GRANDPA, WHERE ARE YOU?

My mom posted on her blog a cute picture of my Grandpa Ward. I miss him so much and just LOVE thinking about his example in my life. He taught me so many AMAZING things.

• LOVE unconditionally
• Money is like toilet paper - only need it in REAL emergencies
• Watching people can teach you a lot about yourself
• Treat your spouse like GOLD
• Always greet each other with a special word "Beautiful", "Sweetheart"!
• When he would answer the phone he would say that he heard you calling

One of my favorite things later on in his life was to go and exercise his fragile body. We did our leg lifts and band stretches and had time to chat about the happenings of day to day events. This was a special time where I was able to bond with such an amazing individual. I miss that!
I still wonder how things work after we leave this world. I know he is here often checking in on us making sure we are living as he did. Oh grandpa, where are you?

SICK LITTLE COOP

MY HAPPY COOP
Little Cooper has had a fever of 102 for the past 2 days. I took him into the clinic here in Ashton to get looked at and they said he has tonsillitis. My poor little bug. He just wants to be held and loved ALL day long. He is still trying to be a good little trooper no matter how sick he is.

MY SICK LITTLE COOP Brian (Sno-Ninja) has been out plowing since 5:30am this morning. I think he is so stoked to be out playing in the snow. Thank heavens for the 6" of snow we got last night! We TRULY needed it for our sledding hill.

I HAVE NOT DIED....JUST VANISHED

I will be writing soon about the happeinings of the past couple weeks.

WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?

I picked the boys up after school today only to find Carson with this strange kid attached to his arm. He said he was coming home with us to play for the day. I thought for a moment and said to myself "heck no your not....who the heck are you?" but I didn't and in my motherly voice said sounds good. I brought the boys home and they headed straight to the artillery room looking for their bb guns. They grabbed them and walked out the door without saying a word. Where in the crap are they going I thought to myself.....and who the heck is that kid? I noticed they were heading into the canyon down from our home. It was like they were heading to WAR! All three of them with their little bb guns sticking in the air. I thought it seemed a bit strange so I packed Coop up and threw him in my backpack and headed out the door. Yup, I was going to spy on these boys to see what was going down. I made my way down the rocky path only to find this strange boy aiming his gun at a little cute bird. Watch this he said in a cynical voice. He pumped his gun up and SHOT. Holy poop crap he killed that little bird. I have always told my kids that they EAT what they kill. I don't think they would like to eat CROW for dinner. Well, I walked up on these little guys and scared the bejebees right out of them. We had a great talk about respecting animals.....even CROWS and headed back on our way home. As I walked in the door this little guy told me that he brought all of his sleeping clothes to spend the night. I thought to myself....Who the heck are you? but in my nice motherly voice said- Alright. Well, they seemed to have a great day together but I am still wondering who the heck this child is who I have never met nor heard of in my life. I am hoping I don't show up on the news tomorrow night for kidnapping a boy named ?????

SNOWBOARDING

I just love this picture of my little dudes at the mountain. Kelton just turned 4 in this picture and carson was 6. I am so excited to head up to the hills with them this year. Any volunteers to sit little Coop while we go? There are lots of poopy diapers and happy smiles in it for you. Carson and Kelton told me that they would like to do some competitions this year. I thought that sounded pretty dang fun so I think Brian and I will compete in the MASTERS division. Well, PRAY FOR SNOW!

SLEEP

So I have been a little sleep deprived lately with Cooper getting his new top chompers. He has just been miserable and making my beauty REM sleep not so pretty. My eyes are a RED and puffy, my head has this dull throbbing pain that radiates ALL friggin day, and my mind is just not working right. Did you know......

• A new baby typically results in 400-750 hours lost sleep for parents in the first year.


• Anything less than five minutes to fall asleep at night means you’re sleep deprived. The ideal is between 10 and 15 minutes, meaning you’re still tired enough to sleep deeply, but not so exhausted you feel sleepy by day.

According to the Department of Behavioral Biology at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, sleep deprivation impairs alertness, cognitive performance, and mood. Sleep deprivation also causes a general feeling of malaise and headaches. Sometimes these headaches are dull and persistent and may last all day. At other times, there may be sharp pains that shoot up from the base of the skull to the temples and even to the forehead. Whichever headache strikes, it is a warning signal telling you that you need more sleep!

I will tell you right now that I LOVE sleep. I love my puffy pillow, my new bed, and my blankets that cover my body. Oh how I love sleep. So when my alarm goes off at 5:30am to go exercise I can truly say that I don't LOVE to get up. I just wish I could THROW that thing at the wall and watch it shatter into a zillion pieces. Well, happy to say that last night I did catch up on some Zs. My headache is slowly dwindling and my eyes no longer look like I am high on some kind of serious drugs. I was happy to wake up to a well rested baby, and a hubby who is so truly supportive and AMAZING. I LOVE SLEEP, and I LOVE MY LIFE.

WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE

(collage done by mommy berta...so cute!)
As most of you know me and the boys had the opportunity to go to California with Bob and Roberta this past weekend. Bob was heading down with the high school band for competition. They would be performing at Disneyland and Riverside. I invited myself and the boys to tag along on their romantic trip. It was a last minute decision to take the boys out of school for 5 days and DRIVE down to "the happiest place on earth".....DISNEYLAND! Mom and dad rented a van, shared their room, and happily stood in line with little Coop while Carson, Kelton and I rode the rides. I had a hard time with the fact that I was leaving my hubby home to WORK all week while we went to play, but I quickly got over it. We had a great time. Carson, Kelton , and Coop all had first time experiences.

• First time spending 12 hours in a car. (Thanks Ash for the long drive tips)


• First time going to the beach - Newport was beautiful


• First time finding shells in the sand


• First time in SERIOUS traffic


• First time going to Disneyland


• First time riding any type of amusement ride

We truly had a great time and it is something that the boys will always remember. Thanks for letting us hook up with you and drive to the place where dreams come true.....DISNEYLAND.

Special thanks to Tyler and Nicole, Grandma Alice, Bob and Berta, and Bri for pitching in dough so that we could enjoy this special trip.

Early Halloween

We celebrated Halloween this year a little bit earlier than the rest of the world. The Saturday before Halloween Harriman state park has a great party for children. They decorate all of the cabins in fun, scary decor and let the children come and go trick or treating around the cabins. It is a fun, safe party for the kids. They also got to enjoy a hay ride through the spooky forest. We had a great time with Brian before we headed out on our trip to California. Cooper dressed up as a pirate, Kelton was a dead football player, and Carson was a scary zombie. Boooooooo!