News From The North!

Almost an ENTIRE YEAR!

2011-09-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

It has been almost one whole year since I last updated! I can't believe I have been that busy! (Maybe because I haven't really been!)

My hubby is a little mad that I have been so behind. As soon as I can figure my phone out, I might just start adding silly pictures again....

Until then....

Holy Crap - I'm blogging!

2010-10-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

It seems that time has just flown by since last spring. Here it is October, and I have no idea where I have been! (That is normal for me :))

I am just going to shove a whole bunch of pictures on here. If you choose to read on, you will see what our summer consisted of.....

The Last Day of School May 28th- Dylann sang "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" in front of the whole elementary (106 kids) and their parents. Now remember, Dylann will not speak out loud to anyone, but she loves her a solo. Weird-o!

We bought Lagoon passes this summer and had a blast! Spent time with friends and family riding rides that make me sick now, but loved as a teenager. Ryann was so fun to watch. She loved kiddie land. It was nice to be able to let Rylie, Dylann & Kendall go off on their own, or with friends, so I could live it up on 'PUFF'! If I never ride that dragon again it will be too soon! The only bad thing about Lagoon, was......

The freaky house of dolls and clowns! I hate, hate, hate DOLLS! I know, how can I possibly hate dolls when I have 4 daughters? Long history of evil doll nightmares. Major source of anxiety. And to add to the fear and peeing of my pants, the Lagoon people have put up freaky clown posters that look like someone shot Smiley the Clown in the forehead. New source of anxiety!

Topher made it to Lagoon a time or two with us. I made him take in his share of kiddie land. He loved the swings...

Kendall played AYSO soccer in Evanston at the beginning of summer. She was AWESOME! Lucky #7. The first night she met her team, all kids who go to school in Evanston, she kicked the ball hardcore into a boys head. I don't think he ever was on the field next to her the rest of the season.

Ryann had her first experience with T-Ball. She happily played in one game, and refused to be in the team photo. Topher and I coached Kendall & Dylann's team. I did not take any photos of our games. One game I did almost get hit by a foul ball. Lucky for me, I was able to shove Ryann in the path of the ball. So I was fine.

I was the 'Craft Specialist at YW's Camp. I made Topher be my assistant. We made the cutest clocks out of cd's. We had the opportunity to give a ride to and from camp to a super funny, super cute, super kind lady named Laurel Christensen. She is an awesome speaker! I totally felt the Spirit with every word she spoke. http://deseretbook.com/auth/15428/Laurel_Christensen

Rylie actually participated in the skit. She is the rock star with the black hair and pink guitar!

We went on the annual Russell island Park trip with my family. I forgot to pack the camera, but packed a million other things I didn't even use! When my dad gets me our pictures, I'll post a few. We had so much fun!

Next thing you know, school is back in!

Rylie started 8th grade. Her last year in Junior High! She is still a book-aholic. If there is a type of AA for this, I need her to join. Reading is her life! She tells me daily that I am killing her because everything I cook is disgusting! She wants to turn me in to DFS.

Dylann started Junior high. A big 6th grader! She is in choir and can't stop singing. Heaven help me. She is a texting fool. She texts me from the next room instead of talking to me.

K-dogg (Kendall) is in 3rd. She loves anything to do with SKULLS! She is part pirate, part crazy person! She is so funny! She loves her scars, war wounds and the stories that go with them.

Ryann is in ALL DAY KINDERGARTEN! It's super-d-duper! It is a little sad that my baby is in school. I didn't cry or anything like that. It was weird at first that I did not have a shadow following me undoing all my hard work. Her first day of school was a little traumatic. She spilled her lunch tray and got chocolate milk and sauce all over herself. I had to bring a change of clothes. After I changed her, she asked, "How many more hours do I have to do this?" The next day she hid under her desk drinking her milk because she was not ready to toss it in the trash and get back to work. Mrs. Weston had to pull her out. Then a few days later, she had two accidents 1/2 hour apart from each other. All is going well now. When I go in on Mondays to help, she is content to sit on her own chair and not on my lap. Her teacher takes a picture of all the kids to put up on the wall, this is Ryann. I could not get the marker off her face before we went for the picture.

That about sounds up our life to this point. But just for fun, here is a picture of a freaky bird that fell out of our pine tree and I chased down in the rain to get it's photo. I bet his peeps were taking photos of me chasing their friend saying, "That is one freaky looking human that came out of that BIG HUGE 12 PASSENGER VAN her husband bought even though they only have 4 kids!

Paging Dr. Stapel!

2010-04-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

Alta View Hospital had a Community Health Fair a few weeks ago - so Ryann, Kendall & I stopped by to see my mom manning her booth & get some free stuff :)!

There were little booths to get your eyes checked, blood pressure, tours of the x-ray room, birthing room, ER, and our favorite - THE OPERATING ROOMS!

Ryann and Kendall dressed up as Doctors and did an Appendectomy, stitches, staples, removed muscle from a bone (pig foot) & dissected an eyeball (grape).

Maybe they will be operating on you someday!

Happy "Patrick's" Day!

2010-03-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

It is very hard to explain to a 4 year old that it is not "Patrick's Day" .

I guess he does wear green swim trunks :)

Sorry about the following picture. I googled images of Patrick Star & this popped up! Was someone really serious when they dressed up like this? ............................

I can't stop looking at Johnny Depp!

2010-02-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

I listen to the radio on my computer at work, "AOL Fresh Hits". Every so often a new song comes on from the new Disney movie Alice In Wonderland with Johnny Depp. When a song comes on, a picture of him as the Mad Hatter shows up:

It is a little creepy, I admit. But I still love it. Ever since I was young and 21 Jump Street was on TV, I have loved Johnny Depp. I wished he would come do some undercover police work at my school :)Then there was The Headless Horseman. He was so cute:

Edward Scissorhands (I made my kids watch this and forced them to love Johnny!):

OK, now Willy Wonka was a little weird:

I think this makes up for that crazy just a little, don't you?

I love they way he gets into his characters. From Benny in Benny & June, to Victor Van Dort in the Corpse Bride. I even liked him in Sweeny Todd.

He is so cute! (I know, I am weird :))

How long have you missed me?

2010-02-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize I had not blogged about my crazy life since the girls started school back in August! I am sure everyone who follows my awesome blog sat by their computer, just waiting for my bits of wisdom. JUST KIDDING!

So, soon, my friends, I will begin again!

First Day of School 2009

2009-08-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

School is ON!

August is the dreaded month every year. Once we get the Russell Family Island Park Trip out of the way (THIS WAS FUN, I promise!) we move on to fair week. Selling the girls' freakish 4-H lambs at the auction.

BIG SHOUT-OUT to:
Cal Ranch of Logan who bought Rylie's lamb "Lazy Mayzee" & Wal-Mart of Evanston who bought Dylann's lamb "Dominique".

Once fair is over, I have a week to cram in last minute fun activities, work & school shopping! This year, I was on my own. Christopher was out in West Virginia for work. If you ask the girls, there were no fun activities! We spent 2 nights at my parent's, did laundry to prepare for school & I made the girls CLEAN THEIR ROOMS! I did sew them some pretty sweet school bags this year. Christopher's idea, my job!

Our family goal this year is to be in bed Sunday through Thursday by 9:00 pm, after Family Prayer of course. Everyone wake up at 6:30 am with dad. Rylie to the bus at 7:20 am. Dylann & Kendall to school at 8:00 am. Ryann is left sleeping as the morning rush is on and I sneak out of the house to DRIVE my two 1 1/2 blocks to their elementary school. (The longer she stays asleep, the better for everyone involved.) It worked twice this week. I said it was a goal. Some goals take years to achieve.

Rylie has a 40 minute commute to and from school each day. Luckily, this gives her time to do her homework, if she has any. She is in the 7th grade this year. How she made it this far, I just don't know :) J/K - She is a smarty pants! I just cannot figure out where time went. (Que in the mood music & memory sequences......)
Dylann is in 5th. The oldest of the school this year. She is not taking this responsibility lightly. She has worried about it for weeks. What if she is no good at being friends to those younger than her? Because 5th graders are so respected in the hierarchy of elementary school. (Another memory sequence, this time of me & Tami Carlson living it up in Mrs. Stockman's class at Crescent...)Kendall is a big 2nd grader now. She thinks it "FREAKIN' ROCKS!". She loves school. After day two, she was so exhausted. I don't know what it is about her, "Live Fast, Play Hard!" She is a total tomboy. Luckily school is only 4 days a week. By Thursday night, she is a walking zombie and needs a 3 day weekend to recharge!
Ryann, she is just ticked off everyone went without her. Only one more year of her torturing me :) I love our one-on-one time. She is too clever for her own good! I have to keep a constant eye on her, or who knows what will be destroyed. The blurry picture hides all the construction that is going on in my front room. It also does not allow you to see that she woke up with her head coming out of an arm hole & her butt hanging out the neck hole of her dad's t-shirt :) That was her "first day of school for her sisters" outfit.

Island Park 2009

2009-08-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

The Annual Russell Island Park Trip was 3 weeks ago.....

We spent another glorious fun & family filled week up in Island Park this year! The whole fam damily was there. Jeff, Liz & their 5 boys (we were hoping the early arrival of #6 would be our "What did you do on your summer vacation" story), Laura & Payton, Grandpa & Grandma, and us.We usually stay on the East Side, near Mack's Inn. There are so many ATV trails near by, rivers to float, etc. This year we stayed on the West Side, closer to Island Park Reservoir. We need to do a bit more exploring over on this side.

We stayed at a nice little cabin in the "Enchanted Forest". 4 bedrooms, one for each family. 2 bathrooms. One for the girl's & one for the boy's. My girls spent a morning making signs for EVERY door before the boys arrived, so that they knew NOT to use the girl's bathroom. And a sign to 'Not Disturb' Grandpa. The week was filled with relaxing, NOISE, reading books, NOISE, pruned kids, and MORE NOISE. The kids rode bikes, played in the hot tub, played games, played in the hot tub, rode the 4-wheelers, begged to play in the hot tub, and watched t.v.. There was a nice little island in the middle of the "neighborhood". The kids could ride the 4-wheelers all around, with in sight of the front porch. One night we were complained on, even though it really was not us! Whatever you people who cannot have any fun on vacations! Grandpa boondoggled with the kids. Grandma did crafts. I did laundry. That makes me happy :) We went to the Lewis & Clark State Park in Montana one day. We spent a few hours exploring the Caverns. It was so cool, both to look at and the temperature. We saw a colony of mommy bats. My kids acted like they have never seen a bat before. Wanting pictures of each one. Some places in the Caverns you have to slide on your butt, crawl on the ground, and suck your tummy in. It was the play land at McDonalds, but in the dark & slimy. We kept waiting to here cries of help from my dad, but he made it through like a trooper. The day was beautiful when we made the hike to the Caverns. When we left - HOLY CRAP! A massive hail storm overtook us. You could not see an inch out of the window. The hail was large marble size. I thought for sure our car would be covered in dents. It lasted for 5 miles. People were pulled of, waiting out the storm. Not us, we went head on into the flooded abyss.
We also spent a day in West Yellowstone. We needed a little Salt Water Taffy. The girls were looking for the perfect souvenir. Rylie found a used book store - a book was her souvenir. Ryann & Kendall also picked books. Dylann bought a funky purse, made in Mexico. We ate pizza & pasta at "Pete's". Kendall was sad because she could not decide what to eat. So we ordered a little of everything. And she ate it ALL! Rylie grossed me out by eating her spaghetti on her roll. She is so like her dad. The end of our week it rained a lot. So there was not much 4-wheeling. Christopher & I took a fun ride out into the trees. ALONE. Wink, wink! That never happens. The being able to be alone, and the wink, wink! :) On the last day of the trip, we took the girls to "Our Spot" and took a few pictures. Ryann was sure we were going to toss her in the river. She had silly pigtails in, would not sit still & cried the whole time.
We stopped in Idaho Falls to see the Temple. I had wanted to get out and walk around it. When we got to it, everyone just wanted to eat! Off to Applebee's we went. Ryann was so kind here to add a little color to the nice pictures on the walls above our booth. Good thing we were just passing through, no one knew it was the 'bad Stapel kids'!

We look forward to this trip every year. The only sad thing is, that it comes at the end. I cannot believe another summer is over! Thanks Mom & Dad!

I am a "LIFE RUINER"!

2009-07-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to commercials & the Internet, parents have it tough! I remember the days of 'Shrinky Dink' & 'Easy Bake Oven' commercials, begging my mom for both. Pleading with her, knowing my life would end if I could not bake little cakes by the heat of a light bulb. How could I go on without being able to shrink my drawing of 'Strawberry Shortcake' to the size of a button?

Today, thanks to the Disney Channel, the Wizards of Waverly Place and their shopping page online, my children have found new ways to obsess over fancy new toys! For days, Dylann has been looking at a Magical Wand online. She found a wonderful website: http://alivans.com/.

It is fancy, bedazzled and purple! Everything I know I would look for in a wand! As I listen to her plead with me, let her drag me to the computer, listen to all of the wonderful things she will be able to do with the wand, I have to hide my 'No-Face'! She promises her life will end if she cannot get this very wand. Her magic will be neglected if she cannot practice her spells with a "Real-life Magical Wand"! As I gave my last, "NO, I will not spend $50.00 on a stick!" speech, Dylann runs off, yelling that I am "A LIFE RUINER"! She is never going to speak to me again!

Then came the note:

Sadly, the note did not sway my decision. Instead, after an hour of her hiding from me & a little crying, Dylann and I came to an agreement.

We will head up to the "hills" on Saturday on the 4-wheelers to look for the perfect stick. We will pull out our pocket knives and widdle our own wand. We will paint hers PURPLE, and mine YELLOW. We will raid my junk room for jewels to bedazzle the wand. We will have Grandpa help us make a wonderful wooden box to keep our wands safe while we are not practicing our spells.

This plan was agreed upon. It will save me $50.00. And Dylann will be able to do magic! And what day is not made better by being able to use a pocket knife?

Would I ever go back to High School?

2009-07-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

The answer is a very loud 'HECK NO!' Not that I did not enjoy my time. Jordan High School - yes, the Beet Diggers - was a wonderful place to go. I attended the 'Old' Jordan. The Jordan High that was said to be haunted by students from the past. The Jordan High that had two ceilings, the old one and the one hung so no one notices the original was falling down. The Jordan High were I had a "High School Boyfriend". Where I was shy, really, I promise I was.

High School was an amazing adventure. I made many friends. Fought with those I had known since Kindergarten. Went to the school dances. Played some soccer. Cut my hair off. Sluffed a lot! Forged many notes from my mom. Forged many notes from other moms. Goofed off, not just a little - but so much that my memories are mostly of those times rather than of what classes I took!

My bestest friends and I had so many adventures, we are lucky we survived! From the time Nancy Denton & I went riding down Seminary Road on the top of Emily Palmer's maroon station wagon, holding on to the luggage rack for dear life. Slamming Steve Mecham's hand in the van door. Taking scared little Sophomore boys in Kris Ogden's big white tunaboat out for bridge jumping. Sneaking out of the house with Tami Carlson, loosing her teeth.

