It's been 6 years already

After Brady's mission farwell May 2001

Engagement Fall 2003

Married for less than an hour!

Six years later, here we are with two boys! It's been a heavenly six years for us, and later this week we enter a new chapter of our lives in Nevada. I love you Brady!!!

Decisions, decisions

Okay, so I should post the most recent happenings at our house. The first Saturday in December we decide to move to Henderson, Nevada. We are out of work, and hence need money to pay bills. So we are going where the really good paying jobs are. Originally we thought about moving there next August if Brady gets accepted to the MSW program at UNLV, but after much thought and prayer we decided it was best for us to move there now. We will be loading up the moving truck on Christmas Eve – except for the Christmas tree and other things we need to sleep there one last time. Christmas day after breakfast we will be heading south for the winter, and the next few years as well. Hopefully since we will have established residency by summer Brady can get right in to his program and finish his master’s degree so we can move on with our lives. We should be back in Idaho in 5 years or less…but Nevada will be fun.

I know I will have a hard time leaving my family and friends, and most especially our ward. However, the Church is the same wherever we go, so I’ll be able to make new friends. We’ll also be near Brady’s family. The kids will have so much fun playing with their cousins all the time instead of once or twice a year. It will be an adventure for all of us, and we are ready to move on. I get to do the last of my visiting teaching on Thursday, and then we have just one week left in this cold, cold weather.

This is the top 10 things we will miss about Idaho.
1. shoveling snow
2. slipping on the ice
3. getting snow inside our shoes when we should be wearing our snow boots instead
4. walking on melted snow in socks
5. having the furnace turn on when we are watching a really good movie
6. scraping snow and ice off the car
7. swerving around people who don’t know how to drive on slick roads
8. spending 20 minutes putting snow clothes on and only playing outside for 10 minutes because it is too cold
9. feeling the draft from the window while sitting on the couch
10. being cold

Lord of the Dance

Thank you Keriann for showing me how to put videos on here. This is fun!

Christmas is almost here!

I just wanted to say I am glad my Christmas shopping is officially done. I finished up with a couple of things on Black Friday, and now I don't have to think about what to get people anymore. It's kind of a relief, but it makes me wish Christmas was next week. I am really excited for the boys to see what Santa brings, the family party on Christmas eve, and going to our parent's ward party since our ward doesn't have a family Christmas party.

Now if I could just get the snow to stay...it would be perfect for Christmas!!

Thanksgiving was great. We went to my parents for the traditional family get-together, and then Friday night we were at Brady's parents for another yummy meal. I got to see my sister from North Idaho, and I started my pajama pant sewing for us to wear on Christmas eve. Hopefully I will finish that project this week. I love the holiday season, it's truely my favorite, and the music is the best!!!

Last week I had my two wisdom teeth removed...now I have no wisdom left! I am healing well, and I was able to eat Thanksgiving food without any trouble. By the way, I am still very proud of the peach pie I made from scratch. It was awesome! Thanks Mom for the great recipe, the use of your peaches and kitchen...and everything else! I love being with family to celebrate a holiday where we can reflect on what we are thankful for.

Last week our lesson in Relief Society was about having an attitude of gratitude. Sister Treasure challenged us to write down something we were thankful for each day before Thanksgiving. I never wrote it down, but each night as I was trying to fall asleep, my mind would wander over all the many things I am thankful for. The first things I thought of were my wonderful husband, my two rambunctious boys, our wonderful ward, friends and neighbors we can rely on, and family who will support us in whatever may happen in our lives. I am also very thankful to have a temple close by...we have been able to attend twice this month, and plan to do the same in December. Words cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunity to be a member of the Church. I know that the friendships, the support, and the love are present throughout the world. No matter where we go, the Church is always the same!

Another catch up

I find myself behind on my blogging again. So here's a recap since last time. We went to Las Vegas on October 9th for a weekend trip so we could be there for Brady's nephew's, Max, baptism. It was a really fast trip, and we had so much fun with the family that we all wanted to stay longer, but I had to get back for work on Monday. The kids did so great on the long drive to and from. They did get tired of being in the car, but so did I, so that's okay. We watched a lot of movies and read stories, and listened to really fun music. And them we watched for fun things like tractors working, animals in semi truck trailers, cool cars, etc.

