The Wyeths

Family Pics

2012-02-16T19:45:00.002-07:00

A friend took our family pictures for us. We are so honored that she shared her time and talents with us. We LOVE the pictures and are so grateful for them. If you are on facebook, you have probably already seen them, but if not, enjoy! These are only a few of course, but I'm trying not to get sucked in to blogland tonight, so these will have to do for now!

Lucky Girl

2012-02-05T21:59:00.001-07:00

Just downloading these pics and thinking I must have done something right somewhere along the line, I am one blessed girl to have this AWESOME family!

I sure do love these HANDSOME boys!

And this sweet Hannah May

And our flutterby Ev

And little Henry Drew

Sure am glad for my fam!

Henry

2012-02-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few videos, mostly of Henry, for far away family and friends who just don't get to see how fast this little joy is growing!

Big brothers just have a way of knowing how to tease little siblings!

Henry is such a delight! We all adore him. As you can tell from the videos, he gets lots of attention, but probably the most from Evelyn. He also is SO good at getting his sisters awake for the day. On a normal day it takes me 30 minutes to get those girls out of bed, but if I bring Henry in, they sit up, hold him, and the day starts on a very happy note! We sure feel blessed to have this little dream!

The Day They've Waited For

2012-02-02T09:02:00.001-07:00

We used to tell Will that he was getting a baby brother and that when he grew bigger, he would play cars with Will. Some days Will would ask, "Is he bigger yet to play cars with me?"

Henry is still learning the ropes, or roads rather, but Will is a patient teacher!

2011-12-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

I know you can't see any teeth in that smile, it's because there aren't hardly any! Evelyn has been pulling teeth like crazy! I was worried it was because she wanted money for the Book Fair. She has lost 7 in all.
Our sweet little tooth pulling bundle of JOY!

F i v e

2011-12-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

That's right! Our sweet Hannah May is FIVE!!! We can hardly believe it! She is growing into a beautiful little tall string bean. She is a sweet, sensitive, smart and sharing girl. She is such a good sibling, she really balances out the wild personalities of Evelyn and Will. We can't imagine this family without her!

Pillow Pet! She calls it "Pilly"

Our 5 year tradition in our family is that they get to decorate their own cake. Very fancy!

A remote control My Little Pony car!

Henry appreciates a good party

A Dora coloring book! Thank you for the wonderful gifts everyone!

Make a wish! Looks like Henry is wishing he could eat the cake!

Brotherly Love

2011-12-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling pretty blessed I get to spend my days with these little hunks!

Hoppin' on the Potty Train!

2011-12-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

William officially completed Potty Training 101. Look at this dapper gent!

Congratulations Will!

Here are the cupcakes we made to celebrate his potty success, heaven knows whose idea that was!

Just Some Cuteness

2011-11-05T23:28:00.000-06:00

Poor Henry is always getting stuff stuck to him. This time some one was trying to mail him!

I got me some handsome church-going boys!

Henry wasn't so sure about the trunk-or-treat, but he kept me cozy!

Hannah adores her baby brother!

Are we really a family of 6 already? Here we are! We even included some shining Texas sun rays.

LOOK at these strapping men!

It's a 7 Year Old!

2011-11-05T23:18:00.003-06:00

Our sweet Evelyn turned 7! Can you believe it?!?

This is a doll she has wanted SO bad! She actually paid for half of it. She has been saving for it for a while and we told her we'd pay for half of it, she was pretty excited.

Present time! Thank you grandparents for the wonderful gifts!

Hannah picked out fake nails to give to Evelyn. Needless to say, they were a hit!

Birthday breakfast: cinnamon rolls, eggs and smoothies

Becky and Nick were here to join us! P A R T Y!!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Evelyn Joy, the world just wouldn't be the same without you!

My Sista'

2011-11-05T23:14:00.000-06:00

We were so glad that my sister, Becky, and my nephew, Nicholas, decided to fly a bazillion miles to come visit us in scorchin' Texas. We had a great visit and it went to fast! This picture was taken on the Zilker Park Train. It was in the 90's that day.

We may or may not have let the girls play hookey one day so we could spend some quality time with their aunt and cousin...We were excited to ride the train.

Nick and Will are 3 months apart, they are very much alike and had a great time playing together.

The girls

Becky and Nick

Evelyn LOVES Aunt Becky and was upset when she had to go. Becky loves purple so we all just wore purple shirts in honor of her.

The boys throwing rocks in the river.

Mmmmm, sno cones! We were invaded by bees and pigeons, but had a good time anyways!

This is outside the Children's Museum. There are painted cows ALL over Austin. Our kids like to spot them and name them.

Two peas in a space pod

I think Hannah looks like the next Martha Stewart in this photo with her arms crossed and wearing her white pearls.

Henry really enjoyed Becky and vice versa. She kept telling me she loves all our kids, but she really loves Henry. I think it's because he is the only who doesn't talk :)

Thanks for a wonderful visit Becky and Nick! We love you!

Halloween

2011-11-03T22:28:00.001-06:00

We started our Halloween festivities with a "Trunk or Treat" at our church. We last minute tried to decorate our trunk like a jungle.

Will REALLY wanted to be lightning McQueen. He was pleased with his home made costume and was cute trying to run SO FAST!

Will wearing an apron helping me paint Lightning.

Henry was a fireman. I accidentally erased the photos with him smiling. Thanks GG for the fireman onsie!

Right before trick or treating. Spider girl, Tinkerbell who is disguised as just a fairy with one water shoe on, and LMcQ. Oh, and a fireman of course!

Ben was making faces while Will manned the camera. Ben makes a good primate!

A nightly routine which I love, stories from Pops. Not much to do with Halloween, but sweet anyhow!

BOO!

2011-10-16T22:30:00.000-06:00

The kids are I were "storm chasing" the other day. We saw a beautiful dark thunderhead and went after it in the hopes of being rained on. We were never successful, but in the process we found this fun ghost town. We brought Ben back a few days later and enjoyed a spooky evening together.

Ben often enjoyed Dunkin' Doughnuts' munchkins as a child and jumped at the opportunity to share that delight with our kids. "We're going to the ghost town tonight? Perfect! I'll bring munchkins!" What a good dad!

Jail birds

Hannah is never afraid of bugs. Here she is holding a grasshopper she caught. She carried it around for a good long while.

Such a sweet little thing. She sure is growing up! Almost 5!

Here is our almost 7 year old!

We can't forget Don Juan!

Me and Hanky Panky

HANDSOME MAN

And a cherry on top: here is Henry enjoying the company of his monkey blanket. SUCH a sweet baby he is!

A Date!

2011-10-16T22:06:00.000-06:00

We were so grateful when some friends recently asked if we would be interested in having a date swap. We babysit their kids for their date and vice-versa. Heaven! We decided to tour Austin by kayak. We had such a fun time!

The "smolder"

What a dream boat!

Austin skyline in back

Poor Ben's legs were completely asleep after our adventure. He wanted me to distract the kayak attendant so she wouldn't see him hobble out of the boat!

We saw a whole lotta birds!

We grabbed a burger, fries, lemonade and milkshake and got our kiddos who were disappointed to see us "already." So glad for some time together and some friends who helped make it possible!

What can I say?

2011-10-14T11:02:00.000-06:00

Life is so fun with a Henry and a Ben around!

Gotta Love Those CHEEKS!!!

2011-09-22T15:40:00.000-06:00

A little too much Mom

Henry is now 2 months old. It seems to get more and more fun to have babies. First, you have so many more people in the house oohing and aahing and loving on the little babe. It is so fun to watch our other growing babies be so enamored and amused by Henry. It has been heaven the moments we have shared gathered around the baby and all laughing at and enjoying him. Most times Ben and I laugh more at our other children laughing then we do at Henry.

Second, we have learned to respect and appreciate the brevity in which these little ones are truly little. Oh how fast they breeze through our arms! Sleepless nights don't last forever. If it were 50 years from now and I was given the gift to come back and live a day from this season of my life, just a regular ole' off-to-school-playin'-cars-makin'-food-holdin'-babies-cleaning-messes type day, oh how I would treasure holding the yummy bundle of Henry, playing Memory or castle or kitties or puppies with Hannah and William, and watching Evelyn herd her siblings through her imagination. I would soak in the creative messes our kids made and I would ask them so many questions about themselves and record in my heart every answer that their sweet little voices gave.

We are so grateful for our sweet little ones!!!

The furrowed brow inherited from mom

We've been trying to get a pic of his smile. He looks extra round in the face here!

Enjoying the outdoors

Fat cheeks make good pillows

There is that sweet smile that melts us all!

This makes me smile

What to do with a dad who's a tease?

Post funny pics of the tease himself, I
suppose! (The girls helped dress him up)

Hannah and Will building castles and garages out of cans

Good little playmates

The boys

Evelyn helped Hannah dress up as a Spanish missionary. She did her hair too.

Just for fun...I can't eat chocolate while I'm nursing. Ben was going to the store and I dreamily asked him to find me a treat with peanut butter and caramel chunky stuff. I knew there was no chance of getting that without chocolate. But miracle of miracles, Ben & Jerry's Clusterfluff fell into our laps. Peanut butter, caramel, AND marshmallow, no chocolate! Hello heaven. Ben got the potato chip one (Late Night Snack), not too bad. Sure do love Ben!

It's True!!

2011-09-04T08:22:00.007-06:00

Ben and I teach a class at church called Gospel Essentials. All are invited but specifically it is for those who are building their basic knowledge of the Gospel. Today we were teaching about missionary work, however we have a sick little guy (William) and need to keep him home from Church and so one of us needs to stay home. Because I am nursing Henry, it makes most sense for me to stay. I was really excited about the lesson, so I'll share a few of my thoughts and feelings.

