Leslie Family Lickety Split

Ju-Nearly-July.

2010-07-01T01:14:00.000-07:00

I just finished my last two ball teams, have made my last deliveries and have no plans to touch my computer for weeks, or to visit Costco photo center for at least a week :) One more screw-up from Eric at Costco might be grounds for a throw-down! Don't make me jump that counter-top!

This month has been packed full of Tee Ball and Softball games. Tee ball is soooooo not my favorite, but our little team is pretty cute. They try so hard. Gage Loves it this year, so I guess it was worth having Derek coach one more year. We Pinky-swore we would not get suckered into doing it again. Gage is usually a dirt kicker, but this year he has become really competitive and want to tag everyone out. He is a good little hitter and in his own mind, it is fully necessary to slide into each base. Bless my soul We need to do a TIDE commercial. His baseball pants are never going to be white again. Anyway, He DIGS it. He keeps score in his head and of course, our team is always kickin' BUTT. ( We need to work on that counting thing over the summer :)

Mady has overnite morphed into an amazing little softball-ER. SHe Kicks Butt as a pitcher. Derek LOVES it. He has the Perma-smile on while she is in action. She is fairly consistant and does a great job. She is a great athelete (and she totally got her athletic abilities from her mama :) ... as if. ) She has been in perpetual motion since about the end of April as we have triple-timed softball and 2 dance classes, practices and games. Needless to say, she sleeps really well lately. Bless her heart, if I could bottle all of her energy, I would be rich :)
This last week, they had their tournament. They went into it in 7th place and ended up 4th. THey were kind of in a batting slump so we expected them to be eliminated after 2 games. We were all pleasantly surprised. It was a fun season. I am however soooooo glad not to hear their crazy cheers until next season! WOW! THUNDER, THUNDER, THUNDER-ATION... WE'RE THE BEST TEAM IN THE NATION!!

Mady had 3 routines in the recital. It was a mad house trying to get her in the right costume at the right time and in the right place. I missed parts of her routine because I was running back and forth from the costume room to help her. NUTZ.

We took a trip to Salt lake to visit with our friend - Orthopaedic specialist, Dr. Smith. Apparently there is really nothing that can be done about Brennan's scoliosis. He just needs to stay active - we are really happy to get to pay $500.00 for him to tell us that. I am pretty sure that man makes a hundred dollars a minute. ok maybe $90 dollars a minute. We were in that room about 6 and a half minutes. I am CLEARLY in the wrong profession. Funny... he wants us to come back in six months for a recheck... Well, he can re-check THIS! We are happy to know that he can be as active and involved as he wants to be. He is looking forward to football season. He has been busy mowing lawns for his dad and doing odd jobs. I don't know that he loves working so much, but I think he is finally deciding that having money to spend is pretty darn great, so he is getting the work concept.

Chloee... sleeping. potty trained. sweet & sassy. Gypsy! She has found a new little friend across the street. Brooklyn. She thinks it is pretty great to sneak off and play. Before when it would get quiet at our house, I would run to see what she was in to.. well now when we don't hear her we have to scour the neighborhood because she quietly opens the door and runs out to play. She loves to ride her bike with training wheels. She loves dresses and twirly skirts. SHe is too funny... she wants to brush her own hair and has this funny little "ratting" motion that she makes with the brush. She says some of the craziest things... she hates to be teased... Brennan loves it, so there is constant chaos.

We have finally made it through her dance class. Never again. She does not love ballet and tap.. and neither does her mama. I am waiting until we can get her in an afternoon class because 10 am nearly kills me. She was funny to watch in the recital. SHe didn't know her dance that well, but gave it her best. Whew. We made it through the recital and all of that craziness. She didn't want to do her second number, but decided she would because both of the grandmas were in the audience watching her. What is it about a 4th kid that is so insane?

On the 19th, Dena and her family came back to visit. We have had fun staying up late visiting, playing, watching movies and such. We all went for Mani's & Pedi's the other day... good times. We spent last weekend at the Aberdeen Marina and campground. I am thinking that is one of my new favorite spots. CHeap. Close. Grassy. Great dock area and parking. THe water is still really cold but not as cold as I expected it to be. THe weather has been unusually cold & Rainy all spring. The reservoir is the highest that I have ever seen. CRAZY! MY kids love boating and being pulled in the tube. They had a blast with the cousins. Gage is our newest die hard... and yes, we finally got Mady to ride in the tube. SHe has been so scared to ride in it - I think mostly she is afraid of being dumped in to the water. THis is our 7th summer with that boat. ONe of our most excellent purchases EVER. Brennan thinks he should get double the turns that anyone else should have. What a turd! If he can't stir things up or tick someone off, he just isn't happy lately. ( IT is a gift from the Ratliff side... I admit it :)

As the month rounds third base and heads for Home, I am grateful to have a minute to take a deep breath, grateful for full nights of uninterrupted sleep, happy to spend time cleaning up our piggy hole house ( I swear it has never been in such horrid shape) glad to have time to catch up the laundry, and love that the weather is finally warming up - Yes, I am getting a tan. I am about scarry as nothing else in a bathing suit, but tan fat is for sure better than white fat! We are headed to Twin Lakes this weekend for a couple of days of R & R with dear friends... Friends are the Family we choose for ourselves. What is not to smiLe about?

May-Be Not...

2010-07-01T00:55:00.000-07:00

It is the truth. May flew past. There is truth to the saying "Time Flies"... when you are having fun, but especially when you are super busy. I am slowly recovering from the FLAT SPot on my rear after a month of Photo Shoppe-ing. I am still neck deep in softball pictures and we still have half of the rec center to take and "SHoppe" Wow.

We did manage to go camping over the Memorial HOliday. Derek thinks he can predict the weather and apparently, I am the only one who thinks a 40% chance of showers means that it is going to rain! He eventually convinced (hipnotized) everyone that the weather was going to be fine so we all drug our rigs up the mountain. It had rained several days during the week so the roads were greasy & squishy! A 40% chance of showers means that not only will it rain, but it will DUMP on you for 2 days straight and that every IDIOT with 4 wheel drive will head for the hills where the mud is. What I wouldn't give for a photo of Darin Crockett's truck and 5th wheel going "DUKES OF HAZZARD" up the hill at MInk Creek to the campground. For some things there is VISa, but that was full on PRICELESS. THere is something in his mind that takes life by the horns when the rest of us know better and choose to sit on the porch. Eventually, the rain stopped and we were able to enjoy a sunny Sunday and Monday. The riding was great and as always, the scenery is breath-taking.

MAY... MAYbe I will get to do anything besides Pictures:)

2010-05-14T00:32:00.000-07:00

This entire month is scheduled with Softball and Community Rec Dance pictures. With the exception of Fridays, 2 saturdays,and of course Sundays, we will either be at the ball park, or the rec center taking pictures of the children in this city.

Dena and Jerry were here this last weekend for ISU Graduation and Mother's Day. I thought it was a good visit. Fast and furious anyway. On Friday, we went to lunch at one of my new found HOT SPOTS! Costa Vida Baby. I am in love with a sweet pork burrito! We had a fun visit and then took mom to buy her an mP3 for Mother's Day. She wants to download the Carpenters and Barry Manilow to it! Who knew.

On Saturday, Steph and I woke up at 6:00 am to drive to American Falls for our Bountiful Baskets. I was again reminded how I hate mornings. I swear we had $75.00 worth of produce for $15.00. AWESOME.
Afterward, we went to Dena's graduation. Congrats. 20 + years to complete her degree, but she finally did it! WahOO!

ApriL.... ALreadY???

2010-05-13T23:09:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it has been ApriL and nearly half way into May as I write this entry :)

Things are starting to settle down around here. Thankfully. The weather is still not showing any signs of breaking for good. Still snowing... a lot... in April?

We started the month off with General Conference. Last year, Derek reserved the Kimball Condominium for us during Conference this year... amazing we even got it. That place was HoPPing this weekend! It snowed on our way to Salt Lake and again every day while we were there. BRRR! We had tickets to the Sunday afternoon session only. Dennis and Shirley were coming home from Arizona and stopped in to watch Chloee and Gage while we went to the session. 'Totally loved it! I have never seen a prophet in person. I could feel the spirit- even 30 rows back with 21,000 people in the same room. As the First Presidency entered, the quiet buzzing fell completely SILENT! I could have heard a pin drop it was that quiet! What an awesome experience to actually SEE them.

Of course the talks were all great, but I could not get over how AMAZING the choir sounded. They sound good on tv... but I am telling you. The acoustics in that center are phoenominal (-2 for spelling?) I had chills! ... and of course my tearducts were working over time. My kids think I am psycho.. ok. Derek does too. Anyway, we all enjoyed the meeting. I would love to go again.

The next week was NUTZZZ. I had 2 temple enrichment activities and a Ladies Night to prepare for. BUUUUUZZZY! I think it is kind of funny that they keep changing the name of our meeting... like it matters. Does the name of it make it any more fun, meaningful or important? NOT. Derek and I like to refer to it as THE MEETING FORMERLY KNOWN AS ENRICHMENT :)

Everyone is hanging in there.. Except me. Derek is trying to pick up some slack, where I have been so busy, but things still aren't the same. I really cannot wait until our economy bounces back. We have been so spoiled. We have had to switch into conservation MODE. We are really learning to do without, make ends meet & fix things up around here. I am not saying it has been easy, but we are doing it. I think the thing we all miss most is going out to dinner and movies. We have had to substitute them with meals at home (lets here it for the pressure cooker we got for Christmas- thanks Mom & Dad!) ,red box movie rentals, and microwave popcorn! Thankfully, we have been able to pay the bills without touching our savings. I guess that is all we can ask for. We did get an offer on the "BIG" house that we just finished in January. It closes next month. YEAHHHH! So far, no sign of a presale, but Derek has started another spec. We are keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

We celebrated Derek's 42nd Birthday on the 13th. Yes, he is getting old. We tried to throw him a surprise party, but he always has a way of ruining the surprise. He eventually found out. We made him a great GOLF cake and invited the Dyes and the Crocketts over... It ended up being moms and kids for cake and icecream. Pres. Dye was hung up in a meeting and Darin Crockett (who was just put in the bishopric in their ward) was stuck in meetings as well. So, the kids all sang Happy Birthday to him and then he went to play in a church basketball game. Eventful? NADA!

