SPRING HAS SPRUNG

click on pictures to enlarge

Alright, so you could say that I am a little desperate to see some beautiful tulips blossoming in our yard. There is still only about 4 feet of snow and 3 feet of mud. I think it will melt and dry up by October......just in time to snow again! Anyone want to go in on a condo in Mexico or somewhere REALLY WARM?

The boys have invented a new winter sport. It is called SNO FOOTBALL. They have been having a hay day playing out in the yard. I don't think that the tulip issue is bothering any of them.
Cooper has been able to enjoy the snow a little bit. He loves putting his face in it and licking all the hair and nasty dirt off of it. I just cringe my teeth and smile. Yum.

A few hundred feet from our home is a canyon draw. This place is a child wonderland. The boys went out to play with the neighbor boys and had a great time. I was so surprised at the splendor of this specific area during the winter months. It is just AMAZING.Brian is still keeping busy with all of his adventures. He goes into the shops in the morning, comes home to snow plow all the neighborhood in the afternoon, and then builds his custom bikes in the evening. Every now and again he gets a chance to ride his own bike. He works SO hard for our family. We are thankful for his efforts!

APRIL FOOLS COOKIES

I worked today at the hospital and all day long I was trying to think of some fun practical joke I could play on the boys. After work I stopped by to pick up a pizza so I didn't have to worry about making dinner when I got home. Sitting in front of me at the pizza place was some pre-made cookie dough. "That's it......I will botch the cookie recipe." I took it home and secretly dumped half the cookie dough out. I then placed about 1/2 pound of salt (more or less) into the dough, and began putting it onto the cookie sheet. About 10 minutes later there was some yummy smelling cookies that were coming out of the oven. 1/2 of them were yummy, and the other half were completely NASTY. I made sure I got one of the yummy ones, and that Carson, Kelton, and Brian got the NASTY ones. I almost peed my pants watching their faces as they took huge bites of their chocolate chip cookie. YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! was all I could hear from the three of them as their heads were hanging over the sink spitting uncontrollably. I DID IT! April fools! I ended up sharing with them a couple of good cookies over a fun filled night of ping pong.

I WANT TO CRY......or move

I woke up this morning at 5:30am to get ready for work. I was surprised to see that it had snowed a few inches and was blowing about 35 miles per hour. Yup, SCHOOL IS CLOSED again!

The following schools are closed today March 27th....
Fremont District #215
Ririe District #252
Sugar Salem District #322
A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. SNOW WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY MORNING AND SPREAD EAST BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL MAY BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES OVERNIGHT. TOTAL STORM ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 7 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS AND 6 TO 12 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HIGHER AMOUNTS IN LOCAL SNOW BANDS. A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.

What in the world is going on? Isn't it suppose to be spring. Tulips are suppose to be in full bloom, grass is suppose to be green, and children are suppose to be frolicking in the beautiful flowering fields of lilacs. Not today or anytime in the near future. I just would really enjoy saying a bad bad word right now, but I will refrain for future posterity sake.

BIRTHDAY BOY

Happy birthday you old turkey you. You are now 36 years old.......or are you? Brian and I were discussing about age and how fast time flies by. I said that I couldn't believe he was turning 36 years old and I had just turned 35. Well, we kept pondering the age situation for a while and come to find out we are not as old as we once thought. I am not 35 years old......I am 34! Brian is not 36 years old.....he is 35! I can't believe we have gone around for months thinking we are one year older than we actually are. How cool is it to have lost a year instead of gain a year. Wow, I feel younger already!!!!

Brian went into work at the shops today. It was snowing quite a bit before he left for work. Can you believe it is snowing. He was hoping to go for a bike ride on the road this afternoon, but I have a feeling this snow will not be stopping any time soon. We took Brian to dinner at Chiz's. One of our favorite spots to chow. They can actually cook a steak and not have it moving and mooing when they serve it to you on your plate. We had the whole place to ourselves. That only happens once in a lifetime! We then went home to eat some yummy cheesecake and open gifts. I think he had a nice relaxing birthday, and got some fun fishing stuff from the boys.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOY! WE LOVE YOU!

IS THAT SUN?

We had the opportunity to go snowboarding today and MAN was it beautiful. I looked out the window and said "is that sun I see?" The sun was shinning as bright as a light bulb, the sky was clear as clean glass, and not a breeze to be found....anywhere. It was the most enjoyable day EVER on the mountain. My friend Natalie volunteered to watch little Cooper for the afternoon. Thanks Natalie!

