Our Summer in a Nutshell--

So I know that I have been HORRIBLE at keeping up on my blog this summer. It's been such a busy busy summer but we have had some fun. We went on a day trip up to Glendale to ride the jetskis for an afternoon and have a cook-out on the beach. It was a great time and we sure enjoy our time spent with friends. This is Charlie and her baby boy Cutler... They are so much fun to hang with... We all had a good time. While Mike, Bradey, Charlie & Cutler were out on the lake, Kenzie and I sat on the beach and soaked up the sun. She was just sitting in the water and playing in the sand. There was this awesome warm breeze and we were enjoying every minute of it...

Lunch was sooo good. Why is that when we cook outside, it just tastes better? We had burgers and chips and lots of good garden veggies on the burgers. Yummy!

Well this is kinda out of order, but on the weekend of July 24th I went and spent the weekend with Mike In Wyoming. Everyone thinks he goes up there to work and lives in some sort of a shack and just suffers like crazy but this is his home away from home. This is where I stayed during the days while he was working. I so enjoyed my time alone. It was FABULOUS! And his house is so nice. He no longer has a room mate so this is what I consider my 'vacation home'. Ha ha.

Back to the trip to Glendale... Here's Mike and Bradey on the jetskis. Bradey even drives and it scares me, but he does really good!

Of course, the kids have spent alot of time this summer on the back of the horses! They are funny cuz sometimes they just decide to saddle one horse and ride together instead of riding 2. Kinda cute really. They really do enjoy each other's company.

HOME SWEET HOME!!!!!

This is sweet little Phoebee at the Narrows waiting for me to cook. She was just so happy that she got to go and the other dogs had to stay home :-)

Every time I get out the camera, Daizee attacks me... She loves the camera! I love her and her corny personality! She's my little gomer!

You'd never guess, but I was weeding the garden and lost the family. Well here they came on the horses. I guess they didn't want to disturb my work so they went without me :-).... The kids need that time with their dad. I love seeing them on the horses together.

This is my garden, yes weedy I know. But eventually it became extremely amazing and we got it all weeded and it produced like CRAZY! We love our garden and next year we plan on doubling it's size.

This is Harry Norman. In this picture he was a week old and now he is over 2 months old. WE love him and he has the funniest personality. The kids plan on breaking him to ride. They just can't wait until he gets old enough to saddle. He cracks me up!

When we go fishing to the narrows I make sure and take a cooler full of food so that I can cook while everyone fishes and swims. I enjoy watching them all play while I'm cooking them dinner. The kids like Tinfoil dinners as long as all they contain is a hamburger, potatoes and green beans. Taste pretty good, if I don't say so myself...

As I slave away over the fire,

They PLAY!!! And I love watching them...

When Mike is home, Makenzie stays pretty close. I love this picture...

Our sweet little Makenzie...

Bradey got in one of his photog moments and decided there should be a pic of me too to prove I was there at the narrows too. Note Phoebee in her sound asleep state in my lap :-)

Time out from swimming and fishing for a snapshot!

I went on Makenzie's last 2nd grade field trip with her. We went to the dinosaur museum and the zoo in Pocatello. We were just getting ready to leave when she asked her friend to take a picture of us. I thought it was so cute that she thought of it.. And I think her friend did an excellent job!!!

For Mother's Day, I got my kids dressed in their nice clothes and sent them on a walk outside between rain storms. I snapped 20 pics of them. Here are some of my favorites...

Well, the summer was fun and now I can't believe my kids are back in school now. The house gets pretty quiet sometime but I sure do get a lot of baking done!

Just to catch up!

