Ranch Hands

Over Memorial Day we went up to my home town to visit "the folks". There is always work to be done! (plus we owe them ,right?!)

So we headed to the Ranch!

It is funny how it wasn't very fun to go to the ranch back when I was 11-17 . But I've decided it really isn't that bad. And the kids absolutely loved it!


Of course Grandma Sheri wants to get the campground area (which is where we would park camp trailers for long work weekends) cleaned up. So we got a fire started and the kids thought I was great picking up all the sticks they could find and throwing them in the fire.

Now we can't have all work and no play right?
well we could when I was a kid, but this is the grandkids we're talking about here!

So the guys had to take a 4-wheeler ride out to get . . . .

The Green tractor.

Then load up the 4-wheeler again with one extra passenger to get the . . .



Red tractor. Simply for the joy of my son riding the tractors.

look at these little bugs!

Every boy needs to have a tractor!

And because that was a lot of work, we all sat around the fire and had our lunch!

gotta fuel up for the real fun!

getting some of these out of the ditch

and move some of these into position for irrigation season

Unfortunately the two above photos are not actually of our ranch but I was working at the time, not taking pictures, but I wanted all ya'll city folk to get the idea ;)



That night after showers and dinner we had a little surprise birthday time for Garrett, because of all the ranch work that needs to be done before grandpa goes to China for work grandpa and grandma won't be able to come down for the birthday party.

A Seek and Find book (Garrett loves these) and a monster journal!

Thanks grandpa and grandma we had fun at the ranch!

On the right track

These two just might like each other yet! If you used to have a lot of dandelions in your yard and they all seem to have been picked it was probably these two. Garrett loves that Embrie loves the flowers and picks them for her constantly. This was the first day of this new discovery.

What a nice gentleman!

Think she has enough flowers? And of course she wasn't letting go of a single one!


She likes to hold hands so occasionally Garrett will take her by the hand and lead her around.
Saying in his best high pitched voice "come on Embrie lets go play"

These moments are nice, too bad they don't last forever, or even all day, or even 10 minutes . . .

Mother's Day

I think sometimes most moms, myself included, usually like to think of Mother's day as the one day we get special treatment and might even get a break from being mom. (maybe I should say moms with young kids, I dunno). Anyway . . . this year on mother's day Brad got sick, he tried really hard to tough it out for the first part of the day but he really wasn't feeling good. So he ended up laying down and resting most of the day. And here is what we did . . .

I took the kids outside and we started a rock collection.

When I was a kid I had a pretty good rock collection. Garrett had heard me talking to Brad in the car a while back about us washing our rocks up at the cabin when I was a kid and he had asked if he could do that. So we went out hunting for rocks in our garden since we have no better place near by. When I was a kid my grandpa Clyde would take me out looking for rocks up at his cabin. I would find the coolest rocks out there! some of them were very shiney and pretty! (I later found out that grandpa actually bought those polished rocks and planted them so that we could find them, tricky!) Then we would get the whole collection out, and grandma would get some trays out with water in them and we would wash our rocks and let them lay out to dry. We did this for hours and our rocks were as clean as rocks could be as you can imagine. So I am passing down the tradition.

After the rocks we all raced around the house several times and got out our energy.

While doing this I realized that this is what mother's day should be about! Not taking a break from my kids (though I will not deny that I will still jump at a chance for a break once in awhile, I am not completely crazy afterall!) I got to spend Quality time with my kids which with busy days is not always possible. They were even good for dinner and baths that night as dad was still out of comission. It was a good mother's day. I got to be MOM!

Shout out to the mother's in my life! I am blessed to have so many good examples to me! I hope I can be more like them!

update

after all that birthday excitement (or lack of) Brad brought home flowers (which is pretty good for a man who doesn't believe in flowers) and an ice cream cake! yay! Surprise! Thanks hun!

13 going on . . . 29

Well I've been giving my birthday this year little thought compared with last year's turning 28.


I wouldn't say that I am too concerned with my age and usually don't really care, however, I will admit that last year it took me by surprise. Here is why: turning 28, I don't know why that is the magical number for epiphanies but, I actually realized that I will not be in my 20's forever. I will eventually be in my 30's. This will happen. It did rattle me a little and I can see why some people feel negative about getting older. As for myself I will not feel negatively about it I will just continue making fun of my age as that seems to make me feel better.


I do look older.

(you didn't think I was going to expose my own wrinkles did you? for that you'll have to get a personal close look at my face by which time I will know what you are up to!)

This is funny because while growing up I was always so embarrassed that people thought I was so much younger than I actually was. It is true that the last time I was offered a kids menu I was actually 18. But I think that person was just plum crazy! My sweet grandmother, Hila Watson, would always tell me that in the future I would enjoy that people thought I was younger. And I have come to learn that is true. I even began to expect that this would be the case my entire life. That made me happy. Well Not So! last year I asked a young girl that I was working with how old she thought I was. She said and, I quote: " late 20's early 30's?" HA! This means that I actually look my age!!! Granted, I feel better by telling myself that I gave her a few hints before she guessed!

I don't feel older.

( I truly do Love Lucy!)

Now of course I am a mom and sometimes I feel older and I have to make some mature decisions. But I will admit that I was at the store one day not too long ago, I was alone (which rarely happens) And I had this sudden urge to take my shopping cart running and jump on it and glide down the isle. Don't worry I thought better of it as I looked around at the other women my age (which also look their age I am glad to say) I realized that this might get a few strange looks. However, it made me wonder if I am the only one that gets the urge to do silly things like that??? When I get together for a girls night, I definitely don't act my age. But I enjoy it!

