Spud Day 2009

Andy didn't get back from Germany on time to do the cotton candy for spud day, so I learned very quickly out of necessity. I found out I am actually pretty good at it. This year we were wildly successful, especially since it was our first time and we had a few competitors. Most of the time we were selling as fast as I could make it. I was there for over 8 hours without a break. My parents helped out all day too and I even recruited some of my cousins, my uncle, and my grandma to pitch in some help from time to time. I couldn't have done it without the help from my family and it reminds me how truly blessed I am to have such a wonderful caring family so close to home.

10 year anniversary

This year for our 10 year wedding anniversary we went to Horseshoe Bend, Idaho to experience zip-lining and to ride the train. We had a great time. I liked zip-lining from tree top to tree top and across the canyon. Andy enjoyed his scenic train ride. The man behind Andy is the magician. I loved the tricks when he made animals appear. He even did a special trick for us for our 10 year anniversary, which I must say was rather impressive. It was a card trick where I picked any card and he made it pop up from the deck when placed in a goblet. What amazed me most was that I had picked the 10 of clubs to signify another 10 years of good luck. He knew I would pull out that card, but I was careful to pull out a card that was hidden in the middle of the deck. I saw the top two, and knew the ace of spades was on top and the 2nd card was red. I don't have any idea how he did it, but I was impressed. He autographed that card for us.

Las Vegas pics, better late than never.

Patience

I think I know why Adora is so good at puzzles. It came from her baby blessing. With Naomi, Andy blessed her with the ability to make friends easily. Oops. Now we have a child who won't stop talking, has trouble paying attention in school, and has to be separated from the other girls in her class. :) At least she has friends. Sabian is the typical pesky brother like any boy should be. Andy had foresight into what Adora would really need to cope with her older brother and sister. He blessed her with patience. She started doing puzzles very early, at 15 months, to give her something to do while Naomi and Sabian did gymnastics. She took far more interest in them than Sabian ever did. She's also my child that enjoys books the most. She can sit in my lap while I read through a full story. She also sits and reads to her baby doll. Granted, she can still throw a tantrum like any toddler, but all in all I think that baby blessing did her some good.

Naomi is determined to get one of her creations published in Lego Brickmaster Magazine. Just in case that doesn't work out, I published it here for the world to see. I like this one.

I'm still alive

I can't believe I waited 2 months to post anything. My husband and I went to Vegas last week and saw "V the Ultimate Variety show" where Fast Wally can play Fur Elise on the keyboard with his juggling balls. That was fun. We also went to the Las Vegas and St. George Temples. That brings my total to 8 different Temples. If you count just visiting, I've been to 12, but I only count if I'd been through an endowment session. I still think Idaho Falls is the coolest.

While we were gone, it was stormy in Idaho. Actually it's been stormy for 3 weeks with no end in sight. My parents watched my kids while we were gone. My dad brought up a flashlight in case the power went out. Sabian spotted it, then went around turning out all the lights, and told my dad "See Grandpa, it's dark, but it's okay, I've got a flashlight." I had to laugh when he told me that. That's my boy. :)

Adora has two phrases that are just too cute to resist. "Brush a teeth?" and "Read a book?" You have to hear her say them, it's so adorable, I usually stop what I'm doing to go read to her.

Happy Birthday to ME

I took the kids to the Easter Egg Hunt at my work today. They all filled their buckets to the brim, without any help. Sabian won 2 big prizes. Adora got the last egg. When all the other kids decided they had all been found, Adora was crawling under the eaves to reach the last egg.

After the egg hunt we all came back to my house for my birthday party. Hooray!

Andy gave me wii fit for my birthday. We all had fun playing on it. My mom made me a fun wrap around skirt. My brother Robby even made me an apple pie! Naomi made my german chocolate birthday cake with only a little guidance from my mom. Robby and Steven say they have something else for me too, but they left it home, so I am to remain in suspense until it is delivered to me. Oh, well, I like surprises. I'm feeling the love. I don't see why anyone dreads birthdays. Time passes reguardless, but birthdays to me are a time when I am reminded people love me and they are glad I'm still around.

Kittens 11 days old

They sure grow fast. I'm surprised by how big they are already

Their eyes are open!

Dog Scouts

Check out the Dog Scouts. This site has lots of fun information. There is even an article describing how to teach your dog to paint. I like the scent discrimination games. I think teaching the dog to find my kids will be useful. I've been on a "learning about dogs" kick ever since I saw a bloodhound track a baby that was inside a car and found her 20 miles away. That bloodhound knew which highway exit the would be thief had taken. Amazing. Then I learn of dogs that can smell cancer. Now that is awesome.
In a National Geographic show titled 'Dog Genius', an untrained juvenile bloodhound successfully tracked the suspect from a staged shooting who fled by vehicle through the city of Long Beach, CA by using nothing more than the scent from a bullet casing. In the experiment, the suspect was allowed to travel anywhere within a 3 mile radius. The dog was able to easily track the suspect through busy intersections, along a major highway, past numerous hot dogs placed on the ground as a diversion, and finished by singling out the correct person on a crowded beach.

