Simple But Great

Family Pictures

2011-01-08T19:52:00.003-07:00

I had a friend who offered to take our family pictures. She wanted to practice on us because she is starting her own photography business. She was fantastic! They are the first professional pictures we have ever had taken. Let's just say we had a bad experience a long time ago at a cheap photography place and I've been scared ever since. It makes it a little tricker with Jordyn too! She can get irritated pretty easily. But she did great! The boys had fun too. Evan was such a poser and we really had to work to get Carter to smile! I picked out our outfits last minute, but I was REALLY happy with how the colors turned out. We were so happy with the results of ALL the photos. I think I've looked through the pictures about a million times. Enjoy!

Family

(bottom left photo is funny, we are looking in different directions. Trust me, it's so easy feat getting a bunch of little kids looking in the right direstion!)

Jordyn

Evan

Carter

And a few extras that I loved:

Halloween Mario Kart Style

2011-01-08T19:11:00.001-07:00

Playing catch-up... again!

My little nephew, Clay, gave us the brilliant idea that we should have the kids be Mario Kart characters. I loved it! I worked on them for about a week, whenever I had a little bit of time. I thought the boys' cars turned out so cute. I thought Jordyn's would be the easiest since you could just wrap it around the wheelchair and she already has wheels, BUT that was not the case. It was hard to make it look like a car. But, it was still cute!

Mario

Luigi

Princess Peach

I think we ended up going to three different Halloween events. First was the library. We got some GREAT reactions from everyone, they loved the costumes! It makes all the hard work worth it. And the fact that the boys loved the costumes too! There were a few other Mario and Luigi's (wearing store bought costumes) and they kept staring at Evan and Carter. I could just tell they were so jealous of the cars! Then the next night was our church party. Then Sunday night we did a little bit of trick-or-treating around our nephews neighborhood. I would say this year was another success!

I feel so lucky

2010-11-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

I feel so lucky because in October we got a visit from my Grandpa, Aunt, and Uncle who all live in California! They came to visit my mom and dad in Billings. They all took a few days to visit Mt. Rushmore and Devil's Tower and we happen to be right on the way! They stopped on the way down and we ate lunch and visited. Then on their way home we ate lunch together again. My Grandpa, Aunt, and Uncle then started their long drive home that day. My parents stayed because they would be watching the kids for a few days while I went to Kansas to run the marathon and while Tom had to work.

I kinda felt "special" because I have 5 other siblings and of course much more extended family.... but I got to have a visit from my awesome extended family. Guess it pays to live by a few national monuments!
All of the photos below are courtesy of Evan. He snapped a few photos while they were getting ready to leave. Evan and Carter call my Grandpa "Grandpa Grapes" which is supposed to be "Grandpa Great"!

Kansas City Marathon & Sister's Trip

2010-11-06T08:51:00.004-06:00

The weekend of Oct. 16, I ran my first marathon! Every year we try and plan a sister's trip. This year we planned it in Kansas City, KS, where Jenny lives, and decided to run a marathon the same weekend. This was Susan's second marathon. Our brother in law decided to run the half marathon too. Jenny has a beautiful 3 month old so we'll make her run with us next time :)

Training began on June 7! That is 4.5 months of training. It's funny that when you are training it's seems to drag on forever, then when you finish it all seems like a blur! I'm still in shock that we trained through the summer and somehow never had a really hot day to run on. I'm thankful for the cooler summer this year! My only complaint for training in Gillette is the WIND.... ok and no shade. The day I ran my 20 mile run (the longest training run), it was cold and 25mph winds! I won't forget that one for awhile.

But I was blessed with very few problems during training. No blisters, no chafing, and no injuries!

Despite most of my good luck during training, I did end up getting sick the last month. I got a NASTY chest cold. Definitely the worst cold I've ever had. I think I missed 3 of my Saturday long runs. Yeah I was pretty stressed about it. But, I kept reminding myself that it was good to get it over with BEFORE race day. You'd also be surprised at how well your body maintains your fitness level, even after being sick for a few weeks. I listened to my body and rested when I needed to, but also got RIGHT back out there as quickly as I could. Susan also got sick, pretty much the week of the marathon. But she powered through and was still able to run a great race! On to the race.....

We flew into Kansas on Thursday the 14th. (By the way, my parents came and watched the kids for two days because Tom did not have vacation time - so THANK YOU to them for making it possible for me to go!) Friday we went to the Race Expo to pick up our race packets, with our bib numbers and timing chips. The girls did a little shopping that day too. (We squeezed in the "Sister's Weekend" events where we could. Shopping and eating out! I'm so glad we got to spend time with Jenny, Chris, and the boys! Love my sisters!)

We spent the night getting our clothes and gear ready for the next morning. Gotta make sure you don't forget anything! We went to bed early and woke up bright and early the next morning. Then we headed for the starting line.

Surprisingly I wasn't very nervous, not really sure why. We decided to start with a pace group (a runner or group of runners who run a certain pace during the race, to help you finish by a certain time) and try and finish under 4 hrs. and 30 min.

This marathon is well known for it's hilly course. We had tried to train for this, but still weren't quite sure what to expect. But, yep, there are lots of hills! Oh, and I can't forget to mention it ended up being 80 degrees for the high that day! Susan and I ran with Chris up to mile 6. Jenny and the boys were there waiting for us. It's also where the half marathon and marathon course branch off from each other.

I felt really great and even picked up the pace around mile 9. Susan and I stayed together until around mile 10. I kept going strong until about mile 16. Then it got REALLY hard. My feet hurt and I thought I had blisters on them (I didn't). My hips ached like nothing you've ever felt before! I felt fine when it came to feeling tired... I just HURT! But, I knew to expect that.... it's all part of the experience! So, on I trudged. We saw Jenny, Chris, and the boys again at mile 20. It really occupied my mind, waiting to see them! It actually helped. After that I walked a lot. I tried so hard to run when I could. There were even down hill parts of the course. Your body couldn't even feel it... it still felt like a flat road. Somehow, I ran/walked the last 6 miles, it was all a blur! I just remember that I realized there was no way I was finishing in 4 hrs. and 30 min. But I didn't care, I just wanted to finish!!! And I did! I finished the race in 5 hrs. and 5 minutes. Whew I was so glad to be done! It was such a challenge, but such a great experience!

I've thought a lot about people you meet, who have run marathons. Now I realize what they've gone through. You truly cannot understand, until you do it. You don't appreciate the hard work and dedication they've put into it. Yeah, you think they are crazy and know they run a LOT. But, you don't know the mental toughness they have endured. I would say it's 60% mental and 40% physical. I'm proud of myself for sticking with it... finishing the training and finishing the race! It was no easy feat, that's for sure. I think some people wonder,"If it's so tough and grueling, why do people do it, let alone more than once?" You can't even describe the great feeling of accomplishment after you finish a long run and especially a race. You feel like you can conquer the world. You feel like you can do ANYTHING! You've pushed yourself past your limits and you feel GREAT when you are done. I feel like it's all about challenging yourself and accomplishing something that most people can't or don't do. Will I do another one? Probably. In a few years. The competitive part of me wants to get a better time! Next year = sprint triathlon! :)

Fall 2010 - A new school year!

2010-11-06T08:13:00.002-06:00

At the end of August, Evan and Jordyn started school for the year. Evan is attending a pre-school provided by the local school district. It's a really great program to get the kids ready for Kindergarten and it's free! He absolutely LOVES going every day. I can already tell he is learning a lot too. I took pictures of him in his class, on the first day of school, BUT I can't seem to find them anywhere now! I hope they turn up some day, but for now, these will have to do! They were taken by my dad when they were here to visit for a few days.

We thought the picture below was funny because it looks like they are praying! Carter and I get to spend three hours together while Jordyn and Evan are at school. We run errands or I do things around the house and he gets to play computer games without being bothered by anyone! I think we both like our three hours together :)

Jordyn started 2nd grade this year. As most of you know, she spends the majority of her time in a special needs class room. She had switched teachers from last year and was back with her teacher, Mrs. Watt, whom she had the first year we moved here. Sadly, Mrs. Watt passed away suddenly from natural causes, about a month into the school year. I think everyone was very shocked and obviously very sad. I thought a lot about the kids... did they know and understand that she was gone? She was a great lady and taught MANY years for this school, all of which were with special needs kids.

Jordyn had a new aide this year, Mr. Johnson. Early in the year, Mrs. Watt told me that Jordyn seemed to really like him. Well, he just told me yesterday that he is going to be the new teacher! I think he will do just great!

PS: Just have to say again how FANTASTIC Jordyn's bus drivers are! They are so great with all the kids. The drivers that bring Jordyn home always let Carter ride the ramp up and then give him a piece of gum every day. We love them.

Glendo Reservoir

2010-09-18T11:01:00.009-06:00

The last weekend in July, we planned a weekend trip to Glendo Reservoir. It's just a few hours south of Gillette. We teamed up with Travis & Linda, Krystal, and Dallas & Katie (our friends & neighbors of Travis and Linda) to rent a pontoon boat. We stayed in some cute little cabins right at the marina, for two nights. I think this was pretty much our only "big" trip this summer!

The view from our cabins. It happened to be a PERFECT weekend when it came to weather. Nice and HOT!

Jordyn relaxing on the porch.

We played lots of Corn Hole (bean bag toss game if you've never heard of it!). Those guys are all TOO good at it.

Dallas and Katie's dog Sunny. Our boys were obsessed with making her fetch stuff.

Out on the lake! There is lots of flooding this year so you could see lots of trees sticking out of the water.

Krystal (with her dog Charlie), Sumner (Dallas and Katie's daughter), and Carter.

Sunny, Evan, Dallas, and "little" Dallas.

Krystal, Carter, Evan, Linda, and Cole.

Me and Carter

Carter and Sunny.

There is a small canyon we took the boat through. Very pretty.

Tom & Evan, Dallas, Travis, Linda, and Katie.

Dallas and Jordyn. Looks like they are having a great time. I LOVED the pontoon boat because it's spacious enough to just bring Jordyn on in her wheelchair! How nice is that? And it wasn't too fast, which is great for Jordyn and all the kids we had with us!

We split the meals up for the weekend. One night Dallas made Cherry Cobbler for dessert, in a dutch oven. It was awesome! He even fed some to Jordyn and she gobbled it down... she loved it.

We found a perfect sandy beach and played there some of the day. Carter loved playing in the sand. He's still a little scared of the water unless someone holds him the whole time.

Evan loved the water. He kept saying,"I'm swimming!" It really was just the waves pushing him to the shore.

Cole and Clay on the tubes. Sadly the boat wasn't quite fast enough to pull tubes. Well, it probably was, but the tubes were too flimsy to use for tubing. Trust me.... we tried. Wish I had pictures of that, it was funny.

Visit from the New Mexico crew!

2010-09-16T13:11:00.000-06:00

OK! Finally found the motivation to catch up on my blog...

Tom's mom (Ninny as we call her) is from New Mexico and much of her family still lives there. During the week of July 19-24 a bunch of the family came up from New Mexico to visit! I actually have not met all of Ninny's family so this was the first time I was meeting many of the family members. I think it has been at least 5 or so years since Tom has seen some of them too.

The number one reason for the visit was to watch Nalynn (Tom's 2nd cousin) compete in the National High School Rodeo Finals taking place here in Gillette! We were all really proud of her and excited to watch her compete. She competed in barrels and poles. She did extremely well and placed 2nd overall in Barrel Racing. She also was awarded Rookie of the Year. She is only a freshman in high school! Isn't that awesome!?

Here is a great picture of the crew, below. We weren't in this photo because I think it was the morning I was running my half marathon!

Back row starting at the left, we have Jerry, Blazin, and Nelda Rae. Then we have Clay, Cole, Ninny, Linda, and Travis. Front row, we have Ike, Whitley, Denim, Ace, and Darlin.
This wasn't everyone that came, there are a few people missing.

During the time that people weren't watching Nalynn compete, we would hang out and eat at Travis and Linda's house. Here is Chae, Tom, and Ace (Tom's cousin) talking.

Here I am holding Ace and Timber's daughter Darlin. Isn't she precious?!

Jordyn enjoying all the chaos!

All the family visiting made for a lot of little kids running around! But, they did great playing with each other. This is Blazen, Evan, Denim, Clay, and Ike on the trampoline.

Whitley (Tom's 2nd cousin) being a good sport and organizing a game for the younger kids.

Nelda Rae (Tom's Aunt) playing with Darlin.

Ninny and Nacona (Tom's cousin).

More of the guys: Wil (Nacona's husband), Jerry (Nelda Rae's husband), and Travis.

I threw this one in. I stole ALL of these pictures off Timber's blog! haha Crazy that I never snapped any pics while everyone was here. And I noticed she wasn't in any of the pics I used so... here is Ace and Timber! Ace, Nelda Rae and Jerry came to Billings when Tom and I got married. I was meeting everyone else for the first time. What a great family Ninny has. Everyone was so nice, fun, and great to visit with. Can't wait to travel to New Mexico some time and meet the rest of the fam!

Until next time....

Jordyn’s New Bike!

2010-08-09T19:16:00.001-06:00

Check out Jordyn’s hot new wheels! She loves her new bike.

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Spearfish Canyon Half Marathon

2010-08-09T00:33:00.000-06:00

On July 24, I ran the Spearfish Canyon Half Marathon. It worked out perfectly because my marathon training schedule had me running around 13 miles that day. So, what the heck, might as well make it a little more interesting!

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I woke up at 4:30 am that day to get there in time! It’s about 1.5 hrs. to get there from Gillette. Tom and the kids even tagged along. I’m so glad they came! Spearfish is a really cute town and in a beautiful area.

Everyone rode buses up to the top of Spearfish Canyon to the starting line. Well, I may have got there a little late and they were one bus short. So, a bunch of us had to hitch rides in people’s cars. Lucky me, I rode up with the race director!

Perfect weather. About 55 degrees at the start and lots of shade. I felt awesome most of the way. Starting getting sore around mile 10 because of the slightly downhill grade. Let me tell you, besides the soreness in my calves, that downhill running was HEAVEN! I finished in 1 hour 53 min. Wooo! WAY faster than I was planning!

Tom kept the kids entertained while I ran and they met me at the finish line. They thought I was cool because I got a medal. Now they keep playing with it around the house and Carter says, “You won mom, you won!” I really want to find a kid’s race for them to do!

After the race, we went to a fish hatchery. Pretty cool place. The kids were obsessed with feeding the fish and makin them go crazy. They loved it!

The beginning of Jordyn's Make-A-Wish Adventures!

2010-07-18T19:55:00.011-06:00

We got a phone call from the Make-a-Wish organization in June. (if you don't already know, we are heading to Disney World in December for Jordyn's Make-a-Wish!) The Gillette Thunder Speedway had called them and wanted to sponsor a child's wish. They were excited to find out that there was a local child they could sponsor...Jordyn! So, we got invited to the races the night of the fundraiser. They put us in a sky box which was perfect for Jordyn. I honestly know Jordyn loved the noise! We would open the door to the sky box and Jordyn would smile and laugh when she heard the craziness. But it was nice to keep her in there so she didn't hear TOO much noise!

The cousins all sat out in front of the sky box.... they loved the races! Carter, Clay, Evan, and Cole. (Jordyn in the background!)

