Chaos Platz

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hello! Back to blogging! Its been a while and OH how I've missed it! Here's some fun images from our family vacation to New Mexico. My Grandpa turned 80 last month so we went to help him celebrate. While there, we took in White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, Santa Fe and on the way home we hiked Arches in Moab! Everyone had a great time and loved the sunshine!

Baby S is 4 days old!!!

2010-02-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

Only 1 day old!

2010-02-04T19:47:00.000-08:00

I just can't get enough of little Sawyer! He is yummy and magical and wonderful. I had to go back to the hospital tonight to see him again! He will be coming home tomorrow!

Beautiful Baby Sawyer

2010-02-04T11:48:00.001-08:00

Introducing Sawyer Leyden, son of Troy and Jamie. This perfect little bundle of joy was born Wed. Feb 3, at 8:38 p.m. weighing exactly 8 lbs and 20 inches long. He is so beautiful and amazing. Welcome to the world little one!

Birthday Party!

2009-11-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

My girl asked for a Panda theme for her bday party this year. Its kinda hard to find panda decorations, so we had to be really, really clever. I attempted this 3-demensional panda masterpiece for the first time. Took me all day, 3 trips to the grocery store, and a disaster in my kitchen. One of her friends asked me "When do we get to execute the panda?" So, I let them do just that. Crazy "Panda"monium!

Happy Birthday Skidder!

2009-11-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated our girl's 8th birthday! We are so amazed that she is growing so fast! She

is such a loving, funny, delightful girl. We are so lucky to have here. We celebrated as a family tonight and she is looking forward to her friend party next week! Look a this great picture of her on her 4th birthday. Hard to believe it was 4 years ago!

Monsters Really Do Exist!!!

2009-10-30T07:33:00.001-07:00

One of the best things about Halloween is dressing up...again and again! The kids dressed up for their piano recital last week. Today they are in costumes at school. And we will do it all again tomorrow for trick-or-treating.

When the bus driver saw G with the leaves in his hair he said, "I think I'll LEAF him alone!". I am just worried about how we are going to tame that nest later tonight.

Our New "Male"box

2009-10-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

For quite some time now we have needed a new mailbox. The one we currently have is rather disfunctional. It blows over with the slightest wind and the door doesn't close. This results in a lot of missed deliveries and wet mail. Gared continues to set it back up and bends and tweaks it. He disregards my pleas for a new one. Today was one of those days when the box wasn't even attached to the post any longer. I could see the delivery truck coming, so I rigged a new one. I think this one is quite functional and much better looking than the old one.

I have to add our friend, Johnny's comment here:

"I like the new MALEbox. Its awesome. It even ARMed. Do you know the MANufacturer. Hopefully you can keep this one a little longer. Be careful with the person in the jeep. They are called Male-carriers, you know."

Angie's 40th Birthday!!!

2009-10-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing time in San Diego the past 6 days to celebrate my friend's birthday with her. I flew there with a friend of hers, Emily whom I had never met. We were on the same flight, but didn't find each other until the San Diego Airport. It was a miracle that we did, because Emily left her cell phone home. Angie's hubby picked us up at the airport and then the wait began....10 1/2 hours until Angie got home. Our arrival was a surprise to her and we almost couldn't stand the anticipation. It was all worth it to see her reaction as she came home to find us sitting on her couch!! Priceless!!!

The next day we packed up and went to the Welk Resort where we stayed for 4 days. We partied and played and had a blast! It was like being a teenager again. We ate too much junk food, stayed up way too late and giggled and cried. I am beyond privileged to have this beautful friend. Now I have new friends to cherish as well. This will go down as one of my favorite all-time memories! I am so lucky to have been a part of the the celebration!!!

Ancestors

2009-10-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

I asked my sister in law to share pictures that she had scanned from my Grandma's collection. I was delighted to find some of these treasures that I have never seen! Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!

Season's End

2009-10-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

Directly across the street from our home grows a wonderful, tall cornfield. It becomes like a strong wall that shields us from the rest of the world each summer creating even a greater sense of our own little world. I am always saddened when the "wall" comes down and feel a bit exposed. However, I understand that there is a season to all things. If the corn were never harvested, there would be no fall, which I love too! Today when I heard the tractors and truck going to work on the corn field, I snapped a quick picture to capture the end of one season with the harvest, and the beginning of another with the snow dusting the mountain tops.