There were slumber parties. Off-roading in Nancy's giant van. Writing notes in class. Helping friends break up with boys. Playing matchmaker. Making stupid decisions without thinking about the future, or of anyone but myself. Choosing a boy over a friend. Not listening to my mother! Not being friends with someone based on how they looked. Worrying about what someone else thought.

The Jordan High School Class of 1992 was a lifetime ago. A life I remember fondly, with no true regret. If I had not had the experiences I had, made the mistakes I made, made the friends I did, I would not be who I am today! I am not who I was back then. I am a little wiser. I am a lot chubbier. I am a better person for my high school days. I will be a great mother to my 4 daughters - I know the secrets girls!

Now, as I get older, and I hear of the passing of another classmate, I do want to go back one last time and tell them and all the other friends from high school I have lost contact with, "Thank you. Your friendship meant a lot to me. You taught me so much in High School. You don't realize what saying "Hi!" to me in the hall really meant to me. I appreciate all you did to make me smile."

4th of July

2009-07-12T09:29:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, my friend Emily, her hubby Todd, & kids came up to celebrate the 4th of July with us. We had so much fun! Did a little BBQ-ing, rode the 4-wheelers, shot all of Todd's weapons & fished in the Randolph Reservoir.

For firework fun - we went in to Evanston, WY. If you have never experienced a 4th of July in Evanston, you are missing out! It is mass chaos.

We went to the ball fields, along with a ton of other pyromaniacs. The air is thick with smoke. Missiles are shooting in all directions. The entire sky is alive! You pretty much take your life into your own hands as you sit out in your camp chair in the parking lot. Since anything goes in Wyoming, you can blow up, shoot off, ignite - ANYTHING!!! All the city asks is that you clean up after yourself.

The "Rich People" let off their own fireworks shows from their mansions on high. The City of Evanston does a wonderful show -with music. They broadcast the music on the radio, 'cause that is the only way you would be able to hear it over the ear piercing screams of the missiles shooting in all directions!
Next year - we will return to Evanston, with a truck load of 'Utah - illegal' fireworks, sit in the parking lot and duck & cover! If you want to join us, give me a call. Everyone is welcome to perticipate in the pyromania!

ATV Accident

2009-07-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night Topher & I went out for a date night! Every 4 or 5 weeks we get a little time without kids.....

Kendall was allowed to ride on the back of her friend's little 4-wheeler while we were gone. We gave her instructions that she was ONLY ALLOWED TO GO TO her friend's house, then to Aunt Laura's when she was done playing!

In the movie, my phone kept vibrating. I finally gave in and went out into the lobby to see what was going on. I called Kendall back. She answered the phone and started crying!

"Mommy, I wrecked and I am hurt bad!"

I start freaking out! I told her to let me talk to Laura. Laura tells me Kendall has been at her house for 20 minutes and has not cried once or even said anything to her about being hurt! I called my good friend Kim, who is also an EMT, and have her go check out my poor child!

All was well. She said she rolled on the 4-wheeler, her head hit the ground and her helmet popped off. Then her head hit the ground again. She scratched her shoulder, her face and hurt her wrist. No broken bones, no internal bleeding! Just a very, very scared 7 year old!

We then found out that the reason she did not say anything to Aunt Laura was because Rylie told her not to tell. Rylie told Kendall she would get into trouble!

On the way home, I received a phone call from some strange number. It was a very nice man who found a busted up cell phone on the road. It was only able to power on enough for him to find a number for "mom". It was Kendall's phone. She had lost it in the accident. It was smashed!

The evening ended with everyone being grounded from the 4-wheelers! I am so thankful that Kendall was OK, especially after the past few weeks of news stories filled with accidents of kids on their ATV's that did not have happy endings!

JYC 2009

2009-07-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

Rylie and I went to Junior youth Conference again this year. It is a 4-H program for 5th & 6th graders. It is held in Ephraim at Snow College. 3 days of workshops, games, walking & more WALKING!

We took 15 kids from our County. I drove a car full & participated as a leader. It is a great program. People think that 4-H is all about livestock & horses. A lot of the kids at the conference live in the city and don't do anything with animals.

HIGHLIGHTS!

Day 1 -
*Left Randolph @ 7:15 am
*Got lost and ended up in PRICE! We missed our turn trying to find a gas station to take care of a bloody nose!
*Took a scenic route past Scoffield Res. & watched a giant forest Fire.
*Arrived at JYC 2 hours late :)
*Workshops
*Dinner
* Skits
*Crying 11 & 12 year old who missed their moms
*Talked girls" down from the ledge" so we could sleep!
Day 2 -
*Breakfast @ 8:00 am
* Workshops
* Lunch
* Water games
* Water Fight!
* Workshops
* Dinner
* Dance
* Movie
*More crying 11 & 12 year old who missed their moms!
* Once again talked girls" down from the ledge" so we could sleep! This night we were up until 1:30 am!

Day 3 -
*Tried hard to wake up on time!
* Science experiments!
* Lunch
* HOME!!!!!!!

ATV Safety

2009-06-19T15:24:00.000-07:00

Dylann & Rylie completed their ATV Safety Course today. We have had 4-wheelers for 3 years now, and have never really let the girls drive them too much on their own.

Summers around here are full of kids driving like 'Bats out of Hell' up past our house.
My kids, crying because I wont let them join in the bat like behavior.

Now they are certified to ride! The moment we returned home from the class, they were ready to ride like the wind. Thinking that the little card they received allows them to run wild and free on the 4-wheelers anytime they want to.

Ryann was VERY, VERY MAD because she was too young for the class.
She has had the helmet & goggles on for hours in protest!

I have my very own 12 year old!

2009-06-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

Rylie turned 12 on the 13th.
(The attitude seems to be an automatic gift on the day of the 12th birthday!)

She had a slumber party with a few of her friends. Her class is small, so she has been friends with these same girls since Pre-school.

We made journals and did a little scrap booking.

Then I gave in and let them go out doorbell ditching. Sorry to those whom they harassed!

And now the fun has begun! Apparently, when you turn 12, all of the sudden you hate your parents when they tell you 'NO!". We are "ruining her life!" and "Never listen" to her. It has only been a week, I cannot wait to see what the future holds for her dad & I!

She really is such a good girl. Good to her sisters. Good to her friends. Not as sassy as she could be! It is a little strange to me that I have a 12 year old, who in now in Young Women, will go to Girl's Camp without me there,
and wears a bra (sorry mom, I know I am not suppose to talk about that!)

Ryann turns 4!

2009-06-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

It's official! My baby is 4!
She had a super fun little birthday party with a few of her closest friends!Due to the two week down pour we were experiencing, a party at the park turned into a party at Aunt Laura's. I thought it would be easier to have it there, due to the fact that every child at the party is smaller than our dog, Kodiak.
This way, no one had to fight him off for cake eating :)

Ryann was so happy to have all of her friends over. We made homemade ice cream, which was a hit! Ryann's friend Jeremy was most interested on how the whole process worked, and had to have seconds, then thirds when it was all done!
All the kids loved the Buffalo Cake too! They all laughed when they saw it, wondering why Ryann wanted a buffalo for her cake instead of a princess.

There was a break in the rain, so everyone was able to burn off some energy outside. All but one little friend. He hid under my niece's bed the entire party!

The party was on Thursday, and Friday was her actual birthday. So for two days, Ryann walked around saying she was "The Birthday Girl!" and asking for more presents! What a kid!

Goblin Valley Trip

2009-06-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

I have been in a little trouble with my kids for not posting our Goblin Valley trip on the blog. We spent Memorial Weekend in Southern Utah with my parents. We stayed at the Super 8 in Green River. Rylie was very upset to find that the pool was "as big as our room! That really sucks mom!" She even sent a text to her friend complaining!

Friday was just a drive day. We got to Price and had a little dinner at JB's and ran into Christopher's sister Tera. That was weird. She lives in Garland! Topher was in the salad bar line and looked up & there she was. Of all the places to run into family!

When we arrived in Green River, it was raining. So we piled into the hotel room and the girls took off to swim - in the tiny pool! It was so NOT fun for them because I forgot their goggles. My girls can only swim with their goggles on. Goggles for my girls are like Dumbo's feather. Without them, they cannot even doggie paddle! Good thing we caught Grandma & she could stop at the dollar store on her way down.

Saturday was my birthday, so I got to pick where we went for the day. I chose to go over to Dead Horse Point. I have always loved the pictures of that area. I wish we could frolicked on the plateau itself, but we politly observed from the observatoin point. It was a neat place. If you
stood on the edge of the plateau, you could see straight down into the Colorado River. I never knew why it was called Dead Horse Point until I read the little park pamphlet. It was a little tragic, cowboys rangling wild horses to the top of the point, fencing them in, picking the best ones and leaving the others there to die. http://stateparks.utah.gov/stateparks/parks/dead-horse/

My girls were on the lookout for old horse bones, until we told them they had to cross the river to actually get to Dead Horse Point.

We then made our way to meet Grandpa & Grandma Russell in Moab. We ate at a great pizza place called 'Zax'. Soooo yummy! http://www.zaxmoab.com/

Moab was hosting an Art Fair in the park. We spent a little time and money in the rain. Ryann and her dad watched the belly dancers perform while Dylann & I looked at every single jewelry booth. I bought homemade soap. It smells & feels so good :) My birthday present to myself :)

We spent the remainder of the evening swimming. now that the girls had their goggles, the knowledge of swimming came flooding back to them.

Sunday we made the journey over to Goblin Valley. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goblin_valley The whole reason for our vacation. It was so cool. A giant valley full of Goblins! Kendall was a little scared, she imagined real goblins chasing us around!
THe minute we came up on the Valley, my girls all said, "This looks like Galaxy Quest!" We love that movie. They filmed the rock monster scene in Goblin Valley. It had flooded the Goblins the night before, so there were mud puddles everywhere. Ryann took a swim in a few of them. Grandma was the lifeguard.

On the way back to Green River, we took an old road, that was on the map! It was old and grown over, sage brush coming up through the cracks. There was thunder & lightning. Giant hail, huge rain drops. The girls were nervous. Grandpa & Grandma followed behind, hoping we knew the way. When we saw the highway ahead of us, I said "Wouldn't it be funny if there was a fence at the end of the road and we couldn't get to the highway?" And wouldn't you know it, FENCE! We stopped and had a good laugh! Found a dirt road off to the side and continued our adventure! We finally found the Green River Airstrip and a paved road leading to town. My dad happily followed along behind us on our off-road tour of Green River.

It was a very fun weekend. The girls loved being with Grandpa & Grandma! We all shared a hotel room; we reserved a 'suite' that had 3 queen beds. M y parents stayed with us, so the kids would not fight over who got to have all of Grandpa's attention. We put up with his crazy sleeping mask - it is better to listen to the hummmmm of the machine than the SNORING!
We had a lovely herd of elephants above us! They stomped around until after midnight each night and began again before 6:00 am. I did complain to the front desk. I felt a little bad, the manager said it was a family with 3 kids. She also told me that I was like the 5th person to complain about them. They slammed doors all night, jumped around & yelled. I know it is hard to travel with kids, and it was rainy, so it is hard to keep your kids cooped up and not have them go CRAZY!! But it was maddening! Every time my kids yelled, I prayed no one could hear them so I would not get complained on!

Maybe we will make it a yearly Memorial Day trip. There is so much to see down in the area. And I would rather do go in the rain - less likely to see snakes, get sunburns, see SNAKES!

I shall cook no more!

2009-05-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

My hubby might say I never cook anyway . . .

Here is all that remains of my favorite crock pot after Christopher chucked a frozen pork loin into it. He wanted to put a "pan sear" on it before putting it in the crock pot. I thought we should not dirty any more dishes than he was willing to wash. Plus, we still had kids to get ready for church that morning! So he did a little anger slam of the loin into the pot. We did not realize the damage he had done until after we had cooked the roast. Luckily I used a cooking bag, or the juices would have run all over my kitchen while we were at church!

I looked on the Internet to find a replacement ceramic bowl, and the lid (that was broken 2 years ago but my dog launching it onto the floor). Sadly, it will be cheaper for me to run to Wal-Mart and buy a fancy new one!

DON"T FEED THE ANIMALS!!!

2009-05-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

When will we learn -

NO GUM FOR RYANN!!!

Guess what Ryann just did....

2009-05-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

Moms often sit together and say, "Well, listen to what my kid did last night." or "My child said the funniest thing!" I am totally that way about my kids. Every mom, and dad, has funny little stories of the craziness that is a child.

As each of my 4 girls have made it to 4 years old, I have thought each of them as "Monsters"! Silly little creatures who say the funniest things. Rylie was so cute. My first child, and first experience with the wildness of a toddler. She was wild, rarely napped and was always in to things. Dylann, a little more shy. VERY STUBBORN! She spent most of her toddler years in a swimsuit; always under her clothes, or as her outfit of the day! Rosie little cheeks and a belly laugh to make any grown man sound girly! Kendall, my little rock star from birth, has always been her own creature. She was always naked! She left the house with clothes on - never made it back into the house with clothes on! If a stray naked toddler was seen roaming the town, everyone knew to whom she belonged! She was my most wild until Ryann came along! She was also the one who went missing the most. I called 911 more than once to find my child out frolicking in the fields with her giant dog Kodiak. And now there is Ryann.....

This child, who has almost made it to 4, is totally nuts! I have no idea where it all comes from! (I am sure, a true reflection of her parents and older sisters!) She is the funniest child I know. She says the weirdest things. The silliest things. I love to hear her view of the world. Her silly little lisp as she chatters away telling me about Aliens in the clouds, tattling on her sisters, or telling me how much she loves her Papa.

Maybe it is all so special to me because she is my baby. My last experience with a toddler as a mother. I would love to be able to freeze her for a while at this age - minus the screeching at the top of her lungs and her squeally, LOUD fits of rage as she has to leave Papa in the parking lot to go home with her mommy!

I love to watch her play, so excited to find a gross bug, or BUFFALO bones in the hills (really they are old cow bones which we must drag home and put in the flower beds). I get a little misty eyed as I think of how this will not last forever. I talk big about how excited I am for her to start Kindergarten - in fall of 2010- and am so happy it is ALL DAY kindergarten. But really, I am sad about that. Sad to miss out on all the crazy chatter of my baby.

The other night while watching t.v., Ryann and I saw a baby being born. She said, "Mom, I want one of those in your tummy." I told her that "Mommy cannot have any more babies, sorry." She looked up at me and said, "I'll get put back in there so I can be borned again." A nice offer.

Last night, she curled up with me to go to bed. All snuggled up in my arms she said, "Mom, I have a secret. It's a big secret. I can't tell you." I just said, "Oh!" to which she replied, "Mom, I peed outside. I peed in the dirt!" Peeing outside is really nothing new. She is a free pee-er. I just love that it was her silly little secret that she couldn't keep.

With Ryann, her dad I hear a lot of "Guess what Ryann just did?" or "Look at what Ryann is doing!" If it is quiet - find her fast! She loves her sisters make-up - she was plastered in it from head to toe last night. She loves to paint her own nails, which always leads to painting the feet, legs, bathroom floor, ect... She is pretty good at haircuts too. The hair still has not grown back!

She is a force of nature!

And I am totally in love with her!

I hope every mom knows how lucky they are to have a toddler!!!!!

School's OUT FOR SUMMER!!

2009-05-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

The school year has ended! Who knows were the time went.

