The Adventures of M-Lo & J.Bird

To Sum It Up....

2011-12-27T07:35:00.000-08:00

Using a chipper/shredder is super fun!

Big D using a pick ax can be entertaining!

Hauling hay in the back of your car makes it dirty!

Hiking in AZ makes you sweat, a lot!

Cooking with the cutest 2 year old in the world is fun.

Especially when he wears your apron and his cute legs stick out the bottom.

Are you kidding me?!

Peaches are delicious!

I am a green smoothie girl.

Roen is also cute in Jessy's boots!

The Constitution Fair is more fun when your mouth is green!

Fireworks, food and family are fun!!

I refinished the floors in my house and moved back in.

Cousins are cool!

Lenor is beautiful!

Annual Lundell pumpkin carving is awesome!!

Roen is also cute while looking into the innards of a pumpkin!

Miner likes power tools!

Look, he is still cute!!

My dad is an Ironman! and so is his pumpkin!

Jessy's pumkin is amazingly awesome!!

Little A is facsinated by fire.

Our pumkins are super cool!

I was a witch for Halloween!!

Jessy turned 13!!!

And had super fun birthday party!

Jessy has super great friends who like to read as much as she does!

Lenor and I make killer pies!

Thanksgiving is a yummy holiday!

Lenor makes good gingerbread cookies.

Denali is an expert decorator!

And so is Jessy!

Miner is a expert at clean up!

Lenor and Ben actually had a girl baby!!

Oakley Faye.

Snow is cold!

I am always a sheep in the Nativity play!

just as a side note- Roen is also cute as a sheep!

Jessy played Mary and Oakley played the baby Jesus- she did a great job!

Miley as a sheperd- so cute!

Family Nativities are sweeeeeet!

Jessy's new Christmas puppy!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

This is what we did yesterday!!

It was hard to lift someone who is taller than me into the can!!

Yes, she has passed me up!

Sometimes I don't know how time passes so quickly.

And for those who might be having a birthday- I hope it is wonderful.

2011-09-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

This is my Uncle Mark, talking to Mason. He is my dad's younger brother.

This is my cousin Seth making a crazy face.

These pictures were taken at our family reunion at Christmas time.

Monday afternoon my uncle and cousin were killed in a plane crash in New Mexico. This is beyond tragic because 5 years previous my other cousin, Jacob, (same family) was also killed in a plane crash. Words cannot express the sadness that I feel for my Aunt and surviving cousins.

These are the times when you realize what is important in life and how short life can be, how valuable a testimony is and that living a happy, fulfilling life is the only way to live.

I miss you!

2011-09-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Whoever You Are,

I miss you so much! I wish that you were with me last night to watch fireworks and hold my hand, I wish you were with me in church today so I could have scratched your back, I wish we could read the scriptures together, and fail at family night together instead of me failing at it on my own. I miss you when I am driving and I see something beautiful that I want to show you. I miss you when I am in the shower and I really want someone to scrub my back. I feel so lonely when you are not around because I know how much we are missing. I am sure that you are funny and I want to laugh at your jokes and I am pretty funny to. I want to make you smile. I want to pretend that I am mad at you for forgetting to take the trash out. I miss you when I have a project that I want to do because I am sure that you have all the tools I need and so I don't want to go and buy them all because then we will have 2 of everything when you finally show up. I really need you. Some people think I am super independent and brave, but I am just half of what I could be if you were with me. I wish that I could be excited about planning a trip but I don't even want to go anywhere anymore without you. I have been enough placed with out you and now I want to go somewhere with you. I would be a much better cook if you were around. I missed you at the movies the other day, I really wanted to talk to you about all the things I thought and felt and I wanted to know what you thought, too. I really need your help with making a budget. Washing the car would be even more fun if you were here. The holidays are coming around again and I want to go to a Halloween party with you- I hope you will dress up- I can't imagine that you would be a party pooper- I want to plan a Christmas menu with you and wrap presents and sing and stay up and talk and string lights. I want to go for walks with you. I miss you all the time. I wish that you would show up in my life so we could start having some stinkin' fun together!!

Love, Me

Reevis

2011-08-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

As we were driving to Reevis this was our view! You can see Roosevelt Lake in the distance and this amazing rain storm rushing across the sky.

We were so excited about his new adventure- however it ended up being just a short visit. The main reason that we have decided not to stay is that I did not want to give 4 months of hard labor to someone else, I would rather give it to my mom on her property up North. I also realized something that I have realized many times and that is that I am just as smart and capable as most people. If I really want to learn something I should just get a book!

This is how Jessy would try to stay cool by putting her feet in a bucket of cold water and a wet towel on her head, as there was no A/C or electricity.

The other reasons we are leaving are laid out in the following pictures and explanations.

We knew we would be staying in a primitive dwelling, I was thinking girls camp- some daddy long legs and dust- NBD- but this was a little past ridiculous.

The yurpee was basically a circular wood frame with a teepee top and around the sides is a screen and there is no floor, just random pieces of carpet laid on top of the dirt.

What this means is that every bug, small mammal, bird, insect-flying or crawling, spider and reptile has full access to our living quarters.

Notice the coffee can that the leg of the bed is sitting in? It is about half full of water and that is to keep scorpions from crawling into your bed! Awesome!

Also notice the shelves behind Jessy- well there was a terrible smell coming from under there and I thought maybe a mouse had made it a bathroom or cemetery and I was going to contract the Hantavirus, anyway, good news is that it was not mice or pack rats or anything like that. It was a dead rabbit!! It's fine! I love breathing in dead, slowly decaying rabbit every night in my sleep. That is just yummy.

Here is some fun beetle like creature hanging out on out floor.

The first night in the yurpee we killed a large black widow spider that was stringing web in the rafters above where I was standing! Creepy! It is pouring rain and now we are both nervous about what else could be crawling around in here. Well, we had our head lamps on and we both kept seeing this huge shadow cross the light. I thought it was just a big moth, but then I realized there is no way a moth could be that big. So we start searching for the source of the giant shadow and it is a bird. A bird flying around inside our yurpee. OK. Now I spend the next 20 min trying to shoo it out. I mean I am not opposed to birds- they eat bugs and that is good. However, I am opposed to being pooped on. Just a little personal standard I like to keep. The next morning when there was enough light to see, sure enough there was bird poop on our bed.

Giant lizards, in or out, whatever they prefer. I could also here javalina snorting outside all night long- which was actually kind of cute, but still kept me awake.

Jessy being adorable in her cute boots.

The work during the day was fun and interesting. I enjoyed all the daytime activities.

This is Davi and Wyndy- we were hanging stuffed animals up in the fig and peach trees to scare the birds away. The figs and peaches were sooooo delish!!

Fresh eggs every morning for breakfast, greens, the best oatmeal I ever ate, all the food was so good and so fresh.

We made yummy organic spelt crackers with rosemary and sea salt.

Charlie, Wyndy and Davi all in the kitchen.

Some crazy duck hanging out in the shade.

There were about 20 ducks.

This is Harvey or Mr. H as he is sometimes called. There were Mr. and Mrs. H and they had 13 baby turkeys and there was one wild turkey.

