happy days

Highlights of 2010....a little late

2011-01-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

I'm putting this one first because it's been a HUGE major deal. Dallin FINALLY decided to try out the potty. Not his little training potty....to get it dirty would be just unheard or! But he's finally decided that he can pee and poo in the toilet like a big boy. We've tried for over a year and he finally got it. The reward: a Buzz Lightyear action toy. Well worth it!

We bought another new 4wheeler, so any chance Chris gets he's out pulling the kids on tubes or going for chilly rides in the snow.

Ryan had a sleep test done in the hospital in Pueblo, after which his doctor decided it would be a good idea to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. They did that in April, and Ryan is a new kids now! He has started filling out and gaining weight and looks so much better.

Bailey finished her 2nd year in 4H and Sariah finished her 1st. They both worked really hard and did awesome at the Tri-County Fair in August, Sariah bringing home 1st place and Bailey 3rd place.

We had a very successful tomato garden this year...our first since moving to Colorado. However, we found 6 of these nasty giant worms....known as Tomato Horn Worms. The kids were so excited to take them to school for show and tell. YUCK!

We had a mini high school reunion. Kelly (left) and I actually live 10 minutes from each other and serve in the Relief Society together, but Crystal (center) lives in New Jersey, so it's not often that the three of us get together and reminisce. The kids had a blast too, but I feel aged just looking at my big kids next to their little ones.

Ryan FINALLY decided to try riding his bike without training wheels, which was a pre-requisite to getting to try the motorcycle. He was so excited to finally be able to get on the motorcycle and go, go, go!

My sister (Connie) and her hubby went to the temple in September to be sealed to the fourth of their adopted kids, and we were able to be there. This picture has 13 of my parents 16 grandkids. Taking a picture in front of the font has sort of become tradition too.

And I'm BRACE FREE! Yay!

The Boxcar Children

2010-10-17T21:01:00.000-07:00

We were lucky to have beautiful weather again this Saturday, so I drug the kids out for some pictures. They were hatin' life, that is, until we found this old boxcar/traincar. It's really old and dirty but also really cool, so we HAD to take some pictures by it. I love their serious faces! We could really pull off one of those old western pictures. So they told me when we got back in the car that they are the Boxcar Children. We've read several of the series of books, and it made me laugh when they added: "but we live in a house and only take pictures by the boxcar." Aw, kids!

This too, shall pass.

2010-09-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

It all started....well we don't know exactly when. Just two weeks ago we noticed that our wood floor was showing signs of moisture. We couldn't figure out where it was coming from....we hadn't seen any water anywhere. Turns out the line that connects to our fridge for the ice maker had been leaking underneath the hardwood. For quite some time. The floor was starting to cup (or warp). A restoration company came out a few days later and set up some mats and fans that would supposedly suck the water out of the floor. And it worked for about 3 days.

In the meantime, our washing machine died. We paid a repairman $50.00 for ten minutes and "you need a new washer." Ugh. So a week ago we took of and ran to Pueblo for a new washer and dryer. (Our dryer had been on it's way out for some time, so it seemed like a good time to upgrade.) For a moment we forgot about the kitchen floor and were mesmerized with the quiet new set. Amazing how little water they use...and they sing little jingles!!!

Our fun was short-lived, as two days after that we find out that our oven doesn't heat. It doesn't go higher than 140 degrees. That is also the day the floor guys returned to tear out the floor to find out what's going on. Turns out the fridge has been leaking WAY longer than we had anticipated, and the water damage is WAY worse than originally thought. When they were tearing out the wood floor where the fridge was, they ended up tearing up extra, and luckily, finding that our dishwasher has also been leaking. For awhile! So out that came, and they told us we need a new one. Out came cabinets. And the smell was horrendous! I still can't believe that we couldn't smell that before they took the floor up.

Then Saturday came. Christopher went to the mountains to ride 4wheelers. The floor guys weren't coming, so I had a full day planned of things I wanted to get done. Which included cleaning out the car and washing it and getting the garage all cleaned up so I could park my sparkling car inside. Right. I got it done. But they had a 4wheeling accident. And now, long story short, we have an extra 4wheeler in our garage, and my car IS NOT parked there!!! It's OK though, I'm glad Matt is OK. That's more important anyway than a sparkling car with a place to park inside.

Which brings us to today. I was headed out to the bus stop. The wind was blowing like crazy....haven't seen wind like this in awhile. The dust was so bad in places that the visibility was nearly zero. Suddenly Dallin starts squealing "need to do potty!" and when he's squealing he means like RIGHT NOW! So I hurried and pulled off the road, opened the car door, and WHAM! the wind takes the door and bends it backward. Forget the toddler that needs to go potty. I spent the next five minutes trying to get the car door closed. Then open so I can get back in. Speed over to the bus stop, get the door open again and pull the now screaming toddler out to go potty!

I'm thinking....could anything else go wrong???!!!

and if you guessed yes, then you're right.

We get home from Volleyball, which was awesome, by the way, to find that the wind has picked up the umbrella on our patio set, and in the process has shattered the glass top to the table. Glass everywhere. I'm surprised the trampoline is still there!

Now seriously, what else could go wrong?!

But tonight, as I stood *washing the dishes by hand* and thinking about it all, I reminded myself that at least we're all healthy and functioning. This will pass.....eventually....hopefully. And life will go on. I'm trying to see the positive side in this otherwise I may go crazy!

Or this noisy contraption is going to drive me there! 24/7 of air purifying love. It's kinda nice when the kids are home, I can't hear them arguing and therefore don't feel so stressed about it. Not all bad :)

Fishing

2010-08-19T13:34:00.001-07:00

Christopher, Ryan and Dallin have found a new favorite hobby. It's more Dallin's than Ryan's, who is more of a Wii player and computer guy. But they got away a couple of weeks ago to go fishing. Christopher took Ryan up to Lost Trail Campground and they camped one night and fished the next morning until Ryan (probably Christopher) wanted to come home. They hadn't even unloaded, and Dallin was begging to go fishing. So Christopher piled him in the truck and away they went up to Rock Creek. Now if they could just CATCH something!

Oh, yeah. And I let Ryan sport a mohawk for the weekend. Cool guy!

O What do you do in the summertime?

2010-08-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

Us? Well we spend at least one night in the emergency room every summer! And the lucky guy this year is Ryan. It was 8:30 Saturday night, I was ready to hop in the shower, Chris was asleep, and the kids were watching a movie. A little battle broke out between Dallin and Ryan over a remote control, Dallin threw it at Ryan and it hit him in the back of his head, splitting it open an inch. After 3 hours and 20 minutes in the waiting room, we got home at 1:00 AM with three STAPLES in the back of Ryan's head. UUUGGGHHH!!!

