Our Journey to Forever

NieNie

2011-08-18T22:28:00.001-07:00

Do you read NieNie? If you don't, you should! If you ever feel sorry for yourself or like you can't handle what is on your plate? Read NieNie and you will appreciate your trials and welcome all that is thrown your way. So, when you have a little time and you would like to be uplifted read NieNie;) Make sure you go back and read from early on.... http://nieniedialogues.com/

I should have been re-reading NieNie when I was in the middle

of my move;)

It is Stat Time Again

2011-08-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

Just took all my kids in for physicals and here are the stats:

Logan~17 years 1 month

Height~ 6'1"~~ 92nd percentile

Weight ~141lbs.~~ 46th percentile

Laton~ 14 years 4 months

Height~ 5'7 1/2"~~ 73rd percentile

Weight~ 106lbs. 30th percentile

Meghan~ 9 years 11 months

Height~ 4'8 1/2"~~ 80th percentile

Weight~ 74lbs.~~ 55th percentile

Jaidyn~ 3years

Height~ 37"~~ 52nd percentile

Weight ~26.5 lbs.~~ 10th percentile

I know you all probably want to hear Barry and I's stats as well~

but that will have to wait for another day~ I am feeling a little bloated;)

Logan Turns 17!!!!

2011-08-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Logan is 17! How time flies. I remember the day he was born, I didn't know what I was having and when the doctor told me I had a boy, I was thrilled!!! He was such a sweet baby~ slept all night~ hardly ever cried. He was truly a blessing to our family. In a little over a year he will be heading to college, I do not look forward to that day.

Things we love about Logan:

His stellar ability to kill anything in site! Seriously he is a great shot!

He uses good language~ I have been told by many of his friends that he never cusses.

He is a good friend

He never talks bad about others

He treats girls with respect

He is athletic

He develops his talents

He is smart

He is Handsome;)

We are blessed to have Logan in our family!

This~N~That

2011-08-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

Darn~ I have been desperatly neglecting my blog lately! I have been oh, so busy trying to get my feet planted on the ground. It seems like every day I find 10 things that need to be done, do those and find 10 more! I must catch up at some point ~right? Well, at least I'm trying;) So, this morning I was thinking about people that inspire me, all in different ways. Decided I wanted to do a shout~out to all those that do inspire me, I remember different people for different things at different times in my life. Don't think you don't inspire me if your name isn't mentioned, all my friends and family inspire me in some way~ or you wouldn't be in my life;)

So, here it goes.....

Kara Veater~ you inspire me to be a better mom~ kinder and with more patience

Nancy Tilby~ you inspire me to look for the best in every situation, and realize I CAN do it and with a good attitude

Heather Nelson~ you inspire me to do whatever it takes to be a better mom, even though it might make things harder at the time

Kristy Falke~ you inspire me to try to be kind to everyone! That sweet, gooey kind of niceness that makes everyone feel loved and important

Katy Gardner~ you inspire me to create and to use my talent as you do~ also to reach outside my comfort zone, and you know.....

Sunny Bass~ you inspire me to be truly Christlike in all I do

Marie Hyer~ you inspire me to see the beauty in all things

Jill Gauthier~ you inspire me to always look for ways to help other people and do something, even small, to lighten someones load

Heather Neimi~ you inspire me to follow what I know is right

Cindy McFarland~ you inspire me to look for and make new friends~ everyone needs a friend like you;)

Marilyn Mortenson~ you inspire me to never judge and love everyone

Cynthia McCurdy~ you inspire me to always be looking for ways to help others

Cynthia Brackett~ you inspire me to always be who I am~ even if someone doesn't like that;)

Kelly Day~ you inspire me to always wear a smile:)

Pat Hansen~ you inspire me to be a fabulous grandma (when the time comes)*

Lisa Graham~ you inspire me to have fun~ and laugh!

Hillary Rowe~ you inspire me to remember how important family is and staying in touch

Janine Stafford~ you inspire me to make everyone feel welcome and loved around me

Sarah Ternus~ you inspire me to be FUN!

Deonne Culala~ you inspire me to stay in shape

Jenny Dayley~ you inspire me to never give up and always realize those around me~ true potential

Kaye Jones~ you inspire me to be loyal~ to family and friends!

Lynette Williams~ you inspire me to be Christlike and the nicest person on earth~ which I think you are!

Taylor Ann~ you inspire me to be loveable~ so loveable that you want to be my daughter in law someday~ heheheh

Jessica/ Taylor Veater~ you inspire me to get my camera out more and capture the beauty in all things

Jenni Workman~ you inspire me to always be a missionary

Mom, Dad, Eric, Aimee, Kyle, Jared and TJ~ you inspire me in many great ways! I am the person I am today because of the great influence you have been in my life. I realize all your strengths and want to be able to be more like you in those ways.

So, don't be offended if I didn't mention you,

I only have a short time to myself to journal this;)

The kids are trying to cook bacon and I don't want the house

to burn down!

Please know that I love all my friends and family and

admire you for your talents and strengths!

Checking Back Into Reality!

2011-07-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

Finally~ I am back

not quite sure how back I am~ but none the less~ I'm back

So- the title on the picture of my blog~

well begining the middle of June~ should have read a little something like~

Right in the middle of what you THINK is an ordinary, hectic, trying to get too many things done and accomplishing little~ life

Someone~somewhere~ Yes I mean you up there ;) thinks you have

lessons to learn~ and decides now is the best time to

shower trials upon you!

Yep~ that about summarizes my June/July!!!!

I have been told I should write a book~

I probably should, but it would be much too depressing!

So~ to summarize our crazy, so glad I don't have to relive, June and July

here I go.

moving truck picked up June 10th 9 am

get a call at noon stating home we thought we were unloading our

property into on the 12th was not going to be available~

owners decided to sell instead of lease :(

2pm after many tears decide we are going to continue packing~ although not sure

what I was packing for~

6pm decide we will live in our 5th wheel while we found a place to live~

YEA~ WHAT was I thinking????

Maybe that I could get a prescription of one of those pills you take if you can't

handle life?

Anyways~

Saturday/ June 11th

Still crying everytime I think of my situation~

Looking on Craigs List every 10 minutes to see if something happens to show up~

Calling all property managment companies to beg them to find me a home~

NOTHING!

Pack, Pack, yell at my kids, pack some more~

clean until 2 am

Realize at 2 am that I can't change the situation and that I will NOT cry

over something I cannot change~

I will have faith that Heavenly Father knows what is best for our family

and trust in him!

Sunday 5 am get up because I can't sleep~

look on CraigsList at least 25 times this day

Aaron Bean shows up to help load the final heavy stuff~

pack, clean, pack some more, clean carpets, try not to yell at the kids

but I still do, pack, try to comfort my kids that this is what we are

suppossed to be doing and kindly remind them they played a part in this

decision.

9am Gardners stop by to say good-bye~darn friends make it hard to leave;)

1 pm we are ready to leave~ decide to are going to drive to Salt Lake and spend the night with a friend.

Salt Lake arrival time 11:30 pm (lots of potty stops)

Wake up 6 Monday morning~ shower

back on the road~ Casper bound~ yea~ I think?

Call Stake President for Casper and explain my situation~

fingers crossed~

within 10 minutes ~and I'm not kidding~

a realtor from Casper calls to tell me she has a home available~

Oh my goodness! Cloud 25 is what I'm on!!!

Set appt. to see home at 3~

Get calls from 2 other property management companies telling me they

have homes to show me~ Are you kidding???? I am stoked!!!

Get to Casper around 2:40~ kick Barry and the kids out of the car at the store

so they can unload some items and I can go find the house we are going to reside in;)

Get to the first house at 3 on the dot~ are you kidding me??? someone would actually

consider living in this house??? I even asked the manager this question and if I

remember correctly they were asking like 1800 a month rent! It smelt like

animal urine something horrid!

So, onto house #2~ not the least bit discouraged because I have 2 more houses to see;)

House #2 WOW!!! one of the garage doors hasn't opened for like 20 years and the other garage door has been replaced so it brand spanking new! Total mismatch!

