MUD FOOTBALL

I have learned over the years that kids are CREATIVE! They come up with ideas that I would never dream of. Yesterday was one of those days. We decided to go swimming to beat the heat, and after we got home I think the boys thought they were too clean so they decided to get DIRTY! Carson came up with this fun idea of mud football. Being such an AWESOME mom I said "ya dude that sounds fun." But behind my breath I was swearing and saying how much I didn't want to clean up their filth.

After the water sat in the dirt for about 15 minutes they had a great mud puddle. How excited they were to get DIRTY. The game went on for hours. They were not even hungry when they got done because they had eaten so much MUD. The sun started to set and they were still going strong. You should have seen them......they were like little boys with their first dose of sugar. Carson kept saying that he had mud pies building up between his butt cheeks and private areas. They were hilarious! After the cold hose down NAKED they ran to the showers to get their cheeks clean. Brain was nice enough to clean up their mess. What a great dad they have!

NEW BUSINESS VENTURE

If Brian already doesn't have enough going on in his life he is taken on 1 more business. I am so excited for him! Before we moved to Ashton, Brian said he thought it would be fun to get a junk truck with a plow and plow the roads during the winter. During the remodel Brian met this great guy named Mike Vecchio who plowed him out many times. Mike and his family are moving to Indiana and just on a whim decided to sell their business. We had NO intentions of buying the business from him, but it just worked out and fell into our hands. One day we had the thought and the next day we decided to do it. It happened just like that! We will miss the Vecchio family. They have truly been AWESOME!
We finally got our permit to build the shop. Wow, that only took 6 months for the permit. Hopefully it won't take that long to build it. We all seem super duper happy these days. We just miss seeing all of you.

TERRIFIC TUESDAY

FUN ADVENTURES WITH LINCOLN
Today we visited the busy town of Rexburg! Man, were things hopping around that town.

• Cooper had his vaccinations today which was sooooo sad. His poor little chubby legs got beat up with 3 shots.
• Carson had a great experience with the hair scissors today......don't ask, but thanks Nic.
• Kelton had a very interesting Cortney Boice moment in his pants today. Because this is my journal I will explain. We were entering the town of Rexburg and Brian had just dropped me and the boys off to borrow Roberta's car. Momma Berta was in Idaho Falls shopping so we entered the home like quiet little thief's. When all of the sudden from out of the blue was a large explosion. One like you have never heard before. It went like this (prepare yourself)...........Burp, Hickup, Blast out!!!! And when I say blast out I mean OUT! It was definitely a Cortney moment. Cort, you are so famous around these parts......hee, hee, hee. After hosing him off and stripping him down they went to soak in grandpas hot tub. Dad, you might not want to drink the hot tube water tonight. The funny thing is that he feels just fine. It is going around our family......do you think it is the water in Asthon?
• Brian spent his day working on his new snow removal business. He thinks it is going to be fun waking up at 4:00am plowing people out of their homes. Actually, I think he will just LOVE it. I am excited for him.

It was a busy, but fun day today. We love being alive and hope that many of you will come visit us in the little town of Asthon. Hope to see you soon.

Do you ever wonder where the day goes? It seems that times just flies by. Cooper pooped and grunted his way through his 4 month birthday today. Carson and Kelton serenaded their way through happy birthday. They also included their little buddy Oli in the song since we never got a chance to sing to him yesterday. Happy birthday Oli....we love you!

I worked the weekend at the hospital and while I was gone Brian taught the boys the art of fly tying. It is pretty hilarious to watch the boys tie these crazy looking flies. They sit at their tying area for hours on end to see who can make the best looking fly. Here are some fun pics of their special flies that they tied.

Kelton lost his other front tooth today. He has been working on that one for months. Carson came up to Brian and asked him if the tooth fairy was for real because Carson found a stash of baby teeth in Brian's drawer....Whoops!

The boys went on a run with me around the little loop. Man they are fast. How can those little legs carry them so swiftly. Only if I could run like that!

