Random Blog Post

 I have not blogged in YEARS.  Also, I was never very good at it.  My daughter told me that sometimes when she is in her dorm AT COLLEGE - yes, college - she likes to go back and look at it from time to time. SO...Hi Micalyn.  I am proud of you.  

Dare to Stand Alone

We had an amazing lesson in young women's today.  So, amazing that I am actually blogging about it.  Wonders never cease!  We have a "guest" teacher come in one the first Sunday of every month (except the last 3 months, cause I wasn't on the ball) to teach the girls.  Today's guest teacher did so awesome.  The lesson was titled: How can I be in the world but not of the world?  (Link provided).  This dear Sister did such an amazing job of getting that point across.  We in this world, we were born here, it's where we live.  Can't do much about that.  But how do we keep from being OF THE WORLD?  She told us about chocolate chips, they are in a cookie, but they still remain separate. When you mix a cookie, all the ingredients become one. You can't pick out the flour, eggs, sugar or butter. Then you add the chips....they are in the cookie, but you can still pick them out from the rest of the ingredients. So we need to be like the chip. We need to stand apart from what the world says is important and remember what we KNOW is important. The hand out was awesome....COOKIES!! So just remember...Don't try to fit in, you were born to stand out. Be the CHIP!  We also watched a video about Thomas S Monson.  I LOVED IT.  Such a good story and an awesome message. 

It's the Simple Things

The last 2 weekends we have been able to go camping as a family.  I find myself getting caught up in the packing, list making, menu options and not really enjoying myself.  We get to our destination and I find myself caught up in keeping our camping area picked up, cooking, cleaning and I don't stop and cherish the moments.  Over the 4th of July we went camping and we ended up playing games around the dining room table.  I LOVED IT.  It made all the other stuff worth it.  (Maybe not in the moment, but looking back).  This last weekend we went to Bear Lake and spent a few nights there.  I have a hard time with clutter so I was picking up after everyone and not really relaxing.  The last night we were there Chrislyn cuddled up to me and said "I love camping, Mama."  It made me realize that I am missing things that my kids love.  I stopped what I was doing and was just there, present in the moment and found myself enjoying the quiet time with my family.  Hopefully, I can make it so my kids remember all the fun times and things that we get to do as a family and not that we went places and mom was cranky cause she was cleaning/planning/blah/blah/blah the whole time....

A bit of this, a little of that....

I go so long in between posts, I never know what to title them!  Ha.  Darn that facebook, it keeps me from updating my blog in a timely manner!!  By far the most important thing since my last post is:  Carson turned 12!  He was ordained a Deacon and received the Priesthood from his Dad.  I can not express how wonderful it is to see him in his white shirt passing the sacrament.  I about started to cry when he handed me the Bread Tray!!  I got so lucky with him.  He is doing an amazing job of raising his parents.  :) 
Over Memorial weekend, I was able to meet Mom, Dad, Julie, Jennifer, Jana, Melanie and Jalynn for a girls (and Dad) only weekend.  It was so nice just to hang out and visit with them.  I LOVED IT.  I really missed my kids and Ted though.  Maybe I need more weekends away to remind me how much I really do love my family...logical thinking right!?  We spent the weekend in Midway, Utah.  Amazing!
My Mom, Kortney and David spent some time in Garden City, Utah (Bear Lake) not to long ago.  I loved having them so close.  The night they got there (not including David), Ted, the Kids and I met Mom and Kortney for dinner.  Watching Chrislyn use the steps as a stage was so fun.  She sure is a cutie.  I went back later that week (without Ted or the kids) and watched a show at the Pickleville Playhouse.  It was so fun!  Ted is now expected to take me there on a date...SOON. :)  The girls I and I went another day and had shakes and went swimming.  CAN YOU TELL I LOVED HAVING THEM SO CLOSE!! 
Our family bought a camper a while back and I am so excited because tomorrow we are finally taking it camping.  We are going to spend a few days camping and boating at Lake Viva Naughton, just north of Kemmerer.  It will be nice to get out of town and just relax for a while.  I have got my kindle charged and packed with new books to keep me company. 
Next weekend we are taking the boat and camper back out, but this time to Bear Lake.  Chrislyn is turning 3 and she had a list of things she wanted: To sleep in the Camper, to go swimming, to have a pink cake and to have a fire...I heard "Mom, lets go to Bear Lake!"  She is so excited and has been talking about it for literally MONTHS.
Carson has a busy couple of weeks coming up, he will be headed out to Camp Lowell (I think) on the 15th for 6 days.  The week after that Football starts.  He will be going into the 7th grade this year. YES I FEEL OLD.  Carson has been spending most of his summer under the hoods of several cars at the Grandpa Ed Carlson household.  He is learning from the best!     
Nick has been working on anything he can get his hands on this summer, he comes home covered in grease and oil from the garage and is loving every minute of it.  Most kids want to play all summer....mine go to work in garages working on anything that has an engine (or should have an engine!)  Nick will be going into the 5th grade this fall.
Mica is 100% girl and spends NO TIME in the garage.  She has been reading and playing her summer away.  She is headed into the 2nd grade and will be baptized this coming September.  She loves playing with Chrislyn and is a very good sister.
Chrislyn...is Chrislyn.  She is stubborn, loving, funny and quite the chit-chatter.  She will be in Pre-School this fall (if she ever gets potty trained....)  I am sure she would do it if I was more consistent with it.
Ted and I are both just working away.  He is adjusting to being a boss, sometimes it leaves a sour taste in his mouth.  I am still working away at the counseling center, dreaming about winning the lottery (without actually ever playing it) and paying off all our bills with said lotto win so I never HAVE to work again.  We are both enjoying our callings (him more then me some days) he is in the Young Men's (Priest Advisor) I am in the Young Women's (President).  Girls Camp is coming up soon and I am starting to get excited.  (The stress is laying low for a bit but give me a couple of weeks and it will probably be over whelming!)
So there you go...a bit of this, a little of that and I think we are all caught up! 