Walk inside~ yep~ cats had torn at the carpet all along the edges and "marked" the walls~ I almost barfed~ I am not even exaggerating! I walk 10 feet into the house before I turn

to the manager and said~"look, this is NOT going to work for me and my family~ I wouldn't even rent either of these homes for my dogs to live in (all the time I am thinking that he is just the manager) then I proceed to tell him my less than

ideal situation and ask him if he has any other homes available that might meet my

needs~ he tell me he doesn't ~ I was persistant and said~ well how often do you get calls from homeowners asking you to manage their properties? could you like

get calls this week about new homes~

Here is the kicker!!!! He looks me in the eye and said ~No, I own all of the houses I manage!!!! Oh, dear, he owns a lot of crap~ sorry, but true!

I smiled and told him to have a lovely day~ as he shot daggars my way!

House number 2~ no THANKS!

Pull up to house #3

Nice! Cute street, Large garage, older home~ but thats ok!

Can hardly wait for realtor to get here so I can see inside!

Upon entrance~ small, but cute, clean kitchen, doable,

downstairs, well~ Barry couldn't come down here very often because he would

hit his head~ in one of the bedrooms downstairs the closet was housing

the hot water heater and some other contraption~

next bedroom~ odd smell~ look behind the door~ evidence-mold! on the wall!

Walk outside~ back yard is chain link and 2 pit bulls are on one side that growled and jumped at us the entire time! No thanks! Jaidyn wouldn't last a day!

Get a call from Barry that his parents were in town with our fifth wheel~

Bless their hearts!!! They drove our fifth wheel from Idaho to Casper so we would have a place to live~ you do need to know that we didn't have any other choice~

the rodeo finals were in town that week and their wasn't a room to be found

within 100 miles!

I drive to RV park to meet his parents and get the RV set up.

When Dad and Kaye pulled up I broke down!

I will tell you that is the first time I had cried since I had told myself

I wouldn't! I think I just felt defeated and in a sense lost!

Like maybe I hadn't done enough, prayed enough, fasted enough, called enough realtors (even though we were all on a first name basis) like I had failed my family! It was humbling to have to ask for help~ We were blessed they were so willing to help!

After the tears were dried we got our new home set up!

We got cleaned up and found another house in the paper~

seriously I think I got my hopes up every time I found out their might be a house

we could live in! Not only were we living in our fifth wheel~ so basically homeless!

but we were in the middle of trying to finalize everything for our store so that we could open!

Kaye and I went to look at the house I had heard was available~ really it wasn't too bad

it was cleanable, needed some TLC, but the kicker was~~~ the only way to get to the back yard was to go out the door on the second story of the house, but the deck was only attached to the house on one side! It was about 15 feet off the ground and when you stood on it, it swayed!!! I asked the realtor what had been planned to fix this problem and she said

they had no plans on fixing, it was ready for move in! Are you kidding me~ Jaidyn would last about 1 day~ Barry and the boys 20 minutes and that

porch would be history!

Back "home" to scour the newspaper want ads and call all property management places again~ nothing!

Go to laundry mat to clean some clothes~

decide to call every Real Estate Company in Casper and see if they have

any clients that would be willing to let us do a lease option on a home~

after calling about 15~ one tells me yes!!!

I get the address~ google it~ it is beautiful!!! More than I could imagine it being! I found a

video of the home online~ it had sold last year and the video was still up

I'm watching the video and am starting to get giddy inside. All the sudden the camera man walks out on the porch of the house and you can see the river! The house was not even 20 feet from the Platt River~ heart sinks! Jaidyn would last maybe 2 minutes at this house!

We decide to go look at the house, thinking we could fence part of the property to keep Jaidyn from the river. We looked for over an hour with no luck!!! We asked construction workers, drove up to homes and knocked on the door trying to find this house~
Nothing!!!
Back to "camp" to let the kids swim and get ready for bed~
Kaye and Meghan decide to go shower first~
20 minutes later they are back and Kaye is looking frazzled!
She got into the shower and a huge moth starting flying around her~ she ran around trying to swat and kill the moth before it ate her;)
only to find out after she finally got showered~ she had forgotten her towel!!
She had to use those brown paper towels to dry off~ so she had little brown balls of paper
towel all over her body;) This was cause for a good laugh~ finally!

Next morning I called the realtor to tell him I couldn't find the house, come to find out we were on the wrong leg of the road.

After speaking with the realtor about our thoughts of fencing he tells me that he would never recommend any children, no matter the age, to live in that house, it is just too

dangerous, even for teens, the temptations to get too close to the water would always be there. So, I asked if he would please talk to the other realtors in the office

and find out if they had any homes that might be available~
He calls me back after about 20 minutes and tells me that one of the other realtors had a home just come available and gives me the address. He tells me to drive by and see if I am even interested before he has the realtor call me.
The drive to the house was beautiful to say the least~ It sat at the
base of the mountain among beautiful homes, we weren't quite sure if we were at the right house, so I told Barry to go and look on the porch to see if he could see and address,
he looked in the windows and noticed it was open, tried to open the front door and it wasn't locked~ he waved for us to come up~ we were up there before he could blink~
the kids were instantly in love, it sat on 6 acres, has a cabin feel, the carpet was pretty new, it had a small kitchen, downstairs it had a family room, a small bedroom and WOW a four car garage, it looked like a 2 car from the outside but it had a tandem garage, overall pretty clean and it hadn't been touched by the cleaning crew.
I called the realtor and said we were interested!!!!
I didn't dare tell him we had all ready seen the inside, he told me he was
busy that day, but could show me the house the next morning,
we were there with bells on, walked in, looked around, acted curious, asked a few questions, and then asked when we could move in~ he said he didn't know, but
that it would probably be about a week~ are you kidding~ we have all ready lived in our 5th wheel for 5 days and were ready to choke our kids!!! It is hard to tell your kids to go to their room when it is right beside where you are sitting!
He gave us the name of the realtor for that house and an application~ we called the realtor when we were less than a mile from the house, pulled over on the side of the street
and filled out the application and asked if we could bring it in, he told us that would be fine and that the home could possibly be ready for move in, in about 7 days. I
gave him my sob story and told him we needed to unload our moving truck the next day,
I asked if he would just let me clean the house and the carpets so we could go ahead and move our stuff into the garage~ he said that would probably be fine and to come on down~
we went in, the realtor walks in and is a COWBOY!!!! Oh yea, Barry being a cowboy is good for something;)
They hit it off and the realtor said, I know the owner and she trusts my word, I will get ahold of her and let you know.
We paced, paced, and paced some more!!!
Prayed, prayed and prayed some more!
He called the next day at noon and told us we could pick up the keys!!!!!
We ran to that office~none too soon and grabbed the keys~ unloaded our stuff into the garage~ cleaned the house~ cleaned the carpets~ moved in our beds~ moved in the basics~ went to the store and cleaned and cleaned and worked from dawn til dusk and then some trying to get our store open~ Spent the first night in our home on June 26th~ the next morning Griz (our Yorkie) goes out to do his business in the morning and comes in acting strange~ I start petting him and notice blood on my finger and grabbed a flashlight and looked closer above his eye and the skin was black! I called Barry who was busy trying to open the store the next day, he tells me to get him to a vet that he has been bitten by a snake! Drive 70 miles an hour to the vets office, they have to hold him down and shave the
area to see the puncture wounds, Griz screamed louder than I have ever heard even a human scream~ sure enough~ rattlesnake bite~ they don't have anti venom~ their was a shortage last year, they called around and noone has any!!!! She tells me we can try to treat with steroids and a few other medications, plan set, I leave Griz at the vets office to go and tell my kids what has happened, Meghan and Logan are clearly upset, Jaidyn is crying~ telling me to go get her dog, Laton is just quiet, this irritates Meghan and she
tells Laton he just doesn't care about Griz! he replies, no I care~ it is just that I know he will
be o.k. I said a prayer and I know he will be fine! Wow, I walk upstairs and beg Heavenly Father to make Latons statement come true! He is at a vulnerable age and I don't want his faith shaken~ Vet calls around 4 that day and tells us that Griz has stabilized and she
thinks it would be fine for us to bring him home to look after him~ Yea! She did tell us
he would not be out of the woods for around a week and gave me
a pharmacy full of medication to administer! (Griz survived and is back to normal)
Finding this home, and moving in was kind of like a marriage~
I moved in with rose colored glasses on;)
when those glasses came off~ whoa!
Over the last few weeks I have noticed things that aren't ideal.
The guest bath is all ready under full reconstruction~
no gas to hook up my dryer~ bummer!
No A/C~ seriously are you kidding me???? I turned the
thermostat on cool the first warm day and nothing happened!!!
Barrys first day off~ bless him~ he installed a window unit to keep the house cool!
We have met and learned to "relocate" many different bugs and spiders!
Jaidyn loves to catch and play with the moths~
I was told the wind would bother me~ I welcome the wind~ it keeps the house nice and cool;) Blow all you want you Wyoming Wind!
The boys are in heaven with all the wild life~ we have
antelope and deer in our yard daily!
They practice shooting their bows at least 3 days a week~ and
are getting darn good! Laton has been paintballing and loves it!
Every time I think back on these events that brought us to where we are I get teary eyed~
it was probably one of the most trying times of my life~
but I do look back now and thank my Heavenly Father for
these trials~ because they helped me grow and got me to where we are today!
We are settling in here~ and I WILL make Casper our home~
yes, I miss my friends~
but they will always be our friends~
and we will all make new ones!
so~ our new address is:
7248 S. Ridgecrest Drive
Casper, Wy 82601
307-265-0719
I will post pics of our view~ it is breath taking!