On the 16th we went to the temple with members of our Elder's Quorum. Only 4 couples went, but we had fun. Funny, what you can learn about people in just 45 minutes :)

Derek has put the trampoline back up for the season. The kids are on it Non stop! It kills Brennan's back, but he is still out there.
Bren decided not to play Baseball this year. SOOOOOOOO glad. Doing better in Math, only because Derek has had to sit down with him and spoon feed it to him. I think he is liking school a little better, but still hates to get out of BED in the morning. (GEe... ME too). He finally talked his dad into a cell phone. HE loves it.

Mady is just starting Softball. Still cheering and dancing. Always has a cloud of friends hovering. Give me strength. She has abs of solid rock from all of the back hand springs that she does in a day. SHE IS GROUCHY! She hates Brennan to tease her and has really sensitive feelings.... we can't hardly look at her without compromising the situation. WHERE is the LOVE? She is an amazing little baby sitter. SHe is also a big helper, but one of the biggest mess makers at the same time. Chloee really loves her to pieces :)

Gage is just Gage. He loves to play with friends.. ie, Max, Brayden and Austin. They all love to go to the jumps, dig and build new jumps, tear down the jumps, make more jumps, talk about the jumps... funny. He is just full on BOY. Scooters, bikes, dirt, tools, and tape. He hates school and has an excuse not to go EVERY DAY! oHHHH! My Back is killing me... I am sick...SNIFF> I have a bad head ache... I will only go if you take me to SUBWAY. SHEESH!

Chloee. MISTRESS OF DISASTER. Oh my GOOOOODNESS>. If it is quiet for more than 2 seconds we have to be on the run looking for her. SHe is either into the makeup, nailpolish or cleaning sprays, or the gypsy blood in her has again forced her to wander. We cannot keep up with her. She says and does some crazy things... ie. I'm not going to be your mother anymore (when she thinks I am being mean to her). She asks Noelle if her sister can come over to play (Reagan) She still does the "Mummy eyes" from wizards of waverly place "Your UNDAH MY POWAH". She has to bathe with anyone that takes a bath. She LOVES lip gloss and has a tendancy to get carried away :) She is just nuts. Right now her favorite movie is Polar Express. She has watched it 30 times i swear. Each time, she says. " Mom I will save you" we finally figured out that she is scared of the conductor... when she sees him, the wolves, or things get too intense, she hides under the covers. CRAZY- but she loves it!

I have been steady with temple orders, selling crafties for mothers day, spring and every other thing imaginable. (What's new, eh?) Noelle and I just found out that we got the Chubbuck Girls Softball League photography job. YEAHHH! we will be busy. There are 22 teams... I have been contacted by 3 different distant cousins on my dad's side. We have been comparing notes and trying to figure out more information about my great great grandparents. It is TOUGH. I may just be done. 5 generations might be my limit. Even though we have technology in our homes, It still takes a TON of time to search for people when you have very little information about them.

Steph and I have been couponing and have just started getting bountiful Baskets every other Saturday. It has been fun spending time with her. She is nutz!

Derek is coaching tee ball again this summer. I am hoping this will be out last go around. Steph is helping and the twins are on our team. It should be a wild and crazy summer.

We have several trips planned. I am hoping the weather cooperates. If it is too muddy at Mink Creek to ride, I am pulling my camper to LAVA and soaking in the hotpools for Memorial weekend. YEEHAW!

March Madness?

2010-03-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

I have to laugh at all of the HUB-BUB over college basketball! Madness it right.

We started the month off with a super fun Elder's Quorum party. HOLY COW. Can you have that much fun at an ELder's Q. party? Is is legal? We played Rock Band and had Fresh Mex Food. Stick a fork in me... I am good. We got to know a few members of the ward a little better and on a more personal level. Had lots of laughs. For sure need to have times like this more often.

In January we get together with friends and sit down with our calendars to plan out our Year worth of extracurricular. On the books for March, we planned a snowmachine outing at the cabin. After much craziness, teacher parent conferences and a last minute temple order, we finally made to Island park. There is very little snow on the roads but still enough to sled around on. Our kids love this weekend. Mady and Gage both got to ride sleds by themselves this time. Too much fun. Aside from all of the cooking and cleaning, there is still plenty of fun to be had.

On the 20th, Gage received his first set of stitches following a minor run-in with his old bike. He has spent the last week over at the jumps behind our house... jumping, sliding & all other manner of craziness. On this particular Saturday, he was parking his bike, tripped and landed on the end of the handle bars. That was all it took. We spent the next 2 hours at the urgent care sewing up his cheek. He was all good with it - as long as he could get a remote control truck out of the deal!

This has been the crazyiest month for school. There have been tons of half days, days off and then SPRING BREAK of course the last week! Did we make plans? Ohhhh. YEs. We made plans. Plans to clean this crazy house. When I was growing up, My mother would tear the house apart twice a year. The minute the weather would break in the spring she would bust out the bucket of amonia water and the cleaning rags. I am not quite so regular with it , but due to the neglect the last year, it is time. We have tried to rip into at least one room each day and spring clean it. Washing walls, dusting, vacuuming, redecorating, washing bedding, etc. We have accomplished a lot, but it has not been without knashing of teeth! The kids hate it and think we are for sure the worst parents ever. They have still played with friends every day, stayed up late every night, been to a movie, have been shopping, went skiing at Pomerelle and have had time to just breathe. I am sure they will only remember the work they had to do - and when they grow up and have their own homes, I am sure they will all do spring cleaning on Spring Break too!

February FinaLLy!

2010-03-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

According to the calendar, this was a fairly MILD month. THe weather of course is still chilly. We still have snow on the ground that hasn't melted in forever due to colder temps.

Brennan is playing basketball on a Rec team. Again, he does not love it. Derek is assistant coaching. He does not love it. Hmmm. Why are we doing it?

Mady is in a continual fix trying to Juggle her social calendar with dance and Cheer classes. This semester, she is trying Jazz/Ballet, because there were no hip hop options. Hmmm... I do not know if I like it. We will see. Ballet is one of the oldest forms of dance. Traditional. Graceful. BORING! I pray we make it through.

Before we knew it, it was already Valentine's weekend. We went to the cabin with dear friends to celebrate- our 2nd annual sweetheart sledding extravaganza. I think this is by far my most favorite weekend of the year. I do love my children, but this is for sure one weekend that I do NOT feel guilty about leaving them with a sitter - (and I swear they appreciate us more when they are without us for a few minutes) The weather was stormy but still good enough to go sledding. Thanks to the Simonsen's again for their navigation skills and knowledge of the trails. One day we are hoping to be familiar enough with them that we recognize where we are:) I still laugh at our pathetic movie projector and makeshift quilted screen setup. What were we thinking? My eyes still ache from squinting to make it seem more focused :) Maybe next year we can celebrate Valentine's day somewhere warm... with a real theater room??

Right after Valentine's day was my 40th birthday. To be quite honest, it seemed like any other day, aside from all of the wise cracks & crazy aging gifts... Steph got me the darn-dest sack of old lady items I have ever seen. It kind of looks like the crap we hauled up to Quailridge for Grandma Belva! Yeeesh! :)

Spent the day doing literally nothing important. ok... maybe I did. I took Chloee to Dance. She loved it, we had a bonding moment. although I have never been a ballerina, I love that she is having a great time and is excited to be with other sweet little 3 year olds that are having as much fun as she is....

I spent time with my sweet husband at lunch who has been with me through thick and thin this last year...

I took Madelyn to Cheer after school - it is fun to see her excel at something that I can only do on accident.... (things like the splits and stuff...) sheeesh!

Our family went to dinner tonight @ Ruby Tuesdays.... I was again reminded that it is not a bad thing to take your kids out in public once in a while so they don't forget how to use good manners and to be on their best behavior. Yeah, it is 60 minutes of pure chinese torture to sit there with them all doing whatever it is they do.... but important.

After dinner, we all went to icecream at Farrs with Steph's family... again, was reminded of an important lesson, how important it is to have a FIRE EXTINGUISHER on hand when having birthday cake for anyone over 10 years old. Damn.... that was a lot of candles. Pretty sure we could have set the smoke alarm off when we blew them out.- and it took 3 of us to blow them all out. Sick. The cake top is in shreds after removing all of those candles.

I did get a new laptop out of the whole torturous day... so it was not all bad... oh and a couple of liters of Pepsi. Only a true friend will bring you Chocolate Ganache cheesecake and pepsi for your 40th birthday :) Tiffani is pretty swell. So the day was not entirely the pits ;).

On the 20th Noelle and I took picture for a Clogging team. I did not know that clogging was so popular. Lots of kids. Lots of cute costumes. Lots of laughter... There is never a dull moment with Noelle. My sides nearly split at times laughing at her...

It seems no matter how we try, we just can't keep our house clean lately. My kids are a whirlwind of messmaking mass! They THRASH everything they look at and leave it in a state of shreds! That little poem that mentions "One day you will miss my little hand prints" CHA! AS IF. As if there were only handprints. What about all clutter and craziness? That, I will not miss.

So, I have decided that I am grateful that I am not a cleaning lady by profession. I am happy to fill in and help out in a pinch - Steph and I went to clean an apartment today after the cleaning lady quit. (Yeh. GOod move sister!) That place was scarry! We needed a stick of DYNAMITE to clear it out first so we could even start cleaning. Again, there is never a dull moment when doing anything with Steph! Is it just that nothing is funny at my house? I didn't think my life was dull or lacked humor. Apparently it is. This woman needs to be on stand up house wives - totally hilarious... for sure laughter is the best medicine while cleaning something that calibur of GROSS! Laugh or you will end up CRYING!!

