Keiser Family

I've moved .... for while at least

2011-01-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

Hey peeps (ya know that's me thinking people actually :) come here to see what's up) well I'm kinda out of photo storage here on blogger so you can find me over here! Please come by for a visit and leave a comment.

Foto Story Friday #135 -- sledding MT style!

2011-01-06T15:36:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday we took the kids, the 4-wheelers and the sleds/tube out to the OHV (off highway vehicle) park for a little winter fun. Cody was the first victim! He had a blast..... who wouldn't sliding behind the 4-wheeler with snow flying into your face?! :) It is tons of fun! Although there are no pictures to prove it, I did take my turn on the tube and the sled!

Then Robby took a turn....

But they had little bit of trouble....

And had to untangle the tow rope.

Then Emmy was up. She had a blast as well.

Scott was to follow Em. Look at that grip! He had fun, but when he took a turn on the sled behind the 4-wheeler, he flew off and was less than thrilled with that ride. To me the fling off is part of the fun! :)

Savanna was having a bunch of fun too... can you see the smile?
Now I had tons more photos I wanted to share, but Google tells me my free picture storage is all used up?! :(
Have a series of Cody getting suck and rescued by his dad. Have a bunch of the kids flying down a huge hill on the sled. Some fun ones of Cody acting as a horse and pulling Scott behind him.
Go here to see the rest of the photos, thanks.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #134--

2010-12-30T23:57:00.001-07:00

Christmas pajamas!

Well ya gotta be good or ya just might get a surprise in your sock!

Some breakfast...... fruit smoothies and homemade cinnamon rolls!

Guess they were good enough for gifts after-all.

Now for a few shots of what's inside......

A My Twinn doll. She was very excited! Now she doesn't have to ask her sisters for their twin dolls. She dressed her up and brought her to church.

Cody helped Grampa customize this board for Shantel and he will be adding graphics soon.

What little boy doesn't want trucks and cars?

Cody's gift is a little ate in arriving..... so he got a picture of it!

Robby wanted to get a pictuer of all of his stuff..... wish he had made his bed!

Teenagers are talented.... texting with both hands?!

Savanna also wanted to have a photo.
Sunday morning the trees were covered in frosty beauty!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

I think I've stayed up too late with my kids watching movies and playing games, this week for my brain to work properly.......
Wishing you all a happy new year!

Foto Story Friday #133-- wrestling and strange sights

2010-12-24T11:55:00.002-07:00

Wrestling season is in full swing round here and Cody is having a good time. He has improved 500 times since last season. His first match of the year was won with a pin! I wasn't able to be there to see it, but I am so proud of his accomplishments. While we were gone to Vegas he had 2 big meets and a dual. Since we've been home he's had 2 home duals and a big meet in Dickinson North Dakota. His first home dual against The Hardin Bulldogs brought him another pin in 48 seconds! We were cheering our hearts out!

Shoot

Going for a take down

Going for an arm to roll him

Drive

Looking for a hold.

Working the head and arm.

Sucking up the cradle.

And PIN!!!!

It was so very cool to watch them raise his hand for the win!
The big Invite at Dickinson we were unable to attend (it is tough to get the crew out for 2 full days of wrestling with school and the drive and the cost of food and admission for 6 people!). Cody texted as soon as his first match was over, another pin!!! And then Saturday he texted with 2 more pins! Bringing his total for the season thus far up to 5! Last year he ended the season with just one pin. This past Tuesday they had their second home dual against the Glasgow Scotties. They proved to be a tough team. Every guy had to fight hard for his points and or pin.

The shake

oh no, being taken down

fighting to free his arms

not looking good, but still he is trying to free himself

Straining to get an arm out.... but he eventually was pinned. There were many guys who wrestled all out and didn't come up on top we are very proud of his efforts and how he has grown this year. His next dual is the 4th against the Miles City Cowboys, and it's a home meet so we will be there screaming and cheering our boys on!!
The other day we were out running errands, when this farm truck pulled onto the main drag with a large animal on the back.

Upon closer examination, we determined that it was a horse. I guess his ole horse passed. Not sure where he took it maybe to a vet or the stockyard for proper disposal, but it was a very odd sight indeed.
On Tuesday, we took a little drive over to ND to deliver some secret Santa gifts. We stopped at the truck stop and saw this:

I don't know what this guy is plowing into or through, but that is a serious grill!

Also on our drive we saw this pretty light wrapped in greenery and nature's frosty touches too.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and may the spirit of the season dwell in your hearts daily.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #132--flying home

2010-12-17T13:08:00.002-07:00

Friday we spent our last few hours in Vegas (and the rest of the day trying to get home). I started it out with this fabulous breakfast.

Then it was time for goodbyes and a photo or two with Aunt Claudia's beautiful Christmas tree.

Our best sides! :)

Thank you Aunt Claudia and Uncle Byron for having us in your home. We really had a great visit with you and your family.
Cris drove us to the airport where we saw a bit of what runs the Vegas economy -- gaming of course.

The lights and colors beckon to the weary traveler....

one armed bandit stand neatly in rows calling out...

with their promises of big money

be careful or you too will be sucked in!

Our plane is ready for boarding to Denver.
the next photos were all taken from my window on the flight from Vegas to Denver.

On the runway we see the big casinos and hotels as well as some helicopters.

The waiting line behind our plane.

In the air we get one final glimpse of Vegas.

The water levels have sure dropped on Lake Meade.

Just really liked how the clouds looked off the wing.

It is amazing how the earth looks from above!

The Colorado River winds off in the distance.

It's so different from the ground level views one normally has.

The earth is a very beautiful place!

Canyon lands

approaching the Denver airport we flew over a high school.

On the ground in Denver.

We were supposed to board the plane for Glendive at 5:45, but there were several delays. First we heard there were weather issues and a few flights to the general area were cancelled. Then our plane had troubles and they had to switch it out twice! Finally at 9:30 we got to board the plane home. We flew from Denver to Gillette, WY to drop two passengers, fuel up and de-ice. The pilot told us that he slid the plane into the disembarking area and then warned the ground crew that if we were unable to land in Glendive we'd be back! Thankfully we landed in Glendive without a hitch the big storm slated for the area had missed us! We got home about 12:30 AM to a house full of sleeping kids and one grateful sitter who could go home and sleep in her own bed! We are ever grateful to those who watched our kids for the week so we could both go to Vegas for Nana's services and that we could visit with family and friends while there.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #131-- Trip to Vegas

2010-12-10T02:02:00.001-07:00

If you're a regular reader, you know that Nana returned to her heavenly home 2 days after Thanksgiving. Nana lived most of her life in North Las Vegas, Nevada and so back to Vegas she went to be laid to rest next to her husband. I greatly desired to accompany Troy and his parents to Vegas for the services, as I was unable to attend Papa's services a few years before. Anyone with kids will agree that finding a sitter for your kids is stressful work and to find one willing to spend a week with your children is near impossible. I fretted for a couple of days and talked it over with Troy about who we could ask to take on such a daunting task, finally we came up with the perfect person to ask. Right after we settled on her, another friend called to say that she would be willing to help us out (after-all her husband did volunteer her). I told her I thought I had another friend who could stay the night with the kids and I'd call her to work out the details after I chatted with the other friend. I called the lady we had settled on at work and she said she would love to help us out and could stay with them for the week! I had a third lady who stayed the first night with them and made sure they got to church on Sunday. Yay! I could go! I set to the task of figuring out my life and the kids' lives for the next week..... I kid you not, I had a stress headache for 2 days and was pretty sure I couldn't ask so much of these ladies! They assured me they were up for the challenge.
So bright and early Saturday the 4th of December, we set out for Vegas, a mere 1,276 mile trip - by car.

One never knows what one will see driving down the freeway~ this train was hauling 3 planes.

Off to the other side the road, we saw these guys discussing the problem of a stuck truck.

Getting closer to Idaho we saw less snow. I loved the old barn up on the rolling hills and quick snapped a photo.
We only got as far as Pocatello the first day. The worst roads we had were within 2 hours of home. There were a couple of patchy ice spots in Idaho. Troy was razzing his mom the whole way down, we will laugh for a while because of those "icy" spots in ID and UT! :)

The next morning we got up had breakfast and headed out for the second leg of our journey. We had to make a pit stop somewhere south of Salt Lake. As we walked back to the car I saw how the flag hung with the mountains in the background and composed this shot.

The farther south we went the nicer it became. We met Troy's uncle for lunch in Beaver, UT. He was headed home from his trucking run.

I wished we could have come in to Vegas in the dark, it is such a dramatic sight to come around the bend and see the lights of Vegas, but we hit town at about 4.

There was a haze hanging over the valley :( This is the view most people are expecting to see when in Vegas,

but if you've lived there, this is a better more appreciated one! I do love the rugged mountains that surround Vegas. There's a certain tug on me for the desert...... especially when I know how cold it is at home in Montana!
After a wonderful dinner with Aunt Claudia, Uncle Byron and Troy's parents, we settled in for the night at our gracious host's house. (Thanks again for everything Aunt Claudia and Unc!)
The following morning after breakfast, showers and visiting, we went shopping with the fam and then set out to see if we could remember how to get around in this town! So much has changed in 10 years!!

The first place we checked out was the home Troy grew up in. Not quite how he remembered it...... the grass was always green and boy have those trees grown! They were planted for our wedding reception 17 1/2 years ago! It is kinda sad, the house is being foreclosed as the current owners haven't been paying the mortgage.

Next we had to go check out our old place. We bought this place in 1998 and watched it go from a desert lot into our home. The tree in the front yard and the evergreen next to the garage we planted and they were tiny! My, what 10 years will do for the trees!!

A favorite place of ours is the temple. You used to have a pretty awesome view from the temple grounds of the city, but the vegetation has grown so much that this is the best you get! It is still kind of a neat view.
As we wandered around the grounds and I took photos, 4 missionaries were also there doing the same. One of them asked if I would take a few photos of them all as transfers were coming up, of course I did.

They have a nice nativity out front. Helps me remember that it is December and that Christmas is right around the corner. I had the hardest time with that when we resided in the desert, it didn't "feel" like Christmas because there wasn't snow nor super cold!

Just loved the way the sun peaked around the temple spire and flared for me.

A herald to the nations.

We drove through the "good hood" and found these two cowboys on the corner!

The jets were out flying which is normal, there is an Air Force base -Nellis.
On a whim we drove by an old buddy of Troy's and he happened to be home so we stopped by for a visit. It was nice catching up with them.
After we left his house we headed to meet Troy's parents, cousins and his uncle for dinner at Macyos. We had a nice dinner and visit.

I know this shot is like seeing double, but I liked it anyhow! For a few reasons I kept it and am sharing it: 1) Vegas to most is about the downtown entertainment (gambling and so forth) and 2) when you've spent too much time in that environment, you are probably seeing double! :)
After dinner, we went home and visited a bit with Aunt C and Unc before retiring for the evening.

The next morning, we met up with a friend from Indian Springs at McDonalds so her son could play. It was nice to see them and to catch up with what's been happening. Facebooking is nice, but there's nothing like an in your face visit!
Tuesday evening was the viewing.

Nana with her children: Mary, Denny and Claudia.

Nana's brother and sister

The group attending the viewing.

Troy's cousins and his mom visit while viewing Nana.
It was a nice gathering and I met some of the extended family for the first time. There were some who were apprehensive at first to go in and have a peek, but eventually all paid their respects. Troy offered a nice family prayer and afterwards I covered her face with her veil and everyone stepped out for a little more visiting.
The following morning was the graveside service.