Kendall was a ROCK STAR in First Grade. She did so well! Her teacher, Mrs. Cornia, calls her a "Firecracker-Multitasker"! She loved her teacher, loved her classmates and loves that summer IS HERE!!!
Dylann came out of her shell a little more this year. 4th grade was good for her. (I cannot believe she will be in 5th next year!) At the End of the Year Talent Show, she sang a solo! Yes, my super shy, super stubborn child sang a song all by herself in front of the entire school and their parents! WOW! I am so proud of her. When she told me that she wanted to sing, a solo, in front of people - real live people!- she told me: "I know, I have been watching the crowd for years and I think I can do it!" I told her that the people will be watching her, looking at her, maybe even staring at her. She said she could do it, and she DID!!!!! Yea!!!Rylie was an awesome 6th grader! She only missed 2 days of school, only missed the bus once and had straight A's each trimester! She won a $35 gift card for having the most AR (reading) points in the 6th grade!

So, now it is on to summer! I love to hear the words.....
"Mom, I'm bored! What can we do now?"

Preschool Graduation 2009

2009-05-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Last night was Ryann's Preschool Graduation. (She will have one more year of Preschool before Kindergarten.) During practice, Ryann was so good. She sang the songs, gave her part, and sat on her chair. At "GO TIME" she was a mess! She wanted me to sit by her. Then Rylie. She would not speak. She sat on the side and sang the songs.

She did stand up to get her special award: "The Starburst Award!" Tami told her it was because she was such a "Starburst" of energy. She would add such silly things to Preschool. They would talk about school stuff and Ryann would always add a little extra burst of trivia that had nothing to do with what they were learning in Preschool that day. I am hoping she kept it clean :)
This little preschool class was so fun! There were 8 moms & 8 kids. We took turns teaching, thank heavens! (Props to teachers everywhere! I could never do that everyday!!!!!!!!!) Thank you to Tracy for letting us all invade her house every Tuesday & Thursday and letting our little rugrats terrorize your bathroom and backyard!

Lamb Weigh In 2009

2009-05-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

Lamb Weigh- In was super fun - FOR CHRISTOPHER! He met up with "Uncle Kent" (not blood related, but close enough! We simply adore him and his wife Judy!!!) They took the horse trailer up to wrangle some mutton. I am sad to say that I missed the fun that gathering the lambs was. I later learned of the super fun time Topher had getting the lambs into the trailer. I felt like I was waiting at the 4-H Barn FOREVER!

Finally the lambs arrived! Topher brought in the first lamb, after trying to walk her on the leash. He ended up dragging the poor lamb to the chute. Topher was eaten by one of the lambs. He almost lost his manhood to one chomp of "Dominique". It's a good thing he doesn't need it anymore :)

Meet Rylie's lamb "ROXY"

and Dyalnn's lamb "DOMINIQUE"

Ryann and Kendall stood by and watched as the lambs were weighed in, tagged and then hauled back to the trialer by the magnificent Topher. He decided that trying to let them walk to the chute was a waste of time. He carefully picked them up, one by one, and carried them like babies to the chute! What a dad!
The fun came when he tried to get the lambs out of the trailer in to the back yard. I received a phone call:

Him: "Where are you?"
Me: "Picking up dinner."
Him: "Well, one of the lambs took off up the street and I can't catch her. She is just gone! I hate lambs!"

Lucky for Topher, the neighbor's grandson was mowing the lawn and helped corner the runaway lamb. Topher was able to tackle the lamb and haul her home. Thanks Justice, Topher appreciated the help. And I am sure you got a good laugh out of the Topher Tackle too!

DOLLS!

2009-05-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

I had plenty of baby dolls as a little girl. My best friend Amy and I had twinner dolls, that on mine I drew boobies and pierced her ears with little silver poke pins. I still have my favorite doll from my childhood, she looks just like me. I would pretend she was alive ALL the time.

I, however, have a fear of dolls! Rational - nope! My mom had the freakiest porcelain doll that sat on the top shelf of her closet, her beady little eyes staring at me, waiting for me to fall asleep so she could smother me.

I hate doll museums! Doll movies! DOLLS! Lagoon use to have a freaky doll museum. I so did not like to go near that attraction! Watched 'Chuckie' after a school dance - yuck! The clown doll in 'Poltergiest' - horrifying!

A friend from work always tells me how lucky I am to be able to buy baby dolls for my girls. How fun to pick out a cute dolly, cute little clothes, strollers, diapers, etc. And I can only think of that evil doll perched up in the closet, watching and waiting!

My girls do have several dolls, which are kept upstairs in the playroom out of view. I gave in and let them all have a fancy porcelain doll, but they must stay upstairs. The moment I see those dolls giving me the stink-eye, they are out of the house!

So - today my fear of dolls was reignited when I simply walked in to the Post Office to get my mail and ......

BAM! FREAKY NAKED DOLL IN THE CORNER!

A fond farewell . . .

2009-05-05T18:49:00.001-07:00

When buying older homes, you get old toilets! Ours was a nice blue potty - with matching tub! It had been our good friend. 5 years of toilet training, sick kids and grown-ups, toys stuffed inside, stickers adorning the lid. It even survived a dousing of mosquito spray which made the laminate seal bubble up and cause butt's to stick to it for a few weeks.

Countless winters of freezing pipes did not have any effect on the blue potty. Then one day last week, "POP!" The beautiful blue tank cracked sending a flood of -CLEAN- water all over the bathroom floor. We went 5 days without a toilet! (We do have another one upstairs, but when you are all cuddled in your bed downstairs, who wants to run upstairs in the middle of the night? Sometimes I would sneak and use the blue potty, hurry and turn on the water supply on, flush, wipe up the water all over the floor, and no one was the wiser. Until Ryann was caught using the blue potty and she quickly told her dad that "Mommy went in the blue potty too!")

So, so long to blue potty......

Hello to new white potty.....

It is really hard to look and the nice new white potty in the midst of the old peel and stick tile floor, surrounded by wood paneling I painted yellow in a fit of rage. At least we will save $100.00 when we go to redo the entire bathroom this summer!

And we now have a lovely planter in the backyard! YEE HAW!!

Gum is not a Necklace!

2009-05-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

Ryann was chewing gum. Then she thought - "I want a necklace!"
So, in her 3 1/2 year old brain, she thought - "Hey, I can stretch out my gum and make a necklace!"
Around the neck it goes! And the end result is your chin stuck to your neck by a wad of gum that refuses to loosen it's grip on your skin!

Ryann refused to let me clean her mess up! My solution -

Me - "Ryann, do you want a peanut butter sandwich?"
Ryann - "Yep!"
Me - "Ryann, wouldn't it be fun if we put a little bit of peanut butter from your sandwich on your neck? I will do it too!"
Ryann - "OK!"
Me - "Oh, look! The peanut butter is helping your chin go back to the right position!"
Me - "Yea! Don't make necklaces out of gum ever again!"
Ryann - "I like necklaces!"

She ended up with a section of her skin missing for a few days!

You might be a Redneck if. . .

2009-05-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I love to just sit back and look over this crazy old world I am living in:

Never in my life had I seen such bizarre doggie behavior until I moved to the country. Dogs do ride in the back of trucks. But they also ride on the trunk of a car, in the tractor bucket. They ride in the cab of the truck while the children ride in the bed.

Country living is lots of fun ....

Silly & Fun

2009-04-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few random silly pics from our world:

Someone out a pretty pink bra on the "Wear your Helmet" sign on the corner by our house. It has caused such excitement here. Ryann drags us all to the porch to see the bra. It arrived a day a go, and she is surprised every time she sees it still there. I can tell you that the bra did not come from our house full of girls. I am a boring lady and only wear white! Rylie is more of a sports bra type of girl. Dylann, Kendall and Ryann are still too young. Christopher, to my knowledge, prefers black, so it is not his :) Kendall stepped on a needle the other morning. It was stuck in her bone. She kept telling me she could fell her bone "BEEPING" and she knew she was going to die. I had to hold her down and Aunt Laura pulled out the plyers to get the needle out of her foot. Tragic! The picture is of the needle; the battery is for size comparison. It was burried half way in her foot. OUCH! Then we have Ryann! Yes, she dresses herself. She takes great care in picking just the right outfit for the day. And because she puts so much effort into the picking, she feels the need to wear said outfit for at least 3 days in a row. The best part is the pair of leopard tights she simply adores. They were a Christmas gift from Great Grandma Salt.

Finally, we have Dylann. This is how she spends most of her time around me:

I know she thinks I am crazy!

Impromptu Photo Shoot

2009-04-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

I am so bad at getting my girls' pictures taken. I usually rely on my mom to set up appointments at the holidays for all the grand-kids, and slide my kids' pictures in then. I bought Christopher some super nice, super fancy camera that I cannot even get to point and click correctly so he is our photographer.

Here are a few pictures of our - hurry up and get in the car, drive around town until we find a spot and take a picture - photo shoot! We will attempt it again soon, when a few more blades of grass turn green up here in the North!

Our friends have this cute little "village" of old log buildings in their backyard. We had to sweep a little horse poop out of the way, and compete with a very "touchy-feely" horse for my girl's attention.

Comedian

2009-04-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

Dylann loves to tell jokes! She has a joke book of 10,000 (not so) funny jokes. She hears a joke, she cannot stop repeating it for days, weeks, sometimes months.

When she was little, she would make up the silliest jokes as we would drive in the car. Her most prized joke to date has been:

"How does a cow ride in your car?"

"When it's your hamburger!"

Her latest joke was one she heard on the t.v. told by "The World's Best Joke Teller".

"How do you make Lady Gaga Cry?"

"Poke Her Face!"

"ha ha ha ha!"

It is now the only joke being told at our house. Which then leads to Ryann wandering around the house singing: "Poker Face, Poker Face, can't read my Poker Face. Mumumumumu my Poker Face".

Which then leads to Kendall asking, "Mom, what is Lady Gaga talking about?" And I really have no idea in the world??? Read the lyrics below and explain it to me! Apparently her man cannot read her facial expressions? Perhaps it is that bright white hair that is always in her eyes, or the weird stickers she puts on her face. All I know is that "Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun" and she is not "bluffin'" with her "muffin". And let us not forget that she

is "just stunnin'" with her "love-glue-gunning". I am sure it is all about S-E-X (I was not born yesterday you know!)

Mum mum mum mah Mum mum mum mahI wanna hold em' like they do in Texas, please Fold em' let em' hit me, raise it baby, stay with me Luck and intuition play the cards with spades to start And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-ohI'll get him hot, show him what I've got Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-ohI'll get him hot, show him what I've got Can't read my, can't read my No he can't read my poker face(She's got me like nobody)Can't read my, can't read my No he can't read my poker face(She's got me like nobody)P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face(Mum mum mum mah)P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face(Mum mum mum mah)I wanna roll with him a hard pair we will be A little gambling is fun when you're with me Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun And baby when it's love, if its not rough it isn't fun Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh I'll get him hot, show him what I've got Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh I'll get him hot, show him what I've got Can't read my, can't read my No he can't read my poker face(She's got me like nobody)Can't read my, can't read my No he can't read my poker face(She's got me like nobody)P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face(Mum mum mum mah)P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face(Mum mum mum mah)I won't tell you that I love you Kiss or hug you Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin I'm not lying I'm just stunnin' With my love-glue-gunning Just like a chick in the casino Take your bank before I pay you out I promise this, promise this Check this hand 'cause I'm marvelous Can't read my, can't read my No he can't read my poker face(She's got me like nobody)Can't read my, can't read my No he can't read my poker face(She's got me like nobody)Can't read my, can't read my No he can't read my poker face(She's got me like nobody)Can't read my, can't read my No he can't read my poker face(She's got me like nobody)Can't read my, can't read my No he can't read my poker face(She's got me like nobody)Can't read my, can't read my No he can't read my poker face(She's got me like nobody)P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face(Mum mum mum mah)P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face(Mum mum mum mah)P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face(Mum mum mum mah)P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face(Mum mum mum mah)P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face(Mum mum mum mah)P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face(Mum mum mum mah)

Do you wanna piece of "Smee"?

2009-04-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

My mind wonders every now and then. Truthfully, it is rare that my mind is not wondering off somewhere in the distance. I have always hoped that it is a sign of brilliance or super creativity. Brilliance and creativity that is currently dormant, but will soon burst out and clean my house spotless, organize my crap or complete a project - any project!

I am also one of those people who will burst out in song for no apparent reason. I am one of those people you see on the freeway singing at the top of their lungs to the radio. Sometimes I catch myself, blush a little, then try to make it look like I was on my cell phone or talking to (yelling at) my kids, if they are in the car. Often times, sitting at my desk, at work, I will start singing. I will look across the hall into the other office, watching & waiting for the moment the ladies can hear me. Then I laugh and start all over!

Today, my mind is wondering to a little appreciated character from Peter Pan - Mr. Smee. He is truly my favorite part of Peter Pan. He is so cute and round. So eager to please his hot tempered 'Captain'. Maybe it is the way his little belly pokes out of his striped shirt? Maybe it is how he wants so much to be appreciated by 'Captain Hook'? Maybe it is because he is struggling to be a 'Nice Guy' who became the self appointed angel on the shoulder of evil? For whatever reason - I like him.

"Who are you..who, who, who who........."

2009-04-02T18:10:00.000-07:00

I love to looky-loo at other peoples blogs. It may be an addiction - IT IS AN ADDICTION. I love to see how creative other people are. Or how funny. Or see how life is in other places.

Sometimes I will go from my blog, to one of my friends, to one of their friends, to one of theirs. Other times I click on "Next Blog" up top and play a little blog roulette.

I put the 'News Feed' on my page to kind of see where people are coming from. I decided my addiction needs a little more info.

SO. . . . if you are popping in to do a little looky-loo of your own on my crazy blog - say hello, tell who you are or tell me where you are from! If you don't, I wont be mad. How would I even know who to be mad at.

May I have your Attention - Again!

2009-04-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

I am the meanest daughter in the world. I have given my dad a heart attack and he yelled at me! Our conversation went like this:

D - "Do you have something you want to tell me?"

S - "No, should I?"

D - "What is on your blog?"

S - "I don't know, what?"

D - "You think you are moving and you did not tell me?"

S - "Sorry, we were not sure about it yet."

D - "Well, I hope Christopher likes to hunt. Because I will be up for the white tail and the pheasants."

S - "OK."

D - "Are you really moving?"

S - "Dad, what day is it?"

D - "Wednesday."

S - "Dad, what is the date?"

D - "You little ****!"

I thought all morning of a good April Fool's Day Joke. I thought about the pregnancy scare, but most everyone already knows I cannot have any more!

A few weeks ago I started joking with my kids that we were going to move away. I looked up job openings in Christopher's company and found one in Minot, North Dakota. So I sat on the computer and looked for a house. I would call the girls over to have them give their approval.

Rylie would cry and cry, then say, "I'll move there if I can have that room!", "But I'm NOT moving!"

So, sad to say, we are NOT moving to Minot, North Dakota. We are staying out in our little hillbilly heaven!

Attention all:

2009-04-01T09:55:00.001-07:00

We are moving! Christopher has decided to take a position in Minot, North Dakota (http://www.visitminot.org/) as an Operations Manager for his company. It has been in the works for several months now, and is finally official.

