Spring Break is over

I must say that I enjoyed taking the week off to spend it with the kids. Unfortunately the weather did not get the memo that Spring has Sprung! Everyday it was too cold to do anything outside. The wind blew 100 miles an hour, it snowed on and off everyday. Carson kept saying this is not what spring break is supposed to be, I had to laugh because what does a first grader really know about spring break in the first place. We played games in the house and read lots of books. The kids watched some movies and we had frequent popcorn parties. But in the end we still ended up with a mild case of Cabin Fever. I still am not excited about having to go back to work today, but it is nice to send Carson off to school today. He will be able to see his friends and run, talk and play. Hopefully when he gets home he will be worn out. Oh, Carson lots his 4th tooth yesterday. It didn't want to come out on its own so Ted ripped it out with some laffy taffy. He has the cutest toothless grin. I will take a picture after school. Nick goes back to school tomorrow. Pre-school is great but I am looking forward to having two kids in all day school next fall. I don't know what Mica will do with out her "guys". She loves those boys so much it is heart warming. I hope Spring will catch up soon and turn my little part of Wyoming a greenish color. It is never really green, but greenish is good enough for me. I am off to work, wish me luck!

I am a little slow...

I took these pictures last summer and fall. I just barely took them in to be developed, so I wanted to share some of them with you.

This is Mica and her boys on her second birthday, September 26, 2007

Mica has been really into Dora and so I made her a Dora cake. She loved it!


now, skipping clear back to June 4, 2007! Carson's 6th Birthday. He wanted a race car spinning out on the grass. I am not that good, so this is what he got: I thought I did a good job, I even made grass. Carson liked it as well, and forgave me for not having the car spinning out.

And now on to November 8, 2007. Nick's 5th birthday. He wanted an Old Blue cake! For those of you who don't know, Old Blue is what the kids call Ted's truck.
Papa Eddie's birthday is the day before Nick's so we usually have a party for both of them together. I didn't support the cake with dowels or anything so it started to sink up front from the weight of the cab, but the kids (and Grandpa Ed) didn't seem to mind! Chef Duff from Ace of Cakes, you better watch out, here I come.

Room by Room: Part Three

This will probably be the second to last one for a while. I have to go back to work on Monday and won't have as much time, plus I haven't done anything to the other rooms in the house yet and when I do maybe I will do before and after shots or something. I am going to do the kitchen and dining room next I think. I did re-do the upstairs bathroom when we moved in so that will probably be the next room I post. I also did my bedroom, but I am not too excited about it and might change a couple of things. I started to re-do the bathroom downstairs and I will probably finish it after the kitchen and dining room. Then after that I will re-do my room and then I will start on the family room down stairs and the computer room.

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

I took some close up shots of some of the things Ted has made. He has this habit of making something only once, then he will give it away. I ask him to make it again so we can have one and he says "what is the challenge in that?" So I usually don't end up with most of the stuff he makes. But here they are, they are awesome:

This is like the big shovel they have at the mine. It loads all the coal into the trucks. I don't know what they call the other machine Ted made but it works at the mine too.

It is kind of hard to tell but these are some more machines that work out at the mine. There is a loader, grater and a dozer.

Ted isn't too excited about this one. It is the first one he ever made, before I met him. He has made one since, it was cool. But he gave it away.
So that is it for now. We will continue the tour tomorrow. (if the bathroom is clean that is!)

Room by Room: Part Two

Carson and Nick's room is next on this virtual tour. I didn't do much in this room. I didn't paint it like the other rooms when we moved in because I liked the colors. I took down the angel border that was in the room and put up the flame and cars border, I put up the valance and hung a few pictures of the kids. Carson and Nick can not agree on how they want their room to look, so I just left it.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Room by Room

I figured that I would show you guys my house room by room. Mom, Dad and Grandma Richens are the only ones who have seen the house, so I thought this might be fun. I joked around with Bryan that I would do this because it might be the only way he will ever see the house. HINT HINT!
First up... Micalyn's room. It is never clean. I go in her room and clean it. She comes in and says oh thank you mommy. And then she dumps everything back into the middle of her floor. It is like she can keep track of it better if it is all there on the floor. I don't know why she does it but it gets old fast. I figured I should start with her room because I cleaned it yesterday and knew that it wouldn't be clean long. I was right. Today it is a mess! So I am glad I took these pictures yesterday! Check out the slide show!