Takes a minute to get used to the noise!

Perect night for a race. One of the coal mines is what you see in the distant background.

Ninny and Jordyn enjoying the race!

Tom, Travis, and Jason (friend).

A crash! He was ok.

At intermission they had the race car drivers come into the audience and collect donations, in helmets, for Jordyn's wish. Sorry, kinda blurry!

They also spoke with us, or I should say Tom :), over a loud speaker. He just told a little about Jordyn and that we were going to Disney World. He did a good job. Some of the crowd could see us but most of them couldn't or weren't paying attention to where we were. As you can see, I'm hiding in the background because there was NO way I was going to do the talking! haha Tom said I still owe him big time for making him do that!

They also did a little "catch up" with the child they sponsored last year. I'm not positive, but she may have had cancer. She chose to get a puppy!

The girls!

Jordyn had a great time! We were so excited to go and so blessed to have been chosen by the Speedway. They also auctioned off an awesome grill to include in the fundraising efforts for Jordyn.

So, the excitement doesn't stop there! Just a few days after finding out she was chosen to be sponsored by the Gillette Speedway, we got another call from Make-a-Wish. They had been contacted by the Wally Byam Caravan Club AKA the Airstream RV Association. They were having their annual international rally in Gillette for one week. They always choose a child from the local community and fund raise to help them with medical expenses. So, they also had contacted Make-a-Wish and were excited to hear that Jordyn was a local Make-a-Wish child.

We got in contact with them and they began their medical fundraiser for Jordyn. Their rally was literally starting two days after we went to the Speedway fundraiser! They asked us if we could come to one of the nightly events so they could introduce us and everyone could meet Jordyn. We went Wednesday night and it was a band concert and choir made up of the rally participants. Everyone was so nice! Jordyn got a stuffed animal right when we got there (and they sent some home for the boys) and they seated us right in the front. They introduced us right at the beginning and we stood so everyone could see Jordyn.

Another reason they were so excited to choose Jordyn was because the president of the rally
had lost his daughter to a seizure disorder. Another couple had a granddaughter who had recently had surgery to stop her seizures. So you can imagine when they found out that Jordyn had seizures, it was close to their hearts, and they wanted to help. We got to chat with those I mentioned about their kids/grand kids too.

The night we went was also the night they "revealed" where next years rally would be (Duquion, IL). A few rally members did a skit and let me tell you..... it was hilarious! Just because the members might be a bit older doesn't mean they aren't just as SPUNKY as when they were young! Check out the pic. below of a lady in a wheelchair with a whip and someone dressed as a horse pulling her for the skit! LOL

Me, Jordyn, and Linda Amy. She was in charge of fundraising efforts for Jordyn. Loved her!

Awww, look how cute Jordyn looks on a jar!

Had to get a pic. by one of the Airstream trailers! What a great night. We could not be any more grateful for everything they did. I'm still in shock at everything that happened to us in just one week! I kept thinking,"Nothing like this ever happens to us!" I can't wait wait to put the money to good use. Who knows the possibilities we could pursue now. And who knows, maybe one day we will be "Airstreamers" and we can go the rallies! :)

Zoo & Mason's Mountain Run

2010-06-26T09:32:00.006-06:00

The second week in June, the kids and I headed up to Billings. Jordyn had an endoscopy scheduled on Wednesday, so we just stayed the rest of the week to spend time with my parents. We have been seeing her GI doctor almost once a month lately, trying to figure out the cause of her horrible reflux and why NOTHING we've tried in the past two years has helped at all. So, we did an endoscopy (putting a small camera in your esophagus and stomach). Last one we did was two years ago when her throwing up started. And guess what? The results showed nothing besides some irritation from throwing up! Surprise! Even more surprising was that she no longer has eosiniphilic esophagitis (EE). Her first GI doctor diagnosed her with that during the first scope. I thought this whole time that the EE was one of the reasons she was throwing up. So... I really don't know what to think any more.
But, through a string of events with one of her meds (I won't go into the boring details!), I'm wondering if one of her medications is causing her to throw up. We started this certain med. about two years ago when the throwing up began and one of the side effects IS throwing up. So I talked to her docs (they weren't as convinced as I was) and we are going to try weening her off that medication and possibly give her a different one. I'll keep ya posted. I dream of the day that Jordyn doesn't throw up anymore (I'm sure she does too)! Hopefully that day is in the near future.

So, on to the fun stuff. It was finally nice weather and we took off for the zoo! I rented a double stroller for Carter and Evan and I have to say that was the best $6 I've ever spent! I think the big hit was feeding the goats and watching the sea otters. Most of big animals were all sleeping, but the kids loved the animals they did get to see.

Love love love the picture of Jordyn and the goats! And I LOVE the picture of me and Jordyn together too!

Just a cute pic of the boys actually being nice to each other!

Now for my favorite part of our whole trip! A few weeks before we came, my parents sent me an article from their newspaper. It was about a family putting on a 10k Trail Run and 2 mile walk, in Red Lodge,MT on June 12. It was in honor of their 11 yr. old son, Mason, who had died a year ago, from a mitochondrial disease. They also wanted the race to honor all special needs kids and the proceeds were going to The United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. When I read the article it just gave me goosebumps and I knew we HAD TO go!

Here's a link to the article: click here
This is where the race was, Lions Camp in Red Lodge, MT. I think we all had our doubts as we were driving up there. It was rainy and cold. We wondered if many people would even show up. But, we had driven over an hour to get there, so we figured we better just go! There were quite a few people there and luckily there was a cabin with a fire for Jordyn to sit by. While I ran the 10K trail race, my dad took the boys and they did a treasure hunt that was put on for the little kids. My mom stayed with Jordyn by the fire.
I really really loved the race! It was pretty challenging... the first 1.5 miles was uphill and there were plenty more hills after that too. But, there were a few downhill parts where you could catch your breath. I'm hoping I can find more trail runs to do in the future. It was kinda hard to come home and start running in the "city" again!

After the race they had a BBQ. We got to talk to the parents who had organized the event. Jordyn was the only special needs child there and Mason's mom kept telling us how grateful she was that Jordyn came. She said that Jordyn being there had made the whole event worthwhile. She even started getting emotional as she was talking to us. She went and got Jordyn a really nice gift from the treasure hunt prizes. A few of Mason's other family members also came up to us and told us how grateful they were that we had come and brought Jordyn. I think after talking to people, esp. Mason's mom, none of us had a doubt in our minds that we were supposed to go that event. I'm so glad we went!

Grandpa, Carter, and Jordyn after the BBQ.

One of the best pictures of Jordyn EVER, I think!

They had face painting for the kids and a pretty good band playing too.

Grandma and Carter

Love it up in the mountains, so beautiful!!! What a great day, can't wait until next year!

This is what we do in Wyoming

2010-06-25T09:18:00.004-06:00

In May, we went to the branding for Pa and Ninny's ranch that they work for. There were tons of people there, so the work was not very hard and didn't take too long. I just chased the kids around and helped Ninny prepare some of the food. Ninny cooked/prepared the food for everyone to eat when they were done.

Evan kept getting mad about whatever and then he would go sit on the ground and pout. Had to take a few pics. of that! Oh, they also have a guy that works for them who is originally from Argentina. He makes a huge grill over a fire and then cooks tons of meat. Not sure what he puts on it, if anything, but it was awesome!

The first weekend in June, Ninny had her first "Kids Play Day" at their indoor horse arena, that they bought about a year ago. The kids can enter in all the events or just a few. They had calf dummy roping, goat tale tying, barrel racing/ poles/flags (on horses), and a boot race. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place of each event won a little money. Then every one won some money on the boot race. Our boys were pretty excited when they won some cash! We all decided it might be really fun to market the event to "city slickers" that may have just moved to the area. Then their kids could experience Wyoming living!

LIFE

2010-06-06T22:18:00.005-06:00

Here is my little catch up on recent photos and things we've been up to this spring!

The boys were playing with some safety goggles we had laying around the house and I thought the photos were pretty hilarious!

In May, we headed up to Billings for a few doctor's appointments for Jordyn. Seems like we've had a lot of those so far this year! Just check ups and a few minor procedures. Might have to write about those later. Most of Tom's family met us up there and we all went to the indoor water park. Always a fun time! In May, there are like FIVE birthdays in Toms family all within days of eachother, so at least we got to celebrate some of them all together!

Ninny came to town to visit and got talked into pulling all the boys in a wagon. Carter, Clay, Evan, Cole.

Awww, gotta love cousins!

Ninny was nice enough to bring us some snow fence & posts to put up a makeshift fence until we get around to putting up a real one. I was about to go nuts trying to keep the kids in the backyard!!! Evan's always up to something back there as you can see in the pic. below.

We've been to Buffalo quite a few times this spring. One of the weekends we went into town and the kids got to ride a mechanical bull. Our kids were too scared to ride so I just got pics of their cousins, Clay and Cole riding!

Jordyn thought it was very exciting!

More of our adventures to come.......

Jordyn & Evan's Birthdays!

2010-04-02T13:29:00.005-06:00

Jordyn turned 7 yrs. old on 3/20/2010!

Jordyn and Grandma A.

Evan turned 4 yrs. old on 3/21/2010

We had a family party in WY the weekend before their birthdays. I think Evan's fav. gift was his Spongebob video game from his Aunt Linda and Uncle Travis. Jordyn loved her Care Bear blanket from Aunt Krystal.

Then we had a second party in Billings. We headed up there for a few doctor's appointments for Jordyn, so we stayed to celebrate on their birthdays! Evan requested a "Robot Cake" because he loves the new cartoon "Umi Zoomi" and his fav. character is the robot. I'm all about making it easy and this worked great.

Yes, Jordyn slept through most of her party! (photo above)

My kids are obsessed with cake.

My best friend, Jeni, was in town for the weekend, so she came to Evan and Jordyn's party, along with her son, Jackson, and her mom and dad. We lived on the same street growing up, so it was GREAT getting to see them and visit for awhile! Jeni gave the kids a bubble machine... they loved it!

Isn't Jackson so cute? We thought him and Carter looked alike.

Aww, daddy/daughter picture!

We tried REALLY hard to get a good picture of the kids before church. The boys DO NOT cooperate! This was the best we could do...not too bad! Jordyn is wearing her new dress that her Grandma A. bought her. Jordyn made out pretty good with three REALLY cute dresses this year.

Hope you had great Birthday's, Evan & Jordyn!

I'm in love

2010-03-04T17:10:00.004-07:00

Carter is so cute sometimes I can hardly stand it. I always come into the living room and he's laying on the floor watching tv with his hands on his chin. It's just so dang cute! I also can't believe right now how much he copies Evan. It's ridiculous! He follows him around like a little puppy dog, saying and doing everything he does (good AND bad things). For example, Carter could be scarfing down his favorite dinner and then he'll hear Evan say,"This is yucky!" Then Carter will shove his food away and say,"This is yuck!" OR Evan will say,"I have to go potty." Then Carter says," I go potty." ... even though he is still in a diaper. (sigh) We just laugh about it A LOT!

This is kind of late, but I forgot to post a picture of Evan's valentines we made. He has been going to preschool a few days a week at a friend's home. We made these for his Valentine's party. I got the idea from my friend Holly and she got the idea from some one's blog. I loved it and glad I got to use the idea! I love the way the picture turned out because they way Evan is standing and the smile on his face just matched his personality perfectly. Call me crazy, but I even made Jordyn's valentines this year too. I forgot to take a picture and they turned out so cute. I got the idea from our library's story time. It was a puppies face made out of paper hearts and the dum dum sucker was the dog's tongue. Kinda hard to picture but it was super cute!

I don't know about you, but I tell my kids I love them about 100 times a day. They are finally at the age where they say it back! Evan just started to say,"I love you sooo much!" out of the blue!!! Awwww melt my heart! There is just something about them saying it without any prompting. Evan will also say,"I love you sooooo much, as big as a giant!!!" LOL So, in our house, we hug a lot and say I love you a lot too!

I guess it's one thing I try really hard not to take for granted. I always WISH Jordyn could hug me and say,"I love you." So, I feel like I've been waiting a long time for one of my kids to be able to do those things. Your mind and body has the desire to connect with your child in that way. You want them to WANT you, reach out for you, hold your hand, hug you. Luckily, Jordyn loves snuggling with us. It's not quite like them wrapping their arms around you and squeezing you, but for Jordyn it might be the closest thing she can do. If she's crying, snuggling makes her stop crying and she lays her head down on your chest. And occasionally she will hold onto your finger or hand too. I guess I should feel lucky because most six year olds won't snuggle with you for very long! Oh, and the other night Tom was making Jordyn laugh by leaning into her face and making kissing noises. She actually leaned forward like she was TRYING to kiss him. We were so shocked! She probably did it 4 times in a row (giggling the whole time) and then accidentally head butted Tom on the last one!

One more thing that I love? A new dessert recipe I tried! If you haven't heard of The Pioneer Woman, then you should be spending more hours on the computer like me . I haven't tried too many of her recipes, because they are a little, um.... fattening!!! But, that is why they taste so good. I saw this recipe on my friend Cheri's blog and thought I would try it.....oh boy is it gooooood! It might just be our new "go to" dessert now. It's so quick and easy too! Enjoy!

Pioneer Woman Apple Dumplings

Ingredients:
2 whole Granny Smith Apples
2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
2 sticks Butter
1-½ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon, To Taste
1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda

Preparation Instructions:
Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.
WARNING: Prepare this dish at your own risk. It is beyond imaginable.

SLEDDING!

2010-01-16T13:11:00.003-07:00

Carter's 2nd Birthday!

2010-01-11T16:17:00.005-07:00

On December 27, my little baby turned two years old! Doesn't his cute face just make your heart melt??

We started the celebrating with his cousins in WY a week or so before his birthday. When everyone asks me what Carter likes or what is he into... I could easily say "Cars and Puppies!" So, I made cupcakes with little cars on top. Brilliant idea if I do say so myself! I was originally looking for cupcake toppers from the movie Cars, but couldn't find any. I found these little cars at Walgreens in case your wondering. It was a hit with the kids because they all wanted to choose what car they wanted and to play with it right away. And I loved it because it was super easy.

Since Carter is only two, I don't think he fully understood what was going on. All he knew was that he was getting lots of cars, puppies, and eating cupcakes and icecream! Probably the hit of this party was the puppy that Ninny gave to him (brown and white one). It barks, pants, moves its front legs, whines, and makes chewing noises. Carter held onto that thing all day long. His little cousin Megan kept trying to play with it and he would get so mad and defensive! He just love puppies!

Then we celebrated Carter's birthday in Billings the day after his birthday. We had to wait for all his Aunts and Uncles to arrive! We bought Carter slippers and pajamas from the movie Cars. He loved them! He also got lots of books because he LOVES to read.

I made the same cupcakes for his party in Billings. I searched high and low for a cupcake tower in Gillette, but the two good stores we have were sold out :) So I got one in Billings and it worked perfectly.

I think he had a GREAT birthday!

What else do I want to remember about Carter at this age??