I took Basketball team photos for my nephew Dallas on the 23rd. There team is undefeated so of course they think they are smokin' hot studs! Funny. 'Took some pretty cute shotz, action shotz for sports posters. They are going to love them... but what 10 year old doesn't love to look at themself doing something totally cool like a lay-up or jump shot?

The 25th was our ward skiing party. Did we have hot dogs and chili you ask... (that is a joke at our house...) Why yes, they did. Of course we had fun skiing. I am always reminded of how BLOODY OUT OF SHAPE I AM when I ski - beginning with putting my boots on. SHEEESH! Then my knees are screaming by the end of the night. WOrth it? Of course it is. Chloee skiied with Derek tonight for the first time. We thought she would be a whining mess and want to go back to the lodge after 5 minutes. SHE LOVED IT! She skiied most of the night. Amazing.
Gage is improving and BOMBS is down the hill. He gets really sick of waiting for me at the bottom. I am in no hurry to get to the bottom. I do not need to be reminded of what it feels like to "YARD SALE" it on the hill. I am good with moderate slow and steady s curves. I am completely comfortable with the fact that my 6, 9 & 12 year olds can out ski me. Most especially, I am grateful to be able to walk in the morning after it all :)

The next night, we were invited to a good old fashioned dinner party at the Simonsen Home. We are truly blessed to have such great friends & such great memories of fun times. Cooking is FOR SURE an ART FORM and a lot of work and planning! There is beauty in great tasting food & beautiful presentation, a table set with china, crystal and personalized place cards! She is an amazing cook! (totally need to raid her recipe box for Chicken Cordon Bleu, twice baked potatoes and PEACH CHEESECAKE!) Oh my! LIfe is GOOD :)

spring crafties!

2010-03-26T10:01:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-03-04T00:27:00.000-08:00

Again, please note that I am recollecting memories written on the calendar in order to write this entry. I promise to be better for March :).
Our New Year was most uneventful - THANK HEAVEN! We spent the day at home, watched a few movies, did some laundry How great is that? I am pretty sure that 10 years ago I would have been pretty BUMBED not to have smokin' hot plans for New Years Eve. Derek made call ahead reservations at Texas Roadhouse. It of course was amazing food. - anything that I don't have to cook is out of this world.

Monday marked our first day back to school after the break. The kids of course did not want to get up. We were up late and slept in nearly every day. Totally love that. We are all night owls, except Gage-R. He falls asleep the second his head hits the pillow, unless he is watching Fineas and Ferb on Disney. He stays awake to see what they are building and then falls asleep :) I am sure when my kids are grown and gone, I will be sad , but right now, it makes me crazy that my room is the HUB of our house. My bed is where we hang out, watch movies, take naps, read scriptures, have family prayer, and where my little babies fall asleep for the night before they are transferred to their beds. Alot has happened in that bed over the last 14 years. WOW. All Hail the California King Pillow TOP!

I went to Lunch with some dear friends on TGIF. Ladies Lunch Out. On the way home, after a most enjoyable meal and amazing uninterrupted conversation... I found myself wondering if these incredible women know how grateful I am for their constant support & friendship. We have been scrapbook chicas for many years, and are really the only ones who truly know how much money was spent on scrapbook supplies in the craft room. SHHHHH. Nobody else needs to know.

We scheduled more Dance photos for the Rec Center in conjunction with the dress rehearsal prior to the recital. IT was a ZOO, but as always, we were grateful for the opportunity. With every photo shoot I think we get a little more organized, a little better at our poses, and our pictures are little bit cuter also. WOW there are some really darling little girls in this city.

Along with the day to day HUB-BUB I have been working on 3 different temple orders for Enrichment meetings. I totally love this, but wonder for how long. I am out of practice staying awake all night so my day time is crazy trying to juggle more. One of these days when I am like 90 or something, I will wish I had things to do to keep me busy.

The 12th was Mady's Dance Recital. She LOVES DANCE & CHEER! We love to watch her. Upon arrival, Chloee asks me, "Mom did you bring my dancing clothes?" I am saying to her... " UHMMM no, not tonight. She asked me several times when it was her turn to get up there and do her dance show. Hmmm I thought to myself... if you run up there during a performance, I will die! We were able to contain her through the recital, but she has bugged me since to take a dance class.

For the first time in the History of the Leslie Cabin, we did not go there for Martin Luther King HOliday. Yeah. It was great. I can't figure out why I am so far behind all of the time... because we never stay home.... that's why. It felt amazing! Every Saturday this month the kids and I have ripped into at least one room to get some deep cleaning done. This weekend, we did the kitchen. We had everyone on a dust rag wiping cabinets and baseboards. Amazing how fast it happens when we all pitch in. All of a sudden the hardwood started to get a little slippery so the kids were sliding in their socks... of course having a great time, while the rest of us nearly killed ourselves. After about 20 minutes, I finally realized why the floor was getting slick. GAGE WAS SPRAYING HIS SOCKS WITH FURNITURE POLISH AND THEN MAKING A RUN FOR IT DOWN THE HALL. Leave it to Gage to think of that one! Needless to say, the floor was slick for at least a week.

We had our ward conference on the 31st. As a general rule, this is uneventful for me, but our Bishop gave a talk and I actually felt inspired by a comment in his talk. Many people know how slow the construction business has been. This has been a real trial for me. We have been sooo busy for soooo long that I just didn't think we would ever get a break. Well, we have had that break. We have not had a closing since July. It is only because Derek has always managed & budgeted our money so well that we are surviving the economy. Bishop spoke about how many righteous, faithful people had lost their jobs, or would be loosing jobs in the future but that we would all see Miracles. Those miracles might not be in the form of a better job, or a job with better benefits, but that the miracles might be in our ability to learn to live with less and to better manage what we have. This is totally the Leslie's. It has really been a difficult lesson for me, but I am learning it. We have all made some lifestyle adjustments and are adapting. I am grateful to have been taught the importance of food storage, managing debt, saving money for a rainy day, and that our home is paid for! That is a great feeling. oh, and it never hurts to have your own "School of Boating", just in case you need to earn a little bit of cash on the side ( This was a joke made by our good friend the Stake President... he made reference to Holli's school of Boating in his talk, and that my philosophy was that if you aren't having fun, you aren't going fast enough... Oddly enough, some thought he was serious. We can always count on him to keep things lively :)

January has come and gone and I am wondering if I am going to survive the cold weather & lack of sunshine - or my pasty skin tone, rather. Mom and dad are in Nevada, soaking up the rays. We are just here...grateful for a slower pace.

DecembRRRRR!

2010-01-14T03:16:00.000-08:00

So far this month there has been no decking the halls with anything that is staying here. Everything is headed out the door to the Festival of Trees crafty booth. I have been frantically painting, staining, packing, etc. things for this 2nd show. Somewhere I lost a week on the calendar. I was thinking I had 2 weeks between these shows and in reality only had one. WOW!

Although, a long and crazy week at the Festival of trees, I met some really amazing women and had a few moments of downtime to get my act together. I am also making a note to self to get tickets to the Princess Tea for my girls... I think they would seriously love it!

On the 9th we began taking dance photos for the Pocatello Rec Center. There are some seriously darling little girls in this city. We had to start early this time...my little partner Noelle Merzlock is very pregnant... She is actually going to be induced on the 17th. I pray she makes it until then.

On the 11th, we spent the entire evening setting up the foyer for CeleBrate Christ. Somehow that was my responsibility again this year... thankfully that was only one night this year and we were able to tear it all down on Sunday after the program.

I still have no Christmas tree up... I still don't care that I don't have a tree up.

On the 13th we had our annual Leslie cousin Christmas party. Good food, good company, fun activities, were had by most.

The craziness continues... on the 17th we had the adult Leslie party... we went bowling in Blackfoot - there is never a boring moment with Brandt in your company.
The 18th was our Ratliff Christmas party. We had it at the Red Lion... the kids swam, we sat in the hot tub, opened great gifts from mom & dad and slept over, only to wake up and leave the mess for the merry maids! It was the greatest.

As all of this is going on, I continued to make temple pictures... was trying to pack for our trip to Arizona, Christmas shop, wrap, Plan a school Christmas party, clean up messes from the previous month, decorate a spec home to free up the red trailer that was full of decorations, had a tooth pulled, was drowning in laundry, had two birthdays to buy presents for ( Chloee 21st and Gage 26th) birthday cakes to make..... woOOOOOW! I'm not so sure I don't need to be evaluated after this month is over.

Our trip to Arizona was anything but relaxing for me. We,, well, I worked from the minute we arrived until them minute we left. Painting... cleaning... cooking... we put up a tree, finshed the shopping, wrapped presents, made cake, baked cookies for Santa, watched the Nativity movie.... seriously. By the time Christmas was here, I was struggling to even CARE!!!

On the ride home, all 16 hours of it, I had plenty of time to review the hellacious month(s) previous. Nobody cares that i am stressed to the max, Nobody cares that I get fewer than 5 and sometimes 4 hours of sleep / night, Nobody cares that I have a "To-DO" list as long as both of my legs. NObody. As I found myself longing for days as a child when I was bored and had nothing to do, I also took time to think about resolutions for the New Year... and funny, many of them can easily be achieved by learning to say the word(s) NO, and Gee,I am sooo sorry... wish me luck!

NovemBURRRR!

2010-01-14T02:46:00.000-08:00

Baby it is already really cold outside - or am I just a serious wimp! Maybe I am just cold because I am unable to maintain my own body temperature due to my LACK OF SLEEP these past few weeks. I am wishing I had started making crafties back in March or something for this show and wonder what in the world I have bit off this time! I have made over 120 temple plaques myself, ok, mom and steph also helped, 5 snowmen, 3 large pumpkins and now am working on large santas and blocks. SHEEESH!

We have continued to make temple pictures for Super Saturdays and Fantastic Fridays... by the end of the month, we will have made close to 1000 copies of various temple pictures.

On the 12th, Brennan got his braces off! His teeth look so great!

