Love Letters in the Sand

Learning To Enjoy The Journey

2011-02-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

This is from a talk that was given in church yesterday. Unless you're a Mormon, you probably won't find it all that funny....

Happiness Is Right Now

Being twelve-years-old is a drag: I hate being a Boy Scout and I hate these long hikes. If I were only like my brother and I could go to High School and have a car and drive everywhere instead of walking, then I would be happy.

Gee, High School is a drag: Test every week. Sally likes you, not me. Gas costs so much and Mom and Dad never let me have the car. College would be an easy life. No parents to bug me. Then I would be happy.

Boy, I sure wish Mom and Dad were here: Mom could fix me a good, hot meal. So much homework. Never have any time. But soon I’ll be on a mission, that would be great! And I hope I go to a foreign country so I can go to the MTC and learn a new language. Then I’ll be happy.

If only I’d gone to an English speaking mission: Life here in the MTC is really a drag. I can’t pass off discussion 3. Get up just in time to polish my shoes and get to class in time to have an Elder step on them. Have to cut my hair every two weeks. I got a Dear John that everyone seemed to think was very funny. Spend three hours in the lunch line and can’t say “families” correctly. I can’t wait to get into the mission field to be with people and to teach them! Then I will be happy.

Boy, what I’d give to be back in the MTC where at least if I did speak English, someone could understand me. Here I sit in the meat markets of Uraguay and wonder what my girlfriend is doing. Wonder what Mom’s cooking for supper. Can’t really wait to get home again, get into life, get married, have some kids- really want some kids- and then I’ll be happy and life will be good like I always dreamed!

These kids are a pain! Always getting into stuff. Business is bad, never have a minute to myself anymore. The kids always need this or that. When I retire, and have all day at home with my wife, then I’ll be happy and life will be good like I always dreamed.

Boy, I wish those kids would come home and visit sometimes. The place seems so empty with everyone gone. There’s nothing to do. Don’t have the strength and enthusiasm I used to. Gee, I wish I was a Boy Scout again. I remember when I was twelve-years-old and a Boy Scout. Those were the best days of my life…….

The Top 10 Reasons Why Trick or Treating Is Better Than Sex

2010-10-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

The Top 10 Reasons Why Trick or Treating Is Better Than Sex

1. You are guaranteed to get at least a little something in the sack.

2. If you get tired, you can wait 10 minutes and go at it again.

3. The uglier you look the easier it is to get some.

4. You don't have to compliment the person who gives you some.

5. It's ok when the person you're with fantasizes you're someone else, because you are.

6. Forty years from now you'll still enjoy candy.

7. If you don't like what you get, you can always go next door.

8. It doesn't matter if the kids hear you moaning and groaning.

9. Less guilt the morning after.

10. YOU CAN DO THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD!!!

Spiritual Thought For The Week

2010-10-07T08:24:00.001-07:00

God hath not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives through;
God hath not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.

But God hath promised
Strength for the day,
Rest for the labor,
Light for the way.
Grace for the trials,
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy,
Undying love....

Mutton Bustin'- July 18 2010

2010-07-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

This year Arco's big weekend, "Atomic Days," was July 17-19. Roudy got selected to go to Pugent Sound with work that weekend, but the kids and I headed to Arco and stayed with Roudy's parents anyway. Before Roudy left he tried to talk all the kids into doing the Mutton Bustin' at the rodeo. Trason was all for it, Jordy wasn't having any part of it, and Jaxon said maybe- he was sort of uninterested since he won it two years ago. Friday night we got to the Rodeo and none of the kids would do it no matter what I tried to bribe them with. So they watched the other kids ride the sheep and then both boys decided maybe they would try it on Saturday night.
Saturday morning Arco always has a big parade. A plane flys very close to the ground and drops 1000 ping pong balls onto Main street. The kids gather as many as they can and then after the parade is over they take them to the Sheriff's Office and receive a 50 cent piece for each ball they turn in. So, Friday night this was Trason's prayer, "Please help me to get lots of candy in the parade tomorrow. Please help me to hang on tight when I ride that sheep. Amen" It was so funny to hear what he had on his mind.
Saturday when we get to the rodeo Trason kept going back and forth on whether or not he wanted to ride a sheep. I signed both boys up anyway and thought they could back out later if they wanted to. I took the boys over to the shoots and let them watch a few of the kids ride. By that point Trason decided there was no way he was riding a sheep! So, I threw Jaxon down to Roudy's dad, who always helps with the rodeo, and he rode awesome! He got 78 points - the highest score of both nights! Then they were looking for another rider and none of the kids were wanting to go, so I threw Trason down into the shoots with Roudy's dad. Before he even knew what was happening he was on a sheep- and every bit as quickly was thrown off and rolled over! He was so mad! The announcer says, "Boy, he's not very happy with you, mom!" He had dirt up his nose, all over his face, in his hair...everywhere! He wasn't mad very long and decided that he was glad he did it. He was running back over to the stands where grandma and his cousins were sitting and he jumped up in the air and yelled, "I nailed it!" I about died laughing. He didn't "nail it"- got got 41 points!
Jaxon had to do a ride off with the other 6 highest scores. He still rode the farthest and longest, but he slipped a little to the side that time. After he finally fell off the announcer yells, "Man oh man that kids got some grip!" The whole crowd was screaming for him. It was pretty awesome! But because he fell to the side he only got 69 points. There was a little girl that rode after him who got 81 points because her sheep jumped when it came out of the shoots. She fell off, but I think they let her win because she was littler. I put some video coverage on because the boys wanted me to, but it's not good coverage. I couldn't go out into the arena to record because I had to be at the shoots with the boys, so I recorded from there. Plus I just recorded with my point and shoot camera.

Jaxon waiting for his turn during the "Ride Off." All of the other kids were dressed in wranglers and cowboy boots and hats and chaps and the whole nine yards. I love that my little city slicker went in there and rode the best! Two years ago when he won it, he was wearing a cut off shirt and shorts and sandals!

Excited to ride

Jordy Sue watching her brothers (and looking like a rugrat!)

Trason's face after he got rolled by the sheep! This picture really doesn't' even do him justice!

Pinewood Derby 2010

2010-03-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

Jaxon turned 8 in December, which means he's now old enough to be a Cub Scout. With that comes the Pinewood Derby. Each boy makes a car out of a block of wood and then they race it down the track. Can I just say how silly I think this tradition is? There isn't a mother out there that would let their 8 year old son use the tools needed to make a car out of a wood. So the dad's get stuck with making the car, usually the night before "weigh-ins." All that being said, it's still a good time! :) Roudy took Jaxon's block of wood out to work and had one of the carpenters cut it into a "car." The guy that helped Roudy has made 9 winning cars and he's even won State once. (I had no idea there was "State" for the Pinewood Derby.) Jaxon had an awesome car and we couldn't wait to see it race.....except once we got there we realized that it wasn't rolling straight. It kept pulling to the left, which made it rub on the track. Needless to say, he didn't win any of the races. He got 2nd a couple times, but that was it. When we got home Roudy took the wheels off switched them around......and the car rolled straight. Oh well. Live and learn, right?

Jaxon with his car

Jaxon's Baptism- February 6, 2010

2010-02-15T09:07:00.000-08:00

I was ready to completely abandon my blog. I've missed so much and the thought of trying to catch up totally overwhelms me. So here's a quick update. Christmas was good. Jaxon's birthday was good. We sold all of the really cute puppies. Roudy's been having health problems for about a month. I turned 28. Jaxon got baptized. Roudy turned 37 (It's almost time to trade him in for two twenties!) Valentines Day was good, but it marks a YEAR of me asking for nothing more than a love note....and still not getting one. (Yep...still nagging, babe.) I'm not even going to try and post all the pictures from the last couple months, but I am going to post some pictures from Jaxon's baptism so I don't forget this special day.

Jaxon in his new suit that Grandpa Joe and Grandma Mie got him. So handsome!

The proud parentsJaxon was baptized by his Grandpa Ray

Jaxon was confirmed by his Grandpa Joe

Grandpa Joe and Uncle Josh were the witnesses
Jaxon got his very own set of scriptures
And, of course, his scripture case had to be camouflage!All of the kids from the Anderson side
Jordyn, Haylie, Jace, Jaxon, Jozlyn, Madison, and Trason

Jaxon's great-grandparents- Sharon and Claude Storer

Puppies

2009-12-14T08:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of our puppies whelped Thanksgiving Day 2009! If you know anybody interested in a Chocolate Lab puppy send them over to pepsiaddiction.blogspot.com for more information.

The Tire Story

2009-11-23T14:12:00.000-08:00

1. I'm thankful I'm married to a man that still gives me butterflies after 9 years together!

2. I'm thankful my mom bought all my kids their Christmas outfits for church. Now I don't have to magically come up with an extra couple hundred dollars !

3. I'm thankful that we didn't have to wait too long for our h1n1 flu shots. We were number 193 in line and we were out of there within 20 minutes of the clinic starting!

4. I'm thankful the city people had our road sanded before I had to leave this morning. There is absolutely no way I could make it up and down this hill without the road being sanded!

5. I'm thankful we found Roudy some (almost) new tires at a great price! Roudy has been needing new tires for quite a while. When he was hunting, he got a flat tire two different times from simply driving over a sharp rock. A friend of ours told us about this place that sells used tires at a fraction of the cost. So, Roudy went and checked it out and the only tires they had in the size he needed were crap. So, he put his name on a waiting list and kind of forgot about it. Meanwhile, we checked the price at Big O Tires for the same tires Roudy has now...$170.00 A TIRE. Holy crap how are we supposed to come up with an extra $700.00 for tires at Christmas time? So, we kind of blow off the tire thing for a while. Then, out of the blue, I get a call from the used tire place saying they have some tires that are the right size and there is about 80% tread left! I went and looked at them, because it's first come, first serve, and called Roudy to tell him the details. I told him, "They are BF Goodrich, an aggressive all terrain tire, blah, blah, blah." Turns out that is one of the best tires you can buy. So I bought them. $150.00 for all four! As I was paying, I told the lady, "I'm so glad you called me!" and she says, "Well, I've got a really long list of people to call and today I decided to start at the bottom of the list, so you were the first people I called." You can call it coincidence if you want......I feel blessed.

My 5 For The Day

2009-11-20T16:41:00.000-08:00

1. I'm thankful for good friends.

2. I'm thankful for a (much needed) haircut and color. The girl that cuts my hair is amazing! I honestly get stopped, on average, three times a week by people wanting to know who cuts my hair. Michelle, my stylist, gets all the credit. Love. Her.

3. I'm thankful for the DVD player in my car. It saves my life on errand running days.

4. I'm thankful for my brother's choice to serve a mission. Not only is it the best thing he has ever done for himself, I'm thankful for the example he's setting for my children.

5. I'm thankful there is going to be a h1n1 flu shot clinic tomorrow. I've been worried about Jaxon getting it with his asthma. Hopefully we won't have to stand in line too long!

