Lewis and Clark Adventure

The Parents

2009-12-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday! Dan turned 40 in May. How about some Pie!!?? He is still just a kid at heart and I love to hear him laugh. I just love him! He is a great dad and a good example to us. He tries to do what is best for us and he takes care of us very well. There is me~I am happy. Now you can go on and enjoy the next post with lots more news!

December 1, 2009

2009-12-01T10:08:00.001-08:00

Per Margie's advice, I am leaving this picture here It actually belongs down with the paragraph about the picture, but I accidentally deleted it once and cannot get the picture back where it belongs. If this is confusing, please feel free to call me and I will walk you through the posting--no charge!

Brent Homecoming 2009

This picture belongs down with the other Homecoming picture of Brent and Lacie. I accidentally deleted this picture as well, but wanted it on here. Isn't he handsome?

August 19th--Brent went on his first date! He and his friend Allen set up the date for the last day of summer vacation. Brent had a great song he wanted to play that was about the end of the summer. They went to the park and ate by Candlelight (It was lunchtime). Then they played frisbee and other games and they all had a ton of fun. They came back to our house to listen to music and play cards. I loved listening to all of the fun. Dan and I are soooo amazed we have a child old enough to date. Time keeps on tickin', tickin', tickin' into the future.....

September 4th was Rebekah's 7th birthday. Kristin, Rebekah and I made a Barbie Cake for the occasion. Rebekah asked for this cake a year ago, so we had fun fulfilling that dream.

Grandma Clark made this baby doll blanket for Rebekah--it matches the blanket that Grandma made for Rebekah to match her new room.

Rebekah got a microphone that sings a song when you push the button from Grandma Lewis. Now, combine a microphone with 2 doll blankets and you get a concert --with curtains! The cousins all took turns "singing". They held the blankets up in front of who ever was singing until someone said,"Hit It". We got some great video of everyone. It was sooo much fun.

Now we come to Brent's first formal dance--Homecoming. Here in Rigby they do "Day Dates" so the group of couples that Brent was with hung out starting after lunch. They went somewhere and played Pool and jumped on a trampoline and stuff like that. They all went home and got dressed up and met again for a formal dinner. We had the honor of hosting the picture session. Brent's date, Lacie, has a sister and her mom who take pictures professionally. So, we got to see all of the couples dressed up. Brent had soo much fun. If you are wondering, the girl

with Brent is the same girl he went on his first date with. They are great friends and I just love her.

Here is Kristin ready for a Young Women in Excellence night.
They all dressed up in Prom dresses and had a formal evening. They talked about being princesses and the room was decorated like a wedding reception. It was very nice.

(Insert picture from the top)

OK. This is Tyler being silly while I was trying to get a picture of him. It is so real life for him. So fun-loving!

Rebekah's room! The first picture shows her room color as it really is. A grey purple. It is really pretty. Rebekah is holding the blanket Grandma Clark made for her. I am not sure why the other pictures came out more pink, but you get the whole idea of her very girly room!

Rebekah and I love the butterflies right at her bedroom door.

I have an office! The kids have done stamping in there and spread out other projects. Rebekah had a charm she wanted on a neckolace and I was able to go right to the beads and have a space to make the neckolace. I love having access to my stuff and a place to enjoy it! We also hung all the pictures from under our bed in here. I love to see them all hung up to enjoy. Tyler is in band. He is learning to play the Trombone. Go Tyler!

Kristin's room! It is soo peaceful in there. She likes to have lots of colors and we were able to incorporate what she likes into a peaceful setting. I wish the colors were better on the camera. The carpet is really just a light brown. The yellow on the wall is more calm than this picture shows, as well.

Kristin's toy hanger there has butterflies clipped to it. Very cute. She loves having her own space. I am glad we decided to give her her own room now instead of her continuing to share with Rebekah. She is glad, too.

Tyler's room! He likes to leave things a little bit more unkempt than Brent does, so this is another child who is excited to have his own space. He has a board with wheels under his bed that he pulls out to play legos on. He leaves his legos set up how ever he wants--I just request a walk space for safety reasons : ) We love the black with the green walls. The planet bedspread looks great, too.

We bought this black card table from Margie with the intention of using it in Ty's room for his desk. The picture in the corner is a charicature of Tyler as Indiana Jones. Fun, fun.

Brent's room! In the next picture down, you can see the color of the dark wall in Brent's room. He loves that color. The light blue is a bit darker than we planned, because the origional light blue didn't match, so we added the dark to the light until it matched. We love the results and Brent is very happy.

Brent has built in shelves in his room. He has Lego creations and Bionicle creations and momentos. His own space. Have I mentioned that? Well, I can tell you that the kids have lots of "sleep overs" in each other's rooms. I love that they like to be together. they have a choice of being together or having there own space. Sounds good to me!

Notice Brent's poofy hair. He wasn't feeling well the day we took these pictures, so we thought we would show you what his hair is like when it is not offically combed. It gets even poofier!