Influenza B

Has officially hit our home.  I think Mica actually had it a few weeks ago but the the test came back negative. (Apparently there are a lot of false negatives, yay) she had a high fever, sore throat, cough.  But didn't always act sick. I actually thought she was faking, made an appointment and when we got there her temp was 104! Oops.....
So after 5 days she was back to normal and on with our lives we went.  Last Thursday night I had a sore throat.  Friday I was sure I had one heck of a chest cold.  By Sunday, I was in the emergency room, cause I knew I was dying of said chest cold 😷 {dramatic much?} they did the flu test and I tested positive.  I was pretty dehydrated so I had to stay a while and get pumped full of fluids. I have several bruises to prove the dehydration, because they had a hard time starting an iv.  Ouch! Once I was all hydrated up, back home I went.  The headaches, body aches, sore throat, coughing, lost voice, sinus, fever ridden days that followed were pretty much a blur. I didn't always know what day it was or what time of what day it was.  Ted's parents were amazingly helpful and I am so grateful to them.  They helped get kids to and from school, to and from dance lessons, checked Carson out of school when he got sick, took care of Chrislyn for me, went shopping for us and kept me stocked up on meds.  They were so wonderful! Nick and Carson got sick and they are taking a while to recover as well, they both have fever and coughing.. Ted got sick, but he was out at a snowmobile school for search and rescue, he thinks he sweat all of his sickness out in a couple of days. {I am jealous!} I am on day 8, I am finally back to work but boy am I miserable!! I am so ready to get back to normal, have my kids back to normal, soak my house in Lysol and Clorox and get on with our lives!!

Change

Times.....they are changing.  And for our family, very quickly.  Last week Ted applied for a new position out at the mine.  Monday, he had an interview. Later that day he had an offer.  Tuesday he accepted the offer and this coming Monday, he starts his new job.  What's changed with the job....everything, except he will still be out at the mine.  He will no longer be a union represented employee, he is now working for the company side of Westmoreland Coal.  That also means, he is now salary, instead of hourly.  His benefits changed. He will be a Maintenance Foreman, so no more welding.  He will still be on shift work, he is assigned to a crew.  He will move from working on B crew to A crew.  Hopefully, we will all adjust well to these changes.  We are excited to see what our future holds!

