Winding Down

December is ending, it's the last day of 2011, and I'm hoping things are going to settle down a bit around here. December was crazy busy! So, if only for my sake alone, here's a (somewhat lengthy) recap:

The end of November I was charged with the undertaking of our Ward Christmas Party. Under different circumstances (i.e. older kids, not being Primary Secretary, not helping out at Eli's school etc...) I probably would have really enjoyed this. As it was, it was, by and large, time consuming-time which I had little to share. At any rate, me, and two other ladies in the ward, pulled it off, spectacularly if I do say so myself! We chose to go with the theme Keeping Christ in Christmas, managed to feed over 300 people, and kept the program short and sweet while still meaningful by sharing the different meanings/legends of the Symbols of Christmas.

I was also busy with getting all the binders, class lists, birthday list, lesson schedules...(you get the idea) ready for the new year in Primary. Of course, it's never good enough for me to just print something off and call it good. I prefer to put some effort into it, make it look nice, and try to have things organized for the teachers. Whether I pulled that one off or not...well it's done I guess, so that's what counts at this point.

Eli had her typical month in school-she maintains 100% on all of her tests and her teacher has labeled her as one of the peacemakers in the class; she doesn't involve herself in the "girly drama" (yet). I'm pretty proud of her and how well she does! One of our big focuses, besides doing well scholastically, is being a friend to everyone, even those who cause trouble or those who struggle socially. Eliana is a special little girl who has a strong hold to the Iron Rod and typically has an easy time choosing the right. It's a blessing having her, especially as an older sister for Olivia.

Livi had a week longer in school than Eli and, for her, that was a real treat. She enjoyed going to school while Eli HAD to stay home. Livi has also been coming in to Primary as she is now one of the new Sunbeams-she LOVES primary! She's always been a little singer, so naturally singing time is her favorite time. 2 weeks ago the primary was singing her favorite song, I Am a Child of God, and when they were done the chorister got after the primary because ONE little girl was out singing ALL of them. Sister Jenkins asked if they knew who that ONE girl was and Livi raised her hand and said, "Me"! So she got to choose the next song (Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star). Of all the things Livi is, shy and quiet is not one of them. She managed to pick up Strep in the midst of everything this month, which led us to finding out she's allergic to penicillin, just like Eli and me. It only knocked her down for a couple of days and she's back to normal again. I enjoy watching the differences shine so bright between my girls, both have such amazing strengths!

Shad. Poor guy! He is such a rough teether. He's been working on his top two front teeth for a few weeks and they finally broke through the week of Christmas. With all that teething has come the fussing, crabby, no sleep, hold me baby. It makes the days (and nights) long more often than not but I just can't help but hold and love him. He's had a type of cold for a while and we finally took him in-turned out he had a double ear infection and sore throat to go with all his runny nose/wheezing stuff. After a few doses of breathing treatments and beginning a round of amoxicillin (let's hope he's not allergic) he's doing better. He turned 9 months on Christmas Day; he is a climber and can scale the stairs with ease (yikes!). He can also stand without any help and took his first step yesterday. Not long now and he'll be walking!

Christmas was highly anticipated this year by everyone here. Even though I felt like I hardly had time to sit I managed to decorate our house, which is one of my favorite things this time of year. I didn't get the time to do chocolates and fudge like normal though *sad face!* We sort of started a new tradition last year by letting the girls pick out the Christmas tree and decided we'd stick with it. They picked out a beautiful one! And the tree lot guy liked them so much he gave them their own 3 foot tree, too!

