Olinselot Phamily

Christmas Celebrations!

2011-12-30T20:56:00.000-08:00

Baking with my boys is a yearly holiday tradition! We LOVE to get in the kitchen and whip up something super yummy! Luke thought it was so manly to hold on to the BOSH mixer while it was turning our cookie dough! .....I just love him!...and Luke too. ;)

I think in every picture we take Luke has some freaky look on his face, Gage looks overly excited and kyle is just plain adorable! They are my little buddies and they're growing to be such wonderful people.

Right at this moment Kyle was saying "look at the cookies, they go round n round n round...its looks yummy"....he's speaking SO well it almost feels like I don't have a baby anymore....but his snuggles and kisses say otherwise! :)

The one thing I wanted for Christmas this year was to see everyone around me happy and healthy! ...and I got my wish! I am so blessed to have a family that I can love and adore, and even on those crazy days I can look at them and feel blessed.

Waffle Wonderment

2011-11-17T14:27:00.000-08:00

Watcha got in the toaster daddy? Look at that! There's waffles in there!

They're gonna pop up any second! I can't wait! Any SECOND!

Ah Ha! YES!
Ha ha ha, that was so awesome! They popped up all by themselves!

YES! We did it!

This is the coolest thing EVER! They're all done!

Oh man, this bite over here looks like the biggest one! So AWESOME!

NOM NOM NOM NOM!

Just a fun reminder to find joy in the simple things of life. Stop stressing about all the stuff that doesn't make you happy and start enjoying the fun people and little things that make you smile!

My Guide to Surviving Sickness

2011-11-14T13:49:00.000-08:00

The last few days I've felt like someone injected play dough up my sinus cavity. Then it will suddenly decide to transform from dough to wd-40 at random times (and by random I mean when I am talking to someone). It can feel impossible to survive the flu or common cold with any sense of optimism, but I've always been known for having a great attitude while being sick.
Here is my guide to surviving sickness:

Rule #1: Whenever someone wants to take a picture of you an you don't feel like it, just roll your eyes up and to the left. Add more to the effect by gaping your mouth wide open (an essential technique for proper breathing while thinking really hard). This is important because if anyone looks at the picture years later they will immediately know that you were clearly sick and not looking your normal handsome self. It also sends a clear message to the photographer that you are not in the best mood for picture taking.

Rule #2: When you were a child you ran careless and free in the most comfortable clothes you have. Nobody was judgmental about fashion sense because when you are four years old nobody cares. As an adult you have the unique opportunity to resume this careless approach in your dress without being laughed at. I highly recommend gym shorts without pockets and a t-shirt with stains and/or rips. The lack of pockets prevents you from carrying such things as wallets and keys and thereby keeps you from doing something stupid like going shopping.

Rule #3: Always make sure you choose the correct medicine for the symptoms you have. This step is absolutely critical! A wrong choice here can double your condition from spraying out of one end to spraying out of ends you didn't know you had.

Rule #4: If your head feels feverish and you feel gross and grubby. Shave all your hair off. This is especially important for women. If you stop for a second and think about it, if you haven't cut your hair in the last nine years then you have stuff on your head that's been around since Nickelback had the number one hit song! That's just gross.

Rule #5: Do something productive! I don't want to brag here, but while being sick with the worst of colds I've still managed to slay dragons, win the Super Bowl, and prevent eminent nuclear world war! Don't be lazy. Just because you don't feel good doesn't mean you can't get stuff done.

Those are my top five rules to staying positive while sick. With the cold and flu season just getting started I hope you all found something useful from this guide. Do you have any rules that you follow? I'd love to hear what you do!

Going Somewhere

2011-11-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

We've had this blog for long time now and it's always been a place to just post things we want to remember, funny moments, and random goings on. YouTube has become the place where we upload videos about what we do each day.
So recently we have been talking about why we are doing all this. What are we doing? Why do we put in all this time? What are we getting out of it? Are we really providing anything for the thousands of people who watch and read?
Then some really interesting questions starting surfacing from the midst of these simpler puzzles. Where are WE going? Where do WE want to end up? What do WE want to do with the rest of our lives? Where do WE want to end up? What will WE be doing when we get there?
WHAT IS OUR DIRECTION?
It is easy to start asking these tough questions and look at things like money, time, possessions, dreams unfulfilled and feel like it's just a big waste. That we'd be better off just getting a second job and increase our income so we can get the house on the hill with the fat mortgage to hack away at for the rest of our lives.
I think a lot of people, maybe even you, are constantly wondering what direction you are headed and why. Maybe we are all asking the wrong questions!
Our conversation suddenly shifted over the last few days. We began to embrace the adventure. We look back on our "directionless" lives and see a long list of totally awesome things we've experienced and accomplished. Things that cannot be planned!
So where do we go from here? Where we go is forward. With unwavering optimism and wild dreams. Our ultimate goal is happiness. Happiness in family, marriage, home, friends, finances, and future.
Most importantly we want YOU to come along with us. We may not provide the best advice on how to cook a thanksgiving turkey, but I promise that you'll learn something watching us try. We will be posting on this blog consistently every week. With a fun blend of long term and short term projects, goals, and adventures we want everyone to feel welcome to come along and take something useful from it.

What about dream shopping?

2011-09-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

So, a pass time of mine is dream shopping. I usually spend literally five minutes a week looking at something I think is beautiful, elegant and usually expensive. Like this brand new Jeep....its so beautiful! I really would NEVER pay that amount of money for a car at this point in my life, but the dream that I will easy afford it in the future keeps me focused and renews my motivation to be successful in anything I do.
I don't always look at cars and trucks, sometimes its just an expensive pair of jeans....and just the same...I'm always thrifty and find sales or consignment stores to shop in, I don't really purchase expensive clothing.

I've been asked a lot why I am this way, and I'll tell you. I was raised in a very large family where we typically wore used clothing, and we wore them until they were VERY worn out...basically their life stopped with my family....once we got them...they had no chance of seeing another soul again. :) To some this is very sad, but I see it as a positive thing in my life. As an adult I have the ability to have cold hard cash in my pocket, and walk right out of a store without purchasing something I really want even though I have the money.

Having the ability to do this is rare, and I'm finding that as I get older and more experienced with finances, and how money works...I know this is a good thing. I look at bank accounts all day at my job, and the people who have the most money DO NOT look like they do.

So, instead of actually buying something...I dream shop! I love to feel like I"m working for something that I might someday have. I'm a dreamer, what can I say?

How about you? Do you dream shop?

Idaho Life...fo realz

2011-08-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we visited my home town, and luckily for us...it was FAIR WEEK! The Gooding County Fair is a huge event for the small town folks that live there. I took my boys to their first fair ever! They thought it was fun to eat snow cones, see the fun rides and carnival activities, but sadly Buster and Gickos weren't really interested in the rodeo, so we cut out early and headed to Pappy's farm.

We arrived to the farm near sundown, and the view was breathtaking. The temperature was perfect for exploring and enjoying our time with Granny while she was doing evening chores.
Taloopi's favorite thing to do next to eating Icecream is feeding the chickens and gathering eggs. He thinks it is SO SO funny to watch the chickens walk around pecking the ground, and the noises they make. Granny is the best! She loves to help Taloopi experience EVERYTHING as she does it.

This concerning look was Taloopi's impression of the messy food area where the chickens eat....he thought the food on the ground was pretty nasty! Kinda funny considering I have to remind him not to eat food he finds in less than sanitary places.

Pappy's sweet corn was ripe and perfect for picking!...so we picked some!
Granny escorted us to the field not far from the house to pick as much as we like, and Taloopi LOVED IT! I'm beginning to think he's a farmer at heart!....that gives me the warm and fuzzies.

This road...I mean dirt road?...I mean grass road?...yeah we'll go with grass road....is where I walk all growing up to move irrigation pipe twice a day. Our farm was kind of split into two sections, and this was the section I typically spent my time working on....I think it's because my brothers always wanted to ride motorcycles and four wheelers, and therefore I found myself walking!...I've got the the nicest legs out of everyone, so who's laughing now??? HA!

After picking corn and feeding chickens it was time for a garden inspection. I would like to say that I have a green thumb, hereditary from my mother, but it's not true....nor did I inherit her domestic talents. I was way to busy riding horses, climbing trees, shooting guns, and playing cowboys with my brothers....I do have to give it to her though...she tried. Sorry to fail you mom. hahaha!

Goals...I always set them.

2011-08-07T20:24:00.001-07:00

Hey!

I just thought I would post a blurb on what my plans are. I love to set goals, and work towards them during the week. I feel like I achieve so much more when I set the bar high, it pushes me daily and keeps me focused on my long-term goals.

Goal #1:
I am going to workout Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week. That will be three days more than I worked out last week! :) I will be doing P90x in the mornings because Carl will be at the gym, and I can do that while the boys are sleeping.

Goal #2:

Blog for the first time at www.jingerrific.com I finally got the site to go live this weekend, and I will be putting a lot of work into that website this week. I want to share more intimate details about the things I want to accomplish and address any questions anyone has about different topics. This website will be more focused on women accomplishing great things besides their #1 responsibilities, and encouraging women to find fulfillment in their everyday life outside of being a wife and/or mother, student, employee, or anyone looking for some inspiration....including me! :) I want to establish a strong group of ladies that will encourage one another to be their own version of awesome!...whatever that may be.

Goal #3:

Find an extra special thing to do for Carl this week. He is my very best friend, and I want to let him know how much I love him. I don't know what it is yet, but I'll know when I see it or think of it. :)

Don't forget! YOU make your day awesome!...do not let negativity in!

What are your goals this week? Are you doing anything exciting before the summer is over??

I'M BACK!! ...aren't you excited??

