Todd, Mare and The Boys

Spudchase xc ski race

2012-02-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

Well we're a little late posting on the boys second ever XC ski race. It wasn't as warm as the year before but still a nice day. Both kids were 7 minutes faster than they were the year before. They were at the back of the pack as far as the other kids but they are also the littlest ones. We were proud to see ho much faster they have gotten. Deacon tried really hard and was full of sweat afterward. Liston still leaves a little to be desired as far as his effort goes. However he has made great improvements on his skiing. Deacon still likes to just take off and run on his skis.

Liston taking off.

Deacon ready to go.

Coleman hanging out.

Spud Chase was at Teton Springs wich is probably our favorite track with its nice little hills and scenery.

Next year maybe they'll be on skate skis instead of classic skis.

Coleman WINS

2012-02-02T17:41:00.000-08:00

The boys have been making beds with blankets in the living room and playing for the last couple of weeks. Coleman decided he was going to sleep in his for the night. Mom and dad said NO repeatedly. And then told him NO some more. And some more. And some more. While we were in the kitchen I went to go check on him downstairs and he was alseep on the bed he made!! So I left him.

Christmas Nativities

2012-01-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

So our computer crashed a few weeks ago---and now I can't find any of our Christmas pics!!! Great! But I did find some from a FHE we did in December. We talked about Jesus and his birth in Bethlehem etc. . .And so for a treat I thought it would be fun to make nativities out of graham crackers. (Got the idea off pinterest--love that site!) The boys had so much fun and I think they did a great job!!!

What blog???

2012-01-10T06:42:00.000-08:00

So yeah, I haven't blogged in a while! I pretty much stopped blogging on all my blogs. Life just got crazy and I've had a hard time fitting everything in. But since it's a new year I going to try again! Expect a new blog by tonight!!!! (I hope!)

School Days!!!

2011-09-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

The boys all started school last month! I can't believe how fast the summer flew by! Liston and Deacon are in the same school this year which is nice. We all walk to school together in the mornings. Here are some pics from the first day of school. Liston is in 2nd grade and Deacon is in 1st grade.

Coleman also started Joy School this month. He goes 2x's a week and so far he loves it! Here's a few pics from his first day! He's always posing :)

Deacon is 6!!!!

2011-08-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

Birthday Boy!!

Deacon turned 6 on the 12th. The boys slept in the tent the night before and on his birthday. Mom and dad each slept one night in it since I had to work and we had an upcoming week of tent camping. He opened his presents first thing. Then the boys enjoyed throwing water balloons at each other for awhile. Later he wanted to go to the Jackson rec center and swim. They spent almost the whole time going up and down the waterslides. Which was good water practice for the upcoming trip to the Flaming Gorge. Deacon has always been special to us and we are glad he is part of our family. He keeps us entertained constantly.

He had tons of presents to open and enjoyed them all!!!

Looking good in his mask.

Mom made lots of water balloons for the boys. They were a big hit! Tent in the back because Deacon wanted to go camping for his birthday.

Coleman getting Liston.

Deacon love the Batman character Twoface. Here is the Lego version of him from one of their favorite Lego games to play. Cake was really yummy too.

Getting his candles out on first try.

Trek campsite videos

2011-06-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Favorite activity of the boys was chasing all the seagulls that were around at dinner time.

Older kids did some square dancing the night before and a little at camp the following night. These little kids were doing this all on their own after watching them. Deacon liked it even though he was a little shy once everyone started watching them.

Video walking to the actual Cove

2011-06-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

Trek pictures

2011-06-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our Martin's Cove trek we took with the ward June 16-18. It was fun and is highly recommended for anyone out there who has a chance to go.

The actual Martin Cove is in the center of the pictue above the building you can see but back up against the mountain.

Bridge was at the very end of our trek. Deacon was beat from all the walking and didn't see the point of walking across only to walk back.

Mare is on the right by sweatwater river.

Great shot!

Great shot of Mare.

Deacon had fun running around camp all evening with all the bandanas on

Everyone on the cart except Todd.

Good helpers pushing.

On the way back to the truck. Wasn't as cold as they make it look, just windy.

Liston at the fireside.

At night sitting around the fireside.

Picture break Mom and Liston.

Getting ready to head out.

Entrance to Martin's Cove

What is a hand cart trek?

2011-06-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

I found this article that describes the Martin's Cove treck we went on this month pretty good, for those who didn't know anything about it

Church News
Life-changing — youth handcart treksBy John L. HartChurch News associate editor
Published: Saturday, July 29, 2006
MARTIN'S COVE, Wyo. — Faces shiny with sweat and their pioneer clothing covered with dust, heavily breathing youth pull off the trail at the crest of a ridge here and let their handcart grind to a stop. They don't speak, but look back in satisfaction at the hill they climbed, and sweep the group with a glance to ensure everyone is here. Someone mutters, "Let's go!" and, yoked in unison, they wheel back on the trail, continuing forward.
This is "trek," the youth conference of choice, that after months of preparation and honing becomes life-changing as youth and leaders re-enact pioneer handcart experiences.

Overall, handcarts brought fewer than 5 percent of the Mormon pioneers west and appeared on the western migration scene for just four years, (1856-57, 1859-60). Yet in recent years the two-wheeled wooden vehicles have made a comeback that likely outsizes their original numbers.
While handcarting among LDS youth is popular in many countries of the world, the most sought place is here in central Wyoming, the heart of handcart country. Here is the home of Martin's Cove and Rock Creek Hollow. In this region in 1856, the Martin and Willie handcart companies were caught in early snows and about 250 people, about one fourth of the two companies, perished from starvation and exposure. The rest were rescued in a heroic effort from Salt Lake City.
That long-ago drama remains fresh at Martin's Cove, where the Church's visitors center was dedicated in 1997 by President Gordon B. Hinckley, who said, "The memories of our forebears are deeply and indelibly etched, and this ground must forever hold for us a feeling of great sanctity, a spiritual feeling if you please."
Connecting to the past, in pioneer garb of bonnets and aprons, or broad-brimmed hats and neckerchiefs, today's youth have adopted the handcart to climb inclines and cross rivers in search of their own pioneer experiences.
At Martin's Cove Historic Site, trekkers roll in on buses and exit with color-coded bandanas and worn-in hiking shoes. The youth, fresh from video games, iPods and cell phones, take to handcarts as though they pulled, pushed and lifted every day.
These modern trekkers come much better prepared than the ill-fated companies of a century and a half ago. Each participant, whether a youth or adult, has a physical examination, wears appropriate shoes, walks many miles to build up endurance, drinks water and follows rules to protect the environment and comply with local regulations. Typically, treks are held only every four years in a stake. Groups usually have physicians, nurses and Emergency Medical Technicians walking alongside, who quickly handle the occasional cases of heat exhaustion.

