A DAY AT THE MOUNTAIN

One of my favorite things in this world is watching my kids be active. I LOVE watching them run, play ball, swim, but most of all I LOVE watching them snowboard. , . Today we rounded up the kidos and headed to Targhee for a little R&R. Good times, good times.

CAN I DO THAT MOM?

(here a few pics I stole from Cortney & Ash's blog this is Cort in his cliff jumping days. Targhee)

We got a visit from Cortney (Brother) and kids yesterday and man was it a blast. We LOVE getting visitors so we brewed up some yummy Carmel bars, played doctor to a few stitches, and got out the sleds/snowboards for some fun in the fluff. Cortney is like a LITTLE kid stuck in a big boys body. He built a jump for all the little dudes to sled and snowboard off, and built him a larger jump. This jump included climbing on a ladder to the steepest point of my home and snowboarding off. YES, I said snowboarding off my house. Now Cortney has a past with snowboarding and let me tell you it involves injury after injury, and cliff after cliff.

(Cort gaping the road......is it a bird.....is it a plane......no it's super Cort)

It took him a few tries before he nailed the landing, and glad to report "NO INJURIES". Now all Carson and Kelton have to say is "Can I do that mom?" I will get some photos from Cortney. I took some sweet shots of him doing his dangerous/crazy stunt. Brian has a day off from work tomorrow so we are heading to the mountain for a little snowboarding. My buddy Natalie volunteered her niceness to watch little Coop. Thanks Natalie......You ROCK.

DO YOU BELIEVE?

Merry Christmas to you all. What a CRAZY day it has been. It started off at 2:00am, 4:00am, and of course 6:00am - Carson kept saying that Santa had come and it was time to WAKE up. It had snowed all night and into Christmas morning. What a wonderful morning it was waking up to a fresh blanket of 12" of white powder. Truly Beautiful.

Carson had been questioning if Santa Clause was real or not. We sent off their Christmas letters in the mail about two weeks before Christmas. A couple days before the big Santa showed up Carson and Kelton received a letter in the mail from the "North Pole".

(Carson talking to Santa at the Christmas Eve party)

Dear Carson and Kelton
I got the letters telling me what you want for Christmas. I have heard you have been pretty good boys. So Santa will try to bring you what you want. Remember to be very good. Help your mother and father and take good care of Cooper. I hope you are good at school and do all of your homework, and study hard. Be sure and keep your room neat and help your mother around the house. I will probably be hungry when I get to Ashton. Some mike and chocolate cookies would be nice.
Love, Santa

As soon as Carson got done reading the letter he had an irreplaceable smile on his face. Priceless! He hopped into the car and said "I believe, I believe."

(visit http://bertaboice.blogspot.com/2008/12/merry-christmas.html to see Christmas Eve)

Christmas morning Carson seemed a bit sad. He said that Santa didn't bring him the only thing he really wanted (X Box 360). Usually Santa leaves his gifts unwrapped and out for the kids to see first thing, but one gift he did wrap. As he was opening it tears rolled down his cheeks and he started laughing hysterically. He was laughcrying. I can not even begin to tell you how dang funny it was. These are the moments you wish for every year. Priceless!

Kelton got some paintball clothes, Cooper got a basketball hoop, I got sweet Nano, and Brian got his GUN that he has been drooling over for the past 3 years. We feel truly blessed not by the gifts we received, but by the "Spirit" of Christmas this year.

Brian headed out about 9:00am to snowplow and we didn't see much of him until late that evening. This was the first year that we were unable to make it to Rexburg for Christmas due to the large amounts of snowfall. Me and the boys hung out while Brian slaved away. I definitely missed seeing my family for Christmas, but was happy to know I have a warm home to hang out in, with great kids and a hard working, loving husband.

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season.

ROCK STAR

photo by the great Carson Williams
So tonight was the ward Christmas party. I really don't THRIVE on ward parties because they tend to have long lines and nasty food - no offense because I usually bring the nasty side dish. The only reason I really wanted to go is to see Mr. Clause and give him my LONG Christmas list. Well, not really my kidos wanted to see the big SANTA and see if he was the REAL deal. I called my neighbor Kelly to see what time the party started and by the end of our conversation I was playing the guitar with her in approximately 1 hour. What in the WORLD did I just commit to? I haven't played the guitar in YEARS. Well, we played and let me tell you we ROCKED the house. Kelly has some serious kahonies to get up and sing in front of that many people. I just kept my head down and concentrated on not screwing completely up. We had a great time!