Grandkids, great grandkids, nephews and such were the pall bearers. I was asked to help but felt I would be better as a documenter! Someone HAS to take the pictures!

Family and friends gather to pay respects and say goodbye to a wonderful lady, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend.

A member of Nana's N. Las Vegas ward read the eulogy and afterwards invited any to share their thoughts and stories of her with those gathered.

There were some very nice heartfelt words shared to celebrate the life and love of our dear Nana. Afterwards there was a luncheon at Aunt Claudia's.

Family gathered for photos. Good food was had as well as great company!

These three are silly! Troy with cousins (Aunt Claudia's two daughters). We had a wonderful time with all the family and friends who came. Had a nice time just chatting with cousins and Aunt C and Unc.
After another good night's sleep we planned our last day in Vegas. Tried to visit with as many friends and family as we could cram into the week!

Went over and visited Troy's cousins's on his dad's side for a few hours. Isn't their grand daughter darling?

We had a lovely visit with them. After leaving their house, we headed to our old neighborhood to have dinner with our friends at their house. We had to make a pit stop for orange julius ingredients. yum yum! We have had a fantastic visit to the City of Sin and never stepped a foot on The Strip!

Their daughter did her best with my camera and captured the moment for us.

These 2 are silly! Snap in mid hug, followed by a "don't post that on Facebook"! And I ended it with: "Actually I was thinking of using it on my blog."
Life is about the legacy you leave behind with those you love and who love you, so live life with love in your heart and on your face. Serve others with a smile and do what's right, because it's right.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #130--- honor choir

2010-12-03T09:56:00.004-07:00

The one event of last week that I failed to post about was honors choir. Last Tuesday we had the District Eleven Gala Honors Concert. Two weeks before the concert, Shantel came home from school and said, "I gotta tell ya something."
Thinking it might be grade related, I said, "You can tell me after the others head to bed if you want to."
She looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Mrs. S called me into her office during choir and I thought I was in trouble. She closed the door and said, 'If I had an opening in honors choir would you like to fill it?' I told her I didn't try out, but she said, 'I have an opening and I need a strong alto.' So I said yes I want to be in honors choir!"
I thought that was pretty cool. On last Monday the schools in district 11 descended upon Dawson High and practiced all through two school days, and then performed a fantastic concert!

This is the Treble Honor Choir, which is an all girl choir.

Shantel kept giving me dirty looks while I was taking pictures!

They sang 5 songs: To Sing, Abendlied, I Am the River, Things that never Die and Cedar swamp.

They were fantastic.
There was also a Mixed Honor Choir and they sang 6 songs: Gloria in Excelsis, Ave Verum Corpus, We Rise Again, Loch Lomond, Nigra Sum and Walk in Jerusalem.

They were also impressive.
The last the perform was the Honor Band. I didn't take an photos of the band, I find it rather difficult to capture a band in that auditorium. The played 3 pieces: The King Across the Water, Lux Arumque and Black Horse Troop. The first was very cool because half the band were playing "drums" The woodwinds all had a bucket and drum sticks, it was an outstanding way to get them going and it sounded fantastic! Of course, I am a drummer and really do enjoy a good beat!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #129-- the week

2010-11-27T00:33:00.002-07:00

Last Friday a very special baby and her bran-new parents came over for a little photo shoot.

Just love baby toes and little shoes!

Such a precious blessing.....

given to make this wonderful couple a family.

Daddy love

Mommy kisses!
Last Saturday, was the girl's choice formal, Co-Ed. Shantel really REALLY wanted to go and we discussed it and said she could go to the dance but not with a date, as she is too young for dating. She bought a solo ticket. I did her hair and her nails, she just stayed home and ate dinner with us, then we took her to the school to meet up with her friends.

A princess ready for the ball!

Kicking it before the dance with one of her buds.

And yet another bud.
At formal dances here, they have a grand march..... right out of a fair tale, like Cinderella. They announce each girl and her escort. Shantel was escorted by the neighbor kid. They march across the stage meeting in the middle and he hands her a flower, takes her arm and they march down the steps.

It was pretty cool! I'm fairly sure this was the first of many formal dances we will attend the Grand March for!

Shantel and her besties!

This sweet girl has recently had to move to another town and she was able to come back and attend the dance.

This bud came to the grand march but not to the dance.
Of course we had a few pilgrims round here....

Don't ya love these outfits? Freshly made at school! Em was worried about having to dress up as a pilgrim, so she wore an Indian dress to school! :)
Tonight, we had the light parade, cold but fun.

The reason for the season. A float sponsored by one of the churches.

A classic Christmas story.

I loved how they covered this old truck in lights.
After the light parade we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house. It is time to let Nana know it is OK for her to go home, if it is time.

We gathered together this evening to tell Nana that it is OK with us if she is ready to return to her Father in Heaven. Before we entered the room, we sat down in the living room where Grandma and Grandpa explained how Nana has not really eaten the last few days, despite their efforts to feed her and that she is unresponsive to touch or talk, and that it just might be time for her to return Home. Some of the kids were not really hip on going into the room and basically saying good-bye. I was able to convince them to step into the room for a photo. (Robby was sleeping over at a friend's house.)

The big girls quickly left as the "it's OKs" were said.

Em loves her Nana and she stepped up to the bed and took Nana's old frail hand in her young strong one and just held it for a few minutes.

Scott stepped up next to her, but didn't touch her. She was breathing and sleeping and we're not sure she knew we were there. I think this helps us to let her go, when she is ready.

As I type this I am having to do as Shantel and wipe my tears. Shantel's friend was there to comfor her and Savanna.

EmmaLece grabbed a tissue and snuggled up. When Grandpa went in to check on her later, Em was right there to see if her Nana was still breathing. Life lessons are hard on the young and the old. Each of us is allotted our time here on earth, we must love and cherish those placed in our timeline.

P.S. Nana was called home today, 11-27-10.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #128-- The helper

2010-11-18T22:31:00.002-07:00

I know that I have talked about EmmaLece and Nana in the past, but I'm going to revisit the subject with a few new photos of the two.
EmmaLece has a special love for Nana. Anytime we are over to Grandma and Grandpa's she always makes sure to go say "Hi" to her and have a little chat with her. After that she runs off to play or watch tv or whatever else she can find to do.

Once it is time to eat, she magically reappears and is ready to get Nana's bib on her and to help her to the table.
Last Sunday evening, as we were all getting up to the table, here came Em beating Grandma to Nana's chair and holding out her hands to help her up. It is so sweet that we nearly have tears spring to our eyes.

Together, they make their way to the table.... the young and the old! Each one thinking she is helping the other. EmmaLece gets her settled onto her chair making sure she is in the right chair and properly clothed in her bib before she finds her own chair.
As they made their way to the table, Grandma and I were walking behind and We both saw what a precious photo this will be in future years. I quickly got out the camera to record the moment. One day EmmaLece will look back at these photos and the tears just may spring to her eyes as they did ours.
Never underestimate the power of youth! or the wise council to be like a little child!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #127-- Family photos

2010-11-11T14:06:00.001-07:00

It's getting to that time of year when people starting thinking about a family photo to send at Christmas time. We don't often do such things, we normally type up a letter and include some pix. This year we wanted to do family photos. What I learned is that it is much easier to photograph someone else's family!

We went to the museum and they have some outdoor stuff like a caboose and this old rail cart. The twins wanted to sit up there so we gathered around and I set it up, put the timer on and ran back to get in position. I can't tell how stiff or relaxed I look until after the shot is taken!

Then we headed to my favorite bridge for a few more. this one is my favorite. I like photos that show personality or family goofiness.

When we turned to face the river the other way, we saw this scene and I liked it as well.

Can't resist a quick couples shot also done with the timer.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #126--

2010-11-04T22:20:00.001-06:00

A few shots from our Halloween festivities From Trunk or Treat ......
1st we have Shantel and her friend

aka Pocahontas and Emo Grunge Girl.... or is she just your average high school girl?
Moving on to Cody and Pocahontas

You can't really tell in this photo, but he happens to be wearing skinny jeans..... not just any skinny jeans, his sister's skinny jeans! Don't know how he moved in those things! It was pretty funny! He was an Emo Skater Guy or Asian style according to his Aunt!
Next we meet Captain Jack Sparrow!

She makes a great Jack Sparrow, wouldn't you agree?
On Saturday, I realized that I didn't take a picture of myself dressed up, so I had to remedy that. I drug Savanna up to my little studio space and set the camera up on the tripod had her stand there so I could adjust the settings and then had her snap a few photos of me.

So who was I? My sister guessed The Lady in White, a kid at the trunk or treat guessed Cleopatra, a few others guessed a Greek goddess and one thought I was Aphrodite. Any of those are just fine with me, but the costume said it was a Roman Princess.
Savanna and I carved a pumpkin Saturday evening. She picked the patterns and we each tried our hand at it. Isn't our pumpkin spider cute?

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #125-- scary faces

2010-10-28T21:05:00.001-06:00

Halloween is just around the corner...... we'll not be Trick-or-treating this year since it falls on Sunday. We will be attending trunk-or-treat tomorrow night at church.

We are practicing our scary faces....

and carving some too!

Happy Halloween to one and all!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #124-- delicious family time

2010-10-22T22:21:00.000-06:00

Need something fun and yummy to do with the whole family? Make doughnuts!! Monday night we did just that!

First cut, by Scott.

Fry sister, Savanna!

It is kinda messy but worth it!
Buttermilk Doughnuts
combine:
2cups buttermilk, 2 eggs & 1 cup sugar
beat in sifted dry ingredients:
5/12 cups flour, 2 teaspoons soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1teaspoon nutmeg
stir in:
1/4 cup melted butter or shortening
roll or pat out on well floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick
fry in hot oil/fat (375). when starts to brown flip.
we like to roll then in powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. enjoy!!

Even teenagers will get in on the fun. Especially if you don't get to eat them if you don't help!

Don't forget to play in the flour!

Shake it well in the cinnamon sugar!

keep your eye on the doughnuts :)

Taste!

Look yummy huh?

Yeah they are super yum!! Go make some you know you want to!!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #123--5th grade social studies projects

2010-10-14T23:50:00.000-06:00

Four kids through the 5th grade and four projects on the indigenous people of north america.
(Six years ago I was using a borrowed camera, because I was between cameras and trying to make a decision on what kind to get. Please forgive the quality of these first 2 photos!) Cody made his first real project for school and boy was it a project for both of us! He did a cliff dwelling. We got a shoe box and covered it with paper mache, then painted it. We made bricks with a bake dough and painted them. We visited the hardware store and got some tiny fake tree branches and cut them down to size. It really did look pretty cool, wish the photos were better so you could see.

His teacher entered into the fair and he got a purple ribbon!

It is amazing what 6 year will do for a person:

Five years ago, Shantel wanted to make a dwelling like Cody had and she wanted it to go to the fair and win a purple ribbon! She's not competitive! :) She worked very hard on her Long House. First she and Grandma went to the dump and wallered around searching for bark to properly cover her house. We needed to build a pole structure and skewers lashed together with twist ties work nicely. Thank goodness for hot glue, as it held her house together.

She was able to take it to the fair and it got a ribbon, not the purple but at least she placed!

Fives years can really change a person!