The youth walk silently through Martin's Cove, and reverence a graveyard at Rock Creek Hollow as part of their trek. They also plod along the abundant miles near where the historic Oregon and Mormon trails ribbon across the back country as carved by the wheels of hundreds of thousands of pioneer wagons. While the clank and shout of pioneers and the lowing of their oxen has long since stilled, the most visible reminder of their heritage — the twin-rutted trail — remains for the youth as a tangible evidence of the past, and they connect.
According to their leaders, youth on handcart treks are almost universally finding spiritual pioneer experiences and the experiences are changing their lives.
Youth are organized into family units with a surrogate Pa, Ma and brothers and sisters. Here, love and sharing and responsibility are catalyzed by moving the handcart forward. The handcart is of a size that youth can manage it, yet large enough to give a significant challenge over rough terrain. Pushing a handcart is punishing enough that when the end of the trail is reached, so also is a deep sense of accomplishment. The commonality of the experience brings together adults and youth, say participants.

Characteristically, a trek will also include a women's pull, reminiscent of women whose husbands were away on the Mormon Battalion, a river crossing to memorialize the young men rescuers crossing on the Sweetwater in 1856, a solo experience — an individual alone in meditation and prayer — all of which contribute to the overall experience.
So young men and young women burn under the high plains sun, incessantly gulp water, plod on for miles and miles and collapse in near-exhaustion at the welcome end of the day. Devotionals and musical numbers punctuate the day. And somewhere between sunset and sun-up the fervency of their aspirations turns to meaningful prayer, and somewhere between sun-up and sunset, they feel the answer to their prayers. What begins as a physical experience becomes a spiritual one.
"They'd do it again in a heartbeat," said President Kenneth J. Lathen of the youth in the Grants Pass Oregon Stake.
"It was not an easy time," he said of the four-day trek at Martin's Cove the second week of July. "We had 50-mile-an-hour winds" and on the third night it rained so heavily their tents had an inch of water inside.
What made the difference "was the Spirit," he said. "It was being bathed in the Spirit for 72 hours." Reports at sacrament meetings have been filled with strengthened youth testimonies, he said.
Carrie Leavitt of the Eagle Idaho Stake, and her husband, Darren, a high councilor, headed the stake's recent youth trip to Wyoming. The stake youth made and donated 43 baby quilts at Martin's Cove for the Church Humanitarian Center in remembrance of the children who perished along the Mormon Trail.
Each of the youth carried the name of a handcart pioneer with whom they had become acquainted through research.
"Walking that hallowed, sacred ground made that experience great," she said.

After the trek, ward members noticed a change in the countenance of some of the youth.
"That experience helped them to come back and carry on in the same faith that our pioneer saints had," she said.
Wendell P. Child, second counselor in the Kaysville Utah East Stake, who has supervised three stake treks including one July 17-20, said the spirituality of each event was the result of months of preparation, and of "our fasting, our going to the temple before trek begins. For months, we petition the Lord for His spirit to be with us."
Primarily, he said, it is the family structure that has the most significant impact on the spirituality. In selecting families, "we pray . . . with the intent that the Spirit will be invited to participate."
"I would say that trek mirrors what life is about — its challenges and difficulties. When they realize that no matter what the size or magnitude of the problem, when the Lord is on your side, you can achieve it. By far, this is the most significant activity we do as a stake."
President Child said a song, "Carry Me," that was composed by stake members for the trek, will remind youth of their experiences long after the activity concluded.
So, out on a dusty trail, as they watch their youth duck into a handcart's yoke, or push from behind to form the familiar train, dust hovering low amid the distinctive metal-on-rock grinding of moving wheels, leaders may begin to feel their mission accomplished.
But the real benefits of handcart treks come later, said Elder Eldean Holliday, director of Mormon Handcarts Sites in Wyoming. He is stationed at Martin's Cove Visitors Center. "I shed tears every day," he said. "It doesn't get old; it gets more beautiful, more glorious and tears flow quicker. I thank my Heavenly Father every day that the Church supports these programs for the youth. The aftermath is absolutely marvelous."

Martin's Cove Women's Pull

2011-06-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

Here is video from one of the more memorable moments from our trip to Martin's Cove. All the men 12 and up leave the women and children at the bottom of the hill and go to the top to wait for them. Then they get to pull their carts to the top. I knew it would be hard for Mare andTiffany because our kids aren't big enough to really help push. But in true pioneer spirit once a group would get to the top someone would usually go back down and help the next group.

Traveling entertainment

2011-06-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

We have had a couple of long road trips lately to visit family. I thought I'd share some of the entertainment Deacon provides along the trips

Liston wrestling

2011-05-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

deacon more wrestling

2011-05-07T17:59:00.000-07:00

deacon wrestling

2011-05-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

Driggs Easter Egg Hunt!

2011-05-01T16:06:00.001-07:00

Finally got an easter egg hunt that wasn't in the snow!!! Although it did snow the day before and day after.

Lots of tootsie rolls for everyone. And fun for the kids.

Opening weekend camping trip.

2011-05-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some late photos from our first camping trip this year in Yellowstone!

It was a little cold trying to eat dinner. Other than that it was really pleasant.Finally got her to pose for me :)

Always smiling!!
Lots of big boulders under one of the bridges where we stopped for a little walk.
This guy ran right at the truck so fast I couldn't get a shot off.
He really wanted some food.
Taking a nap on the hillside. See his prints in the snow?
These guys were real impressive as always.
The End.

A boy and his hat!

2011-05-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

Grandpa spoiled Coleman and got him this hat while he was up visiting! He wore it nonstop the first couple of days :) Thanks Grandpa!!!

Sledding with cousins!

2011-05-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time with all our company up to visit! One day we went sledding up Piney Pass! The weather was perfect and the hill was just the right size for a good run! Here are some pics from our day:

Coleman turns 3!

2011-05-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm way behind on blogging! Coleman turned 3 a month ago! It was a fun, snowy birthday! His Grandpa Saulters, Aunt Reanna and cousins Raegan and Ethan were all there to make it extra special! Here's some pics of the big day:

Here's Coleman opening his presents. Unfortunately I didn't get very many pics. He loved his little octupus Bubba gave him.

When I asked him before his birthday what he wanted to do on his big day he said he wanted to go to the park. So that's what we did--in our snow gear since Driggs was still quite snowy!

Then it was cake time! And yep he cried! When I asked him what was wrong he said he didn't like everyone singing to him. I think he felt on the spot! But he blew out his candles and we all had bug cake!!

Happy Birthday Coleman!!! I can't believe you are already 3! I sure love my sweet, teasing, stubborn little boy!

His Sacred Name - An Easter Declaration

2011-04-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

Boys at the river!

2011-03-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of the boys taking a break from the car and mtn goat watching. A stop at the Snake River with lots of rocks was just what they needed!

Snake River Canyon Mountain Goats

2011-03-27T10:29:00.000-07:00

(I stole this post from Todd's blog so I wouldn't have to type another!)
Years ago my wife and I got to spend a week in Glacier NP. It was an awesome trip. Some of the most memorable things from that trip were our chances to get up and close with the mountain goats. Ever since then they've always been sorta special. I knew they introduced mountain goats into the snake river canyon between Jackson and Alpine years ago. Even had people tell me about seeing them close to 10 years ago. Not sure why we never went for a look before. My wife ran across some recent internet posts about people seeing the goats. Then the paper had a picture of them. Saturday turned out to be a good day to go and see if we could find them.

