starmarlins

Temple trip

2009-08-21T21:27:00.002-06:00

We took all the kids 12 and over to the temple to do baptisms. We had 9 cousins and 10 adults. Lori and Rachel stayed home with the babies and younger girls. It was an amazing experience. I'm so glad we live near a temple.

The End of an Era

2009-08-21T19:54:00.005-06:00

The family cabin has been sold. There are a lot of reasons but mainly, it is because the family is getting so much bigger and the cabin isn't. It makes me sad but I can see the logic. It has been in our family for 38 years and the volume of memories is gigantic. I think of a sleeping cabin full of giggling girls, flying angel food cakes, midnight skinny-dipping, bowls of pistacio pudding, stitches, broken arms, and appendicitis. I think of stories of Mickey, Sticky, Icky, and Stuffy. Late night Pinochle, huckleberries, and jelly bellies. I think of cross country skiing, and waterskiing. I think of honeymoons and birthday parties. It is time to make new memories somewhere else. My dad say's it's on to bigger and better things. Farewell dear cabin, you will be missed.

McCall Revisited

2009-08-21T19:54:00.003-06:00

This great picture was taken by Nicali, age 7
Zach, Kyle, Christopher, coaching Jacob

A flying leap

Emily and Abby

Emily

Emily got impatient waiting for the fire to be ready
A new game, called Roll the Crazy Boy over the Log
Christopher, Kyle, Josh, and Zach

Sean's new teething toy. It worked!!

Kyle and Miles, "Sledding"

The girls,

Emily, Nicali, Hannah, Shelby, Sean(not a girl), Abby

We have so much fun in McCall. We play games till all hours of the night. We swim in the lake, go fishing, and hike. It is just great family fun. We had a corn roast at the beach. Kyle took a sled and pulled Miles around. Who says you need snow to sled? The younger kids perfected their dives.

Pearl Lake Revisited

2009-08-21T19:46:00.004-06:00

Kyle getting ready to dive in
Ren and Kyle

Michael giving Rachel some fly fishing tips

Shelby doing what she does best, Loving Babies

We really did revisit Pearl Lake. This time we hiked around the lake and found an amazing place to fish and camp. I think we will backpack in next year and plan to stay a night or two. Michael caught some fish and crazy Kyle dove in. The water was FREEZING. That just doesn't seem to bother him. All the cousins played tag and had a great time!

Wood Hucking

2009-08-21T19:35:00.001-06:00

Jon picking slivers
Christopher

Jacob and Rachel

Dad, Jon, Brian

While in McCall, we went wood hucking to fill my dad's wood pile. We took 14 people and can I just say that 14 people can haul a cord of wood in no time at all. My dad used the chain saw and the rest of us made a line and passed the wood. It was really quite fun. The kids were wonderful and never complained. We found a TON of huckleberries when we were finished and picked enough for 2 huckleberry cobblers and huckleberry pancakes. So good!

Corn Roast

2009-08-21T19:21:00.002-06:00

Phoebe, Sylvia, Miles
Christopher, Kyle, Sean

Shelby

Grandma Pearman

Dad, Brian, Phoebe, Nicali

Oh My, where has August gone. Well after a series of unfortunate events, Ashli and Philip finally got here. We were so happy to have them and their girls. Mom hosted a corn roast. This is a family tradition from way back when I was little. You build a great fire then you put fresh unshucked corn in the pit and roast slowly. We just ate corn, watermelon, and fresh cucumbers. We finished off with homemade icecream and brownies for desert. Tell me, does it get any better than that?

Bridge Jumpers.

2009-07-25T17:22:00.005-06:00

Emily jumps

Trying to be brave

Josh jumping off

Blake and Jacob

Shelby being brave

Ren in the air

Blake the Brave

Josh the Fearless

Brian took us to a bridge that the kids could jump off into the river. It was over 15 high and they plunged into a cool green river. Most of the kids were pretty scared, but not Josh. He just climbed over the railing and jumped!!! Well, then it became a matter of pride. Blake was next then Ren and Jacob. Josh jumped again and stayed in so he could help Emily. And in she went. I have to say it was scary to watch my 10 year old jumping off a bridge Shelby worried and worried and finally went in.

Tie Creek

2009-07-25T17:10:00.003-06:00

Josh, Ren, Jacob, Abby, Grandma, Shelby

Emily, Shelby, Abby

It was over 100 degrees for the last few days, but we didn't care because we were at Tie Creek Campground. It is a small campground with not a whole lot to do but the one thing we did. Which is floating the river. It is pretty shallow, in some places we hit bottom in our boat. But it was so gorgeous. Pine trees and clear cool water and great company. Stefani and her two little boys went with us. It was great to be with MY cousin too.

Pearl Lake

2009-07-15T20:16:00.002-06:00

The beautiful Phoebe
Eight cousins
Blake, Josh, Ren, Shelby, Abby
Emily, Miles, Jacob

Sweet Emily eating an apricot

Shelby and the would be frog prince

Abby, Emily, Ren, Jacob, Josh

When we are in McCall, we love to hike. This time we went to Pearl Lake. It is just a tiny lake and the hike is just under 2 miles. It is perfect for short legs aka the three and under crowd. The mosquitos were brutal but is was so incredibly beautiful. Green meadows thick with wildflowers, meandering creeks, and old burnt trees among fresh green pines. The cousins caught frogs by the dozens and floated them down a little stream. Miles fell in the lake while Rachel was fishing, and Shelby kissed a frog hoping for a prince.

McCall

2009-07-15T20:04:00.003-06:00

Kyle and Phoebe
Hot dog roast at the beach

Four cute boys
Jacob, Ren, Kyle, Blake

Emily, Jacob, Abby

Cousins just sitting on the dock

I do love McCall. I just spent a week there with my family. Sometimes there were over 20 people there. People just come and go as they can. Last night we played games and laughed until the tears were rolling. It is so great to have the cousins play together all day. We are so happy to have some of our Virginia cousins here. The weather was perfect including a roaring mountain thunderstorm.

4th of July

2009-07-06T13:15:00.004-06:00

Hailey

The Winchester's

The Hansen's

My attempt at firework photography

Our good friends, the Winchester's, came to visit us from Utah. They arrived at about noon on Saturday and we plunked them right in a raft and we floated the river from Linder to Star. Erica and Joe, my parents, and Jordan made up the floatilla. We had 5 rafts, 2 canoes, and a pontoon boat. It takes about 3 hours and it is so beautiful. We saw herons and eagles and played with frogs and a tiny snake. I love that we can do this right out our back door. We came to our house to swim and then went to my parents house for the traditional BBQ. Michael and Kyle had a little nap and we lit off fireworks in the baseball field behind the church. We had a blast.