It was almost more than my stomach could handle! Good thing Ryan is such a tough kid!

Go Girls!

2010-08-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

Last week was the Tri-County Fair in Monte Vista. Our girls have been working for months now with their lambs, and were entered in the Market Sheep Division. The entire week was busy, washing the lambs, shearing them, and washing them again. It was a blast!

The little kids weren't much help as far as getting the lambs ready, but they were easily entertained. This is a platform the we put the lambs on to shear them. We just put their heads in the brace and hold them there with the chain. So Dallin and all the other little kids had a blast pretending they were sheep and taking turns shearing one another!

Bailey, Sariah, Angel and Eric were all in the same class. Actually, both of Sariah's lambs were in this class, so we asked another girl to show her other lamb. She is the one in the back with the black and purple plaid shirt on. The judge has them circle the ring a few times and hold their lambs, then when he's ready he lines them up in order from 1st place to last place.

This was soooo exciting! He started lining them up......1st: Sariah, 2nd: Angel, 3rd: Bailey....we could hardly contain our excitement outside the ring!!!

Bailey with her 3rd place ribbon and her lamb "Rocky Bulwinkle."

Sariah with her 1st place ribbons and her lamb "Steamer."

After all the classes have been judged, all first place winners re-enter the ring to compete for Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion. It was exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time. Sariah looked so tiny out there with all those big kids....and big sheep!

The judge said she is so fun to watch. Hmmmm.

And the final show is the Pee-Wee showing where little kids get to enter the ring and be next to those big animals. Dallin held the halter and Sariah helped him lead Steamer around the ring. He got a white ribbon too!

***And where was Ryan you ask? He spent most of the week hanging out at Chris's office watching movies, but the time he actually spent at the fair he spent playing out in the grandstands with a group of little kids. I love fair!

Our summer has consisted of........

2010-08-03T14:52:00.001-07:00

BUILDING A PARADE FLOAT!!!

Yep. I suggested to my sister Kaylene a few years ago that I thought it would be fun to build a parade float for her husband's business. And this year she decided to take me up on that. So in March, we started the planning process: deciding on the layout and colors and then trying to find out where to order supplies and, well, what to order. It's way more involved than we ever imagined! We entered into three separate celebrations: 4th of July in Alamosa, Pioneer Days in Manassa, and Stampede in Monte Vista. Stampede's theme was "Land of Cool Sunshine" so we based our float on that theme, which also fit the 4th of July theme of "American Heroes." The land of cool sunshine is the nickname for the San Luis Valley, so we used three of the things our valley is well known for: The Mountains, The Sandhill Cranes, and High Desert Farming. Perfect since we were building it for the John Deere tractor companies in the area.

Luckily, we had Bailey (and Sariah) there to help with Karly, Kaylene's baby. They are already excellent babysitters!!!

We started out building our tractor at Christopher's office, then moving it to Kaylene's house to add the foil and paint. Here, Jaelyn is adding foil to the tractor's body while Marissa watches.

Our cranes are made of paper mache, then propped onto iron legs and bases. My dad was so much help. He tried to convince us that he didn't think we could build a float and that our cranes wouldn't stand, but with his welding skills, our cranes were built to not go anywhere! And he loved every minute of helping us!

Once the tractor was completely covered with foil, we had to spray paint it John Deere green. We weren't able to find any companies that carried the right color of green, and it wouldn't have been right to make our tractor any other color!

Each piece of foil had to be crinkled before it was stapled to the platform. And on the floor we used gausimer over the top to give it more depth. The gausimer also had to be bunched and stapled into place.

The Mountains. *SIGH* They were a beast to build. It took is all day one day just to build the mountains and get them foiled. But they turned out awesome!

Almost done. Since we had never done this before, and weren't sure if we had enough foil and what we'd cover the edges with, we saved them for last. Turns out we had plenty of white, which turned out to be the best color for that area anyway.

PARADE TIME!!!

We had silver foil underneath the green gausimer, which made our "grass" sparkle. We used GOLD foil underneath the brown 'dirt' gausimer, implying the 'money' in the soil.

OOPS!

A minor accident after the second parade turned out to be deadly for our mountains. Our driver (accidently) didn't open the garage door far enough, and backed our mountains right into the door. It loosened the bolts that anchored our mountains just enough to make the whole thing wobbly. We had to drive the float from Manassa to Monte Vista, about 45 miles. We did fine until we got just 8 miles outside of Monte Vista, and it started pouring rain, and our mountains blew completely off the float!!! So Kaylene and I were out on the highway picking up bolts and mountains off the road.....lovely sight! I should mention that we went no faster than 20 miles per hour, so that 45 miles went REALLY SLOW!!!!! No worries....we spent the next two days repairing (aka rebuilding) our mountains to have it ready in time for Stampede.

*******************

We ended up winning "Best of Show" in the 4th of July Parade, which is the highest award, and we also won the "Stampede Award" in the Stampede Parade, which we believe is 2nd place. Not bad for our first float.....just watch out next year. We learned a ton and we're coming back armed with experience!

*******************

That's a BIG tree!

2010-07-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we loaded up the 4-wheelers and headed up to the mountains. We've read about the biggest tree in the Rio Grande Forest and we wanted to find it. We get there, unload, eat lunch and take off on what we believe to be the trail that leads to the tree. It's a steep one, otherwise I may have stopped to take pictures. I was too busy trying to stay on the trail and keep us alive! We passed through two gates and got quite a way into the forest and it started pouring rain! So we turned around and headed back as quick as we could (or I dared) to get back to the pickup. By the time we got back we were soaked. (We may as well have kept going.) So we waited in the pickup for a bit, until the rain let up a little, and drove over to use the restrooms. It was then that we noticed a little sign (I should have taken a picture of it!) that points to the trail to the tree. It's not an ATV trail.....it's a hiking trail. So we started up and finally found the tree. I believe it's more than the 1/3 mile hike the sign claims it to be, and it's VERY uphill! But here it is: The Largest Douglas Fir Tree in the Rio Grande Forest!!!

Poor Dallin was so tired! Christopher carried most of the way back down, and it rained most of the way down too! We LOVE the Colorado Mountains!

Track and Field Day

2010-06-13T19:57:00.001-07:00

It's been nearly a month since school got out, but it has super busy so I haven't kept up with everything, or anything! The last day of school is always a track and field day, and I love it! All the kids get ribbons just for participating. This year, Bailey took third in the softball throw, Sariah took second in the frisbee toss, and Ryan took third in the shoe kick. All of the events are totally fair because they don't require much, if any athletic ability. But it's fun to watch the kids play and get so excited and to feel the excitement in the air to start summer break.

