Just trying to keep up…

WAY out of my comfort zone!

2011-09-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

The cave of doom!

No...really just the civil defense caves.

Believe you me, I think I would rather be involved in a nuclear fall out than live in this cave for more than a couple of hours.

Mia's new camera ready smile...

Our crew. I would never go down here without numbers and Skiff, Val's dog.

Scary, right?

This was called the "birth canal".

That should be self-explanatory.

I was so confused when we got out of there.

I thought left was right, up was down, and east was west.

Indee is missing a few things....

2011-09-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

Her ToNsIlS!!!!

When we first got to the hospital Indee said "this is fun".

Waiting for the IV...

And that's done...no big deal!

She's still smiling.

And now she's hurting and she doesn't care if she can have all the popsicles in the world.

She's starting to feel a little better.

And we are outta here!

Good job Indee, you were a trooper and have had a long week recovering. But you've been a good patient.

btw: her voice is different now...anyone know if it will stay that way?

Really?

2011-08-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

Back to the swamp they go...

Add one more worry to my list....

2011-07-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

I have never been to a circus....I can not say that anymore.

We got our cotton candy

(maybe the top reason to go to a circus)

and we settled in.

Tigers....

A man on a rolling board juggling swords...

not something you see everyday.

There were lots of side shows (freak shows).

In true circus form.

I wouldn't have expected anything less.

Although, no bearded lady or wolf-man.

The elephants were the highlight.

Yes...she is riding in his mouth.

Scouty loved it! And Canon didn't move.

He just sat there staring and drooling the whole time.

I have never seen him sit so still.

Maybe they should try a circus at church for him, then he would sit.

There were a ton of acrobats and gymnasts in this circus...

Indee kept telling me she wanted to join the circus.

Probably not my first choice in professions for this girl!

This one's for Faren....

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

July 4th at Faren's private lake.

Chad and Avery and the Tetons in the back.

And my #4 child who is scared of the water.

Faren...

Chad...

Chad again...

Faren upside down....

Val...

I finally got the pics off my camera...so watch out.

I might over blog now....

Teacher Appreciation Week

2011-05-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you can see this saying very well...

It says:

"The grass is always greener

with teachers like you."

We love Mrs. Onda K., Ms. Brown, Mrs. Mabey, and all of Sicilee's teachers.

Just a little behind....

2011-04-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

What a busy month we've had...and I'm feeling a lot behind.

Sicilee started off the month by turning 14! Crazy!

Her face says what I am feeling! Yikes!

She got to spend the week in California with her friend's family.

Sadly, she didn't care that we were not around to celebrate...

I had to post about our friend's Easter egg hunt at their house.

Wow!

A night time Easter egg hunt with flash lights and people throwing water balloons from the trees!

Haddi and her friend hit the "jackpot".

Keeping our candy and turning the eggs back in.

And....Indee turned 9!

Her guitar... so she can rock it!

And no picture would be complete without crazy faces.

On to Easter...note to self...don't use colored plastic cups.

You can't tell what color is in them.

Kids didn't like it.

Another note to self...read the instructions carefully...

could have saved us a last minute trip to the store to buy more dye kits.

But 6 dozen eggs later...it all worked out.

And Sicilee...her first time "using toilette paper".

And Chad and I got away...

A cenote...

Tulum...

And my favorite...

It really was a busy month...

Happy New Year!!!

2011-01-26T10:09:00.000-08:00

We loved partying at Grandma's with our Utah cousins.

The fireworks that uncle Tagg brought were a HUGE hit with the teenage crowd...

and the pre-teen crowd....

The pre-2 yr. old....well...not so much.

Aunt Taun thought that the party favors she bought were noise free...

oh boy...

Some teenagers might have had a little too much to drink

(sparkling cider).

Uncle Eric was the favorite of the weekend...

even though it was minus 8 degrees, he was out pulling the

kids around and making it fun.

Happy New Year!

Pinochle...not your grandma's game

2011-01-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

I had to post about Pinochle and what it means to me. I love it. We only have one couple to play it with...they've been our friends since our college days at ISU. We used to spend the whole weekend playing. We'd stay up all night playing and sleep until noon the next day. Oh, how would it be? I have the best memories of this. We still get together a few times a year and the bantering starts all over about who is the best team. Right now the girls are reigning champs.

I love Cash and Marisa and love to hang out with them. We didn't see each other for a few years, they were in Texas at Graduate School, but as soon as they moved back, we picked up right where we left off. I know I can call them, drop in, eat their food, crash on their couch, etc. and not worry about it. I love to hear their stories of family, jobs, and kids over the card table. We always have to have a 12 pack of Mountain Dew for Cash...we made that mistake once and still can't live it down :)

Sorry, this is the only picture I could find of you guys.

Christmas Fun...

2011-01-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

My little Christmas girl!

The girls and Londyn in their new pajamas from Grandma.

Can you say Pillow Pet Christmas?

Baby Alive...

My favorite purchase of the season...

Indee's boots.

And who knew that these footy pajamas would be such a hit...I have to take them off of them to wash them.

No christmas card from me this year....

2010-12-17T15:11:00.000-08:00

But I am thinking of you all!

So here are a few pics of my girls and the thought was there...

I just got a little sidetracked by another sinus surgery.

I did manage to get everything done before this surgery...

except my card.

I hate missing this opportunity to send my holiday wishes out

to everyone, so

Happy Holidays!

Sew what?....

2010-11-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

I've been sewing a little lately...

This little monkey is for my cousin, Haily's new baby boy.

They are fun to make...

When we moved into our rental, the curtains were plaid, country looking.

They didn't quite go with my stuff...so...

This is for Pen's baby girl. She had seen something similar...so I winged it.

I love the pirate girl pattern.

Now if I could get my jean quilt done...

pics to come.

Was this just last week?

2010-10-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

The girls were out of school for Fall Break.

We enjoyed a nice, warm day...

at the pumpkin patch.

This is how I envision Fall time.

Still warm and sunny.

They had this straw maze...looks easy right?

I stayed out side by the entrance which was also right next to the exit. They all ran in and about ten minutes later, Sicilee came running out. She was so excited to see me and was like "that was easy". Then she turned around and saw that she was at the "entrance" sign.

This happened 2 more times. :)

Pretty funny stuff!

Finally, after not seeing Indee for 15 minutes, I went in!

This is what I found.

She was wondering around....lost.

Time to find the perfect pumpkin.

Maybe you better get a wagon...

Mia's always one for a free ride.

What a fun day...and I can't believe how the weather has turned on us.

Come back sunshine!

Fun with cousins!

2010-10-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

An oversized strawberry marshmallow and Mia...

What more could Jack want?

Camping with cousins in Island Park.

This is Indee and Audrey, Misty's #3.

We love getting to see them at this annual get together.

These were a mess!

And of course, Ave was rocking it for us all to enjoy!

Love it!

Nothing like dirty kids on day 3!

Silas, Jack, Ryann, and Mia.

We also went with the Kunz and Eddins cousins to Yellowstone.

The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.

The Days Inn in West Yellowstone has this waterslide in it.
It is a free for all in there.
NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY!
The kids love it.
Backwards, trains, stopping, headfirst, etc...
Definitely the highlight!

This you won't see everyday.
Chad and Faren snuggling.
This is what happens when you go cheap!

We had a great big slumber party at the hotel.

2 rooms adjoining, 3 beds, 1 sofa sleeper, 16 people, 2 cheap adult males, & 1 unemployed adult male = good deal...

(I guess)

Next stop: wildlife....check

Bonus: Car crash...tourists trying to seeing buffalo

Yellowstone!

This was a little jaunt of a walk for small children, pregnant women, and those out of shape...not mentioning any names. But we were taking a break and I said to my little group "we gotta quit smokin'".

This lady with her total hiker family said to me "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

And the dad said "I think we passed you on the way down".

ok, seriously?

Definitely a highlight of the day.

Taking an ice cream break at Old Faithful Lodge.

Indee is in her "Happy Place"

2010-10-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Jerry loaned us this horse for a few months.

Indee has been in heaven!

She gets up every morning to feed and water her.

In the evening, she is out riding her in the neighbor's arena next to our house.

This picture is kind of hard to see, but she has a huge grin on her face.

The first time she got on her, Indee had a serious

MELTDOWN!

