as we sat. At a quiet spot in our conversation he looks up at David and says "hi, Bub" (we thought at first maybe he was calling David "Bob", but Brigham kept saying "bub" until we figured it out).
When I see David I'll usually say "hi there, Bub" or some other greeting to that effect... so I have taught my son that his father is "Bub"... :)

Peep! Peep!

2010-06-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

The babies have arrived! Yay, Chickens!

watch out!... it's the terrible tank!

this guy is adorable
this is our astrolorp (she looks like a penguin)

My four boys...

very cute
happy kids

We ordered eight chicks at www.mypetchicken.com

I called the post office a few days early to ask if they'd be delivering them to my home, or do I come get them. The man replied, "oh, well, folks usually like to come pick them up as soon as they come" (this apparently happens all the time... I love this place)

This is the box they came in...

with this paper taped on top...

We got a phone call at about 10 p.m. at night from the post office a half hour away. When David picked them up there was another, much larger box of chicks there for someone else to pick up too.

That's the end!

"Happy Dads" Day

2010-06-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

Yay for Fathers!The highlight present this year was a lime/lemon juicer, awesome.

(we use blankets and such to wrap our presents)

* * *

Then later, the "Father's Day Bonfire"

-Hyrum with a mouthful of marshmallows

Father's Day... the day of Happy Dads

Super Strong Man

2010-06-23T19:31:00.001-07:00

peekaboo I'm standing

Looks like it's time to lower the crib mattress.

Rent-A-Kid

2010-06-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

Caleb & Hyrum:

ages: 10 & 8

traits:

Caleb-imaginative, thinker, funny, loves to talk and make stories

Hyrum-obedient, funny, loves games and joking, helpful

When Sherry was here she commented on how nice it was to have that normal household noise of kids playing (she's home alone all day while her husband works for a summer job)... so being that she's soon to have her first baby, a boy, why not borrow some kids for a while?

So when Sherry and Luke left, they took my boys! Wow, that was weird to see my boys drive away from me and know they were going two states away for a week. (Ammon really wanted to go too, but I couldn't quite part with him yet)

I got a nightly phone call from them telling me all the fun things they were doing in Kansas City. They were both very surprised that Jeff was nice... Caleb said he saw some giant shoes by the door and was worried because he thought a giant lived there... but then he and Hyrum found out Jeff is really nice, and they commented on that the first few days.

Besided having tons of fun with Sherry (Hyrum told me he may never want to come home, and they never confessed to missing us...) they got to hang out with Uncy Luke and Mark who they really like.

It was a great opportunity for them to get to know them better since we don't get to see anyone very often so yay!

We went the following weekend and picked them up and did a quick visit.

While the older boys were gone I noticed, wow, how easy 3 kids are! It seemed like there was lots of time to get some things done in the house I've been wanting to do. We went through all the bedrooms and basement and came up with over 6 stuffed black garbage bags of things for goodwill, mostly clothes... yippee! I need to do that about every six months it seems like to stay sane...

...or maybe it was just my "nesting instint" kicking in for those babies coming soon in the mail?....

Happy Birthday Ruth!

2010-06-21T05:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ruthie!

Four years ago, the female population in our home doubled...

Yay for the girls!

Super snazzy, awesome, caring, loving, helpful Ruth!

We love this girl!

Here's an awesome battle movie from earlier this year...

Double Digits

2010-06-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

Yikes! Despite my protests, my children continue to get older. Caleb is 10! Wow... that's just too close to being a teenager. He's past the half-way mark of being in our care, not ready for that milestone.

Sherry and Luke (David's sister and brother) came to visit for the weekend. Sherry set up a scavenger hunt for Caleb to find all his presents.

I thought I picked out the best present... pencils... lots and lots of pencils... (his get lost often)

But Caleb will probably tell you that the best present was his mice... two little mice. He's been wanting them for many, many months... but his mother didn't want mice in the house. Anyways, the boy won out and has been taking very good care of them so far. He has even been excited to clean out their cage. He is very caring and doing well as their sole caretaker.

