CHRISTMAS!

I hope that you all had a GREAT Christmas

We had a fun time in Star Valley at my parent's home. Christmas Eve we
had a live Nativity preformed by my kids and my little sister. (Very small cast)

Christmas morning was a blast. Of course the best part is watching the kids. They are so great.
Everything Kezalee got she would say "Thank you so much! This is JUST what I wanted"

We had a great day surrounded by family. All of my siblings were there at one time during the day. Jodi and Bobby were only there via webcam, but we still got to see them!

Kent spoiled me with more Willow Tree figurines and lots of crafty stuff (he shopped at Porters!), I got him the XBOX 360 game he wanted (against my better judgement) and my parents got us a campchef! We had fun playing in ALL the snow we got. I love having a white Christmas. My family is the best and I am so grateful for all that Heavenly Father has blessed us with.

LET IT SNOW!!!!

Things I Have Done--Kent's list

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland 
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (No-but I have been to Venice)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community 
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (have we ever!)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

CHANDLER

I just wanted to with Chandler a Happy Birthday!  He turned 7 years old on the 3rd!  I can't believe he will be getting baptized next year.  He is such a sweet boy and had always been a big helper.  When  Chandler was born he only weighed 4 lbs 7 oz.  He has always been full of life and found ways to entertain himself.  When he was a toddler he was always getting into something.  (Rolls of tiolet paper, eggs, water)  He is a very sentimental child and loved to collect things.  He is really into science right now and learning about historyand ARMY  I am so happy to have Chandler in my life.  We love you!

IF you can guess what the cake is- you have a great imagination.

Things I've Done -Jamie's List

Things I've Done -Jamie's List

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community (nope, but I have an Amish bedroom set!)
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (have we ever!)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Crafts!

Hey! I just wanted to put a plug for my cousin Jess and her
Awesome Craft blog. She is so talented and it has some great
Holiday Craft Ideas. Check it out at www.aqtforever.blogspot.com
Or link to it on my side bar under Jess!
Happy Craftin!

Happy Holidays!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

I Saw this on Camie's Blog. It is SO cute and true. Here is to all of us SAHMS!!!!





A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.

The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog.

Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.

He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?'

She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?'

'Yes,' was his incredulous reply.

She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.'

Fall Family Pictures!

Halloween

The kids had a great Halloween. We drove to Pingree and went to the Carnival at the Jr. High. Kent's nephews from Las Vegas were up and did a magic show. It was great. Chandler was GI Joe, Keza was a Princess and Aly was a Ladybug!

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

We decided to buy each one of the kids their own little
pumpkins this year. They turned out cute!

I have decided to do 101 Things about me that I have seen on so many other blogs! So here we go.

1. I love to exercise, but I have no self accountability and am more likely to do it if I have a partner.

2. My neighbor and I walk our dogs (I have a boxer) every morning at 6 am.

3. I love the color pink.

4. I love to be warm. In the winter I will sleep with a warm rice bag under the covers.

5. I LOVE fireplaces (see #4) and miss not having one in the current house we are in.

6. If I find something I like at a restaurant, I rarely ever get anything different. I stick to what I know. Here are a few of my classics: Pecan-crusted chicken salad at Johnny Carinos, Braisened Beef Tortolini @ Olive Garden(I haven't had anything different there for almost 3 years!), and Chinese Chicken Salad @ Iggy's.

7. I love to eat off my husbands plate (he hates it) which is why number 6 works for me!

8. Summer is my favorite season.

9. The fourth of July is my favorite Holiday. Because my birthday is the 3rd, warm weather and fireworks!

10. I love Garage Sales but I am VERY picky about what I buy at them.

11. I love getting a good bargain.(see #10) It gives me warm fuzzies!

12. My favorite Craft store is Roberts, not just because it is such a great store, but because of 50% off Mondays!

13.I hate the D.I. here. It grosses me out.

14. I can spend HOURS in Tai Pan and only buy one thing. I wish there was one closer.

15.I don't believe in white walls and have always painted at least one of the rooms in all of the homes that we have lived in.

16. I have been to Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Colorado, California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and Tijuana Mexico.