There were also 47 chickens down from 57 because they butchered 10 roosters before we got there.

This is Charlie. A garden guru.

My view of the echinacea patch while weeding the garden. So beautiful.

I harvested buckets of cucumbers, some squash, peppers, lettuces and tomatoes.

The best part of the day was going swimming in this giant tank of water. So refreshing and cool.

We shared the swimming pool with these cute little guys.

After 3 nights in the horrible yurpee we moved ourselves into this little cabin it was filled with spiders but not much else, so it was much better. Nothin' like a couple of brown recluse to make a girl feel right at home!

The other thing I forgot to mention about night is how insanely hot it was, I melted with sweat every night. It made it very difficult to sleep. It was at least 85 or above every night!

In fact I hardly slept at all the whole time we were there.

This is the bathroom.

I don't think I really need to say much, as a picture, in this case, is worth a thousand words.

Outside view of the bathroom.

Jessy's picture of javelina buns.

So this fun little critter we found in the daylight hours also would run laps around the inside of the yurpee at night and up and down the outside roof. It was on the night that we were up at 1 watching this guy cruise around that we also spotted a scorpion on the screen. Does not make for a peaceful nights rest plus dying of heat and dead rabbit smell.

And these are the javelina that cruise around the place and eat the fallen fruit. There were babies too.

just a look around.

So we have left Reevis and it was a good experience. I am glad we went and I am glad we left.

So now we are up North in Linden at Big D's property and working on building her a barn/ work shed/ apartment, clearing land, hauling rock, chainsawing trees- all that fun stuff.

Friends

2011-08-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

Our friends the Amsbury's were visiting from Ohio on their way to North Dakota.

An obvious stop would be here.

Dave just got a job in a place called Minot and a week before they were supposed to move their house washed away in a flood so they were homeless and wandering so they came to AZ to visit family.

Jessy and Faith have been friends since before they were born.

So we had a girls day and then Faith came for a sleepover and the results of not being able to play outside are what you see here.

That is some fancy make-up and dress-up!!

So glad that we could spend some time with friends.

During and After Retreat

2011-08-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

While Jessy was at Retreat Rachel and I hung out. We went camping in the mountains between Logan and Bear Lake. It was soooo beautiful. We made a tasty dinner but I forgot to pack utensils so Rachel, being the genius that she is, made us spoons from the tops of the biscuit package. I also found out that Rachel is a little bit scared of wildlife which was really funny.

We met this crazy guy the next day named Wyoming Don and his faithful stick fetching dog. He could talk and talk and talk.

We stopped to get some picture of these beautiful flowers and we also saw a moose- which is always fun. The moose is not in the picture- that is me.

Rachel found some pretty flowers for her pretty hair!

This awesome store is in a place that is really called Pickleville. How cool is that?

And how cool is it that it is this amazing bright blue? I love it!

Just a cool light house.

Bear Lake raspberry shake!! And Rachel's cool cowboy hat!

We spent the rest of the week doing this and that. We went tubing on the Bear river in Idaho, watched a movie or two, got a pedicure made yummy food, etc...

Jessy was excited to see Rachel after she got home and so she attacked her and wrestled her down and put that pretty flower in her hair!

Then we went back up into the mountains with the tubes because we thought it would be fun to go out on the lake in them. Jessy is excited too!

Jessy and Rachel at the Lake.

Me and the stinker. She hates picture all of a sudden.

Jessy and Rachel fighting in the snow. Yes, snow.

Which is of course why we decided to go out on the tubes.

But we waited to long and it got a little to dark- but it was fun anyway.

Then Jessy and I left and went to SLC. We were going to stay with a friend but I thought that if I was going to spend the next 4 months in the dirt that I would treat us to a night at the Little America.

It was so fun! We swam in their fabulous pool and lounged in their fabulous hot tub and slept in their luscious bed.

Then on Sunday morning we ate their amazing brunch! It was soooo yummy!

And then we stopped to smell their beautiful flowers.

Then we made the long trek home across beautiful UT and AZ.

Retreat for Girls

2011-08-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

Jessy and her cousin Savannah went up to Logan, UT at the end of July for a 5 day summer camp called Retreat for Girls. Rachel and I dropped them off on Monday.

They got the room all fixed up, beds made, and desk organized.

Towels hung.

Phone call to parents made.

They were very excited about their week ahead.

They had a great time, learned a lot and made good friends.

Reevis Mountain

2011-07-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well, this is where we will be for the next 4 months. We leave Sunday afternoon. We will be home just after Thanksgiving. And speaking of Thanksgiving- if you want to come and eat a turkey that I slaughtered myself you can sign up on the website to come up for a real home made and grown Thanksgiving dinner.

We are really excited about this adventure. I will post pictures and an update as soon as I can.

I hope I will have internet service!

This is Peter Bigfoot- the guy who runs the place.

You can look at more pictures and information at their website-

http://www.reevismountain.org/index.html

We love you and miss you already!!

Let's Talk About......

2011-07-03T06:24:00.000-07:00

this ridiculously cute dress I made for Jessy, with the help of Big D and design by Deb.

look at all those amazing pleats in the back!

this amazing cookie cake that I made for girls night.

this random bruise on my foot. I was spraying off the porch about five days ago and I dropped something on my foot which did not even hurt, but then I felt this stinging pain and when I looked down the vein on my foot was all swollen and crazy looking. Anyway, I do not bruise easily so I thought it was rather funny. I must have nicked it just right to cause that much bleeding. Naturally the picture does not do it justice.

this adorable kitten that we are kitten sitting while it's future owners are on vacation. She is soooo cute and funny and crazy!

That is it.

Girls Camp!!

2011-07-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

Ohh the bus! What a wonderful part of the journey! I love to hear the girls sing and chat on the ride up, I love the girls who fall fast asleep within minutes, I love the girls who pack 20 snacks and 2 gallons of water for a 2 hour ride, I love the excitement and anticipation of 50 girls and overpacked, overtired leaders riding on buses with crabby bus drivers- I just love it all- it makes me smile!

I love that I got to go to camp for Jessy's first year.

Something very sour was going around and it found it's way into Jessy's mouth. Haha- this face is funny.

All the girls gathered around for a lesson.

We divvied up our leaders on hike/repel day and I went on the second year hike with my four girls and 1YCL. We had a good time. But, apparently, I should have gone repelling with the 3rd years. I heard that it was amazing!

Olivia, in the dark, Lulu, me, Sorin and Rachel.

Jessy, in a crazy game of Mancala with Tabitha.

Me and the J-bird.

Just hanging around the cabin.

Skit night! Jessy loved all the skits and ours was actually pretty dang funny, too.

Becca and I found the greatest pinata ever! Our theme for camp was Happily Ever After and we found a huge pink princess crown pinata!

The girls loved it!!! Wow, my kid is so cute.

Sooooo thirsty!!

After going to classes in the dust and heat all day, the girls got to have a hair make-over. There were some pretty amazing hair-do's

This was 'snipe' hunting night. We had so much fun and scared our new girls real good. Jessy had already figured it out so she actually was in on the scaring- hiking around in the dark woods scaring other older girls. It was great!

