Northern Highlights

Winter stuff

2009-01-17T15:07:00.001-08:00

So crazy days at the Harrison household! Brandon is in Mexico enjoying the beaches and sunshine, without me AGAIN! I think I'm getting the crappy end of the bargain!
And the big news... I GOT A JOB!!! YIPPEE!!!!! I'm working as a barista at a little coffee shack in town and I LOVE IT! I'm loving that I mostly work super early mornings so I get the afternoons with my boys. I'm loving the girls I work with. I'm loving the tips. I'm loving the customers. (aside from a couple odd-balls!) And I love meeting new people who I hope will become regulars! :)
In sad news, poor Davin tangled with tree yesterday... and lost! We were out at a friends house and the kiddo's were all out sledding. Apparently Davin's sled went one way and he went the other... right into a tree! He had 9 stitches right under his right eye and broke his pinkie.
So I guess the reality is our crazy life is just the normal!For those of you interested, my brother will baptize Davin on March 7th and any and all are welcome! We'd love to see you on Davin's special day!

A few pic's over the last month or so.

Poor Davin 24 hours after the crash, he can hardly open his eye!

Just a couple hours after the fact.

Me and the boys at temple square

Our Crew that night

Brandon and Bridger at this nummy little Mexican dive in town

Dessert!

Fall

2008-11-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

Ok so these are a bit late, but I figure better late than never! Right? The boys and I went to UT last week for a too short visit and the picture of Bridger is from the Children's Museum at the Gateway.... which we all LOVED!

A little time with the cousins in UT

Bridger the day AFTER Halloween! (Sidenote: As of today the Halloween candy is officially gone! Yipee!!!)

All my boys on Halloween

Davin: Ninja, Bridger: Cowboy, Chase: "Cereal" killer

P.s. Can you find Brandon? :)

House pictures!

2008-11-05T19:03:00.000-08:00

So I'm finally posting pictures of the house! There are a few rooms I didn't take pictures of because there's still a lot of work to be done!

Home sweet home!

Entry

Powder bath

Kitchen

Dining, we can seat 20... when we get some more chairs!

Stairs to 2nd floor

Bar

Living room

Balcony view

Bridger's room, he still needs a row boat bed

Guest bath vanity. I didn't add any pic's of this guest room because I still need to do a lot of things in there.

The boys room, I still need to do some decorative painting in here.

The view from the boys sleeping loft across the bridge that goes to their "playhouse"

My salon area!!

Master bedroom

Master view 2

Master bath

Master bath vanity

3rd floor bath vanity

3rd floor TV room

Guest room #2 /my office :)

My boys rock!

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

YAY!!! Soccer season is ALMOST over! It's been a great season with lot's of amazing moments and we're SO proud of them!!! Here are just a couple quick pictures of my boys at work!

Chase

Davin
Brandon has decided to hunt this year and is planning to take down Elk. He's been putting out grain on ours & Kelly acreage to watch and learn thier patterns. Anyway, the picture below is Brandon "trying" thier grain. His comment? "Mmmm, this is would be great with yogurt!"

2008-09-24T16:14:00.001-07:00

Alright so I don't have a ton to say today, just a quick update. Soccer season is in full swing so we are running like CRAZY people to and from practices and games. I love soccer season... but I can't wait until it's over! Brandon is super busy right now, thank goodness. With the economy so up in the air right now a lot of builders aren't making ends meet and we know that we are the lucky ones for now. I am busy working on projects at the house including trying to get my salon up and running. I have decided to try and drum up some business and am actively pursuing clients right now. I'm also painting dressers, beds, picture frames, and taking photographs to turn into art work... thus the reason there are still no pictures. I really want to show it to you all when it's truly finished!
The pictures below are from this past weekend. My friend Kailee and a bunch of girlfriends from Seattle went to Walla Walla WA. For those of you that don't know (and I didn't) Walla Walla is BIG wine country, and while I'm not a wine drinker the wineries are beautiful. (Doesn't hurt that it was an all girls weekend!) So I went along for the ride. Anyway here are just a couple shots I took while I was there.

The grapes are on right now

A glass of red (I don't know what kind) on a wine barrel with the

vineyards in the background

Our group from left:

Nikki, Thea, Charmaine, Brooke, Carrie, Kailee & me

2008-09-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

So still no pictures of the house. All in good time! I have to finish a couple projects before I do and I'm hoping to get them this week. However the knee I re injured during the move caused what's called a Baker's cyst in my calf and it's day to day how well I'm getting around. :(

I will tell you what's going on with my boys! Chase is hating club soccer (mostly hates his coach) so we are probably going to pull him out. He had a coach in a neighboring city Park & Rec that we loved who is now coaching an age division he can play in again so we're trying to get him on that team. We'll see how it goes. Davin is actually playing for that some coach with a younger division. They are both loving school and I love them BEING in school! Every year I can't wait for them to be done for the summer and every year I can't wait for them to go back!

These pictures are a few weeks old but I love 'em ! We took the 4 wheelers on a ride up to an area nearby with an old fire watch tower.

Me and my big boys at the top of the tower

Bridger in his seat ready to ride some more!

If you blow this picture up you'll see Brandon almost

to the top of the tower

A picture of Brandon and I

Yipee!

2008-08-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

I know i just updated last night and I haven't updated twice in this short a time period in A LONG time, but I have something to share. Most of you won't care and I won't know the difference if you read this post or not, so feel free to overlook it!:) As of this morning I have officially lost 20lbs.! Most of you know Brandon and I started losing weight back in December in preparation for the cruise we went on. Well it felt pretty good so we just kept it up. And while 20lbs. (and 3 pant sizes) sounds pretty good, it's nothing compared to Brandon's 48lbs. and 5 pant sizes. Yes... you read that right, almost 50lbs.! Why is it so much easier for guys?!

I'm Back!

2008-08-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

Alright so it's been awhile again and just wait until you here all we've been up to! First off, we FINALLY moved into our new house! YIPPEE!!! I still can't believe just how much STUFF we have! I can't figure out how we've accumulated so much. Anyway we're in and for the most part unpacked. Give me a week and hopefully I can post some pictures of it. In the midst of the move I re injured my knee.... AGAIN! unfortunately I haven't had time to rest it so it's been pretty bed this last few weeks. I know I've said before that i need to get it scoped but I think there's no way around it this time. :(
We also took a VERY quick trip to Seattle a couple weeks ago. Most of you probably don't know this but I'm a HUGE Seahawks fan! I love them and during regular season watch all their games no matter what I have to miss to do so... I wouldn't recommend testing me on that! Anyway, our lumber salesman has season tickets through the company and gave us some for a preseason game against the Chicago Bears. So we headed over for that. FYI the game ROCKED and the Hawks won... in overtime. It was a very exciting game.
Also last weekend was the Jack Johnson concert Brandon got me tickets for, for my birthday. Unfortunately Brandon's work schedule changed last minute and he couldn't go. :( He still really wanted me to go so a friend went with me. He is such an amazing artist and if you ever the chance to catch him live I highly recommend it!
And in the midst of all this Chase had a soccer tournament and we have soccer practices 3 days a week and the tutor twice a week. Ugh! I'm so glad the move is over and we can get back into a regular schedule! The boys start school next week which will make it that much easier.
I'll try to post new pictures early next week!