5 More

2009-11-18T17:37:00.000-08:00

1. I'm thankful for frozen waffles. It's the only thing that gets the kids out the door by 7:45 am. There's no way I could get the kids showered, hair blow dryed, dressed, fed, lunches made, etc... if I had to actually make breakfast.

2. I'm thankful for pajama pants. I only put on jeans if I have to leave the house. Then I come home and the first thing I do is put on my pajama pants. It's all about comfort, baby!

3. I'm thankful I was at the right place at the right time today. I found cute little sterling silver necklaces at Macy's that were originally $50.00-$70.00....and I got them for $5.99 each! I spent around $50.00 and saved almost $400.00! And, Jordyn has a sterling silver necklace for every birthday party she will ever go to......

4. I'm thankful my mom took Trason today so Jordy and I could have a girl's lunch. We went to Johnny Carinos where she got an Italian Soda and Pizza... and like any great girls lunch, we ordered chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert!

5. I'm thankful it's only 13 minutes until bedtime!!

I'm Thankful For.....

2009-11-17T12:27:00.000-08:00

1. My appliances. That includes....my dishwasher, my fridge, my washer and dryer, my microwave and everything else that makes my life easier!

2. Paper towels. Whoever invented paper towels is a genius!

3. Redbox. I can rent the kids a movie for a dollar and have an afternoon to get stuff done without being interrupted! (aka, cheap babysitting!)

4. A husband that is supportive of my (very expensive) Green Tea HP habit. Have I ever mentioned that I can't live without it? I'm a junkie.

5. Trason's preschool teacher. She gives both me and Trason a much needed break!

My 5 For The Day

2009-11-16T10:04:00.000-08:00

1. I'm thankful it's payday!! Who doesn't love payday?

2. I'm thankful for Roudy's family who came to I.F. over the weekend and showed us a great time! Seriously....Roudy's mom knows how to party. First we watched Shay's basketball game, then we went to the museum, then we went to Olive Garden, then we went to Barnes and Noble for Italian soda's, and then we went and saw "The Christmas Carol" at the movie theater, then we went to get a cinnamon roll at Mrs. Powell's, and then we went back to our house for a little dance party with the kids. The kids were on top of the world for a day! :)

3. I'm thankful for a great step aerobics teacher at the gym. After all of the partying we did over the weekend, I need somebody to whip me back into shape!

4. I'm thankful for my church calling. I know I complain about it a lot, but it really has been a blessing in my life. If nothing else, it gets me and the kids to church on the days I would much rather stay home in my p.j.'s......and I'm never sorry I went.

5. I'm thankful for a Saviour who knows us better than we know ourselves and knows what trials and what blessings we need in order to reach our full potential.

This Is Getting A Little Harder.....

2009-11-13T06:57:00.000-08:00

I never imagined that thinking of just 5 small things a day to be thankful for could be difficult. I guess it's a good thing I took on this little assignment. Apparently I need to slow down and realize all the blessings, big and little, that I have.

1. I'm thankful the kids don't have school today! Even though we didn't really sleep in, it's nice to just lay around in our p.j.'s for as long as we want!

2. I'm thankful for my sister/best friend. I usually call her first thing in the morning and then several more times throughout the day. If I didn't have her to call, I probably wouldn't have an adult conversation all day long. (Plus, she stood up for me at wrestling last night even though I was a little out of control...)

3. I'm thankful for the Sugardoodle website. It makes planning my Primary lesson so much easier!

4. I'm thankful for the Paramount movie theater. If I want to take my family to a movie at the "big theater" it costs about $50.00 by the time you buy 1 large popcorn and 1 large drink to share. At the Paramount, we can go for about $20.00.

5. I'm thankful for my husband who takes us out to eat every Friday night so that I don't have to cook!

My 5 For The Day

2009-11-12T08:38:00.000-08:00

1. I'm thankful for hats because some days I just can't stand the thoughts of doing my hair!

2. I'm thankful for Insurance. I had to take Jordyn and Trason to get cavities fixed yesterday and my $150.00 bill just as easily could have been a $600.00 bill.

3. I'm thankful for Ibuprofen. Heaven knows I'm going to need it after the leg/butt workout I did this morning!

4. I'm thankful for the bus driver that comes and gets my kids at 7:45 am, so I don't have to get them to school that early!

5. I'm thankful for my furnace. It's freaking cold today!

5 More Things I'm Grateful For....

2009-11-11T08:56:00.000-08:00

1. Our Veterans. I'm grateful for all the people who have served our country and all the people who continue to keep our country safe and free. I know it's a huge sacrifice for them and their families.

2. I'm grateful for the daycare at the gym. They only charge $1.75 and I get 75 minutes of uninterrupted workout time. Can't beat that!

3. I'm grateful gas prices aren't sky high. Sure, they aren't low, but at least we aren't paying $4.00 a gallon again.

4. I'm thankful we don't have wrestling practice tonight! Three nights a week is a lot for both the kids and the parents.

5. I'm thankful for makeup to cover up the monster zit I have right now. Okay, it doesn't even come close to covering it up, but at least I can try! :)

Lets Start Over, Shall We?

2009-11-10T14:35:00.000-08:00

So.......I haven't posted in a really long time. Every time I think about my abandoned blog I have a mini panic attack. Seriously. I have so much to catch up on. There's the fair, the Boise vs. Oregon game we took Jaxon to, Roudy's elk, my first deer, Trason's first wrestling match....just to name a few. So, I decided to forget about those posts and start fresh, because really? I don't need any more stress in my life! A couple of my friends are listing 5 things they are grateful for everyday in November. I'm getting a late start, but I think I will play along anyway....

1. My extremely hard working husband. He works his tail off so I can stay home and raise our kids.

2. My little one's. They help remind me everyday what life is all about.

3. My mom. Today is her birthday! She's always willing to help with the kids and is a wonderful grandma!

4. Sponge Bob. I know I should outlaw Sponge Bob, but what a great babysitter while I catch up on my blog! :)

5. Green Tea HP for the energy it gives me to get through the day. This stuff seriously changed my life!!

Jordyn Is Grounded Until She's 21......

2009-08-31T13:07:00.000-07:00

Jordyn to Trason: "Trason, are you going to get your ears pierced when you get older?"
Mommy : "No, boys don't get their ears pierced."
Jordyn: "Ya, I saw some older boys that had their ears pierced."
Mommy: "Jordyn, that's gross!"
Jordyn: "No it's not. They were hot!"
Mommy: speechless

A few minutes later.....
Mommy: "Jordyn, I can't believe you thought a boy with earrings was hot."
Jordyn: "What, Mom, he had his hat backwards...."
Mommy: speechless...

I can't believe that my 6 year old used the word "hot" to describe a boy. Actually, I can't believe she saw a boy with earrings and his hat backwards and even really noticed or payed attention! So, I called Roudy and told him, "We have a problem.....Our 6 year old likes bad boys!" I told Roudy the story and the poor guy is just beside himself! He says to me, "That's it....she's gettin' a beatin' when I get home!" I told her that and she just gave me a sly smile and says, "Well, Mom, they WERE hot!" It's going to be a long 18 years........ :)

Jordyn Turns 6

2009-08-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

Jordy Sue turned 6 today. We've been partying for 2 days straight and everybody is exhausted!

Jordyn and Mom

Jordy and her Daddy.....SMILE ROUDY ;)

That's better

Jordyn opening her "Swim Puppy" that she has wanted FOREVER

My cute rugrats

Blowing out the candles

New earings

Getting ready to get her ear's pierced for her birthday (Roudy hated it)

Jordyn Lisa Keller- 6 years old

This is the video of Jordyn getting her ears pierced. Notice she doesn't even blink! What a tough girl! (Daddy was so proud!)

First Day Of School 2009

2009-08-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

Jaxon's 1st day of second grade

Jordyn's 1st day of Kindergarten

Jaxon telling Jordy what school's all about :)

Best Buddies

Trason Turns 4.........

2009-08-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

......and mommy shed just a few tears! I can't believe my baby is 4. It really bothers me that my kids are growing up so fast, but what do you do?
We started the day out at McDonald's for lunch because daddy is working nights this week. We celebrated with daddy and then sent him off to work. Next we went and bought Trason some new BMX riding gloves (because the little man is flat out scary on his bike!) Then we went to Toys R Us and got Trason a new backpack for preschool :( and a new Thomas the Train. Then it was off to the mall to look for a new football jersey. After all the hard shopping, we all needed a shaved ice. After that, the kids informed me that they might possibly DIE if they didn't have something to eat, so we headed to Arctic Circle with Grandma Gay Lyn and Katie's family for a little more playland action. While we were at Arctic Circle, Grandma informed us that they had new kitten's at their house so we just had to go check them out. Jordy was just beside herself and informed me that she "loved the black and white one really bad!" and named her Oreo. I'm thinking Oreo just might be Jordy's birthday present in a couple weeks. So, that was our day. I'd say it was a pretty good one!

***Trason's new birthday present deserves a post all to itself. More on that later....

In Good Times and Bad...

2009-07-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Roudy and I have been married 56 years today! Here's looking forward to 56 more...
Try to ignore the big ball of light in these pictures. Someday I'll figure out how to use my scanner and I won't have to take a picture of a picture! :)

P.S. Does anybody else notice that Roudy has aged a TON in the last 8 years and I still look exactly the same? Maybe that's just wishful thinking.... ;)

2009-07-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

I've got a question for all of you...... There are some songs that I want that aren't on playlist. Does anybody know how to add a song on playlist?

Picture Overload

2009-07-05T15:10:00.001-07:00

Since I've figured out Facebook, I've become blog lazy. It's so much easier to just put a few pics on Facebook! So, here are a bunch of pics of the summer so far....

Jaxon switch hitting because of his cast

Jaxon hitting the right way (even with a cast on!)

He's ready if that ball comes to him!

Jordy playing 1st base. She always got so excited and jumped up and down after the ball was hit! Notice her finger pointing the way for the runner to run?

My Suzy-Q before her 1st T-ball game

Mommy and Jordyn before the Spring Ballet- Hansel and Gretel

Daddy and his ballerina

Jordy and her cousins, Haylie Jo and Jozlyn Berry

Jordy was a butterfly

This was from our annual trip to Downata. I think Roudy is TRYING to be sexy....

The theme for the Downata reunion was Pirates. Here's my littlest (and naughtiest!) pirate, Trason

Jordy Suzy at Downata Hot Springs

Doesn't he just look like trouble?

Jaxon and Konner... aka, Frick and Frack

This is from the 4th of July celebration that we always go to in Mackay.
Frick and Frack wheel barrow racing.

