McCrew

My Little Soccer Players

2010-11-23T06:25:00.000-08:00

We played soccer this fall for the first time. Bud has been begging to play ever since he played baseball. Beaner decided to do dance instead so I don't have any pictures of her, but she did say she wants to play soccer next year. I think she had just as much fun going to all the practices and games and Big D and I did. She made a lot of new friends and was never lonely or bored.

Bud was in Heaven. He plays soccer with his friends all the time at school so it was pretty cool to play against some of them at games. Bud was so funny to watch run down the field. I used to say he danced when he ran when he was younger. It made me sad to think he'd grow out of that. Well, he didn't. He was just so happy to be playing he'd dance as he ran. Toward the end of the season he got pretty good, not at dancing but at soccer. I would say he was one of the top players on his team.

Bug started the season off on a high. She scored a goal her very first game. She also has been begging to play soccer. I don't think this is the last time we sign them up, it's a good thing there is Spring and Fall soccer seasons. Bugs team did great, but they got cocky and lost a couple. I think it was the best thing that could have happened to them because it helped them to focus back on the game. She did great the hole season and loved every minute.

Bear was very entertaining to watch. All these five year olds and none of them really know what they're doing. Sometimes they would make a goal in the opposing teams goal, but we still celebrated. Sometimes they would forget which side of the field they were suppose to be defending, but we still celebrated. Sometimes they would get tired and sit down in the middle of a game, and we yell for them to get up. Sometimes they would get in water fights on the side lines, and we all laughed.

It was a great season, the weather stayed beautiful for us, and I can't wait to watch them play again in the spring.

Bear Lake 2010

2010-08-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

Brook Jr had a problem loading his shorts.

I think we probably should have taken him to the restroom before his bowels got the better of him.

Bear thought he wanted to go out to the floaty to play with the girls, but he quickly changed his mind as soon as he couldn't touch any longer.

The floaty belonged to the people next to us and Beaner was brave enough to ask if they could play on it. They all had a grand time until there got to be too many kids and they weren't abiding by the three people max on the tube rule. Then I had to be the bad guy and throw them all off.

Lowell, the good daddy he is, is teaching Hyatt to swim.

This is Lowell Jr learning to swim, not quite as receptive as his younger brother.

Bud was a good playing with the others or all by himself. It's almost like there is a party going on inside his head and if others join him that's great but if not he's still going to party without them. He reminds me of his father.

All the babies at this age don't like Uncle Brook. Probably because he's a "giant". But that does not stop him from trying to make them realize he's the favorite uncle. They all succumb eventually as will Rae Rae.

Stormy Chicago

2010-08-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

Before we left Pittsburgh I told Big D that we should intentionally have a day layover next time we are going through Chicago so we can go and explore. We are always flying through but we've never been able to get out of O'Hare.

I think I spoke too soon. Coming in to Chicago we had to circle the city for about thirty minutes waiting for a storm to break. These are the storm clouds from above.

They really don't look bad from this angle but I guess under them there was torrential rains mixed with a few tornado warnings. The news was saying this is the worst flooding they've seen in 137 years, according to CNN. They had streets washed out and flooding up to peoples waists.

After circling in the air for as long as we could we finally got diverted to Fort Wayne, Indiana (I've never been there either). It was a small airport that had actually just closed and every one had gone home. They had to open it back up, but of course there was no food.

Big D and I cuddled on the floor and watched a movie until our flight was called out, which was about an hour. The flight back to Chicago was amazing for me, Big D slept the whole time so I can't say much for him. There were lightning storms going on out both sides of the plane. Huge lightning that would light up the entire sky. It was like the clouds parted just for our plane. We still had to circle a bit before we could land but we finally got on the ground and then the circling on the tarmac began. We were stuck in the plane for forty-five minutes waiting for a terminal. Some of the passengers were getting pretty frustrated because they missed their connections, we all missed them.

They were setting up cots down K wing for stranded passengers but Big D and I decided to get a hotel so we could get better sleep. The ride to the hotel was our first experience with a taxi and our driver was authentic. Watching TV and the way they portray taxi drivers, I thought it was a bit of an exaggeration. Nope. This guy was a crazy driver and I could barely understand his broken English.

I asked our driver what he did for fun in Chicago and he said he goes downtown and gets drunk and some how that led into him saying he never goes to the South side because its bad really bad. Three cops had been shot just in the past month. Gang bangers have been walking up to cops and shooting them point blank.

I thought I was going to start crying right there. I no longer had a desire to explore Chicago, I just wanted to go home.

And I don't know how this worked out but it cost us $50 to get to our hotel and only $27 to get back to the airport the next morning. Hmmm, I thinketh we got screwed.