What We've Been Doing

2009-10-04T12:16:00.001-07:00

When D called from Germany last week he requested pictures of what we've been doing. It has just been the regular routine around here...school, work, play. So, here's every day pictures of us. Yes, Evil Knievil on the 3 wheeler is as scary as she looks, and G is pretending to cut the dog's paw off with a wooden knife! What a good dog!

Run for the Summit

2009-09-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

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Summit Elementary held the greatest fund raiser this year. The kids found sponsors and set a goal to run a certain distance at the "Fun Run" in return for a pledged donation. G was very enthusiastic and raised $120 for his school then met his goal of running 2.5 miles in 45 miles. It turned out to be a really hot day, but he managed to complete his run. H ran part of the distance with him to encourage him to keep going. Way to go!!!

God is Good!

2009-09-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I had a fabulous time at the "Nashville Tribute" concert last night! It is one of the most powerful testimonials of Joseph Smith and the Pioneers I have ever witnessed. If you haven't heard of them, you can check out their website at http://www.nashvilletribute.com. There's samples of the music there and a show schedule. They will be performing in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Oct. 7. I would so highly recommend it to all! It is a performance that will uplift like nothing else. Your spirit will be energized and your heart uplifited. Their song "God is Good" says it all!

The popular group "DueWest" is part of this group and I really love their music too. It is 4 LDS men who made a pact to always use their music to express the values they hold dear. Jason Deere who is the lead singer and songwriter of Nashville Tribute is their producer. You may have heard their song that is on the GAC Top 20 right now "I Get That All The Time".
You can see more of them at DueWest.com. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

On the Horizon

2009-09-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

This evening after a quick storm, we were graced with an amazing double rainbow to the east. I ran out with my camera and took a few shots before turning to look to the west. There was a glorious sunset! We have some really amazing sunsets here, but this one was breathtaking!

This Place We Live

2009-09-10T21:22:00.001-07:00

This morning I set out on my bike ride and had to turn back for my camera! Look at these clouds! It was an absolutely amazing day! Many of the farmers are cutting the hay now and the corn is taller than me. We are truly so blessed to live in this place of abundant beauty. I was totally in my element, nose to the camera, then looked down to see that I had attracted a massive amount of burrs on my pants!!! That was a drain of my patience to pick all of them off. It was worth it though to have these images. Don't ya think? Oh, and I was just wondering, can I have 6 more months of days like this? It ended on a rather splendid note too!

Speechless

2009-09-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

I really have no words...

Put some "Labor" in this day!

2009-09-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

Today was labor day. The kids really tried to convince us that Labor day is NOT about performing labor! H says its a holiday. Duh! We all know you work, work, work on labor day, right? That's mostly what we did. Washed windows, dejunked the mudroom, pulled weeds, picked up litter along the road... Troy and Jamie were our saving grace. They brought food over and grilled hamburgers for the tired and over-worked! (Yeah right!)

Hubby's Brew

2009-08-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

How does an engineer make 132 gallons of home made rootbeer? In a Single Use Bioreactor (SUB) of course! Gared was assigned to make root beer for his work party this weekend. He makes really great home brew and over 100 gallons was no challenge for the mechanically minded. He just recruited this dandy contraption and labeled it "Rootbeer" and went to work! It was a hit!!!

Back to School!!!

2009-08-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Well, there they go! Starting with E at 6:45 this morning and the other two at 8:15, they hopped on the bus looking snazzy in their new clothes, shoes and hairstyles. E is starting 6th grade at the middle school, G is 4th grade and H is 2nd grade. I have 4 kids in 4 different schools this year. Even if D were here, he would be at a different middle school. I really thought I was looking forward to this day, but I feel empty and kinda sad. I bet they all have a fabulous day though, and I look forward to hearing about it when they get home. Meanwhile, there's always laundry.....

Utah's Hogle Zoo

2009-08-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

Can I have a baby giraffe? I would feed it and hug it and clean up after it! I promise! I really , really wanna baby giraffe! Maybe it is because my oldest left home today, and maybe it is just because this little guy is so cute! I have never seen a baby giraffe so close, and man, is he adorable! That was the highlight of our zoo experience for me today. That and the Fosa. Those are the hyeana, cat like creatures on Madagascar. I didn't know they really existed. What an amazing animal! Really we enjoyed all of it. It was a cool day so the animals were active and so great to watch. Today is the last Saturday of our summer. The kiddos go back to school on Thur. When we finished at the zoo, we went to the demolition derby. What a great day!!!

Going, Going, Gone!