Two years ago it was Savanna's turn. Her teacher said she would like them to not make a dwelling so Savanna opted for a Coup Stick. After researching it on the net we did our best with what we had on hand. some string to pass as leather and beads and some collected feathers.

She brought antlers to display it on in class.

Just look at what even 2 years will do for a body? Getting pretty!

Now this year is Robby's turn. He chose to follow Savanna {I see a pattern here :) } and make a Coup Stick. He also had to do some internet research and then set to work.

Robby chose to wrap his stick a little more tightly with the selected strings in school colors. and place several beads on for some added flair. Now he didn't have any luck hunting feathers outside so he had to settle for some recently removed pink ones from a dress-up boa! He teacher loved the pink feathers.

We didn't get a finished photo..... will have to take one when he brings it home I guess.

It will be 4 years before these two will make their own social studies projects, wonder what they will make?

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #122- shower remodel

2010-10-07T19:31:00.001-06:00

In August we remodeled our shower. it was in major need .......

We had some nasty mold growing in there. We also put in a fan/vent to help with the moisture.

First we had to get all the nasty stuff out.

(sorry some of these are not the best quality...) We put up some concrete board around the shower area.

Painted it with some moisture barrier stuff.

Since that is our only shower, we needed to work fast and hard..... no shower means washing my hair in the kitchen sink! :)

Measure twice and cut once.....

Our first tile job....

Clean up day 2

Mix up the grout.

Clean up day 3

Finally sealing the grout!
We had to use the shower at the in-laws for the few days it took to re-do the shower. It is SO nice now that it is finished though!

Hosted by Cecily and Mary

Foto Story Friday #121- Fall is in the air

2010-09-30T22:41:00.001-06:00

Round here the leaves are changing color and falling to the ground. That is not really a surprise since we have already had snow! I am glad that the sun has returned and that the snow has left for a while. I'm glad to enjoy the cooler days but not at all ready for the cold of winter. We have a very weather sensitive tree, I've no idea what kind of tree it is but it is always the first to release it's leaves every year. On Monday after school the twins and I went out to enjoy the perfect day. They were SO excited to have the leaves on the ground that they WANTED to rake them all up!

Who would argue with free happy rakers?! So once we located the shed key and got those rakes out, they went to work, raking their little hearts out!

Don't you just want to join her in the raking duties? Once they got all the leaves raked up, the neighbor kid even came over to help, because the plan was to jump right in!

And jump they did! Running and splatting or butt bombing, it didn't matter as long as they ran, jumped and had fun!!

Fun they had! They played for hours and hours! from 3pm to 7pm when I convinced them to come in for dinner.

Tuesday was just as perfect a day and the tree had given us a blessing of way more leaves to rake up and jump into!

Some of us took it easy in the hammock! Every once in awhile he needs to take a break! :) Plus he has good ideas, like : "hey. go get your bikes and plow through the leaf pile!"

You only have to tell them once! they ran for the bikes and squabbled over who would go first. Em won as Scott remembered that he had a flat tire :(

Thankfully Em was nice enough to share her bike and he got his chance to play leaf plow!

Fall is defiantly in the air and on the ground and all around..... enjoy it because it is fleeting!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #120-- Navy Band Country Current

2010-09-23T17:34:00.008-06:00

On Monday, the United States Navy band, Country Current, came to Little 'ole Glendive to perform. They were outstanding! They played todays country hits as well as a few from back in the day. They really kicked it up in their blue grass songs as well. Most of those songs were written by the band members.
(all these pictures were taken w/o flash)

We had good seats in the high school auditorium and I attempted to take photos from my seat without the use of the flash. In order to do that one must have a steady hand and bump up the ISO. (you could have a tripod and that would be easier.... but I didn't bring any of the 3 I own....)

My kids left the flyer behind at Grandpa's thus I don't know anyone's names..... Went to Grandpa's and got the flyer! MU1 Kenny Horton emcee-ed sang lead and played the guitar.

Now, MU1 Joseph Friedman, he really got into the music.

MUC Patrick White plays a pretty mean fiddle.
About half way thru the concert, I couldn't sit still any longer, but the problem was that I happened to be in the middle of the row. My feet were antsy and I really wanted to get up front and take pictures from there.

After stepping on some poor little old lady's foot, I got out of the row and down front. He posed for me, and as luck would have it, the photo actually turned out!! A few years ago another military band came and performed, but you weren't allowed to take photos, so I was excited to be able to take pictures at this one.

It was very difficult to take a good photo of the drummer as, MU1 Christina Catalanotto, was behind this partition. She is the only female member of the band. The rose among thorns as she was introduced.

They were fun to watch and listen to.

This one is a bit too grainy, but I still like it.

A mandolin played by the guy who also plays the fiddle. I liked it but again it's a bit grainy. My Grandpa played both of these instruments. He passed away before I ever met him but my parents had a recording of him playing the fiddle, he was good.

Lead Vocal

Multi tasking!

As well as playing the electric bass guitar, MU1 Jeremy Middleton, plays the biggest cello like thing. When they were playing the blue grass music, he traded his guitar for this cello thing which is actually called a string bass. I so wanted to be closer at that time to get some shot of the string bass, but he was towards the back of the stage and I couldn't get any good ones. :(

MUCS Keith Arneson was always so serious while he was playing either the guitar or the banjo. When he was introduced, they said he is the comedian of the group! He was kinda funny when he took a few mins to chat with us. They played all the songs for each branch of the service and had those who have served, are serving or had family members who are or had been in each branch stand when they played their song. It was very cool. I took pictures of the crowd, but they were very VERY grainy so I'm not posting them. Afterwards they came down and visited with any who wanted to visit. I got a few decent shots of the kids shaking hands.

All in all, it was a good evening and I would recommend you attend a concert if they come close to you.
MU1- Musician First Class
MUC- Chief Musician
MUCS- Senior Chief Musician

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #119--senior out takes

2010-09-16T00:41:00.003-06:00

I had the opportunity to do senior photos for a beautiful young woman this past Saturday afternoon. We had a great time and got some AWESOME photos of her! You know that I can't just take photos of her face though, so here are some of the fun ones or the out takes.

Watch your step! there are these old crumbly debris filled steps that she began to traverse, but decided there were just too many bugs....

In an attempt to get real smiles her mom was making her laugh and teasing her about a boy she finds attractive. She was so funny! "He is SO hot!"

"Ohhhhhhh he's so so...."

This is so Kenna! :)

Either the engineer or the conductor on this passing train I guess felt we were out of bounds and dumped water on her as they passed!

She said: "there's this really cool place, but it's kinda slippery......" We got there, no problem, even snapped a few photos, then she was heading back and slipped and splash and sliding around! I thought she might go over the edge and fall into the river!

Couldn't quite cover up the mud splatters!

Balance and steady hands.... she was trying to get up in the tree!

Just playing with the editing tools.
To see more of this lovely young woman click here and here.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #118-- flora and fauna

2010-09-09T21:00:00.000-06:00

I know you are all tired of my Yellowstone trip so I thought I'd share some of the flowers and berries and even one mushroom that I found camping and a few while we hiked trails in Yellowstone.

I've no idea what kind of berries they are, but they caught my eye because they were bright red.

A delicate purple bloom.

Indian Paint Brush.

Just a cool looking flower explosion.

Huckleberry bush!! Oh how I love me some huckleberries! :)

Pretty in purple~!

Lilly pads have the coolest blooms~!

It is hard to take pix of these without falling into the pond!

This huge shroom was growing out of a tree stump. It was pretty cool.

not sure what it is but I liked the way it looked.

A delicate blue bell and more of the climbing purple ones.

Some neat little blue flowers that were along the boardwalk.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #117-- Family Gathering/ Trip to Yellowstone 2nd half of day 3

2010-09-02T23:49:00.001-06:00

On our way to the van for lunch, we came across this funny sign and so of course, I had to take a picture!

While eating lunch, I tried out my sister and brother-in-law's LensBaby. The focus is all manual on a LensBaby. So these next few are my attempts at using it.

Just a tree stump.

The beautiful blue sky.

A pinecone.

My sister, Colleen, waiting for us slow pokes!

We were still at the Norris Geyser Basin on the other trail. This one was also taken with the LensBaby. The steam added an extra element to the effect.

This geyser is the worlds largest. It is completely unpredictable though. It shoots up often, but doesn't REALLY go off on a regular basis. There is a park ranger who tell ya all about it.

Another view of it. It is actually 2 geysers.

The above geyser's water flows down the hill and it rushes after it's small blasts, I couldn't really imagine what it would be like when it actually goes off. I think the ranger said the last time it went off was in 2007.

Same area through the LensBaby.

Just walking along and I liked the way this formation looked.

We headed over to see the falls. It was a bit of a drive and we were supposed to be back to camp for dinner but it was our last day to see the park, so we went anyway. We hiked down to the lower falls. It is quite the hike down and not much for rails or protection should you slip. The trail zig zags down the mountain. I couldn't believe I saw people carrying kids on their shoulders and even a guy pushing a stroller. I was glad my little kids were back at camp, it was making me nervous!

This is the upper falls, but we didn't have the time to hike over to it. Look at how much water comes rushing over the edge.

In case you are wondering why Yellowstone is called Yellowstone.......

The lower falls spills over the edge

and into the valley below.

The mighty Yellowstone River cuts its way through the valley.

In case you were wondering IF I really was there! :) My sister took this photo for me and her husband and daughter joined me in the photo op!

As we were headed back towards camp, I saw this scene and we HAD to stop. In Yellowstone, if one car stops, everyone behind is sure you see wildlife.... we did trick a couple of cars ..... joke was on them as all we were seeing was this beautiful sky!

The closer we got to camp, the worse the weather got. By the time we arrived in was pouring! Colleen's tent looked bad..... there was quite a bit of water inside. Both of our tents were good, little to no water. Ryanne's tent also suffered, broken poles and floating sleeping bags. Colleen and her family drove to a motel for the night. Ryanne and her family stayed in Mom and Dad's RV and we roughed in in the tents! The kids tent got some water in it but they were dry enough. The next morning it was time to pack it up and head for home.

Breakfast first..... Mom brings the cereal over.

Dad prepares the RV for the trip.

It was strange seeing him walking around up there.

The sky was beautiful all the way home!

Hosted by Lisa and Cecily

Foto Story Friday #116-- Family Gathering/ Trip to Yellowstone first half of day 3

2010-08-27T00:20:00.004-06:00

So day 3 dawned bright and clear and promised to be warm. We split up this day. Some stayed in camp and others went back into the park. Ryanne and her kiddos stayed behind to find a stream to play in. My kids really wanted to stay and play in the water as well, so Troy said it would be fine if I wanted to return to the park. My parents had also had enough walking in the heat and kicked it in camp. Troy's parents came up to camp and hung out with the kids and enjoyed the day.

Here's Ryanne preparing to capture the day while her husband, Aaron, our sister and her family and I head back to capture the wonders of Yellowstone. The first place we went was Norris Geyser Basin.

There is SO much to see and it is so hard not to overwhelm you with all the photos I took. The park is like an ever changing, always creating other world.

Nearly everywhere you look there is something spectacular to draw your eye and camera to.

So many textures and colors.

The contrast of the brightly colored waters and the grey surroundings, begs to be captured.

The sky was also wonderful with it's bright blues and big white fluffy clouds. After I took this one, I checked it and realized that I had a pretty good reflection in the water.

I really liked the cool bubbling waters in the foreground and the majestic mountains in the back. I'm pretty sure I was laying on the walkway for this shot.