Indee couldn't micro-manage that dang horse.

But they are getting along just fine now.

Thank you grandpa Jerry, for giving my little spunky, micro-manager something to micro-manage!

Mia...

2010-09-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

Mia turned 4 this month!

It was just after we moved here...

and kind of anticlimactic.

But she was excited all the same for her MAKE-UP!!!

WAHOO!!!!

And what's a birthday at our house without a new Barbie?

And look at that face...

(a little side note for Kelly...note the cake)

Happy Tu-To my Mia...My baby...why are you growing up?

Why? Why?

Ok, so all my girls have gone to preschool when they were 4 years old.

I was justifying not sending her "because we just moved" and "I don't know anyone who teaches". But really I just wanted to keep her home with me for longer. (selfish, I know)

But a part of me (a small part) wanted her to go and have that experience. Sicilee, Haddi, and Indee all went. Mia's scrapbook would be the only one that wouldn't have that "Pre-School" page in it. And some years down the road would she ask me "Why didn't I go to Pre-School?"

So.......

We have to stand in sacrament meeting last Sunday because they received our records and they introduce us all. Afterward, this nice lady that leads the singing with such zest for music comes up to us and asks if Mia is in Pre-School?

I reply no and give her my excuses...

She goes on to say that she teaches and she has an empty chair that someone backed out of. She said that she has a waiting list of 15 kids but that none of them has seemed right to her and she's been praying about who should fill that spot. And you guessed it....

Mia was supposed to be in that spot...

She told me how much it was a month and that she could start the next day (Monday). Then she said if I couldn't afford it that it would be free for her because that's how strongly she felt that Mia should be there.

And so then I began to pout a little and tell Mia that I didn't know what I was going to do without her while she was gone. She replied that Trixie (our cat) would help me and be my buddy.

I'm still not quite sure what to think about Mrs. Onda K. Smith for ripping my baby from my arms.

(just kidding)

(I'm appreciative...especially with inspiration like that...I better not question her, in fact, maybe I should start consulting her on a regular basis...)

New town, New school....

2010-09-18T14:53:00.000-07:00

Here are the girls on the first day of school...I'm a little late posting but better late than never.

"Good luck on your first day"

"Smile and make friends"

"Have fun"

I felt like I was sending them to the wolves.

But the best part of the day was me waiting for them when they got off the bus. I had my camera ready...they were dying! I'm starting to love this phase of my life...the phase where I embarrass my kids. When did they grow up and hate the camera...maybe it was the bus full of kids watching me taking their picture? Hmmm.....

Funny all the same.

The Move....

2010-09-10T19:08:00.000-07:00

Good bye Teton Valley...

We said goodbye to our family and friends and packed up and headed "out below". I had a sad face, ok maybe I shed a tear, or maybe I cried, ok so I bawled for a day or two. Well, it was a rough week...maybe, just maybe I'm still trying to get over it. I might be bitter still, I don't know. Sometimes I find myself staring out the window wishing for things that cannot be...but enough about all that...I'll be "fine".

Here is our home sweet rental.

It didn't take the girls long to figure out how to have fun in the canal.

Haddi is a little more nervous than Sis was...

Floating it...

The tire swing is getting a lot use. We also have neighbors with 3 girls the same age. So the girls are having a good time hanging out with them.

Go Bulldogs (I guess).

The Rest of the Story...

2010-08-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, some of you want the whole story behind this picture.

Here it is in not so many words.

Girl gets ears pierced.

Girl doesn't like her ears pierced.

Girl goes to Lake Powell and jumps off high cliffs

and gets pounded on the tube for 4 long days.

Girl wakes up and her stud earing is halfway through her ear.

(yes, that's right...the front, stud part is inside her ear.)

We cannot get it back out the front hole. It had to have come through the front hole to get inside her ear...but it's stuck in there.

Girl is scared.

Mom has tried everything.

Mom calls Dr. Kunz. (he's not a real dr. but he plays one on t.v.)

Mom ices ear.

Mom and Aunt pin/calm girl down.

Aunt freaks out.

Mom is calm.

Girl can't look.

Dr. is excited...

Sicilee is there for moral support.

And the operation was a success. We had to cut it out the backside.

And the funny thing is, Haddi thought that her earing went inside her ear while she slept...I don't think so.

Lake Powell

2010-08-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have all of July and half of August to catch up. But I don't want to leave anything out for my own personal journaling reasons. So bear with me....

Ahhh....Lake Powell...

Our favorite place to vacation.

It's heaven on earth.

Not a care in the world...

Just my little family and the warm water.

No cel phones, no t.v., no computers, etc...for 4 long summer days.

The kids rode the tube so much that the skin was worn off the back of their legs.

Chad and Eric cliff jumping...

If you ask the girls what their favorite thing to do was, they would all say cliff jumping. They could not get enough of this trip...well except for Mia. She would barely even get in the water.

Just chillin' in the shade eating our lunch. This was after Penny saved Reese's life...no really.

Beach day. The kids love to beach.

This was the only day that Mia really liked.

After the first day on the water, we were all getting our suits back on and Mia asked where we were going? We said back on the Lake. She had a little meltdown. She did not want to go back to "Lake Powell".

This was Mia's permanent spot...right in the bow of the boat. We didn't have to worry about her bailing over the side.

This is Mia worn out from riding in the boat...(joke). It's sunset and we are heading back to the dock.

I cannot journal about our trip without mentioning this little side note:

Haddi's operation by Dr. Eric. The look on Penny's face should say enough.

A few other things I don't want to forget:

*S.O.S. text messages and

*Midnight rescues to the floating restrooms

*Bathroom breaks up Navajo Canyon (I won't mention any names)

*Someone swamping the tube (twice)

*Bribing red-shorts boy to "please for the love of Pete" help girl jump off cliff!

*Jake's awesome gainer (sp?)

*4 girls and their twitterpation

*Reese and her fingers and toes rubbed off

*Hot wings: 2 things...1) diving in-too hot ;) 2) "these really aren't that hot"

*Reese's favorite thing about Lake Powell...bdb

Catching up....

2010-08-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

Let's start with July 4th...We had the whole Williams Clan

minus Lex's family

at our house.

It was a great weekend.

We packed all we could into 2 days.

We rode the ski lift up to the top.

It was awesome as always.

Then we went up Teton Canyon.

Here's my mom and Dad...did I mention we mixed the Eddins and Williams?

After that, some of us went 4-wheeling up to the Big Holes on the other side of the valley from the Tetons where we were earlier. I think you can kind of see them in the background. My mom braved it and came by herself. We were so proud of her. "Vaaalllll!"

Day 2 had us up bright and early...5:30 a.m.

To see the balloon launches.

It is early, but worth it.

This one landed behind our house a couple days before.

We had to wake the girls out of dead sleep...I'm not sure if they were impressed or not.

And of course, no 4th of July is complete without a parade.

Then our whole crew rode 4-wheelers up to Relay Ridge. It was beautiful. Faren brought sleds and the kids slid down the snow banks. It was the first time I've been up there where the wind wasn't blowing 9-0.

We rode into Pack Saddle Lake. Val was in heaven. He had never been there. The brave ones jumped in. Kimbri "jumped" in but not by choice.

And to end the day we had a great BBQ at Faren's and lit our own fireworks.

Good company, good food, and good times.

Gone Fishin'

2010-07-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

I am the activities director in my ward...

I had to twist my dad's arm to help me out...

In order for this fish fry to work...he had to do A LOT of fishing. He hated every minute of it (wink wink).

First, my great dad caught all the fish.

Then, he filleted all the fish.

Next, he bagged and froze all of them.

Then he hauled them all up to Tetonia in 3 coolers.

Then rinsed, dried, dipped in flour, then seasoned, then dipped in egg and half & half mixer, followed by a bread crumb mixture that had to be finely crunched to the perfect sized crumbs...

(this is no small task...are you getting what I'm getting at?)

Note: the girls crunching the bread crumbs...

(aren't all bread crumbs, crumbs?)

Also note my dad's festive shirt.

To go with our theme, we had a real live fish pond.

But we didn't have fishing poles, no bait here...

Only kids and hands.

It was so hilariously funny and entertaining. This is Indee trying to work up the courage. Some kids got after it. Others were not so brave.

Indee finally got one...she's putting it in the sack to take home.

