The Grapefruit Thief Strikes Again!

We really had permission, but it's still pretty funny to watch the boys picking their own citrus fruit from the orchard on the farm Aaron was working on. Samuel has the best facial expressions, wouldn't you agree? He gets it from his mother. . . . . . We had a lovely vacation, and it was fun to see another part of the U.S. It almost felt like Mexico--but not quite.

What Did YOU do this weekend?

We like to give our pyromaniacs as early a start as possible!!!

Excitement GALORE!!!

I Love This!

The first 3 people to respond to this post will get something made by me. My choice. Made especially for you.

Restrictions and Limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it's going to be, because I don't even know what it's going to be!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The Catch: You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who comment on your post and agree to do the same! So get ready for your mystery treat but be prepared to share the love!Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you get when you get it.

Funny Face Malchy

I am attempting to upload our first video. Up until now, I have not had a video worthy of messing with, but this one, even without sound, takes the cake. I think you will all agree that Malachi has inherited his mother's ability to make faces. We're not sure exactly what the sign language means--but he picked it up after Aaron started racing the boys to see who could put their thumbs up the fastest. We hope you Enjoy!!

I Am ALWAYS Happy. Except when. . . .

I have realized that I have some issues. I am extremely environmental sensitive. See, I have a dear friend who was concerned because I didn't seem 'myself' lately. So I asked Aaron what I am usually like. Do I usually seem stressed, or pretty relaxed? After observing myself over the past few weeks, I have concluded that I am pretty much always happy, with the few exceptions noted below.
I am always happy--except when:

• the kids are making too much noise
• the house is messy
• someone leaves muddy footprints on the floor I JUST mopped
• I am hungry, tired, thirsty, or in pain of any degree
• the lighting is 'gloomy'
• someone eats my brownie
• the kids run around and wrestle instead of obeying all my commands
• we are out of bread
• Aaron leaves his coat, shoes, keys, wallet, or other item where it does not belong
• Aaron asks me to help find his coat, shoes, keys, or wallet that he has lost
• my feet have crumbs sticking to them
• two kinds of music are playing at once (I can't filter noise)
• my hormones are acting up (aka PMS)
• my plans are changed unexpectedly and without my control
• I am in a large crowd of people
• the baby misses his nap
• someone touches me in the face
  

Um, yeah, I think I'm going to have to stop. You probably realize where this is going. The question is, why does my family put up with me? I sure love them (especially Aaron) for accepting me in my happy state. Am I a control freak, or is this all normal?

Cowboys and Milk

Today I am surrounded by cowboys. At first, there was just one, but the other potential wranglers realized how much fun they were missing, and as soon as breakfast was over, they changed out of their "I support Breastfeeding" t-shirts (which, incidentally, they plan to wear ONLY when we are going somewhere with a LOT of people) and came back in jeans and button-up plaid shirts. Except Sammy, he doesn't have any plain jeans, and he lamented, "My only jeans have pooh on dem and they're NOT just plain!" I informed him that most cowboys really wear Carharts and he put on his Carhart overalls. I know cowboys that wear Carharts, don't you? The overalls only lasted for 10 minutes, and then Sam was back in his indian costume so the cowboys would have someone to attack. But I am getting ahead of myself. The breakfast--you know, the one that inspired all the cowboys--well, here are only a few snatches of the dialogue that occurred. I wish I had a tape recorder on during breakfast--today was a riot.

Joe:What is this?
Cowboy Gid: Oh, that's cream cheese. It's purdy good. That's purdy much all we eat out west. 'Cept for cactus and jerky.
Joe: You eat cactus? They have that at Stokes! (our local grocery store)
Gid: Yep. I have to shoot out the spines with mah pistol. 'Cept I don't have a gun, so sometimes I hafta pull 'em out with mah hands.

Mom: What do you want to drink?
Gideon (to Joseph):What do cowboys drink?
Joe: Whiskey.
Gid: What else?
Dad: Coffee
Gid: Do they drink milk?
Joe: No
Dad: Yes they do! All the time, just not when they're on the trail.
Gid: I'll have water.

