camping anyone

Go West!!!! & On the Farm!!!

2011-11-28T12:43:00.004-07:00

Okay so the end of the school year always brings a musical program of some sort. This year they (Teton Elem) did it a bit different. They let each class do their own program. Keller's was all about the farm. He was a farmer and he was not I repeat Not happy about dressing up. (I wonder who he got that from hum???) He didn't want everyone to laugh at him. So I had to be smart about it. We put him in his awesome "engineer Pant" that some farmers wear sometimes, a "Hill & Son" cool guy hat (They are so cool that grandpa Dick wears one daily) and Rain boots in case he needed to check water on the farm (you know play in the ditch) Well he bought it for the day anyway. Sawyer on the other hand doesn't mind being the center of attention. He had a big speaking part due to the fact that he was the "wagon master" Remember 4th grade is Idaho History!!! I filmed the whole thing on the video camera so we can always go back and enjoy the musical talents of both first and fourth graders at Teton Elem!!!

More Field Day

2011-11-28T11:20:00.005-07:00

Okay so here are a few more field day photos. who doesnt love gunnie sack racing action shots?!?! I know I do. I had to include the ones of Parker aka Keller's first love. And I do love Keller's facial expresions as he is jumping in his gunnie sack. Mrs. Hughes (Keller's teacher) had asked me to help with the first graders. That is why I have so many pictures of Keller and hardly any of Sawyer. There were close to 30 kids in Keller's class (only 5 girls) and 16 in Sawyer's. But I did get some action shots of Soy and the tug of war!!! What a shrimp. But he pulled and pulled. All in all it was a fun day.

Field Day May 2011

2011-11-26T14:20:00.012-07:00

Field Day!!!! The boys love, love, love them a good field day. It starts with a picnic that the parents can come to. We were able to sit out by Heather Parry (Kaleb and Ruth's mom) & Catalina Cash (the beloved Parker and Rio's mom) Now Keller has had a major first crush on Parker. She is the girl with dark brown long hair. Her little sister's name is Rio after grandma and grandpa Harold and Kay's best friend Rio Archibald. (I thought that was cool) Anywho, Keller love Parker. They move away in the winter down to California where Catalina is from. He talks about her non stop. So it was fun to sit by them and get to visit. I also look for any excuse to visit with Heather Parry. I love her. She is a great person. Fun and super nice to be around. Anyway, at field day there are about 5-6 different stops that each class make and do some form of physical game. The P.E. teacher does this each year. Its fun to help our and be a part of it. Usually the weather surrounding this day is terrible and I think every year that it will have to be cancelled but every year it clears up and stops raining just long enough to have feild day. Lucky kiddos! These pics just show the kids playing at their best. Love the action shots!

More of the Zoo!!!

2011-11-26T13:22:00.007-07:00

okay so I was having some computer difficulties last night....urg! i think jaren is coming to the realization that this pieced together computer that we have had for close to 15 years need to be replaced! (we have had it rebuilt so not all of it is 15 years old but it sure feels like it is :)) Anyway back to the photos and the zoo. I accidentally put the Field day pics on the last post but oh well, whatcha gonna do? Enjoy some more zoo photos :)

The Zoo

2011-11-25T13:14:00.006-07:00

Usually at the end of your kindergarten year you get to go to the zoo with your class, but last year there were so many budget cuts that Keller didn't get to go. He had the same teacher for 1st grade as kindergarten that Mrs. Hughes was determined to get them to the zoo. We saved all of our box tops (the whole class did and I think the whole school) that they earned enough money to go to the zoo. Dylan and I meet them down at Tauphus Park and spent the morning at the zoo. I love some of these pictures. Mrs. Hughes does a picture dvd with music for each class. So she loves to have them all line up for pictures and she has her camera for everything. Well documented year of his life. Not to mention she puts the best songs on the dvd that leave a mom crying every time I watch it. The boys thought that the peacock was awesome! And its not everyday at the zoo that you get to see it with all its feathers out. Just so we know for future reference for the peacock pics the kids are (from left to right) Hunter, Kaleb, Keller, Dylan and Easton. I cant remember the order on the other pics on the lion but I know that Brigham Pike is in those as well. We meet up with Blake Palmer (Dylans BFF) so Dyl was pretty happy. Then there are some great photos of Dylan trying to eat a lunchable sandwich that he had made with 2 crackers, 2 ham rounds and about 6 pieces of cheese. What a dork! Anyway, fun day with my boys. Love those kind of days :)

Keller T Ball

2011-11-25T11:34:00.005-07:00

Here are some of Keller playing T Ball. He told me the other day that he wanted to play baseball again not soccer. When I asked him why he said because you dont run as much in baseball as you do in soccer. Hahaha sooo Keller! I was able to get alot closer to Keller durning the game. So his pictures look alot different. The kids from Kellers team are the same kids he goes to school with so that makes it a bit more fun for Keller. They play at schools with playgrounds so Dylan has a better time at Keller's games as well. I love the picture of Dylan in a big ol doggie pile. You can see that Keller is just there to have a bit of fun and its not quite as serious as Sawyer's games.....yet. Anywho, here you go. Thanks for looking.

Sawyer Baseball

2011-11-25T11:15:00.004-07:00

I think that Sawyer has played his last "spring team" baseball games. And to be completely honest I'm glad! Poor kid he was always put on a team with all inexperienced players or young young kids on his team. Its like anything with sports, the people at the top making the big decisions make sure that things are not always done fairly. He did have a great coach who really tried to work hard with the boys (and a couple of girls) The weather always sucks in the spring. Freezing cold, rain, wind. Okay enough with my complaining. Lets face it....I really don't enjoy baseball. Never have and never will. Luckily they have started a spring and fall soccer program which is what Sawyer would rather play and I would rather watch! With all that said, Sawyer did an awesome job in baseball and I'm glad we have a few pics to remember it by. Good job Sawyer! On to the next thing with you, you little over achiever!

Happy Easter?!?!?

2011-11-25T10:50:00.005-07:00

Hahaha I know that it was just Thanksgiving yesterday but today we are posting Easter pictures. Just a few snap shots of the boys coloring eggs. Keller is taking the photos (if you didnt already guess that) I have decieded to let the boys do there own thing when it comes to eggs. I used to hover around them making sure the colors were dark enough or that they didnt make too big of a mess. But they have more fun doing it their way. And Sawyer is there to take over and be bossy now. (yes im have trained him well). Thanks for looking!

Sawyer's 10th Birthday

2011-10-22T19:40:00.007-07:00

Well since Sawyer is 11 in a few months, I should post some pictures of his 10th birthday. We had a big ol get-together for Sawyer, Dylan and Grandpa. Heather and Jobi came up from Utah, Kate and the kiddos, Erin and Chad, Uncle Chad and of course gramma and grandpa. How fun! Sawyer scored of course. He got his favorite pair of Pajamas, a watch and head phones from his brothers, bayblades, and a cool boy scout quilt from gramma and grandpa. He had a way good time. I love the pictures of the boys hugging everyone for their gifts. I think its too cute!

More on Dylan's 4th Birthday

2011-09-13T12:16:00.004-07:00

Here are a few more pics of Dylan's birthday. They were taken on Sawyer's birthday at the big party for Dylan, Dad, and Sawyer. The whole Hill fam was present. Dylan got his gifts from his aunts and love each and everyone of them. He looked exceptionally cute in his Mario backpack. I am really loving Aunt Erin in her Sorcerer Mickey hat. Soooo cute! Next....Sawyer's 10th birthday!!!

Dylan's 4th Birthday

2011-09-05T19:19:00.004-07:00

Wow!! I am really really behind. Oh well at least I'm trying to get caught up. Since Soy's, grandpa's and Dylan's birthdays are all within a couple of days of each other, we have a big party for them all. Grandma Ball came over on Dylan's birthday and had cake and ice cream and celebrated Sawyer's birthday as well. Dylan got a new Wii remote in blue. He was super excited. He also had Blake Palmer over to play which was a big highlight. Then we had the big group party with the whole Hill family. I will post pics of Dylan's gifts from everyone else on that post also. but Dylan deserved at least a small post for himself. I do love the look on his face as he is blowing out the candles. Such a cute boy! I cant believe my baby is 4 years old!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

2011-09-03T11:40:00.004-07:00

On our way home from Big Sky everyone is always famished! Our room had the basic fundimentals like a fridge, sink, microwave, etc so we would bring food to eat the whole weekend. One of Keller's favorite treats are the pre-made PB&J's from Sam's Club. It is what he eats everyday at school for lunch. So he started on one and was too tuckered out to finish it. So he wore it instead. So funny and if you know Keller at all pretty fitting. Sure do love that boy!

The last of the Big Sky April 2011

2011-08-22T13:37:00.004-07:00

I know a little late but here they are. So we got a season pass to big sky last season and we really had a blast. Sadly we were gone most weekends this winter but some members of our family hate to stay home. Dylan learned to ride this year and did awesome. Sawyer and Keller have had a full year off but it was like riding a bike and they both improved big time this past year. I love the one of Sawyer going off a jump. We tried to replicate it but never could. It was perfect timing on Jarens part. They were soooo into jumps by the end of the season. Even Dylan. He just wants to be like the big boys. I had an "aaha moment" (or thats what Oprah calls them) sitting on the chair lift with the 2 older boys on the chair infront and me, Dylan, and Jaren on the back chair. Its what I always wanted and funny how it has worked out. My little family on our winter "ski" vacations. I love little moments like that when you realize just how blessed your are. Anyway here are a few more pictures of our last weekend.

