Snow, Snow and More Snow!

When oh when will it ever stop snowing? I don't know about you all, but I am totally ready for spring (real spring)! I want to wear flip flops, capri's and not have to bundle the kids up just to go in the car for a short ride. I can't wait to turn down the heat in the house and in the car and turn up the air conditioning! I must say that I am thankful to live in a beautiful state where we get to enjoy all of the four seasons that Heavenly Father has created for us, but Hawaii isn't looking too bad right now! In a short time it will be warm and then everyone will be complaining that it's too hot, but not me I am always thankful for warm weather! I am ALWAYS cold!!! Just in case you didn't catch it the first time- I can't wait for spring!!!

Girls Day!

Does anybody else ever feel like they need a day off? I love being a mom believe me, but there are days when I feel like putting myself in a timeout. Since last Sunday I have been dealing with 2 very sick little boys and it has not been fun! I am watching my sister-in-laws 3 kids who are (fortunately for me very good). I have not been out of my house in 6 days (unless you count our doctors office visit). I think I finally broke down yesterday when Talen was screaming and bit me on the neck so hard that it drew blood. I knew at that point that I was going to have a nervous breakdown if I didn't get out of the house- soon!!! My friend, SueAnn, has been dealing with a sick child too so we decided to run away- at least for lunch! So finally.... I got to leave my house. This was a major accomplishment for me this week. My sweet husband played with all 6 kids all day and I got to go to lunch and go shopping. And boy oh boy can I tell you what a treat it was just to eat a meal all by myself! I think I now have some fresh perspective and I can do this for a few more days.

Sick kids on Easter!

Unfortunately we had sick kids on Easter. We didn't get any cute pictures of them in their new Easter church clothes. Poor Tray- He was trying to look happy. After checking out his Easter basket he fell asleep and slept from 10:00 to 4:00. Then he woke up just in time to have family come over for dinner- Hope we didn't pass along any germs! At least they all knew he was sick!






Tegen was our only kid who was actually happy on Easter morning. I took him to church and Ed had to stay home with Tray and Talen.






Poor Baby! I felt so bad for them. I guess we got lucky and everyone was healthy on Christmas so "holiday sickness" was bound to happen sooner or later. They loved all their treats though- unfortunately, Ed and I love their treats too!!!
We hope you all had a great Easter! Hopefully ours will be a little better next year!

Dying our Easter Eggs

On Saturday we dyed Easter eggs with some friends
Tegen couldn't wait to give his egg to Tabrie. He made

it special just for her!
Traysen made cool multi-colored eggs
Talen was so proud of himself!
Voila- The finished product!

Now who has to eat all those hard boiled eggs?

The Popsicle Course!

Every Thursday is my cleaning day and I move the chairs

and stools into the family room so I can mop. My ritual is cleaning

(so soon? didn't I just clean) and my boys ritual is to

build an "obstacle course" so they can hop from chair to

chair. Talen thinks it is called a "popsicle course".

They are a couple of crazy boys!When Talen said let's play on the popsicle course

Traysen was quick to correct his little brother and

say it's not a popsicle course it's an OBSTACLE course!

Either way they sure have fun doing it- at least it keeps

them off of my wet floor for a little while!

American Idol

Okay all you American Idol fans- how happy were you to see Amanda Overmyer gone? I don't know about you all, but she just wasn't all that good to me. I wasn't too sad to see her go. As long as David Archuletta, Brook White and David Cook stay for a while, then I will be happy!!!

Our Scary PINK Wall!

I just got a wild hair one day and decided to re-do my bedroom. I thought that it would be really pretty to have 3 brown walls and 1 red wall. Well.... my red wasn't so red it was PINK! More like fuschia! Ed called it lipstick!




Ed said that he is so sick of painting that it would be at least 2 years before he would touch another gallon of paint (he has repainted our whole house little by little since November). So while he was in Moab I decided to repaint by myself. This red seems to be MUCH better!!!! Although I can't tell you what exact color this is because the people at Lowe's had to keep adding little bits of color to make it the right color.




This picture is kind of dark, but I do love my room now!










Yea- it's done!!!! Now comes the fun part- decorations!!!

Ed In Moab

Ed did some crazy riding in Moab, Utah over the weekend. He went on a boys

trip with some friends and rode dirtbikes for hours everyday. He enjoyed 70

plus degree weather while it snowed here almost every day!

It looks like it wasn't ALL fun and games though! They had a few accidents and mishaps with their bikes although nothing serious happened. Ed popped his front tire. It pays to ride with people who are prepared because his buddies all had the tools to fix it right in the middle of the desert. Lucky boy!