Me and two of my three favorite kids (the other one is behind the camera)

Trason with one of the many lizards he's caught this year

Daddy and Trason shooting birds with the pellet gun

Roudy and Shay at Downata

Papa Steve helping Trason get ready for the sack race

Jaxon and Jordyn getting ready to sack race

Jordy and Konner getting ready for the foot race

Jaxon getting ready to race

Trason showing off his 2 50 cent pieces for winning the race for 3 year olds

My pretty girl before she fell on a screw and cut her knee wide open

Roudy playing horseshoes

Jaxon with the fish he caught

Jordy trying to catch a fish

Jordy with the fish she FINALLY caught! (We think it had brain damage)

What A Difference A Year Makes!

2009-06-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

Before
After

A year ago today I started my weight loss/ lifestyle change journey. I really wish I would have taken a picture once a month showing all the changes, but I didn't. In the "before" picture I'd already been working out for about 6 weeks or so and lost 7 or 8 lbs. We'd been camping for a week and I had no make up on, so I look extra bad, but it's the best "before" picture I could find. My "after" picture was just a couple days ago. So, in the last year I've lost 35 lbs and I've never felt better. I don't feel "skinny"....I just feel like myself again.

A Month in Pictures...

2009-05-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

*First of all, does anybody know why everything I write is underlined? It's very annoying!

State wrestling was on May 2nd this year. Jaxon wrestled great and ended up 3rd. It's a long story, but the refs SUCKED and Jaxon should have had the chance to wrestle more. That's not a mom's biased opinion...It's a fact and we have the video to prove it! We're taking the video to the guy in charge of Eastern Idaho Wrestling. Not to try and change anything because what's done is done, but we're hoping they will use the tape as an example when they train their refs. When you take your kid all the way to State, you expect them to have decent refs....they didn't.

This is Jaxon with one of his biggest rivals...and best wrestling buddies!
Owen Rogers and Jaxon

Jaxon with his intimidating tattoo!

Jaxon with his 3rd place medal!

We decided to take Trason's training wheels off, just to see if he was close to being ready. Was he ever! Roudy took off his training wheels, and Trason rode away. It's actually kind of scary and he's already wrecked and bounced his head off the concrete more than once. He's a wild man! I posted a video of him riding his bike right after we took the training wheels off, but for some reason it posted at the bottom of the screen.

I got to go on Jordy's field trip to the zoo with her preschool class. Here's Jordy and a couple friends riding the Tiger.

Jordy and some of her classmates

Jordy waiting to feed the goats

Jaxon fell off the monkey bars and broke his arm about a week ago. It really stinks because baseball is just starting and he's so good at baseball! Last year he played pitching machine and he was the youngest on his team...and the only person that didn't strike out the whole year. (A mom's allowed to brag, right?) Oh well, he's young. He's got a lot of years of playing baseball left!

Who needs a yearbook when everybody can sign your arm?

I'm sure he LOVED this! :)

Grandpa Joe putting his cast on

Getting ready to take the splint off and put on a hard cast.

Jordy on Preschool Graduation night

Jordy with her teachers, Miss Whitney and Miss Becky

This Chick Hunts.......

2009-04-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

Have you seen that bumper sticker that says "This Chick Hunts?" I'm totally getting it for my mini van! (Okay, no I'm not......) I drew on Turkey this year, so Roudy and I went out to fill my tag. He's grounded, though, because not only did he make me shoot a 12 gauge shot gun, he put a bigger bullet in my gun without me knowing......my shoulder is going to be bruised for sure!

This is right after I shot my Turkey

The whole family....including Pepsi

Roudy with my Turkey

2009-04-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

Last night after wrestling practice Jaxon was supposed to hurry and shower and then come and eat dinner. Well, everybody else was done eating and still no Jaxon. So, I went into the bathroom, and this is what I found.......Spring Break was hard on the poor kid! Now it's back to 7:30 pm bedtime so the little guy doesn't drown in the shower!!

The Best Things In Life

2009-03-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

These are a few of my favorite things~

1. Being in love.2. Being called "mommy".
3. Movie Theater popcorn.
4. A fresh haircut and color.
5. Warm sunny days... with no wind!
6. Watching a child sleep.
7. Freshly painted toenails.
8. A great work out.
9. Hearing a child's prayer.
10. A baby's first giggle.
11. A clean house.
12. Finding money in your pocket that you didn't know you had.
13. 3 day weekends.
14. Bubble baths.
15. People or Us magazine.
16. Best Friends (even if they live in California)
17. Push up bras.
18. Flip flops.
19. 7:30 pm bedtime.
20. Date Night.
21. Sleeping in.
22. Redfish Lake.
23. Pay day.
24. Watching your child succeed at something they love.
25. Bear Hugs.
26. Black jelly beans.
27. Tivo

Skyline Wrestling Tournament 2009

2009-03-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

We took Jaxon to a wrestling tournament at Skyline High School this last weekend and he did great! It's so fun to watch him wrestle! We're proud of him and how hard he works to get better. Most people don't understand why we spend so much time taking Jaxon to wrestling practice and why we commit every Saturday to a wrestling tournament for 2 1/2 months, but this is why! To watch your kid excel at something that he loves makes it worth all the sacrifice and hours put in!

This is Jaxon sitting on the mat waiting for a match to get over so he can wrestle. He just sits there cool as can be and meanwhile I feel like I'm going to throw up because I'm so nervous!

Jaxon feelin' good after winning a tough match!

These pictures are actually posted backwards... This is Jaxon after he won the match.

Jaxon pinning the kid using one of his favorite moves...the corkscrew.

Shaking hands and getting ready to wrestle.

Here's some video of one of Jaxon's matches. This is actually one of the easier matches he had. Freestyle wrestling has different rules and different scoring than Folkstyle wrestling (high school wrestling.) In freestyle if you get six more points than your opponent than you win the round. If you win two rounds, then you win the match. That's what happened in this match- Jaxon beat the kid 6-0 both rounds. Jaxon's in the red.....

Intermountain Warriors Ultimate Challenge

2009-03-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

We took Jaxon to a National Wrestling Tournament at the Holt Arena in Pocatello this weekend. It was a two day tournament with some really good little wrestlers.

This is how Jaxon feels about getting 4th place.....

The kids he lost to weren't necessarily better wrestlers than him...just stronger. So he's going to work hard at practice and we're going to beat those kids at State! We're really proud of Jaxon and how hard he wrestled this weekend!

I'm Back!

2009-03-06T19:35:00.000-08:00

I just got my computer back from being de-bugged. It's a long story, but I typed in my credit card number to one of those "anti-spyware" pop-ups and my computer totally crashed. What a freaking mess! The computer doctor had my computer for a whole week and he found almost 4 GB of threats on it. So, besides the fact that I had to call and freeze my credit card and pay the computer doctor $140.00 to fix my mess, it was actually a blessing in disguise because I already had a virus that I didn't know about. Anyway, more on that later. I'm exhausted and I have to get up at 5:30 in the morning to be to a wrestling tournament. Yes...it's that time of year again. More on that later, too..........

A day in the life

2009-02-25T12:11:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd give you an idea of what my life is like with 3 very active little monsters! Yesterday I filled my gas tank up in the morning and reset my odometer. After running the kids to their different activities and the dog to the vet, my odometer was at 106.7 miles. Good thing gas isn't $4.00 a gallon anymore!

Roudy gets even older......

2009-02-13T13:46:00.000-08:00

This is what the kids are giving Roudy for his birthday. I hope he likes it since it's all he's getting.... :)

The Last Few Weeks......In Pictures

2009-02-08T14:40:00.000-08:00

Roudy took the kids Ice Fishing yesterday with Papa Ray. I'd love to tell you all about it.....but I wasn't invited. Instead, I spent the morning making Carmel corn and then went to lunch with Beckie and Chy. Adult time is kind of nice...

The kids with their fishes

The super cute baby clothes I had to take back. It was every bit as horrible as it sounds.

Roudy's been bugging me to clean out my closet for about a year now. I finally did it and got about 4 garbage bags of clothes out of my closet. I haven't even started on my shoes or my dresser drawers.......

This is the night Brian became a full time missionary. We went to dinner with everyone at Jakers before he got set apart and we had a great time. I should have taken a lot more pictures, but this was the night before my D&C so my mind was elsewhere. I'm lucky Roudy got this picture. My whole family was at the MTC with Brian the day of my surgery. Yeah, that pretty much sucked, too, but we're so proud of Brian and his decision to serve a mission. He leaves the MTC this Tuesday to go to Tempe, Arizona.

Last weekend we went to Papa Joe's cabin so Roudy could help my dad and grandpa shovel off the five feet of snow that had accumulated on my dad's very steep roof.

Papa Joe with the kids
Roudy climbing the ladder of death.... I should have gotten a picture of how steep the roof is! This turned out to be an all day job and Roudy pretty much couldn't move the next day because he was so sore!

My dad, grandpa, and Roudy before they went out to start shoveling. My grandpa refused to do any hand-sign if he didn't know what it meant....hence, the thumbs up! He's so cute!

My cute grandpa in Brian's snowboard gear. Brian's pants were too big for my grandpa, so they kept falling down around his thighs (like kids wear their pants today). He looked the part.....it was too funny!

Full Circle......

2009-01-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

When Roudy and I started dating I was 18 and he was 27. He was an OLD MAN! And, now I'm 27....... It sucks getting old! I had much cuter pictures of me and Roudy when we first started dating, but I couldn't get a very good picture of a picture (imagine that!)

Roudy and I- September of 2000

*I'm going to keep trying to figure out my scanner, I promise......

Image Of An Angel

2009-01-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

Hopefully this picture will say it all so I don't have to....

Daddy Gets Busted......

2009-01-19T08:31:00.000-08:00

Remember my post a couple days ago about Trason helping daddy frame the basement? Well, Trason helped daddy all day on Saturday, too, while I was out running my errands (and getting rude notes from old ladies!) It was around 8:00 pm when Trason came in the kitchen with his hands on his hips and said, "Guess what, mom? Dad said shit a lotta times downstairs." It was so unexpected and Roudy and I burst out laughing. The moral of this story is: Be careful what you say because you never know when you'll be tattled on!

I Never Want To Get Old........

2009-01-17T15:13:00.000-08:00

I went to the mall today and it was completely packed- nowhere to park, whatsoever. So, I see one of those cute little "pregnant mother" spots that I've been dying to use and I park there. The sign just said "reserved parking" and there was a cute little pink stork picture painted on the ground. I got out of my car, pushed my belly out as far as I could so people didn't think I was a liar, and went in to get my shopping done. When I came out of the Mall, I saw a note on my car. I just figured it was my sister saying thanks for bringing her a Coke earlier. But it wasn't. It was a note saying that I had broken the law and I was "Dumb." I'm sure it was some grouchy old lady who was mad because she thought I had parked in a Handicap spot. Let me tell you, my raging, pregnant hormones got the best of me and I was FURIOUS! I stood outside my car, looking around for some old lady to chew out and tell her she was the "dumb" one. I even thought about leaving a nasty note back to the person on my car, and doing a little more shopping. I really wanted to say my piece, but finally decided there was no way I'd ever know who wrote the note. I just hope that when they came out of the mall they saw the big, pink stork painted on the ground instead of the blue wheelchair that I'm sure they were expecting. All I can say is, MIND YOUR OWN FREAKING BUSINESS, PEOPLE!

