HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARSON - SCHOOL IS OUT

JUNE 5, 2009
Today was the last day of school for Carson and Kelton. It was a fun filled day! I helped out in Carson's class making a pancake breakfast for all the kids. Wow, can they eat. After the breakfast the kids had field day. They played games, and had a blast. I think they had a great year. It is sad when your kids say they would rather stay in school than have summer break. What are they teaching them? Well, we will have fun together this summer.

JUNE 10, 2009
Carson celebrated his birthday turning 11 years old today. I can't believe how fast he has grown. It makes me SO sad to know he is not a my baby anymore. Why, oh why can't he stay young forever? We decided to go to Rexburg in the morning and celebrate early because of baseball tournament games he was playing later that night. We started the day off with the early showing of Night at the Museum. That was a hit. I laughed so hard I think I wet my pants. What a hoot! Next, we headed to Craigo's pizza for some lunch with Grandma Berta and fun with his good friend Dawson. We ended up at the shop doing a little climbing and visiting with GOOD friends and family. Griffin was in town and surprised us with a happy visit. We always LOVE seeing him. Our friends Gheen and Beth from Utah also stopped by. Wow, it was great to see everyone. The boys climbed for hours and little Coop did some serious swinging. Ever since we sold the shop we haven't been down much to climb so Cooper was LOVING every minute on the rock wall. We had a tournament game to play at 7:00pm so we headed home. On our way home we got a call saying they canceled the game due to BAD stormy weather. It was a great day and yes they do get older, but I am so happy I can get wiser with him.

WEATHER

Kelt eating up his watermellon.....YUM

"Life isn't about waiting for the Storm to Pass.... It's about learning to dance in the Rain!"

I heard this quote the other day from a friend of mine. Just when I needed it the most. It has been so windy, and rainy, and just plain miserable. Why is it that the weather........can make or break your day? Why is it that we can't go out and do a naked rain dance in the windy/rainy weather? I have noticed lately that my attitude has been deeply affected by what is happening outside my window pane. I seem to EAT more, exercise LESS, and GRUMP at just about anything I can think of. NO MORE......smack. I needed a good beating, but can't seem to talk Brian into giving me one.

We have been doing baseball 4 nights a week. The boys are loving it even though they get get their butts kicked half the time. Brian has been helping coach Carson's games and does such an amazing job. Those kids really LOVE him. It is sure FUN to watch.

The other night I came home from teaching my spinning class and Brian had been helping a customer with bikes. That means Carson and Kelton were in CHARGE. I walked in the front door expecting to find a BIG mess, but to my surprise it almost had a sparkle to it. Upon walking through the door I didn't hear or see one boy. I called and Kelton came running out of the bathroom. "Mom, mom come here quick." I rushed to the bathroom door expecting to find someone bleeding and hurt. This is what I found. Cooper sitting on the potty, red faced, and pushing as hard as he could. I walked over to him with a HUGE smile and looked in the potty. There was one little bity marble sized poop in the toilet. Coop was SO happy with himself. I can't even get this kid to sit on the dang thing. It was the cutest moment EVER. My boys are growing up so fast. And what wonderful, amazing boys I have. They are a TRUE joy.

Well, if you see my shiny buns glowing in the moonlight doing my rain dance - just know that I am greatful for the wind and the rain. That no matter how bad things may seem, they could always be a lot WORSE. Be happy for what you have and embrase EVERY day.

THE BIG FAT BATTLE

Yesterday I got to take Grandma Alice to her Dr. Apt in Poc

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

Wow, I don't know how you regular blogger's do it. I am impressed by those of you who update your blogs each and every day/week so that us slackers can have something to read. Yup, I get a big fat "F" for blogging this past month. I am in the zone now and committed to blogging at least 2-3 days per week. Aren't you all so excited? Well, I have realized how time consuming it has become, and jotting every little lame event is not worth the effort. So I will fill you in on the latest and greatest events in life.

Carson -

• As you are all aware Carson has these 2 fat rats. At first I really struggled with the idea of having some nasty rat that you catch in a trap conveniently located in my child's bedroom. Well, come to find out these little rats are actually pretty RAD pets. Carson has been the greatest little pet owner. He gives them good names, feeds them expensive food, and buys them cool rat toys with his hard earned cash. Yesterday, Carson was a little worried about Yoko. He kept saying that she was not acting right, and that we needed to take her to the vet. So I did my research (Internet) and came to the conclusion that it was definitely sick and I didn't know what the heck to do about it. Carson and Kelton's friends came over and were playing out in the field. Brian came in and said it looks like Yoko kicked the bucket. Yup, poor little Yoko is no more. Carson has been devastated to say the least. He cried himself to sleep, and went to school this morning with big tears in his little blue eyes. All he can say is why mom.....why? What in the world do you say to that? May little Yoko rest in peace.
• Carson started up baseball and loves every minute of it. Boy can he wack that thing.

Kelton -

(Kelton made some pretty cool leather bracelets for his friends)

• Little Kelt has been riding his little 50 like crazy. He made a little course around the yard and built some pretty sweet jumps. This will definitely stress out his mom.
• He is also playing baseball minor league and is really good. He is wanting to play catcher. Sounds like a pretty intense position. Kelton is one talented athlete. It just comes so easy and natural to him with everything he does.