The stereo in this picture is Dan's old stereo with some of Dan's speakers. Dan is nice to share. Brent loves having music on. We had to experiment with how loud he could have it at different hours of the day. : )

And now, the bathroom! I love this room. Dan and I picked the wood -hickory- and a friend of ours made cabinets for us. I went to Dan's cousin's tile shop and the Interior Designer helped pick out tiles that I absolutely love! The color is truest in the picture on the left. The one on the right is the sink backsplash. The counter is quartz --a reminent from the tile shop. There are two sinks in this bathroom with a tall, skinny cupboard between the sinks.

Here is the shower border. The tiles that look purple are actually grey-blue. Love it!

This is the cupboard in the bathroom. It shows the wood really well. The wall is a calm grey-blue. I was very nervous about getting the right color here, and I am very happy with the results. I love having a bathroom downstair. I also love how it is so easy to put the towels away in this bathroom. Not very far from the laundry room. It is the little things in life that make me happy!

This desk is in the downstairs hallway. The space was origionally intended for a linen closet. We left that out and ended up getting a desk here. The origional bathroom cabinet our friend built was too long, so we had to take out the section between the two sinks and make it narrower. Well, then we had this set of drawers, so our friend made us a desk top and here we go! a custom desk to match our custom bathroom! Dan and I feel like we live in a mansion for rich people!

I thought you would love to see the hallway! I absolutely love having the mirrored doors on this closet. The space is so light, it doesn't seem like a basement. You can see just a sliver of the desk as the hallway turns left after the mirrors. That gives you an idea of the layout. That is Tyler's room at the end of the hall, and when you turn left, there is Brent and Kristin's room. Kristin's room is right under ours. They could all hear us arguing the other evening. They couldn't hear us when thier rooms were upstairs. I suggested that they move back upstairs and no one went for it. Oh well. I have to learn how to be angry in whispers. Honestly, the real sound that carries is from downstairs to up, so as long as I like the song that Brent has on, there isn't a problem! Dan and I rarely argue loudly anyway!

Our custom video closet. Love it! No more movies stashed in different places. This closet was origionally supposed to be a part of the closet in the bathroom, but we split the closet in half and left this part toward the hallway. Love storage space!

And last but not least, the closet under the stairs. Who can say "Food Storage"!!!??? We love having so much storage. Wait a minute. I think I said that already. Oh well. Guess what? Some of the shelves in the hall closet are empty! I know, I know, they will all get used up sooner rather than later. But for now, they are empty!

OK, so there is a bit of a tour of my house. What do you think?

Announcement!

2009-09-03T20:25:00.001-07:00

Brent passed the AP Bio class with a 4! I am so proud of him. He was extatic! It is now the start of a new school year and he is in 2 classes that count for High School and College. Hurray for him. Big news! He went on his first date! He talked a friend into asking someone after he had already asked his date. They had a blast. I got to be in on a little of the fun with the planning and they came to our house after eating and playing at the park. Such fun! ebekah turns 7 tomorrow. I was looking for something in her pile of stuff that goes in her bab book and found the pictures we took on each of her month-days. How ever you say that. It brought back so many memories and was really quite overwhelming. I am going to show her tomorrow. She is such a special little girl. Tyler started Middle School and is doing very well. So far, he is caught up on homework and is meeting new people. Way to go Tyler! Kristin decided not to take Advanced English because it was too much stress-even though she got an A. That was fine with me. She has started some Medication to help with Anxiety and sleep and so right now she is more sleepy than usual. I am hoping for good things. Today she told me she is "Amazing" I am hoping she is starting to see things through different eyes now--with less anxiety. I am having less anxiety with my meds that I absolutely love and have been having fun with life. visiting, setting up appointments and keeping them. All that good stuff that normal people do. AAAAHHHHHH. I LOVE IT! Today I am very wiped out because I have been having fun and taking care of my family. That is OK. I know everyting is more of a bummer when you are tired, so I will wait till tomorrow to dwell on anything. Dan is tired and busy. Carpet is in the basement! The bathroom cabinet should be done any day now, and then the counter installers will come. There is a working toilet in the bathroom! How long I have waited for a working toilet downstairs! But alas, I do not use it since there is no other running water in there. Soon, soon. Patience, patience. (What's new?) Love to all of you!

Tomorrow's My Birthday!

