FUNNY BIZ

RAT UPDATE: To fill you in on the last rat mystery.......I went to grab an apple out of our food storage area, and little Bandit was chewing on some smack ramen. He was a little bloated, but seemed to be in good spirits. Carson was thrilled!

HUNGRY COOP: As many of you know Max our dog got hit by someone who was driving a white pickup with a snow blade attached. He lived, but broke his pelvis so he is out of commission for 6-8 weeks. We have been feeding him inside to make it a little easier on all of us. Cooper apparently hit a growth spurt because he has been eating like a mad man. We were sitting down for dinner when I noticed him chewing on something. "Cooper what are you chewing on?" He ran over to me, opened his mouth, and showed me the chewed up dog food he was TRULY enjoying. I couldn't help but do a little throw up gag inside my mouth. The funny thing was he went back for more. He thought it was some kind of delicious meaty treat. Max is no longer being fed inside.

Happy Birthday Kelton YESTERDAY

Yesterday was Kelton's eighth birthday, and wow was it a workout. I can't believe how much he has grown the past few years. He is a total blast! Kelton has always begged me to have a friend party, but I have had some great excuses why NOT to have one every year. This year he caught me off guard by saying he was inviting a couple friends over for his birthday and he wouldn't take no for an answer. I thought about it for a while and realized I could handle a couple of friends. Well, by the time it was all said and done - leaving no one out he had 10 kids coming to the party. There was no way that they would all show up! Well, they did. We had a great time on the death sledding hill. Everyone survived. We ate some yummy pizza, and had some chocolaty cake. Wow, what a busy birthday celebration. Kelton had a great time so that's all that matters. Now, we will just be prepared to have a friend party to celebrate sweet 16. Eight years to re coop until next time.

Bad Bandit

We woke up this morning to another adventure. Bandit is missing again! I guess I won't be doing laundry today.

Missing Bandit

Today was a great day. We decided to head to Targhee and go snowboarding with the kidos instead of my usual Saturday cleaning jobs. We even took little Coop with us and let me tell you he had a BLAST. He was outside dancing on tables, giving everyone high fives, and making a lot of people smile. After we went boarding we ate some delicious pizza in downtown Driggs and headed home.

The whole day today Carson has been a little worried about his rats. He kept asking questions making sure that they were going to still be alive when we got home. We arrived home and headed inside Carson ran to his room and to his surprise Rat A was missing. Did you hear what I said? MISSING! There was a Rat running around our home making little rat poo poos, and doing little rat things. We spent hours looking for the little dude. Under every nook and cranny we searched, but he was nowhere to be found.

I started cleaning up the boys rooms, picking up dirty laundry that needed washed.........still NO rat. I headed to wash the laundry.........still NO rat. I needed to add one more sweatshirt to the wash.........and what to my wandering eyes appeared - starring right at me as I shut the lid..............A FREAKIN RAT. I yelled and screamed and made a big scene, but what do you expect when you see a rat swimming in your washing machine.

I could not believe my eyes. The little critter must have been hiding in the boys clothes, and when I went to put the clothes in the laundry he dropped in the machine. Oh crap, I can't even talk about it without getting the pee shivers. Well, happy to say that Rat A (now named Bandit)is now happy to be home with Rat B. The case of the missing Bandit is now solved.

Oh, RATS!

Yesterday school was out due to the extreme weather conditions -24 degrees below zero. WOW, what a great day to curl up with a blanket and sip hot cocoa all day long.......NOT! Me and the boys followed Berta and Bob down to Idaho Falls for a little grocery shopping. We finished the trip off with a quick trip to PetCo for a little Rat shopping. Carson has been saving his money for the past 6 months to buy rats. Let me repeat HIS money for rats.....not mine. Yup, I broke down - we are the proud owners of 2 little rats. All we need now is a pig for the stye and a rooster and we will be true HICKS. Super day...........for Carson anyway.

SNOWED IN

The weather has been a little crazy around here lately. The past few days the wind has been blowing and blowing like a mad man. People getting stuck left and right. My neighbor asked if I would help pull her out with my truck last night. We loaded up and headed out. About 10 feet later I was stranded in my own driveway. It was late with no hope of getting unstuck. I woke up this morning to this NIGHTMARE! I can't even get my door open to get in my truck. YUCK! I want my mommy. I am doing my research right now on the warmest places to live, selling everything we own, and spending the rest of my life in paradise. Yup, I've had enough.
On a happy note.........Carson and Kelton went to the pine wood derby on Saturday. Brian helped them make some pretty sweet and FAST cars. There were about 50 kids who participated.
Carson had a pretty dang fast car, but when it was Keltons turn he broke the track record not once but twice. The guy in charge of the derby said he has never seen a car go so FAST. Kelton went away with 1st place, TRACK RECORD, and 2 trophy's. Wow.......great job boys, and Bri.

MOST DEPRESSING DAY OF THE YEAR

Someone told me that today was the MOST DEPRESSING DAY OF THE YEAR. Congrats on making it through.

Feeling blue? Today - January 19, 2009 - is the most depressing day in HISTORY, say experts

By Daily Mail Reporter

If you woke up feeling blue today then the chances are you are not alone. For Monday, January 19, 2009 is going to be the most depressing day in history, according to experts.

Cold weather, fading Christmas memories and broken New Year resolutions mean this period is usually miserable, but the effects of the economic downturn makes this year worse than ever.

Millions will feel so glum they will decide to stay in bed and up to a quarter of workers are expected to call in sick, research suggests. Psychologist Dr Cliff Arnall has devised a mathematical formula that pinpoints today as Blue Monday.

Cold and credit crunched: The Strand in London looking unusually bleak

He says there are six depressive factors which will come together including the winter weather, Christmas credit card bills and abandoned New Year's resolutions. Fears over job security, mounting debt and the house price collapse make this year the toughest yet.

Monday is regarded as the worst day of the week with many dreading the prospect of returning to work. Dr Arnall, 43, said: 'The credit crunch means today is potentially the most depressing Blue Monday we have had.'

The former academic at Cardiff University said the best way to overcome the Monday blues was to do something fun, adding: 'People feeling depressed could put on a fun DVD, get some friends over for something to eat or call someone they've put off calling for months or years.'

Economic downturn: Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chancellor Alistair Darling would make almost anyone feel down

Separate research by staff absence specialist FirstCare claims 22 per cent of workers are likely to call in sick today as seasonal illness hits a peak.

A spokesman said: 'Colds and flu like symptoms are often a pre-cursor to stress and depression and it is no coincidence that as the economic climate deteriorates we continue to see people with fatigue and anxiety.'

Meanwhile, William Hartson, a psychologist at Cambridge University, has devised a mathematical formula which marks today as the most likely for accidents.

Keep your head up! Today is a GREAT day to be alive, enjoy it while you can, because you never know what tomorrow may bring. Happy day.

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.