Yellowstone Field Trip

For our September "Field Trip" we went to see some geysers--and a few other things at Yellowstone National Park. We had a fabulous time--even though we didn't see any bears.
Aneesa and the boys, headed toward Old Faithful

Joseph has spotted a bison!!

Malachi and Aaron enjoy living on the dangerous side

Our attempt at a Family Photo with Joseph shooting the picture.

Samuel decided to reproduce some of the Yellowstone wildlife in his own bread dough creations!! This is an elk and a squirrel.

Camping at Mesa Falls

Enjoying the ONLY fire around: Gideon, Joseph Malachi, Aneesa and Samuel

Joseph showing off his baby brother (and the fact that he can hold him by himself)

Mesmerized by the Upper Mesa Falls (or just to cold to move anywhere) :-)

Samuel being his usual photogenic self, at the vaults (you NEED to click on this photo to enlarge it. The expression on Samuel's face is priceless!)

We have a Bobcat at our house!

This is Joseph's first post.

1. I am the oldest son.
2. I earned my bobcat at my first pack meeting.
3. I really wanted my dad to put these pictures on the blog.
4. It took me a while to get my dad to put these pictures on the blog.
   

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Being the (very) lucky mother of four boys, I am often amazed by the male fascination with weapons. Granted we expect it by adulthood, with male collections of swords and guns abounding in the beautiful state of Idaho (and Texas I've heard :-) As a relatively non-violent person myself, I didn't consider the part I would and must play in this male-weapon-dominant world.

First off, I was expected to decide whether my children would PLAY with weapons as wee ones. Well that was easy. I got them a toothbrush. Who knew that I was encouraging violence?! How dare I purchase such an vile receptacle for evil? (incidentally, ever notice that "vile" and "evil" are made of the same letters?) So I tried what I'd heard all good mothers try. "We don't use weapons to hurt other people. You can point that at the mirror, or the refrigerator." That seemed to work for a few seconds, but ultimately, either I ignored the rule breaking, or the weapons never made it out of exile for more than a few minutes. Then they resorted to using my chopsticks. A few weeks ago, my friend said she heard someone else using this same weapon management technique. The mom insisted that the children not hurt other people, and they could kill animals for food. Next thing she heard was the children, eagerly claiming, "Ok, I'm a bear!" "I'm a deer!" "You're a rabbit!" as they continued to aim their dangerous (plastic) weapons at each other.

After the beginning episodes of violence with a killer toothbrush, I resolved not to get my children weapons that would encourage any vile tendencies that may be lurking in their pre-programmed hunter minds. I asked Gideon what he wanted for Christmas. "A toy gun," he stated matter-of-factly. Sure that this was a planted answer, I asked, "What else?" He calmly and quickly piped, "A sword." I tried again, "What do you want that's not a weapon?" Here he paused and gave some serious reflection, and then said, in the same tone as before, "Um, a bat." I gave him cowboy boots.

It all lasted until the Christmas where loving friends and family made sure my boys received a cork-shooting pop gun, followed by a birthday complete with cap pistols and ammunition. Right there on the package it said "not for children under the age of 8" but somehow, my 6 and 4 year old figured out how to open the complex cardboard packaging. At first, I thought it was a conspiracy, and perhaps it really is, but I gave up.

So I have resigned myself to being the mother that gets judged for encouraging violence. It's true, I have now even purchased weapons myself. It was one of the happiest finds I have ever made. I was shopping at King's, and I found them, the most glorious invention in the weapon world, FOAM SWORDS! I bought three. Yesterday, I went back and bought four more. Oh happy day! They don't HURT but they still make a satisfying "Whap" when hit on the wall or other flat surface (such as the back of a small child). And I haven't regretted my purchases for one second. So there. And I'm not alone. A friend in New Mexico is SuperMom. She bought twenty and lets the neighbor kids play with them. She even gave me some, and I am trying to follow in her footsteps!