June Catch-up

2009-07-06T13:05:00.002-06:00

Ross, Cassidy,(2nd Cousins) and Shelby

Jon, Shelby and Miles crossing the river

Emily found this little snake

I am really trying to post at least 4 times a month so that at the end of the year, I can make a book. I am behind for June. We went to Tie Creek to visit my parents who were camping there. I made Jon and Rachel come with me because Michael was working. We suprised my parents and really had a fun day. We played in the river and roasted marshmallows and then went home to our own beds.

It's 90 degrees........

2009-06-24T15:40:00.002-06:00

Shelby and Miles

Rachel and Sean

Shelby, Addie, Emily, Sean

Shelby and Addie

Happy Day! Finally it is over 90 degrees. We had our first official swim day, although the kids have been swimming in the cold water. The pool is 86 degrees and absolutely perfect. Rachel, Miles and Sean came over. And little Addie came to visit. I love hot weather and think I will retire to St. George. I just finished a great book called These is my words.

P.S. Kyle is waiting for you Josh and Jacob. Please hurry!

Where have I been?

2009-06-23T07:40:00.003-06:00

Legacy for the Laurels in our Stake. It is an overnight training camp for the 16 year girls. It was the first time I had been to Legacy. It was wonderful and the food was outstanding. They fed us every two hours. Why does food taste better if you don't have to make it or clean it up? It was great for me to get to know the girls better.

Also, I just got back from girls camp. It went very well, I think. I could have definitely done some things differently, but for the most part we had a great time. My girls are amazing. I have learned to love them so much. It was also fun to be there with Shelby. Poor girl, I didn't get to spend much time with her.

Now I need some suggestions for some great summer books. I am the worst at going to the library and picking a book. Somehow, I always get smut or murder books. I don't want those. I have given up picking books by myself and always have to have a suggestion from someone. I just got through reading the Hunger Games and really enjoyed it. If anyone out there has any great suggestions, I would appreciate it!!

Random pictures of My Saturday

2009-06-07T19:57:00.003-06:00

Our new pet Chinchilla, Very soft and sweet

Our poor lonely pool waiting patiently for visitors. It really needs to stop raining.( I think I complain about the weather too much, which I wouldn't do if it would just be warm and sunny! Really, is that asking too much?)

Three cute girls with the chickens plucked from the backyard.

A beautiful black walnut tree with a climbing rosebush that climbed right up it's branches.

She's Thirteen!!

2009-05-25T19:56:00.006-06:00

My Shelby turned 13 on Sunday. We were in Stanley camping but I think she had a pretty great day. She started out with crepes with strawberries and banana's. She couldn't have breakfast in bed because her bed is the table. She went bike riding with Grandma and canoeing in Redfish lake with the beautiful Sawtooth mountains behind her. We went fishing and ended the day with a chocolate chip cheesecake and homemade ice cream. She said it was a perfect day!!

10 Things I love about Shelby

1. Her silky soft skin

2. Her grace

3. Her love of babies and little kids

4. Her love of the scriptures

5. Her desire to do her very best in everything she tries

6. Her kindness to her sister

7. She loves girly things

8. When fishing, she will put a worm on a hook with perfectly painted nails and dangly earrings.

9. She is a great friend and looks out for those that might be shy or feel left out

10. That she is mine forever

Redfish

2009-05-25T18:43:00.005-06:00

Christopher's stick pole
Kyle unhooking Ren's fish

One of Rachels many catches
Kyle and Sean ready for our hike

Some of the fishing kids

Our delicious dutch oven dinner

Games for hours

Memorial Day is a perfect weekend to camping in Stanley. Our family loves it there in May. No crowds, beautiful snow-covered Sawtooth mountains and great fishing. This year was no exception. We went with Brian and Lori, Jon and Rachel, Mom and Dad, and this year the Jensen's came with us. It was coldddd at night but we were prepared for cold. It rained some on Sunday but we were prepared for rain. We went fishing and found a most amazing fishing hole on the Yankee fork of the Salmon river. We shared fishing poles with all the kids and Christopher just used a stick with some line and a hook. We were catching fish by the dozens. We let most go if we could, but came home with a few who swallowed the hooks. Rachel is new to fishing and she caught fish after fish. I hope she doesn't think fishing is always like that! We rode bikes, canoed, ate great food, and played games. On Sunday, we had a testimony meeting. It is great to hear cousins, Aunts and Uncles, and Grandparents share their testimony. I love to be able to make these memories with my family and I love living in such a beautiful place.

Ummmm......How did this happen?

2009-05-15T16:40:00.002-06:00

So, I guess we are chicken farmers. Michael and I were talking about food storage and I was complaining about powdered eggs. He said the way to solve the problem was by getting a few laying hens. I went to D&B and after waiting for two hours, (chickens are very popular right now), I told Michael to just stop by the Nampa store. He said why not just go to the hatchery. Why didn't I think of that? Ten minutes later he walked out with some chickens. I just wanted a couple.I had Michael get some extra to cover any tragic deaths. However, standing with 50 people waiting for chickens for two hours, you learn some things. I learned what a pullet was. I learned how to feed and take care of your chickens. Some guy also told me that chickens have a high mortality rate. Not so. Or maybe it's just that we take such good care of them, they wouldn't dare die. Needless to say, we have more than I want. I wanted to send some to Parma to live on a little farm. However, now the sweet things are named and loved by a certain cute 10 year old. Emily takes very good care of them. Michael built a great chicken coop complete with a sliding door and functioning widows. I'm sure in about 2 months I will be grateful for the eggs, but there is no way we are going to be able to use all of them. Anyone want some nice fresh brown eggs??!!

Mothers Day

2009-05-11T22:13:00.006-06:00

Phoebe and Kyle
Christopher

Blake, Abby, Emily

The Ladies

Erica and Keegan

Keegan, Shelby, Allie

Fat man Sean and Jon

Miles

Ultimate frisbee

Every year for as long as I can remember, our family has gone camping at Hells Canyon on Mother's Day. It is a tradition. This year my mom decided it was time for a change and we went to Three Island Crossing. When I told my kids, it was non stop complaining. They are into traditions. They did not like the idea of messing with a great one. But after all was said and done,

they agreed that Three Island Crossing is not so bad of a place. I liked it because it is so much closer, we could get reservations, and it is fairly close to a store. The campground is nice and there is lots of grass and nice showers. It is a family affair with lots of cousins and ultimate frisbee, great food, and good times had by all. I missed Hells Canyon but we will go in the fall. I had a very nice Mothers Day. My kids and husband spoiled me. I love being a mom and I love my mom so much. I come from a long line of great moms. Lucky me!