Please let me make it... or this is gonna hurt.... a lot... Yea! He made it! Ed said this was some of the most difficult riding that he has ever done, but he had a blast. I am sure that this will now be a yearly thing- oh goodie for me! Seriously though, I am proud of him because he did such an awesome job out there!

Trip to the E.R.

Poor Baby T!!! I got out of the shower at noon (okay, so I was being way lazy today, you need one of those days every once in a while) and got ready. I heard a blood curdling scream and Talen came running into my room holding his hand. Ah oh- here we go (my boys are very accident prone and we have done stitches many times!) His finger had been smashed in the door by Traysen and there was gash in the tip of his right pointer finger. I couldn't tell if it needed stitches or not. It was one of those do we go to the e.r. or not kind of cuts. I tried calling my parents house- not home. I tried of both of their cell phones- no answer (big surprise)! I tried Meisha's house (Lance an E.M.T. and Meisha a nursing student)- no answer (go figure). I tried my husband - who is in Moab, 8 hours away- no answer (not sure what he was going to do for me, but worth a shot anyway). Then I started to panic thinking I just need someone to help me! I finally decided to call my friend Nichelle. She ALWAYS answers her phone. I wasn't sure what she could do to help me, but it's always nice to have backup! She was around the corner thankfully and stopped by. Then my parents finally called back and came over and the decision was unanimous--- E.R. Papa stayed with the older boys and Nanny came to the hospital with me because I'm a wimp (thanks a bunch!)

Everyone knows how long it takes at the e.r. but oh well, it's better to be safe than sorry! After a long, boring 3 1/2 hour wait we were finally seen. They took x-rays to make sure his finger wasn't broken as it was quite swollen. Thankfully it was not broken and they decided that stitches at this point would probably be pointless (ya think? we sat there for 3 hours with skin hanging from his finger, it's bound to get dry). Anyway, they glued it together, slapped a bandaid on it and said see ya later. So.... we'll probably pay hundreds of dollars for the x-rays, docs time and what not, all for some glue and a bandaid!!!! But like I said... it is definitely better to be safe than sorry.

Talen was one brave little boy. After the initial hurt he did very well. He never even cried when the doctors were doing their thing. He has been running around like a crazy man all night like it never even happened. Thanks to all who helped with our little trauma. We are very blessed to have such wonderful family & friends!

TAG ... WE'RE IT!