Can you find the Bridger in this picture?

B & I at the game

I don't have to time to think of a creative title!

2008-08-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

Alright so I've been MIA for a month now and SO much has been going on! I went to girls camp in the end of July which was SO fun! I love girls camp and hope I get to go with my new ward next summer! Chase started soccer and isn't sure he's liking his new team yet. However we told him that he agreed to play with this team for at least one season and so he needs to follow through with that commitment. We spent almost a week in Cali which was amazing! We all came home so tan from spending days and days just lying the beach! We also did Disneyland one day while we were there, and just FYI it is STILL the most magical place on earth! We got home from Cali and got to work. Our house will be done Friday or Saturday so we are planning to move in Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on when we get a CO(certificate of occupancy). So we've been running like crazy trying to get everything finished up and get packed. I know everybody hates packing and I am definitely NOT the exception! I think maybe if I felt ok about just shoving everything in a box it would fine. But I feel like I should sort through and reorganize everything before it's packed. Anyway I'm hoping to get most of the rest of it done today other than what's left in the kitchen and clothes. (We still need those!) In other news, I got a new car! Hooray!!! We bought a 4 door Jeep Wrangler which we've been eyeing since they came out! It's silver and it's SO MUCH FUN! Not so much practical, but who wants to be practical?! Not me!

Chase & Davin in the waves

Bridger and the sand bucket
Brandon is laughing because he just threw a frisbee at me and I'm

taking a picture instead of catching it!
Us on the beach right after a swim
The only family pic our whole vacation!

Note to those of you in CA

2008-07-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we aren't going to be there the 20th for the picnic at Aunt Kathy's. I'm the Asst. Girls Camp Director and I have camp all next week. However we will be there the 30th-4th. We are planning on going to San Clemente with those of you going, but we aren't camping. It's just to hard to fly & camp! :) I know we will do Disneyland at least 1 day as well (we would love to have anyone join us who can), and maybe TJ for old times sake! Let us know who will be where and we can't wait to see you all!

Bad Mommy!

2008-07-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or does summer make us all bad Moms? I've been checking out everyones blog today and we're all talking about the "bad Mommy" things we've been doing. In our case, I don't think my kids have been to bed before 10:30 in 3 weeks, we've had ice cream for dinner twice in the last week, and usually something super healthy like.... hot dogs(!) when we do eat dinner! Not to mention the lack of nap time for Bridger because we are to busy playing to stop and stay home for 3 consecutive hours in the middle of the day! Is it just the sunshine that makes us not care? I don't know what it is but we are all starting to get pretty tired!

Excuses, excuses

2008-07-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

Alright so I know i've been MIA for awhile now, but it really is just because we've been SO super busy!!! Brandons little sister Karah and her family came to town followed by my sister Michelle and her family and then Kailee and her dog Monty. Then there was the 4th, a camping trip and all the usual summer stuff like trips to the lake, soccer camps and swimming lessons. Not to mention scouts, tutoring and soccer. (Chase made the select team he was trying out for) I also reinjured my knee and have been pretty doped up the last few days. I'm probably going to just have to suck it up and get the stupid surgery. :(

For those of you interested, the house will be done in about a month. They measured for carpet yesterday and the finishing touches are making there way in. It is looking so good and we are very pleased with how it's coming together. I will post interior pic's when it's done. Maybe even a video tour or something!

Here is a small sampling of the 100's of pictures I've taken over the last few weeks!

Chase, Lexi, Matt, Corbin, Davin, Kate & Addie letting off fireworks
My kids, the Dittmar kids and the Facer kids (and Isabelle's friend Jasmine)
Chase & Davin tubing behind Facer's new boat

Davin & Matt with the fireworks
Chase witha sparkler
Bridger didn't like the fireworks!

Bridger and Chase in the Kyak while camping
Bridger and his friend Amya camping
Chase's B-day
Kailee & I
Brandon, Kailee & I out to dinner

This is Davin and Brandon Wakeboarding last night

10!

2008-06-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

My Chase is 10 today!!! I really can't wrap myhead around the idea of my baby turning 10! Chase is seriously the best 10 year old you will EVER meet! He is SO well-behaved and helpful and his brothers both adore him! He is also very smart, gets good grades and is a soccer superstar. He's going to be one of those people who is just good at everything they try! We are so proud of him and love him so much!

Happy Birthday Chase-man!

Animals

2008-06-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

Not much to add today but I thought this video of Bridger was blog-worthy!

St. Anthony's

2008-06-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

We aren't up to much and unfortunately I haven't had any interesting thoughts of late, (Unless you really want to hear me bitch about politics, the economy or stupid superficial people, which I doubt! I thinkI might be PMSing!) so I don't have much to update. However we went to St. Anthony's last weekend and I thought I'd post a couple of pictures. For those of you not "up" on your quading info, :) St. Anthony's is just outside Rexburg and is world class quading. Actually after one of our first trips there we read about it in an article listing the top 5 quading places in the US (we've been to 3 of them!) in ATV magazine. (Yes we subscribe) You will note, I'm not IN any of these pictures... Amanda & I were the only girls with 13 guys & I was the only one who was picture happy. :) Amanda, if you have any pictures I want to see them!!!

Tyler & Jon being dumb... but funny

Brandon jumping
Jon & Amanda in the camper the first night. It was raining! :(
Jon jumping
Tyler on choke-cherry, a really steep climb
Tyler, Brandon, Dax, Jon & Amanda. Dax's bike wouldn't start and
they were trying to jump start it. Shortly after this Brandon dropped Tyler on
his bum, it was pretty funny

Brandon, Amanda, Jon & Tyler on top of a hill, watching a storm move in

Pictures!

2008-05-26T14:40:00.001-07:00

My friend Kailee surprised me on Friday night by showing up at Bridger's B-day party. She drove in from Seattle after coming straight from work. It was so fun to have her here! On Saturday we went to couple different parks around here (to check out the flooding) and she took some amazing pictures of the boys!

Happy Birthday Bridger!

2008-05-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to our Bridger-Beans! My baby is turning 2 today, which I still can't believe! He has become such an amazing little person and we all adore him so much! He's such a bundle of energy and it's amazing to see the things he is learning everyday. I love this age because even though they develop an attitude (which has kicked in full-force this week!) they learn so much and are so much fun! Anyway we love you Beans!

This is Bridger in the hospital, those are preemie diapers that are too big!

The bubble is his oxygen

This is the nurse's hands holding him. He was so tiny!

Finally home! But the preemie clothes are still WAY to big!

This picture is a little older but it's one of my favorites of him

Soccer

2008-05-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

So here are my boys Spring Soccer pictures for the year and we're so happy that soccer season is over! However, that said they start soccer camps, swim lessons, tutoring sessions & scout camps all in the next few weeks so.... I guess no rest for the weary! Not to mention Chase is trying out for the select soccer team and tryouts start in a little less than a month. Thus the reason why "stay at home Moms" are never actually home! :) We are so proud of our boys though and can't help but make those sacrifices to see them succeed. They had another GREAT season!

