Happiness is...

Love for Pistol Annies

2011-10-24T04:57:00.001-06:00

Confession.

I love Miranda Lambert.

No really, I think I kinda got a girl crush on her.

She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen & her attitude is awesome.:)

Songs like "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" & "Kerosene"& "Only Prettier"

Just SCREAM independence & truthfullness.

And we all know I'm kinda a fan of both.

Sooooo....anyhow....she started a little group called the

"Pistol Annies"

Enjoy.

;)

Rodents?

2011-10-24T04:49:00.000-06:00

You know the saying..."When the kids are quiet, it usually means they are up to no good?"

Well, my kids proved that is correct this last week.

They were so quiet, no fighting or arguing or shooting nerf guns in my living room.

I got some blogging done, some laundry done....

life was good.

Then I thought...I suppose I should go check on them.

This is what Beau said "Mom...check this out!"

Oh boy.

I don't especially LOVE it when they "play" with their hamsters. Sitting and petting them is too boring I guess.

So they literally PLAY with them.

And the little critters actually seemed to enjoy it.

The above picture is of "Shadow"...you know...the one who ran amuck through our house for 3 days???

He's just chillin.

I'm sorry...but how can you not find these little sweeties ADORABLE!

Wook at the wittle ears.....AWWWWWW!

They are clean too!

Oh my gosh...I can't take it!

ACK!....wook at his wittle hands.

Gooochie, goochie...

I think I'm going to see if my boss will let me get one for work.

It would boost morale.

I'm sure of it.

Or just my morale.

Shadow couldn't have all the fun...plus rent was getting high.

That's been the trend around these parts.

Jacking rent sky high...

So Sherman moved in.

Sherman is Kole's cute wittle sweet rodent.

HEY!

Keep it down up there!

Sherman posing for his closeup.

He doesn't like the camera as much as Shadow does.

Seriously....you would think they don't care.

They do...Shadow....he LOVES the camera.

See!

LOVE's IT!

Here he was just chillin in his ride.

Sherman was supposed to be driving but he got all hopped up on carrots & we had to give him a little time out.

OR....he escaped & he had to go back in his cage.

Sherman....

he just looks like he's plotting his escape.

He wants a taste of the free life like Shadow had.

NEVER!

****No animals were injured or otherwise treated inhumanely while being PLAYED with....seriously...this is me we're talking about!****

Now THIS is intensity!

2011-10-20T09:25:00.000-06:00

I like the Foo Fighters.

Moderately.

I like other bands more.

But I love his intensity when he sings.

You can't help but be mesmerized....or maybe that's just me.

Either way...thought I'd share.

Beau & Babies

2011-10-20T09:18:00.001-06:00

My baby...

loves babies.

A couple of people tried to get sweet Sidney to fall asleep.

Then they gave her to Beau.

And he was "shusshing" me.

I hope he has a big, big family some day.

Our little summer project...

2011-10-20T09:10:00.000-06:00

This is our home.

It's not always clean, or sportin the latest home decor...

but it's filled with the stuff that counts.

Love & acceptance & peace.

So, yeah...we love it.

It's needed some necessary TLC...

So...we gave it to her.

It was about 103 degrees this day.

Ryan had come to help us get started.

We really appreciated him ALOT!

Honestly...we didn't really have a great idea how all this goes. A vague idea...but we needed direction from a wise soul.

HA....or Ryan.

Lookey!!!!! I did this! Awesome huh?

It's especially awesome after you take it down & redo it...

cuz I didn't quite "get" the importance of the starter strip...being straight.

I think I giggled too much.

And said "don't worry...it'll be fine" too much.

Ryan shook his head alot.

Kerry said "hun" very gently...quite a few times.

It was awesome!

Then I got replaced.

By a 8-yr-old.

humpf.

I'm sure they just wanted him to feel needed & didn't want me to get a big head from all my siding skills.

I was ready to quit my job & get a trailer that says

"Heather's Home Improvements"

and my catchy phrase???

"Don't worry...it'll be fine!"

;)

Yup...hard at work!!!

For a few minutes anyway.

Ain't it purdy?

All this work was done over MONTHS.

A little after work, on a day off.

My poor husband has been VERY busy.

But little bit, by litte bit...it started taking shape.

It sat like this for a while.

Living off the highway like we do, we were the entertainment for all the passerby's.

I'm sure some thought we'd never get done.

Some times, we thought that.

And then I would just tell Kerry....

"don't worry, it'll be fine."

One day, I was bored.

I said...hey...sweet baby boy of mine...

how bout you and me climb up this bendy ladder & see what the view is like from the roof?

It's awesome.

Actually....the roof had to be measured to order in the supplies for the new roof.

I did not go up on the roof.

I'm a liar.

And if you believed for a sec. that I did...you do not know me very well at all.

This went on when I was gone...

this is what my husband does when the wifey is gone.

My baby...up on the roof.

Oh...I know...it's not the first time, and it won't be the last.

Besides...this is Mr. Danger...he was probably plotting how to rapel from the roof to the trees to the horse trailer.

It's true.

Another month later...and the roof arrives.

This was an event in itself!

I thought...how the hairy heck are they going to unload all that???

Ahhhhh...how handy!

It had a forklift built into the back end of the truck.

I kept waiting to see what else would change on it...

Megatron????? Is that you???

Oh yeah...the duo who brought our supplies...fully thought my boys and me were insane.

They're probably right.

This is the front of our house. My picture window is under there.

Pretty gift wrap huh?

I kinda wanted to find a HUGE bow.

Men & powertools.

Men & toolbelts.

Men....and dirt & sweat.

It was a good day for me.

;)

Oh oh...

BUSTED!

AND....this was last weekend.

We had our family all here & it was awesome.

My husband isn't one who typically likes to ask for help.

He needed help.

And got it.

Her...welll.....this is my mother-in-law.

She swept...ALOT.

And picked up garbage...ALOT.

I watched.

And took pictures.

I was a tish overwhelmed with knowing what to do next...besides...she had it totally under control!

I kept an eye on the coolers.

Made sure the beverages were still there.

And that I replaced them....after I tested them.

Kidding.

Here's the man with the plan.

Ryan.

He's good stuff.

Or he used to be.

He's on my list right now.

And Kimberly's.

Why?

Well...we've been waiting for Hunt Construction sweatshirts for about a year now.

Trust me....we would be GREAT advertisement!

Maybe that's why he won't give them to us....

And this hot toddy....

;)

I was going to add something else...then I realized he shows this to his coworkers.

I'll refrain.

For now.

;)

And Ted.

ALWAYS smiling!

Or grimicing...it doesn't matter, looks like a smile to me!

We love him!

And Justyn.

He looks like he knows what he's doing.

That scares me.

He was the jokester of the crew.

Always ready with a wisecrack.

He was great for the morale of the crew.

And we appreciated him very much.

Kerry's Uncle Curt was especially good at the wisecracks as well...

always smiling & laughing about something.

We're so lucky to have them close.

And our neighbor Bruce & Miss...

let us borrow this bad boy for all our garbage dumping needs.

Kerry had a ball drivin this baby around.

He said to me..."hey...hun...I think I'm gonna get one of these."

I said.

"Do it."

He won't.

I don't think.

The new roof getting put on.

Late into the night.

And it was cold too.

These guys rock!

The next day...

it got finished up.

It was a big project.

I had no idea.

Here's the ALMOST finished project.

Still a few odds & ends to do, but the main part is done.

The crew...

discussing.

Oh yeah...dad was here too.

He was checking the FB scores at picture time.

THANK YOU ALL!!!!

Cuz I want to laugh...

2011-10-18T16:36:00.002-06:00

Ah yes...

Soccer Time!

2011-10-18T16:35:00.000-06:00

Mr. Danger played soccer this year.

He loved it!

He's still waiting on FB though.

(that's football...not facebook)

His team won 2nd Place!

Betty

2011-10-18T16:33:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to me.

From myself.

Her name is Betty.

Which came to me when I was reminiscing about a nice little tune by Ram Jam.

;)

Don't know the song???

Now...I'm not sure what "acid" is...or what it does...but for some reason, it comes to mind when I watch this video. Trippy.

Karly!!!!