Izabella giving Zenock a ride in Grammy's backyard

Max blowing out his candles

Halloween was great. On Friday night we went to my work for a spook alley. The boys were a little scared, but they loved the candy. Saturday we went to our church for a ward activity. We had a chili cook off, and trick or treating inside the gym. It was so much nicer to do it that way than trunk-or-treating out in the cold. I made the costumes for a total of $10 for both. We used a bunch of stuff we already had, and painted their shirts and made a cape. They were both the main character, Super Why, from the PBS kids show Super Why. Ammon told me next year I should be Wonder Red for Halloween. I thought that was pretty funny! After the candy line, they did some carnival games and got fun prizes. I think this was my favorite ward party this year.

Bishop Baird really went all out this year for the kids. Everyone thought he looked so great!

Zenock, Abby, Austin, Ammon

We also had two birthdays. Zenock’s was the 19^th, and Ammon’s was the 29^th. This year we did a small family party with out parents at our house. I got off work so late that we just did cake and ice cream after I got home. Brady picked up my favorite flavor ever, huckleberry, from Reed’s Dairy in town. It was so good, and we still have some left, so that has become my favorite treat after the kids go to bed.

Zenock's cake, the monster truck Avenger

Ammon's cake, the monster truck El Torro Loco

I am looking forward to tomorrow being over because I get my wisdom teeth out. WOOHOO! Lucky me! I am hoping they put me completely under because I really don’t want to know what they are doing. Thankfully I only have two, but they are on opposite sides, so I think it’s going to be Jamba Juice for me for a couple of days. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I still have a gift certificate for it that I haven’t used yet.

It’s also my Mom’s birthday tomorrow, and I don’t think I will be the best company. However, I am looking forward to getting most of the family together to celebrate. It will be really fun, and the kids are excited to play at Grandma and Grandpa’s house for a while. I just hope that Mom has a great birthday. She’s certainly my favorite Mom (okay, only Mom), and I love her very much!!

My other little man

Today is Ammon's 5th birthday. He's come a long way since he was born. He's big, smart, has a sense of humor, and he loves to do boy things. I think he is getting excited for school next year. He's not a baby anymore, but he'll always be a baby to me.

Ammon at 5 months

Ammon at 5 years

Zenock is no longer 2

My baby's birthday was yesterday. Looking at these photos makes me wish he was small again. Now Zenock talks a lot, has his own opinions and ideas, and always wants to be cuddled at the wrong times! I love my man very much, and I know he had a great birthday with the grandpas and grandmas who came to celebrate with him last night. Isn't he the cutest!

Three months old
Three years old

Where did the time go?

Once again, I feel in catchup mode. We have done so much this summer, and now summer is over. I have a bunch of pictures to post of things we have done with family and friends recently. Here is an abbreviated version! We start with the most recent event.

Our neighbor's dad driving a demo car in the Shelley Spud Days celebration.

Demolition Derby cars in Shelley, Idaho

Zenock's first experience with cotton candy. He got SO sticky! I'm just glad I brought baby wipes, even though we don't need them for dirty diapers anymore. They come in handy for so many things!!

Demolition Derby at the Eastern Idaho State Fair. We have gone the last three years, and it has been really fun. We saw all the animals, rode some kiddie rides, and walked a ton.

Ammon and Zenock on the dragon roller coaster. I thought Zz would be really scared, but he was laughing the whole time. It was really cute to watch them having fun on the rides. I can't wait til we take them to Disneyland when Brady graduates school.

Zenock on a merry-go-round of sorts, with four wheelers.

Ammon, Zenock and I on the catapillar roller coaster. Zenock was squished in the middle. This ride was really fun too.

Brady and the boys in a pirate ship. The end was a slide, which Brady barely fit on.

Storytime with Dad before bedtime. This is a daily ritual with the kids before bed.

We had a sleep over at my parents house labor day weekend with the whole family. My sister, Kacey and her hubby Justin came from North Idaho, and my other sister, Alayna with her hubby Lot and son Drake came too from Idaho Falls. We had a family breakfast at Smitty's in IF, which was really, really good. We did some shopping, and had a birthday party complete with cake for my grandpa who would have been 100 on Sept. 14th. He passed away in August of 1991.

Cub Scout pack meeting at the park. This was my last scout activity before I was released because I was going to be working during den meeting time. We did water bottle rockets and a fish pond. Everyone loved the rockets. Some went really high, and others were soaking wet when the evening was over.

More bottle rockets.

A quilt I made for my bed. It took a long, long time to piece together and too quilt too, but man, I LOVE it.

Martin's Cove near Casper, Wyoming. My dad, brother and Brady passed through there on their way to Laramie for work a month ago. The closer hillside is where the pioneers came through on the way to Salt Lake.

Names and dates carved into the rocks at Martin's Cove. This one is dated July 4, 1850.