Lightning

2009-05-06T06:40:00.006-06:00

Ok Ok. I admit I have done some not so bright things. A couple of years ago, we were going on a road trip and I plugged in the portable dvd player for our kids. Somehow, I wasn't paying attention and I was just talking away and playing with the power cord. Well, I stuck the cord in my mouth and gave myself a very wonderful shock. My family enjoyed a big laugh. Fast forward to last night. We have been doing some remodeling around our house. Emily wanted help by putting outlet covers on some of the outlets. I gave her a screwdriver and told her to please be careful and not to stick the screwdriver in the outlet. She gave me a scathing, incredulous look and said, "I'm not the one who puts power cords in their mouth!!!!" Nice.

Summer Salads

2009-04-22T08:58:00.002-06:00

In the winter, we eat warm soup once a week. But in the summer, I substitute a great salad for the soup in my weekly menu. It is finally warm enough and last night we had a beautiful Asian Chicken Salad. Yay for Summer!!!!

Shoshone Falls

2009-04-22T08:46:00.004-06:00

Emily, Kirsten, Shelby

The weather was perfect. We had Stake Conference so church was out at noon. It seemed like the perfect day to drive to Shoshone Falls. Right now the falls are at peak water flow. It seemed everyone else thought it would be a great time to see the falls also. It took us 1 hour and 15 minutes to travel the last 2 miles. It was crazy! When we finally got to the ticket taker, she told us that the car count so far was 13,000! I have never seen such a zoo. We couldn't find a parking spot. People were everywhere. There were even buses. We walked to the lookout and took a picture or two. We then found a scrap of grass to have a picnic and then we were out of there. I'm glad I saw the falls so full but I won't do that again.

Shelby's Toe Shoes

2009-04-22T08:27:00.004-06:00

The only thing that Shelby has wanted for a long time is toe shoes. She wants to dance like a real ballerina. Her amazing dance teacher, Amber, has been working with her for 8 months to become strong enough to dance on her toes. Amber finally decided that she was ready. So we made an appointment to get fitted at a dance store. Each girl needs to be specifically fitted because there are many different types of toe shoes. Who knew? On the appointed day, I was very sick. Sweet Aunt Rachel took her and was the photographer for this big event. She ended up having to order her shoes online because they didn't have her size in stock. She is very excited to be dancing with toe shoes. She was at the top of her game skill wise and now she is having to start all over again. She has to learn new skills and use new muscles. It has not been as easy as she expected it to be. She tends to be a perfectionist and gets very frustrated when she is not perfect. Amazing Amber calls her each evening after class and reminds her not get frustrated but just keep practicing. Shelby impresses me with her great determination. She won't give up, she just tries harder.

Ed is BACK

2009-04-13T22:32:00.005-06:00

Three years ago, Kyle wanted a red-ear slider. A slider is a turtle. I did not want a turtle, so I told Kyle that if he did some research, we would talk again. So for three months he studied and researched and learned all there was to learn about red-ear sliders. Finally, I gave in and we went to the pet store to buy all the equipment and get the little turtle. Kyle named him Ed. On the way home with the turtle safely in his hands, Kyle mentions that turtles live for 40 years in captivity. I assured him that when he got home from his mission the turtle would be going to college with him and he better find a wife that loves turtles.

Over the next two years, Ed just got bigger and bigger. He ate everthing, including all his tank mates. He was very aggressive and would happily eat your finger. I really didn't love him. Turtles are really just pond pigs. They are messy and not cuddley. Why anyone would want a turtle for a pet, I don't know. Anyway, last August, Kyle got the great idea to put Ed in our little pond in the front yard. He stayed there for four days with no problems. Then, on the fifth day, I saw him in the morning but we never saw him again. Oh too bad, Ed ran away from home. I never wanted anything bad to happen to Ed because he was very entertaining, devouring fish and grasshoppers and slurping up worms. Kyle was just trying to give him a change of scenery.

Yesterday, Emily was watching the pond and she said she saw a big frog. We put tadpoles in there last summer so that didn't surprise me. Then she started screaming that she saw ED!! I didn't believe her. Then Christopher went outside with her and said he saw that darn turtle too.

I watched today and guess what??? Ed is BACK. Actually, he never left. He just lived in the pond and hid in the rose bushes and hibernated nicely over the winter. They wake up mid March to mid April. We will just leave him in the pond and see what happens. I am glad to know that he is still alive and well!!

Car Shopping

2009-04-06T17:07:00.005-06:00

When I was a teenage driver, my dad gave me the "privilege" of driving a '72 International Travellall. It was the biggest vehicle on the road besides a semi-truck. Ours was a faded green color. It scared me to drive it because I always felt like there could be people living in the far back. It was also unpredictable. If my dad was around, it ran flawlessly. If my sister or I were driving it, we were likely to be stranded somewhere. In fact, my 16 year old sister was on her way home from a volleyball game and the car died outside a bar one night. The car was way too heavy for her to move. It was also the in the days before cell phones. She had to go into the bar and ask someone to help her get the car out of the road. The men were very nice, but talk about unsafe!!! Then she went back in the bar to call my dad to come and get her.
So Christopher needed a car. We wanted him to have some say in what he drove. At first, he said anything was fine because that is the kind of kid he is. Then when we pushed him a bit, he did have some definite ideas. He wanted white. All of our cars are white. There is something about cleanliness and heat absorbsion. He wanted four doors. I thought that was kind of funny. But he wants Zach and his date to be comfortable in the back seat. I told him as long as HE was comfortable who cares about the back seat people. Christopher does, because that is just the kind of kid he is. He wanted an automatic, with a/c, and cruise control. We gave him a budget. And we looked and we looked. We looked at 10 cars. He kept saying he wasn't "feeling it". Finally, we went up to look at a car on Bogus Basin road. These nice people live on the hill right behind Simplot's hill. Mr. and Mrs G. were in their 60's and had had the car for 10 years. He gave us a printout of everything he had purchased for the car, from every gallon of gas with gas mileage to the $1.59 he spent on new fuses in 1999. The car was perfect. Every latch works, every button and lever works. Christopher got a huge smile on his face and declared that he was "feeling it". I even teased him that it was a bit grannyish. Mrs. G drove the car around the block one last time and came back with tears in her eyes. As we were leaving, Mr. G brought out 4 new snow tires in the original bags from Les Schwab. So this is it. A '95 well loved, well cared for Ford Taurus LX. It was even well below budget.