Derek made me a crafty booth - we finally got it all painted and I think I know how it is all going to work together with my display tables, etc. It is insane - all of the things to think about. My kids totally love the cash register that I bought. Madelyn wants to come help at the show so she can be in charge of the money.... right....

On the 20th we finally got the trailer packed up thanks to Steph and Ronnie. We would have never made it without their help. We arrived in I.F. in barely enough time to get things set up, before the janitor kicked us out. That place is intense. I haven't seen anything like it ... ever.

Our show was a success, it thought. Certainly, we sold enough inventory to have made it worth it and received a few custom orders in the meantime. Will I do it again? We'll see.

Thanksgiving was a little different this year... neither of the Grandma's were there to celebrate with us, but we invited aunt betty. Immediately following dinner, we got a call from RJ at Grandma's Motel, saying the Hot Water Heating system had blown loose! There was water shooting everywhere! What a way to illiminate a post thanksgiving dinner nap! We threw the carpet cleaner in the truck and away we went! I pray that place doesn't blow itself off the map before Grandma's will is settled. That could be another nightmare all by itself.

As this month rolls to a close, I am thankful for Family and Home. I seriously would not have made it through this month without Derek, my Mom and Steph and their willing hearts, helping hands, and many hours of service. I am also appreciative of the days when my house was clean, organized and decorated for the holidays.. as of now, it is none of those.

OctoBLURRR!

2010-01-14T02:12:00.000-08:00

This seriously was the craziest, fastest quarter of my whole life. It is a really good thing I took notes on the calendar - or this might also be the shortest entry on the whole blog.

We started off the month looking forward to listening to conference. Seriously, at first I had a little trouble with President Monson... only because President HincKley was soooo my favorite prophet of all time. Anyway, he is growing on me. I love to hear him speak and now, really love to hear his daughter speak as well. The Monson family will for sure go down in history as being a Power family for me.

Funny... I have been making temple pictures fairly steadily throughout the summer, but October hits and all of a sudden it is Super Slammin Saturday every week. By the time the month is over, I will have developed over 300 temple pictures for different wards.

On the 8th, we went to the cabin. It was cold as heck, but our kids still wanted to ride motorcycles. They came in freezing half to death. This has been an unusually cold Fall. I am hoping it isn't an indication of a subzero winter. It is always fun to go and relax, watch videos, play games and eat great food, but I am wishing we had a housekeeping fairy to pick up the slack while we are packing up to go home. That for sure kicks my rear end!

I have a new calling, I teach the 18 year old Sunday School Class. It is actually ok. Our babysitter Chelsie is in that class, so it is tolerable. Wondering how it will be when she moves on??? I don't even want to go there. She has been our babysitter for 5 years. I can bearly stand the thought of her going off to college this next fall.

This year I was swindled into being a room mother for Mady's class. I have serious brain rot at this time and have struggled to come up with anything worth while. We finally decided to play a crazy halloween bingo game, make caramel apples, and ghosts out of suckers. Thank heaven, kids aren't too picky. The caramel apples were soooo yummy. Those are on the list again for next year.

Halloween is always a pain in the AAAAAAAA for me. Now that we have 4 children, it is an even bigger drag. ok... if we could just dress up one time and go trick or treating once, it would be fine. NOOOOO. Not in our neighborhood. We have a trunk or treak a few days before Halloween, then we dress up for school parties and parade through the school, then actually trick or treat again on Halloween night. YEEEEESH! Besides passing out over 400 pieces of candy each year, My rear end drags by the time it is over. I find myself becoming less and less excited about this holiday every year. And each year, the candy gets thrown away a little sooner because the wrappers are all over my house. Calgon take me away!

I have been full-on in crafty mode. Now that super Saturday is over, I finally have time to work on my own crafties for the Craft Fair in November. Right now, I am working on temple pictures. sanding. painting. mod podging. ..... it seems endless. Derek's garage will never be the same, I am sure.

We went to dinner with some seriously fun couples! We spend so much time trying to act mature, be responsible, appear flawless and speak intelligently as adults. It is sooooo great to ME when you can just HANG out sometimes. We didn't take kids with us so we could talk about whatever came up without being interrupted. We laughed until I think my eyes started watering and my guts were hurting, We we politically incorrect as often as possible, nobody spilled anything or had to go the bathroom 10 times, we ate some amazing food that you can't afford when you take your family out to eat, and drank lots of PEPSI! It was for sure a great night. Only to be topped off with a drag race home. Just for the record... The ladies totally won Baby!!!

Say it isn't September!

2010-01-14T01:36:00.000-08:00

(I am writing this post from notes jotted months ago, that are finally being recorded in January as an effort to keep at least one New Year's resolution from 2009!!!)

SeptemBer arrives, the rest of the year goes by lickety split! This year was no exception.

Our children are of course back in school full swing. PM Kindergarten is seriously the greatest. SO far, Gage doesn't mind going to school, if we agree to take him to SUBWAY for lunch before school. cha. AS IF! Mady loves school and is soooo delighted to be back on the social scene. New friends are alway so great. Brennan is in 6th grade at Hawthorne middle school... the first year 6th graders were moved up. Honestly. I know that I will look back and it will all be well. This added responsiblity of a locker and transporting his personals back & forth is a little much. He will get used to it (I pray... because I don't want to afford to replace another Math workbook!) Chloee and Mom are digging the time to ourselves. Man this joint is quiet until about 2:38 p.m. and then all H-e-double hockey sticks breaks loose!(or is that just gage breaking through the door - so relieved to be home and out the door to play!)

For whatever reason, I have had several requests to take family photos for different people and that started the month off with an extra dallop of craZiness.

Brennan has Football Practice 4 nights a week and then a game on Saturdays. Go Rams! Seriously... for only being 6th graders, I could swear they get their butts handed to them each practice. I know it will be good for him. He will hopefully learn to be tough - BUT holy cow! Again, they are 6th graders!

Madelyn has started Hip Hop and Cheer/Tumbling Classes again. She of course loves them. If we would let her, she would have something every night of the week. She also is taking piano lessons again. I pray my nerves will stand it. :)

Gage Loves to play outside on the vacant lot behind our house. Derek has scooped some dirt into piles and they have all made some jumps that they like to ride their bikes on. He is quiet the dare devil.

Chloee loves to play with dollies and ride her bike with training wheels. She is a serious GYPSY! I struggle to keep her at home now that she has "Wheels" WOW! She is usually out the door and gone before I can slip shoes on to race after her.

We celebrated Brennan's 12th birthday on the 9th. Yeah. I have a 12 year old. what about it? He is delighted to hold the Priesthood, to get to pass the Sacrament and all of the other great stuff that goes along with being a Deacon.

Madelyn turned 9 on the 13th. WOW! I still to this day do not know what we were thinking having September Birthdays. It seems like this month is NUT_VILLE by the time we pay everything the attention it needs.- oh and we can barely roll out the door because we have eaten sooo much birthday cake and icecream.

I have been busily preparing for our Super Saturday coming up. WOW!

On the 17th, I took a "Mama's day out" trip to the Great Valley. I dearly love shopping in Salt Lake. First comes the TaiPan in Roy, then Taiwan Imports in Murray and then the Taipan in Sandy and then took a few more temple pictures along the way to add to the collection.

As I look back on this month, I am grateful for many things, beautiful autumn sunsets, cooler temperatures, and to be back on a schedule!

OHHHH August!

2009-09-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

We began the month of August with a Leslie FaMiLy ReUnion in Island Park. Many of Derek's siblings and Aunt's & Uncles stayed at the cabin. To maintain our sanity, I opted to bring the camper along. Besides... DUH ! The campground has a pool and a hot tub - the cabin does not. Anyway. It ended up being kind of a convenience thing as it was close to the pavillion and we had easy access to everything in my little kitchen while we prepared many of our meals at the pavillion.
Had a great time visiting with the FamiLy. It of course is always a JOY to be around Brandt and his Family. He for sure keeps things lively.

The next week, our Little babysitter Chelsie had Girls Camp. So that means we didn't get a whole lot done. Ok. Maybe we did. In preparation for our trip to Arizona coming up, I have been on a mission to gather furniture and other things to take with us in order to furnish the "Winter HOME" we purchased with Derek's parents. This week, I finally got around to refinishing the chairs to the dining set and completely tore apart 2 wing back chairs that I inherited from my Grandmother. (I am sure I unpicked 4 trillion staples and so did Steph.)

This week we went to the Temple with Tara as she took out her endowments and then enjoyed an amazing meal at the Olive Garden. Serious YUM. We also suffered the wrath of Montazuma's revenge. All of us had the stomach flu - some worse than others.

On the 8th, we rode to Firth and helped with the final Yard work Preparatory to Tara's wedding. Todd & Wendy's kids and our kids were there. That is an army of helpers. We seriously kicked that yard into shape in about 5 hours. Mowing, weeding, bark down, window washing, etc. POW. It looked great.

Late in the project, I took off for IF to run some errands. The usual. Fabric store, Old Navy and Big Lots were on the agenda. In one hour, I returned an old Navy purchase, selected fabric for the 2 wingback chairs and found an amazing bargain on a sofa for the Arizona house. WOW! $220.00 for a sofa!

The next week of course was spend recovering the wingback chairs. I completely dig the fabric. If only I did NOT need to eat or sleep. I could be the most productive individual on the planet. Unfortunately, the older I get, sleep is SOOOOOO necessary.