2011-08-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

Hey! It looks like I'm going to start blogging again!...I know...I just made your whole day, huh?...It's okay, just admit that you love to read my blog and you've been so disappointed you could only see my ugly face on video, and my deep dark thoughts haven't been in writing.
What brought me back? Well, I really miss being in touch with my friends, and using my shining personality and love of writing (which I do very poorly) to entertain and inspire the 3 people who actually read this.I miss being able to have a space of my very own where I feel safe to write whatever comes to mind. I love to take pictures too, and have them in a safe spot.

This picture of Taloopidoo is ADORABLE! I really captures his BIG personality that is squished in that little body! When we were getting our pictures taken and he realized he was in front of the camera, his personality magnified like crazy, and he had the photographer laughing out loud while she was trying to take the picture. He's such a loveable little person, and in so many ways he's one of those little people that makes having another look really good.....

Gickos can't take anything seriously....can ya tell?? His sitting there making all sorts of crazy faces and do exactly what he wants. Oh, and he won't allow me to do his hair anymore, so it always looks extra "awesome"...just ask HIM.
Buster on the other hand, takes pictures with ease. He is so photogenic, and loves taking still shots....this is probably a bias opinion because I think he is a b e a utiful person....I know he looks just like me huh?! ;)
These three little people have my heart walking on the outside of my body everyday. I'm honored to be there mother...and they usually feel this when they're shoveling doggy doo doo in the back yard! :)
Love you all!

Haha new years!

2011-02-27T15:32:00.000-08:00

Hey,
Sorry I forgot to post my New Years resolutions!! Sometimes I get busy and I forget about all my blog followers.....but I don't love you any less ;).
Well things have been busy lately. I am working in a hair salon right now, which I can say is probably the greatest salon I've worked in. The ladies I work with are all super fun and interesting. They keep me on my toes, but they are so kind. I'm also working for a bank near my home, and I LOVE IT. It's such a good fit for me, and I'm really looking forward to being finished with training so I can start working the line. Olin is becoming more and more engulfed in YouTube, and I'm so happy for him. He's so talented with video editing and creating, and YouTube really fulfills him and what he wants to do. The boys are growing SO quickly!
Buster: He's doing SO well in school, and is so responsible with his homework and being ready on time in the morning. He has recently learned to wash dishes (YIPPY) and he actually likes doing it. He never gives me trouble about helping at the house, and he's always so happy. Sometimes if feels like I'm living with Spongebob, but there are worse things right?

Gickos: Hes doing so well in school also! He loves his teacher and the kids in his class, but getting up in the morning isn't his fav. He is one child who needs his sleep! He's becoming more and more responsible with homework, but he needs a little push once in a while. He sometimes gets frustrated with reading, but it comes natural to him, so it's almost like he doesn't have to work as hard. He's SO smart, and super witty, which is something I love about him. I would really like to put him in a sports training class they have here, I think he'd really like it!

Taloopidoo: This is one little dude with an attitude! He's just turned two, and he knows what he wants and how he wants it! He has started showing interest in potty training (YAY!!) so we're starting the beginning phases of that fun time. LOL. The only problem with Taloopi right now is that he really doesn't know that he's only two...he thinks he is as big as Buster and there is no convincing otherwise. :)

Well, that's a little update on our life. Things are going really well and we're staying busy! We love you all.

Jinger

Christmas Break

2010-12-16T07:02:00.001-08:00

Welp, things are starting to slow down a little bit! I finished my finals last night and I am SO SO SO happy to have those classes finished. I want to puke just looking at all those books laying around! I think my grades aren't going to be as good as they were in the Spring, but I don't even care. I consider myself lucky to have pulled it off as good as I did considering two moves this year and about 40 credits complete. I'll probably end up with 3 Bs and 1 C, which I can totally live with. As the year draws to a close, and the holidays are upon us I think so much about my blessings, and the awesome things I've learned this year. Some of which are:

-Patience: the ability to let things work itself out even if it feels like the pressure to find an answer or a solution immediately is to much to handle.
-Love: unconditional love to those around me. I learned that showing love and concern for people around me creates opportunities and helps me feel happy and optimistic.
-Dreams: Spending my life doing things I hate will create a negative balance in my life, so I choose to do things I love and spend as little time as possible doing things I hate. I have a lot of dreams that over time have been swept under the rug, and now they're hanging fresh in my immediate thoughts, and I'm going to work towards achieving them.
-Children: They grow up! The time I have with my children is so limited. Its such a bitter sweet experience raising children, and I remembered this year to enjoy it. They are my little stud muffins that will forever love me and appreciate me (minus the 10 years that they think i'm stupid).
-Husband: I learned to choose my husband first. To make him my best friend, and my "go to" person. No one loves me as much as he does.
-Friends: Can be a wonderful addition to ones life, they can make any old day turn into something exciting, but something very important is that the opposite can occur as well. This year has shown me that choosing who my family associates with will directly influence us either positive or negative.

This has been an incredible year. I always love to have the optimism of the new year to look forward to, it's exciting! I hope this year has been good to everyone else. I love my family, and the new year is going to bring such great things, I can feel it in my bones.

Happy Holidays! Don't forget to set your New Years resolutions! You will be able to find mine here when it gets closer to 2011! Peace to all.

Sisters

2010-11-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken the night before Jatauna got married, so about 2 weeks ago. My mom is such an inspiring person, and my sisters are my best friends. I usually don't go more than a couple days without texting or talking to all of them...which is why I no longer have to explain why I use up about 3k minutes every month on my phone. Jill and Julene are both expecting baby girls in the next 4-6 weeks. Justine is going to CSI and is yet to find art teacher who can teach her anything. Janna is still shaking up the world with her charm and good looks. Jatauna well, we all know what she's doing...she's been married 2 weeks. :) They are all good looking, hard workers, and an asset to those around them....but most of all they're my people.

III'MMM BBBAACKK!

2010-11-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you are all excited to know that I am coming back to the wonderful world of blogging. I can't seem to find motivation to write in a journal and keep it on my night stand gathering dust, and besides....who does that help? I hope you will enjoy both the pictures and the video content I intend to embed on this blog. Our boys are getting older and they are getting funnier, and I can't help but think that you all will get a kick out of shizzle that comes out of their mouth. Hope all is well with you! Leave your blog address in a comment and I'll add you to my list. I lost a huge list of my favorite bloggers when I changed my background before I took this break, so please, if you leave a comment...leave your blog address. Until tomorrow friends!

Ripped out Tooth

2010-06-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

Making a Splash

2010-06-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

Check out my VLOG

2009-12-19T21:59:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone!
I've decided to take my blogging experience a little further. I'm doing a video blog (vlog) on youtube, so you can subscribe to my channel and everything a vlog it will email you a link and alert you. It's really a blast catching my kids on video, and taking pictures is fun, but the videos are priceless. My kids are at such a fun age it's easy to get footage of our day that will most likely make you laugh. You should click over and watch my first couple videos, it will give you a taste of what's to come. It's definitely going to take practice learning all the video stuff, but over time they'll get better and better. Love you all, and I hope you'll join me on my vlog. Please subscribe! You can use your same email and stuff signing in to blogger.
Enjoy!
Happy Holiday
www.youtube.com/phamdamily

Family pics 2009...Enjoy.

2009-09-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

August 2009

2009-08-15T21:01:00.001-07:00

We got a few free tickets to the flight museum last year at the parade, but never got a chance to use them until this month. We took the boys and got an exclusive tour, mostly because we were asking a lot of questions, and we were the only ones there, so we got to see all three hangers, but usually you only get to see one. We also took a look at the war artifacts they have on display.

Gickos thought this bomb was pretty cool, but he was a little nervous getting close to it...looking at the two I don't know which one his more dangerous. I would probably say Gickos, because he can think for himself.

The boys dressed themselves, and purposefully wanted to match, they are becoming better and better friends everyday.

This plane has a sweet paint job.

This plane destroyed like 2 or 3 Japanese battle ships during WW2.

VICTOR VACATION! This is the house/cabin we stayed in when we went on our anniversary trip to Victor, ID. It's huge and by far the best accommodations we've ever stayed in.

Taloopidoo loves his Daddy. He has been able to spend lots of time with Daddy, and it's been so sweet to see their relationship develop so quickly.

We went four wheeling with some friends that came to the cabin with us, and it was by far the funnest thing I've done all year. Olin and I LOVE power sports!

Horseshoe lake is a new favorite for either a day trip or camping! The lake is warm, and very clean. Perfect for the boys to play in.

Gickos is so happy to be out and about. He loves activities, and horseshoe lake was perfect for him. Right before we left he wrecked on his bike, so his face has a little road rash, but he didn't care.

Taloopidoo loves to be outside, and the whole time is was sitting here he was trying to get to the dirt. This kid loves to be going-going-going! Oh boy, not another one of those.

He's so cute.

Gickos picked me flowers from the Lilly pads when he went out on the kayak with Olin, he's such a sweet little boy.

My bouquet of flowers.

Taloopidoo's first kayak ride, yep you guessed it....he loves it too.

Complete tranquility.

The beautiful lake.

Our Family after a fun day.

July 2009

2009-08-15T20:38:00.001-07:00

July was a pretty eventful month, but we didn't get much playing in. The sandbar was the favorite of course, and we ended up there several days a week.

Buster loves to build sandcastles, so he cleans off this little pad that's perfect for his little creations that end up being demolished soon after construction.

Taloopidoo loves the sandbar as much as anyone. He doesn't mind the cold water at all, in fact he's been in when the temperature was below 60 degrees and he wasn't bothered by it. He's all about a good time just like the rest of us.

Buster has become a little river rat, he's always the first one in up to his chin, and rarely takes his life jacket off, he thinks he's a pretty good swimmer!

Gickos has started to embrace his life jacket this summer, but he still doesn't like it that much. He just likes to take off the jacket and dive in like a fish without it pulling him to the top, which is opposite of what Buster likes...he's always afraid to get his face wet. Gickos is no pansy in the cold water either, he jumps right in.