This is Jessy fast asleep at the table during devotional- she was so tired!

This is Jessy wishing she was still fast asleep- but too bad it is time to wake your sweet self up!

And this-- well, this is just awesome! Me and Becca made matching/non-matching nighties for camp. They were so awesome!!!

Camp was super fun and a good time was had by all.

Swim Season 2011

2011-06-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and so is swim. That means we are out of the house before seven. Jessy swims and I read by the pool. It is the most wonderful way to spend the morning.

This was the first day and the pool was super cold!

And I am the annoying mom who takes pictures of her kid when she tells me not to, hahaha!

So far Jessy has done well in her meets, but not as well as she would like to. She really wants that blue ribbon!

2011-05-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

Just dropped Jessy of to go on a 3 day camp out with her school and I am freaking out! I am worried and I know I shouldn't be, but I am!

What if she dies in a fiery bus crash! What if someone is mean to her!

What if she forgets to brush her teeth- aaahahahhahahah!!!

I should have gone.

Farewell Greasy

2011-05-17T17:49:00.001-07:00

Remember Greasy? The cat that the homeless man dropped off here last summer. Well a week ago Monday I heard him cry out at about 5:15am. So I got up to see what was going on with him. His breathing was labored and gravely. Then when he got up to move he was dragging his back legs behind him. He was paralyzed.

So I Googled it- naturally- and found that it can be caused by a blood clot and there is really nothing that can be done about it. So for the third time in a month I was at the vet. The vet confirmed what I had looked up and also said that the heart was not beating well and he was probably in heart failure. So Big D and I agreed to have him put down. It was so sad, so now we are both there crying and saying our goodbyes to this sweet cat. Then we took him home and when J-bird got home from school she said her goodbyes and we buried him in the yard.

I am tired of burying animals in my yard!

I hope that cat heaven is a really nice place for such a great cat!

We will miss you Greasy! and Riley will miss chasing you around the house.

Trip to Oregon

2011-05-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

Oregon with the Webster's!!!

On our way to the Oregon Caves we stopped at this crazy place on the side of the road where this wood working genius has created is own little land of crazy creativity.

The place was incredible. It was a jumble of rooms filled with all kinds of creations. I love this door and the hinges are so cool.

On the property are about 5 tree houses, some of them have 4 stories, they are crazy cool.

This is the dudes house and showrooms.

Miner and Roen are to little to go in the caves so we stayed out and played with the chipmunks. There was still snow on the ground and yes, Miner is in his swim suit- it is his standard every day wear.

Me and Nor at one of the millions of amazing lakes that are everywhere.

And as every boy knows- the best thing to do at a lake is throw rocks into it!!

Me and Bo at another beautiful mountain lake.

There are many places for boys to throw rocks in Oregon- this is the Rogue River.

This is the cutest boy ever!!!

One of the days we went to Crater Lake. It is about 90 min away from Nor and Ben's house.

Crater Lake National Park gets an average of 533 inches of snow every year!!

Crater Lake is the deepest Lake in the United States at 1943ft.

The snow is so deep and last so long into summer season that the have to create tunnels to the buildings. So here is the entrance to the mens room.

And here is the tunnel. Crazy, huh?

This is a place called Eden Farms. It is a horse training, boarding and rescue facility. So beautiful!!! I want to live here.

Just a river running through the property. NBD.

Denali hiding in the grass by the Rogue River.

I had a great time, we ate good food, had good laughs, saw amazing things, and watched some good movies on Nor and Ben's TV- yes they bought one! Crazy I know. I loved to be with my boys! and with my Lenor!! The weather was perfect. If you can squeeze in a trip- you should go and visit.

Cats, Kittens, Death and Stress

2011-04-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

About a month ago Jessy noticed what I thought was a kitten in our carport and of coarse she wanted to keep it. It was sooooo skinny so I felt sorry for it and let her feed it. The poor thing had a little distended belly and I thought maybe she had worms. As the weeks went by the belly kept getting bigger but for some reason it never crossed my mind that this cat could be pregnant because she was so little.

When I finally realized and could no longer deny that there were going to be kittens arriving I brought her in the house and made her a box and tried to get her to be healthier.

So on Tuesday the 12th and Wednesday the 13th we had four kittens.

The mama cat had stopped eating 5 days before having the kittens- I hoped she would start eating again after the kittens were born. She did not. You can sort of see how small she is in this picture.

This is the first kitten that was born and the first one that died. Not even 24 hours later we were having our first cat funeral.

By Friday I knew that the mama cat was dying and the kittens were also starving. So I took her to the vet for a list of what my option were. So I am sitting in the vets office sobbing- not because I am so attached to this cat but because of the 3 babies that are going to have no mama and I am freaking out because I know I cannot feed these babies every 2 to 3 hours for the next 4 to 6 weeks. And I cannot pay 1000 dollars to save the mama. This is the point in time which I wish I had a sensible man around because then I paid the vet 100 dollars to put the cat down. I could have and would have done it myself with a well placed 22 but I was so upset I did not even think about it. So I take her home in a box and we have our second cat burial.

So now it my life's mission to find a mama cat who will take in my 3 orphans.

Luckily we found a mama that very night and we took our kitten over.

We washed her kittens and our kittens all in the same soap and then put lavender on them so they would all smell the same. She took them right in- it was so sweet.

They got right in there and started nursing.

I thought at this point that all would be well.

Her kittens are 2 weeks old and you can clearly see the difference in size. I am wondering if our kittens were premature. I know they were malnourished both in the womb and probably after they were born because she would not eat. Anyway by Saturday night another one of the gray one died and we had our 3rd cat burial. Then the following Tuesday the last gray kitten died.

It was seriously so stressful!

So all that is left is the little black one, she is a fighter and was from the very beginning. I think she will do just fine.

Anyway, in a few weeks our next task will be to find everyone a good home.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2011-04-12T23:28:00.000-07:00

Jessy and I went to Crackers for breakfast on my birthday- because I love breakfast and I love Crackers.

This is what I usually get.... the California Benny. Avocado, bacon, spinach, tomato and poached eggs over toasted english muffins, plus some tasty Hollandaise sauce. So good. So gooooood.

Then I had a massage- nice.

Then Cicily and I went to Liberty Market for lunch- they give you a free meal on your birthday! Sweet. We split the 'picnic' sandwich and 'white' pizza. That has got to be one of the best sandwiches known to man!! Cicily and I are cool enough that we have the same birthday. So we both got lunch for free!!!

Then we had a professional photo taken by....

The Goose!!

Then I went to the movies with De, we saw Source Code. After that I went to work and did a bunch of massages. My last clients thought that we should have a little party after massages so they went out and bought a cake and we did party down.

Thank you for adopting me into your super sweet family and thank you for the birthday cake.

I am now officially 38!!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2011-04-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Thank you!! That was all the birthday present I needed. And I wish I could hang out at Home Depot all day!

Seattle Trip

2010-12-20T17:53:00.000-08:00

I went to Seattle in November to visit my dear friend Julie. We went for some amazing walk/hikes. Seattle has some beautiful parks and paths and Julie knows the best ones!

