Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Since the first big snow storm came through on Tuesday, my kids and Joey have been sledding four days in a row. Gus and I went the first day (that's were the pictures are from), but haven't been back. Max and Carly can't get enough of it and continue to want to go outside and play in the snow and have yet to say no to sledding! Yeah for sledding! I just hope we still have some snow in store for Christmas!

My Favorite things

One of Gus's favorite things lately is to stand on the counter and stack the extra large plastic tumblers out of the cupboard. They always get too tall and crash off the counter onto the floor, but don't worry, he never follows them down!

Decorating the Christmas Tree

The Saturday after Thanksgiving is the day that we usually decorate the tree. Everyone helped and we got it up with little difficulty and no breakage! Except that I think my camera is dying a slow death. Every picture that I've taken in the last month has been slightly fuzzy? Sorry if you can't make them out!

Pregnancy week 25

As promised here is a picture of me at 25 weeks. I am still feeling pretty good. Only the normal annoyances of pregnancy are bothersome to me. Like sciatic(pain in my butt), a 3:30 am nightly date with the bathroom, the sudden explosion of my butt, thighs, arms, and face(by way of 25 extra pounds), and the dreaded saggy pants(I hate maternity clothes)! Oh, well! It's all worth it in the end, right?

The funny things kids say...Part 2

On our way home from Grandma Cooper's last night, we got into the car and got all the kids buckled in. Every time we go somewhere in the car as soon as Gus is buckled and we start the car, he starts to ask for something. It's a little irritating especially when I don't have what he wants. So, as we start to drive down the road I hear this little voice behind me say,"milk..." To which I sigh and say, "don't have any..." in a really annoyed voice. It goes like this:
"milk..."
"don't have any..."
"milk..."
"don't have any..."
"milk..."
"don't have any..."
"milk..."
"don't have any..."
"milk..."
"Gus, I don't have any milk, we'll get a drink when we get home!"
"He, he, he!"
Then I turn around to see Max say, "milk..." in his best Gus voice, and we all start to laugh! Joey was particularly impressed that Max could keep me going for that long! Nice work kid, you got me good!

A few more snow pics!

I had more pictures in the snow that I could upload at one time, so here are the rest.

...day four!

A mere four days later, it is Nov. 5th. We woke up to this! The first good snow storm of the season. The kids escaped out the back door to make snowballs then Carly, Gus and I made a snowman after Max went off to school. The high today will only get to about 53 degrees but we don't care! The third leaf raking will have to wait till after the snow melts. It has been coming down all day and everyone has been in the snow at least once today!

What a difference four days can make...day one

These first pictures are taken on Saturday Nov.1st. It was a comfortable 72 degrees outside with a slight breeze. We thought it was a good day to rake the leaves in the front yard. Since our three LARGE maple trees drop a lot of leaves, we typically have to rake 5-6 times every fall. Max and Gus got into the action and had a ball jumping and playing in the leaves(one of the good things about the trees).

Yeah! For Halloween!

Here are my cutest munchkins all decked out for Halloween! Gone are the cute and innocent days of Halloween costumes for Max. When I asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween he said a ghost. I thought, okay, that's easy. We cut up the sheet and sewed in some arms. We takled about painting his face and hair white and then he said, "yeah, and I want to have some chains and some blood and, can you cut the ends so it will drag behind me..." Oh, woe is me, next year he wants to be a vampire. Carly though is still enchanted. She couldn't decide between Snow White and a Fairy Princess. So, cute! And we just called Gus "Cowboy Gus". Ride 'em cowboy! When you asked him what he was for Haloween he would point to his suit and say, "COW!"

The funny things kids say...Part 1

Heidi put this on her blog and used Max's story about watching adult movies(if you don't know what this means see "The Horsley Family" blog on my favorites list and read all about it). So, I thought I would add my own version because Carly said something the other day that both Joey and I chuckled about for a good ten minutes...I think it was Sunday and we were at Grandma Vonnie's for dinner. Carly and Paisley were playing house and Carly had brought this plastic cell phone with her that she was using to make and receive calls with. She carried it around all night, then later when we were tucking her into bed for the night, she insisted on leaving the phone in the bed with her while she slept. Joey asked her why she needed the phone and she said,"I want to keep it here in case anyone calls while I'm sleeping!" Tee-hee-hee! I'm sure the fake cell phone will be ringing off the hook all night long! She's soo cute!

The results are in!!!