He loves eating more than ANY kid I know

He will try and eat almost ANY food you give him

He loves reading, puppies, and cars

He loves wrestling and is very tough

He copies everything his big brother does

He loves playing and doing anything with his big brother

He calls his big brother Carter

He has to sleep with his green blanky

He loves Jordyn and gives her binky to her

He likes pushing Jordyn in her wheelchair

He still runs away if we're outside and he has the chance

He is very smart and talks really well

He weighs 33lb. and is 90th percentile for his weight (told ya he likes to eat)

Christmas in Montana

2010-01-07T14:13:00.005-07:00

Tom had to work Christmas Eve this year so we decided to leave for Billings Christmas afternoon. This year was our FIRST year having Christmas as our own little family! For eight years we've been traveling to see family! I was worried it would be boring or sad not being with others, but it was actually REALLY nice and fun! Christmas Eve Tom made awesome steak fajitas. Then we drove around looking at Christmas lights. Gillette has a park where they set up lights and it's set up to music... it was pretty cool! We came home and had hot chocolate and ice cream floats. We helped the boys decide on leaving popcorn and hot chocolate for Santa.(I was too lazy to make cookies) This was also the first year that the kids understood anything about Santa/reindeer/Baby Jesus/etc. Evan had a lot of questions about Santa and a lot of questions about Jesus' Birthday too.... he kept insisting that Jesus wanted cake for his birthday and kept asking when Jesus was coming to his party! hahaha Also, earlier in the day, Evan was "inspecting" our fireplace and saying,"Santa can't fit in there, he get stuck!"

Writing Santa a letter and leaving a snack. Check out Carter EATING the popcorn! LOL!

Playing with a few of their new toys Christmas morning.

We attempted a new tradition of eating a breakfast of waffles, vanilla ice cream, and warm syrup on top (Crazy, I know! we got the idea from some old friends in Boise) It's really good, but you can really only eat one before you feel sick! Then we packed up and headed for Billings.

It seems like I only get to see some of my family one or two times a year, since everyone is so spread out, so we were super excited. One of the biggest highlights of the trip was meeting our newest nephew Ryde!!! It made me realize how much I miss being around and holding little babies! What a perfect little cutie!

I love when it's so easy to make them smile!

Susan and Sarah.

Grandma and Ryde

Uncle Todd home from BYU

Mel and Dave

ANDERSEN COUSINS!

Just the girls!

Evan, Nathan, Liam

Carter wrestling Eli

Beautiful Jordyn

happy Sarah

After tripping on a stair, my dad broke his foot while we were all there!

What a great week in Billings. What else did we do? I met up with some old friends for lunch (pictured above), went and saw Avatar in 3-D, played games, watched a couple movies, lots of shopping (I miss great shopping!), went out to breakfast, spinning class and working out at the Y, New Years Eve party, and of course lots of talking and catching up!

Christmas in Wyoming

2010-01-07T13:42:00.003-07:00

We celebrated Christmas with Tom's family a few weeks before Christmas. We all met at his parent's house in Buffalo, on a Saturday, for Ninny's annual prime rib dinner. It's to die for! Everyone just played during the day and we had a little birthday party for Carter (pics to come later). We had the delicious prime rib dinner, nativity scene with the kids, and guitar playing later that night. Sunday we all went to church together, it was great!

This was the best pic. I could get of the kids getting ready for the Nativity scene!

Pa and Krystal

Carter playing with his new puppies.

Pa playing his guitar.

Tom playing the guitar.

We found out that there is a guy in Gillette that dresses up as Santa and you can "hire" him to come to your home and visit your kids. So the week before Christmas we teamed up with Travis and Linda to surprise the kids. I think they liked it! Santa did a great job too.

Clay

Cole

Carter

Jordyn

Evan (and Belle)

November

2009-11-29T21:56:00.003-07:00

I thought I better post something before people stop reading my blog! Kind of a quiet month, so I just posted some of the pictures I've taken recently.

Cute little Carter running to give me a hug!

A little while ago we babysat Krystal's dog, Joey, for a night. Of course the kids were loving him....and probably torturing him at the same time! I got a few cute pictures of them together. In the first picture they are sitting on my yoga mat. Evan insisted that Joey wanted to lay down on it for a bed. Evan was quite the little care taker with Joey!

Not sure what Carter was eating, but he made a mess as usual. The kid loves food!

Even more recently, we set up the Christmas tree this weekend. Tom even put Christmas lights on our house too! Really cute picture of Tom and Evan putting the star on top, isn't it?

We had a really great Thanksgiving too. Tom was on call for the weekend (he never did get called in) so we had to stay in town. We had Thanksgiving at Travis and Linda's house. Tom's parents, Chae's family, Krystal, and Travis and Linda's good friends all came for the whole day. Of course we stuffed ourselves and then played a bunch of games. A pretty great day!

Can't leave Jordyn out! I just love her funny smile in her school photo. Way to show all the teeth you've lost Jordyn! Gotta love it.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T14:06:00.002-07:00

I love dressing the kids up in a "theme". Who cares if they had no idea who the characters were, they still loved it! I actually went to the library and borrowed Peter Pan so they could watch it. Carter could have cared less and Evan watched most of it. I watched a little bit and wondered if I have ever even seen the movie! It sure didn't seem familiar. It's one of the older Disney movies and they are just so different and almost unusual in a way! And I have to say that I spent a total of $17 on all three costumes. The best was Evan's.... it cost $1. I found the pirates set at the dollar store! Not too bad!
We had a great weekend with Tom's family. Chae and Misti came from Sheridan and Tom's mom, Glenda, came from Buffalo. We played games on Friday night at Travis and Linda's. Oh man, that was fun. We now have an inside joke that we'll probably be laughing about forever. It's still cracking me up. Sorry, can't write about it on here! Guess you'll just have to go crazy wondering what it is!
Saturday we had a little birthday party for Chae and Misti's son, Joseph. Then had pizza, went trick-or-treating, then went to a little Halloween carnival that the city puts on. It was a GREAT Halloween!
Yes, Carter has TWO Halloween bags in the picture! He was so cute marching around to all the houses. I would try and get him to catch up to the other kids and tell him to RUN! Then he would run as fast as he could (more like waddling) to catch up. He didn't want to miss a house! Oh and he was just in AWE after he got all that candy! He was such a cute CHUBBY Peter Pan!

THE CREW L to R: Ryan (army guy), Joseph (Robin), Caleb (Ninja Turtle), Cole (Bears Football player), Sumner (witch), Evan (Pirate), Carter (Peter Pan), Ninny, Clay (Vikings Football player, Dallas (golfer). (Sumner and Dallas are two of the neighbor kids/Missing Jordyn and Megan)

My Favorites

2009-10-18T13:07:00.005-06:00

Here's a few things that I've found lately and REALLY love.

Recipes:

I've recently discovered that Dry Onion Soup Mix may be the greatest ingredient EVER. Here are two recipes that I've tried and LOVED. They are SO easy and delicious. I don't want to give you false hope, but I told Tom the meatloaf was the best I'd ever tasted (and easiest I've ever made)!
In the second recipe, it makes the BEST gravy. I'm cooking it today and serving mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls. Just a good ole' hearty Sunday dinner!

The third recipe is one that a friend told me about. It's a Rachel Ray recipe that's really tasty, just click on the link!

Easy Meatloaf

1 1/2 lb. lean hamburger

1 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix

1/2 c. oatmeal

1 egg, beaten

3/4 c. ketchup

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Mix hamburger, soup, oatmeal and egg. Spoon in loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with ketchup mixed with Worcestershire sauce. Bake 5 minutes longer.

Roast with Mushroom Gravy

3 lb. rump roast

1 env. onion soup mix

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 c. water
Cover roast with onion soup mix, pat on. Place roast in crock pot. Pour 2 cans mushroom soup mix with 1 cup of water, over roast. Cook on low for about 8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Rachel Ray Spring Chicken Roll Ups with Lemon Dijon Pan Sauce

Another great thing I've discovered is a great online store to buy t-shirts! Yep, a great fitting LONG plain colored t-shirt! I like the Shade shirts and Downeast Basics t-shirts. But, I decided I wanted to find an even cheaper short sleeved shirt that I could wear to work and not feel guilty if it got dirty and to stay cool while cleaning. At $10 each for shirts at either of those stores.... it was a little too much to order a bunch.

That is when I found http://www.forever21.com/! Just go to Women's, Tops, Basics & Hoodies. They have a TON of different styles/colors to choose from. The best part??? Most of them are $5-6!!! I think I struck gold! I ordered two t-shirts and two long sleeve shirts to try them out. I wanted long sleeve shirts to use for layering during the winter. I loved them all! I don't think I can wear the t-shirts just to work because I want to wear them all the time! I'm definitely ordering more some time soon. Now the real test is to see how well they wash and hold up! But for $5, I won't be devastated if something happens. Also, you have to pay attention to the length (most are as long as Shade t-shirts, but some are shorter/longer) and the type of fabric too. Each shirt is different in those aspects. Love them!

I can't remember if I've ever posted about this, actually I'm pretty sure I have, but my all time favorite exercise dvds are by Cathe Friedrich. I'm telling you people, these are the toughest workouts you can do at home. I LOVE HER! Because of Cathe, I am only two pounds away from my goal weight (I'm talking about the goal weight you set thinking you might never reach it!) AND I am now doing REAL push ups, not girl ones! I think Tom is getting SO tired of me flexing my muscles and telling him that I'm stronger than he is! hahaha!

I don't know, I think I am really developing a huge passion for fitness and nutrition. I love it so much! I have the time for it too since I'm a stay at home mom.(is that an oxymoron??) Honestly, I do have days where I might not feel like working out, but then I think,"Hmm, I don't have anything else to do besides get on the computer or watch tv... guess I WILL work out!" I know I know... it's pathetic! :) I just view it as my hobby! I've even thought about going back to school to study it too. We'll see where that road leads some day!

So, Cathe has some pretty tough exercise "moves" that I see her do and think,"I will never be able to do that." I want to show you one of them. Click on the link below and watch the video. The move I'm talking about is 45 seconds into the video. I bet you will watch it and think,"That doesn't look so tough!" But trust me, get up off your computer chair and TRY doing it. It just seems impossible! I'm setting the goal that I will some day be able to do that "move". And when I do, I'll take a picture or video and put it on here. Not sure HOW I'm going to do it, but I will! And by the way, if you CAN do it.... you're crazy... and awesome.

Guess I was really in the "blogging" mood today, huh?? :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNHzJbRR0zk

2009-10-16T09:03:00.003-06:00

Happy Boss's Day KRYSTAL!!!!

I have the greatest boss in the world! Honestly, Krystal is the best boss that I have ever had! She is one of the most caring, loving, and kind people I have ever met. She loves her employees and just wants to help us in every way she can. Krystal started her cleaning business about a year ago and has done great. She's been so strong to stick with it through the stressful times. Through all those stressful times, she is always thinking of others and keeping everyone as happy as possible. And of course, she is really fun to be around and always has a smile on her face. Love you Krystal!

2009-10-06T11:03:00.001-06:00

I really haven't had anything to blog about lately. It seems like when school starts you get into the same routine every week. We've just been hanging out with family almost every weekend. I guess we did go to a Pumpkin Festival here in town. They have carnival games for the kids and pumpkin decorating. But, I have no pictures because I didn't take my camera. My parents came a few weekends ago to help start building our retaining wall. I won't post about that until the wall is finished. Just a few more hours of work and it should be done. But, I guess it's postponed for a few days because the of the SNOW! I took some pictures of the boys playing outside yesterday. Evan just kept saying he wanted to go outside so he could lick it with his tongue. And yes, I really need to get them some gloves!!! Today the snow is already starting to melt fast!

In September, Carter got his first official haircut. I've just been trimming it here and there. I really have NO idea what I'm doing so it was time to let a professional do it! Both of the boys like getting haircuts and are really well-behaved when we've gone. Carter just had this little grin on his face the whole time!

2009-09-22T10:34:00.000-06:00

8 years together
What can I say? It keeps getting better and better! I love you Tom!

First Day of School!

2009-09-01T11:00:00.000-06:00

Today was Jordyn's first day of first grade! She's spends 75% of her time in her special education class and then they will take her into her her first grade class periodically. She looks so cute and was so happy to be going to school today! Can't wait to have her come home and see how she did on her first day!

Branding

2009-08-24T14:13:00.007-06:00

This past Saturday we had the chance to go help with Chae's (Tom's brother) branding. Well, I'll have to admit that I really only took pictures and kept Carter from being trampled... I wasn't any help! After 8 years of being in the Bybee family, I finally got to see my first branding. So.... get ready for a ton of pictures:

Do these calves have any idea what is about to happen??

My cute cowboys.

One of the great things about Chae's branding is that the missionaries come every year! Can you even imagine how fun/exciting/scary it must be for them? Look at them.... do they have any idea what is about to happen??

I have to say I thought they did an awesome job. Most of them just jumped right in and worked REALLY hard! Below: calf being branded. The smell of burning hair is HORRIBLE might I add!

The calf has to be branded, vaccinated (Linda is doing that below), and then castrated.

Here was a tiny calf that they let a little kid help with. The guy in the blue shirt is one of the missionaries. He was so funny.... he really wasn't interested in helping. Not sure if he was scared or grossed out...but he helped with this little one! Hey, he did better then me!

Way to go TOM! Wrestle him down!

Aww Carter... he sat in this chair for a long time when we first got there.....he didn't even move! You just have to imagine all the action going on and LOTS of loud "mooing" and chaos. He was in shock.

This will be a GREAT photo to send to the missionary wearing the white t-shirt. Won't his family get a kick out of it? haha Chae is the one helping him.

Gotta make sure they can't move, kick, or get away! That cow was looking at me like ,"HEEELP!" lol

I think Travis (middle guy in the photo) should win an award...he did almost ALL of the castrating that day. Now that is a nasty job!

Tom's dad getting ready to rope. He looks mad, but he didn't know I was taking his picture!

Dang this picture would have been awesome. Travis' hands were all bloody from castrating...but I didn't know my camera was set to black and white!

The brands in the fire.

Some good ole action shots!

Look at Ninny getting in on the action!

All done!

Wow, I can't even imagine how tired and sore these guys were! They worked pretty much non-stop from 9am-3:30pm.... it was 96 degrees out... and they branded 150 calves. We wondered if the missionaries were wondering what the heck they got themselves in to! Pretty fun day.... for me at least! :)

Spontaneous

2009-08-23T22:36:00.003-06:00

Tom and I are not very spontaneous people... at least since we've had kids that is! But last Friday, Tom was home for lunch and we decided we were going to drive to Rapid City, SD and spend the night and just have fun! So, I had the afternoon to book a hotel and pack our stuff by the time Tom got home from work. Rapid City is only two hours away from us and it's where everyone in Gillette goes to shop and do fun things. It's also only 30 min. from Mt. Rushmore and has tons of touristy things to do!

We got to the hotel and the boys probably could have just played there the whole time. We hardly ever stay in hotels, so they thought it was awesome! We were just walking to our room and Evan kept saying,"I'm so excited!"

The next morning our first stop was glow in the dark miniature golf! I love a good game of miniature golf... it was fun! We did have to chase the kids around to keep them from interrupting other people games... but we managed alright. Oh, I forgot to mention that Tom's sister, Linda, and her husband, Travis, came to Rapid City for the weekend too, so we met up with them for most of Saturday. Photo below is Travis and Clay posing during the golf game with Homer.