Haddi had one but as soon as it moved, I got her reaction on camera and she screamed and let it go...

This one's not getting away.

Haddi's had some happenings....

2010-06-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

Haddi turned 11 in May.

We had a fun, family party.

Then, she and her best friend since she was 2 years old got to go on the senior sneak. The seniors went to Mars this year.

We hit the Gateway Mall and got her ears pierced. It was a little traumatic. She had to get her ears pierced 3 times.

Then, we hit Shrek 3D and Lagoon the next day.

Haddi graduated from elementary school. She is officially onto middle school next year.

And today, she got braces...

This one's for you Camille....

2010-05-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm laying in bed...trying to talk myself into getting out of it and Sicilee walks in. She goes to the bathroom and starts blow drying her hair. This is what I see...

ahhh...my mind instantly takes me to another place. First, high school...

It's homecoming week.

You know..."SPIRIT WEEK"...where you dress up a different way, every day.

Well it was "clash day".

I won the prize. I knew how to clash and my roommate at college, Camille, was a cheerleader. She was in charge of spirit week. I sort of recall winning a marshmallow toss challenge for our class wearing my "clash" outfit. I wish I had a picture of it. I think it was something like a blue and green striped shirt with pink and white polka dot overalls...anyway she was always so proud of me and would retell the story all the time about how I was the only one in high school who knew how to clash.

(help me out, Camille)

sooo...

I sit up straight in bed!

SCREAM!

SICILEE!!!

IS IT CLASH DAY???

She ended up changing her shirt...

This is Camille and I at college reenacting "Clash Day". Yikes.

Indee...

2010-05-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

What a special day for a special girl...

Indee's baptism was very special. She has such a sweet little sensitive side and she was very in touch with the spirit at her baptism. As soon as grandpa Jerry started talking, her little tears started flowing and she had us all emotional from the the very beginning. It was a day I will never forget and I am proud to be Indee's mom.

Grandma Myrn made the dress...

Our family.

We love our spunky Indee.

Sisters...

Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Jan

Aunt Avery and Uncle Faren

Uncle Tagg and Aunt Darci

Cousins.

Grandma Myrn

I think she's ready to take on the world...

Spring Boarding

2010-04-26T07:54:00.000-07:00

My girls were lucky this enough this spring to get to go boarding with their Uncle Val and Uncle Eric. Due to a few injuries in the family...Neither Chad, Faren, nor I could go with them...DANG! Thanks a ton to Uncle Eric for capturing these awesome photos!

Eric was pushing them to try new things....like jumps. This is Haddi.

Sicilee getting ready....

Sicilee...

she's kind of camouflaged...

They had a great time with their uncles.

Val told me that his payment for putting up with them all day was another pass for next year...maybe it wasn't all that bad... :)

My girls had a great time getting to know their uncle Eric who is moving to Driggs this summer. I hope this is the first of many ski trips for them.

Here are some links to some cool videos of them on youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/user/wakleyk2#p/u/4/IYTLhGAHG-4

http://www.youtube.com/user/wakleyk2#p/u/9/hIQmPs3zNHM

My Awesome Birthday!

2010-04-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

My girls knew this is what I would go for first thing in the morning.

Next to the frig for milk.

Indee is such a sweetheart. I loved finding my little notes all over the house.

Chad and Faren took off a half of day of work to take me to the sand dunes. All my favorite people came to help me celebrate. IT WAS AWESOME! The conditions were perfect. It had rained the few days prior so the sand was hard and packed. I LOVE, LOVED IT! I COULDN'T WIPE THE SMILE OFF MY FACE!

then.....

Jan broke her leg....

(sad face)

Here are some of my battle wounds.

When my kids aren't on with me, I tend to go a little too fast.

Can you tell which thumb is a little jammed?

When we returned home, my great girls had baked me a cake...or should I say tried to bake me a cake. Sicilee was in charge of this endeavor (we all know what this means). The good intentions were there, but the end product....well....

Sis's poem to explain...

Instead of wasting the frosting on the gooey cake, they saved it and made delicious graham crackers! My favorite!

What a thoughtful bunch of girls I have!

Thanks! My birthday was awesome!

Easter, etc...

2010-04-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

You would never know that it was a blizzard outside and that the roads were closed. We were pretending that it was spring.

I don't think you're ever too old to color eggs. It's so fun.

Our works of art.

Hunting eggs at Grandma's....

And at our house...

It was also Sicilee's birthday. Happy Tu-Tu Sicilee.

She's 13! AAhhhhhhh!!

Before...

After...

This is what she wanted for her birthday...

A hair cut.

Thanks Darc.

My tape job

2010-03-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

So I've been going to Physical Therapy 3 times a week.

Things have been going quite well. The object of all this is to get my range of motion back. I can't straighten my leg out and I can't bend it all the way either.

They ultrasound my ligament, stretch me out, and work me over.

I ride the bike.

At the end, they put these electric stimulators on my leg above and below my knee. These are suppose to trick my brain so that I don't feel the pain so much....DOESN'T WORK. So they fill this pillowcase with an ice bag. It is heavy. They lift my heel off the ground and place it on a hard rolled up object, then turn up the stimulators so it's like shock treatments, then place the ice pillow on top.

This is the part where I want to swear and hurt someone.

This is my tape job from yesterday. I think it is one of her finest's. I was really swollen yesterday...even a month later. We figured it was because I tried to do too much the day before (vacuuming). (Dang!?!)

That sun better come out soon!

Not keeping up so much...

2010-02-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

The day started out great....

The weather was perfect, everyone was having a good time.

Me, Haddi, Sicilee, and Kadee piled on the tractor tire...

We got going really fast...(30+ mph, my dad was going beside us on his snow machine). We got turned around...now we're going backwards...now we're hitting a bump...now everything goes black.

NOW I HURT!

NOW i REALIZE i'M OLD!

NOW i'M CRYING...

Turns out I tore my MCL (I really don't want to spell it out). I bruised my femur. The Dr. said it looked like someone hit it with a sledge hammer. (his exact words). And on the MRI, my ACL (not spelling it out either) looked like it was in bad shape too. But the good news...no surgury, just this big, bulky brace and physical therapy.

It has been a really long week...ugh.

Dr. said I had to stay off of my leg and keep it elevated.

Do you know what that entails?

A whole lot of nothing...

I was going crazy.

Betting...and losing...

2010-02-08T16:13:00.000-08:00

So if any of you know Chad or my brothers, you know that you can't watch a big game and/or play a game without having consequences for the losers.

Here is a perfect example. Kami, Penny, Lex, and Melissa lost at Poker one family reunion. Penny and Kami had to scale this fence after pool hours. Lex and Melissa had to jump in the water fully clothed. Pool gates were locked.

At our last family reunion, Lex lost again at poker. He had to get up on our train car and try to get everyone to sing the "Song That Never Ends" song while Chad heckled him.

So before the Superbowl, Tagg had all the bets placed. The losers had to run out to the fence and back in their bare feet.

Now I had lost a couple of years ago and I knew how terrible and painful this was. You know how snow gets a crust on it? It feels like Edward Scissor-hands.

Ironic that Avery, Darci, Jerry, and I were the only ones not running...hmmm....

I don't know if you can tell that Indee is about to have a meltdown. But it is coming!

Meltdown happening...

Grandma's efforts to thwart meltdown...

All in all it was a great game...but what was up with that half-time show? The Who? Who Dat? Faren was talking it up the whole first half and then when it came time for him to defend the Who, he left the room...some attorney he is.

I think it's finally happening....

2010-02-01T20:36:00.000-08:00

I think it is happening to me. Sicilee might be turning on me and I think it's kind of funny. We are chilling tonight, watching the grammys and The Dave Matthews Band comes on and I am loving it. So Dave Matthews starts dancing (did anyone see it? wasn't it cool? Kind of Elaine-ish? I think that's why I liked it!) anyway....I comment.. .

Me: "Oh he is cool"

Sicilee: "Oh my Gosh, He looks retarded"

Me: "are you being sarcastic?"

Sicilee: "uh...ya, I am...duh?"

Sicilee: "rewind it"

Sicilee: "You like that?" (picture her saying this with a little sweet, sarcastic attitude...)

Me: (grinning)

Sicilee: "You think that's cool, mom?"

