Southeast Idaho High School Mountain Biking

Last Saturday Braden's Cycling Strong High School Team and Pocatello Pioneers joined up for a group ride at Mink Creek in Pocatello.  We've seen them at each of the Utah races.  It was great to finally get together for a ride.  Aren't they a good looking group of kids and coaches?  Braden had a good time even with blowing the sidewall on his tire at the very beginning.

Ethan and I had fun seeing Grandma, Grandpa, Aubrey and the Heiner kids.  We hiked up the trail to see the creek and watch the riders go past.  Throwing rocks was definitely the highlight for the little kids.  Ethan had to physically be hauled off as he would have happily spent all day there tossing rocks in the water.  

Three Scouts and a Boy

Last Sunday we had a scout court of honor for the boys.  We didn't know that the three amigos would be getting awards from scout camp.  Barry and the boys had left a day early to go to the Anderson family reunion.

It was fun to see them get up together.  Ethan just couldn't stand it, though.  If all the other boys were up there, he needed to go up to!  We got a chuckle out of him waiting 30 seconds and then heading up to join them.  He just couldn't stand to sit there and wanted to be big, too!  Originally he went and stood in front facing the audience like the other boys.  But, then they got HANDED AWARDS so he needed up to get one, right?  

So cute and everyone thought he was adorable.  (Well, because he is!).  Braden was glad to see I'd snuck a picture of it.  Those two big boys just LOVE their baby brother!

Mmmm, Fresh Homemade Bread

I was making bread again tonight and decided it was far past time to teach Tyler how to do it.  He is much more fun to teach how to cook then say, other teenager boys (ahem, ahem), as Tyler will listen and actually try to learn.  Now that I think about it, this is the area he is easiest to teach in and gets him smiling. 

 

I had fun, he enjoyed it and I think I am going to make him my bread buddy now!  His favorite part was definitely rolling and shaping the bread.  Kind of like a kid with elastic playdoh.  

And for a first timer, I have to say he did awesome!  My bread doesn't look that nice! Oh wait.  I usually randomly glob it into shape and throw it in the pan.  Huh, I  can't imagine why correctly shaped loaves would look nicer?  Haha.  Great job, Ty!  Looks delicious!

Lights, Camera and Lots of Action

While the big boys wear a head lamp on their heads, Ethan likes to use it as a belt.  The fact that it is lose on his little tummy makes it even funnier.  

Such a busy little guy tonight! In 10 minutes he had put on the flashlight, pulled out the ball basket, chucked them all at daddy nearby as he tried to play catch (aka bombard dad), dumped out all the trains, moved onto another basket and then stripped off the light while heading to the play food.  

Sleeping Like A Baby

Ethan is so sweet and so cute, especially when he looks like this!

I feel bad every school day when I have to wake him up.  The kids COULD ride the bus but I'd rather not have a first grader riding a bus with high school kids.  Plus, we are only 3 minutes away so it is easy to go get them - until I see this.  Then I get little jerks on the heart strings.

On the up side Ethan LOVES, LOVES his siblings so he doesn't complain about going to get them at all.  I mean, who wouldn't love big kids that totally dote on you, play with you constantly and think you are their own personal source of hilarious entertainment?!

Why We LOVE Amazon

The kids have had fun this week. All these fun things keep arriving in the mail! It's like Christmas for them as they have no idea what it is in the boxes! IT'S SHEER TORTURE... MUST... OPEN... BOXES..... Haha.

Well, why the kids love Amazon.com because it is fun to get boxes in the mail, we adults find it fun for other reasons. Plain and simple, it's a time saver and so much cheaper to just shop online in some cases! While I could have made an hour round trip to pick up Barry's birthday present, Dominion Prosperity, it was a lot faster to sit at Angela's computer and take less than 5 minutes to pick, checkout and have it shipped. Oh yeah, and did I mention it was way cheaper online than it is in the store? The kids think it is great because they got to help and decide. I love Amazon.com because they still got to pick and I don't have to drag them all to a store (and watch Ethan go crazy in the toy store). And, with Amazon Prime it is free shipping. No gas money and ships free to boot! Ah, it's a win all around. Especially for Barry, who creamed us all when we played.  He was so excited to play.  Just like a little kid getting his favorite toy at Christmas.  Yup, exactly like that!