We have picked out a house:
Another older home, luckily it does not need as much work as our others have. Which is good because my dad would have to drive 15 hours to help us remodel!

The girls are not too excited! Rylie just cries and cries. Dylann is sad because she loves her friends here, but she is so excited to meet new people. She has always loved the idea of having a pen pal, she always thought they would be from a foreign country, not Randolph. Kendall is happy to go anywhere. She is excited to get a new room, hopefully one she will not have to share with Ryann. Ryann is just along for the ride.

We have not let anyone in on our secret move until now. Sorry we have kept everyone in the dark. It has been so hard to keep the secret from my mom and sister. The girls were sworn to secrecy and have done a bang up job keeping it!

Christopher will head out mid-May to set up camp. I will stay behind and finish the school year with the girls. We cannot decide if we should sell our house in Randolph or keep it for a vacation house. We might need to winter in Randolph!

We will keep you all posted on our goings on

Date NIght - Finally!!!

2009-03-29T14:05:00.001-07:00

Topher and I hardly ever get to go out all by ourselves. I know, you all feel so sorry for us! Ha Ha! When we do get to go out, it is never ending phone calls and texts from our children. Even when Auntie Laura is tending them.

Our big "Date Night" always consists of going into "TOWN" for dinner and a movie. "TOWN" being Evanston, Wyoming - Whoot - Woo! There is not much to choose from in a town so exciting as Evanston. Do we hit JB's or the Flying J Buffet, McDonald's or Arby's? Soooo many choices. For "date Night' we chose a new restaurant called 'Spencer's', which in is a location that has been a bunch of different restaurants in the past few years. It was pretty good. A gourmet burger for me, a giant, tender steak for Topher. Our table was themed "Cheyenne" and had a lovely barrage of old photos and postcards modge podged onto the table, as well as a lot of fun facts:

While paying for dinner, a leather drink coaster fell out of Topher's wallet. I listened to him as he explained the magical superpowers of his coaster. Apparently, his boss gave it to him, and no one else in the office has one. When he tells people to do something, he flashes his "badge" and says, "Do you have one of these? No, I don't think so." I think he might have a little badge flashing left in him from when he was a cop.

With a half hour to kill before our movie started, we did a little driving around "TOWN". We made a quick pass at a co-workers of Topher's house. He is the proud owner of a Smart Car, of which Topher is very jealous (we saw a lot of them in Germany, we probably could have checked one as luggage on the plane). If you don't have a garage to put your Smart Car in, just use some tarps and a bungee cord! What a great idea!!

Next, we hit Murdoch's Ranch Supply. Topher won a gift card at the Pig Sale earlier in the day. It was burning a hole in his pocket. Unfortunately it was not enough to pay for his safe.

Apparently he does not want it just for his 3 guns, "It's not just a gun safe, Shelly, it's a valuables safe as well." So I guess he can lock up his 3 guns and his 'valuables', whatever they might be???

He is going to be saving his gift card, and his pennies for this bad boy:

Yes, it is a man-powered lawn mower. We have one already, that is about 45 years old. YES, we do mow our lawn with it. People have even stopped at our house when seeing us mow to ask for a turn!

Then on to the movie at Valley 4 Cinema! The only movie theater in town, since the fire that destroyed The Strand (which only had one movie at a time). It's movie recording states "We only close for blizzard conditions", and it has the best burnt popcorn in town.

I made Topher go see a scary movie. Oh, how I love scary movies. This was a little over the top. I do not recommend it to anyone, except my sister. The Last House on the Left - a little bloody, a little death, a little vivid & way to graphic. But I would totally do the same thing the parents did if someone tortured my daughter.

I kept harassing Topher during the movie. He would just say, "Really good movie you picked" and "I am not going to talk to you if you are going to go blog about this!".

And so went our date! Until next time ...... whenever that might be?

Dr. Bill

2009-03-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

I received in the mail a bill from my Pediatrician's Office. It made me chuckle just a little bit.

The bill was for .53 cents!

So now I have to decide how to send payment. Do I send a check? Do I send in some change? Or do I wait until a late fee is assessed to make it worth writing a check?

I counted my change in my little stash at work and put it on the scale to weigh. It will cost me $1.17 to send 13 pennies, 3 dimes and 2 nickels.

They could have just written the amount off rather than pay someone to print the bill and spent .42 cents to mail it to me.

Computer Time

2009-03-25T15:27:00.001-07:00

Ryann loves the computer. She loves playing on:
www.barbie.com
www.poptropica.com
www.girlsgogames.com

She turns the computer on, logs on to her sisters account, pulls up the Internet and finds her games. She has memorized the keys her sisters type on the keyboard so she can log on. Maybe I should change the passwords, but it is too cute to see her act all grown up. Computer time for Ryann is break time for mommy :)

Here is a fun little article I read today about toddlers! Makes sense!

"Why Toddlers Don't Do What They're Told
LiveScience Staff LiveScience.com livescience Staff livescience.com Tue Mar 24, 10:45 pm ET

Are you listening to me? Didn't I just tell you to get your coat? Helloooo! It's cold out there...
So goes many a conversation between parent and toddler. It seems everything you tell them either falls on deaf ears or goes in one ear and out the other. But that's not how it works.
Toddlers listen, they just store the information for later use, a new study finds.
"I went into this study expecting a completely different set of findings," said psychology professor Yuko Munakata at the University of Colorado at Boulder. "There is a lot of work in the field of cognitive development that focuses on how kids are basically little versions of adults trying to do the same things adults do, but they're just not as good at it yet. What we show here is they are doing something completely different."
Munakata and colleagues used a computer game and a setup that measures the diameter of the pupil of the eye to determine the mental effort of the child to study the cognitive abilities of 3-and-a-half-year-olds and 8-year-olds.
The game involved teaching children simple rules about two cartoon characters - Blue from Blue's Clues and SpongeBob SquarePants - and their preferences for different objects. The children were told that Blue likes watermelon, so they were to press the happy face on the computer screen only when they saw Blue followed by a watermelon. When SpongeBob appeared, they were to press the sad face on the screen.
"The older kids found this sequence easy, because they can anticipate the answer before the object appears," said doctoral student Christopher Chatham, who participated in the study. "But preschoolers fail to anticipate in this way. Instead, they slow down and exert mental effort after being presented with the watermelon, as if they're thinking back to the character they had seen only after the fact."
The pupil measurements showed that 3-year-olds neither plan for the future nor live completely in the present. Instead, they call up the past as they need it.
"For example, let's say it's cold outside and you tell your 3-year-old to go get his jacket out of his bedroom and get ready to go outside," Chatham explained. "You might expect the child to plan for the future, think 'OK it's cold outside so the jacket will keep me warm.' But what we suggest is that this isn't what goes on in a 3-year-old's brain. Rather, they run outside, discover that it is cold, and then retrieve the memory of where their jacket is, and then they go get it."
The findings are detailed this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Munakata figures the results might help with real situations.
"If you just repeat something again and again that requires your young child to prepare for something in advance, that is not likely to be effective," Munakata said. "What would be more effective would be to somehow try to trigger this reactive function. So don't do something that requires them to plan ahead in their mind, but rather try to highlight the conflict that they are going to face. Perhaps you could say something like 'I know you don't want to take your coat now, but when you're standing in the yard shivering later, remember that you can get your coat from your bedroom."

Baby Animals

2009-03-23T07:06:00.000-07:00

My cousins - Teresa, April and Lacey - made the journey to visit us over the weekend. Teresa and April brought their kids to see the baby animals.

We started off at the "Wind Jammer Pig Farm" in Woodruff. Thanks to Kalon for letting us invade! Our first view of the piglets was two "sleeping" on the dirt outside the pig shed. The little kids came up with the idea that they were "sleeping". The older kids just said, "No, their dead!"

Next, we went over to Kent & Judy Stuart's for a little lamb chasing. They have so many baby lambs, the kids had a blast chasing them around the field.

First Grade Kite Day!

2009-03-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

Friday, March 20th, was First Grade Kite Flying Day. I don't really think it had that title, but that is what Kendall kept calling it.

It was a drama-mama moment just getting there. I had to run to Evanston and back before I headed over. I stopped to grab the camera from the house and returned to the car to find this:

Yes, she dressed herself. She calls this her 'Patrick Day Outfit". The butterfly top was thrown on for Spring. I have no idea about this kid. She is BIZARRE! She stood on the floor in the middle row of the car and peed! So we cleaned up with a little 'Pet Oxygen'! She thought it was nice we were cleaning up her mess with a bottle that had her angel kitty pictured on it. It's a blurr, so you cannot really see him :)

We had fun flying kites. Kendall was a little frustrated because her kite would not fly. She just had to have me buy the giant airplane kite at Costco. Luckily I picked up a couple $1.00 kites at Wal-Mart. They were perfect.

The football field was a mess of kids and kites running into each other and tangling strings. I overheard boys saying they got their kites to fly next to airplanes. There were no airplanes in the sky - why do boys exaggerate everything? And do they really learn so young?

The girls got bored with the kites. They complained because it was "SOOOOO HOT OUTSIDE!" (It was 65 degrees.)

Kendall wanted to come home and put the sprinkler under the trampoline :)

Mr. Construction

2009-03-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors are adding on to their house. The day after they tore their roof off, it snowed 8" here in Randolph.

Christopher went over to help last Saturday. They put up 4 walls! He is such a good little worker bee. He is now wanting to rip off our roof and add on and up! I want a new kitchen first!

Here is the view of our house from theirs. The two big pine trees above the tan garage are ours. We were trying to convince them that they did not need any more windows looking over to our house. No spying on the crazy Stapel's allowed :) Not that they could really see us with the giant garage in the way.

Here is Ryann watching their little girl build. She is so dang cute. She gathered all sorts of blocks and nails and started making her wall. Ryann was happy to stand on the edge of the house and throw stuff off!

Dylann Alexia Stapel aka Pickles is 10!

2009-03-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

Dyl turned 10 on Sunday! Yea! I have no idea where the years have gone. She was once so little and silly, and now she is a texting, cheer leading, goofing off 10 year old!

There are a lot of people who ask me why I named a little girl Dylann??? When I found out I was pregnant, I went through all the names, boy and girl, trying to figure out who my baby would be. At the ultrasound, when we found out we would have ANOTHER girl (#2 was not as bad as finding out it was a girl with #3 for Christopher :) I was kind of at a loss. I loved the name Madylan. But, in a world of nicknames, I figured we would all call her Dylann anyway.

When we told my Grandma Salt what her name would be, she said, "Well, is she going to be an outlaw? Will she shoot guns?" I told her that Marshall Dillon was a good guy, not that I even thought of him when I chose the name. Good ol' Grandma! Then she went through all of the nicknames she might be called. Dyl, Dyllie, and more very colorful names in which I will shelter my child from on this blog. :)

In the hospital the night after she was born, Topher & I were trying to figure out the spelling. I wrote it on a piece of paper a zillion times. Dillon, Dilon, Dylan, Dylanne, Dilanne. After watching an episode of Beverly Hills 90210, when it listed "and Luke Parry as Dylan" it came to me. She would be Dylann. Then I made Topher figure out the middle name. I tossed him the baby name book, and he made it to 'Alexia'. He didn't turn past the A's at all. So that is how she got her name.

I have received a lot of interesting looks & comments over the years as I yell her name, tell people her name, take her places where her name is called. Her first Dr.'s Office visit, the nurse comes out and yells, "Dylann Stapel", I stand up with a baby in all pink and walk towards the nurse. She looks at me very confused and says, with a baffled look on her face, "Dylann???"

And so it goes! She is my Dylann. She is my "mini-me", the only one of my girls who looks like me (poor thing). She is very, very shy. But when she gets warmed up- WATCH OUT! She loves lambs, from the time she was little. She has a ginormous collection and raises one for 4-H. She helps our neighbor with foster animals. She loves the color purple, pancakes and coke! She love, love, loves sloppy-joes!

She is such a good kid!

I love you Dylann Pickles!

(And the nickname "Pickles", it comes from the show Rugrats. The little brother's name is Dillon Pickles. Not just anyone can call her "Pickles". You have to be in her inner-circle, or she will use her super power of ignoring on you. And she is very, very good at that! )

Happiness is UTAH!!!

2009-03-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? A pole of the happiest states shows Utah as #1.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090311/ap_on_re_us/states_of_happiness

I have been doing a little research project at work for a lady in Tennessee who wanted info on Randolph. Who settled it, where it's name came from, etc. And it has been really interesting. When we first moved up here, I bought a book from the Rich County Clerk's office that gave the run down on Rich County. It still sits on my bookshelf, unread by me!

Truly, I never even knew Randolph existed until I moved up here. I knew about Bear Lake & Garden City, but nothing about Laketown, Randolph & Woodruff. it is funny now telling people where we live. They assume it is by Vernal, because there is a Randlett over there. Some know where we are because we are often the coldest place in the lower 48 states in the winter. And even some know Randolph because of "GATORS DRIVE-IN".

Randolph was founded by James Alexander Cameron in 1870, who was sent by Randolph H. Stewert - the LDS Bishop in St. Charles, ID. If you are interested, here is some of the stuff I found:
http://www.boydhouse.com/alice/Cameron/cameron03johnalexandercameron.htm
http://www.geocities.com/turnerancestors/maryhill.html?200911

I also found a fun little diddy on how different cities in Utah got their names. There are 422 cities/towns in Utah, not all of them are listed.

http://www.ida.net/users/lamar/civilserviceandusarmyreserves.html

Start at the paragraph, "Explorers Etienne Provost, Jim Bridger, Jedediah S. Smith ......"

If you go to: http://www.untraveledroad.com/USA/Utah/Rich/Randolph.htm

you can see pictures of our little town. My house is even on there, well the tree in front of my house. But I am not telling you where, just in case . . . . . . .

Pretty interesting stuff :)

Read any good books lately?

2009-03-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

Rylie is a readin' fool. She reads non-stop. Her homework is always pushed to the last minute, because she has to read. She reads on the bus, reads in the car. Tries to sneak a book in to church to read during Sacrament Meeting. She reads in the tub. Never has free hands, always a book!

Rylie read The Giver by Lois Lowry several months ago, and is now reading it in school with her class. She begged me to read it too. I finally did, and what a good book. If you search it on the web, some people have very strong opinions of it's "message". But after reading a blog by the author http://www.loislowry.com, she really had no "message" other then to have the reader enjoy a story, love - or dislike - the characters, and want to read on.

Now I am reading Gathering Blue. Rylie is yelling at me to hurry and finish so we may 'discuss' my view on the book. She always asks, "Are you to the part where _____________ happens?" "Hurry mom!"

The next book in the 'series' is The Messenger. Where the first two books are tied together. Rylie is anxious for me to read it soon!

Lois Lowry even writes children's books. I bought Goonie Bird Green a few years ago for Christmas, not realizing it was by the same author. Cute book.

Do you ever "Google" your own name?

2009-03-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

You know you do. I like to 'Google' my name, friend's names, stranger's names, my kid's names just to see what pops up. I never realized there are so many people out there with my name.

Last night, I 'Googled' Topher's name again. Sometimes he is an 'Openly Gay History Teacher'. Last night he was "Decertified for theft from the Highway Patrol". That one is always out there. And it really ticks me off.