We LOVE to get visitors, sometimes it's lonely out here, so we were very excited to have some family come in town! Luke was awesome with the kids. He was out there playing soccer in the 90+ degree, super humidity with the boys.

Those kidlets loved having someone to sit down and play board games with... almost constantly. And us older folk really like to talk. After being a bit exhausted with five beautiful children to take care of, it was very refreshing to talk to Sherry and get loads of advice from a professional about kids and how to best deal with them, along with some books recommendations to read, to continue my constant "mom-improvement" endeavor.

isn't Sherry just so cute pregnant?

Feild Trip

2010-06-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

We went on a field trip with some other homeschoolers to a local farm for some U-pick strawberries in May

They gave us all a bucket, we picked, then paid for it in weight

Yummmmm... sun-warmed, fresh strawberries.

They also had some llamas, goats, chickens, etc. The light brown one is a Buff Orpington (the friendliest ones), the red is a Rhode Island Red (good egg-layer), the black is an Astrolorp (also friendly), and the black with the white poof head is a Polish (more of a show breed... they have chicken shows for fanciest chicken... totally awesome) So yeah, we've been studying chickens... a lot.

Super Fun Happy place

2010-06-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

David actually got me and Caleb to go on this thing with him...

We went to holiday world a little bit ago. This place is by far our favorite ride place ever, also has a super fun water park. It's clean, friendly, short lines, free drinks and sunscreen, etc. etc. can't say enough about it... we've been to lots of places (all those parks out in California and King's Island in Cincy, etc.) but this is the best!

This year we stayed two days to have more time to try all the rides and water park.

Hyrum and Caleb are big enough to go on everything, and this year I wasn't pregnant so I could go on everything too! Lots of fun!

David had a talk to give at church when we got home, he sums up the trip well:

I decided to monitor my family for 24 hours and see how the teachings of the New Testament had affected our lives. The next morning we took our family vacation to Holiday World. While eating lunch there, Ammon reminded us that we should have a prayer. Paul likewise taught to Timothy “I will therefore that men pray every where”. As it was very hot and sunny, I prayed for clouds. The clouds soon came, and Caleb suggested that I say a prayer of gratitude which I soon did. Luke wrote about the savior healing ten lepers … “and one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks”. Eight minutes before the park closed, Caleb remembered that he wanted to go on The Raven. After I insisted that we didn’t have time to make it, Caleb took off in a dead run… I followed. It was then, I noticed that his head was bowed, his arms were folded, and his eyes were closed, but he ran on at full speed. He exemplified the teachings of James which he had been taught, that “faith, if it hath not works, is dead”. With Hyrum bolting in from behind, the three of us ran together and were able to make it on the last rollercoaster of the night. We stopped at Subway for dinner. Right as I was noticing that there was sure a lot of tables filled, Hyrum, Ammon, and Ruth began singing at full volume “I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints”. After finishing their song, and listening to the applause around us, I recalled the apostle Paul’s teachings to Timothy “for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord”.

Soccer Boys

2010-06-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

Soccer ended last month, all three boys played this year, so we spent most of our Saturday morning at the soccer field. It's different here, the churches put on the community sports in our town. Spring soccer is at the Baptist church, so during half-time we get a devotional (last year we got preached to about how we are sinners and need to all realize that... um, yeah... but this year was a bit more calm)... I do like how they start and end with a prayer.

This was Caleb's first year doing the soccer, he was a super fast runner, the fastest on his team.

Brigham enjoyed discovering, and eating, the grass.

Hyrum did very well this year, he obeys "every command with exactness" (reminds me of them stripling warriors).

Hyrum's team didn't always have everyone show up so Ammon got to play a few times with the "big kids" he was pretty excited. He would run after that ball with no fear.

Ammon really liked his teammates, he makes friends really easily (I'm starting to understand how a king could offer his daughter to someone after meeting them... everyone seems to love Ammon when they meet him, he was rightly named!) he did great and made several goals.