And, I will point out that I'm not the only Amazon shopper around here.  The Hatch famiy sent Barry's birthday present via amazon, too.  Oh, and then Barry had ordered a few things we needed.  Four packages in total.  My kids are hilarious about boxes in the mail!

So, if you have no idea what we are talking about - here is our family's absolute FAVORITE game:.  Dominion. Thanks to the Hatch family for introducing it to us!  Although, we do highly recommend the Dominion Big Box rather than buying Dominion and then Dominion Prosperity separate. 

 

Spring Break!

I am discovering I haven't  updated the Blog since I signed up for Scentsy.  Time to get back at it.

It's spring break at our house and we are having fun.  We went ice skating yesterday and the big kids enjoyed it.  Ethan got to run around the building to his little hearts content while everyone else skated.  I also ran into a high school friend and got to talk to her for a but, too.

Tyler and Kayli got tired after awhile so we got out the stroller and took Ethan on a short walk.  Tyler walked us over to a really nice playground I didn't even know was there.  Go, Tyler!  It's the equal access playground I had been trying to find for years!  I thought a different playground set at the park was and couldn't see how it was equal access.  Now I know why.  Haha.

Ethan had so much fun he started to fall asleep in the swing so we decided to wrap it up.  Oh boy, was he ever mad about that.  And then, of course, he promptly fell asleep in his car seat and was snoring by the time he got home.  Cute kid.

School's out!

The kids got out of school on June 3rd and we've had a blast ever since.  Actually, I think today is the first day we didn't really do anything.  So far we've been to the zoo several times, tennis lessons 4 days a week, volunteered at the North Stake humanitarian weekly projects, kids' summer movie, Kayli's last PAT program with a picnic at the park, more park time, etc.  Today we got rained out so tennis got cancelled after a few minutes which of course killed Kayli and I's zoo visit for the day.  The kids have tennis right by the zoo and playgrounds so Kayli gets to pick what she wants to do.  It's so fun.

Braden also is teaching Kayli how to be "cool" apparently.  In his mind, the funny thing he has taught her is to smack her chest, say "peace" and do the peace sign.  It is cute to watch if she forgets the first part.

"Peace!"

I took a picture the other day of Kayli wandering around in the morning with her blankie/aka sheet.  Now you all know one reason she loves it so much.  The elastic edges curl around her nicely and she loves to walk around with it like this. 

She also loves the full ghost costume.  Then she walks around the house and smacks into things, sometimes intentionally and sometimes not.

Ha! Vindication!

Barry and Braden had scouts tonight and were selling candy bars to raise money for scout camp.  (Barry is the scoutmaster for those who don't know.)  I tried to get both of them to wear scout uniforms telling them they would sell more and they wouldn't do it saying they'd be too hot. (Rolling eyes here...)  They ended up coming back to the house to drop off Barry's car and one of the other boys had his scout shirt on so I made Braden put on his.  (Way to go Allen's!)

Barry and Braden came back a few minutes ago just laughing.  Braden and Peyton teamed up, with their scout shirts on, and the other two boys went together, with no scout shirts on.  Guess who sold more?  Yup, Braden and Peyton sold three times as many candy bars!  I couldn't resist and had to tell them I told you so as I was laughing.  Then they both caved and said I was right after all and they were glad Braden had worn his shirt.  Of course, the funniest part was the other dad that went bought $20 of candy bars from Braden not knowing there was a competition going on and his son was on the other team.  Apparently it was really funny when the other boy found out his own dad had "gone against him".  Haha.  Scouts are so fun!  Ahem, and yes, I feel vindicated now thank you very much.

Karina's learned how to ride a bike!

For Memorial Day weekend, we went to Cherry Springs with Barry's family on Saturday.  Kent and Linda brought up their trailer so we'd have somewhere dry to play while it rained.  Our family really likes to bike ride so we all brought our bikes to ride the trails on.  Karina has tried several times to learn to ride a bike but didn't have any success.  I think it is because he bike is so heavy.  It is heavier than any of the other bikes we own and I didn't even clue into that until it was too late.