We ate some delicious food- my first lamb burger! Incredible.

Went to Pike Place Market. So Seattle. Loved it.

Too bad I think seafood is disgusting!

There was so much of everything a person could want.

The flowers were unreal and so cheap! If I lived there I would buy myself flowers every week!

We took the city bus downtown and back again. That was an experience in and of itself. Buses are just places that attract crazy people and there were a couple of charmers on our bus that night. Makes for great entertainment and gratitude for semi-sane parents and good upbringing!

We went to the Seattle Temple grounds. I found this crazy little mushroom.

The trees were all decked out in their fall best.

The Temple grounds were peaceful and lovely.

This is a charming little park featuring this old gas power plant right on the water- the morning was misty and perfectly Seattle.

This fabulous troll lives under the bridge near Julie's house. It is holding a real VW in his hand.
I also helped Julie paint her apartment- I took no picture of that- however, it turned out so cute!! We had so much fun and saw so many fun things- Thanks Jules for the good times!!

Picture Day

2010-12-15T20:32:00.000-08:00

My Sweet J-Bird is now 12! How did time pass so quickly?

Even though she is 12 she thinks it is ok to climb on my back when ever she feel like it!

The Silver Fox.

(in black &white)

(in color)

I hope I look as hot as my mom when I am her age.

Although, my legs will never be as long as hers no matter what.

Now that was funny!

Thanks to Jill for making us look good.

What a sweet face she has. I think I will keep her for another 12 years.

Halloween!!

2010-12-11T06:50:00.000-08:00

All the kids dressed up for school.

Jessy was a Greek goddess.

I was pretty proud of the hair-do I did!

Allison and I headed out to a smashing singles Halloween party.

A family of Elvi.

So awesome.

Garden gnomes.

Lenor went as a hillbilly temptress!!

Me and Lenor- how cool are her 80s earrings.

Lenor and I did up the bus with cob webs, a smoke machine, strobe light, and all this spooky stuff. Lenor passed out candy to the kids and talked in a hick accent the whole time. She never broke character as long as the teeth are in her mouth she is channeling her inner hillbilly!!

Including this super spooky spider.

It was a fun Halloween.

Better late than never on these posts, right?

J-birds B-day!!

2010-12-05T07:15:00.000-08:00

Lenor came over with Birthday Breakfast for Jessy. She made pop up pancakes filled with cream cheese and strawberries, tater tots, bacon and OJ. A yummy way to start the day!!

That evening we went to Claire's to get Jessy's ear pierced.

Here are Maria and the kids rockin' the fancy masks.

Now she is in the chair, the moment she has been waiting for, she is a little nervous, she has the Claire's bear for comfort, will she go through with it.......

Moral support from her dad should help.

She is freaking out!! Jessy is not really know for being super tough when it comes to pain.

This is my favorite Jessy face of panic.

She lived through it all. She was so excited to finally have earrings so we bought some other cute ones that she will be able to wear when her ears heal.

Then we went to YoDipity to celebrate!!!

Happy Birthday Jessy!!!

Road Trip!!

2010-11-30T17:18:00.000-08:00

Jessy and I went on a road trip for Jessy's birthday. So the first order of business was to get her some junk food!! Fruit by the foot, gushers, Doritos, etc....

Her job was to navigate and keep her area clean. Uhhhhhh..... that did not really work out.

We spent a couple of days with my friends Jena and Jenny. These are Jena's kids. They loved Jessy before they even knew her.

For some reason I did not get any pictures of Jenny or her kids. Annoying. Anyway, we went on a little hike one evening and I got this fun shot of Jessy with the moon and Provo/Oren lights in the background.

Jena and me.

Then we drove to Logan to visit Rachel. A sweet reunion.

This is the Logan Temple.

We drove to Bear Lake- beautiful drive.

Love this one.

The picture and the kid.

Me and Rachel getting ready for our dip in Bear Lake!!! I do not know what we are doing but I know we look super cool doing it!!

The water was freeeeeezing and we actually got in up to our necks.

The gulls chasing Jessy down trying to steal food.

Famous raspberry shakes at La Beaus. Delicious!!!

After our visit with Rachel we drove to Las Vegas. This is the gardens inside the Belagio. They were amazing all decked out for fall with 1000 pound pumpkins and flowers everywhere.

The cool fountains.

The buffet. Delightful.

Tree inside the gardens.

We saw the Cirque de Soleil show called "O". It is the most amazing thing I have ever seen.

This is the LasVegas Temple. We came to the temple after our days in town to get the filth of Vegas off of our souls. It was so beautiful and peaceful on the grounds.

Us.

We stayed with our friend Tracey and she has this amazing pizza oven.

She is super amazing because she chops all the wood.

Go Tracey!

Jessy was practicing her whittling skills on all the extra shreds of wood.

We had a great trip and saw many wonderful things and hung out with people that we love!

Then we drove home and began planning our next adventure!

Dad Life (Father's Day Opening 2010)

2010-11-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

Now that is seriously funny!! I love it!

Thanks to Jill for posting this gem.

Take a ride

2010-11-07T07:12:00.000-08:00

So after I finished the bus I went around and picked up some of my friends and their kids and we cruised around town.

We put my sister old futon in for seating. As I was driving the kids around I took a dip in the road a little fast and the kids bounced about a foot and a half off the futon and slammed back down they were screaming and laughing hysterically and then asked me to do it again- of course!

Picking up more friends! I just pulled up in front of everyones house and honked the horn. "Surprise!, the bus is here to pick you up!"

These photos were taken by my extremely talented friend Jill.

When we finished jumping the bus the futon was flat on the floor- the kids had broken it completely! It was awesome.

I love this one of the juice looking out the window.

you can see more here.... http://littlejillsmemoir.blogspot.com/2010/10/anywhere.html

Finished the Bus

2010-11-07T06:41:00.000-08:00

After the power washing the bus got a coat of this really shimmery fantastic paint that will prevent more rusting. The Bus feels great about his shimmery under layer- it makes him feel sexy!, because it is practical and fantastical all at the same time.

Then Don and I laid the sub-flooring- not too bad of a job, really. Thank you so much to Don W. for all his know how and the use of his vast collection of power tools!

And that was that the Bus was finished! Now I really need someone to buy it. Until then the Bus is going to have some fun adventures.

Phase 3

2010-10-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

This is my Phase 3 hair cut. My friend Cicily had free artistic license to do whatever she wanted with my hair. So we went darker and we went shorter. It will take me a couple of days to get used to it- it is just weird to have short hair. All-in-all I think it is a cute cut. Thank you Cicily and Darcy!!

The Bus

2010-09-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

So...... I bought a bus! About a month ago.

(Some people would also say this is part of my mid-life crisis, but

I think secretly everyone wants their own school bus.)

This bus was actually used by Pheonix Parks and Rec. It is 35 feet, 1990, Chevy, diesel, automatic, with about 100,000 miles on it, it runs great.

I bought it from a guy in Glendale and drove it home- as I was driving on the freeway I would laugh out loud every few minutes thinking: "I just bought a bus!?"