17. We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon and I am hoping to go back for our 10 year anniversary.

18. I have lived in Wyoming, Idaho and California.

19. We have moved over 10 times in 7 years. The longest we have lived in one place is 2 years.

20. I like to travel and wish I could do it more.

21. I love the colors of Fall, but really don't like OUT OF CONTROL allergies and the start of cold weather.

19. I am afraid of heights.

20. I love to rock climb! No matter how many times I go, I still have a hard time repelling down. My husband has to convince me to come down.

21. I have a lot of friends in our neighborhood (we have a girls night out every so often) but I don't consider myself to have very many close friends.

22. My best friends are Kent, My mom and Shari.

22. Shari is awesome. We have known each other for 5 years and have been through a lot together and know everything about each other. Strangely enough, we have never lived in the same town or even the same state.

23. I call my mom at least twice a week, usually more if I can make up enough good excuses to talk to her.

24. I have never had to work outside of the home since Chandler was born.

25. I have worked from home now for a year, not because I needed to but because I wanted to.

26. I believe that working from home is ten times harder than going to work. I never get to leave work. Plus, try having your husband as a business partner.

27. I like to read, but don't do it as often as I want. When I start a good book, I can't put it down and so nothing gets done for days.

28. I am a bit of a self-help junkie. I have read a ton of books, taken several classes and spent a lot of money on the idea of becoming a better me!

29. I wish I lived closer to my sister so we could have a better relationship. (Jodi lives in Germany)

30. Kent and I both come from large families. I use to want 5 or 6 kids, now I am thinking 4 would be a nice even number.

31. I love being pregnant. (Just to clarify, I am not pregnant now)

32. I have never carried any of my babies full term. My kids birth weights in order: 4lbs 6 oz, 5 lbs 13 oz, 5 lbs 13 oz (yes, my girls weighed the same!)

33. I am the oldest in my family and Kent is the youngest.

34. I really love the gospel. I wish I was a better person and was more faithful with the day to day things that can make such a big difference.

35. I have a thing about rules. Sometimes to a fault. Rules are NOT meant to be broken.

36. This is going to take a lot longer than I thought!

37. My husbands parents are only a couple years younger than my grandparents and my mom is only a couple of years older than Kent's oldest sister.

38. I really love Kent's family. When we are all together there are over 60 of us-good thing his parents planned ahead and build a big home!

39. I really want to serve a mission with Kent one day. I am hoping for a foriegn country.

40. Lack of Patience is one of my greatest weaknesses.

41. I hate to take baths. All I do is think of all the other things I could be doing, not to mention sitting in your own dirty water?

42. I have really dry, rough skin.

43. Kent has really soft, smooth skin. Go figure.

44. I hate to buy clothes. (Must be the figure that is no more from having 3 kids)

45. I hate shopping in general unless I am in a craft or home decor store OR there is a KILLER sale going on somewhere.

46. I love my family! I could hang out with them all the time. I will spend hours with my mom
at walmart, just to be with her. That is saying a lot. See number 45.

47. I love old Disney movies and Musicals.

48. If I am watching a musical and know the words, I always sing along. I even do it with Disney movies. My kids HATE it.

49. I can watch Pride and Prejudice in one sitting (The original from A&E) No matter how many times I see that movie, I get butterflies wondering if Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth will get together.

50. My husband use to sing a song by Cake to me when we were dating. It is called Stickshifts and Safetybelts. I am listening to it on my playlist and smiling.

51. I love Michael Buble' and would like to see him in concert.

52. I love to sing. I love even more that Kent sings. He is much better than me. I love to sing together.

53. I hate to cook, but I hate baking worse. I have ruined too many things. Kent makes all the cookies around here.

54. I hate to clean, but I love my house to be clean? I go crazy if it is messy for too long.

55. I Hate Cats and will never own one. The smell of their poop is the worst smell in the world!

56. We have had 8 pets in 7 years. One hamster, 2 ferrets, a beta fish and 4 dogs.

57. I like living in Idaho, but hope to end up in Star Valley someday. It might not be until we are retired. :0(

58. Homemade popcorn is the only way to go. My parents bought us a whirly pop one year for Christmas. It makes the best popcorn ever. You can get one at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

59. I spend way too much time on facebook, blogging and reading other peoples blogs.

60. I am not a night person, but I hate to go to bed without Kent. I sleep a lot on the couch while Kent is watching movies.