BUFF

2010-05-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

You may wonder what this handsome chicken and this handsome baby boy are doing here side by side.

What do these two have in common? (besides their shared friendly disposition and calm, easy attitude?)

This here chicken is a "Buff Orpington" and that there baby is well, strong!

About 2 weeks ago Brigham, my five month old, started getting on his hands and knees and rocking back and forth, he also does what his Daddy calls "push-ups". This boy is BUFF!

Brigham is now just over 18 pounds and about 27 1/2 inches long

YeeeAAHHH! WaaaH! (ding-ding) YAAAAA!

2010-05-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

Don't let this sweet face fool you, there is a true warrior spirit lurking inside...

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!

Anything like brooms... sticks... pencils... rakes... toys... air... bats... a hose... yuh know, pretty much anything in the hands of Hyrum has potential to be used as a weapon in his pretend war stories. This boy would have loved to live during Captain Moroni's time; he was probably hanging out with Moroni, Teancum, and Lehi a lot before he came to earth.

Caleb's new talent

2010-05-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

Caleb learned how to make movies from Aunt Lucy and loves making them. He is quick at getting his chores and school done everyday (he's become very consistant and fast, it's amazing what motivation will do) so he can spend some time making movies. I really liked this one he made last week. He has so many that he wants to share, so we'll be posting most of them at http://www.calebsgoodreport.blogspot.com/ enjoy!

Family Vacation

2010-05-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

Last week we took a family vacation, it was so much fun. David had a seminar he needed to go to up at the Great Wolf lodge in Cincinnati, so we all headed up there with him. I hadn't heard of these places, apparently they are all over and have indoor waterparks. Pretty cool. Because of the conference there, we got a discounted rate... and a huge room. This is probably the nicest hotel we've stayed at, super fancy.

We even had a seperate room with a king-size bed for David and I, and a kitchen area.

(notice my reading boys... we were starting to have issues with the t.v. --they always wanted it on-- so I went to the hotel store and baught some books, problem solved, no more t.v. wanted)

We got there the day before the seminar started so we all got to swim together, it was a lot of fun. The three oldest boys can mostly swim, so we didn't have to worry about them... well, Ammon tipped over on a tube in the wave pool and a lifeguard jumped in after him... so he wore a life-vest after that just in case.

The kids are getting older and are so much fun! We got to go down all the scary waterslides together without any worries. It's like hanging out with some awesome friends. It's nice to finally reach that point!

The other 3 days David had his meetings from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., so I got to hang out at the waterpark alone with five kids, ah! It was actually still a lot of fun.

Caleb and Hyrum are old enough to go on all the slides, so they just ran off and had fun. Ammon would mostly go hang out with them (he could go on most slides) and Ruth, Briggs, and I had fun in the smaller pools.

Brigham REALLY liked the water, he was splashing, squealing, etc. He thought it was great.

2010-05-05T06:48:00.000-07:00

More Belated pictures - Sleepover

2010-05-03T07:17:00.001-07:00

The older boys are scared of the basement, they will never go down there alone because they think a "black, hairy monster" lives down there... and it makes gurgling noises every once in a while that sound strangely like the sump pump... but we all know it is really the black, hairy monster who hides under the stairs...

I was surprised when all the kids (except Brigham of course) wanted to sleep downstairs with Lucy, Grandma & Grandpa D. They had several sleepover nights while David and I got to enjoy someone else putting our kids to bed, it was weird... and nice.

The goodbyes are tough, we all enjoy seeing some family out here...

It was awesome to have Aunt Lucy out here, the kids had a great time with her. Hyrum and Lucy headed up an awesome movie, "the crazy knite" involving everyone. We were very impressed with all the natural acting skills. If you want a copy, let me know (it's 15 minutes long and won't post on the blog). But it's awesome.

The kids were constantly entertained with Lucy being here, she is a great Aunt/friend/awesome-ness person.

(Lucy, if you ever get bored of that state over there by the ocean, you are more than welcome to come stay here in the middle of the country with us!)

