Adventures

Holiday Treat Exchange

2011-12-27T21:23:00.001-05:00

This is the 2nd year that I've done a treat exchange with some of the folks that work with Jake.

This year I decided to make Samoas. Of course it took me ALL day to make them, so I really hope everyone liked them.

Next year I'm going to do something that isn't so involved!!!

A little crafty...

2011-12-26T20:55:00.000-05:00

I decided to try a craft I found on Pinterest.

Here's how to do it:

Take your clear glass ball and squirt a little Mop & Glo in it. Swish the Mop & Glo around to be sure to coat the ball and drain the excess cleaner. Once it has quit dripping, put in some ultra fine glitter and swirl around until coated. Dump out excess.

I cut out words on vinylwith my Cricut and then added ribbon. I think they turned out quite cute.

I actually didn't use any ultra fine glitter because I had a bunch of embossing powders. Because they embossing powders had a bit of sparkle, they worked just as well.

Sleepy Time

2011-12-26T20:41:00.000-05:00

One evening after a bath, Travis crashed on the couch. Jake took the opportunity to snuggle up next to him. (Jake's not actually asleep.)

Jake has a hard time with the fact that Travis won't be little forever. I asked him if he was going to "snuggle up" with our baby when he's 12. I guess we'll see...

Buddy the Elf

2011-12-24T20:44:00.001-05:00

Brad and Wyatt came home from school one day talking about people they know with these cool and magical elves. They proceeded to tell me about how sneaky these elves are and that they're so magical that they can't be touched by kids.

Of course I had heard about Elf on the Shelf, so on Black Friday I picked one up. About mid morning the boys found the elf sitting on our steps with a book. Travis was the first to find him and he picked him up for a second. He set the elf down before the other boys came by, but Brad announced that, "no kids can touch him or he loses his magic!" Travis looked like he might cry. I suggested that we sit and read the book because we might have to officially adopt him before he could have magic for our family. You could see the weight lift off poor Travis' shoulders.

The boys decided to name our little elf Buddy. (Can you tell they love the movie ELF?) At first Buddy tried to get a feel for our family and the boys' behavior. He hung out in the chandelier, in a big jar on the kitchen counter, in the wreath and by the Wii. But it didn't take long for him to start pulling some stunts and making himself right at home.

Buddy stole a pair of underwear from each boy and hung them on the tree.

He strung lights in Wyatt and Travis' room. When they woke up in the morning it was quite bright.

He ate some cookies while watching ELF.

Since these pics, he's also used toothpaste to write on the mirror in the boys' bathroom. The message said, "Have you been naughty or nice? 1 week until Santa comes!"

He also was found suspended in midair wearing a cape. Pictures of that are to come!

Silly little elf!

Football Banquet

2011-12-24T20:39:00.001-05:00

Brad is now a graduate of the Panthers B Team. This next year he will be old enough to move up to A Team. It will stink to be youngest and smallest again, but hopefully his speed will help him get some playing time!!!

Snow BEFORE Halloween

2011-12-22T20:35:00.000-05:00

If October was any indication of what the winter will be like then we ought to hunker down and prepare for some snow!

It was a nice Saturday of snow fall. The kids got to play outside - despite being soaked from the really wet white stuff. And it was awfully pretty.

I'm really hoping we get a big of snow this winter - but not too much because I need my sanity too!

2nd Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

2011-12-20T21:36:00.000-05:00

This year's Ugly Christmas Sweater party was at The Chocolate Bar. It's a cute little cafe-style place that features delicious desserts. It is the sister of the chocolate shop next door. Yum!

Our waitress decided to wear an ugly sweater that night too. And Santa made an appearance! It was a really fun night!

Our winners were...

Ugly: Shanan

Uglier: Tracey

Ugliest: Amanda

Word is spreading... Last year we had 8 in attendance. This year we jumped to 12. I hope that next year will be double!!!

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-20T21:04:00.000-05:00

This year we went back out to the tree farm to select a tree. It's always so fun to cut our own, but it's getting crazy stupid to spend the amount of money we do on DEAD TREES!

It actually took us a little while to find the tree. I wanted a fir but a LOT of them were really tall. We had to scrounge a bit.

The boys enjoy a cup of cider provided by the tree farm.

It's not a very big tree, but I love it. And Jake even went out and bought some white lights for it this year. I think he started to feel bad that I put up with many years of colored lights when I preferred white ones. I appreciate that we could do something different this year.

Dirty Dicks

2011-12-20T20:35:00.000-05:00

Yes, you read the title right. When we visit Myrtle Beach we try to eat at Dirty Dicks. It's a nice atmosphere with pretty good food!

Brad ordered the Jumbo Shrimp dinner and this is what he got!

He ate every bit of it. That's no surprise since he LOVES shrimp!

Accepted

2011-12-20T20:33:00.000-05:00

I got into the Career Switchers program!

I admit I'm quite nervous now! Beginning January 14th I will have classes and assignments - a pretty strict regimen for 16 weeks. But the part I'm most concerned about is getting a job right after. Of course, I know this is what I'm supposed to do, so it should all work out like it needs to.

I already have 2 assignments that must be done in time for orientation in January. But for my own sanity, I plan to wait until after the holidays to work on them.

Candy Canes

2011-12-05T17:03:00.000-05:00

I thought it would be fun to take a look at a few of the things that are "commercial" about Christmas and see if there is a more spiritual side. First we'll start with the Candy Cane (because I did a Family Home Evening lesson on it last week).

There are many different flavors and colors of candy canes, but let's take a look at the classic red and white one.

To begin we look at the shape of the candy cane. Upright it reminds us of the shepherd's staff. When we think of the shepherds we are reminded of the humble beginnings for our Savior. And when you turn the cane upside down, it is the letter J - the first letter of Jesus.

The cane is made of hard candy to remind us of the rock. Christ is the rock of our salvation if we allow Him to be. A rock might also remind us of a foundation. Christ is the foundation of our faith and should be the foundation of our lives.

There are 3 different stripes found on the candy cane; one is a solid red, another solid white and the last is a collection of 3 skinny stripes. The solid red stripe reminds us of the blood that was shed for us. Our Savior suffered that we might not have to if we allow him to take our burdens. His atonement allows us to return to our Father in Heaven, which is the greatest gift we can ever ask for. The solid white stripe reminds us of the purity of Christ. He has been the only sinless human on the earth despite temptations. He has offered us a wonderful and perfect example in the way we should live our lives. And the 3 red stripes symbolize the stripes or scars that Christ bears for us. A constant reminder the He loves us and died for us.

I don't know if the original candy cane maker created this confection with these symbols in mind, but they come together nonetheless. I am grateful for the Savior in my life. And I'm grateful for this time of year to celebrate his birth.

The Christmas Season

2011-12-04T17:27:00.000-05:00

In the past, this time of year is so busy that I can't wait for Christmas Eve just to have a break from reality. But this year I've unintentionally freed myself up a bit more to enjoy the season. I've taken a bit more time to notice the "magic" of this time of year, both commercially and spiritually. So I thought I'd share a few of my thoughts in the next couple of posts.

Let me just begin by saying that I LOVE the traditions of Christmas. I think it's amazing that the whole world is in on the same big secret. Yes, different countries have different figures, but the idea is the same. It's Santa! (That's best when said like Buddy the Elf when in the mall.)

Can you believe that there are lots of small children (ages 4-6) that don't believe in Santa. *gasp* I think it's so sad that they don't have that magic in their Christmas. Even Brad (who's now 10) hasn't mentioned anything about not believing. I guess I was close to Brad's age when I found out the truth, but still hoped every year that there would be a Christmas miracle and Santa would deliver a special gift.

There is no shame in believing in Santa. I've heard some say they feel it's a lie. Ugh! It's a story that has been passed on for generations. He's a generous man that gives to people. He's a happy man that loves kids and loves to make others happy. What is so wrong with that?

Anyway, I guess I'm saying that I still believe in Santa! It's one of the magical things about this season that I love.

Snow Day

2011-10-29T13:47:00.000-04:00

Yes, you read the date correctly as well as the title. It's October 29th and we're having our first snow fall of the season. Not quite sure how I feel about it yet. It's been a nice lazy day, but I'm worried if this is just a precursor for the rest of the winter.

All of our events were cancelled for the day allowing us to be a bit lazy. First thing I did was get out the trusty crock pot and put the normal enchilada stuffing in to cook. After working in the basement on a few projects, I decided to make this delicious dessert found on Pinterest. In case you don't know what Pinterest is, it's a highly addictive site with lots of great ideas, tutorials, recipes, etc. I LOVE the site and spend a lot of time on it, but have actually done some of the things I've taken from the site.

I got this recipe from Plain Chicken. It's a Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread. It's delicious and fairly easy to make. It would be great for a game night or other laid back party-type atmosphere.

Plain Chicken calls this the Cinnamon Roll Pulls. For the recipe, click on the name. There's also a Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pull that I might have to try soon.

Rocket Launching

2011-10-23T08:28:00.001-04:00

To kick off a new "year" in Cub Scouting, we Blasted Off!

I made a launcher that was tied into a bike pump. Each of the boys decorated a 2-liter bottle and we all headed to the parking lot to take turns launching the rockets.

The fun of it all is the water that rains down on those on the launching pad! The boys really enjoyed it and we plan to use this activity as an incentive this spring.

Mason, Brad and Wyatt

Football Season

2011-10-21T08:23:00.001-04:00

It's been interesting this season as Jake has been coach of Brad's team. Of course this wasn't ideal, but you do what you have to do for your kids to have a team!

This is Brad's 2nd and final year on the Panthers B Team. He will age out and move to A Team and play under our neighbor and good friend, Brian. But that's next year...

Brad has had a LOT more playing time this year. I guess it helps to have experience and be fast! We're hoping he'll be able to play some next year, but it will definitely be an adjustment time.

Fall Soccer

2011-10-19T08:15:00.000-04:00

Wyatt is playing soccer again this season. He is playing on U10 again despite being only 8. (It's funny because I don't know that there are a lot of 10 year olds playing in U10!)

He has a good coach that seems to have taught the team a lot. If they could just be more aggressive defensively, they'd be good to go!

Wyatt has played goalie a few times. As long as his team does their part in slowing the ball, he does really well. The kids are getting more powerful kicks as they get bigger. You often hear an audible suck of air from parents each time a goal is shot - on either team!

I passed!

2011-10-17T08:15:00.000-04:00

A miracle has occurred!

Remember that Biology test I suffered through? Somehow I barely passed it! Now if I were an overachiever I would take it over because it was by the skin of my teeth that I made a passing grade. But I'm not too picky - especially when it means I don't have to study anymore!!!

I find out my other test scores this week. I am nearly finished with the application process. I'm just a bit more nervous as a teaching career gets closer!!!

Wonder Works Ropes Course

2011-10-01T16:41:00.000-04:00

Part of the admission price to Wonder Works includes the indoor ropes course. I didn't take part because I wasn't wearing closed-toe shoes. So I stayed on the floor trying to take pictures with a pretty lame camera!