Baseball Playoffs!

2011-05-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

Logans baseball team are the League champions next week we will play to see who goes to state! Go Dustdevils!

Happy Birthday Laton

2011-04-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Laton turns 14 today! Wow, the times has flown by~ so here are 14 things we love about Laton~ 1. He is a hard-worker. 2. He loves to tell stories. 3. He loves little kids and is very kind to them. 4. He loves to spend time outdoors. 5. If you ask him to try his hardest~ that is what you will get. 6. He is always smiling. 7. He has a big heart~ he always want to help those in need. 8. He cares about others feelings, and tries to cheer up those that are sad. 9. He fulfills his callings without being reminded 100 times. 10. He loves his family. 11. He is a good friend. 12. He wants to take care of me when I am older;) 13. He helps us teach Jaidyn things she needs to learn. 14. He tries hard to do the right thing, and when he doesn't he isn't afraid to admit his wrongdoings and try harder! We love you Laton!

It's a Give~Away!

2011-04-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

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2011-03-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

New Blog

2011-03-24T08:34:00.001-07:00

Make sure you check out my new blog: http://www.sewcrazycreating.blogspot.com/

Idaho

2011-03-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

I remember Meghan sitting on grandpas lap and writing in his notebook :)

Jaxton loved Barry

Elk Herd in Jackson- I can't believe how large it has gotten- thousands!

Jaidyn entertained herself with uncle Bills duck calls

The site of our new store in Casper- maybe we will trade for donuts :)

Christmas 2010

2011-03-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

Jaidyn LOVED Santa! I thought she would be shy, but she jumped right up on his lap and told him what she wanted. She also told him what everyone else wanted as well :)

SOOOO Excited to come out to see the presents!

Jaidyn was our elf this year and handed out all the presents

We had a quiet Christmas at home this year. It was just us. We left the day after Christmas and drove to Idaho. It was nice, but sad to not see my family this year.

Jaidyn Reciting the 1st Article of Faith

2011-01-25T17:22:00.000-08:00

Another Great Hunt at The Vivian!

2011-01-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

It has become a tradition for Barry to take the boys to Sacramento to hunt "The Vivian" duck club. Barry is good friends with the owner and he has open the club every year for Barry to hunt since Logan was about 2 or 3. When Logan turned 4 he started going, Barry would take a space heater and Logan learned early he needed to sit quietly for hours if he wanted to be able to go. So, the first few years Logan would sleep, eat and watch as Barry hunted ducks. He could hardly wait until he got his liscense and was able to hunt with dad. I have heard that Logan is a pretty good shot and has been known to outshoot his dad a time or two. This year Logan was able to notice some things that Laton was doing in his shooting that could be perfected on.- so he worked with Laton on the first day of the hunt and Laton got his limit of ducks for the first time! It is very pleasing to see one help the other :) They all look forward to this trip. It is a great place to hunt ducks! They limited out the first day, and managed to get 4 or 5 the second. It is a great bonding time for the boys. Although, Meghan has warned that as soon as she is legal, she will be joining the trip. We have lots of ducks in our freezer and Barry is going to jerky some of them.

One of Logans touchdowns this Season #85

2011-01-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

Laton Made the Basketball team!

2011-01-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

We were so proud of Laton for making the basketball 7th grade team this year. They had 24 boys try out and only kept 12. He was a starter and did a great job. He got the "3Point King" award at the end of the season. Way to go Laton!

Baby Shower & Cali Weekend!

2011-01-04T18:19:00.001-08:00

i went to cali. for a girls weekend. we had a great time. john and barry were out of town, so jill and i threw cindy a baby shower. we had a blast casting her belly. jared and jaidyn developed a love/hate relationship. they didn't want to be away from each other, but didn't want to share either. lisa came through once again with a darling cake! it was really good to see old friends i hadn't seen in a while. jill even treated cindy and i to a movie, that was the first movie i had been to in over 6 months, boy i need to get out more! thanks girls for a great weekend!

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-01-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

We had the Dayley family join us for Thanksgiving this year. I love spending time with Jenny and her family. When we lived in Visalia we were very close to her family. They are like family to us. We also got to see and visit with Jon, Marilyn, Eric and Ang. They came the day after Thanksgiving to go to the Boise State Football game with us. We had a great time. This was the first Boise State game I had been too and I am now a true fan! The Boise fans are true blue- literally :0) I was sad they lost- darn! It was still a great experience! We will have to go to the next game that is close by!

Preview For Family Pics

2010-12-03T17:14:00.001-08:00

Tilby Visit!

2010-11-10T08:02:00.001-08:00

The Tilby family came for a weekend visit. Barry took us all down to the river to fish and do a little hunting. Dallin was the only one to catch a fish! They all tried hard, but no luck. It was a nice overcast day to just relax. We had a great time playing games and relaxing!

Modnique 15.00 Credit

2010-10-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Modnique is a unique store that features different vendors and slashes prices~
To get a 15.00 credit to use at Modnique go to: http://www.modnique.com/invite/jeanni@pizzapeople.net and enter my email in the invitation code area (jeanni@pizzapeople.net). This will automatically give you a 5.00 credit. Once you are ready to check out enter code (star) in the promo code section for an additional 10.00 credit. I got Jaidyn some cute kitty pink rain boots for 4.95 shipped! Yea, for Christmas!
If you want to order more than item, you can do the same process and order under a different email address if you have more than one. Logan doesn't know it, but he ordered me an adorable Miss Sixty Ring:)

Professional Pics taken of Jaidyn

2010-10-16T17:43:00.001-07:00

Here are the pics that Lynda took of Jaidyn- SOOO cute!

Jaidyn- Totally 2!

2010-10-14T21:42:00.001-07:00

I have been meaning to get Jaidyns 2 year old pictures taken, and finally had them taken tonight! My great photographer-friend Lynda took them tonight at the Caughlin Golf Course in Reno. The setting was beautiful! I can't wait to see the pics! She was kind enough to help me with the settings on my camera so I could take a few as well. Here are a few from the ones I took. I will be sure to post some of hers when I get them :)

Punk Rock Wild Hair Day for Homecoming.

2010-10-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

Today was wild hair and blackout day at the High School. I was pleasantly surprised Logan participated :)

Hunting Season has begun!

2010-10-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

Laton drew a deer hunt in Southern Nevada this year. He was really excited, as this was his first deer hunt. Barry took him down to a friends place for his hunt. Chaz had gotten permission from friends so they could cross through private property to get to where they wanted to hunt. Barry said they saw tons of huge deer! The first day Laton got a 40 yard shot at a nice buck and his gun misfired :( Laton went on the black powder hunt so he could go early in the season. He ended up bringing home a nice 4x4 to put on the wall. Chaz' friend John was the one that officially helped Laton get his deer. He knew where some bucks were laying down. He and Laton belly crawled into the area for Laton to get a good shot. Laton was the first member of the Jones family to ever kill a deer with a Black Powder Rifle! Great job Laton! Chaz really enjoyed hunting with Laton and helping him get his first deer. Before they left Chaz gave Laton his Black Powder gun so he would have his own. Thanks Chaz! And thanks John for all your help!

Logans 80 Yard Touchdown!