I also thought, as I was driving home, "Where am I going to park this thing?" So I called one of my brothers and asked him if I could park it in his very large yard and he said, "No, I am not going to enable your lifestyle choices!" What??? I never realized that owning a bus was a lifestyle choice.

This poor bus was absolutely filthy! 20 years of dirt and kids and neglect. And so begins the clean up and the creation of something new- the possibilities are endless.

So I ripped all the seats out. Ripped all the floors out.

Big D helped out a bit.

This is the day I was grinding screws out- look at my elbow cracks! I am so dirty!

I power washed the whole bus.

This is me after the power washing- it was my cleanest day in the bus so far.

This is me using the grinder- I love it!! What I did not love was when a spark shot right up my nose and singed the inside of my nostril- holy crap- that hurt.

My friend Molly wants to use the bus to make a music video- so look for that exciting post coming up soon.

Some people ask me "why?" and honestly I must be weird because I really do think that everyone wants a school bus, so I say "why not?".

I could turn it into an RV, a play house for the cousins, a bunk house, a party bus, a family rental bus, a mobile spa, a summer home or anything.

anyway, that is the bus

and yes I am crazy

Mid-Life Crisis

2010-09-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

I am declaring that my hair is my mid-life crisis. I always swore that I would not cut my hair until I got married and then I realized that I probably will never get married if I don't cut my hair. So the next logical girl conclusion is if I cut my hair and I hate it then I will probably meet someone. It makes no sense that is why they call it a "mid-life crisis". Just bear with me people.

I think hair is a nice choice for a mid-life crisis, it has far fewer consequences than some of the other things that I had contemplated.

This is stage 1. From the front.

From the side. I cut it like this in the middle of June.

Then in the middle of August I did this. Stage 2.

Wow, is my forehead really that big?

From the back.

Curled. We like to call this Sunday Hair.

Stay tuned the crisis has only just begun.

I just hope the Bishop does not release me from my calling because he thinks I have gone crazy- he doesn't know I was already crazy when he called me.

Greasie

2010-09-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

On the same night that Jessy had her henna hair treatment- during the color setting time- there was a knock at our front door.

Rewind a week prior- I was driving down our street and I see this guy carrying a pet carrier with a cat inside. I was thinking to myself that this guy is nuts because it is July and it is just a bit hot- but what ever if you want to carry your cat around in this heat be my guest.

Fast Forward- I open the door and there is this same guy with the same cat in the carrier. He starts to ramble about looking for the lady who helped him the other day and on and on about how he has just lost his apartment and his job and his truck needs to be fixed, etc, etc...... I know what is coming and I am trying really hard to think of reasons why I can not take his cat. He says he just needs help with the cat for a few days maybe a week. I know and you already know that that is not how it is going to go.

In the end my sense of compassion won out over my dislike of litter boxes and I agreed to take in his cat, whose name is Greasy, until he can come back for him. He got his name because when he was found as a kitten he had crawled up into the engine of a car and when they pulled him out he was covering grease.

That was on the 12th of July.

So now we have a very sweet cat named Greasy. I do not know if Brent will ever come back for his cat. I hope he finds work and a place to live.

Some of my friends think I am crazy (and that is probably true) but I felt it was the least I could do for a brother to ease his burden. Matt 25:40

Henna

2010-09-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

I told Jessy that there was such a thing as temporary hair color and she was super excited and wanted to color her hair.

So we went with a red henna from the natural foods store- it was like smearing mud all over Jessy's hair. It was very fibrous and you could see all the plant material. Interesting stuff.

It turned out a beautiful shade of red and lasted for several weeks.

Good times!!

YOdipity!

2010-07-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Roen was so funny holding onto Lenors shirt for dear life. He did not want her to get to far away with that yogurt.

Still holding on. Must- get- yogurt.

Lots of gummy worms = Happy boy!

Yummy, Yeah!

Jessy is completely in love with YOdipity. Obsessed might be a better word. No, obsessed might even be an understatement.

I have said it before that ice cream, yogurt, popsicles and the like should be considered a summer food group.

MB was thinking round two would be nice.

So he reached.

And reached.

And he reached some more. But it was not happening so he laid on the floor and had a fit. It was awesome, a true Miner moment.

Thank you YOdipity for being so yummy. We love you and YO 10 flavors of YOgurt and YO 75+ toppings and YO good deals and everything!!!

Swim Season

2010-07-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

Swim my little fish!

Well, another swim season has come to a close and Jessy got herself a few more ribbons to add to her collection.

She did not do as well as she wanted to in some of her races and the blue ribbon still continues to allude her, but she will keep trying until she get one.

I love you, Jessy!

Happy 4th of July!!

2010-07-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

I love America.

I am proud to be an American.

I am proud of all the patriots who have gone before who made the sacrifices that made this country great. Patriots who believed that the ideals of freedom and liberty were worth more than their own lives and comforts.

I love guns and capitalism!

I love camping, fishing, and freedom of speech.

I love the Constitution and apple pie.

Family picnics, prayer and peaceful protesting.

This is the greatest country on earth, not because of money, but because of our ideals. Because we really do believe that God created all men equal and that everyone has the right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Only a moral people can be a free people.

Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!
Patrick Henry

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin

My boys!

2010-07-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Nor and Ben make very cute children- even when having a fit.

This is Miner in the Target parking lot- so funny. There is a video of this at the end.

Denali and Jessy.

Miner playing the Wii at our Family Fun event.

Nor and Ben went to Italy in May and I watched the boys. This is when we cleaned out the fridge.

We call Roen, Captain Destructo.

Miner has a small obsession with watching the bubbles in the soap container go back and forth.

Bo is so tiny, like a little peanut!

Miner with his long hair.

Denali in his basketball gear.

I am completely in love with my sisters kids.

I just want to put sauces on them and eat them!!

Front Sight

2010-05-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

Me, Big D and the J-bird went to a firearms training school in NV

just outside Vegas in the middle of this desert valley.

Big D and I took the two day defensive handgun and J-bird did the children two day safety class.

She went for a couple hikes, made a sun dial, learned all the stranger danger stuff and shot several different types of weapons, including an uzi!

This is the range that we were on- it accommodates about 21 shooters.

We stayed at this super cute place called Bonnie Springs- it was so cowboy ghetto- I wish I had taken some pictures of the inside. It was really adorable.

This is what we saw as we were leaving one morning- just some cute little wild donkeys roaming the hills.

A wider view of the range.

Big D with a controlled pair to the chest and one to the ocular cavity!!

That guy is dead!!

We also did some simulated drills where we cleared a house and had hostage situations- it was intense!

It was super fun and I highly reccomend doing something like this, whether you are beginner or pro. It was awesome.

The End.

Pancake Mix

2010-04-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

Nor and I canned our own homemade pancake mix- because we are awesome!

One big helper!

Love the #10 can.

Another big helper!

We got just a bit messy.

And the porch got a lot messy!!!

2010-04-03T22:43:00.000-07:00

Camping Trip to Sugar Loaf.

Making dinner with the girls.

These old Christmas trees are about to be turned into this....

HUGE bonfire.

The next morning- we slept snug and warm in the tent and when we woke up there was ice on the tent!

Home sweet tent.