Christopher

2009-03-28T15:35:00.003-06:00

I remember hearing my mom say, "How did this happen? How did I become the mom of a 17 year old?" I thought it was a weird thing to say. But here I am saying, "How did this happen?" I look at my 6'2" son and I wonder what happened to that sweet little brown eyed boy. I see that little boy inside the amazing teenager. I see a tender heart and a desire to do good. I see honesty and kindness. I see him still sitting on his dad's lap and walking with his arms around me at the store. I see a hard worker with integrity and determination. I see a quiet boy and a deep thinker. I am proud of him and I am so grateful he is mine.

He is fishing right now. It was the way he wanted to spend his birthday. So Michael, Kyle, Tom, Mitch and Christopher are in Riggins right now steelhead fishing. Michael outfitted Christopher with a new fly rod and I really hope he catches something. I told them they have to be back before midnight so that I can give him a birthday hug and kiss. It is my right as the mom. I am also making him an ice cream cake. I have never tried such a thing. My friend Zelphie gave me some pointers so I hope it is not a disaster.

10 things I love about Christopher
1. His chocolate brown eyes
2. His tender heart
3. His intelligence
4. His ability to make peace
5. His kindness
6. His desire to be a honorable priesthood holder
7. His sense of humor
8. His determination
9. His love of a good steak
10. I love that he is mine forever

My Kyle

2009-03-04T17:14:00.004-07:00

Today was track practice. A major storm rolled through the valley. Black skies. Hail. Blinding rain. They practiced for a while and then sent everyone home. Kyle did not have his cell phone because the battery was not charged. Christopher was at the school having tennis practice. They were in the gym because of the terrible weather. Kyle had options. Stay at the school under the awning, borrow someones phone to call me, or find Christopher. My boy came up with running in the storm 1 1/2 miles to our friends house. When I picked him up 30 minutes later, he was still soaked to the bone. Three very nice but unfamiliar people offered to give him a ride. People that are still talking about the poor abused boy running alone in a storm because his mom wouldn't pick him up or at the very least make sure he had a coat. I am waiting for the family services people to show up. He would not accept a ride(good thing). When walking to our car, he realized that somewhere on the mile and half dash, he had lost his shoes. He had his track shoes but not his school shoes. They had fallen out of his unzipped backpack. Who has time to secure a backpack when you are running in the rain!! So we went on a shoe hunt. We dodged traffic, and searched in the pouring rain for brown RocketDogs. Finally, we found one and then the other about 100 yards away. Lonely shoes waiting patiently to be retrieved. All this time, my Kyle has a smile on his face. What a boy!!

FIVE HEARTS

2009-02-18T06:16:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, Shelby was having a difficult morning.

I was busy getting breakfast ready and getting everyone where they needed to be.

She was crying because nothing was going right for her.

Clothes not right

Breakfast not right

Hair not right

Backpack not right

Tired Tired Tired

Michael came in and pulled her to him and snuggled her on the couch. He whispered calmly to her and just held her for a while.

Emily watched all of this and came to me and said "Dad has five hearts."

What? I wasn't sure what she was talking about.

Then she explained,

"He has one whole heart for each of us."

What a sweet way to explain a father's love

Week 5 of No-Screen Sunday's

2009-02-02T10:13:00.004-07:00

Well, I thought I would just do an update on the No-Screen Sunday's. If you ask my kids, the girls will say it is great, the boys might complain a bit. However, I have made some interesting observations. First, we play a lot of games which means a lot of laughing. Homework gets done early. We went on a country drive yesterday. Kyle tied some fishing flies, a hobby he has not "had time to do". Suddenly, there is time. We had a royal wrestling match with Kyle, Shelby, and Emily against Michael. Michael still is the king. A sweet 16 year old took a 4 1/2 hour much needed nap. The sweet 16 year old even admits that if he could have played video games he would not have slept. I think it is a great success and I look forward to Sunday's.

Medieval Feast

2009-02-02T09:57:00.002-07:00

the dress
the hair

The 7th graders study the middle ages and at the end they put on a huge Medieval Feast. It is no small event. The girls get big flowy dresses and the boys dress up as Knights or townsfolk. When Christopher's class did it, I had no idea what a big deal it was. He wanted to be blacksmith, so his costume was easy. But when I went to help out with the party, some girls had rented huge dresses and the costumes were crazy. This year of course Shelby wanted to be a lady. I found the perfect dress for her but it had no sleeves so I made her a long sleeve shirt out of velvet to go underneath it. In the pictures it looks like a different color green, but in real life it is exactly the same color. She loved it and had a great time. Today she is off on a ski trip at Bogus Basin. Hey, doesn't anyone have to go to school?

Here Comes the Sun

2009-01-26T12:35:00.003-07:00

I am happy. The sun is OUT again. And yes, I have spent some time on the tile floor in my kitchen just soaking it up. I am doing laundry and folding socks(which I dislike immensely), and I decided to just fold socks on the kitchen floor. I am also happy because I just got my dream calling of being the Camp Director in our ward. I have wanted to go to camp with the girls for a long time and finally I get to go. I am just giddy. I am also the Mia Maid advisor which will be fun too. By the way, what does Mia Maid even stand for? And for those of you at the Girls Night Out, I got my callings on Saturday morning, so I was not trying to be tricky! I've got to get back to my sunshine tile.

Solar Power

2009-01-22T06:37:00.004-07:00

I really do love the snow. I want it snow a ton. Until January 1st, then it all must go. I don't mind the cold as long as there is sunshine. You see, I am solar powered. I don't function well if there are too many days of clouds. What is even worse is the dreaded inversion. It is like pure misery pushing down on us. Everything loses it's color. The past two years have been great as far as inversions go. But now after two weeks of gray dreariness I am ready to move to Arizona! A few years ago, we had a long inversion and when it was over, I remember sunshine pouring in my kitchen window. I sat on the tile in a puddle of sunshine and just soaked it in. I could feel it bring me back to life. I am ready for the sun. Although I love my Alaskan, I could never be one. Juneau gets about 30 pure sunshine days a YEAR. I am ready for flowers and sunburns and sunsets on the beach.