I know I haven't been blogging for awhile... and I'm sorry. Been really busy in the last month. Of course, the kids had their last month of school and that's always crazy with field trips and class parties. But it's always a great sign of summer coming. The summer has been great. We have been enjoying our place and been working really hard on our yard and the garden. We have put up a fence around our HUGE front yard and it's so nice not to have a little midget goat eating my little trees. He's so cute when he's on the outside of my fence :-)...
We adopted a little pony for Makenzie. She has been telling us forever that we were never going to get her a horse... the day we brought "Hemi" home she reached over and kissed her dad on the cheek and apologized to him for saying we'd never get her a horse. Now she has her own little "pet" and we all just love her. Abby (our oldest nanny goat) had two little kids! They are so dang cute and fun for my kids to take care of and play with.
We have been watching a robin's nest in the pine tree in front of the house. We watched her sit on the eggs, we saw them as soon as they hatched and we just watched them fly away the other day! I tried getting pictures but she was NOT happy with me at all! So I left her alone. I really didn't want her leaving her nest!
We got our garden planted. It took two full days of hard work. We included the kids and made sure that they are learning the importance of being self-reliant. It is extremely important to Mike and I and we work hard to be able to bottle enough for a year's worth of food. I have twice the garden I had last year and I'm slightly nervous about it considering how hard it was to keep up with last year's. But it'll all work out and I'm excited. I have 38 tomato plants. For those of you who know me, I HATE tomatoes, but I LOVE salsa! So I also have 16 green and jalapeno pepper plants and a whole great big row of onions to make fresh salsa!!!! YUMMY! And of course, everything for the dill pickles since I'm not sure what mom and dad would do without their years supply of pickles!
We only had to water our garden for a week then it started raining every day and we haven't had to worry about watering. But now it would be really nice to see the sun because my peppers are starting to go yellow from too much water! My strawberries are sure loving the water though!
Tonight I made mom her birthday dinner. Tomorrow is actually her birthday but I wanted Mike to be able to be here for something since he's always gone for everything (easter, birthdays, mother's day, etc). She asked for chicken parmigiana, fettucini alfredo, green salad, garlic bread, and a chocolate cake with parisian cream filling and whipped frosting. So ask and ye shall receive! It was a nice dinner and it was nice to have the family all together. Mom, Dad, Shawn, Brook & their kids and Mike & I and our kids all got together at my house and we ate and visited. It was great! I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did! Happy Birthday Mom!! I love you and I wish you many many many healthy birthdays to come!!!!
So now I am sitting here trying to keep kids quiet while Mike is trying to sleep, since Brenna and Cole stayed to play with the kids. They are being really good and they all play really well together. Mike will be leaving in about 4 hours and I have got all his meals ready to go so he won't starve!
Well, I hope to be able to post more than once in the next month and a half.... Have a great weekend!!!!

A Quick Update!

Well last time I posted on my blog we were preparing to take Makenzie to the dentist. Well... guess what? Tomorrow we are taking Makenzie back to the dentist! She has to have a few more teeth pulled and a couple cavities filled, that is if there are any teeth left in her mouth... Poor baby girl! She has had a stomach ache all weekend from nerves, however she never complains about going to the dentist. She obviously just holds her nerves all inside and then she gets an upset stomach. But after tomorrow, her next appointment will be with the orthodontist. It certainly doesn't seem like we're going to be done with fixing her teeth anytime soon, but I'll be so glad when the orthodontist does his thing and we know what to look forward to... Eeeek!

I have had some miserable allergies for a month now. Apparently I've never lived by Russian Olive Trees in the spring and can I just tell you that they are NOT good for me! The Dr. has me on three different allergy medications and I still am having a heck of a time breathing! I guess I'm going to have to buckle down and get a shot. I keep looking at my lawn thinking how bad it needs to be mowed but I don't dare do it... breathing is a very important part of my life:-) I have thought about going to an allergist but I need to find one first and make an appointment I guess.

Bradey is totally into basketball now.... my parents created quite the monster when the took him to that Jazz game for his birthday. He hurries and gets all the chores done so that he can play ball until it gets dark. He's getting pretty dang good. He just came in the house with alligator tears on his cheeks and said he broke his hoop so it's a good thing "Mr Fix-it" is on his way home.

Mike is still working in Wyoming... and we still miss him like crazy when he's gone. His colt was a year old today! He can't wait to get home to give him his birthday sugar cube:-) He loves that horse... When he's home he runs and runs just trying to get everything accomplished that he feels he needs to before he heads back to work. We sure appreciate his sacrifice and we love him!

Well, that's the update on our crazy life!

Until next time---

The kids!