61. I fall asleep the minute my head hits the pillow. I have been known to fall asleep duing conversations with my hubby.

62. I love snow, but hate being cold.

63. I have never been skiing although I grew up only 45 minutes from Jackson Hole Wyoming.

64. I don't like to spend money. I get buyer remorse easily!

65. I love to go to the temple. I don't go enough.

66. I love artichokes.

67. Kent makes the best chocolate chip cookies ever. see number.

68. Bryer's Vanilla bean Ice cream is the best ice cream on the planet.

69. When Kent it home, we never watch TV. When he is gone, I watch way too much TV.

70. We have had only one car for a year now. It has been hard at times, but we have managed.

71. We are currently shopping for another car.

72. I drive a 2007 Chevy Tahoe. I love it. I hate paying for it.

73. My favorite things about the Tahoe are: back up camera, entertainment system (how did we ever live without a DVD player in the car when we were kids?) and leather seats(they make it so easy to clean)

74. I love home decor(see number 14) but I am not a very good decorator, so I don't buy much.

75. My dad makes the best dutch oven peach cobbler. Hands down.

76. I enjoy camping, but I am glad we don't go very often.

78. I LOVE to find a canyon, get on a 4wheeler and ride!

79.Pet peeve- stepping in water with socks on, need I say more?

80.I need a plan, not much for spontaneity .

81.Things need to be neat, If I mess up when writing something i almost always throw it away and start over.

82. I enjoy scrapbooking, but spend WAY too long making just one page, because it has to be PERFECT. If I don't like how a page turns out, I will start all over.

83. Part of what I do for a living is knocking on the doors of people in foreclosure. I have knocked on very scary ghetto houses to mansions.

84. I like hooded sweatshirts, I have worn one everyday this week. (not the same one:0) )

85. I also have a thing for painting furniture. I just painted all of my bedroom furniture black. Looks awesome.

86. Despite my hating to cook or bake, I make pretty DANG good cheesecake. "Secret Recipe"

87. I love babies. I would have 20 kids if they would all stay little.

88. I have the craziest kids ever. They are constantly getting into trouble, yet they are so much fun and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

89. I would like to learn how to use photoshop and more about photography.

90. I wish I had a piano. I really like to play,but am not very good.

91. Sometimes I secretly envy single people who have no one to be accountable for but themselves and don't constantly hear mom,mom,mom,mom,mom,mom,mom,mom,mom,
mom,mom,mom,MOM in the backgound.

92. I love the song "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds. I am currently looking for the sheet music (yes, I know I don't have a piano but you always need to be prepared, right?)

93. I also love Jack Johnson. I could listen to him forever.

94. I can't spell. I love spell check

95.I have an obsession with handwriting and am always looking for fun ways to change mine.

96. I love to spoil my youngest sister. She is 10 years old.

97. I have never had a professional massage before, yet my best friend is a Massage Therapist.

98. My chiropractor told me I will probably have to have a hip replacement in my mid-30s. Yippee.

99. I love Christmas music.

100. I constantly worry about my abilities as a mother and wife.

101. For the most part, I am happy with being me!

Climbing

Our family had a great time this weekend in Logan. We always have so much fun with our friends, the Willis Family! Our kids are so funny together! Shari is my best friend. We are so complete opposites, but I don't know what I would do without her! She is always there for me. We even stayed for church so I could see Shari give her lesson in R.S. and it was so great. We survived Sacrament meeting with all the kids so now we know anything is possible!

We missed the boat for our annual climb up Logan Canyon,(darn snow!) so we headed to the rock climbing gym. I have never climbed in a gym before-but I loved it! I thought it was easier than the rock and was glad to be in the warmth!( I was freezing all weekend!) I ran out to the car to get my camera and the batteries were dead. :0( I am sure it is for the best because no pics of the view from the ground are good pics. (3 kids kills your figure!)