Huntington Beach

2011-08-21T18:18:00.004-07:00

So after Disneyland this past winter we drove to Huntington Beach. I can see why people love the whole beach thing. We crossed the street to the pier and they had a farmers market thing on one side, beach volleyball courts as far as the eye could see, guys fishing off the pier and surfers!!! Who doesn't love a good looking surfer dude?!?! Am I right??? We walked down the pier and ate at the Ruby's Diner at the end. We love this little 50's themed restaurant. Then we walked down to the beach. The boys loved it of course. I shockingly was a nervous wreck. It was funny to watch the boys get braver and braver and go deeper and deeper into the water. At one point Dylan (who was not listening to his mothers stern warnings)went into the water and big wave came up and knocked him completely off his feet and down into the ocean he went. Not only did he go down but it drug him a good 5-6 feet deeper off the shoreline. Oh I was freaking out! And so was he. Then he was cold and the fun party was over. Poor kid. But it sure was pretty. I wouldn't mind going there again just to visit and stay a day or two. So after that little episode Jaren wanted to drive to a particular town along the coast.....well lets just say here is S.E. Idaho that is doable but in S. California, that's another story. We drove what seemed like for ever in traffic that never ended. And then that pushed us back onto the freeway right at the beginning of rush hour traffic. I was so happy to only experience that for the one day instead of everyday. It made me love home that much more. Snow and all! I hope we can take the boys to the beach again soon and just camp out for a day or two. We sure did have fun.

Grandma Ball's house

2011-08-18T14:14:00.003-07:00

At the beginning of summer, Gram Ball invited the kids to come over and spend the night with all of the cousins. They had a big fire (she lit a dead tree on fire) and Jaren brought the camper over and stayed the night. The next morning grandma flooded the lawn. Flooding the lawn is one of the funnest things for my kiddos. They love it! They always have a great time playing with that many cousins. There is never a shortage of new friends you dont see every day. Here are a few pics of some of the younger kids.

last of the 8 day camping trip...

2011-08-16T17:11:00.008-07:00

okay so here is the end of the photos for the camping trip. Just to warn you its most likely going to be a good 3-4 months before I post again. Hahaha just kidding I will try not to dissapoint my avid followers. Anywho, so the boys love them a good hot springs. Many of our camping trips revolve around hotsprings. Well rest assured they found more than one on this trip. I particuraly like the big pot. It just reminds me of a grimm fairy tale or something. I kept waiting to hear about some nice old lady that was feeding them full of delicious baked goods in hopes of fattening them all up and cooking them in her big pot but....they came home around the same size and all in one piece which I am pretty happy about. The next best thing to a hot springs is cooking smores around the campfire. Those pics are the last night at "the camping spot" They did spend another night in Macky I think but just wasnt the same as "the camping spot" so they took photos to remember it by. Then one last day riding 4wheelers because heaven forbid they hurry home to their lonesome momma! Just kidding I really was enjoying myself but to be honest if they had been gone too much longer I think I would had had to go to Kates and borrow me some Ryker, Reesie and Daxie Pooh! So glad my family is home safe and sound. I sure missed you guys!

more of the 8 day camping trip

2011-08-15T10:18:00.008-07:00

So Jaren's friend Kasey came out to Smiley Creek on Sunday and had breakfast with them all. This is the first time he has ever meet the boys. Jaren was sick (like throwing up sick but that is a whole nother story)that day and sadly had to leave our 3 roudy boys in the care of Mr. Lindsay who only has one 14 year old son. Im sure he is well behaved especially compaired to my boys. Jaren was there of course but had to keep excusing himself so he could make trips to the bathroom. Aaahhh! doesnt this always happen when mom isnt there??? Anyway Kasey brought a friend from Colorado. Jaren just happened to have his Silverton & Durango railroad hat on. Kasey's friend commented on the hat and wouldnt you know that he owns a railroad that we are planning on riding this fall over potatoe harvest. It was like Keller meeting his verion of Indigo Girls!!! He was giddy. This guy gave Jaren his number and said to call him when we get there and he would make sure that Keller could ride in the engine with the conductor!!! How awesome is that! He is super stooked. Anywho here are some more pics of the trip.
The scenic pics are of an area called Bayhorse or Loon Creek. The boys were hiding from the rain a bunch while they were out there. If you know Jaren at all you know that the boy loves a good drive in the pickup (or whatever vehicle is close). They boys figured out how to run the self timer on the camera. Which is good because now we have pics of all of them together. They found some great hot spring as well. The one of them all in a big pot....well it looks like Jaren is cooking them up for diner. Love it! Well I thought there were too many pics with some of the cutest camping faces this momma has ever seen so I had to include them all.

8 day camping trip

2011-08-13T13:58:00.007-07:00

Last week Jaren was invited to go camping out at the Yankee Fork with Layne Hacking and his family. Well I guess we were all invited to go but I had other plans. They packed up on Thursday around 2:30 and were gone by 4:30. They went out by Challis (that is where Yankee fork is I guess) They packed 4 wheelers, bikes, movies and lots of food. They were able to explore all sorts of mines, dredges, old rail beds, creeks and hot springs. They even went to Red Fish Lake. One of my favorite spots. Sawyer, Keller and Dylan love to explore just like their dad does. I think that Keller is particuarly partial to minning but really just because it he knows that the railroad was here because of mining. So you guessed it he loves mining. Sawyer loves to hang with his friends and drive the 4 wheeler and ol Dylan just loves to boss everyone around and ride the 4 wheeler. They said that it froze on them almost every night and its only August!!! It rained on them quite a bit and they had to hid out in abandoned cabins or ranger stations but all in all they had a great time. They even ran into snow. Jaren had left his water shoes in the back of the pick up and they started to leave. When Dylan saw the shoes starting to move he said "Dad there is a ghost in our pick up" To which Jaren said "oh is there?!?!" and Dylan said "Ya and he is wearing your shoes!!!" I just think that is so funny probubly because I can see him saying it. I sure missed my kiddos and their daddy. Eight days is way to long to be gone from momma. I didnt get to aweful lonely until the last 2 days though. (dont tell them that) So glad they are home and life can get back to normal. I will be posting more pics shortly. Thanks for looking! (my spell check is not working and I was too lazy to go back and double check my spelling sooooo sorry)

Disneyland Pictures January 2011

2011-03-25T15:30:00.004-07:00

Here are some pictures of our trip to Disneyland. I put a few videos on the blog but I really wanted to have some pictures for when we make our blog into a book. My new way of scrapbooking. How sad is that. Anyway we had beautiful weather this year and had a great time. The boys are really all at a fun age. Dylan was alot less daring this year but he was taller so he could ride the more scary rides. That only happened once. But he sure did love the Peter Pan ride again so we did spend alot of time there again this year. We did finally get to ride the tea cups. I have wanted to do that since my first time to disneyland. It wasnt as much fun as I thought it was going to be. The boys however thought it was great fun. We stayed at the Grand Californian which shockingly enough has been my favorite place so far. They even gave us a 5th night free!!! So that was a bonus. We went to Huntington Beach and walked up and down the Peir. We ate at this fun resteruant called Rubby's. It was a 50's style diner. The waitresses rolled around on roller skates. It was just kind of fun. I would love to open one in Rexburg. I think it would be a hit with the college students. Anyway, we ate there while we were at the pier. I will post more pics later on that. Thanks for looking and check back soon.

PineWood Derby!! 2011

2011-03-24T11:05:00.006-07:00

So last night was Sawyer's first pinewood derby. Sad that he is 10 and just had his first one. Our ward is kind of slackers about this. Anyway, Jaren and Sawyer have been working on this car for at least 2 weeks. Jaren went and got his old car from his pinewood derby and they used it for inspiration. They sanded and painted and polished that little puppy right up! It looked marvelous! Sawyer and his dad were both so proud. Sawyer had been asked to lead the flag ceremony as well. This was also a first for him. Oh the benefits of being a Weebelos Scout. So he led the flag ceremony and then the race began. There were 12 or 13 little boys and Soy kicked some booty! Oh to watch the little boys and their dads was just kind of funny. I do have to say that my kids dad is the best by far! We are lucky to have you Jaren. Keller of course thought that the world was against him last night because he didnt have a car and it is hard to get through to him that he will have his turn next year. Dylan just chased all the cute little and bigger girls around. I hope this isnt a sign of how things will really be in the future. Sawyer also received his Bear badge, some additional arrows and like 3 belt loop things. He has been a very busy scouter. Funny kid he loves his scouting. And right now he has some great leaders. I put a few pics of the score board and great pictures of all of us (yes Mom you too! Thanks for coming by the way) as Nascar Drivers. The other pics are of Sawyer receiving his trophy, medal, and badges. When you get an award the scouters mom gets a pin and they pin in on their mom. Always fun. It was a really fun night. I think we all had a good time. Even mom but when does she not love a little competition. Am I right ladies?!?! Thanks for looking! We are proud of you Sawyer! (And Dad)

another Pickle video at big sky - Feb 2011

2011-03-08T07:58:00.004-07:00

Here is another one of Dylan. Im looking for others of Sawyer and Keller. They do awesome as well. Thanks for looking!

