Woody. . . party of 4

Uh-hem, pay no attention to my tardiness

2011-12-13T12:59:00.001-08:00

I wanted to get one of the pics I took of A up since I'm here because I know how long it has been taking me to get these things posted! I still have all the rest of the pics to edit but this one was done, so here it is.

I have decided that I have what "doctors" call MPS by way of Procrastination...Mass Posting Syndrome. As I am looking back I am noticing this undesirable trend of waiting forever and then committing what can only be accurately described as diarrhea posting. It's never-ending and contains a good mix of several different holidays/seasons' types of activities. Here are Rylan's birthday party, making and decorating Halloween cookies, carving pumpkins, Halloween costumes, etc. The first one is just a picture I took of bedtime story time a few nights ago that was too cute to pass up. Especially Cal itching her nose, she'll have to hate me for it later.

I have been editing pictures like a mad woman the last few months due to some crazy scheduling in October and September including 3 groups of anywhere from 20 to 50 people!! I am frantically trying to get these pics done in time for some last minute Christmas shopping, considering I only have maybe 7 gifts actually purchased. My laptop was getting more and more congested with Photoshop and pictures to the point that it slowly and irritatingly gave up on me. Guess Cal gets what she wants, a computer she can play games on...(in walks my new 1 terabyte hard drive computer with a 21.5in. monitor!!!) woooo-hoooo! Now I'm plugging away like nobodies business! As for the rest of the family, besides having to be patient with a semi-absent Mom (absent minded anyway, right??), they are all doing pretty darn good.

Calyn is enjoying 1st grade more and more. She is a smart little girl and loves to reads books to her little brother and sister. She's actually reading to them right now :).

Rylan loves preschool as well. He informs me that he has 5 girlfriends...um, I guess that's better than 1, best to keep your options open, right??

Afton loves to blow raspberries, she is sitting up and soo close to crawling. She gets up on all fours but just can't quite get the whole "move your hands" thing figured out. She loves big sister and brother and is constantly laughing at them. She's such a sweetheart and we absolutely love having her in our family.

Devin has been really enjoying his new job. He moved to BEA, which is seems like just another acronym for me to learn but is actually a great place for him to be. However, he just turned down a job offer in town which was a very hard decision for him. It was a training position and the hours were amazing but the salary ended up being the deal breaker. Well, along with a few other details that would have left too much to be desired.

We are so thankful, especially in this economy, to have the stress of choosing the right job rather than that of not being able to find one, as too many are experiencing right now. With Christmas quickly approaching I just want to tell all my friends and family that I am so thankful for you and your examples and I hope all of you find yourselves in a happy and place this holiday season. We love you all sooo much and are so thankful for our Savior, Jesus Christ and for his sacrifice.

Now, re-wind a couple months to Sept, Rylan's birthday. Brrrr, that would be sooo cold right now!!

Family times...what's your opinion?

2011-09-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I need your help! Last Sunday after church I decided to hurry and snap some family pics since the kids were all dressed up already and we don't have any family pics with our new little Afton. It was pretty humorous since I couldn't get my remote to work for my camera so I put the cam on the tripod and had to push the button then run over and situate myself in time then hurry over to do it all over again. I did this probably 12 times in all and the kids found it pretty funny... Anyway ...what I need from all of you is your opinion. I know they are fairly similar, but I can't decide between the 1st and 2nd pic which one we should use as our main fam pic to put up on our wall. Please help me out by voting your favorite, thanks friends and famliy!! Love you all!!

School Days......

2011-09-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

Well, as much as we fought it school has arrived. I am still not ready for summer to be over and walking into Shopko just to see CHRISTMAS TREES up already is just rubbing into my face even more that summer has officially left us for another year. However, despite my denial Cal & Ry are loving school! Cal is in the 1st grade and has been enjoying being at school all day. She really likes her teacher and loves being with her friends again. Rylan was so excited to go to preschool he almost didn't notice when I left. It is a little bit of a bitter sweet having them both in school, on one hand I love that they are doing so well and enjoying themselves, on the other, I am struggling with the fact that I have 2 kids old enough for school and am missing them at home!

Old Preggo pics and Wood Family pics

2011-07-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we had planned on doing our "Sister's preggo pics" but little Nicole had to go and mess it up by being hospitalized and delivering early...sheesh Nicole-so selfish! Haha, anyway so we decided that we would still do our pic and just have Nicole put little Seth where her belly used to be. We are lined up in order of due dates left to right (obviously since Nicole already has little Seth). Look at all these baby bumps! And for effect sake I put another pic of all the babies together after.

We decided it would be fun to put Afton in the middle in this one since she's the only girl.

They are laying in order of age from left to right: Seth Logan Compton, Logan David Spencer, Carter Michael Williams, Charles Clayton Pett, and Afton Simone Wood. Man she's gonna love growing up with all these boy cousins!! Or I'm gonna love it! Less drama!

Just catching up..

2011-07-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

In order to catch up on the craziness that our lives have been for the last few weeks with reunions, blessings, the 4th, tball, etc., I'm compiling them all into one post. So here is what we've been up to lately in a nutshell...

I took a few quick pics of Afton the other day because she just looked so stinkin cute and was holding her head up so well. I just love how babies look like those characatures with the big heads and tiny bodies and these pics completely emphasize how much babies look like them. Their proportions are just too cute!! It's no wonder that their heads bobble all the time, those tiny necks just struggle to maintain the massiveness of them!!

On Sunday, July 3 we blessed little Afton. We had a bunch of family support and are so thankful for all of them!! Afton was such a sweetie and Dev did a great job. What an amazing comfort it is to have your child given such a sweet blessing from her father!

On the 4th we started off the day with breakfast on the boulevard...pancakes with strawberry rhubarb syrup, eggs, ham, and orange juice. What a way to start a day! Since the breakfast is right there on the parade route we just go right out front to watch the parade. That afternoon we went to Dev's parents' to celebrate Sarah's bday party where the kiddos (and maybe a few of us older kiddos) went slip and sliding down in the pit out back on the slide we made with 2 slip and slides and several garbage bags. There is a video (from dev's phone so very low quality mind you) below of a bunch of the fam going down...After that we followed tradition and went to Freeman park to watch the fireworks. I love it there because it's not crowded and we can play football, Frisbee, catch, or whatever we want while we wait and we have the perfect view of the fireworks!!

Cal is in her 2nd year of tball and I just love to watch her play. She absolutely loves to get out there and is already so talented!! ;)

A few weekends ago we went to the annual Herrera Reunion that was in Iona Park this year. The kids had a blast playing all the games and being with cousins. We played volleyball, bingo, horseshoes, and the kids beat the crap out of a pinata. At one point during the kids games I looked over and actually saw Rylan running a race wearing a huge bra...not sure what exactly they were playing but proud to say that was my son...completely comfortable with his masculinity...or something.

Most Embarrasing Moments...

2011-06-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

It seems like every time I read posts on my friend Rachelle's blog I find myself laughing out loud and then chuckling periodically throughout the following days as I remember her stories, so, in honor of her, I am challenging you all to share some fun stories of times your kiddos completely embarrassed you or your spouse. I know you all have at least one. I will start it off with one of our most cherished humbling experiences.

We were signing closing papers on our house in this little (and I do mean little) office occupied by about 4 loan officers and Dev, me, and Calyn when she was about 2 1/2. Calyn is sitting on Dev's lap when suddenly Dev and I get a whif of a Cal toot (yes, we knew it was hers) and were immediately blushing in anticipation of everyone realizing the smell. Next thing we know Calyn in her sweet little innocent voice says "Daddy, you fah-ted!" I was immediately wishing I could bite my finger just to keep from bursting out in laughter, meanwhile, Dev turned like 5 shades of red and had no idea what to say...I mean, you can't say "NO I DIDN'T, YOU DID!" how bad does that look?? So he just chuckled in humiliation and I said "I don't think that was Daddy, Cal" in an accusative voice. Then luckily for him about 10 seconds later she said "I need to go potty" totally proving his innocence, but we giving us a story we still laugh over from time to time!!

Starring in her 1st of many photoshoots...Introducing : Afton Simone Wood

2011-06-07T15:33:00.000-07:00

Here she is!! You know the theory that it's always the Bishop's kids who get into the most trouble?? Well, that also goes with the photographers kids not cooperating in a photoshoot!! This little gremlin just didn't want to fold up all cute like I wanted her to so we didn't get the fun folded up pics I was hoping for, but I was still happy with the shots we got. Mom and I had to get creative...in most of the pics of her on her belly she was actually laying on my mom covered in a blanket!! Whatever works, right?? Thanks, Mom, for letting me force you to face your claustrophobia!!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

2011-05-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

Well, she's finally here, our little Afton Simone. Born May 9th, 6lbs 12oz, 19in long and finally a blondie!!

I have been trying to get these posted for the last week but we were having internet problems so now that we are up and running again here they are. We had a photoshoot with her a couple times over the last couple of weeks and I am excited to get those pics all edited and posted but for now here are some pics of the first few days of this little squirt's life!!

These were taken on Tuesday, the day after she was born in the hospital right before we left. They were taken with my phone so they are not very clear, but I just love them anyway.

Now for the story...

Sunday (Mother's Day) we had a crazy day planned. Demi was speaking in my parent's ward at 9:30, then two of my sister-in-laws decided to have a joint baby blessing since they were in the same ward but they split up their open houses. Melissa's was before the blessing, which was at 1pm, and then Tiffany's was right after the blessing. So we went from Demi's talk to Melissa's brunch, then to the blessings at 1, then to Tiffany's at 2 then to Mom & Dad's for a Mother's Day dinner.