2009-07-07T13:33:00.001-07:00

I'll be 37. Anything special about 37? Well, I made it this far! That is a good thing. Dan is going to take me out to dinner. I didn't want to throw myself a birthday party. A nice quiet evening together sounds lovely. Steak, anyone?
I have been waiting to have good news to update on my health, but I thought it had been long enough. I am having yucky reactions to the medicines I have tried, so I am still searching. This is what is going on today--screaming headache and nausea (had that for 2 weeks) because the thyroid medicine is too much, Panic Attacks brought on by medicines that weren't right for me, I have a big scratch on my leg that got infected--a flook thing after scratching my leg above a bug bite, so it is itching, which is a good thing, becuase it is finally healing. I had to get antibiotics for that, so I am having some fatigue and mucle weakness due to that--but not as bad as the last two times I had antibiotics. I get cranky after having a headache all day. I have tried lots of things to get rid of it. The lucky thing is that I can go to sleep and it goes away while I am asleep. Then I have a few minutes before the headache comes back when I wake up. The nausea increases and decreases through the day and makes it extremely hard to ride or drive in the car.
Back to the crankies. Tyler doesn't like it. So, today, we all had a moment together to cry a bit about mom not feeling well and I vowed again to not make this agony on my kids. Luckily, Brent is working at Scout Camp, and so he is blissfully unaware of mom's stuff. Lucky him.
I have been reading alot of books and yesterday I watched the TV shows I had on the DVR. I think after the kids catching up on chores today, we will start a "Harry Potter" marathon since we will see the new movie while we are on vacation in a couple of weeks. Can't wait!
Note to self: Don't read off of the computer too fast--it causes a wave of nausea.
Dan and I are trying to find a place to take out Travel Trailor for 2 nights for our 17th anniversary in August. I am excitedly trying to find a place in budget and not too far away (just in case the nausea has not left--we must plan for these things.) I am thinking down by Pocatello, so we can go to Costco. : ) So romantic!! I wanted to go to West Yellowstone, but Pocatello is half the price. They don't have Old Faithful. But they do have Costco!
Kristin and I picked up some little craft projects for the kids to do and that has been a great thing. (Thank you to my Visiting Teacher for doing to driving that day) Right now, Rebekah and Tyler are in their swim suits in my tub pretending it is a pool. With Bubbles.
The Basement you ask? And the yard? Well, PROGRESS! We did some yard details, like remove rocks that were not supposed to be there and put rocks where they were supposed to be and then on Saturday, July 4th, it was the birth of our lawn! Ta Da! We have grass seed in our yard. We were so excited. Dan, who has been nothing but stressed about all of this, smiled! Alot! Then, he found out a friend builds houses and so he hired him to finish the trim and caulk it and hang a couple of doors. He is working right now. Oh my. We picked out carpet, too. The shower is almost tiled and the floor is started. Oh my. We love it. I can't wait until it is done, only so I can show you pictures: )
So, in conclusion, there is alot of yucky stuff happening, and there is alot of good stuff! Wait, isn't that always the case?? Life. I am enjoying the fact that it is summer. Love it. We went camping with friends. It was fun, except that is when the Panic Attacks started, so I had that going on while the kids fished and played in the water and ran around. Kristin had a blast at Girl's Camp--no migraines : ) I went up with Dan, he stayed all night, I stayed an hour. I got 25 bug bites and itched so bad I didn't get a full night's sleep for 4 nights. (Then comes the infected leg where I scratched).
Oh, wait! That was supposed to be my conclusion paragraph. I guess this one will be. Onward and upward!

Update

2009-05-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

Dan is finishing drywall today in the bathroom and his friend is hooking up the outlets and the light fixtures. I picked a paint and got a sample to slap on the wall. Then I found another one that might be better. Oh well. It will be a greyish blue. Not bright or clear.
This last week, my mom has been working on a new blanket for Rebekah. It is so adorable. pink, green, yellow and blue are the colors. It will go with her new room. I will post a picture when it is all done.
We have pushed back to goal date for the basement to be finished to August 4th instead of July 4th. Too many interuptions, like being sick and stuff. It's all good. Isn't that the way these things work anyway? You set a goal and then adjust as needed? But, this means we will be going camping with our friends--we are all looking forward to that.
2 and 1/2 days left of school! I am so excited, I think I might be a bad influence on my kids. School is important and good. I just love summer time, though. It is so much more fun! Bring on the summer time!

Monday, Monday

2009-05-04T04:46:00.000-07:00

A start of another week. What shall we do this time? Probably some homework, although Rebekah's homework load has been cut back since the state testing is done. Kristin says school may as well be over since the testing is done. So, it sounds to me like they make a big deal out of the testing. She is reading "Pride and Prejudice" for English and is loving it. She had started the book before, but was not interested. Maybe this will open up a new kind of book for her.
An update on the cavities. Brent weighed in with none, so we are still at one cavity. Dan doesn't usually have cavities and his appointment isn't until June, so we will mark ourselves a winner!

This weekend, Kristin and I went shopping together. It was so fun. She really keeps me entertained. She has been pretty tired lately and struggling to want to get homework and stuff done, but she had a great day on Saturday and it really helped me have a great day. Brent is working on studying for the big AP Biology test next week. If he passes the test, he gets college credit for the class. We shall see. He has definitely learned alot in the class, so I am happy. He signed up for dual credit classes next year. That means he gets High School credit and college credit because they are college classes. This summer he wants to work at a scout camp. He would be gone Sunday evening to Saturday afternoon. He is really excited about it because a few of his friends are working there, too. He will turn 16 after about 2 weeks of that and then get paid. So, he is trying to find out if there are any positions available for him. He went to their big information meeting and got positive feedback. Should be fun for him. I would have leftovers after dinner again!