Big Sky - March 2011

2011-03-07T12:02:00.002-07:00

So we have been able to go to Big Sky MT almost every weekend since the beginning of the year. We have had so much fun. This past weekend it had snowed quite a bit so we had great powder. I had gotten a new board a couple of weeks ago and it was the first time I was able to use it. I havent had a new board since before Sawyer was born (at least 12 yrs) I absolutley loved my new board. Its not a Burton which for me was really hard to buy something other than a Burton but its great. I felt like I was 17 yrs old again. Ol Sawyer told me that I look like and ride like a "pro" boarder! What a cute boy he always just wants to make you feel good. When I crashed he said "only pro's crash like that" if you listen to the video he tell Dylan the same thing. We had great power and Dylan tried a big lift for the first time. He loved the ride up but he wasnt so sure about the ride down. There were times that we had to carry him down. So we ended up at the bunny hill the next day. But he really did a great job. We have to remember that he is only 4. I think he is doing awesome and if you ask him he will tell you the same thing. We are working on humility. On Saturday night some of our friends (Lance and Pia Rydalch) came and stayed at the Lodge with us. The kids had a great time playing in the pool, ping pong, and Lucky Logans where they get to play arcade games. Lance and Pia have a kid (triston) and him and Sawyer had a blast. They also have a daughter (Nina) and she was great with keller. He drug her to the computer and she was great about watching train videos. We sat in the lobby in front of the fireplace and listened to great music. They served BBQ ribs and chicken. We really had a great time. Here are a few pics I took on the hill yesterday.

Big Sky - Dylan's first day

2011-02-10T19:43:00.003-07:00

Okay so here are some videos of the boys snowboarding. Too cute but Im there mom so of course im gonna think its cute.

****trying this again! lets see if it will work this time. Thanks for looking!

Minnie Mouse

2011-01-20T16:19:00.002-07:00

Dylan got to officially meet Minnie Mouse today. She was already standing at her designated spot so he couldn't tackle her today. Yesterday he seriously tackled her into the garbage can. I'm sure Minnie was telling all of her chums about the little boy who gave her a giant bruise yesterday. Dylan has to show every character his map. He insists on carrying a map with him on this trip. If he asks you to hold it you can NOT fold it. He gets really upset if it gets folded. Just notice he shoes everyone the map. Its kind of funny. Anyway here are a few more videos of our last day :(. It is a beautiful 75 degrees today. I heard it is 5 at home. I think we may just stay her a few more days....until spring maybe?

Its a small world ride

2011-01-18T21:52:00.003-07:00

Here is a cute boy on Small World. The two big boys were not real happy about this ride but it is only open on Monday and then closes until they take all the Christmas stuff down. Dylan really really liked it. We just came in from a full day at the park again. They boys just got their swim suits on and are headed to the hot tub. We played in California Adventure today and were able to do the Toy Story 3-D ride. One of my favorites for sure. The Mullholland Madness is closed!! Keller was so mad. That is a bummer because it is one of our favorites for sure. Jaren gave Sawyer the okay to ride California Screammer by himself!!! He watched him in line the whole time. I was on the merry go round with Dylan Ball. Keller says he wants to go but not in the dark! Well I am pooped for sure. Hopefully the video worked. Hopefully more to come tomorrow. Have a great night. Love ya all!

Big Thunder Mountain

2011-01-18T16:43:00.003-07:00

Just wanted to see if this would work. Dylan's first trip on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Leave your feedback please. HAHAHA

Hot Momma!

2011-01-13T12:15:00.003-07:00

For my mom's birthday on the 28th of December we all went to Mountain River Ranch. I had never been there. You ride a sleigh (wagon) pulled by horses to a lodge and have prim rib or pork tenderloin. It was a bit chilly and of course Jaren was
sick :(. But we had a pretty good time. My camera battery was dead so I only got to snap a couple of photos. My mom even got to drive the team of horses pulling the wagon. Not too much of a stretch for a rodeo girl but still she thought it was great. I dont care who you are we all could agree that I have the hottest momma around! She didnt look this cute just because it was her birthday, she is this cute everyday! I hope you had a fun day and night mom. I know I sure did. Love ya!

Pig Wrestlin at the county Fair!

2011-01-12T13:27:00.003-07:00

Yep we are red necks! If you ever question this fact come to St. Anthony. Our national past time is a demolition derby and boy they take them seriously up here. The next best thing to that is pig wrestling! This was my first pig wrestling and I was impressed by the community support. The bleachers were packed! They started with little kids and went up from there. Sawyers BFF Carly Hikida (Im not sure if Im spelling it right) had called a few days before and asked if he would wrestle a pig with her and a couple others. Being a true St. Anthonyion he was all over it! They didnt win but sure had fun getting all muddy. He had fun and thats all that matters.

Keller and Kaleb

2011-01-11T15:11:00.004-07:00

In honor of Kaleb Parry's birthday today here are a few pics of Keller and him. For anyone new to our life, Kaleb is Keller's best bud from school. They are going to grow up together and build cabins in the wood together (separate cabins of course) for them and their dogs and share a snowmachine so they can go to town every once in a while. (this is of course after Keller and Ryker are finished being roommates at college) Good now I have all that out! Kaleb came with us to a barrel racing up in Victor. Kaleb told us how he was part owner on a horse at his grandparents and how he loves horses. At first he was a little scared of Lucy. But after a second he thought it was pretty cool. He really enjoyed riding her. I noticed that he kept sneezing. I texted his mom and asked if he was allergic and she said she didn't think so but he hadn't really been around horses. On the way home he said that his eyes were burning. When I looked back his eyes were swollen and bloodshot! Poor kid. Once I got his hands clean and face washed he did much better. A few weeks after this he went to his grandparents and the same thing happened. Poor kid all he wants to do is ride horses! So Kaleb we are so glad you and Keller are friends. Happy Birthday.

Union Falls

2011-01-10T19:32:00.005-07:00

For the past 2 years I have had the chance to hike up to Union Falls. I believe it is inside Yellowstone Park (don't quote me). When I have gone it has been with the Michelson family. It is around 16 miles round trip. It is a pretty good hike. Takes the whole day and you are pooped for sure on the ride home. This year Sawyer said he wanted to go. A few days before we left he had to get a retainer in his mouth and it hurt so bad he had not been able to eat very well for a couple of days. But he insisted on going. The day we went on the hike he was doing much better but I had worried about him no the less. He had heard that there was swimming involved so he for sure wanted to go. He was such a trooper. He hiked the whole thing and really not until the end did he start to poop out. I think he spent a little too much time in the water. I love the picture of him jumping off the big rocks. He looks like a little anorexic boy. And as always Hill And Son Excavating number one fan. What a cute fun boy. He rocks for sure. On the way home he fell asleep about 30 seconds after I started the car. Some of the other pics are of the falls (the picture just doesn't do it justice) Me and Sawyer, and me and Leslie. It really was a fun trip. Hopefully Jaren will come and go with next year.

Bear Gulch Hike

2011-01-09T17:45:00.004-07:00

Hello all!!! (if anyone even checks my blog anymore) Here are a few pics of a hike we were on durning potatoe harvest. Yes I said potatoe harvest. It was Jaren and I and our boys, my friends Cathy Michelson and her daughter Crystal and her friend. As well as my friend Pia Rydalch and her son Triston and daughter Nina (I think that is her name) Anyway we all met at Bear Gulch by the old train tunnel that has fallen in to Keller's dismay! Oh the drama! Anyway we hiked for an hour or so until the kids had had enough and then went down to the frost top. You really cant make a trip up to Ashton country without a good ol stop at the frost top. It would be unAmerican. It would be like Heather coming to Rexburg and not stopping at Millhollow for yogurt. Aint that right Heather?!?! It was a fun day and I thought the kids all looked too cute. They had fun.

The Hiawatha Trail

2010-09-12T17:25:00.006-07:00

So here are the pics from the Hiawatha trail. We met the Colvins up there and had a great time. Sawyer and Skylar are great friends. I guess Keller has a great time with them also. The boys or I should say all the kids were obsessed with the chipmunks. They were trying to get them to eat out of their hands. When we took a lunch break the finally got one to take a chip out of their hands. They were kind of rude little chipmunks. I had my lunch sitting on the ground and a chip in my hand and one came right up and got in my lunch box and when I was thinking of giving him a chip and snatched it right out of my hand. Mike had all the kids sit together with their food and he was calling them the lunch bunch. I thought that was kind of cute. I cant remember if the pictures of the bus run off the road are on this or not. So if they arent I will post them next. Jaren was riding the bus back to the pickup. The bus on the first big corner has to stop and back up because its too sharp of a corner to make. So the poor driver instead of putting the bus in reverse he put it in first and gunned it. Not just once but twice and you guessed it it went right off the road. Hahaha, Jaren said people were freaking out. No one was hurt obviously but still it was kind of funny. (only because no one got hurt of course) Thanks for looking.

Cataldo Mission

2010-09-12T13:21:00.003-07:00

Just before Coeur d' Alene there is the Cataldo Mission. It is really interesting. Built by missionaries back in the 1800's. I cant remember what religion it was but it really is very neat. They have restored the mission and the living quarters for the priests and missionaries. It is worth stopping and paying for. I thought that the picture of the little boys standing in the confessional was very appropriate. Its a good thing we are not Catholic or they would really have to spend alot of time in one of those. Just kidding they are good boys. A little rambunctious but still good.

Riding the trails

2010-09-12T12:47:00.003-07:00

This summer we went up to Coeur d'Alene like we usually do and road the bike trails. This has to be one of our favorite things to do. I know it is one of mine. We had plans to meet up with Jaren's old college roommate and good friend Mike Colvin and his family. But we had one day to kill before they met us to ride the Hiawatha so we rode around Wallace and Kellog. We were able to find Sawyer a new bike that was a hit with the kids every campground we went to. Here are a few pics of our day. I have to add that Jaren is such a sport. He always volunteers to drive in the pick up so I can ride bikes with the boys. I am sure he wants to ride but I usually get to. So thanks Jaren.