As requested....the after...

2010-05-04T09:38:00.001-07:00

Many have asked when I'm going to post pictures of the new paint in our house. Sorry, there's alot of pictures and this is probably pretty boring to most, but I worked hard for three months to get it all done....and I didn't have any help (cause I'm kind of a perfectionist and prefer to do it all) so I'm giving you pics of everything.

The entire house was what I'm calling "smoker's yellow" before. There's not a huge difference now in the living room and dining room, except it's not yellowish anymore. This color is called Tinder Box with Malted Silk accent walls. I plan to do a "family tree" wall above the chair at the end of the room...but that's still in progress.

I actually painted the kitchen twice because I thought I knew what I wanted and then decided I was wrong. This green matches the pillows and throws in the living room and the rugs in the dining room.

Yes, that is a lovely propane heater right there in the dining room wall. I really don't like where it is and how it looks, but I've grown pretty fond of it on the cold mornings. It's instant heat! And Christopher built the awesome shelves.

The master bedroom. I love it! All except the fact that the bedding doesn't fit...it's much too small. I got this room painted the day before our new bedroom set was delivered!

The master bathroom. I used the Malted Silk in both bathrooms and love how it turned out!

This is looking down the hallway. I love how the trim stands out against the walls. I originally had painted the trim white, but after a few days decided that wouldn't be a good idea with four kids rubbing on it all the time. So I started again with the dark brown.

The kids/main bathroom. The only window is in the shower, so I made a white shower curtain that would filter the light in but still allow the privacy in the shower.

The boys' room. I ended up making their comforters because I couldn't find any I liked that was reasonably affordable and matched. The star was moved in from the living room and the accent pillows also. This room just sort of fell together and ended up perfect!

And the girls' room. They argued about what color: Sariah loves pink and Bailey is all blue. So I decided on this color....it's a dark pink and matched the bedding set perfectly. The "lovely" pink chest will eventually match the rest of the furniture, but they love it no matter what. It was given to them by Grandpa Teem.

So that's it. I may not look like much, but I still can't believe the difference it has made. The old walls were soooooo dirty and they had been painted with flat paint in smoker's yellow. I think this is definately in improvement!

Dallin.....in heaven

2010-04-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

Spring is such a fun time of year. I love taking the kids over to my parent's house to see the baby lambs. So a few weeks ago I went to help with testing at the school and couldn't take Dallin. I left him with my dad and brother, farming. I was totally expecting to come back and he'd be ready to go right away and not even look back. But I was pleasantly surprised. Dallin is a little animal lover. He especially loved this little white orphan lamb. There were others that he would pet, but he kept going back to this one. There was even one that jumped out of its pen and ran to him, and he put it right back in the pen. He was a bit scared of the black lambs though.

And boy did he feel so big when he got to help Grandpa bottle feed one of the lambs. I thought it was so cute how he helped hold the bottle with one hand, and petted the lamb's ear with the other hand. I kept asking if he was ready to go, and he would just ignore me and walk the other way. Finally, something Dallin is willing to do without me right there!

Poor Ryan!!!

2010-04-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

Ryan has had breathing problems pretty much since he was born, I think. And multiple ear infections. And he catches every bug that goes around. Anyway, about 4 months ago we noticed that he stopped breathing at night while asleep. So his pediatrician set him up for a sleep exam at St. Mary Corwin Hospital in Pueblo. We took the family over, and Chris and the other three kids spent the night in a hotel while Ryan and I spent the night in the hospital. It took the nurse about 1 1/2 hours to get him all hooked up to the wires and machines before she turned off the lights and said goodnight. Serious business....no T.V. or anything. Their study showed that Ryan stopped breathing four times that night, and that he snored very loud. And when he was asleep, he was thrashing his legs around alot. So they sent us to an Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist.

I can't remember the exact number, but the nurse said she would be attaching over 50 wires to various places on his body to monitor his sleep.

You can't really see it, but he has a clamp on his right finger that monitored his heartbeat. He will keep that clamp forever!

So we went to the E.N.T. Specialist, and she recommended that we have his tonsils and adenoids removed. This past Monday and Tuesday, Ryan, Dallin and I along with Grandma and Grandpa Teem, went to Pueblo and Ryan went into surgery.

Ryan was bugged when they handed him his little gown. He said "Oh great! Now I'm gonna look like a little girl in these purple and blue stars!"

And this is the face I got when I first saw him after surgery. He was upset because when asked, he had requested orange tape for his I.V. But they used purple. The Dr. said that his tonsils were slightly enlarged, his adenoids were huge, and that they drained fluid from his ears but he didn't need tubes in his ears. All went well.

He's doing well now. The medicine keeps him pretty drowzy, but if you know Ryan, nothing keeps him from playing the Wii. He's pretty sore and emotional and quiet, but I'm looking forward to having little busy Ryan back. We love you Ryan!!!

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-14T10:56:00.000-08:00

Each year I walk through the store looking at Valentines, and each year I decide that we can come up with something better. This year's idea came from http://www.familyfun.com/. Little mp3 players with playlists that include songs of our choice. It was perfect. This is how we spent our entire afternoon last Sunday....putting them together. I'm glad I let the kids help and didn't do it all myself as I had originally planned. If you'd like to have the material list and more info, check out my other blog at http://www.glennaclayton.blogspot.com/.

MEOW

2010-01-19T14:06:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has seen Spongebob will most definately get a kick out of this. So Dallin got Spongebob bath stuff for Christmas, and all the other kids have been begging to use it. On
Sunday evening, Sariah was going through the bathroom and found the temp tattoos that
I had stuck on the top shelf (for a reason!). She got Dallin and Ryan in there with her, and
when they came out, Ryan had Spongebob on his cheek, Dallin had Gary on his cheek, and
Sariah had Patrick on her arm. Anyway, the funny part. Dallin kept meowing! It was so
funny. On Monday, when the older kids were at school, Dallin would climb up on the table
where I was working and just grab at my stuff. Conversation went something like this:

Mom: Dallin, please don't play with the scissors.
Dallin: They're mine!
Mom: No, they're mine, and they're sharp.
Dallin: I want them!
Mom: Gary, what do you want to do?
Dallin (immediately losing interest in scissors): MEOW!

Everytime I called him Gary, it would bring the battle of the moment to a stand still, and he
would start meowing. I caught on to that quickly, and the future battles were less frustrating!

Terrified!!!

2010-01-03T21:01:00.001-08:00

Well, I got a fancy new church calling.....RS PRESIDENT!!! WHAT??!! That's what I thought when the bishop first extended the calling. But I've got a fabulous group of women as my counselors/secretary and I'm really excited to see what is in the future. Today being the first Sunday of the month was my turn, my 1st turn to teach the lesson. Talk about terrified! We are so lucky to have a wonderful group of teachers, which only makes it more stressful to teach. But we also have an amazing group of sisters in our ward that are soooo supportive and loving. I think I may be able to handle this......