The Plan

Today, I feel that I need to express my gratitude for the great plan of Salvation.  Yesterday, was a tough and emotional day for our family.  We were informed that Ted's Aunt had passed away.  Aunt Viv will be missed.  She was close to us and our children.  I loved her dearly.  Thinking about her today, brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my face.  I have cried A LOT the last 24 hours.  I am sad.  BUT, I want to share what this has done for me personally.  Viv and I had several religious discussions.  I loved her honesty and she loved me...even though I was one of those Mormons!!  We did not see eye to eye where our beliefs were concerned.  She came to church with Ted and I a couple months back.  She was so funny.  She said that she loved it, loved being at church.  She also said that Her Mom was probably rolling over in her grave.  (I thought...yep, for joy!!)  but didn't share that with Viv.  Viv didn't make it to church with us again, but I know where she is.  I know who she is spending her time with today.  I know that I will see her again.  I know that her family, left here on earth has work to do.  I am excited for the day when I get to see her again.  I know, that when we have the work done for Viv, she will accept it whole heartedly.....and when I do see her again, I will try not to rub it in that I WAS RIGHT!!!

Trying to be Crafty

I have been looking at blank walls in my office for the better part of a year.  I don't want to spend money on my office, but I want it to look nice as well.  So I am trying to be crafty.  Our office was getting a face lift and somethings were going in a junk pile.  I searched through them and found some things I thought would be cute.  My co-workers looked at me like I was crazy!  BUT.....I think things turned out amazing!

The shutters came from work, as did the frame.  All I had to provide with the pictures, the small frames, some paint, ribbon and the flower arrangement.  The picture that was in the huge frame was something dreadful.  When I came into my office with it, I could see the looks on people's faces.  They were trying to be kind, but you could tell they were thinking "I would NEVER hang that in my office."  The looks got even better when I ripped the painting out and threw it away!  All I wanted was the frame.  I got the same looks when I asked the painters not to throw the shutters away, when they were taking them down.  I brought some pictures from home, painted the frames red and hung them on the shutters with ribbon.  Here is a close up of the shutters:

I think they turned out awesome.  I love looking at my wall now!!

There were some branch looking things in our office as well.  No one wanted them and I got more strange looks when I salvaged them.  I added some frames and ribbon, hung them on my wall and....

My wall still has a big blank space, but maybe after some bargain hunting I will find something cute to fill up the space.  I am loving the way they all turned out!  AND.....It was super cheap.  :)

Watch Them Grow....

Where does the time go?  It seems like I blink and weeks have passed.  I can barely keep up with everything, so I thougt I would do an update on the family.

CaRsOn - -

Carson just finished the 5th grade.  He LOVES: Legos, Star Wars, riding bikes, drawing, shooting guns, football, reading and hanging out with his dad.  He is a GREAT big brother.  Yes, he is bossy.  Yes, he loses his temper.  Yes, he can drive me nuts.  But he is soooo helpful.  He takes his role as big brother very seriously and I love him for it.  He gets sippy cups, snacks, reads books, fixes broken feelings and toys.  He is AWESOME!  Carson just turned 11 on June 4th and I can't believe what a remarkable young man he is.  He has a great testimony and keeps us on the straight and narrow.  I LOVE HIM!

NiCk - -

Nick just finished the 3rd grade.  He likes to watch tv, ride his bike, eat, draw, play out side and be his dad's right hand.  If you can tinker with it, Nick is there.  He loves to "fix up" old broken stuff.  Nick is funny, oh that kid makes me laugh!  He turns 10 in November. He still struggles with things that I take for granted.  I don't know what it is like to have eye's that play tricks on my brain.  He struggles, but doesn't give up.  He is a very hard worker and I love that about him.  When he is trying to do his homework and you can see him struggling to read those words that won't hold still, it breaks my heart.  But the look that comes across his face and wheels that start turning in his head when he figures something out, it is a HUGE proud moment for me.  I try to make sure he knows how smart he is, it takes a pretty smart boy to work around a disability like that!  I love Nick's sweet and tender moments, they are few and far between.  But I love them.  He is starting to realize you can be rough and tough and hug your mom :)  So that makes me  happy.  I LOVE HIM!

MiCa - -

Mica just finished Kindergarten.  She loves school.  She is so cute about it.  She also loves to color and draw, dress up, play outside, dance and be with her friends.  She loves to play and laugh.  She loves being a big sister and she is very good with Chrislyn.  That makes me happy.  She is also prone to whining....I still love her!!  I love that she isn't afraid to break into dance or song in the middle of a crowded area.  I love that anytime it is just the two of us in a room she says "we're having a girl day, huh mom?"  OH, I LOVE HER!

