The Life of Chad and His Family

8 is GREAT!!

2010-05-14T09:16:00.005-06:00

Better late than never-right?! Almost a month after Courtney's 8th birthday I am finally blogging about it. (Sorry Grandma and Grandpa Wade because I know this is mostly for your benefit.)

This year Courtney's birthday was spread out over several days. On her actual birthday, Courtney celebrated with her class by taking one of her favorites - Reese's Peanut Butter Bars. Sorry no pictures but they were fabulous if I do say so myself.

Later that week (when Chad was home), we celebrated as a family by her choosing her favorite dinner (sweet and sour chicken over jasmine rice), opening presents finally, and blowing out candles.

She loved her new blue scriptures and scripture bag, she received a couple of baptism books and she loved the money from Belarus. In fact the next day she took the money for show and tell.

Saturday May 1st is when all the excitement and fun took place, according to Courtney. We had her baptism at the church at 11:30 which went great. Mackenzie gave a great talk on baptism, Mandy gave a great talk on the Holy Ghost, Courtney sang a song and we watched a video of Cort's pictures put to music. It was a wonderful baptism.

After the baptism, we stayed at the church for lunch and then headed to the Wave Pool for a couple of hours of fun. It was a great day that was made even more special thanks to the effort of family and friends to come and support Courtney. Thanks everyone!

Courtney's baptism dress turned out really cute. I was afraid of it being way over the top but she looked just like the princess she is. I think her smile says it all.

I tried to put the video of her singing but it is just not working. I will have to try it again later.

Happy Love Day!

2010-02-15T11:07:00.004-07:00

We had stuff going on all week to get us in the mood for Valentine's Day this year. This is some of the stuff we were up to:

We made Valentine boxes out of craft sticks (as a note we will never do it this way again - it took way to much time), the girls made ribbon bracelets for their BFs and they of course had to have a Valentine hairdo.

We had a yummy breakfast and dinner where I tried some new recipes. Breakfast and dessert were a big hit but Hayden and Courtney didn't really like the ravioli. I think next time I need to change the filling of the ravioli and it would be much better.

Breakfast - chocolate waffles with whip cream and strawberries
Dinner - butternut squash ravioli with brown butter and sage sauce, salad and rolls
Dessert - brownie with whip cream and raspberries

Later that evening we opened presents. The girls got a little box of chocolates and some body spray, lotion and shower gel. Hayden got a little box of chocolates and a bear.

Dauber even enjoyed Valentine's Day. We let him play with some of the balloons.

We hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day too!!!

P.S. - Chad and I didn't take pictures of our gifts. He got a new cover and skin for his Ipod - he is still trying to pick out what skin he wants. I got a new phone - a Blackberry Curve. Yeah!!!

Christmas Eve '09

2010-01-14T10:08:00.003-07:00

I know we are a few weeks into January and I am blogging about Christmas but life in the Wade house has been a little crazy. For instance, Chad is now the 2nd Counselor in Elder's Quorum Presidency, I am 1st Counselor in Relief Society, playing organ, school, meetings, singing in Church (way out of my comfort zone), and the list could go on. Because of all of this, I have slacked on taking pictures so this is all I have to blog about.

We had a great Christmas but the kids definitely missed out on a few of their favorite traditions - like the breakfast, talent show, and nativity (and seeing all of their cousins and Gdma and Gdpa Wade). We did, however, manage to keep a few traditions and throw in a few new ones.

We were told by the kids that we definitely couldn't miss Dancing Around the Christmas Tree.

After sitting on Santa's lap, we changed our clothes and decided to hit the bowling alley (a new thing for us on Christmas Eve). It has been a long time since we have gone and it showed in our bowling skills. Hayden just about beat Chad and I and was on cloud nine. In fact I believe he said this was the best day ever.

We headed back to Gdma and Gdpa Krantz's house for a yummy dinner and the opening of one present before bed. I think Kenzie and Courtney had it figured out and new they were opening PJs but Hayden was surprised and excited.

After getting our new PJs on we read the nativity out of the scriptures, read a Christmas story sent by Grandpa Wade and then wrote letters to Santa and sat out cookies and an orange.

Special Message

2009-12-09T09:46:00.006-07:00

Last night each of the kids received a special video from Santa that they were able to watch on the computer due to a cool thing that Santa now has called the PNP. The kids were in shock and disbelief that Santa knew their names, ages, where they lived, and exactly what they wanted this year for Christmas. They even saw their picture in his naughty and nice book. After talking to them for a little bit, Santa answered a special question each one of them had. Courtney found out how Santa knows if you have been naughty or nice, Hayden found out how the reindeer fly, and Kenzie found out how Santa can go to everybody's house on Christmas Eve. It was amazing and very fun to watch!

Family Pics

2009-11-06T09:53:00.005-07:00

Fall School Pictures

We decided last month to have our family pictures taken. I was thinking it was about time again and the girls' school was having a PTA fundraiser to get a free 10x13 through a photographer in town - who could pass this deal up?! Well, some people could (including maybe Chad) but I couldn't and they turned out alright - yeah!

I love the faces in this one - Kenz is her happy little self, Cort is the princess, and Hayden is thinking what trouble he can cause next. LOVE IT!!

Halloween Happenings

2009-11-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

This year our Halloween Happenings started Friday evening with a trunk-or-treat that the school put on followed by our annual spooky dinner with some of our friends. This year our menu included: Mummy Hand Punch, Salty Bones, Adam's Ribs, Boogers on a Stick, Brain Surgery Salad, Monster Cheese Head, Pimples, and Cemetery Dirt. The kids look forward to this every year and I have to admit that I have a lot of fun putting it together. It cracks me up what grosses them out - I even successfully grossed out our friend with the pimples. He hardly choked down one of them.

Saturday started off with a monster face breakfast sandwich (I forgot to take pictures) and then we all got dressed up and headed to Price for the annual Halloween Spooktacular put on by several businesses downtown.

Hayden - Ninja, Kenzie - Harajuku Style, Courtney-Pirate

This Halloween Spooktacular is one of the funniest things our town does during the year. They block off several blocks of Main Street and have free games and activities for the kids. There was even a magician and free train rides this year. The kids can also go around to the businesses and go trick-or-treating which is great because our ward didn't do trunk-or-treat this year (very sad!). We ended the afternoon with free hot dogs, drinks, and popcorn - what could be better!

I had to take a picture of this guy because it totally cracked me up. Can you tell who he is???? Has anyone seen Mall Cop??
Kenzie thought this costume was the best she had ever seen and wanted me to take a picture of her with him but this is the best we were able to do.