Goodnight, I am exhausted!

MIDNIGHT

The boys have named their new little terror kitten MIDNIGHT. This cat has some serious mental issues it needs to deal with. You look at it wrong and your wrists will be slit down to the main artery. I like that in a cat......VISCOUS! The boys are possing with Midnight right before she strikes them to the ground in pain. Yup, good kitty!

FREAK OUT

Today we spent the day in Rexburg running errands and hanging out with family and friends. We picked up a new addition to the family today. Carson and Kelton got a kitty. I'm hoping for a mouse killer, wolf chaser, rattle snake warner, and bear terrorizer. If that cat can do all of those things, I think we will get along great.

Brian took Charles (Sled Shed employee) fishing tonight. Me and the boys were the shuttle service. On our way back home we drove by some strange people who were yelling and waving their hands at me. I just waved to them and looked ahead....... I ran right over a 12 foot rattle snake. Well maybe it wasn't 12 feet, maybe it was 18 ft. I got out of the truck and said a couple unpleasant words as I watched the nasty thing slither off into the bushes. So now I am pretty sick to my stomach, disgusted with life, and ready to move back to the quiet town of Rexburg. This is two rattle snakes in a weeks period. I don't know if I am tough enough to live here. "I want my mommy."

So I am dealing with the snakes, stressing about not having enough birth control pills for the week, and now I am home living in an OVEN. It was 88 degrees today in my house. These big windows have its positives and negatives. So right now I guess I could say that I am a PMS B_T_H! Sorry for the language, but I am a little nasty right now.

Off to put the kidos to bed and lather in my own personal sweat bath.

CARSON'S PRIZE FISH

Carson caught this fish yesterday while fishing with the boys. His dad was kinda jealous! "It's way bigger than dads!"

DELISH

Look at this exciting moment! My first garden has produced some delicious radishes. If I liked radishes they would be even more delicious. Look at how red, cute, and little they are. Oh I feel like a champion. We put them in a yummy salad that we ate for dinner. I can't tell you how ecstatic I will be when those carrots pop their little heads out.

The boys went fishing in the boat last night and Carson caught a honker with his pole. Kelton also reeled in his very first fish. They have been fishing 3 times within the week. This is more fishing than we have done in the past 9 years. While the boys were fishing Cooper and I went for a walk up the monster hill. I met a fun family that was out in their front yard. Hoping they will come by our home for a visit. We are LOVING it here! So much to do as a family!
Just got home from the Ashton pool. Man is it hot out side 90 degrees and about 120 degrees inside. I think you could fry an egg on my hardwood floors. That little pool is sure fun for the kids. Now they are all outside squirting Brian with the hose.....hee, hee I think I will go throw a few water balloons at them.

BIG HUNK

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Today was such a great day. Brian has been sick the past couple of days but woke up feeling much better. The boys woke up early to help cook Bri some delicious blueberry muffins and juice. They wrote him the greatest card. Carson writes "dad thank you for tacking us to school eavry day. and gowing mowtin bicking sometimes I very appreciate you. very very much."
Kelton writes "thank you dad for tacking me fishing." And Coop even signs his name. The even picked out some gifts for him at Cal Ranch.

We went to our new ward today. I thought I was attending a funeral for a person who lived to be 110. There was definitely some serious gray hair going on. We met some fun people there and hoping these old wonderful people will fill me with KNOWLEDGE.

We took Brian to Trails Inn after church. What a delicious meal they brewed up for us.

We came home and hung out as a family. Brian started building a computer desk, and the rest of us tried helping......I think he re screwed all of the screws we tried to put in.

Father, I tried calling you many times today to wish you Happy Father's Day. You must have been so busy with all of your Father's Day gifts and pampering. Happy day to you!