Christmas Week-We started it at my parent's house on the 22nd, having a fun night with everyone but the Johnson's :( .  The next day we visited Sandy's grandparents, said goodbye to my folks when they left for WA to visit Lacy and Jer, then went to a cookie decorating party. Christmas Eve was spent with Sandy's side of the family (or rather, those that showed up). It's always so fun catching up with everyone! After dinner and visiting we drove home to spend Shad's first Christmas, and our 1st Christmas in our new home, at home. Sandy and I just barely beat the girls awake Christmas morning. Santa left his gifts out, unwrapped, which was thoughtful since we planned on going to church that day as well. So the girls and Shad got a little fun in that morning, we went to Sacrament meeting, came home and opened the rest of the presents. It was actually pretty fun doing it that way; it helped spread things out quite a bit. We were all spoiled and had an absolutely perfect day.
My birthday (the 26th)- was MUCH better than last year's "momentous" turning 30. Last year, being pregnant, sick, having a hurt back, moving, and the day landing on Sunday...let's just say there's been better birthdays. This year was great! I didn't do any of my primary stuff (yay!) got what I wanted (woohoo!) and Sandy even made my cake again this year.~~~He won't like me sharing this but I have to (remember, for my sake). He's made my cake for the past couple of years now and has gotten pretty good. I love german chocolate cakes and this particular recipe has frosting baked IN the batter...SO GOOD! This year he was so proud of himself for remembering to get the mix and frosting all by himself, he was a flurry in the kitchen only to have his first kitchen EPIC FAIL. The cake wasn't at all what he wanted it to be. Portions were still edible and honestly quite good but he plans to attempt it again. Why did I share that? I've never had a cake be so special!! It was probably my favorite thing that day simply because he tried so hard and felt SO BAD when it didn't turn out.
Our friends took the kids from us for the night and sent us out to dinner (awesome!) so we went and enjoyed delicious food at Jakers. SO-turning 31 was DEFINITELY better than turning 30.

We are now the proud owners of 2 Guinea Pigs, Blaster and Miss Tilly (thank you mom and dad!). While it's been a new experience, and we're learning along the way, the girls have absolutely loved their new pets and honestly, they're pretty cute and make some fun noise!
The kids got a sled for Christmas from their Aunt Kari and Uncle Corey. We have no snow; in fact it's been in the mid to upper 50's quite a bit! So what do you do with a sled and no snow? Well, my girls are not novices at this...you ride it down the stairs! And they do. Daily. Maybe I'll get my video posted. Maybe.
Well I think that pretty much wraps it up; I sure hope things are winding down now. Thanks for sticking with us! Now here's a few snapshots-

Stuff[ed]

It's two days after Thanksgiving and we are still enjoying the remnants of the holiday {that is, we're not quite sick of the food yet}. The food was nothing short of delicious; Sandy fried two turkeys to perfection, we feasted on hors d'oeuvres all day, and the meal itself was SO GOOD! We were all stuffed when all was said and done. We enjoyed the company of my parents and my brother, Tyler, and his wife, Laurie. Getting to Skype with the Johnson's was one of the highlights as well as Sandy's phone call from his dad. The girls got to play Wii games with Tio Ty and Grandpa while the "other girls" {Mom, Laurie, and I} got to do some crafts {thanks Mom!}. Sandy was usually found somewhere in between both and Shad was content being held by anyone that would hold him.
In Sandy's family they have a traditional "Turkey Shoot" which has nothing to do with shooting Turkeys but more just shooting clay pigeon's, and whatever else they can come up with, for fun. We carried that on- the four "big" kids went out and played with guns. Tyler even brought some Tannerite {an exploding target} which was awesome!

 Ty with his sweetheart, Laurie, and their dogs, Audi and Pierre

 We did some fun shots with the guns

 Laurie aiming for the clay pigeon

 Family Picture-we had the Johnson family on Skype :)

Between all the family and food I was in heaven all day! Thanks everyone for coming/visiting/skyping/calling/texting...!!

New Look etc...

A few things, in no particular order-

1) We got family portraits- hence the updated pictures and blog appearance (duh, master of the obvious). It's been a LONG time since we've had a no kidding professional take our family picture, long over due. And, honestly, it was the least stressful family picture in a LONG time! The kids, all three, ESPECIALLY Shad, had SO MUCH FUN! *and I didn't have a monster headache by the end of it all*

2) I gave Shadrik a hair cut. It wasn't his first, that was a few months ago but really was only a trim to even things up a bit. This time was much more serious. We're talking inches. It was a little painful for me and I may have gotten a little teary-eyed-I loved his locks but it was time for the little guy to look more like a little guy rather than a shaggy rag muffin with some serious bangs :) He still has a fair amount of hair though--Sandy tried, and failed, to persuade me into giving him a "high and tight".