2010-09-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

Logan made the 11 o'clock news with his 80 yard touchdown! Go Devils! He is playing Varsity Football for the Dayton Dustdevils this year. He is a starting wide receiver. Funny to see how much fun he is having, considering we had to force him to play :)

Stat Time Again!

2010-09-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

I did this previously in April and had thought about doing it every six months, however, last night I was helping Logan clean out his drawers and after seeing a pile of about 25 shirts that were too small for him I decided it was time. I couldn't believe that shirts I bought him in the spring were now to small. Another kicker- the other day Laton was standing beside me and said "hey mom, I think I am taller than you", Yep he was! So here are the kids stats!

Logan- Age 16 years 1 month- 6' (yep he is officially 6'tall)- 89th percentile

136 lbs- 51st percentile

Laton- 13 years 4 months- 5'3 1/2"- 61st percentile

95lbs- 30th percentile

Meghan- 8 years 11 months 4'6"- 76th percentile

63 lbs.- 55th percentile

Jaidyn- 2 years 1 month 33"- 52nd percentile

23 lbs- 13th percentile

Yea! they are all growing like weeds!

My Baby Turns 2!

2010-08-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

Some things about Jaidyn:

She loves to be read and sung to.

She loves her family.

She talks nonstop, their isn't anything she can't repeat :)

She has been potty trained for about 4 months all ready.

She loves to go shopping- she brings her purse and money.

She loves nursery- she calls it her class.

She loves to carry around baby dolls and her pacie.

Yes, she still sucks a pacie :(

She sleeps right between mom and dad.

My room is her room.

She is a great traveler!

She loves food.
She is small for her age- I believe she weighs around 23-24 lbs.

She LOVES fish!

Her favorite song is Slippery Fish.

She would wear her tuna fish panties everyday if I didn't hide them.

She says the cutest prayer you have ever heard.

She calls her dad everyday on the phone to see how he is doing.

She loves her grandparents!

She can count to 14 without help.

She can say her ABC's

She loves the color pink.

She is a shoe fanatic- go figure :)

She is a cuddlebug.

Bubba is her favorite.

She is a mammas girl- to the bone!

She brings lots of joy to our family.

Cynthia and Sarah come to visit!

2010-08-16T16:12:00.001-07:00

Ruth and Cliff stopped by for a visit as well.

Late nights, girly talks and sleepovers on the floor.

rockstar

Abbie painting my toenails.

Naps

Lunches

Smiles

Scheels of course!

Carrides

Sidewalk chalk

washing cars

Season Finale of Bachlorette

Bathtime

Oh Yea, Lake Tahoe

Trying to throw Cynthia in.

sandcastles

Good Talks

Crawdads

Storytime

Our Visit to Heathers!

2010-08-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

We stayed at Heathers while Logan was at EFY. We had a great time. We took the kids to Paysons waterpark a few times, went to Thanksgiving Point, Shopped and ate good food. Jaidyn enjoyed riding the pony.
Feeding the lamas

Heather, Cynthia and I took the kids to Thanksgiving Point and went to the animal farm.

Can't leave the grocery store without Ivy riding the race car.

All the kids enjoyed chasing the chickens, Jaidyn would follow them around until they lost her.

This is an oldtime phone booth at the coolest toy store you have ever seen. They had every toy you could think of.

Lake Don Pedro July 2010

2010-07-28T16:39:00.000-07:00

We spent Logans birthday in California at Lake Don Pedro. One of our favorite places to boat. We had a great week. Logan was able to hang out with some of his buddies from Ca. and we got to catch up with our friends. The kids all had a blast. Jaidyn was entertained by Jared and Landon. She loved them both. Meghan got to have sleep-overs with Jocelyn, Ashlyn and Jenna. Laton got to pal around with Weston and Dallin. (He tried to hang with the girls as well, but they weren't interested :)
Ty, Logan and Jacob
Jaidyn and Jocie drinking Pepsi

Logan and Logan

Happy 16th Birthday!

Landon and Bish

Jaidyn showing some love :)

Naptime

Wild Tube Rides

Calm tube rides

Laton Wakeboarding

Nancy and Taylor Ann

Cheese

Jared was a little camera shy

Taylor Ann Wakesurfing

Tyler, wakesurfing

LandonNancys wild hairLogan jumping the wake

Dallin jumpingJacob jumping

wakesurfing

Sunscreen anyone?

Logan was determined to do a backflip this year on the wakeboard, he gave it a good try and almost landed it, but not quite.

Laton

EFY Provo 2010 July 19-24

2010-07-25T17:45:00.001-07:00

Logan had a great time at EFY this year. He got into Provo- YEA! He definitly wants to try to get in next year as well. He was in the ASL group, so he had some deaf people in his group. He was a little worried about that at first, but it ended up being a great experience. He learned to sign the scripture theme (Joshua 1:9) and received a sticker that says I love you in sign language. When he was standing in front of the deaf girls to pass off the scripture he accidently signed naked instead of thine and the girls giggled and told him he was signing naked. He was a little embarrassed but got a good laugh afterwards. He met a few girls that he would love to take out on a date, I think he and Zane might take a road trip out and see some friends. I am all for those long distance girlfriends you only see once or twice a year. :) I took a few pics of Zane cutting Logans hair. They told Logan his hair was a little long and that he needed to trim it if he wanted to attend. Zane did a great job! Logan had a great counselor and thought he rocked!!! I am so thankful for this faith building experience he was able to have.

Family Reunion in Mackay Idaho

2010-07-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

Logan and Shayla

The three troublemakers

The whole gang!

Bill auctioned! What a great time.

Singing slippery fish with Bristol

Meghan and JamiCynthia and Sarah

Val, Barry and Pat

Jaidyn decided she liked Meghans little cubby.

Jaidyn walked Griz at least twice a day.

Lots of fishing took place.
On the way to Mackay we saw one of Barrys rodeo contractors. He was moving his bucking horses from one field to the next.

Campground by the Lake

2010-07-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

The day after the kids finished their school year we went camping for a long weekend in Tahoe. We had a great time. We camped at Campground by the Lake. Which was right across the street from the lake. We spent one day relaxing and walking to the beach to play. The next day we went on the Taylor Creek Trail to see the Underground Stream Profile Chamber. This is where they have cut out a part of the river and put glass so you can see the fish in the stream. We want to go back when the salmon are spawning so we can see them. The kids really enjoyed this. Then we went to a stocked fishing pond called Sawmill Pond. Anyone 16 and under can fish free. The kids all caught some nice fish that we took to camp to enjoy. They had so much fun, they got up the next morning and went for a couple more hours. We had a great family weekend together.

Jaidyn loved her walks with Griz

State Baseball Tourny for Logan

2010-07-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Logans Baseball team the Dayton Dustdevils made it to state this year. They ended up taking 4th place. They played an almost error free game. This was great experience. They only had one senior on their team, so we expect great things next year. :)

Cancun Days 4-8 (Finally)

2010-06-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

Day 4-Zip Line- We went to a Zip Line Ecological Park, we rode from platform to platform, what a blast. We went to the Beach Palace for dinner at the Outdoor Steakhouse, YUM- best Ahi I have eaten.

Safety First!

Day 5- Cozumel, Playa, snorkling, pool volleyball, beautiful oceans, great food entertaining cab rides. We took a taxi to Playa, had breakfast at the Palace Resort there, took the ferry over to Cozumel, walked through town to get to the Cozumel Palace Resort and spent the day in Cozumel. We had a blast. Nancy and Trent help pull me out of my comfort zone, but I always have a great time.

After the Broadway Show- Goofing off

Beach at Cozumel - the water was beautiful

Snorkling- so Beautiful This is Castro. He was our cab driver- he drove us from the Palace Resort in Playa back to the Moon Palace. He could speak little English, Nancy LOVES to talk to everyone everywhere we go. So about 10 minutes into the ride, Nancy starts tapping on his shoulder saying "Fidel, Fidel." He turns around with an odd look on his face and I lean over and tell Nancy his name is Castro- He said- oh, Fidel Castro muy mal. We all got a good laugh, luckily Castro was a good sport about it. Day 6- Isle Mujeres, boat rides, dolphins, laying by the pool, resort to ourselves, more great food, cheesecake, Brazillian restaurant

Boat ride over to Isle Mujeres (Very Entertaining)

No- We did not fit into that car! When the taxi showed up I said "We asked for a car for 4??? "

We spent the day on Isle Mujeres. We took the boat ride over and then got a taxi to the Palace Resort located on Isle Mujeres. It was wonderful!!! We had a great relaxing day.