Just a few more examples that she's turning against me...

She didn't think Adam Sandler was funny. She asked me who Jon Bon Jovi was and she didn't know any of the lyrics to "Living on a Prayer".

I know this is a right of passage for all of us moms out there...to go through teenage years with our children and I'm looking forward to it. I think it will be fun. I am going to embrace it. I say "bring it on".

What was I thinking?

2010-01-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

I was reading the paper today and there was an article with the recipe for "Spudnuts".

Did you know it takes a village to make "spudnuts"?

The older girls are doing the dirty work.

My job was the glazing...also dirty work.

Mia took her "quality control" job very seriously.

Dreaming...

2010-01-15T10:21:00.000-08:00

This about covers it...

2010-01-04T08:55:00.001-08:00

"You better watch out!"

Singing....

Decorating....

Anticipating...

Traditions....

Waiting....

Hugging....

Decorating....(again)

Smiling...

kind of fun...

2010-01-04T08:54:00.001-08:00

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Boy Crazy!

2009-12-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

Haddi got to go to the David Archuleta concert and oh my goodness! She is obsessed now!

They were on the 12th row and you can tell they had really good seats.

She went up to a security guard and asked him if she could meet him.
He said "no".
I wonder if he's ever heard that some young girl is David's #1 Fan before?

Ok, so this isn't the best picture. But she loves it all the same.
She came home from the concert and she asked if I had a frame? She wanted to take our family picture out of the frame and put the shirt she wore to the concert in it. We were all joking (I thought) around with her about this shirt. It was brand new. She had only wore it a couple of times. Well when Sicilee touched the shirt...it was all over. Haddi took it very seriously. She punched Sicilee in the arm and stormed upstairs and slammed her door. So Sicilee and I realized that this was a big (HUGE) deal to Haddi. Sis was apologizing, Indee was crying (she's very sensitive to everyone's feelings), Haddi was pouting, and I was reading, trying to enjoy a quiet evening with no drama. I felt bad for Haddi, she was on such a high when she got home...hmmm.....

Anyway, the next day she wrote a two page fan letter to him. It was full of "I love you's" and "will you please call me, here is my phone number's".

We are now subjected to her endless David Archuleta songs and watching him do/sing anything on youtube.
Haddi has always been a little boy crazy. When she was in 2nd grade, she was in love with a 5th grader. Last year, in Anaconda, she was all flustered over a senior boy playing on Chad's team. Also, last year, she was in love with Sicilee's ex, an 8th grader.
I'm a little worried.

Back from my little hiatus

2009-11-30T09:17:00.000-08:00

I don't know what happened...but I am back with a little of this and a little of that. I love 4-wheeling! We went with the Farmers up to a little place called "notellem". Of all the places we have been riding this summer/fall, this is my favorite hands down.

On top of the world!

The guys were riding up this hill. Can you see Faren's dust trail?

Indee, my little soccer girl.

Go Indee Go! I think she had 3 goals this game.

Haddi also loves soccer. She earned her spot as goalie and she excelled at this position.

(don't ask)

Sis playing volleyball. It has been so fun to watch her play sports this year. I get giddy on game days.

Doesn't her arm look funky?

Mia at Halloween...Darci had the cutest Donald Duck costume. Mia was all set to wear it until she saw this fairy costume in the halloween box. After that, it was all over. There was no way I could change her mind.
Haddi and her go-go girl costume.

Indee and Sicilee were sick with the swine flu. I stayed home with them and we watched a scary movie. Haddi took an extra bucket trick or treating for Indee. Sicilee missed 3 halloween parties and one basketball game. But we survived and now that we've had that...I'm thinking the rest of the winter should be "flu-free".

Tetonia County Fair and Variety Show!

2009-10-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

I am the Activities Chairman in my ward...here's the gym before the CRAZINESS!!!

Our stage...

Sign ups for the pie eating contest.
We had a County Fair complete with hot dogs, nachos, scones, cotton candy, popcorn, carameled apples, and homemade bread and jam.

Then we had a variety show. We had some great acts!

Indee and Camilla's skit, SO CUTE!
And we finished it off with a pie eating contest. The primary kids went first, then the young men and women, and then the adults. Check out River's face!

It was a three way tie for the primary kids...Haddi was one of the top three!

Go Haddi!

Good Job!

Sicilee and Lacey. Sicilee could have made a better showing! Not a very good effort.

You never know what you're going to find....

2009-09-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

These two share a room. Haddi is gone all week and Sis has been complaining about what a slob Haddi is...so yesterday I decided to DEEP clean it and organize it. I wanted to scream about half way through....

If anyone was wondering...There were about 20 hair ponies in that room...I found them everywhere! Why did I just buy a new packet? I didn't even try to count the bobby pins.

There were seriously 30+ pencils in that room. Every time someone (Sis and Had) tries to do their homework, they (Sis and Had) are complaining that we don't have any pencils....hmmmm....maybe that's because they were stashed in every odd place in your room. I also found knives and forks in that room. I found clothes that they have been looking for for months in their pajama drawer, under the bed, and stashed in the swimsuit drawer. I found a tube of toothpaste in a pencil box behind the night stand. I found an empty root beer bottle in Sicilee's drawer. I found a half gone, box of granola bars in Sicilee's pajama drawer! Seriously?!? What the heck?

The new and improved drawers in their closet. I hauled out 2 bags of garbage and 3 bags of clothes to the thrift store here in town. It's nice to go through things when they are not around to protest.
Mia had to get in the pictures....

I love these two!

My Milestone this summer

2009-09-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, so anyone that knows me knows that I am terrified of bears, not the wussy "oh I'm scared, look at me terrified", the can't go outside to turn off my water after dark, can't go hiking, can't go camping terrified. It's the real deal terrified.

We saw a grizzly bear by Leigh Lake in Teton National Park a few years ago and my legs went to jello and I was shaking for 20 minutes afterwards. But that is another post.

My Milestone is that I slept outside with only a thin piece of canvas seperating me from every wild animal in the surrounding Island Park area. My brother, not so subtlety, told me that I had the power to make or break this campout. And that for once I should make Chad happy and sleep in a tent. (I think he just wanted me to go quietly out of his new camper and not try to steal Jack and Bella's bed.) I took the hint.See that tent in the background...that's the one...that's where I overcame my fears...and tried not to ruin everyone's campout.
But last weekend, I went camping in style with my parents. See that couch, that was my bed. See the wall behind it seperating me from the wild.
My girls had a great time, catching frogs, catching fish...
I think the reason I love to go 4 wheeling is because I have a get-away. Plus they are loud enough to scare bears away.

And for the record...just because I slept in a tent once, doesn't mean that I ever want to do it again.

Sicilee (bless her heart)

2009-09-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

Don't let this picture fool you...

These cookies do not taste good, although they may look ok, it is not so!

It's gotten to be somewhat of a family joke around here...Sicilee cannot cook.

Tuesday night Sicilee had to take a dozen cookies to mutual. I dropped her off at home and she assured me she could make "no-bake cookies" on her own. I cringed but what could I do, I was just coming from Indee's soccer game and on my way to "Back to school night". So I said a little prayer in my heart that the kitchen wouldn't start on fire and that her cookies would turn out ok...the whole time knowing that if they did turn out, it would be a miracle. I drop her off and my last words were "just follow the recipe card, do exactly what it says".
So instead of 2 Tablespoons of cocoa, she put in 2 Tablespoons of baking soda. Then she realized that the cookie mixture was suppose to be brown (chocolatey) and so she decided to melt some chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave and then mix them in. Does anyone see chocolate chips anywhere on this recipe card? Does anyone see melt peanut butter in the microwave on this recipe card? Does anyone see baking soda anywhere on this card?

Oh my goodness...another bowl full of ingredients (groceries = $$$) down the drain or rather scraped out of the bowl into the garbage. It's a good thing she is so talented in other ways...

Action Shot

2009-08-30T18:41:00.001-07:00

Palisades was a little, ok a lotta cold!

But we managed to tough it out and still have a great time with the Birch's.

A little joy ride behind the boat on the tube.... and then my favorite picture of the day.

Ahhhh.......

2009-08-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

Can you hear that? It's the sound of the first day of school. My house is empty and quiet without my older girls. Indee is in 2nd grade.

Haddi is in 5th grade.