I am sure I will continue to enjoy not acting my age well into my older years, and I wonder what it will look like when I am 50 and acting 13.

I remember going to the Twilight movie on opening night and seeing 40/50 yr old women dressed in prom dresses. I remember laughing at that, but just today I realized they were probably having and great time! and why shouldn't they? I may not go that far but I am sure I will get some funny looks at that age too on occasion.

Last of all I will sum up my day, today as it is my actual birthday.

Embrie has been sick all week with Hand-Foot-Mouth, (which is a fever, accompanied by a rash on the hands, feet and tushy, along with sores inside the mouth) This started for her on Tuesday so it is actually better now. But the poor girl fell on the open dishwasher door last night and shoved her newest tooth back up into her gums! As if her poor mouth didn't have enough to be on with! It bled for an hour and is terrible to look at (if you dare to try). She will be seeing the dentist next week as recommended, but most likely she will be ok, just really sore. So a little irritable today and eating still not easy. Because H-F-M is quite contagious, Garrett woke at about midnight last night with a pretty hot temp and for my kids Fevers mean Throw-up. And so he did all over himself, me, the bed the box springs, the carpet and even his best little sleeping pal Lightening McQueen. Right after cleaning him up poor little guy figured Daddy had been left out and not puked on so it was his turn. So the night was filled with two restless little sleepers and tired parents. I am home on my birthday with the sickies, cleaning the house and Brad will be home late tonight.

Feeling sorry for myself? . . . Not really. . .

Strangely enough It has been a descent day. My kids are sick, but dealing with it quite well under the circumstances. And I have been cleaning but realizing that is the gift I am giving myself because I am much more at peace when the house is clean anyway. We've all been in our pj's all day, which for those of you who know me well isn't that out of the ordinary but I love my pjs. And I may not be going out to eat tonight but I am picking something up for dinner, probably from the dollar menu which means that I don't have to cook or clean up the kitchen afterward, which makes me happy.

Happy Birthday to me! I am pretty blessed!

I will be doing a late post on Mother's Day, apparently this is a year of revelations for me :)

Projects

Tis the season for home improvements I guess.

The Basement
Brad has been working on the basement a lot more this year and I am hoping we can finish it this year. We are currently putting up insulation, and when I say we I really mean He. (I actually did help for a couple nights.) Not because I am not willing to help but because someone has to watch the kids while the other works down there. And he is already doing such a great job without me. ;) And besides that I've had a few projects of my own!


Painting
For the last 4 weeks I've been painting. I've managed to paint my entire main level and stair well (18ft high) all by my lonesome. That is why it has taken 4 weeks, I am doing it on my own because I told Brad that I would and that he wouldn't have to do any painting (that is how I get my way) and he took my word full value. Plus like I said he has been working hard in the basement so it's pretty even. So you all know that as moms we get to do our projects when the kids aren't in the way, the house is clean, everyone fed, etc. Of course, I won't lie there are days when those other things took the back burner and I just painted.


Garden
The other thing I want to do. We did make some head way here, but there is much more to do. The main problem being that we do not own a truck. Every year since we've moved in I have started my flower/vegetable garden over from scratch. We live in the land of Soil? what is soil? I've never seen it before. This is clay territory. That is what we have and that is all there is. So each year we've added some better soil in and tried to make it a little better. However, our flower beds are already stacked up higher than our lawn which is on a little hill so the dirt- aka clay- tends to run down hill into the grass and we actually are in need of getting rid of a lot of that clay and replacing it entirely. Wish we had a truck to haul the clay away!


Projects
The more projects I start the more I find needs to be done. For example:

Lets paint the main level, which includes, patching the dents and dings and all that comes with it. Then while painting realizing that the trim needs to be touched up. The banister needs to be taken down, sanded and restained. And after doing all that the house has all been repainted except the kids rooms, might as well do those and get the whole thing over with!

The basement and the garden are a whole other story.

Seven Years Ago . . .

. . . . Brad said Yes!

Ha Ha! that is kind of a Joke. For those of you who are wondering if I proposed to him, close, but no I just wore him down until he gave in and proposed to me. ( A good story for another time)

I always say that I knew I liked Brad and wanted to date him from the first time he spoke to me. And for those of you who know Brad you know those can be rare moments! ;) But that is when I began to see who he really was and how awesome he is.

May 9, 2003

Bountiful Temple

I've learned a couple things since marrying Brad.

1. I 've come to realize that I've married my complete opposite.

- I talk too much, he talks too little

- the foods I like most are the foods he doesn't care for

- I like to dance to music in the car - he tries to hide when I do this so that

people don't know he is with me

- I like to talk to people, he often prefers not to

- He can tell the make/model of a car from 100 ft away with no hints I am still trying to remember which car we have ;)

. . . the list goes on

2. I've come to realize that it is probably a good thing (sometimes) that I married my complete opposite.

- fighting really doesn't happen- he has never yelled at me- it is hard to yell at someone who isn't yelling back (this is not to say disagreements don't happen)

- he is very patient

- if I am going to be talking alot it is a good thing he is there to listen, right?

- Having a social wife sometimes makes him be more social too (I think this is a good thing)

. . . the list goes on

I am glad that he showed up to the temple that day! ;)

I am glad that we are married in the temple.

I am glad that we have two amazing, beautiful children and that they got some of his good traits.

I am glad that I married a good man, a good father!

I am glad that I married my best friend.

I guess you could say I'm a pretty lucky girl!