Many Blessings

Hearts Are Broken...

2012-02-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

COMPLETELY!!!

Our faithful friend, Bandit, has been missing for 2 days now.

We are sad!

He has been with us for 8 great years.

Never kenneled, never chained.

Our "porch" dog.

And... if you know this boy,

you know this is a GREAT loss for us.

IRREPLACEABLE!!

Come back... Bandit Boy!!

The Cowboy

2012-01-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

Ahhh.... finally!!!

The big brothers finally got a hold of me

and dressed me in more "manly" clothing.

I got me a hat, vest, chaps and a gun!

Just call me...

Cowboy Coop!

Thanks brothers!

And please tell the sisters -

NO MORE PINK GIRLY STUFF!

Let Me Just Say...

2012-01-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

SO CUTE!!

I mean, seriously, who wouldn't let this in?

He sits at the patio door looking in for someone to

let his cute little self in.

Quite hilarious!

YES! Caleb has another pet porcupine.

So tiny and so very cute!

None of us can say no to the little thing.

So, he makes his way in more than I would like but

such as life on the mountain. :)

Coop was not so sure at first...

and then he could not get enough of the fella.

So fun!

He wore out playing with Cooper and fell asleep

on the buffet behind the couch.

He is "free" to go but chooses to stick around the farm.

He plays with the dogs, snuggles with the cats.
(he also likes to eat their food)

Only Caleb would think to bring home
a porcupine, of all things, and make it a pet!

Swim Fishy Swim!

2012-01-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

Well, my guys (Caleb and Hudson) finished their Cross Country

season back in October.

They are excited and looking forward to track in the spring.

However, they needed something to keep their endurance going

through the winter.

So....

they swim!

(for our town High School)

They are doing great.

Nothing stellar but they continue to get Personal Records

and having a blast!

We had the privilege of having the team in our home

for a Christmas party.

We fed them dinner.

They played games.

They laughed.

And they had a white elephant gift exchange.

More laughter.

What great kids! We were blessed!

And had a blast!!

Lights! Lights! Lights!

2012-01-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

Down to Salt Lake we go!

First destination was Olive Garden for some

yummy food to fill our tummies.

(Lo-ove that place!)

Grant and his family were part of this fun adventure.

Extra fun when there are cousins!

After dinner, we loaded on the FastTrax (train) and headed to the lights.

"When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

Luke 2:15

Lots o' lights.

Lots o' fun!

A Mountain Get-Away

2012-01-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

And this was NOT on our Mountain.

Back in early December -

We packed our bags.

Kissed the 9 children.

And drove from one mountain to another.

This Get-Away was at Snowbird Ski Resort

on the other side of our mountain range.

My brothers own/run a company.

They are always so thoughtful to invite Brian and I to

the company Christmas party.

It's hard for us to say "no".

We like a good party!

They sure know how to "throw one".

We especially enjoy a dinner with friends/family.

And REALLY especially like a "night away".

First thing on the agenda was to ride the tram to the top.

Oh Fun!

My Bro-in-law

Crazy dude.

My older brother, Paul and his wife Elaine

My sweet seesta and cute Isaac.

Hello?! Can you say - yum?

Me and My Guy

So Beautiful

At the Top

WOW!!!

Breathtaking.

Debbie (sister) and Bob

Grant (brother) and Shannon

Paul (brother) and Elaine

Sam(their son) and his "close" friend, Beka

Paul and Grant

I am so proud of these guys.

They do a great job being bosses/owners.

(and I know they couldn't do what they do without their awesome wives)

Way to go guys!

Grant kissing ~~Shannon~~ wait... that's Sam.

Ewww

The Whole Crew with spouses.

Hammin' it up!

Oh MY GOODNESS...

gobble him up!!!

OK. So this is my family.

L to R

Grant, Me, Dad, Mom, Debbie, Paul

These are some of my most favorite people in the whole world.

My family with spouses!

The 2 people that started this whole thing.

And what a great thing!

Thanks Mom and Dad...

for everything!

Oops. Don't look...

A little kissy face.

We had a most fabulous time!

Dear Blog,

2011-12-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Please forgive me for the neglect you have received from me over the past 2 weeks. I will try to do better.
Thanks for not giving up on me.
blessings,
ash

Crafts. Carols. Cousins!

2011-12-17T14:55:00.001-07:00

And a whole lot of

Crazy Fun!!!

Grant's family came over for an evening of FUN!
We started out with a small devotion about
"the star"
and why we use that symbol at Christmas time.
Then we made star ornaments.

Glitter glue and sequins.

Painted popsicle sticks and yarn

And of course a Master Glue Gun-ner...
Grant!

The sticks were glued in a star shape.

Then we wrapped the middle with yarn.

And decorated with glue glitter and sequins.

Voila!

Pretty Stars!

Then we feasted on pizza and salad!

(Wal-mart's take and bake - We LOVE it!!)

And Shannon's homemade fudge!

After our bellies were full and everyone was fat and sassy

(I am always sassy)

the children played the piano/violins and we all sang Christmas hymns.

And then of course there was dancing.

Grant really "cut the rug".

And then the Grand Finale was
DOG PILE ON UNCLE GRANT!!!

Fun! Fun!

Gingerbread

2011-12-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

Another fun tradition around here

at Christmas time - is the building of gingerbread "things".

This year it was Brian and the girls on Team Candyland.

They built a house.

And did a very fine job!

And then there was me and the boys on Team Choo Choo.

We built a train.

Things could have gone much smoother if our frosting hadn't been like puddy.

Nearly impossible to work with.

But, we managed.

And our train turned out ok.