Sicilee is in 7th grade.

My two elementary girls.

And there she goes...

Now what are Mia and I suppose to do?

Princess Mia

2009-08-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

Mia turned 3 yesterday.

It was magical!

Everything that you hope a birthday would/should be.

She loved all her gifts and kissed them all.

She's at the best age for birthdays.

She's my only girl out of all 4 of them that has ever been into the princesses.

Here she is kissing her Cinderella and Belle.
She's naked because she's already had her Sleeping Beauty dress on and twirled, but then it got in the way of riding her new tricycle.

After everything was cleaned up, she came downstairs with my black high heels on and the witch hat, ready to ride her trike around the kitchen again. We hid her trike in the craft room and I asked her to go get me some sissors. She went in and came out and said "mom, there's a trike in there". It was so fun.

Happy Birthday Princess Mia!

A great date

2009-08-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

King of the mountain....The views were amazing as they always are when you get up high like that.

I love to go 4 wheelin'. Chad and I went riding, just the two of us. It was so fun. I didn't have 2 or 3 kids hanging on. I could go really fast (too fast). I think I caught a little air a couple times. I came home with some wounds. I tried to show off and fell off the side of my 4 wheeler. Another time, I was trying to jump it and hit a big rock and it about bucked me off.
Chad had these "dust googles" in his bag. They came in handy. And I think I was making a fashion statement on the mountain.

I couldn't watch...

2009-08-05T09:41:00.001-07:00

Uncle Val and Sicilee, Haddi, and Indee 'just a swingin'.

My little Indee...

"if Sis and Had can do it, then so can I"

Notice she's hanging on with one hand, so she can plug her nose with the other.
Haddi also has the nose plugging down.

Haddi, you have got to get higher on the rope, babe.

Sicilee has got it!

My mom wasn't so sure she wanted these little girls to do this. Uncle Val sometimes thinks that they are bigger than they are. Like when he bailed off the tube last week when he was riding it with Mia...she's two, ya know. It almost when under, nose first and I was ready to jump in with my clothes on to save her.

First try is a charm? (wait, that's not how it goes)

2009-07-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

Haddi tried wakeboarding yesterday in Island Park. She popped right out of the water and away she went. Sicilee was the same way. Unfortunately, I didn't get Sis on video. I did get Sicilee on camera with a little knee board action, though. It's too bad we got rained out.

Summer finally started for us....

2009-07-24T11:23:00.001-07:00

Swimming lessons were a little later in the summer for us this year and it didn't seem like summer started until we went to Bancroft for the week and spent it at my mom's house hanging out with our cousins and my friend Kristen and her family.
We had our own little "beach party" minus the beach at my mom's. "bathing beauties"

We spent a couple days at Lava. My girls loved the new slides, even my little dare devil, Indee. COWABUNGA!!!

My dad scored a snow cone machine...the highlight of the afternoons!

All the grandkids...12 of them, 8 under the age of 5. Was it loud there? Um....well....what??? I can't hear you.

We also hit the lake a few times.

Fishing...

Watching the older girls and Val swing on the rope swing.

Eating...

Sis played softball on the weekend in Soda Springs. Her team took first.

"I will never forget you little fishie..now I let you swim back to your mommy."

And my favorite picture of the week. This about sums it up.

Until next year...filled with all the caios, noise, and memories of cousins and grandma's house!

To be a kid again....

2009-07-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

You can't really see it in the video, but it was hailing, marble-size hail. You can see it in the picture below on the tramp.

Crazy kids!

Get your July issue out....The Friend Magazine

2009-07-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

Do you know this girl? p. 36

Summer Luau

2009-07-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

My new calling as ward activity director...

Haddi and Jade in their Luau attire. We loved having Jade stay with us for a couple of days while the girls went to a bkb camp.
Can you tell that Chad is "gettin' jiggy with it"?

My little hula girl.

The girls with the fire dancer.

(Indee was fishing with gpa and missed the party)

My Dad...

2009-06-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

has always taken my girls fishing.

What great memories they have and are still making!

I love this picture of my dad.

My mom was gone last week on a little road trip with her sisters. But Indee and River stayed with my dad for 3 days to fish. Now who does that?
Grandpa Roy does that.
Happy Father's Day Dad.

(you are a trooper for putting up with a girl...who has to go to the side of the lake to go to the bathroom, (she can't pee over the side of the boat like River), and she has to have her hair done in the morning, she's a little more emotional, etc.)

A little something something on a Sunday afternoon

2009-06-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our long-lost friends, the Evans, for coming to see us. We took them up to Teton Canyon and the water falls were raging!

Everything was so green with all the rain. Talk about 'puddle jumping'. Mia wore her 'tiger boots' and she just walked right on through all the puddles. Show off.

Let's do it again sometime...maybe we shouldn't wait 5 years between now and the next time we see you guys again...:)!

Dirty Old Men....

2009-06-09T07:13:00.000-07:00

And Women....and children....

(thanks mom)

4 wheeling is one of my favorite things to do with my family. I love it! But up to Medicine Lodge it was a little dusty and dirty, to say the least.

Grandpa stopped off and threw a worm in the creek. He used to fish this creek when he was a boy with his dad. So the girls all caught a fish.

Indee didn't get too dirty, she hung out in the front of the pack with grandpa.

Sandwich anyone?

Uncle Val..you could grow a garden on those eyebrows...carrots or onions?

whoa..grandma Jan...you must have been in the back of the pack. I think Val was calling her "Yosemite Sam". You might want to mosey down to the creek and wash up... ;)

I think they did a little touch up job before I got to them with the camera...hey you guys cheated!

Try walking a mile in her shoes...

2009-05-31T17:47:00.000-07:00

Chad and Brody Birch, his vice principal. This poster was circulated around school.

(I'm sworn to secrecy about how I got my hands on this.) The sheriff's department was raising money for the Family Safety Network. Chad told the Student Council that he would do the "Walk" if they could raise $500 dollars.
...showin' a little leg...hubba hubba...
I think that they raised over $600 dollars. I think that Chad thought that he was safe in thinking that they couldn't/wouldn't raise the $500.

The student body voted on the shoes. Brody is off to visit the wizard of Oz after this walk and Chad is hitting the 70's disco club in his go-go boots.

He was a good sport. He was way...WAY! out of his comfort zone.

Waving to the crowd and the 'cat calls'. He did look hot in those boots. :O

Haddi McFatty Turns 10!

2009-05-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

The Top 10 (Random) Things about Haddi:
10. She likes to wear the same 3 outfits in a row, over and over and over and over.
9. She doesn't really know how to play by herself. When Sis went to Kindergarten, she would sit and look out the window all morning and watch for the bus to drop her off.

8. She's fiesty. She has no problem standing up for herself or anyone else.
7. She's very low maintenance. (see no. 10)
6. She could watch TV ALL!! day long. (see no. 9)

5. She loves babies. When Mia was little, she didn't like any of her sisters except Haddi.
4. She has a great memory. She can quote any song, movie, her dad etc. word for word.
3. She can talk...blah blah blah, chitter, chatter, on and on and on and then some more and then I leave the room and come back and she's still going and she doesn't even care that I left and came back...she just keeps going and going and going...

2. She's daring. She's never been afraid. Haddi has always been more outgoing that Sis and she's always had to show her up. (They are jumping off the house onto the trampoline)
and the number one reason we all love Haddi is.....(drum roll please)
1. She's so happy-go-lucky...ready-for-anything....go-with-the-flow.
She sees the funny side in every situation and keeps it light and happy around here.

I had to put this cute pic of Simon enjoying his cupcake...and thank Ave for making Had's cupcakes...She has the culinary talent that I definately don't!!

Hot Pots~Then and Now

2009-05-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

When we lived in Arco, we went to the Carey Hot Pots that you can see along side the road. We went with our friends, the Hansens. We got there and there were people there. There was a dog swimming in the water. The water was luke warm. It was the middle of the winter. The people already in the water weren't that "clean" looking. There were beer cans strewn about.