Next stop.... go carts! Carter drove we with me in my car and it was hilarious! He just held onto my arm and had this blank stare on his face the whole time. I think he was a little scared, but when we had to stop he started crying! Photo below is Linda and Clay taking off.

Third stop was Reptile Gardens! Very cool place! The photo is me, Jordyn, and Carter in the "rainforest" where the cool birds are. We don't look excited, but we were :)

Probably my favorite picture of the whole trip...LOVE Evan's expression!

ALL of our kids even touched a real snake.... like it was nothing! Jordyn even felt it! Yuck...snakes give me the CREEPS! Below you can see a snake in the left of the photo... can't see much of him but he was HUGE.

Evan and Cole posing for the "tourist" picture!

Loved the turtles. I think this one was around 130 years old.

Travis in the gift shop.... yep, he's the only one who will actually pose for my pictures! We had a great time .... a fun weekend with no worries! We even made a stop for shopping at Target and Scheels and dinner at Olive Garden....all in 24 hours! We'll be headed back soon, there's still tons we want to do there!

2009-08-19T12:53:00.003-06:00

A little over a week ago, we headed up to Billings to visit family. My sister, Susan, and her family were in town visiting my parents. She has a new 3 month old little girl, Sarah, that I hadn't even met yet... so we were excited to see them. We did a lot of fun things in just a few days!
(Just a side note: My brother, Dave, and his wife, Mel, had their little baby boy on August 9! Congrats to them... can't wait to meet him!)

One day we headed up to Red Lodge, MT for a picnic at Wild Bill Lake. Then we drove up Beartooth Pass (so beautiful!) and then back down to let the kids play at the park in Red Lodge. That night we made a stop at Softies... always a must!
The next morning Susan and I went to the YMCA with my mom and dad to work out... it was really fun all going together. My parents participated in a weight loss program awhile ago and have done GREAT at losing weight. So, it was fun going and having them show us the ropes!
Then we took off for the Montana Fair. Lots of food, sun, and fun. The kids LOVED the rides! After the Fair, Susan and I went and got pedicures.

It was a quick, but really fun trip! Click on the photo below to see more!

Billings Trip 09

2009-08-03T15:17:00.000-06:00

A few days ago, Jordyn lost her two front teeth! I think she looks pretty cute, don't you?

Look at her feeling the space between her teeth with her tongue. We wondered if she would really notice that they were gone....but she knows!

We had some friends move recently. They have a special needs child and needed to be closer to a larger hospital. They just spent about three months in Denver because he was really sick. He is only 2 yrs. old and it seems like they are just beginning their "journey" into having a special needs child so, you can imagine ALL of the things we had in common with them and had so much to talk about. We tried to help them by watching their 3yr. old for some of the time they were in Denver and the week they moved. So, to repay us, they gave us a ton of their stuff that they didn't want to take with them! I get all excited when I get free stuff! The kids got a wagon, a play slide/swing for the backyard, an art easel, & sandbox (all in fantastic condition!). They gave us two older Lazy Boy recliners, two end tables, and two lamps. So, this weekend I gave the end tables a makeover! (pic. below was after I sanded it)

The boys wanted to be in the picture! I think it turned out really cool. Now if I could just be a little more creative and not paint every thing black! :)

My Famous Family

2009-07-21T22:09:00.004-06:00

It seems like some of my family members are becoming "famous" these days. Check out my little brother on the cover of BYU magazine. Funny thing, he didn't even tell anyone! My parents got the magazine in the mail and just happened to spot their own SON on the cover! (he's on the far left, 3rd person down wearing blue and white)

Then, my sister-in-law and my brother are featured in one of the new Mormon Messages videos on You Tube. They are the couple expecting a baby... they are pretty dang cute... and due pretty much any day now! Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkTKQsYWBxc

My oldest brother was also interviewed recently, on an evening news station in his state, promoting a film festival that he was pretty much in charge of! I don't have the link anymore, but he did a great job!

I wonder who will be the next "famous" person in my family!?

Summer Fun!

2009-06-23T15:28:00.004-06:00

We don't really have any big plans this summer. We've decided to save as much money as we can to get a ton of work done on our yard. We'll be missing my family reunion, over the 4th of July, in CA.... please don't talk to me about it or I might start crying!!! Ok, regaining my composure....
So, we might be taking lots of short trips to Billings and Buffalo to see our families. We went to Billings a few weeks ago. Jordyn had a regular check up with her GI doctor. Nothing new, we just changed a few medications (no improvements so far) and are waiting for Denver to call us back.
Then over Father's Day weekend we went to Buffalo. Tom was hired to wash the windows at the ranch (the lodge has LARGE windows) once a month, so we headed out there to play... while he worked! Nah, it only takes him two hours.

So enjoy the photos from our recent weekend excursions!

The Lip

2009-06-18T13:40:00.001-06:00

Carter is so darn cute when he's sad! I have never seen a kid show off that pouty lip as much as him! He tends to get his feelings hurt VERY easily. He doesn't cry right away (unless he's injured), he just pouts for about a minute and then crys or gets over it. We can't help but laugh when he does it!

I have a weight problem...

2009-06-09T14:21:00.005-06:00

Not me....MY KIDS! For a while now the kids have been inching closer and closer to ALL weighing the same. You heard me right...our three kids, ages SIX, THREE, and EIGHTEEN MONTHS weigh almost the SAME! hahaha I can't believe it! I thought about waiting to see if we could get the scale to say the exact same weight for all of them, but I couldn't wait any longer to blog about it. Not sure if that will ever happen, but I'll let ya know if it does!

Here are their stats: Jordyn 6 yrs. old - 32 lbs.

Evan 3 yrs. old- 33 lbs.

Carter 18 mo. - 30 lbs.

So, Jordyn is WAY under weight because of her reflux condition (eosinophilic esophogitis). We are actually working on setting up appointments to take Jordyn to Denver to see a specialist for her condition. They put on a clinic for her exact condition and you see a GI doctor, allergist, nutritionist, and a few other doctors all at once. Right now they are evaluating her records to see what they want to do for testing, etc. It might be a few more months before we get to go. We are hoping they can at least help us find something to IMPROVE the throwing up. They have not found a cure for this disease yet, so it's basically trying to find a treatment that works the best. I feel like we have tried everything in the past year(besides a feeding tube - I pray we never have to go there) and nothing has helped.

Evan. Can't say much about him...I think he's pretty average for his age.

Now Carter.....oh boy! I have never seen an 18mo. old so OBSESSED with food! He is hilarious! People will pick him up and say,"WOAH! He is HEAVY!" The last week, Tom and I have been talking about being a little more strict with his diet!

mmmmmm, good food

Jordyn's pigtails are BACK! After going through a rough patch of behavior problems and pulling a ton of hair out....it finally grew back! Love the pigtails!

Carter checking out Jordyn's belly button. He will randomly walk up and kiss or tickle Jordyn now. It's cute.

My new helper. I love how he opens his mouth when Jordyn is supposed to open hers!

Woah... big bite!

Guess what I did today???

2009-05-14T13:42:00.007-06:00

1. Went to the bank and deposited my first paycheck! You heard me right...I'm a working woman now! One month ago, I started working for my sister-in-law Krystal. She started a cleaning business awhile ago and offered a job to me. I started working about 3 nights a week and then after awhile decided to work 5 nights a week. Guess what the best part is? I literally work for 1- 1.5 hours each night! We clean a commercial building that is three stories. Three of us clean it and we each have our own floor. We just empty trashes in all the offices, clean 2 bathrooms, and mop any tile floors. I've found I really like cleaning and don't mind it at all! It's a piece of cake and Krystal pays really well! And of course I'm loving the extra cash.

2. The second thing I did today was pay off our 2ND car loan! I used my first paycheck to pay off the remainder of our loan! I feel like calling Dave Ramsey and screaming "WE'RE DEBT FREE!!!" OK.... we're not debt free quite yet. And trust me, we've had many a conversation about calling into his show when we ARE completely debt free! But now the ONLY debt we have is school loans and a mortgage which is pretty fantastic if I do say so myself. We actually paid off our first car just a few months ago (we've had it for 7 years) and we've only had the van for a year and a half! Now if our van can just hold up so we can enjoy the no car payment thing for a LITTLE while!

I have to give an update on my new coupon hobby... I love it! I keep getting better and better each month and I'm really starting to get the hang of it. I think the only thing I need to improve on is how much time I spend searching for deals. I think it still takes a little too much time! But then again, with the money I'm saving... it's worth the time.

I would have to say that we used to spend between $550-$600 on groceries every month for a family of 5. That includes everything: food, household, diapers, beauty products, eating out, everything. For the month of April, I told Tom that I thought I could spend $400 total. He didn't think I could do it. Well, I spend $414.77! Not bad for the first month of trying that! We only went out to eat one time for dinner and one time for lunch. It does take a lot of planning and discipline, that's for sure! I'm going to try to see if I can keep that budget going every month!

Every once in awhile I do have a "bad" experience when I use coupons. Sometimes prices don't ring up right and of course the cashiers view it as a huge inconvenience to try and fix it. But, all of the other times, the cashiers always make comments on how much money I'm saving and how cool it is! Last night I went and bought 8 boxes of cereal, 3 pasta salad mixes, cake mix, and two frostings....for $7! I love the feeling of saving that much!

Bank Update

2009-04-28T11:14:00.002-06:00

Well, bad news. I don't think I'm getting my money back. The bank wrote me back and said they recommend that customers print or save a copy of their statements they receive online to avoid having to order them. They charge because they've already provided you with one copy online or by mail. I guess it would makes sense to save them on your computer and then you could print what you needed in the future.

I seriously contemplated going into the bank and threatening to leave the bank, but then I decided I was WAY too lazy to ACTUALLY do that! I just can't bring myself to deal with the hassles of switching.

I highly doubt the people requesting these statements would do anything if I complained to them. They are in fact giving us money for Jordyn! Now that I look back, I should have done things differently. But you never think of those things until AFTER the experience. I guess I definitely learned from this, didn't I?

I'm Furious!

2009-04-27T11:04:00.002-06:00

I really need to vent. Jordyn receives a small (but helpful!) disability payment every month. And every year we have to do a review over the phone. That's perfectly fine. They just update our info and ask me lots of questions about our assets, income, monthly payments etc. That's fine too. At the end of our conversation the lady tells me that she needs to see two years of bank statements for every checking/savings account we have. Huh? OK... Luckily we don't have many accounts!

I found 18mo. of statements online...now I'm low on computer paper and ink! So I still needed 6 mo. of statements. Called my bank and was told it would be $6.00 PER STATEMENT. That is over $70!!! I called the lady who did our review and told her that. Her response,"Well, I have to have them." So I went to my local bank thinking that there was NO way they would actually charge me that much. Maybe they would help me out and charge me $12.00 or something? NOPE. They actually charged me $72.00!!!!! I tried to protest, but they weren't helpful. I left so furious I thought I was going to explode!!! How can five minutes of their time and a little paper and ink cost them $72.00? CRAZY. (It didn't help that my kids were HORRIBLE the whole time!)

After I left, I kept thinking..."NO, I am NOT paying this. Someone is going to reimburse me!" So, after wondering who to lodge a complaint with (the bank or the person requesting the statements)... I decided on the bank. I figured they are much more likely to take that ugly charge off my account if I complain. I already e-mailed them and it said I would receive a call within 24 hours. Can't wait to see what happens! What do you think? Am I crazy for throwing a fit or am I right in thinking that charge was crazy??

2009-04-20T16:50:00.002-06:00

Just come cute photos that I've taken over the past few months. Below is Evan jumping in a huge puddle when all our snow started melting! I figured it was safe because he had snow pants and boots on...and I wanted to take pictures. Now he wants to jump in every mud puddle he sees. Oh, and don't worry...all the snow melted awhile ago and it's going to be in the 70's this week!

Carter in his little cubby hole. He always gets stuck in there. I think it's supposed to be for a computer modem...I don't know what to use it for because we have a laptop. Any ideas? I guess it's always great for playing!

Aww I love this. One day Carter was so tired that he fell asleep the second he was done eating. Then again, maybe he fell asleep because he was tired from eating so FAST. He's like the Tasmanian Devil when he eats! He was out cold.

I guess this post is turning into a post all about Carter! He's our little stuffed animal man. He loves any stuffed animal! When he goes to bed he has to have 2-3 stuffed animals in bed with him. And when I get him up in the morning he wants to bring them with him too. It's so cute because he hugs them all the time. This week Carter also learned how to say "no". Sometimes you wonder where your kids learn certain words. Not this one! He most definitely learned it from us! I bet it's one of the first words most kids say, don't ya think? He really doesn't understand the meaning of it yet because he just says,"Noooo." when you ask him anything! It's pretty cute, just like him.

Easter

2009-04-14T22:41:00.002-06:00

We had a great Easter. We went to Tom's parents and met up with the entire family! We dyed Easter eggs and had an egg hunt for the kids. Then we had a delicious prime rib dinner. And of course we went to church on Easter Sunday. Jordyn and her cousin Megan are the only girl cousins in the family and Ninny bought them beautiful dresses to wear on Easter. They looked so cute!
The weather was great too! We took the kids on a hike and got a great view of the entire ranch. Evan was a little trooper going up steep rocks and hills. Sadly I didn't have my camera! I even made Tom take me shooting. I have only shot a gun one time about 7 years ago. Tom always goes out shooting when we go to his parents and I always say,"When do I get to go?!" It was pretty fun and I did pretty good if I do say so myself. I shot a 6in. target at 250 yards. Two shots and two hits! Tom was impressed:)
Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend!

2009-04-03T15:19:00.002-06:00

Finally! A really cute school picture of Jordyn! I was so happy when she brought these home from school today. If you know Jordyn at all, you know that taking a good picture of her is all about timing and LUCK! It's very hard to get her to smile when you want her to and to not irritate her during the process. Yay, Jordyn, for taking a great picture!!!

Check this out...

2009-04-02T11:53:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone....one of my friends just launched her own website (she's also married to my brother's best friend). Go check it out... it has some great ideas and tips!

www.themormonmom.com

FYI

2009-03-31T11:26:00.004-06:00

Just thought I would mention that if you go to http://www.coupons.com/ you can print coupons for $5.00 off Hasbro games. It includes: Sorry Sliders, Gator Golf, Elefun, Guess Who, and Twister Hopscotch.

We went and bought Gator Golf. I have to say that it is really an awesome game! I think Tom and I play it as much as Evan does. I love it because it has very few parts to it. You putt into the gator's mouth and it flings the ball back to you! Only downside is that you have to go re-open the gators mouth each time.

Anyways, I love games that the whole family can enjoy...not just the kids! Even Carter likes us to help him putt! Oh, as far as I know, Walmart has the cheapest prices for these games. It could be a great gift idea too.

Photo Smorgasbord

2009-03-30T13:48:00.005-06:00

We had a great time celebrating Jordyn and Evan's birthdays. We had a little party in Billings with my parents and then a week later we had a party with Tom's family in Gillette. They got some really great presents... thanks everyone!