Rob Williams, thank you also for being such an amazing and fun father also. You have been great. Happy day to you!
At about 8:00pm we headed down to the river. We all have been practicing our fly fishing skills. Carson is getting pretty AWESOME. Me on the other hand.......I need some serious practice. We had a fun time and YUP, I caught a monster. Don't let them fool you by it's size. It was truly a prize fish keeper.

To all of the father's out there today......HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

FRIEND FRIDAY

We had such a great day today with some AWESOME friends from Rexburg. My bestest buddy Jennica, and her family came up to visit us in Ashton. We started off with some delicious lunch. We BBQ'd up some yummy hamburgers and we off to feed the fish.

We drove to a beautiful place up by Island park called Big Springs. Here you can feed these HUGE fish pretty much anything you would like. I bet they would have eaten one of our yummy hamburgers. After the kids put their feet in the water and spent their life savings on fish food we headed back home to Ashton.
We grabbed the kids swim suits and headed down to the pool. What a fun spot! It is a small pool with lots of character and NICE people. Cooper and I had fun watching all the kidos play. It is sure nice to have great friends.Brian spent the day running around doing something called work. He worked on the permit for the shop and went to Idaho Falls to buy supplies. We LOVE Friday's.

MICE, AND SNAKES, AND BUGS - OH MY!

Today I am at work again and looking forward to a few days off. I am hoping to cut back to 1-2 days a week. Insurance....can't live without it......but can barely afford it. This is the main reason I am working right now.

In Asthon there are some fun mountain bike trails just out our front door. The only problem is that some of the trails are so overgrown. The family ventured out to cut down old trees, clean the path of large rocks, and try to make it rideable. Cooper even joined in on the fun! Soon, we will have a fun loop that the whole fam can ride.

We went to the local outdoor pool IN ASHTON the other day (Rexburg needs to get with the times). The kids had fun, but were a little shy because they did not know anyone. I met some great people there and had a good time chatting with them in my turtle neck and long black pants. When does that baby fat disappear? We asked our neighbor Caleb if he would like to join us. He gladly accepted and was thrilled to have the company. He is an only child and stays home by himself all summer long. We have invited him over many times for lunch and just to hang. He was telling me about a monster rattlesnake that he found in his back yard rock pile. It totally freaked me out! I went straight out to the yard and cut all of the weeds with the mower and weed wacker. All but 4.5 acres left to go. I am also investing in about 30 cats to calm the rodent population so the snakes stay away from my yard. Max is such a great guard dog though......yah right, he runs away with his tail between his legs when he sees a stink bug. Did I tell you that Max impregnated the neighbors dog? The neighbors left there dog home for the weekend with nobody to watch after her. Of course the dog was in heat. She came prancing through our yard with her pink spike collar and Max was all over that brown beauty. Now he won't have a thing to do with her. Is this a male thing, or what? Glad to be back blogging....so much to say.

IT'S ABOUT TIME

(PHOTO BY LINCOLN HIRRLINGER) THE WAY I LIKE IT! HEADLESS
Wow, I finally have internet at the house. What would we do without it? I also lost my cord in the move to upload photos from my camera. There is so much to tell you about. I guess I will just start with today. I started working at the hospital again and actually it is not so bad. Brian has been "multi-purpose man" around here. He has been Mr. mom, Mr. businessman, Mr. contractor, and Mr. ultimate husband. I sure do love him! He has worked so hard so our family could live in such a wonderful place.

Carson just turned 9 on June 10th. He had such a wonderful birthday with so many great friends. We decided to have a friend party this year with his friends from Rexburg because we knew it would probably be the last. He has met so many wonderful kids at school.....he will miss them. CARSON WITH HIS NEW BIRTHDAY BIKE!

Mom I am going to use your words to explain the fun day.
(By Momma Berta)
Let me 'esplane' ('explain' to the non-Spanish population) this party-thing to you! The boys hand-painted their 'football' jerseys (new white shirts) with the number of their choice and their name. They choose teams, went for the huddle and they were off entertaining themselves for at least an hour. When they got too hot, off came the jerseys and they were on to the next activity - waterslide down the front yard - with a lot of gooey Dawn dish soap to help them along.