Missionary work is near and dear to my heart. I have tasted of the fruits of the Gospel and they are absolutely delicious and beautiful. Anytime in my life when I have tasted something delicious or been to a beautiful place, the first thing I want to do is share it. I want to give the recipe or give directions to the place I had been so others can experience it for themselves. So today I just want to share a few thoughts about the Gospel so whoever reads can have the directions and the recipe for the best thing in my life.

I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our Savior. It is only through Him that we can return to the presence of a loving and kind Father in Heaven. It is through Jesus Christ that we are made clean from our sins and we learn from Him how to be better.
The Lord has given us the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is the head of the Church and he leads it through revelation to a prophet and apostles. We use the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Both are ancient scripture, just from different continents. We are invited in the Book of Mormon to ask God with a sincere heart if these things are not true, we are promised that "by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

I love that promise. I love how bold it is. I love how true it is. I love that I can share my testimony and say "You can ask God if it's true!" and He will let you know. You may feel a warmth in your bosom, peace to your soul, the answer may come through the mouth of a loved one or even a stranger. But the answer will come. That is why I was baptized in May of 1998. That is why I live the way I live and do the things I do.

I am so grateful for the Savior, Jesus Christ. He is my friend. We have a Father in Heaven who loves us, knows us and watches closely after us. He is anxious to help us, especially if we ask. I have had a life blessed beyond measure and am able to experience such peace and happiness, even amid trials.

You can learn more by asking us or referring to http://lds.org/?lang=eng
It is also fun to browse the testimony of others at.http://mormon.org/people/

Here's a little video of a talk given by one of the Apostles. How could you not love the teachings? Each person tries their best to live by them. What a wonderful thing!

Pat-a-Cake

2011-08-28T20:55:00.000-06:00

Here's a little patacaking in the evening when all the kids have gone to bed. We sure love this little babe!

An Update for the Grannys and Grampys

2011-08-14T16:52:00.000-06:00

Newborns change so much and so fast that we had to post a few for the grandparents. Henry is 3 1/2 weeks old now, Ben is back to work after short weekend recovery from his surgery, Evelyn and Hannah start school on the 23rd (Hannah is starting PreK) and life is about to take off like crazy. We are going to savor each day and hour of this next week that we have before schedules and homework and more homework and classes, etc!

Sweet Henry D. in the blanket Karla made for him.

Hannah sporting a baby one-piece car seat blanket thing

William is feeling quite proud to be a big bro

We are all in love with this little babe!

Evelyn can ALWAYS be found by Henry's side and is quite maternal with him.

Ben wore this outfit when he was 2. Will is feeling the jive of the 80's and rockin' it in this outfit!

Ben right after his surgery. Ben is a multi-talented man, among his talents is growing tumors in his neck. This is the fourth time he has had masses removed from his neck and the Dr. said it would not be the last. We are very, very aware how fortunate we are that they are benign. While they are pesky little things, we sure are grateful that it is what it is and not more complicated or worse.
We have had a busy month! We have had lots of help from our ward, family and friends. Thank ya'll!

The Hanky Panky

2011-08-07T21:18:00.000-06:00

Ben is so good at making our babies dance. You may remember Dancing Hannah or William Staying Alive. Our kids love to listen to the "Rio" soundtrack and this is one of their favorites. Henry had to join in on the fun. Enjoy!

A Little More...

2011-07-24T10:40:00.001-06:00

We are happy to report that we are finally home sweet home from the hospital and enjoying life with a family of SIX! Seems like we just got married and here we are with 4 kids! It is heavenly. (PS~Some people can really rock those hospital gowns, I am well aware that I am not one of those people, but for the moment it's the only pic we have with all of us, but believe me, as soon as we get another one we'll remove the lovely hospital gown one! :))

Here is our sleepy little dreamsicle!

The kids came up with the nickname "Henry IV" since he's the fourth child .

This was when the kids first met Henry. They were so patient! The delivery took a bit longer than we thought it would so they spent the day waiting and waiting and waiting. Will wasn't so sure what he thought at first but has certainly warmed up. He told Ben's mom after they got home from visiting, "Henry needs me!"

Evelyn is SUCH a proud big sister and is always telling me, "MOM! You rest, you go ahead and rest and I'll take care of the baby!" She also has said "I just can't get Henry out of my mind!" and "Oh Henry, you are SO sweet, you are an angel, such a sweet little angel."

Hannah giggles at Henry alot and really likes to observe him. She loves moments alone with him and she can tell how much he likes her.

We are a busy and happy bunch! We are forever grateful for Maureen (Ben's mom) who has spent a whole week with us . She has taken care of the kids and spent quality time with them. She really helped the kids get excited and ready for the babe and settled any fears or uncertainties that come with change.

The Wyeth family boys are not out numbered anymore!

Gotta love the Texas style breakfast!

We are so happy to have this little one join our family!

Hello world!

It is so fun to see and hear all the kids giggling and enjoying the babe!

Oh Henry

2011-07-20T14:19:00.002-06:00

Henry, meet world. World, meet Henry Drew Wyeth.

He weighed in at 7 lbs. 14 ozs. and was a long 21 inches. Mom and baby are doing great. He's nursing like an old pro, she's enjoying the feeling snuggling a new little one and is starting to feel like she has her body back! Leave a comment for her! :)

Signs of Summer

2011-07-10T21:25:00.000-06:00

Maybe it's because I have to go back to work tomorrow, after two glorious, long, paid months off, but I've become acutely aware of the many fun signs of summer around our house and I felt like sharing. Some of my favorites include:

The light dusting of freckles on Hannah's face that becomes more pronounced during the summer

She get's it from her mom (isn't she beautiful?!)

Evelyn's tan line (which will last through the entire winter... jealous, anyone?)

William's tan line (Jess made me crop out the rest, even though it was pretty cute!)

Baby time! Two weeks and counting.

(Alright, technically this isn't strictly a summer thing, but it's definitely been a part of our life this summer!)

The shelf in our freezer that's dedicated to otter-pops, homemade peach pops, and scribblers, in that order.

The "swim bag" that comes with us on our near-daily exodus to the neighborhood pool (thus the tan lines)

So, even though I'm feeling a little sad that my stay-at-home summer is ending, I'm grateful for the time I've had and glad the summer isn't really over yet!

Thanks for looking! (And if you want to make Jessica's day, you should leave a comment!)

As of late...

2011-07-03T18:13:00.001-06:00

...we are thoroughly enjoying this rare time that we have Ben all to ourselves. His contract with SUU was through June, but he was done teaching in early May so he's had TWO full months of paid time off. It has been heaven. He starts school on July 11, we will miss having him around so much. What a help he has been in everything and then some!

I am 37 weeks along this week, the pic is of 36 weeks along. In my 37 week photo I resemble a mix between a pea-pod and a horse, so I posted the 36 week photo instead!

We got a pass to the Austin Children's museum and have been enjoying it about once a week.

Evelyn always goes strait to the Veterinarian station.

Master chefs in the making!

The bat cave. In Austin there is a bridge that is home to thousands of bats that leave each night to feed. The Children's museum has a spot under a bridge where you can pretend you are a bat.

Human Pyramid! Still working on it!

This is our little garden space. Ben has such a green thumb! Will LOVES to be outside and to help Ben water and look after our plants.

As the due date approaches, I've been finding alot of this around the house. The kids took over the car seat and used it for their dolls.

More often than not, when we go to check on the kiddos, we find Hannah sleeping in Evelyn's bed. She says Evelyn tells her stories until they fall asleep. They have become better friends since the move and have spent alot of time together.

William is so sweet! Ben's grandma calls him Sweet William after the flower, but he really is so so sweet.

We have a frog that lives in the front yard! Probably the closest we'll get to having a pet unless anyone knows of any small animal that can live outside in a cage in 10000000000 degree weather.

William is really digging the Wyeth summer reading program.

And of course, pig pile on Dad! We got a mattress out one day and the kids pretended it was a pool, complete with belly flops and all!

William belly flopped on top of everyone

Flying Kids by Ben

Overall, life is great and we have been blessed beyond measure in everything! Texas has been good to us, I'm just waiting for it to cool down!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-06-21T21:16:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to a fantastic Pops! The kids sang you a little ditty, but I waited until too close to bedtime and William wasn't quite in the singing mood.

One thing that my dad is so good at is knowing exactly what to get people for their birthdays. I did not inherit that wonderful trait so my poor friends and family often times don't get much from me on their birthdays because I just simply don't know what to get! Anyway, we always take pics of the kids opening their gifts from Grandpa John, here are a few of the hits over the last year:

Thanks for always making our birthdays so special! We hope you have a special and wonderful birthday!!!

Love you oodles!

We're Here!

2011-06-05T17:40:00.000-06:00

On Evelyn's last day of Kindergarten (pictured below, photo courtesy of Hannah) Ben and I were busy cleaning and cleaning and doing some last bits of packing. We had SO much help with our kids, with cleaning, with packing...we are so grateful and couldn't have done it without so much help.

Early the next morning the kids and I had this awesome view of the truck all the way to Gilbert, AZ where we stayed with Ben's family for a couple of days.

Ben's dad drove with Ben on Monday the 2,000 hours to Austin and Ben's mom and sister drove with me and the girls on Tuesday the 10,000,000,000 hours to get here. We would still be traveling and unloading if it hadn't been for their help.

This was the "Welcome to Texas" sign, but I didn't get a good shot of it. We started cheering, but little did we know we still had SO much Texas to cover before we got to Austin. I think this was in the first 1/4 of our trip. The kids were such awesome travelers, really not complaining.
We had a paper chain and took off a chain every 100 miles. Every other one they got a toy/sticker book/activity. We left Arizona at 5am and arrived in Texas at 2:30am.

