Pictures Don't Lie

Ridge is at a very fun age right now. He says random things that make us all laugh and he is full of energy. Sometimes he is just down right too big for his britches! He is starting to think he is pretty sneeky. The other day my camera wasn't where I left it, so I asked Ridge, "Have you been playing with Mommy's camera?" Of course he looked at me with big innocent eyes and said, "No way! I know I'm not suppose to!" While uploading the pictures, I found about 50 that I don't remember taking. Hhhhmmmm. . . . seems pretty suspicious to me.

Happy 12th Anniversary!

After 12 years together how can I put into words what Tyson means to me? He is so many things to me. We have been through so much and have grown. We have 3 awesome kids and have built our life with blood, sweat, tears, and lots of laughs. I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into 12 years ago and to be honest, I was scared out of my mind. It definately wasn't what I had planned and all that has happened isn't what I would have chosen for my life, but I wouldn't give back one single second. I feel lucky to have been blessed with a person who loves me as deeply as Tyson does, and who tells me everyday. He is my best friend and still makes me laugh all the time. I feel enormous gratitude to him for all he does for me and the kids. If there is one thing that I have learned throughout the years, life and love aren't always easy. But at the end of the day if you can go to sleep knowing that the person next to you is on your side no matter what, and that the good days far out weigh the bad, then you know it is all worth it.
Happy anniversay Tyson! I can honestly say that I love you more everyday!

Free digital slideshow generated with Smilebox

Tie Dye Shirts!

For one of our Family Home Evening projects, we made tie dyed shirts. The kids thought it was absolutely amazing because they got to make a big mess and didn't get in trouble. They had fun experimenting with the different colors and had bets on who's shirt would be the best when it was all done. (They all like their own)Dad wasn't home that night so we will have to do it again! He doesn't want to use the "sissy colors" like we did, so I bought him a camo-kit. We will see how it works. . .

Halloween!!

We had a fun Halloween. Earlier in the week, we carved pumpkins. On Saturday Tyson, Gabe, and I went duck hunting while Aunt Brittney took Ridge and Raygen Trick or Treating at the mall in Logan. Then we met up that afternoon and went to our ward party. This year Raygen decided to be "Batgirl". She looked cute as always. Ridge was "Batman" for days before his preschool Halloween party when he suddenly changed his mind and decided to be a Rhinoceros. For the ward party he got into the Halloween box and decided to be "Batman Beyond". He was tired and didn't take part in the "Table Treating" there. Gabe was putting together his Harry Potter costume when he remembered the toy whip he bought and decided to be "Indiana Jones". He did a good job of putting together his own costume from whatever he had in his closet. It was another fun holiday and I was grateful we were able to enjoy it all together.

Happy 9 Raygen!

I just wanted to take a minute to gush about my sweet girl. She is the BEST daughter a mother could ever ask for! I can't say enough good things about her kind, loving spirit. She is such a positive addition to our household. She is always nice to her brothers, especially Ridge. He loves it when his big sister is home because she always includes him and plays games with him. She is rarely anything but pleasant. She always has a smile on her face and is constantly doing nice things for us. I often find cute notes from her on my pillow. She writes me notes for everything! And I know that she writes her Daddy notes also. They are so fun to find and warm my heart. She is always eager to help and loves to spend time with the family. These past 9 years have definately been a gift from God. They have gone so fast! I am so blessed to have her!

Another slideshow by Smilebox

The Mighty Hunter

Gabe is loving being able carry a gun around while hunting. I don't know that he loves the idea of killing anything, but he does like being considered "one of the boys" now. We went hunting grouse the other day and had lots of fun. It was a hot day and Tyson and I both limited out pretty quickly. Gabe had a hard time seeing the birds and aiming his gun before they were too far away to shoot, but it was a good experience. Cash came with us and helped a lot with flushing out the birds and retrieving them after we shot. He ran so hard for so long in the heat that he ended up getting heat exhaustion. We had to run him to the vet for treatment. He almost died. Next time, we will have to be way more careful. It was definately a lesson learned.