Throughout the whole day I had been having contractions every hour or so. Not the painful ones, just the tightening of the abdomen type, so I assumed they were probably Braxton Hicks. When we got to Mom's for dinner they started getting a little more frequent and intense so I decided to pay closer attention to them and Dev and I came up with a rating system. I would tell him when I was having a contraction, he would keep track of the time intervals and I would tell him how intense the pain was on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being excruciating. By the time we left for home they were about 20 minutes apart and were at about a 5. Mom was pretty sure we would be going in that night but I was still pretty skeptical since the same thing had happened a few nights before. However, by the time we got the kiddos in bed and into bed ourselves they had progressed to 8 minutes apart and at a 6.

I had previously decided that since I was going to go natural I wanted to do as much laboring as I could at home and since when I was pregnant with Calyn I went in when my contractions were 5 minutes apart but still had to wait about 9 hours before delivering I decided I would wait until they were 3 or 4 minutes apart. However, I knew that these contractions, although only 7 min apart, were much more intense than any I had ever had. So by 2:30am I told Dev we had better go in. I was worried that I would go in only to find out that I was only dilated to a 3 or so.

Dev called his Mom who came over to the house to sleep since the kids were sleeping and we were off. I texted Mom and Demi to let them know we were heading in since they were both invited to be in the room with us during the delivery.

By 3am we were finally at the hospital but when we got there we forgot to drive to the ER doors since it was after hours so we had to walk from the front doors around to the ER doors, stopping once to fight through a contraction...OUCH!! When we finally got into our room and all set up the nurse checked me and told me I was already dilated to 7 and she was calling my Dr. immediately to come right in!!! The best news ever! By 4am the doc was there and I was dilated to a 9 now it was just a matter of waiting for my water to break. The contractions were so intense I was having to focus all of my attention on breathing through them so we decided that I was close enough to go ahead and have the doc break my water. 2 contractions later I was pushing!!! It was only about 3 contractions worth of pushing when she finally came out and amongst all of the pain and craziness I had forgotten that we didn't know the gender yet so when it finally registered that they were telling me I had a little baby girl I realized they had said it about 3 or 4 times before I even caught on!! She was a girl and she was here safely and despite the fears that I had acquired over the last hour, I was still alive!

What an amazing experience this was, and an incredible blessing parenthood is!! I am so thankful for my beautiful little angel and for my Calyn and Rylan as well. I also feel so lucky to have such an amazing partner to share this blessing of parenthood with.

My Belly Pics...

2011-04-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

My lovely sister, Demi, was kind enough to take some time out of her day to take some pics of the kids and me with my belly. What a lady!!! Thanks, Dem, ruv roo!! I was worried about being able to explain how to use my very complicated camera well enough to whip these out but she tackled it like a pro and we were able to do it in about an hour/ hour and a half, which is very good for a first timer!!! I am nearing the end of my pregnancy and know how crazy the last few weeks seem to get so we decided to do them now.

It has been a very surreal experience to be pregnant with 5 of my sister in laws, something that will never happen again I'm sure and now it is down to just measly old me!! Nicole had Seth Logan on January 13th (due in February); Tiffany had Logan David on April 5th (due end of March); Saundra had Carter Michael on April 9th (due May 3rd); Sarah had little Miyah Dion on April 15th (due May 6th); and Melissa just had Charles (Charlie) Clayton lastnight, April 19th (due April 23rd); I am due May 13th. If you paid any attention to any of those dates you will notice that so far out of 5 deliveries, only one, Melissa, has given birth in their actual due month!! What are the chances??

Until now I have been pretty content with a May baby, but since I was planning on having Saundra and Sarah still preggers with me at least through the first week of May and now THAT's not happening, I am getting a little more anxious to squirt this little gremlin out!! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm ready this second per say, however, the thought of another 4 weeks or so just isn't sounding quite as enticing! I guess as long as I have a healthy little bundle with all his/her fingers and toes I really can't complain, right?? So....bring on May!!

CALLING ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS...

2011-03-31T09:58:00.000-07:00

If you like to see how other photographers do their thing you'll LOVE these dvds that I just bought!! They shadow many highly reputable photographers as they go on photoshoots, edit in photoshop, etc. Go check it out! The best news . . . they are having a HUGE sale . . . regularly $200 now for only $50!!! Just enter the code PVFAN at checkout for your discount!! Click on this link: PHOTOVISION

Basketball!!!

2011-03-21T13:52:00.000-07:00

This winter Calyn was on a basketball team with some of her friends. It was fun to watch her improve every week and to see her come out of her shell a little bit. She started out a little timid but by the end of the year she was playing defense like a pro and shooting baskets left and right!! Our little superstar, Daddy's pride and joy ;).

Calyn Wendy turns 6!!

2011-03-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

Our Little Lucky Charm

It's hard to believe that it has already been 6 years since this little "Lucky Charm" made Devin and I parents for the first time!! I remember every detail of taking the pregnancy test and calling Devin at Sage Lakes Golf Course to tell him that he was going to be a daddy. I remember loving being pregnant and enjoying all the kicks and bumps when she was in my belly. I remember letting all the students in my kindergarten class feel my tummy when she had hiccups and how they all thought that was just the coolest thing and here she is a little Kindergarten girl herself!! I am so lucky to have this little gremlin in my life and so thankful for the blessing of motherhood.

Calyn you are such a uniquely special little girl and there is not one thing about you that I would change!! I love you so much!! Love Mommy.

Here are some St. Patty's Day pics I took of the kiddos a few days ago.

2011-03-04T12:49:00.000-08:00

Today was Dr. Seuss Day for Calyn at school and the students were all supposed to dress up as their favorite Dr. Seuss character from any of his books. So, of course Calyn chose Little Cindy Lou Who. She absolutely LOVES the Grinch and sings along with Cindy (yes, we are on a first name basis by now thanks to our dedicated Grinch viewing) every time she watches the movie. Here she is in all her glory...

Also, before school we all went to the Dr.'s office to get my 4d ultrasound! I have been soo excited for this day to come, I have seen the pictures that come from these machines and they are unbelievable!! Unfortunately, our little gremlin was not facing a very convenient direction and it's face was right up against my placenta so we weren't able to get very good pictures so we are scheduled for next Friday to try again!! As soon as we get some good picsI will post them!!

2011-03-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

While we are still "patiently" awaiting some good weather, we have been trying to be creative in our indoor activities in order to keep from going completely insane. The kids just love to do all their playing wherever Devin and I are despite the huge play room they have full of all their toys, kitchens, play sets, etc. So... the latest of their activity choices.....

Building Forts!!

I remember LOVING to build forts when I was a young tyke so it's fun to see them doing the same things. However, they don't want us to build them up in their playroom where they could have HUGE forts filled with tons of toys, partitioned rooms, and areas assigned to specific activities...no, no, they want it right in the middle of the family room where Devin and I are trying to unwind from the craziness of our days. So, here they are, in what I would describe as fairly mundane and simple, however fantastically entertaining to them...their latest fort.

Also, I've been trying to keep poor Rylan occupied while Sis is at school with creative activities...well, basically anything other than TV. That kid is a little TV junkie, he would watch for hours if I let him. So here are some pics of today's ventures in creativity.

Late Christmas pics

2011-02-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

A quick sum up: Dad, Demi, & I did our traditional "Christmas Eve Elf shopping" which was when I finished my shopping for Devin. Christmas was a blast, we stayed the night at Mom & Dad's so they could watch the kids open their Santa gifts. They opened their jammies Christmas Eve. I think the pillow pets were the hit of the year. Dev was loving his foot massager while testing out Rylan's new toy rifle. I made a collage for Sky and Sarah with their temple pics and it turned out better than I had planned. Demi & Jeff made us a nativity out of molding clay, they are adorable!!! The next Monday Devin played in the Skyline Alumni tourney and his team was the oldest in the tourny and they still pulled out the win!! 2010 Alumni Champions!

Valentines Weekend at the cabin...

2011-02-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's weekend my family decided to go to Island Park to stay at Aunt Cindy's cabin but as the weekend was beginning and Mom and Dad got there we were made aware of a little problem just waiting to take our weekend of fun away. Aunt Cindy's cabin had flooded!! Luckily Devin's Grandparents' cabin was available and they were nice enough to let us stay there. Uncle Paul and his family, Demi and Jeff, and Dev, the kids, and I were all there and had a blast snow machining, sledding, fixing snow machines, eating, playing games, clearing rooms (Aunt Sandle), fixing machines, eating, watching movies, oh, and did I mention fixing machines??? It's a good thing Wogs was there, I am pretty sure every machine up there is now better than it was before we got there after he had his way with them!! ;) Dev & I thought it would be fun to take everyone to the hill we always go to with his family to snow board and sled down and it was, as always, a blast. My favorite was Mom and Aunt Sandi. There was sheer terror in their screams and for good reason, they were HAULIN'!!!

Only dogs could hear them at this point.

The forgotten post...

2011-02-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

Last summer Uncle Troy came from California to visit and we decided to make a spectacle of him while he was here...for some reason I forgot to get the post up but REALLY don't want to forget this brilliant moment in time. We have had an ongoing prank with Troy, by we I mean all the IF family and this was our brilliant retaliation idea. We played a game of family volleyball at the apple and that was the BIG REVEAL. When we got to the gym we all unzipped our jackets exposing the hideousness that our shirts held...an old yearbook picture or Uncle Troy in his mullet/stash days...TOO LEGIT!!!