So despite 10 people( 6 kids, 6 years old and younger) in a very small 2 bedroom house for 3 days,we had a blast!

PLUS- I got to see my wonderful friend from High School, Kristen! I loved seeing her. She is one of the cutest people I know and miss that we do not get to hang out anymore. Her baby girl is so adorable! I miss you Kristen!!

Now we are home, Kent is in Spokane on another trip and we all have a cold. Back to reality! :0)

General Conference

I just love General Conference. The talks always seem to be directed to me! I love President Monson and his spirit. I know that he truly is a prophet of God. The talk that he gave about enjoying life where we are now was what I needed to hear. It can be hard when you are surrounded by dirty diapers, fighting kids and bills to take the time to enjoy life . I must admit that one of my favorites is Elder Bednar. I am sure it is because of my days at Ricks college. I love his messages and the way that he presents. I loved his talk about prayer, it is something that I really need to work on. My kids were fairly good (minimal fighting and running around) and I felt the spirit all weekend.

*Side note- I painted the girls room purple during the Saturday afternoon session and I love it!

My kiddos

My Baby!

Arrgh!

Today I officially win the worst mother of the year award! The first stupid event of the day happened when I locked the keys in the car. But that is not the bad part! The problem was Aly was asleep in the car, the car was parked in the sun, all the windows are up and the car was running- oh and did I mention that it wasn't even MY car? So I called my Parents (it is their car that I borrowed from my Brother at college who is using it while he car hunts) to see if there was a hide-a-key. My dad tells me that he gave it to my brother to "hide" when he took the car to college. So I try and reach my brother but he doesn't answer his phone because he is in class. Finally I get though to him and the hide-a-key is in his apartment in Rexburg. So my Dad calls again and tells me to fish a wire hanger through the door and try and roll down the window. Problem is all of my hangers are Plastic! So in the end I call the Police. They come over (by this time it has been almost a half an hour and I am getting a little nervous) and tell me that they don't unlock car doors any more and a lock smith is on the way. (Why didn't dispatch just tell me that and I would have called the lock smith myself?) So about the same time the police arrive the Elementary kids get off the bus. The bus stop just happens to be in front of our house so all the kids are standing in my drive way staring at the police car. ( I am sure they all told their mom's about the police at Chandler's house when they got home) When all was said and done, the lock smith came and Aly was fine. They didn't even charge me because there was a child in the locked car.
I could have lived with my stupidity if it had ended here! A couple of hours later I was doing laundry and the older kids were running in and out of the house. So I am in my room hanging clothes when the door bell rings and a lady hands me Aly and tells me she was in the middle of the street and she almost ran her over! I just starred at her in disbelief. Could I be any worse of a parent! We are the first house in the subdivision off of a pretty busy road and I am just so grateful that she wasn't hurt. To top that off she didn't have pants and was running around in her diaper with boogies running down her face! So now I am sure this neighbor ( whom I had never met until today) was shaking her head all the way home. So there you have it. I hesitate to even post this because I am so mortified to think that everyone will know my sad parenting abilities. I am just grateful that Heavenly Father loves me and is watching out for my family and that children have short-term memories!

P.S. Did I mention that Kent is in Spokane, so of course he missed out on all the fun. It is always better when he is around, he is a much better parent than me!