2011-10-18T13:55:00.001-06:00

So...the baby of the family, had a baby...or his wife did. :)

Karly is 1!!!

Ya'all met her a while back...saw her over the summer a bit. Now here she is again.

She is so beautiful!

And she has her mother's perfect skin & fair complexion.

Jealous.

I know this photo is a little out of focus & off kilter, but I don't care.

A girl & her daddy...well.

That's just precious.

Awwwwww!

Again...AWWWWWW!

And the little Sidster.

She took the present opening in complete stride.

Till the barbie princess chair.

Then it was "me, me, me, me".

AWWWWWW!

Guess what "me, me, me, me" is getting for Christmas?

This dude cracks me up.

I think this was when his mother was questioning a nap for him.

"No."

I really can NOT wait to see her again.

And here is the birthday girl with her gorgeous mama.

See...perfect skin.

It's even more perfect in person!

So jealous.

It's like creamy velvet. sigh....

I heard a rumor "Clinique" has something to do with it.

The Klatts...assesing the situation. Or discussing who's making the next beer run.

SERIOUSLY!

I can't stand this.

It almost makes me cry it's so sweet.

She loves her Uncle Ryan so much.

She hugs him & pats him & rubs him...and he gets kisses too.

Nothin but love from that guy...he's alright.

Let's shift gears a bit.

We had ALL the grandkids together.

This doesn't happen a whole lot.

So.....

PICTURE TIME!

Just scroll down & take a peeky at all the fine pics I got.

It's kinda funny to see some of the faces.

There are a few perfect pics...so that'll make grandma happy...but some are just hilarious!

This is a good one.

PERFECT! Oop...nope. :)

Andddd....no.

I like this one...Cayden is trying out a new smile, but it's cute!

HA!

Uh-oh...C looks like he got hollared at.

Poor boy.

There we go!

That's how we roll!!!!

4 Wheelin

2011-10-18T11:01:00.000-06:00

There is a little moto-cross track out by where we live.

We went there one day...

We now have future x-gamers on our hands.

This one we always knew was a little danger oriented.

This one...well...we never worried a whole lot.

He showed danger tendencies as well.

Excellent.

;)

We had a great time!

Next year....there will be pictures of Danger Mama out there rippin it up.

Assuming of course ,that I don't screw up my back again.

Cleaning

2011-10-18T10:25:00.002-06:00

I cleaned my craft room the day this was taken.

Beau took full advantage of the situation.

;)

Oh Medora!!!!

2011-10-18T10:23:00.000-06:00

We had our annual trip to Medora & it was so much fun!

We camped this year & brought our bikes...THAT is a fun way to "do" Medora.

Plus you get excercise or some garbage like that.

;)

One of our highlights was the trip to the Museum.

You know us...so polite.

And appropriate.

HAHAHAHAAAAA!

That didn't last long!

And then we got kicked out of the museum for the rest of the season.

Literally.

;)

A little bit of Sun & Water

2011-10-18T10:09:00.000-06:00

So we did some camping the weekend before school started.

It was awesome!

I have lots of pics of Kole.

See...he's growing up WAY too fast. Soon he'll be off with his friends & will be way too cool for me.

Right now...I'm still sorta cool.

This coming from a kid with a giant clay thumbs up.

Soooo....yeah. I'm super cool.

Cool huh???

This was Pyro-Beau hard at work.

Roxy

Roxy...she has such expression in her face!

So pretty.

The kids were lovin the rafts this year.

So were we.

We just dropped them in the lake & went to the camper & took a nap.

KIDDING!

We checked on them every now & then.

;)

Here is Mr. Danger...going NOT NEARLY FAST ENOUGH!

This kid is like velcro on these things.

Believe me...we tried to fling him off.

Impossible.

Then these two.

They could be going 60 mph on a tube over whitecaps & still hold onto their conversation...and occasionally point at a cool spot on the beach to make a hot tub.

UGH...it's like 30 degrees out right now as I write this.

Sigh.

I remember this day like it was yesterday.

It was about 9:30 at night when I took this pic.

See....PERFECT hot tub spot!

They spend a LONG TIME trying to get the water to stay IN the hot tub.

;)

These were so cool! They were some floating logs that the kids all used as rafts.

There was a lot of carp in that area too!

Shhh....don't tell them.

We were feeding them sunseeds & beer.

The carp...not the kids.

;)

See ya later summer!

Cool

2011-10-18T08:59:00.000-06:00

I like this picture. Alot. I also have some nice shots of this sky, with a blurry horse nose in the lens. Celia gets jealous that I would find something other than her "camera worthy" I guess.

ROXY!

2011-10-18T08:51:00.000-06:00

This is Roxy.

Most of you have met her.

She is Beau's new little girl.

First bath.

She took a while to get used to being able to play & just be a normal dog. She sat and observed Jiggles's interaction with the family for a few days before she realized we weren't going to beat her.

She didn't have the best start.

But now she's happy & free & she has fun every day.

And she has a special little boy that loves her more than anything.

Now she only knows how love feels.

And that's how it should be.

Oh yeah...she's border collie/sheltie.

And it would be the best day of her life if I let her in the chicken coop.

Not the best day for the chickens.

So...we'll have to make sure that doesn't happen or it'll look like a dang massacre in the backyard ...with feathers.

;)

Back To School....I'm a little behind

2011-10-18T08:33:00.000-06:00

The 3rd Grader

The 6th Grader. Yikes.

I suppose I deserve this when I say..."Come ON! Stop messin around!"

It didn't last long....notice Beau pestering? He LOVES to pester his big brother.

Then this happens...hmmm, wonder why?

And this happens cuz I threaten to wrestle them both down if they don't knock it off & look like they love each other!

They're all right...I kinda like them.

Sigh....I'm writing this in Mid-Oct. They've changed alot.

sigh.

All we can do is Pray

2011-07-29T07:31:00.000-06:00

Hey there,
Simple thing...PRAY for this girl & her family. She is my friends daughter. Visit her Caring Bridge website & sign the guestbook & let he know you care & are praying for her.

http://www.caringbridge.org/

type in mandinelson to visit her page.

Take NOTHING for granted. Hug your kids. BE HAPPY.

32 Below & Groupies

2011-07-12T08:43:00.001-06:00

TL got some kickin entertainment this year for Turtle Days street dance.

32 Below.

I may or may not have heard them before.

Don't seem to remember.

Me being the immature moron that I am said...

Hey...we should go see where they are at!

So we did.

They were sitting in the van the whole time.

I can only imagine what was going through their heads.

"dude...there are two chicks out there...one of them has a kid in a stroller."

"Oh man...what has happened to us."

"We used to get chased by college girls...now it's come to this."

Seriously..they rock.

Very good stuff.

We really wanted to find a sharpie and sign each others...well...parts and come back and be all like "OH man...that was awesome!!! LOOK...I got signed!"

But we couldn't find a sharpie....and I certainly wasn't going to sign Kim's "parts"...no thank you.

But Kerry took the boys to meet & take pictures & get autographed for real!

show off.

At the concert.

Sotally Tober.

Turtle Races!!!

2011-07-12T08:31:00.000-06:00

OMG...yes I said it...OMG.

GOODNESS!!!!

Turtle Lake is home to the National (blah,blah, blah) Turtle Races.

Kerry would like to interject and point out that he is not from Turtle Lake...

he's from Mercer. Home of absolutely nothing.

Yeah...that's much better Ker.

This is very serious stuff...this is the starting gate.

I had to add this...Sidney in action.

Karly saying NO!!!!!

And Sidney poking her eye.

Kole did this one time to his cousin Saedira.

Wasn't funny then...now, this is kinda funny.

LOOK!!! FOR REAL??? The guy in the pretty blue shirt is holding the "flag turtle".

It walked around during the "opening ceremony" while the National Anthem was played.

Rico...actually, I have no idea what his name is.

But he looks like a Rico to me.

The crows nest.

Load them up!

And lift the gate and watch them run.

They have to get past the first white ring to win.

This guy is like...

"Dude...look at all these morons watching us....huh-huh-huh."

YES!

I need to pause.

I had a hard time getting good "action" shots so I gave the camera to Kole who was up front...

best choice of my life.

Okay, of that day.