Uncle Troy is the 3rd from the left in the back row (holding Cal on his shoulders)

Halloween 2010

2010-11-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

I am actually kinda happy with myself, I am getting these pics up LESS than a week later than I wanted to, WHOA-dream big, Britt! Halloween was fun this year. Calyn decided to be Jesse from Toy Story again so since we already had an old cowboy costume that Dev's mom made for him when he was a little boy I decided it would be the perfect duo...Jesse and Woody!! And all too fitting too, right? (Woody) Calyn was Jesse a couple years ago so when she mentioned being Jesse again I pulled the costume out of her keepsakes box only to find exactly what I was worried about...it was much too small for her, therefore, I would have to remake the exact same costume just a couple sizes bigger.

Well, they didn't have the same cow print material that they had last time, they just had the actual fur kind and I had NO desire to deal with fur so I had to buy white and black material and actually cut and glue the spots onto the white, ARGH!! Then, I thought that the hat with the home assembled red yarn Jesse hair from only a couple years ago would FOR SURE still work, I mean how much can a kids head grow in 2 years, right? Well, I guess all the schooling really has worked because her head DID grow too much meaning I would also have to redo the yarn hair and braid on the hat to make more room for that overstuffed, brain-filled head of hers. For Rylan I needed, merely, to buy a hat!!! WHEW! Thank you Simone!!!

Despite all the work I was really happy with their costumes, they looked so cute walking around as a little cowboy and cowgirl. Luckily we were able to get some good use out of this costume since we actually dressed her in it 3 different times! 1st: for her school carnival which the kids loved. They haven't stopped talking about the spook alley in which I was silly enough to think I could just go along with them...crawling under children's desks pushing and pulling terrified, crying children in the pitch black...SILLY GIRL! 2nd: for our ward's trunk-or-treat Friday night, then 3rd: for actual trick-or-treating Saturday night. All in all we had a great Halloween but I am glad we are now on our way to the craziness of the next 2 holidays!!
Ready or not....

2010-09-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

I have had these pics all ready for 3 weeks now but just never got around to putting them up here, so here we go finally!! Here are our pics of Cal & Ry on the first day of Kindergarten. Whenever I get the camera out to take pics of one of the kids the other insists they have a turn too so I have just accepted the fact that no matter the occasion, they will both have their pic taken. I guess that is really a good thing, more cute pics, so no complaints here. Anyway, a tradition that I have carried on from my family growing up is getting ice cream every year on the first day of school as a family. I remember looking so forward to school just for the family ice cream trip. We would always go to Reed's Dairy and get double scoops, however, when we asked Cal where she wanted to go she insisted on Sub Zero, so this year we switched it up a little and went there instead. We had Demi, Nana, & Papa come with us since it was Demi's first day of school as well as a teacher at Rimrock Elementary. She is the 6th grade teacher and loving every minute of it. She is an awesome teacher and has several little boys in love already. ;)

Mesa Falls Marathon & 1st Day of School...

2010-08-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Uncle Paul & his family, Mom, Dad , Demi, Dev, the kids, and I went up to Aunt Cindy's cabin in Island Park for the annual Mesa Falls Marathon Weekend. My Mom & Dad Jeff run in it every year but since Mom hurt her foot she hasn't been running in it so she & whoever can come up drive the route and cheer on Dad at several different stops along the way as he runs the entire 26.2 excruciating miles...ok, at least that is what they would seem like to me since I am not exactly known to voluntarily run more than 240 ft at a time (distance around the bases of a softball diamond). Anyway, we have started to make a weekend of it and stay in Island Park so this year was no different. We brought up Dev's family's raft and floated box canyon, went on bike rides, played games, fished, played horseshoes, and laid around like bumps on a log. That's what you're supposed to do at a cabin, right?? Here are some pics of Dad doin' his thing. Just a warning, some pics may be a bit graphic, Dad gets a little "racey" when he runs...hahaha, that one was for you, Dad!! ;) A guy that works with Uncle Paul and Dad was also running so I put up some pics of him crossing the finish line as well.

Mini Shoot part 2

2010-08-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

A VERY overdue photoshoot!!

2010-08-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to take the kids out for a fun Mini shoot for the longest time but it seems like the more I learn about photography the less I use it for what I originally wanted to learn it for...capturing my own memories and family. SO my new goal will be to have a mini shoot every month at LEAST once with the kids and maybe I will even throw one with Dev & I in there every now and then (I apologize ahead of time). I mean seriously, how sad would it be to look back on all the families' memories I was able to capture but find so few of my own? So there it is, I've said it and you all must hold me to it! Also, I have added many new pics on my photography blog and would love for you to go check them out. You can either click on the link to the right that says "my photography blog" or you can simply click here. have fun!

Redfish 2010

2010-08-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

In July we went to Redfish Lake for the annual Wood family reunion for 5 days of camping at "The Point" (the best campground on the lake). It is one of our favorite times of the year, full of so many fun activities and memories. We do all kinds of things like boating, boarding, swimming, eating, timed competitive obstacle courses or competitions like our "Wood man competition" where we do a mini triathalon, hiking, eating, minnow catching, snorkeling, fishing (using poles or nets), visiting the lodge several times, going to the hot pots at Sumbeam, visiting the ghost towns and the sawtooth fish hatchery, canoeing (which entails going out on the canoe with as many people as we can cram into the canoe and tipping it over), cliff diving, rope swinging, card playing, programs, s'mores, bike riding, going to the logs and tubing down our very own "Bubble Bath Rapids" (and yes, we have claimed them as our very own), building sand castles, rock climbing, eating, and new this year...boat bailing, which consists of standing on the back of the boat which is going 20mph and just simply bailing off the side of it, an urge I had and Dev & I decided to fu...completely safe!

This year Devin decided it would be fun to snorkel and look for fish then try to catch them with a net. If you look close in this pic he is holding the net ready for all those unsuspecting fish. He, Little T, Trevor P, and Mike Williams (I have to refer to them by their last names since our family insists on marrying people with the same names. 3 Trevors, and 2 Mikes) all did this for a couple hours one day, to no avail, then as soon as they turned the net over to Melissa she caught a fish within 20 minutes of trying...let's just say Devin was a little more determined after that to catch one.

Random pics from earlier this Spring/Summer

2010-07-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

My edited pic from Tetonia...

Just a couple pictures from our Easter egg hunt at Grandma &; Grandpa Montague's house. We need to start making a map of where we hide the eggs since almost every year there is at least one egg unaccounted for! Good thing they are plastic eggs, right?

Demi graduated from Utah State this May so we went for a fun weekend trip to Logan. Danny Glover was the speaker but I didn't get there until after he spoke so I didn't get a picture of him, dang it!

Mom wanted some old fashioned looking pictures of the kids on bikes for her bike room. Melissa has these cool old looking bikes so I thought it would be cute to use them for the pics, I was pretty happy with how they turned out.

Devin's mom decided to make all of the grand girls these adorable skirts. This is only 3 of the 6 grandgirls but they were all wearing them one Sunday when we went over for dinner at the Woods' so I had to take advantage and take pics. I will try to get all of the girls together for a picture asap, when I do I will get it posted.

Out of order...

2010-07-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from our trip to Tetonia a few weeks ago. This post is not in chronological order but I wanted to make sure I put it up anyway. We went up to stay with Dad Jose for Father's Day weekend and while we were there I took pictures for my sister Lex and then we went to Green Canyon to swim. I love these first couple of Cal with her camera, a girl after her mother's heart!!

Breathtaking!!! I am going to edit this a little to bring out more of the color, I will post it as soon as I get it done!!

Here is Calyn with her AUNT Ali...yes, I said aunt. They are good buddies!

Rylan wore these pink Mini Mouse ears around most of the day so I had to document it. Man, he's going to hate me when he is older and dating ;)

Wood Reunion in Island Park 2010

2010-07-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to the Wood family reunion in Island Park. His grandparents have a cabin up there but since it was the whole family his grandparents rented some beautiful condos for us to all stay in. We played some fun games, like a wooden turtle race, football, did some bike riding down Sawtell mountain, played a little cards and had a program Saturday night. It was fun to be with everyone, it seems like whenever we get together we revert back to our youth and act like bunch of little kids, giggling at everything, running around for hours, playing just as hard as our own kids; but can you blame us? We are just so much fun!! ;)

Here is your test, it's a tricky one so lets see how you do...ok, somewhere in the pictures below Devin is hiding, can you find him?...don't feel bad if you don't see him your 1st, 2nd, or even 10th try, it's NOT an easy task. I know, I know, you don't believe me, but just keep trying, you can find him. He really is there. ;)

hahahahahahahaha

Colorado 2010

2010-07-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we went to visit our friend Amber in Parker, CO which is right by Denver. She lived with us in Grand Junction for awhile and became part of the family, infact, we refer to her as our first born. She was living with us when I was pregnant with Calyn. While we were there we went miniature golfing, had a movie night, went to an aquarium, shopping, on a nature drive, etc. Saturday night we went to a popular Bronco football player hangout called Papadeaus. It is a yummy restaraunt with really yummy seafood including crocodile, which I had for the first time (tastes like chicken mixed with sausage), and we were hooked! It was so much fun to see Amber again, we can't wait to see her again, your turn Amber!! ;)

Just a few things I never want to forget...and Preschool graduation

2010-05-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

**setting it up... I give Calyn a piece of candy that she's never tried, can't remember what it was, nevertheless, she is chewing it up, deliberating when:

Cal: "Mommy, I don't like it"

Me: "Really? You don't like it?"