We saw quite a few little ones.
We saw this guy when we first arrived zig zagging up towards the goats.

Probably keeping a watchful eye on the coyote.

I think this is a golden eagle?

My son spotted this one about 20 minutes after our arrival. He was just sunning alternating his look between the goats and the road.

This was laying about 20 feet from the coyote. I know it is part of life but baby goats are just so cute.

Farther down the canyon we found some more just hanging out watching traffic.

Really wish I had bigger lens!

It was a long drive to go and see them but well worth it. We saw at least 3 different groups through out the canyon easily over 20 mountain goats. Not sure how long they will be down close to the road but we will probably be back. Now if Yellowstone would just open, we could take a few more wildlife viewing road trips.

Skiing in the Park

2011-03-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I really have been terrible at taking pics this winter. I'll have to keep the camera out so I won't forget :)

A few weeks ago we headed over to GTNP. They were getting ready to plow the road for bicycles so this was our last day to get out there with our cc skis. It turned out to be a fun day.
My hot blooded Deacon took his coat off after about 20 minutes.
Coleman hanging out in his ski sled Todd made him.

The boys posing before we turned back and headed for home. We couldn't get Deacon to stop moving around :) I think Liston is looking older every day! My boys are growing up!

We decided to stop for a little chocolate energy before we made it back to the car. Deacon still insisted he wasn't cold :)

Coleman and I hanging out on the fence. He said it was his favorite part of the day!

Racing

2011-02-13T09:37:00.000-08:00

Well, the boys are finally done with skiing. They started in Oct with trail running to get them in shape. And they ended the season last week with a final ski with the nordic team. Their group was called "The Fast Turtles"! The boys have had a lot of fun but I think it was time for a break for both the boys and their Mom :) We've got a ski track a few blocks from our house now so we'll have to get a little more skiing in before the snow melts. But we won't have to go out when it's FREEZING!!! Our last day of skiing with the Nordic Club was soooo cold. And it also happened to be the day that Deacon ended up with only 1 glove in his backpack and Liston had to pee at the track. Joy joy!!
Here are some pics from their first 2K race. I got to go with them and I'm glad I did because I think they might have gotten lost!! Our goal for this race was to just to finish and not worry about what place we came in. And the boys did great! Liston had a time of 21 min and Deacon finished at 24 min.

Here's Liston at the top of the first hill of the race.

Off he goes

Deacon and I coming up the first hill

Off we go

Coleman enjoying the race :)

Liston at the home stretch

Deacon and I coming up the last hill

Here's Deacon after the race

Liston after the race

All I want for Christmas is my. . . .

2011-01-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

2 front teeth!
Finally got this pic off the camera this morning! Had to snap a pic of my cute toothless boy :)

Liston's christmas program

2010-12-26T07:57:00.000-08:00

I didn't want Liston to be left out.

He is on the far right side :( so you can't see him well. The program was pretty good. 1st-5th graders program.

Here are some pics of Santa's visit to the ward party.

Coleman was a little shy.

Deacon's Christmas Program

2010-12-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

Deacon performed in the Kindergarten Christmas Program yesterday! I was excited that they put him in the front row :) He has been worried all week that he wouldn't be able to sing because he has had a bad sore throat and cough. He said last time they practiced he just moved his lips! Well, his worrying was for nothing because he sang, danced and jingled his way through a great program!

He even made the paper here.

2010-12-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

We went to the annual Light Parade in Victor the 1st Sat in December. Fun activities all day followed by a light parade and good fireworks display at night. Liston and Deacon both won a turkey at the turkey bowling. Deacon almost went down the lane with the turkey they were useing because he didn't let go when he was supposed to. I was to slow with the camera for it though.

Here are the boys on top of a snow bank they found watching the fireworks.

Gas station was giving out some good hot chocolate all day long. We did get more than one.

They don't throw out candy for some reason:) But the glow sticks they do throw out are a hit.

Here Mare is with our friend Jen. It was kinda funny because we ran into her there last year for the fireworks as well.

Pizza Time!

2010-11-24T05:56:00.000-08:00

We've been snowed in since Monday---so we've had to get creative on ways to pass the time! Yesterday we played with playdough, made flavored snow (we may never run out!), read 985 books and played chicken foot over and over and over again :) Well, even after all that "fun" Deacon wandered up to me and said--"I'm still bored!" So for dinner I decided to have the boys make their own mini pizzas! They had sooo much fun! I wish I'd got some pics of everyone putting their pizzas together but we were too busy creating! Here are a few of the finished product!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-23T11:24:00.000-08:00

I posted this on my other blog but thought I'd share it here as well! We truly have so much to be grateful for :)

Deacon's snowman

2010-11-15T09:50:00.000-08:00

Well I can now say that winter has finally made it's way to Driggs. We had such a gorgeous autumn that I can't really complain about the snow :) Deacon headed out on Saturday intent on building himself a snowman--with NO HELP! And he did it! He was so proud of himself that he asked me to snap a few pics! Didn't he do a great job?

And one of Coleman just cause he's so stinkin cute!

Sorry for not posting

2010-11-06T16:41:00.001-07:00

Yes, I have been lame at posting lately. We've had such a great summer and fall and I've been too lazy to post. Todd even took pity on me and posted the last few blog entries! I promise I'll get going again--not tonight--but soon :)

happy late birthday Liston

2010-10-14T16:29:00.001-07:00

Liston turned 7 on the 2nd. So the post is a little late. He had a fun day. He got to eat his favorite Pizza. Play video games for a looong time. Followed by his requested birthday cheesecake.
Some pics of the day.

Happy Birthday Todd!

2010-09-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from Todd's birthday! His birthday on Sunday was actually pretty quiet since we'd done all our partying with the Tram the day before! But here's a few pics with him blowing out his candles! Happy Birthday Todd--I love you and I'm so grateful to have you with me on this crazy ride!!!

Jackson Tram

2010-09-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

The Jackson tram is free for locals right now, so we decided to take advantage of the nice day. They have been doing it each year at th end of season but this is the first time we've made it. It was a great weather day even though the sign said it was going to be 28 degrees on top. It turned out to be pretty nie since there wasn't any wind.

Waiting in line, wanting to be held :)

There were quite a few paragliders flying around while we were waiting for the tram. Eventually we passed them and could look down on them.

The first thing Coleman did when he stepped out of the tram on top was put some snow in his mouth.

The boys all thought it was a pretty cool ride.

This is where the boys get their good looks.

This shot has the Jackson Hole cowboy logo in it.

They got a little bit of snow last week.

Deacon posed for me on top of a little hill that is up there.

Looking down with Deacon, at Mare and Coleman.

Boys with the Grand in the background.

Fresh snow on trees makes the coolest image in the mountains I think.

Deacon is 5!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Deacon's 5th birthday on the 12th.
He had a good day hanging out at home playing with his presents. He has really grown up this last year. He loves to ask questions about everything. For every one you answer, he asks two more. He loves his older brother and will defend him no matter what. He is also the best playmate for his younger brother who I think looks up to him like he does to Liston. He currently loves to play Lord of the Rings video game with Liston. When they are not playing the game they are pretending to be orks around the house fighting.
He always keeps us entertained and we love him.
Happy Birthday Deacon.