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

The Zoo

We went to the zoo on Monday. I wasn't feeling my best, but it was probably the best trip to the zoo we have had yet. We go to the zoo every year, but it is always in the middle of summer. It is crowded and usually so hot that the animals don't move. I can't blame them, when we go I find shade and don't want to move either.
The kids were really excited to visit the "crocagator" (Carson is the only one that can tell the difference and can say it properly. Thank you Discovery and Animal Planet channels) When we got to the exhibit they were a little disappointed. I think they were expecting it to be like it is on TV with some animal guy teasing the reptile until it chases you down. It was very steamy in the exhibit and I had to keep wiping the lens to get a clear shot. The water was somewhat greenish so it was a little hard for the kids to tell that it was white and that is why "Ghost of the Bayou" was the title of the exhibit.
Next up... Elephants. It was really cool to see this huge animal move around. At first it was carrying this stick around and just swishing it around. Then it just dropped the stick and went for the hay. I took a picture of the kids in front of the elephants but I don't know what happened. The picture didn't turn out. So most of my pictures are of the animals and hardly any of the kids. I will just have to convince them in the years to come that they were actually at the zoo as well. When it came time to go into the reptile exhibit I stayed out side with Mica and Nick while Ted and Carson went in. I was not feeling well and didn't need to smell the snakes. They stink so bad. Nick went in and turned right around. He came out gagging. Wonderful Memories!
Mica started saying that she was scared. So she hid her face, what the picture doesn't show is that she was giggling the whole time. She loved it. She was so excited to see the monkeys. She kept jabbering about the monkeys and then would just laugh like she had told one of the funniest jokes ever. Nick and Carson were on cloud nine when they saw a construction zone in the middle of the zoo. It took some bribes to get them to stop watching the machines and focus on the animals.
Ted and I found some alone time. I kissed his cheek and let him know that even if he is somewhat of a barbarian that I still love him.






I got some cute pictures of some baby bears wrestleing. I will make a slide show and post it. We had lots of fun at the zoo but the best part of the day for me was coming home and crawling into bed.

Easter Weekend

We had fun! The rocks were too muddy to get to so we had that big family get together at the school. The kids played and had tons of fun. Ted and Nick were sick before we went to Utah, but were fine by the time we got there. Mica woke up sick on Sunday, she was fine by Monday morning, I was not. Sorry to all those who caught our bug! On Sunday after church we went to Salt Lake and stayed at the Marriot. Monday morning we went to the zoo, I wanted to make Mica walk so I could get a ride in the stroller. That didn't work. Sickness aside, we had fun. Hectic - fun!

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Another Holiday is upon us...

Holidays are usually something to look forward to. Spending some overdue quality time with family, remembering fun events from the years before. NOT FOR US, well not this year. Starting with Halloween of 2007 my children have been sick for every Holiday. Halloween, Check. Thanksgiving, Check. Christmas, Triple Check. (we were really sick at Christmas.) Valentines Day, ahh a sigh of relief. If anyone was sick it was just a cold. Easter... Nick woke me up at 3 this morning. He was so sick. I stayed up with him doing what ever I could to make him more comfortable. When he would drift off to sleep I would run to the washer and start a load of "soiled" sheets. Then I would hear the scream. Yes, scream. He screams before he vomits. Nice warning, but not fast enough. That kid will not run to the bathroom to save his life. So back in the tub he goes, more sheets go to the laundry room and then we start all over again. Happy Spring everyone! Welcome the sunny days, warmer weather and new birth. I will be at home, watching the snow fall, washing endless loads of sheets and praying for Spring and good health to blossom in our home. P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHEONIX!

I have been busy?

I just realized it has been awhile since I updated my blog. I guess I have been busy. I don't know it that is true, but it is the excuse I am using. I'll try harder to keep this thing up do date. My kids have really enjoyed "Popcorn Sunday" I tried changing it with Family Home Evening, so that on Monday we could watch the movies and on Sunday we would have Family Home Evening. NO GO! The kids like FHE on Mondays, they expect it. And the tradition of popcorn and disney on Sunday's that we had with Mom and Dad, is fun. I hope the kids always look forward to it as they grow. The trip to Ogden - - A BUST! Thank you to Mom, Melanie and Jennifer for listening to me vent. Also, I am sorry for all the missed phone calls, I changed the ringer on my phone and kept wondering why a rooster was crowing. It did not hit me that maybe if I answered the phone it would stop. So for now, that is all. Maybe I will have more to write the next time.
Thank you to you too Beth for listening to me rant about it again on Sunday. That is why we are friends. One of us always has a crapier day then the other. Good times!