Enjoying our hot dongs and drinks

Later that evening when Chad got home we took the kids to a few houses in Wellington to go trick-or-treating. The kids now think that going door to door is the best kind of trick-or-treating you can do. I am not sure how I feel about that?!

Pumpkins and Cookies

2009-10-29T22:23:00.004-06:00

This week the girls had to decorate pumpkins for a school contest. Each grade had a theme they were supposed to follow. Courtney's class had a sports theme so she chose her favorite sport - soccer. Kenzie's class had a patriotic theme so she chose to make her version of Uncle Sam. I am a little prejudice but I think they turned out pretty cute and they both won a certificate to Cold Stone.

Hayden of course couldn't be left out, so this week he had help from Chad to carve his pumpkin into a scary face. He was so excited to do this with Chad until he found out that he had to scrap out the pumpkin guts. You can tell from the pictures that he goes from totally upset about having to do it and pouting to deciding it would be okay but still totally disgusted.

And of course Halloween wouldn't be complete (according to the kids) without Halloween sugar cookies which were frosted by me and decorated by the kids.

As a side note I am always reminded when I make sugar cookies why I really don't like making them - takes forever and makes a huge mess. The kids had fun though so I guess it is worth it - right??

Daddy Daughter Halloween Bash

2009-10-26T08:26:00.004-06:00

Friday night Chad had the opportunity to go with Mackenzie to a Daddy Daughter Halloween Party for Achievement Days. It involved costumes, dinner, dancing and games.

Chad went as a pirate and Kenzie's costume is harajuku (Japanese street style)

A funny story about Kenzie's costume: She was very excited about this costume and picked out all of the material for me to make it but could never remember the name of the style to tell her friends. Before the party she kept saying Harajuku over and over so that she could remember it. At the party she was able to tell her friends but when asked what that was she told them it was a Japanese "street walker." We then had to explain to her what a "street walker" was and she was mortified. I guess you could say that I am glad that she didn't know what a "street walker" is - she just hopes her friends don't either.

Our contribution was the witch's brew to which was added way too much dry ice

Bobbing for apples

Moab Trip - Day 2

2009-10-23T07:56:00.009-06:00

The second day in Moab we had fun filled activities planned as well. We spent the morning loading everything back in the van and finishing the Junior Ranger booklets. We then ate lunch at this great pizza place called Zax - very, very yummy!!

Pics on the swing at our little cabin and view from cabin

After lunch we looked for a park that we had heard of that had musical instruments that the children could play on. This sounded really cool and it didn't disappoint.

Pics at the park

Our fabulous musicians - love Courtney's ending on this one.

After spending some time at the park, we went back to the Arches Visitor Center and watched a little movie about the park (a requirement for the Junior Ranger Program). After the movie they wrote a sentence about what they learned from the movie and then were sworn in and received their badges. Hayden thought this was really, really awesome because he now has a badge like dad.

Junior Ranger swearing in

After the swearing in we let the kids pick out one thing from the gift store and then decided to go back into the park to see some of the sites that we missed the first day. Like.....

Balance Rock

North and South Window Arches

South Window

North Window

Had to put this pic in - he cracks me up!

Our shadow family at the North Window Arch

Parade of Elephants

Turret Arch - a very small Kenzie in the middle of arch

Double Arch - the kids loved the echos in this arch

After all of these sites for the day and a few small hikes to these arches, we headed home. We all had so much fun on this trip we have decided to try to make it an annual trip. Anyone is invited to come with us next time. Are ya up for it?

Moab Trip - Part 1

2009-10-22T08:39:00.005-06:00

The end of the summer we decided to go to Moab for a couple of days. We left on a Thursday afternoon and drove the 2 hours to Moab and stayed in an awesome little cabin at the KOA in Moab.

This cabin was awesome and we would totally do this again. The cabin had electricity and 2 sets of bunkbeds and one queen bed, you just had to bring your own bedding. Each cabin had a picnic table, a grill and a water tap. The KOA also had showers and nice bathrooms. It was great!

Cabin on the inside

Arches Visitor Center

The next morning we woke up early and went and rented a jeep for the day (from some of the proceeds of the yard sale) and headed for Arches National Park to go on some hikes.

We first stopped at the Visitor Center and went through that and then picked up the booklets for the kids to do the Junior Ranger Program. Then we headed into the park where we say these things:

Moab from the entrance of Park

The Three Gossips

Delicate Arch (from a distance - next time we will take that hike)

The Fiery Furnace

Then we went on a hike that was only going to be 1 1/2 miles but we decided to keep going and ended up going on a hike that was just over 4 miles. We weren't sure if Hayden or Courtney were going to make it but they both did. Hayden was really, really tired the last mile or so and we ended up giving him piggyback rides. Courtney, however, is a great little hiker and led the trail most of the way.

Sites along the trail (the little rock piles -cairns and lizards)

Double O Arch (front side)

Double O Arch (back side)

Landscape Arch

Then we decided to use the jeep to its fullest potential and go on a jeep trail which was really fun. (We all really enjoyed it but I think Chad was in heaven!) Hayden was so tired he slept during the first part of the trail but woke up for the exciting part called "Pucker Pass." The kids loved this part of the trail and kept saying that it was better than the rides at Lagoon.

Pucker pass pictures, fallen rock on trail, Jug Handle Arch

We then headed back to Moab, returned the jeep, headed back to the cabin for showers, ate a yummy dinner of hamburgers and dutch oven potatoes, ate popcorn and worked on the Junior Ranger books and crashed for the next day's activities.

Pine Nut Picking

2009-10-21T09:39:00.003-06:00

This summer Chad and Hayden went about 5 hours south of Price to go pine nut picking with some friends for a couple of days. We had been told by our friends that it is a lot of hard work but you can make up to a couple thousand dollars. This peaked Chad's interest of course so he thought he would give it a try.

Chad came home 3 days later with one very tired and dirty boy and about 8 bags of pine nuts which we laid out to dry and in a few weeks ended up with about 70 lbs. of pine nuts which have since been sold. Yeah!!! It was a lot of work but we ended up with just over $500. Not to bad if I do say so myself.

The girls and I stayed home this time to get ready for a yard sale which we had that Saturday. Sorry no pictures but it went really well and the girls even sold muffins. Lots of our junk ended up being sold and the rest went to DI.

Training wheels are off!

2009-10-20T06:00:00.007-06:00

Courtney learned to ride her bike without training wheels this summer - YEAH!!!

Some of you might wonder why she hasn't learned earlier. Well, I would like to say that there is some great reason but it really comes down to her complete insistence that she wasn't ready to learn yet. We even tried to convince her that she would be made fun of by her friends who don't have training wheels (horrible I know but we were desperate) but nothing worked. Chad finally heard enough excuses and decided one day to just take them off. After much convincing that she wouldn't get hurt because she could catch herself, she decided to try it and was able to do in no time by herself.