Fishin' and Frogs

2010-08-18T14:49:00.001-07:00

Yeah, so I'm finally getting around to posting again! The boys finished up with swimming lessons last Friday. Todd came with us and told Deacon that we'd try to go catch a catfish afterwards. Well, Todd heard that Mud Lake was supposed to have catfish so we headed there--Todd thought he knew about where it was :) Well, when we saw a sign for it we decided it was a little too far to go at 6 in the evening. But we didn't want to abandon our fishing plans all together so we stopped at a pullout at Henry's Fork.
The fishing---yeah, it stunk! No catfish or any fish for that matter. But there were some awesome frogs that kept us hopping!

Here's Deacon with a frog he caught. Everyone had to take a turn with it. And of course Coleman had to kiss it--he kisses everything!

Love this last pic of my little fisherman

ps Deaq's bday pics coming soon!

Todd finally returns to Lake Powell

2010-07-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

Last week we took a trip down to Lake Powell. We haven't been down there since I was pregnant with Deacon. I think Todd has definitely been having some serious withdrawls! So after a LONG day of driving we arrived at Halls. Todd's Dad and Peg were there to greet us. And everything was already set up at camp which was an added bonus! We really had a fun time even though our time was short! We boated, chased lizards, swam, spied striper boils, built sandcastles, collected sea shells, etc. . . The only thing on our list we didn't do was find some crawdads. Maybe next time :) Thanks Dad and Peg for the great time!

Fun in the car!

Deacon wore his ninja turtle goggles so long they fogged up!

We got to ride the ferry over from Bullfrog

Liston with a big striper

Todd climbing up the big wall

Aaawwwwww :)

Catching lizards

We left Powell on Friday afternoon and drove to Scofield Reservoir to catch the tail end of the Skinner Reunion. It was great to see everyone and catch up a little. And thank you Brian for giving up your room--I think that was the comfiest bed I've ever slept in :)

Coleman loved riding on the 4-wheeler. He didn't want me to stop!

Demo Day

2010-06-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Before we left for the day the boys were playing underwear superheroes. Mare said they do this quite often but that the socks on their hands was new.

We went to Slide Lake down the Gros Vente on Saturday to a check out a free demo day for some kayaks. It was fun for me and the boys. They liked taking out different kayaks and trying them out. Liston was even big enough to reach the pedals on one of the sit on top tandem kayaks so he could help move us along. Camera ran out of batteries or we would have got some cute pics of Coleman in the Kayak. Coleman of course didn't want to get out after he got his turn kept pointing anywhere except the boat dock.

Waiting his turn throwing rocks.

Good looking Guy.

I even tried out a paddleboard but not for long since I didn't want to fall in in front of everyone.

Fishin'

2010-06-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

Saturday was free fishing day in Idaho. I didn't hold out much hope for fishing cause it was supposed to rain. Well, the day turned out gorgeous. Todd wanted to go to Ririe Reservoir so we headed over. The sky was overcast but warm and NO WIND! It was perfect. The boys had fun casting out and I was impressed and a little imtimidated by their fishing skills :) We lost a few lures and caught no fish (probably because of all the rocks being thrown into the lake) but still had a fun time!

My Graduate

2010-06-04T15:50:00.001-07:00

Liston is now an official kindergarten graduate! I'm so proud of him for all his hard work this year! Here are a few pics from his last day of school! It was FREEZING but the kids seemed to enjoy their field day! The boy in all his pics is his best friend AJ.

ps Shoot! I can't get all my pics to load. Guess you'll just have to imagine the potato sac race and long jump :)

Memorial Day Fun!

2010-06-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

So, we headed to Yellowstone this last holiday weekend. Todd ended up having to work on Saturday morning so we got kind of a late start. But the weather was kind of crappy so being in the car for the day was not so bad :) We, okay really just Todd, set up the tent at Bridge Bay amid the snow coming down! The next morning we woke up and headed toward Mammoth for a little warmer campground. We went to church in Garder at probably the smallest branch I've ever been to. Sunday was much more pleasant with only a few rain showers. And we got to have a CAMPFIRE for dinner, which is pretty monumental because it was the first one we've ever had. So we broke out the hotdogs and s'mores to celebrate :)Oh I do have an exciting story to tell about Saturday night. Coleman wanted to go on a walk around the campground so I took his hand and we started on our walk. We had been hearing a cow elk calling for her baby a few minutes earlier but she had stopped and I assumed she found her baby. All of a sudden there was this really loud high pitch yelping and Coleman and I looked up on the hillside and saw a baby elk bounding down being chased by a coyote. Well, if you know me you know this is about the last thing I want to see--a baby being killed by a coyote. The coyote was so close, then all of a sudden 3 cow elk came over and chased the coyote away. Whew! I looked around on the road and other campers had gathered to see the action along with 4 other elk--all of us standing together! The other elk moved up the hillside I guess to help out in the guarding of the little elk. So yay, a happy ending to my little story!
On Monday, the sun came out and we spent most of our time walking the boardwalks looking at geysers. This really won the boys over and they were not too excited to go home! I'm sure we'll be back in the park soon! Here's a few pics! (Sorry I took some blurry one!) And yes we actually saw a bear--for about 3 seconds before the ranger yelled at us to get moving!

Race Day!

2010-05-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

So back in March Todd must have decided I needed some extra exercise cause he challenged me to do a 5K. He even looked on the internet and found one that also had races for the boys to run--the Endurance Festival in Pocatello. Well, not wanting to back down from his challenge I tentatively accepted! I started the Couchto5K program that Monday and it really helped me get ready. When I first started I could barely run for 2 minutes. And yesterday I ran a 5K--can't believe it! It felt so good to set a goal and work towards it and actually accomplish it! Now I'm excited to set a few more goals and see where they take me. And I MAY run a few more races. I told Todd yesterday as we were driving to the race that I thought races were stupid and I didn't feel excited and all I felt was nervous. But by the time I found myself taking off at the starting line I was ready to do some running! I came in 3rd out of the few women who raced so I got some prizes. A Gold's gym membership for a month in Pocatello--which sadly I will not be commuting to so we gave it back! And I also got a necklace that Liston has claimed and a $10 gift certificate to an overpriced bike shop where I found some socks--yay!
The boys ran yesterday as well! I was so proud of them for stepping up and running the whole way. Coleman had to hold his Dad's hand but he still made it. And they all got metals and as much gatorade, fruit and Great Harvest bread as they could eat! It was a great day! Thanks Todd for getting us there and cheering us all on. I know I couldn't have done any of it without you!

Tonsils!