After a wonderful five hours of sleep, we showed up at the airport only to have our flight get moved back by two hours. I was starting to get ansi, I just wanted to get home to my babies. Once we were in the air I was a lot better, and so was Big D because he was out cold before we ever even left the ground. How does he do that?

There is nothing better than seeing your children after a week away. They actually liked me for a few minutes, especially when they find out I bought them some toys from the Amish community I visited.

I found out that Bug got bucked off a horse and landed on her head. The hole side of her face was scratched up and bruised. Grandma Honey didn't want her to tell me what happened because she didn't want me to freak out. So she calmed me down by telling me that Bug did every thing she was suppose to, when she landed on the ground she jumped up and ran as far away as she could as not to be trampled. I don't know if this makes me feel better, but seeing Bug in one piece, that makes me feel better. And Grandma made her get back on the horse right after she got bucked off so she wouldn't develop a fear of horses, thank goodness. What a good Grandma! I do think it was a good thing not to tell me some thing like that over the phone.

The kids had to tell me how Papa Guy shot a coyote. I'm pretty sure that made Bud feel better since he's always scared of coyotes at the ranch. Of course, the kids had to go and see the dead body. They told me how there were already bugs all over it and his eye was missing. Papa didn't want them messing with the body so he tried to get them off the hill but they wouldn't listen so finally he yelled that the coyote's brother was right behind them. They were off that hill in two seconds.

Grandma bought the kids a new swimming pool that they practically lived in the whole week they were there. Ahh my little water babies. They had a good time and they were sufficiently spoiled. Thank you very much Grandma and Papa. I could not have enjoyed my trip with Big D without you.

Kentuck Knob

2010-07-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

I didn't know there was another Frank Lloyd Wright home in Pennsylvania. Kentuck Knob was only seven miles away from Fallingwater. I guess about twenty years ago a Lord from London was touring Fallingwater when he heard there was another home and it was on the market. Being an international real-estate investor and an avid art collector he jumped at the opportunity to own an original Frank Lloyd Wright.

The home still being privately owned made it so we couldn't take pictures on the inside. The Lord used the house as his families summer home for the first decade after purchasing it. Although they still holiday here they don't stay in the house except to entertain. They purchased the property next door and that is where they stay when on holiday.

Toward the end of Frank Lloyd Wright's life he decided to start signing his homes. He only visited this home once. After completion he sent an apprentice to install this tile but the front door. Fallingwater does not have a signature.

I loved the skylights on the back deck. They are opened to the sky, which I learned because I thought they were covered with glass.

Through out the entire home there are only two ninety degree angles, talk about a challenge for the stone cutters and carpenters.

Behind the house there is this lovely path that takes you on a journey through the Lord's art collection. He purchased over seventy acres with Kentuck Knob. With that much room to fill with artwork you can imagine how big some of it is.

This sculpture is a field of dancing figures twenty-five across and forty deep. It made me think of someone wanting to throw a party. The guest list wouldn't have to be too big because he already has all of his dancers.

Yep, apple core. All I could think was when I was in junior high and we'd play that stupid game: "Apple core who's your friend" and then you'd point to someone and that's who would get the apple core thrown at them. I don't think I'd want this apple core thrown at me. It was about ten feet tall.

I don't know if this was suppose to be art or a play area for the kids. It was made up of four quarter circle sections of stalked stones with about a two foot gap in between. My kids would use that as a fort.

He had many many more pieces of art all over his property. I had a wonderful time exploring his property.

A Guest at Fallingwater

2010-07-24T18:15:00.001-07:00

Every since touring Taliesin West in Phoenix I've been super excited to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous house, Fallingwater.

I loved coming over the bridge and seeing my favorite part of the house right away, the lower deck. I guess Mr. Kaufman didn't understand the purpose to this deck and he argued with Wright about building it. After Wright told him he'd learn to live with it the deck became one of Mr. Kaufman's favorite places too. He'd go down there and fish, he would take his coffee down and enjoy the sound of the water (of course you could hear the water from anywhere in the house but there is something therapeutic being close to water I think). The deck would also help cool the house during the hot summer days.

This is the front entry way to the house. Wright was a firm believer that the front door should be hidden only to be revealed when the owner of the house invited you in.

The front room is a beautiful open floor plan with the dinning room adjacent to it. A couple years ago they had to pull all those stones up and reinforce the floors because they were sagging and threatening to fall. The contractor that was initially building the house told Wright he needed more reinforcement for the building but in proper Wright etiquette he said no and told them to do it the way he designed it.