A plug for Jaelyn.......

2009-11-11T08:52:00.000-08:00

This is just a plug for my cute sister Jaelyn who is thinking about/trying to get a little business started doing floral arrangements. She's got an eye for this, and I think she does a beautiful job. She put this wreath and centerpiece together for me for our new house this fall. I LOVE THEM!! She would love some business......hint hint!

As promised......the inside

2009-11-11T08:39:00.001-08:00

I've finally found the time to take a few quick pictures of the inside of our house. I can't wait until I can start painting and decorating like I want to.

This is the master bedroom.....

This is probably my favorite room in the house right now, most likely because it is the only one with any pictures. I LOVE the hardwood floors!

Another favorite room....because I love the carpet and the wood stove and our furniture fits so nicely. And it's always warm in the family room.

And the kitchen.....designed by a man I've decided because there is so little counter space, so little cupboard space, and the pantry is approximately two feet by two feet. Still a nice space with those nice hardwood floors.

Mama's Little Helper

2009-11-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

Dallin is such a good helper......sometimes too good! I didn't know how much attention he paid to me doing my random things around the house. Then I came into the kitchen and found him filling the detergent cup......with Malt-O-Meal!!! It was everywhere, and it made an enormous mess. So I told him that that was Mommy's job and he shouldn't do that again. The next night, I walk in and he's doing it again, only this time he actually used the Electrasol. And he's only two and a half! What's he going to be doing when he's five?!

Halloween!!

2009-11-10T14:13:00.000-08:00

A little late, but here's a picture of our rambunctious crew. Bailey was a nurse, Sariah a witch, Ryan was an Indian Chief, and Dallin a dog. We went ALL OUT this year, trick-or-treating through the businesses in town on Friday, then the family and neighborhoods on Saturday. I love Halloween!!!

A Place of our Own.....

2009-10-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting some pictures taken of our new house.....starting with the outside. We fell in love with the trees and grass and pretty much everything outside. I really like the patio in the back yard. Fits our grill and outdoor stuff perfectly.

Ryan especially likes the leaves. Rather, he can't wait until we get a "leaf" rake so he can rake up all the leaves and then jump into them. Right now he doesn't mind using a shop broom.

And this is Dallin's "elephant." A piece of driftwook with a long piece that sticks up into the air...must be the trunk. Anyway, he doesn't like anyone messin' with his elephant.

This is the backyard with the brick patio....LOVE IT! And a lovely white propane tank too!

And this is the house from the street.

More of the inside to come AFTER Halloween....right now I need to work on costumes!

Camera shy? I think NOT!

2009-10-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

Dallin loves to be the focus of the camera. And he'll do pretty much anything to be the focus. So Chrisopher gave him a Warhead candy and told him to look at me. What a cutie, huh?!

PeeWee Volleyball

2009-10-19T13:26:00.001-07:00

I had the "opportunity" this year to coach PeeWee Volleyball for Bailey's team. We had six third graders and 2 fourth graders. It was so fun to watch them. At the beginning of the season the girls had pretty much NO clue what to do, other than stand and wait for the ball to come directly to the exact spot where they were standing, and then they would hit it. After five weeks and 10 games, eight of which we won (!!!) they have a much better understanding of the game, and their skills are coming. I had such a blast!

Minor Accident

2009-10-16T12:33:00.001-07:00

Ugh. It was a rough week (two weeks ago). I started off Monday morning with a traffic citation from a State Trooper. Got pulled over for speeding 51 in a 40. But the citation was for Misuse of a Child Restraint. I strapped Dallin into his carseat that morning, but apparantly I did it wrong: the chest buckle was two inches too low!!! $87.00 fine!!!

Then on Wednesday, we were headed to Saguache for a volleyball game. I pulled into a gas station to get the kids something to drink. Didn't notice the little red pole sticking up out of the ground on the passenger side. When I was ready to leave, a car had pulled in behind me and was in no hurry to leave, like I was. So I did a sharp right turn and started backing up, and nearly tore the bumper off our Suburban. That wasn't what made me the maddest.....it was the three older men standing out there laughing- I just wanted to kick them!!! So another $400.00.

I've had enough!

Frustrated

2009-10-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

I love to take photos of our kids, and each year have forgone the school portraits that are way overpriced, and taken pictures of the the kids at random places. This year was no different, except for the fact that my AWESOME camera died last spring, and I am desperately missing it. This new one just doesn't compare. But I took a few, and posted them. I'm thinking a new fancy camera is definately in order.........

A Busy Life!

2009-10-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

Again no pictures to post, but plenty to say! The past month as been so hectic! We just bought a new house, need I say more?! Which means we also moved into a new school district and a new ward. The ward....no problem. But I'm not ready to change schools. So I get up at 5:30 every morning (I know, I know, poor me!) to be ready when I wake the kids at 6:15 so we can leave at 6:45 to make it to the bus stop by 7:15. It's crazy, but not near as tiring as I thought it would be. I love our little school district out in the middle of nowhere. The staff is awesome, the principal is super. Now that we're moved in, I may find more time to take some pics of our pretty house and post them.

New Music....

2009-09-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we got the new Hannah Montana: The Movie from Netflix. I knew the girls would love it, but what I didn't know was that Christopher, Ryan, Dallin and myself would also love it. We are a very music oriented family, so anything music related really catches our eyes. I was especially grateful that the movie was appropriate for our entire family (thank you Disney) and that we could all sit comfortably together and watch it. Thus, I had to change our blog music.....enjoy!

Back to School...

2009-08-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that summer is already over! It feels like it just started....also considering I spent a good portion of it with a cast on my leg. But the kids have been so excited to go back to school. Bailey is in third grade, Sariah is in second, and Ryan started Kindergarten this year. I could barely get them to pause long enough to take their picture before we headed into the school.

Bargains Galore!

2009-08-18T21:34:00.003-07:00

I love a good bargain...and I know where to find them. Every year in Minturn Colorado (ten minutes from Vail) they have a giant rummage sale. The residents of Vail donate their used goods for the cause, and all proceeds benefit charities and the Eagle Rock Community Fund. So every year, I pile in the car with my sisters (and this year I took Bailey and Sariah) and we drive three hours to rummage through endless piles of anything to find that treasure that we're seeking.

This is just looking into the building from the end of the hall. There are about 12 large rooms in this building that are piled high with stuff. That's not counting the hallways, where more is piled and hung. This picture was taken at the end of the day, so the crowds had left for the day, but earlier in the day there were hundreds of people crowded into the hallway and the rooms.