I didn't get many pictures, or any actually, of Ben's parents and sister, but they were amazing. They helped drive us here, Ben and his dad had the truck unpacked, boxes in the right rooms, beds set up and sheets on, groceries bought and put away all before we got here...The next day after we got here Ben's mom completely unpacked our kitchen and we got the bathrooms and kids rooms in great shape. I've never been almost unpacked after 2 days of being somewhere!
This picture was taken today of Ben enjoying our new beautiful kitchen. He said he's been a bit deprived of treats, I think it's been a week since he's been able to bake :) Our neighbors will be glad we're here.

Here are the kids in our backyard. It is so pretty! Will is ready for a swim and the girls are ballroom dancing.

This one's for Stephanie...My belly at 33 weeks...we are all so excited for baby boy to get here and we are happy to be able to focus on getting ready for babe for a bit.

We've had so much help and have seen so many miracles. We are beyond grateful for the safety we had getting here and all the help we've had.

On Our Way...

2011-05-21T23:02:00.003-06:00

This is officially our last week in Cedar City. It has been so good to us!

Ben and I went to Austin this last week and after three long days of scouring the city for the perfect place for us to live, we found it. It was nothing short of a miracle and we feel so blessed that we get to live in this nice home and nice neighborhood.

Things are all working out timing wise. We want to get there before traveling becomes a big concern for me and my big belly. I will be 32 weeks along when we move. That gives us around 8 weeks before the babe is born.

We are so grateful for ALL the help from friends and family. It is so hard for me to accept, but really is essential. I hate to leave feeling so much in debt to everyone who has helped us so much but I hope we can pay them back in some way...

That's all for now, the next update will probably be from the heart of Texas!

PS~If anyone knows of anyone trying to rent a twin home in Cedar City by June 1, please send them our way!!!

My Mommacita

2011-05-08T09:31:00.000-06:00

There are so many wonderful things about my mom, here are a few:

-My mom is so pretty! She has beautiful eyes and dark hair. I’ve always thought she was a looker and if I got any good looks at all, I blame that on my mom (don't worry dad, you're handsome too)!

- My mom is a hard worker. When I was growing up, she helped my dad start a business and worked

full-time from home helping the business grow and stay on its feet. She also took care of me and my sister as well as somehow keeping an immaculate home and keeping our bellies fed. Now she works hard full-time learning new things as opportunities arise.

Me, My mom holding William and my nephew, Nicholas, and my sister, Becky

-My mom is very punctual. She is always early, even when it comes to sending things in the mail. I am still working on that one.

-My mom is brave. There have been things in her life that she certainly didn’t anticipate or ask for but she has taken on valiantly and with courage. She continues to face each new day with a positive attitude.

- I can always call my mom and she’ll always tell me things are okay. For example, if I have had a lazy day she’ll tell me its okay or if the house is a wreck and I tell her all about it, guess what? It’s okay! Sometimes I know that’s just what she’ll say and that’s just why I call!

-I think one of the most important things about my mom is that she has always supported who I am and who I wanted to be. She understood my need for independence and always granted it. I’ve always felt like there was nothing prohibiting me from becoming who I’ve wanted to be. This has been especially true with me joining the Church. My mom was there at my baptism, she came to Ricks College for my graduation, she diligently sent in a contribution to my bishop each month I was away on my mission, she was at the airport when I came home from my mission, and she came to Salt Lake when Ben and I were sealed in the Temple. While my mom may not embrace the beliefs I do, she has always embraced me and shown a courageous amount of support which has blessed me beyond measure.

- My mom is a wonderful grandmother. She has braved the cold to come to help with babies and take care of the older but still little ones. They have loved it so much. Hannah cried so hard when “Grammie Sally” had to leave when she came to help with William. Our kids all know they are loved by Grandma Sally and they ask often if we can go to Seattle to visit her.

I am so grateful for such a loving and gentle mother who has always loved unconditionally and given so much so her kiddos could be happy!

We love you Mom, Happy Mother’s Day!

Dear Carter,

2011-04-16T21:30:00.000-06:00

William and Ben were a little jealous of how good you look without any hair, so they thought they'd give it a whirl too. William is especially proud of the fuzzy head. When he was in the bath he saw himself in the water spout and said with a giggle, "My head so fuzzy!"

We love you Carter! Keep up the good work, we are praying for you and thinking of you. You are doing such a good job!

Love,

Ben, Jessica, Evelyn, Hannah and William

(Carter is our nephew, you can learn more about him here)

2 Year Old Boys are Dangerous

2011-04-11T16:34:00.001-06:00

This is how I found William during his "nap time."

In the last 2 weeks William has:

-climbed on our dresser where he found a bottle of children's chewable Tylenol. He opened the childproof lid and ate the 3/4 full bottle. Poison control said he would be okay and he was, gratefully.

-stuck his finger in the pencil sharpener and sharpened it (luckily it was NOT a mechanic sharpener). There was some blood.

-left out the front door to "hide" behind our van at the same time that a school bus was driving by. The worst part about this one is that I was in the front and had no idea where he was. That was scary.

-left out the front door again, and again, and again...

-taken the waffle iron out of the cupboard and plugged it in. He said "I cook food!!!"

-he is constantly pushing chairs, stools, anything he can stand on to reach up high. Today he got my Bath and Body works lotion and rubbed it ALL over his head. He smells quite nice.

I know this is nothin' compared to what you mothers of little boys have seen, but it is definitely a new world for us! Luckily he is sweeter than a billion gallons of ice cream, so we are happy to keep him.

This is just Hannah and Will playing. It's a bit boring but kinda funny. They are good playmates when Will isn't screaming his head off because he wants EVERYTHING his sisters have :)

Just a cute and random shot of Ev ready for school in a new shirt she received as a hand-me-down.

Benny Boy's Birthday

2011-04-08T13:03:00.002-06:00

This is how my VERY OLD husband felt about turning another year older. I think it's so funny that he thinks he's so old. For one reason, he is still in his 20's and secondly, I am 2 years older than him (and I don't even feel old!).

This was right before Ben opened his presents from the kids. They each got to pick him out a present from the dollar store. He scored a styrofoam airplane, silly string, and some highlighters for his office.

And here is the handsome hunk of a human being on his way to Priesthood meeting. His birthday fell on Conference Saturday, so we celebrated before, between and after sessions.
Happy Birthday Oldie Goldie! Sure am glad you were born!

Real Life, for Real

2011-04-08T11:25:00.001-06:00

It's been a while since I have posted a "this and that" blog about what we've been up to. When it's nice outside, we've headed to the park and a place called Horse Alley.

Horse Alley is a street in Cedar City where people can rent land and do what they like with it. Most people keep animals including sheep, horses, llamas, cows, chickens, pigs and dogs on the land.

On one lot you can find retired Uhaul parts, a llama family, cows, sheep and chickens!

We also enjoy somewhat lazy mornings. Usually William wanders in our bed, then Hannah, then Evelyn. By then there is not enough room for me, so the kids play for a bit. I love it! They are sweet little things and I'm so grateful they love eachother!

We've been enjoying tea parties, or in this case, cupcakes and milk with some playmates. As you can guess, William will be very happy to have a brother join him in the mix! As Evelyn says, he is always "girl-trapped."

Of course, stories with Dad.

Show time! Dance show put on by the kids, they do this just about every night! (excuse the landry pile...)

Growing belly, 25 weeks

Hannah's chipmunk cheeks, filled with grapes!

Life, as you can see, is normal and good. We don't know much about our move yet because we are waiting to hear from a line up of people about this and that and then some. Until then, we are enjoying our last days in Cedar with wonderful friends, old and new.

It Wouldn't be a Trip to AZ Without...

2011-04-04T22:46:00.000-06:00

A trip to visit Grammie at the Storehouse: Ben's mom's calling is a service missionary working at the Bishop's storehouse in Mesa. We were able to visit her for a few minutes. This is only a small portion of the service she gives to those around her day in and day out.
(Ben had a week off in March and while we live only 8 hours from the fam in AZ we seized the opportunity to visit while we can!)

A Trip to the Science Center: Okay, so we've never been to the science center before, but it has become a bit of a tradition to go to the kids' museum or dinosaur museum. This time it was the science museum.

We had fun with this brain activity game, the person who was more relaxed was able to move the ball towards the other person, Ben's mom was determined to win and finally did (but not against Ben) :)

Naomi was brave enough for the bed of nails!

A St. Patty's Day Treasure Hunt: We were in AZ last year for Brad and Jessi's wedding and we were able to stay the week which included St. Patrick's day. So this was the kids' second year at Grammie's for a St. Patty's day hunt, I don't know how we'll keep up next year!

A trip to Freestone Park: We tell the kids we are just going to feed the ducks, but they know better. They know that Grammie likes to spoil them a little and none of us mind! They got to go on the jet ski ride.

and of course, the train:

AND the carousel!

AND we got to feed the ducks, but they weren't too hungry. We're so glad Nellie could come with us!

Stories with Grandad: Grandad is so fun with the kids and is always willing to read them a book, sometimes he makes up the words or tries to trick the kids with false facts. It's always entertaining for anyone in the room.

Time in the sand wearing dress ups: Ben's parents have made a grandchild wonderland in their backyard including 4 tons of sand.

Our kids spend SO much time outside in AZ, especially when they have adoring and adorable aunts to play with them. Here is Aunt Noelle building a palace with the kids.

Ben's sisters are so good to play with our kids and as a result our kids ADORE their aunts SO, so, SO, so SO SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much! Can you blame them?!!! Nellie with the girls on the trampoline.