Daddy's Little Helper

2009-01-17T09:33:00.001-08:00

While Jaxon and Jordyn were at school yesterday, Trason decided to jump right into the working world and help daddy frame a few walls in the basement!

Whatever Works, I Guess.........

2009-01-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

Jordy and Trason's new favorite way to watch cartoons.......

Baby Bump

2009-01-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

My first baby bump picture, yay! Not the most flattering picture, but what do you do? I'm 11 weeks here if you go by the ultrasound date and 12 weeks and 2 days if you go by the first day of my last cycle. Judging by the size of my belly, I'm going to go with 12 weeks and 2 days!! :)

Jaxon's Surgery

2009-01-08T16:40:00.000-08:00

Jaxon had his tonsils and adenoids out this morning at E.I.R.M.C. We're all glad it's over! Jaxon has been very nervous about the procedure and so has mom. Everything went well and Jaxon's excited to do nothing but watch movies and play the Wii for the next few days! The fact that he gets all the ice cream, Popsicles, Gatorade, and Sprite he wants doesn't hurt, either!

Jaxon getting his vitals taken at 5:45 am.

Jaxon in his sweet hospital clothes!
He's feeling pretty good, now! This was after they gave him his Versed

After the surgery- not feeling so great now!

Finally, going home!

Roudy has always done this thing to Jaxon where he kisses his two fingers and then taps his chest and then points at Jaxon. (I guess Sammy Sosa used to do it after he hit a home run?) Well, it totally embarrasses Jaxon and he'll never do it back to Roudy. We thought we'd take advantage of the fact that Jaxon was drugged and totally silly and have him do it. In the video, he gets so confused and can't remember how to even do it! Turn down your volume so you don't have to listen to my stupid laugh- remember it was 6:30 am! The second video is the funniest because he kisses his fingers and then raises his eyebrows like "Hey baby"!

Better Late Than Never...........

2009-01-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures in random order (because I can't figure out how to move the pictures around once they are posted!)

Jaxon's 7th Birthday Party at Leo's

Jaxon's too expensive gift from mom and dad (mostly dad!)
Opening his present

Christmas 2008

Jaxon playing a new wii game and wearing his new jersey

Jordyn coloring on her new easel

Trason playing with his new race track

Jordyn with the over-priced stuffed Lion that she had been wanting since August

Trason and "Spike" the dinosaur

Jordyn and her gingerbread house from preschool

Baby Update

2009-01-05T14:48:00.001-08:00

It's been a crazy few weeks and I have gotten blog lazy! Lets start with the baby.......

I went in for my appointment on December 22nd to try to hear the baby's heartbeat. However, there was no heartbeat so we had to go in on the 23rd for an ultrasound (darn it!) It turns out I'm not as far along as I thought. We thought I was due July 24th, 2009 and now I'm not due until August 2nd, 2009. I know 10 days doesn't seem like much, but it makes it seem like I've been pregnant FOREVER! If the ultrasound is right then I found out I was pregnant when I was only like a week pregnant. How does that work? Anyway, we got the cutest picture of our little one! It looks like a little teddy bear with it's big body and little tiny arms and legs. Since we had the ultrasound on the 23rd, we called it our little gingerbread man. If I knew how to use my fabulous scanner, I'd post the picture......but I don't. I usually just take a picture of a picture, but for some strange reason it never seems to turn out very good! ;) I've felt great- I haven't been sick at all. This pregnancy is so different from my other 3 pregnancies and I'm wondering why? (But I'm definitely NOT complaining!) The only way I can even tell I'm pregnant is ..... I'm totally broken out, I'm always STARVING, and you can actually see my thighs getting bigger. The number on the scale hasn't moved yet (THANK HEAVENS!) but I've lost every ounce of muscle I worked so hard for. Oh well. I guess that's what happens when you're growing a human ;)

My goal is to get pictures uploaded from Christmas and Jaxon's birthday party within the next few days. We'll see how it goes.......

What If They Hokey Pokey Really Is What It's All About......And Other Random Thoughts

2008-12-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

As most of you know my grandmother passed away on December 12th, 2008 due to complications from heart surgery. It was very unexpected and her death has been very hard for me to deal with. Thank You to everyone who has sent their condolences. I really appreciate it.

On a happier note..... My baby actually looks like a baby now!! My blog widget has really freaked me out a little bit, but I noticed today that my little creature now resembles a human! Yay! We go in Monday morning to hear the heartbeat. I've felt so good- I don't even feel pregnant except for the fact that I'm getting a little bit of a baby bump.

I'm usually one of those people who have all their Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving. Well, I haven't even really started. If anybody has any fabulous ideas for Jordyn I'd really appreciate it. I'm thinking a Karaoke machine would be great for her, but Roudy says she'd have to shut herself in her bedroom to be able to use it! Now, that's not very nice...........

Asking For Prayers......

2008-12-12T07:02:00.000-08:00

My grandma had open heart surgery yesterday and things didn't go even close to as planned. I'm asking for prayers on her behalf. For a detailed explanation of what happened, click on my step moms blog......http://mrsjoedo.blogspot.com

All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.....

2008-12-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

Jaxon lost his 6th tooth today- Finally!! He had to have the four bottom teeth pulled out almost 2 years ago due to a wrestling injury. Then he bumped his front teeth on something and knocked them loose, too. One of the front teeth came out, but the other one has been dead and loose for quite a while so I'm glad it's finally out!! I'm glad we didn't lose four at once again.....I hear the going rate for the Tooth Fairy is $5.00 a tooth!

Nutcracker 2008

2008-12-09T12:15:00.001-08:00

Jordy did the Nutcracker Ballet on December 5th and 6th this year. This year Jordyn was a Butterscotch Princess and a Fairy. I'm so proud of her- she did great!

My little Prima Ballerina

Jordyn and her cousin, Jozlyn
Jordyn, Jozlyn, and some annoying kid in the background ;)

Jordyn in her Fairy costume

Jordyn in her Butterscotch Princess costume

Jordyn and her proud mommy after the show

Jordyn with all of her flowers

Wrestling- Fall 2008

2008-12-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

Sorry- I know the picture is horrible. A picture of a picture never seems to work out......

Jaxon had a wrestling tournament Friday night and he ended up with a first place medal! He had a great season, only losing 1 time (to a kid 5 lbs. heavier.) He has had wrestling 4 nights a week for the last couple months and I'm definitely ready for a break! We get about 6 weeks off and then the craziness really begins with a 5 month freestyle season!

The Stockings Were Hung...

2008-12-04T13:09:00.001-08:00

I got sick of waiting for Roudy to find time to put up our Christmas tree we cut down a couple weeks ago, so I went downstairs into the basement of death and found a few little Christmas things I could put up by myself.

I'm having major anxiety about having another family member and not having another stocking hanger for her.......

This is the ONLY good thing about having an elk head in my house....

My Body Is Being Taken Over

2008-12-03T10:55:00.001-08:00

Anybody that knows me knows that I HATE eggs. They smell like a fart, have a terrible consistency, and are just plain gross. And yet, that's all I wanted to eat for the first 6 weeks of my pregnancy. I didn't just want any old egg- I wanted the yolk runny so I could dip my toast in it. And I hate egg yolk. I've had pregnancy cravings before, but it's always been stuff that I actually liked. The only thing I can figure out is that maybe my body was needing protein? I'm just glad that my little egg craving has passed, for now. Today I had to go to the store to get my mom some orange juice and the nice lady at Albertson's tried to give Trason a potato wedge. He didn't want it so, of coarse, I ate it....and wanted more. I got myself a half pound and sat in the car and ate them. The whole time I was stuffing my face with potato wedges, I honestly had EXTREME guilt. I knew I shouldn't be eating those, and yet I couldn't stop myself. I'm scared.......

Another Plus..

2008-12-01T13:48:00.001-08:00

I went to the mall today. It was hell. I haven't done ANY Christmas shopping yet and usually I'm done by now. Anyway, I decided I'd splurge a little and get the kids one of those firetruck strollers at the mall to keep them contained. Well, I managed to get one without buckles so I spent 3 hours chasing Trason thru the mall. It was a good time....

I bought the baby some clothes today, too! Yay! I bought girl clothes because the pencil test says I'm having a girl. The pencil test doesn't lie- it's like a weeji board (only you don't have to sell your soul to the devil.) As I was leaving I noticed one of those "expectant mother" parking spots that are always right up front by the Handicap spots. Next time I go to the mall I'm totally taking advantage of that!! I already know that people will be like, "I can't believe that girl parked in a spot for pregnant women. How rude!" There's no rule saying you have to be showing to park in one of those, right?

**Is anybody else freaked out by my baby widget? I swear that little things tail keeps getting longer and longer and I swear I just saw something that looked like a snake's tongue hissing coming out of my "baby's" "mouth"..........

New School Pictures For 2008

2008-11-24T20:45:00.000-08:00

Jaxon Roudy Keller- 1st grade

Jordyn Lisa Keller- Preschool
Trason Kade Keller- 3 years old

Baby Update

2008-11-24T14:59:00.000-08:00

I went to my first OB appointment today. My due date is July 24, 2009- 3 days before my 8th anniversary! It still doesn't feel like I'm pregnant. I think I'm kind of still in shock mode. I've felt completely great- Not even a hint of morning sickness (knock on wood!) I guess once my belly starts to show I'll start feeling more pregnant. I've decided to change my tune a little bit, too. Since I've found out I'm pregnant I've been a little ungrateful, I think. I've had to tell a few of my friends that can't have babies on their own that I'm pregnant and I'm sure they have wanted to strangle me with my "why me" attitude. I'm very grateful that my body LOVES to be pregnant and I'm grateful that pregnancy is easy for me. Not to mention my 3-4 hour labor where I only have to push 1 time for about 30 seconds- That's awesome! I promise there will be no more "poor me" over the amazing act of having a child. I can't promise there won't be any crying, however. My OB told me today that I needed to be eating 2400 calories a day- that made me cry!! I can't mentally get myself to that point yet, but I'm working on it..........