I had my ultrasound yesterday and we found out what we are having. We asked the ultrasound tech as nicely as we could when going in if she could please make it a girl...she did all that she could, but it was still a BOY!!!!! Oh well, we like boys too! So, we will be checking the registry of the local retirement home for potential names (He!He!). And no, this doesn't mean that we have to try again for another girl. Wendy got lucky, but I'm afraid I would just get another boy. I am happy with my daughter and will be happy with my three sons(get it??). Enjoy the pics...see if you can tell how

obvious it is that it's a boy.

My shout out to Stacy...

I went to Brigham City with my mom and sister, Stephanie, to get peaches to can. As I was getting the water boiling to dip the peaches, I thought of Stacy. You see, the last three years we have canned our peaches together. In fact, she is the one that taught me how to can peaches. As I sat, alone working on my peaches, I sighed and said to myself, "I wish Stacy were here." So, I have finished my canning for the season, but would like to dedicate the following poem to my sister-in-law, Stacy Hutchinson, whom I miss dearly(and can't wait to see), especially during this time of year...

Ode to Stacy

Though the drive to get peaches was rainy and long,

The time that I've spent seems somehow wrong.

The canning is done,

peaches, grape juice, and tomatoes,

There is something missing,

I feel it from my head to my toes.

That something that's missing,

of course, it is Stacy,

But don't worry, when you return

I know you'll do your canning with me!

Play Ball!

Max is playing t-ball again this fall and he still loves it. He is getting better too, he can hit off the tee effortlessly and when Joey is there he pitches to him and he can hit from a pitcher too. He still has no interrest in soccer. Sorry all you soccer fans, I think he's lost to baseball and basketball.

Who said boys don't like to try on shoes!?!

Ok, so these were too cute! Gus has started to try on everyone's shoes lately and one day I was in my room folding laundry and he has playing in my closet. He came out with my big black boots and dropped them on the floor in front of me and said,"boots". So, he proceeded to try on a few pairs. He's so cute!

A New Bedroom for the Kids!

A few weeks ago, Joey decided to remodel the pantry closets in our kitchen. They had a lot of space in them but the space wasn't used very efficiently. He took out the wall in the middle and moved it over to make one side more shallow and added the space to the other side that now has a shelf that wraps all the way around the closet. The shelves are also shorter so stuff fits on them better without the excess space on the top. When the kids asked him what he was doing he told them he was making a new room for them. These are some pics of them playing on their new "beds" before we had to put all the food back in the pantry!

Max's first day of school

So far Max really has enjoyed school. He comes home everyday with new stories to tell and new things that he has learned. Today on the way home, he said, "Mom, do you know what self-concept is? It's what you feel about yourself."

Max started kindergarten on Sept. 2nd. He goes to Bennion Elementary and his teacher is Mrs. Richards. This is Max forming the roof of the school with his hands.

Surprise! Ready for baby #4

Ok, so I've spilled the beans, Joey and I are expecting another baby. This will be #4. Some may think we are crazy(so do we some days), and some may think we are couragous. Whatever the case may be, we are preparing for #4! I am due on Feb. 28th and am feeling fine! I will post a picture of my growing belly when I get one taken! Until then...

Our First Backpacking Trip

Joey has really wanted to go backpacking this summer and hasn't gotten to. So, we decided to take Max & Carly on a backpacking trip. We ditched Gus because it's way to hard to do regular camping, let alone having to hike in and out (sorry, Gus. Maybe next year...). But I shout out a BIG thanks to Janae and Yvonne for taking care of him while we were gone. Anywho, we left on Thursday afternoon and drove up to the Unitas. We started at the Baldy Mtn. trailhead but went around the mountain instead of to the peak. We hiked about two miles in to Notch Lake where we camped. Joey and I carried our big packs, Max carried a fanny pack, and Carly's only job was to be the best hiker and walk. They did really well considering it was our first time. We stayed till Saturday morning,had breakfast, packed up, and hiked out. We did some hiking and saw several different lakes and a herd of mountain goats that were grazing around the lake and cliffs by where we were camping. Very cool!

Our Alaska Cruise

Some of you have asked about the cruise that Joey & I went on last month so since I started this blog, I thought I would post a few pictures of what we did. We had a great time. We saw beautiful, lush, landscapes(mountains, glaciers, small towns, inlets), wildlife(bears, Orcas, sea lions & seals, & eagles), and ate until we popped! I would highly recommend a cruise for your next getaway if you have the means.

I said I would never do this...

So, I know that I said I would never start a blog. Here is another great example of why you should NEVER say never!