ChRiSlYn - -

Chrislyn will be two in July.  She loves to carry her belongings with her around the house.  She is a fan on blankets and babies.  She loves animals and will scream (with joy) when ever she sees one.  I love her smile.  I love that she knows that I love her smile and will freely smile at me when I ask to see it.  I love her little voice, even when that voice annoys me.... :)  She is demanding and silly, strong and snuggley, easy going and confusing.  I have my work cut out for me with her.  She loves her brothers and sister and she is definately a daddy's girl.  Oh my, I LOVE HER.

Spring Break 2012

This spring break found our family off on an adventure.  We decided to DRIVE to Texas!  We loved it...now with that being said, we would do it again in a heart beat, but we would FLY!  We knew that we would be spending 4 days driving there and back and we wanted to have enough time to fit everything in.  We left Kemmerer on Friday March 30th at about 4 pm.  We drove to Denver and called it a night.  The next day we knew would be about an 18 hour day.  It should take us 16 hours, but we counted stops and thought we would give ourselves about 2 extra hours onto our travel time.  Well, I thought that the GPS and I were on the same page, I looked at a route online and thought it looked like a good way to go.  We would go from Denver to Colorado Springs, down into Oklahoma and then straight down to San Antonio.   tom tom had a different route planned.  I was driving along thinking any minute now, tom tom will tell me to turn south...NOPE.  Into Kansas we went.  I didn't want to turn back and lose time so Ted and I decided to keep going.  We had planned to come home this way just to see more of the country, but I hadn't planned on going there this way.  It didn't look faster on the map!  So we went halfway across Kansas, turned south and went on through Oklahoma.  When we got to Oklahoma City, I thought of my brother Bryan.  I tried to picture a skinny missionary walking those streets.  It made me smile.  We drove on into Texas, hit Fort Worth, Waco, Austin and finally at the wee hours of the morning we hit San Antonio.  I had called our hotel and let them know we wouldn't be there until 2 or 3 in the morning.  (GPS', way made it a 20 hour trip from Denver to San Antonio!)  I got out and went to the hotel to check us in and the desk clerk unlocked the door and got us checked in.  He also got me scared to death.  He told me to unload everything and leave nothing of value in the car.  He looked around, said "San Antonio is 'busy', unload and I will lock the door behind you"  ummm....not the warmest welcome!!  Ted and the kids got everything in the hotel, I went and parked the car and then RAN as fast as I could back to the hotel.  (Chicken, yes I know).  After 4 hours of sleep, my eyes popped open!  I couldn't go back to sleep so I got everyone else up and we started our day at the Zoo.  It turned out to be a bust, none of the animals were really in their exhibits...except the fish.  So we saw lots of fish.  And the cutest little baby turtle!  I would show you pictures, but for reasons unknown, my memory card won't let me upload the pictures I took....BUMMER.  After the zoo we headed to the Alamo.  IT WAS AWESOME!  I didn't think I would really like it, I was going mostly for Ted.  But it was so cool!  The only thing I didn't like, was how loud the Alamo is inside.  I was expecting more reverence, I guess.  But I highly recommend going to see the Alamo.  It was worth the drive.  We then went across the street and took in the River Walk.  GORGEOUS!  It was so fun, we went on the river walk cruise, walked the streets and took in some food.  We went back to the hotel, exhausted.  Well, Ted and I did...the kids wanted to go swimming.  I took the older kids and left Ted with Chrislyn :)  Monday morning we decided this would be the day we went to Sea World.  We wanted to miss the weekend crowds.  We drove to Sea World and the GATES WERE CLOSED!  I started to cry, I was so upset.  They were open on Sunday, but were closed on Monday and wouldn't open again until Thursday.  (I didn't see this on their website, by the way!)  So we decided to go back to the River Walk and Alamo and just see what else we could do there.  We filled the whole day, lots of stuff to do!  Tuesday we headed for Bonham Texas, it is about 6 hours north of San Antonio.  We started out and thought we should be there by 2...NOPE.  Mother Nature had other ideas!  We didn't know it, but we were driving into some storms.  I was about 45 minutes outside Dallas, when the radio was interrupted with a Weather Advisory.  It started listing counties, I didn't know what county I was in so we just kept going.  I did think, well, if we are hearing this, we must be near those counties.  I saw several people pulled over at the Safety Rest Area (they have tornado shelters).  After I passed that, I thought, well maybe I should take a hint.  I had talked to my friend and she said I should worry when they put out a warning, but not necessarily an advisory. So I wasn't too worried, then she called me back.  She asked where I was and then told me I need to pull over and find shelter.  It was about noon and we would be to here house by 2 if we kept driving.  We got to a town called Waxahachie and pulled into a parking lot.  The RAIN came from no where!  It had a river running down the street in a matter of minutes.  We couldn't see anything and I was getting nervous.  We said a prayer for guidance and safety and decided that when the rain let up we would continue on our path.  I while later, the rain lessened and we started to drive.  As soon as I hit the free way, it was again pouring so hard, I couldn't see.  So, we pulled into the next exit.  We sat there for quite a while.  Ted had fallen asleep so I said another prayer asking what I should do.  We were near a hotel and I thought about going in and staying there, but got the feeling once again, that we need to move.  So when the rain had let up a bit and I could see, I started driving again.  I had studied a map while we were pulled over and I was listening to all the radio alerts.  I now knew where I was and what counties I would be driving through.  Once we left Waxahachie, in ELLIS county (see how much I learned) I heard on the radio that a tornado had touched down in Waxahachie.  The rain was pouring, but I could still see to drive. The Hail started soon after.  I was worried about the golf ball sized hail I was hearing about on the radio, I didn't see any of that, thank heaven.  They were also talking about a black wall of clouds.  I didn't see that either.  BUT I saw a VERY GREEN sky...weird right!?  We kept going and made it into downtown Dallas.  It was slow with all the traffic stopped on the roads, the wind, the rain and the hail.  Very slowly we made it out of Dallas and headed north to Bonham. I was very nervous at this point, but very grateful that we had been safe.  Listening to the Radio, it seems the storm and I both had the same travel plans!  At about 6 pm, we made it to Beth and Jason's house, without incident!!    I was so good to see Beth and her kids, and meet her husband.  I had missed them. We were able to spend the rest of the week with them.  We went to Chuck E Cheese, swam in their pool, went to the movies and out to eat and just had a fun time visiting with them.  Friday came and it was time to get back on the road.  We headed west, across the top of Texas.  We stopped in Amarillo (I had George Strait's song Amarillo By Morning in my head ALL day!)  for something to eat.  Ted wanted to go the the Big Texan and check out their 72 ounce streak...but he was out voted.  So we didn't get to watch that rodeo :)  We kept on heading west to New Mexico and then north to Colorado.  We stopped in Pueblo for the night.  It was so nice to get some rest!  Saturday morning we continued on and got home early in the afternoon.  It was a lot of driving, it was a lot of heat and humidity, and it was a lot of fun!  We are defiantly going back!  ~if I can figure out what is going on with my memory card, I will post pictures.