The bright blue of this water was SO amazing! I really wish I knew what causes it.

I just loved these twin geysers. They were continually shooting up the tiny streams of water.

Don't you just want to reach out and feel these textures?

Looks like a hot tub..... little too warm for a dip though!

Think we should head back for lunch? That is just what we did. Colleen chose to walk back with her husband and the rest of us headed back to the van. We had a little snack of cookie dough while we waited for them to catch up. That's where I'll leave you for this week. Be sure to come back next week for the rest of my views of Yellowstone.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #115--- Family Gathering/Trip to Yellowstone, 2nd half of day 2

2010-08-19T22:54:00.004-06:00

Day 2 continued..... Our next stop was Lower Geyser Basin.

As you head over to the basin you must cross over this river. It has two big runoff areas and they are amazing beautiful. The sun was high and harsh, things were getting blown out until My sister and I conferred on how to fix the problem and I learned a little more, changed some settings and played until I was pleased with the outcome.

Across the bridge you get a little closer to the run-off and you can really see the bright colors.

Loved this green.

Ryanne did some teaching and Savanna got the chance to play with her camera and the Lensbaby.

These guys stopped for a photo op. It's Uncle Cary, and cousins: Maja, Scott and Javin.

I just Loved the bright orange with the blue of the water.

Little Photographers, we start them off young round here! Javin was kind enough to share his camera with his cousins.

Such a cool rippled effect nature has created. I so wanted to run my fingers along the ridges, but I resisted and left things as should be.

The wind has made victims of several hats. This one looked like a recent acquisition.

This cool formation is located in the middle of this huge pond like area (I was way too busy taking pictures to remember what it is called) that is so deep and very wide. The last time the geysers got working and shot out of it must have been spectacular. Wish my brother-in-law were here to give me the details, he read the signs and watch me lay down on the walkways and contort myself in order to get the "perfect" photo. The steam was so thick that getting a good shot of the many bubbling spouts was difficult.
This area was not a favorite of Scott's he told me it was WAY too hot and kinda stinky too, poor kid. All the younger kids were tired and some of the adults also had had it, so those who were done went back to camp and the others kept on seeing the sights.

Back at camp Grandpa got some Orissa time. She likes her Grandpas and they are pretty fond of her as well.

A bunch of us went in search of huckleberries..... and we found some too! :)

These three were thick as thieves and enjoying every moment of their time together. Javin is sporting Em's hat that I made her.

Huckleberry yumminess!

ummmmmmmmm dinner! It was fabulous! We had two kinds of chicken: Panda Express orange sauce chicken and Sweet Baby Ray's bbq chicken. They were both super nummy!

THe twins really enjoyed spending time with Grumpa and Grammie.

There's nothing like a campfire!
Stay tuned for next weeks installment-- day 3.1!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #114--- Family Gathering/Trip to Yellowstone, half of day 2

2010-08-14T23:34:00.002-06:00

So the week almost got away from me (we have been busy all week re-doing our shower) and me not do a foto story.... I've not missed a week since the meme was started so I may be a day late and a dollar short and no one may come to read it but here it is:
We ate breakfast and split up into vehicles and headed into Yellowstone National Park for some sight seeing family fun. Many of the group had not been there ever and for some it had been a very long time.

Random out the window shot of a river. By the end of the day we were all wishing for some cool water to jump into.

First off we went to Old Faithful, I think it is required to hit this spot when visiting the park at least the first visit. We got there is good time and didn't have to wait long for the water show. This shot is not at its peak, but I liked the way it came out considering I had a perfect place until the rude guy stood in front of me.... grrrrrrr!

Afterwards Grammie had two young guys to escort her to the gift shop.

Our next stop was Midway Geyser Basin, here some of my crew wait for the rest to catch up.

My parents were so cute holding hands that I couldn't resist a quick shot!

The colors at Yellowstone are quite breath taking. A photographers dream!

The hot waters run down into this river or creek, not sure which. The call of the water was too great for some to resist, and Javin HAD to go touch it. All the kids wanted to jump in for a swim and there were many people doing just that.

Once again the colors begged to be captured.

The depth and beauty of nearly every sight drew me in and I walked slowly crouching and sometimes lying down to get just the right shot..... or trying at least!

My dad made the loop and came back to await the blast of a geyser. We stood there and chatted and shared pictures and enjoyed the short wait together it was nice.

We were not disappointed. It would shoot up and then you would think it was over and it would launch up again, while we clicked away.

A little farther down the walk was this cool bubbling spring. I liked how the water bubbled right out of the rock.

Slowly but surely my sister and I made our way around and headed back to find the rest of the crew. They were setting up lunch at the recently vacated picnic table. I took this from across the water and as we made our way across the bridge we were met with a sight that should not be seen......

BUTT, he appeared to be perfectly comfortable in his Speedo and orange crocks!
more of day 2 next week

;Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #113--- Family Gathering/Trip to Yellowstone, day 1

2010-08-07T00:55:00.004-06:00

We had a family gathering this week near Yellowstone National Park. Unfortunately, not all the family could make it. None of my 4 brothers and families nor my youngest sister and her family were able to attend. In addition to all of them, we also had to leave behind our oldest, Cody. He had to attend a defensive driving course as a result of his hitting a parked car and failing to report the accident by quickest means...... as in he pretended it didn't happen until the damage to his car was seen by Grandpa! Hopefully lesson learned and we won't have to repeat this!

Here he is in all his 6ft1in glory, ready to head to work as we head to the family gathering.

Of course with kids you have to stop often for potty breaks. While everyone was taking their break, I was taking photos. This one is looking west, the direction we were headed...... looks like rain,

Looking east we see the sky looks less threatening. The views of the Yellowstone river are often breath taking and I found this view rather pleasing to the eye. I was trying to get the sun rays, they are faint, but there.

We saw some very cool cloud formations.

As you may know, I like to snap pictures out the window as we travel . These billowing clouds over the hills screamed out to be photographed.

We passed many the rafting party on our way to Yellowstone.

We also saw some kids cooling off in a daring manner. Right after I snapped this one as we passed, he jumped into the Gallatin River, not something I'm brave enough.... or is it stupid... to try.

The much awaited Park.

and this is what happened, Em fell asleep! She spent the whole time asking: 'are we at Yellowstone yet?'

Her partner in crime and fun also fell asleep.

Then we weren't quite sure which way it was to the campground and finally decided to head towards the national forest service visitors center and hoped we would run into a sign pointing us in the right direction. My mom called to see where we were and then lost service so we headed into this storm and found a campground to ask for directions and turns out we were close. We continued on and found the campground, but my parents were not there yet. We set up camp and eventually we see my parents RV pull up without the vehicle they were towing. My mom was worried about us and they decided to go looking for us. She called Troy's parents and they got worried about us and put the highway patrol on the lookout for us! The cell service is spotty at best in that area. Next morning when we had service again we both had many messages from them and Troy's co-workers worried about us! :) we got a good laugh about it! :D

After the tents were set up and Dad got the RV leveled out some of us went for a walk and found huckleberries!

The last to arrive also had an adventure. They were not quite sure of the location either, we were all thinking it was closer to the park. The campground was nice and it was very pretty there, but it did happen to be about 1/2 hour from Yellowstone. Anyway they drove all the way to West Yellowstone and then came back. We had a nice dinner of hot dogs and sausages with Bushes grillin' beans, then topped it off with S'mores.

Indian Paintbrush is in abundance and very pretty.

don't eat the red ones! I don't know what these berries are but they are photogenic.

Lots of pine trees that also asked to be captured.

pretty purple flowers too.
Stay tuned for day 2 next week when we actually go into the park for sight seeing! :)

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #112-

2010-07-30T10:21:00.002-06:00

We had to spend a week in Billings after Troy surgery, so this is what we did:

Saturday morning he was released from the hospital. There was a youth temple trip so I met the kids at the temple and Troy went with his dad to walk around a few stores and just take it easy.

Savanna in front of the Billings Temple on her first temple trip!

After the temple I asked one of the other youth to take our picture.
Saturday night we spent with friends and went to church with them Sunday morning. Troy's parents got us a motel room for the rest of our stay.

Troy kicking back in the room.
Monday we just lazed around, washed laundry and took in a movie, Toy Story 3.

Tuesday we went to the pictograph caves right near Billings. We saw some wildlife. These two birds were just handing out on this rock, waiting for me to capture them.

This bunny thought it was hiding.

The ancient cave drawings are starting to fade which is kinda sad. Boy is that quite the little hike, very steep, but pretty.

That evening we took in a Billings Mustangs triple A baseball game. They played the Casper Ghosts. The mascot hyped up the crowd in his ghostbusting gear while they played the Ghostbusters song. we had good seats for watching the game but the fence sure got in the way for taking pictures!

Mustangs at bat. the game was going right along until the 4th inning when the Mustangs put the Ghosts in their place scoring 9 runs.

The clouds started rolling in and threatening our evening. We felt a few drops, then the whole other side of the stands started running.... hail was coming down. It wasn't long before our side was hit as well. We pulled out our umbrella and started making our way to the truck. We were soaked before we made it half way there! I threw my camera bag over my shoulder and ran for it! Dried off my bag and went to rescue Troy from the downpour.

Wednesday we met up with our friends and went out to look at their property. We spent most of the day with them and then headed back to the motel to pack up. Thursday after meeting with the drs and getting the OK to head home, that is what we did. We met up with Troy's parents and some cousins for dinner and a movie before getting back to real life. We saw Grown Ups and it was pretty funny!

Standing outside the theater just chatting and the clouds were looking pretty cool. The lightning was flashing and I was sure we would get dumped on again.

We didn't though. Looks like I got lucky and caught a bit of the lightning though!

Hosted by Cecily and Caitlin

Foto Story Friday #111

2010-07-23T16:22:00.000-06:00

Monday morning, as a gift for my friend, I took her baby's photos. Here's a little peek at here little girl.

Monday evening, Shantel and Savanna wanted to dye their hair.... red! So we did and they look so cute!

Tuesday bright and early, Troy and I loaded up for a trip to Billings. Troy had a dr appointment. We spent the night with friends and Wednesday afternoon he went in for elective surgery.

He had the gastric bypass. he is doing good and we should get out tomorrow, Sat.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

FotoStory Friday # 110 last week

2010-07-16T00:42:00.001-06:00

Last week was kinda busy. Thursday the 8th was the twins 6th birthday. I made cakes and Savanna helped me decorate them. We couldn't celebrate on their birthday as Dad was out of town. They were sure to tell everyone they came in contact with that they had to wait till the 9th to have a birthday party.

Here's Em's cake. Every year I get her a small doll. I like it to be Strawberry Shortcake, but some years she's hard to find.

Every year Scott gets a new John Deere tractor to top his cake. When he went to bed I placed the tractor on and guess what? the little booger got up for a drink and snuck a peek.... said, "Hey, I like my new tractor!"
Friday morning I crashed a wedding.... OK so I went along with my mother-in-law as her guest. Would have loved to photograph this wedding as it was in our local state park, Makoshika, and it is just a beautiful area.... perfect for a wedding.

Here's a little look at her stunning dress.

The happy couple.
That evening we had a little BBQ in the park with presents for the twins.