So our friends invited us here...I didn't want to look like a 'whanny'. I'm like "oh, ya..I love hot pots". Chad's looking at me like "oh brother, I know you're hating this." I really was trying so hard not to look like a wussy girl in front of our new friends...ok, our only friends! But let me tell you, it was so gross. All I could think about was the naked people in there from the night before and the dog hair and slobber from the dog I was swimming with and all the diseases I was going to contract from the luke warm water that was not moving through fast enough. It was nasty!
Well, just on Saturday, we went 4-wheeling above Green Canyon and found our own little Hot Pot and this was a much better spot. No dogs. No beer bottles. Hot water. Moving water. It even had a rope swing. It helped that Faren had found it the week before and gave us the head's up on packing our suits and some towels...

Sicilee swingin'
Val showin' us how it's done.

A Warped Sense of Humor

2009-05-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

I don't know what you were doing to relax last night on a Sunday evening...but I was upstairs and I hear Chad cackling (those of you who know him well, know his laugh when he gets going...it sounds like cackling) downstairs followed by the girls cheering and taunting. Well that goes on for a while, the next thing I hear is the sound of Indee wailing and of course, she comes running to me. Somehow Chad has convinced the girls to try and beat the mouse trap. So he has set it and they have all tried to touch it and get their finger out before it traps them. Well Indee and Haddi both beat it once but the second time it got them both.

Well this was all good until Sis saw the pain it caused, then it was her turn to try. Now she wasn't so tough, but the other girls were not going to let her out of trying, especially since she promised "if they tried it, she would try it". So they had to chase her around the house and pin her down but she did it and she "beat the trap". Then it was Chad's turn, and he was a little scared. He didn't do the "fingers, try to beat the snap" approach. He just stuck the side of his palm in the trap and let it snap which I thought was kind of wussy...

I'd put these girls up against any of your boys anyday....

I got implants!

2009-05-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

(Ya, I wish.)

I got sinus implants...
more polyps,
more surgery,
steroid, balloon implants,
5th times a charm?

Right there in the green area.
I go back in a couple of weeks and they will remove them.

The steroids work the best with keeping the polyps at bay,

but I can't be on them long term or I could have to have a hip replacement at 40.

(I don't want that.)
And the implants only last for 3 weeks...

I spent a week at my mom's and I love her for taking care Mia and Me.

I'll have to post about my fun week there...even though I spent most of it on the couch,

my dad and brother still kept me entertained.

2 girls, their dad, and an orange sphere

2009-04-10T07:44:00.001-07:00

Chad coached the girls again this year and they had a successful season. Both girls seemed to have turned a corner in their basketball careers. Sis crossed people over and got really good at one-handed layups. Haddi got really good at dribbling with her left hand and using the backboard to score.

Happy Tu-tu my Say-say

2009-04-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Sicilee is 12: Young Women's and make-up. I think that's about it. When I turned 12 it was Young Women's, make-up, shaving my legs!, and wearing nylons!

(Sis wouldn't be caught dead wearing nylons, does that date me?)

She got to go do baptisms for the dead on her birthday. So we had cake about 10:30 at night. Maybe that's why Mia looks a little hammered. Our heating element caught fire the other night so our oven's down but Sis was a good sport and opted for a no-bake cheese cake for her birthday.

Feelings

2009-03-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

One of the best feelings in the world....

taking your ski boots off at the end of a full day of skiing.

One of the worst feelings in the world....

about an hour after leaving the dentist. The laughing gas has worn off, but you're still kind of numb...and your whole day is ruined.

So what did you do for Spring Break...Here is ours in a nut shell:

Skiing at Targhee

Sis and I got pedicures, facials, and went shopping for her 12th birthday coming up on Friday.

Sis, Indee, and I had cavities filled (bonus!)

Chad, Haddi, Indee, and I went to Anaconda where Chad's team placed 3rd. Highlights included beating the team that put us into the losers bracket for 3rd place. Chad came home and slid over the family heirloom clock that we inherited and placed his trophy on the shelf. Apparently it means as much...

We got snowed in an extra night in Anaconda, as if 2 nights wasn't enough in that town! I-15 was closed from Dillon to Dubois. So thanks Ave for watching my 2 girls that got left home.

Can you say Side Effects?

2009-03-18T07:14:00.001-07:00

I started taking a different medication in an attempt to get on top of my pain after my surgery. Let's just say that the last month or so have been h#@! and my new doctor has been so good and not against trying different things. So we are shaking things up and trying a different kind of pain med which usually isn't used for sinus pain. I feel like a new woman and am so glad that it is working but Holy Cow! the side effects are making me Cookoo!

Side Effect #1 Numbness and Tingling Check! I feel like pins and needles and poking me in the face and sometimes my hands or my leg will go numb.

Side Effect #2 Fatigue Ummm...I wish! I was up at 5:30 this morning. My steriods keep me up until I take my sleeping pill at night and up early in the morning. Not feeling this one.

Side Effect #3 Taste Change Oh this is a sad day. I love my Mountain Dew. I love my Mountain Dew. No really, I love my Mountain Dew with my lunch. I crave it and watch the clock. I don't let myself have more than one a day and when the clock strikes 12, I get my glass and fill it with crushed ice and get my one can out of the pantry and pour it in my glass. Oh it is so good. Well Saturday, it didn't taste good and I was sure it was just a fluke. Then on Sunday it tasted horrible...oh it is a sad, sad day.

Side Effect #4 Weight Loss OK...Again with the Steroids weight gain is a negative side effect so let's cross our fingers...
Side Effect #5 Difficulty with concentration/attention and difficulty with memory "Has anyone seen my checkbook? Did I take my pill or not? What was I talking about? I don't think I should be driving." Yesterday I stop to buy some material and it was minke. I get out to my car and lay it on my seat and think to myself "geez, that's messy, why didn't they give me a bag? MAYBE BECAUSE I DIDN'T PAY FOR IT!!!!" "AHHHH!!!!" One more side effect that wasn't on the 'official' list, is clumsiness. I'm walking down my stairs on Sunday morning all dressed up ready for church and step off the side of my stairs and those of you who know my stairs, know how they drop off on the last three steps, well, I just fall right on my knees like a clutz right in front of my BIL and SIL and tried not to cry so all I could do was laugh but my knees tell a different story.

Racing Day, It's Racing Day...

2009-03-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

"it's not puppy chasing day, today's the day we race". (Only Avery will get this)

The girls went up to Targhee for winter sports again this year. They switched the minimum grade level for snowboarding to 4th grade, so Haddi was all over that. So she passed her skis down to Indee and she and Sis shared the snowboard and it worked out good. On the last day, they set up flags and race down the hill by twos. Well this was Indee's first time racing and she got beat down the hill by the girl going at the same time. So Chad and the girls got their stuff and didn't stick around for the awards ceremony, so imagine our surprise when we found out that Indee won 3rd place. Apparently, her opponent missed some flags and got DQ-ed.

On a side note: Haddi had a great time sledding with Uncle Val, and a not so great time sledding with Uncle Val. She surprisingly managed to score 10 points at her bkb game wearing that thing but somehow couldn't play her piano pieces, hmmmm.

Projects

2009-03-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

For my SIL...

For little Canon...

Little BOY! Canon

2009-02-24T07:51:00.000-08:00

He's here. Doesn't he look grown up already. You can tell he's going to be a strong, handsome boy. His features are all boy to me.

Pen said that the day she had him was the "worst day of her life". But now all is good and I think that she would do it again, how soon we forget.

Congrats! I love you already little Canon.

Wicked witches and Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T08:10:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the day you first saw your husband?

Mine was standing across the way. His cowboy hat was pulled down low. I could feel him watching me. Fast forward to an hour or so later. We are at a dance. "Why doesn't he ask me to dance? It's almost midnight."

I'm walking off the dance floor and behind me someone says "do you want to dance?" (it's about time!)

"AAHHHHhhhhh!!!! I'm melting! (like the wicked witch of the west, except I'm not evil and I don't live with flying monkeys)

It's him and my knees go weak.

(sorry, hope this wasn't too cheesy/corny/sappy/etc.) I would love to hear about the day you first saw your husband!

Spring...not even close...

2009-02-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

I went to Porter's the other day and all of their Spring stuff was out, great, big gerber daisies, bright ribbons, greenery, etc. I went to Boise with Chad in January. My aunt and I went shopping and Target had swimming suits on the rack and little spring outfits. It sort of felt like spring over there too. No snow, the weather was mild, and the sun was out. As we kept driving back to the west, I knew what I was coming home to....3 more months of winter. I took these for Aunt Di...(I told you!) This is what I have to send my kids out in every morning.