Missoula Half Marathon

2010-08-29T19:09:00.006-07:00

Okay so these were taken a almost 2 months ago. I ran the Missoula half Marathon. It was voted as the best marathon to run by runners world mag. This was the 5th year (I think) that Missoula has held it. They had over triple the runners this year than last year. There was at least 1 person from every state there. Jimmy Falen paid for someone from Nebraska so that every state would be represented. And a guy from Montana won it and he has won it every year. There were over 6000 runners and I came in 1115 place. I didn't think that was too bad. It was a really fun race. You couldn't ask for a more beautiful course. The only thing it lacked was a great running partner. So Erin if you are reading this you are going with me for sure next year. It really was fun. I was soooo nervous the night before the race. We camped along the side of the road just up the hill from the starting line. I some how set my alarm clock wrong but luckily it didn't matter because I really didn't sleep much the whole night. AAhhh not really what you want happening just before a big race. The last run that I had had before we left didn't go well so I really was nervous and since our whole summer trip was arranged around this race I couldn't really woose out of it. I'm glad I didn't. I have never been in a race with that many people. When the shot went off to start the race it was a good 5-6 minutes after that that I crossed the starting line (your time doesn't start until you cross the line so that was good) I thought for sure that Jaren would not be able to find me during the race so I really didnt watch for him. I though I would just see him and the boys at the end. Around mile 7ish I started to feel a little tired and just then I heard these cute little voices yelling "Go Mom" It made my day. Talk about a boost that was really needed. They were able to find me like 4-5 times through the race. It was the best. Then when I finally crossed the finish line they were all there again. It couldn't have been any better. I love MIssoula. I could live there for sure. Sorry for all the pics but I really posted them for myself to remind me of how fun it was. The random pic of the car was a car that was at the finish line. And as you can tell the guy didn't throw anything away. He was against global warming and everything that went along with it. It was kind of gross but I guess everyone has to have a passion. Anywho, I thought the pics of me and my boys were pretty cute. I love the one of Dylan kissing my medal. What a fun and very tiring day that was. Cant wait until next year!

Keller's soccer pics

2010-08-25T13:41:00.005-07:00

Okay so I really have a ton to do but its like everything else I love to procrastinate. I really don't like to procrastinate but I do it anyway. I was just thinking that it has been almost a month since I posted last and I hate to make my avid readers angry!!! The boys are back in school and I think they are pretty happy about it. Keller has a new friend Parker. He talks non stop about Parker. You know "I did this (hits himself on the head or something clever like that) and Parker laughs" or "Today me and Parker and Kaleb played this at recess" Anyway I finally said "well it sounds like Parker is a cool kid, is he the oldest in his family?" To which Kelller responded, "Mom, Parker isn't a boy! she is a girl!!!" Oh of course she is!! Stupid mom! So finally after hours of hearing about Parker I asked Keller if he was sweet on her? He looked at me from the corner of his eyes and said "Yes, but don't make fun of me okay!" I said, "of course I wont make fun of you, so is she your girlfriend?" "ya I guess you could call it that" I said well no kissing yet okay buddy!" And Keller says "ewe gross mom! why would I want to kiss her? I only kiss you and grandma and sometimes dad and grandpa! And so it begins!!! Wouldn't you know it Keller the absolute biggest boy is the first to have a true girlfriend. Poor girl! Just kidding. Actually I think Sawyer and Carly have been boyfriend and girlfriend but he just chooses to keep it under wraps! Smart kid. Anyway here are a few pics of Dylan with his great foe hawk and pb&j face. And of course Keller playing a bit of soccer and him and Kaleb. What cute little friends. I hope that this new relationship with Parker doesn't get in the way of the dynamic duo Keller and Kaleb. One more quick story since it just popped in my head. The other day my sweet little baby says to me "mom you are soo beautiful, but as he is walking away he raises his eyebrows and says to himself "but not as beautiful as McKenzie" Aaahh nothing but the truth from the mouth of a 3 year old. Still I sure do love that kid. P.S. Mckenzie is the babysitter we have had since Sawyer was Dylan's age. They (all 3 boys) have had a thing for her. They love her. Each kid has said cute little things about her over the years like, Oh I love McKenzie's hair, or Oh McKenzie smells sooo good mom. They think she is great. We owe her alot.

4th of July

2010-08-08T15:53:00.005-07:00

Outside of Mormonville they celebrate the 4th on Sunday's. We headed up to Virginia City, MT with the Jorgensen's. First thing that beautiful Sunday morning, Jaren and Tim got up to go flying. I got up early to shower so there would be enough hot water for everyone. The airplane came and buzzed the house around 9:00 and still not Jorgensen's stirred. After I was completely ready I thought I would make German pancakes for everyone. I went downstairs to the storage room and walked into a good inch of standing water in the storage room. I was a little confused and thought that maybe one of the freezers broke. Then poor Kiri comes around the corner and said that we were having some plumbing issues. The sump pump quit working. So we had 3 showers worth of water standing on the basement floor. Aaaahhhh, Ive never had anything like this happen. So we were frantically trying to mop up all that water. I called Jaren and told him to hurry home we were having issues. The guys figured out what was going on. They ripped out the carpet (which is still up in case you are wondering) and went and borrowed fans from mom and dad. It was crazy. Ofcourse Kiri thought it was there fault which it soooo wasnt. We were happy that it had happened when someone was home and could fix the problem. Well it was now 11:00 and our poor guests still had not had any breakfast and I don't know about them but I was starving!!! So after a quick bowl of cereal (the breakfast of champions and what all good hosts should feed their guests) we headed to Virginia City. We shopped the little town all day (something that my boys were forced to do since there were more girls than just me) we rode the little train ride they had. On our way Keller started saying that he wasn't feeling good. Poor kid. By the time we got there he had a pretty good fever. Luckily we found some medicine for him and he bounced back. The train ride was fun, the shopping was fun, and the fireworks were great. All in all we had a pretty fun day, weekend for that matter.

More 3rd of July

2010-08-08T10:11:00.005-07:00

We knew that we were going to have our Montana friends "the Jorgensens" over for the evening. We were also going to go the next morning to Virginia City, MT for the real 4th. So we went to the grocery store and stocked up on some steaks and chicken for kabobs, and a bunch of fruit and a few veggies. Finger food. Perfect for a small get together. My BF Leslie's husband is always gone for the 4th so I invited her to come out as well. She had her mom and dad with her and a few of her children. Jeff, Brianna (who just left on a mission to New Mexico) and Brittany. Brittany isn't really her child but should be. Anywho we all got together and the Jorgensen's brought illegal Montana fireworks for our own little show. It was so fun. It was a little cool for July so we brought out the jackets and blankets and had a real swell time. The sunset was beautiful as you can see from the picture. Keller "Potter" who had already lost one wand earlier that day had been flying on his broom around the yard, when he decided to put his "good" wand and really the only wand he had left in his back pocket so he could go through the grain better. We were sitting on the porch when all of the sudden I hear a blood curdling scream. "My wand, my wand, Ive lost my wand!!!" in the grain of all places. If anyone has ever been in a grain field you know its not easy to find something that you have dropped. I was dreading this sad little moment. But thanks to Kiri and her son Ben she directed Keller and Ben to the right spot and he FOUND his wand. Which really was a good thing because they were casting all sorts of spells and we had some of the most amazing fireworks this side of Rigby! Here are some pics from that evening. It really was a fun holiday!

4th of July (Well 3rd anyway)

2010-08-03T12:01:00.003-07:00

The fourth of July was celebrated this year on Saturday the 3rd. We woke up to a pretty cool morning. It was kind of nice not to be sweltering at the parade but I did have to put the boys and myself in jackets. This was a big year for us because Sawyer was in the parade. He went with the gymnastics team and walked through the parade. It was so fun to see him. When he saw us he got this sheepish grin on his face then did a walking handstand. He was so proud of himself and we were all proud of him. After his handstand they stopped the pick up that was pulling the long trampoline and he got to do a back handspring. So we were super super proud. What a good boy. After the parade we decided to go and get something to eat. On our way to the car Keller (aka Harry Potter) had his wand and stopped to look at a manhole....for some reason he stuck his wand through the hole and let go!!!! Oh the drama that followed. All I can say is its a good thing we had a spare. Anyone who knows me knows that I love Zumba. My instructor Amee had a bunch of people dancing in the parade. Here is a pic of my great friends Krissy and Leslie dancing during the parade. (Just in case you are wondering who the random people are in the pics) We went to Rigby and had a pretty good burger. Then we went home and waited for the Jorgensons and Wilsons to come over for that nights festivities. It was one of the funnest 4th's I have had.

Ashton Bike Ride Reward

2010-08-02T18:34:00.005-07:00

We took the boys up to Drummond and got on the old train bed for a bike ride. We rode all the way down to Ashton (well just before Ashton) This has got to be one of my favorite things to do. I love to go biking with the fam. I think we really have a great time. The boys love to ride their bikes and be around the history of trains. It is nonstop questions to Jaren especially from one particular child. We rewarded ourselves with a great Mexican food meal and then went on a little drive (shocking I know) and stoped at the 511 Main St. resturant for ice cream. I love to watch my kids eat ice cream. They enjoy it so much. If you cant tell. I just had to share how cute they all are. The biggest one included.

Day Camp Yipee!!!!

