Busy, busy!

Troy left Friday afternoon to go on a backpacking trip. He went with Uncle Scott, Scott's son Dylan, and Cousin Josh. They started at Alaska Basin, went thru Hurricane Pass and finished at Jenny's Lake. He is on his way home as I type. Tevan has not slept the last two nights and therefore I have not slept the last two nights.

Friday we helped cousin Holly with her landscaping...or tried. I wasn't the best of help, I am sure. But it was fun and the kids played. She treated us to pizza. It was delicious and fun! Thanks, Holly!

Saturday we picked up our basket, whice was great this week! It had 1 canteloupe, 6 peaches, 7 ears of corn, a bag of 8 grapefruit, 7 bananas, 4 tomatoes, 1 head of green leaf lettuce, 1 container champagne grapes (tiny, tiny grapes), 3 mangoes, 2 red peppers, and 2 hothouse cucumbers. I think that is all...I will have to check. I love BB and I love that the service makes it so affordable to eat all the fruit and vegetables we want! After we picked up our baskets, we headed to McD's and to the family reunion. We stopped at Aunt Hailey's to pick up Grandma Cindy and had a quick visit. Then to McCammon for the East/Barrell reunion. It was great. I met a lot of people I didn't know. I learned about our family and I bought some fun things from the auction. The kids had a great time in the blow-up bounce house, fish pond, sack races, and horseshoes. There was a park they played in and one little cousin, Cambree, that Daeson instantly clicked with. There were little dogs that the kids played with, too. We stopped at Gram Tom's on the way home to pick up canning jars and to take a bath. Tevan fussed most of the way home, but Daeson was asleep before we hit Chubbuck to drop off Gramma Cindy at Justin's. The drive home finally got peaceful about Shelly area...then to be disrupted as I pulled into my neighborhood. Sigh. I got things ready for Jesse's birthday party, then about 2 a.m. I finally dosed off to sleep. Daeson was up bright and early this morning. That kid, I tell you!

Tevan slept in until about 8:45 a.m. and we rushed to get to church. We were 15 minutes late (not uncommon) and enjoyed a shortened sacrament meeting. I had time to reflect today. It was nice that the boys actually cooperated and they were pretty good. I found out today in Primary that we have a lot of blank spots to fill and I am so disappointed that so many people will NOT accept callings! It is so aggravating! Our piano player has to get surgery tomorrow and has asked many to fill in...I guess I better learn to play by next week! ;) We decided as a presidency that we will use CD's and the kids will be okay. We will miss her, she is very talented and very patient with us! I hope she heals quickly, I will miss chatting with her on Sundays when things are calm! Troy just called and I have to run to Rexburg to get him...I just got done making 3 cheesecakes, a jello poke cake, and my ChubbyHubbyCake. I need to put the sauce on the bbq beef and get it finished. I also need to pack the car and get the kid's pjs ready...Sunday is NOT a day of rest to most of us. I wish it were, but our lives just keep getting busier! Never slowing down, just busier. I must be off...I hope to have some pictures soon. It is so much more fun to look at pictures than to read the blog!

The sewer project and date night

So, remember when I told you that we had a company come out and tell us we needed to get our sewer replaced? Well, today we decided to do it. Advanced quoted us 4200, a local plumber quoted 1900, and a close friend quoted 700. Needless to say, we went with the latter. Dave was very diligent and hard working...he was here for about 14 hours, and is coming back tomorrow. Here's the kicker: THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG!!! There was no tree branches growing into the joint, there was no back-up. The joint was a bit off, so Dave lined it up and re-joined it since the 10 ft hole was already there. I just feel so taken by the first bidder. I also feel very bad that Dave spent some long, grueling hours at our house. The good? At least I can have peace of mind that our sewer is in tip top shape and there should be no repairs in the next few years. Also, if we decide to sell ever, we can honestly say we have seen our sewer lines and they look great!