Have you ever tried to build something "cute" or "creative" with 3 boys?
And two of them being teenagers?
OH MY!
It was hoot. And we had fun.

Way to go Gingerbread thingy builders.
Job well done!

Not our playroom!

2011-12-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

Couldn't BE!!

We just don't live like this e.v.e.r.!!!
What children would pull ALL of their toys out and have a blast?
AND LEAVE IT?
Oh, not mine.
Never.

OK.

Maybe my children might do that...

They did.

They do.

BUT....

After an hour

(or 2, or 3)

of teamwork

Voila!

A clean playroom!

(for a few minutes anyway)

;-)

Deck the Tree

2011-12-13T13:29:00.001-07:00

With Ornaments!
For my newbie followers:
One of our Christmas traditions is that each child gets
a new ornament that represents their past year.
Then when they move out, they will have at least 18 ornaments
to decorate their own tree (with a spouse or w/out).

Cooper got the traditional
"Baby's First Christmas" Lenox Ornament
So cute.
(The ornament is too)

Tess - horse
First horse competition
(in the lead-line division)

Dani Rae - piano
Started playing the piano this fall

Elizabeth - piano

Started piano lessons this spring

Weston - soccer player

Played on his first team of soccer

Maggie - soccer player
Also played on a team for the first time

Abbi - cell phone

Got her first phone this year

Hudson - runner and pig

Ran Cross Country for the High School

Raised his first pig

Caleb - runner
Also ran Cross Country
He took 4th overall at State. yay!

Our tree is "decked" out!

And ready for this joyous Christmas season!

Caleb's Future

2011-12-13T10:16:00.001-07:00

A Successful Hunt
(for somebody anyway)

Bull moose says to his friend,

"Ahhh... Revenge!

Isn't it sweet?"

:-)

Totally!

2011-12-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

COMPLETELY

AND TOTALLY

IN LOVE

WITH THIS LITTLE MAN!!

Oh Dani!

2011-12-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

7 Years Old!!!
Welp, we have celebrated another birthday lately.
Dani Rae!!

A few of the guy party guests.
"Hey Caleb! Look what I have... your phone. na na"

How does the "little guy" have all the room on the couch?

And the big guys are scrunched?

A few of the gifts for our horse loving girl:

Horse jammies

Halter for her horse (pink, of course)

Fancy riding shirts

(more pink)

And a yummy oreo crusted Chocolate Delight

for dessert

Cooper got a taster and did NOT want to stop at just a "taster".

And so...

He didn't!

This little girl has been a blessing to us from the minute she was born.

So thankful for her smile and sweet spirit in our lives.

Happy Birthday Dani Rae!!

We love you

Oh Dear!

2011-12-01T16:54:00.001-07:00

Someone's been messin' with my boy again.

And the proof was found on my camera...

My poor little guy

all dressed in pink.

CAALLEB... rescue me!

Put me in my camo.

To Market. To Market.

2011-11-30T10:24:00.002-07:00

It all started back on a hot July evening

when Hudson paid $5 to chase a greased piggy at the Buckaroo Rodeo.

Who knew we would be bringing a pig home that night?

So little and so cute.

Hudson fed him.

And fed him.

4 months later -

He is HUGE!!

He is SOLD!!

Yesterday, we attempted to move him.

Talk about hilarious.

Something learned:

The more you pull on a pig, the more he pulls.
But he pulls harder! Much harder!!

After I took this picture, Hudson grabbed the other ear and the pig took off.

Hudson held on to both ears and his feet were dragging. There was no stopping the squeally pig.

I wished I had kept taking pictures but I was kinda scared for Hudson and I was laughing.

Hilarious!

All to say, the pig won and went back to his pen.

Later that day, the trailer arrived.

Hudson was gone.

Caleb was gone.

Me: "Abbi, how are we going to get him loaded? I saw what he did to Hudson earlier."

Abbi: "Hmmm. How about a bucket of food?"

Me: "He just ate and is not interested."

Abbi: "I know! Milk!"

She ran into the barn and quickly milked our goats.

The trailer backed into the pen.

Abbi put the bucket of milk in his nose and he jumped right into the trailer.

Done!

GONE!!

I Am STUFFED!

2011-11-29T12:03:00.001-07:00

And I thought turkeys were the ones to "get stuffed"!

This is our turkey; stuffed and rubbed with a secret recipe marinade.

Ready to bake!

Then it was off to our yearly tradition of

Pie Breakfast

with friends in Park City.

So many pies. So many friends!

So many memories!

This was kind of a momentous year for our family.
It was the first year since we have been married that we did not feast with extended family or friends.
We had plans for family to come here and then we were going to travel to Idaho
and then we just ended up home - JUST US!
We had a low-key very relaxing day.
Here are a few things we did:

After Pie Breakfast we came home and made appetizers.

Snacked on the yummies...

and watched some football (kinda).

It was on anyway.

Then each of the kids began prepping the dish they chose to make for our Thanksgiving dinner.
Abbi - pumpkin pie
Hudson - Chocolate and Coconut Cream Pie, and Sweet Potato Crunch

Elizabeth - Salad

Tessa - gravy

Maggie and Dani - Crescent Rolls

Caleb - Orange (fruit) Salad
(yes, we let him in the kitchen)

Weston - stuffing

Brian - Turkey Carving

Cooper - Cat Watching

Me - The Kitchen Director

Time to EAT!

After dinner we passed cards around that said'
"I am thankful for you"
and each of us wrote in everyone's cards and shared what we were thankful for about them.

Grandma Great even joined in!

And then...

It was time for more pie!

STUFFED!
and very thankful
for all God has blessed us with - especially each other.
God is good.