2009-08-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

So, after 2 years of planning and consideration, he's gone. D has left to stay with Grammy in Germany for 4 months!!! That's right! He will have the most wonderful experience there. He will attend an American army school where my mom is a guidance counselor and he will see all the sites with her there. I am so happy for him to have this experience, but so sad to have him away. He was really looking forward to the flight there, but beyond that, didn't really know what to expect. I do know he will enjoy having his own room and will be very spoiled. His courage amazes me. He was never scared or had any doubts. He told me right before he left that he had lots of happy bubbles inside!

Let's Get Crackin'!

2009-07-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

Our great Kemmerer friends made arrangements for us to experience a real fossil quarry. "Paleontologist Pete", who owns the quarry was so good to us. He taught us all the rules of the quarry as one must be very careful not to damage anything that could potentially hold a fossil. And we were on top of a very steep butte and didn't want anyone to get hurt. He also helped us learn how to be patient and careful when chizeling a rock to reveal the treasure inside. He was able to identify and name the fish that were fossilized. It is a very, very, dusty dirty process, but actually quite addicting. It is such a thrill to break open a rock and be the first human to ever see what is inside. I did find part of an Arowan fish. It is a rare find. Unfortunately it was missing the head. Pete kept it in hopes of finding a head one day and gluing the pieces together. Otherwise,we mostly found small fish fossils. Allen found one with 3 fish side by side, like little sardines. However, everyone left the quarry with a treasure of their own finding. Some of them we will frame or display in other ways. This is definiteley an experience we would recommend to anyone! I understand a 92 year old man found a complete sting ray fossil a few weeks ago. They are currently uncovering 2 crocodile fossils at this quarry. I found a very strange looking fossil that Pete explained was a fish that had actually exploded prior to being covered by dirt. The gasses from decomposing can cause a dead fish to explode and leaves a very interesting fossil! If you are ever in Southwest Wyoming, it would be worth your time to visit Fossil Butte and look into a little rock cracking for yourself!

Fossil Butte National Monument

2009-07-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

This is a classic example that there are hidden treasures to be found just about anywhere. Today we ventured to Kemmerer, Wyoming where some of the best preserved fossils can be found in the flat-topped ridges that otherwise look like a sage brush desert. This is part of the Green River Formation, an ancient sub-tropical landscape that was home to an abundance of fish, reptiles, insects, plants, birds and mammals in the Tertiary period of history, or around 37-54 million years ago. Most of the region is now a national monument and is protected to help preserve the amazing "gold mine" of fossils lying in layers under the soil.
At Fossil Butte we all participated in the Jr. Ranger program. We answered questions in a workbook as we toured the museum and watched a short video. We were excited to learn about fossils as we were planning later to visit a quarry and try fossil hunting for ourselves. The museum housed amazing examples of the variety of fossils found in the area, including a 13 foot crocodile. The end of our visit included each of us reciting a pledge to help preserve the fossils and to teach others what we had learned. We practiced cleaning a fossil and felt ready to experience a dig ourselves!

Sweet Summertime

2009-07-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

Wow! Time flies in the summer! I really can't believe how absolutely chaotic life has been. We've had my mom here, my nephew, G's mom, and our awesome friends from Calif. We also had a surprise party for my mom with nearly 30 guests and oodles of great food. There's 2 new baby geese and 8 new ducks living here now. Its all good. We have had some great times, but really no lazy days of summer, yet. I am hoping for that to happen soon. When asked what they've been doing all summer, my kids reply, "cleaning the house". Its true~ there's been lots of cleaning with so many house guests. I will try to catch up on posting soon, but until then we'll just continue to run from one thing to the next!!!

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

2009-07-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today we were privileged to attend the Open House of our newest temple. It was so beautiful and a great experience for the kids to walk through and see what they have to look forward to someday when they attend the temple. I loved that you can see 2 other temples from the grounds of Oquirrh Mtn., the Draper and Jordan River temples. I was surprised to learn that the new Angel Moroni atop this temple had recently been struck by lightning and still has a black arm and trumpet. I understand a new statue will be brought in to replace this one.

Independence Day

2009-07-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed celebrating the nation's birthday with our great friends the Hogans. There were lots of friends, great food, and a fabulous view of the fireworks. One of the highlights for the kids was having their own turn to drive Aunt Kathy's "spare" electric chair. Weeeee!