I think the hat upside down and the tongue sticking out helped though!

We're back!!

2009-10-13T06:30:00.007-06:00

Yes, the Wade family is back to the blogging again after a very long sabbatical. (Sorry for the long break to any of you who care to share in our family's happenings.) Since it has been awhile since our last post, I thought we would share in what we have been up to this summer.

One of the fun things during one of our many stays up at Scofield on the weekend was a visit from the Hurd family. We were very excited since we don't get visitors up there very often so we had the weekend packed full of lots of activities.

1 - Crawdad fishing from the dock with the use of a hot dog on a string

I am sorry to say that there are no pictures for this because I forgot to bring the camera with me. I am especially sad because Hannah called crawdad's the cutest name. Courtney was really good at catching them and caught the biggest. She even tried to get him to fight the smaller ones. (You will be glad to know that no crawdad's were hurt in the process due to their lack of interest.)

2 - Swimming off of the boat

This was Hannah's first time swimming with a life jacket in a lake and she did great! She was nervous at first and decided to just kick her feet with Hayden but decided to go in after the girls. She even ventured out with Kenzie and then decided to get on Kenzie's back like a horse. Hannah thought this was great fun but Kenzie started getting a little nervous because the boat was getting further and further away and with Hannah on her back she was making no progress to get back to the boat. We ended up moving the boat to go get them but it was all fun and games for Hannah. She didn't even mind the cold because she went back in several times - purple lips and all.

3 - Fishing

Everyone had a lot of fun fishing. We all took turns sharing the poles and by the time we were finished fishing and ready to head back to the bunkhouse Kenzie had caught a fish. She decided to release it because we told her if she keeps it she has to eat it. Not such a great idea after all!

Kenzie catching her first fish at Scofield.

4 - Roasting marshmallows over a campfire

After being on the boat all afternoon we came back to the bunkhouse and had dinner outside and then started a fire and had smores for dessert. As you can see from the pictures the marshmallows were delicious. Even Dauber loved them!

We had so much fun with the Hurd family that Hayden still talks about Hannah coming and visiting. Hope they had fun and can come again next year! Anyone else up for a visit next summer!

Pleasant Valley Days

2009-07-08T10:11:00.006-06:00

We started off the weekend early by driving to Moroni and Ephraim on Thursday to pick up some candy for the parade and some turkey for the BBQ on Saturday. On the way back to the park we stopped at a Geo cache site just outside of the town of Scofield. The kids left some flower erasers and picked out a rain poncho, a decorative pin and a little dinosaur.

Friday we spent the day relaxing, playing around and taking a few walks down by the docks.

Saturday was the big day of activities. In the morning was the parade in the town of Scofield. The theme this year was "Let Freedom Ring" so Chris (the lady that decorates the boat) came up with the idea for the banner that said "Let Freedom Ring with a Summer Fling at Scofield State Park". The kids dressed up in their swim suits, we played Beach Boy music on the boat, and the kids threw candy and beach balls from the boat during the parade. It turned out pretty cute.

Kenzie even came up with a little dance that she did throughout the parade which was cute and it surprised the heck out of me that she would do it. Courtney and Hayden were not as brave - they stuck with eating and throwing candy and balls.

After the parade I took the kids to the activities in the town of Scofield for awhile. I didn't last too long though because there is just way too many people cramed into a small little town. We stayed just long enough for the kids to do the bouncy stuff, get a snow cone and the girls to get their faces painted.

That evening we had a big BBQ with the staff at the park and their families, roasted marshmallows, played horseshoes, did sparklers and watched the fireworks over the lake. It was a great day! Kenzie even learned the value of prayer. That morning it looked like it was going to rain during the parade so she said a little prayer on the way to the float and it cleared up just before the parade started. After the parade Chris lost her keys and Kenzie said another prayer and the keys were found shortly after that. I love when you teach your kids the value of something and then they see it work for themselves later!

Sunday we stayed up to Scofield and went to church in the little branch that is there. On a normal Sunday there is not even 100 people (including kids). This Sunday there was about 400. It was crazy but a very nice day.

Hope everyone else had a great 4th of July! One of these times you guys will have to come and visit us for the 4th at Scofield.

Mini Reunion

2009-06-30T09:50:00.006-06:00

This past Friday we got together with Chad's family for a little mini reunion. We started the day meeting Abby's family and Angie's family at the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House. The temple was beautiful and the kids loved seeing each other and walking through the temple holding hands. I don't think it can get much better than that!

After the temple we went to Abby and Chad's new apartment and changed clothes and then made plans to go to Wheeler Farm. The kids had a ball running around and petting the animals and it was free. What more could we ask for??? Maybe the part where we were pooped on by the cow - we all could have gone without that. Hayden wouldn't even go near the cow after watching that! But other than that it was a great afternoon!

That evening we met everyone at a restaurant and had a great dinner!. The kids pretty much sat at one end and the adults on the other end of a giant table. We all enjoyed ourselves but I am not so sure the other people in the restaurant enjoyed us?!

It was great to see everyone again and we had a great time. Thanks for everyone making the effort to get together!

Perfect Summer Day

2009-06-04T09:42:00.010-06:00

Yesterday Chad had to go to Huntington State Park to pick up his gun and rifle (it was being inspected) so we decided to take the boat along and get it started for the season. Thankfully it survived the winter and started right up this year. The kids had a ball and of course saw the sun shining so thought it was perfect weather to swim in the lake. Chad and I are much smarter about the whole thing and just enjoyed the boat ride.

Hayden was the first to jump in off the back of the boat. The water was cold enough that it completely took his breath away and I was totally shocked that he did it so of course I did not have the camera ready. After the initial shock of the water he decided that it would be better to just have his feet in the water and splash the girls.

Kenzie was the next to jump in and she had a blast doing this over and over again. She even tried to swim out to some birds but we convinced her to come back because neither Chad or I wanted to rescue her if she got too tired. Kenzie eventually was convinced by us to try without her life jacket and she did that a few times too.

Courtney was the last to jump in after much convincing. We have several videos were she said she was ready and then we would count to three and she would talk herself out of doing it. After some lunch and convincing by Kenzie she was finally able to muster the courage to do it and decided that it was pretty fun.

To top off the day we came home and roasted some hot dogs and toasted some marshmallows in the back yard in our new fire ring. The kids loved it and we discovered that the dog loves marshmallows too as long as they are not toasted. (The toasted ones stick to the roof of his mouth - very funny to watch.)