Deep Breaths

2008-11-18T07:19:00.000-08:00

I've been taking a lot of deep breaths since I found out that I'm pregnant. I always get embarrassed to tell people I'm pregnant because I feel like I have a scarlet letter on my chest. Anyway, I'm coming to terms with it. It came as such a shock because on November 1st we put $1500 into Roudy's "Flex Spending " medical account for 2009. That was to cover Jaxon's speech ($800 a year), getting Jaxon's tonsils out, and Roudy's VASECTOMY. Little did we know that I was already pregnant! There are so many very vain and selfish reasons that I didn't want another child, but as I'm getting used to the idea, I'm getting excited. The kids are really excited- they ALL want a little sister so hopefully I don't disappoint! Jordy is especially excited. She talks about the baby all the time- and always says "she" or "her". I always thought that I only wanted one girl, but I've realized what Jordy would be missing out on if she didn't have a sister. There's nothing like a sisterly bond. I keep telling Roudy that if he loved me he would hide my bathroom scale- but it's not missing yet. After losing 27 pounds and being 1 pound away from my goal weight, it's going to be horrible to watch that number creep back up. But, at the same time I keep thinking "Thank heavens I didn't get pregnant when I was almost 30 pounds heavier!" As expected my emotions are out of control, I have had a horrible headache for about 2 weeks now, and I'm exhausted. That's how Roudy knew I was pregnant. The night before we found out, I was laying in bed bawling. He asked me what was wrong and I just kept saying "I'm tired. I'm so exhausted." He was like "oh crap. You're pregnant!" I haven't sorted everything out in my head yet, like where we will actually put this baby and things like that, but I know everything happens for a reason and this is in the Lords hands now, not mine. Everything will be fine......

Oops........We did it agian

2008-11-17T07:40:00.000-08:00

Will somebody please tell me how this happened? We were DONE.......... I'm in shock. I'll post more later when I get my emotions under control!

I'm Getting Discouraged......

2008-11-12T12:07:00.001-08:00

I'm only two pounds away from the goal weight I set for myself back in June. I should be ecstatic, right? Well, I was until I went downstairs and found my old clothes- the ones from before I got pregnant with Trason- the ones I haven't worn in 4 years. I grabbed two pair of jeans and took them to my room to try them on.... Not even close. So, back downstairs they went into the "I'll probably never wear these again" box. I was complaining to Roudy- it went like this:

me: "I'm so frustrated! I've been working out 5 days a week since June, I'm counting calories, I've lost 26 pounds. Why can't I even get one leg into my old pants?"

roudy: "Well, you could be more frustrated. You could have tried these pants on 5 months ago and not been able to even get a calve in them!"

At first I laughed, and then I was like "what a jerk!" But, I know he was only teasing me and that was his way of telling me how far I've come. I am grateful for the success I've had, and I'm grateful that I have a healthy body that's capable of exercise, blah, blah, blah.......but I'm still frustrated.....

Wild One....

2008-11-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

I heard this song on the radio the other day and it brought back a lot of memories! All growing up my parents would tell me that this was my theme song whenever it came on the radio. I always did feel like it suited me pretty well....

Most of you probably remember when I got my tattoo and my belly button pierced in high school. My mom was like, "Mindy! Your body is a temple!" Want to know what my response was? "Ya, well, mine's just decorated better than everybody else's!" Just for the record, if Jordy ever says anything like that to me, I'll probably slap her. But, I guess what goes around, comes around! Yesterday in primary we were talking about how our body is a temple and we shouldn't get tattoo's. I just dread the day my kids are like, "my mom has a tattoo!" I guess the moral of this story is....... mother really does know best!

Jaxon's 2nd Set of Stitches..

2008-11-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

If you have a queasy stomach, don't read this post.......

Jaxon was playing tackle football with the neighbor boys today and ended up with a split lip. Luckily, we know a good doctor! We ran him to my dad at the ER and grandpa stitched him up. Jaxon really didn't care about the stitch, he was more worried about why he couldn't go home and play some more football. I told him he couldn't play football at recess for a couple days- that really made him cry! He's definatly a die hard......

I didn't get a picture before we went to the hospital. This was a couple hours after

the fact and his lip is hardly swollen at all.

Luckily it was a straight cut, so only one stich to hold it together.

Relief.....

2008-11-06T21:10:00.000-08:00

My "little" brother got his mission call today. I was scared to death. I've always told him I thought he'd go somewhere very poor and out of this country because I thought he had some life lessons to learn. When it came right down to it, I changed my mind. I didn't want him to go out of the states! You'll have to watch the video to hear where he's going.......

Me and Brian

We're both smiling huge because I'm getting ready to jump

into his arms and do the dead weight thing!

Brian opening his call
Brian had a bazillion friends there to see where he was going,

but I guess he needed to text the one friend

that couldn't make it ............

Uncle "Fryan" with all the monkeys

WAAAAA

2008-11-06T12:54:00.000-08:00

My little brother, Brian, got his mission call today. We're having the "letter opening" celebration at my house. I'm so nervous.....

I'm A Little Concerned.....

2008-11-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

After dinner tonight I said to Roudy, "Are you going to go vote?" And Jaxon yells from the other room, "Vote for Obama!" I asked Jaxon how he even knew that name and he said, "We had a vote at school today. I voted for Obama." So I asked him why he voted for Obama. His answer? "He's going to send money to Africa to people that don't have any money." Then I say, "Jaxon, where do you think he's going to get that money?" Realization hit him and he just said, "Oh."
I'm concerned, not only that they are teaching my 1st grader politics at school, but at how many people are going to vote for Obama not knowing the whole story......

O C D......

2008-11-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

I was going through all of the kids clothes and putting the ones that were too small into a bag to take downstairs. As I was pulling the clothes off the hanger, I would just throw the hanger on the floor. Well, I asked Jordyn to pick up all the hangers for me so I could put them in the laundry room. I came back in her room and found all the hangers color coordinated. Looks like Jordy inherited her dad's mad organizing skills....

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloween this year! We took the kids to the church for trunk or treat at 6:00, then went to the gay neighbors house (we don't discriminate when candy is involved!), went to a few other neighbors house, went to Grandparents and then hit a neighborhood that has houses close together. We trick or treated for 3 hours and by the end the kids had to have Roudy hold their bags because they were so full!

Remember when you were a kid and the best part of trick or treating was coming home and dumping your goods onto the floor and seeing what you got? Then you could eat it all at once or hide it and eat it little by little. The candy was YOURS and you didn't have to share. Well, Roudy took that away from our kids. I came home today and he had "organized" the candy. He had the sugary stuff like sweet tarts and skittles in one bag, chocolate in another, etc... He even opened all the little packages of Milk Duds and Whoppers and put them in their own bag. He was so proud. What a loser. Now the kids don't have their very own candy bags to go through. 20 years from now the kids will bring this up in therapy..........

Our Little Family
Grandma Gay Lyn and Papa Ray with the Munchkins

The "Strawberry" Grandma and Grandpa with the Kids

*My grandpa grows an amazing garden, so they are the "strawberry grandparents"

Me and Lover Boy at Trunk or Treat

(I know I look like hell. Did I mention I have Pink Eye?)

Trason as "The Incredible Hulk"
Jordy Sue as "Dorothy" with Toto, Ruby Red Slippers, and all

Jaxon as a "Star Trooper"

All my little Monsters

What The Heck.......

2008-10-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

I woke up in the middle of the night with pink eye. I could not open my eyes no matter how hard I tried. GROSS! I don't get it. I try to keep a clean house, so why is everyone always getting sick? And how did a grown woman get pink eye? Do you think I need to throw my contacts away? Do you think I can even wear contacts with pink eye?

*For all you people wondering "why is she asking us? Her dad's a doctor, " I called him already. He didn't answer. Imagine that.......

I'm really wishing my camera didn't have the red eye reduction thingy. I tried to take a pic of my eyes because really, you wouldn't believe it. Too bad we had our Halloween party last weekend because my eyes would go great with a warewolf costume or something scary! It turns out I CAN'T wear my contacts for a week. Great. I can already feel the headaches coming on. And when I was putting on a little mascara this morning Jordy says to me, "Mom, I think grandpa said you can't wear that." Thank you, mother.....

VOTE

2008-10-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

I got this emailed to me from Roudy's ex-brother-in-law, Trent. Thought I would share............

'Twas the night before elections*
*And all through the town*
*Tempers were flaring*
*Emotions all up and down!*
**
*I, in my bathrobe*
*With a cat in my lap*
*Had cut off the TV*
*Tired of political crap.*
**
*When all of a sudden*
*There arose such a noise*
*I peered out of my window*
*Saw Obama and his boys*
**
*They had come for my wallet*
*They wanted my pay*
*To give to the others*
*Who had not worked a day!*
**
*He snatched up my money*
*And quick as a wink*
*Jumped back on his bandwagon*
*As I gagged from the stink*
**
*He then rallied his henchmen*
*Who were pulling his cart*
*I could tell they were out*
*To tear my country apart!*
**
*' On Fannie, on Freddie, *
*On Biden and Ayers!*
*On Acorn, On Pelosi'*
*He screamed at the pairs!*
**
*They took off for his cause*
*And as he flew out of sight*
*I heard him laugh at the nation*
*Who wouldn't stand up and fight!*
**
*So I leave you to think*
*On this one final note-*
*IF YOU DON'T WANT SOCIALISM*
*GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!*

The Football Player and The Cheerleader

2008-10-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

On Friday Roudy and I went to an adult Halloween party that we go to every year. This is the first year we really dressed up. Last year Roudy safety pinned candy all over his shirt and went as a "sugar daddy." This year we decided to go all out. The party always starts out with a scavenger hunt, so we are running all over town in our costumes with people staring at us. It's actually really fun! Our partners this year dressed up as Batman and Batgirl so when we went in to these public places all the little kids went crazy yelling "Batman!" That was going to be our excuse if we lost- "Batman had to sign autographs!" But we didn't have to worry about that. We won!

Me and My Best Neighbor girls

Becky- Batgirl and Tiffany- Hillary Clinton

Me and My Super Hot Football Player

Becky and Kevin

(they won the costume contest)

You Might Be A Redneck If...

2008-10-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend we loaded up the kids and went to Arco for a weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Roudy took his hunting stuff so he could get in a few hours of deer hunting. Well, he went out for a couple hours and shot a deer with his bow. But, guess what? He didn't bring his truck. He was going to leave the deer at his parents house and then go back with his truck to get the deer. Since I'm a cheap wad I said "just tie it on top of the van." At first he was like 'no way', but then he saw the light! We had to drive down 17th street and there was more than one person that literally pointed and laughed at us. Poor Roudy. Having to drive your beautiful beast home on top of the mini van? Total buzz kill.

Pumpkins

2008-10-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

A woman was asked by a co-worker, "What is it like to be a Christian?"

The woman replied, "It's like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Even if you're not the perfect shape or the best looking, He loves you just the same. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. After that, He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

A Great Weekend

2008-10-20T14:47:00.001-07:00

Roudy came home early from hunting so we decided to do something fun with the kids. I wanted to take the kids to a corn maze (where our journey began) but there aren't any corn mazes for 300 miles. I did find a Straw Maze in Rexburg, so that's where we headed. It was fun for the kids, but not nearly as challenging as a corn maze. We got through the first time in about 10 minutes. Then we decided to go backwards and that took a few minutes. So, we decided to get our money's worth and go through 1 more time. By that time it had gotten late enough that kids in costumes were hiding throughout the maze scaring people and the kids thought that was pretty fun. However, we couldn't find our way out this time! We took a wrong turn somewhere and kept going in a dead end circle. Finally, after about 45 minutes, we found our way out.