2010-08-01T14:41:00.004-07:00

Oh man, Sawyer waits for day camp. He has himself a great time. I am fortunate to be his scout leader so I get to go as well. For some reason I don't get as reved up about it as he does. This year was a bit better. Grama Sheila is my assistant so I coned her into going with us. (Hehehe sorry mom) But I don't think she minded and Sawyer was too happy to have her there. Last year they got to do archery and this year it was all about the Red Ryder Bebe guns. Sawyer loved it. As you can see from the pics they took every safety precaution needed. I must say my kid looked the cutest in his safety goggles. Not every one can pull that look off I will have you know. First they learned first aid, then to an obstacle course, Next learning to use a compass (Soy loved this one) they also made bug houses and they were able to go to the fort and buy all sorts of great things. Sawyer has waited a whole year to buy a mood ring. He wanted it last year but didn't have enough money. This year he was prepared. Lastly they shot the guns. They had a great time and I was way to happy to have it over!!! Here are pics from our action packed day.

Cave Falls in June

2010-08-01T08:32:00.005-07:00

To know Jaren you must know that he loves loves loves a good Sunday drive (or Monday drive or Tuesday drive or you get the picture) There are not many roads in the Fremont County area Island Park included that he has not been on. And the crazy thing is he remembers them all. So our poor kids get to drive all Sunday long. Sadly when you put me in a car I get narcolepsy (is that how you spell it???) It drives my poor husband absolutely nuts!!! He just cant understand how you can be surrounded by all this beauty and sleep through the whole thing. I truly cant keep my eyes open. I wish I could stay awake but it is impossible. Anyway, we realized that we (Jaren and I) had been to Cave Falls but our children had not. So that is were we took them. It has been years since I had been there. I think it was the summer we got married. I have pics that I took of me in a tank top and short shorts, Jaren in all his long hair glory and we stopped at Island Park Lodge to see Chaddy. His goatee was down to his chest and he was rolling an old fashioned cig. Ah the memories!!! Speaking of memories I remember another time that my mom took us to Cave Falls and back in the day you could hike down into the cave (not anymore just in case you are wondering) We took pictures on a big rock that was sitting there. Anywho my mom who was always pretty stylin, had the best side pony tail ever!!! It was great Mom. I of course thought of it on this little trip we took. So back to the story. We took the boys to see Cave Falls. We had heard that the mosquito's were not in full force yet....I would hate to go there when they are really out. The weather was cool but we hiked about a mile back past the falls. The boys love to go on these little hikes. They call them adventures. We of course had to stop and take photos along the way. Nothing to eventful happened but we did have a fun time. If you would notice that we were able to take Keller "Potter" along with us. He joins us alot lately. Those glasses have been JB Welded countless times. We made him leave his wand in the car just so it wouldn't get lost. That's what is so great about nature...there is always a spare wooden wand just laying on the ground. Thanks for looking!

Teton Dam 10K

2010-07-27T15:20:00.004-07:00

So back in June I ran the Teton Dam 10K. That means it is a 6.2 mile run. I had been training with my great friend Cathy Birch. Erin was going to run with me but was unable to. Then Cathy said she would run and was as well unable right at the last minute. Now I love to visit and that is one of the reasons I run. I love to talk while I am running and Cathy is a great partner for that very reason (among others ofcourse) So I was kind of bummbed when I didnt have anyone to run with. So I was nervous the whole night and got up in the morning and went to the race. I had friends there but lost them before the race even started. (should I have taken that as a clue?) Anywho, I had a great run!!! I was so excited! I ran it in 54:00 minutes. Thats 15 mins. less than last year! I was so happy. When I came around the corner to the finish line, there were my boys. Dylan had been busy picking Dandy Lions for his momma, Keller was busy just a wavinging away to me, and ol Soy he ran the last little bit with me. It was the cutest thing. They just make my day. I sure love those boys! Then after I ran through the finish line there was my mom and dad and Rosie of course waiting for me. I felt really special. I was so suprised that I had such a great support team. So I have to brag with my pictures. Thanks to my great family. I sure do love ya!

pics for 4-h camp

2010-07-27T14:34:00.004-07:00

my stupid computer wouldnt let me download pictures so here I try again.

4-H Camp

2010-07-27T14:23:00.003-07:00

Oh this was Sawyer's first year to 4-H camp. I was a bit nervous about sending. I found out that his friend Brecon was going but to Madison Co. rather than Fremont Co. I also found out that Madison Co. went swimming to Green Canyon on the way home. So yup it was a no brainer, we sent him with Madison. They went the first week in June so here in S. East Idaho it is still early spring. It rained and rained. When we were waiting for the bus it was raining. Good thing he had rain boots. Jaren went and bought him a poncho before they left. Once they got up there it didn't rain on them. It was really hard to watch my baby get on the bus and not even seem a tiny bit upset about having to leave his mother for 3 whole days!!! When I was younger I remember getting sooo homesick for my momma. Apparently I didn't pass that trait on to my children. We decided to drive up to Alpine Wyo. to camp to see Sawyer and surprise him. They were just coming down from a hike so he were just sitting on the side of the trail.....Sawyer walks past us and says "oh hi" and kept right on walking. I know he was happy to see us but we were kind of interrupting "his" time. He really really really had fun. Even now about 2 months later he will say. I sure hope I can go to 4-H camp again next year. Such a good boy!

Mother's Day

2010-07-27T13:30:00.003-07:00

So I'm a bit behind. Better late than never is my motto. For Mother's Day my momma took us girls to the spa in Idaho Falls. It was divine!!! We got pedicures and deep tissue massage's. My arm and fingers had been falling asleep for a couple of weeks prior to this and the deep tissue did the trick. It was such a fun day. I loved it. They had food to snack on while we waited and champagne if you wanted so my mom wanted. When we were all done and they took us back to the dressing room we all started to get dressed. After a few minutes we started to wonder where mom was....well we found her still in her robe a good 20 minutes later drinking champagne and relaxing on a couch in the waiting room. She had no idea that we were all dressed and waiting for her but couldn't find her. It was so funny!!! Sometimes I wonder if she is truly blonde. Moments like that help me see that she just may be Heathers real mom. Just kidding Heather. Sometimes you just live up to your blonde roots. Anyway it was a super fun day. I love to get girl time in with my favorite girls. Thanks Mom, you rock as always!

Kindergarten Graduation

2010-06-17T16:58:00.003-07:00

Yep its official, Keller graduated from Kindergarten. It was a little touch and go there for awhile. Hahaha just kidding. He did great. His grades were great. He had all Satisfactory's with a few needs improvements on things like focusing (shocking) and talking during class (even more shocking). We were so proud of him. He was the cutest little grad around. They did a nice little program and his letter was "h" His teacher was Mrs. Hughes and she is moving up to 1st grade next year. So its a good thing that he liked her and more importantly that she knows how to deal with him. One thing that she did this year (she was Sawyers teacher as well)is she made a CD full of pictures that she had taken thru-out the year and put it to music. What a tear jerker. Oh my I will save that priceless DVD forever. It makes me tear up just thinking about it. Priceless gift from her. Here is a picture of her, Keller and his BFF Kaleb (of course I mean school BFF if we are talking BFF's Ryker takes the cake) anywho, they are two little peas in a pod. What a big boy. Next year a full day of school. What are Dylan and I going to do with ourselves???

Buffalo Springs

2010-06-17T14:33:00.002-07:00

If anyone is at all familiar with Jaren, they know how much the man loves to go on a drive. So one sunny Sunday Jaren decided to find Buffalo Springs in Island Park. The boys love an adventure they just hate the drive to get to the adventure. As soon as we got out of the car they were exploring. Every time we looked at Keller he was casting a spell on something. Poor nature its a good thing magic isn't real (Keller says that all the time) I just think I have the cutest kids ever!!! And boy they love there dad. In the spring they just don't see him much so they love Sundays with dad. We explored this little area. If you have a chance to go to Buffalo Springs take it. It was a very pretty little place. We hiked around a bit and had fun. The boys kept saying lets go on a bigger adventure. Boys I just love them. If you would have told me I would be saying that 20 years ago, I wouldn't have believed you. I thought I just wanted girls, maybe one boy but defiantly girls. I'm sure glad Heavenly Father doesn't give us everything we "think" we want.

Baseball

2010-06-16T12:56:00.002-07:00

This was Sawyer's first year playing baseball. He never really wanted to in past years and it was just another thing to do so I didn't push it. Our poor kids, Jaren and I just are not sports people. Sure we love to snowboard, camp and all that kind of stuff but when it comes to organized team sports we just aren't that into it. So we have not pushed our kids. I started them in gymnastics so they could burn some extra energy and I always heard that it helps the brain develop and it helps them learn dedication. Anyway, I guess what I am trying to say is gymnastics is a sport just a bit different from baseball. He loved it!!! He was on a team with kids from school and scouts so I think that helped. They have all played for a few years and he was a newbie. He loves to be on a team. He practiced and practiced. We had to saddle soap up the new mitt and then put it under his bed for a weekend in hopes that it would loosen up. He didn't play as much in the beginning as he did in the end. I really think he improved over the season. If we keep working with him he might get to be good at it. Next year, we are going to take a month off of gymnastics so he can really concentrate on baseball. Here are some pics of one of his first games. I will post more later and I have a few of Keller at knot hole (t-ball and baseball mixed) Thanks for looking!

Were back!!!!