Good news! Dan has been able to work in the basement again! He has had some good help, too. The trim is done around the doors and this week he and a friend will be doing the windows. Then I can order blinds. Dan and his dad got the sprinkler hose hooked up--it goes through the ceiling of the downstairs bathroom. The sprinler guy came and did his thing in the ceiling to have things ready, and then Dan and his dad started drywalling the bathroom! He is thinking we should be able to paint in a couple weeks, now that he is a mud and texture expert. We really appreciate the help. It is great how every step changes the look of things. Progress. I like progress.

I got a new calling at church. I am in the Primary Presidency now. It is actually a very fun presidency, I just hope I can carry my load. I missed a meeting and a Sunday already, but at least the President knows what she is getting into. I told her it wouldn't hurt my feelings if she ever felt she needed to release me. But, until then, I am going to do my best! I am in charge of getting the Primary Program written. wow. Big. I haven't done that before, so I am excited and nervous about it. I am excited to be in there with Tyler and Rebekah. I was in Primary with Brent and Kristin alot, so now it is the other's turn. Should be good. There are some great new primary songs I don't know, too! Very fun.

Tyler got up. It is early in the a.m. He is reading Harry Potter #2. Yes, another Harry Potter fan! Lookin' forward to the next movie!

a Trip to the Dentist

2009-04-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

Only 1 cavity out of 4 people! Hurray. Kristin's first cavity. She said, "Let's celebrate!" I was a little confused. On the way home, we got to talking about how they take care of the cavity, and now she is not happy anymore. No more celebrating. Oh well. We will have to find something else to celebrate. How about the other 3 people that didn't have cavities? We shall see what Brent does next week.
On to other news. We having another Turkey dinner with the Lewis clan on Saturday. I love those. It will be warmer this weekend than the last time we cooked a turkey, so it shouldn't take as long to cook as last time.
Other news. Bronchitis. And more Bronchitis. And more Bronchitis. And you guessed it, more Bronchitis. 4 out of 6 Lewis' have had Bronchitis in the last 4 weeks and recommend that you don't join us on that. We have had so much sickness this winter, that I am so looking forward to the sun coming out and the weather warming up. It hasn't happened yet. I wish we could tell the future so we could know when the Spring was really going to be here.
Right now I am listening to Kristin practice piano. I am so glad she didn't quit when it got rough. We really weren't sure if she was going to be able to pull it off with all of her homework, but she decided to stick it out and she actually loves playing and has fun with it. What a relief!!
The other thing I am doing while I type, is watching last night's "American Idol". Danny Goeke is one of my favorites. I have to admit that his name is one of the reasons. I love his singing, though. Allison is fabulous and Adam always keeps me interested in what he is going to do next. Anoop has his moments. Kris sings a great ballad. Who do I think is going to win? Allison or Adam. That is my official opinion!
Rock on, Ya'll!!

How About More Snow

2009-03-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

It is not sticking, just flurrying about. How about that. It turns out that Kristin doesn't want it to be summer and Tyler doesn't want it to be winter anymore. He likes the snow, but bring on the sun!
The downstairs is on hold for a couple of weeks while Dan is sick and we are going to visit Janet and family. How about Butterflies in Rebekah's bathroom?! Sounds good to me. Still working on picking out tile for the downstairs since the tile store wasn't open on Saturday when we went.
The kids are coming up with a new tradition for Sundays. We have church in the afternoon, so, in the morning, the kids pop some popcorn and sit down to watch a movie about one of the Prophets from Living Scriptures. Ah. Finally something they all like that is low key and Sunday oriented. I guess given enough time, they do come up with something. We started doing game night on Sunday evening as well. That has been a load of fun. We all look forward to that and we don't spend the evening dreading Monday morning! It feels reall good to laugh alot, too. It flows over to Monday morning, too. We all wake up alot happier. Hurray for UNO!!!

My Dilema

2009-03-12T04:42:00.000-07:00

When I wake up early in the morning--4:30 ish, only today it was 3:30ish, what do I do? Do I put on my walking clothes and start the day off right with vitamins and everything? Or do I lay in bed for hours hoping for sleep that doesn't come? Do I read a little, thinking it will make me tired, but it never does? How about get up and make a great big breakfast for everyone? No, that makes noise and everyone would be up with me and that would not make for a happy evening later in the day. Let's see. I could...I don't know what else. Not clean. That is like rubbing salt in a wound. Anyhoo...just wondering.

Thanks, Company

2009-03-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

Thank you Margie, Stacy, Aunt Marilyn and Uncle John for coming to see us this weekend. It was great to have a break from the normal routine. The family dinner was really alot of fun. That is one of the great things about living in Rigby. We are in an area more accecible to company!

A friend is coming tonight to help Dan work on the trim downstairs today. Such fun. We decided on the design for our downstairs bathroom. I can't wait to see it put together. Think "beach". Light wood with light tile and light blue walls. There will be 2 sinks, which is exciting. Pictures in a few months when it gets put together.