2010-05-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

Deacon has always been a snorer! I remember sitting in church with him as an infant and he was snoring so loudly I could hardly hear the teacher :) I'd have to juggle him around trying new positions to see if he would quiet down. And every year at his yearly check-up I'd ask about his tonsils and the Dr would say they were fine. Well, this year at Coleman's check-up I asked the Dr to take a look at them again. I was afraid he wasn't breathing very well at night because I'd hear a delay in his breathing constantly. Well, this time the Dr said his tonsils looked terrible and ordered a oxymeter to test his oxygen. The results--those nasty tonsils and adenoids needed to come out!
Deacon was very brave--I was a little worried he would be scared. But he was happy and talked to all the nurses and Drs and asked them all kinds of crazy questions. He really wanted to see his tonsils when the Dr. cut them out but they sent them to the lab. He was kind of sad until I showed him a picture of some on the internet and he said they looked GROSS!
Here are some pics of my brave boy whom I think is finally on the mend. He made it through the whole night with no medicine and hasn't asked for any this morning--yay! Love you Deaq--glad you're feeling better!

Spiderman/Hulk/Kung Fu Panda/Abomination

2010-04-18T07:31:00.001-07:00

Deacon came upstairs yesterday and wanted help putting on the spiderman mask, which isn't uncommon. But when he came back upstairs and started to head outside to play with his brothers he had on alittle more than the mask. He got the outfit on all by himself aside from the mask. He just looked to good to let him get by without a picture or two. He had a sword in the back of his shirt as well : )

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T10:06:00.001-07:00

Easter Egg hunting

2010-04-03T11:28:00.001-07:00

Last week I went golfing but since then we have had a couple good snow storms. Targhee reports they have had 43" in the last 7 days with most of that in the last couple. We didn't get that much of course but we got some. When I looked outside this morning the wind was blowing the snow around pretty good. I wasn't sure if they would have the easter egg hunt or not. Kids were bundled in their snow gear and we headed out to find out. The bank that put on the hunt had a backhoe and some people shoveling yesterday to remove snow from the park so they could have the easter egg hunt. Didn't do much good as it still snowed last night. The boys took off their gloves so they could pick up their eggs. Coleman got 2 before he made me stick his glove on. Deacon got the most and kept asking if we could go now because his hand got him cold. They all had fun and it wasn't that bad out. Deacon scored with the most treats. He got 3 eggs that had a little pig key chain as well as 2 eggs with prizes that he will claim at the bank. One is a piggy bank and the other a pink pig. Which is pretty good because he still loves pigs.

Jam

2010-04-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

Strawberries were finally on sale today so we stocked up and headed home to make some freezer jam! Deacon is my mini chef and excitedly volunteered to help! He sure did a good job :)

I asked him to pose for me in front of his hard work. I got one picture of my sweet little Deacon:

And about 10 of these:

My wild, crazy little man! Love you Deaq!

Coleman turns 2

2010-03-31T19:04:00.000-07:00

Coleman turned 2 on Tuesday. I know, hard to believe he is already 2. His 2 favorite words are ME and NO. We love him to death and are blessed to have him in our lives. Here are some pics of his special birthday.

Yeah Its My Birthday!

It always starts out the night before with my wife staying up really late and decorating putting the finishing touches on everything. This year was no different. We usually let the boys choose what they want for a cake. Coleman really likes spiders and has been wanting a spider cake. His mom did some googling and found one she thought she could do. It was her first one with the different frosting so she did the cake the night before to make sure it would work. My young wife stayed up till almost midnight getting everthing ready. That is late for someone who will be 32 in a couple of months. I went to bed after I blew up the balloons for her as I am well past 32.

I thought it turned out great. So did Coleman. He had to walk over and point to his cake 100 times before we ate it. We even made this picture the wallpaper on the computer so Coleman can still talk about his Spider.

She made some spider cupcakes just incase the cake wasn't so hot to eat. Coleman ate three of the spiders off the cupcakes for breakfast. He was the only one able/brave enough to eat the baby spiders. Boys couldn't handle the spider fondunt things. But liked the cupcakes.

The day started off a little after 7. Older boys were up ready for Coleman to get started on his presents. Coleman proved to be a real champ at opening presents this year. Hardly had any help at all even though Deacon was trying his hardest to help him.

The weather was crappy all day. It snowed and rained almost the whole day. So we ran out of things to do. We had bought an egg coloring kit in Utah. The boys haven't stopped asking about it so we decided to go ahead and color some. They all had fun. We even did a few raw eggs because they didn't want to stop.

Everyone getting in on the egg coloring. We would have done more but I don't think anyone here really eats them

Coleman loves to play in the snow so he spent a long time outside with the new snow

These two just like to wrestle all the time

After the snow and dinner we got to the main course.
Someone is excited for what is coming

Boys Excited for cake

Peace at last

Throwing Rocks

2010-03-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

Can you tell I can't think of any exciting titles this morning? :) Anyway, we headed to the Park on Friday to see if we could spot any wildlife. We pretty much struck out. We did see some geese and swans at the oxbow but that was expected. They were a beautiful sight though. So after our sightseeing we headed down to the river and the boys did what boys do best--they threw rocks in the river. We also ended up with a car full of rocks--each of the boys stuffed their own little rock treasures in their pockets to take home! And then promptly forgot about them :)

Scooters

2010-03-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I'm getting behind on this blog! We have been enjoying some nice weather---until last night when we got pounded with snow! But last Sunday, when the sun was still shining, we dug the scooters out and went for a ride! Here are a few pics:

Winter Hike

2010-02-27T20:02:00.000-08:00

I have been reading a few winter mountaineering books this year so it got me motivated to try one of my own. Wanted to do Tablerock since it is such a good hike in the summer and I know people do it in the winter. Had to xc ski into the trailhead about 3.5 miles and snowshoe about 4 to the top. Luckily there were 3 snowmachines parked at the trailhead which resulted in 5 guys being ahead of me breaking the trail. Made the trail easy to follow. I've tried going up the face a couple of times in the summer but turn around because it is so steep and hot. Snowshoes and the wide trail were easier than hiking. About 1 mile from the summit the clouds rolled in and it started snowing. About .5 mile from the summit it got so thick I couldn't even see Tablerock. From there the wind started blowing like crazy. I couldn't even eat my victory candybar because the wind was blowing snow around so bad.

There had been six people on snowshoes covering the last quarter mile. When I started down the wind had drifted in any sign of mine or their snowshoe tracks. I didn't get any pics from the top because I couldn't see anything and the wind was blowing 100 miles and hour. 30 minutes later after I was down quite aways the wind stopped and the sun came out. Most of my pics are from the way down.

One last look back up the trail before I desend down the face to the trailhead.

Untracked snow everywhere was just gorgeous, couldn't capture it in a picture though.

Pretty sure I have never been above 11k feet before hiking in the winter. It was great aside from the summit storm. I do feel bad though because I left my great wife home with sick kids inturn making herself sick while I was off hiking/skiing for 9 hours. Sure am glad she loves me.

I looked out the window and what did I see

2010-02-08T18:38:00.000-08:00

Look who was hanging out at our house today!
Liston spotted him and we all headed outside for a closer look. Isn't he gorgeous?

Skiing attempt #2

2010-01-29T07:43:00.000-08:00

We decided to try our luck at skiing again yesterday. The weather was gorgeous and the snow was just begging to be played in! Though I think Todd still had to work hard to get us out the door! The kids always complain about having to go outside and Todd had a grumpy sick wife! But we made it and had a fun time. Liston got his skis on and took off down the trail. Deacon was not happy about that because HE wanted to be in the front :) Those 2 are soooo competitive!