There's a great story behind the above photo. Scott and Em have been asking for bikes for their birthday for months and months. They have borrowed the neighbor kids bikes and taught themselves to ride. We told them all sorts of reasons why we didn't think they were ready for bikes and just really gave them a hard time. I think they hoped but didn't really believe they would get them. They opened up the other presents and we had them sit on the ground so I could take a photo (the bright sun and the shadows were terrible). Shantel and her friend went off to retrieve the much anticipated and wished for bikes out of a friend's truck. Everyone kept the twins occupied while the bikes were wheeled in behind them unseen. Scott turned and looked right at them and DIDN'T see them, not once or twice but three times! Em also turned and looked at them twice before she actually saw them! Then she asked: "Are these for us?" just at the same time Scott said: "Bikes! for us?" Troy being Troy said: "Nope!" Oh man! I wish that I could have captured the crestfallen look on his face when his Daddy told him that! It was priceless! That statement was quickly followed by: "of course they are!" after-which his face lit right up. I like that photo because if you just look you think he is high-fiving his brother in excitement over the new bikes, when in reality, they haven't even seen the bikes sitting there yet!

Riding like a pro on Saturday in the church parking lot.

Oh so happy to be a bike owner!
Saturday afternoon we hit the pool.

Robby the little studmuffin! He is just getting way to grown up way too fast! I love how his hair looks when it's wet. The curls hang down and look like the character from the movie Holes, Zero.

Hosted by Cecily and Momma

Foto Story Friday #109-- maternity and baby shots

2010-07-09T07:57:00.003-06:00

Last Thursday I did some maternity photos these are 4 of my favorites of the day:

This was a fun first for me to do belly pics.

I had willing subjects too. The boys were so cute with their kissy noises.

A beautiful family.

These wild flowers made a perfect backdrop. It was by chance that we got this photo.... as we were getting back into the vehicles going to head to one last location I saw them and they spoke to me calling out for their photo to be taken!
I also took baby pictures for another friends baby gift. Here are 4 of my favorites.

He fits so nicely in the cocoon I made!

The hat and diaper cover are pretty cute too.

What a catch!

I just LOVE his expression!!
check out more photos from these two shoots here
and here

Hosted by Cecily and Serious Krystyn

Foto Story Friday #108--Cars in the park

2010-06-30T12:32:00.005-06:00

Last Friday, we had the annual Cars in the Park car show here in our little town. The event brings people from all over the state and even from a few different states. One of these years I'm actually going to know when they are to drive across the old bridge and get a shot of that, but for now you'll have to be happy with a shot of the bridge all decked out in flags.

They do charge for this event but one can observe from the bridge. I used my new zoom lens and took a few pictures.

I didn't even notice this until my sister pointed it out..... doesn't it look like the red truck is eating the blue one in front?

I thought this car and trailer were pretty sweet.

The bright yellow of this beautiful truck caught my attention right away.

Parked next to the yellow truck was this Mator look-alike (no tow hook in the back though!)

The park was packed with cars and plenty of people milling around enjoying the sights. My favorites are always the classic cars, the older the better! Isn't this one stunning?

This guy has a sense of humor! :)

Look another character from Cars, Sheriff. I can hear him saying:"Not in MY town!"

This one looks like it is ready to take flight!

Seeing all these cool vehicles makes me wish I had the $$ to fix up our 3 door suburban or that my sister could fix up the old International and put it in car shows.
(the next 2 photos are scans from back in the day)

This is the old International I think it's a '49

It has SO much potential. I remember when it used to work and we would pile the tubes in the back and head to the pond, such a cool truck.

Our 3-door Sub

Needs quite a bit of work

We got this from my sister a few summers ago. When I was a teenager, it used to run and I would drive it in Salt Lake when I stayed with my sister in the summer.
The only thing we've gotten done is the alternator..... Cody took it to school for his mechanics class and tore it down and replaced the barrings and put it back together..... long process.

Foto Story Friday #107--- Check out what I've made

2010-06-24T11:20:00.003-06:00

I'm a cheapskate and I really wanted one of those cocoon/snuggle things for baby photos, but I didn't want to have to pay the asking price on one (they are anywhere from $20-40). I figured I could make one. After scouring the net, I found a pattern that looked like I could handle and set to work. now the hat I made is not quite the hat listed in the pattern (I was running out of yarn so I improvised)

Not bad. Then my friend had her baby a little early, so I dropped by the hospital to see him and, ya know, just happened to have it with me! Guess what, he fit! I can't wait to take some better ones when he goes home.

12 hours old and all snuggled up in my cocoon!
Then I saw these hanging cocoon/stork pouches and so wanted one. I went on another search of the net and, well, I found a lot of them and a few patterns that were for sale. \ I didn't want to pay! I studied the pictures and tried and tried again until I came up with this. I wrote down my stitches and have my own pattern now.

Maybe when the above baby comes home, his momma will consent to letting me place him in it!
Now I'm trying to figure out how to make a baby hammock like this or this. Wish me luck! I've got an idea in mind now to get a bigger hook and set to trying it out. If and when I get it figured out I'll post it.

P.S. I finished my version of a baby hammock in the wee hours:

Foto Story Friday #106--trip to Billings

2010-06-17T18:11:00.001-06:00

We have taken a little mini vacation to Billings.

Thru the window on the way down to Billings. It was a nice day.

Excuse the bug splats, but this was kinda neat passing several of these windmill blades.

We got to the hotel and Troy had been selected as guest of the day! We got a free room upgrade.

to the king suite for our whole stay--3 nights!

Goodie bags were part of the deal.

Dinner at the Jade Palace. It was good and we took the left-overs back to the room for another day.

Next day we went to the movie (saw Robin Hood) and in the middle they stopped it to warn the patrons about the flooding parking lot. We checked our truck was fine so I took a picture of the waterlogged parking area.

We passed Costco and had to go back to take pictures of the cars and trucks testing themselves against the puddle.

There were a few stranded shopping carts as well.

It was pretty deep water. Today it is all gone and it has been windy but no rain. Tomorrow we head home and back to life!

Hosted by Cecilyand Lisa

Foto Story Friday #105-- Branding 2010

2010-06-10T19:48:00.002-06:00

On Memorial day, we went branding and, of course, I wrangled up a bunch of pictures.

Yeah, I'm glad I'm not a calf!

A momma anticipating whatever's coming next......

The kids were practicing their roping skills, while the momma's were separated from their babies.

This gal was so nervous about the pen that she attempted to jump out! Didn't work out so well as she got her hoof caught and one of the cowboys had to come rescue her.

We had a couple of rowdy cows, who mowed down couple of people. I missed the first one, but I got this guy in mid-trample. He was a little sore, but got right back into the fray.

The guys wait anxiously for a run away! This little one thought it was home free, but was no match for his rope!

This young cowboy was determined to rope in a record number of calves. He did better this year than last and was pleased with his accomplishments.

Getting ready to show up the boys!

Headed out to round up the second group of cattle.

I just liked the saddle bag set there on the post .... waiting and ready to be thrown on the horse.
I took over 400 pictures and I won't subject you to any more today.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Foto Story Friday #104-- life is precious

2010-06-03T17:31:00.000-06:00

This past week my community has been dealing with loss and reflecting on how precious life is and how fleeting it can be. Last Friday was the last day of school and the first evening of summer break. We had a tragic 4-wheeler accident that took the lives of 2 young women aged 15 years. They were in Cody's class. My heart is heavy and goes out to the families of these 2 young ladies. I cannot even imagine how or what they are feeling.
Having been reflective all week makes one want to hug their kids and husband a little tighter, say "I love you" a bit more often and not fight with anyone. Loss makes one want to take back every thing even slightly mean. It makes one want to be a better person.
So today I offer you my blessings

My husband, my love, my life

my oldest, my experiment child-- poor kid!

my second, my girl surrounded by drama, working and striving to stay strong

my third, she just turned 12!, just starting out on her journey to womanhood

my fourth, my trial of patience, one with an infectious smile who makes friends easily

my fifth, my silly one my cuddly one

my sixth, my head strong little girl, my animal lover, my little boss.

I cannot imagine losing any of them, excuse my while I hug them and tell them how much they mean to me.

Hosted by Cecilyand Krista

Foto Story Friday #103-- bridal shoot

2010-05-28T01:43:00.002-06:00

Thursday turned out beautiful and way too muggy for eastern Montana. Thank goodness the rain chose not to fall! After a slow start, we had a good time taking photos and making memories today.

Click to enlarge.
Visit my photo blog to see some of these photos.

Hosted by Cecilyand Mamarazzi

Foto Story Friday #102-- Robby's field day

2010-05-20T22:18:00.003-06:00

Today was the 4th and 5th grades field day. Robby was SO excited to finally be old enough for field day. He worried for a week about packing his lunch and having enough water. I assured him that I knew how the drill went, I've been to enough that I would make sure he ate and stayed hydrated! We arrived at 8:50 (ten minutes to spare) and of course all the kids are ready to go and excited to spend the day in the sun.
Robby's first event was the 800m run. I tried to explain to him how this race should be run, after-all I use to run track and even ran this race, but he is 10 and he knows more than me. He is the one in the bright green shirt. He took off fast...

And was leading the pack for most of that first lap....

But as it came round to that last straight stretch he was slowing down and ended up placing 3rd.

Next event was the football throw. This is such a funny picture, not the best but it makes me smile! He threw the football 72 feet, but it wasn't far enough to place.

Then he teamed up for the 3-leg race. They were so funny the next photo I took they were laying on the ground laughing cause they tripped and fell. Robby and his buddy got up and finally crossed the finish line with big smiles.

They did a Surprise relay... the surprise was the kids didn't know what they would be doing. In teams of four they made 4 passes doing different activities: 1) each guy crawled under the legs, stood up and then the next guy went- repeat all the way to the finish line, 2) they laid on the ground and the last guy hops over everyone and then lays down and the next guy goes till they reach the start line, 3) they leaped frogged their way down to the line and then sprint back to the start, 4) one at a time they had to run down grab the bat and spin around 6 times run back and tag the next guy in line. it was fun to watch. Robby's team got 3rd.

After lunch Robby had 2 running events to go. First up was the 4x100 relay race. Robby got the first leg and lane 1.

The hand off, they are doing well and in first. His team maintained the lead and took 1st!

They barely finished this race and they called the next one the 400m dash. He is stretching and waiting for lane assignments. He was totally leading the pack and feeling good when he noticed his buddy coming up on him fast....

The crowd was yelling and cheering him on, he looked over and growled and kicked it in. these two were battling it out (and I was too busy screaming er cheering him on to take another picture of the battle) they crossed the line only a fraction of a second apart and Robby came in 2nd. (1:18:02 and 1:18:01) It was the best race of the day! His face is priceless {you know you want to click on it and see that expression! :) }

He looks a little tired after that run! All in all it was a great day and I think he really enjoyed his 1st field day! Who knows, we might have a little track star on our hands!!

Hosted by Cecilyand Mom24

Foto Story Friday #101--Em and Nana

2010-05-14T08:02:00.001-06:00

Em loves her Nana. Nana is suffering from dementia and often has no idea who people are. It is sad and hard to watch someone you love go through this disease. Several years ago, I cared for my grand Uncle who also suffered from dementia. I attended a seminar with my mom on it hosted by Shelley Fabares who cared for her mother while she suffered with alzheimer's dementia. It was a very informative seminar and of course pretty cool to meet an actress. Nana displays many of the signs and symptoms of this disease. For those of us who remember her before, it is tough to see her this way. Tougher for her Daughter, Son-in-law and grandson who can remember how active and very busy with this craft or that one she always was. The older 2 kids especially remember going to her house and playing while she excitedly told me about some new stamping set she had gotten or the Christmas ornaments she was working on for the grandkids and great grandkids. When we lived in Vegas, I made it a point to stop by every week for a visit, because I felt it important for my kids to really know their great grandparents. They would play and I would visit with Nana and Papa. But for the younger kids, this is the only Nana they know. Scott is scared of her and will only, on occasion, give her a hug or talk to her. Em, on the other hand, just loves her and often goes up and talks to her. As was the case a few Sunday's back, when I looked over to see her patiently kneeling next to her turning the pages in a craft magazine.