He did amazing!!!!

Run!!!!

HURRY! For the love of GOD...RUN!!!!!!

SERIOUSLY! Look at the intensity in his eyes! And the white chalk falling off his front foot...

simply amazing!

Hahahaaaaa...

check him out!

I think there was doping involved.

Us...being Morons...

2011-07-12T08:22:00.000-06:00

Really?

Do I need to say anything????

The Waterfight...2011

2011-07-12T08:18:00.001-06:00

This year it was AWESOME...Papa Wayne & Chance had a throwdown...

LITERALLY!

I learned...Papa Wayne can move quick...when he wants to.

And is pretty strong...when he wants to be.

And after he puts out his cig.

Chance got a much deserved dip in the pool.

On to the kids...

Right away...feeling out the situation.

Planning.

It's on!

Prestyn

Cayden...so handsome...and unassuming...

Mean looking...grrrr.

And still not suspecting a thing.

Until now!

Still smiling!

Kerry..."Look...I have an electrical device...you can't get me!"

I shoulda just said to Ryan..."Screw the phone...he hates it anyway...DOUSE HIM!"

Oh yeah!

Oh...my poor baby...

YOU BIG MEANIES!!!!

"You not do dat!"

"Don't ever do dat again!"

GASP!

This was pretty funny...

Until afterwards...

Karly...trying to figure this all out.

She's already brilliant.

She's strategizing.

And watching her daddy get soaked.

Oh Beau...Beau, Beau, Beau...

If only mom had the guts to show you how it's done.

Funny thing...Uncle Ryan would just scoop me up and throw me in the pool...and spray me with the hose...while telling other people "get her!"

SO I will refrain..and draw you out a "how to" sheet next year.

That's right...

Uncle Shayne is telling Presty how to kick their butts!

You big meanies!!!!

The biggest meanie!

What??? What the heck is this???

Who took this picture?

hehehe...

I have NO idea how this got in here...

muscle bound, smiling, beer carrying college boys..

seriously.

;)

Kole...

up from a snooze...not suspecting a thing.

Bad move!

It's amazing how affectionate these Meanies get when their Uncle Ted is still dry.

They seem to like to hold him really tight, for a long time...

Lots of Love.

Karly & the Klatt pool

2011-07-12T08:04:00.000-06:00

So my sweet little neice Karly loves water.

Alot.

It doesn't take much convincing for her to hop right in.

She's thinking about it.

Sidney at this point I"m sure is thinking..."What the heck are you so flippin happy for?""STOP smiling!!!!" "DO NOT make me take your passy!"

Kidding...she was pretty sick. She was pretty good considering how rotten she felt. So she wasn't her normal happy baby self, otherwise she'd be right beside Karls in the pool.

AND....in!

With Sidney's sippy.

I bet it was liberating for Karly.

They are the same size, however, Sidney is older (and quicker) and usually likes to "borrow" Karly's things. By the time Karly figures out what happened to her passy...Kim has usually swooped in and given it back to her.

Just look at Sidster..."GIRL...you did NOT just take my sippy!"

I found this HILARIOUS!

Cayden had been making rounds asking for candy.

Promtly was met with a firm NO!

Presty came sauntering up, orange face, and peanut M & M's.

Chomping away.

"Prestyn...how did you get this?"

Prestyn...smaking his lips looks around at us to see who he should rat out.

At this point Kim cracks up...and giggling she says...

"Well...no more!"

giggle, giggle, giggle

And then I say..."Oh...come on! Look mad at least!"

So she tried...he was confused...and I got this picture.

She wasn't mad.

He was confused.

I was laughing.

Pictures of boys

2011-07-12T07:48:00.000-06:00

Do you have any idea how hard it is to get five roasting, steaming boys to cooperate with me to pose in the back of a hot pickup bed to take pictures???

Until one farts.

nice.

And then I hollar...
"Seriously...what are you two?"

The kiddie carnival

2011-07-12T07:45:00.000-06:00

So for Turtle Days they have a little kiddie carnival.

Which is pretty fun...if you are a kiddie.

It's kinda sad that this is our only "kiddie".

The other "youth" was wreaking havoc in the drugstore trying on prescription reading glasses and taking goofy pictures with his "teenage" cousin.

So, we enjoyed our kiddie...cleanin house at all the games.

Ain't he just the cutest?

He is naughty sometimes...and you need to pay attention...he's quiet about it.

And so cute.

He LOVES Tom & Jerry...I think that's where he gets half his naughty ideas from.

It's IN!!!!

So cute...

Kerry & his new friend...before they busted me with the camera.

I firmly believe at this exact second Gma was saying...

"hm. you do realize your wife is taking a picture of you right?"

And then I got this look....

And I'm sure at that second she was giggling her little evil giggle and saying...

"see...told ya, ya dumbells!"

SCORE!

Beau & his prizes & his alien.

Crawfishin

2011-07-12T07:38:00.001-06:00

Kerry...being the wonderful husband that he is...decided to take all five boy cousins to the canal to do some crawfishin.

And the dog...and he came back with everyone.

And only had a near drowning experience with one of them.

(that we've heard about)

A snail.

Fun at the TL Pool....

2011-07-12T07:34:00.000-06:00

Oh wait...that's right, they decided to buy a gigantic metal turtle instead!!!!

Grand idea.

It kept our kids busy for a little while anyway.

Why just stand in front of the giant turtle...when you can ride it?

OH NO!!!!!

Such goofballs

Who is Jason Mraz?????

2011-07-06T09:18:00.000-06:00

Either you know his music or you don't....

we know it...

well.

1st Video....The Remedy (I won't worry)

2nd Video... Life is Wonderful

3rd Video...I'm yours

Kole & Me

2011-07-06T09:01:00.000-06:00

Sea Lion @ the Como Zoo

Kole and I took off for our MN trip to go see Jason Mraz in concert.
We had an amazing time.
One of the days we met up with relatives and went to the Como Zoo.
We had never been there, so it was pretty fun.
AND HOT!!!!!

These sweet things are from the Minot, ND zoo.

Since their homes are flooded out, they are visiting the Como Zoo.

They looked pretty scared.

As mentioned...it was hot.

Like...98 and high humidity and no breeze.

Lovely.

This polar bear was finding a happy place.

So was this lion.

These monkeys were the funniest dang thing!

They would clamor for the window and watch us like we were on display...

hmmm....think about that one!

Very funny!

Then the whole reason for the trip arrived.

Concert time.

This idea came up suddenly...sort of.

We've been wanting to go for a few years and the timing and circumstances havent' been right.

This year, they were.

So Kole and I hit the highway on our own.

Ker & B stayed home and had all sorts of fun, dangerous fun.

Dirtbike fun....I'll save that for a later post.

I'm going to go sappy for a sec.

This trip was so awesome. He's 11. He wanted to spend time with me. Swim, talk, shop, drive around, whatever...just as long as we had our time.

I felt so special that my son wanted to hang with ME!

(of course he didn't really have a choice since we were hundreds of miles from home!)

I didn't take one second of it for granted. I enjoyed every single moment to the fullest. Because I'm fully aware that there will come a day, probably sooner than I think, that he will be hanging with his buddies and going to concerts with them and will be too busy for me.

And I won't be cool.

Newsflash...I'm not. :) But I do love him, and I realize how special this little trip was for us.

So...anyway...here he is chillin waiting for the concert to start.

We had decent seats...but they were all level. And since I'm short & he's 11 we hoped for the best...but we got a wild bunch in front of us that stood up a lot and a drunk lady behind us that was pickin fights.

SO....we decided to get walkin...up to the stage.

We may-as well make this a unforgettable experience right?

Jason Mraz is pretty tame.

He's FUN & hilarious & puts on a great show!

He even had a full band with him...like saxaphones, trumpets, bongo drums...all that stuff.

It was impossible to stand still.

We didn't.

We danced.

And laughed.

And swayed to the music.

He puts on a great show.

I've been to alot of concerts...and usually they don't sound as good as their album.

This guy...was better!

AMAZING!

So much fun.

Here we are up by the stage....the security guard took this pic...this was his third try...I think he was tipsy.

Kidding.

Us...before it began.

Shadow's adventure

2011-07-06T08:07:00.000-06:00

Well, we had a little escapee.