Coop -

• Every day is an adventure with this little guy. He cracks me up! The things he says lately are so funny. He has learned to chew gum and teases me by saying he swallowed it and minutes later he is chewing like a camel.
• He loves hanging out with his brothers and doing big boy things. He doesn't like the big boy potty yet, but we are working on that. Any good advice? I am loving every minute of it right now. I feel so blessed to be able to stay home and watch my little boys grow. I don't miss a beat, and I am so LUCKY.

Brian -

(Brian's intense carbon fiber project - I don't know how to explain)

• Brian blows me away every day. I always say how talented this guy is, but I will say it over and over until I die. Brian is TALENTED. He has been working on a carbon fiber project that will allow him to build custom carbon fiber bikes. With all of his experience designing and building kayaks he has put that experience to work and using it with bikes. He has met with the engineers and they are working on 3 different molds to hold the carbon fiber together while it cures. It is a process that someday I will be able to explain to you, but right now I can't quite spit the words out that are necessary.
• Bri has been doing a little training for race season. Since the snow just melted off this last week he hasn't had a three month start like a lot of racers out there, but with the time he has had on his bike he has made every minute count. He is busy. He is GREAT.

Heather -

• I am still teaching my spinning classes 3 days a week. I really enjoy it, but the 5:00am thing I could pass on.
• Working hard on getting "born ready" business going. I am only able to do it in my spare time, and as you can tell with my blogging......I don't have much spare time.
• I am completely thrilled to see nasty grass with dog poo on it. That means that spring is on it's way - or did I miss it already? Well, I am so happy that the sun has been shining, birds are singing, and flowers will soon be blossoming. Happy to be alive and healthy.
• I have been completely infatuated with the electric guitar lately. Learning Thunderstruck right now.

Well, that is a quick update on life. I will keep you updated more frequently. Happy day.

FREE GIVEAWAY

Great giveaway this month on wechirp. Check it http://wechirp.blogspot.com/2009/04/giveaway.html

New Projects

Brian is such an incredible person. He has so many talents that it is hard to name them all. Currently he is working on a new bike project that will throw him right into the loop of FAMOUS frame builders. He met with his friend Kyle in Rexburg last night at 10:00pm. Kyle is an engineer and is truly amazing at what he does - so the two of them together make an unbeatable team. Brian will soon be building carbon fiber bikes. There are only a handful of builders right now that can build custom carbon fiber bikes. Soon, Brian will be one of them. He will be heading to Utah soon to meet up with other contacts so he can get rolling on the carbon project. I am proud of his hard work. He is truly a wonderful guy. Plus he is HOT as fire.Just to let you all know........I am thrilled with my swimming skills lately. I can swim a half a mile now without completely dying. Well, it would sound a little better if I could do it in under a half an hour. I guess you have to start somewhere. It was a little over a year ago when I couldn't swim a lap, so I am THRILLED today with my progress.

Standing Ovation

Last night Kelton had an operetta that the first and second graders have been practicing for for months. I thought that it would be a rinky dink thing that was just a little singing and a whole lot of nothing. Boy was I wrong. Berta came up for one of the performances and left in ahhhhhhhhhhhh. Boy did they put on a show. It was so organized and the costumes were amazing. Each one handcrafted one at a time by local volunteers. The theme for the program was Wacadoo Zoo. Kelton was a snake in the play and got to do what he is good at.........the worm. It was a cute little play about animals who were different in every way. It taught the kids that no matter who you are and what you do it's o.k. to be different. What a great message. By the end of the program the kids got a standing ovation from the audience. Wow, what an amazing job they all did.

Tooth Fairy......WHO?

So Carson has had a few teeth fall out lately and let me just say that the Tooth Fairy has been slacking just a little. The past few nights the Fairy has forgot to leave Carson anything under his pillow. He would wake up and say that the Tooth Fairy forgot him again. "She must not like my teeth or something. Why won't she leave me any money mom?" I keep telling him to give it one more night and reminding him that she is busy fairy with a busy schedule and will make her way to our home soon. Well, last night a male figure with a cap walked into Carson's room and slipped him some cash under his pillow.

Carson woke up this morning, walked out of his room and saw the male figure standing in the kitchen he said. Ha, ha, I was awake last night when the Tooth Fairy came and she was not wearing a dress. "You took my tooth didn't you?" With a big grin Brian said "you must have been dreaming." As of today Carson no longer believes in the Tooth Fairy. He believes that a MALE figure wearing a hat, is related to you - leaves you money under your pillow. Why oh why are kids SO FUNNY!

CYCLING PARTY

So it has been over a year since I started the spinning class here in the North country. When we moved I was desperately looking for somewhere to exercise, and to find someone cool to exercise with. Well, when the Sports and Fitness club went out of business years ago Brian and I purchased their spin bikes from them in hopes to have spin class at the shop someday. We had family cycling classes, and friend morning groups...........but we decided to hit the road and MOVE. I was a little devastated at first to give up my gym membership and stop teaching the spinning class, but the devastation didn't last long.

I asked the City if they would allow me to rent a small space at the community center building/library in hopes that some of these North country people would like a little exercise every now and again. The classes began to fill, and after a short period of time I was teaching cycling to some pretty dang COOL chicks. Monday, Wednesday morning we meet at 5:45am to talk about all the latest gossip and sweat off the morning donuts. Saturday we sleep in until 6:30, with class starting at 7:00. There are some dedicated women out there! It has been over a year and they are still hanging strong. So I say LET'S CELEBRATE!

We went to Craigo's and had some delicious pizza, played some fun games, and gave away some cool stuff. Can't wait for the next party. I always can make way for a little fun.

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.