A long drive home: Since we know we most likely will not be making the drive from AZ to Cedar City again anytime in the near future, we decided to be a little adventurous and take a look at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. We've always passed it before, but always been too tired of driving and too ready to get home to stop. This time we stopped.

It was pretty cold and our coats were packed, so the girls headed out in their bathrobes and Will in a blanket. It was pretty, but we only stayed for about 10 minutes. We were ready to go home!

Thank you for such a wonderful week in AZ!

Carter

2011-03-12T15:00:00.001-07:00

Carter is our brilliant, sweet, beautiful nephew. That of course makes him a cousin to our children and he happens to be Evelyn's favorite and best cousin (don't get me wrong you other dozen cousins! Evelyn LOVES and adores each one of her cousins more than anything, but there is no denying she and Carter have a special relationship). It may be that they are close in age or just that they are bosom buddies, but regardless the reason, when they are together they are the best of friends. Evelyn talks about Carter all of the time and asks me to drive her to where ever he is.

The last time we saw Carter was just a few months ago in Arizona. He was there for Evelyn's 6th birthday celebration. It was a princess party and he was the Knight. He valiantly defended the castle and princesses from the ferocious dragons.

Much has changed in a short few months, really a short few hours...Carter's family moved to Colorado (they were living in Arizona) and things are going beautifully, Carter loves his new Kindergarten, they love their neighborhood, ward, Bryan's new job,etc. There have been many tender mercies and blessings...and trials.

We very recently received word that Carter is in the hospital. He has been diagnosed with leukemia.

Evelyn says, "I feel bad for Carter, he's my best friend."

We are grateful to hear the Doctors are very optimistic.

We feel helpless, we feel like we live a few too many hundreds of miles away.
However helpless we may be or feel, we are and will be praying our hearts out, morning, noon, and night. We all wish we could be the one fighting the fight instead of this tender 5 year old boy. He has faced other dragons in his life with strength and courage, we know he can do the same with this dragon, even though it's a big one.

We are cheering you on our brave knight! We love you!

(For more pictures of Carter and his family, this is their blog link)

A blog is born

2011-03-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Ben here. First off, I'd like to offer a round of applause to my wife who does such an amazing job with the blog, all on her own. I know it can be hard to be the single-blogger (think single parent) in a relationship. So, on-behalf of myself and all of the other deadbeat dad bloggers, my hat's off to you, Jess.

Now, if you'll allow me to be a little ironic, I wanted to announce the birth of my new blog: www.averageben.com Head over, check it out, leave a few comments, add me to your feedburner, etc.

2 Year Old William

2011-02-28T22:26:00.002-07:00

William recently turned 2! He has us laughing all the time. The other day Evelyn said, "One day, I hope I have a little boy as cute as William!"

William's attempt at chopsticks

William's cake made with love by his sisters with a bit of supervision. He LOVES all things car/truck/tractor and was pretty excited about this cake.

Birthday festivities

William is talking so well and is really so fun. This video may be a bit slow unless you are a grandparent of William. This is a typical morning scene after Will wakes up, he usually comes in our room and plays and talks for a bit before he faces the day. Don't pay any attention to the sleeping lady in the bed. I LOVE it when Hannah comes in, Will is so excited. He says, "LOOK MOMMY!" because he's showing me that Hannah is there. Then he said "Hannah!" and fell to give her a hug. One of the first things he says every morning is "Where Hannah is? What Efewen doing?" He loves his sisters!

Thanks Grandpa John and Karla for the "mowered" as he calls his mower. Thank you Grammie and Grandad, Mom and Becky for all the wonderful gifts! He loves them all!!!

Man-Child

2011-02-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

We did a family vote guessing what the baby is, all the kids guessed boy and Ben and I guessed girl. I really was thinking it was a girl until I saw this shot of the baby's foot and I thought to myself, "There is a man foot if I've ever seen one!!!" and sure enough it is a man cub in there!
I didn't say the man foot thing out loud because our kids were there and just in case it was a girl, I didn't want them to forever tease their sister that I thought she had man feet.
The girls are really excited that William have someone to play cars with as well as having an even family of 3 boys and 3 girls (including me and Ben). We are so excited to meet this little babe!

Anyone a Fan?

2011-01-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

Ben spent much of the latter part of 2010 applying to 8 different PhD programs across the country. It was a huge undertaking. We have been running to the mailbox every day for news. The other day Ben called from work and asked me to check his email, in it was a copy of a letter saying "CONGRATULATIONS!!!" Ben was accepted to his first choice program, Advertising at University of Texas at Austin (which happens to be the ONLY program in the nation that offers a PhD in Advertising).
So far, this is the only school we've heard from. We are all so proud of Ben and so excited for the new adventures coming to us this summer! Thank you to the many people who wrote a bazillion recommendation letters!
Nice work Ben!

Oh Snap!

2011-01-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Little Laughter

2011-01-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

This video makes our whole family giggle, I don't know if it's Evelyn's constant laughter in the background or if it's just how silly William and Hannah are. Will loves to tackle his sisters, he usually holds on until they fall down. This is a typical Sunday morning at our house.
Warning: This is probably boring unless you are a grandparent or aunt or uncle of one of these kids :)

Devastation

2011-01-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

This picture has been floating around our house since October. When we came home from Arizona from Evelyn's birthday and Hannah's unbirthday, Ben's mom sent us home with ALL of the cake. We had it for a couple of days, but as beautiful and delicious as it was, we couldn't handle anymore.
Ben did something that I don't think he will ever do again. He washed out the Tupperware containing the cake left-overs IN FRONT of Evelyn and Hannah. They were sitting at the counter drawing and looked up when they noticed what he was doing. He didn't mean to, he was just cleaning the kitchen!
I was in the other room and I was certain both of the girls had fallen off their chairs and broken all of their limbs by the way they were crying, they were devastated! Who knows what our neighbors must have thought!
We told Evelyn she could draw a picture of her cake, I think it was therapeutic for her. Her picture says, "Birthday Cake Dad washed it down the drain..." and that is her crying in the corner.

Go Rachel Go!!!

2011-01-06T11:26:00.002-07:00

Anyone need a healthy dose of inspiration? Click here to see and read some! My friend Rachel has been working so hard over the last 6 months to change her life. I am so proud of her persistence, motivation and hard work! Way to go Rachel!!!!

Ocean Shores

2010-12-15T21:11:00.005-07:00

From Cannon Beach we made what we thought was going to be a hop, skip and a jump to Ocean Shores, but it had snowed...alot...so the roads were slow and a bit nerve racking, but gratefully we made it safe and sound.

My mom, her boyfriend, David, my sister and her son, Nicholas met us at the Ocean and we stayed for 3 days there.

It was CHILLY! But we had a fun time anyways!

This was on our hike back to the hotel after we fed the seagulls some cat food.

This was the view from our hotel.

My nephew, Nicholas.

As you can tell, Ben had a pleasant time.

My mom and David.

We did a little gift shopping and survived this shark attack.

My mom with her grand kiddos. Stories, stories, stories!

A fun random pic actually taken a few days prior in Seaside, Oregon. Who knew Ben would look so good with a fro?!
William the viking.

Pizza Hannah and hamburger Evelyn.
Hannah and seagull having a standoff.

I LOVE this picture! That seagull is sure Will has some more cat food for him!
Nicholas said the whole time "come and get it birdies, come and get it!."

I had fun throwing the food for the seagulls to catch. My mom and sister hid behind me, they were not so comfortable with the close proximity of the gulls, I think my mom watched "Birds" a few too many times in her youth and felt a bit nervous around the creatures.

We were ALL ready for some hot chocolate from the lobby when we got back. Nick and Will made themselves cozy on the moose. I like Hannah's ferocious face.

Hannah looks like a natural moose rider.

We had such a fun time, thanks for the fun few days fam!!!

Cannon Beach

2010-12-15T10:43:00.005-07:00

When we arrived at Cannon Beach, we were all so hungry! My Dad recommended a restaurant called Mo's so that's where we went. We had a beautiful view of the ocean and the famous Haystack rock. We even got to watch a couple of surfers, BRR!!!

Afterwards, we went outside and played at the beach as long as we could stand the cold. We had a great time! It was so beautiful and we were blessed with a very nice day.

Will in front of Haystack rock.

Happy Hannah May

Evelyn LOVES sand and dirt! She was in heaven!

One of my favorite games to play at the beach when I was little was to "chase the waves." You follow the wave back to the sea as far as you dare and then run and try not to get caught as it comes back to shore. The kids had fun playing with me. Hannah kept her distance from the water but still enjoyed herself.

Evelyn was a little more risky than Hannah! Fun times in a BEAUTIFUL place! I'm so glad we got to take a little stop here.

On the Way to Washington....

2010-12-15T10:16:00.004-07:00

It has been 2 years since we went all together as a family to visit my family in Seattle, so we decided to spend thanksgiving there this year. It is a LONG drive! We detoured a tiny bit and spent a night at Cannon Beach, Oregon since Ben and the kids have never seen the Oregon coast.
We loaded up the car at 5:30 pm. I drove until 2am and Ben took the hard shift from 2am until we arrived which was at 11am, which was much earlier than we anticipated!
Around 9am we were driving through some of the most beautiful parts of Oregon State and the kids had woken up. Inspired by Ben's brother, Bradley, and his wife, Jessi, who are always exploring their surroundings, we decided to take a scenic highway. We're so glad we did! We found Multanomah Falls and a few other beautiful falls in the lush Oregon Forests.

It was fun to pass a city with our last name!

Evelyn at Multanomah Falls. We climbed up to that bridge and got the view from there.