Travis got to go as long as he had an adult with him. So Jake went around with him while Pa kind of went around with Wyatt (not that Wyatt needed an adult with him!)

I had a picture of Pa, but it was to hard to tell who it was, so I didn't include it.

After the ropes course we played Laser Tag, which was a hoot!
All in all, it was a good time.

Wonder Works

2011-09-28T16:27:00.001-04:00

One of the coolest new attractions at Myrtle Beach is a place called Wonder Works.

Yes, the picture is right-side-up.

The story goes that some scientists were working on some experiments when one went bad and flipped everything upside down. But miraculously all of the exhibits stayed right-side up.

Inside were all kinds of fun activities that involved science. One exhibit was for the titanic and icebergs. Another was with bikes and gravity and speed. One of our faves was where you could try to strike out major league players and a gun calculated the speed of your pitch. (Jake loved that one because he held the record for the fastest pitch of the day!) All were really fun - and it was great for all 3 boys plus us adults.

Here Travis and Brad demonstrate the pulley system. There were 3 different set-ups. One had 1 pulley, one had 2 pulleys and one had 3 pulleys. You tried to pull yourself up with each one. Of course the 3 pulley set up was the easiest.

Jake tries out the bed of nails. It was quite interesting because while you were lying there, you realized where you apply the most pressure in your body while at rest (because that area hurt after a few seconds on the nails).

Wyatt was pretty successful in the bubble area. It was fun (and slippery) to see how big the bubbles could get.

Travis uses hand-eye coordination to try to grab different space objects. This is much like the claw machines, you just don't get a prize in the end.

The space info was on the top floor. The boys got to try out the space suit.

Each floor had a different group of activities. We spent a good amount of time on each floor and really enjoyed our time there. I would imagine we'll go back again some day.

Broadway at the Beach

2011-09-25T16:21:00.001-04:00

This year when we went on our beach vacation, we ate in a cute little Italian restaurant at Broadway at the Beach. After we had dinner the guys had to run our doggy bags out to the cars. So while we waited we hung out with the Balloon Animal Guy.

He made these balloons for tips. So thanks to Grammy and Grandpa each of the kids got a fun little design.

Love this picture, but I'm not sure if he's scratching his pits or what.

Happy grandkids!

After visiting with the Balloon Animal Guy, we looked in other shops and fed the fish. We took a tip from the waitress at the restaurant and saved the pizza crusts that weren't eaten so we could throw them at the fishies. Too bad more ducks won out on that battle.

Student Again?

2011-09-19T16:15:00.000-04:00

What have I been doing lately? Studying my buns off!!!

I am hoping to be accepted into the Career Switch program offered by the Virginia Department of Education. But to even apply I have to pass 2 tests. One of the tests is for ready and writing. And the second is in the area in which you wish to teach. So for me, it's Biology. (I would rather teach horticulture, but in order to do that, it's a different test and I can't go down that road until I have my license anyway.)

Now I don't know about you, but I figured I know how to read and write, so I should be fine on the VCLA (reading & writing test). I figured it would be something like our boring standardized tests used to be: read a really dull and incomprehensible passage and answer questions. And when you're done with that you have a couple of essays. Well it's not any different than my preconceived idea, but I had forgotten about the official writing format. So now I have to review on the correct way to write an essay. Boo!

The Biology test has been a whole different experience. I got a study guide because I thought it might help out. You know? Study guides are given to be a guide while studying??? Yeah right! Let's just say I'll be taking that test again and I need to find some better study material!

Anyway... The point of all of this is that hopefully I'll be in the course soon so that I can teach high school biology. It will be quite an adventure - especially since I have to use my brain again!!!

Wish me luck!

Making room for Food Storage

2011-09-19T16:04:00.000-04:00

So after my last post, this post might make a little sense. Thankfully Jake and I are on the same page about preparing our family for times to come. Of course I now think of it as a project/adventure and want to do it all NOW. But alas, money doesn't grow on trees and Rome wasn't built in a day, so I have to pace our progress.

To begin our quest to be more prepared we cleaned out our storage room. -It makes me laugh that we still have a box of text books that neither of us has looked at since we graduated!!! But who knows? We may need them one day. (Actually they'll be in the 'get rid of' bin the next time we purge.)- We decided that we still had some room so we'd build some more shelves for our slowly growing food storage.

Here is a pic of the new shelves.

We started this project last Monday and finished it on Saturday. (Not that we worked all week on it! It was just those 2 days that we had pockets of time!) I didn't want a lot of wasted space, so we planned for each shelf's duties. From the floor to the bottom shelf is enough room for 5-gal buckets. And you see that the next level is for cereals and other larger items. The next 2 levels are for #10 cans or other stuff until it's full of cans. Yes, I could put them in cardboard boxes and stack them up, but honestly I won't pay attention to what is what and it likely won't get used! And the top few levels will be for canned goods.

It seems a little crazy to put canned goods so high, but I plan to invest in a nice foot stool/step ladder that will allow easy access. And this week our "preparedness investment" will go to can rolly thingies. Now you may be wondering what a Can Rolly Thingy is... (by the way, that's the technical term). The picture above gives you an idea of what I'm talking about. These are really called pantry organizers, but I like my name better. They are made of cardboard and much more cost effective than some of the other big contraptions.

To order your own Can Roly Thingies, visit canorganizer.com.

As needed we will build closer shelves within this big area.

Little by little we will fill those shelves with food that we will use all the time, but enough to get us through a long stretch should we need it.

Preparedness

2011-09-11T18:40:00.000-04:00

We've been given the signs and warnings, and now it's time to get off our duffs and do something!!! Within a week's time we experienced an earthquake (which only happens once in a blue moon in our neck of the woods) and a hurricane that devastated parts of the state. We were blessed that none of our family was harmed or had any property damage. But all in all, it was a wake-up call!

Last winter it finally hit me that part of my mission as mom and wife of this family is that if I help prepare our family for the trying times to come, then we will be blessed and not want for the necessities. What a blessing! As long as I do my part, our family will be taken care of. So how do I do that when we have little to no extra money for things?

Our Stake President held his monthly Bishops meeting and invited all bishoprics as well. Unfortunately Jake wasn't able to attend because he was coaching Brad's football team. But President Bartlett sent out a follow up email emphatically urging us to start our preparedness plans NOW! Work on food storage NOW! Have working 72-hour kits NOW!!!!

OK, OK! Now that Jake and I are on the same page, we can do something about it! Our tentative plan is to use Mondays (when he and I are both home without kids) to work on our preparedness. That means we work on our evacuation plan, prepare our 72-hour kits, fix up our storage room for food storage and attend the store to slowly start building up our storage. It's my job to carve out approximately $10 per week to dedicate solely to preparedness.

I found an excellent website to help me get started. The button is on my sidebar. If you're interested, check out Building My Food Storage and see if those ladies can help you too.

On this anniversary of 9/11, I am grateful that I live in a free country. I am grateful for the men and women that fight for my freedoms, and their families for their sacrifices. Many have sacrificed great and small for our country! I also understand that we are in the last days. There is no definite time line, but we are blessed with scriptures that can help guide and prepare us. It can be a scary time, but I like to think of it as a blessing that we were entrusted to be on this earth right now. We have work to do and now it's time to do it!

- Shanan

Scout Camp Friend

2011-09-08T21:43:00.000-04:00

Jake went to Boy Scout camp for the whole week this year. Normally he only goes up for 1/2 the week. I had to chuckle because he asked what I thought if he went for the whole week this year. I told him I didn't understand why he never did before and that I totally thought he should go for the whole week. So he packed up his stuff and went.

Early on a little friend decided to join Jake and Frank in their adirondak. Unfortunately he decided to hang out under Jake's cot and then climb the wall beside his bed. After getting the willies and moving the friend out of the campsite the guys resumed camp as normal.

Friday the boys and I went up for family night. Not long after Jake shared the story of their little friend, another friend joined the camp. Below are pictures of Frank and the snake posing with a couple of kids from the ward.

I have to say that I'd have issues if I found a snake in my sleeping area. That would be one of the worst things that could happen on a camping trip. Good thing it was a harmless garter snake!

Roller Hockey

2011-09-08T21:26:00.000-04:00

I am so lucky to have a friend that calls me when she finds a free hockey camp to enroll the boys in.

The week before we left for the beach, Brad and Wyatt participated in a hockey camp at the Sportsplex in town. All of their equipment and skates were provided by the facility. They played for 2 hours each day and left stinky and tired! It was awesome!!!

Wyatt

Brad

Wyatt is in the goal.

Brad is on the other side of this guy trying to get the puck.

When you can't get the puck on your feet, drop to your knees!

Wilmington on the water

2011-08-24T18:40:00.000-04:00

We arrived at the serpentarium a little early, so we walked another block to check out the water. Here are some of the things we enjoyed looking at.

USS Carolina

I'm not much of a boat person, but I could see hanging out on this yacht! It was really nice.

All along the waterway were shops. If we continued down this boardwalk we would have gotten to a few restaurants. It was so peaceful.

Cape Fear Serpentarium

2011-08-22T18:38:00.001-04:00

This year, on our way down to the beach, we stopped in Wilmington NC to visit the Cape Fear Serpentarium. Before we arrived I pictured in my mind that they may have a few snakes and that would be about it. I had too many lame zoo snake exhibits in my brain. I was wrong! There were TONS of snakes. And most of them were poisonous!!! Eeeek! We even got to watch a few crocs as they moved around and such. It was quite cool!

Here are some photos of the species we saw. Sorry that I can't tell you what they all are - I didn't have any way to take notes! :)

Here are 2 Emerald Tree Boas snuggled up together on the tree. Their green color is so brilliant!

Travis is hanging out with the anacondas. They were massive. We even saw the yellow one moving into the water where the brown one had decided to set up camp.

Jake swears this guy is fake! He didn't move at all, but I believe he was real! The other 2 that we saw were moving all around, so why would they put an imposter in this cage???

One of the rattle snakes.

When we got to the top of the stairs to take a look at the 2nd floor exhibits, we kept hearing something. I kind of thought it was static with the music or something. Nope! It was one of the Timber Rattlers cocked and ready to go. He was perched under a piece of wood, coiled up, rattling and ready to pounce. We don't know what spooked him, but he rattled for a pretty long time. It was incredible!

Here is the Eastern Green Mamba. This is my fave of all of them. I think I can attribute it to Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter! He had a show where he taught about the black and green mambas and how fast and nimble they are. These snakes are incredibly thing and move at speeds up to almost 25 mph.

Here is the tail end of an Eastern Diamondback Rattler. Can we say FAT??? This was the fattest snake I've ever seen! It was about the size of one of the smaller pythons, but it's a rattlesnake. I had to laugh at how its tail all of the sudden gets really small right before the rattle.

A monitor lizard climbing the tree to hang out with his cage mate.

A copperhead. Did you know that most copperhead bites on adults do not need anti-venom? That's what the literature said about them. I don't know that I believe it though. Copperheads are the most abundant poisonous snake in our area! I know, that's not very comforting.