Seven kittens born today!

Our cat with her seven kittens only hours old.
Here is the firstborn.

Here is the runt.


My cat went into labor at 3pm, in the middle of my dining room floor. I had to have the kids to Gymnastics at 3:30. Figures. I try to encourage her to have her kittens in the bathtub before
I left and although I hurried to drop them off and get back home, alas, I was too late. She was having her first kitten in the middle of my hallway on my white carpet. Figures. I was able to get a towel under her just as the second came out, then I scooped them all up and put them in the bathtub, where she was content to stay. She always did like sleeping in the bathtub. I'm not cruel, I did give her plenty of padding and towels this time and the tub was safer from the kids. She finished just after supper. The second to the last was huge, but the last one was a runt. I hope the runt makes it. Naomi loves the kittens, but she wouldn't stay while they were being born. Her response was "Ewww." Adora watched the first one born then lost interest. Sabian on the other hand I had to drag away. He thought the whole thing was awesome. When I was ready to reclaim my shower, I tried to move them out, but mama cat would have nothing to do with that, she wanted them right back in the tub. Oh, well. I tried. I'll have to use Andy's tub.

Muskrat anyone?

I was surprised to see the offering left for me on my front porch yesterday morning. I had no idea what it was. My dog is a good mouser and has made a habit of leaving mice on the porch, perhaps as a gift, perhaps simply to show us she earns her keep. This large rodent was no mouse. It was much bigger than a rat. My husband guessed a chinchilla or prairie dog, but the tail discounted that theory. The tail looked more like a possum, but the face didn't. After we both went to work and discussed what we thought we saw in the pitch black at 5 am, we thought we'd look up the muskrat. Definite match. I'd never seen one before, or if I had, I would have thought it a small beaver in the distance. I never thought my dog would be the first to find one for me. Wikipedia says trappers found their fur to be warm and of good quality and their meat tastes like rabbit or duck. Not a bad offering if we'd known what to do with it. Andy was happy it was not still there when we got home so he wouldn't have to deal with it. It did make for an interesting morning though.

Adora the unstoppable

Adora had a big day Saturday. I tried the potty training in a day method, but didn't get the full day without distractions, and though she has some trouble getting her pants pulled back up, she is doing very well. She tells me when she has to go if she needs help. I'm impressed for a 20 month old. She also learned to roller skate Saturday night. She only fell down once when she got excited over seeing grandma. She was willing to learn, started slow and improved in one night. She was having so much fun. She would look up at me and giggle as we skated together. She wanted to go out into the rink again and again. If only my back didn't ache from holding hands with a toddler, I think we would have kept skating non-stop. Sabian had fun too, but he never really tried. He didn't move his feet so much as letting us drag him, or he'd jump so we are suspending him. This method may have been fun when he had help, but when we left the rink, he'd try to go it on his own and biffed it several times. He had to take off his skates. Naomi was a railing dweller. She went around and around while holding onto the outside rail. She occasionally came out with us, but wasn't as happy about it. She learned to hold a pose while I pulled her around. We all had fun and got a good workout. Speaking of a workout, Andy has been going to the gym for 2-3 hours a day this last week. I think he is addicted. Just look at him.

Okay, so the photo isn't him. But he really is working out 2-3 hours each day. He signed up for the warrior leader training for the national guard so he could get promoted to a sargent and make more money. He wants to be sure he'll pass his fitness test. Hey, whatever motivates you, it's all good. :)

Happy President's Day!

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted. I thought for sure I wrote about my new year's party. I stayed up until 0300 playing nintendo wii bowling. I became a pro and got a bowling ball with stars on it :) My family came over and helped me put a puzzle together too. My dad is addicted to the bowling too, that's why we stayed up so late. (For those of you who don't know, I don't do well with staying up late. May have something to do with my wanting to be in bed before 8pm since I wake up at 4am most mornings. Staying up late once a year is a bit of a feat for me.)

Valentine's day was good for me. I got chocolates, that always lifts my spirits, even though I know I have to take it easy with them. Naomi went to her first "friend" birthday party and had a great time. I worked for a few hours on the medicare hall which was fun because I got to meet new people.

We finished our playroom last month. Here are some pictures taken after painting. The floor is green, the ceiling is yellow, the walls are yellow and blue. There is also a blackboard for chalk drawings and a magnet board on the opposite wall. We got excited when we found magnetic paint and chalkboard paint. We now have colorful foam squares to pad the floor. It's fun.