A lot of you know he worked for the Utah Highway Patrol for 12 years. He was totally dedicated to his job. Never abused his power. Never raised hell for other cops. Never let anything said about him get to him. He did his job, enforcing the laws of Utah. Never, ever did he do anything inappropriate or against the law. (Well, he did get a speeding ticket off-duty!)

There were many, many reasons he chose to leave the job he had always loved and wanted to do. And I could list them all right here, right now. However, I am trying to be a good girl and not speak ill of anyone out there.

In a small community, where everyone knows everyone, and what they are doing wrong, I hear about him being fired all the time. So, for the record, and pass this along if you need something to talk about, Christopher R. Stapel was NOT FIRED from The Utah Highway Patrol. He was NOT asked to resign. He was NOT threatened with loosing his job. HE DID NOT STEAL anything like the newspaper reported.

In fact, the first we had heard of his 'Decertification' was when it was published in the Salt Lake Tribune. That same day he received a letter from the Utah Highway Patrol saying he was 'Decertified' and could hire an attorney and try to appeal.

He was never charged with anything. He does not have a criminal record. He is a member of society in good standing. It makes me MAD every time I get told, "So and so told me your husband got fired", or when someone says something to my kids.

Christopher chose not to appeal based on the fact a lawyer would cost way too much money. He was in contact with the Commissioner of Public Safety, who knew Christopher and helped him work through this.

And for the man out there, some lawyer, who asked the question, "Can we trust our cops?" Yes! You can. They are only human, and make mistakes too. But before you go on assuming everything you hear is true, ask the person you are telling tales about!

Daddy Daughter Date 2009

2009-03-05T18:35:00.000-08:00

Topher took his girls to the

Achievement Days Valentine's Daddy Daughter Date.

The dad's tied ribbons in the girl's hair & painted their nails. Topher is a pro at the nail painting. He is "Mr. Mani-Pedi" around the house. His nails are always painted lovely shades of pink, green and blue. He has begun to limit the painting to his toenails only, due to the lack of fingernail polish remover we have on hand when he gives in

and lets the girls do his fingers.

The girls tied a tie on their dad. A skill I have yet to learn. Good thing I did not have boys.

Kendall is Sick!

2009-02-27T08:27:00.000-08:00

Poor Kendall, she is sick! She has asthma, and really does very well up where we live.

Whenever we go down to Salt Lake and hit the smog, she cannot breathe. Up here, it only happens when the weather is changing. And since we have gone from freezing, to melting, to snowing, she is having a hard time breathing. This week has been no sleep because of coughing, no school because of no sleep, and two very tired parents.

Three nights ago, she climbed under the covers with me to watch a movie. She made me promise that after she fell asleep, her dad would not take her upstairs to her room. Well, he did. And 2 hours later, we had a coughing Kendall in our bed!

Two nights ago, she climbed under the covers with Ryann and I to watch 'Space Chimps'. At the end of the movie, as her dad was herding the others off to their beds, she hid under the covers and begged, "Don't let him take me. Please don't make me go upstairs." So she slept under all the covers at my feet. Until the coughing became too much and she kicked her dad out of bed!

Last night, Christopher just embraced the fact that Kendall would be sleeping with us. So he cuddled with her in the covers while watching TV. As long as he was holding her, she slept like a baby.

It only lasted until 2 in the morning. Then I found him on the couch and she kept coughing!

Now I am at home taking care of my babe. She was ever so hungry - and all she wanted was a 'burned tuna sandwich that you cook in that thing'. Which is really canned chicken with a little miracle whip on bread cooked in the sandwich maker. So now she has her favorite sandwich and all is well in the world.

"When I grow up I wanna be Famous"

2009-02-25T18:18:00.001-08:00

We bought a new box of Crayola's and as a special fundraiser deal for

Shriner's Hospitals there are a few new colors.

Ryann's favorite is:

When she is coloring, with every stroke of the crayon, she is singing:

"When I grow up, I wanna be a star, i wanna be famous!"

"When I grow up I wanna have groopies!"

"Fresh and clean. Number one chick on the scene!"

Over and over and over again!

And with a smile like hers, how could she be anything but FAMOUS!

Signs of Spring

2009-02-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

The thaw was on:

Kendall is in total heaven when the yard is full of yucky water. Thank heavens for muck boots!

Luckily for us, the water stays away from our house. There are a bunch of other houses around here that are not so lucky.

My first real experience with the Spring thaw was in Woodruff. I came home from Salt Lake to see a land covered in water. There was soooo much water that the neighbor kids had a canoe out in the street.

There was no water standing in our yard, so I thought our house was safe. Until I went into the house and it was freezing! I tried to get the heater to kick on, with no luck. I had to go look in the super spooky basement and found 2 feet of water in the basement. The heater was flooded. Yea!

So my super neighbor Kent Stuart - who is the most awesome man in Rich County - came over to help pump out the water. With the help of Bill Cox. Yea for nice neighbors!

So, for all of you who are flooding - I feel your pain!

Should I be worried . . .

2009-02-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

Ryann loves High School Musical. We watch 1 & 2 because she loves Troy Bolton. And you know, who doesn't?

I am a terrible mother, and did not take the girls to see HS3, nor have we rented it yet. So when a commercial recently came on TV, Ryann said:

Ryann - "I want to be Troy."

Me - "Why do you want to be Troy?"

Ryann - "Troy and Gabriella dance."

Me - "But if you are Troy, you have to kiss Gabriella."

Ryann - "I do?"

Me - "Troy kisses Gabriella, remember?"

Ryann - "I will be Troy and Tater can be Gabriella."

Me - "Are you going to kiss Tater?"

She smiles and leans in for the smooch - Tater runs away!

It all is explained later.

"I want to be Troy so I can play with Gabriella. Not to kiss her mommy!"

Oh Good!

My budding artist!

2009-02-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

Ryann has become quite the little artist. It is so fun to see little kids learn to draw real objects. I think these portraits of Topher and I are so silly!

Just like the artist!

Ryann - 3 1/2

Happy Hugs & Kisses!

2009-02-14T13:10:00.000-08:00

Everyone needs hugs and cuddles! Even if it is from your ginger kitty and he has to sleep on our head!

Friday the 13th!!!

2009-02-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday the 13th! I am not superstitious at all. I had my first baby girl on a Friday the 13th! And that was horrible, the birth not the baby!

Dylann is very, very superstitious! She has been dreading this day since February 1st! She is tortured with the fact that there are three Friday the 13th's this year! What ever will we do?

So below is a story off of Yahoo News (Yep! I stole all the following info off a web story):

13 Facts About Friday the 13th

If you fear Friday the 13th, then batten down the hatches. This week's unlucky day is the first of three this year.

The next Friday the 13th comes in March, followed by Nov. 13. Such a triple whammy comes around only every 11 years, said Thomas Fernsler, a math specialist a vt the University of Delaware who has studied the number 13 for more than 20 years.

By the numbers

Here are 13 more facts about the infamous day, courtesy of Fernsler and some of our own research:

1. The British Navy built a ship named Friday the 13th. On its maiden voyage, the vessel left dock on a Friday the 13th, and was never heard from again.

2. The ill-fated Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 CST on Apr. 11, 1970. The sum of the date's digits (4-11-70) is 13 (as in 4+1+1+7+0 = 13). And the explosion that crippled the spacecraft occurred on April 13 (not a Friday). The crew did make it back to Earth safely, however.

3. Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor.

4. Fear of Friday the 13th - one of the most popular myths in science - is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.

5. Quarterback Dan Marino wore No. 13 throughout his career with the Miami Dolphins. Despite being a superb quarterback (some call him one of the best ever), he got to the Super Bowl just once, in 1985, and was trounced 38-16 by the San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana (who wore No. 16 and won all four Super Bowls he played in).

6. Butch Cassidy, notorious American train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866.

7. Fidel Castro was born on Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.

8. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13.

9. Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.

10. Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. "It was bad luck," Twain later told the friend. "They only had food for 12."

11. Woodrow Wilson considered 13 his lucky number, though his experience didn't support such faith. He arrived in Normandy, France on Friday, Dec. 13, 1918, for peace talks, only to return with a treaty he couldn't get Congress to sign. (The ship's crew wanted to dock the next day due to superstitions, Fernsler said.) He toured the United States to rally support for the treaty, and while traveling, suffered a near-fatal stroke.

12. The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number - 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.

13. The seals on the back of a dollar bill include 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 stars above the eagle's head, 13 war arrows in the eagle's claw and 13 leaves on the olive branch. So far there's been no evidence tying these long-ago design decisions to the present economic situation.

Origins of Friday the 13th

Where's all this superstition come from? Nobody knows for sure. But it may date back to Biblical times (the 13th guest at the Last Supper betrayed Jesus). By the Middle Ages, both Friday and 13 were considered bearers of bad fortune.

Meanwhile the belief that numbers are connected to life and physical things - called numerology - has a long history.

"You can trace it all the way from the followers of Pythagoras, whose maxim to describe the universe was 'all is number,'" says Mario Livio, an astrophysicist and author of "The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved" (Simon & Schuster, 2005). Thinkers who studied under the famous Greek mathematician combined numbers in different ways to explain everything around them, Livio said.

In modern times, numerology has become a type of para-science, much like the meaningless predictions of astrology, scientists say.

"People are subconsciously drawn towards specific numbers because they know that they need the experiences, attributes or lessons, associated with them, that are contained within their potential," says professional numerologist Sonia Ducie. "Numerology can 'make sense' of an individual's life (health, career, relationships, situations and issues) by recognizing which number cycle they are in, and by giving them clarity."

Mathematicians dismiss numerology as having no scientific merit, however.

"I don't endorse this at all," Livio said, when asked to comment on the popularity of commercial numerology for a story prior to the date 06/06/06. Seemingly coincidental connections between numbers will always appear if you look hard enough, he said.

News and Information about Superstitions
The Most Popular Myths in Science
Urban Legends Debunked
Original Story: 13 Facts About Friday the 13th LiveScience.com chronicles the daily advances and innovations made in science and technology. We take on the misconceptions that often pop up around scientific discoveries and deliver short, provocative explanations with a certain wit and style. Check out our science videos, Trivia & Quizzes and Top 10s. Join our community to debate hot-button issues like stem cells, climate change and evolution. You can also sign up for free newsletters, register for RSS feeds and get cool gadgets at the LiveScience Store.

My new 'SYNDROME'

2009-02-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

Apparently OCD is not my only problem. I have now been diagnosed with a new disorder, which my husband has named "Homing Syndrome". Because he is a doctor - a doctor of b.s.- he is able to diagnose my wierdness with these fancy new terms.

I was diagnosed with this "Homing Syndrome" at about 11:30 pm on Tuesday night as my in house doctor stepped out of the shower.

He says, "You know what? I think you have Homing Syndrome"

I was like, "What the heck is that?" (My brows are furrowed even as I am typing this because I still have no clue where it came from.) "Am I a pigeon?"

He said, "I think your dad must have been gone too much when you were a kid and you missed him so much you have developed Homing Syndrome."

Now, I did not know Christopher when I was growing up. So he does not really know where my dad spent his time. My dad took us camping, hunting, fishing, shooting, on long rides to scope out wildlife. All on the weekends, if he did not have to work. So my dad was around.

I told Christopher that I thought this was the most bizarre thing he has ever said to me. So I had to ask where it was coming from.

He said, "You seem to think I need to be with you all of the time. You need me home."

I laughed. Laughed big and loud. So I told him, "If you want to go do things with your friends, go. You go and hang out with the guys. You go live it up Rock Star Style. Who are you going to go with?"

He says, "I don't know?"

I ask, "Have you been invited to go hang with the guys? And what guys would they be?"

He says, "Well no one right now."

So, Christopher, you are free to hang with the guys, when they ask or you ask them. And I know it will only be Tyler and you will go 4-wheeling. Because everyone else just wants you to go to the nudey bar with them. And if they ask for you to go there, you can say:

"Sorry, my wife has Homing Syndrome!"

Below, you will see a tribute to my dad, (which I wrote a while ago just to tease my dad), who's actions in my youth did not lead to my coming down with Homing Syndrome!

My Dad
By Shelly Anne

My dad is a crazy man,
He likes to think he can can-can.

He has me do such crazy tasks,
Of course I do them, because he asks.

I totally would be lost without my dad,
Even though his is quite mad!

And that’s what makes my dad my dad,
For all the greatness and the bad.

He loves me each and every day,
Even though I live far away.

He never is to busy for me,
And my little family.

I love you daddy!

2009-02-02T06:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Groundhog Day everyone!

I don't so much as love the holiday, as I love the movie with Bill Murray! I will make my kids watch it with me today!

For those of you interested in the Groundhog here id a news story (did anyone doubt the six more weeks of winter?):

"Punxsutawney Phil sees shadow; winter to continue"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090202/ap_on_re_us/groundhog_day;_ylt=Ao1xSrlKBfpvpWVDQk5k_IwazJV4

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. – The world's most famous groundhog saw his shadow Monday morning, predicting that this already long winter will last for six more weeks. Punxsutawney Phil emerged just after dawn in front of an estimated 13,000 witnesses, many dressed in black and gold to celebrate the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl victory the night before.

Back to the movie:

If you have never seen it, poor you! I saw it opening weekend at the South Towne Theater with my friends, Emily, Kris, Nancy and Leslie. We laughed so loud! Good Times! (And that was 16 years ago!) I own a copy, and every time it is on t.v. i had to tune in.

Here are some of my favorite lines in the movie:

Phil: Don't drive angry. Don't drive angry!
*************************************************************************

Phil: Don't mess with me, Porkchop. *************************************************************************
Ned: Phil? Phil Connors? Phil Connors, I thought that was you!
Phil: Hi, thanks for watching. [Starts to walk away]
Ned: Hey now, don't you tell me you don't remember me 'cause I sure as heckfire remember you.

Phil: Not a chance.

Ned: Ned... Ryerson. "Needlenose Ned"? "Ned the Head"? C'mon, buddy. Case Western High. I did the whistling belly-button trick at the high school talent show? Bing. Ned Ryerson, got the shingles real bad senior year, almost didn't graduate? Bing, again. Ned Ryerson, I dated your sister Mary Pat a couple of times until you told me not to anymore? Well?

Phil: Ned Ryerson?

Ned: BING!

Phil : Bing.

*************************************************************************************************

Phil: I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster and drank pina coladas. At sunset we made love like sea otters. *That* was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get that day over and over and over...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/quotes

I like Groundhog Day too because I made my Kendall!!!!!

Frosty Day

2009-01-31T19:16:00.000-08:00

Today was a frosty day. I have no idea how cold it was outside, obviously FREEZING!

We had no where to go, so we tried to stay warm inside.

Our trees, however, were wishing for warmth.

The sun was shining, but someone must have turned down it's furnace.

I love it when the frost stays on the trees, telephone wires, fence posts, etc, all day. I

t even makes the barbed wire look nifty.

So, dad, these pictures are for you:

Silly Topher

2009-01-29T18:03:00.001-08:00

I have a silly Topher.

"What is a Topher", you ask? Well he is my man. Many people are scared of him. I hear all the time that people are afraid to call our house to talk to him 'cause he is scary. My kids' friends are scared of him, until they get use to him. He is just ever so serious with his manly-man mustache. Whatever!