Fun Friend Reunion

2009-06-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today we were so lucky to meet our good friends from Calif. at a park in Ogden. Our families used to live by each other and we both moved away about 10 years ago. Then we only had 3 kids between the two of us, and now we have 8! We rarely see them, so we sure love every minute when we do get together. I love that we can pick up right where we left off and never miss a beat! It is so strange how us moms haven't aged a day, but somehow our babies have grown so big!!! We sure do love you guys! Thanks for the awesome day!!!

Bragging Rights

2009-05-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

Today we were greeted with a wonderful card from one of D's teachers at school. She was writing to let us know that D has been chosen by his teachers as an outstanding student. We don't know what other recognition will come with it, but we've got all we need. She had the nicest things to say about our 7th grader.
Then, he came home today with his end of year test results in Language Arts. For the Gates McGinite his scores were 11.5 (meaning 11th grade, 5th month level) in vocabulary and his comprehension is 13!!! (OH YEAH, that would be equivalent to a freshman in college!)
For the Star test his score was a 12.9+, with an end of level test score of 57 out of 62 possible.
This is one of those Mommy moments that feeds your soul through the challenges of parenting. We are so blessed to have this brilliant, bright boy in our lives!

Free Ice Cream For A Year!!!

2009-05-25T20:09:00.001-07:00

Never in the history of ice cream has there been a girl who loves it so much. H REALLY REALLY loves ice cream. When she saw a coloring contest to enter for a chance to win free ice cream for a year, she just had to try. The odds really were in her favor. She is a fabulous artist. The grocery store called to tell her they had chose her as their winner so she had to go in immediately to claim her prize. Now she gets to go back once a month for the next year and choose 2 - 1/2 gallons for herself. She has been good enough to share with us! Congratulations, Sis!

Soccer Stars

2009-05-24T13:41:00.001-07:00

I have to admit, I LOVE being a soccer mom. I think Dad enjoys it as much as I do. I helps that our kids are really good. I'm not just saying this because they are my kids, they are both really good! H&G have played for the second year and despite rain and snow we have enjoyed every game. H is great in any postition and runs like a gazelle. Her coach will shout "Use your speed!" and she sprints out past the other girls and looks like it is no effort at all. G is also great in any position and loves to play goalie. The funny thing is almost every picture I took of him, his tongue is out! He concentrates really hard! The season is over and we will miss it. We are looking forward to soccer camp in August. Until then, it will be family games in the back yard. I'm sure the older boys will be whining again that H won't let them have a chance to get the ball!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed spending Mother's Day with Hubby's family to celebrate with his mom. We had a great time visiting and eating in the backyard. G's Sister made a memory book for her mom with favorite things about her mom. It was so delightful to reminisce with her and see her light up as she reflected on things she hadn't thought of for a long time. She even still has they "eyebrow" look that she used on the kids when they misbehaved in church. If they got the eye brow, they knew they were in big trouble!

Happy 40th Birthday Hubby!!!

2009-04-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm married to a 40 year old man! I just can't say it enough. I have to keep telling myself that even though he's getting older in years, he really will never grow up! He dressed in black this morning for work. I took him a black balloon boquet and the richest, blackest chocolate cake you have ever seen. It's the only way I know to cope...chocolate!!! Happy Birthday, Honey!!!

Clowning Around

2009-04-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated his birthday with a few of E's friends by going to the circus. It was a small circus but we were treated to some of the very best a circus has to offer...elephants, motorcycles, magic, clowns, blue snowcones, balloons and acrobats. One of our favorite acts was the dog and pony show. It is amazing the stunts the animals can perform! Of course the boys loved the motorcycles in the large ball cage. It makes me sick to my stomach because all I think about is what would happen if they wreck.

Career Day

2009-04-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

Today the 7th graders were treated to a day at the local vocational college. They were spoiled with an awesome goodie bag and their own hard-hat. The bag also included the parts to make a marshmallow shooter out of pvc pieces. They got to experience several different career training options and learned a lot about the school's programs. D loved the entire day, especially when he got to operate the "claw" on one of the large tratctors.

Happy Birthday E!!!

2009-04-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up early to start celebrating E's 11th birthday. He loved the binoculars and new clothes he got. He also scored the 4th book in the Olympian Series, "The Battle of the Labryinth". He has really loved the other 3 books and I am sure will enjoy this one. Our boy has only a few short months of elementary school left, then he will move on to the crazy world of middle school. Love ya, Bud!