At the side of Horseshoe Falls.

Horseshoe falls

Giant leaves by the road

I miss all the green and the trees!
I thought of you Oregonians from the Dalles and Astoria!!!

A Six to Never Forget

2010-11-13T21:02:00.003-07:00

Evelyn recently turned 6! Our present to her was a trip to Arizona to celebrate with family. Her birthday conviently fell on fall break and Ben's 10 year High School reunion. So off we went!

Ben's mom threw Evelyn the party of all parties. Cousins Carter, Addilyn, and Preslee were present along with Hannah and Will.
It was a Princess and Knight party.

The HIGHLIGHT was when the "Queen of All Queens" (their Great-Grandmother who has over 120 great-grandchildren and a large armfull of great-great-grandchildren) came out wearing a crown. She made a beautiful treasure box for Evelyn out of a box and decorated it with paper and stickers. It was priceless. Can't you tell what a dream she is?!!? We are so fortunate to get to know her and learn from her!

Preslee sporting her tutu and William's knight tunic that he was too scared to put on.

The castle!! This is a playtoy that Ben's dad made for all of the grandkids (10 and counting), they made it fancy with balloons.

Carter ready to defend the castle against the dragons who were Ben and his brother, Bryan (Carter's dad). The girls stayed up in the castle and screamed and ate the marshmallows they were supposed to be throwing at the dragons while Carter valiantly defended the kingdom.

The Knight and Princess wearing the crowns, wands and sword they got to decorate with stick-on jewels and stickers.

Ben adding to the festive spirit of decorating time.

What a dream cake!!! Thank you Grammie and Grandad!

As if that wasn't enough, Grammie didn't want Hannah to feel left out since she has never celebrated a bday in AZ so she had an un-birthday celebration the next day with a cake and a few presents! She still is talking about it.

William got spoiled spending time with Grandad. He sees his picture and says "Grandad, catch you?" Grandad played catch a ton with Will and put air in his football. That made him an instant hero in Will's eye. He is bonded forever.

Thanks to all for a WONDERFUL weekend in AZ!

Ronnie

2010-11-13T20:36:00.004-07:00

Hannah begs us to go to the Wonald McDonald Walmart. We don't even eat at this Mickey D's, but for some reason our kids L O V E this creepy statue! Even William says "Dono! Dono!" (Donald, Donald) The girls pretend they are mother/daughter and take turns posing on his knee and they talk to him like he is a long lost friend. It really makes me laugh! Crazy kids.

Today I Feel Like...

2010-11-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

my life is out of control!!!

Today, taking pictures of the chaotic state of my house and posting it for the world to see is more therapeutic to me than spending the time it takes to do all of the above to clean it up.

Above: William thought it was good fun to dump out all of our ice cream rock salt and mow over it with a very loud toy mower, start the dishwasher, open the oven, and ask loudly for candy all at the same time.

Snack time?

laundry, laundry, laundry

Not too bad actually!

I have all of the glorious mess because I have one of these not-feeling-well-little-people

...and two of these little puppy people.
And I love it!

The good news; the bathroom is clean!!!

Allergic to Bears

2010-11-09T14:15:00.005-07:00

I know I am beyond overdue for a post...posts coming soon...but for now, something cute from Hannah:

A friend was watching William and Hannah while I helped in Evelyn's classroom. There was a dog at the house and I had forgotten to tell my friend that Will is allergic to dogs. The dog came in and licked William's face and soon he had welts on his face (don't worry, nothing serious).

My friend immediately washed Will and put the dog outside. She asked Hannah if William is allergic to animals. She said, "He is not awergic to any animals...except for bears."

I'm not quite sure what Hannah was thinking but it makes me laugh!

Sweet Stuff

2010-10-08T13:48:00.004-06:00

Our nighttime routine ends with Ben singing the kids a lullaby. His mom sang to him "For Baby" by Peter, Paul, and Mary and Ben sings this to our kids. Ben was cooking in the kitchen and Hannah decided to sing to him.

These are some of the lyrics:

I'll walk in the rain by your side
I'll cling to the warmth of your tiny hand
I'll do anything to help you understand
I'll love you more than anybody can.

And the wind will whisper your name to me,
Little birds will sing along in time,
The trees will bow down when you walk by,
And the morning bells will chime.

Meet the Ostrich

2010-09-26T19:26:00.002-06:00

One sunny summer day back in Rexburg, the kids and I were making shadow puppets on the grass. Evelyn came up with this amazing ostrich shadow puppet all on her own. We love it when she makes it dance. The video doesn't show the ostrich as well as it should, but it's still a family favorite.

The video was taken a couple of weeks ago in windy Cedar City.

SkyFest 2010

2010-09-26T18:54:00.004-06:00

One of the great things about living in Cedar City is that its second name is Festival City, USA. There are no shortages of parades (including a sheep parade coming soon in October) or fairs. We got up early to be at Skyfest 2010 where we got to see 20 hot air balloons inflate and take off. It was a spectacular site! Ben got some good shots:

Handsome Sauce and Handsome Sauce Jr.

Just don't forget the part where I said we got up E A R L Y and this picture proves that we got out of bed and into the car, bedhead and all!

This is a little video Evelyn made.

Introducing the Newest Member of our Family!

2010-09-26T18:43:00.002-06:00

A PIANO!!!

This is a BIG deal! Ben and I have wanted a piano since before we knew we wanted to marry each other. We both love to play. I have looked on Craigslist and gone to piano sales etc, etc, etc. but nothing ever worked out until just last week.

Our neighbor friends were over for dinner and before they left, they simply said "We need to get rid of our piano, do you want one?" I almost excused myself to shed a few tears, but resisted and just told myself it wasn't really true. They received this piano for free and they were receiving an upgrade of a piano for free and GAVE us this one.

We count it a great blessing and we LOVE it. Ben and I constantly play it. The kids will fall asleep even if we are playing, so my prime time for playing is right after we kiss the kiddos goodnight. Don't get me wrong, I am no virtuoso (Ben is though!) but I think by the end of the year, I can count myself as Primary Pianist material (playing the piano for the kids at Church).

It feels so good to have piano in our home, it was our missing piece!! THANK YOU!!!

First Day of School

2010-09-07T14:42:00.003-06:00

Evelyn requested school pancakes, this was the best we could do. We had breakfast and then waited and waited and waited for 12:45 to come along so she could go to school!

Hannah took a family picture

Hannah wished she could have gone too, but I think she likes the time at home while Evelyn is gone.
Here is our little Kindergartner! She really is as tall as the second graders, but she is still our little girl!

She was happy to have us walk her into her classroom. She said she missed us in her heart but in her words..."I like Kindergarten, actually, I LOVE it!"
We are so grateful for her teacher, Mrs. Ross, who is so kind and seems to love what she does. She has made learning fun and we are so grateful!

Hall of the Mountain King

2010-08-22T13:39:00.003-06:00

This is a tradition of Ben's family.All of the kids would listen to Hall of the Mountain King and gradually go faster and faster with the music. Our kids LOVE it and will do it over and over and over and over and over...

This was a few weeks ago so we were not very unpacked yet and the walls are pretty bare.

Hop Hop and Away!

2010-08-12T22:55:00.002-06:00

Ben found a praying mantis outside and brought it inside to show it off. Needless to say, I get a little jumpy around bugs, especially when they are inside!

Farewell Dear Rexburg...

2010-08-12T21:28:00.005-06:00

I have delayed this post because there is just TOO much to put into it. My heart pours out with gratitude when I think of our time spent in Rexburg. Thank you all for a wonderful 2 1/2 years. We made the best of friends and had the best of times. We will always look back on our time spent in Rexburg with great fondness.

Thank you to so many for your generosity in helping us with our kids and with cleaning, and even lodging the last couple of weeks and days of packing and such.

The following are a few pics of things we did in our last few weeks of living in sweet Rexburg:

4th of July parade in Rexburg, it was chilly but an excellent parade!

We spent the 4th of July with the Woolleys in Driggs. We all had a great time, thank you Woolleys!

Hannah and her cousin, Olivia, were thrilled to see they had the same coat.

We walked to the Rexburg Farmer's Market and Evelyn rode her bike (I forgot to post that, Evelyn can ride a 2-wheeler!). Hannah and Will enjoyed the ride.

Oh how we love the Casalinos and the Farmer's Market! We've missed it since we've been gone!

Evelyn drawing at the Farmer's Market

We love visiting Elsy! She became a good friend and almost like a grandmother to our kids.

We took a short break from packing to see the Blue Angels. I didn't get a picture of them, but I thought every one was cute waiting for them to come. Ben's sister, Nellie, came with us. The kids have been yelling in the van since we've been in Utah, "Newwie, Newwie, NELLIE!" and William says, "Newwie gone. Newwie? Newwie! Newwie gone..." So sad.

Rexburg we love you and miss you! Thank you all for making our time there so special!

On the Calendar

2010-08-12T21:07:00.003-06:00

Jessica: Do you guys think we should go to Seattle for Thanksgiving?

Evelyn: Hm. I dunno. It depends on what we have on the calendar.

Hannah: We have wots of fishies on the calendar.

Where We're Headed

2010-07-22T15:39:00.005-06:00

A few of you have commented asking where we are going. We are headed to Cedar City, again! Ben was hired to teach at SUU. We are renting this twin home. We are really looking forward to returning and also lamenting that we have to leave Rexburg. I cried when we left Cedar and I'll cry when we leave Rexburg, but who knows, maybe we'll return, we have a habit of doing that!

Thank you to Clover who found this place for us. It wasn't listed online, she drove around Cedar looking for the perfect place for us, sending us video after video... WE OWE YOU CLOVER!!