The sad part is, because EmmaLece is the one who likes to sit and talk with her, she is the only one of the kids that Nana remembers and blames her for everything that she can't find or any noise that she hears. Nana often says things like: "that little girl...." While it drives my mother-in-law batty when she blames Em for anything and everything, I just laugh and think how I hope Em will remember with fondness sitting with her and talking and enjoying her company. She always runs over and says hi and usually gives her a hug before we leave. She loves her Nana even if Nana blames her for her missing glasses!

Foto Story Friday #100--- New Wheels

2010-05-06T08:23:00.004-06:00

Inspired by Honey Mommy, I got a new bike. I'm not an avid rider like she is but I do enjoy a ride down the street with my kids or across town. Recently, as we were shopping, we saw this bike reduced to $50, who could pass up a new bike for $50?

It has this fun place to strap things on the back.

Bike riding is good exercise and it's way more fun then running or working out.

It's not a mountain bike like I'm use to riding, it has skinny tires, like the old 10-speed my dad used to have.

I'm grateful for gears, after riding with Robby and watching him peddle to beat the band, I'm glad that I can change gears. I remember when I was a kid and we used to ride our BMX bikes to town -- down the dirt road and onto the frontage road for couple of miles up and down hill. Oh, how much nicer that ride would have been with gears! I also recall a time when someone gave us a 10-speed and my dad and I went for a ride. We rode to town together down the frontage road and on our way home on the freeway, it started to rain By the time we arrived home, we were pretty much soaked. I hope when my kids get older they will look back on our rides with fondness. I think that my oldest brother will never a forget a ride he and my dad took one summer. I'm sure I'll never make a ride like that.... they biked from Missoula, MT to Spokane, WA. (Go ahead and grab the map or Google it, I'll wait....) There are 3 mountain pass between those 2 cities! Even in the summer months snow can be found on some of them. I don't know how long it took them (I'm sure they had to camp out a night or two) because I was rather young when they undertook that adventure, but I do know that experience is forever their minds.

That seat is a killer, so I traded Robby for his old lady seat, (ya know the kind, nice and wide so your bum can actually fit on it) and I think it fits my old lady bike just fine!
So I went riding every evening with one or more of my kids, then it started to rain and rained for days and the wind has been blowing. It has pretty much rained for a week straight. If it isn't raining then the wind is blowing 40+ mph and so I wait for a nice day to ride again.

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #99-- A Hike

2010-04-29T14:10:00.003-06:00

A few weekends ago we went for a hike in our local state park, Maksohika.

It's full of cool rock formations

pretty pruple and white wild flowers

a natural arch, on which to pose

and show us your attitude!

The views are like no other

All the above photos were taken on the Cap Rock trail.

At another location in the park there is an old cabin that we hiked into. Another great place to show attitude, I guess!

Plus a cool place to hang from if you happen to be a boy!

The view from the cabin, if you know just where to look you can see the road that weaves up the side.... don't look too hard it is VERY hard to find.

A herd of horses we came across, not sure whose they are, we've never seen a herd there before.

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #98 -- Treasure

2010-04-22T10:41:00.013-06:00

A few years ago Papa (Troy's grandpa, on his mom's side) passed away. Before he passed, he talked to all of us and told us how much he loved us and pretty much made everyone cry. One of the things he told Troy was that he wanted him to have his tools. Troy and his dad went down to get the tools, filled the truck full and had to leave some behind! This fishing box has been sitting in the garage ever since. The other day, Troy pulled it out and we discovered it's a treasure box.
Looks well used or well loved, huh? I've been told that he loved to drop a line. Most weekends he could be found out on the lake doing just that.
I'm surprised that the sticker is still intact.
Look at all the treasures we found! Can you tell how old these are? Kinda hard so I broke it down for ya.
First the cool metal bait box that hooks on your belt. He bought it for my father-in-law cause they both have the same name: Bob. My FIL grew up across the street he spent a lot of time over there and often accompanied him on his fishing trips.
Still full of line and ready for your next fishing excursion.
In case you have an accident .... how long has it been since you've seen a metal bandage box? And guess what? There are still bandages inside!
These cool metals sinker boxes, and yes there are still sinkers in them as well.
An old film case that he converted to a leader box.
Papa liked tie his own hooks and he would store them in these little glass bottles.
This looks wicked..... I wouldn't want to be caught by it. I don't know a lot about fishing, so I'm not sure what kind of fish you would be trying to catch with it.
Occasionally he did buy pre-strung hooks and we found a few still in the packaging, waiting.
But as I said he liked to tie too and these boxes are full and ready for tying.
There are all kinds of treasure and these are absolutely treasures to us. A little piece of Papa to share with our kids. The 4 youngest never really got to know him, Savanna and Robby do have pictures with him but they were so young and the twins never got to meet him, we never made it back to Vegas before he passed on. So treasures like these and the stories we have of him will help them to know him.
What are your treasures?

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story friday #97 3 years old

2010-04-15T21:55:00.006-06:00

This past Saturday morning I had a date with this little guy.

I set up shop in his front room and he was such a good sport.

As you can see, he was full of smiles

and just too darn cute! Go here for a collage and a few more cute pictures of him.

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #96-- Easter photos

2010-04-08T20:26:00.004-06:00

Easter Morning after showers we set up a backdrop and gathered a few props for our Easter Photos.

(click to enlarge for a better view also check them out here.)
I think I need a few more backdrops.... sometimes they blend into the black and white. I think I need a nice brown.

Hosted by Cecily

FotoStory Friday #95-- A Letter!

2010-04-01T16:19:00.006-06:00

The other night, about 2 weeks ago, they had the winter sports banquet. It was on a night that Troy worked and I didn't really think that he was going to get any awards or letter. He only wrestled on varsity twice placing 6th both times. He never missed a practice or a meet. When I was in high school (ages ago, just ask MY kids!) you had to place so many times and all sorts of other things in order to letter. So since it was $7 a plate and I really didn't want to pay for the whole family to attend in the slim chance that he would be given anything, I opted to not go. I talked it over with Cody and he also didn't figure he would be getting anything, so off he went to the banquet.
Boy, did I feel like a bad parent when he came home with a big ole envelope full of all sorts of things and to top it off he lettered! I was SO happy for him and his accomplishment, but really I should have been there who cares if the dinner was $7? Bad parent!
So here he is showing off his newly acquired high school letter!

All smiles and a bit of silly.... notice he put his letter upside-down? He was smiling and laughing bcause he was sure I would notice BEFORE I took the picture!

After flipping the letter over, it was not so much fun to hold it up for a photo, darn teenagers! :D

The letter all by itself!
The best part of this story is really a rewind..... When he first started out the school year he really didn't understand how you got a letter. I caught him researching it online! :D Of course, now that he has rightfully earned a letter, he wants the jacket to go along it!
One more funny story on Cody..... For Christmas he got a car (which he will have to share with his sister when she gets a license) from his grandparents. We finally got everything switched over into our names: insurance, title and we had to get new plates. They offer so many choices for plates these days and I couldn't resist the urge to get something cooler than the new plain jane blue plates. I saw wrestling plates, I had to have them for him. We registered the car for life so it was worth it to pay the extra for the cool plates. SO while Cody was at school, we found the car and changed the plates. It was lunch time and there were a few high school kids watching and wondering what we were up to. After school, Troy and I were at the church setting up for the pinewood derby and in need of some stuff from home. I called Cody and called and called until he finally arrived home to answer. He was laughing. He said: "I walked past my car three times! I kept thinking 'I know I parked over here, but that's not my car cause those are not my plates!' Finally after the 3rd time past the car, I decided it was my car!" Oh if only I could have been there to watch him walk past and talk to himself, it would have been SO funny! See we live in a small town and I think there are only 2-3 other cars of his make and none are the same color!

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #94 Twins

2010-03-25T07:20:00.004-06:00

It's my experience that twins are a funny breed. These two have been so fun to watch grow and change. They love to be with one another. They can finish what the other is thinking and they laugh for no reason. Twins just have a different connection than other siblings. This week, they attempted to do what so many twins have done before, switch places! That's right they wanted to trade places.... never mind that I have have boy/girl twins, the desire to trick everyone is still there! Scott dressed up in several different girl outfits and Em tried many of Scott's clothes on. They would come rushing down the stairs and announce that they were their twin. It was hilarious! :D I only captured them in these outfits, complete with shoes or boots as the case may be.

Hugs

and kisses

and silly poses!

I'm just not sure they could pull it off in the real world..... someone's hair is a little too short or the other's hair is a little too long!

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #93 Engagement Photos

2010-03-18T09:43:00.004-06:00

The engagement shoot:
(click to enlarge)
It was fun to try my hand at this. We spent about 4 hours driving around town looking for the perfect places ( I had some in mind). I grabbed a few of my props and we went to work having fun. I took over 200 pictures, of course not all of them looked super fab! I think we got quite a few that turned out quite nice!
Thanks for all the words of encouragement.

Hosted by Cecily

Check out my new photo blog: CareBare Photos

Foto Story Friday #92-- To Prop

2010-03-11T20:32:00.012-07:00

When you take or see photos, there are always props. Because I would love to really do this, I'm getting a little stash of my own props. At our local 2nd hand store, The Attic, I found this suitcase.... for a buck! Yup one dollar! Who could pass that up? Not me!
Now to try it out, I roped Savanna into having a seat and putting up with me. I liked this one because, you can see the case and her pose says waiting ... waiting for her mom to set her free!
Then a few days later I went back and found some hats and scarves. I went to another place called Good Buy and found the other smaller case.
Suitcases full of props.
At our antique store, I found a few more hats. Now for a couple of local models:
Robby- "Mr. Cool"
Em-- "Little Miss 'Tude"
At Good Buy I saw this chair, but I waited to see if I could find a cheaper one, cause I'm a cheapskate, but that was not to be.
I wasn't in love with the colors and the layers of paint but after a few applications of remover,
I'm liking the chair a lot more.
pssst, I'm going to be taking engagement pictures this Saturday and I'm a little nervous and a quite a bit excited as well. I plan to use a prop or two from my bag and to use a few ideas I've scoured the net for.... wish me luck!

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #91--Snow fun

2010-03-04T16:19:00.011-07:00

Finally it got warm enough to go play in the snow. We drove out to the off road vehicle area to play. We tied a rope to the sled and the other end to a 4-wheeler.
Can you see the excitement in her face? She was having a blast.
Grandpa got in on the action and took the kids for a ride.
We did some good old fashion sledding and tubing as well. That snow was seriously deep! Can you see how Scott's legs are sunk in the snow? That was a rough climb back up the hill.
The lure of the trail called to Troy..... only he didn't realize just how deep it was until he got stuck!
After laughing at him and watching him struggle, we sent Cody down to lend a hand. They made it a little way, but kept sinking back in. I went down to help, we got it half way up the hill, but it just wasn't working we had to get the tow rope and the truck! Good times good times!! :)
Robby was having so much fun!
Even Troy took a turn. It was a blast when you put the sled on the tube and held on to the rope for the ride of your life!