We were 4 of only 12 guests at the entire resort. You can say we were waited on hand and foot! They were begging to serve us.

Day 7- Riding Bikes, playing in the arcade, pool volleyball (Beach Palace), dinner at the Golf Course, Mayan Show.

Dance, dance

Before we left for the Beach Palace we played video games in the arcade (yep, kids at heart) then we rode bikes around.

Stealing our thunder

Weirdos

We spent the afternoon at the Beach Palace, this picture was taken from the top floor. They had a mirage pool and bar up there. We went down to the main pool and got a volleyball game going, by the 3rd game it was standing room only. Nancy and I bailed out and ate lunch.

We got alot of laughs at Catman : oui oui

Everytime Trent saw a chefs hat while we were on vacation- we ate- Yea we ate alot!

We watched the Mayan show after dinner at the delicious Oriental Restaurant

Swing dancing our last night away :(

Day 9- Goodbye! Can't wait to see my kids!

Long or Short

2010-06-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

I have set up a poll on the right to vote. Let us know- do you think Logan looks better with long or short hair?

Softball

2010-06-03T07:22:00.001-07:00

Meghan played softball this year. She had fun, I think she liked the socialization more than anything. The boys are going to work with her throughout the summer so she will be well prepared next year.

Grandma Came to Visit

2010-06-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

When Barry and I went to Cancun, my mom came and stayed with the kids. I was worried sick about leaving Jaidyn, but knew she would be in good hands. Within an hour of picking my mom up from the airport Jaidyn was in love with her gamma. We called daily to check on the kids and Jaidyn always had a story to tell about what she and gamma had done that day. When my mom went home Jaidyn was lost for the first few days, she would walk around the house and ask for her. Thanks mom, you are awesome!!!

Cancun FUN!!! Days 1-3

2010-05-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

Our first night at dinner

This is where Barry really wishes we were going :)

Ready for take-off

Day 1: We flew out of the Reno Airport @ 6:15 am. We barely made it to our gate- they were closing it 3 minutes after we checked in. We had allowed plenty of time to get to the airport we just ran into trouble getting Johns' F650 into the parking lot. We literally had 1 inch on either side of the tires when we were driving through the ticket gate! We flew into LA and had a 2 1/2 hour layover. We had been sent tickets to wait in the Alaska Boardroom while we waited. This made for a really nice layover. They had complimentary WiFi, food, beverages and comfortable places to relax. We got into Cancun at around 4:30 and were promptly taken to the resort. The first room they put us in had 2 queen beds, so I requested being moved to a room with a king. We also moved closer to where the Tilbys room would be when they checked in. We had a nice quiet dinner and started planning our week. We were blessed to have free international calls from our room, so we took full advantage of that and called away. It was nice to hear my kids voices while we were away. I had withdrawals the first night and felt really homesick and wanted to fly home. This was the first time I had been away from Jaidyn, and when she said "I miss you" it melted my heart

Nancy bought this sundress and hat downtown at the marketAfternoon swim

Day 2: We stayed in the Moon Palace Resort- where we are members. It is an all inclusive resort. Included in our stay Barry and I each received a massage, manicure and pedicure. Barry was all for the massage, but very hesitant about the manicure and pedicure. He was a good sport though and went along for a good time. This was my first time getting a massage and I really enjoyed it. The spa was wonderful- such a relaxing treat.

Dinner @ Beach Palace outdoor Steakhouse

After we were pampered we went to check to see if Trent and Nancy had arrived yet. They had, but the resort would not tell us what room they were in. We had to call their room and ask. First I should explain that this trip was a total surprise to Trent. He only knew they were going on a vacation, he didn't know where or that we were going to be there. So, when I called the room Nancy answered and I had to ask what room they were in. Nancy had a hard time pulling this off- when I asked what room she was in she told me I should know if I was calling from the front desk. I told her to pretend we were planners coming to show them around. Finally she gave me a room number and we were off to find them. Unluckily, she told us the wrong room number and Barry and I went to two different rooms before we decided to go back to our room and call again. When we got to our room we had a message from Nancy telling us what room they were in, so off we were again. When we knocked on the door, Barry was speaking in Spanish saying Senor Tilby I have something for you. The look on Trents face was priceless when he opened the door. He had the biggest grin on his face and looked confused. Later he told us he thought he was back in California and couldn't figure out how we got there. What a great start to a fabulous vacation. We didn't waste anytime resting. Trent and Nancy had taken a red eye flight the night before and flown all night. They hit the ground running. However, you will see in future posts that Nancy did make up for some lost sleep :) We went down to the planning desk and planned out our week. We decided for dinner we would take one of the shuttles over to the strip and have dinner at the Beach Palace. We had been told this resort had been destroyed by Katrina and was totally rebuilt. We had the shuttle drop us off at the flea market and we did a little shopping before walking back to the Beach Palace for dinner. We ate at the outdoor Steakhouse. The food was delicious!!! The scenery was superb, the slight breeze was wonderful and the company was top notch :)

Day 3: Chichen Itza or Chicken Pizza as Nancy would say. We got up early and went for a buffet breakfast before leaving on our excursion. The ride to Chichen Itza was about 3 hours- time to catch up on sleep (Nancy). We had a great tour guide that told us many stories and about the history of Chichen Itza on the ride over. He visited the sink hole and enjoyed some shopping while we were there. Nancy and I had some fun with the locals and gave them a taste of their own medicine. We had each bought little wooden drums while we were there and when vendors would come up to us to try to sell us something we would try to sell back our drums to them. They all seemed to get a good chuckle and stopped following us once they realized what we were doing. We didn't get back until around 6:00, so we got dressed for dinner and went to the Brazilian restaurant. It was amazing!!! I have never eater Brazilian food before and now I am in love! The chicken was the best I have ever eaten. We decided to go for a swim after dinner and got kicked out of the pool after only about 20 minutes of swimming. The water was so warm we couldn't resist! We went back to our room and played games until the early hours of the morning. And no need to ask, the girls won :) Barry wasn't up to par- he had a bad stomach.

Utah Trip

2010-05-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

TJ getting his diploma

Lyla Jean on her blessing day

Sunny and Lyla

Sunny and I

Dad and Colette

Jayden picking flowers

Kalin and Jaidyn

Bill Zickgraf and Dad- Great Friends (Bill introduced my parents to the church- baptized my parents and blessed me)

Heather and I- Not a complete visit without my Heather fix :)

Such a good daddy! And handsome too!

Nice touch!

Coming out of the temple.

Addie and I

Meghan playing mommy and holding Lyla

Jaidyn giving her a pacie

We went to Utah for a long weekend and lots of fun festivities! We got in Thursday night, we picked up dad and Colette at the Salt Lake Airport on our way in. We stayed in Provo at the Hampton. Dad, Colette, Jared and Aubrey stayed there as well. It was right down the street from TJ and Sunnys place. Friday morning, bright and early, we went to BYU for TJ's graduation. He had quite a few people graduating with him. We saw the Stiles while we were there, they had a son graduating with TJ. (small world). TJ was one of only a few to get accepted to a graduate program. Not only did he get accepted, but he got accepted to The University of Florida YEA!!! He is very excited and we are very proud of him. After graduation, we went to Chick-fil-a for lunch- I haven't been there since living back east so it was a big treat! Friday night we all hung out at TJ and Sunnys house. Saturday morning we all loaded up and went to Salt Lake City for Dad and Colettes sealing. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple at 2:00. It was a beautiful day. We had a picnic at a park close to the temple afterwards. Bill and Marla were able to come for the sealing, it was nice to see them. After the picnic we went to the Joseph Smith movie, which was very moving. What a great day! Sunday morning we went to TJ and Sunnys ward, they blessed their new baby girl, Lyla Jean. She is beautiful and TJ gave her a beautiful blessing! We had a quick lunch at their house afterwards and then we had to head out. I dropped Dad and Colette off at the airport and drove home. Fabulous Weekend!!

Just HOW big is that truck?

2010-04-29T20:48:00.001-07:00

Laton turns 13!