Davin aka "Speedy"Chase aka "Superstar"

Happy Birthday to me!

2008-05-15T15:53:00.001-07:00

Just a couple pictures to celebrate me on my birthday! My "birth" day! Gared, OP & I. I think I was about 6 here.

Toddler road rage

2008-05-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

Bridger may never be able to get his driver's license. Lately when we are driving and we are either stuck behind someone slow, or even stopped at a stop light for a long time I hear "GO!!!" from the only car seat still remaining in our car. He says this while pointing to the vehicle in front of us! This has got to be the youngest case of road rage ever! Interestingly he usually shouts this at the exact moment I am thinking it and mere moments before I would've shouted it myself.... I am definitely going to hell.

Confessions...

2008-05-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

WARNING: If you are easily offended or meek of heart, please do NOT read this post!

I don't like to think of myself as "white trash " but I think everyone is a LITTLE bit! After all I do live in North Idaho, and my kids are on occasion a little raga-muffin-ish. ( I know that's not a real word. Yet another sign of the white trash in me!) Sometimes I don't get all the weeds out my flower beds as promptly as I should and Brandon just installed a car seat on the back of my 4wheeler. The signs are pretty obvious. However, the biggest sign of a white trash household has FINALLY been removed. On this momentous day,after months (and months, and months....) of nagging, my husband took down the Christmas Lights!!!! The worst part is, they were actually still turned on! The timer had broken and we couldn't turn them off. But yesterday when we finally got to turn on our sprinklers I think Brandon saw the light! It was pretty bad to have your Christmas lights on and the sprinklers running at the same time. :) I had threatened to get up there and do it myself, but you all know me well enough to know that was probably NOT a good idea as I am "a little clumsy" and would surely fall off the roof. So I figure today I'm about half as white trash as I was yesterday!

My cute family

2008-05-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

We went on a hike/walk around Tubb's Hill on Sunday afternoon and I took a few pictures of all my cute boys in the place that is SO beautiful! Spring has finally come to us and reminded us why we moved here in the first place!

And such is life

2008-04-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make. I love updating my blog! Everyone wants to think there are people out there like them, and I get excited when people update their blogs so I like to think someone cares when I do. I imagine that you all are waiting with baited breath to hear what we are doing. Mind you I have an overactive imagination. :) I look at my friends and family blogs almost everyday hoping for updates. (maybe I have a little bit of stalker in me, I don't know)

Ok so now that that's out of the way... I am NOT busy enough! I tore the meniscus in my knee last Saturday and have had to spend a lot more time than I'd like sitting on my bum. I think I want to learn to knit and no I'm not joking! We've still had the usual soccer, scouts, house stuff that had to be done, and Brandon was host of an Elders Quorum BBQ on Thursday, but none of the other stuff that makes life interesting. I'm hoping next week I can get back to the norm since I don't feel like I need my crutches anymore. We'll see what happens when the pain meds wear off!:)

The boys and I went to this fun restaurant called Tomato Street

while Brandon did his Elders Quorum thing.Bridger got into Davin's deserted cereal this morning. It was pretty funny!

You will also notice Bridger is now without his hair. I've wanted to shave his head for awhile now but brandon was against it. However a couple days ago he discovered how to plug things in... namely the clippers that were in the bottom drawer in the bathroom. So by default I got my way! I guess Bridger's got my back!

More of the same

2008-04-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

So not a whole lot of changes in the Harrison household, thus the lack of posts. We had our first soccer games of the season on Saturday and both boys did really great. This is a tough season for Davin because they change to a larger field, larger goals and playing actual positions at age 7. But he seemed to adjust ok. I got my car back from the bodyshop which was a relief since the rental car reaked of smoked! I don't know if I mentioned that my car got hit in the Wal-Mart parking lot... anyway it's fixed now. Other than that it's just the same old same old. Colors and fabrics and floor samples for the house. Taxes, scouts, soccer practices and FINALLY the gym! I couldn't go for about a month because of my sick kids and trip to UT and I'm finally getting back into the swing of it this week. Not much else worth mentioning so ta-ta for now!

Backgrounds

2008-04-07T15:13:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm not COMPLETELY technically challenged. I can usually figure out stuff on my computer, ipod, & cell phone. I can send and recieve text messages (which apparently "Mom's" don't do???) picture and video messages, all that stuff. However... I haven't been able to figure out how to put a pyzam Background on my blog without loosing all my links etc.. Anybody? I know a lot of you use them because I've seen them on your pages, but when i follow the instructions everything else disappears!!! Help!

The good, the bad and the ugly

2008-04-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

The good: We got home from Utah on Friday night and we had a great visit! While it would have been fun to see EVERYONE I understand at this point that just isn't possible in one trip. We spent one day at the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point and had a GREAT time!!!

They are pretending to be scared of the T-Rex above them

Playing at the erosion table

Riding a....?

We got together one day with a couple of my High School friends and their kids. Bridger and AJ were "dancing" ! It was SO cute, they'd try to dance and then fall. Then he would try to pick her up.
Carrie and her son Parker
Another night I went over to Brandon's sisters house and a few of the cousins came over. We had a good time playing "Mr. X" and Rock Band. (Which I suck at by the way!:)) Above is my super cute sister-in-law Karah and me.
Nate, Me, Dave, Karah, Marc & Devin. Devin's girlfriend Elisha took the picture.

Now for the bad: Both of my older boys are home sick today with super high fever's and achiness. Davin started feeling yucky Sunday morning and Chase started feeling it to on Sunday night. So now that we are home and I'm supposed to be catching up on all the things that pile up when you're out of town for a week, we are stuck at home!

And last but not least, the ugly!: Bridger had a low grade fever on the way home and now has what appear to be chickenpox! The other boys have already had it so no worries on that front. He is actually getting better and it doesn't seem to be itching him all that badly. It's just ugly!

The poxApparently Bridger was tired... he climbed up on his changing table (he can't get into his crib on his own) and went to sleep! We found him like this yesterday afternoon.

Our crazy life

2008-03-26T06:57:00.001-07:00

Alright so I know it's been awhile since I updated (not that anyone cares :)) so I thought I'd post something. It's just that we've been SUPER busy, but not with anything all that interesting. Brandon's working like crazy and, thank heaven things have picked up significantly in the building industry. He actually went on an adventure to Mexico a couple weeks ago too. He went with my brother Gared and my brother-in-law Matt. They did all kinds of crazy stuff like bungee jumping, a jungle canopy zip-line tour, 4 wheeling and surfing. (I'm SO jealous!) Anyway they had a really great time.
In the meantime paint is starting on interior of our house today so I've been collecting samples and making final decisions on all the interior "stuff". Because the house is kind of meant to show what we can do, there are several different styles within the house. Which means I couldn't just choose one stain or paint color all the way through the house. I needed 4 stains & 6 paints but they all have to compliment each other as well so it doesn't look ridiculous. Anyway, between that, getting ready to go to Utah this weekend (hooray!!) , my photography class, Easter Brandon's Birthday, the pinewood derby which B and I handle for the most part, both of our cars going into the body shop (yes BOTH of our cars were hit within a 2 week period), which also led to us realizing all of insurance info needed updating, and soccer starting with 4 practices on 2 different fields per week, we've been a little crazy!
Anyway that's what's new for us! Here are a few pictures of B in Mexico

This is Matt, Brandon and Gared

Brandon & Matt

B on the zip-line

House update

2008-03-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

So the outside of the house is about done. There are a few details like paint touchup, and sealing the metal roofing (which will darken it so it's not so BRIGHT orange) that will need to be done last minute. But for the most part this is it. The interior should be getting paint in about a week or so, so it's progressing as well and we are excited about how it's looking!