OK. Here is Kristin's jean bag. She did the sewing on it--she picked it right up. It will have a belt that matches the fabrid--to be finished after I get the sewing machine finished.

I think it is cute. She will make somemore when this one is done. Good job , Kristin!

The Paint

2009-02-17T08:10:00.000-08:00

OK, this one is Kristin's room. The color is washed out a little, but you get the idea. The other stuff in the room is is some trim for the window on a table and a drywall tool to lift drywall to the ceiling. That just gives you an idea of the stuff in the room. There is a shadow on the wall from the trim. Kristin is really excited about this color. She will have a white daybed centered on that wall. Her bedspread is a shiney pink with butterflies on it. The other wall color is a light yellow. It is the color of most of the house.

Here is Brent's room. The light wall was supposed to be lighter than this, but the blues ended up not matching, so I added some of the dark to the light and we got lucky that it worked. They match now. The trim will be white and his bed and desk are oak color. He really likes dark colors, so we comprimised with one dark wall and 3 light walls. We really like that the windows are big downstairs, so it doesn't feel like a dark basement.

Here is Tyler's room. The green is washed out a bit. It is really a strong green. But, it matches the green planet in his bedspread perfectly! The bedspread has a black backround with different colored planets on it. His bed and bookcase and table are black. His dresser will be in the closet. So will the other kid's.
Rebekah's room will be upstairs in the boy's current bedroom. I haven't decided what I am going to do in there. She will have the bedspreads that Kristin and she used to have--white with colors like periwinkle, yellow and mint green on it. She has a white bed with a trundle--for visitors! Brent and Kristin will also have trundles. We are still working on Tyler's set up for that. It is all going to be so great when it gets done! The guy who is installing our doors is coming on Monday! Hurray! We still need to order trim. That is the next step and will probably happen this weekend when we pick up the doors. We have to take two trip to fit them in the van, so I am picking some up tomorrow when I take Brent to get a retainer replaced (I love the Orthodonist, but 3 times in a week's time is too much!! the other two times were for Kristin. She got her braces put on on Thursday and there was a wire left too long so we had to go back on Friday. Yeesh!)

Anyway, that is all for now. Coming soon...Kristin's Jean Bag!!

They are on their way

2009-02-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

I have pictures on my computer--room colors. Since my arms are so weak, it hurts to type, I will put the time in on another day. This is the commercial to advertise the big show coming soon!

How About 20 Below?

2009-01-28T14:36:00.000-08:00

With the wind chill factor, of course. I went Visiting Teaching today, and my friend said that yesterday she went running in the morning before she knew how cold it was and she had to keep blinking so that her eyes wouldn't freeze. Wow. School was cancelled yesterday because it was so cold. The kids did there chores and Brent went and hung out with a friend. So did Tyler. Kristin did some sewing and Rebekah played with play dough when no one was available to play with her. I spent the day in the kitchen. Made and froze Fried Rice for breakfasts, made and froze 3 tuna loafs, ground spelt to make spelt bread packets for the bread machine, put a loaf in the bread machine, made Chili and Tiajuana Pie (yum!) and cleaned it all up. I forgot to do Rebekah's homework with her, though. Oops. The plumber came and switched the water for the new washer to the left side of the wall instead of the right. We got a new washer and dryer and the doors are opposite of what we had, so we had to switch the plumming. The piano guy came to work on the piano. We have a Baby Grand. This is a piano that we have had since Kristin was born (she is 13), but it needed work, so we haven't used it. Well, here in Idaho Falls, Dan found a guy to fix it, so long story short, we have the piano back and it works now. It is just down to the final tweeks and lots of tunings. Kristin starts piano lessons tonight. Hurray! A new commitment. OK, that was a little sarcastic, but the truth is, I am excited she gets to have lessons. I am excited the piano works. I am glad we have the means to provide lessons for her and I am glad the piano teacher lives down the street, even though I do have to drive her because it is 20 below after dark! Only with the wind chill, though!
We got a bid from a plumber for the bathroom and someone else is coming to flatten the concrete. The concrete was too dry when it was put down, so there are lots of hills and valleys in it. That is where we start. From the ground up!! So, all is going smoothly. I know I said I would take pictures of the paint last week, but I have not done that. I keep trying to get over this head cold and only do "the basics". That entails alot of stuff!!! I am off to make wheat free pizza because we are going to my nieces b-day party here in town. Yum!!!

Happy Birthday, David!