The past few weeks, Grandma Fern has been really ill. She of course has been getting worse the last 2 years until just a few weeks ago, Dad had her transferred from her home to Ashley Manor on Hawthorne Road. She continued to deteriorate there. The last few days, we have been worried about her so mom asked Derek to give her a blessing. We went over just before we had to leave to drive to Firth. She of course was not doing well at all and was hardly responding. She did open her eyes and look at me when I said "Grandma, It's Holli" Bless her heart. When I think of the Sacrifices this woman has made in her lifetime, I can't help but feel like this last portion of craziness that she has had to endure is slightly unfair. Derek gave her a nice blessing and then we had to leave for Firth.
We of course were in a hurry to get to Tara's Meet the Family dinner. It turned out delightful and we all approve of Nick and his Parents. Delightful.
Tara's wedding was the next day. Instead of us staying there, we came home in order to keep plugging away on some of the projects necessary for our trip. Early Friday we went to Idaho Falls for the wedding. On the way to the temple, I got a phone call from Steph saying that Grandma had passed away. So sad for us but so great for her that she is free from her suffering. More than anything, I felt bad that I wasn't able to be there to be a support for my dad.
The wedding ceremony was really nice. We were all very happy for her. The reception was seriously Chaotic. The wind was blowing outside until right before we had to set up the tables. We had very little help in the kitchen until Tara's friend's mom showed up to bail me out. Shirleys nieces's arrived just in the Nick of time too. I would have been to feet under in chicken salad and Frape!
As you might imagine... all of the back and Forth and this and that did not allow much time for us to pack and prepare for our trip to Arizona. On Saturday the 15th, we had originally planned to be on the road by about 1:00 pm. By the time we went to see Grandma at the mortuary, went to visit dad, made arrangements for a flight home & a rental car, mowed lawns, and packed, it was 8pm. We hit the wendy's drive thru for din-din and then the road. WOW! Perpetual Motion lately.
We wanted to drive as far as we could the first night. As we continued on, we decided to pull an all nighter and go the entire way. We pulled into Queen Creek Arizona at 11:30 am and another adventure began.
The home is really cute. I had never seen it before. Derek and his parents picked it out in April. We finally closed on it in August. The floor plan is completely workable but the best part is the swimming pool. We completely LOVED it!
This trip was spent cleaning, painting and moving in. I am hoping the next trip will be a little more fun for me (what isn't fun about buying stuff at Wal-mart?) Next time we will have a few things to do, but not to the extent we did this time. Still, it was fun. HOT! One after noon, Derek said it was 117 on his truck thermometer. Sweet nibblets.
Ok. we arrived Sunday at 11:30 am. we worked and moved all day Sunday. Monday was more of the same. At 2:30 Derek drove me to the Phoenix airport so I could make it home for Grandma's funeral. By 8:00 pm I was finally on a plane heading for Salt Lake. My flight had been delayed 3 times. I caught the last flight out of Arizona that night. I arrived in Salt Lake at 11:00 ish and then had to catch a rental car and still drive home. By the time I got to SLC, most of the rental cars were gone. I had a choice between a diesel Excursion, a yellow YUGO or a Bright blue mustang. NO Brainer. I took the mustang.
I arrived in Pocatello at 2:30 am, went to sleep, woke up at 8:00 was at the Funeral home by 9:45 for a 10:00 funeral. We had a nice time visiting with all of the cousins and relatives that I haven't seen in a very long time. We had our luncheon at the Golden Corral and then at 4:00 pm I was on the road back to SLC. I caught an 8:00 pm flight (once again, it was delayed ) and after a layover in Denver, Derek picked me up at the airport in Phoenix and we drove back to the house. We dropped into bed at 2:00 am AZ time. exhausted!!!
The next few days were spent finishing projects, throwing rooms together, swimming hour after hour (kids only) and of course cleaning.
On Friday, we cleaned and packed and shampooed carpet, hung drapes and then finally got on the road at 6:00 ish. (My kids were seriously sick of McDonalds after this week.) Dinner at McD's again and then on the road. We drove as far as Flagstaff and then bunked down for the night.
By 10:00 am we were on the road - well at least out of the hotel and looking for breakfast. After a visit to Walmart for drinks and crochet hooks for mady, we were on our way. Little did we know this would turn out to be the longest day in history. We didn't pull into the driveway until 2:30 am. Just for the record. It is much easier to pull that ride in one solid trip. It goes by much quicker in the dark while watching a movie. Kids are much more pleasant while trying to sleep. Many lessons were learned. We are excited to visit again over Christmas break. Two weeks of Fabulito weather. Bring it.
Monday morning our kids started school. Brennan's weeks of anxiety were in vain as he was introduced to Hawthorne Middle School. He really likes it and is completely impressed with all of the options he has for lunch. Mady likes her teacher and is making new friends. Gage is totally cooperative if he can go to SUBWAY before school. (AS if) He likes to ride the bus and his buddy MAX is in his class. What could be better?
Tuesday the 25th, Derek and I celeBrated our 14th anniversary. Ok celebrated? That was an exaggeration. I didn't get him anything, he gave me a card and a hedge trimmer and we went to the Road House for dinner on a gift certificate from our T-Ball team. Celebrated? We have been so busy lately this event took a back seat.

Wednesday, I cancelled Pack Meeting.. Mostly because... WHO cares about Pack meeting right now? NOT me.

Thursday and Friday , Noelle and I made crafties for our up and coming Super Saturday. Be looking for those on my porch. 'Can't wait to have them.

On Saturday, we went to Bren's game at 1:30, Rushed home and then went to Kate's baptism in Firth where I gave probably the crappiest talk of my career, we had sundays and drove home.

What is it all for? I do not remember my parents sitting down with at calendar and trying to fit everything in to their lives. In contrast, Derek and I live by the calendar. We have to plan time to sit and discuss things. SIck and wrong. SOmething has to give. I pray it isn't my sanity - oh... oooopps. That was gone a long time ago.

July.

2009-09-04T00:11:00.000-07:00

Seriously. I am nearly two months behind in my blogger journal and I am having to look back to my planner to remember what in sam heck happened in July... because right now It is a BLURRRRR. oh yeah. I remember now.

Right out of the starting gate, we began the month with an outing to the cabin in Island Park to Whoop it up over the Independence Day weekend... and did we ever! Below please find the top 10 reasons cabin outings are bittersweet for me.

1. By the time I wash and pack clothing for 6 people, I am completely exhausted and want to stay home.

2. We eat like kings nearly every meal... why? I don't know. We don't eat this way at home. Maybe there is just more time to cook yummy food and nothing to do but eat it? We have learned not to forget many grocery items when going to the Park simply because Robins Roost charges $8.00 for a bottle of worcestechire sauce. Sweet Nibblets. That store is owned by a family of Millionaires. (They totally have it figured out :) By the time we shop for and pack the food for the weekend, we are exhausted and want to stay home and have cheerios or better yet... NOthing - to save ourselves the 2 week crash diet once we get home.

3. We usually never get out of town at the time we planned. This results in grabbing dinner on the Fly - which is seriously my favorite. Everyone is quiet until at least Blackfoot because they are busy stuffing their KISSERS with a chicken nugget. I am all about playing the quiet game in the car. Unfortunately, nobody else really likes that game. Brennan loses everytime. He still just doesn't get that the way to win is to just "shut up". Oh yes, one day he will get what is coming to him. I have formally issued the mother's curse exclusively for him and his lovely future companion.

4. The ride to Island Park is a tad long. We have to "Pit" in St. Anthony in order to prevent any unwanted accidents in the back seat. This usually sets us back a $20 spot in order to get out of the store without a hissy fit from Gage. He won't just choose the quick and easy cheap treat. He heads straight for the suckers with the battery powered helicopter and blinkie blinkie lights that costs $6.99. Seriously - he has the ability to stir it up when he doesnt' get his way. Derek and I feel it is cheaper to just let him have what he wants than to have to post BAIL for one another as we are being hauled off to Jail for child abuse. It's safer than a Jail Break too.

5. The scenery is of course beautiful on the way. Derek always has to comment on what a STUD his truck is on the Ashton Hill..."Yeah. She's still doing 70" as we fly by all of the SLOW truckers and all the FOrds in the right lane. "Good thing we have a Diesel... SO IT CAN HAUL ALL OF THE CRAP THAT I HAD TO PACK!

6. The first breath of amazing, crisp, fresh, mountain air is completely invigorating. I will never tire of the smell the mountains and pine trees.

7. Derek is always the first one out of the Truck to open the cabin door. He has an inspection ritual where can't wait to see if our efforts from the last trip, made in vain - to see if we could keep the rodents (most especially the squirrels) out of the cabin - worked. There is almost always evidence that the squirrels have visited... shredded insulation, shredded pillow cases, etc. That is until Derek bought the Squirrel Deaf-i-nator 6000. Of course something this real can only be purchased on the internet. I am sure the headquarters / manufacturer is in some Hollar in Kentucky or something (joking- Dena!) So far this is the only thing that has proven effective. It is so loud, you can hear it on the steps. Once inside, you have 2.3 seconds to run in and unplug it (because finding the power switch takes too much time)or we all lose our hearing until morning. One of these times we might see squirrels jumping from tree to tree sporting the latest in rodent hearing aids... yeah. It could happen.:)

8. The first few hours of unpacking are reDONKuLUS! My kids want to immediately change into PJ's, play with the friends that have come with us, and always act like they haven't seen food in weeks. What is it about that mountain air that makes you ravenous? (and crave Pepsi & chocolate?)

9. As mentioned before, we generally take friends with us. Many of these friends have accompanied us for as long as we have been going. They are dear friends and we love to spend time together. Our children are similar in age and for the most part they get along amazingly. Good Friends *Good Times is an understatement. The memories we have made will remain - at least until we all have Alzheimers from the snowmachine exhaust. oh and it is somewhat similar to Vegas... What happens at the cabin--STAYS at the cabin. (Especially the part about me falling down the stairs while everyone was watching! Wow.)

10. The day we pack up to come home is for sure the most bitter sweet of all. Yes, we are relaxed and ready to take on the world again, but HOLY COW it takes an army of Merry Maids to get that cabin cleaned up after 20 people have been there. We have all agreed that there are times when plural marriage would be handy - and this is one of those times. We whip that place into shape in no time with all of the happy helping hands (that is an exaggeration:) Dad's are packing, moms are scrubbing, kids are dusting and vacuuming. It is team work to the MAX*I*MUS baby!
The ride home is fabulous. The kids are completely wiped out from the 72+ hours of
FUll-ON insanity, and I finally get my few hours of peace and quiet. Mission accomplished :).