We took up some good friends who have never been boarding before and showed them the ropes of falling and crashing all afternoon. When we first arrived we here this big yell "get out of the way, MOVE IT, get out of the way". Someone had just hit a tree and fell into a bed of rocks! They were doing CPR compressions on him in the EMT sled as they were skiing down the hill. This was not what out new boarders wanted to see. Glad to here they go a pulse on the guy before they life flighted him to the nearest hospital.

I had a great time with the boys. They showed me their favorite run with all the rail slides and jumps. What a day to be outside! It was also fun to spend time with Brian. We don't get many opportunities to be together in the outdoors, so when we do something fun like this......it's a TREAT for me. Brian spent most of the day teaching on the kid hill, but I think he still had a great time being outside. Oh, how I LOVE TO BE OUTSIDE! Can't wait to see that beautiful sunshine again sometime soon.

RANDOM FUN

Cooper after bath - "super fro"
Kelton jumping off top stairs to shop - what a good mom I am
Carson showing off his moves
Carson after being burried in snow
Cooper's favorite word now....DAD!

PREParation

Preparation (prĕp'ə-rā'shən) - now what does that word mean to you? I learned this word well last weekend. Here is what the dictionary says it is....

The act or process of preparing.
The state of having been made ready beforehand; readiness

I had the opportunity to go with some AMAZING friends to a beautiful place called Moab, Utah. We drove many hours, ate yummy food, cooped ourselves up in one small hotel room and yup did some running. It was their annual half marathon. The only problem was I guess you are suppose to prepare yourself for running this dang thing. Well, I DID NOT! I signed up months before knowing that I had many months to prepare, but due to the MONSTROPULOUS snow season there was NO running going on. I think I ran three times in three months. So I downgraded to the 5 miler and truly STRUGGLED the whole dang way. I was so proud of my fellow running buddies, and new running buddies who PREPARED themselves for this race. I truly have learned a new life lesson by going on this trip. "BE PREPARED"

I MISSED YOU!

I can't believe it......my interenet is finally up and running. I MISSED YOU ALL SO MUCH! There are so many things that happened, I don't even know where to begin. We might have to do a couple catch up segments.

February was a CRAZY busy month. So many birthdays, events, and snow that it would take a 700 page book to just break the surface of talking about the month of February. Well, here we go!

Feb. 10th - Little brother Griffin got married to Katrina

Feb. 15th - Brian's brother Ken and his family came up for a visit and some serious sledding. Happy bithday TYLER.

Feb. 16th - Ashton dog sled races.

Feb. 18th - Brian takes Carson and Kelton snowboarding at Targhee.

Feb. 19th - Kelton's birthday he turned 7 years old.Feb. 22nd -Cooper gets RSV. Poor little guy. Feb. 25th - Cooper's birthday HE IS ONE! Happy birthday ASH.

Feb. 26th - Happy birthday ROB.

Feb. 27th - Pack Meeting - Cake Auction.

That is just a quick run through of February. I could go on and on about the events, but will never be able to get caught up. So lets move on to March!

MY ONE TRUE LOVE

So I got to admit I AM IN LOVE! Yup, my ONE TRUE LOVE! He is my bestest buddie in the WHOLE wide world, the hardest worker you will ever meet, and when it comes to being a dad - NO MAN COMPAIRS. There are so many, many reasons why I LOVE this man. Thanks for supporting me through all of lifes trials. Thanks for kicking my butt out of bed to exercise. Thanks for being YOU! I LOVE YOU......MY ONE TRUE LOVE.
Happy Valentines Day!

BIRTHDAY WHO?

Alright so today is my birthday. I will admit I am a young and shimmery 34 years old. I can't believe how time flies. I remember the good ole birthday parties when grandma Alice and grandpa Bob had the apartments. We would have such fun parties in the lounge. Big handmade signs by the famous Bob Ward, and balloons that covered the floors. Beautiful cakes decorated by precious hands, great friends and family gathered together with cool gifts that would make any girl smile. I remember those good times.......such happy days!

Today I spent my time changing diapers, cleaning toilets, running massive errands, wiping noses, listening to crying children, and running myself absolutley right on out. I am completely exhausted and ready for bed. After a long hard day my boys however treated me like a Queen. They took me out for trout dinner at Trails Inn where we met up with Ma, Pa, Tyler, Nicole, and Grandma Alice. We were excited to see them for the evening. Grandma Alice made a cake and they sang happy birthday to me! Thanks for the special night out on the town. Also, thanks to all of those who called and sent special birthday wishes. Much appreciated!