Tonight Troy and I went out. First to Sportsman's, then we grabbed a pizza for the kids. Troy then took me shopping to Ross. I found four pairs of jeans, a shirt, and a cute sweater/shawl thing. I am very excited. Yesterday we went to Maurice's and we were there an hour. I found one shirt...and a super cute pair of jeans, but I could not justify spending 80 bucks on ONE pair of jeans!! After shopping, we went to Buddy's with our friends, Jaimen and Kara. It was...okay. It was not as great as Carino's and the menu size is TINY! I remember going to Buddy's as a kid in Pocatello, but I remember it being WAY better than this. Oh well. We headed over to DQ for a treat. DQ now offers a MINI Blizzard! I was excited about that...the smalls are just too big sometimes! They were out of coconut so I could not get the Hawaiian, so I settled for Banana Creme Pie. It was tasty I must say! Our sitter had the kids asleep when we got home...YEAH! Now, it is time for bed...I will sleep like a log. I am so tired and I have a big day tomorrow!

Eat Pray Love

Tonight was girl's night out. I am trying to do this once a month, or twice if we are lucky! Tonight we saw Eat Love Pray. I really enjoyed it. I thought the scenery was great and I liked the story line about finding ourselves again. Sometimes I feel like I am not the same person that I was ten, or even five, years ago. I think it is so important for us to rediscover our selves and stay true to who we are. I realize that we mature and, hopefully, gain knowledge as we get older. However, I often wonder when I changes so drastically. When did I loose a love and passion for life? When did I become this person that I am? I know a lot of people did not like this movie, but I enjoyed it. I could relate to her as she was on the road to rediscovery. I would recommend it, but I do know there are several who would not. Maybe rent it and decide for yourselves if you like it or not. :) Thanks to Laura, Ashley, and Sarah who came tonight! I enjoyed the conversation and the company!!!

Splash Park fun!

Today we wandered to Taco Time and then the Splash Park with our cousins. After, we rode the carousel, visited a cute craft store, and then to Florence's Chocolate. After, we visited the BYU-I bookstore where I found the boys cute shirts. I figure that is where I graduated so the boys need to have a cute shirt. As we were going in to the bookstore, we saw a bat on the side of the building. It was neat and the kids loved it. When we came out, the bat was gone and there was no trace. It was strange to be on campus, not as a student, wearing shorts, flip-flops, and having my kids with me. Sometimes I yearn for the college life again. It seems so very long ago... sigh! Thanks, Holly, for the fun time today! It was great!

The wonderful world of Tautphus Park and family BBQ

We attempted a trip to the zoo! We had a short, but sweet time. Our cousins came and I took my crew. We saw all the animals except the flamingos and the bird exhibit. The bears were cute as always and the monkeys were stinky as always. :) The kids enjoyed each other's company and I enjoyed getting out. Tonight was the big BBQ with everyone. On the menu: potato salad, hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, fruit salad, baked beans, chips, mini cheesecakes and all the fixin's. It was nice for the girls to see their mom and dad. They have missed them so much. It was a busy 9 days, but it was fun and full of activity. I am just glad I am in a stage where I can babysit my nieces and nephews. I enjoy watching them grow and learn, and I enjoy watching the kids all play together (except when they fight, then I stress out :) ). Adam and Kayla had a great time on their cruise. I was sad Ann and Terry could not join us for dinner, but maybe next time! Richard, Peggy, Kaden, Heidi, Adam, Kayla, Adalyn, Mieley, Tora, Bret, Holly, Talia, Nicolie-Olie, Todd, Dani, Ryker, Sadie, Troy, Daeson, Tevan and I had a very enjoyable night and I was glad we could spend it as a big family. Times like these do not happen enough. And, Dani, I am glad you were able to make it! I love seeing you guys!

Treasure boxes

On our way to Walmart, we stopped at my friend's yard sale to say hi. I found these great treasure boxes for only a quarter each, so I picked them up. We bought paints at Walmart and decided this would be our super fun activity. Chloe, our cute neighbor, came home with us to play. The older kids loved it, but the younger kids were bored with it very quickly!