I Love Digital

2009-04-23T06:14:00.001-07:00

There are so many reasons why I love digital photography. Today I was reminded of that one of the biggest reasons is that you do not have to pay for film. Miss H helped herself to my camera today and managed to take 125 pictures before I realized she had it. I was very grateful it wasn't the new camera, but still, a 7 year old running free with a large camera scares me. I do realize after seeing her work that I should plan more photo moments for her to "go wild" with her creativity. I love the fact that she includes her self in pictures. Something most photographers rarely do. And can you tell we are happy that it is flip-flop weather!?!

There & Back Again

2009-04-13T12:24:00.001-07:00

4 women, 12 days, 1382 pictures, 225 churches, 10 castles, 1 concentration camp, over a dozen cities, WAY too much food, and an insane amount of luggage. It all adds up to a fabulous Germany/Austria vacation. We had a blast! I am so glad to be home.

Hammy Spammy

2009-03-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

My darling little girl just loves our new friend Jamie. Last night she made a really special card for Jamie. It is a keeper!
Here's what it said:
To Jammy, (Jamie)
I love you so much.
I always have.
Like the beach
Or a good boob (book)
Or the beach.
Oh, jest forget about IT!
This is why we love our Hammy Spammy. I think its a great compliment to Jammy, don't you?

Whatever The "Case" May Be

2009-03-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this fun craft idea. These little cases are made from snack-size zipper baggies and a dollar store potholder. Just position the bags in the center. You will want to overlap the ends about 1/2 inch in the center of what you want to be the inside of the potholder. I alternate baggies, one on the left, then one that opens to the right. I have found 8 baggies to be about the max you should sew in. The biggest trick is to line up the baggies then not have them slip as you sew. I used a pin on each end (start and stop point) where the seam will be. Be patient with this process then straight stitch and voila! Sew a fun button to close with the loop. (Make sure to get potholders with the loop in the center. I have seen them on the corner and that doesn't work!) I used 2 of the cases to pack my jewelry for my trip to Germany. I made one for each of the girls going on the trip too. They make a great 1st aid kit for your car, or coupons...Whatever the case may be!!! This would be a great compliment to Missy's placemat bags!

We Love Boxes

2009-03-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

My kids have always loved empty boxes. They make masterful creations with empty boxes. One box can last for days and days. They cut, paint, tape, cut some more. I love watching their creative ideas expressed in box art. Today Miss H had to have this particular empty box. I came into the living room to find my 12 1/2 year old sitting in the box. He's always done this. I think it is so cute that he still enjoys climbing into the box.

Signs of Spring

2009-03-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

I love spring. I love flowers, birds singing, pastel colors, and little baby animals. However, this is the reality of spring at our house. MUD. Lots of mud. We are surrounded by farm land. Beautiful lovely fields. We have a pond. The neighbors have a pond. There is a canal at the edge of our property. There are just too many, irresistible opportunities for mud. This year is a particularly wet spring too. G came in the other night with mud up to his knees and only 1 shoe on. When I asked him where his shoe was, he simply replied "It's buried in the swamp. It's too deep. I can't find it." In case you are wondering, yes, these are school shoes. With any luck that little shoe will take sprout and grow a shoe tree so we can keep our kids' feet covered.

Banister Bliss!

2009-03-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

This is a big deal. A really big deal! We have lived in the new addition of our home for 2 years without having the banister complete. I have had nightmares of someone fallling down the stairs because the spindles were not installed, leaving it very hazardous. There has been a lot of issues, that aren't worth retelling. Just know that having a complete banister is a big deal! It's beautiful too.

Happy St. Patty's

2009-03-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

I've heard about mischievous little leprechauns who run around playing tricks. Well, we have our very own little green trouble maker. I quickly snapped this photo 'cuz I knew you wouldn't believe me otherwise. We're hoping your St. Patrick's day was full of merriment!

Seriously?!?!

2009-03-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

As if we haven't had enough snow! I mean really! I hung my little easter eggs on the tree. That means spring. Doesn't anybody care?!?! I can't take much more of this!

Rockin' The Halls

2009-03-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

Way to go E!!! This boy used to hate to read. I mean really hate it. This year he read enough books to earn the prestigous reading award and the opportunity to Rock the Halls with the principal. (That's where everyone comes out of the class room and they play loud music over the PA while the award winners and principal run through the halls giving high-fives.) He will get to keep this neat medal as a memento of his achievements. We are so proud....I wonder if the new goggles have anything to do with it!

Here We Go Climbing Another Mountain!