So now you probably think I'm some snake lover. No way! I can appreciate their characteristics and some of their beauty, but overall I do not like snakes!

Webelos Overnight

2011-08-12T14:04:00.000-04:00

I have now completed my first Cub Twilight Camp. Whew!

It was very intense as we had some unexpected twists and turns that kept us on our feet. Thank goodness for a great staff willing to jump in when necessary. And I have to say that I'm grateful for all of the years that I did Girls Camp. Had I not had those experiences to go on, I likely would have been VERY overwhelmed. Don't get me wrong! It wasn't easy, but I know this year was initiation. Next year I'll know more what to expect.

This is our first year of adding a Webelos Overnighter at the end of camp. Of course I was there to assist our fearless leader in any way I could. Jake and Brad went also since Brad is a Webelos Scout now. We had a campfire, snacks, slept in tents, cooked our breakfast and then did rotations to earn the Geologist Activity Badge. It was a packed 12 hours!!!

Here is one of the groups of boys and parents that watched the volcano demo.

Brad's group listens as Mr Leatherman talks of the specifics about volcanoes.

Getting ready to set it off! Too bad it didn't explode. Instead it acted as a real volcano and slowly oozed lava everywhere.

It was great fun. Now I must put my thinking cap on for ideas for next year. It's an Olympic-type theme. Want to change things up a bit. We'll see what great stuff we can come up with!

Entertainment - Fashion Show

2011-08-11T14:08:00.000-04:00

After coming home from Cub Twilight Camp one night, the kids put on a fashion show. I had no idea what to expect - and I have to say it was a bit of a surprise. The talent was oozing out of them!!!

Hannah, Travis, Mason and Wyatt

Brad's assets were most exaggerated. Can you see the pride in his eyes???

*sigh*

Working Hard

2011-08-11T13:59:00.000-04:00

It's been a good month as our wonderful friends moved back to the US. After being in Germany for 5 years, the Dzmuras are back!!! Yay!

We spent a lot of time prepping their house to be ready for them to move back in. Let's just say renters weren't gentle on the house!

After ripping out all of the carpet on the main level and upstairs, as well as painting everywhere but the basement we thought we were done. Nope! After lots of cat residue, Kim had to have part of the floor replaced and now it looks as though the carpet will also be replaced in the basement. Doh!

The best part about painting was that there was no carpet to spill on!!! That made it quite easy because we didn't have to be so careful! And the kids enjoyed playing everywhere while we worked.

Of course I don't have an after picture. But it looks GREAT! We just have Kim's room and the kids' bathroom to paint and then we can call it good!

Travis' uniform

2011-07-22T11:11:00.000-04:00

All summer Travis has insisted on wearing his shin guards or his baseball pants! Not sure why he likes to cover his legs in the extreme heat. As long as he doesn't want to dress that way for school. :)

Puppy Power

2011-07-22T11:08:00.000-04:00

I know, I know! It's been a while since I've posted anything new. Well in my defense, we've been extremely busy. Hopefully I can add some pictures of Brad's all-star team soon so you can see that we've been up to our eyeballs in baseball. And Twilight Camp is coming soon too. I'll get pictures of that so you can see I've been crazy into scouting too.

But until then, here is Odie!

Last weekend was youth conference for our stake. Alyssa needed someone to watch Odie while they were gone, and we ended up being the puppysitters.

After a few poops and pees on the carpet, we started to get the hang of each other. Luckily the weather was AWESOME and we could stay outside with him for the majority of the 2 days we had him.

We get to have Odie for a whole week in August. It's like having a baby again. You have to plan your outings! Plus you have to get up in the middle of the night for potty breaks. Although we love the little ratdog, at least this is a baby we can give back at the end of the week! :)

Getting Old

2011-07-01T22:29:00.000-04:00

I had my annual appointment with the eye doctor the other day. The good thing is that prescription in my right eye hasn't changed. My left eye's prescription had to be strengthened a bit and now matches the right eye. BUT I have some bad news too!

The doctor asked how my vision had been going. I admitted that it was taking longer for my eyes to focus when I look up from reading or working on the computer. All he said was, "Hmmm..." Not a good sign!

He did some tests and confirmed that both eyes were taking a smidge longer than they should to focus. Doh! I asked what the cause was. The first part of his answer was that I wore my contacts too much. He suggested that I take them out earlier in the evenings and wear my glasses to give my eyes a bit of a rest. The second part of his answer was that AGE was the cause. Yup! I think he told me I was getting old!

I think the scariest part is that it's only going to get worse as the years go on! Ugh! Perhaps I should really look into Lasik!

Camp Tuckahoe

2011-06-15T17:06:00.000-04:00

I attended a BSA sponsored National Camp School a couple of weeks ago. It was held at Camp Tuckahoe in Dillsburg PA. While there I learned that it is the closest Boy Scout camp to Gettysburg - so it is quite popular among BS Troops to visit.

The camp was pretty impressive! I would say this is probably in the center of camp. It's a star memorial that has all of the flags surrounding it. It's my guess that the flags are for all councils in the Northeast Region.

These signs were in the dining hall. I really appreciated representation for all steps of Cub Scouting.

Arrow of Light

Webelos rank - age 10

Bear rank - age 9

Wolf rank - age 8

Bobcat rank - earned when scouting career begins

Tiger rank - the LDS church does not recognize Tigers in the Cub program sponsored through the church

One of the cool totems found outside the castle.

This is the coolest part about the camp... Cub Scout World!!!

Not only does this camp cater to Boy Scouts but also Cubs!!! There is a castle, a fort, a treehouse, etc, etc. The Cubs have their own archery and BB range. It's so cool!

The Castle

2011-06-15T16:58:00.000-04:00

Here is the cool castle that I slept in over the weekend.

Shot of the front entrance.

One of the turrets.

When you walk through the drawbridge, this is what you see inside. There are picnic tables on both sides and cut wood for the stove inside.

The wood stove in the common room of the castle. I think it would be nice to have a winter camp trip in this place!!!

When you enter you are greeted by the knight in shining armor.

The common room is in the middle of the castle. On both sides are bunk rooms. Each bunk room sleeps 20 people. And there are curtain partitions for a bit of privacy in such a setup.

There were 2 women's toilets and 1 men's. And there were 3 showers. I have to say it was the nicest camping I've done in a LONG time!

Trip to the Fire Station

2011-05-26T13:49:00.000-04:00

Travis' class had another field trip to the fire station. We all walked a block from the school to probably the oldest station in town. Because it's in the heart of down town, it has been an operating station for a REALLY long time.

We met in their common room to talk to the firemen.

This fireman asked if anyone could demonstrate what you do if you are on fire. Tanner jumped up and volunteered.

As you can see, Tanner knew exactly what to do if he were on fire - STOP, DROP & ROLL.

This next part took another volunteer. Ethan decided he wouldn't mind being a fireman for the day. They let him put on his own fire gear.

It was a contest to see who could get dressed faster - Ethan or the real fireman. They ended about the same time.

Of course the real fireman reflected a lot of light in the camera. But Ethan was quite excited to put on the coat, pants AND boots like a real fireman.

Travis checks out the inside of the fire engine.

(It was a nasty, rainy day - that is why Travis is wearing his lovely snow boots with his shorts.)

Travis' class

Aidan, Travis, Cohen, Brady, Lucas, Tanner, (Tanner's cousin), Ethan

not shown, Cody

As we were looking at the truck and ambulance, the guys got a call. They hopped in the ambulance and headed out. Thank goodness they didn't turn their sirens on until they were in the street.

Here they are turning on the lights and pulling out.

Travis said that his favorite part of the trip was watching the fireman slide down the pole. Travis has now decided that he wants to be a fireman - so he can also slide down poles.

Emergency Helicopter

2011-05-17T17:39:00.000-04:00

Travis' preschool class took a field trip to the airport to learn about the emergency helicopter. This chopper is 1 of 7 in the area. The crew (pilot, paramedic & nurse) works 24-hour shifts and have living quarters at the airport. We learned that it costs $10,000 to take the chopper out. And should you need them to come get you at an accident, your charge is $15,000. Good thing insurance covers it all! And if you don't have insurance, the company eats the cost so that you don't have extra stress worrying about how to pay the bill.

Here is the nurse. She also works with the Air Guard doing the same thing.

She shows the night vision goggles that attach to the helmet.

The paramedic shows where the gurney locks in. The inside of the helicopter is quite small - only room for the patient and crew.

The class of boys!

Savings

2011-05-16T16:37:00.000-04:00

I don't know about everyone else, but every time I go to the grocery store and see my total I nearly choke. I am so tired of spending SO MUCH money on food. And now that I am eating healthier I am buying more produce - which isn't so cheap!

So after watching the infamous coupon show on TLC, I decided I could do something to save a bit too. Now I don't want you to think that I'm jumping in to buying $400 worth of some crap that we won't eat only because I will end up paying $.01 each. No, I'm trying to be smart about this. I only use coupons for things that we use! Normally I'm a generics kind of gal, but with coupons we can get name brand things for cheaper. I have also been very impressed lately that we need to work on our emergency supply of things we use on a daily basis. This is the best way to start stocking up.

I've been clipping for 3 weeks now. I'm learning more about the papers that are available up here so that I can pick and choose my coupons. A friend of mine here also coupons - and has been for a while now, so she has some good tips to help me out. Thank goodness!

Whoever says couponing is easy doesn't coupon. It takes time, organization, price comparing and knowing your local stores.

This is a picture of my goods from today. So far, this is my biggest bargain lot. Usually I get 1 or 2 products, but now that my coupons stash is growing, I have more to choose from.

All of the above (plus a Lunchable and a Butterfinger Snackerz that Travis ate) cost me:

$28.09

(And due to my ECBs from CVS, it's actually $2 less than that.)

6 boxes of cereal ...sale $1.75 each...minus coupons = $1.08 each

5 bottles of Purex ...sale $1.77 each...minus coupons = $.77 each

1 Purex fabric softener ...sale $1.99

2 Miracle Whip ... sale 2/$4...minus coupons = $1 each

2 Oscar Meyer Deli Creations ...sale 2/$4...minus coupons and manufacture's savings = FREE

1 OM Lunchable with fruit ...sale $2.69...minus manufacture's savings = $.69

2 Ball Park franks ...sale 2/$3.49...minus coupons = 2/$1.95

5 Birds Eye veggies...sale 10/$10

Doughnut ... $.59

2 Aussie shampoo ...sale 2/$5.97...minus coupons & ECB = $1.97 (plus received $2 ECB making it FREE)

I'm sure I will get better as time goes on. I liked when I only paid $22.64 out of pocket at Martins and my original total would have been $64.94. Can't complain!

South Beach update

2011-05-12T13:55:00.000-04:00

You can see by my ticker above that something must be working! It was very difficult the first 2 weeks. Detoxing from sugar was tough because I didn't want to give up Dr Pepper or all of the junk I was eating. And it didn't help things when I could only eat eggs for breakfast. Omelets were fine for a couple of days, but then it became disgusting!