Me and My Love at the Straw Maze The Kiddos at the Straw Maze

I've taught him well! Jaxon had to pee really bad but he said "I'd rather pee my pants than use one of those port-a-pottys!" Atta Boy......

Have you ever seen a cuter bum? Like Father, Like Son...

And notice Jordyn peeking? Like Mother, Like Daughter.......... :)

On Friday night my mom had a fun little Halloween party for the grand kids. First we went to Arctic Circle for dinner, then headed to grandma's for some fun. They painted pumpkins, went on treasure hunts, played "pin the nose on the pumpkin", and even had a fishing pond. The kids thought they had died and gone to heaven!

Jaxon and his prized pumpkin

Jordy and her pumpkin
Trason painting his pumpkin (and being naughty, as usual!)
Jaxon playing "pin the nose on the pumpkin." Notice he's putting his sticker EXACTLY where it's supposed to go? What a cheater.....Like father, Like son...... :)

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em.........

2008-10-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

Since it's hunting season and that's what a lot of people are talking about right now, I thought I'd add my pictures from the time I "drew" a bull tag. Someday when the kids get a little older, I'll be back out there with my man. Here's the story on this bull....

Roudy worked all night and then left work to go look for me a bull. Well, he found a monster for me so he turned around to come back to Idaho Falls and get me so I could shoot it. We called Roudy's mom and had her meet us in Arco so she could take the kids for the night. So, we traded cars and off we went. We hiked a little ways (okay, a long ways for me) and found the bulls Roudy had spotted earlier. So, he tries to get me set up to shoot, but I can't find a rock I like. I only practiced shooting a couple times before we went out hunting. Both times I cried because I was scared to shoot the gun. Anyway, I can't find a comfortable shooting position and Roudy's like "Mindy, you're killing me!" I have no doubt he thought about ripping the gun out of my hand and shooting it himself. Well, across the canyon there was a decent bull just standing there all by himself. He was practically posing for me. So, I found a comfortable rock to shoot off of and set up for the shot. I nailed the poor thing, but it just stood there. So, I set up for another shot- through the neck this time. That finally got him and we celebrated and then hiked over to him. (By the way, it was a 348 yard shot. Go me!) Everything was all good as we got over to the bull and started taking all these pictures. Then, all of a sudden, Roudy and this other guy that went with us cut the head off, throw it to the side, and start gutting this animal. Of coarse, I start to cry and Roudy's all annoyed. So, we take the head down the trail with us and throw it in Roudy's mom's suburban- I'm sure she was thrilled! Long story short, my antlers got stolen out of the back of Roudy's truck at my dad's house. I guess it doesn't matter that I didn't get the monster bull since I have nothing to show for it anyway. The End. And, yes, that's a picture of a picture. I'm high class..........

Don't Cry Tonight...

2008-10-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite song! It should be my theme song because it seems like I always get emotional at nighttime. Roudy left this morning to go hunting until Sunday night, so I might just have to picture him laying next to me singing "Don't cry tonight, I still love you baby........" :)

First I cried....Then I Got Mad

2008-10-15T13:26:00.001-07:00

It's very possible I ate my favorite food for the last time today. Every time I go to Sam's Club I get a soft pretzel. They aren't as good as the one's from the mall, but they're only a dollar. So, today I go to Sam's to stock up on frozen foods and get my soft pretzel. After I ate the stupid thing I decided I should go ask if they have the nutrition facts for their food. There are 180 calories in 1/3 of a soft pretzel. Who only eats 1/3 of a pretzel? Not me. So I ate 540 calories in approximatly 2 minutes. I felt like I was going to cry when I read that. Not only did I just eat almost half my calories for the day- I'm still hungry! The kids got a slice of pizza and shared it. Guess how many calories are in a slice of Sam's Club pizza? There are 679 calories. HOLY CRAP! I guess I get to eat rabbit food for the rest of the day. Thanks a lot stupid pretzel....

We Need A Wife.....

2008-10-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

Just the other day, as I was doing laundry, I was telling Roudy, "Ya know, we could use a wife." He just kind of looked at me and said "we could?" "Think about it," I say, "somebody to do the laundry and cook the meals and wash the dishes." I don't think he really knows what goes into being a GOOD wife. His meal is sitting on the table waiting for him promptly at 6:00 pm every night, he never has to wash his own clothes. In fact, one time he was trying to wash his hunting clothes (I was probably on strike) and he yells to me "Honey, how do you turn this thing on?" He has NEVER ONCE loaded or unloaded the dishwasher. He will rinse off the dishes, but that's as far as it goes. His excuse, "I just hate it." Guess what, Roud? I hate it, too. I'm sure there are many things that go into being a good husband, too. I don't do yard work. Sorry, Roud, but "I just hate it." and I don't clean the basement because "I just hate it." That excuse can go both ways, Lover Boy........

This was our dinner last night.....

Homemade Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Salad with homemade Ranch and all the fixins and wait, is that homemade bread?

Just to be fair, Roudy cooks on the weekends. I don't cook on Friday nights and I don't cook breakfast (I just hate it....). Roudy always cooks the kids french toast, eggs, sausage, and hash browns on Saturday and Sunday Mornings. While he was away hunting a couple weeks ago, I made the kids scrambled eggs for breakfast. The kids were like, "This is groooosssss. When will dad be home? He's the best Chef. Do I really have to eat these?" And yet, if I ever take a few hours and go shopping with my mom, it's always a joke of when Roudy will call. Every time I leave for a few hours (okay, a lot of hours. My mom is a serious shopper...) Roudy will call and say "The kids are hungry. When are you coming home?" My mom's always like "Can't he fix a box of macaroni and cheese or make a peanut butter sandwich?"

WTF (I meant Frick.I don't know what you were thinking...)

2008-10-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

Look what we woke up to this morning. 9 days ago it was almost in the 90's and now it's in the 30's. I guess it's not a big shock to most of us how fast the weather can change here in Idaho. It's supposed to be back to the mid 60's by this friday. WTF?

This is the view from our back door.

The view from the front door.
Another front door view.
**This post was Roudy's idea. I would NEVER use bad language like that...

Jordy Needs A Sister...........

2008-10-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

The last couple days Jordy has decided she wants to wear Jaxon's wrestling gear and wrestle the boys. Roudy's all, "should we let her wrestle? I haven't taught her anything yet and I think she'd be good at it." Um, hello. NO our baby girl is NOT going to wrestle. Trason, on the other hand, I can't wait for him to turn 4 so he can wrestle. He's dirty tough and way more aggressive than Jaxon has ever been. Roudy's thinking about signing a waver so Trason can wrestle this year at 3 years old. We'll see.... Anyway, the pictures are showing up dark for some reason. They look fine on my camera. And, I have no idea where that white line came from in the first video. Roudy took my camera hunting last week- if he ruined it I might have to kill him. ;) Also, I have a STUPID laugh throughout the video's so if you would just turn off your sound, I'd appreciate it!

Roudy & Dave's Big Adventure

2008-10-09T19:27:00.001-07:00

Roudy killed a pretty nice bull elk back in 1993 (the lovely beast now hangs in my living room)and he carved his initials and the word "elk" into a tree. Well, he had the opportunity to go back to that area to hunt and he found that same tree he carved his name in so many years ago.

Hey there, Big Boy

My Sexy Man

Jasper, Dave, and Chy
Dave's 1st Bull

**Since Dave's "sexy" picture has everybody freaked out, I guess I'll explain. Dave does this gay/sexy face out at work and it makes all of the guys cringe! Most of them just look away because they can't stand it! Well, when everybody heard that Roudy and Dave were taking the horses and packing in for a week they all teased them that it was going to be Brokeback Mountain! So, this picture was for the guys out at work. Be grateful, I could have posted the picture Roudy took of Dave peeing........

White Trash

2008-10-08T11:58:00.001-07:00

*Warning... Rebecca, don't show this to Zach. He might cry a little...

So, anybody that knows Roudy knows he's a clean freak. At any given time you could eat off our garage floor. He washes the freaking lawn mower, for hell sakes. His mom said that growing up his room was the cleanest room in the house. Needless to say, he's a major perfectionist. So, how did his prized truck fall through the cracks? Since I've known him (8 years) this truck has NEVER been washed. That's right. Never. These pictures really don't do the inch of dust on the truck justice! And, notice the poor thing is on blocks? When we were first married this beautiful truck had a 6in lift on it. But, Roudy took the lift off because I had a hard time getting in it. I was pregnant, honey. I could have managed. So, he took it down from like a 6 inch lift to a 2 in lift. And there went his manliness. It kind of looked like a sissy truck instead of the beefy truck it was. Sorry, honey. You know it's true. Then, to make things worse, he needed the tires for another truck, so this one gets to sit on blocks. I'm just glad the poor thing is parked in the garage so our neighbors don't have to know that they live next door to white trash!

Remeber When...

2008-10-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

Remember when you were little and there was nothing better than having a tent in the living room? I remeber staying the night at Ashlee Pimentel's house and watching Steven King's "It" from inside a tent in the living room. There was nothing better! Well, perhaps having full control of the remote and your own bowl of popcorn while watching a Barbie movie... life is good for Jordy Sue! Roudy got home from his hunting trip last Saturday and had to set up the tent so it could dry out. Honey, it's wednesday. You can put the tent away now.

FINALLY....

2008-10-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

I hit the 20 pound mark today! Well, actually I hit it yesterday, but I thought it was too good to be true. I started working out on June 7th, so it took me 4 months to the day. Wow. I had no idea losing weight was that hard. If anybody see's me looking a little heavy again PLEASE say something to remind me of how hard this has been. Just say something like, "Remember that one time you spent all those hours in the gym. That was cool." Then I'll know I need to put my fork down. Only 8 lbs to go...........

Pump me up, baby

2008-10-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

My totally awesome husband bought me a totally awesome elliptical when my gym membership ended. I got on it for the first time last night and loved it! There was only one thing missing... tunes that make me want to work my butt off (literally). The elliptical has ipod speakers built in, so now I just need to make a workout play list. I like all music, but my favorite is rap. Alternative or metal would probably be good for working out, too. Maybe some good old Brittany Spears or Christina Aguilera? What are some of your favorite songs for getting "pumped up"?

*I realize this song says the same thing over and Over and OVER, but it's one that they played at the gym all the time, so in my head it's totally a work out song.

All About Roudy...

2008-09-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Chy...

1. Where did you meet? Long Story! I was waiting for a missionary, so I didn't date a whole lot. One of the girls from work was like, "just come to one of the Idaho Fall's Mustangs games with me." So, I did and met Rod Sandoval. We dated for a couple weeks and Rod lived with this guy named Roudy. They were both newly divorced and just wanting to have fun! So, I guess the short answer is that I was dating his roommate!