2009-01-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

It was so fun to spend the weekend down at Janet's house. We went to a baby shower that she put on for her husband's step-sister who is a sweetie, so I got to meet alot of her in-laws. Very fun. Then we went shopping at Costco. Shopping is so much more fun with her. Margie met us at WalMart to do a little bit more shopping, and the fun more than doubled. It was fun to hang out with just us girls and still get stuff done. We laughed. I love to laugh.
Phil brought his kids plus his step-daughter for the party and there was even more fun. It was so great to see the nieces and nephews again. All a bunch of sweeties if you ask me! David got to open presents, and we got some ice cream, too!
We saw Margie on the way home today, because we stopped by her storage place to buy her old desk. We are so excited! Thanks Margie! We also bought a black card table to be used as Tyler's desk from her, too. So, the kids were a bit mushed on the way home, and all was well, until Rebekah started crying 1/2 a mile before our exit. By then she couldn't stop crying either. But out of the whole 5 hours, only 4 minutes of crying.
There will be pictures of the rooms in the processes. I will put it on my list of things to do this week and it will be good! Love to you all

It's been a Happy New Year!

2009-01-12T09:04:00.000-08:00

Here it is the 12th of the month. Over the Christmas break, we painted the downstairs. Brent's room is 2 shades of Turquoise. Medium and dark shades. He loves it. Tyler's room is a medium green. It is a little bright for me, but he loves it. It matches the green in his comfortor perfectly, so that is good. Kristin has 3 walls the neutral light yellow that the rest of the house is, and then her fourth wall is a light blue with a touch of green in it, which I guess makes it tuquoise as well. It is really pretty. Today I am doing touch ups on the ceilling and then painting will be done. We are going to talk to someone about the bathroom soon. We bought some of the trim and need to start painting that. Lots to do, but progress is being made. I like that. We are talking about who gets what bed and what goes where and what accessories people need--shelving, etc. I love that stuff. We are waiting for there to be a sale on lights, and then we will go do that purchase. Fun stuff!

Now on to Happy New Year!

2008-12-26T07:19:00.000-08:00

It snowed and snowed yeterday. it stopped us from going to my sister's in Utah. Bummer. I have to check the weather to see if we can go today.

Yesterday was a great day. The kids were all happy. That made me happy. I was sooo happy. We got a new Popcorn Popper from my mom and microwave popcorn from Dan's mom. So happy. My sister, Margie, gave us scarves, hats, a shirt, a plastic carrot and some "coal" to make smowmen! I love it. Also, some Snow Art stuff. You paint the snow with it. The kids are excited to try it out. Dan's mom gave the kids a snow block maker and a snow ball maker. A form, I guess you would call it. The boys tried that out last night. They work really well. Kristin got a Jewelry Box and the movie "Tinker Bell". She also got a new Scripture Case. Tyler got a Calvin and Hobbes comic book and Legos. Brent got shirts, a soft sweatshirt, speaker wire, a flash drive and legos. Rebekah got a Journal, "Scripture Scouts: The Articles of Faith", A Princess hand held game thing, and some princess crayons. In her stocking she got some Campbell's soup that has Princess shaped noodles--Ariel, Cinderella, a castle, a shoe--She screamed!!!! It was so cute. I hope I got that one recorded. I got a Kitchen Aid mixer and Dan is getting his Baby Grand Piano fixed. We should get that next week on New Year's Eve. That is his Christmas, Birthday, Father's Day, Valentine's Day.... Hopefully, we will have kids starting piano lessons soon.
We had a huge breakfast of eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy and hash browns. Dan loved that! I took a 3 hour nap. We watched movies and just had a nice relaxing day. We are so grateful Dan has a job and that we are healthy and warm and happy and that we have each other. We hope all of you are happy and healthy as well. Now, let's move on to that Happy New Year!

Hurray for Tyler!

2008-12-18T10:13:00.001-08:00

Australian Christmas Bush

Tyler had a two page type written report due yesterday and he did it! It was about Christmas in another country. He chose Australia. There had to be illustrations and everything. He did the research--I just helped here and there. He was so excited to have it done. Success! He had to find a Carol from that country. They have a Aussie version of "12 days of Christmas" and "Jingle Bells" Here is a little of "Jingle Bells"

Dashing through the bush

In a rusty Holden Ute

Kicking up the dust

Esky in the boot

Kelpie by my side

Singing Christmas songs

It's summer time and I am in

My singlet, shorts and thongs

Oh, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Jingle all the way

Christmas in Australia

On a scorching summer's day

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Christmas time is beaut

Oh what fun it is to ride

In a rusty Holden Ute!

And on from there. I thought that was pretty fun. Santa comes on a Surf Board or Boat at the Beach. It is a busy day at the beach and with camping. It reminded me of what our Memorial Day is like (in California, I guess).

The week before the essay was due, he had to memorize the 50 states and capitals. I thought he was going to melt down right in front of my eyes, but he pulled through and got it done and then did a victory dance--which was running down the stairs to turn on the computer and play!

He started Webelos last week and loves that. We haven't worked on the requirements with Scouts, but he loves going and I like that he learns good stuff.

So, hurray for Tyler for getting the job done! Way to slam it!

Let It Snow

2008-12-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

The first snowball has been thrown! The ground is covered and it is still snowing. It looks so pretty out there. I will put off thinking about driving in it until I enjoy it a little longer. Brent drove for the first time on Saturday. We purposely put him in Driver's Ed during snow season so that he could learn from the Professional. Thanks to my Hairdresser for the idea.