I know...what I'm a teaching my child right? Well we were teaching him how you can take each others nose by pinching it between the pointer and the middle finger then sticking your thumb between them as you pull away...you all know, well in stead of the thumb being the nose he got a little confused. This is completely innocent...and that's why it's so funny!

Olin and I have gotten completely into "Chopped" a food network show, and it's sparked some interest in the kitchen...Olin now cooks like 3 - 5 times a week! And HOT DAMN he's a great cook! Way better than me, even though I've been cooking since I was like 8 years old. We play "chopped" sometimes with mystery ingredients and everything....it's fun stuff.

All about June

2009-07-08T19:17:00.001-07:00

Well, here is a little catch up on what we did last month, since I've been to busy to blog regularly.
I got a new haircut and color

Gickos is still a big goof.

We learned about David and Goliath and made slings for FHE

Dad is a master at the sling.

Here's the one Buster made.

It rained the entire month...and what I mean by that is...we hardly had a day the WHOLE month that it didn't rain.

So we just went a head and enjoyed it!!

Taloopidoo started solid foods.....

The favorite is....CARROTS!

Sorry I'm so lame, just been working hard and playing as much as I can. Olin got a job at the Juvenile Correction Facility about one mile from out house, and we are very grateful for that. Hope you all are doing well. Sorry I've dropped off the face of the earth.

New Adventure

2009-06-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

Olin just finished the first draft of his first novel, and we are very excited about it. He has created websites to help promote the book, and show prospective agents and publishers that there is general interest in the subject. Mostly his websites just need to show people regularly visiting the websites, so I'm asking you all to check out the sites! The book is already in the hands of a Hollywood script writer, a few literary agents, and an editor, so we are obviously positive about the book and it's potential. Carl has spent the last 6 months finishing the book that he started in 2006, and it's quite the accomplishment. Leaving comments on the blogs would be appreciated. Here are the links...thanks everybody!
http://www.runefinder.blogspot.com

http://www.detroitunderground.blogspot.com

Throwin' in the towel

2009-06-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I think we're pretty tired of the house issue because Olin and I can't even talk about putting in back on the market, we're SO tired of messing with it. I think we'll do something, but the motivation is completely gone, so as for now, we're staying here, unpacking our boxes, and enjoying our very large windows. Our front yard is a mess, so I'm going to work on that when I can. I started working at Hair Razors salon, so I'm keeping busy with that. Carl has filled the requirements to get is Social Work license back, and he will be starting a job soon...I hope. Life continues to go on, and its funny because sometimes it doesn't feel like it should.
Over all things are good, it's SO nice to have Olin home, he's watching the kids on the days I work, and it's been very good for them to have Daddy home.
Taloopidoo and Daddy have become good friends the last couple weeks, going from working like 65-70 hours a week away from home to being a stay at home Dad has thrown some curve balls at Olin, but he's doing remarkably well, and I enjoy seeing him having fun with it....and the struggles that come with the fun....and I'm enjoying the break.

What we've been up to...

2009-05-25T11:21:00.001-07:00

We blessed Taloopidoo the week before general conference, and it was such a nice day. I have issues with baby blessings in that although I love throwing parties...I don't usually feel like it when it's time to bless the baby, so I didn't invite anyone, we just did it unannounced, and it was perfect!

Buster and Gickos are totally in love with their little brother. They kind of treat him like an interactive toy, wondering how he'll respond with different stimuli.

Did I mention that 4 & 5 year olds are big goofs? Gickos got these teeth for a prize at our local Easter egg hunt, and they both think they're pretty dang funny.

Gickos: "Like my Rock Star hair"

CHEESE

Our friends got some pack goats, and Matt (who is in the picture) made a little kids saddle, so they're 3 year old daughter could ride the goat during long pack trips. They invited Buster and Gickos out for a ride, and they obviously loved it.

The goats have like a 55lbs weight limit they can carry, and the poor goat layed down like 3 times during Gickos ride...he can't help if he's a "sturdy" boy.

Me and Taloopidoo, and my friend Yvonne with her daughter Violet, our babies are 2 months apart.

For Mother's Day we took a day trip up to Mesa Falls for a picnic with Eric and Nikki's family. We had a great time, and Olin got some really good shots.

Taloopidoo riding in the snugly.

Our family Spring 2009

Oh the beautiful Mesa Falls!

After Mesa Falls we went back to Grandma's for a big birthday party for me, Mason (my nephew), Gickos, Emily (my niece) and mothers day. it was such a great day!

Here is Gickos beating up on me while I'm trying to relax...pretty normal. He's funny, this is how I know he loves me.

Grandma got him a little iron man shirt.....THAT IS AWESOME! especially if you ask the guy who's wearing it.

Pose for a pic.

It's crazy to think this little buy is 4! He is has such a great big personality, he's full of fun and adventure. Everyday we have such a good time, he's got us laughing constantly, and keeps us on our toes.

Well our house sold, but little did we know our buyers got federal financing, so our house had to meet some qualifications before they're loan could go through. One of those happens to be egress windows in each bedroom that is located in a basement. We got the news last Wednesday about 10am, and by 11am I was digging 5ft x 4ft wholes next to our foundation. Luckily we had some of Olin's friends show up and relieve us after a couple hours. Mike was our contractor, and he showed up right away and went to work.

This is Emily and David - Mikes family and our friends.

Here is Mike cutting the first window the a cement saw, yeah- see all that dust....most of it went into my house! We didn't follow Mike's advice to put up a plastic wall because we were just too impatient...well little did we know how huge the mess would be!

This is the inside of our bedroom after he was done cutting with the cement saw.

And here we are starting on the second window it the boys room, Mike had cut the cement at this point, but Olin and i were just getting ready to start using the sledge hammer to knock out the the window area.

Just trying to lighten the mood with a little goofing off.

This was after Olin and I had sledge hammered for like 2 hours, that thing was SO solid...for some reason I don't think cement is suppose to be removed....it seems like a pretty permanent material.

We once again friends save the day, Mike got a jack hammer, and we called our good friend Kurt who came and helped get it done on time. We finished the windows by Thursday night....and I don't think I was recovered until about Thursday night of the next week. Cement is not made to be be broken and removed just like women aren't made to use an 8lbs sledge ham mar.

Well that pretty much puts you all up to date. Our house that we're selling will close Wednesday of this week, and the one we're buy will close around the 5Th of June, so we're moving our stuff in to a large snowmobile trailer (provided by Neil and Cortney) for a week or two while we live with Olin's parents until our new house closes. This will probably be my last post until we're at least in with his parents if not in our new house. Can't we just fast forward to the middle of June? After I'm settled in the cute new house?

Oops

2009-04-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

Now that i have this really great background....which I love. I lost everyones blog address off my widget, so please leave a comment with your blog address so I can add you to my blog log. THanks a bunch.

I'm back

2009-04-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks Taloopidoo has had thrush....so that means I have it too. I got this stuff to put in his mouth and it seems to be working well, except for the fact that he looks like he is chewing violet gum from willy wonka's factory.

Sunday we blessed him in our ward, we did it on the spur of the moment, so we didn't really invite anyone, but it was still nice and the blessing was awesome.

Here is our little chunk all dressed up. He's getting pretty chubby for sure. I held him up to my friend's little girl who is almost 4 months and they're are pretty much the same size....looks like we've got another "solid" boy on our hands.

Moving on

2009-03-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

Well, we're pretty much all healed up. The boys are doing well, but Taloopidoo is still coughing, but he's doing okay.
We decided to sell our house, so that's what I'm doing today, getting it ready to show. We have a few couples interested, so we'll be showing it to them this week. Hope it all works out, this is always so stressful. The house we want is awesome though, so it's worth it. Good thing I feel good today and I have some motivation right!
Ahh, what would life be like without chaos?

you're invited to a pitty party

2009-02-26T19:25:00.000-08:00

Well, just like the rest of eastern idaho we're sick with the yuck that's going around....and some that isn't "going around".
Buster has got a cold, runny nose, and a little cough.
Gickos has had a cold his entire life, but today he threw up and is coughing like a mad man.
Taloopydoo is coughing and has a yucky nose, he also acts like his throat hurts.
I've got UTI, sore throat, and ear infection and a bad case of no sleep.
I think I might run away to my Mom's house so she can spoil me some more.
It's a pitty party....so share your story with me.

Ahh He is SO CUTE!

2009-02-19T20:23:00.000-08:00

Isn't he so cute?

All about Baby

2009-02-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

All the boys I love!

I love this one!

As most of you know I had a rough week last week, and with all the stress and fear of delivering C-section and the risks involved in that, and also the fear of loosing the baby all together had me in a huge stressful mess. Well I pretty much let go of the thought of delivering without medication when I found out he was breech, and I was counting on a c-section. My Doctor advised me to go to the hospital when my contractions were 10 minutes apart or if my water broke, so Sunday Carl drove me to the hospital around 6pm just to get things checked out. I had been laboring (at least that's what I thought it was) since about 4pm Saturday afternoon, and it wasn't letting up, so we went in. I told the nurse why I was there and the whole story and she started poking around on my tummy. She got an ultrasound machine and checked the baby...and he'd flipped back down head first! This was such good news, it almost freaked me out a little because I was just getting comfortable with the idea of a c-section and now that was questionable. So Dr. Allred came in and we decided that because the baby turned on his own that there was a small chance we would actually have trouble with the cord around his neck (which we saw the Thursday before in the ultrasound that diagnosed him breech) so I decided to try to go vaginally, and if a c-section was required then we'd deal with that when it came.