Beau was playing with Shadow and it involved a laundry basket...and he went to go get something...

and forgot about Shadow.

He came upstairs to tell me...and he was just so broken-hearted.

I explained...hamsters chew things...ALOT..

How long had it been since they took him out of the cage??? A "while" ago.

So, we looked.

And looked...

For 2 1/2 days.

Finally we got glue traps, hoping that the little bugger would come out and get stuck and we could cut him free.

No luck.

Then on the 3rd day...I was doing exactly what I'm doing now and I heard noises from our bedroom.

Sure enough, the little bugger had made his way upstairs.

We figure he climbed the outside of the sewer pipe and through the walls and came up through one of the holes where the tv wire is threaded.

Beau was so excited...especially since we had already had "the talk" about the fact that Shadow was probably dead.

It was a good day!

Maiden Voyage

2011-07-06T07:58:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, we took the boat out for the first time this year.

It was so nice...but a little strange because the water is SO high...

you need to watch out for trees and all sorts of interesting things.

This is a cool pic of Kole.

He was avoiding the camera.

He's hit that age I guess...very rarely will he "pose' for a picture.

This time...it backfired and turned out cool.

See the caves? We're going cave diving next week. See what treasures we can find.

hahaaaaa

Kole was our antenna for the radio....

And Beau was the drink mixer...

for himself.

Awwww....a family of geese.

It was a great day!

Oh no...

2011-07-06T07:44:00.001-06:00

Yeah...so a girl called for my boy a while ago.

Months ago...I'm finally able to speak of it.

She called repeatedly.

She left messages

He's 8.

It is funny but concerning all the same.

This is not ok.

I'm not happy about this.

The good news is, is that after a week...she quit.

A WEEK!

He's too young to have to dodge calls for cryin out loud!!!

Family

2011-07-06T07:39:00.000-06:00

So here they are...all together.

Every single last bald one of them!

And here they are with the highly patient Mama & Daddy.

Bored

2011-07-06T07:33:00.000-06:00

Well, I'd like to say that my kids NEVER get bored. But I don't lie. :)

They do.

Then they want to do riduculous things...that make big messes.

And I say...sure. (which is why my house is the way it is. Messy.)

And then we all have fun & it's worth it.

Kole wanted to make Bread in a Bag. I guess they made this in school. It's actual bread, not friendship bread...real bread.

And it's goooooooooood. :)

Then they did this while it was baking....

wow.

The Cart...part 3???

2011-07-06T07:24:00.000-06:00

Wow...this looks really redneckish...oh well.

Do you all remember "the cart"?

Well it has proven it's worth once again!

I pulled up a chair to get comfy to hold the hamburgers over the fire...for a while.

Then my husbands eyes lit up...and he said...
"hey....(insert laugh)...I got just the thing!"

And he was gone.

He rigged up his faithful cart to be our holder/rotisserie for our campfire cookouts...which have been frequent...so thank you once again dear husband for "shopping" at the dump.

(groan)

AND then our fun was over...because this was heading our way.

Parade!

2011-07-06T07:15:00.000-06:00

Both the boys got the opportunity to participate in the Mercer Co. Fair Parade this year.

Beau got to ride on the huge floater for Cenex....

And chuck candy at people...

This made him happy. :)

Kole went with his youth group's/bible study float...he walked...

he was very, very tired...but it was "so much fun!"

"Shadow" the bull

2011-07-06T07:04:00.000-06:00

Meet Shadow. This is Beau's hamster. The same one that ran away for three days before we found him alive and well.

They thought it would be fun to let Shadow live out his dreams and become a fierce bull.

But he couldn't stop being cute long enough to get mean. :)

Grrrrrrrr.....

Livin the dream baby!!!

Roar!

The Bonfire!

2011-06-28T07:00:00.000-06:00

This is a continuation of our girls/kids weekend.

So we wanted to do a bonfire. Anna was on S'mores duty. Meaning she brought the stuff to make them. She lives in the cities...we are a little behind here.

She brought "STACKERS"!!!!

They have changed how I will forever look at S'mores & marshmallows.

They are so cool! If you had a smaller roaster stick thing, they would work even better...the edges are slightly bigger.

Who comes up with this stuff!

Kimberly was being the spokeswoman for the stackers...she does a good job!

AMAZING!

I don't know why...but they are really yummy. Not as messy in the s'more & they are just cool!

SO when I got home...after looking downtown at our little store for them (hey...I can dream) I thought...I'm going to make my own.

It involved normal marshmallows & a meat tenderizer mallet.

Does not work. I'll leave it at that.

The kids had such a good time that weekend. Kole finally slowed down enough to hang out with Karly. He likes babies.

But we were trying to hurry & scurry along with our bonfire & have fun at the same time because this was heading our way...

The storm.

We got done just in the nick of time.

It started to thunder & lightning & we sent the kids in & cleaned up and got out of there.

But...we had a lot of fun.

I will buy this little girl her first kitten...or puppy.

Or pony.

Whatever she wants.

Gosh...she's too cute!

And this guy...adorable!

"Take a picture of me auntie!"

He apparantly hasn't hit the "Quit taking pictures of me!!! DO NOT blog that!!!!"

Mine have. :)

And Karly...

She is so stinkin sweet.

I will buy her a kitten or puppy or pony as well.

I just wanted to kiss and hold her all weekend

but she was not feeling the best...so I let her Kole hold her.

(snicker...snicker...snicker)

And he loved every minute of it!

All the kiddos...minus one nephew who was on a Family vacation & one neice who had summer school.

Hahaaaaa....making good use of the "stackers".

HONESTLY!

She is so adorable!!!!

Her eyes are SO blue and she has the most beautiful little face!

The Professionals.

Mom & daughter

So sweet!

Waterfight 2011...the kids

2011-06-20T19:02:00.000-06:00

We had a girls/kids weekend in TL.

I had a "list" of things in my head for us to do. A waterfight was about number 2 on the list.

We let the kids have at it.

They went and found flowerpots, buckets, flower waterers and used them as weapons.

The pool is still the "safe zone". So are "babies & cameras."

You are safe if you have these items.

I noticed a trend....

A lot of sibling rivalry.

He's just cute...I had to snap a pic.

He looked at me like

"Auntie...seriously, are you for real?"

This is NEVER a good sign.

It's filled to the brim...and it has somebody's name ALL OVER IT!

These two....

Look at the "fighting stance" of C.

Then some last minute coaching....

Which must've been pretty funny...

Here it comes...

Notice "fighting stance" C getting the heck out of there!!!

That would be the smart thing to do.

Oh good....B is running too....

Just to gain momentum to pummel his brother with water!!!

It was awesome!

Glad we had one hot summery day in between all of this rain.

Rhubarb

2011-06-20T18:32:00.000-06:00

This year my rhubarb crop has gone through the roof!

Could have something to do with the ridiculous amount of rain we've been getting.

So one day the boys helped me out with prepping it for freezing.

It's nice now that they can have sharp objects.

As they were working the rain came POURING down...so they simply put up the umbrella...which is usually used for SUN...and kept on going.

When the work was done it was time to get really wet and cut loose a bit.

Have you ever jumped on a wet trampoline???

It's different.

Like a giant, springy, sponge.

And each jump produces....backwards rain.

This is our cage...for cage matches...this doesn't look real good for Beau.

Trust me, he's little, skinny & super fast...he got away. :)

Boot Camp

2011-06-15T08:08:00.000-06:00

Becoming a horse owner as an adult is a very, very frustrating but rewarding thing. It appears that most "horse people" were born that way. Or brought up that way. They don't appear to have any fear or questions about simple things like...."If I get bucked off...is it best to land on your butt...or your shoulder?" or "If I were to get bitten...is it going to take a huge chunk of flesh out or not?" They seem to all have this mentality..."If you get bucked off...and you will...get back on." See...I'm not necessarily okay with the "and you will" clause. See...I'm 35. That's kinda oldish to be a lawn dart. Or they laugh and say..."you should see the bruises on my legs from my horse TRYING to buck me off." "but I stayed on!" and they laugh some more. It seems like "horse people" just go about their days dealing with these huge animals with no questions or insecurities at all. NO FEAR is how I'd describe it. If the horse acts up...they smack it...just like it's a naughty 2 yr old. And THAT is even a hard mentality to get into...for instance. While leading your horse and she stops full force to grab a bite of grass....you should pull her head up and smack her a good one...so she doesn't do it again. This is what happens to me & C. She bends to eat...I yank, and pull and beg. And she starts coming...then I say "Oh crap...I should've smacked you...ah well...to late now!" (who's mommy's pretty, pretty pony??? You are...goochie goochie goo!") See...this is not proper horse owner behavior.