2009-02-15T10:48:00.000-08:00

So who cares that it is a snowstorm outside? We will hike anyway! This time we were lucky enough to have E join us. Check out the self-made survival kit. It was complete with a flashlight strapped to the shoulder and a holster for his airsoft. Notice the nifty duct tape straps and the 2 cereal-box compartments. Troy chose a very tall mountain for us to climb. He just sets off up the face and the rest of us follow. It's called "forced unanimous". We had a great time and as always going down is the funnest part. The little drop-off at the bottom was an awesome slide to the finsish. Look how graceful Jamie's finale was!

All Systems Go!

2009-02-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

This little one has made it through the first night and another cold day. He seems to be thriving! He's eating and all the little goat functions seem to work. We feel like he stands a good chance now. His momma is a good momma and seems to take good care of him. The Nanny's name is Loden and the buck is Mantis. We are still looking for a great name for their little one. Leave a comment with any suggestions!

Announcing the arrival of...

2009-02-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

Miss H went out to feed the goats this evening and made a wonderful discovery! Our Lady goat, Loden had given birth to a beautiful little kid. This came as quite a surprise to us as we suspected she may be with kid several months ago, but had concluded she wasn't. OOPS! This poor little one has to be born in the harsh winter. However, we made a quick shelter out of the unused dog house and filled it with straw all in the middle of a snow storm. So, mamma and baby are resting peacefully and seem to be happy enough. Keep your fingers crossed for this tiny kid that he will survive the odds. We are quite certain "it" is a boy, so we are looking for names. Leave a comment with any suggestions you may have.

Sunny Saturday Hike

2009-01-31T19:45:00.000-08:00

It was another glorious day for hiking with my friends. Today we set off up Cherry Creek. It was really warm and sunny. We started off on snow shoes, but after about 1/2 hour we left those under a tree and hoofed it. The dogs were happy. We all had a great time. I am so lucky to have friends who let me pal along with them and burn some unwanted calories. I am so thankful for this wonderful day the Lord has given me.

Happy Birthday Wee GFP!

2009-01-31T19:40:00.000-08:00

Here we go again! Another birthday! Wee GFP is turning 9 today! It's a little hard to believe. But, he does make a most handsome 9 year old!

Freezing Rain

2009-01-23T14:43:00.000-08:00

What happens when it rains in Utah in January. ICE! It has been raining the last 2 days and we have lots of ice!

President and First Lady Obama

2009-01-20T16:55:00.000-08:00

I have enjoyed following the innaugural events of the day. I only get good vibes from President Obama. He talked of the responsibility of the nation being on all citizens. I believe this so strongly. It isn't right that people blame one man, such as President Bush, for the state of the nation. Obama has a big task at hand and I have no doubt he has the best intentions for our nation. I believe the nation is still under the direction of God who loves us and knows of our struggles. I also am so grateful for a country where an African-American can lead. There is no other place on earth that the events and outcome of this election could have unfolded as they have.

And how great is it that Obama has such a beautiful, devoted, gifted wife at his side. I have a great admiration for Michelle. I love to see what she will be wearing at the next event and especially loved the pale gold outfit she wore today. It reminded me of Jackie Kennedy. The green shoes and gloves tickle me...my favorite color. She will be a great mentor to women and girls of our nation. She seems to balance career and family with such grace. I hope for the best for her and her family as they embark on this new adventure in their lives. My prayers will continue for our nation's president and other leaders.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2009-01-16T08:01:00.000-08:00

We are so happy to have our little friend staying with us for a few days. He said he LOVES pancakes, so we made our favorite...chocolate chip pancakes. They were gone in an instant! Yummy!

The View out My Front Door

2009-01-16T07:57:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love the view out the front of our house. I have even rearranged my office so I can look out the window as I work. This morning I opened the blind to this...

These Boots Were Made For Walking...

2009-01-14T15:26:00.000-08:00

And that is just what we'll do. I have recently committed myself (Ha! Yeah, maybe I should be committed!) to join my friend on her hikes. The goal is to hike the Wellsville Cone in Sept. We are starting out slow and easy. Today we "walked" up Green Canyon. It was only about 25 degrees in the sun! It was so fun. I loved having a captive audience to chat with. It was just the three of us and three very busy dogs. I wore my big ol' heavy snow boots hoping not only for warm/happy feet but all that extra weight to lug around should help tone something! Not only was the canyon sparkley and beautiful, but we were up out of the inversion in the clean air. On the way back down the trail we could see the Wellsvilles. It was an awesome symbol of our ulitmate goal to be active and healthy. I came home famished and the dogs are exhausted. Both are still napping in the sunshine on the front porch!

