Playing Catch Up

Where has the summer gone?  I can't believe school is about to start.  My flowers are all going to seed and I didn't even get one picture of my yard....Sorry Alvin. I promise, next year.  I would go out and snap a picture now, but I have been making a mess of it again, if you can believe it....Those who know me well would believe it.  I am always in need of a project.

July just kinda passed in a blur.  It was the last month I would get to spend with my sister and her family so I think I had kinda conviced myself that the month would never end.  But before I knew it, it was over and we were sending them off to Oklahoma.  These last few years have been so much fun being so close to her. We are going to miss them but are also excited for their new adventure in life!

The next week we took off to Laramie for Caleb's baptism.  I always dread getting in the car for the trip to Wyoming.  I must be a pessimist. I am always expecting the worst.  The kiddos always surprise me though.  We usually have a few meltdowns but we always make it.

 YEP. That is in her nose. Amazing how they figure things out like this all by themselves. It entertained her for quite sometime so I just laughed and tried to ignore the voice in my head telling me that it would break off inside her nose and get stuck up there. Then, we would have to stop by the emergency room which would only add a few hours to the 8 hour trip. Luckily that voice was wrong and we continued on our way.

 I don't know what we would do without a DVD player. Best invention ever.  We had to buy a new one and Tyler was tring to convince me that we needed to buy a regular TV screen and somehow put it in the car. Luckily, I listened to the voice in my head this time as I envisioned having to slam on my brakes and having the TV go flying through the car and through the front windshield.  Yeah....we just settled for the 7" screen.

 We made it without a problem.  It was so fun to see everyone...especially all those cute babies.  We made it to Caleb's baptism, which was special.  It amazes me how time does fly.  The first time I went home with Tyler while we were dating Caleb was just a few months old and now he is 8!  8 years have passed! Crazy! 

Aiden has a new obsession. Guns! I really struggle with it, but I think it is here to stay.  He shoots his nerf and pop guns all day long. Tyler and grandma have been supplying him with guns and targets.  Tyler had to go buy his own nerf gun because Aiden wouldn't ever let him have a turn.  Now they have targets and stations. They go at it ever night.  Grandma gave aiden this pop gun that we played with when I was a kid.  I understand why she wanted it at my house and not hers.  I have scratches and holes all over my walls and (sniffle, sniffle) on my new cabinets!

While in Wyoming, they had a nerf war (Picture Above).  Aiden was in heaven. I think Tyler enjoyed it just as much.  He insisted on wearing sunglasses even though it was indoors because that is what they do on TOP SHOT.  He thought it was pretty neat. 

This little girl is starting to get quite the personality.  She has got a little bit of 'tude but she is pretty darn cute.  She isn't scared of anyone.  Everytime we go to the store she runs around saying hi to anyone and if they dont say she just screams HI louder and louder. These two kiddos a one big ball of energy but I wouldn't trade them for a thing.

February

Wow! What a month. It just seemed to fly by. Once again, didn't get many pictures. My camera is broken again. I think it is time for a new one. I did manage to snap a few and the rest are courtesy of my sister.

The highlight of our month was a trip to California. Normally this would take months of planning and preparing myself mentally for a trip of this sorts. But at the beginning of the month my sister asked me and my mom if we wanted to go to California. My brother and his little family live in California. He is getting out of the Marines in a matter of weeks and we knew we wouldn't have an opportunity to visit again. So we packed our five kids and us three women into my sisters van and took off to California. It was so much fun. We did feel a little guilty for having so much fun without Tyler, but he was such a good sport about it. The beach was a hit and we loved spending time with Randan, Kenzie and Emma. Thanks guys for putting up with us.

The first exciting part of the trip was our stop in Vegas to eat. My mom kept throwing food to these pegions and the kids just thought it was hilarious, especially Shelby.

This picture is proof that we did start out in clothes. It was cold, but we couldn't keep these kids out of the water. I actually hadn't even packed swimming suits thinking my kids would hate the cold water, but on a whim I bought some suits in Vegas. Shelby's clothes got dreched in a matter of seconds. We look a little silly with swim suits and sweaters on, but looking good takes the back seat to staying warm in my book.

Aiden loved running from the waves. He was a little nervous and someone had to hold his hand the entire time. This was fine with me. I am terrified of the ocean. Everytime I go there I am reminded how powerful it is.