2010-04-28T20:07:00.001-07:00

Laton turned 13 on April 19th and Barry turned 45 on April 22nd. Another year older and wiser! On Latons' birthday we had angel food cake and whip cream icing, with strawberries on top. It is kind of sad that Laton and Logan don't like me to decorate cakes for them anymore. Good thing we had Jaidyn :) Laton taught Jaidyn how to blow out the candles and we had to hold her back to get all 13 lit so we could sign.

Stats

2010-04-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

i saw this on another blog and liked the idea :0) thanks Chrissy!

Logan- 15 years 9 months

5'10 1/2"- 79%

132 lbs. 49%

Laton- 13 years

5'2 1/2"- 61%

89lbs.- 25%

Meghan- 8 years 7 months

4'6"- 83%

63 lbs.- 57%

Jaidyn- 20 months

30 1/2 inches- 5th%

21.5 lbs- 5th%

Surprise Visit from the Tilby's

2010-04-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

On the last day of our trip in Idaho I got a surprise message from Nancy. They spent spring break in Utah and were planning on coming to our house on Saturday to spend the night and go to church with us on Sunday. I left Idaho early Saturday morning and got home about 1 hour after the Tilbys had arrived. I was happy to see Barry had cleaned up the "bachelor pad" :) From what I hear their were a bunch of boys hanging out at our house for the week I was gone. Of course, we stayed up late playing games and catching up and they stayed for a few hours after church to play games before heading home. Neither one of had thought they might have to drive home in bad weather! It took them about 7 hours to get home because of the snow. They had to chain up and were almost hit by a sliding car on the drive home. We were glad we got to spend some time with their family.

Nancy and I were the GRAND CHAMPIONS in Sequence!!! The

men were a little distraught to say the least :)

Landon gave Jaidyn a Big squeeze in the bathtub.

Idaho Fun for Spring Break

2010-04-14T21:17:00.001-07:00

Marilyn and Carol being cool :)

we made these cute picture boards.

Ang and I

this was taken at 1 a.m.

The Girls!

James just couldn't resist

Jon and Marilyn took us all to the PBR. We had a great time. It brought back memories of Barrys' rodeo days

Booklyn making funny faces during our "spa day" Angie works at this super cool place that is like a spa. We went and had many treatments that were amazing. First I did a Hydration Station. It is kindof like a tanning bed you lay in and it steams your body. Then I went to the hydro massage table, this is what Jenny is laying on in this pic. It gives you a massage using water. Then I went into a tanning bed that wraps around your body and has lamps to tan your entire body. Then I had a mystic tan. Boy I came out feeling like a new lady!!! After our spa trip, Heidi and Marilyn took the little girls out to lunch and Jenny and I went and got our hair cut. We came out looking like twins. A few people asked if we were. :) That night Angie colored Jenny and I's hair. We were truly pampered!!!

Jaidyn fell asleep on the four-wheeler!

Meghan let the calves suck on her fingers- Jaidyn was scared to death.

Jenny tried to coax Jaidyn into touching a calf.

Heidi feeling right at home :)

Caden playing trucks with Jaidyn

Some things I didn't get pictures of from the week- Laton and Meghan both driving quads. they had a blast! They have trails on their property that the kids ride all over. We had a surprize birthday party for Heidi. It was hard to pull off- but we did it. I almost had to show up in my pj's to keep it under wrap! Laton and Meghan got to spend the night with their good friends Cameron and Kylie. They moved from Nevada to Caldwell last year. We got to see Kristin and her kids. We got to meet Angies husband Eric- he is a huge hit with the kids! Laton wants to be just like him. We had a great visit with our Dear Friends. We stayed up late catching up and played hard all day.

Cruizin' on Faith

2010-04-12T12:25:00.001-07:00

Heather and I had taken a little trip to Reno for lunch and shopping. We were on the way home, heading for Virginia City when we realized we were almost out of gas. We were a little past the "point of no return" when we realized we had 3 miles until empty. We were a little scared being we had 3 little girls with us and no cell phone service. Needless to say we prayed every mile or so. We went about 6 miles uphill after the car read 0 miles until empty. We practically rolled into the gas station in VC!!! We had angels watching over us that day!

Baseball in Full Swing!

2010-04-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

Logan is playing Varsity Baseball this year. We thought he was going to play JV on the weekdays and Varsity on the weekends, but now he is only playing Varsity. He is having a great season so far! He really loves the game.

Jaidyn loves all the exploring during the games. After the first game when we got home

Logan asked me to please watch Jaidyn closely so she doesn't get hit by a foul ball.

Strawberry Social

2010-03-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

The ladies that visit teach me had a "strawberry social" this month

for all of the girls they visit. We had everything from strawberry lemonade,

strawberry and nutella crepes, strawberry salsa to strawberry cream cheese cookies.

I made these cookies for the social. They turned out yummy- and pretty too!

Sew Fun!

2010-03-16T19:48:00.001-07:00

Heather and her girls came for a visit from Utah.

One of the things we love to do when we get together is something crafty.

We decided to sew twirl skirts for the girls, I just love this pattern, I don't think

you could make an ugly skirt. My new sewing maching does some pretty cute stitches. I did a decorative stitch around the bottom of the skirt instead of doing bias tape. Jaidyn loves her skirt. I am going to try to get one

made for Meghan this week.

California Fun!

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

We (Jaidyn, Meghan and I) had a fun filled weekend

in California. It is always nice to go back and visit friends. We don't do it nearly often enough. Friday as soon as I got into town I drove over to John and Kathys house and within minutes we were seeing lots of great friends. It kind of made me "homesick." Friday night some of us girls got together and went out to dinner at Olive Garden (no pic- darn)! Saturday some of us got together and went to Pleasanton for the day shopping and eating! Saturday night I took Jessica, Jared, Jenna & Jocelyn and we went over to Cindy and Justins for some great food and even better company! Justin is starting a rub business and I got to try out his new rubs! YUM!!! He is presenting to Costco this week- Good Luck! I would definitely buy all of the ones I tasted, he put some on elk that made it taste like a Fillet Mignon. My Ca. friends are awesome and I love spending time with them! Girls- now it is your turn for a visit.

And a HUGE thank you to Trent for watching Jaidyn so us ladies could go to dinner! Jaidyn loves her uncle Trent and Aunt Nancy!Jaidyn and Jared- after bath.

Meghan and Jenna
Friends!

Trampoline Fun!

Kissy, kissy- Brody don't be jealous-

Jocelyn- or Fredetta as Barry calls her- holding a new puppy

Jaidyn- checking out the puppies

Great Friends!

Look Away!

oh, yea- great food!

To die for yogurt!

One gREat weekend!

Nolans' Baptism

2010-03-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

Nolan, one of Latons friends was baptized on Friday. Laton was able to give the talk on baptism. We are very proud of Nolan for making this great decision.

Christmas in March!

2010-03-03T16:01:00.001-08:00

What could possibly be better than Christmas in March? That is what today felt like. Marie's, who's married to the talented photographer that took the pictures I posted of Yosemites, father makes beautiful glass jewelry! I had told her around Christmas how beautiful the pieces were and how lucky she was to have such a talented father. Well, Marie made sure she got me a custom made neckalace from her father. I love, love, love it. As you can see I believe the Hyer children are blessed- they have talent running in their DNA! Too bad AnMarie is so much older than Logan :)

Laton asked me where I got my necklace and when I told him- he said Wow, they must really like you- that looks VERY expensive!

Jaidyn's 18 Month Stats

2010-03-03T15:59:00.000-08:00

20.13 lbs.
30 inches- short
Doing Great!

Buying Candy

2010-03-01T18:30:00.000-08:00

Barry had to run to the store tonight to get some ketchup for dinner. He asked Jaidyn if she would like to go and of course she answered- "I go bye bye daddy!" She ran to her room and grabbed her coat and a handful of change. She handed Barry the coat to put on and he asked her what was in her hand, she opened her hand and she had .56. Boy she is learning young. So, Barry and Jaidyn went the Maverick by themselves. They came home with ketchup and 2 sticks of Starburst candy. One for Jaidyn and one for sissy! Barry said when they walked by the candy isle her eyes got really big. Barry asked her if she wanted some candy and she got so excited she just kept walking up and down the isle looking at all the different candies. She would touch one and then walk a little further and touch another one.

My First Pigtails

2010-03-01T11:10:00.001-08:00

Yesterday for church I decided to try to put pigtails in Jaidyn's hair. They looked so cute! I can't believe she finally has enough hair to put back. She only pulled them out once!