I remember playing the guitar with my mom when I was a little tike. We played for ward talent nights and yup, we also ROCKED the house. Good times...........good times.

Santa finally showed up and Carson was NOT convinced that he was the man. Kelton didn't want to talk to him but took plenty of pictures to show his friends that he saw the REAL Santa.

So tonight I am going home and guess what....I am "PRACTICING MY GUITAR" because when I grow up I want to be a ROCK STAR.

God Given Talents

Brian's God given talent (frame building), Cortney's God given talent (photography)

Well, many of you are aware of my awesome swimming skills or lack thereof so I have started swimming again at the college. Now swimming does not come easily for me due to the lack of pool resources we have had in Rexburg and of course Ashton. I have never had a big desire to be a good swimmer, but my outlook is changing just a little. I wake up at 4:30am, drive 30 minutes South with my buddy Elise (and soon buddy Katie), wait in line for the employee of the month to show up, pay him $4 hard earned dollars, put on a nasty BYU-I swimsuit, and hop into a pool of frigid cold water with a swim cap that resembles a condom. Now doesn't that sound like FUN. Well, actually I am addicted! I can't stop thinking about swimming. Every morning in the shower I practice my zipper stroke as I sing ACDC "thunder". I started out swimming 2 laps with about 30 minute rests. Happy to say that this morning I swam my first 1/2 mile. It only took me about 50 minutes, but it's good to know there is room for improvement.
Right now I am sitting here staring outside looking at the beautiful scenery, sipping on my clear glass of water just thinking to myself how blessed I am. I am thankful for my home, family, parents, children, husband, dog, toilet, washer, dryer, bleach, bicycle, strong body, food, clothing, wood burning stove, Gospel, health, clean hospital, and most importantly toilet paper and tampons. How blessed we are to live in a world where there are so many opportunities available at our finger tips. If we could but for a moment take advantage of our God given talents and use them in a way that would be beneficial to many.......how amazing that would be. So today, think of your God given talents and use them to their fullest potential.

Cortney took this picture of Carson and I LOVE it. I stole it from Cort and Ash's blog. Check out Cortney's photos - he will be coming to Rexburg soon if any of you need "Family pictures taken......Cortney is the man." Let me know. He does AWESOME work.

Coopy and the Hospital

Yesterday was quite the day. It started off with a big yelp at 1:30a.m. and ended with a big throw up, and off course the yucky duck runs. Brian and I have a hard time when our kids get sick. I think it takes away about 3 years of our youthfulness. I have noticed a few more lines and Brian a few more grey hairs. Well, after cleaning up the mess it was about 5:00a.m. and yep, time for my spinning class. After spinning I got home and as the boys were getting ready for school Coop wakes up. Carson brought him down the stairs and my eyes popped out of my sockets when I saw little Cooper. He was covered "head to toe" in a wicked viral rash and was pail as a ghost. I of course started FREAKING out thinking the ultimate worst. We rushed out the door, dropped Carson and Kelton off at school and headed for the Emergency Room. To make another long story short there was nothing they could do for him. It was VIRAL! They sent us home. The Doctor was very impressed with his rash though. He said it would take around a week for the rash to disappear, but by the end of the night it was all but gone.
Hip hap happy to say that when I got home from swimming in Rexburg this morning (5:00am any takers welcome) little Coop was smiling. He looks and sounds like his little happy self.
I am greatful today for happy little boys and for my husband who is the ultimate dad. Staying up late hours holding little ones, loving his wife even when she looks like hell on wheels, and most of all just being an amazing man. Thanks Bri - I couldn't have made it through the week without you.

THE PLAGUE AND SUCH

Alright now that my buttocks are not glued to the cold ceramic toilet seat I will now sit down and attempt to update my personal history. Life has been good and I am truly greatful for so many things, but dang how many stinking diapers are we as mothers expected to change throughout our lives? It all began...........


It was a cool brisk evening on Halloween night when all fifteen of us gathered for delicious food and entertainment. We ate our food and headed for the hills to do some trick or treating with the little ones. Man did they score! I mean I scored. Didn't you know you are doing your kids a favor when you eat all of their Halloween candy? Well, not this year. (Diet says NO to candy)

It wasn't until Sunday morning 1:00am that Kelton yells "I got a gut ache." Now what kid wouldn't have a gut ache right after Halloween night? Well, to make a FREAKING LONG story short Kelton, Carson, Brian, Cooper, and I ALL got the yucks. I will spare you the details on this one, but man am I wore out. After about a week of the yucky yucks we are pretty much back to normal. Everyone, but little Coop. He is still struggling. If he is not better tomorrow we are heading to the Doc.
(pics coming soon)

Where for art thou.....CAMERA?