Unlike Aiden, this girl had no fear at all. You had to watch her like a hawk. She would just take off running into the ocean, get knocked down, get up laughing and go in for some more.

These two guys are best buds. They had so much fun together. I don't know what we are gonna do when they move this summer. The thought brings tears to my eyes.

Such a fun trip. I don't know why we don't do it more. We really don't live that far from the ocean. I have already started planning another one in my mind so we can include Tyler in our fun.

All the kiddos: Maycee, Shleby, Aiden, Dylan, Kelsee and Emma (Of course my kids are the only red faced ones) Thanks again Randan, Kenzie and Emma for having us. And thanks Jess for letting me join your party. And thanks mom for being the entertainer. We had a blast!

January

A new year and a fresh start. One of my resolutions for this year is to be better about taking pictures and blogging about the happenings of each month. While I didn't take many pictures, I am blogging.... baby steps I guess.


Aiden started the year by attending Primary as the youngest Sunbeam. I thought that he would love it, but boy was I wrong. For the first three weeks he just cried that he wanted pretzels and treats. I am sure me being up in primary has not helped the situation. I think he has adjusted and likes being a big boy.

Aiden on his first day of Primary!

These two hooligans keep me hopping. Shelby thinks Aiden knows it all and does absolutely everything he does. Aiden dictates whether Shelby takes a nap, whether she will eat her food, and just about everything else. Everytime we walk out of the door, someone comments on how much they look alike. It is funny. We just cut Aiden's hair and Shelby's is starting to grow so maybe we won't get as many comments. If I don't have that girl decked out in pink and a bow in her hair most people think she is a boy.

And the most exciting news of all is that Shelby finally has a room! If you remember about 6 months ago I told you we were starting this project by spliting our master bedroom in half. Our two week project was grossly underestimated. Somehow Tyler managed to squeeze in framing and drywalling into his crazy schedule. Little does he know, we have only just begun. He is teaching me how to do it all and tells me that I am doing the rest of the house all by myself. But if any of you know Tyler, I son't think he would be able to let me do it. Unless it is perfect he wants to rip it down and start over, and he knows that I produce andything but perfect work. Anyway, here it is. I know it is a little loud and crazy so you may want to get some sunglasses before you scroll down.

Up next, our master bedroom. Tyler is rested up and ready to go. Hopefully it will be finished this month and you will see the masterpiece next month!

What we've been up to

You have probably been wondering if we are still alive. Well we are alive and well. We have had a busy summer of projects and playing. Here is our latest project.... This is our master bedroom, well half of it. It is an enormous room. It was originally two bedrooms, but the previous owner knocked down a wall. I need a bedroom for Shelby, so we are putting it back up. That sounds like a really easy job, right? I thought it would take a week or two. I failed to recognize all the work that needed to be done. The paneling needs to be taken off and the drop ceiling needs taken down. Of course there has to be plaster behind all of that so that needs to be taken out and then we can dry wall and put a wall up. I guess now I know why it has taken me a year to convince Tyler it was time to tackle this project.

Here is our ongoing project...The Yard. We started this in the spring. I know it still looks kinda messy but believe me it is an improvement of last year. We put in a new sprinkler system and took out a lot of grass to make lots of flower beds. I know it is hard to see but I am hopeful next year they will be packed with flowers.

Here is the other project that has swallowed a lot of my time, but is one of my most proud. My Garden. When I put the seeds in the ground I was not expecting anything to come up, but boy was I wrong. I have a garden people! I actually did it. Try not to notice the dead grass at the bottom of the picture (that's next years project, tyler just doesn't know it yet!) I have tomatoes growing on the vine. I have already picked a bowl full of peas, and a bucket full of summer squash (my favorite!). I also have carrots, beans, corn and pumkins. I also planted some cabbage, but got some pretty flowers instead (I swear that is what the package said, CABBAGE, oh well). Having a garden is a lot of work. Lots of weeding and watering and feeding, but I am so excited. The food really does taste better when you grow it yourself!

Shelby is starting to walk. She is such a funny little girl. She is just discovering that she likes to be the center of attention. She is quite the entertainer. She is lots of fun and I can't believe it has been almost a year since she graced us with her presence!