Cousins

2009-01-06T15:14:00.011-07:00

What is it about cousins? My kids have just spent this holiday season with all of their cousins. Including our cousins from Virginia. It was a continual sleepover. Boy cousins at one house. Girl cousins at another. All cousins at Grandma's. Really they could have spent every waking and non-waking minutes together. I was thinking about my own cousins and how important they are to me. Cousins play a special role in my life. They are the ones I played with, fought with, laughed with and got into trouble with. These are the people who helped me learn the finer points of pinochle and how to cheat the younger players. We camped and cross-country skied together. We cheered each other on when learning to waterski. They are the ones who love me and support me and would drop everything to help me. We share a history. We took care of our Grandpa as he struggled with Alzheimers. We love and take care of our funny Grandma. We share inside jokes. They get me. As we left our Cousins Christmas Party this year, my heart was so full. I thought of how lucky I am to call these great people MY FAMILY.

One Perfect Day

2009-01-05T06:22:00.003-07:00

Stephanie gave a great lesson in Relief Society yesterday. It was about tuning out the world and tuning in your family. I was sitting there thinking about what we could do to tune in more to our family. I came up with no-screen Sundays. This means on Sunday, we will not watch movies or tv. There will be no blog checking or spider solitare. No playstation. Just us. I made my family a nice brunch and then I proposed this crazy scheme. Probably lots of people all ready do this. I must say that my favorite thing to do on Sunday is pile everyone on our bed and watch a movie together. So this plan is going to be hard for me. Also, I can't go to sleep at night without listening to a movie. I think I must have some sleep disorder. If the tv isn't on, my mind will not go to sleep. I just keep thinking and planning and worrying about silly things. With the tv on, I am out in less than 5 minutes. So back to our day. Everyone somewhat reluctantly agreed. We played Quiddler and I laughed so hard my ribs hurt and tears were running down my face. Then Emily suggested the Corn on the Cob game. After a bit of investigating, we realized she was talking about Pit. So we played a few rounds of that game. We did a small family service project. I put curlers in both of the girls hair. Michael read his new fishing magazine and had a nap. We all went to bed at a reasonable time. And I even went to sleep to the sweet sounds of Norah Jones. Now I am not so delusional to think that every Sunday will be like this. But it was One Perfect Day.

Tubing in the Snow

2008-12-30T12:25:00.004-07:00

We love the snow. One of our favorite things to do in the snow is a kind of KING of the TUBE game. We tie a rope to a giant inner tube and then attach it to the back of the 4-wheeler. The driver then pulls the tube in a circle. All the kids try to jump on and stay on the longest. It is so funny. The kids fly everywhere. The kids had been in the house playing video games and really needed the excersise. By the time we were finished, everyone was tired and rosy cheeked. These were the lucky participants, Christopher, Kyle, Shelby, Emily, Josh, Jacob, Abby, Jon and his brother-in-law, Eric. I know that this can be a little dangerous, but so far we have only had one broken arm!

Christmas Compromise

2008-12-15T14:20:00.004-07:00

When we first got married , we bought real Christmas trees. Michael was always afraid of our tree catching on fire because lot trees are so dry. Then for years we put up a fake tree. And I cried because I needed the tree smell and needles on the floor. We came up with a great compromise. We go to the mountains and cut our tree. It is great memory making stuff. We bring chili and hot chocolate. We sled if there is snow and just enjoy the whole adventure. This year we took Jon and Miles with us. Rachel and Sean stayed home and relaxed, however, I did notice a freshly vacuumed house when we returned.

Shelby and Miles

Jon's Pick

Someone forgot to bring bowls for the chili so we just took turns slurping up the stuff

All loaded up and ready to go

Velma Springs

2008-12-02T06:28:00.006-07:00

We have a secret place, well not so secret, that we visit in the fall. It is a little place on the Payette River. Several years ago, Kyle caught a fish there and Emily named it Velma (right before we ate it). Since then the place is known in our family as Velma Springs. The Springs part is because there is a nice hot springs right by the river. It is blocked off with rocks and there are nice little tubs formed. My kids love to sit in the hot springs when it is sooo cold outside. Well, we needed a break this weekend and we went to our place of peace and family fun. We brought foil dinners to cook and marshmellows to roast. Unfortunately, it had just rained there. A LOT. So the fire pit was soaked. We would build a nice fire then the ground would start to steam and put the fire out. We never did get a really good fire going. Luckily, I brought a cook stove and a pot and we were able to put all of our foil dinners together and make a stew. It was hot and so yummy. I did forget a large spoon or ladle. Emily made one for me. She had Michael cut off the bottom of a pop bottle. She then used electrical tape and secured it to a stick. She is my mini McGyver. (for any of you old enough to know who that is) We rode the 4-wheelers around in the mud and generally had a wonderful time.

Festival of Trees

2008-11-29T12:43:00.002-07:00

Shelby with no bun.
Shelby and Becca

Shelby performed at the Festival of Trees on Friday. It was the first time she had ever done this. There is only one other girl that performed with her. She is used to 12 or 13 girls dancing with her. She was very nervous knowing that she could not stand behind someone else. She was the star. She did awesome. We pinned her hair up with some new pins we thought would work better than regular bobbie pins. Not so. When she was dancing these pins were flying everywhere and her bun fell out. Becca said she was being pelted with them. We will definitely try something different next time. Shelby took the whole thing in stride and just kept dancing.

What does your Thanksgiving Look Like?

2008-11-29T11:55:00.004-07:00

Christopher made his first pumpkin pies. The pies were perfect and sooo yummy. We took a walk before dinner by the river. It was brisk but very beautiful. Rachel came with baby Sean. She just had a c-section on Saturday! She looks so good. Michael went fishing and caught a nice brown trout. Then a scrumptious dinner in mom and dad's new room. Mom just wanted a room where we could all eat together. Even after two long tables, we still had room for at least two more tables. This will be helpful when Ashli and family move back. Then after dinner there was a rousing game of ultimate frisbee to run off dinner and prepare room for the desserts.

There were beautiful babies.

A bit of napping

And cuddling

And lots of loving the newborn and Great Grandma's I am grateful for so many things this year. I am so grateful for my husband and hard he works for our family. When you get married, you hope the person you pick will be a good dad. It is amazing to watch it in action. Michael is a truly wonderful father. I am grateful I have been entrusted with such incredible children. They teach me so much and keep me working hard to be a better person. I am grateful for extended family and the strength and love we share. I am grateful for President Monson and his message of hope and peace. It is so reassuring to know that we have prophet going through these troubled times with us. I am grateful for the Gospel and for the Atonement of our Savior.

Derek is going to the Mexico Leon Mission. He is so excited. I am grateful for him and the good example he is for his cousins.

WWF Action Figure

2008-11-26T11:51:00.003-07:00

Emily: Mom, I want to be on a wrestling team.