Cooper Halloween 2007 - they sure grow fast

Oh camera, where for art thou camera? You don't realize how much you miss something until it is GONE. Yup, I have been missing my camera. I guess that is what you get when you have your hands full with 10 kids at a triathlon. My little piece of crap camera is not doing the photos justice so I don't even feel like posting pictures anymore.

Life at the William's residence has been great. We have all been healthy and excited for the change of seasons. Well, I don't know that I am ready for the snowfall that little Whit got, but I am looking forward to going snowboarding with the boys. I saved up all of the money I made from teaching spinning, and NO I did not pay off debt, but instead purchased a ski pass at Grand Targhee. Yippee!!

A little catch up with the William's happenings

• Carson finished his last football game last week. He truly enjoyed going to practices, and hanging out at the games. Happy to say they ended the season with a blowout WIN. Now maybe the kid will stop eating us out of the house. Wow, what a metabolism. They took some great football pictures and when I get my scanner fixed I will post them......CUTE.


• Kelton has been riding his little motorbike like a mad man and playing some serious paintball. He has so much energy. I sometimes think he is storing dads Pepsi in his bed and sips on it all night long. This kid can go forever.


• Last Wednesday we closed on a old home on Cherry Street. Brian has been busy working on the new little crap hole. Yes, it is a definite fixer-upper. He has completely gutted it. Now it's time to put it back together. He sure does good work.


• I have been busy reading everyones blogs, baking Jonna's fattening recipes (YUM), teaching spinning, working a little here and there, and LOVING the fact that I AM A MOM. I was thinking about that this morning - how lucky I am to have such a great family with amazing kids and loving, hardworking husband. How lucky I am to have rad parents and pretty awesome brothers and one super sweet SISTA. Today, I am happy........happy to be alive!

BAPTISM, ELK, AND SPUD HARVEST

September 27th - Carson made the important decision to become an official member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. It was such a special day with many great friends and especially FAMILY! There were so many family members that traveled so far to be here for his special occasion. THANK YOU! To those of you who were unable to come, we sure missed you and know you wanted to be here. Carson felt your LOVE. Go here http://bertaboice.blogspot.com/2008/09/carsons-special-day.html to read more on the details. Cortney and mom took some great photos.

September 29th - I don't know if you realize, but if you live in Ashton you are basically a HICK. You end up buying big 4 x 4 trucks, wearing serious camo, and even growing long mullets. Well, Brian and I had the HICK conversation the other day when he came home with a huge elk. I have to admit that I am impressed by my husbands bow and arrow skills. He has quite the aim. The other day he was out target practicing and did a "Robin Hood". That is where you hit a bulls eye and another bulls eye right in the exact same spot splitting the arrow in half. Here is a photo of Brian's Robin Hood. There is something hot about a man in camo shooting a Robin Hood. There was only one day left of bow season and Brian decided to head out by himself at 4:00am to give it one last try. He was successful and I was just happy he didn't get attacked by Mr. Grizzly. His friend Royce drove up later to help load it up and bring it home. We now have a freezer full of elk meat thanks to my hot HICK husband Brian. (p.s. sorry to those of you who are vegan)

SPUD HARVEST - Spud harvest is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the smell of the dirt fields just harvested. I love the memories of the good old pickin days when I worked for Bott farms. I love the taste of a freshly hand picked potato right out of the oven. I LOVE the time I get to hang out with my kidos during 2 weeks of NO school. I love it when Cameron and Leah come for a visit to raid the fields of spuds with me and the boys. We find some pretty crazy looking spuds out in those fields. What a great time of year.

Blogging is similar to scrapbooking. If you get behind on a few posts, I feel like I will never get caught up. I will fill you in more soon. Happy day.

YOU WHAT?

Well, like I say things have been stinking busy around here, but there is absolutely NO excuse for not blogging major life events. I have been slightly depressed by the fact that my camera is missing in action. NO nice camera anymore. I now own a FREE piece of CRAP camera that doesn't focus, and makes me look about 20 pounds heavier than I really am. Oh yah, I am 20 pounds heavier. Here is a run down on past events.

