Thanksgiving Snow Fun

We spent a tremendous Thanksgiving week at a cabin in Island Park with my whole family. There are now nearly 30 of us...so we need quite a big place when we are all together. My parents rented a beautiful cabin and we played for 3 days. My sister Clarissa and her family (including my sweet new nephew Miles) were able to join us. It was so great to see her after way too long. We had a great time and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

The Call...

It is so hard to believe that my little brother is soon to be 19! He is the oldest of the two "little boys." Rhett and Lincoln will always be the "little boys" so it nuts to think that Rhett is now old enough to go on a mission. He got his mission call on Thursday - and here is the amazing part - he waited 5 days to open it until all of his brothers and sisters were there. Isn't that amazing! I was incredibly touched that he would wait that long to have us all together.

It was a great night as we were all together. We covered a world map with guesses and mission predictions. He was thrilled to open his call and have it read Anchorage Alaska. He leaves July 27th, two days after his 19th birthday. He will make a phenomenal missionary.

The morning after he opened his call we all went with him to a session at the Rexburg temple. The oldest 7 of my family and their spouses were all there. It was such a neat time - I am sure it is what heaven will be like.

One incredible thing about Rhett is that he almost has his pilots license. While we were home I got to go flying with him. It was so fun to see my Dad and Rhett together in the cockpit and realize it was Rhett taking off and landing the plane and not my Dad. Pretty cool! We are going to miss him like crazy.

Halloween

I LOVED our costume this year. Dan and I got to go to a very fun couples party. As you can see, he was the Publisher's Clearing House Prize Patrol guy and I was a very surprised winner of a million dollars. We pinned the balloons to his back so they hovered over his head wherever he went. The funny thing was that our party involved a scavenger hunt all over our town. Yes, I went into the mall, grocery store, and restaurants wearing my pink robe and curlers in my hair.

These worms were my favorite Halloween project. I got the instructions from TheIdeaRoom. They are made by putting a jello mixture into plastic drinking straws. The looked so real! The kids and I loved them!

I was thrilled to find this gem of a Batman costume at the DI for $4.

If you think she looks cute, you should have heard her sing "The sun'll come out tomorrow". She was the cutest Annie I have ever seen!

Millie was a very warm and cuddly cow. She didn't feel so great, so the pics of her are limited. I took advantage of the occassion and wore my really cool old dress.

Fall

It is not fall without a run through a corn maze for FHE.

I Guess it is My Lucky Day.....

Millie discovers the finer things in life

Spud Harvest

It is that time of year again....time to harvest the potatoes. Growing up, school closed for 2 weeks every year so that all of the kids could help in spud harvest. I spent many cold days in the cellar at my uncle's farm. My Dad grew up a farmer. Farming still runs thick through his veins and every year he drives the digger on the farm. I was excited to take my kids home to show them the process of getting the spuds out of the field and into the harvest. It is an amazing process and I am grateful that I got to be a part of it. My Dad, Kyler, Ceigan and Riley in front of his tractor. The back of the digger filling up the truck. Potatoes in the field with the combine in the background. Rhett teaching Lincoln how to drive truck.

Mountain of potatoes in the cellar.

All in a Day's Work

Ahhh...What a great feeling! (and a whole lot of work).

Summer '09...It's Been Fun!

Happy Birthday Mom!

I have said often that I got good genes from my Mom. She has had 8 kids, no problem. She wears a size 2. She is as happy every minute of her life. She takes care of anyone that remotely needs taking care of. She is talented in so many ways. If I could be just like her, I would have it made. That is really my goal in life.

Today was her birthday celebration...and was it a celebration! My Mom, sister and sister-in-law, and cousins got together at my cousin Jenny's home for the afternoon. We started the party with mock margaritas and were fed like queens. Jenny had prepared a gourmet menu for the occasion - Next Food Network Star...here she comes.

We ate and laughed all afternoon.

I love being with my Mom and her sisters. They are amazing ladies. They love their families, chocolate, and each other. What more is there? Happy birthday Mom! Thanks for a wonderful day Jenny!

New Quote for my Fridge

I am trying to work on this.

First Days of School

Have you ever seen a cuter 1st grader of preschooler?

Fishin'

We spent Labor Day Weekend in Island Park at Dan's grandparents cabin. We had a wonderful time fishing, 4-wheeling, and taking in the beautiful sights and sounds.

A Few of my Favorite Things in My New House

It has been so much fun to decorate my new home. Here are a few pictures of some odds and ends. I found this idea on a blog several months ago and loved it. The pictures are 12 x 12 and I love how they turned out. The drinking fountain was Dan's idea. Isn't he brilliant?

My Excuse

My biggest excuse for not blogging for the last several months is as follows. In April, we put our house up for sale and started building a new one. We chose a lot that is just blocks from our old home, so we got to see every step of the process. We loved designing for the floor plan, picking out colors and materials, and watching it all go up. Dan did all of the tile in the house - the entry way, the kitchen, laundry room, and 3 bathrooms. He was incredibly busy and did a remarkable job. Since my blog is public, I am not posting any pictures of the outside. All I will say is that it turned out perfect and we LOVE it. We moved in the first week of August and still say every night, "I can't believe we have such a beautiful home!"

Island Park

We went on a cabin shopping trip with my parents to Island Park. What a beautiful place! We hope to be spending a lot more time there in the future. Who wouldn't love 4-wheeling with Uncle Todd? How cute is she? Can you see Millie? We drove the Motorhome to Island Park. The kids were all tuckered out on the way home.

So We Will Never Own a Horse

My Sister-in-Law Ashlie is a fantastic horse rider. While we were home, she took us to her Grandpa's house and let the kids ride horses. We had a fantastic time and the loved every minute of it. Kyler loved it, until he got off of his horse and started itching. In 10 minutes his eyes were almost completely swollen shut. He had such a bad allergic reaction that even the whites of his eyeballs became swollen. He looked terrible! At the end of the day, my Mom said, "Kyler, I hope you enjoyed your horse ride, because it is the last one you will ever take." Isn't this cool? Ashlie has been riding horses like this since she was 8.Halle loved it!

Millie and I in the tack room. Poor Kid!