Thanks for your comments friends! We will be living in this abode by next week! CRAZY!

DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE

2010-07-18T22:46:00.005-06:00

I've been thinking the last few days about how this is probably the most dangerous time of life to be driving on the road because of cell phones; talking, texting and emailing.

Driving with a .08 alcohol blood level makes you 4 times more likely to get in an accident.
Statistics report that talking on the phone also makes you 4 times more likely to get in an accident.
Even worse, texting while driving makes you 8 times more likely to get in an accident.

This is serious folks. So many of these accidents are fatal. PLEASE don't text and drive.

See this for more info:
http://www.oprah.com/package/no-phone-zone.html

Evelyn's Lost Tooth

2010-07-11T16:35:00.002-06:00

This was our first of the 60 teeth our children have to lose! Evelyn pulled it out during Primary. Below is her version of the story. I was released from Primary last week, so I really don't know the real version (her version varies)!
One time in Primary, I lost a tooth. After I lost it I had bloody spit all over my hands. I felt excited. I thought "Whoa! I thought I was going to loose this tooth before we moved." The End.

Evelyn asked "Is the tooth fairy real or is it just you guys?" I told her we'd talk about it...

Evelyn's Art Show

2010-07-01T21:44:00.004-06:00

Evelyn took a 4-week art class this summer. She had a fun time, I think what she liked best was getting to walk there herself. It was across the street.
She wanted to invite so many people to her final showing of her work. I told her we could make a video and put it on the blog, so here it is! Enjoy the art show!

Evelyn really likes Bill Nye the science guy. For Evelyn's self portrait, I think she really took to heart what Bill Nye taught on the Skin episode, that we all have brown skin, just different pigments of it. She is wearing blueberry lipstick (in the self-portrait).
I love her oil painting of under the sea. She also drew some sea monsters. She has a mosiac and some cartoon characters at the top. Good job Evelyn!

My Dad

2010-06-19T18:58:00.006-06:00

Meet my dad.

My dad and I are alot alike. He may or may not know, but much of who I am today is because of things he taught me and examples he has given throughout his life.

I remember my dad always helping people.

He used to drive the "Feed the Needy" van from our church. I remember going a few times with him to deliver the food and I learned about the good feeling that you get inside when you help people. It also made me feel gratitude for the things I had. I also had a huge feeling of thankfulness whenever we came home from the store with bags full of groceries, I still do.

My dad used to go early in the morning to the chapel in our church and pray. I learned that private and personal prayer is important.

My dad used to leave doughnuts and sodas for the garbage men on garbage morning (back in the day before a machine picked up the can). I learned it's important to say thank you, especially to those who take your garbage away.

Once a Chevy bronco flipped over close to our house. My dad immediately called 911 and ran to the car to make sure that everyone was okay. I learned it's important to be a helper, not an observer.

We had a stray dog or two show up at our house. Instead of shooing them away, my dad put a leash on one of the dogs and we walked around the block, hoping to find the owner. Sure enough, a lady drove by in tears because she was so happy to have found her dog.

Action, action, action. My dad is a man of action. I learned to do something when there is a need, not wait for someone else to do it.

My dad didn't get mad at me when I came home from school (I was in 8th grade) and I told him I had just slapped a boy named Kyle across the face because he said girls don't belong on the basketball court. My dad saw the hours and hours I practised and he had even invested a lot in my ball skills. He took me to many a Husky women's basketball game and had taught me that I could do whatever I wanted as long as I worked hard and practised. He taught me without saying so, that it probably wasn't the best choice to slap Kyle, but girls can definately play ball. My dad believed in me.

My dad always helped me learn about whatever I was interested in. I recieved a microscope, a chemistry set, a telescope, many an art kit, a bike, a piano, a garden plot in the back yard, a fishing pole and even a motorcycle. I wasn't spoiled, but I was shown how fun it can be to learn about this amazing earth we live in. I would say that's one of the reasons why I went to college is because I learned how great it is to learn.

My dad is a hard worker and he makes sure things are done right. He is a good neighbor and is one for random acts of kindness. His grandchildren adore him and think it's the greatest thing ever that he has a motor home and dogs! He even has ducks.

Thanks dad for all you have done and do for me and for us. I wouldn't have chosen any other dad! Happy Father's Day! We love you!

Benign

2010-06-15T15:23:00.004-06:00

Thank you all for your support and prayers. Sorry to post those graphic pictures, I'll probably take them down in a day or two.We are happy to announce that the findings of the pathologists are in our favor and Ben's tumors were benign.

However, through all of this I learned from a friend that such has not been the fate of her family. My dear friend, Kristen, who I met in college, is the mother of 3 beautiful boys and 1 angelic girl. Her baby girl was born 1 month ago and it was 2 months ago her loving husband was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor.

They are full of faith and goodness. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this sweet family and the great burden they are shouldering.

I wanted to post their blog which has links of ways you can help if you are able.
http://www.dadnamedjosh.blogspot.com/

Kristen and Josh our hearts go out to you and we are praying for you day and night!

Tumor Free...Again

2010-06-13T21:43:00.004-06:00

Ben is very good at many, many things. He is an excellent teacher, a food enthusiast, design junkie, husband, father, scholar, gardener, driver, linguist, an avid reader, and tumor grower.
When Ben was 15 he had a tumor removed from his neck.
When Ben was 21 he had 5 tumors removed from his neck.
Now Ben is 28 and he just had 4 tumors removed from his neck.
His poor neck!

Here he is in his before shot sporting the surprisingly cozy and sterile paper gown with built in warming system (the gown can be plugged into a hair-dryer type contraption for instant warmification).

Here he is perky and happy afterwards. They used dermabond on the incision so he only had 2 stitches on the ends. The surgery went well. One of the tumors was between the jugular vein and carotid artery. The Dr. said it took about an hour to carefully remove that tumor. The Dr. had a bit of a triumphant glow about him and I believe I would too if I had just done something of that magnitude!
The other tumors ran down along his neck.

And a few hours later, viola! Home again, home again, jiggity jig! Don't get me wrong, it hasn't been that easy, Ben has been taking it easy all week and trying to let his body heal. He is quite sore and stiff (although he doesn't admit to it, but shows it by going and having a rest for a few hours). We have been extremely blessed and things have gone better than expected. Thank you all for your support and prayers!

We haven't gotten the pathology reports back yet, but all of the previous tumors have been benign and the Dr. seemed confident that these would be too. We'll keep you posted!

Thank you Nellie and Michelle for watching our kids and thank you to all of you who offered!

For Rent

2010-06-01T12:32:00.002-06:00

For any of you in Rexburg or who may be moving to Rexburg, we are trying to help our landlords find renters. We will be moving in late July, so the house is available in early August.
Here are pictures and info:

www.rexburgparadise.blogspot.com

Man Cub

2010-04-25T20:40:00.002-06:00

When we were expecting William, people would always say "Oh Ben must be SO excited to be having a boy!" He was excited, but more he just wished for a happy and healthy child, girl or boy.

He has given his love equally to our daughters and our son. I know the girls have never had a reason to feel threatened by a brother entering into their father's heart deeper than they have reached.You get my point...

However, this little man cub KNOWS who his daddy is and he KNOWS he shares manhood with him. He LOVES his daddy and it is enough to make any heart melt.
So William is a man cub in the man club and I think Ben's glad to have a little buddy.
His face shows it.

We are so happy to have this little team in our family! They sure are some good lookin' fellas!

Guss, Russ, and Janelle

2010-04-25T20:05:00.002-06:00

The girls and I got a little silly a few Sundays ago and Ben agreed to draw faces on our chins. We had a good time.

Janelle is the name of one of Hannah's personalities. The other ones are Eric and Vanessa. I'm not sure that she named her chin Janelle, but it's a safe guess.

A Friend You Must Meet

2010-04-20T21:10:00.002-06:00

"it's mid-afternoon and i am ready for a change of scenery. a ferocious rush of wind pummels my left side and knocks me off balance, finds its way inside my jacket, and triggers my goose bumps. i imagine what it would feel like to be blown away - swept up into the chilly air with a whoosh!! watching the babies in the red buggy below grow smaller and smaller and smaller as i'm whisked up and up and up. feeling panic and frightfully out of control to be carried by the whims of the wind, and yet liberated to let go and be swept away to wherever away may be. or maybe my matter would slowly dissipate and i would become wind myself - rushing through barren trees and wisps of hair, picking up others who's feet aren't firmly on the ground.

october's gale packs a mean punch. it's now time to go home and i notice everyone is bundled today - wrapped up in hats and coats. we have the same red cheeks and watery eyes, the same squinted expression as the relentless bluster threatens to knock us all down. just as a faint ringing begins to fill my ears i reach the warmth and stillness of our truck's interior... "

Stephanie Braniff... She is the dream machine wonder artist who penned these words! Aren't they magical? They take me away. When ever Stephanie posts a blog it's like candy, but better because it's good for you...like ripe pears picked from a tree on a sweet summer's day, or whatever your favorite fruit may be.

To all my dear friends and family who don't already know Stephanie, I am introducing you, you must meet her. She is a gift and talent-filled wonder to behold and I feel like shouting it from the rooftops, but instead I'm posting it on my blog!

www.branfam.blogspot.com

PS~ This is really posted by Jessica, even though it says by Ben.
PSS~ To any of you who may feel a small sigh inside saying "Augh, doesn't she think I'm amazing too?" Oh, don't worry, I do! I am so grateful for all of my dear friends who could easily fill a museum with their awesome talents, deeds, photos, kindness, craftiness, motherly incredible-ness, you-name-it...Watch your back, maybe you'll be next...