Snow Fun in Tahoe

2010-03-01T07:26:00.001-08:00

Over President's weekend we went to Tahoe with the Tilby Family.

We have been doing this for about 5 years now- maybe longer- who's counting?

On Friday we met them up at Mount Rose to ski for the day. Laton

participated in the 4-H program this year- so he skis for 6 weeks during the season.

We get to ski for 20.00 if we go up with his group that day.

It was well worth the 20.00. We actually put Meghan in lessons and she really

took to skiing this year. She has never liked it in the past, but this year she loved it.

She did great on the lift and going down the beginner slopes! YEA!

Friday was actually my birthday and-of course - Nancy had made me a beautiful

birthday cake to celebrate that night. Barry got me an Ipod touch for my b-day

and I am sad to say I still haven't set it up :(

Saturday we hung out and played games while the kids built runs in the yard to

snowboard down. They spent almost the entire day in the snow!

Saturday night Trent took us out to dinner at the Blue Agave- a Mexican

restaurant he had seen on his way in. It was great food- but even greater

company! Sunday morning Barry and Trent took Taylor Ann and Logan over to

Heavenly for the day to snowboard with the Gauthiers and Falkes. Everyone joined us

Sunday night for dinner at our cabin- sad I didn't get any pictures- I was too excited

catching up with my friends! Logan went back to stay at Heavenly with the Gauthiers and skiied on Monday. We took the rest of the kids and dropped them off at Homewood on Monday to ski! It was nice to stay 2 miles from a ski resort that was nice an quaint. They kids had a great day skiing and snowboarding there. When we were pulling out to leave on Monday- Barry asked "when is our next vacation planned for?" Tells you how much he enjoys their company!

Meghan in lessons

Landon and Jaidyn- she did not want to be touched

Meghan and Ashlyn

Weston and Landon

Valentines presents!

Taylor Ann- no crashes this year

Nancy getting in on the action

Laton- Nice

Logan getting air

wow Dallin!

Nancy, Taylor Ann and Ashlyn

sledding

taking the kids for a much needed walk

our protector- he was there when we came and there when we left!

Blog to Book

2010-02-27T18:12:00.000-08:00

I just made my blog into a book with Heritage Makers. It is my first attempt so I am sure I will figure out things I want to change for next time. I can't wait for it to come in the mail. It will be like Christmas. Right now I am also doing a life history book on my grandma, my mom, Barrys dad and my dad. I have enjoyed learning things about all of them that I didn't know. The great thing about HM is that once the book is published, it is there, so in 20 years if one of my children wanted a copy of the this blog book they would be able to go online and order one. I am sure at one point they will all want copies of the books. You can click on the book and view the different pages.

Proof in Prayers

2010-02-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all of you who prayed for THIS sweet family. Their little boy who drown in the bathtub and was dead for at least 12 minutes (from what they can best calculate), has made a full recovery and is now back home! Yea! God is GOOD, and does answer prayers. He even walked out of Primary Childrens Hospital on his own!!!

Birthday Fun

2010-02-18T19:26:00.001-08:00

Emily and I are almost birthday twins. Our friend Katy made this adorable cake for us

to enjoy at our birthday lunch. She is a talented cake decorator.

Thanks for the cake Katy, and thanks to Stacy for the great b-day lunch- and thanks to everyone that came to enjoy our day with us!

My Valentine

2010-02-17T07:58:00.000-08:00

We were out of town for Valentines/ My Birthday. We spent a long weekend in Tahoe with our great friends, the Tilbys. I had wanted to write a post about my Valentine before I left but ran out of time, so I decided better do it now.

-Things I adore about Barry!

stats- 6'1"- 150 lbs

-beautiful blue eyes

-hair- none :)

-calls me JJ or "my love"

-calls me everyday to chat

-kisses me goodnight

-works hard

-loves his children

-serves the Lord

-knows that when I say- "don't get me anything for Valentines

Day" really means- I am getting you something so don't forget about me.

-will rent love movies for us to watch even though he doesn't like them.

-smiles at me

-would rather wear cowboy boots

-goes camping with me in civilized places- even though camping to him

is out in the middle of nowhere.

-helps me be a better person

-tells me when I am wrong- even though this hasn't happened yet- and I

told him I would let him know when it does.

-makes me laugh

-his humor

-his kindness and willingness to help others

-is usually dirty- but cleans up nicely

-tells me I am a good mom

-realizes when I have had a bad day.

-tells me when I have bad breath

-makes sure I always have gas in my car

-has NO clue the difference between a wedge and stiletto

-only wears Wranglers

-takes a bath everyday- no showers

-watches my dumb reality shows even though he hates them

-is a good cook- greasy but good

-makes others feel comfortable and welcome in our home

-loves my friends

-loves my family

-loves the outdoors- I am learning to

-takes our boys hunting and fishing

-teaches our boys how to be a mans man

-doesn't complain when I spend too much money

-does the laundry when he is home

-fixes everything

-can jimmy rig anything

-is kind hearted

-is a very rugged man

-knows that Jaidyn has turned him into a total softy- and loves it

-supports me

-makes fun of me in a good way

-has a southern accent- even though he has never lived in the South

-chews gum

-is a cowboy

-wants to live on a ranch one day

-Runs the kids around as often as he can

-does things for me- when he knows I don't want to do them

-is as smart as Survivorman

Yep- this is my valentine- all mine!

love you hunny!

My baby went to Nursery today!

2010-02-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Jaidyn is old enough to go to nursery,

boo-hoo

I couldn't wait until she was able to go so I didn't have to worry about

her on Sundays,

but after dropping her off on Sunday- I wanted to

go back and pick her up! She hardly cried when I left her :(

When I went to get her she was all smiles! Barry went and checked on

her 3-4 times and said she was happy each time, he said she

was even sitting on her carpet during the lesson- listening!

My baby is growing up way too fast!

Need to Brag!

2010-02-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken in Yosemite by one of our dear friends,

Kris Hyer, no need to tell you how talented he is! Proof!

His wife sent me this picture that he took while they were

in Yosemite on a birthday trip. Happy Belated birthday Kris- and Marie,

you are one lucky woman to have this talented photographer as your side kick!

p.s. - It is titled- "Heaven on Earth"- so true it looks Celestial to me :)

Prayer Request

2010-02-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

Please pray for this sweet family! Their youngest son drown in the bathtub Saturday and his health is starting to decline.

Successful last day of Bird Hunting for the Year!

2010-01-31T14:13:00.000-08:00

Barry took Logan and Laton Goose hunting on Saturday.

Today is the closing day of the season.

They had a great time hunting,

telling stories,

and killing Geese!

They brought home 2 really nice size geese,

they each weighed about 12 lbs.

Barry decided to try making jerky out of them.

Right now they are marinating, I will

let you know how it turns out!

They all had a very successful Duck and Geese season,

they discovered many new and great places to hunt.

Our boys truly LOVE hunting and treasure the time

they spend with their dad doing it.

Meghan will take hunters safety next year and join the group,

watch out boys, I bet she'll be a great shot!

That's what you get for sleeping in my Bed!

2010-01-31T14:08:00.000-08:00

Jaidyn came into our bed in the middle of the night.
I had to get up early to do payroll,
we now have the office in our bedroom,
this is what Jaidyn did when I turned the bedroom light on,
she even got in a little scowl at me as if to say,
"Hey, I am trying to sleep here!"

Jaidyns' Prayer

2010-01-29T07:39:00.000-08:00

Last night at dinner I asked who wanted to pray and Jaidyn (17 months) raised her hand and said ME!!! Here is her prayer- Hebenwe Fader, thank you fo dis day, thank you fo mommy and daddy and sissy and bubu, bwess de food, we wub de, in de name ub Desus Cwist, Amen. SOOO sweet!

"Don't Cry Because it's over, Smile because it happened." -Dr, Seuss

2010-01-26T16:22:00.001-08:00

I am telling myself over and over again today. We had to put Patches down today. She was 13 years old. The greatest dog you could ever ask for! She was full of cancer. We operated on her about 2 years ago and it came back with a vengence! She will be greatly missed!