Last Sunday he was in High Priest Group the teacher gave the men each a pen and and a little yellow notepad to take notes. Instead of notes, my Topher did this:

It says: "I will not speak out of turn" over and over again!

******************************************************************

And because you read this blog, here is a treat for you. A really good recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies my wonderful neighbor gave me. Flora makes the best cookies. I try all the time to get her just to make me some. So the other day she surprised me at work with a plates full of cookies, and the recipe so I could make them myself. Not quite the same!!!

It is all my fault!

2009-01-28T12:47:00.000-08:00

I know that title sounds a little like, "What is she talking about?", but it is true.

After a little Face Booking and reading up on friends and such, I realize that everything might just be my fault.

I have children who:
1. Will not wear ponytails because their hair might blow off in the wind. My fault. I hate the wind in my hair.
2. Must have their shoe laces totally even when tied. The loops cannot be too big, and the "dangles" cannot touch the ground or one be longer than the other. My fault.
3. Rylie cannot eat with anything but plastic utensils, and not the throwaway kind. The kind you still have to wash. My fault. I hate metal.
4. They hate socks because they suffocate the toes. Yep, my crazy has rubbed off!
5. They have to put their backpacks in the same place every night. No one can go off to bed until they are put in their place. It is OK to leave toys all over the house, just not the backpacks. My fault. My purse is always in the same place.
6. When showering, there is a washing order: Hair, body, face, feet. What can I say?
7. They love to do things in birth order. Not me, I swear.
8. Dylann has to constantly be touching me. I guess I did not nurse her long enough or something. Whatever!
9. They cannot go upstairs alone. They would rather stand and freeze, then run upstairs alone to get dressed after the bath. I did not cause this!
10. Even though they are in the house all day long, at night it gets all sorts of scary. Monsters are around every corner and under every bed once the sun goes down. So what if I tell them scary stories? It's my job! It is their fault the believe me!
11. They can see a scary show on t.v. and be fine that night. But 3 days later it replays in their mind and they know someone is going to get them. I like scary things. But I have my Topher to save me from the creatures of the night.
12. Rylie has do do things in color order. Long Live 'ROY G BIV'. That was the worst thing I could have learned in school. Don't tell a girl with OCD that there is a color order in the light spectrum. Come on! So now I have Rylie convinced everything has to be in order!
14. Thirteen is unlucky. Especially because Rylie was born on Friday the 13th. And we for sure will not watch that movie. As long as scary movies don't have anything to do with '13', I'm in.
15. Kendall must sleep with her sisters. She has her own room, which she insisted we paint Pirate themed, and now it is too scary to sleep in. The only thing 'Pirate Scary' really is 4 wall decals of Will, Captain Jack Sparrow, Bootstrap Bill & Davy Jones. She wont take them down, so we have to peel their heads down at night. All I had on my wall was Micheal Jackson, and I should have been scared, but I wasn't.
16. They all think the donkey down the street is trying to eat them in the night. I agree with this one. He sounds possessed.
17. If we leave a window open, for sure a bird or a bat will fly in and peck our eyes out. But we will lay out on the trampoline all night in the summer to watch bats. So we have had a few in the house and fly around like they wanted our hair and eyes for dinner. SO WHAT! It is just a bird girls!!
18. They all have blankies and stuffed animals they must sleep with. I had the same blanket and pillow for years that I could not sleep without. Then I started to get all freaked out about dust mites in my pillow and after washing it, I put the pillow in the dryer, it exploded! But that's another story. I still have one blanket that is only mine and I cannot sleep without. It usually travels with me too. But this one is Topher's fault too. He loves his silky :) So lets say that # 18 is all his fault.
19. They all chew on plastic. Not one of my girls can resist a hot-glue stick, pen, etc. This is totally my fault. My mom would yell at me for chewing up all her hot glue gun sticks.
20. They have to touch things. It's almost like that show MONK. If they pass a fence, every rail has to be touched. Totally my fault. I cannot not touch things. I have to kick the ice off peoples cars. (I almost broke my foot doing that.) I have to touch parking meters, what ever is there to touch. Yep, crazy!

I will stop at 20, for any of you who even cared to read this post. But I could go on, and on, and on, and on . . .

Their behaviors are all my fault, BUT MINE ARE MY MOTHER'S FAULT!!!!!

Why can't we have school on Friday????

2009-01-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

Friday is fun day here in Rich County. No, really it is travel 2 to 10 hours to play sports day for our High School kids. So the kids only have to go to school Monday throughThursday.

SO - if I have to go in to work on Friday, Rylie is left to babysit. Yep, she is only 11 1/2, but I work 1 block from my house all you people who want to call DCFS on me. j/k. (I might could use the break!)

I came home for lunch, fed them, made them clean up a little. We clean so the next round of messes do not look so big when I get home at 5:00. Smart mom!

So tonight I get home to this:

This is a "FORT" . Chairs and blankets piled up in front of the fireplace for an evening of warding off the wild animals here in Randolph. They can't clean it up, because it is where they are sleeping tonight. Yea for adventures.

After the explanation on the fort, I went in to make dinner. Cashew Chicken and Rice. Rylie walked in, saw the "stuff" in the pan, and informed me that she was having soup. What a kid. She eats more soup than anything else. I guess when the soup is gone, she will have to eat what I fix her!

Some nights when I put dinner on the table, she asks if I am "trying to kill her"??? She told me once she was going to call the cops and tell them I was starving her to death. I told her that the Sheriff's (cause we have a Sheriff in our town) conversation with me might go like this:

Sheriff: "Do you have food in the house?"

Shelly: "Yep."

Sheriff: "Do you make meals?"
Shelly: "Yes. At least once a day."

Sheriff: "Is it nutritious and delicious?"

Shelly: "Totally! Duhhh!"

Sheriff: "Sorry Rylie. Learn to not be so damn picky!"

So I went to visit with a friend of mine and decided to spice up my hair a little.

January at the Zoo!

2009-01-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

So maybe it is not so fun to head out to the zoo in January. It is a tad bit chilly, even for those of us use to freezing temperatures. We had to go see Ryann's Sloth. (Now I know it is not really hers to keep. Duhh! But she is in love with Hoffman's Sloth (His real name). So we have to visit when we can.) He is usually sleeping his exhausting life away in his sling, but this time, he was AWAKE!! ( Which meant hours (really 1/2 an hour) standing at his window hoping for a smile.)

Mr. Sloth, which is pronounced by Ryann: Mr. Sloss, was chomping on his basket of veggies and scratching himself with great intent. Who knew all that moss growing on him would itch??

Ryann laughed and laughed. And danced around at his window. She was so excited to see him eating. Then we had to watch the 5 inch journey he took back to his sling to nap that took 25 minutes.

Here are some pics of 'Mr. Sloss' living it up at the zoo.

Ryann thought the Zoo was too loud. She spent much of her time covering her ears. She is not NORMAL!

And here are a few other animals ( and a freaky lizard) we had to take pictures of:

One strange man kept seeing us take pictures and commented that my girls might be a new zoo exhibit. If only he knew just how true that could be. "Some see the Wild Hillbilly Children who hate to brush their hair. Hate to wear shoes. Hate to wear normal looking clothes. Love to hang out in the woods."

HOOOOOOT!

2009-01-21T15:04:00.000-08:00

I love a good owl here and there. We have giant pine trees on each side of our house that are homes to an owl in each. During 'Owl Mating Season' the trees get a little animated. The branches rustle and you can hear some pretty strange noises. Rylie is afraid to sleep with her window open in the summer for fear a giant owl will fly in to her room and "HOOT" all over her.

Our trees are pretty dense, so we have never been able to get a good picture of our neighbors. So lucky for me, I get to walk underneath a giant owl every time I head in to my office. We all try to avoid the section of sidewalk splattered in owl poop and dead animal carcasses.

One night when my dad was driving up to our house, he hit a ginormous owl. The wingspan was as wide as my dad's Ford F259 grill. It just swooped out of the fog and - SPLAT! Big ol' hole in the grill. The owl waddled off into the night.

Isn't living in the wilderness awesome.

Info Tag

2009-01-20T14:56:00.000-08:00

I got this email earlier from some friends. I emailed a few others and cannot wait to see their answers. For the others of you who I like to spy on in the blog world, this is for you. Hopefully you will post your anwsers.

"Welcome to the new 2009 edition of getting to know your family andfriends. Here is what you are supposed to do, and try not to be lameand spoil the fun. Change all the answers so that they apply to you.Then send this to a bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person whosent it to you. Some of you may get this several times; that meansyou have lots of friends. The easiest way to do it is to hit 'forward'so you can change the answers or copy and paste. Have fun and betruthful!"

1. What is your occupation right now? Mom / Rich County Deputy Treasurer.
2. What color are your socks right now? Black.
3. What are you listening to right now? Katy Parry CD.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Cheeseburger.
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes.
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My husband.
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Totally!
8. How old are you today? 34 years & 8 months.
9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Soccer.
10. What is your favorite drink? COKE*A*COLA
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, but not for a very long time. I dig my color.
12. Favorite food? Pizza.
13. What is the last movie you watched? ‘Paul Blart – Mall Cop’
14. Favorite day of the year? The First Day of School for my kids! Yee Haw!!!
15. How do you vent anger? Scream at everyone!
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Snoopy Snowcone Machine.
17. What is your favorite season? Fall.
18. Cherries or Blueberries? Blueberries.
19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? Yes.
20. Who is the most likely to respond? Good question!
21. Who is least likely to respond? Don’t know?
22. Living arrangements? In a house with my husband and 4 kids.
23. When was the last time you cried? I wanted to last night. But I screamed instead!
24. What is on the floor of your closet? An old computer and 2 bolts of fabric.
25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to? Back to Em & Kris.
26. What did you do last night? Screamed and cleaned the kitchen floor. Then relaxed with my Topher.
27. What are you most afraid of? Having to live without the ones I love.
28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? American Cheese.
29. Favorite dog breed? Labs -just take a look at my giant dog!
30. Favorite day of the week? Saturday.
31. How many states have you lived in? 1, but I grocery shop in another.
32. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls.
33. What is your favorite flower? Daffodil.
34. Your favorite book? The “Odd Thomas” Series by Dean Koontz
35. If you won the lotto, what would be the first three things you would do?? Pay everything off. Build a house. Help my family.
36. Do you wrap the 'Santa' gifts or just display them under the tree? Display.
37. If you could be anything in the world you wanted, what would you be? A saver of children.
38. If you could have any superpower what would it be? Chameleon.

2009-01-18T16:43:00.001-08:00

As I sit here at my parent's with a sick Ryann, while they take my 3 older girls to Trenton's birthday party, I have found so many cute pictures of my kids on my dad's computer. So here are a few of my favorites:

Rylie & Dylann

Kendall

Kendall - the first of my girls to try their own haircut!

Another shot of Pickles! She was so cute! Still is a little fasion lover!

Rylie with a smile - how rare!

And finally Ryann with hair. it seems so strange that she once had enough hair to put in a tiny ponytail. Oh the good old days!

Is almost twelve the new 66*?

2009-01-15T19:39:00.000-08:00

Rylie was so cute at 3:

And now:

She is still cute. BUT. . .

I am not so excited for this tween thing. Rylie is pressing her luck every day with me. I find every day is a challenge. I am sure more for her than me. I never though I would have kids that yelled, "I hate you!", "You are ruining my life!", "I am never going to school. I will never graduate. I will have a crappy job. And never move out!' All this at the age of 11 & 1/2!

When she yells at me I wait for her head to spin around and pea soup to spit out of her mouth!

My mom just laughs! Thanks Mom!

If anyone has advice - let me have it! Rylie is #1, only 3 tween girls to go after her!!

A Brand New Year - HOLY CRAP!

2009-01-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it is 2009. What the heck happened to 2008?

And yes - It really was -23*F Sunday morning. By the time we left for church at 11:30am it was -12*. I think it warmed up to 2*. The cold is COLD. Luckily we don't have cows to feed. The poor ranchers who have to get out there and feed the beef, I admire their dedication.

We had a great holiday - hope you all did as well. Christmas came and went in a flash of wrapping paper and batteries.

It all started with the SRE Christmas Program. It was so cute. Kendall was all dressed up as a cowgirl and really hammed it up for her performance. She was decked out with a big belt, pink hat and spurs. Dylann had to dance with a boy - yuck. She hurried and deleted the cute pictures of her and the boy holding hands. Drama Queen!

The girls all got the one thing they really wanted. Rylie got her Nintendo DS. She got the Brainage game, so I do not feel as bad when she plays her games all night long. At least she is using her brain! But she spent more of Christmas break reading. She is obsessed with reading. And they are good books too. No more 'Captain Underpants' for her:)

Dylann was the most pleased. All she wanted for Christmas was night vision goggles. Since Thanksgiving Topher and I bugged her about wanting goggles. What kind of 9 year old girl wants those? Dylann Pickles does! And she is stoked. She cannot wait for summer to sleep out on the trampoline and watch the bats fly all night. And to see the potty at night when we are camping. Such fun things to do with NIGHT VISION!

Kendall got a laptop. It is a spy edition V-Tech, with a ton of educational games to play and other languages to learn. She thinks she is a spy and likes to collect spy gear.

Ryann was the only one who did not get exactly what she wanted. She really wanted a sloth. She will have to settle for tips to the Hogle Zoo to visit her sloth ( she thinks he is hers anyway. We spend forever at his window just watching him sleep). I could not even find a stuffed sloth. I might have to figure out how to make her one. She also wanted a 'bird suit' and a hippopotamus. The bird suit did not arrive, but I found little hippo containers and gave those to her. She was cool with that.

Grandpa & Grandma Russell came up Christmas Day in a blizzard, and left in one too. The next day we headed to Grandma Stapel's for a sleep over and to Grandma Salt's Christmas Pizza Party at the "Senior Community". I love Grandma Salt! She crocheted(?) all of the kids little hats and gave them these wild socks. I always will remember my Grandma Salt and her crochet gifts for holidays. She has made everything from crazy clown dolls, candlestick lifesaver covers that looked more like wiener warmers to pooping chickens for Easter. She made horses for Cabbage Patch kids, aprons, quilts and much more. I think that is why I appreciate and try to make homemade gifts.

The girls spent 4 days with Aunt Liz, Uncle Jeff and the boys. Ryann stayed with me and followed me everywhere. Tater was here off and on. It was very strange only having 1 kid. Ryann missed her sisters very much. but the girls had a blast with the boys. Liz is so relaxed and calm - traits I admire. She even got them to eat Pesto, now they are bugging me to make it.

New Years has left us wondering what fun and exciting adventures 2009 will bring. Christopher is saying no to any big vacation, unless it is a cruise. I am voting for some adventure to take the girls on. A trek across to Navoo or Mount Rushmore sounds fun. He can stay home if that is too boring.

Ryann is a Sunbeam now. My baby is officially big. No more nursery. Rylie will go to Young Women's in June. Crazy! I cannot believe I am old enough to have a 12 year old. I am not sure I am ready for all the drama that is about to hit our world. 4 teenage girls is going to be a mess of emotions and tampax! Topher thinks he is going to leave all the drama for me to deal with - NO WAY!!!!! He made the girls, he will deal with the girls!

I hope all you out there in blogging land have a super 2009!