While we were outside I took some shots of some cool things:

You can't tell from this picture of our garden but everything is coming up and our corn is growing like crazy - very exciting, at least for us!

These jets passed over us and made a giant X in the sky. Hayden thought this was very cool!

A beautiful sunset at the end of a very fun day!

Another Trip to Yuba Lake

2009-05-19T10:25:00.004-06:00

Remember the Dodgeball Tournament that Chad was in??? Where the prize was a $100 gift certificate that had to be spent in Emery County (which not everyone lives in) so it was decided that they would buy fishing equipment with the prize money and then go on a fishing trip and have a little competition to see who could win the prizes??? Well, this past weekend was the big fishing competition and the rest of the family decided to tag along for some fun.

We left Friday afternoon and headed for Yuba State Park with the whole family including Dauber this time. We got there about 7:00 pm and ate a yummy dinner and then the guys decided to go late night fishing for catfish while the kids and moms watched a movie.

Saturday was full of fun adventures, such as:

A bike ride where we saw a snake (already dead but this didn't phase Kenzie who picked it up), we saw a huge amount of swallow nests, we threw rocks off the bridge and saw the beautiful lake for the first time without ice on it.

The younger kids played in the sand box while Dauber took a nap (who, by the way, was eshausted after playing and roaming around all morning with his friend Collie-our friend's dog).

The girls found an old house that people who built the dam lived in and fixed it up as their little house. This required scavenging the hillside for treasures any spare minute they had. Some of the things they found were used as the door bell (an old garbage can lid), decorations (old bottles), buckets (used for mailbox and garbage), tire rim (used as a silly mirror). They were so excited about the finished product that they had me take a ton of pictures of it so they could always remember it.

Went to the beach and played in the water which was still a little cold but the kids had to do it for a little while anyway.

Played on the beach which included a sand fight, drawing pictures in the sand (Hayden drew several pictures of SpongeBob and Patrick Star) and sand castles.

And last but not least Chad finally caught a Northern Pike the last 5 minutes they were fishing (about 8:00 pm) and it won him 2nd place. The prize for 2nd place was an electric fillet fishing knife, which he was excited about. First place went to Wayne due to the fact that his Pike had a fish still in its' belly (top 2 pictures on the right).

Happy Birthday Kenzie!

2009-05-14T08:25:00.004-06:00

We can hardly believe that you are now 10!
Kenzie we love your sense of humor,
your laugh, your caring personality, and your sweet spirit.
We hope you had a great birthday!

I know this is a week late but we had 2 separate parties for her birthday and party number 2 was yesterday so now you get the recap.

PARTY #1:

On the 5th (her actual birthday) she took cupcakes to her class at school and we had a family party that evening. She chose her favorite dinner (BBQ ribs, baked potatoes and green beans), we opened presents and had dessert (chocolate/strawberry parfait). The parfait thing is strange for a birthday dessert, I know, but she was checking out my recipe books and thought this looked really good.

PARTY #2:

On the 13th we had a party with a few of her friends at the wave pool. She chose to have pizza and flip flop cakes. Everyone had a lot of fun and it was probably the easiest party I have done yet. I am now asking myself why I haven't done this before.

Spring Soccer

2009-05-12T22:03:00.003-06:00

This spring Courtney decided to play soccer which started back in April and just finished today. She finally decided that soccer is really fun and plans on playing again. (This is compared to the first time she played back in kindergarten and thought there was far too much running involved.) We all had fun watching the games - our only complaint was the cold weather back in April.

Cort's favorite thing to do - play as goalie and throw the ball in.

She never ended up scoring a goal although she did come close a few times (she had to get over her worry of kicking the ball and hurting someone else). Hopefully she can do it during fall soccer.

Mother's Day Festivities

2009-05-11T08:27:00.004-06:00

Our festivities started on Saturday when a home improvement store in town lets you bring your children in and they get to plant a flower pot for their mom for free. (Yeah free!!!) The kids loved picking out the flowers and planting them and I loved the finished product that is now sitting on my front porch.

On Sunday I was showered with hugs and kisses, more flowers and homemade gifts and cards. I was also pleasantly surprised by Mackenzie giving a talk about me in Sacrament meeting that I had no idea about. (I can't believe that she was able to keep the secret.) She did an amazing job all by herself and of course she made me cry - big surprise.

Kenzie's gift - a magnet

Cort's gift - a portrait of me with letter

I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day - I am truly blessed!

P.S. Happy belated Mother's Day to all of you! I hope you had a great day too!

What Does Your Family Do on a Beautiful Spring Day?

2009-04-24T08:27:00.006-06:00

Our family.....

found a Kill Deer nest with now 4 little eggs (in our driveway nonetheless),

saw the first of our neighbors colts for the season,

flew kites for the first time this year and

Hayden learned how to pump on the swing by himself.

Spring Party

2009-04-23T07:49:00.011-06:00

Happy 7th Birthday Courtney!

You are adorable, smart, a peace maker,
shy, quiet, and observant. I love that you
like to be my little shadow helper and are
not afraid to try new things.
We sure love you!!!

The festivities began at school when I took cupcakes to her class and they sang her happy birthday! After school we had her friends party at the Dinomine Park with 4 girls that Courtney calls her bestest friends. In the evening we had her favorite dinner (Grilled chicken, wild rice -called Grandma K's rice for some reason, and steamed broccoli) followed by the second butterfly cake and family presents. This all made for what Courtney called the best birthday ever!

Party with friends - A Spring Party with fun crafts (made a thumbprint flower t-shirt and tissue flowers), Butterfly cake, and great presents (tamagotchi, fingernail polish and stickers, and Hannah Montana stuff).

Family party - Yummy dinner, a 2nd Butterfly cake with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream and very thoughtful gifts from family (Money, Jacks, Sidewalk Chalk kit with Paint and a Shuffle Ipod with Taylor Swift CD).

My Funny Guy

2009-04-20T08:08:00.003-06:00

Hayden has been cracking us up lately so I thought we would share.

The other day he was playing dinosaurs with a friend and had to ask me a question:
Hayden: "Mom, if a dinosaur goes into a cave will he come back to life?"
Me: "Hayden, I'm not sure I know what you are talking about."
Hayden: "What about our old dog Bay? What if he went into a cave, would he come back to life?"
Me: "I don't think so. Bay is in heaven." (Still having no idea where he came up with this whole thing.)
Hayden: "Well, Jesus went into a cave and came back to life. Maybe if the dinosaurs or Bay went into a cave they would come back to life."
Me: (The light finally clicks on as I realize that Hayden actually paid attention to us talking about Jesus dying on the cross and after going into the tomb ["cave"] is resurrected.)