Cal: "No, it tastes like dog or something!"

**I just got done changing Rylan's poopy diaper when I smelled his pants to see if they stunk and sure enough they did...

Me: "Ry, you'll have to get some new pants, yours stink cuz you pooped in your diaper. When are you going to start pooping in the toilet??"

Ry: "Ummmmmm....Wednesday"

Now it's the new joke in the house. So much for getting serious about potty training!

**Some of Rylan's adorable words...

-Macanoni Cheese

-Hushmellows (marshmallows)

-Mommay (when he is calling for me my name turns from Mommy to Mommay; sooo cute!)

-Macumpooter (Computer)

-Pocanonas (Pocahontas)

-Forliller (Four Wheeler)
-Morcycle
-Peenbutter samich
-Splinklas (Sprinklers)

Cal and her cousin Brooklyn graduated from Preschool last week and here are a some pictures of the program. I was on of her teachers and for the program I was in charge of leading the songs they learned, "Kindergarten Here We Come", "Days of the Week", & "Months of the Year", "I've Been Going to My Preschool". Calyn worked really hard to remember the two lines she had in the program: "G is for good friends we made throughout the year" and "We've learned a lot and grown a lot and made a lot of friends." She was one of the only kids who had their parts memorized, way to go Sis!! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!! I am not sure what my eyes are doing in the second one, but it was too priceless a moment to not post.

CANCUN 2010!!!!

2010-05-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

Seriously??? I can't believe it has taken me 2 months to get these beautiful pictures of our amazing trip to Cancun!! What is my problem?? We had so much fun there, we felt like royalty!! Unlimited, all inclusive food (including sushi) at our finger tips 24/7, beautiful scenery, perfect weather (ok, so any weather seems perfect compared to ours as of late), humidity doing magical things to our skin and hair, sushi bar, para sailing, zip lining, snorkeling (we saw a few barracudas!), manicures, pedicures, SUSHI BAR, flea markets, water volleyball, tanning, bottomless strawberry daiquiris (virgin of course),golf, entertainment including a Michael Jackson impersonator, and did I mention sushi?? How can you beat that? Man, I am seriously grinning right now just thinking of it. When can I go back??

A photographer for the hotel snapped this picture and we thought it was priceless, had to buy it from them. I can't get over the look on Devin's face, it is the only thing that saved him from my wrath for crawling over my back to get my ball!!!

Can you say PRO-CRAS-TIN-A-TOR?

2010-04-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

I can but it won't be until next week when I get around to it...
I am finally getting around to posting about Ry and his trip to the hospital. Here goes nothin!

* * *

(This is Rylan the day he finally got his PICC line out, April 5th. That's one happy little boy!!)

(deep breath) Ok, so I have so much to catch up on it's not even funny. I will be posting events starting February 15 and going through now and STILL won't even be scratching the surface. This post will be mostly dedicated to Rylan's hospital fiasco considering that it took up the bulk of the time period. However, there will also be pictures that have nothing to do with it. Bear with me since I really believe that it is important that I get this down as our family journal.I have written up, in story/journal form a record of the exact details of his hospitalization and dealings with the dr.s and home care nurses which ended up being about 15 pages, so this one is going to be VERY condensed and simple.

It all started February 10th when Rylan started fevering a little. By the end of the weekend he had really gotten worse with a rash, little appetite, sleeping most of the days, etc. Monday morning I knew something was seriously wrong, it wasn't just some flu or cold so I dropped Calyn off at Mom's at 6:00am and took Ry to Redi Care. When we got there they examined him and immediately told me that he was having breathing problems and that he needed to go straight to the ER. They offered to take him in the ambulance but since it was just next door practically to the hospital I told him I would take him. They hooked him up to an oxygen tank with an adult mask that practically covered his entire face and I drove him the block to the ER.

When we got there the nurse came out and grabbed him and took him straight back. They hooked him up to machines and took his xray. The doctor told me that he had pneumonia! I was completely shocked. They admitted him within the hour and got him his own personal nurse who camped out at a little desk right outside his room and asked us to keep a path to him open so that she could see him at all times. She said that his was using the max amount of oxygen that their machines would allow without having to hook him up to a respirator and she had to watch his levels very closely. When the doc got there that night he told us that Rylan had an infusion on one of his lungs, which is fluid trapped between his lung and the sac that holds it.

He said that they could try draining the fluid which would greatly reduce the pressure in his chest and make him very comfortable but if the fluid returned they would have to send him to Primary Children's in Salt Lake to have a chest tube put in that would continuously drain the fluid. He also told us that 90% of the time the fluid DID return and told us about a boy that was in there a couple weeks ago with the same thing who was still in Utah with the chest tube. That's promising! They drained it first thing the next morning and said there were 410cc's (which is equivalent to half liter) and that they would take an xray the next morning to determine whether or not the fluid had returned. What a night that was!! The next day we waited and waited for the results until finally the nurse told us that the fluid had NOT returned!! What a relief! Finally good news! Meanwhile our poor little man was absolutely miserable. The nurses were in our room every hour or so administering antibiotics, checking his levels, giving him his breathing treatments, etc. Rylan was so scared of anyone coming in the room by the 2nd day because they were usually there to hurt him from his point of view. It is so hard to explain the pain in seeing your fragile little child looking so small in a hospital bed with a rash over his entire body, every breath hurting him, IVs hooked up to him, pain in every joint of his little body, and confusion in his eyes as to why we are not helping him. With the fluid gone his lungs finally started to heal and the pnemonia was subsiding but the infection, which ended up being strep (which caused the pneumonia) was still toxic which meant it had spread over his entire body. His skin began sluffing off, his eyes burned, etc but the doctor told us that we could take him home Friday with a PICC line (long term IV) in his arm which we used to administer his antibiotics every 6 hours (not the nurse, Devin and I; can you say overwhelming?). He was so sore and tired that he couldn't walk, sit up, or do much for the first few days. He wasn't able to walk until about the 2nd week we were home.

Slowly but surely he improved and when I say slowly, I'm NOT kidding. The nurse came over every week to change his dressing, check his PICC line, and draw blood for labs. The thing they were watching in the labs was called his sedimentation rate which is also his inflamation level and determines how much infection is still present in his body. For a month straight it stayed "above 120". Well, the machine only measures up to 120 after that it just reads "above 120" so who knows how high he actually was. Anyway, a typical person's sed rate should be right around their age, so Rylan's SHOULD be 2 or at least below 10 would be normal. Finally on March 16th (a month later) it dropped below 120, it was 76. Finally!! We were so relieved to see him improving, also that gave Devin and I the OK to go on our scheduled trip to Cancun the next week. Up until them I was pretty sure wouldn't be able to go. Neither of us would've had any fun leaving him behind that sick. Mom was nice enough to take on our nursing position for him and did a really good job keeping him well!! Since then each week he came down until finally on March 30 the doc said he was at 8!!! Now we would just keep the PICC in one more week to do labs one more time and make sure that without the antibiotics he didn't digress. The next Monday, April 5th, the nurse came over to draw blood for the last time. Later that day after the doc reviewed the results of the labs he called to give me my favorite birthday present of all time: he said it was time to be done with all this stuff! To take the PICC line out once and for all!!

Below are pics of Rylan in the hospital. Keep in mind that I was not exactly in the frame of mind to have my camera there and take pics, not exactly a happy time, you know? But I did take some pics with my PHONE CAMERA just to have a few so they are not the best quality. However, they say it all. Especially the 6th one. It is the day Rylan is going home. I slept in that bed with Rylan every night except for one, when Devin slept with him and I slept on the chair next to the bed.

That smile says it all, he had not been outside all week and had been asking to go in Papa's truck so many times that we decided to drive him home in it. This was the biggest smile he'd had all week!!

I HAD to take this picture to show how skinny he got. His bum was nothing but a wrinkle of skin.I mean, I realize he was small before, but this is pathetic!

These were some of the best smiles he could muster for the first week or so home.

Here he is feeling much better, still has his antibiotics, but is up and around, almost back to normal. Calyn got a stamp kit for her birthday and Rylan found the stamp pad and decided he needed a little more color in his cheeks...

This is his nurse, Debbie. She came every week to change his dressing, check the picc line, and draw blood from it for labs.

Here are some pics I took of Cal. She looked so cute in her outfit so I made her come model for me AGAIN. Isn't she a natural?

**CANCUN PICS TO COME!!**

Noel Yvonne Bickel

2010-03-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

God be with you till we meet again, Nana Pickle! We love you and will miss you so much. You leave behind a legacy of friends and family who adore you. I will forever remember the unique gift bags you always seemed to find for the kids' presents! Everytime I see QVC I will think of you and your amazing rings. I have so many fond memories of riding my bike to your house and spending hours with you. You always had a Coke in hand to offer. I remember going with you to visit your crazy bird neighbor, and vividly remember you teaching me that when you open soup cans you must ALWAYS put the lid into the empty can before you throw it away because the edges are very sharp and you can cut yourself if you don't. I believe that you are celebrating your reunion with Nana Karen and are in an amazing place, much better than here right now. You are such an angel and I can't wait to hear your laugh again! I love you!