They admitted me around 8pm and got me in a room, started my IV, and started the pit. Because i was only dilated to around 1.5 I had to go on pit without an epidural until I was 3-4cm. Well after a long night and being checked every 3-4 hours I was finally given the epidural around 10am Monday morning...yeah do the math that's 13 hours of pit (on 20ml/hr-which is the highest they like to do with women with an epidural) to put it lightly- it was intense. So after the epidural I wasn't feeling so bad, I got in a few little naps throughout the day and finally around 6pm they checked me again...I was only a 6.5-7ish and things were going slowly. At this point the babies heart rate was slowing and becoming more and more abnormal, and I was getting tired, hungry and very nervous....surely I wasn't going through this only to have it end in c-section! Well after the Doctor left I looked at Olin, who was feeling like crap, he had strep throat and preparing for a business trip the next day. He asked me if I'd like a blessing...of course I did. His blessing gave me hope and comfort and many sweet blessing, but in the middle of the blessing he paused for few seconds, and then he commanded my body to release the baby...just as soon as he said amen I felt the baby literally "hit" my pelvic floor. I dilated to a 10 in literally like 10 minutes and he was born at 6:50pm. We had to wait for the Doctor because he'd just left the hospital, and I just about tore the place apart, that was by far the most difficult part. He came out in only 3 pushes, and I only had one stitch YAY! He came out and immediately peed on the doctor then when he was being cleaned up pooped for the nurse, so we knew the plumbing was working well from the beginning. He weighed 6lbs 13oz and was 19" long and his head was kind of big, but he's perfect. I feel so close to him, and I'm enjoying him so much. The breastfeeding is going well....for the first time, and he's seems to be really healthy. I guess the emotion I feel the strongest and most often is gratitude, I'm thankful for the priesthood and having a husband with such a strong testimony and who is worthy to hold it. It was a very special experience for me and Olin, and our family is bless to have this little guy.

Meet Our New Baby Boy

2009-02-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

We have a healthy little boy! He's super healthy and happy. I'll post lots more pictures a little later, but here are a couple of my favorites.

Weight: 6lbs 13oz

Height: 19"

He was born Monday night at 6:50pm *No C-section required!!!!*

We are so happy to have him here healthy, and I'll share the whole story tomorrow hopefully.

Baby Update

2009-02-07T09:39:00.000-08:00

Well we are getting to know this little guy more and more everyday although we haven't met face to face. He thought it would be funny to turn breech this last week....yeah right before delivery when there isn't enough fluid to get him turned back safely. He is healthy and HUGE, already estimated to be close to 8lbs...at 37.5 weeks...and you all wonder why I deliver early. My 38 week mark is Monday, so I feel very confident he'll be ready to come anytime after that point.
Being breech makes for some really crazy decisions! I really didn't understand or take in to account that this could happen to me, so therefore it was a blow when they told me all the risks involved in delivering vaginally. Because the little guy has the cord around his neck, and possibly around his torso, we have decided to go with a c-section. It makes me sad in SO many ways, but really I'm just grateful I found out before I actually went into labor. I have changed care providers and Dr. Allred will be my surgeon.
The c-section freaks me out a bit considering the closest thing to surgery I've experienced is dental work.
Anyway just keep us all in your prayers this week, we're hoping the baby comes before Tuesday or after Thursday because Olin has to be out of town for work....yeah I know it's funny what curve balls are thrown at you from time to time. We're all doing well, and I hope the next post we have is full of lovely photos of our new little boy. Peace out and we'll chat at you after D-day.

Funnies by Gickos

2009-01-31T15:53:00.000-08:00

So Gickos has been way funny lately, and I just had to post a couple of the things he's said this week.
Just a little background. If there are two things he's WAY into right now is what makes girls and boys different, and our new baby on the way.
So we've been giving him short answers about gender and all that, but he's starting to ask specifics...like why I have boobs and different things like that, so we explained that boys have "pee pees" and girls just have "bums." He seemed to be confused about this until we babysat a friends baby girl, and he saw me change her diaper...it's all clear in his mind now.
Well Thursday when the boys were out with Grandma and Grandpa Gickos said something too funny not to share.
Grandpa was getting ready to have a shower and get cleaned up for the day (this was in the morning, I had a Dr. appointment) and Grandpa explained that Luke needed to stay out of the bathroom and let him get ready. Well after a while Grandpa heard Luke ask through the door...
Gickos: Grandpa are you a boy?
Grandpa: Yeah I"m a boy...
Gickos: I'm a boy and my Dad's a boy too, he has a pee pee, but my Mom is a girl, and she just has a bum and a big tummy.
Holy smokes I laughed so hard when Grandpa shared this story!

Well last night Olin and I went on a date, but got home early and the boys were just laying down to go to bed, so I went in to give kisses and hugs. I went up to Gickos and here's what went down...
Gickos: Mommy can I see your tummy without your shirt?
Me: Sure buddy. (I just lifted my shirt to show my skin, and Luke just started kissing my stomach and smiling and saying I love you, I love you I love you....He then looked up at me and said...
Gickos: I'm just kissing on our little baby! His face was all scrunched up and smiley.
Oh how I wish I had a nanny cam in their room so I could have that on tape. He's so fun right now...lots of work....but so so fun.

25 Random things...nothing else to blog sorry!

2009-01-27T22:59:00.000-08:00

1. Olin is my one and only
2. I love to stay active
3. I plan on going on a goat pack camp trip with my friend this summer
4. I love the feeling of being able to run across the park and not feel winded
5. During the summer I do something fun with my kids nearly everyday that's out of the house
6. I need to find winter hobbies besides baking goodies and eating them
7. Recently found out I'm not much of a house animal person
8. I've only been to Canada and Mexico, and a few of the western states
9. I would like to visit Norway, Sweden, New Zealand and Ireland
10. I've only been on an airplane once- on our honeymoon we went from SLC to Vegas
11. I love my chaco sandals
12. Spending time with all of my boys makes me really happy
13. I love to plan, and have plans for my plans...I also make plans to make plans.
14. I write more lists then anyone I know - not including Dallas
15. When it comes to money I'm a little uptight...or some might say WAY uptight
16. I love water sports of any kind
17. I didn't know my favorite color til I was 23
18. I've got a license to do hair, but don't really use it, just keep paying the money to keep it current.
19. I'm half way done with my 4 year degree...but I have no idea what that degree will be in
20. I hate clutter
21. My dream day would be waking up without an alarm or kids at my bedside, going four wheeling on the sand dunes, picnic for lunch on a mountain side, and end the day with an exciting kayaking run, then out for dinner at a nice restaurant...and my kids with us the whole day.
22. My dream job - having a profitable online business
23. I'm working towards a stress free, debt free, maintenance free life
24. What makes me happiest - Olin
25. What part of life is the most fun - my boys

Fun Fun Fun

2009-01-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

Olin's brother brought his family up this last weekend, so we went on a little sledding trip for a couple hours Saturday. The hill was perfect for the boys to sled then climb easily. Here's Kronk getting ready to go.

Scout even liked sledding, and she also likes to eat snow...she did that for along time right when we got there, then she started going down with Shawna and having a good time.

Doober was so nice! He brought up Gickos sled multiple times while we were there. He's a great cousin.

This is Gickos rolling down the hill, he was being pretty silly, but he had a fun time.

Gickos got his game face on! He was pretty serious some of the time, but he loves to sled, and he was the last one who was ready to leave.

I think this is a funny picture! Damon and Shawna are loads of fun, and on this run they hit the jump train style.

Happy Birthday Buster!

2009-01-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

5 things I love about my 5yr old!

1. He's got a great smile, and even better laugh that infects all around him.
2. His desire for adventure and fun.

3. He's always ready for a good time and easy to be around

4. He is sweet as pie, and hardly ever gives me trouble.

5. His kisses and hugs he offers to me multiple times day.

Buster is such an awesome boy! I'm so glad he'll be a lifelong friend for me and Olin. We love him very much, and we're so excited for the things he'll do this year. He loves school and does well. He can fully navigate Nickjr.com and his leapster without a lick of help. I love you Buster!

Baby Update

2009-01-03T09:02:00.000-08:00

Well time seems to be ticking away pretty quickly these days. I am 33 weeks right now, so I have between 4 & 5 weeks to go...till when I hope I deliver that is.
The name poll was interesting, Jack and Gavin tied for first with 8 votes each, so I'm happy with that. Jack will most likely be the name.
I start a birthing class on Wednesday, I'm sure I'll feel completely uncomfortable and a little silly, but it's information I know I need.
I have decided to deliver this baby without medication of any kind, I was first inspired to do this when Shawna delivered Scout. She has given me lots of encouragement and books to read to prepare. My Mom of course is VERY supportive as well. I have found in my study that it's going to be better for me and the baby if I'm successful....I do however want to make a disclaimer: I will go natural if I can, but there are circumstances that may arise when I will most likely choose to have something! Just to get that out there.
Olin is home today, so we're going to move furniture around and try to find a place for the crib and all the baby stuff, which is a chore in our little house. I'm really excited for this month to pass, and I'll try my best just to ignore how slowly it will most likely go.

What's your opinion?

2008-12-25T17:25:00.000-08:00

I added a poll to name the baby, we're having a difficult time settling on one, so put in your opinion. If you have one not on the poll leave it in a comment....thanks

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-24T21:43:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Hope Santa is good to you all, it will be fun to post the events of tomorrow. We are celebrating our first Christmas at home as our little family, and its really exciting. Sorry I didn't get Christmas Cards out this year, the month of December slipped away from me....which I"m happy for since my life is counting down by only in weeks and months till this baby is born. Anyway we love you all, and we'll post our Christmas fun soon.
Merry Merry Christmas!

Meet the Girlfriends!

2008-12-22T11:39:00.000-08:00

Above is Whitney, she is the squeeze of the year! Buster is totally into her, they talk about getting married and being friends forever. The only thing is she is about 5 inches taller then him, but it doesn't seem to be an issue. Really we don't allow "girlfriends" but having girls we like is okay, and Buster likes Whitney a lot....and the good news is....she's got an adorable twin sister Gracie, who makes Gickos world turn.