Learning to shoot.

Taking aim.

These two girls are little sharp shooters!

Yes, the air mattress fills up the whole tent!

Riding John's quad- sugar loaf in the background.

After all the rain this year Sycamore Creek was actually running- so cool.

The girls got their feet wet.

This is one cute boy!!

J-bird

2010-02-12T17:44:00.001-08:00

Ashley's camera skills at work- and Jessy's cuteness!!

Keeping up with blogging is like a second job, sorry I am not very good at it!

Hope everyone is well and happy!

The Polar Express

2010-01-16T06:42:00.000-08:00

Here we are in front of Hope's getting the car all packed up for the trek to Williams and The Polar Express!! Thank you Vanna.

Thanks to Cami's mom we had free tickets to go to the Polar Express. Here is the Punk all bundled up in his warmest AZ winter jacket- we like to call it a sweatshirt.

The Polar Express is located in historic Williams AZ, about 30-40 miles west of Flagstaff.

Here is the J-bird struggling with her winter wear- close toed shoes!

Tommy and Punk checking out a bit of snow.

I have always wanted to do the Polar Express but I was too stingy about the cost. Jessy is apparently entering the awkward 'every-picture-is-a-modeling-job' phase.

Hooray for the train!! The trains in Williams operate all year doing different trips to the Grand Canyon. That would be a fun spring time vacation.

The train was really great, it was decorated with Christmas presents, nice wide isles and each car had it's own little staff all dressed up in chef clothes. When you get on and get your seats there are little red and green napkins and a song booklet waiting for you.

Shortly after the train leaves the station they serve hot chocolate and cookies. Yum!! Then the train goes thru a winter wonderland and then thru a time tunnel that takes you all the way to the North Pole where you get to see the town and elves and a huge Christmas tree.

Jessy was a little crabby about having to share me with Denali.

Denali on the other hand was enjoying every second! He is a sweet boy, who makes this super funny face when he gets his picture taken- I love it!

Before we leave the North Pole a special visitor gets on the train......

Santa Claus!! Hooray!! He gives each child a bell -which they ring constantly until you reach the station again- to remind them to believe in the spirit of Christmas. Super cute.

Before Santa got to our car they read the story of the Polar Express to us all and one of the staff walked up and down the isles showing the pictures from the book, it was really sweet.

Also before and after Santa was there we all sang Christmas songs from our little booklets- the whole car sang. This one little boy about 5 or 6 even got up and took the mic and sang a solo of "Last Christmas I Gave you My Heart" super funny.

Cami and Toms.

Group shot! Me, Denali, Jessy, Cami, Toms, and Hope!

And here is our little hot cocoa chef.

I am so thankful that we got these tickets and went because Jessy really is almost over it. So thank you again to Cami's mom and to Hope who bought the kids all a copy of the book. It was super fun trip.

I would definitely recommend it.

Sharing

2010-01-11T19:44:00.000-08:00

Jessy is an only child and she sometimes has difficulty sharing, however, she was overly generous this week in sharing with me whatever bug she had. So, I spent the whole weekend doing this. Not cool.

I also forgot to mention that the painting frenzy had its grand finale on Thursday in Cicily's bathroom which went from a boring white to a lovely 'Irish Spring'.

Painting

2010-01-10T13:00:00.001-08:00

I went paint crazy the week after Christmas- starting on Monday, I helped Nor paint her hallway white- it was a little dark and dingy before, now it looks fresh and clean.

Tuesday we painted this bathroom in my moms house from white- it was too boring- to yellow-much brighter and goes with her house better.

Wednesday I went to Kizzy's and painted her bathroom blue. It looks so cute!

Thursday I went to my cousin, Kathryn's house and did some finish work on some of her rooms- took a day off on New years and then went back on Saturday and finished.

Then on Sunday the J-bird decided to get sick so while she did this....

Lenor and I did this......

and it turned out like this and it is so cute! I love it! It needs some decorating but you get the general idea.

I happen to rock at cutting in- like no other- do you see those perfect lines!

This is one of my most favorite spots at Home Depot. It is just pretty.

Sheri, you are next! I am coming to your house we are choosing colors and your house is going down!!

I love to paint.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-01T07:26:00.000-08:00

I did not take a single picture last night, annoying, so I will link you to the blog that will post some pics of the big event. We went to a casino night hosted by the Checks, Mason's brother-in-law, Carrie's sister, anyway it was a super fun night. My favorite was the dress that the female card dealer wore- gotta get me one of those!! You also gotta love a dealer who stinks like an old ashtray that has had beer spilt on it. His name is Ray, he is 70 and he told us he has a girlfriend who is 35. Super interesting people. Wow, no wonder I don't go to the casino. We had good food, good laughs, and good games. Thank you to the Checks.

No resolutions yet. I will let you know if I come up with any really inspiring ones. However, I do have wishes for the new year and that is:

that I wish you all the very best this year,

that you will have what you need,

that you will love and laugh much,

that you will read great books

take amazing trips

be better at what ever it is you want to be better at

let go of any anger that is hanging around making you old

I wish for a deep sense of peace and satisfaction that where ever you are in life, that it is where the Lord wants you to be, that you and I are on the path that will bring us the most joy and happiness.

and I really wish that some of you people would save up enough money for a plane ticket to Maui- so we can go and have the most fun ever!!

Goodbye 2009

2009-12-31T17:55:00.000-08:00

Well, this is it. The end of another year. Some good times and some bad. Life is crazy and I am just doing my best to get it right. I am not sad to see this year end. Time to start fresh. Thank you to all my friends whose love and support is much appreciated. See you all next year!

I am thankful for Shad

2009-12-14T20:40:00.000-08:00

i am thankful for Shad.

for the way his hand touches my back

for his overly generous love and patience

for his ruggedly handsome face

for the smile lines around his eyes

for his silent laugh, when he just shakes

for his chef skills in the kitchen

for the funny way he says 'holy smokes'

for his ninja ability to listen

for his willingness to please

for his tender kisses

for his super buff arms

for his general good temper

for all the plans he makes

for his love of reading

for his ability to make a good argument

for his squishy feet

for his massage skills

for his praise and compliments

for his commitment and loyalty

for the way that you make me feel

Shad, for your love and presence in my life, I am truly grateful.

I am thankful for.......

2009-11-25T20:24:00.000-08:00

a sense of humor- if I stop laughing then I am sure I will start crying

forgiveness- I really need a lot of this, and it wouldn't hurt to give some, too

Jessy- my student and my teacher

family- they are the craziest people I know and I still love them

friends- they are the people who know I am crazy and they like me anyway

good books- no better place to get lost

food- do I need to say anything really?

a good dog- they just make me smile

fresh air- I love crisp, clean fresh air, makes me wish life were like a musical

pencils- with good erasers

church- I really love the church so much

second chances- everyone needs at least 10 of these

my planner- it is a paper planner with pages I can turn, i love it

rain- makes everything fresh

all things camping- i get happy just thinking of REI

mascara- who knew black goop could make a girl look so much better

wise people- somebody has got to make up all those deep and meaningful sayings

good teeth- I feel bad for people with a funky mouth

photos- when I feel like taking the stroll

sweaters- they feel so cozy

right wing, conservative, nut jobs- I am so glad they found a name for my party

porch swings- they just 'rock'

my sister- what would I be without her

love- in all its forms, it is beautiful, crazy, heartbreaking, peaceful, funny, patient, spontaneous, sad and exhilarating, love really is what makes the world go round. Sometimes love is quiet, sometimes loud, sometimes you can see it coming and sometimes it surprises you. Love can be a choice and other times you have no choice, you just love. Sometimes you find love and sometimes it finds you. Love can be real and it can also be fantasy, It is simple and it is complicated, it is too hot and too cold and just right all at the same time. Love aches and burns, mends and heals, it is both the balm and the disease. I am thankful for love.

and I am thankful for salmon, they know, and so do I.