Our New Year's Challenge to You

2009-01-05T17:40:00.000-08:00

What do a bunch of monkey's do when they've been out of school for 2 weeks and its too cold to go outside? They attempt the impossible. We decided to pass along the challenge to you. 1. Can you touch your elbow with your tongue? 2. Can you grab both ankles and lift your feet off the floor? 3. Say this as fast as you can: What kind of noise annoys an oyster? A noisy noise annoys an oyster.

We're not claiming this as our own, we're not shellfish.

New Year's Eve

2009-01-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

It has become one of our favorite traditions to see the new year in with a special group of friends. We did it for the first time 3 years ago, which turned out to be one of the craziest adventures ever! Despite our first experience we continue to brave the elements and hang out on New Year's eve with this bunch. It is a blast! We eat, play crazy games, eat, laugh until it hurts, get really tired, let off fireworks, eat and wish it came around more often. I hope this is one tradition that will just keep going and going and going.......

Bird Watching

2008-12-27T11:43:00.000-08:00

We bundled up an set off to find the resident bald eagle that makes his winter home in a large tree near our home. We were really lucky not only to find the bald eagle, but our renegade goose too. She abandoned our flock and made herself at home in the neighbor's creek. We are slightly offended that she would leave our most excellent fowl accomodations, but the neighbor says she is fine there until spring when we can reunite her with the flock. We also got to see numerous hawks and some tiny little chickadees that fill a small tree. They are all magnificent, beautiful creatures.

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-26T12:02:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate to photograph a beautiful family today at the park. We waded through knee-deep snow and got some great images. When the family left, I couldn't resist hanging around for a while in this awesome wonderland and take some more pictures. It was exquisite and serene with the white blanketing everything in sight. There had been no one at the park and I was the first to break trail. The late afternoon light was a pastel amber. Despite absolutely frozen fingers I captured some beautiful images that only barely begin to depict how amazing it really was.

A-Man

2008-12-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

Here's my favorite 4 year-old boy! He has been such a delight to have through the holidays. It made our season so special and one that we will remember always. A-Man lives in Portland, so he isn't familiar with snow and very much dislikes being cold. We finally convinced him to come out and play. He loved it...for about 3 minutes! That's OK, it was just enough time for me to capture some great shots.

A Marshmallow World

2008-12-26T11:03:00.000-08:00

Late Christmas day we got blasted with an amazing snowstorm. It blew and blew and dumped about 5 inches in just over an hour. The result was magnificent. The next morning we started digging out at 8 a.m. under glorious blue skies. Hubby plowed and shoveled until after 3:00 in the afternoon.

Holly Jolly Christmas!

2008-12-25T10:03:00.000-08:00

We had such a marvelous Christmas! What a beautiful time of year to celebrate the birth of our Savior and the love of family. Merry Christmas and love to all!

Being Together is the Best Place to Be

2008-12-21T16:03:00.001-08:00

We are so blessed to have oodles of friends and family hanging around this time of year. Of course, Grammy is here from Germany. (Yipee!) This year we also have my brother's 4-year old son staying with us. He is so delightful! His smile lights up the room. Our good friends came over from Wyoming last night. We enjoy their visits so much. This year they made Ragu, their son's special recipe from his mission to Italy. It is spaghetti sauce with big chunks of sausage, mushrooms, olives, zuchini and carrots. We ate soooo much! We always have tons of chocolate treats and this year was no exception. One of my favorites is a cookie that Grammy brings from Germany. It is called Lebkuchen and it has no flour in it. It is made entirely of ground nuts with lots of spices. I eat it for breakfast with a mug of hot cider or cocoa. Sehr Gut! Our Wyoming friend brought homemade chocolates that were to die for...especially the almond joy. I think I am overdosing on food!

Stuff the Santa

2008-12-21T15:46:00.000-08:00

We have had a favorite game for years called "Stuff the Santa". It is one I take to the kids' class parties each year. It is a hit every time. We blow up lots of balloons and someone puts on the Santa suit. The kids stuff as many balloons into Santa as they can. Of course, they usually giggle so hard that Santa falls over, then can't get up. We always bring home the balloons and my kids get stuffed for days. The grownups have it all wrong. We stuff ourselves with chocolate. The kids use balloons then take off the suit and the rolls go away. We carry our lumps and bumps around for years after! Ours just aren't as cute as theirs either!