Zenock on the bouncy slide at Riot Zone in Rigby. We went there when Max and again when Sage came to visit Brady's dad for a week.

Zenock at the kiddie boats at Riot Zone. This is the time we went with Max.

Ammon driving the kid go karts. It took 4 cushions behind him before he could reach the pedals.

The boys really like bugs now. Zenock loves lady bugs, small house spiders, and worms. Around the time this picture was taken I found him playing with a dead worm on the patio. It was kinda gross. Thank goodness for antibacterial soap!

A REALLY big tortise at Tauphas Park Zoo in IF. We went there when Maddie and Isabella came to visit Brady's dad this summer. All the kids loved the zoo, but I think my kids' favortie part was playing with their cousins. I sometimes wish we lived closer so they could play more often than once or twice a year.

One of the snow leopards at the zoo. In all the years I have gone to the zoo, I have never seen this animal out walking around. One time, many years ago, I saw it laying down at the back of the enclosure. I think this animal is so pretty. And their tails are huge!

Ammon, Isabella, Zenock, and Madison at the Madison County fair. Aren't they all so cute!

One of the "rides" at the fair was a really long, wavy slide. All the kids begged to go on this, but once we were at the top, Maddie was the only one not screaming to get off because it was too high. So Maddie got her ticket's worth, but the rest of the kids didn't. We saw a similar slide at the Eastern Idaho State Fair, and I told the kids they weren't allowed to go on it because of all the crying with this slide.

My kids love boy stuff. Sitting on four wheelers wherever they see them is fun...for them. They were arguing at first to be the first to sit on the pink one. They both love pink, and I think it might be because I like it.

Work and catching up

I started my new job Monday at Qwest. The health benefits are awesome, and training isn't too bad either. It's intense though. I don't get to be on the phone until the first week of October, which is also when my benefits kick in. I have to say I am really excited about going to the dentist, and I think Brady is too. After being on the computer so much this week, I think I might need glasses because my eyes get tired and it's a little hard to focus on the words so they aren't a little blurry.

Brady and the kids are doing great being at home. I am really proud of the boys for doing so well transitioning into mommy working. They seem to have a ton of fun with daddy during the day, and I find I have the appropriate energy for them when I get home. So far, everything has worked out great.

My sister and her husband are coming to visit us this weekend from North Idaho, so we are having a family reunion of sorts at my parents house. We are all excited to see them because we only get together two or three times a year because it is such a long drive. I have no idea that the family has planned tomorrow, but it will be really fun to get us all together.

More funny stuff

These are hilarious...I couldn't resist sharing them with you all.

While I sat in the reception area of my doctor's office, a woman rolled an elderly man in a wheelchair into the room. As she went to the receptionist's desk, the man sat there, alone and silent. Just as I was thinking I should make small talk with him, a little boy slipped off his mother's lap and walked over to the wheelchair. Placing his hand on the man's, he said, 'I know how you feel. My mom makes me ride in the stroller too.'.

* * *

As I was nursing my baby, my cousin's six-year-old daughter, Krissy, came into the room. Never having seen anyone breast feed before, she was intrigued and full of all kinds of questions about what I was doing. After mulling over my answers, she remarked, 'My mom has some of those, but I don't think she knows how to use them.'

* * *

Out bicycling one day with my eight-year-old granddaughter, Carolyn, I got a little wistful. 'In ten years,' I said, 'you'll want to be with your friends and you won't go walking, biking, and swimming with me like you do now. Carolyn shrugged. 'In ten years you'll be too old to do all those things anyway.'

* * *

Working as a pediatric nurse, I had the difficult assignment of giving immunization shots to children. One day I entered the examining room to give four-year-old Lizzie her needle. 'No, no, no!' she screamed. 'Lizzie,' scolded her mother, 'that's not polite behavior.' With that, the girl yelled even louder, 'No, thank you! No, thank you!

* * *

On the way back from a Cub Scout meeting, my grandson asked my son the question. 'Dad, I know that babies come from mommies' tummies, but how do they get there in the first place?' he asked innocently. After my son hemmed and hawed awhile, my grandson finally spoke up in disgust. 'You don't have to make something up, Dad. It's OK if you don't know the answer.'

* * *

Just before I was deployed to Iraq , I sat my eight-year-old son down and broke the news to him. 'I'm going to be away for a long time,' I told him. 'I'm going to Iraq .' 'Why?' he asked. 'Don't you know there's a war going on over there?'