I learned at Taliesin West that Wright felt like he designed a house with the person he was building it for in mind and when that person died he felt like the house should be demolished. I don't know if this philosophy is why he didn't want to reinforce Fallingwater more, he didn't build it to last forever. I honestly don't think he knew just how famous this house was going to be even though it was hugely popular even as it was being built.

Wright was also known for designing all the furniture for his homes. He designed this cauldron that fit snuggly out of the way when not in use but when there was a big party it could warm up enough cider for everyone to enjoy.

Wright had this beautiful color of red throughout the house. When it was being built Mrs. Kaufman was against the color and tried to get him to change it, he told her she'd learn to live with it. Are you seeing a theme here?

This is me enjoying myself in a sitting room next to the servants kitchen. I was a giddy as a school girl at Christmas going through the house. I think I took a picture of every thing.

Every angle was amazing. I loved all the straight lines, the stone, the oneness with it's surroundings. Every room had a fireplace, a terrace, and an awesome view.

This is one of the main terraces. It is an extension of the living room. At one point the Kaufmans had the statue you see here inside when Wright came to visit and told them that it needed to be outside. I don't know if I could handle having someone tell me where I HAD to put stuff but that was Wright and if you wanted one of his houses I guess you lived with him in your life forever.

He was also famous for buying gifts and sending them to his friends and people he built homes for and telling them where to put it. A couple weeks later he would then send them the bill for the gift.

The stones here are actually the mountain, the house was built around them. If you look closely you can see a water fall. How cool is that to have an actual water fall inside your home as well as under it.

This is the front porch to the guest/servants house. It is located up above the main house.

This is a pool for their guests to enjoy. In one corner there is a trickle of water feeding the pool and it drains down into the river underneath. The pool is approximately six feet deep. That is a lot of chilly water.

I couldn't resist taking a picture in front of the famous view point of the house. I enjoyed every minute of my tour and it was well worth the $67 ticket price.

One Night in Pittsburgh

2010-07-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

One night Big D got off work a little early and he asked where I wanted to go to dinner. Well, I'd been doing research all morning about the places I wanted to go and see so I knew just how to answer that question. We went to the Grand Concourse which is the old train station turned restaurant. I couldn't quit looking at the beautiful architecture. Oh, and the food... it was amazing. Big D had the steak that just melted in your mouth, I kept stealing a bite. I had this salad called Martha's Vineyard drizzled with raspberry vinaigrette talk about magnificent. I think the atmosphere added to our food delight.

After dinner we decided to take one of the cities two inclines up the side of Mount Washington. I guess the city used to have over a dozen of these inclines and that is how people got to and from the city before all the tunnels were done being built through the mountain.

The incline car we just go out of, it was a fun ride up as the beautiful view opened up.

Up top there was so much to see. There were about four different platforms you can stand on all along the side of the mountain. We had to try each one of them out. Big D had been up top when he was in Pittsburgh back in May. He really wanted me to stay and see the city after sunset and all the light come on. It might be because we are small town folk but it was amazing! I wish I knew how to use my camera good enough that I could've taken a picture of the city scape with all the lights, but unfortunately I don't.

There were so many bridges along this small stretch of river. I think I counted more than ten. And me with my phobia of driving over water. I had to learn to get over that real fast. The bridges were even beautiful.

I have an addiction to old churches, as some of you already know. I love the doors, windows and oh the architecture, I love architecture. This little beauty was right behind us as we were over looking the city. There are beautiful churches all over Pittsburgh. The sad thing is, with all my driving around I did not see even one LDS church. I tried to look up the nearest temple only to find out that Pennsylvania's first temple is still under construction in Philadelphia, dang it.

I still had a wonderful time enjoying all of the Lords many splendors. It is so beautiful back east. There is more rolling hills in Pittsburgh than there was in the Boston area. There were hills and valleys everywhere. One thing that did feel the same as Boston was all the trees. It was so green and just refreshing.

Can't Get Enough Boating

2010-07-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

We went boating before Big D and I left for Pittsburgh. It took Bud awhile to decide if he wanted to go in the water or not. He did eventually go in. I think he takes after his mother in that respect. I have to really digest things before I feel comfortable enough to enjoy it. Yep that's right, we both over think things.

Beaner didn't need to think about it, she almost jumped in without her life jacket. Talk about freak her mom out.

Bear helped daddy blow up the tubes. Afterward he liked the feel of the air on his face so he played with the pump a bit longer.

Kinnzi even got out on the tube too. We didn't pull her behind the boat she just got to float. She had a hard time with just floating.

Big D is at home in the water. I guess that is why most of our kids are water babies. We love going out into the middle of the reservoir and jumping off. I just hope we don't get too comfortable and underestimate mother nature. Thank goodness we have guardian angels.