2.How long did you date before you got married? We started dating in September of 2000 and I moved in with him in February of 2001. He had only been divorced since May, so naturally he wanted to take things slow, but I dazzled him with my flirting abilities and we were married in July of 2001! :)

3.How long have you been married? 49 long, hard, wonderful years! (Dog years! :)

4.What does he do that surprises you? This is horrible to say, but nothing! He's not overly romantic, and doesn't really do surprises. Last year at Christmas he bought me a beautiful corner hutch, so that counts, right? I was definitely surprised!

5.What is your favorite feature of his? What's not to love-have you seen him? :) He's so good at EVERYTHING he does. When he played for the Mustangs he was one of the oldest guys on the team, but he got a trophy for most interceptions in the league (that included all of south east Idaho and Utah.) He gives 100% to everything he does. When we built our house he decided he was going to do the tile himself. He had never even seen it done, but he talked to a few people and went to work. It turned out perfect (of coarse, he doesn't think so.) He always makes sure to tell me thanks for dinner- even if it was hot dogs and macaroni and cheese! He makes sure that the kids listen to me and respect me. Even if we are fighting, he's got my back when it comes to the kids! I could go on forever, but most importantly.... He's got the cutest little "black boy bum" I've ever seen! (Not that I've seen a lot of bums...)

6.What's your favorite quality of his? He is SO hardworking. He does everything he possibly can to make sure the kids and I have everything we want and need. At least once a week he works a double shift and never complains. He has a to do list that goes on forever (NOT my favorite thing!) He never just sits around. He's always going 110 miles an hour. I complain about this a lot, but I would much rather have it this way than a husband that won't get off the couch! I tend to want to play all the time and his response is always "I've got shit to do." That's pretty much his trademark line.

7. Does he have a nickname for you? Baby Love

8.What is his favorite color? Orange. Who has orange for their favorite color?

9.What is his favorite food? Lucky for me, he's not even a little bit picky. He LOVES Olive Garden salad and Alfredo Sauce and he wants to marry the Italian Wedge salad at Johnny Carinos!

10.What is his favorite sport? HUNTING

11.When and where was your first kiss? This is horrible to tell....live and learn, right? For our first date we went to the Corn Maze and we kissed all through that. (Keep in mind, we knew each other for a few months before our first official date since I was dating his roomie). Then, we were going to go back to his house, but we drove by and Rod was there, so we went over to Bonneville high school. We were laying on the grass kissing, but then the sprinklers came on, so we had to call it a night! :).

12.Favorite thing to do as a couple? Probably eat! We go out to eat every Friday night as a family. We only leave the kids a couple times a year, so we don't have a whole lot of alone time to go on dates. But, I saw a saying on Chy's vinyl website that said "Going on a date is cheaper than a divorce." So, I'm going to try to get a babysitter at least once a month for a little more alone time.

13.Do you have any children? 3 little monsters- Jaxon is 6, Jordyn is 5, and Trason is 3. We had 3 kids in 3 1/2 years. Hmmm... maybe I should change our favorite thing to do as a couple.... ;)

14.Does he have a hidden talent? He can pick up on any body's little quirks and copy them pretty much to a tee. It's quite annoying, actually. I'm his favorite person to pick on, of coarse. And, we always say that Roudy has never met a stranger. He can talk to anybody for hours(and he does.)

15. How old is he? 35 big ones. It's so weird. When we started dating I was 18 and he was 27 and I thought he was SO old! Now, I'll be 27 on my next birthday. Time really does fly.

16.Who said I love you first? That would be Roudy. He kept telling me that he wanted to say it, but he didn't want it to become easy to say. So, I knew he loved me before he actually said it. We were laying on his parents couch in Arco when he finally did say it. He was a little weird about things like that. I always wanted him to buy me flowers, but to him that was a huge deal. He said he never bought girls flowers in high school or anything because to him it meant he loved them. One night he was working the night shift and I went on a date with the missionary I had been waiting for. Well, I didn't even tell him the missionary was home, so he calls me and I'm like "I'm on a date." He called every 20 minutes at least! Needless to say, I got woke up the next morning to 18 red roses! :)

17.What is his favorite type of music? I'd have to say butt rock is his favorite, but he listens to country, too. Anything but my favorite... rap. I can't help it- I love it. I think it goes back to riding in Brandon Stephens little red truck with Tupac blaring. Good times.

18.What do you admire most about him? Probably his love for the kids. He makes sure he spends quality time with each of them. And, he pushes all of us to be our best. He's a little hard on all of us (especially me because I need the most pushing), but it's only because he knows our potential.

19.Do you think he will read this? Probably not, but that's okay. Don't want his head getting too big! :)

I tag Rebecca, Ashlee, Krystal, and Tiffany Stoddart

Bootcamp Improvements

2008-09-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

As everybody knows, I've been doing a Bootcamp class. On September 1st we did some testing where we ran a timed mile, did as many sit-ups and push-ups we could in 2 minutes and did weight assisted pull-ups. So, for the people who asked me to keep them posted, here are my results after 11 Bootcamp classes....

Mile time before: 9:12 and today: 8:23
Push ups before: 48 (on knees) and today: 58
Sit ups before: 44 and today:56
Pull ups before: 6 and today: 9

Our last class is on Monday and that's when we will do our body fat analysis again. Maybe I'll tell you about that, and maybe I won't........... ;) Since I got my membership to the gym on June 7th, I've lost a total of 17.5 pounds (gotta add that half!) I'm so sad it was only a 3 month membership, but it was a great place to start and get motivated.

**Bodyfat update.....
On September 5th my bodyfat was 22.9% and in the "fit" category. As of today my bodyfat is 20.9% and in the "excellent" catagory. So, in one month of Bootcamp I've lost 7 pounds, 2% bodyfat, and lost 1 inch off my hips and 1 inch off my waist. If it didn't cost $100 I would totally stay in this class- the results are worth the blood, sweat, and tears!

I Heart David Cook

2008-09-25T14:18:00.001-07:00

So, have you heard the new David Cook song, "Light On?" Well, now you have. Don't get too excited- he's mine.

Wordle.net

2008-09-21T14:12:00.001-07:00

So, I found this site called "Wordle.net" and you can type in your blog address and it will take all the words you use most frequently and put them in a "Wordle"! Since I'm a computer retard and can't figure out how to make my "Wordle" bigger and readable at the same time you'll just have to click on it to make it bigger (if you care.) I noticed one of my words was "shit." Oops. :)

Self Improvement (With a Little Less Self)

2008-09-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

Almost a week ago this was my conversation with the kids on the way home from church...

Kids: "Mom, what are you going to do when we get home? Are you going to read a magazine?"

Me: "No."

Kids: "Are you going to go to the gym and then come home and take a shower?"

Me: "No."

Kids: "Are you going to clean the house? Is today cleaning day?"

Me: "No."

Kids: "Well, then, what are you going to do?"

It really bothered me that they didn't say, "Are we going to bake cookies together, or read a story, or watch a movie, or jump on the tramp?" Or anything really as long as it was WITH them and not by myself. So, the fact that it's been almost a week and it's still bothering me is most likely my clue to do something about it. And I plan to. Like today when I should have been cleaning my house or washing my sheets, instead I layed down by Jordy and Trason until they fell asleep. That counts, right? Baby steps. And, now that the kids are asleep and I have all the time in the world to clean house, what am I doing? That's right. I'm blogging.

Any Ideas?

2008-09-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

So, I've got a little question for all, I mean both, of my blog readers. As many of you know, I started going to the gym in June to try to lose a little weight. It went well at first and I've lost 14 pounds. In September I signed up for a Bootcamp class that is totally KILLER! In the Bootcamp pamphlet it said you should lose between 1 and 3 pounds per week, so I thought by the end of September I'd be at my goal weight. Well, it's not happening. For the last 3 weeks I haven't lost a single pound. I do Bootcamp 3 days a week and then the elliptical machine the other 2 days. I'm only eating between 1200 and 1300 calories. WHY IS THE WEIGHT NOT COMING OFF? Roudy keeps telling me not to get frustrated- it took me 4 years to put the weight on and I shouldn't expect it to fall off overnight. But, I do! This is my first attempt at weight loss, so if any body has any ideas for breaking through this STUPID plateau, I'd really appreciate it! :)

ps. my gym membership ends the end of September, so if anybody knows of any great workout videos I'd love to hear about those, too! :)

Cheer Camp (Take Two)

2008-09-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Jordyn had Cheer Camp at Hillcrest. She absolutly LOVES cheer camp, but she's got some competitiveness in her, too! I went at lunch time to make sure her and my nieces could get their chips and drink boxes open, and Jordy was all, "Mom, we cheered louder than the big girls and they were LOSERS! That was my favorite part is when they were LOSERS!" So, Roudy might have her playing sports after all. Who knows.
Jaxon had a football game on Saturday, too. He did awesome! The coach had him playing defense, and he rushed the quarterback every time and got his flag. By the last play the other team put a huge kid in front of Jaxon and he just grabbed Jaxon's jersey and held on. Hey coach, that's called holding and not only is it illegal, but way to wait until the last play of the game! LOSER! Sorry. That was my competitive side coming out.
After Jaxon's game we went over to Hillcrest to watch Jordy's performance. I just had to get a picture of the "Football player and the Cheerleader"! Then it made me think about how cute it would have been if I hadn't held Jordy back and they were only a year apart, so Jordy could cheer for her brother. But then I realized that Jaxon's friends would probably want to date Jordyn, and then Jaxon would have to KILL them, and really it would just be a mess.
And, of coarse, you can't take a picture without Trason...

Here's another NAUGHTY Trason story:
Yesterday, I'm in the bathroom getting ready and Trason comes in naked with just a cowboy hat on and says "Shit balls." I say, "Trason, you can't say that!" in my meanest voice. He just looks at me and says "Shit balls again!" So, I say, "Bubba, YOU CAN'T SAY THAT!" and he says, "but mom, I'm a cowboy!" So, basically he knows (somehow) that Cowboy's say bad words and I guarantee you that he only put the cowboy hat on so he'd have an excuse to say a bad word. (Keep in mind this child barely turned 3 not even a month ago.) Trason is so much fun to be around, even if he does have a little bit of a wild streak! I can honestly say that I think personality is predetermined, because this child is SO different than my other two!

Now That's Being Optomistic...

2008-09-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

As I'm driving down the road, I hear this come out of Jaxon's mouth," This is the best worst day of my life ever!"

Don't ask- I didn't.

A Day In The Life

2008-09-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

Roudy has always made fun of my little planner, so I thought I'd show everyone what my weeks look like. It's not a great picture, but you get the idea. Do you think Roudy could remember all of this without writing it down? I think not!

I Hate The Fair...

2008-09-05T06:53:00.001-07:00

Well, not really- I'm headed back today! ; ) But, I am 2 lbs over and I have to weigh in at Bootcamp today. Oh well, I'll show big improvement at the end of the month, right?