Cowboy Gid: I found the horse. It was stuck in a cactus.
Dad: Stuck in a cactus?
Gid: Yep. It had a name tag on it.
Dad: Oh? What was it's name?
Gid: (thinking) Bright Star
Dad:That's a nice name! I like it.
Gid: Well, I didn't name it. It was on the tag.

Dad: How many girls do ya have down there in the west?
Gid: Well, Four.
Dad: That's quite a few!
Gid: Soon I'm gonna have seven I think.

Gid: I'm the captain of all the cowboys. Pecos Bill is mah brother ya know.
Dad: What do you do when the coyotes come try to get your cattle?
Gid: We just have an electric fence. Every time the get close then, ZAP, they just get shocked to death. Then they're dead.
Joe: Do you ever find dead ones in the morning?
Gid: Yep. Every mornin'

Dad: What else do you do?
Gid: Well, when the cattle get sick we have to test their blood. We have a shotgun that has a big needle on the end. The needle sticks out. So then we poke it into the cattle and get a blood sample.
Dad: Oh.
Gid: And we can tell if they're sick. If the blood is yellow, then they're gonna die. If it's red, they're okay. And if it's green, they're half dead.

Dad:What do you do when they're sick?
Gid: We just take 'em to their mom, and she gives 'em some milk.
Dad: Does that work?
Gid: Yep! Every time. They just get a sip, and "Poof" they're all better!!
(disclaimer: I'm glad my kids think that mom milk fixes everything, but I do not follow the same practice as cowboy Gid's cows, even though my in-laws think I do :-)

Mud

I think the thing I like the most about building a new house is that you get to have a new house after. One you designed yourself. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's why people do it. And I have to admit, I like our house, and the custom stuff in it. But I have issues with the yard--the layout has promise, to be sure,, and the driveway is aesthetically pleasing (did I spell that right?). The neighbors are scenic (even the dairy is far enough away), the view of Logan is very good at inducing sleep, and we have lots of space, but overall, the yard just squelches. That's right. I said squelches. We have mud EVERYWHERE and the worst part is SPRING HASN'T STARTED YET! I have to say I am very concerned.
Every morning, we try to complete any outdoor duties (like feeding the horse) before the daily mud thaw. If only all the errands of the day were complete before 8:00 a.m.. . . . . but alas, the inevitable treks up and down the muddy lane leave rut after new rut, only interrupted by the freeze at night. After the freeze, the ruts are like little hurdles all over the driveway. This makes taking the trash down potentially fatal. The van brings huge batches of mud into the garage with each new trip, and the mud never has time to dry. The garage is almost as deep in mud as the front yard--making trips the freezer require mud shoes (which incidentally I keep very easily accessible). I have a hard time encouraging my kids to play outside, because I know what will happen.
I could go on and on and on, but I just summarize by saying, I long for the day when landscaping can end the squelch. The end.

We Un-Got a Dog

After two weeks of trial, we have decided, with sadness, that Waldo is not going to be a permanent member of our family. He likes to bite too much. The last two weeks have been an eye-opener for us as we have realized that our boys REALLY need to learn respect for personal boundaries.
Waldo has helped to teach them this, but we are going to need to get a dog that doesn't bite children as a first line of defense. Thankfully, the owners were aware that we needed a two-week trial, and will be taking him back on Sunday. I've also realized that dogs can be a lot of fun when they don't have muddy feet. Thanks for all your notes of congratulations! Maybe we'll get a dog again sometime soon.

We Got a DOG!!!!

It's TRUE! He is a darling seven-year-old and we are so excited. For those of you who grew up with me--you will remember Bouncer and Frontside--Airdale terriers. Waldo (our dog) is a Welsh terrier--looks EXACTLY like Bouncer except he's HALF the size. YAY!!! He is wonderful. Aaron found him on KSL Classifieds which he likes even more than ebay. We're glad to have yet another boy in the family. At least this one comes with a kennel.