What Matters Most

2010-01-20T08:17:00.001-08:00

Jaidyn's Tagalong

2010-01-11T18:13:00.000-08:00

Tonight I told the kids to get in the car to take Logan to basketball practice. Jaidyn usually grabs her blanket or her papa (pacifier) and runs to the door. Not tonight, I turn around and she is trying to bring along her new musical sit and spin. Logan and I were cracking up. She got very frustrated when we told her it had to stay home. She kept asking but why???? She is so fun and full of new discoveries! You will see below, she has learned to do taco tongue! Well I better go she is grabbing my finger as I type telling me "I go" which means she wants all my attention!

Yearly Duckhunt at the Vivian

2010-01-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

Barry takes the boys once a year to a duck club in Marysville, Ca. This year they stayed in the house called the Prairie. He has been taking Logan since he was about 3 or 4 years old. ALL the boys look forward to this hunt! They have a great time just being out doors and acting like boys! I am thankful for times like this when Barry is able to spend quality time with our boys. I know Logan and Laton are thankful as well. The hunt was very successful to say the least. They came home with 28 ducks and 1 goose (Logan killed the goose), no banded birds (darn) but a great hunt. Now we are trying to find some free time to have a duck feed!

New Sunbeams

2010-01-04T06:41:00.000-08:00

On Sat. we had an activity at church to introduce the primary kids to their new teachers. I will be the Sunbeam teacher again this year so I will have a new group of kids. I met the kids and took them to our new room to get to know each other. During one of our conversations one of the little girls told me she had tree nut allergies, which I was glad to know as I bring snacks on Sundays for them. After hearing this I asked the other children if their was anything they were not allowed to eat and one of the little boys piped up and told me he couldn't eat buggers! I almost fell out of my chair laughing!!!
Yesterday I taught them for the first time and I will just say they kept me on my toes. I will have to be very creative with this little group of kids! I guess I was spoiled with my class last year, I sure do miss them!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-01T18:27:00.000-08:00

Meghan got some press on nails in her stocking, they lasted about 4 days before she couldn't stand them any longer.

This is the look Jaidyn got on her face with every present, she acted soo surprised at each gift. She was truly enjoyable this year. We had so much fun with her.

We had a quiet and enjoyable Christmas this year. This is the first year since we have gotten married that we have been alone. We usually have a few family members join us. TJ and Sunny came for a few almost a week before Christmas, but they had to head home Christmas Eve. We missed family but enjoyed each other! After Christmas dinner we drove around and tried to find some deer to photograph, we lost light before finding any. Oh, well next time. :)

Cute Conversation between Meghan and Sarah

2009-12-30T09:31:00.001-08:00

Sarah: I was a small baby when I was born
Me: How much did you weigh?
S: 6.1 in pounds and about 9 in ounces
Meghan: Well I weighed 8lbs and 7 ounces and if you want to know just the ounces it was 15. :)
Another conversation:
While we were driving S home M asks S about her grandpas house-
M: how big is your grandpas house
S: I am not really sure
M: About how many square woods is it?
S: oh, about 3
M: no, it can't be that small
S: well then about 100 square wood- but I really don't know about that stuff
when we drive up to the house-
M: Well his house is about 100 square woods :)

Meghans Baptism Canvas

2009-12-29T15:56:00.000-08:00

Cynthia made Meghan a poster for her baptism. It turned out sooo cute. I glued it to a cavas and decorated it. I love it! Thanks Cynthia!

Cute Things Kids Say!

2009-12-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

A conversation between Laton, Meghan and myself.
Meghan: When I talk to you on the phone do you think I sound like a boy or girl?
Me: A girl, of course!
Laton: When you talk to me on the phone do you think I sound like a boy or girl?
Me: Well, kind of in between- right now your voice is kind of high, but when you go through puberty your voice will get deeper.
Laton: Well, has Logan gone through puberty?
Me: He is going through it right now-
Laton: Well that isn't fair- How old do you have to be to go through puberty?
Me: Usually 12-16 years old
Meghan: Well, Laton you have a while to finish it.
Laton: What is puberty? Some kind of class you take? Mom, sign me up! Is Logan passing? I haven't even heard him talk about his grade!
Me: hahahah! Laton, I will talk to you about this later, when we are alone.
Laton: Great, it is probably a hard class, that you are going to talk to me about how much I need to study to pass. :)

Our Visit with TJ, Sunny and Kalin

2009-12-28T21:05:00.001-08:00

We had a great visit with my brother and his family. We enjoyed many fun activities. We, of course, went to Scheels. TJ took a try at shooting the newest, fastest and of course the best Matthews Bow out and hit the target on his first try. He has now decided he needs to become an avid hunter! I have to admit I was impressed! We spent half the day playing around at Scheels and also had a delicious lunch there as well. TJ took Logan and Laton to the river 2 days in row, one day they fished and the next the duck hunted. They came home with 2 ducks. I was suprised as they haven't had any luck at the river before. Jaidyn and Kalin made friends quickly. They enjoyed bathtime together and played lots of silly games. As soon as the cameras came out though they dispersed and the moment was over. They cracked each other up often though. We are so glad they were able to come visit and miss them all ready!

Making Music

2009-12-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

Holiday Baking!

2009-12-28T20:52:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite parts of the Holiday is baking. I love to bake. Especially when it is cold outside. And Baby, it is COLD outside. This year I the traditional peanut butter balls, hand dipped carmels and of course toffee. Another item I added to the list this year were Oreo balls. They are a huge hit and sooo easy to make. If only I wouldn't have eaten all the many goodies I baked, not to mention all the goodies we received!!!

Melting Snowmen~

2009-12-28T20:44:00.000-08:00

Church was cancelled two weeks ago due to the snow, I had all ready prepared these melting snowmen cookies for my class, so Sunday afternoon we drove around and delivered the cookies to the Sunbeams. Boy I am going to miss these kiddos next year :(

Snow Fun!

2009-12-28T20:39:00.000-08:00

Jaidyn always seems to be able to talk Laton into taking her outside to touch the snow. She walks around telling him "out" and points to the door and pretty soon he is finding her snow clothes and taking her outside.

Wicked Clean Windows

2009-12-28T20:35:00.001-08:00

Our little friend that died flying into Logans bedroom window! This isn't the first bird that died at his window.

New Family Canvas

2009-12-12T17:17:00.001-08:00

I made this custom canvas from our family pictures we recently had taken. It came in the mail today and I love, love, love it! If you have pictures you want on a canvas, let me know and I will help you design one. It is totally custom, no two are alike! They have different sizes, mine is 20x24. It looks great on my wall. You can click on full size to see it bigger.

Snow Day!

2009-12-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

Logan and Laton wanted to go sledding with their friends so I had them build a snowman with Meghan before they went. It ended up looking like an igloo.
Icicles on the window

Sam pointing to the igloo

Jaidyn doesn't have any snow clothes so we made due and put on Meghans old snow pants and rolled them up. She loved the snow.

This is what we woke up to Monday morning. Lots and lots of snow. The kids got 2 snow days out of this storm.

My handsome hubby clearing off the driveway. At first he was doing it by hand, and our kind neighbor came over and offered his machine.

Early Morning Text!

2009-11-28T12:22:00.000-08:00

This morning I got a text around 5:30-6:00. I heard my phone beeping and figured it was a text from someone on the east coast. I listened to it beep for about 1- 1 1/2 hours before my curiosity got the best of me. It wasn't a text from the east coast but from my sis-in-law informing me that their 5 week old baby Addie had slept through the night! I was sooo excited for her as I know how hard it is to be up all night! You go Addie- keep sleeping! Isn't she a cutie? I have to show her off :)

Girls Time Out!

2009-11-19T06:50:00.000-08:00

Some of my good friends came to visit last week. They came up Sunday night and we went shopping in Reno all day Monday! We stayed up late catching up and had a great time on Monday shopping and eating good food! I miss you guys! Thanks for coming to visit. We need to plan this quarterly :)

This pic was so cute I had to add it!

Fall Family Pics!

2009-11-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

My friend Lynda took our family pictures last night, here is a peek! She is a fabulous photographer! Her web site is Bluelake Photography (her link is on the side of my page)

Sew Crazy!!!

2009-11-11T07:40:00.000-08:00

Staci taught Jenny and I how to make this adorable twirl skirt and I am addicted! I love this skirt. These are the second set of skirts I made for my girls. Sometimes I dream about sewing them with different materials! Yep! Crazy!

Jaidyn needing some mama love, she was done taking pictures!