Baseball Season

2010-07-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

The kids played baseball this season. Beaner wasn't really excited about playing but she was a good sport about it when she found out her BFF was going to be on her team.

She never whined about going to games. She just didn't have her heart in it. I don't blame her, I wasn't in to sports at her age either.

She was a little scared of the ball but she did get a few hits and even made it around all the bases a couple times.

Now Bud was another story. I don't know if it's just a boy thing but he was so excited to play baseball he'd stand in the outfield dancing as he'd wait for the ball to come to him.

He took direction very well. Every time his coach or I yelled at him to try some thing he did it and he was great.

I'm not going to lie to you, I did have to yell at him to stand up a couple times but I think that comes with the age.

Bear was so excited to play baseball. He was so patient watching his siblings participate in sports and all sorts of fun stuff that he's been too young for. This being his first year playing sports he was super excited to learn what to do.

He was a little distracted by the female players on the other team, the little flirt. Every time he'd get on base he'd start chatting up the other team players. I'd have to yell at him to run so his teammate could take their rightful place on base.

His coach was really good about giving the kids a turn at trying to catch the ball. The hard part was teaching the kids what to do with the ball once they got it.

Of course, Bug had to tell me at every game how unfair it was that she's the one who really wanted to play baseball and she's the only one who didn't get to play. In my defense I really tried, her age group started their season a whole month earlier than the others. So, Bug had to come up with other ways to entertain herself. I think she did a pretty good job.

Bud's REAL Birthday Party

2010-07-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

This is Bud's year. It's his year for a birthday party. He had a nice party with the family, the hike, and this is his party with his friends.

Even though 90% of the party goers are family, he still had a good time.

One of the down falls to a summer birthday is there is no way to invite the friends he wants. It also didn't help that the party was on a holiday weekend.

Despite the lack of friends he still had thirty people show up to his party.

We reserved the gym for two hours and ended up staying for four. Boy were we tired.

The chaperon at the gym was pretty cool. He came up with lots of games for the kids. The kids got to do some ju jits su and break boards.

They got to jump over some ever growing walls and they also raced through obstacle courses.

Our 4th of July friends came down to see us instead of us going to Montana. We went to Malad, when we were done at the gym, and watched fireworks.

Bug did some awesome tricks into the it.

Beaner had a wonderful time showing us tricks on the tramp.

Bear had fun running around like a maniac jumping, breaking, and laughing.

Bud had fun opening his gifts. He was very gracious.

Bud's Birthday Hike

2010-07-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

We asked Bud what he wanted to do for his family birthday celebration, we gave him all sorts of options and he came up with a hike.

So we called the family up and invited everyone to go. There was a nice turn out.

Uncle Itchy came with his kids. They all did really well, even Jo his youngest.

Uncle Brook and Auntie Andy came with their kids. I think the kids all loved the fact that the trail followed a stream so it was nice a cool plus we could play in it when we stopped for lunch. It's amazing how kids gravitate to water.

Of course we all had fun too. It was a great idea. I hope Bud felt very special with how many people showed up to help him celebrate his special day.

Phoenix, Az

2010-07-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

Big D had a business trip to Phoenix and he wanted me to come with him. It was initially suppose to be Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but it got changed at the last minute. I'm fine with that because I've never had the opportunity to explore Phoenix. I love going places I've never been, which would be just about anywhere outside of Idaho.

We tackled a lot of good food, let's face it when you're on the company dime you try stuff you wouldn't ordinarily be able to afford. Big D calls himself a connoisseur of burgers so he is always in search for his next favorite. I honestly didn't think he was going to be able to eat this one, it was huge. He ended up taking the onion rings off so he could fit it in his mouth.

One day Big D got out of work early so he was able to go to the Apache Trails with me. We went through a ghost town. I don't know if you can really call it a ghost town because it's still being used as a town. There are stores and tours and a saloon. I think the only thing that wasn't still in use was the brothel.

We got there after the town was all close up but we still enjoyed looking around. Big D got a little frisky with a cactus, I don't know if he thought those pokies were fur or what, but he learned real quick that there were no softies in that town.

The church even had a sign out front inviting people to come to their Sunday Mass.

Outside the brothel we found this cage, they had some massively huge birds back then.

On one of the days I went on a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West house. He used this house in the winters and ran an architect school out of it. It is still being used as a school. In the Summer he would stay at Taliesin East in Wisconsin. They used to require their students to live in a tent the first year of school. After that they had to build their own residence. They still have the students build their own residents but they don't require them to live in a tent for a year first.