But we made it a little further down the trail than we did last time and it was great to get out! And I love Teton Canyon because it seems as long as you keep your eyes peeled you'll see a moose. I haven't been disappointed yet! Here's some pics from our day:

Off we go!

Told you I was grumpy!

Todd, on the other hand, was his usual happy self :)

Coleman doing what he loves best--eating snow!

Still happy!

What a cutie! On the way back to the car Coleman escaped from the backpack and was running everywhere! He sure is growing up too fast!

I never get tired of that shot!

When we stopped for a break Deacon spied a big boulder he wanted to climb so he set off into the snow! I could hear him keep telling himself, "I'm almost there! I'm almost there!" And sure enough, he made it!

The boys had fun playing on the big rock! If you look closely at one of these pics, you'll see Liston falling off!

Fun day!!!

2010-01-21T21:41:00.001-08:00

After days and days of wiggling, it's finally out! Yay!

Deacon Goofing around

2010-01-19T18:34:00.000-08:00

Cross country skiing

2010-01-19T15:14:00.000-08:00

We rented some cross country skis for the first time yesterday. We just headed up Teton canyon since it is groomed in the winter. Liston and Deacon had skis as well. They did really well. If Liston's parents had been better informed it would have been even better. He got a pair of skate skis with no traction on the bottom so he fell down alot. When we had him switch with Deacon half way he took off and didn't really fall down.

Didn't get any action shots since we had too much gear. And didn't want to stop and get the camera out.

You'll just have to take my word for it that the boys looked great skiing. Coleman was a trooper hanging out in the backpack.

2010-01-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

Coleman really likes bears. He seems to like polar bears and panda the best. When I saw a black Friday deal for a big Kung Fu Panda I knew I had to get it for him because he would love it. I had someone go into work early for me so I could be at the store when they opened, to get the panda. It was one of the last presents that Coleman opened on Christmas. I knew it was going to be his favorite. He liked it at first until we pushed the toys buttons to make him talk and do his kick. Then Coleman ran away from it and didn't want anything to do with it. Then to add insult to injury while the panda was on the kitchen floor Coleman had put on his brothers laser tag guns and out of the blue he starts shooting the panda. He even got Liston to help him shoot it. See if I ever get up early on a black friday deal again.

After a few days he decided he likes him and drives us crazy pushing his buttons all day.

2009-12-25T17:54:00.000-08:00

Love you Coleman! (Christmas pics to come--sometime soon! I'm tired of posting!)

Winter Wonderland

2009-12-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

Fun in the snow! (again!)

Gingerbread Houses

2009-12-25T16:26:00.000-08:00

This month whenever I've taken the boys to the grocery store Deacon has drooled over the gingerbread kits they have there. Well, sadly I'm not willing to pay $20 for a kit so we just made our own with graham crackers. The boys picked out the candy they wanted to use and really had a fun time!

Then Coleman woke up from his nap and said "Where's mine?"

So the boys shared their spoils and everyone was happy :)

Kindergarten program

2009-12-25T16:06:00.000-08:00

Wow! I am way behind in posting so I'll try to catch up! We had a fun time watching Liston perform in his Kindergarten program at school! He had a little bout of stage fright through the 1st couple songs but it passed and he did a great job!

2009-12-15T08:01:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T17:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We sure have a lot to be thankful for! We actually had a nice quiet Thanksgiving at home this year--no guests or anything! It was kind of weird but nice :) The day was beautiful and so Todd pushed us all outside! The boys had fun making snowangels and building our first snowmen of the season! (And yes, "Bruiser" Coleman has a new beauty mark!)

Bon Appetit

2009-11-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

Dinner at our house is always an exciting affair :) I gave Coleman his dinner tonight and turned my attention to other things. Then Todd called and I got even more distracted. When I turned back to Coleman a few minutes later he was smashing his plate of food on his head. And he was sooo proud of himself!!!

Hey There Handsome

2009-11-08T11:25:00.001-08:00

Deacon looked so handsome before church this morning I just had snap a few pics :)

PS Todd has taken over the music on the blog--so beware :)

halloween

2009-11-04T17:54:00.000-08:00

Mare has been a little busy the last couple of days trying to figure out how to tie knots to go with her new job as Webelos leader so I thought I'd post a couple of Halloween shots.
Kids had fun and fot lots of Candy. Coleman was even trying to say trick or treat half way through the night.

JUDO!

2009-11-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

The kids had a big day on halloween. Started by getting them up at 530 to drive to Pocateelo for Liston's first Judo tournament. After we got there and found the place it was hurry up and wait. They didn't start until after 10. Liston had a good time and got to fight 3 times. We weren't sure what to expect and didn't even know all the rules until that day but we were glad we got to experience it. Not sure if we will do more in the future or not. Matches can be over really quick with the kids not getting much out of it. The boys were all troopers with us not getting out of the gym until after 1 eating lunch and getting home just in time to change for trick or treating.

Here are just some shots of the day.

Enjoying indian summer

2009-10-18T16:51:00.000-07:00

We had a nice couple of days for weather. We spent the days kayaking over in the park.

First day we floated below Jackson lake. Saw 2 moose that I'm sure were a mom and baby earlier this year. We had to go right by them in the river but they just kept on eating and ignored us.

Second day we put in on String lake took the portage of about 100yds (which about killed us dragging the kids and 2 kayaks) to leigh lake and back. We had to put Coleman in one of the kayaks as we carried them from lake to lake. So no picture since our hands were full. My shoulder and sides hurt from the kayak resting against me while I was carrying it.

Leigh lake wraps around so we were directly below the south side of mt Moran. The scenery being below the big mountain was worth it though.

Liston and Coleman each took turns falling asleep while Mare was paddling them.

We found a pet grouse in one of the parking lots. We saw him first over by a car while we were unloading. So hte kids walked over and were watching it. Next thing he came right over to the car. After the kids scared him away we forgot about him. I was with the kids down by the lake eating some lunch waiting for Mare to come back when the next thing I know the grouse came right up to where we were eating. He was inches from Coleman. I wasn't going to take his picture but he kept getting so close pretty sure he wanted us to give him something.

Cave Falls

2009-10-04T10:35:00.001-07:00

We drove to Cave Falls yesterday in between conference sessions. There was a big collapse this spring so the entrance to the cave was blocked off. But the boys had fun anyway with some little croakers they found!

Happy Birthday Liston

2009-10-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

Liston celebrated a birthday this last week. He had been waiting all year for his chance for presents and cake! And can you guess what he wanted to do for the day? Watch his superhero movie again and again!!! We did make time for a few more activites. Here he is opening some gifts:

We didn't do a pinate this year. We had a candy hunt around the house instead!

Time for cake!

I can't believe my little man is getting so big! I love you Bubba and am so grateful to have you in our family! I love your excitement for life, your melt-my-heart smile, and your willingness to always be a friend.