• Carson has been hitting the football thing full force. He practices daily after school for two hours and comes home ravished. Tonight he has a game in Shelley. This is the first game I am unable to attend and I am having total withdrawal symptoms. I want to go! Carson has also been enjoying guitar lessons with grandma Berta, and is looking forward to a special event happening September 27th. Carson is going to be baptised. He is excited for the baptism since he is now 10 years old.


• Today Kelton got to go with his 2nd grade class to Mesa Falls. He said he had a really great time and was greatful for a small little nice man who helped build the falls area. How funny are kids? Kelton has had the hunting bug lately. He wants to kill about any bug or animal that moves. I told him he was not allowed to kill birds unless he was eating them for supper. He said that if he were stranded in the woods he could use the feathers to make a warm hat and it would save his life. He begs Brian to take him hunting with him on a hourly basis. They have set a hunting date of Sept. 22nd. Thanks a lot "Man vs. Wild".

• Cooper has been a complete handful. He makes me laugh three fourths of the day. The other forth I am changing dirty diapers, picking up toys, and rushing to catch the opened bag of cereal about to be poured all over the floor. He definitely keeps me on my toes. Some of his favorite things right now is his big red ball, his trampoline skills, and running naked through the house after bath time. He is talking like a little champ saying so many things. His absolute favorite word is NO. He is a total blast.


• Brian has been working on bikes, hunting, and keeping busy with lifes daily jobs. Interbike is coming up next week in Las Vegas. He will not be attending this year due to Carson's baptism, but excited to say that his bike will be on display at Nathan Packs. This will give him some great exposure for the custom bikes.
• I enjoy keeping myself busy at home hanging with Coop and the boys. It has been a little quiet around here since Carson and Kelton have gone to school. I am still working a day or two at the hospital, but I wouldn't say that it is a super duper blast. I am slowly getting my new little business Grom going. SLOW is the key word. It is hard to find time to fit it all in. Last week we made an offer on a crap hole house in Ashton. This is a home that we will be fixing up and renting out within the next couple of months. It has been a while since we have had the nuts to do another real estate deal..........but it is time. I am hoping to SAVE some serious cash so I can buy me a new camera. I can't stand taking these crapy photos any longer.

GROM WEAR UP AND RUNNIN

Wow, I almost forgot how to sign into my account it has been so long. Things have been going TRULY great. We have been busy with the new school year, football, bike building, and adventuring. I have finally got GROM up and running. Stop on by! I will be adding things weekly and let me know if you have any great ideas on tees. I will fill you in later.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6212398

REWARDS

Today was a day full of valuable lessons and partial rewards. It started off with Kelton's one mile race at the annual Mesa Falls Marathon. I signed Brian up so he would run along side him, but was embarrased when there were a bunch of little kids and him. He decided to hang in the back in case any of the little ones needed some encouragement. They yelled go and off they went. Kelton sprinted to the lead of the pack and I yelled SLOW DOWN. The whole time I was thinking in my head that there is no way that my little Kelton could sprint the whole way. Well, I was wrong. He came running through the finish 5th with a running time of 8:11- this is out of 45 kids. Now that's fast for a little 7 year old. Brian strolled in a couple minutes later helping a couple little ones through the finish. The only problem was that Kelton had on Brian's time band, and Brian had on Kelton's time band. So it looks like Brian went out and tried stomping the little kids. Kelton was first in his age group!

After the race we hurried and loaded Carson up and rushed to Rexburg for Carson's first football game. Three hours of torture. It is hard to handle little Coop, make sure Kelton doesn't get kidnapped, and watch Carson's game. I tell you what ..........three kids is plenty. We headed home to catch Brian finishing a fun mountain bike ride with a good group of friends. We decided to head to the mountains behind our house and pick huckleberries. It started out great! A nice hike through the woods with all the boys. How peaceful and beautiful it was. And the berries, they were everywhere. We sat and picked for about 10 minutes and wanted to find a new little spot. Carson and Kelton were making their way along the tree line when all of a sudden I hear this BIG OUCH........silence......OUCH, OUCH, OUCH, OUCH, OUCH! They kicked up a nest of wasps and were getting bit over and over again. Needless to say that our little berry picking adventure ended a little bit early. Poor little dudes. Brian also got bit a few times. For the remainder of the day they were all red and swollen. Well, with the few berries we got we came home and made a yummy huckleberry cheesecake. Now that's a reward.