Happy Day of Giving Thanks!!!

Punk's Party

2009-11-24T21:32:00.001-08:00

Punk's party rocked!! The kids made themselves these goggles.

M- you are the cutest kid ever!

The next several photos are of the kids in their goggles.

The kids made the goggles, but Lenor and I made the capes- with were a huge hit!

This little girl has got a mind of her own.

Yummy sucker!!!

Kid, your party was so awesome!!!!

Kid Cake!

2009-11-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

For Punk's 5th Birthday Lenor went all out in the creativity department and busted out this fantastic cake.

It had black frosting.

I am wondering if I have any in my teeth?

This is what you get when you back talk the boss!

Nice!

These pictures represent what it looks like when the boss goes crazy.

Or homicidal?

Happy 5th birthday Kid!

Party photos will follow.

Panty Hose and Ice Cream

2009-11-15T20:53:00.000-08:00

Over the summer Shad Jr. enjoyed Jessy's swim team practice.

And the drives to and from the pool are very relaxing.

This is our trip to the library- MB and Punk love the computers.

Shad Jr. is more of a reader.

Here he is, hanging around with Ro-boat.

Yummy ice cream!! Look at those cheeks!!

MB does not really want to share with Shad Jr.

Shad Jr. and I went to the cannery with our ward. We canned beans, oats, milk, and macaroni.

I love feeling like Laverne and Shirley.

Shad Jr. messing around at Rubio's.

Jessy was stung by a bee right on her ear and the poor ear just swelled right up!!!

This is what happens when Jessy gets creative in the shoe section.

Jessy and I went to Hopes for dinner and some Harry Potter.

Shad Jr. loves Harry Potter movies as much as Jessy.

This is what happens when the panty hose from the shoe section get brought home. Ghetto Roen in the house!! And J-bird created some kind of turban for herself. Head wear was popular that day.

The 4th

2009-10-07T05:47:00.000-07:00

Getting behind on posting is so lame!

Here are some pics from the 4th of July. We went north to the cabin, they have pigs and chickens and extra kids for Jessy to play with!

Like sweet B. She and Jessy had a good time doing what little girls do.

The kids lit some of their own fireworks and sparklers.

I love sparklers!

Future Pyros of America.

They had fun and we had fun watching them.

Jessy is in an 'I hate it when you take pictures of me' phase.

After the parade in town, the girls found these huge puffs.

And then blew all the fairies away in the wind.

Jessy found this huge horny toad. We also found a snake while we were there. We went 4 wheeling and watched the rodeo and chased cows out of the garden. It was a really fun weekend.

Shad Jr.

2009-09-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

This is Shad Jr.'s first photo. He is helping Jessy finish her blueberry protein shake- YUM!

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

2009-09-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

Over the summer we went to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Gammage. We had the nose bleed seats, as usual. It is a pretty freaky view from the top.

It was a great show! Here are A & J showing off their tickets and their level of excitement.

Cicily was part of our theatre going crew- she secretly wishes she was a thespian!!

Big A and Miss Kizzy showing their mother daughter bond! Tight.

Super fun night.

The Trip to VA

2009-08-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Jessy and I took a trip to VA. We also took our friends Shad Jr. and RC- which stand for rubber chicken. They enjoyed the in flight beverage service...

and snacks!

So did Jessy.

On our layover Jessy pointed out the major difference between regular passengers and the elite class- the blue rug!!! WOW!

When we got to Shad's he made us an amazing dinner.

Jessy testing out the love sac.

The muscles - and the dinner- great combo!

Shad Jr and RC love to help in the kitchen.

The next day we drove past DC to a national park where we camped out.

A little sour spray anyone?

Shad getting pumped for the serious hike.

Shad Jr and RC are going to work it in this pose with Jess.

Hitchin' a ride in my pocket.

After our gourmet camping dinner- thank you Shad- we had gourmet s'mores.

Kids do love to play with fire!

Tasty!!

We had a super fun camp out.

The next day we drove to Chincoteague Island for the blueberry festival. I was so excited to go here because as a child I read the book Misty of Chincoteague. It is the cutest little island town.

Then we went to Asateague Island and Shads feet touched the Atlantic ocean for the first time.

After spending the weekend with Shad, Jessy and I went on a road trip with my mission companion, Heidi and her 2 kids. We went to the outer banks in NC. Our first stopping spot was Kitty Hawk.

The beach was great- the night of camping was filled with bugs and way to much humidity!

The next day we went to the Wright Brothers National Monument. The kids were able to fly kites on the grass.

It was really neat to see all the kites flying all together.

Then we hiked up to the monument which was very inspiring and amazing.

Whitney and Orville.

Mason, wormy and Wilbur.

Jessy and her attitude posed for this shot. Jessy was a little put out about hiking up to the top of the monument, she felt that it could be appreciated just as much from the bottom.

This is what the back of the car looked like-- crazy and cute!

Shad Jr begged and begged until we finally relented and bought him some Krispy Kreme. I did not have any, of course, very unhealthy you know.

J-bird striking a pose for me on the beach. A neat place where you could walk out for a long way and still only be up to your knee.

This is "Earls". We stayed here for our second night of camping. We drove in and were met by "Earl" - he was an interesting character complete with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, earring in both ears, those sweet glasses that get darker when you go in the sun, and an American flag Speedo!! I know- it hurts. Anyway, we took out his paddle boat and had fun on the lake.

While H and I do all the work setting up camp these little stinkers hang out and play.

It really was a pretty spot and we thought we had enough breeze to keep away the bugs, but when the sun went down the breeze went with it and then the evil swarms of mosquitoes sensed Jessy's presence and came out by the millions to suck her tasty blood.

If you look closely you can see them on the screen.

It was pretty much the worst night of Jessy's life, and definately one of the worst for me, too.

RC and Shad Jr slept fine.

But their morning was a little rough.

This is the Body's Island light house.

Shad Jr and RC are fans of the park service.

The Outer Banks are very windy.

This is the Cape Hatteras light house- it is the tallest brick light house in the US.

The J-bird and me!

A very cool building.

Dinner at the local dive.

This was our third camp ground! After the previous night I was willing to pay almost anything for a good nights sleep. So the Comfort Inn had the pleasure of our company for the night.

Mason and the pirate.

I love this one!

We took the ferry to Ocrakoke Island.

We saw dolphins along the way.

The beach on Ocrakoke.