Yes, that's our trampoline. The girls went up to Targhee for winter sports yesterday and when I picked them up, Indee looked haggard. She said mom "I had a bad day today." She said she froze up on the hill and she cried because her hands were so cold and then she got "bus sick".

The sunrise over the Tetons was beautiful this morning...I think the sun might shine today.

Potty Training...

2009-02-07T10:14:00.001-08:00

Need I say more...

Mia: She loves being on the counter

She changes her clothes all day long

She loves 'silkies'

She loves 'Backyardigans'

She loves books

She loves water (playing in, with, pouring, etc.)

I asked her what her favorite color was and she said "ummm...mommy"

The Upside...

2009-01-29T15:56:00.000-08:00

I'm inspired by my friend Cassie's post a few months ago. So here's my post on the upside of my 4th sinus surgery in 3 years and 4 months:

1. Chad and I got to bond for about 6 uninterrupted days.

2. My mom came to visit me and pamper me (love her!).

3. I haven't had to cook for 9 + days.

4. I get to read whenever I want (If I can stay awake long enough).

5. I get to sleep in and no one calls me lazy.

6. Chad bought me a two week supply of my favorite chocolate cherry kisses.

I switched to a different doctor and hopefully some of the things that he wants to try and change up will be worthwhile. I'm optomistic and sticking to my new routines of sinus irrigation 3 times a day, hanging my head upside down over my bed and dropping steriod eye drops into my nose and letting it run to the top of my eyebrows 3 times a day, nasal sprays 2 times a day, and all my drugs. If I develop a twitch..please don't judge me. I have problems! The upside is "it could be worse, right?" When I woke up from surgery, the first thing I said was "I can still see."

Williams Christmas Play

2009-01-11T06:22:00.001-08:00

Isaiah prophecying 700 years before Christ's birth.
Mary and baby.

Samuel the Lamanite preaching on the wall.

The 'unbelievers' prosecuting the 'believers'.

My 'angel' announcing the birth.

Reese was the 'star' that shown in the East.

The 'Good Shepherd' and his flock.

Joseph chilling with the Wise Men.

Our family in costume. Thanks everyone.

(kind of surprised that Hollywood hasn't called any of you yet!)

Pre-Christmas (trying to get updated)

2009-01-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

Me and some of my Cute, Athletic, Thin, Beautiful, Fun, Adventureous, and AVAILABLE Skidmore cousins. (call me, I'll hook you up with any one of them!) I loved going to Macy's wedding and enjoying the whole day with the Skidmores, some of my favorite people. Here's a little trip down memory lane.. I got a journal for Christmas when I was maybe 10 years old and there was a page pre-labeled for writing about your aunts and uncles. So I started to write about how I wished I lived closer to my Aunt Claire and Uncle Max because they always made me feel good and I loved being around them. Well, Robert found my journal and read that entry and made fun of me so I scribbled it our and quit writing in it. ok, sorry, got a little side-tracked.

We got to hang out at grandma Jan's for 3 days with all our cousins and enjoy a little napping (Chad in background), a little coloring, a little sledding, a lot of food (good food if you know Jan), and just doing not a whole lot and not feeling guilty about it.

We got in some good sledding. It snowed a ton and then got warm and it all settled and the wind blew it and it was hard on top. So Chad would pull us behind the snowmobile and it was like we were on water behind the boat. We were flying on top of the snow. I got the giggles and couldn't quit laughing it was so fun. The conditions were ideal...I guess that is until you fell off (Sicilee has some pretty good road rash).

2008-12-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!! Talk to you next year!

Shepherd's Pie

2008-12-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

This is for you Darci, because I think you asked me for this recipe like 2 months ago.

Shepherd's Pie

1 lb. hamburger browned w/onion
1 can of corn
1 can of green beans
1 can of tomato sauce (tomato soup works too)
seasoning to taste
Mix together and place in bottom of casserole dish. Add mashed potatoes to top, then cover with cheese. I also put bacon crunched up on top. This is great on Monday when you have leftover mashed potatoes from Sunday dinner. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

This is one of my favorite dishes and the bonus is that it is so easy.

The Christmas Spirit

2008-12-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

So I haven't exactly been in the Christmas Spirit. For one, I don't feel good. My sinuses are causing me grief. Secondly, I had 2 parties at my house back-to-back and I was feeling the crunch...getting my house in order, have the food prepared, and put up the (damn) Christmas decor. Thirdly, I tried to go shopping and get it done Monday...I had my list and I went all over town looking for Santa Barbie...it's the only thing Indee wants. We couldn't find it anywhere and I came home with about half the things on my list crossed off. So I was grumbling...

Last night our ward had a "Night in Bethlehem" activity. I know this has been done in other wards, but this is our first experience. When they were doing the program and having the primary children act out the nativity and we were all singing the songs...I felt the Christmas Spirit touch my heart. I felt guilty for having been in such a foul mood and not really getting it.

Haircuts by Mia

2008-11-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

Don't let this picture fool you...she is 2 and she is dangerous!

I'm sitting at my computer, paying bills. Mia is playfully brushing my hair. I'm glad to be getting something done and she's happy and not destroying anything...well at least that's what I thought...she's destroying my HAIR! I hear a big snip...and start freaking out. She's got scissors and she's at the back of my head. WHERE DID THE SCISSORS COME FROM????? I run to the bathroom...my hair looks normal. Ok, maybe she just snipped away from my head. So I run my hands through my hair (thinking, I'm ok, no harm done). And then....AHHHHHHH (scream, freak out, scream some more!!) Don't toddlers usually try to cut their OWN hair?

It's your party...

2008-11-06T07:31:00.000-08:00

Chad called his mom and said "Mom, we're coming for Halloween, why don't you have a party?" She said "ok, I guess I could do that." So then she asks Chad "so what should we do for the party?" And Chad replies "I don't know Mom, it's your party." :~)

So we stopped in Rexburg and Trick or Treated. It was such a nice evening.

For Halloween, all Indee wanted to be was "something with wings". Haddi was a Vampiress and Sis was Lola (Hannah Montana's friend). Chad was "scarry man" and I went as a clown. Apparently the rest of the Williams clan missed the memo that it was Halloween and we were having a party and they should have dressed up...

Grandma had some fun games...pop the balloon by sitting on it.

Pass the orange between necks....This is Lex passing me the orange...wow, I had to take a breather after this game...hubba hubba.

Jan passing to Chad...we got Jan laughing so hard, she was crying.

The next day the party resumed on the hill side. We all went riding up Indian Creek where Chad grew up trailing cows on horses. It was a little chilly but still fun. I really enjoy 4-wheeling.

Halloween....all week

2008-11-04T09:23:00.000-08:00

When I was little, Halloween was only one day. Now between church functions and school activities, Halloween is a week long party. We went to a pumpkin patch in Nampa while we were in Boise for state soccer last weekend. Our college friends, the Hills, took us to a patch near their home. We took a hay ride out to the patch and the kids got to pick their own pumpkin.

Carving...for family home evening.

Mia's not sure about all that slime...

Sis's had to dress up all week for school. The first day was nerd day (she fit right in...just kidding sis.) The second day was super hero day, she was violet from the Incredibles. The third day was pajama day and the last day was your halloween costume. Sis went as Lola from Hannah Montana. I was proud of her. She had a lot of responsibility that week. Because she is the 6th grade rep, she was in charge of all the activities for the week, ending with a carnival that she and the other rep put on themselves. She did a good job.

Thursday was the annual Tetonia Elementary School Halloween Carnival. I was in charge of getting all the volunteers for 28 games. It was a job and I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off the whole night. But it turned out ok. The girls got their faces painted. Sis worked in the spook alley. All this and it's not even Halloween yet...

Yum Yum

2008-10-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup butter softened (use butter)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt (I leave this out)

2 t. vanilla

1 cup sour cream

4 cups flour (start w/2 cups and work up)

Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. roll out 1/4 " thick (or a little thinner). Bake @ 375 for 8 min, no longer than that. Makes about 3 dozen.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 pkg. cream cheese (softened)

1/4 cup butter (softened)

1 t. vanilla

Add a small amount of milk (2 Tablespoons or so) and enough powdered sugar to make the right consistancy.