Me: I don't think they have wrestling for girls.

Emily: But if I get really good they will make an action figure of me.

Me: I don't think they have a team for girls.

Emily: Why?

Me: I don't really know. Maybe they think you will get hurt.

Emily: Mom, I can take down Ren.

Me: I know, but I don't think they have an actual girls wrestling team.

Emily: That's against womens rights!!

Emily: Christopher, do they have a girls wrestling team in High School?

Christopher: Nope. It is not a High School sport.

Shelby comes in the room and says: High School is a sport?

This is the comedy of my life.

Kyle is 15

2008-11-22T13:38:00.003-07:00

Banana Split
Ode to Joy

Whats left of dinner

Mitch and Kyle playing Command and Conquer

Breakfast

This boy!! He is 15. I can't believe he is so old. When he was little, we prayed that he would make it just one more day. He has a host of guardian angels watching over him. They sigh quietly when he falls asleep at night. They have a very hard job. Grandpa Pearman once told me that he has a very important job to do and he would grow to be a great man. He didn't have school on his birthday and the only thing he wanted to do was play video games with his friends. He has early morning seminary and since he didn't have to go to school afterward, I told him to just sleep in. He was appalled that I would even suggest such a thing. He said "I love seminary. I wouldn't skip on purpose!" After seminary, Mitch, Zelphie and Jaqui came over for breakfast. Breakfast was crepes and sausage and orange juice. For dinner we had ribs. Since we aren't a cake family, Grandma and Grandpa Hansen came over for banana splits. He played the guitar for us.

10 Things I love about Kyle

1. His amazing sense of Humor

2. His desire to do the right thing

3. His intelligence

4. His willingness to help me

5.His love of a good book

6.His dependablity

7. He honors the priesthood

8. His love of a fluffy blanket, warm socks, and slippers

9. His determination

10. That he is mine forever

The other night he came home from a Stake Dance just so excited. He came into my room and exclaimed "Oh Mom, I love girls!!!" Heaven help me.

Saturday Punkin' Chunkin' and Leaf Raking

2008-11-15T17:32:00.008-07:00

The young men in our ward had a contest to see which group could launch pumpkins the farthest. They had to make their own launcher and then they went to an open field and let them fly. Michael's launcher ripped to pieces but the elastics worked great. He ran home and got more fabric to make a new launcher and it worked better. Jed's launcher was great but the elastics weren't very elastic. So they joined forces and made the most wonderful amazing launcher ever in the history of our ward. However, I think that Michael's teacher group won the contest!

It has been such a beautiful fall. We were able to get all the leaves raked and blown and mowed today. It was almost 60 degrees. The sky was pure blue with no clouds. I love working with my family. We laugh and really enjoy being together.

The Ladies

2008-11-10T13:47:00.003-07:00

Phoebe and Sylvia AKA "The Ladies"

We were sitting at the beach in McCall one hot summer day in July. These girls had no clothes on so I decided it was my duty as the "Good Aunt" to share my chocolate cookies with them. I think they enjoyed them. Sylvia was the messiest and I commented about how at least she didn't have any on her back. Just then, Phoebe obliged by rolling her soggy chocolate cookie down Sylvia's bare back!!

What?

2008-11-10T13:41:00.003-07:00

Becky gave us this dress. Emily hates anything with ruffles, sequins or velvet. I put this dress in the dress up box. She got it out and wore it to church yesterday paired with black leggings. In my house, your clothes have to be clean and modest the rest of the choice is up to you. I never thought I'd see the day that this girl chose sequins!!!

FHE

2008-11-10T12:58:00.007-07:00

Playing the Name Game

The Twins Sylvia and Phoebe
The wiener roast
Jon, Kayla,Lori

Shelby, Miles

Grandma and Grandpa

Once a month, our family gets together for Family Home Evening. Fun times are had by all. We usually eat something and more often than not, it is hot dogs cooked in the fire pit. Usually we have a birthday but not this time. We have a lesson and then play the name game. It is a great game for our group. Grandma Pearman always comes and she plays with us. Everyone switches names and then if someone calls your name you have to move. It is so great when Grandma has to get up and get to another seat! We always have a few people share their testimonies. I love that part. Since we are all in separate wards, we never get hear each others testimonies. It is important for the kids to hear each other and their grandparents share their beliefs. Derek and Kayla gave the lesson and did a fabulous job. Derek should get his mission call in the next few weeks.

Sadie Hawkins Dance

2008-11-08T20:31:00.003-07:00

Christopher is at the Sadie Hawkins Dance tonight. His friend Stacey asked him to go with her. It is a super hero theme. Stacey made Superman costumes. It was so funny to watch him put the red nylons over his very big size 13 1/2 feet. Stacey helped him and they looked great. She said she feels short next to him. I said we all do!

5K Fun Run

2008-11-08T20:21:00.004-07:00

Emily is in an after school program called Girls on the Run. It is two days a week for ten weeks. They practice running and have lessons on body image, bullying, drugs and alcohol abuse. At the conclusion the whole group runs in a local 5K. I had to take Shelby to ballet practice and Michael took Emily and Kyle to the fun run. Kyle was so sweet to run with her. They did really great. She shaved 10 minutes off of her best time. It helps to run with Kyle. He sure kept her running. . They seem to know how to push each others buttons from time to time, so it is good for the two of them to do something positive together.

Hot Rod Granny

2008-11-07T15:01:00.004-07:00

I just found this picture in one of my files. We were in McCall last year in October and Shelby wanted to drive the four-wheeler around and asked if anyone wanted to come with her. Grandma Pearman said she would!! So she took her walker out the door and scooted across the pine needles and with a little help, climbed on. Shelby drove her around and around and she held on tight. What a great sport. I hope I am this mobile at 89 years old. She is just delightful.

How Lame

2008-11-07T13:42:00.013-07:00

I was never going to be one of those bloggers that start off good and then quit. Well, look at me now. Over a month and no update. I am going to rededicate myself. It helps to blog. I remember things better and it is a good way to keep in touch.

So I will start where I left off and add things here and there.

Emily's Birthday.

We are usually gone on Emily's birthday because it is on a 4 day weekend. We usually go to McCall or on vacation somewhere. She complains bitterly because she never gets a real birthday party. This year we made up for that. I was in Virginia with Ashli and I was having mommy guilt. So before I left I decided to let her have a small friend birthday on Wednesday October 1st. She invited Abby and Anya to go bowling and then we had pizza in the park.

Emily, Abby, and Anya

October 2, Gabby and Katie came and spent the day at our house. The girls made cupcakes and decorated hats and had another party for her.