My mother-in-law had a cake made for Jordyn and Evan. We decided on Spongebob because Evan is a big fan. It turned out really cute, don't you think? Evan was way excited when he saw it!

My latest project was painting our kitchen table. My friend had given us this table a few years ago. I'm so mad at myself because I forgot to take a "before" picture. So I found one online of our exact table. Just try to imagine it not so new and with a few burn marks on the top!

Before

After (without the leaf)

I really love it. It looks so much better and matched really well with our black appliances.

BLIZZARD: Round two! We are in the middle of another blizzard today! Rumor has it that it's supposed to be worst than the last storm! The wind is blowing HARD and the streets are getting re-covered in drifts. I think we'll be trapped in our subdivision by tonight! Tom said he barely made it driving through the snow to our house at lunch time. And school was canceled today, too. Update: The storm has died down now. It won't be as bad as our last storm. However, as I type, Tom is outside trying to dig his car out of the snow. He got stuck coming home from work. There is another car stuck on the same street too. Luckily, he was only a block away from home!

First photo below: view out our front window on a pretty normal day. Second photo: same view out the window during a wind storm. Third photo: view out the same window today!

Blizzard Update

2009-03-25T15:10:00.001-06:00

We got home fine today. The roads were actually clear and dry the entire way. I think they plowed on the interstate yesterday and then it dried by today. When we were driving into town, it didn't really look too bad. There are areas of large drifts and then areas of hardly any snow. But we we got to our subdivision and you could see how high the drifts really were! Our driveway was piled high with snow, so we had to shovel a path to get through. I think it was mainly from the plowed street. It left a huge pile in front of our driveway. A few photos of our neighborhood:

A house in our neighborhood. I think it wins the prize for the tallest snow drift. Luckily, no one is living in it right now!

One of the roads to our house. Guess we aren't getting through that way!

They plowed a narrow path to our house and another house. I guess I will be taking Jordyn to school tomorrow because the bus still can't get through! ( not our house in the photo)

BLIZZARD!

2009-03-24T22:23:00.003-06:00

I don't know if you have been hearing about the blizzard that hit Wyoming on Monday. Well, too bad we weren't there to see it! We left Friday night (the high was 69 degrees that day) and went to Billings for the weekend. Jordyn had doctor's appointments on Monday morning and Tom took work off to come with us. We planned to leave on Monday afternoon. I thought we were in the clear and would have GREAT weather. Then a freak snow storm hit WY on Monday morning. They canceled school in Gillette on Mon, Tue, and Wed. Tom's work did not open on Mon. and Tues. They whole city of Gillette was shut down! That includes a large stretch of the interstate too. We have been here in Billings having fun while we wait for the roads to open again. It's pretty strange to be here with fairly nice weather while everyone is digging out of the snow in Gillette. I can't even IMAGINE what our house looks like. We hear there are tons of large snow drifts. Out in our area we tend to get them even more since there is nothing to block the wind. I'll take photos when we get home. But, the roads opened again tonight and we are headed back in the morning. I can't wait to see what we find! Keep your fingers crossed the roads are ok.
I posted a few pictures I found on weather.com of our town!

Happy 3rd Birthday Evan!

2009-03-21T08:16:00.002-06:00

Today is Evan's birthday! The celebrating continues! On this day I always reminisce about Evan being born the day after Jordyn's birthday (5 weeks early!). I don't know if Evan really cares it's his birthday. All he knows is that he gets pancakes for breakfast (has fav.) and ice cream tonight. That's all he cares about! He fell down yesterday and scratched his nose. Luckily, I was taking pictures of him yesterday BEFORE he fell down! We love you EVAN!

Happy 6th Birthday Jordyn!

2009-03-20T11:23:00.003-06:00

Today is Jordyn's birthday! I just love that her birthday is also on the first day of spring. And it's a beautiful day outside right now! Carter, Evan, and I already went to Jordyn's school to take treats and be there for her little school party. They gave her the balloons in the photo and one of the balloons sings when you hit it. Very cute! This is just the beginning of ALL the celebrating we'll do! We love you little angel Jordyn!

Oh so cute!

2009-03-17T15:15:00.002-06:00

Like my new glasses?
Love the double chin!

Brotherly Love!

Sisters Trip

2009-03-14T16:11:00.005-06:00

At the end of February, my sisters (Jenny and Susan) and I planned a little trip to see each other. Last year, we got together in Boise because I had just had Carter. The trip before that was in Spokane. So, this year it was Jenny's turn to host in Kansas City! We are definitely planning on continuing our new tradition of getting together every year or as much as we can. We even talked about a destination vacation for a trip in the future!

I have to say that after our move, I really needed a vacation! The only time I have ever left my kids over night was a few years ago when I went with my friend to run a race near Seattle. I only had Jordyn and Evan then, and we stayed one night. People...that is ONE time in SIX years that I've left my kids! This time I got to leave for almost five days! I really missed the kids and Tom, but this vacation was way overdue! It was so strange being without kids for that long. It really helps rejuvenate you and I was ready to take on the world when I came home.

I have to thank my mother-in-law for coming and helping with the kids while I was gone. She even had to deal with them all having colds too. I couldn't have done it without her help! And thanks Tom, for letting me and wanting me to go! Not that he "wanted" me gone... just that he knew I deserved a vacation! Now, whenever I get grumpy, Tom will say,"Do you need another vacation!?" Uh.... yes please!!!

On Thursday, I drove to Billings to catch my flight. Susan and I both arrived late Thurs. night. Friday we had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes and then went to Crowne Center (shops, dining, and the headquarters of Hallmark). That night we went to dinner at Jack Stack BBQ, movie (He's Just Not That Into You), and dessert at the Cheesecake Factory. Saturday morning we had spa pedicures, lunch at Panera Bread, and shopped at the mall all afternoon. Saturday night, Jenny's husband, Chris, made us a great Asian dinner. Then we played Wii with the boys and watched Nights In Rodanthe. Sunday we went to church and relaxed most of the day.

Thanks for the great time Jenny! And thanks Chris for putting up with all the "girl time"! I feel so lucky to have such great sisters! Even though we are all unique, we really are similar. I'm so glad that we can be so close. Love you guys!

Crown Center with Nathan and Liam

Hallmark "Bow Making Machine"

Me, Susan, Jenny

Coloring with the boys. I still love coloring.

2009-03-07T10:47:00.007-07:00

Well, it's that time again. Tom and I have to speak in church tomorrow! I try and work on it a little each day. But, now that it's down to crunch time it seems like I've been thinking of all kinds of reasons not to work on it... like blogging! Oh how I wish I could just get up and give a talk without worrying, stressing, and being extremely nervous! But, that isn't me and probably never will be! I guess you have to look on the bright side and think about all the things you learn, which always seems to be a lot.

On to a different topic! Evan always begs me to take his picture and then he just makes faces! So here are just a few of the crazy faces he makes:

First video: Evan has this Sesame Street Sings Karaoke video that he likes. The other day we watched it and then he got the bright idea that we should "play" karaoke. He insisted that I sit down like I was the audience and he even used a diaper box as his "stage". Then we all had to take turns singing our songs. Too bad you don't get to see the video of me singing!

Next video: Jordyn has made some GREAT progress when it comes to self feeding. I have to give most of the credit to Jordyn's school. (Her school in Idaho starting working on it with her) They sent home a note saying they were continuing working on getting her to hold onto her spoon. That same day, I was feeding her lunch and she reached out to grab her spoon! She has NEVER done that before (for me at least) and I wasn't even expecting it. Just over the past few days, she's even improved more. She reaches out for her spoon and pulls it to her mouth every single bite. So, enjoy the video of her awesome progress!

Devil's Tower

2009-02-25T16:25:00.003-07:00

It didn't take us long to make our first trip to Devil's Tower (the weekend of Feb. 14). It's only one hour and fifteen minutes away...you can't beat that! My Grandpa Andersen took a much needed vacation (he cares for my Grandma who has dementia) and came up to MT to visit my parents for a week. My poor Grandpa is from California and probably froze to death while he was here! They decided to come to WY for the weekend and see our new house. We were excited to have visitors!

None of us had ever been to Devil's Tower before, so it was an easy decision to go there. However, it was REALLY cold and all of the tourist stores were closed. But it was really pretty and it started snowing lightly too. I have to admit, I didn't know a single thing about Devil's Tower, except what it looked like in pictures. So, if you're like me...go HERE and learn about it!

Near the base. As I mentioned before Gillette pretty much has no trees. On our drive to Devil's tower Evan actually said,"Look mommy! TREES!" Poor kid gets excited when he sees trees! Sad,very sad.

Carter being his usual cute self.
Jordyn, Mark (my dad), Mirl (my grandpa), Evan, me, & Carter.

My cute Grandpa.

After my Grandpa posed for this photo, Evan marched over and stood there waiting for us to take his picture too.

Tom and I. We will definitely be going back in the spring or summer. I think it would be really pretty that time of year.

Snowball fight! Evan was chasing my Grandpa to throw snow at him!

Getting OLD!

2009-02-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

Today Tom is turning the big "30"! Happy Birthday Tom! What can I say? He's still the best dad and husband ever!
This year he has decided to finally fulfill his greatest wish and get a ...... GUN! He works so hard for us, so he deserves it!

Up and Running!

2009-02-16T15:36:00.001-07:00

We made the move and have been in our house for 2 weeks now! We really like it and are actually very happy with our decision. It feels so great to have our own home again and just be back in our family routine. Tom and I were just saying the other day that the best decision we ever made was to not be tempted to buy a house that was at the high end of our price range or more than we could handle. It feels good when you look back and realize you made a smart move!
We have survived almost two weeks with absolutely no TV (there are no TV stations here so you can't even pick up the basic channels) and Internet! We even forgot our DVD player at my parent's house so Evan has been watching the same video tapes over and over. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually liked it most of the time. I got almost completely unpacked because I had lots of free time! We also had a lot of fun just playing with the kids at night before bed and Tom and I talked a lot... which I loved (not sure if he did)! And talk about a lot of e-mails and blogs to catch up on....I'm getting there!
I'm loving my day to day routine right now. Isn't it funny how after awhile you get so tired of doing the same thing day after day? Well, I missed it and love it now... at least for awhile. Jordyn has even been in school for two weeks now and is doing great! I've been really impressed with everyone at her school. It seems like a top notch program. Jordyn was really attached to Miss Andy at her school in Idaho and her new school tells me she is already attached to one of the aides in her class! They also said,"When she doesn't want to do something... she really tells us!" (by screaming) I had to laugh at that.
Next up...house pictures!

Kitchen. One of favorite features: computer area on the right. The door goes to a "mud room" and laundry room.

Living room area. Another one of our favorite things... the flat screen TV (free with the house) and the fireplace.

The kid's favorite thing: the horses! Directly behind our house is a large area of farmland. We should never have anything built behind us which is great. We live on the outskirts of town so it almost feels like living out in the country.

The horses come by about once a day to visit. You can see our deck and a small part of the backyard. The horses are standing right at the farm fence line. Our next task will be deciding what to do with the yard and when to put in grass. The front yard is quite a bit bigger then the back.

my newest hobby

2009-01-25T16:29:00.006-07:00

I think I've mentioned before that I do NOT like paying full price for things. I have to be getting some kind of deal on it. Even if it's just 10% off, free shipping if it's online, or knowing that I'm getting the best price I possibly can.

I've always liked buying groceries on sale or using a good coupon here and there. But, now I've entered a whole new world. It all started with a friend who posted some good Albertson's sales on her blog. Then from her blog I found other blogs about sales/coupons. So, for the past two weeks I've been clipping coupons and catching good deals at the store. I love keeping up with the blogs because they find the deals for you and write about them. It sure saves me time!
Here are the blogs I've been following:

Deal Seeking Mom
Frugal Chic Living
I am Frugal
Money Saving Mom
Penny Mavins
The "Cent"sible Sawyer

There are a ton of money saving blogs out there. I can't really follow anymore that those because they post a lot! But if you know if a really awesome one, let me know.

My best deals so far? Free 7-up, Popcorn for $.50/box, juice for $.50/bottle, oatmeal for $.50/box, almonds for $1.23/can, mascara for $2 that was originally $7, and so much more. One of my best deals of all time was getting 3 bean bag chairs for the kids for a total of $10.00! I found them at a thrift store and they were in great condition. I just need to add a little more filling and they'll be perfect!

My favorite stores for great deals? Albertson's, Walgreen's, Kmart, and Target. There's a cool grocery store in Billings too... Mr. Thrifty's (discount grocery store). I know I'll be stopping there every time I come to Billings for a visit.

My #1 rule? Only buy stuff you NEED or buy on a regular basis! It's so easy to see that something is pretty cheap and WANT to buy it even if you don't need it. I have to remind myself of that A LOT. If I wouldn't normally buy an item, I don't want to even waste $.50 on it.

I've been pretty restricted the past few weeks on what I can buy because we're not in our house yet and I have no where to put it. I also can't really remember what kind of storage space I'll have in our house either... I know there isn't really a pantry. But, I can't wait to see the damage I can do when I actually have somewhere to put my bargains!!!

With that being said, here is something pretty awesome I saw on my friend's blog:

Quoting from her site (moneysavingmom.com),

"I don't know about you, but I do a lot of searching online. If I need to find the answer to just about anything, Google is my best friend.
So when Lavonne told me about Swagbucks--an online search engine that rewards you for searching online--I was all ears. Especially when she told me she had earned enough in Swagbucks in the last four months to receive hundreds of dollars in gift cards.
I did some investigation and learned that Swagbucks is very simple to sign up for. In fact, it takes all of about one minute. There are no fees, no credit card required, and no phone number or address requested.
After that, you are credited 3 points to your account and then download the toolbar and every day as you're searching online, you earn a few more points. After only 45 points earned, you can get a free Amazon gift card. Or at 50 points, you can get a Starbucks gift card. There are dozens of other prizes, too.
Now, you might be thinking, "What's the big deal if I only earn a $5 gift card every month?" Well, you're right, $5 isn't that exciting. It's something, but that's only the beginning. You see, your earnings will exponentially multiply when you refer others.
Do you know anyone else who searches online? I thought so. Well, tell them about Swagbucks, send them your referral link, and you'll not only instantly earn more points when they sign up, you'll also earn points for the searching they do online.
Tell lots of folks and you're well on your way to funding your entire Christmas budget with free gift cards from Swagbucks. I'm not kidding you, that's exactly what Lavonne did. See her post here with the details.
For those of you who have blogs, you'll especially want to jump on board with this. It's free, it won't take much of your time to do, and it could generate a nice stream of gift cards in your mailbox.
I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty sweet to me! So what are you waiting for? Go click on my link at the bottom of this post and I'll get credit for it too!!

Here's my referral link! http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=311887

We have a home!

2009-01-21T11:55:00.004-07:00

I decided that I can FINALLY post about finding a home. We've actually known about it for quite some time now, but I wanted to make sure it was REALLY going to happen before I posted. Now that we have the closing scheduled, I figured it was pretty solid.