The dates were all fun last week. Friday night was Dan's work party. Dinner and a bit of dancing. We didn't win any door prizes, but Dan's brother won a Shop Vac and the table centerpiece. Lucky. It was great to get out on the dance floor again. We didn't last nearly as long as we used to at Stake Dances. That was hours of fun. It is always great to dance with my honey. I usually ask him what he wants to be when he grows up because I remember asking him that at a Stake Dance once. Back then he said, "Something with computers because that is the future."

Here are some snow pictures from last year. I believe this was the first Saturday in October. It snowed for hours and the kids had to go out and play in it. This is Kristin and Rebekah with the beginnings of a Snowman.

The Snowman got so big, that Dan had to go help them put it together. And who has time to dress warmly when your kids need you?

Those blue poles in the background are the trampoline poles. We don't use the net, but the poles let us know where the hole is. : )

Well, have yourself a Merry Little Christmas Season! We are eating our Gingerbread House before Christmas instead of after so it is more fresh--Dan made that request.

Who loved their Turkey?

2008-12-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

I did! We BBQed and it took an hour and a half too long! So, the family was waiting over at Dan's parent's house while we waited at ours for the turkey. We finally took it out of the BBQ and put it in the oven at the parent's house. But, when it was cooked, boy was it good! Worth the wait.
We don't do the early morning shopping. We enjoy our sleep. Dan put up some drywall in the basement and the kids and I decorated for Christmas. That was great fun. I love Christmas Lights.
Now, it is back to the daily schedual. I am so happy for on-line shopping. I am almost done with my shopping because of it, and I only went into one store.
How about some dates this week? Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, we have Christmas Parties or Meetings to go to. love that Christmas Season. This should make up for a few dates we missed over the last couple of months.
Have a great Christmas Season!

Not As Happy Monday

2008-11-24T08:44:00.001-08:00

I'm drowsy today. One more day for the weekend would have been nice. OK, I am being negative. The truth is, once I get a nap this morning, this week will be great! Only 2 days of school and 2 days of work for Dan. He has Wed-Fri off like the kids do. We are going to go to the Museam of Idaho and see the Displays about Pharaohs as a family onWednesday. Should be fun. Then ,we have Thanksgiving with the Lewis Family here in Rigby with Bar-B-Q'd Turkey. Yum, Yum!

Now, about this last weekend, I still agree with myself that it wasn't long enough, but--IT WAS FUN! My sister, Margie was here. We did stuff. Girl stuff. We set up a blog for my family, for one thing. We are tracking our exercising together and encouraging each other. I am having fun with that already! Then, after helping Dan by getting the Christmas Lights untangled, we were off to see--wait for it--TWILIGHT! We both had a great time there. I totally loved discussing the ins and outs of the movie with someone who cared! I loved the "glitter effect", but I wish Edward would have been smiling. Flying through the tree, great! Edward saving Belle in (what was the name of that town?) Awesome. Should I say that I wish they would have done a better job on the movie? I guess I said it. I will see it again, though.

But then, Margie, Kristin and I went to see "The Forgotten Carols". Oh wow. Emotion. I saw it the first year it came out while I was at Ricks College back in 1991. I have listened to the tape every year since (now I have a CD) and I have the book. Seeing it again live was a dream come true. I love the power of a live performance. I loved sharing that with Kristin. She loved it, too. And then Margie! She drove up her to see it with me. Thanks, Marge! She saw it when she was in College in St. George, Ut on the 10 year anniversary. She loves it, too. Margie and I did not want to leave the Theatre, but there comes a point in time when you have to move on. So, we did. She bought the book, I bought the CD, and Kristin had the program and we stood in line to get our stuff signed. Next year, I would like to take Dan. I think I could come up with someone to take every year.

Happy Friday

2008-11-21T10:10:00.000-08:00

How about those Rigby sunsets, huh? One evening, Brent and Kristin came running in and told me there was an "emergency" and I needed to bring my camera right now! This is what they showed me. We were living at Dan's Parent's house (the first 6 weeks we were here). We walked down to the end of their street and took pictures. We get good shows like this often.
I remember sunsets like this from living in Rexburg going to college. Gotta love it.

It is a very happy day! I actually feel good today. I have been struggling for a few weeks now, and the fog is lifting! I have been using an Essential Oil called "E-motion" and it is really helping. I also went to the Chiropractor this week and got rid of some nausea and dizziness symptoms. You gotta love that.

Also in the happy spot, I found the post I thought I deleted, so I added it back in. It is under the post about Tyler. Today is his "Friends Birthday Party". They will be building with Blocks, Legos and Dominos and setting up army men. Does that sound fun for a 10 year old boy?

Another happy spot, Margie comes tonight! Oh, happy day! Tomorrow I won't be in charge of chore time. Oh, double happy day!