Poison was totally awesome. Shar kept making fun of me because I didn't know any of the songs. She kept going, "come on, Mindy, sing along." Ha, ha Shar. And my mother in law figured out that last time Roudy went to Poison when he was in highschool, I was only 7. He was totally grossed out to say the least. Then Shar figured out that "while Roudy was rocking out to Poison, I was learning 'I'm a Child of God'." Once again, ha ha, Shar.

Jordy's First Day Of Preschool (Again)

2008-09-03T18:36:00.001-07:00

Jordy Sue started preschool today. She could have technically went to Kindergarten this year, but I figured it would be better for her to be the oldest, than the youngest. So, she gets another year of preschool at $80.00 a month. Oh well, she's worth it and the teacher's are great. And, of coarse, Trason's "first day" picture. If the camera's out, he wants his picture taken, too!

I Heart The Fair

2008-09-03T18:24:00.001-07:00

If there are two things I love in life, it's the Fair and the horse races. Put them together and I'm in heaven. Unfortunately for Roudy and the kids, it was FREEZING this year on Labor Day. It was rainy and windy and in the 50's, but I'm hard-core when it comes to the fair!

Freezing at the Horse Races

If there is anything that makes Jordy happy, it's corn on the cob. (Yes, it's all over her face)
Thursday Roudy and I are going to the Poison concert! I've recently decided I should have been born in the 70's so I could rock out to all the awesome music that Roudy grew up on. (But, I'm glad I wasn't born in the 70's 'cause man, I'd be old! :) Love you, babe!)

*Also unfortunate for Roudy- we spent about $80.00 on food. For one corn dog for each of us cost almost $20.00. FREAK! But, it only happens once a year, right? A couple days before the fair, Roudy and I started planning what we were going to eat. We didn't get it all in on Monday, so it's a good thing we have Thursday to make up for it! (And maybe Friday, too, but Roudy doesn't know that yet! ;)

I Can't Believe My Baby Girl is 5!

2008-08-30T19:42:00.001-07:00

Jordy Sue's Princess Cake- She is all girl!

It seems like just yesterday Jordyn was born. She was born on the worst day of the year- opening day of Archery season. I went to the movie "Freaky Friday" with my mom and Jaxon and then went home. It wasn't 15 minutes after I got home that I called my mom and told her to come and get Jaxon so I could go to the Hospital. Roudy was, of coarse, hunting so my dad drove me to the Hospital. They "checked me" and sure enough, I was having a baby. I wasn't due until September 19th, so Roudy had no idea. Roudy just happened to call me from a friends house because he had a feeling he should. Well, I was in the Hospital, so he hurried home, but he was about 2 hours away. My dad had tickets to the Motor Cross at the fair, so he left and I waited for Roudy to show up. He got there just as they were ready to break my water. Then Jordy's heart rate dropped and they got Roudy out of his camouflage clothes and into some scrubs to prepare for an emergency c-section. False alarm- I just needed to lay on my side. Then they break my water and find out she's already pooped, so they call the nicu to come in and get ready to take her away as soon as she's born. I forgot to mention she was breach, too, so about a week before she was born they manually "turned her." That was perhaps the most painful thing I've ever gone through, but that's a whole different post. Any who, she was born and everything was fine. She was kind of a pain until she was born, but has totally made up for it since she's been alive. I couldn't ask for a sweeter girl. We named her Jordyn Lisa, after my older sister, and we lived happily ever after. The End.

17 Years Later...

2008-08-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been 17 years since the worst day of my life. On August 27, 1991 my older sister, Lisa, died in a four wheeler accident. She was 12- almost 13 and I was 9. I can remember almost every detail of that horrible day. There hasn't been a day in 17 years I haven't thought about my sister. They say time heals all wounds, but I think this wound will always be raw.

Tonight, we will have Cherry Cheesecake in her honor. That was her favorite dessert. While we won't be celebrating what happened on this awful day 17 years ago, we will be celebrating Lisa's too short life and our memories of her.

I Love You, Sissy.

Now I Remember Why I Love The School Year...

2008-08-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

It is exactly 6:43 pm and Trason is asleep and Jaxon and Jordyn are on their way to bed. Roudy is working late, so I have the evening to myself (to catch up on all my magazines!) Ahhh...life is good. ;)

First Day Of School 2008

2008-08-23T16:36:00.001-07:00

So, the night before the first day of school is always the worst. There is back to school night that gets the kids all wound up and then it's a nightmare to try to get them in bed. I kept telling Jaxon, "You are going to be tired for the first day of school if you don't GO TO BED!" So, I go in to wake him up at 7:30 am and he pops out of bed and says, "what time is it, mom? I'm not even tired!" And then I went in the front room and found this...

This is Jaxon with my little sister, Madison. She's a second grader this year. Yes, here in Idaho we have to send our kids to school in jackets- even in August.
On the second day of school I found this little love note in Jaxon's backpack. It's from a super cute girl named Kaidence that was in Jaxon's Kindergarten class and she's in his class again this year. From his first day of preschool we've been told that Jaxon is quite the ladies man. At all the school functions we've had many a mom come and introduce herself saying she's heard so much about Jaxon. But, he comes by it honestly- Roudy was named biggest flirt in highschool! I love how she had her mom write the note for her, but she added her phone number by herself! :)

This is Jaxon's note back. (It's a little hard to read because of the red paper.) It says, "Thank you for the note. You are a nice friend. I am glad we are in the same class. Let's play everyday at recess. Love, Jaxon." He couldn't decide wether to write "from, Jaxon" or "love, Jaxon." He settled on "love, Jaxon" so it must be serious. Roudy was trying to tell Jaxon what to write, but he's a smart boy and didn't listen. Roudy wouldn't know how to write a love note to save his life! I think he kept it un-mushy so he could keep his options open! :)

It's a little freaky having Jaxon gone ALL day long. He leaves at 7:45 am and doesn't get home until 3:00 pm. I seriously feel a void and miss him while he's gone. All day long Trason keeps saying, "mom, we forgot Jaxon!" anytime we go anywhere. I'm sure we'll all get into a routine pretty quickly.

Hacky Birthday, My Little "Fart Snack"

2008-08-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

Trason turned 3 today. I can't believe it- where did the time go? Here are some of my favorite things about my naughtiest, fun loving 3 year old.

*He is so funny. He will do or say anything to get a laugh- he loves to hold a crowd. From the time he was a baby I told everyone he thought he was a comedian.

*He's extremely naughty, but in a way that you can't help but laugh. Somebody (I think it was Roudy's Dad- Thanks Pops!) called Trason a Fart Sack. From then on, he's been calling everybody a "Fart Snack." If you aren't a Fart Snack, you will be a Poopy Head or a Butt Cracker (Thank you, Roudy, for that). Yes, I'm aware I shouldn't encourage this. My mom doesn't think it's a bit funny.

*If you pretend like he hurt your feelings, he will run over to you and kiss you and give you a big bear hug. All day long I hear "Sorry, Mommy."

*He's, by far, the toughest kid I raised. He's out of control and constantly getting hurt, but he very rarely cries. His middle name was supposed to be "Tuff", but Roudy vetoed me. He thought kids would always try to fight him to see if he lived up to his name. I should have went with my instinct, I guess. How cute would it have been to have boys with the middle names of Roudy and Tuff?

*He loves to wrestle or do whatever the big kids are doing. He has no idea that he is small.

*One day the boys were wrestling and Trason was getting pinned. All of a sudden he says, "Son of a bitch!" So, I took him in my bedroom and asked him if he said a bad word. He says, "No, I go to Church." Of coarse I was shocked and couldn't help but laugh. How does a 2 year old put those two things together? But, about 5 minutes later, he was trying to get his wrestling shoes on and he said it again. (I'm sure he didn't hear that from ME) :)

*A few weeks ago at Church I had a friend come get me out of my class and she was laughing hysterically. Apparently, the nursery leader was rolling a ball back and forth with Trason. Well, she rolled it to him and he goes "Ahhh, right in the weiner." When I went and picked him up from nursery, the nursery leader never said a word. I wonder what other naughty things he has said in there that I will never know about.

*He's scared to death of bugs. He can fall and scrape his knee, or bonk his head (a million times a day) and never cry. But he see's a bug and he cries like a little girl.

*For the longest time he would tell everybody he was 69 when they asked him how old he was. I have no idea where he ever heard this number. I don't think he ever once said he was 2 when anybody asked him his age.

*He is AMAZING on a Razor Scooter. It's a little bit freaky. He's got unbelievable balance and coordination. Last year at Redfish he was riding his scooter around the campground with a pacifier in his mouth and people would just stop and stare. He had a lot of people stop and stare at him this year, too. I'll try to find a video of him, because I really can't put into words how shocking it is to see a 2 year old fly by on a scooter.

*Tonight during his party he came up to me and gave me a big hug and simply said, "Thank You, Mommy." He has the ability to completely melt my heart.

I Love You, Little Man!!

Deep Thoughts By My Bootcamp Instructor

2008-08-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

"You have to do what you've never done, to get what you've never had."

I'm pretty sure that little comment was directed 100 % towards me today as I was standing in the back of the room DYING and barely picking up my feet as everybody else was jumping effortlessly around the room in Bootcamp today.

**Note to everybody in my class- YOU ALL SUCK

***Note to Bootcamp Instructor- I AM doing something I never have. I'm at FREAKING Bootcamp, aren't I? Throw me a freaking bone here people (ya, that was a deep thought by Austin Powers)

Redfish Lake 2008

2008-08-11T08:07:00.001-07:00

We just got back from our annual Redfish Lake trip. A week is never enough of this wonderful place! Sitting on the beach all day long without a care in the world- Eating like Kings without having to cook- Not putting on makeup or showering or brushing your teeth- Playing with squirrels for hours- I'm pretty sure it doesn't get any better! I took over 200 pictures, so here are a few in no particular order (because I can't figure out how to move them around!)

Jordyn Lisa

Trason Kade
Jaxon Roudy
Pepsi Dog (The true love of Roudy's life)
Trason playing in the sand
Jaxon & Roudy
Jordy feeding the squirrels
Trason feeding the squirrels
Jaxon feeding the squirrels

Jordy playing in the ICE COLD water
Jaxon playing in the ICE COLD water
Trason and his Daisha
Keller Kids
Frick and Frack

Shae and Roudy

Horse Shoe Champs (until I took this picture!)

Trason fishing on the dock
Jordy and her Shay Bear
The Famdamly

*My nephew, Keller, has his arm around me. Notice he's as tall as I am- and he just turned 11! And I borrowed my 9 year old neice's shoes. I never minded being short until my mother in law brought it to my attention that I could eat way more Cheeseburgers if I were taller! :)

Shar and Jared
The Whole Famdamly
Me and the Jerk Face
I'm your sister, I'm your sister
Shar is really about 6 inches taller than me, but she put her boobs under mine to help my boobs stand up for this picture. That pretty much sums up my sister. Thanks Shar.

**I only brushed my teeth 4 times in 8 days, and I never did brush my kids teeth the whole time. Does that make me a bad mom or just a good camper?