Giving Thanks!

2011-11-24T06:57:00.001-07:00

"Give thanks unto the Lord;

for he is good:

because his love endureth for ever"

Psalm 118:1

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lead Line

2011-11-17T15:12:00.001-07:00

What is "lead-line", you might be asking yourself?

Well, in my opinion, it's the greatest horse competition for "yung uns"

E.V.E.R.!!

Items needed:

A 4 year old daughter that LOVEs horses - check

A Horse - check

A Line - check

A Leader - check

So...

with everything in "check", Tessa was able to

join us this year and compete also.

It's all about holding on and how fast your leader/runner can go.

Hence, the blue ribbon and big smiles!

August 13, 2011

The afternoon started off with Hudson and Abbi carrying the flags

for the National Anthem.

aww... tears in my eyes

Beautiful!

Amazing!

I just love our country and our freedom.

Let the games begin!

Go Dani Rae. Go Ty!

A few (cute) fans.

Go! Go! Go!

Hold on Tess!

Run Hudson!

A few more (cute) fans.

It was a fun day in Evanston, WY!

Smile!!

2011-11-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

Weston's smile before...

His smile during...

And his smile now...

:-)

100,000 + 2

2011-11-15T16:22:00.002-07:00

I went to our blog to publish a post and I noticed this...

Wow!!
5 years and 2 months
806 posts
50 followers
2,403 comments
100's of new friends...
=
100,002 visits to our blog

Thanks to everyone who cares about our "goings on"
and takes the time to "check in" on us.
It has been a very fun and memorable 5 years!
Here's to many more - Cheers!

Mommy's Little...

2011-11-14T16:15:00.001-07:00

Princess...

AND

Buckaroo...

Got Milk?

2011-11-09T20:08:00.001-07:00

Cooper DID HAVE milk

(in his belly)

until Caleb came along and started wrestling/playing with him.

And now Caleb has MILK...

in his face!!!

(yuck)

Cooper - laughing!

Caleb - not so much!
(not to worry, we did get Caleb a towel immediately following this pic)

4 Strings and a Bow

2011-11-07T20:09:00.001-07:00

"Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song."
Psalm 95:2

I absolutely LOVE the violin.

So thrilled to have not just one but two playing in our home.

However, I will admit, at first I was not too sure about it.

It was a little hard on the ears.

But I am happy to say after lots of practice and a year of lessons,

the girls are playing amazing - much better.

They enjoy playing piano/violin duets - pretty cool.

Right now, they are working on a Christmas song (violin) duet together.

And they are both learning fiddle songs.

Maggie

Abbi

So Sweet!

2011-11-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

We LOVE these girls!!

Silliness...

"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall praise Your works to another,

And shall declare Your mighty acts."

Psalm 145:3,4

3 Green 1 Blue

2011-11-05T12:34:00.000-06:00

We now have

3 Green Belts

and

1 Blue Belt

Watch out!

Way to go Abbi, Maggie and Weston!

Hudson (not pictured) is the blue belt.

Friday

2011-11-04T16:42:00.001-06:00

Have you ever wondered what we do on Fridays?
Probably not.
Well, if you keep reading
you are about to find out anyway...

First of all,
it's French Toast Friday.
A favorite breakfast around here.
Then we do 2 hours of school.

Then...
we load Grandma into the car and head to
Main Street in our small town
for her weekly hair appointment.
"The Shear Touch" is our destination.

This is where Mrs. P awaits our arrival and gets started on Grandma's hair.

We enjoy our visits with Mrs. P

BUT...

the person Tessa can NOT wait to see is

"Rebecky"!!

(her name is actually Becky but Tess calls her Ra-becky)

Meet Rebecky.

She is 43 years old and lives with her mom.

Becky's mom was kicked by a horse in the stomach when she was pregnant with Becky.

Becky can not walk.

She understands EVERYTHING!

And can talk.

(not real clearly but enough that her mom can understand her)

She and Tess have a fun time together.

Becky's mom gets her hair done just before Grandma so we get to see and visit with

"Rebecky" while her mom finishes up.

TA-DA!

Grandma is all fixed up and ready for another week.

Well, whether you wanted to know or not -

now you know...

what we do on Fridays.

:-)

A New Competitor!

2011-11-03T14:43:00.000-06:00

Weston has joined our team!

He has started to compete on Ranger.

This was his first competition back in July.

He is doing great and having FUN!

Abbi and Cash
whippin' around that barrel

Hudson and Ranger getting a speedy start

Dani Rae and Ty

This is Dani's new little horse riding friend, Haddie.
Her Twin!

Hudson - 2nd
Abbi - 1st
Weston - 3rd
Dani Rae - 2nd

Ashton traveled with and cheered for us at the competition.
Look at all the hardware!!

Welcome Weston!

I Almost Forgot About...

2011-11-02T20:10:00.000-06:00

Hamlet!!

our little piggy

Our "little piggy" is not so little anymore.

Remember when we first brought him home?

He fit in Hudson's arms perfectly.

And the little girls could love on him.

Now look at him!

He is hue-mongo (huge)!!

Just about ready to sell and take to market.

He is a fun addition to our little farm.

He will be missed :-(

Down on the Farm

2011-11-01T19:34:00.000-06:00

We LOVE our 4-legged furry friends.

Toby - the Spoiled One

Coco - milking goat

Patsy - the FAT milking goat

Rodeo - the "clown" dog

Ty - the speedy barrel racer

Ranger - the King

Cash - the Sweet One

Merrylegs - the Fun One

Tally - the feisty one

Ty - the Teddy Bear

Bandit - The Protector

And of course,

Dolly - Llama

These animals keep us very busy and very happy.