Seattle

2008-03-03T11:52:00.000-08:00

We went over to Seattle this past weekend for the frist time in quite awhile. Our friend Tex is being deployed for 7 months to the Persian Gulf so they were having a deployment party. I forgot how much I love that place! Maybe because on some level it's still "home" to me or maybe because we have firends there. Maybe it's just a cool city... who knows. Anyway I thought I'd throw a few pictures on here.

We went Pike's Place Market and the Tulips are up right now. Tulips are my favorite so I love the market that much more in the Spring! We also saw this man playing a saw... yes, you read that right. He was using a bow and playing "somewhere over the rainbow" on a hand saw. I tooka video but it's not very good quality.
The deployment party was at a Fun Center so this is us outside riding go-carts. It started raining in Seattle (that's wierd) and the trakc got all wet. There were about 14 of us so we were the only ones on the track and we turned our go-carts into something resembling bumper cars. It was awesome. We played Laser Tag too. I suck at it, but it was still good times.

My Kailee and Me at the party! Thanks for being such an amazing host, and playing with us all weekend!

I'm it...again

2008-03-03T11:27:00.000-08:00

So I've been tagged and I hope you aren't all getting sick of learning about me! So here are the Questions.
1. 10 years ago:
2. 5 things on my to-do list today:
3. Snacks I enjoy:
4. What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
5. 5 places I have lived:
6. 5 jobs that I have had:
7. 3 of my BAD habits
8. 5 Random Things people don't know about me:
4 (or 5) people I tag:

1.10 years ago I was freshly married and trying to hurry and finish cosmetology school before i had Chase.
2.My to-do list is pretty short today, go to the Beauty Supply for my Mom, Go to Sherwin Williams and get small packs of paint so I can put together stiory boards, lunch with Susanna and maybe Amber, go to the gym & NOT slit my wrist because it just started snowing... AGAIN!
3. I enjoy all snacks except cheesey crackers, i.e. Goldfish, Cheese Nips etc.. My favorite right now is chocolate covered raisins. But I love baked lay's potatoe chips, natural cheetos, baby carrotts, snap peas, and fresh raw mango's, YUM! (Great now I'm hungry!)
4. If I were a billionare I would pay off my debt, (I know that's not very fun!) get a boob lift, travel extensively & shop like crazy!
5. Issaquah WA, Provo UT, Orem UT, Post Falls ID & Hayden ID
6. Teleperformance, Old Navy, Stylist, wife & Mommy
7. Interupting, I try not to but a thought pops into my head and can't seem to stop myself! I also eat out of boredom which explains why I can't seem to drop anymore weight. :( I clean excessively and while sometimes that's a good thing, I can get a little out of control.
8.I hate wet countertops, I also hate hair on countertops. I love to sing and wanted to be rock star when I was little. I love buying shoes but hate wearing them. (go figure) I have a celtic knot tattoed on my lower back and I have permanent makeup tattoes. I love to decorate our houses. I think it's so fun picking out paint and carpet and fabrics etc..
I tag Kari, Nicole, Cynthia & Mikelle

Happy Birthday Davin!

2008-02-20T17:08:00.000-08:00

My Davin is 7 today! I can't beleive how fast he is growing up. We love you buh-buh!

ANOTHER update!

2008-02-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

I know it's crazy how often I've been updating this week... I might be getting obsessed. Go figure. I just have to take back something I said a couple months ago. I complained that "all the beautiful snow" was being washed away in the rain. I TAKE IT BACK! Bring on the rain as long as the snow STOPS! I guess I got spoiled with our week in the Caribbean (We all know I'm spoiled, that's nothing new:)) but I'm so ready for winter to be over! I think it will probably take months for the mounds of snow to melt off and just when I think it's actually going to start it snows...AGAIN!
In other news, the house is coming along GREAT! I wish you all could see it in person, it's always different that way. Sheetrock is in and taped and the heat got turned this week so now they are mudding. The exterior is almost done minus a few pieces of siding. I'll post pictures when they are up. Anyway it's really beautiful and we've decided we are indeed going to put it in the Parade of Homes. Anybody who wants to come see is welcome.

10 years and counting...

2008-02-14T16:02:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all! Some of you know that today is our 10th anniversary, and that Brandon would say aomething to the effect of "could be 10, could be 10,000,000....". I'm not going to get all smooshy, I'm just going to say that I would do it all over again as long as we ended up in the same place we are today. And I think that really says it all!

Bag Tagged

2008-02-13T20:09:00.000-08:00

OK, So I was bag tagged by my friend nicole. What is bag tag you ask? Well you take a picture of your bag, empty it out and take another picture...no cleaning it out first!! Then you post it on your bolg. Then you tag 5 people. Easy right? So here is mine. I will list everything just for you!!

Alright we have diaper and wipes pouch, 1"lovey", 4 binkies, car, 3 hair clippies and one hair band, phone, 2 reciepts, 3 pens, orange crayon, 2 chapstick, 1 lipgloss, powder, ipod, glasses, sippy cup, (with apple juice) planner, checkbook, lotion, tampon and the camera I took the pictures with. I'm such a Mom!

So I tag, Yolanda, Cynthia, Mikelle, Amy & Britton. (And anyone else who feels like it!)

Finally a few pic's from our trip!

2008-02-12T20:45:00.001-08:00

So this isn't all of them, just a few I got from Jon & Amanda. I'm hoping to get the ones from Jenny & Jared pretty quick and I'll post those when I get them.

Nope, no pictures yet

2008-02-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

Still no pictures, I know. I should be able to get the disc from Jon & Amanda today so I might even be able to put some up this afternoon, depending on the way the day goes. But I wanted to report that the fine people (or more appropriately fine person, Pete) at United came through for me and while he wasn't able to track down specifically my camera with my pictures, I did get A camera exactly like mine, back. Just with an empty memory card. So sad, but at least I will have the pictures our travelmates took to preserve a few memories.
I also yesterday, very sadly finally washed and put back in storage my summer clothes that I took on the trip. I know your all thinking "It took you a week? I thought you claimed to be a clean freak?"
1. Do not mistake "clean" for "organized". While my house is usually very clean, don't look in the closets or under the bed. :)
2. My washing machine broke 2 days before we left. (Of course perfect timing as usual!) So I ran to laundromat, the only non-scummy one I could find the day before to get everything in order. We only just repalced it on Wednesday.
Anyway, I very sadly tucked away my swim suits and cover ups and ended up sending a bunch of them to the Goodwill pile because after we got on the boat I discovered many of them were now too big. A good problem to have in my opinion! At any rate I won't be needing them anytime soon. For those of far away, we have had a record snowfall this year and the piles probably won't melt off untill August! We are currently at something like 142 inches for the year so far and it's only Feb. The previous record was 126 inches for the year set in 1915. They actually canceled several days of school while we were gone, and they NEVER do that!!! So needless to say our little break in the sun was well timed!
Anyway that's all I've got for now! I will post those pictures as soon as I can get them!