* * *

Paul Newman founded the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children stricken with cancer, AIDS and blood diseases. One afternoon he and his wife, Joanne Woodward, stopped by to have lunch with the kids. A counselor at a nearby table, suspecting the young patients wouldn't know that Newman was a famous movie star, explained, 'That's the man who made this camp possible. Maybe you've seen his picture on his salad dressing bottle?' Blank stares. 'Well, you've probably seen his face on his lemonade carton.' An eight-year-old girl perked up. 'How long was he missing?'

* * *

His wife's grave side service was just barely finished, when there was a massive clap of thunder, followed by a tremendous bolt of lightning, accompanied by even more thunder rumbling in the distance. The little old man looked at the pastor and calmly said, 'Well, she's there.

Funny Stuff

For all those who love LDS humor, this is the site for you! Check it out.
http://www.9thwardcartoons.com/
It's hilarious! There's also a link to it in my Friends Blog on the right side. You'll LOVE it!!

Finally, a job offer

Thursday, August 6th I went to a job fair at Qwest, the telephone company. Because of my previous customer service experience, I got the job right away. I start training on August 31st. Last week I had an interview with a pain management clinic for reception, and this week I have a phone interview with an assisted living company hiring in Burley, ID. So in two weeks I will have had 3 job interviews and one offer. I haven't had an interview since March, so this is kinda strange to have so many opportunities to interview. I hope the things I learned at the LDS employment center's career workshop help me to get a job that pays enough for Brady to stay home and go to school full time. If I work at Qwest Brady will have to work part-time as well, but I will have EXCELLENT health insurance, which both of us need really bad. It's a great place to start for sure, but I am still looking for a job in my field.

No more diapers!!

My little boy is not so little anymore! He's now entered big boy status, as he has been potty training this last week. Zenock will be three in October, so I decided to get him in underwear while the weather is still nice. He's been doing really good, and yesterday he didn't have any wet accidents!! Now to conquer the solid stuff....it'll come with time. The last two days he has told us when he needs to go potty, so we get him to the bathroom on time. I have a little more laundry to do now, but I will take that over spending money on diapers any day!!

Yellowstone

We took the kids and Max to Yellowstone Park a few weeks ago. Zenock called it the big stinky water. He had trouble having to walk everywhere and not get carried all the time, and he was too scared to ride on Brady's shoulders because it was really windy. Max and Ammon had fun running around a bunch and being crazy. I sure wish I could bottle some of their energy and save it for me sometime. Maybe then I would have lots of energy to get things done faster and have energy to play with them more.

Zz, Ammon, and Max looking at the sulfer pots.

This one is a smaller geyser near a bunch of paint pots, they are called.
This is, of course, Old Faithful. The boys loved looking at the water shooting up really high.

New Hobbies

Now that I don't have any homework to worry about getting done, I have taken up a new hobby. Well, that's not actually true because I have always loved to sew. I have made a couple of baby quilts for some people. I am also cutting out pieces for a quilt for my bed. My mom has a quilting machine, so after I get the tops put together, I take the stuff to her house and quilt it. These baby quilts were put together really fast. I think I did the whole thing in about 3-4 hours. It's really fun, and I enjoy making things for people. I mean anyone can go to the store and buy a cute baby shower gift, but not many can make something unique like this. I just hope they like the blankets. This is a race car one for a friend in our ward who just had their first little boy a few days ago. The striped fabric has stars and RACING written on it. The red fabric also has stars. The blue race car fabric has stars as well, with a yellow back to tie everything together. I used a primary colors varigated thread, which turned out really cute. I almost wanted to keep it for myself because I liked it so much, but my kids already have homemade blankets.

This quilt is for Brady's step-nephew James and Sharianne's baby girl due in August, if I remember right. It has a pink flannel back, and I quilted it with a yellow and pink varigated thread - but there was some blue in there too, which doesn't look too bad! I used the same pattern for both quilts, and although the blocks are the same, they are completely different.

My neighbor saw these and the quilts I made for the boys last year and she loved them so much that she decided to make some for her two kids. So I am helping her put them together as well. Her little girl's quilt is similar to the this one but it has green and yellow fabric with the flower print and a dark pink back with white dots.

Boy Activities

We heard on the radio that Bigfoot was going to be at a tire store in Pocatello. So my neighbor, Charlee, and her kids came with us and we drove to go see this cool monster truck. I think they were promoting the new tire store because Bigfoot came to the same store in IF last year for the grand opening. The kids LOVED it! Thanks for the great idea Charlee!!

Bigfoot doing a wheelie.

Ammon and Zenock with the big truck. Before the cars were smashed.

After the cars were driven on.