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #90-- Nature's Mud Flaps

2010-02-25T13:13:00.007-07:00

Sometimes it is interesting what nature creates. We have had quite a bit of snow round here and it gets rather cold so when the temp rises to the high 20's, things start to melt and we run around with our coats open or off cause, it feels like a heat wave! In the midst of all of this tiny drops of water dripping from the vehicles make the most interesting "natural" mud flaps!
Front tire flaps.
Rear mud flaps.
Over the tire top flaps.
Look outside the box!

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #89-- Milestones

2010-02-18T07:36:00.007-07:00

We have passed another milestone here:
This is the cupboard above the sink in the bathroom. It has recently had an addition to it. What you might ask? Well, another stick of deodorant was placed on the shelf. Top shelf holds Troy's and mine, bottom shelf holds Shantel and Savanna's and the middle shelf is home to the boys, Cody and Robby. Yep that's right Robby, my 4th grader, has joined the ranks of deodorant wearers.
This is his. Gotta keep them all straight, everyone has their own flavor and brand, so there are no mix-ups.
Now, I really need to tell the story of how we came to this point. A few weeks back, Robby was getting ready to attend a city council meeting with his Grandpa and Cody where they were going to recognize the 100th year of scouting. All the boys, both cubs and boy scouts, were to attend in uniform, present the colors and receive the recognition. Robby was putting his scout shirt on,, in the dining room of all places and as he was buttoning up, he said: "Wow! my armpits stink!" After the fits of laughter passed through the house, I told him it was about time we got him some deodorant ..... next time we got paid. It was all he could talk about and he just didn't understand why I couldn't take him right then to the store after some. Every so often, he would ask about going to get some but was having trouble remembering what it was called and would say: "Mom, when are we going to go get me some detergent?" Which, of course, would send the house into fits of laughter again. Finally, I was able to fulfill his wishes and Sunday morning after his shower he got to apply his first layer of deodorant! Oh wait, let me back up a bit, Saturday night he asked when you put it on and how much to use. I told him after his shower and a few swipes should do him. So, Sunday morning rolls around and he goes in to shower only to come out of the bathroom in a bit of a panic cause he can't find his deodorant. I calmly explained that it was above the sink and all was well.
After 3 hours of church we came home to change clothes and head over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner and he proudly announced to anyone within hearing that his armpits still smelled good! Guess he's sure!

Hosted by Cecily

foto story #88--New cake pans

2010-02-11T10:13:00.010-07:00

A few weeks ago, we were headed out to run some errands and the mailman had a large box that needed signing for. We were curious as to the contents, neither on of us had ordered anything from Amazon and we could see that it came from there. Troy quickly slit it open and we found a football shaped cake pan inside. Troy, looking puzzled, dug through the box in search of the receipt. I, on the other hand, knew that it must be from Aunt Claudia and the receipt confirmed it.
A few days later, another large box arrived and 4 more shaped pans were inside! We will have plenty of choices for the next birthdays or just any ole day for cool cakes!
Troy was dying for a football cake and set to work on it.
He did a great job and it tasted wonderful.

Thanks again Aunt Claudia for the surprises in the mail! We will enjoy all the fun new shapes.

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #87--baby photo shoot

2010-02-04T16:47:00.012-07:00

About a week ago my friend had her baby. So for fun, I went over on Monday and we had a little photo shoot. Well the only way to learn is to do, right? So here is a small sampling of the photos I took:
Mother and Child.
Mirrors are pretty cool. I wondered around the house looking for props, every time I passed this sign, I thought I should see how I could use it.
Gotta love the chance to edit the photo for a different feel.
A little princess.
Sitting at less than a week old! Her mom was standing ready to catch her. At nearly 1 week she was very alert, we worked on this for close to 2 hours and she was wide awake the whole time.

Tiny little hands
and precious little feet. Saw the rings on the toes idea and I had to give it a try.
Sweet kisses of a mother.

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #86-- my wrestler

2010-01-28T22:03:00.018-07:00

This year my son, Cody, decided to join a sport. The first sport he has ever been in! OK truth be told, he did try out this sport once long ago..... way back in 2nd grade. Several times he would come home and say he was thinking about trying say track or maybe football, but he never actually went through with it, so we were a little skeptical, but supportive. He continued to talk about it and we went to the parent meeting, got all the info and the following day went down and bought wrestling shoes.
Wrestling shoes are not cheap, but he forked over the dough. When you pay for something it means a little more I think. He practiced and came home SO tired but excited about this move he'd learned or this take down method.
We live in the boonies and many weekends they are on the road traveling anywhere from 1 to 6 hours for a meet. They have had 3 home meets, but the first two were on the same nights as some of the other kids' Christmas music events and so we were forced to split up and support everyone. We did make the hour trip to a meet .... the bus broke down about 20 miles outside of the destination! We pulled up behind them and I snapped this photo.
The first match I was able to see. Cody is in black. Notice the hands? Cody is left handed and he thinks it's funny to shake with the left.... it's his sike maneuver!
It was a quick match.
The day before, when I wasn't able to be there, he got his one and only pin! He was SO excited when he called home to tell us! I only wish I had seen it :(
For each pin they get the coach gives them a gold pin to put in a place of honor.... in Cody's case that is on his backpack!
Tonight was their last home meet and 2nd to last meet of the season. He wrestled hard.
Proving that he has learned a lot and come a long way since the season started.
He has a good attitude and knows that if he keeps up with it, he will continue to improve. Here he is fighting hard to escape.
I can see the determination, he is thinking of how he would like to get up and out of this.
He came close to a pin here. He lasted the whole 3 periods and lost on points. We were SO proud of him! This was the first time he made it the whole time and was not pinned! :)
This was his second match of the evening at whistle blow and it's game on!
Fighting to get free. he made it to the second period and was pinned but he wrestled hard and we are so very proud of his achievement and the growth he has experienced being a part of this team and learning this sport!

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #85-- January Birthdays

2010-01-21T12:30:00.008-07:00

The beginning of January brought Shantel's birthday.
We only have a couple of shaped cake pans, and I'm not cool enough to just create an awesome cake. Shantel decided she would have a PoohBear cake for her 14th birthday. We made the frosting and Cody, Shantel and I chose a color and decorated it all together. It was fun. I'll let you guess who did which color.
After dinner and Grandma and Grandpa's we had cake and now she awaits her gifts. She designed a pair of Chuck Taylors which should be arriving any day.
2 weeks later it was Robby's turn to pick a cake pan. He went for the Mickey Mouse one. While he did his dishes, I frosted and decorated the cake.
Not too bad considering we used the left over frosting from Shantels and attempted to get acceptable colors.
Make a wish, Robby! He awaits his gifts as well. He designed a pair of custom Etnies. They will take 6-8 weeks to arrive.
Next birthday is in May!
P.S. Look what just arrived:
Shantel is one happy custom sky-top owning girl!

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #84-- new floor

2010-01-14T16:46:00.019-07:00

Back in November, on a Saturday, we decided to rip up the carpeting in the dining room. Did we have the new floor to put down? NO, but we were tired of the carpeting, so we just did it!
(I must admit, that Shantel took several of these pictures.) Troy and I ripping up that dang carpet. It was very hard and You should have seen the blisters we grew because it! :)
Miss Toughy thought she could do it all by herself..... turns out it was a bit harder than she thought!
Course Scott had to get in on the action!
Everyone helped in this project. Fighting over the various scraping utensils. Ice scrapers,
shovels,
and even putty knives-- which work really well for removing that stubborn glued over linoleum.
Finally this past weekend, we got to work on the re-flooring.
Looks nice, yes?! 13 boxes to go.

First off get the edging down.........
Boy these beginning rows took FOREVER, how many more do we have left?
Measure cut, fit, measure again.... cut again and finally it fits! :)
Progress! it's nearly 5 PM and we still have SO much left! We finished the dining area and left the last bit for Monday.
Success! By 3 Monday afternoon we were finally done! The kitchen
the dining room!
Course every muscle in my body was so sore I could hardly move..... I was not alone in the pain department, Troy and his dad were dead, their poor knees!

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #83--Battery testers wanted?

2010-01-07T12:21:00.013-07:00

First off I was so excited that Cecily asked me to co-host Photo Story Friday with her. I did fret about the pictures/story I would tell today, then I threw caution to the frigid wind and chose this zapping tale:
How many of you get a sudden urge to test a 9-volt battery? Come on, I know you tried it as a kid..... everyone did! Back in October, we had some bran-new 9-volts sitting on the table just asking for testing..........
The first victim, er tester:
Scott thought he might want to give it a try, Dad assured him it wouldn't hurt........... but he was not to be convinced not even with a huge cookie as a reward.
He just chose the cookie! Smart boy.
Age is not necessarily wisdom. Cody doubled up the 9-volts for a better test, er shock! :)

Robby also wanted the double test. Such good test dummies we have!
Well rewarded!

No harm was done to them in the testing of these batteries.... in fact last week Robby willingly and without provocation tested a 9-volt that was sitting on the counter.

Hosted by Cecily and Carrie

To play Photo Story Friday, check this. Copy this code into your post and sign the link list:
<center><a href="http://mychaosmybliss.blogspot.com/2007/06/photo-story-friday-and-rules.html" target="_blank"></a><br/>Hosted by <a href="http://mychaosmybliss.com/" target="_blank">Cecily</a> and <a href="http://liveinthebadlands.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Carrie</a><p/></center>

Foto Story #82-- Aurora Borealis

2009-12-31T12:59:00.010-07:00

Last Wednesday after helping the youth prepare gift baskets, we came home to settle in and the phone rang. It was my friend letting us know that the northern lights or aurora borealis was visible out the door. How cool is that? We all ran down to stand in the freezing air and watch the lights in the sky. The kids quickly lost interest, it think because of the bitter cold temps one had to endure to view them but I was like: "OK how do I capture these? What settings do I need to adjust?" After trying to ask my brother-in-law, I remembered that Aunt Claudia had given me some photography books and I ran in the house to consult them. To my surprise, there it was right on the page a suggested setting for taking pictures of the northern lights!! So I adjusted the settings and mounted the camera on my trusty tripod and headed for the door. Now my biggest problem was that it was so difficult to see if I had the manual focus focused. These are the best of my attempts at the Aurora Borealis:

This is actually the very first of 13 shots I took and it turned out the best. It was in great focus and so many strips of color showed up!
When I was looking at these with my naked eye I saw a hit of red and the white was more of a greenish tint, so it was interesting to see what the camera captured!

Wishing you all a wonderful 2010!!

Foto Story Friday on Tuesday #81-- a little drip

2009-12-22T08:40:00.016-07:00

Today we have a guest blogger, Aunt Claudia. She sent me this story she wrote after I posted pictures to Facebook of some recent snow and ice. She writes:
"Hey, Ms Carrie!
Saw your photo and was thinking about busy moms and how the little things get away from us sometimes. Thought about your little drip from a child's view and a hassled mom's view.
Love to all, Aunt Claudia"

It Started With a Little Drip...
by: Aunt Claudia

She noticed it in early spring – nothing too big, really. Just a little drip from the faucet. Not anything to get worried about… Drip-drip.