I did manage to mostly limit my children to assasinating family members and not pointing weapons at strangers. I recounted an episode (heard from my ever reliable older brother) about a policeman who ended up shooting a young boy who threatened him with an authentic-looking water pistol. That put Gideon into line. He left his cap pistol at home during a field trip to the police station, where he very gravely asked the officer on duty what would happen if he pointed a pretend sword at an officer. She spluttered for a moment, and finally looked at me for an explanation, which I gave, a trifle red in the face.

I'm amazed at how sensitive this issue can be. At a recent family gathering, my dear uncle pulled me aside after he had been "stabbed" twice with a homemade knife (duct tape and cardboard) and asked if I would like to know the weapon policy at their house. Always open minded, I said, "sure!" He proceeded to tell me how when his children were young, he promised them that if they wouldn't play with pretend guns, he would purchase them a pellet gun or a BB gun when they turned ten. Then they held target practice in the basement with foam targets (of course never shaped like a human). I thought this sounded great, and I told him so, (this was said in a NON sarcastic tone),

"Oh that sounds great. We don't usually play with guns at our house, we're mostly into swords. So would you recommend that we tell our children not to play with pretend swords until they are older, and then we could get them a real sword when they turn ten?" He was a little flustered, and said he didn't think that would apply in this situation!

Now, I would like to say, to all you moms out there who can teach your children that weapons are bad, and not to kill each other, I hold you in the highest regard. I also hope to be there someday, but right now, I have to say, I find that a little healthy swordplay goes a long way!

Pickleville Playhouse: MUST SEE!!!

While we were at Bear Lake last week, we all went to see Chuck Wagon's Wild West Showdown at Pickleville Playhouse. Okay, I admit, I'm partial to Melodramas. But to those of you within 50 miles, or maybe 75, this is a MUST SEE!!! Seriously, I have never seen such a well written, fresh, HILARIOUS production. T.J. Davis (the villian) wrote the play from what I understand, and it is not your typical melodrama with the same old re-used lines. My favorite thing about melodramas is the audience participation. Joseph ran up and threw popcorn at the villian three times!! The third time, the villian, Juanito Bandito, chased him back to his seat and dumped Joseph's popcorn bucket on his head. Joseph was thrilled to play such an important role in the production!!! I'll get a picture up later, but I wanted to post before it's too late to attend! I think the Pickleville season ends soon.

Bear Lake Burn Days

We all went to Bear Lake last week to get our annual sunburn. Mine was the worst, as I had sprayed my back with that spray-on sunscreen, which, although there was air coming out, apparently was empty. So now I have a lovely burn on my back which clearly shows the lines from my swimming suit. It brought back memories!!! I have LOTS of burn memories from Bear Lake. The boys escaped relatively unscathed--with only a few red spots on arms and just a dab of a burn below their eyes. Of course, you wouldn't know it was minor to hear them complain!!! They must have got it from me :-). . . . But we had a great time with my family. Malachi especially enjoyed the beach--he's never been before. And sandcastles and shell collections prospered!!!

This is Samuel and his BIG MUSCLESS!!!!

Malachi was in HEAVEN with the sand--never has he been allowed to play in the dirt for so long!
Here's the three older ones cooperating on a sand castle. See if you can figure out who the master engineer/overseer is and who the peons are :-)

And Dad, this one is for YOU!!! Here is Malachi driving your boat. Doesn't he look so natural there? Hopefully, he'll be a better boat driver than his mother. This is ALMOST the look on his face that I have been trying to capture for a year. It's a combination of laugh, snort, and squint. I'll get it, just you wait.

I Wish I Were Me

I've come to the realization that my young women leaders were right. Not in every aspect, as I still think wearing chiffon sleeves that show your underwear is tacky, but when they told me that no one has a perfect life, they were right. It took me fifteen years to believe them, but here I am; I have arrived at the realization that I wish I were me, and no one else.

In college, I went to nursing school with a pretty special group of (mostly) girls. They were talented, funny, cute, and of course, smart. I was awkward, boisterous (to say the least) but pretty good looking (if I do say so myself). But there was one girl who I wanted to be. Despite my young women leaders warnings, I so wanted to be her. She was tall, thin, SO thin and I knew she didn't have to work to be thin. She was SO smart, and full of laughter, fun, and sparkle. Her eyes were full of light, and she captivated every room she walked into. Seriously we all flocked around her, and her laugh was so contagious, I can still hear it clearly, and I graduated in 1999. I basked in her company when I could, and managed to make it through school as myself, captured a wonderful husband, and began on my own.