Wright had an ingenious design, he had this pool in the front of his house and as the hot winds out come up the mountain it would glide over the water and cool and air conditioned the house. This picture is of his personal studio. It was the first room they took us in and I couldn't quit thinking about how it would make an awesome green house with just a few more windows. I bet it made a wonderful studio with all that natural lighting too.

One night we went to a Diamondbacks vs Yankees game. The Yankees won 9 to 3.

On our hike of the Apache Trails we found so many wonderful things to take pictures of.

We were in the mountains when the sun started to go down so we took pictures as we were heading out.

Then when we got out of the mountains the sun was setting over the desert floor. It felt like the sunset just kept going and going.

It wasn't quite a full moon but it was close. And that just gave us more to take pictures of.

On a mountain ridge it looked like a bunch on tombstones but they were cacti. I tried to capture it but I don't think it work they way I saw it in my head. But it's still a cool picture, I think.

Mesa, Az Temple

2010-07-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

On Big D and I's trip to Phoenix I got to go to the temple in Mesa. It was beautiful. I was surprised to not see an angel Moroni on top but I do know there are a couple temples that don't have one.

Of course, the grounds are kept exceptionally nice. Beautiful flowers just pop with all the dry brown background. It looks like an oasis in the middle of the desert.

There were palm trees all over Phoenix but for some reason they were just more beautiful on the temple grounds.

In the back there was the petrified log sitting there. It was a gift and it used to be about 100 feet long, if I remember right. But it looks so cool, it looks like a log but it is solid rock.

I loved the reflection pool, it was calming, almost as calming as the inside was. There was an incident inside though. A young nursing mother was fasting and she passed out. They had to call paramedics to come help her. They said when she woke up she was complaining that she couldn't feel her hands. It was weird to see people who didn't belong in the temple. But it didn't take away from my wonderful day.

Ragnar's Wasatch Back: The Bod Squad

2010-07-08T16:15:00.000-07:00

My sister, Ann, ran the Wasatch Back a 186 mile relay race from Logan, Utah down to Park City, Utah. She did awesome and her team finished the race with in minutes of their estimated time. The Wasatch Back is one of the most popular races in the United States with about 1,300 teams of 12 people each and another 300 teams on the waiting list. People came from all over the U.S. just to do this race. Some teams were made up of families with kids as young as 11 years old running. One lady had a shirt on that said, "I married into the wrong family".

No this is not Ann. This is one of the other runners that I just had to take a picture of because her whole team ran with these fake bums hanging off the back of their pants. I think they were running their butts off. There were a lot of really cute costumes that I'm sure they were rethinking while having to run with it all on.

There was one team that was all super heros and another that was high schoolers (prom queen, athlete, cheerleaders, etc). The teams also decorated their team vans to match their costumes. There was one van that was titled "Business Time" from Flight of the Concords. In big letters across the side it said, "It's Business time and conditions are perfect". People got pretty creative with their decorating skills.

Here is Ann on her first of three legs of the race. She did so good on this leg that she shaved 18 minutes off her time. This was also the only time I got to see her run. I had to volunteer at the 5th exchange and this one is the 3rd. I thought it would be no problem getting to my exchange in time since Ann only had to run a little over three miles. Boy was I wrong.

After the 4th exchange it was all dirt road so everybody was going real slow as not to run over or dust out the runners. It took us an hour to drive ten miles. Oh, and if a volunteer is 30 minutes late for their assigned time the team they are volunteering for gets disqualified. Needless to say I was freaking out because they asked me to be there @ 1:30 and I wasn't able to get there until 2:30.

Thankfully they were very understanding as to why it took us so long to get there so we didn't hurt our team. Big D and I spent the next five hours trying to make runners, and drivers, laugh as they came into the exchange. It was funny to us how many people do not have a sense of humor. One thing that really stuck out to me was how many people thanked us for volunteering and telling us that they couldn't have the race without us. I thought that was really nice and thoughtful to acknowledge those standing out in the scorching sun just to help them so they could have this race.

I'm not going to lie to you, I was more than a little nervous about how my little Sis was going to do. Her doctor told her that her knee wasn't in the best of shape for a race like this. Her second leg started about 1 a.m. Marie, our baby sister, put a book on Ann's Ipod for her to listen to. Ann started listening to it on her second leg to help her not get freaked out about running in the pitch dark all alone. Needless to say, the book Marie put on there was about ghosts. We all got a kick out of that story.

Ann did finish the race. Her team had some medical problems but none of them were from her. They had a guy drop out of the race the night before it was to start. So, their team captain had to wrangle someone at the last minute to join their team or they couldn't race. The guy they got just happened to run a marathon the weekend before and his body wasn't totally healed from that race yet and he ended up tearing his achilles tendon in the middle of his second leg.