Proof of my AWESOME-NESS

I Made BABY SHOES! It's true--I am amazing. Really, I made some because the ones I bought got lost--simply a matter of necessity or desperation (the main motivation behind any and all creativity I exhibit) and here they ARE. Modeled by the boy they were made for--our own little Malachi. If you want to be put on my waiting list, I'll be taking orders--I think they'll be about $60 a pair :-) Actually, I'm really NOT taking orders, but you can make your own if you want! Here's the pattern. Tacky Living Baby Shoes

They were pretty fun to make, and VERY VERY cheap!!! But they took a LITTLE longer than I planned (which is why I'm not taking orders). Please be inspired, and have fun sewing!

Quotable Quotes for the Month

Our friends send their quotes every month--well, here are some I've saved up for a little while. Hope you enjoy them!

Joseph: No, I'm the emperor.
Gabe(cousin): No, I'm the emperor.
Joseph: I'll be the emperor because you are already the second counselor.

Gideon: Quick, Samuel, get out! That's quickdirt!

Samuel: Well, the problem is. . . . . . .

Gideon: Where's my gun? Samuel, will you help me find it?
Samuel: No.
Gideon: Well, you have to help me, or you're following Satan!
Samuel: No you're following Satan 'cuz you said I have to!!!

Joseph: (sniffle) I try to think about other things, but it just stays in my head. And when I lose something that's special, I can't stop thinking about it. And everything is special to me, except little pieces of dirt.

Samuel: All my friends are elves.

Samuel's Birthday Cake 2008

All Right! My cousin Rebecca posted a picture of a cake on her blog--and lo and behold, it is the same cake design that we made for Samuel's birthday. Maggie told me she wanted to make it in July (his birthday is in November) so we had to wait a long time, but during that time, I stockpiled candy (including some from Halloween) and as you can see, managed to load quite a bit on the cake. The idea is from the magazine "Taste of Home (2007)" What a lovely birthday for our little sugar addict. He had a great time--we all got a LOT more sugar than we needed, and now Malachi has a cold. But HERE IT IS!!!!!

And here is my little sisssy--so cute. Sorry the picture is a little blurry. Not only did Maggie do (most of) the cake, but she even came up the day before to help me clean my house. I think she is pretty awesome. I am posting this picture without her permission, so if it disappears, you'll know why.

How Funny Is This?

I was looking through photos today for some for the family calendar, and I found this photo--I have no recollection of this day, but I just thought this picture epitomizes what motherhood is all about.

Samuel is Five

Dear Samuel, the yellow delicious apple of our eye. . . . . .

Happy Birthday! Five years is not too long to enjoy your fun spunky spirit,
your adorable big brown eyes. . . . . . .
your insatiable sweet tooth. . . . . . .
your funky speech (aka "feech")
And your exciting jokes: Sam: Knock knock
Me: Who's There?
Sam: Head.
Me: Head who?
Sam: Head door in the tash tan!!! (trash can) Is that a good one? ha ha!
We sure love our Sammy. Who doesn't? Happy Birthday, Boy!!!

10 things that Make Me Happy

First let me just say, that as I tell my children, happiness is a choice. Nothing can make you happy. You choose be happy in spite of the things happening around you and to you. That said, I compiled the following list (with revised title) after some reflection this past month.

10 Things that Help Me Choose to Be Happy :-)

1. A clean house. If I can't have a clean house, a clean room will do. Just enough that I can walk in, breathe deeply, and release all the tension of the day. Please don't laugh, I'm completely serious. Well, you can laugh, but I'm still completely serious.

2. A pile of freshly addressed and stamped envelopes. This works even if they are just bills ready to mail, but even more so when some of them are letters to people I love. I don't know what it is, perhaps the anticipation of the the excitement of the letter recipients, but mail makes me happy.

3. Milk breath. I love when my babies (not all at once :-) are nurslings and they get done eating and smile at me with their sweet milk breath. Nothin' like it!

4. The song "Happy Girl" by Martina McBride. Brings back memories of when I was dating Aaron and I would drive home for the weekend and play it really loud with the windows of LuLu (the blue Volvo) rolled down for A/C.