This is Gracie, who Gickos talks about marrying, probably only because Buster talks about Whitney all the time, and there is never a Whitney without a Gracie, so it makes sense. She is really good friends with Gickos and is very kind. Shes about 2 inches taller than Whitney so her and little Gickos probably wouldn't last in the long run anyway! ha ha!

Oh it's so funny to see the boys talking about these girls, it's so sweet, and they're only great friends, but they care for them SO much.

Here's Buster and Gickos daring the snow hill, they love to sled this year! I just sat my fat pregnant butt on the top of the hill and they went up and down like a hundred times, and I just sat there....it was awesome.

SLEDDING IS SO FUN!!!

Christmas Party

2008-12-21T20:28:00.000-08:00

I took Buster and Gickos to a Christmas party Wednesday night. We had a great dinner, a nativity program, then we sang Christmas carols till the special guest arrived! This was the expression on Buster's face when they announced Santa had arrived at the party. I knew he would be excited so I had the camera ready.

Gickos was little more interested in just messing around with his little friends we sat by, he likes to make them laugh and be the center of attention. He was more excited about feeding the reindeer then seeing Santa.

Gickos thought Santa was cool from a distance, but when it was his turn to actually sit on his lap, he was a little freaked out. He didn't cry, but he was a little nervous. I heard him ask Santa for lots of Christmas candy (which isn't surprising) and a toy Christmas tree.

Buster was completely into Santa, he was jumping up and down, and couldn't hardly wait to get to sit on his lap, and when he did he was so funny! He wanted to have a full conversation with Santa instead of giving all the other kids a turn. He asked for an Underdog toy, which is the first I've heard of that, so the search is on! He can't NOT get the one and only toy he asked Santa for!

This picture really sums up how he feels about Christmas this year, he loves to sing "we wish you a Merry Christmas" and "Jingle Bells".

Cute Boys

2008-12-13T18:40:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share this picture. My boys are so much fun right now, they're growing SO fast and becoming little individuals, and after taking this photo today it made be grateful to be their Mom. These two boys are full of total awesomeness!

Gingerbread

2008-12-13T08:21:00.001-08:00

This is usually a tradition I like to share with my Mom and my younger siblings, or someone new every year during the month of December. The boys love this tradition, we bought enough candy to redecorate our houses multiple times....and they think it's awesome! Gickos put about 1/3 of the candy on his house, and ate the rest.

Tagged in 8s

2008-11-19T17:29:00.000-08:00

8 TV shows I watch:

The Office

Lost

Heroes

Private Practice

Greys Anatomy (kind of lost interest lately-no homo for me)

Prison Break

Jericho

Desperate Housewives (but only when I'm "desperate" for entertainment)

8 Things that happened to me Yesterday

Taught Gickos preschool

Got caught up in good conversation with Mandie and Yvonne

Received Gickos and Buster's Chacos in the mail (which are so cute - $14 on Amazon right now)

My visiting teachers came by

Looked over my food storage list

Prepared to order stuff online for emergency kits

Shopped for Christmas gifts online

Put the boys to bed a little early

8 Favorite Places to Eat:

Texas Roadhouse

Fongs

Wingers

Subway

Zeppes

Big Judds

Bajio Grill

Taco Time

8 Things I'm looking forward to:

Having the baby

Black Friday sales

Receiving Christmas cards

Making Christmas candy

The first snowman of the season

Thanksgiving (mostly having Damon's family here)

Spending our first Christmas at our own house

Wrapping gifts

8 Things on my wish list:

My hair blog all the sudden making 5k/mo

New mountain bike

Wet suit (one that would work well for Triathalons and kayaking)

Life vest for kayaking

Cross-Counrty skis

New running shoes

Plans for climbing the Grand Teton Mountain

Hips that would allow me to use all these things

Underboy-Nacho duo

2008-11-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

Buster and Gickos chose their costumes this year, and naturally they were so funny when they pulled those little capes and stretchy pants on.

Buster chose to be Underboy...well Underdog actually...but he explained he wasn't a dog...so naturally Underboy it was.

Gickos seemed to know what he wanted to be from the beginning, he loves Nacho, but he would not wear his mask...which was fine considering I spend like 3 days making his costume last year and he wouldn't even try it on. We had a great time this year, the boys were a blast, and I'll post Olin's costume soon.

The Ultrasound Photo

2008-10-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the best shot we got during the 3-D ultrasound, it really reminds me of Buster's picture, but that could only be because we didn't have access to it for Gickos. Anyway he looks like my baby....ahh its so fun to see him.
"I love technology, but not as much as you you see, but I still love technology...always and forever"

It a Boy!

2008-10-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

Daddy's Boy

Author: Patsy Gaut
My little eyes are watching, my ears are listening too.

They take in everything that you say and do.

My little hands are eager to do the things you do.

I'm hoping and I'm dreaming I'll grow up just like you.

I am just a little guy who knows that you are wise

You'll teach me what I need for someone just my size.

I'm a bright eyed little fellow who is watching what you do

And I'm waiting for the day I'll be grown up just like you.

My Quirks

2008-10-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Dallas

Here are the rules:
Link the Person who Tagged you.
Mention rules on your blog.
Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
Leave a comment to let them know.

My Quirks:

1. I have to have a clean car...vacuumed, polished, and kid-crust free. In fact it's gotten a little out of control, without realizing it I've made comments to some close friends about this little "quirk" I have and now the word is out! No one gets into my car without noticing if it's clean or not, and it's even worse when I get in their car...."oh sorry, does all this DIRT make you uncomfortable?" SO embarrassing!

2. Like my good friend Dallas...I plan time to make my plans. I have to have my day set out in my head when I wake up, with only little flexibility. I plan almost everything, fun, eating, blog reading time, showering, and working out. The result of a day unplanned or having to make major adjustments is never catastrophic, but I do get grumpy sometimes. I have become much more laid back about this since marrying Olin....who in his perfect world there would be no plans (which is something I love about him), so therefore it's caused me to adjust and be more flexible. Although I wouldn't really call myself flexible at this point (if we're speaking honestly here) but I would say maybe..."slightly" bendable.

3. After I hit adulthood and began having my own little family, I've noticed that I have a few "must haves" and "won't live with outs", these I have realize come from maybe when I was a child not getting enough of or wishing I had more of these things. I will share a few....
1. Clean, white socks- the funny thing is I only care that my children have them
2. Sweets- I love having treats in the house, I love something sweet around 3pm everyday, even if its a bite-sized candy bar or small scoop of ice cream.
3. I like to have something fun to do everyday, I don't like going through the day with only work on the agenda.
4. Nice lotions and creams- this is actually a recent discovery. Olin brought me home a sweet little bundle of gifts and it included some if these.

4. I indulge in a TV episode during nap time. I like to do this, and the bad thing is I haven't figured out why. I like a large variety of shows, and sometimes I'll just get on youtube and watch dumb stuff for 30 minutes. This is just something that I can look forward to on those hard days I guess. (this is usually when I'd have my treat)

5. I spend WAY too much time on the phone. Coming from a family of 12 children, and being a social person, I guess it's something I like to do. Luckily on our plan we have free minutes to 10 people.....all of which get used. In a typical month my phone will have between 2000-3000 minutes and 200 texts. I once had 1000 texts...oops! This is really something I've worked on lately, my last bill I only had 1500 minutes....progress.

6. I only like to shower every other day. This really grosses people out for some reason, but it wouldn't if they had dry skin like I do. My hair gets literally crispy when I shower everyday, and my face starts to flake...I know, it's so dang nasty. So every other day is how I roll (unless of coarse I get stinky from working out or by doing something fun, that never holds me back from showering everyday...don't worry)

Top 5 "why I haven't been blogging" Count Down

2008-10-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

#5. My wonderful little camera was dropped in the sand and now doesn't work. It will take pictures but the 8 mega pixel wonder is giving me photos like the one displayed above. I don't have the receipt so taking it back is out of the question, too bad since this wonderful little device is only 10 months old.

#4. My computer has been acting up, to load a page on the Internet took....oh about a life time.

#3. I've been spending lots of hours preparing for the winter months. Cleaning up the yard, canning, building a fence, building new strawberries beds, and all sorts of physically exhausting activities.

#2. Any extra time I've had has been dedicated to growing this thing inside me (interpretation: sleeping, eating and doing all things lazy)...which I will be finding out what it is Oct 9th at 4pm....yes you can all call, or check back, it will be posted.

And the #1 reason why I haven't been blogging......

I just haven't felt like it!

Paddle Paddle Paddle

2008-08-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Buster and Gickos are becoming little kayak lovers, they don't share the love affair that I do, but they are liking it more this year....so I have hope.

Out on a long run with the ladies. We have about 10 ladies with kayaks, and it's really fun when we get a large group for a relaxed run.
Yvonne is taking pictures of me in my kayak, this is my first year with my own, so it's memorable.
Me putting my own spin on the sweet picture Shawna has of rock climbing...the only thing that would be better is if I had a sweet pair of chacos to add dimension and character to the photo...hint hint Carl! :)
Have I mentioned that I LOVE kayaking?

My new ride

2008-08-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

You might think this ol' thing doesn't have a lick of "coolness" but...it does! Let me explain....

Any grandma car sporting Thule racks are automatically like ten times cooler...and if you add a kayak to that it basically doubles.
Not only do the racks make it cool but it's also a dynaride...or as Buster calls it the Dyno car...it feels like driving a dinosaur.
This is Buster when he saw our new dinosaur car. I'm glad he likes it!
Any sarcastic comments are welcome!