They went from boiling to freezing in a short amount of time - but this, by far, was their favorite activity. Now, when the sub-zero water temperature was just too much -then aired out on the trampoline then onto the next- cupcake decorating. Oh no, not just ordinary cake decorating! Mommy Heather had them frost their own cupcakes with a knife held in their mouth. The first one to frost, decorate and top it all off with a candle . . .was the winner! Present opening was next and the grand finale was a ride home in Uncle Grif's bus! (After everyone was delivered home safe and sound, the family went to Gringos and thus you see Carson - he got "sombrero'ed". The FUNNY thing was, Carson snuck out of the restaurant right when the waitresses came to SING to him and Brian had to carry him back to the table to get his fried ice cream and an 'embarrassing moment' . . .we all dread it, Carson!

Carson had a GREAT birthday party - his 'official' birthday is actually tomorrow. I feel so fortunate to be with the kids on their birthdays. I know they have other Grandmas and Grandpas that would LOVE to be here with them too.
(Thanks mom for making my journal entries so easy.....I just copy yours)

BUGS

Last week we took the boys down to the river to do a little fishing. Right now the salmon flies are hatching and they are everywhere. It is pretty amazing because people from all over the world come here for the salmon hatch. I guess the fly fishing is world class when the salmon flies are on. Here are some fun pictures of the boys and the bugs.

GET WELL SOON

Last Saturday Brian received a call from his Aunt Marianne saying that his grandpa Politano had just had a small stroke. He was having a hard time with the news because he thinks so much of his grandpa Malcolm. We don't get to see much of him, but we think of him everyday. He is a business owner just like Brian. They have many of the same qualities regarding business and life. I truly wish that we lived closer so that all of us could enjoy being with grandpa. Carson and Kelton say prayers for him at night. Cooper even does a little goo goo for him during the prayer along with a little tooter. Cooper was named after Grandpa Politano. Grandpa, we hope you are feeling better.....and we will see you soon! We love you and think about you often.

Kelton's SOLO

Cooper "Take Two"

Cooper "Take One"

HOLY CRAP!

Today was such a beautiful morning. I got my stroller ready for my morning run...I mean torturous jont, and loaded Cooper up. We were ready to roll. Stepping out the door I found to my surprise serious bird turds. They were everywhere! My car looked like it had been used for World War 4 "birdie target practice." Is there a bird war going on somewhere that I am not aware of?

Thank goodness for children. I have coerced them into a snow shack in exchange for a car cleaning. Hee, Hee, they don't know they will be scrubbing for hours to remove all of the bird crap that was gifted to us last night.

I just returned from the big city of St. Anthony. I am still battling the building permit. I think we are on the right track now, and should be good to go the middle of next week. We are so close to moving into our new home. PLEASE come and visit me. I am worried I will be spending so much time talking to trees, rocks, and mammals that I will forget how to speak English.

Big garage sale this weekend. If any of you are interested in purchasing JUNK for your home, just stop by and I will sell you something for .25 cents. Why oh why do I do this to myself. Brian says I have to make enough to buy a new t.v. Well, I might make enough to buy the antenna for the t.v.

HARD WORK

Brian is hard at work in Ashton today. The clock is ticking and it is time to whined things down and finish up. Easy for me to say, since I have been no help to him what so ever. Every time I would go up to help our little Cooper would need his pants changed, want to be held, or want to eat. That process would repeat every hour....so no work would get done with me there. So I can honestly say Brian has done 110% of the work himself. I am so proud of his hard work. I want him to be DONE with it so he can enjoy the summer months. We were suppose to lay the floor tomorrow, but the company who ordered it apparently lost our order.....they are looking for it as we speak. I got to go to my buddies house (Jennica) today and have lunch with her and our kids. We had a fun talk and I got to see all of her awesome new home decor. It sure looks nice! I also was able to stop by and visit another friend of mine (Sarah). She was in our ward for years and was a great influence on our family. They have recently moved and they are enjoying their new home.