JUST TRI

(pics coming soon)
The Rexburg Rush triathlon was yesterday and did I get tired just watching the dang thing. Wow, impressive athletes. Brian, dad, and many many friends were involved. Everyone survived with amazing results. I was so proud of all of the finishers. Dad placed 1st in his age group. Brian placed 3rd in his age group, and my best bud Jennica placed 1st. There were 380+ people involved from all over the U.S.A. I even got to see Lisa Hart.....an old neighbor. Congrats to ALL.

So right here and now I am committing to all of my 8 blogging buddies that next year is the year. I HEATHER WILLIAMS AM COMMITTING TO DO THE RUSH TRIATHLON IN 2009. I am learning the hard way that all you got to do is TRI!

So who is in for next year?

NO EXCUSES

I am looking forward to this weekend to watch my dad, Brian, and Whitney suffer in the Rexburg triathlon. I think it is amazing to watch my dad who has had 2 knee replacements and 2 hip replacements do this event. Everyone keeps asking me why I am not doing it this year, and to tell you the truth I need practice in the swim area. Open water freaks me out just a little bit. No, a lot. There really is no excuse for not doing it. I could drive 30 minutes to Rexburg and swim with dad two or three times a week, or go down to the stinky reservoir and swim with the sucker fish. NO EXCUSES!

The other day Bri wanted to go swimming so we took the kayaks down to the river and boated next to him as he swam. Kelton had a blast. Our neighbor watched little Coop. There is an endless pool down there. Brian tried swimming up stream in the current and stayed in one place. It was awesome.

Yesterday and today Brian will be helping with the ride Idaho bike tour. They called and asked if he would help out with the mechanical end of things. He followed 250 SLOW bikers 95 miles yesterday. Yah, that took a while.

KELSON

NEW SITE UP. www.kelsonbikes.com
new stuff to be added later.

SUMMER TIDBITS

We are super stoked for the new website to be up and running this weekend. Gheen has been working so hard getting content ready to go live. Soon we will be official. Here is a sample of what it will look like.
http://www.kelsonbikes.com/test.htm

For the past couple of weeks Brian has been slaving over the apartments in Rexburg getting them ready for people to move into this weekend. He does great work. I will get some photos and show you how it is coming. I have been painting for the past week, and today I will go CLEAN!

Carson has started football practice and seems to enjoy it. I don't know how they can make those kids exercise for 2 hours every stinking day. KIDS ARE TOUGH.

Kelton has been running, and biking like a mad man. He is truly amazing. The other day he wanted to go around the mile loop with me. I saw him for about 30 seconds and he was gone. He doesn't have pity on his old mom. He spanked my trash.

Cooper has hit his early terrible two's. He has been a little BRAT. Of course getting everything he wants. How can you say no to that cute little face.

Brian will be attempting to do the Rexburg Rush triathlon this next week. He just decided a couple of days ago. He will do amazing. He hasn't swam in about 3 years, but I don't think he will even break a sweat. How would it be?

I am starting a new company called GROM (thanks to Cortney for the name). It will be cool skate, surf, board clothes for little kids. I will have the first production of shirts up next week. I am excited for the venture. Here are a few designs I am working on.

SNAKE UPDATE: Brian killed another rattlesnake last night!

UTAH TRIP

Wow, this summer has just zipped by. We were able to take a trip to Utah this past week and see Brian's family. Brian also did the Capital Reef Classic stage race. It was kind of fun to watch him suffer........just a little.

DADS #1 FAN

• Monday - We headed to Utah to stay at Ken and Wendy's Timeshare in Park City. The kidos went swimming and hung out.


• Tuesday - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Oh how I LOVE my husband. We have been married for 14 years and I have absolutely LOVED almost every minute of it. We will celebrate on Wednesday. We zipped to Teasdale, Utah to see Brian's folks. They are always a warm welcome. The boys did lots of lizard hunting, hiking, and little boy things.


• Wednesday - We were so lucky to be able to have a couple days alone with Rob and Charlotte before everyone else gathered for the William's reunion. Food, food and more food........YUM. Brian and I headed to a restaurant in Torrey called Cafe Diablo. This place is like out of this world. Famous food! It is like a 5 star restaurant out in the middle of no where. My food came out with some fancy banana sticking out of it. Now that is fancy.