Caught up in all the excitement of the race, they were asking who would like to run the race next year and I said I'd do it. So, Ann and I have a race to train for next year. Big D said he'd come and be a volunteer for our team. What a supportive hubby I have. I tried to talk him into running it with me but he has a lot on his plate this next year, graduating with his Masters and getting his Black Belt. Who knows, maybe we'll do it together the next year.

Bear up to Bat

2010-06-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

My baby gets to play baseball for the first time this year. He is super excited.

You can't really see the excitement in this picture, but trust me it's there.

He is a natural at the tee. He hit the ball off the tee the very first try.

He even knew right were to run. I think this is going to be a great baseball season. Of course, I'm going to be living at the ball park with three kids playing. The only one that didn't get to play was Bug. She is just out of the play for fun and into the competitive sports bracket, which wouldn't be too bad except their season starts a month earlier and I missed the boat on signing her up.

Trust me she tells me every day how unfair it is that she's the one who loves to play and she's the only one not playing. I try to make it better by telling her she's all signed up for soccer this fall, but I'm still in the dog house for baseball.

Family Birthday Party 2010

2010-06-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

We had our annual family birthday party at a gymnasium. Brook and Andy were in charge this year and they did an awesome job. We played at the gym for about two hours then went up to a park to do our BBQ and presents.

We had fun racing up a big blow up obsticle course. Some of the adults, I won't name who (Brook), used their wife's head to help him get over the top. Beaner is being patient waiting to help me up to the top. Good luck with getting me up there the last time I had to use Jason's head to get up.

Bug didn't want Rae Rae to be left out so she helped her through the course too.

There were so many fun things to play on that no one got bored and no one had to stand in line. Bud is very proud of his balancing skills.

Some kids brought some tude with them so Auntie Ann stood behind them during picture time to help them with their smile. Grandma Lovely didn't want to her smile to be left out of the picture so she snuck right in there at the last second.

Uncle Jason was a favorite among all the youngens, including little Rae Rae.

This is Auntie Marie and her fiance, Walker's, first family function together. I think they really enjoyed themselves. Hopefully next time his kids will be able to join us and meet the rest of the family.

Uncle Brook is such a poser.

See what I mean.

I think he's also rubbing off on his wife. It's too bad Big D and Uncle Itchy had to work and weren't able to enjoy the fun with us. We decided we are going to try and rent the gym for Bud's birthday. Maybe then they can play with us.

Anyone Need a Contractor?

2010-06-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago Big D and the kids were wrestling on our bed when Big D put his foot through the wall. I thought a quick patch job is all it needed until I started taking down the broken sheetrock and discovered black mold. We were in no position to fix it so we didn't bother it for awhile, I know that probably isn't the smartest idea but when you don't have the $$$ what are you going to do.

I finally decided to tackle the wall and see just how far this mold went. I was scared it went all the way into our restroom and up in the ceiling. I ripped out one complete wall and it kept going and so did I. I had to rip out our closet but it stopped before it reached our restroom, yeah! It also didn't make it up to the ceiling, few.

In order to fix our bedroom, which is in the basement we decided it is a good time to upgrade at least one of our windows and make it an egress window. Long story short we had to move out of our room to get every thing done that needs to be done.

We ended up getting rid of our toy room and turned it into our quiet room/office. The former quiet room is now our bedroom, yes, that would be upstairs :0(

The last time the toy room was painted was ten years ago when it was our oldest, Bug's room. We took every thing out and I figured I could live with patch marks on the walls before I could live with big holes every where.

So our little contractors in training helped patch the 150 holes. Grandpa would be so proud. I think construction is in the blood.

Needless to say, all our bedroom project has told us, is we need to redo our whole house. Thank goodness we can do it one room at a time.

Primary Activity

2010-06-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

We took all the kids, that were interested, to the temple for a tour and a picnic. A lot of people thought we were crazy for wanting to take that many youngens to the temple grounds. They all did fabulous!

Bug standing in front of the Baptism for the Dead entrance which is going to be remodeled starting next month.

Bear and Bud standing next to one of the oldest trees. It is a Linden tree and it will probably be ripped out in the near future.

Beaner is standing in an arch that they use to take bridal shots.

Bear is standing in front of the temple holding his card he received from the visitors center after we watched movies about sharing.

Beaner enjoying being center of attention. She's going to make a b-e-a-utiful bride one day.

Bug hopefully practicing for when she comes back to get her bridal shots in front of the temple, but not for at least another ten years.