This is our 5 generation picture. Grandpa Jenkins, who has since passed, is standing in for Nana Karen who passed away a few years ago. Nana Karen is Nana Bickel's daughter, Mom is Nana Karen's daughter, then me, then Calyn.

Nana's obituary:

Noel Yvonne Bickel, 87, of Ammon, passed away March 5, 2010 at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center of congestive heart failure and a stroke.

She was born May 16, 1922 in Eureka, Utah. She attended school there. Her first husband, Marvin Hillman, died of a heart attack on 1967.

On June 21, 1968 she married Stanley Bickel in Idaho Falls. They spent 42 fabulous years together hunting, fishing, camping, and traveling.

She was never an active churchgoer, but she belonged to that vast spiritual fellowship of all true believers in Jesus Christ. She accepted God’s free gift of grace and never doubted the all-sufficiency of Christ’s atonement.

She is survived by:
Husband: Stan Bickel, Ammon, ID
Son: Chuck (Julie) Hillman, Idaho Falls, ID
Son-in-Law: Brad Mason, Idaho Falls, ID
Brother: Dwane (Eva) Smith, Camby, OR
Sister: Bonney Moore, Warrenton, OR
8 Grandchildren, 16 Great Grandchildren, and 3 Great-great Grandchildren, who all called her “Nana” and loved and will miss her more than words can say.
She was preceded in death by her parents; daughter, Karen Mason; Granddaughter, Shauna Webster; brothers, Jerry Smith and Veral Farrish; sisters, Adele Carney and Cleola Brindzak.

Funeral Services for Noel will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 10, 2010, at Wood Funeral Home East Side, 963 South Ammon Road. The family will visit with friends from 10 to 10:45 a.m. prior to services. Burial will be in Shelley-Hillcrest Cemetery under the direction of Wood Funeral Home.

Free diaper bag giveaway!!

2010-03-03T10:37:00.000-08:00

This bag is so stinkin cute, they are having a drawing for it and if you post on your facebook/blog, etc they give you extra entries!! Go check them out!! http://www.tangledandtrue.com/2010/03/heirloom-by-petunia-giveaway.html

Also, those of you who know about our little trip to the hospital with Rylan can understand our lull in posting, for those of you who don't I will get some pics and the story up as soon as possible, he has kept me pretty occupied the last few days, so when I get a free minuted I will get it posted! During these times you realize what your priorities are and the rest seems to be set on the backburner so at this time getting him better will no doubt be numero uno!!

Wanna help us win a Camp Chef???

2010-02-01T21:57:00.000-08:00

Devin took an amazing picture when he and his buddy were hunting last fall and we decided to enter it into the Jared Scott Outdoors photo contest soooo..... if you wanna vote just click this link and pick your favorite picture. We aren't supposed to cheat so I am not supposed to say which is Devin's but we like to call it "Hunting above the clouds" (wink, wink)

http://www.jaredscottoutdoors.com/training.html

My Blogging Hiatus!!

2010-01-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

WOW, it has been far too long and there has been soooo much going on! I have ridiculous amounts of updating to do. In order to keep this entry from becoming a novel I will do a brief summary of the last month's events.

The Recital:
Our family piano recital was awesome, infact it inspired us to make it a tradition. We may even start doing family recitals every other month or so and just rotate the house we go to. It was so touching to see all the beautiful musical talent that comes from our family alone. The cousins all played their piano pieces they had been working on for Christmas, my sister in law Melissa played a beautiful classic that she had been practicing for the last 5 years!! It was amazing. Devin's Grandma made a request to have Devin play something and since he had nothing prepared he did what he does best and just played a compilation of a few hymns and Christmas songs by ear as if he had been practicing it for months (man I wish I could play like that). Then since Skylar was there we asked him to play his guitar and sing us something as well. He sang/played a Garth Brooks Christmas song which was also amazing. Ah, my talented family...

Christmas:
What can I say? Christmas is always amazing. It is always good to remind us of the importance of family, faith, love, and service, and this year was no different. We are so lucky to live close to both Devin's family and my family but it definitely makes for a crazy day. We started at home, opened Santa's gifts, then went to Devin's sister's house (it was his family's year) where we ate breakfast then sat in a HUGE circle and took turns opening presents. After a few hours there we went to my Mom & Dad Jeff's house to open even more gifts. My favorite part of it is watching everyone open the gifts from me. After that we went back to Dev's sister's house and played games, ate dinner, and enjoyed the evening.

*********more Christmas pictures to come!!!**********

Alumni Tourny:
Every year my old highschool puts on an alumni basketball tournament for anyone home for the holidays. As always it was a fun day to watch Devin play our buddies from high school. They had a 3pt contest, which Dev won last year, but decided to give someone else a turn to win this year (isn't that so nice of him?). He played on a team with of both my class (99) and his class (98) since there were not enough players from his class alone and they won the whole thing. The players were (from left to right): Devin, Landon Young, Jordan Sermon, Zack Batte, Bryce Taylor, Brian Stewart, & Luke Furniss.

Wedding:
As SOON as Christmas was over it was time to hit it hard with Saundra's wedding. We were able to have a little break to go to Dad & Linda's house in Tetonia on Sat & Sunday. It was awesome to go up there since it is so gorgeous there in the winter. However, when we got home it was down to business. Nicole, Trevor, JJ, & Cate stayed at our house which was way fun but we still had to stay focused on what was in store with the wedding. Flowers, pictures, food, the bride's hair(which I did twice for her on her wedding day), musical numbers involving the sisters singing to the bride and groom and Devin and Trevor W. riding into the gym on a tandom bike dressed as the bride and groom(hilarious!!!), temple, luncheon, reception, kid's dresses, my dress, Cal's hair, set up, take down, and the list goes on!! Even in the stress of it all it turned out to be a great day!

New Years:
We decided to stay pretty low key this year. We had Mom, Dad, Sky, Sarah, and Demi over and just played games and snacked all night long. My kind of New Years, let me tell you!! Even thought there were some good points in the year, all around we decided it wasn't the greatest year for our family and decided as the ball dropped we would say a bitter good bye to 2009 and welcome 2010 with welcome arms. In fact Demi decided to use one rather than 5 fingers to wave her good bye ;).

I am so excited for a new year with so many memories that have yet to be made. The best to all of you, friends and family, and may your 2010 be as fun, rewarding, uplifting, and fulfilling as I plan to make mine.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

2009-12-14T20:49:00.000-08:00

I am loving this snow! It just seems to make everything so much prettier! The roads are not much fun to be on, but everything else is just better this time of year with piles of snow on it!! We have been crazy busy , naturally, considering the time of year, but I guess my reasoning for referencing the season is that it is my excuse as to why my posting has been so scarce. So, just to catch up a little, everything is pretty much same old, same old; just add some additional chaos and excitement to the mix and we are there!

Our home is just bursting with anticipation for Christmas and all of the fun activities and traditions that come along with it! It seems like even when I think I am so ready something comes up putting me behind again!! It wouldn't be December if that weren't the case though, so I guess I should take the bad with the good, right?

Calyn is getting ready for a piano recital this Thursday at our house. She is playing a Jingle Bells duet with her Daddy and has been practicing her little heart out for it!

Christmas with the Wood's this year, though since we are in town and both families are here we always make sure to hit both houses on Christmas, seems silly not to, right? So we will wake up at home, open Santa gifts, head to Gma and Gpa Wood's house for cousin gifts, then over to Nana & Papa Lawrence's for Nana's famous cinnamon rolls and more family time and gifts!!

We are looking forward to our 5th annual game night with the Thiros family on the 26th after Devin's alumni basketball tournament and our Prime Rib day with my family all in one day!!! It probably ranks in my top 5 favorite days of the year!! I mean, basketball all day, Prime Rib and potatos for dinner and game night all night. . . the only thing that could beat that would be if I could play either softball or volleyball between Devin's games!!

Then on the road to visit with Dad Jose and family the 27th - 28th in the beautiful Tetonia.

Devin's sister, Saundra, is getting married Dec. 30th so we will have tons of family in town just to add to the craziness of Christmas time!

And THAT is our Christmas schedule!!! Anyway, with all the craziness I am not sure how good I will be about posting so I figured this way you will all know what we will be doing during the lack of posts, right?

Oh, and one more thing, I just finished editing my last photoshoot, an adorable little baby girl. She is our friends Corey and Saige Dixon's little girl Isley. She was so fun to shoot, such a doll! You should go to my photography site to see the rest of the pics!!

The Christmas card we sent out. . .

A sisters pic project I just did. . .

Hopefully I will be able to get more pics up before Christmas, but if not,
MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!!!!!!

Holiday Cards...

2009-11-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

I decided to design some Christmas cards for my family and figured I would be selfish if I didn't share them all around!! Go to my photography blog to see my designs and pricing. Here is a sneak peek:

Can't let go

2009-11-09T14:07:00.000-08:00

I have been really hoping and praying that this warm weather lasts just as long as possible. Everytime I wake up and see sunshine coming into my window I breath another sigh of relief. I am not saying I absolutely hate cold and the snow, I mean who could hate something that allows snowmobiling and snowboarding! However, since we got totally jipped out of our summer this year I am going to revel in the warmth and sun as long as I can so today we decided to eat lunch outside; have a little picnic to celebrate the weather.