New favorite phrase: "That is redonculous!" (from the movie Bolt)

Favorite way to eat a sandwich: Cut into 4 squares. When asked why - "Mom, it just tastes better."

Why you just have to give him a big hug and love him even though all of his energy and crazy ideas makes you want to tie him to a chair sometimes: "Mom, when I get big like Dad I am going to get married in the temple just like you guys." (That is the reason for the picture of Hayden and Courtney all dressed up. They played that they were going to the temple to get married.)

My crazy, adorable, goofy kid!

Easter Recap

2009-04-17T06:00:00.001-06:00

Our Easter celebrations were supposed to start with the traditional Wellington egg hunt Saturday morning but the kids decided that they didn't want to go out in the wind and rain. (Thankfully they made a good choice because I didn't want to go out in the rain either.) So, we stayed home and colored eggs and they had a ton of fun.

Finished product!

Hayden had to keep his in a separate egg carton because for some reason he thought he would keep them forever as his pets. We later convinced him that it was okay to eat them so that they wouldn't go bad.

On Sunday the kids put on their new Easter outfits. (Courtney's I made, Kenzie's and Hayden's was bought because of lack of time and I haven't attempted to sew a boy outfit yet.)

Sunday night the Easter Bunny visited our house. So, when the kids woke up Monday morning we had an egg hunt all over the house. The Easter Bunny even left a few presents and filled out a questionnaire that Kenzie and Courtney left for him.

Spring Teaser

2009-04-16T09:29:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago my little bulbs finally popped through the ground - due to the fact that the weather had finally warmed up. However, the past week we have been hit with rain, more rain, wind, more wind and yesterday very dirty snow.

I am so over the cold, windy weather. Spring really needs to get here!

Happy Easter Sunday!!

2009-04-11T20:32:00.005-06:00

I came across this video on the church website and wanted to share it with you guys. I remembered the talk but the pictures that go along with it give it a whole new meaning . I guess I am a visual person because it hit me even harder than just the talk did and I realize that I get too caught up in the fun part of Easter and forget the real reason we celebrate it sometimes. It made me realize how truly blessed we all are - anyway I hope you enjoy it!

We wish everyone a very Happy Easter Sunday!!

Secret Admirer Strikes Again!

2009-04-08T14:02:00.004-06:00

Who knew that a face as adorable as this to a mom would provoke a gift at every holiday from a little boy in her class named Jordan T.

Very sweet and thoughtful but I was honestly hoping that the crush would have worn off by now. Who knew?!!

Dodge Ball Champs!!!

2009-03-27T10:06:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday Chad was involved in a Dodgeball tournament that was in Castledale (which is about 30 min. from Price) with some other park rangers around the area. The tournament involved 4 or 5 other teams and it was a double elimination tournament.

We arrived in Castledale at the Rec. Center at 9:00 and met up with the rest of the team. The team consisted of Dan Richards (Manager at Huntington), Clee Richards (Dan 's son), Wayne Monroe (Manager at Willard Bay), Shon Tripp (Manager at Palisade), Nathan (Park Ranger at Green River), Nash (friend of Dan) and Chad. There was a quick review of Dodgeball rules and the tournament began.

The first game was against a high school team and it was pretty sad. The game was over very quickly and the Rangers didn't do much. (I don't think they even won one of the games - it was the best out of 5.) Mackenzie (our more competitive child) had some pointers to give Chad after the game to hopefully help him out in the next games. (If you are wondering about the advise - I believe her exact words were, "Dad, you guys need to gang up on one person - just do it one person at a time like they were.")

This was the first game against the high school kids. As you can see, not so good. A lot of standing around and getting out.

The next game they were able to watch which helped them pull it together and figure out what to do the next few games which they were able to win. And believe it or not they actually made it to the championship game, which was against the high school team again.

A couple of videos of the Championship game against the high school team. The Rangers definitely improved their game.

The championship game was a long game because it was the best out of 7 this time and since it was double elimination the Rangers had to beat the high school team 2 times because they hadn't lost a game yet. The odds were definitely not in their favor but believe or not the Rangers were able to get the job done.

The high school team - took 2nd place and not too happy about losing
to older men.

The Rangers - Dodgeball Champs - won a t-shirt and a $100 gift certificate.
The guys finally smiled on the last picture do to the fact that Nash (the guy on the far left) told the wives to hurry and take the picture because their fingers were too tired and sore to hold up much longer (funny guy).

The guys were extremely tired, had to take breaks between games , were sore in places that had not been used in a long time (which required ibuprofen and ice) but had a lot of fun and very excited to have beaten kids at least half their age. They have already planned to come back next year for the next dodgeball tournament.

As a side note the guys were wondering how to split the $100 gift certificate that has to be spent in Emery County between 7 guys who don't all live in Emery County. The decision: A fishing tournament. They will go and buy fishing equipment with the $100 and then go fishing and win the new equipment by catching the most fish, biggest fish, etc. How did the wives let one tournament turn into another tournament that will require a least one night of our husbands being gone?

Show and Tell

2009-03-26T06:30:00.002-06:00

The girls have been begging us to take the scorpions to school for show and tell. I of course did not want to try to do this without Chad because I do not like to touch the scorpions (actually I haven't ever touched them and have no desire to touch them) and the teachers like to do show and tell on Friday which is a problem with Chad's schedule. Well, last Friday we were finally able to work it out and the girls got the chance to do a show and tell with the scorpions.

Mackenzie's class loved the scorpions and had a whole bunch of questions to ask (it was a good thing that we made her look up a few things on the computer the night before). They especially loved watching them catch crickets that we brought to feed them, the video Chad made of them catching and stinging a cricket and that they glowed when a black light was shined on them. Hayden of course wasn't too excited about it because he had seen it all before - he would rather sit and look at the books. (Courtney's class liked the scorpions too but mostly just the boys - the girls were really grossed out by them.)

Cabella's with cousins - what can be better!

2009-03-25T10:57:00.007-06:00

Last week we found out that Mandy, Adam and the kids were coming to Salt Lake for the weekend and we thought it would be a great idea to meet up with them for dinner one night. So the plans were made and we meet them at Cabella's on Friday night. I don't think the kids could have been more excited to see each other and they had so much fun doing all that Cabella's has to offer. Like ....

Feeding the fish

Looking at the animals

Running from place to place

Kate and Hayden spent most of the time doing this everywhere.
You make think I am joking but I am not. We had to stop and
look for them several times.

Looking at books and rearranging magnets
so they could be families again

Notice how cute Kate is posing and how Hayden is always being a
goof ball - I definitely do not have my kids trained well.

and the best of all the "Mule Deer Dance".

We definitely had fun, especially the kids! I don't think I could enjoy that place as much if it weren't for the kids. Thanks for meeting us in the middle!