Two Brothers...

2011-10-31T08:15:00.000-06:00

Two Big Guns
Two Bucks

** Translation **

Tons o' meat!!

Caleb got this 2x2 on Tuesday

We hung it and had it curing

And then Hudson got his buck on Wednesday

3x3

So....

On Friday we were processing.

We have pounds and pounds of deer sausage in the freezer.

And we have pounds of jerky marinating.

Oh YUM!

Caleb saw this guy while hunting.

And this guy went along to cheer on "his boy".

Oh Bandit!

We love you!!

A fun and busy week for my boys.

Tidbits of Info

2011-10-26T05:59:00.005-06:00

(from the mouth of a babe)

OK, all you big peeps out there,

let's get one thing straight...

us ~~babies~~ little peeps really do NOT need

a pile of toys in front of us at all times.

Uninterested.

So, don't spend your money on those pricey little "distractors"

or stress about making sure there is plenty of toys in the diaper bag

before leaving the house.

Trust me.

We are not interested.

We are content with a piece of grass, or a leaf, our toes-ies,

a wrapper, our sisters' hair...

Anything but a toy!

Seriously!

Oh and another thing -

pictures...

enough already!

We are busy ~~playing~~ solving the worlds problems.

Photos are a distraction to our thoughts.

Oh alright, here is one for your trouble...

{smile}

And here is a profile, a side-view.

OK.

Ahhhh. Back to work.

If I could just reach that piece of grass...

Seriously?

Right now?

You are still taking and wanting more pics?

I Am Busy!

Since you are still here...

I will share one more tidbit of info with you.

I have 10 favorite peeps.

Let me introduce to you one of them - my most fave for the time being.

She is my food source. She is my life-giver.

(of course she is my fave, what guy doesn't appreciate good food?)

She is my mom!

I really do love to "hang" with her.

Overall, life is good.

I am enjoying this "baby" thing.

It is fun to "be" the baby.

BUT...

One day soon (very soon) they will all see that I am a MAN.

And that I really don't need these baby toys.

Until then, back to my ~~toys~~ work.

:-)

SALT!

2011-10-25T03:59:00.004-06:00

And lots of it!

Back in August we took a family trip to the

Great Salt Lake - Antelope Island

A few known facts:

1- The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere,the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around 1,700 square miles.

2 - The Great Salt Lake is endorheic (has no outlet besides evaporation) and has very high salinity, far saltier than sea water. Because of its unusually high salt concentration, most people can easily float in the lake as a result of the higher density of the water.

(resource: wikipedia)

We have talked about going for years - each year.

The kids ask, we talk about it, we think we are going to go

and then....

we don't.

This year - WE DID!

We hiked up, up, up.
Checked out the views.
AMAZING.

Climbed the rocks and hiked around.

Tess

Abbi, Elizabeth, and Maggie

Hudson carrying the Hunk for a bit.

WOW!

Where's the Beach?
That way!

Crazy Mountain Kids

Our Incredible 9

Tess and Daddy

So not fair!

All of us!

On top of the world.

(well, not really)

We saw several buffalo and antelope.

THEN...

we went to the beach!

Some of us (actually just one of us) took a nap.

While the others played in the sand

and swam/floated in the salty water.
Very salty.

Found a few "soft spots"
and sunk

Me and Cooper enjoying the beach
(along with a gazillion brine flies)

The Coop!

Awake and happy

We all had a blast and highly recommend it.

Definitely a highlight of this summer.

Here Moosie Moosie

2011-10-22T10:26:00.000-06:00

Well, I didn't really call her in.

I actually moved slowly to get to her

and stood very still while taking these pics.

After serving breakfast at camp, we were on our way out and saw her come down from the trees to get a drink in the nearby pond.

Moose really are an amazing looking creature

and HUGE!

Garden of the Gods

2011-10-21T12:59:00.000-06:00

One last thing from our trip to Colorado...

Our conference was in Colorado Springs, CO.

Sooo, we took an afternoon to visit the State Park

Garden of the Gods.

It was beautiful and very fun to walk around.

However, I will say, it just "killed" my boys that they were dressed up and couldn't climb on the rocks.

Oh, the temptation and the self-control (or lack of it).

:-)

The Crew

My Girls

My cute Man and Me

My guys

Our future (happy) rock climber.

note: see the guy in the background?

Oh how his two-tooth grin just melts me!!

I have no pictures of the conference but we had a blast and the children learned lots.
We are thankful for our experience!

STATE (sigh of relief)

2011-10-20T19:18:00.000-06:00

This (mountain) mama is so glad to have that race behind us.

I think I had enough nerves and butterflies for the whole team.

Actually, probably for ALL of the teams.

I remember back-in-the-day all the nerves before a race.

I was flooded with all of them again x 10.

It was so fun to be watching "my guys".

Last words of encouragement before lining up

On the start line

Get your game on!

BANG!

Let the race begin

Caleb was about 8th here.

After this hill, he was in 1st.

Go Caleb!!

Go Hudson!

Caleb finished 4th overall!

YAY!

STATE!

2011-10-19T10:34:00.000-06:00

Today is State!

Aaaaaa... I am so nervous for my guys

AND

very excited!!

I am praying, praying.

Go guys!!

RUN YOUR GUTS OUT!!

Seesta...

2011-10-19T10:23:00.000-06:00

I LOVE MINE!!

We finally made it to my sisters house.

Yay!

My children were so excited to see and be with their cousins.

We finally got to meet the newest cousin -
Isaac
He is soooo yummy cute!