Why is it when you get older you feel older? Is it that each year you find yourself exercising less, eating more, and indulging in fun activities just a little less. I think that is absolutley true. My birthday wish for this coming year is to enjoy each day just a little more, exercise until I throw up, eat for energy not extreme pleasure, and DO SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME SMILE AT LEAST ONCE A DAY~ If we don't begin doing things that give us pleasure..........each year we WILL feel just a little bit older. LIVE FOR TODAY, HAVE NO REGRETS.

When I am 122 years old I want to look like this, but on the slopes or climbing the highest peaks!

NO INTERNET FOR A %*&^% WEEK!

INSANE?

I can't believe that a week has gone by and I haven't kept you up to date on the William's household. Let me just start off by saying that it is a little INSANE around these parts.

Last week update

• Monday - NO SCHOOL, BRIAN PLOWS 4:00am-8:00pm


• Tuesday - NO SCHOOL, BRIAN PLOWS 3:30am - 8:00pm

SCREAM, SCREAM, SCREAM, EAT, EAT, EAT - PULL MY HAIR, SCREAM, PINCH

• Wednesday - NO SCHOOL, BRIAN PLOWS 5:00am - LATE


• Thursday - NO SCHOOL, BRIAN PLOWS 4:30am - 8:00pm

SCREAM, CRY, EAT, SCREAM, EAT, EAT, CRY, PULL HAIR, CRY, EAT, YELL!

• Friday - NO SCHOOL, BRIAN PLOWS 5:00am - 8:30pm

The boys were out of school for over a week and loved every minute of it. It has snowed so much lately that Fremont County has been declared a disaster area due to the large amounts of snowfall. They don't have anywhere to put the snow. It is FREAKING crazy around here. We are suppose to get another BIG storm tonight and man........I'm going to lose it! I thought that moving here during the winter I would be so busy snowshoing, skiing, snowboarding, building snow forts and running that I would be completely content. Well, I haven't done ANY of those yet and it is FEBRUARY! Hopefully soon the Williams bunch can go out and play in the snow together.

Brian hasn't been able to go into the shops for over a week now. On Monday I started his job! I go into Rexburg, work for a few hours with my little trooper Cooper and head back to pick the kids up from school. It works out pretty well. I hope I am able to help out a little so Brian doesn't have a NERVOUS BREAKDOWN.

Five weeks until my Moab race. I have NOT run FOREVER! I don't have any where for little Coop to go. I guess I will walk the dang thing. Any babysitters in Ashton......give me a holler.

Today for scouts we went over to this dudes home where he had a serious bobsled run. You get AIR! Crap some of these kids were flying for 100 yards. We had a great time! It was sure fun to get out and enjoy the great outdoors.

TOTAL IMMERSION

Alright, so I admit that I am not the greatest swimmer nor do I enjoy getting into a swimming suit. But I committed to some friends that I would attempt to take swimming lessons from the Total Immersion man. This swimming technique has proved to help those who absolutley have no swimming ability at all. So every Saturday morning at 6:00am at the college I put on their modest swim suit plus my trunks and head for the pool. I am looking forward to someday doing a triathlon and figure that I need to learn before it gets warm. I told Bri that I WILL be swimming in the resorvoir this year since we don't have an indoor pool for miles. I will let you know how things go.

I told you I was going to check in every now and again to let you know how my FIT body was coming. Well, to tell you the truth..........I feel like a warn out sow waiting for her pork chop dinner. I have a race in Moab in 6 weeks and have not ran for about 6 months. Not looking so good for me right at the moment. Tomorrow is a new day so I will prepare myself.......starting tomorrow. YEEHAAAHHH!

p.s. sno-ninja is sick....snowin like crazy! What shall we do?

GOD WINS

The Sno-Ninja is strong and cunning, and above all patient. He knows that victory will be his by spring. ...

This is the door in front of our shop. It was completely socked in!
Now where was I....... I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today! It was Martin Luther King day on Monday and ALL schools except Ashton were recognizing this amazing man and letting school out.

This is our drift boat. I think our ship has finally decided to sink. Well, I think God was a little upset with the prejudice that was shown in Fremont county because we down right pissed him off. Sunday it started to snow. Now I am not talking a little bit of dusting - this was serious and scary! Sunday night it started to blow. Now I am not talking a little wind - this was a friggin 50 mile/hr north wind. It blew and blew and blew all night and into the next day. I have never seen anything like it in all my young existence. It was like I was living through the movie "twister" but with white blizzardy snow.