We bought a manufactured home that is simple and cute. After realizing that renting was not an option (the cheapest we could find was $1400 and it was either a complete junker or a 2 bedroom apartment), we met with a realtor and started looking at homes. Well, we only needed one day to look because there were really only three houses in our price range to choose from! One was a HORRIBLE and unlivable foreclosure. I felt like I was on one of those cable TV shows where the realtor shows a disgusting house and tries to make it seem wonderful! It was bad. Our second option was a really nice newly built home. The price was a little more than we would have liked, but it seemed really great. However, it was extremely close to a train track! We were touring the house and a train went by blowing it's horn and literally shaking the house. I almost burst out laughing as the realtor is continuing to talk over the sound of the train as if nothing was happening! Then two more trains went by during the time we were there! We're still laughing about that. Our third option was a new manufactured home. We had looked at several before (there are a lot in the area) and weren't sure if we wanted to go in that direction. But we went to a new company and looked at their homes. We were pleasantly surprised that we liked them and decided this was basically our only option...so went with it!

We hadn't even wanted to buy a home to begin with because we didn't feel financially ready. But, we got a great deal on our loan because we are first-time home buyers. A house like ours would probably rent for $1500-$1800 a month. Buying was a much better option. Gillette has a really complicated housing situation!

I don't even know where to start with what happened after that. It has been the longest and most stressful process of my life! We signed a contract right before Thanksgiving and were told it could be ready by Dec. 5. We were so excited! Now we realize we NEVER should have believed that...what were we thinking!? It was fantastic weather when we signed the contract, but no work got done on the house. (The actual house was already in Gillette, they just have to move it to our lot and set it up) Then they told us it could be done before Christmas. BUT, we had those frigid frigid temps. and of course very little got done. Then we started wondering....should we just back out of this deal? But what else can we do? We couldn't think of anything. And we thought we were already far enough into it that we might as well wait it out.

I started calling them about every other day asking what they were doing and when they would be done. Tom even called and chewed them out too. Of course they made it sound like things were moving along GREAT...then we'd drive by and not much would be done. GRRR we were so frustrated. I told Tom,"I am NEVER EVER in a million years, going to build a home!" I guess we know what all the frustration with contractors is all about now. We aren't even building an entire home and we were stressed beyond belief. I guess if you have LOTS of time to wait for a house to be done, then you might be ok.

Anyways, that is the short version of what happened. Finally things have been wrapping up this week. We've scheduled the closing for next Wednesday. I can't wait to get in our house and just put all of this behind us and MOVE ON with our lives. Not to mention we've been living with Tom's sister and my parents for nearly 5 months now. It makes me sick thinking about the burden we've been on them for 5 months of their lives. I don't even know how to thank them or show them how much we appreciate their generosity. I feel like we owe them so much for what they have done for us! So, THANKS GUYS!!! I know we'll be thanking them a lot for weeks to come.

Wish us luck on the move!

2009-01-14T22:14:00.005-07:00

A few recent photos that I like:

Little Angel after her bath.

I put Jordyn in the middle of the living room and over the course of about 30 minutes, she slowly scooted all the way over to the TV and put her legs up on it. She's watching "Sit and be Fit" on PBS. I guess she likes exercising with old people!

Ok, this is really random, but it cracks me up. This picture is a package of Jordyn's wipes. Notice that you don't get 70 wipes anymore... you get 72! I'm so glad I get two more wipes! haha I guess it gets me to smile every time I see it. And by the way, these wipes are awesome. Jordyn's medical insurance covers them (and her diapers!) and they are about 3 times the size of dinky regular wipes. We love 'em.

My two cute guys. We were just having fun taking pictures the other night. (Don't mind Evan's nerdy haircut! I took him to the cosmetology school and I don't think I like it too much.) The bottom left picture is Evan with his "blanky". He uses the yarn from the quilt to tickle his nose. He's done this since he was very little. I'm glad I got a picture of it to remember. Geesh, it tickles my nose just looking at it! How does he stand it?!

Our sweet snowman! I made this, I mean... Evan and I made this snowman the other day. It was pretty fun!

Indoor Water Park

2009-01-12T23:01:00.003-07:00

A few weeks ago we met Tom's mom and sister at the new indoor water park here in Billings. It was a pretty awesome place! Finally something new to do in the winter time. The kids had a blast and we did too! They had two big slides for the grown ups and Tom and I both agreed they were some of fastest slides we had ever been down... which was way fun! They also have a wave pool and a huge play area for kids with two little slides and all kinds of water features.

The photo below is blurry, but I thought it was so cute of them!

Jordyn having fun. In the photo below she was watching the huge bucket of water dump on everyone. (It was one of the kid's area water features)

Linda's boys Cole and Clay. Her nephew Trent in the middle.

Jordyn even got to go down a slide which she never gets to do! This slide was perfect for her. She seemed to like it. She really loved the wave pool though. We sat for a long time where the waves would splash up on our laps.

Welcome 2009

2009-01-04T22:58:00.008-07:00

I love our New Year's Eve tradition. We get together with all the family who is in town, eat finger foods, and play games. This year it was my mom and dad, Todd, Susan and Kurt(and their two girls), and Kurt's mom Jane. Tom wasn't able to drive up which I was really bummed about!

I really LOVE our dinner of finger foods. I have to say it may be one of my favorite meals of the whole year. It varies from year to year, but this year a few of the foods we had were: pigs in a blanket, lil' smokies, deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, crackers w/ jalapeno artichoke dip, bread w/chicken salad, cranberry almond green salad, fruit, veggies and dip, and dessert too.

We played Bingo with the kids and then the adults played train track dominoes and Apples to Apples.

My mom and dad playing dominoes.

Elizabeth and Jane playing Bingo.

Evan just wanted to spin the Bingo numbers.

"B - 21!!!"

BINGO!

Evan, Elizabeth and Katherine.

The party animals: Mom, Jane, Dad, Kurt and Susan.

Happy New Year!

Sledding

2009-01-04T22:10:00.008-07:00

The kids got a little sled for Christmas. When it was finally warm enough outside, we took Evan for his first sledding adventure. We thought it was still too cold for Jordyn and Carter to come along... and they were sleeping anyway.

So, this first picture cracks me up. You can see that Tom is heading towards a small mound a.k.a. "the sledding hill". Now you're probably all squinting or trying to enlarge the photo to see what I'm talking about. This park is one block from the home I grew up in and we went sledding on this "hill" our entire lives. I honestly can't believe how small it really is! It seemed like when we were little we were flying down the hill so fast and we had so much fun! Seriously... could it have shrunk? Oh well, it's a good hill for a two year old I guess!

Good thing it's only one block! Pulling a kid through the snow is harder than you think!

Evan was a little more interested in playing on the playground equipment than sledding. He would FLY down the slides because they were cold and slick! And he had a great landing spot in the snow at the bottom. He loved it!

The first movie is Evan going down one of the slides. The second movie is when we told Evan that it was time to go home...he wasn't very happy.

Carter Turns ONE!

2008-12-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

My little baby boy is ONE! Carter's birthday was on Saturday, December 27th. We had a nice little party for him with family on Saturday night. He opened his presents and then we ate cake and ice cream. You can see a picture of the cake on the collage below. It was a snowman cake and turned out really cute if I do say so myself!

I can't get over the feeling like I need to remember every moment while Carter is a baby....even though I know I won't be able to remember everything. I just don't want to forget what he is like at this age! Sometimes I'll just sit and hold him and try and savor every minute... his soft skin, his baby smell, his perfect features, and his tiny fingers and toes. Or I'll hold him and think,"Please don't grow up, please don't grow up." I wish he could stay a baby forever! I can't even explain how much we love this little guy!

A few things Car Car (his nickname) is doing right now:
- He has this little "spunk" to him and seems so smart for his age.
-He is starting to walk pretty well. He gets up and down by himself and can take about 5-10 steps at a time.
- He babbles A LOT! From the moment he wakes up, he babbles all day long. We even think he has said a few words (at least it sounds similar to them): Hi, Boo, Rex, Car Car, & Jesus.
- He loves to play peek a boo and wrestle.
- He knows when he's in trouble. He'll smile and then crawl as fast as he can to get away.
- I think the #1 thing we'll remember the most about Carter at this age is his squealing and screaming for food! Carter is obsessed with eating! If the food on his plate is gone... he squeals. If he sees someone else eating, he'll stand by them and squeal. If he see any food at all.... he squeals and screams until we give in and feed him. You can see in one of the photos in the collage that he is screaming in his high chair because his cake and ice cream are gone!

Merry Christmas to ALL!

2008-12-25T17:19:00.005-07:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Hopefully your day was as great as ours. I'm so grateful to spend time with family and just relax! My greatest present was finally getting to see TOM! We have been apart for two whole weeks. The bad weather prevented Tom from driving up here (we're back in MT again) the past few weekends. And then he originally had to work the day after Christmas and was going to driving up for Christmas, then back for work, then up again for Carter's birthday on Saturday.... but at the last minute he got it off! I was so happy. At least it's a little less driving back and forth.

For Christmas morning we had our family, my mom and dad, and my brother Todd. My sister and her family will come this weekend and stay until New Years Day. I was excited to try out my awesome new digital SLR camera. If you don't know what it is... it's a fancy camera that takes awesome pictures! It was Tom and I's gift to each other. Let's just say I took over 300 pictures in less than 24 hours. Think I like my gift? The kids LOVED all their gifts and have been playing non-stop... especially Evan and his new train. So thank you everyone for all the great gifts and Christmas cards we've received! And I have to say that I'm feeling rather terrible from eating SOOO much candy and treats. But I love them and can't stop!

Click below to see a few more photos from our Christmas Day:

Christmas 2008

WALKING!

2008-12-17T19:46:00.004-07:00

Carter took his first steps less than two weeks ago. This is the video we got tonight... he's learning fast!

2008-12-15T12:52:00.008-07:00

I had to get on and blog about Evan. He is changing so much lately that I wanted to record some of the things he's been doing.
We took him to see Santa a week or so ago. He was pretty reluctant until he saw that you got candy. Then he was fine with sitting on Santa's lap! (Pretty good for a free Walmart picture don't you think?) He also sat on Santa's lap at my parent's ward Christmas party too.... once again for the candy. Now he loves talking about Santy Claus, as he calls him. I'm also proud of Evan for learning to say and talking a lot about "Baby Jesus". But now he thinks every picture of a baby is baby Jesus!

I think I know what people mean about the "terrible two" stage. We're there. Evan is really testing my patience, but then he counteracts it with wanting hugs and kisses all the time! I'm glad for those times we snuggle, hug, give loves, and just spend quiet time together. Otherwise I'd go insane!

I think Evan is testing everyone else's patience lately too. He likes to follow you around and say,"What are you doing now?" over and over. You tell him what you're doing, but he just keeps asking anyways. Or you tell him what you're doing and he asks,"Why?" about a million times.

He also likes to ask where everyone is... for example,"Where's Jordyn?... Where's Rex?... Where's mom?... Where's Carter?" Even if Carter is sitting right next to him.. he'll ask,"Where's Carter?" and I'll say,"He's right there!"and Evan says,"OH!"

Evan is loving that fact that he can play with our digital camera now. We're getting a new one for Christmas so we let Evan have free reign over the old one. He is getting really good at taking pictures! Here's a little sample of his photography:

For the Husbands

2008-12-08T11:16:00.002-07:00

Here's a little video clip to help the husbands out with Christmas shopping this year!

Thanksgiving...something to blog about!

2008-12-02T21:57:00.003-07:00

Wow, I don't think I've gone a month without blogging in a long time! Well, I'm back and since we recently had a holiday, I have something to blog about now! We went to Tom's parents for Thanksgiving and it was great. Since they live on a ranch, we're lucky enough to use the "lodge" when we have lots of family there. Have I explained what his parents do? In case you forgot....they work on a ranch owned by a wealthy oil guy (previously owned by a wealthy CocaCola guy).Tom's dad keeps up the ranch and his mom cooks when the boss and his guests come. His parents have their own home on the ranch and then there is a lodge that the boss and guests stay at when they come. It's strictly by invitation of the boss...not like a dude ranch or anything. I guess it's mostly for recreation of the boss and whomever he invites! Anywho....we had GREAT food and lots of fun.

Kiddie table! I'm getting really bad about not taking pictures of the adults! I'll get some of the grown ups next time.

The suit and camera add 50 pounds! Tom and I went out on the ranches Polaris Ranger after dark. It was really cold so we threw these suits on to stay warm. We called it our "Redneck Date". We drove out into the middle of no where, turned the headlights off, and just sat there in the quiet. It's probably my favorite thing about the ranch. It's SO quiet, you can't hear ANYTHING! And you can see the stars SO well at night. I love it.

Our new Christmas tradition...hot chocolate floats. If you haven't ever had this you have to try it. You just make hot chocolate and add a few scoops of vanilla ice cream. YuM! When you're done eating the ice cream, your cocoa is extra creamy and cool enough to drink really fast. Another version is to take a bite of vanilla ice cream and then a swig of cocoa and swallow. (Not recommended for those with sensitive teeth.) (Tom made me write that "funny" part) Delicious. I also read that mint chocolate chip ice cream is really good in the cocoa...I'm definitely going to try that next! We made this with the kids and their cousins the other night. They thought it was so fun that we were actually putting ice cream in our cocoa. So, I raised my arms in the air and said in a loud voice,"I declare this our new Christmas tradition!!!"

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T22:47:00.002-06:00

Charlie Brown

Buzz Lightyear

Supergirl!

Trick or Treat!

We went trick or treating with all 9 of the Bybee cousins. I think they all had a blast! L to R: Joseph (Ninja Turtle), Ryan (Fantastic Four character), Carter (Charlie Brown), Clay (Dark Spiderman), Jordyn (Supergirl), Evan (Buzz Lightyear), Cole (Ninja Turtle), Caleb (Robin), Megan (Bumblebee).

We had quite the group of Super Heroes, didn't we? Happy Halloween!

A little geography lesson

2008-10-28T11:23:00.004-06:00

So I thought you might want to know a little bit about our new town, Gillette. Or at least know where it's located? Check out the map below. If some of you forgot, I grew up in Billings, MT. Tom has family in Sheridan and Buffalo. (Buffalo is between Sheridan and Gillette) We are one hour from Devil's Tower and about 2 hours from Mt. Rushmore. So we have a little bit of site seeing near by.

This is about he prettiest picture I could find of Gillette! Even people who have lived there many years will admit it's not the prettiest location. I have to say that when we lived in Boise, I would complain a little bit about the lack of trees and beauty in the area (no offense to my Boise readers). BUT, now I have to say that Gillette REALLY doesn't have any trees! So I'm missing the trees and rivers we are used to. However, you only have to drive about an hour to see some of the most beautiful mountains. Gillette is called the "Razor City" because of the popular "Gillette Razors". Tom tried to convince me that the factory that makes Gillette razors was actually in Gillette. It's not....he's always trying to trick me!