Another example. I've been a dog owner my whole life. Not all horses will respond to dog commands. Luckily Celia has me pegged for a Moron...and she listens when I tell her..."No...stay." "Okay...come girl...that's such a good girl." (while unloading her from the trailer) See...horses respond to clicks and very simple verbal commands. Good thing for me "NO" sounds like "Whoa" to her. I can be lounging and talking to her and say..."you know???" and she'll stop. Then I say..."ooops...sorry...my bad."

And something else nobody ever tells you...HOW TO PACK and prepare your horse for camp. Here's what I did to prepare her...just incase any of you out there are newbies to the horse world and have too much pride to ask silly little things like this.
I groomed her, very well...so she looked her best. All the while giving her a lecture about what to do if some stud (literally....stud) happens to "notice" her.
I sprayed her very well with her fly spray....so she can focus all her attention on learning.
And I got a few of her things together....cinch, blanket, bit...the necessities.
And I hugged her...a bunch.
Begged her to listen & be good & set a good example. (or was that my kids?)
Prayed she doesn't get hurt while she's at camp.
Hope she fits in with all the other horses...actually...I told her "screw it" just be yourself sweetheart....
That's basically it.
**I often wonder...do horses have memories? Emotional memories? The first night she was there, they had a terrible storm, but she was safe in the barn with the mommies & their new babies. I wondered..."seeing those little ones, does she remember her babies? Does she miss them? Or does it just not matter a whole lot to horses? What would happen if she was reunited with one of her babies...would they remember?"

This is one of her babies...I think she has at least two more out there somewhere. That is Celia in the background. No...we didn't have her bred...this was at her previous owners.

Well...Not sure where I was going with this post. But hey...I'm blogging right? Good news to report from boot camp.
Her leg appears to be ok...she's very well trained (I'm so proud...however I had no part in her training), and she's just being naughty. That's ok....I'd rather have that then an injury with a very bad outcome.

Just horsin' around....ha. ha. ha.

2011-06-14T07:53:00.001-06:00

First off...my beloved Celia is at "boot camp" right now for a couple of weeks because she seems to like to buck & she doesn't care for the whole..."I'm a human, and I'm going to ride you now" idea. She has other ideas. But now...I'm actually praying that her problems are stemming from her behavior.

Unofficial word from her "trainer". It could still be that her leg is bothering her and she's not sound.

This would be horrible. My mind races at all sorts of horrible things that the future would hold for her & us. Would she ever be able to be ridden? Does it need to be opened up again? Is there a fracture in there somewhere? I hope not...you would think all her screwing around would hurt it...it doesn't seem to.

So, for now I'm praying she's just a brat.

I kinda like the girl.

Ahhh....I love babies. Human babies are awesome...but I usually make them cry and then I freak out...and search out their mother. They're kinda picky that way. Animal babies are just easier. :) They just want you to smoosh their little faces in your hands, rub them and carry them around (well, not horse babies).

I mean really? For real?

I told this little guy he was coming home with me & we would just get some bottles or something and everything would be fine.

His name is Elliot.

ACK!

I really can't stand the cuteness...him...and his name Elliot. PERFECTION!

No, I didn't bring him home.

He is the sweetest little thing in the whole wide world. It is mentally impossible to be angry, sad, or just plain grouchy holding his little head in your hands.

He's my riding instructor's baby.

No wonder she's always so stinkin happy.

Both boys were negotiating prices with the owner....

I told her I'd sell a kidney to buy him. Right then and there we could operate & I'll bring him on home.

Ok...no I didn't tell her that...but

:)THAT is how cute he is!

Oh my goodness...look at his little lips.

Ok...I gotta move off of the baby pics.

This here is William...or Willy. He's a smallish horse. He's a very nice boy.

He happened to be handy for a certain little boy, who is a little not so confident in the horse department right now, to visit with.

It's far less intimidating when they are more on your level...rather than towering over you.

So....certain little boy decided he would rather negotiate prices for Willy.

THAT's how much he liked him.

Elliot or Willy.....and he likes Willy.

The boy would be about 12 by the time Elliot would be ready...and then he'd be a young little horse & kinda spunky probably.

Good thing neither are for sale now....or I'd be in BIG trouble. :)

From the man. :)

But it's awesome that Willy is willing to help a little boy who's seen some scary horse stuff and gotten a little scared.

They can work on it one step at a time.

When I go for my lessons...William just MAY happen to be there looking for a rider.

And I'll deal with the brat.

Oh...I mean Celia...the GREAT!

Long Time Gone

2011-06-05T09:31:00.000-06:00

Whew...it's been a little nuts. I know, I know, story of all of our lives. See, the thing with me is this...I let things go (blogging, housekeeping) a teensy bit...a few days lets say. And I get behind. Then I get overwhelmed & I don't know where to begin. Then I get to the point of "no return", which is pretty much where I am at now. I'm SO far behind in blogging I truly don't know where to start. So....I'm going to give a super fast rundown of the last few months and start from today.

*Made 800 bracelets for a fundraiser
*Went to walk at that fundraiser & that was really a fun thing to be a part of.

*Which reminds me...it was just me & my boys at the walk...Kerry, my wonderful, God's gift to me husband was at home playing Vet with the horse. She had a nice little injury that really could've been her "end" if it wouldn't have healed. So...wound flushing 2x/day and heavy antibiotic load she is good as new.

She went from this....(rt.)lame, limping, oozy, bloody, pus-filled wound mess...

To this. Full recovery & sassy as ever.

*So, now on the subject of critters...it brings me to 4H. This year we are taking a year off. B has decided he's not ready to show Celia, and may never be. He's kinda done with the horse thing, he saw some pretty impressive displays of "personalities" between her & Red...and it's a scary thing to see. So, that's ok, we will just let that idea hang for a while. So for now, I'm taking over with her....and that...is a WHOLE diffent post. And as far as his chickens...it's just not a good year for us. Our person who we get our show birds from had some serious medical emergencies so needless to say, we did not get show birds. And our girls...well...they are a little "rough" around the edges. Not really show ready. So we are hoping that next year we will come back even stronger than before and be armed with all sorts of pretty birds.

*Ah let's see...oh yes, we had the last day of school & Beau's Mother's Day program that successfully made me bawl right there in the auditorium. But I wasn't alone....lots of mommies were crying when there babies were singing to them. sigh.....

Awwwwww.....

*And there was a Preschool graduation in there somewhere...my nephew. SO BIG! These kids just keep growing up, no matter how many times I tell them to slow it down!!!

Such a sweet boy!

*There was also a very special birthday in my lapse of no blogging....because I was overwhelmed....:)

It wasn't his birthday...he's just adorable. :)

*Which reminds me of my adventures in babysitting....I'll just give you a few hints. Rainstorm, mudpuddles, no naps, sweets, poop, "potty trained" (not at aunties), and lots of "no i not" , "auntie don't do that", "auntie, no i not do dat", "no", "no", "no"......and valium...for me...KIDDING!

*Let's see, what else? Oh...spring here has kinda sucked. Snowstorms, and LOTS of water. So it's just now, in June, getting nice out. And by nice I mean 70 degrees & 25 mph winds. It's ND, what can I say?

*Which brings me to our summer project. It's a big one with lots of little ones. Residing our house, new windows, expanding the garage.

Nothing makes my boys happier than destroying stuff! :)

*The above said project will be an all summer long project, for various reasons, but the main reason...my husband switched jobs. Which means it's been a kinda screwy schedule. It's only temporarily going to be like this, but it's been pretty much only knowing a day or two in advance what he's working. (shift, days etc) But now things are gradually getting more routine. And he LOVES it. At 37 to switch jobs is a scary thing, but it's been a positive change for us.