This is our neighbors driveway. It is about 5 feet deep the whole way up. Monday comes around and guess what? Yup, Ashton has NO school. I think it is time to start celebrating this wonderful man's life in Fremont County. I hope they got the picture that God does not deal well with prejudice. Schools were closed for days, people were snowed in and couldn't get to where they were going until the sno-ninja released them from bondage. People were stranded with 10 foot drifts in front of their garages. The whole hill was one big blob of white snow. No roads were visible. Oh Max....where are you? Glad to say Max has been loving the warmth of our home. His kennel is needing a little sno-ninja touch. It took Brian all week to finally clear the snow so that people could go to work. It was TRULY AMAZING. The sno-ninja is famous around these parts. He is like a little super hero that everyone runs to when there is trouble. I am going to need help making his super hero costume. Any volunteers? This is the road in front of our home. It was like this the whole way around the neighborhood but worse. I wish you could have seen the views after the storm cleared. Sometimes pictures don't do the story justice. But I tell you what God won today and all I can say is "I have a dream"

OH MY ?

NOTHING CAN TOUCH THE SNO-NINJA - Teasdale rideOLD PIC OF BRI AND THE BOYS CROSS COUNTRY SKIING
So the sno-ninja has just been a little busy to say the least. This morning he woke up at 3:30 AM and wanted to head into Rexburg to get his work done at the shops because he hasn't been in town for a few days. When you own your own business you CAN'T afford to not be there. So Brian headed in at about 6:00AM. The boys and I headed out to church and when we came home we were greeted by about 6 new inches of fresh fluff. Oh how fun! I love the SNOW. I love the how white and bright the snow is. There is a serious problem though......it is BLOWING like no other and it isn't about to stop. Here is a little advisory from the National Weather Service.

A STORM SYSTEM MOVING SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE STATE IS EXPECTED TO
PRODUCE A STORM TOTAL OF AROUND A FOOT OF SNOW ABOVE 6500 FEET
THROUGH MONDAY. IN ADDITION...BRISK NORTH WINDS OF 10 TO 15 MPH FROM
DUBOIS NORTH TO THE MONTANA BORDER. THESE WINDS IN COMBINATION
WITH TEMPERATURES FROM ZERO TO 10 BELOW ZERO WILL PRODUCE
DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS FROM 20 TO 30 BELOW ZERO TONIGHT. TRAVEL
NORTH OF ISLAND PARK TONIGHT AND MONDAY IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.

So it has been blowing and blowing and blowing and it is actually scaring me a little bit.  The snow is covering my windows
and the drifts are about as high as my house.  I think it is God's way of saying that Ashton is a little prejudice 
and needs to start celebrating Martin Luther Kings birthday.  So he will keep sending the wind and snow until the 
kidos get out for school tomorrow like they are suppose to.  I always say "PRAY FOR SNOW" well you can 
take a little break from your prayers tonight and PRAY FOR happiness and peace on earth.  Thanks for all 
the prayers, but the SNO-NINJA needs a little break.

ICE, ICE, BABY

I was outside the other day and Carson was standing there licking a HUGE icicle. We have been getting these amazing ice sculptures dripping down the sides of our roof. It reminded me of the good old days. One of my passions in life was first discovered on a cold icy day many years ago. My husband took me on a fun adventure to a canyon located up by Swan Valley. This canyon wasn't your ordinary canyon. This canyon was loaded with 100 ft ice cliffs. This is where I fell in LOVE with the sport of ICE CLIMBING. Oh, how I LOVE the ICE. I love how you get to use dangerous gear to get your rear up the ice. Since Brian and I loved rock climbing so much it gave us a year round opportunity to CLIMB. Well, our good friends Dean and Heather invited us to Targhee Canyon for some ice climbing. It is now called responsibilities. Why is it that we can't make time for the things that make us truly happy. I have been CRAVING the ice lately and would truly love to get out a few times this year. Oh well, for now I will stare at the icicles on our roof and dream of climbing them someday soon.

ICE CLIMBING PICS COMING SOON

UPDATE

I have been a NAUGHTY blogger lately. I have missed many important life details so I will try filling myself in on just a few.

• Carson got his cast off this week - Yippee
  • Cooper got 2 new teeth - this makes 6 - Ouch
  • Cooper got a painful ear infection - Thank goodness for antibiotics. There is a sweet old lady who makes these bears and donates them to the hospital. This is Coopers cute little bear from the sweet little lady.
  