Cooper and Naomi

The storm we drove through was headed their way the next day so the children harvested the garden in preparation for the snow.
David and Weston

Sarah and Elizabeth

What a harvest of yummies!

Savannah

So beautiful!

Naomi talking to Cooper

Tessa and Sammy painting

More painting

Oh, my very cute nephew.

Our time with cousins was way too short but we loved every minute of it.

Colorado is the place to be...

2011-10-18T15:51:00.001-06:00

at a conference called ICC!
(wow - it rhymed)

ICC stands for
Institute for Cultural Communicators
"The mission of ICC is to shape culture through authentic communication and equip Christian students with both the competence and character they need to influence culture for Christ."
We had the opportunity and privilege to attend.
It is for ages 6 and older. They were all able to participate except Tessa and Cooper.
So we all packed up and headed out.
(Grandma stayed home with my parents)

When you have many peeps and you are traveling more than 45 minutes to your destination than you travel through the night. This is a great lesson we have learned through the years.
Here is why...
Everyone sleeps (except the driver, of course) and no one is hungry, thirsty or needs to go potty.
(makes for a much quicker and less hassle trip)

So, we left at 3am and arrived to Denver at about noon.
We had lunch packed and decided to stop at one of our
old stomping grounds - Washington Park - to have a picnic and stretch our legs.
(We lived in Denver for 2 years and lived just a mile from this park)

Cooper loved the swing.

Anything is better than his carseat

Little girls enjoyed the slide.

A Race!

Go. Go!

Cooper and Maggie
Does this boy ever NOT smile?

Tessa

Weston

Dani Rae

We also drove by the apt we lived in while attending Denver Seminary.

And the park we use to walk-the-dog.

Denver Seminary has relocated, but this is where it use to be.

We had a great time playing, running, eating and visiting old places.

Then we continued on our journey to my sister's...
stay tuned!

Teenage Boys...

2011-10-17T11:39:00.000-06:00

I LOVE MINE!!

I absolutely love having "young men" in our home.

I really do.

(most of the time)

They are good workers and very helpful around the house and camp.

(most of the time)

It is a joy for me to see them play and take care of their younger siblings.

I am truly enjoying this season of life - teenagers and babies

and everything in between.

Anyways....

my two teenage boys (that I am in love with) have been running cross country this year.

Last week was their region meet in Salt Lake.

The night before they had their Carbs Dinner (spaghetti) with the team.

The coach gave them a "pep talk" and gave them each a purple (NS colors) bead for their shoestring.

Team Spirit!!

My Two Boys

Hudson and Caleb

Warming up

Team stretching

Hudson

I think they should stick to running - definitely would not make it very far in Vegas.

Game planning with Coach

Before the race Huddle

WooHoo!

Caleb in the lead and Hudson right behind.

The next time we saw the runners, Caleb had a pretty good lead.

Hudson was right in there (in the pack) behind Caleb

Next time we saw Caleb, he had fell behind.

Not normal for him.

As he passed me, I said, "Come on buddy. Catch 'em!"

He looked at me in pain and said, "My asthma."

I ran to find his bag and rifled through it until I found his inhaler.

I handed it to him when I saw him again.

He inhaled.

And tried to make up lost ground.

Hudson hanging with the front guys.

Caleb passed a few guys but just could not get back to the front.

He placed 6th overall and 3rd for the team.

Hudson placed 4th overall and 1st for the team.

Our boys team took 2nd.

(got beat by 2 points)

Our girls team took 2nd.

Both teams are going to STATE!!

Hudson getting his medal.

The boys team

The boys and girls team.

State is on Wednesday.

We are praying for good health, no asthma attacks and very fast legs.

Go Braves!!

Everything is A.O.K.

2011-10-16T14:17:00.001-06:00

I AM BACK!

home-schooling, horse competitions, nursing Cooper, cooking for campers on the weekends, admiring Cooper, taking hikes, karate, piano lessons, Cross Country meets, loving on Cooper, horseback riding, violin lessons, soccer games, outdoor projects, morning runs, snuggling Cooper, feeding 2 very hungry teenage boys (ALL of the time), laundry (ugh), a communication and leadership conference (for the 7 oldest kids) in Colorado, fun visit with my sister while in CO, kissing Cooper's face all over the place, mother/daughter co-op, Gma June visit, laughing with Cooper...

BUSY!
A fun and good busy.

I can't believe I have not posted for 6 weeks.

It was a nice break but now I have some catching up to do.

:-)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T10:56:00.000-06:00

I think our "baby" has outgrown his bassinet.

aww

Pumped!

2011-08-30T13:59:00.000-06:00

One of our peeps had a birthday.
It wasn't just any ol' regular birthday.
It was his 10th!

Coop was excited for another pa-arty!

Weston chose Coconut Cream Pie for his dessert.

Lo-ove it!!

He barely got all 10 candles blown out.
Whew!!

He opened a few presents.
(yes, Caleb wrapped this one in girly paper for him)
:-)

Opened a few cards with $$$

And tradition around here is that

when you turn 10...

you get a BB gun!!!

Load!

Pump!

Safety Off!

Aim!

Fire!!

Then he showed his sisters how to do it.

(isn't that the cutest?)

The next morning, he went out and got his "first kill".

He is loving being 10 and owning a gun.

Not Again!

2011-08-26T10:46:00.000-06:00

Someone's been messin' with my boy again.

And I got the proof!

Evidence was on my camera.

Cooper is 5 1/2 months.

Sleeping through the night and taking 2 1/2 naps throughout the day.

He is sitting up and starting to eat food.

Oh yum!

He loves to hear his name - Cooper Stone

He does NOT like pink sunglasses but will tolerate them for now.