For her third celebration, my mom took her shopping on Friday. This has become a wonderful tradition. For birthday's and Christmas, my mom takes the kids shopping for their presents. She gets to take them out and they get to pick exactly what they want. It is a win-win. She then takes the presents and wraps them and gives them back on their birthday/Christmas. The kids love it (especially the teenagers) and she loves to hang out with them at the mall!! The fourth celebration was her actual birthday on October 4th. Shelby made her breakfast in bed and the boys helped blow up balloons. She opened her presents and then went four-wheeling and fishing with her new Ugly Stick(given by her brothers). They had Mongolian BBQ for dinner. It was everything she wanted. The fifth celebration was a family dinner on Sunday at my moms. All the cousins and relatives were there. She had salmon and potatoes with pumpkin pie for dessert (we are not birthday cake people). I called her Sunday night and asked her how things were going. She said "Mom, I am so done with my Birthday!!"

10 things I love about Emily

1. Her darling freckles scattered across her nose

2. She works hard. She always wants to help with any project we are working on and she doesn't quit.

3. Her love of reading. She especially loves books about fish, frogs, and lizards.

4. Her sense of adventure. Nothing intimidates this girl. She will try anything.

5. Her intelligence. She is so smart. She can figure things out quickly.

6. Her creativity. She is always drawing and writing.

7. Her love of animals. She wants a puppy!

8. Her sparkly blue eyes.

9. Her sense of style. She knows what she likes and that is that.

10. I love that she is mine forever.

NEW YORK

2008-10-09T18:40:00.015-06:00

It is on my Bucket List to see a Broadway play in New York City. Now I can officially check it off my list. We left Richmond for New York at 6:00am. That means that I had to be up at 3:30am. We flew Jet Blue. The plane was very small. I must say that it was the scariest plane ride I have taken. The plane made a funny whining noise and lurched and tipped. I was really scared. Ashli just said in her ever calm way, "What can you do about it now. Just relax." (After we got home, she told me she was very scared too but she stayed calm so that I would calm down. Who takes care of who?)

When we arrived at JFK, we were like deer in the headlights. Again, Ashli took control and got us on the right airtrain to the subway station. Then we boarded the E train to 42 street. I had never been on the subway before and I was a little freaked out. It took about 30 minutes to get to 42nd street. There were so many people crowded in that little train. People were standing practically on top of each other and ME. When we finally reached our destination, I could not believe the people. All running and moving in great herds. When we finally got on the street, we had no idea which way to turn. So we started walking, then turned around and walked the other way and then TA DA there was our hotel. Happy Day!!!! It was only 9:30 and check in wasn't untill 4:00pm but we went and asked about putting our bags somewhere. Our room was ready and they checked us in right then. We went to our room and decompressed.

Then we left our bags, got our directions out for the day(The night before we left we went to a website that showed us step by step how to get to our destinations.) and headed for the subway. We were pro's. It wasn't scary anymore because we had a place to go back to. We went downtown to the financial district and it was amazing. The buildings were so tall and close together. We saw the stock exchange.(People looked a bit stunned and there were reporters everywhere.) Our real destination was the Statue of Liberty. We bought a City Pass so we were able to skip ticket lines and get right on the ferry. It was surreal to actually see the Lady. I didn't know that Ellis Island is a totally separate island from Liberty Island where the Statue stands. We could have spent all day at Ellis Island. I have a new understanding for our ancestors as they came through Ellis Island. How scared they must of been, but determined to make a better life for their families.

We walked to Ground Zero and were a little disappointed that they didn't have a memorial or something down there. It was strange to see such a big open space in the middle of such a crowded city. They are working hard on the new buildings.

Then we made our first mistake. We went to a New York Skyride in the Empire State Building. It was so bad. Very lame and a bit nauseating. It was kind of like the Star Wars ride in Disneyland only without the delight of Disneyland.

We then headed for our hotel and got ready for Wicked. I was so excited!!!!

Wicked was wonderful. We absolutley loved it. The stage props and actors were perfect. I would love to see it again . I saw a Broadway Musical!!!

After the show we went down to the Empire State Building to see the lights. Yes we rode the subways at night. It wasn't a bit scary. There were still lots of people out and we stayed with the crowds. I can't even explain the beauty of the city lights from 86 stories up. We took pictures but they didn't turn out very good.

Washington DC

2008-10-09T17:46:00.013-06:00

Last time I went to Washington DC, there was a monsoon and the Archive Building and many others were under water. I was very excited to be able to see them. Ashli and I went to the Archive building first and it was amazing. I had no idea how many things are in that building. You can do geneology and look at records from our history. Our timing was great! There were not any crowds and we had no children so we were able to look at history for hours. When we went to see the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence the line was forever long. I don't know where all those people came from. Maybe that is why we had the place to ourselves. So we went and looked at more things and came back. The line was mostly gone. We walked up to the front and then the crowds came back. The line went on and on (behind us of course). The rotunda was dark and cool and there were special lights on the documents to protect them. I got goosebumps when I looked at those words inspired by God. I wish everyone in our country could really read and understand these words.

This is our attempt at a self-portrait

The top picture is outside the Smithsonian Castle. A very nice guy offered to take our picture and then we took his. The next picture is of the World War II memorial at sunset. If you look really hard you can see the Lincoln Memorial in the background. It was a perfect night. Clear sky and warm. We sat by the fountains until it was dark and then we were able to see the monuments by night which was so beautiful. ( Don't worry mom and dad, we were safe. We stayed with crowds and didn't go in any deserted places.)

We spent the first day in the Archive building and the Museum of Natural History. The Natural History museum has a great gem exhibit. We spent a lot of time there and looked at all the sparkles. Why do girls love bling? We got a great little piece of advice in the ocean exhibit.

The next day we went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It was facinating. However, due to obvious reasons we could not take any pictures. At one point we were standing over 500,000,000 dollars. WOW.

Then it was off to Mount Vernon. It was so beautiful. We wandered around the grounds and took tours and watched movies about George Washington. I learned to really appreciate him a lot more. We could have spent a lot more time there but we had to get home to get ready for our trip to New York

Thanks.....But They're Not My Style

2008-10-09T08:32:00.009-06:00

I ordered some jeans for Kyle a few weeks ago. Well, when I got them they were 2 inches too short. I happened to be talking to Ashli right after Kyle tried them on. She said to bring them and she would buy them for Josh. So, when I got here, I told Josh that I had some pants for him and they were on the dresser in my room. He ran up there and came back a few minutes later and said "Thanks, but they are not my style. Sorry but I just don't think I would wear them." WHAT!! They are jeans. And I do not have a bad sense of style. But, whatever. I have had kids long enough to know that if they don't like clothes on first glance, give it up. They won't wear them no matter how much mothers want them to.