“Better get that fixed,” she thought. “Shouldn’t let it get out of hand.” And then the phone rang, and a child cried, and something was boiling over on the stove…Drip-drop-drip.

Bright summer and the flowers were growing in the soft, wet spot under the faucet. Birds gathered with the butterflies to enjoy a cool drink. The children laughed as they picked a pretty bouquet for her. “It’s for you, Mommy!”
“Yes, yes, thank you. Now hurry to the car, we’re late for practice”…Drip-drop-drop.

The days grew long and hot and lazy. “Mommy, what’s this pretty soft green stuff?” A little patch of mossy growth, fed by the constant drip. “Oh, don’t get in the mud! Alright, let’s go wash your hands and change your shoes.” “Gotta get that fixed”…Drip-drop-drip-drip.

A little buzzing through the yard. Stop to get a sip under the faucet, then a dab of mud for the new hive. Safe under the eaves of the house. Buzz, buzz, back and forth, busy bees. “Look, Mommy! There’s lots of buzzy bees.” “Don’t get too close or you’ll get stung! Come away, now!”…Drip-drop-drip-drop.

Busy fall days. School work and yard work and football games. The drips go on, unnoticed…Drip-drop-drip-drip-drop.

The wintry winds blow and there’s an icy chill in the air. Overnight a sculpture grows under the faucet. “Oh, look Mommy! It’s a beautiful ice fountain!”
“I should have fixed that long ago! I’ll have Daddy knock it down and fix it right away. Hope it didn’t break the lines”…

So whose eyes do you see it with? Drip-drop-drip-drop….There’s beauty in everything!

Inspired by Carrie Flynn Keiser’s photos “Snow and Ice”
and, by-the-way, she’s a very good Mommy who sees with a child’s eye and a photographer’s heart

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #80-- Activities

2009-12-17T11:07:00.002-07:00

Recent activities around here:
Savanna played some basketball............. lots of learning the basics and then 2 nights of intramurals.
We have been working on some puzzles.
This is the first one we finished and we are on to another.
Tuesday the twins had a Christmas program. Of course it would be too easy to put them, next to each other, they were separated by one little girl. Thankfully the teacher stepped in the middle.... well she might not appreciate this shot of her, but it effectively blocks the girl!
Last Thursday, Robby had his Christmas program. They did a great job and Robby was one of the few who could be heard and understood in his speaking part.
My oldest decided this year to go out for the wrestling team. He is having a good time learning all the basics and putting them into practice. Problem is, that his first home meet was the same night as Robby's concert :( I was not able to watch his 2 matches, I was VERY bummed. Troy and Grandpa both got to see them. This week he has his only other home meet and we will miss it...... Shantel also has her Christmas choir concert this week, same night as the wrestling meet :(
Why do they make me choose? This week we are choosing to not attend either (we are sending the kids and grandparents, as we have to be elsewhere.)

Hosted by Cecily and Honey Mommy

Foto Story Friday # 79-- decorating the tree and lighting is my boon!

2009-12-10T14:41:00.017-07:00

It's that time of year again when we get out all our pretty things and celebrate the birth of Christ. We normally tend to put off all the decorating, but our children are all excited and Scott started to ask if the tree could go up last Saturday. On Monday, we went in search of Christmas decor and located everything except the tree (yeah, I know we just use a fake one, we're lame). Having promised Scott that we would put up the tree I was obligated to go purchase another. We remembered that last year the tree broke and we threw it out (it lasted us about 12 years- not bad for the Kmart special!) Finally, after dinner, we opened the box and set to work.
Scott could hardly wait for the lights to be tossed on before he placed the first ornament.
EmmaLece was right behind him placing hers on.
Robby too was thrilled to be decorating with his ornaments.
BahHumbug, aka Savanna, placed hers in the very back and vowed to not put another one on. (I forced her to place 5 ornaments and she put them all in the back away from sight.
Shantel still enjoys decorating the tree and put several of hers on.
Cody, decked out in his wrestling sweats, happily placed a few as well.
The finished product. Really, I have such a hard time getting the right settings for capturing the right amount of light for the desired effect. While the tree is clear and crisp, you can not tell that the lights are on and you loose something in my opinion.
So I turned off the lights and the flash and got the tripod. Still not exactly what I was hoping for but you can see the lights!
Wishing you all the the Merriest of Christmases and may the Peace of the Babe born in a stable settle in your hearts at this time and throughout the year to come.

Hosted by Cecily and Rachael

Foto Story Friday #78--driving alone

2009-12-04T07:16:00.007-07:00

Do you remember back, oh say, 6 months ago when I posted this Foto Story Friday? About a certain young man getting a learner's license? Well, he recently completed his required 50 hours of driving with a licensed adult and the 6 month waiting period, went down and took his driving test........... passed and now is the proud owner of a restricted drivers license that allows him to drive alone, with siblings and 1 non family member! He may only drive between the hours of 6 AM and 11 PM. In another 6 month he can drive 3 friends (yikes!) and 6 months after that he is a full fledged driver!!

He was a wee bit nervous about the parallel parking. I picked him up 1/2 hour early so he could drive around town practicing! Not an easy task when the vehicle you have to drive is a big ole suburban!
Wednesday night we let him drive for the first time without us. He took his sister, her friend and himself to youth group. The friend lives across town (which isn't really that far) and he was excited and announced that they would be taking the freeway! Oh yikes I'm SO glad that I didn't learn this bit of info until the day after! :) Sheesh! I've driven with him on the freeway and he does fine, but really it is a dang scary thought! all arrived safe and sound. Thursday we let him drive all the kids to school. He thought he was pretty cool and his siblings thought that it pretty much rocked getting taken to school by their brother! Scott didn't want to take the bus this morning because he wanted Cody to drive him! Cody had to get to school early for wrestling.Over Thanksgiving we got to visit with most of my side of the family. It was a wonderful time of catching up and measuring up........ As you can see, Cody is catching up to his Grumpa in height!

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Friday #77-- thanksgiving pie

2009-11-27T10:42:00.002-07:00

Thanksgiving Huckleberry Pie
We took a trip across the miles to be with my side of the family. We made yummy huckleberry pie and enjoyed a family filled day.

Hosted by Cecily

Foto Story Friday #76 -- Desire for greatness

2009-11-19T10:11:00.016-07:00

I think we all have a desire for greatness inside us. I look at others and see their greatness, but it is much harder to see the greatness in ourselves.
I desire to make great pictures.
What exactly makes a great picture: Clarity? Beautiful subject matter? Seriousness or humorous? Knowledge of lighting and proper use of equipment?
Photography is a form of art. Beauty in the eye of the composer of each shot. Sometimes we can convey our perception of beauty to others and sometimes it falls flat.
Here are a few examples of the way I see my surroundings, what inspires me and things that contain beauty. (Of course, my kids are beautiful and inspiring!) I love a good showing of colors in the sky but sometimes I try and look elsewhere for the beauty and inspiration that surrounds me.
Humorous:
From the recent construction on my street, which thankfully is complete, I was inspired and humored to find this port-a-pot........... the first I's seen on a single trailer like this. It is truly a portable potty!
Beautiful/ Curiosity:
I like to improve on capturing my human subjects. Robby gave me that mischievous grin and this turned out to be a favorite photo of him taken at a volleyball game.
Beautiful/Growing up:
The fleeting tween years and the ever changing portrait of childhood fades. ANd maybe I need to look with my eye before I look with my camera....... how could I miss the strand of hair?!
Humorous:
Typical kid doing dishes, listening to the iPod and chewing gum..... bigger and bigger until it pops! Which it did all over his face!
Beautiful:
Photo night put on by the young men and young women at church. Props can help a person to loosen up. Learning lighting..... need lighting!
Dreaming/Inspiring:
Old time photos taken at Kmart........ shooting from the hip. The photographer was not well pleased to see that I had a camera hanging from my neck. She grumpily informed me that I could NOT take pictures of her backdrop they are protected! Well you can see that it is located in a store and they are stetting up and I didn't even try to conceal that is was a photo shoot. Props. Yeah could sure use some cool props.
Beautiful/ Sneaky:
In my ever growing attempts to take good people shots, I do have 6 mostly willing subjects. Everything worked that time!
Thoughtful/Beautiful:
Mostly this child doesn't stop moving and trying to get and acceptable photo of her proves to very difficult. She was busy looking off into space and I got my chance.
Inspiring/Thought provoking/Beautiful:
Patiently awaiting his turn and wishing his mother would not point that camera at his face, I got lucky to look up and see this glimpse at teen life. What was he thinking? Was he wondering if he could ride the rails on his board? or was he simply wishing the "photo shoot" were over?

So what inspires you? what is beautiful to you?

Hosted by Cecily and Sue

Foto Story # 75-- Beautiful Skies

2009-11-12T16:42:00.008-07:00

Thanks to a high schooler who also has an early morning religious class, seminary, I have been forced... er, blessed with the opportunity of being up before the sun rises. Tuesday morning dawned in radiant splendor! I could not believe how bright and beautiful the colors were. It is difficult to get him to class on time when I really just wanted to have him pull over so I get out and compose a shot or 20! The morning sky changes SO much faster than the evening sky. The bright colors quickly fade and are gone in a matter of seconds.

That same evening the setting sun put on its own display of colors. Evening sky usually gets more colorful as the minutes pass and the challenge is not the loss of color but the loss of light in which to capture the range of colors that have appeared.

May we each take a moment to enjoy the sky whether you are a morning or an evening sky the beauty painted there is calming and inviting.

Hosted by Cecily and She's a moron and can't remember...

Foto Story Friday #74-- a devine smell and a weird helmet

2009-11-05T14:32:00.009-07:00

When the smell of fresh baked cookies wafts through the air in your home, what do your children do? Well Scott goes in close for a big whiff!
I looked up and saw him "just smelling them mom!" I couldn't resist a shot to preserve the moment. It's torture when you haven't had dinner yet and the cookies are cooling on the rack!

And totally unrelated picture....
Scott was going to be Spidey for Halloween until the Monday before when he informed me that Spiderman was "not cool" and he HAD to be Darth Vader. Well, since I live in the middle of NOWHERE, my only choice was Kmart and they didn't have Darth. SO I figured I could wing it... come on it is only black and the helmet. So I visited the Attic for some second hand stuff in the shade of black and possibly something to bulk him up. I lucked out in the bulking up department. I spied 2 motorcycle chest protectors for a whopping .50 cents each... I grabbed both! A nice big piece of black fabric for 2$ and a black sweatshirt for 1$. Then I did a google search on 'how to make a Darth Vader costume/helmet'. Well there were some easy but not cheap ways to make the helmet but since the kids can't wear full masks at the Church Halloween party/trunk or treat I didn't want to make it that way. I figured I could make one.
I stared at a photo of Darth's helmet and got some supplies: cardboard box, scissors, tape and black poster board and set out to figure it out.
It wasn't looking too good so when Cody came home from school I asked for his opinion and we set out to cover it with the black paper. When we were nearly finished Cody said: " this looks more like Dark Helmet from Spaceballs rather than Darth Vader. Seriously google it!"
SO I set it on the table and called it done hoping that Scott would like it.

Well he got up the next morning and told me: "This is WAY better than Jace's Darth Vader helmet!" Thanks for the ego burst! So here are Darth and Ninja Girl!
Trunk or Treat just after getting all gussied up in the bathroom. We got some very nice comments like, "that is the coolest costume I've ever seen!" I was well pleased with the reactions and nearly everyone knew who he was! :)