We regret to inform you...

2008-02-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

Whenever someone starts a sentence that way, you get that gut feeling you'd better prepare yourself. Over the last 3 days since we got home, I've probably heard that phrase 100 times!!! The trip was AMAZING!!! Only problem... I lost my brand new digital camera (as in, we bought it in Miami on the way) on the airplane on the way home! It was in my carry-on and I think it must have fallen out on the flight from West Palm Beach to Chicago. So I've spent countless hours on the phone with about a million different United representatives trying to track it down, yet all of the conversations end with the aforementioned phrase. I've files about 10 different missing item reports and am still calling Ohare about every 2 hours and leaving yet another message!!! Anyway, the people we were with took lots of pictures too so as soon as I get some of those I'll post them and tell you more about our trip. Wish me luck! (I think I'm REALLY going to need it to get it back at this point!!!)

We out!

2008-01-25T17:06:00.000-08:00

Hey all! Just a note to let you know we will be gone for the next week so I won't be updating. For all of you stuck here in the cold and snow... good luck with that! We are headed to the caribbean! I'll post pic's when we get home!

House

2008-01-16T14:02:00.001-08:00

If you need a swimsuit...

2008-01-11T07:41:00.001-08:00

This is the post my friend Chelsea had up this morning and I couldn't help but pass it along!

HURRY!
This is definitely blog worthy and should be acted upon immediately! One of my sister in laws forwarded this to me and there is such a"buzz "that I thought I would put itup here so I could share it with everyone.I think we all should get one for summer, especially because their motto is so great: "Swimwear that highlights the face instead of the body".Honestly, who wants people looking at our bodies, we already have to put on the swimsuit. I like it because I will have just had Lucy by swimsuit season. Let me know what all of you think. Maybe we could have a party or something. ;) Here is the Link:

http://www.wholesomewear.com/

I know, I know I am horrible.

Thanks Chels!

Nothing...

2008-01-09T07:59:00.000-08:00

Bridger's funny face!

So I know I haven't updated in a few weeks, but it's truly just because there has been NOTHING to report!
The rain stopped and the snow set in again. I'm a terrible estimator (insert your own dirty joke here:)) so I can't tell you how much there is, but it's A LOT!!! And the forecast calls for nothing but more snow for the next 5 days. I'm sure looking forward to the sun in the Caribbean!
The house is coming along great. We are getting insulation this week and then we can move on to sheet rock. It's such a cute house and I'm thinking more than ever we need to put it in the parade of homes. However that would mean we'd have to wait until August to move in! We'll see I guess. I'd post pictures but a house reaches a certain point where it doesn't look all that different until you put on the finishing touches, like rock etc..
Oh, one thing to report, Brandon has been going to the gym with me! (Let's hear that unified GASP!!) I know, it's taken me 4 years to get him there! He's been watching what he eats too and is probably down 5 pounds at least in the last few weeks. I'm down almost 10 right now but mostly because I don't feel like eating. (Apparently depression suits me!)
Anyway, that's about it for now! Love you all!

Coolest Toaster Ever!

2007-12-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

So I know that sounds stupid... a cool toaster? But this is seriously amazing! My sister Michelle got this for us for Christmas. It not only toasts your toast, but it will poach an egg AND warm a sausage or bacon ALL AT THE SAME TIME! :) I know you are all thinking I'm crazazy, but my husband leaves for work at 6:15 and it sure is nice to know he's getting something decent to eat before he goes. Anyway, it's a "Back to Basics" product and they are available online. I'm sure they are in stores too, but I haven't looked. Check it out!

Christmas stuff

2007-12-27T17:03:00.000-08:00

When I walked in the house this afternoon, I realized I'm ready to put Christmas away. I know my house will feel bare, but I'm tired of trying to vacuum with the over sized tree in the living room and dust under all the garland! Plus we are getting ready for a cruise in a few weeks and I'm thinking tropical! (Despite the soon to be 10+ inches of snow outside! At least it's not rain!) Anyway here a few shots of Christmas!

The boys on Christmas Eve

Bridger on Christmas Eve

New Christmas Jammie's!

What?!!!

2007-12-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

It is RAINING!!! We are in North Idaho...right? And it's December...right? So why is it RAINING?!?! We had all this beautiful snow and now it is all washing away! I'm going to be pissed if we have a wet, grey Christmas! A week ago we were lucky if the temperature hit 25 degrees. Now we aren't even getting below freezing at night!

Christmas update

2007-12-17T20:44:00.000-08:00

Alright so I mailed out our Christmas cards today. In the card I refer everyone to our blog for an update so I thought I'd post kind of a summary of our lives. A few notes:
1. If you read our blog regularly, I'm sorry if I'm repeating information you've already heard.
2. If you are reading this and you DIDN'T get a Christmas card, well it's your own fault! I posted asking for addresses.... (I'm kidding by the way!)

Alright so on with it...
We are still in Northern Idaho and still love it. We are NOT however enjoying the consequential darkness that comes from living so far North. This time of year I wonder if the sun still exists at all! But we will suffer through because the good things definitely out-weigh the bad.
Brandon is still the working like a mad man and business has been fairly good. A little slower this winter than normal, but that is not limited to just us or just this area. Fortunately the prospects for the new year look pretty good. He expanded his horizon's a bit and is General Contractor now, rather than just framing. He is currently building a new house that may be for us, if it doesn't sell. It is amazing and we have considered holding off moving into it so we can put it in the Parade of Homes next year. We will just have to wait and see what happens. Fortunately he was able to take some time this year to have fun too. We went on 2 4-wheeling trips together and he had 1 (or 2? I don't remember:)) with just he and some guy friends. One of those trips also included fishing in Oregon again and he brought home quite a bit of fish. Hurray!
Chase is 9 and is in 3rd grade. He has been placed in the ALP's program for both Math and Reading this year. He has a great teacher who just adores him and I think the feeling is mutual. He played soccer in both the Spring and Fall this year and was the star of the team. He also did soccer camps and swimming over the summer again which kept me very busy! He is in scouts and earned his Wolf in the Spring and is 3/4's of the way through his Bear. He loves scouting so much! He continues to ride Dirt bikes and has been asking about moto-cross. We will have to decide about that in the spring. He also asked me when he can start dating... I told him when he's 23.
Davin is 6 and is in the 1st grade. He too, loves school and excels in academics. However I think he would rather go to PE than reading! He played his last 2 seasons in the Mini's soccer and in the spring will be on a full sized field with the big goals. It was pretty funny to sit by the opposing team parents. Whenever the coach told Davin to go on the field they would all groan! He scored a minimum of 5 goals every game day. He also did soccer camps and swimming this summer and LOVES to swim! As Brandon is the Wolf leader at scouts, Davin often gets to go with him, even though he's not 8 yet. When he is he will cruise through his Wolf because he already knows all the info!
Bridger is our little caboose and just tags along with the rest of us. He follows the boys everywhere and cries when they leave for school in the morning. He's my little buddy and comes with me just about everywhere. He is so cute when he tries to run, and jump. He is such a little mimic and can't understand why I don't want him to help me pour bleach in the laundry or put the soap in the dishwasher. He is a sweet little guy and is all his Dad, both in looks and temperament.
I am the same. I don't change all that much! I'm still ridiculously OCD when it comes to certain things, but have learned to let other things go... a little!:)
We had a great year including a few camping trips, 4-wheeling trips, a trip to Orlando for just me and B, and even a trip for me to Lake Tahoe! (Bachelorette party)
I hope this finds you all well and we wish you all the best this Holiday Season!