The book stated how easy things would be after the first 2 weeks. Ha! I still struggled - especially at the checkout with all of the candy around and with Dr Peppers staring at me! But I didn't give in (and I'm not quite sure why).

So now I'm in the middle of week 4. I have lost 18 pounds. Now mind you I didn't weigh myself just before the diet. I actually weighed myself on a friends' scale that was said to be very accurate about 3 weeks prior. The number wasn't pretty. Now between that weighing episode and when I started the diet, there is NO WAY I lost any weight!!! I was drinking at least 2, sometimes 3 bottles of DP a day and eating whatever I felt like - including fast food. That is why I put my start weight as the same from the lovely day on the accurate scale.

It has gotten a lot easier. I don't crave the junk much anymore. I would LOVE to splurge on some ice cream, but will allow myself that pleasure on Memorial Day. I have set aside that day to enjoy time with friends and good food. I'll likely be sick the next day, but that will be a good motivator to stick with eating healthy.

Garden 2011

2011-05-09T12:37:00.006-04:00

My good ol' friend, Amber and I have been talking a lot about preparedness since the onset of winter. Early in the winter we talked with our hubbies and her mother and decided we really wanted to make an effort for a decent garden. Bishop Aldous (bp of their ward) and his wife have a very nice garden and then Sis Aldous often cans food from it to save for winter. We decided to ask for their help to get us started.

Bishop recommended the Square Foot Garden method. I had heard of this method when I was studying horticulture at BYU, but never paid too much attention to it. So first I checked the book out at the library. I nearly read the entire thing and told Jake that I really felt it was the best way for us to accomplish what we wanted in a crop. So we decided to buy our own copy of the book. He read that copy (which is a newer version) and also saw the vision.

In March Jake and Frank started fixing up their backyard and making the boxes. They laid them down and then mulched in between. In between all of the rain storms we had this summer, Prune (Amber's mom) and I started mixing the soil - compost, peat moss and vermiculite - and filled the boxes. That took a few days!

This week I started to string off the square feet in each box and Prune and I went to the nursery to buy some of our plants. Although we bought some plants, the idea of this style of gardening is to start everything from seed. So we also jumped in and started planting seeds.

This is the upper level of the garden. It has 5 boxes - 3 are 4'x4x and 2 are 3'x3'.

Here is the lower portion of the garden. There are 6 4'x4' boxes.

It may not seem like much, but I'll give you an idea of how many plants we will have in the garden once everything starts growing...

(*each of these numbers is a plant)

18 tomato - various types

5 cucumber

6 pickling cucumber

3 squash

3 zucchini

6 red pepper

3 jalapeno pepper

8 green pepper

16 garlic

32 onion

32 carrots

32 turnips

16 radishes

20 lettuce - various types

8 cauliflower

18 spinach

117 bean

36 lima bean

and we'll also add some potatoes to the mix

So as you can see, we will have a lot of veggies throughout the summer. I really hope it works well for us and that we are able to eat healthy and free for the season as well as be able to can things for the winter.

Wish us luck!

The Spring VT Game

2011-05-08T12:10:00.006-04:00

(this is not a photo from the scrimmage)

The Saturday before Easter was the Tech Spring scrimmage game. Jake took Brad while the rest of us were in Lynchburg doing other Easter festivities.

Brad loved every second of it. He wore his VT shorts and his VT jersey. While they were on campus he also got a new cap. So he was ready come game time.

Not only did Jake and Brad go, but also PawPaw Hambrick, Uncle Aaron, Danny & Kay and Hunter & Maria. They had lots of fun!

Egg Hunt Guest

2011-05-07T16:05:00.000-04:00

When we went outside for the egg hunt, we noticed this guy walking down the road.

Yes, it's a buzzard! And it let Clay get pretty close to it. This is the pic I took from the sidewalk, but I couldn't believe that the noise of the kids didn't drive it away!

The Big Egg Hunt

2011-05-07T11:58:00.001-04:00

I was pretty excited to be in Lynchburg with family for Easter. A couple weeks before I began planning out the egg hunt. I got fun little things to go in the eggs along with candy. I also got a larger egg for each kid and painted them gold and embellished them with their initials. In those they got a gold dollar and some other fun stuff.

After adding the candy, some dimes and quarters, stickers and fruit snacks we ended up with 176 eggs. I think the hardest part was distributing them around the yard. I had to keep in mind that the little guys wouldn't be digging in the flower beds for eggs like Brad and Wyatt might. So I spread them in the yard and then strategically hid a few for Wyatt to make it more fun for him.

Ian finds a treasure.

He did really well. He also got help from everyone minus Maddie and Travis as they were too concerned with their own finds.

Do you like their custom baskets??? Well you figure with that many eggs, they needed something easier to hold them all.

By far the most exciting were the eggs with money in them. I think the kids enjoyed looking for their golden egg too. It was fun. I think next year we may do a few less eggs though!

Painting Easter Eggs

2011-05-06T11:58:00.000-04:00

After going to breakfast on Saturday morning (the day before Easter), we decided to dye some eggs. It was still dreary outside and we needed to kill some time while the grass dried.

We all gathered around Grammy's kitchen island and started working.

Not only did we have the cups of dye, but we also had little Q-tips with color in them that we could paint with. I think everyone liked that! Madison painted an entire egg with only the Q-tip.

Best of friends and also cousins!

Wyatt shows off his egg.

Awesome!

We used the eggs to make deviled eggs for our Easter dinner. They were delicious - and different colors!

After lunch Maddie and Ian went home for naps. Grammy, Wyatt and I also took a bit of a snooze. Travis wandered around and played until everyone came back for the egg hunt.

Bloomin Mile

2011-05-01T22:29:00.002-04:00

Each year, the first weekend in May, Winchester celebrates the Apple Blossom Festival.

For years we went to the fireman's parade on Friday night, but we haven't gone in 2 years because the boys complained that it was too long. We have never been to the feature parade on Saturday morning though. But so much more happens with Apple Blossom. There is a carnival, a circus, all sorts of luncheons and feature attractions. There are the parades, the 10K run for adults and the Bloomin' Mile for all kids age 6-14.

I wanted Brad to run in the BM last year, but it didn't happen. So this year he and Wyatt expressed interest and we registered them. I have to say that they didn't do too badly for their first race ever!

The start of this race is uphill and then it's a pretty big hill down that levels out. Brad pushed himself a bit to move to the front of the pack while going uphill. So in the video he was in the front. But if you notice he isn't looking too hot. He lost his lead when he had to stop and puke!

Wyatt was middle of the pack in the video (the video is about midway of the downhill run). He paced himself pretty well and finished up only a handful of people behind Brad.

Out of 176 runners for the 8-9 year age group, Brad came in 14th and Wyatt was 26th (I think).

Not bad!

The police car leads the way! The boys are rounding the corner to come down the hill.

Brad is in the lead!

Look at all of those runners!

I tried to get a picture of Wyatt but my camera isn't fast enough. So I'm glad we got him on the video.

New Adventure

2011-04-20T13:40:00.000-04:00

So I called this an adventure, but it's not a very fun one - yet.

My friend Amber has been struggling with high blood pressure. It's a bit scary when you start thinking about the risks of high BP - especially in someone still so young! So her doctor put her on some BP meds and then told her she must lose another 50 pounds!!! (She's already lost quite a bit of weight, but he feels she can lose more.) After we picked our jaws off the ground at the big number we asked how he expected her to achieve such a feat! His answer was the SBD.

As I've struggled with trying to eat and live more of a healthy life I felt I could show my support to her by joining her in the diet. Her mother also jumped on board. So the 3 of us have been following Phase 1 since Monday.

Now for anyone that has never done the SBD, it's very difficult the first 2 weeks. You must cut out all sugar, carbs and starches. So that means no sweets, fruit, cereal, potatoes, rice, noodles, etc. We are restricted to meat, veggies and eggs. But this phase is designed to detox the body and get rid of cravings for the bad junk that we were eating before. After 2 weeks passes we jump into Phase 2 which reintroduces some whole wheat grains and fruit. It will still be tough, but a bit more liberal.

So I'm hoping to see an improvement in my own health. I weighed myself last night (after 2 days of this) and I think my scale is broken! It said I weighed WAY less than I thought I did. I need to get a second opinion from someone else's scale and go from there. The bonus to the strict first 2 weeks is that you can drop 8-12 pounds! Wohoo! I'm hoping!!!

Baptism... It's great to be 8!

2011-04-12T16:01:00.001-04:00

It's official! Wyatt is a baptized member of the church!

We had his baptism on April 1st. He won't ever forget that date!!!

It was a nice and small gathering of friends and family. PawPaw Hambrick spoke on baptism and Grandpa Shorter spoke on the Holy Ghost. Jake baptized and confirmed him.

It was quite special!

I'm grateful for Wyatt and his decision to be baptized. I know he has a testimony and loves the gospel. I look forward to seeing him learn and grow in the church as he prepares to turn 12 and receive the priesthood.

Look at those 3 handsome boys!

With Grandpa & Grammy.

With PawPaw and Nana.

Boys Having Fun

2011-04-11T12:10:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday!

2011-04-11T06:56:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to Wyatt! (and me)

Wyatt is now 8! He was able to attend the Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquet on the day of his birthday - while in uniform! It was quite a sight, I'm sure.

So Wyatt is a tough child to buy gifts for. He's actually quite practical! In fact he asked for his Cub Scout uniform and book and a set of scriptures! Yes, I'm serious.

Our friends, the Pearsons, couldn't stand to see him not get a "fun" gift, so as you can see in the picture below, they took care of that department!

I think the part that Wyatt likes best about the bike is that Brad is green with envy! Brad LOVES this bike and has realized that he will have to settle for a different color when his birthday comes around!

Spring Sports

2011-04-09T06:49:00.000-04:00

It is officially Spring! The boys have begun practice for their respective sports. Brad is playing baseball again this year. In fact, he pitched for 2 innings at the scrimmage last night! (I can see a little bit of Jake in him as he's starting to mature in the sport!) Wyatt is playing soccer. We moved him up an age group, so he's playing on a bigger field and nearly all the kids he plays with and against are at least 10 years old. And then we come to Travis...

As you can see from the pictures, Travis is playing soccer this season. This is the first season that all 3 boys are playing at the same time. The craziness of it all will really be noticeable this weekend when Jake has 3 games and 3 sets of pictures to attend while I'm away. I hate that it's all falling on this weekend, but I've been there and done it before too!

It's been entertaining to watch Travis play. We've gotten used to watching the skill level of Brad and Wyatt the past few years. And Tivvy is starting at the bottom rung. It's a hoot to watch him run around with all the other little people on the field.

Wood Badge

2011-04-07T15:49:00.000-04:00

Lately my life has been so crazy - hence no updates on the blog. As many of you know, I have been actively involved in Cub Scouts since Brad started going nearly 2 years ago. With that I've taken on responsibilities - and of course my calling allows me to be even more involved in the pack.

18 months ago, Jake did a Wood Badge course. Many people have asked me what Wood Badge is... It's a quick paced leadership training for adults. Jake earned his beads at a huge WB dinner where they were telling guests about the next course. So I decided it was my turn.