Keepin' in Touch

2010-04-19T13:22:00.004-06:00

I have a friend who sometimes talks to her daughters as if she was reading them a letter (you can read about it here). I think it's darling.
Today Evelyn was pretending to talk to me on the phone. I said I was going to write her back with a letter. It went something like this: Dear Evelyn, I am so glad I get to be your mom. I love you. Love, Mom.
Evelyn responded, "Mom, is it okay if I just send you an email on my phone?"

I suppose it's just fine as long as she keeps in touch...

44 Degrees, We'll Take it!

2010-04-07T16:35:00.003-06:00

It was a cold day, but the sun was shining, so how could we refuse an afternoon outdoors?

We had a chance to fly the new kite the kids got from Grammie for Easter. I forgot how much fun it is to fly a kite! Hannah was a champ while she was holding it, as long as the string wasn't out more than 10 feet. Then she got scared of the "giant fish" as she called it.

William kept a close eye on it and whined about it.

Evelyn loved it. She had so much fun flying the kite, even when she let go! I'm pretty sure she said "oh no!" before she let go, oh well. So I left a terrified and screaming Hannah (I think she was scared that the fish was loose) and a bawling William and ran for the kite. Luckily a chain link fence intercepted it and we caught the fish.

We also had a fun stop at the nature park, after we thawed out for a bit.

William loved the ducks and said "kak, kak, kak" and tried to catch one. The girls were brave until I told them to be careful of the geese. Big mistake. As soon as I did the geese came over to the girls (they were as tall as Hannah) and each girl ran SCREAMING in opposite directions. I ran yelling after them "DROP THE BREAD! They want the bread!" While I was chasing the geese that were chasing my daughters, I turned around and William was chasing ducks in another direction in the road! It was loud and probably very funny to watch! I know we gave a few onlookers a good chuckle.

Survivors of Rexburg Duck and Geese feeding

William was not very happy about leaving, but when the hands go from red to purple, it's time to go!

Merry Easter!

2010-04-07T16:26:00.004-06:00

That's what it felt like here! We awoke to a snowstorm on April 3, the morning we were planning on going to the city's egg hunt.

We found out they were distributing the eggs in a nearby weight room.

All of the kids were a little confused about what was going on, but it was still very nice that we got baskets full of eggs!

This is on the way there, I just liked Hannah's face!

This was Easter morning. Their Grandmas sure know how to spoil them! Thank you Grammie and Grandma Sally!

My favorite part of Easter was watching General Conference. This is something that happens 2 times a year in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is a time that the members of the Church gather, even if it's in front of the t.v. or computer, all together and we listen to the prophet, who is now President Thomas S. Monson, and the apostles and the other leaders of the Church. Their words are heavenly, uplifting, and full of love and truth.

The epitome of Easter for me was President Monson's talk in the Sunday morning session. You can find it here. If you take the time to watch and listen, you will not regret it.

At the end of the talk, President Monson spoke the lines to the song "He is Risen." Next the choir sang it. In that moment I felt the reason for the celebrations. I know the words to the song are true and that because of Christ, we will live again.

"He is risen! He is risen! Tell it out with joyful voice. He has burst his three day's prison; Let the whole wide earth rejoice. Death is conquered; man is free. Christ has won the victory."

April 2

2010-04-01T23:02:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday
to the man of my dreams!!!

WE LOVE YOU!

April Fools'!

2010-04-01T20:14:00.005-06:00

Hi friends and family! We've been out of the loop for a bit. We have so much to post: a trip to AZ, William's birthday back in Feb., and much more from our daily happenings. For now you get what we did on April Fools' Day. First the girls were served "fruit punch." It was really jello in cups with straws. Evelyn said I left the fruit punch in the fridge too long.

The next joke is what is on the video. I told the girls Ben was still sleeping, but he had long since gone to work...

Then Ben came home from work with a Little Ceasar's pizza in his hand. I felt a little confused because I was already halfway through dinner and he usually won't do that unless he knows I've had a rough day and dinner wouldn't happen unless he intervened. The kids were excited he brought home a pizza. He opened the box to reveal 5 fancy Easter cookies.

The girls later used the box to deliver our rent to our landlord. They drew a picture of a pizza inside. Evelyn said she felt embarrassed to deliver it.

My favorite joke of the day: I had Ben's dad call my sister and left a message that said "Becky, this is Mr. Lyon from the US Navy. Please call me back at this number: (the number of the local zoo)." My sister called the number and found out it was a zoo she was calling to ask for Mr. Lyon. Funny, huh?!

Well, it would have been funny if my sister hadn't answered the phone when Ben's dad called her! What I wrote above was what was supposed to happen. Instead my sister answered and he told her who he was and that her sister was trying to prank her. Oh well. It was still my favorite.

Next year, if we are not living somewhere where there are big snow storms on April 1st, I am going to spray-paint mushrooms in bright colors and plant them in neighbors' yards. An idea off of FamilyFun.

We're you fooled this April 1?

Behind the Scenes

2010-03-05T10:54:00.001-07:00

I had a former student create a mini-documentary for one of her classes about the "behind-the-scenes" lives of teachers. She included me and one of my colleagues, Andra Hansen. Enjoy the video! Click here to watch it.

To my perfectly perfecting wife

2010-02-13T14:09:00.001-07:00

I’m a happy guy. I really am. See that girl in the picture? The one with the wings and the halo? She’s the secret to my happiness.

Does she have less-than-glorious moments? Yes, of course. She battles feeling like a “mom blob” just like everyone else. She isn’t perfect, and I’m glad.

See, happiness in this life isn’t attained through being perfect, it’s obtained by the experience of becoming perfected. Jessica is the catalyst in my life that moves me to become better.

That’s why she’s the secret to my happiness. Jessica makes me happy because she makes me better.

She fell in love with me, despite my impressive list of faults. She shows her love by refusing to let me indulge them.

Thank you Jess. Thank you for holding my hand and walking with me down the often bumpy, occasionally painful, but always wonderful road to perfection.

Happy anniversary. I love you!

And He's OFF!!

2010-02-08T13:01:00.006-07:00

This was taken about a week ago, William is still pretty wobbly, but much better than in this video. I asked him to jump because he usually "jumps" by putting both hands strait up in the air.

Bonus Video:

William was glad to have Ben home.

Bonus Bonus Video:

We found out why some of our cds are not working well.

Our Joy

2010-01-27T22:34:00.008-07:00

We really do have such a good life. We find joy in so many things. Ben and I find joy in each other, we love what we do and how we spend our days. We find joy in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is because of the Gospel we have the life we do. We find joy in service, discovering talents, in family history, in cooking, gardening, reading, learning, being alive...One of our greatest joys, one that makes our cup run over and our heart smile is our children.
Oh they are wonderful little beings! They are giants in little bodies. They are funny, they are wise, they are kind, they have keen minds and they have a childhood that I pray they will look back on with fondness. We are so grateful to be parents and so grateful for these precious little ones.

Hannah is a HOOT!!!

2010-01-27T22:14:00.006-07:00

Oh Hannah, Hannah, Hannah! I don't know if it's because she is just constantly overshadowed by her older sister who just happens to be THE Fancy Nancy, but Hannah has decided to be a boy. Today I walked through the kitchen many times and Hannah was coloring with markers by herself so sweetly at the table. Well, one time I walked through and found Hannah with the following face. She was "putting on a boy face." I think it was intended to be a moustache. The bad thing is that I'm pretty sure it's staying for a few days, I have scrubbed and scrubbed (as much as you can scrub delicate 3-year old skin). The good thing is that we shouldn't have to leave the house for a day or two...or three.

If you look closely, the front of Hannah's shirt is wet. She has developed a habit of chewing and sucking on her shirt. The thought of doing that and the cloth rubbing and squeaking against my teeth gives me the heebie-geebies. Rumor has it that one of her parents, I'm not naming names, but it's not me (Jessica) had a habit of doing this when he was young. It must be in her genetic makeup.

This is Hannah after she decided she was a drummer. She doesn't do it for attention. She would be doing this whether or not we noticed or took her picture. Hannah is always doing SILLY things!
Hannah headed up this "operation swim"

And this one too. They didn't get water this time, but they did think it was so fun to play in the cold bathtub.

After church one Sunday we asked Hannah what she learned about. She said "Jesus." We asked what Jesus did and she said "He woved his widdle ones."

A different Sunday we asked what she learned about and she said, "Joseph Smith." We asked what he did. She said "He got colored." Sure enough she had colored a color page of Joseph Smith. She colored him blue.

One day Hannah and I were in the van to pick up Evelyn from preschool. We were about 10 minutes early so I drove her up to the temple to look at it. We parked outside for a minute. I asked, "Hannah, what do you feel inside while we are here at the temple?"
She thought and considered the question. Then she answered "My hot chwockolate"

(For those of you who have not been to or near an LDS temple, there is a great feeling of peace around it if you take time to feel.)

Hannah, we adore you!

Wibble Wobble William

2010-01-27T21:51:00.007-07:00

William has recently acquired the nickname "Wibble Wobble William" because he is trying to walk. After the girls go to bed Ben and I sit across from each other and have William walk from one person to the other. It makes all of us laugh because William is so thrilled to be up on two feet that he just explodes with a leap and plunges with a face plant into the ground. He does it again and again! I'll have to post a video soon...

Here are a few pictures of the little one that makes Evelyn say "It sure is so cute and funny to have a little brother."

Ready for Church

He's not a hard one to bathe! He loves the bath.

The other day I peeked around the corner and saw William's head. He LOVES this blanket! Anytime he even thinks about touching it, he's almost asleep. We've tried blankets that are a little more manly, but time and time again, he chooses this one!