Bud showing off his card as well. I don't know why they felt like they needed to hold those up, maybe they were just proud of their trip.

Charlie, Kinz, and Bug Play

2010-06-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

Kinnzi was so cute with her babies. She was such a good mama and when it was time for them to all go to their new homes, she was just fine with it, probably because now she doesn't have to share the attention anymore.

After Princess left, a week before Charlie, Bug treated him like a prince. We actually started calling him Prince Charles because Bug would carry him around on top of a pillow. He spent more time outside his kennel than inside. I had to put my foot down when she begged to have him sleep with her. I didn't think it was appropriate for a puppy to sleep on the top bunk.

Charlie knew when Bug was around because first thing in the morning she'd get him out. When we'd come home from running errands, she run to get him out. Those two bonded so much I thought there was going to be tears when he left. I think she always knew he wasn't hers to keep.

A Day of Haircuts

2010-06-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

The Primary Presidency took all the kids from Primary to the temple for an activity. We had a nice tour of the grounds where they showed us plants that aren't grown anywhere else in Idaho Falls (just because they won't grow) Flowers that are going to be ripped up next month to make a reflecting pool, and the entrance people usually use for Baptisms of the dead which too is being remodeled next month.

We watched some movies in the visitors center, learned about nebulas (places where stars are born), and how tiny our planet really is in the grand scheme of the universe and all the Lord's glory.

On our way home Bud got ahold of some putty which ended up in his hair, so guess what we got to do when we got home?

We get to cut hair. Since I had to cut Bud's I figured I'd torture Bear as well. If you look close you can see the putty in Bud's bangs.

This is how he looked after I just removed the putty. I asked him if he wanted me to leave his hair like this, he said probably not.

I usually shave both boys head, and Big D's too, but I wanted to leave it a little longer on top with Bear, Bud didn't have that choice anymore. I think they turned out pretty cute. It will be a nice summer haircut, at least for two weeks until we have to do it again.

The girls and I decided we wanted nice summer dos too. We looked at a bunch of different hairstyles on the internet and which haircut looks best to match the shape of our faces. Each girl picked the cut they wanted and we were off to the barber.

Beaner chose a cut pixie haircut. She has so much trouble with her brushing her hair, it's so thick and gets rats nests so easy. She gets mad every time I make her brush her hair ten times before it looks good. I think this is the best choice for her, I'm glad she decided on this one.

Bug and I actually chose the same do, a layered bob. I think it makes her look so much older, which I tell her every day she really must stop doing. This will be nice because she wanted it off her neck, which it is, but it isn't too short as to accentuate her round face and make it look rounder (if that is even a word).

Both girls have already had a lot of compliments and I can't quit running my fingers through Beaner's hair, because I can.

Now the only one who needs a haircut is Big D, where's my razor?

Princess's Send Off

2010-05-31T06:34:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law showed up to take her Princess home. They were actually heading out of town so she brought Princess's little bag she packed for her with all her goodies.

Including a little shirt to keep her warm. Bug was a big helper with the puppies so she was a little sad to see Princess go, but not too sad since she's staying in the family.

Charlie is going to be a bit harder to part with, but we're happy he's going to a good home. Charlie had to give his own send off. He didn't want Princess to feel lonely when she was sleeping in her new bed. He wanted her to always be able to smell him and know he's thinking of her.

Mike, Kathy, and Princess, what a happy little family.

Summer Break/Jobs

2010-05-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

I am so in love with summer breaks. I miss them as an adult. They really don't mean the same once you graduate from school and enter the "real" world.

I have a proposal,since teenagers seem to have more time than $$ during the summer and adults tend to have more $$ than time, we should compromise. The teenagers should take over the adults jobs for the summer. It would give adulthood a much needed break, and the youth some doe.

How big of a mess could teenagers get our planet into in just three months? Granted it hasn't taken Obama too long to get our country into a big pile of crap, but teenagers are more optimistic and idealistic. I bet they'd do a better job at running things than our current government.

Giving teenagers jobs equals buckage burning a hole in their pockets and giving adults much needed vacations would be pouring money into the economy. I think this is a win win proposal.

At the end of the summer the adults would be rested and thinking with clear heads. Maybe we could get more done, granted we might have to fix some melt downs, but that's why we have the next summer, too rest from all our hard work all over again.

First Irrigation of the Season

2010-05-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

I was mowing the back yard when I heard water flowing in the irrigation. I thought I could stay ahead of the water so I hurried and mowed where the water was first going to hit, then I ran and turned on the water.

Boy was I wrong. The water pressure was awesome so I had to postpone my mowing, darn it. It is a real good thing I didn't plant my garden right after Big D rototilled it (I couldn't because it rained for the next three days after he got done).