Over coming a Phobia

2008-08-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

It's been a goal of mine to over come my (possibly clinically diagnosable) phobia of snakes. This started when I was very young, although I do remember touching a snake my Uncle Garth had caught, so this tells me I wasn't born with the phobia. Jordan (my dear brother who I have recently come to forgive) would throw them at me, sneak up and put them in my face or on my lap, once he even pushed me in a barely lit barn and shut the door with a huge rattle snake in a glass fish tank on the shelf at eye level hissing and rattling at me. Anyway....needless to say I've struggled with this for quite some time. This really put a damper on my style of living, I spend a lot of time in the rivers, hiking, and camping so the anxiety of having an encounter has bothered me. Well to make this long story shorter I was finally able to touch one at the Idaho Falls Zoo on Saturday. It was an amazing feeling to overcome something that has bothered me my whole life. Mind you...I don't' like snakes, and being surprised by them still bothers me, but someday I'll be ready to face them anywhere or/and anytime.

Family Camp Trip cont...

2008-07-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

The boys found lots of places to play, and to use their imagination.
They spent a lot of time fishing in the little stream behind our campground. This was Gickos first fish...this thought he was a big shot for sure.
After Gickos went to bed that night Olin took Buster out for a "secret fishing trip" and he finally caught his while wearing his PJs and slippers.They couldn't get enough of the fishing thing, which was nice for me, I went along some, but I got to relax a lot at the campsite. They had a great time with Dad.

Family Camp Trip

2008-07-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

We took off to Kilgore on Friday afternoon. Buster was SO excited to sleep in the wild and fish all day long.
We had so much stuff in the truck that we could hardly fit everything, but we made it...barely.
Buster and Gickos enjoyed the special camping treats- Soda & Candy!
We got to spend a lot of time exploring and finding fun places to play.

Badger as a neighbor

2008-07-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

This is my neighbor and her grandson's pet badger. No he's not very nice to strangers, but he loves to play with those he knows.
They feed him with a plastic medicine dropper because his razor-sharp teeth destroy nipples.
He was fun to watch for a couple hours, but I'm glad he was only visiting. I now know why those little things will tear up a large dog. Their little paws are very well equiped with one inch long claws that are made for one thing only....tearing up meat.

BACK ONLINE!!

2008-07-18T16:31:00.001-07:00

This is what we've been doing while we were without internet for the last month. We have so many fun and exciting things to share, but sadly you'll have to wait till monday for our first official post.

Long weekend (part 2)

2008-05-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

We came home to a fun treat, Grandma and Grandpa purchased two little lambs, we have yet to name them, but that only gives you something to look forward to.
Sunday night we spent our time cleaning and preparing out paintball gear for a fun morning of friendly competition.
We played up by Moody Meadows, and I have to say, it's one of the best places I've been so far.
Again I was the only girl, but I kind if like it...well I like to hear the big tough guys curse "I just got taken by a chick". It feeds my ego or something.

After paint balling we took the boys to see a waterfall. They threw rocks and played, and Gickos kept asking - kayaking mom?

It was fun to spend a day with Dad, which sadly doesn't happen enough, but we're thankful and proud of all his hard work and recent accomplishments at work.

After a long afternoon nap, and little dinner, we went for one last adventure...ice cream. The perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

one really fun, but long weekend (part 1)

2008-05-26T20:25:00.001-07:00

Our weekend began with a trip to Boise where my nephew ran in the state track meet at Boise State, he took second place by only 1/100 of a second (.01) he ran his personal best and will for sure be ready for next year. He will most likely run in some junior Olympics this summer to keep training. In the picture He is the on closest to the bottom of the page...
It's wonderful and amazing what you can accomplish with dedication and hard work. Just last year He couldn't even qualify for state, and now he's the second in the state...and that's even controversial.

So we headed out Friday morning around 9am to Boise, Buster and Gickos were excited to spend the weekend with Auntie Jill and the cousins. My brother-in-law was working like a crazy person, so sadly we didn't get to spend much time with him. He did however watch the boys friday night while Jill and I hit the town.
When we arrived in Boise Gickos found a bike...and he was on this thing ALL weekend, but luckily the bike was a little squeaky, so we were able to hear it from inside the house....when it got quiet...I began to worry.
Buster thought this little car was pretty fun, although he did like the plastic trike, which he rode for about a mile round trip to the park...without complaint I must add.
The weather was AWESOME! Not to hot...not to cold, it was the perfect temperature along with no wind and no rain. This is the playset Jill has in her back yard and the trampoline...I just thought it was really cute...and it occupied the kids day in and day out.
This is Jills awesome little patio, I want to put one in this year, so I thought I'd take a picture...to prep the creative juices.

Photography by Buster and Gickos

2008-05-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

hard core nerf dudes

2008-05-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

Gickos got this sweet nerf set for his birthday, and it SO funny to see him and Buster play. It came with the glasses, vests, and guns all in one box of fun. Im sure if I can keep track of the little foam bullets they will play with this for years.

dirty feet...

2008-05-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

Gickos loves the bath...and the bath loves him! He gets so dirty, the dirt gets caked on his feet inside his sandals, and it doesn't come off unless soaked in a warm bath. He plays outside from sun up to sun down without rest, he would be out digging and working all day if I could keep him busy. Grandpa A. is good to let him work when he visits, and will always let him in on the action. Gickos is my busy body, and I absolutely love it and hate it all at once. I need to get that boy out to the farm, it's where those dirty feet belong.

May Showers...

2008-05-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

It's been raining cats and dogs this month, and it really feels like April. Buster and Gickos don't care, they're Grandma let them use umbrellas one day and now they can't go without. They loved it.

my 4 favorite...

2008-05-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

places I go
1. my in-laws
2. Sandbar...soon anyway
3. Broulims...our pathetic grocery store
4. family dollar...the only other place to shop in town

favorite foods
1. FRIED CHICKEN
2. anything BBQ'd
3. fresh pineapple
4. anything I don't have to make

places I'd rather be
1. on the beach
2. boating
3. riding quads on the dunes
4. camping...anywhere

movies I could watch over and over
1. the office
2. humm...
3. let see...
4. I don't know...

Roastin' Shmarr-lellows

2008-04-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

Oh- Gickos and Buster LOVE fire, and marshmallows, sticks, and everything that comes with a fire pit.

This is serious business!
Stuff it in there boy!
Yum Yum Yum!
AH-OH sticky hands Ahrr...this looks like a good one!

Just a little taste of really fun things to come....

Gickos big day

2008-04-23T17:49:00.000-07:00

Today Gickos went into the surgery center to get some dental work done today, we decided to have him put under due to his "white coat phobia." So last night his Grandma gave him $3 to spend at the dollar store before his big day, and he chose play dough....yay for big messes.
Messes or not look at that adorable smile. He LOVES his play dough set, so it's worth the clean up! He looks much happier here then he does now...believe me.

FHE tReAtS

2008-04-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

1 chocolate cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 c oil

Mix all together, it should be pretty thick...somewhat like cookie dough.

Roll into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet, bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes. Let cool.

Filling

2 c powdered sugar

1 8oz package cream cheese

1/2 c butter

let the butter and cream cheese soften before mixing, it should cream together nicely. scoop a generous between two cookies.

keep refrigerated

YAY FOR COOKIES....YUM YUM!
go ahead...double the recipe...they are SO good the next day.

I'm hoping for...

2008-04-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

a little rock climbing...
swimming at the sandbar.... building sandcastles...
and of course....kayaking with the boys....

a litttle rock climbing....

SPRING TIME BIKES

2008-04-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

What we love...is bikes and sunshine...

Smiles...

and Speed...

going fast that is...

I knew it was bad...but man!

2008-04-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

I was reading a friends blog, and she mentioned a study about artificial sweeteners and weight GAIN! So I decided to look into it, and sure enough it's true...if you're addicted to soda, and you dreadfully changed from regular to diet thinking you would start dropping pounds...thing again.
Check out this study artificial sweeteners

"The data clearly indicate that consuming a food sweetened with no-calorie saccharin can lead to greater body-weight gain and adiposity than would consuming the same food sweetened with a higher-calorie sugar," the authors wrote."

2008-04-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

Our first time out on the river...it was SO nice, eventhough there is still snow, it's a great pick-me-up for me.

Do you like my boots? Don't worry, I grew up wearing these things twice a day, my feet like em', and so do the fishermen that thought we were nuts.
Ahh...if I could only capture the feeling of being on the river when it's quiet and smooth. I love it!

Brisk walk anyone

2008-04-03T11:27:00.001-07:00

When I was changing the laundry this morning Gickos decided he wanted to go outside with the dog. He does this at least once a day, but he usually asks me, and he usually gets dressed first. I came upstairs and didn't see him and asked Buster "where is Gickos?" he said..."outside". We live on a quiet street, so i don't get too uptight about it, but when I say he didn't have clothes on...umm he got in a little trouble. And that's what made him so sad. He loves our little patch of grass, don't you?

Itsy bitsy teeny weenie bikini body….to be.

2008-03-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

Ok...I probably won't be able to wear a bikini, but it's always a motivating thought! I don't think the people at the river would like to see the lady with the stripy tummy haulin' two boys around. I seriously had a total of 20lbs I want to loose before my birthday, so I've been working really hard for a week and a half. I've lost about 6lbs, so ya know, not bad for less than two weeks. The Pilates and the Slim in 6 videos, that has really kicked the weightloss into high gear, I should be at my goal of 15% body fat by about June...that is if I can keep it up. Buster and Gickos are really working on their little surfer bodies, they come and do my videos with me...most of the time they think I look pretty silly and won't follow along. Anyway I'd love to hear about everyone's plan to get back in to the swimsuits.

2008-03-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

oh sad...this isn't a very good picture, but this domestic creation was a hit at the babyshower I threw today. Cream filled cupcakes with chocolate and creamcheese frosting. I used tootsie rolls for the legs...yummy!