2 weeks ago I headed up to camp with my backpack of stuff. I had no idea what to expect as I had never been to the Boy Scout camp near us and people don't talk about the content of WB. Let me just say it was an intense weekend. Not only was it colder than dog snot (we woke up to snow on Sunday morning) but we were thrown into situations that really pushed me out of my comfort zone. It's like a leadership boot camp!

I am part of the Fox Patrol. So I have included a pic of our fearless mascot.

Jake is part of the Beaver Patrol.

Once a critter, always a critter! So from here on out I will be known as a Fox and Jake will be a Beaver.

So this weekend is my last camping portion of the course. I'm looking forward to it, but will have to stretch out of my comfort zone again. Oh yeah, and it's supposed to rain ALL DAY Friday. So we'll be setting up camp in a soggy mess. But we'll do it with a smile! :)

Dinner with Mishes

2011-03-21T04:17:00.001-04:00

We are so lucky that 2 of our favorite missionaries EVER are companions and serve in an area about 30 minutes away. So we decided to get together as a group and go to dinner.

We haven't seen E. Smith (on the left) since he was transferred out of Berryville last summer. E. McMaster was here over Christmas, but left at January transfers. It was definitely fun to see them and hear of their experiences that they have had lately.

E. Smith and E. McMaster

Jake and Frank

We ate at Logan's Roadhouse, so there were peanut shells all over. Brad, Wyatt and Travis didn't complain about us being there so long - and I think we owe it all to the delicious bread and peanuts. We will be going there again!!!

I had to crack up because Alyssa is trying not to touch either one of them. Even though they are like older brothers, she still respects the rules of the mission - and so do they!~

As for Johnathan --- they could be a little chummier!!!

The boys were happy to see the Elders. And I believe the Elders were happy to see the boys!

I have said it before, but these missionaries are like family.

The group photo - minus Amber since she's taking the picture.

We sure are a happy looking group!!! :)

Clever Creations

2011-03-20T04:00:00.002-04:00

Last weekend was the District Pinewood Derby. Despite no win for Brad, it was still fun. I ended up working the event and got to know some of the other scout leaders better.

Here are my 2 favorite cars (besides Brad's).

This was made with an actual candy bar wrapper.

And who doesn't like crinkle fries???

Stages of Life

2011-03-19T22:58:00.000-04:00

I was reading my sister Ginnie's sister's blog. (Did that make sense?) Actually Ginnie is my sis-in-law, but I think of her as a sis, just like Jessica - since I didn't have any sisters. But this isn't a post about sisters. It's about Katie's post that then links to her friend's blog. They both talk of the balance of life - especially with kids. I recommend a quick read of their posts.

I have had my own thoughts on my children growing up lately. A couple of weeks ago I had to register Travis for kindergarten. One of the secretaries at the elementary school asked if I was sad that my baby was going to school. I answered, "No. It's a good thing!" And I firmly believe it!

Let me explain...

I have had a couple of friends recently have babies. And don't get me wrong, I love babies and their little feet and their smiles and coos, but I don't miss those days. I have no problem handing my friends' babies back after a few minutes of cuddling. Why? Because I've paid my dues! My boys were not easy babies. In fact, life didn't really even resemble normalcy until they each reached a year old. I remember people warning me that I won't like when they can walk because they'll get into everything. Not so! I was thrilled! They were learning and growing and becoming more independent.

Now I don't want anyone thinking I'm not a sentimental person, because that's not true. I love my boys and love looking back on their smaller days. But I am excited for their futures! I love that in the coming months life will be crazy because all 3 boys are in sports at the same time. I love that Travis will be going to school in the fall! I love that Brad and Wyatt don't mind staying home alone for a few minutes if I have to run to the store for a sec. I love that I have to buy shoes and clothes to fit their growing bodies. It's a good thing that they grow up! And it's my job as a parent to teach them so that they grow up to be decent adults in this crazy world we live in.

I love my family - and that I have all boys. We have lots of fun together - as well as screaming matches at times. But the best part is that we're learning and growing each day!

Primary Bulletin Board

2011-03-18T03:19:00.001-04:00

Now that we are in the new Winchester South building for church, we must make it a bit more homey. The walls still don't have any art work and the building seems a bit plain. So to spice things up, I decorated our bulletin board.

The open house for the building is the middle of April. That said, we have a few projects to complete --- the HUGE bulletin board also in the Primary Room and a display table of Cub Scouts. Eek! There is a lot to do.

Now I don't want anyone thinking I'm so awesome and came up with this idea on my own. I wish I were so creative, but alas, I'm not! I got this idea from Sugardoodle - which is one of the best reference websites for creative ideas in our church callings.

It's not quite done yet. I just bought some grass stuff from the dollar store today that I'm going to put coming out from under the picnic blanket. I will likely add a ribbon border around the top. I just like that it emphasizes the scriptures (which is the theme of primary this year) and is colorful.

Stay tuned for the big board - when it's done!

Pet Turtle

2011-03-16T15:19:00.000-04:00

At the end of February our good friends Frank and Amber took a cruise to the Bahamas. They said it was the most relaxing 3 days of their lives. And while they were relaxing they went shopping in the markets on the island.

Brad and Wyatt got t-shirts, I got jewelry, Jake got a necklace (and maybe a shirt???) and Travis got this turtle.

These fun little turtles are made out of coconut shells. They are sanded down and then painted. As you can see his was personalized.

This little turtle has a string that if you pull it all the way out and place it on a surface, it will "walk" as the cord draws up underneath again. Quite clever!!!

He even has a head and tail!

Travvie took his little friend to show and tell at school not long after he got him. The other boys liked it a lot.

I'm hoping that next year Jake and I will be going with them so that we can bring back some fun gifts. We're looking for some good deals, but it's hard to plan a trip when your broke! :(

Derby Car 2011

2011-02-26T13:46:00.000-05:00

Originally Brad wanted to try to make an Oscar Meyer wiener car. Of course that was going to be a lot of work. Instead he decided to do a Hokie car.

Brad designed the contours of the car and Jake cut it out.

It took many coats of white paint to cover the block of wood.

The stripes and decals go on. We had PawPaw get some VT stickers to add some more umph to the car.

Jake helped Brad tape the car off and Brad helped with the painting.

And here's the Hokie! We had a broken Hokie ornament that we decided to use. We also bought orange wheels rather than using the black ones that come in the kit.

Not only was it a good lookin' car, it won 2nd place overall in the pack. Brad was the #1 Bear from both packs 131 and 231. He will now move on to the district race next month.

Subbing

2011-02-20T08:12:00.000-05:00

I have had the opportunity to earn some extra cash for the family by subbing in the same school system the boys are in. So far I haven't worked in their school but have worked as a freshman English teacher at the high school and an aide for 5th grade at one of the elementary schools. Next month I will be working as an ESL aide at the high school and also a special ed aide there.

I really enjoyed being aide for the 5th grade and could see myself doing that kind of work full time. BUT it's not a well-paid job AT ALL! I can't believe how little the aides are paid. Does anyone know how much work they really do??? On Friday I had about a 15 minute break all day - and I was the sub!!! I can't imagine what the normal aide must do. Oh yeah, and the kids were only there 1/2 day, so the afternoon was about paperwork and stuff. I would imagine a normal day is juggling helping in the classrooms as well as making millions of copies and such. Crazy!

So what conclusion have I come to? I will remain a sub. I like the flexibility I have with it. I can choose what days I'll work - especially when I'm called ahead of time by teachers. I can't work for at least another year anyway. Travis will be in 1/2 day kindergarten which doesn't work with a job. So I still have a year to build my Scentsy business. Maybe with the money I make from Scentsy and subbing here and there I won't have to get a "real" job!

Winter 2011

2011-02-16T20:13:00.001-05:00

The last snow we had was a heavy and wet one. Our poor cherry tree was weighted down. I was afraid we might lose a limb or two, but it pulled through.

It sure made a pretty picture.

Our little Winter Wonderland!

The Fort

2011-02-14T20:13:00.000-05:00

The boys have been working hard all winter on their "fort" in the woods behind our house. Using sticks and limbs they have made a shelter that they are quite proud of. It was a joint effort between our 3 and the neighbors. Unfortunately they can only work during the winter months due to bad poison ivy during the warmer months of the year.

The Structure

Working hard to find materials to make it even better.

A different angle. It's on the hillside in the back - you can see our house on top of the hill.

Awwww... They're working together. That is until someone "accidentally" hits someone else with a stick!

The Donkey and the Sheep

2011-01-27T09:47:00.001-05:00

Brad and Wyatt were stable animals for the Ward Christmas Party.

Travis felt left out so we asked Ariana to paint his face too.

What is in a Fire House?

2011-01-26T12:17:00.000-05:00

The other day Travis and I were driving by our neighborhood fire department. Travis asked why there were police cars near the fire house. We talked about emergency vehicles and he then mentioned that "the firetrucks and ambulamps stay in the garage".

I love what they come up with! :)

Christmas Day 2010

2011-01-26T09:43:00.001-05:00

After everyone opened Santa gifts, we got to hang out with cousins!

Clay, Jess, Maddie and Ian visited at Grammy and Grandpa's all afternoon and evening.

Of course we still had presents to open from Grammy and Grandpa!

All of the boys got HUGE Tonka trucks.

The boys always have fun spending time with their cousins. Hopefully we'll all be able to play together at the beach this summer (including Charlotte and Cameron!)

New Callings

2011-01-25T17:24:00.000-05:00

Some changes have needed to occur in our ward. We've had a family move out, a couple more move in and juggling needing to be done in the auxillaries. So last week I was called into the Bishop's office and called to the 1st counselor in Primary. Not much has changed from when I was 2nd counselor as I'm still over Cub Scouts - wahoo! Our new president is on top of things and really excited about her calling.

This past Sunday, our family was called in to meet with the Stake Presidency. Yup, a little bit more drastic from the Bishop's call the week before! President Shake met with Jake and myself as he was called to be the 2nd counselor in the Bishopric.

To be honest, I have seen his progression over the past few years. He has been prepared for this calling as he was YM President and then EQ President. It will be a big adjustment for us all, but I am quite proud of him and his growth!

Christmas Morning 2010

2011-01-24T09:36:00.001-05:00

It was Grammy's and Grandpa's turn for Christmas morning.

Look at all of the loot Santa dropped off!

Wyatt got a HUGE automatic Nerf gun, a Lego game, a Wii game and a few other odds and ends.

Brad got an electric guitar with amp. He also had some other family gifts to open. I guess Santa didn't want him to feel left out! :)

Travis got 3 Zsu Zsu pets, modeling clay, and a ukelele - as well as other smaller things.

Grandpa shows Brad a few chords and reminds him to practice them over and over.

Christmas Eve 2010

2011-01-22T21:36:00.000-05:00

Our December was quite crazy. I don't know why I cram so much into our time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I do it every year. By the time we get to Christmas week I am so tired of the hubub that I threaten to give no gifts and do nothing for Christmas the next year. Of course by the time the year lapses, I forget and do the same thing again!