And then there is this wild man. He still loves his dad and counts down the hours til he comes home. He loves his sister and loves having a playmate. I have learned that I can't leave him alone for longer then a few minutes. I was having a primary meeting at my house a few weeks ago and noticed that he was nowhere to be seen. So I excused myself for a few minutes and ran to my bathroom to find him with a sharpie in one hand and my mascara in another hand. It was everywhere, floor, walls, cabinets, mirror, door, shower. I manged to clean most of it off. I thought of taking a picture, but honestly I don't want to remember it. Markers are off limits now.

In June we made a trip to Wyoming for Tyler's class reunion. We had such a fun time. We went to the parade and fireworks. Tyler's parents own a few greenhouses. I was in heaven. They were so sweet to send me home with anything I could fit in my car. I am also super excited about the peonies they dug out of their yard for me. I can't wait til next year so I can see them. I am just praying they come up. I also got a clematis I am so excited about to go over the little trellis/arbor they also gave me. It was fun to see Tylers family, we don't get to see them enough. We keep hoping that one day we will acquire a jet or something to make traveling much easier.

Tyler is staying busy with the cows and our house. He is a goof ball and always keeps us laughing. He is such a good dad and husband. He laughs at all my ideas. The funny thing is, he doesn't even know half of the stuff I want to do to this house. It will be pretty tricky getting him on board.

I ran a 5K a few weeks ago. My friend Annie convinced me I should do it with her. I trained for a few weeks with her and told myself I would just take it nice and easy. Being the competitive idiot I am, I totally killed myself. I don't know what is wrong with me, but I couldn't handle people passing me. I finished in 2nd place in my division with a time of 25.54 I am definitely feeling the pain this week. I can barely walk, let alone run. My kness are killing me, and my ankle swells whenever I run. I am such a dummy. What was I thinking....Not running for nearly 3 years and then running as hard as I could for 3 miles! I thought my competitiveness had died with my college days. Apparently I was wrong.

Where does the time go?

I just can't believe it is May already. And when did my children get so big. I feel like I have blinked and now Shelby is crawling and Aiden is talking up a storm. Here is just a little update on the family and what we have been up to.

Shelby has two teeth and has been crawling for a few weeks. She hates being on her knees and I wouldn't be surprised if she is walking in a month. She can stand without any support for a while until she gets a little too excited. She is a funny little girl and loves attention. She will squeal and sing to anyone who looks at her. She loves her big brother and screams the entire time she is awake while he is napping. She was definitely meant to be the younger sibling. She takes Aidens abuse with smiles and giggles.

Aiden is getting to be such a big boy. He loves to play hoops and run around outside, but his favorite thing to do is "feed tows"(cows) in the "big trutch" (truck) with his dad. It has become the sunday tradition. Aiden is starting to catch on. While he use to scream as I talked about going to church, now he associates feeding cows with church and I am sure that is all he talks about in Nursery.

As for Tyler, I have kept him pretty busy. I had been making plans all winter for my yard. I guess I failed to mention this to Tyler. One day I told him everyone was coming to rip apart our yard and put in new sprinklers. I don't know how excited he has been about the project, but it is coming along. A big thanks to Roger for helping...I mean doing...the sprinklers. And for the past few months Tyler has been faithfully pulling up sod where I want flower beds, hooking up the water, tilling up the garden and about a million other things.

My time is filled is yard work, primary and two kids. I wouldn't have it any other way. Life is good and I can't complain.

New Do

I decided it was time for a change. I always do this. I spend years growing my hair out and then on a whim, I chop it off. Well this time I CHOPPED it off. I can't even get myself to post pictures of it yet. I was going for something like this...
Or even this.....

But instead I got this.....

Funny story....I had just finished drying my new do, and I looked up in the mirror and about had a heart attack, yep...I thought Justin Bieber was starring back at me. I ran into the other room and said to Tyler, "I know who I look like!" He took one look at me and said, "Justin Bieber?" I started screaming and ran into the bathroom and put makeup on and a bow in my hair to regain a little femininity. This morining I found Tyler looking at me funny and after a while he said, "You really need to fix your hair, you really look like Justin Bieber again."

Good thing it is just hair and it will grow back. I am really enjoying how easy it is to get ready, but I find myself raiding my daughters hair bows just to feel like a girl. I guess if you want to see it, you may have to visit in person because I am going to hide from the camera for at least a month.

Kitchen Update

Many of you have been asking about the kitchen. Here it is. It is almost finished. Just some beadboard to cover that pine by the back door, touchup paint and baseboards! I don't know who is happier me or Tyler. It sure is nice and it is exactly what I pictured in my mind.