More Belated pictures - Amazing Electricians

2010-05-03T07:02:00.001-07:00

Our dining room was a bit dark and gloomy (I painted it bright yellow, but still gloomy) and one corner of our kitchen was dark and gloomy... but not anymore!

David's Dad is an electrician and installed several recessed lights in our dining room, kitchen, and living room... it looks awesome!

Ammon thought Grandpa was amazing and wanted to help him in any way he could...

Now Ammon says "I'm going to be an electric and work with Grandpa and Uncle Peter."

David took Ammon with him the other day to see a patient at the hospital and the patient asked him if he was going to be a doctor someday like his Dad. Grandpa visited over a month ago but Ammon still said he wants to be an electician like his Grandpa and Uncle Peter.

Belated Pictures - Hyrum's Birthday

2010-05-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Hyrum's birthday on saturday (he was baptized on Sunday, his actual birthday) by going hiking with Grandpa & Grandma D, Grandpa White, Lucy, Jon & Megan, and all of us natives here. Then for the evening we went to Cracker Barrel for his birthday dinner. Happy Birthday to Hyrum!

After church and baptism Sunday, we had the traditional cake. David decorated it this year, did a super job.

Penny Power!

2010-04-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

So... we have no money... yeah, $16 in our checking account. This may daunt some people into sadness, but not my husband. We needed some milk last night, and we were a bit desperate for some fresh produce so David scoured all the couches, corners, and drawers of the house and came up with about $17 worth of change so we could go to the store. He's awesome. We got some potatoes, carrots, and apples... David was a proud doctor as he counted out $8.00 of change at the grocery store with his poor wife and five children there to watch. I don't think it fazed him at all. Then we headed to the milk store (luckily we had 8 bottles to return so we got an 80 cent deposit back! cha ching!) and again he counted out about $4 in mostly pennies to the cashier. Both cashiers looked at us with blank stares... not sure what they were thinking...I don't think this town quite knows what to do with us, but we all thought it was pretty neat.
Penny Power!
You never know when you'll need them pennies!!

p.s. don't anyone worry, David will get paid tomorrow... Income taxes were due (we are not used to such things) and we paid all our savings and such to get them paid off thinking we'd be fine with his paycheck coming the next day, but apparently his boss also had more taxes due than expected (someone's got to pay for the government's new plans... might as well be us!) so he was out a lot and well, it's been 10 days since the paycheck was due, we'll get half of it tomorrow.
Thankfully, we spent the first 9 years of our marriage in poverty, so we know how to survive on very, very little.

Bread Heaven

2010-04-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

I LOVE bread, love, love, love it; especially homemade. So when my Dad gave me his breadman ultimate Breadmachine 8 years ago and I discovered that I, yes, me, myself and I could actually make myself my OWN homemade bread whenever I wanted... wow, it was awesome.

Sadly, last year the breadmaker pan started leaking and the company no longer sells parts for that model. :(

So last year we invested in a Kitchen Aid mixer for my new bread making machine, and to mix up other stuff to eat. And that's what we've had for the past several moons. However, I just don't like the bread it produces... it's okay, but I'm a bread enthusiast and want the best bread I can make. So I have slowly stopped making much bread. I guess I'm just a bread snob? Maybe.

The good news is coming...

For my birthday, David ordered me a Bosch.. (la la laaaa).. did you just hear those angels singing?... Yeah, bread heaven! This thing makes the smoothest dough, it is just plain heavenly to touch and form it.

So we've been eating a lot of bread and dinner rolls, yum... it's just so good. The other day I mixed up a batch of bread bowls (Tammy's recipe in the Dickinson cookbook). I let the dough raise up in the bosch... woah, Isn't it supposed to just double in size?

I've made these before, and they haven't raised to mutant proportions, especially when I sub in half whole wheat... I think these things were as big as Caleb's head.

So, thanks to husbands who buy these kinda things for birthdays because I don't know if I ever would have been able to justify the expense (I don't like spending money). But now that we have it, I definately recommend saving $10 every month for the next 3 years to get one! Yikes.