Flashback Friday

2009-03-20T06:28:00.002-06:00

*I borrowed the idea of Flashback Friday from Mandy because I thought it was such a good idea and I realized that Hayden is getting a lot of face time lately. Thanks for the idea Mandy - I hope you don't mind!

Back in September of last year Mackenzie had a class project on Utah plants and their biomes that she was working on. This project required that she gather certain types of leaves, classify them and put them together for display. One of the many weekends we were up to Scofield it was such a pretty fall day we decided to go hiking around the mountainside and gather some of the leaves she needed. The fall colors were gorgeous and we timed it just right between rain storms which made the colors seem even more vibrant. We did collect almost everything she needed and we came home tired and a little wet but the kids had a blast.

The final project turned out really good and Mackenzie got 100% on it. She was pretty proud of how it turned out which is why we just barely threw this board away - and it still took some convincing. She is definitely a pack rat! I told her that I took a picture of it so that she will always have the memories. I'm such a mean mom - I just hate the clutter though!

A movin and a shakin!

2009-03-18T06:33:00.005-06:00

Every since Grandma and Grandpa bought Courtney a hula hoop in November, Hayden has been working on trying to figure it out himself. Well, after much work and help from the Wii Fit board, last week Hayden was able to figure it out by himself. He was so proud of himself and so excited that he can finally do it. Now he practices almost every day.

I love his wind up to get started and the grunting!

The latest excuse.

2009-03-16T09:12:00.003-06:00

The other day Hayden decided to build a fort after making a huge mess in the front room. I had to admit that it was a pretty cool looking fort but I wanted the other mess cleaned up.

Courtney is impressed with Hayden's fort skills!

So when I asked him to get out of his totally cool fort and clean up the other mess he made (I was even going to help him clean up), this is the response he gave - "Mom, I have to send my email and check the blog first!" What!!!!? I thought Chad and I were going to die laughing. And, really, how could I respond to that?

This picture is Hayden pointing to his computer.

You will be happy to know that the emails were sent successfully and everything looked great on the blog so the mess did get cleaned up, eventually! And, Chad and I are rethinking the amount of time spent on the computer checking blogs, email and facebook!

I love to read!

2009-03-13T06:00:00.003-06:00

For Hayden, everyday around 2:00 it is a countdown until the girls get home from school. (I guess that should tell me that my activities with him during the day just don't quit cut it!) When he hears the bus come down the road he runs and hides and then yells surprise as soon as they walk through the front door. Everyone then has a snack, including Hayden, and then it is homework time.

The past few weeks, however, Courtney has become quit the little reader and Hayden is loving it. Courtney's homework is usually just reading and so Hayden is more than happy to sit with her and be read to. In fact, he usually has several requests for his favorite books and this is how they spend the afternoon - sitting on the couch with a pile of books. I love it!!! (It also helps that the school is having a contest this month for reading 500 minutes in order to win a pass to Seven Peaks. A little motivation never hurts-right!)

Pile of books Hayden picks out.

Courtney sometimes objects to the amount of books or the fact that it is the same book several times, but who can resist a face like that. Chad and I have a hard time and so does Courtney.

Kenzie is also reading but has to fit it in between her telephone calls from friends. (You may think I am joking but the phone literally starts ringing as soon as she walks in the front door. She is growing up way too fast!)

All Aboard!!

2009-03-03T12:14:00.006-07:00

Of all of Hayden's Christmas gifts, he still never tires of his trains. He plays with them almost every day for hours at a time, which is great for me. It sometimes requires a little help with setting things up and then hours of fun ensue.

Come on over and you can climb aboard the Hayden Express!

Why do we buy the kids toys?!

2009-02-27T15:00:00.001-07:00

The first part of this month my dryer went out so Chad took me to get a new front load washer and dryer. Yeah me! This was way exciting to me. I know, pathetic to be excited about a washer and dryer but I was.

This, however, was very exciting to the kids because of the very large and cool boxes they came in. They came up with so many things to do with these boxes that I seriously wonder why Chad and I have spent any money on toys for them. This is what they came up with....

Bowling, parking lot for Hayden's cars, swords for good guy vs. bad guy, and houses for the pet shops

Bowshack gets a "bowshack"

2009-02-26T14:35:00.005-07:00

For some unknown reason, when anything happens to Hayden aka Bowshack it always involves his head. This was the case on our trip to the Yuba House. Hayden was playing in one of the rooms with Wayne's little nephew, Wyatt, who was visiting with us one evening. One minute they were playing fine and the next Hayden comes out of the room crying. I was making dinner so he climbed on Chad's lap for some love. He eventually calmed down but I knew he had to be hurt because he doesn't usually cry like that. So, I went to check him out and when he climbed onto my lap Chad noticed a good cut on the side of his head that was fairly deep. Amazingly, he wasn't really bleeding much but Chad thought we should probably either staple it or super glue it shut. Neither of which we had, but luckily Wayne's mom also is an EMT and was only 20 minutes away. We called her and she came with cutter's, to shave his head, and super glue. Hayden was not happy about the whole situation, but we eventually convinced him that it would be okay and he let Chad doctor him up. This was the result.....

About a week later, this was how it looked...an ugly scab with a nice bald patch on the side of head that was beyond my capabilities to fix.

So, we took him to get his hair cut in a bowshack, which is what Hayden calls a mowhawk. This is the only thing we could think of to fix the whole hair situation.

This is the end product. The lady was not listening to what Chad and I where telling her which was totally frustrating so it turned out to be more like a fohawk. Nonetheless it looks much better and Hayden still thinks he has an awesome "bowshack."

Kenzie says, "ICE FISHING ROCKS!!!"

2009-02-24T12:42:00.005-07:00

A few weeks ago, Chad was invited to go ice fishing with a friend of ours (Wayne) at the Yuba house. This is a house they own by Yuba State Park. Wayne's wife and I decided we needed to come along for this fishing trip, instead of being left behind with the kids. So, both families went to have a fun and relaxing weekend.

The kids thought it was great to be with their friends, to stay up late, play in the snow and, most of all, to go ice fishing for the first time.

Hayden, of course, was really excited for about the first 10 minutes. Nothing happened in those 10 minutes so all interest was lost and he spent the rest of the time playing in the snow, exploring, and playing on some rocks.

Courtney was the most patient of everyone. She was bound and determined to catch her first fish. She first tried it standing up, then sitting down. By this time Kenzie had already caught two so Courtney decided to try a new hole. Almost as soon as the line was in the hole she caught her first fish, a decent sized perch. And she was so excited!!!