I also thought I would share some of the fun quotes from Calyn:

1. The other day Calyn and Rylan were playing and Rylan must've done something that hurt her because she kept saying "Rylan don't, Rylan don't!" then after saying it about 5 or 6 times she got really stern and told him that he had to stop or he would give her a birthmark.

2. Demi called me a couple weeks ago and while we were talking Calyn decided she wanted to talk to her too. They had the typical conversation, talked about the normal stuff and at the end after Calyn was finished she told Demi: "Bye Demi, see you next Spring". Demi was laughing pretty hard when I got back on the phone with her. She was planning on coming home like 2 weeks later, I have no idea where she heard it from but I thought it was adorable.

3. I told Calyn she needed to hurry and finish something before I got done sweeping the floor. We were getting ready to go somewhere so she needed to be ready and her response was: "How long will you be?" I told her I just needed to sweep the crumbs into the dustpan and throw it in the garbage and she said: "Oh, i can handle that!!"

4. Calyn went with her daddy to get some dinner and when they got back she showed me the surprise he let her get, a pop. The kids don't get to drink pop much so she was excited about it. She told me to taste it so I did and she said: "It's freakin' good isn't it?" I'm not sure who she heard it from but I'm guessing it was probably me even though I don't really say it much but it had us all laughing anyway.

Another Halloween down...

2009-11-02T12:53:00.000-08:00

After Calyn's Preschool Halloween party we decided to have some of her school friends over to play. I saw a recipe for some yummy pumpkin pie play dough on a friend's blog and thought I would give it a try and it was a hit!! I smells sooo good, I found myself craving pumpkin pie after making it.

I waited too long to get some pictures of the kids in their costumes so they are really dark but you still get the idea, right? Even though Calyn changed her mind daily, she finally decided on Hermione Granger (from Harry Potter), with a little influence from Auntie Demi which made my decision for Rylan's costume very easy!! Aren't they the cutest Gryffendor house wizards you've ever seen?

I had a photoshoot right before trick or treating so when I got home Devin had the kids almost all ready. I just put the finishing touches on and off we went. We trick or treated around our neighborhood for awhile. Calyn got to see her primary teacher, Brother McAllister who's favorite book is Harry Potter so she was pretty excited about that. They found their jackpot at Aunt Jenny's house (Nana's friend who lives around the corner from us). While we were chatting Rylan was one after another transferring candy after candy from the bowl to his bucket. He meant business! We couldn't stop laughing at how meticulously he did it. After filling the candy buckets we went to Nana & Papa's house and visited them for awhile.

It was a fun night but I am very glad it is over!! Now we can start looking forward to the holidays!! Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!!

My Mountain Man

2009-10-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

Well, it has finally happened, Devin finally found and killed a bull that met his expectations for the year. No more coming home empty handed with stories of bears either stealing his sleeping bag, chasing away the animals he was hunting or charging with in 30 yards of Corey; OR the excuse that they were all just too small. "I passed on a lot of little ones." he would say. Well a little one this is not! He found a 6 point bull, hunted it, shot it, and boned it all himself, then packed it all back to camp. What a brute eeh? He still has his buck tag so we are not "out of the woods" yet, no pun intended hehe. However, this will take a ton of anxiety off his chest so I am happy. The only downside is that we take care of our own meat which means I have a ton of cutting, cleaning, wrapping, labeling, and SANITIZING in my near future. :( Anyway, despite how much I miss him when he is gone, I am still very proud of him! Way to go cutie! ;)

I have also included pictures from previous hunts this season that Devin took because I think they are beautiful! He definitely sees land many will never see. The die hards are literally are on top of the world.

The white you are seeing everywhere is clouds! A little disorienting but they are above the clouds!!! This is Corey, Devin's highschool buddy/hunting brother walking on a peak of a very high mountain.

Sr. Night & more

2009-10-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

Last week my sister McKenna and cousin, Paige had thier Sr. night in volleyball at Hillcrest against Rigby. It was a good game but we barely lost it in the 4th game. It is crazy to think that she is already a senior, I seriously try to make her younger every year but she won't believe me when I tell her she should only be a 5th grader so I guess I should give up trying.

Also I was reading a friend's blog and she was listing funny things that her children said or did that she wanted to always remember and it inspired me to do the same so here goes:

*Calyn was watching me edit some pictures from a session I did recently and she was asking me question after question. Well as mothers know after about the 5th or 6th one it is easy to tune them out. Well after she finally got my attention I said "Sorry, Sissy, it is hard to answer all your questions when I am working." and she asked, "Mommy why do you call me Sissy?" to which I answered: " I guess because my Mom called me Sissy so I started calling you Sissy when you were born so now it is a habit; do you like it when I call you Sissy?" and she answered: "Ya, I just wish you would call me honey sometimes." After this she went on to tell me the places where I can call her Sissy, like the living room, the dining room, etc. It was adorable.

*While Rylan is sitting on his little potty sometimes he likes to point at random things in the bathroom and make me tell him what they are so he can repeat it. Each time, of course he has to say Mommy!! and point. The other day he said "Mommy!" and pointed at the shower, when I told him what it was he said: "Showe, Daddy's showe." I am guessing it is because I usually take baths so he sees Daddy in there more than Mommy. :)

Today while Calyn was watching a Halloween movie she said she was hungry so I got her a bagel and brought it to her, and she thanked me. A little while later Rylan decided he wanted one too, of course, so I again went to the cupboard and got him one. After I sat down Rylan accidentally pushed a button on the remote and made Cal's movie stop so naturally she freaked out until I came and fixed it for her. As soon as I sat back down Rylan told me he had to go potty, of which I complied even though he didn't go (a regular occurence in our house), and when I was putting his diaper and pants back on him Calyn said: "Mommy I wanted a drink too!!" so, frustrated I said, "Maybe you should get off your little bum and get your own drink." I am not sure why I didn't expect her next comment but nevertheless she repeated right back to me: "Why don't you get off your little bum?" Now, of course this is not acceptable behavior in our house but she said it sooo sweet and innocent that I couldn't help but laugh.

As there are more I will try to post them because there is always new material with my two gremlins, but for now I will say bubye.

McKenna blocking

McKenna's kill (1 of like 20 ;) )

Paige passing

Paige with family

Kenna with fam

Kenna in red and Paige in black

New Photography Blog!!!

2009-09-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

I finally got my photography blog started! It has a few of the most recent sessions I have had and they are pretty cute, it helps, however, having cute subjects to shoot! Please, go check them out.

You can get to it by going to www.brittneywoodphotography.blogspot.com
or by just clicking on the link to the right (under my photography blog, where it says Brittney Wood Photography).

Internet/Uploading problems...

2009-09-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have been having major difficulty uploading pictures and programs on my computer lately so I have not been able to finish my next post. I have actually been working on it for about a week and a half and only getting about 1 picture loaded (after 20 minutes of waiting) every 3 times I try so... to my dismay I had to call my providers and they are coming to check things out tomorrow. They better get it all figured out soon because I am so sad at how far behind I am getting in my blogging, but I will get caught up soon, keep checking in.

Some news... Calyn has her 1st piano recital tonight at her Grandma Wood's house (who is also her teacher). It is a pizza party recital and she is very excited about it. She is playing Twinkle A and has been practicing her little heart out. She has been growing a lot lateley and it seems like everytime I put jeans on her they are too short!! She's tall and skinny and the only reason the size 4 pants (that fit her length) stay on her is the adjustable bands they put in them now that allow you to sinch them tighter!!

Rylan is LOVING his new 4wheeler he got for his birthday. He rides it every chance he gets. He is talking more and more and has such a tender heart. I love this age and have enjoyed seeing his cute little personality develope. He reminds me a lot of his daddy.

Devin is playing in a basketball league on Monday nights at the Apple and has been hunting a ton lately! He has a few big hunts coming up and is determined to come home with the monster buck and bull this year. I am just hoping he comes home. :)

I have been playing in a softball league that plays on Tues & Thurs nights and also play in a volleyball league on Monday nights with my brother Skylar. I really love playing with Sky, when we were younger I used to make him let me teach him how to play and wouldn't let him go inside until he got it right, now it is paying off!! I also am still teaching Calyn's preschool class at the apple every Tues and Thurs mornings and am getting really busy in my Photography! I have a session in Utah this weekend and have another one next week here. I have a couple families interested and a wedding coming up in January that I need to get announcement pics, prebridals, and the actual announcments ready for! I love it!

Anyway, I will do my best to get some pictures up soon! Wish me luck.

catching up...

2009-09-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

I will do my best to quickly get all caught up, it has been crazy with preschool starting and hunting season consuming Devin's every second but I will do my best to slowly add more until I am finally caught up.

A few notes...

1. Rylan had his 2nd birthday on the 7th! What a big boy he is becoming! For his birthday he got a 4wheeler and we love to watch him on it and tho it was way worth it, we are still regretting that purchase everytime we have to take him off to go to bed!

2. And despite all warnings about boys being harder to potty train than girls, Rylan has started going "poopies" in the toilet. We are not 100% yet, but when he has to go he runs to the bathroom saying "poopies, poopies, poopies" Sometime he does and sometimes he doesn't, and sometimes he forgets and goes in his diaper, but I am not gonna push, just encourage. If he is showing interest why not, right?

3. We went and watched Sky sing again at the fair and he was amazing as always! I swear everytime I hear him he gets better! Record labels would be lucky to sign him!

4. Calyn started her second year of preschool last Thurs. She is one of the tallest kids in class!! Who would've thought that Devin and I could produce the tall kid? I measured her on her growth board and she has grown 1 1/2 inches since June!!! Wow! She also started piano lessons with her Grandma Wood (Devin's mom).