His personality is laid back and very happy.

Coop is a joy to all of us.

We especially love the drool...

and REALLY love his smiles.

:-)

In case you are wondering what his shirt says...

"Sorry Girls, mommy says NO DATING!"

Does everyone understand that?!

Well, he seems happy enough about the silliness the kids do to him.

If it's good with him, it's good with mama!

Oh! We lo-ove this boy!!

Her Boy!

2011-08-25T12:46:00.001-06:00

and....

Her Best Friend!!

This is Dani Rae's beloved boy, Ty.

He is patient and good to her.

They compete together.

He gives her "his all".

They are buddies.

Dani Rae loves him!

And, if I didn't know better, Ty loves her too -

ALOT!

A New Thing!

2011-08-24T20:10:00.000-06:00

We have a new ball and a new kind of uniform around here.

Weston is trying the "soccer thing" with his cousin, Jake.

They both participated in a soccer camp.

For never having kicked a ball, he did great!

And he really enjoys it!

He starts his "new thing" with his official team and coach tomorrow.

Oh the excitement!!

Mountain Man Living

2011-08-22T14:16:00.000-06:00

Back in June (yes, way back then), we went to a

"Mountain Man Living"

Day at This is the Place Monument.

I guess we don't get enough "mountain living" up here so we went down to the city for a bit more :-)

Oh, we had fun!

A pioneer woman showing the girls how laundry was done back then -

By Hand!!

Then each of the girls got to try it.

And then they hung the laundry to dry.

We all decided we like doing laundry with our machines.

Spoiled!

A lady was spinning yarn.

A fun tree swing for Dani Rae

Hudson playing "pick up sticks

Caleb and Coop enjoying the shade.

Weston trying a few games with the pioneer boys.

Tessa taking a turn at it.

And Elizabeth

Ahhh...

Home Sweet Home for my boys.

They loved this tent.

Look at those hides!

Beaver, fox, coyote...

Oh, the envy!

This guy was a trader looking for Indians that might be interested in trading for some of his things.

It was fun to see and hear about his belongings and what they were used for.

The Mountain Man Blacksmith.

Very interesting to watch him pound out the shapes.

Our Crew of 9

Bombarded!

2011-08-22T13:33:00.000-06:00

That is what's about to happen to you.

You are about to be "bombarded" with blog posts.

I am so very way beyond behind in my blogging.

Enjoy the "bombard-ation" of posts.

(is that a word?)

What a Pig!

2011-08-06T15:11:00.000-06:00

Hudson's little Hamlet is eating "like a pig" and growing.

He sure is cute in his own little piggy way.

Waddup?

2011-08-05T21:43:00.000-06:00

Howdy Ya'll!

Camo Coop

Before you go -

Look at this move.

This is what takes place when the children "play" with Cooper.

He is a good sport.

Not mention, he LOVES all of the attention.

Oh, to be #9!!

More Fun Family Time

2011-08-01T14:44:00.000-06:00

And before Paul's family left home for Idaho we had some fun...

Big Canyon Style!!

We started on the Crazy Swing

Alli

Josh

Mark

Jess

Sam

Paul

Julia

AND even Elaine went!

Woot! Woot!

Team work pulling the "swinger" to the top

Brian and Tess

Go Tess!

Spectating

And then on to the GaGa Pit...

to play GaGa, of course.

(no, it's not Lady Gaga)

And the grand finale...

The Bog!

Walking on a cable over a mossy, leach-infested pond.

yeek!

Once again, our time together was too short but we had a blast and made many great memories!

Oh, And By the Way...

2011-07-30T17:06:00.000-06:00

Happy 4th of July!

(just a little late BUT it is still July)

Since I mentioned 4th of July in my last post, I might as well show you what we did.

If you have been "following" me for over a year

than you know that July 4th is my most absolute favorite holiday.

I L.O.V.E. IT!!

After seeing the pics you might understand why...

We start the day off with a 5k race.
(This was the first year that I ran it)

Warming up and Stretching

Jake, Calvin, Weston, Elizabeth, Mark and Josh
getting in position on the start line

Lauren, Alli, Hudson, Grace, Abbi and Emilie

waiting for the race to begin

Tessa, Julia and Hope
Our cheerleaders

Gma June, Cooper and Brian also cheered us along.

Look at these guys!
Curuzin!!
And check out Mark's footwear...
Tevas!!
No socks!!!
And the kid is fast.
(he beat me. not that that is saying much)

Maggie, Abbi and Emilie
(great form Em)

Calvin and Paul

Grant, Josh and Me

Lauren

WHEW!
What a race.
Yes, I finished and I didn't die. Almost... but I didn't.

THEN...
after the race, we eat.
It is the most fabulous pancake feed - E.V.E.R.!

Pancakes (of course)

Hash browns, eggs, sausage,

a bowl of fruit,

and the choice of milk, choco milk or juice.
It's a feast!

Caleb, Sam and friend, Jason
played in 3 on 3 bball tourney.
They got 3rd!

The Whole Crew
(except for Caleb and Sam)

The 3 awesome Dads of this crew

Paul, Brian and Grant

We hung out at the park for awhile then headed home for naps.
Grilled hamburgers.
Ate homemade ice cream.
Watched some fireworks.
Went to bed.

My favorite holiday.
Why? you ask.
Well, I think it boils down to the fact that the town entertains me and my family all day.
My one day "off" from entertaining.
No organizing activities, food or schedules.
Just play.
Don't get me wrong - I love to entertain but I do enjoy being entertained once a year.
:-)

Thanks America!!
I love you.

98 and Great!

2011-07-27T10:56:00.000-06:00

That's right!