And this is just a fraction of what is outside....everything from furniture (you name the piece and they have it) to vehicles and dishwashers, swingsets, etc. Of course, this year we hauled a trailer all the way to Minturn, so we weren't going to leave without a piece of furniture. I ended up buying a dresser and file cabinet, both in pretty good condition. (It's only a bargain if it's usable.)

This is in the coat/hat room. Again, piles of hats and gloves and all sorts of winter wear, and racks full of coats, jackets, and some of the ugliest snowsuits EVER! This is where the fun begins. We try on everything....and you should see the looks we get!
This is my adorable sister Shauna in the jeans/sweater room. She has just scored by finding the "Interesting Blue Jeans" rack. (It was actually labeled that way!) Some of them were cute, I ended up with a pair of Banana Republic Trouser jeans for $8.00!
SWEET!!! My sweet sister Connie totally got the medal for finding the ugliest things, and then putting them on and making us all laugh until our sides were splitting. This coat is pretty bad, but I think her "Eye of the Tiger" coat was worse....it was black and had "eyes" on it like the male pheasants do. SO HILARIOUS!
And I found some pretty awesome hats for the kids to wear this winter when we go sledding. They are something I had never seen before....but I tried them on and decided that each of my kids had to have one. You can't really tell, but the fold down flap goes all the way around the back of the neck to keep the cold air out. SCORE!!!

Yep, another successful year at the "Vail Sale." I always come away excited for the next year!

Swimming....yeehaw!!!

2009-08-14T11:43:00.001-07:00

We may live out in the middle of nowhere, but we do live only 15 miles from the only swimming pool in the valley that is open regularly and is a natural hot springs...they actually have to cool the water down to make it the right tempurature for swimming. So we purchased a 3 month pass this summer and made it well worth the money. I really wanted to teach the three older kids how to swim....and I think we succeeded with the girls. Ryan does OK, but he still uses the little arm floaties. They were so excited when I finally gave them the go ahead for jumping off the diving board. And Dallin got used to the yellow baby tube. The pool also has a little waterslide that the kids love!!!

Good Job, Bailey!!!

2009-08-14T11:29:00.001-07:00

Last week was the Tri-County Fair in Monte Vista. Bailey was so excited to show her lamb, Johnny. We had to check in on Tuesday, and her show wasn't until Thursday, so we had plenty of time to get Johnny ready. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of us shearing....that was a sight. But this is Bailey washing him before the show. Dawn dish soap works well! It was amazing to see how clean he actually got, and what a difference it made.

This is Bailey holding on to Johnny in the show....he weighed in at 114 pounds, and was in a class with seven other market lambs. Just as they entered the ring, Johnny tore away from her and ran off....so Bailey ended up having lots of help to keep him standing. Poor girl....she was so embarrassed that she cried the whole time. But Johnny got third place in this class and we learned so much.

And this is the night of the Junior Livestock Auction. Bailey kept the halter on this time to avoid any embarassing moments. She ended up getting $800.00 for him....and has said that she can't wait for next year. Good job Bailey, we are so proud of you!!!

The Random Side of Things

2009-07-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

Dallin is always coming out of his room with whacky things.....and this one was too cute to pass! He was pretending to be a scary monster. Funny thing was, the mask was too big, so he'd run up and growl, and Christopher would just tug the mask down a bit, and Dallin's eyes would be covered...so he would pull it all off, scold Christopher, and proceed to start all over again. What a clown!

Bailey is old enough this year to be in 4-H, so we enrolled her in Market Sheep Production. She has loved going to the meetings and actually got voted in as the reporter for her 4H group. Since fair is less than a month away, we've (I mean she's) been working with her lamb a lot trying to get him ready for the fair. It is so cute to watch her walking her lamb....and he (she named him Johnny) responds really well to her. I'm getting excited to see how it all turns out!

Sariah is our "girly girl" and loves to dress up.....apparantly she loves to dress her brother up too. But usually he's not a willing participant. So we had to get a quick picture when she pulled Ryan into the kitchen to show off the trophy: Ryan in pink ballerina pajamas! He was trying to act shy and embarrassed, but I could tell he was loving every minute of it just like Sariah was!

This is my ankle about a week ago, after a long day at the pool. There has been some speculation as to which ankle I broke, and a softball team we played against this week actually thought that my right leg looked atrophied. Well, my right leg is honestly not that SKINNY...and it's the good leg. My left leg is still a bit swollen, but I'll take that over crutches anyday!

We came home from swimming the other day, and after a quick bath and a fresh diaper, Dallin told me "I tired." So I let him lay there while I finished up some things, and when I came back, he had fallen asleep and Bailey had brought his pillow out and put it under his head to make him comfy. I just love watching him sleep....and it takes less energy than when he's awake.

Make new friends, but keep the OLD....

2009-07-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

One is silver and the other GOLD.

I always enjoy catching up with old friends...and by "old" I mean from the past! We are certainly NOT old!!! Ok, so Crystal lives in NJ and only comes to visit once every great while...so we always try to get together when she does. (The rest of us settled right here in the good ol' SLV!) This time we met at the best Mexican food restaurant in town and wrestled kids while chatting about our busy lives. It was so fun! Next time, I think the park might be a better meeting place; then the kids can have room to run and play AND we can talk!

Crystal holding her little Rebekah, Kelly holding Crystal's Robert, and me with my four wild ones!

Kelly's little ones were spending the day with Grandma!

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

This year for the fourth of July, we went camping at Cathredal Campground. What an adventure! Friday, Christopher and Jared (Shauna's hubby) decided to go on a four-wheeler ride. Four hours later they returned dirty and tired.....after a VERY long ride.

(They got lost!) In the meantime, Shauna and I kept the kids busy with a scavenger hunt, finding firewood, and eventually building a campfire....and yes, we did get a fire going! Saturday we watched the kids ride the motorcycles around the loop, and then decided we HAD to try it ourselves. Ryan is our accident prone child, and he proved that right when he stuck his chin on the propane lantern when it was HOT. Then, rather than cry knowing he would get into trouble for playing with the lantern, he just rubbed at it really quick, and took the SKIN off of his chin. It proved just how weak my stomach is.....Shauna had to care for it!

All in all, it was a blast!

David and his girly Racheal came up Saturday morning for a couple of hours to hang out with us, and Jaelyn and Stanton showed up with their family in the afternoon.

2009-07-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity last week to go to the temple with Connie and Jacob and their family to be sealed. It was so neat! When we came outside, all the kids were waiting with Uncle Jimmy. This is 13 of the 14 grandkids (we didn't realize that Blake was asleep in the Visitors Center).