For My Sister

I have been thinking about my sister a lot the last little while...so naturally, I am going to blog about it :)  I started this post on Sunday and I wrote things and then deleted them and wanted to think some more about it.  Then I read her blog and decided, I should really get my thoughts out there in blogger land and hopefully she will get them!  So here we go:

Dear Sister,
I just want you to know that I love you.  I know you worry about our family growing apart since we are all living farther away from each other.  There is a saying that I love and I wanted to share it with you.  It says: 

Family like branches on a tree; we all grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one.

 I know it is hard to be away from your family, but no matter where we go or what we do, it all comes back to family.  We are forever.  We will always be there for each other and no amount of distance can take that away.

And since I am the older sister, I am going to get kind of bossy, opinionated, pushy whatever you want to call it!  Ready?  Here I go, don't let other peoples opinions (including mine) determine your course in life.  I read about Christmas and you being worried that someone would leave a rude comment about what you did or didn't get for your family.  If I may be so blunt, screw them.  Who cares what anyone else thinks.  Now I know this is easier said then done, cause from time to time I struggle with it too.  DON'T LET THEM WIN.  Ready for another quote?  Christopher Robin said this on Winnie the Pooh :)  

Promise me you will always remember:  You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think and twice as beautiful as you'd ever imagined.      

Cling to those that truly matter.  You are loved, you are a Daughter of our Heavenly Father.  You have your earthly family that cares and prays for you and a spiritual family that is rooting you on! 