Addresses

2007-12-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

Ok so I'm actually going to send out Christmas cards this year!(I know, it's so not like me to do this for Christmas... or at all!) Anyway, I'm noticing many of my addresses are out of date, so if you want one and you've moved (like, within the last 2 years) I probably need your address!
Other than that we are not up to much other than the norm. Bridger is STILL teething and because of his asthma the post-nasal drip (medical term for a lot of boogers) has turned into a cough. He's not old enough to really "blow" his nose, so he's all drippy and gross. Yet he still manages to be cute! At least he's not grumpy about it.
The big boys are counting down the days until Christmas, of course. We took them to the store the other night and let them pick out gifts for each other. They are SOOO excited about giving them.
Brandon is working hard as always, and his mood seems to have improved since he went to work on someone else's house. When he's working on ours, he's also thinking of PAYING for ours, so he gets all freaked out. Yup, even contractors over budget when building their houses! I'll post some new pictures again soon.
Remember to leave me those addresses!

SNOW!!!

2007-11-28T20:42:00.000-08:00

We had our first snow on Monday night!!! So of course, yesterday when Chase & Davin got home from school, they went straight outside to play. It was Bridger's first time playing in the snow and therefore he had no snow pants. So I found myself rushing to Target first thing Tuesday morning (along with all the other unprepared Mothers) and practically playing tug-of-war over the last pair of snow pants in a 2T. OK so I didn't REALLY have to play tug-of-war, but there were 3 other Mom's hovering and searching like vultures, who I thought might spit on me when I pulled out the only 2T on the rack! As a group, we Mom's are a competitive and fearsome bunch! Anyway here are a couple of pictures as well as a more recent shot of the house. (I say MORE recent simply because the house looks different everyday so it's truly improbable to post a "current" picture!)

Happy Turkey Day!!!!

2007-11-21T21:16:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I needed to tell you all that I am SO thankful for all of you, our family and friends. And that you enrich our lives so much everyday even though we aren't always able to see each other as much as we might like.

Have a great day!

Update

2007-11-14T13:39:00.000-08:00

So I thought I ought to update you all on our lives. We are as busy as ever and I keep wondering if things will ever really slow down. I'm beginning to have my doubts!

Unfortunately I've come down with something and nobody can hear me when I talk aka whisper. When I answer the phone I'm needing to say hello a few times before anyone can actually hear me. I thought it was just a cold since Bridge is congested too. Turns out he's getting 6 teeth! (4 molars and 2 bottom teeth) But no one else is sick so apparently not just a cold. ???

We had our friends the Facers 2 kids over the weekend and I have a whole new respect for people who have 5 or more children! It's not that any of them were "bad" per say, it's just that there were SO MANY of them! Every mother says "the minute I get one mess cleaned up there's a whole other mess already made". It's our team motto, if you will. But this time, it wasn't that there was another mess to be cleaned up... there were TEN more messes to be cleaned up! But we survived and actually managed to have a fairly good time.

The house is coming along well and I will take some new pictures soon. The windows are all in and most of the exterior doors are on. Rough plumbing is in and when I was there this morning the heating and electrical guys were both there. IT'S BIG(!) and we are beginning to hope more and more that it sells. Anybody want to buy a house?

Chase was Thomas Jefferson at the Veterans Day Program at the Elementary School. He had to recite the entire first paragraph of the Constitution and he did it from memory!!!

P.S. We are planning a "tropical" vacation in February if anyone wants to join us or has any recommendations.

That's it for now, TTFN!

I've been tagged...

2007-11-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

Ok so I've been tagged and as I understand it, that means I have tell you all 6 things about me.

1. I'm a MAJOR clean freak! It drives me crazy to have a dirty house and it drives my husband crazy that I can't just let it go sometimes. Don't misunderstand this, I hate to clean but I hate a dirty house more so...

2. I don't like pets. I don't mind other people's pets, I just don't want them in my house. (For my reasoning see #1.)

3.I love to shop. It doesn't even have to be in the store, online works for me! As evidence look in anyone in any of my boys closets. (or mine:))

4.I love music! I sing constantly and have always wanted to learn to play the guitar. I'm always singing in the car so if you don't like it, maybe you shouldn't ride with me.

5. I also love photography and as soon as the opportunity to go back to school presents itself, that will most likely be my major. (either that or Nursing)

6. I love Holidays! I decorate for every holiday and start counting down the days to my birthday about 2 months in advance! My husband will never have the opportunity to forget my b-day (or any significant holiday really) because he gets a daily reminder of how far away it is!

I was thinking I wouldn't be able to come up with 6 things but I could actually go on! (I won't)
So now I tag Yolanda, Britton, Tristen and Melissa.

Halloween!!! Yay it's over!

2007-11-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong, I love Halloween, all holidays really. However this year I am SO glad it's over!!!! I'm the "room Mom" in Chases' class and I had VERY few volunteers to help with the party. So that meant I had to do a game, craft and all the treats for 30 kids essentailly by myself. It was stressful but it actually turned out really well. It was good for my ego too. :) I know it's totally vain to be happy about but I overheard a few kids telling Chase how cool his Mom is. I even overheard someone say "Chases' Mom is hot!". I'M THE HOT MOM!!!! That made my week! Anyway here are a few pictures of our Halloween!

Davin the Ninja (minus the mask since we were at church) Bridger the skunk and Chase the vampire.

Me, my friend Amber with baby Esther and another friend Mikin.

My little skunk and his Daddy skunk!

We have a roof! (sort of :))

2007-10-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

Brandon is out "flying" trusses today. Trusses are the structure of the roof and they are usually constructed off-site in a plant, trucked in and set. So here are the pictures off the trusses being set and current progress inside the house.

Trusses going on

This is the wall of future windows in the great room

The trees and balcony in the great room.

Jon setting trusses

sorry

2007-10-19T11:41:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, I'm kind of messing with my blog and trying some new things so it might be a little screwy for the next few days! :) Allie

Silly Brandon...