We got tagged by Tabrie and Briley and so we are supposed to list 8 things that people may or may not know about them.
Tegen:
1. Tegen is so smart that sometimes he amazes me. He brings his homework home done on most days because he says it's so easy he just does it while he is in class. I have to check it of course. He is in 2nd grade and is now obsessed with the Harry Potter books.
2. Anyone who know Tegen knows that he is obsessed with dirt bikes and has been since he was just a baby. When he was 18 months old he could name every part on a dirt bike and knew the names of all the riders and the bikes they rode. I have since become very knowledgeable on the subject (by default).
3. He is an awesome big brother. He is always worried about his little brothers and sometimes thinks that he needs to be the one to punish when they do something that he doesn't approve of. I often have to remind him that I am the mom not him!
4. He loves anything electronic: ipods, computers, gameboys, PS2, WII
5. He is totally into Pokemon right now and asked if he could buy a $58 Pokemon card on the internet. How do you explain to an 8 year old that this is a fad and it will pass?
6.We recently got a piano and he is having as much fun as me sitting down and trying to learn some new tunes (very, very easy ones of course)!
7. He rode in a dirt bike race for the first time last fall and took first place. We were so proud of him. It was a horrible, wet, muddy day and he kept on going!
8. He can't wait for summer. His uncle Cody (nicknamed Bubba by him when he was a baby) gave him a real BMX bike and he can't wait to get on it and try it out. I just now have to convince him that it can't be taken off his jump!
Traysen:
1. He is ALWAYS smiling. Since he was a small baby he has been so happy. He used to wave, smile and say hi to complete strangers at stores. He is a joy to be around.2. He is very charming. Everyone always asks me how I can possibly get mad at him because he could charm anyone! His kindergarten teacher told me so!
3. He is a great big brother to Talen. He is always helping him and trying to make him smile. Don't get me wrong- they do have their brotherly moments of fighting!
4. He is so smart. He is in Kindergarten and believes that he is the smartest kid in his class. How can I take that away from him? He was the first person in his class to pass off his skills book.
5. He would make a great gymnast. I think he is double jointed or something because he is extremely flexible for a boy. He can do the splits and bend his fingers backwards so they touch the back of his hand. It's crazy!
6. He also has great balance. He learned to ride his bicycle without training wheels when he was barely 3 years old and has been on a dirt bike since he was 4. I don't have half of the balance that my kids have.
7. He totally adores his older brother Tegen. He idolizes him and copies everything that Tegen does much to his brothers dismay. I tell Tegen it's because he loves his big brother and wants to be just like him!
8. He loves to help me around the house to earn "stars" on his chore chart. He always volunteers do things so that he can earn extra stars. I wish I could say that he was the cleanest kid in the world, but unfortunately he picks and chooses which "extra" things he's going to help with. Picking up his backpack, coat and toys don't seem to fall under that category.
Talen:
1. He is adorable! I absolutely love him. I was shocked when I found out that I would be having 3 boys since I am so girly, but I cannot imagine my life without him in it. He is adored by our whole family and is treated like the baby, hence he acts like the spoiled youngest child ALOT!
2. He is hysterical. He says the funniest things and comes up with the funniest things (like the pasty white fish). He is always saying the cutest little things.
3. He does NOT enjoy nursery! I think it has something to do with all of the small children competing for the same toys. The only way we can convince him to go is because his aunt Meisha is his nursery leader. That was definitely some divine inspiration on the bishop's part! Now he goes- and we couldn't be happier!
4.The child is obsessed with lipgloss- PINK lipgloss of all things. It does not thrill his dad, but I think it is sort of funny. Everywhere we go he asks to check out peoples purses to see if they have any pink lipgloss. Hopefully he grows out of this. It won't be cute when he is a teenager!
5. He is always putting on strange costumes. Different hats, spiderman costumes, dad's shoes etc. Nobody can ever accuse him of not having an active imagination!
6. He is a big time Momma's boy or Daddy's boy- it totally depends on the day. Somedays he only wants mom and others it's all about his dad. I do love it when he gets in bed and cuddles me in the mornings and gives me eskimo kisses and tells me he loves me. What could be better than that?
7. He is his Nanny's biggest fan. He adores her. When I take him to the office on Wednesday's with me he is absolutely devastated when she is not there. When she is there she gets nothing done because he follows her around everywhere she goes. I know she loves it though and wouldn't have it any other way!
8. He loves gum. Gum of any kind! Every time we go to a store I can convince him to be good and sit in the cart if I get him some gum. How easy to please!!!

They are the loves of my life (along with their dad) and I could not imagine spending every minute of every day with anyone else!

TAG ... CORA, JORDYN AND ASHTYN ... NOW YOU'RE IT!

Baby who can read

Sheesh... and I thought that my kids were smart. This baby is amazing and I thought this was pretty cool. If you click on the link you will just have to bear with the commercial for a minute or so! But check this baby out!

17-month-old who can readMarch 10: Can’t believe it? Watch baby Elizabeth read and say words live on TODAY.

Tray's Basketball Team

Traysen and his basketball team. Both of our older boys played basketball this winter. They had a blast! It was a definite learning process. They didn't start out knowing a lot, but were much improved by the end of the season! A-Core sponsored their teams and made them cute jersey's with their names and numbers on the back. It was a huge time commitment with both boys on different teams (on average at least 3 to 4 nights a week). It was worth it though. They really enjoyed themselves!

The Pasty White Fish

One day after church Talen put on these goggles and said he was a pasty white fish. We have no idea where he came up with that. Maybe seeing his fish after ice fishing traumatized him more than we think. He loves to dress in strange costumes and is always coming up with the craziest things!

The Cabin

We went to a cabin in Island Park in February with our friends the Dabells, the Dennetts and the Smiths. We had a lot of fun playing in the snow, playing games and eating. I think we ate more that weekend than in the whole rest of the month! It was a lot of fun though!

Ice Fishing

Ed took the boys ice fishing. Brrr! I did NOT go with them. They loved spending time with their dad, but as you can see Talen is not too sure about his fish.

Talen turns 3!

Talen turned "3" on February 3rd and his very favorite presents were two pink lipglosses from Aunt Meisha, Uncle Lance and Cason and Tylee. It could have been worse I guess- it could have been a doll or something. He sleeps with the lipgloss and takes it EVERYWHERE we go. Thanks Meish!

Tegen got baptized

Tegen was baptized and we were blessed enough to have many family and friends there to support him and his big decision. It was a very special occasion and Ed and I were very proud of him.

Tegen turned 8!!!

Grandpa and Grandma come to Idaho to visit!

Grandpa Kevin and Grandma Marianne came up to visit us around Christmastime. It was fun getting to visit with them. Eveyone is squinting because it was snowing very hard in this picture!

We have had a very busy year!