Snow around the yard

This is Ted's work car, we don't drive it in the winter because it doesn't handle well in snow. (that is what we get for buying a dodge!) The snow has melted a little, but at one point all you could see was the radio antenna. We had more snow this year then we have in about 8 years. The first winter I moved here in 1999 we had quite abit of snow as well. The kids have loved all this snow. They were able to go snowmobiling in the back yard. I was scared for our fence but the kids controlled to snowmobiles well. This is on the East side of our house. The snow drifted here leaving about 6 feet of snow. Nick and Carson sled down this snow mound. There is a window that got covered by the snow and for a while I couldn't figure out why it was so dark in this room downstairs. It is at the bottom of the stairs and there is no light fixture there, this "room" is what sepperates the family room, bathroom and laudry room downstairs, yet connects them to the stairs. It was so dark, the kids didn't like to go down the stairs by themselves. This is on the west side of the house. For a while there you couldn't see the fence. I must say I am greatful for the moisture, but next year I would pray that it fell nore in the mountains and less in my shoveling area. After the first two snow storms my back hurt so bad that I gave into Ted and let him buy a four-wheeler with a plow. (I haven't shoveled snow since.) Ted liked doing it so much that he would go out and shovel what needed to be shoveled and plowed the rest. It was great.

Not Much To Report...

Well, not much is going on around here it seems like. We get a taste of warm weather, then to keep us on our toes, it snows. Ted is still keeping busy with work. He was able to enjoy some time with his friends a week or so ago and went snowmobiling with them. One of his friends and killed a mountain lion and brought some of the meat to the cabin for everyone else to try. Ted says it tastes like pork, but he still had a hard time eating it. The thought of what he was eating was a little much for him, I guess. Ted gave a presentation at Kemmerer High School for Career Day. He had four classes that lasted 30 minutes each. The lady in charge liked Ted's presentation on welding so much that she already booked him for next year. We are going to Montpilier this Saturday to pick up a Kitty Cat snowmobile for Carson. He had a sled, but the track broke and to replace the track on that old of a snowmobile is really expensive. Ted knows a guy who has a newer sled that his kids grew out of, and Ted has a collectors (aka junker) sled that the guy wants to trade for. So, off we go on another snowmobile chase. Carson is excited, he and Nick scare me to death, but they are really good riders. Next weekend we are going to try and make it down to Ogden or Salt Lake to do some shopping then the next weekend it is off to Myton for Easter! Carson is doing well is school, he is such a smart kid. I have a hard time helping him with his home work and he is only a first grader, I have had to call mom a couple of times for help. Nick is Nick. He is excited about Emma's upcoming birthday. He tells me that he loves her so much that for her birthday he is going to teach her how to walk and maybe buy her a stuffed animal. One day he will realize that marrying his cousin might not be the best idea, but for now it is really cute. Nick still fires me about once a week and tells me that he will find a new mom soon. I am getting used to it, so all is well. Micalyn is as cute as ever. I can not help but get lost in her. She is just awesome. She is a big helper and takes care of everyone in the house. Well, that is it for now.

Micalyn at Church

Micalyn has been so cute at church lately. As soon as we pull up to the building she says "I am going to miss you momma." When we get to the front door Carson is already there holding it open and she says "Thank you Carson, your my best friend." Once we are inside and going to hang up the coats she makes sure that the coats are hung just right. She then tells the boys bye and that she loves them as they head off to class. I take her to nursery and she loves me and says she'll miss me. When I pick her up from nursery she is always concerned about her "guys" "Where are my guys, momma?" "Do you see my guys?" Then when the boys come out of their classes, she hugs them, kisses their cheeks and makes them get their coats. She dosen't like the idea of leaving them in the hallway. (I think she just likes to lay them on the benches to make a bed during sacrament meeting.) During Sacrament meeting she likes to sing, she doesn't sing the same words or notes as everyone else, but she makes up for that with volume. When the song is over she claps and tells everyone "good job". The Deacons know where to bring the Bread and Water because Mica stands on the bench and yells "I like the Bread/Water, I am over here." During the prayers, she folds her arms and squeezes her eyes shut tight and follows along saying her own little prayer, she then says amen, over and over again until the person actually saying the prayer catches up with her and they say amen together. She is a little noisy but she loves church. I would rather have her that way then quite and not wanting to be there.