This is Grandma Great.

And she just turned 98!!

This is my Grandma.

(my dad's mom)

My two brothers and their families and my family all gathered at my parents house for the big celebration. (our sister and family were not able to make it)

Her birthday is around the 4th of July.

We said the Pledge of Allegiance,

sang the National Anthem

and then sang Happy Birthday!

We ate pizza!!

Jake and Calvin

Abbi, Jess, Maggie and Hudson

Maggie and Jess

Some of the crew enjoying their lunch in the shade

Mom and Dad

Then we ate cake...

and homemade peach ice cream.

YUM!

The children also did a performance/dance to the song "Who Am I?" by Casting Crowns.

Then we played!

Grant (back), Paul, Grandma and Me

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

We love you.

A Clutch?

2011-07-25T13:57:00.001-06:00

YES!

We have ourselves a "clutch" of ducks.

Mama and Papa Duck spent a few days finding and preparing the nest for their future generation. She laid her eggs in this nest until there were about 7.

Then she sat.

And sat.

Sat through the rain.

Sat through the heat.

Sat 24/7 for 28 days.

And now she has 3 ducklings, so far.

She is still sitting!
And we are still waiting...

Ride 'em Cowboy!

2011-07-21T21:33:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again...

Horse competitions.

A little delayed because of the EHV1 (equine virus) that hit the west.

However, it is in full swing now.

We competed in Evanston 2 weeks ago.

My dad helping with the set-up of barrels.

What a guy!

Hudson competing in poles.

He got 3rd overall in 4 different events.

Dani Rae

She got 4th overall.

Abbi doing poles.

She got High Reserve (2nd) overall for all events.

Hudson and Ranger

Abbi and Cash

Dani Rae and Ty

Way to go!

Always a fun day competing.

Boy Meets Horse

2011-07-20T20:53:00.000-06:00

Boy

Meets

Horse!

Cooper, the future Cowboy

This Little Piggy

2011-07-19T11:49:00.000-06:00

Well, I guess our farm was not complete without a pig.

NOW - it's complete!

Hudson, Abbi and Dani Rae competed on their horses at a local Little Buckaroo Rodeo.

Abbi got third in the Keyhole and Barrel events.

Hudson and Dani didn't place but did an outstanding job.

One of the side events during the evening was to catch a greased pig.

Of course, all of my children wanted to chase that little piggy with the end goal of catching him and getting to bring him home.

There were so many kids, I figured our chances of catching him would be small.

Boy, was I wrong.

Hudson was the first one to get hands on that slippery little oinker.

And Abbi was right there if he had not caught him.

I guess our chances weren't as small as I thought.

After I saw that Hudson was definitely the winner -

I started yelling to him,

"We ARE NOT taking him home. Hand him to somebody else!"

He looked at me with a smile that told me he was going to keep him.

He was very proud and very excited.

He said this pig would be his "project". He will care and pay for all of his needs.

Done.

OK.

This little piggy has a home.

Touched by Angels

2011-07-12T22:01:00.000-06:00

These sweet people are the most amazing couple
E.V.E.R.!!
How they found and came to Big Canyon was completely orchestrated by God.
And we are ever so thankful!!

Mr and Mrs W live in California.
They had been to a camp (in CA) a few years ago and while they were there as campers, they saw and met a few retired couples that lived in their trailers and volunteered at the camp.
After seeing how these people served - that's what they wanted to do when they retired.
Well....
they retired.
And we were the blessed recipients of their love and servants hearts.
WOW!!
They were here for about 8 weeks and got soooo much done.
They have gone home and we REALLY miss them.

Gordon, Karen and Cooper

Tessa was Mrs W's sidekick almost the entire time.
What a pair!

After a long days work (if they were up to it), we would have dinner, make cookies, or watch movies and eat popcorn with them.

Tessa, Dani Rae and Elizabeth played many games with Mrs W.
Their favorite was the matching game.
Poor Karen had no chance of winning.
Oh, those young minds with an incredible memory.
:-)

We are praying that God leads them back to Big Canyon and into our lives again -

Real Soon!

Wigs and No More Pigs

2011-07-05T20:26:00.000-06:00

Dani Rae

BEFORE...

9 inches measured...

CHOP!

Hair for a wig!

And too short for "pigs".

(around here we call pig-tails, "pigs")

We have sent the nine inches and we are praying for the person that will receive her hair in a wig.

State!

2011-06-29T15:47:00.000-06:00

This is a picture from our local newspaper of Caleb and Hudson running the 2 mile at the State Track Meet in May.

Finding the Heat (part 4)

2011-06-28T06:51:00.001-06:00

(remember we went to California back in May while we were still getting snow here?)
After spending the morning at the Aquarium we were off to...
THE BEACH!
The Pacific Ocean...
Sunset Beach
Ahhh.
All 9 making the trek through hot sand with the final destination...

hitting the waves!

Oh what fun for us country mountain people

Coop enjoyed his "beach time" resting in his carseat

while tanning his toe-sies.

L.O.V.E. this pic
(seaweed and all)

Dolphins! Dolphins!

They swam up close and personal.

AND gave us mountain people a "little show" as they passed by.

My toes in the sand.

Loving every minute of it!

Tess burying herself.

Elizabeth digging for shells

Maggie

Hudson

Abbi

Dani Rae

Weston

This was a big highlight for all of us.
We had a great afternoon at the beach!

Yummi-ness!

2011-06-25T14:40:00.000-06:00

Our smiley boy...

Cute hat crocheted by a friend.
Thanks Jennifer!

His "please push me" look.
Enough pictures!

Peek-a-boo!