Let's see if I can come up with more happy spots--Everyone is Healthy! Dan gets home an hour early on Fridays! The weather is beautiful outsides! Dan will be putting up the Christmas lights tomorrow! I love Christmas lights. Some people around here already have them up. I was discussing Lights with the Chiropractor and he pointed out that when the weather is good, that is when you put them up. So, maybe that is why people already have them up. Who knows what the weather will be like next week!

Gosh! My mind just went blank, so I guess that is all for today! Make it a great weekend!

Tyler is 10

2008-11-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthay, Tyler

Tyler on the "Dumbo" ride at Disneyland

Tyler and Brent on a Fire Truck Game at Legoland

Tyler and Brent love each other!

Tyler turned 10 on Monday. I didn't think I would be sad to see my children get older, but when I think back to how little Tyler used to be, I get a strong sense of nastalgia. He used to climb up the entertainment system and into the washing machine. He would do a "no-no", and then turn around and smile at me, and all would be well with the world. His smile still lights up a room. He still loves a good "scratch-back". He loves to creep around in the over-grown bushes "hunting". He plays really well with Brent and Rebekah. As strong as the sense of nastalgia is, I wouldn't change the growth in him. He watches out for Rebekah more than he teases her. He loves to go to Cub Scouts. He helps make lunch for school in the mornings. He gives lessons during Family Home Evening. Yep, I could never give that up. He still likes snuggle time and a bedtime story. He loves to wrestle with his dad and his brother. And if he does a "no-no", when he smiles, all is right with the world.

San Fransisco February 2006

2008-11-13T15:21:00.000-08:00

I found the post that I thought I deleted!

OK here are some pictures from the past.

Dan took this in Pacifica, Ca. He needed to get a passport to go to China for work, and he had to stay overnight for the process and I got to go with him. We stayed in Pacifica because we had talked about moving there once and we wanted to check it out. It was very beautiful, as most coastal towns are. We spent some time sight seeing in San Francisco while we waited for paperwork and here are some of the pictures.

Another cool picture by Dan.

Aah. I miss the beach!

Where does nature come up with this stuff?!

I love the purple house. This one is not so much Nature as Nurture.

We stopped at a bakery where they shape bread into all kinds of stuff. On the left you can see a bear and on the right, a crab. I don't remember what is in the back.

And here is a crocodile. There was lots of fun stuff. The bread mixers were almost as tall as me. They were on the second floor and you could see them from down below and outside.

Here is some classic San Francisco city scape. I had alot of fun with the camers-we bought it about a week before we went on this trip.
The Golden Gate Bridge. I remember when my parents took our family to Berkeley to see my Uncle Bob and we went across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a thrill.

Lombard Street. The curviest road in the nation.

2008-11-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

Somebody emailed me this picture and I thought it was great. Smiles just happen. So, just smile!

The Half Way Point

2008-11-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

So, we are halfway through the week. Dan figured out how we could Instant Message each other, so we did that a little yesterday. I have been able to "talk" to him more during the day than I usually do, so that is fun. At his regular job, he does not have access to the internet because work is all top secret. He can't tell me what he does at work. Only that something good happened or that not much happened. So, while he is away at training in San Francisco, he has the internet access so we can IM during breaks.
Rebekah was home from school Monday and Tuesday, but was back on the job today. Now she has lots of (you guessed it) homework. First grade homework isn't too bad. Today, Tyler needs to do a Science Project that is due tomorrow. I have not been able to absorb any Science to help him, so we called in the troops-Brent. It turns out Brent is studying the same subject as Tyler, just at a college level! So, between the three of us, I'm sure Tyler will get an "A".
It is rainy and grey today. Most people don't like those kinds of days. I do. They feel cozy to me. I call it a "Casablanca Day". A good day for a good movie. I can turn on the gas fireplace and watch out my many windows as the rain comes down. What do you like to do on a rainy day?
Any good movies out there? Yes, I am going to go see Twilight--with my youngest sister, even. I am trying to wait patiently. That same day, Margie and I will take Kristin to see "The Forgotten Carols" by Micheal McLean. I really can't wait. It will be great to have some girl time.
OK off to a Dr apt for Kristin.
Hugs and honey, Karen

Another Adventure

2008-11-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

So, I thought now that I know how to post pictures, I would share the adventures of our family with you. Today is a very calm day, which is nice to have. Brent spent the night at a friend's and the girls are having friends over in a while. Tyler will call someone after chore time. This is unusual for us because we are usually so busy on Saturdays. Chores, homework, errands. But today, not so much. Dan is preparing to go to San Francisco for the week for some training for work.
What have we been up to lately? Homework and more homework. Did I mention homework? Moving on from that, homwork. Oh. I already said that. The problem is, I don't remember doing anything besides that. Maybe some laundry.
Dan is Elder's Quorum President. I just got called to teach in Relief Society. My first lesson is next Sunday. I am nervous and excited.
Last night for Family Movie (our Friday night tradition) we went to a friend's house and watched "Night at the Museum". Very funny. I hate that there is a cuss word in it.
OK. I am off to add pictures and have fun with all of this