I just uploaded pictures that I have taken in the last month. This picture was taken just before we went to the dentist the last time. Oh no!! We have to take Makenzie back tomorrow. They are pulling 4 more teeth!!! The poor sweet girl will have nothing left to chew with, but as soon as they pull these four the dentist is sending us to the orthodontist next. So, my baby is only 7 1/2 and she is already on her way to the orthodontist? So scarey! I think more for me than her. She loves the dentist, unlike most kids. Even when they pull out her teeth she walks out of there with a smile on her face and never complains.
Now, Bradey on the other hand was cavity free this go-round. He has been lucky enough to inherit my teeth-genes... But he likes to go with us to the dentist to take Makenzie because we go eat at Butter Burrs afterwards. We Love ButterBurrs. It's going to be especially nice this week because the kids are out on spring break and we don't have to worry about getting them out of school to go.
Also, I have never taken a hunter's education class and there is a new rule this year that 10 year olds can take the class and get their small game licenses. So, Bradey and I are stopping in Pocatello to the Fish and Game office to pick up workbooks so we can do the class at home together and all we'll have to do is go shoot at a Field Day when we've completed the course. So, we'll be able to shoot some meat this year!!! My favorite is deer and elk so bring it on!!! Maybe Bradey will be able to shoot his first wild turkey in our yard this year. That would be so dang cool!

Finding Pictures!

So, I have been uploading pictures on my computer cleaning off all the camera memory cards so we can start all over again. When I got Bradey's card done, I was looking through his pictures and he is quite the little photographer and he tells some amazing stories with his pictures. He obviously loves our dogs as I think 100 out of 198 pictures were snapshots of the dogs. Pretty cute! I came across this picture of Bradey and my mom and dad at the Jazz game on Bradey's birthday. This is a FANTASTIC picture apparently taken by some nice gal sitting next to them at the game. Thank you nice gal!!! My parents gave Bradey Jazz tickets for his birthday and he has been so thrilled. He took all of his birthday money and bought a jersey, a hat( he is wearing both) and the bear gave him a picture and signed it and his hat. It's been almost a month since he went to the game and he hasn't yet forgotten!!! He runs through the house shooting invisible basketballs and introducing himself as "D. Will"... Cracks me up! Anyway, this was a great experience and an AMAZING picture!!! Mom, Dad & Bradey

February 28, 2009

Jazz Game

Turn that frown upside down!!!

So as I watch the wind blowing in another cold and miserable snow storm I keep thinking that I just want to go back to bed!!! So I thought I should try to turn the frown upside down and think some more positive thoughts. I suddenly realized that I am so lucky. Why do I think I deserve to be negative. There is so much in life to be grateful for. So I thought I would share some things that I am grateful for with you. And remember, this is just the short list. I don't have time to put everything I'm thinking down so here I go...

1-- MIKE: he means the world to me... He is an amazing father and husband and is sacrificing his time with us to support us and keep a roof over our heads and food on our table... for him I am so grateful and I LOVE HIM!!!

2--BRADEY: he is my rock to lean on when Mike is gone. He helps me with all of the outside chores and helps me take care of things. He's "the man of the house" when his dad is gone and he takes the job seriously. Besides that he absolutely loves my parents and loves to take care of them. He has been such an amazing help to my mom through her trials and I am so proud of him for that!!

3--MAKENZIE: she is so dang funny! Her hilarious laugh is entirely contagious. When we need something to keep us on our toes, here comes our sweet little Makenzie. She is extremely helpful with all of my household duties. She has been so good to help with laundry, and of course the puppy... Makenzie is amazing with animals. She has that little heart string between her and animals. Kind of like me. She is amazingly smart and I love her!

4--MY MOM: her life... without her I would be truly lost! My mom has taught me so much through her battle with cancer. She is SOOOO strong and she has taught me that you always need to look at your life as a cup half-full, not half-empty. Even at her worst moments, she is ALWAYS positive. What an amazing woman!! And I am so grateful that she is my mom!!! I love her!!

5--MY DAD: an extremely strong and loving person. My Dad and I have always been close, but through mom's battle, we've been closer than ever before. I love my Dad. He is Sooooo good to my mom. He has always been an extremely great example to everyone around him. He is Bradey's main man and I love the relationship that they have always had. I love him!!

6--MY DOGS, PHOEBE, DAISEE, & PEPPER: they always keep me hopping... Phoebe is so caring and always knows when I need someone to just shut up and listen to me vent. She will sit on my lap and let me cry. Daisee is my gomer. Oh how I love her too. She totally cracks me up. When I need some company or someone to take a nap with, she simply appears and knows just what I need. She wraps her little arms around my neck and just snuggles right up to me. And Pepper... oh what a fun little challenge. She keeps me running, hopping, jumping, and mopping the floor since she loves to step in the water dish then run through the house. I love my dogs!!!