First Day of School

The kids survived the first day of another school year. Raygen started 3rd grade with Mrs. Streadbeck and Gabe started his first day of Junior High 6th grade on August 23, 2010. This year they only go 4 days a week and each day is a little longer. So far they love it! Even Gabe has been enjoying school. He caught on to opening his locker very quickly and loves changing classes. He has also started band and really likes learning the percussion instruments. He started school with the long hair that he loved, but we made him get a hair cut before picture day. He was mad at us for a while but looks so much better! We are starting to get settled into a routine and hope to have a great year full of good memories.

Summer Fun!!!

We just can't even tell you how much fun we had with cousins this summer! Having Tyler, Brooklynn, and Brandon here for 3 weeks was AWESOME! We did tons of funs things and spent lots of time together. They all got along so well and became best of friends in no time. All 3 of my kids cried their eyes out when it was time for them to fly back to Texas. We are already counting down the days until we see them again!

Ice Blocking!

We are having so much fun with the cousins here! I will post more about all the fun stuff we've been doing later, but I had to share this video of them learning to Ice Block. They didn't really think it was going to work and were amazed at how fast they could get going. We only had one "incident" which was totally my fault---I forgot to tell them not to let the blocks of ice hit them on the way down. Oops! But thankfully it wasn't too bad and we were able to enjoy the rest of the day. We even went to Charlie's for ice cream when we were done! YUM!

Enforcing the law

The other day Tyson and I were in Sportsman's Warehouse when we came across some dutch oven stirring spoons. They just happened to be small, medium, and large. A light bulb went off in my head. It must have been my up-bringing coming out. There are many stories of the dreaded "death stick" my mother wielded. So I decided to make some paddles for the kids. I named them, put their names on the appropriate size, and hung them on the wall next to the "Thou shalt not whine." sign. Now when I feel myself losing control of a situation, all I have to do is say, "Ok--go get your stick!"
I think it is hilarious---the kids on the hand, they aren't amused.

4-H

Raygen spent 2 days and 6 hours in a 4-H cooking class this week. She learned the basics of cooking and made a few treats. She came home excited and eager to start practicing all that she learned!

Sand~Box!

Well it took me a couple weeks and a whole lot of trips with the wheelbarrow but we have a sand box! Ridge kept digging holes in the garden so I decided to make him a sandbox. I started by digging out the flowers and dirt that were in the corner of my yard. Then I put boards around the edge, put a weed barrier down and dumped in the sand! Pretty easy, it just took time because I had to do it in between rain storms. The only problem is that I think we need more sand because I dug a little too deep! :)

Boys Will Be Boys. . .

Or I guess I could say, "Ridge will be Ridge." He loves to play in anything dirty. He loves worms and mud and all things that are boy. I love to take pictures of him when he doesn't know I am watching him. He is at such a fun age right now. He says the funniest things everyday, and I find myself just watching him all the time. I swear I can SEE him growing and learning right before my eyes. It gives me so much joy! It seems like because he will probably be my last kid, I find myself missing him before he has even grown up.

We the People. . .

As part of the 5th grade, Gabe got to participate in the "We the People" night. His group had to read a paper they had written about the government and then answer questions from the judges about the subject they had chosen. Gabe's group talked about the Bill of Rights and Freedom of expression. Gabe answered the first question from the judges and then another one about whether school uniforms go against our freedom of expression. He did a very good job. He said he was really nervous, but we couldn't tell. Afterward he got a certificate and we took him to eat at Big J's. We were very proud of him.

Arrow of Light!

Gabe received his Arrow of Light award last night. It is the highest award you can earn in Cub Scouting and the only one you get to take with you to Boy Scouts. We are really proud of him. He has worked really hard and spent a lot of time working on this award. He finished his Weblo and did some extra achievements to get it. They had a special ceremony for him last night where some "Indians" presented the arrow to Gabe. He thought that was pretty neat!
We are extremely grateful to Preston 3rd Ward's scouting leaders. Especially Grandpa Benton, Grandma Lynda, and Aunt Nancy. Without their help, Gabe would not have been able to earn this award. They have gone above and beyond their callings to help Gabe. He had so much fun and was able to participate with other boys since our own ward doesn't have any other scouts his age. Thanks again to our wonderful family and good friends!

Happy Valentines Day 2010!

This year to celebrate Valentines Day we got the kids each a stuffed animal and some candy. But to make it more interesting we decided to put them inside a big balloon. They thought that was pretty neat! However, it only took them about 5 minutes to get over it and pop them.