3) Something is going on in this household making my girls act like naughty little stinkers lately. Now, I know SOMETIMES sisters fight (Lacy and I NEVER argued, hit, kicked, or pulled each others hair, RIGHT Lace?!?!)... Eli and Livi are no exception, especially lately. Now, they have yet to get into a no kidding brawl (I still can't believe that hasn't happened yet) but they sure have the bickering mastered. I'm hoping the intensity is a phase and by next week we'll resume with the normal, less frequent disagreements.

4) My parents introduced licorice to Shad recently. He likes the stuff, especially the black (pics are pre-hair cut)

5) Thanksgiving is next week?! CHRISTMAS IS NEXT MONTH? Where'd the year go?!

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Distance makes the heart grow fonder. If that statement has any truth to it, I am in TROUBLE!

We spent the weekend in Utah, which is always a fun little trip for us. This trip was momentous in that I FINALLY got to visit the (sorta) new Tai Pan in Clearfield! Oh GOODNESS-fun trip! Not only were all 3 kids good the whole time, but I got to shop with my mom and Sis-In-Law.
I also found out last week that a Tai Pan opened, in Boise, in September. It's fortunate for Sandy both locations are a good 1 1/2 plus hours drive from where we live. Unfortunately for Sandy, when I do get to go, it's a (semi) massive trip (I do try and behave...sort of! ) :)

The Halloween That Never Ends

You would think with Halloween landing on a Monday this year most, if not all, of the festivities would take place that day, as opposed to it being on Sunday. Well, that's what I thought anyways...boy was I wrong!
We grew pumpkins in our garden this year and ended up with about 21 total, ranging in size from little to carving size! We spent one weekend with grandparents here decorating a few with funny faces.
We took another night and carved a big one. The girls get into it more and more each year; cleaning the guts out is the funnest part for them.
Eli had her class party on Friday; Livi, Shad and I went to part of it, too.
Saturday we had a Halloween party. I was selected to host a Monster Halloween party by a company and they sent out a box of fun goodies for the party, too. That was a good time! Then, Sandy took the girls to our ward's Trunk-or-Treat that night (Shad was sick so he and I stayed home).
We even got treats in church Sunday-mostly to celebrate the Primary Program being done (hallelujah!). After church we got to enjoy a fun dinner with friends.
Monday-Halloween-Eli had another, small class party, with it being Halloween and all. Then we all went trick-or-treating that night.
And yes, one more day, Livi got her preschool party on Tuesday.
Phew! It's over, decorations are put away til next year, and the girls are already discussing what to be!

Silly face pumpkins

The cleaning of the pumpkin plus the finished result, with clean kids.

Eliana was a Lalaloopsy (I didn't know what it was either-now I do. It's a doll, quite a popular toy within her circle of friends). The one she's dressed as is known as Pillow Featherbed.
Olivia was also a Lalaloopsy (after thinking she would be a red crayon, a butterfly princess, or Rapunzel. She ultimately decided being like big sister would be best). She's dressed like Spot Splatter Splash. And now you are now in the Lalaloopsy know :)
Shad was the cutest little teddy bear. Ever.
Sandy=clown
Ann=bubble gum machine (use your imagination people!)

Tender Heart

Saturday, Eli came upstairs and was asking Sandy something. He noticed a tear on her cheek and asked her about it. She told us about a commercial she saw on TV about all these animals that need homes and it made her so sad she started to cry. She's got such a tender heart, especially when it comes to animals. It was also such a sweet moment for Sandy and me to, once again, be reminded of her kindness and love when she tried so hard to persuade us to help all those animals. On several other occasions she's tried very hard to convince us to help the poor children in the world by adopting all of them. What a little sweetheart she is!

Today, thanks to her teacher's request, I had the opportunity to go in to her school to help her class out with their reading. I get to do that once a week now-that is seriously fun! I really enjoyed getting to see her in her classroom setting. This also helps me get to know more of the kids in her class, which is an added bonus. She seemed pretty darn excited to have me there, too. I'll enjoy that while I can.

Borderline Garfield?

The girls got a cat from Grandpa and Grandma Moser this summer. It's one Livi has loved since he was a kitten, affectionately dubbing him "My baby" for about a year. He's now "Puppers" because they think his ears look like puppy ears. He's a great cat to have around and he puts up with a lot! When Sandy irrigates the portion of pasture closest to our house we use gated pipe*. And that's where you'll find Puppers-sitting on the pipe, fishing. He's learned that little fish end up in the pipe and, eventually, they make their way out of the holes. He's either borderline Garfield lazy or pretty darn smart.