2010-06-13T20:31:00.003-07:00

Ya ya I know that it has been forever since I posted something. But to my defense we have been swamped! Fertilizer season is just about over, baseball season is over, scouts are just about over (for the summer) and school is out. Soy has picked up an extra 3-4 hours at gymnastics so we are still running him around for that and he still has piano. Keller just started piano also. So far so good (knock on wood for that). We have not been camping yet. I cant believe that one myself. But if our kids keep acting the way they do during sacerment meeting we wont be going all summer. The deal is if your naughty in church not camping the next weekend. You guessed it that's why we have not been yet. It also helps that Jaren really has been working so its a good excuse to torture the boys with. Life has been way busy and I have to remind myself that they are only young once and its not going to kill me if I have an extremely filthy house. Some day it will be clean again. The weather has not helped us feel like its summer break yet either. I guess when my house is clean the weather will turn nice....maybe I should clean my house then. Anyway here are some random pics. Keller had to pass his letter and sounds to pass kindergarten. He really didn't like practicing them so all of the Harry Potter stuff got taken away until he passed his tests. So during that time he fell into a speed racer stage. (should I be worried that he has to be obsessed with something all the time???) I walked down to the basement and this is what I found. Keller had gotten one of Jarens snow machine helmets and he was sitting in the playschool cop car and he was racing along with the movie Speed Racer. What a kid. I really don't know where he came from. I thought it was way funny. Well thanks for looking and hopefully I will get a few more things posted.

and some more Easter pics

2010-04-17T18:14:00.003-07:00

more Easter

2010-04-17T17:19:00.002-07:00

Easter

2010-04-17T09:10:00.003-07:00

Easter this year was kind of a let down. It stormed on the kids Friday night so sadly the Easter Egg hunts at the school and down at the river bottoms with the Ball family were cancelled. We did our best Sunday morning after it snowed AGAIN!!! I'm not talking a dust layer on the greening grass but 4-6 inches!!!. I was dragging bottom in my car. I had just taken the snow tires of the Jetta so we were forced to drive the Traverse that whole weekend. Oh the trials we go through!!! Haha Anywho the kids had fun none the less. Dylan thought this whole egg was great. I of course made them wait at the top of the stairs until I had all the cameras ready. I remember my mom and dad dragging their feet at Christmas and Easter. Oh it was the worst but now I'm the mom I love it!!! Here are a few of the pics from that eventful day.

Poor Presley

2010-04-15T16:54:00.002-07:00

My poor old kitty has had a bit of trouble lately. Around Sawyer and Dylan's birthdays he just was not acting like himself. He wouldn't eat. He would disappear all day and night. He stayed on the main floor and not come upstairs to sleep on our bed at nights. I was really sad because I thought that maybe his time was coming. I tried to change his food to soft food and that worked for a day or two then back to same old thing. Then one Friday afternoon he came up to me and his face was all swollen on one side. I called the vet and they let me bring him in. He had an absest tooth. They had to cut a hole in his cheek, pull a bunch of teeth and shave the right side of his face to do all that. They kept him over night. The next day when we went and got him....what a different guy! it was our old Presley. He now however has no teeth a big hole is his face and no whiskers but he is happy. We have found some soft food that he eats like there is no tomorrow. A few weeks after the first vet trip his mouth was swollen again. I took him back to the vet where they again had to shave his face, cut a big hole in his cheek to drain the puss. He now had an infection that was up in his bone. So its a good thing he loves his food because I easily hide his pills in his food and he gobbles it right up. These pics just don't do his face justice. Poor old Kitty.

Gymnasts Hands

2010-04-15T16:09:00.003-07:00

The other day Sawyer came home from gymnastics with his hands all taped up. He showed me these big ol blisters. The price of being a gymnast. His coaches tried to make it sound like some cool thing that he got these awesome blisters because he has been working so hard on the bars. Everyone took a bath that night except for Sawyer because he didn't want to take his tape off. He wore it to school the next day and the girls signed it for him. Oh what a ladies man!!! Hehehe Now he is getting big Clausius on his hands. They will look like he works for a living for sure.

Feeding the Fish

2010-04-15T15:42:00.004-07:00

The other day we went on a Sunday drive. Jaren is back to work and only home on Sundays again. So we went up to Ashton and ate at the Frost Top and then fed the fish. It was a fun relaxing day. We drove up and looked at our property at Shadow Ridge. Keller love to tell us how to get home. You know...turn left, go straight, now right. And Jaren loves to do what ever he tells him so needless to say we saw all of Ashton, Fall River, Squirrel, and Chester before we made it home. It was a fun day none the less. Sundays so way to quick at our house in the springtime!

State Boys Gymnastics

2010-04-15T14:49:00.004-07:00

So I have not been able to find the cord for my camera. You know the one that lets me plug into the computer so I can add pics to my blog. Ya that one. Well I finally found it today so here we go again!!! Back in March we went to Boise for the State Boys Gymnastics Meet. It was my favorite one so far. They had a really great facility. Totally geared up so little kids to have something to do during the meet. I wish I could just sit and watch Sawyer but with his rambunctious brothers it is impossible. This gym had a big side room where they had a foam pit and rings and bars all connected to the foam pit. The big long trampoline and the best thing....a monster truck jumpy house!!! The walls were even padded in places. Its like they knew the "Ball Boys" were coming!!! Keller and Dylan loved it. Sawyer our State Champion gymnast did pretty well I must say. There were 18 boys in his class and he placed 9th overall. Not to bad for his first year of competing. He has decided that he wants to stay on the team for at least another year. It takes alot of practice time and he said he is willing to do it. The poor boy practices 5-7 hours a week. Remember he is 9. He is also doing piano, scouts and starts baseball tonight! We may have to drop something I'm afraid. But he seems to love it so here we go. Thanks for looking!

Mmmmm Ice Cream

2010-03-29T14:05:00.003-07:00

In the last post I said I would share the ice cream photos. Well here they are. What a cute bunch of mugs. On the one picture you can even see grannies cute mug in the background. I love the way that the chocolate ice cream matches Dyllies eyes. Now those are melt your heart brown eyes. And Keller....what a toothless grin. One of his big front teeth is coming in and the other "snaggel" tooth will not be in for a long long time the dentist said. So its a good thing we love his grin. Sawyer defiantly got the best ice cream. You cant even tell he had any ice cream. Maybe its the ice cream choice or maybe its because hes 9 and know how to be a little bit less messy. What ever I just thought they were too cute not to share.

Keller and Ernie

2010-03-13T15:16:00.003-07:00

Okay they are not in the same pictures but I am putting them together on the same post. We have had a "Potter" break this week because Keller got his "Potter" stuff taken away along with his DS. So this week has been quite (about Potter stuff anyway) Last Saturday we had to go to I.F. to pick Presley up at the vet (I will tell that story later) I asked my mom to go with me and we could do a little shopping while we were down there. I don't know why I punish not just myself but my boys and this time grandma as well. My kids hate hate HATE to shop. Sawyer puts up with it and as always tries to be a good boy. Dylan is easily distracted so he is kind of good. But poor poor Keller, that kid love him, just cant help himself. I cant even remember what he did to get into trouble but he just couldn't take his punishment like a big boy. He thinks that he can negotiate out of a punishment. If he were smart about it he would zip it and be good. Not Keller. He started off with his "Harry Potter" stuff taken away for one day. After 5 min. it was mine for a week along with his DS. Wow, really Keller. Grandma finally said Keller I have an idea, Just sit and be good. He did kind of listen didn't get anymore days taken away until later in the week. That same day we went to Roberts. Any boys favorite store right? Well grandma said if they were good we would go to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. Oh they did good. While we were there grams had Keller in a cart and he said, "grandma do you know what I like about this store?" Where grandma said, "No what Keller?" And Keller's response was....."Absolutely Nothing!!!" This week has been a hard one for poor Keller. He has learned how much trouble you get into when you lie to your mother. After no dinner for 2 nights this week and going to bed early did he learn? Nope not yet. Boy is he stubborn. Jaren went to Salmon this week and took the camper. We have a very large cooler. The boys were climbing in and out of the cooler which is a really bad idea. I explained to them what could happen if someone got trapped in the cooler and we didn't know about it. So I thought I told a pretty scary story and I look up and Keller is getting into the cooler again! When I scolded him he said it was an accident (everything is an accident with Keller) and he fell in. I told him that story was a lie and to go to bed without dinner. So he did and in the morning promised not to lie again. A day later the boys asked for some gum. I took the gum into the house and then we all forgot about it (or so I thought). A few hours later just before bed time Dylan comes up to me with gum in his mouth. I asked him where he got it and he told me Keller gave it to him. I called Keller down and asked him if he had had some gum. He told me "NO" I told him to open his mouth so I could smell his breath. A nice peppermint smell came out of his mouth. I said "Keller did you lie to me?" Where he said no and then yes...it was an accident. Wouldn't you know it. Another accident! So he got to go to bed without dinner once again. I went up to his room to find the rest of the package (at least 5-6 pieces gone and the wrapper in the garbage. The next day I was telling him how sad it makes me and Heavenly Father when you lie and he really needs to work on not lying. He said that when he was going to say yes (to whether he had had a piece of gum) no budged. That tricky no. What a kid. Its a good thing I love him sometimes. Oh he is such an individual. I have not been blessed with patience but with Keller as a child I am going to need to find some and quick! Well back to the pictures. Keller fell asleep with his glasses on. Thought they were cute. And then to the laziest cat on earth. He has Woody (from Toy Story) hat on. He just sat there for quite a while with the hat on. It really would have taken way too much energy to take it off. Good ol Ernie and Keller. We love you!

Last of the Birthday Weekend

2010-03-09T19:50:00.003-07:00

Just to wrap it up. Here are a few more pics. The cake I made was a Texas sheet cake with choco chip frosting. I thought it was quite good. Thanks pioneer woman!