5.My sister, Maggie. She has always been my baby sister--the one I tucked in at night and read stories to. Despite my early indoctrination in the art of boy-crazy, she's turning out okay (although she probably would have been better off without it). She is the only sibling that has come to live with me--and she's done it twice! She keeps my cell phone voice mailbox full with calls from Celine Dion (asking me to be a backup singer), Madonna (calling for tips on music), and Veronica from Planned Parenthood (requesting to give me a consultation on birth control methods). Maggie is hilarious! She helps me be happy. We (I mean Matt) even NAMED her "Happy" for a while.
Note: None of my other siblings are allowed to get upset by not being included; you must realize how valuable "Maggie Points" are worth, and none of you live within close enough proximity to be free babysitters :0)

6. The funny things my kids say. I try to write them all down, but I miss a LOT. Today's quote was by Gideon. "Mom, Malachi likes to help clean up so much! He cleans up, and then he gets everything out again so he can do it all over again!!!" So true, so true!

7. Free Stuff. In our family, the cheaper,the better. And when anyone compliments us on something, we're often heard responding, "Thanks! I got it at the D.I./a garage sale/from a friend/from the diving for _______(mega cheap price). Along this note, I also love gag gifts--most of the time.

8. My food storage room. Even before the shelves were filled, it was my favorite room in the house. Ask Larry (our builder). I would (and still do) walk in and look around whenever I need a boost. The shelves are pretty well stocked right now, and although I don't enjoy the canning part, I do enjoy looking at the results.

9. Letters from Aaron. I like to make sure he still loves me, so sometimes I'll read the letters he wrote to me in college--complete with typos and grammatical errors. I'm glad I married him in spite of his hick grammar. (LOVE YOU FARM BOY!!!)

10. The gospel. Not to be my mom (LOVE YOU TOO, MOM) here, but I have a strong testimony that when I follow the commandments, I'm happy. I have tested this theory many times,and I know that God wants us to be happy, He truly does, and He tells us how. I'm thankful for that.

Some Kids Are REALLY Talented!

I just wanted to tell you all, that some kids are SUPER talented. Some kids can magically eat cookies without even knowing it! That's talent, I tell you. BUT SOME KIDS can throw up in their SLEEP and not even wake up! THEN they sleep all night next to a pile of vomit, and awake in the morning, look at their bed and the floor, and say, "How did this get here?" Then you remind them of the previous day where the following dialogue occurred:

Talented One: Mom, if I drink milk, will it make me really strong?

Mom of Talented One (MOTO): Yes! Milk is really good for you.

Talented One: Can I have another glass? (drinks it quickly) I want to be strong!

MOTO: Here you go. Don't drink too much.

Talented One: (running around the room) Look! I'm running faster than I did before! I need to drink more milk so I'll be strong enough to beat up Paul!

MOTO: Okay, I think you've had enough!

And then, of course, you know the rest of the story. Oh wouldn't we all love to have a child so gifted. Oh, and did I mention, this child is mine! You already knew that, but see if you can guess which one!!! I need to go, I'd better finish cleaning up the side effects of being the MOTO.

I swear I've been busy

I've been wanting to post for a bit--the last two posts were actually by Aaron--but I've been busy, I swear. I mean, I don't swear (usually), but I promise! I was going to take a picture of my food storage room and show you all the canning I've been doing, but the camera is out of town. Then I thought I'd upload some pictures of previous Halloweens and show you all the costumes I have sewed (and am NOT currently sewing), but they are not digitized, and I'm not smarter than the average computer scanner. I thought I could take a picture of the leather I am going to make baby shoes for Malachi out of, or the deer carcass outside from the deer we spent two days packaging, but again, no camera. Alas, I don't even have anything worthy enough to essay about, so, to tide you all over until I blog again, I have included the link for one of my favorite movies of ALL TIME!!! And once you watch it, you'll know why. Enjoy!!! THE PHONE CALL

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.