Wishing it was nap time.

Alien man

A Little Dance and a Little Fall

2010-01-20T11:43:00.005-07:00

Evelyn said to me today, "Do you know why I am such a good dancer?"
I asked, "Why?"
"Because Heavenly Father made me that way."
And away she danced.

Watch Hannah as she comes into the screen on the right. She responds to her fall in her Eric voice "I'm fine."
I really do have a good life. A very good life!

Meet Eric

2010-01-20T10:43:00.004-07:00

Just the other day, out of the blue, Hannah decided she was Eric. She discovered this manly deep voice inside of her and was making us all laugh so much! She told Evelyn that she could find Eric in the boy section. I tried to get "him" to say it in the video, but it just wasn't the same as the first time. Evelyn decided to be Janelle in this video. Janelle is a new addition to imaginary people in our house. They were swimming in the crib while I was making dinner.

Family Picture

2009-12-22T23:17:00.003-07:00

When we were in AZ we had family pictures with the whole Wyeth family. We got to take individual photos too. Here is one of ours. It's a little pixely, but it will do for now!

Family Home Morning

2009-12-21T16:38:00.005-07:00

Ben was not going to be at home on a Monday night, a night we are always together for "Family Home Evening." So we had "Family Home Morning" instead. We had a nice lesson about speaking with the tongue of angels (being kind to one another) and then we headed out for some fun in the snow. We brought our intertube and a cookie sheet (thank you Stephanie for the idea) and had a blast! We had hot cocoa and cupcakes to top it off. A FUN Christmas week morning!

I think William looks like a little lobster :)

After sledding, we saw Santa was at Walgreens, so the girls popped in for a quick visit.

I'm not sure how thrilled Willy B was!

This was from the other day, but I thought I'd put it on anyways. Our gingerbread house!

This one is Ben sliding down on a cookie sheet

This one is Hannah on the cookie sheet

And last but not least, Evelyn on the tube.

I went a few times and had a fun time, too fun to video :)

Thanksgiving Arizona Style

2009-12-21T15:14:00.004-07:00

We had such a wonderful time visiting the Wyeths for a whole week in Arizona! Our kids get along with their cousins so well and had a great time playing. Our kids LOVED being outside! They were dirty and stinky, but boy, did they have fun!

This was brilliant! The aunties planned a scavenger hunt on Thanksgiving morning to keep the kids busy while others cooked. Here they are looking for clues.

I love being in Arizona because the aunts are SO good at doing hair! Our girls always look so pretty. Nicole did this do on Evelyn.

Hannah just recently stopped bouncing. She spent HOURS on the trampoline! Here she is with Blake.

Here is the Thanksgiving table! Can you believe it?! Ben's sweet mom wants everyone to be at the same table, and every year she makes it happen!

The kids enjoying the delicious dinner.

A view of the grown-ups

A view of the food! Thank you Grammie!!!

Hannah jumping...again. This time with Carter and Addilyn.

GG watched the talent show from her porch. She is so sweet.

UGH, the drive! This was on the way back, we had some tired kids!

That is a long drive for a little person!

Evelyn was pretty good at keeping herself busy.

Hannah was pretty tired!

A FUN TRIP! Thank you Wyeths!!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

2009-12-09T14:48:00.001-07:00

I had my class sing Hannah Happy Birthday. Enjoy!

Halloween

2009-11-16T21:26:00.003-07:00

As you can see, the girls got matching costumes. We like to stock up on costumes on Halloween for the dress up box. Anyway, Evelyn didn't know that Hannah had the same dress. We dressed Hannah up and sent her out to see Evelyn. She screamed! In her own words she describes the moment,"When Hannah came out, I just like screamed and I felt like there was a spring in my throat. I was so surprised!"

Hannah decided literally last minute that she wanted to be a witch. With a quick visit to the dress-up box, her wish was granted!
Our friends let us borrow a Darth Vader Costume for babies, it was really cute with a cape. Really, he just kind of looked like a baby in black with a black cape.

Arte de Evelyn

2009-11-16T21:13:00.004-07:00

I've posted some of Evelyn's drawings before. I just love them. We have some in frames in our house. They are so imaginative and some are very funny.

This is Evelyn's "The End" picture. I think it looks like an opera singer. Very dramatic. She must not have been getting along with Hannah this day and decided to make Hannah like a sharp-toothed fish person.

She made this one a year ago, it says Mommy.

I love the jeweled crown on this one.

This is our family. See William down at the bottom?

This one just makes me laugh! It's something different every time I ask her. There are a thousand stories that could be told with this drawing!

The Queen.

This one SHOCKED me! It's a Spanish lady, but it says "'ole" at the top. I didn't tell her how to spell it and I didn't even know she knew that Spanish ladies said "'ole." She even put a little apostrophe by it.
I later looked in a book that Evelyn likes and there is a small picture of a Spanish dancer with 'ole written next to it. I believe that's where she got it.

Yee Haw!!

2009-10-27T12:19:00.003-06:00

Life is always more fun when Ben's home. Here he is dancing rodeo-style with Willman.

Oh to be a child. . .

2009-10-23T14:35:00.004-06:00

This is how Ben served the girls pancakes the other day. Hannah was a little worried about eating it.
Evelyn and Hannah have been getting ahold of the camera lately. This is one Evelyn took of Hannah.

Hannah took this one of her doll. I love how she posed her on the chair.

Our little mummy Hannah.

This video makes me laugh. Evelyn eventually puts her doll in an "xray" under a stool and Hannah comes and looks through a hole in the stool and Evelyn wonders whose big eye it is.

Happy Birthday to Evelyn!

2009-10-23T14:26:00.003-06:00

Evelyn has been very kind today and thanked us for such a wonderful birthday. Thank you to such nice grand parents and aunts who have been so generous to her! She was very sad last night that it was her last night of being 4 years old, but she's accepted the change well and today is excited to be 5.

Evelyn made her own cake. She said it is an artist cake, since she is an artist.

As you may know, Evelyn has had an imaginary friend, Spanish Lady, for some time. Now she gets to dress like her.

A very nice accessory kit to go with a nice vanity

Strawberry shortcake

A princess camera

Evelyn said her birthday was her best because she got everything she's ever wanted! Thank you everyone!

Da da da da

2009-10-23T14:15:00.003-06:00

Ben gleams and glows when William says "da da." It's pretty cute. (He said "ma ma" a long time ago)

A perfect fall weekend

2009-10-12T23:08:00.005-06:00

This was a couple of weekends ago, but here it is! We had a visit from my dear friend, Candace. We also were able to go make some apple cider with a cider press. Fall is so fun!

Ben and I had gone on a lunch date and when we came back, Nellie was playing with the kids in the back yard. It was a happy scene.

Evelyn was proud to pose in the tree.

Hannah is a maniac on the swing! It's a wonder she stays on!
Pressin' them apples!

Hannah helped... a little.

Thanks for coming Candace!

The girls wanted their face painted like butterflies.
Here are our ghetto scarecrows. It was easy and the kids had fun. That's the important part, right?

I had to put a picture of Hannah admiring hers. She hugs it everyday and is so proud.

A Visit from Winnebago

2009-10-12T22:44:00.003-06:00

We were so happy to have a visit from my dad and Karla! They drove their Winnebago through Idaho with a few stops along the way, to come visit. The kids were thrilled about the ant farm, bird house and ball they brought them.

Here are all the kids with Gramps and Karla

They got a chance to go up to campus to see BYU-I and say a hello to Ben
We had a fun time chatting outside their motorhome.

The girls were ready to hit the road with them, but we made them stay at home.
Thank you for the visit!!!

No, we don't wonder why he got stitches...

2009-09-16T15:47:00.002-06:00

Here is our crazy little boy who is positive he can walk, but is always distressed to find out he can't. The last 10 seconds or so of this video makes us laugh.

He did get stitches last night after he fell on something...
I actually don't know what happened, I was in the other room. But he is doing well and is quite a trooper! If you'd like to see pics, click here

Sister Pox

2009-09-02T14:27:00.002-06:00

William got a case of the sister pox this morning.

Mama Julia

2009-09-02T14:21:00.004-06:00

This is our sweet neighbor, Julia. She is from Italy. Out of the generosity of her heart, she taught us and some friend s how to make panzoratti and fried zuchninni. Here is sweet Julia.

And here is the DELICIOUS panzoratti. Fried bread with mozarella and tomatoes inside. MMMmm. She sells it every friday at the Rexburg farmer's market.
How do you solve the problem with zuchinni?
FRY it!! MMmmmmm.

Meet Chalonn

2009-09-02T14:18:00.003-06:00

This is the ladybug that Evelyn caught today and affectionately named Chalonn. I didn't have the heart to tell Evelyn that because Chalonn was left in a little metal can in the bright sun on a black table and under a big pot, she suffocated, roasted, and died. She was a good pet while we had her. Rest in peace Chalonn.

New Dos

2009-09-02T14:09:00.003-06:00

Evelyn is trying out GG's wig

William looked pretty sharp in it too

And I got a hair cut!

Grammie or Naomi?

2009-08-28T19:04:00.010-06:00

We were staying with our cousin Chantelle when some old family pictures began to play on the computer screen saver. Then, all of the sudden, some pictures of Grammie as a young girl popped up and it looked like pictures of a 60s and 70s Naomi! So here are a few of the pics... I like to call them Graomie!Mom, what is that doll you're holding? Are you taking that creepy thing to school?

Way to wear modest shorts Mom! Noelle and Naomi pay attention! ;)

Aunt Deena looks a lot like Christina Ricci in this picture!

Love the bandana!
I've heard that one before!

This is a picture of Naomi for all of you who might not know her