Pueblo

2009-10-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

We took a short trip to Pueblo over the weekend. Liston is off from school all week for spud break and figured it would be the best chance we get. We left Friday after school and drove to Glendo State park and camped out to split the long drive up. We saw more antelope between Shoshoni and Casper than you would think even possible.Going to fast to take pictures though. We stopped at the Denver Zoo on Saturday. It was pretty packed and hot near 90. Kids made it for about 2+ hours before they had had enough and got cranky.

Coleman loves Polar bears so he was excited to see them and stand next to a nine foot tall one to see how he measures up :)

No stroller or backpack so Coleman had it made.

Liston's favorite animal is the Komodo Dragon and this one was by the glass posing for everyone.

Liston got to celecrate his birthday twice. Once at dad's and again at mom's. 2 rounds of birthday cake and presents for him.

Deacon enjoyed the 2 rounds of birthday cake as well.

Liston getting help opening presents.

Liston wanted to try the guitar on rock band. I handed it to him and he somehow knew exactly how to put the strap over his shoulder and hold it like a pro.

We got to see a herd on sheep down the Hoback on the way home

Deacon ready to get out.

When we left Pueblo on tuesday the forecast was for 89. On wednesday we got snow. I thought we might make it all of September without our usually snow storm but it came the last day of the month. Snowed all day.

They boys had fun playing with their cousins and getting spoiled by the grandparents and aunts/uncles. Thanks to everyone for letting us come down and stay and making the trip fun.

Slackers

2009-09-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the slacking in posting lately. We've just been living life and the few adventures we have had haven't been captured on film! We're headed to CO this weekend so hopefully we'll have some fun times to share when we get back. So don't give up on us--we'll post again soon, I promise :)

Goodwin lake

2009-09-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

We hiked up to Goodwin Lake above the elk refuge on Monday. Mare carried Coleman in the backpack all the way up and back 6 miles. Liston and Deacon were both able to walk the whole way although Liston asked to be in the backpack every five minutes. We only stayed long enough to eat a bag of popcorn Mare made since there was a breeze blowing and the kids were cold. It was nice to hike up there again we hadn't been since we were first married. The views and hike are great.

Kayaking the Lake

2009-08-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

I got to go on a weeklong kayak trip down to the southeast arm of Yellowstone lake a couple weeks ago. My dad and his wife came too. We've been trying to do it for 3 years. A guy I work with had 2 sea kayaks he let my dad and Peg use so we finally got the trip done. It was probably the best trip I've had and would do it again in a heart beat if anyone out there wants to go. I thought it was way easier than backpacking.

Dad thought I was putting on weight so these 2 photos are for him :)

View of the Promontory. I would definitely like to get a campsite on it next time.

2 otters cruising the shoreline

some backcountry

Behind me is the view into the south arm, a trip for next time I guess.

Dad and Peg relaxing

We paddled up the inlet to the yellowstone river a couple miles. Dad said he saw a bear walk out onto this sand bar then leave before the rest of us could make it around the bend to see it.

There were some fresh tracks in the sand heading to where dad thought he saw the bear.

After kayaking in white caps with the wind blowing against us what seemed like all day this was the second nights campsite.

Had to take a break from the ruff water we had on our second day.

Fishing wasn't very good at all. Only saw a couple fish along the shoreline. Waste of money for a fishing license.

last campsite and probably the best one on the lake. Had great views, the grass along the meadow gave me some allergies making it a restfull night sleep for everyone in the tent.

last night for photos

Last night of the trip

First Step

2009-08-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I dropped Liston off at his 1st day of kindergarten this morning. I think I was more nervous than he was!

Liston picked out his clothes--he really likes orange right now! I was just happy he kinda matched :)

Walking to school

Coleman in his favorite spot

Lining up to go in and start the fun!

ps Todd's got some pics to post from his Kayak trip in Yellowstone. Hopefully I'll get him to post them this weekend.

Splish, Splash

2009-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

The boys have finally decided that they like to swim. They have been pretty hesitant this summer about playing in the pool. Todd and I even tried to bribe them once to run through the sprinkler! What wimps, I know! Well, they finally took the plunge last week (into our tiny pool) and now there's no going back! Everytime they go outside they end up getting wet! Here's a few pics from their water adventures. (And had I KNOWN they were outside getting wet, swimming suits would have been on em!!!!)

Birthday Boy

2009-08-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Deacon's 4th birthday on Wednesday. He has sure grown up alot in a years time. He is always asking questions about stuff and giving us our funniest moments. The other day I was laying down with him and we were talking about ghosts. He said they were scary. I told him there weren't really any ghosts they were just pretend. He said he knew there was one ghost. I told him no. Then he said what about the holy ghost. He got me on that one. We are glad he is part of our family and enjoy him more everyday.

He knows whats coming.

Wanted a Darth Maul b-day cake and mom provided

YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is deacon opening a few presents.
Thanks to everyone who sent him one or a card. I asked him which was his favorite present and he said all of them.

Hard to believe Deacon is 4. He wanted to go to the Alta park and play for his birthday.

The boys had fun even though it was really hot.

He wanted a hot air balloon pinata

The boys took turn hitting the Pinata

Deacon has been into Darth Maul lately. Here is a Mask he got for his birthday.

Using his new easel that his mom got for him.

2009-08-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

Guess what we've been doing?

Yep, the huckleberries are finally ripe enough to pick! Yay!!!

2009-08-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

My little man is headed to kindergarten in a few weeks. How'd he grow up so fast? Boy, am I going to miss him!

Eeeekk!!!

2009-08-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

Here's pic of a spider I found in my basement last night. I took a pic of it and looked it up on the internet. From what I found it looks like our friendly little arachnid is a hobo spider--GGRREAATTT! Looks like I'm heading to ACE tomorrow for some traps!

Kayaking on the Snake

2009-07-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

We went kayaking one afternoon on the river below Jackson dam while my dad was up visiting. Almost didn't go because of rain clouds. But we got to see 3 otters eating a fish and a moose with her calf in the river, a golden eagle and other birds. Needless to say we are happy we went.

Here is Mare on a rare break from the kids :)

Got to see this eagle on two different sides of the river this one had better sunlight on it.

Here is the moose. The mom was in the river the whole time. The baby came out of the willows walked along the shore then bounded through the river passed her mom and onto the other side.

Me and the boys were paddeling up river to meet my dad and Peg, when we came to a slight bend and saw these otters. I just banked about 10-15 feet away and watched them. We could hear them chomping on the fish.

They were really fun to watch. Deacon said that otters were way cooler than moose.

Skinner Family Reunion

2009-07-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

We attended the Skinner Family Reunion this last weekend.
It was great to see everyone again. Wish we could get together more often.
Soon and Jason have a beautiful home and were perfect hosts.
The food was awesome! Marci made some of the best cookies I've ever eaten!
We all stayed up far too late and got up way too early!
Everyone rocked it out at Rock Band on the Wii!
Liston played more video games than he's ever played in his life.
Coleman is a daddy's boy and not friendly to anyone AT ALL!
The talent show showcased some very talented kids!
Grandma gave out some great prizes--my kids love they're cards!
And did I mention I forgot my camera? Yep, I did!
So hopefully someone will send me a few to post!
Thanks for the fun time everyone!