Gillette is a booming city because of the many coal mines in the area. (photos below) This area produces 89% of the coal in Wyoming and is also the leading producer of crude oil in Wyoming. The population is 27,000 and rapidly growing. My brother in law has a very successful business power washing and cleaning the huge coal mine equipment. We keep telling him they need to try and get "Dirty Jobs" to come and do their job! I haven't actually seen any of the mines yet, but at some point I might go take a tour. Oh, Gillette also is called the "Energy Capital of the Nation" too. I've been telling everyone how different Gillette is than what we are used to. First, it's the smallest town I've lived in so that takes a little getting used to. You can really tell it is a "mining town". Everyone drives trucks. I have probably counted 5-10 minivans in the whole city so far. I actually feel a little out of place driving a minivan! That's quite the change from Boise.... minivans were the norm! But, I have been surprised at how nice everyone is and how nice looking the town is. Most everything around town is kept up nice and a lot of buildings look newer. Shopping is def. limited, but we have a Walmart, Kmart, Albertson's, Applebee's, Papa Murphy's, Home Depot... and most of the normal fast food places. Word has it that we might get a Super Target! That would be a dream come true! As far as church goes, there are 3 wards and one student ward (there is a very small college).

So, I hope that helps you find out more about where we'll be living for who knows how long! We have been having a heck of a time finding a rental or any place to live. You wouldn't even believe all the options and directions we've looked at. We keep thinking something great must be coming our way because we sure have been looking hard, but nothing seems to work out. We weren't planning on buying, but we are almost being forced in that direction. Before we moved to Gillette we had heard that housing was hard to find, but I just figured,"Oh, we'll find something!" I guess they were right... it is hard! We had a few apartment buildings we were using as "back-up" plans. Those even fell through! So, we are seriously looking at buying now. We hate to do it so quickly, but we don't have much of a choice. So keep your fingers crossed we can find something fast and something nice!

Lots of SNOW! (and other photos)

2008-10-12T12:53:00.004-06:00

I definitely did not plan for snow when I was packing our stuff! We got a ton of snow in Gillette the past couple of days. It sounds like Montana and Wyoming or getting hit the hardest!

Looking out the back door onto the deck.

BBQ grill & deck.

This was a week or two ago...when it was still warm out! Evan, Clay, and Cole on the trampoline. We've all been getting a kick out of how Evan has to do everything that Clay and Cole do. He really wants to be a big kid just like his cousins!

Jumping on the trampoline...karaoke style!

Clay showing off his moves.

This was taken at the zoo in Montana when we were staying with my mom and dad. We got a great show from a few of the animals. We got to see the tiger, red panda, and bear really up close.... which is pretty rare at a zoo! The bear actually walked up to the window, stood up on it's hind legs and put his paws on the window we were standing at...it was awesome! Sadly, no one got any photos of it. My dad did get some video of the bear playing in his pond...I'll have to post it later.

Bye for now!

2008-10-10T20:31:00.003-06:00

I'd like to nominate the Bybee family (that's us) as "The Worst Guests EVER"! Tom and I are feeling pretty bad because we are such terrible guests. Where do I start? First off, we still haven't found a place to live(that's a whole nother story), so we've been mostly staying with Tom's sister. We definitely thought we'd have a place by now, so we feel guilty for staying so long. Tom started his new job so we've had to stick around Gillette while he works and we continue searching for a place. This past week ALL three of our kids got a stomach bug! Luckily, it was one time throwing up and then they were ok. But, Jordyn threw up all over Linda's new couch. Lovely. Linda was so great to help with the sick kids and having to deal with cleaning her new couch! Linda has also changed more poopy diapers than any Aunt should have to. Whenever we leave the kids with her, they all get stinky diapers. Then, last night Tom and I both got REALLY sick. Let's just say we were taking turns throwing up from about 1am-7am. We both said it was the sickest we have both been in our ENTIRE lives. It was bad! So, Linda pretty much took care of our kids all day long because we could hardly get out of bed. And it just happened to be one the few days that her husband had off from work! Don't you think we deserve the "worst guest award" and Linda deserves the "greatest person of all time" award??!

Free Handbag!

2008-10-09T14:36:00.001-06:00

Check out the website below. They are giving away a free handbag every hour. Think you can win?

www.handbagplanet.com

ME

2008-10-01T11:04:00.001-06:00

I am: Emily

I think: politics are boring. Sad but true.

I know: I should finish college

I want: a massage

I wish: I could go on an exotic vacation

I hate: rude people (esp. customer service people)

I miss: my sisters

I fear: getting seriously ill

I feel: happy when my kids want to snuggle with me

I hear: everyone playing Wii Mario Kart

I smell: bacon

I crave: sweets of every kind!

I search: for new recipes all the time

I wonder: if I'll ever get to travel out of the country

I regret: not keeping in touch with old friends

I love: how great I feel after I exercise

I care about: Tom & the kids

I always: forget birthdays

I am not: good at singing

I believe: in Jesus Christ

I remember: the first PG-13 movie I ever saw (Encino Man)

I don't understand: why people like the WWE

I don't always: express my feelings when I should

I need: a new camera

I win: Settler's of Catan (some of the time anyways)

I lose: Scrabble EVERY time

I never: eat tomatoes

I listen: to Pandora Radio

I can usually be found: on the computer or taking care of the kids

I'm scared of: anyone in my family dieing

I'm happy about: spending so much time with Tom while he isn't working

I tag: anyone who has the time to do this!

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

2008-09-28T22:21:00.000-06:00

Uncle Travis decided that Carter looks like SpongeBob Square Pants. What do you think?

2008-09-22T22:22:00.001-06:00

Today is our 7th anniversary! Right now we are staying with Tom's sister, so she watched the kids and we went out to dinner. Maybe I repeat myself every year, but Tom really is such a great husband and dad! It's been a great 7 years.....Happy Anniversary Tom!

So, who wants an update on what we've been up to the past few weeks!? I don't even know where to start. I've decided we could pretty easily live out of a van for the rest of our lives.... even though it IS NOT fun. We don't even need all the "stuff" we've accumulated over the years. Just a few duffel bags with the necessities!

Well, we've been driving around MT and WY staying with different family members (my parents in MT, Tom's parents in WY, and Tom's sister in WY) while Tom applied for jobs (in several different cities) and we looked for places to live. I can't thank our family enough! I know it can't be easy having 3 rambunctious kids and 2 messy adults living with you. Like I've said before, we have a GREAT family! It's funny because whenever we pull up to a family members house, Evan says,"We're Hooome!" and we laugh and say,"No Evan, we don't HAVE a home!" Funny, yet sad.

I think it's safe to say that Tom will be taking a job in Gillette, Wyoming. He has a good job offer here and another interview tomorrow. I'll have to post more once he accepts one of the jobs and tell you all about our new city. I can't wait for him to accept a job so we can get a place to live. I think we are all very anxious to get settled! A few pics. from the past few weeks:

UFO's & Aliens

2008-09-20T09:01:00.006-06:00

The other night we were watching a show on TV about UFO sightings and alien abductions. I actually hate watching these shows because they freak me out! Anyways, we've gotten in a few discussions with both of our families about our opinions on UFO's and aliens, etc. Most of us came to the conclusion that we did NOT believe in alien abductions, but that we DID believe in UFO sightings. I believe there are some pretty credible people who claim to have seen UFO's.

Tom actually has seen a UFO and his mom says she's seen two. Tom said he was out on one of the ranches in Wyoming and saw a really huge bright ring of lights that was only 20-30 ft. above him in the sky. He said it was making a weird noise like a helicopter whooshing sound in slow motion. The next day, other people in the area said they saw it too.... pretty interesting. I actually think the UFO was just dropping Tom off.

So, we wanted to get everyone else's opinion on UFO's and aliens.

Have you seen a UFO or alien or know someone that has?
Do you believe in UFO sightings?
Do you believe there are aliens?
Do you believe in alien abductions?

Welcome Home Todd!

2008-09-18T22:07:00.010-06:00

My little brother Todd just got home from his mission tonight! He served in the New York New York North Mission. We're so glad we got to be here to pick him up at the airport and welcome him home! We've been asking him a million questions and having fun listening to all of his stories. Here's a few of the things we asked him that I'm sure others in the family are wondering about too:
Best food he ate - Paella (a Colombian dish that consists of Rice, Salami, and Shrimp.)
Worst/Weirdest food he ate - Turkey neck
Celebrities he saw - Bob Costas, Deli guy from the David Letterman Show, Donnie Osmond (twice), cast member of SNL (couldn't remember which one), David Neeleman (Jet Blue CEO).
Are you going to grow facial hair now? (on your mission you can't have facial hair) Todd said,"Yeah, I'll try!"
What things did you learn on your mission that you will continue to do now that you are home? Be more tidy, Read scriptures and go to Institute, eat vegetables and not be so picky with food.

A few things that Todd told us when he got home:
He talked to people from at least 61 different countries (he kept track).
Central Park was WAY bigger than he was expecting.

A few funny things Todd said when he got home:
He said everything looked the same at the house, just smaller.
He asked if Carter was 2 years old. (he's 9 mo. old)
He said,"Liam's walking now?" (Liam's 3 yrs. old)

It's only been 4 hours since he's been home (when I posted this) so we have lots of catching up to do and a lot more questions! It's good to have Todd home!

Before & After

Arriving at the airport.

Isn't this the coolest picture? It's Todd's favorite from his whole mission.

An area of The Bronx.

For all you Seinfeld fans!

Todd said this street was probably the worst street for drugs and very dangerous. He also said they felt safe though because they were missionaries. Everyone knows who they are and just leaves them alone!

Todd at the MET.

2008-09-06T09:51:00.005-06:00

I'm calling this one "A Day In My Life".

Carter trying to sneak a little snack from Rex. He is at the lovely stage where he wants to eat anything he can get his hands on, esp. little random things off the floor that are invisible to the adult eye. Don't you love that stage?

Here is a picture of my awesome MiaMaid girls (14-16 yr. old girls I helped out with at church). I don't think I've ever had such a "down to earth" group of girls. They really treated us like their friends, not their leaders. Me, Dani, Christy, Heather, and Melissa (also a leader). We were missing two girls, Brittany and Madi. I'm going to miss those girls!

Wendy, Jennie, Lori B, Bonnie, Abby, & Lori. I'm REALLY REALLY going to miss the Girls Night Out group. I'll have to start my own wherever we end up because it is so awesome to go out with no kids, eat good food, and talk with other moms. I forgot to take a picture at my last Girls Night so you'll have to check out their blogs to see who they are! Don't have too much fun without me!

Theme Song

2008-09-02T22:21:00.004-06:00

I designated Coldplay's song, Viva La Vida, as our "theme song" for moving. I just love this song! I'm sure you've heard it because I think it's the #1 song right now. I don't know much about the lyrics but the tune just makes me feel happy and sad all at the same time. I also think it could be a good running song too... it has a good beat.

Now when I hear that song, it makes me think about our decision to move and all the emotions we've gone through so far. It also got me reminiscing about all of the other songs that remind me of certain events in my life.

For instance, whenever I hear Enya I think of when I was younger and we would drive to California or Utah to see my grandparents. It seemed like my dad would always play Enya. It's so funny because when I hear them now, I feel like I'm sitting in our van driving along on the interstate and staring out the window.

Second Song. Coldplay's song called Yellow. (I must really like Coldplay!) That song totally takes me back to the time when Tom and I were dating. We both loved that song and listened to it over and over.

Third Song. Almost any song by the Cranberries reminds me of my sister Jenny! I can't remember for sure, but we may have shared a room when she was really into the Cranberries. Probably "Dreams" and "Linger" are the ones I remember the most.

I have to include a couple of country songs too! I was really into country music during high school, and I still like to listen to it every now and then. Garth Brook's, The Dance, reminds of when me and my best friends Jeni and Bobbie were dating guys who all happened to be best friends too. They loved Garth Brooks and esp. that song! Lonestar's song Amazed reminds me of Jeni and Bobbie too. We had front row seats at their concert (we were in high school) and got lucky enough to meet the lead singer after the concert and get autographs. I could probably write a long post about that concert and how much fun it was. I'd post some photos of it but they're in boxes right now!

What songs bring back memories from different stages of your life???

We made it

2008-09-01T14:21:00.005-06:00

We loaded up our things on Sat. morning and got to MT last night! We made the best decision EVER and decided to only go half way on Saturday. We kept saying that it felt like we were just going on vacation. I don't think it has sunk in that we aren't going back!

I really hate packing and moving, but I love getting rid of junk and old things! I had fun throwing tons of stuff in the trash, donating to D.I., and selling things on CraigsList. Now I feel like we don't have that much stuff anymore! (Those who helped us load are probably thinking otherwise!)

Thanks again to all those who helped us move so quickly! We couldn't have done it without you.

Evan "helping" pack.

Having a blast riding in the truck.

Yikes, Jordyn doesn't look very happy about moving.

Goodbye Idaho, we'll miss you.

Everything we own is in my parent's garage and it all fit!

Are we CRAZY!?

2008-08-26T19:47:00.002-06:00

This is going to be quite the shock to a lot of people..... but, we're MOVING! Yes, you heard me right! Don't feel bad if we didn't tell you because we really haven't told a lot of people. The craziest part of all is that we are leaving THIS Saturday! Yep, we're crazy.

To make a long story short, Tom got laid off from his job last Thurs. We were not expecting it at all and were stunned. But, we've recently been talking about moving closer to family in Montana or Wyoming. So, we thought "What the heck, might as well move now!" After much contemplating and late night talking over the weekend, we decided we would move quickly so Tom can start looking for a job right away. We are going to stay with my parents while Tom is looking for a job either in MT or WY. Everyone keep their fingers crossed that he finds something fast so we can get settled and get out of my parent's hair.

We are really going to miss Meridian! We love our ward and won't even get to have a "last Sunday" to say goodbye. They were so good to us and esp. Jordyn. I hope they forgive us for leaving without warning. We will miss Jordyn's school so much too. I hope and pray every day that her new school will be as great as the one here..... it's gonna be hard to fill their shoes! We already plan on keeping in touch with Jordyn's aide who has been SO good to her! And not to rank this over actual human beings BUT, I have to say the thing I MIGHT miss the most is our house!!! I've loved living in such a new place! Everyone keep their fingers crossed that we can find a nice new place like this one.

So, watch out Montana or Wyoming (whichever one it may be) here we come!

2008-08-26T18:13:00.004-06:00

Carter will be 8 months old tomorrow! He has changed so much in the past month. He's crawling around like crazy and pulls to stand really well. We think he's going to walk before he's a year old which seems too soon for me! And as you can see in the photo, he has teeth...four cute little nubs. I think teeth change their looks so much. Sometimes he loves to play with Evan, but most of the time he "squawks"and screams when Evan bugs him too much.... which is pretty much every minute of the day! But, we also love making Carter laugh and smile all the time because it's so easy!

First Day of School

2008-08-25T13:14:00.000-06:00

Today was Jordyn's first day of Kindergarten! She is actually in a regular kindergarten classroom and leaves (with her aide) during the day and spends time in a special education classroom. She was acting pretty excited this morning while we waited for the bus!

Kinda blurry, but so cute!

Ok, I cannot stop laughing at this picture! It totally looks like she's waving goodbye! She was really just moving her arms around like she always does and I took the picture at the right moment! It cracks me up.

2008-08-15T09:32:00.003-06:00

I really thought I could do it. I thought I could avoid ever having to call Poison Control! Well my parenting ego was destroyed the other day! Evan got a hold of his vitamins, which he loves, and ate 10-15 vitamins before we noticed. Thankfully that was all that was in the bottle or I'm sure he'd have eaten more. And what the heck? How come the bottle isn't child proof!? He opened it on his own the crazy kid. We made the call to Poison Control and were reassured that less then 15 should be ok...more than 15 can be toxic! Phew... He's doing ok now and we're relieved. What a rascal!