Seven Things Tag

2008-12-12T09:17:00.000-08:00

I have been a little busy to blog as of late, with work and keeping an eye on Ryann. And well, the entire family getting the stomach flu. So here is my response to Anelisa's Tag. . .

Seven things I can do: Sew. Embroider. Laundry. Curl my tongue into a taco. Use the Internet to find any bit of useless info you wish. Remember odd movie lines, phone numbers and songs. Make my kids mad.

Seven things I can't do: Keep my house clean. Keep Ryann out of trouble. Play the piano. Read music. Sing. Draw anything non-cartoon looking. Diet.

Seven things that attracted me to Topher: His sense of humor. His kindness. He was a cop - I love a man in uniform. That way he put up with me when we were first dating. His silliness. The way I felt when he held my hand. The way he put me in my place - I was a bit obnoxious.

Seven Things I say often: "Stop it!" "Be good, and if you can't be good be careful" (my Grandpa Russell would say that to me. I thought it meant to use protection! (: "The Holy Ghost goes to ed at midnight!" "S**T!" "Uh-huh!" "Ryann, don't do that!" "Stop hitting your sister!"

Seven people I admire: My Topher, he knows so much about the Gospel and he is the best daddy to his girls. My mom - she went back to school and now has her Masters in Nursing. My mother-in-law - she raised 11 kids for heaven's sake. My Grandma Salt - she takes a licking and keeps on ticking! My boss, Ruth - she is just a super kind lady who always tells me how it is. President Hinckley- what a kind man who was so humble and loving to everyone. Jesus Christ - without him, I am lost.

Seven favorite foods/drinks: Pizza. Mashed potatoes with mustard and corn. Cream-o-Wheat. Cookie Dough - any kind. Carmel Popcorn. Ice cold water.Coke. (Nothing healthy - of course!)

Seven people I tag: Liz, Emily, Leslie, Jennifer, Tami, Mom and Ronda. (I may only know 7 people(: )

Anyone need a haircut?

2008-11-17T19:46:00.000-08:00

Ryann has turned in to a master of the scissors.

Saturday night I fell asleep around 9:00 pm. Christopher had everything under control with the girls. He had set them up with a DVD in the front room. When he returned to our bedroom to watch the news, Ryann was with her sisters watching "Soccer Mom" on the couch.

Sometime later Ryann had crawled in to bed with me and fallen asleep. Christopher tucked the other girls in to bed, noticing a mess of hair covering Dylann's freshly washed duvet cover.

He comes in to our room, over to turn off my lamp, and laughingly says, "Shelly! Look at Ryann!" I try to pry my eyes open as I see him pulling a chunk of Ryann's hair off of her sleeping head. He is just laughing and laughing.

I wake up enough to see the horror that is now my baby's hair. As if it has not been crazy enough to have a daughter with crazy chick fuzz for hair - I now have this:

"MOOOOMMMM - Look What Ryann is doing!"

2008-11-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

This is a phrase I hear about every 5 minutes at my house. By bedtime, I am so happy Ryann is ready to sleep. Even then she is still on one. There are times I fall asleep and hope she is still next to me as I scope out dreamland.

Last night was especially fun. From the moment I got home from work, Ryan was switched ON! She followed me everywhere. Was right there as I did the dishes, fixed dinner and went to the bathroom. She trailed behind me chatting away, telling me about the dog licking her fingers or that she is tired of wearing pants.

When I show frustration after tripping over her for the millionth time, she hugs my neck and says, "I love you so much mommy!" That is her new trick. If I start to get frustrated with her, she tells me how much she loves me.

So back to last night. Christopher and I were sitting in our room after the dinner clean up watching a bit of news. Then the yell from the front room. "MOOOOOOMMM - Ryann is peeing in the bucket on the couch!" I told Christopher I just could not deal with her. He laughed and told me to just look at it as fun.

I walked into the room hoping it all made it in to the bucket - Yea! Not a drop on the couch. And there sits Ryann so proud of her potty job!

She really is fun. I always thought Rylie was full of it. Dylann was a little more. Kendall - a whole lot. Ryan tops them all. So for those of you who have well mannered 3 year old, who obey and sit still in Church. Good for you! I'll take Ryann and her fuzzy hair any day! (Remind me I said that after the next round of craziness!)

In The News!

2008-11-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

Randolph made the news again. It seems that we are a fascinating breed up here and the world cannot get enough.

The only time we make the Utah news, or any US news, is when we have a cold winter. But every year at election time we get visitors from far away countries. The latest was a group from the UK. They interviewed the local coffee drinkers at the "Station" about the Presidential race this year. You can read the article here - and see some of our town folk.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/johnmccain/3362430/Election-dismay-strikes-most-Republican-corner-of-US.html

Randolph does take some getting use to when you move here from the city. Honestly I was not a fan at first. It was very hard to get out there and to get to know people. Most everyone is related either by blood or by marriage. There are only a few different last names, unless you are a move in. And there are only about 500 people living here.

Now there is really no place I would rather live. Everyone looks out for one another. You never have to worry about the education your kids are getting. Kids are taught the value of hard work at a very young age. Everyone says hello. When there is a crisis, everyone is there to help out. Not to say that there are not problems here. Kids do cause trouble. There are even drugs and underage drinking - OOHHHH MY! But not like you see in large communities.

And we are not all backwoods crazy like some of the reporters make us seem. Well, some of us are! (:

It's Fall Ya'll!

2008-11-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

It seems that fall does not last long here in the North. People think that because we do not have snow on the ground, we can't claim it winter. Let me tell you - it is winter. Randolph is where I have learned that it can be too cold to snow. We love it when it does snow, because it means it has warmed up outside.

Now that we are into November over a week, I thought I should post Halloween pics and whatever else I can download off the camera. Which wont be much! I am a terrible picture taker. Poor Kendall as a baby barely exists in photos because my camera was broken. Now that I have a fancy camera - which I have no clue how to operate Ryann has more baby pics than K-Dogg! And Ryann loves the camera! And red lipstick!

For Halloween we had Dorothy, Vampire Bat Girl, Pirate with a beat up face, and two little mermaids. I made Dorothy's dress and the mermaid costumes. Ryann did not understand that people are suppose to see the seashells, she wanted to wear them under her shirt. Once she was out with the other kids, she gave in and put them on the outside. The bat costume was mine when I was in middle school. Dylann found it at my parent's. And Kendall is always a pirate. Every year the same thing, different costume. She loves Captain Jack!

We did the 'Trunk-or-Treat' at the church parking lot. Then on to the standard houses. Judge McKinnon's for full size candy bars, the Telford's for marshmallow suckers, and up and down our street. We don't get very many Trick-or-Treater's at our house because our dog is gigantic. Kids are scared to steal our pumpkins too. Sometimes it is nice to have a horse for a dog. Christopher bought good candy this year and had a lot left over for him!

Kendall had a program at school for Halloween. It was so cute. She sang Halloween songs for the entire month. She is still singing them.

Last night the High School kids put on a after Halloween Spook House. They used the Elementary building for it. I had to stay in the car with Ryann and Payton, so the three older girls went in with a friend of mine. Halfway through my kids chickened out and came running to the car screaming their lungs out. The High School Principle came over to see if they were OK and told me I could walk them through and he would sit with my babies. My kids yelled "NOOOOOOOOO!" and begged me to just drive away. They slept on the front room couch last night due to the trauma they suffered.

And now for the monster in my house:

She loves her red lipstick. We have finally thrown it away because she colors her entire face with it. And her hands. And her neck. And her feet.

Today we had Stake Conference. Why I took Ryann and Payton I will never know. I took the two of them out for a potty break. Ryann was running down the hall and I told her to STOP! She turned to tell me "My legs just have to run!" Then I told her to follow me back down the hall. She was not obeying, so I told her that a monster was coming. She yelled at me, "No monsters live in this church!" I guess she would know, from one monster to another!

And yes, her hair always looks like that. We brush it and two seconds later - POOF!

Fossils and Guns!

2008-10-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Grandpa came up for a day of fun in the ..... wind! We took the 4-Wheelers, lunch and guns out for a day of treasure hunting.

Grandpa has a fossil finding kit (a backpack with hammers, a pic-axe, brushes and books) that the girls used for hours on the side of the hill above the Woodruff Reservoir. They had so much fun splitting rocks and searching in the dirt.

Christopher and I took Ryann and Kendall for a ride around the very low water. We found a skeleton of a cow, cow #88 to be exact, the ear tag was on the ground beside it. Ryann just knew it was a buffalo. She is in love with buffaloes. So we gathered up some bones and packed them back to the rest of the group on the 4-Wheeler. Ryann fell asleep on the way back. We hit a sagebrush ans her "buffalo leg" fell out of the bag. She woke right up and cried because her leg was gone. We had to back track to find it.

After lunch, we did a little target practice. It is the first time my girls have shot guns. When I was little my dad took my brother and I out all the time. I have not shot a gun since just after high school. Even with Christopher being a cop we never went out shooting. I did the best with the .22, next to my dad.

Then it was on to a great ride up above the Reservoir. Rylie is a big chicken and wont let us go fast or over bumps. But since she got into trouble before the ride, Ryann got to drive - big mistake for Rylie. Ryann loves to go as fast as the machine will go. She laughs all the way! My kind of girl!

It was a very fun day.

Man Tag!

2008-10-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

“The rules: Each Person answers questions about their sweethearts.At the End of the post, the person then tags people and posts their names; then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged.”

What is your husband’s name? Christopher Ryan a.k.a Christopher Robin, Topher, Tuffer, Tuffily Puff, Tiff Piff, and anything else I can come up with. His girls call him “Fuzzy Cheeks”!
How long have you been married? 12 years, 8 months on the 29thHow long did you date? 6 weeks.
How old is he? 35
Who eats more sweets? ME! He has to be in the mood! And he is always in the mood for sugar, just not the eatin’ kind(:
Who said I love you first? I honestly cannot remember. Probably him. I was mean to him at first.
Who is taller? Topher – he is 6’1”.
Who can sing the best? He can, just ask him. He gets very mad when I sing in the car!
Who is smarter? Book smart - it’s totally me. Gospel things, it’s it most definitely him.
Who does the laundry? Me. Only because I am obsessive compulsive and have a fit if the laundry is not done the right way. He would totally do it if I let him.
Who pays the bills? Me, he never even sees his paycheck!
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Him. He could sleep anywhere.
Who mows the lawn? Our ‘Lawn Boy’, or me.
Who cooks dinner? I try to do the cooking. But ask him and I never cook.
Who drives? Do I have the choice to drive when he is in the car?
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Not me!
Who kissed whom first? Topher kissed me while lying on his mom’s couch watching the Princess Bride. We were on the sectional couch, lying in opposite directions with our heads touching. He leaned over and kissed me upside-down.
Who asked whom out first? We met on a blind date. He got my number, but I called him first.
Who wears the pants? MEEEEEE! But I let Christopher think he does when I need something from him.

I tag Emily! Lets see if she is out there!

What is ---- in Spanish?

2008-10-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

Kendall has become obsessed with the Spanish language. She has two little boys who speak Spanish, Michael and Jose, in her class at school that are her top two boyfriends. They are tied at #1 most days.

Michael joined the class last year and knew no English. By the end of the year he was a pro. All through Kindergarten Michael was Kendall's #1 boy. Jose arrived at the beginning of this school year. Kendall's heart had to make room for him too. Some days he and Michael are tied, other days he is top of the list. They are both so cute - how could she pick just one? She has no plans to marry, just flirt. And at almost 7, she is very good at it!

The boys have been trying to teach the first graders a few Spanish words, like 'orange'. The teacher said that the class was trying to help the boys say 'yellow' instead of 'jellow', so as a class they would learn to say 'naranjo'. Kendall is so frustrated because try as she may, she cannot say it.

The boys laugh at her and told her that if she could not say 'naranjo', she would get kicked out of Honduras, which is where Michael is from. Totally heartbroken Kendall has asked for my help. And I am absolutely no help. I asked Michael and Jose for help. I asked Jose's mom, even the waiter at Don Pedro's Mexican Restaurant. I cannot get my tongue to work right.

I think the boys have given up on getting her to say ' 'naranjo' correctly, so they have been teaching her other words.

Yesterday I went up to lunch at the school. Kendall and Michael move down to sit by me. Kendall, beaming with pride, says: "Mom, guess what I can say in Spanish?" "What?", I was waiting for the correct was to say 'naranjo'.

"Caca", Kendall yells out with pride. Michael smiles his big, cute smile. His face also beaming with pride because Kendall finally could pronounce a word. I start to laugh. Michael looks at me,"Caca means poop!"

I still chuckle thinking about how proud they both were.

Freankin'!

2008-09-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

Freakin' crap! is all I can say. I finally decided I should change the background on my blog and it is driving me crazy! (Not that I was not CRAZY already Ronda I know!!!!!)

So if I ever figure it out, I will change it. If not - UGGGGGGGGG!

Help me if you can! Where do you all find cute layouts?

Home Coming Rituals

2008-09-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

As this is Rich High School Homecoming Week, last night was the annual bonfire. Where children parade around the giant fire seen from space and nearly fall in with adults standing nearby. Christopher was suppose to help with the Volunteer Fire Department, but had decided that since attending meant taking the three oldest, he would not go.

So...my husband decided to finally have his movie night with his girls. 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' was on the schedule. They all nestled in and watched as Harry felt alone and then sprung to life as the secret teacher of the 'Defense Against the Dark Arts'.

Half way through the movie Ryann decided she had had enough and took me in to watch 'Bratz Babies' - a true horror film for grown-ups. Yet I rent it weekly from the Randolph Country Store because it is the only movie that will keep her attention so I can get something cleaned in my house.

As night fell, the sure sign that the bonfire was over made it's way past our house. There is a tradition here in Rich County, mainly in Randolph because this is where the High School is located, that when any event happens - taking State in sports mostly- you drive up and down every street honking your horn and screaming as loud as you can so every person knows the greatness that is Rich High School.

During the passing of our house the following conversation takes place:

"Dad, they almost crashed in front of our house."

"They almost crashed again"

"Dad, that car almost crashed in to our car."

In response, Dad says, "That is why you will not be allowed to go to the bonfire! Shelly, there were almost three accidents in front of our house. This is ridiculous!" I laughed my head off.

As a Cop, Christopher hated the "HONK-OUT"! He would get so mad that kids were allowed to hang out of the bus windows and scream, wave their arms and nearly fallout. Some kids even hung out the back emergency door. But no one would stop them. It's a tradition for heck sakes!

It has been the same every year we have lived here and it will continue on when our lovely rule following little girls enter Rich High. I am sure that before each of them go to their high school activities, their father will give the "Remember Who You Are" speech and then say "If I see you hanging out of the bus or rushing the bonfire there will be hell to pay!"

It has been too long!

2008-09-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

Life has taken the fast track for us here in the North! I cannot believe that it is the middle of September. So I will do a fast recap of the latest adventures in the life of the Stapel Family - I know all have been waiting for an update!

August was the annual Russell Family Trip to Island Park. We always have so much fun. The kids play, the adults clean up and we party, party, party. We got up close with a mama moose and her calf. We floated down the Snake River. We rode our ATV's all over the place. We spent a day in Yellowstone, where we saw a crazy dingo. We spent a day in Virginia City, MT. Christopher and I are trying to figure out how we can live up in Island Park all the time. We love it up there.