 

Love,

Your Sister            

Change

Times, they are a changin'!  Last week I was released from my calling in the Young Women.  It is the only calling I had that I cried when I was called and I cried when I was released.  When I was called, I thought "The president must not have prayed about this too well, I am NOT the right person for this job"  But oh, how I loved it! I loved (almost) everything about it.  I am going to miss those beautiful little ladies. It will be an interesting transition.  I was wondering what I would do with myself on Wednesday's and Sunday's.  I still don't know yet!  Last Wednesday, I still went to YW and Sunday I subbed in the primary (oh I hope that subbing doesn't become permanent). 
Ted was released from the primary and was called to the YM, he will be teaching the lessons to the Priests.  He is thrilled with this calling, I have never seen him so excited!  When he got to church on Sunday he found out he gets to do more than just teach, which made him even happier.  They are going to have him involved with some of the activities too.  Guess what they have planned....snowmobiling, boating, working on vehicles.  No wonder he is so excited!!

Christmas Break

It is a bitter sweet day for me (can you tell I am feeling dramatic)!  I got off work at Noon on December 22nd for Chrismas Break.  The kids got out of school a at 1:00 on the 23rd.  We have relaxed, lounged, traveled, gorged ourselves and had absolutley NO SCHEDULE!  Well it came to an end today.  I had to return to work and the kids had to go back to school.  I have mixed feelings about it.  I am so glad that we are back to a normal schedule and have some structure again.  But with that schedule and structure comes the end of our "stay in our pj's until noon (or all day...)" way of life.  (poor me!)  So on the 22nd, I ended up running to Logan as soon as I got off work.  I needed to pick up our Prime Rib for Christmas Eve dinner from Lowers Food in Richmond.  I also needed to do some Christmas shopping, because of course I wasn't ready!  Ted was working, so Paige and Dax went with me and Chris.  We had a great visit on our drive.  Friday, the 23rd, I volunteerd at Mica's school helping them learn everything they possibly could about Gingerbread!  When I got home I had to hurry wrap everything I could while the kids were still in school.  After getting the kids, we cleaned up the house a bit and let them relax while I started making stuff for our Christmas Eve dinner!  Christmas Eve found me doing more shopping (in K-town), more cleaning, more cooking and less relaxing!  We had Ted's Mom and Dad, Our Aunt Viv, Ted's brother Dugan, The Phillips' Family including Grandma and Grandpa Phillips' over for Christmas Eve Dinner.  We feasted on Prime Rib, Crab Legs (I didn't eat those....), Rolls, Stuffing, Potatoes, Salad, Pasta, Cake Balls, Gingerbread Cake, Pies and Sparkling Cider!  We opened some presents and just had a good visit.  I had woke the kids up pretty early that morning hoping they would go to bed at a decent hour, so Santa could come.  BUT NO!  They were still running around like mad at 11:30!  I went to bed leaving them up hoping that Santa would make it.  That sly guy, he was able to slip in and out when the kids finally sat still long enough to fall asleep.  Christmas morning brought with it gifts from loved ones and Santa.  We enjoyed our morning and then went off to church.  We were able to go to Christmas Dinner at the Phillips' that evening and had a wonderful time.  The rest of the week I kind of lost track of time, I read 7 books all of which I had read before, but still it was nice just to be able to read.  I went back to Logan (twice), we went sledding down a hill of ICE, I SLEPT IN, We watched some movies, I cooked and baked and loved it.  We went back to the Phillips' for New Year's Eve and enjoyed their company!  The next morning found us at Chuch at 9 am!  We were able to listen to a Missionary just returned home give his report.  It was wonderful.  When we got home I finaly took down our Christmas decor and made a Cheese Stuffed Pork Roast and we had Ted's parents over for dinner.  Monday (yesterday) we got down to business.  We cleaned our rooms, did mountains of laundry, spent some time with Ted's family and got ready for today.  Now we are back to our regular routines and I am hoping that I remember to fit some down time and relaxation into my routine. 

So there it is, a pretty long post, thanks for hanging in there!  I hope you all have a very wonderful New Year!