2007-10-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

Silly Brandon, tree's belong OUTSIDE of the house!!!! Or not... we are actually putting 2 of these ginormous suckers in the great room! Anyway this is the current progress on the house as well as some other recent pictures.

BOYS!!!

2007-10-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

So it's been awhile since we had a toddler. Davin is 5 and a 1/2 years older than Bridger so it's reasonable to believe we might have forgotten about a few phases. And now that we are seeing them again, I'm reminded that they are totally normal but still hilarious all the same. Bridger is ALL BOY! i.e.He didn't have to be taught what noises a car is supposed to make as you're pushing it along the floor, etc.. He also discovered the thing that makes him "all boy", namely his penis. The second his diaper comes off he's looking at it and pulling on it! And so the life long fascination begins. :) He's also discovered his orifices. He's always shoving something in his mouth or ears. Yesterday we were running some errands and I looked in the back seat and discovered he had his finger in his nose! I wouldn't say he was "picking" but apparently it fits nicely. He started laughing uncontrollably. How great would it be to be so easily entertained?! I'm terrified we are getting into the phase when we will have to rush him to the doctor because there's a marble or something shoved in his ear or up his nose. I guess you just have to learn to laugh about it and roll with the punches!

Orlando...

2007-10-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

Ok so Brandon and I just got back from a 5/6 day stint in Orlando. (5 days for me, 6 for him) We had to go down to do a trade show there with my family so we decided to go a few days early and see the sights. Brandon had been there when he was really young and I had never been. So we thought it would be a fun new excpierence. We had a GREAT time! However I must say I'm a Disneyland kind of girl rather than Disneyworld. There were a lot of fun things about Disneyworld, but it just wasn't as "magical" as Disneyland is. We spent all day Friday doing the Disneyworld thing. On Saturday, we decided to try an airboat tour in a swamppy area. This was an interesting excpierence. I've never really thought of Florida as "The South" although it is the southern most state in North America. When you think of the South you think, Louisianna, Georgia etc.. However we had a very southern excpierence. It was like a seen out of a movie where "the yanks" came down to the south and were shocked! We ate alligator (which I don't really reccomend) and were attacked by love bugs in swarms. But we had fun anyway. We also drove out to the Gulf Coast on Saturday, and that was my favorite part of the trip. The water was sooo warm and we ended up buying bathing suits to go swimming since we hadn't planned on it and so hadn't brought our own. Anyway I'll add a few pics of our trip later but there aren't very many so....

Our weekend

2007-10-01T13:01:00.001-07:00

So our friends Kailee and Tex came over from Seattle this weekend. It's been a long time since they were both able to make it over so we decided we needed to do some fun stuff. For starters as with all Saturdays we had soccer games. I honestly thought we were all going to freeze to death, but at least it wasn't raining. Our boys did GREAT! Chase scored 2 and Davin scored 5 for thier teams and both of them loved every minute of it. We also got to go riding (4 wheelers/dirt bikes) this weekend and it did rain for that. (Of course) Anyway here are some pics of our fun weekend!

2007-09-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

Hello out there in cyberland. I usually don't do the blog sort of thing but I must brag a little. MY boys are soccer nuts!!! Last week was the first round of games and while I'm sure after a few weeks of "loosing" a good Saturday Ill think other wise, it was fun to be with the kids. chase had a smashing season opener scoring 4 of the 7 goals for his team. this is quite a feat considering he is only one of 2 boys on the team. not to say that girls aren't good at soccer, many of them are, they just happen not to be on his team. this Saturday was a little crushing for him as he only had 1 goal but he covered the entire field almost by himself, and his team still won. you should see his little legs move!!! At nine he is a head shorter than everyone else on the team but that doesn't seem to matter. Go Chase!!!
Davin is also the star of his team scoring 4 goals in his season opener and 6 this Saturday. I usually walk the side lines with the balls progress yelling encouragement and had the great opportunity to be next to the other team parents and over heard the " oh crap"s when Davin's coach yelled for him to sub in. makes a father proud. its really fun to see their hard work of past practice and soccer camps pay off.

enough proud papa. i am working and doing church stuff and scouts and rarely find time to do any fun stuff. i guess there is no rest for the wicked..

Allie is doing her mom thing and is doing fantastic. she does a wonderful job of keeping the house from falling apart and is incredible patient with all the testosterone she is surrounded by. she truly is the glue that holds us together.

I enjoy seeing all the posts from family and friends. I think its great we have some medium to keep in touch as life gets so spread out and goes by so quickly. i keep seeing little kids that i didn't know about and little kids i do that aren't so little any more . How time flies!!!!

we are truly blessed up her in " Gods Country" and invite all who are able to come visit. until we meet again keep posting!!!!

Brandon

Preview....

2007-09-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

So the foundation is in and the floor will be on tommorrow but I thought I'd give you all a little preview of what our new house is supposed to look like!

Cute, huh?! I love it and I'm so excited!!

Vegas

2007-09-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

So Brandon is in Las Vegas this week and he called just a few minutes ago. He is wandering around trying to find a Kinko's or something like it, so while he was doing that, he called me to kill time. Anyway, neither of us are huge fans of Vegas and he has been rudely reminded of why. As we were chatting he said there was a guy on the corner wearinf a striped prison jumpsuit, rainbow shoes and rainbow sunglasses holding a sign that says"Welcome to Vegas Bail Bonds". This "Gentleman" was dancing, blowing kisses and giving the "dirty V". (If you don't know what that is, count yourself as extremely lucky!)
Meanwhile back at home things are soooo quiet! We had a gorgeous weekend with highs in the 70's. I took the boys to one of the smaller lakes around here and fed the ducks. Then on saturday night I went to movie I knew B would not want to see with me. I don't think I've ever gone to a movie by myself before. It wasn't so great.
Anyway I don't have much to say today but I thought B's expierience was worth sharing.

No it's NOT boogers!

2007-09-08T07:57:00.001-07:00

Actually, it's worse than boogers! I made the mistake of taking a shower BY MYSELF, and this is what I found upon my exit. It's Bag Balm. The nasty stuff that your Mom put on your face if it was chapped, or in our house is used for diaper rash. It is GREASY and smells like farm animals! After finding this smeared in his hair, on my sofa and ground into the carpet, I of course threw out the remains of the offending potion. Wouldn't you? Except to my dismay, 3 days later we are dealing with Murphy's Law and Bridger has the worst diaper rash I've ever seen! Thus I'm off to the store to, (I can't believe I'm saying this) purchase MORE of the disgusting goop! (Which will be locked in a dark room in a dark closet in a safe!)