This cabin trip was no different from any other. We did however visit Hebgen Lake for the first time. Good thing we brought the boat. It was the perfect outing. Across the Lake to the far shore, we found a little cove with some private docks that we "borrowed" (I do not know what happened to that sign). The water was amazing most of the day. We all enjoyed it to the MaX! Skiing, wakeboarding and tubing - even Mady couldn't resist (She hates boating) Brennan is mastering the wakeboard- for a Merit badge and went outside the wake for the first time.

WaHoo Brennan!

The Dyes were with us the first part of the trip. Troy took Karami, Geoff and Brennan Fishing at Henry's Lake for most of a day. They brought home several Trout and of course lots of stories. We grilled it up for dinner and it was some serious YUM!

Crocketts arrived later due to overlapping schedules. Friday we all rode to John Sacks Cabin on the Motorcycles . That is a lot of MOtorcycles. 16 Bikes single file on the roads is a big deal. People would just stare at us like we were nuts or something. Well, guess what! We are nuts.

On Sunday morning, we decided to have Sacrament Mtg at the cabin. Really, when you hang out with the Stake President, you can do about whatever... (joking) We skipped church because of the crowds and we had received word from home that they had a monster Hail storm and there were lots of people with water in their basements from the rain and flooding. - so in the spirit of needing to get home, we had a song,the sacrament and listened to a brief Patriotic talk and then finished the cleaning and got on the road. (My kind of sacrament meeting)

Once home, we could see evidence of the Hail and Pounding Rain storm that hit Chubbuck. It had pelted anything alive. There were leaves and branches everywhere. The intense amount of water delivered in such a short time filled window wells and flooded the basements of many homes out here. CRAZY. The worst part of it all is that the HAIL was so large it also beat the heck out of peoples roofs and lots of the homes will also need a new roof. Our house was in great shape (most likely due to the outstanding Master Builder - who built it) and so our energies were focused on helping those who are continually suffering the effects of inferior building techniques :) I just had to get that jab in... didn't I? Any who.

Most of that next week was again fast and furious as we unpacked, relaundered and repacked for a trip to Lagoon. In all honesty - I hate Lagoon. I admit it. I am a complete premenopausal pansie. I get totally motion sick, it is smoking hot outside, and I don't appreciate the costly overcrowded environment. Sorry. My Family on the other hand completely LOVES it. So, I suck it up and endure it only because Derek drags our trailer along. This way I can take Chloee back for a nap and we can save money on meals, etc. It was ok. (I am sure i WILL get my revenge the next time I go to TaiPan Trading !! I will make them all push a cart full of raging Greenery around for an hour as I revisit every aisle making sure that I have seen everything. oh! They hate that store :) It is great!

This was just one of the many times they rode the colosus.

(Check out these reactions. Adrenaline junkies...all of them.)

The following week, Dena and Her girls were in town for a visit. This is truly a highlight for my kids. It is unfortunate that they don't live closer so that could be together more often.

Pioneer Day had a whole new twist this year as Gage participated in the Motorcycle Barrel race. He took 2nd in his age group. Hilarious. He had a blast and is the proud recipient of a shiny new trophy. He thinks he is some kind of STUD or something!

The following week was spent partially at Scout Camp for Brennan and Derek and then we frantically prepared the camper for an outing to Lake WalCott near Rupert.
We all got our fill of skiing and wake boarding and of course playing on the docks.

Saturday the 25th was Tara's bridal shower. We packed up early and busted it home so Mady and I could make it to Firth by 7:00. WOW! Crazy!

The last week of the month is usually Hopping for us. Thankfully this month we had a closing and we were jumping to get the last minute projects finished. I did 14 million square feet of faux finish in this house and my tennis elbow is reminding me. It is a drag to get old. I fear it will only get worse.

Along with a closing, we were busily preparing food for Derek's Family reunion at the Cabin to be held on the 31st - the 1st. That is a big job. Generally I am up for a challenge, but after the month I have had... it was a bit much. We always have a great time at this reunion because we don't ever get to see Derek's cousins, except for at this reunion or a funeral. I enjoy visiting with his aunt's tremendously and he has some seriously fun cousins. Unfortunately, many of them were unable to come. We counted out that if all of the families had attended, there would have been upward of 120 people present. WOW! Way to Go Guy and LaRue(That's Derek's grandparents... How about that for Posterity?)

As you may well imagine, the end of this month leaves me feeling Thrashed mentally, out of energy and in serious need of a mani/pedi. (And that is only after reviewing the calendar) No wonder I had a bit of a slow start in August. Summer is more than half over. We have no regrets as we Grab each moment by the horns and hang on with all of our might. We will continue to drink it in... For in just 3 short weeks we will be back in school dreading the boring nightly ritural of homework and bathtime.

June...

2009-07-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

Oh what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green? Do you sit in the shade and drink lemonade and watch all the clouds go by?

AS IF...

No school is a beautiful thing. Nothing important has happened at out house before 10:00 am. We have stayed up late, had sleepovers, watched a few movies and played with friends - just trying to get it out of our system so we can get on to bigger things...
The weather has still been fairly rainy. Everything is beautiful and green, the air is fresh. 'Love it. I can't remember a summer that has been so wet since I was a JR in High school - 1987. It seemed it rained every weekend. We did very little camping that year.

Brennan started the summer off with two prep camps - Basketball and Football. We are still playing baseball and is fairly discouraged by negative coaches and smart mouth team-mates. 'Hoping that this experience doesn't spoil it for him in the future. He and his dad and Gage went on the Father & Son's outing to Scout Mountain. I believe it rained all night so it was cut short.

Madelyn has started taking some little 4-H mini classes. She so far loves to crochet. My mom has been helping her. She is the crocheting guru - I know a few basic stitches but my ability to read a pattern is limited. (Mom is my resource for most things domestic.) She will start a cooking class next week. She continues to play softball. 'Loves it. Her team has really improved and they are fun to watch.

We attended an extended Family Reunion in Utah on the 20th. Seriously! What is the point. Very little was planned. There was no program, B.Y.O P. (bring your own picnic, water was provided!) What kind of an event was that? We showed up at the church because the event at the park was rained out. One of Shirley's brothers conducted and ordered introductions by each head of house, we visited for about 20 minutes and everyone was out the door! WHAT? That was worth a 2 hour drive to Utah. Many of Derek's cousins did not even bother to show up and now I know why.
"Nothing is easy achieved without enthusiasm!"

Gage is a T-Ball maniac. He is on fire this year. What a turn around from last year's dirt digging, whining, boo-boo experience. He doesn't have to use the tee and he actually runs to first base not third! We are arriving! Derek and I are coaching. We have half girls, half boys on the team. It has been fun. We have the Hege Tripletts on our team. They are our cheerleaders. It has been refreshing to have them so excited for each other this year.

Chloee is still working on being potty trained. Still working on loosing that bottle. Still sleeping in our bed. She loves to play outside and thinks she should just be able to hop on a bike and go like the older kids. She loves our neighbors new baby and wants to go visit as much as I will let her. She carts a baby around about half of the time all the while sporting a pair of crazy shoes and some thrown together assembly of clothing. WOW! She totally loves to swim, run through the sprinkler, jump on the trampoline, ride her big wheel, and she loves motorcycle rides and boating. She is for sure a member of our family.

Toward the end of the month, we took a day trip to Twin Lakes. It is to the brim. The water was beautiful, clear and blue and there was sunshine to be had. Our kids love to drive out to the middle and jump off the boat. IT was still a little chilly so that first Jump was a tad freezy. Blue lips and lots of goose-bumps. By the end of the day we were all used to it. We had a little BBQ with the Crockett Family and the Boyle's drove from Logan to meet us. Their kids are so grown up - Chloee thinks Garrett looks like Joe Jonas. Yes, yes he does.
It was a fun day. My Dad drove separately and brought his boat to go fishing. He brought Dallas with him. As soon as we saw them, my 3 older kids transferred to his boat and went fishing as well. Brennan is "Hooked" - he loves to fish. I am glad ... I love that he likes to spend time with my dad! ( and that my dad wants to spend time with the grandkids.) He and my dad will get to know each other and he will learn to appreciate my dad's quiet crazy ways. My dad is a very talented man - I am hoping some of those things will rub off on them. Gage just likes to BE with him. It doesn't matter what they do... Ride the lawnmower, go on bike rides, fix things, dig in the garden, watch a fishing show in the recliner with a peeled orange or a tomato and a salt shaker. He digs Grandpa John. So do I.

Derek and I continue to be busy with stuff and things that won't matter 20 years from now. It seems the day to day hum drum is nuts most days around here. Everyday, I clean the same house, do the same laundry, clean up the same messes, drive to the same grocery store, buy and prepare the same food, go to bed exhausted in the same bed, and everyday,wake up next to the same really great man - for that I am gratefuL.

May-Day! May-Day!

2009-06-24T00:55:00.000-07:00

Stop the InsaNitY! Is the phrase that comes to mind as I review my Calendar for the month of May. How did we make it through? There isn't a bare spot on the calendar and in many spots, there is white out and post-it notes covering days where the 2 inch square space was inadequate to hold the activities for the day. I did not think we would make it, but It is true! Another school year has come to a close and I am so glad for a break from the books, and the strict bedtime regimen at the Leslie Household.

Let's see... We attended my cousin Jared's new baby blessing. She is for sure a sweetie. She is the first grandchild on that side of the family. Miracles never cease.

Derek and I have been working out a system to quickly cut MDF boards for temple pictures. We also have developed some mad skills making frames. This is the most exciting development of the month in my opinion.