Kenzie was very excited to catch her first fish as well. When she did, it turned out to be very small perch but was too excited to throw it back in the water so we let her keep it (picture in the top right). The next fish she caught was a very good sized trout that she really worked to reel in. Then she moved to a different hole, like Courtney, and caught a few more perch. She of course now thinks that ice fishing "rocks" because she actually caught something!

Chad had a lot of fun that day too. He caught a decent sized trout and several perch. He was also the only one to catch a Northern Pike (picture in the top right), so he was pretty excited about that. The day was beautiful and it was fun to see the kids catch their first fish.

Chad reeling in a big trout! (With my annoying voice in the background. I need to be more aware of that when I am recording.)

The rest of the time we ate yummy food (food always tastes better for some reason when you are camping), drank hot chocolate in front of the fireplace, watched movies, and played games. The kids had so much fun they are already wanting to plan another trip to the Yuba House.

Chad is now a pretty good ice fisherman, anyone up for it?

Valentine's Day Recap

2009-02-21T10:23:00.007-07:00

The girls' Valentine's party at school this year was on Friday. I of course wanted to do a simple Valentine's bag for them to take to school but they of course had a different idea. So, Thursday evening we spent the night making Valentine's mailboxes. Nothing like procrastinating until the last minute - right?! We actually had a lot of fun making them and they turned out pretty cute, I just wished we had spread the activity out during the week.

I also wanted to do something fun for their hair that day and this is how it turned out.

The girls had a great day at school and came home with a bunch of candy and goodies. Courtney was especially beaming because she found out she has a little admirer. She was the only one in her class to get a chocolate rose from Jordan T. This of course took me totally by surprise. Who has a crush on a little girl in first grade??? Don't they still think at that age that they both have cooties???

Luckily I think she was more excited about the chocolate rose than the fact that a little boy likes her. However, Chad and I are thinking that this is awfully early to be starting the whole boy thing. I think Chad is going to have to be polishing his shotgun a lot sooner with this little girl than we had thought!

On Saturday I attempted to make heart shaped scones. This didn't turn out so well so we had a buckaroo breakfast (eggs, sausage, hashbrowns - the works). Chad went to work and the girls played with friends are our house. Later that evening our ward was having an adult Valentine's day dinner and dance, which included babysitters for the kids. YEAH!!! However, plans quickly changed when Chad was paged to the ambulance garage. So, the kids and I ended up eating pizza and watching a movie. I wish people wouldn't get sick on holidays!!!

P.S. I know this is really late for a Valentine's Day blog but I didn't get a chance to do it earlier - things were crazy around our house!

Kitchen Makeover

2009-02-19T20:06:00.004-07:00

A week ago Chad went out of town for some training to Moab. So, instead of doing the not so fun stuff like laundry and cleaning bathrooms, I opted to paint the kitchen and surprise him. He of course came home very surprised but at least he liked the color.

Well, this little change prompted an even better change that I have wanted to do for awhile. Chad decided to get some tile on Monday and make a backsplash for me. YEAH!!! Needless to say, we have been very busy the past couple of days laying the tile and grouting. I guess I should clarify the we. He did the tiling and I cleaned my kitchen (stove, fridge, behind both and cupboards - all of which was very gross)

Chad considers himself an expert now and I am ready for him to start another tiling project!

Before.....

During....

Finished Project!

Don't you love it?

My good looking hubby

2009-02-16T00:33:00.002-07:00

My new blog

2009-01-21T10:30:00.001-07:00

I started a new blog. It is a blog about this fitness program that I have started. I will be talking about my everyday workouts and about my diet. So check it out at http://chadsp90x.blogspot.com

A Trip to Temple Square

2008-12-05T19:38:00.002-07:00

We went to go and see the lights at Temple Square. It was a lot of fun and there was a lot of lights. The weather was nice also so we didn't freeze to death. It is the start of the Christmas season now. Merry Christmas!!

Pictures of the Kids

2008-11-17T18:47:00.004-07:00

We recently took the kids to get there pictures taken. At first Hayden was being shy and didn't want to get his picture taken. But with a little persuasion and a duck that played "Mary had a little lamb" we actually got some good pictures of him. And like always that girls loved getting them taken and had no problem posing for the camera. Here are the ones that we chose to get copies of. They turned out really good.
I don't like to brag or anything but I think that I have the cutest kids in the whole wide world. What do you all think? Leave a comment if you agree or don't agree. Thanks

Some more Pictures from the Fishing Trip

2008-11-13T10:51:00.004-07:00

Here are some more pictures that my boss took. You can see the other guys that I went with and the "Honey Hole." Besides all the Perch that we caught a couple of the guys could a few Rainbow Trout. We had a contest to see who could catch the biggest fish each day. The winning fish the first day was a 4 pound rainbow and the second day was a 5 pound rainbow trout. I wasn't lucky enough to catch and trout. Maybe next time.

My 2 Day Fishing Trip To The Yuba House

2008-11-11T19:00:00.001-07:00

I went on a two day fishing trip this week to Yuba State Park. My boss' family has a cabin and some land below the dam of Yuba reservoir. The river that is below the dam has a spot they call the "Honey Hole" because the fishing is so good. I went with some of the people I work with. We caught a lot of fish, mainly perch. We ate a lot of perch also. I had a good time and I am thankful that Rachel lets me do things like this. It is always nice to just have a "Guy's Trip."

Besides fishing we also did a little coyote hunting. That was pretty fun, however we didn't see any coyotes so it was good thing we did good fishing. The picture is some of what we caught the second day. There is 17 fish there. Pretty cool isn't. Good eating also.

Spike's Feeding Time

2008-11-04T09:55:00.003-07:00

The other day at the ambulance garage I found a Mormon Cricket and brought it home for Spike (one of my scorpions). I have fed my scorpions several times and have seen after they have attacked but never as they were attacking. So I put the cricket into the Spike's cage and set up my video camera and this is what I captured.

Pretty cool isn't it. Makes you all want to get a scorpion doesn't it.

Dinner with the Justice's

2008-11-01T18:29:00.000-06:00

The Justice family was in Provo this weekend and so we went and meet them and had dinner. It was a little crazy with all the kids but we had a good time. We miss spending time with them since they moved to Wyoming. They need to move back.

Fun times at the dentist!!

2008-10-30T11:02:00.001-06:00

Today I went to the dentist for my 6 month cleaning and check up. It seems that everytime I go to the dentist he is able to find something that needs to be drilled and filled. But today was different. I came away with a clean report. No cavaties. So I was very happy to hear that. I must be brushing good. Now we have appointments for the girls and Rach next week and we will see if they fare as well.

My new pets!!