Why I refuse to celebrate "x" mas

This post is kind of a rant....so if you don't like rants...STOP READING!  With Christmas come and gone this year I am a little behind on this post.  I have been thinking about ALL season.  I am constantly hearing "Merry x-mas" or seeing people write Merry x-mas".... I DON'T CELEBRATE X-Mas!!!  Sorry, I just don't!  I believe in Christ, when it is time to celebrate the birth of our Savior, I celebrate CHRISTmas.  I love Christmas.  I love the feeling in the air, I love the service that is freely given, I love seeing the nativities, I like certain Christmas music.  I don't like Christmas shopping, some Christmas music and I am so not a fan of FORGETTING what the holiday is really about.  So if you are a "Merry X-mas" wisher.... I would rather you didn't wish me a Merry anything!  Tell me Merry Christmas or nothing at all.     Ahhh, that feels better.  Sorry for the rant.  I hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas!!!

November

What can I say about November, except I am SOOOO glad it is over!!!  We had some high points in November that I really enjoyed.  But for what seemed like all of November I was sick and just wanted it to end.  The first week of November, I found myself in the ER with kidney stones.  IT WAS HORRIBLE!  My back always hurts so I didn't think much about how bad it was hurting.  But one morning I woke up and thought my insides were exploding and that I was about to die!  I called my wonderful brother who diagnosed me over the phone and told me to go the hospital.  Once I realized I wasn't dying, I started to wish I was.  At least then the pain would stop!  The pain that came with it was so bad that I was always sick to my stomach.  Then there were the pain pills they gave me, they made me even more sick...but I didn't have the pain.  So I felt like a Zombie for the first part on November. 

Nick turned 9 in November!  For his Birthday get away he wanted to go bowling and have the chocolate fountain from Golden Corral.  So we ended up going to Rock Springs the Saturday after his birthday.  He got the chocolate fountain, and was disappointed.  We ended up going to a movie instead of bowling.  I didn't get any pictures of this, I was still in my zombie phase.  But I did get a couple shots of him the night of his Birthday.  I didn't have a party cause Ted was at work.  Nick did get to choose what his Birthday breakfast and dinner were. Want to take a guess at what was for Dinner......

He drew a map on his shirt so that I could find where to get his dinner!  That kid seriously cracks me up sometimes! 

After Nicks birthday I felt ok for a few days and then right before my birthday....Yep  I had another kidney stone attack.  When I went to the ER the first time they said I had already passed some and I had several more to pass.  YAY for me!!  I took more medicine that made me sick, but took away the pain.  Ted had been planning a "surprise" birthday party for me.  I kind of knew what was going on, maybe not all of the details, but I knew there was a party in the works.  I hinted to Ted that if we had anything planned for that weekend, he was scheduled to work and we should change the plans.  He ended up cancelling the party but didn't TELL everyone.  So while he was at work and I was laying around getting over my most recent Kidney Stone issue.  I was very surprised when my Mom and sister Jennifer came to my house!!  They were almost to Kemmerer when they finally were able to talk to Ted and found out that there was no party.  I am glad they came.  We talked until late into the night and had a great visit.  They had to get up and leave early the next morning, so it was a very short visit, but I loved every minute of it!!  The next week was Thanksgiving.  We went to Utah to spend it with my family.  I was feeling a little off, but but loved spending time with my family.  On Saturday morning, I wasn't feeling well at all.  I was hot, then cold, then hot..... you think I would know what that meant, but I didn't.  I was confused at why I was so hot, then cold.  We went to Park City and did some shopping then on into SLC.  We had some more shopping to do, then went to visit my brother Daniel and his family.  We planned on going to Temple Square to see the lights and get a picture taken for our Christmas card.  That day it hadn't been too cold, so we were hoping for a warm evening at Temple Square.  NOPE, it was so cold.  FREEZING COLD.  And there were about a million people there.  So not our best Temple Square trip, but we did hurry and snap some pictures of the family. 

Do we not look thrilled!!

We went back to my brothers and spent the night.  I was still either really hot or so cold that I couldn't stop shivering.  We got up the next morning and drove home.  I slept the entire way, once we were home I went to bed.  It was then that I realized....oh I have a fever!  No wonder I am hot or cold.  I ended up back in the ER on Monday.  I think Ted was sick of listening to me complain.  I had a double ear infection.  And one heck of a chest cold.  YIPEE! Once the Antibiotics kicked in and my fever broke....it was Wednesday, the last day of November and I remember thinking... OH I AM SO GLAD NOVEMBER IS OVER!  

BOO!