Duck Feeding Frenzy

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Fall Is in the Air

Sorry I have not posted in awhile. We have already had a busy September!
Over Labor day weekend we went camping in Star Valley with my family. It was fun.
Saturday day we went on our traditional family bike ride where we pick a canyon and just ride. I love enjoying the beauty that God created and I love it that we do it as a family. We usually have at least 6-10 bikes and four wheelers with us. We have been exploring the Valley this way for about 10 years and this is one of my favorite things and something that draws me back to Star Valley.
We also had a chance to go to the Eastern Idaho State Fair. Kent enjoys going to the fair because he always went as a kid since he is from the Blackfoot area. While we were there we told the kids we could ride one ride and so we picked the Ferris Wheel. We were headed to buy tickets when we realized it would almost cost our family $20 just to ride the ferris wheel. We did not want to spend that much on the ride because we still wanted to get fair food and other things. So we explained to the kids that it was too much money and they could just get some cotton candy or something. As we were turning to leave a family came up to us and asked us if we wanted some free tickets because they were headed to the Demolition Derby! They ended up giving us 60 tickets! That is $60 worth. So we did ride the Ferris Wheel as well as a few other ride and ended up giving 10 tickets away because Aly was ready for bed. It is comforting to know that there are kind people out there and Heavenly Father is watching out for us!
On September 7th- Kent turned 30! We had his family over for a dinner after church. With just his local family and my two brothers who live in Rexburg we had almost 40 people over for dinner! I can't believe that we are getting so old. We are grateful for where we are in our lives but definately have many more goals we want to accomplish! I am so grateful for my wonderful Husband!!! He is the best father and I know that he loves me!
I love the beauty and colors of Fall. The weather has been so great here! I HATE the allergies the Fall brings and the snow that is just around the corner. So for now I will just enjoy life one day at a time.



Chandler and Jaden

Grandpa teaching Chandler how to shoot

Baylee,Kezalee and Aly

Me and my Mom- yes we are camping, scary hair and no makeup!

Kent and Aly

 

Pre-School

Today was Keza's first day of preschool. She enjoyed it but keeps asking when 'nastics' is starting.
So I am going to try and register her for gymnastics this week. Our little family is growing up!

Yesterday was Chandlers first day of First Grade! He was up at 6:20 am up in my face saying "Mom! Wake up I am going to be late for school!" He has a teacher who has only been teaching for a couple of years and she seems nice. He had a good first day. (He did come home and teach Keza how to hold down all of your fingers but one!--He got a talkin to for that one:0) and now Kent is dead set that he will not be attending public school next year. I guess we will see.) Life just seems to keep passing us by!

Summer Magic

Wow this summer has flown. School is in less than a week and I have mixed emotions. I hate the freedom that school takes away from our family time, but enjoy the freedom that school gives to me!
I have been busy lately working on a home that we picked up in Rigby. It has been a learning project but somewhat stressful. I have also decided that working from home is not all it is cracked up to be. I have had a hard time balancing family life and work. It is too tempting to stop working to do laundry or dishes and hard to not remember something I need to do and go do it even when it is not my "scheduled" work time--but we are working through it and hopefully school will help us more with our schedule.

Black Mountain

Candy Drop

Loristica

Swingin Tree

Family! Family! Family!

Well, July is over and it was definitely our month for family! Adam and Natalie blessed Mckayla Dawn Baker at the beginning of the month. Ryan came home from his mission in Peru and Jodi came home from Germany in the middle of the month. Last but not least we had our Dance family camp out at Loristica!
We had so much fun spending time with both families. We have played hard, now it is time to get back to work!!

First are our pictures of our Bike ride to the top of Black Mountain the weekend Ryan talked in Church. There are also some pictures of the annual candy drop at the Freedom ball park.
I also posted pictures of our camping trip to Loristica. We had a blast and won the award for having the dirtiest children when we left! Kent has such a great family and I love spending time with them! I will also post pictures of the Swingin Tree, a family favorite when we are camping!

Better Together

Hooray! We are all together again after two years! We are excited to have Ryan home from the Lima Peru Central Mission. He looks the same, except for that lost look in his eyes.
The night before Ryan flew in I went to the airport to pick Jodi up from Germany. She has been living there for a year and a half and hasn't been home since Aly's birth a year ago.
Ryan was introduced to a new sister-in-law, Natalie and two new nieces. Mckayla is 6 weeks old and Aly is 12 months old!
After the airport we enjoyed a dinner at Texas Roadhouse. The food was Yummy, the service was terrible! But hey- we were together!
I am so grateful for such a wonderful family!
P.S. Happy Birthday Adam

A blog!

Well I finally created a blog! Not that anyone was beating my door down begging me to do it.  I have seen a few that my friends have created and I wanted to get in on the action. So here we go!