It was nice to leave home and head to Nana and PawPaw's for a few days. We got to be with them from the 22nd to the 24th. During that time we exchanged gifts with Kay and Danny, Hunter and Maria, Aaron and Kate. And Mallory was with us too (she's the dog).

Christmas Eve was fun for the boys because they got to open their gifts from Nana and PawPaw, and then go down to Granny's and open gifts from her and PawPaw and all of the aunts and uncles.

Showing off the rocket.

Wyatt got his own tools. They'll come in handy once he's in Cub Scouts.

All of the boys got new VT shirts. Travis was VERY proud of his.

Before we headed to Granny's for dinner and Christmas Eve festivities, Travis and I decided to take a little nap.

The annual Christmas pictures!

E. McMaster

2011-01-22T21:21:00.000-05:00

This is one of our favorite Elders --- E. McMaster served in our ward for 7 months. We were sad to see him go but look forward to his visit with us when he comes back after his mission.

He was always so good with the kids. He's showing them how to Tech Deck!

We got to spend his birthday with him. That's a Cookies N Cream ice cream cake. It was pretty delish!

Cake Pops

2011-01-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

In December I tried my hand at Cake Pops for a cookie exchange I did with a bunch of people Jake works with. I made lemon with vanilla coating, chocolate with mint chocolate coating and strawberry with chocolate coating. All were good and the presentation was pretty nice too. Too bad I didn't think to take a picture until they were packed up in the box to go.

Then my friend, Hannah had her baby shower today. I offered to make a "bouquet" of cake pops. They turned out pretty cute. The blue ones have white cake in the middle and the white ones have chocolate cake. Each of them has mint chocolate drizzled on them for an added zing.

I got lots of compliments on them. They fit perfectly into the hostesses cake plate that was silver. It looked awfully nice!

One of the girls attending the shower is getting married this summer. She kept commenting on them and I told her I'd make some for her bridal shower. Her colors are Oranges. So I think I might try to swirl some oranges together to make it look cool. I'll make sure I take pictures of those when I get them done.

More of Beachin' 2010

2010-12-29T09:48:00.000-05:00

It was fun having 2 babies in the house again at the beach. Of course I didn't have one of those babies, so it made my life even easier!!! :) It reminded me of the year that Travis, Madison and Cameron were all 2 and under. Cute stuff!

Grandpa with the babes! Ian LOVES his Papa! And Charlotte was so easy going and would hang out with whoever would grab her! Jake fell in love and has asked Chad and Ginnie to ship her to us. It hasn't quite panned out yet though!

Wyatt loves the babies too. He could get Ian laughing and playing quite hard.

I believe EVERY child plays with their floaty while it's in the house/condo. We have pics of each of our boys doing the same thing! Love it.

Travis shows off on his mound of sand one evening.

Brad displays his ability to skim board. But don't think it was all hunky-dorey! There was plenty of screaming and yelling and crying too!

Travis dances!

Sorry it's blurry, but I wasn't sure how to do all the fancy stuff with the camera!

USS North Carolina

2010-12-29T09:36:00.000-05:00

On our way to Myrtle Beach this past August, we stopped in Wilmington to see the USS North Carolina. For years Brad has wondered what it was about, so we decided to head down a bit early to explore. (We still got to the beach before everyone else because Clay and Jessica's car's transmission decided to conk out!)

This is on the main deck of the ship. This plane was so small compared to the huge ship. And to think there were likely multiple planes on the deck while this ship was in use.

The Big Guns!

Not the boys, but the actual big guns. They were amazing!

Each of the boys wanted a chance to "shoot" the individual guns along the side of the deck of the ship. Travis was a bit small to reach the shoulder rests though.

Halfway through our tour in the bottom of the ship, Wyatt had to go to the bathroom. So Jacob got to take him off the ship and back to the visitor's center. So the other 2 and I checked out other parts of the ship. This is again on the deck. There are multiple seats to man these guns.

I can't imagine sitting in the open and shooting at other ships as I'm being shot at! It must have been terrifying!

I like the sign to the right of the boys. "Alligators Are Dangerous". I guess they put that there in case there were any idiots out there that didn't already know that fact!

It was hotter than blue blazes the day we stopped to see the ship. And down in the living quarters it was even hotter. It was quite enjoyable though. We learned some interesting facts... Did you know that the only deaths on this ship were from natural causes??? Interesting! Ghost Hunters did an investigation on this ship. But the activity they captured were from men that had served many years on the ship but had died in other locations. Apparently a spirit can haunt a place that they frequented through their life.

I don't remember how many years this ship was in commission, but I'm sure we could look it up in the history books. It is quite an interesting tour and our family recommends it to anyone in the Wilmington area.

Going Back In Time

2010-12-29T09:06:00.000-05:00

Since our camera pooped out on us, we borrowed Jake's work camera. So starting with vacation at Myrtle Beach, our photos were on that camera. And of course the memory card didn't fit in our card reader so I had to wait until Jake could consolidate all pics on a thumb drive. I NOW HAVE THE THUMB DRIVE!

So the next few posts will be going back in time beginning with vacation and going through the fall. But no worries because following those posts will be Christmas - which is on our new camera that I have more control over! :)

No Camera

2010-11-28T08:59:00.000-05:00

I must apologize for the lack of posts lately. Our old camera finally kicked the bucket so we have been using a camera that Jake uses at work. It's great and does the job but the memory card in it doesn't fit in our card reader. :( I haven't had the time to head to Costco, pull the pictures up on the kiosk, order them to a CD and wait an hour. Maybe this week!

The good news is I got a new camera! Thanks Scentsy! I earned it for my sales this past summer. Love it when I can get something I need for FREE!!! I just need to get a new memory card for it so I can save more than 8 pictures.

Thanks for your patience!

Me & God

2010-11-18T13:39:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd share one of my favorite songs performed by one of my favorite Country artists. Josh Turner has Ralph Stanley singing it with him on his CD. That is quite a treat! For those of you not familiar with Ralph Stanley, he's been singing Blue Grass for decades. With his graveling voice, he really adds to the rough sound of some Blue Grass music.

This song is awesome as it reminds me of my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I often get a bit emotional when I hear it because of its simplicity and truth.

Enjoy!

Older and Wiser???

2010-11-09T12:20:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking a bit lately about how age is just a number. Sure, the higher the age, the longer you've been on the earth, but I think it's our experiences that make us "older". OK, so that may not have made a lot of sense, let me give you the background on why I'm feeling that way.

Right now I am in the process of applying for a substitute teacher position within the school system that the boys are in. Part of the application process is to submit 3 references. Well since I've been a stay-at-home mom for nearly 10 years now, I feel kind of silly asking for references from former employers. So I began looking a little closer at my interactions with people. I concluded with my cohort in Cub Scouts, one of my downline with Scentsy and then my favorite high school teacher, Carol. (I guess I'm old enough now that I can call her by her first name!)

I'm sure you're thinking that if I felt silly about asking former employers for references since it's been 10 years then I should feel crazy about calling up an old high school teacher. Maybe ordinarily I would have felt that way, but I've stayed in contact with this teacher all these years.

Part of the reference form asks how long you have known the applicant. So dear Carol gave me a call and asked how long we really have known each other. I had to clear out some cobwebs and think back to the first time I entered her classroom. That was Sophomore English --- just a few years ago! In fact, it was back in 1992. Then I started doing the math --- we've known each other for 18 years! Wow!

I love Carol and we've had a good relationship that began back in the fall of '92. I admit that her class wasn't the easiest because it was a literature class. I have to say that I'm not a huge fan of the classics, but I made it through. My Senior year I had a free period that allowed me to be her assistant. I also drove her son to swim practice and then home for a couple of years. And guess who wrote my recommendation letter for college? You bet! It was Carol. And we can't forget when Jake and I got married... Carol and Fred attended our reception. In the years since, we have become friends on Facebook, followed each others' blogs and sent Christmas cards to each other.

After hearing that little history, many would probably say that we're old because we've been friends for 18 years. Well, Carol is now enjoying the retired life and I have 3 children, my oldest nearly 10. Yes, our ages have increased and years have passed but that's not what makes us old. It's the experiences that we've had in those years. The things we've shared, the things we've accomplished, the highs and lows. The nitty gritty is what makes us old, not our age. And as time rolls on and we experience more and more, we become wiser and more seasoned. So thank goodness for our experiences that keep us on our toes and create memories so that when we look back and we start to feel old, we also feel fulfilled.

Princess Travie

2010-11-01T09:15:00.001-04:00

The first weekend in October, Travis and I went to Lynchburg so that I could do a Scentsy party for Grammy. Usually Travis goes out with Grandpa and plays golf and gets ice cream and stuff like that, but Grandpa was out of town. So instead, Travis was invited to Clay and Jessica's to play with Madison.

Jess took Maddie to pick out a Redbox movie that they watched while eating popcorn. (To see pictures of popcorn visit Clay & Jess' blog.) After watching the movie Maddie put on her pink princess dress. Jess said that Travis carried the purple one over to her and asked if she could help him put it on. Jessica's response was, "Sure, but I don't think your daddy would be too happy!"

Yes, I stole these pictures from Jessica. I couldn't resist having pictures of my son in a dress. I'm sure we'll use it for blackmail when he's a teenager!

I'm so glad Travis and Madison love each other so much. I realize they will likely drift apart as they get older, but it sure is fun to see their excitement when they get to see each other.

Millbrook High School Homecoming

2010-10-31T18:09:00.000-04:00

This is Alyssa - aka, Wissa.

I had so much fun with Homecoming this year. For weeks Alyssa would get online looking at dresses. All of the missionaries in the area as well as all 3 families involved in our Family Home Evening group helped in the dress picking process. It came down to a black dress.

So you may be wondering why she has a purple dress on in the picture! Well the black was not suitable when it came in. At this point we had a week until the dance. Since Amber (her mom) works and has a hard time taking time off here and there, I offered to take Alyssa to Nordstrom to return the dress. We hoped we'd be able to find another to take its place.

Sure enough we found the purple beauty! And to make it a sweeter deal, it was on Clearance!!! Alyssa was able to get the dress and necklace and earrings for more than half of the original dress.

Our family joined up with the Pearsons and the Waltons (because Sydney went with Alyssa to the dance) as the girls got ready for the night. Alyssa sat while Amber curled her hair so she could look like Taylor Swift. Then it was time for makeup. Both girls were knockouts when it was all said and done.

I'm grateful that I don't have girls to buy expensive dresses for and deal with drama when things don't go right. So I'll live through my friends and have fun with their daughters as long as they'll let me.

Love you, Wissa! Thanks for the fun with Homecoming this year!

Cutie Patootie

2010-10-31T09:15:00.001-04:00

I couldn't resist putting pictures of little Charlotte up. She is too cute and those blue eyes are so piercing.

I've had a few people tell me that she could be one of ours because she looks a lot like Wyatt. Jake has asked Chad and Ginnie to ship her to us for a month or so. Too bad they don't live closer!!!