Gickos is a junky too

2008-03-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Last night...we went to take the kayak to Olin's parents house, they have a shed I'm keeping it in until the snow melts. On the way we were singing the songs we sing on the river, row row row you boat and songs like that. When we got there I gave the boys instructions to stay in the truck because we weren't staying for a visit...well, when Gickos saw me get the kayak out of the truck HE FLIPPED OUT! He started crying and screaming...I thought it was because he couldn't go in to grandmas, but when I got back in the truck after putting the kayak in the shed he looked at me and yelled..."THAT'S MINE ORANGE KAYAK...WE HAVE TO GET IT BACK AT GRANDMAS!" It was the cutest tantrum I've ever seen, it melted my little heart.

recreational fun 2008

2008-03-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

it came today...my sweet kayak I've been waiting for!

emotion exhilarator kayak is about to rock the rivers of the Upper Falls....well after the snow melts anyway. This is a huge deal for anyone who knows me. I've been waiting to get a kayak forever it seems, and now it's here and it's beautiful! This combination of speed, sport, versatility, and fun is going to be my ticket to this years daily recreational activities. I have a couple friends who have already been out on the river dodging the ice chunks...WOO WOO for kayaking 2008!

Snow Snow NO NO

2008-03-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

Bad news...

it snowed this morning, and I was going to blog about my grassy patch...
(this picture was taken yesterday)

and now it's gone... I'm so sad, hopefully it will be back later today, but who knows. This winter is pretty crazy, last year around this time we came back to clean up our yard, we were living in Boise, ID and our house was on the market, and when we came back we watered the yard, mowed the grass, and trimmed all the trees. Pretty crazy cause we still have "FEET" of snow...like two feet (and that doesn't count the 6' piles)....and it's still coming down.
(this was taken this morning, I wanted to cry)

WOO WOO! (make that really loud and high pitched)

2008-03-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

What is this you may ask...

This my friends is the kayak that will be delivered to me on Wednesday...only in orange! I'm am bouncing off the walls, I am so excited!

All about my soul mate

2008-03-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

How old is he? 29

When his is birthday? Oct 26th- When he was growing up his parents celebrated it on the 24th until he got his drivers license and they looked at his birth certificate...oops! But either way he still would have been haunted by the Halloween holiday.

What are his hobbies? MMA, sand dunes, four wheelers, our boys, hunting, and romancing me (which is my favorite of his hobbies...and actually he does this one the best, if you ask me).

Occupation: He's a salesman for a company located in Provo, they recently opened a location near us, so he moved from Motor Sports to the new job in September 2007.

Childhood Accomplishments: He began doing karate in Jr. high, and by the time he was 16 he was internationally ranked, and at the world tournament in California he placed 4th. He also started his first business at age 16 teaching karate, and running a dojo with his brother.

Olin also did a lot of Drama in high school, he played Macbeth a very difficult Shakespeare role.

My first impression of him: I was visiting a girlfriend that had recently returned home after being gone for 18 months, and Olin happened to be in her home ward, he was actually living in another city, but attending church in her town with his brother. I saw him walk in and I was instantly attracted to him. He was wearing a greenish suit that really accentuated his dark skin and hair. My friend happened to introduce me to him that day, but sadly he didn't remember me. But I could tell he was kind, and most of all humble.

My favorite attributes:

* His kind spirit, he doesn't have a mean bone in his body.

* He is always honest with me in every detail, we have such a close relationship, and a strong commitment because we can both speak to each other about anything.

* He is always thoughtful, he has taught me so much about love and showing kindness.

* He talks...he talks about everything, I always know what's going on at work, and with his friends. He will always talk to me about relationship issues, and we always get them worked out because of this attribute.

* He's a wonderful daddy, our kids adore him, he is gentle with his discipline, and he always does fun things with them before bed time.

* He's willing to help me. He will get up with kids in the night, do laundry, mow the lawn, and he is always willing to put everything aside if I need some time with him or alone.

....I'm only getting started, but I'll have to share more some other time. All you need to remember... is that I am so deeply in love with this guy.

a week at granny's

2008-03-19T13:45:00.001-07:00

The weather was SO NICE! We got there Monday afternoon, and Gickos was immediately out on the deck riding bikes, and playing on the grass. We haven't seen the ground since Oct. so it was a real treat to have 60 degrees and no snow.
The tree house was a favorite this trip, it's a fun place to get away from Mom, and act like boys. I don't know how far it is off the ground, but it's at least a 7 foot climb up the rock wall.
On Tuesday of last week, my adorable sister got her metal removed...and her teeth look SO good, but then again she's so pretty anyway she could be bald and have no teeth and still get more dates then me.
Buster thought it was really funny that his old high chair was there, and that he could still fit in it, every time he wanted to eat crackers for a snack he climbed in there and put the tray on. Funny boy!
The highlight of our week was the trip to 1000 springs where we enjoyed the highdive, diving board, slide, and the kiddy pool. it felt so good to be in the water...if it wasn't indoor it might have felt like summer, at least for a few minutes.
My Parents went a 10 day vacation to Washington DC, they saw all the sights, and it seems like they had a really great time.

Huband 1.0 Malfunction!!

2008-03-05T15:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Tech Support,
Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance - particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.
In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NFL 5.0, NBA 3.0. and Golf Clubs 4.1. Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.
What can I do? Signed, Desperate

This isn't really true! Olin is incredibly romantic and gives me gifts far too often. However those undesirable programs such as NFL and NBA do cause interruptions in service from time to time.
I just found this somewhere on the interwebs in funnies.

The breakdown

2008-03-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

HOW OLD IS Olin: 29...but only until October...hehe
WHO EATS MORE: Olin-unless it's Shepard's pie, me if it's chicken
WHO SAID "I LOVE YOU' FIRST: Olin, but then he took it back the next day! Then he took that back the next day...I know confusing right?!
WHO IS TALLER: Olin, just tall enough for tall shoes
WHO SINGS BETTER: Depends on who ur askin'. Probably Olin, he's never had a music lesson his life, and he plays everything better than me.
WHO DOES THE LAUNDRY: ME, ME, ME...did I mention ME!
WHO DOES THE DISHES: Gickos likes to think he does
WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED: Olin, it's closest to the door, so he can protect me from all those bad guys.
WHO PAYS THE BILLS: He makes the money and I pay all the bills.
WHO MOWS THE LAWN: He would if I had a broken leg or if I'm moody and I give him "the look".
WHO COOKS DINNER: Me mostly, he will either tell me not to make anything if I don't feel like cooking, but he can make really yummy pasta when he wants to.
MORE STUBBORN: I would say Olin, but perhaps he has a different answer for this ???
KISSED WHO FIRST: Unlike most of these I've read, it was NOT a mutual lean...it was all me!
WHO ASKED WHO OUT FIRST: Blind date...we went four wheeling at the sand dunes!! Woo WOo whos letting that kind of a guy out of sight?
WHO PROPOSED: He did, but we were already engaged before I officially got the ring...it was the day we got our engagement pictures.
WHO IS MORE SENSITIVE: tough question...
WHO HAS MORE FRIENDS: Me, considering he only needs one...give me ten, and I want all of them to call me everyday to do something fun.
WHO WEARS THE PANTS: On which subject do I ask? I usually have the final say...he's a softy for these crushing blue eyes.

She's Taken

2008-03-04T17:45:00.000-08:00

My sweet sister is all married and settled in these days, she's so pretty, and everything went wonderfully.

2008-03-03T07:14:00.001-08:00

So many years ago....

20 years ago: I was four, and I was probably hanging out with my Mom and my little brother while the rest of my brothers and sisters were in school (that was before we homeschooled). I was friends with Amie, and she's the only person outside of my family that I can remember, and I remember playing with her a lot. She was my bff.
10 years ago: Sadie and I spent a lot of time together during this year, we had big dreams, and we usually chased the same guys...well we never admitted it, but it seemed like one of us was always stepping down for the other and we'd go back and forth all the time. I was getting ready to start my third year of horse showing, which I did very well. I think this was the year I showed Reba, and I won mostly first place a couple seconds and a third.

5 years ago: I had finished beauty school and I was working in a Salon, Olin and I had been married for 7 months, and we had just bought me a new honda 400 atv, that summer we spent 4 days a week on the sand dunes ripping it up.

1 year ago: We had just moved to Boise and Carl was getting ready to quit his last social work job with the state of idaho. We were starting our landscaping business, the conquer factor (online), and I was working at the YMCA, I also had just got my rock climbing certificate, so I could teach at the rock climbing wall.

6 months ago: Olin had just started a new job this was our 7th job change for 2007, and we were so relieved that he loves it. This is where he'll stay, he is doing really well even though it can be up and down. I was finishing up a wonderful summer with the boys where we kayaked, swam, and played in the sand most days. I officially proclaimed my position in the home as a housewife, and began the hard and wonderful road to debt reduction, wealth building, and personal improvement. This was a wonderful time for us, and since this month we have seen so many blessing poured out to us.

1 month ago: Not much has changed, we decided to stop preventing children (no we're not pregnant yet), and to finish our family.

Yesterday: We had a power outage for most of the day. We went to Nikki's for her birthday cake, and I got more information about my blog.

Today: Mandie D. had her baby so we're making some soup to take to her, and we're going to pick up a gift for her. Other than that...just workin' online.

My Little Super Heros

2008-03-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

We love bath time...or shall we say "swim" time!

2008-02-29T07:55:00.001-08:00

Bath Time....is more then just getting in, washing up, and getting out. It's all about the super heros, the whales and dalphins, and the socks that magically turn into mermaids when they're wet. Sometimes these little guys can get out of control, and water will be a puddle upstairs, and it's raining downstairs...yeah we try desperately to avoid this.

Once the....hands are wrinkled

And...the feet are too...
A good...old fashion fist-fight (Tarzan Style) is what they usually do. They get their under ware on, and they start running around the house like crazy people until someone gets hurt, or they somehow find truce...