Lastly, Here are the pictures of the Mesa Falls Marathon I promised.

Photoshoot...

2009-08-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to do it forever so I decided to finally have an "official" shoot with Calyn and Rylan yesterday. I have, of course taken hundreds of pictures of them both but they were not actual pre planned shoots like this one with props and all.

Anyway, I was really happy with how they turned out and am more and more excited to push forward with my photography business!! I have a few shoots either in the sheduling process or already planned and will keep sharing with you all, but just like anything else, the only way to get better is with practice and constructive criticism, so... please tell me your thoughts on any picture I post. I love to hear feedback!!

On a family happenings note, we just got home from Island Park where we stayed at my Aunt Cindy's families cabin and supported our family who ran in the Mesa Falls 1/2 marathon and 5k. I will post details and pictures of the trip and race soon!! They all did really well.

Update...

2009-07-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

My idea of a perfect day would be some fun family activity invovling water, beach, and sun; then when we are all exhausted from the constant fun, a beautiful, relaxing evening with an awesome, powerful thunder and lightening storm. A couple nights ago was just such a night! One of these days I will get an amazing lightning shot, but this time, out of about 150 shots this was the only one that turned out. Not the greatest quality, but still pretty cool.

Here are the pictures I promised of the almost finished deck. We have loved it so far but can't wait until it is finished so we can use it without guilt!

Before...

After...

These are my first cute little tomatos coming in. I decided to buy the "Topsy Turvy" to grow my first tomatos and I get so excited to see it grow and to see the little tomato buds bloom!

Lastly, on Saturday we decided to take some friends and family down the hoback for the first time this summer. Devin loves rowing and does a great job, we had a blast. We went with Demi, her friend Lexie, our friends Josh and Brooke Grover, and some of Devin's family. There is a company who takes pictures of groups going through lunch counter rapid and this is one of the pictures they took of us.

50's...A decade to celebrate!!

2009-07-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

Well, the lying and scheming has finally come to an end! We actually pulled it off, pretty seamlessly, with the help of a lot of friends and family.

Mom's SURPRISE 50th birthday party!!

It always amazes me how, when in the line of duty, I am so capable of being such a successful liar!! One of these days Demi, Dad, & I are gonna sit down and try to remember all the different lies we had to tell Mom to get around the truth of the surprise. Anyway, it all turned out great! We had a pretty good turnout, with lots of good food, great entertainment, good company, and awesome costumes! Even Chris and Cody dressed up, that's saying A LOT!!!

Sky sang a few Elvis songs for Mom and sounded great! As a family we had a musical number to dedicate to Mom, Summer Nights from Grease, which was more entertaining than great, but it was a blast!

I just wanted to thank everyone who came and ESPECIALLY everyone who helped! You were life savers!

Something to Post About!

2009-06-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I have been able to slow down long enough to share what has been going on in our lives! When we think we have a free minute something always comes up and if I really do find time to myself I haven't been able to convince myself to spend it blogging. Not that I don't love it, just that there are lots of other things I love to do too! Anyway, enough with the excuses...

First of all, we FINALLY got a PIANO!!!! I am so excited about it too! Devin's mom is a piano teacher so Devin has grown up with a piano in his home and has really yearned for one our entire marraige. He is a beautiful pianist but has not had the chance to practice as much as he wants, or at all really. So for Father's Day I decided I was going to do my best to find some used piano in our price range.

Well, it just so happens that a couple years ago when a family was moving into a house just about a mile from their old one the husband decided that since it wasn't too far he would just carefully drive the (family heirloom) piano over with out tying it down...I am sure you all can see where this is headed.

Anyway, a few tears and words later the husband (aka Dad Jeff) decided that someday down the road he would have the piano restored. Since they have no room in their house for the piano anymore, I asked if I could go in on the restoration of the piano, my only term being that it stays in our house. Mom and Dad were up for the deal. So now, not only do I get to enjoy the sounds of beatuiful piano music, but I also get to enjoy the piano that I grew up with, carting memories such as my days of being caught in the lie of pretending I really did get my practicing done. (Sorry about that one, Dad. :)You were always one step ahead of me, putting tape on the piano pedals and all...)

The kids have also been doing a lot of playing outside, at least when the weather has been kind enough to cooperate. I believe a lot of it has to do with the big project we have taken on (which is coming up a few pictures down) out there, giving them more reason to be back there.

So here it is, our summer project, or should I say projectS. We decided to put and awning and deck on the house so that we can better enjoy our beautiful, spacious backyard. Our house faces north so it seems like the sun is always bearing down on us back there with no relief, ergo, the awning. And what good is an awning without a deck to sit on and enjoy it, right? Or at least that is what I used to convince (and believe me it took a LOT of convincing) Devin that we should do it NOW. It is actually a lot more done than the pictures show, we have benches, hand rail posts, and the floor, just have a few finishing touches to do before we stain. I will post a pic of our current progress soon. It looks really good and I am so excited to use it! Oh, and a little shout out to my awesome hubby who has worked so dilligently to make this happen, and to everyone else who has helped, THANK YOU! BBQ for you all when it is done!

A few weeks ago we went to Devin's grandparents cabin in Island Park for free fishing day. We decided it would be fun to take the kids fishing. We made a party of it and invited all of Devin's family to come as well. It was a blast as usual. Pounce parties, games galore, nature walks, 4wheele rides, smores, tree swinging, etc. On Sunday we decided to stop by Mesa Falls on the way home and take some pics.

This is Calyn with her cousin JJ. In the next pictures I was surprised she actually touched the fish, last year they just scared her.

These are all from Mesa Falls, it is beautiful there. It was a rainy weekend (fancy that huh?) so everything just seemed so much greener and fuller, it was awesome!

Cali pics finally!!

2009-05-23T09:31:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the Tahoe pictures. We decided to get some cute fam pics on this dock because it was beautiful with the water and the mountains in the background. There were a lot of cute ones but I narrowed it down to these few.

This is the house Mom spent about a year in when she was a little girl. It is such a cute little house in a quaint little neighborhood in Tahoe. It was fun to see her get excited about seeing it and talk about some of the memories she could muster up from her childhood.

These were taken at an orchard/vinyard near Sacramento. We stopped here on the way from Tahoe to Uncle Troy's house in Sac. It was beautiful, I couldn't stop taking pictures. The colors were so vivid and it just went on forever.

Here are the pics of the Oakland game we went to on Thursday. It is always fun to see a professional baseball stadium. A ball was hit right in front of us and the guy who caught it gave it to Calyn. I guess she put on her charms. We were able to get one of the Oakland players, Dallas Braden, to give us his autograph. The picture of the A's player batting is actually Jason Giambi.

After the A's game we drove over to San Fransisco. We went to Pier 39, Bubba Gump, the crookedest and steepest roads, etc. Here are some of the pics of our San Fran segment of the trip.

These two pics are in front of the steepest road, but none of the pics I took even came close to doing it justice so this is as good as it gets.

Looking down on the crookedest road.
Looking up at the crookedest road.

While in Sacramento we decided to have a volleyball faceoff, Demi and I vs. Troy, Dad, and Devin. Troy has been talking smack about Demi's and my athletic ability so it finally came down to a girl victory best 2 of 3 match. Eat that troy! Oh, and...trophy?...The rest are just pics at Troy's house. Calyn made friends with Cara's neice, Amy. They were really cute and played well together.

Coming up...

2009-05-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, I know it is common to hear people say they need a vacation from their vacation, but this time I can really attest to that! We went to California two Saturdays ago and didn't get home until last Saturday. I have tons of pictures of the trip, and I will get them on here asap, but for now, just a run down.

We started the trip out at Lake Tahoe, we stayed at Uncle Troy's in laws condo on the lake. It was beautiful but it was freezing so we did alot of sight seeing. We took some pictures of Tiger Woods vacation home, which was huge and obviously well guarded so we couldn't get too close.

Next we went and stayed at Uncle Troy's house in Sacramento and went shopping, sight seeing (saw some beautiful vineyards and orchards). Thursday we drove to Oakland and saw the A's - Ranger's game, which was awesome! I am always amazed at how gitty I get when I walk into a professional stadium! It wasn't quite as mind blowing as Fenway, but still very exciting!

After the game we drove to San Fransisco for more touristy stuff, where we hung out on Pier 39, ate at Bubba Gumps, and drove down the steepest road and crookedest road. I am not sure if they set world records or just national, but they are lots of fun to see.

Friday we had our long awaited volleyball match, Demi and I vs. Troy, Dad, and Devin. It all started when Troy decided to tease Demi and I about our athleticism. He said we were "ok for girls" and that was all it took. Next thing I knew I was challenging him to a match, it didn't matter when or where but it was gonna happen. Finally we were able to make it happen and just as Demi and I expected, we won!!! Bragging rights are ours for sure! We decided it would be a tradition everytime we see each other.

So, we finally made it home, after a 12 hour drive and are glad to be home, but already are missing the warm California weather. Can't wait to go back!

Thanks Troy and Cara for everything!!!

Pictures to come...

A Time to Run

2009-04-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I actually did it, I said I would never run for fun or in any kind of organized running and last Saturday I proved myself wrong.