I don't know what it is about mud and kids but they are two magnetic forces that refuse to stay apart. And yes, I did tell them not to get mud on their cloths. Too Late!

Beaner was kind enough to build this bridge out of stepping stones so no one had to get muddy. The boys didn't listen, but Bug thought she'd try it since she didn't want to get dirty.

Needless to say it didn't last long. I "accidentally" pushed her in, can you see the tude all over her face. You can't tell she's a tweeny, can you?

That white shirt is not going to last long, why do I bother getting them cute cloths? Oh well, they're only kids once.

I think Bud was the first to dive in. I'm just happy he decided to change out of his school cloths first.

I had all of them line up on the stones so I could take a picture of their dirty toes. Personally I don't think you can see any of their toes. Afterward I had Beaner pull all those stone out before dad gets home from Pittsburgh and tills my garden again. Maybe this time I will be able to plant it.

If you thought that a little rain made it difficult to plant, wait till you see what the kidfactor did to the garden.

Bowling Princess

2010-05-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

Our stewardship of the puppies is coming to an end.

Kathy, my sister-in-law, is bonding with her new baby, Princess.

This is Princess's new family. They are taking her home this Friday. They are excited. It is bitter sweet for us. We've enjoyed having the puppies in the house but we are excited for their new adventure. We feel good about their new owners and we believe that both Charlie and Princess will be in good hands. Plus, it's nice to know we can visit Princess any time we want.

Kathy invited us to Jaxon's (Eddie and Julie's youngest) birthday party at the bowling alley. The kids were doped up on sugar so we took them out on the lanes to burn off some of that "energy".

I think we may have a professional bowler on our hands.

I'm as surprised as you that she's bowling with a pink ball. She did really good. Bug always kicks my bum when we bowl on the Wii. This was a bit different, and I won her (he he ha ha).

Wow, look at that form. I'm lucky I didn't split my pants. Bear did great, he only needed help with his first couple tries then he did it all on his own. And, he finished the whole game. I guess there really is a first time for every thing.

Beaner was having a hard time with getting down close to the floor before releasing the ball. I thought she was going to split the ball in half. At least she didn't throw the ball backwards and almost hit the audience, that would've been Bug who did that. I wonder if she was hoping we'd all bounce like in the video game.

Beaner and Bug helped Kathy with her yard sale that morning. Kathy gave Beaner a pair of shoes that she refuses to take off.

I loved this shot, but my darn camera wouldn't work properly, so much for point and shoots.

Pittsburgh

2010-05-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

It is official, Big D is leaving me. I don't know how I'm going to survive with him gone. The kids will have a week left in school, the most hectic week of our lives next to the first week of school.

Big D flies out to Pittsburgh for the first of a five week training. He was talking about when he gets to the airport there will be a dude holding a sign with his name to take him anywhere he wants to go. He gets to ride in a limo. Hopefully he isn't expecting the same treatment when he gets home, although that would be funny if we made up a sign for him.

Ooh, maybe I'll do that, shhh don't tell him. I know he won't find out from me because he never reads my blog, unless I write something bad about him because we're in a fight (that only happened once and I took it off my blog).

I was all stoked about the limo because next month I get to go with him to Pittsburgh. I got giddy thinking I get to ride around in a limo. Then Big D burst my bubble when he told me we're renting a car when I go. I guess that makes more sense in the long run. A driver would get ticked at me for making him drive me around to all the church history sites while Big D was in his training.

I told Big D that on the other weeks he's gone, the ones I don't get to go with him, I'm going to take off and leave town too. I'm going to visit my sisters, my cousin and her new baby, and my BFF from high school. Really anywhere I want to go, I'm gone.

This is going to be a crazy summer which means it's going to fly by.

Puppy Play

2010-05-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so nice we've taken the puppies outside to play, and they love it. This is Charlie, he's a little spit fire, he takes after his daddy, Roxer. He loves to tackle his sister and chew on her ear. He tries to get her all worked up so she'll fight back, but... Princess Rinnzi Kellen is a lover not a fighter. She is so laid back she lets Charlie naw on her tail while she sleeps. Don't get me wrong, if she's had too much she lets Charlie have it. This is Michelle, she is the proud owner of Charlie. She also was the owner of Kinnzi's daddy, Miles. Myles got hit by a car last year so I called Michelle to see if she wanted one of Myles's grand kids. She does, and she super excited to get to take Charlie home in about two to four weeks. She comes to visit Charlie on her lunch breaks. Aren't they cute together?

This is Charlie, he doesn't like his bum rubbed, but it's too cute not to.