Mason, the man, loving the sand dunes.

Sea oats.

That is one cute Whitney girl!

The divas at the end of the road trip in their matching shirts.

We spent Saturday cruising Richmond- we saw some really cool historic sites. This is the bridge that the Union burned on the night they took over Richmond, it over looks the James river.

This is right in downtown, the river is beautiful and there was a lot of wildlife and scenic spots.

Shad teaches Jessy all about how to suck the helium out of a balloon- she loved it!

Then we went to this really cool toy store.

Sweet shades!

Shadtastic!

Then we went to this amazing chocolate shop.

Jessy really thought that she had died and went to heaven!

Just hanging out with Stonewall Jackson.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery. The feeling at Arlington is very reverent. It is a beautiful and awinspiring place.

Amazing.

Thank you Shad and Harles for a super fun trip. We had so much good food that I gained 5 lbs! The only other thing I have to say is that they do not know what a straight line is back east- the roads are crazy!!

Our First Protest!!

2009-08-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

We joined with the Arizona Tea Party and Code Blue to protest Obama's Health Deform and to urge our congress men to vote NO!! on this socialist form of medical care.

This was the sign we carried- it rocked! I can't take credit someone else made it.

This dude has prosthetic arms and legs and he is out there like a champ standing up for what is right.

I love the flag, I love my country and I hope that all of you will stand up and do what is right. Don't be silent and politically correct.

Do what is right because it is the right thing to do!

Swim Team 2009!!

2009-07-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

This is the first time Jessy or I have participated in a team sport. It has been really fun!

This is at warm-ups before the meet.

This is Jessy's half brother and sister watching her swim.

Good job Jessy!! Your first race and you got second place!

And 4th place for the relay team.

Good swimming, superstar!!

Jessy's home pool, all calm and still.

Gettin' ready.

I like this pic.

I think she looks a little too cool- here goggles are like sunglasses.

"Swimmers place your feet"

"Go!"

Waiting in the line of swimmers for her turn at the race.

Now she has moved to the next exciting spot in line!

Next to swim........

Do your best and have fun!!

apparently my video camera does not make adjustments for vertical shooting- lame.

My kid rocks!!

Hello Roen

2009-07-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

Roen Elliot born June 5th. Good job superstar Nor!!

Roen looks a little blue but he pinked up pretty quick!

Webster boys in deep discussion about birth and breast feeding- and maybe some sports- maybe??

Here is a nice pink baby.

The awesome hospital bed.

J-bird and baby R- super sweet!

8lbs 3oz

Kid can hardly contain his excitement.

Proud Papa Dwight and lucky number 13 grand baby!

T-tuff's place

2009-07-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

This is T&K's dog Maggie- do you notice anything special about her?

This is uncle T-tuff.

This is Sav inside T-tuff's chicken coop.

This is J-bird and Sav in the coop holding T-tuff's chickens.

When was the last time you chased chickens??

The Lemonade Stand

2009-06-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Lenny made this amazing lemonade stand. It just needed some paint.

Paint was chosen, brushes acquired.....

creativity engaged,

smiles were passed around,

Yes, I am secretly artistically controlling- I told the girls they could do the sides and the back and I was in charge of the front- tricky, I know!!

A and J argued about everything- it was funny.

Keep it up!!

The finished project and all the painters. Good job girls!!

Backyard BBQ

2009-06-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

dirty face = happy kid

dirty face + a unsupervised cookie grab = an extra happy kid

Nor and I decided at the last minute that we should have a BBQ with all our friends and whoever could come could come. So we made the calls and it was so awesome because everyone was able to come.

What is a BBQ with out the wieners!!

Food, lots and lots of yummy food.

The Evergreen Biker gang leaders.

Summer night, swings and giggling girls...... perfect.

Little P- you tell em!

The view from around the fire pit.

The other side of the pit.

The best view!

M and The Shad.

Super fun! Thanks to everyone who came and all the yummy food and fun you brought with you.

my new luggage

2009-06-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

try not to be jealous of my new denim luggage!!

and my new purse!!

seriously who buys this crap???

what is wrong with people??

I need to know!

Kennels, breakfast, & a bit'o'Shad

2009-06-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

I took Kid and M to Sportsman's with me and they were going in every tent, trying out all the cots, staring at all the animal heads, touching everything I would let them.

And then we found these dog kennels- they were so excited! They wanted to be locked in and they thought it was awesome. I thought it was awesome too!! I think this might be a great new discipline tool.

J-bird is the best kid ever! She wanted to make me a special breakfast- well really she wanted to make a creation and then test it out on me! So this was my breakfast- scrambled eggs with bananas, chocolate chips, cinnamon, and some fruit fresh.

Don't worry-- I ate it all!! and yes it tasted as yummy as it sounds!!

Shad came to visit at the end of May. This is our morning out in downtown. We went to breakfast with Big D, Nor, and the boys.

Jessy wanted Shad and me to copy the bronze people - she is funny.

Thank you bronze lady for letting me sit on your lap.

The pool

2009-06-17T06:20:00.000-07:00

My mom's poor pool- it got sick. No amount of chemicals could kill this algae, so we decided we needed to drain it and start over fresh! So Big D and I spent the day draining, scrubbing, hosing, sweating and working to get this nasty thing clean and ready for swimming.

Big D hosing out the filters- they were so nasty!!!

Beginning the task - it was around noon.

Since there was no pool to play in we got water squirters, hoses and buckets and while we work they play.

Soaking wet stinkers.

Notice the pool in the background, as it drained we had to scrub the sides and hose the nasty stuff down. We rented this cool water pump from Home Depot.

The kids soaking up some sun. Enjoying watching us work.

Now it is night. We have been out here all day. Keep scrubbing Granny!!

Keep hosing, keep going- you are almost done!

At the very end we had to use the shop vac.

I had to make about 20 trips to the side of the pool to dump this nastiness into the grass.

Here is the J-bird, clean, dry and well rested. We think we finished about 9 or 9:30. It was quite a day. Now the pool is crystal clear and beautiful, so come on over and swim!!

Mothers Day

2009-06-16T06:17:00.000-07:00

Every one has late church this year except me- so I get chef duty, so that dinner will be ready when they get home.

I do enjoy cooking and I don't really mind cooking my own Mothers Day dinner.

However, I would be really happy if next year I was not.

Ben and Nor brought over the vegetables and I did the chicken creation.

We also had corn on the cob. After shucking the corn M and J made some corn husk dolls- they were really cute.

Now for the good part. It all turned out super yummy and at least I did not have to do dishes!!!

Yard sales and pirates

2009-06-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

J, A, and M wanted to make a couple million so they decided to have a yard sale.

Kid, enjoying some of A's delicious lemonade.

A, wheeling and dealing......

M and Ray Deirtay' Also enjoying lemonade.

The Crew!

The lemonade stand- we had real fresh frozen lemonade squares. It was great lemonade!!!

M- he can hardly contain his yard sale excitement!

Kid, showing off his biking moves.

J and the Kid in JoAnn. Pretty cute pirates.

Kid is a little intimidating.

The J-bird in her all red outfit.

Super fashion!!