It has been a busy day today. One thing I was happy to hear was Tyler's condition. It was a stroke after all. No sign of tumors, cancer, M.S., or any other life threatening illness. That made me happy to hear that. They are still trying to decide why he had a stroke at the young age of 26.

BATHROOM PROGRESS

Brian has officially finished the beautiful bathroom. He was thrilled when he called me on the phone to say that he finally was done with the bathroom. You have to see it.....it is like visiting a 5 star hotel. I was so impressed with his work. I said he should do it for a living, and his response was "Hell no!" Here are a few pics of the shower. These pictures don't do it justice. You will just have to come and see for yourself.

Home Tweet Home

It's crazy how quick kids grow up. These are some of my favorite pics of when Carson and Kelton were younger. I love these pictures....they make me smile.

Chocolate Chip Happiness

Another day has come and gone and there is always something to write about, but yesterday was a fun day to remember. As most of you know the whole neighborhood has sold their homes and they are all getting ready to move out. Kelton and I felt like baking a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies to take to the neighbors with thank you cards. As the cookies were baking and the smell of chocolate was in the air I couldn't help but think of our new home. We will miss it here, but we are greatful for where we are headed. We visited our old bishop down the road, our new next door neighbor, and even people walking by got to try Kelton's delicious cookies. Our favorite visit was across the street to a college kid who we heard was injured in a motorcycle accident at the sand dunes and broke his back. We did not know who he was,but thought he might enjoy some yummy cookies. As Kelton and I crossed the street and approached the door he gently knocked. "Come in" said a silent voice. We said we were there to see a kid named Clay, but we were not sure who he was. As he tried to lift his head up off of the couch he began to smile. "I am Clay." "We heard you were injured and thought these cookies might make you feel a little better." I don't think I have ever seen a person so greatful for something in my life. As we left I felt HAPPY! Happy to know that we made someone else feel just a little bit better today. I think Kelton learned an important lesson about serving others. I learned a lesson about how chocolate makes people happy. How the little things in life make people smile. It was a great day. We finished the day off with a fun walk around the park with Cooper in his new little stroller (thanks to my wonderful hubby), Nicole, and Dottie. Kelton flew his kite and Carson tried to tire Nicoles little dog out, but instead it sure tired Carson out. Brian was busy at school learning important things about machine work??????? Little things.....that is what life is about!

MY NEW FAVORITE TOY. I LOVE MY STROLLER....IT ROCKS!

TIME FLIES

I am having a hard time coping with the fact that April is almost over. I can't believe how quickly time passes. I was remembering the baby years of Carson and Kelton today and couldn't believe how grown up they are. Cooper has just had his 2 month birthday. Wow, it just seems like yesterday we were excited to find out we were having another bundle of joy.

Today I had a few moments to meditate. For some reason, I felt very close to grandpa Ward today as if he were here checking in on us making sure we were all doing fine.

Grandpa Bob we still feel your presence

I went to visit Griffin at the studio today with the boys. They love going over there to listen to their Uncle Griff. They think he is the coolest when he shows them all of his amazing music and beats. They say "HE ROCKS." I have to agree with them on that comment....he truly does rock! While we were there Uncle Barry's name kept coming up and you just know he is also looking down saying good job Griff. It was like he was there in the room with us. Kelton was saying how much he would have loved hearing Uncle Barry play the drums. Someday Kelton .....you will get the chance.Kelton has been kicked out of the house with his drum set.....now he puts on a show for everyone who drives by. He is quite the entertainer.

We went to check on Uncle Tyler today because it was his homecoming. He came home from the hospital today. We didn't get a chance to say hello because he was zonked out on the couch. He gets tired quite easily still. He will get all of his strength back soon....because he is tough as nails. I think his story is a miracle story. All of the top doctors in the world don't have a for sure diagnosis. Where did those 2 large tumors go? I think God is watching over him.