Face painting fun!

Today the kids were a bit bored, after watching Atlantis. The girls loved the cartoon people's faces, so I decided to play with paints. As you can see, I am not a professional face painter, but the kids had a great time and loved every second of it! We got a babysitter tonight, and Daeson was the only one who wanted it washed off. They look so cute with their little sleeping faces!!! Troy dosed off on the couch, so we decided to paint his face, too! Haha. Good thing it wasn't with permanent marker!

Bountiful Baskets

I know I have posted before about BB, but my dad asked that I post him some pics so that the people of Gville can decide if they want to participate. If you are interested, go to bountifulbaskets.org to see if there is a location near you! It is a fabulous program and I support it 100%! This week I ordered 25# tomatoes for spaghetti sauce and it came to $11.50. I thought it to be a great deal.

Our fifth day...

So far, so good. The kids are getting a bit tired of each other. Last night our cousin brought Adalyn and Mieley's baby sister for a visit. We had a pizza party and the kids all played. Tora was done about 7:30. It was good for the girls to see Tora. I think we have all adjusted. last night Mieley was up all night coughing and I wondered whether or not to take her in to the ER. She just couldn't stop coughing. So, about 2:30 a.m. I searched my medicine cabinet for something to reliever her. I finally found some Benedryl...not necessarily for coughs, but it did allow her (and the rest of us) to get some rest. Today she seems great. We played today and the kids actually got in trouble for breaking the fence. I was downstairs folding the fifth batch of laundry when they all came in and tattled on each other. I don't know how they got that fence to fall over, but they did. It is pretty bad, so we decided to take away swimming at the party tonight. I felt bad because that was one of the big things we were going to do while they are staying with us, but the three little masterminds need to know that they cannot be so naughty. Tevan and Troy got to swim and Tevan was very happy about that. They had a great time. I am not sure if the three would have enjoyed swimming as much as they enjoyed playing on the playground. They all had a great time. I could not get any of them to eat, but they will survive until breakfast I am sure. I enjoyed talking to some of the sisters in my ward and Troy had a great time, too. It is nice that our ward has this little get together. I made an orange salad and my signature ChubbyHubby cake. It was pretty good if I do say so myself.

This afternoon we took a trip to the HomeDepot. I love Home Depot because I usually get something there that I need. Troy bought me the last set of shelves for the closet and a NEW TOILET! I know that doesn't sound like much, but our basement bathroom still is not done...and probably won't be for a while, so we have all been sharing one toilet. Do you know how gross it is to sit in pee? Daeson used to be so good at lifting the lids, but lately he has not been. There are six of us sharing one toilet and inevitably someone has to go while the other one is going. I will be so happy when it is installed and usable. Ahhh! Alas, two months without a toilet will be coming to an end! Good bye wet toilet seat!

We are going to attempt the Zoo tomorrow unless they all get into trouble again. I hope they don't because I am looking forward to it. I think they all need a break from each other. They are fighting a lot more and bickering amongst themselves. Saturday is only a few days away. Last night I took Daeson school shopping by himself and I think it was good for him. Maybe tomorrow I will take one more of them out without anyone else bugging them. It is hard to give each of the four kids the attention they need, plus give attention to Troy. I am spread pretty thin and I think we will all enjoy bed time. Maybe tomorrow we can run through the sprinklers and I can weed the neglected garden...I sure hope that gets done. My peas are getting choked out. I do love the fact that weeds don't grow around onions. My onion patch is nothing but onions and that is refreshing!

Pictures of our August 2010 Grangeville trip

Here are some pictures from our trip. The kids had a blast on the horse. It was nice weather and it was a fun time with Gramma and Grampa. Gramma Cindy caught two fish, I think we were all excited about that. There was a lot of moss in the lake and we could not get our casts far enough out. Good job, Mom!