Oh, those big, baby blues

and the drool...

melt my heart!

Fun Father!

2011-06-24T09:20:00.000-06:00

And a fun evening!

(Cooper's priorities were a bit messed up. He chose to sleep and missed out on the eating of s'mores. I am sure next year he will make a better choice :-)

Brian was busy with campers all weekend.

They left Sunday afternoon and that is when Brian got horizontal and CRASHED!

We gave him his quiet...

For a short time.

Then we celebrated him with a yummy dinner:

Fresh Alaska Salmon

Green Salad

Bread

AND...

S'mores at the "marshmellow" pit!!

Earlier that day Hudson, Abbi and I went to the hospital to give MY dad a gift and lots of hugs.

It was also good to visit with mom, hold her hand and squeeze her feet. Please continue to pray for her. Thank you. Thank you!!

Mom Update

2011-06-23T20:52:00.001-06:00

My Mom called this morning as she was sitting outside.

Loving the fresh air.

Enjoying the rose garden.

Still at the hospital.

Doing EXCELLENT!

Feeling soooo much better.

Should be going home this weekend.

YIPPEE!

"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever:

with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations."

Psalm 89:1

Rambo-ette

2011-06-23T10:54:00.001-06:00

Good guesses!

But, there were no soft pellets or paint involved.
And no orange tips.

This was the "real deal"!

AR .223

Holy Cow!

This thing was fun to shoot.

Especially from the hip and like a machine gun.

(not to worry, no one got hurt while I was shooting :-)

Perfect aim.

Bullseye!

My nephew taking a turn

(after he ripped it out of my possession)

Caleb

Hudson

My nephew's shirt.

I can relate...

just pacing myself.

hee hee

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-22T12:39:00.001-06:00

Gotchya guessin'?

(more later)

Prayer Updates

2011-06-16T16:02:00.002-06:00

Thanks for your continued prayers for Brian.

The Dr. said his foot is 80% "heel"ed.

The last 20% will take the next 2 years for it to completely heal and for him to feel no pain.

He has a bit of a limp when he walks but he is free from crutches, knee brace, and knee walker.

Freedom!

Just pain at the end of the day.

That's ok.

(easy for ME to say)

We are thankful he is on the mend and back to, somewhat, normal activity again.

My MOM

What was suppose to be an in and out colonoscopy has turned into a 2 week stay at the luxurious Salt Lake Hospital. She has had a few post-op issues that are getting better each day.

Pray for a quick resolve of these issues so she can go home.

She came to our house the day before her appt to "love on" Cooper (and the others),

to eat "Make-your-own-taco Night",

to help the girls finish a sewing project,

and to help celebrate Abbi's birthday.

We Love You, Mom!!

Thanks again SO MUCH for your prayers.

Greatly appreciated!

"He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion."

Psalm 111:4

Monkey in the Middle

2011-06-15T15:13:00.000-06:00

AND we love the one in the middle!

Finding the Heat (part 3)

2011-06-11T15:30:00.002-06:00

About mid-week into our vacation, we traveled a few hours west.
Anaheim.
We hit the Aquarium of the Pacific for our morning activity.

Watching the sharkies!

Petting the Tiger Sharks.

Watching the seals and sea lions get fed and do tricks.

On the beach

:-)

These crabs fascinated all of us.

For one, they did not move and just swayed with the waves.

For two, they were huge!

Cute little Clown Fish

More learning and observing...

Tessa and the "love of her life" - Daddy!

The whole crew (- me).

(someone had to take the pic)

Afterwards, we found a shady place near the ocean and palm trees to have a picnic lunch.

It was a fun morning at the Aquarium and then we were off to...

(stay tuned)

Strings...

2011-06-08T14:52:00.000-06:00

beautiful music and pretty girls!

Saturday was a fun day for the girls (and Cooper) in our family.

We all dressed up and headed to SL for Abbi and Maggie's violin recital.

They did fabulous!!

Abbi

Maggie

Maggie, Mrs. C (violin teacher), and Abbi

After the recital we went to the hospital to see Nana (my mom).

And then we went to lunch at the girls' most favorite resaurant...

The Olive Garden!

Little Man had a fun day with all of "his girls".

Pray. Pray. Please!

2011-06-06T13:08:00.001-06:00

It started out as a routine check-up.

Her oncologist checked for lumps and tumors.

Found nothing.

She has had issues with her colon and so they scheduled her annual colonoscopy in 3 weeks to check things out.

They took her blood for CA-125 (ovarian cancer test) and it came back 6,000 (0-30 is normal). When they got those results they moved her colonoscopy to the next week.

That was on Wednesday (6/1).

They didn't get very far when they saw that something from the outside of the colon was pushing on it. It needed to be addressed from the outside.
So, they stopped the procedure.
Dad took her to another hospital so she could be in the care of her "miracle" surgeon, Dr. Belnap.

Dr. Belnap was the only surgeon willing to operate on mom when she was so sick and near death, 4 1/2 years ago. PTL for Belnap!!

Well, on Thursday mom was in surgery for 8 hours and a grapefruit sized tumor was removed from her colon.

She is in ICU recovering from the surgery and doing great.

She is strong!

She is amazing!

She is so beautiful!

We trust God in all things and know He has his arms tightly wrapped around mom.

Mom and her "Giving Tree"

It gives her everything she needs - liquids, food, meds etc.

Thank you for your prayers!

"Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.

For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord."

Psalm 117:1-2

It's a Flop!

2011-06-06T12:10:00.002-06:00

AND a Flip!

It was a beautiful weekend complete with...

flip flops.

My toesies are FREE and I am a happy girl.

:-)

We are loving this great weather!!