My Mom and Dad Jeff are die hard 1/2 and sometimes whole marathoners. We have gone to lots of their runs to support them and see them cross the finish line but this year they decided they would bewitch Demi and I into running in the 5K since they were running in the 1/2. I am not sure what they used to drug us but somehow they got us to agree.

I am actually really glad I did it and despite what Demi says, I think she is too! It was only 3.1 miles, and compared to the 13.1 or 26.2 miles others were running it may seem very trivial, but I was still proud of my sister and myself for agreeing to do it and following through.

Mom and Dad did really well, Mom's time was 2.23, Dad's was a personal best at 1.45 and at 32.7 Demi and I were inspired to actually train next time and push ourselves a little harder...yes, I did say next time, Demi!! ;)

Dad...
Mom...

Showing off our Team Nana Papa shirts...

Dad, wake up, nap time will come soon enough...

Devin stayed back to cheer on his buddy Corey who was running in the whole marathon. Here he is right around the corner from the finish line...
And crossing the finish, good job Corey!!!

My Little Sicky...

2009-04-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess it is our turn to have the sick kid, *disclaimer*: for those with weak stomachs, you may not want to read on. Friday morning Calyn woke up at 6:00 am and threw up all over herself, then continued to throw up all the rest of the day about every 20 to 30 minutes!! Then Saturday the throwing up stopped but she fevered all day at an average temperature of 101 degrees and was either sleeping or in a catatonic state, Sunday she was no longer fevering but because she had not eaten for the previous 2 days she was very weak and still had some queasiness and today she woke up with a little more energy but can't stay upright for long without feeling yucky. Luckily, she was able to get down some Raisin Bran so hopefully she is on the downhill side! Because of all the puking and "other" we have been very worried of dehydration so we have been really pushing the liquids. Poor girl! I hate having sick kids! She has lost some weight from her loss of appetite, and for those of you who see her pretty regularly you can understand when we say she doesn't have much to lose! Anyway, she seems to be perking up a little more today so we are hoping the worst is over.

On a better note, we had a very eventful weekend! Friday I had some friends from highschool come into town so we had lunch at my house and it was awesome to have everyone together!!

Meagan's little Gus, soooo cute!

Frank & Jamie's little Gracelyn...what a doll.

Cheese's boy Hudson, such a little flirt.
Jamie's beautiful daughter Faye.

The whole gang!Thanks, girlies, for a great time!! Next one?...

Then my family had a birthday party for me Friday night and it was the first time since my 60 day challenge (which ended Thursday!! WOOT WOOT) I was able to have treats, so you can only imagine how yummy they all tasted! Here are some pics of the weekend...

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!!

2009-03-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

We finally had Calyn's friend party yesterday, because of Spring Break we had to wait a little bit to make sure we would have a better attendance for her. They all went to Blastoff for awile and had a "BLAST!" Then we had cake and ice cream at our house afterward. My Mom came over while we were at Blastoff and decorated the house so it would be a surprise for Calyn and she did an amazing job! She had a crape paper tunnel for all the girls to walk through and balloons & confetti everywhere which, by the way, took FOREVER to clean up, MOM :)! That's ok cuz it looked amazing and Calyn loved it! Thanks to everyone who came and for all the help!

I was brave this year and decided to try to make Calyn's cake myself instead of buying one or having my Mom make it like last year. It is DEFINITELY not professional, but I was pretty happy with myself! Mom helped me with the idea of flowers.

The new do!

2009-03-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally gave in to the many requests for a haircut like Nana's. I had a really hard time watching Tiffany snip away at her beautiful hair, but i guess if she wanted it that bad it would be worth it to see how happy it makes her, right?
I didn't tell her where we were going when we went to get it cut. As soon as we walked into the salon she was looking all around trying to figure out what her surprise was. She had made several guesses like ice cream, a car, toys, etc. When I asked her what everyone in the salon was doing her grin grew from ear to ear. Okay, it was worth it...I guess. I will still miss that long beatuiful hair for a long time; or at least until it grows back, (wink, wink)but I think it looks adoreable on her, you will have to decide for yourself.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

2009-03-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

I know it seems so cliche to hear Mom's talk about their disbelief in how fast their kiddos grow up, but there is just no other way to describe how astounding it is to think that I have a four year old child! Calyn is such an amazing little girl. She is such a joy to have in our family and I cannot picture a life without her. I am so proud to have been given the opportunity to raise this sweet spirit and I feel so lucky to have the privilidge of being her Mommy.

A few things about her...

1. She is loving anything princess right now, dresses, makeup, flying (tinkerbell). The other morning right after she woke up she came up to Devin who was still in bed and the first thing she said was "Daddy, I really want to fly!" She has been watching Peter Pan a lot lately and just loves the flying parts.

2. She loves to sing, lucky for her, Mom is the Primary Chorister! I usually gauge my teaching progress in Primary on how well she knows the songs.

3. She also loves to play sports. She is always asking us to play catch with her but instead of grabbing a ball, she wants to throw toys and dolls. We will have to work on that.

4. She wants desperately to cut her hair like Nana's! She has been asking for months and no matter how many times I tell her that if she cuts it she will miss out on the braids and hairdos she loves she still does not falter. I guess you will have to stay tuned to see if she gets her wish...

5.She loves to play with her cousins and her brother. She is a good big sister and is always laughing with Rylan, occasionally at him as well.

Calyn, we love you so much more than you could ever know! Thank you for being the sweet person you are! We love you cute girl!

Happy Birthday!

Rylan made short work of his cupcakes, and yes, that was plural, he had like 3...

Sun? What?

2009-03-03T14:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon it was beautiful outside so we decided to go on a little walk. Calyn rode the new bike she got for Christmas and Rylan rode in the wagon he got for Christmas! They were so excited to get outside finally so I had to document it. The funniest part was that right when we got out there and all situated to go it started sprinkling but luckily it was just a little rain cloud and it passed right after it started so we were good to go! We are hoping for more and more of these in the days to come, but considering we are in Idaho, it is doubtful.

As for an update, Softball has started and we are practicing in the gym, which makes for a not so pleasant practice all cooped up inside so the good weather is doubly anticipated!! If it wasn't for my ever helpful Mom, sister in law Melissa, and Mother in law who take turns with my kids, I wouldn't be able to coach, so THANKS a million! Although I am excited for softball season, I am also a little nervous for the craziness I will be spiralling into, being a preschool teacher, softball coach, Primary chorister, and full time mother all at the same time. Goodbye lazy afternoons! We also are excitedly anticipating the return home of my cute little sister Demi from Utah State for her spring break this Fri.

Calyn is loving preschool, she asks every night before bed if she gets to go to preschool in the morning. She almost has her name writing down, she knows all of her letters except Z, W, and U, they are still a little tricky for her. She also has the Pledge of Allegiance memorized! Ask her and she will recite it for you. She also can't wait for her 4th birthday coming up on the 17th (my little lucky charm :) )She is a sweetheart and loves to help with dishes and vacuuming! Let's hope that never goes away! (wink, wink)

Rylan is getting some molars so he has been a little cranky, but is still my soft hearted little buddy who loves to give kisses and can now say "owee" to add to his vocabulary. He is starting to look like a little boy instead of just a toddler more and more everyday. He loves to give us things and say "thank you", I think he is just a little confused, but it is too cute to try and correct!

Devin is still working hard out at the site, hating the bus ride in the evening, but loving it in the morning for his naps. He is wrapping up a season of coaching church Basketball which he loved and I believe was very successful. He is looking forward to doing some shed hunting with his hunting buddy Corey. He is also being VERY strong in our food challenge. We have challenged ourselves to eat mostly salads, veggies, and fruit; Devin for 100 days and me for 60. We are 23 days into it and going strong (most of the time anyway) This is the hardest diet we have ever tried! It is a version of the raw diet for all of you diet gurus.

Anyway, sorry so long, hope you enjoy the pics and we hope to hear from all of you soon (like maybe in the comments tab!! hehe)
If you look at the sidewalk you can see the raindrops!

What do you think?

2009-02-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

I have been learning how to edit my pictures on photoshop and wanted to test some out yesterday, so I am putting one on here for some input, if you have any suggestions PLEASE let me know!!! More to come...

BEFORE
AFTER

Rest In Peace...

2009-01-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

There are many people in my thoughts and prayers today. I just want to take a minute to pay my respects to my cousin Josh Jenkins who was killed in an avalanche Saturday afternooon. He was snowmachining with three buddies on Mount Jefferson when he was hit by the avalanche. Josh was a very well liked person with so many good friends but more importantly he was a great friend to many. He served a mission in Thailand and only returned home 5 weeks ago, which seems so unfair that he had to go now. I know he had many different ideas for his future plans and any one of them would have led him down a great path to a wonderful life, however, the path he is on now is the most important. He was obvioulsy too good for this earthly life and I know that he has so much work to do where he is right now. He must be needed there more than here. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers as well. Until we meet again Josh...we love you!

Sledding Craziness

2009-01-12T09:52:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday, for Little T's (Devin's little brother Trevor) birthday we had a sledding party out in the pit behind Devin's parents house. Devin pulled us all behind the 4wheeler since the hills back there are not very big. The kids loved it! Ok, who am I kidding, we ALL loved it; probably the adults more than the kids but hey, we are all just a bunch of big kids right? We tried all sorts of things, as you can see in the first picture we had a chain of 3 people (Devin's sis Melissa, her hubby, then Little T) hanging off the end of the sled. What a fun day! Rylan is in most of these, he is just hiding behind Cal, you can sometimes see his little face poking out.