  
  • Boys got hair cuts - thanks Nic
  
  
  • Jaxon leaving the shops - sad, but we understand
  
  
  • Heather had lunch with Rexburg running buddies - I MISS YOU ALL!
  
  
  • Brian SO, SO, SO busy with EVERYTHING - someday it will slow down.
  
  
  • Heather CRAVING ICE - I will fill you in tomorrow

PINE WOOD MADNESS

This past Saturday was Carson's first official pine wood derby. He worked for days with Brian trying to build the perfect FAST car. They did some cutting, sanding, painting, and weighing to make sure that his car would FLY. Kelton along side Carson also built a car. He did his own sanding, painting and also weighing so that he could race his little car along side his big brother. We didn't think Kelton would be able to race, but when they got there they said they thought it would be great if he did. The first round of racing Kelton's car blew all 24 racers away. Apparently his little car that he built all by himself was one of the fastest there to start. The next few races were a little different. Carson ended up with 3 place over all and Kelton had some engine/wheel troubles after the first race. Brian said that everyone had a great time. I wish I could have been there, but the hospital doesn't seem to close their doors.......LIKE....EVER!

I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW

I looked out the window and what did I see.........three big moose staring right at me.

Pretty dang sweet to see wolves, moose, bears, elk, dear, and mountain lions out my back door. Maybe that is why I haven't been running lately. My bike trainer is going to have to do for a while.

LET IT SNOW

SNO-NINJA AT WORK
So it has been snowing non stop for the past 3 days. We have about 4 feet of snow outside our home. I went to knock the snow off the dish satellite and had to swim in the snow to get to my destination. Not use to all of this SNOW! The SNO-NINJA (my husband) is getting a little wore out. He wakes up at 5:00am with bells on and plows until dark. WHAT A MAN! I sit at home cheering him on, feeding him Mac & Cheese, and massaging his feet. Well, I wouldn't go that far as to touch feet, but I think about massaging his feet. Thinking about something is sometimes better than doing....right? It is still snowing outside. Wow, no sleep for the SNO-NINJA tonight.

The boys have been enjoying the snow. They build forts, sled down the hills, and cross country ski. The other day they were out and it looked like they were skiing on top of the world. The clouds were absolutely AMAZING. Have you ever heard of "I have fallen and I can't get up." Kelton had fallen and truly could not get up even with Carsons help.

Carson goes in tomorrow to get his hard cast off......HOPEFULLY! Our family is DYING to go to the mountain and snowboard. We don't want to rush the healing process, but come on......it's time!

Monday night I got tickets to go through the Temple open house. I was able to get 10 so whoever wanted to go could. It was a great night. ABSOLUTLEY BEAUTIFUL! I was so thrilled that Carson and Kelton could see our Heavenly Father's Home. Those who were able to attend were;
Mom Berta, Daddy Bob, Brian, Carson, Kelton, Cooper, Grandma Alice, Tyler, Nicole, Griff, and Katrina. What a wonderful feeling to have family there and know that we will ALL be together forever someday.

CARSON TAKING A BREAK FROM SLEDDING

COOPER SAYING NO TO MOM

HAPPY NEW YEAR

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! What are your new years resolutions? Have you made any yet? Well, this is the first year since I was born that I am NOT making a diet resolution. Yup, no more.... I'm going to lose 20 pounds by my birthday. No more...I need to be a size 8 by July. No more....Washboard abs by summer. NO MORE, NO MORE! I REFUSE. I have changed my thinking and here are a few of my thoughts.




2008 new years resolutions.

• I will help 1 person in need each week.
• I will be a happy and fun mother....no matter what.
• I will be a good wife by saying and doing good things.
• I will eat healthy foods.
• I will do my best at whatever event I enter.
• I WILL LOVE MYSELF FOR WHO I AM!

Every new year, we make resolutions. It feels like getting a new start on life. We're full of hope and anticipation. But, year after year, the same thing happens. Within a few weeks, it's all gone the enthusiasm, the hope... Once again, the new year resolution has fizzled out. And we feel deflated, sad and guilty: we broke our promises to ourselves.

Research shows that half of the people who make good resolutions at new year have given up on them by the end of June. It doesn't matter what their new year resolution was -- to diet, to lose weight, to exercise, to sleep better, to work better... whatever...
Now, that was the "glass is half empty" perspective. The "glass is half full" perspective is that half of the people succeed. Which half do you want to be in?

I WILL SUCCEED this year! I am feeling ALIVE and ready for the world. COME ON BABY.....bring it!