*Hmmm....what else. Well, they added another barndoor...this one is for bobcat access to clean out the crap. :)

Kole was very upset that I took his picture....:)

The door opening...now there is a door as well.

*Which this reminds me that I messed up my back. It's an old injury and usually if it get's sore I take some advil, go to bed & by morning it's better. This time it's been weeks. Kinda sucks. That's why I wasn't helping with the lifting of the box or any other of that grunt work. What did I do to aggrivate it? Not sure, but I do distinctly recall getting into my van and me being my graceful, delicate self...I kinda "threw" myself in (hey...it's high up there!) and plopped on down and heard & felt a pop. Imagine that...how unimpressive...I wish it was more like..."well, when I was throwin that calf down to castrate it, I kinda felt a pop, but wasn't sure since I took a hoof to the cheek, but next morning I couldn't get out of bed!" But no...it appears I sat wrong & harshly. So...my dx would be that I slipped that disc again. No biggie. I've been here before & I know what to do to fix it.

*We also have a few new members in our house...or outside I should say. Jett (black) and Jinx (stripey).

Jinx seems to be just a teensy more aggressive....NOT...a whole lot more aggresive. She is adorable & never gives her brother a rest!

And she loves this bucket.

Jiggles loves all kitties...especially when they are little.

Beau with the babies...

And......POUNCE!

Is there anything cuter than a kitten tongue? I didn't think so. :)

Jett meeting Gretchen....Gretch isn't too sure. She is giving them their space let's say. More like she is avoiding them both at all costs. I bet she's thinking "great...there she goes, getting more little babies & ditching them with me & expecting me to show them the ropes." "NOT happening!"

*Which this brings me to....where did the kitties come from? My HS friend Stacey. How in God's green earth did I get them from her? After not seeing her for 15 or so years? Through the magic of FB. :) And funny thing...she has Red. She has several little children who will love to climb all over the old boy & they have all sorts of horses & ponies to keep him company. And we won't have to watch him & Celia fight all the time. So it's a win, win. Sad to see him go, but happy that he's happy. :)

Wanna know what's super cool about this situation? One, we got to see each other again, two we got some sweet critters out of the deal, and thirdly & most amazing...

Red is now at a home where he can retire....which neighbors where he was born.

How cool is that?

It was meant to be.

I wonder if he knows? I'll bet so.

I'm waiting on a picture of Red with his first owner...that would be amazing.

*Well, I think that is about everything...in a teeny nutshell. There has been other stuff of course, but these are the biggies I can think of. At some point if I have nothing to write about, I'll comeback and revisit some of these events and show all the awesome pics that go with them...

Happy Birthday Kole!

2011-04-01T11:49:00.000-06:00

So...my sweet little 5 lb 14 oz baby boy...Turned 11 on March 29.

A few days before we had a guitar lesson and his dad & I got him his gift from us...

A Fender Acoustic/Electric guitar.

These are cool because if they aren't plugged into the amp...doesn't matter, sounds just like a normal guitar. When it's plugged in, it just amplifyes the acoustic sound.

It's beautiful!

Or "cool"

"Awesome"

I believe we also heard...."ugh...just....wow...thank you so much! It's amazing!!!"

He's worked hard and earned this instrument and deserves it.

He's taken guitar for 4 1/2 years.

And teaches me...that in itself deserves a LOT of credit!!!

I can be a bad student.

Sometimes I don't practice.

I ask too many questions.

I ask "why" alot....paybacks.

Sometimes I forget to pay him.

I need my special pretty pick...or I suck.

On Kole's actual birthday, he was super sick.

Poor guy...this seems to happen annually for him.

Gets sick on his bday...really sick.

I guess one positive is that it was a very "easy" birthday for me this year.

No cooking. (fleishkuekla from DQ)

And, an ice cream cake for his sore throat.

However, he didn't even want the traditional pancake breakfast.

But he did get off the couch to come and smile for a few pics.

And hear some top secret from Bobo.

The following day he was feeling a little better and so we decided to do our traditional pancake birthday breakfast then.

And get some love....

It was a different bday this year, not bad, just different.

So we adapted.

And he got to stay home from school and watch Ferris Buellers Day Off with me...

I didn't mind at all.

Just a little fundraiser....

2011-03-27T16:16:00.000-06:00

These are some neato bracelets that I'm making as a fundraiser for MS, more specifically the team "Legs for Lorisa". If you go to my facebook page, there will be info on the walk-a-thon event...and you can also get some sweet bracelets from me on my FB page...

Or you can contact me otherwise...leave a comment and I'll tell you how!

So, I started this little venture, with high hopes of raising lots of $$$ for Lorisa's Team to help find a cure for MS...

in less than 24 hrs. my little fundraiser has gone through the roof and is on it's way to making some serious cash!!!

I am blown away by the amount of supporters out there! It's really quite incredible!

I love this...

I don't love MS...and I don't love how miserable it can make someone feel, and all the other garbage that goes with it, but I love the support for finding a cure!

So, I am a busy little gal...I don't think I've ever been so happy & busy at the same time.

I love making jewelry, so you don't have to twist my arm to make these pretties...It's fun for me!

And it's for a GREAT cause!

The kids even want to help...Beau is the "knot tester" & "cutter". Oh...and the sizer.

Kole, well, he does the math and keeps track of the amount made & needed.

If you want more info, just comment or get ahold of me on FB...I can hook you up!

$3/bracelet...Buy a bunch and wear them together!

Green is Lorisa's team color, and Orange in support for finding a cure for MS!!!

I'm a beading machine...make me work!!!

Ahhhhh......pull up a chair

2011-03-25T06:31:00.000-06:00

Beautiful.....Happy Friday!

Pretties

2011-03-23T16:00:00.000-06:00

Kole bought me this bracelet from a classmate. Her Grandmother makes these!

It was so sweet!

He even used his own $!

So...I'm kindof what you would call a hobby freak.

I have to be busy on a project...or several.

A friend of mine asked if I could repair some jewelry for her and I thought...sure.

It is her mother's wedding set.

No PRESSURE or anything!!!!

So, I made the watch face into a bracelet...since it doesn't work anymore, she just wanted it incorporated somehow so her mother could wear it.

This is the pearl button clasp that was on the necklace and I had to replace.

But I thought it worked great on the bracelet!

THE necklace....It was in pieces and missing quite a few pearls.

Now it is back to it's original form.

That makes me happy!

The whole set...watch, necklace & earrings...all repaired and ready to be worn by the beautiful bride!

I'm guessing she's 70-80 years old now....this makes me happy!

Now onto my pretties.

Remember the kids' and my rock polishing endeavor????

Well, if not, oh well. We polished a whole lotta rocks this past summer and I've been waiting for the right idea to use them.

Dang...I just realized I don't have a finished pic. of my necklace...I'll get one.

Anyway, I did a little wire wrapping and made a nice pendant out of this one.

This...is what happens when you put a creative gal in the hardware dept. for 10 hrs a day...she comes up with ideas....

these are washers.

See? Just normal washers...prettied up!

And this...

I made this bad boy last week...I love it...a lot!

I'll post more pics of my pretties as I get them done.

Stay tuned!

32211 Blizzard

2011-03-23T15:31:00.000-06:00

Here we go...

we got a little snow.

16.8 inches.

Was

AWESOME!!!!!!

This was awesome...only if you had the luxury of watching it from your warm house and you didn't have to drive in it...didn't have loved ones in it...and didn't have birthing mama cows in it.

The horses were very unimpressed.

They didn't come out of the barn till this morning, the day after...and at that they had about a 5 ft. area to walk in a circle.

And they couldn't get to the water.

Until Celia got her "snowplow" Red out and just bossed him around to break a path for her.

It worked.

The kids got home early and promptly went outside into the blizzard.

This is kindof a good idea of how deep the snow was yesterday. Kole is about 4'11".

This morning it was deeper.

Big daddy had to make a path for me to get to work...somehow another day cooped up with me and the kids didn't appeal to him.

He would've dug a path with a spoon I think!!!

Kidding...I came home early anyway cuz I am sick.

NOT talking about it.

Gonna hit the bottle and kill the germs Heather-style.