I took the big kids riding around while Barry worked with Karina.  When we all got back together Karina had learned to ride her bike!  Barry said she was really needing help and then all of the sudden she just took off and went.  She was SO happy!  The big parking lot worked out in our favor as she had lots of room to ride and show us.  Of course, as with anyone learning to ride she had a few good crashed and required band-aids by the end of the night but she had a good time.

On Sunday we were talking about it some more and discussing how it is about time for Karina and Tyler to move up in bike sizes.  We talked about spray painting Tyler's bike pink for Karina and he would use Braden's old one.  Then mom had an epiphany!  My old banana bike that I got when I was her age was still in Grandpa and Grandma Gallafent's storage and it's PINK.  Was being the operative word because we drove down that evening and went and picked it up from Grandpa and Grandma.

Grandpa and Grandma were so sweet and got it all ready for her.  Karina is really excited that she gets to ride mommy's old bike and it is in great condition since it was stored in a good place for so long.  The bike itself is just a little bit big for her but it will fit her for a long time at least.  I know that for a fact because I took a spin around on it and it almost wasn't even too small for me since I had the big seat to slide back on.  Ah, the good old days and the memories!  I remember riding circles and circles around Grandpa and Grandma Scott's unfinished upper addition during the winter when Angela and I got those bikes for Christmas.  I think they held off on finishing it just so we could come ride our bikes in circles for hours every Sunday at their house.  I get they loved the constant drone of that. :-)

So, our pretty princess finally learned how to ride a bike, she won a new pink bike helmet last month and she just got a new-to-her pink bike.  How much better can it possibly get for a 7-year old?  Haha. 

Merry is the Month of May....

Rain, rain, rain and more rain.  Barry and I are really liking the rain for a few reasons: it's not snow, my very few plants that made it past a dead seed are growing nicely now and lastly we don't have to water our lawn,  The latter being a definite bonus since our sprinkler system is still broke.  Our tulips are blooming (at least those that Kayli didn't pick when her dad said she could pick all the dandelions she wanted) and all four of the kids have turned into trampoline magnets again.

Our highlight for the month is Braden turning twelve and receiving the priesthood.  He looks great in his new suit and you should see how his demeanor changes when he puts it on.  It's fantastic to watch!  Haha.  I'm sure that in combination with graduating from primary has affected his attitude change at church.  All the grandparents came up to see him ordained.  Barry and Kent happily brought Braden to priesthood beforehand and I can't decide who was smiling the biggest, Barry or Braden.  I got a good laugh out of it.  He also finished up his Faith in God award and received that, too.  He did a great job passing the sacrament his first time and it was fun to watch, although Kayli was wondering where Braden went since he wasn't by us.  Braden did say the Bishop wants him to start sitting up on the stand to be a "messenger" for him.  Hopefully we won't get Kayli trying to escape up that and get her buddy.

Kayli this month has decided she REALLY likes going to grandparents houses.  She's been asking a lot lately to go to Grandpa's.  When we came home from church on Sunday she crossed her arms over her straps when I tried to unbuckle her.  She then told me, "No!  Grandpa's!" and wanted to leave right then to go.  We had to coerce her in to eat lunch first.  They was great joy when we finally headed out.  Now, whenever she doesn't get what she wants, she starts crying for Grandpa.  It's really funny to watch as she is such a drama queen. :-)

All the active boys that attend my Webelos group have graduated.  This leaves just Tyler and I until the middle of July.  I'm sure Tyler will be excited to find out he gets to pick out anything he wants to do out of the book.  This also, of course, makes him the oldest cub scout and I'm sure he'll love that. I keep calling every week for the other two and hopefully they'll start coming, too, but if not we'll have a good time.  One bonus is that since Tyler is the only one, Barry gets to take him to Webelos overnight camp instead of my going.  Haha.  Garrett, we are hoping you'll come, too, since Barry took Braden, Seth and Zach together.

Karina has been my gardening buddy this month.  She helped setup a potting bench with me, replant our strawberry plant from the store, plant all the seeds in the tray, and has dubbed herself The Waterer.  She got to pick out a new watering can and loves to make sure they all have a drink.  I'm hoping she'll get Grandma Dawn's genes for growing and not mine since she likes it so much.