Snowing and a Blowing

2008-12-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

OH how we love snow!!! Hubby has an unusual fettish for plowing snow. He just can't get enough of it. He was saying in September that he should get the plow put on the Bronco. This works out in the neighbors best interest. He goes all over plowing and plowing. The only thing is the Bronco puts off some nasty exhaust so he comes home really stinky! The kids love to ride with him too, especially #2, who as most of you know is Dad's sidekick anyway. This is our Chevy Dog's first real snow. She is in heaven! She runs and slides with her face down in the snow. It is a delight to watch. I'm wondering if this might convince our San Diego friends that they need to come to Utah for Christmas. We got all of this snow in about a 5 hour period of time. We're hoping for more!!!

4 Little Monkeys

2008-12-13T09:45:00.000-08:00

I told my kiddos the only thing I wanted for Christmas was a nice wall portrait of them. Well, I tried. They didn't. Obviously they don't care about mom's Christmas wish. I didn't help that I have laryngitis and couldn't yell at the little darlings. They are totally taking advantage of Mom being without a voice. They just do not take me seriously. Maybe I should just hire a photographer. Or, maybe I should hang one of these on my wall. I know! Let's vote. Please leave a comment with your vote of which image I should enlarge.

Oh, the things I do!!!

2008-12-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

My little Bro ask me to make a special, fun, creative treat for him to take to work. He knows I am so gullible. I stressed an stewed and schemed and came up with this brilliant creation. It was so darling, until it began to melt, just minutes after I assembled the little guy. It was something I did not have time for and as I was frantically building my cheeseball masterpiece, I was thinking of what a waste of time it was. No one would care what it looked like and he would only be devoured. So, before he was totally melted I hurried and snapped a picture.

HO! HO! HO!

2008-12-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

We kicked off the season with a visit to Santa. Only 3 of my 5 "kids" would sit on the big guy's lap. It was great to get to see him and begin our Christmas magic.

Over the Edge

2008-11-28T17:09:00.001-08:00

After dinner on Thanksgiving day, my brother took us rapelling. Yep. We went over the edge of a cliff and then did it again it was so much fun! The kids were naturals! I realize it is much easier for a little person to maneuver their body weight down a rock wall than some us big people. We would all like to do it again and would brave a larger face next time. This excursion was at the Hobbit Caves in Logan Canyon. It's a great way to burn off those extra turkey calories!

Turkey Time!!

2008-11-28T17:05:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at home this year. We had a lovely feast...except that the candied yams caught on fire!!!

We are truly blessed with many things...the best of all are friends and family!

Birthday Babe!

2008-11-20T08:05:00.000-08:00

We are just having such a hard time believing that our baby is 7!!! She is zany and fun and beautiful and we are blessed to have her in our lives. We celebrated with gifts in the morning and a family trip to McDonald's for dinner. She got spoiled rotten, but she is worth every ounce of it.

Just a side note: My memory card in my camera had an error as we were finishing up the big day. I was not able to get the pictures onto my computer and was so sad to think I had lost them. I took the card to Inkley's and they were able to recover the images. Hope you never have this happen, but if you do, don't despair, there is hope to save your precious pics!

Halloween Happenings

2008-11-09T19:49:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween this year. Our highlight was definately the kitty litter cake. Yep, that's it in the pictures. The kids and I made 3 of them this year. We took one to a neighborhood party, and sen the other 2 to work with G and Uncle T. It was a hoot!

The Happiest Place on Earth

2008-11-02T19:57:00.000-08:00

Disneyland was amazing. We all loved our first experience there. We rode all the big rides like Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, California Screamer, Soarin' Over California and Splash Mountain. Hannah rode everything the boys wanted to and giggled the entire time. She was afraid of nothing. The highlight for Dax and Graysen was the Jedi training Academy. Dax conquered Darth Vader and his clone troopers and Graysen battled head to head with Darth Mal. It was awesome! Very happy memories.

California Adventure

2008-11-02T18:46:00.000-08:00

We finally did it! It took us 2 years to save the money to go and it was everything we dreamed it would be.We spent 10 days in California. It really was a blast. Not one of us had been to Disneyland and we enjoyed every bit of it. We also took 4 days to hang out in San Diego. That was awesome! The kids had also never been to the beach. We got to hang out with our favorite Calif. family, the Mendozas. They joined us at Sea World and had us over for dinner and karaoke one evening.We also went to the Wild Animal Kingdom. We enjoyed the up-close animal encounters. It was really the trip of a lifetime.