Kinda bizarre...this is what our yard looked like about a month ago. Then we had a wonderful springtime spree and it all pretty much melted.

It's back.

It was kinda tricky getting to our equine friends....

But we did it.

I love our neighbors. Even when they get stuck it's kinda funny. Apparently he misjudged the icy-ness of the highway and just slipped on over to the ditch on the other side.

Good thing a Ford came by and pulled him out!

God only knows we have Chevy's here.

So the kiddos got another snowday today (wednesday)

They made an awesome fort!

Supervisor Gretch was helping out too!

Dang....he's a good looking kid.

He looks just like me.

HA.

Oh...so is he!

He looks like me too!

HAPPY SPRING!

If you give a teenager a laser pointer....

2011-03-22T11:19:00.000-06:00

Really???? Do I need to explain?

And, oh yeah...Beau got involved too in the hunting of the magic red dot.

Sheesh.

The Oregonians....

2011-03-22T11:05:00.000-06:00

So the relatives from Oregon came back to good ol' ND for a visit. This is my mother-in-laws sister & her daughter.

They are a really fun, nice group of people.

Awwww....ain't we just the sweetest?

So, here's the thing. Chani, our cousin, suggested Karoke.

Kim & I are like...sweet! We'll get up there and mangle some fun song...we can't sing, but we have fun, right???

Well...Chani can SING!

She should've warned us...we never would've said..."sure, we'll sing with you!"

Well, Kim may have...I would've run.

Whew....good times.

Naughty, naughty.

Speaking of naughty...

They were having some party/potluck at the bar that night. Finally the smell overtook cousin Brandon....

he had to have a bbq.

But he didn't want to go get one.

I said I would...but I'm all talk.

Kim said she would...and she did.

She went in and "stole" it....after she checked to make sure it was okay to "steal" one.

Love her.

We had a big family gathering and Beau and I plopped down and started a heated game of Kings in the Corner.

The kid cheats.

I know he does.

I never win.

Kidding...he's just really good at card games.

It took me till I was 24 to understand the colors...and the descending counting thing...and where the kings went....

The tipover game...this is a very versatile game.

Uncle Ryan was entertained for hours.

This is what I get when I say..."ok...this time, don't look at me, look at the blocks."

Why do I try?

Notice his sweet boy in the background trying to blow over his daddy's tower?"

There comes a point in life where you just need to give the big guy his blocks and beer and let him go....

he's so happy!

Once he let Prestyn put a block on...but just one time.

Kidding....he was taking turns like a good uncle should.

DOMINOS!!!!

Notice the big dude in the background in the black?

He's the one that had Kimberly go get him a bbq.

He's such a delicate little thing, no wonder.

Love him....that's cousin Brandon.

I often times felt like checking his pulse...this dude is so laid back it just ain't right!!!

Family picture!

Curt, Grandma, Chuck, Cheryl, Cheryi, Cheryn

Such a nice respectable family.....

Well, except that one!

That is why we love her!!!!

That would've been a nice picture!

Then Kerry was trying to take a picture with his mom's camera....

it wasn't pretty.

Back to dominos...I must've gotten my pics out of order.

It started out like a normal game of dominos.

And morphed into this....

And this...

and then some of the little kiddos would come up and bump the table....

And this would happen....

And this.

Right off the bat the babies had to get together and meet and drool on each other.

This is Sidney & Joel (Brandon's boy)

My baby Beau would LOVE to get his little cousins riled up...then they'd get in trouble for running....from Beau.

Then he'd get in trouble from me for making them run.

"I wasn't running Mom!!!!!"

"I was just walking fast and they run from me!"

Ugh.

The baby corner.

At one point I grabbed Beau and had him come sit with me just so I could chill with the mommies & their babies.

I asked him..."so, you sleeping through the night yet?"

"Yes mom"

"Potty trained?"

"Yup....can I go now?"

"Sure."

Mommy corner doesn't work so well when your baby is 8.

THIS is ADORABLE!!!!

So is this....I wonder where she would learn something like that?

What goes on at their house right????

Hm.

KIDDING!!!!!!!!!

The big boys...being big.

I need to cry. Everytime I see Kole in a picture it occurs to me how he isn't a little kid anymore.

When he hugs me we are almost eye level.

And he's solid muscle.

He'll be 11 soon.

sigh

And then there is this guy....my baby.

ahhhh

sigh.

Lacey & Joel....Brandon's beautiful super nice wife & adorable baby boy.

I like this family...they are so nice & laid back.

They just take everything in stride.

They are a very sweet family.

Cayden....he was getting sick.

His eyes told the truth.

He wasn't his usual self.

But he still smiled anyway!

(It was prolly the Mt. Dew I was feeding him.)

OH MY GOSH!!!!

"Oh sweetheart...of course you can have my $1000 camera...anything you want...."

"Sure...I will get you a puppy...no problem"

"Sure...Porsche? A Porsche you want? Ok!"

This was my table.

Some people called it the kid table, then laughed at me cuz I was sitting there.

Losers.

Dance Party

2011-03-22T09:50:00.000-06:00

We had a little get together with the fam.

And did a little dancing.

YUP...the adults did partake in the festivities...but I promised no blogging those pics.

Darn.

The Sidster was sick, sick, sick.

Her look is the look of "auntie...if you don't get that camera out of my face...I'm going to be forced to do something not very ladylike with that camera."

(It was the fever talking...she loves the camera normally. She was moody this night.)

The big brothers maxin & relaxin....

Making the Best of it

2011-03-22T09:42:00.000-06:00

So...about a week and a half ago we had a big ol' winter storm.

I left work to go get the kiddos from school...

Now...I'm not one to get freaked out by bad weather. Quite the contrary, I find it exciting.

I about peed my pants and cried at the same time when I had to drive in the lovely weather to get my beloveds from school.

It WAS that bad.

But, I did get them and got safely back to work.

They just camped out and made themselves comfortable.

And I grabbed the camera.

Needless to say, it was kinda slow.

Kole chillin on the balcony.

Beau set up shop at our credit managers desk.

I said to him..."well, how are you today Sheila?"

beau "fine"

"Have you called all the delinquents and told them to get their butts in here and pay their bill?"

beau "not yet."

"Sheila, do you want me to leave you alone so you can play your game and suck down your junk food?"

beau (eye roll) "yesssssss"

Princess Zoe

2011-03-22T09:32:00.000-06:00

Seriously....is there anything cuter than a kitty tongue????

Such a sweet little angel.

;)

The language of OUR horses

2011-03-22T09:27:00.000-06:00

Here we go...another translation lession in the language of our equine friends.

Here is Celia being an overbearing nag.

"Dang it Red...get out, just get out of the corral...I'm so done with you, you are going to miss me, then you'll wish you would've done EVERY little thing I've said."

"Humph...he's so mean to me. I don't know why I put up with it. All I do is love, love, love him...and occasionally kick him and oh yeah...the biting...but I think he likes that. ;)"

"Dang woman...I'm so done. She's such an old bag...I'm going to play dead and make her miss me real bad."

(he was rolling...perfectly fine...he does this alot, and makes elephant mating sounds when he does it.)

"That's right baby...I knew you'd come back to me...you like me bossing you around don't you! I SAID DON"T YOU!!!!!!"

So she'll do this for another 5 minutes...just herd him around.

"Oh great...she's giving me the look again."

"I hate that look...no good ever comes from that look."

"But I just wuv her soooooo much."

If Celia wouldn't be so dominant with him...well, it's just not a good thing. He turns into a frat boy. Tries to mount her or show her things she prolly doesn't want to see.

MEN!

KARLY!!!!

2011-02-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

I missed these pics on the last post...so here we go!

This little girl...and her mama and dada drove a LONG way to come celebrate Auntie Kim's birthday.

She was feeling miserable...but she still was adorable.

SERIOUSLY! How cute is she????

WAY CUTE!

I think she's already more intelligent than me...I can tell when she looks at me.

I get confused.

She's a genius...I know it!

Clearly she get's her looks AND her brains from her Mama!

Kidding.

No I'm not.

Love you Shayne!

SURPRISE!!!!!

2011-02-21T18:09:00.001-07:00

Kimberlicious turned 30 in the beginning of the month...and there was a party. And it was a surprise. AND it was awesome!!!!