I love her faces and reactions to things!!! So cute. And of course Ginnie puts her in the cutest clothes. Love it! Thanks to Chad and Ginnie for having such a cute little girl!

An Apple & A Pumpkin

2010-10-30T09:15:00.001-04:00

I really liked this picture of Travis in the field at the Pumpkin Patch. He's getting so big!

The Costumes

2010-10-29T09:15:00.004-04:00

The boys decided to all be pirates. Travis and Brad decided to be dead pirates like on Pirates of the Carribean. Most of the components of their costumes were from Salvation Army. I had a lot of fun perusing the racks and getting my creative juices flowing. I think I spent less than $20 on all 3 costumes.

Travis was most proud of his boots. Yes, they're girl boots that we found at the Salvation Army - but they were perfect for what we needed and exactly the right size. And to top off the good fortune, they were only $4. Gotta love it! Oh yeah, and his blouse is a girl blouse too, but pirates wear girlie shirts!

Wyatt wanted to be more like Jack Sparrow, hence the scarf on his head. He ended up not wearing the boot covers. They said one size fits all, but I think they must have meant adults!

And Brad is the scariest pirate of all. I wish I was better at makeup, but the skeletal face turned out OK.

Ready to head out and get some candy!

I love the silly pictures of all 4 of them. They had a good time. The platform they are standing on is to the camp site next to us. They used it as a stage. Travis and Riley grooved and sang - it was quite cute!

Pumpkin Fun

2010-10-28T09:25:00.001-04:00

One of the activities at the camp ground was a pumpkin carving contest. They had pumpkins categorized by the age of those that submitted them. All of the kids that turned in a carved pumpkin got a ribbon and a prize. As for the adults, there was a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Unfortunately we only saw 2 of the 3 winners.

Here are the 2 winners submitted from adults. Jake and I have decided we want to do one for next year. We'll have to work on a really good one.

This potty pumpkin wasn't part of the contest. Instead he was hanging out during trick-or-treating. Notice he has some innards coming out from the bottom of him. Oh yeah, and that's a portable toilet seat. Niiice!

This was a spooky train at one of the camp sites. Inside the back car was a man and his son handing out candy. We thought it was quite clever.

Teresa and I have decided that next year we're really going to step it up. We want to decorate our site a lot more - and enter the pumpkin carving contest - and give awesome treats to kids. Too bad we have to wait a year to do it again!!!

Halloween Camping

2010-10-27T11:03:00.000-04:00

Our good friends, the Millers told us about the weeks leading up to Halloween at their favorite camp site in Gettysburg. (Yes, this is the same site we stayed at earlier in the summer.) For the past 4 years or so, they had been camping Halloween weekend and enjoying the festivities of fellow campers. This year they decided to try for the weekend before so that Riley (their daughter) could still trick-or-treat at home if she wished. So they invited us to share in the fun.

Personally I have never camped any after August, but Jake has a few cold camp outs. Well this was one to put on the list. Friday night was chilly! It got down to about 28 degrees. Good thing it was toasty in our sleeping bags. It was crispy and cold when we got up Saturday morning, but as the day wore on it warmed into the 70s. Saturday night was much warmer (about 50) so we didn't freeze again!

When Teresa and Vernon decided to change weekends to camp, they made sure they got a good spot. This site is a single camper site, but was plenty big for our tent and lots of running around. And because we were at the end of the road, the kids could play in the road and across in the little area where most people let their dogs poop. Somehow the kids played hide-and-seek (even though there weren't a ton of hiding places) and found other ways to entertain themselves.

The rock in front of our tent was a huge source of entertainment. The kids spent hours on that thing!

Notice the bend in the road? That is where it begins to loop back the other direction - and we were in that little nook. There were campers ALL OVER the camp ground. It was nice to see so many people out enjoying the awesome fall weather.

Saturday morning, Teresa, Vernon and I headed into town to get some groceries for the day. Jake stayed back at the site with the kids and carved the pumpkins. Brad carved the spider, Wyatt did the headless horseman and Riley did the witch. Later Jake added the VT on the back of Brad's spider.

After Jake and the kids gutted the pumpkins, they saved some of the innards for us. Teresa and I spent a while sifting through the guts to save some of the seeds. Later that night we tossed them on the foil covered grill and "roasted" them over the fire. There weren't bad - but not as good as putting them in the oven!

And yes, my hair is quite dark. I didn't mean for it to go that way - it was supposed to be a medium brown. Well, I guess my hair sucked all of the color and made it a DARK brown. Guess I'll be a brunette for a while.

Travis' First Field Trip

2010-10-25T13:08:00.000-04:00

Travis had his very first Field Trip. It was to a local Apple Orchard and Farm.

As we waited for the rest of his classmates to arrive, we saw the owner of the orchard trot up on his horse. I had Travis look over at him and asked what he was. Travis said, "He's a grandpa in a cowboy outfit!"

I'm sure he is a grandpa, but he's also a true cowboy!

This is the owner and his horse. (Travis and I can't remember the horse's name.)

Travis looks for a pumpkin that he likes...

Unfortunately the owner had an accident while tending to one of his animals earlier in the summer. He ended up with a broken leg and was not able to take care of the apples like he normally did. This year all of the apples were "organic" because he wasn't able to spray them. Due to the lack of attention, they didn't have as many apples available, so the kids had to pick them out of a bin.

We had fun on the wagon ride.

Travis and his friend Brady.

It was fun to meet all of Travie's little buddies from class.

Here are the 8 boys of Mrs. Teutsch's class.

I enjoyed the time with Travis. He got to run around as he wanted without worrying about having to follow his brothers. Seems he gets along well with 3 other boys in his class too. I got to meet all of the moms --- that was interesting because I'm one of the old moms. Travis is my youngest while most of the boys in the class are the oldest in their families.

I look forward to more field trips to come. In another year I will be able to go on trips with all 3 boys as I won't have any more at home to look after!!!

New Baby Cousin

2010-10-18T17:10:00.000-04:00

The boys have a new baby cousin!

Derek and Amy had a little girl this morning. She came a little early but was a hearty 4 lbs 13 oz (that's big for Amy's babies). Amy is doing well after an emergency c-section.

Unfortunately I don't have her name yet... Jake's mom didn't even have a name to tell us when she sent out the email! And wouldn't you know that Jake just talked to Amy and didn't think to ask her name! So silly!

I hope to have pictures and a name soon, so stay tuned...

Wood Badge Beading

2010-10-05T19:00:00.000-04:00

Wood Badge training is a commitment that many adult scout leaders get involved with. It requires a 6 day intense training and camping series as well as a contract completed at home in the months to follow.

The church has asked priesthood leaders of Boy Scouts to be involved in Wood Badge as it teaches leadership skills and how to better work with the youth. Jake took on this challenge in Fall 2009 and recently completed his ticket. We attended the Wood Badge reunion where he received his beads.

Friend and fellow scouter, Gary donned Jake with his new neckerchief and woggle as well as his beads.

And a happy camper - no pun intended.

Fellow scouters holding their tuits in their mouths.

Chuck Morrow, Chip Bennett, Jake, Frank Pearson, Gary Huff

As you know from my last post, I've jumped into Cub Scouts with 2 feet. Part of my "jumping in" I've decided to sign up for Wood Badge. My training will take place in Spring 2011. I look forward to what I can learn that can make me a better leader and teacher. I hope to learn more about myself so that I can better my skills with others.

A New Phase

2010-09-27T20:54:00.001-04:00

I have been active with Girls Camp now for 5 of the last 6 years. I love it despite the stress and work it takes to prepare for a week with teenage girls. It helps me get my fill of girls and reminds me that I'm grateful to have 3 boys and that I don't have to deal with hormones! :) Despite my love for the other women I work with and the girls I serve, it's time to face a new phase in my life.

With 3 boys it was inevitable that I would end up serving in Cub Scouts at some point. I remember when Brad was 3 and Wyatt was 1 and Jake was a den leader. I made the statement that I never wanted to serve in Cub Scouts (but in the back of my mind I knew I couldn't avoid it with sons).

Brad has been involved now for 2 years. I decided to help out with our counsel's Twilight Camp (evening camp for all Cub Scout aged boys) this summer. It was nothing major, I just took on a craft project, helped check boys in and out and assisted wherever needed. During that week I had heard rumor that the Program Director was looking to retire and needed someone to fill her shoes. I consciously thought that I would not do something like that to add more stress to my life but instantly found myself talking to the Camp Director about it. (Why do I do it to myself???)

I reluctantly talked to Jake about my idea of being the Program Director because I wasn't sure how he would react to me being involved in one more thing. I explained that my role would be to come up with and execute the daily activities of camp. Surprisingly he was indifferent to my involvement. I later learned that I would need to go through a weekend training and commit to serve as Director for 5 years. As I continued to ponder and pray whether I should take on this task, I kept feeling a bit conflicted.

Finally I realized what the issue was - Girls Camp. I knew that if I committed myself to Program Director I would have to give up Girls Camp. After praying one night for a confirmation of my feelings, it popped into my head that I needed to be where my children were - in Cub Scouts. Once that thought entered my mind, I have had no problems with saying goodbye to Girls Camp.

Sure I will miss my friends and the girls, but I'll make new friends and I'll have a whole slew of boys. Since this decision I have jumped into Scouting with both feet. I am currently trying to organize our pack so that it runs more smoothly with more parental involvement. I also plan to attend Wood Badge training this spring!

I look forward to learning and growing with my 3 boys. I am excited as I embark on this new phase of life!!!

Are You Ready For Some Football???

2010-09-17T09:13:00.000-04:00

This fall is a bit different from those of the past. Usually our falls are full of baseball practices and games, but this year Brad thought he'd try something new. This is the first year he's old enough to play tackle football, so he thought he'd give it a go.

I admit I wasn't keen on the idea only because I didn't think he'd stick it out and that he would whine the entire season. (See, our boys are not the most resilient when it comes to pain!) Well I was wrong! After the 1st week of practice, Brad has LOVED it! He enjoys having practice every day so he can get his frustrations out on others! And his coach is AWESOME! I really think Brad's confidence has grown since he began this season. I wonder if Coach can help with Brad's math confidence too???

Here are pictures from the 2nd game against the Eagles.

Warming up before the game! Brad is the 2nd smallest kid on the team, but it hasn't seemed to stop him!

Go #33! Go Panthers!

Unfortunately where the sun was located and because our camera is oh-so-awesome, I couldn't get too many pictures. Maybe I can get more as the season progresses.

We love cousins!

2010-09-02T21:03:00.000-04:00

I should define the title a bit better... Travis loves cousins his age!!! Sure he loves the babies, but he really loves to do anything with Cameron and Madison.

hanging at the pool

in the bedroom being silly

trying to wreck the pool table even more

thinking they are so cute!

craft project thanks to aunt Jess

holding up the shorts and skirt as not to get wet

lounging on the coffee table - because that's what everyone does

showing off Mater teeth

being so cute and matchy-matchy with Grammy & Grandpa

Beachin' 2010

2010-09-02T19:10:00.001-04:00

Our entire family was super excited to go to the beach this year. Not that we're not excited every year, it just seemed amped up a bit. I think it was in part because Madison and Travis could hardly contain themselves when we talked about going. Both talked for weeks about spending time at the beach together with cousins.