More of Soy

2010-03-09T18:35:00.002-07:00

Sawyer's Party

2010-03-09T14:44:00.003-07:00

After laser tag we went home and opened presents. (After our Scentsy party ofcourse) Sawyer got spoiled as usual. He got a fish tank with all the fixins, a DS game from Keller, Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, a Boy Scout harmonica, lots of shirts and a ball and markers, candy and a parachute guy from Aunt Heather and Jobi, $$$ from grama Ball, a Selena Gomez CD (Soy thinks she is kinda "hot") and a webkinz pet fish from Aunt Erin, and a telescope from Grams and Gramps. So ya pretty much the kid was spoiled again! He deserves it though. He is a good boy. He usually does what is asked of him and he is a great older brother. Very responsible. I'm not saying hes perfect but he is pretty darn close. Sawyer I hope you know how much we love you buddy! Our lives were no where near complete until you entered the picture. I just cant believe that you are already 9 years old!!! Where does the time go? We love you buddy and Happy Birthday!

Sawyer's Birthday Weekend

2010-03-09T14:09:00.003-07:00

So when your name is Sawyer and you are the oldest kid in your family...you get a birthday weekend not just a day. So here are some pics of his fun day/weekend. Aunt Heather and Jobi came home from Utah and Aunt Erin came from Boise. Dad's birthday is the day before don't forget so we had festivities all weekend long. Ryker and Reese spent the night friday night so Keller and Dylan thought that was great. We got up the next morning and made Sawyer a big ol chocolate cake. While we were waiting for Aunt Kate to arrive the boys were getting really restless. We were headed to play laser tag in Rexburg. Jaren took the boys into Rexburg to the hangar to do something. Here are some pictures of them all in the plane. I think they all got to kind of go for a ride. The plane didn't leave the ground for a couple of them but a ride none the less.

Blue and Gold Banquet

2010-03-08T17:37:00.003-07:00

Happy 100th Birthday to Scouting! (as Sawyer would say) He was super stoked to go to the Blue and Gold Banquet. The boys all received a special badge only available through the month of Feb. They had to do like 6 different things. Wear their shirts to school, flag ceremony, and a service project just to name a few. Sawyers service project was to clean all the bird seed off of grandma Sheila's porch. It was a tough job. At the banquet we had a potato bar and several salads and rolls. It was pretty good. Joseph Meservy (Linda the piano teachers husband) spoke about scouting and then they had a race on who could put a tent up quicker. Joseph Meservy or all of the cub scouts...Joseph won. But they sure had fun trying. Anyway the boys had fun and I was super happy when it was over. Here are some pictures to help us remember all the festivities.

More Dylan

2010-03-07T17:55:00.003-07:00

Dylan's 3rd Birthday

2010-03-07T17:30:00.004-07:00

Happy Birthday to my little Dyllie! Wow I can't believe that he is already 3yrs. Although he told everyone all day long that he was 5yrs. We really didn't do too much for his special day. Everyone (grams, gramps, gran Ball and Uncle Chad)came over for pulled pork sandwiches and french fries before the "BIG" Party. Dylan opened his presents. He got a Ford pick-up with a horse trailer, a blanket, an articulated dump truck, a pirates gun with sunglasses (that's what his brothers gave him) $$$, a Thomas puzzle, and "Frankie the Frog." Keller had a really really hard time just letting his brother open his own presents. I am surprised how many pics I was able to get of Dylan and not the back of Keller's head. Dylan loved his presents. He wanted an ice ceam cake (I left out the r on purpose) It had a frog on it as well so it looked like he is into frogs this year. Whether he wants to be or not. We also got him 4 Mylar balloons. A funny little story about ol Dyl...I always say to the boys when they are being impatient to "hold their horses" Dylan will then say " I don't got any horses" Well the other day after he got his horse trailer still minus the horses, granma Sheila went and got him some little horses to go into his trailer. So when I said " Hold your horses," he replied, "Just a sec I go get them" and here he came a few minutes later with his little package of horses so he could hold them for me. What a dork! Love that kid. Here are some cute pics of his birthday celebrations.

Last of Soy's Pictures

2010-03-07T14:36:00.003-07:00

Here are just a few more. Sawyer getting his medals. We are soo proud of you buddy! You did awesome!

Sawyer's Medal's and Trophy

2010-03-07T14:00:00.003-07:00

Here are a few pics of me and mom bored out of our minds at the competition and awards show for Soy's gymnastics. In one mom is just about asleep and in another I am fighting a big yawn. Remember by award time it was around 10:30 - 10:45 p.m. I usually go to bed by 10:00 at the latest. I have to add how much I love my mom not working anymore. I make her come with me sooo many places now. I really dont give her much of a choice either. But it sure makes things like competions alot more fun. We drug her to this gymnastics comp. Poor lady. Let me rephrase that...she wanted to come but she also wanted to drive her own car. We talked her into coming down with us. Poor girl, dad wouldnt come and get her and she was forced to eat hot dogs and a baked potato with us. My butt was so sore after sitting on those bleachers for what felt like 3 yrs. It was way fun to have mom there with me and keep me entertained. Next time though I will let her drive herself if she wants. And besides Jaren and I, I think she is definatly Sawyers biggest fan! Thanks Mom!

More Gymnastics

2010-03-07T13:30:00.003-07:00

Here are some additional photos of gymnastics. Hope you enjoy them.

Soy's 1st gymnastics competition

2010-03-06T08:38:00.003-07:00

On Feb. 12th Sawyer had his first gymnastic competition. It was at the Shelly High School in Shelly. Grandma Sheila came with us. I think Sawyer was a bit nervous. He is considered pre-team so he didn't have the warm up outfit. Other than that he was on the team. There were 8-9 boys in his division. They did the pommel (sp???) horse and mushroom, floor, bars, rings and 2 others I don't know the names of. One is when they run and jump off the little springy thing and the other is the 2 bars around a foot apart. He did so awesome!!! It was so neat to watch him. His best event was the rings. To watch him hang there was crazy. He just doesn't have enough meat on his bones so I was really shocked at how he could hold himself up. He took
6th place in one event and then 2nd and 3rd in everything else. He also got 3rd overall and his whole team took 2nd over all. The only bad this is it took forever!!! I never thought it was going to end! It started at 5:30 and after almost 2 hours they had only done 2 events and had 4 more to go! We got home around 12:30 a.m. It was worth it though to watch him do so well. He was great. There is another competition this coming weekend (March 13th) in Rexburg at the Gymnastics Center. I will post what time if anyone wants to come. He would love it!

My New Car!!! (I wish)

2010-03-04T11:54:00.004-07:00

Okay so this one is a little out of order but humor me please!!! Yesterday after scouts I had to take Brecon (one of my scouts) to St. Anthony to the high school. I cant go to St. Anthony without driving past my dream car. Since we were just coming from scouts and I had my camera I thought to myself go take a picture of me and my car. So I did. Well Sawyer did. He has to think that his mom is so silly but he joined into the fun as well. Love this car I do! I don't even consider myself a sports car type person but there is something about this car that makes my mouth water. It is so impractical but does everything need to be practical. I keep trying to sell the idea of a "date car" but its not really working for me. Man the interior is even black and it has a 6 speed manual transmission. Its a super sport which translates into it will go really really fast. These are right around $40,000 can you believe that! (I am only putting that in here so when I have made my blog into a cool book (you know what Im talking about Kate) and I am 80 yrs old I will remember how cheap things used to be and drive my kids and grandkids nuts with my...when I was a kid stories) While we were out taking these pictures my sweet Sawyer says "I kept telling Dad that we should get you this car for Valentines Day and he just said Maybe next year" Ya right! Really I would feel so guilty if I ever got this car but a girl has to have a dream doesn't she??? It is parked next to a silver one and Keller as we pulled up said "Why would you want a black one?" "It would always be dirty I would rather have a silver one that way I wouldn't have to clean it as much" Spoken like a true 6 yrs. old boy who hates to clean! I love the picture of Sawyer all lounged on the silver one. Silly pictures but its was fun to take them and it made us both smile. Imaginations and daydreaming make life a bit more fun sometimes don't ya think?

Harry Potter II

2010-03-03T12:31:00.003-07:00

So Keller has kind of gone off trains just a bit to be obsessed with Harry Potter. I'm not sure what started this but he is obsessed. To do the simplest tasks he has to have his wand. Whether it is turning a light on, opening a door or heaven forbid one of his brothers upsets him...he uses the wand to cast some type of spell. Every thing is about Harry Potter. So many questions. Its a good thing that I like the books and movies and have read them enough times to try to answer his questions. Well if you remember, Sawyer was Harry Potter for Halloween. Keller kept bugging his brother about using his wand, glasses and robe. He really was being a big pain. So I told Keller if he earned enough marbles (.25 for each marble and they get at least one marble per job) he could buy his own. He was really excited about getting his own stuff he just was not as excited about doing the work to get it. Trying to get Keller to do things is a full time job. He can push the most patient person to crave alcoholic beverages. Homework for instance takes at least an hour (remember he is in Kindergarten how much homework can they really have?) and that is once you have him seated at the table. Oh sakes how I hate homework time. I think he is difficult on purpose. He can think of any excuse not to do something that might require a little effort. So the Harry Potter stuff really was a life saver even if it only lasted a couple of weeks. (the bribe not the costume) So here are some picture of Harry and his best friend Juan Weasley (his name in the books is Ron but when your three it comes out Juan) Dylan is into anything and everything as long as his brothers think it is cool. So now where ever we go we don't have to worry about Dementors, death eaters or Lord Voldemort because we have the brave Harry Potter to protect us. For the record, I sure do love that little boy! One second your want to choke him and the next he says something so random that you are crying from laughter or pure happiness just to be around him. I will really miss these good ol days with my little boys. I appreciate everyday that I get to participate in there adventures.