Later on, I went up to my room and noticed that the bag with the jeans in them was not opened and partially under my sweater. Hmmmm, I thought, that is strange. How could he know what style they were if he didn't LOOK at them.

I glanced down the dresser and saw these

My khaki capri's that I wore on the plane. I went downstairs and asked Josh if he saw the jeans. He got a funny look on his face and said "What jeans?"

Mystery solved. My khaki capri's are certainly NOT his style but the jeans on the other hand were!!!!

What I think is so sweet is how kindly he told me that he would never in a million years wear those khaki pants. What a sweet kid.

What did I do today

2008-10-04T18:08:00.013-06:00

Michael and I before lift off

Well Ashli came and picked me up in Norfolk last night even though my mom said to leave me there until morning. Thanks mom! Really, she just didn't like the idea of two girls driving on the freeway that late at night alone. When I told her that Philip did the actual driving and Ashli and I did the actual talking, she felt better. We got here at about 1:00am and we went to sleep. Sitting on an airplane all day is sure hard work and can make you very sleepy. At about 7:00 am Virginia time, (5:00am Idaho time) my door opened with a creak and a sweet brown haired girl peeked in to see if I was awake. Being a mom, anytime the door creaks open, my eyes creak open. We hung out and talked a little more (okay, a lot more).

We watched conference and then had to go to the store to provide for their drinking habit. Holy Cow! they drink 8 gallons of milk a week. WOW. Then more conference and a really nice bike ride with some really cute girls

It is such a great neighborhood with neat colonial houses.

I am sad to say that the lightning bugs have all gone away. There are some elusive bugs called cicadas. Man are they noisy. And there are lots of scary noises when it is dark. I wouldn't want to be lost in the woods here. Anyway we are off to Washington DC in the morning. These cute little girls are sleeping on my floor.

Thanks Mom

2008-10-03T04:21:00.009-06:00

A little while ago Shelby had her feelings crushed by someone she loves. She was so sad. To help her feel better, I arranged to have her best friend come over and hang out with her all day. I didn't let her know beforehand because I wanted to make sure it would all work out before I said anything to her. When I did tell her, she got tears in her eyes and said "Mom, how do you always know just what I need?" Of course I know. She belongs to me. We shared the same heartbeat at one point. Of course I know.
So, in August, I was very sad because I missed my sister. I only have one sister and she moved clear across the country. I talk to her everyday but I miss her. I told my mom that it comes in waves and right now the wave is big. Then off we went to ride our bikes on the greenbelt with the kids. Fast forward to my birthday. She invited our family to her house for dinner. After dinner she handed me an envelope. I opened it and it was an itinerary for a flight to Virginia to spend a week with my sister. She had arranged, with the help of my dad, my sweet husband and my sister, for this wonderful gift. So to my mom, I say, "Mom, how do you always know just what I need?"
Today is the day. My flight leaves at 1:38. I will be in a bed at HER house tonight. I am a bit nervous right now, because I am leaving all my responsibilities here with everything I love. I feel a bit guilty too because tomorrow is Emily's 10th birthday. Happy Birthday little girl!!
I am excited too. We have a great week planned with a trip to NEW YORK CITY to see Wicked. (Thanks for the room at the Marriot Marquis, Philip)

So I would like to say a big THANK YOU to

My husband, for supporting me being on vacation for a week and taking care of everything at home( remember, the hour by hour list and the menu plan is on the refridgerator)
My sister, for playing with me
My brother-in-law for taking care of things at his house so my sister can play with me
My dad for helping my mom
My kids for being flexible this week
and to
My mom, for knowing what I need.

Personal Scripture Study

2008-09-30T14:07:00.003-06:00

Shelby gave our Family Home Evening lesson last night. I watched her as she explained something that she had read in her personal scripture study last night. That's right, my 12 year old has personal scripture study without being told or reminded. Who is this girl? She amazes me with her desire to be obedient. I feel so blessed that she is my daughter.

This Girl

2008-09-29T06:30:00.007-06:00

I came home from running errands on Saturday and my house smelled soooo good. This sweet girl had made molasses cookies all by herself. She put on her Home Depot apron and worked really hard. (Notice the smear of flour on her forehead.) She got the recipe out and followed it exactly. My house smelled like ginger and cinnamon. She did not even burn one batch.(I always burn the last batch!) What a great cook she is becoming. Well, about the kitchen. I think we will save that lesson for another day. I'm not going to say anything today because my mouth is full of warm delicious cookies.

This video of Kyle, Well what can I say? That's my boy

It is a thing of beauty

2008-09-26T16:56:00.009-06:00

It IS a thing of BEAUTY when this

And this

turn into this
With the help of these

Kyle Blake Abby Emily Shelby

Thanks to this helpful crew, we canned 48 quarts of peaches in 1 hour and 35 minutes. Thanks guys!!

She Dances

2008-09-25T11:47:00.000-06:00

Shelby switched ballet studio's this year. Her old studio wanted her to take lessons 3 days a week. Well, I think that is a little silly. She is only 12 and her life is not all Ballet, Ballet. She does love it though. She is now dancing in STAR!! We walk there. I walk her to class, come home and make dinner and help Emily with her homework and then walk back to get her. No more waiting in the car FOREVER. She tried out for a part in the Nutcracker and She made it. She is so excited. She got a part in the Party Scene. Sixteen girls tried out and only 8 got the parts. She will play a boy which she finds very funny. The boys are the naughty ones and they get to play around and then get in trouble with the nanny. The production is with the Eugene Ballet. Why the Eugene Ballet, I don't know. But she is looking forward to dancing with professional ballerinas. Go Shelby.

Boys who went fishing

2008-09-25T11:30:00.001-06:00

These cute boys went to Alaska this summer. Why, you ask. Well of course to be mighty fishermen of the North. Christopher worked up there all summer for

This guy. A mighty Sea Captain. So, Tom and his boys Zach and Mitch, and Michael and Kyle went to retrieve him and bring him safely home to his mother. It rained and rained and rained but that could not dampen the spirits of these guys. They caught some fish and we will be eating some of them for dinner on Saturday.

Getting Started

2008-09-25T11:11:00.000-06:00

Hello Friends and Family. Jody just called me and inspired me to start this blog. I am nervous about putting my information "Out" there, so this will be private. I am excited and I hope you will all join in so we can stay in touch.