Summer Vacation in MT and WY!

2008-08-12T16:32:00.010-06:00

We just got back Sunday night from a vacation to see my family in Montana and Tom's family in Wyoming. We always have so much fun it's really hard to leave! One of our main reasons for going was to celebrate my dad retiring! We started off having all of the grand kids ride the city bus with my dad on his very last day of work. He has taken the bus to work for over 20 years! Then we had ribs for dinner and Razzleberry Pie and ice cream. Best of all, we had somewhat of a "roast"about my dad. I wish I could post all of the jokes and gifts but there are just too many. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time....it hurt my cheeks!
Other things we did in Montana: Went on a picnic and hike in the mountains, went to Geyser Park (place with go-carts, bumper boats, arcade, etc), ate Pizza and went to the candy store in Red Lodge, ice cream at Softies, went to a movie, & ate lots of good food! A posted a few highlights, but you can see more of our Montana photos HERE.

A few things we did in Wyoming: Jordyn and Evan both rode the 4wheeler and loved it, Carter and Jordyn rode a horse (Evan happened to be napping!), lots of fishing, had a fun rodeo for the kids, went to the county fair and watched Pa (Tom's dad) team rope in the rodeo and the kids looked at a few animals too, had an awesome steak dinner and cake to celebrate Ninny's (Tom's mom) birthday, Misti (my sister in law) and I ran a 10k race, went to a parade, & ate tons of good food! I posted a few highlights below.... see more of our Wyoming photos HERE.

Photos & Crawling

2008-07-27T17:52:00.005-06:00

Here are some random photos from the past few weeks. First photo is Evan and I after jogging around to garage sales. I think we've gone about four times now. It's much more exciting to run to garage sales because then you know you have something to look forward to!

Carter swinging for the first time.

Carter is getting quite mobile and I often find him "stuck" in the corner with all the toys. He's probably mad that I took a picture first before helping him!

In other news, Jordyn's GI doc. suggested we try eliminating certain foods from her diet to see if we can stop her spitting up all the time. She may be allergic to one of them, but it's not showing up on the actual allergy test. First we have to stop milk for two weeks. It's been a week already and we haven't noticed a change. I never realized how many things she eats have milk in them!

We are also changing one of Jordyn's seizure medications to see if we can stop the small seizures she was having during her sleep. The transition off the old meds. and onto the new meds. take a few weeks also. She's only had a few minor side effects during the transition. For one day (last Sun.) she had about 5 tantrums during the day that were a side effect of the meds. These were crazy screaming bloody murder tantrums that she would have really suddenly. One was during sacrament meeting WHILE they were passing the sacrament and just happened to be right WHILE they were passing the sacrament to us! Talk about bad timing. But, she seems to be transitioning ok now!

I saved the best for last. It's video of Carter crawling for the first time today! He's been scooting like a little inch worm for a few months and it's like he just suddenly figured out how to crawl. And he's exactly seven months old. He's growing up too fast!

2008-07-21T15:08:00.003-06:00

I wonder how many photos I'll have of Evan and Carter wrestling throughout their lifetime? Carter is learning to fight back as you can see from the top right photo!

Tom teaching Evan what it feels like to be squished.

Carter saying hello to Jordyn.

Memories

2008-07-15T16:41:00.002-06:00

Here goes nothing! I wasn't going to post this, but Tom talked me into it. Maybe it will get all those "lurkers" to leave a comment! And I hope others put it on their blog so I can leave a memory about them. It's pretty fun to read all the memories people write on somone's blog.

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a lot or a little, anything you remember.

2. Next, repost these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

2008-07-11T11:37:00.000-06:00

We finally filled up the kiddie pool yesterday. We bought it last year and Evan would hardly get in it. This time he loved it! The water was freezing cold, but he didn't care! Now I'm really glad we have pool. All the kids are so happy when we get to play outside!

4th of July Weekend

2008-07-08T15:57:00.011-06:00

Our family took a four day weekend and headed to SLC for some fun and relaxation. Our main reason for going was Tom's Mission reunion. He served in Salt Lake City 8 years ago, for those who might not know. We actually stayed with a family (The Wilkin's) who were Ward Mission Leaders during Tom's mission. He's kept in touch with them over the years and they were kind enough to let us stay there!

On the 4th of July we had a BBQ, let off fireworks, and then talked over a bonfire in the Wilkin's backyard and listened to and watched fireworks going off around the neighborhood.

Evan with a sparkler.

Lincon (The Wilkin's grandson) with fireworks. Lamar (the dad) being "patriotic".

Jordyn enjoying the fireworks.

Aubrey (the Wilkin's grandaughter) pushing Jordyn. She was so cute with Jordyn.

Evan and Aubrey riding in a toy jeep. Evan loved it!

Tom sitting by the bonfire.

Aneesa (The Wilkin's daughter) sitting by the bonfire.

On the 4th as we were sitting by the bonfire we heard lots of sirens and figured someone started a fire with some fireworks. Then we could see a plume of smoke and an orange glow only a few miles away. It looked pretty bad. So, a few of us hopped in the car and drove to see what was going on. Sure enough, right off the interstate there was a really bad fire that started from the city fireworks show in Magna. We were literally driving right along side the fire... it was crazy. This was the best picture I got of it. There were telephone polls on fire too. Some parts were worse then others, but I would say it had to have been a mile long! If you want to literally see what we saw, click here... someone got some video footage of it. The people on the video had the same reaction we did!

Saturday we took off to see my brother Dave and his wife Mel in Sandy. We went to a really cool waterpark with an awesome area for kids. Evan went down this one kid waterslide about a million times... he loved it.

Mel with her neice and Carter.

After swimming, Dave and Mel watched Jordyn and Evan for us (thanks again guys!) and Tom, Carter, and I went to Tom's mission reunion. They had it at a church building in Lehi. When we walked in Tom's mission president said,"There's my cowboy!" We ate some food and just visited for a few hours. It was good to meet some of the people Tom is always talking about and telling stories about from his mission. I think everyone had a good time catching up! I didn't take any pictures at the mission reunion so I dug up some photos from Tom's mission.

Tom and the Mission President and his wife.

I had to put this picture of Tom and The Wilkin's from his mission. They were actually talking about when they went to a soccer game, so I was surprised to find this picture! From left to right: Jason Wilkin, Tom, Tom's mission companion Raja (he was at the reunion but actually lives about 20 min. away from us!), Julie Wilkin, Lamar Wilkin, and Eric Wilkin.

Sunday morning we stopped to say goodbye to Dave and Mel again before they went to church. We decided to check out IKEA before we left. Very cool store. I got a bunch of little things and we were there for 2.5 hours! I can see myself stopping at that store every chance I get. Then we attempted to stop and eat at Cafe Rio. We keep hearing people talk about how great it is... but sadly it was closed! So we ate somewhere else and then headed for home. Tom took the picture of me below. He said he need to document me ACTUALLY driving on a trip! I'll admit he drives most of the time, but on the way home I drove 75% of the way because Tom was too sleepy, poor baby!
We had a great time and it was fun to see family and friends. I said on the way home that we really need to take more weekend trips. It was fun!

Finally!

2008-07-02T10:38:00.003-06:00

Jordyn had a neurologist check-up last week. At the very last minute I decided to tell them about some weird behavior I had seen Jordyn do a few times. She'll be asleep for about 10 min. and then startle awake, straighten her arms, and look frightened. She doesn't make any sound and falls asleep after only 5-10 seconds. The neurologist will usually say,"Let's keep an eye on it." Not this time. It was a new physician's assistant and she wanted us to do an EEG! I wasn't expecting that and wasn't very happy about it either. EEG's are obviously time consuming and inconvenient. We've done about a million EEG's trying to catch Jordyn having seizure activity and we NEVER have. For a few days I even contemplated calling the doc. and telling them I didn't want to do it. But, since it's almost been a year since we've done one I figured we'd go and get it over with. So, this morning we headed down to the hospital for the test. Sure enough, after falling asleep for about 10 min., Jordyn startled awake and didn't exactly what I described! YEAH! I was so happy. I really think this is the first time we have EVER gotten seizure activity (if that is in fact what it is) documented on an EEG. I don't think it's too big of a deal and who knows what the doctor will do about it, maybe nothing. I guess we'll find out in a few weeks. I posted a cute picture of Jordyn sleeping after we got home. They sure make a mess of Jordyn's hair during the test. We had to run a quick errand afterwards and I threw a barrette in Jordyn's. I don't think it helped. I'm sure people were still wondering why I don't comb my daughter's greasy and totally messed up hair!
Oh, we also went to the allergist last week to see if her throwing up is caused by an allergy. No luck...the doctor said he is confident that she isn't allergic to anything. I guess we might be dealing with the throwing up longer than we thought. I guess that is life sometimes.... you win some and you lose some!

Parades and Garage Sales

2008-06-30T15:49:00.004-06:00

Last weekend we went to the Meridian Dairy Days Parade. We went home with lots of loot, including chocolate milk and string cheese that they handed out. Oh, and I got free Meridian Dairy Days t-shirt too! Score.

This past weekend we went to a friends house for a BBQ. I made a cake and we caught Evan sneaking a taste. The cake we made is something Tom's mom makes and we love it. It's a yellow cake mix (we split it between two pans), vanilla pudding mixed with cream cheese layer, lots of sliced strawberries layer, and cool whip layer on top. Since we split the cake mix in two, we made two cakes. You can eat a ton of it because it's light tasting. Great cake for summer!

On Saturday morning I had the brilliant idea to take Evan in the jogging stroller and literally run around to all the garage sales near us. It might be our new Saturday thing! I think we hit about 7 garage sales and went a total of 4.5 miles. I wish I could say I found something really awesome, but we just left with a couple of Sesame Street videos. Maybe next time we'll have the greatest find ever.

The picture I posted above makes me think of something funny. If you know my dad well, you know that one of his pet peeves is bad garage sale signs! (Are the ones above good ones dad?) It's so true though, don't you just hate when someone uses a plain little white piece of paper and writes on it with a regular pen? Or their sign is barely taped down to a post and flapping in the wind so you can't see it? Or sometimes the paper is SO bright you can't even read the tiny writing? Or like my dad saw recently, a box with a garage sale sign taped to it... blowing down the street!? Now you will all be looking at the garage sale signs in your neighborhood and see how bad some of them are! Someday when we have our first garage sale, we'll have the best signs ever (with advice from my dad of course)!

Milestones

2008-06-23T22:10:00.003-06:00

This week is full of milestones for us. First, we've officially lived in Idaho for one year! And that also means Tom can finally get paid vacation... yay! We decided we like living here and if our families want to see more of us then they'll have to move HERE! So there.

Second milestone. I think we are done searching for a diagnosis for Jordyn. At least for a few years or so. We got the results back from the genetic testing we did a few months ago. All of the results were normal including the test for Rett Syndrome which we really thought she might have. The genetics counselor didn't have any more ideas, her other doctors are out of ideas, and I'm out of ideas too. So, I guess we're done! Oh well, I'm sure in a few years someone will come up with a new test to do. But I guess we'll take a break until then.

Third milestone. Carter is turning six months old this week! Tom told me the other day that he thinks Carter is my "favorite child". I just laughed really hard. I guess I might pay a little more attention to Carter. But how can I resist!? He is so adorable and kissable. And he isn't capable of doing many naughty things like the other kids! We also decided that Carter is a momma's boy which I am SO happy about. Jordyn and Evan have always seemed to like Tom better. They always want to snuggle with him and are just better for him. But, all I have to do is look at Carter and he laughs and giggles. Finally, one that likes me better! hahaha Carter has started getting up on his hands and knees and rocking back and forth. He is also close to sitting on his own too. He's just growing up too fast! We love our little guy!

What's For Dinner?

2008-06-19T16:23:00.003-06:00

Our dinner is baking in the oven and I have a few minutes to post what we're eating. But first, do you like my blog makeover!? I have to give all of the credit to my sister Jenny. I told her what photos and background I wanted and she did the rest! She's got some mad skills on Photoshop! I think I've clicked on my blog about 20 times today just to see how cool it looks. I love it!

So, because I can't think of much else to blog about I thought I would post a good recipe. I think I got it from my sister Susan who got it from an old Lion House recipe book. I changed a few things, which I'll include in the recipe. I love this recipe because it's so easy to make and good. I also love that you don't have to cook the macaroni before you put it in the oven!

Mac & Beef Bake

2 tbp. cooking oil

2 lbs. ground beef (I use 1 to 1.5 lbs and think it's plenty)

2/3 c. chopped onion

1 c. macaroni

4 c. tomato juice (I buy two individual cans that are 11 oz. each)

1 can tomato soup

1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

salt & pepper to taste

In frying pan, in hot oil, brown ground beef, onion and macaroni. Add tomato juice, tomato soup, half the cheese, chili powder, and salt & pepper.

Bake in a large casserole at 350 degrees, for about 1 hour or until macaroni is tender. Cover with cheese and return to oven until cheese melts. Makes 8 servings.

We're Back/Father's Day!

2008-06-16T09:41:00.004-06:00

We made it back! We had a great time visiting my parents and we were sad to leave. (Thanks again mom and dad for everything!!!) But, we missed Tom a lot and it was so great to finally see him! The kids did awesome on the drive home. We only had a few moments of listening to Carter cry until we could stop somewhere. And as long as Evan was full of snack food, he was happy. I am 100% convinced that Jordyn LOVES to go on drives. She NEVER cried the entire time we were driving. She just looks out the window the whole time... makes you wonder what she's thinking about.

I'm actually thinking right now I shouldn't even be on here blogging. I have so much to do to get back into our daily routine. Don't you love all the stuff you have to do when you get back from a trip? I was catching up on phone calls this morning. I've got unpacking, laundry, dishes to do, and grocery shopping for the week. And Jordyn has two appointments this afternoon. So, I'll try to make this quick.

Picture I took out the car window in MT on the drive home. Look how much snow is still on the mountains!

Evan sleeping on the drive home. He always has to have the blanket over his face!

Now for my belated Father's day post! Happy Father's Day Dad! I have such a great dad. He is a great example to me. Love ya dad!

And Happy Father's Day to Tom too! I couldn't ask for a better father for my kids! We made him french toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast. Then we had steak, mashed potatoes, and fruit salad for dinner. For dessert, I bought one of those mini German chocolate cakes in the Walmart bakery and vanilla ice cream because I knew I wasn't going to have time to bake something. But we discovered something really great... if you microwave your piece of cake the frosting melted off and it tastes just like chocolate lava fudge cake! It was actually really good! It might be our new "quick" dessert idea.

When I was at my parents, my mom volunteered to make the Father's Day treats for their ward. (she might say she didn't really volunteer.... who knows how it all came about!) Anyways, with a few suggestions from a few different people, we came up with trail mix in a little bag and a note that says "Happy Trails to you on Father's Day." We were quite proud of the finished product! I called my parents yesterday to see how the father's liked the treat. They said that unfortunately the men couldn't open the treats at church because there was a little boy in the ward who was violently allergic to nuts! Oh well... maybe having to wait to eat them made them even better when they got home!