And so my bread making and eating obsession continues.... yum, yum

2010-04-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday David!

"Thanks for having a birthday and happy birthday and thanks for having a bunch of jobs," Ruth

"Thanks for being a good Dad, I love you for your birthday," Ammon

"Thanks for giving me the Oregon trail, Have a very happy birthday," Caleb

"Thankyou for all your hard work, you always amaze me with what you can do, we all love and appreciate you," Melissa

"Happy Birthday Dad, you are finally 34! I hope you have a fun birthday, I'd be happy to help," Hyrum

" :) " -Brigham

Ugh

2010-04-08T06:43:00.000-07:00

The first tick of the season (Hyrum)

I don't think I'll ever get used to this, but am told it will become second nature to pick ticks of my children when they come in from playing outside. One Mom said last year she picked 50 ticks off her 2 kids... all from their yard. And this is not just reserved for those of us with some land.

Ugh

Blessing and Baptism pictures

2010-04-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

Grandpas

YAY Hyrum!!

83 and 31

2010-04-02T14:44:00.001-07:00

Today it got up to 83! This whole week has been just beautiful and warm, not yet humid and hot.

On Tuesday was a jump for me (mentally atleast) sure I turned 30 last year, no big deal... still so close to the 20's, but this year I'm REALLY in the fourth decade of my life, wow that seems old. Am I old? When did I get old? I still feel like a kid... hopefully just a bit more matured... most of the time.

David took the day off of work, we went on a road trip to a beautiful place to go hiking, then we went out to a Mexican restraunt for lunch (oh how I miss UT mexican food, they just make it so good out there!)

Then David let me loose at a thrift store (YAY!) and I spent a whopping $37.00 and got several pairs of pants, shorts, skirts, and a nice jacket. They all look new, are good brands, and cost a few dollars each... I love the thrift store.

We headed home and went as a family to watch Hyrum and Ammon's soccer practice. They are really improving and fun to watch.

Then came time for the birthday PIE! I'm not fond of sugary gunk like... cake and ice cream, etc. so we got a birthday pie - fruit is good. (For YW on wednesday, my counselors both brought homemade bread for the treat to celebrate my b-day, very sweet - they know I don't like cake)

The pie looked like a flaming fire, kinda scary, but we made it through to the wish without any casualties.

Now this guy, Ammon, is terribly sweet, no other way to describe it. When we went to the thrift store he wanted to buy me a present (he'd braught all his money just in case we went to a store) so he looked around while I tried things on. He was telling everyone in the store that, "it's my Mom's birthday and I'm getting her a present! But she's not supposed to see it..." The whole store was excited for him and talking with him, that kid makes friends everywhere we go. (when you homeschool, you have to worry about your kids being social??!!)

He got me several things, very cute and pretty things (including a ribbon badge for me to wear). He was just SO excited as he counted out his $7.18 (that's a lot of money for a kid!!) And he was so happy to give me all these presents that HE had baught. What a good heart he has. So, I'm feeling very blessed with my family right now. They are just great.

2010-03-10T17:25:00.000-08:00

Protesting

2010-03-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

So... say you ask your sweetie-pies to work on some of their school work while you dutifully go into the kitchen to make them some lunch. Sure, they wanted you to do history, but hey, it's time to get lunch going and you are positive they will understand because, well, they are just such wonderful, obedient, understanding kids,.... right?
So... say you take a break (it's been what... 3-5 minutes?) from cooking lunch to get something from your room... you notice your children are no longer in at their desks as you walk by. You hear some soft voices coming from the direction of their bedrooms... "oh" you think to yourself, "they must just be getting something and then they will be right back" because, again, these are your sweet, darling, patient children.
As you walk down the hall to your room, you notice as you round the corner, this:
A barricade with two heads popping up, one holding a flag that says, "I'm the king"
"Ummm..." you say, bewildered. "W-what's all this for?"
Your sweeties reply, "We are protesting, until you do history"

Two Weeks!