Four boys and ten years later, I found myself wondering why I had to be me. So many days are full of dishes, (both dirty AND broken), band-aids, crying, decisions (I HATE decisions), frustration, more decisions, vacuuming, broken crayons in the dryer, explosive sneezes (streams from both nostrils), bum-wiping, light sabers, man-made spiderwebs in the yard (climbing rope goes a long way) and a daily quota of quarreling and wrestling. We began to build a house and being one who hates decisions (I usually put them off until it's so late that one of my options has been eliminated so I don't have a choice anymore) I began to be a woman I refer to as "grouchy mom." I told my kids that "Grouchy Mom" comes out after 8 pm so if they don't want to see her, they'd better be gone before then. Some days, she arrived earlier, especially on days with too much sugar, or where the weather didn't allow any outside playtime.

Grouchy mom became intertwined with me for more time than she should have, and I found myself wishing for a break, and looking at others around me, wondering why they all seemed to have a better life than I was living. I saw a picture of my friend from nursing school. She was featured in the Friend magazine. Her dad had just been called to be a General Authority, and the family photo was included in his introduction page. She looked just as beautiful and amazing as ever, and it looked like at least two of the boys in the photo belonged to her, maybe three. I thought to myself that it would be funny if we both had boys, but she looked so put together, I was sure she was a better mom than I was. Better mom, better student, better person. Well, I was right. We got together at a dinner gathering. I have no doubts that she is a better person than I am. And she does have it all. She has cancer.

Alisa, my dear dear friend, if you're reading this, I hope that it doesn't make you upset. But I want you to know, that watching the way you live your life has made me want to live mine better. I don't know if you would want to trade places with me, but I doubt it. I think that I am just a little slow in learning that life is best lived if you live where you were placed in it. And where we were placed, all of us, is pretty dam good. I wish I were me.

Our precious son has turned ONE! I can hardly believe it. He is a joy--some of the things we like the best:

• He's said "Mama" since he was one month old. I think he is finally starting to understand what it means.
  
• He is always excited to see us (Mom and Dad) and USUALLY excited to see his brothers (depending on how much wrestling they have been subjecting him to)
• He has the most adorable smile in the world
• He sleeps through most nights (finally)
• Playing peek-a-boo
• He can climb ladders faster than his older brothers
• He loves to carry baskets around and fill them with things
• I love when he scrunches his nose up--haven't got it on camera yet
  
• Finally--he only throws Aaron's toothbrush in the toilet and leaves mine alone (although mine has been mysteriously missing for almost a week . . . . . . . . . )

I could hardly get any photos of him at ALL because he is SOOOO fast for a 1 year old!!!! Happy to be mobile. Thanks Rebecca for the bday hat idea. We made it that morning and the boys thought it was lots of fun!
Boys are lots of fun, but it is always fun to have a little one to cuddle as much as we want. We're thankful God sent him to us.

Birthday time again for both Joseph and Gideon this time at Grandma Carol's house with the Beutlers. The boys helped decorate the cake. Isn't it great???

Happy Birthday to our two July- born boys, Joseph and Gideon. We had a little help from Samuel on the candles. This is the celebration at Grandma Dona's house. Abigail was delighted for the company while her parents were in Alaska

Here is Our House

To those of you who keep asking to see our house but won't come up to see it, HERE IT IS!!!! Notice the bulldozer tracks in the front "yard." Sorry it took me so long to post pictures, but frankly, it took me that long to get the house clean enough to WANT to post pictures. Anyone else who takes 2 months to clean the house can call me friend!!!
This is the view from the front entry way. My mom and I spent 6 hours laying out the travertine tile border. I kept telling her how much fun it was, and I'm not sure if she was convinced. I really did have fun, but neither of us could straighten our knees for two days afterwards. The fireplace was done by my DEAR AMAZING TALENTED family. It is awesome, as are they!!