Brian has been up at the house everyday this week trying to get things done so we can move. We will be moving in about 3 weeks. Brian has also entered into a new realm of life. He can no longer make fun of the college kids on campus because he is one....hee, hee, hee. He is taking a night class twice a week for 3 hours on machining. He truly enjoys it. Busy guy.....we are so proud of him and all of his hard work.

Today was a wonderful day. I was able to spend time today being greatful for all that I have. I truly am so greatful at this time for every ounce of blessings that I have in my life. Days will go by when it is so easy to complain about how difficult life is or challenging our trials are, but today I am thankful for my life.

NOT QUITE SURE

Update on Tyler's condition
Today I called and talked to

OFF TO UTAH

WHITY MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR TY TO GO TO UTAH
..........THANKS!

Tyler, Nic, and mom are off to LDS hospital today. They will be having another MRI done and so far the doctor is very promising. I have been hanging out at home talking on the phone letting friends and family know what has been happening. We are so excited he will be down at a one of the best hospitals in the world with some of the best doctors in the world.

UPDATE 9:30pm

I just got done talking with dad and he said some pretty amazing things. The MRI took 5 hours to complete. All of the doctors are stumped. They don't know exactly what they are working with. Apparently they don't think these are tumors. They are calling in the best of the best tomorrow to review the scan. We are hoping for the best right now. We will know more tomorrow. Goodnight, I am off to bed. Little Coop is resting so it is my chance for some serious beauty rest. Let me tell you.....I need it.

TYLER UPDATE

God answers prayers! Tyler is heading to LDS hospital in the morning to meet with Dr. Reichman one of the top neurosurgeons in Utah. Thank you Whit and Schuy for talking to Dr. Rosenburg. Rosenburg called Reichman direct and told him Tyler's situation. They will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. It is amazing what miracles can happen when people come together to pray. Prayers are answered.

Trials

Today I am greatful for lifes trials. The past few months have definitely been a trying time in my life. I am so blessed with so many wonderful things, yet seem so filled with sadness. Last week we attended Brian's grandmothers funeral in Southern Utah. It was wonderful to see all of his family and be able to spend time with them. It made us happy to be there together with them. After the funeral Kelton made me cry when he said in a soft little voice "I want to see her one more time mom." I said you will someday!

Last week my brother Tyler was having some sickness issues. He had a hard time moving and every time he would he would throw up. So they took him into the doctor where he was diagnosed with inner ear infection. He continued to struggle with dizzy spells and coordination. On Sunday, he was having dinner at my parents house and he was not acting like himself. Something is wrong! The right side of his body was slow and sluggish. He was having a really hard time walking and talking. This is not like Tyler to be sick. He will continue working like a animal even if he feels real sick. He went back into the doctor on Monday and they told him that he could have had a stroke and to go up to the hospital for an MRI. As I was visiting with him in the hospital waiting room, he was in good spirits.

Tyler has 2 quarter size tumors inside of his cerebellum. It is affecting his coordination and ability to talk. He went down Tuesday to the neurologist in Idaho Falls. He is scheduled for surgery on Monday where they will remove his tumors and test for cancer. He will loose some of his ability to walk....they are not sure how severe it will be. Whitney and I are wanting a second opinion from a specialist at the Huntsman Institute. Whit and Schuy will be talking to doctor Rosenburg (good friend with connections) to see if we can get him in down there. Please pray for him and Nic at this time. Have faith in the doctors to know he will get the BEST care possible.

Sometimes you wonder why certain people are faced with so many different trials. Why is it that we have to be sad in order to learn and grow? I am thankful at this time for all of you and the important part you play in our lives.

Remembering Grandma Williams

WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU GRANDMA

Brian received a call this morning saying that our beautiful grandma Williams has passed away.