We have had 5 Doctor/ ER visits this month. When it rains, it pours. Chloee hurt her front teeth somehow and had an abcess requiring antibiotics. (that was a treat... I have changed my perfume to essence of amoxicillin due to the constant spraying I would get trying to give the meds to her. She hates taking medicine. It kind of smells like strawberry :)
Brennan had pneumonia the first part of the month. I am going to get the Crappy mother of the year award because I made him wait an entire week feeling like horriBle before I took him to the doctor. Sorry Bren! We are just sick of hearing that "It's just a virus" $100 dollars and 2 hours in the waiting room later!
I went to the ER the night before MOther's Day with a piece of acrylic nail in my eye. Yeah. I am for sure going to mount the safety goggles next time I do my nails at midnight. Dangerous!
Gage swallowed a "quarter" in his exact words, and required a chest x-ray. We later found out it was only a nickel. Cut him some slack. He is only going to be in Kindergarten and is still learning money. I am thankful he only needed a chest film and not a gastroscopy! That would be something he would never forget.
'Just when you would think we couldn't possibly do one more thing requiring medical attention, Chloee fell on a stick, jamming it into her mouth, scraping the roof of her mouth and jabbed her in the throat. WOW! this again required a course of antibiotics. Seriously. We may have met our deductible in a 3 week period of time.

I have taken a severe liking to photography this last year and have put my camera to good use along with a little buddy, Noelle Merzlock. We have just completed 2 weeks of H * E * double Hockey Sticks at the Community Rec Center - taking pictures of all of the little sweeties in their dance classes. Totally cute. I posted some of Mady's dance pictures earlier. I am hoping we have just paid our dues and will have our foot in the door for more projects in the future.

I had my Hair chopped off. Seriously. I have as much hair as 3 human beings should have. We have had so much wind this spring (imagine that... wind in Idaho) I just decided it was time to chop it off. It is to my shoulders and layered and thinned out severly. One of these days I will get used to it. Hopefully. Some days I wonder what I was thinking - ok. Everyday. Cuckoo!

The middle of the month, I enrolled in a Continuing Education class for my Broker's license. I thought I would take it early in order to save me the hassle later on. Anyway. The course was for a "Green" designation. Seriously. I am struggling the remember anything in my life that delivered the torture factor as fiercely as this class. This would be the equivalent of Hell to me. Boring, useless, repetitive material over a 3 day period. DId I get the credits? yes. Will I use the designation? NO.

Our busy children continue to have baseball and softball games & practices.

We went camping over Memorial weekend to Lake Channel near American Falls. Rainy, sandy craziness all weekend. Our kids had a ball with the Dyes and the Crocketts. They rode motorcycles, caught lizards, played in the dirt and climbed the huge rock near our campground. I totally love our camper and will love it even more when Chloee decides to sleep in her own space. That queen size bed is just not going to cut it much longer.

The last day of Elementary school for my kids was on the 28th. It seemed that the last couple of weeks was spent messing around. They both brought home the contents of their desks about 6 days before the end of school. They watched movies, went to assemblies, and who knows what else. I would seriously love to have had them out 6 days sooner that to have them waste the time on crazy things with little meaning.
Brennan will be in the 6th grade. They have just bumped the 6th graders to the middle school so Bren will go to Hawthorne Jr. High. He is excited. I am still trying to decide what I think.

We will be coaching Gage's TeeBall team this year. Last year he was a total Stinker and we vowed we would not coach him again. Well, we have given him one more chance and we will see if we make it through the season. Our team is made up of only children from our Neighborhood this year. It will be fun because we not only live in a great neighborhood, but we know all of the kids. They are great kids.

As the month comes to a close, I have cause to reflect upon the many things that I am thankful for... Hmm. For sure good health. Children who are obedient and always try to do their very best. Positive attitudes. Free enterprise. Photoshop cs.
Good friends. Loving Parents. Shorts - because they take up less room in the laundry than long jeans. Summer vacation - we can stay up late and sleep in and do what ever we want. People who influence my children positively, help them develop confidence. Best friends. Laughter. Ensalada Bajio (MMMM my favorite). pepsi.

Biker ChicKs

2009-06-14T02:24:00.000-07:00

That little spec at the top of the HiLL is Bad-A G-Dawg, Hill climber extraordinaire.

2009-06-14T02:20:00.000-07:00

Bad-A biker bros

2009-06-14T02:16:00.000-07:00

Edwards bad -A BiKer Bros.

2009-06-14T02:15:00.000-07:00

Bren-BO basketball shots

2009-06-14T02:11:00.000-07:00

Mady, softball diva

2009-06-14T02:08:00.000-07:00

Brennan up to Bat

2009-06-14T02:01:00.000-07:00

Mady's spring dance recital pictures

2009-06-14T01:55:00.000-07:00

Two sweet sisters

2009-06-14T01:53:00.000-07:00

Leslie kids in front of Farr's Icecream Parlor in Ogden!

2009-06-14T01:51:00.000-07:00

Cooking? No, painting wood easter eggs! HA!

2009-06-14T01:49:00.000-07:00

2009-06-14T01:45:00.000-07:00

ApriL ShoWers BRinG May FLowers!

2009-05-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I am confident we had April but at this point is a little blurry. Sick isn't it. As an elementary school student/ child I remember counting the days until our next day out of school, the end of the 9 week grading period, the days left until summer break, the days until school started up again, the days until Christmas break. As an adult & most especially as a parent of 4 crazy kids... there is no counting about it. Deadlines SNEAK up on me and FLY past before I can even catch my breath.
Milestones for our FAMILY in April were few, but we maximized each minute of it.

Beginning with the end of March we enrolled all of the kiddies in swimming lessons to add to the chaos our already SUPER NUTS schedule. ChLoee took a MOM/DAD and me class to learn how to blow bubbles and put her face in the water... a waste for a 2 year old. She thought it was stupid and just wanted to jump off the side into the water and "DIBE" Dive for the floaty frog that everyone else was just reaching for. Seriously, course descriptions are imperitive in my opionion. The other kids really enjoyed swimming lessons. Gage was a fish in his former life and thinks that he is ready for the olympics "Like that one guy who looks like our cousin Cameron.." (Michael Phelps) RIGHT. Maybe in the semi-drowning category for the doggie paddle.
Mady of course did well and like gage passed off her level 2 and Brennan passed off level 3 and is working toward his swimming merit badge (how convenient was that?)

We had our pinewood derby the beginning of the month. Our new hi-tech track is soooooo superior. It is connected to a computer and electronic finish line making my job sooooo much easier - and where scouts is concerned, there aren't many things that involved the word easy or easier. We have to do everything the long drawn out hard way.

On the 8th we had an enormous Homemaking super Saturday type activity where we made pictures of the temple. They turned out super. We used the Picture of the Idaho Falls Temple that I took in February when we visited. I thought they were great - and the night was a success.

Just one week later, Derek celebrated his 41st Birthday in a frenzie as he was preparing to go to Phoenix with his parents and secure a winter home for them. (He doesn't care if there are presents... as long as there is great chocolate cake!) He was gone for a week - it felt like 2. Seriously, single parenthood is not for me.
Within the course of that week, we sold our last Parade home (YEAH) and the spec home next door. (The old saying stands true, if you want to sell a home, plan a trip and go on it.) The kids and I packed up and drove to Utah on a trip to take pictures of all of the Utah valley temples and to purchase supplies for crafties. All of this while I was managing Phone calls long distance with regard to the houses. CUCKOO! IT was a CRAZY weekend. The kids enjoyed seeing all of the temples, Mady and Brennan have developed an interest in photography, Mady thinks she needs a $600 camera and Brennan would just be happy if Mady would give her camera to HIM - no strings attached. Now everytime Chloee sees a steeple she says... MOM ! Temple! Although stressful, is was a great time. Funny, there was no craziness or contention in the car while we were in pursuit of the next temple photo. The kids were exceptional, I must say. :)

Brennan is playing Chubbuck Boys Baseball - Does he really enjoy it? We'll see as the season progresses.

Mady is playing her first year of girls Fast pitch softball. Totally DIGS IT! But then what is not to dig about SOftball? GIrls are more fun, relaxed and are just playing for the social aspect and for the fun of it. BOYS and Dads are stressful. It's all about being your best and improving to be your best and winning. Yes, winning is the iceing on the cake, but could we have a little fun while doing it? It is a wonder i don't chew the acrylic nails off at his games. It is tense.

My whole next week was spent helping out at the new Green House in town... Changing Seasons. Decorating, Staging, Building a fireplace, more decorating. Apparently I am going to be selling some of my crafties there in the future. We'll see how much time I have for that! Zippity! --

To wrap it all up, Gage, Chloee and I went to McKees Petting Zoo for his preK fieldtrip. TRuly a hi-light of the month. We decided that we are super happy we are not pot-belly pigs and we don't snort corn up our noses while eating. HA!

S p r i n g Break?

2009-03-29T23:13:00.000-07:00

Well, whether it feels like SPRING or not, we had SPRING BREAK this week. Seriously! Is this typical Idaho weather or what? Clearly the weather forecast was dead wrong the beginning of the week. We have had our spring break camping trip planned since January.. and who knew that we would receive record snow fall this month and record high winds, etc. (So much for our calendaring session with the intention of coordinating friends and famiLy schedules) Who cares if we all can make it if the weather is going to be crazy!

Anyway. We have had a great break from school and the everyday humdrum. Beginning with a trip to Hagerman / Glenns Ferry Idaho where it is usually 10 degrees warmer than PokY. We spent 4 days there in our camper. While the rest of Yous were getting 6 inches of snow, we only had wind and rain. We attended church in Glens FeRRy, a short 25 minute drive from our campground. 'A friendly bunch I must say. After that, we drove toward Twin Falls and saw the new TemPle. 'A great new addition to the collection in my opinion. 'Totally love the new subdivision surrounding it.

We made our usual swimming visit to 1000 springs, an indoor pool in Hagerman. 'Totally love that warm water- my kids are exhausted afterwards...;)

Aside from all of the wind, rain, and dust we are grateful that our camper made it home in one piece, the wind nearly blew our door off, but we had some great motorcycle riding, our kids had an absoLute BLast - aLright, I didn't mind it too bad either. Brennan thinks he is big enough to ride my Honda 200 ( and he is... that is the sick thing) Mady did really well on the Yamaha 90 and Gage is shredding the Land on the Honda 50. He is mastering the art of Hill Climbing and I must say that there in NO FEAR in that boy!
Whereas the drive the Hagerman is 3 hours, we listened to lots of music in the car. Brennan got is first dose of the BEEGees and totally Loves THeM! (He is just like his dad :0)

The afternoon we packed up, all of the kids are bawLing because they wanted to stay longer... they "didn't get to have enough FUN!" If we had stayed a month, they would have said the same thing.