After several attempts at a good picture with all of them looking, we let them play for a few minutes in the water.

After lunch, we decided to go to Cliff's Amusement Park. What a blast! Six hours of rides and fun, and the weather was perfect. It rained (light rain) for awhile, and then just stayed cloudy. The kids each had their favorite ride, and so did the BIG kids!

(Right to left: Ryan and cousins Caitlin and Marissa on the Frog Hopper. They rode over and over and over...)

(Front to back: cousin Angel, Bailey, cousin Dynae, and Sariah on the Log Ride; they also rode over and over and over....)

(Dallin on the Carousel.....just his speed with no quick jerks or loud music.)

Daddy has taught them well...

2009-07-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

I was in the garage cleaning out the suburban, and realized I couldn't hear the kids. So I walked outside, and found them all washing their bikes and wagon. Christopher always washes his four-wheeler when it gets a little dirty, so I guess they thought they would do the same. It was so cute. And they were all sharing the hose and rags so nicely. Made me proud!

Back in Business...

2009-06-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

We bought a new camera, and had to try it out. And we have two willing candidates for posing.

Yes, this is our family monkey. This boy never sits up straight!

Dang it...I need a new camera!

2009-06-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

So I was about to take a picture of the graduation cake I made for Jimmy's party, and got sidetracked by Dallin licking the beaters. I took his picture first, and suddenly the camera died. It is dead. Doesn't want to turn on or anything. AAGGHH! So I'll scrimp and save and hopefully in the meantime I won't miss too much of life's happenings!

I miss them already!!!

2009-05-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

Bailey and Sariah have been so excited for this day to come. They left this morning at 5:00 for Grandma and Grandpa Clayton's house in Idaho, where they will spend two weeks without mom and dad and brothers. We gave them little cameras to take plenty of pictures of all the fun things they do while there. I know they're going to have a blast, but I miss them already!!!

These are some old pictures of the girls.....aren't they adorable?!

Dallin loves Sister Schmittel's spaghetti!

2009-05-20T23:10:00.001-07:00

We are so blessed! With my recent injury, we have had numerous meals brought in so I wouldn't have to cook dinner. Among them is Sister Schmittel's spaghetti, which Dallin loves! He asks for it for lunch and dinner, and then again before bed. We actually ran out of it several days ago, so I've been substituting lasagna that Shauna and Jared brought, but he still eats it. I don't know what I'll do when that's gone tomorrow.

I'd like to thank everyone that has offered their kindness. Many meals have been brought over, and my dear mom came and swept and mopped my floors (major relief!) and many others have called to ask if they could pick something up at the store or take the kids. It is so nice to know that we are loved, and that we have someone to turn to in time of need. Thanks!!!

I'm feeling old and brittle!

2009-05-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

OK. We had our first softball game last Tuesday, the 12th. I have been so super-excited to play this year because Connie and I put a team together with a whole bunch of really fun girls. So our first game, I decide to slide at second base. It was the second time that night. And my right foot went over the top of the base, but my left foot hit the edge of the base and I felt AND heard a snap, and then pain! I knew it was broken. Luckily, Michelle, David and Jared were there and hauled me off the field and to the ER. I'm so sad that I won't be able to really play softball this year! Oh well. I'm sure I'll get caught up on the scrapbook and sewing again.

FYI

The doctor says I'm young and healthy, and if I'm careful for the next four weeks, I shouldn't need surgery. It's a "borderline break" meaning that I could easily bump it and cause it to shift resulting in the need for surgery. My fibula is broken in two places, diagonal breaks rather than straight across, which also makes for more chance of surgery. So I'm being careful!

Spring Break fun!

2009-04-07T12:57:00.001-07:00

Just a few pictures from our fun trip to Idaho last week!

Congrats....Michelle and James!!!

2009-03-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to shout out a happy hooray for my sister Michelle who just got engaged Sunday to her honey James. I've known him since high school, and I approve! All us sisters are so excited to help organize a dream wedding!

SO BIG!

2009-03-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Dallin is getting so big. He wants to do everything. Today, I was sewing and had the phone by me. Dallin climbed up, grabbed the phone and said "mine." I said "No, it's actually mine." His reply: "No, ihs acshee mine." It was soooo cute! So one night, Christopher was shaving, and Dallin thought he'd like to try. So Christopher lathered him up and we took a picture. What a SWEET HEART!

SAN DIEGO.....YAHOO!!

2009-02-15T22:47:00.000-08:00

Christopher and I got to spend five days in beautiful San Diego the first week of February! It was soooooo fun! We flew out of the Alamosa airport (spooky) on a little puddle jumper plane, into Denver, then from Denver to San Diego. The plants there are so awesome. The palm trees....wow! After attempting to check into our hotel, we decided to go to the beach. It was warm, and people were out in their summer clothes (or lack of). I have never seen the ocean before, and can't believe how it just goes on forever. How pretty. I can see why some people spend so much time at the beach! It is totally relaxing!

We stayed at the Bahia Resort Hotel at Mission Bay, and had a stunning view right out the back patio...the ferry pictured gave free "bay tours" on Friday and Saturday evenings to hotel guests. Unfortunately, it was reserved for a company retreat, so we didn't get to do the tour. But our view was so cool! And the beach was right there!!!Our room is the one furthest left on the bottom floor by the big trees.
We visited Disneyland, but didn't really get any cool pictures because there's no flash photography allowed. It was so fun, though. We also went to Sea World, and that was a bit disappointing considering the entrance fee, but it was still fun and we saw some cool sea creatures.

Um, the magnifying glass is to help ya get a better view of the little fishies, Christopher!

I always thought the starfish and sea cucumbers were hard even when alive, but they're not! They're actually soft and a little squishy.

The killer whales weren't in the mood for visitors. They just kind of floated around and it was hard to get a good picture of them.

Now the dolphins....how cute! This one had a football that he was playing with. He would go under the water, then pop up, get the ball in his mouth, take it under, then pop up and let it fly through the air. We watched the dolphins for about fifteen minutes, and he played this game the entire time!

Thank goodness for GPS! We got from point A to point B without any problems. I told Christopher that we didn't even need half a brain to travel around San Diego with GPS. It tells ya every little detail. "Exit on the right in 1.2 miles on...."

Unfortunately, the San Diego Temple was closed for cleaning so we weren't able to go in, but the rain stopped just long enough for us to set up the camera and take a couple of pictures. It's amazing how peaceful the temple grounds are considering that it is right next to the freeway!

Welcome aboard the USS Midway! We toured a retired aircraft carrier, and it was so cool. I can't believe the things can even float on water because they're so big! And the living conditions of the crew were very....interesting. (Kinda gross.)