The Shorter family usually stays in North Myrtle Beach. This year we were right next to the Cherry Grove Pier. This picture was likely taken while sitting on the sand in front of our complex. We were so close!

You'd never guess that Travie and Maddie enjoy spending time with each other!

This year wasn't a great one for castles. Instead I believe we all made sand mounds and holes. Travis called the holes bathtubs for Ian and Charlotte to sit and play in.

So Jess snuck this one in. I nearly vomited in my mouth when I saw it. Cute gesture, I just didn't realize they allow livestock on the beach!!! Ugh! Pictures in swimsuits don't lie! I need to lose some weight! At least I had some fun, right?

This was Brad's life for a week. Body boarding and Skim boarding. He was our beach bum! He turned a couple shades darker and had a peeling nose by the end of the week. Nearly every night he ended up sleeping through dinner because he had played a bit too hard during the day.

We hardly ever saw Jake, Wyatt and Brad. They were always catching waves in the water and drifting down the beach. Most of the time we just gave up looking for them and figured they'd walk back up the beach eventually.

3 Cousins

I couldn't leave the babies out! Charlotte was so cute and LOVED the water and sand. She could sit in the water all day if she was allowed. And Ian always wanted to be where Grandpa (or as he says PaPa) was - whether it was hanging out on the beach or inside the condo.

It was surprising how hot it was. Usually you have the hefty shore breeze, but it was a scorcher all week. Our family spent the majority of our time outside in the water - which was luke warm! I can't complain though - it was a great time!

Shorter Posse

2010-08-30T08:42:00.000-04:00

I stole these pictures from my sis, Jess' blog. I will post more when I get them from the family photographer (Jessica). Unfortunately Clay and Jess' car broke down on the way to the beach and is STILL in the shop. That said, Jess is stuck at home all day every day (except when friends take pity on her :)) and hasn't made it to the post office to ship off all of our copies of the pictures. So hopefully she'll get her freedom back and we'll get our pictures soon!

Until then, here are some of the shots she has on her blog. Ginnie's (my other sis) dad refers to the kids as the Shorter Posse. I think it's quite appropriate! :)

Notice it is the youngest Hambrick child that has to do crazy things??? What is that about? And yes, Charlotte has sand on her face! She was really good at sneaking handfuls here and there.

Latest Read

2010-08-25T10:26:00.000-04:00

I love when I can find a really good series of books - especially when nearly the entire series has been written upon discovery. I had heard talk about The Hunger Games and thought I should jump into it. I fell in love with the characters and the interesting perspective on what the world may be like one day. In some ways it reminded me of the series with Uglies, Pretties, Specials & Extras by Scott Westerfield. Both authors portray what life could be like in the future.

Luckily I was able to read Catching Fire right after finishing the first book. It wasn't nearly as good as The Hunger Games, but maybe it's because it talked a bit more about the politics of the time - and I'm not one into that kind of stuff. Give me adventure, mystery and/or a love story and I'm hooked. I guess Suzanne gave enough of that to keep me interested though!

As for Mockingjay... I was lucky that I only had to wait a week to get the new book. I've jumped into and am wondering where it will end. I give the series a good vote because it Suzanne Collins builds the characters well enough that you want to know what happens to them. It was a good series and I recommend it to others.

Is it time yet?

2010-08-13T14:24:00.000-04:00

Here are a few of my favorite images this time of year.

I'm amazed at how long summer can be. Who thought it was a good idea to have kids out of a routine for nearly 3 months??? It's a fact that kids lose some of what they learned the year previous after such a long break. Of course if parents would spend more time reading, reviewing flashcards, having quizzes, limiting TV and video games, etc it wouldn't be a problem. Oh wait, I'm one of those lame parents that doesn't do any of that!!! I also recall that I chose to send my kids to public school rather than home school. So my solution is to send the kids back sooner - that way I can continue to be a lame parent and they can actual enjoy being kids!!!

I'm sure my children think less of me after this summer. My patience was pushed to its limits. Brad and Wyatt learned exactly what buttons to push to make my head spin and flames shoot out of my eyes!!! Hopefully I can turn back into a decent Mom once they've been in school for a few weeks. Heaven help us if we have another horrendous winter like last year again!!!

Air & Space Museum

2010-07-24T22:36:00.000-04:00

I need to say thanks to good friends that don't like to sit around the house all the time. Our British friend, Lisa called to see if we'd like to join her and the kids at the Air & Space Museum. Kim and the kids were still in town and we were tired of staying home, so we jumped on the idea.

We got to the Museum around 11am - and there were hardly any people there. It was awesome. We made the rounds as the kids (boys especially) marveled at all of the planes and copters.

The boys: Mason, Wyatt, Joel, Brad & Travis

In the IMAX theater waiting for the movie Fighter Pilot to begin. You can see Hannah at the end facing all of the kids.We sure had a crew!

Ella poses with Mason and Wyatt in front of the big plane.

Toward the end of our visit we saw some interactive learning stations. The kids learned more about the space suits and were able to try on boots and gloves.

It was a lot of fun. I think the best part was that the kids were worn out after it all. To be honest, I was slammed too. I'm amazed at what museums can do to zap energy. The kids were great and seemed to have fun with the 3 different families together. Maybe we can do it again sometime!

Happy Birthday, Travis!

2010-07-20T21:51:00.000-04:00

Last week we celebrated Travis' 4th birthday! It was a great day because 1, we had our great friends (the Dzmuras) in for a visit and 2, it was our turn to host Family Home Evening. Our evening automatically had a party built into it.

It's quite weird to think that our baby is now 4 years old. The day before he was born I had harassed my OB about my contractions all day. It ended up that I was just dehydrated and needed fluids. As soon as I had had an IV for a few hours the contractions stopped. Thankfully the doctor went ahead and broke my water. That was at 7:30am and Travis came into the world at 12:16pm. He was my easiest labor and delivery, as well as recovery!!!

Baby Tivvy was welcomed into our family immediately. His brothers LOVED him. Too bad they don't always think so highly of him now that he gets into their stuff!!! Travis definitely brings some craziness into the family. He is very loving and cuddly, but also loud and rambuncious. We love him!!!

Travis wanted white cupcakes with strawberry frosting. I added the chocolates too since we were having so many people over for dinner.

Travis made out on gifts... He got something from the Pearsons, the Bennetts, the Dzmuras, Prune (Sister Krentz) and us. The Elders were over for dinner too and got to share in the birthday fun.

Travis proudly holds up his iPod. He was even happier when he found that I had loaded American Ride by Toby Keith too.

Silly Bandz Craze

2010-07-14T22:06:00.000-04:00

Some of us remember when Jelly Bracelets were so awesome. They didn't mean anything to us - they were just cool to collect and wear. It was cool stuff if you had more blacks and purples than any of the others. We linked them together or wore them as singles. It was definitely a fad...

...much like Silly Bandz. Who knew that plastic jelly bracelets would go silicone and in the shape of animals, tools, shapes, college mascots, etc.??? Of course Travis loves them and asked for a few for his birthday. These are just 2 packs - VT and Tools. Maybe it's his small arms that make it look like he has tons on there.

I'm sure the elementary schools will have rules against these crazy bracelets this year. So hopefully kids are getting their fill of them this summer!!

Lost Teeth

2010-07-14T21:59:00.000-04:00

Brad finally lost Nubby and Stubby.

Yes, we named his 2 front teeth. He had ground his teeth down until they were nubs. So when Stubby was the first to come out, we were happy. When Nubby came out, it was a celebration.

Now his huge permanent teeth can come in! - Goodbye cute kid phase; Hello awkward/goofy phase!!!

The Book of Mormon Reenactment - Army of Helaman

2010-06-30T13:11:00.000-04:00

The tribes were put in formation with Helaman as the head of the Army. He led them to a shady embankment where he could finalize the events of the day.

As the army walked, they sang Armies of Helaman and our camp song I Can be Valiant. There weren't too many dry eyes among the leaders!

The tribes were encouraged to bring their flags together to create one big flag. This was to symbolize the unity that they all had to fight for righteousness. The large banner flew behind President Bartlett as he closed the day with words as our Stake President.

The entire activity was incredible. Bishops shared their thanks in being able to participate. Most of the girls understood why it was done. Many will have a better understanding that they are not alone as they wage the war of sin!

The Book of Mormon Reenactment - Towers

2010-06-30T13:05:00.000-04:00

After Samuel shared some closing thoughts with the girls once the battle was complete, they were able to hear from King Benjamin. King Benjamin encouraged them to build 3 towers so that the words of God may be heard.

The tribes were broken up into 3 groups. Each group had 3 Captains and Jake and Frank helped to guide too (since they fabricated each tower before camp).

King Benjamin looks on and participates in a little tribal fun to help break up the monotony of work.

Some girls take a break and work on their fencing skills.

The Captains have a few girls check out how sturdy the tower is before the complete the finishing touches.

Oops! A few holes were forgotten. Thankfully we had power tools!

When the towers were all done, King Benjamin allowed each girl (and leader) the chance to make a declaration of truth from atop the tower.

The Book of Mormon Reenactment - Battle

2010-06-30T12:56:00.000-04:00

Each tribe was gathered together as a group and all of the tribes formed a horseshoe around a hill. Samuel walked to the hill and asked the tribes to gather in.

As Samuel spoke, he read from his scrolls. (He had the entire For the Strength of Youth pamphlet printed on them.) As he preached, a band of representatives of the world interrupted.

This group that represented the world came in causing a ruckus. They tried to entice the girls to quit listening to Samuel and follow them. They tempted them with cell phones and iPods. They encouraged immodesty and ditching church.

Most tribes worked around "the world" so that they could get closer to Samuel and listen to his words. It was amazing how many girls wouldn't even look the ladies in the eyes. The Captains encouraged their tribes to stand strong and immovable but unfortunately some of the YCLs chose to follow the world. When they made that decision, their tribes yelled at them to come back. Some went after the YCLs to take them back to the tribe and away from "the world".

All of the girls that chose to follow the world realized it wasn't what they wanted and they decided to go back to their tribes. The Captains and other YCLs welcomed them with open arms letting them know they were forgiven and welcome back.

When the girls chose to rejoin their tribes and leave the world, the ladies of the world got mad and commenced to fighting (they pulled out water balloons and began throwing them at all of the tribes).

The tribes fought back. During the time of the water balloons flying and breaking through the air, Samuel was not hit. We didn't intend for it to happen that way. In fact Brother Bennett shares that he saw balloons coming at him and water flying in his direction, but there was not a drop of water to be found on him when the battle was over.

The tribes ran the world off - chasing them away so that they could commence hearing Samuel preach the word of God.

As the chasing occurred and there was chaos on the battlefield, one girl remained in front of Samuel. As he paused for a moment to take in the scene she said to him, "I'm still here. Keep reading!"