2010-02-28T12:46:00.000-08:00

In two weeks we will be doing Brigham's baby blessing and Hyrum's baptism (on his birthday#8)Yay Brigham and Hyrum!

College Boys

2010-02-24T11:16:00.000-08:00

So yeah, my boys are in college... I guess when you homeschool, they progress REALLY fast! :)

They are officially registered at the local college here and have started their first semester with .5 credit hours of PE. Awesome!

Anyone can register their children/teens for swimming here for college credit each semester. They offer classes during the daytime (school hours) for us homeschoolers which I really like; it doesn't take away from valuable family time when David is home in the evening.

And when they do get a little older, they can start taking other classes there. This community college is rated one of the top five in the nation, so I'm excited!

Finally!!

2010-02-22T05:02:00.000-08:00

We FINALLY had a warm day! I have been wanting to get some yard work done for SO long; it was just too hot for me last summer being pregnant and by the time it cooled down I was too huge and tired.
I've also been wanting to walk outside with Brigham to show him how wonderful it is to be outside. Normally we get a few days of 60 or 70 degrees each month of the winter, but haven't had one since November, AH! It's been a long waite!

You'd think that growing up in the Rocky Mountains and spending 3 years in Iowa with their -20 degree windchill loooong, cold winters would harden me some against coldness, but it is amazing how quick you get used to a warmer climate.

So anywho, Saturday got up to 70 degrees, yay! Finally we could go outside! David started a fire (we still have a huge trunk of a tree in our firepit to get burned) we all cleaned up some leaves and fallen branches, along with random other things for garbage. Then everyone spent the rest of the day playing outside on bikes, swings, or just sitting at the picnic table talking or coloring. I love being outside!! I was so happy to be able to bring Brigham out, his first time to be out there with us!

School Mascat

2010-02-19T09:40:00.000-08:00

The cat likes to be with us when we do school. I mentioned to Hyrum that we had a school mascot, he says, "what is a mascot? Do you mean a masCAT?"
So we have a school mascat.

Also at school today, Caleb wanted to help Ruth with her ABC's...

She was learning "D" today so Caleb drew some "D" words for her to color...

pictures like demon, dead, drone(a boy bee), and my favorite picture entitled, "don't know". All words I wouldn't have thought of (I had drawn duck, Dad, and dog).

Cutie Ruthie

2010-02-17T08:54:00.000-08:00

Ruth woke up today with her hair sticking up in front, reminded me of another time her hair used to do that... she had a natural mohawk the first year of her life, it would just stick straight up. Everywhere we went teenagers would come up to us saying, "that's so cool!", "Awesome hair!"

She was born with long hair, and being that the sides and back of all baby's hair usually rubs off the first month or two, it looked like a true mohawk... naturally sticking straight up even if we combed it down.

Still a cutie!

Pigs Attack!!!

2010-02-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

Pigs attacked our house (this isn't the worst of it), atleast that must be the only explanation for the home I woke up in Monday morning... no humans could make such a mess, right? Sunday is my day off, my day of rest... looks like the pigs sneakily attacked when they knew I wouldn't be armed with my cleaning supplies in hand... But alas, I got the upperhand by the end of the day

So, we are taking steps to guard against these seasoned warrior pigs. One of these is a chart game the pigs get to play to get out of the muddy pen into the freedom of the open, fresh air. They get to move a total of 4 spaces a day (21 days makes a habit) by doing chores and picking up after themselves

We've since added more prizes like money, grab bag items (toys that were left on the floor they get to redeem), hugs, reading a book with Mom or Dad, etc. to help these muddy pigs transform into cute little piggies. (Notice David and I are part of the game, we can always improve too)

May it work!

Like Father, Like Son

2010-02-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

Brigham looks SO much like David... very, very cute

Pencil Weddings

2010-01-29T08:05:00.001-08:00

Ammon and Ruth were playing in the other room, when I came to check on them I asked, "so what are you doing?"

The reply, "the pencils are getting married"