And this is the car we drove all over! A Dodge Charger! Cool car! OK, well, I didn't drive; just Christopher did....but it was cool to ride in too!

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY DALLIN!

2009-01-27T21:55:00.001-08:00

Ohhhhhh....I cannot believe Dallin is already turning 2! He us sooooo fun and such a cutie. His latest words are: chocate (chocolate), bumcorn (popcorn), waha dive (wanna drive, usually what he cries when we're ready to walk out the door to leave), whes Rhan (where's Ryan), waha bass (want a bath) and so much more. Oh, and I hungy (I'm sure you can figure that one out). That one is very, very, very common! Oh Dallin, you're such a joy. We love you so much!

Bailey lost her first tooth!

2009-01-27T21:50:00.001-08:00

Yaaaaay!!! Finally....Bailey lost a tooth. We were beginning to get worried that something might be wrong. But Saturday the 24th, after biting into her lunch, Bailey said her tooth hurt. That's all it took, and daddy was on alert. :) He pestered her and bribed her with his yo-yo until she finally let him pull it, and then she kept the tissue in her mouth for a 1/2 hour until it "stopped bleeding." I just love those monumental milestones!

I'm a pushover!

2009-01-20T11:07:00.000-08:00

Yep, I'm a pushover....at times. We went to Pueblo for the weekend, and while walking through the mall the girls decided that they wanted their ears pierced. I really thought they would chicken out once we got there, but they didn't. Thanks to the little girl in line in front of us, they saw that it doesn't hurt. The little girl didn't even flinch. So instead of getting to get a new shirt, or toy or something else, they both decided to get their ears pierced. Oh, the drama!

I'm bugged!

2009-01-13T22:02:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know that our family picture doesn't fit into the box at the top, and it's really bugging me! I cannot figure out how to fix it. Give me time, and maybe some advice?! It'll get fixed, I promise!

Christmas Break........aagghhh!

2009-01-12T13:03:00.000-08:00

Dallin and Ryan love to wear hats, especially their daddy's. So Christopher went and rounded up some hats for them. Dallin picked the Clayton Trucking hat because he love trucks (he calls them tractors). And Ryan picked the black Hill Bros. hat, also a trucker hat. Yep, they're daddy's boys!

And while the boys are finding hats...the girls are taking care of Uncle David's little Dachsund puppy Mimi. This little dog spent a week with us and we were ready to give her back when the time came! What a job!!!

The kids sure had fun playing with her, though!

Bailey's Baptism

2009-01-12T12:58:00.000-08:00

Our "little" Bailey was baptized on December 27, 2008. She was so excited!

Bailey also got to give her first official, not Primary program related, talk about her feelings the night of her baptism. She did that on January 10, 2009.

Congrats, Bailey! We love you so much!

I'm so excited for Connie and Jacob!

2008-12-27T23:26:00.000-08:00

My dear sweet sister Connie and her hubby Jacob have truly had an interesting year. Early November 2007 they welcomed into their home three adorable children. After 14 grueling months and alot of tears, they are finally at the end of the foster care, beginning of the adoption finalization. We were beginning to wonder if it would ever actually be totally final....and maybe I shouldn't get too excited until it is, but I am so excited for them. Yes, they have a long road ahead, but this is an opportunity that many of us wouldn't take, and definately wouldn't be blessed by. Connie and Jacob, you are so amazing. And Eric, Angel and Toby, we love you and are so happy to have join our happy crew!

The Teem Family 2008

2008-12-27T23:18:00.000-08:00

I love taking pictures. My family tries to take a picture every year at Christmas time because our growing family changes so much each year. So....this year we went all out. We all dressed up in our Christmas best, and gathered at the church building (cause it's the only place with enough area for all of us). Most of the men were grumbling...but just fifteen minutes and this is what we came out with. I LOVE them!

O Christmas Tree

2008-12-05T23:30:00.000-08:00

Oh, I was stressed this year, trying to get the tree up and lights on it. The kids were so excited, and were pretty much jumping off the walls. When I was finally ready, I gave the go ahead, saying "use them all" and they did! Every ornament they could find is now on our overloaded tree, but they are so proud that I don't have the heart to re-do it like I have in years past. I'm going to leave it. Good thing I didn't get out all the ornaments!

You're Not Shy!!!

2008-12-05T23:02:00.000-08:00

Dallin loves to sing! He has the little Leapfrog Animal Sounds fridge magnet set, and spends alot of time sitting by the fridge singing with it. He's getting the hang of how it works, and knows how to make it play certain songs. He was singing to his little hearts content this morning, and I decided to snap a quick picture of it...and surprised him. This turned into a cute little game of Peek-a-boo.

School Christmas Concert 2008

2008-12-05T22:55:00.001-08:00

This past Thursday evening was our school's PK - 12th grade Christmas Concert. Ryan sang with the preschool class, and did an awesome job. Those PKers are not shy! Sariah sang with the K/1st grade group, and did a beautiful job. And Bailey sang with her 2nd grade class. It was so fun to watch them and hear them sing their little hearts out!

Sorry, we cannot figure out how to get our camera to agree with the flourescent lighting in the gymnasium. We do what we can!

Bundled up for fun!

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

It started snowing on Thanksgiving, and the next morning, we took advantage! We all bundled up and headed out for some sledding. Sariah is a little daredevil. She loves to test her limits. Bailey and Ryan like to take it easy and, well, stay on the sled. Dallin HATED the sled, and much preferred the four-wheeler. After a while, I took over driving/pulling, and Christopher joined the kids on the sled. Sorry, it's too hard to hold Dallin and drive AND take a picture, so we didn't get any fun shots of Christopher riding. It was a blast, and after a few hours, we had to go in and warm up. The kids pants and coats were soaked!

He is just the sweetest little guy!

2008-12-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

Dallin was being a super crank a couple of nights ago when we sat down to eat dinner. He started throwing food and screaming, then in a fit of anger he climbed down off his chair, lay down on the floor, and within seconds was asleep. It was so cute! However, when I picked him up to move him to the couch, he woke up and screamed for the next few hours. This is why Dallin HAS to have an afternoon nap!

2008-11-12T15:33:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we decided to drive up to the mountains west of us to take our family pictures. There wasn't much snow where this picture was taken, but there was a breeze blowing and it was so cold! After finishing up at this spot, we drove into South Fork, a small retirement town for lunch. Rather than stop for lunch, Christopher kept driving. We passed Wolf Creek Ski Resort, stopped again at another (better) spot to take more pictures, and eventually ended up in Pagosa Springs. I guess there is an old country song about truckin' and going over Wolf Creek Pass into downtown Pagosa. So Christopher told me on the way home that he can cross that adventure off of his "bucket list."