• Thursday -William's fam starts showing up. Dinner in the park. Food, food and more food........RIBS.
• Friday - Brian's time trial was in the morning and boy did we have a following. It was fun to have all the family there to support him. The t-shirts were a big hit. We all looked official. There was a racer lining up for the time trial. When they said go we heard this BIG bang. His tire BLEW. Branson, Ken and I were on top of it. We saved the day with his race by giving him one of Brian's wheels. Good P.R.!
• Friday Afternoon - Brian had a crit race. This course was incredibly hard. Two laps in HOT weather doesn't make for a good combo especially when your electrolytes are off. Bri was heading with the lead group when he started cramping up. He made me proud when he finished for the boys. He said he wanted to quit, but would not let his kids see him quit. What a man. I am proud of him.


• Saturday Morning - We were up early ready to watch Bri through the 94 mile mountain race. I followed him in the truck with my side kicks Ken and Bryce. They kept me company and made me laugh pretty much the whole time. There was a section of the race where it climbed forever. We came across a sign called "Splatter Canyon". Now why would they name it Splatter Canyon? If you looked down you would see why. It was pretty amazing driving the dang thing. I have no idea how someone could ride it on two wheels. We saved the day again when we rescued one of the riders who had completely exhausted himself during the race. We hauled him and his bike into town. Maybe next year dude. I want all of you to know that I did make it to the feed zones with NO potty break. Congratulations to Heather! (personal joke). Brian again struggled a little with mineral imbalance/leg cramps, but finished in good time. GOOD JOB BRI.


• Sunday - Headed to Utah to visit my family. I tried calling you Cortney.........with not much notice to come for a visit. You were partying with your buddies. At the last minute I called Cam and he said they were home and we could come and stay for the night. Always fun to see family.

BRI AND HIS NEW RIDE - KELSON BIKES - AWESOME!

• Monday - Headed back to the wonderful world of Idaho. I LOVE Idaho!

There are so many things to talk about but this was the basic run through of a fun filled week. We LOVE the William's family and always look forward to the yearly reunion.

DID I SAY.....MORE TO COME?

July 1st started off with a bang! I went running with some friends, cleaned the house, and got the kids ready for a fun trip to sand creek. We had a blast! The kids did some swimming and best of all got filthy, stinkin, dirty. It's always fun to get dirty.

After the outing the boys wanted to go and skateboard at their friends house. I told them that they would need to walk over because I was busy with Coop. On their way back home they heard this "RATTLE" sound by the side of the road. Now this is just down the road about 500 feet from our home. Yup, what do you know........ANOTHER F'ing RATTLESNAKE. Sorry for the language, but that is how I felt when they came home and told me the story. The boys did great. They ran to the Hobbs and Keith was home to save the day. The only problem was Max our dog did not follow them. He stayed with the snake. Keith took his trusty shovel and decapitated the nasty thing. Now when the boys came home and told me this nightmare, I didn't believe them. I had to see this tall tale for myself......and they were NOT lying.

Later that evening, Kelton went out to feed and water Max. He comes screaming inside saying that Max only has ONE eye. Calm down I told him. I went to check out the situation and let me tell you he looked like he had been hit by a cement truck. His whole face was swollen. I started doing a little freaky freak! Max had been BIT by the dang snake. "Is he going to die?" I frantically called the vet in St. Anthony who said would meet me there. To make another long story short. They gave him some steroids and sent us home. We didn't know if he would live or die. The boys said many prayers to bless their buddy Max. Brian stayed up with Max most of the night (did I say how wonderful my husband is?) This morning I headed to spinning and was happy to see that Max was still breathing. Wow, what a night. Does anyone have any snake deterrent? I NEED SOME!

TIS THE SEASON

Tis the season for all creatures nasty!

I had to run to Rexburg for a gazillion errands. While I was there I got a call from Brian. It sounded like he had just ran a marathon. Well, in a way.....he kida did. He was getting ready to go out for a bike ride - spandex and all when all of a sudden he hears this "RATTLE" sound out by the garage. So he runs inside, grabs his shot gun, moon boots, and shovel and heads outside to SAVE the day. Oh how I LOVE a guy with spandex & big guns.He went out and sure enough it was a rattlesnake sitting outside of the garage. I think it was munchin on something delicious. Well, to make a LONG story short Brian shot it twice, and finished it off with a shovel to the head. What a MAN! The only thing I was truly sad about is that I did not get to witness him with the big gun, moon boots, and spandex. There will be more to come I'm sure.