*gated pipe is a method used to irrigate; to keep it simple, imagine a long pipe with holes spaced all along it that can be opened and closed to regulate water flow.

Grandpa's Birthday

The kids and I spent the weekend at my parent's house to celebrate my dad's birthday (and the completion of his big summer project, the patio). Sandy and Becca both had to work and, of course, we missed the Johnson's, too, but we know how that whole pesky distance thing goes. Anyways, it was a great weekend, sprinkled here and there with General Conference, kittens, cousins, and other such fun.

Can Can

I've felt pretty darn productive lately. My friend brought over some peaches. Lots of peaches. More than we could ever hope to eat before they spoiled. So my mom, dad and grandma came for a day and I learned to can. Now, I know I can can. We also did some freezer batches and even did some freezer corn and some zucchini. My grandma taught me how to make peach pit jelly, too. It was a very good day.
If that wasn't enough, my friend brought over more peaches a few days later, lol! I've had a song in my head ever since this all started...I'm sure a select few can guess (Movin to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches....millions of peaches, peaches for me...if you have no idea what I'm talking about and want in on the weirdness go here) So I canned and froze more peaches. And will be making more jelly. I love harvest time! We're looking forward to picking our pumpkins from the garden to carve for Halloween (and the girls already have their costumes picked out and a party in planning). We're having SO much fun!!

Much to her Dentist Appointment

Last Thursday, after dropping Eli off at school, I had to call Livi's teacher to tell her Livi wouldn't be there that day because she was sick. Part of the conversation went something like this:

"Yeah, she's sick so I'm just going to keep her home today, much to her disappointment."
(Livi, in the back of the car, screaming, "NNNOOOOOO!! I DON'T WANT A DENTIST APPOINTMENT!!!!").

Disappointment, Dentist Appointment, I can see the similarity. Things only improved marginally when I told her she wasn't going to the dentist, just staying home sick. She LOVES school and the days she doesn't get to go are still a bit rough when we drop Eli off but not her.

I think the outburst came about because the week previous the girls both had cleanings. I've taken them to the dentist plenty of times before this without so much as a whimper, and their dentist is WAY AWESOME, so I don't know why this time was different. But it was. Fighting and screaming tooth and nail from both girls; they both got escorted to the "Fish Room" so they wouldn't scare the other kids (it's a semi-sound proof exam room). Yeaaaah. The dentist did manage to get most of Livi's teeth cleaned but lucky Eli gets to go back for some sedation to finish hers.
It's funny because they also each had doctors appointments and that was pretty uneventful. Livi was even (over)due for an immunization, jumped up on the table voluntarily, and only cried for a minute after the shot! Silly girls.

The Fair and School

For Labor Day weekend I took the kids to my parents house, had Sandy meet us there (he's been in Utah for a language course) and on Saturday we spent the day with all the freaks, geeks, and chubby stinks at the Eastern Idaho State Fair. I loved {almost} every minute of it! Funny thing about the fair is it really does bring out all of the aforementioned, and then some, haha! It's a good thing the food is SO DELICIOUS (and apparently I have a new love this year, the drinks). The girls had fun choosing a few rides to go on and we all had fun looking at the animals and running in to people we know. That night Sandy and I left the kids with Grandpa and Grandma and went back in to explore the commercial exhibits-and thoroughly enjoyed the date!
While we were in Blackfoot Eli lost another tooth. The following is literally seconds before she pulled it out- it's sort of reminiscent of the Nanny McPhee character.
The kids and I came home in time for both Eliana and Olivia to start school yesterday. I can't believe I have 2 going to school! Eli already loves being in First grade and has an AWESOME teacher! Livi goes twice a week to preschool; this morning was a bad morning because she DIDN'T get to go. My girls are growing up...

The poses were all on their own

Notice the new hole in her mouth?

This is the epitome of Livi :)

The end of the day



And I can't leave these off, and I couldn't pick just one, either.
My lil guy is a blanky baby just like his sisters were!