Barry has started working away again on his master's paper.  I'm not sure how it is going but he seems to spend some time on it every night since summer session has started.  I'm crossing my fingers that he can still finish up in December or May at the lastest since he has to take a cumulative test on every class he's taken.

As for me, I've spent a fair amount of time at the auto mechanics this month.  I was driving the van and it started lurching and jerking on me, then acting like it was going to stall.  It's been in twice already and it is still having problems on occasion.  It was interesting trying to get us places as the truck was in the shop getting a new clutch.  Hence, we had a five-seater car with six people.  We're really grateful to Mom and Dad Hansen for letting us borrow their blue car. The mechanic and Barry keep telling me it is fine for them now so I'm not happy about looking like a silly woman who doesn't know what she is talking about.  We were out delivering phone books Saturday, though, and it started doing it again so Barry finally got to hear it and I told him, "See!  See!  It really does have problems!".  He wasn't too happy to see I was right after all.  So, those two trips plus getting a new clutch in the truck set us back about $2,000.

Barry would love to share this next funny story so I'd better include it.  We decided to try delivering phone books so Braden could earn money for scout camp.  That didn't end up working out so well as it turned into a whole family project to get it done.  We were on the last road and couldn't find it on the delivery map anywhere.  I turned to Barry like we were in luck and said, "Oh, you know?!  There is a phone book right behind my seat.  It'll have a map in it."  I meant the blue phone book from the house that was already in the van and had totally forgotten about the ton in the back.  Barry looked at me with this mocking incredulous look and in a shocked tone said, "A PHONE BOOK? WOW, REALLY?!"  Then I realized what I'd said and we just busted up laughing.  I laughed so hard I cried.  I guess you had to be there but we were all laughing hysterically at it.  For any of you ever thinking of trying this sometime, though, don't.  WAY too much time for the amount you get paid.

That's all for this month.  Everyone have a good memorial day weekend!

Moving on to bigger and better things.

Braden came home with information from Eagle Rock Junior High this week.  I am trying to reconcile myself with the fact that our oldest will be in junior high.  I HATED junior high.  (As those of you who went to school with me can attest.)  Braden is REALLY excited to be going, though.  He has a lot of friends from other schools that he has gotten to know through PACE and orchestra.  This week we get to deal with registering him for classes and he got to go on a tour of the juinor high on Tuesday.  When I asked him what he thought of the tour his comment, he responded, "Well, they told us if we went we would get cookies afterwards and then they just gave us pencils." :-)  Some of the kids apparently only agreed to go when their teachers said there would be cookies and were not happy afterwards when there weren't any.  I thought the tour would be fun for me, though, as I've never been around the school.  Apparently this parent found that idea more exciting than the actual kids going there.

While I'm not too excited to have him going he is so that is good.  He's definitely looking big enough to go unlike some of his other classmates.  Karina's is almost as big as a few of them.  And big he is.  He's almost as tall as I am and has bigger feet than I do.  He'll be outgrowing his dad's shoes in not too long.  Braden's eagerly anticipating when he'll be taller than me - in another 2 inches.  He just keeps growing up and while it's fun to watch I'd love to keep him little forever.

Every family has to have it happen once, right?

I really thought I might get off with this never happening but apparently not.  My visiting teachers came over last night and Kayli came to cheerfully visit us streaking through BUCK NAKED and dripping wet to dance for them!  She'd escaped from the bathtub while Barry was engrossed reading the paper while sitting on the bed "supervising".  The kid went right past him and he didn't even notice.  Hahaha.  I did just laugh and take her back to her daddy who then felt quite sheepish that she'd gotten away from him. :-)  Ah, you got to love kids!

All of yesterday, and half of Tuesday, Kayli has been stripping off her diaper and clothes every time her diaper is wet.  We keep finding her running around naked with a huge grin on her face.  The past two nights I'd gone in to check on her when sleeping and found she was naked with no diaper.  So, obviously she doesn't want to be wearing wet diapers.  We tried some training underpants on her after the streaking incident and she was SO excited.  Hence, I went shopping last night and got all the stuff we need to potty training and tomorrow is the day.  I'm hoping that she'll quite streaking once she gets rid of the diapers so wish me luck!

Grammie-Great and Audrey

I love this photo of my Grandma Scott holding Audrey, my sister Camille's new baby.  What sweet loving!