The strangest noise

2007-09-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

My day started fairly early this morning as Chase who is 9 was too excited to sleep. Today is the first day of school and my kids are still young enough that they like school. That being said I still had to drag Davin out of bed. He is NOT a morning person! It's also Tuesday, and being the wierdo I am, I ALWAYS clean on Tuesday mornings. Don't ask me why Tuesday, I don't know. That's just the day I clean. Now, it being the first day of school, I had to take a break from the cleaning, get myself cleaned up a bit and get my boys settled in thier new classes. (I didn't take time to shower, but I did my hair and makeup so I wouldn't be the "frumpy Mom" who shows up to her kids class in her sweats.)I promptly went home and put my pj's BACK on to finish my cleaning. I cleaned EVERYTHING! I even took the time to wipe down the baseboards.Mind you I still had Bridger's "helping" to contend with, but I was suprised how fast it went. Bridger needed lunch right after I finished so as he was eating I folded ALL the laundry! Then I put it away! (This is a rare occurance at my house as there is nothing I despise more than folding and putting away laundry. Thus I procrastinate untill the laundry takes over the house and I have no choice but to do it, or move.) Shortly there after he went down for nap. I looked at the clock and realized I had time to take an actual BATH!!! Once I turned off the water I heard the strangest noise, one I haven't heard in months! SILENCE!!! Sweet blessed silence! I even removed the remnants of the nail polish I put on two and a half months ago. (The last time I was alone!) I keep thinking of all the things I should hurry and do when a wonderful thought intervenes. I get 5 days a week like this for the next nine months! I don't have to hurry! Don't get me wrong, I know I have the best kids ever. And I also know come June next year I will be thrilled to have them out of school. But for now, this feels like total and complete bliss! So now I sit here with no noise other than the clacking of the keys on the keyboard and the gentle hum of the computer and try to decide how to spend the last half hour of my quiet time. I think I'll take a nap.

Northern Idaho fashion

2007-08-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this with a statement.North Idaho is an amazing place to live. It's gorgeous, there's not a lot of traffic and it's one of those places that's not to big(not to much traffic) but still has the of a larger city. Spokane is only a few minutes away with decent shopping etc.. That being said...Have you ever been out in public and seen someone "interesting" (I'm being nice) and thought to yourself, "Really? You looked in the mirror and thought that was good idea?" and then you thought, "Seriously, where do these people come from?". I can answer that. They came from North Idaho.
You know you live in a redneck town when you go to the fair and the attendants are scarier than the "carnies". For example, I met my friend Amber at McDonald's the other day to let our kids play etc.. There were several "interesting" people there but the most questionable was a girl/woman who was probably about 19 and weighed in at an estimated 300-325lbs. I've got no problem with that, my issue was that she wasn't wearing any pants! I'm not exaggerating, she wasn't wearing short shorts or something else a little too revealing for a woman of her size. She was quite literally wearing an over sized sweatshirt, slippers and NO PANTS! I guess I missed the lesson on fashion when they talked about how sexy that is... or not so much.

Things you take for granted before you have a toddler

2007-08-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

1. Garbage cans without lids

2. Cupboards and drawers without safety locks

3. Any aerosol can with a spray nozzle intact (shaving cream and hair moose cans also fall into this category)

4. Putting something away with the knowledge it will be where you put it when you come to find it later

5. DVD's that stay on the shelf

6. A clean car or one that has real music playing in it

7. Folding the laundry without someone climbing in the basket and pulling everything back out

8. Going anywhere without "wipes"

9. Storing anything under the bed

10. Eating a meal when it is ready!!! Instead after the baby is done, he and his tray are cleaned up and the floor is cleaned so he doesn't eat the remnants off of it. Of course at this point everyone else is done too so you might as well do those dishes while you're doing the babies. The older kids (or your husband) broke a glass bowl full of salsa, so you should probably just clean the whole floor while your at it. It's now almost an hour after your food was ready, but you are to tired to rewarm it so you just eat cold!

But really who can resist this?!

And so it begins!

2007-08-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

We have officially started our house! I say we, but that actually means Brandon. :) Brandon and Kelly (his Dad) went out today and cleared the lot. We should have a foundation in this next week! Meanwhile I spent the day looking at "Parade" homes, and unfortunately was not all that impressed. Although there were a few things I liked and am hoping I can talk B into implementing in this house. We'll see! Wish me luck, I'll probably need it!

Note to self; Learn to say NO

2007-08-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one who has let myself become a "pee-on"? I've discovered today that when it comes to people "needing help" I can't say no! It doesn't seem to matter if whatever it is they are asking from me, is something I can actually do, I say yes anyway! Whether it's dinner for this person or dessert for some other function, I just can't seem to help myself! I swear I must wear an invisible sign that says "Ask me because I will say yes".
Okay, so I know I should have a better attitude about this as it falls into that "serving others" category. But seriously, where is the line? When is it ok to say "no, I just can't", and when is saying that just being self-centered?
So I just needed to vent a bit and i'm good now! :)

Lately

2007-08-21T18:26:00.001-07:00

So, to update you all on our lives! We are still in Coeur d'Alene and we still love it. (It's easy to love in the summer.... winter? Not so much! :)) We are actually just starting a new home which we are VERY excited about! Although Brandon tells me not to get to excited as we are putting it on the market next week and we would never get to move in. To tell you the truth i'm rather conflicted about it! On one hand, if it sells we get the proffit and put into something else. But I've invested alot of time into designing this one and would be sad never to see it come to fruition. Only time will tell.
The boys are doing GREAT! Soccer starts in 2 weeks as does school. We are finally done with all the camps and lessons for the summer and have a few weeks to get ready, although things are crazy so it doesn't really feel like "time off"! They are sooo excited for school and have been nagging me for weeks to go buy school supplies.
Chase will be in 3rd grade this year. He is very bright and gets good grades. Not to mention he's a heartbreaker! He's also in Scouts. He has his Wolf and is almost done with his Duty to God. He is Mr. Responsibility. (Something about being the oldest?)
Davin will be in 1st grade and is excited about eating lunch at school. We of course, had to get him a really cool lunchbox. He's a great soccer player! (Something about practicing with Chase and other big kids makes playing with kids his own age easy!) He's EXTREMELY compettive and in all honesty is a pretty sore loser.
Bridger is my angel. He follows me everywhere these days and wants to "help" with everything. Even when I don't want his "help"! He is a very cheerful little fellow these days and I'm excited about having some time this Fall for just the 2 of us. My older boys each had some of that and I appreciate that time. I love watching him discover everything around him.
Brandon is super busy these days! He is still doing quite a bit of Framing contracting as well as Generaling. The combination adds up to ALOT of work!! He loves it though. Framing pays the bills for now and generaling gives him the freedom to do some creative things he REALLY loves. He is talking about taking some design classes in the future, since that is his true passion. (Besides me of course!) He is also the Wolf Den Leader for the Scouts (which he really likes) and is an Elders Quorum Teacher(which he really doesn't like).
I am just trying to keep up with everyone!!!! Between selling our house, building a new one, helping B with all the business stuff and keeping up a family it seems I never slow down. I'm also thinking of taking some classes in the near future. My problem is deciding which ones! I have it narrowed down to 3 choices, photography, music and nursing. i'll probably take a few of each and decide what I like best!
I suppose that is a fair update on our lives to start with!
Allie

Hi all!

2007-08-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

Okay so my cousin Denise inspired me to start a blog. Apparently that's the way to keep up with everyone these days and I've fallen behind on even emailing. So here goes!