Six and Sick

Our Eli-bell turned six on August 21st. SIX!! Unfortunately, the little lady was sick--hand, foot and mouth disease struck again (thankfully that's all over with and Shad was skipped over).
Despite a sore mouth she requested finger steaks and french fries for her birthday lunch and Caramelitas, rather than a birthday cake. Everything may have sounded good but she was unable to enjoy any of it. I've promised her a do-over. Luckily her sore mouth didn't affect her ability to open presents; that may have been the saving grace for her that day, poor thing. So the pictures I'm about to share show a pretty happy/tad grumpy/really not feeling well six year old-

She LOVES Littlest Pet Shop toys...she said this was her favorite gift.

A Sock Monkey...no this was her favorite!

An American Girl?! She'd been asking for one since Christmas...THIS was her favorite

Her own alarm clock, clothes, a glitter lamp etc...there's just too many to choose from-they are ALL her favorites

We're sure glad grandpas and grandmas came to help make Eli's birthday all the more fun for her. It's pretty crumby being sick on your birthday but I hope she still had a good day. This family sure is blessed to have you Eliana!!

Company II

We've been pretty spoiled the last few weeks with all the fun company we've had. This last week we got to enjoy seeing more friends from Texas, Chuck and Nancy Whitlock. We had such a fun time visiting with them and catching up on everything. Livi wasn't quite herself and, therefore, didn't make it into any pictures this time. She had been battling a fever which evolved into hand foot and mouth disease this weekend. Poor little lady has had blisters in her mouth since Saturday, gums so swollen you could barely see her teeth, and she hasn't had much to eat in a week between not feeling well enough to and having such a sore mouth. Fortunately she is staying hydrated (for those concerned family members out there). She's on the mend now though, so we're just hoping it stops with her, especially with Eliana's birthday this weekend! Anyways, it's been such a fun summer getting to see some of our family and friends. The girls have come to expect visitors and every week ask who's coming to visit. I guess they've enjoyed it, too!

Nancy holding Shad

Eli showing Chuck her magazine



On a completely unrelated note-it's always fun getting free things in the mail and I'm always receiving free samples and coupons of sorts but I really lucked out with this freebie! $40 worth of Zebra Pen products=sweetness!

Star Hope

"We said goodbye to the world for a day;

no phones or laptops came out to play.
We spent our time in the Majestic Outdoors;
the sky was our ceiling, the dirt our floors..."

It doesn't get any more beautiful than this.

We FINALLY got to go camping! Last Friday Sandy was able to commit to a camping trip. That is a BIG deal, his summers with work are so crazy busy! So we planned for the following Monday-Wednesday (woulda left sooner but I had a dentist appointment Monday morning). Our destination...STAR HOPE!! I was so excited!
I called my parents to let them know we were going; they wanted to try and come up for a day. Then my mom told me Tyler didn't work all that week either and suggested I see if he was interested in going, too. As it turns out, he and Laurie had already planned a camping trip...for the same days AT THE SAME PLACE! This could not have been planned any better if we had tried! We had such a great time! We learned Eli is a pretty descent baseball player; she not only throws really well but can hit the ball nearly every time! Her favorite part about camping was playing with the dogs. Livi is in her own world no matter where we are and it's so fun to watch her play. Grandpa brought a little shovel with him and that was her entertainment for most of the day. What she enjoyed most, she said, was going fishing in the creek. Shad was an easy going happy baby. It was a bit chilly so he looked like a cute little smurf the majority of the trip, all bundled in blue.

A little family history on Star Hope-On our drive there I started wondering why, of all places, we camped so frequently in Star Hope with my grandpa and grandma growing up. There are closer, more convenient places after all. So I made it a point to ask my dad. Grandpa had a friend that owned a ranch in the Copper Basin area who he would help haul cattle for. Also, it was simply my grandpa's favorite place to go camping. He had been several different places, but this place ultimately was the one he preferred most. I can understand why. I loved it when I was little and I love it even more now. Here's some pictures snapped throughout the trip-

Showing Ty how to pin the GPS coordinates for the Family Tree. Serious business.
(the matching clothes were purely accidental, lol!)

Ty was really good at finding wild strawberry patches

Goin' fishin' and rock throwin'

Tio Ty and the girls built a boat and sent it sailing down the creek.