Then... they love each other for a while...and it's starts all over again.

My Gratitude Rock

2008-02-28T18:43:00.000-08:00

My Gratitude Rock....

I carry this rock in my pocket everyday, it's beautiful and it's fits perfectly in my hand while my hand is in my pocket. You would probably never know it's there, but I do. Multiple times a day I put my hand in my pocket and my gratitude rock reminds me of everything good and wonderful in my life. My rock reminds me to have patience when I get frustrated with my boys, and to remember that what I do now is what they will remember always. My rock reminds me of all the commitments I have to my family and many other places. It reminds me that I can achieve whatever I decide to achieve, and that nothing is impossible. My rock keeps me focused on who I want to be, and keeps me thankful for how far I've come.

Six thing you probably didn't know

2008-02-27T08:21:00.000-08:00

Hey thanks for tuning into Momselot Land.
1. When I was 7 my family took a vacation to Tucson AZ. which turned out to be my only family vacation, to speak of. We went swimming at a local pool for 25 cents, and bought gum for 10 cents. We went across the border to Mexico and my Dad gave me $100 to spend on whatever I wanted, well it turns out I came home with $76 because I couldn't find the guy who was selling monkeys. So all I got was a gray and pink blanket (which I still have). So I put the rest of my money in the bank when I got back, and to this day I have a hard time believing that my Dad wasn't taking me in circles to avoid the chance of running into the guy selling the monkeys. I really really wanted one though.

2. When I was 10yrs my oldest brother raised goats, and for some reason I got stuck milking and feeding them for nothing, so I got the brilliant idea that I would confront him about the arrangements that had evolved. He pretty much explained to me (without coming straight out and saying it) that he was entitled to having us younger brothers and sisters work for him for free because of birthright or something like that. Well, don't think that I settled for nothing, after about 20 minutes of debate he decided to pay me, but not with money…that wasn't good enough at this point, after all I worked for him for two years before I got smart, so we settled on one of legos he had in his collection that I'd been drooling over. I was so happy I got it, and all my siblings were jealous, but looking back I realized that was my lowest paying job I'd ever had. The lego was worth about $5.

3. I didn't know that boys went through puberty until I was about 12 when my friends were talking about the boys they liked, and how their voices would squeak sometimes when they'd get excited about something. I'd noticed this too, but I didn't realize it was in relation to puberty, so they went into detail as to what happens to boys when they hit that "certain age".
4. I have five major scares on my head alone (I know, call me Gickos!). One was from when I was about a year old I fell off a bar stool and hit my cheek on the corner of the bar…that's how I got my dimple.
I have another one just above my left eyebrow from a gliding teeter-totter, my brother was going way to high for me and I fell off and the foot peg on the glider came back and hit me in the head. The third, fourth, and fifth ones are hidden by hair, and all three were from the same brother! One is from when I was about two he got mad at me and hit me in the head with a garden hoe, another one is from when he was cursing and throwing rocks at goats for eating his rabbit food, and he accidentally hit me with a rock instead of the goat. And the last was when we were cleaning out a dump truck in the spring time. We had picked rock out of the field the previous fall and never dumped it so the rock and dirt was solid in the truck, so my Dad slightly set the truck bed to dump so the rocks would just roll out on the ground after we pried them loose, well needless to say I happened to be below Jordan in the truck so when he pried that huge rock loose it came tumbling down on my head. I never got stitches though, my hair was strong enough that my Mom just tied my hair in little knots and it held the skin together until it healed. Crazy huh!
5. I didn't know what my favorite colors were until I was 23 (it's a toss up between sprite green & orange), Olin would ask and ask, and I just couldn't decide. I also have never known really what I like to do (besides work). I didn't really get the chance to develop hobbies as a child, so I continue to seek out new things all the time.
6. When I eat at restaurants I always order the same thing, and I always choose to NOT go somewhere new. At Texas Road House I always get chicken strips, at Wingers I always get chicken strips, and everywhere else I always try to get chicken strips….fried chicken is my favorite food by far.

Is it summer yet?...Nope, more snow this morning!

2008-02-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

I was looking back through my pictures and came across this one, it made me miss the summer so badly. Buster loves to swim! We have a wonderful location here called the sandbar, it's got a lifeguard, a slide, and lots and lots of sand. This is our favorite place to spend the summer days...the few we have.
Kayaking is definitely on my list of things to do this summer...hopefully on a daily basis! There is a river that runs through the middle of our town, in fact this was taken on that portion of the river. You could see me from the main road...I love this town in the summer it's like I live in a dream.
Gickos loves to swing, this is one of his favorite things to do. Grandma and Granny both have swings, and he's ready for them.

Ice Fishing Anyone?

2008-02-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

We spent our day at the nature park in Rexburg, feeding the ducks, and pretending to fish...what a fun day.
These are the cutes little fishermen I've ever seen...that's why I had to take some pictures.

Buster and Gickos Valentine Cookies

2008-02-19T07:17:00.000-08:00

Gickos was frosting his cookies and he got some frosting in a little cut he had, so he was a little sad. I was trying to explain to the boys the meaning behind Valentines Day, and after I explained "it's for having a party, and giving special cookies, and gifts to people that we love." Gickos who do you want to give your cookies to? His reply: "My Gamma"
Buster simply decided to eat his, I guess he didn't have anyone in mind this year.

After we were all done, and we had a nice variety, we chose the four best and took them to the boys' favorite people...gamma and gampa.
Although Granny and Pappy hold a very special place in their hearts as well.

Time with friends

2008-02-18T07:43:00.000-08:00

We spent saturday evening with some new friends, and we had a blast. The boys had such a great time, and we just talked the night away. There are so many wonderful people in the world, and I just love building relationships with them, and hearing the stories from their lives. It's such a blessing to find good friends that are uplifting and kind.

Domestic Hobbies

2008-02-15T06:53:00.000-08:00

I am learning to crochet...crazy I know. But I've actually really enjoyed it, it's relaxing and I get something I like out of it when I'm done. I'm super slow, but I did complete my first project and I'm diligently working on my second. Sweet beanie huh?!

My Nail Appointment

2008-02-15T06:34:00.000-08:00

Olinselot got home late from work, so we just hung out here at home for Valentines Day. I often tell Olin how lucky he is that he married such a low-maintainable girl..."Olin, I'm the only girl on the earth that doesn't have a set "monthly" appointment for anything" of course that's not true, but as far as he knows it is...so shh! We started to joke around a bit, and I told him about an acrylic nail appointment I had tomorrow and a pedicure.
Olin's reply was....what ya buildin'? (I was like WHAT? With a very sour and scrunched up face) You have to pick up nails for a pedestal, oh you're applying an acrylic top? What's that for?
He knew those were the only kind of "nails" I'd ever pay money for....haha Olin, you're such a smart @$$...guess the jokes on me.

Happy Valentines Day

2008-02-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

I am so in love with this guy! He is all I ever want or need. It's so nice to have such a strong, loving, gentle man to call mine.

More good times

2008-01-12T13:30:00.001-08:00

Freakin' fun day cross-country skiing in Island Park, ID
I don't need to say anything else...the picture says it all.

Winter Adventures

2008-01-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

Cross-Country Skiing is my new winter hobby. I think this alone will make the winter more enjoyable. We have so many wonderful locations to go and enjoy nature at it's finest, untouched by man...mostly :) the trails are groomed. These are two of my good friends, Mandie is on the left and Yvonne is in the middle. We have such a great time.

Farewell to Roxy

2007-12-15T18:23:00.000-08:00

We wanted to let everyone know that Roxy was killed tonight. She was hit by a truck while we were visiting Olinselot's parents. We are so sad that she is gone, and it’s difficult to see such a sweet member of our family pass on. We loved her very much.

Christmas Time

2007-12-09T14:06:00.001-08:00

Buster and Gickos are really fun this year. They both "get it" it's crazy cause I thought I'd have another year or so of explaining, and convincing them that Santa is coming. Buster speaks of Santa on a daily basis and Gickos is most just excited to rip into all those shiny gifts under the tree. This picture was taken right after we got our tree up, they LOVED IT! They stood right by my side as I pulled out each decoration in hopes of being chosen to put it on the tree. What's on their list this year you ask? Well when I received the Wal-Mart wish list book, they went through and cut out the pictures of all the stuff they wanted and glued them on a letter for Santa.

Buster's list: Red Lightsaber, Go Diego Go Movie, Transformers, Slippers, V-Tech gaming system, and CANDY

Gicko's List: A full-sized fourwheeler to ride at Grandpa's house, Spiderman the movie, a new blue bike, transformers, hotwheels race track, and a bike riding video game.

It's so fun to have them a little older, we are very excited to visit Cousins for Christmas. We love you all Merry Christmas!

Winter Wonderland

2007-12-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

Saturday I spent the day cross-country skiing at Herriman State Park. This was my first visit to the park, and it was so fun! All the trees, lakes, and rivers were amazing, it was like 17 degrees, but when you're skiing it's so much work that you spend more time sweating than anything. It was a blast, we're going again Tuesday!! YAY!

Gickos

2007-10-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

This is what Gickos likes to do. He loves throwing sand at all the sweet little girls in those cute ruffled swim suits. Not so much to make them cry, just so he can see what their swim suits look like covered in muddy sand. He made three kids cry one day...which is funny in it's self, but they were all twice his age. Our little bully loves the water as much as his brother, he especially likes kayaking down mild rapids. He's definitely a thrill-seeker.

Buster

2007-10-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

Buster loves the water! We spent many days at the sandbar here in St.Anthony hanging out with friends and getting really nice tans. As you can see he's our little surfer boy with his blonde hair, blue eyes, and tan skin. He would swim everyday during the winter if we had somewhere to go.

2007-10-14T09:18:00.001-07:00