I'm not sharing the family pictures we took until we get our Christmas card ready to send out! Guess you'll have to wait!

Happy 8th Birthday, Bailey!

2008-11-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe that it was eight years ago (on Thursday) that Bailey was born! She has grown up so fast and is such a beautiful girl. She is such a good helper with Dallin, and loves to read to Sariah and Ryan. What a good big sister, and such a joy to have in our home. Happy Birthday, Bailey. We Love You!

Pop cans, galore!

2008-10-31T22:47:00.001-07:00

I decided it would be a good idea to teach our kids the importance of keeping our earth clean by not littering (they didn't believe me that one could get a pretty hefty ticket if caught littering). So one day while out on a four-wheeler ride, we decided to start picking up all the pop cans we found. I knew that we could take them for recycling, and that the kids would be compensated for the time. (They were so bugged that I wouldn't let them pick up the glass and other garbage, too.) So we went a mile in each direction from our house, and ended up with about six garbage bags full of cans. Only cans! I couldn't believe it! We took them to the recycling center, and after waiting for over an hour, we were given a check for our cans. Guess how much?! A whopping $11.70. Man, that stunk! But, now the kids are more aware of the trash along the road, and we will continue to pick up cans even if it does seem tedious. (Oh yeah, and we'll go back for all the other stuff, too.)

We're going to miss Elder Carey!

2008-10-31T22:40:00.000-07:00

Elder Carey is from Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, and has served in our area for over 15 months of his mission. We have become quite fond of him, and will miss him. Elder Carey leaves this Sunday (after church) and we wish him all the best!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2008-10-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

Yee-haw! I am so glad Halloween is over! We had a really fun week, but I am worn out. I worked like crazy to make Bailey's gypsy, Ryan's Luke Skywalker, and Dallin's skunk, and it paid off. Sariah insisted that she had to be a cheerleader 'cause all the girls at school were going to be. So we ordered her costume online. Oh, they all looked so cute!

Christopher scared the kids on the way home from trick-or-treating, so to "fix" it he showed them how to put pantyhose on their head and scare other people. Ryan looked hilarious!

This is my sister Connie and her three soon-to-be adopted kids. We hung out with them and trick-or-treated some of the businesses in town today. How fun!

Happy 7th Birthday, Sariah!

2008-10-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how fast Sariah has

grown up! I wish I could add picture

of her when she was a chubby little

Sumo baby, with her ponytail

right on top of her head! What

a sweet girl you are Sariah!

Yes, she has grown so quickly!

If you've seen "Aquamarine" then you

know all about the next picture.

Happy Birthday, Sariah!

We love you, sweetie!

The Fabulous Four

2008-10-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

Bailey * 7 years

Sariah * 6 years
Ryan * 5 years
Dallin * 18 months
These were taken on a beautiful day at the end of September, thinking that the nice days were coming to an end. I took the kids to the lake near town, and let them play while I snapped pictures. These are my favorite four, although ALL were adorable.

Lilly and Max

2008-09-14T19:01:00.001-07:00

After losing our Black Lab "Sammy," we decided that we would not have another dog again for awhile. But how about kitties? Connie had three kitties that she had saved from the skunk in her yard, so we gladly brought two of them home. The white one is Lilly, and the gray one is Max. (Bailey had the names picked when she came home from school, before ever seeing them.) Sariah is pretty comfortable with them, Ryan and Bailey not so much. And Dallin loves to hold them and say "Ohhh" "Coo" (Cute) and it so fun to play with them. And I'm not even an animal lover! Ryan gets bored pretty quickly, and today decided to see how fast he could make the sprinkler turn. Oh, his energy is endless!

Tasty Tomatoes!

2008-09-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes are a huge favorite at our house. Yesterday, we bought a box of really nice #1 tomatoes from a lady that comes to our Farmer's Market. What better way to enjoy a nice end of summer day than feasting on yummy tomatoes!

I'm up to the challenge!

2008-09-09T21:37:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I checked out the Frugal is Fabulous blog, and loved it! I've made my own coupon book, and guess what? I only spent ONE DOLLAR total on it! Yep, I went to Walmart (cause that's about all we have here) and looked in the photo dept. I got the plastic Mini Album on clearance for $1.00. I had scrapbook paper and etc. to add my own touches. I used Post-It tags to mark my categories. This handy little thing will fit perfectly in my bag along with the diapers and wipes, etc. and won't be ruined if Dallin's cup leaks or something. Yeah! What's funny is that today I also had to go to the doctor, and while in the waiting room, I took coupons out of the magazines. Is that tacky? I hope not, cause if no one else is going to grab them, I will!

Happy 5th Birthday Ryan!

2008-09-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been five years since Ryan was born. He was born in Richland WA and was 8 pounds 11 ounces! Since preschool started on his birthday, we postponed the party for the following Friday and went to the park in Alamosa. As it turns out, the weather was as un-reliable as ever, and although the afternoon was nice, by 6:30 it was cold and windy. The kids didn't mind, they had fun playing on the playground. We had Root Beer Floats and sang happy birthday. Happy Birthday Buddy!

Starting school

2008-09-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

The girls started school on August 18th this year. They decided to skip the bus ride on the first day, so I took them to school. I thought they would stay by me and walk with me to their new classrooms. But no, they just took off to find friends and give hugs and squeal. The bell rang, and I was left in the empty hallway, not sure what to do, so I went home. Ryan started school on his birthday, August 25th. Again, thought he would stay by me and not want me to leave. But he ran into the classroom and immediately started playing house with a group of three little girls. (I might mention that he is one of two boys in his class, and there are nine girls.) I called him back, and he walked back, told me "Bye, mommy, I love you." and walked away. I turned to leave and lost it. I didn't think it would be so hard!

Me and my siblings

2008-09-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Pictured: David, Jaelyn, Connie, Jimmy

Kaylene, Shauna, Michelle, and me

This is one of the only pictures taken of me with all my brothers and sisters (at least in this decade) and I have to admit, I think it turned out really cute. You can't even tell that Jaelyn is pregnant, with only 3 months to go! (one month as of today)

FRAN'S HOIPPOLLOI PANGLOSSIANS

2008-09-03T14:22:00.001-07:00

This summer I played softball for the City of Alamosa Parks and Rec. It was such a blast! We had a rough year, winning a total of two games all season, but it was well worth it. I can't wait 'til next year. Don't we look tough?!

Going Camping!

2008-09-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

The first weekend in August, we went camping at Cathedral Campground in the mountains west of our house. My sister Connie and her kids came along. It was so fun! The kids had a blast roasting marchmallows over the campfire, but not as much fun eating them. Most ended up in the fire. The following morning, we just relaxed and watched the kids take turns falling into the creek that was nearby.