I am grateful for a warm home that boasts wide open spaces, lots of running water, a dishwasher, a true flusher toilet with lots elbow room and a soaker bathTUB, oh, and a KING size bed. Truly, I would have been a really crappy Pioneer Woman. Especially with no snack-size candy bars or chocoLate in the knapsack. Anyone who knows me , knows that my motto is be prepared... that of course means that I do not pack Lightly making the whole handcart thing a bad option for me as well. :) Any WHO! I Totally love camping... IN JULY!

The remainder of our week was spent playing with cousins, friends, going to Hip Hop and Cheer classes, making serious crafties in the garage, cleaning the camper, doing TONS of Laundry, staying up late and due to the weather,watching lots and lots of movies.

Last night, Derek and I went to Dinner with Tara (derek's sister) and her totally cute boyfriend :) SHa SHwoo! We got to meet him for the first time whiLe having dinner with the SiBs. Later we played Lazer Tag at OuterLimits. Yes, we are nearly 40 and we all love Lazer Tag. It is a sort of anGer ManaGement / Therapy or something. How can shooting your spouse bring so much satisfaction and JOY? I had a blast. We again left our kids home to "Tend themselves" and again they passed the test. We are ecstatic (-2 for spelling?) Our days of date night babysitters are coming to a close :) TruLy, I am seeing light at the end of our tunneL!!
Tonight, Sunday, we had dinner at the LesLie Home in Firth. A dandy place, Firth. (To visit) THat house was hoppin' with 29 people there. (Cameron is on his mission so it would be 30). Now that is posterity!

Tomorrow will be the beginning of a Seriously CRAZY Week. May the Dear Lord be with us as we attempt to get our chiLdren out of bed to make the school Bus!!

February is now just a BLURRRrrrrr!

2009-03-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

I know it is March, but I am sticking to my commitment to journal each month as it passes.
February in Review.
The 'ol GroundHog wasn't a kidding.. We for sure have seen a lot of winter this month, except for a bout 14 minutes of sunshine and temperatures above 40 near the end of the month.

I already talked about my adventure to the temple. I am happy to report that I did find the missing 3 relatives and am headed to the gen. library to finish up.

Every Saturday we had basketball games. Stay tuned for some on the scene action shots.

The 12th - the 14th We had an aduLts only getaway to the cabin in Island Park. It was a Blast. Thanks to the Simonsens, Boyles, Crocketts, and the Dyes for Good food, Good Friends, Good Times. Thanks especially to Jennifer for the help redecorating while on top of the fireplace. She is amazing!

Brennan and Mady are taking a HIP Hop class. It is total Comedy. We enjoy watching it as much as they enjoy taking it.

We celeBrated lots of Birthdays this month... Mom (Anna) is 29.. again, Gee, & so is Holli!

We had our annual Ward Night-Skiing Party at PebBle Creek. Lots of Chili & Hot dogs.

Derek and I attended the aduLt session of our stake conference for the first time in a while. We left our kids home of course with the 2 older ones in charge of the 2 little ones. (I am pleased to announce that we are arriving) Get this.. ( I am getting "VaClempt" just thinking about it).. the Family Room was completely spotless. Brennan even vACUumed. We were so very impressed!

Well that's about it... I am totally looking forward to warmer and sunnier times. Yes, I do love to snowmachine, but it is time for warm afternoons, picnics, baseball games and certainly for kids to play outside! Tally HO!

MaDy's CheeR Recital

2009-02-23T01:33:00.000-08:00

Mady's Recital

2009-02-09T03:19:00.000-08:00

Island Park in January

2009-02-09T03:12:00.000-08:00

Its all about FAMILY...

2009-02-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

Many people close to us know that we have in a round about way ... ok... since May of 2005 - been doing temple work for My dad's side of the Family. I must admit, if we had not been issued a chaLLenge by our Bishop to have famiLy names for a then up and coming youth baptism trip, these peopLe might still be waiting for us to get it in gear!@_* My Grandfather was relatively easy... but it took some doing to find information on his parents, grand parents, and siblings. Let's hear it for the census of 1910 being destroyed by FIRE - (WHo couLd have had a hand in that?... SATAN?) I am pretty sure that record is the link to everything I am missing. If you were a Geneology buff, you could imagine how great it was for me to stumble upon the document that answered many questions and helped to get this family "Temple Ready". We discovered a few FaMiLy secrets, verified a few others, and were able to do baptisms for 3 women and 6 men. Derek and I did the Baptisms ourselves. It was really a great experience.

Over the course of the next year or so, we received endowments for my great- great grandparents, great grandparents , a great aunt, 3 great uncles and my Grandfather. I admit, after completing this minor task, I have greater appreciation for those who have dedicated their lives to geneology and temple work for their families. These names rode around in my purse for a long time and considering the scheduLe we have kept over the last 3 years, it is a wonder that I remembered anything much less that I needed to still have these people sealed to each other.
Last week, I found the names in my purse. Yes, it is Feb, 2009!!!

In October when my Grandma Primm passed away, My mother received a letter from her "cousin" Retta, who is amazing ( wife of a pastTemple president & geneological Rottweiler)... She had found some names in my Grandpa Primm's Line that needed work. Mom gave the names to us, and they have sat in my kitchen cupboard..... waiting.... waiting...

The temple is open after it's seasonal closing. Derek and I went yesterday to 'Git 'R' Done, if you will. We had a youth group do our baptisms (4 women, 3 men) and then we did a session. After the session, we had everyone who was able from both sides of the family (double greats on the Ratliff line and triple greats on the PRimm Line) , sealed to their faMiLies. It was an incredible experience for me. I'm not really sure WHO was there with us, but I don't remember EVER feeling like I did yesterday in the temPle. IT was an experience I will not soon forGet!

We still have a few names that need date clarification to make them temple ready.... Gee, I think I will get right on that! :)

Time FLies!

2009-01-31T09:19:00.000-08:00

No kidding? IT is nearly FeBruary aLready!
Writings of a crazy-busy family is what we should have called the bLoG...

Brennan and Derek are BLazing the court in BasketBaLL - Derek is heLping to coach
Bren's team this year... practice is only 2 nights each week with one game on Saturday. He also has Scouts one night each week and we have been workinG on Merit Badges like craZy! When is there time for homeWork?

MaDy got GLasses this month - CuTie BagooTie! We are seeing the chalk board much Better these days. MaDy has CHeeR and TumBLing once a week and has workinG hard to prepare for her recital. Their dance team has come a long way this year. Many of the Girls have never taken CHeeR or TumBLing before so Mady and her BFF Jordan look like oLympic Hopefuls!:)

GageR is Just BusY! He is really good at filling his day with things that make him HaPPY. He loves to make PRojects, watch Playhouse Disney, set up his trucks and motorcyles to park under the rugs and recliner, and he loves it when he wakes up to see that it has snowed! Immediately he is lookinG for his BooTs and coaT to go out and shoveL the DriveWay. I am sure the thRill of shoveLing will fade. Gage is loving preSCHOol this month as they stuDy Dinosaurs!

ChLoee had her front teeth fixed... Derek thinks they look a little bit like ChicK-Lets we are grateful that she has teeth. She if finaLLy sLeeping better at night and so are we! She loves to pack a baBy doLL around wrapped in a blanKie. She loves to help unFoLd Laundry and reorganize her dresser drawers. She is woRkinG on beiNG potty trained and we are tRying to take the Bottle away. Wish us LuCK with thaT!

We took a Trip to the CaBin in Island Park over Martin LutHer King HoLidaY. The weather was BeauTiFul and warm enough that we could be outsiDe and enJoy the sNoW. SnoW forts, sledding, being puLLed behind the snow maCHine on a sLeigh, and eating lots of great food. One SatuRday we rented a few sNowmachines and took Grandma & Grandpa Leslie and the kids on a tRail Ride around Island Park. It was GrEAT FUn!

Holli and 2 of her super scrapbook divas went to SaLt LaKe for a weekend of extreME R & R.
We left on Thursday stopped off in ClearfieLd for a Look around "Little Patch- O Heaven" and then after dRinKing in the experience with no chiLdren or HusBands buGGing us to Hurry up, we went to CaFe Rio for some amazing FooD! DE-LiSH! I totally need the homemade TorTiLLa JoB. A remedy for ReLief SocieTY aRms for sure... We spent the next 48 hours in cReAtiVE HaVen at the KimBaLL Condo. Once we were there, we didn't leave the room except to go to the COLa Machine for more beVerages containing the susTaining suBstance of LonGeVitY and occaSionaL ChoCoLaTe for a SeriTOnin BooST. ALL is WeLL! Much was accomPLished and returning to ReALiTy might be somewhat of a ShoCKer, but we wiLL do so with a sMiLe on our Faces, some sPriNg in our steP and with reNeWed coMMiTTment of FuLL SerVice to our FaMiLies. SeReniTy NOW!

2009-01-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

We have done it! We made it through another Holiday season alive! 'Funny how I always have such big plans for the season - the plan is usually for things to be WAY more simplified than the years previous. This year was not the case. I put off the holiday shopping until the week before, and our 2 December Birthdays snuck up on me like a bad pair of undies. At this time I am pledging to be more prepared next year.

Although there was much hustle and bustle, we did enjoy our Holiday break. We spent lots of time with the kids... had sleep overs with friends and cousins, stayed up late, went to the movies, went sledding and snow machine riding at Grandmas, shoveled snow, helped Aunt Steph and Uncle Ron finish their basement, and did our fair share of cleaning and laundry.

Now that we are all relaxed and rested, we will begin another semester of school and hope for the best attempting to get everyone back on schedule!