Then there was THIS party.

This has been being planned for a very LONG time!!!

She was VERY surprised...especially when she saw who all had come to celebrate with her!

The MN Klatts!

AND....the MT Sista & her family and her Brother and his wife (although those two were planning on visiting on this weekend anyhow...which worked out perfect!)

She was lovin it!

I made her a COFFEE CUP cake...my boys still insist it's a purse. There is whipped cream on it...hello!!!!

I like this pic. I like his look. I'm thinking she's saying something naughty to him.

Or just a "thank you!"

AWWWWW!!!!

Cayden was my little camera bug this weekend at the pool. He was lovin it, he'd come down the slide then open his eyes up real quick to see if I got it!

TOTALLY a daddy's boy...in this pic anyhow!

Ah Prestyn...

More Cayden...

YES!!!! This was awesome! He just wiped his face off and went back for more!

Cayden growling at some random little boy...

KIDDING! That's one of his cousins from MT.

And the new parents...

doing what they do best....

goofing around!

They were waiting for the babe to fall asleep...I SO remember those days.

And a parting shot...check out Cayden's face!

Priceless!

It was a wonderful weekend!

And she was thoroughly surprised!!!

Just because she's Pretty

2011-02-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

No real reason for this post other than Celia's beauty.

And the love between her & Beau.

The days have been warmer...but she just waits for attention.

However, if I go out there...she just stands and looks at me.

For Beau, it's a different story.

She watches and listens and waits for him.

And they love on each other and...

they have talks. Or he talks to her. Not sure what about, but that's okay.

It's between her and him.

What makes a teacher amazing???

2011-02-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

Our kids have been blessed with having great teachers over the years, all of them have been wonderful...

but this year is special and Beau's 2nd grade teacher will always stand out in our minds.

Not only did she not give up on him...but she saw the good kid inside trying to do his best...

and when he couldn't, he would shut down.

For a few years we thought he was just being lazy or not applying himself.

School has always been a struggle for him and he hasn't liked it at all.

This year, his teacher watched him read very closely and saw him skipping words, letters, lines and struggling so much.

Long story short...he has a vision problem that makes reading very difficult. So he has bifocal glasses that help him read.

Problem solved.

Until he started struggling again.

And once again he needs to have stronger lenses to help him read.

What makes his teacher amazing???

She could've just made him struggle through till his new lenses come in, but she isn't doing that.

She is enlarging all the papers that require him to read.

To her it's no big deal, but when he comes home and tells us how he could read the story and he's smiling and feeling great about himself...that's pretty amazing.

And let's face it...I know it takes her extra time to do this for him, and teachers don't have a lot of extra time!

He brought home all 100%'s yesterday on his papers.

And he was HAPPY! About SCHOOL!!!

That is what happens when you have an amazing teacher.

This is a big deal to me...to know that someone else cares that much about your child to go the extra mile, when it would be much easier to not.

Thank you! To all the amazing teachers out there that refuse to give up on these kiddos!

Band Concert

2011-02-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I haven't shared pics of Kole's Band Concert...

Sorry.

So he had his concert last week and they all did just wonderful!

Honestly, I don't know what I was expecting, maybe a concert of first time band members...it could be interesting.

Ear-splitting, trying not to laugh...

But it was NONE of those things.

Incredible!

These kids did exceptional!!!

Well Done!

Boy Toys

2011-02-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

So the boys got a new toy.

The bigger the boys get...the bigger the toys.

It's a lot of fun....

Beau has been saving up his money for a snowmobile...I think he has $113 or something like that.

Then Daddy won a football pool thingy.

It was the happiest day of his life...pretty sure.

So far anyway.

We fooled the kids...Kole stayed after school for a band lesson.

So, this is the look on his face when Kerry told him it was ours.

Have I driven it?

A little bit.

It's VERY, VERY fast....

and loud.

So, I'm fine with passing on the snowmobiling for now....not that I'm afraid of speed or anything.

But this is for them....the boys.

And I think this is the first time in a long time I've seen my husband just take off and do something for himself and go for a ride all by himself on his day off.

It's about time. He deserves it...every dangerous, loud, blinding moment of it. :)

Oh...and you most certainly are welcome for the warm, snow melting weather.

It arrived the day after we bought it.

Happy Birthday Kimberly!

2011-02-05T11:01:00.001-07:00

My sister-in-law, Kimberly, turned 30 this past week. Or 10,950 days...however you want to look at it. :)

I like to tease her about this. For a few years now I've listened to my darling sister in lawS talk about how they can't believe they are ALMOST 30!

GASP!

So...I can't just let it slip by...since I've been livin in 30-ville for 5 years now, and it's wonderful!

I will be 36 this year. Bring it on!

So...we (me & my family) thought it would be funny to give her 30 gifts, of 30 things.

Confused???

Just look at the pics.

Kole had the idea to give her 30 rabbit turds. hmmmm....so he got to digging...while being attacked by Beau's bunny.

Beau thought of 30 pieces of shredded cheese.

Kerry suggested 30 pieces of cob corn...and I think he had something to do with the turds too.

My personal favorite was 30 pieces of my hair...incase she wants to be blonde...or if she needs my dna for anything.

It was a family affair...counting, put in the bag, count some more...put it in the bag.

Let me just say this...

to peel 30 staples off a stick of staples is really hard to do.

And it'll wreck your thumb nail.

TA-DA!!!!

Even my co-workers got in on this scouring the store for goofy things.

Rock salt, grass seeds, paper clips, silica packets...

It was so much fun!

(if you click on the pic...it'll get bigger & you can see it all)

Gross. Sorry.

She loved it!

I was happy to see her smile and giggle at all our silliness.

This...

is what 30 looks like for Kimberlicious (my knickname for her)

ain't she purdy???

She looks more like 15.

Ok...NOT! More like 23.

SO, her hubby planned this surprise party for her and it was awesome.

She met some friends for supper, then some more for drinks and then we took the "back way" into the bar and all the husbands were waiting there, with L's AWESOME cupcakes...

that I'm sure were delish...but after having too much wine...cupcakes are pretty tricky to eat.

So I passed. :)

So a girls only party...turned into a couples party, which is awesome that Justyn got to celebrate with his wifey.

It made her happy!

He had to do some fancy planning to get childcare organized for all the kiddos...

thanks to the roads (insert sarcasm & irritation), grandma couldn't make it :(,

but THANK GOODNESS for friends, and the sitter who swooped in to save the "night" so Kerry didn't have to figure out how to keep the Sidster happy.

And he could be with me.

Okay.

I'm really embarrased right now.

I just realized that she re-arranged her cupcakes to say 20.

Wow.

Just now I noticed that.

Sheesh.

I'm done drinking.

This time I mean it.

Wow.

No wonder she was laughing so hard...

Happiness is...

Love for Pistol Annies

Rodents?

Now THIS is intensity!

Beau & Babies

Our little summer project...

Cuz I want to laugh...

Soccer Time!

Betty

Karly!!!!

4 Wheelin

Cleaning

Oh Medora!!!!

A little bit of Sun & Water

Cool

ROXY!

Back To School....I'm a little behind

All we can do is Pray

32 Below & Groupies

Turtle Races!!!

Us...being Morons...

The Waterfight...2011

Karly & the Klatt pool

Pictures of boys

The kiddie carnival

Crawfishin

Fun at the TL Pool....

Who is Jason Mraz?????

Kole & Me

Shadow's adventure

Maiden Voyage

Oh no...

Family

Bored

The Cart...part 3???

Parade!

"Shadow" the bull

The Bonfire!

Waterfight 2011...the kids

Rhubarb

Boot Camp

Just horsin' around....ha. ha. ha.

Long Time Gone

Happy Birthday Kole!

Just a little fundraiser....

Ahhhhh......pull up a chair

Pretties

3*22*11 Blizzard

If you give a teenager a laser pointer....

The Oregonians....

Dance Party

Making the Best of it

Princess Zoe

The language of OUR horses

KARLY!!!!

SURPRISE!!!!!

Just because she's Pretty

What makes a teacher amazing???

Band Concert

Boy Toys

Happy Birthday Kimberly!

32211 Blizzard