7--MY FRIENDS: I love them all!!! Especially with Mike gone, I find myself getting lonely and needing adult conversation. Babysitting all day doesn't exactly help that. So to my friends I am so grateful for letting me just talk. Thanks to all of you that know exactly who you are.

8--MY TREADMILL: when I need to vent, it listens :-) It keeps me running.. Pardon the pun. Ha Ha. It makes me feel good and proud of myself for getting off the couch to watch the Food Network...

9--THE FOOD NETWORK: for those of you who know me entirely well, know that I LOVE to cook. I have taken on the challenge of cake decorating lately because it just looks so dang fun. Well it is. I can use all those creative juices in my brain and let them flow like crazy! I love to try new things and just throw things together instead of using recipes all the time. It makes life so much more interesting... Well, I pretty well record most of the programs on the Food Network and then watch them at night when Mike is gone. It gives me something to do when I can't sleep.

10--MY LIFE: I am so grateful to be where I am in my life. I love my husband, my kids, my job (if that's what we call it), my family, my friends, and everything else about my life...

The Cake

This is the cake I spent so much time on. It was a tall 3-layer cake. Chocolate on the top and bottom and yellow in the middle. Filled with yummy bavarian creme and covered with a rich chocolate fudge fondant. HUGE!! The thinnest slice was more than you could eat but it was yummy! Task accomplished. And my little cowboy was just so grateful!

There were enough candles that Mike and Jade both had to simultaneously light candles so they could get them all lit before the cake was covered in wax!!

Can't you just see it in his eyes... How the heck can I blow out all those candles?

Look at those cheeks. He had 23 candles to blow out in one breath with the "happy birthday" candles and his ten candles. He did a mighty fine job, but I think he had to take an extra gasp of air :-)

Bradey's Birthday Party!!!

So... sitting here tonight I just am in total amazement that Bradey is going to be 10 years old tomorrow. So CRAZY!!! Anyway, we decided to have a party for Bradey this past Wednesday because Mike had to work all weekend and wouldn't be here for his birthday. We also knew that my mom and dad had a great surprise for Bradey and he wouldn't be spending his time at home on his birthday anyway.

So, the party was slated for 5 pm (so Mike could get to bed since he leaves at around 2 am). Everyone started showing up a little before 5. Bradey was so dang excited. I had spent a whole day making him a fun cake and then we were serving barbecues for dinner.

But of course the exciting part is when everyone joins together in the living room and watches Bradey open his gifts. For those of you who don't know Bradey, he is quite the little comedian. He opened every card and read outloud every word both printed on the card and hand written inside. He had everyone laughing. So funny!

He made a haul! I think he made something like $35. That's alot for a ten year old, isn't it? He got lots of great gifts too. And finally mom and dad were able to share their surprise they've been keeping for so long... He's going to a JAZZ game for his birthday!!! He was so dang excited. And he's taking his $35 plus some more in his bank for an "autograph of D. Williams". That's his favorite player. He can't wait to take pictures with his digital camera that he got for Christmas. It'll be a fun post when he gets home!

We ARE Alive!!

So, we finally have internet again! Ah, the suffering we go through to live in the middle of nowhere!!! It took forever but we finally found someone that could give us service way out here. Hey Katie!! Now you can be happy cuz my blog will finally be updated! :-) Love ya!

Well, I'll catch you up on some stuff going on in our lives.

Mike has been working in Wyoming since the third week in November. He stays in Farson at a nice little home when he's there. He works the weekend shift so he's home all week and gone Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Not bad. Can't complain. We're just extremely happy that he has a job.
We moved the first of February to a much-bigger home on 40 acres out in Weston by the river. We love it and so do all the animals!! Minus the yucky snow and mud :-(. Can't wait until it dries up.
I'm still babysitting. Losing alot of kids due to the economy and everyone getting laid off but that's fine too. I enjoy being home and with my husband and kids. Just go with the flow and quit worrying about life. That's my new motto. Otherwise I'd be taking some MASSIVE medication!! There are some things in life we can't control so why try, right?!
Bradey will turn 10 this Saturday. I can't believe it. I'm getting old. I turned the big 3-0- a couple weeks ago! That's an eye-opener!
Well, it was great to check out everyone's well-updated blogs. I hope to be able to keep mine that way now too!

Until next time...