SUMMER FUN

Can I just tell you how hard it is to catch up on blogging if you have been a slacker. SO HARD! Life just flies by and when I don't get a chance to blog I get behind. I think there is no possible way to even think about getting caught up so I just STOP writing. Here we go again on a little catch up. BARE with me.

• BIRTHDAY - Carson celebrated his 10th birthday June 10, 2008. He had some friends over to go paint balling. Yup, war in the canyon was what he wanted to do. Brian was like a little kid with a big gun. He was great.....he got the boys all set up with their gear, and took them to get plastered and bruised with paint balls. They had a BLAST! Carson ended up getting a paintball gun for his birthday. This is something his mother would never let him have. Well, never say never.

• BASEBALL - Carson and Kelton started the month of June off with lots and lots of baseball. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Yup, lots and lots of baseball. The games were played in St. Anthony so that meant a lot of time traveling and a lot of GAS. Carson's team ended up in the finals. They played AWESOME! They took second place and got a cool trophy.
• SWIMMING LESSONS - The boys had swimming lessons last week. Jennica brought her kids up from Rexburg and we got to hand out for a couple hours ALL week long. I sure miss hanging with my buddy Jennica. The kids passed with flying colors and have grown gills. Yup, they are full on fish.


• FOOTBALL CAMP - June 23-25th was football camp. This gives the kids from the area a chance to beat up on each other. They all seem to just love the pain. Carson will be playing 5th grade football this year. I tried to talk him out of it, but NO go. He just loves it.


• PHYSICAL - Now, I got to tell you that going to the doctor to get a physical should not be a laughing matter. Well, I got my laugh for the whole stinking month. Carson had to get a physical to play football so we headed into Rexburg for the ordeal. As we were sitting there I explained what a physical was and why it was important that he have one. I did leave out one IMPORTANT detail. The doctor comes in and does his duty, but at the end says "Alright Carson we need you to drop your pants to your knees along with your underwear." He looked at me and just stared for about 2 minutes. Now you have to know Carson to understand that he is SHY. When he was a baby he made me close my eyes while I changed his diaper. So this was something for him. I couldn't contain myself and just burst into laughter. He looked at me, looked at the doctor and said close your eyes mom. As my eyes were closed I hear this cold HUHHH, and a quiet cough. I laughed my way all the way out the doctors office and back home. Now when the boys get in trouble I just say are you ready to go to the doctor to get another physical. They seem to straighten right up.


• BIKE BUILDING - Brian has been busy building some pretty amazing TI frames. I have been working hard with our friend Gheen getting the website in order to go live the middle of July. Life has been busy
• SCOUTS - Carson received his bear at scouts the other day. He sure makes a good little trooper. It has been fun being a den leader. I get to see my kido growing and working hard to achieve his goals. I have enjoyed my calling.


• COOPER - Cooper has been feeling great the past couple of weeks. We have been giving him allergy medication, and it seems to WORK. HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH. He has been sleeping through the night and I am just thrilled about that. He has been running, talking, and playing hard. His favorite thing is playing outside in the dirt. Why are little boys attracted to DIRT?

Things have been going great. We are TRULY enjoying the warm weather and look forward to July. Hope all is well for all of you. I will keep you updated on a more frequent basis. LIFE IS GOOD.......LIVE IT!

STOP WAITING TO BE HAPPY

JUNE 2007

It has been raining, snowy, and COLD for about 8 months. Last June it was just beautiful! Warm, sunny, and NO wind. What in the world is going on around these parts.

Mostly cloudy. In the valleys...scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms early in the evening...then a slight chance of rain showers after midnight. In the mountains... Scattered rain showers...snow showers and isolated thunderstorms early in the evening...then a slight chance of rain showers and snow showers after midnight. Little or no new snow accumulation. Lows 30 to 37.

It is hard to keep your spirits up when the weather is just plain COLD. So, today I am trying to be HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!
Stop waiting.....

• Until your car or home is paid off
• Until you get a new car or home
• Until your kids leave the house
• Until you go back to school
• Until you finish school
• Until you clean the house
• Until you organize the garage
• Until you clean off your desk
• Until you lose 10 lbs.
• Until you gain 10 lbs.
• Until you get married
• Until you get a divorce
• Until you have kids
• Until the kids go to school
• Until you retire
• Until summer
• Until spring
• Until winter
• Until fall
• Until you die

There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need money. Love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one's watching.