4th of July

2009-07-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting 4th of July pics! We had a pretty quiet day. We had been planning on going to Jackson for the fireworks but we decided to go to a friend's house for a BBQ and to watch the good ol' Driggs fireworks. The BBQ was fun and delicious---the fireworks were um, pretty pathetic. Probably the worst I've ever seen and I've lived in some small towns! BUT at least we had fireworks to enjoy and Deacon seemed to love them. Liston and Coleman both snoozed through them!

Anyway, we started the day watching some hot air balloons. Driggs has a balloon festival every 4th and the balloons head to the sky each morning for about 3 days! We actually have one hot air balloon that flies over our house almost every morning through the summer. I feel like a kid when I hear it coming close, and head out to gawk at it with the boys :) Here are a few pics of our early morning:

We also went to the parade in Victor. The boys had fun begging for candy. Coleman loved the horses and tried to walk out in the road and pet them!

Our Very Own Drinking Fountain

2009-07-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

Deacon taught Coleman a new trick :)

Camping at Signal Mountain

2009-06-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

We went camping at Signal Mountain this last weekend. Todd brought the kayak along for it's first official float of the summer. Coleman and I hung out on the shore while Todd and the boys explored the Oxbow bend.

Earlier in the day I made a comment that I wanted to actually see an otter. Well, I guess it was our lucky day because Todd spotted one! We were able to watch it for a few minutes while Coleman threw rocks in the water.

Later that evening it was my turn to venture out with Liston and Deacon. We were able to see tons of wildlife. As we meandered through the little islands on the river we were able to see a Mama moose and baby. Unfortunately I only had the video camera with me--which did me little good. I had a hard time paddling and filming at the same time :)

Here I am trying to film a beaver that kept swimming around us slapping his tail. I was surprised at how close he got to us and how long he swam near us. Liston and Deacon loved it!

Shots of Mount Moran and the Tetons

This young buck wandered right into our camp and munched on some bushes near our car. He definately wasn't shy. While he was there a doe came walking into our camp and was going to walk right by Coleman and Liston. Todd said he thought she was curious about all the noisy sounds they were making. We ended up seeing her baby later that day!

Here's a pretty little Western Tanager

Todd and the boys kayaked on Jackson Lake the next morning. I love the view of Mount Moran from the lakeshore.

And lastly we hit String Lake before we headed home.

SUMMER!

2009-06-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

You know it's officially summer in Driggs when Todd puts the kayak on the Trooper!

The Boys enjoying the sun!

My columbine has been blooming like crazy! The Blue Columbine is one of my all time favs! And I love my little forget-me-nots

The Boys practicing their fishing before our camping trip last weekend. (I'll try to get to posting about that next!)

Coleman getting in on the action!

Kids!

2009-06-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

No trips this last weekend. We were planning on camping at Jackson Lake since it was free fishing in Wyoming on Sat. but the weather kept us home. It was been rainy and gloomy all week. So I thought I'd post a few pics of the boys just being boys!

Here's Coleman licking the bowl!

I went to my presidency meeting last week and one of the kids had a binky that Coleman would not leave alone. So when we got home I whipped out one I'd had from when Coleman was a newborn. He played with it for a few days and then decided he'd had enough. He never actually sucked on it--just bit it. As you can see in the pic he has half of it in his mouth!

I love these pics of Deacon

Liston posing cute and silly!

Yellowstone Trip #3

2009-06-01T07:10:00.001-07:00

So we headed to Yellowstone last weekend for some family fun! In a nutshell:
We did a lot of driving
We saw a lot of animals
Coleman did a lot of crying (in the car!)
We had a lot of fun
And we did it all on just a little bit of sleep!! (Coleman is no longer allowed to share a sleeping bag with me!)

Blue Heron

Baby Buffalo

Ice on Yellowstone Lake

Cute Deacon despite the messy face(he was actually being very naughty at that moment!)

Another pic of Yellowstone Lake

The boys in the early morning

Umm...another pic of the lake

A pelican

Fun in the car

A mama moose that had been attacked by wolves
(you can see her 4 day old baby laying at the base of the tree)

Goose

A full curl Ram

Some sheep on some crazy cliffs
(There are 2 babies in the pic--can you spot them?)

Cute little baby and mama

We also saw a few bears but they are just specks in the photos we took. Hope you enjoy the pics!

Dirt + Boys = A Fun Time!

2009-05-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago we piled in the car and went searching for a waterfall we'd read about in some library book. Todd said he "thought" he knew where it was. Well we ended up driving and driving and finding no waterfall. So we ended up stopping at Palisades Reservoir so the boys could play on the beach and get dirt all over themselves! They didn't disappoint!

Going on a garbage hunt!

2009-05-28T06:33:00.000-07:00

Ever since Arbor Day when our town had a clean-up day, Deacon has wanted to go on a garbage hunt! I figured I'd better not squash his dreams of bettering his community so I told him we would go on one soon. Today was a beautiful day so I told him after we walked Liston to school we would have our hunt. He was so excited. He told me on the way there that I had to hold his garbage bag so he wouldn't be tempted to pick any up until after we made it to the school. Well, I guess we've got a lot of garbage on our street because Deacon scored big. He stuffed his bag until he couldn't stuff any more.
Here he is so proud of his good work. Then we tossed the garbage and went promptly into the house for a good hand washing!

More Yellowstone

2009-05-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

This post won't be as long as the other. Here are some shots of a grizzly we saw driving in on our way to do the hike. May have to click on it to see it. He had his head down heading away from the road so nothing spectacular.

These are from my way home from my hike. There were about 50 spotting scopes and 100 people all along side the road. So of course you have to go supper slow through the traffic trying to see what they are looking at. Just before I decided I couldn't see anything worth stopping for I noticed something brown in the lake. I assumed a bear so I found a place to park and ran back to all the people. When I got back all I saw was an elk on a little island. I wondered what everyone was doing watching this elk. After a couple minuteslistening to people talk it turned out that 3 wolves had this elk trapped on the island trying to get it. People mentioned it had been going on all day long. I figured just a few hours. It was 5pm when I was there. I talked to someone the next day who was in yellowstone the same day as I was and he had seen the elk on the island at 9am. That poor elk was trapped there all day. With who knows how many people watching waiting to see the wolves attack it. I wasn't sure how I felt about waiting to see something like that plus I still had a long drive home so I shot some pictures and hung out maybe 15 min. I wondered if there was anyway for the elk to escape and having recently watched some discovery channel stuff on wolves figured it was a gonner.

First one you can see the elk in the water with a black wolf on the shore.

Elk on the island with wolf laying on the shore. There were also 2 gray wolves off to the right laying in the grass that I never could get a shot of.

Elk watching the wolf. The wolf sure looks big in these pictures to me.

The other day we were surfing some forums on the net and read a comment about people going to this lake to watch wolves feed on a carcass on an island. Don't know how long the elk lasted. But she had to stand on the island and watch the wolves while they laid along the shore and rested she didn't have much chance.