Once we returned home from Vacation, it was Rich County Fair time. Rylie showed a pen of rabbits and Dylann showed rabbits and a lamb - Lola. She did very well - Reserve Champion in Showmanship. The lamb was a little scrawny, so she was one of the last to sell. But Wal-Mart bought her lamb for $4.50 a pound. Thanks to Wal-Mart of Evanston. Kendall showed a lamb for Clover-Buds and got a pretty ribbon. She also showed our new puppy, Chunky, at the Clover-Bud Parade. (Chunky has been now placed in a new home.)

School started August 25th for the three older girls. Rylie now rides the bus an hour a day to Laketown and back. I hate to think of her on the bus that long, but at least I know where she is!

Ryann and Payton started Preschool. A group of moms put together a fun little school. We each take turns teaching. It is nice for Ryann to go and spend time away from me. She loves being a big girl.

So now it is mid-September and it is getting cold. Winter is here for Randolph. I refuse to turn on the furnace, my children freeze! But they have electric blankets on their beds and I do run the pellet stove. I am not ready for the $350 Questar bills yet. But I am afraid I cannot put it off much longer!

Just another day!

2008-07-30T21:40:00.000-07:00

I came home from work today to find:

I only worked for 3 hours today. I figured Rylie would be OK. She tattooed everyone. The girl's are covered in silly drawings and words. Good thing for washable markers. But if Rylie doesn't stop drawing on them, Ryann will never get a clue!

Also, Ryann was half naked. She had a swimsuit top on and no bottoms, jumping on the trampoline without a care in the world. Life would be so easy if we were 3 years old all of the time!

Dylann was doing tricks with Payton. She has Payton lay on the ground while she swings over the top of her in the tree swing. Payton just laughs and laughs.

There is a down side to the hours of fun with the kids home alone. Ryann bit Payton. This is the third bite for the day. I do not know what to do with Ryann. She and Payton fight, Payton hits and Ryann bites. I put her in time out, to which Ryann laughs at me. Any advice out there? I guess she comes by it naturally. My brother was a biter, he was not allowed in Nursery because he bit the other kids. I have not had a biter before, so I do not know how to stop it.

On a better note, I finally have a flower! I grew it all on my own from a seed. Now those of you outside of Randolph will think that is a silly thing to be proud of. Randolph has a very short growing season. by the time we have our last Spring frost, we get our first Fall frost. This year I planted a million seeds in our front flower garden, and this is the first to bloom. Yeah!

Bubblegum, Markers, Pedicures and a New Kitty!

2008-07-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

First, a disclaimer - yes, Ryann is always in her unders. I cannot keep clothes on her! I try to pick the photos that are discrete. I am not a bad mom! She just is a spirited 3 year old!

I am tired of Ronda yelling at me! I have been very busy lately and not able to update my blog. I am sure there are gasps of horror out there every time my blog is accessed because I am not an avid updater. Yea right!

Life is pretty much the same here. Busy, busy, busy. Summer is flying by. School will start in 4 weeks for my very sad children. I must say that I am looking forward to school, the kids are less destructive when they are not toiling around the house all day.

Thanks to Ryann, there is never a dull moment around here. The older girls ask Christopher and I all the time if they were as weird as Ryann is. With each child, they have gotten Weider! Rylie was silly and hated her hair done. She would leave the house with piggie tails and before we hit the car they would be history. Messy was best. She still hates to do her hair. Dylann was rolly polly silly. She had a belly laugh like a man at 3 months. She was in to everything. Kendall is just a ham. She loves to be watched.

But Ryann is all of the above! And not afraid of anything, except loud noises. She spends a lot of time with her hands over her ears. Recently she gave herself a pedicure. The other girls got out the polish while I was at work. Ryann stole it and made herself pretty. Good thing for swimming, it helps loosen the polish from skin.

The next fun came when her and Payton tried to color themselves with markers. Payton wanted to make herself chocolate. We had smelly markers and chocolate was her favorite.

The latest documented fun with Ryann was bubblegum in the hair. It started with her trying to steal the bubblegum at the grocery store. Then on the drive home she popped a big old piece in her mouth, got it all nice and gooey, and POW -- right in the bangs! We tried the peanut butter method. It helped get it from her scalp to almost the end of her hair, then it was scissor time. She now looks like a blond vol kin.

And our final fun is the new kitty - from Ronda - that is near death at every moment. Ryann cannot leave the poor thing alone. His neck is going to be an inch longer than a normal kitty by the time he figures out how to defend himself from her! If it does survive Ryann, it will have to hide from Christopher. He has been out of town for the past week and a half and told his girls "HECK NO!" to a new kitty! Tiger French Fry Stapel, may he survive the Stapel house!

My Grandma Salt

2008-07-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

The past week has been a crazy mess of emotions. Grandma Salt, my mom's mom, who will be 92 next month, is in the hospital. I realize the days are numbered for her. 92 years is a long time to be here in this life, and she is so ready for the glory that awaits her in the next.

It is a major rush of emotion to realize that life is coming to an end. She had a bad gallbladder that caused a blockage which led to pancreatitus. She was at death's door, gave her last testimony, and SURVIVED! She is now in a rehab facility recovering her surgery until Friday. Then it is back to the "Senior Community".

My grandma is the most amazing little woman. She is, maybe, 5 feet tall, with a 10 foot tall personality. I love all of her silly-ness and spunky-ness. She has been through so much in her life. I love to listen to her talk about her childhood, and what it was like raising my uncles. She has such a strong testimony of the Gospel. I am so inspired by her.

Why am I a mom??

2008-07-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I take for granted that I am a mom of 4 cute, silly and wild little girls. I have complained of the fighting and crying over nothing, the messes and - the fighting! But I am so blessed to have my girls!

I was watching a show last night with a mom who tried for 7 years to have a baby, finally having a baby boy. I also watched a very touching video of a young couple who lost their baby boy the day before he was due. I am going to be better about appreciating each moment I have with my girls.

I am blessed to have never have had a miscarriage. I did have troubles conceiving Kendall and Ryann. 4 c-sections were not a blast, but it was worth the pain to get my girls. Each baby had troubles when they were born: Rylie having pneumonia and a pneumothorax; Dylann having trouble keeping her body temperature and being as orange as a carrot for weeks; Kendall with worries of baby diabetes due to the fact she was 9 lbs. 5.7 oz. at birth (12 days early); and Ryann pooping in my uterus and breathing it in. But all are healthy and fun and, did I say WILD!

Rylie is so preteen! She just finished 5th grade and will be bussed 30 minutes each way over to middle school in the fall. Scary! She is not so fond of babysitting the others, but gives it a go when money is involved. She is so grown up.

Dylann is a total girl. She worries about everything and everyone. She copies down numbers off of infomercials on how to save the animals. She wants to join the Peace Corps and save the world.

Kendall is a tomboy. She loves to get out and get dirty, play sports and hang with the guys. She is a rockstar and a pirate. She plays the drums and writes songs.

Ryann is a nut! She has more fun getting in to trouble than staying safe. She loves dirt, being naked - outside where everyone can see - and can find a way to make me crazy at every moment! She is very 3.

I would never trade my life of being a mom. I know I take it for granted and don't always remeber the blessings they each are to my life. I cannot imagine my life without them.

Tagged!

2008-06-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

Joys
1- Being a mom!
2- Grown up conversations!
3- Being with my family!

Fears
1- Loosing my husband.
2- Loosing a child.
3- Dying before I am a grandma.

Goals
1- Be a better member of the church.
2- Be a better friend.
3- Stress less!Current

Obsessions
1- Summer activities for my girls.
2- Counting the letters in peoples names – a new facet of my OCD!
3- Stitching.

Random Surprising Facts
1- I clean my house to the point of ‘ready to vacuum’, but I never vacuum! Let’s say it has gone on long enough!
2- I have many OCD’s.
3- I love sunglasses, but I cannot wear them. They make the spot between my eyes feel all fuzzy.

I will tag my mom. Although it may take her even longer than me to respond.

The Zoo

2008-06-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

We bought a membership to the Hogle Zoo. Of course we live 2 hours from the zoo, but if you take the hord of children twice, you have paid for the year. And we are going to try and go a few more times this summer with Liz and the boys.

Here are a few shots from the last trip. I always wanted pictures like these . . .

Camping

2008-06-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

A few days after the snow, we decided to go camping. We were not going to let a little snow stop us - or the rain that had been pouring down for 7 days straight. So we packed up the truck and headed up the muddy road. Dylann had a panic attack as we slid on the slimy roads. She just knew we were going to go off the road to our demise and no one would ever find us.

We tented it. Not so much fun in the rain, but we are always up for an adventure. So ... the fire would not start. The air mattresses all had holes. Kodiak was fit-to-be-tied, he is not a wilderness dweller. Dylann felt sick and just wanted to sleep. Kendall and Ryann were fascinated with the portapotty. Rylie just knew BIGFOOT was going to leap out of the trees and eat us alive.

At least there were no bugs!

The night was horrible. Good thing I brought a million blankets. We all cuddled up and tried to stay warm. In the middle of the night we were greeted with an ice storm. The tent leaked and all of our blankets were wet.

As soon as we could, Christopher packed us all up and we headed for home. He was not going to stay in the water. Kodiak seconded that idea. He was cuddled up in the back pf the truck as soon as he was allowed.

So much for adventure!

June is flying by!

2008-06-17T15:57:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it is the middle of June! What happened?

We have been frozen up here in the North for so long, it is hard to believe it is really June. On June 11th we woke up to snow. Luckily our end of Rich County only had a skiff, Bear Lake had up to 4 inches. I guess that is what happens when it is too cold to snow. We get a dusting, they get covered.

On a few of the warm days, the kids have gotten into all sorts of trouble. We no longer will purchase sidewalk chalk. It is not used on the sidewalk by our artists. When you add water to your piece of chalk, your sister's skin becomes the canvas! At least it was only washable chalk this time. It is usually permanent markers or ink pads. The blue chalk did stain Ryann's skin so she looked like smurfs had slapped her on the back for a few days.

Maybe Ryann will learn to put her clothes on! ---- NO WAY that will happen!

What can I do?

2008-06-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ryann has been such a good little girl when it comes to going potty in the toilet. Ever since she stayed at her Aunt Liz's house while we were in Germany. Recently, however, it is a crisis!

She loves to go potty outside. The first time we made her tinkle on the side of the road she had a fit! Since most of our travels are in the middle of nowhere and 2 hours long, side of the road stops are common. On the way to Christopher's sister Susie's house about a month and a half ago, Ryann made her first outdoor piddle. By the time we made it to Susie's house, she had to pee again and dropped her drawers on the front lawn.

For the past weeks she has run outside to pee on the lawn. At least we were not having any accidents. And I know mom, she should use the toilet like a human.

Last week she started having accidents. At my mom's last week she peed three times. Friday at the zoo was accident free. But......

On the way home from the zoo, I had to stop at Smith's in Evanston to pick up a prescription. We took a seat on the bench and waited our turn. All of the sudden Ryann yells, "I pooped!" Now we had just barely gone into the bathroom and went potty. As she yells, a special surprise falls on to the bench and she steps on it. Then she is trying to pull her dress off, screeching "I pooooooooped mommy!" Luckily I was right by an end cap of paper towels and Clorox wipes. So I hushed her and scrubbed the bum and the bench. As I was cleaning and convincing Ryann to keep her dress on my cell phone rang. Kendall answered and yells into the phone - "Ryann just pooped all over the store!" Now another customer is standing by the pharmacy staring at my situation. Finally it was our turn to pay for my prescription and we got the heck out of there.

On Saturday we were getting ready for the 'Testicle Festival" in Woodruff. Ryann was out swinging in the tree. As we all came outside to get in the car, Kodiak started munching on a little pile of dodo. We thought is was Tina Wigglebottoms dodo, my dad's tiny dog. As we were discussing how gross it was for Kodiak to eat it, Ryann informed us that it was her poop. Even grosser!

At the festival, we went over to hang out with Christopher while he sat with the ambulance at the rodeo. And again, accidents! Ryann peed her pants! Luckily she was outside of the ambulance. So she had to hang out in her went panties and was forbidden to climb into the rig. We ended up putting a red 'bio hazard' over her butt to get her home. I was a bad mother and forgot to bring a change of clothes.

By the fourth accident on Sunday, Christopher had had enough. All of the accidents have been outside, so minimal cleanup. But after each accident we find Ryann running around naked from the waist down, and not always in the yard.

He sat her down on time out and told her that if she did not go potty in the toilet like a big girl, she would not have a birthday party and turn 3. She was very upset. She told us she was not a 'bad girl' and 'not on time out'.

Well, the threat of no birthday does not work. She had two accidents yesterday and one so far today. When I was cleaning her up yesterday, she told me, "Don't tell daddy. Him said I not have hot dogs!"

**The hot dog thing is because all she wants for her birthday is hot dogs.

At this point I am lost. How can I convince her that she has to go potty in the toilet??

Ryann the Nudist!

2008-05-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Ryann made a run for it the other night after her bath. I was trying to get Dylann in the tub and forgot about Ryann for 2 minutes. I finally found her outside, naked, jumping on the trampoline.

She was so happy, freely feeling the wind on her nakedness. How mean was I to stop her? I let her jump for a few minutes. It was dark outside and no cars were passing by. She was doing the silliest tricks and jumps. I decided I needed a picture. But she needed panties on first.

Apparently panties hinder the creative expression of Ryann, so the tricks stopped. She was very angry with me.

Then she looked over to the Northwest and saw a giant dragon blowing fire into the sky. Some of us grown ups would call it a "sunset". But to this almost three year old, it was deffinatly a dragon!

Field Trips

2008-05-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

School is out for the summer here in the North. Before the end of the year we endured a few field trips. Rylie went to Clark Planetarium while Christopher and I were in Germany. She loved the 3-D movie about Black Holes. Alexa barfed on the school bus on the way to Salt Lake. All the kids sure enjoyed that!

Kendall missed her field trip to the zoo because we were in Vegas, so grandpa and I took her to the zoo the next week. She took a million pictures. Here are a few...

Dylann went to Antelope Island for her 3rd Grade Field trip. Again Grandpa went with us. He is good to tag along on our adventures. We had never been to the Island. It was a smelly drive over the causeway and the gnats were terrible. But the kids all had fun. We saw buffalo (we can see those in Evanston), antelope (see those everyday), bald eagles (again - everyday), and coyotes (see one or two every few weeks here). So we got to see the same old stuff, but in the middle of the Great Salt Lake while being eaten alive by gnats!

It was fun though. And the kids loved it. For lunch we had BBQ Bison Burgers. Never had that before. Dylann loves herself a good hamburger, but not so much the bison! She says it tasted different. I thought it tasted like a BBQ'ed burger.

Lola

2008-05-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

Dylann has officially weighed in her 4-H lamb. Her name is now Lola. It was #12. She is a very stubborn lamb, almost as stubborn as Dylann is. Lola is 76 pounds of attitude.

Dylann is trying to get out every day and tame the wild lamb. Everytime we go out to the field, the other two lambs try and squeeze themselves through the fence in to the neighbors field. Sheep are not so bright!

Here is picture of our neighbors - the Peart's. They had a very crazy way of getting their 4 lambs to weigh in... only in Randolph!