Super Scouter Strikes Again!

2010-03-03T11:18:00.003-07:00

Here is ol Soy getting his yellow beads for Cub Scouting. Such a good boy. We have been doing all sorts of fun stuff in scouts. We went to the courthouse and got a big tour. We just had our Blue & Gold Banquet (I will post a few pics a little later on that) And Sawyer just turned 9 so he is now a Bear Cub Scout. We are going to the hanger to see 5 different airplanes and his dad is going to talk to the boys about flying and teach them how to make a paper airplane. Jaren know really has a great paper airplane pattern and the plane flies really well. I will let you know how it goes. Also Sawyer just had a piano recital. It was at the Assisted Living Center in St. Anthony. His teacher is Linda Meservy. She is great. Keller is going to start next fall. I wonder how that will go??? Anyway Soy did an awesome job. We were so proud of him. Thanks for looking and talk to you soon!

The last of Disneyland (I think)

2010-03-03T09:29:00.003-07:00

Here are a few more photos of Disney. I believe these were taken on our last day. We had to show Dylan the bugs life 3-d show. He didn't really get the whole 3-D thing unless we were on The Toy Story ride. You know the one where you shoot things. The kid is obsessed with artillery. Speaking of that way fun ride....I always shoot a much much higher score than my sweet husband. He just didn't understand how. It couldn't be because Sawyer and Keller love the Mullholand Madness roller coaster and Dylan was too small to ride it and threw a fit if I tried to ride. So we would go on the Toy Story ride. And since there were no lines we just kept playing. Anyway I thought the boys looked too cute as bugs not to take some photos. Dylan did look just as cute but for some reason you take a camera out around him and he gets mad and refuses to cooperate lately. Not all the time but alot of the time. The last couple pics are of the Grizzly Falls ride. I really like this ride and so did Jaren and Sawyer. Jar and Soy went knowing they would get really really wet and since it was raining and we were soaked already why not right? So here they are thanks for looking!

California Adventure

2010-03-02T16:16:00.003-07:00

We went to California Adventure and on this day Dylan threw the BIGGEST FIT EVER!!!! Holy Cow I didn't know it was possible. He was so tired by the end of the trip that it was inevitable that it would happen. I actually was planning on more than one of these 2 yrs. old melt downs but thankfully we only had this one (at Disneyland there was a different one in Las Vegas) I took him back to the hotel and he slept for 4 1/2 hrs. Anyway these pics were taken on the big letters outside of California Adventure at the beginning of the day before the rain and the melt downs. They turned out cute I think. If the pics are flipped I cant fix them. It only does it when I use pics with my little crappy camera.

Pixar Parade

2010-03-02T15:34:00.003-07:00

This year we went to the Pixar Parade. This was a first for us and the boys thought it was great. Especially Dylan. He love Lightning McQueen. It was alot of fun to see all the characters. Disney really tries to make sure you have a good experience. The characters would wave and give thumbs up to the boys. It was really cute. So here are a few pics of that event.

More Disneyland

2010-03-02T14:55:00.003-07:00

Here are a few more pics of Disneyland. These were taken in Toontown on the Gadget Roller Coaster. Jaren didn't want to go on it and we were the last ones to ride before the rain really started again. This is one of Keller and I's favorite rides and we only got to go once. Oh well, Jaren got some good shots. I love how the boys have their arms up. What a couple of dare devils. They would do that on all the coaster type rides. Silly boys. Don't ya just love em!

Last of Christmas

2010-03-02T14:27:00.002-07:00

More of the cabin

2010-03-01T16:33:00.003-07:00

Flying at the Cabin

2010-03-01T14:36:00.003-07:00

For the past 3 years I think we have stayed up at a cabin in Ashton on the river the day after Christmas. Jaren's family introduced us to this cabin and the next year we booked it for our family. We have a great time. Who doesn't love to eat, play games, eat, watch movies, eat, soak in the hot tub and then of course eat some more. I think I gain a good 5-10 lbs during our 3 night stay!!! but totally worth it. While we were there Jaren went flying and buzzed us at the cabin. He was kind of cool. He was not flying but our friend Kevin Peterson is a spray pilot and he was doing the tricky flying here. Just give Jaren a little more practice and he will be the one buzzing us next year.

Christmas at Mom and Dad's

2010-03-01T12:21:00.003-07:00

I am a crapy mom...I didnt take one pic of Christmas morning at our house this year. I cant believe it. So I took a few when we where at Mom and Dad's. There are a few jems. Like the one of Uncle Chad. I think that is a great one. Anyway thanks for looking.

More Christmas

2010-02-28T17:35:00.004-07:00

Christmas Eve at Grandma's

2010-02-25T16:37:00.003-07:00

Yes Yes I am really behind. But one of my favorite sayings is better late than never! So we have started a tradition of having a nativity at Gram and Gramp Hills on Christmas Eve. It all started when mom got Alice the Donkey. So now we have the horses, donkey, goat, cats, dogs etc. all for the nativity. The boys all play Shepard's or wise men. Dax is baby Jesus although this year I think he may have been a bit too big unless baby Jesus came out looking like a 3 yrs. old and of course Reesie is Mary. Anyway, we freeze while someone reads the scriptures and then rush in and drink hot cocoa and then continue the festivities inside. Dylan has been going to Grammas in the morn while I go to the gym. He love to help feed the horses especially Alice the donkey. He feeds her carrots and gives her kisses. These pics are of Dylan and Reese (even though you cant really see her) on Alice and Erin's Chad is helping them stay on Alice. They are still dressed up in the official Sheppard, wise man and Mary attar. Cute kiddos!

Christmas Program

2010-02-25T15:41:00.003-07:00

Here are a couple of pics of the boys at their school program. Teton Elementary is a great little school. The boys love music and their music teacher Mr. Coletti. They love to do the actions. The video footage is much better than the pictures. So here is Sawyer (3rd grade) and Keller (Kindergarten). Thanks for looking!

2010-02-25T14:51:00.001-07:00

Keller's 6th Birthday

2010-02-25T14:08:00.004-07:00

Okay so my sister Kate has inspired me to me much much better at posting on my blog. She has had this neat book printed up that shows every post with pictures that she has made. It was way cool so I am going to try it out. It is like an online journal that everyone can read and you can have printed. A scrapbook and journal in one. What a great idea. So since Dylan just had his birthday and Dad and Sawyers are in a couple of days I had better record Keller's. Oh were to start with this kid...On the morning of his birthday he got up and knew for a fact that he had grown in the night. He was defiantly 6 years old and he felt it. I say it all the time he is an old soul. A 87 year old stuck in a six year old body. Hey to have the wisdom of a 87 year old and the body and energy of a six year old Who wouldn't??? So Ryker spent the night at our house the night before and we had big plans to go to a movie and McDonald's the next day. Since Kellers birthday is so close to Christmas he gets alot of Christmas thrown in. He doesn't mind (yet) His Kindergarten class went to the senior citizen's home and sang their Christmas songs. Every time you would make eye contact with Keller he would give the thumbs up and then hold up six fingers. Just in case you forgot it was his special day. Gram Sheila came with me and helped me on this day. We went to McDonald's and then we rented G-force and the watched that. Kellers friend Caleb Perry spent the day with us as well. Then the grams and gramps, gramma Ball and Daisy and Reily came over as well as Aunt Erin. Keller opened his gifts. He got $$$, Spin and fix Thomas (a must have)a Thomas blanket, a green car scooter thing, Sawyer gave him a Ds case and he got Train Master the movie. I seriously thought he was going to cry when he opened it. He was so happy. He loves that show. Then he blew out the candles on his sad excuse for a train cake but I don't think he cared much it was a train and that's all that mattered. He seemed to have a great day. He was on cloud 9 the whole day. It just reminds you why you have kids and how fun life can be. We love you Keller!! You are a one of a kind!

Me andMadelyn

2010-02-25T13:20:00.004-07:00

This is my great friend Madelyn Mendenhall. I met her a couple of years ago at a church "Super Saturday" I thought she was way cute and she had these five kids that she brought with her. She was so patient with them and to top it off she was dressed in cute clothes and she was painting. So of course being me I said all of these things...holy cow you have 5 kids and we are the same age, your pants are too cute to be painting in, wow 5 kids and you bring them with you to "Super Saturday" Anyone who normally knows me knows that I can be a little obnoxious and really don't think things through before I say them. That day was really no different. Needless to say she was not a Joey fan the first time she met me. I on the other hand thought she was great! She just didn't know how to handle me. But over time I think she learned. We were put into scouts together and from there her daughter AIly started to babysit for me durning the day and then we started running in the mornings together. She helped me train for Ragnar (the relay from Logan Ut to Park City, UT) and we ran the Teton Dam 10k together. I didn't know that there was alot to learn about running but Miss Madelyn taught me alot. She quickly became one of my best friends. We (or maybe just me) would pour our hearts out on our runs. Just us and our trusty K-9 companions. She moved away end of September and I have really missed her alot. You wouldn't know by the amount that I talk or email her but I truly do miss her and her family. The weather is wanting to start to warm up and thoughts of training again for upcoming races this summer are constantly on my mind but I just cant get motivated to run. Why you ask??? Because my best running partner is not here to motivate me. Madelyn if you by chance get to read this please know that I miss you terribly and hope you are going great! If anyone else is reading this and wants to try to measure up to My Madelyn and train me for races this summer please let me know.