This is the great room/dining room/living room/kitchen. Loud, but lots of fun. Notice the fabulous wreath by my sister next to the fireplace. I have such an artistic family, I still don't know how I manged to get completely left out of the that loop!!
This is the kitchen--I LOVE all the cabinet space, and my massive island, and my countertops. I love it all, and I love to cook, so we're all good.
This is the family room/school room. I think I'll start calling it the Discovery Room. Nice ring? And then everyone will look at me all confused all the time. That's always fun. What you can't see is the trapdoor in the ceiling that leads in the Pirate Play room. The boys love it and Malachi can climb the ladder all by HIMSELF!!!
This is the hallway; the little door was my Dad's idea, and we really like it. It was worth all the flac from the builder! The white door is the laundry closet, and the brown big door is our bedroom.
I TOLD you we were going to have a urinal. Here is the boy's bathroom--the tile is going to be redone, but otherwise the bathroom has worked out well. Also included is a 4 1/2 foot tub (standard is 5 ft).
Here is the master bathroom. There is a reason the trash is in the tub and he has a name. What you can't see is the shower that we LOVE! Those of you who saw our last house and bathroom KNOW WHY!!!
You are now looking at the MUD room--a necessity!!! Can't tell you how much I love this room and love this room and love this room. . . . and the lockers! Housewarming gift from my parents. Love them too!!! (the parents more than the lockers though)
Last--here is the Southwest view--I took lots of pictures of views, but I like this one and am tired of posting. So enjoy. The jungle gym is on semi-permanent loan from my brother and his wife--they are sweet too. You're all sweet, and now you should come and visit us in real life!!!! Hope you enjoyed the tour. It took me an hour to fix the photos!!!

My Favorite Shoes

So I'm not a person who collects shoes. I wear shoes (mostly Chacos) when I'm going somewhere, and I DID spend $40 on a pair of Sunday shoes once. Otherwise, I get a new pair of running shoes annually, and throw away an old pair. BUT I have to say, that I found some shoes to go CRAZY over! While we were living in New Mexico, my dear friend Lore' Nygren showed me some of her AMAZING CREATIONS. I was in heaven. She makes the most adorable, exciting, funky shoes, and I love them. And I have four pairs of them. And they are girl shoes. And I have four boys. Ahh, the irony of it all. But for those of you who have girls (or wish to have girls), you too can ogle. Incidentally, I think the only reason I would WANT a girl is so I could put these shoes on her.

Attempting to Win Something

Don't we all do it at some point? Well, the following was too tempting for me not to post:
Win the Complete Babywearing STASH http://www.alongfortheride.biz/contest-s/49.htm">
Scroll down for a picture of me wearing my Mei Tei--a staple for any mother of four!!!

You're never Fully Dressed Without a Burp

We went to New Mexico a couple of weeks ago--Aaron was working and I thought it would be fun to visit friends. Well, I quickly discovered that vacation as a single parent is NOT a vacation. We did have some fun though! While we were there, I got my official children's photograper (whom we have yet to replace after we moved 2 years ago) to snap some photos at the park. Thanks Jen! I do know that the number of photos per child is slightly out of balance, but you have to know that the only way to get a genuine looking smile out of our sweet Gideon was to have him belch. He thinks that is pretty funny--if only the pictures had sound effects--the above was right after his proudest belch of all.

don't touch my foot

Why I love my Kids

Aaron and Malachi--Do you think they look alike?

TIME TO PAINT!!!!!

Everyone keeps telling me I need to update my blog or no one will look at it. So I'm updating, so you can all look. The real reason I haven't been on is because we MOVED into our new house, and internet was down for a while, and then I was (and still am) unpacking and then we started school (we home-school all summer too so we don't go insane) and THEN (see I am full of excuses) I didn't have any pictures of the house which is what everyone wanted to see. Well, I still don't. So you'll have to wait. But here are a few glimpses of why I love my kids.

Behold, the Beautiful Beutler boys:

Beware of Monster Joseph. Very very scary.

The Sweet Gideon we knew was there all along

And Finally, this is how I get things done. Behold, the Multi-tasker! Thanks to my cousin for the Mei Tei. I LOVE it!