The finished product. . . so good! I scored some major points with Chad yesterday. These are his favorite!

I'm ADDICTED!!!

2008-10-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

I can't get enough. I hear about a book and I look it up on GoodReads. Then I'm stuck. I start reading reviews and they lead to another book. Then that leads to more reviews.
That leads to me going on half.com and ordering the book. I've ordered 5 books in the last week for .75 cents each. I was waiting patiently by the mailbox...going crazy because I had nothing to read. I didn't know what to do with myself. I had to read the Ensign cover to cover (not such a bad thing).
But I've realized how addicted I am to reading. I can't sit without having a book, i.e. waiting for my kids at piano lessons, sitting at high school soccer games, shoeing horses with Chad, etc.

So yesterday, it came! One of my five books. I was so excited to open the package and see which one it was! It was Frankenstein. Just in time for Halloween. It's interesting so far, written by a 19 yr. old girl in 1816. It is said to be the first book to spark the sci-fi craze. Not really my first choice of genre but Pen's reading for her book club, so we'll see...

I would love to see what you're reading/read and read your reviews. Goodreads.com

The Glass Castle

2008-10-10T15:53:00.000-07:00

I think this could be my favorite book of all time. I found myself smiling, grinning from ear-to-ear as I read the first half of this book. I don't think you could make up a character as cooky as her dad. (or her mom for that matter) Their relationship was so disfunctional, it couldn't have been more disfunctional. I loved the things her dad would say and how he explained things. I was cracking up the whole first half. Then I would have to remind myself that this was a true story and these experiences really happened to this poor girl. I don't think you could make these things up if you tried. The second half of the book infuriated me at times!!! What were those parents thinking? The situations that they put their daughter in...were sickening as a parent of 4 girls. I wanted to ring their necks and call the child protective service. It's amazing to me that they survived at all, let alone went on to be productive citizens, making their own way in the world. It's a testament that if those kids could make it, then anyone can.

I also covet the author's memory. And to be able to put those instances into words and make the reader feel like she was there witnessing it all is a talent. I loved this book!

She won!

2008-10-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

Sis ran for a 6th grade representative and won. She had to compete with 17 other candidates. She had to give a speech and she was so nervous. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Williams for coming up with her winning phrase "You don't have to go to Italy to vote for Sicilee". And thanks to Aunt Megan and Grandma Myrn for helping us make magnents to go on everyone's locker at school.

Ensenada, Mexico

2008-10-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

We rented a golf cart in Mexico. It was the craziest thing I've done in a long time. It was like driving a golf cart down 17th street in Idaho Falls. The traffic was crazy and here we are in this little cart. I thought..."I'm not in America anymore!" The fumes were making Penny sick, Chad's driving was making me sick, it would back fire every time we stopped. Chad almost hit a poor man on a bicycle. He tried taking us to the slums of the city and we got on some back roads where I didn't feel comfortable...(imagine that). So me and Pen hit the shops and the guys did their own little tour of Ensenada via golf cart.

This is us in the middle of cars and intersections...in a golf cart.

This was another one of those moments when I thought "we're not in America anymore". We're in an open golf cart...these tigers, lions, panthers, etc. are in this caged truck right, I mean RIGHT next to us driving down the road. Pen was having a little anxiety over this.
We found a great beach. It was warm and the water was great. We had a great time playing in the surf. I am still digging sand out of my ears. This little creature climbed into the seat of my swimsuit...this was right before I felt it bite me and I had to get in the water and dig it out. It was a little transparent bug. We saw some black fins poking out of the water...turns out they were not sharks but dolphins.

Happy Anniversary

2008-10-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

We never do anything for our anniversary...it's Dec. 16th. I remember my aunt Karen telling me not to get married this close to Christmas. But when you're young and in love, you don't care. But now...it stinks. We are always feeling poor because it's so close to Christmas. The weather is crappy. When Chad used to coach, he always had a ball game that night...Happy Anniversary...come watch me coach. We'll have a slice of warmed up pizza and celebrate, except you'll be in the bleachers with 3 screaming kids, cleaning up spilled sunkist pop and I'll be down on the bench, mad and frustrated because I can't win a game.
So last year, we decided to do something big for our up coming anniversary and we decided we'd celebrate it at a better time. So we took a cruise and Penny and Eric came with us. It was a great vacation...spent with my two favorite people (and Eric, no offense).
We docked in San Diego. We took to trolley around and spent a very relaxing day seeing the sights there. Penny kept getting in trouble with the trolley driver...apparently she 'missed the memo' about not talking while the tour guide was talking.
We anchored up in Avalon on Catalina Island. This was my favorite stop. I would love to go back there and live for a summer. It was beautiful. I loved the little streets, everyone drove golf carts, it was clean. Loved it!

We snorkled in Catalina...I was terrified of sharks. I stuck to our guide. Chad loved snorkling and kept getting left and the instructor would yell "keep up in back, swim, catch up!" We were suppose to stick with a buddy, use the buddy system, but my buddy liked to go out deep and into the kelp where you couldn't see what was down there...(like sharks) so I made a new buddy...the instructor. I figured he would save me when I got drug out to sea by a blood-thirsty shark. Chad wouldn't even know I was gone until it was too late.

Packsaddle

2008-09-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

We rode from our house up to the "Big Holes" just west of Tetonia. The trails were nice and easy and the fall colors were beautiful. I wish I would have gotten some better pics of the scenery.

Lex's family (-minus a few) came also. It was fun, seems like we don't seem them enough. My girls have a great time with those cousins. This pic is at the top of the Big Holes. I think on a clear day, you can see the Rexburg side.

We survived the first thunderstorm by hunkering down under some trees and waiting it out. I was a little nervous and so was Indee. We huddled around grandma Jan. The lighting was flashing and the thunder was clapping right over our heads. It hailed a little and poured rain for about 20 minutes. We went the rest of the way down the trail to Packsaddle Lake. This is one of my favorite places around here. It's really pretty and the kids love to swing on this rope swing.

Indee and Alivia.

Pandora (like the box...well, not really)

2008-09-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

So Val turned me onto this awesome radio station site online. It's called Pandora Radio.

The link is pandora.com.

You type in a song or an artist you like and it plays that artist plus others that are similar in genre. So you get a variety of songs.

Here are my fav's. My ALL-TIME favorite is Jason Mraz. I love this guy and could listen to him all day long!

Natasha Beddingfield...love her. Did you see her on the Bachelorette last season singing "Soulmate"...love it!
Jack Johnson...another fav...isn't he a hottie?
Gwen Stefani...She just gets better and better. Love her station.

Music just gets me going...hard for me to clean without it on. So this site is a great find. I usually log onto it and up pops Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, or Selena Gomez (I don't even know who this is) ..it seems that the girls have learned how to get there radio stations on also.

Mammoth

2008-09-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

Chad and I went on a little date to Mammoth, inside the Park. I went a long time ago and saw the elk buggling and battling. We actually had to hide behind our car in the parking lot because two elk were locking horns right there. It was awesome and I've always wanted to go back.

This elk that the rangers called "Six" was the big man on campus. He was buggling and rounding up all his females. I was wondering what would happen if one of them just decided to say "no..I'm not coming with you. I have this other young bull that I like better."

The Hiding Place

2008-09-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

I finished this book and I can't quit thinking about it so I thought I'd write down what I learned from it.

1. Be grateful for fleas.
2. Always be honest.
3. Read your scriptures.
4. Love your enemies.
5. Sometimes suitcases are too heavy for us to carry.
6. The importance of relationships. I envied the relationship between Corrie and her sister, Betsie. Having a true friend like that in your life is a blessing that you can't take for granted.

What a great true story!

I wish I had one...

2008-09-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

We went with my parents, Chad's parents, my aunt Karen and John, etc...four-wheelin'. We froze but it was so fun. I could really enjoy four-wheelin' on a regular basis if only I had one. I'll keep wishin'.
We went above Birch Creek kind of by Gilmore...by Leadore. There is an old town site called "Hahn's Townsight". They used to mine ore and lead there (Leadore, go figure). It was pretty cool but up in the hills and I couldn't imagine living there in these little log cabins. A different way of life for sure. We went as high as we could go. (Mia's cheesing it)
The old track where they would dump the ore into carts and take it down the hill...
Mia's tuckered out. This playin' is hard work.