2008-10-29T10:22:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of one of my pets. I actually have two of these. This one is Spike and he is the smaller of the two. Harry is the other one and he has gotten really big. A good eater. I took this picture because Spike was posing so good and I couldn't resist. My boss is the Utah Scorpion King and knows eveyrthing about scorpions and is the person that got me into scorpions. Does anyone want one. I can get one for you. It just takes a trip to Southern Utah and a black light. So put in your order.

Our new Boat

2008-10-28T10:01:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of my new boat. I got it awhile ago and it has been a lot of fun. The weather isn't warm enough this year but next year you are all invited to go skiing. Is there anybody who is game??

It's a beautiful World out there!

2008-10-27T18:02:00.001-06:00

This is a picture I took the other day while I was patroling on the boat at Scofield Reservoir. The leaves were changing and it was just beautiful.

This post is a test to see if I could do a post with a picture using my phone. Technology is amazing.

Long Time No Blog

2008-09-19T12:24:00.000-06:00

I was talking to my mom the other day and she said that I hadn't done a blog enrty in 2 months. Because of my busy life I haven't had a chance to do one. So I decided to just do a quick one for all my fans out there to let them know that I am still alive and doing well. We have had a good summer withall sorts of good pictures that I plan to do some blogging with (when I get the time). Well I hope you all enjoyed this post and now your mind can be at ease knowing that I am alive. Until next time

It must run in the family

2008-07-01T18:34:00.000-06:00

Recently my mom put a video of Rachel dancing on her blog and I guess that dancing skills run in the family. Here is a video of some of Kenzie's skills.

So I guess Rachel isn't the only one that can dance in our family. HaHaHa

First Water Party of the Summer!!!

2008-06-05T14:19:00.000-06:00

The other day it was a warm day and so we decided to get a Slip-n-Slide and play in the water. It was a lot of fun. The kids weren't sure exactly how to do it so I had to show them how. It reminded me of the time when I was younger and got out the roll of black plastic and put the hose on it and slide on that. We didn't have no fancy slide with water fountains getting you wet as you slid and a pool to slide into at the end. Our kids live in a much better world. At least when it comes to Slip-n-Slides.

Sorry for the fat guy in the pictures. He just kept getting in the way of the camera. LOL. (I'm working on it!!!)

P.S. Sorry for the long video but the ending is worth the wait. Enjoy!!

This is a post using my phone

2008-04-24T11:37:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody. I recently got a new cell phone and I can get on the internet with it and this is a post to see if I can post on my blog with it. I love technology!!!

P.S. Pictures were added later using my computer. The phone is pretty good, but not that good. Pictures taken with Rachel's cell phone. My phone can't take pictures of itself either. Maybe my next phone will be able to do that. LOL

A Great Motorcycle Ride

2008-03-17T10:39:00.000-06:00

Well the other day at work we borrow some motorcycles from a different park. They are street legal dirt bikes so I had to go and get my motorcycle endorsement on my drivers License. Well I studied for the test and pasted it and I now have my learners permit. I have to go now and take the riding skills test so that I can get my official license.

Well to practice for the test we decided to take a ride on Saturday. We went down to the desert and had a good time. I didn't take my camera but I did take my phone which had a camera on it. So I took a few pictures of where we went. (The camera on my phone isn't real good. Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures.)

We had a good time and I got more comfortable on the bike. It makes me want to get one, which would probably be a good idea with the cost of gas now-a-days, but I think that I will have a hard time talking Rachel into that one. Well enjoy the pictures.

Have you ever wondered why I like my job??

2008-02-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some picture I took the last time I was at work grooming snowmobile trail. It is one of the things that I do during the winter when the park is closed down. It is a lot of fun. It is like playing a big video game. I also get to see some beautiful places and also a lot of snow (especially this year.)

Pictures from Grandpa's Funeral

2008-02-26T23:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures that I took at my Grandpas Funeral.
It was a really good funeral and there were some really pretty flowers

Happy Birthday to Chad

2008-01-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

Well it was my birthday a few days ago. I am an old man of 34 yrs. Hard to believe that I am getting that old. Well it was a good day. I got some good presents. Rachel gave me a router so that I can do some projects that I said could only be done if I had a router. I forgot to mention to her that I also need a table saw, a finish nail gun, a compressor and a sander to get them done. That will have to be for my next birthday. I also got Guitar Hero and money to get an ice ager to use when I go ice fishing. So I got some good stuff.

We went out to eat at one of my favorite restaurant and then went and got an ice cream cake at Cold Stone Creamery. The cake was really good. It was chocolate and peanut butter. Two of my favorite things.
Here is a picture of my Cake with the candles in the shape of a 34. Can you see it? We didn't have 34 candles. Hayden really liked the cake and got it all over his face.

Well another birthday has come and gone and things are going good in my life and I can't complain (even though it wouldn't help). Hopefully this year will be as good as the last one.

Utah Redneck Sleigh Ride

2008-01-18T18:49:00.001-07:00

You will never guess what Rachel and the kids did on Saturday while I was at work. They went on a redneck sleigh ride. The neighbors had an old canoe that didn't really work as a canoe anymore and tied it to the back of the backhoe and pulled them around the field. They said that they had a good time. Courtney even got to hear a horse flatulate for the first time. It was fun for all that attended. The things that people do during their free time in Rural Utah. They plan on doing it again this weekend. I only worry that Hayden will never know what real sledding is.

A Family That Rocks Togethers Stays Together

2008-01-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

One of the gifts that we got for Christmas was a game called Rock Band. It is a game for the Xbox 360 where you play guitar, drums and sing all together. It is a great game and we are really enjoying it. We played it until 4 am on New Years Eve/Day.

Well the other day I was rocking out playing the guitar and Hayden grabbed Courtney's guitar that she got for Christmas and started to play along with me. He was using the facial expressions and swaying back and forth like is daddy was. He is my little shadow sometimes. I have to admit it was pretty cool. Maybe he will make his dad some money someday as a Rock Musician. I guess we will see.

What am I going to say??????

2008-01-05T13:32:00.001-07:00

Not sure if I am going to be able to have enough to say to have a blog but oh well.

Here is a picture of my kids in the snow. We have been getting a lot of snow lately which is a little different. I like the snow but I like it more when it snows just in the mountains.

We just got a new puppy and we are trying to change our lives to accommodate a puppy. It has been having a hard time adjusting to living in the house and barks and wines all night long. Makes me tired not getting any sleep. Oh well it is like having a baby in the house again. But it is a really cute puppy and the kids love him. His name is Dauber and he is a black Lab and Border Collie mix. Here is a picture.

Well not bad for my first attempt at a blog entry. I hope that you liked it and check back again for the next entry, whenever that maybe.

Thanks