Here are some of the troops filing out of the house.  Chrislyn and Daxton didn't stop to pose!

Carson was a old time gangster, Micalyn was a witch (with a dislocated elbow!) and Nick was the Devil....

Here is a shot I got of my little Lamb, Chrislyn.  SOOOO CUTE!

The kids were really excited about their pumpkins.   I didn't buy any candles to put in them, but the glow sticks I bought the kids to put on their costumes while trick or treating some how ended up in the pumpkins!!

Mica's Birthday Trip!

 For Mica's birthday we asked her what she wanted to do and she said "Go to Yellowstone!!"  So the weekend before her birthday we kept them out of school on a Friday and left bright and early for Yellowstone.  Mica was soooo excited!!  She had been waiting for this a lifetime, or so she said.  She had been to Yellowstone before, but she was about 6 months old and didn't remember any of it. 

 Our first stop INSIDE the park was at this waterfall.  I should have done my homework better but I think this is called Lewis Falls...

 The Birthday girl, giving a cute pose for the camera!

 Carson had gone on a fieldtrip to Yellowstone last year in the 4th grade.  He loved it and very excited to share what he had learned with his family.  It was fun having our very own "tour guide" for the trip.

 Waiting.....

 Waiting.....

 "There she blows!!"

 The kids made sure that I took pictures of everything they wanted to see.  I ended up with hundreds of pictures of the beautiful Yellowstone landscape.  I ended up buying them their own disposable cameras so that they could take their own pictures.  If I ever get them developed I will post those too.  Though the cameras didn't last long with the kiddos behind the shot!  They were all out of pictures within a couple of hours :)

 Chrislyn LOVED it!  She was such a good traveler and was really good about all the stops.  I would say she traveled better then the rest of us on this trip. 

The Girls....

 Dad's girl

 The boys....

 A woman offered to take our family picture and true to form....Chrislyn stole Carson's glasses in the middle of the picture! 

 This picture was so funny!  Nick wanted to give the peace sign, Carson did NOT.  So Nick would put up his hand and Carson would push it down.  Finally Nick just said "Just let there be peace!  for ONE picture"  There was a carload of people that overheard and burst out laughing.  Carson let him flash the peace sign.

Not the best picture, but this elk was less then 5 feet from our vehicle.  I had a really bad migraine at this point.  So Ted was driving.  He stopped in the middle of the road, handed me the camera and said "hurry get a picture of him"  I couldn't even open my eyes so I grabbed the camera and shot!  I was lucky to get this much of him.  I wish I had it on video, because right after this, he bugled!

We ended up staying in West Yellowstone.  We got a little "cabin" just outside the park.  Ted couldn't understand why I wanted to see a bear out in the wild at Yellowstone (which didn't happen) but was VERY upset to find out that a bear was in our campgroud!!!  It was a restless night for me I was up listening for any sound.  I didn't hear anything, thankfully and the second night I was able to sleep much better!  On Sunday we went to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone.  It was so much fun!  I didn't mind seeing those bears and wolves at all :)

We had lots of fun, and I am enjoying the new tradition that we have started.  It began with Carson, we are now taking our kids away for a weekend near their Birthday.  Carson Chose to go to Utah, Chrislyn didn't have a choice, I chose to stay home :(, and Mica chose to go to Yellowstone.  I am loving the time with family and hope that this becomes a great memory for them as well.

Our Yearly Zoo Trip

I had thought that our yearly trip to the zoo would be in Denver this year. We went to the Denver zoo a few years ago and loved it. I wanted to take the kids back there again. But we just didn't have enough time. So one day, we found some time to sneek to SLC and back. Quick trip...2 hour there, 2 hours at the zoo and 2 hours back home! But we were able to go while they still had there Jurassic Park exhibit. The kids really liked it. Chrislyn, however, LOVED it! She was soo CuTe!!!! Every animal she saw was an adventure. She saw Zuri, the baby elephant, the look on her face was priceless. I told her "thats a baby" she got this look on her face, wide eyes, rounded lips and said "ohhhhhh! Baby! Big Baby" ha ha ha! So Awesome!!

hmmmm.....not sure how that worked out, but I have all pictures of Dinosaurs and NONE of the animals that actually live at the Zoo!  Oh well, the kids still loved it.  And maybe next year will have time to do Denver....and Hogle zoo!